Event: Selfridges Christmas Beauty

A few weeks ago I headed to Selfridges and met up with the gorgeous Ting from The Ting Thing for the Selfridges Christmas Beauty event.

My collected Selfridges make up haul

Selfridges Christmas Beauty Ticket and Golden Wristband

Starting off at Topshop (yes I got sidetracked), I soon made my way back to the beauty hall to purchase a ticket and receive my gold wristband. This ensured I could take part in the event and indulge in the food (profiteroles) and drink (grapefruit non alcoholic cocktails for me) that was on offer.

Taking place during the Christmas Comes Early promotion, there was an additional 10% off on the evening. Slight disclaimer, I didn't purchase all of the below on the night and went back later on in the week to pick up the MAC products and Lancome items.

However, here's a rundown of everything I bought on the night:

Tom Ford Lip Color in Nubile available here

First up, the Tom Ford Lipstick. I have always wanted to own something from Tom Ford and I finally made my first purchase. I chose the Tom Ford Lip Color Shine in 07 Nubile, as this was matched up to me as a great nude.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette available here

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion available here

Next, I headed to Urban Decay and had a little eye makeover using the Naked Palette. I confessed that I must be the only beauty blogger who doesn't already own one and before I knew it I'd already grabbed the Naked 3 in it's rose gold toned glory and the matching Eye Primer Potion to boot.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers available here

I've always wanted a Shu Uemura eyelash curler, since it's heydey in the 90's as the eyelash curler to own. I picked up this one ready wrapped as it looked so cute!

Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick available here

I also went to Bobbi Brown to look for a concealer. Somehow, I came out with a Foundation Stick instead as I was persuaded to try this out (I always use liquid or cream foundations) and at the very least I can still use it as a concealer. I have tried to use this as a foundation and found it a bit too much but as a concealer I love it!

Charlotte Tilbury lipstick in Coachella Coral available here

I did try out a few products from Charlotte Tilbury, including the lipsticks, but came away empty handed as I just couldn't pick!!

Curl makeover from Umberto Giannini

On the night, I also had a wash and blow dry at Umberto Giannini and Ting played photographer :) How amazing are these curls?!

We had a great time at the event and played around with the photobooth too!

With Ting

I went back to MAC a few days later to purchase the huge haul below.

MAC Haul

I got: MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Global Glow, MAC Lip Pencil in Boldly Bare, MAC 129 Brush, MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly, MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam VI, MAC Matte Lipstick in Diva, MAC Frost Lipstick in Viva Glam Rihanna, MAC Frost Lipstick in Angel, MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Impassioned, MAC Amplified Lipstick inVegas Volt, MAC Satin Lipstick in Viva Glam II, MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Speak Louder and MACCremesheen Lipstick in Lickable. Phew!

I will do a separate post on my MAC collection but I decided to take the plunge and build up a lipstick wardrobe. This is because on my last three trips to MAC I've picked up three almost identical lipsticks!!! This way I got to make sure I had every base covered and it was fun to go all out!

Lancome Advanced Genifique Serum Gift Set available here

Lancome L'Absolu Velours Lipstick in 385 Velours de Pourpre available here

Finally, I visited Lancome in search of my favourite serum, Genifique. I got this Christmas special set and also came away with this lovely L'Absolu Velours in 385. This intense lip colour with a velvet matte finish is such a gorgeous shade, a real bright cerise pink!

I had a great time building up my makeup collection and even with all this I'm sure I'll be back next year!

NOTD: Urban Decay Nail Color Chaos and Urban Decay Launch in Selfridges Beauty Hall

Following on from my review of Urban Decay Bang, here's this season's other standout nail colour, Chaos. 

A tough, opaque, vivid blue, Chaos is an intense and highly pigmented nail polish and perfect pairing with the new Electric Palette.

A real cobalt blue, like Chaos, the formula is smooth, the brush is thin but precise and the bottle itself is seriously sexy. I love the quality of these polishes and would definitely purchase them again. Even better, they are toluene, formaldehyde or DBP free. The colour is much more accurate in the first picture.

Urban Decay Limited Edition Nail Color in Chaos available here

Speaking of Urban Decay, the brand hosted a special event this evening at Selfridges Birmingham Beauty Hall. Working with a UK grafitti artist on a live canvas spray, guests were able to have a picture taken in front of the finished canvas and come back for a complimentary makeover. 

If you've been to Selfridges Birmingham recently, you may have noticed it's had a shiny new makeover. Now twice the size, it's home to new brands including Charlotte Tilbury, Tom Ford Colour and Chanel Espace. 

Urban Decay is known for experimental shades and innovative, high performance products. Established in the mid 1990's, Sandy Lerner, David Soward and Wende Zomnir unleashed a 

line of lipsticks and nail enamels inspired by seedier facets of the urban landscape. 

Producing one of the biggest shade ranges in the industry as well as the cult Naked Palettes, I can't wait to try out more of the range, in particular the Naked Complexion foundation.

Keep an eye out for more reviews coming soon!

NOTD: Urban Decay Nail Color Bang

Before I even start talking about the nail polish itself, can we all take a moment to appreciate the fabulous bottles? Yes, they're tall and skinny, yes they feature a lush mirrored bronze applicator lid, but they also feature mini skulls on the top, that's right, mini skulls. Genius.

Urban Decay Limited Edition Nail Color in Bang* available here

The Hype

"Ultra-sophisticated and EXTREMELY limited edition, these decadent (and very UD) colors feature complex shade work, super-rich pigments and dynamic micro-sparkle. Long-wearing and chip-resistant, our formula has a high-gloss finish that's tough and durable, yet flexible. And each shade is 3-free - formulated without toluene, formaldehyde or DBP."

One coat

The Verdict

Anyway, back to the nail polish itself. Named bang, this vibrant orange shade is bright and loud in the bottle, and yet once on appears to mellow out. The polish is infused with a very subtle micro particle glimmer than is difficult to see once on the nail, but visible in the bottle, and the brush is super-thin, for a mess-free application.

A truly tangerine shade, the pigment was so dense that even after one coat, nails look done. This glides onto the nail easily and after a second coat, is glossy and vibrant.

Two coats

Overall

Besides the dressing table worthy bottle, the super quick and easy application, speedy drying time and an intense, pigment rich formula make this one of the best nail polishes I've ever tried. I adore this colour and it will look perfect on toes with a tan!

At £10 for 9ml, the price point is pretty average for a premium brand.

Have you ever used an Urban Decay nail polish?

*PR Sample