Marks & Spencers Beauty Calendar | Best Bits!

Hey gals,

So we're two weeks into January now; anyone else already broke one of their New Years Resolutions? (Jokes, I didn't even make any, I have that little self confidence...)  One thing I am attempting this year however is YouTube. Yep you heard it right people, Izzy is on the tube. As you guys may or may not have gathered from my overuse of italics and brackets, I love a good ramble, and so it just made complete sense to me to start making videos! My first one is up and it's a fun little Get to Know Me tag <3  I'd love it if you could subscribe, and please feel free to give suggestions for videos too!

My Marks and Spencers Beauty Calendar has been sitting on my window-ledge staring at me this past week or so, and there are several products from it that I keep on reaching for, so I decided to do a little round up of my favourite bits!

1. Alpha H Liquid Gold

2. Shay and Blue Atropa Belladonna

3. Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Ice Cream

4. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

5. Look Good Feel Better Mini Powder Brush

6. Pixi Brow Tamer

I'm always on the lookout for products that contain Glycolic Acid as it increases cell turnover, which - without getting too sciency - brings your sparkly new skin cells to the surface AND helps speed up the fading of dark spots and hyperpigmentation left behind from acne. Both Alpha H Liquid Gold and Pixi Glow Tonic are cult favourites amongst the blogosphere as they do just that, and exfoliate your face without all that irritation caused by rubbing. (Essentially it's a lazy person's dream - no rinsing off all the silly little chunks of salt and then blindly searching for a towel like Velma trying to find her glasses, cause you got some in your bloody eye again. Oh just me? Never mind then...)

Anyway this tingles slightly and tightens my pores when I put it on, which makes me feel like its working, so I'll keep you guys posted if I see my acne scars fade noticeably over the next couple weeks!

This adorable little Shay & Blue perfume was behind the final door of the calendar and I'm so pleased it was. Perfume can be tricky cause its so subjective, but this fragrance is to die for! I'm not sure if every box got the same scent, but I recieved Atropa Belladona, (which is Italian for Beautiful Lady dontcha know). It has a sultry, mysterious vibe with notes of patchouli and jasmine and a really musky undertone that lingered on me for ages. I'm definitely going to be researching into more of their collection as I actually got complimented on my perfume several hours into wearing this. (And who doesn't love a good compliment?)

The Icelandic Relief Eye Cream is possibly one of the most luxurious things I've patted onto my under-eyes. The consistency is kinda strange and squidgy, it almost has a mousse-like texture to it, and it tingles a little as it goes on, but feels so refreshing. I was a bit bummed-out to put it bluntly at the teeny-tiny sample size, but I've barely made a dent in the product, despite using it every night for a week or two! I have my eye on a few Skyn products, but I might read a few reviews, as they come with a hefty price tag! Have you tried anything from the brand?

 

My poor, dry skin and I get extremely excited whenever we see the word 'Oil' on a beauty label, (whether the word be in French or not,) and the Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse is no exception. After taking off make-up that has been sinking into my skin all day, this is the perfect treat to bring it back to life! Although put too much on and you'll look like a Twilight extra - credit for that phrase goes to Molly from The Rose Beauty Files

I was really impressed with the quality of this brush, the bristles are so soft and nicely dense. I've so far loved using it to set my face with my new powder - The Body Shop All in One Face Base (thanks Heather  for the recommendation). Look Good Feel Better is also a charity that is very close to many hearts, so I'm always keen to support, as profits do go back into confidence boosting classes for cancer patients. The brushes are also cruelty-free which is amazing too and really reasonably priced!

*Apologies for the lack of photo for the Pixi brow tamer, I honestly don't know how but I lost it..*

I've been softening my 'Go To' brow look as of recently, opting for a nicely defined tail end of the brow, with more fluffy/wispy hairs towards the centre of my face, and the Brow Tamer has let me achieve that. It's a clear brow gel and it's great at holding brow hairs in place whilst still looking and feeling natural. I've tried a few really thick gels in the past, where yes, my brow hairs will not budge come rain or shine, but the hairs feel like they've been stuck together with eyelash glue - Not the nicest feeling FYI - Although my only complaint about this one is that I wish the brush was thinner so you could be more precise and coat more hairs, (like the Benefit Ready Set Brows brush). But no biggie, once you've worked it through the hairs it seems to hold them in place really nicely.

Did you get a Beauty Advent Calendar this Xmas? What were your favourite products?

Thanks for reading your Dose of Advent