The No-Mascara Mascara

Ahh Benefit, you never fail to impress. The latest edition in the They’re Real! range is the They’re Real Mascara Primer which boasts to give a natural look to eyelashes, increase length, volume, separation and curl. You can get the sample size for free with Elle magazine at the moment, which is worth picking up for £4.10!

This is a product that, as you will see from my pictures below, you can wear on its own, or as a base to then add your mascara. The primer is a brown colour which gives the natural look, and the brush is the same as the original They're Real mascara brush, which if you have used before, you will know is fantastic.

The primer itself is brilliant, I have been wearing this to work all week just on its own, and then topping up with mascara afterwards if I'm going out for the evening. This works as it doesn't feel dry and crunchy on your eyelashes once you've had it on for a while, it manages to stay quite soft on your eyes for quite a long time, ready to be topped up. It says on the box that 91% of people said that it is soft enough to layer on mascara 6 hours later, which is a pretty good indication to go on.

I ran out of my beloved They're Real mascara, so the mascara that I have used in the above picture is the Seventeen Dolled Up mascara, which is actually quite a good budget dupe. I have to say that the primer works wonders with mascara for plumping up the lashes. I can definitely see a difference with the volume and separation.

Overall, I would definitely pick this up. I'm not 100% sure how much this product will be when it hits the shops, but as all Benefit products are, I would guess it will be fairly expensive. However, for the versatility of the product, I would say it is definitely worth trying out. If you're unsure, it's at least worth grabbing the sample size in Elle magazine to try it out before you buy. As I said before, this can be used every day, for a natural look, or to prime a bolder look, I am really impressed with this, as I am with all Benefit products

What do you think of this latest offering by Benefit? Are you a fan of Benefit products? Let me know your favourites

Make your own PSL

I turn into your basic white girl when Autumn comes around. I love me my PSL's. I practically squealed when i saw the sign in the Starbucks window. I decided that I would try and make own seeing as the closest Starbucks to me is a 30 minute drive away!

First off, you need pumpkin pie spice, now this is very hard to get hold of in the UK. You can buy this online, or you can make some yourself which I chose to do. Basically all you have to do is throw a load of spices together, easy as pie (lol).

Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 3 tablespoons of cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground allspice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cloves

You can get all of the above ingredients from Tesco or other supermarkets.

Once you have made your pumpkin pie spice, you need to heat up your milk either in a little pan or in the microwave. As you heat up your milk, add as much pumpkin pie spice as you like, I go for half a teaspoon as it is quite strong! then I like to add some vanilla essence (or vanilla coffee syrup, either will work) to make it a bit sweeter.

Then add half brewed coffee to your cup, and half  of your milk, also as much sugar as you like to sweeten it up. I like to have it in my big Starbucks mug for added affect ;)

There you have it! How to make your own PSL. Let me know how you like this easy recipe :)

Soap & Glory - One Heck of a Blot Range

You may have seen this little collection sneak up on the Soap and Glory stands at Boots. I did originally want to re-purchase the One Heck of a Blot powder, which is a staple for us shiny gals,  but when I saw the range and a 3 for 2 label, I could not resist.

I thought I would review the primer and foundation individually with the use of other products, and then altogether using them all. I use the powder daily, as I think it is the best blotting powder out there. This product on its own is fantastic and will reduce oiliness as well as giving you a perfect finish over make up. If you go for one thing in this range I would recommend this.

Obviously everyone has different skin types and different routines when it comes to touching up their make up. I personally have combination skin, but throughout the day I do get very oily and shiny around my T zone and on my cheeks.

Primer

The primer is thick in consistency and quite tacky. It is still quite smooth on the skin giving a nice even base for make up application. I have used this with my Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation, and have found that I stay shiny free for about 4 hours.  This for me is pretty good, as it normally only takes me a couple of hours to be reaching for my powder! I have to say also when I do feel my face becoming oily, it's not as bad as it usually is with a normal primer/foundation. It manages to reduce the oiliness of my skin throughout the day very well.

Foundation
The foundation is unlike any that I have used before. It is a liquid to powder foundation with a very bizarre consistency. There are only four shades which isn't great, but as this is a new range I'm assuming they want to test the waters before they bring out any more. I obviously went for the lightest shade which is fair enough, the shade is actually called fair enough! you can't beat Soap and Glory for their clever play on words. A word of warning! If you have dry skin/patches, I imagine that this would cling to them quite badly. This managed to keep me oily free for about 5 hours which is pretty good! It does however tend to look a bit patchy though as the day goes on. Overall it is a good foundation that gives a good flawless base, and does a great job at reducing oiliness.

