back to basics: skincare must-haves

Normally one of the few things I feel really good about is my skin. I very rarely get spots and my skin is usually very normal and is generally very well behaved. I occasionally get some drier patches in certain areas such as around my nose and my eyebrows but they're nothing a little exfoliator and a good moisturiser can't fix. However over the last week or so my skin has gone crazy! I'm beginning to think that perhaps I've had a reaction to something as I also have a few spots on my neck which is unheard of for me. Due to this, I've really tried to keep my skincare as simple as possible and just use some really gentle products that I know and trust.

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser - A while ago now, even before I started my blog, I tried the much loved Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and had the worst allergic reaction imaginable - my skin looked like it was covered in boils. I used it for about a month in total, but this was definitely not a "purging" stage as some people have suggested to me as it was so itchy and uncomfortable and very much unlike normal spots. However, I did really like the whole concept of using a muslin cloth with my cleanser so even after stopping using the C&P I continued to use muslin cloths in my skincare routine. I love the gentle exfoliation of them and how bright and radiant they can make your skin appear. They just generally make your cleansers work a lot harder - simple but brilliant!

Last time Boots did their £5 off No7 vouchers I decided to try the No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser and I definitely prefer it (surely anything is better than a rash all over your face haha). I personally just find it to be so much gentler on the skin. As this is the most gentle cleanser I own it's something that I really trust to clean my skin without aggravating it even more with strong fragrances or exfoliating bits and bobs.

The No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser is £10 and available from Boots or online here.

Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream - Whoever created Sudocrem is my hero at the moment! For me this is the best thing to speedily get rid of spots. I just dab some on any spots before bed and it just dries them up and shrinks them nicely without making them all horrible and flaky. I've tried quite a few spot removing gels and this does the job better than all of them. It's also such a good cream to have lying around as it can also be used on other things such as sunburn, sores and... um... nappy rash.

It's so effective as the main ingredient is Zinc Oxide which has antibacterial properties and can help create a barrier between your skin and the air. If you haven't tried this for treating spots then I really do suggest giving it a go as unlike some more acidic treatments it won't aggravate them and make the area any sorer or redder.

Sudocrem is available everywhere (pharmacies, supermarkets etc) but is £2.69 for a 125g pot from Boots or online here. This will last you forever as you only need such a tiny amount because it's so thick. I've had mine for about a year and I still have about 80% left!

Boots Simply Sensitive Protecting Day Moisturiser - This is the day moisturiser I use for when my skin is playing up. As the name suggests it's so gentle and not too thick so makes a great base for make up. It also contains SPF15 so is fab for protecting your skin too, as well as aloe vera to sooth it. As it's fragrance and colour free, it won't irritate your skin any more. I can't really say enough good things about this moisturiser! It's basic but just what my skin needs when it's unhappy! It's so cheap too.

Boots Simply Sensitive Protecting Day Moisturiser is £2.79 from Boots or online here and is currently on a 3 for 2 offer.

E45 Moisturising Lotion - Night time is when your skin does most of it's healing so I like to use a really good moisturiser at night to help it rehydrate and repair. At the moment I'm going as simple as it gets with moisturiser and using the E45 Moisturising Lotion in place of my usual night cream. Again, it's perfume free and hypoallergenic so is very gentle on the skin. Also, although it's very moisturising it doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy at all. The only reason that I don't use it in the day is that it takes a little longer than the Boots moisturiser to entirely sink in so it isn't so good for under make up.

E45 Moisturising Lotion is £5.99 from Superdrug or online here. This price is for 500ml though whereas my bottle is 250ml so the smaller bottle is probably cheaper!

I hope this helps any of you who are also suffering with your skin at the moment. After all, it is exam period which often means stress, chocolate and late nights = spots!

The only other advice I can give is drink as much water as possible and have as many make up free days as you can. There's no point clogging up your pores even more with layers of thick foundation as that will just cover the problem rather than treat it!

What's your back to basic skincare secret?

xx

face of the day: natalie from made in chelsea

Haha can I point out that I don't have a wrinkly forehead or one eyebrow higher than the other...  I just seem to have  to raise one eyebrow when I smile for a picture and this is usually hidden by my fringe - nice!

