Saturday 31 March 2012

FOTD: Avon Ideal Flawless Foundation

I havet posted a FOTD for so long, mainly because my camera is rubbish in nautral light so you only ever get flash photos. However I wanted to see how this new foundation wrks out with flash photos. So heres the results and what Im wearing. Even managed to get  half decent natural light photo of my eyes! This isnt a full review just yet, just an excuse for a FOTD!

As you can see its a wee bit shiney, but I dont mind that as I usually set with a powder anyways which would get rid of that! 

Face:
MeMeMe Seventh Heaven Primer
Avon Ideal Flawless Foundation in Ivory
Natural Collection Blush in Pink Cloud
Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold
A spritz of MAC Fix+

 Not too much flashback either which is good saying as it contains SPF 15!

Lips:
Avon Mega Impact Lipstick in Charged Cherry




Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Avon Blonde Perfect Eyebrows Pencil
Natural Collection Eyeshadow in Willow
Smashbox Eyeshadow in ASAP
Loreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss
Avon Supershock Liner in Blackberry
Bourjois The Volumizer Mascara


And thats all folks!
xoxo

Friday 30 March 2012

March In Pictures

March has been a month of birthdays, long walks along the coast, and a lot of time spent doing uni portfolios. So not too many photos this month!...

 This was only taken yesterday, in the beautiful weather! Sometimes home isnt so bad.

 Me with the birthday girl

 My favourites :)

Love a good Cosmopolitan ala Carrie Bradshaw 

Needlessly intoxicated evening. 

 Baba

 Need her tan so so bad!

Cheesiest grin on me, but Im liking the lipstick!

Not much to report this month, April will be better!
xoxo


March Empties

I havent done one of these posts for a while, I was getting through ssome products but either forgot to take a photo before throwing it away or it was just pretty boring. Luckily I remembered this month! So heres everything Ive finished up in March...

Avon Foot Works Cherry Ice Moisturising Lotion
Basically a cherry scented foot cream. Its really reeeeally runny and becaus of that I felt it didnt really do a whole lot for my feet, but Ive used it up now so thats fine. I wouldnt really buy it again though.

Soap and Glory Girligo Moisturising Mist
I love this so much, I must have about three bottles of the stuff. Its a moisturising spray which smells amazing, the same scent of most of the Soap and Glory range. It a really good option if you want a bit of moisture but dont want to wait around for a body butter to soak in, this dries really qucik but leaves you feelin lovely and smooth and smelling great.

Tresemme Instant Fresh Dry Shampoo
Im actually not a huge fan of this. I didnt find it did very muc for my hair and I had to use a ot of product before it seemed to freshen my hair at all. After a few hours my hair looked just the same as it did before I applied it. I really dont understand why so many people love this, I think Ill be sticking to my trusty Batiste!

Kleenex Extra Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes
Definately one of the best face wipes Ive ever tried. It doesnt leave a sheeny film on your skin like most do, and the texture of the wipes is really soft and lovely on the skin, it didnt irriate mine at all even my eyes. I'll be buying more of these and highly recommend them.

Rituals Fujiama Foaming Shower Gel
One of the best products Ive ever had from a Glossybox. I was gutted to run out of this, but the bottle did last me absolutely ages. A really luxurious yet fresh way of getting clean. Ive since bought a number of other foaming washes and theyre all pretty similar but much cheaper, I just really like the concept of them.

John Frieder Go Blonder Lightening Spray
You know you love a product when you buy a backup before you even finish the last one, and thats what I done with this. It has worked wonders for my hair and has really imprved the colour of it without the need for an expensive visit to the hairdressers for highlights. Ive raved on about it loads over the past few months so Ill spare you it now, but its just really nice.


The Body Shop Mango Body Butter
This is one of my favourite scents of these body butters, it mells like the Munch Bunch yoghurts I used to eat when I was little. Everyone knows how good these are, and Ill definately be buying more, so yummy.



