Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation Review

I am such a novice when it comes to face base, I never really knew what I was doing when I was younger, and throughout my late teens and early twenties I just used a tinted moisturiser. Then I swapped to BB Creams and although I'm still a fan of them, I was looking for a bit more coverage. So I purchased my first high end foundation - Jemma Kidd Light as Air (reviewed here). I liked it, but for £25 for a half empty tube I didn't think it was fantastic so won't repurchase it.

I have used Bourjois Healthy Mix before when I was younger and did like it, and I know it's raved over, but whilst perusing Bourjois on my recent drugstore visit, I decided to go for the newer 123 Perfect Foundation, with its promise of  'a rested yet radiant complexion and a flawless, even result for up to 16hrs', with 24 hour hydration and SPF10. (Bourjois website).

Unblended on right, lightly blended on left.

Pros:

• I picked shade No52 Vanilla and it blends perfectly with my skintone.
• It is easy to apply and blend, I use my Sigma stippling brush for the best affect.
• It did even out my skin tone as I have discolouration on my cheeks, and it covered my pores well.
• I didn't feel I needed a powder after this, and I have combination skin, but I always apply bronzer anyways. You could probably go without.
• It definitely was long lasting, although probably not 16 hours (I always use a primer anyways)
• Bourjois is cruelty free.

Cons:

• It's a liiiiittle runny but that doesn't bother me too much. 
• I'm not sure  it was effective at covering my dark undereye circles, I still could definitely not go out without my trusty Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer on top.

Here it is on my face with no other makeup (ugh):

So it's done ok with my discolouration and pores, still got a wrinkly forehead and dark circles tho!

 

On the whole, I like it and would recommend it. What do you think? Have you tried this foundation? Should I have stuck with Healthy Mix?

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

Smile Enhancing Lipglosses

I recently bought two smile enhancing lipglosses, actually a coincidence, it's not something I usually look for in a lippie but hey ho.

The first was a random purchase in Watt Brothers whilst I was looking for toy soldiers (don't ask). They had a big Sally Hansen display and this lipgloss in shade 'Gleaming' was only like £2. Please note I purchased this BEFORE making the conscious decision to go cruelty free, I am aware Sally Hansen test on animals and won't be purchasing from them again.

Anyways, the product is fairly average. I always thought a blue tone was needed in lip products to make teeth appear whiter, a la Benefit's California Kissin'. However, this was too pale and pink and did not appear to make my teeth appear any whiter than normal.

The second product I bought just recently from Bourjois, and it's quite quirky. It's called Smile Enhancing Gloss in shade 05 Framboise Hollywood.  It's double sided, with one side as a lipgloss and the other as a teeth whitener. I'm not exactly sure how the teeth whitener is to be used, like if it's to be left to dry or not used within a certain time of eating, and I can find no instructions on it.

However, the concept is pretty fun, even if I do get a few funny looks when applying it in the pub toilets. I can feel the minty effect and I do feel like it temporarily brightens the teeth and besides, the lipgloss colour is divine!! Give this one a try I think.

It's actually a lot bolder in real life, quite a bright, deep pink.

And here's the swatches on my hand also:

Sally Hansen on left, Bourjois on right

Have you tried any of these products? Have you found any lip products that really do make your teeth appear whiter?

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

17 Cosmetics Fest-of-All Freebie. :)

So I recently repurchased one of my favourite mascaras of all time and DEFO my favourite drugstore mascara - 17 Peepshow. I reviewed it here, but here's a quick reminder of it's luciousness:

Lovelovelove.

Anyways, so if you spent more than £6 on 17 Cosmetics, you got a free goodie bag. Peep Show is £6.99 so I scooped up my freebies and headed off to the cash desk.

So here's what I got:

An eyeliner, a nail polish and wash off tan. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll be using the kohl or tan, as I use gel eyeliner now and don't ever wear wash off tan. I really like the nail polish tho, 17 nail products are usually good and this one is no exception.

