May's Favorites

Another month, another load of products that have made their way into the mix! May has been a pretty hectic one; I set myself a spending ban, which lasted all of three days. My puppy developed an eye infection, and then had an allergic reaction to his eye drops which was a very 'heart in mouth' situation while I raced him to the vets, and May was the month that I took on my second job, of which I love, but it does mean that I'm missing more and more of my beloved sleep. Somehow I've managed to squeeze in finding some new favourite products and pick up some old faithfuls too. Here's what I've been loving in the month of May..

So, a new product that I've genuinley fallen in love with is my new go to, holy grail foundation. It is of course, non other than the Vichy Dermablend Foundation. I originally bought this foundation in the colour 45 Gold, which when I'm fully tanned is the perfect colour match, but for when I'm not so tanned (lets say in the exfoliation and reapplication period) its much, much too dark. Which led me to buy another bottle in the shade 25 Nude. You see, I just couldn't bear to not have this foundation to wear all the time, and hated having to move on to another foundation that was better suited to my paler shade. You can read my full review on this foundation here. But if you are looking for a new foundation, I would certainly giving this one a trial run. Its 25% more pigmented than most other foundations which means you only need a tiny dribble of the fluid, its lightweight yet a super full coverage and best of all it seems to make my skin feel a hell of a lot more healthy and less suffocated! 

Another new kid on the block is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Warm Medium. I have seen this concealer raved about on almost every blog I've read or vlog that I've watched, and its easy to see why. This concealer is super creamy, covers really well and goes the distance. I've found myself using this concealer every day, either on its own or teamed with other concealers for added concealing! Another pro for this product? The price tag, super product at super affordable prices!

Of course this wouldn't be a favourites post if I didn't mention the L'Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Concealer which, if you're a regular you will know has been my dupe for the YSL Touche Eclat for a really long time now. I've repurchased this one over and over again and it never fails to disappoint! I use this to subtly highlight the under the eyes, down the nose, the cupids bow, in between the brows and of course a little under the brow arch! It does a really good job and for the price, its a clear winner!

I've never really thought of having a makeup brush in a monthly favourites post, but I cannot express to you how much I really love the Flat Top Kabuki Brush from Nanshy. Its a wonderfully sized brush that really aids the application of all foundations. You can use this brush to buff product into the skin, stipple it on for a more airbrushed effect of gently blend in circular motions - any way that you chose to use this brush will result in a flawless foundation base. I have used this brush every day since it landed on my door mat and I haven't looked back since!

I've found myself steering clear of my usual black liquid eyeliner this month and opting for my MAC eyeliner pencil in the shade Coffee for a more subtle enhancement to my eyes. I find that following the natural shape of my eye with this pencil really opens my peepers up nicely and makes me look much more awake. I also really like the contrast between the brown of the pencil and the blue of my eyes! 

For lips, I went out on a limb this month and picked up some new products - which is very unlike me! I bought a bunch of new colours/glosses/lipsticks/crayons and two have made it into my daily rotation. I am absolutely in love with the L'Oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick in Nude ballet, I wont waffle too much but you can read my full review of this lip product here. I'm also growing pretty fond of the Revlon Colorburst Matt Balm in Sultry which is the most beautiful purple'y plum colour which, surprisingly for me, I find really wearable and think it really suits me. It doesn't dry my lips out in the slightest and even when I feel like the product had worn off, the colour had stained my lips so they weren't completely bare! Great for a girl on the go, go, go!

You may be happy to know I finally got my hands on something from my 'Makeup Wish List' - The Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. I was actually luckily enough to get my hands on the BBB Beauty Box of which this was included in! I am beyond happy, and so far it has lived up to my expectations! 

Skincare is having a bit of a moment with me at the moment which is unusual, I mean sure I've been using the Palmers Coca Butter Formula Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturizer for foreverrrrr but apart from that, I've always been a bit of a dud when it comes to looking after skin. This month I have discovered and have been loving The Body Shop Seaweed Night Treatment which I have been using for around two and a half weeks. This has been giving me a little gyp with spots but I figured it is helping me with my excess oil and sometimes things have to get worse before they get better, right? This stuff smells amazing and my skin feels super soft when I've used it. The next skin care favourite is the Johnsons 24Hour Moisture Radiance Hand Cream - this stuff is a must have if you tend to wash your hands a lot, which I do. This can make the skin on my hands really tight and uncomfortable so I tend to use this hand cream whenever I wash my hands. This helps lock in moisture and keep them soft and comfortable. It also smells ah-mazing which doesn't hurt!

When it comes to fragrance, I've had a signiture scent for about 4 years now. When friends smell it, say on someone else, they say it reminds them of me, which is kind of what you want a signiture fragrance to do, no? My preferred bottle of beautiful is D&G's Number 3 

L'Imperatrice. Its an EDT which means its not too heavy, although I find that the scent does linger a lot longer than most and it has the most wonderful mixture of Musk, Watermelon, Kiwi and Pink Cyclamen. Its just a really classy and elegant smell and makes my feel pretty. Its a really good price too - anywhere between £30.00-£35.00 for a 100ml bottle which usually lasts me just under a year. I love to wear this one in summer as I find it smells clean, fresh and fruity! 

And there you have my favourites for this month! I hope I haven't bored you too much with my rambling! 

Do you have any of these products? What are your favourites this month?

