Sparkle to see in the New Year

With 2013 ending tonight I thought I would give myself a mani with a bit of sparkle to see in the new year. I usually steer away from glitter polishes because the thought of getting them off makes me want to cry, but as its new year, I couldn't resist but to add a bit of glitter to my nail art! If you want to find out how I created this mosaic nail art look keep reading!

What will you need? 

For this nail art look I used nail varnish in the shades fuchsia, coral pink, mint, yellow, silver glitter and a colourful glitter. I also used a white nail art pen and a dotting tool and small nail art brush.
The nail varnish shades I used are: Illamasqua Harem, Lament and Harsh, Barry M Minty Fresh, Collection Lemon Soda and Colour Club Colourful Glitter.


Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: To begin I used a white nail art pen and mapped out the outline of the mosaic design. This made it much easier to fill in the mosaic sections.

Step 2-5: I took each colour in turn and filled in random sections on each nail using a dotting tool.

Step 6: Next I took the colourful glitter on the thin nail art brush and pushed this over the top of the white lines, spreading the glitter evenly.

Step 7: I did not feel that the colourful glitter was enough alone so next I took the fine silver glitter and added this over the top of the colourful glitter. If I was to redo this nail art I would probably complete step 6 and 7 the other way round in order to make the colourful glitter stand out more.

Step 8: Finally once all nails were dry I painted a top coat over each nail. This evened out the nails and sealed all the colours into place, as well as creating a shine over all nails.

I hope you enjoyed this nail art! Have you created any nail art for New Years Eve? I hope you all have a lovely new years eve and a fab 2014! I can't wait for what InSamazement has in store for 2014!

Until next YEAR! Samantha xx

My Beauty Countdown to Christmas

I know I'm slightly late posting about a beauty advent calender, but I wanted to save writing about how I counted down to Christmas until I had opened all the doors and tested out some of the beauty products I opened the doors to. I had the Boots '24 Days of Christmas of Beauty Treats' Advent Calender and it really did make counting down to Christmas that bit more exciting!

There was a great selection of brands amongst the advent calender treats including Soap and Glory, 17, Vichy, Nails Inc and Rimmel. What I loved most about the selection was the variety of both make-up, haircare and skincare gifts. I am usually a lazy one when it comes to skincare and testing out different skincare products, so receiving them in the advent calender meant I had the chance to test some out. 

Being a nail art lover, some of my favourite treats from the calender were the nail varnishes. I had not tried Mavala polishes before so I loved trying out both 'London' and 'Pure Diamonds'. You may have seen I grew very fond of 'London' the red shade and used it in all of my Christmas nail art looks!

Full products list:

Soap and Glory Clean Girls Body Wash

Balmi Lip Balm

Mavala London 53

Nina Fragrance

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation Ivory

Vichy Idealia Life Serum

Paco Robanne Black XS Fragrance

Umberto Ginannini Hair Tie

17 Supreme Shine Nail Polish

Orly Bonder Base Coat

Ghost Fragrance

Boots Salon Nail Shine Solution

Vichy LifeActiv Serum 10

Juicy Couture Fragrance

17 Tattoo Me Liquid Eyeliner

Dotty Nail File

Soap & Glory Scrub

Ghost Fragrance

Classic Calmex Moisturising Lip Balm

Mavala Pure Diamond 213

Botanics Heat Protection Shine Serum for hair

Nails Inc Porchester Square

Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Back comb in a Bottle

17 Blow Out Mascara

When I opened door number 24 I was greeted with not only a 17 Blow Out mascara but also a extra gift of a voucher offering triple advantage card points when you purchase any of the products from the advent calender.

There was one product in the advent calender which really stood out to be so this was my choice of product to get my triple points on. My favourite product of the 24 days was the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation. I was really impressed with this product and for a drug store foundation which puts you back just £5.99 I would recommend this for anyone wanting to try a foundation with a matte finish. I am not normally one for a matte look as I usually like a dewy glow to my make-up. However I found this foundation didn't matte my skin to the point where my skin was left looking dull, my skin still had a glow and the thick texture of the foundation left my skin looking flawless. This therefore left me no decision but to purchase the full size product!

I hope you enjoyed this post! I cant wait to find out what Boots will have in store for next years advent calender and no doubt the variety and brand selection will be as good, if not better, than this years. Did you try out any of the beauty advent calenders this year?

