My Top 5 Favourite High End Foundations

L-R: Givenchy Teint Couture, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, MAC Studi Fix Fluid, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, NARS Sheer Glow.

 

Hi Ladies! This is actually my first post of the year! Everything in my life has been so full on and hectic recently that regrettably, blogging has had to take a back seat. Today I'm sharing with you my top 5 high end foundations. Over the years I've tried load of foundations and I've found that it's usually worth paying the extra for overall better quality. Here are some that I recommend, especially if, like me, you suffer with oily skin and are looking for something that will last all day...

 

1. Givenchy Teint Couture Fluid Foundation- Until working in a department store, Givenchy was never a brand I thought about trying. My lovely friend Beth, who is the stores Givenchy representative is so passionate about her products, and rightly so. She matched me to a foundation and I have used it so much it's nearly all gone. It has a light weight feel, but still has plenty of coverage. I do have to touch up with powder throughout the day when I wear it, but I have grown to expect that. It is really natural and a great foundation for everyday wear.

Givenchy Teint Couture Fluid Foundation- £32.50

 

2. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation- This is such a raved about foundation on the internet and I'm so glad I jumped on the bandwagon! My whole Giorgio Armani has been amazing, from the customer service to the product itself. It makes the skin look so perfect and lit from within. It has a beautiful glow, yet doesn't look shiny at all. If you're searching for a new foundation definitely look into this one. (If you're in London, go to the Selfridges counter, the staff there are SO helpful!

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation- £35.50

 

3. MAC Studio Fix Foundation- An absolute cult product and possibly my favourite foundation ever. It has everything I look for in a foundation and I've already bought a new bottle. I wear it to college everyday, it stays put all day and doesn't look cakey (when paired with the right concealer and powder. I use YSL Touche Eclat, Collection Lasting Perfect Concealer and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural). MAC do many different foundations, but this is 100% my favourite.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation- £21.50

 

4. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation- This is the foundation I reach for when I'm having a good skincare. As you can probably tell from the use of 'aqua' in the name, it is water based and therefore very light weight; therefore amazing for the summer. You need the tiniest amount too so it lasts for absolutely ages. I've loved this for a very long time and will repurchase it when (if!) the sun starts to come out!

Chanel Vitalumier Aqua Foundation- £33

 

5. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation- Last but certainly not least is NARS Sheer Glow Foundation. I haven't been wearing it as much recently as I bought it in the summer for my prom when I had a spray tan but I know I need to buy a new bottle that is a better match for my skin. This is the perfect foundation if you are going to an event as not only does it make your skin look absolutely flawless, but there is not SPF, meaning you get no flashback on photos!

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation- £31

 

Thank you for reading, let me know what you're favourite foundation is as I love trying new ones!

Lots of love,











My Favourite Lip Products for Autumn

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm in Crush Begun, MAC Riri Woo Lipstick, Rimmel London 107 Lipstick, MAC Rebel Lipstick, Revlon Lip Gloss in Embellished

Hi Ladies! It's taken me a blummin' long while, but I've finally got the blogging bug back! I've just moved to a completely new area and now I am settled in, I feel it's a good time to start blogging again! Today I'm sharing with you  my favourite lip products to wear during the autumn/ winter months. As sad as I am to say goodbye to summer, A/W are definitely my favourite seasons so I'm welcoming them with open arms! I love wearing berry/red shades on my lips (especially with simple, minimalistic eye makeup) so here are my favourites!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm in Crush Begun is great for every day wear. I wore it to college today and it stayed on my lips the whole day. (Admittedly it was more of a stain by the end of the day, but the colour was just as intense)! Its a lovely deep berry shade and so moisturising too!

MAC Riri Woo is my favourite classic red lipstick. The pigmentation is incredible and suits almost all skin tones. A red lip is timeless and this particular shade is rather festive in my opinion. (Although its a bit soon to be thinking about that!) The only down side is the fact that it is incredibly drying on the lips, but with a good lip balm underneath you should be fine.

 Rimmel London 107 is probably my favourite out of the lot (and the cheapest- bonus!) I am always reaching for this shade, day or night. It's so pretty and easy to pull off.

MAC Rebel Lipstick is a stunning berry shade. It looks darker on different people. On me it is much more on the pink side. It is a Satin finish so it's really moisturising on the lips and looks gorgeous with the next product...

Revlon Embellished Lipgloss doesn't look like much when swatched, but over a dark lipstick is looked amazing. It is the epitome of a vampy lip. The formula of this gloss is pretty good too, its not sticky at all and really long lasting too- it pretty much ticks all the boxes for me!

What are your favourite lip products for autumn/ winter?

