a tartan tale

I don't know about you but my "likes" on BL is practically my shopping list that sets me back a few bob every now and then...  I have to admit I do tend to buy into the hype even although some hyped about products become  'nah' after a few uses however I have two products that did not fail to please. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light gives the most beautiful yet natural highlight under my eyes and it creates miracles in photographs by blurring blemishes. I have really ouly skin but I recently experienced a bad breakout and I was left with dry patched where the spots were, this is where the Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate worked a treat! It seen rid of any dry patches and left my skin feeling soft and smooth.  Another setting that I have been enjoying using recently is the Ben Nye Natural Set loose powder; like I said before I have very oily skin so I often need to blot and touch up my makeup so I love when I find a powder that you can tou

Please forgive the lateness of this post!  I have now seen this blush/bronzer appear on a multitude of blogs over the last few weeks!  First of all I would like to applause Guerlain for once again delivering such luxurious packaging! It has that sofisticated "old" feel, worthy of an old Hollywood movie star! However when you open the compact you are presented with the product that is somewhat the complete opposite to the outside packaging concluding the name "Crazy Terracotta".  The powder itself is a mosaic of warm shimmery browns and there is also a pop of colour with some light peach and bright pink.  I prefer to swirl my brush in the powder picking up every shade and applying a strong wash of colour to my cheeks - whatever I have left on the brush I like to sweep across the high points of my face to give a healthy glow (even in the winter). It distributes just the right amount of "glow" so you don't look too shimmery or shiny.  Lastly I just want t

My skin is:  A. Very Oily (t-zone) B. Acne prone with scaring C. Sensitive ...not a great combination!  Now the lighting in the before picture was very kind and my skin doesn't look too bad?!   Although I do suffer from mild acne and sometimes have outbursts of bad breakouts, I don't like heavy coverage or to feel caked in foundation and concealer to cover my imperfections instead I like to let my skin breathe and to achieve this I use Chanel Vitalumière Aqua.  It has a thick consistency but does not feel heavy on the skin and it blends out easily. To apply I like to use my fingers and blend out using a patting motion instead of a swiping motion so I can pat on some extra foundation on my more problamic areas around my forehead and chin.  The lasting power on my oily skin isn't great on my oily areas and I need to blot a couple of time and around mid day I need to apply a little more foundation on my nose as it tends to separate and I can look a little 'patchy' but

In my 'foundations I regret buying' post I mentioned a really bad breakout that I experienced at the start of this year that only got worse after switching up my skincare and using Clinique anti-blemish solutions (please note that I am not saying that the Clinique products are terrible products, they simply didn't work for me, I know people that it worked wonders for).  My skin is very oily on my t-zone especially on my nose but I have dry cheeks and the area around my lips, it is very sensitive and gets irritated very easily and I still suffer from mild breakouts.  The breakouts I suffered from got so bad that my full face was in pain so I was prescribed medication to help clear my skin and I have since found products that work for me and don't cause further breakouts or irritation.  I use the following products on rotation: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish I use this most days morning & night because it is quick and easy to use; you apply this to a dry face and rub

The first time I heard about this perfume was while watching amodelrecomends perfume collection on youtube, I have purchased perfumes that Ruth has reviewed before and I have absolutely loved them, so when this perfume was mentioned I new I had to try it... then I noticed the cost! I visited Harvey Nichols on a trip to Edinburgh last year and the first counter I spotted when walking through the doors was of course the Tom Ford counter, I walked over and spritzed a little onto the card and instantly fell in love but I couldn't justify the cost so instead I bought Agent Provocateur (another from Ruth's collection - but the summer edition). A year later on another trip, I bit the bullet, took the plunge and splurged out £135 for the 50ml.  I received some sighs and shocked faces from family members but then I let them smell it and a few could then justify the cost.  Now I am not great at describing scents so I have included what Harvey Nichols had to say on their we

Today I went shopping with some family for my mum's birthday; I thought I would share what I bought... Firstly I popped in to Jo Malone because I wanted to test the colognes that have recently been released but instead I purchased Wild Bluebell. My next stop was Superdrug where I picked up some eyeliners from Rimmel and L'Oréal. I don't normally wear eyeliner at all  unless its white and on my water line, but someone suggested I try brown so its not so harsh looking and speaking of harsh, I also bought a nude eyeliner as I've heard that it is supposed to look more natural than white. Also recently I have been wearing liquid liner winged out on my top lash line but the one I have been using is almost dried up because I haven't touched it since I bought it... last year! I thought I would give L'Oréal Super Liner Perfect Slim a try.   from left-right: (All Rimmel unless stated) Soft Kohl 011 Sable, Scandaleyes 012 Bronze, Scandaleyes 004 Taupe, Scandaleyes 005 Nude

