YSL Touche Éclat Foundation

Some of you may have read my little post about claiming a free tester of the upcoming YSL foundation from YSL counters across the country using a printable voucher provided on the Facebook page.

Naturally, I too claimed this tester and despite it being a 7 day tester, this has lasted me 3 weeks and is still going. This is me using a generous amount as well, I haven't been using it sparingly. The first day I used the foundation I remember being extremely impressed, it really is a good match for my skin (I was colour matched as BR30 (Beige Rosé), and is surprisingly light, I didn't have a heavy foundation feeling on my face - one of the reasons I never used to wear foundation. I was even impressed with the scent. 

When applying this foundation, I have used my hands to blend, rather than a foundation brush or any other brush just for speed really. It blends really well, and has good coverage, I still need to use concealer, but nowhere near as much as before as this covers up minor imperfections quite well.

After a days wear, it still seems to be going strong, it lasted me well over an entire day at a festival. It lasts well at work despite my face usually looking quite shiny by the end (which I still think is from the air con). It doesn't highlight any of my dry patches either which is one of my frustrations when wearing products.

I will be honest, when I first got the tester, I had hoped it would just be all hype and it wouldn't live up to expectations (because I didn't want to like it so much to want to pay the £28 price tag) but unfortunately, it has lived up to expectation, and the 7 day sample has lasted me quite some time, I think near enough 4 weeks. It hasn't clogged up my pores, or caused me to have any more break outs than I usually do, so I can see myself investing in this foundation in the future.

There are a couple of other foundations I would still like to try, but this may well be my next foundation purchase!

Even the bottle looks incredibly classy!

This can be bought online, or at YSL counters across the country for £28/30 ml which is the typical bottle size for a foundation I think.

Did you claim the sample? Or indeed buy the full size? How have you got on with it?

Kate x

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MAC Crosswires Lipstick Review

As mentioned in some previous posts about MAC Lipstick, I ordered a couple from the MAC website, and unfortunately one wasn't to my taste, so I sent it back and exchanged it. It took a little while for my exchange to arrive, to the point I was close to ringing them to ask whether they'd received it. I think the main reason for the delay is that I wrote "Crosswires" on my chosen replacement, but between me choosing that and sending it back, it went out of stock. So I then put an alternative as well.

I did indeed receive Crosswires and I'm very happy with it, I will admit it has some similarities with Vegas Volt, but it is a Cremesheen lipstick whereas VV is Amplified, so it feels a bit more toned down. Infact here is a picture with them side by side for comparison:

L: Vegas Volt R: Crosswires

Although they are very similar, you can see VV is more vibrant in colour and more coraly, whereas I think Crosswires leans slightly more to the red colour.

I really cannot fault this lipstick, like all MAC lipsticks I own they all look amazing on and smell amazing. This is really creamy and feels incredibly moisturising. With the heat at the moment, I've not been wearing so much lipstick, more lip balms and lipglosses.

The next lipstick on my purchase list is Fanfare, but that may be a little while away as I should really work through the lipsticks I have at the moment. I will admit I do have quite a few!

I think MAC has put the price of their lipstick up, as they were £13.50 but now they appear to be £14. Boo! Somehow that extra 50p sounds like a lot in my head!

Has anybody else got this colour? What are your thoughts?

Kate x

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Models Own WAH Nail Wraps

One of my very first blog entries on here was a review of some Primark Ooh La La Nail Wraps that I purchased on a whim just before I reached the checkout. After being quite pleased with them, when I was walking through Boots and spotted that Models Own did nail wraps, I didn't hesistate to buy some. I bought them a little while now, but only got around to applying them last night. 

These nail wraps are just pure super adhesive, unlike others that need heating to be able to remove them and apply them, which I thought would be a bonus, as heating the Primark ones was a pain. The wraps also come with a nail file/buffer which I assumed was to smooth them out on the nail and then to file away the excess.

