Monday 24 September 2012

Win A Pair Of Christian Louboutin Shoes!



Fancy winning a pair of Christian Louboutin heels? I think I already know the answer! Well the very generous people over at e-tailwebstores are giving you the chance to do just that. For your chance to win simply head over to their facebook page & 'like' it to be able to enter via the competition app.

Good luck!

Lierac Eye Creams




My local TK Maxx was recently done up so I decided to have a mooch around for some bargains. I've always found some good beauty bits in there, from Ardell lashes to Stila Convertible Colours. The new skin & hair care sections were filled to brim with goodies from high-end brands. The first things that caught my eye were these Lierac eye creams. I'd never tried these before but having heard about Lierac from Caroline Hirons & Lisa Eldridge, I knew I should give these a go.

Diopticerne is a 2 in 1 product because it works as a regular hydrating eye cream as well as an intensive eye treatment for dark circles. I've been using this at night for the past two weeks and its already begun to reduce the severity of my dark circles. I don't know if it'll do much more than that but its worth a go. I have the un-tinted version but there is also a tinted version that has high coverage so it can be used as an under-eye concealer! Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on that version soon.

Diopticalm is a soothing eye balm. This product can be used in two different ways: as a traditional eye care product or as an eye mask. You can use it as a part of your everyday skincare routine by gently massaging it into your eye area or if you want to use it as a mask you can apply a thick layer of the balm & leave it on for 5 minutes before wiping off the excess product. I really like this eye cream. Its incredibly refreshing and instantly makes my eyes feel a lot calmer & de-puffed. I use this one in the morning to help wake me up for the day. It definitely makes my under-eye area look better & like I've had my beauty sleep. I think this product is my favorite of the two. If you were to pay full price for these products, this one is more worth it as you get double the amount of product in the Diopticerne one.

The best thing about these purchases? They cost me just £5 each! Both of these have a RRP of £17.50 so they were a real bargain, especially since they are such great eye creams. Have you found any good deals in TK Maxx recently?

Sunday 23 September 2012

New Camera & Blog Photography




You may have already heard me harping on about it but I have a new camera! I have just upgraded from a Canon 400D to a Canon 650D. I've had my 400D for over six years now so it was definitely time for a new one. I've been saving up since rumours about the new camera started floating around the internet in January and its finally mine! I bought my camera with the 18-135mm STM kit lens. The 650D is the latest addition to Canon's entry level range of digital SLR cameras. It has several upgrades over the 600D that was released last year. It has the same 18MP resolution as the 600D but with a Digic 5 processor, full HD video but with auto-focus and the vari-angle LCD screen has also been upgraded and now features touch screen. It was quite strange going from fiddling about with dials for exposure & aperture to using the camera like an iPhone. The vari-angle screen is brilliant because you can see exactly whats going on in the frame. Its really helpful when using the self-timer for outfit photos because I can make sure the part I want to focus on is actually on screen. The HD video looks excellent. It also has some creative modes so you can add things like fisheye effects to your photos. Its such great quality and I'm so happy with my purchase.

I figured this would be a good time to address some of the questions that I get asked about blog photography. I'm not a professional photographer or anything but I do have a keen interest in the subject. I don't think my photos are particularly good but other people seem to, so heres my photography kit in full & details of how I prep photos for blog posts.



So the old camera body I had was this 400D. Before I had this one I also had a 300D so I've been using Canon DSLRs for the best part of a decade. I originally bought my 400D when I was about to start my art foundation course. If you're doing a design related course or degree, its a good idea to buy a proper camera. You need good quality pictures especially when it comes to putting your portfolio together. I used mine constantly throughout my foundation course & graphic design degree for research and photographing my work. I've never had experience of another make but I've always been more than happy with Canon. They do a vast range of compact & bridge cameras so if you can't afford an entry level DSLR like mine or their professional level ones you can still get a great camera. You don't need an expensive camera to blog with. You can get away with just using an iPhone if you know how to edit your photos properly. If you want a camera just for blogging, you're probably better off with a regular camera unless you're super rich or want to start blogging professionally.



