FOTD #5 | Simple Summer Make Up (5 Products)

I think we all have those days where simple make up is all we feel like and for me, today was one of those days.

| 1) ELF Mineral Foundation ~ Porcelain | £5
I recently purchased this as my first mineral foundation and I've been trying it out today. So far I'm really liking it, but I'm going to keep using it for a little longer before I do a full review.

| 2) The Body Shop Eyeshadow ~ #4 | £7
I bought this eyeshadow a few weeks ago when The Body Shop had 50% off and I'm so glad I now have it. It's the perfect colour for me, and it's matte which I like on some days when I just want quick and easy make up. It doesn't crease and I've worn it without a primer today and I've still had no creasing so I'm impressed.

| 3) Max Factor Wild Mega Volume Mascara ~ Black | £6.99 (currently £4.99 as an introductory price)
I've already done a full review of this mascara here and I absolutely love it. It has an hourglass shape wand, which isn't the normal wand you'd expect from a mascara, but I really like it. It doesn't clump my lashes and it doesn't flake off during the day.

| 4) FashionistA Eyebrow Kit | £7 (currently on offer for £3.50!)
For a year or so I stuck to my ELF Eyebrow Kit but I decided it was time to try something new and I love this palette. I will be doing a review in the next couple of weeks so look out for that, but overall I'm really loving this palette for my brows and I definitely recommend it.

| 5) Sleek Contour Kit ~ Light | £6.49
I've had my contour kit for a while now and I always go back to it to if I fancy a change from my Bourjois 'Chocolate' Bronzer. The contour powder in this kit is perfect for me because it doesn't look muddy and that's something I sometimes have an issue with, since I am so pale. The highlighter in the kit is also lovely, but however I gave that a miss and just wanted to add a little bit of colour to my face.

(FashionistA Eyebrow Kit)

(Sleek Contour Kit)

What are your staple beauty items for a simple make up look?

Magic Cream | Sudocrem Review

I know this might seem a little odd, reviewing a product that most people associate with babies for nappy rash, but Sudocrem is such a universal product and I am loving it at the moment.

As I mentioned in this post, I recently went on holiday to Greece and whilst I was there I got slightly sun burnt, so to soothe my sun burn I used Sudocrem and since then I've been using it for all sorts.

Sudocrem is generally associated with nappy rash (to me it is anyway!) but it has many other uses which include:

• Razor burn
• Heat rash and other types of rashes to soothe them
• Sun burn
• Spots
• Insect bites
• Cuts and grazes
• Eczema.

It's an antiseptic healing cream which makes it great to use for all kind of different things and this travel size tube is great to just pop in your handbag in case you need it throughout the day. It's also only £1.99 for 30g so it's a real bargain if you're looking for something new to try out.

I'd also like to point out I am not a medical professional, so if you're worried about trying Sudocrem due to a skin condition or you have had previous skin problems, check with a pharmacist of your GP first!

Do you use Sudocrem? 

Summer Beauty | Favourite 3 Products

Since the weather has been wonderful in England I thought it was a good time to write up a post on my current favourite beauty products for summer. I will point out, I've not included a BB cream because I am currently testing a couple out.

 1. Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer - £9.99
I have previously done a review on this primer here, however I feel as if it doesn't get the hype it deserves on blogs and Youtube. It's my current go to primer since it does brighten up my face and works well as a primer. It saves me applying a lot of highlighter later on in my make up routine and it doesn't look over the top as either.







2. Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream - £2.99
This is a fairly new purchase for me but I'd seen so many people raving about it that I thought I should try it out. Mine is in the shade Cotton Candy and I am loving this lip cream. It's extremely cheap and applies easily and isn't drying. It also smells like vanilla cakes which for me, is a bonus. It does stay on the lips for a good few hours before it needs re-applying.

3. Bourjois Little Round Pot Cream Blush - £7.99
This is also a new product for me, however I love it already. It's a cream blush in the shade 03 Rose Tender and it's the prettiest pink colour. It's a cream to powder finish and is super easy to apply and long lasting. I'll be posting a full review of this blush in the next couple of weeks, so look out for that!





What are your favourite summer beauty products?

The Body Shop | Raspberry Body Butter and Shower Gel

A couple of weeks ago The Body Shop had 50% off and free shipping and I took advantage of this and bought some new products. I don't usually buy a lot from The Body Shop because although I love it, it's not the cheapest brand and being a student I don't have a lot of money to spare. Having said that, for the price you do get excellent quality, so maybe I should spend more money there!

