October favourites

This month has been a month of trying new products and I've found some real gems in the mix. 

I'm gutted I only picked up on of the P2 Eyeshadow creams, I have the shade 050 which is a really pretty mix of pink and silver. I wasn't sure about the formula when I first tried it as it is very wet, but once i'd put it on my eyes I knew it was meant to be. When I popped it on it set down to an almost powder like formula and once it's on it's not going anywhere. I've worn this all day and I've not had any creasing. If you can get these in your country I highly recommend them. An old favourite making a reappearance is the Revlon nail lacquer in Vixen a mixture of brown and red. It's the most beautiful autumn shade and I've been wearing it a lot recently. I love the formula of revlon polishes, they go on so smoothly, dry quickly and the brushes are nice and slim. 

The Maxfactor Facefinity primer is something that I've seen lots of very good reviews for. It's really lightweight but at the same time feels very hydrating on the skin. I've found that it makes my foundation go on much smoother and makes it lasts a little longer. Benefit have answered all my brow related problems with the Instant brow pencil in deep it's the perfect shade for me as it's nice and dark but not to red toned which I find all dark brown eyebrow pencils tend to be. The formula is very soft and it glides onto the brows and lasts all day. 

I tend to fall in and out of love with blush but at the moment I love it, I've been wearing Mac Fleur power at least four times a week since I bought it and I absolutely adore it. The pigmentation is amazing and the satin finish on the cheeks is stunning, it leaves the face with a beautiful glow without to much sparkle. My final favourite this month is the Clarins Instant light natural lip perfector.  I can't believe it took me so long to jump on the bandwagon with these. I'm one of those people who can't stand lipgloss but this product is just a completely different ball game. Non sticky and lightweight feeling on the lips, what more would you want in a gloss! 

October empties.

I don't seem to have finished much this month, with going to germany I had to take products that would last the whole 10 days so I had to leave some almost empties behind. I did manage to finish up a few bits so lets get on with the post! 

L'oreal lumi magique brightening pen 

Repurchase - Most likely 

I really like this it has just enough coverage to conceal darkness under the eyes whilst brightening. The formula of this is really lovely and I found it didn't crease even after a really long day. I adore the rose gold packaging and I think it looks really pretty in my makeup collection. 

Quick fix facials Anti blemish mud mask

Repurchase - No 

I was quite disappointed with this, I didn't find it to do anything to my skin and I found I still got the same amount of blemishes and they were the same size whether I used it or not. At under £5 I didn't expect miracles but for it to do absolutely nothing was very disappointing. 

Essence Like the party of my life

Repurchase - If I can get it

I did really enjoy this scent, I'm not even going to bother trying to describe it but if you have access to these I highly suggest you give them a smell as they are really lovely for the price. I'm not sure if we can get them in the UK but if anyone knows I'd love for you to let me know!  

Garnier Ultimate blends The sleek nourisher shampoo 

Repurchase - I already have another bottle

This range seems to be a regular in my empties posts, I'm not one for crazy expensive shampoo's as apart from being a little frizzy and dry my hair isn't to bad. This one seems to always be on offer which is why I'm on my third bottle. It cleans my hair and it smells good and for me that's enough! 

Soap and Glory Scrub of your life (Mini)

Repurchase - Yes, but in the full size

I really enjoyed this scrub and I love the fact it's in a tube. I find a lot of scrubs in tubes to not be scrubby (I have no idea what word to use so I'm going with scrubby) enough so I tend to gravitate towards pots. This being said this one is very good and leaves my skin feeling nice and smooth. It doesn't smell quite as good as my favourite Sugar crush scrub but it's nice enough. 

This week... #9 Happy birthday Coleoftheball!

Nothing exciting has happened this week at all. Due to it being the last week of school before october half term all I seem to have done is test! This being said I still wanted to write this post as I wanted to thank you all. 

Image credit : Weheartit 

Yesterday Coleoftheball turned 2 which is just so crazy. In two years I've gained over 1000 Followers and have written 400 posts. When I sat down at my laptop two years ago I never expected to be where I am today. Unfortunately I still don't have the funds to do a giveaway but I'm going to start collecting bits and pieces and hopefully get one up for my 16th birthday which is at the beginning of march.  I'd just like to say a massive thankyou to all of you lovely people who are sat here reading this now! I can't even begin to explain how much it means to me! 

The sunday pamper.

I love a good sunday pamper, who doesn't so today I thought I would show you the products I used last week to have a little pamper sesh. 

