Review: No7 Stay Perfect Foundation

Let me start off the post by wishing everyone a very happy New Year! May we all achieve all our goals and aspirations and may this year be full of love, peace, happiness and success for us all!

I've had No7 Stay Perfect Foundation for quite a few months now and have been thoroughly enjoying it. It gives light to medium coverage and leaves a lovely natural finish to the skin. I have to say it's one of my go-to foundations at the moment! Wish I had a better thumbnail for my video rather than the not-too-impressed expression I had to settle with! Haha, check out my full review above or here.

Review: Me Me Me Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base

A few months ago I took advantage of a Groupon deal that Me Me Me had going on and this primer was one of the products that I purchased. I hadn't really heard that much about Me Me Me other than brief mentions in  one or two YouTube videos. I checked out their website first to have a look at the products and the Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base sounded like a really nice product to use, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. In Me Me Me's words this primer is a ''Moisturising facebase enriched with Shea Butter, Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene to prep & prime skin.'' Sounds good huh? I wasn't really sure what results to expect due to my oily/combination skin but a few reviews I had seen convinced me that this 'facebase' would smooth over my skin nicely and not leave it feeling greasy or like there's still something sitting on top of it. 

Texture: The texture of this primer is goooorgeously luxurious! It's thick and smooth though still light in a way, it doesn't feel heavy at all. It glides really nicely over your skin and leaves it soft and ready for foundation application.

Scent: I love the scent of this primer, it's exactly how I described L'oreal's Hydrafresh Active Day Ultra Hydrating Gel-Crème in the review I did a few posts ago - fresh and zesty! I think it has a very grapefruit-y scent to it.

Results: I've been loving the finish my skin gets when I use this primer. In my opinion it preps the skin perfectly for foundation. It leaves your skin with a sort of velvety finish while at the same time leaving the skin soft, supple and moisturised. I would say it is almost as good, or just as good as the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer in helping to reduce the appearance of pores and fine lines. I wouldn't say this primer helps your make-up stay put for hours on end, I believe it performs just as well as any other good primer in that aspect. But what I love about it is that it it feels like I'm using a really nice moisturiser. As I said, the finish is velvety though moisturising and nourishing so it's still great for oily skin types but also good for people with drier skin types that want a primer that feels lovely to use and doesn't over matify the skin. I've used this primer in both cold and hot conditions and can confirm that it did not make my skin any more oilier at any time! Definitely a repurchase for me, another 10/10 product for Luxe'n'Lush!

A point I want to make is that when I bought Me Me Me's Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base I think it was around £12 if I remember correctly. The price has now slightly gone up to £15, however it's currently on promotion on the Me Me Me website for £12.50.

Leggings Wish List

I'm currently obsessed with leggings so I thought I'd post a leggings wish list as a kind of 'part 2' wish list thing (in relation to my last post which was my blog's second wish list post) to share what I've been lusting over, with you hehe.

1. Topshop Moonshine High Shine Leggings

I love the 80s futuristic symmetric print on these. Reminds me of Blade Runner or something!

2. River Island Black Contrast Panel Leggings

You've gotta have a pair of black panel leggings right? I don't own a pair yet but these could well be a contender for my first pair!

3. [eBay] Dress Factor Baroque Leggings

Love the pop of aqua teal on these pair! The colour is a gorgeous compliment to the baroque pattern.

4 & 5. American Apparel White Black Afrika Leggings /  American Apparel Red Black Afrika Leggings 

I actually want the high waisted version of both of these. I've seen people wearing these and they look great with a bralet or cop top teamed with a cropped denim sleeveless jacket / waistcoat. The quality of the leggings are nice but I do think £25 for a pair is a tad expensive.

6. eBay High Waisted Faux Leather

Another high waisted choice, I like that these have the wet but matte look. I prefer them to the shinier looking ones.

And so that concludes my leggings wish list for now, hehe, no doubt it will most probably grow!

