'New Year, New You' - the nitty gritty!

I can't believe I've not done a blog since August last year! Shame on me! Well my lovely bloggers, I am back with a vengeance. And to get me started, here's a quick (non-cosmetic related) blog to get you thinking and also to get me back into the swing of things!

Welcome to...

So, as mentioned above, I've been out of the blogging circle for a number of months. Not for any particular reason... I guess I've just been concentrating on other things and it's been put on the back-burner. Since my return approximately 27 and a half minutes ago, I've noticed a number of blogs about what products people are bringing with them into the new year and ways to 'change up' your image, so in light of this I've decided to do something slightly different. 

Here's 4 little bits of advice for a mental overhaul; a few little tips that, once mastered, will make it easier to get out of bed in the morning and make everything feel a hell of a lot more positive! I'd choose that over a lipstick review any day!

And no I'm not talking about the friends that call you every day and want to go out drinking all the time, although that it is always a bonus. I'm talking about the friends that know what's wrong when you haven't even realised it yourself. The friends that don't take offence when you miss a 'x' at the end of a text. The friends that will be more than happy with a glass of coke and packet of crisps at the pub or just sitting around doing nothing but chatting, and maybe a little bit of bitching. Oh, come on... we're only human! 

I can count all of my real friends on one hand and still have fingers left over; it's not about having a massive crowd of peers, because those were the days where you were young, insecure and wanted to feel popular. It needs to be about friends who make time for you; friends who will answer honestly when you ask them how you look and friends that won't let you get in a taxi on your own when you're blind drunk at 4 in the morning with doner meat in your cleavage. The most beautiful thing about friends is that you can choose who they are - so there's no excuses!

I thought I'd add in the 'make the effort to keep them' comment as a bit of a dig at a lot of people. Yes, I'm being very generic here... but you know who you are! It's all well and good waiting around for other people to text or call you to make plans, but what if they're thinking the same as you? Then before you know it, Friday is here and you've wasted your whole week working, watching re-runs of The Vampire Diaries and eating Nutella out of the pot with your hands . So swallow your pride, text your friend and be THE INSTIGATOR.

Between me and you, I wouldn't blame you for the re-runs.
Just look at that face!

This one might sound a little strange, but stay with me. Say you're offered a better job but you know you'll upset a work colleague if you take it. What would 2015 say? I'll tell you what 2015 would say...

Grab that opportunity with both hands and snatch it up like it's the most amazing pair of shoes you've ever seen with 100% off. Honestly, do you really believe they would think twice if it was the other way around? I know that sounds like a really terrible attitude to have, but the point I'm trying to make is that it's okay to do something because it benefits you and no one else. Stop burying yourself in an avalanche of other peoples problems and face your own. It might just be the best thing you ever do! 

P.s. this life tip does not refer to, nor does it condone, the stealing of someone else's man. That's just WRONG!

A few months ago I read a very long and wordy blog about having 'self-concept'. I wasn't too sure what this meant so, naturally, I Googled it. Here's the only line from the description in Wikipedia that really made any sense:

Generally, self-concept embodies the answer to "Who am I?"

I think out of all the things I'm writing about in this blog, this one is by far the easiest and most useful. This is probably going to be the most cliché thing you will ever read (and I will ever write!) - you are whoever you want to be.

Here's a lovely quote...

"For what it's worth... it's never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you're not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again."

So with my new 'sense of self' under my H&M waist belt, I decided I was going to be the person I'd always wanted to be. As 'giving yourself what you want is one of the most positive things you can ever do' - so says the lifestyle article in my magazine. Therefore it must be true, right? Well, actually yes. It shouldn't take a tragic event or loss to make you realise that life is too short to pretend. Stop investing so much time in worrying about what others think of you and concentrate on making things happen for yourself.

I started taking risks - I chucked myself out of a plane at 12,000ft (photographic evidence will follow shortly for those who want a laugh). I put more effort in at work, I made time for people who deserved it, I listened more, I thought more before I made decisions and I can finally say that my boobs stick out further than my belly (hallelujah!) and I can honestly say, I've never been happier!

Last but most definitely not least...

Brace yourself... it's time to get real! 

