YSL Touche Eclat Foundation

I know this foundation has been reviewed within an inch of its life by now. However, I've seen very little reviews of this foundation by bloggers with oily skin. Having oily skin means these foundations tend to add radiance and just make my skin so shiny which trust me, isn't needed. YSL have recommended this foundation for all skin types, so of I went to really put this claim to the test (I like testing out these types of claims ;) ). The foundation doesn't contain any powders, but contains a soft focus gel instead, when the YSL assistant told me this I jumped to the conclusion that this foundation would be no good for me. 

I was matched to the shade BR10. The shade range for this foundation is unbelievable, there is a shade for everyone, meaning it will be a very popular foundation. Having oily skin, the YSL assistant (who was by far the friendliest most excitable make-up counter lady ever! amazing sales woman and actually made me feel comfortable unlike many counter assistants that just give you a cold stare), told me that I'd need a primer under this foundation just to control my oil. I don't wear foundation without a primer anyway so no change there. 

The instant effects impressed me far more than I expected, could I really be falling in love with a foundation that isn't matte? I've never used the Touche Eclat before so had no idea what to expect. The foundation created a flawless but natural looking finish, and bounced light off my face making my face look radiant. I did experience a little shine on my t-zone, and even though the women told me not to put powder over the top, I had to. I used just a little loose transparent power (I normally use a proper matte thick powder), to finish, foundation doesn't feel right without a powder on top, it feels all sticky and blegh. I also then could apply a powder blush without it sticking and clumping. 

Overall: I love the effects of this foundation, my skin looks a lot more natural but also flawless, something thats so difficult to achieve. It lasts around six hours max on me, as after six hours it becomes heavy and I can't think about anything but washing it off. So it doesn't last as long as Lancome Teint Idole Ultra, but it's a fab foundation, much more natural than Lancome's. I didn't expect to enjoy it with my oily skin, but YSL have blown me away! 

This foundation will be available from YSL counters from the 9th July, for £28.00. If you visit YSL's Facebook page you can print off a voucher to take to the counter and get a colour match and a little sample as featured above. A lot of people on the YSL Facebook are moaning as they don't have a YSL counter near them, I'm afraid tough luck, YSL want you to go to the counter so they can sell to you. I can't think of any high end make-up companies that send out samples in the post at the drop of a hat. 

Disclosure: Free sample as mentioned above. Totally honest review. 

My Battle with Acne #2

Garnier Pure Active Cleanser -- REN Glycolactic Mask* -- REN Clarifying Lotion*

Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cream*

CoverFX Clear Prep Primer*

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation

If you can remember back in April (link) I posted about my battle with acne. I've started to win this battle, and have a few pointers, these points are from my personal experience, I'm no professional so if provided with professional advice do not replace it with mine. 

• Have a good solid skincare routine and stick to it. Sometimes it's really difficult to have a skincare routine that you really carry out every single day, sometimes you just want to use a face wipe and jump in bed at the end of a long day. But, if you do take those extra minutes to cleanse properly you really well feel the benefits. I love using Garnier's pure active cleanser, REN's clarifying lotion and glycolactic mask. Using AHA or BHA products like the ones listed help unclog pores and really make a difference, look for products with 'salicylic acid' in the ingredients list for good chemical exfoliants. 
• Use a good spot cream like its going out of fashion. As with the skincare routine, use a good spot cream every day without fail. Prescription strength creams are usually the best, but if you don't see eye to eye with your doctor Soap and Glorys Doctor Spot is pretty good. You can also check out Beautypedia's best anti-acne list for good spot creams (link). 
• I've found, the moisturisers that work best for my skin are light and absorb easily, like a gel or lotion. However, these don't always need to be for oily skin. My current favourite is Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cream which, is for dehydrated skin, it really protects my skin from daily stresses and keeps my skin healthy so it can battle the acne. This is available from the new M&S beauty halls and M&S online (link). 
• Use a good primer that can help control your acne while controlling oil. I've recently started trying CoverFX Clear Prep which contains salicylic acid so will help unclog my pores throughout the day. I'll review this at a later date.
• Use a matte foundation to control oil and cover spots throughout the day. I've found this worked more for my confidence than my skin, it really made me feel better. Lancome Teint Idole Ultra controls oil all day easily, the first foundation I've found that really does this. It has a good coverage so really makes my skin look much better. 