Wish List #2

1. Urban Decay The Vice Palette

2. Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM

3. Ray Ban Wayfarer [RB2140-901]

4. Illamasqua Rich Liqud Foundadion

5. Mango Quilted Chain Bag

6. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Spray

7. Me Me Me Angels With Halos Skin Illuminator

So my second wish list is slightly on the expensive side, but hey who cares??! It's a wish list so anything goes! Haha. Just when I was contemplating on whether to get UD Naked 2 Palette, The Vice was released and had it was luurve at first sight. The colours are so gorgeous! There are vibrant yet neutral colours so I literally do not have any excuse to not want it despite the hefty price tag! Though at least the price isn't as steep as the LV bag or Ray Bans! I've been lusting over this LV bag for some months now but I do not think I would ever have the courage to fork out the cash to actually buy it! I am prepared to settle for a Michael Kors tote bag in a similar style as the prices aren't thaaat bad at the Michael Kors outlet in Bicester Village. Now, the Ray Bans I guess aren't too bad either if you manage to get them on offer. I have a replica pair that I fortunately came across when I went to Barcelona (they do not say Ray Ban anywhere on the glasses) and of course the quality does not compare, I tried a pair of RBs on at Boots and they felt so luxey and sturdy at the same time! Also my pair have this annoying floral pattern in the interior of the glasses, at least it can't be seen while wearing the glasses. I was so glad when I came across the sunglasses as I couldn't find anything like them anywhere. I did browse through a few on eBay but I wasn't sure about how they would look in 'real life'.

The Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation is a foundation I've been really itching to try! It's maximum coverage meaning it's perfect for bad skin days. I was going to get the Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup for Face and Body but none of the shades worked for me wahh. When I was going to get the Illamasqua foundation the shade the lady said would work for me was out of stock. Always the case with me!! None of the shades match me or the one that does isn't in stock!

I saw this cute Mango handbag not too long ago but didn't get it as I was spending my money on something else of course. So it has been on my mind ever since! If I get a chance I probably will succumb and get it.

Ahhh Coco Mademoiselle! This has been on my mental wish list for an age and a bit! I never get it because it's one of the more expensive ones but I end up stocking up on not so expensive frangrances which just end up adding up to the same amount or more I guess, but I'm crazy like that. However, you shall be mine one day, Coco Mademoiselle!

Last but not least, the Me Me Me Angels With Halos Skin Illuminator. I do not have any liquid highlighters and would really like to try a good one. I do have a couple of Me Me Me products, one I love and the other was an extreme let down! I would like to give this 'illuminator' a go seeing as I do think highly of one of my Me Me Me products. Have you tried it? What's your favourite liquid highlighter? I have tried out Benefit's High Beam but I didn't like it enough to want to purchase it.

Well that's it for this Wish List installment! Hope the week has started out amazingly for everyone! x

Frizz Free Hair For 99p??

Really? Yep, you read right baby! I bought a microfiber hair turban not too long ago and it has been my top ally when trying to reduce the frizzies as much as possible. I've been using it after every hair wash whether I'm leaving my hair to dry naturally or whether I'm going to do a blow dry. Best of all it only cost 99p! Can't go wrong with soft frizz free curls for 99p! I believe this is the best product I've used to give my curls minimal frizz once my hair is completely dry. You can get these microfiber hair turbans in most of 99p/pound shops and I've also seen them in Primark for a higher price. Check out my video above for me info.

What's your favourite product for frizz free silky hair?

Cinnamon & Honey Topical Acne Treatment

Another kitchen fav post! This time it's about my love for cinnamon and honey paste. I use this paste any time I have any kind of breakout including cysts and it works like a charm! Check out some of the great skin benefits of honey and cinnamon:

Honey

• Humectant
• Antioxidant
• Antibacterial
• Soothing

Cinnamon

• Antibacterial
• Anti-inflammatory
• Astringent 
• Stimulant

I swear by this stuff and hope you'll try it if you haven't and enjoy it as much as I do! You can also use this mixture as a face mask but be careful if you have sensitive skin or severe acne as the exfoliant effect from the cinnamon could aggravate your skin. Check out the video above to see how I use the paste.

L'oreal Hydrafresh Active Day Ultra Hydrating Gel-Crème

I came across this moisturiser at a duty free shop going for two for $15 so how could I resist!? These types of gel like textured moisturisers always grab my attention because I usually feel they are usually the best type for my combination/oily skin. However my previous regular Garnier moisturiser isn't as gel-like, it has a slightly more creamy feel to it, which I like as it's a pleasant contrast to the more gel-like textured moisturisers I tend to opt for. My current moisturiser is completely different as it has a lovely rich velvety texture, it's a dream to use! Definitely my HG moisturiser, unfortunately it's been discontinued but I will be doing a post about it just because I think it's so amazing!! Also, you'll all know about it if it should ever come back on the shelves hehe, anyway back to the review...

Texture - The first thing I noticed about this moisturiser is its texture is similar to Clinique's Moisture Surge. In comparison I would say that Clinique Moisture Surge is slightly thicker in texture while L'oreal Hydrafresh Actice Day has a lighter feel to it. 

Scent - The scent, in my opinion, is absolutely lush! The words that come to mind when thinking about the scent would be fresh, zesty, citrus, and zingy. It's got a very refreshing 'awake' scent which makes it a pleasure to use just after an invigorating afternoon shower! It's quite strong but seeing as the scent is so nice I don't find it overbearing or annoying, though if you're the type who prefers subtly scented moisturisers or with no scent all together I don't think you'd appreciate this moisturiser's moderately potent scent.