This was probably the biggest change for me over the past year or so. I've always been quite a strong-minded individual and never thought I would ever be in a situation where I would stray from my morals. I over committed myself too soon at an early age and found myself being manipulated into a lifestyle that I wasn't happy with. At the time I didn't even realise it but looking back now I see how easy it was to fall into a trap and get stuck. It soon becomes the norm and you don't even realise that you're not being true to yourself. Unfortunately I can't say that writing things down helped me with this one, but what did help me was getting out of a bad situation and turning my life around mentally. I'm not going to preach about this because believe me I know just as well as you do that this is a hell of a lot easier said than done, but when you strip away all of the things that surround us that make our life what it is, all we really have are the thoughts in our own heads. So let's make them positive! 

Before I leave you all I'd just like to point out that the title of this blog is a little sarcastic; if there's one thing I hate about new year it's that a lot of people use it as a half-arsed excuse to make changes. None of the above are going to happen overnight, and they're certainly not going to come with a 'buy one get one month free' introductory offer like your 2015 gym membership. They will however help you with your commitment, your will-power and your determination to do all of the things that you want to do in 2015. 

So here's to an amazing year! 

Happy blogging. X

Oh... I almost forgot...

As promised!
(My instructor looks terrifying... but I personally feel like my cheeks make this whole picture)

Beauty on a Budget

I recently read a blog about the difference between 'want' and 'need' in the hope that it would make me become less materialistic when it comes to cosmetics. It made a lot of sense - it went into all of the psychological reasoning behind why humans can be so impulsive and suggested we are buying 'things' to compensate for our underlying loneliness and misery, to fill that huge void in our lives blah blah blah.

This actually made a lot of sense to me. It's true. I am trying to fill a void. The huge void in my makeup bag because it's been over 2 weeks since I've bought anything remotely cosmetic-y!

We've all been there.

Payday is over a week away, you've worn all your lipsticks before and although the one you want is exactly the same as 3 or 4 (or 8) others that you've got in your makeup bag, you just HAVE to have it! There's no WAY you could wait or buy something cheaper because you want THAT one.

But then you check your bank balance and all hopes of making that lipstick a part of your makeup family are shattered and you end up looking like a more distraught version of Anne Hathaway in Les Mis. And lets face it, no one wants to look like that.

I know we all like our big brands like MAC, Illamasqua, Dior, Lime Crime, Anna Sui, Bobbi Brown... the list goes on and on... but lately I've started to get the feeling that some of the products are a teeeeeny bit overrated. Now before you think I'm crazy, let me ask you this; have you ever bought a cheap lipstick because you genuinely love everything about it? The packaging, the smell, the texture, the colour, how long it lasts, the price?! I can almost guarantee that at least one of the above would be ruled out.

I've never been one for scrimping on lipstick because it's so hard to come by a reliable one that you know you don't have to check on every ten minutes in case it's turned into lip liner or it's smeared halfway across your face. But then I went to catch up with a friend and knowing how much I love makeup, she gave me a few pieces to try. I fell in love with the colours straight away - matte lipsticks in bright corals and nude-brown shades. One in particular I really wanted to try...

This is MUA Luxe Lip Lacquer in 'Atomic' - a really striking shade of coral that applies like a lipgloss but dries in the most gorgeous looking matte effect. Okay so I've kind of contradicted myself here but it doesn't smell great... unless of course you're partial to sniffing rubber. But odour aside, this product (in my opinion) cannot be faulted.

I used to think super pale people like myself couldn't wear any colour other than pinks or nudes and maybe the occasional red if you're feeling really adventurous. But I think this really compliments my skin tone. Especially when I put a bit of shimmer on my cheeks.

So what do you think?

It dried into it's matte texture pretty quickly, but unlike other matte lipsticks I've tried it didn't feel uncomfortable and like it was going to crack if I smiled and it stayed on all day! When I say all day I don't just mean whilst I was at work I mean ALL DAY. So from 7:30am when it was applied to 7:30pm at night when I went to take off my makeup; it battled through two apples, fought with multiple cups of tea and various other hardships. It put the rest of my melting face to shame.

So here's the real corker. The lip lacquers are £3.00. Yes, 300 of those awful little pennies that you never want until you find one on the floor and all of a sudden it's lucky. And let's face it, you've probably chucked ten times that many away just because you don't want them clogging up the change section of your purse anymore.

Think of these cheap lipsticks as the 'nice guys' of the cosmetic world that rarely ever get a look in. They've probably got lots of friends but everyone thinks they're no where near as cool as the popular kids because they don't have the latest trainers or football stickers or whatever is popular with kids nowadays... who knows. Anyway, my point is give the nice guy a chance. It could be the best thing you ever did for your bank account and sanity. There's nothing more satisfying than knowing you can buy amazing products on whatever budget you have.

