Bobbi Brown Surf and Sand Eyeliner | Bronze

As soon as I saw the Bobbi Brown Surf and Sand collection I just wanted it all, however funds are precious in the Bank of Olivia right now, so I had to just pick one thing (preferably one of the cheaper options too).

I knew the new Longwear Eyeliner shades would be just what I was looking for and although the chocolate brown shade was gorgeous, I couldn't resist that glittery, deep bronze; I know I made the right choice...

 I did mean to take some pictures when it was all shiny and new, but as soon as it came out of the box I wanted it on my face... Apologies!

It's not your typical orange-bronze, it's such a more wearable dark brown, that glints bronze when it catches the light just right. The formula is one tough cookie, it really doesn't budge for a good few hours! It looks so lovely lining the top of your eyes and even making a small cat-eye flick. But it also really shines as part of a smokey eye, as it smudges really prettily just before it sets. I can't get enough of it! I'm loathe to sharpen it though, since it doesn't sharpen all that easily, although that's probably down to my cack-handedness.

All I can say is that I might even buy another one of these before the collection ends; that's how much I love it!

Xxxx

Ode to Brogues

Ahh brogues, that weirdly masculine/feminine shoe, how I adore thee. Gives any outfit a bit of a classy edge, and they make that lovely "click-clack" sound on hard floors. I have to share this pair I found in Clarks last week; 50% off! They were supposed to be £65, so that's a huge saving!

Tan leather, cut out detail on the sides, oatmeal laces and golden lace eyelets... God they're so pretty!

Xxxx

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge | Hibiscus

I'm fairly sure this was a limited addition of the lovely Pot Rouge, but it's such a gorgeous colour I think I have to share it with you! It was from the Nectar and Nude collection from earlier this year, and is a beautiful coral shade!

On my lips this shade turns out far more pink looking, but on the cheeks is where it really shines. It brings a lovely coral flush with only the smallest amount of product. I find it tricky to blend sometimes as it's just so pigmented. The line between perfect and clown-cheeks can be very fine, but when you get it right it is so right. 

Xxxx

Hair Heroes

My hair is a bit flat. It's poker straight and totally oomph-less, not very sexy. Here are a couple of products that help kick some life into it!

Bumble and Bumble Pret-a-Powder

I completely adore this. It's a kind-of dry shampoo, and I'm serious - it lasts for ever! I used to get through a can of dry shampoo every couple of weeks, but I've had this for at least 4 months and have barely used a third of it! It gives such great texture and makes the hair at the roots fluffy and bouncy, I use this even after just washing my hair!

Percy and Reed Wonder Balm

I love massaging a small amount of this into my roots and then down the length of my hair whilst it's still damp, and it makes your hair so much more manageable! It makes styling my hair so much easier and keeps it lasting. Plus it smells divine. 

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray

You should be quite deft-handed when applying this, because if sprayed too liberally it can really weigh your hair down, and make it a bit crunchy too. But on freshly unplaited hair, it gives the most glorious "I woke up like this", easy-going texture.

Xxxx

La Roche Posay Pigment Control Serum | Review

My skin scars pretty badly after blemishes. I still have scars from two years ago; they're stubborn little bastards. I wanted them to fade on their own, but in January I decided they needed a little help out of the door.

I picked up this serum half-price at boots (£15.50 when it should have been £31) and I wasn't really sure what to expect from it. I had used the Vichy Idealia Dark Spot Corrector before but wasn't really impressed with it, this on the other hand...

This is my second bottle of this serum now, and I can honestly say that I won't be looking for anything else to take over. It's fairly powerful stuff! You should only apply it at night and the next day you have to make sure to apply a good SPF, as it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun after use. It comes with a little pipette applicator, which is handy for the runny consistency, as it helps you get it directly on your target areas.

I'll be honest, the smell - whilst not particularly strong - isn't very pleasant. It's got a chemical smell, not quite ammonia or alcohol, but not far off, and it can irritate your eyes so I make sure it goes nowhere near them. It leaves a bit of a sticky residue on the skin too, which isn't too much of a problem if you moisturise over the top. But I forget all my niggles with this product when I look at my skin in the morning; it looks so much brighter and clearer! I can really see the difference in how even my skin looks, like it's been whitewashed over night. I used to use this every night, but after about 3 months now my scars have faded to a point where I only use it a couple of times a week; more so if I have a new blemish. It even fades the freckles on my cheeks!

