My most worn products over the last week are a collection of both old favourites almost forgotten about and new discoveries which I'm loving, all of which I really couldn't be without in this heat.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural has seriously left me wondering why on earth I hadn't tried it before. For years and years I had avoided finishing powders as they took me back to those awful matte, pasty pale years of my teens. After struggling more than most years with controlling shine I decided to purchase this powder as it not only controls shine with a semi-matte finish but it also provides another light layer of coverage. When wearing you can barely tell you're wearing it, it doesn't cling to imperfections or to those fuzzy little hairs we ladies have, just a smooth natural finish. Love!

Another MAC favourite at the moment is their Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. My usual favourite eyeshadow primers aren't keeping shadows on my oily lids, this stuff not only works great as a matte eyeshadow on it's own but also doubles up as a long wearing natural base that doesn't crease or fade. My Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette has made an appearance in my daily routine again, with the shade Stark being my everyday shade, I'm seriously gutted they don't sell this shade on it's own as I will be lost without it!

My Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer has made it's way back into my makeup bag, I'd almost forgotten how good this stuff is! I do suffer with a little creasing under my eyes so I make sure I tissue off any excess product and set with powder to avoid it settling into the creases, the result is much brighter and more rested looking eyes.

I do currently have a Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara open but when I saw Benefit release new shades of their They're Real Mascara I was instantly drawn to the brown shade, I have to say its pretty good. The mascara itself doesn't give me the most volume and lift I've ever had from a mascara but I am enjoying the more natural look of brown lashes apposed to my normal black. I'll post a more in-depth review of this one soon.

Last but my no means least we have my current favourite blusher from Clinique, Melon Pop Cheek Pop. This stuff looks so nice with my current tan, it gives cheeks the loveliest wash of colour but keeping them looking natural and not powdery. I have the coordinating lipstick, Melon Pop and when worn together it really pulls my whole summery look together.

See any of your favourites or anything you've been dying to try?

Current Favourite Body Tanning Products

We're all using them, if we're not using them then we're contemplating them - tanning products. This year I've strayed away from my usual gel self tan as there have been quite a few new kids on the block this spring/summer, here's my current favourites -

Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam Light/Medium £14.99

First up is my not-leaving-the-house-all-day tan, I don't like to go to bed with self tan on, mostly because I have white sheets but also if you sweat you can end up with an uneven tan. I bought this one back in May, rather than starting the summer with a gradual tanner and moving on to a self tan I thought I'd try this as I'd seen natural looking results on social media. What I like about this self tan is it has none of that biscuity scent to it, on application it has a coconut and shea butter scent and even after washing off that famous self tan biscuity smell doesn't come through. The results for this one definitely lean more on the light side than medium, my skin felt soft after washing off and overall it's a fuss-free and non-streaky application.

St Tropez Express Bronze Mousse £33

This is my I-need-a-tan-but-dont-have-all-day tan. Let me start off by saying this tan is uh-mazing! At first I thought it was a bit rubbish, I came home from work, applied and the showered after 2 hours and couldn't see the results. St Tropez Express Mousse enables you to pick the level of intensity by how long you keep it on, 1 hour for light, 2 hours for medium, 3 hours for deep and that's nothing new I know  but now I have got the hang of it I can really appreciate it. Like any other pre-tanning day I exfoliate and moisturise well and the next day I apply and leave for the full 3 hours, when I jump in the shower I wash only the guide colour off and either shower properly that evening or the following morning as the tanner keeps working for the next 8 hours and the next day you have the most natural, deep tan. Love it!


Bondi Sands Everday Gradula Tanning Milk £11.99

This is my keeping-my-tan-topped up tan. This gradual tanner is really light and absorbs quicker than any tanning product I own, the scent is very similar to the tanning mousse from Bondi Sands. The colour is a really natural tan which used alone build to a nice shade within only a few days however I like to use this on days between using my St Tropez or the Bondi Sands mousse. You get a very generous 375ml of product so it will last a fair amount of time between repurchases.

See any of your favourites here?

Benefit Operation Pore-Proof! Pore Kit Review

Benefit Operation Pore-Proof £28.50


I don't know about you but my skin is seriously struggling with this hot and humid weather, my trusted regular primers and foundations aren't keeping the oil at bay and for the first time ever I've purchased a setting powder! I'm a huge fan of Benefit's makeup and some of their skincare (It's Potent I'm looking at you) so with their release of this kit promising to smooth pores and control shine it seemed like an answer to my current skin woes. As I haven't struggled as much as current with controlling my shine I'd never considered a few of the older products in this kit such as Dr Feelgood or The POREfessional Agent Shine, I have a few sample sized The POREfessional Primers in my drawer and I was intrigued to try their new Shy Beam and The POREfessional licence to blot. So how did it fare?