I'd love to hear about more cheap products that have proved to be a real find, so feel free to comment and send me a link to your blogs so I can have a read!

Ciao for now beauties.

Finally Going Freelance!

Hello again fellow bloggers and lovely followers,

I'm very excited to tell you all that I am now officially working as a freelance makeup artist in my spare time (evenings and weekends) - I'm hoping it will take off soon!

My good friend Olivia Slack (popular fashion blogger - Click here to view The Fashion Diaries!) kindly offered to model for me to help me with building a proper portfolio.

Here are a couple of sneaky previews from our shoot today from my new Instagram page:

Subtle smokey eyes, pink ombre lips, airbrush foundation

Evening smokey eyes with gel eyeliner, nude lips and airbrush foundation

My Instagram username is abbierogersmua - I've only launched it today so there aren't many posts but it would be great if you could swing by and give me a quick 'follow' if you love makeup.

Olivia has also created a gorgeous logo and brand for my upcoming website and business cards which I'm really excited about! If any of you out there need help with something similar go to her blog (link further up the blog!) and send her a message - she's a creative genius!

I've also been practicing with my Airbase makeup on myself! Quite an unusual sensation - especially with your eyes closed - but well worth the effort. I'm trying hard not to get addicted to it as I don't want to waste all of my product on myself... it's just too good! 

Here's a picture of a recent experiment with my new products from the Professional Beauty 2014 Event in London on Monday 24th February (blog of all my purchases coming soon)

So what do you think? Any freelance artists out there who have any useful advice please comment on my blog - all negative/positive comments welcome!

For anyone in the East Midlands area of the UK that may be in need of a makeover for a special occasion, get in contact using abbierogersmua@outlook.com and I will be happy to send over a price list and discuss looks with you!

Happy blogging folks! 

I'm officially back!

Hello again my lovely, fellow bbloggers. 

I can't quite believe it's been nearly a whole year since I posted my last blog! How I have missed it! I've still been avidly keeping up to date with all of your posts and purchases - lots of really good inspirational blogs around and I think a long break was exactly what the blog-doctor ordered.

This is just a quick post to let you know that next week I will be posting my new blog on Lord & Berry eye and lip products that I've recently purchased. I'm loving them so far but want to make sure they stand the test of time before I recommend them to you all. 

Also, I'm off to the Professional Beauty 2014 event at London Excel on 24th February so I'm hoping to be bundled with goodies that I can write about. Exciting times ahead!

Here's a little sneaky preview of what you can expect next week...

Speak to you soon my lovelies!

MAC Favourites

Despite moving into a house with my boyfriend and having next to no money, I still decided to purchase my two favourite MAC products; Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 & Cremesheen Lipstick in Pink Pearl Pop. Got to treat yourself sometimes, right?!

The lipstick

Cremesheen Lipstick - 'Pink Pearl Pop' £14.00

There's approx 137 different colours to choose from in the cremesheen lipsticks on MAC.co.uk. I suffer from dry/cracked lips so I use the Lip Conditioner Stick SPF 15 on a daily basis to moisturize my lips and keep them supple. It also works as a really good base or top coat for the cremesheen lipsticks to help them last longer or add a glossy coat.

Described as a 'Frosted Midtonal Pink'

The longest I've ever had to go without needing to reapply a cremesheen lipstick is nearly 5 hours, which as I'm sure you'll agree is pretty good going! I find the brighter, more vibrant colours tend to last longer as they act as a mild stain on your lips giving the appearance of lipstick even when it feels as though it's worn off - but they feel so great to apply that I don't mind reapplying every now and again!

The colour is slightly different to the one on the website but I wasn't disappointed. It's quite a bright pink but my pictures make it look a bit fuschia when it's more of a peachy rose. It's similar to the colour lipstick I would wear on a daily basis and goes really compliments my pink blusher! 

The angle of the brush is perfect for applying straight from the lipstick without the need to use a brush. It contains a lot of natural fruit and seed extract and also beeswax which helps it to moisten the lips as well as give great long-lasting colour.

The Primer

The first thing you notice about the primer is the gorgeous packaging. It's in a glossy black box with a purple and green shimmer as opposed to the plain black matte packaging of most of their products, so immediately I was pleased!