I mainly buy the body butters from The Body Shop because they're absolutely amazing. There is a great variety of scents available and they have a brilliant formulation. Sadly, the raspberry scent has been discontinued which is why the body butter and shower gel I bought were so cheap. I wish I'd bought more of the body butter because it smells amazing and it's a pretty pink colour which is an added bonus.

Also there's currently 50% off the body butters as they're celebrating 21 years of body butters!

What's your favourite product from The Body Shop?

Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove Dupe | Under £3!

I'm sure many of you have seen the Sigma Brush Cleaning Glove floating around on Youtube and various blogs and it retails at $35 (about £23) which in my opinion is a rip off. I wasn't going to spend £23 on what looks exactly the same as an oven glove.

So this is what I bought, a pink silicone oven glove. Yes, I am currently using an oven glove to clean my brushes on! It sounds mad, but honestly my brushes are the cleanest they have ever been since I started using this silicone oven glove. As well as making my brushes super clean it's a bargain at £2.19!

Admittedly it may not have the different textures on the glove like the Sigma Brush does, but the ridges help remove any make up on the brushes.

My method for actually cleaning my brushes is very similar to when I last made a post on it here, however now I don't use an exfoliator, I simply use Johnsons Baby Shampoo and add it to the glove and a little bit of water and wash my brushes. It's so simple and using the glove saves time as well.

I am so glad I bought this glove because it's super cheap, super easy to use and saves a lot of time and it makes my brushes cleaner than they have ever been before. I would 100% recommend this to everyone!

Have you tried using a silicone oven glove to clean your make up brushes with?

Max Factor Wild Mega Volume Mascara | Review

The other day my Mum came home from shopping and bought me a little gift, which was extremely kind of her. It was the Max Factor Wild Mega Volume Mascara in Black. It retails for £6.99 but is currently on offer in Boots for £4.99 as an introductory price. 

The brush is an hourglass shape, which is interesting because I don't think I have another mascara with the same wand shape. I'm not too fussy about mascaras because my eyelashes are a fairly good length and I'll happily use almost any mascara. 

No eye make up at all.

One coat of Max Factor Wild Mega Volume Mascara on my top lashes.

As you can see from just one coat, there is a huge difference in length and volume. I am so impressed with this mascara, especially as I've never tried Max Factor mascaras before. Although in the photo I've not applied any mascara to my bottom lashes, my eyes still look a lot brighter and more open with the mascara applied on the top lashes. Max Factor claims that it gives up to 3x more volume compared to bare lashes, and looking at my comparison photos I think I would agree with this claim. 

It doesn't clump my lashes and it doesn't crumble off throughout the day so overall I am so glad I have this mascara, and I know I'll definitely re-purchase it when I need a new mascara. 

Have you tried this mascara? Or any other Max Factor mascaras?

Evening Skincare Routine

Last month I stayed in a hotel overnight and for me, packing was the most stressful part. I had to pick and choose what beauty and skincare items to take with me and I managed to narrow it down quite well, if I do say so myself. So I thought I would show you what my evening skincare routine looks like - just to warn you, it is very simple since by the time I'm ready to go to bed I don't want to hang around doing a million different things to my face!

First of all I take out my contact lenses and wear my glasses, by the end of the day my eyes are so tired and it's nice to just wear my glasses.

1. Nivea Visage Daily Essentials Refreshing Toner - £3.59

I've been using this toner for a few months now and I love it. I am slightly lazy though in that I don't cleanse everyday, which is awful I know! But I do make sure I use this toner so it makes my skin feel lovely and soft and it is refreshing, like the name suggests

2. Tesco Vitamin E Eye Make Up Remover 

I can't find a link to the exact eye make up remover in the photo since it's quite old packaging, but the link is for a very similar product, which I do want to try. I'm not too fussy about make up removers for my eyes, whether it's liquid or a cream as long as it does the job. Saying that, if my eyes are particularly sore that day I will go to my Simple Eye Make Up Remover.

3. Simple Kind To Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser - £3.89

I've been using this moisturiser for years, and it honestly works brilliantly for me. I know some people don't get on with Simple Skincare Range but I have no issues with it. It's a light moisturiser that does it's job and doesn't have any scent to it which is always a plus.

My evening skincare routine is very quick and simple and using budget products because I am quite lazy in the evenings and I am a student and have to try and save money. There are some new skincare products I have my eye on that I'll hopefully purchase in the future and if I do I'll do an updated skincare routine. 

Also just to point out, I wash my face with anti-blemish products in the morning because I just find it works better for me personally!

What are your holy grail skincare products?

