Monthly Favourites | April

So.. It's the 4th May? (May the Fourth be with you ..haha) But seriously, how the hell did that happen? It felt like literally a week ago I was writing up my March favourites and this month flew around so fast I barely even had time to catch my breath! It's a bit of a mixed bag for this month's favourites, but I hope you all enjoy it and read on to see what I'd been loving in April...

Barry M 'Gelly Hi Shine' Nail Paint - Lychee

Barry M's newly reformulated nail paints to give a 'gel nail' finish are well worth the hype that they're receiving. Having just released a new line of colours for the summer I'm eager to stock up on some more shades! Lychee made the cut as this month's favourite as it's the perfect classic nude shade that you can't go wrong with and I've been wearing it a lot recently. It gives a polished manicured look with a thick, high shine finish and lasts for close to a week without chipping - All for £3.99 too!

Redken Color Extend 'Radiant-10' Treatment Spray

I wrote a full post all about this product, and it was also part of my 'Happy, Healthy Hair' post too because it's been a little bit of a lifesaver (/hairsaver) recently. It comes at quite a high price, but it's well worth it and I'd recommend it to anybody looking for a good quality lightweight detangling spray and leave in conditioner that comes with a whole multitude of additional benefits such as adding shine and prolonging the vibrancy of hair colour.

 

Origins 'Modern Friction' Exfoliator

My first Origins purchase, and I wasn't disappointed! A persuasive saleswoman talked me into buying this one as she said that good exfoliation is one of the key stages in skincare to reducing blemishes (I don't really want to talk about excess dead skin cells clogging pores and causing a build up.. but yeah..) and after she demonstrated this product on me during a 'mini facial' I knew that it was love! I'm going to do a full review on this in the coming weeks, but basically it's a very fine and gentle exfoliator that is a real indulgent treat to use. It contains 'rice starch cushioned in cream' which makes it feel a little bit like you're rubbing rice pudding or porridge on your face, but it gives such a thorough polish to the surface of the skin and makes everything look that little bit more refined and fresh.

 

Clinique 'Even Better' Foundation

I have a full post written up on this amazing foundation, that I dubbed as my 'holy grail' base for my make up. Having problematic skin leaves me with wanting no less than a full coverage and long lasting foundation that will stand the test of oil-prone skin. 'Even Better' ticks all of those boxes! One of the highest coverages I've ever used, smooths over enlarged pores, covers blemishes, flawless application and lasts all day. It's my favourite foundation to date and if what I've listed above is something you're looking for then this is one to try!

The Body Shop Vitamin E 'Sink In Moisture Mask'

The Body Shop and their crazy bargains in the sales left me paying no more than £5.00 for this tub, when it's full retail price is £13.00 - I love bargains like that! A naughty product (suspicions lying with Effaclair Duo) left me with skin that was dry, flakey and very unsightly. Dry skin is not the norm for me and I needed something to sort it out pronto! I looked to the Origins 'Drink Up' Mask, but couldn't justify the price tag at the time, however worth it it might have been.. and I found this potential dupe in The Body Shop. It's a fast working 10 minute 'Moisture Mask' that you apply in a thick layer all over and it seems like a normal moisturiser, but after the time is up it has only partially sunk in and there's a residue left on the surface of the skin that can be gently removed with a cotton pad. It leaves the skin looking instantly plumper, like it's had a good 'drink', hydrated and reduces flakey patches. A few uses of this and my dry skin had returned to normal - this saved the day!

Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion

When I wrote a full post about this gradual tanning lotion it received lots of comments from other people saying that they were huge fans of this tan too! I'd recommend clicking here to read my full review on it as I gush in depth about my love for it. Literally the most perfect gradual tanner I've ever used; there's no tell-tale tan smell, it smells fresh and fruity, it actually comes up gradually and is easy to build upon day by day so that there's no waking up and being overly fake and orange if that's not what you're looking for, and the colour is a nice touch of brown, lovely and natural like you've spent a day sitting out in the sun.

 

Urban Decay Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color - Theodora

Being a lucky little lady, I managed to win one of The Sunday Girl's giveaways and landed myself with one of Urban Decay's limited edition palettes for the release of the film The Great and Powerful Oz. Out of the two versions of the palette (Glinda and Theodora), I won the Theodora palette, represented in the film by the ever so gorgeous Mila Kunis - deserved winner of FHM's Sexiest Women in the World! Enough about my girl crush.. The Theodora Palette came with one of UD's 'Super Saturated' lip colours and the shade is just named 'Theodora' but it's a beautifully bright and glossy red shade that is so simple to apply with the creamy formula and the crayon applicator. I've not been one for red lips much in the past but this one just seems to work for me and the high gloss lasts for hours and hours too. I might have to look into more of these lip pens from Urban Decay because they're such amazing quality! My eye is on 'Love Child' and you can see it here.

