NEW Clinique Limited Edition 8-Pan Shadow Palette

I'm very excited to have finally got my hands on this limited edition nudes palette from Clinique, as part of the 16 shades of beige line. Fitting in with the trends of understated make-up looks, in my eyes this palette is a must in any woman's make-up bag.

Its super sleek mirrored packaging is elegant, modern and very lightweight. 

You get 8 different shades in the palette, which is made up of shades individually picked from other eye shadows in the permanent line. The eye shadows themselves are well pigmented, you get good colour pay off after one application, but can be effortlessly layered to get the desired look. They are crease and fade resistant so are really long wearing, you can easily go from day to night with these eye shadows.

Swatches going from left to right in the palette

(without flash)

These shades are really good usable colours, the only thing I would have wished for is a couple of matte brown shades to use in the crease, as I'm not overly keen on using shimmery shadows all over the eye. However this is the only thing I can think of to criticize this palette. 

They are priced at £32, but you are getting double the amount of shades that you would in a £28 palette. I think these palettes are going to be a great hit, so I would go grab one asap. They are available online now, and will be available in stores starting February. 

Emma x

Gold Smokey Eyes

I've tried using products in my kit that I haven't made much use of for a while. I've created a dark smokey eye, with a metallic gold lid. This look is perfect for any occasion and will go with pretty much any outfit.
I've balanced the look, by keeping everything else subtle with a orangey/nude lip, and a nice glow on the cheeks.

Products Used

Face

Smashbox photo finish primer - An oil free primer to create a smooth base for your foundation to sit on, smoothing over any pores and creases.

Clinique Pore Refining Foundation - A medium coverage foundation designed to instantly create a poreless look. It has a semi matte finish and feels lightweight on your skin. I use shade 2, the fairest of them all.

Collection Concealer (Fair) - A full coverage concealer, I used it to cover blemishes and to highlight under my eyes, cheekbones and down the centre of my nose.

Clinique Airbrush concealer (Neutral Fair) - A light reflecting concealer, I love using this round the edges of my eyebrows to create a sharp HD effect.

Clinique Stay Matte Powder (Invisible Matte) - An oil free compact powder to set the foundation.

Cheeks 

Sleek Contour Kit (Light) - This is the perfect contour shade, and very pigmented so you only need a little bit.

Sleek Blusher (Rose Gold) - A rosy coloured blush with gold glitter in it, creates a soft glow of colour on your cheeks.

Eyes

Clinique eyeshadow quad (Teddy Bear) - As always I've used the two darker shades on my brows.

MAC Paint Pot (groundwork) - A creambase colour that doesn't crease and allows any eyeshadow you put on top to stay put.

Stargazer Eyeshadow (Groovy Gold & Mocha) - Highly pigmented eyeshadows that blend effortlessly and give such good colour pay off.

Sleek Eyeshadow Palette (Oh So Special) - You can create so many looks with this palette, I used the black and brown colour in my crease, outer corner and lower lashline.

MAC loose pigment (Vanilla) - My favourite highlight for eyes, I use this in the inner corners and under my brow bone. When this catches the light on pictures it looks amazing! 

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner (West) - I've got this on my top and bottom waterline, it's just a little bit softer than black.

Collection Extreme 24 hour Felt tip liner - This makes doing your eyeliner on the top so easy, it's pointed tip gives you more control, and it lasts ALL DAY.

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara (Black) - This gives you instant length and volume in just one coat, and you can layer it up without looking too clumpy.

Lips

Mac Lip Pencil (Stone) - Fill all your lips in with your lip liner to get longer wear out of your lipstick.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer (Shooting Star) - These lip lacquers are a great alternative to lipsticks, they go on like a gloss but have strong pigment and dry matte. 

