REAL TECHNIQUES BOLD METALS

As an avid collector of real techniques brushes (I have 19 of them) I was super excited when I read about the Bold Metals collection and instantly knew that a few of them would need to be mine!

After reading about each brush I decided on the following 3 to get me started: 

101 TRIANGLE FOUNDATION

This innovative brush has a flat side which applies foundation quickly over a large surface area and then it becomes angled on the other side. This angled edge allows you to get into all the smaller contours of the face like around the nose and under the eyes.

200 OVAL SHADOW

This is a large eyeshadow brush which can easily apply base colour over the lid in one motion. It's super soft, dense and picks up product really well. The tapered edges allows the brush to gently blend the eyeshadow for a seamless look.

201 POINTED CREASE 

This was the one that I was excited about as I love a good crease brush! This one is like no other that I own as it is large and densely packed. It easily picks up shadow and blends it into the crease beautifully. Paired with the 200 oval shadow brush this will create a beautiful smokey eye with minimal effort.

In total there are 7 brushes in the collection:

100 Arched Powder £25.00

101 Triangle Foundation £22.00

200 Oval Shadow £15.00

201 Pointed Crease £12.00

202 Angled Liner £10.00

300 Tapered Blush £24.00

301 Flat Contour £22.00

These brushes are currently exclusive to Boots stores in the UK and they will be released to all other retailers later this week. The bold metals collection is a bit pricier than the Real Techniques core brushes and I can see why. They feel more luxurious with the tapered metal handles and they look stunning on the dressing table!
No doubt there will be more brushes added to this collection as they have been really popular and keep selling out although I have found that Boots online have been quite good at re-stocking. 
 
Have you tried any of these brushes?
What type of brush would you like to see from Real Techniques in the future?

MANI MONDAY- ALEXA CASHMERE PINK

My nails had a little break over the past week after having them in glitter all through December and well into the new year so all I had on was a base coat.

This is a more muted nail look with no jazzyness created by the Alexa Cashmere Pink which I got in a set at Christmas. I like this colour more than I expected and it went on really smoothly- this my first experience of the new bottle and brush design and so far all I love it (apart from the elevated price)!
The polish dried with a slight texture which I suppose is meant to resemble a cashmere jumper.

Products used:

Orly Color Care Argan Cuticle Oil £10.00

 Nourishes and hydrates the nails and cuticles.

Nails Inc Hyde Park Base Coat £12.00

This base is for weak, peeling and bendy nails.

Nails Inc Alexa Cashmere Pink £15.00

A soft pearly pink polish.

I must say that I am super impressed with my nail painting this time and I have nearly mastered applying polish without getting it all over my cuticles! Hurray for Youtube tutorials!

 Thanks for reading my #manimonday!

NEW SKINCARE ROUTINE

Hello and firstly let me apologise for the lack of posting over the past month...I've been feeling a little lazy and needed a complete break from everything as December was a hard month in my day job! I'm hoping that I will be a little bit better from now on so lets gets started with a new skincare routine! :)

It's the time of the year when I feel that skincare takes a little bit more priority as the cold weather seems to do strange things to my skin! My last skincare post was in August where I went through all the goodies that I was using at the time. You can find a link to this here!

Recently my skin has been going through some up and downs. I have annoying combination/ oily skin which tends to be super shiny and dry all at the same time! During the winter months my skin feels particularly sensitive to the elements so I decided to try out some new cleaners and moisturisers. After doing some research I decided to give Liz Earle products a go and I wanted to share my thoughts on it all.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

The first step in the Liz Earle cleansing routine is to use their "Hot Cloth Cleanser". This is a cream formula which is plant based and contains eucalyptus and cocoa butter.
I massage this all over my face after I have removed my make up, although they claim that this can remove every scrap of make up too. Personally I prefer to remove it beforehand and then apply the product. Step 2 is to take the muslin cloth that comes with the cleanser and wet it using hot water, then ring it out. You then "polish" off the cream using the damp warm cloth which gently exfoliates the skin and removes the cream before splashing the face with some cold water.
In the beginning I thought I wasn't going to like this two step malarkey as it takes a bit longer but now I quit enjoy the cloth part and it only adds about a minute extra to my routine. 

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

The next step is to apply the "Instant Boost Skin Tonic". This is a beautifully smelling alcohol-free toner containing aloe vera, cucumber and vitamin E. I love it as it doesn't irritate my skin at all and leaves it super soft and not tight like other toners that I have used in the past.
I apply a small amount onto a cotton wool ball and sweep it over my face before moisturising.

Liz Earle Skin Repair Light Moisturiser Combination/ Oily

The last step is to moisturise using the "Skin Repair Light Moisturiser". This contains a blend of naturally active ingredients like avocado oil and natural vitamin E to protect skin against dryness. Personally I only use this moisturiser in the evening as I found it a bit too heavy for the daytime and I feel that it doesn't do enough to tackle the oiliness in my t-zone. In the evening I don't mind it as it leaves my skin feeling really comfortable and moisturised.

