The Review | No7 Shade and Define

NO7 STAY PERFECT SHADE AND DEFINE £8.00

These were a drunken purchase one evening at Waterloo station, not going to lie. But I have to say - I should drunk buy more often. Everyone is raving about the By Terry Black Ombre shadow sticks so when a few people said there was a high street dupe I was intrigued.

No7 isn't usually a brand I go straight to when I pop into Boots, I have a love/hate relationship with their products. This is definitely on the love side. First off I picked up Cool Mink, a beautiful nude beige with a definite hint of lilac in it - I think it's definitely a great dupe for the Misty Rock high end product. I love this colour and its been donning my lids every day since its purchase. It's a beautiful all over lid shade. The second shade I picked up was Coffee Bean, a dark coffee brown perfect for contouring and creating a natural smoky eye. 

The thing that really sells these is their quality. Creamy consistency, they don't crease in the slightly and create a lovely natural sheen. They are incredibly easy to apply and equally as easy to blend. They really come into their own with longevity. They literally last all day and into the evening - which for just £8.00 is frigging amazing. Love it.

These have made me realise I really need to pay more attention to No7 products - and I definitely want to pick up more of these crayons in different colours. They are my new eyeshadow love.

Have you tried these high street dupes?

Make Up | No7 High Shine Lip Gloss

NO7 HIGH SHINE LIP GLOSS IN CORAL KISS

I got this as part of one of No7's "Free Gift" offers, it's a mini version on one of their High Shine lip glosses in pale pink colour, Coral Kiss. Personally, I wouldn't say it's a coral at all but each to their own.

I am not a lip gloss person - just gonna point that out now, I don't like the feeling of them and for me they just feel continually heavy and I feel like I'm back in my teenager years when wearing them. But, I thought I would just give it a go!

So things I like about this, I like that it's a doe foot applicator, I hate the squidgy applicators - they are just messy, you can't control them and just aggravate me (rant over). Whereas these are really easy to use, apply and control. The colour is really cute, it is a PINK (not Coral) but it does have a little bit of subtle gold shimmer running through it. It's very subtle on the lips so good for an everyday shade. It's not too stick either - yay!

So what don't I like about it... Well, it's a lip gloss. I'm sorry! For someone who loves lip products I'm so weirdly against lip glosses, I just shrink away from them. This is still heavy and feels it on the lips - so when wearing it on holiday I did feel like my lips were sweating (is that even possible?!) but that is my only con.

I think if you like lip gloss than you will like this, however if you are like me and tend to avoid, then I woudn't recommend it. Like I said, it's probably mainly because I am not a lip gloss type of gal - but hey, gotta avoid something right?

What type of products do you avoid?

Trends | Battle of BB

This summer I have literally lived in BB creams. Compared to a foundation they are just that tad lighter, so it doesn't feel like your face is melting. I am a huge fan of BB creams and have tried a vast number of them (a scary amount really)... So today I wanted to show you guys the five I've currently got sitting in my cupboard waiting to be used...

Revlon Photoready BB Cream in Light Pale

One of my newer ones, this is part of Revlons Photoready range, a range that is meant to make your face look perfect and snap ready (as the name suggests). This cream is quite thick and looks scary pale when it comes out, but it blends it really nicely to go with your face colour and is very natural and matte looking. 

Longevity wise, it isn't brilliant I have to say - I wore it a few times to work and had to stop as by the time I got home there was nothing left, but in small doses this is beautiful.

No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Normal/Oily Skin

The newest of the five, I bought this just before I went on my holibobs to wear in the hot weather. Again, it's a thicker cream as opposed to a liquid foundation and actually is a bit hotter than my liquid foundations so didn't really do the job i wanted of not melting my face. However, it did keep the sun off my face and I came away with no burn for the whole holiday. This is very natural looking when on, but very dewy which I find unusual for an oily skinned product - but still nice looking. Longevity wise it's great, and seemingly waterproof in the pool. However - this broke me out now end, I came home with spots in places I never had them before so this has unfortunately stayed in the cupboard ever since landing.

