Best Beauty Advent Calenders 2014

Hello Lovelies!

Fall is here in full bloom, the air crisp and nights chilly. We love lighting scented candles up in the evening for that extra cosy feeling and coffee is always a delight. While we enjoy trees turning their leaves to majestic colors of rust, yellow, brilliant red and all kinds of shades of brown one thing is for sure, it is time to start thinking about Christmas! While the tradition of advent calenders and countdown to anticipate Christmas is not new, from paper calenders to chocolate to winter magic, all of these wonderful counters make the Christmas festivities even more enchanting. We all need to start somewhere so I thought, being a beauty and lifestyle blogger that I would start by shortlisting the best Beauty Advent Calenders for this year. I really cannot decide which one is the best as all of the below are such a treat but maybe I would go for the Selfridges Enchanted Christmas one. Almost all of these brands released advent calenders last season which were a massive hits with all being sold out hence the competition. 

Which one would you pick? 

Benefit Cosmetics | £ 60

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The Benefit Cosmetics advent calender is back and this time it is a candy-coated countdown. It is packed with mini me's of the brand's best sellers and beauty accessories. So adorable! 

Available at benefitcosmetics.co.uk and debenhams.com from 16th October. 

The Body Shop | £ 50

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Countdown to Christmas in skin-loving style with The Best of The Body Shop Advent Calender. This extra special treat features a beauty surprise behind every door. Not only this, every calender and specifically selected gift sold, a donation goes to the charity War Child enabling a child in war affected country to attend a class.
Available now. 

Selfridges | £ 85

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Forget chocolate! The best selling Selfridges beauty advent calender is back this year filled with 24 luxurious miniature treats to guarantee a beauty filled festive season and definitely a must-have for all beauty fans. The 2014 calender features a spell book design evoking Selfridges Enchanted Christmas theme.
Available now.

Jo Malone | £ 250

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The most expensive beauty advent calender yet and bursting with little luxuries, the Jo Malone beauty advent calender is pure indulgence. Behind each door of the brand's Georgia townhouse you'll find the likes of colognes and body creams that would leave you feeling like a million dollar all year round.
Available at Harrods from 20th October & nationwide in UK from 10th November. 

Ciate | £ 49

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Step into the splendour of holiday season with this coloured filled countdown. Be swept away with extravagant 24 piece mini nail collection hidden behind each window of this fairy tale worthy gift set. Ciate's Mini Mani Manor advent calender includes 17 of Ciate's most popular shades including Mistress, Amazing Gracie and Cupcake Queen, five exclusive textured polishes, one exclusive full size Paint Pot and one set of festive nail transfer. Step inside the wonderful Mini Mani Manor and start your Christmas with Ciate!
Available now.

Liberty | £ 149

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Think NARS to Diptyque, Dermalogica to Laura Mercier, front of this luxury advent calender depicts the iconic London department store while inside the drawers house luxury beauty treats for you. 

Available in store and at liberty.co.uk from November. 

L'Occitane | £ 45

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Well it's not 24 but 13 Pampering Treats from Provence. Why? In Provence, it is a holiday tradition to have 13 desserts on a holiday table. Before or after Christmas this is a luxurious way to celebrate the season. Expect the ultimate in L'Occitane loveliness, sensual fragrances, body and skincare surprise are pure presents in their own right. 

Available at loccitane.co.uk from 3rd November. 

NO 7 | £ 35

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Worth a whopping £ 130, this gift of 25 pressies is packed with skincare and makeup must-haves for the festivities. This also include so of the big sellers including the iconic Protect & Perfect Intense Day Cream.

Available on Boots store and online from 29th October.

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Happy October 2014!

Things I plan to do this Autumn!

Be outdoors

Host a bonfire

Drink apple cinnamon tea

Bake walnut cake

Visit a pumpkin patch

Explore local festivals 

Go on a road trip

Do something crafty

Explore autumn colors

Go hiking

Watch a sunset

Have a board game day
Lots of photography of autumn colors

Take a dip in fresh spring water!

