'Back to Bases'

Yes, I changed the look of my blog again. Only slightly though, but I have to admit the whole blog design thing is something Ifind hard to get right. It is like I'm never fully satisfied with what it looks like. But enough about that.

As I've already covered my favourite primers I thought I'd move on to what usually comes next; favourite bases. I'm a massive fan of finding nice bases, especially natural looking ones that will still even out my skin and cover what needs to be covered. The following ones range from light to full coverage but if applied right will all look very skin-like, flawless and natural.

Lightest first, the Diorskin Nude BB Cream has been mentioned on here more than a few times so I won't go on too much about it, but for a light, everyday base that evens out the skin and gives it a light glow - this is your best friend. Read a full review here. Available for £30 at Feelunique.

Chanel Vitalumière Aqua is a much loved foundation in the beauty blogging world. A light to medium coverage that stays in place, looks like skin and creates a flawless, glowing complexion. Very light feeling and hydrating but not at all oily. For best result I like to use my fingers to apply it. Available for £33 at Boots.

One I'd never heard of until I had a browse on cultbeauty quite a while ago is Alison Raffaele Reality Base Foundation which has the most appropriate name ever. It looks like skin, feels like skin (actually the product feels a bit like applying water to your face but once it's on it feels like skin), stays all day and  has a buildable medium to full coverage. Only downside is the slightly funny smell but that goes away once its set. The finish is very natural so not overly glow-y or matte but somewhere in between. Available for £35 at BeautyBay.

Last one is my newest addition and also the one I will probably use the least. Not because I don't like it because I really do (it wouldn't be in my 'favourite bases' post if I didn't), but because I just don't tend to go for full coverage products unless it is a special occasion or I'm going out - which is what I bought it for. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation is another favourite in the world of beauty and it is not without reason. It gives flawless, longlasting, full coverage without looking cakey. I use it mixed with other, lighter foundations or with a damp beautyblender. Available for £34 at SpaceNK.

I know these are all high end products and I'm sorry I didn't include any high street ones, but when it comes to face products I do find that my skin prefers higher quality products. I'm not saying high street ones are bad, just that I haven't found a favourite there yet.

I would love to hear what your favourite face products are so let me know in the comments! Also love finding new blogs to read so pop your link in as well and I'l have a look. If you want to follow my blog you can do that here.

Love,

 Em

  Twitter - Facebook - Bloglovin - Instagram 

Duty Free Pick-Ups

Alright, so I am back from Scotland and T in the Park (which was amazing and epic by the way), and with me I bring a few sneaky treats from the duty free's great selection. 

I have been eyeing the Chanel perfume for ages now as I am already a fan of the original eau de toilette version as well as the eau tendre, and I finally got round to actually getting it. A fresh, female and flirty (but not sweet) scent that it seems like everyone tends to like. I suggest you go have a sniff at it the next time it crosses your path :) Next I got the Dior Diorskin Nude BB Cream, and boy do I get what the hype's about! I'll do a review on it, but hold on to your horses because this is a knock out! Then as a last minute 'throw it in your bag before its your turn to pay' pick up I found the OPI nail polish in 'Red Lights Ahead..Where?' in a box next to the check out. Hate it when they do that - I always end up buying things just because they're there not because I necessarily want or need them. Luckily this wasn't one of those products, but rather a real home-run that I have been sporting since the moment I got home. A gorgeous coral with hints of red and a name that I happen to love.

I am very satisfied with the three goodies I got, although my bank account might feel otherwise... Anyway, new post will be up in not too long!

Lots of Love,

Em

FOLLOW ME:

Twitter - Facebook - Bloglovin - Instagram - Polyvore - Keek - Youtube

June Beauty Favourites

Wow this year just flies by doesn't it? I can't believe it is already July! Oh well, I can't say I am complaining, summer is definitely my favourite season. But time and weather aside, as a new month has arrived the best beauty gems from the past one are brought out into light to be shared with the rest of the beauty-obsessed community. And without further or-do, here are mine!

