Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser

If you read my August Favourites post, you will have seen that the Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser was one of my favourite products! I have had this for over one month now and I absolutely love it! I started using it just a couple of days per week when my skin was looking extra good, however it has gradually taken over and become my go to everyday base product. 

My skin is normal/combination which is why I was recommended the oil free version and it works very well for me. This product feels very hydrating and light on my skin which is lovely and it doesn't make my skin any oilier! The coverage is light, as I would expect from a tinted moisturiser but I would say it is slightly buildable as well if I need a tiny bit more coverage. It definitely wont provide as much coverage as a foundation though.

This blends so nicely leaving my skin looking very healthy, dewy and natural. I use my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to apply this. I haven't found a product that leaves my skin looking so amazing before. I have actually had quite a few comments on my skin lately saying how healthy, even and glowing it looks. I love that it does all of this whilst still looking very natural and giving me a no makeup look.

In this photo I am just wearing the tinted moisturiser. As you can see, it doesn't cover all my blemishes but it evens out my skin and leaves it looking healthy and glowing.

The packaging is a squeezy tube which I like because I am able to squeeze out the exact amount of product I need. It also means it compact so nice to travel with.

I am definitely going to repurchase this when I run out and I would completely recommend it! There are different versions as well to suit every skin type. 

The Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser is available here for £33.

Blog Sale - Mac, Bourjois, Avon, etc

I have recently had a look through all my makeup and realised I don't use some of it at all. I have a draw of makeup which I probably open once every month, if that, so I thought I would do a little blog sale!

Postage is £1 and 20p per additional item for addresses in the UK.
I will send items outside of the UK, just let me know where you live and we can discuss postage. It shouldn't be much more than £2 though. 

Items will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

Either leave a comment, email me or tweet me if you would like to purchase an item.

Payments are to be made through Paypal.

You have 48 hours to pay the invoice from when I send it. If it is not paid, I will sell the item(s) to the next person who asked for them.

I will post the item(s) once I have received the payment.

No returns.

Shop away!

Mac Blot powder - Medium Dark, £8 (Used twice. Small dent you can see on the left) 

Maybelline Dream Matte powder - 03, Golden Beige, £2 (Barely used. No sponge with it)

Avon blush - Earthen Rose, £2 (Barely used. No brush)

No7 Blush Tint Stick - Blossom, £1 (Used once) SOLD

Barry M Dazzle Dust - Kingfisher, 78, 50p (Never used, swatched once)

Bella Pierre Shimmer Powder eye shadow - Earth, £5 (Never used, swatched once)

Avon True Colour eye shadow quad in Mystery, £3  (Never used, swatched once. No brush with this)

Avon Onyx Lustre Tri-Shadow - Midnight Lustre, £2 (Used 1/2 times. Comes with little sponge brush, been used once)

Avon eye shadow duo - Black Pearl, £1 (Never used, swatched once. Comes with little sponge brush, not been used)

Famous eye shadow - Mocha Latte, £3 (Used 3/4 times. Comes with little sponge, been used once)

Avon lipstick - Apricot Mystery, £1 (Usage shown)

Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick - 006, Pink Blush, £1.50 (Usage shown)

Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick - 180, Vintage Pink, £1.50 (Usage shown)

Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish nail polish - 702, Marshmallow Heaven, £1 (Never been opened) SOLD

Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish nail polish - 193, Black Cherries, £1 (Used once)

Barry M Nail Paint - Bright Purple, £1 (Used 2/3 times)

Sally Hansen Insta - Dry Top Coat, £2 (Usage shown) SOLD

Bourjois Delice De Soleil Mineral Bronzing Foundation - 02 fair medium, £3 (Never used, swatched once)

Bourjois Delice De Soleil Bronzing Powder - no14, tanned skin, £2 (Used 2/3 times) SOLD

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - 52, £1 (Used about 1/3) SOLD

That is everything for this sale! I will definitely have a couple more coming up soon if this one goes well so keep a look out!

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

I received this mascara for my birthday a month ago and I thought it was time I reviewed it! Mascaras are probably one of my favourite products to try out. I absolutely love my L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara (review here) which is my go to everyday mascara but I was still very excited to try this one out!