When I was watching Made in Chelsea on Monday night (oh the drama!) I was thinking to myself how lovely some of the girls' make up looked. Millie, Louise and Natalie especially always manage to look so natural and pretty and, like me, they're a lover of all things neutral when it comes to eye make up. In particular, I really liked Natalie's make up on Monday night's programme. Natural glowy skin with very slightly defined upper lashes - beautiful! Obviously this is just an inspired look so I'm never going to look quite as flawless or have locks that bouncy and flowing (sigh) but I'd thought I'd give it a shot.

As I said all the girls in Made in Chelsea have such glowing and healthy looking skin so after applying the Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer I used a combination of the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 and the No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Normal/Dry Skin in Fair. Now normally I would perhaps just use the No7 BB Cream but over the past few days my skin has gone crazy (I think due to the stress of exams and eating naughty things) so I just wanted a little extra coverage but still with the finish of a BB cream. Also as I wanted a little more coverage I used a traditional flat foundation brush which I very rarely do. Usually I always use a buffing brush or stippling brush for my foundation but I find a traditional foundation brush really allows you to lay more product on to the skin and hide any unwanted areas more effectively.

To conceal my gazillion spots and in particular the really nice volcano right in the centre of my forehead I used my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair. Then for under my eyes and around my nose I chose the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory. I find that this is great for the under eye area as it really brightens any darkness. Finally to finish off my foundation and concealer I took a very small brush and only powdered the areas that need to stay in place such as around my nose, under my eyes and any spots. For this I used the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent.

Step two in getting the perfect Made in Chelsea skin definitely requires some bronzer. When don't you see the girls with a healthy looking tan? As I haven't jetted off to Dubai any time recently (or ever for that matter) I made do with using some Soleil Tan de Chanel. Natalie doesn't have much contouring so I simply used a stippling brush to apply the bronzer all over my cheeks and up to my temples rather than creating any more of a defined structure. To carry on the bronzey cheek theme I used a little bit of tangerine coloured blusher. The one I actually used is a very old one I found in my blusher collection by L'Oreal Paris but after a little look on the internet I don't actually think it's available any more and all the information has rubbed off the back... Anything tangerine or peachy coloured will do on the cheeks but don't use too much as Natalie doesn't seem to be wearing much blusher at all (I had to restrain myself as if you've read my blog before you may have realised that I can be quite heavy handed on the cheeks!) To be honest you could probably leave out any blusher but this is something I'd definitely struggle to do haha.

I kept my brows very simple and natural looking by using my trusty Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in Soft Blonde to just fill in any gaps and extend them a bit. I didn't really change my natural brow shape as I didn't want them to look unnatural or drawn on. I then slicked a little ELF Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara on to keep any unruly hairs in place.

On to the eyes! This was actually what I liked most about her make up. It doesn't look like much but that's the genius of it - it's so simple it's perfect haha! I also love how round Natalie's eyes are and I really think she knows how to work with her eye shape, she makes them look even wider and prettier. First I swept a little of the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Ivory all across my lids just to even the colour of them out. I then put some of Urban Decay's Naked Eyeshadow in to the outer part of my crease and blended thoroughly as I only wanted the tiniest amount of definition here. Along my upper lash line I then used an Avon Colour Trend Kajal Stick in Brown. To make my eyes appear rounder I only took the eye liner about two thirds of the way along my lash line and made sure that it was thickest in the middle of the line as this can make your eyes appear wider. I chose brown instead of black as I didn't want a harsh black line and I also used my ring finger to smudge the liner in to my lashes a little. I then used some of the UNE Skin-Glow Pencil in G01 along my lower water line to open my eyes as much as possible! After curling my lashes I chose to use the Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black. I only applied this to my upper lashes as Natalie doesn't seem to have any on her lower ones.

Finally to finish the look off, on my lips I first applied a little lip balm then took some of the MUA Lipstick in Shade 16 on my finger and rubbed it across my lips so the colour was nice and sheer.

Are you a fan of the girls' make up on Made in Chelsea? I'm not obsessed with the programme but I'm definitely obsessed with their make up!

xx

nail of the day

Not at all weather appropriate but hey while there's still clouds (and thunder and lightening yesterday!) I'll still be wearing black clothes and dark nails if I feel like it! Today's pick for my nails is Raspberry by Barry M. I love this dark vampy red, it's such a great polish for nights out and what I see as a 'smarter' nail colour.

