Rimmel Misty Rose

Again, this is another face product picked up to make up the 3 for 2 offer in Boots. I picked it up because I really didn't fancy anything else, so I wasn't expecting much from this small blush. However, I really like the colour which is quite peachy and orange although being called Misty Rose. This blush reminds me a lot of NARS Gina and I am really impressed with the colour pay off. It adds the perfect amount of colour to my cheeks and I think this is perfect for Spring. The only downside for me is the packaging which feels a bit cheap but I can hardly complain for the price. I'd really recommend this blush.

This is my first Rimmel blush so has anyone tried other shades?

H

MAC Ravishing

Yet another lipstick review so I apologise. I recently received this in a blog sale and I love this colour for Spring/Summer. Ravishing is a coral peachy orange shade and as a Cremesheen formula is really moisturising on the lips although not overly long lasting. It looks quite dark in the bullet but from the photo below you can see it transfers very differently on the lips. I think this shade will become a staple in my collection and I can see it getting a lot of use over the next few months. 

What is your favourite MAC lipstick?

H

Maxfactor 2000 Calorie Mascara

This is by no means a new product but I have only recently discovered it. Mascara is one of those beauty items which I like to switch around because I think there are some great ones out there - particularly on the highstreet. I ran out of my beloved Revlon Luscious Lash Mascara so I decided to try the Maxfactor 2000 Calorie Mascara as an alternative.

This mascara produces volume like nothing I've ever seen - it is fantastic. The wand is kind of curved which means that every lash is coated in product and I really love the look it produces. It doesn't have the tendency to clump and I definitely think I will be repurchasing this.

Apologies for the tired looking eye photo.
What is your current mascara favourite?

H

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

This product has been raved about across a ton of beauty blogs and youtube videos and I thought I would add my two cents. This 'beauty elixir' is a bit of a multi-tasking product; it can be used to refresh makeup, minimize pores, provide refreshment for the skin or just as a general toner. I've been using it after cleansing my face before applying my moisturiser. It comes with a handy spray so you can just spritz it straight onto your face and the rosemary scent along with the peppermint is really lovely. I have the largest pores on the planet and since using this I have noticed them a bit less which is always good.

Has anyone else tried this? 

H

17 Mirror Shine Peace & Flirtini

Recently, I was in Boots and checked out my individual offers on the machines which are in store and I found something absolutely amazing - 2 Mirror Shine Lipsticks for the price of 1. Seriously, if you never look at the offers available in store you are losing out!! I picked up the shades Peace and Flirtini, Peace being more orange and Flirtini being a pink. These lipsticks don't have great colour payoff but they are almost a hybrid between a lipbalm and are incredibly moisturising. They are perfect for daily wear and I think they would suit most skin tones because they are quite sheer. Beehive is the most hyped up of the shades but I think I prefer these two shades because they provide more colour.

Peace: 

Flirtini:

What Mirror Shine Lipsticks have you tried? 

H

17 Pink Bronze Glow Shimmer Brick

This product was bought while Boots had their 3 for 2 offer and I've been enjoying using this product as a highlighter and to contour. When I found it in store it reminded me immediately of Dior's Amber Diamond but for the fraction of the price. I use my Real Techniques contour brush to apply this under my cheek bones and then use my finger to apply to my brow bone and any other areas I want to highlight. The four shades can be used individually or swirled together. The image below shows all 4 colours mixed together. The payoff isn't initially great but this product is very buildable.

Has anyone else tried this product? What do you think?

H

Bourjois Rose Seduisant

I just thought I would share a review of one of my favourite lipsticks. This is Rose Seduisant by Bourjois and it is a bright pink shade. This lipstick has the nicest application of all my lipsticks and it smells of Parma Violets which I love. This is super smooth to apply and isn't drying on the lips. It also is long lasting and can survive eating and drinking for upwards of 5 hours. If you aren't brave enough to try a bright red lip then I think this is a great alternative. 

What are your favourite pink lipsticks? 

H

No.7 - Romantic

Yet another lipstick review in a matter of days - I am obsessed. This is the shade Romantic from the Moisture Drench range available at No.7 in Boots. I've been eyeing up nude shades for the past couple of months and I really think this is the most wearable shade for a natural look. This particular lipstick is a pink/brown nude which is highly pigmented and has a very moisturising formula. It is long lasting, lasting between 3-4 hours, and I think it will suit the vast majority of skin tones. It is perfect for spring. 

Why not use your £5 off voucher on this lipstick?!

H

Number 17 - Beehive

This lipstick has become something of a cult classic among bloggers. This is Beehive and it is part of the mirror shine range from Number 17, which can be picked up in Boots. It is a light pink/nude shade which is perfect for a natural day-to-day look. The formula is super moisturising and as you can see below it adds a nice gloss to your lips. The reason behind all the hype surrounding this shade is that it is a fantastic dupe for MAC Hue and therefore is a great money saver. Personally, I have quite pigmented lips to start with so I would have preferred more colour in this lipstick however it has become a staple in my collection and I wouldn't be without it now. 

Have you tried Beehive?

H

MAC Shy Girl

I had an absolutely wonderful start to this week when a little package fell through my front door. Last week I was fortunate enough to win Hayley from A Beauty Addict's Blog MAC lipstick giveaway which was such a shock. I've never won anything before! To enter this competition you had to state which MAC lipstick shade you would like and then if you were the winner Hayley went and purchased this shade for you. I picked Shy Girl which I've read so many great reviews about and it always seems to be in "Top Lipstick" posts.

