Sunday 28 July 2013

JULY FAVOURITES BABY!


Can't believe we're already at the end of July!?! Feels like this year is whizzing by, before we know it, we'll be running around like headless chickens in preparation for Christmas! Anyway, before we get all depressed and start to wonder where the year is going, I have my July favourites for you!

1. MUA Heaven & Earth Palette and the MUA Undressed Palette both £4.00 - I've found myself using these two palettes continuously this past month! They both have every nude/natural colour you could want, and since I love a good natural eye, these two palettes have had my back. They both contain 12 shades each, and consist of both matte and shimmer shadows, so they're both fantastic to keep in your bag so you can switch your eye look up through day to evening if you're off out. 

2. George Shimmer me! Shimmering brush on powder in Heaven Sent £3.50 - I was wondering around in ASDA and was looking through the makeup section when I saw the George stand, which is ASDA's own clothing and makeup brand. I saw this shimmer brick and thought it looked so pretty, almost like a sunset effect. The colours are beautiful and I couldn't help but pick it up, at £3.50 it's a steal. The powder has 5 different colours which can be used all together to create a beautiful peach/pink flush or separate  It isn't too powdery and the pigmentation is AMAZING. I'd definitely recommend having a browse next time you're in your local ASDA, the selection of makeup is fantastic.

3. Sleek Shimmer Blush in Rose Gold £4.49 - This is one of the best blushes I have probably ever purchased, and I'm a bit late on this one. From other reviews, it's apparently very much like NARS Orgasm which I have never tried so I can't really comment on that but from the reviews and pictures it does seem very very similar  It has an amazing subtle gold sheen which looks amazing. I'm going to be doing a full review very soon so keep your eyes peeled!

4. Rimmel Anti Shine powder in Transparent £3.99 - I really love this powder, it seems to be the only one I've used that has kept my face matte throughout the day. It doesn't turn your makeup caked which is a plus! 

5. St. Moriz fake tanning mousse in Medium £2.99 - I absolutely adore this tanning mousse! I love their liquid tanner too! You can find a full review on the mousse here

6. L'OREAL Paris Elvive ExtraOrdinary Oil UV filter £8.49 - Still loving this hair oil, it helps protect my hair and keep it moisturised and frizz free. I've noticed when I don't use this oil, my hair becomes dry, stiff and brittle. It's amazing.

7. Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour felt tip eyeliner in black £2.99 - I've been using this for months now and it is still my favourite! The felt tip makes it easy to apply and the liquid liner comes out blackest black. It doesn't go flaky or crack either, which is a must! Budge proof!

8. Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara in Ultra Black £7.99- I apply this over my Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara and it adds more volume giving me long thick fluttery lashes. Absolute must now!

9. Rimmel London Scandaleyes Mascara in Extreme Black £6.99 - LOVE this mascara, it's my go to for everyday looks. It gives me longer lashes, and lasts all day with no lid transfer. If I'm going out for the evening I coat the Bourjois clubbing mascara over the top to pack a punch of volume! I find I don't have to wear falsies either, yay!

10. L'OREAL Lumi Magique Touch Of Light Highlighting Pen in Light £8.49 - This is pretty expensive for a concealer/highlighter pen but it is so damn worth it! I've seen a few YouTube beauty guru's rave about this product and I caved. It's amazing at covering up dark circles! A full review to come ;-)!

11. Chanel LEVRES SCINTILLANTES GLOSSIMER in the shade MICA £21.00 - I've had this for a long time, and I was never really crazy about it but this month it has been creeping into my handbag many a time, and I have to say I have fallen in love. It's perfect in creating full looking lips, it's pigmented and non sticky. Hoping to get my hands on a few more shades soon!

12. MUA Eyeshadow Trio in INNOCENCE £1.25 - This trio is not only perfect for travel, has the most amazingly pigmented shimmer shadows that all compliment each other and can be worn together for a smoky look or alone, but it's also only £1.25... it's nuts! The shades are so beautiful and I find compliment my brown eyes nicely. I can't believe how pigmented these are too!

