Rimmel Wonder'full Mascara Review

I saw this mascara at work a few weeks ago and because it was on offer (and I have absolutely no will power) I thought I'd give it a go. With argan oil being all the rage at the moment I was interested to see how it would work in a mascara formula. 

It is quite a creamy formula, the difference between this and an average mascara is noticeable straight away. So when I was chatting to a few girls at work about it, they were saying they didn't get on so well with it for that reason. I like that though, I do feel like it is conditioning my lashes as Rimmel claim. And as the formula is so creamy, the mascara doesn't dry and flake off my lashes through the day! Well done you, Rimmel. 

The brush is lovely too. I'm drawn to plastic brushes anyway, the bristle brushes hold far too much product for me. And I feel like I have more control over a plastic brush. Rimmel call it an "ultra-flex brush" but I haven't noticed anything particularly special about it in comparison to other similar mascara wands and I'm not too sure how a flexi brush would help anyway... surely that'd just make controlling where the mascara goes more difficult? Anyway, whatever you want to call the brush, it's lovely for coating all of your lushes with no clumps! 

On another, and not entirely unrelated, note I really like the packaging. It makes a change from the usual black tubes that are floating around in my handbag! So all in all, I'm a fan of this product. 

Have you tried it? What did you think?

B. Glowing Shimmer Block (Just Peachy) Review

B. is one of the most underrated high street beauty and skincare brands out there. Their micellar water is brilliant and their foundation is pretty good too (but that's for another time.) Today I'm here to talk to you about one of their Shimmer Blocks which I have fallen in love with for the summer season. 

Okay so the packaging isn't particularly sturdy. It does feel a little bit cheap and flimsy in your hand but I'm sure we can all get past that because the product is so lovely. It's like a slightly pinkier version of the Sleek Rose Gold blush. I would argue it's slightly more shimmery but I think that's perfect for days when the sun is shining. It acts as the perfect blush/highlighter combo.

The pigmentation isn't quite up to the standards of the Sleek blushes but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. It just means you're able to build up the colour to a shade that suits you. I've been wearing this every day since I bought it. I'll be a bit upset when the seasons change and it doesn't play as well.

This product is exclusive to superdrug and you can buy it in store or on the website for £7.99.

Have you tried any products from B.?

Maybelline Coloursensational Shine Gloss Review

I'm back and forth with my love of lipglosses. A Soap & Glory gloss was the first makeup product I ever bought for myself but since then I've been dabbled more in lipsticks and balms. But I've rekindled my love of the gloss with the Maybelline Coloursensational products. I just love them! 

First of all they don't come in super chunky packaging like most glosses tend to do. They're slim and lightweight so perfect to pop in your handbag for on the go. The applicators are also a lovely size and shape so they make it really easy to apply quickly (without smudging it all over your face.)

At the moment I'm wearing mine in 420 Glorious Grapefruit (top) and 150 Pink Shock (bottom). The wear time is average, less than a lipstick, longer than a balm. The great thing about these glosses too is that they're not sticky. At all. And they're pretty versatile - you can wear them on their own for a subtle touch of colour or over a similar coloured lipstick for a more vibrant glossy colour.

Have you tried these products before? Let me know if you have, I'd love to hear from you!

Maybelline Baby Skin Primer Review

I know I'm way late to the party with this one, I'll admit it, but it's only a recent purchase and due to the amount of hype surrounding it, I knew it wasn't something I could miss out on. I'll also admit that I've never tried it's high-end sister, the Benefit Porefessional primer so I can't really compare the two. I do just want to say though that I was left disappointed with Baby Skin.

I actually quite liked the lightweight gel consistency of this product, it felt really nice to apply to my skin. However it failed to deliver on most of it's primer duties; it didn't minimise my pores, it didn't make my makeup go on any better and it didn't make it stay put any longer either. In fact my makeup wear seemed to be a bit worse by the end of the day.

Actually, I lied, it does deliver on one promise: it did leave my skin feeling super soft. Like I said, I liked the consistency of it on application. But that's about as far as my love extends with this product! 

Don't just take my word for it though. I'm sure you've read countless reviews claiming it's wonders. Maybe it just didn't get on well with my skin. I may have set my expectations too high with this one! But if you haven't tried it yet, you can buy it for £7.99 from Superdrug and test it for yourself.

Have you tried this product? What did you think?

