I'm in love with Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel

That's right, I coughed up the £29 for this beautiful bronzer and it's probably the best purchase I've made recently! So, it's expensive yes but you get 30g of product and it's so pretty and wearable that spending all those pennies is completely justified :)

As you can see I've used mine (I use the QVS Duo Fiber brush available from Superdrug for this), now I'm not sure if it's just me but before it's used it's in a particular swirled pattern which is very poo-esque. This is a cream bronzer and although it only comes in one shade it's suitable for those even with the palest of complexions, I myself am NC15 as it's build-able and leaves a nice subtle glow. Though I'm sure if you were to desire a more tangoed look piling it on would also do the job. 

It looks very unappealing in the swatch but I can assure you it looks beautiful on, I'll post a FOTD using this soon. I've taken to wearing it everyday, using a duo fiber brush to apply all over my face and also to slightly contour too. Although it looks to have a slight shimmer in the tub it's matte and therefore gives a natural finish to the face. Being pale it's really hard for me to find a bronzer that doesn't leave me looking like an extra from Geordie Shore, but this definately gives me a nice little hint of colour without being too over powering.

I couldn't recommend this beauty enough!

Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Rose Petal

Now before I start this post I'd like to excuse the poor quality pictures, I have no idea what's wrong with my camera but they seem to decrease in quality once I've uploaded them to my computer.

You're probably thinking, why on earth am I posting about Natural Collection lipsticks after my very critical post about the shade Apple Blossom, I can't resist though the colours are so, so pretty and the £1.99 price tag is also extremely appealing!

I've come to the conclusion after purchasing the shade rose petal that the lipsticks are not dehydrating (as I originally thought) but cling to flaws and dry patches, which isn't good but then again it's hard to find a lipstick which hides rather than accentuates blemishes. 

The colour is a gorgeous pinky/peachy/coral it's unlike anything I have in my collection and I find it much more wearable than Apple Blossom, however the lipstick is still quite pale toned.

I love the colour, the finish is semi-matte it has a slight sheen but looks matte from a distance. It's also not too harsh on any dry patches though I'd definitely steer clear if you have chapped lips. I'm loving this lipstick, it's so, so pretty and it's restored my faith in Natural Collection cosmetics! 

Apologies, Updates and lots of love x

Sorry for being really rubbish and not posting much recently, I've been doing lots of over time at work and have spent very little time at home due to my boyfriend going away for a whole month :( It's been very stressful because in the 2 years of us being together we've never been completely out of contact but due to him going on an expedition thing in Africa we can't contact each other. I've been feeling extremely sorry for myself for around a week now.
But here is a pretty picture of a cute cat erm, just because!

On a lighter note: 

• I shall be posting more as I've found some lovely new products recently
• I also have 2 (yes indeed 2) HG skin care items, a rarity for me because due to sensitive/eczema prone skin so I'm extremely excited about these products and will make a post about them asap. If you're lucky I might include some really attractive pictures of me of the process of using said products!

Oh, and I also discovered that at some point today one lucky little insect had a huge feast on my legs which are now the proud owners of various insect bites...very attractive!

Has anyone got any exciting plans for the summer or a good joke?  

MUA Pressed powder, overrated product.

Okay, so the title of this post is "underrated product" because although I don't really hear much about this particular product in the online beauty community 2 people I know - my best friend and my cousin - love this powder but I am really quite indifferent towards it, it doesn't really do the job I'd like it to but it was only £1 so I can't be too annoyed.

I apologise for the crappy picture this was not the easiest product to photograph! I am shade 1 if you were wondering.

Here is a better picture (which I got off the superdrug website)

MUA package there products exactly how a cheap make up brand should (like E.L.F) very simple. The particular packaging here however is unnecessarily bulky. 

You can 5.7g of product which is amazing considering it was only £1.

Now I've been using this powder purely as a setting powder over foundation in an attempt to make my foundation stay on a little longer, also since changing my skin care routine my skin has become less dry and I've found that I now have use for a face powder. 