I hope this helps! If you have any questions please feel free to ask :). 

Disclosure: Due to the large amount of products featured in this post, I've marked PR samples with an (*). 

As always these products have only been included because I generally believe they've helped my skin. 

Liz Earle Botanical Essence Eau De Parfum

I've become a little obsessed with fragrances recently. I've always been the type of person to wear a fragrance on a daily basis, but I'd never spent that much money on one. I'd normally buy the cheap and cheerful £10 bottles from Boots or Avon, but as I've gotten a little older, I see why people pay more for fragrances, you can just smell the quality. I started my more 'mature' fragrance collection by buying L'Occitane fragrances (check out this little beauty), but being a typical beauty addict, I wanted to try out more from different brands too. 

This is where Liz Earle come in with their Botanical Essence No1, I've read quite a few reviews on this, but wanted to give it a whirl myself. The main feature that attracted me towards this fragrance is the little tag 'Eau De Parfum' meaning it contains a high concentration of essential oils as compared to a EDT or EDC. I love Liz Earle products and I've always thought they smell gorgeous, so couldn't think of anyone better to make a EDP. This fragrance contains over 98% directly derived natural ingredients. 

Now, if you're a regular reader, you'll know that when it comes to describing fragrance, I just can't do it, full stop. You'll also have been a victim to one of my many uneducated perfume descriptions, so here's another. It's a fresh, uplifting fragrance, almost citrusy, and quite mature, I've been wearing it on a daily basis. It's a great fragrance for those that aren't floral fans, personally, I'm a huge floral fan, but I still love it. Really energising and uplifting for those Monday morning blues, being so concentrated you only need a few sprays too. 

The deciding factor for me, it how long a fragrance lasts. If it's gone in a few hours, it doesn't matter how nice it smells, I won't use it much (like L'Occitane's Delice Des Fleurs :( ). With this fragrance, I can still smell it at the end of the day. It does start off being quite overpowering, but it soon fades down to give you a subtle scent for the rest of the day. It is quite pricey at £45.00 for 50mL, but it will last a long time as you need to use so little. Available from Liz Earle counters and online 'here'.

Some exciting news from Liz Earle. Tomorrow at 9am Liz Earle are launching an offer on their site which includes this gorgeous bag, nautical themed and ready for summer! They're keeping the details of the offer behind closed doors I'm afraid :(. 

Will you be checking out this offer? What do you think to Liz Earle's EDP? Are you a fragrance fan? Do you tend to spend a little or a lot on your fragrances? 

Disclosure: This product is a PR sample, but my review is 100% honest.

Dinosaur Top - OOTD

                           

                           

Top - Topshop Sale (Petite) £12.00

Shorts - Next Old

Bracelet - Jewellery by BeautyBecca £2.00 (link)

Lipstick - Rockalily ZOMG - no longer available :(

Shoes:

Wedges - New Look

Flats - Topshop £16.00 (link)

I've featured this outfit purely because of the top. I can't explain my excitement when I saw this top sitting on the Topshop sale rail, I don't normally buy Petite tops as I like my tops quite long, but I've made an exception for this one. It's perfect for wearing with jeans or shorts, but its too short for leggings. It's my new favourite top, although it did had tough competition against my Avengers tee. It has lots of dinosaurs and a few other animals on with their latin names. My inner nerd loves this (who am I kidding, my nerd isn't inner)! 

I tried this with both wedges and flats, it looks much better with flats but I liked the wedges photos too. I'm also wearing my favourite piece from my jewellery site (link), the little seahorse is so cute! The shorts are from Next sale last year, I wore them so much at summer parties and on nights out last summer and can see myself repeating that again.

What do you think to my outfit? Do you like my dinosaur tee? Did you pick up any Topshop sale bargains? 

Disclosure: All bought by me/my boyfriend/my mum.  

REN Glycolactic Radiance Mask and Clarifying Lotion

Right, I'm now over the REN x-rated advert. I'm saying nothing more about it from now on. Yes, it'll be imprinted on my memory forever, I might need help to get over it, but I'll not blog about it again, I promise! :D. I have to say REN have really impressed me with their products, they made top quality products look cheap with their advert, ok I'm shutting up about it now, I promise, I'm even going to the next paragraph. 

