Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

The term 'BB' cream has always been a familiar one to Asian countries and up until a year ago, a product concept that always intrigued me. BB creams, or Blemish Balms as they are also known are a type of base that is supposed to blur imperfections and promises a flawless base.  Since 2011 a lot of companies in the UK have jumped on the bandwagon, Garnier being the first and now high street beauty chains such as L'Oreal, 17 and now Maybelline have brought out their own take on the famous Blemish Balm.  

I took the plunge and decided to try the Maybelline version which was £7.99.  It claims that it is an 8-in-1 cream, promising skin benefits such as evening of skin tone, blurring imperfections and leaving a glowing, fresh faced finish.  It also contains a high SPF of 30 which is an added bonus.  

On first impressions, the colour looked far too dark for my skin and I'd bought the lightest shade.  Once I applied it to my face, the colour seemed to match up but I found it didn't really do much.  I could still see imperfections that should have been 'blurred' and my skin tone was still all over the place.  I wasn't expecting a medium - heavy coverage, in fact I don't like that in any of my bases, but I expected a lot more.  It feels lovely on the skin and does leave a dewy finish which I like but it looked more like I'd popped on some moisturiser rather than a skin base.  

To begin with, I was using my Sigma or Sephora brushes to apply the product and many of the reviews written said they'd found that fingers worked best for application.  I've now tried both and neither work any better.  I guess I expected more from a product that has been quite popular but maybe BB cream just isn't for me!

How do you apply the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream?

Travel Essentials

I'm back after a short break as I've been interning in London for the past two weeks (more about that later in the week). Travelling to and from London everyday, spending around 12-14 hours out of the house, I quickly perfected my travel essentials.  

I kept my make up minimal whilst working so that getting ready didn't take too long in the morning.  For touch ups during the day, I packed the essentials. For concealer I've been using the Make Up For Ever 'Full Cover', which is extremely high coverage, even able to cover scars and tattoo's if needs be.  My skin has been a bit all over the place over the last week thanks to mother nature and I feel like I've had Mount Everest growing upon my chin, so this has been a godsend at hiding the redness. The weather has been gorgeous this week, but alas it meant sweaty looking skin - not a good look when surrounded by groomed-to-perfection fashion and beauty journos.  To mattify my skin I took my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural and used the Real Techniques Contour Brush to apply the product. Although it's meant for contouring and highlighting, the brush wasn't bulky like the Powder Brush and allowed me a more precise product application.  I also popped in a sample size of Make Up For Ever's Smoky Lash mascara incase my lashes needed a pick me up and the lipstick of the day.  I've been loving this Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Hydrating Glosstick in #04 Hibiscus, which admittedly I was given whilst at More! magazine after doing a favour for the beauty team.  It's a gorgeous product, creamy and highly pigmented and not at all sticky like a lipgloss.  

I always try to remember my perfume as it's always nice to freshen up at lunchtime or after stepping off the tube on your way home, with a spritz of your favourite scent. My go to everyday perfume is Stella McCartney 'Stella'.  I bought the Phil Smith Tame the Frizz serum a while ago as it's a handy travel size product and used it to manage any fly aways or hot weather frizz.  I never go anywhere without Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream now. It's a great lip balm, hand cream, cuticle cream and it's even good if you manage to cut yourself.  

On my first day I picked up some mints.  You've all been there, when someone's had something garlicky for their lunch and it's all you can smell whilst they are speaking to you.  Definitely not the embarrassing situation I wanted to get myself into.  Blister plasters, or plasters in general are always a must - there's nothing worse than limping around the office because your shoes are rubbing.  Paracetamols a given, no need to endure a headache when you've got plenty of work to be getting on with.  Hot weather + hair = frizzball, or at least it does for me anyway. I always carry around a hairband on my wrist or in my handbag for such occasions, or just to get my hair up off my face.  

Do you have any travel must haves?

Buyapowa's Blue Sky Co-Buy Week

Today marks the beginning of Buyapowa's 'Blue Sky Co-Buy' week, where they have asked bloggers for their essential summer products.  Last year they held a bloggers week and it became so successful, with over 1 million tweets about it, that they decided to give it another go.  Non Optional was chosen and my co-buy choice was a Canon EOS 1100D.  For those of you who are unsure as to what co-buying is, it's a way to get products cheaper than their RRP. Buyapowa gets in products from all sorts of different brands including GHD, MAC, Benefit, Canon, Clarisonic and put it up to co-buy.  It will begin at it's original price and the concept is simple, the more people who commit to buy, the cheaper that product becomes.

I chose the Canon EOS 1100D as my summer essential because it's a great beginners DSLR.  Not only do I use it to take great quality pictures for my blog posts, but it's also great for any summer events you may have (I've got a Christening coming up this week) - in fact, it's something you can use all year round.  The 1100D also allows you to shoot HD video, so great if any of you are thinking about starting a YouTube channel over the summer, or perhaps want to document your summer in film.

Buyapowa have 10 Canon EOS 1100D's up for grabs.  The co-buy starts at £399 with it's best price being £339.  If you're in the market for a DSLR, then why not grab it at a discount? Click here to see the co-buy!