I also finished the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, but forgot to take a photo oops! Everyone knows its blummin amazing anyway

xoxo

Tuesday 27 March 2012

NOTD...Coral Sands

I havent done a NOTD post in ages so when I loved how my polish loked this morning I quickly took a few photos. Its so hard to get my camera to make the colours look like they do in real life but this phto got it just right.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous in the UK over the past few days, Ive even been starting off my tan! So I found myself reaching for more spring time peachy colours than I have been in the colder months. Todays polish of choice is a bottle Ive had for literally about 4 years, and its only just turning to the gloopy side. Its Coral Sands from Avon and I absolutely love it. Its hard to tell in photos but its got a lovely goldy shimmer to it thats really pretty in the sun and is why I choose this polish over the typical flat creamy peach shades. This is how it looks after two coats.



 I used Sally Hansens Intra-Dri topcoat over the top which I love so much, couldnt be without it.


Sorry this is a quick little post, Im snowed under with uni work at the minute but as soon as it over Im all yours! ;) Haha. Whats your favourite spring nail polish?
xoxo

Friday 23 March 2012

Operation Ibiza Bikini Body

In exactly 85 days, Ill be jetting off to the party capital of the world, Ibiza. Apart from being beyond excited to be going away with my girls for the first time, Im so nervous about being out on the beach in my bikini. Ive never felt this way about any other holidays Ive been on, but this time I eel like I really wanna make an effort to look and feel my best. Im aiming to look like a Victorias Secret model...realistic, yes?



All I wanna do is tone up a bit, not lose weight, but I want a toned, glowing body (and face). This means a wayyyy better diet, and wayyyy more exercise, conidering I eat mostly jnk food and dont exercise at all at the minute! I decided this whilst waiting for my food at McDonalds Drive Thru earlier today, that this would be my last McDonalds before Ibiza. A step in the right direction at least.

Im not going to force myself into a complete diet and exercise overhaul all at once, becuase Ill never stil to it. For now Im gunna focus on food, mainly eating less junk, no takeaways! Eating more fresh fruit etc, and cutting out fizzy pop, drinking more water and green tea instead. Thats for the glowy skin!

Ill let you guys know how I get on and progress if you like? Maybe once a week or every few weeks...let me know if its something you'd like to read. If anyone has any little food tips or anything that might help me Id love it if you left it in the comments :)

xoxo

Friday 16 March 2012

Origins Haul!

Yes, I broke my spending ban, for about the 4th time. I justify this as Ive ran out of Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish and had nothing to use with my Clarisonic. Id heard about the frothy cleanser from Origins so went online to buy it and got a little carried away...But hey at least it isnt make-up.

Its pretty easy to get carried away on their site, free delivery for orders over £30, then a free 30mls of Vitazing for orders over £40. On top of that all online orders get two teeny extra samples to try out as well, and you have a choice of about 8 to decide which you want to try. As a marketing student you would think Id be wise to these kind of deals, but they still suck me in again and again.


However I do think I made some wise investments for my skin which has been playing up recently.... 

Out Of Trouble
10 Minute Mask to Rescue Problem Skin
I have yet to try this, but I wanted to get a good face mask that will last me and I can keep in my routine as apposed to the little £1 sachets Ive previously picked up in Superdrug. This mask is meant to be good for problem skin, so the likes of spots, blemishes and blackheads and aims to help clear them up. My skin is ridiculous, dry patches mixed in with spots and blackheads (lovely!). So I intend to use these during my spottier times to try and clear my skin. I will report back on results! This was £19 for 100ml, so not cheap, but nothing from Origins is! I just hope it does good for my skin. 

Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash
This was the product I initially went looking for. I wanted a cleanser to use with my Clarisonic, my Liz Earle was nearly gone and I wanted something that would work better with it. Id heard good thing about this so I picked it up. Its meant to balance your skin and its oil levels, so great for combination skin like mine where there are dry parts and oilier parts. Ive only used it a few times so I cant really report back on that bit yet, but I have had a really dry nose this morning when I dont normally, so I dont know if its down to this. Ill keep using it and hopefully its fine! This reeeeeally is frothy, it kind of feels like the foam on top of a coffee on your face. Ill do a full review in a few weeks. Its £17 or 150ml which I dont think is too bad if it delivers results! 