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My Top Five Makeup Brushes

Everyone has products that they find themselves reaching for everyday. I of course have favorites when it comes to beauty products but swap things around regularly. Its very rare that I use the same primer/foundation/concealer every day, but when it comes to brushes I have some old faithfuls that I just don't ever stray away from.

Nanshy Flat Top Kabuki Brush £9.99
This is my favorite brush for applying foundation. I know a lot of people really love to use the Real Techniques expert face brush or the Real Techniques buffing brush, but I just cant get those two to do what I want them to. I find that the Nanshy Flat Top Kabuki Brush is great for both buffing foundation into the skin and also using in a stippling motion to give an air brushed effect. Its super easy to clean, and doesn't seem to soak up too much product which I can find some brushes do. The whole of the Nanshy range is completely cruelty free which I love, and every single one of their brushes is super soft and feels beautiful on the skin!

Real Techniques Setting Brush £6.99
After foundation comes concealer, and concealer needs setting! I use this brush to set my under eye concealer with a translucent powder and find that it works really well, its the perfect size for the area and is really soft so it doesn't irritate my eyes in the slightest. I find that this brush picks up the perfect amount of powder to set the concealer without making it look cakey or dirty. Its a winner for me!

Real Techniques Powder Brush £10.99
I'm a big bronzer fan, and for bronzing I prefer a big bronzer brush. Enter my Holy Grail powder brush! This brush picks up and distributes the perfect amount of powder and helps me to look tanned and healthy. Its really, really soft on the skin and can be used to blend powders too. Its also a dream to clean and tends to dry quickly. Basically, I don't know what I did before this brush and I wouldn't want to be without it again.

Mac 187 Duo Fiber Brush £33.50
I had had my eye on this brush for such a long time before I bit the bullet and purchased. This is the brush that I usually use to apply my Soleil Tan De Chanel which is a cream bronzer. Its incredibly soft on the skin. I like to use this one because it gives me a really flawless finish without looking overdone and without that horrible buildup which is really easy to accidentally get with a cream product. I have also used this Duo Fiber as a finishing brush which it also works perfectly for, just to take any extra product off the face! I have been told that I need to try this one for foundation, so that is most definitely on my to do list!

Elf Small Angled Brush £3.95
This is my favorite brush to use when I'm applying a brow powder to enhance my eyebrows for a number of reasons. First of all, its super affordable, its perfect for its purpose, really soft and is small enough to work with but not so small that you have to put a lot of work in - if that makes sense?! 

I have a lot of brushes that I like to use, for contouring for example but these are the five that I really do need every morning when it comes to making myself look a little more human!

What are your favorite five makeup brushes? Have you tried any of these brushes? 

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Latest In Beauty British Beauty Blogger Box

I'll be honest, I had no idea that this box was due to launch and although I'm an avid reader of the British Beauty Blogger I hadn't caught up for a few days. Also, as I'm new to the blog world (as a reader & blog writer) I'd never before experienced a BBB Beauty Box before. So when I found myself on an early finish from work, and slobbing out on the couch and catching up on my blog reading was the first time I heard anything about it. I got super excited and actually ordered the box before I'd read or watched the British Beauty Bloggers video on the box, daft I know, but I just felt that this box would sell really quickly and it did! Sold out in 24 hours, pretty darn impressive!

After placing my order I watched the video and loved everything that I saw. I  was really happy to actually find that a product that was on my 'want' list was included and it was full size. Meant to be huh?

I have ordered boxes from the Latest In Beauty team before, and have generally been impressed, I know that some people have had some really bad experiences with other beauty box brands. I love that this isn't a subscription box so if I'm feeling a little strapped for cash I don't have to buy, and if its a box that I don't like the sound of (rare occasion) then I'm not obligated in any way.

My box took a little longer than I expected to arrive, however you should note that I am super impatient when it comes to parcels especially when its a makeup delivery and of course the delivery fell over a bank holiday weekend so you have to make allowances. My box arrived on the 27th of May and everything was included and intact, and Jane (the British Beauty Blogger) did not lie, this box really is jam packed!

Bee Good Honey & Wild Water Mint 3 in 1 Cleansing Water 100ml
So, I'm a little bit lazy when it comes to skincare. I've always been very fortunate to have great skin, I know that sounds really conceited but genuinely people have remarked that my clear skin is my best feature (bit of a back handed compliment sometimes!). Even through my teenage years I never struggled with outbreaks or acne and its only as I'm getting older (officially an adult at twenty one *sad face*) that I'm noticing problems. Perhaps this is because I have never really taken care of my skin, simple cleansing wipes were my best friend for years, or perhaps its my genetics as my mother was exactly the same and still suffers with adult acne at the age of 44.
I was genuinely really happy to find this particular skin care tool in the box because I've recently been trying liquid cleaners out a whole lot more. I love that this brand gives such a hefty chunk of its profits towards British bee's and that it's delicate to use even on my eyes (I'm much too lazy to have to use more than one product).

La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water Spray 50ml 
Funnily enough, I had been looking at this very product a few days before ordering my box on the Escentual website but held off buying because I didn't see it as an 'essential'. If you don't know, you can either find me very hot and bothered working in a boiling kitchen as a waitress, or walking for miles with my puppy so this is going to be perfect to pop into my handbag and give my skin a little spritz when I really cant take the heat! It's also meant to help to soothe sunburn which I'm very happy about as I have what I call ginger skin. (Basically, I should have been ginger - my skin burns really, reaaaaally easily).

