Maybelline Baby Skin Review ♥

First there was baby lips and now we welcome baby skin! Baby lips took the blogging world by storm, so of course I had to try this! I was so excited when my superdrug order arrived as this bargain product (£7.99) has been compared several times to Benefits POREfessional but without the price tag. I was actually thinking of buying the POREfessional and then Maybelline brought out Baby Skin. So what exactly is Baby Skin? Baby skin is a lightweight primer which states to give you "smooth, poreless looking skin". I myself suffer with large, visible pores so I was hoping that it would make a difference.

The first thing I noticed when I unwrapped my order, was the adorable packaging! I love the colours and the size (22ml) is perfect for my makeup bag! Maybelline have stuck with the baby lips logo, just changing lips to skin! It comes in a convenient squeezy tube that has a nice sized nozzle so you don't waste the product.

"Translucent gel primer blurs the appearance of enlarged pores, lines and other imperfections to create a matte and flawless canvas for makeup to glide. Mattifying formula keeps skin feeling and looking fresh with a baby soft feel, improving the staying power of your foundation while creating the look of a more refined and smoother skin texture".

I squeeze out a tiny bit of the formula onto my finger tip and apply to my face. After that I wait a couple of minutes to set and carry on with my normal foundation routine. The product is a clear gel based formula that glides onto my skin with ease, however I have found that it can be slightly "Slippery." I must say that when I first used it I was not majorly impressed, I didn't notice an amazing difference in my pore size. However on the second use, I noticed that compared to without it on, my pores actually looked visibly smaller! 

Even though it does technically do what it says on the tube, I won't be rushing out to buy another one. The formula did nothing to improve the longevity of my makeup and neither did it give me a matte finish. However I would say that if you have dry to normal skin you should definitely try it out! Overall I think that if you are looking for a pore minimizing primer, go check this out!

Have you tried Baby Skin?

High street makeup haul ♥

Sorry I haven't posted in a while I have had a lot of school work to catch up on, but it's all finished now, so I can get back into my regular blogging routine! Today I thought I would share with you a few bits I have bought from boots and Superdrug. Most of these products were bought online from Superdrug, but my lovely mum came home with a mascara for me: as she got it free in a 3 for 2 offer at boots. So enough with me rambling on let's get onto what I bought!

The first thing I got were two Maybelline Colour Tattoo cream eyeshadows, I have been wanting to try these for ages but just haven't got round to it. I got them in the shades On and On bronze and Pink gold, they are gorgeous colours and have great colour pay off. Since I got these in the mail, I have been using On And On Bronze everyday as although it looks quite dark in picture, It's actually a great day to day colour.

The next thing I got was the MUA Undress your skin shimmer highlighter. I have seen several good review on this product and since i am just getting into highlighting my cheekbones, I thought I would give it a go. It's has pretty pink shimmer and gives you a nice natural glow. Due to me having oily skin I tend to wear a lot of mattifying foundations and wouldn't dare reach for a dewy one, so using this helps makes my cheeks look less matte and more natural. I love this highlighter!

This was the most expensive item in my haul, the Real Techniques Duo-fiber collection. Real Techniques is just about my favorite brand for brushes, so i thought..why not? It's a limited edition brush set that contains a face brush, contour brush and eye brush. The brushes are suppose to have "Ultra plush taklon bristles which help you look pixel perfect even in harsh light" I have not used them yet as I promised my self that I wouldn't open the packet until I had photographed them, so for the last week they have been hidden in a draw, out of reach. But when I finally opened up the box, I was not disappointed...they felt super soft and I can't wait to give them a go

 I was super excited to buy the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser, as it is a brand new product to the UK...so obviously I had to get it! It states to "visibly reduce the look of pores" and since I do suffer with quite large pores, I thought it would be perfect for me. I have read lots of reviews saying that is is "Greasy", but in my experience, I really don't think it is! I have been using this all week and will hopefully post a review next week...so I won't give too much away.

The next product I got was a sleek blush in the shade rose gold. I seem to have growing obsession for cheek products at the moment and have been eyeing up the sleek blushes recently. However the only shade that I deemed wearable on an everyday basis was this one. In the past I have been close to buying pixi pink but I think that most of the colours in the range are a bit too bright for school. So I stuck to what I was comfortable with and got a lovely rose blush with a gold undertone.