Although these foundations don't work for me they may work wonders for others.  Bourjois healthy mix  I wanted to adore this foundation as it has been raved about in the blogosphere but I just doesn't work for me. Now I have very pale skin but I do sometimes buy foundations that are a shade darker to accommodate my skin when I apply self tan but this was the lightest shade Bourjois have to offer and I found that it oxidised and turned a horrible dark pink tone. As for lasting power I'm not going to slate it for my skin getting oily really quickly because this is a hydrating foundation and I do have combination skin ...however, I have dry skin around my lips and this wore off relatively quickly leaving a white rim around my mouth that looked horrendous due to the oxidised foundation on the rest of my face.  Clinique anti-blemish solutions At this start of this year I experienced a really bad break out that spread all the way down my neck and onto my chest so off I popped to

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ad·dic·tion    Noun The fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity. I cant be helped or I don't want to be helped?! So today I picked up more that I set out to buy but once I spotted the new Dior creme blushes I just had to... I picked up two colours; Capri (light pink) & Panama (coral)  I also picked up my favourite cleanser & setting powder; T'raaa x  

Liquid illuminators are my favourite highlight because you can build them up to look dramatic when needed or wear them toned down for a more natural look. For years I have used M.A.C strobe liquid and I love it but I have recently discovered Topshop's All Over Glow makeup and I can honestly say it's the same product in different packaging! P.S I also add liquid highlighters to matte foundations to give them a little luminosity so they don't look so flat (works great with Estée Lauder Double Wear)   

So today's face of the day was completed using the following products: BASE: Laura Mercier silk crème foundation (cream ivory) & Collection Lasting Perfection concealer (fair 1). To set I used Rimmel Stay Matte (001 transparent)  CHEEKS: Benefit Hoola Bronzer & M.A.C Dame blush HIGHLIGHT: Topshop All Over Glow  EYES: Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel (through socket) M.A.C Wedge eyeshadow (to blend) & Vanilla (on lid & brown bone) Maybelline Master Precise liquid eyeliner (lash line) M.A.C Fascinating eye kohl (water line) Maybelline the falsies volume express-black drama.  LIPS: M.A.C Please Me & Russian Red (blended together)    

rLets face it, in a whim we can all do something a little bit crazy!  So this all began last year... I would go to the hairdressers ask for a "trim" and there something about that word that hairdresser think you asked for a shoulder cut or a bob. I would be polite in the salon then walk out and feel bald (bit dramatic but I would be annoyed).  I bought VOGUE magazine and one article was "cut your hair at home" and thats exactly what I did and I have never returned to a salon I even use boxed dyes because their not as damaging to my hair due to a lower percentage of chemicals used.  On to what happened - my Gran was a hairdresser so she has countless pairs of professional scissors so one night I grabbed a pair, pulled my hair round to the front of my shoulders and chopped away taking off about 2-3" (this was how much I needed to take off). I have previously had layers in my hair so I cut the same length off them too to keep a layered look. I do

The tousled/bed-head look never gets old and now that summer is just around the corner I have gathered together my favourite Bumble and bumble products that I use to achieve the perfect tousled look. Bb thickening - This is a hairspray that you spray onto damp hair. I spray this onto towel-dried hair, brush through then blast my hair dry tipping my head upside down and brushing my finger through as I do so. This leaves my hair feeling thicker and fuller at the roots giving my flat hair a much needed lift! I love this thickening spray because it doesn't leave my hair feeling heavy or full of product, once its dry it is practically undetectable! Bumble South Surf spray - This is the next product I use and I spray this onto dry hair and I use both hands to scrunch my hair to create that messy beach hair. I will often switch this up with the thickening hairspray, using this in towel-dried hair and the hairspray in dry hair although you can feel this product when your hair is dri

BB Creams are taking the makeup world by storm! Makeup brands from both drugstores and department stores are creating this new lightweight answer to foundation. I first heard about BB Creams a few years ago before they became so popular but you could only source them through eBay and Amazon and I was sceptical and decided not to bother purchasing any, however now they are widely available and hard to resist. I followed the hype and chose to go with the Dior one - setting me back £30, but was it worth it?! Yes! Unfortunately the colour rage isn't great with Dior only releasing three shades; 001 is a pink tone, 002 is a yellow tone and 003 is for the more tanned women amongst us. I opted for shade 001 but I'm considering buying 002 so I can mix the two and create my perfect shade. I have very oily skin and in the past I have suffered from acne so I have scaring along my forehead, on my chin and around my mouth so when buying a base I like to ensure it is going to discu

Aside from the smell of the seaside, hotdogs and melted sticky ice-cream nothing smells more like summer than this little beauty! After seeing this appear on almost every blog and in tons of magazines I finally caved! The first blog I spotted this on is my favourite and I knew I had to have it because I have been so pleased with my perfume purchases that She has reviewed before, think Eccentric Molecules 01 & Tom Ford Santal Blush. This is a fig-y fragrance, if you love fig notes in your perfume then you'll love this. I was disappointed  to begin with... The only way I can describe the smell is very "earthy" with a splash of coconut and in the middle of December it didn't exactly fit, I just found the leafy smell a little to overwhelming. However in May it just works perfectly (even when i's a dull rainy day in May). As silly as it sounds this perfume lifts your spirits on a dull summers day because every so often you catch a breeze of summer in P