As with most Barry M Nail Paints, it's really thick creamy and opaque. I used two coats but to be honest I could have gotten away with one! The only thing is that I always find this colour really difficult to paint on neatly... this may just be me haha. For my base coat I used my No7 So Smooth Base Coat (of course) and for my top coat I chose the Sally Hansen Doubly Duty Top Coat as I need to pick up another Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. Formula-wise the Double Duty Top Coat works just as well but I do miss the Insta-Dri-ing properties!

I've also seen that Barry M have released some new colours. They're not all for me but Cappuccino and Nude look gorgeous so I may have to have a little hunt for them soon...

What have you got on your nails at the moment?

xx

nail of the day

It looks a little more red here but it's a bright coral!

The weather is still as rubbish as ever so while nail-wise grey polish would probably be most appropriate, I've ignored the rain and decided to wear this gorgeous bright coral on my nails! This is Chubby Cheeks by Essie - I absolutely love it!

Formula-wise, Essie can be a little hit and miss. My first Essie polish was Better Together, a very light baby pink. I found this to be quite difficult to work with and streaky on application which was very annoying as I do love the colour. This did put me off the brand a bit, however, when I saw Essie's new diffusion line in Superdrug a few weeks ago I just had to get one and Chubby Cheeks was my pick!

The formula of Chubby Cheeks is a dream in comparison to Better Together. It paints on so easily and wasn't streaky in the slightest. The wide flat brush produced with the new diffusion range also made the polish easy to apply neatly - brilliant! My only criticism would be that the nail varnish took three coats to be fully opaque which is a little annoying as most polishes, I find, only take two. For a slightly more expensive polish surely this shouldn't be an issue...

As ever, I used my No7 So Smooth Base Coat and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat and the polish wore for a good five days before chipping which is a while for me as I usually change my nails quite a few times in a week. Also, my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat is beginning to go a little gloopy (noooooo) so I'm going to have to repurchase it ASAP - I can't live without it! The best top coat around!

xx

nail of the day

The No7 bottle will no longer close properly :( !

No7 So Smooth Base Coat, W.I.P. Nail Polish from Urban Outfitters in Lava, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

I bought this intriguing coloured nail varnish from Urban Outfitters on Sunday. They have such a gorgeous range of colours, many of which are a little different from others you see on the high street, but I was most drawn to Lava as the greeney bluey bronze duo chrome effect in the bottle intrigued me and reminded me of Chanel's infamous Peridot.

I have to admit that I am disappointed with this polish - the formula is so so thin and the brush is quite small which makes the polish really difficult to apply. It also chipped in only a day, even though I used my trusty No7 So Smooth Base Coat and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat. The colour has been a bit of a let down too. In normal day light it looks too much just like a shimmery green for my liking and I wish that it had more of a bronzey tone as it does in dimmer light.

There are lots more polishes from Urban Outfitters which I'd love to try - can anyone tell me if the formula of the others are so watery too?

W.I.P. Nail Polishes are £6 from Urban Outfitters and are also available online here.

xx

nail of the day

This is the very bright combination that I have on my nails at the moment! However, I've had them on since Monday now and after a night out and a few days at work, they're not looking quite this neat...

The pink is Shocking Pink by Barry M and the blue is Be Mine by Angelica. In the bottle Be Mine looks more like a mint green so although I do like the colour on my nails, I was a little disappointed that it came up more blue! I purchased the Angelica polish from the Primark at Marble Arch of all places - they had quite a few pretty colours for spring and they were only £2.50 so I bought a couple (the other is a pastel pink) so I could test the quality. It lasted about as long as my polishes usually do which is about four days but due to work my nails do usually experience quite a lot of wear and tear so that's fine for me! I think I may have to go back and get a couple more!

As usual I used by No7 Smooth Base Coat and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat.

xx

an every day make up look #2

First of all, I have to say thank you so much to all of you because I've reached 100 followers! This makes me feel so happy, as it's fab to know that people actually read my silly ramblings and it just makes it all feel a bit more worth while! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anyway, to today's post!

You know when you do your make up and then feel really happy with it all day? Well that was me on Thursday. I don't know what it exactly was about my make up, because as you can see it was very plain and neutral, but it just made me feel really feminine and pretty. (Most of you will probably be wondering what all the fuss is about haha.) In fact, I liked Thursday's make up so much that even though I wasn't going anywhere, I recreated the same look again on Friday just so I could take a picture. I'm definitely losing it.

