Casual Weekend FOTD

Yesterday my family and I ventured to a number of furniture stores to try and buy some new furniture for our house. In the end, we traipsed to at least 5 versions of what felt like the same shop but came home empty handed. Better luck next time, eh?

At the weekend, I like to keep my makeup light and simple and try to use as few products as possible. If I could, I would go out without any makeup on, but instead I opt for a 'no-makeup-makeup' type look.

I decided to use Revlon Photoready in Shell as my base, as it gives a subtle glow to my complexion. I used my Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer in Natural Beige under my eyes and over any redness or blemishes. I gave my skin a light dusting of Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder to set my base and then used Benefit Dallas on the apples of my cheeks, as I think it gives a nice, healthy glow. Although I wanted to keep my makeup simple, I still did my staple winged eyeliner using the Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner and used my current favourite mascara - Rimmel Lash Accelerator. I filled in my eyebrows using my MAC 266 angled brush, which I am in love with, and a cool toned brown from my NYX Nude on Nude Natural Look Kit palette. To finish everything off, I used a little Eve Lom Kiss Mix lip balm to keep my lips soft and moisturised, while adding a little glossiness.

What does your weekend FOTD consist of?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Autumn Face and Outfit

After my last FOTD, I decided to try to post them more so you can see what products I am using frequently, as I review products that I try but there are some staples that I have never actually reviewed that are part of my everyday arsenal. This FOTD also leads into my next post, which will be a review of the foundation I am wearing.

Face:

YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation

Benefit It Stick

Benefit Dallas

Eyes and eyebrows:

Urban Decay Halfbaked (all over the lid)

Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner

Soap and Glory Thick & Fast Mascara

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Black/Brown

Lips:

MUA Lipstick Shade 1

I also wore black tights (Primark), black ballet pumps (Topshop), my trench coat (Michael Kors) and a big woolly scarf (Zara) - not pictured, sorry.

This kind of outfit has become one of my Autumn wardrobe staples. It's very simple, but super comfortable and it means I can transition some of my summery bottoms into the Autumn/Winter months. I have at least 4 floral skirts that I wear to death during the summer months, but I feel they go to waste a little during the colder months, so I have been pairing them with a cozy knit, a pair of opaque black tights and a chunky scarf and I really like the way it looks.

What has been your Autumn/Winter staple?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

September Favourites 2012

I'm really sorry my September Favourites are a little late! Usually when I post my monthly favourites on here, I tend to upload a picture and link you to my Youtube channel as I do a monthly favourites video every month. I was thinking about this recently and I kind of felt bad for just posting a picture and then linking to a video, as most people aren't too interested in watching my Youtube videos. So I have decided to write a summary in the blogpost about the products I love each month:

I never thought I would say this, but I have been enjoying using this Revlon Matte blush in 'Perfectly Peach'. When I first bought and swatched it, I couldn't get over how unpigmented it was and it got relegated to the back of my makeup drawers. Recently I dug it out again in a bid to use it up and I discovered that with the right brush (I use the ELF stipple brush), it leaves a lovely natural looking peachy pink flush to the cheeks. It is a matte blush, but somehow adds a pretty glow to the cheeks. It lasts really well too, which is great.

I have been alternating between the Revlon Matte blush and Benefit Dallas this month. Dallas is a gorgeous red-toned blush, which is a bit like a mix between a bronzer and a blush. I used to wear this every single day and kind of forgot about it. But I'm glad I rediscovered this! It gives such a lovely colour on the cheeks and has a slight shimmer, which isn't obvious but gives a nice glow. I have a blog post (from over 2 years ago!) where I show a dupe of Dallas, so if you're interested then check it out here.

I finished my can of Batiste Original in the middle of the month and picked up the Batiste Tropical version. I definitely prefer this as it smells amazing (coconuts!) and doesn't leave that unsightly white residue on my hair, like the Original did. It gives my hair a boost of life when it's looking a little worse for wear on my second day and I have been using it more often than before.

I neglected my Clarisonic when I went home for the summer and I have been loving using it again this month. I took apart the brush head to make it better for precision cleaning around my nose and cheeks after watching Nur's video on Youtube (here). I feel like my pores look much clearer now that I've started using this again and my skin in general also looks clearer and more even. I have been loving using it with the Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash, as it is a lovely cleanser that leaves my skin feeling soft and looking brighter. I am going to post a more in depth review soon, which I will link when it's live.

