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.

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lip Butter.

I love these lip butters! They are so moisturising. very similar to the Revlon Colourburst lip butters. But for some reason I prefer these L'oreal ones! I find them to be longer lasting and more moisturising. I've had this in the colour Cheeky Magenta for a few months now and have been loving it. I usually wear it on nights out.. its a lovely bright pink colour that is so pigmented and lasts ages. So i decided to get a couple more colours from the range because I was so impressed with it. I chose Lovely Rose and Nude Ingenue.

I chose these colours as they are more subtle so I thought they'd be perfect for everyday wear. I've worn the nude one everyday for work since I got it, it's perfect for everyday use and just gives a nice bit of colour to the lips without looking too overpowering. I really love the baby pink colour too, it's a gorgeous shade (again without looking too bright). As you can see from the swatches they are very pigmented despite being a lip butter, and like i mentioned above they are really moisturising too. These little lip butters are honestly great, I can't fault them. If you haven't tried them yet you should definitely get your hands on some! 

Just to summarise what I love about these:

• Super moisturising.
• Lovely range of colours.
• Really pigmented colour that lasts ages.
• Not too pricey.
• Sleek gold packaging with helpful colour sample on bottom.

Life updates.

01. with my friend jade at a firework display. // 02. cocktails at TGIs. // 03. really want these glasses, might get them for christmas! // 04. onesie lovin' // 05. it's acceptable to wear my christmas jumper again, yay! // 06. november glossybox. // 07. dress down day at work. // 08. cosy christmas socks. // 09. dairy milk oreo mmm. // 10. train journey! // 11. all wrapped up. // 12. warehouse project. // 13. dinner with friends. // 14. models own indian ocean. // 15. breaking dawn at midnight, fangirl alert! // 16. nail pamper session.

Schwarzkopf got2b Powderful Volumising styling powder.

Sorry that Ive been slacking with my blogging this week, real life is getting in the way! I've been so so so busy i've barely had a moment to myself. Been working 7 days a week, this is my first day off in 15 days so I'm very grateful for it. I have loads of things I'm eager to talk about but it's just finding the time now! I might queue another post today for later this week while ive got a bit of time. This week has been the most hectic ever, it was the first week starting my new job properly after my training. Then I had a training course for some volunteering I'm doing which is quite exciting (mentoring for young people who are victims of bullying!), then I had to fit in seeing my boyfriend, seeing the new twilight film, plus working until gone 8 most nights, I've just had no time! But i am quite enjoying being this busy, plus it leaves me no time to spend as much money so I'm earning more than i'm spending which is great! So excited to get my first full time wage!

Anyway..moving on from my life updates. Product review time! My hair has been bugging me lately as it's been so flat at the roots. It's worse than ever because I've grown out my hair dye so it's my natural hair so it's almost too soft at the roots.. and it gets greasy really easily and just stays flat all the time which is so annoying. Cue the Schwarzkopf got2b Powderful Volumising styling powder! I'd been wanting to try some sort of volumising powder for a while and I decided to go with this one. It really does what it says on the tin! It instantly gives a volume boost to the roots which is noticeable immediately I also recently purchased this backcombing brush from eBay and I can't recommend it enough! Using these two products in conjunction with each other finally gives me the volumised roots I've been lusting after for so long! I can't believe i waited until now to purchase a brush like this because it really does work wonders.`What i also really like about the Schwarzkopf powder is that it also acts as a dry shampoo because it soaks up any oil / grease so it leaves my roots looking clean and almost..powdery.. without looking like I've just tipped a load of powder in there (if that actually makes any sense?). Anyway, if your roots are flat, looking dull and in need of a boost, I would definitely recommend trying these two products. Amazing!

Sally Hansen.

I've tried a few different Sally Hansen products and i think they can be really hit and miss. Some things I've tried i have really liked, and some have been awful. I thought I'd talk about a couple of products I didn't like.. first of all the 'No chip' Acrylic top coat. This has to be one of the worst top coats I've ever used! I was counting on it being chip resistant, but it actually seems to make my nail varnish chip more when i wear this? It's weird! i've given it a few chances now and it's so disappointing. I think i paid around £6.00 for this so I was a bit gutted that it doesn't seem to work, and doesn't do what it claims. It does give a really nice finish when it's first applied (super shiny), but it really does seem to make my nails chip more than usual!? Secondly, the cuticle massage cream. I found this pretty disappointing too. it was quite hard so it wasn't really like a cream if that makes sense? I found it hard to actually 'massage' into my cuticles as it was quite hard and almost felt rubbery. However it does smell gorgeous (it contains apricot oil)! I suppose it did make my cuticles feel softer, but i've definitely tried better cuticle treatments so I don't think it's anything to write home about!

