Thursday 27 February 2014

EOS Limited Edition Spring Duo




EOS Limited Edition Spring Duo - £10.50
Now that it's March, I consider Spring to have sprung, making pastels in- finally! The thing that sets EOS lip balms above the rest is a) the cute, round and colourful packaging and b) the fun flavours. In this EOS Limited Edition Spring duo there are the flavours Strawberry Sorbet and Passionfruit (which is exclusive only to this set). 

Monday 24 February 2014

MyBeautyCompare- a new way to discover products!

Listen up, girls, I have an exciting new website for you to try out! It's the first personalised online shopping website- great for the companies, not so great for my wallet... 

It's called MyBeautyCompare and is a really useful and fun website to use. You can browse products, see other people's reviews and even join in on the forums, helping other people with their questions or even asking your own. 

If you sign up for an account, you can be sent personalised product recommendations, not just for makeup, but for skincare and haircare, too. When you look up a product, you can see other people's reviews, complementary products and then, to make it even easier, you can see comparisons of prices from different stores- including postage. That way, you can look up a product, read a review and press 'Buy now', and before you know it, it's on its way to you!


Their blog is one of my favourite parts of the website, and my personal favourite post is 'How To Look Good Without Makeup'. They have a selection of beauty experts contributing to the posts, so you know that what you're reading is the real deal.


With a page for video tutorials, you can learn to master even the trickiest of beauty skills- cat-eye flicks and ombre nails included! I love how all of the videos are on one page, making it easily accessible for people like me who just can't seem to do anything right.


It's still a new website, but I can see it going very far in the future, as more and more people use it. It's already bookmarked on my laptop, becoming a place I visit every day!

Finally I got the chance to interview the (very lovely) CEO and founder of MyBeautyCompare, Nidhima Kohli!


1) Where did your passion for beauty originally stem?
I have always been a very girly girl and was always very much into beauty and fashion. However when I trained as an international makeup artist and skincare expert I discovered how each woman has different attributes and your beauty routine needs to be personalised.

2) Do you remember what the first beauty product you ever bought was?
The first product I even bought would have to be mascara - who doesn't love to have sparkly eyes, right?

3) Where did the idea for MyBeautyCompare come from?
The idea of MyBeautyCompare came to me because I needed it for myself and I noticed around me so did 1000s of other women. Women nowadays are savvy, busy and have higher demands in terms of personalisation and we are all way too busy to search the Internet for hours to find the right products for us. Also, aren't we aways confused and overwhelmed with too many options when we enter a shop even just to buy a face cream? I wanter to create a one stop shop for all women where they could find the right products for them at the right prices. A bit like match.com meets Tripadvisor but for beauty! Now throughout MyBeautyCompare I can enter my lifestyle habits and characteristics such as age, skin type, diet and more to find the right products for me from unbiased social recommendations from 1000s of other women.

4) Before MyBeautyCompare, where did you go to read reviews before you bought them?
Before MyBeautyCompare I would read reviews in magazines, online and ask sales assistants for advice, however it confused me even more because they were probably mostly all biased and I just wanted to find a Tripadvisor for beauty.

5) How do you hope to see MyBeautyCompare expand in the future?
MyBeautyCompare will be every woman's best friend for beauty. Just a few clicks and discover instantly your beauty product matches for free.

6) What are your top 3 high end products?
Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturiser, Mac Naughty Girl mascara and La Prairie Cellular eye cream.

7) What are your top 3 budget products?
Vaseline lip balm, Cutex acetone-free nail varnish remover and Superdrug cotton discs.

8) Where is your favourite place to shop?
MyBeautyCompare, of course!

9) What was the last beauty product you bought?
The last product I bought was an Eve Lom face mask.

10) If you had to pack for a holiday on last minute's notice, which 5 items (of any nature, but not including clothes) would you bring with you?
Face cream, makeup remover, iPhone, lip balm and mascara.

The post was written in collaboration with MyBeautyCompare, but I was not paid to write this post, and my opinions were not swayed in any way- 100% honesty, as usual.

