NOTD ¦ Nail of the Day ¦ using Essie

It's the weekend, and instead of a Review today's blog is going to be a nail of the day blog post! I go to Edinburgh tomorrow... Which I will hopefully be blogging about and if your lucky and I'll be filming a few videos now that I have a bigger memory card for the camera!

I am in love with the colours I used on my nails, I have used one of polishes from Essie's winter 2013 collection..

Here I have used Essie "a cut above" which is from the winter 2013 collection, its a gorgeous pink glitter. For the base I used fiji which again is a gorgeous pink almost white shade, kind of milkshake pink? 

As A top coat I have used Revlon's quick dry top coat! 

Let me know if you liked this post! and if you would like to see more of them!! 

Lots of Love 

AVON ¦ Cashmere advanced foundation ¦ Review

I first came across this foundation when at my sister in laws house and I had forgotten to take my foundation with me!! She said I could borrow her's seen as we are both very fair skinned. At first I was a little unsure due to my skin being a bit of a "drama-queen" when I use new things or the weather changes!! But I thought Avon, seem to be quite popular so why not give it ago!

What do Avon say about the product? 

Cashmere-soft moisturising foundation with Bio-Brightex Complex gives skin a natural, even, radiant look. Instantly minimises the look of pores, lines and shine. SPF15

I couldn't have been happier that I gave this product a chance! It was super moisturising on my skin all day! My skin looked brighter, and radiant with a dewy finish but without feeling caked in makeup -- I felt like I wasn't wearing anything.

The only downside, is that feeling didn't last long and it does get a little shiny if not powdered, however with powder and touching up throughout the day I found it helped a lot! 

I totally recommend this foundation for anyone looking for a day to day casual natural looking foundation that can instantly brighten you complexion! 

What are your thoughts on this product? 

Benefit Cosmetics ¦ 15 Hour primer ¦ Review

Meet today's product review, Benefit's 15 hour primer. I brought this a while ago and have been testing it for long enough to give you guys a review! 

So first of all lets look at the packaging isn't it so cute?! The polka dots are very girly and fun. I didn't know how I would feel about the glue stick style, yet I actually love it, it's fuss and mess free! A super quick to apply! Which also means as a mom's view that my 2 year old can't squeeze half the product out the tube! --woohoo.. tell me I'm not alone here momma's? 

The product is a light peach/flesh colour, but applies to the skin as transparent so is suitable for all skin tones. I guess some of you are wondering how you apply the primer, well once you have cleansed and moisturized your face, making sure all the products are soaked into your skin, so your skin is nice and dry! Simply twist the tube so the product comes out, and then rub straight onto your face before apply any foundation or base products you use. Once applied the primer feels quite tacky and sticky to your face. 

The idea of the primer is that it will cling or act as a "magnet" to your makeup! I found that it also made my skin appear smoother.. -- bonus! I have dry skin and It didn't appear to dry out my skin at all. I don't know about the "15 hour claim" I would say it does last very well, and foundation appears to stay put longer than when I don't use a primer.

The product costs £24.50 for a 15.5g net wt. 

Rimmel London ¦ Exaggerate Undercover shadow Primer ¦

I must state that I am actually really happy that I have finally found a drugstore/high street budget eye shadow primer. I would love to try some high end primers, but I really wanted to find something that wouldn't break the bank!

I really haven't seen any primers aimed at the eyes on the high street at all, other than the one we are about to review!...  if you have please please comment below!

Same applicator as the Wake me Up concealer. 

The packaging is very similar to the Rimmel Wake me up Concealer (review) However I love the simplicity of the black font on the white, with the pop of red on the top. 

When applied to the lid, the product is white, but once blended isn't noticeable at all. The product is super soft and velvety. Giving a smooth application of any eye shadow product, compact powder, loose or cream!

Not only did I find that the products stayed put and prevented creasing, which recently has been quite a problem for myself. But I found any colour shadow applied to the lid was intensified!! 

Overall did I like this product, yes I do, for one it is the first eye shadow primer I have tried, therefore I can not compare it to any high end products that I can not wait to try. But it certainly prevented creasing and fading. As I stated before the pigment of the eye shadows seemed to be more opaque than when I normally apply to a primer free lid! 

What more can you ask for? Especially when the product only costs £4.99 ... bargain?! 

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!! 

Rimmel London ¦ Wake me Up Concealer ¦ Review

Last week I reviewed the Rimmel London Wake me up foundation, so I thought I would follow up with the wake me up concealer!

