I was deliberating on whether to do a 'June Favourites' post but as I have been forcing myself to do a weekly rotation of the products in my makeup bag (with exception to my base products) I don't really have any products I couldn't leave alone but there are a few I'm finding hard to put away.

First up we have the beautiful Stila Field Of Florals Palette £30, I wanted this palette ever since I saw it's release in the US and it was so worth the wait. Even the shades I thought would not work on my fairly pale complexion sheer out to a beautiful wash of colour. Cream blushers are my favourite and with the huge variety of shades in this palette it's a true space saver in your makeup bag.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer has been my favourite primer over the last couple of weeks, I had completely forgotten what a pleasure it is to use. This cooling gel primer doesn't do an amazing job of concealing pores or blurring lines but it does give my base a glowing finish and keeps everything in place all day, perfect for the summer.

Clinique's Nude Pop Cheek Pop blusher unfortunately isn't available in the UK so I won't go on about it too much but I will say now I'm sporting more of a bronzed look it's perfect for that barely there makeup look.

Ok so NARS Light Reflecting Setting Powder £26.50 hasn't just recently been a favourite of mine but it is one that I'm really starting to appreciate more now the warm weather is here. This powder keeps everything in place all day without that obvious powder finish to your skin, I adore this stuff!

Another product that has been a favourite for a while and an absolute godsend in this weather is Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade £15, this stuff really doesn't fade or budge. I'd recently discovered the product was starting to dry up and really didn't want to part with it so I placed a drop of baby oil in and voila it's totally revived!

I'd recently ran out of my favourite Lancome Hypnose mascara and rather than rushing out for a new one I though I'd try some of the mascara's in my stash waiting to be used. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara £19 has been a pleasant surprise, I initially thought it wouldn't be all that as the brush on the wand is quite big but it does an amazing job of separating and lengthening lashes.

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. 

My Little Box Parisienne

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last couple of months you can't have missed My Little Box launching in the UK. My Little Box doesn't just contain must-have beauty products, it also contains at least one beauty product from their in-house beauty range, fashion and lifestyle products all wrapped up in a beautifully illustrated box by their designer Kanako. So take a peek at what I excitedly received in my first ever box...

Each month you receive a beautiful inspirational quote in-keeping with the theme of the box, as you may have guessed this months Parisienne box was Paris themed!

Next up is a cute little post card with some gorgeous stickers that you could either stick on to the card itself or on your laptop or phone, the possibilities are endless...

Next we have an A5 notebook which includes more information on My Little Box in the first few pages...

Now comes the good stuff for us beauty lovers...a gorgeous little re-usable fabric bag containing 3 beauty products...

I was delighted to find a very generous 30ml sample of my favorite Primer by Laura Mercier, a sample of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse oil and an in-house pen style illuminator.

Lastly we have a laptop sleeve and I'm thrilled to say it fits my MacBook Pro perfectly!

Last month I decided to cancel my Birchbox and Pink Parcel subscriptions, Birchbox because I was just getting a little fed up with receiving skincare samples month after month and Pink Parcel as I have got an overflow of tampax in my bathroom! My Little Box is a subscription I will definitely be sticking with, it has the perfect balance of beauty and lifestyle products all wrapped up in gorgeously themed boxes. If you fancy subscribing to this fabulous concept it's only £14.95 per month (inc p&p) or £13.95 (inc p&p) if you have it delivered to your work place (don't ask me why?!).

Trial- Sized Tuesday's - Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

A couple of weeks ago I did a post on the fabulous Glamour Beauty Power List Box from Latest In Beauty and one of the products in it (one of the reasons I purchased it) was Laura Mercier's Foundation Primer (30ml). I know that Laura Mercier's primer, among a few other of her products, have achieved cult status in the beauty world so I really couldn't wait to get my hands on it and give it a go!  This primer is a gel consistency that absorbs into skin really well, not leaving an oil slick on the skin (which is a god send for me with my oily/combination skin!). One thing I like about this primer is that fact that it is undetectable under your make-up and it smells really fresh, kind of like baby wipes! The gel contains vitamins A, C and E which are said to shield skin from environmental damages that can age skin. Because of it's gel-like consistency I have found the advice of keeping it in the fridge great as it makes it more refreshing to apply in the morning and reduces any puffiness. I've been using this primer since Monday and can honestly say I'm really enjoying it. I wouldn't say it completely changes the finish of my foundation (MAC Studio Fix Fluid) but it does give me a little more of a dewy finish when worn underneath. I can't say it aids the longevity of my base any more than my regular primer (MAC Prep+Prime Skin) but it certainly doesn't shorten it.  As this sample from the Glamour Beauty Power List Box is 30ml (the same volume as most other primers) it will last a good amount of time, making that box well worth the £15.99 I paid for it! 

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!

  

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer - SC2

My quest for the perfect concealer has taken me to Secret Camouflage by Laura Mercier. Anyone that reads my blog will know that I live in the back of beyond, so I rely heavily on online reviews and swatches to make my purchases as the nearest department store that sells high-end products is over 50 miles away! After much deliberation I decided to purchase Secret Camouflage in shade SC2...I couldn't have got it any more right!

I didn't purchase this concealer with the intention of using on my dark circles, I bought it solely for imperfections on my face. Secret Camouflage's unique two shade system was designed to match all skin tones, one to match the skins depth of colour and the other to match the skins undertone. I wear MAC's Studio Fix Fluid in shade NC15 and I find the perfect mixture of Secret Camouflage is two parts of the lighter side and one part the more peach one. 

The texture is quite hard and waxy, I scrape a little of each and mix on the back of my hand, allowing the concealer to soften as it warms. This concealer is very highly pigmented so you only need very little to cover any imperfections. Even in this hot weather the concealer has lasted a good 8 hours without the need to reapply. Be more cautious if you have dry skin, the concealer can cling a little to dry patches, a good moisturising will be needed before use.

All-in-all I really can't find any fault with Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage, the pans are of a very generous size which means it will last for ages and I really like the practical packaging with the mirror on the inside. Being able to customise your shade is a huge benefit at this time of the year when we're all tanning and changing up our bases. Huge thumbs up from me!

Jodie

xoxo