Superdrug Colour Rewind Review

Guarenteed this is the only colour remover I've ever bought, I was pretty impressed with it. I've been dying my hair since I was around 13 so you can imagine the colour build up! Plus it's been every colour under the sun so stripping the colour out of it was going to be a challenge!

All it requires is to mix the solution, apply on your hair like an at-home hair dye and then leave on for an hour. I won't lie and sugarcoat the nasties, it smells disgusting. And the smell lingers for a while afterwards so make sure you're sat in a well ventilated room for that hour. When the hour is up, you have to spend about 10 minutes alternating between rinsing and shampooing with the shampoo they provide. 

I would recommend using a good conditioner afterwards because after rinsing it for so long your hair will start to feel quite dry and brittle. The good thing is that that feeling doesn't last and it won't damage your hair. My hair is quite prone to breakage to begin with but it was absolutely fine after I used it.

I used two of this boxes because my hair is quite thick and long and as I said, the colour build up after all those years was immense. But I could see the results after one use so I was really pleased!

You can buy this product from Superdrug for £9.99 and it's actually on buy one get one half price at the moment, so grab them while you can! If anyone else has tried this product let me know, or if you've used a different one and think it's any better leave me a comment! I'd love to hear! 

Witch Naturally Clear Blemish Stick Review

I've been having a lot of trouble with my skin lately and going back and forth to the doctors has never had much appeal and to be honest, it's doing my skin no good. I must have tried almost every cream, tablet, gel etc under the sun and nothing seems to be helping. So I've resorted to experimenting with drug store products to see if I can find some magic!

The first product I spied on the Superdrug shelves was the Witch Blemish Stick. Brilliant, exactly what I was looking for. Oh, wait... No it wasn't. I was very disappointed with this product! 

Firstly the packaging isn't brilliant. For a product that is designed to target individual blemishes, the large, round stick is no good for precision application! You're guaranteed to hit the spot but then there's excess product everywhere else too!

My second bug bear with this product was the smell. I wasn't asking to be overpowered by something sweet smelling but this product has such a chemical smell to it that it's off putting. The whole process of using it was too much of an unpleasant experience so I switched to something else (review coming soon!). 

I could probably cope with the smell/useless stick if the product worked miracles. But it didn't work at all. Not even a little bit. 

Have you tried the Witch Blemish Stick? What did you think to it? Please leave me a comment!

Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder Review

Evening readers!

Lately I've been on the hunt for a powder that would do a better job at keeping my oily skin matte through the day and that would be a light enough shade to properly blend into my skin (my neck, mostly). So I picked up one of the Fit Me Powders in Classic Ivory but I have to admit that I'm not overly keen on it.

The only redeeming quality of the bulky packaging is the large mirror on the second layer which makes it easier for on the go application. That being said that packaging feels quite cheap and not especially sturdy so throwing it in my bag on the way out of the door always seems like a risky move (especially since I've had more than one maybelline foundation break in my bag). 

The colour is a lot better suited to my pale skin than most other powders I've tried in the past but that's about the only thing I like about this product. I'm not a fan of the packaging, I wouldn't use the applicator it comes with and it doesn't keep my makeup matte throughout the day, it wears away quite quickly. I'm still a lover of the Maybelline Balance Me powder and the powders from Collection.

Have you tried this product? What did you think?

Discovery Wednesday: Love Letters of the Great War

It's Wednesday! Half way through the week... Nearly there guys, nearly there. 

This week I'm bringing out the History geek in me to share a new book discovery - Love Letters of the Great War. If you're anything like me and hate anything soppy and romantic then you're probably thinking "Jess, come on now, you could have picked book that isn't going to require sitting over a sick bucket." But I promise you that this is one of the most honest, heart-achingly beautiful books you will ever read. It is full of letters, drawings and a bit of poetry from soldiers to their wives, girlfriends, children and vice versa. It made me laugh, brought me to the brink of tears and then took me all the way back again. You may feel like you love someone but oh my goodness do these men and women love harder and more powerfully than we ever could and I am often left in awe at the strength of these people. If you like an emotionally powerful book then this one is for you.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the first world war, so there's no better time to pop to waterstones to pick  up this book. It's one that I will treasure forever and if your read it then I am sure you will too. 

