#BARESELFIEUK Competition

#BARESELFIEUK

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue – I love this lightweight base it leaves my skin looking dewy, radiant and offers a light to medium coverage. It also has SPF30 which make is a really good option for Spring / Summer. It never looks heavy on the skin and I like how seamlessly its blends.

bareMinerals BareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer – I was not expecting this to offer such a high coverage. I assumed because it was serum based that it would be more on the sheer side, I was 100% wrong. This concealer is amazing, its brightening, lightweight and gives the most flawless coverage. Dark under eye area, redness and uneven skin tone give this no problems, it covers them with ease. You need very little product, its serum consistency means its very easy to blend. I am in love with this.

bareMinerals Makeup Competition

bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation – I didn’t use this in my selfie but this offers a very natural, smooth light to medium coverage, which is buildable. Its ideal if you don’t like your makeup to look heavy and is a really nice option for the warmer months because it it so light on the skin and its so easy to top it up throughout the day This is such a classic bareMinerals product and its a great place to start if you’re looking to try mineral makeup.

bareMinerals READY Bronzer in Skinny Dip – This is a matte bronzer and it feels like velvet on the skin. Its easy to blend and with a light hand its great for getting that chiseled cheekbone look. It gives a healthy warmth to the skin and even on my fair skin tone it looks natural and smooth. I love the packaging of this and the fact that it has a great sized mirror in the lid.

bareMinerals Makeup

bareMinerals Bareskin Perfecting Veil Finishing Powder – If you like to have that flawless, smooth finish to your makeup then this powder could be the answer. It gives your skin a little added coverage with an illuminated (not glittery) finish. its gorgeous and so lightweight. This helps keep my oily t zone in check and makes my makeup look like I have made an extra special effort. It doesn’t look like much in the pan but don’t be fooled, its understated but just finishes your look off by giving it that soft focus effect. Again this has a great sized mirror inside.

bareMinerals Pop of Passion in Pink Passionate – These are like a lipbalm lipstick hybrid. They have the colour pop of a lipstick and the hydration and comfort level of a lipbalm. This shade is a pretty sweet pink, it brightens up your face and gives your lips a gorgeous boost of hydration and colour. Considering they’re so creamy they do have quite good staying power, but you will want to take this with you in your handbag to touch up after eating and drinking.

bareMinerals Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara – I prefer this over the petite precision brush version. I like the longer, fatter brush I think it coats my lashes with more product and makes them look fuller and gives them more volume. The Lash Domination Mascara is jet black and if you like your lashes to look dramatic then you will really enjoy this product. It has quite a wet formula which I think makes it great for applying more than one coat & it has very minimal clumping. So this gets two thumbs up from me.

bareMinerals Mineral Makeup

>> Excitingly BareMinerals are giving you all the chance to win a UK Spa Weekend for two, an exclusive bareMinerals selfie kit plus a limited-edition GHD Azores Styler.

All you have to do to enter is head to your local bareMinerals counter with a friend, enjoy a makeup lesson of your choice, take a photo of the look and upload your selfie to social media using #BARESELFIEUK and tagging @bareMineralsUK.

So get snapping!

Competition is open from April 3rd and closes April 30th 2016. Winner is announced on May 6th 2016

Here is my #BARESELFIEUK

BareSelfieUK Competition

*Contains PR Samples

Shopping My Makeup Stash August 2015

Shopping My Stash August 2015

Shopping My Makeup Stash August 2015 –

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer £17.50

In truth this is never burried too deep in my collection but I have been getting a few blemishes during August (stress of moving house) and Benefit Boiing is such a good concealer for covering up angry blemishes or even the dark scars that get left behind. I swear by this concealer, it is heavy duty but not cakey and it covers the offending spot ALL day long.

bareMinerals Mineral Veil – Translucent* £21.00

I have had this since March and have only recently discovered how good of a powder it is. I haven’t tried that many mineral makeup brands and the fact that you’re dealing with loose powder can be a faff but this has a great open & closing cap that you don’t get any fall out & that panic of it ending up either all over the bottom of your makeup bag or on the floor aren’t justified. Its so clean and easy to use, the powder itself is one of the most lightweight powders I have ever used, it is so finely milled and feels soft and smooth on the skin. I have been using it as a setting powder and July & August were great months to put it to the test, my makeup looked fab all day even during the crazy heat wave (which is now a distant memory).

