Loving Lately #3

 As you can probably tell, I've fallen out of the blogging swing, it's been a few weeks since my regular posting went down the drain, and as well as being ill/internet problems, I've been struggling to find the motivation and the inspiration to keep going with the blog. After a weekend up the bum I've given myself a stern talking to and a metaphorical kick up the bum, and I thought, what better way to get back into the swing of things, than some mini reviews of products I've been loving recently.

First up, two skincare products from Origins. Emerging from some very spotty teenage years, I now start to panic at the slightest sign of congestion in my skin. It's taken me years to get my skin better and the idea of going backwards terrifies me. However, I've taken to using the Origins Clear Improvement mask when I feel like my skin is getting a little iffy, and sure enough there has been a clear improvement (sorry, couldn't resist!). I use a hot flannel to open up my pores and then pop a little bit of this on my skin (you don't need much at all). Yes it's pricey, but when I bought this, the lady in the shop gave me a little sample to try first, so if I didn't like it I could exchange it for something else, and that tiny little 7ml sample gave me four and a bit uses, so I can't see me running out of this 100ml bottle any time soon. Also from Origins, I finally caved and bought the matching eye cream to my beloved day cream. The Ginzing Eye Cream is definitely more of a cream product than it's sister day cream which is more of a gel, but it's still super light in texture, and it really brightens up the under eyes.

After seeing lots of hype in the States around the L'Oreal Nude Magique foundation, when I saw it in Boots I had to snap it up and it's safe to say, it's love. If your poison is high coverage, then this is not for you, but I find that this evens out my skintone enough that I just need a little touch of concealer around the nose, on my undereyes and on any blemishes.  I love the way it feels on my skin, it looks totally natural, honestly like there's nothing there, but your skin feels ever so soft and almost matte wearing it. I haven't used anything else since I got this!

Being ill for the last few weeks has left me looking a little, well, dead, so I've been relying on makeup to perk up my complexion and leave me looking less like an extra from a Halloween Movie. The Bourjois Bronzing Primer has been a godsend in mousse form for this. I've just been taking a tiny amount of this on my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and popping it on my temples, and under my cheekbones, for a little colour.

If you follow me on Twitter of Instagram, you may have seen my excitement last week as Lush finally bought back my beloved Let The Good Times Roll Cleanser! You can read my original ramblings here, but really what you need to know is that this will keep your skin clear and glowy, and it smells amazing too.

Two nail things, firstly I picked up the Stylefile nail file after breaking my nail and not being able to find a nail file in my room back home. It comes in at around the five pound mark but is worth every penny. It's much more resiliant than your average file, the curved shape makes getting an even nail shape easier, and it has two sides, a rougher side for shaping and a smoother side for finishing. My nail polish pick of late has been from the new Barry M Texture polishes that are somewhat Reminiscent of OPI Liquid Sands. I'm not really a fan of Barry M Nail polishes but I love this, a sparkly polish that is easy to remove, long lasting and so pretty! It makes me feel all wintery! This is the shade Countess which is my favourite, but I've been loving Duchess too.

And lastly, my Maybelline Baby Lips in Intense Care has been getting hourly love from me this week. When I have a cold I always get super dry lips, and as much as I love my Nuxe Reve De Miel, it's more of a nighttime thing, and not massively practical for in the day, so I've been reaching for this. I find this way more hydrating than Cherry Me, Pink Punch and Peach Kiss. It's apparently got a Cherry Almond scent but to me it just smells just like Battenburg Cake. I tend to go into a bit of a daze when applying this since it smells so good!

And that's it! If you've made it to the end of this post, I salute you! 

What have you been loving recently? 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win an Urban Decay Lipstick here!

The Flu Edit

 Firstly, I should apologise yet again for disappearing on you all, between a week with no internet and being ill, I've been struggling to get my act together on my little corner of the internet! I have working wifi again now, and I've dosed myself up enough to have a little chat with y'all.

Speaking of being ill, I seem to have been hit by either the flu or some mutant cold that is worse than any I've had before. I sound like a bloke and can't breath through my nose, and my body feels like I've been run over by a ten ton truck, so I seriously hope this isn't something everyone has!