Don't get me wrong, I've tried other Sally hansen products in the past and really liked them; for example the Diamond strength shine top coat. This top coat actually did help to prevent chipping and made my nails really shiny. Has anyone else been disappointed with Sally Hansen products? I think they can be very hit and miss judging by my experience! Some of the products seem overpriced and don't seem to work, yet some of them are worth the money and do work well. I'd be interested to hear about other people's experiences with this brand! let me know in a comment.

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! 

The Body shop Seaweed day cream.

I got this Seaweed Mattifying day cream from the Body Shop a couple of months back. I got it as it was on offer (something like spend £20 on skincare and get something free). I chose this moisturiser as I have oily / combination skin and the seaweed range targets that type of skin. However, when i first tried this i found it to be a bit too dry for my skin, even though I always like to have a matte finish. The middle of my forehead tends to get really dry (it's pretty annoying as that's the only part of my face that gets dry!) and i found that using this just made it worse and was really drying it out too much.. so i didn't really use it for the past couple of months. But i have actually started using it again recently and have been loving it! It's a gel like texture and soaks in really fast, and it always leaves my skin feeling so smooth.

I'm not sure why but it doesnt seem to be drying out my skin as much at the moment. But that might be because i have also been using the Body shop Vitamin E moisture mask but only on my forehead where my skin is dry, to give it some moisture. I don't use this daily or anything though just when my skin is feeling particularly dry.. usually about once or twice a week. So i think this helps a lot when using the mattifying day cream as then my forehead doesn't get really dry! It's a bit of an odd combination using mositurisers for oily and dry skin at the same time but it seems to be working for me! It's such a pain having combination skin! i don't think moisturisers aimed at combination skin tend to do a very good job of controlling shine but also moisturising the dry parts, in my opinion they don't anyway.. maybe I'm yet to find the perfect product ? So anyway I'll stop rambling now! i really like both of these products.. I'm keen to try out some other products from the seaweed range now too. I think it works well with my skin type.. and i really like mattifying products as I absolutely can't stand looking shiny!

Week (or two) in photos!

Sorry I've been lacking in posts a little this week, I've been so busy! Started my new job on monday so I've been training everyday this week. Today is the 6th day in a row I've worked, and I still have 2 more to go (as I've still got my weekend job too!). So on saturday that will be 8 days in a row.. I know some people are used to working that much but I'm not used to it at all! But i have a day off on sunday thankfully! Then starting it all over again on monday.. god knows when my next day off will be after that! Okay i'm blabbing on a bit now.. Basically my point is.. I haven't got much time to take photos because it's dark by the time i get home :( but i will try and find more time when I get into more of a routine! For the time being i thought i'd share some instagram photos to show what I've been up to lately (apart from all the boring work stuff!). sorry it's mostly pictures of food and my boyfriend as I haven't had time to do much else recently! I'll try and get some reviews and stuff done soon when i get chance; i have a couple of ideas in mind for posts including an empties post which I haven't done before! 

01. cute 'keep calm' cushions in primark, I want them all! // 02. thai noodle soup! // 03. congratulations card from the boyf :) // 04. boyfriend concentrating hard on his game, n'aww. // 05. chicken salad at frankie and bennys, which was highly disappointing. // 06. love these two little nob'eads! // 07. pumpkin carving! // 08. soppy hand holding photo.. // 09. gingerbread latte body butter, it's so yummy! // 10. my boyf. // 11. barbie pink nails! // 12. my first day of work!

Christmas wishlist.

It's getting to that time of year again, to start thinking about what i want for Christmas! I actually bought my first present the other day, a book for my dad. It's quite an achievement for me as i usually do all my Christmas shopping about second week of December. I think i will try and be more organised this year (but then again i say that every year!). Now that halloween is almost out of the way.. which I'm not fussed about this year (probably just because I'm not doing anything for it..), everyone can begin getting excited for Christmas properly! So whilst browsing online i decided to have a look for things I might want for Christmas as family members have already started asking me!

First of all i really want some new Ugg boots. I know they aren't to everyone's taste but i love them. Comfort over fashion and all that! I'm thinking of getting these mini (extra short) ones for a change as opposed to the classic ones which I've had before. I think they're so cute! what are everyone's thoughts on uggs? I feel like people are pretty much over them now, I definitely don't see as many people with them nowadays.. but i don't care I love them! (obviously i think the fake versions can look really cheap and tacky.)

I got a lily flame candle a few years back for Christmas and i absolutely loved it! They are much nicer than Yankee candles in my opinion. I had a coffee one and it has actual coffee beans in and smelled absolutely insane. so so so nice! I think this Christmas spice one would be such a lovely smell for winter. I love the smell of cinnamon especially around Christmas time!

I love my Real techniques stippling brush so I've been thinking about getting another brush from the range. I want to try the blusher brush next I think so I might have to pop this on my Christmas list!

I really like the look of this dip hem skirt from Dorothy perkins. I've been loving all kinds of asymmetric / dip hem / maxi skirts for the past few months and I still absolutely adore them! i think this one is such a lovely colour. I think they look really classic and can be dressed up or down quite a bit, so I think I'd get a lot of wear out of something like this.. and for £26.00 it's not bad! 

Something I've been lusting after for a while.. the Urban decay Naked 2 palette. Obviously this is a product that's been discussed a lot in the blogging world. I've been wearing eyeshadow a lot more regularly the past few months and I'd really like to experiment with this palette. I've heard so many good things about it and i do think it's worth the price by the sound of it! I'll probably ask someone to buy me this for Christmas as i'd feel a bit guilty spending that much on eyeshadow for myself! 

What's on your Christmas list ? Has anyone else made a start on their christmas shopping yet?

Revlon calcium gel nail hardener.

I got this Revlon calcium gel nail hardener a couple of months back. My nails were in terrible condition at the time as I'd had acrylics done, and once i took them off my nails were all weak and peeling. I love how acrylics look at time but i don't personally think it's worth ruining my nails, I like my nails to be as healthy and strong as possible! So anyway, i was looking for a nail hardener of some sort and spotted this in Boots for £6.49, which i didn't think was too bad for this type of nail treatment compared to some other brands. it's kind of a creamy white colour in the bottle but comes out clear on the nails.

I tend to use this as my base coat pretty much every time I paint my nails.. and i can honestly say i have noticed an improvement in the strength of my nails. I've grown them for the past few weeks and they have grown quite long, whereas usually one of them will end up breaking or peeling, and then I have to cut them all down to the same length. But they have been in really good condition recently so I think this nail hardener has helped. Usually a couple of my nails will end up peeling and they haven't at all. overall I'd recommend this as a base coat. It's not too pricey and it seems to have improved the strength and texture of my nails. 

Things I've been loving lately.

I've been obsessed with essie nail polishes recently and this bright pink one 'I am strong' has been my favourite so far! I've been wearing it at every opportunity! i can't wait to get my hands on more colours from the essie range.

I'm absolutely in love with my leopard print cardigan from Internacionale (can't seem to find a link on the website).. anyway I've been wearing it daily. literally think I've worn it every single day since getting it! This one from Lavish alice looks really nice too I like that it's grey whereas my other one is beige and brown. I can never get enough of leopard print.. i know some people might think it's tacky but I love it.

This week i've been listening non stop to Taylor swift's new album 'Red'. (definitely listening to it even as i write this post..) I absolutely love it and she is perfection. that is all! My favourite tracks on the album so far are 'I knew you were trouble' and 'begin again'. what are your favourite tracks if you've been listening to it lately?

I blogged about this Mavala double lash a few weeks ago (view post here), I absolutely swear by it now and use it every single day.. can't recommend it enough, it's improved the length and thickness of my eyelashes so much. they are in better condition than they've ever been! I usually tend to wear this in the day time as well as overnight, some days if I don't feel like wearing lots of eye makeup.

Also, a little personal update... I got offered a job today! I'm so so so happy about it, I've been looking for months since finishing uni in june! It's with a marketing company :) and i start on monday! I will keep you all updated about how it goes!

October Glossybox.

I was much happier with my October glossybox than my september one! Even though i only got four items (when in the past I have got 5 or even 6), I was pleased as they were mostly full size products.

