Eye of Horus inspired Halloween eye make-up

The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power and good health. The eye is personified in the goddess Wadjet. It is also known as 'The Eye of Ra'. My MAC pencil eyeliner came in pretty handy for this look, as did a couple of colourful eyeliner pencils that I kept but thought would never come in useful, especially the blue one.

With great difficulty I applied the eyeliner in an almost cat-flick style as well as drawing on the swirl and extra lines. The eyeliner pencil was extremely soft so I ended up with pretty thick lines instead of nice, thin, neat ones. I went in with a gold eyeliner and a blue on the top almost reaching my brow bone. I simply eyelined the other eye and added a black shimmery eyeshadow stick to my lips in place of a black lipstick.

It's an ever so simple look but one that is pretty effective. It would look fab on both eyes if you have the patience and possibly with a black wig of some kind. My nan used to have this Egyptian wig in the dressing up toy box when I was younger - now I wish we'd kept it!

Skeleton Halloween Look

For some reason I've got really into Halloween this year. When I was at Uni I used to hate having to dress up and my costumes were never very imaginative but inspiration seems to have taken hold and on Sunday afternoon I decided to have a go at a couple of 'easy' Halloween looks, this skeleton being one of them.

Again I used the Seventeen Define & Conquer palette and the lighter shade to make myself look ultra pale. It would be great to use a white foundation/facepaint to get a more realistic skeleton base.

I also returned to the trusty Makeup Revolution Give Them Nightmares palette and went nuts with the black eyeshadow. I blended it out massively and used a blending sponge to bring it down my cheeks to make me look a bit more skeletal.

I didn't have a black lipstick so used a shimmery black eyeshadow pen and drew on the fake stitches with an eyeliner pen. It was ridiculously easy. For someone like me (lazy) it's the ideal Halloweek make-up look. What do you think?

Minimal effort Fawn/Deer Halloween look

Halloween isn't all about the scary looks! When doing some research online for some 'easy' Halloween looks I kept coming across fawn/deer looks, which I personally thought was a little Christmassy (my neice dressed up as one for her Christmas play) but it seems pretty popular so I thought I'd give it a try.

Obviously it's not nearly as good as some pro make-up artists can do but I'm pretty happy with it. I used the Seventeen Define & Conquer palette, using the darker contouring shade for the 'brown' of the deer all over my face (it was as if I had a tan, which was odd!) and the lighter shade for the highlights around the eyes and nose. Then I simply went to town with a brown eyeliner pencil, colouring in my eyelids and eyebrows and adding a nose.

Funnily enough I didn't have any antlers to hand so popped on a floral headband, which I think works pretty well. Personally I think this works best for brunettes but that may be because I'm a bit bias!

What makeup looks are you doing for Halloween this year?

Jacava London The Woodlanders AW15 Collection

Today I thought I'd talk about a brand that I've only recently discovered, Jacava, and its new Woodlanders AW15 Collection of 9-free nail polishes. The range is actually one of the first in the UK to be 9-free, never mind your 3-free or 5-free, all the polishes are not only vegan-friendly but they're free from Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin (otherwise known as Tosylamide), Toluene, Paraben, Camphor, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) and all phthalates, Xylene, Ethyl Tosylamide and Lead so you can be sure you're not subjecting yourself or your nails to lots of nasty toxins.

The Woodlanders collection contains 17 gorgeous shades, which have all been inspired by the 2015 catwalks and the general colours that come along with the autumn season in Britain. It was SO difficult to choose which shades to go for but in the end I opted for the dusky purple Phene Street, named after the street where Dylan Thomas famously frequented the Phene Arms, and the beautiful grey/green/khaki/sage Shawfield Street.

Aside from the great range of shades, each with a great meaning behind them, what also caught my eye about this range is the insane packaging. It's very luxurious and printed in none other than 22 carat gold. I love the curved bottle shape and the long and slender brush handle, which make it really lovely to handle and apply.

The polish applies really wonderfully, not too thin or thick and you could even get away with just one coat per nail. I opted for two coats and I absolutely love the colour combination of these two shades together. Unfortunately they haven't quite survived the washing up test and there is quite a bit of chipping after only a day or two. However, I've not applied a top coat so that could help keep them in place, it definitely isn't needed to add any shine as the polishes dry super quickly and with a lovely shine to them.

Each polish is £15.50, which isn't too expensive for what you're getting. Not only is it animal friendly/vegan-friendly but it is 9-free so super kind to you and your nails. I expect the 22 carat gold printing adds to the price tag but it's definitely worth it as the colours are fab. These are the sort of nail polishes I would buy myself as a bit of a pay-day treat!

Have you tried the Jacava Woodlanders AW15 collection? Let me know in the comments.

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*This post contains press samples.

Makeup Revolution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette

There's a really fine line between a berry/autumn eye look and looking like Gerard Way from the Three Cheers era. It's all about the autumnal eye make-up look at the moment so I thought I'd give Makeup Revolution's much hyped New-trals vs Neutrals Palette a go as everyone else seemed to be raving about it so much.