That being said, it is that time of year again where colds are rife and every other person on the underground is sneezing on the escalator hand rail and all over your copy of the Metro, so I thought I'd give you my rough guide to surviving the germs without dying of boredom, or scaring anyone with your sick face.

Now normally if I have a cold, I like to dose myself up and keep going, cause I feel like I notice less (enter stage left, cold & flu tablets, and copious amounts of soothers) but this week my body has been completely knocked for six, and I've been tucked up in bed. There have been a couple of days where I have had to go out though, and whilst makeup has been the last thing on my mind, I didn't want to scare everyone with my bare face (even my boyfriend who tends to soften the blow for me, says I look like death. Thanks babe). So I've found a few makeup products that I can wear (my skin has magically gotten really dry) without wanting to scratch my face off. A super light base to even out my skin and add colour (god knows I need it, can you say, grim reaper?), I've been using the Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser, which fits the bill nicely. A pop of colour on the cheeks, and the Max Factor Miracle Touch blush in Soft Pink is perfect, I reviewed this last week here, it just adds a very natural glow to the cheeks. A curl of the lashes with my Shu Umera curlers, and a slick of Rimmel's nude pencil in my waterline brightens up my eyes, and the holy grail that is Nars' Creamy Concealer under the eyes to cover up the 'I'm not sleeping because I can't breathe" under eye bags.  Finished off by dusting MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish in Lightscapade to brighten the skin and blur any imperfections.

My skin has totally dried up and looks really lacklustre, so I'm tag teaming it in the mornings with the Origins Ginzing face and eye cream, and in the evenings alternating between the Kiko Peeling mask to brighten my skin, and the No7 Hydration mask to rehydrate.

Other than that it's been a case of resting, catching up on the stack of magazines I haven't had time to read, that has been growing on my coffee table, and plying myself with Vitamin C.

It's Christmas Time With Benefit

 It's that time of year again, I hate to say it but it's nearly Christmas already. I know, I know, it feels like it was only Christmas about a month ago, but somehow, we are in October, and Christmas launches are popping up like elves, left right and center.

Whilst Lush releases and Soap and Glory gift sets were high on my lists of products to check out, I was also excited to see what Benefit would pull out of their hat.

The Christmas Collection is mostly made up of sets of miniatures, so if you are looking to try out Benefit products, they're a great idea. However, I am no stranger to Benefit (read: I've got 99% of their products) so this set, Luv It UP, was actually the only set that didn't contain a single product I haven't got/tried.

I love the packaging of this set, it's a cute 20's style tin, which looks ever so pretty out on my side, and I definitely will be reusing it when I use all the products up!

First up, their three bestselling eyeshadows (neutrals of course), Call My Buff, a brilliant base colour or good for the browbone, Nude Swings, a beautiful peachy copper with a hint of shimmer and Thanks A Latte, a shimmery brown that is perfect for the crease or as a liner.

As expected, the quality of these shadows is great, they're super pigmented and soft, and they last well on the lid.

 RSVP is a peachy pink toned shimmery cream shadow, that makes the perfect base for shadow, a great inner corner highlight and it's also a lovely colour to wear alone on the lid, I find it really wakes your eyes up. In terms of formula, this stuff stays put all day with ease, not budging til you go wild with the makeup remover. I didn't expect to like this, since it does appear quite pink toned, but it doesn't translate that way at all!

Last but not least a mini gloss! I'm not a gloss girl at all, but everyone does go wild over Benefit Glosses so I was keen to see what all the fuss is about. This is Dandelion, which is slightly peach coloured but looks nude with a hint of shimmer on the lips. It's ever so pretty and not at all sticky which makes me more inclined to wear it! It also smells incredible, like sweet peaches, my favourite scent! I'm very impressed with this gloss and will definitely be looking at Benefit's glosses a little closer in the future.