The bottle itself is smaller than I thought and is quite heavily dominated by the lid. However, as with all things in life, it's what's inside that counts!

The opening is sealed with a foil tab to keep the product fresh which I thought was a really nice touch. The bottle is quite stiff and the primer isn't as easy to squeeze out as I'd like but these are just little details in comparison to the product itself.

The product itself is thicker than any other primer I've used and a little really does go a long way - unfortunately it is a water based primer which don't tend to be as good as silicon based foundations when it comes to oil breakthrough but according to the description on MAC.co.uk is it "specially formulated with oil-absorbing powder, helps prevent oil breakthrough." 

I have to say, I am very impressed with the Prep + Prime; It feels lovely to apply, it creates the perfect base coat for my foundation and really does help prevent oil breakthrough! I usually have to have a little touch up of powder every 4 hours or so just around my t-zone to keep up my matte look but this primer has eliminated the need for me to do this. Admittedly, I have been busier than usual and have probably had less time to examine the results as I normally would but when I looked in the mirror after 5 hours of unpacking boxes and putting up flat pack furniture, I was really happy with how freshly applied my makeup looked and would quite happily have left the house without tweaking anything! 

Here's a couple of quick pictures of my look, below are all the products I used to create this:

- MAC Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50

- Revlon Colorstay 24hr Makeup: 110 Ivory

- No7 Perfect Light Loose Powder: Translucent 

- MAC Cremesheen Lipstick: Pink Pearl Pop

- Revlon Colorstay Pencil Eyeliner: Black/Noir (bottom lash line)

- Maybelline New York Eyestudio Lasting Drama 24hr Gel Eyeliner: 01 Black
- Rimmel London The Max Volume Flash Mascara: 003 Ultra Black

- Eylure Naturalites false lashes: 107 (two pairs)

- Benefit Brow Zings eyebrow wax & filling powder: Medium

The Perfect Palette

Hello again lovely Bloggettes!

It's been far too long since I posted on here - what with my new job and moving home (soon to be 2 times!) it's been quite hectic. But I'm back and really excited about getting back into it again.

I thought I'd start with a review on my new favourite palette, Naked 2 from Urban Decay. I know it's been done a million times before but I love it so much that I wanted to blog about it anyway!

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

I've always loved Urban Decay products but never invested too heavily in their eyeshadows because most of their colours are too bright and glittery for my taste - I've always been conscious that my eyes are too big and I might look like a bit like a child who's gotten hold of their mums makeup collection if I wear bright eyeshadow!

However, when I first saw the Naked 2 palette in the shops I fell in love instantly with how versatile and natural the colours are. There's a mixture of matte, shimmer and glitter shadows in 11 neutral shades and a black - all as gorgeous as the next!

I never thought I'd say this but I actually use this palette every day. And I mean every day. It's absolutely perfect for that 'barely there' look that's so popular now - I use 'Foxy' and 'Bootycall' as highlighters for my every day look. If I'm out with family or want my look to be a little more suitable for the evening I go with either 'Verve' all over my lid and 'YDK' in the crease or 'Suspect' over my lid and 'Half Baked' in the crease. I just add a little black to these looks to give it a smokey effect if the occasion calls for it! All of the colours go great together and you can mix them up as much as you like to make your look as natural or as glamorous as you want it. The lovely thing is about this palette is that it doesn't matter that the size of it isn't particularly portable because once your shadow is on, it's there to stay!

The Brush!

I had given up hope thinking that brushes that were included in palettes were going to be any good, what with the vast majority of them being small enough for even the borrowers to be able to glam up their look. But to my amazement, Urban Decay have pulled it off - not only have they included a brush that's big enough for real life human people to use, it's actually really good too!

It's a double ended brush, a flat applicator on one end for the lid and a fluffy smudger on the other for the crease and around the brow bone to create a smokey look.

The palette also came with a mini lip gloss (I think it used to come with a sample size of their eyeshadow primer which would make more sense - nevertheless, it's a cute little addition!)

I got my palette from Debenhams for £36.00 (that's £3.00 per shadow - absolute bargain!) I've used it every day for the past 3 months still have plenty of every shadow left.

So there you have it, my first blog in nearly 3 months. Let me know what you think - share your thoughts on Naked 2 and let me know if there's any more palettes out there I'm missing out on!