As much as I still love MCR to this day, I'm keen to not go down the red/pink eye look and I think the key to this is to use more plum/berry tones than red/pink ones. The New-trals vs Neutrals Palette does have a couple of red/pink shades but they can be toned down by using some of the darker plum/berry shades. For this finished look I went for a mix of the red and pink with the shimmery deep purple, a couple of the taupe shades for the base and the copper glitter all over. In my opinion I think it's a good berry look without leaning too much on the 'been punched in the eye' side.

Each shade in the palette is super pigmented and blendable. There's a good range as well from very basic bases right through to the super glittery copper. It's a nice change from my usual neutral palettes, which are all different shades of brown, the go-to neutral these days is a more plummy tone but I rather like it. I think it works especially well on brunettes but I could be bias.

For £6.99 the palette is a right little bargain! The shades have fab staying power as well so you really get your money's worth here.

Have you tried the Makeup Revolution New-trals vs Neutrals Palette? Are you ready to embrace the berry eye? Let me know in the comments.

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YooHoo Mail Stationery Subscription Box

I never knew I needed a stationery subscription box until now...

In the past I've received beauty boxes, nail polishes boxes, food boxes and even candle subscription boxes but never a stationery box so when YooHoo Mail got in touch and asked if I'd like to review the October box I couldn't reply quick enough.

The box and its contents are created by the super talented Gemma, who must absolutely have her work cut out designing all the fab pieces for each month's box. I was really impressed with the October box, which would cost me a one-off fee of £12, as it was absolutely jam-packed full of cards, postcards, prints, a weekly planner and a to-do list.

It never occured to me to have a stash of greetings cards tucked away for various occasions but I am going to be popping all the cards from this month's box into a safe place so I can whip them out when it's someone's birthday or special occasion - there's also cute little postcards as well if you fancy writing a quick 'hello' to someone. The idea is to bring back the handwritten note, which I absolutely love and agree with. When I was younger and the internet didn't exist (I KNOW!) I used to write so many letters so I'd love to get back into that.

The box also contains some cute, quirky prints and the YooHoo Mail website also sells a couple as well. I absolutely need to have the Bloggers gonna Blog print in my office!

When it comes to subscribing you can sign up for a one off box for £12 with a £2 P&P charge (the November box is up for subscribing too now!) or you can pay for a 3 month subscription for £36 with free P&P. I am definitely going to go for the November box as it's been an absolute pleasure opening this month's box and seeing all the beautiful pieces inside. It's a stationery lover's dream!

What do you think of the YooHoo Mail stationery subscription box? Let me know in the comments.

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*This post contains press samples.

Vichy Pureté Thermale Make-up remover and Micellar oil

Ever since I was sent the Vichy Idealea Eyes range, I have been absolutely hooked on this brand. I used the Idealea eye cream and serum right down to the last drops and have since moved onto some of the Aqualia Thermal products. I'm currently using these and have recently introduced a couple of items from the Pureté Thermale range after I was finally able to get my hands on them.

I prefer to buy my skincare in the shops but my local Boots just weren't stocking it. I was seeing the products plastered all over various bloggers and I just knew I had to get my hands on them so when pay day came around I popped a couple into my virtual basket. I was in need of a new make-up remover as my Soap & Glory one was down to it's last drops and along with that I decided to try a Micellar water as it's been a little while since I tried any.

What really caught my eye about this range was the packaging, the make-up remover and the 3-in-1 cleanser (not featured) have both been re-branded with the blue/turquoise, more clinical look, while the micellar water is a completely new introduction. I understand the re-brand is in order to attract a younger audience so I may not be that target market but I really like the colour and style of the packaging. I feel like skincare and bathroom products in general should all look like this!

I've been using the products for a little while now and I'm really impressed. During a blogging day I created a very heavy eye make-up look and the make-up remover was able to wipe it away in one swoop. It literally picked up every last bit of make-up and it was super kind on my eyes, where others can sometimes irritate them, as well as being really lightweight and not greasy at all. My everyday make-up is absolutely no problem at all for it so this is definitely a new fave of mine!

It's been a little while since I used any micellar oil but I decided to pick one up just to introduce something new to my routine. I simply apply a few pumps to my skin and work it in. To activate the oil you need to add water to help turn it into more of a milky consistency, which I find really lovely on the skin. The Vitamin E and Camellia Oil leave my skin feeling super soft and in general after using the micellar oil it feels wonderfully clean and healthy.

Vichy is definitely one of my favourite skincare brands at the moment and it's not too badly priced. It's not exactly budget but it isn't high end either as most of the Pureté Thermale products are mostly under the £15 mark. They are regularly on offer in Boots and online so you could even wait for a great deal before picking these up.

What do you think of the Vichy Pureté Thermale range? Let me know in the comments.

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Makeup Revolution Unicorns Unite Lipsticks

From left to right: Horn of Magic, Legend, Magical, Throne and Pink Myth



What a magical little collection from Makeup Revolution, just in time for Halloween too. This reminds me a lot of the Atomic Lipstick Collection, which came out around this time last year, but version 2.0 is much more sparkly, metallic and Unicorn-esque, hence the name.

