Any beauty addict will know the excitement of trying out a new product. Unfortunately, more often than not, products can be disappointing, particularly when you're on a student budget. From time to time, though, a product really shines and you make a life-long friend. Here are some products that have done just that for me, and while I cannot promise that they're cheap, they are most certainly cheerful and for me are worth every single penny.


St. Tropez Self Tanning Mousse This was the first ever self tanning mousse that I used after reading great reviews, and I was not disappointed. My pale skin would be very easy to turn orange, but I am yet to be let down by my trusty mousse. Of course if you apply this badly you’re going to get streaks, but these days I tend to apply this with my tanning mitt which prevents that from happening. I put this on exfoliated, moisturised skin before bed and allow it to develop over night before washing it off during my morning shower to reveal beautiful, sun-kissed skin which lasts up to one week per applicaton. I’ve tried a few other self tanners since this which have been good, but never quite live up to St. Tropez, so I always go back to it. The mousse consistency makes it super easy to apply due to the golden brown colour it leaves as you apply it on the skin and it doesn’t smell too strongly at all. I’m still open to trying new things, but for now, I’m not wasting any more time or money when I’m happy with what I’ve got.

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in ‘Mount Blanc’ Hands down, best foundation that I have ever tried. I adore my skin in photos when I wear this and feel like a million dollars. I like to save this for special occasions so that I don't get too used to its fairly high coverage (I'd say medium). I'm a huge fan of the dewy finish, and even when powdered this definitely gives that - it's in the name, duhh! If I want to feel great, this is a necessity whether I've got five minutes and slap it on with my fingers, or hours to prep and use one of my foundation brushes.

Mac Lipstick in ‘Hue’ For a long time this was pretty much the only lipstick that I would wear. Ever. I've branched out a little more now but I still find that it’s the perfect pinky nude shade for me. It’s also brilliant when I don’t want to make a statement with my lip colour as it glides on easily in a thin layer, making it the perfect day-to-night lip product. This goes with loads of makeup looks from neutral to smokey, but I do find that due to it’s milky consistency I have to ensure that my lips aren’t too dry or cracked before applying it.

Bourjois Ultra Black Eye Pen I bought this product on a whim a few years ago when I needed a black liner that I could throw on quickly. This was back in the days when I was just discovering makeup, you see. The felt-tip-styled end makes it really easy for any novice to apply, and even five years later I still go back to this every few months. The colour is a true black and it's so handy for those days when you just can’t be bothered with liquid/gel liner. I’ve got to say that Bourjois really steps up to the mark with quite a few of their products and this is no exception - a brilliant product whether you’re fourteen or forty.

Apologies that my blog seems to be throwing a bit of a tantrum at the moment - I am working on sorting out the pictures that are missing at the moment but I am also trying to balance an internship and I just haven't had much time! Thanks for your patience :)










You may have seen a few weeks ago that I compiled a selection of green and blue polishes for summer. These happen to be the nail colours that I have been reaching for the most so farthis summer, but in close second come my pinks and corals! I sometimes get very jealous of tan girls because corals look amazing on them. Well, perhaps they don’t compliment my skin tone quite as well but it’s my fingers and I’ll paint if I want to!


Coral by Barry M - This is one colour that is a little red for my skin-tone, but I still find myself going for it when I want something really bold. I love Barry M because of the good quality of their polishes despite their inexpensive price tag. I think that this would look gorgeous on medium skin tones and is a brilliant cheap buy for summer.

Big Hair... Big Nails by OPI - This is my favourite coral polish that I own. Unfortunately it takes a few coats (around three) to become opaque, but I like how it’s a bit more pink and almost seems to have a warming effect on my skin, if that makes sense. It also applies really nicely and evenly. I think that it’ll be a great colour on my toes for summer evenings and I can’t wait to take it on holiday with me!

Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot by OPI - This is more of a true blue-pink. I don’t find myself reaching as much for this unless I’m really in the mood for it just because I feel that colours with blue undertones suit me best in winter time, but I love how quick and easy it is to just pop on and it’s a brilliant bright colour if you feel your summer outfit is lacking a bit of colour.

