Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick Collection| Spicy Cinnamon, Royal Plum, Soft Plum, Rose Berry, Bubblegum Pink

If the new Joli Rouge range has any thing to do with the super gorgeous Angelina Jolie I know one thing, it has has VIP written all over it. The new lipstick range from Clarins is utterly amazing- I honestly cannot believe how good it really is. A couple of months ago in my Rimmel London lipstick post (click here), I stressed that wearing a lipstick that feels as though it is drying the life out of your lips is seriously the worst thing ever (even the thought of it makes me shudder). So with lips sore enough to make people question whether you are wearing 'light red lipstick', it was only until I discovered the Moisture Renew range by Rimmel London and the Joli Rouge range by Clarins that there was in fact a saviour to all sore and parched lips. Although I absolutely love many high brands like MAC and Charlotte Tilbury, sometimes their lipsticks do not necessarily have that ultra moisturising effect (even the MAC cremesheen lipsticks are a slight let down). So like the Moisture Renew range, will the new girl on the block be able live up to its Jolicious name?... I think so!

Each lipstick from the range has a creamy formula that leaves the lips with intense colour and a delicate satin finish. Enriched with Salicomia extract and mango oil, these lipsticks are able to keep your lips feeling mighty hydrated for 6 hours. For instance I first apply my Joli lipstick of choice around 7am in the morning and I do not have to top up until 1pm in the afternoon- so the 6 hour expectation is something that I can definitely confirm. I would have to say that that the new Joli range is a little more hydrating than the Moisture Renew range and they also smells a lot better (the delicious scent of the mango oil comes through). I would have to say that these lipsticks are just perfect for the wintry months ahead as they able to treat the lips whilst giving that desired punch of colour. Since using these lipsticks daily I have not yet suffered from sore and chappy lips (which is a blimmin' miracle for this time of year).

Packaging wise, don't you think they look gorgeous? The old packaging was rather weighty and the lipsticks were encased in an oval shaped silver cover which wasn't as sleek as this new improved version. Shape wise, each lipstick has a slightly curved tip which hugs the contours of your lips perfectly which allows for precise application. So out of the 25 lipsticks that exist in the range I chose the following 5: Spicy Cinnamon, Royal Plum, Soft Plum, Rose Berry and Bubblegum pink as my wild card! I would have to say that Soft Plum was my favourite because it has this gorgeous purple tone throughout which makes your lips look super stylish and unique. So that you can all see what the colours actually look like on the lips, here are a number of selfie inspired pictures for you all to take a look at:

Soft Plum

Royal Plum

Rose Berry

Bubblegum Pink

Spicy Cinnamon

Do you suffer from sore and chapped lips too? Which colours would you choose?

Much Love

Eltoria x

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MEETING ONE DIRECTION!| London & Madame Tussauds

Right I am going to apologise now... this post is going to contain an awful amount of photos and One Direction footage (at least you won't have to read so much). Last month I went to London to celebrate turning 23 with my boyfriend Joe, and we had an amazing time exploring London and most of all going to see One Direction ON MY ACTUAL BIRTHDAY! I generally have to say that I reckon that my 23rd birthday has got to be the best so far, and I really hope that you all enjoy my new YouTube video by clicking here. Not only does this new video show you all what we got up to around London, but it of course has the exclusive footage from the One Direction Concert! I was really fortunate to get some amazing footage of the boys (as we were sat so close to them) and I managed to film them all joking around on stage and talking to the audience. Now I do need your help on something. As you will see from the video, Harry Styles sings happy birthday to a little girl called Ella who turned 11 that day. Now I don't think that little Ella has managed to see this footage so I would be so grateful if you could all tweet the video using the hashtag #HarryStylesSingsToElla. I'm sure this would make this little girls dream if she could re-live all over again (I know I would!).

What was also special about this birthday was that I was able to spend it with my twin sister. As my sister and I now live a few hours apart we haven't actually spent a birthday together in 4 years, so it was really nice to go out to dinner and spend some time with her. That night Joe and I also decided to aimlessly walk around London until 1am- we managed to go shopping, visit China Town, see Piccadilly Circus all lit up and send our royal regards to Buckingham Palace... ahh I just love London!

