Review: Benefit Porefessional

Pores. Some people are lucky enough to avoid these... some of us not so lucky. People often compliment me on my 'clear complexion' but if only they knew! Ok, I may not get spots but boy are these bloody pores of mine a nuisance! I put up with them for years, trying to get my skin to look even and perfect with makeup on, but I found the more I put on the more visible the pores became. So I was stuck in a rut and it was fair to say these little blighters were quite frankly bugging the life out of me. I found the main problem areas were around my nose and strangely enough under my eyes (where I apply more makeup anyway because of my horrid dark circles!) and I just needed something to help. Then this beauty came into my life, and we have lived happily ever after since. 

Benefit Porefessional, £23.50, Debenhams

This is by far the best product I have ever tried for my pores, and at just £23.50 I reckon this is a real bargain. You only need a small amount so it will last you a good while and I can gurantee you will be amazed by the end results of this product. It completely fills in open pores giving a flawless matte finish to your skin so it's great for all you oily skinned girls out there! Even though Porefessional is a primer, it can also be used on top of foundation/powder ect so I find it superb for popping in my bag if I know I have a long day ahead, just to touch up any oiliness/ worn off makeup. The consistancy is rather like a skin coloured balm which I personally find more appealing than the gel base primers for the main reason I find those to be more oily on the skin. I really can not rave about this product enough, and if you're having trouble with pores you need to give Benefit's Porefessional a try. It may just change your life!

Lots of Love

xxxx

Tanaholic Review | L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Mousse

L'Oreal Sumblime Bronze Mousse, £9.99, Boots

Being the pastey pale human being that I am, there's no question about it.. I like to give myself a bit of colour. Unfortunately I'm far too lazy to keep up a regular tanning routine so that I look like a bronzed goddess all day every day, but for special occasions, nights out, or just when I'm feeling down with how ill I look without any colour I like to pop a bit of fake tan on. 

Now to all you beautiful snow white girls out there who actually suit pale skin, please don't be offended by what I am saying. I think pale skin looks gorgeous on those who can pull it off, giving you a sort of catwalk model look to your image. But for me, I simply look ill. 

I've tried tan after tan after tan, some I've loved, some I've came out looking like a dodgy coloured umpa-lumpa. But the L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Mousse is definitely a winner for me. On the first application I was majorly dissapointed with this product. I had shaken the bottle to mix the liquid and mousse together, but there was just no difference to the colour of my skin at all. After ranting and raving I had another go with it the next morning and bloody hell was I impressed!! An instant golden colour! The formula hadn't properly mixed the previous morning as the bottle was obviously full, hence the colourless mousse, but when mixed properly this tan was absolutely gorgeous.

A lot of tans these days have a green undertone to prevent them from going orange on the skin. However I'm not really a fan of that because I feel it makes the tan slightly duller and darker. I like my tan to be sunkissed and golden and this is exactly the result I got! The smell of this product is not offensive at all. It doesn't have the typical biscuity fake tan smell, but more of a summery, holiday smell. It wears quite well and last for a good 2-3 days without needing another application. I suggest putting it on before bed and then washing it off in the shower the next morning. This way any excess product is washed off meaning it won't go onto your clothes or you won't go patchy in the rain! However I will warn you that if you apply a layer of this product say on a morning, and then put another layer on on the same evening without washing the remains of the first layer off, it can go quite bitty and cling to the dry areas, so washing the excess off is very important when applying numerous layers. It dries very quickly and actually leaves your skin feeling quite nurished and hydrated which is unusual for a mousse type product.

 I just wish they perhaps did different shades in the tan say for example light, medium and dark. I love the colour it gives me but I could maybe ask for it slightly darker! Overall I think this tan is wonderful and a steal at just £9.99. I will definitely be repurchasing it again! 

