CLOSED LUSH Giveaway & Spending Ban

It's been so long since I last held a giveaway, last time I gave away Real Techniques brushes, but after hitting a couple of milestones in the last few months I decided to bring Christmas back; LUSH style!

As I said above I recently reached a couple of milestones: Firstly I got to a whopping 500 Bloglovin' followers, and then 700 on Twitter! Now compared to other blogs that's a teeny amount but all your support means so much to me! So I decided that Christmas was not over, and that we all deserved it to last a little longer, so I'm giving away some of the sold out!! Christmas goodies. For the first time ever there are also two prizes, which means two winners! First prize is the lovely Little Snow Fairy set which has the much loved Snow Fairy shower gel and also Pink Fun (which I think smells of Rose Jam.) Then the second prize is a small bottle of Snow Fairy (100g.)

Now for the boring T&C's...

• This is a UK only giveaway.
• The giveaway runs from the 30th of January to the 29th of February.
• Once the giveaway has ended the winner will be contacted and have 48 hours to respond. If there is no response a new winner will be picked.
• I will check every entry. ALL mandatory entries must be completed.
• Under 18's must have permission from a parent or guardian to enter.
• The prize will be sent via Royal Mail Second Class Mail, as soon as I can, and should arrive within 3 days. I will email you as soon as it has been taken to the post office.
• I cannot take responsibility for any loss or damage of the prize during its delivery. No replacement prize will be sent.
• Winner will be chosen randomly through Rafflecopter.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next up in this post is the sad fact that I am putting myself on a spending ban, okay let's be fair they haven't gone well in the past, but after dropping my iPhone in the toilet earlier this month I need all the money I can get for a replacement! The rules are: no makeup, including foundation, no more bath bombs from Lush and no unnecessary Costa or Starbucks visits. I am however allowed to use any gift cards I own! Seems fair to me... If you want  to join me feel free, I haven't actually set myself an end date because I'd like to work out how much I end up saving!

Also this year I've started the 365 penny challenge, (or 366 penny challenge as it's a leap year.) Basically you save 1p on Jan the first, 2p on the second and so on and so forth, and eventually at the end of the year there's a nice amount of money in a pot! Maybe enough for a nice holiday, fingers crossed.

So enjoy the giveaway and good luck, I hope you're enjoying what the MissCosmeticBlogger has to offer so far this year!

Soap & Glory Crazy Sexy Khol Set

So we're back with another instalment of Beth's boxing day sale shopping, this time with a Soap&Glory offering which I had no idea existed until I bought it!

When I say I had no idea, I really mean it. Even through all my browsing of the Boots website and the shops themselves I had not seen this gem of a gift. The Soap&Glory Crazy Sexy Kohl set had an original RRP of £14 and contains five of the eyeliners in a range of colours. There is Superblack, Cocoa Bean, Blue My Mind, Grapevine and Aquabat. (Black, brown, blue, purple and green.) I have tried Superblack before a couple of years ago in a Christmas set but hadn't got round to picking up any more since. The Smoulder Kohl liners are usually £5.00 each, so £7.00 for five is ridiculous value.

I honestly loved Superblack when I had it, it was great for smokey eyes and also FX makeup uses which is always good. The texture of these are very blendable and creamy almost when you apply, I love using them in my waterline, as lash line eyeliner and also as an eyeshadow! They're surprisingly long lasting, less so in the waterline but they still have quite good staying power.

The camera and lighting really didn't do these justice. From L-R we have Superblack, Aquabat, Cocoa Bean, Grapevine and Blue My Mind (which doesn't look blue at all!) Don't let the badly lit swatches fool you, overall these are really good liners for the price and makes me really want to try more Soap&Glory makeup, so please tell me your recommendations! What must I try next?

Lush Boxing Day Haul

For the first time ever, I went Boxing Day Sale Shopping! And the first place I went? Lush of course; 50% off their Christmas stuff, how could I resist!?

There was no Snow Fairy shower gel left in my local Lush so I decided to get the Little Snow Fairy gift set as it contains a 100g bottle of Snow Fairy and Pink Fun, I love the fun way more than I expected to. (Also I picked up another of these sets for one of you, there will be a post very soon telling you how you could win!)

I had been eyeing up Fairy Dust for a while and got it whilst on sale, (a few days later I saw my auntie and got it in a set so now I have 2,) I'm not sure quite how to use it, so leave me a comment if you know. Then I decided that I might as well get Rose Jam as I love the smell of rose plus Snow Fairy will run out eventually.

I had to get this little guy because he smells so good, plus half price, what's not to love. After getting these few goodies I then went back into Lush the next day, I'm addicted I know, I picked up Santa's lip scrub and also Stardust bath bomb, I was too late to get Dashing Santa, sad faces all round.

Anyway there is my Lush Boxing Day haul, send me the links to yours, I love reading them!

