British Beauty Blogger Eye & Blush Palette & Eye Pencil Kit

British Beauty Blogger AKA Jane Cunningham was one of the very first bloggers that I followed and I still read her site today and so I was delighted to find out that she had created a small range of makeup products with high street giant Marks and Spencer. In their own right they have really upped the ante with their beauty department - bringing in quality niche brands and revamping their own ranges.. I guess it was only natural for them to look at what was going to be the next big thing. In my mind it is bloggers collaborating with brands and they couldn't have had a better fit with Jane and her delightful little collection. Featuring eyeshadows, eye liners, nail polish, bronzer and lip products.

The packaging for the limited edition capsule collection features illustrated designs from fashion and beauty illustrator Nuno Da Costa. Clean white packaging with striking black and white drawings that have a flash of colour, this is so Jane and the price point incredibly affordable.

I was sent the eye products to review and I just couldn't wait to have a little play!

Eye & Blush Palette £14

There is a lovely mix of shades in this palette, all you need from neutrals for day and smokey shades for night, the pigment is excellent, the quality brilliant and the shadow has good staying power. The inclusion of the blush is a fab idea as then you can leave out taking a separate blusher if you are away for the weekend/holidays.

Eye Pencil Kit £15

Jane has chosen the pencil shades well, I would wear and use every single one of these colours. There is a brown, grey, black and glittery black (ideal for party season), navy and wonderful pops of colour in the green, turquoise and purple. Whilst I wouldn't wear the lighter colours as I would the darks I would (and already have) used them to line and brighten the eye area. Texture wise they are soft to apply with no drag but hard enough for precision...

With eight pencils in this kit makes it outstanding value.

With this little collection.. the eyes have it!

British Beauty Blogger MakeUp Collection is available from Marks & Spencer now

*PR Samples

Marks & Spencer Toffee Fudge & Belgian Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

I like Hot Cross Buns but I wouldn't say I love them, however when I heard that there was a sweet alternative to the traditional Hot Cross Bun I knew I had to check them out...

Marks and Spencer Toffee Fudge & Belgian Chocolate Hot Cross Buns taste just as delightful as they sound. They contain dark Belgian chocolate chips and toffee and fudge pieces. The dark chocolate is ever so slightly bitter, the toffee and fudge deliciously sweet. I like mine warmed, melted and gooey for a naughty elevenses treat!

Have you tried them yet?

Autograph Ultimate Shine Twist-Up Lip Colour in Strawberry - Red Lipstick

Another crayon style lipstick and this time it is from Marks and Spencer Autograph range - Autograph Ultimate Shine Twist-Up Lip Colour in Strawberry. Coming in smart glossy black and silver packaging it looks expensive but comes in at a very reasonable £9.50.

I wore this glorious red lip colour on Valentine's Day. The ever popular stick formula design made it really easy to apply and create a good shape on my lips negating the need for a separate lip brush. It is a full pigment lipstick that only needs one application for full coverage, with a glossy finish (but not overly so in this Strawberry Shade) and feels soft and light just like a balm. This red shade was uber flattering on my skin tone and I found it easy to wear, without feeling overly made up and out there like some red shades can make me feel. Its lasting power was not that great but I am not overly bothered about that, however as a bonus it did fade evenly.

Swatch of Autograph Ultimate Shine Twist-Up Lip Colour in Strawberry

My Valentine's Day Makeup 

I wore the red lipstick with a neutral blush and a navy Kohl eyeliner which I just applied to my lower eyes. Having never done it like this before I found it to be really effective.

Oh and I should mention that this is the first red that my husband hasn't commented with.. isn't that a bit bright.. but instead said wow, you look nice! Winner

Autograph Ultimate Shine Twist-Up Lip Colour in Strawberry £9.50 from Marks and Spencer

*PR Sample

White Tea & Raspberry Infusion Marks & Spencer - Review

After the popularity of my last tea post I thought I would write about another recent delicious tea discovery.. White Tea & Raspberry Infusion is ideal for drinking any time of day, I use it as an alternative to drinking black tea with milk.

Marks & Spencer say

Marks & Spencer describe this as a fine white tea with a delicious natural raspberry flavour and say that you won't find this particular tea anywhere else as their master blenders have created it just for M&S.

My thoughts 

A fruit tea that actually tastes as good as it smells! White tea is well lauded for its health benefits and I was planning on switching to drinking mostly white or green tea instead of a standard cup of tea so this was a great tasting find. I used to like drinking white tea with pomegranate so was happy to give this a try. White Tea & Raspberry Infusion is delicately flavoured with sweet raspberry. You only need to brew it for a couple of minutes for a decent cup, be careful of leaving the tea bag any longer as the drink then (to me) becomes nasty and bitter. The tea takes on a lovely pink hue but when brewed stronger it resembles a dark blackcurrant squash.

