Shoe Love: Superga 2790 White Flatform Plimsolls

I saw these on ASOS yesterday and I had them by this morning. That's what you call a real impulse buy I guess. Luckily my mother was kind enough to buy them for me and I opted for next day delivery so that I could have them before I leave England for France tomorrow. I had seen these in black before and kind of thought nothing of them but when I saw that they existed in white I immediately fell for them. I find the black ones are kind of everywhere and white is much nicer for Spring. The white ones also have a really pale lilac stitching which I think is a nice detail.

I have heard that these run quite large, however ASOS actually sent me the wrong size (I ordered a 38.5 and got a 39 - I'm usually a size 5 or 38 but for some reason ordered half a size up?) so I can't really comment on that. These fit fine with socks on (I plan to wear them with cute blue or pink socks in the Spring/Summer), although they do slip off a bit but that really doesn't bother me. I think the reason why they slip off a little is because they are a little wider than normal shoes so just bear that in mind. They're so adorable that I just don't even care.

They retail at £45 on ASOS.com

                 

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Empties # 4

Another 'Empties' post from me. I have actually finished quite a few other products so 'Empties # 5' will also be up shortly. I kind of hope my mom reads this because she seems to think I only buy things and don't finish any (hi mother!)
Without further ado here are some products I have finished since my last 'Empties' post at the end of February. (I will be talking about the products in a clockwise order, strating from the top left).

L'Oréal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Crystal Sparkling Shampoo

The Nutri-Gloss range used to be my favourite when I was a teen and I do find it makes my hair silky smooth, really soft and easier to manage. However, I could see the sparkle in the shampoo but I don't think it really translates onto the hair. I think maybe you would have to use the full range for the sparkle effect to actually work but apart from that it is a nice shampoo.
Mark: 7/10

Vichy Dercos Technique Energising Shampoo

This is a shampoo for people suffering from hair loss- I find my hair falls out quite a lot so I thought I would try an anti-hair loss shampoo but I don't know if this actually made any kind of difference. This one was given to me and straight afterwards I moved on to Alpecin so I don't actually know if this helped solve my problem at all. I do know that this doesn't make your hair as squeaky clean as Alpecin does though, which is something I really don't enjoy about Alpecin because it just feels really stripping.
Mark: 5/10

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser

A few months ago this was my Holy Grail cleanser, I absolutely loved it. But now I am starting to think that that was only because I had never used a hot cloth cleanser before. It is a nice product, but because my skin is so dry, I prefer to use balm/oil cleansers now because I just find them a lot less stripping. If you have oily/combination skin I think this would be nice for you though because it did leave my skin feeling really clean and soft.
Mark: 6/10

Bioderma Créaline H2O

My favourite makeup remover of all time! I like to take all my makeup off with this before cleansing and finishing off my skincare regime. I also use this in the morning when I wake up, to take off any treatments I left on overnight and to remove any gunk on my face (does anyone else get sleepies in their eyes?!) I think I will always have a bottle of this around, because I have really sensitive eyes and this has helped in terms of keeping my eyes juicy...(?)
Mark: 10/10

Nectar of Nature Softening Shower Gel - White Lily Petals

I don't know if you can get this outside of countries that have Carrefour. I never have much to say about shower gels but this brand of shower gels (and other products) is really affordable and they all smell amazing.
Mark: 9/10

TRESemmé Split Remedy Conditioner

I don't know why I haven't repurchased this because I finished this quite a long time ago...I don't think anything can actually fix split ends but this definitely improved the appearance of my split ends and prevented them from getting worse at a quick rate. I was actually really impressed by this even though I was really sceptical.
Mark: 9/10

Soap & Glory - The Breakfast Scrub

THE PERFECT SCRUB. It smells of freakin' maple syrup - but you WILL want to eat it.
Mark: 10/10

Soap & Glory - Thick & Fast

This is an okay mascara. I did find it dried out really quickly which has put me off ever thinking of repurchasing it.
Mark: 6/10

