Aussie Misstache Competition WINNER!

Today I wanted to do a quick blogpost to wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and also to announce the winner of an exciting giveaway I hosted with Aussie during November.

If you missed my video you can check it out above, but basically, to celebrate the fact that Aussie joined forces with Movember this year as their first ever female sponsor to raise awareness for men's health, they decided to give away an amazing, all expenses paid, trip to Australia in 2015!

My Little Box Collaboration!

I've had to keep this little secret for a few months now, but I can finally let the cat out of the bag box and show you this adorable collaboration I've done with My Little Box for their December edition!

 

I know I'm a little biased, but I have to say I think this is the best box so far, especially for those of you who love to get a little creative with your Christmas wrapping, as it comes with gift tags, string and patterned tape for customising your gifts!

Aromatherapy Associates Christmas Collection - 12 Days of Gifting

Today is the last instalment of my 12 Days of Gifting series, but that means it's only 12 days till Christmas (Woohoo!) If you're still finishing off your Christmas shopping, then it's worth taking a look at Aromatherapy Associates' offerings. 

Every year they bring out the most gorgeous sets of bath oils...

YSL Christmas Collection - 12 Days of Gifting

Today's 12 Days of Gifting post is probably the most luxurious of them all. YSL have released a collection that will be every leopard-print-lover's dream this Christmas! It's made up of the Wild Edition face palette, limited edition leopard print Touche Eclat and a limited edition shade of Glossy Stain.

The palette is covered in leather, with an elasticated closure like a little notebook, topped off with a little black tassel. Inside are four shimmery shades of eyeshadow, a blush, two lip glosses and three little applicators for each. The shades are really wearable, but have a definite Christmas party feel to them. 

Tangle Teezer Metallic - 12 Days of Gifting

I spotted this little gem while queueing up to pay in Urban Outfitters the other day. I've used a Tangle Teezer for ages and really like them for limiting damage to my hair when brushing. I've got a full sized one and I've seen the miniatures before, but never been convinced to splash out on one until I saw this. 

It has a pretty metallic finish with a clip-in lid to cover the bristles in your bag, so it's perfect for on the go... 

Guest Review! Philips Lumea Hair Removal System (sp)

Today I've got a guest post from my best friend Lissie for you all! Philips approached me a few months ago and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their Lumea hair removal system. Having known Lissie wanted to try out an IPL system for ages, I asked if she'd like to take it on a test run for me. Here are her thoughts...

When Fleur initially approached me to try the Philip’s Lumea Precision Plus I positively jumped at the opportunity. Since around the age of around 14, I have tried endless ways under the sun attempting to remove unwanted body hair. This ranges from foul-smelling hair removal creams, to unbearable waxing and the both painful and time consuming epilating. And still, 12 years later, I search for that elusive, cure-all solution that is both pain-free and effective...

Philosophy Christmas - 12 Days of Gifting

I adore Philosophy's seasonal products. Whether it's their pumkin-themed body washes around Halloween or festive offerings for Christmas, they always make great scents that instantly evoke the feeling of the season!

This year is no exception... 

Charlotte Tilbury Fallen Angel Palette - 12 Days of Gifting

When I first laid eyes on this Limited Edition eyeshadow palette, I was in awe.

It is possibly the most beautiful palette I've ever seen. Not only is the packaging stunning (Charlotte Tilbury's signature deep brown and rose gold made even more perfect by a smattering of stars) but the shades inside are also gorgeous...

Lush 'All I Want for Christmas' Set - 12 Days of Gifting

Lush is a brand that is truly at it's best at Christmas. Their festive limited edition products are eagerly anticipated by most beauty-lovers in the run up to Christmas (including myself!) so when this huge gold box landed on my desk a few weeks ago, I knew I had to include it in this gift guide series!

The 'All I Want for Christmas' set is a HUGE gift box packed full of both limited edition Christmas products and goodies from their permanent collection...

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot - 12 Days of Gifting

There have been a flurry of blush palettes released this season, but the one that impressed me the most was this little gem from Benefit. 

