Blogmas - Day Eleven: My Foundation Collection

From L to R: Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW foundation, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, MAC Studio Sculpt foundation & Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Tinted Moisturiser.

Hi guys.

Sorry that I haven't been posting over the weekend, work got a bit hectic and I was on so crazy shifts so I wasn't getting in until 11!  

For day eleven's post I am going to talk you through my foundation collection.  It is only small but I want to add to this and have a few foundations I want to try out in the new year.  

Foundation for me is a no brainer!  It has to be high end.  I know that seems a bit petty of me but I have tried drugstore foundations in the past and all of the one's I have tried all break me out the next day and I can never get one that matches perfectly.  High end foundations never break me out and all match my skin beautifully and have a flawless finish.  I don't mind paying the extra money for something that makes me feel comfortable in my skin.

Now my skin is quite dry and so I look for a foundation which has a dewy finish to it, three of which this applies to and one which I will explain below.

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW foundation.

I first tried this out when I purchased the Flawless Complexion Makeup Kit from benefit and there was a small sample size of this foundation inside.  I instantly fell in love with this foundation and went out to purchase the full size as soon as I could.  

I have the shade "Believe in me" Ivory and this matches perfectly.  I feel this has a medium to full coverage depending on how you apply it.  I have no problems with it creasing and it covers any imperfections easily.  It also has SPF 25 built in so I don't have to think about using an SPF under it (not that we need to worry about sun protection at this time of year in the UK!)  I can't detect a scent to it which is great for those who don't like scented products.  

The price of this is £26.50 and you can purchase this from Boots.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation.

I have recently written a post on this foundation which I will link here.  This has been my go to foundation as it is lightweight yet gives me the coverage I want.  

MAC Studio Sculpt foundation.

This was the first high end foundation I ever bought and although this is a good foundation, it isn't the one for me yet.  I find that this foundation is quite matte and sinks into my dry spots and clings to any imperfections.  It is also quite dark for me as well.  I have the shade NC25 and this is a good shade for me when I have a tan other than that, it doesn't work for me.  I am going to try and make it work by sheering it down with a primer or get a product which helps balance out the foundation.  

The price of this is £25.50 and you can purchase this from Debenhams.

Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Tinted Moisturiser.

My final product is a tinted moisturiser which I received in a Birchbox this year.  I used to love tinted moisturiser's growing up but as my skin has gotten older, they don't give me the best coverage I need.  

This has an OK coverage which is good for days I only want a natural look or days when my skin is behaving itself.  I don't normally reach for this but I know that when I need it, it is there for me.

The price of this is £27 and you can purchase this from Birchbox.

So that is my foundation collection.  I am going to try and purchase more drugstore foundations to see how they react to my skin but I need to get my confidence up in order to do this.

What is your favourite foundation?  Any recommendations for drug store foundations?

Bye for now.

Jess. X

Blogmas - Day Two: November Favourites'

Hi guys.

Its been a while since I did a favorites blogpost...in fact I have only ever done one favourites' post before and that was almost 12 months ago!  So as it is Blogmas and November has left us for another year I am going to show you what I have been loving for the month.

November was a big month for me trying what I already had as well as trying a couple of new products which I received from a few Birchboxes.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish: Let me start by saying this product is amazing!  I cannot believe I have never thought of trying this.  I received this sample in a Birchbox earlier in the year and I have used this ever since.  I have two samples and am almost out of my second sample.  Safe to say I will be purchasing the full size soon as my skin has never looked better while using this.  It is a thick cream which when applied to the skin, makes my skin tingle due to the eucalyptus oil which smells like heaven in a bottle.  I just squeeze a bit onto my hands and rub it onto my skin and with the muslin cloth that came with it, I wipe it off with hot water and my skin feels refreshed and clean.  It does remove make up but I tend to use this once I have taken off my make up and any residual make up left comes off with it.  I will have to go to my local Boots soon and pick the full size up.  You can purchase this at Boots.