Winter Makeup Haul

Financially, this month isn't the best! But does that stop me from spending? Of course not! I got so excited by some of the offers I've found that I've ended up buying them all! I thought it would be a good idea to do my first 'haul' blog as I've never done one before and I want to make sure I post about all of these beauties! Enjoy!

Rimmel: Kate Moss Lipstick & Matte Lipstick

Left: Lasting Finish '16'
Right: Lasting Finish Matte '110'

Most cheap lipsticks I've tried in the past have lived up to my low expectations of wearing off before you've left the house or drying out your lips, so I never really tend to bother. I see lipsticks are more of an investment and tend to agree that the more you spend, the better quality product you get. 

However, my opinion soon changed when I found these little beauties on a 3 for 2 offer at Boots. I always buy Rimmel Stay Matte Powder because it's cheap and it does the trick. But when I caught the eye of these lipsticks I just had to try them out. The coral/red lipstick is matte and glides on really smoothly. The pictures don't do it much justice as it is quite a shocking coral/red colour rather than deep pink. It has quite a distinct watermelon scent which is actually really appealing seeing as most lipsticks just have that 'cosmetic' smell! It's not as matte as I would like but after it had been on for a few minutes the shine settled down a bit and it looked really classy. I found that it stays and looks better if you put a thin layer of foundation on your lips first - the lipstick is surprisingly quite conditioning so don't worry about drying your lips out with the foundation!

Top: Lasting Finish 16
Bottom: Lasting Finish Matte 110

There's a little swatch picture of both the lipsticks and despite the bad quality of the photo, you can still see the difference in the two textures - the standard Lasting Finish lipstick is quite shiny and a really lovely natural shade of pink. Just like the Matte, it glides on beautifully and also smells of watermelon! Yum! I've had the number 16 on for about 2 hours now and it hasn't faded and doesn't feel as though it's setting into my lips like most cheaper lipsticks do. I haven't had a drink or anything to eat but I reckon these lipsticks will be pretty much invincible on a night out! (Providing you use a straw - no lipstick is perfect!)

At a stunning price of £5.49 each these lipsticks are an amazing all rounder! There's quite a few different shades to choose from in the Lasting Finish lipsticks but the Matte choices are quite limited which is a shame. It would be really nice to see a light pink matte lipstick that's just as good as this one - any suggestions?

Lord & Berry: 20100 Shining Lipsticks

These super shiny lipsticks are a little guilty pleasure of mine! They come in the form of a big chunky crayon and glide on so easily with minimal amounts needed to get a really shocking colour. I was sent the scarlet and fuchsia crayons to try out and my god do I love them!

Left: Scarlet

Right: Fuchsia

I feel like a little kid again using these crayons - trying not to go outside the lines because they apply so easily! The colours are very striking and quite relevant to this festive season with lots of emphasis on red / bright lips. I've tried the fuchsia crayon so far and even when it feels that it's rubbed off because you can no longer feel it, one look in the mirror tells you it's not gone anywhere! They almost act like a stain on your lips because despite how many relatives you need to kiss on the cheek over Christmas, these bad boys aren't going anywhere!

The swatch picture doesn't show you the shine at all because I couldn't get a good enough picture from my phone but they are so shiny and silky smooth - a real must for anyone who loves bright and glamorous lips. The fuchsia crayon stays in my makeup bag as a permanent member and scarlet stays in my makeup drawer for special occasions. I think they are around the £8 mark for each crayon and there's a few colours to choose from as well as some more natural options.

Revlon: Photo Ready Perfecting Primer & 24 hour Colorstay Foundation 

Again, apologies for the crappy picture! Those of you who have been following my blog for a while will know that I am a one-foundation-woman - I swear by my Max Factor Lasting Finish foundation (read the blog here!) However, when I saw that Revlon was on 3 for 2 at Boots, I literally couldn't control myself. I've been looking for a primer that wouldn't set me back a small fortune and also figured I may as well try a new foundation seeing as I have heard some really good reviews about Revlon but never really tried them out.

I've not long been wearing primer underneath my foundation because I didn't really see it as an essential. I thought that wearing foundation was bad enough for my oily skin let alone another layer underneath and that breakthroughs of shine throughout the day was standard and unavoidable - oh, how wrong I was.

The primer is beautifully matte and reminds me of Clarins Pore Refining cream with it's thick texture and silky smooth appearance. It made my skin look instantly more even and less dull - if I had a better complexion I could justify wearing it on it's own. 