Discovery Wednesday: The Cupid Bow

My discovery this week is a bit of a cheat considering it isn't really a new discovery - I've been following and loving this blog for quite some time! You know when you find a new blog, read a post and then an hour and a half later you find you're still there reading through their posts? Yeah, it was like that. So I introduce to you the lovely Carly from The Cupid Bow!

Not only is the content of Carly's blog really interesting, including tutorials, reviews and personal posts, (her FOTD posts are my favourite - see here for the incredible look she put together using green eyeshadow, yep you heard it. And it looks fab!) she writes in the most entertaining and endearing way. She genuinely makes me laugh out loud with every post and I strongly encourage you to go read her blog and give her a follow! She'll brighten your day!

You can also give her a follow on twitter too - here. 

If you're on the hunt for fresh new blogs to follow, give The Cupid Bow a read, you'll be clicking 'follow' before you know it!

Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick Review

Firstly let me apologise for being MIA for the past few weeks, I've had a horrible time of it but I won't bore you with my sob story and just jump straight into my review!

A couple of weeks ago I grabbed two of the Bourjois Shine Edition Lipsticks - shade 24 and 20. Okay, I'll admit it... It was the packaging that got me. I love it. It is quite bulky and I know a lot bloggers have a bugbear with this but I love that the colour is so easy to spot amongst my other lipsticks and they just look so modern compared to your usual black lipstick bullet.

The colour is quite sheen, I'd compare them to the Revlon lip butters if I was to give you a point of reference. It's almost deceiving that they're advertised as a lipstick. You can swipe them across the lips for just a touch of colour of build them up for a bolder look. Shade 20 is much more pigmented that 24, as you can see from the swatch above, and it'll make a lovely colour for the spring/summer time! They apply really nicely too, not sticky at all. They don't last particularly long, like most lip butters/lip balms, but they do what they say on the tin - add lots of shine! 

I wear these on their own, I haven't dabbled into lipstick combos yet but if you have then please leave a comment as I'd love to hear you recommendations! 

You can buy the Shine Edition lipsticks for £7.99 from Boots. It's the same price as the Revlon Lip Butters  (but with a much more vibrant range of shades) so if you're a fan of those, give these a try too!

Have you tried the Shine Edition lipsticks? What did you think?

Discovery Wednesday: Evernote App

Now I know I'm not the only blogger who takes pride in a bit of organisation. I have countless notebooks, diaries, digital calendars and paper calenders to keep me organised. And I know you all do too - looking at all your pictures of cute notebooks is one of my guilty pleasures. So for the OCD among us.. I want to share with you this lovely little app - Evernote. 

It's pretty much like a digital notebook. I have so far created 4 notebooks within the app - one for to do lists, another for uni related things, one for my blog and one with my book lists in (as you can see in the image above). They're dead easy to make, you can create tick lists, bullet point lists as well as adding images and reminders. And it's all dead easy to set up!

You can create as many notes as you like in each. Here's an example of my 'blog' notebook. See how everything is split into neat little categories - every bloggers dream!

You can view all of your notes all at once for easy access too (above). And there's a page for updating you on what's going on in the app and also great tips and tricks for using Evernote (below)!

If you're in need of some organisation, give this app a try. Download it and see all the quick, simple and fun things you can do with it! All you need to do is sign up with an email address (literally, there's nothing else to fill out, no pesky forms that take half an hour) and you can update your notes from your desktop, tablet or phone!

Do you use this app? Are they are other apps you'd recommend?

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation and Powder Review

For the longest time I only ever used Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse foundation, it was my holy grail product and the only beauty item I owned that never changed. However this year I decided to try find a foundation that would do a bit more for me, that perhaps wouldn't be as drying. I heard lots of lovely things about the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation so I decided to give it a try and oh boy, do I love it!

Bourjois claim that this product contains a fruit therapy formula to help your skin look its very best - apricot for radiance, melon for hydration and apple "to protect your youth" (I'm thinking my youth is doing alright so I'm not too concerned for that part...). 

Coverage is good, I tend to build it up a bit on my cheeks where I get most of my blemishes. It lasts all day long too - so much longer than Dream Matte Mousse (why oh why did I hold onto that product for so long!) so I never have to worry about touching up through the day, maybe just an odd touch of concealer in certain places. 

The formula is very thin, it's not a thick cakey liquid which I'm more than happy with. It does take a little more blending in I think but this is such a good match for my skin that it's not a massive amount of effort to work with. If you're wondering, I have very fair skin and use the shade Light Vanilla. 