Anyway, we'll forget about my insanity. Here's what I used:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - 51

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (under my eyes) - Ivory

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (on any blemishes) - Fair

NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder (on my t-zone) - Translucent

Clinique Instant Lift for Brows - Soft Blonde

17 Blusher - Damson Wine

E.L.F. Shimmering Facial Whip (on my non-existent cheekbones) - Lilac Petal

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay Naked Palette - Sin (all over my eye lid), Hustle (in my crease and outer corner)

No 7 Smoky Rose Quad - Shimmery cream colour in bottom left (to highlight my inner corner and brow bone)

Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo - On and On Bronze (to line my upper lash line and smudged a little under my eye)

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mascara - Black 

Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Tint - Nothing but Nude

I absolutely love liquid eye liner, and up until about a year ago I would wear it with a little flick every day without fail. However, I also love shimmery neutral eyeshadows and I began to feel that the two together looked a bit over the top for the day time. Especially for the spring, I'm now really enjoying simply wearing pretty shimmery neutral shadows, which has also given me a bit more freedom to wear a darker or brighter coloured lip - win win!

What kind of make up are you enjoying wearing at the moment? And if any of you want reviews of any of these products then let me know!

xx

nail of the day (x 2!)

I thought it would probably just be easier if I condensed this in to one post for you today, so here is what I've had on my nails so far this week!

From Monday to Wednesday, I was wearing Models Own Pro nail varnish in Mellow Yellow, which was a gift from my boyfriend. He said he picked it because he knew pastels were in this season - good work! As I find with all Models Own nail polishes, Mellow Yellow was very thick and creamy and easy to work with. It did go on a little streaky the first coat but the second sorted that right out.

I had lots of comments on this polish actually, even from boys. I think this may be because it's a relatively unusual colour and as it's so pale it looks quite striking. The only thing I would say is that in certain totally artificial lights it looked a little as if I was wearing Tipp-Ex on my nails which isn't really a good look... However, I do love the colour and in natural light (as pictured above) it reminds me off that delicious yellow vanilla Cornish ice cream - yum! Next time I wear it I'm going to try and pair it with a brighter colour in some way as I think that will look fab too.

By Wednesday night, although my nails were still looking fine minus a little inevitable tip wear, I wanted a change. I love how easy it is to simply change your nail varnish and the difference that this can make to outfits. I work quite a few days a week and I have to wear the same dress every shift as it's my current uniform, so playing around with my nails, hair and make up can make me feel as if I look completely different. I decided to go for Barry M Nail Paint in Berry Ice Cream with Barry M's Hologram glitter over the top.

These nails look like a six year old girls dream. They're so tacky and over the top but that's what I like about them haha! I put two coats of Berry Ice Cream on and I originally intended to leave it at that as it's such a pretty colour. I then spotted Hologram which I'd completely forgotten I had so added two coats of that on top and voila - nails that Barbie would be proud of!

As for base and top coats, both times I used No7 So Smooth Base Coat and then my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat. Such a fab combination that make my nails super shiny and my nail polish last for ages! (I'll stop there though as I know how much I constantly ramble on about these two lovelies...)

What have you got on your nails at the moment? I have so much nail varnish but can ALWAYS be tempted to get more...

xx

fotd: tuesday 17th april

Yes, that is my dressing gown!

Hello hello!

Here's a little peek at today's make up! I'm just doing some uni work then going to work this afternoon so I've kept my face relatively simple.

My skin was looking really dull and tired this morning (which I was sob), so I used Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation (in 100 Ivory) to make me look a bit more awake and healthier. I've been enjoying using this foundation for a little while now as it honestly does what it says on the tin and makes you look a lot brighter and more alert! I then buffed some L'Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Base Concentre de Lumiere across my cheekbones and temples to make my skin look even more healthy. (This product is a white pearly liquid that can be used under foundation as a radiance adding primer or as a highlighter.)

I next filled in my brows with a Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil (002 Hazel) and today decided to make them quite exaggerated and arched. Some days I try and make them look more natural but today I decided to make them quite defined! I then started on my eyes. As part of the fabulous Boots 3 for 2 offer I recently purchased a Revlon Colourstay Eyeshadow Palette in Addictive. This is a great little quad to create a natural daytime eye. I used the pale shimmery beige (top right) all over the eye and then defined my crease with the matte brown (bottom right). I then took the shimmery white from my No7 Smoky Rose Quad and used this as a highlight for my inner corner.

