My Favourite Long Lasting Foundations (Mainly Drugstore)

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to speak to you about a few foundations I've been loving lately. As someone with oily/combination skin, I'm constantly on the hunt for a long-lasting foundation. I'm really not one for touching up my make up so for me it's essential and anything that can last well on my oily nose goes down very well for me. I've tried a lot of foundations, both high end (such as EL Doublewear, MAC Studio Fix) and drugstore. I'd given up a lot of hope on ever finding any but this year, so many amazing foundations were released and now, I struggle to choose a favourite. The best part is, almost all of them are drugstore and I can honestly say I find the quality and lasting power is 10x better than any high end foundation I've used.

Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation £9.99 - I was pretty aprhensive about this foundation as the only similar foundation I've used was the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, which didn't work out too well. But this foundation is so lovely. The texture is really unique, but it makes it blend so effortlessly into the skin. It provides a medium matte coverage which can be built up but remains looking pretty natural and not at all cakey on the skin at all. You also don't need to use a lot of it because of it's blend-ability and it lasts about 6-7 hours on my skin without powdering. If you've been scared to try it, I would definitely suggest giving it a go. 

& Other Stories All Day Perfecting Foundation £15 - This foundation is a really nice, long lasting option for those of you who prefer more of a satin/dewy finish. Of the four I have to say this is probably the only one I wouldn't repurchase as it is a lot more expensive and isn't quite the finish I like the best. However, it's got a really good medium coverage with a wear time of around 6 hours and definitely my favourite of the high ends foundations I've tried.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation £4.80 - I absolutely adore this stuff. This is one of my all time favourite everyday foundations now alongside the last offering. It lasts amazingly well, we're talking around 8-9 hours without repowdering and is such a beautiful finish. It's more of a light matte finish but looks pretty natural, just like your skin but perfected. It's not avaliable in the UK but you can order it on ebay (for 3x the price, annoyingly). I'm definitely going to be picking up a few if I ever go back to America!

Barry M Flawless Matte Finish Oil-Free Foundation £5.99 - This is an equally amazing foundation that I really didn't expect to love as much as I do. I'd also definitely repurchase this foundation, I use it really regularly as I know I can rely on it to last me all day. The weartime is also around 8-9 hours on my skin and applies really evenly and easily. It offers a good medium, buildable coverage that remains natural on the skin.

So the two cheapest foundations are my favourite, who would have guessed! I'd definitely advice trying these before forking out double or triple the price for something that in my experience doesn't work or last nowhere near as well. I hope this helped some of you struggling to find something that works and those of you on a budget! Just for reference, I tend to use Benefit Porefessional or MAC Refined Zone Primer under them. Please let me know any posts you'd like to see :)

Big Boots/Online Haul!

Hi everyone! So I hadn't been shopping in quite a while which led to me going a bit crazy for some products I'd had my eye on as well as well as a few things I really didn't need. I'll start with all the things from Boots, beginning with the face products.

Loreal Lumi Magique Primer (£9.99) - I really love to use a radiance primer for all the normal areas of skin (everywhere but my nose) to brighten my face and even out redness and after hearing good things about this I thought I'd give it a go. It was quite expensive for a smallish amount but I do really like it. It leaves my skin looking glowy but not shiny and is quite a good dupe in terms of effect for the Laura Mercier Radiance Primer.

Smashbox Primer Try Me Kit (£19) - I'd had my eye on this kit for a while as Smashbox has always been a brand that's interested me and I hadn't tried anything from them before. It includes three mini's of their photo finish oil-free primer, their lid primer and their undereye primer. I haven't used them long enough to give a real opinion but i'm excited to try them out.

Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation (RRP £9.99) - I hadn't heard anything about this on any blogs at all but after looking at it's unique texture I really wanted to give it a go. Straight off this stuff is amazing! I've used it most days since owning it and cannot get enough. I'm happy to do a full review if people are interested as it's quickly become a favourite of mine. I don't remember the exact price as I got this on offer in Boots but it's definitely under £9.99 and worth every penny.

17 On The Spot Foundation (£6.99) - Although I don't actually suffer from spots I thought I'd give this a go as the name suggests it would probably be good for the oily patches of skin I have. I've used this a few times and I'd say it's a really nice everyday foundation which lasts pretty well but it doesn't quite beat the Max Factor for me.

Bourjois Bronzing Primer £9.99 - This was definitely a total blogger influenced purchase. I've used it a couple of times now and although I like it I have to say, I don't love it. It's not that it's not a good product but I personally find it a lot more effort to use cream products than I do powder contours. I will continue to use it but so far I may be a bit too lazy to incorporate it into my everyday routine!

Bourjois 24 Hour Cream Eyeshadow in Gold (£6.99) - I'd seen a lot about these on blogs and was really torn between which colour to choose but in the end I went with this one. Again, I'm not sure if i'm totally sold on this yet. It's a nice product but I find it takes a lot of building up to get the colour to show which is either the product or just the shade I chose.. Please let me know if this is the case!

Collection Black Velvet Eyeshadow (£2.19) - I really wanted a nice matte black to use for doing a smokey eye and this one is really great. It's super pigmented and applies really nicely. 

Rimmel ScandalEyes Flex Mascara - I got this as a freebie for buying other Rimmel products and I'm not that impressed with it.. It's a pretty average mascara but it's not really the kind of brush or formula I usually go for so I wouldn't go out and purchase it.

Maybelline Brow Drama (£4.49) - I'm not overly impressed with this at all. Although it does a nice job of setting my brows this is in no way the quick fix to great brows. The colour pay off is pretty much non existant so i've been using it as a finishing set which it's worked much better for. I'm just disappointed that it doesn't have more of a pigment to it.

Revlon Super Lusterous Lipsticks in Kiss Me Coral and Berry Couture (£7.49) - Revlon Lipsticks have an amazing texture and finish to them and definitely rival Rimmel as my favourite drugstore lipstick brand. The colours are pretty self explanatory with Kiss Me Coral being a nice peachy coral nude shade and Berry Couture being more of a purpley pink shade perfect for Autumn.

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks in Glam Plum Fulham & Lets Get Naked (£6.29) - I saw Glam Plum on Vivianna's blog as a dupe for Rebel from MAC which I've always wanted so thought I'd give it's cheaper alternative a go and I love it! I haven't tried Lets Get Naked yet which is more of a nude but these are seriously moisturizing and pigmented and i'll definitely look into getting more when I've used up some more lipsticks. 

Revlon Lipgloss in Adorned (£7.99) - I spotted this shade from Revlon's new fall collection and it is so, so beautiful. My camera didn't pick it up but it's a really bright pink similar to MAC Girl About Town and it is so, so pigmented. The most pigmented lipgloss I have ever come across in fact. It's got some shimmer running through it but doesn't feel chunky or uncomfortable at all on the lips, it's stunning.

Barry M Nail Paints (£3.99) - These don't have names but I spotted them both as limited edition shades and had to have them. I adore Barry M Nail Paints generally and knew they wouldn't disappoint. I haven't used the multi-coloured one but the silver has become my new favourite glitter EVER so I will definitely be stocking up! I'll post a photo at some point but it's an amazing multicoloured holographic effect when the light hits it that I cannot get enough of. It also lasted 5/6 days on my nails without chips. Love! 

Rimmel Lets Get Naked, Rimmel Glam Plum Fulham, Revlon Kiss Me Coral, Revlon Berry Couture, Revlon Adorned Lipgloss

Onto the couple of other things I got, I ended up purchasing the Make Up Forever HD Foundation (£30.95) and the infamous Ben Nye Banana Powder (£7.50) from a site called Guru Make Up - both of which have been on my wishlist for the longest time. I haven't really had much of a chance to properly test out the MUFE but the Ben Nye is a really lovely setting powder for the undereyes. The one criticism which is more my fault is the colour is very yellow so you do have to be careful to apply lightly if you are very fair.

Please let me know if you'd like to see a full review of any of these products as I'm happy to do them!

Mini Life Update & Current Favourites!

Hi everyone! Thought I would do a quick post on an update of what's being going on and why I haven't been posting as regularly as of late. In a nutshell, it's been a very hectic few weeks consisting mainly of working a lot. As some of you may know my actual job is at Space NK part time but I also work at a festival in Surrey called Redfest over the summer doing interviewing which took up a lot of time to prepare for and then work a lot whilst I was there. It was a really exciting weekend consisting mainly of making some new friends, partying in the pit watching Bastille and meeting some of my favourite artists and was such an amazing time which gave me serious post festival blues! In other exciting news I also found out the other day that I'll be doing an internship at Harpers Bazaar's beauty department next Summer which I am so, so excited for as it's pretty much my dream to work at a magazine as a beauty writer one day. So just thought I should offer a slight explanation of why i've been so terrible with updating my blog lately and hope you all understand! I'm now back to blogging as much as I can whilst finishing my last year at uni and glad to finally be back :)

I thought since it had been such a break, I would talk about some of my current favourites.

 Illamasqua Blush in Tremble (£18) - I got this a while ago when Illamasqua did a flash sale of all the products for 50% off totally on a whim and it's quickly become one of my all time favourite blushes. It's the perfect matte corally pink shade that I find so flattering in any season providing the perfect flush to the cheeks. The quality is amazing too, it's extremely pigmented so I barely need any, lasts a really long time on the cheeks and weirdly smells incredible! 

MAC Blush in Harmony (£18) - I love this as a great multi purpose product as I use it as a contour and a blush. It's a really nice shade, not too warm or cool and a nice mid tone brown so works nicely to provide a matte shadow in the contours or used lightly as a blush if I have a heavy eye look or bold lip on.

Topshop Eyeshadow Trio in Orion (£14) - Other than my MAC palette which I obviously put together myself it's safe to say that this is my all time favourite eye palette. I cannot fault these shadows at all, they are perfect shimmery shades and amazing quality too. There's a deep purple/aubergiene colour, a cross between a golden silvery shade and a light champagne which allow for so many different but beautiful looks. They are so pigmented and wearable and I can see me reaching for this even more in Autumn/Winter. 

Hydraluron (£24.99) - I have to admit that I totally gave into the hype with this one! I put off buying it for the longest time due to the slightly high end price tag but decided to cave when Boots recently had it for a third off and I'm so glad I did. This stuff is definitely my new addiction, it leaves my skin feeling so soft and hydrated the next day and has really helped balance out my skin's condition also. Love!

YSL Babydoll Mascara (£24.50) - Another blogger influenced purchase! I've been lusting over YSL mascara's for as long as I can remember as I've not really tried many high end mascara's and theirs have always looked amazing on other people so I decided to bite the bullet and try it out. This is definitely one of my favourites, it adds so much length and volume whilst holding a curl pretty well in my abnormally straight lashes.

Loreal Super Liner Perfect Slim (£6.99) - I'd spent so many years avoiding ever wearing liquid liner due to my terrible technique but when a lovely rep from By Terry came into store and taught me exactly how to do it I was determined to practice and master it, even if it took me years! I've been wearing it everyday and finding that this one being a pen has really helped me to get it quite even. I'm by no means perfect but i've really enjoyed the challenge and this liner a lot.

Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil in Brownie Points (£10) - I'm always on the hunt for products that give me the perfect natural yet thick brow look and I've been so impressed with this. It has a felt tip pen on one end and a waxy pencil on the other which may sound a bit scary but it does such an amazing job. I especially love the pen end as it doesn't come out a really dark, unflattering colour but more of a lightish buildable cool toned brown that helps imitate hairs where needed and draw a precise outline of the shape I need my brows to be. I then take the other end or my Hourglass Brow Sculptor and just feel in any sparse areas and I feel like my brows are better than they've ever been, it's amazing!

Please let me know what your favourites have been, I feel I'm so behind on beauty products lately and would love to hear what you've all been loving!

An apology!

Hi everyone, just wanted to apologise for the total lack of posts lately! My laptop has completely broken and is currently being repaired so ATM I have no way of uploading any photos or properly writing a full post :( I'm away on holiday tomorrow for a week but when I'm back my laptop should be fixed and normal posts will resume! Hope you're all well, thank you for sticking with me! :)

Space NK Haul!

Hi everyone, hope you're all well! Today I thought I'd share a little Space NK haul with you all, including my first impressions of the products. As some of you may know if you follow me on Twitter, I was offered a job at Space NK a few weeks ago which was amazing as it's one of my favourite shops. However, since working there and being able to try a lot of the products I now have a list as long as my arm of things I'd love! Other than doing something I really love talking about beauty and doing people's make up, I'm also lucky enough to get a great discount of 30% on most brands and 50% on Space NK's own brands. With that in mind, I did get a few bits I didn't really need but that have been on my wishlist for quite a while!

So the first thing that had been on my wishlist for the longest time was the By Terry Touche Veloutee Concealer. I remember seeing this on blogs so long ago and I've always been so intrigued by it! Known for amazing coverage over dark circles I can definitely agree it does just that. I'm not totally convinced it's worth the £35 price tag as I have cheaper concealers that do an equally good job but it's definitely a great concealer if you struggle to find something that brightens and covers undereyes without too much creasing.

Next I picked up the NARS Single Eyeshadow in Himalayas (£18). This colour is so so pretty, the camera does not pick it up well enough at all! Although it looks a straight up white, it's actually a white/pink duochrome with a shimmer finish. You do have to layer it on a bit to get the full effect but it's a gorgeous colour nonetheless and one I've reached for a lot.

Another NARS eyeshadow I picked up was the cream eyeshadow in Savage (£18). This is only product I'm a little disappointed with. Although it's a nice colour, it appeared so much more bronze to me than it actually is. It's actually more of a flat brown with a slight bronze undertone on me so wasn't exactly what I was looking for! The quality is extremely good though, just not what I expected!

Finally are my two favourite things from this haul, two lipstick from Lipstick Queen's Endless Summer collection (£18 each). I didn't actually hear about these until I started work but one day I showed up without lipstick on and tried Perfect Wave (left) and instantly fell in love with the colour and the finish. These are both from Lipstick Queen, a brand I had never tried but I am so impressed with both. They are a sheer, moisturizing finish but still pretty pigmented and buildable. Perfect Wave (left) is a beautiful coral toned pink and Stoked (right) is more of a reddish coral shade. Both are comfortable to wear and not at all drying. They do not reapplying throughout the day but I never see this as a problem as the colours are so worth it! 

L - R Nars Savage Eyeshadow (top), Perfect Wave, Stoked, Nars Himalayas, By Terry Concealer in 1

So that's everything I've bought for now, not too bad for a list that's got around 20 products on it! All the prices listed are the original prices as I thought that would be more helpful to you guys, please let me know if you've tried any of these products for yourself or what's on your Space NK wishlist! :)

June Favourites

Hi everyone! I thought this month I would do something a little different for my blog and post a monthly favourites. I don't tend to do these as regularly as I don't seem to have stand out products every single month but this month in particular I have noticed a few products that I've used over and over that I wanted to share with you all.

L-R MAC Syrup, BECCA Luminous Skin Tint, Topshop Orion Trio, & Other Stories Foundation in 2, MAC Royal Sunset.

Starting with make up the first thing I have been loving this month is this Topshop Eyeshadow Trio in Orion. I hadn't actually heard anyone mention this before I bought it but whilst doing some online shopping a while ago I spotted it and knew it had to be mine. It has three very pigmented, metallic shades including a champagne, a golden taupe and a deep cranberry toned purple which are my favourite kinds of shades to wear and I've worn it pretty consistently all month. 

Next is my favourite blush of the month, MAC Royal Sunset from the All About Orange collection. I may have to do a full review of this as I think it may have beaten the now discontinued MAC Coygirl to the favourite blush spot. I've literally worn it every day since I got it and I'm in love with it! 

Lipstick wise I've loved MAC Syrup, a nice mauvy toned neutral. This is definitely my favourite everyday lipstick and better still I didn't pay for it as I got it through back to MAC. It's a lustre finish so it's very light and sheer on the lips, perfect for summer.

For my base, I've really enjoyed using the BECCA Luminous Skin Tint in Porcelain (SPF 25+) on my days off as an extremely light, sheer foundation just to even out my skin tone. It's such a beautiful luminous finish without making me oily and is pretty much undetectable on the skin due to how sheer it is but I love it. On longer days such as ones where I'm working, I've enjoyed using the & Other Stories All Day Perfecting Foundation (SPF 15). I've not heard anything about this either and picked it up on a complete whim but it's amazing! It lasts far longer than any other foundation has on my skin whilst looking pretty natural and not overly matte. I've also loved my Benefit Porefessional as always for keeping my make up looking fresh for longer, a full review can be found here.

Finally for makeup, Lo'real Voluminous Mascara has been great for holding a curl in my lashes. I have naturally very long but completely straight lashes so anything that slightly curls them goes down very well with me!

L - R TRESemme Divine Definition Spray, The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream, Bumble and Bumble Bb Texture Creme, Topshop AWOL, Stella Summer Rose.

Non make up wise I have been loving wavy, beachy hair and for this the combination of the TRESemme Divine Definition Spray and the Bumble & Bumble Bb Texture Creme have been amazing. I firstly use the Bumble and Bumble when my hair is wet by scrunching it into the ends of my hair then use the spray after my hair is styled to make my hair more voluminous and a bit messier and find it works really well to make my hair a little more wavy than it naturally would be. 

In terms of my nails I haven't been able to take Topshop AWOL off them! This colour is so amazing and alongside my all time favourite Celestial I've never had so many compliments on my nail colour. It's an amazing bright cobalt blue and the finish of Topshop polishes are always super shiny and long lasting.

For perfume I've been using my Stella Summer Rose perfume all month. As the name suggests it's a beautiful floral scent that I find so pretty on any summer occasion, plus I adore the bottle.

Finally to help keep my skin matte all day I've used The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream. This stuff is amazing, I've never found a moisturizer that leaves my skin less oily. Unfortunately, the ingredients aren't the most amazing with a few parabens lurking around and the lack of SPF means you do need to add one before or after but for the purpose of mattifying, I cannot fault it.

In terms of a couple of random favourites, I've rekindled my love for The OC. I was once obsessed with this show (and Seth Cohen) and rewatching the series has definitely reignited my love for the programme (and Seth Cohen again). Music wise I'd definitely recommend checking out OneRepublic and Kodaline's new albums as they are both incredible bands and I cannot stop obsessing over either!

Sorry for the incredibly long post everyone, please let me know what your favourites were this month too! Hope you all had a good June! :)

Benefit Porefessional - A Continued Repurchase

Whilst rummaging through my collection having a think about what post I wanted to do next I realised that in the 9 months I've been writing my blog I had completely skipped over one of my holy grail items, Benefit's Porefessional Primer. I have to say, in my makeup collection there isn't many items I've repurchased. Some because they will last me forever, some because I didn't like them. This however, is one of the few products I've not only repurchased but bought again three times.

So what makes it so good? For me it's that this product does exactly what I wanted it to, it mattifies, prolongs my makeup AND minimizes the appearance of my pores without feeling the thick or heavy feeling some primers can give on the skin. I must firstly point out that because my skin is pretty normal all over, I only use this product where I get oily which for me is just on my nose and then I either leave the rest of my skin or use something more brightening like the Laura Mercier Radiance Primer. After applying this I usually let it sink in for a few seconds and then instantly notice my pores appear smaller, so much so that when I've forgotten to use it on the odd occasion it's been immediately obvious to me! I use it every single day and always notice my make up sitting a lot nicer on that oily patch of skin and how much longer my foundation stay on.

All in all I'm certain I will always have this in my collection. I've never found a primer as good and as effective on oily patches and although it's expensive at £24.50 for 22ml I will never be without it, it is definitely one of my top five favourite makeup products of all time!

Have you tried this? What's your favourite primer? :) 

MAC Eyeshadow Collection!

Hi everyone! Hope you're all well. Today I wanted to do a post that's been requested a couple of times, what's in my MAC palette. My love for MAC eyeshadows started around three years ago and from there I've collected enough of these little beauties to finally fill up one of their fifteen eyeshadow palettes. I'll start by saying almost all my shades are neutral. I'm not too crazy experimental when it comes to eyeshadows, though you will see a like the odd purplely tone now and again! Onto the shades :)

From L - R by row: Orb, All That Glitters, Malt, Brule, Ricepaper, Era, Shale, Satin Taupe, Soba.

From L - R by row: Sable, Cranberry, Omega, Charcoal Brown, Tempting, Sumptuous Olive.

I organise the shadows roughly by putting pinker tones on the top row, yellower tones on the middle and then any other colours on the bottom row.

Orb (Satin) - This colour is a very light pinky beige that I love to use all over the lid.

All That Glitters - To me, this is more of a pinky gold champagne shade thatsuits everyone.

Malt (Matte) - This is another pinky beige that I love for in the crease

Brule (Satin) - Another great all over base colour but more of a white than Orb.

Ricepaper (Frost) - One of the first shadows I got! A pretty yellowish gold.

Era (Satin) - A light beige with shimmer (slight theme going here...)

Shale (Satin) - This is a pretty mauve grey that I love for a purple smokey eye.

Satin Taupe (Frost) - This and shale are the perfect match but this colour goes with everything.

Soba (Satin) - A goldy brown with fine shimmer.

Sable (Frost) - A plummy bronze, I use this a lot.

Cranberry (Frost) - The craziest shade in my palette but I love this for dramatic eyes! A reddish purple.

Omega (Matte) - I love this in the crease as a light contour but also through the brows paired with the next shade as it's a nice light brown.

Charcoal Brown (Matte) - Again, a great matte brown crease colour and brow shade.

Tempting (Lustre) - A great true bronze.

Sumptuous Olive - A beautiful golden green colour.

I can't go too much into the finishes as I know nothing about them but it's clear looking at this that I love Satin's, Frosts and Matte's! I do like something not overly shimmery usually with matte shades in the crease so too me it makes a lot of sense to have so many! If I had to pick out four must have shades I'd have to go with All That Glitters (my all time FAVOURITE eyeshadow), Malt (great for the crease), Sable (my favourite deeper shade) and Shale (great for the pop of colour). That's all the shades I own - I would love to hear what your favourite shades are too! :)

L - R: All That Glitters, Malt, Sable, Cranberry, Brule, Ricepaper, Era, Omega, Charcoal Brown.

L - R Sumptuous Olive, Tempting, Soba, Satin Taupe, Shale.

The move to Bloglovin'

Hi everyone! Bit of a generic post before my proper post later today. I just wanted to direct you all to my Bloglovin page as apparently GFC is also going next month! I'm still missing around 80 of you but would love for you all to follow me on there too :)

My page is: http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4300617/the-beauty-visual

Thanks everyone, expect to see my post on my MAC palette later today! x

Safe SPF'S

Hi everyone! Hope you're all well. As usual, I'm doing an introduction a little off topic but just wanted to thank you all so much. I hit 250 followers the other day and was over the moon to hit a whole new milestone and really appreciate you all sticking with me despite the lack of posts the last couple of weeks. I recently started a new job at Space NK which has been amazing, I sort of accidentally fell into it after getting chatting to the manager but I couldn't be happier to be working part time in a job I actually enjoy around so many amazing products doing what I love (but my bank balance does not..). Onto the post, I wanted to speak about something in beauty that's often overlooked but is so important all year round but particularly in the warmer weather, SPF's.

This Works In Transit Skin Defence (SPF 30) & Bioderma Photoderm AKN Mat (SPF 30)

Now, if you've read my blog for a while you'll know that whilst my skin isn't terrible I do definitely suffer with an oilier nose which is less than attractive, especially when you're in the sunshine all day. For a while now I'd been on the hunt for a lightweight, non-greasy SPF and have actually found two that work amazingly. I'll start by saying, there is no winner here as it really does depend on preference. 

First of all, it's worth noting that both these products have the same SPF of 30 and both contain 40ml of product. This aside, I would say they are two completely different products. The first thing I noticed with the This Works In Transit Skin Defence was the packaging. I for one love the pump as it disperses the first amount of product and stops it from getting so messy. In terms of consistancy, this one is a lot thinner than the Bioderma which means I mainly reach for this one on days where my skin is a little more oily as I can apply this, then a mattifying moisturizer and it won't make my skin anymore greasy or oily than it would be without it. In terms of scent, it is an extremely light smell which is slightly like normal suncream, slightly herbally. For someone who hates herbal scents I can honestly say, it's barely noticeable and isn't a problem at all on my sensitive skin. I don't know a lot about ingredients but I do know this product doesn't contain a lot of nasties - no parabens, no SLS and no mineral oil in sight which is always a plus though it does contain one silicone but I didn't find this a problem at all.

Onto the Bioderma offering you see the packaging is a pretty much the same as any other suncream with a tube dispenser (not that this put me off at all!). Now, the main reason I find this and the This Works to be so different is predominately down to the consistancy as the bioderma is thicker with far more of a suncream type texture. However, before you let that put you off completely it dries completely matte and leaves no greasy residue whatsoever. I was definitely scared when I first applied this and it didn't feel as smooth to spread around as the This Works but I love this for when my skin is a little more normal as it acts as my moisturizer and sunscreen in one due to the consistancy. I also love the smell of suncream anyway so that definitely doesn't put me off! Finally, like the This Works this doesn't contain any nasties and both have 'parfum' as one of the final ingredients listed so if you have sensitive skin like me, I don't see either causing you any problems!

I would say that both are universally good for most skin types though I would be slightly more careful if you have drier skin as you may need a thicker moisturizer over these. However, neither affected the longevity of my make up or make my sensitive/combination skin more dry or more oily OR have any type of reaction.

I purchased the Bioderma for £13.70 from Escentual.com, however it is currently on offer for £9.13 here and picked up the This Works for £29 from Space NK here.

What's your favourite SPF?

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone

Hi everyone! I feel I haven't written a post on a makeup product for so long so figured there would be no better place to start than a recent love of mine, the BECCA Shimmery Skin Perfector in Moonstone. First of all, I feel I need to apologize for some of the photography in this post. I don't know if this is just me, but I find highlighters are far more difficult to capture on the skin than any other skin product but still wanted to include swatches so you saw it in full effect!

The last few months I've gotten really into finding the perfect cheek products so when I heard the brand BECCA were making a return to Space NK a while back, I was deadset on picking one of these up. I chose the colour 'moonstone', a golden yellow shade as I thought this would be the most natural looking without being too white or stark on my pale skin. 

The website states that the Shimmering Skin Perfector can be used mixed in with foundation, under foundation, as a foundation or as a highlighter. I will be honest and say I have and probably would only use this as a highlighter. Although it's more of a sheen than a glitter I don't think I'd enjoy all over my face since I have combination skin so this means I can only comment on how it works as a highlight.

The sleek packaging is a real selling point of this product for me, a highlighter with a pump makes for far easier application in my books so it definitely does well in that department. In terms of the consistancy it's definitely very liquidy so I tend to apply it by sweeping it across areas I'd like highlighted with my fingers and then gently patting it in. I've found by doing it this way, it blends seamlessly onto my skin. Another great feature is that it has SPF 25.

Now in terms of the finish, I can honestly say I have never had a highlighter give me such a glow and radiance. It's on the more obvious end of the spectrum so it's amazing in the evening but I also wear it in the daytime too when I feel my skin needs some brightening and then use MAC Pearl on days I'd like a more subtle effect. The effect is so brightening and glowy but what I really love about it is how it is a sheen finish rather than something more glittery like the MAC Soft & Gentle. For me this is so important as I really dislike seeing a line of glitter on my face when I catch my reflection in direct sunlight so I love how this product never looks too unnatural whatever the lighting.

Now, I got this a few months ago for £33 in Space NK which is a lot but since it's 50ml of product and you only need the tiniest amount it will definitely last me a long, long time. This could well be a holy grail item for me and I would definitely repurchase this despite the pricetag (although I won't need to for absolute months!)  and recommend it to anyone in search of a sheen finish highlight or just a fellow highlighter addict like myself!

Have you tried this? What's your favourite highlighter?

Favourite Spring/Summer Polishes

L-R Models Own Hedonist £5, Topshop AWOL £5, Barry M Pink Flamingo £2.99, Barry M Neon Pink £2.99, Essie Fiji £7.99, Essie Go Ginza £7.99, OPI Gargantuan Green Grape £7-9 & Topshop Celestial £5

Hi everyone, hope you're all well. Today I wanted to share my favourite spring/summer nail polishes. I was looking back through my old posts and one of my first posts was on colours for autumn/winter so I wanted to continue on with the seasonal polish post. Without further ado, here all my bright and pastel picks for this time of year! :)

First up a couple of bright polishes. Hedonist is a gorgeous red/orange neon shade that's particularly eye catching on the nails, I've done a full review here. Then we have Topshop AWOL. I was trying for a while to track this shade down and it was so worth it. It's a beautiful colbalt blue and as with all Topshop polishes, the formula is great. Then we have a couple of old Barry M favourites, Pink Flamingo which is actually a very pretty coral toned pink and neon pink which is exactly as the name suggests, a bright pink with a slightly blue duochrome to it which looks incredible in the sunshine when the light hits!

Then onto the more pastel shades! First is a cult favourite, Essie Fiji. As much work as this polish takes to get perfect (usually around 3 coats) the colour is definitely worth it. It's so unique and so pretty. Also on the off-white theme we have my latest addition, Essie Go Ginza from their new collection. I actually haven't heard anything about this shade from any bloggers but it is absolutely incredible! It's a slightly off white purple and is so stunning, definitely going to pick up some back ups when this collection goes! Next is OPI Gargantuan Green Grape which I find to be the perfect shade of mint green. The formula is really nice, I do find OPI a bit hit and miss but I have absolutely no gripes with this one. Finally, my all time favourite polish Topshop Celestial. The perfect cornflower blue that actually looks flattering against my pale skin and a nice glossy, long lasting finish.

I'd love to know your favourite spring/summer shades as well as whether your team pastels or team brights. I have to say, I'm totally undecided!

Models Own Hedonist

Models Own Hedonist £5

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to share with you a product I've been absolutely obsessed with lately, Models Own Hedonist polish. I have been wearing this colour for about two weeks straight and have totally reignited my love for it. First off, the colour is absolutely incredible. The pictures don't even do it justice! It is the most neon red/orange in the world and is so beautifully vibrant this time of year.

Formula wise this is a definite hit from Models Own. As you may have seen in my Fruit Pastel collection post, some of those feel a little short with streaky and sheer formula's but this one only takes two coats to be completely opaque. I also don't find it to be streaky at all despite actually being a matte formula and it lasts around four days on my nails which is also really great.

I'm not usually a massive fan of matte polishes but this with a bit of my Jessica High Gloss In A Flash top coat leaves a really nice creme type finish meaning the colour doesn't fall flat at all. All in all, this polish has to be one of my all time favourites polishes and one I would repurchase over and over. If you get this be prepared to get a whole lot of compliments from strangers!

Thought I'd include an indoor picture so you can see the kind of shade it really is!

What's your favourite summer shade? Do you own this colour?

Please make sure to leave me any requests for any posts you'd like to see and feel free to check out my blogsale page at the top which has been updated if you're interested! :)

Current Favourites!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the total lack of posts this last week. As some of you might know I'd been doing work experience at Red Magazine the last two weeks so hadn't had a lot of time to post but from Thursday onwards I will have no uni so will be able to fully commit to posting more! :)

I thought today I'd share some of my current favourites. I have to say, I'm not one for doing monthly favourites myself yet just because I don't feel my favourites change often enough every month so I thought I would do a roundup every now and again when I've had products really stand out to me. 

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray - This was a slighly impulsive purchase I made a few weeks ago. I actually had a Space NK voucher from my birthday to use and really wanted to try this out after seeing so many amazing reviews of it giving voluminous hair. Although pricey this stuff is incredible, I absolutely love it. I've never found a product that gives my hair so much volume and this alongside my Bumble & Bumble Texturizing Cream (which is also a favourite but forgot to take a photo of it!) gives me the perfect beachy, volumised hair.

Laura Mercier Radiance Primer - I got this in the gift with purchase offer Harvey Nicholls were running and oh my gosh, this is my new holy grail primer! I was initially so worried about how it would fare on my skin but with Benefit Porefessional on my oilier nose and this all over the rest of my face, my skin has never ever looked so bright and healthy. My makeup lasts far longer than any other primer I've tried including the Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer so I'd urge anyone to give this a go.. it's incredible!

Maybelline Babylips in Peppermint - I love this stuff for days where I don't feel like wearing anything too heavy as it gives a sheer wash of colour that slightly lightens my lips whilst making them baby soft. It's also great to pop on before a lipstick to help my lips stay a lot more moisturized and I honestly adore these so much for really hydrating my lips as well as the minty scent and cannot wait for them to arrive in the UK. I've done a full review of them here.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer & YSL Touche Eclat Foundation - I won't talk about these too too much as they were both in my last post but I've loved these whilst I've been having a lot of early mornings for brightening up my skin and have worn them together everyday for the last three or so weeks.

MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl - You may have seen in my last post that I really wanted a non-glittery more sheeny highlighter and this one is incredible. It is exactly what I was looking for, it's pretty subtle but that's exactly what I like for everyday use if I'm honest and I really, really love it. Next on my list is Luna as like Pearl it's a sheen finish but more intense which I think will be ideal for evening wear. Thank you to Megan for suggesting I try these out!

Stella Summer Rose Perfume - I mentioned this in my perfume collection I did months ago but I have really loved using this perfume lately, it's definitely going to be my summer scent! As the name suggests it's pretty floral which isn't usually my taste but it's a lovely and such a beautiful bottle.

MAC Malt Eyeshadow - I've had this for a couple of months now and it's quickly become one of my top three favourite MAC eyeshadows. It's perfect for in the crease, a light cool toned brown with a bit of pinkness to it and great all over the lid for a neutral matte eye. I haven't found a single colour or makeup look it doesn't work with as of yet.

Topshop AWOL - I am totally obsessed with anything cobalt blue at the moment and this polish is no different. The shade is similar to Essie Butler Please that was in a haul of mine a little while ago which I mainly got as I couldn't find this shade online and presumed it had been discontinued. I then managed to find it in store a while ago and had to get it. The reason this beats the Essie is totally due to formula, it lasted around four/five days on my nails whilst the Essie only lasted a day without chipping. A lovely shade all year round I'd say.

Models Own Polish in Hedonist - Finally, another bright nail polish and this is Hedonist from the Headkandi collection. Again, Models Own aren't my favourite formula but this one actually lasts better on me than other ones I've tried and the shade is totally worth it. It's a neon red and it's so, so bright on the nails that it's definitely one of my all time favourite colours of my collection.

What have been your favourites lately? Also please let me know if you'd like to see a full review on any of these products or if there's any others posts you'd like to see from me!