You can see from the swatch what a lovely colour match it is for my skin and it just blends so beautifully! I can say goodbye to the mornings struggling to blend my Dream Matte Mousse into my neck.

Shade: Vanilla

Also while in Boots, I picked up the Bourjois Healthy Balance powder - it's fab! I know bloggers love Rimmel Stay Matte power but this is better, I promise! I'm not quite sure it lasts 10 hours as it claims but it does have some good staying power. Plus the packaging is lovely - thin, light with a mirror for on-the-go touch ups. What more could a girl want?

All in all, I love these products. I've said goodbye to a foundation that clings to dry patches and hello to one that makes me look healthier than I've ever looked. Thanks, Bourjois. Kudos!

You can try this foundation for £9.99 from Boots and the powder for £8.99 (hefty price tag for a powder, it's good but not sure I love it enough to spend nearly £10 on it! Watch out for the 3 for 2 offers, ladies). 

Have you tried this foundation? What did you think?

Discovery Wednesday: Portugal (Guest Post by Vanessa)

This week I have a fun guest post for you all by the lovely Vanessa who is going to tell you about all the amazing things you can discover in Portugal! I hope you all enjoy reading this post as much as I did. Please feel free to leave comments and also don't forget to check out Vanessa's blog (link at bottom).

Hey, first of all my name is Vanessa Almeida and I’m a brazilian fashion blogger living in Portugal! On this discovery Wednesday I want to present you  to Portugal! Well, in this case, Lisbon… 

Portugal is a traditional and relaxing country! So I choose 6 portuguese things, persons or places you MUST know!

1. The first is one of the cutest items I've seen in the latest months... This is a pillow from Lipscani (http://lipscani.pt/) a portuguese traditional brand. I think is really cute and traditional because we see this kind of balcony's all over Lisbon! (it costs 48.00 euros)

2. Sara Sampaio is my 'model of the moment' and celebrity crush! She's one of the most beautiful models I've seen so far, the latest Victoria's Secret Angel, and yes, she is PORTUGUESE! She was born in Porto!

3. Obviously... I needed to mention food! I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but 'pastéis de belém' are something you must taste if you come here!

4. And of course... 'Ponte 25 de Abril' or 25 April Bridge in English, it looks just like San Francisco Bridge, but this bridge has a lot of history behind it. This bridge has that name because 25 April is a special day, the day of  revolution, a peaceful revolution who has given us freedom.

5.This bag is from Lipscani aswell, is one of the items I’ve been dreaming about (aswell) in this latest months… As you can see it shows this beautiful tipical doors that we can also see in our beautiful Lisbon! (it costs 69.00 euros)

6. Our last item is this amazing scarve. This scarve is also from Lipscani. Is a ‘fadista’ scarve. If you don’t know, a ‘fadista’ is a women who sings ‘fado’ a traditional/tipical Portuguese musical style. (it costs 35.00 euros).

Big kiss,

Vanessa Almeida (http://fashion-dossier.blogspot.pt/).

What's On My Face?

I've never done one of these posts before, mostly because I tend to keep my makeup the same every day, only changing it up for a night out or something requiring a bit more effort. I'm not very adventurous for a beauty blogger! Guilty as charged. But here's a quick overview of what I usually wear:

First I start off by applying Clinique's Moisture Surge Intense moisturiser which I find helps my concealer and foundation sit a lot better on my skin. I then apply the light under eye concealer from Soap & Glory's Kick Ass Concealer which works really well to correct discolouration. Next up is my new love - the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in light vanilla (review of this coming soon!). I then pop on some of the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in fair on any blemishes/redness. I then set it all with the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder in the shade vanilla. 

On my eyes I wear the shade foxy from the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette before curling my lashes and coating them with the Collection Does It All Mascara (my go-to mascara for a 'no makeup' makeup look - what a mouthful!).  To finish off my look I use the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm in Honey which is the perfect natural lip colour for me. 

So there you have it! I'm actually on the hunt for a good primer (which is why there isn't one featured here) so if you can recommend me one please do!

Which are your go-to make up products for a natural everyday look?

