June favourites

No introduction required surely? You know the drill. New month = last month's most reached for and loved products, here goes:

Dior Forever Flawless Perfection Fusion Wear Foundation - £32

This is a gorgeous product and my most reached for base throughout June, an odd choice really. Why you ask? Well it's a full coverage foundation for a start, and personally I prefer a light to medium coverage. Also, a full coverage foundation during the summer months, Naomi what are you playing at? But despite it being full coverage, this does not wear heavy on the skin at all. No cakeyness, just a natural looking, velvety finish. Also a perfect colour match for me, I use the shade 011, which I think is the lightest or next shade up. A lovely product and the kind of quality you would expect from Dior!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Bikini-tini - £15.50

Yes, I know this appeared in my May favourites post but this continued to serve me well throughout June. It adds that bit of something to every look and the reason it's made another favourites post is because I discovered another use of this already perfect product... Its champagney, gold colour means it can be used as a highlighter at the top of your cheekbones! Try it, you'll thank me later!

Origins Make a Difference Plus+ Rejuvinating Moisturiser - £34.50

This stuff has solved a lot of my skincare woes. I don't want to speak too soon but this could well be a lifetime favourite, not just a monthly favourite. At the start of June my skin was suffering, not only from a minor breakout but it was also pretty dehydrated. However between this and Origins' Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (I will get to this next) - they've been a total godsend for me. This divine smelling moisturiser, featuring Nature's Rose of Jericho, plus a Lychee and Watermelon hydra-sustain complex claims to quench deep to help add moisture to dry, dehydrated skin. That it does and despite its lovely scent, it does not irritate my skin in the slightest. At the start of the month my skin was looking lacklustre to say the least, however using this product daily has ensured my skin is looking and feeling hydrated throughout the day. Thumbs up for this!

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask - £23

Another June skincare saviour, as mentioned above. This is my first dabble with an overnight mask and my word, I will never look back. I used this once a week during June and each time I woke up with my skin appearing healthier and plump, and just looking better overall. I apply this fairly thickly after my Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum, and use this in place of my moisturiser. Overnight my skin "drinks it up" - as the name suggests. At first this is fairly sticky but don't be put off, it sinks in easily after a few minutes. Another bonus is its delightful, fruity smell - which is obviously down to it containing avocado oil, mango butter and apricot kernel oil. These ingredients also help to deeply hydrate the skin. I will review this product by itself in the near future, as it has worked wonders on my skin.

Batiste Dry Shampoo Dark & Deep Brown - £3.99

If you would've told me a few months back that a dry shampoo would make one of my favourites posts I would have probably laughed in your face. It's taken me a long time to feel comfortable with the idea of dry shampoo and June was the month when I actually became okay with it, well in fact more than okay. During June, I used this on a number of occasions as a hair texturiser more than anything. It added a bit of body to my hair, when it started to look a little lacklustre (new favourite word, can't you tell?) and it made all the difference, and added that necessary bit of 'oomph' to my locks.

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Summer blushin'

From left, Crochet, Guipure and Chantilly.

Hello all - before I get started I must quickly apologise for being a bad blogger of late, I haven't blogged in just over a week and I have felt a little bit guilty about it but it's been a combination of me being extremely busy at work, accompanied with having an uninspired blogger blip - blogger's block, we've all had this from time to time, right?

Anyway, enough of my rambling and onto my latest post, Summer blushin'... The title probably gives away the fact that I'm having a 'I love Grease phase' and also the fact that I'm wanting to tell you all about a blush palette that's sure to get you in the mood for summer. It's not quite June yet but this palette really has me looking ahead to the summer months.

Sleek's Blush by 3 Palette in Lace (RRP £9.99) is a thing of orange-toned beauty. Yep, orange. Totally out of my comfort zone but I'm totally fine with it.

The palette contains, as you'd expect, three shades. These include: 

• Crochet: a matte orange
• Guipure: a warm, coral-toned pink with a metallic gold shimmer
• Chantilly: a matte, reddy coral

My favourite shade in the palette is Crochet, which comes as a total surprise to me, as I tend to stick to pretty pinks or shimmery corals. My love for this orange shade comes as a complete shock, especially as I'm so fair skinned but surprisingly it suits me, it totally warms up my complexion and teamed with a subtle contour, adds definition to my cheekbones.

Guipure is also a winner but that's because it's one of those pinky coral shades that I would usually go for. In fact, I think it's the exact same blush that's in Sleek's Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette.