I did actually think about leaving my eyes there and adding some mascara but I fancied a thin line of liquid eyeliner so I used the Maybelline New York Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner in Black to trace along my upper lash line and ended with a small flick! To finish off my eyes, after curling my lashes I used Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara in Black - this stuff is brilliant! If you saw my wishlist the other day, then you might remember this product from there... well, I gave in and bought the full size! This is such a fab mascara so I think I may have to give it a review of its own!

To conceal my horrid baggy eyes I used Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (Ivory) and also dabbed it on a few blemishes. I then powdered just my t-zone (I never powder my whole face) with Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder (001 Translucent). For blush I kept it simple with my Natural Collection blush in Sugar Plum.

When I'm wearing liquid eyeliner in the day I'm always conscious of my make up looking a bit too 'done' and over the top, so I had a look in my box of lipsticks for something nice and subtle. I chose a L'Oreal Caresse Lipstick in Lovely Rose which is a really feminine baby pink shade.

Phew! I really enjoy doing my make up in the morning so I hope you didn't mind me rambling on! If there are any products here which you would especially like a review of then just say and I'll do it ASAP :)

Hope you're all fab - horrid weather, lots of shifts at work then revision and essays for uni are making me feel so rubbish.

xx

nail of the day (and a quick review of sally hansen top coats!)

Just a quick post to show you what I currently have on my nails. The nail varnish was actually one of my presents from my little brother, so thank you very much Archie! (Will he ever read this blog, considering it's mostly about beauty? I don't think so...)

The colour is Barry M Peach Melba which is such a pretty pastel peach shade. It's perfect for this time of year and looks so subtle and natural. As with most pastel shades, it did go on a little streaky at first. I used two coats, but next time I think I'll add a third, as there are a couple of places where if you look very carefully, it's not totally opaque. I also think this would make a really pretty base for something like a gold or bronze glitter!

As usual, I used my No7 So Smooth Base Coat, which is honestly such a great base coat. In the past I've had a lot of problems with my nails getting stained from painting them too much and this not only prevents this but really helps your nail varnish to last a lot longer. Brilliant!

For the second time now, I used my new Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Base and Top Coat to finish off my nails. When comparing it to my trusty Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat, I wouldn't say there was any difference between them in regards to how effectively they make your nail polish last. I find that Sally Hansen top coats really do make your nails last so much longer without chipping, even if you are using a poorer quality varnish, and both also give your nails a gorgeous glossy finish. However, I do prefer the fast drying properties of the Insta-Dri Top Coat, as you paint on a thin layer after waiting two minutes for your polish to dry slightly, and very quickly your nails are totally dry and so you don't have to worry about smudging them or leaving little dents anywhere.

No7 So Smooth Base Coat (£7.00)

Barry M Nail Paint in Peach Melba (£2.99)

Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Base and Top Coat (£5.25)

(For reference, the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat is £5.99, and all prices are from Boots - remember the 3 for 2! Eek, too tempting!)

xx

nail of the day

Hello :)

I just had to show off this nail polish - the colour is INCREDIBLE! You may have already seen this in my last post, and here it is on my nails! It's Maybelline Express Finish Nail Colour in 'Turquoise Lagoon'. Such a brilliant colour while the weather's a bit warmer :) I also think it will look fab on my toes when I'm on holiday.

I hadn't tried a nail polish from the Maybelline Express range before but found it really easy to work with and it's fully opaque after two coats. As usual I used my trusty No7 So Smooth Base Coat and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat. I've had it on for a few days now and there is no signs of wear, not even a little bit of tip wear yay!

It's actually quite a bit more green than this :(

I'll definitely be picking up another colour from this range!

Maybelline Express Finish in 'Turquoise Lagoon' was £4.09 from Superdrug.

xx

today's make up

Hello again :)

I'm really in to simpler make up at the moment. I don't know if I'm wanting to look a bit more natural as it's coming in to Spring, or whether it's because I have so much work to do at the moment that I try and slap my make up on as quickly as possible... Either way, while I'm still using quite a few products, my eye make up especially is now a lot less defined. I used to wear quite thick liquid eye liner most days, but now that's actually becoming reasonably rare! Anyway, here's the make up I wore today just to go to some lectures and seminars.