So, that's my April favourites! I hope you enjoyed!

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Review: Clinique 'Even Better' Foundation

Everybody hold up, stop what you're doing. I think I have found my holy grail foundation. That's right, this could be the one. We spend years going through bottles and bottles of the stuff searching for that one perfect formula and shade combined to give us the flawless base that we're searching for, and I think I've found my answer in Clinique. 

Halfway through bottle number two of this foundation and I had the realisation that I could never see myself turning to anything else, at least not for the foreseeable future anyway. What I like about this is that it provides full coverage, works on oily skin and it lasts all day. How often is it that you come across a foundation that can do all of that? It is suitable for any skin type which is ideal for me as I suffer with patches of dry and patches of oily (and patches of normal) - annoying skin! But I would say it is suited more for oily/normal skin types though, as it does tend to show dry patches if they're quite bad.

What I'm more concerned with is how high and how full the coverage is that this offers; it's pretty amazing. Having a face that's riddled with scars, marks, redness and little blemishes I've got a lot to cover up! The foundation's main aim is to target uneven skin tone - that's me! But it doesn't just cover the uneven skin tone and the hyper-pigmentation, it also works to treat it at the same time and who doesn't love a 2-in-1? With continuous use, over time this foundation will provide benefits from the mineral enrichment that helps to even out the skin tone and deliver brighter skin (or so it claims). I've been using a range of new things to help with this whole 'evening of the skin tone' fiasco, and I'm definitely seeing improvements but I would say that it's the result of a combination of products and that this foundation isn't quite powerful enough to make any radical changes to the skin's quality on it's own, but every little helps!

As well as concealing any imperfections on the skin such as redness or markings, it also helps to slightly 'fill in' (I don't know if that's the best term that I could've used) enlarged pores and smooth them over, making them appear minimised, in the same way that using a primer such as The Pore-Fessional would do. So not only does Even Better provide an amazing full coverage that isn't at all thick or cakey on the skin and actually feels nice and light, this full coverage also manages to last all day long without sliding around. With a few dabs of concealer and a dusting of powder this foundation manages to give me a flawless (or as near to flawless as I'm going to get) base, and by the end of the day it's still looking just as good. Huge thumbs up!

Any extras you  might be interested in: it contains SPF15 which is always a good thing as it prevents sun damage and any further hyper pigmentation (it's good unless you're having your photograph taken - SPF causes those 'ghost faces' with a flash), it's an oil free formula, it's enriched with minerals and it also has anti-aging properties.

Housed in a nice and sleek compact little tube, it's standard 30ml size but there's no bulky and uneccessary packaging that takes up space. It's very minimal and very simple, but it still looks high end and presentable. The squeezy plastic bottle makes it ideal for travelling too as there's no risk of breakage or spillage, and the nozzle makes it easy to control dispensing the product in a super hygienic way. I just dislike the way that there is no indication of how much is left and when I'm going to run out as the bottle is completely opaque. I hate that day when it comes as a shock that there's actually nothing left in the bottle! At £23.00 a bottle it's on middle ground of price range for high end foundations and it is available to buy here, or you can go in store to your nearest Clinique counter and have the lovely ladies colour match you up; they did a good job with me as this shade matches my skin exactly.

I have the shade 01 Alabaster which I would assume is the lightest shade that Clinique offers as it is numbered '01', and this matches me perfectly. However, although I do have pale skin, I know that my skin isn't the fairest out there and if you're especially light skinned then there's a chance that this could be a tad too deep for you and that's a complaint I've heard about Clinique before; that the shades don't go light enough. 

But, it matches me, it works for me, and I LOVE it.

If you're in the market for a new long wearing foundation that offers high coverage then have a wander over to your nearest Clinique counter and have a look at Even Better - you won't be disappointed.

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'How To Look The Best At Everything' | Benefit Gift Set

 

Hello!

Today's post is about a fairly new gift set release from Benefit called 'How To Look The Best At Everything'. I got this as a birthday present from my sister but it retails at £22.50 in most places. It comes in three shade ranges: Light, medium, and dark. Mine is 'light'.

 

In this set is handy little travel/sample sizes of four products that you need to create the perfect complexion:

 

Primer: The Pore-Fessional Pro Balm

These 7.5ml tubes of primer are really handy to slip into a make-up bag without them taking up too much space, a little of this product goes a long way so it'll last a long time and this is such a hyped up product, often named 'the best' primer there is so this set gives people a good chance to try it out and see if it's for them. This was the only product that I had previously tried before receiving this kit and I personally love it! It's silky consistency applies like a dream to the skin and it's fantastic at covering large pores and making the complexion appear more flawless.

