♥ Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Fluid-Touch Foundation

This foundation has quite the complex name, huh? When I first bought this, I hated it. I really, really didn't like it. It just didn't look good on me. I found it super runny and hated the consistency, the applicator, the bottle... I just didn't get along with it at all. Now it's all I ever reach for of a morning before work. It looks like you've got nothing on your skin and stays put all day long. I apply this to my face straight from the little wand (though the bottle says to drop it onto your finger and then apply to the face) but I'd rather not get my foundation all over my hands. I then buff this into my skin with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and though the coverage is fairly light, it can be built up. Due to it being such a thin liquid, it works into the skin effortlessly and while it covers just enough to make your skin flawless, like it suggests, it also makes it look like you're not wearing anything on your skin at all. It's an all round winner. I'll definitely be picking up another bottle of this to see me through the rest of the summer months and for me, it's the perfect foundation to wear to work because there's no point in having the absolute best make up on for it! I do think there's a chance I apply way more than what is actually needed, so I need to tweak the way I use this, but it really is such a lightweight foundation and really perfect for the warmer weather of the summer months. One thing I will state is that this stuff really clings to dry patches. I think this is what caused me to disagree with it so much when I first purchased it. My skin was in awful condition and to say I was suffering badly with spots is an understatement. It highlighted every little flaw but now my skin is so much clearer than it was a few months ago, this works perfectly. If you have pretty clear skin, though, it should work brilliantly to give the exact amount of coverage desired, yet still manage to let your own skin shine through.

What do you think about the applicator? Let me know if you've tried this foundation and how you apply it, I'd love to find out what works for you.

Em x

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♥ The Body Shop Haul

I'm really quite terrible at this blogging thing, to be perfectly honest. I find my voice and then lose it again like nobodies business and I've been so ridiculously busy since moving back to Birmingham I've not found the time to take photos, wear much makeup or even have anything I wanted to blog about at all. So, I apologise for the lack of content but I have a few posts ready and raring to go now! First up, I have this little The Body Shop haul as I had been after some skincare (ish) products for a little while from TBS for a long while and I finally bit the bullet and bought them.

Vitamin E Face Mist
If you watch In The Frow on Youtube, you'll know exactly why I wanted this. Victoria uses this in most of her makeup tutorials and I always love what she wears so this face mist had been on my wishlist for a really long time. It was the one product I went into the store to buy. When Victoria uses this, she puts it onto a makeup sponge to apply her base - or to set it - and her skin always looks completely flaw free. It's a brilliant little idea and I'll have to keep you updated on whether or not it works wonders for the application of my base products. I think this will be a perfect summer product to just keep in my handbag and to refresh my face throughout the day.

Honey Bronzer in 03
I'd wanted to try a bronzer for a really long time and I always manage to catch quite a bit of sun on my face in the summer so I wanted a product to imitate and enhance that tan. I'd been into Boots to look at Solar Powder multiple times and the packaging and messy displays always put me off. The next best thing was this bronzer that I've seen quite a few people on youtube using. It's matte, which is the thing that sold it to me, as I don't like loads of shimmer in my face products. It doesn't look muddy or dirty when it's on and while bronzer is something I'm still learning about, I honestly love the glow that this gives. They have quite a few different shades on offer too, so there's one suitable for every skin tone.

Virgin Mojito Shower Gel
When this line was released just in time for summer everyone rushed out and raved about the scent of it. When i popped in store the display was beautiful and it took one little sniff to make me fall absolutely in love. It's so fresh and it's a really clean scent that is perfect for morning showers. I shower of a morning before work most days and this is just so nice and refreshing to use.

Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser with SPF 30
I seem to get through moisturiser like nobodies business because I feel like the skin on my face is so awfully dehydrated all of the time. It's not a nice feeling and so I've been trying to stock up on a few moisturisers that I can keep around that will ensure I am giving my skin everything it needs. The main thing I was looking for in a new moisturiser was a decent SPF and when I stumbled upon this one I just knew it was going to be ideal for summer and my holiday to Rome. It does have quite a strong scent, which is a bit of a downside but it's pleasant so I can deal with that. The packaging says it's designed for 'dull skin' which is definitely a good way to describe my skin so hopefully this nourishes it to good health!

Now, let me tell you something. I am so easily convinced in every possible way and when people try to up sell things to me, more often than not I'll cave and buy exactly what they want me to. So when i wandered up to the till and the lady started telling me about the revamped Body Shop loyalty scheme I kind of just nodded along. It was my first time really purchasing from The Body Shop for myself and I didn't really think I'd get much use out of their loyalty scheme - especially as it's one you pay to opt into. However, the things I bought were on a three for two offer so I was saving pennies anyway and she was offering me a free gift if I signed up. The free gift was a Vitamin C Energising Face Spritz to refresh and smooth skin which is part of the same line as the moisturiser I picked up. I'm all for all the vitamins I can get, so this was well worth signing up to the loyalty scheme for. It retails at around the £10 mark, too. Overall, I'm really happy with everything I ended up buying from The Body Shop and now I get rewards for buying their products I'm sure I'll be back there in no time at all.

Is there anything you think I should purchase from TBS? Let me know!

Em x

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♥ May Favourites

The last couple of weeks have been absolute madness! I finished my second year at university in May so that felt really really good to do and then I spent a week or so just hanging around in Cornwall before coming back to Birmingham. I'm not working full time yet, so I've joined a gym in the city centre and I'm really focusing on looking after myself and trying to get healthier. The weather is gradually getting warmer and I love that we're so close to summer now... Less of my rambling, though, here are the things I used most throughout the month of May:

First up, is the No 7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream. I had a quite a few no make up days through my deadline period, but if I had to leave the house or go up to campus I'd quickly put some of this on, using just my fingers, to even out my skin tone. It's nearly all gone now and I am in the market for a high end BB cream so give me your recommendations in the comments! I'd neglected using brushes for foundation for quite a while, but I ended up going back to the Real Techniques Buffing Brush after feeling the results I was getting with their sponge weren't very nice. I don't know why I changed my mind on it, but I'm going to have to be on the look out for similar brushes as this never disappoints. Lately, I've been going for a bronze eye look all the time and there's been one palette I've been turning to every time. The shade Half Baked in the Naked 2 palette is so beautiful and it's so long wearing and pigmented. Urban Decay, this week, announced their new Naked palette and I'm so in love with it I think I'll be at the counter purchasing it on release day. As I've spoken about before on my blog, I tend to leave my hair to do it's own thing as I'm trying to get it into better condition and promote growth. The only thing I've been doing with it is dousing it in my Garnier The Marvelous Glow oil after every wash. I wrote a review that you can read here and I honestly love this so so much. It's perfect to run through damp hair to protect it from styling, it's great to add shine if you're sticking your hair up and it's nice to add a little bit of extra moisture before a wash. Just a few pumps after every wash has changed the way my natural hair looks and there's still loads left - it lasts a really long time! The lack of make up I was (or wasn't) wearing through the month meant I payed extra attention to my skin. I've been moisturising my face more than ever before, as I'm trying to get a really nice clear complexion and that means that I've totally used up my Nivea Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream. This moisturiser is super cheap so I don't mind that it's been used up so quickly. The skin on my face does get super oily so this is great for my skin as it keeps my skin in check and reduces shine. I love it.

Those are the few things I've been loving this month. On Netflix I've been watching the last season of Breaking Bad as I've still not watched the end and the new episode of Pretty Little Liars was insane. I'm really glad PLL has become more interesting, the last few seasons just didn't entertain me but I love the direction it's heading in now. I can't wait for the new episodes! Let me know the beauty items you've been loving this month in your comments, and sorry for my little absence!

Em x

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