Lots of Love

xxxx

Olympic Mourning :(! (/spice girls rave)

 
I'll be the first to admit I wasn't the most excited about the olympics coming to London this year. In fact I had some pretty strong feelings against it, but oh man what was I thinking?! I LOVED IT. I didn't even realise how much I loved it until sadly, it's finished and I find myself twiddling my thumbs on what to do with my days off now :(! I wasn't too impressed with the opening ceremony I won't lie and I did think little old queeny could possibly have showed a bit more enthusiasm, however the closing ceremony was simply AMAZING. oh my goodness I just loved it, from the way the centre was set out in the shape o a union jack to yes, i said it... THE SPICE GIRLS. It is actually quite ridiculous how excited I am just even writing this post and it could quickly turn into a spice girls tribute post, but I'll try and steer away from that. Being a 90's kid, spice girls was my era. I aspired to be them and when I heard they were doing a reunion at the closing ceremony I could not contain my excitement. I thought it was such good spirits of them all to particiapte, especially posh spice who we all know is a little bit stuck up her own behind these days. I won't go on about them anymore, but man did I rekindle my all time love for them. EVERYBODY OF THE WORLD, SPICE UP YA LIFE!

I also have so much respect for Gary Barlow who performed at the end. Rumors were surfacing that they had cancelled which was totally understandable regarding his families situation, but I thought for him to go on stage and perform in the way he did was extremely brave and emotional. I think the whole nation had a lot of respect for that man at the closing ceremony.

I really think Britain have done us proud with the olympics and Rio definitely have something to go up against in four years time. Quite a few people around the world of twitter were saying how they didn't think the ceremonies were any good because people in other countries wouldn't know what they were about, but I feel as we were the hosting country, our people knew what it was about and we all enjoyed it which is the main thing! Our athletes did so well too, I really can't believe how many gold medals we got after a shaky start!

This post isn't related to beauty in any way but I just had to get my bit in before we forget about the olympics for good :(! I will certainly remember these 2 weeks for a very long time, and lets hope spice girls do a uk tour?

Lots of Love
xxxx

Hair Disaster

We've all been there... sat in the hairdresser chair after having your hair, quite frankly, butchered being asked the dreaded question 'is that OK for you?'. In your head you're screaming NO! IT BLOODY WELL ISN'T WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HAIR?! But a polite 'yes, that's lovely thankyou' seems to squirm out of your mouth. After coming out of the hairdressers and moaning and moaning, people say 'well why didn't you say something' and the answer is because we are all too polite to say we don't like what the hairdresser has spent the last hour and a half doing! This ladies, is the story of my night last night.

I'm a natural blonde but of course that was ruined when I decided that I wanted to go every hair colour possible. But now I'm going back to my roots and sticking with blonde as I feel that compliments my skin tone best. For years I've had highlights put in and in all honesty, however much people say bleach ruins your hair, mine took to it quite well. I noticed last time I had my done it wasn't as blonde as I'd quite like it, so this time I asked if she could pop a little bit more in to brighten it up. Well, quite the opposite happened. My hairdresser probably put less in than she usually does, and I'm sitting there thinking, have I done something to offend her?! All i asked for is a few more blonde bits! So We started off on a bad road. Next, I asked her just for a trim (seeing as though she was determined last time to chop half my bloody hair off) and just a few longer layers putting in. I also wanted my hair thinning out a lot because it is just so thick i can't cope! After styling my hair, she said 'there you go Jordan' and I thought she meant the styling so i went to the mirror and said it was nice, and I sat back down in the chair. After a bewildered look, my hairdresser explained to me that she had finished with my hair, baring in mind I hadn't even realised she had cut my hair... Now at the time I was more bemused by the fact that my hair wasn't as blonde as it could be, and underneath it was infact still quite dark, but as I said, something inside of you just will not let you speak your mind! Then after my hairdresser had left (and after close inspection to the monstrosity of my hair) I realised that there was infact no layers in my hair, and it was still just as thick as it was before. She had made no attempt at thinning out my hair, our putting layers into it. I also noticed this time that my hair feels extremely brittle and dry and is in awful condition! It's going to take some special TLC to get my hair back on track to getting me some luscious locks! :(

Even though on the pictures my hair may look quite blonde, the light from the window was definitely doing my hair some justice. Underneath it is quite dark and even on top you can see the darker bits coming through. Why oh why has this happened?! It's fair to say I'm feeling very delicate right now, and even though yes, it is only hair, I like to think of it as my crowning glory and the fact that it is nothing at all how I wanted it just pains me a little more every time I look in the mirror. (Drama queen... cough, cough).

