Too Faced Grande Hotel Cafe Christmas Gift Set | Review

So we're reaching that time of year again where the days are shorter, jumpers are worn, candles are being burned and all the Christmas Gifts set are being released - my favourite time of year!

One of the first brands to announce their Christmas offerings this year was Too Faced and I for one was very excited to see what magical collection of festive products they had come up this year and I was not disappointed! Every year they have a theme which all gifts are based on, with this years is "Christmas in New York" which I think is an amazing idea for this year's theme because let's face it, New York must be one of the most magical places at Christmas time! There are tons of different gift sets this year, ranging from £10 to £50+ which I think is brilliant as they really have catered for every budget. Today I'm going to be talking about one of the pricier items in the collection - The "Grande Hotel Cafe" set.

When I first saw the collection launch last month, I knew that I HAD to get my hands on at least this item if nothing else! First of all, let's just talk about how adorable the packaging is! All the products come in in this super cute case shaped like a little hotel (very reminiscent of last years "Le Grand Chateau"set!), which opens up to reveal the products inside! I think this makes it feel just that little bit more special, which is perfect for gift giving!

The Grande Hotel contains 3 festive scented palettes and a deluxe size of their best selling, fan favourite "Better than Sex" Mascara, which, unbelievably until now, I was yet to try until I got this set and I must say that I'm very much enjoying it, so much so that it could overtake  my years-long love for Benefit's "They're Real", although I feel like I need to test it out some more before I make such a bold claim, so keep yours eyes peeled for my thoughts on this in the future, but, for now, let's just say, I'm very impressed!

Another thing which I think is very cleaver is that Too Faced have put "To" and "From" labels on the reverse of each palette, which makes them perfect to be given out as individuals gifts on their own to different people. This actually works out at as a pretty good deal too as they then only work out at costing just over £15 each (and that's without considering the deluxe size of the mascara!) Although I'm gonna be honest here, I will be keeping all 3 to myself!

Eyeshadows L-R: Frosty Nog, Eggnog Latte, Iced Coffee, Skinny Latte, Cold Brew, Central Perk. Blush: Peach Cobbler

What does Eggnog Actually smell of? I don't know! But, what I do know is that this palette just smells like straight up Christmas and this is the only way I can describe it! But I LOVE it!

I feel like out of all three, it's probably the most traditionally festive in terms of the colours it has to offer, with it's warm-goldy browns and of course that gorgeous metallic dark forest green (can we also appreciate that it's called "Central Perk"! Seriously fan girling right now!) I also really like that there is a real mix of different finishes, not only just in this palette but all three with a great ratio of shimmery to matte shades. I often find that brands sometimes neglect matte shadows, especially in Limited Edition sets, so I'm pleased to see that Too Faced haven't done this here.

The only shade that I would say I was a little underwhelmed by was "Egnogg Latte" as in the pan it looks like an intense, metallic gold packed wth gold glitter, however, when it's swatched or applied to the eye, the base of the shadow is actually quite sheer. That being said it is still packed with glitter so it works really well applied on top of another shadow and so it gives a beautiful gold sheen to whatever you put underneath it.

"Peach Cobbler" is a very pretty blush colour, that I actually really like, which, if I'm honest surprised me as I'm not usually one for peachy/orange tone bush but it gives a very pretty slight peachy tint to the cheeks and is definitely way less scary and bright then it looks in the pan. (I promise!)

Eyeshadows L-R: Peppermint Cream, Festive Blend, Peppermint Mocha, Candy Cane, Sprinkles, Coffee Chip. Blush: Santa Baby

When I first saw these palettes online I knew that I would just love this palette in particular for it pinky-berry and brown shades, and I was not wrong! I'm a big lover of wearing these kinds of shades, especially in winter months, so I know this palette will be seeing a lot of love. My personal favourites would have to be "Festive Blend", "Peppermint Mocha" and "Sprinkles". Even a light baby pink like "Candy Cane" is actually really wearable as it's very subtle!

"Santa Baby" is a very typical blush colour for me, but again like "Peach Cobbler" it can be very subtle if applied with a light hand to give a lovely rosy flush to the cheeks.

I'm not gonna lie, it also helps that it smells like mint and chocolate and so it reminds me exactly of an After Eight! (who doesn't have "After Eights" at Christmas time?)