Benefit boxed powders have become something of a cult beauty item. My personal favourites are Hoola, Dandelion and Coralista, but with this new limited edition set you don't have to choose favourites because they've packed six out of eight of their boxed powders into a single palette!

Rodology Jewellery - 12 Days of Gifting

The only non-beauty gift in my 12 Days of Gifting series, today's choice is quite a special one. As soon as I saw these unique pieces of jewellery online, I loved them.

Each one is created from a vintage timepiece, making a quirky and unique gift...

Jo Malone Cologne Intense Collection - 12 Days of Gifting

Jo Malone have really nailed it with their limited edition gifts this Christmas. Aside from their jaw-dropping advent calendar and oversized Frosted Cherry & Clove candle (which I'm still hoping I might find in my stocking!) The other gift that caught my eye this year was the Cologne Intense Collection. 

Dark Amber & Ginger Lily is my all time favourite fragrance from Jo Malone, but I haven't tried many of the other Cologne Intense fragrances. I love the idea of luxury miniature sizes when it comes to perfume as they are small enough to fit in your handbag, but still big enough to last a decent amount of time and come with a spray...

The Body Shop Vanilla Brulee - 12 Days of Gifting

If you've already seen my Christmas Gift Guide videos on YouTube you'll have seen a few of the Christmas offerings from The Body Shop, but there was one extra set I wanted to show you all today. Every year they bring out limited edition scents. Along with my favourite Cranberry Joy, they've also released Vanilla Brule this Christmas. 

As the name suggests, it's a creamy vanilla scent, so perfect for those of you who aren't keen on the fruity ones. This gift tin comes with a full size shower gel, quarter size body butter, 75ml body scrub and a miniature shower pouffe. 

Naked On The Run - 12 Days of Gifting

Today I'm featuring one of the most gorgeous beauty gifts for Christmas 2014. The Urban Decay Naked on the Run palette caused quite a stir when images of it started circulating online last month. It's now available to buy through the Urban Decay website and will be in stores nationwide from Thursday. 

It's an all-in-one travel palette that contains six new neutral eyeshadow shades, a blusher, bronzer, eyeliner, lipgloss and mascara. The lightest eyeshadow shade looks like a highlighter as it's double-sized and it's great cos you can actually use it as a highlighter and an eyeshadow (multi-use products are always a plus in my book!) 

Elemis 12 Days of Beauty - 12 Days of Gifting

Seeing as my Christmas Gift Guides are over and done with (If you missed them, you can check them out here), I thought it would be nice to extend the Christmas gifting fun, just in case some of you are still searching for the perfect presents for your loved ones. For the next 12 days I'll be featuring a fabulous festive gift on here every day and where better to start than Elemis' 12 Days of Beauty calendar?!

This can be given as an advent calendar in the run up to Christmas, or on Christmas day to brighten up the 12 days after Christmas - a gift that will keep giving well into the new year!

Brand Discovery: Huygens, Paris

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to Paris with the lovely ladies at Birchbox to learn more about some of their favourite Parisian brands that are stocked on the Birchbox website. One of the stops on our trip was a little apothecary-style boutique that is home to Huygens. I'd never heard of the brand before, and was instantly intrigued by the pretty blue facade.

Their unique, unpretentious approach to aromatherapy is quite charming... 

The Magical Facial

I normally hate facials, treatments, massages and just about anything that involves a stranger touching me (I know, I'm strange!) but six weeks ago I met a lady called Marie Reynolds. It was the night of the Zoella beauty launch, I'd had a couple of glasses of wine and got chatting to Marie about her treatments. Marie is very well known in the world of skincare. Renowned for her unique approach to skincare treatment. She doesn't just look and the condition of the skin, but also the effect that our state of mind and thought patterns can have on the skin.

As I said before, I don't normally like facials, and I don't normally believe in alternative therapy techniques either, but something about Marie was overtly calming and instantly drew me in. She kindly invited me along to have one of her famous 'Fifth Concept' facials in Fortnum & Mason. I jumped at the chance (obviously), but on the day I still felt a little apprehensive, having never really enjoyed a facial before...

