Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch.

After hearing a lot about this recently in the blogging world, I was desperate to try it! I was in need of a new primer as my Benefit Porefessional has almost ran out (nooo!). So i decided to buy the Clarins Instant smooth Perfecting touch. It's available to buy here but I was lucky enough to get it for half price as my friend works in duty free at the airport :) which is amazing cause I can get half price on loads of products! 

I found this primer very similar to the Porefessional. There are slight differences but essentialy they do the same thing. This one is a light pink colour (whereas porefessional is a nudey brown colour), and it helps to brighten the skin. It makes my pores much less visible which is great, and my makeup sits really nicely on the skin after using this primer. As far as whether I prefer it to Porefessional.. I'm not sure. I like them equally and i did find them very similar. However I did find that this didn't make my skin as matte as Porefessional which is something that put me off a little bit. I'd say it's worth trying if you want a primer that makes your pores less visible. 

Pros:

• Makes pores less visible.
• Brightens skin.
• Comes with a little spatula for application.
• Makes makeup sit better on skin / last longer.

Cons:

• Quite pricey.
• Doesn't mattify the skin.

Sleek Rose Gold Blush.

Sleek rose gold blush - £4.95 + £1.00 delivery - link

This is a product I've heard a lot about in the blogging world and have wanted to try for ages! It's well known as a dupe for NARS Orgasm blush, but obviously it's a fraction of the price. I think the NARS one is more of a pinky peach than the Sleek blush, which is more of an orangey coral colour.. but they both have a golden shimmer which is why they get compared! I bought mine from eBay (the link is provided above), as i haven't had any time to go shopping lately so I just bought it online.. I think it's roughly this price in Superdrug though as far as I know? One thing i really like about this product is the packaging is really..for want of a better word.. 'sleek'? ha, and i think it makes the product look more high end and expensive. and I also like the fact it comes with a mirror. However it's an absolute bitch to open! i have to open it with my teeth every time!

When i first saw this in person I wasn't sure if I was going to like it! I'm so used to wearing bright pink blushers so this was a little out of my comfort zone. However when i actually tried it on my face it wasn't as intense as I'd expected! i really like it so far.. it's not too orangey and it gives a nice subtle shimmer. I like that it's a bit different from what I normally go for and i'm really glad I tried it! I think it will look really nice for nights out because it gives a shimmer to the cheeks, which almost looks like a glow.. it's subtle like i said but really nice! I do still want to try the NARS orgasm one day but for now this is a nice product :) have you tried either the Sleek rose gold or NARS orgasm ? thoughts on them and whether you think this is a good dupe? 

Empties.

I thought i'd do an 'empties' post as it's something I've not done on my blog before! Apologies for the bad quality photo.. Obviously some of the packaging has worn away as they have been used for quite a while! And i finally managed to quickly snap a few photos whilst I wasn't working and there was actually daylight! These are just four items i have used up within the past couple of weeks (I can finally throw them out now that I've photographed them..#bloggerproblems!). All of these products are fairly cheap, all under £10. the links to the products are provided below.

vo5 High volume extra strong hold hairspray - to be honest this was nothing special at all. I think i picked it up as it was on some kind of offer in superdrug. I never stick to any one hairspray I usually just go for the cheapest but i always go for the strongest hold as I have thick hair! this claims to be 'extra strong hold' but I don't think it was at all. this reminded me more of the 'natural hold' type hairsprays you can get. It didn't really feel like it was doing much, and it definitely wasn't a good hold. I was really unimpressed with it and definitely wouldn't repurchase. Anyone else tried this? I'd be interested to know if people like this hairspray. Pretty much the only thing i like is the packaging.

L'Oreal nude magique BB cream - I can't rave about this enough. It's one of my favourite products EVER, i honestly love it! I think i've spoken about this previously in my daily makeup routine post (which you can check out here if you like). I use this every single day without fail, I barely ever wear foundation any more as this does a good enough job alone (I use concealer and powder with it though). I'm quite lucky to have pretty clear skin so i don't need a heavy coverage foundation. i love the way this product leaves my skin - it's always matte without being too dry, which is absolutely perfect for me! Seriously, anyone with oily / combo skin needs to try this! definitely one of my holy grail products. 