Please feel free to message me on facebook/twitter if there's any looks/reviews in particular you would like to see.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emma-Seatree-Makeup/356118761161203

https://twitter.com/esmakeup94

Emma x

Soap & Glory Trio

The last time I tried Soap and Glory products was about 4 years ago, when I got one of those big sets they do at Christmas time. Half of the stuff in the set I didn't even end up using, because it just didn't appeal to me. Anyway, I was in Boots again last month, and I saw all of their products were on 3 for 2. So I got 3 products that I knew I needed, and would make good use of, and now I will tell you what I think. 

I purchased the 'Sugar Crush' body wash, the 'Breakfast Scrub' and 'The Righteous Body Butter'.

Body Wash

The body wash has a 'Sweet Lime' scent to it. I wasn't sure on the scent at first, only because its not the kind of scent I would usually go for, I prefer quite sweet candy kind of smells and this is quite citrusy. However after I used it a few times, I have grown to like it. It's a cream like texture and feels really moisturising when you put it on, it seems to coat your skin in a silky layer. It doesn't really lather up like other body washes but it still does the job of making you smell and feel lovely and fresh. 

Body Scrub

The Breakfast Scrub literally smells like you could grab a spoon and just start eating it! (However on the back it does say 'THIS IS NOT FOOD'. I love the smell of it so much! If you're not the kind of person that likes sweet, sugary, syrupy smells, you won't like this. It has banana, almond and honey extracts, but the main scent is maple syrup. I've cut all sugary things out of my diet at the minute, so if I can't eat it, why not smother my body in it instead?

So this is a really good scrub for using on any dry areas of skin like the knee caps, elbows etc. I use it to exfoliate those areas before I put fake tan on, to avoid any dark patches. I also use it to help get fake tan off when it's started fading. You apply it onto wet skin, give it a good scrub and then rinse it off with water. It leaves your skin feeling nice and smooth.

The Body Butter

I can't think of a way to describe the scent of this body butter, but it smells really nice. Its an antioxidant formula with ingredients like Shea butter, almond oil aloe vera, and all good things like that. It gives 24 hour moisture and it soaks straight into the skin, it doesn't fell tacky for hours afterwards. 

I've been using this about 2/3 times a week for about a month now, and look how much I've got left, I'm pretty sure it will last me the whole year! 

I love using this trio altogether, it makes my skin feel super smooth and silky. I love the quirky packaging that they are in. They are good products, but I if you have a tendency to react to fragranced things, you might not get along with them too well. I would say they are worth a try though.

Emma x

Make your own lip colours

Most people spend their Sundays having a duvet day, I like to have a play with my make-up collection. This is what I decided on wearing today, strongly defined brows (of course), soft brown eyes and custom made lips. 

PRODUCTS USED:

Face

Smashbox Photo Finish primer

Illamasqua Skinbase foundation 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (fair)

Clinique Redness Solutions loose powder

Cheeks

Sleek Contour kit (light)

Cream Colour Base (Hush)

Brows

Clinique eyeshadow quad (Teddy Bear)

Mac Brow Gel (Clear)

Eyes

Clinique eyeshadow quad (Teddy Bear)

Stargazer star pearl (Peach Flush)

Urban Decay 24/7 liner (West)

Clinique High Impact Mascara (Black)

Lips

Clinique quickliner (Plummy)

Mac lipstick (Up the Amp)

Mac lipstick (Girl About Town)

I love mixing lipsticks together to create the shade I want, and I especially love this combo.

Emma x

My recent Nail Purchases

So I recently went for a browse in Boots, and obviously ended up coming out with quite a bit more than I planned. Four of which were my favourite nail polishes, that I haven't stopped wearing since I've got them. 

They are from the Barry M collection, and I got three of the Gelly polishes, and a textured glitter one. I've not got the best nails to model but this is what they look like. 

Textured Nail Effects in 'Countess'

Gelly High Shine in 'Lychee'

Gelly High Shine in 'Pomegranate'

Gelly High Shine in 'Papaya'

I love Barry M nail polishes anyway but these Gelly ones are the best I've ever tried. They glide on so easily, I used two coats but you could get away with just one they are so thick. They don't clump either. The only thing I would say is they take a while to dry properly, which is a downfall for me as I am so bad for smudging my nails. I do find applying a fast drying top coat helps though.

