Introducing.... Eye Of Horus

There a new beauty and cosmetic brands starting every single week all over the world. We are inundated with adverts and press releases of new products and new trends hitting the shelves so nowadays it takes a little something extra to catch my eye.

I was recently getting my High Definition brows re-done when I spotted a poster on the wall of the salon. Eye Of Hours?! I thought.... but I had read it wrong... Eye Of Horus is what it said and I was so intrigued by it mysterious and beautiful imagery!

It was then that my lovely eyebrow lady (Hi Melissa!) suggested it would be a great fit for my blog and went about contacting her lovely contact at the brand about having some prodcts for me to try - I mean... how lovely is it?!

So a couple of weeks later a package feel through the letterbox and I was so excited to get stuck in. I had been reading up about the brand online and it sounded fabulous so obviously I wanted to see it all in real life.

The range is all eye make-up - mascaras, eyeliners, brows, eyeshadows and they have a lovely range of accessories too!

It is all based on formulas of the Ancient Egyptians - I find everything to do with the Eyptians s interesting and one of my dreams is to be able to go and see the pyramids... but that is another story. The Eyptians were the originators of beauty and with using the sacred ingredient Moringa Oil - "Oil of the Pharaohs" this range definitely has that something different about it!

Ultimate Goddess promotional pack*

First up - their signature product - Goddess Mascara. Now.... am I slightly fussy when it comes to mascaras, I have very short lashes which I've mentioned on here before and find it difficult to find wands that I like using - so as you can imagine I was a little nervous to try this out.

When I opened it up I was soooo pleased to see that it was a comb like wand... not a fluffy brush type - I hate those! I find comb-like wands so much easier to use and also find they work alot better.

All in all - I love this mascara! It is the best mascara I've ever used for separation and making the lashes look individual. The only thing I would say it that it didn't give them much volume, but to be honest I would rather they were longer and serperated - it gives the eye a much more 'natural' beauty look, perfect for my everyday make-up.

The smudeproof eye pencils are something that Melissa had talked about lots - the amount of shades they do is fab and they all come with a smudger on the end and a beautiful name - I was sent Jewel Amethyst!
 I love this for two reason.... 1. Amethyst is my birthstone and 2. they say purple looks great ith green eyes, which I have!
When I say this liner is long-lasting, I am NOT kidding! Absolutley brilliant! I had swatched some on my hand when it first arrived and even after washing my hands countless times it was still there!
I'd love to get my hands on the Charcoal Obsidian shade for an everyday black liner.

All in all - I'm loving the first sneak peek I've had of this range. The formulas are beautiful - both the mascara and liner feel soft and smooth, not like your normal high-street brands, these are something a little special.

Check out the whole range here on their website and search for your nearest stockist here. (Isle Of Wighters - Six hair studio in Ryde have just started stocking the range and they have amazing testers that you can go in and see/try!)
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L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Feline Mascara Review

Over the last few years I've tried new mascara's here and there but you probably all know that I always venture back to the same product - Maxfactor's Masterpiece Max.

It now takes alot for me to want to purchase a 'new' mascara as not many seem to work for me as well as Masterpiece and I like to stick to what I know works.

 I'm a big fan of 'comb' type brushes as I have such short lashes and small eyes it makes it easier for me to create longer looking lashes.

I tried a sample of Benefit's Roller Lash when it was released earlier this year and really liked it, but being double the price of my normal mascara budget I didn't purchase after trying.

So...... when I spotted a high street brand bringing out a mascara with a brush that looks fairly similar to Roller Lash.... I was seriously interested!

Yes, L'oreal have added yet another mascara to their highly popular Volume Million Lashes range in the name of 'Feline'!

The legendary brush is now arched, fitting the eyelid shape perfectly and making it super easy to capture every lash with each stroke. 

Curved brushes have become really popular these last few months and this mascara has been working so well for me!

I use my eyelash curlers as normal and then use Feline to coat my lashes root to tip giving them great length and a fabulous flare!

Volume Million Lashes Feline is priced at £10.99 and is being released THIS week so keep your eyes peeled in your local Boots stores as I think there may be a cheaper introductory price for the first few weeks!

You may also like :

My Favourite Mascara.... ever!

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Latest In Beauty Capital FM Best Of Summer Beauty Box

It's been a while since I've talked beauty boxes. To be totally honest it has to be a pretty special box to catch my eye or impress, over the years I've had some that just haven't been worth pennies I've forked out for them and it's resulted in me not being subscribed to any!7

I was recently contacted by Latest In Beauty and was told all about their Best Of Summer box being released by them this month partnered with the fabulous Capital FM! 
After having a sneak peek at what was featured in the box, of course I took the opportunity to own one of my very own!