The lighting's washed me out a bit :(

No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream - Normal/Dry, Fair

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - Fair 1

Collection 2000 Pressed Powder - Candlelight 1

MAC Sheertone Blush - Breath of Plum

No7 Smoky Rose Quad Eye Shadow Palette

Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eye Liner - Black 001

Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara - Black 001

Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil - Hazel 002

ELF Wet Gloss Lash and Brown Clear Mascara

H&M Lipgloss - (no colour, but it's a sparkly coral - and smells fab!)

The star of today's make up definitely has to be the little No7 Eye Shadow Palette. The shade range is neutral and great to grab when you're in a rush and don't want to put too much thought it to your make up. The only problem is that I'm pretty sure it was just a free gift and you can't buy it any more, which is a bit of a shame, but they do have some very similar great eye shadows at the moment (does anyone have Mink? Love it!)

I used the top left rose gold colour all over my lid and the bottom left shimmery cream shade as a highlight for the corner of my eyes. I then put a very thin line of liquid eye liner on the very outer corner to define my lashes a bit more. I curled my eye lashes and added some Rimmel Glam Eyes mascara and done! No blending so very quick :)

A closer look at my eyes!

So there you go! Nice and simple and speedy! I hope you've all got something fun planned for this warm Friday night? I'm off to a Tube themed party... I'm going as Angel!

xx

nail of the day

Hello!

Here's a little peek at what I currently have on my nails! It's not a particularly spring-like combination but oh well...

I'm wearing an ELF Nail Polish in 'Mod Mauve' on eight of my fingers, then I have Avon Speed Dry+ Nail Enamel in 'Rose Amour' on my ring fingers! The truth is, I couldn't actually decide which shade I wanted to wear so I decided to go for both. As they're quite similar colours I think this is a subtle way to add a bit of interest to your nails as at first glance you don't notice that my ring fingers are metallic.

This is the first time that I've worn the ELF varnish and so far I love it! It reminds me of the OPI polish 'I'm Suzi and I'm a Chocoholic' but with more brown. I can't tell you how hard wearing it is as I only painted my nails yesterday but so far I can't even see any tip wear. As for the Avon polish, I've worn it once before and found that it really doesn't last very long, although that time I didn't use a top coat. I'm hoping that with my Sally Hansen top coat I'll get a bit of a longer wear out of it, but as I change my nail varnish every couple of days it doesn't bother me too much :)

No7 So Smooth Base Coat (£7.00)

ELF Nail Polish in 'Mod Mauve' (£1.50)

Avon Speed Dry+ Nail Enamel in 'Rose Amour (£2.99)

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat (£5.99)

I hope you're all enjoying our little bit of sun and I'd also love to hear what you have on your nails (I'm very nosey!)

xx

no7 beautiful skin eye make-up remover

Hello hello!

I picked up the No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover in Boots on Saturday, so I thought while we all have millions of £5 off No7 vouchers lying around (surely this can't just be me?!), I'd tell you whether it was worth getting!

The front of the bottle tells us that the make-up remover is suitable for all skin types and hypo-allergenic, which sounds great to me as I have quite sensitive eyes. This didn't irritate my eyes at all, whereas some other make-up removing products can really make my eyes sting (I wear contact lenses and my eyes can feel quite sore by the end of the day). It also did actually do a good job at removing all of my eye make-up, including mascara, without me having to rub and tug about at my skin!

This is all sounding very promising but there is something that I HATED about this product - the consistency. It's just so greasy! It feels like what I envisage rubbing cooking oil around my face to be like, and this sensation doesn't evaporate or anything, it just sits there on your face, slipping around... Not pleasant at all.

The full price for the No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover is £7.75, which to be honest I think is a rip off for 100ml worth of oil. I wouldn't even get it again with a £5 off voucher.

Sorry No7 - you've got some other great make-up and skin care products (such as the No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser - loving this at the moment!), but this really disappointed me.

xx

sunday outfit, sunday face

Hello!

Just a super quick post as I'm working on an essay today (if anyone wants to tell me about the integration of Nazis in the Federal Republic then please do go ahead...)

Here's my comfy outfit for my hot date with the library:

A very uncomfortable looking me haha!

