COLLECTION: Primers

No7 Shine Free Primer - £11.00

I bought this with my £5 voucher as I was in need of a primer and minus the £5 of staff discount it was a very good price. This doesn't have the nicest consistency and it's pretty hard to 'spread' around the skin but it does the job. It keeps skin matte free all day and helps make up last a lot longer. I wouldn't pay £11 for it but with the voucher it's definitely worth it.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - £14.50

Sorry about the little Clinique pot but the Primer Potion's old packaging was awful and I managed to decant so much product from it that this little tub has lasted me a further 6 months (and I've barely used it) so make sure you decant the product. This is the ultimate eye primer. Not only does it ensure that your eye make up stays in place all day long it also makes the colours look more vibrant and 'alive.' I've had this for over 2 years now and I can see it lasting me another year at least so definitely worth it.

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer - £6.99

I was in need of a primer and Rimmel had just brought theirs out so I thought 'why not?' It's an okay primer. It ensures that make up lasts a lot longer than it normally would but I don't believe it does anything else for the skin. Especially not the 5 results that it claims it does. It is though however a lovely consistency and applies like a dream.

Sheer Cover Base Perfector* - prices start from £29.99

The only bad thing about this primer is that you have to buy it as a set with some other Sheer Cover product.(Don't get me wrong, the set is lovely and works very well). But it's not good if you just want the primer. The primer is lovely. It's of cream consistency and glides on the skin covering up imperfections and pores whilst ensuring skin is matte and make up lasts throughout the day.

17 Photo Flawless Primer - £4.99

Once again I bought this because it was cheap and from what I remember it was the first drug store primer. Maybe I'm dreaming that one... But yes, it's a decent primer. It reminds me of GOSH's primer with it's consistency as it's gel and glides over the skin beautifully. It fills in pores but I don't believe it prolongs the life of make up that much. If I don't have a busy day then I'll use this but if I need my make up to last very well then I'd go for something stronger.

Murine Bright & Moist Eyes Eye Drops* - £4.49

I guess this isn't a primer but I use these every day before applying my make up as they make my eyes look a lot brighter. I wouldn't be without them and I now see them as a valuable part of my make up routine.

Benefit Porefessional Primer - £23.50

I received this with Glamour magazine and I really love it. It glides over the skin, makes make up last all day and covers pores perfectly. I really cannot rave about this enough. It is as perfect as a primer get. Oh and you only need a tiny amount as well so it will last a long time if you cannot justify the price.

I have a primer addiction at the moment; what are your favourite primers?

xxx

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FAVOURITE... Miniature Products

I love miniature products. So much so that when my sister went on holiday earlier this year I bought her a few sample sized products to take with her - even though some of the full sized products were cheaper. They're so cute and sometimes a great way to decide whether or a not a product is perfect for you. Here's some of my favourites...

 Charles Worthington Takeaways Sun-Shine UV Protection Styling Spray - £1.99
I absolutely love this and whenever the sun is shining I'll throw it into my handbag to keep my hair nice and protected from the sun throughout the say.

Xen-Tan Dark Lotion* - £28.99
Oh my god I need the full size version of this. It's the most perfect fake tan out there. It's moisturising, last's up to 7 days, smells gorgeous (almond is my favourite scent) and doesn't streak. It really is perfect.

Lancome Bi-Facil - £20.00
I received this as a GWP and it's served me well. It's definitely one of the best eye make up removers out there as it melts make up instead of spreading it around the skin.

Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil* - £19.95
It's summer soon and I need Kim Kardashian's bikini body. Ok, maybe I'm being a bit ambitious there. But I need a niceish one. So I'm trying this out. So far I really like it. It smells lovely and absorbs quickly. Word of advice though - don't use it after applying fake tan like I stupidly did.

Good Things Miracle Mattifier Lotion* - £7.99
I have the full sized version of this and I love it. You can see my full review of this here. 

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist* - £16.50
This mist is wonderful for balancing the skin and keeping it hydrated throughout the day. I've also blogged about this a few times and you read the posts here.

Benefit POREfessional Primer - £23.50
Of course, I received this free with this months Glamour magazine and I absolutely love it. I'm definitely contemplating whether to not to buy the full sized version. It slides over pores and completely fills them in.

Etat Pur Oil-Free Quenching Fluid* - £7.80
I blogged about receiving these free samples a while ago and I'll definitely be doing a full review of them and the brand as a whole. But I really love both this moisturiser and the other moisturiser (down below). They're great value for money and work really well with my skin.

Orla Kiely Eau De Parfum* - £55.00
I'm really bad when it comes to perfume and normally I just wear Britney ones. I love Britney of course and when it comes to perfume there's just too many out there for me to choose from. This one though is lovely and I think I might have to purchase it in full. It's a very nice fresh scent that's great for summer.

Etat Pur Light Moisturizing Emulsion* - £7.80
I blogged about receiving these free samples a while ago and I'll definitely be doing a full review of them and the brand as a whole. But I really love both this moisturiser and the other moisturiser (down below). They're great value for money and work really well with my skin.