Lots of love,

Review | MAC Pigment in Tan

 

Hi Ladies. Today I am reviewing one of my current favourite eye shadows. As a total eye shadow junkie, I am always extremely excited to try out new colours and formulations. MAC pigments (or pigments in general) are something that I have never really tried in depth. In my early makeup years I remember using the Barry M pigments, but if truth be told, I didn't have much idea what I was doing back then. As an extremely clumsy person, pigments seemed a bad idea, but after seeing Gabriella from velvetgh0st talk about this product, and describe it as rose gold, I was pretty much sold. I had it on my wishlist for a long time, but I just never got round to buying it. Then Christmas came, and my lovely Godparent's bought it for me. It is not a product that I wear on an every day basis, but if I am going somewhere special or out at night, it is my go to eye colour.

 

The wonderful thing about this product is that it looks gorgeous on its own. When I wear it, I apply my Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold (do you see a theme?) so the pigment has something to stick to and boosts the longevity of it. The pigment itself is incredibly fine and seems to contain small glitter particles when first applied, but when it is blended, it just looks shimmery. I usually add a bit of black eyeliner when I wear it too.

 

On the MAC website, Tan is described as a 'muted pinky brown bronze' and I have to say I absolutely agree. I find this looks really flattering with my eye colour and skin tone. Bronze hues pretty much suit anyone. Some bronze shades have really strong orange undertones and can not really work with paler complexions, but this is an exception. I'm quite pale and it looks really lovely. I can see this looking especially gorgeous on darker skin.

 

If you have never tried MAC Pigments before, I highly recommend Tan as a starting point as it is so versatile. I would really like to try some more and have my eye on Vanilla as I have heard amazing things about it. They are quite pricy at £17, but you get 4.5g, and you only need the tiniest amount on your brush to cover your whole lid.

 

You can find pigments on the MAC website here, or I like to buy MAC from the Debenhams website as then I can earn point on my beauty club card!

 

Have you tried MAC Pigments? What are your thoughts?

 

Love,

Eleanor

xxx

Huge Fashion and Beauty Haul

Hello my lovelies! Today I have a massive haul to share with you! These are things that I have picked up over the past three months on various trips to London. The majority of items are beauty related, although there are a few clothing garments and random bits! This will be quite a lengthy post but I hope you enjoy it!

 

Beauty

The first thing I picked up was in the Space NK sale. This Laura Mercier Crème Brulee bath set was reduced from £30 to £15. I adore Laura Mercier bath and body products. A few years ago I received the Coconut and Almond set and the hand cream quartet for Christmas. Crème Brulee is definitely my favourite scent as it is so sweet and delicious!

Also ordered from Space NK is the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation. Mine is in the shade Fiji. I have lusted after this foundation for longest time, but have always put off buying it for reasons that I can't even remember! This foundation is absolutely gorgeous and I love how flawless it makes my skin look without being cakey. I am going to wear this foundation to my prom not only because of how it makes my skin look but it has no SPF (this is a positive and a negative point) but that means no flashback- yay!

I was in the market for a new black eyeliner and after hearing many rave reviews about this Topshop Magic Liner I decided to buy it. Whilst it is not the blackest eye liner out there, I love the consistency and how easy it is to achieve a perfect wing with the thin nib.

This is my second foundation purchase- bought to be worn on an every day basis. As much as I love my NARS foundation, it is so expensive that I cannot justify wearing it every day. I have read a lot of mixed reviews on this foundation, but I really like it. It wears really well, and the coverage is excellent. For a drugstore foundation, its pretty good!

Boots were holding an offer when if you bought a Rimmel Foundation (above) then you received a Fix and Perfect Pro Primer Free. I am always up for trying a new primer as I can't not wear one because of my oily skin. I really like this primer, it makes my skin feel nice and my foundation lasts relatively well with it on.

Just like everyone else, I am always on the look out for products that will help me achieve perfect skin. Whilst I am still on the hunt for it, some products have come pretty close! Again, I've heard amazing things about the Origins Clear Improvement mask. I've only used it once, so I can't comment to in depth about it, but so far so good!

My second NARS product of the haul. This is my first ever NARS blush and it is just gorgeous. Deep Throat is the most perfect peachy pink colour and I can see it looking lovely on more tanned skin in the summer. As always with the brand, the packaging is very sleek and high quality.

It is so difficult to capture how stunning this product is on camera. For two years I have wanted this beauty and after only payer £6 in the end for it, (I had a £25 voucher)! I am so excited that its finally mine. It is, of course, Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel (Bronze Universal). Probably the most gorgeous makeup item in my collection and I just can't wait to use it!

