B. Glowing Shimmer Block in 'Just Peachy' (161) review

Hello lovelies,

As you all know, I have become a bit of a blush addict recently. And after being so busy recently and successfully managing to get a clearing place for a teaching course (major YAY!), I thought I deserved a treat. This should have been put on my 'Blush Crush' list but I spotted this a couple of days after I had published the post. B. Glowing Shimmer Block in 'Just Peachy' is not a blush I had heard very much about. The B. cosmetics range are exclusive to Superdrug to rival high end drug store brands. B. is not a range I had taken very much notice about as it is usually in the bigger stores. But after some browsing, I automatically fell in love with this product. I get the feeling this could also be a particularly popular shade as I managed to grab the last one on the shelf!

I have heard this being compared to the Bobbi Brown shimmer bricks - but this is a fraction of the price. I believe this draws comparisons because it had its colours in 5 different stripes. It states this product can be used for cheeks and eyes and says it can be blended or use the colours separately.

First things first: I LOVE this product. So far, I do not have a bad word to say about this product and I will now mention some things I really like.

This shimmer block is very pigmented. Although I am comparing it to my less-pigmented Bourjois Round Pot Blusher. One swirl around the pot of this gives me enough powder to apply on each cheek. This powder is also really easy to blend. I had little problem with blending this into a natural 'glow'.

The colour is also perfect. B. Glowing Shimmer Blocks come in three different colours: this one, Blush (196) and Bronze (108). I never choose bronzer because of my pale complexion and the colour 'Blush' just was not as beautiful as 'Just Peachy'. This surprised me as I much prefer pink blushers and tend to steer away from peachy/orange shades. But this one just looked great. The shimmer balances this shade out as it is so delicate. This colour is soft and would compliment many skin tones while the shimmer means that one would not need to use highlighter in their daily routine.

Another thing I think is great about this product is the mirror inside. It is large enough so that you can use it for make-up emergencies and right now (while it is brand new), it is clear enough to use in my usual make up routine. It also holds a fair amount of product. You get 8g for your purchase which means (I hope) that I will get many years of use out of this product.

Now, I only find it fair to give this product a downside (like most of my other reviews). The only thing I can pick fault in is the packaging. For the usual price of £8.99, I would expect the packaging to feel sturdier. It feels very plasticy in the hand and when I try and open it I get worried that it will break in my hands!

Overall, I really do love this product. From a relatively unknown brand, the quality of this is fantastic. I purchased this for £5.99 and I am glad I did. If I ever did an international swap with someone, I would want to send them this!

Have you tried B. Shimmer Blocks? Do B. have any other products worth trying?

Make-Up Nostalgia: Bonne Bell Honey Kiss Lip Gloss

Hello lovelies,

I just thought I would share some Make-Up nostalgia with you all as I had been reminiscing today. We all have products we used to be mad on as a teenager. Some we would never dream of using again while some you look back on fondly and wish it was still available. Well, this is a post regarding just that and I'm sure a lot of my readers would not have heard of this product. It is a lip gloss by Bonne Bell called Honey Kiss. 

Wonder how I got my hands on Bonne Bell cosmetics? Well, I have family in Australia and when I was 12 on a visit myself I discovered this product. I was on the turn of being a teenager at that point and bought loads of magazines to entertain myself including Dolly and Girlfriend (equivalent to the UK's Bliss or Sugar magazines). While reading these I saw a high recommendation for these lip glosses - so I had to have one! They were marketed as containing real honey which would moisturise and soothe lips as you wore it. Fabulous! So with my holiday money, I trundled off to Priceline to make my purchase.

This instantly became a favourite of my make-up bag! From what I remember, it was lovely and glossy and tasted sweet. It was delicious with it's honey-scented fragrance. It did keep my lips moisturised too so I often wore this to school in the winter. I used to share this amazing product with my cousin and she still talks about this stuff now.

However, am I really being too nostalgic? Many reviews of this online describe it as sticky and leaving a film. I cannot remember this myself but was I just so in love with this that I have ignored its negatives?

We all have a product we look back to fondly. Unfortunately for me, my fondly remembered lip gloss is now discontinued in Australia so I can't even get family members to send me some over! Do you have a particular product you loved as a teen? 

Here is more about the product here.

