The Big Smoke

Who doesn't love a good grungey smokey eye? I for one love to channel my inner MKA Olsen on a regular basis and I think I may have finally found my holy grail products to achieve the perfect Olsen twin smokey eye.

My most recent addition to the line-up are the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in the shades Permanent Taupe and On and On Bronze, just a swipe across the eyelid and a gentle smudge on the lower lashline and you're good to go.

Older favourites include Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Kajal in Taupe which I draw along my lashline top and bottom then smudge out with a pencil brush, it's probably the shortest wearing but it's a good daytime option. Another offering from Rimmel is the Scandal Eyes Crayons in Bulletproof Beige and Bad Girl Bronze, I tend to use both of these together, with the beige all over the lid and the bronze smudged into the outer with a fluffy brush but I find the bronze too red toned to use on the lower lashline.

As for powder products, I only look to these when I have a bit more time as I can get carried away with getting the perfectly blended shadow. Smashbox Photo Op Trio in Auto Expose is my current go to, largely due to the stunning dark taupe shade used all over the lid and gently smoked along my lower lid. In order to add more depth to this look I add the cranberry in the outer corners and lightly blend it across the lid.

No matter which option I lean towards when getting ready I always finish the look off with a couple of coats of Benefit's They're Real mascara.

Well Oil Be Damned

I've recently been introduced to Decleor Aromessence Excellence body oil which leaves my skin feeling the best it has in a while, I have pretty dehydrated skin on my arms and legs so I welcome anything helps to get rid of my crocodile skin. I've been a long term lover of their Aromessence Neroli, I use three drops of this across my face and neck as part of my night time routine, so whilst it's a tad pricey it does last a long time. Both leave my skin completely silky soft without a touch of oilyness.

Another favourite for my face is Balance Me Radiance Face Oil, it's probably the most affordable one here coming in at around £15 for 10ml of product, which as it's an oil lasts a pretty long time. I roll a bit onto my fingers then warm it up between my fingertips and pat into my skin.

Lastly hair oils, probably the least scary and most popular of the oils. I've never used Moroccan oil but I've always found Ojon oils to be the best, I've just started the use the Rare Blend Oil but it's working really well so far, I have terribly dry hair at the ends . I alternate between this and a mini bottle of Milk Shake Argan Oil, which smells amazing (Am I the only one who hates the smell of most hair oils?)

Sale Bits

Sales are my weakness, all the things I've loved over the past season suddenly seem so much more appealing with a discount. 

So far this year I've largely stuck to things I have wanted over the past couple of months, the scarf and earrings were impulse buys but the rest have been on my list a little while so that's totally okay right?

My first stop for sale shopping this season was Whistles, where I picked up a much lusted after leather makeup bag, mine is black on the front and a gorgeous lilac on the back. I also picked up this twisted leather cuff and a basic lilac t-shirt. I spent way too much but hopefully these things will be on rotate for quite a while. 

I then dragged my boyfriend into Zara where I finally got my hands on this printed bodycon skirt, I've been after it for a while and when I finally tracked in down in was the sale-perfect. I also grabbed this strange but cute t-shirt with a bat printed on it and the word 'meow', who knows why but I think it's cute and sure to get people talking about your outfit. These nude and bright blue ballet flats also grabbed my eye, not a huge discount but I've seen these styles in many shops for much more so as it was the last pair in my size they came home with me. 

A quick nip into Topshop and I ended up walking out with the green scarf which is really lightweight but still a fighter against the harsh breeze, I imagine I'll be able to work it into my wardrobe during the winter months too. I also picked up this blush stick which is a pretty similar colour to my long lost (but now found in my boyfriend's room) cream blush in Neon Rose so it's gone into the back of my makeup stash to hold out for a little while. These muted neon earrings also grabbed my attention, I like to stock up on Topshop jewellery in the sale as sometimes I feel it's a tad overpriced but still so on trend, these are huge on my little ears but I'll make it work.

Has anyone else picked up any great bargains in the sales this season? 

