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?

My new best friend! Clarins Instant Eye Make-Up Remover

Clarins Instant Eye Make-Up Remover - £17 here.

 I posted this pic on Instagram (username: cocomykel - follow me!) the other day of my new favourite thing - the Clarins Instant Eye Make-Up Remover for waterproof and heavy make-up. I nabbed this the other day as I was getting a bit fed up of melting my eye make-up off with my cleansing balm at night (I use the Clinique Take The Day Off one to take my make-up off). The balm is effective in taking it off, but it always takes a little extra rubbing of my eyes than I'd prefer, and as the eye area is quite sensitive and I'm conscious of losing lashes, I thought I'd give the Clarins a go!

It's one of those dual-phase make-up removers which requires you to shake it (which is secretly quite fun!), the girl on Clarins told me when I bought it that you have to "shake it to wake it!" and she seemed rather amused!

After shaking well so both blue and clear liquids are mixed, I pop some on a cotton pad and hold over my eye before carefully wiping it around my eye area and removing all eyeshadow and mascara, before I go into my proper cleanse at the sink. This stuff feels great on the eyes and is not irritating to me whatsoever. It feels a tad oily compared to say Bioderma, but I think that's why it's so effective. It leaves my eye area feeling smooth and I cleanse afterwards anyway so the remainder of it is always being removed.

I haven't tried this bad boy with waterproof mascara as I don't tend to wear it, but it's designed to do so and I'm sure it works a treat. I highly recommend this eye make-up remover if you wear a lot of eye shadow, eyeliner and mascara like I tend to and want something that whips it off easily and effectively.

What's your favourite way to remove your eye make-up?

No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Glace

No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Glace - £9.50 here.

I present to you, the coolest lipstick I have possibly ever come across. Number one, it's purple - I have a big thing for purple, it's been my favourite colour for as long as I can remember. Number two, it has a gold metallic sheen running through it - say what!? It is so unsual, and I was surprised that such a funky and unique shade would be from none other than No7, who I (until now) thought of as quite a safe brand with run-of-the-mill lipstick shades. Glace is a real gem, as are many of the No7 shades that I swatched when choosing this one. In particular I loved a shade called Gay Geranium, which is a gorgeous bright coral that seems to be sold out in every Boots I have tried - grr!

This lipstick shade really makes me think 90's and I have been really enjoying wearing it as it's so quirky. The formula of the No7 Stay Perfect lipsticks are particularly to die for. They have a lovely semi-matte finish and can be blotted down to completely matte, however they are not drying whatsoever and are quite long-wearing too. I have another shade in this range called Classic Rose which is again, stunning and so comfortable to wear. I will definitely be investing in more of the shades in the Stay Perfect range as I am so impressed.

I was so confused when I swatched it in store, I thought it was just a matte vibrant purple (similar to MAC's Up The Amp) and was excited to swatch it on my hand. When I did so, gold glittery flecks appeared. I literally thought that someone had used it from the tube *yuck* and tried putting it on over the top of a metallic lipstick, leaving all their lipstick gunk behind on this one. But nope, I was pleasantly surprised and so amazed that I grabbed one and made bee-line for the till straight away.

Swatches of Glace with flash.

 

 I am quite literally besotted with this lipstick, it's just the most unusual and gorgeous shade.

Have you ever tried the No7 Stay Perfect lipsticks?

Fushi Virgin Organic Coconut Oil - The Ultimate Multi-Tasker

Fushi Virgin Organic Coconut Oil 250g - £8.05 here.

I had to pen a post about my new little friend and something that I know will be present in my skincare routine forever more as it is absolutely fantastic, 100% organic and so simple.

Enter Fushi Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, a fabulous multi-tasking jar of gorgeous smelling coconut goodness that I have been using pretty much every day since I got it.

The consistency of this is similar to a cleansing balm if you've ever used one, and transforms into a liquid with the heat of your hands and when transferred onto the skin.

It smells incredible, but if you don't like the smell of coconut then you may not be keen. I've been using this for all sorts of things but mainly as a cleansing balm which it is fantastic for - it melts onto skin for a luxurious facial massage and tackles make-up really well. I use a flannel to make sure it is thoroughly removed, but the residue left on the skin by just splashing it off would be fine as it is more than suitable as a moisturiser too! I have also been using it as a hair mask and face mask, leaving it on my skin/in my hair for as long as required and it leaves my skin baby soft, and my hair smooth and shiny.

I can't recommend this enough, as it is so great at so many different things, contains lots of nutrients and fatty acids so it does the skin/hair heaps of good. It is literally just one ingredient, 'Cocos nucifera' and is cold pressed, virgin and organic. It hasn't been tampered with whatsoever which is very important and means that you are getting raw, natural coconut oil that doesn't include other chemicals or ingredients and it hasn't been changed or altered.

As for the price, it's a no brainer. A massive 250g jar retails for £8.05 on feelunique.com with free delivery. 

Fushi's Virgin Organic Coconut Oil is a great product that is perfect and essential in every skincare wardrobe, bathroom and even kitchen (you can ingest 2-3 spoonfuls of this per day for the internal benefits too!) 

Have you ever tried coconut oil as a beauty product?