Chantilly is the only shade I'm not 100 per cent sold on... yet. On first application I looked like I'd been slapped, not good! It needed a great deal of blending out before I looked okay again. I plan to try this with my Real Techniques Stippling Blush, which should hopefully do the trick. *fingers crossed*

Despite my fair complexion I feel this palette actually works well for me, and as I've mentioned does wonders in warming up my pale face, so I have no doubt that this trio will look fabulous on darker skin tones.

As I've previously mentioned on the blog, Sleek's Blush offerings are up there with the best of them, the selection of colours is superb, the pigmentation and lasting power is excellent, and accompanied with the small price tag, they're a total winner and this palette is no exception.

What beauty products are getting you in the mood for summer?

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Beauty products that didn't live up to the hype

This post may come as a bit of a shock to some of you today, as I'm not bigging up products that I love like I usually do. Instead I'm going to give you the rundown on a few products that have disappointed me somewhat in recent months.

Before I get started, I just want to make it clear, that I'm not saying these products are dreadful, they just didn't work for me... Some of you are going to read this post and think: "NAOMI, WHAT THE HELL?!" because most of these products are adored by a multitude of beauty lovers and have a cult folloing but sadly they just didn't cut the mustard for me... That doesn't mean they won't work for you, everyone's different and I enjoy reading these types of posts, I find it interesting to discover what other bloggers just didn't "get on with". 

Right enough rambling, here goes:

NARS Blush in Orgasm - £21.50

Yep, your eyes aren't deceiving you people. This is probably the most talked about shade of blush around, it's "that blush with the funny name". NARS blushes are renowned for being just, well fantastic, and trust me it's not a bad blush by any stretch of the imagination. The formula is good, it lasts throughout the day, and Orgasm is a lovely peachy, golden pink shade but there's 501 cheaper alternatives out there. My favourite dupe being the blush in Sleek's Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette. That nifty trio contains a contour, highlight and blush, and the blush is VERY similar to Orgasm. The only difference being it's accompanied by the contour and highlight, and the overall product costs £9.99. Sorry NARS... Sleek wins it here for me this time.

Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Mascara in Medium Brown - £4.99

After reading many a glowing review on this product, I thought I'd give it a go myself and boy, was I disappointed with this. I've read many posts where the reviewer claims it gives them a natural looking brow, I sadly cannot vouch for this. The strange ball brush just would not allow the product to apply neatly to my brows, it just made them look messy and odd. It's a no from me...

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black - £12

I had a sample of this free with a magazine a few months back and I was SO excited to give this a whirl, especially as it's renowned for being the liquid eyeliner behind Alexa Chung's famous cat flick and who doesn't love that look? I had such high hopes prior to using this but sadly I found that it smudged terribly. Instead of the cat flick, I got the panda flick... Not a good look! I'm just thanking the liquid eyeliner Gods for Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner!

Maybelline Baby Lips Balm in Pink Punch - £2.99

Following its Stateside success, the UK launch of this product was a highly anticipated one. I couldn't wait to get my hands on these lip balms, being a total lip balm fiend. Once they landed in the UK I purchased Pink Punch and Mint Fresh. I love Mint Fresh, it's one of my all-time favourite lip balms, I love any mint flavoured lip products anyway but the formula is just so hydrating. However, Pink Punch does not feel like the same hydrating product to me, it dries my lips out terribly and I also don't like the hint of colour that this has. Mint Fresh applies clear, while Pink Punch goes on like a sort of bright pinky colour but sheer too, which is fine but perhaps it should be a more muted pink if it's a sheer lip product. In my opinion, Pink Punch can't decide whether it's a balm or a tint... Disappointing but thank goodness it was dirt cheap or I'd feel a lot worse about it.

Benefit They're Real Mascara - £19.50

*gulp* I'm nervous about including this in the post but well... The UK's best selling mascara just didn't do it for me okay?! I'm sorry! Every beauty lover and their mother (poet and I didn't know it ;)) loves this mascara, and honestly I wanted to love this mascara so badly but I just don't... I find it so heavy on my lashes, so much so that it makes me feel uncomfortable and when I've had this on, I've felt paranoid of it smudging. The lash look that I tend go for is one that has the right mix of length and volume, but more so on the length side. This sadly has too little length for me, and far too much volume. I'm glad I've finally got this off my chest!

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post, it's good to mix things up a little every now and then, and it's a post I've contemplated doing for some time now. Like I said, just because a product doesn't work for me, doesn't mean the same applies for you, I just thought it may interest you to know what products I just haven't taken to. I'd love to find out what hyped up products didn't really float your bloat, let me know!

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Pore blimey, you can't beat a good freebie!

You can't beat a good magazine freebie every now and then, and this month Elle Magazine have really pulled out all the stops as they are giving away a free sample of the POREfessional Pro Balm by Benefit.