I only have three lenses because they can get really really expensive. I have the bog standard 18-55mm EFS lens. I got this in a kit with my 300D so its very old. It doesn't even have image stablisation like most Canon lenses do these days. However this is probably my most used lens because its a good size with a basic focal range. Pretty much all of my blog photos up to this point were taken with this lens. I also have a 50mm f/1.8 II lens for macro shots. It has a wide aperture which produces a shorter depth of field. A lot of professional photographers use this type of lens to get that nice blurry background in their photos. And of course, I have the 18-135mm STM lens that came in the kit with my new camera. This new lens is so amazing. It costs a lot more than the other kit lens but its definitely worth it in my opinion. The focal range is brilliant for the price so its great for things like landscape shots as well as everyday photography. The STM lens means that it has silent auto-focus making it perfect for filming videos. Hopefully I'll be making my YouTube debut soon now that I have this new camera setup!



I don't have any special lighting at home, mainly because it costs a lot and I don't have room for it. I just have a cheap flash gun that I bought off eBay. This is essential for Winter when the lighting is pretty much terrible 24/7. I never use the flash that is built into the camera body because I hate how it makes photos look. A flash gun lets you bounce or diffuse the flash so that you get better lighting without that horrible flash effect. I don't use any lens hoods or filters mainly because I don't know what they do haha. Told you I wasn't an expert! I did buy some cheap lens filters off eBay but they didn't do much so I don't bother with them.

Another very important piece of kit is a tripod. If you're planning on doing outfit posts and you don't have anyone who is willing to take your photos for you then a tripod is a godsend. I bought my one off eBay. I used to have a different one that was a lot smaller. When I first started blogging we lived in a tiny apartment and I had to put my tripod on the bed in order to make it tall enough. Then when we moved house there was room to put it on the floor and I had to keep bending into weird positions to fit into the frame. It was really annoying so definitely check the height of the tripod you're purchasing. One that extends to a similar height to your own is preferable. That might be difficult if you're 6ft or something but at 5'4" a 67" tripod is ideal for me. If its too short you could probably just put piles of books underneath the legs. In conjunction with my tripod I use a Canon RC-6 remote control. This means I can use the self-timer when taking outfit photos without constantly moving back and forth to press the shutter. It also makes it easier to auto-focus as you'll be in the correct spot for your photos.

For product shots I place the items on my pillows. The lighting in my house is pretty shoddy so by using pillows I can move them to wherever a good light source is located. Since a lot of people ask, my covers are from Matalan but I don't think they sell them anymore. I like the patterned background for product photos as they add an extra something and help make your posts a bit more recognisable. Plain white backgrounds or dressing table shots also look great, its just down to personal preference really.



I edit my photos using the Camera RAW plug-in from Adobe Bridge CS5. Here I adjust the white balance, brighten & de-saturate certain colours and increase contrast. I then move into Adobe Photoshop CS5 to crop, re-size, collage and fiddle about with Curves. If you don't understand Curves you can just download tons of free ones from DeviantArt. I always save my images using File > Save For Web & Devices. This makes sure that the colours in your photos display correctly on different monitors. It also makes the file size smaller so the images load up quicker. When I'm scrolling through Google Reader nothing makes me ignore a post faster than one where the images take 10 minutes to load up. Its a shame, especially when you know a blogger takes nice photos but they take forever to display. Just make sure you don't compress your images so much that they become pixellated! If you don't have Photoshop then Pixlr is a brilliant online photo editor.

So I hope that was helpful for some people! Like I say I'm not an expert so I've probably missed out loads of necessary info haha. Just leave a comment, tweet me or email me if theres anything else you want to know.

Saturday 22 September 2012

New Nails: Louise Gray For Topshop Junk Yard





I told myself I wasn't going to buy anything from the Louise Gray for Topshop makeup collection but this was just too good to resist. This sparkly blue wonder of a nail polish is called Junk Yard and I'm completely in love it. The glitter dispersion is perfect and theres a nice mix of hexagonal pieces with smaller dots. Here I've layered it on top of Model's Own Blooboo. I really like how it looks and for £6.50 I think its an absolute steal. Did you buy anything from Louise Gray's makeup collection?

Friday 21 September 2012

Transylvanian Concubine



Playsuit - Topshop / Bracelet - Black Tied / Rings - Regal Rose, H&M, Kukee

I wore this lovely little Topshop playsuit on Tuesday for Andy's birthday. I love velvet & always look forward to cracking some out during the A/W season. Looking like a Victorian boy is totally my thing. Its actually really warm, so much so that I didn't feel the need to wear any tights with it. Not that we went anywhere or did anything other than gorge on the yummy cake I made. We decided to just have a little party inside to save on funds. I think Andy was also a bit sad about turning 28. I'm quite the opposite & look forward to getting older every year, maybe just so people will stop looking down on me for having a kid already. Hey-ho!