Caudalie Night Oils: Review & Giveaway!

I only started using night oils this year, and looking back I can honestly say I don't know how I overlooked them for so long. Something about using an oil overnight feels luxurious and pampering, and you wake up with gloriously soft, supple skin. I don't use them every night, but whenever I feel like my skin needs a little boost of moisture, which is usually the case as the seasons start to change.

Caudalie have recently added two new overnight oils to their line-up. (Perfect timing for the arrival of winter weather over the next couple of months!) I'm a huge fan of the brand already so I jumped at the chance to put them to the test over the past couple of weeks...

NARS Virtual Domination Palette

I got my paws on the new NARS limited edition Virtual Domination palette last week. I'm a massive fan of NARS blushes and bronzers, and especially so their limited edition face palettes as they are great value for money in comparison to the individual shades, and last forever. I've got both the Guy Bordin and Danmari palettes from previous years and I've used them countless times, so was excited to see the new edition for 2014.

The Virtual Domination palette comes in a stunning white case with a patterned overlay. It feels really sturdy and has a large mirror, with 5 shades inside...

Win a Trip to Australia with Aussie & Movember!

In case you missed my brand new beauty video, I wanted to do a little post on here to let you all know about a SUPER exciting collaboration I'm doing with Aussie and Movember this month!

You can check out all the details in my video below, or read on for all the info!

Aussie are the first female sponsors of Movember. I know what you're thinking... "but girl's can't DO Movember Fleur, surely we can't get involved?!" Well, that's where you're wrong!

Skincare Updates!

Sorry it's been quiet on here for the past few weeks! With Vlogtober in full swing, it's been hard to find time to blog too much, but now it come to an end, I'll be back with lots more beauty bits for you all! (If you want to see what I've been up to, check out my vlogging channel here!) Today I wanted to update you with some skincare treasures I've discovered this month.

The first thing is a serum. I don't use serums all the time, usually in the winter months or if I have a problem with my skin and it needs a little helping hand, but I've really been loving this one from Vichy...

ghd Curve Review & My Chicago Curl Diary!

The week before last, ghd invited me on an extra special trip to Chicago, 'The Windy City' to test out and review their new range of curlers, ghd Curve. Obviously this wasn't an opportunity I could turn down. I've never been to Chicago before and it's always been on my list of places I'd love to visit. I've also been a huge fan of ghd for many years, so I was really excited not only to hear that they were launching a range of curlers, but also to try them out myself! I've had so many comments and tweets over the past couple of weeks asking me what I thought of them, so I thought I would do a proper in-depth review on my blog.

First of all, it's important to note the design and packaging of the whole range, as it is simply stunning...

Chanel Rouge Allure Lipglosses

Something landed on my doorstep last week that really made my beauty senses tingle. Chanel have released a gloss version of their gorgeous Rouge Allure lipsticks and I have to say… they are majorly impressive!

So they should be for the £26 price tag one might argue, but not everything in the Chanel makeup line is worth the wallet set-back. If you're looking for a gorgeous beauty treat, or even a gift, these are utterly gorgeous...

Rimmel Apocalips 'Lip Velvet' - Review & Swacthes

Rimmel are rolling out new releases by the bucketload at the moment! Another new addition to their range this autumn are the matte 'Lip Velvet' versions of their much-loved Apocalips lip lacquers, which launched in September. 

L-R Orange-ology, Meteoric Matte & Atomic Rose

The idea of these excited me on one hand, but I'm also quite fussy when it comes to matte lip products and very few impress me (one exception being the new Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks - see yesterday's post for more on those!) so I was intrigued to see how these performed, especially as I loved the originals...

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution

If you follow a few beauty blogs, you've probably seen a couple posts about the latest addition to Charlotte Tilbury's swoon-worthy makeup line already. These lipsticks have been talk of the town for the past few weeks. In case they haven't already made it onto your Pre-Christmas wish list, or into your handbag, here are my thoughts on the new 'Matte Revolution' line.

As usual with Charlotte's line, you can't fault the stunning rose gold 1920's inspired packaging. The shape of the bullet is squared, which I adore and they have a delicious sweet vanilla scent to them...