This freebie could not have come at a better time for me as I'm currently running out of my full sized POREfessional and despite being a total POREfessional devotee, at £24.50 for 22ml, I'd been putting off parting with my hard earned pennies, so Elle's "pricey for a magazine" £4 price tag really didn't sound so bad in comparison to that.

The magazine sample offering's size is 7.5ml which I think is pretty good, and will last me around two months.

This is one of the most talked about products in the beauty blogging world, it's a real "marmite" product - you either love it or hate it, as stated I'm a total devotee, I love it.

But why do I love it you ask? Well, first and foremost, it's described as a "silky, lightweight balm for translucent pore coverage and smoother-than-smooth skin", and I can confirm it does a sterling job in "blurring" the appearance of my slightly enlarged pores around my nose, which I think is largely due to it being a silicone primer.

(FYI - Silicone primers provide a smooth base for your foundation, as the silicone fills in any pores and fine lines.)

As well as that, it's not heavy on the skin at all and applies ever so smoothly. This can be used over or under your foundation. I always use it under, as it smooths out my skin tone, giving me a flawless base, that helps my make-up to last all day/night.

When I first used this, I was a little taken aback as it does have a slight beige-y colour to it but fear not, as that disappears once you've blended it in.

For me this product does everything that it claims to do, and I do feel it warrants the hype that surrounds it.

I highly suggest you head over to your nearest newsagent and pick up this month's copy of Elle, if you haven't tried the POREfessional yet - this product should be on every beauty lover's list of products they must try!

I may even buy another copy of Elle for this...

I would love to hear what primers you swear by, as I'm in need of some suggestions. Thanks for reading!

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April favourites

Despite April probably being the busiest month of the year so far, it was definitely my favourite month of 2014 yet. Lots of hard work was done but there were a couple of lovely birthdays celebrated, my best friend, Craig has gone to work in Mallorca for six months, despite feeling sad that he's gone, I'm thrilled that he's having a wonderful time over there, oh and there's been plenty of blog progress, including a lovely little revamp - thanks to the boyfriend for that. Oh and I'm sorry to be a total fangirl BUT... *cough* the wonderful Essie Button shared my blog with her 76k+ Twitter followers *cough* - she enjoyed my Essie Button made me... post! Win!

So yep, April was pretty good but now I shall hush up and crack on with my most loved and reached for beauty products of the past month, and I've got to say, it's quite a luxurious list. Here goes:

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - £37

If I could use any iPhone Emoji to sum up my feelings on this palette, it would be the 'heart-eyes' one, you know the one! I've had this little treasure of a palette for just over a month now and I adore it. Throughout April I reached for this palette on a number of occasions to create some lovely night time looks. One look I enjoyed creating in particular, was a subtle shimmery eye teamed with some winged liquid eyeliner. This look finished off my outfit at one of my best friend's 21st birthday Gatsby party perfectly. The shades I used to create this look were Dust - an extremely shimmery, peachy pink with A LOT of glitter, Buzz - a glittery, satin rose, and Nooner - a matte taupe. I wore Nooner all over the lid and finished the look off with the shimmery, glittery shades and of course, the winged liner. (Apologies for not having any pictures of this eye look!) I know this is a favourites post but I do have one gripe with one shade in this palette and oddly enough, the shade is Dust - that I have just mentioned. There is far too much fall out in Dust! Other than that, it's a stunning palette.

Ciate Paint Pot in Pocket Money - £9

This was another beauty product that finished off the Gatsby party look. It's a beautiful nude shade, that's somewhat pinkier than your typical nude nail polish. It's an extremely elegant shade and the formula is lovely. It lasted me a good four to five days without any highly noticeable chipping. This is a little pinkier than Nooner, in the Naked 3 Palette. Being a sucker for pretty packaging, I must say the bottle is presented beautifully with a lovely black ribbon to finish it off. Trés elegant.

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lipstick in 33 La Distinguée - £26

This is not just an April favourite, this is a lifetime and a day favourite. I reached for this little beauty a number of times in April and as always, it finished off any look, day or night, gorgeously. La Distinguée is a moderately dusty pink with a very subtle hint of peach. It's beautiful and my all time favourite lipstick shade. This isn't a Gatsby party themed post I swear, but teaming this with the Naked 3 Palette and Ciate's Pocket Money was just a dusty pink dream! Despite its matte formula, I don't find this drying at all. Look out for a post dedicated to this lipstick in future because as you can tell I adore it. 

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner - £13

This product featured in my Essie Button made me... post. I've worn a winged eye a number of times this month and I've absolutely loved it. The pen makes the detestable liquid eyeliner application process somewhat less detestable for me - big praise indeed! As I've previously said, it's the perfect black liquid eyeliner for me and it does not budge all day/evening.


