Blog sale buys

While I normally have no luck with blog sales, I was lucky enough to stumble across Georgie's one a few days ago which was filled with lots of great products. I brought four things, although she was lovely enough to include a few extra treats such as this L'occitane soap which left the whole package smelling amazing!

Diorskin Nude BB Cream - I have been saving my Boots points for a Dior foundation, So when I saw this BB cream in the blog sale I knew I had to treat myself. I look forward to using this over the summer months and will be reviewing as soon as I've had a chance to use it properly.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in 'seductive pink' - I've been eyeing these up for a while now although was waiting for some sort of offer to come around. The shade looks so so pretty and I cant wait to put it to work.

Real techniques Bold Metals 301 Flat Contour Brush - I wasn't going to buy into the whole Bold Metals line as quite frankly I was already happy with the original line and felt like these were overpriced. Although when I spotted this in the blog sale I knew I wanted to give them a go to see of they were worth the fuss.

BareMinerals Perfecting Face Brush - This brush is unlike any other brush I've seen on the market so I really wanted to give it ago. It's a lot smaller than I expected although I love that it will be perfect for travelling as I often find myself living between two cities.

I spent £35 on all of these products, which was a bit of a bargain considering considering the retail value of each. I'd highly recommend giving Georgie's blog sale a look, I couldn't be happier with my latest additions and they arrived so quickly!

Four year blogiversary | Looking back

Today marks four whole years as a blogger, which is absolutely crazy! To celebrate, I thought I'd look back at some of my favourite posts. I was going to do one for each year.. but the less said about my earliest posts the better!

The best of 2014 / January 2015 

I love this post mainly because its filled with absolute favourite products, I do one of these every year although I feel like this one featured some of the best products yet!

Do you trust bloggers? / August 2014

Sometimes the best posts come from the heart, while 'Do you trust bloggers?' wasn't filled with thought out pictures and creative content, it was a true reflection on my thoughts on the blogging community at the time and one which received such an amazing reaction. With that in mind this is one of the posts I am most proud of, making it one of my favourite posts here on this blog till this day.

My Everyday Brushes / July 2014

I feel like my blog was at its best in the summer of 2014, not only did I have so much time to dedicate, I was lucky enough to attend an array of events and meet so many new bloggers. I think I could have easily filled this post with images from then, although I wanted my favourite posts to reflect my blog as a whole so, this is the last summer 2014 post I want to direct you to for now. I absolutely loved making this post, while the idea was simple I was so proud of the way I put it together and how the pictures turned out. I still use all of these brushes often and find myself referring people to his post time and time again.

My top five highlighters / July 2013

It's crazy that this post is over 2 whole years old now, I really loved making this post as it features some of my favourite products and was really pleased with the end result.

Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 101 / October 2012

Like many of the posts here this is one of my favourites purely because I remembered how happy I was with the pictures at the time. It was also one of my most viewed posts which is always lovely.

So there you have it, 5 posts I truly loved making! Which was your favourite?

It's all about matte!

While I love faking glowy skin with my make up, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. So today I'm focusing on ways to achieve the matte skin look on a budget. Achieving that matte look isn't just about slapping on plenty of powder, in fact there are a range of other ways to help keep oily skin at bay throughout the day.

 There's a common misconception in that moisturising leaves you oilier however there are many lotions on the market designed to combat oiliness like the one above from my skin. Correctly preoping your skin in such a way can really go a long way in making this look last, another way you can prep your skin, is by using a matte primer, There a bunch of these floating around on the highstreet, although one of my favourites happens to me Maybelline's Babyskin which also aims to combat pores at the same time.

Although its not just skincare you should be tailoring to your skintype, in fact there are many makeup products such as foundation designed with oily skin in mind! Take this 'all about matt' oil-free make up from Essence* for example, which aims to cover imperfections without adding any further oils to the skin! Of course it goes without saying that a good setting power can really help in creating that matte look. However I like to treat this with a 'less is more' approach and simply apply powder in the areas I feel the need for extra protection, such as my T Zone.

 Finally for those of you that hate that over powdered look or simply want a quick way to maintain this look on the go, blotting papers could be the ideal solution. Not only are they a great way to get rid of any excess oil before applying your make up, they can be used over it to blot away oil throughout the day.

So there you have it, a few ways I've discovered to keep that matte look throughout the day. I asked for your tips on twitter and here are a couple I received. @Chocandlipstick said 'stay matte balms, blotting paper and anti-shine powders are a must' for her and  @ClarkeCouture  added 'Using products that are oil free!' can really help. What are your favourite tops for achieving that matte look?

Twenty...

Admittedly it's been a long while since my last post here, although I have been super busy in the past few months. I finally finished the second year of my degree, bagged myself a new job and said goodbye to my teenage years. With all that in mind this post is a lot (lot) later than normal, although I've been doing birthday posts here for years so wanted to keep up the tradition!