208 Paparazzi by Chanel - I absolutely love how this photographs. I don’t normally go for a shimmery polish but this was a gift and now I absolutely love it. It’s great because it’s not too dark for my skin tone but is still a true pink without being so light that it verges on nude. This polish applies like a dream and even though you need a couple of coats you can slap this on and it’ll still look beautiful.

203 Miami Peach by Chanel - Just like the one above this polish is so easy to slap on. You really do need around three to four coats of this for it to be opaque, which is a bit of a pain, but when I’m in the mood for this colour it’s really worth it. Depending on how tanned I am sometimes I feel that this looks great on my skin tone, but sometimes I find it a little too orange. This is a great colour for days when you want a pretty colour on your nails without making too much of a statement.

N.B. Some of these colours are unfortunately now discontinued but I couldn’t resist sharing them with you! Please check the links provided to search for similar colours/finishes.

I’m sure that at some point we’ve all tried some home remedies to enhance our looks... talcum powder as a dry shampoo, anyone? There are some beauty tips, however, that are pretty outside the box or just downright strange. Over time I’ve come across a few such tips, and I’ve got to say, some of them really do the trick. So please allow me to introduce to you my weird but most certainly wonderful beauty tips.


Lemons - This is one that I’d heard from a couple of sources and had been meaning to try to for ages. You know that slight tinge of colour that is sometimes left on your nails after you’ve painted them without a base coat? Well lemons are actually extremely effective at getting rid of it. A lot of us will have lemons hanging around our kitchen, and if not then they’re very easy to get hold of. Simply cut your lemon into slices and rub the juicy bit onto your naked finger nails and BANG the stain is gone. Get it? But seriously, you don’t need much and it is a little bit like magic.

Bicarbonate of Soda - Most of us are familiar with physical exfoliants such as the sugar or salt that are put into body scrubs to force off flaky skin, but what about chemical exfoliants? They’re actually present in a lot of beauty products, but Sodium Bicarbonate is a very good chemical exfoliant. Yep, that stuff that you have lurking in your baking cupboard can be mixed with water or a water based cleanser (I use Bioderma) to make a substance that will gently lift off any old skin cells to make space for the new, prettier ones. Mix until a thick paste is formed, slather on your face and after ten minutes rinse it off. Simples!

Olive Oil - More kitchen fun. A lot of you may be familiar with Argan or Moroccan oils, but let’s give a little love to their less celebrated cousin ‘Olive’. A good helping of this left in your hair overnight and rinsed out in the morning makes for a cheap yet effective hair mask and it leaves it silky soft and shiny. Perfect for any dry-haired ladies on a budget.

Nipple Cream - Perhaps the weirdest of the bunch, this is a tip that I pulled out of Rae Morris’ book (the one I always prattle on about that you can see here). She said that the best way of prepping your lips and making them smooth and soft before applying lipstick was to use Lanolin, most readily found in... nipple cream. Yes, that’s right, I went into Superdrug (with my boyfriend I might add) and bought My Little Star New Mum Nipple Cream. It felt a little weird, but I tried it and I am amazed. Bye bye flaky lips, hello perfect pout.

Baby Wipes - It seems if it’s not kitchen goods, it’s something from Mothercare. Another tip from Rae Morris was if you haven’t got a good toner to hand, then the best way to tone skin when you’re prepping it for makeup is to use baby wipes. She advises that they're alcohol free so I like to use the Johnson's Baby Extra Sensitive Wipes as they are also fragrance free. I almost always use these on my eyelids before priming them for eyeshadow, and they're always coming in handy in my makeup application for my hands as well as my face. I’ll never be without them again!


Well that’s it for now folks. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to try out some of these tips, they’ve really helped me, plus they’re also a brilliant way to save money if you’re a student, or just a bit skint.