La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + Plus - £15.50 *

Its predecessor featured in my February favourites and since using the revamped version over the past month, I'm smitten. This product reduces any redness that comes after any skin outbreaks and I've found its actually improved the overall redness of my skin, which has given me the confidence to go a number of days foundation-free during April! See here for a full review of this.



Have a fab May and lovely Bank Holiday weekend all - I'm off to watch McBusted tonight in Birmingham, so I'm a tad excited to say the least! Thanks for reading!

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Essie Button made me...

The title of today's post speaks volumes about me. Firstly, I'm a beauty addict but an easily led beauty addict at that. A product can sell itself to me but occasionally I do need the gentle nudge of fellow beauty bloggers to inspire a purchase... or eight.

This post features eight products I bought largely off the back of glowing reports from one of my favourite beauty bloggers, Estée from Essie Button. If you don't know who Estée is, she's a Canadian blogger, vlogger and YouTuber, who lives in London. She blogs under the name of Essie Button. Her blog is a joy to read and her videos are equally brilliant to watch. She's utterly hilarious, has superb taste in all things beauty, skincare and life in general, oh and she's ACE! Right, enough of the Essie Button love fest and onto the products:

Barry M Hi Shine Gel Effect Nail Polish in Lychee - £3.99

With their vast array of colours and reasonable price tag, Barry M's nail polishes are some of the best offerings on the high street. However, their Gel Effect Nail Polish formula really is something special. In two coats, you get wonderfully shiny nails that don't chip easily. Last year, Estée (and the rest of us, including myself) fell in love with the shade, Lychee, which is a lovely nude-grey shade. Ideal for daily wear.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner - £13

Like most women out there I have a real love/hate relationship with liquid eyeliner. I hate applying it, however when it does go on well, I love it. Who doesn't love a good winged eye after all? Estée has sang this product's praises no end, she claimed it was the best liquid eyeliner she's ever tried. With that kind of review, how could I leave Boots without this? Unsurprisingly, this has lived up to her rave reviews. It's the perfect black liquid liner, the pen makes for easy application and it doesn't budge throughout the day!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Honey - £7.99

Estée’s readers know her love of Revlon's range of lip products. These Clinique Chubby Stick dupes took the high street by storm around two years ago and I do see why I suppose. I found these products okay but just that unfortunately, I have the shade Honey (Estée's fave), which is a lovely, 'your lips but better' kind of pink. My gripe with this product is it fades so easily, which is fine for some but I don't tend to reapply my make-up too much throughout the day, so it's a little annoying for me. Thankfully this kind of shade isn't too high maintenance, so it doesn't look silly once it has faded but it is just as though nothing was ever there. A plus point however, is the minty scent. I love mint scented lip products!

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake and Tutti Frutti - £7.99

More Revlon lip products here. The beauty blogging community went mad for these, including Estée, of course and I can totally see why. These are somewhere between a lip balm and a lipstick and they are lovely. They're extremely hydrating and there are a brilliant variety of shades to choose from. I opted for Strawberry Shortcake, which is another one of those 'your lips but better' pinks, and Tutti Frutti, which is an orangey coral. These go on sheer, which means their staying power isn't incredible but having such a balm like formula, I was expecting that really.

Maybelline EyeStudio Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze - £4.99

A product that Estée and every other blogger adores, including myself! This cream formula eyeshadow is excellent worn alone or as a base for other eyeshadows - it makes a wonderful companion for Urban Decay's Naked Palette I've got to say! Despite its low price tag, its longevity and quality mirrors that of a high end branded product. Estée's signature shade is On and On Bronze or Bad to the Bronze, as its named in the States and Canada.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque - £18.50

I love this, Estée loves this... (Did you read that to the tune of the Barney the Dinosaur theme tune...? No, sorry, I will carry on). I love this little wonder, as you will know if you read my February favourites post. This works fantastically to combat that sometimes dark under eye area of mine. Its slight pink tint cancels out the darkness and with it having a creamier consistency than most concealers, it works a little better for me in my under eye area. A total gem, thank you Estée for introducing me to this.

Dior Hydra Life BB Eye Creme - £30

Last year, Estée and I had something in common, we ventured into the wonderful - albeit expensive world of Dior cosmetics and we fell for them, hook line and sinker. A BB eye creme sounds ridiculously extravagant and quite frankly unnecessary, and yes it is BUT this is a lovely product. The coverage is by no means heavy duty at all, which may not satisfy some but I'm all about the no make-up make-up look and this works great for me. The price tag is the product's only real snag but it's Dior, need I say anymore? (Poet and I did not know it)

Hope you enjoyed reading this post. Are there any beauty bloggers that inspired some of your beauty purchases? If so, what products were they and what bloggers tempted you into those purchases?