Nail Must Haves

 I've pretty much bitten my nails my whole but at the beginning of this year I decided I'd had enough of my nails looking horrible and began painting them regularly, treating them nicely and stopped nibbling them. They still need some work as they break pretty easily but this lot is helping them on their way.

My first must have is the Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File, I love this because it shapes my nails gently and quickly. It's pricey but it lasts for ages, I've had mine for about 4 years and there is still no sign of wear. 

The Nails Inc Nail and Cuticle oil pen was a gift from my mum as she used it to strengthen her nails a while back and it quickly settled into my night routine so it has about 8 hours to sink in and do it's magic. Another cuticle product I love is Ciate's Beautiful Cuticles

L'Occitane hand creams are my favourite, although I am dipping into the Soap and Glory Hand Food territory but nothing will come close to the softness L'Occitane  leaves me with. I keep this in my handbag and apply it regularly throughout the day.

As I'm miss clumsy when it comes to nail varnish, always chipping within two days- I bump my nails on everything, I need a good base coat and top coat. My choices atm are Nails Inc Hyde Park basecoat and Ciate Speed Coat top coat, both of them make my nail polish stay on just that bit longer.

I always have a greige colour in rotation when it comes to painting my nails, I'm currently loving bright colours on my nails but I can always rely on a greige to save the day when I'm unsure of what colour to paint them. Fade to  Greige is my current go to but I have plenty of options including Barry M Mushroom and Nails Inc Jermyn Street. 

Pencil Me In

I'm very fond of a pencil product, they're quick, they're easy and on top of all that they're pretty portable too. I normally throw a couple in my handbag for emergency touch ups on the go. Creamy pencil products are perfect for me to carry around as I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to topping up make-up during the day and these only require a quick swipe then you're done.

Lip crayons are my particular favourite of mine atm and most brands both high street and high end have something on offer, I have one from NARS, an offering from Revlon and one from MUA. Both the Revlon and the MUA one are pretty long lasting as the glossy balm wears off too leave a slight stain on the lips but the NARS one is still my favourite even if you have to top it up at lot throughout the day. 

I'm really lusting after a Rimmel Scandaleyes crayon but the colours I want are always open and smushed all over the lid/rest of crayon/counter. I have no idea why people do this, it's one thing to open a non tester product but to then proceed to ruin the product is another.

For eyes I do however use the Rimmel Scandaleyes pencil liner in Taupe to create a smokey lid, teamed with a peachy pencil along the waterline and inner corners and a smudge of a golden brown Topshop crayon into the upper lash line to define the eyes a bit more. It's a pretty easy eye look which can be easily built upon if I end up going out in the evening without looking too try hard. 

Favourite Lip Products

MAC Quite the Thing, I'm not even sure what drew me to this shade. I was in MAC after a new lipstick, something a bit bolder than my usual nude pink and one of the sales assistants suggested this, it's a purple toned fuchsia pink and was once completely out of my comfort zone. When I got it home I wondered if I'd make the wrong choice and was just swept away by the assistants charm. Now however it's probably the most worn shade in my collection and I don't regret picking it up for one second. 

Korres Lip Butter in Wild Rose, I love both the formula and the shade. Whilst only a lip balm product, the colour stays on pretty well and of course nourishes the lips whilst doing so. It's easy to just stick on the lips to add a quick pick me up to your make-up, it's a lovely bold red shade which appears quite sheer on the lips so I imagine it'd be wearable for all skin tones. On me I love this with a simple winged liner and soft pink cheeks on a day to day basis, it's especially great as a simple work make-up look. 

Model's Prefer in Sheer Rose, this is an oldie but a firm favourite as you can probably tell from the packaging. As the name suggests it's a sheer rose pink and the best pink I've ever owned, sadly I think it's now discontinued but I'll save the search till this baby is finished. This lipstick also has a gorgeous soft gold shimmer to it, it's hardly noticeable when on the lips but just adds an extra shine to the finish of the lipstick. It's a shade which goes with any make-up look and can be worn for any occasion, which makes this a great go to lipstick. 