Call My Buff, Nude Swings, Thanks a Latte, RSVP, Dandelion

So the verdict? This is a great little set. Especially when you consider that the Cream Shadow alone would retail at £14, and this set comes in at a bargain £19.50. Buy one for you, and all your friends.

What are your favourite Christmas gift sets?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win an Urban Decay Lipstick here!

September Favourites 2013

Firstly, I should apologise for the lack of posts this week, we've had some serious problems with the internet in our flat, that have left me Wifi-less since Monday. Just take a moment to consider how awful that is. Anyway, I snuck into a friends flat to shamelessly use their internet and SodaStream, so here are my September favourites!

Let's try and do this in some kind of logical order shall we? Starting with primer, at the beginning of the month I picked up L'Oreal's latest launch, their Skin Perfection Perfect Blur primer and I've used it pretty much everyday since. It's a lot thicker than any primer I've used before, which means it covers any pores, a nasty cut I had on my nose, and any other imperfections you would rather were blurred out of existance. I'm not sure that it really makes my makeup last any longer, but it does give my skin a more perfected look. On top of that, I've been reaching for Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation (not to be confused with the Radiance version) which is so light on your skin you barely feel like you're wearing a base, but with good coverage.

The two newest Chanel products in my stash just had to have a mention, Les Beiges and the Creme Blush in Revelation. Les Beiges gives your makeup some serious staying power, whilst giving that Hourglass powder effect of being airbrushed, whilst the blush is just a beautiful, natural colour, with great wear time.

Two eye products that definitely deserve a mention, the Bobbi Brown Rich Chocolate palette is the only eyeshadow product I've used all month. It contains every shade you could ever need, the colours are gorgeous and the formula is very soft whilst being super pigmented. Worth every penny if you can get your hands on it (I found it in Duty Free). I've only had MAC's Constructivist Paint Pot for two weeks of the month, but it definitely deserves to be included. This is a gorgeous gorgeous cream eyeshadow, if, like me, you are after a darker shadow that can easily be swept across the lid for a smokey winter look, look no further. 

The last makeup item is Urban Decay's Revolution Lipsticks, I have Fiend and Turn On here. These lipsticks are just fantastic, Urban Decay have gotten these spot on. They have great pigmentation, they are creamy to apply but not glossy, and they last longer than any other lipstick I own. I will definitely be picking up a few more of these! (You can even enter my giveaway to win one here.)

One skincare favourite, and it has to be the coveted Trilogy Rosehip Oil, this stuff has done wonders for my skin. It's kept my skin hydrated, but not greasy, it's a lot plumper than it used to be, and if I get any spots it makes them heal and disappear much faster. Definitely worth the pennies.

A haircare favourite that I mentioned in this post. I inherited this off my boyfriends' mum, who didn't get on with it, but I absolutely love it. It's by Tigi and it's their Haute Iron Spray from their Sleek Mystique Collection. I spray this on each layer of my hair as I straighten it, and it leaves my hair glossy, frizzless and protects it from the heat too. The other haircare product I've been loving is the Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer, which has saved my hair.

A random favourite too, my new phone case! It's green and blue dip dye effect, and it's bumpy so it looks like it's wet!  I really like it!

Also, I must put in a special mention for the drink I've discovered and been addicted to this month from Starbucks! It's Hibiscus Blend Tea, and is lovely on a cold autumnal morning.

What have you been loving this month?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win an Urban Decay Lipstick here!

Miracle Touch

I was sceptical about the Max Factor Miracle Touch blushes (not least because of the crappy packaging and dodgy shade range) but this is actually quite nice, a cream blush that doesn't turn into a powder, isn't sticky but is quite nice. This is the best of the shades, Soft Pink, and it gives a natural flush to the cheeks. 

Yes the packaging is awful, and I definitely wouldn't carry this in my handbag (which is a shame since the wear time of this isn't great) since I'm sure it would just crumble, but it's nice popped on the apples of the cheeks, paired with a smokey eye.

And for the price you can't grumble! £5.99, if you can find this shade, it's quite hard to get a hold of!

Have you tried this blush? What did you think?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win an Urban Decay Lipstick here!