For some reason, this colour refused to photograph well! My camera couldn't focus on it at all. It's a bright corally orange, with a slight shimmer. This was with two coats, one coat by itself was quite pale:

Cute, huh?

So remember, if you're planning on popping into Boots, spend more than £6 and you can pick up this cute wee set. Bargain. :) Have you seen any other good deals like this recently?

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

Primark Bargains: Dip Hem Dresses :)

During my hiatus I bought two adorable dresses from Primark I've been dying to share with you guys. They both feature dip hems, which I was initially unsure of as a trend, but I now LOVE. They still show a bit of leg but are very flattering and still dressy!

**Sorry the photos are such poor quality, using a new online 'photo collager', any suggestions for a good one?? :(**

Here's the first one, it's more of a casual dress:

It was £10.

I can imagine wearing this one holiday, over a bikini, heading to the beach. What a bargain! It's a bit long for me tho haha. It ties up with a rope halterneck.

The second one is a bit dressier:

It was £17 I believe, which is expensive for Primark but not in general. It's also a bit shorter at the back than the first dress, which is good for a wee smout like me! I wore it recently to my boyfriend's Graduation (Congratulations Scott Reid BA with Hons!!! =p)

And a wee extra that I picked up that I thought was cute, a wee playsuit - £7, I think! :)

What do you think of them? Do you like this trend? Have you seen any lovely versions in other stores?

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

Bikiiiiiiniiiiiiis!! A selection I have bought. =p

So I booked up a last minute holiday, and of course this means BIKINIS. Now, I used to be a wee stick when I was younger and the bikini posed no threat - however now I am a 'curvy woman' (haha trying to justify becoming fat) the mere thought of one fills me with fear. I am pear shaped, so I set out to try and buy some figure flattering two pieces.

Don't worry, I am obv not going to post photos of myself in the bikinis on the internet - I am all too aware how that could end up! So here they are all by themselves (you'll just have to imagine them on).

These are my selection from Primark:

Top to Bottom Prices:

Multicoloured Bikini - £5 top, £3 bottoms

Floral Bikini - £7 set

And my selection from New Look:

These are all Kelly Brook bikinis, I love her designs in New Look, I love the pin-up style! I think they're perfect for curvier girls and luckily a lot of them were in the sale!

Top to Bottom Prices:

White Travel Print Bikini - top: £16.99 but in sale for £12.99; bottoms: £9.99 but in sale for £7.75

Blue Floral Bikini - top: £16.99 but in sale for £6.00; bottoms: ££8.99 but in sale for £3.00,

Pink Bottoms (couldn't get a top, just gonna get a wee cheap pink or white one!) - £8.99 but in sale for £4.00


And Tesco (yes, really):

They are both a bit sparkly which makes me happy. :)

Top to Bottom Prices:
Orange Striped Bikini - Top: £7; bottoms: £5
Floral Bikini - Top: £9; bottoms: £5

What is your favourite? Do you have any tips for figure flattering bikinis? Or any quick weight loss ideas haha?!

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

Winner of Naked2 Giveaway!

Thank you so much for all your entries into my competition and a big hello to all my new followers! Thank you all for reading my blog, whether you're a loyal reader or brand new. It's made me so happy!!

So, without further ado, the winner is:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS! :)

I'm going on holiday tomorrow (Friday 13th, eek!) so my new two weeks of posts will be scheduled. But please continue to leave comments and I'll check them as often as I can!

See you when I'm a bronzed goddess (haha)!!

~ Lauren ♥

Nail Sponging, New Hair and Naked2 Giveaway! :)

Remember you can still enter my 'back to blogging giveaway' HERE to win a Naked2 Palette!

Today is the last day!

Just a quick post to let you know about a new blog I am contributing to. The lovely Karris (check out her blog and her YouTube channel) has created a collaborative blog for Scottish bloggers and I am the first post! There's not a whole lot of opportunity for us up here, so this is a great idea.

