Winter Lips

Hi and welcome back to yet another post! :)

This week I thought I would do a nice little seasonal post and as the nights have gotten darker so has my lip colour. I thought it would be nice to show you my 'darker' side to lipsticks and possibly give you a reason to go shopping (sorry wallet!!).

My lip colours of choice this Autumn/Winter have been...

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Nude-ist - This stuff is amazing! One application lasts hours and a little goes a long way too. As it's a long lasting wear product it does tend to dry out your lips a little but for hours of colour I don't mind. I have several of these but this is the most perfect shade for winter!

Avon Lipstick in Ravishing Rose - I originally bought this for my wedding a few years ago but it was much darker than I imagined. The colour is a beautiful deep pink/red that lasts for hours. My only issue with this product is that it does dry out the lips a little and can become patchy after a few hours of wear but for the price tag it's definitely worth it!

Mac Lipstick in Syrup (Lustre) - I love this shade from Mac, it's a slightly more pink choice in Winter but as it's a Lustre finish it stays put really well and gives me a pop of 'girliness' in the cooler months.

Gosh Lipstick in Plum (Matt) - This is quite a darker shade for me and a very daring colour to wear. This has been marked as a dupe for Mac's Rebel so if you're thinking of trying that but not the price tag this is a good one to go for. I love the shade of this and as it's matt finish it lasts really well on the lips. I have worn this a few times and honestly felt more confident than I ever have! This lipstick either has wonder powers or is really that gorgeous - either way a win for me!!

Rimmel Kate Lipstick in 01 - This is from Kate Moss' new lipstick range by Rimmel. I picked this shade as it looked like the most gorgeous pink/nude. I love having dark eye make up this time of year so a nude with that just looks perfect! This was a little paler than I expected but equally gorgeous too!

Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in Cherie Bow - This one I use with special occasions in the Winter as it gives a gorgeous glossy lip colour that is classic and timeless. It makes me feel ready for a party and stays put for a while too! This one I will always have in my collection - it's just a holy grail lip colour for me.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Walkyrie - This was in my Cohorted September beauty box but oh my was it a treat! This gorgeous browny/red shade is perfect for Autumn and I have been using this 70% of the time this year! I love the fact that it lasts hours, is so easy to apply and doesn't dry out the lips too!

Mac Lipstick in Modesty (Cremesheen) - This is a solid favourite by all and yes yet again it's stays in my favourites too. This is a brown/nude shade and is gorgeous on every skin tone. I love this as an everyday colour all year round.

I'm sure as the months go on these will change a little and perhaps some darker shades my creep in but for now - these are my absolute favourites!

What lip colours have you been using this month? Any you would recommend? :)

Thanks for reading!
Jess x

Cohorted Beauty Box - September 2015

Hi all!

This week I'm very excited to bring you my first ever beauty box, Cohorted September 2015! I was drawn to this box after reading amazing reviews and lusting over previous boxes on Jaina's WhichBeautyBox's blog (great blog by the way, make sure you follow her if you don't already!).

So this month's box... Well you're introduced to it's contents by a handy card which details what each product is and also it's value. This month's box is worth an impressive £71.50, the box only costs £19.99!

I must say I love the design of the box too, it's sleek black design with a bow to open is gorgeous!

 It also arrived really quickly too and as you can imagine that was very handy considering how excited I was about having my first beauty box!

Anyhoo, lets get down to it.. so what is in the box?!

So this month's box contains:

theBalm Nude Tude Eyeshadow Palette (worth £35.00)

theBalm Put a Lid On It (sample size)

Gucci Premier Shower Gel (worth £7.50)

Molton Brown Seamoss Bath & Shower Gel (worth £10.00)

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Walkyrie (worth £19.00)

I couldn't believe how many wonderful goodies were in this month's box and what a month to get my first beauty box - I was so chuffed!!