So lets start with the one product I know a load of people swear by, The POREfessional pore minimizing balm. When I first tried this primer many years ago I didn't like it, it made my skin feel dry and didn't sit well under my foundation. Fast forward to last year and I received it in a Birchbox, thought I'd give it another shot and really enjoyed it! I don't suffer from overly huge pores but as I mentioned I do get a little oily, unfortunately I don't find this primer helps with either of those issues, it does initially create a smooth matte base but I don't find it lasts past lunch.

Next up we have Dr Feelgood complexion balm - this one I'm still trying to come to grips with as it's a quite firm, waxy type texture. It's designed to work above or under makeup, smoothing pores and fine lines and managing excess oil. I applied it with the accompanying sponge after POREfessional primer, I couldn't really see that it did reduce pores or shine, when I have a day at home I will try it over my foundation, the morning I tried it I had work and didn't want to mess my base up.

Once I'd got my primer and foundation on I decided to try Shy Beam, Benefit's new matte nude pink highlighter (not available on it's own until 2016). I'm a bit puzzled by this one, my skintone is medium at the moment (NC20 if we're talking MAC) and you couldn't see I had it on. It doesn't have any apparent 'highlight' to it, I'm not sure if this is aimed at darker skintones than mine but it just doesn't work on me.

After I'd applied bronzer and blusher I moved on to POREfessional Agent Zero Shine, I really like this powder, it has a kinda mineral powder feeling to it in the respect that it is light and fluffy. The only pain with this sample is the packaging, the instructions advise to tap the pot in to the lid and then swirl product with a brush and apply to your face. How do you tip the product in to the lid without then spilling the powder from the pot as you lift it? I'm guessing the full size product has a better method of application.

Lastly we have POREfessional Licence to blot, I'm sure you can't have missed this one when it launched. Unlike the full size version the sample sized in this kit is small and rounded, much like a lip balm. This is another one I'm trying to get the hang of, I've tried applying it lightly in a blotting motion, to avoid moving the makeup underneath, to areas with shine and I can't see any obvious removal of excess oil. The instructions state to apply the product in short swift strokes, I can't see how this can be done without disturbing your base?

I'm still on the fence with this kit. I think I need to get to grips with a couple of the products before I finally pass the verdict on it. If like me you've not really delved in to Benefit's more core products then this is a great place to start.

Clinique Melon Pop Cheek Pop Blusher

Clinique Cheek Pop £17

I will admit that I overlooked Clinique's Cheek Pop blushers the first time they came around, sure the flower design was beautiful but the shades just didn't appeal to me. Fast forward to the extension to their range with four new shades available in the UK and I am now hooked. When Clinique released their Lip Pop lipsticks I rushed out and bought Melon Pop and Beige Pop, sure I probably have ten blushers which would coordinate with each of those lipsticks but whats more novel than buying the coordinating blusher?

Melon pop is a complexion lifting peachy coral shade which looks absolutely lovely against my current tan. Like the other two Cheek Pop's I own (Nude Pop & Ginger Pop) the formula is silky and natural looking, you can't tell you're wearing a powder blush at all! I'm really hoping they extend the range that's available in the UK to the twelve shades that are available in the U.S (think back to me drooling over Nude Pop for months and someone kindly having to send me one from the U.S before I exploded!). 

Do you own any of Clinique's Cheek Pop blushers? Which are your favourite?

Trial-Sized Tuesday's | Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel from £5

A few weeks ago I did a post on Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion and I loved it, still do, only now the weather is heating up I found that after a couple of hours of applying my face was left considerably more oily than usual so I decided to purchase a 15ml tube of their DDM Gel which is specifically for oily skin and I have to say it's definitely more suited to my skin type.

Compared to Clinique's DDM Lotion the texture and consistency of the DDM Gel is quite a bit lighter and less tacky on the skin. The gel absorbs into skin quite quickly and has left me noticeably less oily even late in to the day. The only gripe I have about this moisturiser is the fact it has no SPF in it, not a major issue as I've been using Clinique's City Block SPF40 (post to follow) underneath but we all love a multi-tasking product don't we?