Hope you're all having a good week!

Sunday Update #2

After an afternoon spent with family, cooing at my baby nephew, I've ended up running around like a headless chicken trying to get jobs done in preparation for the week ahead.  Tomorrow see's the start of my much anticipated placement at More! magazine.  I've been feeling a mixture of emotions, mainly nervous and excited but I know it will give me an insight into another side of the industry I'm so desperate to claw my way into.  Needless to say, I've been spending the last few hours getting myself organised.  It feels like the night before the first day back to school after summer. I've got my bag ready with a new notebook (I'm a sucker for a pretty notepad), a travel make up bag with all the essentials, my nails are newly painted and I'm about to jump in the bath.  Other than getting ready for a week of working in the Big Smoke, I've also got a Christening next Sunday.  I've picked up a new dress but need to find something to wear on top as the weather in the UK hasn't been the best... 

What are you getting up to this week?

Book Club | Fifty Shades Freed by E. L. James

"Romantic, liberating and totally addictive, the Fifty Shades trilogy will obsess you, possess you and stay with you for ever.  When Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged entrepreneur Christian Grey, it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably.  Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy, and being together poses challenges neither of them had anticipated. Ana must learn to share Grey's opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity or independence; and Grey must overcome his compulsion to control and lay to rest the horrors that still haunt him.  Now, finally together, they have love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of infinite possibilities.  But just when it seems that they really do have it all, tragedy and fate combine to make Ana's worst nightmares come true..."

The third and final instalment in the trilogy that has cast a spell upon women all over the world is probably the best out of the three.  Although we got a small glimpse of what was to come in the second book with the final pages reading from Jack's point of view, I was hooked and didn't see anything coming.  The writing, however, was still a bit iffy in places, but it was still compelling to read. Ana finally figures out her Fifty Shades and makes compromises along the way to keep both him and her happy.  The third book is probably the least sexual and it turns into more of a love story, but the Red Room of Pain still exists.  At the end, we get an insight into Christians mind at a few stages of his life, including when he first met Ana.  I really think E. L. James should continue writing it from his point of view.  At an event last week she hadn't quite made up her mind about if she wanted to re-write the story from his point of view. If you enjoyed the first two, then you'll definitely be happy with the third.  

I'm really struggling to decide what to read next, I started reading the sample of Delirium, but it  failed to captivate me.  The exact same thing happened when I finished the Twilight saga - No more books with Edward and I couldn't find a story I wanted to read! If you've got any book recommendations, I would love to hear them!

Other books in this series:

Fifty Shades of Grey (#1)

Fifty Shades Darker (#2)

Follow me on Goodreads.

Pay Day Splurges

I popped into town on pay day, with the hope of finding a christening dress but to no avail.  Instead, I picked up a few items off of my wish list and a couple of other random bits.  

Essie's Fiji, Tart Deco and Sexy Divide

When I heard that Essie would now be readily available in Boots and Superdrug, I was pretty excited.  After hearing so many great reviews from American bloggers, I knew I'd want to add a few colours to my overflowing collection. I know they are available online, but I don't trust the swatches you see online because 9 times out of 10 they are completely different in real life.  I'm currently sporting Tart Deco on my fingers and toes and absolutely love it.  The brush is thicker than a usual nail polish applicator, meaning you don't have to continually apply product to cover your nail.  The formula was creamy and opaque, I only needed 1-2 coats to get full opacity.  I put my nails through a days work at Tesco, where my nails usually end up battered and broken and but the end of the day I had one tiny chip which was unnoticeable to anyone else.  Needless to say, I'm impressed and can't wait to use more from the Essie range.  Do you have a favourite Essie colour?

It seems that every high street make up brand is jumping on the BB Cream bandwagon. I had yet to try one and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so picked up the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light. I'll let you know how I get on with the product and whether I prefer it to foundation.  

It's no secret that the Bioderma Micelle Solution became incredibly popular within the beauty blogger world, but unfortunately it's not the easiest product to get hold of in the UK.  I happened upon this No. 7 product whilst browsing Boots.  I had a £5 off voucher so this was only £4 - a bargain when you can buy Bioderma on eBay for £20+.  It comes with a pump which allows it to easily and evenly distribute product.  If you'd like to see a review on this, let me know!

I've needed a new travel make up bag for a while, but haven't found any that I like.  I popped into Urban Outfitters looking for a necklace when I stumbled upon this.  It's perfect to fit everyday essentials in and will come in so handy next week when I start at More! Magazine for a two week internship.  

I have been looking for a sideways cross necklace for what seems like forever.  After seeing them on Etsy and being forever sold out, I gave up hope and forgot about it until I watched an OOTD video that ThePersianBabe put up. Low and behold, she was wearing this necklace and I knew I needed to try and find it when I next went to Urban Outfitters.  It's really simple and dainty, but most of all it's silver! I love silver jewellery at the moment and hardly ever wear gold, so I was so happy they had these is silver and gold.  

