The Review: Tarte Blushes

Let's take a moment to admire the pretties shall we? Ahhhhh...

Tarte is a relatively new brand to me, it's not readily available in the UK (unless you're willing to pay nearly double US prices to get it off QVC, which I am not) so my first forray into the brand came when my lovely Canadian friends Vanessa and Alexandra sent me some products! I've not tried much, but I've fallen head over heels for the 12 Hour Amazonian Clay Blushes. 

The lovely Alexandra sent me Captivating after I won her giveaway (woohoo!), a beautiful matte peach which really sculpts the cheeks and make me look like a better version of myself. I then bought Fearless in the states, a really beautiful bold pink, which gives me a really natural looking flush.

What really impresses me about these blushes is the wear time, when they say 12 hour, that's not an exaggeration. Even if my foundation doesn't hold out, these do! 

Have you tried anything from Tarte?

The Review: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper

The Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper has received a fair amount of love in the blogging community recently, so naturally, when browsing the aisles of Sephora, I had to have a look. I was skeptical about picking this up, since I was quite happy with my Soap and Glory Supercat Liner, which is slightly cheaper, and much more readily available in the UK. Curiosity, however, got the better of me, and this made the transatlantic trip home with me, to be put to the test at my dressing table.

I should take a moment here to explain that I am something of an eyeliner noob. I can't do gel liner, or liquid liner in a brush and pen form for the life of me, and even pencil liner is iffy. The Supercat Liner works for me because I can basically angle it from the corner of my eye, pointing up the edge of my brow, and press it down, which gives me the perfect base for a winged liner. 

The main difference between Supercat and the Tattoo Liner is that Supercat has a foam tip, not unlike that of a felt tip pen, whereas this one is a very fine bristled brush. Because it's so fine I can basically lay this right in the base of my lashes, and create a really really fine line which I love! Because the bristles aren't as firm as the nib of Supercat, it is a little trickier to create a wing, but after three or four uses I got the hang of it. This has a more precise end, which makes creating a precise wing a lot easier. I've had trouble with the end of the Supercat Liner misshaping before too, which I would assume won't happen with bristles!

As far as formula goes, This is a little wetter than Supercat, which I like, it's more like a true liquid liner, and you never have to build it up. The liner itself is jet black, and once it's down, it's going nowhere, I've got perfect wings til bedtime. 

I was skeptical, but I think I'm a Trooper convert! There will definitely be a sneaky Sephora order when I run out!

What's your favourite liner?

The Review: Illamasqua Blush Duo

I've been on a bit of a blush love train recently (I blame Vanessa), and one of my current loves is the Illamasqua Blush Duo in Lover and Hussy. I picked this up at a bargain price in a blog sale, and it had only been swatched once. I had actually wanted this last summer but never got around to picking it up, so I was so pleased to come across this!

For starters, the packaging is definitely on the bulky side but I have actually found myself reaching for it because of the mirror inside, for everything from plucking my brows to doing my eye makeup. I don't know what's special about it but the mirror is really nice! 

So onto the product itself, I wasn't sure whether I would love the shade Lover, a bright matte apricot shade, just because it is pretty bright, but it looks really lovely on the cheeks. Hussy is a gorgeous bright matte candy pink, just perfect for summer, it really perks up the complexion. The powders are really soft and pigmented, so you only need a tiny bit, I can't see me hitting pan on these any time soon. The wear of these is excellent too, they will still be intact on the cheeks by bedtime, even after a hot sweaty day in London, no mean feat I assure you.

This is my first forray into the world of Illamasqua blushes, but it certainly won't be my last!

Have you tried any products from Illamasqua?

The Dry Shampoo Battle

Even when my locks are freshly washed, I like to use Dry Shampoo to style it. I just find it adds a little grit and texture to my hair making it easier to style, and hold it's volume. Also, I find that my hair gets oily quickly these days, and 24 hours after washing, I need a little dry shampoo to perk up my roots. That being said, I'm pretty picky in terms of what I use, so I thought I'd give you a rundown of the dry shampoos in my stocks at the moment. I have a fair bit, but I use it so much that I get through them pretty damn quick, so I like to stock up when they're on offer. 