I have been using this product for quite a while. Its a liquid concealer, which I love, I like cream concealers too but prefer liquid as I find no matter what I do most cream concealers always cling to those oh so wonderful lines under the eye area!

Another great thing about this product I love is it isn't cakey -- the forbidden word in the makeup world! no one likes cakey makeup!

It blends super easy, with a sponge - I prefer the beauty blender or it is great just blending with your ring finger as it also helps warm up the product.

In all the product is great for under the eyes, it just adds a radiant, refreshing glow! -- which for any mom or busy woman, hiding those under eye circles is a must!!

How do you rate this product? Have you tried it? Let me know in the comments below!

Maybelline ¦ Great Lash Mascara ¦ Review

Its Monday again everyone which means It's time for a review! Hope you've all had a great week?

So today I am reviewing the Maybelline Great lash Mascara.

This mascara is the perfect Mascara for those "back to school" students or even beginners to the world of makeup .. It's cheap and its not too much.

If your young and your parents don't want you wearing to much makeup, but they don't mind you getting some mascara, then this is perfect! It's just as amazing for an everyday look, or I think it's quite good for a "bottom lash" mascara, if your like me and always end up getting mascara under you eye lashes!

The wand is rather small as shown in the picture below. A great thing about the wand being so small is, when you pull it out of the tube, is isn't covered in mascara buildup!

It won't give you amazing thick, curly voluminous lashes, but it will certainly give them a subtle enhanced look!Great for anyone on the go, and just needs to add a bit of colour, and length. Great for me as a mom, and little time sometimes to do my makeup around the house, sometimes mascara is all I want to wear without looking to over done!

Overall I think this is a great go - to mascara, for those times of beauty SOS emergency's where we need a quick fix. Or if your just a beginner at makeup!

Remember to come back Friday, I will be reviewing Rimmel London's Wake me up Concealer!

If you've tried this comment below and let me know your thoughts!

NEW CAMERA ¦ Camera kit ¦

I have finally got the camera of my dreams!! It's amazing, I was playing with it all day yesterday at the amazing pictures I can take with it! Even better still the amazing Video's I will be able to film!

I can't wait!!

I got the canon EOS 600D SLR with a camera case, and a Photography dvd for beginners. 

I am hoping to really get on and film all the promised videos/tutorials I said I would do for you guys, now that I have a much better camera. So if you have any requests email me or simply comment down below! 

I have a short list of ideas, So I hope I can soon get on and do a few before Christmas. 

In fact without making any promises, my partner and I are heading to Edinburgh, for a week in December... If you would like me to Vlog our time there, and even possibly do a week of "vlogmas" then I would certainly love to give it ago, seen as we go up for the 1st of December... It's also when I plan to do ALL or most our Christmas shopping!!

So another little item I brought to help with my beauty videos, was a light up mirror. Where I film the lighting isn't great, and I am yet to invest in the correct lighting but until we find our "perfect" home then I don't think I will get any. So I shall make do, unless it is affecting the quality of the videos I am making. 

I brought the Revlon light up mirror. It was on offer online for £25.00 down from £50.00 so I got a good bargain!! 1 side is x3 zoom.

I shall try take some pictures or even film, with my older camera, my "filming set up" when I am completely happy with how I film :)

Well hope you enjoyed this blog guys and hope you are as excited as I am!!! 

Rimmel London ¦ Wake me up ¦ Foundation Review

This foundation has been on my review list since the Summer! So I apologize for it only just being done for you guys!!

A few of the Rimmel London foundations I have used in the past, I haven't been overly impressed with, just the consistency, and shade range was never pale enough for my skin tone. However I was pleasantly surprised with this foundation.

In the bottle the foundation looks like it has a shimmery tone to it, and when on the hand it has a slightly gloopy, thick consistency, but on the skin it actually gives a radiant glow and fresh faces look!

The shimmer to me isn't an issue at all, it doesn't show up at all or seem noticeable unless under very strong lighting, but again I didn't seem to find it an issue.

I am not one for using a lot of foundation when applying to my skin, however with this to build a medium coverage you do need a good pump or 2 to cover your face. And once it's on you can tell your wearing it, it's not like some foundation's where it then feels like your not wearing anything!

But that said it is a lovely dewy "summer" foundation and gives a lovely glowing natural look, I have dry skin and I found it quite moisturizing... rather than it "hugging" my dry patches it seemed to sit nicely all over.

