April Favourites

Hi guys, I hope you're all well :) I've been trying so many amazing new products recently so I've been really excited to share some of them with you!

Favourites #4

Hi guys- sorry for being a bit AWOL for nearly a week now (oops). I'm such a bad blogger so here are my excuses; it's been the first week of school. That's it, sixth form basically takes over my life, that includes blogging unfortunately. As much as a loved blogmas, I sadly cannot blog every day because I just don't have the time, or the lighting, to do so :( I know I haven't been keeping count of my favourites posts very well, but I think I'm on my fourth one now so we will go from there :P

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

I really love the bourjois happy light, so I was excited to try this formula and compare! I think I like it even more than the happy light and I've only been using it for about 4 or 5 days. Although I have shade 51 in both formulas, this is much lighter and fits my skin colour almost perfectly. It makes dull, dry skin look healthy and glowing, but not shiny. It doesn't last all day, but maybe a good 5-6 hours before it starts to become slightly patchy, but nothing a bit of powder or concealer can't fix. I love this foundation and it smells really nice too!

Tea Tree Pore Minimiser

This is a somewhat dupe for benefit's POREfessional in the way it's a skin coloured primer claiming to smooth out the appearance of pores. But unlike benefit, this product doesn't contain silicone and is actually a spot treatment as well as a primer, so it's great if you have problem skin.

MAC Highligh Soft and Gentle

I've already talked about this product quite a bit, but it's seriously so amazing! I get compliments every time I wear this (from my grandma, that counts right?!). It gives a beautiful glow to the skin and looks gorgeous when it catches the light. I put it on the tops of my cheekbones, on my cupid's bow and on the bridge of my nose to achieve that 'sun-kissed' radiant look :)

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Extreme-Plump

This lipgloss is seriously amazing and unique. Although the colour and application are pretty average in terms of lipgloss, the formula is incredible! Wait for about 30 after application and your lips start to tingle, it's such a unique concept. It makes you pout and pucker up your lips for the 'Botox' effect (in a good way). It's such a cool product and I've really been loving it all month, especially because I have naturally small, thin lips.

Fudge Urban Coconut Hairspray

Again,  I've already mentioned this product recently, but I've been using it every day for weeks now. Not only does it hold your hair style all day without any crunchiness, it smells like coconut and fruit- what more could you want in a hairspray?

IKEA Storage Tubs

This is a bit of a random favourite, but how cute are my new tubs? They were only £3 each (I think) and I use mine for nail polishes and makeup brushes. I just think that they look really simple and classy.

I hope you enjoyed reading what my favourite bits have been. Expect a few more hair posts in the future as I'm really in to looking after my poor, poor hair right now ;)

Jess x

December Favourites

Hi everyone! It feels like I haven't done a favourite in ages, probably because I haven't :P but I've been trying out more new products and wearing a bit more makeup this month, so I have quite a few stand-out favourites to share with you!

White Tartan Scarf// Urban Outfitters

I've been at ikea today and I got some amazing makeup storage that is very similar to the Muji range so look out for a blog post on that soon! :) anyway, it was so rainy and windy so I wore my favourite scarf, this white tartan one from Urban Outfitters. It was £16 which I don't think is too expensive, especially for UO! I love the classic tartan print and I think these colours look really traditional and it's so long and soft. It isn't too thick either so you can avoid looking bulky.

Happy Light Foundation Shade 51// Bourjois

I was a bit skeptical to buy this foundation after reading mixed reviews online, but after seeing Anna from Viviannadoesmakeup do a blog post on it, I was sold. It costs £11.99, which is on the higher end of the drugstore price wise, but it's worth every penny. The amount of product you get in one pump is the perfect amount, not too much so you don't waste any. I would say it gives medium coverage, hiding any redness or blemishes without being cakey. It's one of the only foundations that lasts all day on my oily skin without becoming shiny or wearing off. You need to be careful when choosing a shade however, you only have the choice of 5 colours, and they're all pretty dark so if in doubt, go for 50 (the lightest shade). The finish is radiant but not shimmery like Rimmel's 'wake me up', I would say it had a satin look to it.

Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish Highlight// MAC

I have been itching to get this for months and months now but I could never justify spending more than £20 on a highlighter. I always seemed to think highlighter wasn't an essential product because it didn't make that much difference but I couldn't have been more wrong. I've worn this every day since Christmas and I've received so many compliments on my complexion (mainly from my grandma, but still..). It's such a large pan too so I know it's going to last me forever! I use the Real Techniques duo-fibre contour brush to apply this because it gives a light dusting so you don't end up looking like a disco ball because that isn't a good look ;)

Effaclar Duo// La Roche-Posay

I first saw this skin care product in one of Tanya Burr's videos and it sounded£ like the perfect treatment for my combination skin, claiming to reduce pores, moisterise and clear spots. However, I just couldn't seem to find it in Boots, probably because it's only available in the really big Boots, you know, the ones that have everything in them! But luckily, Santa (my lovely mother) managed to get their hands on some for me. I use this morning and night all over a freshly cleansed face and all I can say is wow! This is my absolute saviour now, I'm in love. It really does everything it says on the packet and if you're looking for something to clear up any skin problems, then this is definitely for you :)

Snob Lipstick// MAC

Another MAC product I have had my eye on for a while but for one reason or another, hadn't picked up yet. At £15, MAC lipsticks are at the lower end of expensive lipsticks but they're worth like £100! Ok maybe not that much, but they are the best lipsticks money can buy. They're smooth and creamy, they last all day, they come in a billion shades and finishes (matte, satin etc etc) and they smell like vanilla! What more could you want? ;) you can eat and drink whatever you want and you don't have to worry about your lipstick fading. Snob is a gorgeous cool toned baby pink and I love it on when I'm wearing fake tan.

What have been your favourite products this month?

Jess x

Non-Beauty Winter Essentials

I had the day off school because I was 'ill' today so I got to take loads of photos for some great blog posts coming up in the next few weeks! :D I thought today I would talk about all the things I can't live without when the weather changes that aren't beauty related.

Black cut out ankle boots Schuh £45

These babies are actually my pride and joy- I love them so much!! I wear them pretty much every day and they're so comfortable. Normally with new shoes, especially leather ones, I need to wear them a few times before they bed in and are comfy, but I have never had a problem with these. I wore them on the first day I bought them and I didn't get any blisters or rubbing or pinching of baby toes so I was very impressed. I searched high and low for some cut out boots I actually liked the look of and I fell in love with these at first sight. They are black and slightly worn looking with a 2inch heel and a grippy sole. They have a cut out section and a wrap around strap with buckles so they have that 'edgy' look to them. I think they look great with a tartan dress or black skinnies and a leather jacket!