This is how my Smarties birthday cake turned out. It was so good! I'd say it was the best tasting cake I've ever made. I used a Hummingbird Bakery recipe for the chocolate buttercream frosting & it was really delicious, even if I did end up covering half the kitchen with icing sugar & cocoa powder!

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola!




I tend to have a 'one in, one out' policy in operation when it comes to buying a new scent. My beloved Jimmy Choo perfume recently bit the dust and I saw this as the perfect opportunity to splurge on a new fragrance. The only perfume I've ever repurchased is the Chloé EDP and since I still have a bit of this left in the bottle I decided to try something completely new. I've always liked Marc Jacobs perfumes and I previously had a 100ml bottle of Lola. At first I loved this scent but towards the end I felt it was a bit too strong and powerful compared to the sweeter scents that I normally go for. The perfect solution to this was released in the form of Oh, Lola! I've wanted to buy this particular perfume since it came out last year but for some reason I have this aversion to shelling out loads of money on new perfumes. Maybe because they're essentially fragranced water? Anyways I noticed that the 50ml bottle was reduced to £40 in the Feel Unique sale so I went for it. How good was that sale by the way? I was so tempted to buy a ton of stuff including that Emma Hardie cleansing balm but I was fairly restrained for once and the only other thing I ordered was a new tube of my much loved Kérastase Ciment Thermique.

Oh! Lola is such a wonderful sweet scent. Its just so fresh and light, making it the perfect Summer perfume in my opinion. It has topnotes of pear & raspberry, midnotes of peony, magnolia & cyclamen and basenotes of sandalwood, tonka bean & vanilla. The thing I notice the most is the raspberry scent. Its very sweet yet refreshing at the same time. If you like really girly scents then this is a great one to try. The bottle is absolutely beautiful and makes a fab addition to any dressing table. The only complaint I have with this compared to the other Marc Jacobs perfumes is how long it lasts. If you're planning on buying this you either need to keep the bottle in your handbag or invest in a Travalo because all trace of it fades within an hour. Its such a shame! I remember Lola lasted for hours on me but Oh, Lola! just doesn't have any staying power. I absolutely love the smell of this perfume, I just wish it lasted a little bit longer considering the designer price tag.

Monday 17 September 2012

This Night Has Opened My Eyes






Dress - Glamorous* / Shirt - New Look / Jacket - Primark / Hat - Topshop / Boots - Topshop
Bolo Tie - Galibardy / Rings - Regal Rose, H&M, Kukee

Today I'm wearing this dress that I was sent by the lovely people at Glamorous. They describe it as a vest on the website but its definitely long enough to be worn as a dress. I really like the dip hem & anything with a cross on is alright by me! I wore it with a chiffon shirt underneath mainly so I could wear my bolo tie with it. I am obsessed with this tie. After my years of searching for one on ebay, Galibardy came to my rescue with this classic buffalo skull one. I could only ever find really tacky ones meant for cowboy fancy dress costumes so I'm really happy with this purchase. I'm also wearing my witchy boots! I bought these from Topshop a couple of years ago and I totally forgot I had them. Think I'll be having these as this years A/W boots.

I've spent most of today running about trying to get everything organised for Andy's birthday tomorrow. I'm making him a chocolate Smarties cake and it smells so good! Can't wait to decorate it and eat it. Still need to pop out to Sainsburys again when the sponges have finished cooking as I've forgotten to buy him a card, whoops!

PS. First blog photos taken on my new camera, ooh exciting haha!

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Tropical World


Shirt - Topshop / Disco Pants - American Apparel / Necklace - Marc Jacobs

Denim shirts aren't something I wear too often. I always find them a bit too stiff and I have to make a concious effort not to wear jeans with them for fear of looking like a double denim disaster. I spotted this lovely pink one on the Topshop website and was very tempted to buy it. Then I saw a girl in Leeds wearing it and it looked about 1000x better in real life which took it from 'ooh I like it' status to 'I need it now!'. My sister kindly bought this for me as a birthday pressie and I absolutely love it. Especially the contrasting white collar. Its really comfy without being too thin either. Love my disco pants too. I'd say to go for the originals if you're after comfort, quality and that awesome sucking in effect. I never buy full price American Apparel stuff anymore, theres almost always a discount code knocking about so I bought these a few months ago for just £50. Still don't think I've got this whole topknot thing down. Despite what people told me on Instagram, I'm 99% sure I look like a tit.

