January Favourites

I've never done a monthly favourites post before but I've decided this year it's something I'm going to (try) do every month. I really love reading everyone else's and think it's a great way to find new products. I've narrowed my January favourites down to 7 (which was hard):

• MAC Blot Powder in Medium - So looking at this powder you'd think it had hardly been touched, right? Wrong! I've had this MAC powder since September last year. On a daily basis I use my Rimmel Stay Matte powder but since it isn't in a compact I find it easier to carry about my MAC blot powder. I've been using this to touch up my makeup almost every day since September but it's took me up until now to realise how much I love it. If I'm feeling a bit shiny I just use this little compact (it has a mirror which is an added bonus) and the shine is gone. The best thing about it is that it's really light and sheer so no matter how much you use you never looked caked in makeup. It costs £20 which I think is amazing considering how long it's lasted.

• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium - This is definitely the best drugstore concealer I've ever used, I use it every single day without fail. A lot of bloggers rave about this concealer and I'm 100% behind them. I use this under my eyes, on the corners of my nose and to cover up any blemishes I have and it covers them so well. The only thing that I don't like about it is the packaging, all the writing has came off. However, it's such a bargain at £4.19 that I'll definitely be repurchasing it.

• Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Cashew Beige - I've been using this foundation throughout January and it's now my new favourite (I even like it better than my Armani Luminous Silk). It gives the most gorgeous finish and the colour is perfect for me. I'm not going to say much about this as I've just did a review on it the other day. If you haven't seen it, you can read it here.

• MAC Lipstick in Diva - I bought this lipstick back in December after seeing it on Laura's blog. I love dark lips for winter and I've been wearing this colour so much this month. MAC lipsticks are my favourite, I love everything about them. I'm thinking about doing a full review on this lipstick so stay tuned. As you all probably know, MAC lipsticks cost £14.

• Korres Lip Butter in Plum - I got this lip butter off my Mum for Christmas and since then I've been using it almost every day. I love that it has a subtle hint of colour and it smells so good, it also really sorts out my dry lips in this horrible, cold weather. I did a post on this a few weeks ago if you want to have a read.

• Carino Miracle Oil - For ages I'd wanted to try the Moroccan oil but I just couldn't justify paying that much for a hair product. Then I saw this little dupe on Corrie's blog back in September which is from Aldi (random, I know!) and only costs £3.99! I've had this for months but only really started using it recently. I either use it when my hair is wet which makes it lovely and smooth or I use it to smooth down the ends once I've dried it so there's no need for me to use my straighteners (my hair has been looking a bit damaged lately). This has lasted me a while and I'd definitely buy it again.

• Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Blood Orange - I'm a big fan of Barry M nail paints, especially their new Gelly ones. I bought this one back in October but have been wearing it a lot this month. I think a read nail is so classic and such a wearable colour. I can't wait to get my hands on the new Spring Gelly nail paints, especially Lychee (I love a nude)! At £3.99 they're such good quality for being so cheap. I also did a post on this nail polish here. 

So there you go, the start of my monthly favourites! Have you tried any of these products? If you've done a January favourites post I'd love you to link me to it in the comments.

Laura Mercier Silk Crème Foundation

Laura Mercier Silk Crème foundation has been a big hit in the blogger world and I can definitely see why, this is now my favourite foundation. I went to the Laura Mericer counter in House of Fraser the other week to pick this up and got colour matched to the shade 'Cashew Beige' which is perfect for my skin whether it's natural or I have some fake tan on. It only took one application for me to fall in love with it!

Silk Crème foundation gives a 'flawless natural coverage' which I totally agree with. It has a medium to high coverage without looking cakey and leaves the skin with a gorgeous, luminous glow. I love applying it with my Real Techniques buffing brush, it gives it such a flawless finish. The best thing about this foundation is that because it's so pigmented you only need to use the tiniest amount, less than half of what I'd usually use which means it will last much longer before I have to (and I will) run out and buy a new one. It also lasts all day on my skin without needing a touch up and doesn't leave me looking shiny after a few hours (bonus).

Although a lot of people have said they don't need powder with this foundation, I have an oily t-zone and couldn't imagine not using powder so I do use a little of my Rimmel Stay Matte. I tried to take photos of me wearing it but my camera ran out of battery, so you can see me wearing it in this post here.