Lush The Comforter bubble bar is one of my favourite bath time treats and this adorable mini version came in a gift set I won in a giveaway. I'm not great at describing scents but I'd say that this one smells like ribena with a hint of warm vanilla. It turns the bath the most brilliant colour and produces mountains of bubbles. The Salthouse luxus apricot peeling face mask was something in my little parcel from Theresa when I went to germany. It smells super good and left my skin feeling nice and soft. 

For my body I finished off the mini Soap and glory Scrub of your life which I took to germany with me, I love the fact that this is in a tube as it makes life so much easier than scooping the scrub out if a pot. It does a good job and leaves my skin feeling lovely and soft. Whilst I was in the bath I had my current favourite seasonal candle burning. Yankee Autumn leaves is a sweet fragrance with a hint of smokiness, which just leaves me feeling very chilled. 

To finish of my little pamper evening I painted my nails with Essie Aruba blue which is the most gorgeous deep blue shot with silver leaving it with a metallic finish. 

 Let me know your sunday pamper essentials? 

When the hype dies down #1

Blogger hype is fast becoming one of the most important things for companies, but what happens when the hype is gone. Today I thought I'd show you some of the products that I bought because of the hype and how I feel about them now the hype is gone. 

The Avon Supershock gel eyeliner was all the rage for a couple of months, everyone was talking about it. I was never really a fan I find it smudges everywhere, that being said the pigment is amazing and it is very creamy. Rimmel apocalips were everywhere, everyone loved them but as the hype died down more and more people revealed that they weren't fans. I never did like them I found them to bleed really awfully and settles on the lips in a very strange way. 

Zoella mentioned the Bourjois Colourboost lip crayons and all of a sudden everyone had them and everyone loved them. I still really like these and still reach for them every now and then. The pigment is really strong and they feel moisturizing  on the lips. The Revlon Moisture stains are the most recent release in this little collection of products. I'm not a fan of these I find them to seperate really strangely on the lips  and they smell and taste really awful. 

One of my favourite drugstore concealers is the Seventeen Stay time concealer this had it's five minutes of fame a couple of months ago. It really is a lovely concealer but the hype seemed to disappear very quickly. It's a lovely creamy concealer which has very high coverage and great lasting power. Finally for today I have the Maybelline Lasting drama gel liner this had a very long reign at the top of the hyped product list. It is a really nice product, I find it to last really well even on my oily eyelids and it packs a punch pigmentation wise.   

Loungewear with Your dreamcatcher

Your Dreamcatcher ladies joggers £27.99* //Here//

 I am a little bit in love with Joggers there is just nothing better than coming home and putting a pair on! These are so comfy and really well made. They've been washed about 10 times and they still look brand new. The little logo is so cute and they came beautifully packaged with a little bag of scented balls and a cute little card with a Nelson mandela quote on it. The only thing I would say is that the sizes run quite big I got my normal size which is a 12 and they are very big and I probably could get away with a size 10. If you're looking for some really well made and really comfy joggers I highly recommend Your dreamcatcher. 

This week... #8 Germany edition

So I'm back from germany and I had the most amazing time! All of these photos were actually taken on my phone so I apologize if they aren't the best quality. Enjoy this post! 

We went to Merkers salt mine which was amazing we zoomed around in little trucks wearing hard hats and it was just amazing fun! 

In Frankfurt there were lots of love locks on the bridge and I just had to take a picture I just think they're adorable. 

           

We went to the cutest little cafe in Frankfurt called Suzie's and it was so cute. Everything was pastel blue and cream and everything was served in cute glasses and cups. 

                 

We also went to this really pretty castle which I took some really pretty photo's.

         

I had some Spaghetti eis which is absolutely delicious and it looks so cool! 

So that's it I hope you enjoyed this! 

A massive beauty haul

I'm not even going to attempt to justify the amount of money I spent while I was away. It is ridiculous, I thought you lovely lot might want to see a haul post. Just a little warning if you're not into long and very picture heavy post then this one probably isn't for you! If you want me to review anything in the post let me know! Some of the things in this post were bought for me by my lovely exchange partner (Hi! if you're reading T) 

I've been running really low on primers recently so I decided to get some more. The Maxfactor Facefinity primer was on offer so I decided to give it a try. I've heard a lot of good things about it and so far I'm really enjoying it. The other primer I bought is the P2 Perfect face anti red base as my skin has been so uneven and red recently so I thought it was worth a try. 

