Shopping for the Perfect Palette | Five Favourites for Fall and Winter

When it comes to shopping for an eyeshadow palette, I always think it's important to think of three things: Texture, Tone and Uniqueness. If you don't have a drawer full of palettes organized by brand, colour and size like I do (I have a sickness) nor do you plan to, picking out that one special palette that can do it all be a bit tricky. Today's posts has five can't-go-wrong palettes for Fall and Winter, as well as my tips for how to pick out a palette that will fit all your needs!

MAC Strobe Cream | The Original Glow Getter

You've heard me drone on and on about 'getting the glow' this year, because thankfully radiant dewy skin is "in", which is a big plus for a girl like myself who's skin always seems a bit dull. I've raved about many luminizing products recently, but I thought I'd take a walk down memory lane and revisit an old favourite: MAC Strobe Cream*, which was possibly the first product of its kind on the market. 

Clean Beauty Series | REN Skincare

REN Skincare started out 15 years ago in a stand alone shop on Liverpool Street in London by Robert Calcraft and Antony Buck. Since then it's grown into an award winning brand that follows the Clean Beauty Series mantra of created cutting edge products free of parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, petrolatum, synthetic fragrances and dyes, T.E.A, D.E.A and silicones. Oh and did I mention they are 100% against animal testing? Yep, that's a long list of things that sometimes crop up in our skincare folks! 

Today's post will break down the inspiration and ethos of REN, some of my favourites from the line as well as my wish list of products I can wait to try.

Using 100% plant and mineral derived actives, the nice people at REN believe that texture and fragrance should add to the overall experience of using their products, and I would have to agree. It's become no surprise to me that REN Skincare has grown a bit of a cult following around the world.

I've had the pleasure of trying out some of the products from the line (though not nearly as many as I want to try!) and here's what I am loving:

Evercalm Anti-Redness Serum* - I've struggled with reactive skin and jawline redness since I was young and I find this to be super soothing and calming. This is formulated to give instant relief from discomfort and sensitivity and I found it really did just that. I pump of this after a too-hot shower left my previously red splotchy face even toned and hydrated. Apparently, Evercalm is meant to strengthen capillary walls and 'trains' the skin to be less sensitive (which can protect against premature ageing) but that is a claim I wouldn't know the results of for some time.  The texture is milky, almost like a thin lotion, and includes the following ingredients which I've broken down into what the heck they actually do:
Milk Polypeptides -creates signals to your skin to regenerate collagen Beta-Glucan -strong anti-inflammatory agent  -aids reducing redness and sensitivity Antileukine -fights free radical damage Wild Canadian Rumex -reduces hyperpigmentation -protects blood vessels and helps decongest and stop swelling Hyaluronic Acid -boosts skin's moisture content as well as reduces moisture loss

Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial - Imagine last minute plans pop up and your skin is looking less than stellar. Now enter in the 1 Minute Facial which visibly rejuvenates skin almost instantly. It claims to banish urban grey, reduce fine lines and imperfections as well as tones and firms.  While I don't particularly care for the slightly metallic scent to this product, my skin looks great after using it and the recommended time frame actually fits into my life when I can rarely be reminded to apply a mask. The texture is grainy like a sugar scrub and has the following bio extracts:
Vitamin C -stimulates collagen synthesis and provides radiance Boswellic Acid -relaxes facial tissue to smooth lines Glycogen Magnesium - Boosts radiance and skin energy

Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask* - This is the mask for when you have more time (10-20 minutes) and want to give your skin a serious overhaul once a week or so. It's 6.5% Glycolic Acid removes dead skin cells, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, fights congestion and blackheads and improves skin tone.  I was initially worried about this product after reading slight tingling might occur, but I didn't notice any of it, and my sensitive skin reacted really well to this pumpkin hued mask. It exfoliates the skin using the following ingredients:
Natural Fruit Acids -Papaya, lemon, grape, pineapple and passionfruit encourage cell turnover 

So what's on my list next? Being a rose lover, I'd love to try the Moroccan Rose Range which looks gorgeously lush and hydrating. New to the brand is the Citrus Limonum Hand Wash and Cream, which look divine as well as the good people at REN have created a Shampoo and Conditioner which I would love to try, loving sulphate free haircare! 
What are your favourite REN products? Which ones should I try next?

Problem Solvers Series | Looking Well Rested When You Didn't Get Enough Sleep

If like many, you struggle to get out of bed on a Monday morning, or you've just partied a little too hard on the weekend, there are five simple tips I swear by for faking the look of being bright eyed and bushy tailed. We all get a case of the Monday's every now and then, so how fitting for me to post some of my favourite products for "faking it to you make it"?

H&M Does Beauty... And It's Good!