In June I had a bit of a "summer clean-out" of my make-up which led to rediscoveries of long forgotten products. One of them being the Nars Blush and Contour Trio (1.) containing the well known blusher Orgasm, the highlighter Albatros and everyone's favourite bronzer Laguna. I got back into using this and could not for the life of me understand why I'd ever stopped, then the mini spots on my cheeks returned and the dreaded memory returned, reminding me that these are no-no products if I want my skin to be spot-free. Apart from that - with these three on my face I get the best looking healthy, bronzed glow I've ever had, hence it is a fave.

Number 2 is a newbie, brought back from Colombia. The Real Techniques Blush Brush is a big star in my brush collection now a days. Looking for a multitask brush - this is it. Blush, bronzer, contour, setting powder - this bad boy does it all. Number 3 is one of the products Molly sent me (post here) and it is one of her favourites too. Of course I'm talking about the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara - ahh there are nothing but good things to say about this.

4 is a new everyday staple, the Revlon Brow Fantasy in Brunette. Makes doing your brows very quick and easy. Number 5 has been worn almost every day since I got it, Teddy Eye Khol by MAC (haul here). Just like the eye khol, I have been wearing the MAC Eyeshadow Cork more or less on a daily basis. It is a perfect neutral, soft brown for the lid/crease.

Number 7 and 8 have made up my base along with the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser most days, the Rimmel Wake Me Up gives the dewy, glow my face needs for long hours at work and MAC Studio Finish Concealer (another rediscovery) hides any sign of late nights or too much sugar that your skin may be sporting.

All in all this has been a good beauty months - I have gotten a bit of a new routine and I am no longer stuck wearing my same-old same old smokey liner and tinted moisturiser look. High Five for that eh?

Alright, I'll leave you with that, but before I go I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has followed me on bloglovin' lately and also let you know that I now have a Facebook Page you can like!
Click here to get to my Facebook and here for my Bloglovin' !

Lots of love,

Em

FOLLOW ME:

Twitter - Facebook - Bloglovin - Instagram - Polyvore - Keek - Youtube

The Beauty Box Swap

A few months ago I got talking with this very lovely girl and fellow blogger, Molly (check out her blog here) and after a few days of normal chit chat we decided to do what is known as a 'Beauty Box Swap' where two people buy beauty products for a set sum and send them to the other person. We decided to go for a budget of £50 where 1 product would be a high-end one. I sent Molly's package just before I left on holiday (see what was in it here) and found her's waiting for me once I got back home. I have been waiting to do a post about what I got as I thought I'd do mini reviews of the products as well, but I realised that I couldn't wait any longer and just had to share her gorgeous selection with you all. REviews of some of the products will be up soon though! Anyway here  it comes!

+ a Burt's Bees Mango Lip Balm that I love so much it's already moved into my handbag (explains why it's not in the pictures)

As you can see I got a hella' lot of things and they're all brilliant if I say so myself. The Cream Blush and Mascara are already practically part of my everyday routine and so are the three Soap and Glory products (gotta love S&G right? Smells like sugar and sweets!). I haven't gotten around to trying the small testers nor the wipes but I am sure I will love them all, especially the Dr Weil + Origins Serum as i know Molly raves about it :) And last but not least, the tea is divine! I am a tea and coffee person to the fullest and the flavours she chose (Strawberry & Kiwi and Blackberry & Elderflower) are honestly some of the best tasting teas I've tried :) I just want to say a massive THANK YOU to Molly - you chose some great products! You should all check out her blog, she does some great reviews and beauty posts in general! 

Other than that I would just like to remind you all that Google Friend Connect is shutting down today so it is your last chance to move all your followers over to Bloglovin' something your can do very easily here. And I would love it if you'd like to follow me over there, that way you'll never miss a post! 

My link is here. 

Lots of Love,

Em

FOLLOW ME:

Twitter - Pinterest - Bloglovin - Instagram - Polyvore - Keek - Youtube

What's In My Bag?