Maybelline Dream nude airfoam foundation - like I've just mentioned above, I rarely wear foundation any more. i will only tend to wear it for a night out now (which isn't that often these days!). So i've had this for quite a while now.. over 6 months. But only use it occasionally. I don't dislike this foundation but it's not anything special in my opinion.. It isn't too oily which i like, with it being a foam. Generally i don't like heavy coverage foundations at all and this is quite light on the skin. I don't think i will repurchase it, I want to try and find a foundation I love and stick with it.. so i will have to test a few. If anyone has any recommendations for combination skin, please let me know!

Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara - again this was just a mascara I picked up because it was either on offer / one of the cheapest ones (there seems to be a reoccurring pattern here..). I don't really tend to stick to one mascara.. i've also tried the extreme black version of this. I think they're fine, but nothing special. They do the job but there are much better mascaras out there. I generally prefer mascaras with a plastic wand rather than bristles. Despite it having bristles i did quite enjoy using this mascara. I think it's one of those cheap and cheerful ones. I'd probably repurchase it again if it was on offer or something! 

Everyday makeup.

I thought I'd share my current everyday makeup routine! I love seeing people's combination of products and their favourite ones to use so I wanted to share mine. I haven't been wearing foundation very much at all lately so I haven't pictured any here. To be honest i only really wear foundation on nights out now, as I don't really feel like I need it. I tend to use the Rimmel fix & perfect primer, and then I will sometimes use the Benefit porefessional over the top.. However I've started using this less frequently as it's running out and it's so expensive so i'm a bit hesitant to replace it even though I love it! I will probably repurchase it at some point though as it's a great product. So then I use my L'oreal nude Magique BB cream. This is one of my favourite products of all time! honestly I recommend it so much, especially if you have oily / combination skin. It makes my skin matte without being too dry, and I find that the coverage is enough that I dont need foundation on a daily basis, although when it's on it kind of appears like bare skin ? it's weird..But i guess it's just what you feel comfortable with and I like how my skin looks when wearing this! But i know some people who have tried it and don't like it, so I think it definitely depends on your skin type and how much coverage you like to have!

Next, concealer..My favourite concealer, which I have been using for almost a year now, is Benefit boi-ing which I have in the lightest shade. I find that the coverage is really good partiocularly under my eyes, it brightens up my skin quite a bit which I love! however lately I've been using Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer which is absolutely AMAZING. i know there's been a lot of hype around it and I can finally see why, it's so good! Seriously anyone who hasn't tried it needs to. Then to set all my makeup I use 17 Miracle matte Pressed Powder, this is the best powder I've found so far, it's relatively new I think? but I've repurchased it once already as I used one up. it's one of my staple products which i use every single day without fail, and it's definitely a must for someone with oily / combination skin! For my everyday blush I have been using one by MUA it was only £1.00 which is an absolute bargain and i have the shade number 4, I picked this as it was the brightest pink colour which is the kind of colour I always go for in a blush.

Finally..eye makeup and eyebrows. Again for my eyebrows I use an MUA eyebrow pencil which was an amazing £1.00 which I have in the shade brunette. I really like this pencil it's just as good as others I've tried which have been a lot more expensive! As for my eyes.. I absolutely swear by MUA's Undressed palette (not pictured above I know but that's because i don't carry it around in my 'everyday' makeup bag..although I do use it most days). Lately i've been wearing quite minimal makeup to be honest so sometimes just mascara on my eyes and nothing else. I've been using Rimmel volume flash Scandal eyes Mascara for the past couple of months as my everyday mascara.. It's not my favourite ever but it does the job! Oh and finally the Bourjois 'chocolate' bronzer I use this most days just to give my skin a little glow, it's one of the best bronzers I've tried as its not too orange or too shimmery but gives a nice subtle glow. So this post turned out to be a little longer than I anticipated so I'm going to stop waffling on now! This is an overview of my current everyday makeup, the makeup I carry around with me and the bare minimum I will use but obviously I have a much bigger collection for when I'm doing my full makeup for nights out etc!

