Aussie's 3-minute miracle 

My first favourite of December is this Aussie, haircare treatment. I don't usually mention hair products mainly because I'm not one to change up my routine, however, I've thoroughly been enjoying this and wanted to share my newfound obsession with you. I picked it up as it was on offer in Superdrug about a month or so ago as I was looking for something to deeply condition my hair. 

I use this treatment on my hair after every wash and I'm rather shocked how much of a change it has made to the condition of my hair. Since using it, I've found my hair to feel much healthier, smoother and the overall look vastly improved. I apply this after I've shampooed, conditioned and then leave it for the given 3 minutes to works its magic. The product isn't too thick, or thin, yet it manages to coat the hair and does exactly what it says, a '3-minute miracle'

Fleur de Force's 'Cosmic Bronze' palette 

Another favourite of mine has to be this gorgeous eye shadow palette by FleurdeForce. Made up of 4 beautiful bronze toned shades, the quad is perfect for everyday use and those who adore a neutral eye like me. When swatched and applied, the colours are incredibly pigmented, blend well and last. I'd say the quality is nearing the high-end mark and for £8.99 it's an absolute bargain. With the size, it comes in it's also great for travelling and as you have 4 easy colours to use, you can easily create many different looks. I recently did a review on this palette if you'd like a more in-depth look with swatches and the shadows on, read more here.

Mac's 'Russian Red' lipstick

As it was the festive season, December is the time to whip out red lipstick. The one, in particular, I've been reaching for is my holy grail, Mac's 'Russian Red'. I genuinely love this lipstick. Not only is the lasting power endless, but the red is also truly rich and paired with a golden eye looks flawless. Even though it's a matte shade, I don't find it to be drying, only if worn for the entire day without any re-application. It's certainly my number one red and if you love darker lipsticks as much as me, it's definitely one to try out! 

Mac's 'Faux' lipstick 

Another lip favourite the past month has been a nude Mac lipstick. On the days I wanted to wear a more toned down makeup look or not rock a bright lip, I opted for the stunning, Mac 'Faux'. This beauty is a satin finish and very similar to Mac's 'Brave', yet is a slightly duskier pink and peach-toned shade. I would describe it as your lips but better, adding oomph to your natural lip colour. Due to the finish, it's not as lasting as a matte shade, however really moisturising, looking fabulous for an everyday look. I love also how as the shade is rather subtle you don't need to be as precise as when applying a dark lip. I definitely think I'll be reaching for this more and more in the next few months - a complete stunner!

I hope you enjoyed this December favourites post. What products have you been loving over the past month?

Thank you for reading <3

They are crazy girlies but I love them:

2015 for me was an absolute whirlwind of year, packed with countless memories, special moments and personal accomplishments. From heading on my first girls holiday to Crete, experiencing many London days out including watching the Jersey Boys, meeting some of my favourite Youtubers as well as new people, going to LouiseLive, beach days, parties, karaoke nights out, my first blogger event and numerous loving moments with my close friends and family, there's a crazy amount of days I've truly adored. In terms of personal accomplishments, this year has been the one where I've learnt to love myself more, grew massively in confidence, come to terms with how to deal with my anxiety and been happier overall than I have in a very long time. All of these were helped by the adoring best friends I have boosting me up and supporting me in every way they can. With everything that I feel fulfilled in, I want to make 2016 my year, conquering all I can and grasping every opportunity.

I want to set myself a couple of resolutions on my blog in order for me to read back on them throughout the year. 

Urban Decay's Naked skin concealer:  Out of all the things I bought, this is certainly the one I'm most excited about. I've heard many bloggers rave about this concealer and a few people telling me on Twitter I need to give it a go, so I did. Initially when I went to the Urban Decay counter I was going to splurge on a new eye shadow palette, however I thought instead I would treat myself to some high end face products, as I don't change up my base routine on a regular basis nor have a tried various concealers. After swatching a few, I asked what shade would be best and the lovely lady recommended 'light warm', a more yellow toned shade. I just want to take a moment to appreciate the packaging, it looks incredibly sleek and extravagant, let's hope I adore the concealer as much as the design!

Kiko lip liners in 304 and 315: One of the first shops we headed to was Kiko cosmetics, an Italian affordable makeup brand because I've heard loads of good reviews on their products and therefore was intrigued to get my hands on some. After browsing for a while, I came across these gorgeous lip liners, which were absolutely beautiful when I swatched them ( see below.) Despite being a complete lipstick hoarder, I've never been one to apply lip liner before lipstick and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try some liners without breaking the bank. The quality of them is stunning and I love the shades I chose - 304 is a red toned, pinky brown colour and 315 is very similar, yet slightly more pink and plumy toned.

This is 304 on the left and 315 next to it - as you can see, very similar, 315 is slightly darker.