Have you had any hair disasters? Let me know below!!
Lots of Love
xxxx

A Bloody Bargain!

 

First of all, I do apologise about the picture quality here as you probably can't appreciate this little baby in all of it's fineness, but trust me when I say this little beauty is absolutely gorgeous! I popped into town a few days ago to run a few errands and I was buying a birthday present for an older person. I ended up in BHS (British Home Stores) around the jewellery stands when I came across this necklace. My first thoughts were, what on earth is this doing in BHS?! For all of you who aren't familiar with this shop, it sells clothing and home ware for lets say... the older generation. So I was completely gobsmacked when this little beauty popped up, as this is the sort of thing you see in Topshop at the moment! And then of course, the price was the second thing to wow me. Originally this necklace was £18, which is still probably cheaper than what you would pay in the likes of Topshop, but I got it in the sale for £5. Yes, £5!! I know, I still can't believe it now. I love a good bargain and boy did this fulfill my needs for one! There's always a feeling of satisfaction after you find something like this, and I kind of feel I've cheated BHS out of this gorgeous necklace! But hey, I'm not complaining! 

The four tiered gold chains are all different thickness' and patterns and I think this necklace just looks so expensive! I thought it would look great with a LBD on a night out just to bling it up a little. I do love a bit of bling I've got to say and this will definitely be featured in an OOTN soon! All four tiers sit beautifully, and overall I absolutely love this piece. Maybe your BHS has this left still? Go have a peak, you may be surprised what you find in there!!

Lots of Love

xxxx

My very simple skin care routine!

I'm very lucky in the fact that my skin is generally quite good. I rarely break out, the skin isn't too sensitive (unlike the rest of my body!) and I don't have that many blemishes. I could take all the credit in the world for this and say I've worked so hard to get good skin, but what's the point of lying... I've generally just been very lucky!! Now that I'm getting older, I do feel it necessary however to have a basic regime that I follow to make sure my skin stays in tip top condition and so here's just a few bits and bobs that I'm currently using.

I would like to say that none of these products are cult products that I would re-purchase again and again. I rarely stick to the same skincare, because when I run out of something I prefer to try something new to get the best out of the market :)! So here we go...

Cleanse

I have two different cleansers, one for the morning and one for the evening. On a morning I use Clean and Clear, morning energy, skin brightening daily facial wash which can be purchased from Boots for £3.99. I have quite dry skin, but for you girls who get oily this is an oil free facial wash. It has little beads in for exfoliating, however these seem to just stay at the bottom and you don't get the full use of them. The smell is very refreshing and quite citrusy so I suppose that's where it gets its name from, however I don't think my skin looked particularly more bright. The strong scent may also put you off if you have quite sensitive skin, because however lovely it smells it is rather strong. I do look for a cleanser which foams up well and this certainly does, and it also has quite a silky feel to it which is lovely on the face. All in all I don't think I will be re-purchasing this again, simply for the reason that there are just so many different cleansers out there ready to be tested!

On an evening I use the Clinique, Rinse off foaming cleanser mousse, hydro-demaquillante. I'm not sure if this is still available in the UK as I couldn't seem to find it online, however for all you lucky Europeans, Sephora in France sells this product for 23,50€. Again, this cleanser foams like an absolute dream and leaves your face feeling pampered and fresh. The scent isn't very strong at all, and I see this product as being very gentle on the skin. It is quite moisturising, however if you're someone with extremely dry skin this may not give you all the moisture that you need. Overall I really enjoy using this cleanser and if you're looking for a mild and gentle wash to cleanse your face with, I think this does the job lovely.