Unlike other beauty boxes Latest In Beauty is a non-subscription beauty box service, so you can pick and choose which one/s of the seasonal boxes you want - alot easier in my opinion, no commitments is good with me!

This particular box is in collaboration with Capital FM and is jam-packed with 10 amazing beauty products and a couple of promo codes for this sizzling summer!

First of all I just want to say how impressed I am at the packing of the box. That may sounds stupid but this thing was packed to the brim, with everything having a perfect little slot and position, I was so impressed at how it all fit in there! (I obviously tried to put it all back in and failed miserably aswell!)

 The range of brands and different types of products is brilliant, there's everything from mascara to dry shampoo to lip balm! Most of them are full sized items which made me really happy and I actually hadn't tried any of these items before which made it even better!

Latest In Beauty Capital FM Best Of Summer Beauty Box* £17.95

 List of products included : 

CARMEX Moisture Plus Lip Balm In Berry

I'm a big Carmex fan and I love that these are so easy to apply - no sticking fingers in pots needed! Plus this has a hint of colour which is perfect for summer, I hate it when my lipsticks melt!

COLAB Sheer + Invisible Paris Floral Fragrance Dry Shampoo

I was SO pleased to find this in the box as I have been dying to try this stuff out! I'm a huge fan of Ruth and have heard amazing things about this range so I'll be breaking my dry shampoo fear for this mini bottle! (It smells delish!)

DR. ORGANIC Dead Sea Minerals Bio-Plasma Mud Mask

Face masks are my favourite little pampering treat to do each week and I am always up for trying newbies! My mum spotted this and mentioned how much she loves the brand so I'm really loooking forward to giving this a go! My skin is in dire need of a detox.

FUDGE URBAN Hair Art Spray - Violet Haze

YES! Hair chalk.... but in a spray! SO much easier and washes straight out! The perfect way to funk up your do without permanent colouring.

HAWAIIAN TROPIC Satin Protection Ultra Radiance SPF 30

I love this brand and it's fairly expensive even for these miniature bottles, this is going to come in so handy for day trips out in the sunshine when I'm only taking a small bag!

I LOVE.... Perfectly Peachy Bath & Shower Creme Sachet

I'm really looking forward to trying this fresh and fruity body wash - it also comes with a great how-to guide on checking your breasts and what symptoms to look out for which I'll be keeping in my bathroom from now on.

MALIN & GOETZ trio - Cleanser, Moisturiser, Lip Balm

A few more miniatures here - and a brand in which I've never tried. These are only small so will only provide a few uses but it's a great way to try out something I probably wouldn't have before. I popped on a bit of the lip balm earlier and it felt gorgeous!

MUA Mega Volume Mascara

Can't say no to a new mascara really can you!?

MUA Eyeshadow Palette

Basically summer in a palette here - I know MUA isn't the most expensive brand but still this is a fab product to be included in the summer box! The colours are fun and vibrant and will be so much fun to play around with.

NAILS INC Gel Effect Nail Polish 

Last but not least but favourite product of the bunch, I've already painted my nails with this ( as you may have spotted it on Instagram!) - the shade is a beautiful aqua green/blue and reminds me alot of Tiffany & Co! I'm hoping the fact that it's a gel effect polish will make it last a little bit longer than my usual 'chipped after a day' nails too!

There's also 2 cheeky discount codes included for a couple of the brands too, in which you can save upto 20%!

As I mentioned previously, the box is £17.95 - which I think is fantastic value for the amount you get inside! The nail polish alone I'd happily pay £7-8 for! If you want to check it out just clickedy click - here!

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Cohorted Beauty Box - Worth The Hype?

Beauty boxes dropped into our life over 5 years ago and with the amount of different versions on the market now it's hard to know which ones to sign upto... if any at all!

When they first came out in the UK I was super excited but after being signed up to a certain box for months and months I kind of gave up as I was fed up with crappy little samples that I had sat in a drawer that I wasn't really interested in.
Since then, I'll be honest, I haven't really thought much of them, that experience kind of put me off.

So when Cohorted contacted me I was a little weary but I was definitely curious after seeing their website and other bloggers reviews of them. The products seem full sized alot of the time and all the brands were ones I'd heard of and ones I longed to try or buy more of. Plus this isn't a subscription service like most of the other beauty boxes out there, you can just pick and choose which months you pre-order/order which is great if you have a month or two where £19.99 isn't as accessible. 
So I agreed to give it a go.