If you watch my monthly favourites videos on Youtube, you will know I always include a random favourite of the month. This month, I have been loving these Links of London style friendship bracelets. I have been lusting after a Links of London friendship bracelet for a while now, but couldn't justify the £150-ish price tag. My mum kindly bought these dupes for me when she went to China. I love the look of the bracelets, as they're a nice twist on a traditional thread friendship bracelet and look great dressed up or down. I have been wearing the red and pink one pretty much every day since I got them and I have found it goes with everything. They look great stacked with other bracelets and on their own.

What were you loving in September?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Everyday Makeup

I don't often post FOTDs on here... In fact, I've only ever posted one before this! But I've recently been liking my everyday makeup so I thought I'd share it with you.

Face:

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Natural Collection Green Concealer

Paul & Joe Light Cream Foundation

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

MAC Studio Finish Concealer

L'Oreal True Match Powder

Cheeks:

Revlon Matte Blush in 'Perfectly Peach'

Benefit Hoola

Eyes:

Estee Lauder Eyeshadow in 'Sun'

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara

Eyebrows:

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black-Brown

Lips:

Benefit Her Glossiness in 'Didn't Hear it from Me'

If you would like to see me applying this, then check out my Youtube video here.

What makeup have you been using daily?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

June Favourites 2012

I can't believe it's the end of June already! These are my beauty, skin and hair favourites from the month of June. If you want to see my June Favourites video, where you can hear why I've been loving these products, then click here.

Every month I include a random favourite with my monthly favourites. This month, my random favourite(s) have been buying white items of clothing. I usually stick to dark colours and tend to wear black all year round. However recently every time I am in town, I am always drawn to white items of clothing, especially crochet or broderie anglaise items. The ones below are two of my recent purchases:

Top: New Look £12.99

Dress: Urban Outfitters £30 (Reduced from £65)

What have you been loving this month?

xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #3

Hello, my name is Joy and I am a skin care and make-up junkie with no willpower.

This month I was quite proud of myself that I've not bought any new make-up, until I went a bit overboard and bought new skincare products. I really don't think that this project is teaching me anything, apart from the fact that I have absolutely no willpower! :( I think it's a little off putting when you only finish a few products each month, however I am going to persevere with this so that I can start using up the products that I have, but I think I really need to be stricter on myself.

Treacle Moon Coconut Shower Gel
Review: I love the smell of this! The smell doesn't linger on the skin, but it's a treat when you're in the shower :) I didn't try this in the bath, but I can imagine that it would give you a lovely bubble bath. It lathers up so nicely and doesn't leave your skin feeling tight. The bottle lasted me for absolutely ages!
Would I repurchase? Yes

L'Oreal Infallible Concealer (04 Golden Beige)
Review: This concealer was really good. I liked using it under my eyes and over any redness. I found that it didn't crease and gave a good amount of coverage. I also used it as an eyeshadow base, which it worked really well as. I like the slimline packaging, which makes it nice to put in your bag for on the go touch ups.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Benefit Dr. Feelgood
Review: I've had this for absolutely ages and still don't really know what it does... It says it's a refiner which can be worn alone or over your makeup. I was recently using it as a primer, before my foundation and found it gave my skin a nice, smooth and matte finish. It didn't help my make-up last any longer. I did sometimes notice that my pores looked a little smaller when I used this. It smells nice and I love the packaging. It's an expensive product at £21ish for 24g.
Would I repurchase? No

Finished Items: 3
Accumulative Finished Items from December 2010 to March 2011: 8

I also binned a few old and neglected mascaras and eyeliners that have been sat in my collection for ages. What have you finished up this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

First FOTD, plus a few other things

This is my first FOTD post (Actually it's yesterday's FOTD...), eeek. I was quite hesitant about posting this, because I was feeling self conscious about the picture as my skin hasn't been that great lately and I filled in my eyebrows unevenly! But in the end, I just decided 'What the heck, I'm just going to post it'. This is just a simple, neutral day look which I wore to my lectures yesterday.

Please excuse my washing in the background!