La Roche- Posay Effaclar Mat 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat has become my morning moisturiser as it hydrates and then mattifies the skin providing a good base to pop make-up on top of.
This French brand makes products for sensitive skin so my face doesn't feel too irritated after I apply it and what I like about it is that it feels nice and light on the skin.
I am still looking out for the prefect moisturiser for my combination skin and I will probably try out a few more during the coming months.

Bobbi Brown Eye Cream

I feel in love with this hydrating eye cream after getting a small sample in a Bobbi Brown online order. It feels really luxurious and does what it claims! It definitely hydrates and I use this in the evening before bed and in the morning. It makes concealer go on like a dream and as an ageing human I hope that it will help keep the under eye bags under control. This product is super expensive and I was lucky enough be have been given a Westfield gift card for my birthday which I used to purchase this. Although pricey a little does go a long way so I think that it will last for months.

I got the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser and Skin Boots Tonic in a gift set pack as well as a smaller 50ml Hot Cloth Cleanser for travel purposes.
These products are available in larger boots stores and good department stores like John Lewis.

Have you tried any of these products out?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for reading!

FIFI'S CHRISTMAS WISH LIST

The season of gorgeous limited edition beauty goodies is here and I wanted to share my top picks...well it's more of a beauty wish list and some of these are already purchased and wrapped up with the usual:

Most of these are high end products and that's simply because they're the type of brands that bring out these beautiful limited edition sets and it's always nice to receive high end products.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot £29.50

 This has got to be one of the best gift sets that Benefit has ever made! Firstly this is amazing value for money as each powder bought separately is £23.50 and this palette has nearly full sized blushers. It includes the shades dandelion, bellabama, sugarbomb, coraliasta and rockateur along with hoola bronzer and watt's up highlighter.
This is one that I have already bought at the Boots points event and I can't wait to use it for travel as I already own all of these individualy. Anyone who loves make-up will be delighted with this product! 

Benefit Sweet Tintations £19.50

Sweet tintations is another lovely gift set which includes a full sized benebalm and lollibalm which if bought separately are £14.50 each so again this is good value for money. These are super moisturising tinted lip balms in gorgeous packaging! It also comes with deluxe samples of benetint and lollitint which are stains that can be used on both lips and cheeks.

Charlotte Tilbury Mini Lipstick Charms £29

Charlotte Tilbury has an array of gift sets available but this one caught my eye for a few reasons...firstly I love anything "mini" and all the colours seem really wearable. These are lipsticks from Charlotte's KISSING lipstick collection and includes the colours Penelope Pink, Bitch Perfect and So Marilyn.
With beautiful rose gold casing these feel super luxurious and are perfect for your handbag. It's also a nice way to try out the lipsticks if you haven't done so before.

Clinique Whole Lotta Chubby Set £20

For those who aren't fans of full on lipsticks this Clinique Chubby Stick set is perfect. You get 4 tinted balms which provide a sheer wash of colour and are super moisturising. The colours in this set are Woppin' Watermelon, Plushest Punch, Pudgy Peony and Grandest Grape and they come in a little make-up bag. A great way to try out different shades before committing to a full size chubby stick!

MAC Keepsakes Studio Brush Kit £42

Every year MAC deliveries some amazing limited edition gifts and this year is no exception! These beauties are the perfect travel sized brushes. In this kit you get a 129SE Powder Blush Brush, 190SE Foundation Brush, 224SE Tapered Blending Brush, 213SE Fluff Brush and 209SE Eye Liner Brush in a lovely white make-up bag. Now the make-up bag itself probably isn't in the most practical colour but the brushes are divine! They are now sold out on the MAC website but try the MAC counter as some may still be available.

Nails Inc The Alexa Editions Collection £45

For those obsessed with all things nails this is the perfect gift! A beautifully packaged set of 7 nail polishes which include a range of different finishes. The set contains:

Alexa Stars – luxe gold stars top coat

Alexa Hearts – bright red and pink hearts top coat

Alexa Cashmere – soft pink Cashmere effect polish

Alexa Edit Night Sky - Alexa’s favourite deep dark navy polish 

Alexa Winter Lilac - Alexa’s favourite lilac polish 

Alexa Holographic - a shimmering top coat to transform your favourite polishes

Alexa Snowflake – Snowflake is a sparkling top coat full of rose gold coloured snowflakes

This is a great set and I hope Santa decides to surprise me with this! 

Nars Virtual Domination Palette £45

Blusher obsessed? This is your new must-have! This face palette from NARS contains 4 gorgeous blushers in the shades Miss Liberty, Sex Fantasy, Deep Throat & Final Cut along with the ever popular Laguna bronzer. This set is great value as you nearly get a full sized Laguna and again this is perfect for travelling. Want want want!

Mavala Nail Polish Bauble £5

If you are looking for a cute little stocking filler then this nail polish bauble from Mavala will do the job. It's super affordable at £5 and it can also double up as a Christmas decoration. This glittery shade is also perfect to add some sparkle to your Christmas mani!

I hope you have enjoyed my beauty picks...there are so many good sets out this year! Hope Santa brings you all you wanted! x

CHRISTMAS JUMPERS!