"Enriched with calcium, magnesium and Vitamin C, E, B5" this moisturiser is aimed at normal/combination skin and claims to lock in hydration, intensely moisturise, refresh and reinvigorate the skin. Sounds amazing right?? Ha, but is it?? Well, I have to say I really liked this moisturiser! I do feel like it's a cheaper lighter dupe for the Moisture Surge which I quite like so if you like that give this a go if you're trying to save the pennies. I had been reaching for this on drier days when I felt like I needed more moisture than my Garnier Youthful Radience offers me. It smells gorgeous, feels lovely massaging it into your skin and it sinks in nicely leaving your skin feeling quenched with moisture. I find it best to use this moisturiser sparingly or else it doesn't absorb completely into my combination/oily skin. I don't think I'd use this in hotter humid conditions.

Verdict: 10/10 as I don't have anything bad to say about this moisturiser! If you like light fresh feeling moisturisers I definitely would recommend this one. What are your favourite light and gel-like moiturisers?

Mega Bargain Haul! Primark

So I recently went to Primark to get some PJs and ooobviously I came out with things I wasn't even planning to buy as per usual. Then, I went back to exchange the PJs and I guess you can imagine what happened again.. In my defence all the things I got were mega bargains! I only really like to buy Primark clothes when they're on sale as a lot of the time I don't think the full price is worth it. A lot of the time you're better off paying a bit more in a shop that sells better quality clothes. Don't get me wrong, Primark is great but you obviously aren't going to get the same quality you get in places like Mango, Zara.. etc. I have to say, even George at Asda is sometimes better than Primarni quality-wise and sells things at more or less the same prices. Things that I think are definitely value for money are of course items for the home, slippers and PJs, knickers, some accessories and a few other bits and bobs. Anyway, when there are good discounts going on at Primark I definitely think you get your money's worth for the quality your paying for, a cute chiffon top for a fiver? Yes please! Check out my haul below or here! xx

Halloween Special: Pretty in Pink Make-Up Tutorial

Halloween is slowly approaching meaning lots of fancy dress parties wohoo! If you're going anywhere as a princess or Barbie try out this super simple pink look! It's not as subtle as it appears in the pictures, I think the flash must have something to do with that as the eyeshadow actually looks a lot more bubble-gummy face to face. The inner corner colour practically looks the same as the rest but I assure you it's not! If you'd like to see how I did it then click here to see the vid!

Products Used

❧ Palettes: La Femme Shimmer Palette, Fash Warm Palette, Fraulein 120 colour palette
❧ Helena Rubenstein eyeshadow in Plum Cognac
❧ Clarins Super Restorative Foundation True Lift
❧ MAC Studio Fix
❧ Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer
❧ Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow Brick - Sunshine
❧ Estée Lauder Satin Cream Blush in 02 Mauve Light
❧ MUA blush in shade 2
❧ Carmex lip balm
❧ Vult cor 29

FOTD

 

Face - MAC Studio Fix, Estée Lauder Satin Cream Blush in 02 Mauve Light, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer & 'Sunshine' from Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Eye Palette as highlighter

Lips - Bourjois Rouge á Levres lipstick in 41 Sweet Kiss/Beige élégant

Eyes - Fraulein 120 Color Palette, Fash Warm Palette, La Femme Shimmer palette,  L'oreal Volume Million Lashes mascara & Sleek clear mascara

Hi beautylicious lurrvs! Excited about getting more use out of my bargainous Amazon eyeshadow palettes, I thought I'd share a FOTD post with you! Conincidently it actually matches my top which I only just realised hehe. The purples and main gold are from the Fraulein palette, my brow bone highlighter was from the Fash palette and my inner eye corner highlighter was from the La Femme palette. 

I applied the gold all over my lid then a light purple in the crease and blended it out. I then layered a darker purple over the lighter purple to intensify and continued to blend. The colour I used on my brow bone was a creamy warm colour so if you've got fairer skin you may prefer to use a lighter colour than that. I tend to opt for highlighters that aren't too light as I feel they don't work as well for my skin tone. Lastly I subtly lined my upper and lower lash line with a shimmery purple and the golds in the corners of my eyes. For my lashes I applied clear mascara as usual on my lower lashes and L'oreal's Volume Million Lashes to my upper lashes.

So there you have it, my purple and gold FOTD. I love it and got a few compliments on it so I'll definitely be going back to this one again in the future! Good vibes and peace to y'all, hope all has been wonderful. See you in Luxe 'n' Lush's next post! xoxo