First up is a newbie to the ranks, the Lee Stafford Original Dry Shampoo for Oily Roots*. This is one I've been reaching for for day old hair as opposed to freshly washed hair, since it's one of the most cleansing in the stash. I like this because it makes hair feel clean, without feeling dry, a winning combination in my books. 

The current favourite is the Dove Hair Therapy Refresh + Care Dry Shampoo, a shampoo that doesn't leave a white cast, and makes your hair feel freshly washed, no grit, no powder, no dryness, just clean and soft locks. 

I picked up the Girls Only Dawn Til Dusk Dry Shampoo in an emergency root cleansing situation, but I actually really like it. It makes my hair look clean, but also really bumps up the volume in my roots. You can however feel it in your hair, and by the end of the day it does get a little itchy. 

The Tresemme Instant Refresh Volumising Dry Shampoo comes a close second to Dove's offering. Cleanses your hair without leaving a white cast, but because it can leave a bit of a gritty finish, it's good for texture and volume. Doesn't leave your hair feeling as clean as Dove's, but it's great for styling.

I have a few cans of Batiste Dry Shampoo* on the go, Cherry*, Dark Brunette*, the Original* and this one Tropical*. I find Batiste Dry shampoos to be much of the same, they make your hair look clean but not really feel clean, and they add good volume, but that's because they leave quite a heavy residue in your hair. I use this stuff, but it's definitely not my favourite, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'd repurchase any of them. It's worth mentioning that I loved these until I discovered the others.

What is your favourite dry shampoo? Which should I try next?

The Review: Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins

As the weather has turned downright torrential, and you can't leave the house without approximately fifteen thousand layers, it's only natural that your skin gets drier. I've turned my flat upside down looking for the perfect antidote to dehydrated winter skin, and the answer lies in this little pot of goodness. 

You guys know I love the Origins Ginzing face cream, it's my favourite morning moisturiser, so I guess it's only natural that I've fallen in love with this for the evening time, the Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins. In consistency it's fairly similar, it's a light gel like texture, it doesn't feel heavy at all. I'm using the oil free formula, just because I don't feel like I need anything richer. I pop this on in the evening before bed, and in the morning my skin is plumper, more hydrated, but not in any way oily, or greasy, it leaves no residue. It smells just like the Ginzing one too, orangey and lovely. 

I've noticed a massive difference in my skin since using this, it's healthier looking, and not dry at all. This face cream is massively pricey, but I find that these last so long it's worth it, I've been using my Ginzing one religiously since July and I still have a third left.

What products are you using to keep your skin hydrated? Happy Christmas Eve!

The Review: Urban Decay Naked 3

I'm sure you guys have seen tons of photos and reviews of this by now, but I thought I'd chuck in my two cents. 

This palette is gorgeous, 12 very wearable, neutral rosy hued shadows. There's a nice handful of matte shades, more than in the original Naked Palettes, which makes a nice change. I particularly like the five darker shades, they're unlike anything else in my collection. The staying power is great, but best with a primer (I like the Painterly Paint Pot from MAC) and the shimmery shades don't fall out around the eyes. The shades are particularly flattering with hazel or green eyes, and look gorgeous on pale skin. As always with Urban Decay shadows, the formulas are great, buttery smooth and a little goes a long way. An awesome palette for travelling, it's got everything you need for neutral day and smokey night looks. I even like the brush in this kit, the flat end is great for packing on shadow, and the fluffier end is perfect for popping colour in the crease, you just need a fluffy brush to blend out with. 

Overall, this is a gorgeous palette. No you don't need it, but hey, Christmas is coming, maybe you deserve it?

What is your favourite Naked Palette?