We've all been there. We totally buy into the hype and purchase a product, and only once we have parted with our precious pennies do we realise that it's really not all that. Today I'm going to be sharing with you some of the products with which just that this has happened to me. I feel like I have to make a note of saying before I start that I do not hate these products. In fact, I use most of them at some point or another; you see, being a student has taught me to be a little thrifty. If a product has not turned out to be what I expected, I will more often than not strive to find a way to make it work. Besides, we all have different tastes, don't we? Well on that note I think that I should begin...


Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray £21.50 - I got this product as a gift a few months back along with the Bumble and Bumble surf spray (which I love). I was really looking forward to trying some of the company's products, and this one particularly as I have very fine hair and am always looking for ways to make it look thicker. I followed the directions for this on the bottle and sprayed into damp hair as I was blow drying, but after a couple of uses I really couldn't notice any difference in my hair. So, of course, I tried using more next time but this only left my hair feeling crispy and not at all nice. I'm really not sure how I can make this product work and so if any of you have used this and have any tips or tricks then please let me know!

Mac Eyeshadow in 'Vex' £12.50 - When I saw this colour at the Mac store it was love at first sight. I couldn't understand why I hadn't seen it more on blogs and YouTube... after owning this for around three years I now understand. There's nothing wrong with the texture or pigmentation, it's just incredibly, incredibly difficult to implement in a makeup look. There's no denying that the frosty off white with a greeny pinky sheen is a gorgeous colour, but I've reached for this on fewer than a handful of occasions in all of the time that I have owned it. I'm going to have to get my thinking cap out for how I can give this colour the love that it deserves.

Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel £18 - It was only a few minutes after I bought this product that I realised I had picked up the wrong item to begin with, but I was still optimistic about this product. The lady at the Clarins counter assured me that it was safe for use on both the face and body (something that I normally tend to avoid as I'm quite paticular about my face) but I thought I'd give it a fair shot. The first time that I applied the tan on my body I used my hands and I loved the way that it applied, but the next morning it came out streaky. So I tried again with a tanning mit, but found that it barely changed the colour of my skin. So I have to say that for it's fundamental use this product it very disappointing indeed, and it most certainly is not instant in either it's drying time or colour development time. I have, however, found use for this as a facial tanner which it does fairly well. I apply it with my tanning mit and am yet to have a streaky face. Unfortunately I really couldn't see myself repurchasing this product, but for £18 it may interest some of you guys!

No. 7 Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser £11.50 - This product has to be the most disappointing of them all. I purchased this on a sunny day when I forgot my sun cream for my face because it's SPF 15 - better than nothing, right? Well, in terms of sun protection perhaps, but in almost every other category? Certainly not. The first thing that disappointed me about this product was the lack of colour range. Even when I blend this in reaaaally well it still darkens my skin tone a fair bit. If it's not blended on the other hand it is not a pretty sight, we're talking orange streaks all over my face. I pull this out very occasionally when I need a bit of coverage but really can't bring myself to use foundation. If I could afford a new tinted moisturiser this would have been binned months ago.

Banana Split Nail Polish £5 - I bought this after seeing it on Tanya Burr's nails. I had never tried a yellow polish before and I thought that this one would really suit me as it's a pastel, so I went for it. If you're looking to buy this for the scent then don't bother. It's barely noticeable. If you're buying it for the colour (like me) then for £JAEOFIJ it may still be worth it, but what I can't stand is how long it takes. As it's a light pastel it takes a good three to four coats to become opaque, but the formula is pretty tricky to get right and when you're applying so many coats there's a lot of time to go wrong.

All swatches taken in natural daylight

It's been a while since I did a lipstick post and you guys seemed to be quite enjoying them, so I thought that it was high time for another one! Today I am showing one of my most prized lipsticks. This is YSL Rouge Volupte in 'Nude Beige'. No, the name is not incredibly inspiring but the product most certainly is. This was a cheeky treat to myself a couple of years ago because I was in love with the packaging - shallow, or what? I have since gotten to know this lipstick a little better and I am still just as in love. Not only is the distinctly gorgeous packaging very easy to find in your bag, but the texture is a dream too. If you're a fan of silky, creamy lipsticks then this is for you. If, on the other hand, you are very prone to chapped lips you may be tempted by the moisturising formula, but be sure to use a good exfoliator before using this as it will emphasise any cracks on your lips. As for lasting power this fares pretty well. It doesn't wear off that quickly, but you definitely need to reapply it through the day a couple of times. It's also worth noting that it has a very slight scent which I'd compare to vanilla.