Until next time,

Samantha xx

Favourite Bloggers of 2013

I started my blog earlier this year and it has only been in the past year that I have really got into reading blogs! There are a select few who have really inspired me and through interning in the beauty world I have been introduced to sooo many new blogs. As it is coming up to the end of the year, I thought I would put together a list of my top 5 bloggers of 2013 and maybe introduce you to some bloggers that you may not have seen yet...

Little Tip Off
I discovered Amy at 'Little Tip Off' not long ago when I was browsing through nail art blogs. As you all know I'm'm a huge fan of creating nail art looks myself and when I discovered Amy's blog I couldn't believe the detail she creates in her nail art. I honestly think she is one of the best nail artists I have ever seen and if you haven't yet checked out her blog you definitely should. One of Amy's most recent  nail art looks based on the Snowman film is out of this world, I only wish I was as talented as her!

Wonderful You
Megs at Wonderful You is a blogger who I find SO inspiring. Not only does she have amazing hair, her fashion and make-up posts are always stunning and the images she captured complement her blog beautifully. I also love the videos Megs creates for her blog and YouTube channel, with my favourite video being her first Get Ready With Me post!

The Nailasaurus
Another favourite blog of mine is Sammy's blog 'The Nailasaurus'. This is another nail art blog and I have been loving Sammy's festive nail art looks for this Christmas period! Sammy produces frequent nail art posts which are all of such a high standard! She owns an amazing collection of nail varnishes which means her nail art looks are always so varied and creative!

Pearls and Poodles
Milly's blog Pearls and Poodles has been a firm favourite blog of mine for a long long time. Milly has amazing fashion and her love of beauty products mean you find out all the best beauty news from her. I am extremely jealous of Milly's hair and only wish mine could be as voluminous and shiny as hers. Milly's make-up always looks flawless and I love reading about her latest make-up picks.

One Nail To Rule Them All
Another favourite blogger of mine is another nail art blog. Alice from 'One Nail To Rule Them All' produces the most amazing nail art looks and after discovering Alice's blog a few months ago I am amazed by every single look she creates. Alice has recently been creating mini nail art tutorials for Barry M over the Christmas period which I have been loving! Alice also created amazing swatches of nail varnishes and my nail varnish wish list has grown and grown through seeing many stunning polishes on Alice's blog.

If you haven't yet checked these lovely girls blog's out I have put their links in the title of each blog and you definitely should check them all out. They have all been so inspiring to me and I'm sure they will continue to be amongst my favourite blogs for a long long time.
Who are your favourite bloggers?

I hope you have all had an amazing 2013 and have an even better 2014!

Until next time, Samantha x

Lime Crime Velvetines: Red Velvet

I have always wanted to try a product from an American colour brand so when I was given a Lime Crime Velvetine by a friend I was so excited to try it!

The Lime Crime Velvetines are very popular and the shade I have got, Red Velvet, is currently sold out online! The product claims to be a 'long wearing, kiss proof lip stain that glides on with the ease of a gloss and dries to a matte, velvet finish'. So I put it to the test to see if it really did live up to this...

Like the product claims, my Velvetine really did glide over the lips like a gloss. The ease of application allowed me apply the colour without dragging the product across my lips, and within 30 seconds my lips dried to a matte/ velvet formula. I found the velvet feel on the lips something which took some getting used to as I usually apply a gloss over any lipstick. However I really do love the look of a matte velvet lip and the speedy drying of the product on the lips ensured that I did not smudge the product after application. Therefore on first impressions I was very impressed by the liquid lipstick!

The product also claims to be kiss proof and long wearing. After having the product on my lips for around 10 mins, allowing it to dry completely, I kissed the back of my hand to put it to the kiss proof test. A very small amount transferred onto my hand, but no where near as much as any lipstick would transfer. This is also great to prevent any transfering onto your teeth! The Velvetine was long wearing on the lips until I eat a meal. Therefore, understandably, the product needed reapplying after eating, however between meals the product stayed on the lips without smudging or moving.

In the UK you can purchase the Lime Crime Velvetines from Love Make Up for £13.50. They do however sell out quickly, so if they are in stock when you visit the sight, grab yours when you can. Although I am still in search of a lip product which does not move from my lips when I eat, I would recommend this liquid lipstick for those of you who love a matte lip and are looking for a product which is relatively long wearing! Trying out this product has fuelled my need to try more American colour brands!