Face
Benefit Dr. Feelgood (As a primer)
Revlon Photoready in Shell
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15
Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder
MAC Virgin Isle CCB
Bourjois Rose de Jaspe

Eyes (I forgot to take close up pictures of my eye, sorry!)
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MUA eyeshadow in Shade 11 all over the lid
MAC Brun eyeshadow in the outer third, crease and eyebrows
No7 Gel Eyeliner
No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara

Lips
Body Shop Sheer Lip Shine in Sheer Pink

Last week, I was lucky enough to win another giveaway. I was so chuffed when I saw an email from the lovely Leah telling me that I'd won. The parcel with the prizes arrived at the weekend, so that was a really nice way to start off a lovely weekend :) Thank you so much, Leah!!! Go take a look at Leah's blog (Look! Flying Monkeys!), it's full of a mix of beauty, fashion, food and all things lovely. :)


I just wanted to share a quick Boots purchase with you all. It never would have occurred to me that you could buy jewellery in Boots, but I was waiting for my friend while she was buying some stuff and was surprised to see a jewellery stand. Not only a jewellery stand, but one with lots of pieces that had 1/2 price stickers on them, score! There were some other pretty pieces, but this ring really caught me eye. It reminds me of a wing ring that I'd seen on ASOS a while back, but smaller and cheaper at only £2! I really like how it has the diameter of the ring on the label, rather than S, M or L. Although when I first tried the ring on, I almost had a panic attack when I thought it was stuck, lol! From now on, everytime I pop into Boots, I'm going to keep an eye out for their jewellery section! :)


Have any of you bought any jewellery in unexpected places before?

Thank you for reading. I hope my FOTD didn't scare you off, lol! xoxo, Joy

Dupe: Benefit Dallas

I know there's a huge craze at the moment for Benefit's Coralista blush, but I thought I'd show some love for Benefit's Dallas blush. I got it as part of "Powder Pop", the old version of "Powderazzi. It is a trio of Benefit's Dandelion, Hoola and Dallas. From Look Fantastic: "Dallas from Benefit is the outdoor glow for the indoor gal! Some say it defies even Mother Nature herself. The perfect combination of bronzer and blush is right here, offering you an enviable natural looking glow."

I haven't used Dallas as much as I could have, since I seemed to always use my Max Factor Flawless Perfection blush in Mulberry instead (Shown by the fact that I've hit pan in the Max Factor, but still have a tonne of Dallas left despite the size difference). I only noticed the similarities between the two blushes recently. I really can't believe I hadn't noticed this before! (I feel a bit dim to be honest.)

Side by side:

With flash - Left: Max Factor Mulberry, Right: Benefit Dallas

In daylight - Left: Max Factor Mulberry, Right: Benefit Dallas

Swatches:

With Flash - Left: Max Factor Mulberry, Right: Benefit Dallas

In daylight - Left: Max Factor Mulberry, Right: Benefit Dallas

Both blushes have a very subtle shimmer to them - I don't normally like shimmery face products, but I really love these because the shimmer isn't obvious. They both have fantastic colour pay off and are buildable. I think the colours are perfect for all year round. In the pictures with flash, Mulberry looks slightly darker than Dallas, but I'd still say that they are a pretty good match. What do you think?

In conclusion, it costs £23.50 for a full size 12g box of Benefit Dallas vs £6.99 for 5g of Max Factor Flawless Perfection Blush in Mulberry. If I've done my maths correctly, it costs £1.96 per gramme of Dallas and £1.40 per gramme of Mulberry - Only a 56p difference! I know which one I'd pick. ;)

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Glamour Magazine and Rimmel

I was so excited after reading this post at Make-up Savvy and found out that the July issue of Glamour magazine had Benefit freebies with it. It came out today, so I quickly popped into town after uni and bought up 3 copies of Glamour. I was lucky that there were quite a lot in the WHSmith I went to.

At £2 per magazine, £6 for 3 full size products is ridiculouly cheap in comparison to buying Benefit in a drugstore (The RRP of Eye Bright and Bad Gal are £14 and the RRP of It Stick is £17). I'm even considering stocking up and buying more if I like the products once I start using them.

When I was buying my magazines, I had a little chuckle to myself, since the two women in front of me were also buying mutiple issues of Glamour! It looked like we were panic buying!



Did any of you pick up any copies of Glamour today? Which freebie(s) did you pick?

I also popped into Superdrug to buy some Lemsip, since I have an awful cold at the moment. :( While I was there I picked up a Rimmel 60 Second Nail Varnish in 'Rose Libertine' for £2.49 (£1 off its RRP). The colour is a really pretty pinky coral, and I'm really excited to try it.

(It's a little darker in real life than in the photo.)

Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy