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Short and sweet post here to inform you all that you can now catch all my super duper exciting updates (lucky you!) via bloglovin ... theres a litte button down the side of my navigation bar...go on click it!! I double dare ya! 

Corail Idyllic..

 I'm quite shy and reserved when it comes to lip colour and I rarely venture away from nudes and pearlescent pinks, so the fact that I even purchased a coral lipgloss is a huge deal. Seriously. But summer is most definitely here with a bang and coral screams summer to me and so this Bourjois 3d Effet lipgloss in the shade corail idyllic found its way into my makeup collection. 

The shade itself is gorgeous, ridiculously coral and with a slight shimmer. It is genuinely beautiful to look at. The gloss comes with a brush rather than a doe foot applicator which I quite like, and the formula is smooth to apply. This product also boasts Balm Action Moisture and I can confirm that it feels hydrating on the lips, and doesn't cling or exacerbate any dry patches. Win, win. 

Yet this is where my love affair with the lipgloss ends. I found the shade to be beautiful - just not on me unfortunately. And I really really wanted to adore this! I imagine it would look gloriouis with a tan, sitting in the park, sipping Pimm's and eating strawberries - but just on someone elses lips. 

I think my issue with applying colour to my lips is the sheer size and pigmentation of my natural lips. I have quite plump lips and they are naturally very red, so I kinda feel like they unintentionally steal the show. Even if I am just wearing a coat of mascara on my lashes, I feel like there is too much going on and I need to calm my lips down with a (light!!) dusting of concealer or a nude lippie.

If you are bold with your lip makeup, then go ahead and snap this beauty up. There is not a thing wrong with the product and if this was a nude shade, I'd be all over it. 

Bourjois 3D Effet is available ; here

with flash

natural light

Feelunique Holiday Buys...

I'm jetting off on holiday soon...well kinda soon, August to be precise, but in my book it's never too early to start collecting toiletries for your travels! I headed over to feelunique to collect a few bits + pieces.

 

One of my purchases was L'Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Solar Sublime, available here.

This spray will help condition my hair from the drying effects of the sun. It is described as being a light, non greasy, invisible spray which you literally spray all over your head to provide instant conditioning benefits. This sounds like the perfect antidote to long, hot days in the sunshine. I've never used this product before but I'm quite excited to try it out as being blonde and curly-haired, the sun can really be my enemy and cause my hair to become dry and brittle. 

Next up we have a little bit of sun protection! I have struggled for ages to find a decent suncream for my face - every single brand I seem to use stings my eyes terribly :( I've even avoided applying sun proection to my face (a big no-no) for this very reason and quite frankly, I was getting rather annoyed! I decided to investigate further and turned to Google for help. I found various websites and forums which said many suncream manufacturers chose chemicals to provide protection and to avoid irritation I should seek out something called 'physical sunscreens', which rely on either zinc oxide or titanium dixoide instead of chemicals. These downside is that these physical sunscreens have a reputation for being white, chalky and difficult to apply however advances in technology means that these days, non-chemical sunscreens are just as easily rubbed in as their chemical counterparts. Thank God, as I am white enough!

I decided to buy my suncream from a company called Green People which is purely organic brand. All of their products are free-form SLS/foaming agents, synthetic fragrances, alcohol, petrochemicals and a bunch of other nasties.Lets hope this does the trick for my poor little eyes. *fingers and toes crossed*

Green People Sun Lotion is available here.

This is another suncream from Green People, but in SPF15 instead. This cream is also from their OY! range, which is especially created for young skin. This lotion also uses zinc/titanium dioxide instead of chemicals and also contains a suntan accelerator (score!). It contains extracts from the carob tree which help to intensify and prolong the tanning process.

As this is from their OY! range, the product helps promote a blemish free complexion and is suitable for skins which suffer from acne, eczema, psoriasis and other irritable skin conditions. Check it out for yourself.

 

Next up we have Philip Kingsley Swimcap. . 

Before going away on holidays, I treat myself to a Brazlian blowdry. I have naturally curly, frizzy hair which I like to embrace and I can usually manage it quite well here in Scotland, however once you add in heat, humidity, sea salt and chlorine, my hair is like Mount Everest. Very challenging. The only downside to having the keratin treatment is that its smoothing effect can be diminished by salt and chlorine, therefore it is imperative to protect your hair! This can be done by simply wetting your hair, applying a dollop of this product and combing it through. It acts as a kind of barrier, like a swimming cap (get it?) and stops your hair from absorbing large amounts of salt and chlorine. A must have!!

 Up last, we have the GHD detangling comb.

This is perfect for combing through the above mentioned Swimcap, and all other intensive conditioners. I also find that using a wide toothed comb instead of a hair brush helps to reduce static and frizz, and anything which does that is a winner in my book.

Hoola Girl...

 As we continue to roll into the summer months, I tend to turn my back on my old faithful pink and berry coloured blushers and say hello to brighter shades of coral and *gulp*...bronzer. 
Let me tell you straight off the bat that I'm not the biggest fan of bronzer. I have far to many memories of myself in my younger adolescent days sporting bright orange, discoball cheeks thinking I was hawt..when really, no...ew!!!! These days though, with the bronzer market brimming with products, surely..surely there is a shade to suit us whities?! And..hallelujah!! There is! Ladies, say hello to Hoola by Benefit. 
I can put my hand on my heart and confidently say that this bronzer contains zero orange tones. Nope. None. Nada. Point numero uno for Hoola. I can also say firmly that this product contains no sparkles and not one hint of glitter, it is unashamedly matte. Point number 2 for Hoola. 
It's matte finish makes it ideal product for contouring (watch your back Kim Kardashian) and unless you have the heaviest hand of all, this shade shouldn't be too overpowering on fair skin. The only downside is that this bronzer is a 1-shade-fits-all kinda thing, but for darker skinned beauties among us, I'm sure this could be layered up to create a stronger look. 
With this product being matt, I wouldn't say its great for dipping a big fluffy blush in and dusting it over your face (I think the end result would provide you with a face which looks kind of like clay...) but this product isn't designed for that (you're looking for bronzing pearls, if dusting bronzer all over your face decolletage is your kind of thing). This product is instead designed to provide you with a tanned, yet sculpted and defined look a la Kardashian. Say hello to your newly discovered cheekbones ladies.

blended out + heavy swatch in natural light

blended out + heavy swatch under flash

Hoola is available from the Benefit website, Boots and Debenhams for £23.50.

Accessorize Blushers

Whilst browsing in my local Superdrug the other day, I came accross the Accessorize make up stand. I have known for quite some time that Accessorize had branched out into the cosmetic world, yet I hadn't purchased any of their offerings... Until now. These gorgeous pots of blusher found their way into my basket and into my life. The packaging is typical of Accessorize products, with the product encased in gold packaging that is adorned with butterflies and proudly displays the Accessorize logo.
These blushers are merged baked blushers and they look gorgeous in the pan!! I settled on the shades Sensation and Wowzer. 

Sensation is a lovely peachy/coral colour with pink veins running through it, however once on the brush and applied to the skin, the colour is strictly peach - the pink gets totally lost! Which I don't mind as it still looks lovely!
Wowzer is scary (yet beautiful in the pan). It is a ridiculously vivid, cool-toned pink with veins of purple. Unlike Sensation, these veins of colour do not get lost and they merge with the pink to provide a gorgeous pinky-yet-slightly-purple shade. (Sorry for the terrible description but I don't know what to call it as its a shade I've never seen before..) Oh and do not be alarmed, this blush does not appear as bright on the skin as it looks in the pot - unless you have a very heavy hand! 

natural light, no flash

with flash

 These products are quite pigmented so you don't need to apply too much to bring a healthy glow to the cheeks! They are also a dream to apply - very finely milled and there are no chunks of glitter but the slight shimmer does help to provide you with a dewy look. 
I have currently been using Wowzer more at the moment, as I am still quite pale facially and personally I think pink cheeks and light skin is a winning combo, however I will definitely be putting Sensation into my holiday makeup regime as I think it will look lovely with a tan!
Overall, I'm really pleased with these blushers and can't understand why it has taken me so long to buy an Accessorize product - I'm definitely going to be checking out their makeup stand more frequently from now on! 
Accessorize makeup is available from superdrug and from the accessorize website.

Have you ever tried any Accessorize makeup before?

Real Techniques Brushes

 

It seems like every beauty blogger on Earth is a lover of these brushes by Samantha Chapman, and I my friends, am no different. These brushes are pefecting for creating HD looks at home and the brushes are cleverly colour coded, with each colour corresponding to a key step in make up application. Gold = base products e.g. foundation , Pink = finishing products e.g blushers and powders, Purple = relates to eye makeup. 

All Real Techniques brushes are 100% cruelty free as they are made from synthetic tacklon fibres, so no need to feel guilty that the bristles have been sourced un-ethically. 

I have developed a love affair with these brushes and I am desperate to add more to my collection (the Kabuki brush and the powder brush being at the top of my list...) 

But enough of lusting after what I don't have, lets discuss what I do have....