If Mermaids Wore Eyeshadow...

It's not too often that you find a product that you fall in love with, without even trying it first. I fell in love with the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Light-in-Purple when I swatched it on my hand, and if mermaids wore eyeshadow, they'd definitely wear this!

If you've never tried a Maybelline Color Tattoo, they are basically a long lasting cream eyeshadow which can also be used as eyeliner if desired (though this one seems slightly too light to do so.) A few people liken these to MAC Paint Pots, however I am yet to try a paint pot so I can't comment just yet. The Color Tattoos claim to last a whole 24 hours! I don't think I've ever worn makeup for that long, but it does last a whole college day, and that is quite a while; 7:30am - 9:00pm.

The consistency of the Color Tattoos is slightly moussey, slightly buttery too. The other colours I have are more pigmented than this however, once built up, the colour will make such a statement. Now just look at that pot. Look at it in all its glory, how beautiful is it? So beautiful, so so beautiful. It looks like a sea, iridescently sparkling and I can't wait to use it. I think it will be a perfect spring/summer shadow, plus it will last all day! The colour itself is a light blue with and iridescent purple running throughout it. No swatch will ever do it the justice that it deserves!

The pot is kind of misleading as it appears to contain more product that it actually does due to an almost telescopic glass effect. Although there is less that expected, it still contains a good amount of product for £4.99, it takes a while to get through a whole pot, I still haven't yet!

So there we go: If mermaids wore eyeshadow, they would wear this. So if I wear this I'm basically a mermaid, right? What products do you own that would be worthy of mermaids wearing them? Have you tried Light-in-Purple, would you like to?

When Makeup Goes Bad...

I've decided: it's time for a makeup clear out. It's a new year and I'm sure that there are makeup products lurking that are waaaay past their expiration date. Not only this but a couple of weeks ago one of my foundations started smelling awful and it made me think that I definitely need a clear out!

I did a bit of research to find out makeup expiration dates, I compiled an Excel spreadsheet of all the recommendations, (I'm not joking!) and then averaged out what they said, as well as using my own knowledge too. Obviously these makeup expiration dates are just guidelines that I use, products could last longer they could last months less too, so it's up to you to judge completely. Just remember: If the texture has changed or it smells funny, it's probably time to throw it away. I've created an image which you can pin or save to help you remember the guidelines that many stick to. 

I hope this helps those of you who are having a clear out!

New Year's Beauty Wishlist

It's the time of year when I should be giving myself a resolution to stop buying makeup. But you know me, I just couldn't resist making a wish list of products I *need* to get my hands on!

New Year's Makeup Wishlist by misscosmeticblogger featuring lips makeup

Mini charm / Tinted moisturizer / Lips makeup / Makeup / Too Faced Cosmetics ruby lipstick / Lighting / Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 / Beautyblender Classic Single & Solid Cleanser Kit | Beauty Blender / Kabuki Artisan Ita Brush - Nars Nars

Oh look, it's all high end, I can hear my bank account crying, just waiting for me to cave and buy some, (or all,) of the things on my list! Maybe if I do well in my college mocks I can justify a thing or two...maybe? Anyway I hope you are enjoying 2016 so far, what is on your new year's wish list?

LoveMeBeauty Box

During December last year I reached 500 Bloglovin followers and decided to treat myself to a LoveMeBeauty Box, as I had a voucher for a box for  £1! (Don't worry I'll be celebrating the milestone with a giveaway soon!)

Firstly, I was super impressed by how quickly it arrived. It said 3-5 days but I ordered it so close to Christmas I didn't expect it to arrive till after, but in fact it arrived on Christmas Eve! If you're not familiar with LoveMeBeauty, (which I wasn't,) it can't just be classed as your usual bog standard beauty box, because it's not. You don't get sent 5 random beauty minis each month, instead you get to pick for yourself. You get a certain amount of credits to spend in the boutique, there's a choice of makeup, skincare and even jewelry. For a one month membership you get 60 credits, and if you don't think that is enough for you, you can add on credit bundle. I worked out that from 60 credits, you could get a maximum of 6 items, the range between 10-20 credits, I spent mine and got 4 different things and I'm really happy with them!

I'd heard a lot about the Dr. Paw Paw Ultimate balm so decided that I'd spend 10 of my credits on getting a mini of it. Then was the NUXE Lotion Tonique Douce, I really like the mask they did and needed a toner, so another 10 credits went on that. Now for the slightly more expensive choices,(20 credits): first was the NailsInc Polish in Colville Mews, it's a classic nude nail colour, and as nude goes with everything I couldn't resist. If you were wondering where the makeup that I love so dearly comes into this, well I just had to get the Eye of Horus Bronze Amulet eyeliner, there was a blue one but I thought the bronze would bring out the green in my eyes.