Bioderma: I have mentioned this in my skincare routine earlier this year (you can find that blogpost here)  and during November I have been using this almost every day and night as I find it cleanses my face beautifully and gets rid of make up and impurities without causing stinging to the eyes and face.  I am about half way through the bottle and will be repurchasing when it is nearly empty.  You can buy the 250ml bottle at Boots but I bought this through Amazon 

Parlor Smoothing Blowout Spray: I don't normally use a lot of products in my hair but as I received this sample in a Birchbox, I decided to try this out and boy am I impressed.  This product smells fantastic and smooths and give my hair a shiney finish. I don't exactly know where to purchase this but I'm sure you can purchase this at Birchbox. 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in 10 Beige: I have recently done a blogpost on this foundation which you can see here.  This foundation gives me a full coverage without it feeling and looking cakey.  The scent is pleasant and doesn't linger once applied.  You can purchase this at Boots or Debenhams.

Chanel LE BLANC DE CHANEL Multi-use Illuminating Base: This base is one of the best I have ever tried.  It is so silky to apply yet is quite a thick feeling (I know that sounds weird but it is the only way  I can describe it)  The scent is so nice, it smells kind of fruity.  It gives the skin a nice glow while priming the face.  You can either use it mixed into your foundation or alone under it.  I have only used it alone but I will have to try it mixed into my foundation,  You can also pick this up from Boots and Debenhams.

Nuxe Reve De Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm:  Again I have reviewed this on my blog which I will link here.  I have started using this more this month as my lips have become so dry and  I know that it helps with dry, cracked lips.  My lips are still dry but not as cracked and sore.  I think this has become my holy grail lip balm!  You can purchase this from Marks and Spencer's or SpaceNK.

Real Techniques Brushes:  I have only shown three of my Real Techniques brushes to show them in my favourites' post but I am loving the range as a whole.  They are soft yet stiff when it comes to applying make up to the face.  You can purchase them from Boots and Superdrug.

Superdrug Eyelash Curler: Lastly is a boring product but a useful one.  I have been trying to use eyelash curlers more often and I didn't want to spend a fortune on them if I didn't use them often enough so I bought these from Superdrug which you can purchase in store or online here.  They help curl my lashes especially my left eyelashes as they seem to be all over the place and mascara can't seem to straighten them up unless I have curled them before hand.

That's it for my favourites' this month.  I will be doing a December favourites' post instead of a yearly one as I cannot remember what I have been loving this year (I really need to write this down or do a regular favourites' post, which I will try to accomplish in 2016).

What have you been loving this month?  Any recommendations?

Bye for now.

Jess. X

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in 10 Beige

 Hi Guys.  I'm slowly getting back into writing blog posts.  They will still be slow at first but once I get back into a routine, you should see more coming out each week.

This post is all about foundation and the foundation I have been loving recently is the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation and the shade I wear is 10 Beige.  

This foundation is described as 'A fluid foundation that awakens tired skin.  its exceptionally fine, fresh and lightweight aqueous formula offers an incomparable "second skin" finish'

My thoughts on this foundation is that it has a sheer to medium coverage which gives me a dewy but not overly shiny finish, which lasts all day with no touch ups.  I don't find this foundation drying at all and that might be because is quite a watery base which helps moisturise the skin.  I find this foundation easy to use and blend out with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.  I used the sponge dry as I find that using this foundation with a damp sponge ruins the finished look of the foundation.  I don't use any powder with this foundation because again, it ruins the finish of the foundation and makes it look cakey.  

This foundation also has an SPF of 15 in it so I don't have to worry about using an SPF underneath  (not that I need to worry about using one any way in the UK because we are going into the winter months now and as I am writing this, it is raining heavily)  And even though this foundation has that added SPF, it doesn't smell, in fact the smell is quite fresh and pleasent.

On the Boots website this retails for £32 pound but when I bought it back in January, it was £33 pound but I am sure it could be found cheaper elsewhere.  This foundation comes in only 7 shades which is quite a small selection.

What is your favourite foundation?  What is your go to way of applying foundation? 

Bye for now.

Jess. X

January Favourites

Why January why?  Why do you have to go so fast?  How is it that February is just around the corner and this is my first ever monthly favourites?  Yes...that's right...I have never done a favourites post.  I decided not to do one in December or do a yearly favourites as I was a new blogger and now my little corner of the world wide web is nearly two months old.  I cannot comprehend the quickness time is flying!  I have seen a few bloggers approaching their blog birthdays and even though mine is 10 months away, it will sneak up on me quicker than I think.  Anyway, I best get on with what I am loving this month.