So, I reviewed REN's anti-ageing concentrate over a month ago now (link), but I've stopped using it as my skins started to break out quite badly, this is where REN's Glycolactic (or Glycol Lactic dependant on when your bottle was made) Radiance Renewal Mask and Clarifying Toning Lotion come in. 

REN Clarifying Toning Lotion

This is a relatively new product from REN, although, I've had it for a good length of time now. It's quite a powerful toner containing Salicilin, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid and Flavonoids (alcohol free). I wouldn't recommend this toner for sensitive skins, or dry/normal skins. This is a product specifically for combination, congested and oily skins, especially skin prone to breakout. If you have one of these skin types, this toner is a god send, full of purifying exfoliating ingredients to remove dirt, balance and renew the skins surface. I've really noticed the difference while using this, it helps keep my skin clear and my skin always feels really clean after using this. Sometimes if I've not worn make-up I'm a little naughty and just use this and moisturise, and it does act as a good quick cleanse. 

I'm so happy I've finally found a good toner for oily skin thats alcohol free. I don't use it on a daily basis as it is quite powerful, I use it a few times a week just to keep my skin in good nick. It's priced quite reasonably too, as REN are quite an expensive brand, this product is £18.00 for 150mL, which is lasting me ages! 

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

This product is a little more universal and suitable for all skin types bar sensitive skin. It's very similar to the clarifying lotion ingredients wise containing Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid, Omega 3, Omega 7 and Papain. It's a brightening mask to make the skin look radiant and it does this by encouraging cell renewal, so also helps to combat congestion and blackheads. I use this around every week, I really notice a difference straight after using it my skin looks brighter. However, as with every mask this brightening effect soon fades, the reason I love it so much it that it really clears out my pores and I can feel the difference after using this. If I miss a week, my skin starts to become clogged again! It's a thick mask that tingles when applied, I use three pumps to cover my face in a thick layer, it smells a little like banana (well, I think it does anyway)!

This mask is a one of my must haves now, I don't tend to use any of my other masks any more, this one has taken over. It's a little more expensive but worth it at £30.00 for 50mL. It is lasting a surprisingly long time. 

Overall

Putting these products together is helping to keep my skin in line. They are powerful products so use with caution. I wouldn't use them too often to avoid over doing it, as I remember Soap & Glory once saying 'raw only looks good in the fruit and veg aisle'. 

REN stockists: REN online, Liberty, Selfridges, SpaceNK and John Lewis. 

Have you tried any REN skincare products? What do you think to these products? 

Disclosure: These are PR samples, but my review is 100% honest and I will be re-purchasing these products with my own pennies. 

CoverFX Brite Prep

When I receive a product, the first thing I normally do it head over to Beautypedia and check out its review, after reading the review for this BritePrep primer by CoverFX (link), I couldn't wait to start using it. It's not very often that a product gets such a good review on Beautypedia so was instantly impressed. This primer aims to brighten and protect, with an extremely high SPF of 50, this primer will protect your skin from any UV damage. It's also recommended by CoverFX for all skin types.

I have to say, I was bitterly disappointed with this primer, and it's not that often that I give a product a bad review. However, if you have combination or oily skin, stay away from this primer! It's not suitable for all skin types, just normal/dry skin. The way this primer brightens is by adding shine, not shimmer or anything like a highlighter, just shine. Not a good look for oily skin types. I found this really heavy to wear, sticky even with foundation and powder, and made my skin ridiculously oily. I have nothing good to say about it, other than its SPF 50 is impressive. I'd say if you have normal or dry skin, this primer might be more effective for you. But, in my personal experience, this is not worth £44.00 for 30mL.

I really was expecting more, if a company recommends a primer for all skin types, it should live up to that recommendation. I was really impressed with CoverFX's cream foundation (link). This product did let me down. It's available from House of Fraser 'here'.

In better news, the next ten orders from beautybecca.bigcartel will receive a free beauty gift (and no this primer will not be one of them!). Each gift will be different so vary in value.

