January favourites

one // two // three // four // five 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist, RRP: £8. This is an absolute gem which has quite quickly become a holy grail product. It keeps my make up on all day/night and it smells incredible! (full review here)

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blush in 'Pink Rose', RRP: £3.99. I've been on the search for a new blusher ever since my Benefit Coralista smashed (boo), and seeing as I couldn't bring myself to shell out almost £25 for a new one, I picked up this Rimmel London one, which to my delight is a pretty similar colour. I love pink blush, especially in winter, and you can't go wrong for £3.99!

Charles Worthington Frizz Free Ultimate Serum, RRP: £3.46. My hair is in disastrous condition due to much dying/heat abuse and because I was born with quite curly hair, continuous torture has caused it to become quite frizzy. In winter, it becomes 10x more dry and disgusting but this is a lifesaver (for my hair at least). A tiny bit of this through wet hair allows it to dry frizz free (YAY).

Real Techniques Buffing Brush (Part of the Core Collection, RRP: £21.99). Real Techniques brushes are my absolute favourites, but this one in particular is fabulous. I use it to buff my foundation into my skin and it leaves an absolutely flawless result.

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation, RRP: £12.99. I've never ever found a foundation which matches my skin tone exactly and I normally have to mix two together but I found a shade in this which was perfect so I couldn't resist buying it. I'd say it provides medium coverage but it's so easy to apply and it lasts all day without the need for reapplication!

Which products are you loving this month?

*pictures in this post are not my own and were sourced from Google*

Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist Review

Vitamin E Face Mist, £8 - Everyone looks for ways to make their make up stay on longer, right? And I know that I for one am guilty of giving my face a quick spray of hairspray before leaving the house, but I know that stuff isn't any good for my hair, so why would it be good for my face?!

Body Shop's Vitamin E face mist comes in a 100ml spray bottle and has a fresh rosewater scent. The idea behind it is to spritz your face with it after you've finished your make up and it acts as a setter, or you can use it to refresh your face throughout the day.

The first time I used it, I noticed how how wet it makes the skin and instantly thought "what have I done, my make up is probably running straight off", but it dries instantly and doesn't move make up at all whilst it is wet.

I got this for Christmas and I've used it non-stop since, I adore it. Not only does it keep make up on during the day but I've used it before a night out and come home at 4am, after hours of dancing with a full face of make up still in tact. Because of the moisture it provides to the face, it keeps the skin healthy too, bonus!

Overall rating: 5/5

*pictures in this post are not my own and were sourced from Google*

Christmas Wishlist

Genuinely cannot believe how fast this year has gone and seeing as Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I'd share with you what I hope Santa will be bringing down my chimney. Christmas is my favourite holiday and I can't wait to go home and spend it with my favourite people in the world. I'm so excited to name the Turkey (is it just my family that does that?!), sit in front of the fire for hoursss and play a ridiculous amount of games with my siblings whilst mama makes a feast of yummy yummy food. It's impossible to be unhappy at Christmas, right?!

1 - Pandora Music Note Charm: I got a pandora bracelet for my birthday this year and ever since I've been dying to fill it. I loved this charm ever since I set my eyes on it because everyone who knows me knows that music is probably my favourite thing in the world.

2 - NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder: I'm sure I don't need to tell any of you this but the world and its wife seem to have this bronzer and I want in! Every single review I've read of it has said how amazing it is and how every girl should have it, so it went straight on my Christmas wishlist!

3 - Paco Rabanne Lady Million Perfume: This is probably the nicest smelling thing in the entire world (not even exaggerating), I've dropped about a million hints to my dad about this including practically crying down the phone because I ran out of perfume the other day.

4 - MAC Lipsticks in 'Blankety' and 'Pink Pearl Pop': Simply because a girl can never have enough lipsticks, I've become a little bit addicted and could probably buy every colour in the entire MAC range but these are two that I am fully lusting for at  the minute.  

5 - Pandora Open Your Heart Charm: This is soooo adorable, I have the openwork butterfly charm and thought this was so cute that I had to slide it in here somewhere

6 - Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme: I saw a review for this the other day and wanted it instantly, I've looked for a highlighter that would work with my skin tone for absolutely ages and this one seems perfect

7 - The Body Shop Rose Vitamin E Face Mist: Hannah has raved about this so many times and she swears by it, I've wanted a face spritz for so long because I realise that spraying my face with hairspray to keep my make up on probably isn't the best option for my skin...

8 - MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder: Again, slightly addicted to MAC, I'm yet to find a pressed powder that actually does what it's supposed to but my housemate has this and adores it so I'm bursting to give it a try!

9 - Daniel Sandler Liquid Blush, 'Flush': I am actually intrigued by this, I'd love it if a liquid blusher worked just because it seems so much easier and a lot less effort than powder.

10 - Pandora Flower Spacer: How adorable is this? I think if I bang on any more about charms my head might explode but I think this is so pretty. I realise that I probably should have just asked for my make up bag and my Pandora bracelet to be filled...  

What are you asking Santa for? Are you as excited as I am? I'm literally like a little kid at Christmas!