This is simply a repurchase of my favourite eye brow pencil- MAC's Lingering.

Another prom related product. My actual dress is a champagne/ nude colour, but all of my accessories are going to be rose gold (as you will see in a minute). The colour of Sally Hansen Pennies for Heaven is coming up much more bronze than it is in real life. In reality it is a beautiful shimmery, perfect rose gold shade.

This is the final instalment of the beauty part of my haul. I have tried the Bubblegum Lip Scrub from Lush in the past, and wanted a change, so I repurchased it in the Popcorn flavour.

Accessories

As a regular concert goer, a small bag is essential. I even get tired of my standard small across body bag, so before Christmas, my Mum showed me a picture of a Michael Kors Wristlet. I love Michael Kors as a brand and really feel that you get what you pay for. I have had my rose gold watch for nearly 2 years, and still love it. Inside the wristlet is a compartment especially for an iphone, room for cash and cards. It was pricy at £85 but a worthy investment in my opinion as I will always use it.

Just before Christmas, when I was shopping in Cardiff with my best friend, I spotted this Ted Baker clutch. I instantly fell in love- anything rose gold is pretty much a winner for me! The only downside was the £129 price tag. Whilst on South Molten Street (next to Bond Street tube station on Oxford Street and one of my favourite shopping spots) in the new years sales I saw it again in the Ted Baker store. Much to my utter delight, it was in the sale! I immediately knew it had to be mine and bought it for £77, which if you ask me, is a brilliant save! I have worn it once already and am planning to wear it to my prom in June.

Fashion

One of the main things I set out to buy, was another pair of Zara Leggings. I have one other pair and I seriously wear them all the time, and that's not an over statement! So much so, that a tiny hole has begun on one of the legs- hence I needed a new pair. These leggings cost £19.99, and are amazing quality.

Also from Zara are these dark indigo wash jeggins. I wore them yesterday and they incredibly comfortable. Again, they were very reasonable at £22.99 and excellent quality.

This is my final Zara purchase and possibly my favourite. I found this in the sale for the bargain price of £7.99. It is a really pretty and flattering sheer crop top. I wear it over a black cami with my jeggins above.

Last summer I had the same Primark dress in red and I wore it ALL the time! Parties, in Paris, my birthday, I got a lot of wear out of it. When I saw the same dress in pink I had to have it. It doesn't look very flattering in this picture, but it looks nice on.

Random

 As a huge fan of Made in Chelsea, and Jamie Laing; these were a must. My Mum and I have watched and loved the show since day 1, and I've actually met Jamie. I visited the Candy Kittens pop up store in 2012 and because they didn't do sweets then, I picked up a t-shirt. Now, finally, Candy Kittens have released a line of sweets and they are amazing! They are available in Selfridges at the moment. There are four flavours: Peaches and Cream, Eton Mess, Apple and Elderflower & Fizzy Watermelon (which I didn't choose). The sweets themselves are simply delicious!

I hope you enjoyed this haul!

Lots of love

Eleanor
xxx



My Christmas Presents 2013

Hi Ladies, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and Santa brought you everything you were hoping for. I certainly am a very happy girl. I spent Christmas at home with my close family. We had an amazing dinner cooked by my Dad and spent the evening playing games and Singstar. Today I'm chilling and waiting for my god parents to come round later. Last year I did a 'What Did I Get For Christmas' post and personally, I love having a snoop at other peoples presents; so here is mine!

 

I absolutely adore the first Hummingbird Bakery Book so I was thrilled to have the latest one. There are some really incredible recipes in this book and I spent a good while on Christmas Day drooling over them! This was from my parents.

This was really my main present from my parents. It came in a huge box and I really had no idea what it was. I have been wanting a proper food mixer for so long and this is exactly the sort of thing I wanted. It looks amazing and does everything I could possibly want it to. I can't wait to start using it!

 

This is a present I knew I was having. Mum bought this a while ago and let me try it on, so I could decide whether or not to keep it. I couldn't believe that it was from Primark. The quality is lovely and it is so flattering. It is definitely a contender for my New Years Eve dress.

 

Pants for Christmas is standard procedure in my house and I love getting new ones! This year Mum got me pants from Boux Avenue which is one of my favourite places to shop for lingerie. I have a few bras from there and it is great for the larger chested ladies among us.

 

This is a present from my best friend Lauren. Yes, it is a pillow case, with a head on. For those of you that don't know, this is Scotty T from Geordie Shore. My friend and I are huge fans of the show and Scotty T is my favourite person on it. It's slightly creepy how real he looks in person but it's hilarious never the less.

