I've always been a pretty light sleeper, anything from hearing the dog walking around downstairs to the other half nipping to the bathroom in the middle of the night would wake me up and take me ages to get back to sleep, that's all a thing of the past since I discovered This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray rrp £30 250ml.

I will admit I really thought a pillow spray would be a bit gimmicky and without the help of sleeping tablets I was going to remain a twitchy sleeper but I can happily say since purchasing this miracle pillow spray a little over a month ago I have not awoken in the night once and I now sleep like a baby! All you do is squirt a couple of sprays onto your pillow and quilt before bed and let the soothing lavender and chamomile scent do its work! 

With 82% of users falling asleep faster and 92% of users feeling more refreshed in the morning (me being one of them!) what are you waiting for? If you are a light sleeper or are just a tad stressed and need an aid for a good nights sleep I highly recommend this!

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Soft Ivory Swatch and Review

After reading tons of blog posts and reviews on Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation a few weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and splurge my hard earned £34 on it and here's my thought's on it...

The foundation itself, as you can see, is housed in a handy tube and you get a generous 35ml of product. 

The colour guide on  the back of the tube doesn't completely match the shade of the product itself as some other ladies had said it did with their shade, I was expecting Soft Ivory to be a tad more yellow toned than it is, but it's not a bad match for my pale skin at this time of the year.

Ok, so onto the foundation itself. Now I have moderately blemished skin, not a constant flurry of acne but quite a few acne scars on my chin and jawline and the most appealing aspect of this foundation were the claims of being medium-full coverage, at best I would say this foundation is medium coverage and doesn't have the build-ability I had heard it does. As for the claims of 'blendable formula that glides on easily' I couldn't agree less, even using Laura Mercier's Foundation Primer and trying to apply the foundation with either my Beauty Blender, Buffing brush or fingers I still couldn't get an even finish. When I did get a satisfactory finish it only lasted for an hour or so, it certainly didn't live up to its claims of being 'long-wearing and a fresh look that lasts all day' after 3 hours the foundation separated and left my skin looking oily and blotchy.

I really wanted to love this foundation and I've tried everything I can to get a half decent finish but it just does not live up to my MAC Studio Fix Fluid and I feel absolutely gutted at parting with £34 for a foundation that will just lay in a drawer. 

Make-up Space Saving Idea's - Unii Palette

When Benefit released their Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O Blushes I hurriedly went out and bought it and loved it until I realised how inconvenient the clunky tin was and started looking for ways to to remove the blushers and house them in something more practical. So after some googling I found the Unii Palette from The Beauty Crowd rrp £15. Now I knew all about brands such as MAC, E.L.F and Stila doing refills of their products and MAC doing their own magnetic palettes for their eyeshadow's etc but I knew nothing of the world of de-potting make-up and the cute storage solutions out there for it.

So the Unii Palette was designed by a beauty enthusiast from California who wanted a travel friendly solution to storing and carryinging make-up. The Unii palette allows you store all of your favourite products in one place with it's magnetic inside, it even comes with a sheet of adhesive magnet for your products that aren't magnetic! 

I opted for the black design, it's so sleek and has gorgeous little flecks of glitter in it. The palette although sleek and relatively compact  is sturdy and very well made for £15.

You see that little clover looking rubber thing on the left? That's a moveable thumb grip allowing you to get a grip of your palette without sticking your fingers in the make-up pans!

I love the idea of being able to customise your own palette and it's a great solution for those gift sets we all get, meaning you can whip out your favourite items and chuck the rest!

The Unii palette came with really clear and concise instructions, making the whole process pretty foolproof. Lucking I managed to depot my blushers from my Benefit set without any breakages but depotting is not for the faint hearted and I definitely will be practising with some of my old drugstore products first before moving on to some of my favourite higher-end brands.

British Beauty Blogger Dream Box 2

As soon as I saw Jane Cunningham aka British Beauty Blogger's Youtube video announcing her 2nd Dream Box with Latest In Beauty I knew I had to be one of the lucky ones to snap one up, with only 2000 boxes available the website crashed with over 700 ladies taking to it at it's 12pm release time...luckily I managed to get through at 11:45am so all was well! So let's have a look at what was in this fantastic collaboration box...the Dream Box 2...

• Ciate Lashlights £14 rrp
• Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer and Highlighter £7.99
• LOLA Intense Colour Lipstick £12 rrp
• Eylure Eyebrow Crayon £5.95 rrp

• The Body Shop Beautifying Oil £9 rep
• Mio Double Buff Body Scrub
• Kerastase Nutritive Irisome Satin 2
• 
  

• Nude ProGenius Omega Treatment Oil
• Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant £20 rep
• Burts Bees Cuticle Creme £5.99 rrp
• Baume De Jardiner hand cream
• Vichy Aqualia Thermal Light 

• Ardell Natural Style Lashes £3.99 rrp
• Invisibobbles £3.75 rrp
• Essie Toggle to The Top
• Sleek Pout Polish - unavailable instore or online
• Agent Provocateur perfume sample

The cost of this box was a mere £21.95 including postage for a whopping £129 worth of products! I am more than happy with the variation of products, the opportunity to try some new brands and a top up off some of my already favourited products- Body Shop Beautifying Oil and Invisibobbles to name a couple.