Let's talk a little bit about the colour - this is right up my street. On my skin the colour comes up as a pinky nude and is a brilliant balance. I often go for this as a nude lip for nighttime as it is a little thicker and more pigmented than Hue by Mac (my daytime favourite). You can see in the swatch that the colour is glossy but not at all shimmery. It's a winner in my eyes!

It’s been a while since I did a Weekend Roundup, and so I thought that it was about time that I did a lifestyle post. I think that it’s fun to sometimes share things with you that go a little deeper than what I’m currently slapping on my face.





So last Friday Phil (my boyfriend) and I got the train from his home down to London. We had had this weekend break away planned for quite a few months, as they main reasons that we were going (a Michael Bublé concert and The Lion King Musical) had been Christmas presents to one another. We stayed in the Thistle hotel just off Leicester Square which is really lovely, plus the location couldn’t be better for a long couple like us who love city life!

We were pretty tired from the journey on Friday evening, and although we did go out for a quick drink our real holiday started on Saturday. Of course, no trip to London is complete without some lovely food and we definitely took full advantage of this at our breakfast times in the city. Pancakes and cinnamon rolls are just a couple of the things that we treated ourselves to while we were away!





We really did turn into tourists some of the time that we were there as you can see from the above pictures. One of the afternoons we went for a little walk through Chelsea and then got the tube to Westminster where we lapped up some of the sights as we walked back to our hotel. We were so lucky because the weather really was gorgeous when we were there! It must have been the hottest day of the year so far - I was boiling in my jeans! Our walk also took us through HEUITUHTE gardens which was absolutely beautiful. You can see my favourite picture was one of the lake - unfortunately in this picture I didn’t manage to catch the guy just to left who was doing some kind of zenny yoga type thing.





Phil always seems to make a point of visiting Selfridges and Harrods whilst we’re in London, and we were lucky to be just by a set doors on the ground floor when Pride London started parading past. We didn’t even know that the parade was on that day, but it was a really nice surprise. The atmosphere was amazing and some of the participants’ clothes and makeup were just incredible! Unfortunately my camera ran out of battery half way through and so I didn’t manage to get that many pictures. Did I mention that Toni and Guy were part of the parade and gave me and Phil some free hair products? Amazing!





Of course I couldn’t put a post up without sharing some pictures of our evening’s out. I have to admit that other than the Michael Bublé concert I was a bit rubbish at remembering to take any pictures. Saturday night was The Lion King which I thoroughly enjoyed as I had wanted to see it since I was a little girl. We had great seats and one of the puppets even came down the aisle right beside us at one point - unfortunately it was illegal to take photographs of the performance. Sunday night was the first night of Michael Bublé’s world tour. I bought the tickets for the concert for Phil months and months ago and because they sold out so quickly I ended up having to buy them through a secondary site - both Phil and I were terrified that we’d get there and find out that they were counterfeit or something, but luckily we got in without any hiccups. The seats weren’t the best but we still fully enjoyed the performance. It was so exciting to watch and hear him live, he was a true entertainer and knew exactly when to make the audience laugh and when to be serious.

Phil and I had such an exciting time away and we can’t wait until our next trip to London together - it’s one of our favourite cities! I of course also indulged in a little shopping, and so if any of you would like to see what I bought (it’s all clothes!) I will be putting the link to my haul video here once I have put it up on YouTube.

June's been good to me, despite the first part being taken up with exams (which of course means little to no makeup). I've had a fantastic start to the summer with IMATS, seeing friends at home and a cheeky trip to London. I hope that you enjoy my small but "eclectic" pick of beauty products.