John Lewis Christmas Range 2016

Hello all!

Last week we were invited to an event at John Lewis in Cardiff to look at their Christmas range. I'm a huge Christmas fan and was so very very excited to go!

If I could I would spend a small fortune on decorations and this year I want my house to SPARKLE.

Without further rambling, let's have a look at what John Lewis has to offer:

Those mugs are already a favourite of mine. I absolutely need one of them (probably 2 knowing how easily I seem to chip things....) as well as the matching plates and trays, I just need them in my life.

The sign is also beautiful, it would go perfectly in my bedroom and I just need to justify making my bedroom Christmassy, right??

John Lewis have their ranges set out in sections. Shangri-La is a beautiful blue, green and purple colour palette. Think peacocks and you're on the right track.

The colour are beautiful and are my normal colours for my living room at home. The feather wreath is particularly pretty and the cushions could easily be added to any room for an injection of jewel toned colour.

Snowshill was a favourite of both of ours, the navy, white and metallic colour palette was wintery and sparkly but not traditionally Christmas themed. It's very fresh and crisp and you could use a lot of these items year round, good call JL!

We both loved this table setting, the arrangement is beautiful and the addition of the triple sheepskin rug on the seats makes it look and feel much more luxurious.

My other personal favourite was Ruskin House. I love the reds, greens and golds at Christmas time and the traditional colours always have to have a part.

I love tartan prints and natural ornaments such as the wreaths and pine cones - my parents love this kind of thing too so I think I like it because it reminds me of home!

I love the traditional look and the whole layout was very pretty. The armchair and matching foot stool with tartan blanket are gorgeous, I'd love to wrap myself up in the blanket on the chair with a good book!

One of the most interesting collections was that of Ostravia. It is a Pinterest and typical blogger's dream range!

There are lots of pastel colours, metallics and a whole load of decorations that are not your average - think pugs, crowns, perfume bottles and cameras in sugary pink shades! Take a look:

Definitely worthy of Pinterest with all the sparkle and the fairy lights!

I can definitely see these being a hit with a lot of people and I'd be tempted to pick up some of the more sparkly additions - love the baubles.

Next up is the Chamonix range, essentially this is chalet chic so expect lots of fair isle prints in a red and navy palette.
I love this bedding, it looks gorgeous. I never seem to be able to get my own bed to look as good! I obviously need more pillows and blankets!

I love these tree decorations, the little chalet houses are so cute and I'm a huge fan of fair isle so anything with this pattern is something I'm immediately attracted to.

After wandering around the collections we then wandered through the Christmas store itself, there were many things that I immediately wanted to pick up!

The collections of baubles were like a sweet shop! So many available in so many colours and effects, I must go back asap to have a closer look and make a list of what I need.

There really is a range for everyone at John Lewis this year, another I found both a bit random and a little bit cute was the animals. I have to admit I was attracted to the frog prince below because my fairytale tendencies just take over but as a Christmas decoration I can't see the connection....still cute though!

There's literally everything you could ever need. We both personally loved the decorations above with the clocks and keys/glitter in a jar almost Alice in Wonderland style.Christmas seems to be a lot about magic now which I cannot disagree with!

We were also lucky enough to sample some of the food that will be available over the festive period from both JL and Waitrose, the panettone was really good and the little snacks all tasted great (we had to try them all for review purposes obviously!)

I loved walking around the collection and it has made me very excited for the next few months. I can't wait to get my decorations from the attic and see what I need to buy this year - I only bought my house last year so I have a few decorations but not many, definitely room for more but I need to plan it out carefully!

What do you think of the John Lewis range? Are you a Christmas fan?

I absolutely cannot wait for the colder nights with blankets and hot chocolate, I am definitely a winter kind of girl!

L xxx

L.A.B 2 Brush Review

Hey All

A few weeks ago we were sent some brushes from L.A.B 2 to test out. Being the make up addicts we are of course we said yes as you can never have enough brushes (mine have reached ridiculous almost triple figures *hides face in shame!!*).

L.A.B 2 isn't a brand I'd heard too much about but are available online or in Superdrug. A big thing for me lately when purchasing new products is that they are cruelty free and L.A.B.2 is cruelty free and suitable for vegans.

