Clothing Calculator #5

Here is another of my clothing calculator posts where I show you the new clothing/accessories/footwear items that are new online or that I love and how I would style them. This week is all about Next and festival/summer fashion!

All image above are from next.co.uk

1. Next Green Floral Kimono Style Wrap (£25): I saw this on the website and immediately fell in love - I do not own any kimonos but I may have to now - I love the idea of a simple vest top or cami and a light floaty cover up during summer evenings. Maybe this is a bit long for a very petite person like me but I think it looks gorgeous and perfect for summer.

2. Next Slub Vest (£10): You can't go wrong with a white vest top - they go with almost everything and are just wardrobe staples. 

3. Next Black Preppy Sunglasses (£12.50): As I have mentioned in a previous post I have been getting into wearing sunglasses more, I never used to. I love my Primark £1 wayfarers but these look amazing and high quality, good value sunglasses are hard to come by! 

4. Next Denim Uplift Shorts (£32): I love the cute crochet detailing on the sides of the shorts - it makes them look more feminine, summery and a bit more interesting when compared to regular demin shorts that everyone and their mother has!

5. Next Sporty Wedges (£36): I am in LOVE with these wedges! If only I didn't have tiny fairy feet! Who doesn't love wedges, they are really comfy and these look amazing! 

I hope you like this latest clothing calculator post, this one is a bit late because of the bank holiday but stay tuned for more clothing posts and my next clothing calculator post on monday! x

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Recent Purchases Outfit #4

Here is the fourth part of my recent purchases outfit look book thing, it is all about jackets with this post - I bought a couple of new formal style jackets from H&M recently, here is the second.

1. H&M Jacket (beige): I can't find this jacket on the website anymore - there was this white/beige one (with metallic threads), a black, pink and mint green one. They were only £12 each and I bought this one and I should have bought the black one too as I love this jacket. The metallic threads in it are that too visible so it still looks casual with jeans.

2. MUA polish in the shade 'amaretto crush': I bought this from superdrugs website and it was only £1. I like the application, I love the shade and I love the wear - it lasted five days with only 1/2 small chips (and no top coat). I have bought another one in the shade 'plum noir' which is a dark purple but I wouldn't recommend it as the wear isn't as good at all and the polish is streaky even with two coats.

*Jeans from Dorothy perkins and wedges from Debenhams*

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Recent Purchases Outfit #3

Here is the third part of my recent purchases outfit posts - this post features a couple of my sisters clothing/footwear purchases from Zara and Primark.

1. Navy Primark Skater Dress with belt (£13.00) : Bought on Saturday from Bury Primark (The Rock!). Navy, lightweight knitted dress in a skater style so it is quite light and floaty - great for spring/summer formal occasions. It has a slight floral pattern, it is quite fitted around the chest and cinches in at the waist with the tan belt. The belt came with the dress as most dress from Primark come with cheap, skinny belts- but this one is quite nice and it stops the dress from looking too plain.

2. Zara Faux Leather Jacket With Striped Lining (£39.99): my sister bought this a week or so ago from Zara online (in the TRF section). It looks great on in my opinion, it goes with practically everything and it is a good price for Zara jacket. I love the striped black/white lining too!

3. Primark Black Wedges (£10): These are basically the same as mine from Debenhams, I love wedges! These were only £10 and I would have bought a pair myself (you can never have too many shoes, right?) but I have tiny feet! They looks great with dress and skinny jeans.

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Recipe: Healthy Muffins!

Today myself and my sister decided to make some healthy, low fat vegetarian muffins - we are on a bit of a healthy eating thing right now because we have the race for life run, graduation, birthdays and our holiday in next few months. Here is the recipe!

Ingredients: 90g self raising flour

             95g wholemeal/wholewheat self raising flour

             45g caster sugar

             93ml skimmed milk

             63g low fat natural yogurt

             1 tbspn lemon juice

             1 egg, beaten

For the flavourings we used - coconut in a couple with chocolate chunks, blueberries in others and mine had cinnamon in! You can use the basic ingredients above and and your own healthy flavours such as fruits, poppy seeds, nuts and of course some cheeky chocolate if you want. 