If you were looking for a way to treat yourself this new year I'd opt for a LoveMeBeauty Box! I have a promo code, (for referring a friend): BETH7867 which gets you £21 of LMB credits when you sign up, (which also gets me some credits too!) I hope you're enjoying the new year, I'm in the middle of mocks but they'll be over soon!

What I Got For Christmas 2015 (Beauty)

After a lovely Christmas break I thought I would show you a few lovely bits that I was kindly given over Christmas. I love reading these posts so don't forget to link them below for me to read!

My mum kindly got me the gorgeous Lush Sweet Christmas gift set, this had so many amazing products in, including the fan favourite Snow Fairy, and also the rather interesting Tooth Fairy Tooth Powder, (review sure to come no doubt!) My stocking also had the cute Too Faced Happily Ever After Lip & Cheek Duo in melted nude. This is a gorgeous lipstick and blush which compliment each other so so well. The Benefit Pucker Up & Party set is from my Auntie, who knows me oh so well might I add, this is different from the one she got me last year, it has Benebalm and tint as well as Posiebalm and tint! Finally in the picture above is the Soap&Glory Soaper Heroes set, which my little brother got for me, my whole family knows my love for travel minis, (even though I never go on holiday!)

My boyfriends family were really generous, his sister kindly got me some Bomb Cosmetics soap, which smells amazing! And his mum and dad got me this cute little purse, perfect for all my loose change!

I must say I was rather impressed with my boyfriend: he got me candles, and I love candles so much, and it was a bonus because they're all ones I like. My favourite being the Mango Peach Salsa scent, (can you tell?)

Now this gorgeous pair of Ariel Vans are from my mum or 'Father Christmas.' I have been wanting these since my birthday in August but they weren't available anywhere, (believe me we looked!) Somehow my mum managed to source a pair for me and you can't imagine the ear to ear grin as I opened these on Christmas morning.

A couple of things not shown were a Boots gift card from my Grandad, and a Debenhams voucher from my aunt and uncle. My other aunt and uncle got me the Lush Snow Fairy's Castle gift, so much Lush! And a final thing was the dreamy smelling Daisy Dream Forever perfume from my nan and grandad.

Please don't forget to send me your links to your Christmas posts, also what should I buy with my Debenhams voucher?

Concealer Dream Team (Hiding New Year)

I imagine a lot of people spent yesterday recovering from new year, barely moving from room to room unless food was required. I was not one of those, I worked both new year's and new year's day, lucky me I know, but for those who welcomed in the new year with a bang, here is my concealer dream team to help cover up any tell tale signs!

I have two concealers which take me from sleepy to wide awake in the mornings and they are the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint Paint. Lasting Perfection is for brightening and Phwoarr Paint for concealing.

Phwoarr Paint isn't lying when is says 'heavy duty.' It is thick, a consistency that some may not like, however, even with my dry skin, I do like it, blended correctly it doesn't emphasise my dry patches. While it's heavy duty, it's not heavy in the cakey kind of way that other alternatives can be. To make it blend seamlessly into the skin I buff it with a brush or pat it with my finger. The brush is quicker, but the warmth of my finger can make the concealer look more flawless. For me this is not an under eye concealer as I prefer to brighten that area, instead this targets my spots and blemishes.

Lasting Perfection will be the stand out product if you're in recovery from a big night. This is my go to under eye concealer/brightener, a magic wand for getting rid of darkness and bags. It is a lifesaver, a triangle under the eye blended with a sponge or ring finger brightens everything, you can even extend the concealer to the top of the cheekbone if you want a nice highlight too.

Both these concealers can help you, and if you feel like people can tell you're still recovering, add a spot of bright lipstick to draw every ones eyes away from the tiredness. And never forget: Brows shape the face!

New Year's Resolutions

We're back, it's 2016, and I'm still gonna think it's 2015 until June time! I've been on a blogging break since Christmas day, but don't you worry MissCosmeticBlogger is back, posting every Wednesday and Saturday at 7:00am GMT! Today however, is a special extra post all about my new year's resolutions and goals!

2016 is here and that means it's time for me to highlight a few resolutions/goals for MissCosmeticBlogger. I completed my goal of reaching 400 Bloglovin' followers from last year so thought I'd set some reachable goals for this year!

1. Start a YouTube - I've been wanting to do this for such a long time but this year I think I will finally start. At the start I think I'll try not to show my face and just do close up tutorials because I have a fear of people I know finding my channel...
   
   
2. Reach 750 followers on Bloglovin' - When I set my goal last year for 400 I had about 200 ish followers so yeah I am aiming high but why not!
   
   
3. Reach 350 followers on Instagram - During December I started posting everyday and I really like posting and interacting on Insta so I think I should grow my followers there too!

I only have three resolutions, but I think, (and hope,) they are achievable. If you'd like to help me with any please let me know! What are your resolutions this year?