YSL Rouge Volupte shade 1 - Nude Beige

Bonjour!

I think I can speak for a few girls when I say this, we're a sucker for pretty packaging. Am I right girls?

One particular lipstick that caught my eye because of it's pretty packaging was the YSL Rouge Volupte in shade 1 'Nude beige'.

I was like a magpie when I spotted the gold from across the other side of the YSL counter and literally stood for a good 20 minutes swatching each shade. I decided on Nude beige as opposed to a brighter/darker shade as I knew it would be something I could wear pretty much every day, and I'd get a lot more use out of it.

Contrary to the name, I think this is more of a pinky nude than a beige nude, although I don't think pinky nude is such a great name.....

You can tell which shade you've picked up straight away because the colour underneath the YSL emblem matches the colour in the bullet exactly.

This has to be the most luxurious lipstick I own. It looks and feels amazing. I hate to say it, but it glides on like butter, the pigmentation is great and it leaves my lips feeling moisturised. I've heard a few people say that they didn't find the Rouge Volupte to be very long lasting, but I found this lasted around 4 - 5 hours without drying out my lips or needing touch ups.

If you're into high end lipsticks or just want to treat yourself, I'd highly recommend trying these. I now have my eye on shade 19!!

Additional info:

Price: £25.00

Shades: 17

SPF 15

Moisturising

Lasted 4 - 5 hours

'Don't give up. Normally it is the last key on the ring that opens the door'

Lots of Love

xoxo

Essence express dry drops

Bonjour!

I have to share an amazing product with you all: Essence: express dry drops

I used to paint nails on a regular basis but gradually stopped as I hated (sometimes didn't have the time) waiting for the polish to dry.

Whilst having a little browse at the Essence stand in Wilkinsons I spotted the express dry drops and figured for the price, they were worth a go.

I applied two coats of nail polish and dropped a couple of the drops onto each nail straight away without letting the polish dry. To my surprise, my nails were bone dry immediately after: no tackiness, no smudging, nothing. 

The consistency is similar to an oil, so I'd recommend putting down a towel before applying this as it can get a little messy. I'm not sure if this is supposed to leave my cuticles feeling and looking soft, but it does - no complaints there!

If like me you love to paint your nails but hate waiting for them to dry, check this out. You won't be disappointed!

What's your nail savior?

Additional info:

Price: £2.00

Product: 8ml

Dries nail polish in seconds

Leaves cuticles soft

Oil based product

'Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss'

Lots of Love

xoxo

MAC paint pot in Soft Ochre

Bonjour!

I'm all about primer, whether it be my face or my eyes.

I currently have a handful of products I dip into to prime my eyelids, but one in particular is a favourite and definitely gets used a lot. That is MAC's paint pot in Soft Ochre.

If you're not familiar with MAC's paint pots, they are basically creamy eye primers in a little pot. They can be worn alone as a wash of colour over the lid, or as a primer underneath an eyeshadow to stop any creasing and to help colours pop.

I wear different colours of eyeshadow every day so decided I would best sticking to a neutral shade, and picked up Soft Ochre.

This shade is a matte light skin tone shade and works great for covering up discolouration and veins on the eyelid. I'd say it definitely helps my eyeshadows pop and last all day. I was a little naughty one night and slept with my make up on after a night out. To my absolute surprise, I woke the next morning to find my eye make up was exactly how I'd applied it! How's that for staying powder?

I've been using this almost every day for around 2 and a half months now, and haven't put a dent in it. Think this may get me some make up looks over the next few months.

What's your favourite eye primer?

Additional info:

Price: £15.50
Shades: 23
Product: 5g
Perfect shade for fair skin
Stops any creasing
Helps eyeshadow colour pop
Matte
Can be worn alone or as an eyeshadow base

'Love yourself as much as you want to be loved'

Lots of Love
xoxo

Max factor facefinity all day flawless 3-in-1 foundation

Bonjour!

Foundation is probably the one product that I have issues with.

I have combination skin and find that the majority of foundations I've tried don't last as long as I like and tend to oxidise - even when I use the lightest shade.

After reading some rave reviews about Max Factor's facefinity all day flawless 3-in-1 foundation (what a long name!) I decided it was worth giving it a go.

The first thing that I really like is the packaging. A clear glass bottle with a pump, yup I'm easily pleased. I find it so much easier when products come with a pump as it allows you to control the amount of product you're using and it's more hygienic.

Now, because I have combination skin, I always use a primer so I haven't tested this to see how it holds up without. However I will say that because this is a medium to full coverage it does act as a concealer which is a massive plus if you're not a fan of wearing too many products on your face.  Two out of three ain't bad right?

As well as being a high coverage which is a massive plus in my books, it's also a matte finish which is something I always look for with having combination skin. This lasts on my skin better than any other foundation I've tried, I apply my make up at 6 am every morning and sometimes don't get home until 7 pm, and my foundation is pretty much the same as it was when I walked out of the door that morning.

After years of searching for the perfect foundation, I think I've finally found it!

Additional info:

Price: £11.99

Shades: 6

Product: 30ml

SPF40

Primer, concealer and foundation

Comes with a pump

Lasted 12 hours

Great for oily/combination skin

'It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are'

Lots of Love

xoxo

Nars blush in Amour

Bonjour!