Left - Maxfactor Right - P2

Also for my face I have the Essence All about matt! Translucent powder I really like this it sets makeup nicely whilst not making the skin flat or leaving a white cast. 

 Some may say I didn't need to buy this many concealers and they would be right but I love a good bit of concealer. First off I bought the Catrice camouflage cream in 010 and 030 as it is one of my favourite concealers. I decided to pick up these colours so I can mix them when I need a darker colour. The Maybelline Fit me concealer - 10 is probably my  favourite under eye concealer but this colour seems a little off. I've seen quite a few people talk about the All around Concealer palette the concealers are super creamy and blend into the skin really nicely. The Catrice Re-touch light reflecting concealer is really lovely for a little bit highlighting. The final concealer I picked up was the Essence Match 2 cover concealer. I haven't tried this yet but I'm looking forward to trying it.

From left to right - Catrice camo 030 - Catrice camo 010 - Maybelline fit me 10 - Catrice all round palette - Catrice re touch pen 005  - Essence duo 10

A girl can never have too many blushes! Right? First up we have the Essence Hello autumn colour adapting blush in Beauti-fall red. This one was a purchase fueled by pure curiosity. It's a little over shimmery but I really like the baby pink shade on my skin. The Maxfactor cream blush in Soft pink is something I've heard so many positive things about and so far I'm really enjoying it. Next up I picked up the P2 Blush stick in Macaroon which  is a really lovely creamy blush.

Mac Fleur power is a gorgeous mix of pink and peach with a little bit of shimmer in it. I finally jumped on the bandwagon and picked up the Clinique Cheek pop in Berry pop which is possibly the most beautiful blush in the world. The Maybelline Dream bouncy blush in Pink frosting was something Theresa gave me and it is the weirdest product I have ever used. The final blush I have is the Essence Blush up powder blush in Pinky flow which is very similar to the shade to the other Essence blush I picked up but a lot less shimmery.

Left to Right - Essence Beauti-fall red - Maxfactor Soft pink - P2 Macaroon - Mac Fleur power - Clinique Berry pop - Maybelline Pink frosting - Essence Pinky flow 

In duty free I picked up the Benefit Instant brow pencil in deep which I am completely in love with it is perfect for my hair colour and lasts all day. I also picked up the Essence Lash and brow gel as I tried it the last time I went to Germany and really liked it.

Benefit Deep 

I think I was pretty restrained in terms of eye products, I really wished I had picked up more of the P2 Forever intense eye shadow creams I picked up the shade Just can't wait which is such a pretty silvery pink shade. Another product I bought from P2 was the Perfect look kajal in Taupe which is probably the only product I'm not that big a fan of. Next up is possibly the most perfect everyday eye shadow, the Catrice Ooops... Nude did it again! is just a beautiful shimmery champagne shade. I then picked up two brown shades the Essence eyeshadow in metropolitan is a very simple chocolate brown shade with a little bit of shimmer and the RDL young Baked eyeshadow in cream cake is a beautiful metallic coppery brown which looks gorgeous under the eyes.

From left to right -- P2 Just can't wait - P2 Taupe - Catrice Ooops...Nude did it again - Essence Metropolitan - RDL young Cream cake 

First off for lip products I have two of the Essence xxxl longlasting lipglosses in the shades Silky red and Velvet rose, which are really lovely matte lip colours which wear really well and don't dry out the lips. I then bought two very similar products, I've wanted a Clarins Instant light natural lip perfector since I started blogging and I'm so glad I picked one up it's beautiful. So when I saw the Catrice Beautifying lip smoother I had to give it a go as it looks like an amazing dupe. I'm going to give them both a proper trial run and then do a post!

From left to right - Essence Silky red - Essence Velvet rose - Catrice Cake pop 030 - Clarins Rose shimmer 01 

The Essence Longlasting lipsticks are really brilliant so I decided to pick up two more colours, in the shop Oh so matt! looked a lot more pink but I actually really like the shade as it isn't too concealer-y I also got All you need is red which is a really lovely pinky red. I fell in love with the Catrice Made to stay lip polishes the minute I put them on my lips, they sit beautifully on the lips and look glossy without being sticky. The colours are so much more opaque than in the swatches below and they seem to work much better after being warmed up a little. These are definitely what I expected the Revlon moisture stains to be! I finally bought a Clinique chubby stick Intense #hallebloodylouyah. I can't believe it has taken me so long to try one, I am completely in love with it the formula is amazing and the colour I picked is really beautiful.

Essence Oh so matt! - Essence All you need is red - Catrice Strawberry's secret - Catrice Jen and Berry's - Clinique Plushest punch

I also bought rather a lot of lip liners which I won't go through as they really are nothing overly exciting! 

Guest post - Autumn makeup look.

Hello there lovely people, today I have a guest post from the lovely Natalie. Today she's going to be showing you and autumnal inspired makeup look I hope you enjoy. 

Today I was inspired by a couple of autumnal elements—leaves and boots. Here in New England the leaves have finally started changing color, and they are simply beautiful! The shape of a leaf inspired the outer, hard black corner of the eye. The center is a blended brown with chrome undertones. 

The boot bit is sort of weird. I got new boots at Clarks, and I loved the black-brown blending in the boot itself. So, rather than go for a golden or reddish-based leaf, I thought a brown-black leaf would look more modern.  

I used the Naked 2 Palette to create this look, but something very similar could be created from almost any brown-black palette. The important part is to not blend the dark brown up to the crease. Rather, leave it a quite hard line to make your eyes look leafier. Don’t forget to put eye shadow primer on—even though it’s not longer hot, random fog and misting can ruin your makeup.

I skipped blush for this look and opted for some light contouring with a powder two shades darker than my skin tone. This look is definitely better for the evening—it’s a bit much for the daytime unless it’s dark and dreary out. Blush would have added unnecessary color to my face and drawn attention away from my eyes.

Leave your lips natural for this look, but don't go nude. I’m wearing a gloss that’s essentially the same color as my natural lips. Going too red would make the whole look very painted-on looking, which isn’t ideal. A bright pink or purple would also be too overpowering. Pick a feature and stick to it!

 

Natalie is a beauty and lifestyle blogger. Her blog is www.natillie.com and you can follow her on Twitter at @NatalesM

The current base routine.

I've been really loving a dewy base at the moment, my skin has been really temperamental at the moment so it's been really hard to find a foundation that works for my skin all the time.

So as my base I start of with Benefit Porefessional, focussing it on my T-zone. I find this helps so much to fill in my extremely enlarged pores and just smooth my skin in general. I then mix my Bourjois Healthy mix serum which is most definitely my favourite drugstore foundation ever with Benefit Sun beam to add a little bit more radiance. To conceal I've been using the L'oreal Lumi magique pen under my eyes and the Seventeen Stay time concealer on any blemishes or redness. I adore both these products although I wouldn't recommend the Lumi magique if you have dark under eye circles as it offers a very limited coverage. To finish of my base I do a little bit of contouring and highlighting, for my contour I've been using the L'oreal Glam bronze bronzer as it's super subtle and isn't orange on my casper the ghost skin. Then for my highlight I sweep the Beauty Uk Baked blush in halo on the tops of my cheekbones, down my nose and on my cupids bow. 

Germany 2014 - Coach trip essentials.

Oh look another germany post! Today I thought I'd talk to you about some of the things I'm going to be taking with me in my bag for the journey as it's a pretty long one. As we are going on the overnight ferry I will be taking things like Pj's and a toothbrush but I didn't think you really needed to see any of that! 

Snacks - 

The most essential of all essentials, there is nothing worse than being hangry. Especially when you're sat on a coach full of people. Now due to it being a really long trip over two days I've got bits that will be ok sat in my bag like cereal bars and crisps. 

A hairbrush, bobbles and a clip - 

I tend to get a little irritated with my hair so I like to have something to put it up with. 

Drinks - 

The only thing worse than being hangry is having a dehydrated headache. So I've got plenty of bottles of water. 

Reading materials and my Ipad - 

I've got a couple of magazines, a book and I'm going to pop some films on my Ipad which should keep me amused for a couple of hours. 

A hand cream, a lip balm and a facial spritz - 

I hate how hot and sweaty coaches get so I've got the Botanics rosewater toning spritz. I've also got the Body shop hemp hand cream and a Carmex lip balm. 

A Notebook and my art sketchbook - 

I always think of good ideas when I don't have a notebook so I've put one in my bag just in case. My art teacher also gave me a couple of tasks so I've put my sketchbook in my bag just in case the mood strikes. 

So that's what I'm taking in my bag, I hope you found this post useful. 

Germany 2014 - The main makeup bag!

So on friday I showed you what I'm going to be taking in my little makeup bag for the overnight ferry. Today I thought I would show you what I'm going to be taking in my main beauty bag. Things like concealer and mascara are missing from this bag as they are in my travel bag and I don't need extra choices. 