Paint nails in autumn inspired shades
Make dry tomato powder from fresh tomatoes

Things I love about Autumn

♥ Leaves changing colors ♥ Lots of cuddling ♥ Rain on the roof  ♥ Preparing for Christmas ♥ Freshly baked walnut cake ♥ Apple Cinnamon tea ♥ Movies & popcorn on Friday nights ♥ Soup for dinner ♥ Warm porch lights ♥ Spice lattes ♥ Hot chocolate with brownie ♥ Scented candles ♥ Scarves & mittens ♥ Apple picking ♥ Trick or treat ♥ Corn fields ♥ Crispy mornings ♥ Cinnamon rolls ♥ Frosted rain ♥ Full moon ♥ Pumpkins

I have already fulfilled many from my Things I plan to do this Autumn! list.

What are you planning to do this autumn?

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Launch | Fijian Water Lotus Flower by The Body Shop

Hi lovelies..

A mermaid was spotted in Islamabad!!

Yep! On 2 October 2014 hundreds of people witnessed as it happened. Alright, relax people. It was actually an Islamabad based model - Sabeen Khan dressed in a perfectly stitched costume, sitting in a Victorian style bathing tub at the media PR launch of The Body Shop located at Centaurus Mall Islamabad.

The Body Shop recently launched Fijian Water Lotus, the latest fragrance in their bestselling Scents of The World Collection. Fijian Water Lotus Collection is an escape to the island paradise of Fiji. When these breathtakingly beautiful water lotus were discovered, these were carefully handpicked to create this delicate and unique scent. Enriched with water lotus notes and fragipani accords for a breeze of fragrance straight from the Pacific, Fijian Water Lotus is the perfect summer collection which is light and fresh.

The launch was attended by prominent socialites of Islamabad as well as renowned artists making it a mega event. Creativity was stunning, the entire store had a Fijian Island theme. With sea colored carpet, sea shells all across the store, lotus flowers midst blue chiffon curtains, blue and aqua colored lights, customized furniture and the atmosphere filled with refreshing and calming Fijian Water Lotus fragrance all around - the ambiance took your senses to white sandy beaches and blue sea of Fiji. Highlight of the event was a beautiful mermaid in the middle of the store laying in a Victorian tub, splashing this new fragrance and creating that hint of magic. Who could have sported a fragrance filled with essence of the ocean than a mermaid herself! The launch was loved by all who attended the mini-Fijian atmosphere created inside the store. The guests not only loved the theme but also sea food and coconut water. The event was successfully organized by Constantine PR, Islamabad's Premiere PR Agency.

The Values of The Body Shop have always been the heart of their business hence in continuation to this tradition "The Body Shop Acknowledgment Program" has also been initiated which aims to acknowledge the extraordinary men and women of Pakistan and their efforts which add to the values of this community. Muniba Mazari was the first female to get acknowledged via this program. At this launch event she was presented with gift hampers. Furthermore, The Body Shop Pakistan also plans to launch "Dinner With A Star Program" to spice things up! This will give their customers a chance to have dinner with their favorite celebrities so stay tuned!

Eid is around the corner and trust me you would absolutely love the range Fijian Water Lotus Flower Collection has to offer as it is perfect for day time. The range is pretty expansive with a perfume oil, a fragrance mist, an eau de toilette, a shower gel, a body butter and a body lotion. Layer on different products starting with a refreshing bath to build the fragrance. Pick up a ETD or mist for yourself and take along a beautiful gift pack for friends and family.

Available online at £ 16.00  for 50ml

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Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF 15 | The Body Shop

Hi Lovelies,

Okay this is another pick of mine from The Body Shop since my hands have started looking like a dry fall leaf these days due to the changing weather. As fall/winters approach my hands start appearing drier than my face. Therefore I am always looking for good hand creams and hand butters. I picked The Body Shop Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF 15 this time (though it is meant for mature skin) because.. well.. I had used the Almond Hand and Nail Cream and the Wild Rose Nourishing Hand Butter (the best!) in the past. Both of them did wonders for my hands keeping them soft and pampered. All these hand creams come in a unique similar looking metallic tubes however the formula of each is very different from one another.

