Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place powder review ♥

Recently, my love for Estee Lauder products has been massive- I just can't get enough! I recenty bought their Double Wear Stay-in-place powder make up, and am really impressed! I bought it in the shade Fresco 01 as I have a pale-medium complexion.

 I've been using this everyday for the last month, and I'm so impressed. Although I don't use the product with Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation (I use Dior Forever), I've found that it really does last all day. Although I've heard amazing thngs about Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation, I found it was too cakey, and my skin looked very made up. I was worried this would have the same effect, but it's more than impressed! It looks lovely on my skin- really natural, and not too cakey.

 The compact has a sponge applictaor under the powder (the sponge looks really dirty in this photo, but I swear it's the lighting!) , but I've found that I much prefer to use a powder brush to apply it, as this makes the powder look much more natural. The sponge has been really great when I've had some horrible blemishes, as I've found that it helps to hide them much better.

Although the powder is highly priced at £25.00 (13g) I've used this product continuousy for the last month and it looks hardly touched. I would definitely recommend this product if you want to treat yourself to an expensive powder as you won't be dissapointed.

Have you tried this powder before? What's your favourite?

17 Hide Away Concealer Review ♥

I can't live without concealer. I think everybody needs a bit of concealer- it covers my horrendous eye bags and makes me look a little more awake! I'm yet to find a better concealer than L'oreal's Lumi Magique concealer (better than YSL), but in terms of a great budget buy concealer, then 17's Hide Away Concealer is pretty impressive. Unlike L'oreal's that is dispensed through a tube, 17's comes in your typical concealer crayon. I always think this makes it easy to blend, and Hide and Away is lovely and soft and blends and settles into the skin really well.

 The concealer is available in four shades, but it's always best to select your concealer in a lighter shade, so I've been using Fair. The shade matches my skin tone really well, and blends beautifully with my foundation. It's quite thick, which makes it great for covering blemishes or dark circles- I wouldn't recommend this product if you want a light concealer to also use on your brow bones and cheek bones. It is definitely a perfect product for covering any nasty spots, so it's definitely a staple product for the beauty bag.

 It's quite oily, but I think this makes the product easy to blend and look even on the skin. At £3.89 at all Boots stores, I am so impressed. It lasts for most of the day, and I find that I only need to reapply after a long day at work- I do wear a primer to seal my make up however.

This is such a fantastic product. It is definitely my must go to product whenever I have terrible blemishes.

Have you tried this concealer? Do you have a favourite?

June Glossybox 2012 ♥

Yesterday I received my monthly Glossybox, and again was really disappointed. I just don't feel I'm getting my £12 worth of products, and sometimes many of the products I really dislike. There wasn't anything that I wouldn't use in this months box, however it was quite unexciting, and I'm thinking about un-subscribing.

The products included a sample of Vichy Ultra-corrective Foundation Case Stick. I was actually quite excited to try a sample of this, as I know this product was designed to hide any severe skin flaws, such as blemishes, scars, burns and birth marks. I have a small scar and a very dark birth mark on my face which I manage to hide with a good concealer, but when my make up wears off it becomes visible again. I'd heard good things about this foundation so I was happy to try it. It worked really well at covering all my flaws including little blemishes and circles under my eyes. A 12g full size of the foundation stick is £19.00 which I think is quite pricey, although I definitely think it's worth it if you have any skin flaws that you'd really like to hide.

I also received a full size sample of MeMeMe Sensuous Nail gloss (12ml for £4.50) It's a nice, natural colour, but it doesn't excite me, and I don't think it's a colour or make that I would have purchased had it not have come in the box.

I also received another BM Beauty sample (I received another BM product in my last box). Although I like BM products, I thought the idea of Glossybox was to try new make up products and I'd already received an eye shadow from them in my last box. I received 1g of Summer Warmth Bronzer, which came in a really tiny pot, that unfortunately makes a real mess when you try to open it. The product is lovely however.

In the box was also a 10ml sample of Caudale Eaux Fraiches, which came in a pretty box and the sample size is very generous. It smells lovely- quite fresh with a hint of floral. I was actually really pleased with this product, and thought it was the perfect size to pop into my handbag.

Glossybox also popped in one of their very own goat hair blush brushes worth £15.00. I'm yet to try it, but it feels super soft so I hope it doesn't disappoint.

I think the products I used to receive in Glossybox were really good, but I'm a little disappointed by them at the moment. None of the products seem very exciting, and I think it's a bit overpriced for the products I'm now receiving.

What did you think of Glossybox this month?

Best Budget Buy Shampoo- Claude Michel Great Hair ♥

I really like a good shampoo- I'm a massive fan of L'oreal, Pantene and John Freida especially. I rarely buy a hair product from a company that I haven't heard of or tried...but I did just that last week! I was firstly attracted to the large, bright pink bottle (I'm a sucker for anything pink and girlie), and the funky print on the bottle. It looked expensive, and had the appearance of a shampoo you'd purchase from a salon. Except this wasn't from a salon, it was heavily discounted at £1.99 for 1 litre. I was definitely intrigued, and bought it!

Claude Michel Great Hair Shampoo is from the company Baylis and Harding- yes, the company that make posh soap! I had no idea that they now had a shampoo range, but their soap range has proved very popular so I hoped their shampoo would be just as good. Well, I absolutely love it. Firstly, it smells gorgeous like raspberries, and leaves my hair (and bathroom) smelling very nice! The shampoo dispenses well from the pump, and it lathers really well. My hair is left beautifully soft, and my hair seems much easier to brush when wet. When my hair is dry it looks just as soft and shiny.