1. Preheat oven to 190 Celsius or gas mark 5. 

2. Line muffin tray with paper cases - or you can use silicone ones like we did. 

3. Combine flours and sugar in a large mixing bowl and make a small well/dip in the middle.

4. In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, yogurt, lemon juice and the egg and pour all into the flour/sugar mixture. 

5. Gently stir the contents until everything is combined - do not over mix!

6. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases or silicone moulds and bake for about 20 minutes - then leave to cool slightly. They are best eaten when they are warm!

             

These muffins are great as a snack or with a coffee for breakfast - they are great warm and you can re-heat them once. These muffins are suitable for vegetarians (not vegans) and they contain no salt, no butter and they have less than 150 calories and less than 2.5g of fat per muffin - only with the cinnamon or fruit combinations. 

I hope you like this new post, I might be posting more healthy/vegetarian recipes to get ready for summer! Oh and no week in photographs this week as it was quite boring really (apart from getting assignment results back and sunshine, finally)!

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Sister Beauty Haul

Myself and my sister had a bit of a shopping spree (online) a couple of weeks ago - here are the beauty items we have purchased over the past couple of weeks or so. 

All of the items were bought from Superdrug as they were having some great deals - the trio of teeth products (macleans toothpaste, colgate whitening toothbrush and colgate max white one mouth wash) were all about half price with the cheapest being 95p and the most expensive being £1.49. My sister bought the Blanx Extrawhitening Intensive Whitening Treatment (£10.99)too. 

I also bought some makeup bits from MUA: I bought one of the new MUA nail polishes in the glass bottles (trying to look like Essie polishes I think...). I bought the shade 'amaretto crush'. I only bought one as I thought they wouldn't be great, they are only £1 though. I am very very very impressed with this nail polish - review coming very soon. I also bought the MUA eyebrow pencil in the shade 'brunette' which I am not very happy with it. The brow pencil is fairly creamy so it looks very obvious and it needs a lot of care when using - and a lot of brushing through. 

I finally bought the new Loreal Skin Perfecting 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution. I bought it when it was half price but it is now £4.99. I haven't tried it yet but I have heard a lot of good things about it even comparing it to Bioderma. I don't think anything will be as good as Bioderma but we will see. Finally my sister bought the Bourjois Small Powder Brush (£4.99) - it is a small kabuki brush and it looks so cute but it is not as soft as I thought it would be. 

Mini international blog giveaway coming soon - with prizes from Urban Decay and more! x

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Tag: Seven Deadly Sins Of Beauty

I was tagged by YouMeFriday to do the ‘seven deadly sins of beauty’ tag. I have watched a few youtubers do this tag and it is quite unique - here is my version. 

1. Greed: What is your most expensive beauty item?

My most expensive beauty item(s) are my Dior palettes or my Burberry eyeshadow quad. I have a couple of Dior palettes from my holidays which were around $68. My Burberry quad was £40.

2. Wrath: What beauty item do you have a love/hate relationship with?

My Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation. I love the finish, application, wear and feel of this product but the shade is too dark for me - I believe it I have the lightest shade. I have the shade ‘believe in me ivory’ but I can’t wear it because it is too dark!

3. Gluttony: What makes up brand is the biggest chunk of your makeup collection?

I have quite a lot of products from Rimmel, Revlon and Kiko - I have a lot of cosmetics from numerous brands. 

4. Sloth: What product do you neglect to use due to laziness?

Probably face primer. I love primers and I use eyeshadow primers every time I do my makeup but I am a bit lazy when I comes to face primers - I usually forget!

5. Pride: Which beauty product gives you the most confidence?

Base products like concealer and foundation - mainly foundation. When I have foundation on and my skin looks better, it makes my feel better about my appearance. 

6. Lust: Which item is at the top of your beauty wish list?

The Chanel Illusion D’Ombre cream eyeshadows have been on my wish list for a long time. I will have to treat myself as I received my last assignment grade for uni today (now I am just waiting for the overall grade in June). 

7. Envy: What makeup product looks great on others but not your self?

I think smokey eyes look great on most people but I don’t think they look right on me as my eyes are fairly deep set. 