Bourjois Round Pot Blusher in Rose D'Or (34) Review

Hello my lovelies!

After my post expressing my lust for certain blusher products yesterday, I thought I would write a review on my favourite blusher of my make-up bag currently.

That is Bourjois Round Pot Blusher in Rose D'Or (which translates into 'Golden Rose') which I picked up for £2 from Boots after hearing that they were on the website for much less than their usual £7.99 price-tag. I was desperate for a new blusher after deciding I was bored of my usual lip stain knowing I wanted a powder blush - so this came in perfect timing! Wondering if this great deal was in-store, I trundled along to Boots and asked if they scanned at £2 - no. So the lady from Boots explained to me she could order some in free of charge, which I jumped at! Unfortunately, I was put on the spot and this particular Boots did not have a huge selection I could look at swatches of. Out of the ones I liked, only one was available. So I ordered 3 of them as it was 3 for 2!

When I received them, I was very excited! It had the limited edition packaging that looked oh so pretty and is much more exciting than their regular pots. I really could not wait to try this baby out!

As you can see, Rose D'or is a deep pink blush with fine gold shimmer particles. I know a lot of people much prefer matte blushers rather than ones with a shimmer but I rather like them.I love something that gives me an effortless glow without having to add highlighter to my routine.

If you are looking for a pigmented blusher, the Bourjois Round Pot Blushers are not for you! They have very little colour pay off and do not create a lot of excess. To me, this is a positive. This blush makes it easy to prevent going overboard with the blusher on your cheeks and you can build this colour up gradually to get the depth of colour you want.

As you can see from my swatch, it is not very pigmented when I swiped my finger over it. If you cannot already tell, I have swatched it with one swipe under the much more obvious swatch (which I had built up). As you can see, the gold is rather flattering even for pale skin tones such as my own. Although I don't seem to notice too much sparkle on my face which leaves me with a subtle and natural look.

Would I recommend this? YES! I love this blush so much I want more for my collection (see my Blush Crushes here). I think I will only repurchase though when they are on offer because I do not think they are worth £7.99.

Currently, a lot of colours are being offered on Amazon for £5.33 or some colours are being offered on ASOS for £.5.50 and they ship internationally! And for all you Bourjois fans out there, they have 30% off a lot of the other products and 10% off if you enter the code 742F59ECD87E by 15th August.

Do you love the Bourjois blushers? What are your favourite colours?

Cosmetics Crushes: Blush

Since starting my blog, all I have seemed to do is post reviews on things that I own and what I think of them. So this is why I want to start a post that is a little different called 'Cosmetics Crush' which are items I really want that are either really hard to get hold of in the UK or that I can't afford to buy just yet because I need to save the pennies for my course this September. I hope each time I make a post on my 'Cosmetics Crushes', their will be a theme. This post is dedicated to blushes because for some odd reason, I just want a bag filled with different blushes!

I think it all started when I knew I was in desperate need of a new blush. I had been using my Benefit's Benetint for years and I felt I wanted a change. I was just a bit bored of liquid blushers. Then Emily from Freckles & Flaws Beauty Blog shared with her followers about the £2.00 deal of Bourjois Round Pot Blushers at Boots, I was hooked after purchasing some! Now my love of nail polishes have taken somewhat of a back seat as I am now eyeing up different blushers at every opportunity.  Yes, I still love my polishes and would not be without them but I am so crushing on blush!

Here are a few that I am seeking desperately:

1. Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher - I spotted this blush on my travels looking at other people blogs and my firsts thoughts were how fricking cute these blushers are! Their dome shaped lid, the adorable fluffy application puff... there is nothing I dislike about the looks of this blush! Etude is a company from South Korea which explains their oh-so-cute packaging of their cosmetics but they also have a huge range of colours! My desired favourites would be #2 Strawberry Choux and #7 Rose Sugar Macaroons. You can pick these up from eBay (with free shipping!) here.

2. Accessorize Baked Blusher - I have been hankering after this for a long while. Yes, they are relatively cheap (£4.95) but as I have a nice blusher, I cannot afford to splurge on frivolous things just yet. I fell in love with these blushers after buying an eye shadow in the Accessorize 50% off sale and finding its quality and pigmentation amazing. Every time I go into Superdrug I find myself gravitating towards The Accessorize blushers testers and always deciding that I love the shade 'Scandal'. This has been on my wishlist for weeks.