The final thing I got wasn't that exciting as I have used this before but I got the Rimmel Max Bold Curves mascara. I have been using this mascara non stop recently, so without me even asking, my mum came home with a back up! This mascara gives me thick and long lashes in just a few flicks, I would definitely recommend it!

My beauty wishlist ♥

At the moment there are a lot of beauty products that I have been wanting, which are very tempting to buy. I thought I would show you my current wishlist as I love reading these types of posts...here we go:

1. e.l.f studio mist and set - I am in utter need of a good setting spray to prolong my foundation due to my oily skin, I have been looking for an afforable one to try out first as I have never tried one before. This product has been compared to the Urban Decay all nighter spray, which has been top of my list for a while now, so I thought i'd better try out the cheaper one first to see if it's any good.

2. Maybelline Baby skin instant pore eraser primer - This was only just released in the UK a few weeks ago and so many bloggers have been talking about it. It is suppose to "provide a matte finish and leaves the skin fresh, soft and protected. The gel texture in Baby Skin instantly helps to vanish pores and makes the skin feel light." It's just one of those products that I need to try! 

3. Mac eyeshadow - All that glitters - I am thinking of starting off a mac eyeshadow palette as currently I only own one mac eyeshadow. I am a complete neutrals girl and rarely wear colour, I thought this shade would be perfect for everyday wear as it is not too dark.

4. Mac eyeshadow - Naked Lunch - I am in love with this shade! It is so pretty and very wearable, I thought it would be a good colour for all over the lid.

5. Mac eyeshadow - Woodwinked - I thought this was such a nice warm metallic gold colour to add to my collection as I don't own any eyeshadow's that are similar.

6. Real Techniques limited edition duo fibre brush set - Since I discovered Real Techniques I haven't even bothered look at any other brand. Their brushes are so soft and such good quality, this limited editon set looked so pretty and the fact that they were limited edition made me want them even more. In the set you get:

duo-fiber face brush: for lightweight application

duo-fiber contour brush: for controlled contouring  

sculptingduo-fiber eye brush: for finishing touches to the eye

7. Revlon Colourburst Lip butter - Juicy Papaya - I have been wanting to try revlon lip butters for a while now but just haven't got round to it, mainly due to the fact that both superdrug and boots are always sold out of this shade. It's just a gorgeous coral colour, which I absolutely love!

8. Stila - colour me glossy lip glaze set - I have heard such good things about these lip glosses, they are suppose to be completely non- sticky and they come in really nice packaging, where you twist the product out. You get 9 different colours in this set and all 9 of them are stunning.

9.  Urban Decay primer potion - I am genuinly in need of a good eyeshadow primer as it tends to crease throughout the day, currently I am using the smashbox photofinish lid primer but I want to try something new and this product has been talked about a lot.

10. Maybelline dream touch blush - Peach - There is actually no reason as to why I want this product but the fact that the colour is beautiful! It's a really pretty light pinky peach that I think would look great for an everyday look.

11. Nars blush - Orgasm - This has been on my wishlist literally forever, the colour is just so nice and I have heard such good things about it.

12.  Benefit Rockateur - Just like the Nars blush, I just love the colour! I think it would look really nice on as it has a light shimmer with lots of shades swirled together.

13. Barry M lip gloss wand - Toffee I have never gone to Barry M for lip gloss before, but I saw Gabriella from Velvetgh0st mention it in one of her video's, so I thought I would give it a go. It's a nice neutral..well toffee colour.

14. Rimmel London space dust nail polish - I saw these on the Rimmel website and have read a few reviews on them. They are a high-glitter textured nail polish in "sci-fi shades", I have seen photos and I think they look really nice on as I am a big fan of glitter nail polish. I might end up buying the whole collection of 5 shades... 

My favorite spot treatments ♥

Today, I have decided to share with you my top 3 spot/blemish treatments. I have suffered with mild acne for a couple of years now and only now have I started to properly look into the ingredients of products. My skin is getting clearer but every now and again, I will wake up with really bad skin, which affects my confidence. When I am having a good skin day, I am having a good day, it's surprising how the way you look can affect you so much. So here are my favorite treatments, which I use frequently, for different reasons:

First up is the Clinique clear blemish gel, which is the most expensive item on my list. This is my go to product for those sore under the skin spots that just won't go away. It reduces redness quickly, so is perfect for applying in the morning and leaving it on for 20 minutes. When you apply it you can definitely feel it working, you get that 'tingling' sensation. It's just a good emergency spot treatment for when you really want to banish that blemish. The only down side to this product is the price (£14) and the fact that it can be quite drying sometimes and although it says you can wear i under foundation, I don't think you should as it can look patchy.

