Debenhams SS16 Beauty Press Show

As I sit writing this on a Saturday afternoon the sun is positively beaming through the window, the birds are singing and I've got two days off to celebrate my birthday with friends, so all in all it's a pretty good weekend so far! And this weekend started off in the best way it possibly could, spending a day in London looking at all the latest beauty releases with Debenhams. In all honesty, I was completely shocked and massively grateful to be invited to an event like this, especially after only about 6 short months of blogging. I'd really like to thank Rebecca and Vanessa over at Debenhams and all the girls involved with the event for inviting me and making me feel so welcome and at ease. I guess there was a part of me that felt like I didn't deserve to be there or wasn't good enough, I was massively nervous in the days leading up to it but everyone was so lovely and it made my first blogging event one to remember. Warning, this post is going to be very photo heavy but I simply couldn't cut it down any more.

I was up bright and early at 7am and ready to catch my train down to London by 10am, I've never taken so much care when doing my hair and makeup. I arrived at Euston Station at lunchtime and somehow managed to navigate the tube by myself down to where the event was being held at The Haymarket Townhouse. I was immediately greeted by two lovely girls who instantly made me feel more relaxed and at home, there were refreshments available on the ground floor as well as some delicious looking foods (though as I'd just eaten lunch I had to pass on these).

The house was probably the most gorgeous place I have seen in my entire life, the marble bathrooms were a bloggers dream and all the other rooms, complete with walk in wardrobes were immaculate. Seriously, I could have spent hours just looking at the interior but the real gems were all the latest beauty releases from different brands dotted around everywhere you looked. As a huge makeup addict the first place I was drawn to was a room housing everything from Urban Decay to Makeup Forever, Too Faced, Benefit and The Balm. First I spoke to the girl from Urban Decay who showed me their new releases for SS16, including a bronzer in the most gorgeous packaging, perfect for those Summer holidays and a selection of three highlights. My favourite was a beautiful champagne colour, they were so smooth and swatched gorgeously, no chunky glitter or anything overly shimmery in sight. I couldn't help but coo over the new Too Faced palettes either, the Sweet Peach palette has such a gorgeous array of shades and smells absolutely divine as well! 

Next I had a lovely chat with Kat from The Balm who showed me the new shades for their Meet Matt(e) Hughes liquid lipstick range and the brand new Meet Matt(e) Trimony Palette. This is an all matte palette and the follow up to their Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette, the shades are to die for and they feel so creamy and pigmented. The one thing I worry about with matte shadows is that they will be dry or chalky but this palette is an absolute dream. I also tried out one of the new Batter Up Eyeshadow Sticks, a gorgeous purple shade that once on did not budge, perfect for those that have issues with their eye makeup fading or smudging. They're also super versatile, you could even use them on your lips if you like! After the event I went straight to Debenhams on Oxford Street and picked up the new palette and two of their liquid lipsticks, I just couldn't resist treating myself. 

I also had a quick chat with Makeup Forever, a brand I've heard of and seen many bloggers use but never really tried out myself. The one thing I was really interested in was their new Ultra HD foundation, which also comes in a stick form. I was really surprised at just how creamy the stick foundation was and the coverage provided by both is incredible. I picked myself up a bottle in Debenhams later on and I am completely in love, it provides amazing coverage while still feeling light and looking totally natural, like a second skin. I was also shown their HD powder, a super soft loose powder that seriously works at holding makeup in place. (Something else I just had to pick up afterwards).

Among all the beauty and Makeup there was also skincare and beauty treatments like lash extensions and facials being offered. I had an incredible hand massage from Jurlique using their citrus scented hand cream, it left my feeling so relaxed and smelt incredible and had a lovely chat with the ladies from the brand. It's definitely something new for me to check out as someone who doesn't tend to dabble much in skincare. I also had my nails painted by Nails Inc who have some gorgeous new shades coming out. I already love their matte top coat but the colours were gorgeous and so highly pigmented, you could get away with just one coat if you needed. In the same room Benito were offering lash extensions that looked incredible, as most of you will be aware I love to wear false lashes as my natural ones are petty poor but after seeing just how natural and lovely their lash extensions look, with absolutely no need for mascara, I will definitely consider getting some in the future. They have brow bars across the country for anyone interested.

Then I briefly spoke to Guerlain who told me all about their new Summer releases, including a gorgeous new fragrance that just screams holidays in the sun. I was also really surprised to learn that they were the first brand to start selling bronzers and had a chance to try out their famous Terracotta bronzers, they have a huge range for all different skin types and colours. I tried out a gorgeous matte shade that was matched to my skin tone and it gave me a beautiful healthy glow, no overly orange shimmer or anything like that.

After a few hours it was finally time to leave, the time really flew by chatting to all the different brands and people there and I met some lovely girls. I even bumped into Becca Rose and Just Jodes who were so lovely and kind enough to take a picture with me (I felt like a proper fangirl). We were also given an incredibly generous goody bag filled with all sorts of bits and pieces from the brands that we'd spoken to earlier, I couldn't be more grateful. To be honest even writing this it still all feels like a bit of a dream! Once I'd left I headed straight to Oxford Street and did a massive amount of damage to my student loan, picking up a few bits and pieces I'd seen before and a few other bits I'd been lusting after for a while. I'll have a huge beauty haul up soon, including the contents of the goody bag as well. I'd just like to finish by thanking Debenhams again for having me along to the event, it was a dream come true.