Insta-Updates

This is a little summary of what I've been up to the past week or so!

From top left corner; 1. Bubble baths on rainy days 2. New essie purchases 3. Food at wetaherspoons mm 4. Cocktail out with the girls 5. The cutest little cat hat! 6. Dessert also at weatherspoons 7. This month's Glossybox 8. Snuggly jumper and coffee 9. Bubble bath and my current read 10. Boyfriend's cat 11. Studded bracelet 12. Night out with the girls 13. Rainy afternoon 14. Leopard print cross nail transfers 15. Costa (it was disgusting...but it looks pretty at least) 16. My top three glitter polishes - see previous post for full review!

Bourjois 'magic' nail polish remover

I've heard so many people mention this product in the past couple of months and I have been meaning to try it for so long! I change my nail varnish every couple of days so a product like this is definitely handy, as it's much faster than using nail varnish remover and cotton wool etc! Bourjois 'magic nail polish remover'  claims to remove nail polish in one second; from my experience I think this is a little optimistic, as it takes a couple of times before nail polish is fully removed. When I used this to remove glitter nail polish, it took even longer which I was quite disappointed with, as I'd seen reviews saying it removed glitter polish really easily (which can usually be a nightmare to remove!). I don't think the product should claim to remove nail polish in 'one second' as it's not really accurate. 

Despite this, I'm definitely a fan, and it generally is a lot faster at removing nail polish than using cotton wool. I do however get the feeling it's going to dry out quite quickly so I'm not sure how long it's going to last. Anyone that's tried it, how long has yours lasted? The one thing I really like about this product is that it removes all traces of nail varnish from around the edges of the nail, cuticles, etc, which can sometimes be a problem for me, and I end up with little bits of colour left on! It's also really moisturising to the nails, and leaves quite a nice scent which you wouldn't get with a normal nail polish remover (vanilla and red berry)! So overall, my opinion on this product is kind of mixed. I do like it but I'm not sure i will purchase it again, because at £4.99, although it's not mega expensive, it's a lot more than a standard bottle of nail varnish and a pack of cotton wool pads!

Glossybox.

This month, I decided to sign up to Glossybox. I had been contemplating signing up for a while now after hearing about glossybox through other people's blogs / twitter etc! I'm so happy i decided to, as i absolutely love my first box! I'm sure I won't always be quite as happy with what I recieve in my boxes but this month has definitely pleased me. I was really happy to receive a 'Lipcote' as I have wanted to try this product for years! Also, i absolutely adore the 'nail brightener' it stops my nails from looking dull / yellow and just makes them look so much brighter and healthier! I think Glossybox is a good way of trying out new products, and despite the argument that I have more than enough beauty products and I don't really need the majority of the things I will receive, I think its definitely worth the £10 per box. The only product in the box I wasn't particularly enthralled about it the eye shadow, I can't really see myself using it as I already have a palette I use daily, and none of these colours appeal to me that much anyway. 

MUA undressed palette.

MUA 'Undressed' Eyeshadow Palette - £4 - Superdrug / MUA website

I bought this palette last week after my friend recommended it, I had been wanting to try the Urban decay naked palette for a while but I just couldn't bring myself to pay £30 something for eyeshadow! So this was a much cheaper and more realistic alternative. Ive been impressed with the MUA products i have previously tried and this has continued to live up to my expectations! I don't usually tend to experiment too  much with eyeshadow but i have been trying to since buying this.

For some reason on my photo most of the colours look darker than they actually are, and you can see by looking on the website the colours look lighter. Im not sure why this is! Most of the palette consists of nude, peachy shades.. I love shade 2 which is a pearly pink colour, it's perfect for everyday wear and some of the darker shades are amazing to blend in the outer corners of my eye. I'm really impressed with the quality of the product for £4 its definitely worth it! The packaging is nice too as it's sleek and not too bulky, I think it's just the right size. Definitely a thumbs up from me! I'm not sure if these are available in Superdrug yet but I got mine from the MUA website. I'll put the link below :)

MUA Undressed palette 

Revlon colorburst lip butter.

