Bobbi Brown foundation stick

Let's just assume every brand i write about is one of my faves :P Anyone who appreciates Bobbi Brown should know that the foundation stick is amazeballs. It's more of a heavy coverage foundation and double's up as a concealer. Mine is in the shade warm ivory and it's just really easy to use and looks fantastic. I prefer to use this as a concealer as it does have a slightly waxy texture and it's a bit oily. When i used it all over my face it looked like i was wearing a mask so be careful of that. I would recommend that you don't use a white powder over it.

Also, if you try this and like it then you will love the creamy concealer. With the foundation stick you get 9grams of product, it's £28 and comes in 20 shades. I find it's best to apply this by warming it up with your finger if you use it as concealer or you can just apply it straight on to your face. If you have oily skin but want to try a Bobbi Brown foundation then go for the long wear even finish foundation, it's oil free!

Argan Oil

Just a quick one. Yeah, another crappy photo....

As we all know hair oil's have become pretty big this past year and i thought it was about time i tried and tested this trend. I have another full size product with oil in which is great but i have been using this one consistently. This is Hask argan oil from Morocco. This is a very small sample of 18ml which i bought for £2.50 from primark. Somehow i thought it would be cheaper to get a small sample of it than pay out loads for a massive thing that might not work. The woman that sold it to me said she used it as a treatment on her daughter who is mixed race and has frizzy hair and apparently it worked really well.

The directions sais it can be used both wet and dry and that you should use a coin sized amount of it. I have been using it on my hair wet along with my kerastase. And i must say i really like it. It's put moisture into my hair which i really lack at the ends. Not bad for £2.50 considering there's still half of it left and i've had it since the beginning of october. :D

Kerastase ciment thermique

Sorry about the picture on this one!

My favorite hair product ever, is this (above).  I've been using it for about a year and the main reason i bought it was because it smelt so good. This is part of the resistance range which is designed to help hair resissssssst things such as heat, chemicals and anything that changes the structure of the hair.

So this particular product is amazing because it re-activates itself. And by that i mean you put it in your hair when wet, dry it (the product protects against the heat), then you can use hair tools e.g. straighteners and it re-activates and protects against the heat again. And i believe it is supposed to repair your hair too. It smells very fruity and sweet. You can buy it from hairdressers, one's like toni and guy or rush. It is pricey for a hair product but you don't need to use much so i reckon a bottle of 125ml lasts me around 4 months and it's the only product i need, minus serum and hairspray.

It's a leave in product and can be used for all types of damaged hair. It's really helped restore my hair to it's former glory, i had a very bad experience when going blonde which has taken me over a year to recover from but that's a whoooole other story. I'd feel guilty if i didn't share this with anyone.

Clinique, all about eyes

All about eyes! As part of my routine, i never neglect my eyes, nor should you. Clinique is another one of my favorite brands and i have been using this eye cream for a few months now and i really recommend it. It's very hydrating and has a gel like texture which i personally prefer to a heavy eye cream. 

Clinique describes it as,

"Lightweight eye cream diminishes the appearance of eye puffs, darkness and fine lines. Non-creep, cream/gel formula actually helps hold eye makeup in place. For use morning and night, both under the eyes and on lids. Orthalmologist Tested."

Allthough i don't have puffy under eyes it does feel very soothing and i have noticed that it keeps make up on quite well. Less touch ups for me when i use this. 15ml of product is £24. I think it's worth it as it lives up to it's claims. Plus i always feel better in myself when i have a day where i've used my more expensive products :)

Soap and Glory Make yourself Youthful rejuvenating face serum

Soap and glory is quickly becoming one of my favorite brands and as i am running low on face serum i thought i would give this one a go. So far everything i have tried from soap and glory i have loved. I think this serum is referred to as 'make yourself youthful'. It's much lighter on my skin in terms of texture compared to other serums i've used. So, it's got anti-wrinkle peptides in it, shea butter, orange peel oil, ginseng, botanical extracts and hydrators (whatever that is). It soaks in really easily and i like that it doesn't leave a greasy or shiny finish. As with all of their products it has a great smell and you can really smell that orange peel! Don't worry, it's not over powering.

I always use a serum under my moisturiser which goes on my face, neck and decollete. As you can see in the image above it is white and when you spread it out it becomes clear and absorbs quickly. I got mine from boots for £16 and it has 50ml of product. Serums always last ages so i think it's a great buy.

