2 small purchases of the day.

Had a cheeky trip into town today and picked up two things off my ever growing 'i want' list...

First is a denim jacket from H&M for £25. Not a bad price considering I then went into Topshop and saw one basically identical for £40. The fit is perfect, it's really comfortable and very good quality. It hasn't been the nicest of days and it kept me nice and toasty too. 


-Dress: £6 Primark, Belt: £unknown H&M, Necklaces: £7.50 Miss Selfridge, 

I then went into MAC, always dangerous, but I refrained and only got an eye shadow for £12. This is in the shade Kid. I've been after a natural looking matte brown for a while but I would only ever find one with shimmer in or ones that either had too much of a purple tone or too much of a red tone. This one is perfect for an everyday wash off colour that doesn't stand out too much but gives good definition to your eyes. 

My Spring Nail Polishes.

As the Spring has brought the Pastel trend our way I thought it best to put aside my Autumn/Winter colours and update my collection. These are what I have brought so far and my favourite at the moment.

...And i can NOT wait for the Essie diffusion line to come to shops near me!

Left to Right: Topshop- Hunting, Topshop AWOL and Topshop- World's end. 

Left to Right: Barry M- Blue Moon, Topshop- Gone Fishing and L'oreal- French Riviera.

Left to Right: L'oreal- Opera Ballerina, Models Own- Utopia and Topshop- Parma Violet

                              
  Left to Right: Topshop- Big Smoke and No.7- So Simple

                       
 Left to Right: 17- Sherbet Lemon and Nails Inc- Hans Crescent

My favourite for this season so far....L'oreal- Opera Ballerina. A perfect milky pink/white which doesn't take too many coats to become opaque and as a beautiful glossy finish.


What are you painting your nails with at the moment? 

The boyfriend has entered the blogisphere.

http://nathanjackson25.blogspot.co.uk/

This is the boyfriends blog :) 
He's new and he is going to be blogging about man things like the gym and men's fashion. Lacrosse holds a special place in his heart so expect to see a lot from that.
Very promising don't you think?

Bare Minerals Matte Mineral Foundation

Hi everyone! I haven't done a Blog post in agggggges, mainly due to placement and university work but i thought as summer was coming up I would get back into the swing of things...and after some nagging from the boyfriend. Any who, I thought I would kick things off with talking about the Bare Minerals Matte Mineral foundation, a bit of a long winded title! 


I first wanted to try out this foundation because I, in the 7 or so years I've been wearing foundation, have never been truly satisfied with what I've been purchasing. I have only ever had one high end foundation before but unfortunately the woman did a complete botch job with matching to my skin tone and I kind of thought, meh, I'll just stick to drugstore brands. Unfortunately, this lead to me buying product, after product, after product because although I am a huge advocate for saving your pennies, on something like foundation I think you get what you pay for and after all, it is your skin and you want it to look beautiful. 


So, after that rant about how i find it impossible to find a drugstore foundation for my skin tone, colour and type, I'll tell you about Bare Minerals. I purchased mine from Debenhams for £25. Now, that is a little pricey for 6g of product in my opinion, however the lady at the counter assured me a little goes a long way and it should last for 4-6 months. I've only been using mine for a week so time will soon tell. The lady matched the product to my skin in the shade W10- Golden Fair. I have NEVER had a foundation match my skin so well and I normally end up doing the bronzer down my neck trick, which i hate! I'm not extremely pale, I do normally attempt foundations around the golden/beige colours, but this colour is spot on!


I chose the Matter foundation rather than the original because the lady said the original has a dewy/glow effect. Now, my skin is normally quite oily with some dry patches like on the end of my nose so although i love the thought of dewy, glowy skin, i didn't want to end up like a disco ball and went for matte. Bare minerals definition of oily is obviously different to mine because I think I could have gone for the original foundation. I do like the formulation of this foundation but obviously my skin is more dry than I thought and this foundation is VERY matte. I find that unless I use a very rich moisturiser, the product can be difficult to blend into the skin...even with my real techniques buffing brush! I think this is the products one downfall because for a brand who claim to give you a product that is quick and effortless to apply, I don't think spending 15 minutes blending a product into the skin so it doesn't look patchy is quick or effortless. 