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March favourites

This post has come around way too fast. I know we all say it about every month but March has whizzed by, so of course what would the end/beginning of a new month be without me sharing with you what my most loved beauty products were throughout the month?

March has been a great month for me. This is the month I kicked off all this blogging shizz and I haven't regretted it one bit. It's something I've always intended to do but never quite got my act together in doing until now - so I must say, if you're thinking about doing something that you know you'll enjoy, do it. Don't think twice about it, just get on with it!

That's my advice for the month, time to crack on with these favourites.

Seventeen Cheek Stamp Blush in Made You Look - £4.99

Ah, the product that kicked my backside into blogging. It's special to me for that reason but sentimental stuff aside, I've really enjoyed using this. Applied with no thought, you will look insane and I don't mean that in the 'insane, sick good' way - you will look like Aunt Sal if you don't blend it in properly. However, applied correctly this will give you a delightful pop of colour. I use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush with this and they make an excellent team. I bought three shades of this blush but this shade is my favourite by a country mile. I love the bright pink blush and fair skin pairing. Made You Look certainly lives up to its name. This blush still shows up on my cheeks come the end of the day, which I think is excellent for the price you pay for this. Click here for my for my initial thoughts on the product.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush - £11.99

This isn't just a March favourite, it's a 'until the end of time favourite' but this month in particular it's served me well. I only ever use this for applying blush. As I mentioned previously, this and Seventeen's Cheek Stamp Blush make a good team but this brush works fantastically with all blush products of mine, powder or cream formula. Bright pink blush signifies the beginning of spring for me and this brush has enabled me to create the 'spring bright' look effortlessly.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Subtle Violet Hand Cream (30ml) - £8

This little beauty's habitat is my desk at work. I've been using this for the past month or so and it's really improved the general condition of my hands. The harsh winter months took their toll on my hands, making me look as though I worked outside all day, doing manual labour! This isn't me saying there's anything wrong in undertaking some hard graft by the way but when you're a young woman who doesn't do manual labour, it isn't exactly the look you strive for. Anyway, enough of me rambling on about manual labour stricken hands. Basically, this product is rich and moisturising but without being greasy, plus the scent is lovely. It's not too overbearing at all. Just gotta put this out there: the best hand cream I've ever tried.

Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum - £17*

Since being sent this product for review, it's become a staple part of my skincare regime, providing my skin with a welcome boost of moisture. Post use, my skin is left feeling soft and supple, without feeling greasy. So far this has been a joy to use. Click here for my initial review on the product.

Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation in 71 Abricote Clair - £9.99

This foundation is probably a blast from the past for some. This foundation isn't one that many Bourjois stands stock now but when I stumbled across this a while back something gravitated me towards it. I never got to try it back in the day, so I felt like I'd missed out in some ways I suppose. I've been using this throughout the month, as my previous everyday foundation (Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation) is running low. So far, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It stays on my skin all day, the coverage is quite light, leaving me with a non-cakey looking face. I think this product could revitalise the dullest of complexions. A product that lives up to its name in my opinion - 10 hour sleep effect indeed.


Hope you've all had a wonderful March and have an even better April. I have a feeling April will be a cracking month (no Easter pun intended) but seriously the nights will be lighter and the chocolate eggs will be aplenty - what more could you ask for really?

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Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum

Being new to this whole blogging lark, I was extremely excited to have been sent Avene's Soothing Hydrating Serum  (£17) from Escentual to try out and review.

Firstly I've got to say I've never used a serum before, nor have I ever considered using one, so I have nothing to compare this product to. However, I've used this product for a week and a half now and I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far.

This silky feeling serum sinks into my skin right away and doesn't feel greasy at all. I use this morning and evening after I've cleansed my face. I leave it for a few minutes before applying La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] - expect a review of that soon.

How the serum looks.

Post use, my skin feels so supple and soft! If I had used this product during the colder months, my dry, winter ravaged skin would have been banished for sure.

The product, which is highly concentrated in Avene Thermal Spring Water, aims to soothe and moisturise even the most sensitive of skin. It also contains glycerin which improves the skin's hydration and suppleness.

Overall, despite never considering using a serum before, having been pleased with the results of using one so far, this will continue to make up part of my daily skincare routine. I can't wait to see the long term effect this serum has on my skin, I shall keep you updated on that.