So on my actual birthday (the 26th of September) Joe and I went back into London to do some more sight seeing and of course in real Eltoria fashion, shopped until we dropped down Oxford Street. I managed to visit my favourite store of all time, LUSH Oxford Street, so be sure to check out what I bought from there by clicking here (I did buy a lot of new Christmas products if that tempts you). From the video you will also see that we went to visit Parliament. I must have been to Parliament about a million of times now but I just love hearing Big Ben chime- it's quite a therapeutic sound don't you think? Later in the evening Joe and I went to the One Direction concert! No words can actually describe how awesome it was so I will leave you guys to watch it for yourselves:

Click here to check out my new YouTube video

We made the attempt to visit Madame Tussauds on the Saturday, but it was safe to say that we weren't getting in (not if we wanted to queue for 2 hours). So Joe and I whacked our phones out and managed to find morning tickets for the next day, so we went then. The last time I went to Madame Tussaulds was over 10 years ago with the Brownies so it was safe to say that it was a lot different (I mean Pierce Brosnan had morphed into Daniel Craig). Joe managed to get some amazing shots of the wax work so here's just a few for you all to see:

Have you been to London recently? What did you get up to?

Don't forget to share the video using the #HarryStylesSingsToElla hashtag! (Click here to watch).

Much Love

Eltoria x

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Why is Argan Oil Good For Your Hair?

 Happy late Sunday/Monday morning! I hope that everyone has a great start to the week and that the rest of the week goes swimmingly well for you all. Firstly I do need to apologise for the rather lack of blogging recently- I have been working on some major changes to this blog and hopefully sometime this week all can be revealed (let's just say that I am so excited to see the final touches!). So without further adieu let's kick start this week with some fun hair facts to educate your minds. Now Argan oil is considered to be the 'miracle oil' of the hair and beauty world, but do you actually know why it is especially good for your hair? What prompted me to write this post was when Maple Holistics sent me this Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner Set and I was eager to assess whether this miracle oil does live up to its miraculous name. So with a few weeks under my belt I was able to kick start my hair rehab mission!

Now as you can see from the picture above, I would be lying if I said that my hair was not coloured. Although I absolutely love my ombre locks, the ombre did in fact cause a little bit of damage to my hair, but over time using a lot of Argan Oil products, my hair does seem to be in better condition nower days. From my Lily May Hair: Cold Fusion Hair Extensions post which I published a month a go (click here), I have been even more eager to keep my hair in tip top condition (I mean it did cost me £275.00 to get done). It is advised that sulfate free, silicone free and fragrance free products are the best kind of products to use in your hair. Sulphate can scrape your hair of its natural essential oils and it is also known to be an irritant to the hair and scalp. Silicone on the other hand is a substance which covers the hair follicle (which gives it that healthy look) but it doesn't actually treat the hair (in fact it does nothing at all). So with all of this in mind, I was ever so glad to learn that the Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner Set from Maple Holistics was sulphate, silicone and fragrance free (hooray!). So let's get to the benefits of Argan Oil!

After using this shampoo and conditioner for a number of weeks now, I have to say that these products are almost like a medicine to poorly dry and damaged hair. Although the shampoo pretty much smells like nothing (just of Argan Oil), I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the conditioner also has jojoba, aloe vera, shea butter, pomegranate, and green tea which as you can probably imagine makes it super fresh and conditioning. So with that all covered, here are some facts as to why Argan Oil is like a super food for your hair:

♥ Argan Oil has the ability to penetrate the hair follicle and shaft which enhances elasticity of the hair.

♥ Argan Oil helps to treat unruly hair (like fly away hair) because it treats the hair naturally.

♥ Argan Oil has a good source of Vitamin E which is good in repairing damaged hair strands.

♥ Argan Oil adds shine to the hair.

♥ Argan Oil will help remove the brittleness of the hair after colouring.

♥ Argan Oil is rich in Omega 3 and fatty acids which will help to prevent split ends.

What Argan products do you like to use? Can you think of any other benefits to share?

Much Love

Eltoria x

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YouTuberversity Challenge| FT CHIP DADDY

Click here to watch the first YouTuberversity Challenge

Hey ya'll, well isn't this a little bit of a random mid week post! Myself and the rather fabulous Chip Daddy filmed the first ever YouTuberversity Challenge and trust me, it's a bit of a 'tickle in the ribs' if you enjoy two people struggle with some general knowledge questions. Since this is the first ever one, I reckon some of you guys should tweet using the hashtag #YouTuberversityChallenge with the names of the next YouTubers you would like to see attempt this next (hint, Joe and Casper maybe?). Be sure to go over and check out the video by clicking here and don't forget to give it a thumbs up, comment and hit the subscribe button (cummon' help a girl out). Let me know what you think! 

Chip Daddy and I also filmed The Nutella Challenge which took us literally minutes to eat a whole pot each (and trust me it was hard!). Although Nutella is probably one of the best things to gorge yourself on, it is in fact quite hard to stomach (I felt ill for a couple of days after). This I would say was a delicious challenge, so be sure to use the hashtag #TheNutellaChallenge with the names of the YouTubers you wish to see do it next. Check out the video by clicking here and don't forget to give it a thumbs up, comment and a cheeky subscribe to Chip too.

