As soon as I saw a new bronzer in Bourjois' new summer range I knew I would own it, with it's chic packaging and promise of delivering a sun kissed, airbrushed finish, what's not to want. So how does it fare?

Well to start, I went for shade T21 which is the fairer of the two and it works so well on my pale complexion. I find it leans slightly on the more terracotta/orangey side but this isn't a problem as it looks really natural on. When Bourjois said the bronzer contained 'soft focus pigments' I really didn't buy in to the claim that a bronzer could help leave your skin with such a smooth finish, but it really does! Even the most heavy handed of users won't have an issue with blending this bronzer, I feel confident enough to apply without looking! The product itself smells delicious, somewhere between that clean scent of baby wipes and sweets, it delish! Although this bronzer ensures a smooth and almost luminous finish to your complexion it is intact completely matte and not at all powdery or drying.

Staying power wise I don't have any issues with this bronzer, multiple mirror checks throughout the day don't reveal any fading. All-in-all I love this bronzer, it seems to smooth my complexion and even has the added benefit of SPF 10!

Have you tried any of Bourjois new bronzing products? I'm dying to try Sun Illusion Skin Perfector!

Bourjois Aqua Blush | Review & Swatches

Bourjois Aqua Blush £8.99

Bourjois are my favourite 'drugstore brand' and I always get excited when they have new releases, especially something as special as their new Aqua Blush. These gel blushers are the most fresh and fun product I have used on my face in a while, the formula is silky and blends impeccably to a natural sheer finish and the product itself smells fruity and feels cooling on your cheeks. One pump was more than enough for both cheeks for me, I dotted on to cheeks and buffed with my Real Techniques buffing brush and the result is just what I look for in a blusher...

I chose the two shades which I knew would get the most wear from, heres Cocoricorail a complexion lifting coral and Ingè-Nude a brightening nude peach.

Left | Cocoricorail
Right | Ingè-Nude

What's blown me away most about these blushers is the longevity, despite having a sheer finish they do not fade, in fact they are a bit of a pain to remove from your fingers after applying! 

Have you picked up any of Bourjois new releases?

Last Week's Most Worn

Hello lovelies, I hope everyone is well and had a lovely long Bank Holiday weekend off work, I was working (boo!) and it was extremely busy so I thought I'd share with you today the products I reached for most last week to mask my fatigue in the office.

When I'm feeling tired the last thing I want to to is spend 30 minutes on my base and strangely enough I find the more foundation I'm wearing the worse my skin looks so I start with Topshop Beauty Airbrush Primer to help shrink the appearance of pores and just smooth everything out and then I apply the seriously impressive Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream, this stuff does an amazing job of covering imperfections, evening out skin tone and leaving a healthy dewy glow. For my tired eyes I start with my holy grail eye product Bobbi Brown Corrector to counteract any darkness and then I use a light dabbing of Clarins Instant Concealer I also like to apply a little to my chin, nose and cupids bow as it leaves a gorgeous glow to your skin and brightens my face up. For cheeks I'm loving an old favourite which I dug out from my collection Bourjois Cream Blush 02 Healthy Glow, this colour blends seamlessly and lifts my whole complexion.

When I'm feeling/looking tired I like to keep my eye makeup quite fresh so I start with Lancome Base Paupières Pro to keep my eyeshadow in place and then apply a light sweep of the lightest shade from L'Oreals Color Riche La Palette Nude Beige being sure to apply in the inner corners of my eyes. I then like to apply a thin line of Illamasqua Precision Gel Liner to my lash line and the instantly brightening Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl in the shade nude to my waterline, this instantly makes me look more awake. For lashes I am loving Clinique Lash Building Primer to really add body and volume to my lashes and then finish with a sweep of my favourite mascara Lancome Hypnose. For brows I am loving Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade as it has everything I need to quickly fill in sparse brows and stay put all day. To set everything in place I'm absolutely loving NARS Light Reflecting Setting Powder as it sets everything in place but doesn't take away the glow of my base and enhances the glow of my skin.

Phew it seems like a lot of products but we're actually talking about 20 minutes in the morning from looking half dead to healthy! Do you see any of your favourites here or anything you'd want to try?

