Review - MUA Matte Foundation

I'm abit wary about buying foundations that I can't try first as I like ones with a medium to heavy coverage but when MUA had their 50% sale I couldn't resist adding a couple of foundations in my basket to try out. One of these was the Matte Foundation in Honeycomb.

This claims to be velvet smooth with a long lasting finish.

The coverage is light to medium but perfect for those days when I don't really want to cake myself in foundation, like Sundays! The shade is a little on the pale side for my skin but not in an obvious way.

Currently my skin is a little spotty but his did cover quite well. I did have to use concealer on top but I was quite impressed with it.

For £2 I am really happy with this foundation and will continue to use it.

It is available from Superdrug and MUA online.

Bourjois 1 Second nail polish remover pot

I love the Sally Hansen nail polish remover pots but they are so hard to get hold of, I had found an alternative from my local Home Bargains store but it dried my nails out so I decided to give the Bourjois 1 Second remover pot a try after hearing everyone raving about how good it was.

The sponge has a hole in the middle where you place your finger and you brush your nail against the sponge to help remove the polish. My polish removed well but I found that the post was slightly too long for my little fingers! Even though I liked the results I don't think I would repurchase as after a while it made my fingers hurt, if Bourjois changed the design of the pot then I would reconsider!

This is £4.99 and available from Boots and Superdrug.

Superdrug Tea Tree Nose Strips

Normally I use Biore nose pore strips but I unexpectedly ran out and didn't fancy paying her enough £8 for a pack so went on a mission to find a cheaper alternative. 

The ones I found were Superdrug's Tea Tree nose strips which were on offer with 2 packs for £3.99.

Each pack contains 5 strips and they had a subtle scent of tea tree.

Once applied I noticed they didn't seem as sticky as others I've tried and as a result when removed they didn't remove as many blackheads and nasty stuff as I had expected. For the money though you can afford to use these more often but I think I'll stick to my usual Biore ones.

Review - MUA Matte Perfect Primer

I got hold of this primer when MUA were holding their 50% sale so it was a perfect opportunity to grab a few things I'd been wanting to try out.

I love using primers and my face doesn't feel right without using one first.

As I suffer with combination skin which can get oily I need something to try to keep shine at bay. 

This primer is a nude colour and is a bit like a gel in consistency. When I applied it, it smoothed on my skin easy and left it feeling soft and smooth. It dried quickly and my foundation applied over it nicely.

It didn't dry my skin out and my foundation stayed put all day.

This is £4 and available from Superdrug or MUA online. 

Calling all guest bloggers!

Just a quick post.......I'm looking for guest bloggers for posts to be published from 17th March. Posts can be on any subject: reviews, hauls, tips, NOTD, OOTD, you write it I'll publish it! I'll need your posts by 9th March in order to schedule them. If you're interested then please email me (add is on the contact me page above ^^^^^^^). Thanks :-)

Rimmel Apocalips

Yes I jumped on the Apocalips bandwagon! But I was good and only bought 1 shade, mainly because the others my Boots had didn't appeal to me.

I bought Celestial, a rosey pink shade.

The shade is lovely, not too bright and can be worn everyday. The product itself is kind of a cross between a stain and a gloss, I found that even when the product had worn off my lips had been stained a nice muted shade. 

When I visit a larger Boots store I would be tempted to buy some more shades, I like the nude one they do.

I would recommend you give these a try and at £5.99 they are really affordable!

17 Stay Time 18 Hour Concealer

I love Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection concealer but when I saw 17 Stay Time 18 Hour Concealer I wondered if it would be a similar product.

This was £4.49 so a little more expensive than the £4.19 Collection 2000 product and there were similar shades on offer. I chose fair. 

The product isn't as heavy as the Collection 2000 concealer but the finish is more dewy. 

Personally I prefer the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer as I need a thicker product to cover my dark circles but for blemishes and to cover redness this would be perfect. I think I might keep this to use during the summer when I won't be wearing such heavy make up.

This is only available from Boots and as I've already mention it is £4.49.

Have you tried this? What did you think?

Review - POP beauty baked eyeshadow palettes

You may have seen these featured in my sale haul post a fews ago but if not I bought these from ASOS just after christmas for a mere £10.50 each instead of £14.

I had never used POP products before so was really exited to try these out. They are baked which means that the powder is pressed and baked in tiles and can be used wet or dry.

When I got these I notices that the brown coloured on (top on this photo above) had a slight crack in two of the shadows (the last and second to last on the right) but didn't think too much of it, then when I tried to use one of these they both just crumbled which meant I had to do a repair job.

Yes my palette got messy, very messy! When I decided to do was scoop out the two colours which had cracked and put them into two little sample pots. This was I could still use them albeit I probably won't get anywhere near as much use out of them as I would if they were still compacted.

Anyway onto the review, as they are baked the pigmentation tends to be better than normal eyeshadows and this was certainly the case here. I have only used these dry but they have a lovely pearly finish which lasts all day. I have only used a few colours so far but I can't wait to experiment with the others and try them out wet as I imagine the pigmentation will be amazing.