I'm absolutely loving the Dermalogica clean start set. which includes a face wash, toner and moisturiser. This set is perfect for my skin type (oily combination). I really like the toner as it's a spray and I've never tried a spray one before. The only negative about it would be the scent.. it's quite citrusy and I'm not really a fan, but i still love the product regardless. The moisturiser is good for me as it's not greasy at all and soaks in straight away. I definitely want to try more products from Dermalogica now.. i really like the fact that their products seem really gentle and don't irritate my skin at all. I think their products are a little pricey but worth it if you know its going to work! 

I was really happy to receive this Anatomicals body scrub as I'd wanted to try this brand for so long! (it's only £2.99 to buy on fragrance direct from the link Ive provided!) I really like the scrub, it's nice and fresh.. it has a grapefruit scent I think? it made my skin feel really soft after using it.. and I love the packaging (who doesn't love pink?).. so it gets a thumbs up from me!

I was also really pleased that I got a spot treatment in my glossybox as I've had a breakout on my chin for the past few weeks.. and they just don't seem to be going! Since using this Skinetica spot treatment the spots have definitely dried up and are less noticeable (and hopefully on their way out..). As far as comparing this with other spot treatments, I don't think it's anything unique. there are obviously loads of other alternatives out their that do exactly the same thing.. but it seems to be doing the job so I am glad i received it as it was perfect timing. 

Finally, the Yves rocher lipstick. I haven't used this yet as I've not really had any reason to wear it (lack of social life). I don't usually go for red lipsticks at all.. I only tend to wear either pinks or nudes. but I am looking forward to trying it out as it's always good to mix it up a bit! and it does seem like a really nice shade of red. Overall.. really happy with this month's glossybox! Did anyone else like any of these products from their glossybox ? Or what others did you get.. let me know!

My week in photos.

Here's what I've been up to lately.. (mostly food as usual).

From top left.

01. cute underwear in la senza / 02. boyfriend and his cat / 03. finally tried the oreo dairy milk, mmm! / 04. harvester with the boy / 05. my new favourite cardigan / 06. pink lemonade lucozade / 07. choc chip peanut butter! / 08. cosy afternoons / 09. minted lamb dinner / 10. watched all of homeland in about two days, really enjoying it / 11. pizza hut takeout, nom / 12. barbie pink nails! / 13. october glossybox / 14. boyfriend's cat / 15. PB & J on toast / 16. boyfriend's new running pants that look like leggings haha cute.

Beauty wishlist.

These are all the beauty products I'm currently lusting after! Unfortunately i won't be getting any of them any time soon as my bank balance is not looking too healthy at all! desperately need a full time job :( sigh. Anyway.. I can dream until then. So..these are the products I'm currently lusting after. if anyone has any recommendations let me know as I'm always looking to try new stuff! Have you tried any of these products I've mentioned here? (click through links to each product in pink.)

First of all I got a Dermalogica set in my October Glossybox and I love it! It's improved my skin after using for just the last few days so Ive been looking into their products more. I like the look of this Ultra Calming cleanser as I think it would be great for sensitive skin and my skin seems to be so irritated and red lately so I need to use more gentle products!

As well as that I also really like the Anatomicals scrub i got in this months glossybox so I want to try more products from that range too! I like the sound of this 'Stop cracking up' lip balm! (can never have too many lip balms in my opinion.)

As you will probably know from my recent posts i have been loving essie nail polishes recently especially the nude colours and this one looks lovely! It's in the shade 'miss fancy pants', i really like the look of it as it's a bit different from other nudes I've got.. whereas Ive got either pinky nudes or beigey nudes this is more grey!

I've really wanted to try Benefit's sun beam for ages, I've got high beam and I've heard good things about this one, i think it would be nice for autumn / winter to give a subtle glow :).

I've been wanting to try the Keratin smooth range from Tresemme for a while as I've heard a lot of good reviews.. this heat protection spray looks ideal I'm in need of a new heat protector for my hair too! 

Probably one of the most talked about products in the blogging world.. Nars orgasm blush. I'd love to try this as i love the rose gold shade but in reality I wouldn't want to fork out that much for it.. so in the meantime dupes will have to do! the Sleek rose gold blush seems to be the best dupe so I will probably try this first!

and finally.. I absolutely love my L'oreal nude magique BB cream (which i raved about in my previous post!), so I would really like to try this powder from the range. I think the two products would work really well together too! 

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!