The Review: Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Colour in Tutu

Last month I posted a What's On My Face where I used a lipstick I had just bought.  I got a ton of compliments on the colour, not just from you guys but also from 'real life' people out and about, and really, that's the true test of a good product. A few weeks down the line now and I've given it a run for it's money, and I can definitely say it's a firm favourite.

There's a new Bobbi Brown store in Westfield so naturally I popped in after a lecture one afternoon (my university is handily located a three minute walk from Westfield) to peruse the counters. Bobbi Brown is a makeup range that I lust after frequently, but purchase rarely. I'm not really sure why that is, maybe because their range is quite solid, it's got all the basics, but I tend to get hooked in by the latest and greatest. Either way, all the products I do have from there I love, so I didn't have any qualms about picking up something.

After a little swatching I fell in love with the Sheer Lip Colours, a line of lipsticks with a creamy, sheer but buildable formula, and ended up taking home Tutu, a peach that definitely sits on the pink sides of proceedings, but is quite muted on the lips, just giving a wash of colour to perk up the whole face. I don't own anything like this in my collection, Rimmel's Let's Get Naked is similar but more orange based, and this is definitely more subtle. Either way it was an unusual colour choice for me, but the risk definitely payed off.

I love this colour on me, it's my perfect lazy makeup day colour, just adding something to the face to make it look more alive. The lasting power is excellent, particularly for a sheerer formula lip colour, and I love that you can wear this sheer, or build it up. The packaging is sleek and I love the magnetised close to it. 

I've totally fallen in love with this lipstick, I'd go as far to say it could be one of my favourite discoveries of the year, up there with the Urban Decay Lipsticks, and the Dior BB Creme. I'm definitely going to be adding a few more of these to the collection in the future!

You can see this colour on my face here.

Have you tried any Bobbi Brown Lipsticks? What should I try from there next?

Winter Nail Favourites

I've been on a real polish purchasing kick in the last couple of months, I've introduced ten (I know, totally unnecessary) new polishes into my winter nail wardrobe, and these are definitely going to be hogging the nail arena for the next few months. 

First up, two polishes from Maybelline, these are from the Colour Show Brocades line, and the colours I have are Knitted Gold, and Rosy Rosettes. Knitted Gold is a sheer, topcoat-esque colour, although it can be built up to a solid glitter. It's got small gold flecks of glitter, and bigger rose gold glitter pieces. Rosy Rosettes has a sheer pinky red base colour, and then lots and lots of glitter. There's small pieces of gold and red glitter, and then bigger rose gold and bright pinky red flecks too. The wear of these isn't great but they'll go two or three days without chipping. Together, these are really Christmassy, and this will probably be the combo on my nails Christmas Day. They are super cheap too, I think they were about £3.99 each.

Next is a Nails Inc pick that was painfully expensive but so worth it. I really don't get on with the traditional Nails Inc Polish formulas, I find them streaky and they stain my nails, but I love the shade Porchester Square, so when this came out in a gel effect formula, I had to have it. It's a gorgeous, sophisticated 'greige' with slight purpley/taupe undertones. Very nice paired with Knitted Gold or Duchess.

A polish that was in my Autumn Beauty edit too, Revlon's Vixen. Although I really don't like the brush that comes with this polish, the wear time is incredible (seven days no chips) and the colour is gorgeous. It's a really deep burgandy colour, and very very pretty. Reasonably priced too.

The cheapest polishes from this lineup, I am in love with these two polishes from the Barry M Textured Nail Effect line. I don't even like Barry M polishes normally, but the formula of these are just gorgeous. They are really thick glitter polishes that don't need a colour base coat, they're identical in formula to the OPI Liquid Sand polishes. Duchess is a champagney/pink glitter, whilst Countess is a dark, vampy purple, with multicoloured shimmer. I'll be sporting these on New Years Eve, total party polishes.

A single Essie Polish, and I couldn't not mention After School Boy Blazer. The darkest, almost black, navy, you've gotta see it on, you'll fall in love. Very simple, but gorgeous. I love the brushes of Essie Polishes, they're so wide, it makes painting your nails so easy. 