I tag anyone who wants to do this - post a link to your 'seven deadly sins post' below! x

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Clothing Calculator #4

Here is another clothing calculator post - this is a series of posts in which I create an outfit with the new products online this week. I have missed the past two clothing calculator post because of bank holidays etc. 

1. Topshop Stripe Bardot Crop Top (£12): I love anything with this french style stripe pattern! I really need more things with this white and bright blue stripe on in my wardrobe! This is a crop top which I am not a fan of but it would be great during summer (if we ever get it in England). I also think it would be great with high waisted things - skirt, jeans etc. 

2. Topshop Pink Chiffon Square Scarf (£14): I adore scarves and snoods and this is no exception. I love the colour, it is great for summer and to add a pop of colour (I hate that expression) as I mainly wear black/white/navy/grey. 

3. Topshop Moto Cornflower Blue Hotpants (£22): I have a few pairs of shorts/hot pants from Topshop - I find they last a really long time and they look great. The bright blue colour of these shorts just screams summer and hot weather. Love them! I think they would be great with tights too (low denier tights).

4. Topshop Festival Brow Sunglasses (£16): I have recently got into wearing sunglasses more, as it is getting a little bit sunnier occasionally in England. I will have another look in Primark soon to see if they have any similar to these. 

5. Topshop Woo-hoo 2part Flatforms (£45): Finally some gorgeous flatforms/sandals - love the summer vibe and zara-like design of these shoes. 

I hope you like this latest clothing calculator post - stay tuned for haul posts and the seven deadly sins beauty tag coming soon! x

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Week in photographs #21

New Nail Polish Buys |  New Rings (H&M) |  New Primark Top |  Iced Mocha Frappe |  American Food |  Coffee Notebook |  Eurovision | Coffee Candle | Ring and new polish | Squirrel 

My week has consisted of: Writing reviews and blog posts, getting deliveries, new polishes, Eurovision and ASDA - American food and iced coffee - in particular the McDonalds Iced Mocha Frappe!

Firstly, new nail polishes - I have gone a bit nail polish crazy over this past week! I have bought another one of the MUA polishes in the shade 'plum noir' which I like but the formula is a bit streaky - even with two coats. I also bought a Miss Sporty polish (I have heard a lot of good things about them) in the shade '456' - love the shade and the formula! I also have a polish from NYC in the shade 320 blue sky' which is a gorgeous shade but the wear and formula are not great. I also love the mini OPI polish I received in my Birch Box this month.

Iced coffee and American food have been my obsessions this week - especially the iced mocha frappes from McDonalds (I have just finished another one...oops). I think they are about 300 calories each which is a lot but I don't eat the whipped cream that comes on top - I would highly recommended these!  Also we went to ASDA yesterday (which is Walmart in America) and found that they have started selling some American foods such as Mountain Dew, Pop Tarts, Coffee mate etc. Mountain dew is great, I love it!

Finally, Eurovision. As I am from England, we do cringe a bit when 'eurovision' is mentioned because we always come last or second to last! It is kind of a joke in England. Although we have won it a few times in the past and I think the idea of Eurovision was created in England. We had Bonnie Tyler (she looked and sounded like she was drunk). Most of the songs were...not great to say the least but I did LOVE the song from Malta! Greece and Hungary were good too. The worst songs, in my opinion, came from France and Finland - I mean seriously! Obviously everyone has their own opinion and you may like the songs I don't/do - if you are not in Europe you may be able to watch Eurovision on Youtube and I definitely recommend it. I do love how it brings European countries and singers together (yes, I am a bit of a eurovision/euro pop geek!). Overall, the UK didn't do too badly, we had 24 points I think and we were far from the bottom of the list!

I hope everyone had a great week! x

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Recent Purchases Outfits #2

Here is the second part of my recent purchases outfit posts (I have five more to go!). Here are some of the T-Shirts/Tops that I have bought from Primark and Monki over the past two weeks. Also a snood from Primark. Its all about the tees!

1.  Grey Aztec Print Snood (£4.00) :  Bought from Primark on saturday - there were too many to choose from! Love the aztec/tribal print and the 'go with everything' colour. Love to pair it with a loose T-Shirt during spring and summer.