Brow This Way: Gimme Brow Dupe?

Another new Rimmel review today! A few weeks ago I picked up one of their new 'Brow This Way' coloured brow gels in Medium Brown. After Benefit's 'Gimme Brow' caused quite a bit of fanfare when it launched this year, I thought it would be interesting to compare the two.

The Rimmel version comes in 3 different shades (plus a clear one, which I'm ignoring for this post as it's not really comparable to the others). As you can see from the pictures, they look a little bit like a mini mascara...

Zoella Beauty: Launch, First Impressions & OOTN

Last night I was lucky enough to attend the launch of Zoella Beauty, the much anticipated bath and body line from my fellow beauty vlogger and general internet superstar Zoe Sugg.

I thought I'd post a little first look and partial review on here for you all, as I'm sure a lot of you will be dying to try these products out when they hit Superdrug stores on Monday (although apparently Superdrug have been a little naughty and stocked a few shelves with these goodies already... So if you're really keen to get your hands on them before then, keep your eyes peeled!)

Clarins Feed 10

I wanted to do a little blog post to let you all know about a gift with purchase that Clarins are running at the moment. It's the usual deal, you have to buy two items, one to be skincare, and you will receive a little makeup bag full of goodies. The difference this time is that for every GWP given, Clarins are working with FEED Projects to donate 10 school meals to children in developing countries through the UN World Food Programme. 

They've aptly dubbed it the 'Gift With Purpose'...

Check Mate

Today's OOTD is something a little different for me. I love trying new pieces and styles when the seasons change, and Autumn is probably one of my favourite wardrobe transitions. I love wrapping up warm for the first time, and this season I'm loving all of the mixed textures, checked prints and that hint of 60's style that seems to be everywhere.

New look invited me to style an outfit from their new Autumn collection, and this is what I went for...

Provocalips

Rimmel are set to launch a new sister product to their Apocalips lip laquers, cleverly named 'Provocalips' (when will the puns stops?! love it!). These are long lasting, dual ended glosses with colour on one end and a glossy top coat on the other. 

The packaging is good but I really don't like the white tube end with the multicoloured lips, which I think cheapens the look quite a bit. The product itself is great though...

Pommes Frites Candle Co.

A few months ago, I found one of these candles in a little shop in Brooklyn, New York and it's quickly become one of my all time favourites. I'd never heard of the Pommes Frites Candle Co at the time (I was just drawn in by the delicious scent!) but it turns out these little brown jars are really something quite special.

The scent I went for at the time was Amber & Moss, and after falling totally in love with it when I got home, I tracked down a place to buy them in the UK... 

Beauty Chat with ASOS & Patricia Bright!

A few weeks ago I caught up with some of the lovely girls from ASOS and one of my favourite vlogging ladies Patricia Bright for a chat about all things beauty.

It was such a fun girly day talking about everything from catwalk trends to perfect brows. If you want to see what we got up to, you can check out the videos below!

The Easy Liquid Liner

If you struggle with liquid eyeliner, or if it just takes you ages to get the perfect flick and you don't have time to spend 10 minutes doing it in the morning, I've finally discovered the solution! 

NYX have a nifty little eyeliner called 'The Curve', which has quickly become a makeup bag staple of mine. It's rounded, ergonomic design allows you to draw on the perfect flick in just a few seconds...

Rebirth of The Beauty Box

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I'm a little bored of the 'beauty box'. They've been doing the rounds for the past few years, from Glossybox to Birchbox, Feelunique & Carmine, there have been quite a few. Some have lasted, some have fallen by the wayside. I have to say I'm still a big fan of Birchbox, but it's fair to say that the 'craze' does seem to be fading. Enter a breath of beauty-box fresh air...

'My Little Box' is a Parisian concoction. A mixture of beauty, fashion, lifestyle, even stationary. I've gotten the past couple of boxes and have been seriously impressed by them... 

