dirty works banish the bags eye cream

A month or so ago after being impressed with their Coconut Caress Body Butter (review here) I picked up the Dirty Works Banish the Bags Eye Cream. This little tube promises to reduce eye puffiness and dark circles as it contains a proven tightening peptide and stimulating caffeine which apparently improves circulation. It also contains light reflectors to make you look more awake. So, did these promises materialise? Well yes and no. This is a very moisturising and soothing eye cream and I do believe it is helping to reduce any puffiness under my eyes by plumping and improving the condition of the delicate skin there. However I haven't seen much of an improvement in my dark circles and I certainly can't see the effects of any apparent light reflecting particles, even after immediate application.

Overall I don't think this is an awful eye cream as it is very soothing and moisturising but although it does "banish the bags" to some extent, it doesn't live up to its claims regarding ridding you of any dark circles. I do definitely want to try some more bits from Dirty Works though as their body butter is so fab!

The Dirty Works Banish the Bags Eye Cream is available from Sainsburys for £4.99.

What's your favourite eye cream?

xx

recent happenings #6

post-exam treats / very stylish library attire / Mile End in bloom! / love this drink / curly hair / saturday lunch of garlic mushrooms and salami salad with the OC / my skincare saviour this week / one more exam left! / back to one of my favourite nail polishes, Maybelline Express Finish Nail Colour in Turquoise Lagoon

Hello hello! I hope you're all brilliant - I feel like I haven't blogged in forever even  though I only didn't post for a day! This week has been super hectic as I've had two exams and then work all weekend but thankfully I now have only one exam left to do, I'm just so glad the other four are over. As you can see I haven't done too much this week as I have been chained to my desk and until the 29th it will still be revision revision revision as I'm sure quite a few of you are also doing. I just can't wait until the summer now to have a bit of freedom!

Good luck to everyone else who's revising hard!

xx

summer wish list

Clockwise from top left: Essie Nail Polish in Turquoise and Caicos, Daisy Floral Bomber Jacket from Topshop, Origins A Perfect World World BB Tinted Moisturiser, Black Strappy Wedges from River Island, Denise Tunic from Monki, Everard Skirt from Aubin and Wills, Enamel Etched Triangle Earrings from Urban Outfitters, Estee Lauder Pure Colour Gloss Stick in Orange Poppy

Hurry up summer! I can't stop dreaming of being able to wear shorts and skirts without the need for thick tights and to be able to venture outside without having to debate whether to bring my umbrella or not. However, on the other hand, I don't know if I'm quite ready to have to keep my legs stubble free 24/7 and to keep my toe nails prim and painted (mmm cold and rain is good for laziness)... So to try and get in the mood for summer (how is it nearly June?!) I've put together a little wish list of more summer appropriate bits and bobs.

• Now I 100% don't need any more nail varnish but this doesn't stop me wanting this incredible turquoise polish from Essie. It doesn't look like much in the bottle but definitely Google some swatches as it's so beautiful on. I'd happily wear this on my fingers and toes all summer.
• This daisy print jacket would look perfect with some high waisted denim shorts and little sandals for a stroll in the park. It's also really handy to have a little summer jacket like this around as, well... the English summer weather can be unpredictable to say the least.
• I'm really enjoying using my No7 BB Cream again at the moment and it's the only one I've tried so I'm keen to give some other ones a go. I loves Origins skincare and I like to think that this would not only make my skin look brilliant while it was on, but make my skin healthier in the long run. I've heard some great reviews of this too!
• These wedges from River Island would be great to wear out at night in the summer. I'm not going to pretend that I'll stop wearing black in the warmer months as that would just not be true - these wedges would look great with black leggings and a black tunic!
• I actually think this Monki blouse would look great with the River Island wedges. This would also be fab over denim shorts or again with leggings if it's a little chillier.
• This skirt makes me want to go on holiday so much! The idea of wearing a little white cami tucked in to this and then walking down a beach barefoot is my idea of heaven right now. The print is beautiful.
• I can't really put my finger on what I love about these earrings from Urban Outfitters but I just think they're a really interesting shape. In the summer I scrape my hair up in to a bun a lot and I think dangly earrings can look great when your hair's up.
• If you read my post a few days ago (which you can look at here) then you'll know that I'm obsessed with lip products at the moment. I really want one of these sheer gloss sticks from Estee Lauder but I don't know if I'd be able to decide which colour - they all look so pretty!

What's on your summer wish list?

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

current favourite lip products

Now beauty-wise I'm guessing that we all have certain items that we get more excited about than others. For me it's usually blushers and eyeshadows but at the moment I can't stop dreaming about different lip products! I think this might be because during revision period I tend just to wear a little mascara and a lipstick to get ready quickly, so I've been playing around more with lip products. Anyway, I thought I'd show you what I've been enjoying using at the moment!