The next item may seem a bit silly, because on the front it says its for nappy rash but on the full sized version, it says it can be used for acne. I only just discovered this a few months ago, before hand I thought it was just for babies, but now it makes sense. Sudocrem is an anti-bacterial healing cream, which is perfect for reducing redness, just like with eczema and nappy rash. It also treats your acne as it is anti-bacterial. I tend to apply this overnight on areas where i have blemishes and when I wake up in the morning I can tell that the redness has gone down. Overall I absolutely love Sudocrem and its a massive bargain as it only costs £2.55 for 125g, which will last you literally forever!

My final product is the Witch naturally clear blemish stick. On the website it states "The ultimate in blemish control, award winning Witch Blemish Stick helps break down excess oils and fights the bacteria that cause spots, making it the perfect targeted treatment for when a blemish makes an appearance." I love this product as the formula glides on your skin nicely within the handy packaging, it doesn't at all feel drying. I find this is the perfect treatment to apply in the mornings as you can let it sink into your skin and whilst wearing it under makeup it is undetectable. It treats my blemishes quickly if I apply it twice a day. I have nothing bad to say except the fact that it does get used up quickly, I would say it would last 2 and a half months max, but for £2.89 it's not that much of a big deal.


I think I am going to start posting regularly on Mondays and Thursdays, It's part of my new years resolution to stay organised. However If i have lots of revising or homework etc to do then It may be posted on another day x

My everyday makeup / How much is my face worth? ♥

I thought it would be fun to really find out how much my every day face of makeup is worth and what makeup I like to wear to school. I know I will probably be surprised by the price. You don't actually realize how much it costs as most of us don't go out and buy a full face of makeup in one go!

 Face:

• Smashbox photo finish primer mini (it came in a set with 5 items that cost £19) roughly £3.80
• Maybelline Dream Matte mousse - £7.69
• MAC studio careblend pressed powder - £20
• Sleek makeup contouring and blush palette - £9.99
• Collection lasting perfection concealer - £4.19

Eyes:

• Smashbox Photofinish lid primer (In the set) roughly £3.80
• MUA trio eyeshadow - Innocence - £2.50
• e.l.f liquid eyeliner - £1.50
• Rimmel london - The max bold curves mascara - £6.69
• e.lf. eyebrow kit in light - £3.75

Lips:

• Rimmel London - Apocalips in 600 nude eclipse - £6.49

This is the moment of truth....The total is.....£70.40.

......I am actually pretty happy with that price, although it is a lot of money, but for what I got I think it is quite reasonable! It would have been more if I decided to use more pricey products but today almost all of my makeup is drugstore.

Sorry about the short post, I have quite a lot of homework and revision at the moment, so I didn't really have much time. I am thinking about assigning 2 days a week, which will be the days where I post..Any ideas?

The best and worst of drugstore foundations for oily skin

Since I have oily skin, it seems almost impossible to find an affordable foundation that will keep my skin matte all day. I have tried several foundations that state they are for oily skin and only one of them will keep me oil free for longer than an hour. Read on for my experience on 5 budget foundations for oily skin.

BEST: I absolutely love this! Yes I know It is a BB cream so isn't officially a foundation, but I just had to include it. I have been using this for about year now, on the days where my skin is looking clearer and I can't be bothered to blend  foundation. It glides on the skin perfectly without the need of a brush or any blending. I apply it just as I would a moisturiser. Surprisingly It actually gives decent coverage and will hide my minor blemishes without the need of a concealer. It won't I give you a matte finish but will control the oil, so you aren't left with shiny skin. I can't point my finger at a single fault with this BB cream, the only thing I will say is that if you are super pale it may be a bit too dark, but besides that it is AMAZING.

 WORST: I really am not a fan of this foundation by MUA, but I  only picked it up for £2 on the off chance that it might have been a bargain. It feels very sticky whilst I am applying it and because of that it doesn't blend and my face is left blotchy. Whats worse is that the sticky sensation doesn't disappear! On the other hand the coverage is okay, but I wouldn't recommend this unless you want to spend ages blending it out.