Thursday 20 February 2014

The Joy of Minis

If you've been reading my blog for long enough, there's probably two things you can now infer: 1) I own too many Benefit products and 2) I'm a sucker for all things miniature size - sometimes the two overlap!

Looking through my makeup collection you will more likely come across a mini sized product rather than a full size of it. I just find it a lot more cost/space effective to buy sets that have minis of products so I can try something before making an investment and buying the full size. How many people finish a full sized highlighter or foundation? Well, I for sure have never even come close, which I why I much prefer minis.

I have minis of countless items: foundations, mascaras, lipsticks, blushers, primers, spot treatments, nail polishes and even facial oils! Sephora do great offers for Beauty Insiders whereby you can redeem voucher codes and get a deluxe sample, as well as UK companies often doing gift with purchase offers.

It's a really great way to dip your toes into a brand before making the plunge and spending a lot on something that you're not sure you would ever like. I got a sample size of the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation in one of their beauty kits last year and that way I got to try it out properly before buying the full sized bottle. Similarly, I got to try out their That Gal highlighter and came to the conclusion that while I don't hate it, it's not something I would spend over £20 on!

I got my sample of the LRP Effaclar Duo from a lovely lady at The Garden pharmacy in Covent Garden which goes to show that you can't lose anything by asking, you can only gain (Or not get anything. But let's forget that fact) So, the next time you go shopping, don't be afraid to ask for some samples! 

Monday 17 February 2014

Nuxe Pamper Hamper

While the beauty and fashion trends are all leading towards the start of Spring, here in England we are still feeling the cold. No snow as of yet but I am definitely feeling the full force of the rain and the wind. Cue: skincare to the rescue. All I have tried from Nuxe is the much hyped up Rêve de Miel (review here) lip balm but the rest of their range just seems so luxurious and inviting. The temptation is drawing me in but I must resist. Back to the main topic of this post, the lovely people at Nuxe are holding a 'Pamper Hamper' competition to make a list of products to get you geared up and ready for Spring - I can't wait!

1 - Huile Prodigieuse Dry Oil £28

I have really been getting into oils recently and I've heard so much about this, claiming to be a lightweight but still very effective oil that can be used for face, body and hair. Gimme.

2 - Aroma-Perfection Purifying Cleansing Gel £14

With many breakouts I want to find a cleanser with more natural ingredients, proving to be  calming yet clarifying. It sounds like a great cleansing gel, being specially formulated for oily skin types. 

3 - Spa Candle £7

I love candles when having a bath or painting my nails and if this smells anything like the Huile Prodigieuse then it would be a relaxing candle indeed. Reviews I have read state that the smell fills the entire room, which is something I love in a candle when I'm trying to have a pamper evening. 

4 - Rêve de Miel stick £5.50

I have the pot of this and is one of my favourite products to get me through the winter but I can just imaging that in stick form, it would be incredibly practical. Living in London and using the Tube a lot means that clean hands aren't always a given, making stick lip balms a necessity! 

5 - Clarifying Cream Mask with Rose Petals - £18

I don't need to tell any of you about my oily and blemish-prone skin but I am constantly on the lookout for a clarifying mask to deeply cleanse my skin. This seems like a calming and natural mask that could do that for me- not forgetting the fact that it contains rose petals!

These would be my perfect items to use for a relaxing evening to get into the Spring mood, as well as prepping your skin - both face and body - for the months to come of (hopefully) sunshine and heat!

Wantable. Beauty Box




I have to be honest, I've never delved into the world of beauty boxes before, making me all the more excited to try Wantable.'s offering! They're based in the US but they now offer international shipping with a shipping charge of only about £4. Like the other beauty boxes each box contains 5 products, but the best part is that they're customised to your taste and they're all full sized products. Upon signing up, you can choose whether you want a Beauty, Accessories or Intimates box. I, being the addict that I am, chose the beauty option and proceeded to customise my box. 