Glam Glow Mud* - £49.99
I will definitely do a full review of this product. It's a mask and a scrub in one and once you've used it once you will instantly see a difference in your skin. A tiny bit goes a long way and it's marketed at all skin types - from very dry to acne prone. I used this as a mask for 15 minutes then scrubbed my skin and washed it away and immediately my skin looked clearer and my face looked glowing. It's so expensive but I know that when I get my student loan I'll be buying this. Now, I just have to wait until September..
What are your favourite miniature products? Do you like buying the sample sizes first?

xxx

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imPRESS Press-On Manicure Review

Ever since I first saw imPress nails in Boots, I knew I wanted them. But I'm a novice when it comes to false nails. I struggle to do my every day tasks when I'm wearing them so I didn't want to spend the money on them. So when I was given the chance to sample them, I couldn't say no.

 I absolutely love the packaging. Even my sister says  it's possibly one of the coolest things she's ever seen. The nails are housed in a sturdy nail polish bottle and the bottle comes with 24 nail covers in 12 different sizes so you're bound to find a nail to fit yours. The beauty of these is that you don't glue them on. You simple peel the tab off the back, push them up to the cuticle, hold for about 5 seconds and tada, beautiful nails in an instant.  

 I was sent the colour 190 Call My Agent* which is the most beautiful, true red I've ever seen. I love this colour because it's great to wear with anything and I can see myself getting a use out of these nails. The whole stick on effect only lasts once. Once you've peeled off the sticker, applied them and then used them, you can't use them as press ons again. But you can use them as normal false nails which is good enough for me!

They last a really long time - up to seven days. The pictures above are the nails are 4 days and they were still going strong. Only one nail started to fall off and I'm guessing that's because when I first applied them, I started fiddling around with them. But a little bit of nail glue and they're as good as new again.

I really love these and I'm a true convert. I can see myself buying more packs. I'm especially interested in Rock It, Estatic Cling, TGIF and Totally Busted. 

You can see more colours and designs here and these are available from Boots and Superdrug for £7.99 or £8.99 depending on the design you choose.

xxx

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Outfit & Face of the Night: No Longer Freshers

Last night was pretty much the end of my first university year. Yesterday, me and my friends went out for a meal and then went out to a nightclub to celebrate the end of our first year. We also ended up having a sleepover at one of my friends flat and finally when we woke up this morning (or should I say afternoon) we took a trip to Morrison's cafe. Some of us are still here and we'll definitely be coming back to university for a few days at a time but last night was what I'd say was our last night as freshers. It's going to be strange not being around my friends at university any more as we've pretty much spent every hour of every day with each other. It's been a wonderful year.. definitely the best of my life and I can't wait until September!

This is the outfit that I wore. Both the play-suit and the shoes were both from New Look. And surprisingly, the shoes are very comfortable and I rarely ever took them off. If you know me, then you'll know that when it comes to heels, I walk to the club in them and take them off pretty much instantly so this is a big achievement for me! I really love the play-suit but it is pretty revealing and I had a few people on 'boob watch' all night. We even used body tape but that was useless and lasted for around an hour.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of my make up before I went out but these are the pictures that probably show it off best. I went for a more natural look with my eyes and I used Urban Decay's Sidecar and Darkhorse from the Naked Palette on my eyes as well as my favourite eyeliner from 17 and my favourite mascara from 17 also. On my eyebrows I used my trusty HD Brow Palette* and my Collection 2000 clear mascara to keep them in place all night. You can find out how I did my base make up here - the only difference is that I used the wonderful Benefit Porefessional Primer before all of my foundations/concealers/bb creams/powders etc. To contour my face I used the Liz Earle Natural Glow Bronzer* and to brighten my face up I used my favourite blush which is Nars Deepthroat. My fake tan is also Xen-Tan* and my nails (which you can't see but I will be doing a blog post on) are from imPress nails.*

A few of us who went out.

Overall it's been a wonderful year and I wouldn't change any of it. I've met the greatest people and I know we're all going to be good/best friends for the rest of our lives. If I could say one thing to anyone; if you have the chance to go to university, go. You won't regret it. And the debt? Doesn't matter one bit. It's all worth it.

xxx

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FATHERS DAY: Other Gifts

I posted a beauty fathers day post yesterday and today is the final in the 'series' and these are just a few extras for you.

My dad absolutely loves reading - especially autobiographies. But these books are a little different to what he'd normally read. The Top 10 of London - £10.00* is so interesting. It features literally everything to do with a London and presents it into a top 10 list. For example 'top 10 oldest hotels,' 'top 10 retail centres in London' and 'top 10 film sets in London.' It's a great read and if you're obsessed with London like I am, this is a must! I personally think my dad is a great cook and he enjoys cooking and barbecues so if your dad is like mine then Weber's Barbeque Anytime - £15.99* will be perfect for him. Every recipe is illustrated and the instructions are pretty simple too. The recipes are great and they're things that you wouldn't think to try out on a barbecue.

If you're planning a splurge then I'd definitely recommend the Classic Aviator’s Men's Watch by BOSS Black - £275*. This watch is so beautiful. When I first held it in my hand I was amazed by how stunning it really is. It also feels very sturdy so you know that for the price, it's going to be very good and you're going to get your money's worth.

Mugs! You can't really go wrong with mugs and I really like these two. Both mugs retail for just £3.52 each.

And of course, cards. I personally love the one in the middle. My dad is a big Northern Soul lover and when he was younger he had lots of records so the middle card is wonderful. Card prices from L-R £1.50, £2.00, £2.00.

What are you getting your dad for fathers day/how are you celebrating??

xxx

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