First up I have some miscellaneous bits and bobs. I have my Bella and bear eyelash curlers, Blistex intensive moisturizer lip balm and some Zinc oxide medical tape from Superdrug for sharper eyeshadow lines.  

For my base I have the Gosh CC cream and the L'oreal true match which mix together beautifully. For cheeks I have a pink option which is the Accessorize baked blush in Sensation and a peachy option which is the Catrice defining blush in Apropos apricot. For my bronzer and highlight I have thrown in my Sleek contour kit in Light. 

Eye wise I chose out lots of autumnal tones. I had to take the Sleek Vintage romance palette as it is full of the most beautiful autumn shades. I also have a couple of cream products, the Maybelline Colour tattoo in Metallic pomegranate  and the Topshop eye crayon in mystical. I also have a couple of Makeup revolution eyeshadows to make up a perfect set of eyeshadows. 

I can't quite believe I managed to choose only four lip products, I tried to choose on from each category of shade. For my bright lip option I have the Revlon matte balm in Showy and for my more neutral shade I have Revlon matte balm in Elusive. For my vampy autumnal shade I have Mac satin lipstick in Rebel and for my red (which is actually more burnt orange) I have Mac amplified lipstick in Brick O la

Finally in the bag I have a couple of nail polishes, Essie Aruba blue is one I've been reaching for a lot recently. Barry M Plum and Maybelline Burgundy kiss are both newer purchases which I am a little bit in love with, and finally I have Revlon Vixen which is probably my favourite autumn nail shade.  

If you'd like to see what skincare/haircare/body care I'm taking let me know in the comments! 

Germany 2014 - The ferry makeup bag!

I can't quite believe how restrained I've been with this. I am actually quite proud of myself. We are going on an overnight ferry so this is the little bag I will be throwing in my traveling bag. 

Skincare wise I've popped some products into little pots so it's easier to carry about, I have some of my DSM olive oil cream for my moisturizer, a little bit of the No7 hot cloth cleanser for make up removal, some Ishga marine toner and a sample of the Green people fruit scrub. Other bits and bobs I have are a pair of tweezers from Bella and bear, a Body shop lip balm from christmas and my Lush lip scrub. 

For my base I have things that I don't need to use a brush with to make my life easier. For primer I have the Along came betty illuminating primer as I don't tend to get much sleep on the ferry and this adds a little bit of awakey glow (Nice phrase I'm sure that one will catch on :/) For foundation I have Bourjois healthy mix as it goes on beautifully with fingers and for concealer I have the Seventeen stay time concealer which is very high coverage for my inevitably tired under eyes. For my cheeks I have Topshop flush for a little pop of colour and Benefit high beam to amp up the glow even more! 

In the above picture is everything else (I am really proud of myself for this one!) For my brows I have my old trusty, the Urban decay naked basics palette and my Front cover mini blender brush. For eyeshadow I have my MAC bare study paint pot just to even out my lids and add a little sparkle. I then have the Gosh velvet touch eyeliner for in my water line and along my upper lash line for some definition. For mascara I have Miss sporty Fabulous lash and Rimmel lycra flex neither of which are amazing but I want to finish them before I open any new ones. The final product adds a little umph to the look and it's the Rimmel moisture shine lipstick in Glam plum fulham which is one of my all time favourite autumn/winter lip colours!

That's everything in my travel bag! I hope you enjoyed this post.

The 3 in 1 - Seventeen Skin wow highlighter

Seventeen are up there with some of my favourite drugstore brands, they seem to always get it right. Today I'm going to be talking to you about this 3 way highlighter. 

So this can be used to prime, mix in with foundation and highlight. I'm personally not a big fan of it as a primer as for me it tends to illuminate all my blemishes and isn't really smoothing enough for my huge pores but I imagine if you have naturally good skin it would make a fairly decent primer. I sometimes mix it into my foundation and I find this makes my foundation look so glowy whilst not illuminating my blemishes. Personally my favourite way to use this is as a highlight, it reminds me a lot of Benefit high beam. It blends into the skin beautifully leaving a subtle glow. I also find this can be built up to be more of a dramatic highlight. It also makes a nice subtle inner corner of the eye highlight. 

Packaging wise I like the bottle but I find the pump tends to distribute a little to much product so I tend to just take the pump off and use it that way. 

Overall I'm super impressed with this little product and I highly recommend it to everyone who loves a bit of highlight!  

You can buy Seventeen skin wow highlighter //Here// for £5.99