Kneipp Herbal Bath Stress Free in Mandarin 100ml
Bath time is my favorite time. I love nothing more than drawing a nice hot bath and sitting in it for hours reading, or simply relaxing. I love bubble bath but can find that it's a bit annoying especially if it gets in my hair or anything like that, but bath oils are a great alternative. This product smells ah-mazing and I'm so excited to use it. It honestly smells good enough to drink, although I wouldn't recommend it! My plan is to get this post up asap and go and have a good old soak in this!

Essie Nail Polish in Fashion Playground 
I have a few essie nail polish's in my collection so far and find that they are really easy to work with. From the formula, colour's and chip resistance - I love it all. I actually have a couple of other brands of polish in a very similar colour to the one that I received in my box and would have liked to try a different shade in an ideal world. However, its still a brilliant little polish and it will certainly get some use!

Roger & Gallet Ginggermbre Rouge Fresh Fragrant Water 1.5ml
This is a cute little sample from a brand I've never heard of before. This is not a perfume, but a fragrant water but I'm a little confused as to what the difference is. This is a wonderfully fresh scent with heavy notes of ginger. It actually smells really pretty and very summery, and seen as there is an offer included in the box I might just have to buy myself a little bottle! 

Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Fallen From The Lipstick Tree (1 use)
This is a really novel idea from Charlotte Tilbury, a lipstick sample that comes in the shape of lips. You simply peel back the plastic protector and kiss the shape, voila! Your lipstick has been applied. I received the So Marilyn variation and I love the colour! I haven't tried it yet, as you only get one application I think I'm going to save this for something special. Its a great idea, but I do wish that it could be used multiple times - I don't know that just one single use will convince me that I need the full product in my life.

Its Potent Eye Cream Benefit 3g
This little dinky pot of eye cream may be the cutest thing I've ever seen. I'm a massive fan of eye creams having suffered with dark circles for as long as I can remember and was actually recommended buying this eye cream a few months ago, but the price tag put me off a bit - I don't like to splash out on something that I'm not 100% sure about. Jane told us that you only need a very small amount of this cream for each application so it should last me a good couple of weeks, by which time I should definitely be able to make a judgement by then!

Janjira Thai Lime & Ginger Hand Wash 50ml
Working in hospitality means that I'm pretty much washing my hands constantly throughout the day, and the cheap soaps that you usually find dispensed in bathrooms and such drys my hands out really badly and makes them feel tight and uncomfortable which means I have to carry a moistorising hand cream around with me all the time. I'm going to start taking this cute little bottle of handwash around with me instead and see if I can see any improvement. This hand wash smells divine, really fruity and clean and exotic smelling!

Elemis Spa@Home Treat Your Feet Foot Cream 20ml
One thing I am certainly guilty of is not treating my feet well. I'm on them a hell of a hot and short of trimming my toe nails and giving them a lick of colour, I don't pay much attention to them at all. Now sandal season is upon us I know I really need to do something about my horribly little feet and this may be just the ticket! I have used a couple of Elemis products before, sold to me by a beautician after a full body massage at centre parcs for my 21st birthday and find them to be really luxurious and tend to achieve what they claim to do!

L'Occitane Lotion Divine 50ml 
Another skin care product!? My skin is going to feel very spoilt! This skin lotion promises to make my skin softer and look brighter - obvious winners right? I feel that this is a generous amount of product for a sample size and is more than enough to really decide whether you like the product. 

Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow Palette in Disappear Till Tomorrow (full size)
I'm already a big fan of Makeup Revolution and already use some of their products almost daily. You'll probably already know, I'm not a big eye shadow girl. Its no secret! And so I was very happy to get this particular variation of this product as the brighter options really did scare me a bit and I knew I would never get around to using them. This however, is a beautiful neutral palette that I am really going to push myself to experiment with. Makeup Revolution is truly an amazing brand and any additions from them are welcome in my makeup collection!

Ren Satin Perfection BB Cream 3ml
A really dinky little sample of a well loved (by some) BB cream. As for me, I'm probably not going to use this product as BB creams really don't do it for me and I prefer to stick with my foundations or wear nothing at all. I'm an all or nothing type of gal. I know plenty of friends and bbloggers that swear by this product for a light and healthy looking coverage. It contains a spf so there's no need for extra suncream protection and is completely silicone free!

Bourjois Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet (full size)
Next up, a product from one of my favorite affordable brands. I've had a bit of a love affair with Bourjois since I discovered makeup in my early teens and find that they always have something to offer me. I'm fairly inexperienced when it comes to cream blushers but recently I've been trying to broaden my horizons, so this is most definitely a welcome addition. I'm also a huge fan of the shade that I was sent, its a beautiful pinky peachy shade that I feel is going to look great with my bronzed summer look!