Quick note: the brush in the picture is the Bare minerals Handy Buki brush which is meant to help the foundation go from light to medium/heavy coverage as the product is buildable. I personally didn't like it and am disappointed in myself for spending £19 on it. It is almost too dense and i don't think it helped to my blending nightmares, hence i swapped back to my Real Techniques buffing brush. 


Overall I do like this product though, if you can look past the slight blending issues it has a lot of positives! Once it has settled on the skin for a little bit (I recommend 5 minutes before you move on to other face products) it leaves a beautiful and natural finish to the skin. I do think it covers blemishes and red areas nicely and I love the fact that it's buildable. I find that it doesn't cling to the dry patches on my skin and I can vouch that this foundation can go the distance and last all day. 

What are your opinions on the Bare Minerals Matte Foundation?
                                                                                           xXx
   

And Where Have You Been?!

Hi Guys!
I haven't written a blog for a while now, and there was me thinking i'd just got into the swing of things! I've been quite busy finishing up uni for this semester and getting some last minute things done in Plymouth because i am off home to Bournemouth tomorrow! I am so excited and have so many things planned. I can't wait to catch up with my girls and chill out and will deffo be hitting the town! Then on the day after boxing day my amaze-balls boyfriend will be coming to visit over new years so i am looking forward to that on tender hooks! I've been getting lots of things i want to show you recently, presents from my boyfriend and presents from my dad, all for crimbo of course! I think i'm going to wait until after Christmas though because obviously i'll be getting things then aswell so i will do a haul then! I haven't done a haul yet so i'm quite excited! I'll be putting some information on this blog but the main haul will be on my YouTube channel so don't forget to check that out. I hope you are all feeling very Christmassy and are putting on the Christmas pounds like i am HAHA! Speak to you soon!

xXx

YouTube Alert!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFCnC7nOw3U

Check it out :)

xXx

My Everyday Make-up and Perfume.

Bonjour! 


I've had such a busy day in uni today, 9-5! Finally. Not that i liked going in that early and coming out that late but i was starting to think my hard earned student loan was going to waste! Anyway i came back and made a YouTube video of my OOTD ...check it out...
Then i thought lets update the blog :) So for you delight and pleasure, this is my everyday makeup routine..in pictures.


Step 1.

The first thing i do before i put any makeup on, be it first thing in the morning or if i'm re-applying half way through the day it cleanse and moisturise my skin.  I think it's so important as a first step as it sets your skin up for the rest of the make-up which will ultimately create a more flawless finish. The face wipes i use are by Skin Therapy and i got them from Sainsburys for £2.50. This is one of the cheaper brands and i haven't actually seen them in boots yet but they are amazing. They smell so good and as soon as i use them i can feel how much cleaner and softer my skin is. Next i use Nivea Soft Moisturising Cream. This was around £3 from Boots. I've heard mixed reviews about this moisturiser but I've never had anything but good results. I have quite combination skin and i don't find it makes me oily and definitely targets dry patches (as all good moisturisers should). 


Step 2. 

After i have prepared my face i use 17 Even Tone Correcting Stick (£3.89, Boots). Now don't be scared...it is blue. I had this to any redness i have on my face, normally around spots and my nose. The blue helps to counter act the redness. Make sure this is blended well! Next i mix together Dior Forever Fluid in 030 (£26 House of Fraser) and 17 Skin Perfecting Shine Free Foundation in Natural (£3.69 Boots). The reason i blend the two together is because obviously the Dior Foundation is a lot more expensive and very good quality and i feel it creates a nice, flawless finish, however, i did get a too darker shade so i bought a cheap (but good) foundation from 17 to make the colour a bit more suited to my skin tone. I think sometimes you do have to blend foundations because not everybody is going to be one of the 5 or 6 shades available. Next i use Laura Geller The Real Deal Concealer in Medium (I don't know how much it is, stole it off mum) It says medium but it's really not and has a very creamy light consistency. I then set my face with 17 Pressed Power in Delicate Beige (£3.99 Boots). Amazing powder, really does what it says on the tin, without being cakey. 


Step 3. 