As it's a higher end foundation it is a little pricey at £33, but to be honest I think it's totally worth it. I usually like to spend a little more on foundation anyway and I definitely recommend this particular one. Have you tried Silk Crème foundation?

Neutral Nails: My Top 5

I have quite a large nail polish collection but never really blog about it much. At the moment I'm loving neutral nails so I thought I'd share my top 5 favourite neutral nail polishes I use all year round.

• Essie Ballet Slippers - Essie is one of my favourite nail polish brands, they have such an amazing range of colours. At first I wasn't too sure on this colour but I've grown to love it. It's such a pale pink, almost a sort of cream colour which is perfect if you want natural looking nails. I did a full review on this a while ago, you can read it here.

• Chanel Frenzy - I got this nail polish as a gift when I left my old work and I'd been lusting over it for ages. I even bought a few dupes, althought nothing can compare to this! It's a gorgeous light grey colour and applies like a dream. This is my second Chanel nail polish and I think they'er just such great quality, although a little pricey. 

• Topshop Mink - I've had this nail polish for about 2 years and it's still fine to use, no lumps at all. It really reminds me of Barry M Mushroom, a sort of greyish/brown colour. This is my one and only Topshop nail polish but I've seen so many of you bloggers blogging about other colours in the collection so I definitely need to get my hands on more. I think they're really good quality for a high street brand.

• Essie Fiji - This is actually my sister's nail polish but I love it so much and I use it all the time, I really should buy my own soon as it's probably my favourite out of the 5. It's an opaque pale pink, a few shades darker than Ballet Slippers and it looks so amazing with a tan. Like I said, I love Essie! 

• Chanel Jade Rose - This was my first Chanel nail polish which I bought with birthday money one year, I wouldn't usually just spend this much on a nail polish. I thought I'd go for a really wearable shade so I went for a nude. This really is such a perfect nude but it's running out, does anyone know any more affordable nudes that are similar? 

Hopefully I'll start doing more nail polish posts in the future. What are you're favourite neutral nail polishes?

Rimmel Apocalips: Nude Eclipse & Big Bang

So I know you're probably all sick of the Apocalips posts already but I like to read them to decide what colour I'm going to go buy next! I was so excited when I seen that these were coming out as I'm such a big lipstick fan. As soon as these little beauties were released on Wednesday, I went in search for them and it only took me 2 Boots and a Superdrug later to finally get my hands on them. All of the colours were gorgeous but since I could only (barely) afford two, I went for Big Bang and Nude Eclipse. 

Incase you've been under a rock the past week or so, Apocalips are Rimmel's new lip laquers which are a mix between a lipstick and a lipgloss. They are so pigmented and the consistency is so creamy which feels lovely on the lips. You hardly need any product for it to be completely opaque, just one dip! The thing I like most about these is that they aren't sticky at all and are actually really comfortable to wear. They have a glossy finish but once they've been on for a couple of hours they do go matte, but the colour stays which is good. They also have a really lovely scent, I hate lipsticks that don't smell very nice (L'Oreal). 

Nude Eclipse as you can tell by the name is a nude colour. When I first swatched this, I thought it might look a bit like concealer on my lips but once I had my full face on and applied this, it actually looked really nice. I always like to have a good nude lipstick to go with black smoky eyes on a night out. This lasted for around 3 hours before I had to reapply it, it did try my lips out a tiny bit nearer the end.

Big Bang is a gorgeous blue/red, definitely my favourite of the two! Red lipsticks with a blue undertone are my favourite. I applied this at 6am (yuck) and by the time I had my break at work at half 10, it was still perfect. Even after eating, it was still on pretty good which never usually happens with my lipstick. I did have retouch it after eating though but I was still really impressed with the lasting power. The only thing I would say is that I found it quite hard to get a clean line with the red so I used a red lip liner first.

Overall, I love this product! I can't wait to get my hands on more, I think I'll end up buying them all eventually. They're such a bargain at £5.99 (Boots has them on 3 for 2 right now) and some are even saying they're a great dupe for the YSL Glossy Stains. Have you managed to get your hands on the Apocalips yet? Which shades did you go for?

