Wish List.

I know I haven’t done one of these in a long time, but over the past few weeks during placement I haven’t been browsing round the shops as much as normal. However, there are a few things that have really caught my eye, and that I may even indulge in when I go to Manchester soon.

So lets begin...

Nars Kauai Duo Eye Shadow

This duo is part of NARS' High Seize Collection, the Kauai Duo Eye shadow is a highly pigmented pair of eye shadows in the shades Gold Lame and the purple-toned Iridescent Smokey Orchid. There are super pretty and incredibly pigmented. I really love that they can be used separately or together to create the must beautiful new shade.

Nars Malacca Eye Shadow

This eye shadow is described as an iridescent peacock colour. From the swatches I have seen of it, it’s a medium dark plummy brown with cool toned green shimmer-sheen and a frosted finish. I was worried it would be that bluish-teal-brown duo chrome that every brand has been rolling out recently but from what I can gather it’s a very beautiful mauve-plum-brown base that gets more mauve-y as you blend it out and apply more. I have seen so many swatches of this and it looks really pretty and something I don’t think (…) I have in my collections (I don’t think…) (Its definitely times like these I wish Nars Eyes shadows weren't so expensive...sadface)

Dior Addict Lip Maximize in Shade 3

I already own this in the original shade, which is a clear pink. However, they recently released it in a very pretty blossom pink shade, which give just the right touch of pink to the lips. Personally from trying them both I really think they have done something to this new shade because the maximizing properties in it seemed a little more intense and powerful and you could really feel it working, which I love.

The Body Shops All in One Instablur

Recently, I’ve really loved the new Kiehls blurring primer at the minute, however this has also had some amazing reviews. Its only just been released however it claims to control shine, reduce the appearance of pores, hide blemishes and extend make up. It’s a lot of high power claims, however I may have to nip in next time I need a new toner and ask for a nice little tester to see how ‘intrablurring’ it actually is.

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm

Loved this little cleanser ever since I tried it, however the only problem is finding it to buy it. I have had to stick to the Body Shop Chamomile Cleansing Balm, which is good, but I prefer this little beauty. Its super lightweight and cleanses my face super well without leaving an oily residue behind. I really wish Clinique would get more of these in stock to shops because its really hard to find both in store and online, and its such a fantastic product.

Estee Lauder Clear Difference Complexion perfecting BB Crème SPF 35

Talk about a mouthful. OK I’m not going to lie, I swear by my amazing Dior Nude BB Crème, however its only an SPF10 and due to being pretty fair skinned, that means I end up spending the whole of summer with a super red burnt face…not a good look. Recently Estee Lauder fetched this little BB crème out which is aimed at people who have blemish prone skin, it claims to instantly neutralize redness, help to conceal blemish marks, pores and flaws and most importantly help treat blemishes. If that wasn’t enough it also states to hydrate, protect, perfect and sooth skin. Now, I don’t always believe what I read on the label because to be fair, they’re trying to sell a product at the end of the day. But seriously…this stuff is good! I went and got a cheeky little sample of this because the high SPF sometimes irritates my sensitive skin. It’s rich and creamy but lightweight at the same time, blending beautifully into the skin giving you just enough daytime summer coverage. The SPF being 35 is a great advantage because it means my face wont burn as much. Overall, I think when I run out of my Dior Nude BB crème I think I’m going to take a chance and purchase this, I haven’t experienced any improvements in my blemishes, but to be honest my skin is actually behaving and obviously I’m not going to get that many uses from a tiny sample pot. Trust me, when I do buy this bad boy and test it out properly, you can definitely expect a in-depth review of every inch of it.

Have any of you tried any of these products, if so whats your view on them?

Whats on your June Wish List?

MoominTroll.

Second year of university is finally over with, and as a surprise my boyfriend booked a hotel in Wilmslow for the weekend, so we can go shopping in Manchester, which is my favourite place to go shopping.

Alongside this one morning I got a knock at the door and the postman gave me a giant box. As someone who orders a lot online I usually get really excited waiting for the postman, but this one left me confused as I could have sworn I did not order anything (I know I’ve said this many times). Nevertheless, I opened the box and there sat nice a pretty in the middle was this…

Everyone meet MoominTroll.