 Kiko eye shadow stick in '07': As gold shadows are my absolute favourite colour when creating an eye look, you can imagine once I swatched this, I was in make up heaven. It's a beautiful, pigmented shimmery gold shadow stick, designed to wear as an eye shadow base. The colour is incredible, a sparkly gold that isn't too shimmery with a creamy consistency, ideal to blend all over the lid. I can't wait to give this a go when wearing a gold smoky eye because I reckon it'll bring the gold colour out much more.

 From the image you can tell it holds a slight bronze undertone with a true, strong gold shimmer running through.

Lush bath bombs: No beauty haul is complete without a purchase from Lush. They had a Christmas sale on where I managed to get two bath bombs from the range for only half the price - Golden Wonder and Star Dust. Golden Wonder is my favourite Christmas bath bomb, I love the smell and all the colours that shine through, especially that heap of glitter you're left with at the end! Unfortunately they didn't have any  Luxury Lush pud bath bombs left, however I'm excited to try out Star Dust. The other two I bought were Dragon's Egg, my absolute top bath bomb of all time, you're on citrus heaven with this beauty and The Experimenter, a complete colourful rainbow bomb!

Lush's face mask in 'Brazened honey': The last purchase is a must every time I go into Lush and it's their face mask in 'Brazened Honey.' This is my go to face mask I love to use about twice a week because it's done wonders for my skin, leaving it feeling fresh and silky smooth - I'd definitely recommend.

I hope you enjoyed this beauty haul post. Have you bought any beauty bargains in the sale?

Thank you for reading <3

Packaging

When I first watched the video of her explaining the products, I really took a fancy to the packaging. It kind of reminds me of the Mac quads and as it's black it's simple yet rather sophisticated and professional. The see-through lid I adore because you're able to know exactly what comes in the palette. The size is absolutely perfect, small enough to travel with and take on the go with an array of versatile shades - I love it!

Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of the eyeshadow's quality but when I began swatching/applying, I was genuinely surprised. All four shadows are beautifully pigmented where only a little bit is needed to get the true colour. For me, it's up there with Urban Decay's eye shadows, especially the dark brown, a.k.a the most perfect definition colour ever! 

Eye Shadow Colour Range

The palette is made up of four bronze based shades hence the name 'Cosmic bronze', perfect for someone like me who adores bronze/brown/neutral colours. Going from left to right you have a gorgeous cream, slightly pink toned highlighting shade, a complete light matte brown colour, perfect as a transition shade, a shimmering bronze with slight silver/pink undertones and a dark matte brown. I love the combination of all four of these together or just using two for a truly natural look; the colours range greatly for many neutral makeup styles.

Below I have swatches of the palette ( from left to right): Shimmer bronze, highlighting shade, dark brown and light, tan brown.

Application and lasting power

From the first application, I found the colours to be very rich especially the bronze shimmer and dark matte brown. The shimmer shade when applied is beautifully pigmented, yet isn't overpowered by too much glitter, holding the perfect amount of sparkle. The two subtlest colours are the highlighting shade and matte brown which I love. You're able to create a natural highlight on the brow bone/inner corner and with the light matte brown, it's a lovely colour used as a transition when blending shadows or to contour the eye if going for a more everyday look. In terms of lasting power, with a primer these shadows really hold in place for the majority of the day, keeping to their colour. I'd say towards the end of a working day, they begin wearing off, yet the quality still shines through.

As I've really been enjoying this palette recently, I thought I would share with you a look ideal for any party/celebration occasion and even Christmas! It's a simple combination of all the colours, resulting in a shimmery neutral eye look which I paired with a berry lip.

I applied the bronze shimmer shade all over the lids, took the lighter matte brown through the crease and blended the darker brown in the outer corner. I then used the highlighting shade and lightly dusted on my brow bone and doted it in the inner corner. The lipstick I chose to complete my makeup was the berry classic, Rimmel's Kate Moss 107.

I hope you enjoyed this review and makeup look! Have you tried any of Fleur's products?

Merry Christmas to all my fellow readers and bloggers!

Thank you for reading <3

Makeup

Base - Rimmel's match perfection foundation, wake me up concealer, and stay matter powder.

Contour and highlight - Estee Lauder bronze goddess bronzer and Sleek blush in 'Rose gold.' 

Eye Brows - L'oreal's eye shadow in 106 and clear brow gel.

Eye shadow - Naked 1 palette ( half baked & buck) and FleurdeForce's cosmic bronze quad ( light brown transition shade & dark brown definition colour).

Liner and mascara - L'oreal's super liner and Maybelline's Lash Sensational.

Lips - Mac's Russian Red lipstick

I hope you enjoyed this party OOTD and makeup post. What's your go-to Christmas look?

Thank you for reading <3