My Favourite Concealer Duo

After getting into a routine with my Clarisonic (blogpost coming soon) over the last couple of weeks, I have found that my skin has dramatically changed. I went from having a rough complexion, with numerous breakouts all the time, to a baby soft, blemish free (to an extent) face. Because of this, I am no longer wearing as much make up on a daily basis. So instead of the full, heavy coverage foundation every day, I have been opting for a bit of concealer under my eyes and the areas of my face which need a little pick me up.

The two I have been using the most are the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. - I have the shade 'dark' which in my opinion isn't dark at all - and the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade caramel. Both of these concealers have the same kind of applicator, but their formulas couldn't be more different, and the prices range from one extreme to the other!

I like to start with the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer under my eyes. It conceals any flaws or imperfections and apparently lasts up to 16 hours. I doesn't crease and makes you look more awake. Even when I am wearing my glasses. Even though I have the darkest shade, it is that slight bit lighter than my skin tone. I would like to use this on other areas of my face but as it only comes in four colour choices, there isn't one that matches quite right, and dark seems to enhance any blemishes rather than concealing them. The other down side of this concealer is that it can be quite drying as well so make sure to use a hydrating eye cream first. But then at £4.19 it's a good one to have in your makeup bag. Available here.

On the other hand. The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer has a huge range of different colours, and you can get matched up at the counter which means you don't have to worry about getting the wrong shade. And at £22 you have to be sure it is the right colour! This concealer is lightweight medium to full coverage as it is very buildable. In comparison to the Lasting Perfection Concealer, it is a lot more hydrating, which in turn helps to create a softer, smoother complexion. BUT I am not really a fan of this under my eyes as it tends to crease and occasionally transfers onto my glasses if I haven't used a powder on top (which I tend to forget). Available here.

Have you tried either of these?

On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink.

For those of you who havent got me on any type of social media, I'VE DYED MY HAIR PINK! Well it's supposed to be pink but it's more red haha. 

The original idea came from my sister decided she wanted to dye her hair bright blue, so I decided to do the same. (what kind of younger sister would I be if I didn't copy her)

The plan was to have blue ombre - kylie jenner was deffs my inspo - with pink bits showing through, unfortunately, the blue mixed with the pink and made this dark pink/red colour instead. I'm hoping it will fade slightly though. I reckon a lighter pink would look so cool!

Obviously with me having dark hair, I had to bleach my hair first, to get it blonde, before adding any color. So I used the Jerome Russell B Blonde Lightening Kit for medium to dark hair. I basically just followed the instructions in the box, but only applied it to the ends of my hair to create the ombre, making sure that it had a nice fade to it. I had to leave this is for aaaaaages, and then when I washed it out, it was blonde! Part of me wanted to keep it blonde but I decided to add the colour anyway.

The colour I used was the Live Colour XXL Ultra Bright in Rasberry Rebel and Electric Blue  As I said earlier, the blue didnt show up very well but the pink did! I left the colour in for about 30 minutes and then washed it out.

At first, I was not a huge fan of the outcome, but the more I look at it, the more I love it!

What do you think about my new hair?

What I'm wearing:
Necklace: Luna, from Fashion Killa's new collection. Available here.
Top: Primark
Makeup: MAC studio fix foundation in NC40. MAC eyeshadows Cork, Woodwinked and Carefree. Sleek Contour kit in medium. Eyelashes bought off eBay. NYC Big Bronzer, MAC blusher in Breezy. MAC lipliner in Fashion Toast. Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled.
Nails: Awol By Topshop

LUSH Santa's Lip Scrub

With the weather being so cold, my lips have become so dry and chapped so I thought it was time to invest in a lip scrub from LUSH. I have tried the Bubblegum one before and LOVED it but I thought I would try something new. After what felt like 10 minutes of deliberation of which to get, I decided on the Santa's Lip Scrub. I got to tell you, this stuff is delicious! The packaging claims that this scrub leaves your lips buffed and smooth and it does not disappoint. It has a slight hint of cola in it which smells and tastes amazing. There is a generous amount of product in the tub so you won't run out any time soon. AND it is packed full of little love hearts as well, but you don't notice them when you're actually using the product, they're just pretty to look at!

You scoop a small amount out of the tup and rub on your lips, once you're happy that you've got rid of the chapped skin, you can just lick off the excess but I prefer to rinse off. And you're done! ready to smother in lip balm!