Firstly, the packaging is the standard for MAC but that doesn't stop it being super stylish and chic. The formulation of this lipstick is a cremesheen which means that it is really moisturising on the lips which is great for me as I can suffer from annoying dry patches. As you can see from the photos above the colour of this lipstick is a gorgeous pinky, coral nude which is perfect for a neutral day look. It would also be perfect if you had a statement eye look and didn't want to overpower it. This lipstick glides on effortlessly to the lips and it is the perfect 'my lips but nuder' shade which is exactly what I wanted. On average it lasts for about 2 hours and I can see this becoming a staple in my lipstick collection. I would really recommend this shade to anyone looking for a neutral, very wearable lipstick and also it would be a great first shade to pick up from MAC.

Go and check out Hayley's blog because she is lovely!

Have a great Thursday.

H 

Paco Rabanne - Lady Million

I realise that Lady Million by Paco Rabanne has been around for an absolute age but I was fortunate enough to receive it as a Birthday present this year. Firstly, I love the scent - it is advertised as a "fresh woody floral" which I totally agree with. It is quite a sweet scent which I like in a perfume and it is versatile and I find I've been reaching for it a lot. I was expecting quite a brash scent because the bottle is so bold but because of the berry and jasmine notes it is quite subtle. It is appropriate for all seasons and I'm sure I'll be wearing it in the summer as well as next winter. I've also found that it lasts quite a long time on the skin which is an added bonus. One downside for me is that I don't like the packaging an awful lot. It is shaped like half a diamond and therefore I find it quite hard to store but apart from that I love this fragrance and feel it may become my signature scent.

What scent do you find essential for Spring?

H

Revlon Lip Butter - Raspberry Pie

The U.K. release of the new Revlon Lip Butter was readily awaited and when I went into Boots at the beginning of the week there were at least 4 other girls pouring over these. I've really been looking forward to trying this product, especially after reading so many reviews because they've been out in America for quite awhile. I went for the shade Raspberry Pie mainly because I was looking for this spring trend to add to my collection.

For anyone who doesn't already know this product is meant to act like a lip balm, lip gloss and lipstick all at the same time. It glides onto the lips like a lip balm, has the shine of a lip gloss (but not the stickiness) and has the pigmentation of a lipstick. I didn't realise I would enjoy it this much. The formulation is super moisturising so no need to worry about having to get rid of dry patches. I also find it more long wearing than I was first expecting - at least 3 hours. The packaging isn't anything special but it is sturdy and I'm glad it has a flat base so it can stand up easily. Sadly, the full 20 shades have not been released in the U.K. but out of the 14 available you should definitely be able to find something that suits.

I now really want to try some other shades, like Candy Apple.
Have you picked up your lip butter? What did you think?

H

MAC Face and Body

This is super delayed but for Christmas I received MAC Face and Body Foundation as a present and I thought I would do a review having used it for a couple of months. Firstly, a massive plus for MAC foundations is the wide shade choice and I really like N3 which is the colour matched to my skin. I also feel that it is the only foundation which has truely matched my skin tone. As you can maybe see in the 2nd photo it is quite a liquidly foundation which can take quite a while to get used to. You definitely need to leave your foundation for about 5 minutes for it to set but it creates a lovely glowy finish. I know that this will definitely be a staple in my summer make up routine when I only need light coverage. Finally, another massive positive of this product is the size of it. Although it is quite pricey you get 120ml of product compared to 30ml for a standard foundation so it will last forever.

Have you tried this out?

H

Benefit POREfessionally Pretty

Diet Coke is amazing and I love it even more when they have an offer in conjunction with Benefit.

A while ago I received the POREfessionally Pretty set which comes with a full size Porefessional along with a Girl Meets Pearl and Erase Paste.

Girls Meets Pearl: For years now I've been using Benefit's Highbeam as a highlighter and I have loved it so this product had a hard job living up to my expectations. And sadly I don't think I will be repurchasing this. When I love a product I will reach for it daily and I have barely thought about this product. This will last for ages because you only need a tiny bit but I find it to be quite extreme for daily use and compared to Highbeam I don't like the application technique. Here you squeeze the product onto your finger compared to Highbeam which comes with a brush, almost like a nail varnish, which I think is much better. I also don't think this product blends in awfully well. 

Erase Paste: My Mum uses Erase Paste as a concealer so again I was expecting it to be good. Firstly, I was sent the standard colour of Medium and personally I think I would have been better suited to Fair. This product gives heavy coverage so if that is what you are looking for then definitely look at this product. Again I find it hard to blend into the skin and I'm still in love with my Collection 2000 concealer which I can get for a fraction of the price.

POREfessional: This product really is the start of the show. It is a primer which unlike others that I've tried is tinted and not pure white. Primers are such odd products and I find that I don't notice a huge difference when I'm using them but definitely notice when I forget to apply it before my foundation. I have HUGE pores on my face and this does a good job of minimising them and providing a matte base for my make up. However, I think it performs to the same standard as Number 17 Photo Flawless Primer which again can be purchased for a fraction of the price.

So on the whole a bit of a mixed bag but again if you love Benefit products then maybe look at getting this set!

Have a lovely day!

H

Real Techniques

Finally I caved in and got it - the stippling brush from Real Techniques and some how I'm not sure how I survived without it. It applies my foundation flawlessly and the dense, soft bristles don't leave a brush stoke at all. Previously they were quite difficult to find but now some of the larger Boots stores stock them which is such great news.  

Has anyone tried any of the other Real Techniques brushes?

H

Healthy Mix

After trawling through some Youtube reviews and blog posts I decided to purchase this foundation on the basis that I need a heavier coverage compared to my MAC Face and Body Foundation which leaves only a light coverage. Firstly, I love the smell! So fruity and makes the whole application process so much nicer. I go for shade 51 and it really is perfect for my skin at this time of the year. It blends in really well when I use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush and it doesn't leave my skin looking cakey. It also has great lasting power and I find it stays on my face for the whole day. I would really recommend it.

Have you tried this foundation?

H