I stupidly wore this the other day when we visited Tropical World in Leeds. If the name doesn't completely give it away Tropical World is home to many creatures including butterflies, meerkats, snakes, bats & crocodiles and it is very very hot inside. Disco pants aren't the greatest thing to wear when its a bit hot, let alone in a room heated to 40 degrees! At least it was a good excuse to eat lots of white chocolate Magnums afterwards while strolling around Roundhay Park. The best part was the baby meerkats. So tiny! Squee!

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Favourite Spot Treatments


Mario Badescu Drying Lotion / Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion / Origins Super Spot Remover

I've tried a ton of different spot treatments over the years. When I was younger I thought that I could get away with just using something on my spots rather than having a proper skincare routine in place. That probably explains why my skin looked so terrible! Now that I religiously use good quality products that work for my skin type I find that I no longer have to reach for spot treatments as often. But sometimes we all get those horrible little buggers that just won't go away with regular cleansing and something a bit more potent is required.

In my opinion Mario Badescu make the crème de la crème of spot treatments. Theres a reason why so many celebrities frequent their spa in New York and their Drying Lotion is basically the brand's hero product. This strange liquid is godsend for whiteheads. It zaps ones thats have come to the surface overnight and also helps to clear any big ones that are lurking just under the skin. To apply it you just dip a cotton bud through the yellow liquid into the pink sediment at the bottom of the bottle and dab that onto your spots. Don't shake it up because that will ruin it. It contains calamine which helps to dry up spots and calm the area around it. The pink colour will stay on your skin so its better to apply this one at night. I don't get whiteheads too often, it tends to be closed comedones or deep blemishes for me, but when I have had them its a total lifesaver.

My favourite ever spot treatment has to be the Buffering Lotion. This one is a lot more effective on my skin as it is designed more for those horrible deep spots that I'm prone to. Back when my skincare routine wasn't much more than a Johnson's face wipe at the end of the night this stuff was like magic for my skin. I used to apply it every day as I constantly had new spots cropping up and it got rid of them no problem without drying out my skin whatsoever. You do have to shake up this bottle and it becomes an opaque white liquid. You then just rub a few drops onto your skin until it disappears. It absorbs really fast and because its invisible you can wear it under your makeup for spot fighting action during the day as well as at night. It contains nourishing B vitamins and amino acids for healthy skin as well as soothing anti-inflammatory herbal extracts to promote healing. This is an amazing product for anyone with cystic acne. Its also pretty good at getting rid of scarring. The fact that it heals spots without drying out your skin is such a plus point. I made the mistake of using benzoyl peroxide for a while and that just left my face dry, red & irritated. Something like this is a lot gentler & a lot more effective.

I'm sure most people have heard of the Origins Super Spot Remover by now. I actually heard about it a good few years ago from my sister. She had really bad skin & swore by the stuff. I kinda ignored her opinions though because she knew literally nothing about beauty products. This is a girl who once applied normal moisturiser as if it were a face mask... Anyways I wish I'd listened sooner because this stuff is really great. This is a tingly gel containing salicylic acid. I like this one because its the best to use on really painful red spots. The caffeine & red algae it contains soothe the area and stop spots from hurting overnight. I apply this with a cotton bud to avoid spreading bacteria & to prevent me from using more product than I need to. This tiny bottle seems expensive at £13 but you only need to use a small drop so it lasts for absolutely ages.

Monday 10 September 2012

August Favourites



Bumble & Bumble Texture Hair (Un) Dressing Creme
I normally hate my hair the day its washed. If I didn't add a plethora of hair oils to the ends & smooth it round with my Babyliss Big Hair styler I would probably resemble Worzel Gummidge. But once I've made the ends look good again the roots can become greasy and flat. I used to use volumising powders or dry shampoo to sort out my roots but I was never satisfied with how they made my hair feel. I've been using this product in my hair recently and it adds the perfect amount of volume and texture without overloading it or making it look greasy again. Its great for creating messier hair styles and gives your hair that unwashed look without making you look dirty. It also works really well as a base before backcombing. I just rub a small blob between my hands, tip my head upside down and pull it through my hair concentrating at the roots. I then blow dry my hair upside down and finish off with the Big Hair styler. My hair is left looking balanced with volumised roots & well nourished ends.