I have been wanting to try the Revlon colorburst lip butters for a while now, I've heard amazing things about them and I'm a sucker for lip products in general anyway. I didnt buy one because Ive been desperately trying to save but I eventually gave in the other day! I bought the 'strawberry shortcake' colour, I figured this would be a wearable colour for everyday use so I would get the most wear out of it. I love the shade of pink, its not too bright but still pigmented. I wasn't sure whether this product would live up to the hype but I can safely say... it does! I can't wait to try it in a different colour (Ive got my eye on 'tutti fruiti') but I will try and restrain myself for now or I will never manage to save up any money!

I love everything about this product really, from the packaging to the overall result of the product when its on! Its so easy to apply it doesnt require a mirror, and it's really moisturising. The colour also stays for a good couple of hours too. Overall i can't recommend these enough, I think theres a colour to suit everyone too so you can't go wrong!

MAC Full Speed.

MAC Full Speed Sheen Supreme Lipstick - £13.50

This is the latest addition to my MAC collection. I seem to be obsessed with lip products at the moment and the amount of lipsticks, lip glosses and lip balms I have bought recently is getting out of hand! I definitely have enough to last me literally years. I'm absolutely in love with the colour of MAC full speed sheen supreme lipstick, it's a very bright pink, it's almost a reddy colour which I like as it stands out from many other pink shades.

What I really love about the 'sheen supreme' lipsticks is the finish - it's quite glossy which I definitely prefer over a matte finish. This is ideal as it means you don't need to apply a gloss over the top. I think this product is the perfect amount of colour and gloss. I'm 100% in love with it and would definitely recommend trying out the sheen supreme range if you are a fan of bright, pigmented colour with a glossy finish as opposed to a matte one. (ps: apologies for the bad photo of my lips, I wanted to show what the colour actually looks like but it was a rushed photo hence why it looks quite messy!)

MAC Wee Coquette Lipglass.

MAC lipglass in 'Wee Coquette' - £13.00

As well as my other recent MAC purchases I picked up this one too. I like it because its an easy to wear colour, despite being a light, pale colour I don't feel it appears too pale on my lips. I think it will work well as a top coat over a similar shade of lipstick too. Overall I think it's an easy to wear colour, and will work most of the time for everyday use. However, I dont like this colour as much as the other MAC lipglasses I have tried, for example the Viva Glam Gaga lipglass (reviewed here), which I feel is a much nicer colour as well as consistency. Has anyone else tried Wee Coquette? Thoughts?

MAC goodies.

MAC mattene lipstick in Delectable - £13.50

MAC Viva Glam Gaga Lipglass - £13.00

Mattene lipstick - delectable

Mattene lipstick - delectable with Viva glam gaga lipglass on top

Viva Glam Gaga liplass alone

I haven't tried many MAC products before, but recently I've splashed out on a few! I should really stop spending but I've been searching for a nude lip colour for a while and I think these two work. I'm absolutely in love with the Viva glam Gaga lipglass, it's the perfect nude colour Ive been looking for for so long! I think its such an easy colour to wear everyday, and will go with anything.

as for the 'Delectable' mattene lipstick, i love the corally colour but I'm not sure I would ever wear it alone. I'm not a fan of the matte finish, i much prefer a glossy finish. That's why I've included a photo of the Viva glam lip gloss over the top, I think this is a better look so I will probably combine the two, or otherwise I would probably add a clear gloss over the matte lipstick. Has anyone else tried either of these ?

Spending money before I've even got it.

Today's purchases.. My flatmate gets stuff discounted as she works in duty free at the airport. So i put my order in today as she has to put it through at work over the weekend and then it takes 2 weeks to arrive. I get my loan on monday so these purchases are justified, so I've basically spent about £80 before I've even got it! I've wanted a rose gold watch for absolutely ages so i went with this fossil one :) I'm almost out of my beloved clinique moisturiser so I decided to stock up on another while i can get it cheaper! And i've been wanting to try a MAC lipstick for a while so i decided to go with the Sheen supreme lipstick in 'full speed'  it's actually a really bright pink alothough it looks almost red in the picture above i dont think it's very accurate! Anyway i will be posting about these products once i actually receive them and I will no doubt be doing lots of shopping over the next couple of weeks (HELLO LOAN!!) so i'll have some products to talk about etc. Have a good weekend everyone!