Usually I prefer volume rather than length from my mascaras, however I may have changed my mind since using this one! This mascara is extremely lengthening, it's amazing! It makes my eyelashes look so much longer but still natural. It does also achieve enough volume to stop my lashes looking too thin and just spidery long. 

The wand is great because it's small enough that I can easily coat the corner and bottom lashes! This mascara lasts all day. My lashes are still very long at the end of the day which is great and it doesn't dry up or flake during the day either! I curl my eyelashes before applying this as I think it looks better if they are curled. 

This is one coat! Sometimes I will wear two.

This mascara also claims to strengthen, nourish and promote lash growth. I haven't been using this everyday for long enough so I cannot comment on whether this works or not, but I will let you know!

Have you tried this mascara? Do you have any recommendations for me to try next?

Mac Melba Blush

If you have read my August Favourites post then you would have seen that Mac Melba blush was mentioned! I have honestly been using this blush everyday and I never usually use the same blush everyday! I just swap between which ever ones I feel like wearing, so sticking to one shows how much I love it.

Melba is a matte coral peach shade and this colour suits my skin tone so much. It almost makes me look like I have a tan as well as leaving a gorgeous peachy shade. I find it pretty pigmented, so I only need a tiny bit of this to add colour to my cheeks, unless I want to look like a clown!

This blush lasts very well on me. I find some blushes apply lovely and then a couple of hours later I can't see the colour any more. This blush leaves a healthy, peachy, warm shade on my cheeks which I don't need to reapply at all during the day!

I absolutely love this colour - it's so warm and peachy! I would highly recommend this blush.

Mac blushes are available here for £17.50.

Have you tried this blush? What is your favourite blush to wear?

100 Followers Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered my Chanel lipstick giveaway! Also a big thank you to everyone who follows my blog - it really makes me so happy.

I used Rafflecopter to pick the winner!

The winner is:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Congratulations Rachel from Little Bear Found! I have just sent you an email now!

Zoeva Makeup Brushes

I first heard about Zoeva brushes after reading Lydia's blog post on them! Before that I had never heard of the brand, but I am so glad I finally found them.

Zoeva are a German company and they sell very affordable makeup brushes (as well as makeup itself, but I haven't tried any!)

L - R: Buffer 104, Powder 106, Petit Stippling 122, Crease 228

I ordered four brushes which are the buffer brush, powder brush, petite stippling brush and crease brush.

I use the buffer brush for my foundation. I used to use my Real Techniques buffing brush which I still absolutely love and now use for tinted moisturiser, however the Zoeva Buffer brush has definitely taken over for applying foundation.

The bristles of the buffer brush are dense and compact whilst still being extremely soft on the face. The top of this brush is quite flat and it buffs my foundation onto my skin flawlessly and so easily.

The powder brush is probably my favourite brush ever! It is so incredibly soft and the perfect shape. With my powder I like to push it onto my face, sweep it over my face and buff it in with circular motions. I have found brushes that are amazing at buffing, sweeping or pushing but never all three! This feels very light on the face as it's not too dense or compact. I have used powder brushes before which have been too dense and when I use them they disturb and move my concealer, whereas this one doesn't at all! It feels so light and soft.
I am very tempted to buy a second one of these brushes for bronzer as I think it is the perfect shape and size to just sweep bronzer over the face!

I bought the petit stippling brush for applying cream blush and highlighter. I have used it for powder blush a couple of times and it's nice, but it doesn't replace my current blush brush! I haven't yet used it for cream blush but it seems as if it would work well, I just don't wear cream blush that often. I have used it to apply cream highlighter and it's pretty good! 

I dab this in the product and stipple it onto my cheekbones and then blend it in. It stipples the product really well onto my cheekbones, however I don't find it amazing at blending the highlighter in. I do tend to use my finger at the end to just make sure the highlighter isn't just a line and make it more subtle. I am using this brush every time I wear highlighter so I do really like it! It is just not amazing at blending. 