Essie Lilacism
Like everyone else I've completely fallen in love with the Essie diffusion line at Boots. The great colour choice, fast drying formula & wider brush make these polishes well worth the £7.99 price tag. One shade that I keep going back to is Lilacism. This pretty purple shade is just irresistible to me and since I've bought it all my other nail polishes have been totally neglected. I can't wait to get my hands on the new Model's Own Mirrorball collection and add some purple glitter to a Lilacism base.

Treacle Moon Her Mango Thoughts Body Butter*
I try not to buy too many body butters or lotions because I always forget to moisturise. Its so much easier to just whack on some of my Lush Ro's Argan body conditioner whilst showering. But I was given this in one of the goodie bags from the Leeds blogger meetup and I can't stop using it. Thats really weird for me because I normally just can't be bothered but the gorgeous mango scent makes me want to slap it on every day. It does a decent job of keeping my skin hydrated but the smell is the real selling point. I think it only costs about 4 quid for big tub. They also do a mango shower gel so I'll definitely be trying that out next.

Yankee Candle Red Velvet
I'm such a Yankee Candle addict! My dream is to have a whole shelf dedicated to them. They last for ages and they come in some incredible scents. I'm a sucker for sweet smells and the Strawberry Buttercream one is my all time fave. I'm always looking in department stores fantasising about which one to buy next (yes my life is that sad!) and I recently spotted a new candle called Red Velvet. Now I love cupcakes, especially red velvet ones so I did a little jump for joy when I saw it. It smells quite similar to the Vanilla Cupcake candle but with more of a chocolatey/brown sugary scent. Its such a delicious smell and when this one runs out I think I'll be getting the large one to replace it.

Boux Avenue White Chiffon Room Spray
If you've ever purchased any of the gorgeous lingerie they sell at Boux Avenue you probably will have noticed the divine smelling white rose petals scattered in your shopping bag. That smell is Boux Avenue's signature scent White Chiffon. Its a light, fresh scent with gentle notes of lily, jasmine and elderflower. I'm completely obsessed with it, having coveted it for months. I spray it around my room every night and its really relaxing before bed. I also bought some of the White Chiffon beads to keep in my clothes drawers. The room spray only cost £10 and is one of the best smelling products I've ever bought. Boux Avenue also sell bubble bath, hand cream, candles, reed diffusers and much more all with the White Chiffon scent. If I had my way I'd buy it all!



Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains
I just can't resist trying out new lip products and these Revlon Balm Stains are the only thing thats caught my eye recently. I love their Lip Butters so I knew I had to get my hands on some of these. I absolutely detest traditional lip stains. You know those felt tip ones? They always bleed, make your lips look like they belong to a 90 year old smoker and taste revolting. So the balm formula seemed to be a good alternative for long lasting lip colour. I actually really like these. They keep your lips moisturised, are easy to apply and last pretty well. I like that you can apply them like a normal lipstick or smudge them a bit so its more like a stain. The only thing that I find disappointing with this product is the shade range. Honey and Rendezvouz were the only colours I liked the look of as the others just seemed a bit gaudy to me. Hopefully Revlon will bring some more of the US shades over here.



Spector - Enjoy It While It Lasts
I love a good indie disco. My friends and I were always going to Frog, Club NME or White Heat back in the day. One of the bands I fell in love with at the time was Les Incompétents. Their song How It All Went Wrong was always a high point of our nights out. Sadly they disbanded back in 2006 and the golden age of indie disco soon died with them (in my opinion anyway!). Then one of the singers Fred MacPherson started another band called Ox. Eagle. Lion. Man and I was also obsessed with them. I saw them live countless times and it was a sad day when they went on hiatus. Then Fred started another band, one you might have actually heard of, called Spector. Again I absolutely love their music, showing that everything Fred touches is gold. They recently released their debut album Enjoy It While It Lasts and its really brilliant. I pre-ordered a copy from Play.com where they had signed loads of albums. I'm totally jealous of Olivia who actually went to one of the signings but I guess this is better than nothing haha. This is the best album I've bought all year & if you haven't heard of Spector already go watch some of their videos on YouTube because they are amazing. Catch them live soon before they start selling out arenas!