This present was a total surprise. Mum and I love Jo Malone products and Mum received a bottle of cologne for her birthday in November. When I saw this under the tree earlier on in December; I assumed it was for Mum as my presents don't get put under the tree until Christmas Eve when I am in bed. On Christmas Day, I put everyone's presents into piles and when I gave this to Mum to open, Dad said: 'Actually, it's for you!' I adore the scent. I was sent a sample of it a while back and fell in love. It is the perfect mix of fruity and floral and I absolutely adore it!

 

 

This is a really sweet little gift set from Lush, bought for me by my friend Louisa. I adore Lush and this box contains two of my favourite Christmas Ballistics: Cinders and the Snowman.

 

This was a present from my best friend Alex. It is such a lovely, luxurious present. Inside this gorgeous little cracker is a 'dream' hand/ body cream that is to be applied before sleep to help you rewind and relax. It has an almost 'serum' texture and makes your hands feel lovely.

 

This was a really sweet present from my Mum. It was bought at one of our local Christmas markets and Dad filled it with mini marshmallows. It looks so cute in my room! 

 

For the past three years I have used Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish religiously. Mum said that Dad chose this out when they were shopping in John Lewis and it is a really lovely set. It contains a full sized Cleanse & Polish, 1 Muslin Cloth, a mini Skin Tonic and Eye Cream. I am intrigued to try some of Liz Earle's other products so this is a great way to test them.

 

I asked my Mum for this and I adore it already. It is a gorgeous moisturiser and smells so delicious. I won't talk to much about this as I have a review planned, but it really is an amazing product.

My CD choices haven't really been lets say, 'on trend' this year. But then again, I've never been one to care about charts etc. Most of the time I listen to Musical Theatre! These are two bands that are completely different but I really like their music. I recently got back into Westlife after Kian won I'm A Celebrity and I love Landslide and Travelin' Soldier by the Dixie Chicks, so I figured I would like their other stuff. Both CD's are Greatest Hits.

 



These were in my stocking and they are amazing! Since using them my hair feels incredible. I suffer from quite oily hair and I have to wash my hair every day but this is not oily at all (not like the name would suggest) and makes my hair light weight, shiny and oil free.

 



Earlier on in the year, our parents bought my sister and I tickets to see One Direction at Wembley Arena. Mum gave us these to remind us. I've seen the boys once before and I am so excited to see them on their stadium tour.

 



I chose this a few weeks ago and my sister and Mum got one too. I thought this was a lovely quote and looks very sleek in the white frame.

 



My Mum has a 'Stackers' jewellery box and I have always loved it. Mum bought my sister and I one for our jewellery. Mine doesn't look very full, I only really wear a few key, classic pieces of jewellery. Mum chose this colour as it is very similar to the iconic colour of Tiffany's.

 



I have been wanting a tartan scarf for ages and this one from Asos is perfect It is so thick and warm and perfect for the winter days. It is the perfect length too.

 



I have had a Mulberry Style Bayswater Bag from a discount website before and I adore it. Just before Christmas, these were on the website. (They are only on for a very limited period of time, so unfortunately they are no longer available). I chose a Mulberry Style Alexa Bag and also adore this bag. The leather is lovely quality and you wouldn't believe how cheap it was becuase the quality is amazing!

I have read lots of hype on the internet about Casestagram Personalised Phone Cases. I chose photos from key and some of my favourite events that have happened to me. Some are the photos are from skiing, meeting Union J, meeting the Script, Paris, Florida, my gorgeous doggy, my funny cat and various concerts and trips to London with my best friend Lauren. I love how no one in the world has this case and it is completely unique.

 



For Christmas this year my sister and I bought each other Pandora charms. She bought me the little Fairy Tale book and it is a lovely edition to my bracelet.

This was my main present from my grandparents. They bought my sister and I a laptop each. We are both coming to stages in our school life where it is more of a necessity. I am about to start my first year of college and soon Annabelle will be doing her GCSE's. It is such an amazing laptop and it does everything I could possibly need!

 



 

 I would class myself as quite a musical person. I sing, I am grade 5 piano and grade 3 flute and recorder. I have always wanted to play a stringed instrument so Mum and Dad figured that a Ukulele is a good place to start. Within an hour I had it tuned and had learnt 4 chords and I can't wait to keep learning.

 

As I mentioned at the very beginning of this post I was waiting for my Godparents to arrive. Well I am now writing this a good 12 hours later! My very generous Godparents bought me a Pandora Bus Charm and a MAC Pigment in Tan. A review of the pigment will follow soon.

 

If you have made it to the end- well done! This is such a long post! I hope you enjoyed reading about what I received for Christmas and had a lovely day yourself.

 

Eleanor

xox