2. Grey and Cream Specked Primark T-Shirt (£4.00 each) :  Bought from Primark on saturday - Loved these T-Shirts when I saw them even though they were under a massive pile of other tops (typical Primark). They also had a lime green colour top. It's super soft, light weight and perfect for summer with shorts or jeans! It was so good in fact that I also bought it in cream. Also it has a slightly dipped hem.

3. Colbalt Blue Monki Top (£6.00) : Bought this top online all the way from Swedeeeeenn! I love the style and fabric of these basic Monki Tee's - they are super soft, comfy, light weight and they fall really well. They are really well made and cheap for the quality.

*As well as these two speckled tops from primark (£4 each) - I bought another one a few days ago, in a light pastel blue colour *

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Birch Box 'Red Carpet Ready'

I received my May Birch Box earlier today, I have been really impressed with Birch Boxes (apart from the last one) but overall it is a fantastic subscription beauty box. 

1. Mini OPI Nail Polish: I am in love with this mini - it is a tiny bottle! The shade is gorgeous too, I can't find the shade name on the bottle or on the info sheet but I think it is 'cajun shrimp'. It applies so well! The application is so smooth and nearly fully opaque - I can get away with one coat but it is better with two. I had to try this as soon as I got it. 

2. Makebelieve Enhance Luminize Skin Highlighter: Such a pretty shade, I love the packaging and it is a cream highlighter - I do prefer powder highlighters though. I like the shade although it is described as a pink highlighter and in my opinion it isn't. The highlighter is too shimmery for my taste. 

3. Elemental Herbology Cell Plumping Facial Hydrator: This is a  really expensive brand and it is a really big sample (30ml). Love the smell and packaging of this product. I haven't tried it yet but hopefully it wont irritate my skin. 

4. Kusmi Detox Mate, Green Tea and Lemon Grass Tea: I don't drink tea at all - I am definitely a coffee kind of girl so I will not be using this so I will give it to family/friends. 

5. B/Attitude Body Souffle: I like body souffles and whipped body butters they are lighter and quicker to absorb that thicker creams. Although I really don't like the scent of this product - it smells very musky. I don't like this so I am going to give it to my mum who really likes the scent. 

6. Doctor Duve Anti-Aging & Firming Eye Cream: Again another brand I haven't heard of (like the previous two products). There are two sachets of this sample and I might use it but my eyes are really sensitive so I may end up give these away. 

Overall, a good box with the OPI and Elemental Herbology products but the rest are average or are not great for me personally. 

*With my followers from bloglovin and GFC combined I now have over 500 followers!*

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Ted Baker S/S Blogger Competition

Here is my entry for the Ted Baker spring/summer blogger competition - the competition ends on the 22nd May. All you have to do is pick three items from tedbaker.com, create a blog post featuring them & why you picked those items of clothing/accessories/footwear etc and then tweet the link to @ted_baker with the hashtag #tedss13. You can find out more about the competition - link here.

All images from Ted Baker

1. Cammy - Busy Bee Print Dress (£109): As soon as I saw this dress I fell in love with it, the print is so gorgeous! Sometimes floral prints, especially on dresses, can look a bit childish but this dress makes it look so chic and sophisticated. The dress is fairly formal but the t-shirt dress style cut/design of the dress makes it more casual. 

2. Majak - Metallic Cut Out Clutch (£99): I am a sucker for any thing that is rose gold (this colour, for the clutch and shoes, is described as light pink on the ted baker website). The lovely intricacy of the clutch makes it look like a work of art - the fresh rose gold colour works really well with the pinks/reds in the floral dress. 

3. Ballena - Flat Leather Sandals (£100): Sandals make the dress look more casual but still chic and elegant. I love the colour, it  compliments the clutch and pink tones in the dress. I am imagining this dress, clutch and sandals as a gorgeous chic but casual spring/summer outfit for a spring/summer wedding, garden party or a birthday! 

*I'm on Twitter now - ofbeautyand - follow if you like*

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Recent Purchases Outfit #1

I haven't done a post like this before, I have done outfits of the days and hauls but this is kind of a look book style post. These series of posts show the clothing items, accessories and shoes that myself and my sister have bought over the past two weeks. Some of the clothes are for our holiday in august - hope you enjoy this new post. This will be a series showing outfits of the new things I we bought in a look book style post - there will be 6 or 7 of these posts.