Cohorted Beauty Box - March 2015*

 Now.... you may have seen my Twitter meltdown a week or so ago about a certain delivery company posting to the wrong address and the parcel being "lost" (*cough*stolen*cough*) - well that was my original Cohorted box! So another was sent out to me and thankfully I received this one safe and sound but this post is now up a little later than I first expected it to be so I do apologise.

The box I have is the March 2015 box.... and yes I do realise it is nearly May but I'm sure this post will still give you a good gage and idea of what to expect from Cohorted plus my honest thoughts on the service.

This box featured 4 products - 3 full sized and 1 sample sized, already a huge improvement to what I have previously experienced with beauty boxes. (Plus each product is from a well-known brand which I was really impressed with.)

The first thing I received in my box was a product from Too Faced. A brand I have admired from afar for far too long. I only own a couple of products from them but my wishlist is never ending, especially with their eyeshadow palettes and kits.
 Anyway... the product I received was an eyeshadow. One of the Exotic Colour Intense Eye Shadow's to be precise. I actually received the shade Poison Orchid which is not the colour stated on the insert card provided. So either than ran out of the stated 'copper peony' or I got the wrong shade! Saying this it was nice to get a bright colour as my current collection of copper shades is pretty big! This colour is gorgeous purple and it is soooo pigmentated! It has a lovely iridescent shine to it and having green eyes purple shades are always a winner.

Next was the onyl sample size in the box, the Perversion Mascara from Urban Decay in the shade black. I don't mind getting samples sizes when they are decent brands and products like this one. Mascara's are something I am quite picky about so it was nice to have a little tester to give something new a go.
This is the perfect mascara to use after my current one. I know that sounds silly, 2 mascaras, but my eyelashes are so short and stumpy that I find using 2 can work wonders for me. I normally use a lengthening mascara with a comb type brush first and then something like this is great for using afterwards, creating bigger and bushier lashes. Top marks for this tester size.

Now for a product that I wasn't entirely sold on. When I spotted this in the box and read the front of the box I thought.... Oh I didn't know bareminerals had creams out. How wrong I was. This is the bareMinerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment. Yes a mineral night treatment, a make-up to put on at night. The treatment is meant to replenish the skin, reduce pores, even skin tone and give an all-round more radiant look all while you are catching your 40 winks.
The colour in the box was 'light' and I guess that's what everyone got - to be honest I don't really see the need to have colours if it's only going to be worn at night? Surely a translucent powder for all complexions would be easier?
For me personally this isn't something I'll carry on using, I like to let my skin have a rest from everything at night I love the feeling of bare face and it definitely helps me sleep better having a face totally free from everything.
I'll probably give this to my Mum to try out as it's an expensive product and I wouldn't want it to go to waste!

Last but not least is a highlighter palette from the wonderful drugstore brand Sleek. I had actually been eyeing up this Precious Metals palette for face and body recently, I'm a big highlighter fan and sleek's contour kit is one of my must-haves so this looked right up my street. With 4 different shades this is a grea addition to any make-up collection. Again, it is another full-sized item from Cohorted which is fab and I know I am going to get ALOT of use out of this.


Overall I am really impressed with this beauty box from Cohorted. Being £19.99 per box I think alot of people may be a little apprehensive about committing to a box unknowing of it's contents but if this is anything to go by then it will be worth it.
Having 3 full sized products has me sold completely and looking through the site and seeing what has previously been in the boxes and sneak peeks of what's to come makes me think that the box is at a well-deserved price point.
I know for a fact I won't be able to afford to commit to purchasing every month (booo to being poor) but I think a treat now and again is a fab way to find new products and try out things I may not fork out the money for normally. So yes is the answer to my question, from what I've seen, the Cohorted Beauty Box is worth the hype.

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This Week I'm Loving... #6

Pinterest

Okay..... I'm officially converted to Pinterest! (Or as my mum likes to say "Pin-Interest") I've probably had this social media account for years but have never caught the pinning bug..... Until last week! I can't stop, I won't stop! It started when I started looking at tattoo inspiration and  ideas that was it! I could spend hours on this site!! My username is   KirstieLouiseS - here's my account! 

Jerseylicious

This show is awesome. How have I never watched it properly before? I know it's been out for years and yes I'd heard of it but after stumbling across it on ITVBe one lunchtime I have been trying to watch it every weekday when I pop home from work! 

I need them all on DVD - ASAP. (I like Tracy AND Olivia .... Is that okay?)

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick - Nude-ist

You may have seen this in my recent boots haul! I had been eyeing up this shade for a while and was super happy to finally bring it home last week! I have been wearing it constantly, it is a gorgeous everyday colour and it lasts for hours and hours! The only thing I'm not a fan of is the scent.... It is horrible! 