I have no base make up on in this picture and as you can see there is a slight redness to my skin and visable freckles.

I've used the powder before (like I said over foundation) and have no experienced a problem with it, however when using it with no foundation/primer underneath the powder really irritated my skin, it stung a little and accentuated the redness. I do however have sensitive skin so this powder probably wont affect all in the same way.

In terms of coverage the pictures seem to show that it does offer a little coverage however I couldn't see a difference (or a difference for the better) when looking in the mirror. 

As you can probably tell from this post I am not impressed with the product, it makes an okay setting powder but that's about it. It's also quite messy, when swirling your brush into it more powder flies around the room than actually goes onto your brush. 

My first ever give away win!

I've entered lots and lots but have never before won a give away, until I was contacted by beautyH2T informing me that I had won her amazing give away! I won prize "B" which I received yesterday - I was so excited to see and try out the products!
My prize was:

• Avon true colour eye shadow quad "smokey eyes" - this is such a gorgeous palette!
• Avon true colour eye shadow quad "nocturnal" - the top 2 matte shades of this palette are so creamy (for a powder) and pigmented! I'm looking forward to using this palette to experiment with colour.
• No7 Eye Jewels Palette - this is extremely pretty containing 4 loose powder colours which I'm excited to play around with.

• L/E Avon Multistylo in "Sheer Delight" - this can be used on both eyes and lips (& maybe as a highlighter?) but I think I'll be using this purely as a cream eye shadow as it seems as though it'll be a little dehydrating on the lips.
• Collection 2000 coloured mascaras (x2) in "2 Blue" & "3 Purple"
• Stila Lipglaze in "Jewel" - I've already tried this and it's a pretty colour it smells like sweets too!
• 2true Twist 'n' Line eye definer
• L.A Girl eye shadow single in "Mud slide" - this is a gorgeous colour when swatched!
• 2true Eye shadow Duo in "shade 3" 
• Avon (Jillian Dempsey) eye shadow single in "shooting star"

• 17 Nail polish in "Pink Grapefruit"
• Rimmel Nail Polish in "409 Coral Crush"
• Rimmel Nail Polish in "600 Deliciously Dark" - I was so happy to receive this as I had used up both a No7 and Nails Inc polish in similar colours, I love dark colours on my nails!
• Me Me Me Nail Polish in "63 Exotic"

• W7 Secret concealer Kit - I I'm excited to try this out because it looks really good and I've also never before tried W7!
• Almay Bright Eyes Cream shadow in "03 Lilac Lustre"
• Revlon Bedroom Eyes in "Plum Wicked" 
• Space NK solid perfume in "Laughter" - a really pretty summer scent!
• Lipcote - I've never tried this but I'm excited to, hopefully it wont dry out my lips which I've heard it does a lot!

So that is what I won thanks to beautyH2T I also got a lovely little note included in the package! This post is just a massive thank you for such a generous gift! 

Is there anything you'd like me to review? Let me know!

60's siren with Mary Quant lipstick? Errrrr not quite

It's quite cutely packaged in a strange bulky way...

I found this on ebay and had to buy it, not only because it cost me less than £2 but also because I'm a lover of the 60's fashion and being Mary Quant (inventor of the mini skirt and extremely influential designer) I was expecting erm...something not quite as crappy as the product is!

Mine is in the colour 41 Artful Pink which as you can see from the swatch below is such a pretty shade;

However I was so disappointed with the result;

It applies unevenly as you can see and highlights dry patches on my lips - making them look really chapped when I can confirm they are not at all! 

Does anyone remember the little make up sets you'd sometimes get with a Barbie? 