I started with application, and the first one didn't go to well, it went very wrinkly and wouldn't settle down around the tip of my nail despite the amount of smoothing I did, it also wrinkled down the sides. I thought I'd probably done something wrong and proceded to apply all the others. Unfortunately, it was the same with every single nail. No matter how much I tried to smooth them down, they would slowly crease back up and because of this I caught them on my clothes this morning and dirt and makeup has started to gather in the wrinkles. The final straw was when I itched my nose, but it scratched really hard (possibly down to not filing the wrap properly). I thought sod it, when I wash my hair it's all going to go wrong, so I started off the day with nails like this:

and I have ended up with three left - both little fingers, and my right ring finger. My friend at work took these photos for me, because I couldn't bare to keep them on all day to take photos once I got home. The ones I pulled off are now stuck to my desk.

I don't think it looks so bad in the photos, but it was seriously getting on my nerves. I was constantly aware I had these things on my fingers. It's such a shame, because they are gorgeous, and I'd been looking forward to trying them out for so long, but I just didn't get along with them.

I've read another review of these same nail wraps where the blogger too had some problems with wrinkling, so I'm assuming it's something to do with the wraps themselves, rather than me having freaky hands. However, I did read somewhere that people with more curved nail beds are more susceptible to this happening - I don't know how true this is, but it seems plausible to me anyway!

This is obviously just my experience with these nail wraps, and there isn't anything to say I won't get comments saying others haven't had any problems and I'm at fault. If anybody else has tried these wraps though, let me know how you got on, I'd really be interested to know!

The Models Own WAH Nail Wraps are £7 and can be bought online via the Models Own website or in Boots.

Kate x

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Battle of the Beauty Box

I will admit, I've been relatively late hopping onto the beauty box bandwagon but that wasn't for lack of wanting. Over the past couple of months I decided to branch out from just Glossybox and I currently have Joliebox and She Said Beauty subscriptions running along side, with the aim of making an executive decision hopefully by the end of July as to which box is for me.

June was the first month where I could compare all three boxes side by side, and unfortunately there was one that shone, one that completely let itself down and one that was good but was let down by certain external factors.

Glossybox
It's no secret that this months Glossybox has had a lot of heavy criticism, about the box itself and the staff at Glossybox.
As a subscriber to this box, I was pretty disappointed with it, I'm not even going to try and convince myself otherwise. Glossybox costs £12.95/month (inc. p+p) which I really don't think this box was worth at all. Most months there's usually at least one product that stands out and I start to use regularly. This box has been shoved into a dark corner yet to be opened again.

I had a little incident at the end of June with Glossybox - I had previously been on a 3 month subscription that ended in June, so I thought I'd renew my subscription and didn't think anything else of it still being June, as I thought my account would show that I had already had June's box, and therefore it would register that this new subscription would be for July's box. I was wrong. A couple of hours after I took out the rolling subscription I got an invoice for June's Glossybox - cue me frantically ringing them telling them I don't want June's box, I already have one. I was informed that as they were still dispatching June boxes, I'd technically paid for another one. Luckily I called in time for them to cancel it. However, I did check the website in the t&c's and I couldn't find a cut off date for subscriptions which was a little frustrating.

I know a few people who have since cancelled their Glossybox subscription, but I'm not one of them. I'm giving them one more month to prove themselves, then the subscription will unfortunately be cancelled and it will be bye bye Glossybox.

She Said Beauty 
I have now received two She Said Beauty boxes and both times I haven't been disappointed! I will admit, aesthetically I'm not as keen on the boxes - they have a tendency to come a little unstuck, but I'm more interested in what's coming in the boxes, not what the products are coming in. She Said Beauty boxes have been sent promptly, and arrived in record time. They are sent at the end of each month, ready for the start of the next month. So August's box will probably arrive at the end of July, which if I'm honest makes more sense to me, as opposed to arriving mid way through the month or even at the end of that month. The She Said Beauty website allows you to post reviews and they've even turned it into a social networking sort of site, so you can interact with other subscribers, follow them, and like products.

This box is the cheapest of the three (11.95 inc. p+p) which although it is a pound a month, it works out as saving the amount of a whole box a year.

JolieBox
June was my first month of subscription with JolieBox and unfortunately it wasn't without it's ups and downs.