1. H&M Printed Jacket (Paid, £12): I bought this jacket from the H&M online sale - I had a code that reduced the price even more! It looked more red online but I still love it. It is an Aztec/tribal print with red, navy, and white design. It is a waterfall style jacket, it is a really smooth silky fabric and I love the tab detailing on the shoulders. 

2. Primark Grey Speckled T-Shirt (£4.00): I bought this on Saturday from Primark in Bury however it looks like the speckled T-Shirts in Topshop - which are £16+. It is really cute and super comfy and it has a slightly dipped hem. Although I would say with these cheap tops from Primark that they are a bit sheer but they are not so sheer that they cannot be worn on their own. 

* Jeans from Dorothy Perkins and shoes from Debenhams *

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Week in photographs #20

Sunny Day | New Clothes | Bury, The Rock | Magazine Freebies | Nail Polish Loves | Superdrug Order | #TBT | Baking | Patisserie Valerie.

My week has consisted of: eczema, new serum, shopping (going a bit crazy in Primark), online shopping, job searching, looking through old photographs (the photographs above are of mine and my sisters guinea pigs, unfortunately we don't have them anymore) and baking/cooking. 

This is the first week of my life (well since I was 4 years old) that I haven't been in school/college/university! I don't like it, I really miss uni already and I only finished 12 days ago! I have been looking for jobs within the NHS (research assistant jobs etc) and I have been looking at masters degrees - there is one I am really excited about (and I am going to apply for it in September)! It involves one year studying at University College London and one year studying at Yale in America. 

Apart from job/degree searching I have been doing a lot of shopping (someone needs to stop me!). I have made some online orders from La Redoute, Superdrug, Urban Outfitters, Monki and Amazon. Myself and my sister went to Bury yesterday (I posted my outfit of the day yesterday). We went crazy in Primark...oops and I am going back to Bury again later today with my parents. A beauty/superdrug haul is going up on Tuesday probably so stay tuned for that. As for my clothing/accessories/shoe haul I will be posting it as a series of outfits (like a look book) soon. 

As well as shopping I have been loving cooking/baking this week and I love the new nail polishes I bought this week - the Ciate polish is called 'pocket money' and the MUA polish is called 'amaretto crush' and I adore them. The MUA polish is only £1 and I am so surprised by it, it is fantastic! I am going to get some more later today!


I hope everyone had a great week - I will be contacting the winner of my UK giveaway soon so stay tuned and check your emails! x

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OOTD #2

We went shopping in Bury today, we went to topshop, primark, marks and spencers - myself and my sister spent quite a lot in primark...oops. Here is my outfit of the day! Photographs taken by my sister, Aimee (iPhone 5). 

Skinny Jeans: Dorothy Perkins Skinny Petite Jeans 

Top: Black cotton/silk top from Dorothy Perkins 

Jacket: Promod Faux Leather Biker Jacket

Snood: Accessorize Snood (sale)

Sunglasses: Primark

Boots: La Redoute 

I love my biker jacket, especially with skinny jeans, I think it just looks so chic and effortless. I have all browns/blacks/navy on today so the pop of bright coral with the snood makes it looks a bit more spring/summer. My nail polish is also a bright shade, it is 'amaretto crush' from the new MUA polish range - I am definitely getting some more of these polishes! I bought these sunglases today from Primark, they were only £1 and I LOVE them! 

x

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Clothing Calculator #3

Another clothing calculator post, I would have posted this on Mondays usually but yesterday was bank holiday may day Monday - a day off for almost everyone so there was no new stock online. 

1. Matalan Real Leather Studded Cowboy Boots: I love these boots, they look great and as they have holes in they would be great for spring as well as the colder months. I can't buy these as the smallest size is a UK 3 but they look great with this outfit, in my opinion. £38. 

2. River Island Snake Arm Cuff Bracelet, gold: I saw this on Asos and I instantly loved it - it is definitely not something I would usually like but I think with works really well with the outfit. I wouldn't wear it high up on my arm but lower down on my forearm. £10. 

