SS14 Outfits

Hey! Just a quick post today: with Spring/Summer well and truly here I wanted to share a few outfits I've put together - the kind of things I've been wearing to add some colour to my wardrobe!

Mint

 Orange

Floral

I do love the warmer weather for getting a little more experimental and daring with my wardrobe. I also love adding colour to outfits, and I find summer clothes to be far more flattering!

xxx

Have You Discovered...? So Susan

Hey! It's time for another installment in the 'Have You Discovered...?' series, and this week's theme is blush. I've also included a few other products from the same brand, because it made sense to review them all at once. Way back in December, when I attended the Clothes Show Live, I picked up a goodie bag of So Susan products for £5 (one of which was a blush), today I'm going to tell you what I think of them!

1. Water Based Pure Luminizer
This creates a lovely glow to the complexion if used under foundation, or as a highlighter over the top, applied to cheekbones, browbones etc. I wouldn't recommend mixing this in with foundation to create glow, because I found that to be too much glow; bordering on shiny/glittery.

2. 8-Hour Cheek Stain
I wasn't really sure what to think of this at first, because I'm not a huge fan of cream blushers but this is a lovely colour and very pigmented. I've actually found you can apply this the same as a powder blush, just with a slightly lighter hand.

3. Lip & Cheek Sublime
The title suggests using this for cheeks, but to be honest I haven't. It is however, a very nice spring/summer colour for lips. Perfect for days where you want a pop of colour, but nothing too over-the-top (say, if you have heavier eye makeup).

4. Intense Eye Shadow Palette with Coated Pigments
These four colours work very nicely together to create a smoky purple eye, but the top two could also easily be worn on their own as a wash of colour.

I've included a picture of a makeup look I created with all of the products. I think it's a ideal for an everyday fresh-faced sort of look, just in time for Spring/Summer!

Overall, I do think the packaging is quite cheap looking/feeling, but the products themselves are actually quite good. Have you heard of the brand So Susan, or used their products?

xxx

What's In My Bag?

Hey! I love being nosy and seeing what other people carry about with them, but I've never personally done one. I'm currently in Hong Kong visiting a friend for a week, so I figured now would be the perfect time to show you what I took with me - just hand luggage though, else we'll be here forever...

The colour isn't showing up very well, but I've got a large mint satchel to keep everything in, with handy extra pockets and a big front panel where I've got 'important stuff' like travel documents; passport, train tickets, purse etc.

I'm taking my phone, headphones, iPad and Kindle for entertainment, as well as a Juice cube so nothing runs out of battery. I've also packed some sleeping tablets, since it's a night flight and a few beauty essentials: concealer, lipstick, perfume (in a Travalo of course), a nail file, a face mist and some SPF moisturiser for when I land.

It seems like I've packed lightly, but the weight of my bag says otherwise!

xxx

Weekend Wishlist #6

Hey! I haven't done a wishlist post in so long, despite basically always wanting new things (such is the way of a beauty blogger) so today I thought I'd actually share a few of the things on my list! It also coincides with the fact that I'm off to Hong Kong on Tuesday (SO EXCITED) and there will definitely be some duty free shopping happening...

1. Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster - £15.80 here

I get a bit wary of applying tanning products to my face (definitely don't want the Oompa Loompa look), so when I found out about this gem from Clarins I knew I wanted to try it.

2. Lancôme Hypnôse Drama mascara - £22.50 here

I'm currently on the lookout for a new mascara, and I'd really like to go back to one with a curved brush, because I find these easiest to use.

3. Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm - £7.99 here

Having read so many great reviews on these, and with matte being my favourite finish for lip products, I'm not sure I can resist any longer! I've definitely got my eye on Mischievous... maybe Audacious too...

4. Pale/neon pink Blusher

I quite fancy a new blusher for the new season, and the fact that I have newly blonde hair (have a nosey here if you fancy) and I think a paler neon-y pink would suit just nicely. I'll be looking around, but does anyone have any recommendations?