What I love about this powder is it keeps oil at bay and stops my makeup deteriorating too quickly throughout the day. It helps make my skin look silky smooth and doesn’t dull down my makeup instead it helps it look more radiant and fresh. I know that bareMinerals does a version of this with SPF25 in which I would love to try.

Shopping Makeup My Stash

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover £19.00

This lip crayon feels so comfortable on my lips, its glossy formula feels very hydrating. This is a dinky deluxe sample sized NARS Lip Pencil and its so cute. The colour is a deep rose pink with a slight hint of gold running through, its beautiful and it looks really flattering on the lips. I tend to gravitate towards lip pencils and find them easy to apply. I’m pleased to have rediscovered this and think I’m going to keep it in my handbag to use as my transition from day to night lip colour. I think it makes a pretty going out lip colour because of the gold shimmer. Now I need to go out more so I can get more wear out of it.

Rimmel Wonder’full Mascara £7.99

Its taken me months to open this new mascara, I am such a mascara hoarder and I have quite a few unopened tubes waiting to be tested. This was a new release from Rimmel either at the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015 and it caused quite a buzz as its key ingredient is Argan Oil. For me the formula of this mascara is too thin, it feels a little watery and I needed at least 3 coats to make my lashes look good and it wasn’t good at holding a curl. If you’re looking for a mascara that isn’t going to be overly dramatic but will make your lashes look defined and fluttery then this will be right up your street. The brush is quite big and very flexible and has plastic bristles which I don’t mind, and it was easier than I thought to use.

I’ve been using this more on low key makeup days, as it lasts well throughout the day and doesn’t make my lashes feel crispy (must be the argan oil keeping them feeling quite natural). I did like that this mascara doesn’t clump or have any crispy fall out, so thats a plus. Oh & the packaging is super cute – it comes in a shiny copper / bronze tube and looks very luxurious and stylish. I will use it all up but would’t repurchase, I prefer the Rimmel Accelerator Endless Mascara

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Gorgeous Berries £8.99

How beautiful is this blush – I love baked blushers and this beautiful Creme Puff one from Max Factor has to be the best I’ve tried. There are six Creme Puff Blushers to pick from & It took me quite a while to decide, In the end I went for Gorgeous Berries which is just beautiful, and it adds such a pretty warm rosy glow to your cheeks. I have read a few reviews comparing these blushes to the Hourglass Ambient Light Blushers which is exciting as I don’t think I could spend that kind of money on a blush.

The shade I have gives your cheeks a really pretty wash of colour along with a sheen like glow, making it a two in one product. I love using highlighters & this blush gives you such a pretty glow so its not OTT. I am impressed with the pigmentation and just how pretty this looks on my skin. I want to pop back & get a couple more shades.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Shopping My Beauty Stash June 2015

Shopping My Stash June 2015

Benefit Dallas £23.50 – I have had this boxed blush for so long & I have hardly even made a dent in the product. A little goes a very very long way with this. It is too dark for me in the colder months but as soon as my face gets a little colour its perfect. It gives a really pretty bronze glow to the skin, I like to sweep it across my cheek bones & across my forehead, its a really nice dusky shade and I am so pleased I have rediscovered it just in time for Summer.

MUA Eye Define Lengthening Mascara* £3.00 – This is a really good mascara for separating the lashes and giving them length, its not going to make your lashes look think & full so if like me you have quite naturally thick lashes then this will make them look long and fluttery. I can’t believe it is only £3, I seriously love it & it lasts ALL day with out flaking or transferring. This is a very intense black so if you like your mascara to be jet black this is a great option. It’s a mascara thats well worth adding to your makeup stash. I try not to have too many mascaras on the go at once because they dry up too quickly, so I’m only using this one right now & Its all I need.

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush – This is still the prettiest blusher I own, its looks so cute in the pan, I would say that you need to build this up to get a good colour pay off but I guess it would work well for people that only like to wear a hint of colour on their cheeks. They say this blush is infused with

‘natural plant extracts which have been shown to promote a feeling of happiness by mimicking the effect of Endorphins and helping protect the skin from environmental stress’ 

I don’t know about that but it sounds good and if it works then that’s fine by me. I noticed that this blush also had a little light reflecting quality to it too, making the cheeks look really healthy with a pop of colour. Anything that makes me look a little brighter and healthier is going to get the thumbs up from me.