This month has seen a lot of products come into my life and I have quickly fell in love with them.  I have nine products which are worthy of a mention.  Most you will have seen and probably got and a lot of these products are products I wish I had been introduced to sooner as I cannot ever see then not in my possession!

Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Booster - OH MY GOSH!!!  This is probably THE product I am mostly kicking myself because this should have been in my life sooner.  A quick back story...I have combination/dry skin and my cheeks have been quite dry from the change of whether and travelling and this little beauty, within a night might I add, boosted the moisture in my skin and my skin was touchabley (if that is a word?) softer and since then, the dryness of my cheeks has reduced and I will be sad to see the end of this.  I may have to get a back up!

O.P.I Embrace the Gray from the Fifty Shades Of Grey Collection - I have had this collection for nearly a month now and this colour is the only colour I have reached for in this collection and this surprised me as I thought I would have been drawn to My Silk Tie (See review of collection here) as My Silk Tie was the one I was drawn to online.  It is a medium toned grey crème and has a really good formula.

Urban Decay Naked On The Run Palette - This palette is the perfect palette to travel with.  I has everything and it is the palette I have been reaching for on a daily basis, whether it be for a 'no make-up' make-up day or a full eye look.  I especially like the Perversion Mascara.  A full review of this palette can be found here. 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation - My most worn foundation!  It is a light to medium coverage foundation that leaves you with a semi-dewy finish which has been perfect for my combination skin.  Another product which I am kicking myself for not having in my life before.

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque - This mask is to die for.  I have never felt my hair so soft and shiny until this beauty came into my life.  It smells divine although I cannot quite put my finger on what the scent is.  I use this about 1-2 times a week and my hair just feels better in quality.

Nivea Soothing Cleansing Mouse - I wanted a cleanser that I would enjoy using and this is the product.  It makes cleansing my skin so much easier and smells so fresh!  I have seen an improvement in my skin since using this on a daily basis.

Real Technique Brushes - The brush that is in the picture is a representative of the vast collection of Real Technique brushes and since having them in my collection, it has opened my eyes to the world of brushes and I must say there are a few that are slowly making their way into next months favourites.  If you want a blog post of my entire collection of RT brushes then comment down below and I will make that happen.

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product - Another 'I can't believe this wasn't in my life before!' product.  This also leaves my hair more manageable and softer than just using a normal heat protection spray and although I have been using it every time I wash my hair, there is still loads left so I can see this lasting me a long time.

Ghost by Ghost - Well there isn't much I can say about this fragrance that I haven't already said here.  This has been my signature scent since I purchased it back in December and I can see myself not having this in my collection.

That's my favourites for this month.  I am sorry I haven't been posting a lot this week as Uni has been manic this week but posts should be back to normal now.

What have you been loving this month?  Any recommendations?

Bye for now.

Jess. X 

Boots and Superdug Haul

As if it is 2015 already and my little blog is over one month old and a lot has happened.  As much as I as I would like to say I have been busy on holiday...I can't.  I have been doing University work and I would like to thank you all for being patient while my pile of work got smaller.  There will be a more regular schedule from today as I am sorting out a schedule for myself.  Enough of that, on with the post.

Recently I have done a bit of shopping, both on the internet and in shops...oops!  And as much as I would like to show you what I have bought on the internet, I really want to wait until I have everything I have ordered so for now, here is what I have bought...

(everything you see here I bought with my own money and am not being paid to write this :)  Also, this may be a picture heavy post)

The first place I went to was Superdrug and I spent a fortune in here...to be honest, I could have spent more but I stopped myself.

 I bought a shower jelly from LUSH back in September and it has just been sitting on my desk staring at me to use it.  So after many hours of looking at reviews, I was informed that using a 'poof' or what ever they are called work the best with a shower jelly, so this was on the top of my list

 Next up is lip balms.  For some reason I have been addicted to buying these recently and altogether I have bought a total of 4 lip balms albeit 2 are the same product!  Both lip balms I bought from Superdrug are from Nivea.  First is Nivea' Fruity Shine lip balm in 'Peach'.  I adore all scents to do with peach and I knew when I saw it, I had to have it and this little fellow came home with me.  the next lip balm is Nivea's Lip Butter in 'Blueberry Blush'  I have two others from this range and I love them.  They are so moisturising and smell amazing!  I have enough of them to make a blogpost (ooo ideas!)  Next on the Nivea train is a skincare product.  Now I have to put it out there that my skin has never got on with Nivea before and I have always skipped this brand when choosing skincare but I liked the sound of this product and thought I would give it a go and boy am I happy I had.  This little beauty is Nivea's 'Soothing Cleansing Moose' and while it looks like a toner or water, this actually pumps out a lightweight foam that cleans so well.  I could write more but I am going to wait until I do a blogpost on it which will come very soon!