This year I received quite a few food themed gifts, The first of which being these cupcake sets since I've developed somewhat of a baking obsession this semester. I am now kitted out with cases, labels and pipping bags so look forward to putting them to work. I'm also a big Reese's fan so was over the moon to receive an excessive amount of peanut butter cups along with a matching set of lipbalms! Finally food wise, I got this melon fusion candle which smells incredible. If you're a fan of fizzy watermelon sweets I recommend giving this a good sniff.

 Beauty wise I was given lots of lovely bits including a Loreal set featuring their new superstar mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow. I was also lucky enough to receive an array of beauty bits from a friend including this stunning Pixi palette, a Max Factor mascara, blending sponge and some pretty polishes. As always I cant put them all too work, and if you see anything you like let me know so I can be sure to post about it in the future!

I figured I'd also show off a few beauty bits I brought myself with some of the money I received for my birthday. I've been keen to try these library of fragrance perfumes for a while so took advantage of Boots two for £25 deal. Scent wise I also picked up this body mist from &other stories. Along with a few beauty bits I've been wanting to try such as this blush stick from make up revolution and glow pot from Topshop.

I was lucky enough to receive a few gift sets too including this beautiful set of Nip+Fab hand creams and this luxurious Laura Mercier Set.

Finally I received this lovely gift set containing my favourite perfume. So there you have it, some of 

the things I was lucky enough to receive for my twentieth birthday which was a good while ago now!

Did anything catch your eye? 

The Glamour Spring Beauty Edit

It's been a while since I treated myself to anything beauty related, so when I saw this on the latest in beauty website I had to pop it in my basket! At just £16.99, The Glamour Spring Edit contains an amazing £99 worth of goodies! So without further waffle, here's what was in my box!

Moroccanoil Intense Hydration Mask (£7.65/75ml) - I'm yet to try anything from the Moroccanoil range so cant wait to put this to work! At £7.65 for 75ml, this isn't the cheapest product on the block so I'm expecting great things!

Nuxe Creme Fraiche Moisturising Mask (£18.50/50ml) - I've heard so much about Nuxe, along with French skincare in general, so I cant wait to give this one a try. This is probably the product I'm most excited about and alone is worth more than the cost of the whole beauty box!

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Enamel and Top Coat (£6.99 each) - I've not brought a new polish in ages, so was happy to see this pair of polishes from the Revlon range. Included in every box is the diamond top coat along with one of three shades. I have the shade Pocket Aces which looks like a lovely summer colour.

Kiko  Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow (£6.90) - I'm all for an easy eyeshadow look so was happy to see this eyeshadow stick in my box. I received the shade in Golden Brown and plan to pop this in my make up bag as soon as possible!

Rimmel Oh my Gloss! Lip Gloss (£5.49) - I was looking forward to giving Rimmels latest lip offering a go, however the shade I was given probably wont work against my pale skin tone which is a little disappointing, however I'll  pass it on to a friend.

Model Co Creme Rouge Cheek & Lips (£14.00) - I love a good cream blush so a new one is always welcome, This is in the shade just peachy and looks right up my street.

Beauty UK High Brow Kit (£3.99) - Although I'm not too in to brows, I'm sure many will love the addition of this Beauty UK kit. I'll be passing this on too.

Elie Saab sample- While some hate perfume samples, I personally love them for my bag so was happy to see this last item in my bag.

So there you have it everything in my Glamour Spring Beauty Edit box, while there were a couple of items I wont be using the others are fab and I cant wait to try everything out. Will you be treating yourself?

The five minute face...

Lately I've found myself torn between that having that extra hour five minutes in bed and wanting to look like I've had enough sleep.. The solution? a routine that I've got down to under five minutes, leaving just enough time to deal with other aspects of my morning.

My base is pretty simple, I just apply this Maybelline Babyskin pore eraser (£7.99/22ml) along with my new Maybelline dream flawless nude foundation (£5.99/20ml). The result is very natural. although I find that the look helps to even everything out. I do however have to go in with a Essence concealer (£2.50/7ml)*, for under my eyes and any blemishes. At just £2.50 this stuff is bloody brilliant and well worth a try!

To make my eyes stand out I use my Benefit Roller Lash mascara (£19.50/8.5g). I got this little sample size in Elle and have been really enjoying it so far. While I find I do still have to use my curlers I love that it coats every individual lash and makes my eyelashes look so much thicker! I then go in with my brow drama sculpting mascara (£4.99/7.6ml) to quickly neaten my brows up before finishing the look with my Soap and Glory lip crayon in the shade 'Bashfull' (£8.00).

So there you have it, the make up steps I use in the morning to look a little more human! What are your quick fixes?

Free Roller Lash Mascara in ELLE

It hasn't even hit the shops yet, but this month you can bag a sample Benefits latest mascara with issues of ELLE magazine (£4.00), admittedly I grabbed mine a couple of weeks ago but as a few copies seem to be floating around I thought it was worth a post! I for one am a huge fan of Benefits 'They're Real' so am excited to see how this compares.

Will you be trying Roller Lash?