The shampoo is intended to volumise your hair, and I have the flattest hair so I thought this wouldn't really work. Although my hair wasn't left super bouncy, it definitely had a lot more bounce and oomph to it than usual. I literally cannot believe this product was £1.99, and for a litre! I really am impressed, and will definitely re purchase. I bought mine from Home Bargains, but I've also seen it in Tk Maxx for £3.99.

                        Have you tried this product before? What's your favourite shampoo?

Oh, so Romantic! No7 04 Romantic Lipstick Review ♥

I have to be honest, I'm not a massive fan of No7 products, but their lipstick I do love! I love their long lasting lipstick range, but I thought it would be nice to try something different, so I opted for their Moisture Drench lipsticks. I do suffer from dry lips sometimes, so I do enjoy using lipstick that is moisturising and softens my lips. I'm a massive fan of nude lipstick, and No7's 04 Romantic really caught my eye. It's such a beautiful nude, with a small hint of orange to it.

 It's really easy to apply- it glides on easily, and it's lovely and smooth. My lips feel really moisturised and soft. It lasts for a few hours; however it doesn't last as long as No7's Long Lasting lipstick range. This was personally a downside for me, however I know that some people much prefer a soft lipstick. 

 It's a perfect everyday wear lipstick, but I've also enjoyed applying it for nights out. It's such a lovely shade, and I know that it both complimented mine and my friends skin tone, and we have a very different complexion. It retails at £10.00 from all Boots stores- I also recommend the shade Bare from this range also.

What's your favourite lipstick?

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Volumptuos mascara review ♥

I am in love with this mascara. If you love long, curved lashes then you will love this mascara too. With its curved wand, it makes it that much easier to achieve this look. I really dislike massive mascara wands as I find they make it really difficult to reach smaller lashes, however this wand is perfect. It manages to reach every little lash, making sure that I have big, fluttery lashes!

 What I also love about this mascara is that you can achieve so many different looks. It's easy to build the mascara if you want to achieve a look for the evening. Lashes are long and separated, however, they look much fuller with the more you apply. The colour is black, but it's a really amazing jet black that makes my eyes stand out. The product looks sleek in a long red and black tube- I think they were trying not follow a Christian Louboutin scheme, hence the name of the mascara being Stiletto.

 It's lasts most of the day, although towards the evening my eyelashes don't look as curved as they did when I applied it in the morning. I would definitely recommend it though, as I love how many looks I can achieve with it.

The mascara retails at £8.19, which is quite pricey for a drugstore mascara, but I definitely think it's worth it.

What's your favourite mascara? Have you used this mascara before?

Horrible eye liner alert! No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil Review ♥

This has to be the worst eyeliner I have ever used...in fact, I can't think of any positives about it! When I applied it to my hand as a tester, I was really impressed- smooth and a really nice jet black. This didn't translate onto my eyes however. It was actually quite painful to run the eyeliner to the rims of my eyes, and I had to do this a few times as the eyeliner just wouldn't sit.

 I actually really hate using it, and am pretty glad I used my Boots £5 voucher as I would have been really unhappy to have paid full price for it. The eyeliner actually looks impressive, and that's why I was originally drawn to it. It has two ends, the eye liner pencil, and a small, sponge applicator on the other. The sponge is just as disappointing as the actual eyeliner.

 After running the eyeliner over my eyes numerous times, I then used the sponge to create a smokey eye look...however it simply removed all the eyeliner off of my eyes. I was actually pretty mad! No7 say say the eye liner is long lasting...mine lasted all of ten seconds! I also get horrible, black flakes under my eyes.

This image is after applying the eyeliner five times to the rim of my eye. As you can see, it looks like I've been wearing it for hours! It really is terrible. It retails as £7.75, which really is so overpriced for how terrible it is! I will actually be putting this product in the bin asap...do not waste your money, ladies!

Have you tried a terrible eyeliner before? What's your favourite eyeliner?

L'oreal Caresse Lipstick review ♥

I'm in love with L'oreal Caresse Lipsticks. I have such dry lips at times, and these lipsticks glide on, and keep my lips moisturised all day. They've been compared to Revlon Lip butters, but I can't say I'm a massive fan of them- they seem so sticky, and I found it was a nightmare when it was windy as my hair would get stuck to my lips! The L'oreal Caresse lipsticks are far better. They're silky and smooth, but don't feel too sticky. I love the colour range, but my favourites have to be 01 Fasionista Pink and 03 Lovely Rose.

 L'oreal describe the lipstick, Don't just stroke your lips, Caresse them. Lips say yes to this Caresse. A flutter of kissably soft light-weight feeling colour. Its delicate texture glides onto lips creating a veil of colour with a lumious shine.They are so soft, and the colour translates really well onto the lips. The 01 Fashionista Pink does take a few applications to get the desired colour, but it looks lovely- really pink and dewy. My favourite is the 03 Lovely Rose however. It's such a gorgeous pink, and looks really pretty and natural. They're so easy to apply, and simply glide on. The shape of the lipstick also makes application a little easier, as you can really create fuller looking lips. The only con is the staying power of the lipsticks. The lovely soft texture of the lipstick melts into the lips, so I have to reapply after around an hour.

 I love the packaging too. I think it looks very classy and expensive, and something you'd notice somebody using. It was the packaging that first drew me to the product. The lipstick retails at £7.99, and is worth every penny! It's perfect if you want to try a more daring colour- the colours look glossy and polished, and not too overwhelming.

 Have you tried L'oreal Caresse Lipsticks? What's your favourite lipstick?