And lastly, I just had to include the Essie Winter 2013 Minis, because they're, well, gorgeous. Parka Perfect is a muted baby blue with a grey tinge, it's got a slight shimmer in the bottle, but that doesn't really translate to the nail. This looks lovely paired with After School Boy Blazer. Then there is Toggle on Top and Shearling Darling. Realistically, Toggle on Top is the same colour as Shearling Darling, but with glitter. Shearling Darling is a deep burgandy wine, similar to Vixen, but with more of a plummy, purpley tone. Toggle On Top is the same shade, but with black and red shimmer, and it's probably my favourite of the three.

And those are my Winter picks! Have you tried any of these? What are your favourite winter polishes?

The Christmas Gift Guide: Benefit Love At First Shine

You guys know that I'm not big on lipglosses, I'm particularly fussy about stickiness, but I do have a soft spot for Benefit's glosses, so I jumped on this set when I saw it in Boots.

This Christmas gift set contains six of Benefit's Ultra Plush Lipglosses, which I love. They are completely and 100% not sticky in the slightest, they have good colour pay off, smell good, and they last a surprising amount of time.

A-Lister, is a nude peach gloss that kinda goes with everything. I've been particularly loving it with Rimmel Let's Get Naked and Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Colour in Tutu. Fauxmance is a light brown toned nude, that looks awesome over lipsticks like MAC Faux. Kiss You is a striking purple gloss, that I love layering over plum lipsticks to add a purple toned, but it's definitely quite subtle. I particularly like this with MAC Plumful & Syrup. Lollibop is a bright blue toned pink that I like to wear alone, or over my Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me, or my Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in 37 L'Exuberante. Poutrageous is a bright orange peach, although it does sheer out on application. This looks great to brighten up nudey peach lipsticks like Rimmel Let's Get Naked, or on a brighter peach like MAC Betty Bright. Lastly is Ice Breaker which is completely clear, making it great for everything, but I particularly love it with red lips. 

If you are in need of a last minute gift for a beauty lover, or any teenage girly girl, this is definitely it! It's only £19.50, which means you could even get away with treating yourself...

What do you think of this set? Have you tried any Benefit lipglosses? What are your favourite glosses?

Check out my other Christmas Gift Guides here!

My MAC Eyeshadow Palettes

When it comes to eyeshadow palettes, my MAC palettes are definitely among my most used! You got a sneaky peak of them on Monday in my Makeup Collection & Storage post, but I thought I'd show you these properly, since I don't think they've ever had a proper introduction to you guys.

So I have two quads, with eight shadows. I did think about getting a large palette (correct me if I'm wrong but I believe they hold 15 shadows?) but realistically, I am very happy with the shades I have, and I don't need any more encouragement to buy more. 

I've split the shadows in the way that makes most sense to me, I have a neutrals quad and then one with purple toned shadows.

The 'neutrals' quad contains two matte colours and two shimmers, in the shades Hush, Quarry, Mulch and Corduroy. Hush has unfortunately now been discontinued, which is a shame because I use this all the time and it's a gorgeous colour. It's a very light peachy/pink shimmery, frost finish shadow that is perfect for all over the lid for a natural look, or as a base colour, or even as a highlight. The shimmer is quite subtle on the lid which I like. Quarry is described by MAC as a soft, muted plum brown, but I would simply describe it as a matte light taupe shade. This looks great with Hush to give a little definition to the crease, but it is also a great base colour for a smokey look. Mulch is the only true shimmer in this palette, and it's a warm bronze shade, with golden shimmer running through it. This shade is absolutely beautiful alone on the lid, or as part of a smokier look. Lastly in this palette is Corduroy, which is a warm, matte, red based dark brown. This is great for adding definition to the crease, and it looks great smudged across the lash line.

