British Blogger Selection

Happy Halloween, dear readers!

Today I have some exciting news to share. The lovely Ellie at Little Vintage Camera is working hard to set up a new Blogger group called the British Blogger Selection. I think it's a great opportunity for us British bloggers to participate in - get to know other bloggers, discover new blogs and share even more interesting and exciting posts! 

Anyone can get involved in this group, there's only one condition - you have to be British! Whether that be a British fashion blogger, beauty blogger, food blogger, lifestyle blogger... It doesn't matter! You can get involved (I'm starting to sound like a cheesy advert, right? Sorry, I'll dial down the excitement!) Each week Ellie will choose a theme and you will come up with a post surrounding that theme. Go check out Ellie's blog for all the details and give her a follow while you're there. 

If you want to get involved, all you have to do is email Ellie (you can find her email address on the 'Contact' page of her blog) with your blog URL, blog name and your full name! What could be easier? 

Are you getting involved? I would love to hear from you if you are!

Until later...

What's In My Bag? University Edition!

Hello lovely readers! Sorry it has a while since the last post, I've been pretty busy with uni work and all sorts so there has been a delay in organising my blog!

A few weeks ago I did a What's In My Clutch post which I really enjoyed and received some nice comments on so I thought I'd so another similar post for my university bag (as a fair amount of beauty bloggers I've come across are university students, I thought you might enjoy this)! 

So here is what I carry in my university bag! Starting from the top left I have my umbrella - a necessity if you live in Britain where you get all types of weather in one day. Then I have my Soap and Glory handy sized make up bag which I carry my daily essentials in (which you can see you below)! Then I have A4 Lined Paper, one of the more exciting items of my handbag. Photographed on top of that is my Waterstones Diary which is essential. I can't tell you how many times I've been in uni and asked to do some reading that I've completely forgotten about. Then I have my Cath Kidston Purse which holds, well, pursey things. Underneath that I have my glasses which I don't have to wear all the time, only if I'm doing anything involving distance so I need these for uni otherwise my head and eyes will ache by the end of a two hour lecture. Then I have a pen. Just the one. So I'm doomed if it ever runs out mid-lecture. I also have my Soap & Glory (can anyone remember the last time I did a post where I didn't mention Soap & Glory? No? Me neither...) Hand Food which smells divine and is a must have for the winter months. And last but not least I have my keys! It's quite a lot to pack into my very modest-sized bag but it all fits in there pretty nicely. 

(also not photographed I have my phone which I always have with me but is actually lost at the moment... oops)

Okay so for those of you who want a sneaky peak into what I carry around in my make up here you go! My make up bag is photographed again in the top left. Carrying on from there I have my little compact mirror for applying some make up bits on the go. It's actually an Archers mirror I got in a Christmas gift set years and years ago and is now snapped in half so I'm hoping for a new one for Christmas. Then I have a safety pin which I bought in a time of need from a little shop near uni and now lives in my bag in case of emergencies. I also have some little packets of chewing gum for constant minty fresh breath. Then I have a packet of paracetamol just in case! It is never nice to sit through a long lecture with an almighty headache. Then I have my Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer (oops, I did it again...) which is perfect for on the go because it's small and compact and contains both a powder and concealer. Then I have my Soap & Glory Hand Maid hand sanitiser because nobody likes touching the hand rails on the bus then eating a cheese sandwich. I also have a little bottle of Old Spice deodorant in case my friends and I spontaneously decide to pop into town after our lectures just so I can feel fresh. Next is my Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick which is perfect for touching up your make up quickly and efficiently! Then I have Clearasil Shine Control Papers to keep oily skin at bay during those warmer days. Also in my bag I have a Travel Eau which has some Ted Baker perfume in my a quick freshen up through the day. Lastly I have my Vaseline in Paint The Town Red for a nourishing touch of colour on the lips when they're feeling a bit chapped. 

There you have it! Lots of essentials for a day at uni! Honestly you might think "who really needs all that for a day at uni?" but you'd be surprised how many people come to me for hand sanitiser and chewing gum and all sorts! I'm like the Mary Poppins of my university. 

So, all you university-goers... What is in your bag?

Garnier Intensive 7 Day Moisturiser and Garnier Moisture Match Review

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're all having a great week whatever you've been doing! I'm glad it's nearly the weekend, I have some serious catching up on sleep to do! Today I'm bringing you a review of two Garnier products that I am less than impressed with. Read on to find out why!

(I apologise for the state of the bottle in this photo - it has a massive sticker over the bottom half and I tied to remove it and instead it left behind this horrible gluey mess!)