Sia - 1000 Forms Of Fear

I loved Chandelier when it came out and downloaded it immediately. After watching lots of Dance Moms again recently it reminded me to have a little listen of Sia's album - 1000 Forms Of Fear! I have been listening to it on YouTube and have fallen in love! It's really not my usual style of music but I've been really enjoying it - Fire and Gasoline is my favourite! 

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Yes, like every other beauty blogger I ran and grabbed Elle magazine as soon as if was released this month! Free make-up is always a bonus... free Benefit make-up is even better and free brand new Benefit make-up is the best! I have been loving this little tester and I definitely think it will be something I'll be investing in once it is released properly!

Fishtail plaits

I have finally mastered the art of a fishtail plait! I am so happy my hair is finally at a good length that I can wear a fishtail and be excited about it!

Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea Hand Cream 

My hands have been seriously suffering these last few weeks and this has been my go-to hand cream! It really helps to soothe and hydrate my poor dry hands and smells amazing at the same time! It's rich and creamy without being greasy - I just wish it was easier to be able to get some more!

New Look Lace Up Black Boots

I bought these back in November in the sale and over the past few weeks I have been wearing them alot! They are so so comfy and make my feel a little bit glammer when I'm dressed in casual clothing!

Warburtons Crumpets

These with marmite = the greatest winter breakfast.

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NEW Rodial Make-up : First Impressions

Did someone say NEW make-up? 

Rodial are known for their amazing high-end skincare products and over the past year I have fallen in love with everything I've tried! Now they have decided to widen their range of make-up so I was super super thrilled to be asked if I'd like to give them a go.... life can be pretty sweet you know!

I've been sent 7 of their snazzy new products ranging from an eyeliner to a gorgeous contouring powder! So sit back, relax and check out my first impressions and thoughts!

 NEW Rodial Make-up featured: 

Instaglam airbrush primer*

Instaglam compact deluxe contouring powder*

Instaglam compact deluxe trandlucent HD powder*

Instaglam highlighter*

Hyaluronic cheek sculpt*

Glamolash mascara skinny*

Smokey eye pen - brown*

Rodial have really set the high-end tone nicely with this make-up range. The boxing and packaging is all super sleek and professional looking - such a treat for me! 

The first thing I decided to try out was the instaglam airbrush primer!

You may remember my post from a couple of weeks ago about my 5 favourites that I'm a big fan of primers! I cannot do a face of make-up without one and I am constantly on the look-out for newbies to give a go!

I was chuffed that this was included in the products sent to me by those lovely Rodial people - they know me well! The primer itself has a clear, smooth moisturising consistency which reminds me alot of the Laura Mercier primer.

It has a lovely scent, the same as the scent to The Hangover Mask from Rodial - fresh and slightly fruity and makes a lovely smooth base for my foundation and concealer to sit on!

This is perfect for these colder months for me as it is slightly more moisturising that other more sillicone based primers I have so it's great on those pesky dry patches!

Next up it's the hyaluronic cheek sculpt (yup, that's a long old word isn't it!) This was actually the only product I had a little "ooo what do I do with this?" kind of thought with when opening it!
When I popped a swatch onto my hand to check it out I thought - woah that's bloomin' bright - panic!  But after blending it I saw it turn into a gorgeous glowing tint which I was super excited to plaster onto my face!
The product is made for the apple's of your cheeks. the coral shade adds a subtle and pretty glow while the hyaluronic acids helps to plump up the skin - so this is great for all ages!

Favourite new product alert! I have been looking for a new face powder for a while now! I got bored of all the ones I owned - the only one I felt did a good job was my elf HD powder but I normally only use that for a "night out" - it's a loose powder and gets super messy too which annoys me!

So when I saw this instaglam powder I did a little excitement quiver (if you've watched a certain TV show you'll know what that is!) - a gorgeous HD translucent powder perfect for everyday use!

I have literally used this everyday since trying it out, I use the powder brush from real techniques to glide it over my foundation - which gives me a flawless finish and helps my foundation stay on all day. It is priced at £52, which yes is a little expensive compared to my usual budget but this has worked so well for me and I don't have to use alot so I feel like it would last me a long while which totally makes it worth it!

Another compact now, the instaglam contouring powder. Contouring is something I have been playing around with alot over the past few months it really seems to have taken over the beauty world!

This is a beautiful matte sculpting powder which makes defining and contouring as easy as 1,2,3. Rodial themselves have written some great tips on how to use the powder - here.  

I have now added this into my daily make-up routine alongside either my Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter from theBalm or the cheeky little product below- they both make a great pairing!