June's box for JolieBox was their birthday box and there were two different box designs - I received the  orange box which is the one I wanted!

Everything I received this month was skincare related which I was quite happy about it, I get the impression that JB focuses more on skincare than it does makeup or fragrance which is something that I really like.

There was a mailing problem with the boxes this month, meaning that they arrived near enough 2 weeks later than planned which I will admit was quite frustrating but it is a luxury product, not like a birthday present so I don't think it was the worst thing in the world. The only thing that I found ridiculous was that you pay £2.95 for delivery for each of the boxes, which should bring the same level of service and reliability. If delivery was less I'd think I'd gotten what I'd paid for. Joliebox kept people updated via their social media sites, but unfortunately many subscribers turned on them for something that was beyond their control. If I'm honest, if I didn't work where I do (customer service for a company that ships products and therefore have problems with shipping on occasion too) I probably would have joined that bandwagon and been severely disappointed, verging on angry.

Jolie Box too has started a customisation profile, with the aim of supplying you products suited to your skin type and tone which started with June's box, but given the problems, some people received the wrong product. I think I did too, but I'm still going to give it a go!

JB is like GB in that it is £12.95 inc. p+p.

-----

All in all going by June's boxes, I would most likely keep up with JB and SSB boxes rather than GB but I'm giving GB one last chance, then if it doesn't improve, unfortunately I will have to let them go. I've loved the anticipation of getting new boxes each month, but it is costly, and I'd ideally like to get down to one box, but I'm not too sure which box that will be yet! All in all over the last month I have been impressed by two boxes (despite one being hindered by their delivery service) and thoroughly disappointed by the third.

This probably hasn't been as informative as I hoped it would be, but I believe these beauty boxes are all down to preference, and I wouldn't recommend having too many subscriptions out in one go as it can become a little costly!

Kate x

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MAC Hot Gossip Lipstick

Another MAC lipstick! Can you tell I'm a little obsessed at the moment? This time it is a Cremesheen lipstick in Hot Gossip which is a lovely pink colour, to me it looks like it might have some bluey undertones when I look at the lipstick itself. 

This is the other lipstick that I ordered from the internet together with Capricious (which has been sent back unfortunately and I am still waiting a replacement) and luckily I was more impressed with this lipstick! Especially because the online swatch does represent the colour that it actually is.

I've noticed that there is a different in feel between this Creme Sheen lipstick and my Vegas Volt Amplified, this isn't quite as creamy, or more it doesn't glide on as readily as the Amplified one, it is no way a negative. Think of it more as trying to spread butter when it is room temperature and trying to spread it when it is slightly more rigid onto say bread. It feels really creamy when it is on and has the lovely vanilla scent to it.

This colour I really like, it's a lovely pink, but it's not one of those bright in your face pinks. It has a nice finish and the other thing that I like about it is that it isn't so bright that any slight jolt of the hand shows up like with brighter reds, so you can definitely get away without wearing lipliner (I don't own any) so there is margin for error and it's not one where you have to look in the mirror when applying, you can get away with putting it on like lip balm. In my opinion at least!

All in all I am loving this colour, I'll be honest, I really thought I should send it back when it first arrived, but after looking at swatches of how it would look once applied I was convinced I would like it. 

Do you own Hot Gossip? What is your favourite MAC pink lipstick?

Kate x

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Clarins Daily Energizer Cleansing Gel

 

On a trip to town a while ago, I decided to pick up the Clarins Daily Energising Cleansing Gel as I had heard good things about the new range which I believe to be have younger skin in mind. 

“Late nights, partying, studying, pollution and stress - young skin really benefits from the radiance boosting ingredients found in our Daily Energizers range. Five aromatic, plant-infused formulas hydrate, protect, energise and correct so you can live your life and still maintain a flawless, radiant complexion” (Clarins website)

You can probably see that my tube is half full, so I have used quite a bit, and took it on holiday with me. My skin feels clean after using it, but not as though it has been too harsh on my skin or dried it out. This face wash is actually suitable for all skin types, whereas some I am aware are designed for oily skin and others for normal/dry skin etc. It has a pleasant scent, though I can’t pin down exactly what it is. 