My beloved Vectra's have been falling to part for a while now, but I love them so much I went into denial.  I decided enough was enough and picked up a new pair.  These are made of canvas, whereas mine were the originals made from suede, but I've been told that these are a bit stronger and should last longer! 

I must find a Christening dress now and stop spending money on beauty and miscellaneous items.  Do you have any online boutique suggestions that I could look at?

L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise EverPure Reinforcing Intense Mask

Last week, I spoke of my new found love for the L'Oreal Paris EverPure range (here).  Continuing that love, I picked up the hair mask, as I needed something to replace my Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque.  The first thing I noticed was the smell, it's the same of the regular conditioner, which I can forgive because it smells extremely good.  The second is how thick the product is.  When I picked up the pot it looked a lot smaller than what I was used to and I wondered how long it would last, but because the product is quite thick, you don't need as much to cover the entirety of your hair.  

I use this once a week, when my hair needs a bit of TLC. I leave it in my hair for around an hour, although the instructions say 10 minutes. I think anyone who has over-processed, heat damaged hair should leave it in for longer, to better help put back in what straighteners and colour takes out. After washing the product out, my hair felt soft and nourished, but it didn't feel as silky as it would if the mask was filled with silicons.  At £6.99 for a 200ml it's certainly not as expensive as that of the Moroccan Oil and Macadamia Oil masks.  

What hair products have you been loving lately?

Book Club | Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James

"Romantic, liberating and totally addictive, the Fifty Shades trilogy will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you for ever...  Daunted by the dark secrets of the tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Ana Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a US publishing house.  But desire for Grey still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, she cannot resist. Soon she is learning more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades than she ever thought possible.  But while Grey wrestles with his inner demons, Ana must make the most important decision of her life. And it's a decision she can only make on her own ..."

After quickly finishing the first in the infamous trilogy, I couldn't wait to start reading the sequel.  What started off as a seedy and salacious story in the first novel, quickly became a lot deeper in the second.  Although there is no denying that the book is still extremely erotic in places and lives up to it's reputation, it also turns into a love story.  Christian Grey is still a mercurial mess, but he slowly begins to open up to Ana showing a few more of his many shades.  I was completely obsessed with this book, it's not well written, in places you wonder if E. L. James actually had an editor but it's so compelling that you can almost forgive the writing.  It made me laugh, cry and occasionally made me angry - all emotions that a compelling story should.  

Have you been taken under Christian Greys spell?

Just finished: Fifty Shades Freed

Currently reading: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Follow me on Goodreads.

Yes To Cucumbers Daily Soothing Cleansing Wipes

I haven't been a fan of the beloved make up removing wipe for a while. The only time I ever really use them is when I roll in drunk from a night out and can't be bothered to go through my usually night time routine. I found that they never properly took my make up off and I'd wake up with panda eyes the next day, even though the towelette was covered in make up.  I also found that a lot of wipes I tried made my eyes sting - even the sensitive type.  I've heard a lot about Yes To products and I know a lot of beauty bloggers love their wipes so when I saw them in Sephora, I put a pack into my basket to see what the hype was about.  

Since using these, I've not had a problem with irritation around my eyes but most importantly, they actually take off all traces of make up. No morning after panda eyes! Although they are only wipes, I feel like they actually cleanse my skin and since using them I haven't noticed any break outs.  I still keep up with my usual skincare routine (post on that here) but on days where I don't wear make up, I don't feel like I need to use it as religiously as I once did.  I think it's safe to say, my opinion on make up wipes has been officially turned around. 

At £4.99 these are on the higher end of the price range when it comes to make up removing wipes, although I think they're worth it.  They are available online from FeelUnique, Beauty Bay and ASOS but I don't think they are available in stores.  

Have you tried any Yes To products?


*Happy Independence Day to my American readers!*

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

I've really been getting into NARS products recently and after hearing only good things about their eyeshadow base, I decided to give it a whirl.  I've only ever tried one other eye make up primer, the infamous Urban Decay Primer Potion, but found it did nothing for me - if anything my eyeshadow slid off faster with it than without.  Needless to say, I was skeptical but I went into Space NK before holiday and caved. 

The product itself looks the same as the UD Primer Potion - it comes with a doe foot (always thought that was spelt dofer) applicator and the product itself is a white, silky base.  While Urban Decay wins on price - Primer Potion retails at £14.50 whereas NARS is £18 - the results from NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base were far better than what I had imagined.  

Whilst on holiday, I used this primer, hoping it would help keep my eye make up in place whilst we were out consuming cocktails.  It held it in place well but it wasn't until I was working the other day that I really noticed how great this product was.  It was a humid British 'Summer' day and I was hot and sticky and for some reason, that morning I decided to wear eyeshadow. At around 2pm, five hours after application, my eye make up hadn't budged at all.  I was absolutely amazed, I was expecting to be a creased mess, and there I stood, looking the same as I did before I left - hurrah! Instantly this became holy grail and something I will now and forever repurchase.  At £18 for 8g some may say this is too pricey, but you only need a small amount to cover your entire eyelid meaning that this product will last a long time.  

Which product do you prefer - Urban Decay Primer Potion or NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base?