Category Archives: beauty

Everyday makeup with BareMinerals

02nd November 2014
Mineral makeup is something I dabbled with when I was a bit younger, but over recent years I’ve neglected it preferring liquid makeup with what I assumed would be heavier coverage. I don’t have bad skin by any means but I do feel somewhat more confident with a face painted on, but when I was offered the chance to collaborate with bareMinerals at House of Fraser to create an every day makeup look using their “get started kit” in Light I figured I’d give mineral powders another go, afterall, things have to have changed in the six or seven years since I last tried them, right?
I was, as predicted, right. Things have changed a lot. Gone are chalky finishes and the poor staying power of cheaper products I used in my youth. bareMinerals products are silky soft and give a lovely natural looking finish (that doesn’t turn orange over the course of the day) perfect for every day office makeup. The kit is comprehensive, containing everything you need for a flawless face- I was a bit concerned that the warmth all over face colour might be too dark, but applied with one of the brushes in the kit and buffed in it made me look healthier than I have in years!
To complete the look I added a pinky nude lip, neutral eyes from the Makeup Revolution essential shimmer palette and a coat of my favourite Bourjois mascara.
The first photo is my no makeup face, which I’m not usually a fan of plastering around the internet, but sometimes needs must!

As you can see, it’s a really sweet little set and it also comes with a DVD to teach you how to buff your way to perfect skin. I admit I skipped the DVD due to time constraints, but having since watched it I wasn’t far off!

I usually use a Bourjois cream primer so I wasn’t sure what to expect from the bareMinerals prime time which is more of a gel. It’s good stuff though and worth the rave reviews it gets. The makeup look didn’t budge until I removed it at the end of the day, and I found the powder foundations didn’t sink in to my pores like my liquid foundation sometimes does.

You get two shades of foundation in the kit (also available in medium, dark and tan) and I mixed a little of each together to get my perfect shade using the largest brush to buff all over my face and then the smallest brush to touch up blemishes. With medium brush and a light touch I used the warmth face colour to highlight where the sun would naturally hit, focusing on my cheeks, forehead and a dab on my chin. This colour blends beautifully with no harsh lines. Perfect! With such a natural, soft look on my skin I didn’t feel the need to add a dramatic eye, or even liner which is unheard of for me but makes a nice change. The entire face of makeup took me all of ten minutes which makes it perfect for a natural work look, or for lazy weekends to be spent chilling out.

What does your every day makeup look like? I feel super grateful to have had a chance to collaborate with the brands in this post as it’s changed my morning routine for the better and my skin feels like it can breathe more as it’s having a break from heavy liquid products- those I’ll be saving for more special occasions.

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La Roche-Posay Effaclar 3 step anti-blemish system

19th September 2014
La Roche-Posay is a brand I have heard an awful lot about thanks to the number of blogs I read on a daily basis, but I’d never (up until now) used anything from them despite the glowing reviews. I was recently sent the Effaclar 3 step anti-blemish system to try out though and coudn’t wait to share my thoughts.
Now, I’ve always been very lucky with my skin and have never suffered with acne or anything really close. I am prone to breakouts on my chin and cheeks though especially when I am run down and stressed so I was keen to see if this could help. It’s a new and exclusive to the UK set consisting of three products; a face wash, a toner and a cream- hence the three steps. Targeting a whole range of skin problems from blemishes and blocked pores through to un-even skin texture and colour this makes the mighty claim of a visible difference in just 24 hours! You simply use all three products twice a day and wait for the miracle.
I wasn’t brave enough to put up before photos of my skin as I started using this at a time when I wasn’t feeling so fabulous about anything, but here is what my skin looked like, makeup free after four days of use. I know it’s hard to tell without anything to compare it to but this is the best my skin has looked and felt in months. I’d had several blemishes come up around my chin that just weren’t shifting and yet within a day of using the three products they had visibly reduced and within the four days they had pretty much gone.

I had been a bit concerned that the products would leave my skin feeling dry and tight, a problem I have had previously when using anti-blemish products but actually this wasn’t an issue at all and it didn’t irritate my super sensitive skin either. The set has an RRP of £32.95 which is excellent value I think as the products are fantastic quality with a dermatologist’s approach and you get around a 6-week supply in the set. I especially liked the face wash as it left my skin feeling super clean and fresh- perfect for first thing in the morning!

La Roche-Posay Effaclar 3 step anti-blemish system is available now in larger Boots stores and online. Let me know if you try this and what you think…also let me know what other products I need to try from the brand, I’m never going to be a stranger to it again!