Eyeshadow L-R: Ginger Cream, Maple Syrup, Gingersnap, Winter Dream, Cup of Joe, Black Coffee. Bronzer: Gingerbread

I thought that this would be my least favourite out of all three as it has some of the more cooler toned shades, but, it actually has two of my favourite shades in, which are Gingersnap and Winter Dream; there different to all the other glitter shades in the two other palettes and remind me more of a foiled finish and are pack full of glitter! They would look super glam, packed all over the lid, even with just a brown blended through the crease and makes it look like you have made far more of an effort than in reality, you actually have.

Now let's take a minute to appreciate that there is a bronzer in this palette called "Gingerbread" that actually smells like gingerbread! (This makes me far happier than it should! BUT gingerbread is my all time favourite festive scent - it's also pretty tasty too!) I also worry a bit with bronzers that they will be too orange for my ghostly complexion, but this one sits nicely between being warm and cooled toned which I really like. I also think that it would work for a range of skin tones too as it can be applied lightly for the palest of pale girls like myself or that little bit heavier for those of you that have more of a tan.

Overall I'm very impressed with this set and the quality of the eyeshadows themselves; They are all really pigment (with the slight exception of eggnog latte as I mention earlier) and I didn't get any fall-out under the eye which is often a problem with eyeshadows with glitter in. They also blended really well which can be an issue with matte shades that I've personally found but these were lovely to work with! I also this that this set is a pretty good deal for £46 as you do get a good amount of product as each individual pan is actually quite big! So I think it's definitely one to pick up!

I will definitely be getting some Too Faced products in the future and I even have my eye on some of their other Christmas set as well (The Merry Macaroons" and  "Merry Kissmas" sets). 

Are there any products from Too Faced Christmas collection that you have your eyes on this year? or any products from them in general? Let me know your favourites so I can add them to my ever-growing list too! 

The Grande Hotel Cafe is available from Debenhams, Sephora, Ulta and at Too Faced for £46/$49.

Kat Von D Beauty comes to the UK - "London Calling" Limited Edition Set Review

So I am sure that you have all heard about Kat Von D and her fabulous Makeup line, that up until now you couldn't get in the UK unless you wanted to incur the risk of a massive customs change or pay a hefty postage fee -  but no more! As Kat Von D will be Stocked in Debenhams Online from the 13th September and in their Oxford Street 8th October (But don't hold me to these dates, these are just what I heard through the grapevine - and by "the grapevine" I mean what I've read on the other blogs that I read! haha) and I for one am very excited!

So to get us all excited about the launch (although let's be honest, from what I've seen people are already pretty hyped!) Debenhams and Kat Von D have launched a Limited Edition Set "London Calling"; which consists of 3 of her favourite and best selling products in "deluxe minis" for the bank holiday weekend. Which of course, as always, I had to buy and then share my thoughts and excited with you guys!

The first is one of her "Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks" in the shade "Double Dare" which is a lovely Dusky pink/Peach brown shade, which although isn't the typical shade I go for (I usually prefer more pinkish tones) I actually really like it, and I think I'll reaching for it quite a lot as we go into autumn. The formula of these liquid lipsticks are lovely - they almost go on like a soft, creamy mouse and are so easy to apply. They also dry down pretty quickly and set to a lovely matte finish. I don't know exactly how long it would wear for on the lips as I only got it today and just applied it to see what it was like, but from how difficult it was to remove from my lips and the swatch on my arm, I'm guessing a good old while! 

Studded Kiss Lipstick in "Lolita".

The second item is a "Studded Kiss Lipstick" in "Lolita" - Oh my, I am in love with this colour! It's a really beautiful dusky rose toned brown, which is my go-to shade as we go into autumn and winter; it kind of reminds me of "Soar" by MAC but a little less brown toned. This lipstick again has a matte finish, but in a completely different way; it feels kinda creamy and almost moisturising, unlike the liquid lipstick which sets too much more of a dry almost "powder-like" feel - so if you're not usually a fan of how matte lipsticks feel on the lips, then I would definitely give these ago! 

The last item you get is the highly coveted "Tattoo Liner" in "Trooper". Now as a winged eyeliner lover this is a product that I have lusted after ever since I first saw it and was very excited when I discovered that I would finally be able to try it out. Now I'm going to be completely honest here when I first tried it as I didn't find it was all that pigmented, however, the more I have played around with it the better the pigmentation, so I'm guessing it just takes a little while to get going! One thing I that I do really  love about this liner though is the nib; it's actually made up of lots of little stiff individual fibres that make up the tip which allows for really precise application and it allows you to draw really fine lines (as you can see in the swatches), the more pressure you apply the thicker the line. It's also got a handy spring mechanised lid which only stays on when it fully pushed on, so no more dried up liners where you haven't pushed the cap on properly! (Yay!). Overall I do really like this liner and think that it will grow on me to become one of my favourites after I'v had a bit more practice at using it! 