Rimmel Scandal Eye Shadow Paints in Rich Russet  £6.00 – This is a liquid cream eyeshadow & the colour pay off is incredible. It looks wet when you first apply it & I like to blend it in with my ring finger (so easy to blend). They apply evenly and do not budge once the formula has dried. They look slightly metallic but not glittery, I really like wearing this on its own all over the lid & you can build up the colour to be really intense. I have no idea why i haven’t bough more of these because they are easy to apply, great pigmentation and they wear all day.

bareMinerals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder* £21.00 – I haven’t tried too many products from this brand but the few things I have tried are so good. This powder is my new favourite setting powder, it is so finely milled & feels almost like velvet. It never looks too much on the skin and I like that it doesn’t add extra colour, it is a cream colour but it doesn’t show up on the skin, it looks almost translucent. If you like a really matte finish then this might not be for you, it does stop me getting oily throughout the day and does a very good job of keeping my makeup looking fresh and in place. I also like that it gives your skin a silky smooth & helps blur imperfections and it looks so natural. And it won best mineral base in this years InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 

Korres Lip Butter £8.00 – These are amazing & I have talked about them on my blog so many times but this one in Wild Rose is my favourite Summer lip colour. They’re essentially a lip balm with beautiful pigment. They feel hydrating and soothing on the lips whilst adding great colour, this shade is a pretty berry colour & although I do have to reapply throughout the day the colour is pretty and perfect for days when you want to wear little makeup but still like your lips to have some colour. This will be permanently in my handbag over the coming months.

Seventeen CC Cream in Fair £6.99 – This is a budget friendly tinted moisturiser – I wouldn’t say its amazing at colour correcting but I like my base to look natural and not look to heavy and this does that. It is a creamy formula that can take a little effort to buff into the skin but if you take the time you will get a nice coverage that will stay all day. It gives the skin a matte (ish) finish but with a healthy glow too, after a couple of hours it does start to look more dewy on me but I have quite oily skin & I don’t mind that it does that. It also has SPF 25 so a good lightweight option for Summer.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015

InStyle Magazines Best Beauty Buys of 2015

InStyle Magazine this year have partnered with John Lewis to announce their Best Beauty Buys of 2015. Judged by a panel of 105 industry experts, which included Liz Earl, Leighton Denny, Charlotte Tilbury and Philip Kinglsey. This extensive panel of experts know the ins & outs of all things beauty and most importantly know what is worth spending your hard earned money on. So these awards are a great way of showcasing the products that really work and it gives us all a beauty bible to the best products on the market today.

The InStyle Best Beauty Buys of 2015 are split into four categories including skin, makeup, body and hair so it covers all bases. There are so many wonderful brands and products amongst this years winners. A few brands I know & love but also one or two that I have never tried anything from, so I have enjoyed reading about all the winning products & have made a mental note of a few that I am eager to try.

Instyle Best Beauty Buys 2015

John Lewis were kind enough to send me a selection this years InStyle Best Beauty Buys so I can put them to the test & see if I think they’re worth their crowns. My hamper included these 13 award winning products,

Origins Super Spot Remover* – BEST SPOT TREATMENT 

Origins No Puffery Cooling Roll on for Puffy Eyes* – BEST EYE DE PUFFER 

Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector* – BEST AGE SPOT TREATMENT

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector* – BEST FOR DARK CIRCLES

Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask* – BEST HYDRATING MASK

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant* – BEST FACIAL EXFOLIATOR

Organic Pharmacy Discovery / Travel KitBEST ECO / ORGANIC RANGE 

Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil* – BEST BODY OIL 

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash– BEST SHOWER GEL

Lancome Hypnose Mascara*BEST MASCARA

Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder* – BEST BRONZER

bareMinerals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder* – BEST MINERAL BASE

Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Primer* – BEST PRIMER

InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 Winners

I simply can’t wait to try the beautiful Guerlain Bronzer, even the packaging is stunning. The Organic Pharmacy is also a brand I’m looking for trying for the first time. Keep your eyes peeled for reviews of all these products over the next few weeks & please let me know if you’ve used any of the products in this post & if you think they deserve their awards.

So thats a brief look at a fraction of the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 winners that were in my hamper. As I said there were 104 awards handed out, to see the full list pick up the March issue of InStyle magazine or visit www.instyle.co.uk

You can also download the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015 for 79p

*Thank you to John Lewis who kindly sent this selection of winning products from the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2015.