Estèe Lauder Zodiac Powder Compact Review // Virgo

Happy new year! After a break over the christmas period, I'm back (a little heavier) and looking forward to the next year in beauty. I also wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who followed my blog during 2013! I really appreciate all your lovely comments and support, and stay tuned as there is lots more to come this year.

I was lucky enough to receive some lovely christmas presents this year, including this beautiful limited edition Estèe Lauder zodiac compact*. Estèe Lauder always make such beautiful and luxurious products, but this compact feels truly special. It is a small yet weighty, gold coloured compact with a zodiac design (mine is virgo) and crystal detail on the front. What drew me to this compact was the design - it is gloriously vintage inspired with an art deco style and seems reminiscent of old school Hollywood glamour. Each star sign is represented with an individual design (12 in total), all of which are equally beautiful! 

The compact arrives in a lovely box, and is accompanied by a little blue velvet pouch in order to protect your compact from wear and tear. The powder itself is translucent and very good at getting rid of unwanted shine. The powder refills are pricey at £15, but I know that I will get a lot of use out of this compact for the mirror as well as the powder. This is definitely a keepsake product and I am sure I will be using it for many years to come. 

I have nothing negative to say about this compact at all! It is a joy to use and I feel oh so glamorous every time I bring it out of my handbag. The limited edition zodiac compact retails for £38.50 and is available from the Estèe Lauder website. Did you get any beauty presents this year?

* Item was a gift.

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme - Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara // Review

Estée Lauder is a brand that always entices me with its beautiful packaging. The sumptuous extreme mascara is no exception. The packaging of this mascara feels luxurious with its sleek gold tube and navy blue writing, certainly living up to the high-end makeup expectations that one can expect from Estée Lauder.

The brush itself is on the large side, which usually results in difficult application, however this brush has been tapered to allow for precise movement in tricky areas such as the inside corner of the eye.

Estée Lauder claim that this mascara creates 'outrageous volume, lift and curves for an audacious, false-lash effect.' The formulation of the mascara in extreme black is a great inky black, and certainly creates volume, however I did find it to clump the lashes on the second coat. Having said this, the mascara lasted all day with no flaking or smudging and was easily removed with a regular makeup remover.

  

Although I do like this masacra, I think that it is over-priced and that I could achieve similar results with cheaper alternatives, but if you are after a luxurious volumising mascara then this could be the one for you. The sumptuous extreme mascara is available in four colours; extreme black, extreme brown, extreme cobalt and extreme emerald. It costs £22.00 and is available from Estée Lauder stands and Boots stores as well as online.