Tone

I do enjoy using a toner in my skincare regime. I feel like it just totally refreshes your face in between cleansing and moisturising, and it's great for getting any extra makeup that may be left on after you've cleansed. At the moment I'm using Garnier, Simply Essentials Soothing vitamin-enriched toner which you can buy from Tesco for around £3. This toner has no perfume, no alcohol and no colourants so is very kind to your skin and claims to be suitable for even sensitive skin. This product really soothes my skin and although it has no perfume it actually smells subtly very nice! It smells very natural and you can kind of feel it tingling on your skin after you've applied it which feels really nice. I think this is a great toner for the price and definitely worth a try!

Moisturise

I haven't been using this moisturiser for very long so this is kind of more of a first impressions on the Nivea, pure & natural soothing day cream for dry to senstive skin.  I would have to say for me, this is the most important step in my skincare routine, because I do get very dry skin especially around my nose area and forehead. Now out of all this things I have talked about to day, there is no doubt about it that this is the nicest smelling product out of them all. Jees I just can't stop smelling it! It has Aragin Oil and Chamomile in and the mix of the two just produces the most healthy scent ever. It's not sweet, but smells very natural and as though it would infact do your skin good! It has no parabens, no silicones, no colourants and no mineral oils, so this product is really working for the good of your skin! There was also the same moisturiser but for normal skin so if you don't need as much hydration that would perhaps be a good choice. For me however, I just wack a load of it on in the attempt not to be dry! Infact sometimes I think to myself, Jees Jordan, you know you're gonna have to calm it a bit on the moisturiser front, you're gonna make your skin oily you put that much on! But I just love it! So first impressions are extremely good for this product and I think I'm definitely going to have to try the night cream from the same range.

Eye Cream

At the moment I'm using up a sample of the Clinique, all about eyes eye serum which can be bought from House of Fraser for £24. This is very thick in consistancy, almost sticky as you're putting it around the eyes. But it certainly keeps your eyes hydrated for a long time after applying it! It claims to reduce the look of puffiness and circles, and whether it actually does this I am not yet convinced. It may soothe the puffiness, but whether it reduces dark circles? I don't think so. Personally I think the only cure for dark circles is more sleep, but if it makes you feel better putting this around your eyes then why not! I think the price is a little steep for the job it does. You can certainly get cheaper products which do just as good-a-job.

Review: Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara

Rimmel Day 2 Night mascara, Boots, £7.99

Now I know I'm a bit late jumping on the band wagon for this one, but finally I caved in and bought Rimmel's Day 2 Night mascara, and you know what ladies? Disappointing isn't even the word!!

I've gone to buy this mascara on a number of occasions now, and each time my friend has warned me away from the product saying that she has tried it and all it did was clump her lashes together. I kind of trusted her because she always has lovely lashes and so didn't buy it, however after running completely out of my Rimmel Lash Accelerator and Maxfactor 2000 Calorie Lashes, I thought what the hell, let's give it a go! So off I sneaked to the shops without this particular friend to sway my views on it, but I have to give her credit and say infact yes, she was 100% right.

I bought mine from Boots for £7.99 and I thought the price was great. If you don't know by now, this mascara has two wands that slot inside of each other (complicated I know). One brush picks up more product creating more volume in your lashes, and the other is a lengthening wand which holds less product.

After applying a first coat of the lengthening side, I didn't have high hopes. Already my lashes weren't as fanned out or lengthened as I expected, but I pursued to the volumising stage to see if it would get any better. How wrong could I have been. In trying to make my lashes 'voluminous', I achieved nothing but stubby, clumpy lashed. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not the kinda girl that can't cope with a few clumps in her lashes because quite frankly, I love layering up the mascara to get huge lashes. But this was just a no go, even for me. My lashes weren't in the least voluminous, they all stuck together like a bunch of magnets on my eyelids. 

I really don't get the hype around this product, everyone seems to love it but me?! What are your oppinions on the Day 2 Night mascara? Did you go through the same ordeal as me or was your experience totally different?!

Lots of Love

xxx 

Let's Get Naked!

