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!