La Roche Posay Hydreane BB Cream in Light*

I was kindly gifted this and when I first started using it I fell in love. It has a lovely soft creamy texture that just melts into the skin, no weight at all and so comfortable to wear. It was the perfect colour choice as well, stayed for hourrss and kept the sun off of my face. All in all the perfect BB cream! However, in the end it didn't sit well with my oily skin and eventually I did have to stop using it as it excelled spots - lovely I know! If you don't have oily skin you have to get this though as it is lovely. I still wear it every now and then, but I can't wear it continually *sad face*

Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Cream (travel version)

I found this on a blog sale and snapped it up immediately as I'd heard amazing things and was definitely intrigued, but didn't want to settle with the price tag of the full size. Well, I should have done and I will because this is solid gold. It's lighter than a liquid foundation, even though it's a cream, blends to your skin tone naturally and applies like a dream. Longevity is impressive and no sun rays through this little barrier. My skin also feels ridiculously soft when this is on. This is definitely my favourite by far and I would recommend all of you pop out to buy it.

The Body Shop All in One BB Cream

Last but not least in the offering from The Body Shop. I got this as I was intrigued, it comes out like a white cream, but has pigments that burst when you rub into the skin, adapting itself to your tone. It's a little dark for me, and I've heard a lot of others as well, and I have the lightest version. It's a lovely base, very moisturising and long lasting, but like I said - tone is all wrong for me really and my real bug bear is that it doesn't contain SPF - how is it a BB cream without SPF?!

 

Overall, Dr Jart wins it for me - I have to be so careful with bases so they don't aggitate my oily skin and this just does wonders for me. Definitely be buying the full size when my mini one runs out!

 

What's your favourite BB cream?

Make Up | Extravagant Volume Mascara

NO7 EXTRAVAGANT VOLUME WATERPROOF MASCARA IN BLACK £12.00

Before I went on my hols I was on the hunt for a waterproof mascara - now I have L'Oreal Telescopic Waterproof, but I wanted to try something a bit different. I had a No7 voucher so decided to treat myself. As always, I got it in black. Sow how did I get on?

This is qutie a big brush, with thin bristles all over and on the end of the brush as well to help get all the little lashes. I found this to give such a natural look of elongated lashes, it pulls them up and curls them - making them longer and seperating all the lashes. I also found this to be perfect as a bottom eye mascara.

It's really long lasting as well, not smudging in water and also just generally staying put throughout the entire day. A tad pricey as a mascara for a drugstore product, but it is a really good mascara and has taken over as my daily coating from Telescopic.

Have you tried any of No7's mascaras? What's your favourite?

Summer Care | Poolside Pals

As we speak I am by the pool in a villa in the South of France. Last year I didn't go on a summer holiday so I'm mega excited. I flew out on Saturday evening with Adam to join my parents, Uncle and Aunt. Nice. So, I thought I'd pop a little post on my poolside pals - those beauty bits that I'll be wearing by the pool.

Waterproof Mascara

Yes, I am one of those that has we still wear mascara by the pool. So sue me. Anywho, I love L'Oreal Telescopic, however it runs like a mother. So I've popped the waterproof version in my suitcare and this will be gracing my eyelashes every day by the pool. Nothing worse than panda eye by the pool!

Facial SPF

Foundation is far too heavy for the pool. And although there are some fab lightweight foundations now, it's still a tad too heavy so I'm falling in love with BB creams at the moment. I have a couple of favourites such as Dr Jart and Revlon's new PhotoReady BB cream.

Summer Toes

My finger nails are all gellish-ed up at the moment, so it's just my toes that I need to take care of. This Summer Collection from Essie is gorgeous and perfect for the summer. I love Sunday Funday, it's a gorgeous shimmery coral and they are the mini version so perfect for travel and Essie quality - which means long lasting!