Rimmel stay matte foundation.

I've been using this Rimmel stay matte mousse foundation for a while now on and off with other foundations. I tend to reach for this if my skin is feeling particularly oily that day, or if I know I will be out for a long time. I think this foundation is really effective, it minimises shine and it actually stays matte for a long time. However it doesn't dry out my skin too much, which is great, although i think it probably would if someone who was prone to dry skin used it. I tend to just apply it with my fingers as I feel it goes on better with it being quite a creamy consistency, and once its on my skin it dries in really fast which is perfect.. then it's not greasy! I think it retails at around £6? But i got mine from ebay for about £3.50 I think (I always turn to ebay it's the best!). I've almost ran out of this product and i will definitely be purchasing it again on friday when i get paid! I know it's a cheap product but I find it definitely works for me so why pay more for essentially the same thing? I love finding a bargain!

 I have also been using this pressed powder by Rimmel too (shown above), and it is pretty effective. I think the 'matte' look is an essential for me I cannot stand looking shiny at all! I never really thought of using Rimmel products before as it seemed like a sort of 'cheap' make to me, but I am impressed with this foundation so i will probably try more of their products now! Does anyone else have a favourite product by Rimmel?

Benefit High Beam.

Everyone seems to rave about Benefit high beam and to be perfectly honest I don't think i'm a huge fan. I bought this mini 2.5ml sample size from ebay here last week so I could have chance to try it out and decide if i like it before buying the full size product. 

The couple of times I have used it, I find that it tends to remove my makeup slightly, and leave patchy white marks. I find that this happens even when I try to dab it really lightly. I've been using it on my cheekbones, forehead and nose, but I've read reviews from people saying they use it under their eyes to disguise dark circles, or on the brow bone as a highlighter, so I may try using it like this and see if I get better results. I'm not ruling it out completely and it may grow on me as I keep using it but at the moment i can't say i'm that excited by it, and I really don't think it's worth the price (£18.50 for the full size bottle).

Has anyone else tried high beam and isn't a huge fan of it? Everyone else I've come across seems to love it!

Elf eyebrow kit.

My flatmate lucy got this little eyebrow kit from elf a while ago.(you can check it out here!) I started trying it out a couple of times last week and I was really impressed with it, so i went to buy one for myself but unfortunately they're sold out on the website. My flatmate has the eyebrow kit in 'ash' as she has blonde hair and fair eyebrows. The ash colour works for me too, however I find it to be a little too 'grey'. So I think when they come back in stock online I will get myself the 'light' colour instead as I prefer my eyebrows to be more of a brown colour! When I saw that the kit was out of stock on the elf website I decided to look on ebay for one, however there were none of the elf kits. I found an alternative by NYC (check it out here.) This arrived the other day and to be honest I'm not very impressed with it. I ordered the lightest shade 'blonde' but it doesn't really make any difference to my eyebrows when I apply it as it's such a light shade, so it was pretty much a write off. I'm still going to get an elf one as soon as they're back in stock, i also think they're very reasonably priced too at £3.50!

I'm really impressed with the elf eyebrow kit from the few times Ive used my flatmates. The gel is really easy to apply with the small angled brush and its easy to get the shape you want, then they powder sets the gel to keep the colour in place. Each time I've used it my eyebrows have looked perfect all day / night without any smudges or anything. I would recommend this eyebrow kit. Which other eyebrow products do people use? Any recommendations?

My daily makeup routine.

I thought I would do a little post with all the makeup I'm currently using and do a little review of each product all in one post! 

