I have never been one for waterproof mascara, it literally just didn't cross my mind as a product that I could need or want, until now.

I recently started working as a waitress, which as you may know can warrant long shifts and lots of non stop hard work. Then I realised that after every shift I would look in the mirror to see two black eyes from where my mascara had moved from my lashes to my under-eyes. Seriously not a good look! So I thought I would give waterproof mascara a go to see if it could fix the problem...

Not only does waterproof mascara keep my mascara from running or smudging it also holds my curl all day long so my lashes look as good on the way home as on the way out. Result! Obviously the downside is there when after a 12 hour shift I then have the battle of removing said mascara, but with my lovely cleanser I can just manage it without too much scrubbing, however not a chance will anyone manage will just micellar water or something like that. 

(To see post on cleanser: http://charlottesescapexo.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-body-shop-camomile-sumptuous.html) 

Thank you so much for viewing this post, I hope you liked it and please let me know what you think in the comments! Please follow my blog to see new posts every Monday and Friday.

xo Charlotte's Escape xo

Now that the winter is going we can finally regain our lips from the cracked mess that the cold weather and central heating has left them in. I personally have quite big lips and so having them looking soft and smooth really helps with my general appearance. If they are cracked its the first thing you see when you look at me, so its a must sort situation. To see how I keep my lips super soft read on...

Traditionally my first step is to go in with a scrub, all I use is a little sugar and honey mixed together, scrub over the top and then rinse off. Then comes the hydration! Lip balms and masks are everywhere but I love these three. I use the lip butter normally on a night and before I put makeup on in the morning, this is because its a super thick texture so takes a little longer to sink in. The lip balm is my everyday, in my handbag kind of product, that I use as often as I need it. And last but by no means least is the mask (which also doubles as an eye cream/mask) which I tend to use once or twice a week to give a boost to the hydrating of my lips, I use it at night to give it time to get to work. 

Now that the spring is here I like to steer away from the drying mattes and towards the hydrating lipsticks and lip butter. I love both of these but the Revlon Lip Butter is just beautiful and the perfect shade for spring too. And that's the final step!

I hope you enjoyed this post, I would love to know what products you use and if you have any suggestions, leave me a comment below!

Thank you!

xo Charlotte's Escape xo

One thing I really do love is a face highlight, especially on those days when you face just needs a boost. I love highlight on my eyes as well but for today I've just stuck to talking about what I love to highlight my cheekbones and brighten up my face. I pretty much go for a highlighted look all year round but I know some people prefer to go for this look for spring and summer so if that's you then read on...

So I have two powder highlighters, one face pearls and two of my preferred cream highlighters. Although most of these products don't simply call themselves highlighters and make things complicated calling themselves illuminators  etc. 

These face pearls are very much a blush with a glow which I particularly enjoy in summer when I like to keep makeup to a minimal. Simply just sweep your brush over the pearls and then sweep onto face. Easy peasy!

For the powder highlights I have two, one more pink toned and the other slighly more bronze. I tend to go with the pink as I think its suits my skin tone a little better. Both are really lovely and again, same as the pearls, super easy to apply. 

And finally my favourites! I absolutely love both of these products and I use the more pink toned one pretty much daily as its so beautiful and just gives your face a perfect glow that still looks kind of natural.

I hope you enjoyed this post, don't forget to check out my other beauty posts and follow for new posts every Monday and Friday.

Thank you for reading!

xo Charlotte's Escape xo

I have heard so many things about the Smashbox primers and wanted to try them for a while so when I found this little gem I was over the moon. In this 'primer try it kit' you get a sample size (reasonably sized though) of the Photo Finish Foundation primer, the Photo Finish Hydrating Under-eye primer and the Photo Finish Lid Primer.

These primers are excellent at keeping your makeup on for longer as well as making the apearance of makeup more smooth and even. I really love both the foundation primer and under-eye primer, however I am less keen on the lid primer as the consistency is super thick making it hard to blend - although this may be down to it being a sample. This little kit is ideal for seeing if you like the products and then deciding which you want the full size of, if any. I would definitely buy the foundation and under-eye primers.

Thank you for reading this post, please go and check out my last few posts as there has been so great beauty, especially in 

http://charlottesescapexo.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/latest-in-beauty-glamour-spring-edit.html

If you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see or feedback on the blog then let me know in the comments. 

xo Charlotte's Escape xo

Its Monday again and in my world that means I'm desperate for some retail therapy - if only this student loan would hurry up! So for all the people out there that just like me have a high-end wish list that one day they hope they can afford, read on...

Here is what I'm dying to have...

This week the postman delivered heaven in a beauty box to my door. Latest In Beauty have teamed up with Glamour magazine for another collaboration edit and it is AMAZING!

