New Product Find #3 - Boujois Happy Light Foundation

This foundation is right up my street! although my skin is majorly going through some kind of 'crazy phase' at the moment, I still cannot stand heavy base makeup. Seriously, It makes me feel like I've got some kind of mask on. I only actually started wearing foundation all over my face about a month ago and I still can't get used to the feeling. Anyway I digress...I have always loved Bourjois and I'm officially obsessed with their foundations. Ever since I first purchased the '10 hour sleep effect' foundation when I was roughly 16/17 years old, I have been a loyal fan. Yes, I agree that their shade range is usually very limited, however due to my medium olive toned skin, their yellow based foundations are always a great match.

This foundation hasn't let me down, its a provides a perfect sheer/medium coverage (just about all I can deal with! haha) and on me it has a very luminous and almost 'velvety' finish, not too shiny, not too matte - just ideal for the winter season! The only negative I can say about this foundation is that the shade range is waaaaay out, I usually wear shade 52 (Beige Clair) but it is a little too dark. Prior to purchasing it I did read other reviews which advised picking up a shade lighter however, thanks to a disorganised makeup stand  - and my stupidity for not checking it oops - I ended up with my usual shade. I've been mixing it with my Dr Jart water fuse beauty balm to slightly lighten the shade and it seems to be working okay for now. I will probably end up repurchasing it in the right shade though as I just can't be bothered with the hassle.

Have you tried this foundation? What's your favourite Bourjois foundation of all time?

The 'Monday' Manicure - Nails Inc Kate Spade Polish

So, this weeks 'The Sunday Manicure' is a day late! However, as I've had my nails painted for about 4 days now at least you can see how well the polish has lasted. This weeks polish of choice comes in the form of Nails Inc. collaboration with Kate Spade in the shade 'New York Noir'. It actually came free with Glamour magazine - which is still on sale now - and I think there's about 3 shades to chose from altogether. Although I liked the look of the others, a gold and a red, I was drawn to the glossy black as I personally think that black is a shade that is timeless and always look so chic on. I have a love/hate relationship with this shade on my own nails, as it doesn't always look great depending on my skin tone at the time. However, I usually just add a few midi rings, which slightly distracts from the harsh shade, whilst still making my nails look effortlessly stylish. I'm also really impressed with the quality of this polish, it's opaque after just one coat (although I always use two, creature of habit!), the brush is a great shape so its really easy to apply and it doesn't take forever to dry. I give this polish a big thumbs up!

Have you picked up any of the Nails Inc. Kate Spade polishes?

Mild Acne SOS - Duac Once Daily Gel

I have always been extremely lucky with my skin, apart from the odd spot here and there, I didn't really have any issues whatsoever. However, this has all changed. Due to one reason or another, my skin has gone completely crazy. Although I still have combination/oily skin, I've developed acne on my forehead, a patch on my cheek and more mildly on my chin. It has been driving me crazy but the most frustrating thing is that I have no clue how to deal with it all. Where do you start?!

Well, I suppose I 'started' my quest for my old skin - oo how I miss thee - by visiting the doctor. At first I though it was some kind of rash, maybe even an allergic reaction? But no, I had acne, okay it's a milder version than some people have to endure, but all the same it's still god damn annoying. I was prescribed Duac Once Daily Gel and although I've been using it now for well over a month, it unfortunately hasn't made that much difference. Yes, it brings spots to a head, but that's about it. It doesn't seem to prevent any further breakouts, although it's certainly doing an excellent job of drying my skin out to the max :-( So, maybe I actually have combination/oily/dry skin now.

One of my major worries is that I'm going to accidently scar my face, as I have no idea about which spots are actually 'popable' and which are best left alone. I've been reading some well-known skin care blogs and although I have a better idea about how to treat my skin problems - which wasn't hard as I knew nothing before - I would still really appreciate some advice!

Have you experienced sudden onset acne? Do you have any products that you could recommend?

Bargain Buy - Ebay Perfume Travel Spray

I thought I would write a quick post about my latest eBay purchase! After coming to the conclusion that my ever expanding perfume collection needed to be used more frequently, I decided to hunt down a travel spray. A travel spray is the perfect alternative to the impractical task of carrying around a perfume bottle. Especially as perfume bottles (usually made of glass) + my clumsiness is a recipe for disaster! After a quick Google search, Oprah.com (how random I know haha) confirmed my suspicion that perfume does have quite a short lifespan before it can start to go off - roughly 2 years for an opened bottle and 12/18 months for an unopened perfume. This might seem like plenty of time to some, but when you have a fair few its easy to forget about the bottles towards the back!

After searching eBay I came across a 'Useful Refillable Perfume Atomizer Bottle for Travel Spray Scent Pump Case 5ml' link here for only 99p and 69p delivery. Although it's from China, it took just under 2 weeks to arrive - which I think is quite good as I've waited much longer for items dispatched from China before. It also comes in quite a few colours including, black, white, yellow and purple. The spray itself is small, sleek and compact and more importantly its very easy to use. You just pop the spray part off your selected perfume, place the travel spray over the top and pump it until it's full. There's even a 'how-to-guide' on the actual eBay page, which demonstrates this in pictures.

I think its a great product and I'm sure I'll definitely get more use out of my perfumes now!

Have you used/or considered using a travel spray before?

The Sunday Manicure - Three Product Staples

If my nails are not looking tip top, then you know I'm either A: unwell or B: temporarily parted from my nail product stash. The rest of the time I make sure they are primped, primed and polished - literally. I genuinely do this routine roughly once a week, usually on a Sunday and I can honestly say that I enjoy every minute of it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, 'nail time' for me is like therapy. It sounds a little dramatic, but it's true! So, today I thought I would introduce you to three nail product staples that I will definitely be repurchasing for the foreseeable future.

Step one in my routine and key to keeping my nails looking healthy and in a neat condition - Sally Hanson Instant Cuticle Remover. This stuff works Fast. Pop it on, wait just 15 seconds, then gently push back your cuticles (with a tool obviously) and voilà you're done. Just make sure that you wash your nails properly to get any remaining residue off. This stuff is also strong and I can imagine it doing a lot of damage if it is not used correctly.

The nail strengthener and base coat in one? Well, that would be the OPI Nail Envy - in Original to be exact. I love this polish and you can find a full review here if you want to check that out! It dries quickly, I usually use two coats and I've been using it for about 2 years now, which says it all really.

Lastly, I bring you the 'perfect polish' and this comes in the form of Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Polish - FYI, I'm wearing the shade Raspberry in the photo above. Yes this part of my post is a little bit more bias - if you're an avid reader of my blog then you will be aware that I praise this polish at every chance I get - but I do genuinely love it (you can find my full review here). Great price, great quality and great colours. Seriously, what's not to love?!

What are your nail product staples?