This is one of the few products where I have genuinely noticed a marked difference in how my skin looks. I don't think this is going to be knocked off its pedestal any time soon!

Xxxx

Airport-Friendly Beauty

When you're travelling light, the 100ml airport liquid limit is both a good and a bad thing. Good in that it challenges to you rethink what you really need and be creative about what you decide to take with you - Lord knows liquids are the heaviest thing you end up carrying. Bad, in that decanting is the bane of my f*cking life (pardon my French).

That being said, I love having smaller bottles of products to carry around with me. Why are small things always cuter?

Vichy SPF50 Capital Soleil Stick
You can't go wrong with a suncream stick. Great for the tops of your ears, face, all that jazz. No liquid in sight and really lightweight too!

Avene Eau Thermale - 50ml
Way handier than the larger version, and there is nothing better to really cool you down when you've been walking in the sun.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - 30ml
A gorgeous little bottle, and very soothing to use as aftersun, along with lashings of Sudacrem.

Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse OR - 50ml
Admittedly the bottle here is heavy, but it feels like such a treat to apply and makes your skin shimmer beautifully. It's not like horrible school disco glitter, it's so much more luxurious, and the smell is divine. When slumming it, this really makes me feel like a rich lady.

Fan
Everyone needs a fan, cheap as chips and adorable. I used to carry one of those little battery powered ones, but then one of them tore my hair out. Plus, they do make you look a bit of a loser, with their weedy little whining noise.

And there we go! I also have a really sweet 100ml bottle of Bioderma, and a travel sized version of my favourite perfume. I wish all brands made products in such convenient sizes!

Xxxx

Travelling Makeup!

In two weeks, I'll be living out of a backpack for a month. I've done this once before, and I had the absolute worst skin of my life. I took barely any makeup because I assumed I wouldn't need it, but we were in India, and I hadn't counted on all the sweat, dirt and baking heat. Spots everywhere. Massive juicers visible from space... Never again.

So now I'm a careful packer, and although I have to travel very light, I don't cut corners any more - it's just not worth it. So here is what I am taking makeup-wise:

 Now I'll admit; this isn't quite everything. I'm still umming and ahhing over what concealer to take with me. I think I'm probably just going to buy a new one in a darker shade (any excuse).

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream
Fairly standard. It doesn't give me all the coverage I need, but it's lovely and light with SPF - winner, winner.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Again, standard, but it's just the best bronzer I've used. I don't like to take shimmery face products as I feel they are for days when you're feeling particularly... 'Sparkly'. And that's definitely max once a week.

Topshop Lipstick in Infrared
It's orange, and honestly, I rarely leave the house without wearing it these days. It's my absolute favourite and I couldn't leave it behind - it makes me so sad to think of it alone in my drawer for so long.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Hibiscus

Such a lovely product, especially when you have a tan. I love it on my lips and cheeks, although it does need lip balm too since it can be quite drying.

 The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes
This is one of those lovely little eyeshadows from the shimmer cubes boxes. Its a golden/peach kind of colour and I use it all over the place; inner-corner highlight, eyeshadow wash, cheekbone highlight and sometimes on my cupid's bow too. Such a convenient little thing!

 Maybelline Expresson Kajal Eyeliner - Silver Grey
This is a slightly softer alternative to straight black. I feel like black takes effort, because if I don't get it right it makes my eyes look small and piggy. I was so satisfied with this, until I saw the new Bobbi Brown Surf and Sand bronze eyeliner... I want it so badly!

Maybelline Brow Drama - Medium Brown
Now, admittedly, this is nowhere near as good as Benefit's Gimme Brow, but it's £4.99, and so simple to use. I'd normally use pencil and then this over the top, but it does fine on it's own and pencil is such a faff when you only have a little compact mirror. Also, because it has a bigger, wider brush, it makes quite a good mascara!

So there we have it. Other than perhaps two new additions, this is what I'll be using! I hope I made good choices!