Protect Your Lips

I'm completely in love with No7 BB Lips. Yes, a lip gloss and a tad heavy for by the pool, but it contains SPF so it protects your lips so you don't have to worry. Blush Coral is the perfect summer colour and sutble enough to get away with wearing it by the pool. Any lips product with SPF in it is a winner for me, and if it's a gorgeous colour it's even better.

Tweezers

Okay, so not waiting at the poolside with my but I cannot live without my tweezers on holiday. Without much make up on the little whiskers on the face need to be vanquished and any stray hairs from the bikini line need to be gone as well! I love these Tweezerman mini's - portable and o so cute!

What's your poolside pals?

Trends | Top 10 under £10

I got the idea for this from Fleur's channel (video here). I loved the idea of this and considering most of my make up is drugstore this would be fab to try and do. I have tried not to use any of there Top 10 to create a big of variety! I actually found it really really hard to whittle some of these products down. I've tried to use products for every kinda face part as well (if that makes sense...) so let's take a peek!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation £9.99

A cult classic really, or it's turned into one anyway. I really love this foundation. It's a medium weight foundation that has fantastic coverage and is really long lasting. For me as well it doesn't clash with my oily skin which is always going to get a thumbs up in my book.

Max Factor Miracle Touch Cream Blush in Soft Pink £4.99

A gorgeous cream blush, incredibly easy and quick to apply. Small packaging so perfect for travelling, yet lasts for a while. Again, really good quality and very long lasting and I love the colour of this. It looks really natural on and as it doesn't go powdery on application it's great for lips as well.

Essie Mini Collections £9.99

Essie polishes are normally £7.99 from Boots, so these mini collections are a great way to nab three of the current collection and work out at around £3.34 each - so not bad at all! Yes they are mini, so not as much product, but they still have the same Essie quality and the ones I have so far are fab.

Bourjois Bronzing Powder £6.99

A bronzer I've had for about a year now and still not touched the pan. It's a gorgeous subtle matte bronze that's perfect for us paler types, but helps to warm up the complexion and is a dab hand for contouring as well. Great price and it smells like chocolate. They know how to market to us girlies!

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks £6.29

Probably one of the best quality high street lipsticks I've ever tried. Really pigments, great coverge and good longevity and a wide range of colours. I love these and I'm always reaching for them. A really good price and something I think is quite overlooked in drugstores - needs much more hype then it currently has!

L'Oreal Micellar Water £3.33

A really fab drugstore version that I've been reaching for continually. It's calming on the skin and amazing at removing make up. It's a very watery version compared to Bioderma, but it's such a good price for the quality of product that you get. I've fallen head over heels for it. 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Pencil £4.49

I love these crayons. So so easy to use and apply and really long lasting as well. Great product for such a small price, and a fab dupe for the Clinique Chubby Sticks. Not a huge range of colours, but I love the champagne and bronze colours - great for everyday wear. 

Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter £8.00

My ultimate favourite shower cream/gel/wash ever. It's amazing as a shaving cream - it keeps the legs moisturised instead of dry and flaky and is actually just amazing on the skin. Pricey for a shower product, but definitely worth it for me as I really struggling after shaving.

L'Oreal SuperLiner in Black £6.49

My perfect eyeliner. It's got the easy to use felt tip applicator and fantastic pigmentation. It's really easy to apply over eye shadow and doesn't transfer onto the top of the lid, and is really long lasting. A great price as well for a liquid liner.

No7 BB Lips £8.50

A new addition to my routine but one I absolutely love. They are so comfortable on the lips and also protect really well against the sun. I love the subtly of the colours as they are perfect for everyday wear at work as well and they are just altogether fab to me.

I have literally rewritten this so many times. I did notice that there isn't a lot of skincare on this... Unfortunately I tend to go for the higher end bits for skin care - make up however I have found you can get some amazing bits for a low price. I'm sure I've forgotten something... O well, here is my top 10!