Not literally, calm down girlies! No I'm talking about the infamous Naked Palette from Urban Decay. Wow, the world and his wife are obsessed with this palette, me included! There are hundreds of blog posts about this amazing palette so this is nothing new, but how could I not write about it? Offering a wide range of neutrals and darker shades, this palette is worth every single penny.

I won't lie, handing over my precious £36 worth of Christmas money was painful, but I have no regrets whatsoever! My oh-so-lovely grandad bought me this as a Christmas present because quite frankly girls, i'm not the kinda person who just has £36 lying around to spend on one beauty purchase. I'm a student! So i thought this was a marvelous opportunity to have a little splurge and just go for it. Was I disappointed? Not one little bit. Like me you may be thinking this product is a little on the pricey side, but look at it this way... You are not only getting 12 beautiful shades (12 eyeshadows from mac at their current price of £12 would cost you a wopping £144), but you're also getting the Urban Decay shadow brush and a mini primer potion. I mean come on ladies, does that not justify the price even a small bit?!

Ubran Decay Naked Palette, Debenhams £36 

So from left to right, here are the colour names: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal. You can get any desired look with this palette, whether it's a very minimalistic neutral eye or a dark smokey eye for the evening, you need no other palette! The shade Buck can also be used on the brows for definition, and both Virgin and Sin are great for a highlight colour. I believe these shades would suit all skin tones and make any colour eyes pop.

I use this palette practically everyday and absolutely adore it like most people who own it. Whether I shall be purchasing the Naked 2 palette I am still unsure of, but for now I am more than satisfied with this product and would urge anyone who is put off by the price to just go for it! I can guarantee you will love it just as much as I do :)!

Lots of Love

xxx

Anti-Frizz Miracle!

Ok ladies, I am here today to bring you all a miracle. Do you suffer from frizzy, uncontrollable hair? I for one am prone to this and find it difficult to tame my raging mane. After trying de-frizz product after de-frizz product i thought nothing would help my wild hair until one day I went out and bought the 'Aussie Dual Personality, Anti-Frizz + Conditioning Milk'.

Now don't get me wrong, I have tried several Aussie products and I don't believe all of them do what they claim to, but I am willing to give any anti-frizz product a go! I hadn't heard much about this and wasn't intending on purchasing it, however I am so glad that I did! Pop a 10 pence piece size pump in the palm of your hand and apply it to clean wet hair, then sit back and watch this little baby work its magic! I first noticed how amazing this product was after letting my hair dry naturally after it had been combed through. Usually if I brush out my curls when my hair is wet, I end up with something that quite frankly resembles the look of a birds nest on my head. However this time I noticed that my hair was no-where near as frizzy, and I was left with soft, fluffy waves. It honestly looked like I'd used a waving wand on my hair... unbelievable! The product claims to have a flexible hold, and I couldn't agree more! I could still get volume in the top of my hair and it stayed willingly. My hair was soft to touch and sleek in appearance. A true miracle.

So girls if you're struggling with unruly hair, why not give this a go? I bought mine from Boots for £4.99 but plenty of places sell it, including Tesco, Superdrug, Asda... Could this really be the anti-frizz product to solve all of our problems?

Lots of love

xxx

'Aussie Dual Personality, Anti-Frizz + Conditioning Milk'.Boots- £4.99

This or That Beauty Tag!

Ok so I wasn't tagged by anyone to do this, but who cares! I thought I'd give it a go so you could have a little insight into what I prefer! If you want to do this tag leave a link to it in a comment and I'd love to have a read :)!

MAKE-UP:

Blush or Bronzer

Bronzer! It can be used for contouring, all over glow or even as a blush.

Lipgloss or Lipstick

Lipstick! It has longer staying power than lipgloss.

Eyeliner or Mascara

Mascara 100%. Lashings and lashings of it I just can't get enough!

Foundation or Concealer

Foundation. If it's only a few lumps and bumps here and there that you have to cover just apply a light layer of a lighter coverage foundation!