3. Bourjois Round Pot Blush in Rose Frisson - After receiving my £2 Bourjois blushers from Boots a month ago, it has made me just want more! I would have the whole collection if I could but their are certain shades that I love over others. Rose Frisson is my 'most wanted' of the bunch followed by Rose Pompom, Rose de Jasp and Cendre Rose de Brune. What makes me love this blusher so much? The smell! I would sit there and sniff it all day if I could. It makes me look forward to putting blusher on in my make-up routine.

4. Milani Baked Blush - I have not heard so much raving about a blusher before as I have this one. Milani is a brand you can source to the US and the reason people love this blush so much is its longevity and pigmentation. I have seen loads of swatches and love the shades Corallina and Dolce Pink. This blush makes me want to be a cosmetics tourist, haha!

So those are my current cosmetics crushes for blushes! Do you have any Cosmetic Crushes? Are there any blushes you recommend?

Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate

Hello lovelies,

I've decided to do my first skincare post after being thoroughly impressed by a product I have been using recently. Yes, this is Lancome and they are notoriously pricey but this one of the products I have tried that has actually made a noticeable difference to my skin.

This is called Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate which is a serum promising plumper, less wrinkled skin for those trying to wind back the clock. Ok, I know I am only 22 and do not yet need anything promising to get rid of my wrinkles as mine are few and far between right now (phew!), but my Mum persuaded me to try this as she always says to me 'You're never too young to stop wrinkles.'

We received these samples when trying to find perfume samples for some party bags a few months ago. We went into our local independent department store, Hills, to see if we could bag any perfume samples. The perfume lady was rather reluctant to gave any fragrance samples away but the lovely lady at the Lancome counter offered us a whole pack of sample sized Genifique to put into the party bags - how nice! High end skincare is not something I would normally try as I wouldn't want to get hooked on it. But as I had never tried serums before I wanted to see what the fuss was about.

As I hadn't tried serums before, I have to admit, I read the instructions in the packet before I used it. I was absolutely clueless: do I use it instead of a moisturiser? Do I put it on day or night or both? Well, the instructions were really simple: apply to skin before your usual skincare routine day and night. I bent the rules a bit. Instead I applied after I had taken my make-up off with an exfoliating wipe and before I put on my night cream. I also decided I would not put it on in the mornings as I wanted this stuff to last me.

The serum is interesting. I expected it to be only slightly thinner than regular moisturiser and be clear. This was not. It was very runny to the point where I spilt a load on bed as I squeezed the tube - I didn't make that mistake again. To get the right amount out of this sample tube, I spread the nozzle over my face while gently squeezing and rubbing into my skin as I went along. The great thing about this serum is that it sunk into my skin really quickly (around a couple minutes) and it was OK to put my night moisturiser on top. I find this a good thing as it means that I am not adding many more minutes to my skincare routine (which, if I'm honest, I find a bit of a chore!).

The results were noticed in the morning. My skin really did feel noticeably smoother and softer than just using moisturiser. I suffer with dry skin so it was a dream to wake up with my skin not feeling so tight. As I am still quite young, I cannot comment on whether this helps banish wrinkles. I can only say my skin does feel plumper though.

Would I purchase this? Not for the price. As much as I love this stuff, I cannot justify the cost of a small bottle (about £50!). I would much rather try out some other, cheaper serums on the market and see if they have similar effects.

Do you like serums? Would you splash out on this product?

OPI Elephantastic Pink

Hello lovelies,

Last week was quite a warm week and I wanted a nail polish to reflect my then summery mood. For summer I strongly associate coral colours to the beach and hot days so I rummaged through my collection to pick on of my much beloved OPI's of my collection.

My pick was Elephantastic Pink which is a pink-coral rather than an orangey-coral. As I had been in a pink mood recently, I chose to wear this over a more true coral like 'I Mainly Eat Lobster'. This I had picked up from Fragrance Direct for £3.99 which (as I have mentioned before) is a bargain for OPI and their quality. I expected nothing less than long lasting nail colour when I applied this.

First things first, the thing I love most about this particular polish is its high-shine finish. I have seen many people rave about Barry M's high shine 'gelly' polishes and this is equal in shine. I was so impressed with its shiny finish I could not stop looking at it! It is certainly one of the more gel-like polishes OPI have released.

