Makeup Revolution Blushing Hearts Triple Baked Blusher

It wasn't until a few weeks back, when I finally placed an order with Makeup Revolution, that I got round to trying some of their products. Whilst browsing every inch of their website, so I didn't miss any exciting products, I came across this blusher. It instantly reminded me of the Too Faced blushes which look pretty much identical. I've never tried the one from Too Faced but have always wanted too and this offering was a fraction of the price. Hence why this one made it into my basket for me to try out.

Now in the colder months I'm not normally a blusher wearer, I get pretty flushed cheeks anyway, and for some reason it's the product that I forget to put on. Do not ask me why because I have no idea it just seems to be that way. Firstly the packaging, to be really honest it's not too great in my eyes. Obviously the heart shape is lovely but the actual cardboard packaging is quite flimsy. There's already a part on the lid which is coming apart and on the inside you can see where it's all glued and stuck down. This isn't very appealing but I guess for the measly price you pay then you get what you pay for.

Onto the actual product which I have really enjoyed using. The colour pay off is really good, you literally need the tiniest amount of product on your brush. I literally just swirl my brush over all of the three colours included but obviously you could just focus on one of the three is you preferred. I do love the results I get from all three colours, it comes out quite a peachy colour. This blush also gives quite a highlighted look on the cheeks which I rather like and think will look really lovely in the coming summer months.

Overall I am really pleased with this blusher and think it is great for the price of £4.99. There are other colour variations which may be worth having a look at if this one isn't your cup of tea. You can buy this blusher from here and I would recommend checking out their website if you haven't already. Let me know your favourite Makeup Revolution products if you've tried products from their before. I hope you're all having a lovely weekend :-)

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob

This lip liner has been raved about so much recently as being that Kylie Jenner lip dupe, affordable from the drug store. It's also known as a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury's lip cheat in Pillow talk. I've never really been drawn to lip liners as basically I've never wanted to line my lips. But little did I know that you pro beauticians actually use lip liners for the whole lip, crazy hey. That's when I really wanted to get my hands on this product.

I picked this up from Boots a couple of weeks back and have worn it every weekend since. This colour is absolutely perfect, honestly the perfect matte, nude colour. Due to it actually being a lip liner it's so easy to apply and get the perfect line around the edges of your lips. It obviously takes slightly longer to actually fill your lips in but nothing extravagant. As I mentioned this is a matte lip liner and can be quite drying. I definitely recommend putting a bit of lip balm on first before applying this product. Or I have applied this product and then put a small amount of lip balm on over the top to soften and hydrate my lips slightly. This could also be done throughout the day/night when wearing this product.

The lasting power is pretty good and the colour does stick around. It does tend to disappear slightly when eating/drinking but due to it being so easy to throw in your handbag, due to it's size, then you can take it pretty much anywhere. As this is a nude colour it also practically goes with any outfit and can therefore be worn in the day or at night. The price tag at £3.99 is amazing too for the product you get, it really is worth it.

I'm definitely a lip liner convert now and would love to try some others from different brands in the future. Let me know your favourite lip liners and also if you've tried this one :-) You can purchase here from Boots.

Birthday Wishlist

1. Radley Purse

2. Topshop top

3. Clinique Anti Blemish Clearing Gel

4. By Terry Ombre Blackstar

5. Olivia Burton Watch

6. Yankee Candle Set

With it being my birthday tomorrow I thought it only fitting that I conduct a little wish list today, just in time. I can't say whether or not I'm feeling as excited for my birthday this year. My 21st was amazing, therefore this one has a lot to live up too, but it's very low key and will be celebrated early next month. There is however, as always, a few bits and pieces I have my eyes on this year. A new purse is something I have wanted for quite some time and I'm very picky when it comes to choosing a new one. It has to be real leather and I love this zip around style the best. Therefore this Radley one is my kind of perfect albeit rather on the pricey side. Olivia Burton watches are just so simple and pretty and I love them. My Michael Kors watch is still my baby but it has been worn everyday since I was given it so unfortunately has been through the wars slightly.

Some other bits and pieces I like to get for my birthday are sometimes the things that I don't necessarily want to buy myself throughout the year (if that makes any sense). Like yes I would love the items, but do I want to purchase them myself... Also the items that have been on a wish list for coming on to a year and I think, yes I would like to finally get around to trying it. This tends to be beauty items for me hence the two featured in this post. The By Terry eye shadow sticks are just beautiful but pretty pricey so would make a great present.