My first post is on nail sponging! So if you want to know how to do this:

(please ignore my horrible sausage fingers)

...then check out Scottish Bloggers. Please comment and follow, I would LOVE your support and I know there are many amazing bloggers going to be contributing soon and I will be contributing regularly also.

I am also featured in Sarah from FashionismyH2O's Project Perfect - check that out here.

And lastly, I am no longer a blondie!! Well, I feel that way anyways. I got my hair toned darker and I think I like it! Here's what it looked like last week:

And now!

Sorry for poor quality phone pics. :)

Twitter and Instagram response was so lovely, but do you think I suit it better? Also, what do you think of my new blogging project?

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

Collection Goodies Review :)

Thank you all so much for your sweet 'welcome back' messages and also for the congratulations on my job! I'm super excited and lucky in this economy to get one, so thank you!! :)

Remember you can still enter my 'back to blogging giveaway' HERE to win a Naked2 Palette!

Obviously I have a lot of things to catch up on since my break, but first I want to share with you some bargain products that I'm actually pretty impressed with! I recently went into Boots and was distracted by Collection (2000)'s 3 for 2 offer on some of their new goodies.

Now I loved this because it's actually three products I genuinely wanted and needed! I've needed a new primer for a while, and I've been wanting to try gel liner for aaaaages and the finishing spray just seemed like a good idea as I wasn't too impressed by ELF's but I am not forking out for Urban Decay's.

Primer on my hand. :)

The primer has the exact consistancy you'd be looking for, soft and velvety, and goes on like a dream. A little goes a long way and I do feel like my makeup stays looking nicer for that little bit longer. It costs £5.99 when not on offer.

I'm a bit scared of gel liner, not got my application perfect yet, but it goes on smoothly and easily and is lovely and dark initially. The only problem with it is that even with primer, after a day's wear it fades a bit. However, it's been a good trial product for me! I really like it and it's only £4.99.

Lastly, the finishing spray makes my face feel wet for a few seconds obviously, but it dries quickly and I did notice that when combined with the primer my makeup stayed on all night on a night out. I wouldn't use this product for day to day wear, but it seems to be decent for a night out! It costs £5.99 when not on offer.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with these products, which with the offer cost me the grand total of £12 for all three - not bad! Have any of you tried these products? Or any other bargain Collection products I should know about (obv except the famous concealer!!)

Let me know!

ALSO I've been featured in Sarah from FashionismyH2O's recent 'Project Perfect' post, along with some other gorgeous bloggers. If you don't know what Project Perfect is, or you want to see more of me (haha) then go HERE.

~ Lauren ♥

I'M BACK! Naked2 Giveaway. :)

I'M BAAAAAAAACK!!

Ohmigosh, I know I haven't posted regularly in MONTHS and again I'm sorry, but finally I'm back! I have been mega mega busy but the awesome news is I finally have a full time permanent teaching job starting in August and I'm off on my summer holidays now so life is GOOD!

My cheesorama face to show you my joy.

Thank you so much if you are reading this, I know I lost a few followers through my absence and I totally understand that, but if you're checking this out now it might mean you're giving me a second chance so THANK YOU.

I will have a proper post up in a few days giving you a quick catch up of some things I've been up to, and then I'll be back to OOTDs, nail art and reviews like normal! I have lots of posts to write, eeEeeeEE! I'm excited. :)

Buuuut giveaway time! In order to celebrate my return (and to encourage people to visit my blog again haha) I'm giving away an Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. I know loads of people already have this, but it's awesome and everyone needs a back up. =p

You can read my review of Naked 2 here (don't worry, this one is brand new obv).

Enter below, UK only please. Comment below if you have entered. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, since it's been so long, I have tons of blogs to catch up on - please leave me a link if you'd like me to catch up on yours! Have you posted something I have to read??

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