I will admit that I haven't used this face wash exclusively, I've tended to use it in the morning to start my day and I use another face wash in the evening.

This product is definitely worth a go if you're in the market for a new face wash! I'm thinking of trying another product from the range sometime in the future too!

It is available for £11.00/75ml at Clarins counters and online. 

Kate x

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Clinique Chubby Stick - Super Strawberry

On my recent holiday, I did a quick sweep of the duty free and picked up one of Clinique's Chubby Sticks, although not in one of their newer shades (choice was limited) I did pick it up in Super Strawberry which is a deep pink/cranberry shade. 

Chubby Sticks aren't like lipsticks, they are essentially a tinted lipbalm but perhaps with a bit more coverage, akin to Revlon Lipbutters. 

The colour range is fabulous, now with 16 shades and I am sorely tempted to buy Mighty Mimosa or Curvy Candy, both I've swatched on the back of my hand, I'm not too sure how they would actually show up on my lips.

One thing I like about the Chubby Stick is that I can apply it without having to use a mirror, application doesn't have to be too precise, so at work it is perfect as I can apply it without sitting at my desk staring in a little mirror. These are definitely good for a low maintenance day look!

Apologies for the bad photo. 

Due to this being more of a balm, you don't really need to worry about dry lips, and it is very moisturising. If I'm honest I'm not entirely sure that it merits the £16 price tag but given that it is a good quality product, it doesn't feel waxy, it feels moisturising and doesn't have a strange scent, it has a slight rose scent to it if anything!

If you can afford it, I would recommend giving them a go. 

Kate x

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MAC Vegas Volt Lipstick

Up until recently, I have only owned two MAC Lipsticks, both Viva Glam ones - Cyndi and Gaga (1) both of which are lovely. I especially love Cyndi - a lovely red that leaves margin to error with application. I hate how red lipsticks often show up uneven application.

I have recently jumped on the coral loving bandwagon, and spotted a Clinique Limited Edition lipstick called Runway Coral. Given that it costs £16.00 and is only available online and therefore incurs P+P I decided to seek out a cheaper alternative, and stumbled upon Vegas Volt. 

This is a lovely lipstick, it lasts for some time, though I couldn't tell you in hours specifically, it doesn't dry my lips out and doesn't have a habit of bleeding. The scent is the usual vanilla scent as normal with MAC lipsticks. 

Pricewise this will set you back £13.50 and I assume is available at all MAC counters.

Do you own this shade? What do you think of it?

Kate x

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MAC Capricious Lipstick

This post isn't a review unfortunately, it is more of a little warning than anything. My June Wishlist mentioned the MAC Capricious lipstick as something I wanted to buy in the near future and buy it I did when MAC had free delivery on their website. 

Unfortunately, once it arrived I was thoroughly disappointed. Now, I completely understand that the colour we see on our screen can vary to what arrives, but for the most part, there is a slight difference on screen but once the lipstick arrives you can see that there is some resemblance.

Taken from MAC website. Swatch of Capricious.

This colour is described as a "Fanciful Rose Plum", and when it arrived it was more plum than anything. It wasn't anything like this picture whatsoever. 

Now, upon reflection I should have looked for other blog reviews before ordering it, but like I say, I didn't expect there to be such a stark contrast between the screen and what the shade was in person. I can only suggest that perhaps that this is just the wrong photo full stop or that the formula has been changed, as I have read two reviews, one with a colour more fitting to the MAC swatch, and one that compares to the colour that I actually received.

Photo from Amarixe

This is a photo from Amarixe's review of the lipstick (I didn't take any photos as I sent it back) which you can read here. You can see the stark difference. 

This may sound like a whiny post, but I just thought I'd post to make people aware of the difference! I have now sent the lipstick back and requested a replacement of either Fanfare or Crosswires (I originally specified Crosswires, but the day before I sent it off it came up as 'Out of Stock' on the website) I ordered another lipstick with this one, Hot Gossip so a review of that is still to come!

