A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited by Boots and Intu Lakeside to visit their brand new beauty hall. I have been to Intu Lakeside for a few shopping events before, but with this one promising a beauty addict’s dream and more I could hardly wait to experience the beauty hall for myself. Upon entering Boot’s first floor you are greeted by beautiful, sleek beauty counters as far as the eye can see. There are counters for multiple well-known beauty brands as well as some up and coming ones too. So it’s the perfect place to go if you want to stock up on your trusty beauty staples but also want to perhaps try something new.

Nude by Nature

One of the first beauty brands we were introduced to was 'Nude by Nature', an Australian brand that advocate natural ingredients that are good for your skin. As a self-confessed skincare addict this peaked my interest massively. What I really loved about this selection was the fact that they had obviously selected their ingredients very carefully, however they didn't let that limit their range. All of the products there smelt amazing, and the make-up artist on the stand was extremely knowledgable, helpful and most importantly approachable and friendly. Whilst at the stand I tried out a few products. The pressed powder highlight was beautiful and glowy - perfect for that dewy look in the summer month. Speaking of that dewy complexion, they have a range of different foundations options; their flawless liquid foundation, a luminous sheer liquid foundation, a loose powder foundation and finally, my personal favourite, their sheer glow BB cream - a wonderful alternative in the summer to foundation.

 IT Cosmetics

I had briefly heard of IT Cosmetics before my tour of the beauty hall, however I had never experienced the brand for myself. Another brand that uses natural, skin enhancing ingredients, I was intrigued to learn more.  The range compromises of everything you would expect from a makeup brand - foundations, eyeshadows, lipsticks, brushes, primers and skincare products. Whilst swatching some of the different products I did find that they all had a pretty high coverage and pigment, perfect for a night out but not something I would recommend wearing everyday. The make-up expert giving us the tour of the beauty hall then explained that the reason the products are all such high coverage is because the range is aimed at people who are fourty plus and those with skin pigmentation issues, hence the density of the formulas. I think this is definitely something that the beauty market needed - I know there are already some pretty high coverage products out there, however IT cosmetics designs their range around this entire concept. Additionally, it's also readily available and easy to get your hands on now that it's stocked in Boots!

Bare Minerals

I've used Bare Minerals since I was fifteen years old, so to say that I was just familiar with the range would be an understatement. The whole idea behind the brand is that each product contains minerals that infuses natural goodness into your skin. I have always loved their products, particularly their original loose mineral foundation, which for me is one of my holy grail makeup items and is still being sold as part of their range today. Whilst taking a look at some of their less familiar (to me) products - lipsticks and lip glosses, I came across their set of brushes. I already have one Bare Minerals large fluffy blending brush, however I had no idea how many other brushes they had! The brush hairs all felt soft and easy to use - no scratchy bristles in sight. 

Chanel

Everyone who is into makeup or fashion knows Chanel. Chanel is renowned for their high-quality and reliable beauty products. Whether it's a mascara, lipstick or foundation it's guaranteed to stay on all day whilst looking freshly applied. In addition to their makeup Chanel also venture into skincare. To be honest, I've never tried any Chanel skincare however if it's anything like their makeup range I am sure it's worth the investment. 

Smashbox

We all know Smashbox for their blogger famous photo-finish primer, which I obviously use on the daily. However their range is so much more than just primers. Their range includes foundations, concealers, contour palettes and lipsticks, all of which when swatched I really loved. I was especially impressed by their range of foundations and concealers that came in a wide selection of skin tones and finishes. 

Becca Cosmetics

Another Australian brand making it's way into the Boots beauty halls is Becca Cosmetics. I remember when I first heard of this brand - it was around five years ago when the entire blogosphere was going mad over one of their highlighters, which at the time were extremely difficult to get in the UK. Not anymore! One thing I really admire about their range is their packaging - it is absolutely stunning! Additionally each product smells amazing and the formulas all glide onto the skin with ease. 

Liz Earle

If you're into skincare and you haven't heard of Liz Earle, I'm sorry but you're not into skincare! Liz Earle, for me at least, is the godmother of all skincare products. Their cleanse and polish cleanser has a cult following that is well into the millions and spans across many generations. My own cleanse and polish cleanser is always on my skincare rotation simply because I believe there is no better deep skin cleanser on the market. It removes makeup remainants with ease and leaves my skin feeling cleaner than any other cleanser method. I really love that all Liz Earle products can be used no matter what your age of skin type as there are so many different products to suit different skincare needs. So basically, if you haven't ever heard of Liz Earle, you need to head into Boots and buy the cleanse and polish now. It will change your life, I promise!

Stila

I will say this now - I am a huge fan of Stila, especially of their stay all day felt tip eyeliner. Again, this is another product that is always in my make-up collection and always in my makeup routine rotation. It does literally stay all day and is hugely reliable when creating that classic cat eye flick. The packaging of each product is also so pretty! Who doesn't want their makeup table covered in beautiful gold bottles? I know I do! 

Estee Lauder

Did you know that Estee Lauder's double wear foundation is the best-selling foundation in the UK? I didn't. I've tried the foundation in question out a dew times before and was always impressed with it's staying power and natural finish. However, as I'm not a liquid foundation wearing kind of girl I think I missed the hype on this one. One thing I was extremely impressed with at the Estée Lauder stand was the knowledge and talent of their makeup artists. I was colour matched by just one look! The shade I was matched to looked so perfect against my natural skin, I couldn't even tell where the product had been placed. Just take a look at the photo opposite this text! After talking to the experts at the stand, I also learnt a lot about their skincare range, which whilst on the more expensive side seems to live up to the Estée Lauder quality that everyone loves in their beauty range.

Clinique

Clinique is another brand that I've always used, however only ever through their skin care line with their dramatically different range. So when I was introduced to their line of foundations and concealers, I was very impressed. The formula of their liquid foundations felt smooth and soothing when applied to the skin and can be purchased in a range of finishes depending on your preference.

Fenty Beauty

Now for the main attraction - Rhianna's long anticipated makeup line - Fenty! Whilst Fenty has been available online for quite some time, it's quite hard to come by in person in the UK especially if you're not close by to any major cities. So as you can imagine, the Fenty counter was pretty crowded with so many beauty lovers desperate to try out the beauty world's new biggest love. 

I was colour matched after a few tries by the makeup artist there and was really impressed with the quality of the formulas. It felt like it melted into my skin as when I touched it once it was applied I barely noticed it was there, unlike many other liquid foundations. Whilst there I also had to try out the body lava which is a super glowy body highlight. I wasn't disappointed! My skin was glowing like it never had before! I looked like a bronzed disco ball. If we're being honest it is a fun product to use, however it's probably best to reserve it for occasions like festivals where you don't mind looking extremely glittery!

Once my tour of the Boots beauty hall was up, I spent the rest of the day shopping and of course eating at Intu Lakeside where there is truly something for everyone! So I'd just like to finish this post by saying thank you to Boots and Intu Lakeside for inviting me along to experience their beauty hall. Also I'd like to thank Elliott who was the best real life and instagram husband who took some really wonderful photos of the event!