Top: Photo Ready Perfecting Primer

Bottom: 24 Hour Colorstay Foundation

The Colorstay foundation wasn't as much as a hit for me straight away, with it's 'pouring' action rather than a pump or squeezy tube I found it quite hard to get the right amount of foundation out and there is always a risk of spilling it as it is quite runny. However, just like my ultimate favourite foundation, it's thick and creamy and has such good buildable coverage that I didn't need any concealer. It has a really nice smell to it which is unusual for a foundation and the primer makes it so easy to apply. 

On my first trial run at work, I walked to the bathroom, bag in hand, expecting to need to apply some powder around my t-zone after a good 4-5 hours of wear. This is no word of a lie, I didn't need ANY powder! My face was still beautifully matte as if I'd just freshly applied it - in fact, it actually looked better than it had done in the morning, as though giving it time to set makes it appear more flawless rather than melting & in serious need of a touch up!

The primer will set you back a not-so-offensive £11.95 and the foundation quite a reasonable £12.95. This is more than double what I would usually spend on my foundation products but with the addition of the primer and the fact that I need next to no touch ups throughout the day, I think it's pretty safe to say I am impressed and will be spending the money again!

Revlon: Colorstay Eyeliner (+ free gold glitter nail polish)

Like most, I'm a big fan of black eyeliner despite all of the experts telling me that I should be wearing brown eyeliner on a daily basis because I have blue eyes. I think black eyeliner looks amazing on all eye colours when it's applied correctly and doesn't just have to be for smokey eyes on special occasions!

With this being the cheaper of the 3 Revlon products I purchased at a purse-pleasing £6.29, I got it as my free item in the 3 for 2 offer. They are also throwing in this extremely festive gold glitter polish that I haven't tried and gave to a friend at work as I'm not really a fan of glitter, but she loved it and it looks great on her nails (although, as with most glitter polishes, she needed around 4-6 coats to get it to look as glittery as she wanted it!)

As mentioned previously in a couple of my blogs, I don't normally buy pricey eyeliner after I discovered the Collection 2000 Intense Colour Supersoft Kohl eyeliner pencil for £1.99 - most reviews tell you it fades but if you apply it properly then it lasts all day, that's coming from an eyeliner addict! When I started using the Revlon eyeliner, it made me realise just how much I missed that extra quality. It applies so smoothly without the need to go over the line more than once. Normally a few attempts are needed to get a good solid line across your water line but this just made it so easy and I was done in half the time. 

As you can see from the swatch above, it's an intense matte colour that requires very little time and effort. It blends easily with the right brush and goes over eyeshadow with the same little effort as on a bare eyelid. The only downside to the product is the twisting mechanism to 'sharpen' the eyeliner - rather than using a sharpener you just twist the top to reveal more eyeliner. This sounds like a great idea but actually it means the eyeliner runs down quicker than normal because there's less product involved and you can never get that sharp nib required to create the perfect flick. For day wear this eyeliner is great but if you're a fan of the flick then stick to your liquids or gels!

Benefit: 'That Gal' Brightening Face Primer

I was given this tester pot of primer to try out but it didn't really contain enough product to get a good representation of what I think of it. It was only enough for a couple of days wear and I normally like to try a product for at least a week before I can give a true reflection on how it worked with my skin etc.

Being a Benefit product, I knew straight away that I was going to love it. With their funky packaging and catchy names, it's hard not to love their makeup range. I applied the primer along my t-zone and a little on my cheeks and eyelids. It gave a pinkish look to my skin (as the product is light pink!) but smelt and felt fantastic! I felt like I'd cleansed my face and it made me feel really fresh and clean - which is quite unsual for a primer! 

This is what the product looks like and appears more like a lipgloss than a primer. It worked well with my foundation and gave a really smooth surface to apply on to. It didn't have the same mattifying effect as the Revlon primer but for those of you who tend to wear minimal amounts of foundation but want something to help the overall appearance of your skins complexion and for that sought after 'glowy' effect, this is perfect for you. 

It is quite pricey at £21.50 for 11ml but it does contain a lot of skin-loving ingredients like chamomile and almond extract which make it worth those extra pennies!

So that's my first haul blog, I hope you all enjoyed it! I might have time for another quick blog before Christmas but if not then I'll see you beauties after the festive season with lots more gorgeous products to review. Merry Christmas!