The Body Shop Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF 15 seemed like a good pick as I need a lot of TLC for my hands. This is a light and non greasy formula. Now I do not have a problem with a hand cream being non-greasy rather the contrary. But I believe I did not quite understand the term light here while I was purchasing it. The formula contains Community Fair Trade Peru Nut Oil, Soya Oil from Brazil and Shea Butter from Ghana. When you apply it to your hands the texture is light with a beautiful lingering pleasant rose fragrance. This is a big plus point for me - lightweight formula with a beautiful scent.  I reapply every time I wash my hands and keep it on my office desk all the time!However, I do admit that comparatively I found Wild Rose Nourishing Hand Butter working better on my hands than this one. Maybe due to the fact that I need just a bit more moisture for my hands than this. Nonetheless, a very good product.

Another great plus point is the inclusion of SPF 15. So next time you are out in the sun during those late autumn weekends you do not need to worry about your hands getting a sun damage. Not only does The Body Shop Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF 15 provide the much needed moisture to your hands, it also helps reduce the appearance of brown spots. Since I do not have brown spots on my hands thankfully I do not need to worry about that but if you are someone who needs a solution to this issue try giving this daily hand cream a try.

Before // After

Now the only down side. This hand cream comes in a metallic tube which looks beautiful when you are buying it but in time it turns into a crushed and battered due to a lot of squeezing. I, however do not mind that too much. Just that the metallic tube goes crazy as you keep using it. You can tell from these photographs that I have already started using mine.

Which is you most favorite hand cream?
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Available online at £ 11.00 / £ 5.00 for 100ml/30ml

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Fairytale Photography | Margarita Kareva

Hi Lovelies,

I love photography and everything related to it. My passion towards photography reflects in my blog photographs where even though I use a small camera (Sony Cybershot Carl Zeiss Digital Camera) I try to be as creative as I can. Recently while browsing over the internet I came across a photographer who's work is utterly magnificent! It is so captivating that I had to share it with fellow bloggers. Margarita Kareva is a Russia based photographer who specializes in fantasy art photography. She took up photography only three years back but her portfolio is already full of vibrant, magical and creative images. I compiled a few of my favorite photographs from her portfolio and wanted to share with you - for inspiration.

What do you think?

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ARTDECO | Mineral Baked Eyeshadow in Bright Sand

Hi lovelies,

Artdeco has beautiful makeup! Whenever I come across their counter I can't stop trying out those gorgeous shades of lipsticks, eyeshadows, nail colors - what not. They have one of the best nail polishes shades in my opinion with a wide range of shades to choose from. Moreover they keep updating the shades frequently hence everytime I visit their counter I always find something new. Same goes for the lipsticks and eyeshadows. This time when I came across their counter I thought I would try a few of their eyeshadows. I was looking for a shade that I could apply everyday but also something that would look beautiful both during the day and at night. I was more inclined towards buying earthy tones this time for a change as I usually go for pale pinks and neutral shades.

 

 

My pick was Artdeco Mineral Baked Eyeshadow in 'Bright Sand'. It comes in a round plastic packaging with Artdeco logo printed on the transparent lid. Inside is one of the most gorgeous shades of brown I have ever purchased. This eyeshadow is exceptionally brilliant thanks to higher percentage of pearl pigments. I love the texture, it is smooth and amazingly soft which makes it so easy to apply. This makes every application even and beautiful. Though I have always been inclined towards eye shadows that are matte since I prefer a more natural look. I can't deny the fact that it is so hard for me to resist an eyeshadow that shimmers! Apart from having a beautiful pinkish tone to this brown 'Bright Sand' eyeshadow (perfect combination) I love how brilliant yet elegant the eyeshadow makes your eyes look because of the rich pigmentation.