Lola Makeup Kabuki Brush (full size)
I do love me a makeup brush, and so was thrilled to see this little cutey nestled inside my box! I currently don't have a little kabuki brush perfect for on the go touchup's so this is going to be really handy for me and has probably saved me a pretty penny! The bristles on this brush feel super soft and gorgeous, and the fibers are natural hair. I've seen this brushes on sale in Marks & Spencers and are fairly pricey!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (full size)
I saved this one for last as this is the product that I was most excited about in this box. This mascara has been on my wish list for quite a while now. I lovelovelove a mascara and the brush on this one makes me think that it's going to do wonders for my lashes! The product is kept nice and safe in the most beautiful coloured container which feels nice and heavy and protective. I would have bought the BBB Beauty Box for this product alone, and so am over the moon! 

So there you have it, my first impressions of the British Beauty Blogger Beauty Box Collaboration with Latest In Beauty - to say I'm impressed is an understatement and would like to congratulate Jane on her success with these boxes!

Did you manage to get your hands on this beauty box? What product were you most excited to receive? Are there any other Beauty Boxes' that you would recommend?

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Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

I had been looking at this product for about three months before I finally popped it into my metaphorical basket for the final time and actually proceeded with the checkout, and I'll tell you why it took me so long;

i) There is no illamasqua store/concession anywhere near me and I hate trying to chose a foundation shade online.
ii) I'd heard really mixed reviews, some people loved it, some hated it.
iii) It comes in at around the £32.00 mark, which may not sound a lot to some of you, but for me that's preeeetty darn expensive for such a small amount of foundation.

I liked the idea of a second skin feeling foundation, something that hid your imperfections quite well but let your skin breathe and didn't make you feel like you'd applied poly-filler to your face. I used Illamasqua's handy little shade comparison chart and opted for the shade 11 which is a good enough match, although I think its a little on the pink side for me, especially as its comparison was NC35-NC40. 

I first used this foundation whilst getting ready for work, which was my first mistake. I needed plenty of time to get to grips with this one - not a half hour slot for all my makeup, and my second mistake? Using my Nanshy Flat Top brush to try and stipple it into my skin (its my favorite method of application dont'cha know). I hated it. And that is no exaggeration, I actually took it off and opted for a foundation that I get along well with. I threw it into the back of my "don't use" draw and forgot about it for a few weeks. 

However, on Thursday I decided my vanity needed a tidy up, organize and a clear out and I came across this foundation and thought to myself 'what a waste of money' and so I decided I would give it another go. 

I found that using a different primer to the one I had used previously actually helped the application of the Skin Base this time, and made it stick to my face a little better (last time it seemed really patchy) and my complexion looked a lot more even and using my fingers to blend and apply the foundation worked a whole lot better than my trusty Nanshy brush did.

As I mentioned before, the colour match was okay - just a little pink. I evened this out by using a Mac MSF in Medium Dark, which is quite yellow toned to set the foundation and neutralize the pink.

And so, I've been using the Illamasqua Skin Base in this way for the last few days and I'm starting to enjoy using it. My skin hasn't broken out at all (fingers crossed) and my makeup wears pretty well with this as a base. 

The packaging is pretty simple and hasn't really got a wow factor, and with the first few uses you can really struggle to get any of the product out of the squeezy bottle as its so stiff. However, its easy enough to keep clean and dispense the right amount from - I just think it would be jazz-ied up a bit!

Overall I'd say this is an okay foundation, not the worst I've ever used but nothing to write home about either. I probably wont be repurchasing this one when/if it runs out as its in no way my favorite and it has a pretty hefty price tag at £32.00.

I'm sure it would work better for girls who only need a very light base, but I don't tan my face (only my body) and so I like a full coverage foundation that can help me match up with the colour of my body. 

And the lesson I've learnt? Don't buy foundations or pricey products that you're not 100% sure about online without visiting a beauty counter first! Lets see how long I stick to that rule for!

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L'Oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick

Despite usually being a bit timid when it comes to lip products, recently it feels as though I've been buying very little else and, here comes the strange bit, actually enjoying playing around with different glosses, lipsticks, crayons etc.

I have been reading about these 'liquid lipsticks' for some time now and I'll be honest, I thought they were another gimmick on the market to help us beauty fanatics to part with our cash. That was until I found myself online shopping a few days ago (no surprise there!), and one suddenly jumped into my cart.

L'oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick By Color Riche in Nude Ballet £8.99

When this lipstick/gloss hybrid arrived through my letter box, I was quite excited to finally get my hands on one and see what all the fuss was about. Let me just say this, I don't think I've ever used a product like this before. I was expecting something like the NYX Lip Cream as the name would suggest. However, I found this product to be a very pigmented (lipstick like) gloss, that isn't super glossy and is long wearing. A strange one, but I like it. The colour that I chose is a lovely and very wearable pink nude which is super flattering and doesn't look too pale on the lips.

The packaging is quite luxurious for the reasonable price tag with its gold colored vial with a window so that you can see the shade inside. It has a lid that twists off to reveal a doe foot applicator which is very soft and easy to apply the product with. The product inside smells gorgeous, it smells very sweet without being too sickly and I didn't notice the fragrance at all after ten minutes of wear.

I gave this lip colour a proper trial run yesterday during a ten hour shift hosting a wedding at the country house hotel where I work. I applied it before my shift (2pm) and didn't need to reapply until around 6:30pm. That's a whopping 4 and a half hours of wear, pretty spectacular for a glossy product in my opinion. And I should mention, I was super busy rushing around and had been eating and drinking within those four and a half hours. Super impressive! One thing that I did notice was that even when the 'glossy' side of things had worn off, there was still colour pigmentation left on my lips - they were not completely bare.  