Have you tried any of the Lime Crime Velvetines or anything from Lime Crime as a brand? Leave a comment below I would love to hear from you!

Until next time, Samantha x 

Rudolf The Red Nose Reindeer

I'm back with my second Christmas nail art and with just 9 days till Christmas Day I'm feeling very festive. I have seen lots of reindeer nails flying around the internet so I thought I would try my own! As always I have put together a step by step picture guide as to how I created my reindeer nails so if you want to find out keep reading ...

What will you need?

In order to create this nail art you will need nail varnishes in light pink, light brown, dark brown, white, black, red and glitter. You will also need a top coat and dotting tool in various sizes.
I used the following nail varnishes: Bourjois 'Rose Satin', Loreal Paris 'Beige Countess', Barry M 'Magnetic Red Sparkle', Barry M 'Matt White', Miss Sporty 'Black', Mavala 'London' and Rimmel 'Finishing Touch Glitter Top Coat'.

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Paint all nails in the light pink shade. I painted on three coats as my varnish was quite sheer and I wanted an opaque base.

Step 2: Using the light brown shade paint on semi circles at the bottom of your nails to create the face of the reindeer.

Step 3: Using the dark brown and a small dotting tool create the antlers. I began by dotting on a vertical line and then added the smaller diagonal lines after.

Step 4: Using a reasonably large dotting tool created two large white dots for the eye.

Step 5: Next take the black nail varnish and with a small dotting tool add two black dots in the centre of the white dots to create the eyes. Then take a larger dotting tool and create a semi circle for the noses on all nails apart from the ring finger.

Step 6: Take the red nail varnish and the large dotting tool and create the final nose on each ring finger.

Step 7: Taking the light pink again on a small dotting tool, add a dot to each reindeer cheek to give them a slight blushing colour to the cheeks.

Step 8: This step is optional but I wanted to add some festive sparkle so I added some fine glitter on a dotting tool to each nose of the reindeer.

Step 9: Once everything is dry add a layer of top coat to each nail. This will seal in the nail art and prevent any chipping.

I hope you have enjoyed this nail art! If you create any festive nail art I would love to see or if you have any ideas for other Christmas nail art I could create comment below and let me know. 

Until next time, Samantha xx

Snow Is Falling All Around Us

With just 17 days until Christmas day, I thought it was about time I started on my Christmas Nail Art adventure! The first design I decided to created was this snowflake/ snow blizzard look. 

As always I have put together a step-by-step tutorial as to how I personally created the nail art look below and all the bits and bobs you will need to create this look. 

What will you need? 

As in many of my nail art posts you will need a dotting tool and nail varnishes in the shades red and white as well as a top coat. However there are some tools I used in this nail art which may not be familiar! These are a nail art stamping disc, a nail varnish scraper and stamper. I got these a while ago and I always forget to use them as I am so used to creating designs from scratch! However they are the perfect tool for creating intricate designs that may be difficult to achieve using a standard dotting tool. I used the stamping disc to create the snowflakes and the design of this can be seen in the top left of the disc in the image above. 
The nail varnish shades I used were Barry M Matt White (White) and Mavala London (Red). 

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Paint all nails in a coat of the red nail varnish.

Step 2: Using the stamping disc, nail varnish scraper and stamper, stamp white snowflakes randomly over the nails. You begin by painting over the snowflake design on the disk with white nail varnish, then scrape off the excess nail varnish on the disk, leaving just the snowflake. Next you take the stamper and roll this over the snowflake to transfer the nail varnish onto the stamper. You then roll the stamper over the nail to create the snowflake design. 

Step 3: Take the dotting tool and white nail varnish and place dots in free spaces over the nails.

Step 4: Take a top coat and paint over each nail. This will seal in all the nail art, prevent shipping and give your nails a shine!

I have also created another step-by-step image so you can see each step in more detail...

I hope you have enjoyed this post. If you have created any Christmas nail art, feel free to comment below with a link to your image/ blog post as I would love to see! Also if you have any ideas for Christmas nail art designs I could try in the upcoming weeks to Christmas I would love to know! 

Until next time, Samantha x

Liebster Award

I will begin this post by thanking Bella from Miss Bella Blog for nominating me for the Liebster award! I had heard of the Liebster Award while ago when I was surfing through beauty blogs so I was so excited when I received a tweet from Bella saying she had nominated me. The award is given to blogs with less than 200 followers to help to spread the word for smaller blogs and meet some new people within the blogging community. 