The red shade is definitely the most wearable on every day occasions and great for a vampy look this Hallows Eve but the others are extremely fun colours, perfect for any 'out there' Halloween looks you might be doing. Legend and Throne are very similar, shimmery purple shades, while Magical is a deep blue shimmer. Horn of Magic is by far my favourite. It is a gorgeous turquoise/green and probably the most Unicorn-esque of the lot in my opinion - it would be great for any witchy Halloween looks but it also has an almost icey look to it after application, so perfect for any 'Frozen' fans.

I really don't usually like swatch photos on hands or arms but I'm not able to post pictures of these on my lips as my lips are incredibly dry and cracked/bleeding at the moment so no-one wants to see that. I have given them a good go though and once on the lips their shimmer factor doubles and the pigmentation is great. They do need a little building to fully cover the lip and re-application throughout the time you're wearing them but overall a really great range.

As I mentioned the red is the most wearable shade but the others are perfect for picking up if you're putting a Halloween look together this year. What's even better is that they're only £1 each, so a real bargain.

What do you think of the Unicorns Unite range? Let me know in the comments.

*This post contains press samples.

TK Maxx Stationery Haul

I thought I'd do something a bit different today and post about my recent mini stationery haul from TK Maxx. I was actually only in there in order to peruse the beauty section but nothing was really catching my eye so I took a little wander around the rest of the store. I knew there had been notebooks in stock before but now the section has really grown to incorporate lots of books, crafts and even calendars.

I was actually in my element while browsing the shelves. Probably only my mum knows about my love for calendars as I ask for one every Christmas (Hey Mum - I still want one for Christmas ok, the one in this post is just for photographing purposes), but since I've started blogging I've discovered a new use for them...photograph backrounds! Floral/pretty calendars make great photo backgrounds for products so I picked up one by Caroline Gardner (no idea either!), which is full of pretty flowers and quotes. This one is perfect because it's light, bright and colourful but with enough room for placing products on.

I had a bit of a meltdown over the notebooks. There were so many pretty ones that I had to force myself to put some back otherwise I would have been in for a shock at the till. To be honest, I don't actually need anymore notebooks (who ever does?) but the two I chose were too pretty to pass up. The minty green one actually has a little note section and then peel off sticky notes on the other side - a stationery nerd's dream and not only do these work as notebooks but they're also good for blog photos as well - you can pop products on them to add a bit of height or just use them as something pretty in the background.

Really this shopping trip had two purposes, not just to fulfil my stationery desires but the items also double as blog photo backgrounds so I'd say all in all this was a pretty successful haul. What do you think?

HJ Manicure: 5-free, cruelty free and vegan-friendly nail polish

So I seem to be back with another nail polish review for you. I've reviewed quite a lot of polishes over the past few weeks and have really fallen in love with painting my nails again after a brief period of not doing so. I seem to have also fallen in love with grey nails as almost every recent polish post has featured a grey shade, oops! I'll go into more detail on that in another post.

Today I'm talking about a brand I've recently been introduced to, HJ Manicure. The collection is 'five free', which means it is free of five harmful ingredients including Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DiFbutly phthalate and Camphor as well as being cruelty-free and vegan-friendly. The five ingredients are preservatives that can be linked to various skin irritations and problems, so being free of these gets a thumbs up from me.

All these claims sound good enough is the polish actually any good? Well, in a word, yes. I'm super impressed with these polishes and I'm a little bit miffed that I only have two!

The 14.8ml beautifully square bottles contain a polish that applies extremely well. It's not too thin, not too thick, it dries super fast and the finished look has a super shine to it, very impressive! To get the finished look I only need two coats and the polish has really stood up well to all the knocks and scrapes your hands/fingers go through such as washing up and doing the house work. I've been wearing the polishes for a week now and still only have pretty minimal chipping.

At £9.50 these are a little more than I would usually spend on a nail polish, however they're really good quality so worthy of the higher price tag in my opinion.

Have you tried HJ Manicure polishes? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Seventeen Cosmetics Cheek Stamp Blush

It's not often I pick up a new blusher but this actually came as a free gift for spending more than £5 on other Seventeen products. I thought it was extremely cute and not like any other blushers I've seen on the high street before so I thought I'd give it a try.

The packaging is really interesting, the little mirrored pot contains the blush packed into its lid and a sponge stamp applicator on the opposite end. You simply press the sponge into the blush and stamp away at your cheeks - luckily this doesn't produce bold pink circles on your cheeks like some kind of circus clown, it just distributes a faint touch of colour, which can be blended in as you see fit. I picked up the lightest shade 'Blushing' but there is a range of shades right up to a darker, almost bronze colour.

For £4.99 this is pretty reasonable. If it wasn't a free gift it might have been something I'd have paid for anyway if I was in need of a new blush just because it's so sweet. It's great for keeping in your handbag and reapplying through the day and it's very convenient too as you simply twist the spring loaded lid and go about your application. There's no mess, no fall out and no need for brushes.

Have you tried the Seventeen Cosmetics Cheek Stamp Blush? Let me know what you thought in the comments.