Kate x

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Liebster Blog Award

Jenni from Jenni My Style and Judy from Judy's Beauty Blog have both nominated me for the Liebster Award, which is pretty cool actually! I've seen the Liebster award being mentioned a few times before. I started blogging mid May, but didn't think I'd be nominated for it! I really like the idea of it :)

The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The Meaning; Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

 Here are the rules for receiving this award: 

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves 

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer. 

3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post. 

4. Go to their page and tell them. 

5. Remember, no tag backs! 

11 things about myself: 

1. I am left handed. 
2. My favourite colour is green. 
3. I am a quarter Malaysian (paternal Grandmother) 
4. My favourite animal is a giraffe. 
5. I am dyslexic. 
6. Aside from English, I speak French and German, some Spanish too though not as confidently. 
7. I like playing video games. 
8. I don't like liquorice. 
9. I'm a very messy person, I really struggle to keep things tidy.
10. I love The Beatles. 
11. I long to move to London. 

Jenni's questions: 

1. What is your phobia (come one, there must be something everyone is afraid of)? My phobia is snakes, which I realise is completely irrational, how often will I come into contact with snakes in my lifetime? But I hate them, I hate seeing them on tv and I just think they're evil. 
2. Something you wear everyday. A watch, I can't not wear a watch, I hate not knowing what the time is.  
3. Worst Habit? Interrupting people 
4. What do you think is the best thing invented? I think I would have to say cameras. 
5. Are you a tea drinker or a coffee drinker? Neither, I don't like hot drinks. I am on the other hand a squash fiend. 
6. How many pairs of shoes do you own? A lot, I'm not too sure off the top of my head but I'd hazard a guess at it being over 20. 
7. What would you do if you won the lottery? Depending on how much I won, probably buy a house and another mulberry bag. If it was only something like £7.00 then I'd probably use it to buy lunch in Tesco or something! 
8. Last 3 beauty products you last purchased? Benefit Dallas Ultra Plush Lipgloss, MAC Lipstick in Capricious and Hot Gossip, Schwarzkopf Glisskurs Hair treatment 
9. Name up to 3 must-have beauty items you cannot leave the home without? Powder, lipbalm, concealer 
10. Watched anything that made you cry? I cry at any remotely sad film. I think I've nearly cried out of happiness at a film once.... 

 Judy's questions: 

1. What is your favourite hair product and why? I'm yet to find one that I can't live without. Perhaps Dry Shampoo, I love the smell of it and it gives texture to my hair. 
2. Who is your favourite writer/novelist/poet? I'm trying to get back into reading, as uncultured as it sounds the author I have the most books from is Charlaine Harris (True Blood series) but my favourite book is A Very Long Engagement by Sebastian Japrisot.... 
3. What is your magazine of choice and why? Probably love it! I just love the trashy stories in it! 
4. What is your all time favourite movie? Cool Runnings 
5. Do you speak any other languages? Yes, French, German and Spanish 
6. What is your favourite makeup brand and why? Clinique, despite the price tag it's good quality. 
7. What is your favourite part about blogging? Knowing that people have read what I've written and are interested in what I have to say! 
8. What is your favourite perfume? Amor Amor by Cacharel 
9. What is your profession? I am a multilingual customer service executive 
10. Are you a romantic? Yes, no, maybe? A little, I surprised my boyfriend with a photobook of our recent holiday yesterday. He loved it. 
11. What is your favourite shoe brand? I don't really have one if I'm honest! 

My Questions 

1. Eyelash curlers; yes or no 
2. Do you wear foundation? 
3. What is your favourite cosmetic brand? 
4. Lipgloss or Lipstick? 
5. Why did you start (beauty) blogging? 
6. Where would your dream holiday be? 
7. Beauty boxes; yay or nay? 
8. What is your favourite colour? 
9. What is your favourite film? 
10. Do you have any pets? 
11. What is your most prized possession?

My nominations:
Tania
Emma
Monica
Hannah
Elena
Shiv
Alexandra
Kirsty
Alice
VLL
Beaumaquillage

Kate x