In the meantime, while I'm raving about this product, why not try it out for yourself by visiting www.escentual.com, Escentual is the go to place to get your hands on a variety of French skincare brands including Avene, La Roche-Posay, Vichy and Bioderma, to name a few. What's more, Escentual are currently offering up to 1/3 off French Pharmacy brands until the end of March - so I suggest you have a browse now if you fancy mixing up your current skincare routine!

NB - The box arrived dented.

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Empties #1

My first empties post, a real blogger feat indeed!

I find empties posts interesting and I enjoy reading them, for two reasons:

1. I feel they provide you with the most representative review of a product. If you've used up a whole bottle/tub/tube (etc), during that time you will have surely come to some sort of conclusion about the product.
2. Empties posts tend to reveal whether someone intends to repurchase a product again.

I've used up quite a few products since January and being the hoarder that I am I have kept them for my own blogging pleasure.

I did intend to start this blog in January, hence the backlog of products but as my blog name suggests... Better Ni than never. (Insert wink emote here)

So here's what I've used up:

Lush Angels on Bare Skin Fresh Facial Cleanser - £6.35

I enjoyed using this cleanser, I used it most days for around three months until it ran out and it always left my skin feeling extremely soft after use. It promises to "even out skin tone, reduce redness and improve the health and appearance of your skin, giving a natural glow". I found it did improve the health and appearance of my skin, however I didn't notice it reducing any redness. The product contains chamomile blue and lavender oils, which promise to calm and soothe the skin. Soothing it sure is. I never used this cleanser to remove my make up, I'd always use it on bare skin (no pun intended there). As instructed on the tub I would use a pea sized piece of this, put it in my hand, add some water, before mixing to a paste like consistency. I would then apply it over the face, then rinse it off with warm water, revealing baby soft skin. Yay! Another plus is that it smells good, in an earthy kind of way.  Would I repurchase this again? Yes but not urgently.

L'Oeal Lumi Magique Concealer in Light - £8.49

This was nice... however I must say, that I use the word 'nice' to indicate that something isn't amazing but it's a tad better than okay. I wasn't blown away by this product. It made for a fairly good, brightening under eye concealer but it didn't do much in the way of covering up any blemishes. The product blended well and I enjoyed the brush applicator. It was also a good colour match for me. I also liked the look of the packaging, however it didn't last me long at all, I don't think it even reached the two month mark and I wasn't slapping this stuff on heavily either! Personally, I prefer Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer by a country mile. The coverage is better, it lasts longer AND costs an amazing £4.19. Would I repurchase Lumi Magique again? No.

VO5 Smoothly Does It Tame and Shine Spray - £3.89

I repurchase this stuff time and time again. I'm not a massive haircare expert and I must admit I do kind of neglect my hair for the most part. I would walk over hot coals barefoot to maintain my fringe but the rest of my hair doesn't always get the TLC it needs really. Shame on me. However, I do use my hairdryer and straighteners and totally recognise the importance of a good heat defence spray and this is a good heat defence spray! I spray a small amount on dry hair after blow drying and before using my straighteners and I always find it protects my hair from the heat and keeps my hair smooth and fairly frizz free. I don't even need to ask whether I would repurchase this because I do and will, time and time again!

No7 Quick Cover Blemish Stick in Fair - £7.50

When my skin wasn't suffering from drier spells, this stuff was okay. However, it would cling terribly to any dry patches. The coverage was okay but generally I think there are better concealers out there. This took me ages to use up and I believe (correct me if I'm wrong here) that it's now been discontinued. I think its equivalent now is No7's Match Made Concealer. I doubt I will try that based on my experience with this product.

Balance Me Balancing Face Moisturiser - £24

This was a joy to use. This is one of the best moisturisers I've ever used and I was sad to finish this. I think I got this sample free with a magazine. I haven't got round to purchasing a full size of this. The price does put me off a little as I've used good moisturisers for much less BUT it was something special, so maybe one day... The product claims to "soothe, calm and hydrate", I can definitely say it does. I applied this to cleansed skin and it always left my skin extremely hydrated and soft. The product is of 99 per cent natural origin and is formulated with meadowfoam, moringa, rice bran oils, vitamins and anti-oxidants, as well as pure neroli, bergamot, frankinense (AND MYRRH - jokes), petitgrain, lemongrass and spruce knot. Overall a lovely product. I must add, it did have a slight earthy smell but it wasn't offensive at all. Would I purchase a full size of this? Mmm, maybe, like I say the price puts me off a tad though.