Composition

White Tea 80%
Hibiscus 15%
Raspberry Flavouring 5%

Marks & Spencer White Tea & Raspberry Infusion 20 bags costs 99p 

Lips Of The Day - Marks & Spencer Limited Collection Heart Lipstick in Rose

Today's photo comes courtesy of my sister who is wearing the Valentine's Day lipstick from Marks and Spencer's Limited Collection Heart Lipstick in Rose - So pretty.

She has also reported back that it feels lovely to wear and keeps lips hydrated. A winner.

I Love Makeup - Marks and Spencer Limited Collection

Break out the hearts this Valentine's Day with this cute makeup collection from Marks and Spencer's Limited Collection. I was sent a few items from the range and as I am an old romantic at heart, was instantly smitten at the heart design packaging and most impressed with the heart shaped lipstick!

Limited Collection Heart Shadow Palette £8.50 

6 shadows, a double sided applicator and a mirror encased in a hearts printed box. I must admit to taking a look at this and dismissing it as not colours I would really wear..until I swatched it. The shadow palette has some really nice pastel shades and with the addition of the gorgeous shimmer and blending quality is really rather pretty.

The mint, silver, pale pink and the deeper purple are stand out shades.

Swatches 

Limited Collection Heart Blusher £6

Now this blusher is my favourite product. It is quite subtle but can be layered for stronger, buildable colour and contains fine shimmer that provides a really healthy glow to cheeks. Love it, but then I am quite a magpie when it comes to blushers and with each mosaic imprinted with a tiny heart, what more could you want.

Limited Collection Heart Lipstick in Rose £5

A lipstick bullet shaped as a heart, too pretty and wonderful to whip out on date night :-) I was a little concerned as to how this would apply but as it happens I needn't have worried. It creates the perfect line (as you can see from the swatch) On the lips it applies evenly, with a creamy texture the finish is slightly glossy, as it is highly pigmented one application is all you need. The perfect hot pink shade to make a real impact with the one you love on Valentine's evening.

Swatches of the Blusher and Lipstick with flash and without

The Marks and Spencer I Love Makeup Limited Collection is in stores now.

Christmas Gift Ideas From Marks and Spencer Your Beauty

This year Marks and Spencer dusted off the cobwebs and introduced a revamped beauty department in many of their stores. Called 'Your Beauty' the new beauty department repackaged their own brand beauty products and for the first time introduced new and exciting skincare brands from around the world. The result is a brighter area full of tempting products that frankly offers a far more enjoyable beauty shopping experience. The beauty offerings are available to purchase online for those whose beauty departments have yet to be updated.

I recently attended an event to showcase the Christmas gift selection and during the evening we were invited to decorate a gingerbread man. Here is my finished effort, I was rather pleased with it as was my 4yr old son who finished it in one sitting!

Here are my pick of the gifts

Autograph Cracker Gift Set £9.50

A trio of Sorbet nail polish, nude gloss and an eye shadow duo.

Autograph Moisture Colour Lipstick made with SWAROVSKI® ELEMENTS in Raspberry £11.00

Autograph Pure Colour Baked Quad Eyeshadow Made with SWAROVSKI® ELEMENTS in Smoke £15.00

Pampering Gifts

Cowley Manor Nurture Body Butter £12 

Body butter with a fragrance of rose and geranium, blended with fragrant honeysuckle, British hops and milk thistle.

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse® Or Dry Oil Golden Shimmer 50ml £25

With its unique concentration of 6 Precious Oils (Borage, St. John's Wort, Sweet Almond, Camellia, Hazelnut and Macadamia) and Vitamin E, this is a wonderfully scented, easily-absorbed, multi-usage shimmering dry oil. Suitable for face,body and hair.

The new perfume section is outstanding with a wide selection of brands, pretty bottles and scents to suit every taste. Spoil someone this Christmas with a gift from the woman behind legendary perfume brand Miller and Harris - Lyn Harris exclusive for Marks and Spencer.

Lyn Harris La Poudrée Coffret Gift Set £25

La Poudrée eau de perfume 50ml
La Poudrée body lotion 100ml

The scent - An oriental classic; raspberry and peach nectar with soft rose and orange flower on a base of Florentine iris, vanilla and musk.

Your Beauty At Marks And Spencer

I have always been disappointed with Marks and Spencer's beauty offerings. Not that there is anything wrong with the products, but as a company they have always struck me as not really taking it that seriously. The area size has always been small and the layout for beauty has always been hidden away, messy and confusing. My interest though has been seriously piqued by the latest beauty news that they have reviewed their entire beauty offerings, repackaging and improving all of their existing own brand ranges. Even more exciting, just as they now sell non M&S food brands, they will also be selling other niche beauty brands!

New launches exclusively for M&S include fragrance ranges for men and women from renowned perfumer Lyn Harris and a spa range from Cowley Manor.

For the first time you will be able to purchase the following brands and more - Apivita, Dr Murad, Roger and Gallet, Philip Kingsley and Leighton Denny. 

The first of the new beauty department's opened this week at the Kensington High St branch but keep your eyes peeled as the concept will be rolled out across other stores over the next 12  months. Products are also available to purchase online.