Merry Christmas!

(source)

I finished work at 1.30 today, had a festive strawberry and lime cider and then made my way home so that Christmas can begin!

Merry Christmas!

LA-Tweez Pro Iluminating Tweezers

I am not very good at waiting for presents which is why I bought these from Boots today. As soon as I see something I want, I want it to use it as soon as possible!

I saw these on 'A Model Recommends' blog and they really caught my eye as I loved the concept. These are basically tweezers which have a small LED light so that when pointing the tweezers at your eyebrow, it lights up the area and you can see exactly where you have to pluck.

The tweezers fit into this really cute case which is great for travelling

There is also a mirror inside which is useful- although when tweezing I prefer to use a seperate mirror as I can't hold one and tweeze at the same time!

These are the tweezers- pretty and pink and you can see where the light is. To turn on the LED light you just press the crystal.

I used this as soon as I got home today and really like it. I always struggle with finding good light to pluck my eyebrows and this really solves the problem, in addition to looking gorgeous. The tweezers are very good but not as good as Tweezermans (the ultimate in my opinion!).

The LA-Tweez Tweezers cost £15 and I bought mine from Boots Online.

The Final Boots Gift of the Week: Soap & Glory Tote Bag

Last year there was a big buzz surrounding the Soap & Glory Hat Box and this year Boots have reduced the Soap & Glory tote bag for their final Gift of the Week. Great for a last minute Christmas present- I know so many people (myself included!) who would love this.

In the tote bag you receive:

♥ Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel
♥ The Righteous Butter Body Butter (I love this product)
♥ Flake Away Body Scrub
♥ Girligo Scented Body Moisturising Mist (another fave)
♥ Glad Hair Day Ultra-Shine Super-Shampoo
♥ The Breakfast Scrub Body Smoother
♥ Hand Food Hydrating Hand Cream
♥ Scrub Your Nose In It Face Scrub and Mask
♥ Super Colour Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss in 'Pink Apricot'
♥ Off Your Face Cleansing Wipes
♥ And a Giant Shower Puff!

The RRP of this set is £60 and Boots have it reduced to £25 until the 24th December. After checking online this has actually sold out online (booo!) so checking your local Boots is your best bet.

Review: Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream

Product

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream

Price

£48 for 30 ml from QVC

What does it claim to do?

"This revolutionary Anti-Ageing cream uses the Marine extract Padina Pavonica to transform the complexion in just over 2 weeks*. Trials proved that the appearance in wrinkle depth was reduced by up to 78% and that hydration was increased by up to 45%. Skin firmness and elasticity are dramatically increased, whilst providing superior free radical protection. " - Elemis

What do I think?

The Elemis pro-collagen marine cream came as part of the QVC TSV deal which arrived a week ago. I have been starting to use all of the products in the set and am really really impressed with them all.

I was especially looking forward to trying this cream- mainly because it is an expensive product, and one which I could never afford (or rather justify spending the money on) without it being in a deal.

As you can see from the photo, the packaging is gorgeous- very classic and looks expensive which is what you'd expect for the price.

I have now been using the cream for a week and I am totally in love with it. The smell is amazing- I can't describe it but it is fresh and lovely- and very spa-esque. You only need a small amount of the cream and it is absorbed into the skin really easily.

In terms of results as I have only been using it for a week but can definitely see that it is having a good effect. It makes my skin look plump and radiant and not greasy at all.

Would I re-purchase?

I wouldn't re-purchase the product on its own because of the price but I love that it can bought a lot cheaper as part of an Elemis set and I will definitely look into this when the cream runs out as I want to try more Elemis products. There are a few of these sets on the QVC website (here, here and here).

Massive thumbs up for this product!

My 2010 beauty winners

At the end of a year I always like to think about my favourites from the year. Favourite books, films and of course- beauty products. So without further ado, here are my 2010 beauty winners...

Skincare

Make-up remover
MAC Cleanse-off Oil (review)

Cleanser
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (review)

Moisturiser
Liz Earle Superskin Moisturiser (review)


Make-up

Foundation
Revlon ColorStay

Concealer
Benefit Erase Paste (for eyes)
Benefit boi-ing


Powder
MAC MSF Natural

Blush
Benefit Coralista

Eyeshadow
MAC Patina

Mascara
MaxFactor False Lash Effect (review)

Eyeliner
Sleek gel inkpot in graphite

Lipstick
MAC lipstick in hue

Lipbalm
By Terry Baume de Rose (review)

Haircare

Shampoo
Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo (review)


Conditioner
Aussie ColourMate 3 minute miracle

Styling tool
Babyliss Conical Wand

ELF purchases

I really like ELF and as I hadn't ordered from there in a while I decided that an online shop was in order. Initially I just wanted a brow set but because it's so cheap it became too easy to just (virtually) throw products in my basket. I think there was a 15% offer on the day too- ELF is great for offers and it's definitely worth waiting for one before ordering.