Perfume Collection

Chanel Chance, Marc Jacobs Daisy, Vera Wang Lovestruck, Stella McCartney Stella, Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau so Fresh, Marc Jacobs Lola.

I'm a bit of a slacker with perfume, I usually only remember to pop it on when I'm off out for the evening, it's probably down to the fact I tend to keep my bottles in their original box on my top shelf so as to keep them out of the sunlight.

I'd say I have quite a solid perfume collection, there isn't really any scent or occasion gaps but that's not to say I don't lust over the prospect of new additions, Escentric Molecule 01 hype anyone?

My favourite perfume atm is the original Stella, I also happen to love the new summer addition but can't really justify spending that much on a new scent. I've used this on and off since I was about 16/17 so it's a long time favourite and I imagine once I finish this up I will repurchase or pop it on a Christmas/Birthday list. 

Daisy by Marc Jacobs is my all time favourite, I also have a roller ball version of this which stays put in my handbag for when I do forget perfume i.e. a lot. It's really lovely for daytime or casual evening events. My mother had this perfume first and I often stole quick spritzes until I eventually owned my own bottle.  

The perfume I find hardest to wear is Chanel Chance, yes it's one of the lightest Chanel perfumes and I do love it but i just find it super heavy most of the time. It's very classic though so I imagine I'll always be able to wear this scent or lend it to friends when they fancy something a bit different. 

Benefit The Bronze of Champions

I picked this up the other week from Feel Unique, I really love Benefit box sets but they usually come with a foundation or concealer in a shade far too dark for my skintone so I've had to miss out. This set however comes with everything you need for that perfect bronze glow and no medium shade foundation. 

I largely went for this because I was going to buy Hoola bronzer, but didn't want to go for the full size straight off, and I also wanted to give the other products a go, I'm already a big fan of They're Real so I thought I'd treat myself (I later treated myself to a Givenchy Lipstick but the less said about that the better). I've also realised I'm a far bigger Benefit fan than I thought I was.

Now onto the kit itself, yes it looks beautiful l but does that make it worth the money?

Hoola is a perfect bronzer for my pale skin, I'm sure it can be built up if necessary but I only need a light dusting to add warmth to my face. I've also used it to contour lightly, I've not used the brush provided but I've found out with Benefit boxes they aren't great unless in an emergency.

Watts Up highlighter doesn't really suit my skin tone as it's more gold toned- maybe when I have a tan it'll work a lot better but for now I need to blend it loads, which to be fair is very easy and the glow stays on for the whole day.

The creaseless cream eyeshadow and the powder shadow (Bikini-tini and Thanks a Latte) are really nice worn together for a neutral look. In the summer months with a neutral lip I'd add a bright eyeliner with this. Thanks a Latte is a lovely bronzey brown, it kinda feels like it belongs in a Naked Palette so I'd probably mix a couple of the shadows from there with this for a more defined eye.

The surprise love from this kit is the Hoola lipgloss, I'm not a gloss person, at all- my hair gets on my lips, then gloss gets all over my face, and my lips look a bit plastic- okay I largely hate lipgloss but this is a bit different isn't sticky and adds just a touch of shine. The lack of stickiness means the wear time is short so you'd have to top up a lot but you don't need to apply much.

The kit also comes with a Tips and Tricks booklet and a huge mirror, although I probably wouldn't travel with this kit, the large mirror would come in handy. The Tip and Tricks booklet is full of really good basic tips, which would be perfect for beginners.

Overall the kit is really lovely, I'm not sure the amount of product you get is worth the price but I'll fully decide that when i see how long the Hoola lasts. I do love this kit and as I'm not usually a bronzer person this is perfect for me as everything I need is in one package but I'd say if you already have a stash of bronzers this probably won't change your life.

It'd make a fantastic gift for someone though, even if like me that person is yourself.

The Bronze of Champions is available now and costs £26.50