OPI Charged Up Cherry

Super bright, nearly neon pink from the OPI from the Brights range. I am loving Charged Up Cherry for sure!

Think Pink- My favourite Bobbi Brown blushers!

I absolutely adore Bobbi Brown for make up staples, they have such a wide range of flattering shades and I find their products to have real staying power.

Bobbi Brown has a range of blusher products, including their ever popular shimmer bricks but my favourites are the single colour powder blush and the shimmer blush.

Pink Coral (Shimmer Blush)

This a really warm pink with hint of gold shimmer, great for evening looks and applied with bronzer. My favourite for the summer.

Peony (Blush)

I bought this one for my wedding last year, it gives a really bright but natural pink glow and can be built up. Has a slight blue undertone and looks quite bright in the palette but is really flattering on my paler skin although I have seen it on darker skin and would say it is a really versatile pink.

Pale Pink (Blush)

I love this colour for pale winter skin. It has a much stronger blue undertone than the peony- almost a verging on violet/fuschia colour. It is very bright but looks really natural and fresh on.


As you can see I stick with the pinks, but would love to try the apricot shades too!

OPI Dulce de Leche

Lovely toffee colour from OPI- my new favourite!!

August Glossy Box Contents!

Oooh some really exciting products this month girls!

(Sorry for the crappy picture)


KMS Hairstay Style Boost (RRP £12.50)
Full size bottle of hairspray. I love KMS products!

Murad Acne Time Release Cleanser (RRP £29 -200ml)
30ml sample. How did Glossy Box know I was desperate to try this range!?!

Daniel Sandler Baby Jet mascara (£12.95)
You can never have enough mascara. Full size I think.

Ahava Deadsea Water Mineral Body Lotion (£19.50 for 200ml)
Sample is 40ml

Rebel Nails nail wraps (£7.99)
I got some black and white trippy striped ones.

Really pleased with this months, but I am not sure it will be the most popular. Anyone get anything different? What do you think of this months box?

My handbag must have!

I love this Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick (£27). It is like a giant cover up stick but is much creamier and smoother than a concealer. When applied it has the texture of a cream foundation and can be blended into the skin. It can be used on it's own as foundation, and built up to give full coverage but I prefer to use it over my own foundation where I want extra coverage or for touch ups during the day. It gives a smooth even finish, I apply with my fingers but could be blended with a brush. I love this little stick, not only for its portability but the coverage it gives is amazing, and as the finish is slightly dewy it doesn't look to heavy.

(Warm Sand/2.5)

Rockalily Lipsticks!

I have been meaning to do a post on these beauties for an absolute age, particularly as they have been my lipstick of choice most days for the last few months.  I love red lipstick and have a few Chanel ones, but they were too much for during the day, also you have to maintain them to avoid the horrible ring of lipstick as it fades. I read about Rockalily lipsticks online and thought I would give them a go.

There are four shades, all bright and bold, I went for Rockette Red and Pompadour Pink for my paler skin. The formulation is really smooth and moisturising.  Both lipsticks have really deep pigment but so flattering that they look great in the day and not at all OTT.

The lipstick is amazing, not at all drying. And, in my opinion, the absolute winner- I applied the lipstick before leaving for work in the morning and it lasted the whole day- even through numerous tea breaks, lunch. The lipstick does fade during the day but without any reapplication it is still noticeable by the time I get home. And even better the fade is even and there is no sign of lip line fading! Absolutely the best lipstick I have ever worn- I have over 20 day to day lipsticks in my make up bag and since buying these all the others have barely seen the light of day!

Ciate NOTD!

A nice stormy purple ready for Monday morning. "Wait Until Dark" by Ciate is a special edition currently free with the September 2011 issue of Marie Claire UK.

You Rebel! - Benefit tinted moisturiser

This is not a new product by any stretch so many of you may have already given it a go, but thought I would do a little post on the You Rebel tinted moisturiser by Benefit (RRP £23.50) after I packed for my holiday instead of foundation.

There is nothing worse than cakey matte make up on holiday but I still wanted a more even skin tone and a little coverage and this moisturiser definitely delivered! It is quite heavily tinted so great for the summer. I applied all over my face and then buffed into the skin with a kabuki brush and a little bronzer.

It takes a little while to completely dry once applied, but it is not particularly greasy. It sits well on the skin and stay put, giving a dewy glow to the complexion. It also is SPF 15 so even better for the summer months. A couple of times I applied moisturiser before putting this on but that was a little too heavy for me and it took longer to absorb into the skin, but I did find that it provided me with enough moisturisation so that I did not need my usual moisturiser any way.

Overall a good summer product! What are your favourite summer skin must haves?

MD Formulations Face Sun Protector- oil free sunscreen!!

Just got back from my summer hols so have a few summer essentials posts for you.

Every year I try a different face sunscreen and have already found them greasy and really pore blocking- even those that say that they won't!

This year I tried MD Formulations Face Sun Protector SPF 30. It uses zinc as a suncream and is water based which hopefully would mean that it would not feel as greasy and pore blocking as other face sunscreens. It is made by Bare Escentuals who make the Bare Minerals foundation which is very gentle on the skin so I thought I would give this one a go. the RRP is £16 but I ordered it from Feel Unique for £13.60.

 The first thing I noticed was how light it felt on the skin, much more like a moisturiser than a suncream. I applied in the morning and then through the day as I was out in the sun and despite the heat, it stayed fairly matte- definitely no greasiness. After two weeks of use my skin was better than usual, no further breakouts than those I usually have plus some of my skin had cleared up. It absorbed into my skin easily rather than sitting on the surface and I had no burning and I tanned evenly.

I have definitely found a winner for future holidays, I will also be using it as a moisturiser under my make up for everyday. Obviously there is no such thing as safe suntanning, but if you are going to go out in the sun I would really recommend this sun protection.

Avon Magix Face Perfector

I picked up this Avon Magix Face Perfector Primer to keep my make up in place in the hot weather. I don't normally use primer but I thought I would check this out. It's £10.50 for 30ml and also contains SPF20.

It comes out as a light lotion/gel but becomes powdery on the skin. I used on my nose, cheeks and forehead to keep my make up in place and minimise shine. The first thing I noticed was that it evened out my skin tone, it has a slight iridescence and gave my skin a glow but toned down unwanted shininess. I applied my make up over the top.

My face stayed in place the whole evening despite the hot weather and looked less shiny than it normally would after a day in the sun. The formula was light and sheer so didn't make my make up look heavy. I have also been using it for the day under my make up and it has kept my make up from sliding off through the commute and warm weather.
Only thing to note was, I found it best to leave the primer about 10 minutes to dry before applying make up over the top as it would ball up otherwise.

(sorry not very easy to show the finish in the photo)

Overall though, I think this product is a real winner. It kept my make up looking tidy all day and felt comfortable on my skin. I would usually expect my face to feel a little greasy after all day wear but this definitely calmed down the unwanted shine.