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

This is the expert face brush which I purchased after reading that it was a dupe for the much raved about Buffing brush, which is only available as part of the core collection (available here)
I use this to apply my liquid foundation and let me tell you...It's great! Much better than any other foundation brush I have tried. The bristles are soft (yet firm..if that makes sense?) and it doesn't just smear the product around your face, leaving unsightly brush marks. It genuinely buffs the foundation and makes it look like a second skin. I would highly recommend this brush to all.

  Real Techniques Setting Brush

Next up, we have the setting brush which I use for applying powder highlighter/ and or countouring with a matt bronzer. The brush head its quite small and fluffy, and its size makes it a perfect candidate for applying highlighter. I simply swirl the brush into the powder, and apply under my brow bone, down the middle of my nose and above my cheekbones for a healthy glow. These bristles are extremely soft and therefore won't disturb the make up you are already wearing. Perfect for finishing off your look!! 

 

 

 Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Last, but by no means least (as this is probably my favourite out of all the brushes), we have the stippling brush. This brush is my Holy Grail for applying cream blusher. No other method of application gives me such a flawless finish. The bristles pick up the perfect amount of product and allow me to buff colour into the apples of my cheeks seamlessly and effortlessly for a natural, healthy finish. I seriously have now idea how I coped without this brush, and I think that it is because of this product that I havenow have a love affair with cream blushers after being strictly a powder girl. Messy finger application and mucking up my carefully applied foundation is a thing of the past! This brush is a standout for me from the real techniques collection. It is honestly, simply perfect. An absolute must have in any make up collection! 

Do you own any Real Techniques brushes?

Falsifeye....

I must admit something to you all ... I'm a bit of a mascara *whispers* whore.. I'm shuddering at even using that word but I really don't know how else to describe me? I honestly do not think I have ever bought the same tube of mascara twice! So in other words, I have been through a lot of mascaras! Some have been decent (but I keep thinking that there must be something better out there), some have been just useable and others have been downright awful...yes Benefit They're Real, I'm looking at you!! I know, I know, you are probably all gasping in horror at that admission, but I really didn't like that mascara (given all the hype surrounding it, I really, really wanted to) but alas, it was just to clumpy for me and it made my lashes very spidery. Not a good look. But enough of this chit-chat...this review is about Falsifeye, by 17 (or should I say seventeen)? 

I stumbled across this mascara whilst Boots were running a 3 for 2 offer on their number seventeen range, and as I had already chosen a nail varnish and some bronzing rocks, I thought it would be very rude of me not to go the whole hog and pick something else, and this my dears, is what my wandering eye settled on. 

And guess what? I love it! Okay, I'm not saying I won't 'cheat' on this mascara and buy a different tube when this one runs out, but for the meantime, I am very happy with my purchase! If I had to recommened a mascara to someone, I'd probably mention this one (high praise from me indeed.) 
It's just really good - the brush, check, the colour, check, the staying power check check check!!

This mascara brush has gone back to basics, and is just a simple bristles brush, which I love. If I am being truthful, I was getting a bit tired of the new plasticky applicators as I find that they can tug on the lashes, something which I don't experience with a soft brush. 
The application of the product itself, is smooth, which results in no clumping, and the large brush lifts the lashes right up for superb length and volume. 
This mascara also has fantastic staying power, and it doesn't flake off onto my cheeks throughout the day - (this mascara managed to survive an hour long spinning class, and its not even waterproof. Tough stuff.) Yet despite this strong staying power, removal is easy! I usually get it off using a face wipe, or my cleanser, and I don't have to excessively rub around my eye area. 

My only gripe with this product, and it is just a teeny weeny one, is the size of..well everything. The tube is chunky, the handle is chunky, and the brush, yep you guessed it, is chunky. The size of it does make the brush a little tricky to maneuver, especially when applying to your lower lashes or the small corner ones, however if you use the end of the brush, you can still get a decent application of product, so it is just a small complaint!

This mascara is available at Boots, and if you hurry, you may still be able to nab it whilst the 3 for 2 offer is still on! Go, go, go!!

Good Things...?

'Good Things' is a brand I have seen in my local Boots for quite a while now, yet this is the first product I have purchased from their extensive offerings.
The range was set up by skincare guru Alice Hart-Davis when she realised that there was a gap in the market for gentle, yet effective skincare for young skin. Many cleansers and moisturisers these days are chock-a-block with chemicals (such as sodium laurel sulfate), parabens, petrochemicals and mineral oils and all of these ingredients can strip away the skin's natural protective barrier and cause further irritation. Not good news for the sensitive skinned among us. With this in mind, Alice ensured that all Good Things products are free from all that chemical gunk and instead her products harness the power of Superfruits (blueberries, goji berries, papaya, mango etc), to provide effective yet gentle skincare.
The range consists of an anti blemish section (which this particular product is from) and a more sort of general section, for non-problem skin.

