Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Holidays Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, January 01, 2018

It is 2018! A new year, a fresh start.
I wish you and yours a very Happy New Year - I hope each of you has the best of health and happiness through the year ahead.
What resolutions have you made for this year? Mine are primarily to keep decent sleeping hours, eat healthier, and to workout regularly. Hopefully those are doable!
This blog celebrates its fifth birthday in 15 days' time. Stay tuned for a giveaway!
I'll speak to you soon x

Best of Beauty 2017: Makeup Favourites Part I

Best of Beauty 2017: Makeup Favourites Part I

TheBalm Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, December 29, 2017

Mum took me shopping for clothes over Boxing Day, and it was an absolute riot, with crowds everywhere. Anyway, we compromised, with me buying mostly navy blue dresses, and a couple of greys, browns, greens, and maroons thrown in for good measure. I have no idea why I prefer sombre colours so much - it just won't go away.
I also managed to get my paws on the Beautylish Lucky Bag for 2018 - can't wait for it to arrive; stay tuned for my unboxing.
Before it arrives (it only ships out by Jan 12), let's take a quick gander at 2017's best makeup products. There are too many to go, so I've split it up into two posts. Stay tuned for part deux shortly.

Scroll down for my favourite makeup products of 2017 - these are foundations and eyeshadows.

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Holiday Greetings + Plans for the Week Ahead

Holiday Greetings + Plans for the Week Ahead

Holiday 2017 Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, December 26, 2017

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year ahead! Wherever you are, I hope you and yours are having a lovely day (and week).
For those who don't celebrate Christmas, I wish you Happy Holidays!
This thing to the right is my Christmas tree this year. I know, there's silver tinsel overkill. I was aiming for a Slytherin effect!
I'm a little kid when it comes to Christmas prezzies; as excited about receiving, as I am about giving. Most of what I get are books, but this year, Mum has a different kind of present in store. Scroll down to find out what it is.

Here's wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a very Happy New Year ahead!

Holiday Makeup Giveaway 2017: Open Worldwide

Holiday Makeup Giveaway 2017: Open Worldwide

Makeup Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, November 24, 2017

As promised, my next makeup giveaway will run through Holiday 2017, right up to January 5, 2018, so I will announce the winner once I recover from New Year excesses! The prizes are exciting - I have a huge full-size 20-eyeshadow palette which has insane pigmentation. There's a red, red lipstick. A pretty pink blush. An eyebrow pencil. An eyeliner. Everything you need to look glam in 2018.

Scroll down to enter my Holiday 2017 Makeup Giveaway, for a chance to win full-sized beauty products!

Black Friday, Cyber Monday Deals That Ship Worldwide For 2017

Black Friday, Cyber Monday Deals That Ship Worldwide For 2017

Shopping Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, November 24, 2017

How is it already Cyber Weekend 2017? It was New Year 2017 a minute ago.
Traditionally, Black Friday used to be a thing in the US alone, with the Commonwealth countries opting for the post-Christmas Boxing Day sales. I myself have had half my hair pulled off in the jostling on Boxing Day sales.
Thankfully, these days, you can do your shopping online without any hair-pulling, and best of all, pretty much all online retailers, even outside of the US, have taken up Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a way to generate maximum sales.

DID YOU KNOW: Even the LookFantastic Beauty Advent Calendar here is on sale! Use code LFBF25 to get it at just £59.25 TODAY.

Here are the top Black Friday Deals that ship worldwide for 2017 - codes and offers will be updated through Cyber Monday. 

