The Body Shop | Vitamin C Skin Boost

The Body Shop skincare is slowly but surely becoming my favourite!

I am starting to try out more and more and loving everything I am trying.

I picked up the Vitamin C Skin Boost last month and have been making an effort to use it daily after moisturising. I'll start by saying that my make up applies, so much nicer over this. It creates a smooth layer that acts kind of as a base and makes your skin look and feel great, especially on those early mornings.

I am definitely making more of an effort to hydrate my skin this year and make it look as good as it possibly can, and I definitely will be repurchasing this! 

Rimmel BB Cream

If you know me at all, you will know that I am not a huge fan of heavy foundations of anything of the sort on my face. I much prefer the lighter coverage foundations, BB creams and tinted moisturisers.

One in particular that I have been loving lately is the Rimmel BB Cream, not only is it matte on the skin (great for you oily girls), but it also has SPF 15 in it, which is great in the colder weather. 

I think it's going to be a staple this winter for me, it's so wearable and looks so even and fresh on the skin! 

If you like to build it up, try using this underneath your foundation as a base, it's so light you wont even know it's there.

What is your winter base?

A Drugstore Red Lip for Everyone

If you can't wear a red lip at Christmas time then when can you?

With hundreds at the drugstore it's difficult to know which one to get that you will feel comfortable in. 

I've picked four from my collection, all a little different, and I think that there is one for everybody. 

Rimmel Moisture Renew - In Love with Ginger

For the girl who likes to be different

The most beautiful orangey red shade, if you want a bold but different red which wont dry out your lips, this is the one for you. It really is beautiful.

Rimmel - 111 Kiss of Life

The classic

A real red. Quite a dark one but gorgeous on. I also think this colour would suit every single skin tone, it's such a classic red, if you're comfortable wearing it, you definitely should get this one. It's popular for a reason.

Maybelline Baby Lips - Cherry Me

The everyday red

If you're not as brave as some, this one is perfect for you. It's a sheer red that is so easy to wear but still adds a little extra to any look. It's less than £5 too!

Revlon Lip Butter - Candy Apple 

The glossy one

This one is one that I love wearing all through December, it's so easy to wear, it's quite a bright red but the formula is so moisturising and glossy that it makes it so comfortable to wear. Definitely a favourite.

From left to right - In Love with Ginger/ Kiss of Life/ Cherry Me / Candy Apple

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan

Fun fact about me is that I never experiment with tanning.

No sunbeds, no fake tanning, nothing.

I don't really know why, I suppose I just love the satisfaction of gaining a real tan and get put off by fake tan looking 'fake'.

However, this summer I really haven't had time to be in the sun and alas, it is September and I look like Casper the Friendly Ghost.

I wanted to experiment with a fake tanning product, firstly I wanted something cheap, to ease myself in, see if I liked the results before splurging. Secondly, I wanted something that I could easily wash off... I work full time, if it went wrong that could have been a bad experience.

Therefore, I opted for the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan.

It was around £5 for a tube and ticked all of the boxes.

The first thing that I liked was that it didn't smell like fake tan. A huge bonus point.

Secondly, it applied evenly and didn't set straight away, giving me time to work with it.

The results were nice, subtle but you could still tell that I was darker, without looking like a satsuma or somebody who overused the sunbed.

The cons; don't use this if it's raining. It does come off fairly easy with water, which means washing your hands can be quite an issue also.

Overall I actually quite like this. I've used it a few times and may even start to branch out into trying more self tanning products, watch this space.

Favourite Drugstore Primers

Primers, the wonderful little base that helps your make up apply much smoother as well as helping it last that extra bit longer. I love them. And it's hard not to when their are so many to choose from these days, most brands have their own and each one does something different. Today I'm going to be talking about a few of my favourites on the high street.

Firstly and probably my ultimate favourite is the Loreal Lumi Magique Primer, this is a lightweight primer designed to give your skin a subtle glow and lift underneath your foundation. It has a hint of gold shimmer to it which looks beautiful in the sunlight and really makes your skin look glowy and super healthy.

Secondly is the Maybelline Baby Skin, for me this is the controversial one, you either love it or you hate it. I personally quite like it, it's silicone based so I'd recommend only using a small amount and only in your t-zone. This primer does a great job at holding your make up on, however things can get a little slippy in the heat and a patient hand will be required to apply your foundation over this one. As for making your skin look poreless, I can't really say I agree, but as far as drugstore primers go, it's worth a try.

Lastly the Revlon Photoready Primer, another lightweight product with nice packaging, claims to make you look 'photoready'. One thing I did notice about this product is that it dries up fairly quickly and the pump makes it difficult to get out a lot of the product. As for keeping your make up in place it worked, not for a huge amount of time but it did the job. I didn't notice any differences in how my skin looked after applying this, but it's a nice, light base for your make up.

So that's that, what's your favourite primer?

Loreal Lumi Magique Primer

Primers are one thing I struggle with.

Finding one with the right consistency, that actually does its job and that my skin likes is a challenge.

When I read about the Loreal Lumi Magique Primer I had high hopes, a primers that not only acts as a primer but gives your skin a gorgeous, lit from within glow?! How could a girl refuse?

And boy was it everything I hoped for! The consistency is quite watery and one pump will do your whole face easily, it glides on perfectly and blends within seconds. Once blended it gives your skin such a gorgeous but subtle glow, making you look alive and awake. Perfect. 

I think I can officially call it my favourite drugstore primer, ever.