Bio Sculpture Gel Polish

I discovered an absolute nail gem this week. You might have heard of Bio Sculpture gel? Apparently it was the 'original' gel manicure (before shellac.) Well, the company also makes nail polish, and it's blooming AMAZING. It's designed to be a stop-gap or act as a top-up for their full-on gel shades (there is a corresponding shade for each gel they make) but it's really amazing used as nail polish alone.

The first coat looks a little watery, but layer up 2-3 coats, slap on a top coat (I've been using the Illamasqua one, which is also amazing!) and you're left with the glossiest manicure I've ever done at home...

Skincare Essential: Tea Tree Oil

Last week The Body Shop asked me to make a video about one of my favourite 'Beauty Gems' from their range. It wasn't hard to make up my mind about what I wanted to talk about, as Tea Tree Oil has been part of my skincare routine for years. It has so many different uses, and The Body Shop sell an amazing Organic, Community Fair Trade blend that I love.

If you don't know anything about Tea Tree Oil, check out my video here:

Once...

Ever thought Illamasqua was a bit 'out there' for you? Think again! Their new autumn collection is hands down the prettiest I've seen so far this year. Each and every item manages to be both wearable and unique at the same time. Not an easy feat. I think the brand has totally hit the nail on the head with this one, sticking to it's otherworldly roots but managing to drop a totally wearable collection. I have a feeling this will be a sell out...

Entitled 'Once', the collection is inspired by the 'exquisite point when a flower starts to fade and becomes impossibly beautiful in it's complex decline.' As always with Illamasqua, the accompanying imagery is drop-dead-gorgeous. There are seven pieces in the collection. So what are the must-buys, and which can you pass on?

Festival Braids, 2 Ways!

This weekend I was lucky enough to be invited along to V Festival in Chelmsford by the lovely people at Mark Hill. They were also super kind and styled my hair each day before the bands started. Both looks were braid-based, which is personally my favourite thing for a festival (practical, but cute!) I absolutely loved the results, so wanted to share the two looks they created for me with you all...

MYNY!

To celebrate the launch of their brand new fragrance 'MYNY' DKNY have launched a snazzy little service where you can make a heart-shaped collage of your favourite pictures of (and from!) New York. Whether they're your own holiday snaps, or your favourite iconic pictures from their gallery, it's pretty fun to do!

Here's a peek at my heart... I've filled it with all my favourite pictures from New York over the years...

The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Range

If you watch my Vlogs on YouTube, you might have already seen a little snippet of my trip to Morocco back in May. If not, The Body Shop invited me along to see first hand where the argan oil in their new Wild Argan Oil range comes from.

It's pretty rare, almost unheard of, for a brand to do this (especially with a blogger!) so I felt thoroughly privileged to have been invited....

DIY Lipgloss: Silk + Honey Review

This week I've been giving this little kit from Silk + Honey a go. I love the idea of making your own cosmetics, but it can be time consuming, expensive and requires a lot of research. Silk + Honey makes it easy by selling 'kits' that not only allow you to mix your own shades and tweak formulations, but they don't contain any chemical nasties that are common in modern cosmetics.

Some of the skin and body care kits are a little overpriced in my opinion, but the lip gloss kit, at £35 is great for anyone who wants to give this a go, but it also makes an amazing gift for makeup lovers! The kit comes complete with all the ingredients you'll need, pipettes, syringes with nibs for filling the tubes and a gorgeous linen makeup bag...

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation Review

There's been quite a bit of hype around the new YSL Fusion Ink or 'Le Teint Encre De Peau' Foundation. With Cara Delevingne on the ads, and YSL handing out free 7-day trial pots last week, it's gotten quite a lot of attention, but is it justified? I've been giving it a try this week so I can give you my thoughts amongst all of the fanfare.

So basically, it's very similar in consistency to both the Giorgio Armani Maestro and L'Oreal Paris Eau De Teint foundations (all three brands being under the L'Oreal umbrella, it's probably also made in the same labs...)

Duty Free Made Me Do It!

I'm such a sucker for duty free when I'm travelling... Especially if your flight gets delayed, or you have a lot of time to kill in the airport. Last week I went to Portugal and it was no exception. I ended up walking away with three little gems.