Super Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Gel
This is another product Ive heard good things about. The beauty blogging community is the main reason for my suffering bank balance! This product is teeny tiny, and £12 for 10ml seems steep but you need the tiniest amount each time you use it. Its basically a spot gel that you put on blemishes t try and get rid of them quick. Ive used this on a few spots I have and it certainly delivers that tstingy tingly feeling, which akes me feel like its working. I havent used it enough to cmment on how well it works yet but Im going to persist with it on any spots. Anything claiming to "remove" blemishes is worth a go! 

Drink Up 10 Minute Mask to Quench Skins Thirst
and Dr Weil's Mega Bright Skin Tone Correcting Serum
These are the two teeny samples I chose with my online order. I love that Origins do this, but there is a fair chance it will mean me coughing up more money to buy the full size if I love them, so very clever Origins. I couldnt decide between the Out of Trouble mask (which I bought in the end) or the Drink Up mask, as my skin is both toublesome and dry. So Im very glad I could get the sample of this to try out too. Ive also been very interested in trying out some serums recently, and have nly ever had a Liz Earle one, so Im veger to give this on a go, bt at £46 for the full size I kind of dont Vi
want to love it!

VitaZing SPF 15
I have the full size of this already and absolutely love it. Its basically Origins version of a light coverage tinted moisturiser. I was thankful to get this in a smaller size as its going to be perfect to take on holiday with me. Its still a great size sample, only 20ml smaller than the full size! But I love anything thats slightly smaller to chuck in my case and leave more room for ridiculous amount of clothes! I need to do a proper review on this soon to, its on the to do list.


Thanks for reading :)
xoxo


Unloved Products Mini Giveaway

I cant call this a prope giveaway, because these things have been used (once or twice at most) so I cant g on as if this i some fantastic giveaway. The reality is, I have too much stuff, and abut 80% of it never gets used as I constantly go back to the old favourites, negleting the rest. Im having a little spring clean of my stuff and thought why not give the products that Ive barely touched to other people who would put them to better use. Of course Im not going to try and sell odds and ends like this, so instead its a "giveaway". All you have to do is comment on which three products out of this bunch you would most like to receive, and a contact email address so I can messge you to get a postal address! You may or may not get exactly which ones you ask for depending on the amount of people requesting it, but hey its all free so who cares, youll get a nice little suprise in the post of products you can try out! In three days time, Monday 19th, Ill stop and see what people want and contact you xxx

Flash off...
 Flash on...

Products from left -right, and top - bottom.

Jergens Naturals Skin Firming Body Moisturiser with Pomegranate (Used twice)
Tresemme 24 Hours Body Sky High Plumping Powder (Used once but put back in box)
Batiste Dry Shampoo Big & Bouncy XX Volume
TIGI Bed Head Superstar Queen for a Day Thickening Spray (Used 3 times at most)
No7 Define and Shimmer Eye Palette (Used 3 times)
Accessorize Merged Eyeshadow in Moondust (Swatched once)
Nars Mini Larger Than Life Lipgloss in Spring Break (Used once)
Benefit Lemon Aid Colour Correcting Eyelid Primer (Used about 5 times max)
No7 Green Glitter Eyeliner (Swatched once)
Barry M Nail Paint in Blue Moon (Used once)
Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base and Top Coat (Used twice)
Avon Glazewear Shine Lipgloss in Iced Pink (Cant ever remember using this so swatched a few times)
Avon Glazewear Intense Lipgloss in Sundance (Used twice)
ELF Professional Eye Crease Brush (Used once but has been thoroughly washed)


Dont forget to comment :)
xoxo






Tuesday 13 March 2012

March Glossybox The Harrods Edition

The world and his wife, and her cat, post about the contents of their Glossybox every single month, which is why I rarely do as I feel everyone else has got it covered. Especially those who recieve it early, the ones who lead me to peak at whats inside and ruin my own suprise! But after looking at quite a feew other bloggers posts on it I feel I got quite a few different products to most people, so felt I could happily blog about it for you now. I got a little photo happy...Sorry its a mammoth post!