Discovery Wednesday: Paper Towns

Hands up - how many of you loved The Fault in Our Stars by John Green? Yeah, me too. Reviews of the much loved book have been making their rounds on the blogosphere over the past few months and I'm excited to share with you this forgotten treasure! 

Paper Towns by John Green is a book about a teenage boy named Quentin who makes it his mission to find his missing neighbour Margo after she unexpectedly vanishes. The story centres around Quentin and his friends who I fell in love with (yes, all of them) and the adventures they encounter on their quest to find Margo. It's a light-hearted book for the most part - witty and a joy to read. But much like most of John Green's other books, it'll connect with you a different way too. 

I'll be honest, the blurb didn't really reel me in but it's John Green and I love TFIOS and Looking for Alaska so I had to give this one a good go too and I'm glad I did. Much like TFIOS, it's quite unconventional which is what I love the most about it. Predictable books leave nothing to be desired and often leave me feeling unsatisfied, like there should be more to it. But this just wraps it up perfectly and it'll probably be a good pick-me-up if you've only just finished weeping over TFIOS. 

If you loved TFIOS, give this one a read too.

(I've always refrained from talking about books on my blog because as much as I love them, I feel I can never do them justice. And I often love books that others hated and vice versa, I'm a sucker for an unhappy ending. I am perfectly sane though, I promise. And I also promise you'll love this book). 

"I think the future deserves our faith." - John Green, Paper Towns

The Body Shop Almond Hand & Nail Cream Review

We all love The Body Shop, right? I fell in love with a few of their products in 2013 and this year I'm intending to try more things out. So after losing my Soap & Glory Hand Food after Christmas (boo hiss) I ventured into The Body Shop and bought their Almond Hand and Nail Cream.

Firstly, I love the packaging of this hand cream. The foil means that you can literally squeeze every last droplet of product out so that you're not wasting any. We've all been there with plastic tubes when the last bits of product hold on for dear life. So that's a massive plus for this hand cream. But that's about all I love about this product.

The scent isn't overly amazing, it's not bad but I didn't take any particular liking to it. It was the best of a bad bunch though considering the other options were Absinthe, Hemp and Wild Rose none of which took my fancy. Also, I wasn't particular blown away by the performance of the product. It salvaged my dry skin for a little while but it made my hands feel quite greasy and then a little bit sticky for a while afterwards.

It's a real shame this product didn't wow me because it's a nice little size to just pop in my bag (the 30ml tube). And I do love the packaging but that's certainly not enough to make me want to buy it again.

That being said, there are a lot of good reviews on the website so maybe take what I say with a pinch of salt. Or try it out for yourself and see what you think!

You can buy this product online or in The Body Shop for £5 for 30ml or £10 for 100ml. It is worth saying though, if you're a Soap & Glory Hand Food lover like me then you can buy 125ml of product for £5 from Boots. So comparatively Soap & Glory are still winners in my eyes (surprise, surprise)!

Have you tried any of The Body Shop hand creams? What did you think?

24: Beauty Sleep

Image Courtesy of Google Images

(not strictly for students...)

I just want to start off by saying that I typed the word 'relax' into google while prepping for this post and most of the images were of beaches and oh my goodness did it make me want to go on holiday. So I apologise if this post makes you want to do the same, we'll have to make a vow to help each other through the remaining winter period and hope someone will whisk us away to a white sandy beach sometime in the near future.

Anyway...

A few days ago I was reading the lovely Naomi's blog oh hello mango and came across this post on sleep remedies which I urge you to read. She gave some great advice and as I have always struggled with the process of falling asleep (honestly, some nights it can take me more than two hours to drift off), I thought I'd share some of the tips and tricks I've learnt. Since going back to uni/work/school after Christmas, I'm sure you, like me, revel in any sleep you can get and we all know the important of beauty sleep. So if you're struggling, give a few of these a go - 

Why not try having a bath. This was Naomi's first suggestion too and it's one of the best tricks for relaxing in an evening. Studies have shown that the slow decrease in body temperature after you get out of the bath makes you feel sleepy so you're more likely to quickly and peacefully dose off once in bed.

If you've got an overactive mind like me and struggle to sleep because of all the thoughts going around in your head then try writing them down. I often can't sleep because I'm thinking of the things I need to do the next do so compiling a quick list before I go to bed means those thoughts are down on paper and out of my head means I don't have to worry about forgetting them and I can deal with them in the morning. It also works if you've got some worries stirring up, stick them down on paper so you can get a good nights sleep.