It is pretty much an exact dupe for one of those monstrosities - it smells the same and leaves a horrible, horrible taste in my mouth. My hatred could be due to the amount of shimmer in the product (I bought - and returned - an NYX lipstick of a similar colour and finish as I find they are extremely unflattering on me personally) but I doubt I'd try any more from the range because, although it was cheap, you can tell and it's just not a nice product :(

MAC Semi Precious collection - MSF Crystal Pink

I limited myself to just one item from the semi precious collection because although on the whole I wasn't very impressed or excited for its release a few products did catch my eye, the mineral skin finishes! They are all so pretty and it was hard to choose just one however I kept the promise I made to myself and picked up just one, the colour that stood out to me from the second I caught wind of the collection.

Unlike most others, it wasn't Rose Quatrz (is it just me or is that spelt wrong? I copied it from the MAC website...) the stand out colour for me is Crystal Pink.

It's extremely glittery, which some may love whereas many I'm guessing will hate that - the glitter in the swatches (which I'll include later on in the post) makes it look extremely scary however I have used it as a highlighter and it's a lot more subtle on.

(L-R Outer colour, Inner "blob", Mixed)

This MSF is so, so pretty and not just to look at! It's a very pretty highlight especially when applied lightly with only a little dusting of the inner "blob." I only bought this on Saturday so I've not had much chance to experiment with it yet, I'm loving it so far though!

I might buy some more from the collection at some point however I'm still undecided!

What do you use your MSF as/for?

June Favourites!

Okay, so you might notice certain "staple" items missing from this months favorites post (foundation, mascara, concealer etc) this is either because I don't want to repeat last months post, Diorskin Nude is still my favourite foundation (maybe even HG status!) or because I just haven't had a favourite, I don't think I've just used one mascara this month that has particularly stood out to me so I decided not to include one.
On to the good stuffs?

• MAC Fix+ This is such a marmite product in the beauty world but I personally really like this, I suffer from dry skin and it's nice and hydrating I posted about this product here so I wont say too much. Another use for it is in this hot weather (very unusual in England) it's so refreshing! (RRP £12.50)
• MAC Complete Comfort Creme I hardly ever hear of MAC's skincare products (I'm happy to post a more detailed review of this if you like?) however after using up a sample given to me of this moisturizer I had to purchase the full sized version, it's extremely hydrating - I just wish it smelt better! (RRP £22.50)

Mmm, so I've had a bit of a thing for cheek products recently and have splurged on blushes/bronzers (on nearly every single shopping trip!) 

• Topshop creme blush "Head over heals" this was a recent purchase and I love it, it's so pretty and a gorgeous hybrid of pink/peach/coral. You can build up the colour or use a little bit to give a pretty flushed look but either way it's gorgeous (RRP £6)
• Nars blush/bronze trio including Orgasm blush, Albatross highlighter & Laguna bronzer, I love this it's so compact and convenient when traveling you can just pop it in your make up bag and it's all you need! I was so surprised as the highlighter was something I wasn't looking forward to however it's my favourite product which I will be purchasing in the full size once this runs out because it's so gorgeous, I swatched the colours here (RRP £39)
• MAC Cheek and Cheerful Blush this featured in my May favourites post and I also wrote about it here this month I've been loving using it with Laguna bronzer! (This product is no longer available as it was limited edition, I bought it a year or so ago).

• MAC Creme sheen lipstick in Creme Cup I posted about this here this was part of my birthday present of my beautiful best friend Judy (hello!) and I've worn it nearly every day it's a pink (kind of) nude which goes with any look! (RRP £13.50)
• Clarins Lip perfecter (shade 01) this was given to me by my mums friend and I'm loving it, it's a lovely pink colour however it has no pigment when applied to the lips, it's also not really a glossy finish it's just a lovely creamy product which just makes lips look appealing and pretty! (RRP £12 I think)

So, that's it for my favourites this month, what were your favourites? Do you have any all time favourite products?

E.L.F 32 piece eye shadow palette - cheap and cheerful!

(sorry about the crappy picture/shadow)

So, I've been a little naughty because the palette that I have is no longer available (I think it was a limited edition one from last Christmas) however it's only the colours which are different in the ones available now, there's nothing drasticly changed - I don't think! 