I absolutely love Harrods, despite feeling like the poorest girl in the world whilst in there, its a gorgeous place, so I was excited to hear about this collaboration with Glossybox.


Loving the little Harrods ribbon, I get easily excited by this kind of thing. 


Personally I resist the urge to read the card before I open it up as I dont want to ruin my suprise, but it really handy to have to read over afterwards.



So this is what I saw when I unpeeled the tissue paper, very pleased to say the least. I will admit I was searching fo a mini Burberry lipstick, but Im fine with it as the colours the chose for them werent ones I would wear anyway. Now on to the individual products...


Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter
This is the first product Ive tried from  Bliss, a brand Ive heard quite a bit about. Its for reasons like that I love Glossybox (or whatever service you choose). The product itself is nice. Its not revolutionary,, but its a body butter and thats all I was expecting, and it does as a body butter should. Its thick but easily spreadable, Im making it sound like a tub of Philadelphia. It sinks in nicely and quicly, and doesnt leave a greasy sheen. The name "blood orange" wasnt the most attractive thing to me, but it actually smells quite nice, nothing amazing, just kind of orangey and also what I assume is white pepper as I havent a clue what that smells like. Also the samle size is huge at 50ml so very impressed! Nice product that Ill use up, but still not a patch on my Soap and Glory Righteous Butter! This retails at around £20-£25 in deartment stores and online for 200ml, which I find slightly too much for what it is, but never the less a nice product.



Clarins Extra Firming Body Cream
I havent had a chance to test this out on the firming side of things as Ive only tried it ot s far on my hands as Id just covered myself in the Bliss one. Some may complain about getting 2 body creams in one box but it really doesnt bother me. I cant wait to try this properly, especially on my thighs to really put the firming to the test. If it wrks it could be my little miracle product to beat the wobbly legs for on holiday! It sinks in really quickly and has a kind of fresh and expensive scent to it, nothing overpowering or crazy, just nice. I really like Clarins so Im always happy to try more of their products. I think its great how Glossybox have followed up the firming face creams with the matching body cream, clever. The sample size is 30ml which I think is a good amount. This retails around £40 for 200ml at all the usual department stores, which is really out of my price range, but for that amount I would like to hope the firming stuff really works, which may just be worth it!


Lancome Juicy Tube in Toffee RnB 93
Ive heard about these before but never realy been attracted to purchasing one, Im glad to have it to try out though. I havent put this on yet so I cant comment much on it, apart from the fact it smels amazing, like fudge or toffee. I dont know whether the names corrospond with the scent/flavour or if they all smell this way, either way I want to eat it! The colour isnt usually one I would go for, but th little gold reflects will look very pretty with a tan on a summers day. Im not usually a big fan of squeezy tube glosses, I find ones with wands much easir to apply but Ill certainly give this a go. It retails for around £14 for a 15ml tube and comes in loads of different colours. Considering the tube I gt was 7ml I think this is a very generous sample!


Revive Intensite Creme Lustre SPF 30
Wow thats certainly a mouthful! I havent used this yet but Im going to try it out tomorrow and if I like it Im going to save it to take to Ibiza with me as its a great travel size saying as its only a teeny pot of 7ml. I know I wont be repurchasing it though as the 60ml pot is alone £260! Literally crazy. I wouldnt spend tha amount on a face cream if I won the lottery, unless it turned me into Rachel McAdams or something, which this wont.


