Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

I love this new BB cream hype. I was never that keen on tinted moisturisers as I have very pale skin so they often made me look like I've just smothered fake tan on my face. But I love the concept of not having to wear heavy foundation and BB creams are a perfect replacement.

I have read lots of reviews on Maybelline's BB cream so decided to purchase it from Superdrug for £7.99 and try it out. I am not going to lie at first I wasn't that keen on it. The tube it comes in, is quite pretty but messy. I bought the light shade but it just disappeared on my skin giving little coverage.

However over the past week I have managed to make the product work for me. It does give a nice glowy and natural 'no make-up, make-up' look. Plus having a SPF of 30 so it protects my skin and keeps it hydrated as well. I do use a little amount of Smashbox tinted moisturiser with the cream to give a slight colour to it and if I feel I need more coverage that day.

I tried 17 BB Blemish Balm back in April for when I went on holiday to Florida. In the heat I didn't want thick melting foundation so tried this out and loved it. It gave a glowy dewy look and had a slight tint to it as well as a SPF of 15. I think I may prefer my 17 BB balm to Maybelline's version but I also hear good things about Garnier's BB cream.

Despite the hype I believe BB Creams/balms are an acquired taste. I like the glowy/dewy skin look and rarely use powder. So I love the BB creams as they are perfect for the glowy look. But those who prefer the matte powdered products might not like the BB products as much.....

Benefit Magic Ink Liquid Eyeliner

This eyeliner retails for £14.50 but I won it as part of a hamper at a Debenhams beauty giveaway. After trying out many Benefit products one of my favourite things about them is the intensity of their colours. This jet black liner backs that up with its strong dark colour. It is also pretty easy to use, the brush is just the right size of not being too thin nor too thick. It creates a strong sleek line nice in one quick stroke. It is quite wet when you apply so takes a few minutes to dry.

I prefer it on my upper lash line then my lower. As I thought it looked a bit too gothic and didn't really emphasise my eyes, just made me look like I was wearing lots of eyeliner!

But overall I do like this liner its easy and is long lasting.

Hello Kitty Nail Art

I love Hello Kitty and actually bought some really cute Hello Kitty nail transfer from holiday which I haven't used yet. But I was feeling brave so thought i'd attempt to do my own. Attempt is the key word in this post....

I did a french manicure on each nail using Super Finish French White. On my ring finger I made it a little thinker to be the base for my Hello Kitty. I then used a tooth pick dipping it in to Barry M's Fuchsia  and draw a little bow. Next I used my Andrea Fullerton black stripe and sparkle to draw two eyes and some whiskers. Finally I dipped a tooth pick in to Barry M's Lemon Ice cream colour to do a little nose.

Benefit High Beam

This dewy pearly pink highlighter is a really lovely product, it feels nice and light on my skin and gives it a healthy reflective glow. I received this in a beauty hamper that I won but it retails at £18.50 , which is pretty expensive but it comes a good sized bottle and you only need a few drops of the product so will last you a long time.

I like to use this benefit highlighter on my cheek bones, brow bone and sometimes under my eyes. I apply it in the mornings to perk up my tired complexion to brighten it up and make it look more hydrated. I love how subtle the product so it creates a natural look. 

I am desperate to try the Sun Beam version of this. Even though i'm a very pale person I would of quite liked it to have more of a tint to it to add some colour to my face, which the Sun Beam appears to have. 

Instant Nail Polish Remover By Pretty Quik

I originally went out to buy Bourjois magic nail polish remover which costs £4.99. I have read many good things about it on blogs and many magazine, so unsurprisingly was out of stock at my local Superdrug. I was really disappointed but then spotted in their nail care section a similar version of the product by Pretty Quik which was half the price costing £2.99.

I am pleased to say that it is amazing. This nail polish remover is honestly the best thing!! It is so quick and needs zero effort. It is a little pot that is filled with a sponge soaked with nail polish remover. In a school boy innuendo fashion you dip your finger in to the pot and twist it around for a second or two and thats it! It took about a minute to remove polish off both hands, a lot quicker then when I used to use the little circular wipes. The pot also include vitamin E so is good for your nail as well! 

I can not stress enough how good this product is, especially if like me your a bit of a nail polish addict and like changing them often. 

Benefit Swoonderful Lipstick

Another product from my Benefit beauty hamper. This silky finish lipstick, in the colour Swoonderful, retails for £14. The actual colour is hard to describe but I will try my best, its peachy but with a hint of a pearly tone so its doesn't look pink. It also has slight silver shimmer to it but isn't over powering. Who knew a lipstick could be so hard to describe eh!

As Benefit promises, it really is 'silky'. It feels almost like a nice creamy lip balm and leaves my lips very soft. The colour isn't very intense but that means it is perfect to wear during the day time.

Fashion Crush: Emma Roberts

I thought I would do a little post on my new style crush Emma Roberts. She has been on the fashion radar for a while now due to her cute yet edgy and on trend look.

I think Emma Roberts has a lovely natural style that is fashionable yet accessible. Especially her day time look that often consists of jeans, vest, cardigan and an oversized bags and sunglasses. She is one of the few actresses in my opinion that dresses her age, never looking too old nor too young. I have always been a fan of Emma and used to watch her on Nickelodeon, I was team Unfabulous rather then Jamie Lynn Spears's Zoey 101. So I love seeing her turn from awkward pre teen to sitting front row at Chanel.

I feel recently that I needed to start looking for a fresher celebrity style. As much as I used to love Alexa Chung, I was starting to get a little bored and disappointed. Her messy hair, brogues and masculine jackets are starting to feel a bit old hat. I feel like every member of The Saturdays have taken over as the Brits that all girls want to emulate with their style. But I do really love American Emma Roberts collar detailing and smart jackets. I am going to have to start keeping a look out in more magazines and films for her!

                               

It's Potent! Benefit Eye Cream

I am not a big believer in eye creams, especially ones that claim to reduce dark circles. After trying countless eye creams surrounded by hype I always end up disappointed. But finally I may have found one that works.

I received Benefit, it's potent eye cream in the hamper I won at a Debenhams beauty evening. It retails for £23.50 which in my opinion is a little steep but, i'm starting to be convinced its worth the money. It comes in gorgeous glass pot, it feels soothing and leaves your under eyes feeling refreshed. It absorbs in to the skin leaving it feeing fresh all day. It moisturises but isn't greasy even though you may not see a difference with dark circles straight away I can see a difference after  a week. My under eyes look a lot brighter feel nicer. It is also meant to help wrinkles and I guess its never to early to prevent them. I apply it before my make-up and as it absorbs quickly so makes a great base for make-up.

I will most definitely repurchase this when its finishes.

Pink Heart Nail Art

This little heart design is very sweet, pink and Summery look however it is a little bit tricky.

For the nail design I used Nails Inc London 072 pale pink for the base. I got it free with the latest issue of InStyle Magazine and loved the pastel colour of it. For the heart I went for a brighter pink with Nails Inc Shoreditch colour. To do the little hearts on the right corner I actually used a little paintbrush from my A.S level art course, and I do not think I could of drawn the hearts on with it. A little cheats trick that I think I may very well use more often!

I recently bought some base coats and top coats as I thought I had so many colourful and sparkly polishes but actually hardly any before and after care ones. I chose to get a Boots own brand base coat and Collection 2000 lasting colour ice cube top coat. It has made my nails look much more shiny and gloss like as well as making them less likely to chip.

Urban Decay All Nighter Make-up Setting Spray

When I went shopping round Debenhams Bournemouth beauty department last week I couldn't really justify buying another eyeshadow or foundation, but I came across this make-up setting spray. I have never tried anything like this product before and thought it would be good to try out.

It is by one of my favourite brands Urban Decay and retails at £23 but I got it offer so got a 10% discount. I just got the spray for normal skin however they do have ones for oily skin and dry skin. I spray before I put my make-up on as well as afterwards. It makes my skin more dewy and fresh and I then apply the spray after I've finished my make-up to set it.

I am not completely convinced that it makes my make-up stay put for '16 hours' but I do like the product. My favourite thing about the spray is how light it is on my skin yet still sets my make-up.

Benefit Bad Gal Liner Waterproof

This is one of the products I won in my Benefit Hamper which retails at £14. I used to be addicted to black eye pencils but for the past few year I've neglected it, in favour for liqued eyeliner cat flicks. But this Benefit eye pencil glides on smoothly and the sponge tip on the other edge blends it to create the perfect smokey eye. The colour I got is extra black and is very intense, but I like it that way! Also in this awful British weather I have been able to test that it is in face very waterproof!

The only thing you have to be careful about is when using the sponge tip don't press to hard, as instead of smudging it actually erases the eye liner. But this could also mean it can be used to to erase any mistakes. So I guess its only downfall can also be seen as a plus!