I think it's just as important to exfoliate your lips as well as your face to get rid of the dead skin. Especially if you're like me and addicted to lipstick! I have noticed that after I have scrubbed my lips, my lipstick goes on so much smoother and stays put a lot longer too! It's a win win situation!

Another thing I love about LUSH is the fact that everything contains natural ingredients, including caster sugar, dates and cherries. They dont test on animals and are generally a really good socially responsible company. I have always loved their bath bombs and face masks too!

Available here. 

What is your favourite LUSH product?

5 Things: DIY's to try

I am a huuuuge fan of Pinterest. It is honestly my favourite thing in the world. I can literally spend hours on it and not get bored. For those of you who have never been on Pinterest, I recommend that you have a browse, I promise you, once you start, you can't stop! It is so addictive and I love it. It is the perfect place to go when you need a little bit of inspiration. There is everything ranging from Health and Fitness, Travel, Sports and Food. But my favourite is DIY and Crafts.

So here is my round up of the top 5 DIY's to try this week.

1. Bow garland - I'm not entirely sure where I would use this, but I feel like it would look super cute in a baby girls room or at a tea party.

2. Reversible tote - I need one of these in my life. The perfect tote for everyday, be it for running errands of going to work. I have been looking for an every day bag to kind of throw all of my things into and go. I am definitely going to give this one a go when I have an afternoon spare.

3. Reinforced iPhone wire - So I have recently learnt how to crochet (with the help of YouTube and my mum) and this iPhone wire looks so cool! All of you who have an iPhone will know that they have an average shelf life of a couple of months before you have to buy a new one, but I feel as though with the yarn wrapped around it, it may last a lot longer! I am going to attempt this in the next couple of days so I will keep you updated!
 
4. Cup of cake - Perfect Christmas present! I would LOVE to receive this, and it is really quick, easy and cheap! This is one for those of you who are doing secret Santa! You could make them personalised as well!

5. Multi-coloured candles - These candles could also make a fab Christmas present! Totally unique and different, and so much better than buying them! You can get loads of different scents off eBay as well if you wanted to be all professional! 

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest! You can view my boards here.

Have you found/tried any cool DIY's recently?

A Healthy Balance Base

Recently, I have literally just been using the same products everyday so I really wanted needed  to try something new to mix it up a little. So I popped into Boots and decided to get the Bourjois Healthy Mix serum and setting powder.

I have previously used the Healthy Mix Foundation a couple of years back and to be honest, I'm not really sure why I stopped using it. This new foundation doesn't seem all that different in regards to the original formula, but promises that it has been made 'even better'.

According to Bourjois, this foundation gives a healthy glow and flawless complextion, and is packed with various fruits as well such as apricot for radiance, melon for hydration, apple to protect youth and crystalline pigments to help to even out skin tone.

It has a light to medium coverage but is defintely buildable. It is very lightweight and dewey in the sense that I hardly even notice that I'm wearing it. I have applied it with both my fingers and the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, but I have to say, I do prefer it with the brush because it is a lot less messy and I just love the flawless finish that the Buffing Brush gives. I do really like using a pore minimising product first though, like a primer or serum to get the ulimate flawless base. 

I would probably recommend this for those who have dry skin as it does give a dewey look, so this may look a little bit too dewey on those with oily skin.

I've also been giving the Healthy Balance Compact Powder a try too. Again I love this as it can be worn alone or on top of a foundation. It very light coverage so it is perfect just to create an airbrushed finish as it helps to illiminate pores. 

It is very compact and has a large mirror inside so it is perfect to keep in your bag for top ups. I like to apply this with my Eco tools Powder brush because it's really big and fluffy so it doesn't apply too much product at once, but again is still buildable.

It does have a matte finish so it is anti-shine and works wonders on top of the Healthy Mix Serum as well, so even though the foundation gives a dewey finish, it can be slightly mattified using this.

The fruity smell of both of these products is amazing. My skin doesn't react to frangrance but I could see it maybe posing a problem for some. And i've never had a problem with the longevity of wither product either, unless it is a particularly hot day!

So all in all I LOVE these two products, the fact that they are both so simple and easy to wear, give a lightweight base with a good amount of coverage without creating a mask, and quite frankly, the smell!

Have you ever tried anything from the Healthy Mix Family? I would love to hear about all of your favourite products!