I actually have 2 of this palette one of which I received from Rowena of Cosmetic-candy and another as a free gift with purchase from eyeslipsface.co.uk. They retail at £9 which is amazing for 32 eye shadow colours.

As you can see the packaging is crap, the mirror may as well not even exist and the rubbish (single) sponge applicator just looks pathetic in the huge tray (is that what it's called). However, it's more about the product than the packaging.

Shall we move on to swatches?

The eye shadows really vary in quality, some are surprisingly lovely with a decent amount of pigmentation while others leave a lot to be desired. 

Read more for swatches and my final thoughts on the product!

My first ever YSL Rouge Volupte!

So after reading millions (almost) of rave reviews of YSL's Rouge Volupte lipsticks I knew I had to invest in one or two. They're available on Cheap Smells at a lower retail price than on the YSL counters however the colour range is limited and I'm not sure how reliable the swatches are. I bought mine in shade 7 (unavailable on Cheap Smells) and it cost £22 - expensive but the packaging makes up for that because it's very glam and pretty. Oh and the product itself of course!

I love how they look! I also love how the pink colour on the packaging corresponds to the pink of the lipstick (it's the same for every shade), I love that you don't have to individually open each lipstick to see the colour like most!

Now, I'm sure you'll all be very shocked to see that I bought a Barbie pink shade - so completely out of character ;) haha! I love the ultra-creamy consistency of this lipstick, it's gorgeous to apply. 

And even though I shouldn't I keep licking it off because it tastes so nice!!!

It's a very pretty shade (not looking so hot on me but I hadn't used a liner/primer so I think I can be excused!). YSL Rouge Volupte's definitely live up to the hype!

I love a bargain... (MAC)

Sooo, I was having a little ebay browse when I came across this; Giggly mineralize blush (limited edition from MAC's Quite Cute collection). It was in an auction ending soon after I spotted it so I bid, not expecting to win and got the product for a total of £11.75 including postage! Which is amazing because the blushes are more expensive than that originally and due to it being a L.E sell out I assumed it'd go for more pennies!

I was so happy to win as I wanted to buy it when the Quite Cute collection was released but only got round to looking once it'd already sold out :(

I like the Mineralize blushes, I think they have a really pretty finish and the pigmentation is spot on. Not so pigmented that the littlest amount will make you look like Ronald McDonald but a nice amount - you can see the colour of the product but it's not crazy. Nice and wearable!

(Pink, Purple (heart), Both colours mixed)

The blush has quite a lot of shimmer, but not to the extent where you look like a disco ball just so that you have a pretty kind of "glow". It's not a colour I would usually go for due to the plum undertones however it is very pretty and I can see myself using it!

F.Y.I When shopping on ebay it's important that you read the sellers feedback before buying, it's rare to get such a bargain and it's also possible that you'll receive fakes which is why it's always best to read feedback and check their positive percentage. I normally buy Asian beauty products of ebay rather than those available in the UK but I could never say no to such an amazing bargain!

My current lipstick of choice (an all-time favourite?)

Can you tell what it is yet?

Creme Cup (MAC) is quite a recent purchase of mine - it was part of my birthday present off Judy - but since buying I've reached for it almost every day! It's a colour which doesn't necessarily stand out in my collection. It is however a gorgeous, subtle and natural colour which can be worn with any look.

It's a "creme sheen" finish meaning that although not as pigmented as other formulas (matte, for instance) it's extremely hydrating and has a subtle glossy sheen to it. The lipstick is pigmented though, don't get me wrong it lightens my pigmented lips to a very wearable almost nude/pink.

Apologies for the blurry lip swatch. Although this lip colour doesn't particularly stand out - or at least not compared to some of the more Barbie pink shades in my collection - it's the one I've been using the most and one which I will definitely repurchase because it's just so versatile.  

This lipstick is £13.50 and was bought by me on recommendation from Vivianna.