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Is The Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar 2017 Worth It? Unboxing, Review, Cost-Breakdown

Is The Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar 2017 Worth It? Unboxing, Review, Cost-Breakdown

Unboxing Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, November 21, 2017

The Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar for 2017 was probably the most widely-awaited beauty advent calendar for Holiday 2017. However, they probably had limited quantities, or underestimated the popularity - it sold out online for the first time in 11 minutes flat! It was restocked online by popular demand at least three more times after that, and sold out each time. This, despite a price-tag of £250!
Harrods was once my absolute favourite store (now it's tied with Harvey Nicks), so I decided that something had to give after I landed in hospital with an anaphylactic reaction. Even so, it sold out online by the time I realised it had launched. I got mine thanks to the lovely Harrods SAs who called me at home to take my order, from the in-store stock.
The ownership may have changed, as also the atmosphere - then-owner Mr Al Fayed himself was standing at the entrance greeting people (including a wide-eyed yours truly) on my first visit, and it is now a lot more blingy and impersonal in the store - BUT their customer care has clearly not changed.

Scroll down for the unboxing and review of the Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017 - and the cost-breakdown.

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Feelunique Beauty Advent Calendar 2017 Unboxing, Review

Feelunique Beauty Advent Calendar 2017 Unboxing, Review

Unboxing Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, November 17, 2017

Feelunique's Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017 is themed "The Season To Shine". It costs £35, contains 12 beauty products, of which six are full-sized, and ships worldwide. Five products in here are makeup, three skincare, three hair care, and the one bath and body product.
The packaging is very pretty, though I had some difficulties getting the products out.

Beauty advent calendars currently available worldwide:

LookFantastic

Beauty Expert

Feelunique

HARRODS

Selfridges Beauty Workshop

Charlotte Tilbury

Decleor

Cowshed

Molton Brown

Susanne Kaufmann
Ciate Beauty
Ciate Nails
BareMinerals

Scroll down for the full unboxing and review of the Feelunique The Season To Shine Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017.

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Selfridges Beauty Workshop Advent Calendar 2017 Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

Selfridges Beauty Workshop Advent Calendar 2017 Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

Selfridges Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Every year, Selfridges does a luxury beauty advent calendar, featuring high-end brands from the L'Oreal group, as well as a more affordable multi-brand advent calendar. The latter used to be called the Beauty Workshop Advent Calendar, though over the last couple of years, Selfridges merely names it the Beauty Advent Calendar.
This year's edition costs £70, and contains 24 products, totally worth £250.

Beauty advent calendars currently available worldwide:

LookFantastic

Beauty Expert

Feelunique

HARRODS

Selfridges Beauty Workshop

Charlotte Tilbury

Decleor

Cowshed

Molton Brown

Susanne Kaufmann
Ciate Beauty
Ciate Nails
BareMinerals

Scroll down for the spoilers and contents of the Selfridges Beauty Workshop Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017.

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Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar 2017 Unboxing, Review

Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar 2017 Unboxing, Review

Unboxing Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, November 14, 2017

I cannot get enough of Beauty Advent Calendars this year. For one, there are so many new offerings. For another, existing players have upped their game with bigger and better boxes than before.
Today, I have Beauty Expert's Advent Calendar for 2017 to show you. It is titled the "12 Days of Christmas Collection". Everything in here is FULL-sized! And, the brands chosen are brilliant.

Scroll down for the unboxing and review of the Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Collection Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017.

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LookFantastic Advent Calendar 2017 Unboxing, GOOF-UP, Comparisons + Review

LookFantastic Advent Calendar 2017 Unboxing, GOOF-UP, Comparisons + Review

Videos Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, November 10, 2017

The reason my unboxing of the LookFantastic Beauty in Wonderland Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017 is at least three weeks later than expected is that I was hospitalised with an acute anaphylactic reaction - to goodness knows what; we can only do an allergy test after all the medications stop. This was on top of a foot injury. Basically, I woke up one morning with severe urticaria and couldn't move half my joints including my neck, and I ended up being pumped with steroids, which in turn gave me bad acne. I missed my Mum's birthday on October 27, while in hospital. That's what I call bad luck.
But the contents of the LookFantastic Beauty Advent Calendar for 2017 - and the packaging - are absolute, 100% good luck. Apart from one freak goof-up, this calendar is the best I've seen so far this year, as you will see below. I also want to show you the amazing attention to detail they've paid to the packaging.

GET THE LOOKFANTASTIC BEAUTY ADVENT CALENDAR FOR 2018 HERE.