 

Foundation: "Hello Flawless" Oxygen Wow Brightening Make-Up

This tiny little 7ml pump tube of foundation is adorable - I love mini versions of things! Despite my set being the 'light' version, this foundation is still a tad too dark for me but I already know that this will come in more than handy to take away on a summer holiday as it will match my slightly more tanned face then and is an ideal amount as I always wear none-minimal make-up when I'm in a hot country so don't need a lot. This would also be good to slip into a hand bag for little touch ups throughout the day - more foundations should be available in small sizes!!
 

Concealer: Boi-ing 01 & 02

Described as an 'industrial strength' concealer, two different shades of this have been provided, I assume so that you can mix your own perfect shade with a combination of the two? But I think that I'll mostly be turned to shade 01 to hide my 'dark circles, boo-boos and broken capillaries'. This isn't as hyped up as Benefit's Erase Paste concealer, but I've found it to be really effective at hiding blemishes - not so much dark circles though because it gets a little bit cakey.
 

Powder: "Hello Flawless" Powder

I've used this powder a couple of times and have really enjoyed it - I'm scared to get attached to it because the full size is pricey! (£24.50!) It applies really smoothly and is quite 'chalky' in consistency but I find this works well for me because I can get oily skin and this helps to combat my shine and sliding make up throughout the day. The coverage is really sheer so this is mainly just a setting powder to help mattify and seal foundation, all adding to the flawless finish of the make-up.

 

 

The packaging of this gift set is absolutely adorable, it comes in an old fashioned book-style box, complete with a little brush, an inbuilt mirror (not pictured) and a little 'tips and tricks' booklet for how to apply each of the products. This was a perfect gift for me and I am certain that it would be a perfect gift for any make-up lovers that you need to treat this Christmas.. or even just yourself if you're fan of cute, miniature sized Benefit products and want to try out some new bits and bobs before buying the full size versions.

 

♥

Monthly Favourites | November

I know that there's still a week left to go of November but I'm going to be a busy bee over the next two weeks so this is the only chance I've really got to put this post up and I love doing favourites posts so didn't want to miss it out! Here's what I've really been loving recently:
 

 

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Conditioning Treatment

I'm quite late to the party with love and appreciation for Aussie products. I've always heard people bang on about them but just never expected that I'd fall for the hype. Well, one day I tried and tested and now I am madly in love. I think the scent of their products is a real winning factor for me - so sweet and bubblegum-y - I really like it. Then there's the absolute bargain price of them and most products can almost always be found for under a fiver and the quality isn't at all compromised with the price as the standard of these is a lot higher than some expensive high end brands I've tried before! The first time that I used this reconstructor mask my hopes weren't all that high, I left it on my mid-lengths and ends for 5-10 minutes while I sat in the bath and then rinsed away. Almost instantly I could feel a difference in my hair and I have quite literally never used a conditioning mask that has impressed me so much and left my hair feeling so amazing. For the next three days I just could not stop touching and stroking my hair - LOVE.
 

Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner

There's no frills with this one; Simple really does just live up to its brand name. I needed to get myself an affordable, everyday use toner to sweep over my face morning and night to remove all those last traces of dirt and make up and really freshen up and this bottle does the trick absolutely perfectly! I'm itching to try the rest of Simple's skincare line now after loving this so much. Imagine a really soft and soothing, moisturing water that you wipe over your face to make your skin feel clean and refreshed? Yep! It's fragrance free with no nasty chemicals so doesn't irrate or sting the skin in any way and for just over £2 it is the perfect step for inbetween cleansing and moisturising.

 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

Something else that I'm late to the party of love and obsession for is Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Concealer - seriously, what was my life like before this?! I cannot believe that for years and years I used pricer alternatives when this gem has been sitting in Superdrug the whole time for less than £5! Since purchasing this every single day that my make-up has been done this has been an essential part of my routine; not just for blemishes at all as I also find it good for under eye circles with my shade being so light, and really good for any areas that need extra coverage. I normally just swipe a few small streaks across my cheeks and around my nose then gently blend before putting on foundation and I really don't ever want to be without this now! It's a thick and creamy high coverage concealer that lasts and lasts all day - 'Lasting Perfection' is a really appropriate name. I'm curious if the matching foundation is of the same high standard ..anyone know?