Moomin is something I used to watch when I was really little, and recently when we went to London I rediscover it as they have a Moomin store in Covent Gardens. There Moomin teddies are super soft and cuddly and utterly amazing, however they didn’t have any other then the display one in stock, so I left sulking and disheartened. However, it turned out that whilst I was hunting down a good place that did pancakes (I have a pancake and nutella issue) my boyfriend had gone back to the Moomin store and ordered me the teddy for when one had come into store. Its unbelievable that I actually didn’t notice he had done this, but what can I say, when I want pancakes the rest of the world sort of disappears. I know this isn’t a post I usually do, but Moomin is something I haven't seen for years and I thought he was utterly adorable, he's super soft and cuddly and I thought I would just jog everyone’s memory of how amazing Moomin is!

So Sorry.

Recently I finished a 5-week teaching placement, which not only left me stressed and drained but somewhat missing the outside world.

The one thing people don’t seem to realise is that teaching isn’t a 8-4 job, you then have to mark the children’s work, plan the 6 lessons for the next day and do each lessons resources, its easy to say I was going to work at 7 to then be up until 10 doing work for the next day.  Due to it being my placement we have to do a whole lot of extra stuff for university, which we wouldn’t usually have to do in the job. Therefore, for the last 5 weeks I haven’t been able to see my boyfriend as much, because between planning, working and sleeping there wasn’t much time for him in-between. Anyway, recently I finished the placement and my second year of university (YEY!) which means I have a long time off to spend with him, write blogs and generally do nothing much.

Ultimately this means I will be doing more blog posts, as I know I have been away for quite a long time, and I apologise so much for that, its just been too busy for me to write and review anything. So thank you everyone for being patient, and hopefully everything will start getting back to normal.

Super sorry again!

E x

Antibacterial Make-Up Spray.

Pro Hygiene Collection - 

Antibacterial Make-Up Spray 

When it comes to cleaning my make up brushes I’m normally really good. I do it every week to make sure that there super clean. However, something I have never though of is sanitizing my actual make up such as pressed powders and blushes.

A few weeks ago I saw this little product on feelunique and I thought, as my skin can be really temperamental I would give it a go. It sanitizes makeup and helps reduce the growth of bacteria that can lead to infection.  It’s suitable for all sorts of make up such as pressed and loose powders, creams, gels, pigments, lipsticks, pencils and make up brushes and tools.

I tend to use this once a week when I wash my brushes, and sometimes every couple of days on my brushes and make up if I’m having a really bad break out, just to try and illuminate it spreading. Its really easy to use, you simply spray it onto your makeup or brushes, leave them for 60 seconds and then there good to go. I sometimes swirl my brushes on a piece of tissue just to make sure they’re nice and clean. There is no smell or residue left on your make up and its not affected my make up in any way, shape or form. However, the one thing they do not recommend using this spray on is mascara, as mascara is very specific in its use by dates!

This retails for £15 for 240ml like I said you could find it at cultbeauty (buy here). I have also seen this on feelunique who stock a 100ml bottle as well for £10 (buy here). I’m not going to lie, it is pretty extortionate paying £10/£15 for what is glorified antibacterial spray, however it’s a really big bottle and if you just use one or two sprays it should last you quite a long time.

What do you think; will you be purchasing this Makeup spray any time soon?                             

Micro Blur.

Kiehls –

Micro Blur Skin Protector

It really seems that blur products are big business at the moment and the latest launch from Kiehl’s provides instant blurring and skin perfecting effects along with skincare benefits over time.

The line from Kiehl’s is that this is a lightweight, satin finish skin-perfecting formula that combines an instant blurring effect with long-lasting, visible skincare results. It contains: Lipo Hydroxy Acid, Lentil Extract and Bark Extract. These promise to refine the appearance of pores and improve the texture of skin over time, which I think it pretty interesting for an instant blur product. Kiehl’s advise using this as the last step in your skin care routine day and night (after sunscreen, or BB cream, should you use it, for day).

When applied it softly mattifies (?) and it greatly diminishes the appearance of pores and evens out skin texture. It works really nicely under foundation and the finish is very natural and not over made-up which is sometimes the case with primers.

It does contain silicone, which accounts for how beautifully it glides on to the skin, but it is incredibly lightweight and doesn’t have the heavy feel that some blurring products have at all. This is a big thumbs up from me – it’s a fabulous makeup primer and I love the fact that it can deliver skin improvement over time.