Primer/Foundation Combo
Together, these products are a fierce attack on shine, keeping me oil free for around 5/6 hours. The thing i do find though is that this does get quite patchy and if you're not careful, it can look very cakey if you put a generous amount of foundation on in the first instance and then topping up with powder.

Overall i would say that this is a very unique range that is definitely worth trying. I love the primer and the powder, the foundation is definitely worth trying but its not the best I've ever used. If you've tried Soap and Glory products before, you'll know that they're a fantastic brand and always bring out worthwhile products. Also as a side note, the packaging is beautiful!

What do you think of Soap and Glory products? Have you tried anything in this range? What's your favourite?

Maybelline Creamy Mattes

Who doesn't go crazy over a matte lipstick? I very rarely go for anything other than matte to be honest with you, i think that they just look classic and gorgeous. When i saw the new creamy matte range from Maybelline, i had to grab some. I've been a big fan of their lipsticks in the past, and thought these would be no exception.

I picked up two shades, a gorgeous rosy red (siren in scarlett) and a deep plum (divine in wine). The darker shade is definitely my favourite. It's a great bold colour that gives me a 90's vibe. The red colour is also amazing, it gives a nice red lip without being too in your face. 

As for the lipstick itself, they are just as creamy as they claim to be. Amazingly soft on the lips and feel very moisturising. The only thing i would say is that they don't last on the lips for that long a time, but the colour payoff is excellent and they are lovely and pigmented.  

Have you tried these lipsticks? What do you think to them? Do you have a favourite? 

Skincare Shelf

I thought that i'd share my current skincare routine, as this payday i bought a few different products to try, and they've been absolutely brilliant.

I tend to buy a bunch of new skincare bits every couple of months so i might make this a regular post that i update every once in a while.

In the mornings, my skincare routine is quite boring. I like to wash off all of the products that i've used the night before first off, to do this i normally go for a gel cleanser. I picked up the Garnier PureActive Anti-Perfection Cleansing Gel because i've been really impressed by their skincare bits recently, and also let's be honest, it was really cheap! I genuinely think i have this to thank for my sudden change in skin. My face feels incredibly clear, i haven't had any blemishes or breakouts since i've been using it. The product is suited for 'oily skin prone to imperfections' and boasts to 'eliminate impurities and shine, and tighten pores'. I definitely agree with everything that this gel claims to do, if you do have problem skin then i think that this could work wonders for you. It also gives a nice (but not painful!) tingle to the skin when you use it, which really wakes you up in the morning!

In addition to picking up the cleansing gel, i also picked up the Garnier PureActive Micellar Cleansing Water. I've already sampled and been a fan of the normal Micellar Cleansing Water that Garnier do, but this one purifies your skin a bit more i would say. It gives you more of a deeper cleanse than the normal version.

Lastly, i have been using the Olay Essentials Beauty Fluid as a moisturiser in the morning and evenings. First off, this smells beautiful! I think it's like a rosey scent, that's what it reminds me of anyway! It's lightweight, non-greasy, and can be used on normal, dry or combination skin. This has been leaving my skin feeling so incredibly soft and has sorted out my annoying dry patch under my eye! (which i thought only Clinque moisturiser could do, thank god i found a cheaper alternative!)

That's it for my skincare shelf this month, i prefer to use high street stuff when it comes to every day skin products. I do splash out now and again on a really great treat product, but all of my reviews will mainly be high street, as that's what i can generally afford!

I hope you enjoyed a peek at my skincare shelf and thank you so much for reading!

High Street Fragrance

Having recently run out of my Victor and Rolf Flowerbomb perfume *cries*, i was looking for something new to wear every day without spending a small fortune. I stumbled across this little beauty in the body shop which was perfect.

The Body Shop have a new range of fragrances, including the Japanese Blossom which i picked up. The main one that they are advertising is the Italian Summer Fig, which was nice but not quite right for me.

I decided on the Japanese Blossom as it's light and sweet. It's quite a fruity/floral scent which reminds me a lot of the Harajuku Lovers perfume in Love, which i was obsessed with when i was younger!

The Body Shop Eau De Toilette's in this range are £18 which is really good for perfume, but if you're looking for something a bit cheaper to spritz on every day, the fragrance mist is only £8.50! This is what i picked up because i thought it was a great bargin for one, it smells gorgeous, and i won't feel guilty for using it too much at the price.

What do you think of this range from the body shop? Let me know if you've tried any!

