The Hunger Games Trilogy

A slightly different post from me today and one I've never tackled before but have always wanted to. I absolutely love reading books, I don't have a particular genre of book that I like the best, just a general all over genre reading girl. I'm sure many of you have already read these books written by Suzanne Collins but I also wanted to share them with you if you have not. You must have all heard of The Hunger Games, if not where on earth have you been?

These books instantly grabbed me and as soon as I had finished the first I was instantly onto the second and then the third. They are seriously gripping, just like the films. I actually watched the first film before I read the first book and I know everyone has their individual thoughts about which way they prefer to do this. I actually think it helped me understand the concept of the book more after watching the film. There are a few bits in the books which are not represented in the films so when I did start reading it wasn't as if I knew exactly what was coming next (although I did have a small inkling some of the time).

In my opinion the books are just as good as the films (the last one yet to be released - come on November!). Even if you haven't watched the films and really want to read the books then I definitely advise you to. They are honestly some of the best books I have ever read. Although they may not be your easy pick up and read without 100% concentrating, they are pretty easy to read. Some of the words to begin with I was like HUH?! But it all makes sense once you keep reading. I can sometimes be the reader who starts to read a book, like the first few chapters, and then I forget all about it for a week or so. These books don't do that, you really are intrigued right from the very beginning. Basically you won't have much of a social life when you're reading these books as you cannot put them down!

I'm also a hater of really, really long chapters, anyone with me? Well these books do have the odd long'un in them but definitely not every chapter. You really get a feeling of what is happening in the book, learn about the characters and just generally a real insight into this fiction world.

I cannot recommend these books enough if you haven't already read them. If you're a kindle user then they are available that way I'm sure, if not get ordering yourself the trilogy from Amazon! You will definitely not be disappointed I can assure you :-)

Elemis Fresh Skin Matte Attack

A little while back I tried my first ever Elemis product and today I'm going to be reviewing my second and third products from them. I was really excited to try skin care products from Elemis after hearing so many good things about them. I picked up this mini set from TK Maxx a while back and have just finished both products so thought it would be the perfect time to share my thoughts with you. I do have an oily t zone and also suffer from blemishes so this line from Elemis really appealed to me.

Firstly the Purifying face wash which Elemis say:  
"Helps detox and purify the skin. With antiseptic properties, the wash promotes healthy cell growth to repair damaged tissue. White Willow Bark provides gentle exfoliation whilst Cedarwood and Cucumber soothe the skin. Experience an extreme clean.”
I really enjoyed using this face wash, I do love a quick face wash when I'm having a quick morning or evening shower as they are such an easy way to get a clean face. This face wash really does that, it leaves my skin feeling really soft and really clean. It gets rid of all the dirt and oil that builds up on your face over a period of time. It does have a scent which I wasn't most keen on but it doesn't linger on the skin. Also a little amount of this product does go a really long way on the skin so this mini size was perfect.

Next the Mattifying moisturiser which Elemis say:
“Helps control the shine of oily skins. A skin multi-tasker, this reduces T-zone shine within one hour of application and maintains a matte finish for up to 8 hours. Shea Butter helps promote cell renewal, hydrates and protects all day long, whilst reducing redness, inflammation and helps minimise post blemish imperfections.”
I relatively enjoyed using this product but it does have it's bad points alongside some good. So starting with the good points, it really did help minimise the oiliness of my t zone which is just what this product aims to do which I loved. Although I would not say that it left me with a matte finish for 8 hours it was a lot less than that. Again this product had quite a strong scent which I wasn't keen on but that seems to be a pattern across this whole product line from Elemis. The consistency of this moisturiser was actually rather runny/slippy and I felt it took longer to sink into my skin after application.

Overall I really enjoyed using the face wash but didn't find the moisturiser to really be my cup of tea. I think this mini set though is the perfect way to test out new products you've never tried before. I would really like to try different products from Elemis, other than this range, to see if they are as heavily scented as these and also to see if they live up to the hype everyone talks about! Have you tried either of these products? What are your favourite products from Elemis?

Simple Kind to Skin Illuminating Radiance Cream

I am 99% of the time a matte finish girl and other than a bit of highlighter, I don't like much shine if any. But I saw this a while back in Boots and the idea behind it caught my attention which made me purchase it. Simple skin care is great as it doesn't contain any nasty ingredients, this is great for my skin as it's prone to blemishes and can be quite sensitive. Boots also had 3 for 2 on all skin care which also made it nice and easy to pick up. 

This cream is infused with multi vitamins, skin loving ingredients and light reflecting minerals which catch the light for immediate natural radiant looking skin. Now this cream just sounded pretty amazing and I had heard many bloggers talk about it hence why I wanted to pick it up. On application this cream feels really light weight and doesn't take long at all to sink into your skin. This is the perfect cream if you're looking for that dewy, highlighted look and looks great under the same type of foundation. I have only used this under my foundation, although I do feel like this would be the perfect product to actually mix with your foundation to give a natural, dewy look. And actually this will definitely be something I will be trying out.