Firstly it comes in this gorgeous box in pretty spring brights which already has you feeling the spring vibes. The excitement to see what's inside is too much!

Once you've opened the beautiful packaging you get to see an array of  9 beauty products, ranging from the high end with Nuxe to the high street with Revlon and Rimmel. In addition you also receive a code for a 12 month Glamour subscription.

We have the famous Nuxe Creme Fraiche Mask and a Moroccan Oil hair mask. Both of which I tried within hours of the box arriving as I couldn't wait to give them a go. The face mask was absolutely amazing, I have never known my face to feel so soft and smooth. An absolute must try in my eyes. The hair mask I choose to leave on overnight as opposed to 5 minutes and after washing out my hair had a new lease of life and was left feeling soft and healthy. Another star product.

Next up was the Revlon Colourstay Gel Envy Polish and Top Coat. Again, I couldn't wait to try so I gave them a go this morning and my nails look as good as when I get them done at the salon. The nail polish applies easily and evenly without too much effort and then the top coat keeps everything in place and shiny while helping nails to dry super quickly. Yet more excellent products.

In keeping with the 90's lip that everyone is adopting I found the Rimmel Oh My Gloss in a pretty brown shade which I haven't tried yet but look forward to doing as I haven't got on the brown lip bandwagon just yet, this may just convert me! With it was a lovely coral lip and cheek tint, coral is my go to shade in the spring summer so no doubt this will get plenty of use.

Last but not least I received a BeautyUK Brow Kit which I have heard really good things about so I an excited to try. The Kiko eyeshadow stick I have been dying to try for months but just never got round to buying, I got mine in a beautiful golden brown shade which I could wear literally every day - and might just! And to finish the box off we get a sample of the new Elie Saab fragrance and its lovely, definitely recommend giving it a spray if you get the chance. 

Thank you so much for reading this post. I absolutely loved getting this box and if you go onto the Latest In Beauty website you can get your own. I can't wait to get using everything I've been sent. 

Hope you enjoyed this post, check out my blog for more, I post every Monday and Friday!

xo Charlotte's Escape xo

Over the last few months I've been noticing that my hair was looking a lot thinner and finer and so I popped to the drugstore in desperation to find a product that would help my hair to look thicker and have more movement. That's when I came across Tresemme's Youth Boost collection...

The range claims that it recharges hair giving it youthful fullness - just what I wanted! I picked up the fullness emulsion spray for the roots and the styling lotion for the mid-lengths to ends so that I was combating my thinning hair from all angles. 

The emulsion spray is different to anything I've used before but I like that because you are spraying into the roots if feels like it has more chance of helping hair longer term as well as giving volume for the short term. So easy to use, just spray directly onto roots all over head and massage in (which I love as it also then promotes hair growth!).

Following that I then use 3-4 pumps of the styling lotion and distribute through the length of my hair, this leaves my hair feeling so soft but still lightweight so it won't weigh down any thickness and volume that we are aiming for.

I have only used these products a few times so far and already I love them enough to rave about them in a blog post all to themselves. They really do leave hair looking thick and full but still super soft and frizz free. They give my hair the perfect finish and I can't imagine not having them now.

If you have any hair product loves them please let me know! Thank you for reading, if you liked it then please have a look at previous posts. 

xo Charlotte's Escape xo

This product has been on my wish list for ages so I was over the moon when it arrived in the post and I could finally give it a go. You might be able to tell from the orange packaging and liquid that this is orange based and claims to be a high powered vitamin C complex. The idea is that it will repair damage and smooth skin hangups while preventing additional damage and keeping skin healthy and moisturised. So let's give it a go...

So on first impressions the serum is strongly scented but not in a natural orange fragrance, but what I would say smells like a medicine I used to get prescribed as a child. This was kind of a let down to me as the artificial smell puts me off slightly.

The next thing I noticed is that the serum is not the texture I would have thought (I was thinking Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate) but much more sticky on application. This again I'm not a huge fan of but if the product is good I can live with a slight sticky face while it sinks in.

Now I have used the product a few times and would say that I do think it is good and has benefits - it seems to allow moisturiser to work better and gives skin a brighter look. However I'm not sure it lives up to its claims fully, and therefore may not be worth the price tag.

So this product lies in the middle for me, I love the idea of it and will continue to try it out as part of my morning routine to see if its a slow working product that takes more time to see results. So far I like it, but don't love it.

If you've tried it out then please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Or if you have any suggestions of serums I should try let me know.

Thank you for reading. If you want to see the Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate (previously mentioned) then I've talked about it here: 

http://charlottesescapexo.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/my-evening-skincare-routine.html

and here:

http://charlottesescapexo.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/my-perfect-nights-sleep-routine.html

xo Charlotte's Escape xo