What do you think to this primer? Have you tried this? Have you had problems with the 'suitable for all skin types' tag before?

Disclosure: This product is a PR sample. However, PR samples are given out for honest reviews and feedback, if a company isn't told where they're going wrong they'll never improve which, is why I think its important for me to publish any review good or bad. 

Benefit Mascarathon

Make-up free, early morning. 

Today, I woke up at 6:20am, and travelled for an hour to the middle-of-no-where in the pouring rain for the Benefit Mascarathon. But, I had a great time! The event and benefit staff are travelling everywhere on a massive pink coach with three pink mopeds in tow, it's all very pink and girly. Regardless of how early it was, the staff had great energy and really got us all going, while having a laugh at the same time. I ran four miles in all, which, didn't really tire me out as much as I thought it would, I could have done more! Although, I got absolutely soaked.

I'm posting this for the sole reason of getting people to join in. I know that they've had a lot of people drop out because they didn't like the look of the weather along with other reasons. Meaning they are struggling for runners, so please please, if you've signed up to do the run, unless something really important has come up, go and do it! It's for an amazing cause (Refuge is a domestic violence charity), and you have so much fun even in horrible weather. You also get to ride the pink moped back to the coach after you've ran, my first moped experience and I loved it! The guy driving it was lovely and really put me at ease. 

So if you've signed up and your due to run in the final days, I strongly urge you to go and run! You won't regret it, you'll have a fab time (and you get a free They're Real mascara with a sparkly lid). 

Disco Pant Alternative

                     

Top - Zara £17.99 / Belt - H&M / Leggings - Topshop £18.00 / Shoes - Topshop £16.00 

                     

Top - Topshop £10.00 / Necklace - Scarlett Hearts / Leggings - Topshop £18.00 / Shoes - Topshop £16.00 / Clutch - Marc B

Disco pants are everywhere right now, with everyone raving about how flattering they are, and they do look great on the right people. I also know, that many people (including myself) have very little desire to have their crotch on show in something that tight. Also, the pricing for the disco pants is ridiculous, £70.00 is a pretty hefty price tag, and I can't recall ever spending that much on an item of clothing before! A few cheaper versions have come out, but they're still pretty expensive.

For my alternative, I bought Topshop's 'Wet Look' leggings, they have a similar shiny flattering effect as the disco pants, but being leggings you need to wear long tops to cover your modesty. These cost £18.00, pretty pricy for leggings, but I love them. They're so easy to wear and look fab with oversized tops. I was really surprised when the petit version actually fit me better, I'm 5'5" and normally just a little too tall to fit into petit ranges. However, the normal range was too long in this case, so strange! 

If your looking for something cheaper but still want something easy to wear, then these are the perfect alternative! 

What do you think to these leggings? 

Disclosure: Bought by myself. 

M&S Beauty Hall Westfield Stratford

M&S Beauty Hall - All 16 of M&S own brands (all re-packaged), Philip Kingsley, Tara Smith, Apivita, Australian Native Botanicals, Dr Murad, H20+, Nuxe, Dr Renaud, Skyn Iceland, Filorga, Pur Minerals, Les Senteurs Gourmandes, Acorelle, Comptoir Sud Pacifique, Match Play, Berdoues, Chantal Thomas, Monotheme, Fragonard, Roger & Gallet, Perlier, I Coloniali and Leignton Denny. 

Last week, I carted down to London to see the new M&S beauty hall at Westfield Stratford (which, makes Derby's Westfield look totally pathetic)! The beauty halls are currently in M&S Kensington High Street and Stratford, continuing to roll out in all other M&S stores within the next 12 months. When I saw the product list, I thought this was going to be a SpaceNK M&S mix, and it really was. The beauty hall itself was very compact, lots of products packed into quite a small place and the variant of products is very high, going from cheap and cheerful to price tags that make your eyes water. The only place lacking variety is the make-up, the brands they have are the M&S brands and one external brand called Pur Minerals, although I was informed that M&S are working on getting more make-up brands (but they're getting awkward with their exclusive rule). 