The rules:

1. Post the award on your blog.

2. Thank the blogger who presented this award and link back to their blog.

3. Write 11 random facts about yourself.

4. Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter and ask your nominees 11 questions

5. Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and who have less than 200 followers.

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I have an identical twin sister called Hollie and couldn't ask for a more amazing sister! We have all the same interests and she is my best friend as well as my twin. 

2. I am currently the Social Media Intern at the make-up brand Illamasqua and I am loving every minute of it. I am completing this as part of my placement year at Bournemouth University where I study Business Studies. 

3. I have a fear of dogs which started when a Labrador jumped in my pram when I was a baby!

4. I LOVE fancy dress (probably because I love getting dressed up and putting on some funky make-up).In the collage below are photos of me dressed as a butterfly from earlier this year. 

5. If I had to choose one colour of lipstick to wear for the rest of my life it would 100% be a dark pink shade as pink is my favourite colour. 

6. My biggest make-up inspiration comes from Pixiwoo. I watch all their tutorials and have picked up lots of tips from them. 

7. My favourite scent is coconut and I love bath and body products with a coconut smell!

8. As well as painting my nails, which you all know I love, I like to paint things to decorate my room. My latest creation was the box shown in the collage below, which you might recognise as my blog and social media title backgrounds are made from this design!

9. It might be hard to believe looking at me now, but when I was younger I used to be a tom boy and my favourite colour was blue! How things have changed haha!

10. I love big lashes and would do anything for my natural lashes to be longer!

11. My biggest beauty collection would have to be my nail varnishes because of my love for nail art! Here are just some of them ... WOOPS

 The Questions I Was Given:

1. What are your favourite accessories?

My number one favourite accessorie would have to be bracelets. I am also loving a fur colour (fake fur of course) at the moment to put around my leather jacket/ winter coat.   

2. What is your favourite time of year?

This is tricky! I love summer because of the weather and being out doors more but then I also love winter because my birthday is in December and I love Christmas. 

3. What is your favourite animal?

This is easy for me! Elephants have always been my favourite animal and I would love to go travelling just to ride on an elephants back! 

4. What is your favourite quote?

My favourite quote comes from Bobbi Brown 'I believe that all women are pretty without makeup - and can be pretty powerful with the right makeup' because I love the confidence makeup gives me. 

5. What is your favourite flower?

I love any flower that is pink! And I also really like daisies and daffodils as they remind me of summer.  

6. What is your favourite nail varnish?

This is SOOO tricky! If I had to choose one nail varnish I loved I think it would be Illamasqua Harem because I don't own any other shade like it!

7. What is your favourite beauty brand ? - high end and high street

Well I'm slightly biased but my favourite high end beauty brand would be Illamasqua. As well as interning for them I do honestly love their products! My favourite high street brand would be Rimmel and their stay matte powder is one of my holy grail make-up products!

8. What would you like to be able to do that you can't do at the moment?

I wish I was better at make-up. I normally stick to a smoky eye as that is what I know best, but I would love to experiment more and learn some new make-up skills!

9. Pastel or neon colours?

ohhhh I love both!! If I had to choose one I would probably say pastel because they're really girly and wearable. 

10. What is your favourite T.V show?

I am a bit of a lover of reality TV so my favourite would have to be TOWIE closely followed by Made in Chelsea!

11. What is your favourite blog posts to read?

Tutorial posts would have to be my favourite. I love seeing how other people create nail art and make-up looks themselves! 

11 Questions for My Nominees:

1. If you could use one beauty product for the rest of your life what would it be?

2. If you could invent a totally new beauty product what would it be?

3. What are your personal favourite blog posts to write?

4. What is your all time favourite beauty brand?

5. What is your current favourite make-up look?

6. Do you prefer make-up, skincare or hair care?

7. What inspired you to start blogging?

8. What is on your Christmas wishlist?

9. What is your dream job?

10. What is your favourite way to style your hair?

11. What is your number 1 beauty tip?

My Nominees...