Other beauty advent calendars currently available worldwide:

LookFantastic

Beauty Expert

Feelunique

HARRODS

Selfridges Beauty Workshop
NYX

Charlotte Tilbury

Decleor

Cowshed

Molton Brown

Susanne Kaufmann
Ciate Beauty
Ciate Nails
BareMinerals

Scroll down for the unboxing and review of the LookFantastic Beauty in Wonderland Advent Calendar for 2017,  and comparison with 2016 and 2015.

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Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar 2017 Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar 2017 Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

Skin care Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, November 10, 2017

Breathe! Harrods' first-ever Beauty Advent Calendar is here. It is worth a WHOPPING £595 - the highest value we've seen so far from an Advent Calendar. It costs an eye-watering £250, putting it into the luxury category, like the £300 calendars from Jo Malone, Diptyque, and so on. There are 25 products. More on them further below.
Jane of the British Beauty Blogger calls the contents of this one the "best I've ever seen" - I don't blame her. Chantecaille. By Terry. Suqqu. 111 Skin. Erno Laszlo. Huda Beauty. Omorovicza. The brand choices are certainly Harrods-y.

Other beauty advent calendars currently available worldwide:

LookFantastic

Beauty Expert

Feelunique

HARRODS

Selfridges Beauty Workshop
NYX

Charlotte Tilbury

Decleor

Cowshed

Molton Brown

Susanne Kaufmann
Ciate Beauty
Ciate Nails
BareMinerals

Scroll down for the full contents and spoilers of the Harrods Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017. 

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Space NK Party Piece Christmas Cracker Gift Set For Holiday 2017 Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

Space NK Party Piece Christmas Cracker Gift Set For Holiday 2017 Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

SpaceNK Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, November 01, 2017

Last year, Space NK Apothecary had the ultimate GWP event for the Holiday season - a whole advent calendar, with 25 products inside. This year, they've been equally generous with their Holiday GWP - the gift is a set of 12 crackers, containing 26 beauty products. And yes, this ships worldwide!
Like last year, the GWP also includes a gift card for £50. The entire set of 26 products is yours gratis when you shop on Space NK for £250, with code PARTY2017.
I'll tell you what the crackers contain.

Scroll down for the contents of Space NK's Party Piece Christmas Cracker Gift Set, for Holiday 2017.

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Cult Beauty Best of 2017 Goody Bag Contents: Ships Worldwide

Cult Beauty Best of 2017 Goody Bag Contents: Ships Worldwide

Makeup Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Cult Beauty's Best of 2017 Goody Bag is here, and boy, IS it epic, with a whopping SEVEN full-sized products, including goodies from Huda Beauty, Tata Harper, The Ordinary, and so on? And, among those full-sized goodies is a whole palette and a liquid lippie. Some of the products included are very recent launches such as the Huda Beauty primer. I call it their best beauty bag of the year.
Instead of the usual makeup pouch, they've added a swanky train case, and the total worth of the contents is £300. Of the 18 products in this set, eight are makeup, eight are skincare, one is the train case, and one is a code for £15 off your next order. Very nice curation there.

Scroll down for the contents of the Cult Beauty Best of 2017 Goody Bag.

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Beauty Bay Take The Crown Beauty Bags: Holiday 2017 Gift Guide

Beauty Bay Take The Crown Beauty Bags: Holiday 2017 Gift Guide

Makeup Geek Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, October 30, 2017

For Holiday 2017, Beauty Bay has launched a set of eight different beauty bags, containing a selection of makeup essentials from diverse brands, and a blingy pouch. The cost of the bags ranges from £21 to £31, though the net worth of the contents in each bag will be more. Brands featured include Dose of Colours, Juvia's Place, Makeup Geek, Eyeko, and more.

Scroll down for the Take The Crown 2017 Beauty Bag Collection from Beauty Bay.