Favourite Spring Base | Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream | rrp £9.99

After a nursing my skin back to health after a really bad bout of acne two years ago I have happily stepped away from the foundation and gravitated towards lighter bases. After reading so many great reviews on this CC cream but never having my skin in the place to try it this was my first choice for a lighter base.

Bourjois CC cream contains 3 colour correcting pigments to help level out skin tone, apricot for anti-fatigue, green for anti-redness and white for anti-dark spots. The formula is quite runny and I was not expecting it to give the level of coverage it does, one layer eliminates the redness I suffer from on my cheeks and evens out my tone.

I still apply concealer under my eyes as they are quite dark and find I have to set with a little powder as my skin can get quite oily in this warmer weather but I absolutely love the finish, it's so glowy and light. I like to apply with my fingers and then blend with a damp Beauty Blender and the result is so natural you can barely tell I'm wearing anything. The only thing I will say is that the shade I bought (Light) will be a problem for people with fair skin, I'm using fake tan at the moment meaning it's a perfect match but I definitely wouldn't get away with this in the winter as it's quite dark.

I'm definitely a convert. I can get just as much longevity from this CC cream as from any foundation I own and the coverage is better than some of the higher-end foundations in my stash.

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!

Autumn Beauty Picks

I love this time of the year, ditching the fake tan and opting for more full coverage make-up is where I'm most at home. Here's a few of my favourite beauty products so far this autumn...

Clinique's Black Honey on lips
Topshop Dream Phone on cheeks

My favourite lip and blusher combo lately has been Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey rrp £17.50 and  Topshop Powder Blush in Dream Phone rrp £7. These two berry shades compliment each other perfectly and really warm up my complexion now I've stepped away from the fake tan. 

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Grand Cru

Another lip product I've been sporting is from my favourite drugstore brand, Bourjois. I have all but one of their Rouge edition Velvet Lipstick's rrp £8.99 and Grand Cru is one of my favourites. Described as a dark burgundy you can either apply one coat for a dark red (as seen above) or another coat for a deep burgundy red.

Essie Sole Mate

My favourite autumnal nail polish shade is Essie Sole Mate rrp £7.99. This gorgeous deep plum colour has a glossy finish and really gives your nails a polished look. I will be sporting this colour pretty much all autumn/winter!

Topshop Inhibition Lipstick

Last but certainly not least is Topshop's Inhibition lipstick rrp £8. Described as a deep plum colour I would say this leans slightly more on the purple side, but is a gorgeous matte shade none the less. I adore Topshop's make-up range, I'm yet to find a disappointing product.

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

A mascara that I have been loving lately is Bourjois 1 Seconde, from the Glamour Beauty Power List Box by Latest In Beauty.  This new mascara offering from Bourjois features a 'unique brush with spherical bristles to help wrap every lash in a 360 degree motion and the straight bristles help to create clump-free definition'. The formula is great, it is long-lasting and smudge free which is perfect for the up and coming rainy season. Although initially when looking at the brush it seemed quite bulky, it really does a great job of coating each lash without any nasty blobs in the corner of your eye or on your eyelids. This mascara doesn't so much build volume but helps lengthen and separate lashes for a more natural a polished finish. Retailing at £9.99 you can get this mascara plus loads of other great products (including Eyeko eye make-up remover wipes and Laura Mercier Primer) as part of the Glamour Beauty Power List box for only £15.99!  

The Glamour Beauty Power List 2014 Box From Latest In Beauty

I absolutely adore Latest In Beauty's collaboration boxes with Glamour magazine, they are always excellent value and packed with a great variation of branded products that would each get used. Needless to say when they emailed me two weeks ago releasing a new box 'The Glamour Beauty Power List 2014' I ordered it straight away and waited impatiently for it to be delivered. When it arrived on Thursday although I already knew what the contents were I still let out a little shriek as I unboxed it. With a whopping value of over £80 but yours for £15.99 here's the contents...

• Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish  (30ml with muslin cloth) rrp £5.50
• Eyeko Mascara Off Wipes (10 wipes) rrp £6
• Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defense  (60ml) rrp £7.50
• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer (30ml) rrp £19
• James Read Sleep Mask Tan (25ml sample) rrp £12.50
• Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara (fullsize) rrp £9.99
• Maybelline Coloursensational Lipstick (fullsize) rrp £6.99
• Annual subscription to Glamour magazine (digital version for iphone/ipad) discounted by 62%

I'm already a huge fan of Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish (although I can't use it everyday due to my temperamental skin prone to hormonal break-out's) and I adore everything by Eyeko. The products I've most wanted to try from this box were the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer and James Read Sleep Mask Tan, the concept of an overnight mask that gives you a gorgeous glow in the morning is a winner for me.