What's your top 10 under £10?

Summer Care | No7 BB Lips

NO7 BB LIPS IN BLUSH CORAL AND BLUSH PINK £8.50 each

After seeing these little lip products on Rebecca's blog I was intrigued, then a  little tipsy visit into the Boots at Waterloo I seemed to have bought two shades - opps!

So, BB is something that has been around the block, I don't have anything against them and I think in this weather they are ideal - either that or a tinted moisturiser anyway. So having a lip product claim to be a BB I was intrigued. If anything I think it's more suitable as a lip balm - because it's a balm. Stating the obvious but you know!

Anywho, so I'm not a huge fan of squeeze and spread applications anyway, so I'm not a fan of that, but the product itself I really do love. It's comfortable on the lips and I love that it has SPF in it. The colour isn't too pigmented either, it's just enough to tint the lips and give a subtle colour.

Blush Coral is a gorgeous pale coral, very subtle and really easy to wear and suitable for all skin types. Blush Pink, the darkest in the range, it's a gorgeous deep pink that is perfect for something a little dressier, but still (you guessed it) subtle!

Overall I do love these, they are perfect for the weather at the moment, protecting the lips as well as becoming a gorgeous summer staples shade. A little pricey for a gloss, but they were buy one get one half price, and I had a cheeky No7 voucher - so really it cost me £9 for the both of them - not bad!

What's your summer staple lip product?

Trends | Powder v Cream Blusher

I've been having this as an internal debate so I thought I'd bring this debate to you guys. Now, it's a big one and of serious importance... Powder v Cream Blusher...! I know, it's a dilemma... So let's get onto each side of the debate!

Powder

One of the reasons I like powder blush so much is that I get oily skin and powdered blushes don't tend to aggravate this or clog up those oily pores. Not all cream blushes do this, but it's definitely something to think about when trying to decide over a powder or cream blush.

I also find them a lot easier to apply and build on, it's just a matter of swirling your brush in and brushing across your cheeks, adding as much or as little as you like and you control where it goes. I find cream blushes are near impossible to apply with a brush, it's definitely a finger application.

My favourite powder blushes are Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush and also No7 Natural Blush.

Cream

I have found that cream blushes tend to last longer, as a product and on the skin as a blusher. I find it sinks into the skin a bit more, just clinging on that little but longer so you don't have to worry about topping it up every couple of hours.

Having said powder is easier to apply, I find cream blushes are great for on the go, as it's just a case of popping your find in and blending it. There is never as much control as with a brush, but it's a great just to carry around with you if you need a rushed top up.

I prefer the finish on a cream blusher than a powder blush. I think with a powder blush it's usually obvious that it's a powder blush (if that makes sense) whereas cream blusher is easier to blend into the skin and tends to look a lot more natural and for me just has a much nicer finish.

My favourite cream blushes are Topshop Cream blushes, Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush and Revlon Baby Stick.

Overall, both have some really great merits. I tend to prefer cream blush in the summer as it gives more a dewy natural look, which I love in the hotter months (which we'll get at some point, right?). But I also love my powder blushes. It's a hard choice - but at the moment I am definitely sidling towards my cream blushers. I'm using them a lot more than my powder ones and when I go shopping I always go towards the cream versions instead of the powder. So this one goes to cream!

Which do you prefer? Powder or Cream?

Battle of the Blushes

Following on from my "War of Concealers" post which you all seemed to love, I thought I would do one on the blushes in my collection that seem to fight against each other to be worn... So let's take a look at the contenders!

No7 Natural Blush in Soft Damson
This was the first blush I've every really loved and as you can see, it's near the end of its life. It's a deep natural pink that lasts a good couple of hours. It's a lower end blush so it's great just to apply on days you can't be bothered to get all made up.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch in Radiant Rose
A creamy blush with a hint of shimmer, it's definitely once that combines a blush with a highlighter. It applies really easily for a cream blush and it stays for a good couple of hours, but it is definitely an evening out blush thanks to the shimmer. It's not too much of a day blush. I do really like this though.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface
This here is the best blush I have ever had the priviledge to use and is my everyday blush. Its the perfect nude pink for my skin tone and literally lasts the entire day without a touch up. However, you can only get it from the US, the No7 blush is a fantastic dupe for when it eventually runs out.