L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution - £4.99

I was a bit of a latecomer to the micellar water party but I'm glad I showed up in the end! This is L'Oreal's 'Bioderma dupe/micellar water offering'. I'm yet to try Bioderma as it's fairly difficult to get hold of in the UK, so of course seeing this dupe in the shops was exciting. This was my second or third bottle of this, which does indicate I like the product and I do. The product is supposed to act as a make up remover and toner in one. It removes all traces of make up, even mascara, however I do tend to use a separate eye make up remover now. You need to bear in mind this is a good make up remover but it shouldn't be your only cleansing step! To use this, I apply a cotton wool pad onto dry skin, hold over the skin for a few seconds then I just sweep away. One plus point is that this stuff is on offer ALL the time, so look out for that. Would I repurchase this again? Yes, however I'm looking to try other drugstore brands' micellar water offerings soon to see how they compare to this, that could result in a micellar water blog post soon so keep your eyes peeled for that!

L'Oreal Absolute Make Up Remover Eye & Lip - £4.99

This stuff is okay. This is my second bottle of this and I'm starting to feel unsure, I will use it up but I have realised this formula is quite greasy, despite its claims of being 'non greasy', and doesn't remove make up as swiftly as it should. Just like the micellar water except you have to shake this product well before use, I apply a cotton pad onto my eye this time, hold over for a few seconds then I gently sweep away. However, it does take a few cotton pads before my eye make up is totally removed. Would I repurchase this again? Hmm, no, I'm now looking to try a different eye make up remover.

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara in Magnetic Black - £10.99

This stuff is absolutely excellent. This mascara proved to me that you don't need to spend £20+ for a good mascara. Big praise indeed but its my all time favourite mascara. L'Oreal says this mascara has 'infinite length effect fibers', meaning this mascara provides more length than it does volume but I don't mind that at all, as it doesn't give the type of length that screams 'spider lashes'. It separates my lashes well and the curl holds all day. My eyes can be quite watery and this stuff does not budge, which means no panda eyes, always a plus. Would I repurchase this again? Yes, yes, yes!

After thought: If this blog post was an episode of Friends, it may well have been called: 'The one with all the L'Oreal products' - totally unintentional, of course.

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February favourites

As we are now well and truly into March, what would the beginning of a new month be without a blogger telling the world what products they enjoyed using and reached for the most during the past month?

My February favourites.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - £37

Usually I get the most wear out of this palette during the evenings. However, during February I used this palette a few times during the day, opting for a subtle daytime look using two extremely pretty shades, 'Sin' - a pale, champagne shadow, and 'Toasted' - a warm, bronze-y, pink(ish) shade. I wore 'Sin' all over the lids and 'Toasted' in the outer crease and I must say, they make a good shadow team! The look wasn't too heavy for the daytime and certainly brightened up my eyes. I adore this palette and I feel that I subconsciously went for the two pinkier shades in this palette because I'm (still) dying to get my hands on the third Naked Palette, which is all about the pinks and rose gold shades.

'Sin' - a pale, champagne shadow. 

'Toasted' - a warm, bronze-y, pink(ish) shade.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque - £18.50

This little beauty served me well during the past month. For those mornings when I woke up having not quite had my solid eight hours of sleep, this worked wonders in tackling a dark under eye. The product has a slight pink tint to it, in order to cancel out any darkness. I feel this product works better than a standard concealer for me as the consistency is so creamy, it blends in extremely well, doesn't crease and really brightens my under eye area.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque.

Sleek Blush in Pixie Pink - £4.49

A monthly favourite it certainly is, but I could go as far as to say this is one of my favourite blushers of all time. That's a big statement, as I LOVE blush. I reached for this pretty much everyday during February. It may look slightly daunting as it is very pigmented but applied with care and the Real Techniques Stippling Brush, it looks lovely on a fair complexion. A gorgeous, soft pink that makes for the perfect springtime shade and an added bonus is it's a great drugstore dupe for Nars' Gaeity, which retails at a pricier £21.50.

Swatch of Sleek's Pixie Pink.

Bourjois Color Edition 24h Eyeshadow - £6.99

Another pink(ish), bronze eyeshadow here. I'm not 100 per cent sure but I think I have the shade 'Petale de Glace'. These are a cream to powder texture, which is what drew me to purchasing it. During a few days in February I wore it and it made for a lovely, neutral daytime eye look. The product is shimmery but not too shimmery for the day. The colour pay off is good and I didn't find it to crease at all. I am tempted to try a few other shades in the range, however they look deeper than this, so will probably work best in the evenings.