And then there were the compliments, I was complimented on the colour of my lipstick/gloss on four separate occasions throughout the day - more than usual for a nude lip colour and something that I wasn't expecting at all. 

Today (the day after wear) my lips do not feel dried out or in need of some tlc at all which they can sometimes after using a lip product for a lengthy period. I think I'm going to have to invest in some of the bolder shades of this range.

So if you're looking for a reasonably priced lipstick/gloss hybrid with an array of wearable shades, looks no further! Now, where did I put that bank card...?

Have you tried any of the L'Oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipsticks? What did you think to them?

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Treats From Paris

Last Friday, my boyfriends sister Sarah and her mum traveled to Paris as part of Sarah's twenty first celebrations. I was jealous to say the least, but Sarah brought me back some treats seen as I wasn't able to go! When my boyfriend text me whilst I was at work to Sarah had brought me back a bag of goodies, I literally couldn't wait to get home and have a look!

In my opinion, no one does chocolate like the French, they create some of my favourite choccy treats in the world and so I was over the moon to find a load of gorgeous chocolates in my goody bag. The giant sticks that you can see in the picture are a selection of chocolate tubes filled with treats like marshmallow, and are absolutely delicious (currently tucking in whilst typing this post)! The flat type packages that you can see are flavoured chocolate bars, one being chocolate orange - always a winner, right? And the other is a white chocolate with vanilla speckles, I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll have to hide these from my other half or there'll be nothing left by tomorrow afternoon!  

As much as I love chocolate, the real excitement came when I saw the beauty products that she had picked out for me. I will say this, kudos to her on picking me out some foundations as its something I would never attempt to buy for someone else. The shades she got match my natural skin tone pretty well and will most likely be my go to foundations when I haven't tanned, or will be my base for when I'm going to use my Chanel cream bronzer. 

note - I've had to use pictures from the internet as I'm still camera-less and because of the late hour, I just can't get a good picture on my iphone in the false light in my house!

Maybelline Affinitone 16 Vanille Rosee 
This is a foundation by maybelline, and as you can imagine I couldn't understand a word of the description (my GCSE french clearly didn't teach me very much) but after a little search on the wonder that is the internet, I found that it is described as a perfecting and protecting foundation with vitamin E. It says that it evens out skin tone, masks imperfections whilst protecting the skin from environmental effects. This foundation feels very runny, in fact if you shake the bottle you can hear the product sloshing around inside, and once on the skin it feels very light and moisturizing, perhaps it wont work for my oily t-zone, but I'm sure this is nothing a little blotting powder wont fix. I would liken the feeling of this foundation to a bb cream and feel that it would provide a light to medium coverage, but it is very build-able and doesn't appear to cake. I'm thinking this might be a perfect foundation for 'barely there' foundation days - of which I love. Lazy girl at her finest! The product comes in a squeezy tube which I feel will be very easy to use and enable you to get every last drop of the foundation out. Another quality that I noticed from the off with this foundation is the scent. It smells absolutely divine, very floral, fresh and clean smelling. I'm super excited to give this a good wear and see how it fairs on my skin!

Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Le Lifteur 20 Beige Eclat 
In the bottle, this foundation looks super crazy. The foundation inside is swirled - the only way I can describe it is it looks like a helter skelter in a pump bottle. I have a suspicion that this foundation is from the same line as the Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles as the labeling is really very similar. Again, my french GCSE taught me nothing of use because I cant understand a word on the bottle - enter my little friend the world wide web again! Its a complexion lifting, that re-textures the skin surface leaving a smooth complexion. It claims to lift and plump the skin making it appear younger and more radiant. I honestly really love any foundation that comes in a pump bottle as I find them really easy to use, dispense from and keep clean. This product feels silky smooth on the skin and gives a medium to full coverage whilst still feeling light and creamy. Again, it smells ah-maaazing Do the french like good smelling cosmetics or what?! Super product so far and I'm really excited to start using this and seeing what it does for my skin. 

Miss Cop Nails Pop in No 1 Rose (pictured) & No 4 Vert
Sarah knows me well. I love changing up the colour of my nails and I've been loving pastels this spring, so I was really happy to find two super cute nail colours in my booty bag! I received a beautiful purpley-pink colour and a lovely icy green. Although the brushes to apply these are thin, I think they will make the polish really easy to apply as I can sometimes struggle and make a mess with the thicker/fatter brushes. These nail colours are really opaque, which is not always the case with pastel colours and I found whilst testing these out they only needed two coats for a lovely full coverage on the nail. The smell isn't too over powdering which I can find some nail varnishes can have and I'm really struggling to decide which one of these to use first!

So, that sums up my lovely surprise goody bag from my lovely sister in law (kind of)! I'm so so grateful and am really loving everything she picked out for me! How lucky am I to have such thoughtful members of extended family!

Do you have any of these products? Do you have any products that you always pick up when abroad? Have you had any nice surprises brought back from holiday?

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Vichy DermaBlend Foundation Review

I really wanted to share with you a foundation that I have been using for a few weeks and have fallen completely in love with! Since my first use of this foundation, I haven't reached for any of my old faithfuls at all which is a very rare occasion for me, as I tend to switch up my foundations daily. 