I plan to use this shade for everyday makeup. I think it looks beautiful during day light. I do not like a lot of color on my eyelids during day time. I personally think it just looks unnatural especially if you have to work in a professional environment like I do. If I want to play with colors I would rather go for color eyeliners. To ensure eye makeup durability and brilliant color intensity Artdeco Eyeshadow Base is the perfect primer. So whenever I'm in the mood of some magical eye makeup I would love to apply 'Bright Sand' eyeshadow over the primer. However, I do not prefer a primer during the day or on casual outings. It just adds to the overall makeup time and I like to (have to!) get ready as fast as I can.

My final verdict is here. Artdeco Mineral Baked Eyeshadow in Bright Sand is a gorgeous shade. If you come across Artdeco counter do give it a try and let me know how did you find it. On my next visit to Artdeco makeup counters I will make sure I try out different shades not only from the Mineral Baked Eyeshadows but also from their different range of eyeshadows (the have plenty!). Moreover, I also plan to try out their fluid foundations and BB creams. If you follow my blog regularly you would know that I have been using L'Oreal True Match Foundation for sometime now. Though I am satisfied with this foundation I still would like to try and see how Artdeco's Foundation range works on my skin keeping in mind the fact that all the other products that I have purchased from this brand have been amazing.

Have you made any purchase from Artdeco?

Purchase online at Debenhams @ £ 14.50

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Clinique | Color Surge Eye Shadow Palette

Hi lovelies,

It has been a while I wanted to review Color Surge Eye Shadow Palette from Clinique I won on twitter. I have not tried an eye shadow palette from Clinique before which got me all excited. Even though I'm not into using eye shadows a lot and too frequently except for a clean, neutral shade (my favorite Continous Creme by Lancome Color Design Infinite) in routine days, I do love to play with colors when I feel the need. The Color Surge Eye Shadow Palette from Clinique - a limited edition, comes in a nice packaging of five well-coordinated eye shadows and a creamy, crayon-like eye pencil. The palette has a nice, wide mirror and is pretty light weight which makes it convenient to use on the go and carry around in your purse. It contains a combination of different eye shadows from single and duo Clinique palettes including:

♥ Daybreak

♥ Strike It Rich

♥ Dark Brown from Like Mink Duo

♥ Purple from Beach Plum Duo

♥ Lilac from Lilac Truffle Duo

These Clinique eye shadows have either a soft shimmer finish or super shimmer finish. The formula is silky and velvety with a nice texture. Pigmentation wise I would say these are not as pigmented as I thought these would be. It includes two small applicators with a smudging sponge side and a brush tip for multiple use. The lighter eye shadows Daybreak and Lilac  can be used as a base and all over the eyelids or even as a highlighter. The darker eye shadows work great for contouring and adding depth to the eyes. I love these eye shadows because they are crease and fade resistant therefore perfect for event like weddings and night events when you need your eye makeup to stay and look fresh for as long as possible. For a dramatic night time look, I would suggest using these eye shadows with a primer. You can try All About Shadow Primer for eyes from the same range which will definitely improve shadow application and will last longer.

The Color Surge Eye Shadow Palette from Clinique also includes a soft, almost crayon like eye pencil in the shade Chocolate Lustre. As the name suggests, it is a very nice chocolate brown shade which can be used during the day for everyday makeup. You can also create a beautiful smoky brown look with this eye pencil by blending it over your eyelids followed by a beautiful brown eye shadow of your choice. The creamy texture makes the eye pencil ideal to smooth over the entire lid followed by blending to soften the look. This can also be used as a base for the eye shadows. I am sure it would make the colors look stunning! This cream shaper has a smudge proof, water resistant formula which makes it incredibly long lasting.

Daybreak ♥ Strike It Rich ♥ Dark Brown (Like Mink Duo) ♥ Purple (Beach Plum Duo) ♥ Lilac (Lilac Truffle Duo)

I totally love Daybreak and Lilac (Lilac Truffle Duo) for the fact that they are so wearable during the day. But I also cannot deny the fact that all these eye shadows are beautiful. I am not too sure if this palette is available for sale at the moment but you can definitely purchase the single or duo eye shadows from Clinique. Let me know your thoughts about this palette.

What are your favorite products from Clinique?

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