Neutral or Color (eyeshadow)

For everyday, neutral. I really love wearing browns/coppers/creams... during the day. A light brown smokey eye never goes out of fashion! However if we're talking more of an evening look for going out, it's a black smokey eye all the way!

Pressed or Loose (eyeshadow)

Pressed. Loose pigments are just a pain in the butt! I can guarantee 9 times out of 10 they will go everywhere, and that's just opening the product!

Brushes or Sponges

Brushes. There's just so many to choose from!

BODY:

Perfume or Body Splash

Perfume! I think I'd feel kinda manly splashing on a fragrance, it's something my dad used to do!

Lotion or Body Butter

I'd have to say Body Butter because I have really dry skin and they're so richly nourishing. However I hate the sticky feeling after applying!

Body Wash or Soap (bar)

Oh come on we aren't in the stone ages! Body wash all the way! 

NAILS:

OPI or China Glaze

OPI, gorgeous shades.

Long or Short

Long, long, long, long, long!

Acrylic or Natural

Natural nails! However for all those girls like me with stubby nails, there's only one way forward and that's acrylics!

Brights or Darks
Brights :)

Thankyou very much for reading! Leave your responses below :)
Lots of love

xxx

Nail envy

Every new year since I can remember, my resolution has been to stop biting my nails. Have I ever succeeded? Have I heck! I personally think it is a disgusting habit, and when I see other people doing it I literally cringe inside, so why can't I stop myself?!

There are so many beautiful colours of nail varnish on the market these days, thousands infact, but they just do not look pretty on scabby, bitten nails! I really feel like nail varnish helps finish off an outfit, and whether its in-your-face brights your sporting or more cool, subtle colours on your nails, I feel they somehow bring a sense of daintiness to a person which I myself, am very jealous of! Here are just a few that have taken my fancy!
 

So as of now, I am making a conscious effort to pack this very annoying and unattractive habit in! Yes, the amount of times I've used this line in my life is extortionate, but this time I am in it for the long run! If you have any tips or tricks on how you stopped biting your nails I would love to know. As Tesco says, every little helps!
Lots of love
xxx

Like a Magpie

If there is one thing i love in life excluding makeup, it's jewelry. I am literally jewelry obsessed!! I was once referred to as being like a magpie because I am instantly attracted to anything sparkly or shiny, I just can't help myself! You can have the most plain outfit, and with a bit of glitz you can be glammed up in seconds! A few necklace's layered, an arm full of bangles, big statement earrings, there's so much to choose from. Of course you wouldn't wear everything at the same time, however if I had my way there wouldn't be a finger ringless!  For me there's just something exciting about jingling as you walk, it kind of reminds me of the old school gypsy's you used to hear about where every inch of them would be covered in jewelry!

 

Here's just a few pieces I randomly selected from the Topshop website, all of which I am in love with!  If you hadn't guessed by now, i'm loving triangled, crosses and very tribal looking pieces! I'm aware that there are many little online boutiques that sell amazing jewelry, so if you have any recommendations I would love to check them out.

Lots of love

xxx

Just a quick hello!

Well, here it goes... I officially started blogging! After years of being a beauty addict, I finally caved in to the world of blogging and thought I'd give it a shot! So let me tell you a little bit about myself. 

I'm a 19 year old student who is simply in love with beauty and fashion. In my day to day life I found it difficult to interact with friends about this passion, because if you're not part of the huge beauty community, you simply just do not get it! I'd ramble on and on to people about this amazing new product, or how fabulous this lipstick was, and they just stared through me with a vacant smile as if to say 'please shut up now Jordan!'. So here I find myself! Having those same conversations but with people who actually care about how amazing the new face powder is, people who have the same dilemma's as me on a morning.. do I go with the peach lipgloss or the baby pink?! Such a tough decision...

Anyway, before I ramble even more and bore you all to death I shall wrap up quickly! I hope you enjoy reading my regular rants and raves as much as I will enjoy writing them, and I look forward to hopefully being part of the vast growing beauty community! 

Lots of love :)! 

xxx