I first heard about this foundation when Boots.com started to stock it, first of all I was interested because there was an introductory offer (everyone knows I'm a sucker for an offer!) but sadly, they had sold out almost immediatly which is understandable. I did a little search and found it stocked on escentual.co,uk for £14.45. Before committing to the purchase I decided to have a little snoop around and do some research, and some of the claims I read literally bowled me over. Almost every review I read was a rave, people just couldn't say enough good things about this foundation and indeed, brand. I was sold. The second problem I faced was finding a good colour match. Buying foundations online always have the pitfall of 'will this shade match my skin tone'? and this one was no different. It also worried me that there were so few colour options with this foundation, only 5 in total; opal - which is the fairest shade that they do, nude, sand, gold and bronze. However, with the help of google I came across the site findation.com which asks for the shades in foundation that you currently use and matches you up to other foundations based on your answers. This site told me that I needed shade 45, and so I ordered it. The day after, whilst I was still browsing reviews and swatches the doubt that this colour would be much too dark for me set in. 

The very next day my parcel arrived (super quick delivery for only £1.95 right!?) and i couldn't wait to rip it open and try it on. The first thing that I noticed was that you only need a tiny, tiny blob of this foundation for a full face coverage - this is coming from mrs. full coverage by the way, which really does show how little you need! The colour, once blended is the most perfect colour match I have ever experienced. I used a little translucent powder to set this foundation, but I didnt use any concealer or bronzer at all. First of all, this foundation is so pigmented that it covered my under eye circles perfectly. I was so impressed. And secondly of all, because the colour match was so good I literally didn't need any bronzer to help boost my colour and match in with the rest of my skin tone. I can honestly say that I have used bronzer with a foundation every single day since I was around 15. This foundation hardly feels like you're wearing anything at all, its got the feeling of a bb cream or tinted moisturizer but the coverage of a super thick foundation. How do they do that? Incredible.

I found that this product doesn't block or clog my pores up in the slightest, and infact if anything the blemishes I did have on my forehead, disappeared after a few days of using this foundation! Coming to bed time and taking my makeup off was an absolute breeze, this product just seemed to melt from my skin with one swipe of a cleanser.
This foundation lasted on my skin for about 9 hours, with the occasional blot touch up. The only downside for me with this foundation is that because I have an oily t-zone I did need to blot that area every couple of hours. You may not find this if you're not as oily as I am, or if you don't work in a hot environment as I do.

This is by far, my Holy Grail foundation, and I cant see myself falling out with this one ever! It hasn't made me break out in the slightest, and my skin feels a lot healthier now that I'm using this product. I genuinely cannot say enough good things! If you're looking for a lightweight, cover everything foundation you need to look at this one, super price and amazing results - I'm ordering more as soon as this post is up!

Have you tried this foundation, or any other products from this brand? Did you enjoy using them? What is your Holy Grail Foundation?

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Benefit Box O' Powders Dupes?

I have been lusting after two of the benefit powders for so long now, but I just cannot seem to sacrafice my old favourite must haves in favour of something that just might not work for me. So when I found the W7 Honolulu and W7 Honey Queen Honeycomb Blusher I had to snap them up. To sweeten the deal even more for me, I recieved a 20% off code and also free delievery, making my affordable products super duper affordable!

Benefit Hoola Bronzer 
So, if you're unfamiliar with benefit products then where have you been all your life? Under a rock?! They are very cute, tongue in cheek and colourful packages that encase beautiful, if slightly pricey products. They would look stunning on your vanity table, and on your face of course! The Hoola Bronzer comes in a little purple cardboard box, with a bamboo motif in a light, almost sky blue which match the colour of the font used to tell you the items specifics (net weight ect). Included is also a small brush with a handle that is the same light blue as on the packaging. Opening the lid you can see that there is a small mirror included, which I can honestly say I don't think I would find use for, it's small and to be honest, I wouldn't have one of these box of powders in my handbag as I don't think they would travel all too well. The bronzing powder looks to be very brown in the packaging, but from what I've read, isn't very pigmented. As I haven't tried it, I can't really comment, but I'm hoping to pick one of these up in the next few weeks to try myself! 

W7 Honolulu Bronzer
Here is where the simalarities start - first of all is the name? Just me? Thought not. The W7 Honolulu bronzer comes in an identically sized box. The only differences that I can see are that of the colour of the box, the motif and the fact that this box of powder has a fully removable top without a mirror as apposed to Benefit's which boasts a flip top lid with a mirror enclosed inside. The W7 Honolulu bronzer box looks a little cheaper, but I'd expect that considering the price difference is a huge £20.50. Inside is a really soft brush very similar to that that benefit's hoola offers. This brush is a black handled, thin brush which I wouldn't necessarily use to bronze my face, but which may come in handy for contouring. The product again, looks very dark in the pan, and once swatched I can see that it's incredibly pigmented and almost a butter texture which I feel would blend out very well. There is no shimmer at all in this bronzer, which I am a huge fan of! I was a little anxious that this powder may have been very orange/red based which I have known some of the cheaper powders to be but upon swatching I am more than happy with the colour, and although there is a hint of orange in there, its mostly a tan shade which I'm hoping will prove very easy to work with. Even though I have picked this one up now, it's definitely helped me to make up my mind and order the Benefit's Hoola for two reasons. The first being so that I can really compare the two products for myself and the second being that I really love Benefit's range of products and want a treat, a girls prerogative huh!?