If you fancy one of these collaboration boxes then I strongly advise keeping a close eye on Jane's blog and the Latest In Beauty website as these boxes are always guaranteed to sell fast!

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Fresh Melon

I seem to have been indulging my blusher addiction a little too much lately, but with a product that doubles as a lipstick as well as a blusher what's to feel guilty about?! One of the latest additions to my Bobbi Brown collection is Pot Rouge in Fresh Melon rrp £19

Fresh Melon is a gorgeous pink/peach shade which is perfect for that barely-there daytime look. I love this shade, it gives a healthy flush of colour to cheeks and is an equally gorgeous nude shade on lips. As with all of the other Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges that I own the formula is easy to warm and applies beautifully to skin, leaving a subtle sheen.

If you don't own one of these versatile blushers you should really think of investing in one!

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque

Having inherited horrible dark circles one of my make-up bag staples is Bobbi Brown's Corrector rrp £19. I usually use the shade Extra Light Bisque (which is more salmon coloured) but with going lighter on my foundation and concealer thanks to the winter I decided to go slightly lighter (well, Bobbi's lightest!) with my corrector to compliment this. 

If like me you suffer from dark circles and you haven't given thought to investing in a corrector then you seriously should, I'm not joking it will change your life! A corrector is designed to wake up tired eyes and neutralise under-eye darkness. Designed to use under your concealer the formula is long-wearing and doesn't crease, Bobbi's Cream Concealer compliments this corrector perfectly.

Porcelain Bisque is as I mentioned the ranges fairest shade and has a peach tone to it which completely cancels out the shady areas under my eyes and instantly brightens. Although it seems a little pricey because it's extremely good quality and you need very little to get great results, one pot will last me around 10 months, I can deal with £1.90 a month for brighter eye's!

L Without Corrector
R With Corrector

Apologies for the weird picture of my eyes...do you know how hard it is to take a picture of your own eyes?! I've applied the corrector on my left eye, or the right eye as you are looking at it and can't you just tell the difference? You can apply to the whole eye area, including lids but I just use in the corner of my eyes and blend out as my eyeshadow primer cancels out any darkness on my lids.

As I said, one of my staples, do you use a corrector and which brand do you use?

Kylie Jenner Lips - MAC Faux Lipstick Review and A Dupe!

I'm a little obsessed with the nude 90's lip that Kylie Jenner has been rocking lately and although she's never confirmed which shade she wears a lot of beauty enthusiasts have said it's MAC's Faux lipstick. Not only do I bring to you today MAC Faux but a dupe so good I really had trouble telling them apart when uploading my photo's to this post! 

So here we have MAC Faux...

And NYX Thalia...

On lips you can barely tell them apart! Here's a couple of swatches...

L MAC Faux
R NYX Thalia

NYX's Thalia is a great dupe for MAC Faux, so if you're looking for a cheaper alternative for Kylie's nude lip I would definitely recommend it! 

MAC Faux is a satin formula which glides on to lips and has a gorgeous vanilla scent very typical of MAC's lipsticks, I've been wearing it every day since purchasing, it is gorgeous! NYX Thalia is a similar creamy formula, it feels a tad more waxy but at a quarter of the price of Faux I think we can live with that!

Trial-Sized Tuesday's - Clarins HydraQuench Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm

My quest of trying to utilise my drawer of samples and trial sized products continues with Clarins HydraQuench Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm rrp £19 for 15ml. 

I'm relatively new to Clarins products but can hand on heart say I've enjoyed using every product I have purchased so far and with Clarins offering 3 free samples with every online order it gives you an excellent opportunity to try more from their ranges. A couple of orders ago I selected this lip balm as one of my samples and with the cold weather here I thought it a perfect opportunity to give it a try. 

HydraQuench Lip Balm has a very thick texture, think Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream, only it melts on to your lips not only healing chapped lips but preventing moisture loss. This intensive balm is infused with Rose Wax and Shea Butter and it has a delicate pink tint to it which leaves lips looking lovely.

I've found with all of the lipstick wearing I've been doing lately my lips haven't so much become chapped but they are definitely a little dry and tight and applying this balm last thing at night has restored my lips come morning. I've had the 3ml sample of the go for around a week now and it's showing no signs of running out as you need so little, I definitely will be purchasing the full size product when the sample is done!