Xxxx

Rimmel London Scandaleyes | Rose Gold

I bought this pencil a few days ago mostly because I adore rosy gold shades as eye shadows and liners. I have the most perfect rose gold eyeliner from Dior that was limited edition, and will absolutely break my heart when it finally dies on me. There were no testers in the shop so I just decided to go for it.

When I opened it up, I have to say I was a little disappointed; it's very bronze and the colour payoff on skin, whilst very pigmented, is almost orange. I was expecting pink/gold, as the name would suggest, but sadly no such thing. It would seem, the pencil was named 'on trend'...

I would definitely buy the Scandaleyes pencils in another colour; the formula is gorgeous and creamy, but stays put forever! Easy to smudge out, but then it's immovable! As I just mentioned, the colour payoff is great, and creates a lovely gradient if you smudge with your fingers. The pencil is pretty handy too - no brushes required, although I fear sharpening my be a bit of a pain. The point means that you can easily draw into the crease of your eyelid to define it, and underneath the eyes too.

The only thing I dislike about this is the colour, which sadly is the only real important factor. It just doesn't suit me, I've tried a few different ways and combining it with other colours but I just don't think it will work for me. My boyfriend hates it too, and he's fairly ambivalent about most things, so it must be bad!

Not for me, but that beige colour on the other hand...

Xxxx

Bioderma

I've been happily plodding along with my Garnier Micellar Water for the last four months or so now and I'm rather a fan of the 'If it ain't broke' mantra. Then Escentual had it's 1/3 off French pharmacy event again and I saw a 100ml bottle of the Bioderma Micellar Water for £3. I've thought about trying it for a while, so this was my opportune moment.

I bought the 100ml because I'm backpacking around Europe in 3 weeks, starting with a flight to Amsterdam. I'm taking no hold luggage so everything has to go with me in my bag; hence backpacking... But that means no liquids over 100ml.

Adorable or what?

I figured 100ml was more than enough for a months usage, but we'll see! The route ends up in France anyway so I could always stock up there...

And of course I had to give it a little try. It's certainly better than the Garnier water in that you need less of it to have the same results. It feels slightly oilier but in a good way, in that it's smoother to apply and the cotton wool doesn't tug and your skin as much when your moving it around.

Xxxx

Topshop Glow Highlighter in Gleam

I'm not healthy enough to have that lovely natural glow to my face, so smearing things on my cheekbones is the best I can do. One of the nicest things I've been smearing lately is this Topshop Highlighter in the shade "Polish" which is a sort of pearly white. They had a gold and a rose gold version too, which I really wish I'd picked up, since a golden glow is so much more summery. Even so, this is lovely!

The little pot is sweet, but heavy so it's not really great to carry around. Even so, you get a hell of a lot since a little goes a long way. It catches the light really well and is creamy and easy to apply. It doesn't disturb your makeup if you apply it over the top, however it does crease something chronic, so anybody hoping to double it up as a cream eyeshadow will be disappointed. 

It looks good on the inner corners of the eye too. I'm not really deft enough to prod at my eye with my fingers so this is the job for a smudging brush. 

It goes for £9 in Topshop, and I really would recommend it as a fuss-free highlighter.

Xxxx

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream

I just want to say before I get into this; I love almost everything Clinique have ever made, their anti-blemish solutions foundation is still one of my favourites. I think that fact is what made me buy this CC cream without really doing my research into a product first. Usually it takes me a good two weeks to decide to buy something because I'm tight like that... Anyway!

I tried so hard to like this, I swear! I tried everything! Primers, brushes, sponges, fingertips, wet sponges,everything I could think of, and God I hate it. Hate it, hate it, hate it!

It's just bloody awful! It feels sticky on the skin, very heavy and you can always feel that you're wearing it. It never sets so it just slides about and settles into fine lines, you can't touch your face without leaving a fingerprint. Trying to get an even finish is like pulling teeth, it just ends up streaky and goopy. It feels like glue, and all the setting powder in the world couldn't make it stay put. It makes a minuscule amount of difference to the complexion once applied and woe betide anyone who'd dare to apply more than one layer.

I have literally nothing good to say about this, I wouldn't even give it away.

Sorry Clinique; you made a stinker.

Xxxx

*Just to say; I'm only one person, and I have seen good reviews for this product elsewhere. I'm spitting so much venom because it was £28, and like I said, I'm tight like that.