Mua makeup academy Matte Foundation: Shade 1 soft sand - I bought this last week as I just needed a cheap foundation to keep me going until I got paid. I usually tend to go for matte foundations as I have combination oily skin. When I first used this, even after moisturising before, I found it really dry and almost like glue when I tried to blend it. The next time i used it i tried mixing it with my Clinique Dramatically different moisturising gel (half and half of each), and I found this works really well with my skin so I've been using them together everyday now. I think the foundation works well as a matte foundation, but without mixing with moisturiser it was too dry for my skin. I think it's definitely worth it for the price though, it only cost me around £2.00 from Superdrug.

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 01 light - I have previously done a review on this concealer so i won't go into too much detail, I will just reiterate the fact I absolutely love it and don't know how i would live without it now! It's definitely the best concealer I've tried and I'd recommend it.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection ultimate wear powder: 1 fair - Again, this was just another cheap product I picked up to keep me going for a while. I usually swear by Max Factor Creme Puff but I thought I'd give this one a try as a slightly cheaper option, I think it was only about £2.49. It seems to prevent my skin from getting too oily / shiny, especially when I use it with the matte foundation. I don't think there's anything special about it as there are a lot of similar powders but i can't complain for the price!

MAC Sheertone blush in Pink Swoon - I have reviewed this product before, so you can check out that post here if you like. I do love the colour of this blush, however I do think it's overpriced and i seem to have to use a lot every time I apply it!

17 Glam rocks eye palette - I love this smoky eye palette by 17, i got it as a free gift when they had an offer on a couple of years ago. I tend to use the cream colour as a base for my eyes and then use one of the darker colours towards the outer corners. 

Excellence Eyebrow pencil in Brown - I've been using this for a few months however I've only just started doing my eyebrows properly so I've ordered an eyebrow kit to make it easier. This pencil works well but it goes blunt really easily so I have to constantly sharpen it. But it comes with a sharpener built into the lid which is quite useful! 

Max Factor Kohl Pencil: 020 Black - I got this as part of a gift set from Max Factor so I'm currently using this, although it will probably run out soon with it being so small. It is one of the best pencil eyeliners I've used, it stays on all day and doesn't smudge easily. So i will consider buying the full size version when this one runs out!

Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara in Black - This was also part of a gift set so is only small in size. I do like this mascara and it helps to lengthen my lashes however I wouldn't say i'm totally overwhelmed with it; I have tried better mascaras. 

Sally Hansen Diamond 12 hour lip treatment in Solitaire - I bought this lip gloss as I spotted it in a factory outlet type shop for around £1.99 so I decided to try it! It's quite tingly when you apply it although it doesn't claim to be a 'plumping' lip gloss. It's a nice colour as it contains sparkly / shimmery bits within the pink colour, although I tend to wear it over lipstick for a night out.

Anyway, there you go, that's the majority of my daily makeup. I do obviously use different / more makeup when I go out. I tend to use darker makeup for a night out too as I'll usually be wearing fake tan. I plan on doing another post soon about my daily skincare routine :) thanks for reading!

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer

"This industrial-strength concealer camouflages dark circles, shadows and discolouration for a 

seamless, natural-looking finish without creasing or fading. You name it, boi-ing helps hide it! "

I got this Benefit Boi-ing concealer a few weeks back as  I had read a couple of reviews on it and it seemed like a popular choice! I absolutely love it, the texture is amazing! It's a lovely creamy consistency without being too greasy. I find the coverage amazing, I use it everyday without fail now and it's hands down the best concealer I've ever used! I think it does what it claims to, it doesn't tend to crease or look any different even after a full day's wear! and I think it successfully hides dark circles / spots, etc. Not that i really tend to get spots at all.

I've noticed a lot of people are a fan of the Benefit erase paste concealer too, however I was a bit put off by the shape of the tub, it seems like it will be difficult to get the right amount out to use; also the little 'spatula' it comes with puts me off as i'd prefer to use my finger anyways, whereas with the Boi-ing concealer you can just glide your finger across. I will maybe try the erase paste sometime in the future but for now i'm extremely happy with my boi-ing concealer! My mum immediately asked for it for her birthday too after trying mine, so it's clearly a big hit :)

Thanks for reading if you have any questions / comments feel free to leave one!