Visiting Berlin

So i recently spent the weekend in Berlin with my friend who is living in Germany. Berlin is an amazing city with lots to see and lots to do. We stayed in an Ibis budget hotel which was located in Potsdamer Platz. If you are planning to go to Berlin i would definitely recommend staying in Kreuzberg. There's a lot of amazing places to visit and lots to experience!

The city of Berlin itself is beautiful. For a city it is surprisingly green, with lots of gorgeous parks to visit and trees on every street. It is quite a relaxed place in that respect. On the first day we went to Großer Tiergarten and had a relaxing couple of hours in the sun.


There was some spectacular graffiti to see all across the city. I even found myself taking pictures of park benches because they had amazing graffiti all over them! There were also remains of the Berlin wall across in Potsdamer Platz which were covered in gorgeous graffiti, these were also amazing to see.

Like i said, there is so much to see and do in Berlin. We obviously saw all of the sights like the Holocaust memorial and buildings like the Radio Tower but we also took lots of time to walk around the city to do some exploring.

The Holocaust memorial was amazing to see. As you walk towards it, it looks like a load of blocks that aren't very high, but as you walk through it, the floor gets steeper and the blocks get taller. You start to feel very closed in and trapped. Hats off to whoever designed it, it's a great piece of the city to visit.

We also visited the Buchstabenmuseum which is a musuem dedicated to typography and letters. I had researched this before i came as it sounded so interesting! It sounds really lame when you say it's just a museum with a load of different letters in it, but it was actually really good to look around! They had a guestbook where you could give a sample of your handwriting and then say where you were from. Unfortunately the picture i got of it was blurry! but it was really nice to see all the people that had come from all over the world and written in it.

As for the food in Berlin, we didn't really go to many restaurants as there were lots of food markets and places dotted around to grab something quick. The German sausage was absolutely gorgeous!

We did spend a lot of time sitting in cafes, having coffee and cake. There were so many quaint little places to go to which we couldn't resist!

Overall i had an amazing time and felt very lucky to have visited such a cultural place! Berlin is a great city with so many quirks to it. One minute you can be surrounded by tourists looking at a gorgeous building, the next minute you could be in a quiet little side street looking at a colourful bear statue!
 

Speedy Nail Paints

One of the latest offering's from Barry M is their Speedy Nail Paints. This range has a total of nine colours which boast to dry at 'lightening speed for a perfect mani in seconds'. As a completely hopeless nail painter, these sounded fantastic. I'm the type of person that will paint her nails and always without fail manage to smudge, redo the nail, smudge again, get pissed off and end up taking them all off.

The range do quite light, pastel colors which i really like for spring/summer. I was looking for a good pink shade so i went for 'In a heartbeat' which when i look at it, i think of beaches, barbie, and sun. I have to say that i think it looks quite different in the bottle to what it actually does on my nails. I'm not sure if that's just my eyes because they look fine in the pictures, but it seems like a much brighter pink on my nails to what i imagined it to be.

In terms of application though, this product is brilliant. I applied my first layer and it dried in about a minute. I was so pleased! It also comes with a flat applicator brush which makes application a dream. This stuff is perfect if you're in a rush or if you're like me and a complete mess when it comes to doing your nails. They should rename it the 'lazy girl/smudge bandit' nail polish. It is fantastic.

At £3.99 you really can't say no to at least trying it out. Have a look at the range here - https://www.barrym.com/product/Speedy

Have you tried this range out? Let me know what you think! xx

Inspired

I have been inspired recently by a few stories that I've read online and i wanted to share a little light reading for you:

• An article about a young female model who has a skin condition called vitiligo
  
• An article about a young beauty blogger who is blind

Firstly, how amazing are these women? Honestly, i think if i were in their positions i wouldn't know what to do with myself. I certainly don't think i could be as strong as they are to look at the world and think 'fuck it, i'm gunna carry on doing what i do'. 

What i took away from these stories was that these are people who don't let these conditions stop them from shining. One is a model and the other is a beauty blogger, they are not defined by their disability and condition, they just are who they are. I found this incredibly inspiring, to think that we are all different, we all have issues and things that can stop us from doing what we want to do. But we shouldn't let it stop us from doing what we want. 

I suppose the point is that you shouldn't let things stand in your way and you shouldn't crumble at the obstacles. The things that you think can hold you back might actually be the things that push you to where you want to be in life. 

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments

Spring Face

Spring is here! I am so happy to be out of the dark, cold, depressing winter months and welcome those lovely, sunny, fresh spring days. With the new season comes the new beauty trends for spring, which got me so excited to take a trip to Boots to pick up some new products for a fresh spring face.