Also try burning a candle before going to sleep. Lavender scents work a treat for helping you fall asleep and stay asleep (obviously remember to blow out the candle before you actually settle down). But if you find other scents that relax you then by all means burn it away.

Try not to drink caffeinated drinks in the evening as it will keep you awake at night. Caffeine takes a while to wear off so while having a cup of tea of coffee in the morning works wonders to wake you up, it'll do the same in the evening too. Have some lemon water or warm milk instead.

If you're thinking more long-term then try not to use your bedroom for anything other than sleeping and by this I mean working, reading, watching TV, etc. Your bedroom should be limited to a place where you relax and therefore can fall asleep more easily. 

Also as a long-term piece of advice, try keeping your sleep pattern in check. I love sleeping in, don't get me wrong, and I do allow myself to indulge at least once in the week. However maintaining a regular sleep pattern will do you the world of good in the long-term and it means that you're not battling with what may feel like a minor case of jetlag when you've slept late during the weekends/holidays and need to wake up at 6am for work/school/uni the next day. 

Have a look at This Works too as they sell some great products to help you sleep at night such as pillow sprays and candles. I received a sample of one of their products which you just roll onto your pulse points and it helps you breathe easier therefore allowing you to relax more and comfortably fall asleep. It actually smells much like Olbas Oil so it does the trick.

Do you have any tips and tricks for getting a good nights sleep?

I'd love to hear in the comments! Also, don't forget to check out the lovely Naomi's blog who inspired this post in the first place!

Discovery Wednesday: Thought Catalog

This discovery is cheating a little bit because I haven't just discovered it recently, I've loved it for quite a while. And you might be thinking "Another website? For the second week running? Is there more to this new feature, Jess?" Yes, I'm sure there will be. But this website is too good not to share. 

Thought Catalog is pretty much a website full of articles, features, anecdotes - whatever you want to call them. Some of them are funny, some of them are a bit creepy and some of them are mindblowingly brilliant. There's something on there for everyone and it's all so relatable that you're bound to find something that makes you laugh or cry or will move you so much that you just have to share it with everyone you know. There are an odd few pieces of writing that pop up that you may want to take with a pinch of salt but like I said, there's a bit of something on there for everyone!

I've found myself getting lost reading their articles when I'm in bed at night or on the bus home (I have to be careful not to miss my stop!). It's light reading and on many occasions they've helped take my mind of stressful things in between essay writing or other commitments. Give them a try, they might cheer you up.

A couple of my favourites are this one and especially this one (which was massive motivation for one of my new years resolutions which you can read about here if you like). But if you want something a bit lighter to get you started then try this one. They also post they're most popular articles daily on twitter and facebook so you can find them there if you don't fancy scrawling through their website!

Have you heard of the Thought Catalog before? What do you make of them? Are there any other websites you'd recommend? 

Maybelline Pure BB Cream Review

 Happy Sunday readers!

I'll be honest and say I was never really taken by the idea of BB creams because I have very troublesome skin and I have always refrained from using things that only gave me a very light coverage. But I caved in during summer - I was going to London for a weekend and our train was ridiculously early so I thought I'd buy some BB cream to pop on so I could have an extra 10/15 minutes in bed and do my make up on the train. 

But I hated it at first. It made me look greasy and feel sticky and I just wasn't impressed. But I'll just put that down to a (very) bad skin day because over Christmas I've been reaching for this product more and more and I've fallen a little bit in love with it.

This Maybelline BB Cream claims to have eight benefits all rolled into one. And I can vouch for them all. This product is great for those days where you just cannot be bothered with a full face of make up but you still want to look fresh and awake and a little bit put together. Plus it has 2% Salicylic Acid (well know for it's blemish-fighting abilities) so if you have problematic skin like me then this is great for knowing it'll help rather than hinder!

I bought mine in Light 01 because I have fair skin but you can also buy it in Medium 02 if your skin tone is a bit darker. You can see from the photo above that it's a great match for my skin and because it applies just like a thick moisturiser or thin liquid foundation, it's super easy to blend! As I said before it only gives you a light coverage but sometimes that's just what you need.. Right? 

You can buy this product for £6.99 from Boots.

Have you tried the Maybelline Pure BB Cream? What did you think? Do you think any of the other BB Creams do a better job?