Denim jacket - Charity shop
T shirt - River Island
Belt - Vintage
Jeans - Primark
Pumps - Primark
Stone ring - Jewellery stall in Norwich
Thin silver ring - Found it in my kitchen of my old flat... if anyone wants to reclaim it please do!
Necklace - Vintage
Earrings - Gift

I also took a little picture of my make up for you. As with my outfit it's really simple and natural apart from the lipstick. I'm wearing my glasses today too as my eyes get sore when I stare at the computer for too long! (If anyone wants to know they're from Specsavers - cheap and cheerful!)

No7 BB Cream - Normal/Dry - Fair
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - Fair 1
NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder - Translucent
Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil - Hazel 002
ELF Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara
Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara - Excessive Black
Sleek Blush - Flamingo
ELF Highlighter - Gotta Glow
Boots Essentials Lipsalve - Spearmint
Clinique Long Last Lipstick - Watermelon (Soft Shine)

Sorry for the quick and probably not very interesting post! I promise to have a more thrilling one for you very soon! I hope you're all having a lovely Mothers Day - I'd love to see my Mummy today :(

xxx

nail of the day

Hello again!

I thought I'd show you what I have on my nails at the moment :) I absolutely love the look of bright red nails but I very rarely paint them red. However, when I do it reminds me how sophisticated it can make you feel! They make me want to put on a breton top and capri pants and eat brie and pretend to be be all elegant and chic... just me?

The red I used is a Barry M nail varnish in 'Bright Red', and I also used my No7 'So Smooth' base coat and Sally Hansen 'Insta-Dri' top coat, which are my go-to base and top coat currently. While we're on the subject, I truly do recommend trying the Sally Hansen top coat if you haven't tried it as it not only makes your polish last so much longer but also dries your nails very quickly! You put it on and they're dry in thirty seconds so it's great if you're in a rush or just plain impatient hurrah!

In the picture above, I also included one of my nail files which I love! I've had it for a while and in a pack you get two with a lovely peacock print on and a carry case so that when you throw it in your handbag it won't scratch things. Just thought I'd share that with you haha! I'm not really sure why I like them quite as much as I do... I tried to find them on the website but it doesn't look like they're necessarily available any more :( I picked them up in Bristol last summer and I think it was about £2.50 for a pack :)

Hope you're all fab!

xx

nail of the day

Just a very quick post today as I've been at uni this morning and now I have to rush off to work - hurry hurry!

I LOVE THIS COLOUR!

Not the best painted nails ever but you get the idea...

I'd never usually buy a polish from Natural Collection, however when I saw this colour I couldn't resist (not that I ever really try to restrain myself)! It's called 'Maple' and I think the name is appropriately scrumptious! For me it's the perfect rose gold.

However, there is a but... As you'd probably expect, the quality is so poor. I like to change my nail varnish a couple of times a week as I get bored of having the same colour, so as I'm not too bothered usually about my nails being very long wearing I sometimes skip a base coat and top coat. However with this nail varnish I have to use a base and top coat even to make it last just a couple of days. On the other hand, I suppose for £1.79 I shouldn't really moan too much!

Base Coat - No7 So Smooth

Nail Polish - Natural Collection 'Maple'

Top Coat - Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip

Tomorrow I'll hopefully have a more exciting post for you!

xx

an everyday make up look!

Hello again!

Today I thought I'd show you the type of make up I wear day-to-day. I'm referring to this as an everyday make up look opposed to my everyday make up look as to be honest I probably have about 4 or 5 looks that I wear on a normal day when I'm just going to university, work, going out and about etc. So here is just the sort of thing that I usually do, and I worn you - it's not very exciting!

The camera's made my skin look very pale in the centre but you get the general idea haha!

I decided not to take any scary looking close up pictures as there's not really much to see...!

First the products I used on my face...

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (100 Ivory)

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (1 Fair) - why does the writing always rub off?!

NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder (Translucent) - such a good translucent setting powder and so so cheap.

MUA Mosaic Blush (English Rose) - ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with this at the moment... won't say too much as I think this might be fab enough to deserve it's own post hurrah!

ELF All Over Colour Stick (Spotlight) - just to highlight my non-existent cheek bones.

Eyes...

Collection 2000 Pressed Powder (1 Candlelight) - just used this to even out my lid

ELF Eye Shadow Palette (Cool) - I got this palette free once with an order I placed at ELF. The only colour I really use is the one I wore today, which is a matte brown (bottom left hand corner). I just blended this through my crease for a bit of definition and winged it out a little.

No7 Eye Shadow Palette (Smoky Rose Quad) - I used the white as a highlight for the corners of my eyes and a little underneath my brows.

L'Oreal Colour Appeal Platinum Eye Shadow (the name has rubbed off but it's a shimmery purple-ish taupe) - a tiny amount in my crease for a little bit of shimmer and colour

ELF White Eye Liner - the aim of this is to make my tired eyes appear a little brighter!

Avon Colour Trend Kajal Stick (Black and Brown) - I smudged a tiny bit of brown eye liner along my top lash line to make my lashes appear a little fuller.

Rimmel Eye Brow Pencil (002 Hazel) - Best. Brow. Pencil. Ever. So soft and easy to use. It makes doing your eye brows a million times easier.

ELF Brow Gel - I always attempt to set the very few real hairs I have in place in a bid to make my eye brows appear more natural. Whether this works is another thing haha

Lips... 

After the first two sections you'll probably be shocked at the amount of products on my lips - one!

Miss Sporty Dr Balm Tinted Lip Balm (04) - This is such a lovely lip balm. I had pretty low expectations but it's brilliant and a lot more pigmented than I expected! It might not be the most moisturising of all lip balms but it definitely doesn't dry my lips out.

So there you go! When you put them all together it does look like a lot of products - 15!!! - but oh well! It probably only took about 15 minutes ish so it's nice and quick for every day.

I hope this interested you in some way and I'd love to know - what are your go-to everyday products?

xxx

my favourite things: foundation and blusher

Hello again!

I have so many squillionz of things that I would (and will!) love to chit-chat about on this blog but I thought that perhaps the best thing to do to start things off would be to tell you about some of my favourite things! This is mostly just beauty items but I've added a few other categories :)

I'd originally planned this to be one long post but then I realised it would be colossal... so - instalment one = my favourite foundation and blusher!

Foundation:


My favourite foundation (although it's not technically a foundation...) is one that hasn't been around for that long. Personally I love my skin to look not too matte and have a nice natural looking glow - or so that is the aim. Most of the time I tend to have pretty good skin too and I therefore like my coverage to be quite sheer and light, although I have found that this foundation can be buildable to some extent.

*Drum roll*  I know by this point you are all dying to know the product that I am talking about, which is No7's Beautiful Skin BB Cream. I use the one for Normal/Dry skin in the colour Fair.

It's just so lovely and soft and moisturising and it has SPF 15 for protection and mmmmmmm... Last time I saw my sister she asked me what I'd changed about my skincare because she said my skin looked so healthy - just this!

You can get it from Boots in stores or online for £12.95 which is quite a decent price in itself, but the price is even more scrumptious when you have your £5 off No7 voucher :)

Blusher:

Now this was a hard one because I have lots of blushers that I think are wonderful. However, after many tears, I finally settled on Sleek's Blush in Flamingo.

Left: applied with a blush brush (although heavily), Right: swatched

If you are thinking that this looks terrifying at first then I will forgive you; I felt the same. However, you only need the lightest touch and this gives you such a pretty and summery looking cheek. Just make sure when you're in a rush you don't put too much on your brush... I love the packaging with the mirror inside as well. The price is fab too - £4.30, hurrah!

This is available from Superdrug and from the Sleek website.

(When I was getting the link for the Sleek website I spotted on their homepage that for a limited time only in Superdrug stores they are selling palettes with three blushers in (cue a little squeal from me!) These are in

'Pink Sprint' which appears to have one fluorescent pink shade and two plummy looking colours,

'Sugar' which has a more muted darker pink shade, a shimmery looking brown toned blusher and a sort of muted coral-like colour,

'Lace' which contains a coral, a light shimmery looking beige and a light peachy shade,

'Pumpkin' which includes a very bright orange, a soft light pink and a rose goldish colour and finally

'Flame' which has a dark shimmery looking red, a very bright red and a more muted but shimmery brown/pink shade.

Head over to the Sleek website and have a look... see you in Superdrug!)

Hopefully you've enjoyed this post and I look forward to chatting to you again soon :)

x

P.s. went to Superdrug at Westfield Stratford yesterday and they didn't have the blush sets... very disappointed. The hunt continues!