This foundation as been compared to one of my favorite high end foundations.. Chanel Vitalumiere, and I would say at £8.99 it is a dupe, this has been said throughout the beauty blogging community a lot this year, and I have to agree! It beats most other high street foundation brands.

Shade range isn't great, as ever with Rimmel, however I actually found Ivory fit quite well with my skin tone for once! .... horayy 

What are your thoughts on this foundation? Leave a comment below.

See you all next time with a review on the Rimmel Wake me up concealer!!

L'Oreal Paris ¦ Perfect Slim Super Liner ¦ Review

So today's review is on one of my new Favorite Fall beauty Essentials .. The L'Oreal Paris Super Liner, perfect slim. 

Firstly the packaging is just gorgeous, it's simple, stylish and quite classy looking in my opinion. The liner itself is super lightweight, and is even slightly grooved near the nib of the pen, so you have extra grip for those of us, with a slightly unsteady hand!

I have never really been massively great at eyeliner, therefore normally stay away, especially liquid, I never have the patients for them to dry and they always seem to feel heavy on my eye lids. But when I saw this come out, I thought I had to give it ago, how hard can it be to dry a line on your lid with what basically acts like a pen?!

The pen it's self is easy to control, and easy to apply, with light strokes giving a a thin defined line or leaning the pen slightly more on it's side gives a little bit of a thicker line. But no matter how light you press the pen when drawing a line the pigment is amazing, comes out darkest black every time. 

It's mess and fuss free, which means its a product that anybody can use! The fact that the colour is so opaque when it is applied to the lid is another huge selling point for me. I have no time, and certainly not the patience to be re doing the same line over and over to get the look I desire! .. and my hands certainly aren't steady enough!

The nib it's self only has one slight flaw in my opinion and that is that it is slightly soft,  so if you press just slightly too hard for the look your going for you can end up with a thicker line, but then to some it's not a flaw at all as it means the pen is hugely versatile. 

Considering how pigmented the pen is, when it comes to removing it, it comes off with now hesitation at all, so nice and easy in all good ways! I can not comment on if the product is waterproof as I have not put it too the test... It doesn't dry instantly but given a moment then your ready to do as you please with your eyes! Another great point for me is it doesn't leave my lids feeling caked in product, or heavy and dried out!! So this for me is a huge bonus!!

At £6.99 you can't really complain either, and I think it's worth the price it's well under £10 making it a bargain buy!! 

What are your thoughts on this product? Let me know in the comments below! 

Christmas TV Advert ¦ John Lewis ¦

I know that I have already posted today's blog... however I can't not get you guys as excited as I am right now...

I'VE JUST SEEN THE NEW JOHN LEWIS CHRISTMAS ADVERT!!

.... don't judge me...

I'm excited over the new John Lewis Advert .... Tell me your not? Last years Snow man? Pulled on my heart strings and I loved seeing it pop up on the telly!!

To me ... Christmas is on its way when the adverts start popping up on the telly!... I found this through some excitement of other bbloggers ... and I have got to share it with you guys!!

Am I the only one that's not super exctied?! And thinking that this advert is sooooo cute!!

The advert reminds me of a TV kids show I used to watch all the time! Called Animals of farthing wood!!-- tell me if you a 90's child you know what this is!!!


Anyway guys, wanted to share this exciting festive advert with you ...

Who's counting down the days with me!?

Bioderma ¦ Review ¦

For the last few months I jumped on the beauty blogger/youtuber bandwagon, and started using Bioderma Sensibio H20 Michelle Solution (formerly Crealine H20) I'm sure most have you have already heard of this product if not here is what Bioderma say about this product.

"Created to suit the needs of those who experience skin irritation and redness, the alcohol-free formula soothes and cools as it cleanses. Sensibio H2O guarantees cutaneous and ocular tolerance for the skin and the eyes with its physiological pH and soap-free base.

The cleanser removes impurities using micelles, which micro-emulsify impurities while maintaining the skin’s balance. Added decongesting active ingredients prevent irritation, making the skin feel instantly refreshed, perfectly clean and free from all make-up – including water resistant mascara."

Basically Michelle solution is a makeup remover. For best results Bioderma suggests it is used morning and night, soaked on a cotton pad, and then using a towel to dab your face. It's that simple. 

I have to say I LOVE this product, it's a must have staple for any makeup artist! It's quick and easy, no fuss or mess. Even better it really does work!! I love using this, sometimes I feel like it's all I need for my skin in the morning other than some cold water under my eyes ... for those oh so dreaded under eye circles!  and then I just moisturize. 