Click here to watch The Nutella Challenge

What YouTubers would you like to see do the YouTuberversity and The Nutella Challenge next? 

Much Love

Eltoria x

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NARS Albatross Highlighting Blush

This my little lovelies is in fact Kim Kardashian's best friend when it comes to highlighting and I definitely know why. Ever wanted to know how 'Kimmy K' gets her skin and bone structure to look ever so damn flawless every time? Well this is in fact all thanks to the NARS Highlighting Blush Powder in the shade Albatross. This product has the ability to give your skin a luminous and light reflecting glow which can sculpt anything to perfection. What I love about this product is that you can use it on its own or combined with other cheek products like a blusher. I personally like to use this powder when I contour and highlight as I feel that its luminous effect helps to enhance a contour significantly. It also happens to make my skin look smooth and blemish free which is an absolute bonus- talk about deflecting away all the unwanted impurities! It is seriously like a little dark horse to any make up collection.

Like the NARS Orgasm blusher (which I absolutely love, click here) this product is also popular throughout the blogging world. Albatross is an off-white/cream coloured highlighter with extremely fine gold shimmer. When you initially swatch this product against your arm it does look a little 'ghost like' however when layered (or combined with a blusher), it creates a nice soft glow with a slight golden touch. You can build up this product to create more of a dramatic look or you can simply use a touch of it to create a natural and everyday look. Personally I don't think that this product is suitable on the face for those who have pale skin, but nevertheless you can use it to your benefit in other ways. Not only is this highlighter great on the face but it is also like a dream under the brow bone (which I must add is a personal favourite of mine), above the cupid's bow and along the bridge of the nose. Also why not use it as a shimmer on top on an eyeshadow too- this product is definitely not a one trick pony!

What do you think of the NARS Highlighting Blush Powder? Have you used it before?

Much Love

Eltoria x

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Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

Holy smokes… I think that I have just fallen in love with Urban Decay all over again. Since getting the Naked 2 palette last year for Christmas (click here to see that post) I have been utterly obsessed. So when it was announced that the smoky palette was coming out I really couldn't resist. It is no secret that I am an absolute sucker for a good smoky eye and in creating my perfect smoky look, I always believe that you should use well pigmented eye shadows. All Naked palettes live up to a well pigmented name and this new smoky palette sure does live up to this expectation. Not only is this palette worthwhile to your own makeup bag, but its versatility is absolutely amazing (I find myself dipping in and out of it all time… even when I'm not doing smoky eyes). So whatever time of year or occasion, your eyes will be the envy of many.

Top: autumn vibe Bottom: ideal smoky colours

Despite the palette costing £38.00 (which may appear quite expensive) you really do get your money’s worth out of it. As mentioned above, you don’t necessarily have to only use this palette to create smoky eyes but you can also use it for all kind of looks (I even use it to create the perfect autumn look). I got my Naked 2 palette almost a year ago and it is still going really strong. Arguably it looks like that my Naked 2 palette has hardly been touched despite it being used almost every single day- so you could say that the durability on these palettes are absolutely excellent. What I also like about the eyeshadows themselves is that you have 7 matte colours and 5 shimmery colours which makes it one of the most exciting palettes to use when it comes to doing your makeup (it's so easy having everything in just one place). All Naked palettes also come with their own decent double sided make up brush, but I do recommend having a few more to hand when it comes to blending as it is key to have nice clean brushes. Overall this palette is utterly amazeballs!

Starting left to right- High, Dirty Sweet, Radar, Armor, Slanted, Dagger, Black Market, Smolder, Password, Whiskey, Combust, Thirteen 

What do you make of the new Urban Decay Naked Smoky palette?

Much Love

Eltoria x

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Why is Foot Care Important?

Now if there is one thing that I would do last in a beauty regime that would be my feet… I hate feet; I don’t even like my own.  I'm the sort of girl who would paint their toe nails all nice and then probably not touch them in a good few weeks- especially during the autumn and winter months. But foot care I would consider to be (cosmetically) equally as important as my eyebrows and finger nails, but I would say that they would be more important hygienically (I mean all you have to do is Google a bad case of athlete’s foot… Yuk). So as a little promise to myself, I Eltoria, will be giving myself a foot spa at least once a week- and I'm not allowed to accept the ‘I was too busy’ card. I used to give myself a foot spa once a week when I was a young teen, but you all know how it is, there just isn't enough hours in a day. So ladies and gentleman, guys and girls, will you be joining on my new footsie ritual?