 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Good old Rimmel Wake Me Up! I did a post on this a couple of days ago about how I thought I'd found a replacement for this trusty, amazing foundation until I rediscovered my love for it and realised that it can't be beaten - especially not for the price anyway! The post I wrote on this can be found here (link) and I basically just gush about how much I love this. Really affordable, good quality, high coverage, buildable, luminating and long lasting foundation - Nothing to complain about and this has been my foundation of choice every single day.

 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Primer

Again, something that I've recently dedicated a post to is The Body Shop's Tea Tree Pore Minimiser / Primer and you can find the quick review that I wrote here (link). This is highly comparable to the ever so famous Benefit Pore-Fessional but this is a much more purse friendly option at just £7.50 instead of £23! It's basic and simple what this product aims to do and it acts as a base for your foundation (or you can wear it alone) and it smooths out the surface of your skin, reducing the appearance of pores for a more flawless and perfected finish. It also mattifies your skin and the tea tree ingredients help to keep your complexion as fresh and clear as possible. Love The Pore-Fessional? Try this out as a cheaper alternative!

 

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Recently giving into the hype, and becoming tired of applying foundation with my fingers, I decided to invest in a decent set of make-up tools in the form of Real Techniques brushes. They didn't break the bank; I got the Core Collection set which cost £22 and contained four brushes but was the only way that I'd be getting my hands on the much-loved Buffing Brush. I use this every day to apply my liquid foundation and just adore the smooth, flawless, even and streak-free finish that this gives in super quick time and the large head can cover quite a big surface area at a time. Applying foundation has never been so easy. 

 

Models Own Nails: Naked Shimmer & Bluebelle

Lots of love for Models Own at the moment! These two are complete opposite ends of the spectrum with regards to nail varnish colour; one being a subtle and neutral nude, with the other being a bright and bold glitter shade, but both are utterly gorgeous. Just this morning I took off Bluebelle (took forever - bloody glitter polishes!) for a change to the more muted and toned down shade of Naked Shimmer - a creamy pinky grey - and I really love both of them and can see me coming back to them again and again.

 

I'm off to Liverpool this afternoon to see Michael McIntyre's live show at the Echo Arena as I got tickets for that and a hotel too for my boyfriend's birthday present so I'm really, really excited as we've been counting down the days to this since August. Expect a haul post soon after too because I already know that I won't be resisting the shops in Liverpool One!

 

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

♥

I've Fallen Back In Love With.. Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

 

In the summer just gone, Rimmel’s new foundation without a doubt took the beauty world by storm; flying off drugstore shelves and converting long-term lovers of high end foundation to the wonders of high street brands at a fraction of the cost. Retailing at around £8.99 when first released I hopped on the bandwagon and picked myself up a bottle of this in the shade 303 True Nude to match my tanned summer skin. When the summer tan faded away and left me pale as snow this foundation was reluctantly pushed to the back of a drawer, no longer matching my fair skin. Recently, I’ve been reaching for the fake tan to make myself a look a little more human and little less like Casper the friendly ghost so had to dig out a darker foundation in order to match up and welcomed the rekindled love of Rimmel’s Wake Me Up.

 

Don’t you just love it when you rediscover something that you used to love and question yourself about how you ever thought you’d found an appropriate replacement for it? What was I thinking purchasing a £20+ bottle of Clinique foundation in the lightest shade available to take the place of Wake Me Up when I could have just as easily run to Boots and spent less than a tenner on a lighter shade of Wake Me Up for the same high quality. Sucker. I don’t feel like this about all drugstore foundations though, or even the other foundations in Rimmel’s line; Wake Me Up is a bit of an exception.

 

This foundation offers medium coverage easily buildable to full coverage without looking at all cakey and it has that ever so slight hint of shimmer to give that real ‘wake up’ and brightening look to the skin. We all have those days where we get up and our skin just doesn't look it's greatest; a little on the dull side and looking for a well needed boost ..then all you'll need as a solution is a pump or two of this buffed in and all your glowing radiance will be restored! I absolutely love this foundation for daily wear and for the price (currently on offer for £5.99) the quality is exceptional.

 

A definite repurchase and set to be a long term favourite!

What do you think of Rimmel Wake Me Up?

♥

Clinique Bonus Time & Beauty Haul

 

Ummm.. I went shopping. Again. SOMEBODY RESTRAIN ME.

My shopping addict hardly ever involves clothes and never really has; I have too basic of a fashion sense to ever have an obsession with buying new clothes, but what I do get carried away with is buying myself new products and cosmetics ..hence the appropriate blog name of 'Cosmetic Crave'. Unfortunately for my bank balance and my ever failing will power I do need to walk through the town centre of Preston to get to and from university and my house, and last Wednesday afternoon when I had some free time I managed to stray from my usual direct 'head down - don't even look in the windows' route home to a more 'Oooh Debenhams, ooo Lush, ooo Boots, ooo The Body Shop' route home instead!!