GOOD: I have heard quite a lot of people giving this really good reviews and I agree. It gives a medium coverage and blends well, although it does dry quite fast. If I had normal skin I would absolutely love this as it is a very good good foundation at a good price. The only let down is that it doesn't seem to keep me matte, it gives a semi- matte finish and seems to stick to any dry areas on my skin. But overall this foundation is reasonably good and If you were looking for a matte foundation under £6 I would recommend it.

BEST: The first thing I have to say is: the reviews were right, Revlon Colourstay is amazing. Out of all the drugstore foundations I have tried I would say this one is the best based on coverage and keeping me matte. The coverage is very build-able, if I apply one layer it gives a medium coverage then if you apply another it gives a full coverage almost to the point where I don't need any concealer to cover my acne. I also love the staying power because it does seem to  last for a long period of time compared to other drugstore foundations I have tried.
It has a thick consistency which makes it easy to dot around my face, which is hard with runny foundations. The only things I don't like about this is that it comes in a glass bottle with not pump with means it's hard to get the right amount out and seems a waste. Also the packaging is very bulky and doesn't fit in my makeup bag easily when I'm travelling

GOOD: The best thing about this foundation is the consistency and how it applies. I had never tried a mousse foundation before this and I love them! Its easily applies without a brush and gives a  medium coverage. I would say that it gives a semi-matte finish and it feels light on the skin and not too heavy. At first it gives a really nice matte finish however it will only last a couple of hours even with a setting powder. This is a good foundation for people who want flawless looking skin.

December favorites x

In December there was so many things I loved, most of which were a gift from family and friends. So I concentrated my favorites to my top 10. Quite a lot of these products were featured in my What I got for Christmas post. So here they are!

I seem to be using this lip scrub every few hours for no apparent reason, I think it's probably the taste...I love this scrub it leaves my lips feeling soft afterwards and it tastes absolutely delicious! I recently bought this as the old Christmas stock was 50% off.

My favorite perfume of the month is definitely by far Honey by Mark Jacobs. I have never smelt anything like it, it has a very unique scent with hints of honey and the packaging is adorable! I have been wearing this non-stop since Christmas day

The candle I have been loving is Christmas cookie by Yankee Candle. I have this is in the large size so hopefully it will have a long burn time. It smells of vanilla and cookies and has a sweet scent, I can't remember the last time it wasn't lit.

The next couple of things I have been loving are beauty products:

The Garnier Pure long lasting shine control moisturiser has edged its way into my skincare routine and I am loving it! It is perfect for combination/oily skin and mattifies the skin eliminating any trace of excess oil, yet it still hydrates my skin and doesn't leave me feeling dry.

The Rimmel London Apocalips have been raved about on several blogs recently and I don't know how or why I haven't owned one before. They have great pigmentation and a super glossy shine, I have also found that the colour seems to last quite a long time. I have mine in the shade Nude eclipse and this is definitely one of my favorite lip glosses I have ever owned! (Which is quite a statement)

The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is the first ever makeup sponge I have owned before, I have used brushes in the past but I don't think I will be going back! This sponge allows a little bit of product to cover my whole face and my foundation seems to be looking less cakey and my skin is looking more even. It's also much quicker than using a brush!

The Collection lasting perfection concealer is probably the most raved about concealer ever. I have been wanting to try this out for a while but just hadn't got round to it, I was not disappointed. I always have several blemishes on my face and need a good high coverage concealer to hide them. Recently I have been using the Mac Pro long wear concealer and then I found this. I would say that the Collection concealer is almost better than the Mac concealer. It provides high coverage, blends well and matches my skin tone, I love this concealer!

The Smashbox photo finish lid primer is not something I would have bought if It had not come in a sample size set. This product has changed everything, I can now wear cheaper eye shadows and not have to worry about them coming off and smudging. This is definitely one of those products that I will buy time and time again. It intensifies the shadow and makes it last all day with not a single sign of creasing.

The last beauty product I will talk about is Revlon Colourstay for combination/oily skin. This is just one of those good quality affordable foundations. It has good coverage, blends well and compared to other foundations keeps my skin matte for the longest.

This is a bit of a weird favorite - Topshop socks. For the last few months I have been loving these socks and recently I have been literally buying these socks every time I go shopping, I must own 12+ pairs. They are just so adorable and look so cute when your wearing boots as the frills show out of the top. (shhh....I'm wearing some right now)