The one side I have found with this polish is it did not wear as well as other OPI polishes I have used before. As you can see in the picture (after two days wear), you can see some tip wear and even some small chips in the polish. I was a little annoyed by this but I am not sure how much of this is own to me not buffing my nails before hand (silly me!).

Overall, I am split with my opinion of this polish. I LOVE the colour and I think the gel finish is absolutely fantastic. It looks very gorgeous on and I think it would be ideal for hot holidays and times at the beach. However, the lasting power is disappointing as it chips quicker than most of my other OPI polishes. This would probably be a bottle for short wear only.

Do you own this colour? What do you think to this shade?

This month, I have been mostly using... July 2013

Hello lovelies!

This is my first post of this kind and I hope this may have been of some interest :) I see a lot of other bloggers do this kind of post and, to be honest, I want to be in on the action :P This isn't necessarily a 'favourites' post, but a post about stuff I have used a lot too. Some I may have already reviewed, some I have not (yet!). But here is what I have been mostly using this month...

Prada Candy L'Eau - Seriously, I cannot stop raving about this fragrance and it is possibly my favourite fragrance I own (shock!). After getting a sample of this June, I could not stop myself purchasing this in July with my O2 Priority Moments. It is light and sweet and last a long while on the skin despite being an Eau de Toilette. I want to wear this all the time but I am afraid it will run out. For a full review, I have rated the sample here and my purchase here.

The Body Shop Moroccan Rose Body Butter - I purchased this in the huge sale The Body Shop held in June and could not resist purchasing some of their body butters. I had only tried the fruity ones before this and was a little disappointed i it when I realised it did not had a dense consistency like the fruity ones. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how soft it made my skin and did not leave my skin super greasy like other body lotions. I would get this again in another sale for £3!

Avon Magix Face Perfector - I have owned this for a while after my Mum told me it was a good substitute for a foundation. She was wrong and as a result relegated it to my make-up bag that contains the products I use lass often... until a few months ago. I realised this was actually a face primer and I had heard amazing things about them. And yes, this does the job of a primer and I even use it to prime my lids for eyeshadow. This is fantastic and with the hot July weather, the SPF 20 it contains comes in handy too.

Vaseline Intensive Care Hand and Nail Cream  - Since I love painting my nails so often, I know the importance of using hand cream to keep my hands soft and I am trying to keep my cuticles in good condition as they start to annoy me otherwise. I picked this up from Poundworld thinking 'this will do' as I know Vaseline is a known brand. I was a little disappointed in this stuff though as it didn't feel that nourishing and the smell was not that great. I was even more shocked at seeing this retail in Superdrug for £2.99. I'm not impressed by that retail price...

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in 'Shine City' - This is from my Fragrance Direct haul in June where I purchased so many nail polishes for some gift bags. Ironically, I managed to actually get this free as I had spent over £20 even though I was fully expecting to pay for it. This has a great vanilla scent and was just the clear sparkly gloss I wanted for summer. Gorgeous :)

Lancome Color Focus Palette in 311 Parure d'Etoiles - My favourite eyeshadow of the month as I have been mostly wearing shades from this palette (mainly the top two, white and silver). Lancome is a great brand and this has great lasting power and pigmentation. Although, I do already know my eyeshadow pick for August over this one :P
See my full review here.

What products have you been mostly using for July?

Hugo Boss Jour Pour Femme Review

Hello lovelies,

I hope you are all having a lovely summer. Unfortunately where I am, it is slightly on the cooler side but I am hoping for some sun soon :)

But I thought today was a day to try out one of the samples I had picked up most recently. Hugo Boss Jour Pour Femme is the new fragrance for women by Hugo Boss. I have seen the adverts everywhere: on catch-up TV adverts and in the magazines. The scent is advertised by Gwyneth Paltrow (who is stunning) and it the campaign seems simple and fresh. So when I picked up this sample, I was excited to try it out. To be honest, I had not heard much about what the actual fragrance actually smelled like but expected it not to be a complicated scent because if it's simple packaging.

Inside the card, it describes this scent as 'A fragrance like the first light of day - full of beautiful possibilities.' I quite liked this description as it was quite philosophical and hoped this fragrance would live up to expectation.