I did find when using this product alone and under foundation there are larger "glitter" flecks which kind of just sad oddly on the skin. I definitely needed to put on my foundation in order to cover it up basically, which it did do. So if you were planning on wearing this product alone then I would definitely give it a try first to see if you're a fan of the glittery aspect. Once I applied my foundation I did like the glowy look it left but unfortunately after a couple of hours it went slightly down hill. I have an oily t zone, especially my forehead and chin, and I found those areas were super highlighted. More so than usual and unfortunately that's down to this product. It just didn't last long at all and I knew it probably wasn't going to be the best product for my oily patches but I did use a light dusting of powder on those areas also. But it basically just didn't hold and my forehead just looked a bit like a light bulb.

Overall the actual cream is such a pleasure to use I just am not a fan of the glitter aspect of it. I think I will definitely try mixing this with my foundation before applying it to see if it lasts any longer on my skin. I really would love it if it did as I've said the cream is such a lovely product. Have you tried this illuminating cream from Simple? What were your thoughts?

6 product face / Everyday make up

A 5 product face may have sounded better but I wanted to be honest and actually show you all of the product I do use on a daily basis. Which just so happened to be 6 products, so may not have that ring to it but I'm sharing my week day make up products with you.

Let's start with the base, my current favourite foundation has to be this one from Smashbox. It's called 'Studio Skin 15 hour wear hydrating foundation'. I actually purchased this when I was in Paris last year and it kind of got shoved to the back of my make up draw, until recently. This is an oil free foundation which is great for my oily t zone. It's the perfect natural base for me and although I don't agree it last 15 hours, I believe it does last most of my working day which is good enough for me.

Next are my 2 current concealers: Maybelline instant anti-age and Nars radiant creamy concealer. I use the Maybelline concealer under my eyes and it has this super easy to apply sponge end. This also makes it quick to apply when your in a rush in the mornings before work. Then my trusted, relatively new Nars concealer. This is an absolute god send and covers absolutely anything and everything. Honestly the best concealer I have ever tried. I absolutely love it for covering my blemishes and it's really easy to blend in.

For my brows I use the Soap and Glory Archery brow pen which is amazing. It has a felt tip one end and a crayon the other. I do prefer the felt tip end but it does dry out so I'm now onto using the other end which I do also love. Although I'm now at the very end and soon to run out. This is easy to whack onto my brows and then give them a quick brush through and done.

Mascara wise, I do change up a lot, but the one I'm using at the moment is the Rimmel Wonder'full mascara. This is the perfect week day mascara as it doesn't clump and literally just leaves my lashes looking natural. Which is definitely something I look for when going to work. It's not heavy on your lashes at all and leaves them feeling super soft.

Finally powder, the Soap and Glory one heck of a blot which instantly mattifies my oily t zone. It leaves me oil free for a good few hours but I definitely need to re powder on my lunch break. It's a transparent powder which is great as you can just brush it all over and you're ready to go.

And that's it for my 6 product face! I honestly wear all of these products on my face throughout the week days and they all serve me well. I do love changing up a few of these products every now and then; normally my mascara and foundation. These are just all super easy and blendable products to use therefore making my week day morning routine nice and simple. Perfect for those rushed mornings when you wake up late for work! Let me know your current favourite make up products you use every day :-)

Makeup Revolution Haul

I've seen many people on my Twitter talk about products from Makeup Revolution and I've never taken the plunge. I was recently browsing their website, actually for the first time, and these products just found their own way into my basket. They are really affordable prices and I had to restrain myself from buying more. But these three items really intrigued me and are products I've been sought after for a little while.

Firstly I picked up their Blushing Hearts triple baked blusher. My these are pretty, I've eyed up Too Faced version of these but they are super expensive. So when I saw this offering I just had to buy it. It's so cute and the perfect shade for me as I don't like my blushers too pink. This is in the shade 'Candy Queen of Hearts' and is definitely more on the peach side but does have a section of pink in it too. As it's triple baked there are basically three different blusher shades in this one product and you sweep them all with your blusher brush and you're away. I'm excited to try this and there will be a full review coming soon.

Next I purchased their Ultra All Day Prime & Anti-Shine Balm. This is the product that really intrigued me therefore I just had to buy it and see what it was all about. I'm still not sure I'm 100% as I read you can apply this over make up but it's like a balm so not sure how that would work. So I will be trying this as a primer primarily and see what results it gives. The balm seems really smooth therefore hopefully easy to apply. It comes with a little sponge thing which actually feels really nice so I may try using this to apply the product. Again I'm sure I will do a full review in time.

Finally I picked up a concealer brush as would you believe I don't actually own one, therefore I needed one didn't I? This is just your plain and simple concealer brush, like I said don't own one so was intrigued about how it would apply my concealer onto my face and the finish it gives. This one feels really soft and just has pretty short bristles. I'm still yet to use this but am hoping it will help cover my spots by using a brush instead.

And that's my small Makeup Revolution haul complete! As I said, I'm just kind of testing the waters of this brand as it's completely new to me. I am looking forward to trying all of these products and I'm sure there will be full reviews on them all in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for those. I'd love to know if you've tried any of the products I bought or what your favourite Makeup Revolution products are? :-)