I've purchased a few of the Glamour collaborations with Latest In Beauty and this has to be my absolute favorite as I genuinely will use every product! I imagine these boxes will go quite quickly so head on over to Latest In Beauty and buy yours today...you wont be disappointed!

  

August's Beauty Favourites

With August coming and going in a flash and September now upon us, reviewing my favourite beauty products from last month makes me kind of feel like I'm mourning the summer! I discovered some fantastic products throughout August and I'm going to be clinging to those summery buys until those early nights start drawing in. So here's my best buys of August, the products I've been reaching for everyday...

Body Shop Honey Bronzer

This amazing bronzer was also in my July beauty favourites, I did a post a few weeks ago with some swatches if you fancy checking it out for yourself. I've literally worn this bronzer everyday since I bought it, the shade (shade 2) is perfect for my fair (NC15) complexion and just gives you a totally natural, sun kissed look. 

N4 Super Comb Prep & protect

I discovered this gorgeous smelling leave-in conditioner in August's Birchbox. I did a post a few weeks ago about that box and the contents and this was my star product. Not only does it smell amazing but it leaves your hair so soft and more manageable. I loved this sample so much I went on to buy the full-size product and I must admit I now couldn't be without it in my routine.

Bourjois Cream Blush (R) Pink Sunwear

When Bourjois released their Summer 2014 products including these gorgeous cream blushers the blogisphere went nuts! Pink Sunwear was another product that featured in my July beauty picks. This subtle shade gives you a gorgeous glow and completely compliments my bronzer. I'll be sad to see this go in a drawer until next summer!

Essie Sand Tropez

One polish I've been taking off and reapplying straight away is Essie's Sand Tropez. This shade is the perfect greige that I will be wearing well into the Autumn/Winter. As with all of Essie's polishes that I've tried its fantastic coverage and I get around 3 days of wear before any chips appear.

Clarins Radiance-Plus Glow Booster

I did a post on this gradual tan a couple of weeks ago and I still feel now how I did then. This amazing gradual tan allows you do totally tailor your tan by controlling how many drops of serum you use a day mixed in with your regular daytime/nighttime moisturiser. This is one skincare product I will be rocking all year round.

Bobbi Brown Blush In Pastel Peach

I let out a little shriek inside when I saw Bobbi Brown had released new shades of their cult blusher. I hastily purchased two of the shades (post coming soon on those) one of them being Pastel Peach. This gorgeous shade looks great on cheeks for a little pop of colour. This is another shade I will be sporting for as long as the sun stays.

Lush Cosmetic Warrior Face Mask

This face mask is the best spot fighting mask I have tried in a long while. Anyone that reads my blog regularly will know that I suffer from horrible hormonal break-outs from time to time and this mask calms angry skin down and clears up break-outs. This is one mask I will be repurchasing now I've run out.

As much as I will miss the summer and will relish in those last few sunny days we have left, I am really looking forward to Autumn/Winter as there are some great products lined up for release and I can't wait to be sporting my favourite vampy lip and nail colours.

Bourjois Summer 2014 Cream Blusher Swatches And Review

I've been dying to get my hands on the Summer 2014 cream blusher's ever since I saw the new line of products launch, so last week I hot-footed it down to Boots to pick up the new shades.

I absolutely adore Bourjois cream blushers, I (now) own all of the shades on offer. The new shades (Tropical Coral and Pink Sunwear) are just as much a pleasure to use as the other shades. They are richly pigmented and the creamy formula ensures they blend like a dream.

L Tropical Coral
R Pink Sunwear

Both shades have a bronze cast, perfect for sculpting or just giving that healthy flush of summer tan. Pink Sunwear is a illuminating tan shade with (as the name indicates) a pink undertone and a very fine gold shimmer. Tropical Coral (again as the name indicates) is a lovely coral shade of tan leaning more on the brown side, it gives you sun kissed flush of colour.