**The images used in this post are not my own, and were sourced from Google**

V05 Instant Oomph Powder Review

V05 Give Me Texture Instant Oomph Powder 

"They say good things come in small packages... This tiny pot of powder gives BIG results!"

No one in the entire world likes flat hair and since big hair has been on trend for what feels like decades, everyone is always looking for that magic fix which will give your hair that little boost within seconds. Well, stop searching girls, I've found it! 

I know hair volumising powders aren't a 'new thing' and I've previously used Label M Resurrection Style Dust which has the same effects but is almost double the price!

V05 'Give Me Texture Instant Oomph Powder' comes in a pretty pink bottle and is so easy to apply. The only way I can describe the texture is by saying it's a little bit like salt crystals. You literally give the bottle a bit of a shake and then dazzle some of it directly on to your roots, give your hair a little rub et voila, you have almost effortless volumised hair!

The only criticism I have of this product is that it does leave hair feeling a little bit greasy and your roots don't feel as soft as the rest of your hair does but it's so much better for your hair than dragging a comb through it backwards all day. A little bit of hairspray applied directly to the roots after this and it stays for hours.

Instant Oomph Powder can be purchased at Boots and retails at £4.07 (I never understand how they work out these precise prices but whatever, haha).

Overall rating: 4/5

instagram update #1

drunken selfies with bambino | I climbed out of a window | missing my red hair | realising how much work my portfolio is going to be this year | moved my bed in my uni house so I can sleep by the wall | made the nicest cake in the WORLD | FaceTime'd my dad but apparently neither of us wanted to look at each other | I got a parcel from home | started watching friends from the very beginning | promoting the new vintage shop in town | halloween nails | securing my place as favourite child by insulting my dad on his birthday | halloween selfie | corpse brides, halloween with my girls | reliving my childhood | rediscovered my 'wreck this journal' and spent an entire train journey destroying it | went home for the weekend and watched fireworks with my best friend | went to london, fave place | grumpy looking selfie | best sugar pot. 

Review: Nivea Express Hydration Primer

Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer (RRP: £4.99)

"moisturises and provides a smooth base for effective make up application with effective hydrators"

It's come to that time in the semester where my student loan has disappeared before my very eyes and I've had to abandon the hope that I'd be able to afford to replace my MAC primer, but my skin couldn't afford for me to stop using primer altogether (honestly, if you don't prime your face before you apply your make up, START!). I'd seen this advertised everywhere and thought it was worth giving a try.

It smells like a typical Nivea product: fresh and light, with what I can only describe as smelling like something with a hint of cucumber. The normal and combination skin one (pictured above) contains lotus extract, but I don't know what that smells like so couldn't tell you whether or not that affects the fragrance! The consistency of the product is extremely light, I was going to show you a swatch on my hand but it comes on pretty clear. 

The product also has moisturising qualities, so leaves skin feeling really soft. As for its use as a primer, I was not at all disappointed. It is absorbed by skin almost instantly so there is no waiting around for it to dry before being able to apply make up and it creates a base in order to make sure make up is applied on to as even a surface as possible and it practically makes your make up cling to your face so it doesn't move or wear off all day. 

This provides everything you ask for in a primer, and a small amount of it definitely goes a long way. As far as primers go, I'd rave about this until the cows come home. I don't think I'll ever pay £19.50 for a MAC primer again!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Maybelline 'Fit Me' review

"It's make up that fits you"

Maybelline 'Fit Me' Concealer (left) and Foundation (right)

"FLAWLESS, LETS THE REAL YOU COME THROUGH 
BEYOND MATCHING: FRESH, BREATHING, NATURAL SKIN 
SPF 18"

Since my tan faded and I'm now too light for my post-holiday foundation (boo), I went on the search for a new foundation that wasn't too pricey (I've lusted after Estee Lauder's Double Wear for aaaages but can't bring myself to spend £30 on a bottle of face paint), I discovered Maybelline's 'fit me' range which is new to the UK... I was impressed at first by the colour chart that was in the store, I bought these in superdrug, and it had a detailed chart of skin tones and which foundation shade was best, and which concealer provided the best match for each foundation. 

The formula is described as having "no oils, no waxes and no nonsense", with the ability to give a natural coverage which allows skin to breath with a translucent base and lightweight pigments.

I decided on shade 135 for the foundation and shade 20 for the concealer (this isn't the concealer that was a recommended match to this foundation but I prefer my concealer to be lighter than my foundation). The foundation has a standard pump and the concealer has a wand with a sponge on, a little bit like a lip-gloss.

Left: foundation, right: concealler

As can be seen in the image above, the foundation is quite runny and unless applied quickly to the face it can get a bit messy, however, the coverage is flawless like the advert says. The colour match to skin is almost perfect and it blends very well to skin. Because it is so runny, it has to be rubbed in quite a bit and wears off if worn for longer than about 8 hours, causing the skin to look patchy without re-application.

Overall rating for foundation: 3/5

The concealer is a lot less runny in comparison to the foundation which can also be seen in the above image, application of this is so simple and it is very easy to move around the face and the coverage is brilliant, I honestly can't rave about this enough, it doesn't crack and it doesn't seem to move during the day. It's literally on my face from the moment I apply it, until the moment I take it off.

Overall rating for concealer: 4.5/5