What I bought, Clinique, Urban Decay, Dior and Benefit

I went to the Debenhams beauty evening with 3 things in mind already that I wanted to buy. The first one was Benefits POREfessional which was £23 but I got a £5 off voucher which I used so it was a bit cheaper. I wanted to get some eye brow grooming products as I haven't got anything like that and the high street selection is very limited. My friend Emma recommend Urban Decays Brow Box. It's a really cool purple and black compact containing a mirror, 2 brow colours, tweezers, brush and a wax to keep the brows neat. To go with it I bought Urbanbrow which is styling brush and setting brush.

Of course there was very little chance of me coming away with only the things I intended. I picked up the new 'must have' lip product, Clinique's Chubby Stick. Which has been heavily featured in magazines and beauty blog. I also got the Clinque cleansing milk 'take the day off' and Dior pink lip serum. I will most likely be posting more detailed reviews in the next few weeks... 

I think its fair to say I bought more then I can afford but I'm happy with my purchases!

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Benefit Beauty Hamper

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to a Debenhams beauty evening in Bournemouth to celebrate their re vamped beauty counters. I had a brilliant night with free wine, cupcakes and a goody bag. Me and my friends also bought lots of make-up which I will do a post on soon.

As part of the night they had a number of prize draws for each beauty brand, and I won!!!!!!!!!! I managed to get my hands on an amazing Benefit hamper filled with £300 pounds worth of their products. I am honestly over the moon as weirdly since finishing uni I've got into this habit of entering loads of competitions and don't even get me started on my new addiction to scratch cards. But this is the first one I've actually won, not including when I got an embarrassing story published in Girl Talk and won some gel pens..... 

The hamper has everything any girl would want in it. Smokey eye palette, mascara, blusher, bronzer, perfume, lipstick, lipgloss, eyeliner, highlighter, mini essentials kit, eye cream, moisturiser an even more!!!

As you can tell I am extremely happy about my win. So expect to see many benefit related posts and reviews of the products that I won in the next few weeks!

Benefit POREfessional

I got a cute sample of this Benefit primer with this months Glamour magazine, and I absolutely love it!  Similar to how I find mini cupcakes, micro pigs and babies shoes this little sample is super sweet. And it works!

I apply it before I put my make-up on and its feel lovely and silky and light. Its really good and controlling shine and leaves my skin looking even and smooth.

I am going to purchase the full sized bottle tonight at a Debenhams beauty evening with a group of friends. I am planning on coming away with quite a few new beauty items.

Union Jack Jubilee Nails

I think this may be my favourite nail art I've done so far! I originally wanted to do a crown on one of my nails but it came out looking very un crown like, so I chose to do union jack ones instead.

I used my Boots own brand base coat to prep my nails, and then used Nails Inc London's Wimpole Street colour. As I think purple is meant to be a royal-ish colour? To do the union jack design, I used Andrea Fulertons nail boutique dot and stripe brush in  silver. I chose silver to represent the Diamond feel. However, I didn't think the silver was striking enough so I dipped the brush into a 17 silver nail polish that I got in a set for Christmas!

I hope all of you have an amazing Royal weekend!

The Kooples Skull Camisole Top

My parents recently came back from a cruise where they went round France and Italy. I was really gutted I couldn't go but it did mean I could look forward to holiday present! You may or may not already know my love for French label Kooples and my mum bought me back this peachy pink top. The edges of the top and bottom have little skulls on them giving this cute little top a rocky edge.

Real Techniques Make-Up Brushes

If I'm honest I don't normally use make-up brushes I pretty much always have used my hands. I once a while ago got into the habit of using a foundation brush but I lost it and never bothered to replace it. But recently I felt like it was brushes that were missing from my make-up routine. I wanted to buy a proper set  of them and are good quality.

After hearing lots of good things about the 'real techniques brushes' by Samantha Chapman I purchased her base/flawless core collection which I got from Boots. The bristles are really soft and smooth and the handles are a lovely peachy bronzed colour.

The set includes a detailer brush for definition and to conceal under eye circles, a pointed foundation brush, a contour brush for highlighting and my favourite a buffing brush. The buffing brush is best for powder and to blend all your make-up.

I am really pleased that I decided to purchase this set (for the pretty good price £21) I have noticed a quite a big change even thought it does now take longer to do my make-up.