13. MUA Nail Varnish in ALL NUDE £1.00 - You can't go wrong with the MUA nail varnishes, especially for the price. The quality are amazing, colour pay off is exceptional for the price and longevity is cracking. Lasts more than a week chip free! I've been loving this bone colour recently! 

14. Curious by Britney Spears Parfum £22.00 - I've found myself reaching for this a lot this month. Its a beautiful fruity meets floral scent and perfect for summer. 

What's been your most favourite product this month? 

Lauren xo

Monday 15 July 2013

Rimmel Instant Tan Water Resistant Self Tanner



Around two weeks ago, I was in Superdrug and was on the hunt for a cheap instant self tanner since I was going out with my friends that night and didn't want to look super pasty. Rimmel had just released this water resistant instant tanner and I was keen to try it because of it being water resistant. I bought it in Medium Matte, because the lighter tans never really show up on my skin enough. They did have others with shimmer in, but I didn't want the tan to look obviously fake (provided it didn't come out orange or green mind!). 

Once I got home and prepared my skin, I lathered it on with my hand...yep big mistake. My hand was a dirty brown colour and I had to scrub to get it off! My hands ended up blood red! I used a tanning mitt to finish the skin off. The colour thankfully wasn't orange or greenish at all. It looked like I was beautifully sun kissed and brown. It blended well too, and I had no streaks. 

Now for the bad bit....

it isn't so water resistant in places. It started to come off around my chest area when I accident;y got water on there from washing my hands, and by the end of the night I was patchy and had stripes...actual stripes like a tiger. Wasn't sexy, wasn't cute. I jumped in the bath straight away when I got home and scrubbed! It came off on my clothes too... I know it's a instant tanner which tend to be wash off, but this is also water resistant and I solely bought it in the bid for it not to streak whilst I was out in a boiling hot bar. I think it would be okay if I used it for a day out where I wasn't active and wasn't going to sweat or get hot. Nonetheless I don't think it is very water resistant unless you get it on rough skin like the palms of your hand. You'd have to make your hands bleed to get it off there!...

All in all, I give it a 4/10. I just don't think it's that water resistant. The colour is beautiful, and easy to blend. If only it does what it's meant to! I think I'll stick to my normal St. Moriz :-)

x

Saturday 13 July 2013

Let's get lippy! My favourite lip tints!




Hi ladies!

So since it's finally summer, and pretty hot in the UK at the moment, I've noticed that I've been opting for lip tints over lipsticks. There's nothing worse when your lipstick runs down your mouth and chin in heat, so I choose lip tints during the day and for nights out. So, here are my favourite lip tints that I own!

Here are the swatches....

This is my most favourite lip stain ever. Its the most perfect red lip tint that I've found and the pigment is absolutely AMAZING. I love wearing this on nights out, since it lasts all night and doesn't budge when drinking or eating. What pleases me the most is that as it wears off, it doesn't leave a product around your lips and nothing in the middle, and fades nicely. You will still have a nice colour by the end of the night despite not topping up.


I've had this lip tint for absolutely ages, and it's still going strong (even if I do have to rub hard into my lips!), I'm still able to get colour pay off. It's a lovely rose colour and would suit all skin types! I'm not sure if you can still get this on the high street but you should be able to get your hands on it online.


Rimmel 1000 kisses lip tints are by far one of the best lip tints on the market. I love the colour pay off from them, and Carry On Cherry is my favourite of the two! It's a pretty cherry colour, and makes your lips look a lovely bitten red whilst looking natural. The balms that they come with are a must though as with just the tint your lips can end up a little dry.


Like I said above, Rimmel 1000 kisses lip tints are amazing, and Perpetual Plum is an amazing deep raspberry colour. I love putting this on when I'm wearing hardly any make up as this tends to make my face/skin/eyes pop!

Becca Beach Tint in Watermelon 

I got this lip tint in a glossy box last year and it's still going strong! You only need the tiniest amount to get amazing colour pay off, and it looks like 'your lips but better' (cringe!).  It's not very moisturising so a clear balm would work well applied over it. What's even more amazing is that it can be used as a blusher too! It's perfect for everyday wear, to put into your bag on your travels. It's my must have for summer too because it's so easy to use, you get so much out of it and it's the perfect tint for the beach! At £20, it's a bit expensive for a lip tint but it's worth the pennies. I will definitely buy it again.

xo

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Aussie Take The Heat leave-in spray review!