Overall, its really become my new favorite. However, The Body Shop have also just released a blur primer, which has also been receiving some amazing reviews, so I may have to take a look at that as well and compare the two.

Nail Envy.

OPI –

Nail Envy Original Nail Strengthener

I've heard so many bloggers rave about the O.P.I nail envy nail strengthener but as much as I try to avoid being a sheep this was on sale, so I'm adding to the hype!

I always use some type of nail treatment as a base coat and I must admit that I never really notice a difference with these products because I assume that naturally are just really weak from acrylics. BUT...with this I must say there was a noticeable difference. When I'd had it on for a couple of weeks under various other nail polishes and then removed it my nails were literally ROCK HARD (like, you cannot bend them at all) I'd go as far to say that it would be quite a challenge to break one (not that I'm going to try). 

The consistency is quite runny when you apply it so try to scrape a little bit off the brush beforehand or you'll end up with it all over your fingers. It also does take a few minutes to dry so if you use it as a base coat like me then I would advise leaving your nails a while to ensure its dry before applying a colour. I have experienced quite a bit of streaking over the past couple of weeks when using this so I need to investigate further into whether it is this causing it or the polishes I'm using, maybe I'll try applying a base coat over the top of this as well.

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I would pay £18.75 for this, however whilst ever BeautyBay have it on sale for £12, I think I will carry on buying it. On the other hand, I might try the sensitive one as my nails have more of a tendency to peel.

Have you tried any of the OPI Nail Envy products?

Mosaic Bronzer.

No7 - 

Perfectly Bronzed Mosaic Bronzer

Ok, I’m not going to lie, this was actually my mums but there was something about it that I really enjoyed using, and as she found it wasn’t enough for her very dark skin tone, she donated it…to me.

The compact is very sleek and with the mirror inside it's perfect for my handbag. I love the multi-tonal colours in this as I like the bronzed look but also favour the pinky reds as well. It's a great mix of colours and gives a highly pigmented colour without looking to over the top.

This product gives off a lovely shimmer, you only need the smallest swatch on your brush and it looks amazing! It is perfect for winter and summer as it gives you a little bit of colour but doesn't tango on pale skin. I really like using this for a quick every day look, as with just one product I can do the whole blush, bronzer and contorting that doesn’t look over the top or muddy. 

It really is a gorgeous bronzer/brusher duo, which looks great on both pale and tanned skin!

True Match.

L’Oreal -

True Match Foundation

I’ve heard so much about this foundation. For the last year everyone has been raving about how it’s a fantastic dupe for Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, and after a lot of standing and testing on the back of my hand, walking away and then coming back, I finally caved and bought it.

The L’Oreal True Match Foundation is marketed as a ‘super blendable’ foundation with a creamy liquid texture, flawless finish and true-to-skin shades that ‘matches the colour and texture of your skin’. It contains SPF 17 and it comes in a 30ml glass bottle with a pump (something you shouldn’t get too excited about, but which you actually do).

This foundation has a silky texture and matte & luminous finish. From what I can gather it’s pretty much identical to Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk in this aspect, and it feels very pleasant on the skin. True Match claims to give your skin a flawless finish, which I slightly disagree. It’s definitely not a natural finish, but it’s not flawless either, so I’d put it somewhere in between natural and flawless.

True Match has a great light to medium coverage, perfect as an everyday foundation if you’re used to wearing foundation on a daily basis. It covered my redness and hyper-pigmentation with 1 layer and without clinging to any dry patches.

Where the formula is concerned this is where True Match mainly differs from Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk; The L’Oreal foundation is a creamy liquid and the Armani foundation is more like a creamy paste. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk is thicker, and therefore it gives you a higher coverage and it’s more longwearing than True Match.

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by the L’Oreal True Match foundation and I believe it is very similar to the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation. Granted, it’s not an 100% dupe because True Match is less long-wearing, less flawless and less creamy, but it’s the most similar foundation to Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk I’ve tried so far, and it doesn’t cost a small fortune! It’s fantastic for everyday use and the wide shade range with different undertones is commendable.

Overall Round Up:

- SPF 17

- True to skin shades

- Warm, cool & neutral undertones

- Natural matte & luminous finish

- Light / medium coverage

- Silky texture

- Creamy liquid formulation

- Lightweight

- 20 shades

If you’re thinking of buying Luminous Silk but you can’t quite afford it yet, give L’Oreal True Match a go and see how you get on with it first.