ready for spring #4 - Balanced Diet, Skincare Saviours

Skincare is vital, no matter the season, and although we always want luminous, soft, clear skin, we seem to bare more of it during Spring/Summer.

All year round, I find myself reaching for Simple's Replenishing Rich Moisturiser. Whilst most people prefer the lighter version, I find this one is peeerfect. It makes a great base for my makeup, keeps my skin soft, hydrated and is very gentle.

You'll have seen me speak about this product here, and I am still in love with the Clarins Daily Energizer Wake-Up Booster. It's refreshing, hydrating and I really do find it kind of radiating.- I don't know if it's just because it's supposed to be or not though haha!

I received a sample of the Origins Balanced Diet Lotion and I need it! It's fairly pricey, but feels so lovely and luxurious, it also has a lovely scent which wakes you up nicely. Perfect base for makeup as it absorbs quickly but leaves your skin feeling hydrated and soft.
Another Origins product is the GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream. This is the perfect eye cream for S/S as it is super brightening as has a refreshing, zesty scent. It may seem a bit shimmery at first, but this subsides once soaked in.

Now I know I'm not the only one to neglect my body when it's comes to moisturising, I hate that awful, irritating feeling when you're blowing at it trying to get it to dry so you can get into bed without sticking to everything you touch. I was recently converted by the Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Body Milk, but I really want to try out the Body ButterCream, just out of interest!

The Caudalie Beauty Elixir was a tricky one - does it come under Skincare or Makeup, kind of? I thought Skincare seemed much more appropriate. This will be perfect for summer as I often find my makeup looking a bit crappy and cakey after a while in the summer. A couple of spritz of this and it claims to give you a smoother, glowing complexion, instantly refreshing your face without disturbing anything. I've also heard this makes you feel better in yourself too, what do you think?

I've bought plenty of goodies for my 100 ffollower giveaway so watch this space!

ready for spring #3 - Plushest Punch and BB creams

Since I started blogging in October, I pretty much threw away any make up that seemed to be pretty crappy and any new make up I bought was very Autumn/Winter based - dark lips, kind of medium to heavy coverage foundation etc. It's about time I thought about buying more Spring/Summer directed items.

I've chosen the DrJart+ Regenerating BB Cream for four reasons; it's a lighter coverage to any foundation I have, it will adapt my any changes in my skin colour (not that I tan anyway!), it has SPF 30 which is incredible and this formula will be perfect for my skin type. There are four different BB creams aimed at all skin types - this one will be perfect for me as it's hydrating yet will combat any redness or blemish I have whilst still brightening the skin.

I've not reached for this once in around 6 months as I've loved the dewy skin look, however I think I'll be getting some use out of the cult product Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder this summer. I've only used a dusting of my MUA Pressed Powder lately to make my make up to stay put, but through Summer the heat may mean a bit more movement in my base products, so I think I'll be buying this just to give my products a little more longevity and control any oils.
I love the Maybelline Colossal Volume Express mascara, it's amazing at separating, lengthening and giving volume to my lashes, but it's time to go waterproof, for obvious reasons!

Being a bit of a ghost girl, I do need to add warmth and contour to my face, and I really need to buy a new bronzer. This Jouer Replenish and Protect Hydrating Bronzer Powder is a gorgeous shade and to make it even better, it's hydrating with an SPF of 39 (39, seriously?) This would look perfect with a little coral blush on the apples of the cheeks!

Blue liner looks like it will be making a come through in Spring/Summer and I think this Eyeliner Cake in Danger by Illamasqua will be perfect. With it being a powder, you could maybe use it in your crease or when doing a smoky eye, but the main thing you can do is mix with a bit of water or Sealing Gel and use this as an eyeliner with an angled eyeliner brush. I think it'd look amazing!

Finally, everyone knows my love for my this product, but I feel the colour I own now will be too dark for everyday. This Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Plushest Punch will be light enough for a day time look but still add an opaque, hydrating coverage.

Find the second of my Ready for Spring series post here!

ready for spring #2 - bright monochrome

For me, Spring is a time for statement clothing which is why I love this Topshop Lime Green Knitted Tuck Stitch Jumper (long name!). There's still going to be rain or chill through Spring and I think this will be perfect for keeping the weather away and brightening up your outfit! This would look brilliant paired with the essential, Black Skinny Leigh Jeans from Topshop. You don't want anything that will clash with the green so under-state everywhere else.

I LOVE monochrome and stripes, and this multi-striped top from H&M is no exception. The diagonal stripes are really going to bring you in at the waist creating a lovely hour-glass look.

Long-ish sleeves are a must for me, I hate having my arms on show, so when I'm wearing a short sleeved item, it's essential I wear a jacket/cardigan. I fell in love with this beautiful Red PU Trim Jacket from Miss Selfridge. Perfect when you're running late in a morning and need something to give your outfit that little bit more.

Finally metallics. These are really gonna catch peoples eye, literally. The sun will hit every single person haha! But this little black ombre beauty from River Island is so pretty! Definitely perfect for a few drink, or maybe shopping. It's efforless yet so beautiful.

Find the first post of my Ready for Spring series here!

What did you guys think? I'm not really used to doing anything about Fashion, but I thought I'd dip my toe in the pool! I'd love your feedback :)

ready for spring #1 - cobalt blue

I'd say Spring is one of my favourite seasons - it's not too warm, not too cold, it's light in a morning, light-ish when I'm leaving work, and it's the perfect time for bright looks. Over this next week, I'll be posting 'Ready for Spring' articles, so keep your eyes peeled and be ready for Spring yourself!

Barry M's Nail Paint in Cobalt Blue is absolutely beautiful. It's a lovely, rich colour that is perfect to brighten up any outfit.
I'm sorry my nails are pretty grubby in this picture - I actually painted them on a bus so I couldn't apply a top coat, but when you do, they look glossy and can be very eye catching.
It applies like a dream - two coats and you're left with an even, opaque finish.

This is definitely going to be a staple in my Spring/Summer collection. I have plenty of blues, yet this one always stands out the best.

What's your must have Spring shade?

Makeup Academy Undress Your Skin Flawless Skin Primer

I'd recently ran out of my primers, and was stuck in a bit of a rut. I find high street primers to be really expensive, and for something that I'm not entirely sure works, it goes through me paying for it. But I feel like I've missed a step when I don't wear it.

I popped into my local Superdrug and Boots, and this was probably the cheapest, but nicest primer that I came across.
It cost me £5 which is definitely one of the most expensive items from the MUA range, but since it's newly released I'd imagine the price will come down gradually.

MUA Undress Your Skin Flawless Skin Primer is really, really nice. It reminds me of the Benefit PoreFessional primer in that it's really velvety and clears any oil away leaving a really smooth, matte and clear canvas for the rest of your face products and you barely use any of it, just half a pump is enough for me. The only obvious difference is the colour as this is a clear formula. I've heard quite a few bloggers dislike it as you can't see where you've applied the product, but I have no problem with this at all, you can quite clearly feel where you've applied it! Even though it removes any excess oil, it's not drying at all.

Lately I've had a few problems with my foundations and such as it just looked awful. No matter how I applied it or what I used or how I prepared my face, my makeup just seemed to sit and look cakey. When I wore this I didn't have a problem at all. I found myself using less foundation and and it left a really nice finish. It claims to be radiating, however I've not really noticed much of a difference with this, but I'm not too fussed about this, it's not the reason I got it.

What are your opinions? Have you tried the foundation? I was super curious about it!

latest in beauty, complexion perfection kit

When I came across Latest in Beauty, I had no idea what it was. In fact, I don't even know how I found it. But I must have spent half an hour on the website thinking 'what an amazing idea! Why did I not know about this before?!'.

I got drawn to their collections and although I was trying not to spend anything, I just HAD to buy their Complexion Perfection kit, as it contained two products I was dying to try - the Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel and, of course, Benefit's They're Real mascara. Since the Pixi Cheek Gel was worth £12 on it's own, I felt it was more than justified that I should get it.

So this is what I received! I've not tried any of the products yet apart from the eyeshadow brush which I absolutely hated. It really made my eye lids sore, it was not soft at all. But nevermind, I can get over that!

You can see the swatches above, and just look at the lasting power of the Daniel Sandler Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner in Black Velvet. In the last picture, that was how the eyeliner looked after I wiped over the swatches with water and a flannel cloth. It didn't budge at all! I literally had to scrub it with a soap to remove it, and even then I was left with a bit of a mark and a sore arm! Amazing lasting power though. The Cheek Gel looks AMAZING. Exactly the colour I love. I had a bit of a play with this on the back of my hand and I loved that you could sort of choose how intense you wanted the colour. The more I rubbed it in, the paler it went until becoming transparent, yet if I lightly rubbed it in, I could get a more intense colour... I hope that makes sense! The Bella Pierre Shimmer Powder is incredibly scary. That colour is just.. bright and.. glitter. Not too sure how I feel about this. I think I might try mixing it in with a moisturiser or even a foundation just so it's not so in your face.

When I open the Inika Liquid Mineral Foundation and squeezed the tube, a massive amount of oil came out. I was like 'is this supposed to happen..'. I wiped it away though and out came the foundation. Still quite oily so this would be good for dry skin, steer clear if you're oily though! It looks like a nice colour match for me too. One massive no-no though was the scent. It was awful, incredibly artificial and floraly. I expect they tried to make the scent match the organic label, but who knows.

I'm really looking forward to trying these products. No doubt you'll see them in a What's on my Face, or maybe in their own reviews if I'm impressed, so keep an eye out!