L'OCCITANE Eau de Toilette Verveine

Yo dawgs! I wanted to talk about this perfume because it is just so refreshing! I received this as a birthday present in october after dropping many hints ;)

"The verbena eau de toilette draws it's inspiration from provencal markets, where the freshly picked green leaves of verbena fill the air with their refreshing and lemony scent. A delicate and sparkling fragrance that soothes both the body and the spirit."

To me it has more of a lime scent than lemon. When you wear it it smells like you have crushed a lime and smeared it all over yourself, i think that's the description they should have used! I keep wanting to use the word refreshing... as that's what it is! I like wearing it at this time of year (winter) as it is a typically summery smell so i feel lifted :) I imagine this is what the extremely rich might smell like. If you like natural smells than defo try a sample of it in your local L'occitane. I APPROVE.

ESSIE muchi, muchi

Ok, so this isn't the best picture, try not to be too disappointed :( But i wanted to share this nailvarnish with you as i am in love with it. Obviously my picture doesn't do it justice but if you google essie muchi muchi you will get an idea of how it really looks. This is one of my new faves as it's a soft ballerina pink but looks quite natural too. It makes me feel girly! 
Essie describes it as "a creamy, luscious pink with a kiss of mauve". Just.... try it. That is all.

Lifesavers!

                                  From left to right; vichy purifying foaming cream cleanser,
                                  vichy normaderm anti-age and soap and glory's Dr Spot.

So recently I had a really bad break out which always occurs along my jawline and comes with little spots on my cheeks. I had been using lot's of products that are designed for oily skin but i wasn't seeing any improvement. Out of desperation i searched through a massive bag i have full of various products that i buy, use once and then forget about and i came across Vichy! When i first used these products i hated them! I thought the cleanser was too sticky and smelt of soap and that the moisturiser was too light and smelt of alcohol. But on seeing them again i had a feeling they would be the solution to my problem. And guess what?..... It's worked!

The Vichy cleanser feels very soft on my skin and looks very luminous, almost as though it has lot's of highlighter in it. It looks like there are beads in it but they're not, whatever they are they disappear when massaging onto the skin. I still think it has a slightly soapy smell to it but it smells kinda nice too. The product is for sensitive skin, contains vitamin E and has a shea plant extract. What i love about this is that after washing my face my skin doesn't feel tight and it's very moisturising. It contains 125mls of product but i can't find out the correct price for it as it varies in different stores. It's available in most boots stores though. OH! And it foams up!

For my moisturiser i have been using Vichy normaderm anti-age. It is an anti-ageing, anti-imperfection and anti-wrinkle cream. I'm only 23 but i do own a lot of products to prevent my skin from ageing, i don't know if it's bad for me at the moment but i really like them! My skin laps up this product! I've noticed that compared to other moisturisers i have, this one leaves my face looking normal/matte compared to others which sit on top of my skin and make me look even oilier. Since giving it another go i think it smells like aloe-vera/cucumber. It's good for oily skin and has some effective ingredients in, although i can't comment on it's anti-wrinkle ability as i don't have any yet (apart from those natural folds under my eyes which make me look constantly tired). The only dissapointment with this is that it has NO SPF!!! I make sure to always buy foundations and primers with spf in just in case! It has 50ml of product and retails in boots for £15.

And then finally i have also been using soap and glory's Dr Spot (invisible spot fighting gel). It's a clear gel and contains salicylic and lactic acids. If you see those ingredients in a product it's going to be good! I find it works best as the spot is appearing or after the spot has been through the worst and is starting to calm down a bit. There's not much use in using it while your volcano of a spot is in full swing, the spot will win! But otherwise it's great. It retails in boots for £8 and has 15ml of product.

OPI Goldeneye

Soooooo it was my birthday the other day and i didn't buy make up! There must be something wrong with me. But i did allow myself to buy some new nail varnishes. OPI Goldeneye is from the skyfall collection, which is inspired by the latest bond film (Skyfall). I love OPI, they usually last about 2 weeks on me, sometimes i get chips but it's easy to fix.

This shade comes out so sheer that i ended up using 4 coats of it to completely cover my nail colour. Allthough it is gold it does have a coppertone to it. My photos don't do it justice as it was so dark, even with the flash, but it still looks gorgeous. The surface isn't exactly smooth, even with two top coats on but i like that. It almost has a look of tiny pieces of gold leaf that have been built up. It does look lighter/golder in person that in my pictures.

Coming soon! i will show/review my OPI collection YAYAYAYAYAAAAY :D

What's currently on my bathroom shelf

From left to right; Dermalogica dermal clay cleanser, Clinique redness solutions cleanser, Clinique exfoliating scrub, Sanctuary spa 3 minute thermal detox mask, Sanctuary spa time reversal face mask, Elemis papaya enzyme peel.