I may have cheated slightly and only chosen 5 nominees:

Aimee from http://dress-it-up-6.blogspot.co.uk/

Samantha from http://daintyowl.blogspot.co.uk/

Rachel from http://overdosedemaquillage.blogspot.co.uk/

Demi from http://kissandmakeupblog.co.uk/

Fiona from http://girlwithlipstick.blogspot.co.uk/

You Can't Catch Me I'm the Gingerbread Man

As you may have seen in my 'Blue Moon Eye Make-up Kit' post I was lucky enough to go along to The Body Shop Christmas Collection launch party! I thought I would show you possibly my favourite product in their Christmas collection which is the Ginger Sparkle gift set. The Body shop have created three amazing scents for Christmas which are Cranberry Joy, Vanilla Bliss and Ginger Sparkle. The Body Shop are always in the forefront of my mind when I think of luxurious scented bath and body care and their Christmas scents really do match up to this! 

Ginger Sparkle is the scent which reminds me most of the festive season so I will definitely be making the most of this in the build up to Christmas. The Ginger Sparkle Gift set comes in the super cute Gingerbread man tin which makes this perfect for a present. In the set you get a Shower Gel (250ml), Body Polish (75ml), Body Butter (50ml) and a small heart shaped soap (25g). You can pick this set up for just £17 from one of the Body Shop stores or online.  

To make The Body Shop Christmas Collection even better they are donating £200,000 from their Christmas sales to build five new schools around the world! The fact that The Body Shop offer 'Beauty with a Heart' is one of my favourite things about them and you can find out more about The School Project here.

My favourite product in the set has to be the Body Butter. I LOVE the Coconut Body Butter from The Body Shop all year round but Ginger Sparkle will definitely be replacing this soon so I can get myself in the festive spirit! The Body Butter is rich, creamy and moisturising and is therefore the perfect way to finish off a hot bath in the winter season. 

The Body Shop have a huge range of Christmas gift ideas, with this being just one, so take a look on thebodyshop.co.uk for lots more festive favourites perfect for the beauty lovers amongst your family and friends this Christmas!

A huge thank you to The Body Shop for having me at their event and my amazing friend Rose from Mixed Gems for inviting me along with her! The Body Shop made a short video clip from their school themed event where they asked us to tell them about our school days and I feature on the video which you can see below! 

Happy Christmas shopping if you still have some bits to buy! Let me know if you have tried anything from The Body Shop Christmas collection and what your favourite pieces are! 

Samantha x

Vintage Rose Nail Art

I thought it was about time I put my new nail art tools into good use so I thought I would do another nail art post! This time I tried a vintage flower look and as always I have put together a step-by-step picture tutorial so you can see exactly how I created this nail art. 

What will you need?

In order to create a nail art look similar to mine you will need a large and small dotting tool, a thin nail art brush, and nail varnish in the shades light pink, dark pink, sheer pink, lilac, coral, light green, dark green and white. You will also need a top coat.

The nail varnish shades I used are: Illamasqua Harem and Lament, Rimmel Ring a Ring O' Roses and Sea Green, Bourjois Rose Satin, Alessandro Elegant Rubin, Barry M Matt White and Collection Look at Me!

Step-by-Step Tutorial: 

Step 1: Paint all nails in 2 coats of the sheer pink shade. 

Step 2: Once the base coats are dry take your large dotting tool and create rose flower shapes randomly over the nails. I used the coral and dark pink shades for this. 

Step 3: Taking a lilac and light pink shade, go in with the thin nail art brush and create the detailing in the centre of the roses. 

Step 4: Again using the nail art brush create the leaves. I first went in with the light green shade and then placed the darker green lightly over the top. 

Step 5: Using the smaller dotting tool and the white nail varnish dot small polka dots in gaps on the nail.

Step 6: Finally once all nails are dry paint a top coat over each nail. This will add shine to nails and seal the nail art into place. 

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial! As always let me know if you have been creating any nail art yourselves as I love to see what everyone creates. For more nail art I create you can also follow me on Instagram @samantha_helen5 !

Happy nail art-ing!! Samantha xx

My New Nail Art Tools

Because I am a huge fan of nail art I wanted to make the possibilities of nail art designs I could create endless, so I decided to purchase some nail art tools in a range of different shapes and sizes. These will ensure that even the finest details can be achieved, from thin stripes to the neatest curves and swirls. 


Set of 15 Nail Art Brushes:

The first set of tools I purchased were these nail art brushes. These range from thin stripping brushes, to fan brushes and square tipped brushes. Just to add to beauty of brushes they come with pink handles, however if pinks not your colour this range also comes in white. 