My final choices were: 

Love- blush, lashes, eyeshadow and tools 
Like- brows, eyeliner, lip colour, complexion products, nail polish and bronzer 
Dislike- highlighter
and I got 3 of my loves and 2 of my likes - a pretty successful box, I would say and I have to say, being greeted by 'Hello, Knockout!' was a pretty nice touch!




 GlamNatural Creme Blush in 'You Make Me Blush'* - $32 (About £19)
The first thing I noticed about this was that it is insanely pigmented. You literally only need a tiny bit and blend it (quite quickly mind you, it could be prone to staining) and voilà- you're left with rosy cheeks. The whole philosophy of GlamNatural is that their products contain no water, leaving you with a really concentrated pigment. It's very long lasting and can look really beautiful, provided you haven't been too heavy handed with it. You can see from the swatch above just how pigmented it is, so you need to be careful with application.




Be A Bombshell Eyeliner in 'Espresso'* - $14 (Around £8)
I've never tried brown liquid liner before but upon trying this I've been really impressed - the fact that it comes out at a soft colour, rather than insanely pigmented, turns out to be an actual positive for it, making an eye look seem not so intense as black may look. Although it seems watery to apply, the second after I swatched in on my hand it wouldn't rub off. It wouldn't even budge! I had to use makeup remover and then it came off with ease, but it's pretty smudge proof which is definitely a plus for me (I have the tendency to rub my eyes. A lot.).




Golden Rose Sexy Black Mascara* - $12.99 (Around £7)
I love trying out new mascaras so this was the perfect thing to receive, particularly because of its differently shaped wand! I've never been particularly adventurous with wand types so I'll give this a go, but I can say that on first impressions it's quite volumising. 

Michael Marcus Prime Brush* - $38 (Around £23)
I have to be honest and say that I'm kind of over these kind of pointed brushes, I much prefer stippling brushes/sponges/my fingers, as I find them to be a lot less streaky. That's not to say that I won't be giving this a good go, perhaps it could be one for concealer in those hard-to-get-to areas.


FACE STOCKHOLM Nail Polish in 'Want-A-Blue' (Exclusive to Wantable.)* - $12 (Around £7)
First off I need to give serious kudos to whoever chose this colour as it's just a truly beautiful periwinkle blue - thinking Essie Bikini So Teeny without the shimmer. On top of the amazing colour, the formula is so creamy and an opaque paint job can be achieved in as little as 2 coats. I've been sporting it on my nails ever since I got it and I'm yet to spot a single chip (note: I am wearing a top coat) and its thin brush made application so easy! I think this is love. 

Sorme Treat & Tint Skin Perfecting BB Cream in 'Light Honey'*
I was lucky enough to get an extra mini sample in my box which I'm excited to try out, however I hope I don't fall in love with it as it's quite hard to track down!

Overall I'm really impressed with my Wantable. box, with a value of well over $50 when it's sold at $38/$40 depending on which subscription you decide to get. If you're looking for a beauty box which is truly worth the money, I can wholeheartedly say that Wantable. is the one for you. You get full sized products and products that are suited to what you want, not just what is available to the company, which is something that I haven't seen before. 

If you want to have a look at their website or even sign up for a box, go check them out here!

Thursday 13 February 2014

The Fresh Duo


fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - $22.50 and fresh Sugar Lip Polish - $22.50
I know, somebody needs to stop me reviewing items that are so hard to track down in the UK, but I just had to share my opinions on these wonder products. As someone with a borderline crazy obsession with lip balms/lip care products, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to try the fresh products.

fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - link

This was one of those products that every American YouTuber talked about, so naturally I had to get my hands on it- it'd be rude not to try it. It has a fresh (pun intended) citrusy scent and the formula is greatly nourishing. That being said, however, it wasn't exactly a wonder product. It's not thick enough to be an overnight balm so it's just a day balm. If I'm sitting at home and my lips are feeling a bit chapped I would use this. It's quite thick for a day balm but that's what I really like. While I like this, I probably wouldn't repurchase simply because it's quite expensive and I'm sure I cold find more purse-friendly options.

fresh Sugar Lip Polish - link

I never used to use a lip scrub but now I'm never turning back! This is so finely milled so it doesn't feel like you're just rubbing huge granules of sugar on my lips. It smells lovely and it doesn't make your lips feel stripped, on the contrary in fact- it leaves a little bit of moisture! Many people will recommend cheaper options but I've had this since October and I've hardly made a dent in it. It may be a bit more expensive but I think you get what you pay for, both with quality and quantity. 