In palette number two, all the shades are much darker. Top left is the classic Cranberry, a gorgeous reddy plum shade with pink flecks of shimmer, totally gorgeous this time of year. Next to that is Sketch, a deep plum burgandy veined with red shimmer, I love this shade so much. Then I have Blackberry, the only matte shade in this quad. It's a plum brown, similar to Quarry but darker. Lastly, Satin Taupe, which is just absolutely beautiful, I get so much wear out of this shade it's unreal. MAC describe it as a taupe with silver shimmer, sounds simple but it's so so beautiful.

My most used colour combinations are probably Satin Taupe with Blackberry in the crease, Satin Taupe with Sketch in the crease, Hush with Quarry in the crease and Quarry with Blackberry in the crease, but I find that most of the shades work well together!

Like I said, I am really happy with the shades I have now, and I don't really feel like I need anymore, but let me know your favourite MAC shades in the comments for me to swatch next time I'm in store.

The Review: Benefit Hydra Smooth Lip Colours

Benefit relaunched a ton of their makeup this year, and whilst at the time, I wasn't all that bothered, I appear to have fallen for their lipsticks.

The Hydra Smooth Lipsticks have a strange feel on the lips, they aren't glossy or matte, but they are very very smooth. The formula contains Shea Butter, Vitamin E and Mango Butter, making them smooth and hydrating too. They glide really easily onto the lips. They have a slightly strange slanted tip, which Benefit says is to aid application and make it more precise, which I'm not sure I agree with, I think they're probably just as precise as your average shaped lipstick.

The packaging of these is seriously love it or hate it. The boxes they come in are super cute, but I can't really think of a secondary way to use them, so I ended up chucking them, which is a shame. The lipstick bullet itself is pretty strange, they kinda remind me of big greek pillars, which is cute, but not necessarily how I want my lipsticks to look. The lids are kind of clumsy, and 9 times out of 10 I end up mushing the end of the lipstick putting the lid back on. They're kind of big and clumsy, and not particularly luxurious. I think I prefer something a little sleeker (Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks, ahem). I feel this way about a lot of Benefit packaging though, I don't think it's nice enough considering the price, some of it I think is cute, but other things, this and Fine One One in particularly seems quite cheap in real life. In terms of lasting power, these are some of the longest lasting lippies I've tried.

I have two colours, Talk Flirty, a bright, Orchid-esque pink, and Fling Thing, which is a medium toned berry shade. Both are very easy to wear with any eye look!

These retail for £15, but I've been picking these up on Debenhams 10% off days! I think £15 is pretty good though, it's the same as MAC and Urban Decay, and much cheaper than other high end brands.

Have you tried these lipsticks? What are your favourite Benefit products?

The Latest From The Highstreet

Boots and Superdrug have both had 3 for 2 recently, which obviously spelt disaster. I took advantage of it to stock up on autumn lip products and one powder. I noticed a serious plum lip gap in my collection and went a little overboard filling it.

I picked up the L'Oreal Nude BB Powder, since I LOVE the foundation from the same line. This is a very light, finely milled powder, not much coverage but good as a setting powder. I personally think it's a little pricey, it's marketed as a BB Powder but it doesn't offer enough coverage for that. I probably wouldn't buy it again, despite the fact it's good, just because you can get the same thing cheaper (ahem, Rimmel Stay Matte).

Side note: I have no idea why my eyes are closed in all these photos. Sorry about that. Weird.

I loved the original Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks, so when they repackaged and reformulated them, I new I needed to pick a couple up. I went for Let's Get Naked, a coral peach toned nude, and Glam Plum Fullham. I thought I was going to prefer Glam Plum Fullham, but it turns out my favourite is Let's Get Naked. I don't own anything else like Let's Get Naked, but I've had so many compliments on this colour, a woman even stopped me in Starbucks to ask me what lip colour I was wearing. Glam Plum Fullham is nice but much pinker than I expected, but the creamy formula means it gets everywhere. I do quite like it as a stain though.