The only downside to these brushes are the quality, they feel quite flimsy and I can imagine the top coming loose after a short period of time. However with a cost of just £2.39 for 15 brushes, how can I possibly complain!  

5 Nail Art Dotting Tools:

The second set of nail art tools I purchased were these dotting tools. I always use a dotting tool in my nail art and previously I have just used a bog standard dotting tool from Avon. However I wanted to get a range of different sized dotting tool heads. This will allow me to create larger and smaller dots and patterns with ease. 

I am super impressed with the quality of these tools, as they were just £1.52 for all 5 tools and I can't see the heads coming loose any time soon! 

You can see these nail art tools in action in future posts and I will be sure to include the different styles I use in each of my nail art designs, as I am sure I will find a use for each and every tool in the near future! I purchased both sets from Amazon (links below). If you can source similar sets elsewhere it might be an idea to purchase them there, as I did have to wait around a month for these to arrive on my doorstep, as I didn't realise they were coming the whole way from China (silly me!). 

Set of 15 Nail Art Brushes

5 Nail Art Dotting Tools

These are a fab present for any nail lover this Christmas and I can't wait to get stuck into some nail art using all my new tools! Let me know in the comments of any detailed nail art you would like me to try using my new tools and I will try my best!

Thanks for reading! Samantha xx

Bright Galaxy Nail Art

I'm back with another nail art for you and this time I have create my own take on the very popular galaxy nail art. I have seen lots of blue and purple themed galaxy nails so I have added some different bright colours to give them a bit of a twist. Keep reading for a step-by-step guide of exactly how I create this nail art ...

What will you need?

First of all you will need a selection of bright nail varnishes. I chose to use blue, purple, yellow, green and coral. You will also need a black nail varnish for the base, a white nail varnish for the galaxy print and a top coat. In order to create the nail art detail you will need a small make-up sponge and a dotting tool. 
The nail varnishes I used were Illamasqua Rare and Lament, Rimmel Green Grass and Purple Rain, No7 Minty Fresh, Miss Sporty Black, BarryM Matt White and Nails Supreme Top Coat. 

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Begin by painting all nails in a coat of black nail varnish. You only need one coat and don't worry too much about it being opaque as the majority of it will be covered by the coloured varnishes.

Step 2-6: Take each of the coloured nail varnishes onto the nail and sponge them randomly across the nails. See above for the order I sponged each of the colours onto the nails. 

Step 7: Take the white nail varnish onto a dotting tool and create dots and stars onto the nails. I found that when creating the stars, the less nail varnish on the dotting tool the more effective the star looked. 

Step 8: Once all nails are dry paint a top coat onto each nail. This will prevent any chipping, fix your nail art into place and give your nails a shine. 

I hope you like my take on the popular galaxy nails! Have you created a galaxy nail art yourself? I love hearing ideas for future nail art so comment below and tell me what you would like to see!

Until next time, Samantha x

The Body Shop 'Blue Moon' Eye Make-up Kit

With it being just 45 days until Christmas I have been more than excited to see all the Christmas collections being launched! I was lucky enough to be invited along to The Body Shop Christmas Collection Launch so I got a sneek peek into the Christmas products they will be selling this year. Along with being given the Ginger Sparkle Shower, Scrub and Moisture Collection (which I will review soon), I was lucky enough to receive the Blue Moon 3 Step Eye Kit. I couldn't resist but create a make-up look straight away and share it with you so here it is, along with my thoughts on each product ...

In this set you receive The Body Shop 'Super Volume Mascara', 'Carbon Blue Eye Definer', 'The Eyeshadow Brush' and 'Shimmer Cubes Palette 20' all of which can be seen in the image above along with the friendly character the 'Gingerbread Man Sponge' which is part of the Christmas gifts collection at The Body Shop this year! Personally I think this kit would make an excellent gift for someone this Christmas, as it comes with all the products to create a stunning smoky eye. 

Shimmer Cubes Palette 20:  

The 4 shades in this cube complement each other beautifully! They are all shimmer shades and the thin texture of the shadows allow them to be easily blended along the lid. 'Snow White' is a gorgeous white shimmer, which not only attracts me because of the name but also because the shade makes this shadow perfect for highlighting the inner corner of the eye. 'Indigo Blue' is the dark, almost navy, shade which I think is great to apply all over the lid as a base for a deep smoky eye. 'Starlight Silver' is as the name suggests a silver shade which would also look really nice all over the lid, if you just wanted the darker shades in the outer corner of the eye. Finally 'Midnight Black' is a gorgeous black shadow with the shimmer giving it a charcoal feel. This shade would look amazing blended into the crease and outer corner of the eye. It would also be the perfect shade to place under the lower lash line, if you prefer a darker shade to outline your eye. Overall this is a gorgeous palette which is great to create many different looks from a deep dark smoky eye to a subtle shimmer across the lid. 