Topshop Metallic Cream Blush in Pulse

I picked up Topshop's metallic cream blush in the shade Pulse rrp £7 a few weeks ago and it has become a new favourite for my cheeks. Although described as 'Blossom Pink' on Topshop's website  I thought it was going to be more of a nude shade from the photo and was pleasantly surprised with the finish.

Pulse has a gorgeous iridescent finish with pink, berry and gold tones. I was concerned when looking at it in the pan thatI would end up looking like a disco ball but it gives just enough colour and a gorgeous glow to my pale skin. Out of all of the Topshop blushers I own I found this one to be the hardest to apply, now I don't know if it's the fact it's cold in the morning thus making the product hard, but I find the product quite hard to warm and have to use my stippling brush to apply to my cheeks rather than using my fingers as I usually do with a cream blusher.

I would definitely recommend this blusher to anyone that wants a little flush of colour but a totally luminous finish. Topshop really does offer a surprisingly great quality cosmetic collection and I can't say I have been disappointed with any of their products I have tried to date. 

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Collection Eyeshadow Palette

The Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Collection Palette rrp £17.50 is by no means a new kid on the block and after all the hype had died down surrounding this limited edition release I really wanted to try this palette for myself firstly because I love Urban Decay's palettes and secondly because I love the film Pulp Fiction!

I love the design of this palette, the fact the contents are housed in a sturdy cardboard body with a glossy finish and one of the infamous quotes from the film itself!

This palette has everything I need for my everyday look and to create Mia's dark, edgy look. Three of the shades in this palette are new and created specially for this limited edition release. As with all of Urban Decay's eyeshadows the formula is silky and extremely blendable. I love the fact it comes with a small brush and a decent sized mirror making it everything you need in one place.

There's even a 'get the look' card included with the palette to help you recreate Mia's smouldering look. The collection also includes the Mia Wallace nail polish and lipstick (which I can no longer find online) to complete the look, I decided not to opt for the polish and probably not the lipstick either if it was available as I have a ton of red lip pies and nail polishes.

All in all I love this palette and I think any girl that loves a natural daytime look as much as me will love it to. Do you own this palette? What are your thoughts?

Trial-Sized Tuesday's - Premae Mattifying Mousse Foundation Shade 01 Tapioca

I've been meaning to do a post on this wonderful foundation from my favourite skincare brand Premae for a little while now, it really has everything you could want from a base. If you read my blog regularly you will know my deep love for Premae's natural and vegan skincare products and when I heard they were releasing their first foundation I was more than excited!

MM Foundation rrp £29 is an allergy-friendly foundation meaning it's great for sensitive or acne prone skin like mine and is packed with skin-loving ingredients that actively care for your skin whilst you are wearing it. I requested a sample of shade 01 Tapioca which is a perfect colour match for my fair (NC15) skin.

The formula is quite unexpected, it's rich and creamy yet light like mousse and I found it easiest to apply with my Real Techniques Expert Face brush, working in small areas. The finish is matte yet not unnatural looking, allowing your skins natural glow to peep through. 

MM Foundation gives medium/full coverage and I found I didn't require as much concealer in the places as I normally would. This foundation is so completely natural and packed with skin-loving ingredients that you could, not that I would, sleep in it...now if a foundation is good enough for your skin to sleep in it what does that say!?

My sample recently ran out but I certainly will be requesting the full size product in my next Premae Donna Box!

Rimmel Stay Blushed! Liquid Cheek Tint in Sunkissed Cherry

I've been meaning to write a little post up on Rimmel's Stay Blushed ever since I bought it a few month's ago...but you know how it is! I bought this blusher after seeing Lisa Eldridge's make-up tutorial video with Alexa Chung, it looked gorgeous on her and being an Alexa fan I just had to make it mine!

Sunkissed Cherry creates a natural, slightly reddened apricot glow on the cheeks. Although they are described as a liquid blusher the formula is more cream which is great as it makes it a little easier to work with than a liquid. Be wary if you are a fan of heavy coverage foundation as you may find you'll move your base around whilst trying to blend, I favor this blush over a lighter foundation or a tinted moisturizer. You need to use such a small amount of product that the rrp of £4.49 makes it an absolute bargain!

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eyeshadow in Permanent Taupe

I'm finding myself really getting into eyeshadow's lately, my usual daily go-to look is a glowy base, slick of eyeliner and lipstick and I'm ready to go, however this Autumn I've been reaching for browns and golds for my eyes and I've found the perfect colour in my first Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow. Permanent Taupe £4.99 rrp is a gorgeous grey/brown in a matte finish that doesn't budge.

The glass pot housing the product gives it a more expensive feel than it's incredibly affordable price tag and there's enough space to get your finger in there rather than a brush for ease of use.

L Unblended
R Blended

As with most long-wear formulas you have to work fast as once the product has dried it's hard to blend and doesn't budge! I really like this product, the colour is chic and anything that lasts all day is a winner in my books! Have you tried any Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow's and which are your favourites?