diorskin nude bb creme

Being Dior, I had great expectations about the new Diorskin Nude BB Creme, I was really excited to get matched and receive my seven day sample. To be honest, I was really let down by this, from the service to the finish. As soon as I got to the counter, the sales assistant seemed really bitchy and like I was an inconvenience which was pretty awkward through the matching as you can imagine.

She suggested shade 2, so I took it. I was really eager to try it, so the next day I prepped my skin and put this on. I was so disappointed! It looked really orangey golden and it sat in every crease on my face - I'm 18, I'm not supposed to have creases! But ones I didn't even know I had were showing. It did a really good job at smoothing out my skin and covering blemishes, however the colour match was so off.

I'm considering going back and seeing if they would let me try out Shade 1. I was quite interested in using a BB creme for a lighter alternative on days where I don't need much make up, but sadly this one won't be the one for me.

However, with it being more golden and reflective than orangey, I can see it being incredibly brightening when mixed with another light foundation/bb cream, so I'll still be on the look out for one, and I'll consider mixing this in for a little more luminosity. I may even save it for the summer when I will hopefully have a little more colour, but we'll see!

Have you tried this new release? What's your favourite BB cream?

rimmels new apocalips, just in case you needed another review...

Like the title suggests, this product has become hugely popular in the blogosphere, I feel I'm a little late joining the hype, but I've had this product since it was released and really wanted to put it to the test. Another reason I'm a little late with it, is it's not a shade I'd usually buy - I wanted to go out of my comfort zone, try out different shades, and I just loved the look of the shade I picked - Celestial.

This lip lacquer is brilliant. I'm not a fan of glossy lips at all, they feel heavy, sticky and generally don't suit me, but this is light, not sticky at all and the glossyness settles after a while leaving a satiny finish.
It doesn't stay for as long as I'd have hoped - I did find myself reapplying it after about 2 and a half hours, but it was really easy to apply again. Usually when reapplying lipstick, I find it difficult unless I completely remove it as all the dry bits make it drag, but I didn't experience this at all.
The shade is a really nice pink, it's not too bright, kind of a pinker nude.. if that makes sense! I love the stain it leaves behind though, it's like my lip colour but better, even and brighter. As always with Rimmel lip products, it has a lovely watermelon scent.
One of the big things about this product is the foam, doe foot applicator with it's 'micro-reservoir' to ensure smooth, accurate application. I'm not a huuuuge fan of this. It feels like there's too much product on the wand at the beginning meaning I have to brush some of it off which I can see in the long run becoming very messy, but I do really like the idea.
It's a lovely product which I definitely think I'll consider buying more shades of. The variety of colour is good, with shades that I certainly wouldn't consider buying normally, so maybe it will be good to try them out?

What do you think about these, and what are your favourite shades?
I'm still looking for an illustrator to help me out with my blog header - if you're interested, leave me a comment or email me at hayleyisawesome@live.co.uk

January empties!

Now, I'm not one to finish products - sadly haha! But this month I have, and these are what I'm loving at the moment. There's only four, but it's a start, yeah?

I reviewed this product here. The Clear Improvements mask from Origins is a brilliant product. I'd never really used masks before, but after sampling this, I really understand how much help they actually give. I'm not sure if I'll purchase this yet, perhaps I'll see what other masks are on the market - any suggestions?

Now, everyone with white/blonde hair will use this product, so I don't feel I have to justify it too much when I say that this product does exactly what it says on the bottle. My only grumble is that it's SO messy! Every bottle that I've purchased, for some reason, I have product coming out of the top of the bottle when I'm not using it and it's so annoying because it's wasting so much. Does anyone else have this problem?

I got a free sample of this in a magazine a week or so ago, and I will definitely not be buying it. It did absolutely nothing for my hair, no shine at all. There was no where near enough product in this sample either, it only slightly covered about half of my hair. Yeah, not too impressed.

Well, I never thought I'd ever love a hair product. Having dry, brittle, very knotty hair due to bleaching, I've tried so many products from high end to Morrisons own (which by the way, that condition definitely comes second best to this one!) and I've never been completely satisfied. But I picked one bottle of this up when I noticed it on offer in Boots, tried it once, and ran straight back to pick up four more. This is SO lovely, and smells gooorgeous. There's no artificial scent, it just smells clean and lovely. I like to properly coat my hair in conditioner and leave it for about 4 minutes, and this was just perfect. You don't need too much product, it's quite thick, but a little goes a long way - I always end up using too much. Really great product overall!


So what are your favourites? Link me to any videos/posts!
I'm also on the look out for a really kind person to illustrate a picture of me for my blog - let me know if you can/know anyone, I'd be SUPER grateful!

my benefit make up bar experience

Hey guys!
As much as I want to say "I LOVED it! I learnt so much, and realised things that were so obvious before!" I would be lying to you. It was awful, I think these make up artists applied my make up with their eyes shut.