Lastly is the crease brush and this is lovely! I use this to apply powder under my eyes, around my nose and anywhere I have popped concealer on. This brush is very soft and such a perfect shape. It's tapered and small. I used to use a different version of this type of brush which I have been using and loving for a while now, however it didn't keep it's shape very well. Obviously I haven't been using this for as long but it feels very structured (if that makes sense!) and the shape and size is just perfect. 

I am considering whether to get another one of these for eye shadow blending!

I hope you have enjoyed this review! Have you ever heard of Zoeva brushes? What are your favourite makeup brushes?

Zoeva are available here. These brushes took 6 days to arrive which I was very impressed with.

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Some of you may know if you follow me on twitter, that just over a week ago was my birthday! One of my presents was Nars Laguna bronzer which I was so happy about as I have wanted this for ages!

I have pale skin so I do struggle sometimes to find a bronzer that doesn't leave me looking orange or muddy! This bronzer is perfect - it adds gorgeous warmth and a bronze, sun kissed glow to my face which looks very natural.

It does contain slight shimmer but I think it is definitely very subtle. It also blends very nicely and easily without leaving any lines! I apply this with my real techniques blush brush on my cheeks and up to my temples, I then pop anything left on the brush under my jaw line. 

I used to be quite scared of using a bronzer and especially contouring as I was worried that it would be too obvious, however I feel happy just sweeping this all over my face and knowing it will look natural!

I would highly recommend this bronzer. I find it is very buildable so if I want a tanned look rather than just a sun kissed glow, I can just add more! I can therefore imagine this would work well for people with skin not as pale as mine.

Nars Laguna is available here for £25.

Have you tried Nars Laguna? What is your favourite bronzer?

Have you entered my 100 follower giveaway yet? You can enter here!

Tag: How Much Is Your Face Worth?

I have seen quite a few people do this tag and thought it was quite interesting! I have just read Aimee from Petticoats and Pansies tag of this and I loved it, so I decided to do it myself.

I recently posted my everyday make up routine so you may already have an idea of the products I use, however some of them have changed since then so I still wanted to post this tag!

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - £28

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation in BR10 - £28

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair - £4.19

YSL Touche Eclat in 1 - £25

Mac MSF Natural Powder in Light - £21
Nars Laguna Bronzer - £25

Mac Melba Blush - £17.50

Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown - £2.99

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara - £10.99

Lancome Rouge in Love Lipstick in 170N - £21

Total - £183.67

I use quite a lot of higher end products so I knew it would be quite a bit! I don't wear eye shadows on a daily basis so I didn't think it would be quite this much though! I wouldn't want to work it out with eye shadows included. 

I hope these make up products don't all run out at the same time!

I tag all of you to do this and if you have done this tag please link it below as I would love to read it.

Guest Post - Top Five Products For Dry Skin

Today's post is written by the lovely Sarah from Some Sparkle and Shine. She is going to be talking about her top five products for dry skin!

Hey guys,

So, a little introduction seems to be in order right now. Well, I’m Sarah and I blog over at somesparkleandshine.blogspot.com. You can also find me on twitter here! A few facts that you may want to know about me might include the fact that I have major social anxiety, I’m obsessed with shopping and I have enough lipsticks to last my life time (and that’s really not that much of an exaggeration! It’s quite shameful).

I debated a number of topics for this post, before finally settling on writing a little something about skincare. Essentially, this is a list of my top 5 skincare products for dry skin. Now, I claim to be no expert! In fact, until recently I didn’t even get the importance of having a good skincare regime was to my skin, but after settling on a routine I wanted to share some products that really helped me out.

I have always suffered with dry skin, and it’s not until recently that I settled into a routine for my skin that I finally have it under control. Over the years, I’ve tried something from nearly every range at the drugstore, and a few higher end bits too. But, here are my top 5 products for people with very dry skin.

5. MAC Cleanse Off Oil (£7.50 or £18)

This is my miracle product. I’ve tried so many different makeup removers and this is by far the best for two reasons. The first is that it dissolves all makeup almost instantly. It takes one quick swipe of this on a cotton pad and all is gone. The second is because it’s an oil, meaning it injects a little more moisture into the skin than something water based!