It's amazing for removing makeup, even heavy eye makeup, or super thick mascara doesn't faze this stuff! Bright red lipstick at 10pm?? off it comes! I am big on the whole NEVER go to bed with makeup on, it leaves skin clogged, so this if i'm feeling "lazy" and I don't have time or feel like going through my whole routine is a quick go to product. 

Pricing for this product isn't too bad, I get mine offline,  A 100ml bottle is £4.50 and a 250ml is £9.99 and I think you can get a 500ml bottle off ebay or amazon for about £15.00 .. so it's not overly expensive. 

Have you tried this product? What are your thoughts let me know in the comments below. 

Fall Favorites ¦ Beauty Essentials ¦

Here is a short blog for you all on my Fall Favorites, I know "fall" is an american term for Autumn here in the UK, but Autumn favorites just doesn't have the same feel to it, so Fall it is! 

So getting started, I'm going to start with two of my favorite skincare must have's at the moment for Fall/Autumn. I haven't got a whole skincare routine sorted yet, as a few of my products definitely need changing for the coming winter weather!!

So it can only mean good things for these two products!!

So here we have Bioderma Micelle solution .. I haven't reviewed this yet .. but hopefully will do in the next couple of months so keep an eye out for that! Bioderma is basically a makeup remover but it removes EVERYTHING!! So it's amazing for people with busy lives that need something quick and effective!

My next skincare must have for Fall is my Organic Elements Night cream. Which I have written a review for.. click here all around a great hydrating cream for the evenings. 

The two nail polishes I have picked, are very on trend this Autumn/Fall. I have picked Essie Vested Interest an absolute favorite for Fall.. It's gorgeous, a slate grey colour, with a slight olive tone to it. And then I have picked the Maybelline forever strong pro, in Dark Denim 630. I believe this came out last year, but this year dark navy blues are totally a must have item! They are different from the typical "wine/berry burgundy" colour's that most of us reach for... I could have included one which is OPI's Malaga wine now that is just gorgeous but I wanted to keep this a little different!

The next items I have I need to again review so keep an eye out for them!! 

And this season is all about a bold lip and winged liner, L'oreal have brought out some amazing products, One I love and is "beginner" friendly is the L'Oreal paris Super Liner, Perfect slim!

This is also a L'Oreal Mascara another amazing product, it makes lashes so long and thick which is exactly what I like when doing a winged look, these 2 products belong together!!

Foundation, So we did Skincare well, these three products are my must haves for Fall/Autumn. I don't think their is anything wrong with an all year round sun kissed glow, So I have been loving my Chanel Bronze Universal (review here) for a subtle bit of colour. Then I like to also use L'Oreal Paris, True Match Foundation, it's got great coverage, for those little skin problems that can come up, but has a subtle dewy glow which is just enough for fall. And then I like to use Rimmel Londons, Wake me Up concealer, to wake up the under eye area... especially with my little boy getting up at 5am! Nothing hides those under eye circles better! 

Finally lips! This time of year is all about the bold lip, and this year even Red is OK! But I'm going a little subtler .. and I am loving No7's moisture Drench Lipstick in Mulberry. 

I hope you enjoyed the blog guys, comment below letting me know your Fall/Autumn beauty essentials!! 

Day 1 ¦ 30 day challenge ¦

So today went well, here is today's exercises.

10 crunches
10 sit ups
25 squats

So the crunches I managed absolutely fine, as I have been doing a work out routine that a friend personalized to my current fitness level, but also made sure it would be challenging for me.

The sit ups were slightly harder, but again manageable.

And lastly the squats I managed with no problem at all. Before the dark mornings had crept back upon us I had been going for 2 regular half hour walks with my partner and 2 year old son, which along with random squats seem to have helped, so I actually enjoyed doing these. Squats are actually an exercise I enjoy and are relatively easy to get done when you have a child!!

I do have a picture however have not managed to get it too upload but it WILL be uploaded!!

So my measurements are

waist: between 29 and 30inch
bust: 34inch
bra line (under bust): 29inch
Hips: 35.5inch
Bum:...... 40inch!!!
Thighs 22inch

I have an older blog here when I did a healthy eating no sugar no flour diet, look at my old measurements for June 2012.

Go check out my cousins blog here she's doing it too!


Shall update you in a week, as daily blogs could get slightly boring!!

Look out for my next beauty blog on Monday guys!!