Exfoliate away!

I don't normally exfoliate my skin but with all this heat I know how important it is to keep on top of your  skin maintenance regime so I decided to try this No7 Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator. I had a £5 off voucher so I got it relatively cheap!

For best results you should use it once or twice a week. I use it once because I don't want to dry my skin out too much. The exfoliator 'sweeps away dead skin cells and impurities to reveal brighter, more beautiful skin'. My skin did feel a lot cleaner and fresher after I used it but it wasn't brighter. I would still recommend it because it is good value for money and your skin does feel ah-may-zing!

Hunger Games Nail Art

Everyone has been raving about 'Hunger Games'. The film buffs can't get enough of the movie, the literature geeks can't stop raving about the books, and the blogasphere can't get enough of the nails!

I watched a video by Cute Polish that showed step by step how to get the nail art on Effie Trinket. It is such a simple tutorial and you don't need any materials that you won't have lying around the house.

This is my attempt. Bare in mind that it is past 3am so they aren't as good as they could be.

I used my MaxDactor 'Deep Plum' polish for the base.

I used one of my mini Nail Inc gold glitter nail varnishes for the special star dust effect.

I used the Rimmel 60 seconds clear nail varnish to coat the top.

What nail art are you currently into?

J'adore Impulse!

Breaking News!

The new limited edition Impulse smells like the perfume J'adore from the Dior range. I was ecstatic when I found out (literally by mistake) and stocked up sooper quickly. They are going for 97p at Tesco and smell b-e-a-u-t-i-ful!

I have the perfume but I do use it sparsely (it's so expensive) so it's nice to overload on this.

Saviour!

The heat this week has really effected my skin and it's become really dehydrated. The sun ALWAYS has this effect on my skin and the area around my nose suffers the most as I get really bad dry skin around there. This was a real problem for me when I was younger because no amount of moisturiser would solve the problem and I was oblivious to all the other solutions. 

A few years I came across my favourite skincare product EVER! I have a lot of favourites but this one I have been using for years and it always works. It is the Elizabeth Arden  Eight Hour Cream. It claims to sooth minor skin irritation, cracked lips, minor burns, sunburn, scrapes and abrasions. I use it literally for the dry skin around my nose and it clears it RIGHT UP! 

The cream has a thick, greasy consistency so I always wear it after I have took off my make-up and am getting ready to go to bed. The cream rehydrates the skin and soothes the skin around any problem areas.

I have had this for over a year now and I am not even half way through it. It is an amazing product and it really helps you look after your skin. I got it in a gift set with two hand moisturisers last year so I'm not sure what it is currently retailing at.

If you do have an issue with dry, irritating or flaky skin then I highly recommend this. If you want to try a sample before you purchase it then ask for a small sample at your local Elizabeth Arden counter. 

Do you have any remedies for dry skin?

Benefit Obsession

I have been eagerly awaiting this day and it did not fail to live up to my expectations! As you know, I am a massive Benefit Cosmetics fan, and for the past 2 weeks they have been doing a road show with their head make-up artist, Lisa Potter-Dixon, to promote their new liquid 'Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow' foundation. All across the country Benefit addicts (myself included) were freaking out because Benefit were allowing you the chance to meet Lisa, get a mini makeover, AND be the first ones to try the new foundation. £20 for a 15 minute session with the original BeneBabe seemed too good an offer to pass, so I rang up one of my best friends and we booked for an appointment for today.

We arrived at Harvey Nichols in Manchester for our appointment and were met by a very friendly Lisa. She talked us through all the make-up and techniques she used, and gave us advice on how to apply it. It's been a mad two weeks for her because she has been city hopping like crazy doing this promotion but she was ever so nice and helpful.

After our makeovers, we were given a sample size of the foundation to take away and use before it is released on the 31st of this month. I love it! I am nearing the end of my Clinique foundation so will definitely be getting this one. There are 9 shades to this foundation, it has SPF 25 and it can be layered so you can decide what type of coverage you want. The sample is a large size so I will be wearing this until I buy the full size foundation. 

I was able to use the £20 that I paid for the session and redeem it against a product that I wanted to buy. HOW FRICKIN AWESOME IS THAT?! I decided to buy PoreFessional because I have been dying to buy it ever since the BeneBabes at my local counter introduced me to it. It came to a measly £3.50 because I had paid the £20 for the session in advance. The PoreFessional is a primer for the face but also works at minimising the pores in your face. It's oil free so you don'y get any of that oily residue that you get with some others.

You would think I'd be happy with this...but I wasnt't! I needed to buy something else. If you bought two products then you were given a free eye shadow...so as you can see I HAD to buy another product. Lisa introduced me to a Benetint Lip Balm that I never even knew existed. I normally use Benetint stain but this looks more practical and it means I can use my stain just for the cheeks now. It's a gorgeous balm and leaves your lips feeling smooth but not greasy. At £14 I thought it was a good bargain. It also has SPF 15!

This is the free eye shadow I got with my purchases. It is a creaseless natural champagne coloured eye shadow. It retails at £14 (but I got it for freeeeeeeeeeeeeee).

As you can see I was a very happy girl! I got to meet the lovely Lisa, get a great makeover, some amazing make-up tips, and some great products!

I spent the rest of the day catching up with my friend, window shopping, enjoying the sun and drinking some mocktails (which were yummy).

How has your weekend been?

What is your favourite Benefit product?

Somewhere over the rainbow...

This is the cake that I baked for my mum's birthday. It was vanilla sponge with white chocolate butter cream sandwiched between all the layers and a white chocolate raspberry ripple. I was very pleased that the colours came out looking so vibrant because I did have my concerns when I started making it. 

I will do a recipe for it in the near future.

What cake would you like to bake right now? 

Benefit my skin!

I have been meaning to blog about my favourite skin care product EVER for a long time but never had the time. However, I am currently sitting in a pile of papers with deadlines looming so naturally I am going to procrastinate and BLOG!

Anyway! I am currently IN LOVE with the Benefit 'Total Moisturiser Facial Cream'. At £26.50 it is a tad bit pricey but trust me it is worth every penny. It has a very thick creamy feel to it but it is a very light formula which leaves your skin feeling very hydrated. Despite its thick formula it absorbs into my skin very easily and has a gorgeous fragrance to it. I have had my tub for over 2 months now and I'm not even a quarter of a way through it because a little really does go a long way. 

I tend to get very dry skin around my nose area but since I have started using this it seems to have calmed down (yay). I wear as part of my morning routine but it is also perfect for a night cream because you wake up in the morning with your skin feeling oh-so-fresh and not have the greasy residue I find that you get with some other brands. 

Erm, did I mention how much I love this product? 

The Bene-babes at the Benefit counters are amazing! Before I purchased this facial cream  I visited the counter a numerous time to make sure it was the right cream for me (£26.50 is a LOT to spend on face cream). The girls were fab and always gave me a lot of advice and samples of the Total Moisturiser to take away and try at home. So if you do want to try this I suggest you visit your local Benefit counter and get a sample before you buy this product (because trust me you will!).

I recycled one of the sample tubs they gave me, filled it with the Total Moisturiser and stuck it in my bag. It's a great product for using on the go for when you have those dry skin emergencies.

As you can see it is a tiny sample tub so it doesn't take up a lot of space in your bag.

Have you tried this product?

What product are you obsessed with right now?