4.  Botanics Rose Water Toning Spritz (£3.99, at the moment anyways)

Everyone seems to be raving about this for one reason or another, and I’m really no different. I don’t really use this as toner, but more as a refresher for my makeup. I find that with my dry skin foundation can look dull after a while, no matter what the formula and I find that it tends to cling to all those nasty dry patches. That’s not such an attractive look, so I remedy that with a spritz of this all over my face. It brightens my makeup up, and leaves me feeling refreshed.

3. Lancome Tonique Confort Rehydrating Toning Lotion (£21.00)

I have only really just started using toners because I’ve never really seen the point in them, but now I’ve started using this I won’t turn back. I’m not entirely sure what it does as a toner, but this makes my skin feel amazing. It’s just that extra bit of moisture that my skin needs first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

2. Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum for Dehydrated Skin (£4.59)

This is something that I brought ages ago and never really gave it the time of day. It was really cheap, and somewhat of an impulse buy. I used it once, and stashed it away for an unknown point in time. I had actually forgotten about it until I sorted through my stash of skincare a week or so ago. I now couldn’t go without. I used it morning and night under my moisturiser, and it’s brilliant. It hydrates my skin, and I feel that since I’ve been using it my makeup lasts that little bit longer! That’s a win, win situation right there. I have recently run out of this, but as soon as I can get out into Superdrug I will repurchase this without even thinking about it.

1. Clinique Moisture Surge Intense (£30)

I cannot say enough about this! I mean that in all honesty. I cannot find one bad thing about this product, except maybe the price but when it’s a good as it is I think I can justify paying out for it every now and then. I’ve tried two other Clinique moisturisers, and none of them even compare to this bad boy. It works wonders for my skin. It injects so much moisture into my skin, it has a lovely cooling effect because it’s a ‘cream-gel’ formula and if I’m having any breakouts or anything like that it doesn’t make them any worse. Some moisturisers for dry skin can make breakouts worse, and even spread them a little, but this doesn’t do anything like that.

I hope some of these products can help out your dry skin, and don’t forget to comment if you have any miracle products for your skin that you just have to shout about!

Thanks for reading guys,

Sarah xo

Sarah has such a nice blog which I love reading! You can check it out here.

August Favourites!

I have been doing quite a lot of shopping lately meaning that this month I have quite a lot of new favourites. I'm not going to ramble too much about each product otherwise this post will be really long!

Let's start with skincare! 

My first favourite is the Caudalie Beauty Elixir which I have reviewed here. This is a refreshing facial mist that has lots of benefits for the skin. It smells absolutely amazing and just makes my skin look and feel very refreshed, smooth and glowing.

Alpha H liquid gold has been my saviour product and I have a review here. This is the main product that has really really helped my skin. If I have a blemish, I know that within one use of this the blemish will be smaller and then one or two more and it will be gone! My skin is now looking a lot clearer, even and healthy.

Alpha H has helped my skin look a lot clearer which has meant I don't feel the need for high coverage foundation. So I went to Harvey Nichols and bought myself the Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser! I am going to be posting a full review of this soon. I love this tinted moisturiser - it looks very natural and my skin looks healthy and radiant.

My newest purchase is a Mac blush in Melba. This is a gorgeous matte coral peach. I have never used a blusher than compliments my skin tone as much as this one! It makes me look slightly tanned whilst also adding a lovely wash of peach to my cheeks.

If you read my blog a lot, it may not be too much of a surprise that I love Essie nail polishes. I am thinking of doing a Essie nail polish collection post soon so please let me know in the comments if you would like that! I received Mint Candy Apple as a birthday gift and I love it! All the Essie nail polishes I own in general are a favourite of mine though!

Lastly is a fragrance and it is Vivienne Westwood Naughty Alice. This is the best smelling perfume I have ever owned! I had this last Christmas as a gift and as soon as I ran out a couple of months I bought another one. Ylang ylang is the heart note (I had to Google this - it's a plant!), black rose is the top note and carnal violet is the base note. This perfume smells absolutely incredible. It lasts all day on me as well which is a bonus. It smells pretty much just as strong at the end of the day as it does at the start!

Those are all of my favourites for August! Have you tried any of these products? I would love to know your opinions on them! Also let me know if you would like an Essie collection post!

Have you entered my 100 followers giveaway yet? If not you can enter here!