Both of the new shades are a dream to use, they blend so well that they are pretty foolproof to use, although a cream formula it applies almost gel like and doesn't tug at skin or move your base around. Both have a hint of shimmer and a semi-matte finish. At only £7.99 these are a must for your summer make-up stash!

LIB's The British Beauty Blogger Dream Box

Earlier this week Latest In Beauty announced they were releasing a 'Dream Beauty Box' collaboration with Jane Cunningham aka The British Beauty Blogger, this caused a stir on all social media platforms as ladies couldn't wait to get their hands on it! Luckily I didn't hang around too long to purchase mine as it sold out within 24 hours, unsurprisingly so as it's packed with some fabulous products each of which I will use. Priced at £19.95 and the value of the contents amounting to over £100 this is an astoundingly good value beauty box and with each of the products being tried, tested and approved by Jane herself we all knew we'd love it! There were only a few variations of products you would receive, the Make-up Revolution palette, Essie nail polish, Bourjois cream blush, Kneipp herbal bath and Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick sachet. I was very happy with the variations of the products in my box, lets take a closer look at the products I received...

Kneipp Herbal Bath rrp £7.95 Stress Free Orange & Mandarin full-size

Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick sample in So Marilyn

Bee Good Honey & Wild Water Mint Cleansing Water rrp £10 full-size

Elemis Treat Your Feet foot cream 20ml 

Essie in Spin The Bottle rrp £7.99 full-size

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara rrp £19 full-size

Benefit  It's Potent Eye Cream 3ml sample

REN Satin Perfection BB CReam 3ml sample

L'Occitane  Divine Lotion rrp £10.50 50ml 

Bourjois  Cream Blush rrp £7.99 full-size

La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water 50ml

Janjira  Thai Lime & Ginger Handwash 50ml

Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow and Eyebrow Palette in Lock & Load rrp £4 full-size

Roger & Gallet Gingembre Rouge Perfume 1.5ml vial

Lola  Kabuki Brush full-size

I'm really happy with the products I received and find it an amazing value box, the great variation of products means it's great for a pampering night in! I know I'll be trying a few products out at bath time tonight...

Jodie

xoxo 

Spring colour pop!

 

Spring colour pop trend

With February over and us seeing in a (hopefully) warmer and dryer March (ok, I'm being far too optimistic!) I am being drawn away from all of those nudes and vampy reds I have been wearing over the last few months of Autumn and Winter and towards the gorgeous pastels and popping brights out there. My main obsession this month has been bright pinks, oranges and orange reds...here are some of my favorite buys (and there have been many, to my bank balance's dismay!) of February...

Topshop lipstick in Innocent £8

This is a really easy to wear pink, I have been wearing this alot in the daytime since I purchased it 2 weeks ago. I would say they are correct in their description of "a velvet finish lipstick to smooth and moisturize lips" as its a creamy, non-drying formula that you can really build the colour in a couple of slicks.




Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick in 09 Orange Pop-up £7.99

I was really excited to purchase this lipstick as I have a real thing for orange and orange red lipsticks, I swatched it on my hand and the colour was a nice bright orange, however, on my lips it comes out more pink! It's still a very nice colour, just not as bright orange as I was hoping it would be. I didn't find it had the glossy finish it claimed to had, it definitely is more matte, but definitely not drying.

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Audacious £7.99

This is going to get alot of wear from me! I already have all of Revlon's ColorBurst Balm Stain's (as well as most other lip crayons from various other brands!) and the colour is always vivid and true to the description. This new matte version is no different, it has a lovely velvet matte texture and the colour is a fab bright orange!


 
Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in In Love With Ginger £6.49

Another colour that is going to get alot of wear from me! This is the first lipstick I have purchased from Rimmel since I was a teenager and I really feel like I have been missing out! This is a gorgeous, bright orange red. It's very moisturizing and the colour is very vivid with just one slick! I usually prefer matte lipsticks so I did end up blotting off the shine...this will be a staple part of my make-up bag over the next few months!

Ciate polish in Red Hot Chilli £9

I adore this orange red shade! It goes perfectly with the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick...I had been wearing it for 3 days when I took this photo, still glossy and no chips...another winner for me from Ciate!

So despite the weather being dreary outside, my make-up bag is certainly lifting my spirits and I now can't wait until I have a tan to sport with my new favorites!

Jodie 

xoxo