MUA Sugar Lips Lip Balm, Revlon Black Cherry, Clinique Watermelon, Collection 2000 Break Dance Lip Gloss, 17 Belle, YSL Rose Stiletto, Topshop Ooh La La

MUA Love Hearts Lip Balm in Sugar Lips

This is so moisturising but has a gorgeous shine at the same time. I love to put a little on when I'm wearing no make up at all just to moisturise my lips or over lipsticks if I want a bit of a glossy look without it feeling sticky. Mm, it smells great too!

MUA Love Hearts Lip Balms are £2 from Superdrug or online here.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry

I know I should probably be thinking about more spring appropriate colours now but I can't say the weather is really convincing me... What I love about this lipstick is how versatile it is. The colour is so beautiful and can be built up from a very subtle stain to a really dramatic vampy lip. It doesn't dry your lips at all but due to this if you're going full on then I would recommend using a lip liner.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks are £7.49 from Boots and online here.

Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Watermelon

Now this is probably a better colour for this time of year! It's such a fun bright shade that I've especially enjoyed recently while I've had a bit of a tan. As I've said before, when I'm at work staying power is really important to me when it comes to lip products and as the name claims this lipstick really does last well and needs minimum touch ups throughout the day - fab!

Clinique Long Last Lipsticks are £16 from Clinique counters and online here. 

Collection 2000 Lock N Hold Lip Gloss in Break Dance

I won't go on about this too much as I've done a full review of this gloss which you can read here. What I really love about this product, as with the Clinique lipstick, is that it lasts really well on the lips without feeling sticky and the colour is such a gorgeous coral which again looks brilliant with a bit of a tan.

Collection 2000 Lock N Hold Lip Glosses are £2.99 from Boots and online here.

17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Belle

I love the Mirror Shine range of lipsticks! They are such a great affordable product which leave your lips super moisturised with a reasonable colour pay off - to be honest they're everything I wanted the Revlon Lip Butters to be! I actually did a post where I sort of compare the two which you can read here. I have quite a few colours now but I can't get enough of Belle especially at the moment. It's my perfect 'my lips but better' shade.

17 Mirror Shine Lipsticks are £4.59 from Boots and online here.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in 9, Rose Stiletto

(Now let's all admit that the packaging is half the beauty of this product...) I wanted a great everyday lipstick that I would get a lot of wear out of, so I thought I'd splash out and get something nice as I knew it would be worth it as I'd use it quite a bit. When I saw Rose Stiletto in Selfridges I knew I'd found the right one - not too much of a nude and not too dark to not be perfect for everyday. Yes, it was pricey but the quality is incredible. It lasts on the lips so well without drying them out and when it does fade, it fades evenly without looking horrible and patchy. I can't wait until next payday to pick up another!

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipsticks are £23.50 from YSL counters and online here.

Topshop Lipstick in Ooh La La

Again here's another lipstick that I've been loving while I've had a bit of a tan! Ooh La La (I love the name) is such a lovely bright coral, which looks great with a little pink blusher and a tiny bit of mascara. It's such a great colour for the spring and summer and is also brilliant quality - I love Topshop lipsticks! The only thing is that I'm not sure if it's available any more but if not they do have some other great colours. It's not online but I've seen it recently instore so do have a look!

Topshop Lipsticks are £8 from Topshop and online here.

What lip products are you loving at the moment? Tempt me!

Can I also just say a huge thank you once again to all of you lovely people who read my little blog as I now have 200 followers! I love writing it so it feels even better to know that people actually read my silly ramblings! ♥

xx

dirty works coconut caress body butter

With my recent dalliance in to the world of fake tan, I've been trying to keep the skin all over my body in tip-top condition as I'm really scared of any streaks or patchiness - so it's exfoliate exfoliate exfoliate moisturise moisturise moisturise for me! I have so many body lotions lying around but I absolutely can't get enough of the Dirty Works Coconut Caress Body Butter at the moment. Not only does this smell absolutely incredible (like coconut as the name suggests) but it's so rich and creamy and leaves your skin feeling gorgeous. However, although it is really effective in hydrating your skin, it sinks in relatively quickly so you don't have to stand about for ages feeling sticky!

The other fab thing about this product is the price - it's a nice big tub (300ml) so lasts a long time and even better it's only £4.99! Bargain! In Sainsburys at the moment you can actually pick it up for only £2.24, so perhaps now is the time I'll stock up!

What's your favourite body butter at the moment?

xx