Out of the two I don't think both are essential, I would prioritise the lip polish. However, if you really want to try the lip balm you could pick up one of the tinted versions for a little hint of colour. There's a flagship store in London but apart from that you have to either have a really lovely friend/family member who could bring it back for you if you aren't going over the pond to pick it up.

Monday 10 February 2014

150 Follower Giveaway - Benefit & Clinique!

Initially I had planned to schedule this giveaway but by the time I got everything organised, I had reached well over 150 and so I made it a little extra special! I want to thank each and every one of you for following Beauty for the Beauty, my special little corner of the internet. I made this blog because everyone else was sick and tired of hearing me blabber on about the latest Chanel launch or that new Benefit primer - this is a place where I can do all of that, as well as meeting lots of new people! 
I didn't really get into the swing of blogging until a few months ago, when I realised that I needed to connect myself to Bloglovin' and speak to other bloggers, not just expecting people to find my blog.

On to the actual giveaway, I have to admit that I'm quite jealous of whoever get this prize, I've had my eye on these for a while now! The lucky winner will get:
-Benefit's Gettin' Cheeky set
-Clinique Party Tips set
-Benefit It's Potent deluxe sample size
and I'll throw in some of my favourites too!

Terms and Conditions:
-The competition will run from 10/02/14 to 24/03/14
-All entrants must be 16 & over/have permission from a parent
-All entrants must be UK residents (shipping restrictions don't allow me to send nail polish internationally, sorry!)
-You must be following me on either Bloglovin'/GFC (I will check!)
-If the chosen winner does not reply to my email informing them of their prize within 48 hours I reserve the right to choose another


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday 6 February 2014

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]



La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+] - £15.50
After my disappointing encounter with the Effaclar K (by the way, I have no clue why I bought it when it didn't really address my skin concerns!) I was a bit wary about trying the Effaclar Duo, despite having heard raving review. However upon a trip to The Garden Pharmacy in Covent Garden I was talking to a saleswoman about wanting to try this and she, very kindly, gave me a huge 3ml sample. 
I loved it and bought it, then a few weeks later out came the Effaclar Duo [+]*, a newly formulated version with dark spot correcting properties!

Monday 3 February 2014

January Favourites


The first month of 2014 is already over and boy am I glad to see it go! It's been a slow and stressful month which has been filled with exams and rain- not a good combo- but these have been the products that I've been using all month!

Late night study sessions = dark under eye circles = Origins GinZing Refreshing eye cream to the rescue! Slightly tinted to counteract the darkness and then some, as well as feeling really refreshing and making my eyes look a lot more vibrant.
For that added coverage, I've been relying on the Make Up Forever Full Cover concealer which has really been the best thing to help me look presentable when I go out. I apply it with my fingers then blend it in with the EcoTools Airbrush Concealer brush, which makes it really look flawless.

I've been wearing the Urban Decay Eyeshadow in 'Sin' (the lighter pink shade) to add some brightness to my eyelids and give a bit of shimmer. It has a great formula and is just a dream to blend!
The Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in 'Black' has been great for adding a bit of a dramatic line when I've gone out this month, staying on the hole time without a smudge in sight.
To add some colour to my cheeks, I've loved applying the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in 'Thankful'. It's a beautiful shade which adds a flush to my face, with an instant healthy glow.

To keep my hands looking presentable, I've loved the Nails inc. nail polish in 'Old Bond Street' which is a lovely, deep violet colour. Battling against the cold has taken a toll on my hands, so this Nivea Smooth Nourishing hand cream has been a welcome visitor! It's so moisturising and rich but not greasy, making it easy to continue going about my everyday activities.