TITANIUM-PLATED

FERRULE

HIGHEST QUALITY METAL only found in high-end, professional brushes

NON-CORROSIVE superior durability and resistance to damage

DOUBLED-CRIMPED for stability and to prevent brush heads from detaching and bristles from shedding

Each brush is colour coded to the area of the face, lips are purple, eyes are blue and face brushes are yellow. The colours are mimicked on the handles with the name of each brush. The handles themselves are rubberised for a matte finish and easy grip. I love the look of these but my foundation brush does look a bit mucky in between washes which I find is standard for rubberised materials. 

The back of each brush has helpful tips and detailed information on the brush. The fibers on the brushes have micro-studded surface that mimic the cuticle of natural hair to allow them to be as good as natural hair brushes. They are great at picking up product and the eye brush is perfect for blending out product. I've washed these once so far and they didn't shed which is always impressive.

I've been using the foundation and eye shadow brush the most so far as I'm a bit lazy when it comes to lip brushes. I have used the lip brush to concealer around my brows and it is really precise and easy to use. The fact it's retractable means I don't end up with the left over concealer going everywhere.

The foundation brush is great with my illamasqua skinbase. I find this works best with a traditional shaped foundation brush. It blends the foundation into my skin easily and the bristles are easy to spot clean so I don't have to wash it too often.

I've used the eyeshadow brush for both blending and applying foundation and it works well with both, It softens the edges of my shadow easily but can still pack it onto the lid if needed.

I can't wait to try out more brushes from L.A.B 2!

Have you tried any of them? They have some great sets available.

Love M

xxx

Miss Patisserie Charcoal Cleansing Bar

Hey All

As you've probably guessed by now we are huge Miss Patisserie Fans, you can see the other products we've featured on the blog here. When I heard Miss Patisserie had bought out new cleansing bars I had to pop into the shop to try them out. (L has a different on she'll be sharing!) There are three different ones and are priced at a very reasonable £5.25. You can grab them here.

NYX Contour Pro Single in Sculpt and Sculpt and Highlight Face Duo in Taupe/Ivory

Hey All

As you can probably guess from all of our NYX posts and features on our instagram L and I are totally in love with the products!

I'm a massive fan of a great contour so when we were at the counter the other day I couldn't resist a new sculpting powder as it looked a great tone and as I'm yet to own any cream/liquid contour I had to have the sculpt and highlight duo. 

I was instantly draw to the Highlight and Sculpt pro singles. I already have palettes I can put singles into so wasn't worried about buying the full palette. My only downside is that it didn't have a magnetised back for palettes but it's easy enough to stick one onto the back. As it also has a lid it's not necessary to keep it in a palette.

I choose the shade sculpt as it had a slight taupe shade to it and wasn't as brown toned as some of the others. The texture of these is so soft and blends into the skin so easily. I find myself reaching for this most days now as it's so easy to use. I've also layered it up with other contours for a stronger look for evenings.

Here is the contour shade on. If you're following my 100 days of make up on instagram you'll have seen it on more posts/

It's available from boots here for the bargain price of £3.25. They also do a palette of highlight and contour shades which is  £18 for 8 shades

Here is the face duo swatched first and the contour powder in sculpt at the end!

I've fancied trying a liquid contour and highlight for a while and when I saw the Sculpt and Highlight Face Duo it fell into my basket without question. It was the last one on the stand in Taupe/Ivory which made me want it more. 

It comes in a concealer wand type packaging with the doe foot applicator making it really easily to apply in a specific area and makes contouring precise and easy especially on the nose area.

The sculpt and highlight due really blend into the skin easy and give a flawless finish. I blend it out with a real techniques miracle complexion sponge (my favourite sponge I grabbed the primark ones hoping for a bargain but they just don't cut it!) to gently blend the product out. I find this works best. 

Here it is on. You can see it shapes my nose and cheek bones and adds definition to the face.

It's available from boots here for £9 and comes in different shades for different skin tones. I'm really pale and this one is perfect for me. 

NYX is also all cruelty free hence why I'm heading there and buying out most of the shop at the moment!

Have you tried the nyx contouring products?

Love M

xxx