3. Zara Mini Leather Bucket Tote: I love these kinds of bags, they look so chic and simple. The colour goes with the other items in the outfit and I just love it. Although I wish it had a zipper closing at the top instead of a drawstring closing. £59.99.

4. ASOS Smock Dress In Diamond Star Print: LOVE this dress. I think I am going to get it as I think it would look great in spring/summer with bare legs and boots or in the winter with a duffle coat, black tights and black boots. Its is on sale for £18, full price is £36. Asos returns are so easy so I may get it to see how I like it. 

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Week in photographs #19

My week has consisted of: really bad eczema (glam I know), lots and lots of shopping, magazine freebies, sunshine, empty reviews, cake pops and I finally submitted my dissertation. 

Firstly, Uni, I have finished my final assignment/essay for university now! I submitted my dissertation on Wednesday so I don't have any more uni, which instead of making my happy, I am a bit upset by it - I have been in school/academia since I was 4 years old and now I have to be in the 'real world' - I don't like it. Although I am looking at masters degrees - I have found a business psychology masters that I want to do at the university of Westminster which I really really want to do - so maybe this time next year I will be having interviews for a place (very exciting). I do really want to live in London!

Sticking with the positive theme, I have been shopping a lot this week (online shopping). Myself and my sister have been shopping a lot this week (we sold some things at a school fare and we won £80 on a football match on Friday - ROMA!). I have H&M, Monki, Superdrug, Urban Outfitters and Accessorize orders coming next week - watch out for a massive sister haul soon! 

Also a lot of magazines have been bringing out freebies this month, I bought Elle magazine which includes a mini Benefit They're Real Mascara which I am super excited about but I haven't tried it yet. Apparently there is a Chanel mini mascara with Red magazine and some Avon freebies with Marie Claire magazine this month - I can't find them yet but I will get my hands on them!

Some blogging/review related info now, it has been really sunny (up until today) so I have been out in the garden (being scared by bees) taking photographs of lots and lots of empties so expect to see a few empties posts and reviews over the next month. 

Now, the bad part of this week has been my eczema - it has been really really bad! Around my eyes and the tops of my cheeks has been the worst with my skin feeling like it is burning and super flaky and rough (not very nice, I know - anyone who has had eczema on the face will know). And it makes my eyes really sore and very puffy/swollen. My favourite products this week has to be my calamine lotion which really calms my eczema down but it does emphasise dryness and it makes my skin even whiter (you can't go outside with it on) and my Nivea hydro care lip balm during the day is amazing. And at night the Rodial Glam balm has been fantastic for my super dry lips - it is almost like a lip treatment. 

Now, there is the good and the bad (and quite horrible) parts of my week. I hope everyone had a great week - look out for my UK giveaway on the 9th May (for my 1 year blog birthday)! x

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Makeup Collection: Eyeshadow and Face Palettes

Here is the fifth (phew) post about my makeup collection - this post is all about my palettes - some are just eyeshadow palettes but others contain face and lip products too. 

 The first set of palettes includes all of my drugstore/high street palettes: I have eyeshadow palettes from Soap and Glory, Smashbox, Kiko, Avon, MUA, Bobbi Brown, Revlon and Elizabeth Arden. 

My favourite palette in terms of colours have to be the MUA palettes, I have the first undressed palette which I love and it is only about £4, although I bought mine for £3 online. The kiko palettes are great too, Kiko has to be one of my favourite high street/drug store brands! But my favourite cheaper palette has to be my Soap and Glory Lid Stuff Quad in the shade 'whats nude' I have been using it for about 8 months now (or a bit longer) and I use it everyday I wear makeup. There is only one shimmer shade, the other three are matte which I love - I love the shades, the smooth texture and they hardly crease, which is very impressive as 99% of products crease on my eyes. 

The second set of palettes include my expensive palettes from: Dior, Nars, Laura Mercier, Burberry and Lancome. My favourite palettes overall have to be the Dior ones, I have three Dior palettes (two of which I bought at duty free). When ever I go on holiday I always buy something from duty free and it is usually a Dior palette or some kind of makeup set. I also really like the Nars palettes and my Burberry palette. 


What are your favourite palettes?

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