Now for me I fell in love with this box by simply the gorgeous eyeshadow palette by theBalm and also the lip pencil from Nars but I'm also really looking forward to trying the bath products and the sample primer too. They both smell gorgeous and who wouldn't want a little bit of Gucci in their bathroom? ;)

The eyeshadow palette from theBalm is gorgeous! It holds some beautiful shades from nudes to some deeper pinks, purples and browns. This palette is a great all rounder so I can imagine if you wanted one to take on holiday this would be a great pick.

The Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil is stunning too and lived up to my expectations. The colour is long lasting (although doesn't last through food), highly pigmented, lightweight so you actually forget you have it on and when it fades it fades nicely on the lips. I'm loving this and now am wanting to buy more!

All in all I loved this box and I'm so chuffed that I decided to give this one a go for my first too! The September box is now sold out but if you're looking to get one make sure you check out the Cohorted website for their next boxes.

Thanks for reading!
Jess x

Finding The 'Perfect' Foundation

 Hello again!!

I'm one of those people that once I get an idea I need to follow it through... Probably something to do with OCD but hey ho.

This month I decided to set myself the task of finding the 'right balance' from my foundation. Now I'm in a funny old place with my current foundation (Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum) after my husband said it would get really shiny at the end of the day, less dewy and more oily than it previously did. Now I think this is because my skin in the Summer naturally gets a little more oily and so dewy foundations won't give me the finish I'm happy with anymore. Thus my search for a new foundation.

So I trialled... a load of different foundations to try and figure out what is best for my oily skin and what would pass my little 'tests'.

First of all, what I was looking for out of my foundation:
- Something easy to apply, quick and painless. I don't have time to buff for 15 minutes anymore.
- Something that matched my skin tone
- Something preferably budget friendly

Maybelline Superstay Better Skin
£8.99
Pros: Budget friendly.
Cons: Sticks to imperfections and dry patches.
Summary: I wouldn't buy this again as it just doesn't sit on my skin very well.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation
£8.99
Pros: Budget friendly. Gorgeous finish.
Cons: Not enough shade range.
Summary: I love the gel formula of this and although the colour doesn't quite match me I find myself buying this over and over. A great budget friendly foundation!

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation
£31.00
Pros: Great shade range. Gorgeous finish.
Cons: Expensive. No pump.
Summary: The finish of this is beautiful. As quoted by many other Sheer Glow fans, 'It's my skin, but better'... It really is! It's a medium coverage but with a super light feel - I love it. I feel as if my skin can breathe and look natural, yet this magical foundation covers all my redness and imperfections.

Loreal Infallible 24H Stay Fresh Foundation
£9.99
Pros: Budget friendly.
Cons: Not enough shade range.
Summary: The finish of this is quite nice but I wouldn't say it competes with the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. Also the shade range isn't great meaning that this takes a LOT of blending to look match my skin tone. I think for the really fair skin types though this one may be great as the lightest shade is super light! I think I may try it again in the Winter when my (very slight) tan has faded.

Mac Pro Long Wear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation
£25.50
Pros: Waterproof. Great shade range.
Cons: Expensive.
Summary: This one is great but very thick so use only a tiny amount! I wouldn't want to use this on a daily basis because of the price and how much blending is required (once it's dry, it's dry and there is no budging!). But for Summer, holidays and the beach - this would be fantastic!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation
£29.50
Pros: Great shade range. SPF 10 included.
Cons: Expensive. No pump and heavy glass bottle.
Summary: This is very similar to the one above by Mac in that it needs a lot of blending as it dries and then doesn't move! It doesn't claim to be waterproof however I imagine it would stay put pretty well as well. I think I prefer the finish of this one slightly more over the Mac Pro Long Wear but again the blending is just too much work on a daily basis for me. I would use this one for either holidays, special occasions or big nights out as I'm sure it would stay put really well.

Honestly after trying all these I still seem to be going back to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. I just love how easy it is to apply and how long lasting it is, with a nice medium coverage. My only issue with this foundation is that the shade is a little too dark for me (even the palest shade). If I have a heavy day I can get shiny but that's where I would just have to touch it up with some blotting paper or powder. For a big day out I would switch to the Nars Sheer Glow as this foundation is just beautiful but it does require a little more blending than the Bourjois foundation.