From the notes listed, I was happy to put on this perfume. A lot of fragrances add a lot of different scents which can sometimes make them so complicated they can give me a headache. I was a bit skeptical of the woody notes from the white birch as wood based fragrances are not my favourite.

When I put this on, I was surprised how the notes came out. Initially I got the scent of lime quickly followed by the white birch. I was a little disappointed that the floral notes had not become as prominent as I had hoped. Then BAM! The honeysuckle and freesia developed and seem to form the base notes on me - strange!

Do I like this scent? Yes, very much so. I find this is a versatile scent for all ages. As this is light and uncomplicated, this ideally suits daytime wear although (like any daytime fragrances) can be worn in the evening too. The only downside is the bottle. I am a sucker for an interesting bottle but like most of Hugo Boss' fragrances, this comes in a very plain bottle. Yes it is inoffensive, but I like something that looks good on the dressing table.

Would I purchase this? Probably not. Not because I do not like it, but because this has not got a 'WOW' factor that I am seeking. If I am shelling out money for a fragrance, I want it to be something I feel I cannot live without. Although if this was given to me as a gift, I would be very happy to wear it from time-to-time and it would not be relegated to a back of a cupboard.

Have you smelled Jour Pour Femme? Do you like it?

OPI Super Bass Shatter (Nicki Minaj Collection)

Hello lovelies,

I have to apologise for my absence from blogging the past few days but things have not been swell at home and I have not had to time to read everyone else's lovely blog posts and not had the time to write my own, until now! :)

Two weeks ago, I was in a small town called Wisbech where my Grandma lives. During my visits there, I love visiting Poundland to raid their cosmetics section as they have loads of known brands. So when I went in there I was shocked to see they were stocking OPI Shatter nail polish! Usually retailing at £11.50, I was able to pick up a nice big bottle of shatter for only £1 - bargain! Out of all the colours they had available, I chose a lovely purple because I knew it would go well with pinks (and I have a lot of them!).

When I got home, I was surprised to see it was from the Nicki Minaj collection and named 'Super Base Shatter'. I love the song, but I have never been overly keen on Minaj's style. However, seeing the other polishes in the collection, I can understand why this polish would make a great topper for the bright colours she released.

This polish is a deep purple colour with a slight shimmer. As with most shatter polishes, these can be worn alone as a normal polish or apply it to completely dry nail polish to see it shatter. This is the second shatter polish I own as I have previously purchased Rimmel's 'Crack your Colour' in Silver Clash. I had higher hopes for OPI's shatter as it is a higher end brand than Rimmel and I was a little disappointed in 'Crack your Colour's' translucent formula.

OPI Super Bass Shatter over Rimmel's Lycra 

Pro Nail Polish in 'Sorbet So Good'

Top: Flash, Bottom: No Flash

I have to apologise for my dodgy application to my little finger, but proves a point for anyone that may want to use shatter polishes. It is very important not to go over polish twice once you have painted an area. If you do, the shatter pattern is not very effective while drying.

I was rather impressed by this polish. It is opaque and if applied correctly, the shatter effect looks really good. When I first painted it on, it crossed my mind that it was going to look terrible. It started to look as if I had coated my nails in a thin layer of poster paint! However, when left the cracks started to appear and looked surprisingly good. I was very happy with it :)

The formula is quite thin to start with but after a few applications it became a bit gloopier at the top. This isn't a problem now as it's a new bottle but I'm worried after a few months it may become unusable. This also dries to a 'matte' finish. I am not too keen on this so in my photos above, I have applied a top coat.

This may seem random but I really like the texture this gives to my nails. It feels almost reptile and could not stop stroking them!

I also found the polish very good at maintaining my manicure. Rimmel's 'Sorbet So Good' is not very long lasting (despite the claims) but this as a topper made the whole look last a week. In fact, the pictures above show my nails after one week of wear.

Would I repurchase this? Yes, only if it was £1 though. For a shatter polish (which are currently making it's way out of fashion) £11.50 is too much. I have even seen this polish on 'Cheap Smells' for £9.95 which is a rip off! This is fully worth purchasing from Poundland if you can find it. It can prolong a manicure and actually doesn't look too bad.

Do you like OPI Shatter polishes? Would you purchase this for £1?