With all they hype when the Apocalips were first released, I was really surprised that a whole new set of colours filtered into the drugstores without much notice from anyone. I have a kinda love hate relationship with these things, but I loved one of the new shades, Eclipse, so I thought I'd try it. It wears a lot darker, and a lot redder than the packaging would lead you to believe, but I actually love this colour. It's very much a statement lip colour, but it doesn't look like too much, it's really wearable. 

I also picked up Nude Eclipse from the original colours, since everyone and their mothers loves it, but I'm not a fan. It looks so weird on me, like milky, and it just sits on my lips and doesn't really set like the others. It washes me out too, no matter how much bronzer I pile on.

I'm not a massive gloss girl, but I do like Revlon Glosses, because they aren't sticky at all. This colour 056 Embellished is from their new winter collection. In the tube it looks like a deep purple gloss with a lot of shimmer, but on the lips it's more of a dark red colour, with only a slight hint of shimmer. Very pretty, and much more wearable than a lipstick of the same colour for the day.

Again, nobody seemed to really mention the new shade additions to the Bourjois Colour Boost line. This is Plum Russian which I just love. You can build it up to a dark plum colour, or wear it like this for a more subtle look. This ones been in my handbag since I got it.

Have you tried any of these? What have you bought at the drugstore recently?

The Review: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

A moment of silence for one of the most beautiful items in the beauty world right now? Good, now we can procede. 

I'd been umming and ahhing over the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders for a while, since they have been creating quite the stir with beauty lovers around the globe. The problem was, I couldn't narrow it down and choose just one shade to splurge on, all the reviews I had read indicated that shade selection was vital, the right one would have you hooked and the wrong one would leave you feeling mighty annoyed for parting with a lot of cash.

When this palette was announced, it solved that problem. Three colours, in one pan, for more than the cost of one, but less than two. I was sold, and onto the Space NK website I want, softening the blow by using some N.Dulge points.

So there are three shades in this palette. Dim light is a soft beige tone, with veins of shimmer running through it. This is the one I like to use as a setting powder. A little of this on a fluffy powder brush (Real Techniques Multitask or Powder brush) swept down the t-zone sets makeup without looking cakey, but also softens the look of the skin, disguising pores and blemishes, and giving you a distinct natural glow. 

Incandescent Light is exclusive to this palette and is similar to Dim Light but lighter. This looks nice all over the face, but I particularly love to dust this over the tops of my cheeks with my Eco Tools Blush Brush, and then take a little on my finger under the brow bone, above the lip and in the inner corners of the eye to highlight. This really makes your skin pop, and glow really naturally.

Lastly Radiant Light, day to day I like to take this on a fluffy brush over where I have applied my bronzer, just to enhance the glowiness of those areas. Sometimes though I do take this all over the face, just to add a hint of sunkissed glow to my face.

All three of these powders are incredibly finely milled, and feel really light on your face. The quality is impeccable, as you would expect for the price. 

You don't need these powders, but they are definitely worth the splurge, I've had so many people compliment how healthy and how radiant my skin looks whilst wearing this, which is always nice to hear!

This also comes with a mini sample of the Mineral Veil Primer which was a really clever inclusion. Remember how every big beauty blogger said "THIS IS THE BEST PRIMER EVER" and we all went "HA! NOT AT THAT PRICE IT'S NOT". Well we were wrong. This is the best primer ever. Not only does it keep your makeup looking absolutely freaking perfect all day, it actually makes your makeup look better. I don't know what I'm going to do when this runs out. 

One for the total beauty junkies out there!

Have you tried anything from Hourglass?

The Skincare Series: Heavy Makeup Busters

Sometimes, when I've piled on layer after layer after layer of mascara, eye shadows, blushes, bronzers and highlights, I like to pull the big guns into the makeup removing ring, to make my life a bit easier. This is a step I slot in right before my usual cleanse, just to make sure I've really got all the gunk off my face. 