My particular look I was asking for help with was a flawless, dewy base. I have quite red cheeks, but I still thought these would be able to give me some advice and help.

They started by taking my eyebrows off which I was soooo uncomfortable with. They followed by using their Porefessional primer which I said makes my skin look very powdery and not nice, but they used it anyway. They continued to use the Hello Flawless foundation, which again, I asked them to use something different because it didn't work for me (find my review of the foundation here and the primer here). Once this was finished, my skin looked streaky, powdery and disgusting.

One part of this session, I was slightly impressed with though. They tried out the new Fine One One blush/highlight stick, which I was incredibly excited about - for some reason, they were selling it on Thursday, even though it only got released on Saturday... Now, I'm sure this is a great product, I was initially a bit confused at how you could sweep it on and it not pull your foundation, but they managed it fine. What they didn't manage was blending! She was aaawful, it was ridiculously obvious which was so disappointing, there were clear lines and ugh, just awful.

Finally, and probably the worst part. She decided to put lipstick on me. I asked her to apply what she thought best, thinking she'd go for a subtle one considering it was day time. Instead, she chose Full-Finish lipstick in shade Espoinage, linked here. Also known as black cherry, this was a deep purple-red with a really glossy finish. She applied it with an EYESHADOW BRUSH. Seriously, a blending eyeshadow brush. I was like what on eaaaaarth. It looked horrendous, it was wobbly, an awful colour for me. However, I probably shouldn't have taken lipstick advice from someone who's lipstick was bleeding out.

I was so disappointed. I never expected too much, I'd heard that their make up artists aren't the best, but I was incredibly let down.

Have you ever had an experience like this? What about the complete opposite? Let me know!

Origins Drink Up Intensive

This over night mask from Origins gets to work straight away, hydrating your skin the minute you apply it.
I tend to use this after I've used another mask, just to add back any essential oils that may have been lost or if my skin is in need of an extra boost after feeling dull and dehydrated.

The first thing that hits me about the product is the smell. It's very fruity as it has Avocado Oil and Mango Butters, but this can get really overpowering, like, really bad haha. At first it smells lovely, but then when you've had it on for about half hour, I start to get a bit headachey and the smells turns very artificial - not nice at all. But it does feel very luxurious on, so I do manage to overcome the smell!
It looks a lot like a moisturiser, which I find makes it difficult to judge how much to put on, but this hardly matters, I just use enough to make the dry parts make my skin feel like they have enough product on.

The main problem with this is that sleeping with this on is not practical at all. My face not touching my pillow at night is impossible, so I do find that in the morning, one side of my face has no product left at all. This could be a good thing though. The side that does have product on can feel really quite greasy and not nice at all, not refreshed, just greasy. I find myself running to the sink to remove the residue immediately.

It's not all negatives though! I have combination skin, but I still apply this to the oily sections. I initially thought it'd do a lot more harm than good, but I was pleasantly surprised! It didn't increase any oilyness, just made it feel very hydrated and lovely.

After washing, it does create a really smooth base for make up which is incredibly soft to touch. I reckon with a touch of my other Origins products, such as toner and light moisturiser, this could create the perfect, flawless base.

Have you tried this? What about the 10 minute mask? Let me know your thoughts below!

2013 beauty and fashion, what's going on?!

Whilst the snowy weather hit the country, I hit my local shop to stock up on some magazine to get a glimpse of what to expect S/S 2013, and I have to say, I'm not entirely impressed.

I thought I'd gotten rid of dungarees plenty of years ago, I looked a lot more like Augustus Gloop than I'd like to remember. Although I can slightly see how people may suit these, surely it's going to only be a select few that will be able to pull these off? I have quite a wide variety of friends, with lots of different styles, and I can count on one hand the amount of people I imagine could pull them off. I just can't find myself liking them, as much as I want too! I guess it's exactly the same as my dislike for jumpsuits, if you're short and stumpy, there's a very slim chance you'll be able to make the bill, but long, athletic and leggy and you're top of the class.
I am definitely more open to playsuits and short dungarees, though I can't seem to find one that I love on me. I just think a full body suit is just too much, it's just a no. Nada. Zilch.


Another style I found myself reading more and more of was colour clashing, in both make up and clothing. I do quite like clashes in clothing, however I find a difficult one to pull off, and have never been adventurous enough myself to give it a go.

Clashes in make up is certainly something left to be desired in my eyes. I just cannot seem to find a situation in which these styles would ever be appropriate? Don't get me wrong, they look fantastic in magazines and on the runway, but I can't actually imagine someone wearing it. Do feel free to let me know if you think otherwise though!


I definitely think I'll be sticking to my natural make up looks, perhaps I'll be a little more adventurous - use more plums, purples, greens even on my eyes, perhaps I'll stray to some coral blush, and pinky-coral lips, but I doubt I'll find myself reaching for the red mascara and ice blue cream shadows.


What do you think about these coming trends? I'd love to hear, so post a comment below!

Origins United State Balancing Tonic

Origins United State Balancing Tonic is an incredibly refreshing toner that claims to reunite dry and oily areas, so skin becomes, well, balanced!

It definitely lives up to it's expectations, this balancing tonic is brilliant at clearing pores and smoothing skin, yet is very hydrating, leaving my skin looking clean, fresh and clear.

I suffer from redish patches on my cheeks, and this really helps clear it up a little, leaving me with a lovely complexion (if I say so myself!). I really do feel very clean after using it - not in a squeeky, uncomfortable way, but my skin feels like it can breath again. I definitely thinks that the scent of this helps with the fresh feeling - it's a bit minty, slightly smells of lavender after application, and smells a little bit medicinal, but not uncomfortably, just right haha, it's really difficult to explain! The smell can be a little over powering, when my boyfriend smelt it for the first time, he pulled his head away quite quickly and definitely over-reacted, but you get used to it and after a couple of applications.

It's very gentle, but a really amazing product, keeping oil at bay but hydrating the dry areas well. I definitely recommend this to people with combination skin!

NOTD: Forever, a perfect nude.

Whilst I'm desperately wanting to hang on to the berry shades from A/W 2012, I'm definitely feeling nude nails lately! Absolutely perfect for any situation, they look smart for work but can look very classy in social situations, and is the colour I'm definitely going to be wearing for my sisters 21st this weekend. Nude nails are very versatile and so are perfect when looking for a colour to wear when you have a busy week, but I definitely won't be reaching for this brand!

I'm not the biggest fan of 17's nail polishes. I currently have four in my collection and I don't think I'll be venturing out for many more! They are very chip prone, even when covered by a top coat, I applied this colour last night, and not even 24 hours later I've found myself with a messy, chipped finger - not good! I've probably used this product 10-ish times, give or take, and I've already found it's going a bit gloopy and it seems I have hardly any left in the bottle, when I can clearly see it's about 3/4 full. With another colour from this brand, when I bought the unopened bottle, I found the lid was broken, so the black plastic casing has come apart from the applicator which makes applying it VERY messy.

Although it finishes quite opaque, I applied two coats of this to achieve a full coverage. Although I didn't use a top coat this time round, I would still expect a glossier, smoother finish than has been achieved. There is a shine to it, but it's quite dull and even a bit matte.


Overall, I'm loving this shade, but not the polish itself! Have you used many 17 Lasting Finish nail colours? Hopefully you had a better experience than I did!

my top five bloggers!

I love reading others people's blogs almost as much as I love making and running my own. I find myself agreeing, disagreeing, being curious, being surprised - but mainly, I find myself inspired.
That's what I love about blogging, you see people go from strength to strength and becoming much more confident and showing us things they would usually be very uncomfortable showing. A fair few people have even made blogging their life, which I am incredibly jealous of and can only hope I'll become as recognised as these guys.

All blogs that I follow I love, but these ones in particular inspire me. You can find a link to their blog by clicking on their name.

5. Rachael at 5'1 is the new 6'2
I'm really enjoying Rachael's blog at the moment! I love the mix of fashion and beauty! She recently started a YouTube channel which has only a couple of videos on it, but I'm looking forward to seeing much more. She's very accessible, in the way that when you read her blog and watch her videos, you feel more like you're listening to a friend. In no way does she make it seem she's better or has more experience than you. Just a really lovely blog to read!

4. Jodie Winyan
Until I decided to do this post and thought long and hard about who to pick, I never realised just how much I read Jodie's posts. I love her completely natural look, and how she brightens it all up with a lovely lipstick. She makes reading her posts very easy, by clearly outlining what she thinks of the product using headers and bullet points which I really like and is something I definitely need to take into consideration! Her pictures are also really good and well focused which I think is essential for a blog - what's the point in taking a picture if it's very difficult to see?

3. Stacey Jane at Expact Make-Up Addict
I love reading Stacey's posts! As she travels and lives over in Dubai, it's really interesting to find out what beauty products are like all over the place as well as her opinion on 'hyped' products over in the UK. She has a great mix of high-end and high street choices and I really value her opinion. She sounds really professional and has a good idea of what she's talking about - she really does her research. I can't believe Stacey only has 18 followers though! Definitely deserves a lot more recognition - people will learn a lot from her!

2. Sophie at Candy Cane Heart
I only recently started paying more attention to Sophie's blog (sorry!) and watching her YouTube videos and I have now bookmarked this blog haha! Her 'The Jar of Happiness' post, linked here  has been particularly inspirational! She's also convinced me to buy the new Apocolips lip lacquer as the Celestial shade is just lovely. After only watching one YouTube video so far, I need to watch the rest of her videos but I really enjoyed the one I watched - definitely need to catch up. I really do love this blog though - her reviews, her style, the actual blog layout are all something I love. Go and check it out!

1. Lily Pebbles at What I Heart Today 
One of the first blogs I followed and a blog that ALWAYS look forward to new posts and videos from. Lily is a very successful blogger - but it certainly hasn't gone to her head! We've tweeted a few times and she's been so friendly, even after I told her about a very strange dream I had with her in it haha! Her blog and YouTube channel have become incredibly successful, and rightfully so! Lily is probably my main inspiration for my blog and has got me badly addicted to Origins products. Even though her site has a really professional feel to it, it's still really accessible. I love her videos and have really enjoyed seeing her collaborations with ViviannaDoesMakeup and her weekend/birthday vlogs! So yes, if possible, Lily is my blogger crush...Can't wait to see what's to come!


Do you guys have any favourite blogs? Leave me some links below, I'm always on the lookout for more inspiration!
Take care in the snow and ice too!

what's on my face - estee lauder & mua

Hey guys! This is a bit of a long post because I've done a couple of reviews (ish) so bare with! You can quickly find the products I used below though :)

Eyes

Estee Lauder Eye Shadow Palette Shades 60 Sugar Biscuit Satin and 63 Tempting Mocha Shimmer

Black Jillian Dempsey at Avon kohl liner

Rimmel Glam Eyes in Black

Maybelline Colossal Volume Express

These two shadows are gorgeous. I love to put 63 (the darkest) all over my lid and blend out into 60, making sure to put it on my brow bone to highlight. I also like to just line my eyes to give them a bit of impact. I use the Rimmel Glam Eye liquid liner, which I'm not a huuuuge fan of, I don't like the brush, it's very thin and the hairs go all over the place, but it leaves a lovely colour that only needs one coat. I then bring an eyeliner from the Jillian Dempsey range at Avon under my eye until around the middle of my eye, and blend this out. I love the contrast between white ice and dark eyes, so this look goes perfect. For extra impact, I add a couple more layers of my current favourite mascara and put a healthy coating on my bottom lashes too. 

Eyebrows

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown

MUA Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit

I've recently fallen out of love with my Rimmel pencil, I don't like the ginger tinge it often leaves - it makes it really difficult to wear some eyeshadows, anyone else find this the case? After asking loads of people for their favourite kit, this came up trumps and I really do rate it! I wish they did it in like, set of colours, like Dark Brown, Light Brown and Blonde, because I now have two shades that I can't do anything with. 

Although I don't love the pencil anymore, I like to get the shape with it, so then all I have to do is shade with the kit as I really don't like the brush they gave us (but I'm on the hunt for a new one!). They don't look cakey or anything which I'm glad about, and I'm really loving this definitely brown shade, not ginger!

Face

MaxFactor FaceFinity Foundation (review here)

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer 

MUA Powder in Shade 2

MUA Cream Blush in Yummy

Everyone knows how much I love this foundation, so I won't bore you! The primer I'm indifferent about. It's good, but nothing to scream about. Now I bought the cream blush yesterday. I'd never tried one before and had no idea what to expect. I found it quite difficult. I used my fingers because I thought it would be much easier to blend, but I think I used far too much at first because I was blending for ages! Then I couldn't quite get them even, I ran out of time and just had to leave them be :(. They don't look awful though, very natural. Of course, I set the look with the MUA powder as I've ran out of Rimmel Stay Matte! 

 What do you think to my look then? Find yourself doing/using anything similar? Let me know :)

Look at the icy cobweb by the way, how cute is that!

fourth leibster award, what?!?

Now, this is my fourth leibster award, so I won't bore you with most of it, but I'll certainly answer the questions for you!
I'm incredibly grateful to have received this award from Katie at itstimetobefearless, I don't want to seem rude in not doing the whole post, but I don't want my responses to become too repetitive or to bore my readers.

So, here's what Katie asked:

1. What is your dream job?
I find this one kind of difficult to answer. I've only just got to grips with where I want to go in life, and got unconditionally accepted onto a PR course at university. Until I actually start the course, my understandings of where it will take me are pretty little. Currently, I would love to work in beauty/fashion. I hope that makes sense haha!

2. Best three items you bought in 2012?
This is a difficult one! I think MaxFactor FaceFinity Foundation is my favourite foundation of 2012, Benefits Boi-ing concealer, even though I've not had it long it's been an absolute God send! Finally I think the Kate Moss Matte lipsticks are just incredible :). That one really was super difficult, I can hardly remember what I had for tea last night!

3. Favourite Film?
Hmmm, really difficult one, I have loads of favourites. Probably Rainman, Step Brothers, 500DOS, Anchorman... I can't choose :(

4. Best bargain you purchased recently?
Well, working in a charity shop has it's plus points! I got a £5 voucher at Christmas as a thank you, and the other week we got in quite a few unopened Estee Lauder products, so I got the Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, a lipgloss (that I'm not a huuuuge fan of), Pleasure perfume, Sumptuous Extreme mini mascara and two eyeshadows with my £5 voucher!

5. When you switch on your computer, what is the first thing you check on the internet?
Blogger haha! I love to see whether anyone has left me a comment, or if there's any posts from my favourite bloggers etc.

6. If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Chinese! Absolutely love it, I could eat it eeeeveryday!

7. You can have any animal as a pet, what would it be?
A cat! Any type of cat, I love them. A bear would be so cute, and some exotic birds. Assuming these pets wouldn't kill me anyway...

8. A band that you would love to see live?
I'm fairly lucky in that I've managed to see my favourite bands, but I would love to see Muse and Coldplay, but I've always missed out on the opportunity to do so :(

9. Do you think you'll stick to your new years resolutions this year?
I've already broken one, I didn't take my make up off last night, and I regret it SO much. Here are my resolutions!

10. Do you have a nickname?
Eeerrrm, yes and no. My parents/sister call me HB through text, but otherwise there's just Hayles, but no, not really!

11. What are you looking forward too most in 2011?
Starting university! Me and my boyfriend very briefly mentioned moving into a little student flat or something in my second year if we're both financially stable too, so more talks&actions about that would be exciting!


So there we have it, my fourth, and happily accepted, leibster award! :)
Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, you can't believe how much I appreciate it, I give my boyfriend earache saying "ooooh I'm nearly at 60 followers!" "Nearly at 4,000 pageviews!!".

I'm always interested in reading new blogs and getting to know bloggers as I don't actually have any 'blogging' friends :(. So do comment below, I'd looove to get to know you all :)
Take care everyone!

my week on instagram

I'm an instagram newbie I'm afraid, so these pictures aren't the best. That doesn't help that they were taken on my iPod haha!

Louis eating my cereal | Burning candles whilst watching a film | Cut my little toe :( | Pingu loves Louis, Louis not so much Pingu...

Louis has a poorly nose :( | Broken my toe! So swollen and bruised | Selfie - my eyebrows look ridiculously uneven! | Spoons with Louis

my 30 minutes origins facial experience

When doing a bit of sales shopping, I signed myself up for a free 30 minute facial at Origins. I was a bit nervous, I didn't want them to tell me that the products I'd bought were completely unsuited to my skin.

The facial couldn't have come at a worse time. My skin was playing up massively. I'd got a bit of dry skin on my chin, my forehead was dry and I'd got a few spots and a lot more under-skin blemishes than I usually have to put up with. I was pretty embarrassed to be showing someone with such flawless skin my mess, but then again, she was there to sort me out!

To say I was right in the middle of a busy department store and beside the likes of MAC and Liz Earle, I was made incredibly comfortable. She sat me on a chair and we discussed my current skin care routine. When I said I used an exfoliator about 4 times a week she almost cried and said that the absolute maximum should be 3 as I don't want to remove good oils. She then handed me a mirror and asked me what I'd like to change about my skin. My main problem was my oily nose, dry forehead and under-skin redness/blemishes.

She started out using an exfoliant for my skin and to remove and make up I was wearing then went ahead to use the 10 Minute Mask on my cheeks and the Charcoal Mask on my nose, forehead and chin. I felt an absolute idiot, but she made me feel comfortable by being chatty and interested in what I do. We even briefly discussed Benefit products and she used to work on their counter. Shortly she followed with the Balanced Diet tonic and lotion. We spoke about eye creams, and she didn't seem surprised when I said I hadn't used one, but she tried out their famous GinZing eye cream. I was slightly surprised at how thick it felt, very luxurious and she told me it's best quality was that I was very brightening as it reflects light, so is perfect to use in a morning under make up.

I asked if I could try their foundation as I'd never thought about their make up before and she seemed more than happy to apply it and apply a blush. This part was where I was very disappointed. She applied it with a pointed foundation brush which made the foundation look streaky and, to be honest, pretty awful. We discussed what colour blush I'd usually go for and said that seeing as she's the expert, she could choose for me. She applied a coral shade which, when on my skin, looked RIDICULOUS.

When it came to the end, she seemed really annoyed that I only decided to take samples of products. I thought it was pretty fair that I did? I'm not going to buy a full size product until I know that it will suit my skin, I don't want to pay £20 for a product to break me out.

With that, I left, feeling very clownish, walking through the shopping centre with my head low and embarrassed. As soon as I got on the tram I had to apply my own make up on top of it as I obviously had no wipes and couldn't cleanse etc.


So overall, the facial experience was brilliant! I now understand my skin more and know what kind of products I should be looking for, but the end of my time was a massive put off.

Have you tried this event? What did you think?

beauty wishlist

So Christmas and New Year have passed, it's my sisters 21st in a couple of weeks, and I'm left money-less and wanting more things than ever. Typical. So now I'm sat here with the face on compiling a list of my most wanted beauty products right now!


1. Benefit High Beam Highlighter
I am a complete highlighter virgin. I've never used one and since this is a product so many people rave about, I'm really wanting to try it out and see what kind of difference it makes to my face.
I looked at the different ones they had such as Sun Beam, but I think this one would be so much more suited to my skin, but like I said, I've noooo idea!


2. Nars Laguna Bronzing Powder
I don't think I need to say anything about this product. If you've not heard of it, I'll assume you've been living under a rock! Contouring my face is an everyday thing for me, but my bronzer at the moment is just too shimmery. This is perfect - apart from the price! But I've been told it lasts a verrrry long time. Worth it?


3. Clinique Chubby Stick Intense 
I'm SO desperate for this. I've seen people say that Revlon is a good dupe, but lately I've had the mentality that rather than spending a little money on a lot of products, spend a lot on a little. I definitely think spending more pays off and I've got my heart set on this. For £16, I don't think it's too expensive. The shade I'd love to try is 06 Roomiest Rose. I think it's a lovely shade, not too in your face and I think it would look quite natural. I want this so baaaaad :(


4. Kate Spade Supercalifragilipstick 
I've noticed this in the Space NK sale for just £10! Unfortunately, it's out of stock in the shade that I am absolutely loving. It's called Popart Pink and is a lovely coral-pink shade. I don't have a colour like it in my make up case and I would love to pop this cute bullet in there.


5. Escentric Molecules - Molecule 01
This was at the top of my Christmas list, with many asterisks next to it and unfortunately I didn't get it. Super sad. Alas, it remains on my wishlist, the beauty secret, Molecule 01 and I'm still to try it. I would love to see whether the reactions I've read happen to me!

estee lauder gentle eye makeup remover

I've never really used eye makeup remover before, but when the Estee Lauder one came in at work, I snapped it straight up.

First of all, I'm not 100% sure if I love the packaging, it looks too plasticy haha, not like their others such as foundation that's a very classy, opaque bottle. But never mind, it's not the bottle that's doing the job!

There's not really a scent, it just smells a lot like water which I really like. If there was a scent I'd probably end up assuming it was going to sting or be bad for my eyes - not good. But the lack of scent makes it seem very pure and simple.

I think I tipped the bottle four times onto a cotton wool pad, which was more than enough. It removes make up quickly and effortlessly with no sensitivity, redness or stinging when it goes in my eye! What's better, there was not even a hint of a panda eye the next morning.


I don't think I'd ever repurchase this product unless it came into work again, it's so expensive and I'm sure I could find other eye makeup removers for a fraction of the price. But for now, I'm going to bask in this luxury product haha!

benefits hello flawless oxygen wow foundation and boi-ing concealer

Top swatch is Hello Flawless foundation
Bottom swatches are Boi-ing concealer

As you can see in this post, I got these two items in the How To Look The Best At Everything flawless complexion kit, and I'm really disappointed by one of the products.


I received Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in shade "Cheers to me!" Champagne. I am sooooo disappointed in this, it genuinely saddens me haha. I had such high expectation for this but it really isn't what I expected.

For starters, the kit I got was aimed at light skin. I don't have ridiculously pale skin but the is so, so dark for me, it looked ridiculous. Maybe if the shade was better I would have enjoyed it more? Obviously, they can't cater for EVERYONES skin colour, that would be impossible, but this is crazy dark.
Another downside is how greasy it made my skin look. Although this is apparently an oil free foundation, my face looked so shiny and disgusting I felt the need to apply a decent amount of powder to cover it up, but I didn't, I waited to see if the oilyness would die down or something. I left the house still feeling pretty disappointed by how I looked, but I wanted to test it and give it a chance, maybe it would be better in a lighter shade. It did NOT get better. I checked my face a couple of hours later and loooord it looked AWFUL. Next to my nose, under my eye it had dried and was flaking it was horrific. Foundation has never done this to me, I don't suffer from dry skin too much, but I especially don't there. I was ashamed it was just horrific.
I decided to give it another chance a couple of days later, but I wanted to try applying it with a brush. Alas, I was left with the same, awful results. Ridiculously disappointed.

Have any of you guys tried this? What did you think?


NOW, the Boi-ing concealer is just out of this woooorld. I've tried so many concealers and never been 100% happy with them. They always look cakey, even the highly praised Collection 2000 concealer. Luckily, I never really have to wear it too often, but I do like to put a bit under my eye to brighten it up.
With my disappointment of most other concealers, I wasn't expecting too much from this but as soon as I applied the lightest shade to my under eye I was incredibly surprised! It applied like a dream. I used my finger as I like to warm up concealer to help blend it and it just looked flawless. Of course, shade one was a little too light, but after I blended the two shades given it was perfect. I really couldn't praise this concealer more.


So, two VERY different reviews! I have a "beauty lesson" at Benefit in a couple of weeks, let's see what they choose when I ask them to help me create a flawless, dewy face!
What are your views on these products? I'd love to hear :)

Also! I'm looking for someone to illustrate a picture of me for my blog header, would anyone be so kind as to do it or even recommend someone?!

origins zero oil pore purifying toner

Toner Benefits:

• Pores appear tightened and refined
• Promotes a matte appearance
• Leaves skin comfortable and refreshed

Well done, Origins. Once again, you've done exactly what you've said. 

Zero Oil retails at £17 and is so worth it.

I use this product prior to putting my make up on and you can see the effects lasting all day long. I suffer from big pores on my nose that within an hour of applying make up, my nose gets oily. The rest of my skin is fairly normal with occasional dry parts especially on my forehead. It's really difficult to find products that compliment both of my skin problems rather than making one worse. Using this really helped and I found my nose didn't really get oily at all. Super!

I was a bit nervous about this, I thought it may be a bit stripping or it would sting like other pore refiners I have used. But I was so wrong. I put a small amount of this on a cotton wool pad and the first thing that hits you is the fresh, minty scent. It's very cool when wiping it across your skin, but more refreshing that uncomfortable. It was really nice to apply actually, I didn't want to stop wiping my face haha! Like I said, very refreshing, cooling and clean. It kept my oily nose at bay all evening, I'd say about 4-5 hours. The rest of my face still felt very hydrating and nice. Before I applied this, I noticed I had a couple of irritating spots, but this morning, I did notice there was less redness on them and not so noticeable! 

Another thing I love about Origins products is the design. They look so nice, and will look even better once I've got all my skincare organised. Hopefully this will last me a long time! I will definitely be repurchasing, unless I come across something else that works even better.

benefit 'how to look the best at everything' and POREfessional review

This holy bible like flawless complexion kit contains some of Benefit's most popular, cult products such as POREfessional and Hello Flawless foundation. The kit also contains the boi-ing concealer which comes in two shades, and the Hello Flawless powder. I picked up the 'light' shade, it also comes in medium and deep. I'm planning on doing a full review on the foundation and the concealer, so for now I'll tell you my views on POREfessional.

POREfessional is a balm which aims to reduce the look of your pores. It comes out a slightly beige colour. As soon as you apply this, it feels so velvety and smooth, it really does feel amazing. I was really disappointed about it though. For me, my pores looked exactly the same, no reduction, no cover up, no nothing. I do think this is really good as a primer though. It creates a smooth, even base for your foundation to go over. I don't use a moisturiser when I'm using this, I'll just use a toner and then apply this. I find it's already quite hydrating, if I had moisturiser, then this, then foundation I don't think it'd stick as well, if that makes sense! I feel it'd be difficult for the foundation to settle.

Back to the kit! The samples are quite small, but for £24.50, what can you expect? I love the size of the concealer though and the fact you can take them out and pop them in your bag is a plus. I do wish you could take the powder out though, or even that it had a lid on it. All you get is a plastic cover that isn't stuck to the box so it slides out all the time, but with the tips and tricks "book" on the top, sometimes the page opens and it gets the powder which is annoying. The tips and tricks book is great though, especially for people just starting out doing makeup seriously. You can open both sides to reveal a mirror and there's 5 pieces of advice. I absolutely love that, I think it's such a good addition to it.

Overall I'm completely impressed with this product. Find a link to it here and have a look for yourself!

clarins beauty flash balm

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm is one of their most popular products. I know of many beauty bloggers who absolutely rave about this product, but then I know of people that can't find many words to say about it. I'm kind of in between.
This claims to brighten, moisturise, smooth the skins surface, restore a youthful glow and much more. I think it over-exceeded it's own expectations. It's very good at moisturising and smoothing, it gives a slight glow, but not too much. I think it's main property that it doesn't claim to do, but I think is very good at, is making my make up last all day. I guess it seems more like a primer than anything else.

I really enjoy the consistency, it's quite thick which is nice, it smells lovely. It retails at £28 which is absolutely craaaazy, I would never, ever purchase it. I managed to get this in their radiance kit, I received four travel sized products for £15.

I'm just not overly impressed. It's great at keeping make up on, but in no way is it worth £28. I'm sure one day I'll come across another primer that does the same job for half the price. I'd probably rate it 5/10, but it really is a product you need to try yourself.
So I'm sorry for not doing a particularly positive review!

Take care everyone!

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origins modern friction and clear improvement charcoal mask

I wanted to spend my day relaxing, sorting out my Christmas presents and taking care of my skin, so I thought it would be a brilliant opportunity to try out two of my samples from Origins: Modern Friction and Clear Improvement.

I'd heard so much about the Charcoal Mask, but I never bought it. I always get a little scared when it comes to masks, I don't know how my skin may react or if it will even work, so I jumped at the chance to get a sample of it. When I was looking at it though, the woman running the stand explained to me how much better this may work if I used Modern Friction too. She said it's an exfoliater/scrub that you use before a mask, it helps remove dead skin and let your mask access areas it otherwise would have been able too. I was impressed, so she got me a sample of that too.


As told to do, I applied Modern Friction onto a dry face and gave it a little scrub then added a little water and worked it up into a lather. It felt ridiculously nice. Since it has rice in it, it was very exfoliating, but still very gentle. It didn't smell gorgeous, but it wasn't offensive either but that hardly matters too much. The result was impressive! I didn't expect too much, but my skin looked much clearer and my skin look quite radiant, I would have been happy using just that. I was so excited to use my mask though. I wasn't too sure how much to use to be honest, so I initially applied a single layer and decided to build up where I felt my skin was most problematic. It was very pliable, I thought it might be a bit difficult to spread but it was nice. As soon as it touched my skin, it felt cool, tingly, but not uncomfortable. It really felt like it was doing me good! I was recommended to wash it off once it was dried, so after 10-15 minutes, it was time. The mask had slightly tightened on my skin and felt very smooth and quite nice to touch, I wasn't too sure how to wash it off, I just didn't think it would come off! But as soon as I added warm water it instantly turned thin and quite lotion-y, very moisturising, I was so surprised, it just felt lovely.
My skin definitely looks clearer, clean and fresh. I've followed it with Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (Review soon!) to ensure it doesn't dry up at all.

Here's me looking absolute fetch in my hair band, charcoal mask and onsie! Ignore my brows please, I couldn't be more ashamed :(

my new year beauty resolutions

I never, ever do New Year resolutions, I'm so awful, I never stick to them (well, who does?).
I think it's time I started to stick to a proper routine and learn things I wouldn't try/think I was able to do. So have a look at my resolutions!


1. Take my make-up off at night.
I can be incredibly naughty, more often than not! I'm just sooooo lazy and I always think "my skin will be fine in the morning, I'll only be putting it back on" but lately I've been getting a couple of spots and I can't believe just how important it is to take my make up off and let my skin breathe whenever I have the chance.


2. Don't skimp on skincare.
I'm already well on my way to completing this resolution. I recently forked out a fair bit on Origins skincare products. I've never heard a bad thing about this company, so I've put my trust in them!
I usually just get Simple products, and it's usually just the same things, but I use so much of it and spend a mediocre amount that it would probably be more worthwhile to use better products that last a bit longer? I dunno, I'm just hoping that it does it's job - I've not been let down so far!

3. Try new make up looks.
I really want to give new make up a go. I find some eyeshadows I can't even go near, because for some reason, it just looks ridiculous with my eyebrows. WHY?! Please someone answer that for me.
A big look I want to try is dewy skin. I love the look, but I always tend to apply a fair amount of powder to try and cover up any nasty parts, so I just can't seem to get it. It's my Benefit make up session in a few weeks, so this will be a look I'll be asking for help with! This leads me nicely onto my next point

4. Get my foundation colour matched.
I always assume and go for the lightest shade of foundation because I think that is what I am, and I find it difficult to get used to anything else, but whenever I've gone to make up stands and a assistant has guided me to a product, they usually go for one that's a bit darker than I'd go for, then I'd panic and get a lighter shade. I HAVE to stop doing this! They're the experts, not me, I'm going to have to trust them and for once, look different.

5. Give my nails a break.
I admit it, I very often bite/peel my nail varnish off. How awful is that?! As a result, my nails are thin, brittle and have started peeling from the middle the to tip of my nail, if that makes sense? It's such a bad habit, I end up doing it when I get nervous. I think it's time I paid a little bit more attention to those, got some decent care for them and kicked the habit.



What are your resolutions? Feel free to shout at me for any of my bad habits, it'll definitely give me a kick in the right direction!