The Eyeshadow Brush:

The eyeshadow brush is the perfect shape to press shadows onto the lid in order to prevent a great deal of fall down. With the brush being thin in width, I found this brush was great to push shadows into the crease and under the lower lash line, using the tip of the eyeshadow brush. With the brush being made from synthetic hair this prevents any dreaded hairs falling into your make-up!

Carbon Blue Eye Definer:

This product is perfect to use along with the shimmer cubes, as the shades look great together. I found this product worked best when I warmed it in between my hands before applying. This aloud the pencil to glide across the lid and easily blend into the lash line using the smudging sponge, to create a slightly more smoky look with the product. The pencil also applied easily in the water line. The shade of this pencil makes is slightly less harsh than a typical black pencil, whilst still outlining and defining the eye. 

Super Volume Mascara:

This is one of The Body Shops best selling make-up products so I was really to try this out for myself. Normally I go for a mascara with a thicker wand as I find these easier to pick up all my lashes. Therefore when I opened up this mascara to find a reasonably thin wand I wasn't sure how I was going to get on with it. However I was pleasantly surprised with the results. The wand separated out my lashes and added a length to my lashes which I was more than happy with. The wand did not pick up too much product and therefore did not leave my lashes looking clumpy, instead the mascara spread evenly across the length of my lashes and added a thin layer of mascara to each lash. 

My eye make-up look:

Using all of the products above a created this smoky eye look. I used the 'Indigo Blue' shimmer cube all over the lid and blended a small amount of 'Midnight Black' into the crease to add a bit of depth to the eye. I used the eyeshadow brush to apply these shadows and then blended them around the edges using a blending brush to create a soft smoky look. I placed 'Snow White' into the inner corner of the eye to add a slight highlight to the tear duct area. Next I took the Carbon Blue Eye Definer and placed this all around my eye and in the water line. Using the smudging end of this product I blended out the pencil on the upper and lower lash line, again to add to the soft smoky look. Finally I added two layers of Super Volume Mascara to both the upper and lower lashes. 

If I had to choose a favourite product from all those discussed above I would have to choose the 'Snow White' shimmer cube. Not only do I love the name of this shadow but it also creates a beautiful shimmer in the inner corner of the eye and, applied lightly, would look stunning as a highlight on the brow bone! 

I hope you have enjoyed this post! To have a look at the Christmas gifts from the Body Shop this year visit their website and look out for my review of the Ginger Sparkle Shower, Scrub and Moisture Collection coming very soon! Also let me know in the comments below if you have tried any of these products from The Body Shop before. I would also love to know of any Christmas collections you have been loving so far this year! 

Until next time, Samantha x

Make Your Own Flower Crown

I am loving a flower crown at the moment and I have seen lots around, but I either don't like the colours of the flowers or feel they are slightly too big. Therefore I decided to try and make my very own flower crown so that I could make it exactly how I wanted! If you want to find out exactly how I made my flower crown keep reading!

What will you need?

In order to make your own flower crown you will need a selection of flowers in colours of your choice (I used flowers which were attached to hair bands and cut them off), a plain head band and some felt. You will also need a glue gun/ fast drying glue and some scissors. 

Making the flower crown:

To begin with you will need to cut some of the felt into tear shape pieces. These will be used to attach the flowers to the head band.

Next you need to take a flower, place some glue onto the back and press it onto the head band. I held it in place for about 30 seconds in order to ensure it did not move and slide to one side.

Using a piece of felt I placed glue on one end and pushed it onto the side of the flower. I then glued the other end and pulled it round to the other side of the flower. Ensure that the felt is tight around the head band.

Complete these steps on each flower until you have the desired amount on the head band. I put enough flowers to cover the entire headband, leaving a small gap at the bottom so the head band would comfortably fit behind my ears.

And there you have your very own flower crown! I hope you enjoyed this mini tutorial and if you make one be sure to let me know in the comments below!

Until next time, Samantha xx