Sunny Sunday Summary

Today I've taken quite a few photos for my upcoming blog posts, so in the mean time I thought I'd do another 'life' post which I know some people might find boring, but I enjoy being able to document events, memories and days with photos.

Sadly my beloved Sleek Storm Palette is broken in many ways. I dropped it and 2 of my the shadows smashed completely, and I've hit pan on 2 of the shades so I think I'll need to purchase a new one soon. I've had this palette a couple of years and I absolutely love it.

Desert and ice cream, two of my absolute favourites. I'm not sure why but I only really have desert in the summer.

I promise you this isn't just turning into a food post, but it's always nice when your family bring you home a Krispy Kreme Doughnut!

Finally my little baby (yes, I refer to my kitten as my baby - definitely a crazy cat lady already haha!) turned 1 this week! I remember when I first met him and he was so tiny and adorable and now he's this huge ball of fluff and still adorable!

How has your week been?

Life Update | Via Photos #1

As I mentioned in my last post I've been away on holiday and got back on Monday so I thought I'd do a quick update via photos of what's been going on.

I went to Greece with my friends for a week and it was amazing. It was so hot and when we arrived back in the UK it's almost as hot here as it was in Greece which is phenomenal that we're having an English summer.

Strawberries are my absolute favourites, so I've been having a few strawberries and strawberry yogurt for breakfast.

Yesterday I spent my afternoon sorting through hundreds of photos that I've had printed off but never actually done anything with. I thought I'd put them into photo albums, but the majority of my photos are 6x4.5 which means I need to buy new photo albums in order for them to fit in, stress!

What have you been up to lately?

Vivo | Dreamy 12 Shade Colour Block Palette

I haven't blogged in a while, but I've been on holiday! When I came home my mum had a couple of presents for me which was really kind. One of the things she had bought me was the Vivo Dreamy 12 Shade Colour Block Palette, it's usually £3.99 but currently on offer for £1.99 which is a bargain. I've never tried anything from Vivo Cosmetics before, even though I've seen brilliant reviews of various products.

As soon as I saw this palette, I knew I'd really like it because the colours are fairly neutral and I don't go for brights like greens, blues, oranges etc.

The majority of the shades are shimmery but I really like that and I also realised a lot of the colours are similar to those in my Sleek Storm Palette which was my first ever palette, and also probably my favourite.

This is the top row of the palette going from left to right.

Second row, again left to right. I'm really impressed that there's a really pigmented matte black shadow in this palette because they're difficult to come across in drugstore palettes.

Finally, the third row and again going from left to right.

There is only one shade I am disappointed with in this palette and it's 'Sand'. It has absolutely no pigmentation at all, where as all the other shades are so pigmented so I don't mind too much that one shade is unusable.

I am definitely going to be getting a lot of use out of this palette because it has shades that I can use for both day and night looks and I'll be using all of the shades since they're so pretty.

Have you tried anything from Vivo Cosmetics?

The Body Shop | Strawberry Shower, Scrub and Moisture Kit Review

As I've mentioned a couple of times on my blog I went away last week and so I thought it was the perfect time to use the Strawberry Shower, Scrub and Moisture Set from The Body Shop. Even though this isn't advertised as a travel kit I thought it'd be perfect for travelling since it's smaller sizes than the standard shower gel and body butters and it's also all in one set which is great. The set retails for £12 however mine was a birthday gift and the packaging has now changed slightly.

The whole set also comes with a mesh make up sized bag which is also useful.

The set includes:

• Strawberry Body Polish - 75ml
• Strawberry Shower Gel - 60ml
•  Strawberry Body Butter - 50ml

Strawberry Body Polish
I absolutely love this body polish and I think I will probably buy another one once I have used up this one. It leaves my skin feeling really smooth and it smells delicious, like all the other products in this set do.

Strawberry Shower Gel/Cream
Once again, this smells lovely. It's a nice size for travelling as well because you can get a good few uses out of it and it lathers up really well.

Strawberry Body Butter
I think almost every single person I have spoken to loves the body butters from The Body Shop. There are so many different scents to choose from so there's something for everyone and they have a great formulation. They are very moisturizing but they aren't too thick so you don't have to stand around waiting for ages before you get dressed. I've got quite a few body butters from The Body Shop and I really love all of them, and since this one in the set is travel sized it makes it a lot more handbag friendly.


Overall I do really love the Strawberry Shower, Scrub and Moisture Set as it contains really great products and it's perfect for travelling or just if you want to sample some products and don't want to buy the full sizes.

What's your favourite product from The Body Shop?