If you have not heard of the Mandara Spa before it is a luxury chain that can be found across the seas. Their luxurious line of bath and body care products are inspired by natural ingredients which are also used in their spa treatments too (and you all know how much I love natural products). The products that I have been using recently come from the Island Paradise Foot Care Essentials and they are honestly amazing. The Island Paradise range takes its inspiration from the peace and tranquillity found in the Maldives, and they smell like grapefruit and lemon which makes you want to whisk away to the exotic island yourself (or at least give yourself a foot spa on the sofa). The range includes a foot scrub, foot butter, foot fizzlers and moisturising socks. Now I have to say that using these products in my new foot care regime made the whole experience very spa like- I found myself religiously using the products in order and I even used the foot fizzlers... cummon' guys that deserves some sort of  praise! My feet felt ever so soft and I made sure that I soaked my feet with the foot butter in my moisturising socks over night- I'm even writing this post with them on now!

Left: Island Paradise Softening Foot Butter Middle: Food Butter Right: Island Paradise Smoothing Foot Scrub

Foot care is important for many reasons. Not only do your feet enable you to be active but they also help in keeping the weight off and improving muscle and bone strength (and not to mention they also make a pair of Kurt Geiger's look fabulous). But as we get older the skin on our feet get older too, so the whole 'crusty soles' can become a serious issue for us in our senior years (a good scrub on the ol' pumice stone now and again could prevent a nasty fall in the future... and I'm not even joking!). Un-kept soles can also look nasty in a pair sandles so be sure that your feet are fit by summer 2016 (you all have been warned people). Proper foot care can also alert people to early signs of some serious health issues like poor circulation and diabetes (a common symptom is numbness and foot blisters). Similarly keeping your toenails in check can also prevent the cause of ingrown toenails and infections, and trust me a bad ingrown toenail does look nasty. On a daily basis it is important to keep your feet clean and dry- simple things like washing and drying your feet with warm water can help significantly. It is also important to keep your skin moist by applying cream to your feet each day and wearing clean socks. Just a few more things to bear in mind on top of my new regime.

Will you be treating your feet a little more often now?

Much Love

Eltoria x

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LUSH Christmas Products 2015

Now you may either love or hate this post but I am going to do something that sends excitable waves throughout the whole of my body… YES IT IS INDEED MY FIRST CHRISTMAS POST! Now I know that it is only September but if Sainsbury’s and the likes of M&S have been putting out their Christmas goods, it’s only fair that I jump onto the band wagon too… right? When I took a trip to LUSH Oxford Street in London last weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the shop had literally turned into a Santa’s Grotto- their whole range was out. So not only were there 200 exclusive products to have a ‘nosy’ around, but there were also colourful explosions of amazingness being demoed everywhere in the store… I was in a LUSH Christmas heaven. What made it even more special is that it is currently the only shop in the world to have the Christmas range out already (everyone else has to wait until the 2nd of October *inserting evil laugh*). So bringing a little bit of exclusivity into your life and on this Eltoria blog, I am going to give you all a little sneak peek into their new range (I'm just so nice). 

What I particularly like about the range is that they have brought out a lot of Christmas favourites from the past whilst including a lot of new stuff too (I would say a very happy medium). As you all know that I used to work for LUSH for a number of years, the new 2015 products kind of remind me of the 2013 Christmas range which happened to be my final Christmas working for them (so it gives me nice memories). Whilst some products have being reincarnated into a new look, like the snowman bath bomb has been upgraded into the new snazzy bearbutter bath bomb, a lot of my absolute favourites still exist in their own right… hooray! So with a basket full of goodies and a hell of a lot of glitter sprinkled down my dress, it was one very satisfying LUSH shop. So let’s take a peek at some of the things that I bought (would be rude if I didn't)... 

Click here to check out my YouTube video!

First and foremost, Rose Jam shower gel has to be my favourite Christmas product of all time. Now I know that Rose Jam exists in a bubble bar and more recently in a shampoo bar, but there is just something about the shower gel which makes it smell extra good. I also love the fact that the Luxury Lush Pudding, Shoot For The Stars and the Father Christmas bathbombs have all come back untouched (yes!). Luxury Lush Pudding smells just like the Twilight bath bomb which also gives your bath water an explosion of colour, and Shoot For The Stars smells just like the Honey Bee bathbomb which also gives that firework effect. The Father Christmas bathbomb almost reminds me of the modern twist of an 'orange in your stocking' because it smells citrusy which is ever so traditional. The Father Christmas bath bomb also turns your water green and red which is lovely and festive.

Will you be buying anything from LUSH this Christmas?

Much Love

Eltoria x

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