W7 The Honey Queen Honeycomb Blusher

The second item I purchased was this blusher, thinking that perhaps it might have been a dupe for Benefit's Rockateur. Sadly, this is in no way a good dupe or a blusher come to that. The packaging is super cute and I love the print and colours of the box. Included inside is the same brush as in the bronzer which again, although handy, I don't think its one that I would use to apply a blusher, and although it has been provided to help with on the go touch ups, I cant say that I would be likely to take one of these box of powders out and about with me as I don't think they would travel all that well, they're definitely a vanity table product. Inside the box is the most shimmery mosaic block I've ever come across which immediately made me cringe a little. I've pretty sure I haven't used a shimmer product like this since my early teen years when I learnt that a glitter ball look isn't something that suits me. So far, I've only swatched this product as I'm currently sat cross-legged and bare faced enjoying my day off which is my designated 'no makeup day' and might be able to get it to work as a possible highlight? But at the moment all I can get it to do is be super glittery with very little colour payoff. I also cannot get any blush colour from this at all, there's just no pink, peach or reddish pay off here. A bit of a waste!

Inside the box, this product looks super pretty, with pink, peach, mauve and a purple-ish colours but unfortunately the colour just doesn't pay off. I'm a little disappointed because I really wanted to enjoy using this product!

















So overall, its a mixed review! I'm totally in love with the bronzer at the moment, but I'll have to give it a couple of days wear to actually commit to it, but the blusher? I'm really not a fan. However, first impressions aren't everything so perhaps this one will grow on me? For £5.58 for both and including postage, you cant really moan can you? 







Have you used any of these products before? Do you have any W7 products that you adore? 
Have you used the benefit versions of these products? If so, what do you think of those?


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The Body Shop Haul

I can honestly hold my hands up and say I have never, ever made a purchase from the body shop before know. And I cant really explain why that is, I love that they're committed to being cruelty free and I love that all their ingrediants are all of the natural variety & that the company is committed to fair trade. Perhaps its because I never thought of the body shop as a makeup brand before, and although I do use skin care, I'm not what you could consider to be a skincare junkie (so shoot me). I can still remember holding my mums hand walking around the tropical smelling store when I was young and my mother used to wear Patchouli oil as perfume which she would buy from the body shop. When ever I get a whiff of that it takes me back to being a toddler, literally a flashback!

When I discovered last week that The Body Shop had a 40% flash sale and free shipping when you spent over £5.00 I just had to have a little browse, and surprise surprise a couple of items jumped into my basket! Delivery wasn't exactly speedy, but it was free and the delivery was done by Royal Mail. The items were delivered today (19/5/14) in brown envelopes that seem to be insulated with some kind of grey fluff, which I appreciated as I tend to worry that my items may get smashed or damaged in transit!

First up is the Honey Bronze Bronzing Gel For Face £12.00. This is described as a bronzing gel to be used on the face. As you will probably already know, I am a bronzing junkie and I'm always on the look out for a new product that will help me to look naturally tanned and feel better about the way I look, I just cant stand being deathly pale. I had the idea that perhaps this will be ideal for lazy summer days when I don't really want to wear a full face of makeup, but don't want to scare the neighbors with my ghost-like face! From swatching, this seems like a lovely, easily blend-able product with good colour pay off. I'm hoping it wont break my skin out, but as I don't plan on using this everyday I don't think this will be too much of a problem!

Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment £11.00. Although I'm not exactly big on skin care, occasionally something grabs my attention and twists my arm to purchase and try it out. The Body Shop tells me that this over night treatment is for combination/oily skin and helps to combat excess oil while moisturizing skin at the same time. It promises to leave skin clear, hydrated and shine free. I'm excited to give this one a try tonight after I've cleansed and toned my skin as usual. The product smells really lovely, clean and fresh! The product comes in a 30ml bottle with a pump on the top which makes it easy to dispense. The packaging feels sturdy enough and I feel that it would travel well.

Rose Lipgloss £7.00. As you may know, I have been on a quest to find a lipgloss that is a close match to my beloved limited edition (and very nearly empty) Lancome Juicy Tube and this is a pretty close match. Its a really pretty, shimmery pink colour, which doesn't feel sticky on my lips at all. Granted, I've only had it on for ten minutes before writing this post, but still, first impressions and all that! 

Colour Crush Lipstick in 130 Sweet Coral £10.00 This is a beautiful lip colour, as you can gather from the name its a bright, slightly frosted pinky coral. The Body Shop's lipstick collection actually got me quite excited, which is unusual as I'm generally not that big on lips. I opted for this shade as I'm usually Mrs Boring and felt like being a little daring. This lipstick feels really nourishing whilst on and does not feel like it will dry the lips out at all - and I have dry lips! This product has a beautiful, but not overpowering smell to it and the packaging is really cute, and feels like it would protect the lipstick well. I'm definitely going to have a look at some of the other shades and add some more of these lovely little lippies to my collection!

Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 03 & 04 £13.00 each. Last but not least, I picked up these two beautiful bronzers. I got them in the two darkest shades as I tend to always be a lot darker than my natural skin tone! I bought number 03 for a colour base and the 04 to use as a contour. Both colours are completely matte and shimmer free, do not look at all muddy or orange on my skin and feel silkily smooth. The packaging is what I really love about these bronzers, they are encased in a beautiful tortoiseshell coloured plastic, which feels quite thick and protective. Inside is a lovely large mirror providing convenience when applying product on the go.  