Versace Vantas Versace Eau De Parfum
Im usually someone that hates perfume samples in these boxes. Ive yet to find one I like and I often just throw them away, such a waste! However this one caught my attention, its in a glass bottle, not a little vial stuck to carboard. It is also Versace, score! The bottle is gorgeous, I like teeny things, and this is certainly that, and its so pretty. I love the detail on the lid in the picture below. You get 4,5 ml which I think is very generous ccnsidering the perfume is around £55 for a 50ml bottle. The scent itself when I first smelt it immediately reminded me of my grandma, as if it is something she would wear. In a way I kind of liked that, not to wear myself but the smell reminded me of her in a nice way. I put it on anyways and I actually liked it quite a lot the longer I had it on. Im no good at describing scents but the card says it smells of tiare flower, lime and freesia. Its not the most unusl or suprising scent, but its quite nice so Im happy with it.



If you got to the end thankyou very much for reading!
Whats your favourite product this month?
xoxo

Tuesday 6 March 2012

February Favourites

Recently Ive made a habit of doing my monthly favourites on my youtube channel, but this month my brother has borrowed my video camera to take on his skiing holiday, so my favourites are here as a blog post!


Ive been trying a lot out this month but havent got a chance to give a lot of things a proper go, so it was hard to choose my favourites but theres a sneak peak above.


Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning For Face
This stuff is amazing. SWalkerMakeUp recommended it ages ago and since then it has been in the back of my mind to pick it up, and now I have and Im so glad. It is what it says on the bottle, a self tnner for your face. Im not one to use my body tanner on my ace as I dont want my face to be quite as dark as th tan on my body, just a nice golden glow. Also those tanners have broken me out on my face before so when I heard about this I was excited to try it. Im going to a ull review on this sometime this week so I wont go too much into it, but its now in my everyday routine. I got mine from Feel Unique for £17.

 

MAC Blush Ombre in Azalea Blossom
I just had this in my last MAC haul post, but Im already in love with it. It looks so gorgeous in the pan and just as pretty on the face. I just swril my brush in it and it gives a lovely light pink colour. Its one of those great blushes that you dont have to worry about applying too much, as its quite light so its very hard to aply too much all at once, which I often do with my more pigmented blushes! Also this is absolutely huge for a blush, the same size as and MSF, so its going to last forever. It was limited edition and the collection seems to have disappeared from the website so I think its over now, sorry guys!



Kleenex Extra Gentre Facial Cleansing Wipes
Im not really a huge fan of make-up wipes, and only every use them to apply the bulk of eyemakeup etc before cleansing properly, and since getting these Ive been using them alone which is something Ive never done for ages, and probably a bad habit to pick up. They feel so much softer and more gentle than other wipes, they are made from an amazingly oft material which feels very soothing on the skin, you wont understand until you try them out. Theyre s ogood at getting rid of stubborn mascara and eye makeul and as of yet they havent made my skin red or irritiated like others do. Also theyre very eco-friendly because of their material, according to the packaging, so thats good too. Big thumbs up, highly recommend trying these out! These were on an introductory sale price of around £1.50 in Superdrug when I got mine a few weeks ago, but they arent more than around £4 normally.




Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold
I bought this from recommedations from some of my most trusted youtubers and they came up trumps, this stuff is amazing! Its the best highlighter Ive ever used, bold statement there. It gives a lovely dewy sheen to the skin (I mostly just use it on the tops of the cheekbones and the excess down my nose), without being overly glittery. I just apply this with my finger and it goes on a dream. It catches the light beautifully and loks very natural for daytime, but can be built up for a more dramatic night time look. Theres not much more I can say really, its just fab. I got it from Feel Unique for £17.



Origins Eye Doctor Eye Cream
This is the eye cream I use every night before bed. (A full video coming soom on my skincare routine) It is a little pricey at £25 for 15ml, but you can see how much Ive used and Ive used it every night since the first week of January. This tiny pot could literally last me well over a year! The product is amazing. So creamy and moisturising like you wouldnt believe. I used to get rather dry under my eyes and my concealer could look cakey, but that is a thing of the past because of this! Its just really great at keeping you soft around your eye area, and like I said you need the tiniest amount so its actually good value for money. I wouldnt go a night without this!


Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Monday 5 March 2012

MAC Haul and Nicki Minaj Lipstick!

I recently purchased some new MAC products, which I know is all going against my ban but hey ho! I got my hands on a few little gems and have really bene loving them, and also managed to get the new Nicki Minaj Viva Glam lipstick which anyone could get if you put yourself on the mailing list, they sent out a code to my email address and I got straight on it and ordered it, so heres everything!


 Sorry about the awful lighting in these photos, but I didnt want to use flash and the sun was going down.


First up is the Blush Ombre in Azalea Blossom. I saw this in a collection ages ago and really wanted it but didnt purchase it until last week as its currently on limited edition sale again. I wasnt really sure how it would look in the skin and bought it because of how pretty it is in the pan, which I realise is ridiculous. However this is absolutely gorgeous on, and Ive worn it ever since I got it.  I jsut swirl my brush around all of it and it makes a lovely pinky colour. Its just so pretty and a lovely natural shade. Love it!


Next up, Mystery eyeshadow. I went in search of a good dark brown MAC eyeshadow to put in my palette, as I bought Swiss Chocolate thinking it would the job but its far too warm toned for me at the minute. So I searched "Top MAC Eyeshadows" on Youtube and "MakeUpByTiffanyD" said this one was good, and I trust her opinion. This is just perfect for day to day through the crease. Like the blush, Ive used it every day since I got it paired with All That Glitters. Lovely pigmentation and on of those great basics that everyone should have.

I love that its slightly cooler toned so its great on paler skin as warme rowns can often make me lok slightly dead!

Another product I got and have fallen in love with is the Dazzleglass in BabySparks. I always eye these up at the counter because of how pretty they look in the tube but always thought they were a little pricey for a gloss. But I eventually bit the bullet and purchased this one, and now I need more! Its a little sticky, but I really dont mind that as it makes it stay on longer, and its a beautiful colour. It can be worn with anything, nudes, bright pinky lips and it will still look great. The sparkle in it look slovely on the lips, not scary at all and catches the light beautifully making your lips look fuller and very glossy!

I tried to get the sparkle t show up on camera but it just wont, but this is a clear indication of the lovely colour, a light pink but not too light.

You can kind of see the sparkle on the lips here, this is a good representation of how it looks on without anything underneath, seriously cant recommend it enough.


And now for the one everyones been talking about...(Que lots of unnecessary photos of a lipstick)



Im a big fan of Nicki Minaj, and a big fan of the Viva Glam programme, so buying this came naturally to me, I didnt hesitate for a second. MAC;s Viva Glam scheme donates ALL of the proceeds from their Viva Glam lipsticks to an Aids charity which I find to be amazing. Even if I dont care much for the lipstick I dont feel bad pruchasing it as all the money has gone to a worthy cause.


Firstly I love the packaging of the Viva Glam lipsticks, the red is beautiful and I love that they put her signature on it, nice touch.
The lipstick has a nice formula, its my first Satin lipstick and Im impressed by the quality of it, amazing pigmentation and doesnt dry out the lips. I like that its still got a nice sheen. For some reason I expected a satin to be more drying and dull looking, but it isnt at all.



At first I wasnt sure if the colour suited me, I thought it was a bit bold, and not in a good way. However Ive found by weaing it a little less heavy, and blotting it out a little with my finger so it isnt so opaque, I get the result below, which I think is pretty. Sorry about the dodgy lips, one side is scarred from when I was younger so theyre not perfectly symetrical. But that aside, Im loving this lipstick, it may not be one Ill reach fr everyday but its a welcome addition to my collection


Thankyou if you got this far, its been a mammoth post to write so it must be long to read too! If you have any MAC recommendations for my eyeshadow palette let me know, I still have four spaces left to fill and my little OCD side wants it full up haha.

xoxo