I settled on this exfoliator as it sounded gentle yet effective for scrubbing away any lingering blackheads on my nose and any bits of dead, flaky skin. My plan is to use this face wash around 2 times per week, and carry on using my other daily cleanser the rest of the week. My reasoning for this is that although this product can be used daily, I don't think my skin would appreciate being exfoliated every single day!

This product uses extracts from Licorice and Papaya which promise to:

- boost skin radiance (papaya)
- soothe skin and reduce bacteria levels (licorice)

I have been using this for several weeks now and I must admit that I do enjoy it. While I'm not certain if it has made any difference to my blackheads (I wasn't overly plagued with them anyway, I just have a few on my nose), it definitely made my skin feel much smoother and brighter.
The consistency of this exfoliater is great, and the exfoliating particles aren't too big and irritating - nothing worse than feeling like you are washing your face with grit!

As this product is free from sodium laurel sulfate (SLS), don't expect to get a really good lather. I personally don't mind this as I know that SLS can be an irritant to skin, so if a product doesn't foam up well then I have peace of mind that I'm not overloading my skin with chemicals. 

All in all, I would definitely recommend this product and I look forward to trying out other products from this line, perhaps a cream cleanser or a moisturiser.

Ohh and lastly, for all the licorice haters out there (myself included), this does not smell like Licorice allsorts!! Pheeeew!!

Have you ever tried anything from this range before?

Fresh Cheeks!

 One make up item I LOVE is blusher - a girl can never have too many shades in my opinion! Due to the fact I can suffer from dry skin, I do tend to favour cream blushers over their powder counterparts (don't get me wrong though, I still enjoy a powder blush, especially on a night out when I need more staying power). 
Searching for a perfect cream blusher can be tricky though - some have a poor colour payoff, some slide off your face moments after application, some just go patchy and don't apply smoothly and evenly. 
This cream blusher though, has easily made its way into my top 5 all time favourites! I have a few items from the Look Beauty Collection, and I must say, their blushers are totally impressing me! Especially this little gem..... This is Fresh Cheeks, in the shade Guava. 

The colour of this blusher is just right, its neither too coral nor too pink - it sits nicely in the middle, therefore I think this is a colour for all skintones. 
The consistency of this blusher is smooth and creamy and it dries with the perfect dewy finish - it's not too matte, yet it doesn't make your face look greasy and oily. It's just right....(I am making this blush sound like baby bear's porridge aren't I?!) It truly does provide your cheeks with the most natural finish possible.
The colour intensity starts off quite light but can be easily layered up to create a bolder look. Thats what I love about cream blush - the intensity of the look is totally in your hands! And even if you do choose to amp it up, I think cream blushers buff and blend more seamlessly into the skin than powders. 
I choose to apply this with my real techniques stippling brush. I ensure I apply the most colour to the apples of my cheeks and then I buff out up towards my hairline ensuring there are no harsh lines (however, I think its quite hard to get a harsh line with a cream formulation though...) If you aren't keen at apply cream blushers with a blush, do not fret, I think the consistency of this product is smooth enough to apply with your fingertips and still get a beautiful result.

in natural light with no flash

with flash

I would 100% recommend this blush to everyone and anyone. There are 2 other Fresh Cheeks shades to try (Lychee and Melon) and I am most definitely a keen bean to add them to my ever expanding blush collection.

Has anyone else tried the Look cream blushers? What formulation do you prefer ; cream or powder? 

The Look beauty range is available from Superdrug and online via the Look beauty website here

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish

I love highlighter! I love the way it adds subtle radiance and a dewy finish to an otherwise matte face and the way it catches and reflects light. Finding your perfect highlighter can be a tricky business, depending on your skin tone, pore size, blemishes, fine lines etc...
I have a few highlighters that I love, and I don't seem to have a personal preference for cream or powder products. Being fair skinned, the highlighters I favour tend to be cool-toned, e.g. pink or silvery, however  my MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in the shade Soft & Gentle, breaks this rule. I would class this as being a warm-toned highlighter due to the shades of gold and  bronze yet it looks lovely on fair skin. The colour pay-off is sheer and light, and the shimmer is fine (no chunks of glitter here!!) and so this lack of intensity means it looks great on all skin tones.

I like to use a real techniques setting brush available here to apply this product. I swirl the brush around and dust it down the centre of my nose, underneath my brow bone and at the tops of my cheeks.
I use this product a lot, and haven't even began to dent its beautiful surface. This product might honestly last me a lifetime!
I really enjoy using this product, and it will definitely be joining me on my summer holidays this year, because although it looks great with my fair skin, I think it will look amazing will a tan!

subtle radiance and shimmer!

Find MAC Mineralize Skin Finish here - you won't regret your purchase!