Primer - Nivea Express Hydration Primer
This is my go-to primer on most days. It is lightweight and makes the skin feel fresh and fully primed ready for make up. I tend to go for this in the morning when i'm doing my every day make up. Not only does it even out the skin ready for make up application but it's also very hydrating (as the name would suggest) and gives the skin that bit more moisture.

Foundation - No7 Instant Radiance foundation
So i went to the No7 counter and got a skin match (i am the palest shade - of course) I then decided to pick up the instant radiance foundation which advises a medium coverage. I chose this because i wanted a natural looking foundation that would give me a bit of a glow - along the lines of Rimmel's Wake me up foundation. I've used this foundation for about a week and i love it! It matches my skin perfectly, i don't think I've ever had a foundation that matches me so well. If you get the chance to go to the No7 counter for a skin test then i would recommend it if you're looking for a very natural looking foundation. The foundation definitely gives a medium coverage and a lightly dewy finish which i love for a gorgeous spring face.

Highlighter - Loreal Lumi Magique concealer
I've been using this under my eyes and down the middle of my nose to highlight my skin and it works a treat! You twist the bottom of the little tube and the product comes out at the top with the application brush. I've found that it blends really well and gives a gorgeous illuminating effect. It makes your eyes pop and hides the dark circles well which is what we like! Overall a great little concealer to use as a highlighter.

Setting Spray - Mac Fix

I use this after i have applied my make up for a lovely dewy finish. I have read that you can use it before make up application or after but i don't tend to use it before as i find it works better as a setting spray. This is a great product to use to give your skin a bit of a boost. It also helps your make up to last throughout the day.

So there is my spring face products that i will be using throughout the lovely season. Let me know if this helped you at all and if there's any other similar products that i should look out for

Giving up the slug

So it's January and I've been a slug. A big, fat, lazy, smelly, slug queen. 

I'm sure a lot of you out there can relate this time of year? I know it's a cliché to make the news years resolution to go to the gym more and be healthier. I hate it when I tell people that I've started back at the gym because I know exactly what they're thinking when I do "oh right, she'll have quit by February" it's true that we all have that judgement when we hear people say "new year, new me" but I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to positively change. Even if you fall off the bandwagon, you had the best intentions for yourself and you have the power to change if you really want to (this is starting to sound like a quitter's speech, bare with me) 

I didn't want to say that I failed myself, so I didn't make it my New Years resolution to go to the gym more or be healthier (sly cop out I know). The reason that I started back at the gym was because I started to hate my body. Now that is a very serious thing to say, I had low self esteem but I didn't necessarily have a serious body image problem that effected my life as a lot of girls unfortunately do. I have always felt very comfortable in my body, pretty and sometimes even sexy, but recently that confidence has gone.

It's safe to say that I've had a very indulgent couple of months. I've had a series of 21st birthday parties (including my own) which resulted in drinking, drinking, and more drinking, meals left right and centre, weekends away, takeaways, you name it, I have treated myself more than any person should and what's worse is that I did all of this with absolutely no exercise. Not even a walk to the shops, I drove to work and back everyday where I sat at a desk, snacking and letting my body fester, and when I wasn't working, I was eating and/or drinking, lazing around like a sloth. I was just beginning to realise that I had put on a bit of weight, oh and then Christmas came. Well that intensified the situation, nights out, meals meals and more meals, quality street, buffets everywhere, chocolates in everything, "oh so and so has bought us some sweets in cos it's Christmas", the bloody Christmas wine raffle at work, and let's not leave out the monstrosity that was Christmas dinner (not to mention the mini buffet me and my boyfriend had that evening). Going back to work after the festive period, my skin was disgusting and my work trousers were noticeably tight. That was the moment I realised. I have had enough. The slug queen would like give up the throne please. 

I've started back at the gym, doing an actual routine and not just going on the treadmill for 15 minutes and then calling it a day. I've also started doing yoga at home (I'm sure a lot of you have heard of yoga with Adriene on YouTube, but if not I would highly recommend you check out her channel) 

I honestly do feel fantastic. I admit I'm still not in the best of shape yet, but I'm confident that I'll get back to the place where I loved my body in good time. Don't be scared of being a January gym girl, you're not alone and you have the ability to keep going and not give up. 

Lots of love and good luck!

Check out my motivation board on Pinterest for tips and fun workout routines -

http://pinterest.com/clavcakes/motivation/