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Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar 2017 Full Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar 2017 Full Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

Holiday 2017 Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, October 26, 2017

Beauty Expert is the latest retailer to jump on the Advent Calendar bandwagon this year - the more, the merrier, I say. Their 12-product Advent Calendar is worth a very generous £340, and costs £100. The contents are split across skin, hair and body products - from luxury brands, with ALL the products being full-sized. The calendar is available for purchase here.

Scroll down for the full contents and spoilers of the Beauty Expert 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017.

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Molton Brown Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017: Ships Worldwide

Molton Brown Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017: Ships Worldwide

Molton Brown Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Remember I told you about the fabulous Molton Brown Advent Calendar here last year? They have one for Holiday 2017 as well, containing 24 products, themed "The Cabinet of Scented Luxuries". The cost is a bit steeper this year, at £165.
The packaging is very similar, and the contents are as luxurious as always. Molton Brown makes THE BEST body washes ever, Pink Pepperpod being my favourite, followed by Coco and Sandalwood. Smelling these two bottles gets me in a good mood instantly, no matter what. There are 24 products in this year's Advent Calendar. More details below.
Other Beauty Advent Calendars that ship worldwide:

LookFantastic 

ASOS 

Makeup Revolution

NYX 

Selfridges

Charlotte Tilbury

Decleor 

Nuxe 

FeelUnique
Cowshed
More coming soon! 

Scroll down for the full contents and spoilers of the Molton Brown Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017.

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Cowshed Travel Countdown Calendar For Holiday 2017 Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

Cowshed Travel Countdown Calendar For Holiday 2017 Contents, Spoilers: Ships Worldwide

Holiday 2017 Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Cowshed's Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017 contains 11 best-sellers from the iconic British brand, all in travel sizes. All products are free of parabens, petrochemicals, sulphates, artificial fragrances and colours, and are not tested on animals. The Calendar costs £65.

Scroll down for the full contents and spoilers of the Cowshed Travel Countdown Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017.

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FeelUnique The Season To Shine Beauty Advent Calendar 2017 Spoilers, Contents: Ships Worldwide

FeelUnique The Season To Shine Beauty Advent Calendar 2017 Spoilers, Contents: Ships Worldwide

Holiday 2017 Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Every year, the FeelUnique 12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar features on my Holiday shopping list. Here's what I got in my calendar for 2016, and here is my 2015 calendar.
The calendar costs just £35, and contains 12 products, of which a very generous six are full-sized. For the last two years, they've had a very interesting "star" product, which has ranged from a full-sized eyeshadow palette, to a full-sized lipstick. This year, the star product is indeed a full-sized eyeshadow palette.

Scroll down for the full contents of the FeelUnique 12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017.

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Charlotte Tilbury Naughty And Nice Magic Box Advent Calendar 2017: Ships Worldwide

Charlotte Tilbury Naughty And Nice Magic Box Advent Calendar 2017: Ships Worldwide

Holiday 2017 Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Charlotte Tilbury's Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017 is here, and it is themed the "Naughty and Nice Magic Box." The 2016 calendar from Charlotte Tilbury looked like this. And, here's my review of the 2015 Charlotte Tilbury Book of Makeup Magic Advent Calendar.
The 2017 Advent Calendar costs £150 - like the two previous editions - and contains 12 products. But are the contents truly different? Or is this calendar not worth it? Read on.

Scroll down for the contents of the Charlotte Tilbury Naughty and Nice Magic Box Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017, and for comparisons with 2016 and 2015 editions.

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Decleor Beauty Advent Calendar For Holiday 2017: Ships Worldwide

Decleor Beauty Advent Calendar For Holiday 2017: Ships Worldwide

Holiday 2017 Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, October 13, 2017

The Decleor Beauty Advent Calendar For Holiday 2017 is themed "Hello December, Surprise Me!" Such a name should hopefully prevent people from tearing into the contents long before Advent!
The calendar costs £65, is worth £233.50, and contains 24 beauty products. Last year's edition cost £60 and contained 25 products. You can see the contents of the 2016 Decleor calendar here.

Scroll down for the contents of the Decleor Beauty Advent Calendar for Holiday 2017.

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