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a mememe cosmetics review and discount

19th August 2014
I first discovered Me Me Me Cosmetics several years ago when it was readily available in Superdrug stores. It fell off my radar somewhat when I could no longer easily get hold of it (this was before I started online shopping!) but came back in to my life when I reviewed a naturally nude collection back in 2012. Fast forward a little and the brand recently got in touch again asking if I’d like to review some new releases- of course, as I was so impressed last time I said yes and here are my thoughts.
I was sent the brand new Coral Blossom lip and cheek tint, a gorgeous peachy liquid that blends perfectly on to the skin. I often find this type of products is hard to blend, or not a nice consistency to work with but this was a dream and I’ve been wearing it non-stop. It has a really nice, buildable colour (I’ve applied it with a very light touch in these photos) that is just perfect for a healthy glow during the summer, along with a bit of tinted moisturiser. I haven’t tried it on the lips yet but I imagine a few layers will look rather nice. At £5.50 this is excellent value for money and is already on my repurchase list.
The second product I was sent is the Flawless Loose Face Powder, £6.50 which has actually replaced my MUA one as a new favourite as it has a longer lasting effect on my skin and is a better colour on my pale complexion. This comes with a cute little powder puff, although I tend to use a brush to buff it on to the skin and is a lovely and welcome addition to my makeup collection.
There are so many products I want right now, especially the new Ultimate Eye Palette (coming soon) as it looks perfect for an every day natural look. It won’t be long before I’m placing an order, and if you’re also thinking of treating yourself then there is no better time as MEMEME are giving 15% off their entire range from Aug 1st through to Sept 30th, just enter the code mememe15 when you shop online.
What will you be getting?

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Currently Loving- makeup edit

15th August 2014
I keep meaning to do posts about the hair and beauty products I’m loving right now but never seem to actually get round to it. I’m by no means a beauty blogger and mostly not even very good at makeup but I do like to try new products and have a go at making myself look presentable to the general public. I’ve picked up a few new bits and pieces lately which I’ve been really impressed with, all of them super cheap too- I don’t think any of them cost over £5 each!
First product I’m loving right now is the MUA Matte Perfect loose powder which I can’t find on the Superdrug website, but I believe it cost £2.50. I picked this up as a replacement for my usual CLinique translucent powder as I can’t justify £20+ on makeup at the moment and I wasn’t really convinced I’d love this. Actually it’s really good and keeps my makeup in place and my skin shine free all day. You get loads of product in the pot as well so it’s a complete bargain and something I’d really recommend.
I’m forever on the quest for perfect eyebrows so when I saw Rimmel’s new brow gel I made an instant purchase of the mid brown shade. This was on offer at £2.99 when I bought it and I’ve since picked up another tube as I love it so much. It has a subtle effect but keeps brows neat and in place whilst filling in any sparse bits.
I’ve been on a bit of a lip product binge recently too, picking up the three pictured above among others. I’ll list them in the order I’ve swatched them on my hand so you can get a vague idea of what they look like (see, I’m not a beauty blogger!). First up is a lipstick from essence at Wilko that I picked up as part of a 3 for 2 offer the other weekend. This is the rosy pink colour of my dreams and for £2 is of super quality. I was already familiar with essence having picked up a few bits in Spain last year so I was super excited to see them available over here! I’ll be picking up more of these for sure! Next up is one of the new Maybelline Baby Lips (electro pink shock). It’s also the product I’m wearing on my lips in the photos, although only a very light coat. I’ve seen mixed reviews of these and of Baby Lips in general but for me they are a staple. I love the subtle neon pop of colour these give and how soft and smooth they leave my lips. I have my eye on a couple of the other colours but ought to show a little bit of restraint! Last but not least on the lip product front is one of the new lip crayons from Beauty UK at Superdrug (in the shade would I lilac to you? ). I’ve been wearing this pretty much daily and just adore the beautiful pastel shade. Mum’s a fan of these too and picked up a pink one as part of a two for £5 offer at the same time.
Usually I’m all about the eyeshadows so it’s a surprise to me that I’ve been less than inspired by what I’ve seen around lately. I have only picked up one eyeshadow in recent months and that came from the huge selection by essence, again as part of the 3 for 2 deal (I also picked up another eyeshadow for Mum). Their basic colours are only £1.60 each and SO impressive. The colour lasts all day and this has become my every day base colour for work- I think this is shade 78. If you’re looking for high quality and highly pigmented colour then you really can’t go far wrong. I’ll be stocking up on some more “trendy” colours too at that price!
What products are you loving right now? Are there any more bargains I should be seeking out? Let me know below, especially if you’ve tried any of those I’ve mentioned- I’d love to hear what you thought.

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Totally Tropical

30th July 2014
I might have discovered a new favourite print for the season- forget florals, right now I’m all about tropical. From palm trees to flamingoes I’m loving anything that reminds me of a desert island and so when Missguided sent me this dress I was all over it, they have some really stunning tropical print pieces right now and remain one of my favourite online clothes shops to browse.

Dress c/o Missguided | Shoes: New Look

I love everything about this dress– from the pom-pom hem to the double strap details. It’s a wrap front dress and being rather flat chested I did have to pin it to make it decent (I might even get round to stitching it one day!) but other than that it’s perfect and so light and cool for during the heatwave we had.
I’m not sure why I look so tired in these photos, it’s something I’ve noticed in a lot of my photos actually- how do other bloggers managed such healthy, fresh looking skin? I’m majorly missing a trick here so if you have any tips and advice then feel free to leave it in the comments!

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