Everlasting Liquid Lipstick "Double Dare", Studded Kiss Lipstick "Lolita", Tattoo Liner "Trooper".

As a whole, I'm really impressed with Kat Von D Beauty and trying these products as only cemented the fact that I will definitely be picking up some more products in the future (probably when they launch!).

As I said in the beginning of the post, it is a limited edition set which I believe is only available until the start of next week or when stocks run out, so if you want it I suggest you jump on it now. It's available exclusively on the Debenhams website HERE for £19.50, which I think is a pretty good deal as you get to try 3 decent size products.

Have you tried anything from Kat Von D? Or is there anything that you are dying to try? Let me know in the comments!

Tanya Burr Cosmetics Birthday Suit Eye Palette: Review

Tanya Burr is a blogger that I have been following for probably for over 4 years now, ever  since I first started getting into reading blogs and watching Youtube videos, and to this day she is still one of my favourites and so anytime she releases a new product I get very excited to see what she has come up with and thoroughly enjoying watching all the review videos when they pop up in my sub box (MegSays videos are some of my favourite for these unboxing and first impression videos!) But until now I haven't really purchased anything from her makeup collection except a few of the nail polishes and a lip gloss from her old original collection (Tanya if your reading this, please bring "Aurora" back!) even though each time she brings out a new collection I fall in love with 99.9% of it. So when she launched her new Soft Luxe collection I decided I would finally cave in and order a few of my favourite items, especially as everything in her range is pretty expensive. I did also want to get the "Soft Luxe Lipgloss in "Martha Moo" but as anyone how has tried to buy it will now it has been out of stock constantly since it's launch, so I'll be definitely be getting my hands on it when it's back in stock, so, for now, I picked up one of my other favourites from her new soft luxe collection, which was the "Birthday Suit" eye palette.

First of all the packaging of this palette is just so pretty! I really love the peachy- gold base colour with the foiled rose gold polka dots and silver scalloping on the edges, I feel that the colours on the outside of the palette correspond really well with the shades inside the palette which I feel is a very nice touch (it's the simple things that please me!). I also really like that although the palette itself is made out of cardboard it's really thick and well made so it feels sturdy, so you won't have to worry about it breaking or falling apart in your makeup bag. In the inside lid of the palette, there is a cute little heart shaped mirror, which along with its compact size would also make this palette the perfect travel-friendly companion.

The palette contains four shades - two of which are matte, one which is shimmer and the other a shimmer with fine glitter running through it.

Marzipan - A light champagne with a slightly light pink undertone with a shimmer finish

Toast - A light warm brown with a dusky pink undertone and a matte finish

Cocoa Sugar - A medium warm tone taupe-brown in a shimmer finish with silvery-champagne glitter running throughout

Soft Truffle- A deep brown with a warm undertone and a matte finish

Soft Truffle, Cocoa Sugar, Toast, Marzipan

All the shades in this palette are highly pigmented and were very easy to blend on the eye. The only shade that I found to be ever so slightly chalky was "Soft Truffle" however this was only the case when I swatched it on my hand and it was not chalky at all when applying it to the eyes (I'm being very picky here if I'm honest!). I tried applying these shadows with both an eye primer and without (I used the Urban Decay Primer Potion which is one of my favs) and the shadows applied beautifully on both;very pigmented and easy to blend! The only shade that I found I did get a tiny amount of fallout from was "Cocoa Sugar", however, it was only the glitter in the shadow and when I used a fluffy blending brush to apply it as it wasn't an issue when I applied it to the lid with a denser lid brush. From my personal experience, any eyeshadow with actual glitter in you do get a small amount of fallout under the eye, but it can be removed by sweeping a fluffy brush over it, so to me, this isn't really a big deal. 

Marzipan, Toast, Cocoa Sugar, Soft Truffle - Swatched

Overall I really love this palette, and I definitely think that this is one that I will reach for daily in my collection. I will also be picking up some of the other palettes in her range for sure; I really like the look of both the "Hollywood" and the "Enchanted Dream" palettes, so I am sure that I will be picking those up in the not so distant future!

Have you tried anything from Tanya's makeup range? If you have let me know in the comments below!

The palette is available online at Feel Unique, Superdrug and also available in Superdrug stores for £5.99