Discovery Wednesday: The Beauty Department

At the back end of last year I toyed with the idea of incorporating more personal/lifestyle-type posts into my blog. Now that I've changed the name of my blog and I've done a simple revamping, I thought it would be time to make it happen. I'm not changing the contents of the blog entirely, it will still be primarily beauty based but now with a few other fun things thrown in for good measure.

So the idea behind Discovery Wednesday is to share with you something new that I've found during the week that I thought was fun or interesting or helpful or funny or insightful... You get the hint. It won't all be beauty related, it could be music, books, websites or other blogs, but to start off with (to please all you beauty lovers out there) I am going to introduce you to a beauty website.

You all know Lauren Conrad and you've probably come across her website at some point. But her hair and makeup artists also run a website called The Beauty Department and it is amazing. 

www.thebeautydepartment.com

It is a website full of tutorials, tips and tricks, advice and lots of other fun hair, health and beauty related things. It is updated very regularly and it's got a bit of something for everyone there. It is the mother of all beauty websites and because it's run by professionals, you know you'll be getting the best advice and tips out there. If you haven't heard of this website yet then I recommend you devote a day before clicking the link because you know once you start reading, it'll be hard to stop!

My favourite section of the website is the nail tutorials - I've yet to find another website that matches the creativity and beautiful simplicity of their nail art. So if you're ever if need of nail inspiration, you know where to go to get an incredible tutorial. They also do amazing hair tutorials and it makes you realise how much you can actually do with what you've got!

They also have a youtube channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/beautydept - full of easy to follow tutorials. So go watch now and thank me later!

Have you heard of this website before? What are your favourite websites to spend time on?

Nars Highlight Blush Advice

Today, instead of writing up a review or sharing a few products with you that I love, I'm actually asking for some advice. So may you please all put on your beauty guru thinking caps!

Last October when I turned 20, I used my birthday money to treat myself to some higher end make up products and I won't lie, I went a bit mad on the NARS website. The result of that was that this beautiful highlight blush made it's way from planet NARS to my makeup bag and I do not have a clue how to use it.

Shade: Miss Liberty

 Look.. Just look how beautiful it looks. In all honestly, I think the problem I'm having with this is that it has quite a bit of shimmer in it so I can't quite seem to apply it without looking like I've spilt a bottle of glitter all over my face (Can you spill things on your face? No? Oh). I think I underestimated the power of the shimmer.

It looks beautiful here - see. Resistance was futile. But on my face it just doesn't quite sit in the same way and I'm feeling very unsatisfied and I don't want to be because.. Well, have I mentioned it's beautiful? I've built it up quite a bit here for the purpose of this photo, I've actually never dared wear so much on my face.

So please help beauty bloggers! Or anyone out there who is magic and knows how to work this blush into my everyday routine.

Am I best off waiting until summer to use it? Is there a certain colour blush I should pair it with? Is there a should way I should apply it? 

Please leave me a comment and let me know! Or tweet me - @_beautybyjessy 

Ted Baker Lip Crayons Review

Happy Sunday dear readers!

I'm a real sucker for a lip crayon so when I received this Ted Baker lip crayon set for Christmas I was a very happy bunny indeed. Unfortunately I can't find them on the Boots website or seem to find anyone in the blogging world with a review of the same set so let's all cross our fingers and hope mine does them justice. 

I love the packaging, I think it's beautiful. And I'm also a sucker for a reusable bit of packaging (so sad but so true).

 Even swatching the colours on my hand for the first time I could feel how creamy the formula was and they feel lovely on the lips, not drying at all. They don't last for a particularly long time (I maintain that the Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balms are winners for staying power on the lip crayon front) but that's the only bug bear I have with them. They twist up too so no sharpening is necessary - another win? There's no scent either which isn't a bad thing at all. Rather no scent than a bad scent, eh? A great overall product I think!

Apologies for the slightly unfocused photo!

Unfortunately the crayons don't have names which upsets me a little bit but the colours are lovely. Here I've swatched the colours in relation to the photo above it. I honestly can't decide which colour I love the most. They're all great Autumnal colours though - lovely pinks and reds - and I know we're well past that season now but I still think the weather is too gloomy to whip out the peachy shades just yet. 

And I hear that the set only costs £15 too... How's that for value!? 

Have you tried the Ted Baker lip Crayons? What did you think?