The first was Chanel's Vitalumiere foundation. I'm such a massive fan of Vitalumiere Aqua, I thought it was about time I gave it's big sister a run for her money... 

Topshop Tasselled Backpack

I haven't worn a backpack for at least 15 years. I have to admit, I didn't 'get' the backpack trend at all until recently. Suddenly something inside me clicked and I kept eyeing them up in every shop, looking for the perfect one. I spotted a stunning Alexander Wang while I was in Nordstrom a couple of weeks ago but I couldn't bring myself to splurge such a huge amount of cash on something I just wasn't sure I could pull off.

Enter this Topshop tasselled suede number... 

Summer Holiday Beauty Bits!

While the majority of my makeup collection is appropriate for all-year-round, there are a few products that only see the light of day for summertime and holidays. 

Seeing as it's prime holiday season right now, I thought I'd do a little post about my holiday favourites...

Awards Season!

I don't often do posts like this, but I wanted to say such a massive thank you to you all for your constant support. I've been nominated for not one, but two different awards this year; one at the Cosmo UK Blog Awards, and one in Marie Claire USA's Most Wanted Beauty Awards. I know it's not the be all and end all, but it really is wonderful to have such great support from you all, and to be recognised by some of the leading beauty publications int he world, so thank you.

There are lots of different categories, and some of my favourite bloggers are also up for awards, so if you get two minutes to head over and cast your vote, I know it would mean a lot to all of the other nominees too! Here's how to vote:

For the Marie Claire awards, all you need to do is head over to their website HERE. I'm up for 'Most Wanted Video Personality of The Year'. These close in just a few days on July 22nd

For Cosmo, you need to head to their shortlist page HERE to cast your vote! Voting doesn't close till the 29th August.

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains

I finally managed to get my hands on a few more colours of the new Moisture Stain lip glosses from Revlon. I got my first one (Barcelona Nights) when I was in New York a few weeks back and instantly fell in love with it. These have a really unique gel texture that is unlike any other lip product I've come across before. Think Maybelline Elixir glosses mixed with YSL Glossy Stains - That's exactly how I would describe these.

The packaging is sleek and feels nice considering these are a high street product. They have a wide doe-foot applicator which I also really like. When you first apply them they go on a little gloopy. It's hard to describe, but it almost looks like a waterproof substance trying to mix with water. Persevere and really work this into your lips. Add a second coat and you're left with a gorgeous shiny finish...

Breaking The Silence...

Hello.

I've been rather quiet on here for the past month or so. A month sounds like such a long time, but it's flown by and I'm not really sure where the time went. It's the usual excuse, I've been so busy I've had a hard time keeping up with my friends, family (and own husband at times), that this little corner of the internet has been left rather neglected. Instead of jumping right back in with my usual type of blogpost, I thought I'd share a few snaps of what I've been up to for the past month...

Review: NYX Butter Lipsticks & Balms

After falling totally in love with the NYX Butter Lip Glosses at the end of last year, I was really excited to get my mitts on both the lipstick and lip balm versions of the same range.

I picked up four of each whilst I was in New York a few weeks ago (As of yet, neither of them are available on the NYX UK website, though the glosses are) I thought I'd give you my thoughts on the much-hyped follow up to the widely-adored Butter Glosses...

My Father's Day Gift Guide!

Father's Day is just around the corner, and if you're still struggling for ideas when it comes to gifts, here's a little inspiration for you all...

Review: Double Wear "All Day Glow" BB Cream

I've always been quite vocal about my dislike of the 'BB trend'. Every brand out there seem to have slapped BB, CC or even DD (?!) all over their packaging for a couple of years now, and most of the time the products in question bear no similarity to the original Asian BB creams, which were designed to help improve the skin (healing scarring etc) while providing high coverage. 'Western' BB creams tend to offer little more benefit than an ordinary tinted moisturiser would, and it's for that reason I tend to pass on them.

One such Western BB however, has slipped through the net. Enter Estee Lauder's latest addition to the Double Wear family: the All Day Glow BB 'Moisture Makeup'.