(nb -I NEED to say: product is spelt 'color', I haven't made an error :P)

Swatch of Bourjois' Color Edition 24h Eyeshadow.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo - £12

This is my second tube of this stuff and I must say I'm still enjoying it. I stopped using this for about a month but got well and truly back into it during February and if used everyday, does work wonders for my skin. I don't have particularly terrible skin but I find using this everyday does keep my skin pretty clear. You don't need much of it at all. It's a corrective and unclogging treatment that I find to be gentle on the skin. On the back of the tube it says it 'reduces the appearance of imperfections and unclogs sebum-blocked pores', and I think it does. The only downside for me now however, is this product has been discontinued... but fear not, La Roche-Posay have brought out Effaclar Duo [+] Plus. I believe the only difference in the revamped version is that it helps to reduce and prevent scarring, as well as what it already does. (Correct me if I'm incorrect here someone.)

Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask - £22

Wow. Wow. Wow. This stuff. What a superb product. Sorry to sound over the top here but I cannot sing this mask's praises enough. I have never used a product that is so effective in such a short space of time, it makes a real difference right away. I never in a million years would have thought to have picked up this product, however I was perusing the Origins stand in Boots not so long ago and was given this sample by a lovely sales assistant. I didn't really pay it any attention and didn't use it until recently. However, a little while ago my skin was having lets just say 'a bit of a moment' and on reading up on this mask, I decided to take action fast. Many said the active charcoal in the mask draws out impurities right away and that it did! The charcoal acts as a magnet and brings those pesky impurities right to the surface. Prior to application you have to open up your pores with warm water. I apply it fairly thickly to any impurities, which mostly occur on my t-zone, I leave it 10 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Right away my skin feels very clean and any breakouts are greatly reduced. When I eventually run out of this sample, I will certainly be purchasing the full size product. 

Stella McCartney Lily Eau De Parfum - £43.50

I had a 30ml bottle of Lily for Christmas and it's the only fragrance I've worn this year. My signature scent has been Chance by Chanel for years but I think this may well have stolen that title. I don't want to get the notes incorrect so here is how Ms McCartney herself describes it: "Top notes evoke the rich, mineral freshness of truffle. Heart notes of green and luminous lily of the valley create an irresistible addiction. Base notes reveal the earthy warmth of oak moss." For a woman's fragrance, it has a masculine sort of smell to it but in an extremely pleasant way. I tend to prefer a lot of male scents and this kind of explains that. It's a fresh, earthy yet slightly floral scent. I love it, worn day or night it lasts ages on me. Stunning.

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Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

If somebody asked me to sum this foundation up in two words, it would have to be 'dewy goodness'.

Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation was a real chance purchase for me during the middle of last year. I decided to give it a go as I'd heard a lot of beauty bloggers sing its praises and also due to the fact that I had started to shun drugstore foundations, and for two reasons, the first being:

1. I'm a firm believer in the old saying: "you get what you pay for" and I can be a bit of make up snob.
2. Plus, I'd had some negative experiences with drugstore foundations in recent times, Bourjois' Healthy Mix foundation didn't last more than four hours on my face. The patchy look was not a good one.

Rimmel claims that the product gives an "anti-fatigue effect and radiant glow", which I totally agree with. The foundation is said to contain "radiance pearls" which aims to illuminate the face, with peptides and SPF 15.

On application, the foundation goes on seamlessly giving my skin a natural looking glow. I prefer to apply the product with my fingers, rather than using my trusty Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.

This is a medium coverage foundation and I find it lasts me all day (10 hours) when applied with powder, which is excellent considering the £8.99 price tag.

My initial two word description of 'dewy goodness' may frighten some but please don't be alarmed because I've never found it makes my face look shiny. However bear in mind, my skin type is normal to dry.

I use the shade 100 - Ivory.

Overall, an excellent everyday foundation that has restored my faith in drugstore brand foundations.

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Seventeen Cheek Stamp Blush

What a superb gimmick. The moment I saw Seventeen's Cheek Stamp Blush in Boots I was head over heels - and can you blame me?

Boots' own brand, Seventeen have had a bit of an overhaul in recent months, however they hadn't really managed to reel me in... until now.

I have never seen a product like these before, and it demonstrates it's not just the high end brands that can bring out wonderfully innovative products.

The product, which is encased in a round compact, has a mirror on the top of it.

Personally I don't feel the mirror adds anything but it is a nice touch for those constantly on the move.

Inside the compact you get a sponge applicator, which is mounted on a spring and the blush is in the cap.

Once the product is closed, the applicator is stamped/pressed onto the blush and when you open it, the applicator has a good smattering of product on it - voila, a healthy looking flush.


I feel there is enough product on the applicator to give you a decent pop of colour.

The powder is blendable, giving your cheeks a natural flush.


The blush is also pigmented, but not too pigmented - the walloped cheek look is not for me.

At £4.99, these stamps are a steal and a super way to give you a pretty flush this spring.

I bought three... How could I resist Boots' brilliantly lethal 3 for 2 offer on at the moment?

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