I am looking forward to my birthday tomorrow, only having to work half a day at work because of this makes it even better. And yes some delicious food will be consumed in the evening - it's a must. I hope you've all had a lovely weekend :-) Let me know if there's anything in my wish list that catches your eye!

Soap & Glory No Clogs Allowed

Whilst on a bit of a splurge a couple of weeks back and browsing Boots online I came across this Soap & Glory mask. I was looking for a self heating face mask, after nicking some of my mums current one, and falling in love! This one also claimed great things which instantly made me want to try it, it also had some money off which was even better.

According to Soap & Glory, this face mask helps prevent breakouts and blemishes by deep cleaning your pores and the addition of glycerin also helps the skin feel soft and supple. As you know anything to help blemishes I am drawn to, so this was right up my street. And due to my blemishes I'm always after something to help soothe and make my face feel super soft. So when this product claimed those two things it went straight into my basket.

The application is slightly different to normal masks and make sure you really give this a shake before you dispense it otherwise it comes out all watery. Well first things first you slap it all over the face, which does slightly warm up. You then have to wet your hands and scrub the mask into your face with wet hands. This causes the mask to turn blue and this is when it really heats up, although not boiling, uncomfortable hot. It doesn't stay warm for too long so don't worry if your not a fan of this factor. Another great thing about this mask is that it only needs to be left on for 5 minutes! I'm not a fan of masks which you have to keep on for any longer than 10 minutes so this one is perfect.

The results are great and I am honestly in love with this face mask. It leaves my skin feeling so soft, I honestly can't explain, it's like a babies bottom. I've never tried anything that has made my skin feel this good after use and after only 5 minutes. As for my blemishes it leaves them a lot less red and angry. Also due to the exfoliating beads in this mask it helps get rid of the dryness of the spots to which is something I absolute dread when having spots. You also only have to use this mask once a week as well and it's such a treat when you do use it. I honestly cannot think of one bad thing about this product, if you haven't already you should definitely try it. You can buy it here from Boots for £11.50. Let me know if you've tried this mask and your thoughts :-)

Sleek Eyebrow Stylist

I've always heard raves about Sleek blushes, which I do also love, but have never really heard much about any of their other products. So when browsing Boots online a while back I thought I would try something different from Sleek and try it out myself.

I love an eye brow product which makes doing my eye brows a nice and easy task. This product looked as if it was perfect. It has the product on one end and a brush on the other. Therefore this is perfect for on the go as you have everything you need in one small, hand bag friendly product. This product is the definition of sleek, excuse the pun. The packaging is nothing spectacular but I love that you get both the product and a pretty good brush.

I was looking forward to trying this product due to loving the packaging including the brush so much. I don't dislike this product but the main thing I noticed is that it's quite a waxy product. The colour pay off is good but I do find that sometimes when applying this product it can clump some of my eye brows together. Although this is obviously not the end of the world as you have the brush and can therefore brush through them and leave them looking great. But I can find that throughout the day this product doesn't last as well on me. I have an oily forehead anyway so I'm not sure if maybe this has anything to do with this product not lasting as long. But I haven't had many eye brow products, off memory, that have done this in the past. Don't get me wrong, it's nothing drastic, it's not like my eye brows have dropped considerably but I can just notice the difference.

Overall this is a pretty good product for the price but my Soap & Glory Archery brow pen still stands out for me. This product includes everything you need to complete your eye brow look which I absolutely love and not many eye brow products do that. But the actual product is wearable but unfortunately not my favourite I've tried, although I will continue to use it up. You can buy this product here from Boots. I'd love to know your favourite Sleek make up items that you recommend I try :-)

L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara

A mascara with a crazy looking wand, I had to try it of course. I've had this for a little while now and only in the past few weeks have I actually taken it out of it's packaging. I spotted this whilst browsing TK Maxx beauty and knew I had seen it on a few blog reviews, all raving about it. I believe I paid around £6 for this which was an absolute bargain. I'm not even sure this is available in Boots anymore which is a shame and I'm not even sure where else you can find it to purchase. But I will tell you all and you can decide whether to scour the internet to try and find a stockist.