One product I reach for, strictly for eye makeup, is the L'Oreal Miracle Cleansing Oil. I restrict this to eye makeup, purely because it's so damn messy that having it all over my face would just be hell, but it's fab at shifting mascara, be it waterproof or not. I take one pump of this, shut my eyes tight and massage it across my lids and over my lashes for around 30 seconds, before rinsing it off with warm water. I like to take Bioderma on a cotton pad over my eyes after, just to get rid of an oil residue, but it takes off every trace of makeup with ease. I have heard some people say this broke them out, but I generally have found that these people were using just this, and then toner. If you leave an oil like this, it will leave a slight residue, and that is going to cause problems, so you should always cleanse as usual after. I've never had any problems with this!

One I go for for full face as well as eyes (it's not as effective for waterproof mascara, but it's pretty damn good) is Lush's Ultrabland. This is a cream product that becomes a thick oil/balm on the skin. This leaves my skin feeling really soft, and hydrated, but again, I always like to cleanse after to make sure every trace of it is gone.

I do also like the No 7 Melting Gel Cleanser, it's amazing at shifting makeup, but I've bought 3 tubes of the stuff and every single time the lid has come off leaving me with a squeezy tube, and 2/3 have had leaky corners, so I've given up!

What do you use to remove heavy makeup?

What's On My Face #2 - A Foundation I Don't Like

(Apologies for the dodgy lighting in these photos, the sun kept disappearing behind the blackest cloud ever...)

 Ohh foundation. It's so hard to find a foundation that does everything that you want it to. One piece of advice I can offer however, is that I didn't like this one.

Can we take a moment to point out the obvious here? LOOK HOW ORANGE MY FACE IS. JUST LOOK. I have not put a powder, or a bronzer on, just this on top of Benefit's Porefessional. Can I also point out, that this is the lightest colour in the range? 

I picked up the Bourjois Happy Light Foundation after hearing a few people rave about it, and being tempted in by the introductory price (£.6.99, how good is that?!). I really like the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, and the Healthy Mix Serum so I had no reason to think I wouldn't like this one. 

Firstly, I should say that in the bottle this looks like my perfect shade. Even when I tested it on my face and neck in Boots, it looked like the closest match I've ever found in a foundation. But once I buffed this into my skin I could see it was too yellow for me, but it blended out okay, so it didn't seem like a major thing. However, half an hour later, the stuff had oxidised on my face and I was a fetching shade of Essex Oompa Loompa. It didn't even oxidise evenly, which you can tell in these photos.

Shade grumbles aside, I don't really rate the formula much either. Looking in the mirror, this foundation hasn't covered any redness and is actually highlighting my pores, something I've never experienced with a foundation before. I have really normal skin, it's not in any way oily or dry, but this is just clinging to the pores in my t-zone.

In other news, I've been sporting a purpley tinged eye this week, sweeping MAC Satin Taupe across the lids, and blending Brousse (top right) from the NARS Fairy's Kiss Palette to add definition. I'm also shunning liquid liner in favour for a matte black shadow (Pandora, bottom right in the NARS Palette) taken across the lash line and flicked slightly out, for a softer look. I used MAC Painterly Paint Pot as a base to make sure the colours were true to pan. I also swiped lashings of the Max Factor Lash Extension Effect mascara on my upper and lower lashes to lengthen them and make my eyes look more awake.

I can't speak highly enough of the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer at the moment, it's a dark circle magic eraser and I think it might just be worthy of Holy Grail concealing status. Big claims I know but it's bloody brilliant. 

On my cheeks, I've been using the Nyx products I mentioned in yesterday's post, the blush in Taupe as a contour, and a little bit of peach for colour. I particularly like Taupe, it gives a really natural shadow under the cheekbone making you look naturally sculpted (you'd be able to tell better if I wasn't so FREAKING ORANGE!) I also popped the Xtreme Lip Cream in Pinky Nude (in what world is that a nude lip) on my lips and blotted it so it wasn't as intense.

 For brows I settled on my go to pairing, I filled in the sparse areas with the darker shadow from the Br-Wow kit, and set them with my Maybelline Brow Drama.

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think about the Bourjois Foundation?