So really I guess to find a 'perfect' foundation my search is still ongoing. How did you guys get on with these? Do you have any suggestions for me to try?

Thanks for reading!
Jess xox

March Haul - Beauty & Otherwise (with Reviews)

Hi there lovelies!

I'm back with yet another haul... I'm sure you've figured by now I love my beauty finds! :)

This month I had a lot of items to buy and what a perfect excuse to show you my goodies and what I think so far.

Soap and Glory, Breakfast Body Scrub
I lovvveee Soap and Glory products (I have a few things from them this month!). This body scrub is amazing, not only is it kind to the skin yet removes those horrible dead skin cells, but it also smells heavenly. This one smells like cookies, sugary naughty cookies... and who doesn't want to smell like baked cookies while having silky, smooth skin?

Soap and Glory, Smoothie Star Body Milk
This is a body moisturiser and is lovely. Although the formula is a little more runny than I'm used to, it moisturises well and of course, smells divine. This scent has got to be my favourite out of all three. It's very sweet smelling, and to me smells like popcorn. I love the fact that the scent calms down when soaked into your skin but you still get a hint of it still on you - perfection for me, but this may not be to everyone's liking.

Soap and Glory, Sugar Crush Body Wash
I started to run low on my Sugar Fairy body wash from Lush and wanted something sweet but refreshing. I haven't used this one yet as waiting to use my Sugar Fairy up, but it smells amazing. It's scent is sharp and fruity yet with a slight sweet touch. I'm looking forward to using this one!

Soap and Glory, Righteous Butter Body Cream
Now this body cream I've been using for some time and I love it's refreshing scent. It's also got a thicker constancy than the milk (as the name would suggest), meaning it's better for very dry skin or to give your skin that extra boost of moisture :)

Loreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening Mask
I love this hair mask - I'd heard good things since it's launch this month (here in the UK) so just knew I wanted to pick it up. Plus Boots were having a 3 for 2 offer, it was just rude if I didn't ;-) This mask is not only great for dry ends, but it also helps your hair feel thicker. This made such an impression that even a good friend of mine noticed and made a comment, without me even saying I'd used anything different! Well worth an investment if you have thinner hair and at £5.09 it's a bargain (currently on sale in Boots at £2.54 too!)

GHD Straighteners (Version 4.2)
I'd sold my GHD's a couple of months ago as I didn't tend to use them but my hair has grown so much in the past few months that now I can see how useful they would be to have (sort out my hair's natural and messy curls at the ends - not cute!). I got these on eBay, but being jet black I thought they looked super sleek. As per usual GHD hasn't let me down - I love, love, love my GHD's! Never again will I betray you!!

NYX Blusher in Pinched
This blusher is a great dupe for Nars' Blusher in Orgasm. It's a gorgeous mix of peach and shimmer, perfect for Spring & Summer makeup looks. I've been using this daily since purchasing. It was also only £6.99, compared to the Nars version RRP £20.25.

Sleek 'Oh So Special' Eyeshadow Pallet
This eyeshadow pallet is stunning, the shades are beautiful romantic shades that are so pigmented  that even using the brushes in the pallet they glide on in one stroke. The only frustration I have is I'm getting a crease in my eyelids when using this eyeshadow. I'm going to try it with another eyeshadow primer and brush and see if this does the trick. At £7.99 a pallet and such a range of gorgeous pallet's they are, defiantly worth a look! :-)

Paper Chase Cupcake Journal with Pens
Now this is my one non-beauty or hair purchase for the haul. I love having a journal and I'm a bit of an an organize freak so when I saw this cute cupcake journal from Paper Chase I knew I couldn't leave without it. It's been a great place to write my thoughts, ideas for blogs as well as memento's from days out.

I hope you enjoyed this haul, let me know what you guys treated yourself to this month also. I would love to hear your recommendations!

Jess xox