These are the products i am using currently in my face routine. I have two cleansers available which i will swap between depending on how bad the oil production gets on my t-zone. I also suffer with pigmentation on my cheeks which is why the Clinique redness solutions is so great. I find that this cleanser works well for me as i am usually categorised with my oily skin and always reccomended gel cleansers which i hate! They just sit on top of my skin. Back to the point.... it also has a really great texture which is why i love it so much.

Then my favorite exfoliator EVER, also by Clinique. They have two cleansers, the 7 day scrub and the exfoliating scrub for oilier skins which is more 'heavy duty' but boy does it work wonders. Then the two Sanctuary spa face masks are also amaaaaaaazing. I like to swap between these too depending on my skins behaviour. The time reversal mask leaves my skin brighter, smoother and plump. As for Elemis..... it smells so good i could eat it. I know it's called papaya enzyme peel but it smells like pineapple to me. It's incredibly luxurious and also works as an exfoliator for very sensitive skins, so I've read.

Soap and Glory kick ass concealer

A three piece flaw camouflage kit

                                          When opened the powder is what you see first

                                Then lift up the powder for the mirror, corrector and concealer

                                            From left to right; corrector, concealer, powder.

This product is AMAZING! It only cost £10 from boots and you're getting three products! I didn't think correctors were neccessary until i tried this. I realise now that with just concealer my under eyes i still have a blue/grey undertone, whereas this beaut makes me look awake. The texture of the corrector and concealer is very creamy, it reminds me of the bobbi brown creamy concealer but it's cheaper and comes with more stuff. The powder in this is basically white, but don't fear! it doesnt make you look like you have white patches under your eyes. It also comes with a cute velvety puff :) Mine is in the shade LIGHT and it has 2x2.6 grams. You must try it! It is the best thaaaang.

Dior Backstage Foundation Brush

So Dior have brought out a new range of brushes. I saw this foundation brush and as soon as i felt how soft it was i knew i would be leaving the shop with one of my own! It's called the Dior backstage light coverage fluid foundation brush and it cost me £36.00, the most i have ever paid for a single brush. I think a decent brush is worth investing in. What convinced me the most was the sales assisstant who has worked for Dior for years and told me that she's had her brushes for over 15 years and still uses them to this day.

The brush has a black wooden handle and synthetic hair and can be used with liquid or cream foundations. I have used it twice now and loved it. It felt like the brush was doing all the work and my make up looked flawless. And of course i had to use it with my Dior foundation :p As long as i take care of this i hope to have mine for a good 15 years too!

Dior Foundation

                                          Forever on the left, Nude on the right.

These are the only Dior foundations I've ever had, Forever and Nude. I have re-purchased them both quite a few times and i don't think i will ever find better than these. I'm sure i paid around £23 for each foundation, but the price must have gone up since i bought mine. I got them from boots and looking at the website they are £31.00!

Forever; this one has a frosted glass bottle, has 30ml of product, spf 25 and I'm sure it's supposed to be waterproof!

Nude; clear glass bottle, 30ml of product, spf 10, enriched with skincare products, light reflecting.

I love both of these because they last all day and have a matte finish. However Forever wins it for me because it lasts longer than Nude (on my face and in the bottle). I have found that the Nude foundation goes a little lumpy after a while. Even after a good shake it still comes out lumpy, but it smoothes out as normal. If you have oily skin like me i would definitely recommend Dior Forever because it's matte and has staying power!

Dior Nude Compact Powder

My first review! :D I thought this would be a perfect first to talk about because I LOVE DIOR and I've been very excited since purchasing this bad boy. I get through compact powders pretty quick and i always need one with a mirror for touch ups (which i find i have to do a lot with my oily skin). So when i saw this and found out you can buy refills i thought it was a no brainer. It is more expensive than most compact powders (a lot more expensive), but it's defo worth it. I paid £38 for mine.. i know, overpriced! Infact it's more than the foundation, but this product can be used as a foundation too because it's buildable. You get 10 grams of product, a double sided sponge and double sided brush. The sponge is for a more full coverage and the brush is for using the powder over the top of make up. The powder has mother-of-pearl micro-particles and iridescent powders for radiance. I have no 010 which is the lightest shade AND it has spf 10.

Dior sais "Both applicators have a classic side for a soft finish and professional look, and an expert side (velvety side for the sponge or light-haired side of the brush) for a completely natural and non-powdery look that is even smoother and more radiant ".