So that's the lot, and I have to say so far, I am very happy with all my purchases from The Body Shop! I got some real bargains, considering I received 40% off everything and free delivery on top too! (Spent £66.00, applied the discount code and received my goods for £39.60, saving a whopping £26.40). The Body Shop has certainly proved its self to me and has been added to one of my favorite online makeup destinations!

Do you have any of these products? Do you shop from The Body Shop? What are your The Body Shop must haves?

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My Makeup Wish List

Surely I'm not the only person that has a continuously growing list of wants? I thought not. 
Here I have compiled an assortment of things that I am interested in, would like and need.

1) Hoola Bronzer Benefit £23.50
I have been lusting after this bronzer for as long as I can remember, but although I have had the opportunity to purchase, it would mean going without my beloved Mac MSF. I just haven't been able to make that sacrifice. Perhaps the next time I receive a generous paycheck I'll have to bite the bullet!

2) Long Wear Even Finish Foundation Bobbi Brown £30.00
I'm a bit of a self confessed foundation fiend, with my makeup storage currently hosting 17 different foundations, but that doesn't mean I'm not on the look out for more. I've heard some really great things about this foundation, and have been told that it works well on the oilier skinned ladies so it sounds like it ticks all the boxes for me!

3) Le Blanc De Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base £31.00
Having recently bought and tried out Soap & Glory's Hocus Pocus has made me want to try a higher end version of an illuminating base product. Could this just be makeup snobbery? Absolutely, but there's just something satisfying about having a Chanel product on your vanity..

4) Zoeva Luxe Complete Set £105.00
I would be lying if I said that I am loyal to one particular brand of brushes. I enjoy using different brushes, for different purposes by different brands. These include many of the Real Techniques brushes, Mac brushes, Nanshy brushes, Models Own brushes, Elf brushes. However, one brand that I am yet to try is Zoeva, and this luxe complete set looks like the ultimate set of makeup brushes. All I hear is good things by this makeup brush brand and I would love to get my sticky little paws on them!

5) Real Techniques Mini Brush Set £9.99
I actually had a little look for this brush set whilst I was in my local boots store yesterday, but sadly it wasn't in stock. This is the cutest little travel sized set of brushes containing the mini foundation/concealer brush for touch ups on the go, the mini face brush for all types of powder products and the mini shading brush to transform your eyeshadow on the go. I'm a sucker for anything in mini form, and these look like they would be really useful to have in your handbag, plus they come in a cute little pouch to help keep them clean!

6) Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Heftiest Hibiscus £17.00
I have wanted this chubby stick for around two years now, but have always either balked at spending almost £20.00 on what is essentially a lip balm, or when I have built up the courage to go and purchase, that particular shade hasn't been in stock. There's just something about this particular colour that almost mesmerizes me and i think that in the near future this is going to appear in my lip product draw!

7) Benefit Gimme Brow £17.00
I already have the Divaderma brow product within my collection, this (if you don't know) is essentially an older version of the Gimme Brow. It is a colour/fiber concoction held in a little glass tube with a doe foot applicator. You simply swipe onto your brows and it deposits both colour and fibers onto your brows to give them a boost and a more voluminous look that is still natural looking. However, being a cosmetic enthusiast I have been wanting to try the benefit version for a while. From what i can gather it seems to be more of a gel product that has fibers included? Gimme!

8) L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Color Riche (Rose Symphony, Tangerine Sonate, and Rose Melody) £8.99 each
I almost picked these exciting new lip products up yesterday, but I already had three lip products in my basket and with the boyfriend hovering around I just couldn't bring myself to pop those in too. (I'm meant to be saving up, dont'cha know). I think these three colours are really wearable and would look lovely on a summers day picnic or similar. This line of liquid lipsticks really has me intrigued, and I don't think it'll be long before I've snapped a few up.

9) No.7 Gel Look Shine Summer Nail Colour in Lemon Drop £7.00
This is the most beautiful pale, pastel yellow shade that I have ever come across and I need  this in my life as my go to summer nail colour. I usually tend to stay away from yellow nail colours as i think it can make your nails look stained and dirty, but I just cant see this happening with this particular shade. I look that its a 'gel look' nail product, I love a super shiny finish and a nail colour that resists chipping is always a winner in my book!

10) Maxfactor Colour Corrector Sticks £9.99 each
I'm really interested in these new CC Sticks, each of the five different coloured sticks has its own purpose and conceals different skin problems. Unfortunately these were not in stock yesterday when I went to have a look and so they are firmly on my 'want' list!

11) Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara £19.00
It seems every where I look at the moment, someone's talking about how fabulous this mascara is! Ever since my teenager days, mascara has been the product that I seem to have hoarded the most, and I can see that my lust for this mascara will not end until I have it securely in my eye makeup draw! It boasts a huge bristle brush and claims to give the lashes a full and intense flutter. Better than sex? I'm not sure, that's a pretty big claim to stake, I guess it depends how much you love mascara!

I actually thought there would have been a whole lot more on my wish list, but this is all i can think of so far. Have you got any of these products? Do you rate them? What's on your wish list?

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