They are priced at £3.99 each and I got them on buy one get one half price which I think is a bargain for the quality of them.

Which is your favourite?

Emma x

My Daily Skincare Routine - for acne/blemish prone skin.

Just thought I would do a detailed post on my skincare routine as I am so happy I have finally found something that works for me, and hopefully it will help others with a similar kind of skin.

My skin does change slightly through the year, so depending on the weather I do switch it up a bit but my main cleanse tone and moisturise stays the same.

Generally I have dry/combination skin and it is quite blemish prone. I always have a cluster of spots around my chin area, and the odd one dotted somewhere else on my face. So this is my full routine that I'm using currently twice a day, and I'm really liking it.

I previously used the normal 3 step system cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise for dry/combination skin (skin type 2) from Clinique for over a year. It did help improve the texture of my skin and gave it more radiance, but I was still getting my spots every week. I think before, I was in denial, and didn't think I needed something that was specifically for acne/blemishes.

I have now changed and started using the anti blemish solutions range which specialises in acne/blemish prone skin. It is an anti bacterial formula and contains spot fighting ingredients like salicylic acid, and its worked wonders. 

The great thing about these products are they are still soothing on your skin and don't irritate at all.

I've been using it since the beginning of September now and have just come to the end of it, but they've been replaced straight away. I would say I get a few spots on my chin still but only one week out of the month whereas before it was like 3 weeks out of the month.

I'll go into a bit more detail with my routine starting with my first step.

Cleansing Foam

I use about 2 pumps of this and massage it in all over my skin avoiding the eye area, and then rinse off with cool water just because I prefer the cooling effect it has on my skin. Cleansing is one of my favourite parts it really soothes your skin. This just helps to get rid of any remainders of makeup off my skin, soften any dead skin and prepare it for the next step.

This is the amount I use on my face and find that its enough, but depending how thick you like it to lather on your skin you can use more.

Clarifying Lotion

This needs shaking before you use it until the powder at the bottom mixes in and makes it look cloudy. 

I saturate a cotton pad with this and wipe it all over my skin, this is like a toner and exfoliator in one. It helps to improve the skins texture by minimizing pores, exfoliating any dead skin cells and controlling oil. This is the one that I find makes my skin look a lot more radiant.

Moisturiser

Then I put the moisture back in my skin with this, and even though it's a spot treatment product, it still gives enough moisture so that my skin doesn't feel too dry.

Serum

Then my last step is my serum, which is the clinical dark spot corrector. Although I don't have dark spots I do find that after I have had a spot they leave a red scar behind, and this just helps speed up the recovery of my skin after a spot, and fades the scar a bit quicker than normal. 

It also makes my skin feel quite soft.

These next products are only things I use at night.

Cleansing Balm

This is what I use to remove my make up with. It's a solid balm, but when you rub it into your skin it turns into an oil substance and it literally dissolves any make up. I wash it off with warm water on a cloth. It can be used on the eyes as well, and it's fine for any skin type to use. I use this before my anti-blemish products.

Eye Makeup Remover

This is what I use to get rid of any stubborn eye makeup that my cleansing balm doesn't take off.

The bottle needs to be shaken before use, as it's part water, part silicone, so they separate.

Spot Gel 

I only use this occasionally when I get a really stubborn spot that's taking a while to go. It helps to dry the spot up quicker. It does sting when you put this on for about 5 minutes, but then it calms down. I take that as a good sign that its doing something.

So that is my full routine at the minute, and although it looks like a lot of effort, it only takes a few minutes and is definitely worth the time.
These products are quite expensive to buy altogether, but they do smaller size options, and they all run out at different times so you will never need to buy them all at the same time again.

I would recommend to always have a skin consultation and get a routine customised for you before going buying any skincare products. Just to prevent any reactions or discomfort. 

Hope this was helpful :)