Before I went on vacation a few weeks ago I realised I had no appropriate travel bag. Don't get me wrong, I have enough bags, but they're all of smaller sizes, I don't really go for the big sized ones so I decided to venture out on a little "big-bag" mission. I came back with a massive, spacious beauty that didn't hurt my bank account much at all. For £25 I got this black tote (p)leather - good quality and very sturdy - bag from H&M. They don't have this exact one online, but they do have a similar one here.

MoneySuperMarket is currently doing a competition where you show people what's in your bag and they will reward one lucky winner with a Mulberry bag, purse and phone case, and I mean, who doesn't want to have the chance of winning that. Therefore I am today sharing the contents of my Travel Bag with you. I figured a travel edition was a bit more appropriate around these times as everyone seems to be going somewhere. And also, my everyday contents aren't all that interesting if I'm honest. So let's get on with it!

Oh, and one more thing, the contest also asks you to see how much your bag's content is worth, therefore I will include all the prizes :)

Oh wow. I know I have a computer and a phone in there but still, carrying around something with a value of over £1700 is kind of crazy... Although if I were to remove the two (phone and computer) the rest would only end up at about £145,5 which I guess isn't too bad. Then again when am I ever without my phone? And when I travel I usually bring my laptop (that's what you get for having a blog... ;)) so yeah... MoneySupermarket's competition said to show what you carry with you on a daily basis and although I don't always carry all of this with me - I did bring more or less the same things to school and if my job wasn't being a waitress I suspect that I'd bring something like this to work as well so I guess these are my essentials that I can't go "anywhere" without :)

I hope you enjoyed peeking into my bag! If you want to enter the competition you can read all about it here and if you have a "what's in my bag" post or video then please leave a link in the comments as I would love to see what your essentials are! 

Lots of love,

Em

FOLLOW ME:

Twitter - Pinterest - Bloglovin - Instagram - Polyvore - Keek - Youtube

The Skin Saver

I'm sorry - I've been completely MIA lately, and I don't even have a good excuse for it. I've had enough time, and I even have several posts all ready to go up - so I don't know what my problem has been.. Anyway, I shall try not to forget the fact that I have a blog to update from now on. Deal?

So over to today's post - You see I've had my mind blown away by yet another product. Although this time it was completely unexpected and unintentional. Usually I hear the rave and give in only to realise that yes, the product is good or that there must be something severely wrong with me for hating something that everyone else seems to love (Benefit's They're Real, I'm looking at you..) The story with this was different. I was at my local beauty department store picking up a few things I needed when I was given a few testers as I paid. The testers you may wonder, were of a new cleansing series from Kanebo Sensai. My initial thought when I saw the label was ' Ouch. Why did I have to fall in love with one of the world's most expensive cosmetics brands?' Luckily I came to my senses and realised that I was thinking about Shiseido and that that was the brand that would have killed me with its pries.The two products I have tried are actually priced fairly reasonable...if you compare them to other high end skincare products. 

Once my teeny tiny testers were about to run out (after over 2 weeks daily use - I was shocked by how long they lasted!) I decided to purchase the full size version of the cleanser at the duty free on my way back from Colombia. When I got the testers I received a make-up remover and a cleansing soap. Kanebo Sensai Silky Purifying Cleansing Milk and Kanebo Sensai Silky Purifying Creamy Soap. The latter has proven to be revolutionary good leaving me with better looking skin than I've had in ages. It feels and looks smooth, I haven't had any big break-outs since, only the occasional mini spots, but they've all disappeared in about a day or so. I feel like £34 was a well worth it price to pay for nice skin, and the more I think about it the more I want to get the make-up remover too.. whops.

If you ever come across these beauties at a counter or a shop, then do ask for a sample as they might blow your mind too :) And for reference I have normal to combination skin and the products are said to be for dry to combination skin.

Also just want to say thank you to everyone who has been following me lately - I really appreciate it! And if you don't follow me already you can click here to get to my Bloglovin' and you won't miss a post :)

Lots of Love,

Em

FOLLOW ME:

Twitter - Pinterest - Bloglovin - Instagram - Polyvore - Keek - Youtube