The Smokey Eye

Who doesn't love a smokey eye? I felt like glamming it up a bit the other night and decided to do a graphite/charcoal themed smokey eye. I paired it with a nude gloss to keep the focus on the eyes and used a bronzing blush to sculpt my cheeks and not introduce too much colour. I love this look and will definitely be re-creating it at the weekend when I go out for a Christmas meal! 

I am so obsessed with eyeshadows and my collection is ever-growing. I wanted to delve into some more smokey/dark colours so I added the ones I used here to my collection recently. I usually wear browns, neutrals and bronzes but I am really getting into my red toned browns, greens and greys lately.

Here I used:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Cashew

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW25

Estee Lauder Automatic Brow Pencil in Soft Brown

Benefit Speed Brow

Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper

Clinique All About Shadow Eye Shadow in Graphite

Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow in Black Crystals

Estee Lauder Double Wear Eye Pencil in Graphite

Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara in Black

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder

Benefit Dallas Box 'O Powder

Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Tempting Tearose

Are you a fan of the smokey eye look?

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Recovery Complex II Review

A little while ago I wrote a post which you can find here, all about the product that is Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Recovery Complex II, the worlds first ever repair serum. For the purpose of this review, I will refer to said brown bottle of goodness as simply ANR, as that lengthy title is a pain in the ass! I said in that blog post that I would report back after using the product thoroughly and testing it out. I'm halfway through my second bottle, so I thought now was the perfect time to give you a little run down of my thoughts! (I would go back to that blog post and read it if you haven't already, as I explain the science behind the product and tell you about what it claims to do for the skin.)

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II - £48 - 30ml, £65 - 50ml.

Advanced Night Repair has become a firm staple in my skincare routine and has been for quite a while now. While I loved the previous formula also, the new formula is nothing short of fantastic.

I love it for it's ability to hydrate the skin, and it reminds me a lot of one of my favourite products Hydraluron. It's great at binding moisture to the skin, and I still wake up every morning after using it with plump, soft skin that glows, and I never had that constantly before using this. I think this product is so popular because it's so easy to use and incorporate into anyones skincare routine, it also is very gentle and lightweight so it's great for sensitive skins and under make-up. The gentle qualities of it also mean that it's nice to use when my skin is breaking out or if I have a blemish or two as it doesn't irritate the skin. It helps to nourish the blemish and keep the skin calm and hydrated due to the Hyaluronic Acid, natures moisture magnet. This hydration creates the perfect environment for healthy skin that can successfully repair itself, and that's why I really enjoy using this product and believe in the benefits that it provides for my skin.

ANR is also for anti-ageing as we all know, but considering I don't have much 'anti-ageing' to do, I simply love it for the insurance factor. By insurance I mean, starting early and looking after my skin, infusing it with hydration and keeping it in good shape. ANR helps get the skins circadian rhythm in sync which helps my skin cells to repair. I find that my skin doesn't scar as badly and for as long since I started using this, for example with blemishes, the marks tend to fade a lot quicker and a lot better. It also purifies the skin which means that Catabolysis takes place and cellular debris that causes ageing in the skin is removed. These two technologies together have been branded ChronoluxCB™ and make for a very powerful duo. 

As for evening out the skin tone, I'd say my skin was fairly even before I started using this product, however I hope that by using it, it will keep my skin even in the future also. Advanced Night Repair has really made a difference to the texture and suppleness of my skin, it keeps my skin looking plump and healthy and I love that it's working in ways that I can't see with my eyes, but know that it's keeping my skin in the best shape possible for the future. 

If you want a product that keeps the skin hydrated and supple, helps to repair the skin and remove the gunk that causes skin to age while also keeping the skin protected from environmental damage, then this is a truly perfect product.

Have you tried the new formula of Advanced Night Repair?

Clinique Superbalm Moisturising Glosses - Rootbeer and Apricot

Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Rootbeer and Apricot - £16.00 each here.

I'm gonna come right out and say it, I'm Chloe and I'm a lipgloss junkie. Just send me straight to Lipgloss-aholics Anonymous as I have a serious issue! My newest gloss obsession are these Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing lip glosses, tinted versions of their original Superbalm lip balm/treatment.

I was intrigued by these as they are meant to be a treatment as well as make-up, they keep the lips hydrated as well as giving a hint of colour and incredible shine, perfect for the winter months. I am loving both of these shades, Apricot being a natural peachy nude and quite clear on the lips, whilst Rootbeer is a bit of a deeper shade, but on me it is still very nude which I love. The reason I love these is because they just give fantastic gloss, super high gloss. They make the lips look full and juicy (the point of why I wear gloss, as I wish I had bigger lips!) and they are so easy to throw on out and about every day for a polished, glossy look. 

Swatches with flash (top to bottom) - Rootbeer, Apricot

These little tubes have been in my handbag ever since I got them and they are the perfect, hydrating, non-sticky glosses. I've not tried much Clinique make-up, but what I have tried has been very impressive. I just got a bunch of their new All About Shadow eyeshadow singles as well and have a post coming up soon!

Do you wear lipgloss? What's your favourite?

Estee Lauder Zodiac Powder Compact - Pisces

Estee Lauder Zodiac Powder Compact - Pisces - £65 here.

As we enter the month of Christmas, I thought I'd share an early Christmas present that I received from Estee Lauder, the brand that I work for. All Beauty Advisors were gifted a Zodiac Powder Compact in their star sign and a gorgeous Aspinal of London bracelet. I probably prefer the compact out of the two but that is just typical me!

The compact is quite small and thin, it features two fish and my birthstone which is Aquamarine. It comes in a velvet pouch, which I like because it protects the outside from scratching and gives it a really luxury feel. The powder inside is Lucidity, a gorgeous finely milled pressed powder in 06 Translucent. The compact being small makes it handy for touch-ups during the day as it fits snugly in my make-up bag, the texture of the powder is perfect for multiple touch-ups as it is so light that it will never get cakey.

The compact is beautifully made and I was so chuffed to receive such a personal gift as an employee.

This powder comes everywhere with me and I have really been enjoying using it!

Probably the best thing about the compact is that it is refillable so I can keep using the gorgeous casing forever!

What do you think of the Estee Lauder Zodiac Compacts?