 

In my defence, all purchases are justified because I got lot's of things for free. Yep, free things make spending lots perfectly alright. Clinique are currently running their 'Bonus Time' which I only found out about because of my friend - I didn't receive any promotional e-mails, etc about this like I am usually bombarded with, Boots are running a '3 for 2' offer, and I had a voucher on the bottom of receipt for The Body Shop of '£10 off when spending £25' ..all of these offers I had available to me definitely warrented a little shopping spree.

It took me a very long time to get text onto my picture and I ended up distorting the quality too (editing novice!) - What do people normally use to edit text onto an image and keep the quality?

Here is what I picked up from Clinique @ Debenhams with my sights set on a free gift bag. The contents of the gift bag total £90 and it is received on purchase of two items with one being skincare or when spending over £45 on make-up alone. I treated myself to their 'Even Better' foundation not that long ago and loved it to death so repurchased. Even Better is a high coverage foundation for all skin types and costs £23 for 30ml which is reasonable priced for the exceptional quality. To qualify for the free gift I needed for spend another £22 on make-up or get a skin care product and after much consultation with a sales assistant I ended up with a £17 bottle of toner from their anti-blemish solutions range which I am looking forward to trying out. Spending £40 on two items and receiving 7 good quality high end items for free seems reasonable to me, especially as the foundation is something I would have bought regardless if the 'Bonus Time' offer was on or not.

I just know that with a dispenser like this I'll spill this everywhere!

The free gift is made up of: 1) a make-up bag, 2) 50ml Liquid Facial Mild Soap from the three step range, 3) 50ml Take The Day Off make-up remover solution, 4) 7ml All About Eyes eye cream, 5) 3.5ml High Impact mascara, 6) Chubby Stick in 04 Mega Melon, 7) Blush Powder in 07 Sunset Glow. Have you been and taken advantage of this offer yet?

 

Next I went to Boots to take advantage of their '3 for 2' offer on all make-up, beauty and hair products at the moment. I knew that I wanted the Core Collection of the Real Techniques brushes and also wanted the Stippling Brush too but unfortunately it wasn't stocked in my local Boots. The Core Collection cost £21.99 and without the Stippling Brush available I was at a bit of a loss of what else to get! In the end I got another Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick as I think they're amazing and they cost less than a fiver. I got it in a classic bright red shade (164 Tantrum). My third product and the freebie of the bunch was one of Rimmel's newly released products: Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner in 005 Nude (normally £3.99).

 



 

Finnnaaallllyyyyyy.. Sorry this post is so long! I'll keep it brief with what I got from The Body Shop but I love making a healthy saving when shopping - this should have totalled £26 but I paid £9.40 - Kerching! I had a voucher on the bottom of a previous receipt '£10 off when spending £25' so that knocked the total down to £16 straight away, and then I have a 'Love Your Body' Card which gives you 10% off everything you buy, giving me a £1.60 discount ontop of that and the LYB also gives you a gift of £5 off one transaction during your birthday month (it isn't actually this month but the silly lady wrote '10' instead of '11' when I told her November so I had to claim it this month instead), so that took it down to £9.40 - Wow. When all I really wanted was the Mango Body Mist which costs £7.50 alone it was worth spending an extra £1.90 for a bundle of extra stuff.

 

Camomile Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover £3.00 | Cocoa Butter Hand & Body Lotion £3.00 | Mango Body Mist £7.50 | Cucumber Freshening Water (Toner) £2.00 | Mango Lip Butter £4.00 | Papaya Body Butter £13.00 £6.50.

 

 Ten points to the first person who can spot the difference between the two pictures below!

Well done if you spotted it. The difference was one contains a Witch BB Cream and the other doesn't. If it helps I didn't actually buy this I won it in a giveaway and postie dropped it off while I was in the middle of snapping away so I threw that in the picture too.

 

If you see me posting any more beauty buys between now and the end of November no matter what you must never, ever read my blog again in protest of my silly ways because I DO NOT need anything else for a long time. When my boyfriend saw my tweet about how much I'd just spent he actually text me and told me I needed to take it all back or I won't be able to afford food for the rest of the year.. but thankfully for me cosmetics can't be returned in this country due to hygiene rules.. Sooo looks like I'm keeping it all! Tehe.

 

And don't forget that I am currently running a celebratory 200 followers GIVEAWAY that ends at the end of this month.

Enter now if you haven't already!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

♥