 After the base of my makeup i then apply a small amount of bronzer lightly around my face and down onto my neck and chest if i feel i need it (hitting pan, OH NO!!!) For this i use Rimmel Natural Bronzer  in 025 Sun Glow (£5.59, Boots). I like this bronzer because i feel it gives a really nice natural, sun kissed colour and it isn't too orange. Deffo try it. Next i use the 17 Instant Glow Highlight and Bronze (£3.59, Boots). I use the bronze side to contour just below the cheek bones, temples and down my nose, just to define my features and give a healthy glow, then the highlighter side on the top of my cheek bones. I love this product because i couldn't find an affordable brand that did anything like this until i stumbled across it (when i wasn't even planning on buying anything, that always happens doesn't it!). Finally for face, i use Laura Geller Blush 'n' Brighten in Berry (£20, QVC). I LOVE THIS! It's such a nice flush of colour in a peachy pink and it has a gold iridescence which catches the sun and is flattering on any skin tone. 


Step 4.

For eyes I start with The Body Shop Eye Colour 29 (was £8.00, now discontinued). Isn't it annoying when you find a great colour and they stop making it?! And i'm running out?! I wash this mushroom colour all over the lid of my eye. It has a subtle shimmer, but not much. Next in the crease i apply Natural Collection Eyeshadow in Milk Chocolate (£1.99). I love Natural Collection eye shadows. They are so affordable and are great dupes for more expensive brands. It's a light fawn/taupe colour and has a nice matte finish. After this is apply Laura Geller Eyeliner in Caffe Mocha (£17, QVC). I have only recently switched to this eyeliner as it's brown and i normally wore black. However, i am so glad i did. Brown is a much nicer colour, i feel, for blue eyes. It really brings them out and isn't too harsh for an everyday look. I then use Rimmel Flash Eyeliner in Flash Black (£5.29, Boots) on my top eye lid. I really like a winged eyeliner look as i have quite small eyes and it's nice to accentuate them (sexy). Finally for eyes i use Collection 2000 Pump Up the Volume Loud Lash Mascara in black (£4.99, Boots). This is one you have to stick with. I keep coming back to this one because i don't want to give up on it. When i first started using it it was very liquidy and made my eyelashes a bit "spidery" as mum said, but now its dried up a bit it's better, not one i will be re-purchasing though. Sorry! If i', going out at night and i want a darker eye look i use Bourjois Smokey Eyes Pallet in 09 Lady Vert de Gris (£7.99, Boots). This trio offers 3 colours which i think are perfect for any sensual, smokey eye. 

Step 5.

For the lips i first use The Body Shop Born Lippy Lip Balm in Watermelon (£2.00 The Body Shop). Not only is this super moisturising, but it tastes amazing! So good for your lips, not sticky and a good price. Do try. On top of this i apply Bourjois Effect 3D Les Nudes in 33 Brun Poetic (£6.99, Boots). I personally like this because i love nudes and it tastes great and has a nice shimmer to it without being tacky. It also lasts well. Finally on the lips i apply a small dabbing off Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip Cream  in Powder Puff (£2.99, Tescos). Now, I sooooo wanted to like this because despite the picture, it is such a nice nude. Unfortunately it is so dry and i find it doesn't transfer very well. It is does that annoying thing were you look like you have rabies because it's like all the white stuff in the corner of you lips. Not good when your puckering up. However, if my lips are in the right condition it's alright. 


Step 6. 

After allllllllllllllllllll of this the last step is perfume. These two are my favourite scents right now, even though there are many out there that i like. On the left we have Dior Pure Poison (30ml, £39, House of Fraser). I like to use this at night time as it's more mysterious smelling and sexy. I find it's quite a dark, powerful smell. Oooooo. On the right is Next One Spirit (30ml £6, Next). This is the fragrance i spritz on as i'm running out the door, most days. it's light, fresh and girly and definitely something i will be re-purchasing. 


OMG, that is a long blog! I do apologise.  If you made it down this far, I hope you enjoyed it and it's given you some ideas of products to buy for yourself for an everyday make-up look. Don't forget crimbo is coming up and a lot of this will make great Christmas presents. 

xXx