 Next is a trio of Superdrug's own Vitamin E skincare brand.  I have recently been on the look out for inexpensive but effective skincare to kick start my skincare routine and I picked up these three to start the ball rolling.  First we have Superdrug's 'Leave-on Moisture Mask'  I have only used this once and using it once doesn't leave me much to go on for a review so I will keep using it and get back to you but I am hoping it is going to be a good thing to keep stocked up as it seems to be a good product so far.  Next is Superdrug's 'Moisturising Day Cream with SPF 15'  I got this as a morning moisturising cream and I am not really enjoying it as I find it a thick cream for a morning but I am willing to give it a fair go until I can get a thinner cream.  Lastly is Superdrug's Nourishing Night Cream.  This stuff smells so good and is a thin, almost gel like cream that my skin seems to like.  All will have a full review sometime in the future.

Next is another Superdrug own brand of skincare called 'Naturally Radiant'  I bought a few products from this line with the first being a 2 in 1 Moisturiser and serum.  I haven't tried this yet but I am hoping to use this as my morning moisturiser.

 Another product from the 'Naturally Radiant' Line is their 'Glycolic Overnight Peel'  Again, I have only used this once and so far I am impressed and am wanting to try some more of this sort of product in the future.

 Next is Garnier's Moisture Match.  I saw this and thought that it could brighten up my skin while moisturising it at the same time.  I haven't used it yet as I want to see if the 2 in 1 moisturiser and serum does a good job as a morning moisturiser.

 I bought this as I read somewhere that this is good for exfoliation and boy was they right!  I have never seen or felt my skin being so smooth since using this.  I use it mainly with my cleansing foam and this is so gentle and yet removes the dead skin cells that are on the top layer of my skin.  I can see this being a product I will keep repurchasing as and when it is needed.

 This is yet another Superdrug own brand called 'Clearly Youthful' and from this collection I have two products.  The first is their 'Hydrating Day Serum'  I have only used this a handful of times and yet I am enjoying using this.

Another product from the 'Clearly Youthful' Line is their 'Resurfacing Night Serum'  I am enjoying this product also and it seems that my skin like this as well.

 This product was recommended by Hayley from London Beauty Queen (She can be found here!  Check her out, she is amazing!)  I like her and probably thousands who use hairspray hate the smell of the chemical ridden scent that seems to come with all hairsprays but 'Urban Fudge's Iced raspberry and Vanilla hair spray is just what we needed.  This has very little chemical smell and as for the hold of this product, I am yet to find out as I haven't tried this yet but I have high hopes for this!


Now onto the few boots products I bought while I was in Leeds the other day.

 Whilst browsing through the high end skincare and beauty section, I came across this brand that I hadn't heard anything about, Ioma.  This brand was only exclusive to the UK on-line or in Harrods stores and they have now branched out into the larger boots stores.  The product I bought from them was Ioma's 'Astringent Toning Foam' and the woman at the store said it was a toner and cleanser all in one and it smells like coconuts which I love the smell of!  I have very high hopes of this brand and this product so a review will be coming soon.

 I have heard of this foundation raved about by so many bloggers and youtubers that I had to buy it to see how good it is.  Chanel's 'Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation' is a highly popular and raved about foundation and I am in the lightest shade in shade 10.  I haven't used this yet but I will in the short term and there will definitely be a review coming soon!

Along with the Chanel foundation, I also bought Chanel's 'Le Blanc De Chanel' which is primer.  I have also got high hopes for this product and this smell amazing.  I will pair it up with a few other foundations that I own and see if it holds up to them too. 

Because I had bought a couple of products from Chanel, I got a cute little sample of their 'Hydra Beauty Micro Serum'  Again, I haven't tried this but when I do,  a small review will be on its way!

Phew!  That was a long post.  If you are still with me then thanks for reading.  What skincare and beauty products have you bought recently?

Bye for now.

Jess. X