An Instaglam highlighter now! It's not actually that often that I use a pen highlighter, I normally stick to powders or my fav skin wow from seventeen. These are normally pink based shades and I don't really own alot of things that are yellow toned so I was looking forward to seeing how it was with my skin.

 This is great for illuminating certain aspects of my face - I love using it to slim my nose down (yes, I'm quite vain like that!) and it is also lovely to use alongside eyeshadows, it's fab in my tear ducts and on my brow bones.

Damn the mascara making a mess!

 The eye duo I've been trying out are the smokey eye pencil in brown and the Glamolash mascara. 
I have fairly small eyes so I rarely use heavy eyeliner as my eyes become non-existent, so a brown shade is great for me as it isn't as harsh as black. This is great for just lining the eyes alone or smudging to create a smokey eye effect and it lasts, like seriously lasts for hours! It is £17 but honestly, for me, is so much better quality that any eyeliners I've tried from high street drugstores.
 Practice makes perfect so I'm going to try out lots of different looks with this pencil.

Mascara is a must for me - all day, everyday. I have the shortest more stumpiest eyelashes which are pretty much the bain of my life!  This has been amazing used alongside my regular mascara. Once I've lengthened them I use this to really plump them out and gain a great flutter, I'm really impressed with it.

So, all in all I am LOVING these new products from Rodial - the prices are definitely more than your usual high street brands but sometimes paying more really pays off and I believe with these it does, the powders espescially!

I hope you liked this post - let me know if you've tried any of the make-up range from Rodial or if you would like to know anything else about what I've tried out!

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Kirstie's 2014 Favourites

Happy New Year one and all! I hope you all had a lovely time what ever you did to ring the new year in!

It's 2015 and I am seriously looking forward to the next 12 months aren't you?

Looking back over the last year I definitely tried out my fair share of products! (alot of them at that!)

 Hair, skin, make-up.... the list is pretty much endless and with them there has been some obvious stand outs that have been used over and over again and in some cases even repurchased!

So instead of doing a December favourites I thought I would give you my 2014 favourites - with a few added non-beauty related things too!

 Vera Wang Princess Perfume

I bought this when I was on my way to Florida, I've wanted it for so long and decided to treat myself! I love it and now the scent reminds me of Disneyworld - amazing right?

Maxfactor Masterpiece Max Mascara

This year I have fallen totally back in love with this mascara! It is hands down my favourite mascara ever!

MAC Rebel Lipstick

Probably my most worn lipstick this year! I love this shade so much!

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Concealer

The best concealer everrrrrr. This keeps my bags at bay, I have literally been through about 6 already!

thebalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

You may have seen my review on this a few weeks ago! This has become my everyday bronzer to contour with, it is a matte beauty!

Wicked

Most of you probably know already I am obsessed with Wicked, and this year me and my mummy finally got to see it after years and years of waiting! IT was everything I dreamt of and more - totally incredible, I porbably listen to the soundtrack everyday!

Folli Follie Rose Gold Watch

This was sent to me back in the summer and I have literally worn it every single day since! I honestly think I would be lost without a watch now.

Taylor Swift - 1989

My girl bought out her new album and as per it is totally and utterly perfect! I cannot fault Taylor or 1989 AND I am going to see her again in June, I am SOOOO excited I could cry! 

Neal & Wolf Elevate Voluminsing Lotion & Guard Heat Protect Spray

This brand is definitely one of the best finds of the year! The two products I have from them have become firm favs and I cannot wait to try out more of the range this year!

Aveeno Skin Relief Lotion

I first bought this as I had seen a review by another blogger saying how well it had worked for them, and you know... if a blogger likes it - I want it! This is worked so so well on my dry skin, especially the bad patches I get on my shins, I wouldn't use anything else on it now! 

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POTW #32 : My Favourite Mascara.... Ever.

Being a 24 year old girl/lady/woman I've been through a fair few mascaras over the last 10 years or so.

 After all this time though there is always one that I come crawling back too, one that for me if just the best mascara for my short stumpy lashes!

Maxfactor's Masterpiece Max has probably been out since I was about 17/18 and it is the mascara that I always recommend to anyone that asks me.

It's thin comb like brush is perfect for my short lashes and I find it so easy to use. The older and bolder sister of Maxfactor's original Masterpiece mascara this tube is for giving high volume and definiton in a gorgeous jet black shade.

I try new mascara's all the time and too be honest I don't really know why this is the one which I always call my favourite and come back to in the end!

For £9.99 it is totally reasonable, I think I'll be sticking to this for now - until new mascaras are released for me to try that is haha I jut can't help myself!

If you have small eyes and short lashes I highly recommend you try this out!

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