Typically, a few days after ordering the stipple brush was released which I really want to try!

My order arrived today and for only £21 I received all this. I ordered most from the Studio Line, the eyeliner from the Mineral line and then the blending eye brush from the standard collection.

Cream Eyeliner in Black

This includes a little brush too although I always find them too small to use.

Blush in Peachy Keen



I want to try more peachy blushes and have seen a few good reviews of this on other blogs/YouTube videos. From a quick swatch I can see it's got a lovely shimmer to it and is a really nice colour. It seems very sheer so will probably need layering up.

I love the packaging of the ELF products- it's so sleek

Eyebrow kit in Ash

I've wanted one of these kits for ages but didn't want to spend a huge amount incase I didn't get on with it. This is quite a new shade for the eyebrow kit collection and is perfect for me- although light would probably work just as well. I tried this quickly and loved the effect. I'm sure you all know the score but you brush the shade on the right onto your brows and then fix it in place with the gel on the left.

Mineral Eye Liner in Black

So impressed with how black this is- it gives such a rich colour and applies so easily. Am looking forward to wearing it for work tomorrow!

Blush Brush

I obviously ordered this but I cannot remember adding it to my basket at all! I don't need a blush brush either. I must have just got carried away! But nevertheless, this is a really nice sized brush- its quite small so good for placing blush precisely.

Blending Eye Brush

As you can see this is from the normal range and so only cost £1.50. I wanted another blending brush to use for concealer as am always seeing the Pixiwoo girls do this!

Small Angled Brush

And finally! I just bought this small angled brush for applying the eyebrow kit colours, or for using gel eyeliner.

If you would like me to review any of these products in particular I will make sure I do! Does anyone have any other ELF recommendations?

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Thanks again to my lovely Dad for the photo of our tree

Who has their Christmas trees up? Have you gone for a particular colour scheme?

We put ours up this weekend and decided on a white, silver and glass theme. We have beads, glass icicles, and lots and lots of baubles. We have been using the same (artificial) tree for the past few years- it has fibre optics which I used to think were a bit tacky but I actually really like the look of them on our tree.

We did used to buy a real one every year and you really can't beat the smell of a real pine, but it did leave such a mess and so the faux one was purchased!

Our house is now suitably decorated with festive bits and bobs and it's nice to see cards popping through the door now that the snow has gone and the postman can actually get out and about! Christmas is coming!

QVC- Fantastic Elemis Offer for today only!

QVC have currently got a great offer on an Elemis set but it is for today only so you will have to be quick! It is the Elemis 5 Piece Exotic & Nourishing Face & Body Skincare Collection for an amazing £39.96. The set includes:

♥ Skin Nourishing Hand & Body Lotion (300ml). This is a limited edition super-size version- the 200ml version is £22 alone.

♥ Melting Cleansing Gel (125ml). This is Elemis' newest product

♥ Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (30ml). Elemis' bestselling product. RRP is £75 for a 50ml pot so makes this a fantastic deal! I am very excited to try this!

♥ Exotic Frangipani Monoi Bath & Shower Cream (200ml). RRP for this is £20

♥ Exotic Frangipani Monoi Moisture Melt (35ml) You have to leave this product in warm water so that it breaks down into liquid form before using. It is £29 for a 100 ml bottle.

And it all comes in a silver bag. As you can see- these are such good savings and would come to over a £100 at normal retail price. Even better is that you can use easy-pay where you pay £10 installments rather than the full price.

I haven't used Elemis products before but have ordered this and will let you know how I get on!

Snow fest

I know that everyone is posting about the snow but it has to be done! For all of you non-UKers, we've had a lot of snow this week and it's all that everyone is talking about (aside from the World Cup bid but we'll skim over that).

My Dad went out today and took a few photos and I asked him if I could steal a few- because they're so pretty! I love how the snow makes everything look so beautiful- we've even had a few icicles hanging from the windows!