All three of these have a place in my make up bag, the Tarte blush is definitely my favourite and I would highly recommend it to anyone, but the No7 one really is a good dupe!

How many blushes do you live with?

No7 Giveaway

As you may have seen here I felt like I owed everyone another giveaway so here it is! This is one of my favourite products from June and I'd love to give one of my lovely followers the chance to try it out and love it as much as I do!

You can see my full review here

Prize:

No7 Natural Blush in your choice of shade:

Soft Damson (seen above)

Honey

Candy Pink

Coral Blush

You can see your choices here

All you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway will last until Friday 13th July.

You MUST be a GFC follower and you need to leave a comment below telling me what shade you'd like and also your email address so I can contact you if you win.

Only UK entries only please - sorry international readers!

Enter here and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No7 Natural Blush

No7 Natural Blush Cheek Colour in Soft Damson

I'm going to be the first to admit that blusher has never really been my thing, I'm more of a bronzer girl. However, after needing to use another No7 voucher I thought I'd take risk and nab myself a blush. I'm so glad I did. Soft Damson is the perfect colour for me, especially after I've already applied my bronzer. It isn't too pink so that it's ridiculous, but it's a nice warm pink that really compliments my natural colour.

It lasts for a good few hours, which we all want so overall I'm really pleased with the product. It's really easy to apply and it isn't too powdering (thank god!) and it's just a really nice consistency. Coverage is nice and even, just can't say a bad word about it really.

It's £9.50, I got it for £4.50 with my £5 voucher, and I would quite happily pay £9.50 for it when I need some more.

Are you a blusher or bronzer girl? Which ones do you love?

No7 Eye Make-Up Remover

Boots keep giving me No7 vouchers, so I have of course been utilising these vouchers! My first I spent very wisely and bought myself their Eye Make Up Remover which comes highly recommended by a number of bloggers so thought I'd give it a whirl!

No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover, Boots £7.75

I was very intrigued to try this as I've used eye make up removers before, usually the wipes, and they have been pretty average - nothing special. So I really wanted this to be fantastic.

It has a dual action formula which helps to condition the skin as well as cleanse and removing all eye make up including waterproof mascara. You have to give it a good shake before you use it.

Pop it on a cotton pad and remove eye make up as you would anything else. 

I'm just going to go ahead and say I was a little bit disappointed by this product after all of its stellar reviews. 

It's quite hard to mix, you have to really shake it up and there have been a few instances when I've put it on the pad and some of the liquid is clean and some is blue.
It is very easy to use however. It does get rid of everything which is exactly what you want and you can use it on a cotton bud as well to get rid of those tricky areas. If it hasn't mixed properly it doesn't work as well as it should, which I have to say is probably about 50% of the time, when it is mixed properly though it's great.
It is also incredibly oily - this probably helps get rid of make up - however I have to use my cleanser after this to make sure all oil is gone. This does put me off a little bit I have to say, I have quite oily skin anyway so this doesn't really help.

It is better then any of the wipes I used to use so it is the best eye make up removed I have tried, and for only £2.75 with the voucher I can't complain too much. I am also still using it so I don't hate it! Like I said, it does work and it came in very handy when I poken myself in the eye with my mascara and had black everywhere... it took that off very easily and quickly! But it's just not as amazing as I hoped... Sorry!

I am still looking for my perfect eye make up remover, this hasn't filled that void for me I'm afraid! Like I said, it does work and it does get rid of everything, but the oil just really puts me off and its inability to mix half the time is just not worth its usual price for me.

What eye make-up removers would you recommend for me?