I would certainly buy more POP products in the future and ASOS stocks a wide range of them.

Project 10 Pan - My Ultimate Challenge

Whilst I am trying my hardest to reduce my stash of toiletry products I own, my make up collection will never reduce no matter how hard I try.

Even though this is the case I do have 2 drawers in my make up storage which are full of part used, open products which I got bored of using. These are what I want to try to use up by the end of June.

What are they?

No 7 Shine Free Face Primer

17 Miracle Matte Foundation

Witch Tinted Moisturiser

L'Oreal True Minerals Foundation

No7 T-Zone Rescue lotion

Too Faced Lemon Drop colour corrector

L'Oreal Lumi Magic Concealer

Soap & Glory Eyeshadow Primer

W7 Africa Bronzer

Rimmel Match Perfection Blusher

Lily Lolo Flawless Matte Primer

Blush Away (not sure which brand)

L'Oreal True Match Pressed Powder

Lily Lolo Powder Foundation

Wet n Wild Powder Foundation

Avon Smooth Minerals Foundation

Everyday Minerals Face Primer

Everyday Minerals Sunshine Eye Colour Corrector

Lily Lolo Concealer

Pot of foundation (not sure which brand)

So that's 20 products I want to try to use up! I don't think I'll manage to use them all but I'm aiming for about half as some are around 3/4 full whereas others are 3/4 used.

Like my Project 10 Pan posts from last year I will keep you up dated with how I'm doing and these will include other products I've finished.

Are you doing Project 10 Pan? Link me to your posts below.

Book Review - Living Life the Essex Way: Towie and Me by Sam Faiers

The blurb....

Welcome to the glam world of Sam Faiers - star of hit TV programme The Only Way Is Essex. Read on to find out what it takes to be a REAL Essex girl. 

The Oxford Dictionary definition of an 'Essex Girl': A brash, materialistic young woman of a type supposedly found in Essex or surrounding areas in the South-East of England.

The Sam Faiers definition of an 'Essex Girl': A stylish, hard working, big hearted and family minded young woman found in Brentwood, or nearby areas (and Marbs).

In 2012 Sam Faiers was a normal 19 year old girl from Brentwood: she was working in a local bank, plotting a glamour modelling career and planning what outfit to wear to Sugar Hut. Then the first episode of TOWIE aired, and suddenly Sam was catapulted into a world of champagne cocktails, TV studios, nightclubs and paparazzi.

In Living Life the Essex Way, Sam lifts the lid on her childhood, her rise to fame and her beauty regime, as well as her dating rules, dealing with instant fame, the men in her life and what really goes on behind the scenes of the ITV2 show.

What I thought....

This book was so easy to read, so easy that I read it in under 24 hours! It is written exactly how Sam speaks and feels like you're talking to a friend. I loved reading about her childhood and her teenage years. I did skip the advice pages about dating, how to tan and how to get ready for a night out, personally I don't need telling how to do these things! This would be a perfect holiday read as it's easy going and would be easy to dip in and out of.

Pages....

240

Available on.....

iPad, Kindle and paperback!

Collection 2000 Cover & Go Foundation

I have to admit I wasn't really looking for a new foundation, I have 3 on the go at the moment, but when I saw this was on offer for £3.99 instead of £5.99 I decided that for a couple of quid I'd give it a go.

As well as being a foundation it has concealer in the lid and a little mirror. The mirror is no good for applying the foundation but for concealer application it is ok. The concealer itself is a little like Benefit's Boiing but it doesn't cover quite as well.

The foundation has a light to medium coverage and would be perfect for summer. I am planning on taking this on holiday with me in few months as I don't want a heavy product that will make my skin look cakey. 

As you can see it leaves a light, dewy finish and my skin felt like it could breathe not like it was covered in product. I think this will become my staple product for summer and for the price, even at £5.99, it is great value for money.

La Mason De Senteurs Candles

Just before christmas when I was browsing in Marks & Spencers I stumbled across a range called Le Maison De Senteurs which along with bath products had candles too.

They were a mere £5 and at the time were on a buy one get one half price offer so you could get two candles for £7.50!

I don't normally like christmassy fragrances as normally they're full of cinnamon or pine which I don't like but the Limited Edition Juniper Noel had a lovely subtle scent of nutmeg, clove, cardamon and juniper.

The candles came in stylish glass jars with a simple white label on the front. This could probably be removed with soap and water if you wanted a plain jar.

What I first noticed about these was that even after an hour or two of burning I simply couldn't smell them. The scent was that subtle you could only smell it when you stuck your nose in the jar (obviously when the candle isn't lit!) I'm not sure if the scents are better in other fragrances, I might buy another one just to try it out.

Another thing I noticed was that even after the candle being lit all day it tunnelled. If you don't know what this means it's when the candle doesn't burn evenly from one side of the jar to the other and then burns down the middle leaving wax around it. 

Even after burning for 2 days it still did it. In the end I had to chisel away at the wax and then it kind of started to burn evenly.

If you're looking for decorative candles then I would highly recommend these as they are reasonably priced and look super stylish. If you're looking for candles to scent your home then try Yankee's, yes they're more expensive but the fragrances are amazing!

These are available from Marks & Spencers and are £5 each.

Wednesday Wishlist - 27

ASOS

Pleated leggings - £18

Dog brooch - £8

 New Look

Black embellished peplum top - £24.99

Bird pleated skater skirt - £12.99

Next

Quilted funnel neck coat - £55

Longline cardigan - £22

 Side panel metallic leggings - £18

Black sparkle print tunic - £26

 River Island

Black faux fur leather look jacket - £60

Haul - Primark, Boots, River Island & more

It had been a while since I'd been properly shopping and last week in the snow I dragged my mum out to go for a little trip to Lincoln to pick up some bits and bobs. 

Boots

Collection 2000  Cover & Go foundation - £3.99 (was £5.99)

17 Stay Time concealer - £4.19

Rimmel Exaggerate eye primer - £4.49 (was free as Rimmel's on 3 for 2)

Rimmel Apocalips - £5.99

Rimmel Stay Matte Kate lipstick - £5.49

Soap & Glory Dr Spot Gel - £8.00

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer - £4.19

Lush

Ocean Salt face scrub - £12.95

Superbalm scalp balm - £12.00

Mint Julips lip scrub - £5.25

QVC

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm - £26.00 (was a special offer)

I was meant to get a 100ml tub and a 50ml tub of the balm but when they arrived they were smashed and the lids wouldn't screw on so I called QVC who with no questions asked sent me a new order out and told me to keep the others. When my new ones arrive they too were also damaged but not to the extent of the others so I just kept them. I would highly recommend you use QVC as the prices are often cheaper than the high street and you get a 30 day money back guarantee, even on make up!

Sainsbury's

Kilo Off weight loss supplements - £8.97

This is a powder you mix with water and drink to help aid weight loss, I haven't started using it yet but will do a full review when I do 

Radiopaq Flips headphones - £2.99 (was £11.99)

I got these for when I go on holiday in a few weeks time

Primark

Beach towel - £6.00

Minnie Mouse emery boards - £1.50 each

River Island

Chain sunglasses - £13.00

Tortoise shell sunglasses - £10.00

So that's my haul! I plan on reviewing the make up and skincare products as soon as I can so keep a look out!

Be my Valentine....? With Denman D3 Kiss brushes

Denman is a brand which screams quality hair brushes but for some reason I had never tried them. I guess because I like something a little different and the designs of the brushes are normally a little plain but when I saw the cute lip design on the D3 brushes I couldn't resist finally trying a Denman brush out!

The D3 Kiss Brushes come in 3 colours: black (which I was sent), red and pink. I would in fact be tempted to buy all three as they are all super cute!

The brushes would also be perfect as a Valentine's Day present as they're quirky and we all love a present that will last.

Denman brushes have an anti-static rubber pad to provide maximum grip and control during blow drying when smoothing and shaping the hair. It also polishes the hair so will leave your style looking lovely and glossy.

The D3 Kiss Brushes cost £7.52 and are available from Denman online. Other Denman brushes can be found in Boots, Sainsbury's, Superdrug and John Lewis.

Product Use Up: January

This is my first product use up post of the year and in case you missed it this post is going back to being monthly rather than every 3 months.

So what did I use up this month?

8 products finished!

1x face cream

2x conditioner

2x shower gel

1x deodorant

1x hair oil

1x eye make up remover wipes

I'm on a real mission this year to get my stash of products massively reduced and this includes using products that have been sat in boxes for months, and in some cases years. 

As I used up lots of part used products the end of last year I've started off abit slow but I'm sure I'll pick up pace soon.

Are you doing your own product use up challenge? Link me to your progress posts below!

The month that was....January

I was really looking forward to the start of 2013 but it started badly. I had Norovirus :-( It had been in the news alot about cases rising and symptoms of it but I have to admit I thought it was just a bad stomach bug and didn't get why it was a big deal. This soon changed within about 2 hours of being ill.

I had a fever (felt freezing cold but was boiling to the touch), sickness, headaches, severe muscle pain and a crippling bad back. My legs were so sore it felt like I had ran a hundred marathons and my back hurt so much I couldn't even bend down.

So anyway I had the first 3 days back at work after the christmas break off sick and when I did eventually go back to work I still felt ill but I'm over it now and wouldn't wish it upon anyone because I can't say quite how ill I felt.

Anyway January was also the month where the Beast From The East came. Snow, snow and more snow. Oh and ice and bitterly cold temperatures.

And I was also excited by the release of new Kit Kat chunky's and bought three of the new flavours.

After trying them out I can say that the choc fudge one is amazing! The other two are nice but nothing special.

So that was my month, I hope you had a good one too!