I'll start with the Garnier Moisture Match moisturiser. I didn't acually buy this for myself, it was a gift from my grandma as I'd run out of moisturiser and she was popping to morrisons so she picked up this for me and saved my moisturiser-less skin being seen by the world! I've never particularly taken to Garnier products and this moisturiser reminds me why. This particular product is designed for dull skin so my guess is that it's supposed to brighten your face to make your skin look a little bit less tired. It did nothing of the sort. It just made me look and feel very greasy and oily throughout the whole day and during the week I was using it my skin even became oily on my make up free days. It didn't make my skin look any less dull, it just made it a whole lot more shiny. On top of that it has an awful chemical smell to it - like antibacterial wipes. It's not a nice smell to be putting on your face at the start of the day! I did a little bit of research on the Garnier website and found that it claims to 'fast absorbing'. Which is something I can agree with although I'm not sure that's a good thing.  It did absorb very quickly but that left me feeling like I hadn't moisturised at all and it didn't leave a good canvas for my foundation afterwards. I was having to use it to remoisturise extra dry parts of my face not 10 seconds after I'd first applied it. Come on Garnier, step up your game.

 

As you can see from the image, the actual moisturiser is clear and quite a runny consistency - not at all like your average thick/creamy moisturiser which only adds to the sanitiser characteristics of it. 

You can buy the Moisture Match products in 5 different types for all your skin needs (allegedly!) - Protect & Glow, Start Afresh, Goodbye Dry, Wake Me Up (as seen in this post) and Shine Be Gone. They are tailored for different skin types/needs but a couple of them seem to do the same job or no job at all. Sorry Garnier, I'm just not a fan. 

If you want to give this product a try you can buy it for £5.99 from Boots.

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Next up on the review list today is Garnier Intensive 7 Day Moisturiser. As far as moisturisers go it's not actually that bad. It smells just like a cream (particularly sun creamy!) and applies nicely. My issue with it is that it takes FOREVER to absorb. I started using this after my morning shower but it was such a horrible feeling putting my clothes on with my body feeling like it was still heavily slathered in cream. Intensive is most certainly the word. That being said, I don't think it works any better than any other moisturiser I've used. I can use other moisturisers than still leave my body feeling suitably moisturised 36 hours later. This one just doesn't do anything for me. And as for the claim that skin feels 'intensely hydrated' for up to 7 days - no, no it doesn't. This is not a moisturiser for you if, like me, you don't like moisturiser sitting around on your skin for hours. Okay so it does the minimal job of actually moisturising my skin but that's all it does. I bought mine for Dry to Extra-Dry Skin as I struggle with dry skin on my legs (especially now the weather is getting colder - it just sucks all my moisture out of me!) but it does come in a few varieties - Grape Milk for normal to dry skin and Peach Milk for dry and sensitive skin. Have you tried any of the Intense Hydration products? What did you think?

If you're interested in purchasing this product you can buy it for £3.14 in Boots - I guess even after all that it's not a terrible purchase for £3! Still, I don't love this product. That's not to say I hate it either, I just think there are much better body moisturisers out there.

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How did you find this review? Would you  like to see more?

And Garnier, I'm sorry. I promise to keep an open mind about you!

Please feel free to leave me a comment, I love hearing from you!

Birthday Beauty Wishlist

'Evening you lovely lot!

As my birthday is just around the corner (i.e next weekend, so don't panic, you still have time to buy me presents...) I thought I'd share with you a few of the beauty items that are on my birthday wishlist this year!

1. MAC Lipstick in Russian Red 2. Borghese Fango Active Mud for Face and Body 3. Nars Lippglosses in (Almost) Any Shade4. Clinique Moisture Sure Intense Moisturiser 5. Nina by Nina Ricci Perfume

As I'm currently living on a student budget (and trying to save up for a car... A real struggle, believe me!) I don't often have enough money to buy products like these that are on the pricey side of the market. So I lumped all the things I can't afford into my birthday wishlist in hopes that some generous soul will spend a few extra pennies and treat me to some of these goodies! They're all things that I've been hearing great things about throughout the year from bloggers and friends and so a few months ago started collating them all into a list on my phone. There are also some non-beauty ideas on there too  (like the new Jack Johnson CD, seriously have you guys heard it? So good!) but the beauty items by far make me yearn! 

Have any of your tried any of these products? (That might be a silly question, what kind of beauty blogger doesn't own a MAC lipstick, right? Oh yeah, me...)

And while we're speaking of birthdays - Happy belated 21st birthday to the lovely Tasha at Hello Freckles - looks like you got some lovely presents! Lucky lady!

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend! 

:)