Firstly the wand as it's incredible, I'm pretty sure there's no other mascara out there with a wand like this and that's what drew me to this product. It's effectively a spikey ball and it does work wonders on my eye lashes. Due to the wand I find it super easy to get right into the roots of my lashes but also right into the corners of my eyes. It just makes it simple and also the length of the wand is slightly longer which really helps. The ball is also really easy to rotate and roll into your lashes which makes sure that every single lash is covered.

This mascara is amazing at lengthening my lashes and sometimes with this I don't even have to curl my eyelashes, it's that good. The wand really helps to separate lashes as well and being able to get right into the corners really helps completely open up your entire eyes. I also think this mascara is pretty great at volumising lashes. Using the rolling action with this wand you can really make the roots of your lashes look full and voluminous. One slight downfall to this mascara is that any more than 1 coat can sometimes really clump your lashes. But you don't always need anymore than that one coat due to the products formula. I would only tend to potentially need a little bit more mascara on my outer lashes when I haven't curled them.

Overall I adore this mascara and it's uniqueness with the different wand. I love not having to curl my lashes when using this especially when I'm in a rush with work in the mornings! If you can find anywhere that stocks this then let me know as I would definitely recommend it. Also let me know if you've tried this mascara :-)

Malin + Goetz 10% Sulfur Paste

I purchased this product on my first ever Space NK order after seeing Millie Mackintosh use and swear by it. I'm all for trying everything and anything to help with my blemish prone skin. I had never heard of this brand before but even the reviews on the Space NK website sounded great so it magically found it's way into my basket. It's quite a pricey product at £16.50 but in my eyes definitely worth it.

This product is formerly known as a treatment for acne so is quite a strong product. The idea behind the product is to apply before bed and leave on over night. It's definitely a strong product and the smell shows that, it's a strong smell but once it's on the skin you can no longer smell it. I use a cotton bud to apply this to any of my affected areas and you do really only need a small amount for it to work its magic. Malin + Goetz recommend only one application of this product a day due to it's excessive drying of the skin. I would only ever apply this once a day at most anyway but it really does dry the spot out and that's how it works so effectively. I don't find that this dries out the skin around the spot all too much.

I've been using this product for a while now and I am absolutely in love with it. It really has worked wonders on my skin and helped my blemishes. This spot treatment kills the bacteria spots cause and therefore when I wake up in the morning after applying this product my spots have diminished in size and redness has gone. Although this product doesn't completely get rid of spots after one application, it does effectively help. My spots in the morning are dried out and really less noticeable which is just what you want from a spot treatment. After a couple more applications the results are even better and the spots that once were are practically gone. I do suffer from scarring from my spots which may still be dark but I'm still super impressed.

Overall I'm so glad I took the plunge with this product and absolutely swear by it now! This has changed my skin for the better and is definitely worth the rather pricey price tag. I will forever continue to use this product in aid to help my breakouts! You can buy the product here from Space NK. I wish you all a lovely weekend :-)

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Since getting into the whole make up scene and applying it 'properly' (using brushes), I have always loved the Real Techniques offerings. They have a brush for everything you will ever need whilst doing your make up. They make applying make up a breeze (most of the time) and more of a pleasure to do. I find when I'm using brushes I can take my time more with my make up rather than rushing it. I love lining up all my brushes ready for use, it's something that makes me happy.

I've always heard great things about the stippling brush but not until recently had I tried it. This brush actually can be used for such as foundation and also cream blushes. I will say I haven't actually used this to apply cream blush as I'm pretty sure I don't even own one, unless there's one hiding in my stash somewhere which I'm sure there might be. But I have used this for foundation on many occasions now. It's great for applying liquid foundation and really does apply it effortlessly. It gives a slightly lighter coverage than some of the other brushes Real Techniques have to offer. But this is great for those natural looking make up days or even for applying BB or CC creams.

Along with every other Real Techniques brush this one is super soft and feels great on application. I love the pink packaging and these are made so they stand up alone which is simply a great concept. I really do enjoy applying my foundation with this brush when I can enjoy it or even when I'm in a bit more of a rush as it's that simple. I either just pup a pump of foundation on the back of my hand and dab the brush into it as and when needed. Or I will pop blobs of foundation onto my face with my fingers and then use the brush to blend it all in.

Overall this is a great addition to my brush collection and Real Techniques brushes. I definitely want to keep investing in more brushes from the range and also from their new Bold Metals collection which looks absolutely insane! I'd love to know your favourite Real Techniques brush? :-)

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? :-)