I can imagine this will be a moisturiser I will continue to use throughout the summer as it leaves my skin comfortable and shine-free.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Review + B&A Photos!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara £19

Recently my favourite mascara, Lancome Hypnose, ran out *sheds a tear and I took to my Muji drawers for a replacement. Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara had been sat waiting for use for over a year and much to my delight it hadn't dried up or gone clumpy. I know a lot of gals go wild for this mascara as it gives volume and body to even the most non existent lashes but I must admit I had overlooked it as the only products from Too Faced that have ever appealed to me were their bronzers. Ready for the results and my thoughts?

Top Without Mascara
Middle One Coat
Bottom Two Coats

Excuse the puffy little morning eyes but pretty impressive stuff huh? My natural lashes are a light mouse brown and have no real length or body about them so this mascara is a welcome addition to my makeup routine. As you ca see the formula is blackest black and despite me having oily eyelids it doesn't transfer or smudge. I do find the brush to be a bit more bulky than I'm used to so I have to be a bit more focused when a applying but with results as full-bodied as this a little more time spent applying isn't an issue.

Still doesn't quite top my favourite Lancome Hypnose mascara but it's up there.

Bourjois Mat Illusion Bronzer Review (Shade T21)

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!

Current Favourites

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.

June Empties

I was on a bit of a mission to work my way through samples last month and I think my June empties reflects this. So here's my empties, thoughts and any repurchases.

First up is Eau Micellaire Demaquillante (Micellar Water) from My Little Box. Unfortunately their beauty products are not available to buy in the UK, I honestly can't wait until they are as I have really enjoyed each of their beauty products I have received in my monthly subscription. This micellar water did a great job of lifting makeup and smelt like a refreshing cup of green tea. I'll b first in line when their UK online shop opens.

I did a post on Bumble & Bumble's Invisible Oil Shampoo & Condtitioner a couple of weeks ago, it's on my payday wishlist. After onlyone use my hair felt thoroughly cleansed and left silky and frizz-free.

Boots Botanics Microdermabrasion Polish is probably THE best exfoliator I have ever used, this stuff is like pure sand and completely buffs away dull skin. Once I've used up some of the exfoliators I already have open I will be returning to this one for sure.

I've already gone on to repurchase Percy & Reed Eau My Goodness Shine & Fragrance Spray as I've never used a shine spray as good as this one. Not only does it leave hair with mirror shine but it also acts as a hair perfume leaving hair refreshed.

Lancome Hypnose Mascara  is my all time favourite mascara for length and definition. I have a stash of mascaras I need to work my way through but I definitely will be repurchasing this one.

I really don't get the hype surrounding Glamglow Youthmud, maybe it's one of those products you need to use and over time will see results. More than anything I found this mask to be an irritant to my skin, the mask indicates a tingle when using but I found it to burn my rather un-sensitive skin.

The Body Shop Honey Bronzer is one of those products I stock up on and always have on standby ready for when it runs out. This is the only bronzer that I have ever owned that blends seamlessly and looks natural even on my pale winter skin. A must have in my makeup bag.

I'm yet to see the results of Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, but after only a few weeks of using I wasn't expecting to see a miracle, although it does promise to deliver results within 15 days. I have gone on to purchase the full size product as this was only a sample, the cream is pleasant to use and doesn't leave my skin feeling oily like some anti-agog products do.

Moroccanoil Hydrating Hair Mask is a must have for my thick, dry hair. I love anything that has organ oil in as it transforms my hair, this one has already been repurchased.

Not only does Beauty Protector Protect & Treat Mask smell uh-mazing but it does the most amazing job of softening course and dry hair and ensures you have no frizz or fly-aways. This mask is only available to purchase from the Birchbox shop, I will be stocking up soon.

Trial-Sized Tuesday's | Smashbox Pore Minimizing Primer Review

Another week, another delve into the sample drawer and another primer review. I'd wanted to try Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer ever since it was released but at £28 I didn't want to purchase it and not like it (like I did with their Photo Finish Primer) and low and behold with a recent ASOS order there was a sample. So how did it fare?

The texture of this primer is quite like Benefit's Porefessional, in that it's quite like a balm. I was amazed at how well it smoothed pores and mattified my skin, initially it was love at first use. My foundation sat perfectly over the top and the primer managed to keep oil at bay from my t-zone practically all day. My skin looked flawless, that was until I checked my face after around 8 hours of wear, my foundation had gone all patchy and separated on my chin and around my nose. Huge disappointment! I've never used a primer that had actually separated and gone blotchy, I hear others talking about that issue all the time but this is the first primer I have actually experienced that with.

So initial finish is amazing but it just didn't stand the test of time with me, I tried the primer for a further 2 days and unfortunately found the same problem again. I'm just glad I didn't part with my cash for the full-size product.