Benefit: Fine-One-One Event

Last night I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Benefit Fine-one-one event (their new exciting lip and cheek product) at the Hard Rock Cafe in Edinburgh. When we arrived at the event we were greeted with yummy French Martinis before we took our seats and met the lovely Benebabes Nina, Claire and Jo. Firstly, we got a demonstration on how to get that Benefit signature brow by one of their brown experts. We were shown how they map out your brows to find the perfect shape, tint them and then wax them before finishing off with one of my holy grail brow products - Brow Zings. I'll definitely be popping in to one of their brow bars ASAP!

After that we were introduced to the product of the night, Fine-one-one! The lovely Claire explained the product to us and gave us a demonstration on how to apply it. Benefit describe the product as a 'sheer brightening cheek and lip product that gives your look instant lift, shape and pop.' Fine-one-one has three gorgeous shades; pink champagne, sheer watermelon and soft coral. It's so easy to apply, for a natural look just simply smile and glide from the apple of your cheek to the temple with the pink champagne highlighting shade at the top, then blend with your fingertips. For more of a dramatic look, apply in a circular motion to build up the colour. You can also use the highlighting shade on its own for your brow bones, down the center of your nose or for a more noticable highlight on your cheekbones. Want a quick pop of colour on your lips? You can use it for that too, such a handy product! 

I used Fine-one-one* today and though it was gorgeous, subtle but gorgeous. It's a great product for a girl on the go and if you don't have much time to get ready. Sometimes when I'm working the morning shift, I do my makeup on the train and this would be perfect for that! I especially think it will look gorgeous in the summer time. Claire also mentioned that she sometimes wears a blush over hers, I think it would look gorgeous with Coralista over the top so I'm eager to try it out.

I also have to mention the amazing food we had after the Fine-one-one demonstration thanks to the Hard Rock Cafe. They served us mini burgers, chocolate brownies and key lime pie, not to forget the endless supply of french martinis and wine. When we left the event we each got a swag bag containing some Hard Rock Cafe goodies, a mini They're Real! mascara and our very own Fine-one-one! Oh, and some of my fellow Scottish bloggers won Porefessionals and They're Real! mascaras in a little Benefit quiz (including my sister), as if they weren't already generous enough! A big thank you to Benefit, the Benebabes and the Hard Rock Cafe, it was such a great night!

Fine-one-one launches on the 26th of January and retails at £23.50. Will you be picking up this product?

FOTN & OOTN: Hilton Event

Face

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation - Cashew Beige 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Medium

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - Transparent

NARS Laguna Bronzer

MAC MSF Natural - Dark

Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter

Eyes

Benefit Brow Zings - Dark

MAC - Snow Season (lid)

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow Palette - Ombre Nacree (crease)

NARS Highlighting Powder - Albatross (brow bone)

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner - Blackest Black

MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil - Feline

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara - Black Drama

Lips

MAC Angel

New CID Cosmetics i-gloss - Coconut Ice

Midi Dress - Missguided 

Cardigan - Primark

Scarf - H&M

Boots - Primark

Necklace - Topshop

Yesterday I blogged about the Hilton event that I attended and thought I'd share with you what I wore to it and what makeup I used. I wanted to show you guys a bit of a different makeup look and since I usually go for either a smoky eye or statement lip, I went for natural eyes and a nude lip (there was a lot of eating and drinking so this was appropriate). 

MAC Angel has been my go-to nude lip for about 5 years now, nothing will replace it and I used a Bobbi Brown palette on my eyes (which had been hidden away in my makeup drawer for months). I kept my skin quite natural and instead of using a blush I used MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Dark on my cheeks for a sun-kissed glow.

It took me ages to decided what to wear and while I was looking through my wardrobe I came across a black midi dress I'd bought way before Christmas and had totally forgotten about. I wasn't sure I would suit it as I'm quite short and my legs aren't exactly the skinniest, but I went for it anyway and ended up really liking it. To make it a bit more casual I added a cross necklace, some ankle boots, my studded shoulder cardigan and my favourite tartan scarf. I think I'll need to wear this on a night out soon and dress it up with some heels and big hair.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Ti Lounge at the Hilton Glasgow

The Hilton Glasgow has recently opened a new afternoon tea lounge, 'Ti' and me and Rebekah were lucky enough to be invited along to test it out with a few other Scottish Bloggers. The name 'Ti' comes from the Scottish Gaelic word for tea and according to the Hilton, Ti represents "a modern, fashionable, cosmopolitan environment filled with energy and personality, but rooted with traditional warm welcome and couple with homely comfort and warmth."