I have issues when it comes to blush, in that I just can't seem to stop buying it and now have an overflowing drawer that keeps growing.

I do tend to lean towards the same shades, those being berry and mauve's. One blush in particular that has been a firm favourite of mine has to be Amour by Nars.

Any time I called into SpaceNK I think Amour was the shade that I continuously went back to. So I finally bit the bullet and picked it up.
I have noticed that on the SpaceNK website this is described as a 'peachy pink' but it's definitely more of a pink toned berry shade.

The pigmentation of Nars blushes is amazing! One little swatch and I have enough product to add colour to both cheeks. I can be a little heavy handed sometimes when it comes to applying blush, so always find it best to apply this (and other pigmented blushes) with a stipple brush.

As well as being highly pigmented, this is super long lasting. There's no fading and no need to reapply throughout the day, my cheeks always look just as flushed as when I first applied.
The finish is matte, so if you're like me and love highlighter you can go to town with the shimmer and won't look like a disco ball.

I know Orgasm is probably the most talked about and popular blush, but I'd absolutely recommend checking Amour out too.

Additional info:

Price: £22.50
Shades: 33
Product: 4.8g
Matte finish
Pinky plum shade

'A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there'

Lots of Love

xoxo

Avon Skin so soft silky moisture replenishing dry oil spray

Bonjour!

When it comes to moisturising, I'll be honest - I can't be bothered.

My main issue is waiting for said moisturiser to dry, I'm so impatient! I need something that's quick and easy to apply and dries literally straight away, so when I spotted the Avon dry oil spray I snapped it up.

I've tried many bath and body products from Avon and haven't been disappointed yet, and this was no exception. Being a spray means that it's so much quicker, easier and less messy to apply after a shower, literally five minutes to spritz and rub in and I'm done.

Because this is a dry oil also means that it dries quicker than a normal moisturiser or body butter would, which in turn means I can throw my clothes on straight away with no fuss.

Packed with Argon oil and vitamin E, this leaves my skin feeling so smooth and soft, even the next day I can feel a difference.

The only thing I'm not overly keen on is the scent. It is quite perfumed and reminds me a little of hairspray. However, because it's such a great product and has made such a difference to my skincare routine, I can completely overlook the smell.

I couldn't be without this now,thanks for the super soft skin Avon!!

Additional info:

Price: £5.00 (sometimes on offer for £2.50 )

Product: 150ml

Non greasy

Locks in moisture, nourishes and hydrates

Contains Argon oil and vitamin E

'Life doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful'

Lots of Love

xoxo

Collection 'Does it all' 5 in 1 mascara

Bonjour!

I shall let you all i on a little secret - I'm a bit of a mascara junkie.

I usually only have on one or two mascaras on the go at once as I like to gt as much use as I possibly can before I throw them away.

My newest love is Collection's Does it all 5 in 1 mascara.

The first thing to draw me in was the packaging: I'm a sucker for anything purple. The wand was next to steal my heart. I generally prefer a slimmer, plastic/rubber wand with short bristles (not that I'm picky at all) as I find they catch each eyelash better. This wand actually reminds me of the Benefit 'They're real' wand as they're both rubber and have a ball shape at the very end which makes coating the outer corner so much easier.

For me, this mascara does pretty much what it says on the tube (I didn't find that it conditioned my lashes at all) it gave volume, length, curled and was long wearing.

Because I wear my make up or around 12 hours each day, I need a mascara that won't leave me looking like a panda at the end of the day. This doesn't drop under my lashline at all an definitely stays in place all day long.

without any mascara

one coat

Two coats

I've recommended this to all of the girls at work and will absolutely be repurchasing when mine runs out!

Additional info:

Price: £4.99

Shades: Black, ultra black and waterproof black

Product: 8ml

Promises: Curl, Volumise, Lengthen, Long wearing and Condition

'Be an encourager. The world has enough critics already'

Lots of Love

xoxo 

NYX Butter glosses

Bonjour!

What better way is there to start off my blog, than to review a lip product?

NYX have been a favourite brand of mine for some time now, and over the past few months one product in particular has caught my eye....their butter glosses.

I've watched so many US beauty girls talk about these glosses on youtube, and read beauty blogs that as soon as I spotted them in Next I couldn't resist buying a few.

I picked up the shades Creme brulee, Angel food cake and cherry pie. Creme brulee is the perfect pale nude shade which looks great on top of a similar shade or darker lipstick. Angel food cake is more of a brown/mauve nude shade. And lastly Cherry pie is a cherry red shade as the name suggests.

I would say that the pigmentation of these glosses is somewhere in between a sheer and highly pigmented. They're pigmented enough so that they can be worn alone and look great, but sheer enough so that they can be worn on top of another lip product.

I'd say the top selling point for me is the consistency and glossiness. They're a little sticky which I don't mind as I find this helps them last longer, and they give that 'wet look' look - that's what I like to call it and I'm sticking to it ;) These lasted on me for around an hour to an hour and a half before they lost their glossiness, but my lips were left feeling moisturised.

If you're on the hunt for a new gloss, definitely check these out!

Additional info:

Price: £5.00

Shades: 12

Product: 8ml 

Sweet vanilla scent

'Always believe that something amazing is about to happen'

Lots of Love

xoxo