M&S claim that every brand is either exclusive to them (within the UK) or has products exclusive to them, for example, Philip Kingsley travel sized kits. Personally, the special sized products didn't interest me at all, I loved the skincare and body care brands they had, as whether exclusive or not, these brands are certainly more difficult to get hold of than your regular Nivea, especially up north. M&S have also brought in the concept of impartial advice, at these beauty halls there are beauty experts on hand to offer you impartial advice about the products, they don't work on commission and aren't connected to one particular brand so your more likely to leave with brands suited to your skin type. I really like this idea, but it's also making me think, doesn't this also happen in SpaceNK? I think it does ;). 

Another feature is the your beauty 'virtual makeover'. When I first saw this, I wasn't quite sure what to think, not quite understanding the idea. Now I've read the press release, I'm sorry, but it's a ridiculous idea. You basically take a photo of yourself or use a ready made model, and then 'try on' the make-up M&S sell in store too see how it will look. Will this work? Probably not. Do shades ever look the same as they do on the screen in real life, not very often, and my photographer boyfriend mumbled something about the white balance saying your skin might not look the right shade if this isn't set up correctly. Also, yes I love a good shade, but the most important part of a make-up piece is the texture, the feel on the skin, the actual shade is normally the least of my worries, especially as most brands do most shades now. 

Overall: I love the brands and will be sure to hit the hall when it comes up north to stock up on my favourite skincare products. Very similar concept to SpaceNK, however, M&S do have more exclusive brands, but SpaceNK have more make-up, BUT M&S also sell cheaper budget brands alongside expensive brands, M&S are winning. I can't see the virtual make-over taking off I'm afraid. It's a novelty that I can't see many people using for serious make-up buying.  

What do you think to this new beauty hall? Will you be popping in for some shopping? Do any of the brands catch your eye? 

Have you entered my jewellery giveaway? Enter 'here'. 

Disclosure: Press event. But as you can tell, I've been completely honest. 

Jewellery Giveaway!

To celebrate the opening of my new store - win a Moustache Necklace and Rose Ring of your colour choice. 

UK Only!

Fill in the form below - winner announced next Sunday. 

Please note: I will delete any false entries. You have to do the first three things to enter (follow, email and tweet about my online store, if you don't have twitter share my store on Facebook, if you tweet then delete, I will notice). 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Garnier Pure Active Cleanser

Cleansers are the one product that I don't tend to get very excited by (getting excited by skincare is maybe a bit sad, but we all have to admit it happens every so often ;)),  until recently I just hadn't come across a cleanser that really wowed me, I'd tried some pretty good ones, but nothing outstanding. On a recent Boots quest I was looking for a BHA cleanser, basically a cleanser that contains salicylic acid, a chemical exfoliator which, is amazing for clearing oily skin. It was surprisingly difficult to find a BHA cleanser.

After a bit go hunting (and a bit of moaning from my boyfriend), I finally found just what I was looking for in Garnier's Pure Active Cleanser, a good concentrated salicylic acid cleanser, with no nasty ingredients, perfect. At the time, my skin was going through a little stage of being angry at everything and producing lots of oil, no change there then! I've been using this cleanser on a daily basis, normally only once a day as recommended and usually at night after removing my make-up. It'a a gel cleanser, which foams when massaged in, its a really nice and refreshing sensation as it foams. I love a foaming cleanser as you always get a deeper clean, you can really feel the difference afterwards, although it can make my skin a little tight so I always use a moisturiser or facial oil to relieve the tightness. 

I'm not sure about results from day one as the bottle claims, but I have been seeing results a little later down the line. My skin does look healthier, not as dull as it use too, and certainly produces less oil. It does help to control my spots too, it doesn't eliminate them completely but they aren't as bad as they use to be. It's the best cleanser I've used in a while, as my skin actually feels clean after use and it's helping keep my skin in line. I'll be buying this again and it costs a mere £4.99 for 200mL, it's a total bargain, it's been a while since I've enjoyed a cleanser with a price tag that small! There are more products in the Pure Active range that I'm looking forward to trying as well. This product is available from Boots and 'here'. 

I'm also having a SATURDAY SALE on my big cartel 'here' PRICES NOW £1-£3, today only. 

What do you think to this cleanser? Have you bought anything from the Pure Active range? Will you be trying any of the range? 

Disclosure: Bought by yours truly.