My favourite time of the year is nearly upon us! Woohoo!

To get myself even more excited I have been looking at Christmas jumpers and I have bought two already...Think that this will probably be it as I still have some from last year. 

They're both from Topshop who has come up with some jumpers that aren't too in-your-face (or at least that's what I think!).

TOPSHOP SEASONS GREETINGS SWEATER £40

The first one is a super cute light grey sweat top with the slogan "seasons greetings" on the front. It has cute sequin stars and red fold over cuffs at the end of the sleeves. It's a baggy fit which is super comfy to wear!

TOPSHOP SEQUIN CHRISTMAS TREE SWEATER £46

The second is a charcoal grey super soft jumper with sequin applique Christmas trees on the body and arms. This beauty has 6% wool making it really cosy and warm despite the material being quite thin.

I can't wait to wear these out and about along with the rest of my Christmas themed clothes! Yes I have socks and lounge wear bottoms too! 

Here are some other festive jumpers that I'm resisting the urge to buy:

 

L-R
Grey Christmas Pudding Jumper by Dorothy Perkins £26
Mint Green Fairisle Penguin Print Jumper by New Look £22.99
 Stone Santa Paws Christmas Jumper £14.99

L-R
Teal Christmas Tree Jumper by Monsoon £59
Medon Polar Bear Fairisle Jumper by Ted Baker £99
Grey London Scene Christmas Jumper by Monsoon £59

If you're after some more inspiration Cosmopolitan Magazine has a good article to get you in the festive jumper mood which can be found here!

I would love to see your Christmas jumpers!
#fromfifiwithlove and share your pics on Twitter & Instagram! 

FIFI BAKES: WHITE CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY CAKE

During this grim rainy Sunday in London I decided to get my bake-on and make this lovely White Chocolate and Raspberry cake filled with white chocolate ganache.  I used one of John Whaite's recipes who for those of you not in the know won the Great British Bake-Off back in 2012.

You can find the full recipe here but below I have done a little story board of how I made this cake.

Ingredients

L-R: Butter, White Chocolate, Eggs

L-R: Caster Sugar, Self-Raising Flour, Raspberries

For the filling you will need more white chocolate and some double cream!  

Method

 Line your baking tins, pre-heat your oven and melt the butter and chocolate together.

 Beat together the melted butter & white chocolate, eggs and caster sugar before gently folding in the flour.

Carefully fold in the raspberries taking care not to break them and then spilt the mixture equally between the lined tins.

Bake in the oven until golden brown and turn out onto a cooling rack.

To make the white chocolate ganache melt white chocolate and double cream together. Let it cool to room temp and then beat more double cream into it until it's thick and creamy.

Assemble the cake by topping one layer with the ganache and then sandwiching the other one on top.

Finish off with a sprinkling of icing sugar!

This turned out quite yummy! 

I was a bit worried about the amount of white chocolate in it but the raspberries cut through the sweetness nicely.

This is one I'll definitely be baking again!

ADVENT CALENDARS

The Christmas countdown is nearly upon us and it is now time to go out and get your treat-filled advent calendars! 

I've learnt to buy them before December as I recall my Christmas 5 years ago in Brighton where I went out looking for one on December 1st and they had all disappeared from the shelves! *Gasp*

Hence why it's mid-November and I'm all stocked up! *Phew!*

This year I have chosen to get a few different ones:

THE SWEET ONE:

Jelly Belly Advent Calendar £11.50

As a non lover of chocolate this one grabbed my attention as it's filled with 24 bags of Jelly Beans which is perfect for my sweet tooth. It has an image of Santa Claus made of jelly beans which almost looks like a pointillist artwork! I can't wait to open this one up!

THE BEAUTY ONE:

No7 Advent Calendar £35

Beauty Advent calendars have gained momentum in recent years and most come with ridiculous price tags namely the Benefit one which is £60! This soon left my wish list when I discovered that some of the windows have stuff like hairbands and cheap looking bracelets inside. 

Instead I have gone for No7's offering which I thought would double as a little pressie for my mum who uses No7 skincare. This one is great value for money as all the windows have a range of skincare, make-up, nail polishes and make-up brushes. Mum and I will share this one as I can have the make-up bits that she doesn't use. 

This one has 25 windows so you get a little pressie on Christmas day too!

If you want some more beauty advent calendar inspiration Cosmopolitan Magazine have a great link here! 

THE KITTY ONE:

Pets at Home Cat Advent Calendar £2

We shouldn't forget our furry friends when it comes to Christmas and for Daisy I have picked up the Pets at Home cat advent calendar. This one has catnip choc treats behind every window which I'm sure Daisy will enjoy!

THE ONE FOR THE HOME:

John Lewis Snowflake Advent Candle £8 

For the home I picked up an advent candle from John Lewis for us to burn during our cosy evenings in the living room. It is a white candle with beautiful silver snowflakes printed on it along with the numbered days along the length of the candle.

This really is my favourite time of the year and these calendars will add some more excitement to the month and after all who doesn't love a daily treat?