5. MAC Eyeshadow Quad - £6.50 here
I've been considering getting one of these, since my other custom palettes are getting a bit full... I figure by moving my MAC eyeshadows to a quad, I'll get a bit of space back for depotting other brands.

6. Elie Saab Le Parfum Eau de Parfum - £32.30 here

Every time I walk past this, I end up spraying it on myself. It's a little different to the fragrances I usually go for, but I still love it.

What have you been lusting after recently?

xxx

March Empties

Hey! Even though it's halfway through April, today I'd like to share my March empties! I've been on a bit of a 'using up' mission lately, as well as throwing out old or unused makeup to clear up a bit of space in my collection (for new things, obviously).

1. La Roche Posay Effaclar A.I. Targeted Breakout Corrector

This is a staple product in my skincare routine, so I've already repurchased it. I've talked about this here, but if you'd like a full post about my whole skincare routine let me know!

2. Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Texturising Spray

This featured in my March favourites, and here it is again because I loved it so much I used it all up...

3. The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

I got this as part of a set at Christmas, and I have to say I prefer this particular one to other Body Shop butters, which I find can tend to take a while to sink in, leaving me feeling a bit sticky. The Shea one, however, sinks in a lot faster.

4. Paul Mitchell Super Strong Liquid Treatment

I ran out of this at the start of the month, and while I did find it good for my hair; I've since found other hair products that are good for strengthening.

5. Essie Good to Go Top Coat

My holy grail top coat, I think I'm now on my third-ish bottle of it. Repurchase, every time.

6. The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser

This is such a fantastic product, and is one of those where a little goes a long way since I've only just ran out after having it for about a year. I prefer this as a pore minimising product, to the likes of Benefit's Porefessional, as it doesn't just sit on top of my skin and feel a bit silicon-y. Also the tea tree in this is really good for my combination skin, particularly for breakouts.

7. The Body Shop Almond Nail and Cuticle Oil

The applicator of this (small brush pen which dispenses product) is a great idea in my view, but as an actual nail/cuticle oil I've definitely used better ones.

What have you used up recently?

xxx

March Favourites

Hey! Huge apologies for being MIA for the last few weeks, end of term deadlines crept up out of nowhere and I've been super busy! After what seems like an age of not having time to blog, I thought the best way to get back into the swing of things would be with a good ol' favourites post!

Quite a colourful collection of favourites for March, but then it is officially Spring now!

1. Topshop Lipstick 'All About Me' - £8 here

I've been wearing this pretty much non-stop since I bought at the end of February, but I'm slightly sad because I just lost it on a night out! Next time I'm in Topshop this is going to have to be a repurchase, because it's just the most fun bright pink colour, but in my favourite finish for lips: matte.

2. Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Texturising Spray - £6.99 here

Like many other bloggers, I bought this as a dupe for the Oribe Dry Texturising Spray (who wants to pay ~£40 for hairspray?!) and man is it great stuff! I don't actually have the Oribe version to compare to, but the Charles Worthington has certainly done the job of adding volume and texture to my hair, as the last few weeks I've been quite lazy and rocking the bedhead look.

3. L'Oreal Colour Riche 'Perle de Jade' - £4.99 here

I'm slightly in love with mint in general at the moment, but in particular has appeared so much on my nails recently that I'm already halfway through the bottle!

4. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation 'Mont Blanc' - £31 here

Every blogger and their cat has tried and raved about this foundation. And for a good reason, since it gives the most flawless base I've ever experienced. It should definitely win the award for 'Worst Named Product' though, since it is neither sheer nor glowy. 

5. La Tentation de Nina Eau de Toilette - £32 here

I saw this advertised in Paris while I was there for my birthday, sprayed it in the airport and loved it, but waited until my return to actually purchase it. I'm glad I waited because Escentual.com had (and still have) it for 20% off! I love the original Nina Ricci perfume, featured in my 2013 favourites, and this is a lovely, sweeter version perfect for Spring/Summer. It's inspired by the flavour of macarons, and limited edition, so I'm saving this for special occasion type use.

What have you been loving recently?

xxx