I've been looking around for a good heat defence spray for a long time now, since my TRESemme Heat defence ran out, I was keen to try a new one. Nothing really caught my eye until I found the Aussie shelf in my local Boots. Ding-Ding we have a winner!Who doesn't love and trust Aussie hair care?! I found the Take The Heat leave-in spray, which has Australian Jojoba seed oil to nourish the hair whilst the rest of the product is protecting your locks from the heat produced by blow dryers, hair curlers and hair straighteners. I love spritzing this in when my hair is wet because the formula is pretty wet but feels nourishing, so I hope that by putting it in whilst my hair is still wet, my locks will soak it up with the water. I've definitely seen a difference in my hairs look and manageability since using this spray. Usually my hair will feel straw like after a few hours of my using of curlers or dryers, but when using the leave-in spray, it's definitely more silky, less frizzy and holds any style I challenge my hair to hold throughout the day. The only thing I would want different is the spritzer, as it doesn't spritz enough and it isn't mist like, almost just squirting a line of product out, which is hard to distribute throughout the hair because it only covers a small section when you spray, so you end up spraying the same part a few times.

Nonetheless, this is a superb heat defence spray. It offers a lot to your tresses, by keeping them in good shape with the Australian Jojoba seed oil and also protecting your hair from breakage by frying your hair! Plus, who doesn't love Aussie hair care?! They're my most coveted hair care brand for years!

Have you tried the Take The Heat leave-in spray? What's your favourite Aussie Product?

Sunday 7 July 2013

Crème De La Mer - The Eye Balm REVIEW




I don't usually like to post about very expensive lotions and potions because let's be honest, we aren't all lucky enough to pop into Selfridges whenever we'd like (I'm certainly not!), but I really thought this eye balm from Crème De La Mer deserved a post dedicated to it's fabulousness!

At £130.00 a pop, these little pots are very much on the pricier side of the eye crème scale and thank baby Jesus I was fortunate enough to be gifted this from my mother. There is no way that I would of been able to part with that much money for an eye crème especially with my income and lack of knowledge on how this product would suit me or, what it would do for me. I can now say that even though it's not exactly obtainable with a months wages, (if I want to pay my bills and have a social life)  I would most likely save for it. Yep,  I would most definitely purchase it again.

The packaging is pretty and rather elegant looking, it looks lovely sitting on your dressing table thanks to it's lovely ceramic pot. Don't leave it near burning candles though like I did, as you can see by the second picture it's rather burnt on one side! I really like the fact that you could always re use the pots and put little bits in it, like ear studs. That's my plan anyway! 

On to the product...

The consistency is creamy and non oily, and green, which I don't mind since I associate green face products with cooling, and this is definitely what this crème does. I love lathering this on before bed or in the mornings if I'm not going to wear make up. I also suffer from hay fever and get really bad drying around my eyes due to rubbing and tears, so I find myself grabbing this to ease discomfort. I also really like that it doesn't sting your eyes, I always tend to weep from my eyes because of how sensitive they are, gladly this doesn't make me want to rip my eyes out. That would suck. 

Like I said, it's non oily, but VERY moisturising  If you suffer from dryness around your eyes, you will most likely find that this would sort that out over night. Even for those that have an oily eye area, you could use this and it wouldn't cause more oil to sit on the skin, as it sinks right into the eye area and leaves no residue. Just because you have an oily eye area, it doesn't mean that your eyes don't still need some TLC girl!

I also notice that when I use this, it helps my dark eye circles. I'm not really sure why, it may be the cooling effect but I definitely see a difference once it's applied and sunk in. It also says on the back that it can also be used on other delicate areas, and I tend to use this around my upper lip (to protect myself from wrinkles/dreaded prune mouth) and décolletage. Any area where there is thin skin, those areas should be paid special attention to when it comes to lotions. 

All in all, yes it is super pricey but it's worth every penny! I will be purchasing this again when I've ran out, which looks to be sooner than later!

Have you tried any Crème De La Mer products? What's your favourite?