First foray into...high end makeup. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Foundation

I've dabbled in medium-high end makeup like Benefit for years, but never splashed out on any brand more luxe than that. But I'd wanted to try the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat foundation for a while and as I had some birthday money I decided to indulge. Shelling out £29 on a foundation did make my eyes water a bit! As it's so expensive I am saving it for my special occasion/going out foundation. 

On first application I was a little disappointed, as the coverage seemed a bit sheer, especially as my skin is still not behaving. However, it is so buildable without looking caked on, and it really does illuminate the skin much like the iconic Touche Eclat concealer, without looking greasy or oily which I was concerned about.

As I had some vouchers left over from Christmas I also bought Benefit's 'Hello Flawless' powder. I had a miniature of this in my 'How to look the best of everything' kit' but the shade was a little too dark. My replacement shade 'Gee I'm Swell Ivory' matches me perfectly and sets the YSL Foundation  really well.

First foray into...Body Shop make up

I've never really shopped at Body Shop, but I keep hearing good things so on a whim went in on my last shopping trip. As usual,I was drawn to the lipsticks and found this baby:

Though I usually prefer a matte finish, and this is rather glossy, as soon as I swiped it on my hand I had to have it. The shade is 'Colour Crush', a bright gorgeous blue-toned pink. It is so comfortable to wear, which I'm not too used to as a matte lip-lover and still lasts a good couple of hours if you do the ol' apply-blot-reapply. The shade is pretty similar to my recently purchased Revlon Matte Balm, Unapologetic, but slightly bluer-based in tone and with a high shine finish (yes, that is me attempting to justify the purchase!)

Alongside this lipstick I also got an 'invisible' lip liner. I've been on the look out for a clear lip liner for ages, as when wearing lipstick I really feel it makes such a difference if liner is worn, but didn't want to go and buy one for every lipstick in my expanding collection.
I also got sucked into signing up for their loyalty card scheme, which I hadn't heard about before. It cost £5 for the year, but had loads of benefits like 10% off every purchase, £5 off on your birthday, other exclusive vouchers and discounts and free gifts worth £5 and £10 on your fourth and eighth purchase.

NOTD: Vintage Wallpaper

Stripes, spots and flowers...what's not to like?

They've finally landed- Revlon Matte balms

These have been reviewed and swatched to death, but I love them so much I had to share! Revlon was also on 3 for 2 in Boots so I had to indulge. I went for 'Unapologetic', a punchy pink, and 'Audacious',an orange toned coral, and got a top coat as my third item. 

Here they are against a white background so you can see the shades better:

(top- Unapologetic, bottom- Audacious)


Unapologetic (pink)

Audacious (Orange-Coral)

(Sorry for the extreme close up but this shot shows the colour better!)

The colour pay off was better for Unapologetic than Audacious, but this may just be down to my skin tone. Audacious also showed up more imperfections on the lips for some reason. However, I'm a big fan and these definitely live up to the hype- they apply so easily and precisely due to the crayon-like design, they aren't awfully drying for a matte product and they last on the lips for ages.
 Unfortunately my Boots already had a half empty stand so half the colours weren't available, but I will definitely be adding more to my collection.

P.S- Apologies for all the random photo locations: I have been moving around the house trying to find some half-decent natural lighting, which is proving ridiculously hard in this dire weather! 

NOTD: Ladybirds

Posts have been rather sparse this week, as I have been commuting 4hrs a day for a training course, and wasn't organised enough to schedule some half decent posts. Next week I'm at a conference too so who knows what state this blog will be in by next week! Anyway for now here's another NOTD:

I've been running out of ideas for nails, but these cute ladybirds didn't take long and will do as a stop-gap until I get some creative inspiration

Wednesday Wishlist #2: Jumpsuits/ Playsuits

There was a time when my wardrobe was filled with playsuits, but I've never been brave enough to go for a full length jumpsuit. Here's a selection that have caught my eye (can you tell I'm a fan of florals?)

From Left to Right:
Lace V-Neck Jumpsuit- £39.99- Missguided
Pink Floral Jumpsuit- £29.99- Missguided
Floral Playsuit-£20- Shelikes
Red Floral Jumpsuit- £55- Motel
Belted Floral Jumpsuit- £29.99- Missguided

Recent wardrobe additions featuring Mulberry Alexa 'dupe'

My mum's had a Matalan card for as long as I can remember, but I do find it to be so hit and miss. Think it's because in my mind I view it as a shop like Primark, but it's a bit more expensive and sometimes the quality can let it down. However, I went in recently and was very pleasantly surprised and picked up the following bits:

Daisy print wrap dress: £16 I love the style of this dress (wrap dresses are so flattering), and though the print is a bit summer 2013, I always like a good daisy print. The quality of this is good, it fits nicely and it's not ridiculously short. I'm looking forward to wearing this in summer with red lipstick and hair in victory rolls for a 40s vibe
Alexa style satchel: £15   

This picture doesn't actually do this bag justice. I LOVE IT. It is such a good size, it looks a lot more expensive than it is and will fill the Alexa shaped gap in my wardrobe whilst I save for the real deal

Scalloped Hem Shorts : £7 These were in the sale for £7 which I thought was great, again as the quality is a lot better than I expected. I was also delighted to find a pair of shorts that don't show off half your arse cheek, as I am seriously finding it difficult to find any shorts on the high street that are not hot pants or 'knicker' shorts. It winds me right up!