Another Beauty Haul

Hello lovelies!

Welcome back, excuse my absence lately, I've been super busy, will be posting some updates on my personal blog soon!

Anywho... in my absence I've definitely been making up for it in terms of shopping... and lots of it. As my skin has been a bit of a lost cause lately, I decided to try to completely revamp my skincare routine and pick up a few bits to help out in that department as well as a few make up bits and body products.

 I picked up the Bioderma in my local pharmacy, they stock all sizes but I opted for a small one just to test it and see what I thought before splashing out on a full size. 

The Hydraluron is a repurchase, everything else is new.

Reviews coming soon!

Let me know what you'd like to see me review!

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation

I'm the first to admit that I can be quite fussy when it comes to foundation.... 

I'm always trying out new ones to try and find one that I love, whether it's drugstore or high end.

I recently picked up the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in Boots as a bit of a spur of the moment purchase and decided I'd test it out.

The thing with this product is that their is no unique selling point... there is nothing that differentiates this from other foundations, no wow factor. It doesn't make any bold claims, it just is how it comes.

I found this product, nice. It blends well, sits nicely on the skin and the shade is a good match for me, however I just wasn't blown away. I really found nothing special about it, it lasted a normal amount of time, was kind of medium coverage and wasn't cakey, so for drugstore I'd say it was a good one, but I definitely think you can pick up better ones at the same price.

Overall, I was satisfied, not impressed or not impressed. It does the job and that's all I expect from this.

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?

Maybelline Baby Skin

If you saw my last haul post you may have spotted this amongst the stash of beauty products.

I first spotted Baby Skin about a month ago on shelves but thought I'd wait to read a few reviews before getting my hands on it.

Before I begin I'll state that I haven't tried the Benefit Porefessional Primer so I can't draw a comparison, as I've seen many people saying that this is a 'dupe' for that.

Baby Skin claims to be a primer that also erases pores and leaves your skin looking smooth.

I've used this a few times now and I will say it didn't do much for my pores, they looked slightly better but that could be due to my foundation also.

I also noticed that this product is very slippery, I had read this on reviews and was weary of this ans upon using it I didn't like that about it, it makes applying make up slightly difficult and makes me look shinier than I'd like but that can be fixed with a bit of powder.

 Negatives aside I did like the consistency of this, I have very dry skin and silicone consistency's tend to sit better on my skin and not cling to any dry patches. 

I did notice also that it did make my make up last longer, I use primers a lot just because I have a tendency to rub my face a lot so make up doesn't tend to last on me and while I feel like most primers only really make a nice base from my make up to sit on, I never really notice a difference in the longevity, which is something I do like about this product.

Overall this product is a hit for me, I feel like the positives outweigh the negatives and for £7.99 I do feel like it does the job of a good primer as well making your skin feel much smoother.

Have you tried this yet? What are your thoughts? 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Flex Mascara

I feel like I'm on a constant hunt for the 'perfect' mascara.

I have quite long, curled lashes to begin with, but I feel mascara just pulls together any look and completes the make up. A few months ago whilst in Boots I stumbled across one of their latest launches the Scandaleyes Mascara. I love the Scandaleyes range, the eyeliners, shadowsticks and cream eyeshadows are brilliant!

However, the same sadly can't be said for this mascara.

When it comes to my lashes I like a bit of everything, length, volume and I like them quite spread out. No clumps! However, as much as this mascara does offer length I find it quite clumpy and very difficult to remove resulting in me losing lashes each time I take my make up off. Argh!

Unfortunately this mascara is not a winner for me. I know they have a few other Scandaleyes mascara's in the range so let me know if you have tried any and what your thoughts are. 

Charles Worthington Texturising Spray

After hearing a lot of hype around this product and it being named the 'Oribe Texturising Spray', I knew I had to give it a go.

After trying and testing it for a few days I can now report back my thoughts on this product. 

Firstly, it does give volume, it adds a lot of texture to your hair which I can't really complain about. 

However, in my opinion this product feels a lot like hairspray, it smells like hairspray and it feels a lot like it whilst in my hair which I'm personally not a huge fan of seems I'm not really a hair product user. This is also an issue as it leaves me wanting to wash my hair straight away which is not great if you're using this production a daily basis. 

My final thoughts: if you don't mind a lot of product in your hair and you're used to that then I highly recommend this if you're looking for voluminous hair. However if you're like me and not really used to too much product and like your hair to feel clean constantly, then I'd probably steer clear.

As for it being a Oribe dupe, I can't comment as I haven't tried the latter, but it does do what it says on the tin and for a fraction of the price, it's worth a try.

Revlon | Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

My name is Jodie and I have a slight addiction to buying lip crayons. 

I don't know what it is that draws me to them, of course they are easy to apply and great on the go, but it's more than that, I like the packaging, the colouring in technique, the colour selections, I just like them. Over the past few months I've tried out several different lip crayons and the I have to say that the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains are definitley my most worn. 

The colour selection is perfect, the Orange was my staple for summer, I wore it almost every day, the red is perfect for a night out, the pink is not too pink, making it great for everyday wear and work and the berry one is my current favourite for Autumn/Winter. 

The pigmentation on these is incredible, and they last quite a while, even once faded they leave a nice stain on your lips.

I would advice using a lip balm underneath this product or a gloss over the top as I find them to be quite drying alone. But other than that, these are definitley some of my favourite lip products ever. 

(From left to right)

005-Crush | 040-Rendezvous | 045-Romantic | 001-Honey