Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm

I did it. I bought the famous Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm. I had buyer's remorse for around a minute after buying but it was definitely worth the splurge. I also got lucky, as Feel Unique (where I bought it from) had a promotion where you got a fiver off a product that was over £25. I also had £5 sitting in my PayPal account so that was another little bonus.

I currently double cleanse using a make up remover solution and Simple's facial wash, which has seen me right throughout the summer. But now it's getting colder, I've been noticing a lot more dryer occurances with my skin. I use night creams and exfoliate regularly, but the problem isn't alleviating as much as it should. I'd heard soo much about this product, and it had always been in the back of my mind. I've used it only once, so I can't tell you the lasting effects yet and whether it's helped with my skin, but it really did a good job at cleaning my skin thoroughly.

I crave having really clean skin after a day with a face full of make up, and this does the trick. It's a thick balmy consistency, and when you add a couple of drops of water to it like the instructions advise, it turns into a milky substance. You're really supposed to use muslin cloths or flannels after applying this to take it all off. I've just been using my hands to clean it off my face then patting it with a towel. The directions advise you can use this as a mask or even keep it on over night, so it hasn't bothered me if not all of it comes off.

Guess how long I lasted after taking this picture to pop that bubble :P Not long!

Have you tried this amazing cleansing balm? What did you think?

Jen x

My Holy Grail Foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear

There's only one foundation I've bought over and over again, and it's the Estee Lauder Double Wear. After suffering from quite bad acne in my teenagers years I have some pigmentation from the scars. I also suffer from breakouts now so I need a foundation that's going to cover everything without feeling too cakey or heavy. I've tried other medium - heavy foundations in the past and just found them quite poor after using this.

If you're used to a sheer or light coverage foundation, then this will feel very heavy for you. But if you're used to using a medium to heavy coverage, you'll really enjoy this. I don't use much and I blend it in really well. You can vary the coverage by how much you use, but I find the best application is when it's put on quite sheer, as you don't need a lot of it to cover your skin. It dries to a matte finish, and you barely need any concealer over the top. It's a powder finish so it doesn't really require powder but I sometimes powder my nose and t-zone if it's a warm day or I'll be out for a long time.

The only negative I'd have to say about this is that once it's dried onto your skin you can't then go back in to blend it again as it'll take what's already set off your skin and mess it up. The best application is to blend it while it's still freshly put on to how you want it then let it set. I

Other than that, there's nothing else bad to say about this foundation. I use it every single day, apart from the odd Sunday where I'll wear nothing on my face or just a sheer foundation. 

I use the shade 1N1 Ivory Nude which is one of the lightest shades you can get. That's another great thing about this foundation, it comes in really pale shades that suits the palest of girls like me! I find this foundation lasts on my face all day, from application to taking it off it barely budges.

This is when it's freshly been applied. As you can see the coverage is heavy but not cakey at all, and this isn't properly blended in either.

If you're looking for a full coverage foundation that will look natural, cover imperfections and last all day, then I'd fully recommend this one! If you're looking for a foundation with just as good staying power and the same finish, but not as heavy a coverage, then I'd recommend the Double Wear light which is just a lighter version if you haven't got as much to cover!

You can find the Double Wear here for £28.50

Have you tried this? Do you like it?

Jen  x

Zara City Bag with Zips

It was my birthday last week, and my lovely boyfriend got me this beauty of a bag. A while ago I'd had my eye on the original Office City bag with the 3 large zipped pockets and the more squared off shape but that's been sold out in store and online for a few months. I was browsing the Zara website one day when this caught my eye. It's almost identical, and a friend of mine who has the original bag said the only difference is that the middle pocket is smaller, so it enables you to pinch both outer pockets together to close it using the magnetic clasp just under the zip. 

As you can see, it's really roomy inside and I can fit everything I need on a daily basis in here. I carry my Ted Baker purse, along with a mirror, my mini tangle teezer and some make up bits. I also carry a pencil case in the middle section along with my keys and other essentials. I use the 2 bigger outer zipped pockets to carry my tablet, large notebooks and textbooks. This bag is equipped to carry a laptop as one of the bigger zipped compartments is completely padded. The other zipped compartment has a mini padded compartment designed to carry a tablet or Kindle.

I wear this bag either in the crook of my arm or over my shoulder with the longer strap it comes with. Unfortunately this bag sold out within a few weeks online, it may still be available in the shops but after a scour on the website they've released another version, but in grey. You can see that here for £59.

Do you like this bag? Did you manage to snap it up while it was still onsale?