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

I use this to set my makeup, my skin can look a little dull so I like to spritz this on top of my makeup, especially if I have powdered my skin. This is quite expensive and it does contain alcohol so I am in two minds about whether I should continue using it or not. I still have half a bottle left and I do love the way it smells and the way it makes my skin look but I'm not sure if it is actually doing my skin any good.
Mark: 8/10

Dove Colour Radiance Express Treatment Conditioner

It is always hard to tell with these little samples but this did make my hair feel incredibly soft so I might have to look into this...
Mark: 8/10

Too Faced Glamour To Go Palette

I used to absolutely LOVE this palette and I still would but this is really old and the eyeshadows have actually started to get really lumpy...which is really gross so I have to say goodbye, it was fun while it lasted. (Lets not even talk about the lip glosses in this palette, they died a long time ago!) The colours are really wearable and versatile though so I will miss using this palette.
Mark: 9/10

The Body Shop - Honey & Oat Scrub Mask

This is a great product for anyone with dry skin as it is really hydrating and thick. It contains little oat pieces which help to exfoliate your skin in a really gentle way and this mask also smells amazing which is a plus. I highly recommend this.
Mark: 10/10

                 

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It's Muh Birthday

Oh my god.

I'm 22. I want to be sick.

                 

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Natural Skincare

I know you're not supposed to, but I switch up my skincare routine quite a lot. I never really find skincare products that I totally fall in love with and couldn't live without. There are a few products that I really like and have repurchased, but in general nothing sticks around for too long. Once I am done with a product, I tend to want to try something new which to me suggests I wasn't that impressed by the product in the first place.

When I went to Grasmere (a really cute town in Cumbria in the north of England) a couple of months ago, I came across this cute little shop called Mother Earth that sells natural & organic skin and body care products. We walked past it a couple times and on the last day I caved and got a couple things. At the time there was an offer where you got a free toner with any cleanser - which was a really good deal considering the cleansers and toners are roughly £20 each. One thing to bear in mind is you need to keep these in a cool place (just like Lush products) because they don't contain any artificial ingredients.

My skin has been acting up quite a bit recently and I think I know why (I won't go into it) but whenever I use these two products I notice a huge difference. 

The first product is the Avocado Organic Cleansing Oil with Rose & Frankincense (for mature skin) - I don't have mature skin but it is dry and I find this really helps lock moisture into my skin. I put a bit into the palm of my hands and then massage it into my skin after I've removed my makeup with Bioderma. I then remove it all with a cotton pad.

Ingredients: Prunus dulcis (sweet almond oil), Symphytum spp (organic comfrey oil), Persea americana (avocado oil), with lavandula angustifolia (lavender), Rosa damascena (rose absolute) & Boswellia carteri (frankincense) essential oils.

The second is the Organic Skin Toner (Rose Water) for mature skin. This is really refreshing and I find it actually helps tighten my pores and sort out any blemishes I have but without being too drying.

Ingredients: Rosa damascena (rose water), Alchemila vulgaria (ladies mantle), Symphytum officinale (comfrey root) with Lavandula angustifolia (lavender), Rosa damascene (rose absolute) & Boswelia carteri (francincense) essential oils. 

I really like the packaging, they come in glass bottles - although this isn't too great for travelling, which is why I don't use them every time I cleanse my face. I tend to use them together about 3-4 times a week, because the oil cleanser is quite rich. I do think these are really effective products and they have made me believe in natural skincare a bit more and realise I don't need loads of alcohol or chemicals on my face, when makeup already contains enough of those nasties. I highly recommend these particular products (if you can get a hold of them - they do have an online store) or trying out anything similar if you come across any natural/organic skincare stores. They even smell really nice!