Friday 7 September 2012

Sugar & Vice





One item of jewellery that I have wanted for the longest time is a two finger name ring. I remember one of my school friends had a gorgeous gold ring with her name on it that her parents bought for her birthday. I was so desperate to buy one for myself but it cost over £200! Last year my favourite X Factor contestant Amelia Lily wore some amazing ones from Obscure Couture but at £50 they were still too expensive for me. Then a couple of weeks ago I came across a jewellery shop called Sugar & Vice via Twitter. To my utter delight they were offering personalised name rings for a mere £11! I couldn't be more pleased with it, I love the colours I chose and its such good quality. The owner even tweeted me the night I ordered it to say she was designing it already. It arrived just a couple of days later with some sweeties and the rest of my order. Amazing service!

I would've ordered some more personalised stuff but I didn't want to spend too much money so I just got this cute heart shaped initial ring. I also picked up this pink sweetheart brooch that doesn't seem to be on the website anymore. You might remember that I bought some lilac sweetheart earrings using this same design from I'm Your Present last year. I love the design so much I couldn't resist buying a brooch version. It looks super cute on dresses & blouses. I couldn't be more impressed with this company! If you're looking for personalised jewellery on a budget, Sugar & Vice are well worth a look.

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Illamasqua Generation Q




Tomorrow marks the release of Illamasqua's latest makeup collection known as Generation Q. Every new campaign from Illamasqua has a specific ethos behind it and Generation Q proclaims that 'beauty has no age limits'. This is a statement I strongly agree with as I can't ever see myself losing interest in makeup even as an elderly woman. My mum has always been one of my greatest beauty inspirations and she still rocks a full face of makeup everyday even though she is 65 years old. Infact I was very tempted to enter her into the competition to become one of the faces of Generation Q.

I was really excited to see the new campaign promos as I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of makeup looks they would create for an older woman. As always the photographs are a visual feast and showcase the new products extremely well. My favourite image is of 72 year old Evelyn as her face looks positively glowing which is probably down to the use of Gleam, a cream highlighter. People tend to associate that quality of skin with youth so its nice to see it on someone of Evelyn's age. I'm sure you all know by now how much of a highlighter fanatic I am so I can't wait to try out this particular product in store. I've often thought that the only products Illamasqua's range was lacking in was cream & powder highlighters so for me this is a welcome addition to their product lineup. I also love the look of 22 year old Georgia's makeup on the right. Her eye makeup is just stunning.





I was kindly sent a few of the new products to try out and I have to say that they certainly do not disappoint. The overall quality is of the same high standard that I have come to expect from Illamasqua and theres some real treasures in this collection.



Precision Ink in Wisdom
Illamasqua's Precision Inks come in some brilliant and unusual colours. I already own Abyss which is a glossy black and its one of my favourite liquid liners. This eyeliner is such a beautiful colour. It gives all the definition of a classic black liner but with antique gold running through it. I think it helps to bring out the green in my hazel eyes and is a nice twist on a staple makeup item. I love the formula of Precision Ink as it is so easy to apply and lasts all day without a single smudge. If you struggle to use liquid liner I highly recommend you check these out. Precision Inks can also be used as nail art pens!



Lipstick in Magnetism
Magnetism is a deep raspberry pink lipstick which differs to the other Illamasqua lipsticks I've tried in that it has a glossy finish. It really glides onto your lips and feels so comfortable to wear. The colour is incredibly long lasting. It stayed put from 10am 'til 6pm, which is pretty damn good in my books! I normally opt for baby pink lips during the day but I've really enjoyed wearing this recently. Its vampish and sexy but not OTT. I can see myself wearing this lipstick all through the winter.




Powder Blusher in S.O.P.H.I.E.
If I could only buy one type of product from Illamasqua it would be their blushers. I cannot rave about them enough. Both the powder and cream formulas are to die for. The vast majority of their blushers come with a matte finish but S.O.P.H.I.E. is one of their relatively newer range of shimmer blushers. I am absolutely in love with this product. I think this has to be my favourite product out of the whole collection. The colour reminds me of the MAC Viva Glam Nicki lipstick as its such a wonderful bright coral pink. I adore the shimmery finish, it is so flattering on the skin without enhancing pores. There just aren't enough words for how gorgeous it is. Don't go past an Illamasqua counter without trying this blusher out!

Pretty amazing stuff right? If you want to take a closer look at what other products are arriving as part of Generation Q or learn some new application techniques check out Illamasqua's awesome new look book. The new Generation Q products go on sale tomorrow at Illamasqua.com and Illamasqua counters nationwide. Will you be picking up anything? I'd love to know your thoughts on this collection.