Jen x

NARS Never Say Never Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

Something very lucky happened to me the other day, I won my first give away prize! It was a NARS lip pencil in any shade I liked, courtesy of the lovely Latasha from Today I Adore. Having never tried any of NARS' products (but always wanted to!) I didn't know what shade I wanted straight away. So, I had a route around on the internet for some swatches and settled on this gorgeous rosy pink, but almost blue/purple toned shade. It's the perfect colour for me, and I'd compare it to MAC's Plumful lipstick, but matte instead of a lustre finish, and much more opaque. All the better because the colour is too nice to not be seen to its full potential!

As you can see, it gives a gorgeous raspberry type colour to the lips, not too red or purple toned, just somewhere in the middle. The finish is matte but it's described as velvet matte, which I can totally understand! The matte effect isn't drying at all, and like the description my lips feel smooth and soft after applying this. I feel like it's appropiate for day wear as it's not too bright. I think it goes with any kind of make up look, and definitely suits any kind of skin tone! I'm very pale, and I think it works well with my complexion. 

Final note, as I explained earlier about MAC's Plumful lipstick: if you love that lipstick but wish it was just that little bit more opaque and longer lasting, this is your solution!

You can find this for sale at Space NK here

Do you like this colour? Have you tried any of NARS' lip pencils before?

Jen x

Essie Sleek Stick nail stickers in 03 so hautel

I received these stickers in my Latest in Beauty Nail edition box. I hadn't ever tried nail stickers before, but I thought I might as well give these a go since I had them and see what they were like! They came in the packet below, and included a tiny little file inside to file off the sticker.

As you can see - the detailing is really nice. The stickers are an orangey red colour, with tiny little gold stud detailing. Applying them was really easy. I matched up my nails with the stickers until I found the correct fitting ones, then peeled them off the sheet and stuck them down onto my natural nails. The next thing I did was take my nail file and file downwards on the tip of my nail and on top of the sticker, to file away the edge and enable me to peel the excess sticker off. Once I did this I just filed around the free edge to make sure there weren't any jagged edges. That's it! No need for a top coat unless you want to put one on for piece of mind that they'll stay put. 

The details on the packet didn't indicate the wear time of these stickers, but I'd guess they're meant to last around a week. My nails tend to chip really easily normally anyway, so I'll be surprised if I get 2 or 3 days out of them without them peeling off or coming away at the edges. I won't be cynical though! I do really like these stickers for the easiness and quickness of getting them on, so if you haven't got much time to wait around for nail polish to dry these are pretty good!

Would you consider wearing these?

Jen x

Autumn Nail Polish Collection

I thought since the leaves have started to fall from the trees and the nights are sneakily drawing in, why not get excited for Autumn and dig out all of my nail polish colours that I'd usually wear around this time of year.

I've swatched the collection of chosen colours on a nail wheel and laid out the bottles so you can see what they are.

Starting with the darkest colours first.

(from left to right, Maybelline Color Show, Nails Inc Motcomb Street, Rimmel Salon Pro Kate Punk Rock, No 7 Stay Perfect, Nails Inc Piccadilly Circus, OPI The Thrill Of Brazil)

I love darker colours for Autumn, and especially the ones above. My personal favourites are the Nails Inc Motcomb Street which is a deep navy (it can almost seem black from afar) and Nails Inc Piccadilly Circus, for it's a gorgeous deep raspberry colour that I don't often see with any other brands.

(from left to right, No 7 Stay Perfect, OPI Pompeii Purple, China Glaze Frostbite, OPI call me gwen ever, Nails Inc Porchester Sqaure, Ciate cookies and cream)

Although I love the darker colours in the Autumn months, I do feel like a bright pop of colour now and then to keep things fresh. My favourite of the above has to be OPI's Pompeii Purple. I first heard about this colour when I had my nails done in a nail bar, and the beautician recommended it. It's a bright pink with hints of blue running through when it catches the light. My other favourite of the bunch above has to be China Glaze's Frostbite. It's a metallic bright blue that catches any eye it comes across!

(from left to right, Essie Neo Whimsical, Barry M Nail Effects metallic silver, Nails Inc gold glitter, Essie fiji, Essie mademoiselle, Sinful colours snow me white)

You can't go wrong with nude nail shades at any point in the year. My personal favourites from the bunch above are Essie's Neo Whimsical, a lovely chic shade and Madamoiselle, a sheer but buildabe colour from Essie too. It also looks gorgeous used with a french manicure.

Do you like these shades? What colours do you think I'm missing? 

Jen x