When we all arrived we were greeted with a lovely champagne reception and seated in the gorgeous, comfortable lounge. Each table was then presented with one of the three afternoon tea selections (along with champagne top-ups mmm), which included 'Classic Afternoon Tea,' 'Confessions of a Chocoholic,' and 'Mad Hatters Tea Party.'

The Classic Afternoon Tea (£14 pp) includes:

• Freshly cut finger sandwiches
• Freshly baked scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam
• A selection of artisan cakes
• Lemon pancakes

My favourites from this had to be the salmon and cream cheese finger sandwiches, the strawberry tarts and the cute little scones. The other sandwiches on offer were cucumber, egg mayonnaise and salmon and tomato and fortunately I like all of them! 

The Confessions of a Chocolate (£15 pp) includes:

• Chocolate fondue
• Seasonal fruits
• Marshmallows
• Rolled gaufrettes
• A selection of cakes to bite

Without a doubt, the best bit about this 'afternoon tea with a twist' was the chocolate fondue. We dipped marshmallows, strawberries, banana, pineapple, melon and raspberries into dark, melted chocolate which was the perfect combination.

The Mad Hatters Tea Party (£17 pp) includes:

• Party finger sandwiches
• Queen of Hearts strawberries
• A selection of cupcakes
• A collection of themed cakes
• Freshly baked scones with clotted cream
• Drink me potion

The white chocolate covered strawberries were delicious and the 'Drink me potion' (coloured lemonade, I think) was a perfect touch in keeping with the Alice in Wonderland theme. The tables presented with this tea  were also given party hats! 

While we were indulging in our finger sandwiches and cakes, the Ti signature cocktail was brought round for us to sample. I actually really liked it, it was an infusion of fruit tea and alcohol (what's not to like?). We were then presented with a box of Twinings teas to have a look at so we could choose which one we'd like to try. I went for the Long Ching Green tea and Rebekah went for the White Silver Tips, both from the Oriental selection. There was also British Afternoon and Tisane tea selections, you can see the full menu here. 

We were given our perfectly timed teas in our own individual teapots, and by perfectly timed I mean we used the Twinings tea timer which is used so you know how long you should infuse your tea for (whether it's white, green or black). Both mine and Rebekah's teas were lovely, I tried some of hers too!

Before we left we were given a generous gift of a cocktail shaker and a book of recipes so you can make your favourite cocktails at home, I can't wait to try it out! I had such a lovely night at the Ti lounge, so thank you to the Hilton Glasgow. I think the selection of food and teas are excellent, especially the afternoon teas with a twist. I think it would be the perfect place if your looking for a spot of afternoon tea in Glasgow, whether you're visiting or you have a day off and fancy doing something different. It was such an enjoyable experience and I'd definitely go back. Have you ever been to the Ti lounge, is it somewhere you'd be interested in going? I definitely recommend it!

Korres Plum Lip Butter

For Christmas as a little stocking filler, my Mum got me and my sister one of the Korres lip butters. This was originally on Rebekah's list but my Mum kindly got me one too and I'm so glad she did! I think I've used this almost every day since Christmas so excuse the big finger print in the middle of it.

I'm absoutely loving this, its now my 'go-to' lip balm. It's so soft and melts right onto your lips while leaving a hint of colour. I especially love this Plum shade as I'm obsessed with the berry lip trend at the moment. It also has a lovely plum scent, which isn't too overpowering and contains Shea Butter and Rice wax which is great for those chapped winter lips. I love wearing this on it's own or under some of my berry lipsticks such as Rebel, Plum and Plum Passion to keep my lips hydrated and my lipstick looking flawless.

You can purchase the Korres lip butters on Feel Unique for £6.00. I definitely would repurchase this myself and would love to try other shades, especially Jasmine. Have you tried these?