                 

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February Favourites

Burberry Eyeshadow in Gold Trench

These are quite difficult to get a hold of, especially if you don't live in London but I desperately want some more shades! This is the nicest eyeshadow for all over the lid or in the crease, it blends so nicely and the colour is really beautiful.

La Roche-Posay Hydreane Riche

This is an amazing moisturiser if you have really dry skin because it is thick and soothing, I did a post on it here.

Revlon Grow Luscious

Honestly, when I use this religiously my eyelashes never fall out so I think it works some kind of magic? It's also just a really nice mascara if you like a lot of volume and if you like a bristle brush.

Tom Ford Lipstick in Pink Dusk

Just a beautiful pinky nude colour which goes with every makeup look and the formula is really creamy and sumptuous. The packaging is so luxurious too, so you'll find yourself using it during the day when you don't even need to.

Revlon ColorStay

I do also like the new Revlon Nearly Naked foundation, but this one is great if you have blemished skin because the coverage is pretty high. I love the fact that a lot of the Revlon foundations are more yellow toned than a lot of other drugstore foundations. (I use the one for normal/dry skin)

NARS Blush in Luster

This is my favourite blush of all time and now that I've hit pan I'm really trying to appreciate it every time I use it. I could not LIVE (so dramatic) without this. It's just the most gorgeous, golden, shimmery apricot blush which makes any complexion look really healthy. Click here for a post I did on this ages ago.

Tweezerman BrowMousse

I was using the Natural Collection clear mascara on my brows for the longest time but now that I have tried this, I would never go back to it. It never really held my brows in place, which kind of defies the point of having a clear brow gel in the first place? This one really keeps the hold.

What are your favourites at the moment?

                 

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FOTD 2/3/13

The weather was really nice in Newcastle (yesterday - not anymore unfortunately) so me and my boyfriend decided to go the beach for a change of scenery. Don't get me wrong, we weren't lying on the beach in skimpy swimwear - this ain't no California.

Anyway, my skin has been pretty shocking at the moment. It's really dry on my forehead, my nose and my cheeks but my chin has developed acne, which is nice. So I needed to use a shit load (excuse me) of concealer on my face and I decided to practically paint on my eyes and lips to detract from my revolting skin. (The flash on my camera makes my skin look a lot better than it is!)

I used the YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation (BD40), Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer (oops I didn't include my concealer in the photo), Stila Kitten Eyeshadow, Burberry Eyeshadow in Gold Trench, Sleek Face Form in Light, Mac Fluidline Brow Gelcreme in Dirty Blonde, Tweezerman Brow Mousse, Accessorize Flutter Curl Mascara (I do NOT recommend this) and Rimmel Apocalips in Galaxy. I also lined my top lashline with a really old dark brown eyeshadow, but it's about three years old so I really didn't want to show you!

And that is all!

                 

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What's In My Make-Up Bag?

I never do 'What's In My...' posts but I thought I would switch things up a bit because I love being nosey about what products will carry around with them (or just have in general!)

My boyfriend got me this Gucci make-up bag and I understand it won't be to everyone's taste but I love the fact that it's really good quality and I will probably have it for a really long time. It's quite classic and I love that about it.

What I tend to carry around with me are: the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, Soap & Glory Hand Maid, Soap & Glory Hand Food, a lip product and two different concealers.

The main thing I need to have out with me is concealer because it's just a product I could not live without, if I get blotchy during the day or if I have bad skin I would freak if I'd left my concealer at home. (Superficial, me?) I use the Rimmel one for any blemishes and the Collection concealer for any cute eye bags.

If I'm wearing eyeliner that day I would take out an eyeliner with me too.

I use the Caudalie Beauty Elixir to spritz on my face when my skin starts to look a little dull (I have dry skin you see).
I love lip products but because I have really dry lips and I tend to snack a lot (oops), it never really lasts on me so I always carry one with me to reapply during the day.
I don't like putting hand cream on during the day if I've been touching things so I carry a hand sanitizer with me as well.

What do you always have on you?

                 

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