So in case you've been a bit behind on your beauty blog reading these last couple of weeks, affordable clothing giant H&M has launched a 700 piece beauty range. I got a quickie glance at it the other day and started making mental notes of all the pretties I want to try. While I could have spent all day swatching and perusing, I snached up one lipstick that caught my eye and headed on my merry way. So, did it hold up to the rave reviews I've been hearing?

Four Brands That Do Customizable Eyeshadow Palettes Well

Being the slight control freak I am when it comes to eyeshadow palettes, I often find pre-designed options have shades that might be curated beautifully, but aren't always what I want in terms of wearability. There always seems to be a split of shades I know I'll love, and shadows I know I'll never touch, and it irks the side of me that yearns for colour aesthetic. So naturally I love when I get full control of the shadows I put in a palette, and with so many brands doing customization I thought I talk about four that I think are great value, quality and variety. 

World Wide Beauty Vol 3 | Becca for Australia

I'm thrilled to post the third installment of the World Wide Beauty Series! Featuring Becca Cosmetics, a brand that is becoming a household name all over the globe, but started out down under in Australia.  Keep reading to find out a little more about the brand, and it's goals in the beauty industry, as well as my must have Becca products & current brand wishlist!

Mascara Monday | MAC Upward Lash Mascara

I'll preface this Mascara Monday by saying that I've never been a huge lover of MAC mascaras. Over the years I've found most of them have let me down; Literally they never managed to hold a curl! When I started to hear good things about MAC's Upward Lash Mascara*, and saw the unique looking brush on it and old school MAC mascara packaging, I knew it might be time to give another try to the brand I love so many other products from. 

Problem Solvers Series | How to Prevent Eyeshadow Fallout

Whilst on a family vacation two weeks ago, as my sister in law and I sat together putting on our makeup, she noticed I was using a dark shadow as my eyeliner. She then asked, "But doesn't it fall down all around your eyes? I always seem to make a mess!" and before I knew it, I'd rattled off a handful of ways to prevent the dreaded 'fallout', so I thought I'd share them here as a bit of a beauty hack so to speak.

Glow in a Bottle | Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist

Tatcha is a brand I've started to hear plenty about in the blogger circuit, namely the Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist, which has gained a bit of a cult following recently. Up until using it, I assumed it was just another setting spray like so many on the market, but this folks is really something special! 

New Kid on the Block | Stila Stay All Day Contouring Bronzer for Face and Body

Stila's 'Stay All Day' range has been making a name for itself when it comes to longevity for a while note. The Stay All Day Liquid Liner is a favourite amongst many, and the foundation stays beautiful all day. They've now extended the range with the Stila Stay All Day Contouring Bronzer for Face and Body and I was pretty eager to try it out, given the fact that finding a bronzer that has a great tone to it, and sticks around all day seems to be especially difficult for me.

GIVEAWAY ALERT | Bite Beauty Maple Matte Creme Lipstick Trio

Quite some time ago I got my hands on several of the Bite Beauty Maple Matte Creme Lipsticks - a gorgeous velvety smooth, pigmented and hydrating formula lipstick that was exclusive to Canada via Sephora. I did a full review of them with swatches here, and then being the good little cosmetic hoarder I am, I tucked three away until the weather cooled down (at least here anyways) and I knew they wouldn't melt into a puddle in a Canada Post depot, so I could do a giveaway for you all! Since it's no fun to have unique products like this be exclusive to one country, I'll be hosting this giveaway worldwide - take a read below to see how you can enter!

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Glamour Muse

My Charlotte Tilbury collection is growing strong, but one of the first products I was eager to try from the line was the Glamour Muse quad - a gorgeously curated collection of rose gold, purple, taupe and pearl. Charlotte designed these palettes to be a user friendly, effortless way to take eyes from day to evening to disco. After hearing plenty of good things about her Golden Goddess and Dolce Vita Palettes, I was curious to see how something with a bit more pop of colour would perform (purples are notorious difficult pigments to work into shadows). Did it live up to the hype?

The Great Cover Up | Four Different Concealers to Perfect Your Complexion

When it comes to concealers, there are so many options out there, it can be hard to know which one to choose for which purpose. I've picked four of my recent cover-up favourites and broken them down by which use they work best for to help save you a little time they next time you have a pesky blemish, dark circles or pigmentation you want to even out, pronto.

Hype Worthy? | Six Luxury Products Get Put to the Test

I love trying out hyped up 'cult classic' products to see if they really are worth their weight in gold (and priced seemingly so!) as many tout them to be, and it seems you as readers like it when I do as well! I've always been one of those 'exception to the rule' types, and find because of this I look at products with a skeptical eye, which benefits the blogging process of reviewing quite well. So here are six more products that have had plenty said about them on the web, magazines and word of mouth, put to the test by yours truly. Which ones do I think are hypeworthy?

The Best in Beauty for September 2015

Another month gone, and another list of favourite beauty products to share with you all! This month has some really wonderful discoveries and new products, as well as a previous favourite or two that I've fallen back in love with again. Let's get right into it, shall we?