Zara City Office Bag.

Just a veryyy brief post to say Happy Tuesday! And also share with you guys my latest purchase which has kind of defined true love for me. 

After lusting after this along with everything else Zara have brought out in the their new collection, I took the plunge and went to make a purchase yesterday. 

I was a bit hesitant to buy this directly off of the website because i'm really picky when it comes to bags, and if there's nothing I hate worse then pleather that's really awful, obvious, and makes the bag look really cheap. 

But, when I went into my local Zara to check out the situ, i was so relieved to find that this doesn't have that cheap pleather look or feel about it. In fact, it looks and feels a little different to other bags that I've eyed up, and for that, it's been given top marks.

It's perfect for uni with the middle section being padded for your laptop, and all the little compartments for me to fully embrace the little neat freak inside me. 

It even has a pocket big enough for to hold my eyeliner, lip balm and hand cream as well as a little section specifically for your phone. 

Now seriously, what more could you possibly ask for? 

This is perfection in bag form in my eyes, and I'll be loving and cherishing it all season long. 

The Le Roche-Posa Effclar Range

So in my wish list, I mentioned the good old Effclar Duo which seems to be generating a bit of a cult following. It's safe to say that I jumped on the bandwagon and went and made a very cheeky purchase to see if it was worth the hype!

La Roche-Posay's Effclar Duo promises to reduce the appearance of imperfections and claims to unclog sebum-blocked pores. In very basic terms, it's aimed at those who suffer with breakouts and wish to keep them at bay. The texture of the serum is very light and actually acts as a really good makeup base, so really, you're getting your money's worth.

 For the majority of us, this is what dreams are made of. 

When I went into Boots I was greeted with a 2 for £15 on the Effclar range, and well... it would have been rude not to, let's face it. 

So as I grabbed the very last Duo (It was fate), this 'astringent lotion micro-exfoliant' just happened to slip into my basket, and I'm glad it did!

I originally use to use Clarins Daily Energizer Wake-Up Booster, but to be perfectly honest, it didn't work too well with my skin deopite my absolute love for the face wash from this range, and I never really saw the difference even after using it for a while. 

So, I kind of lost my faith in toners for a while. Until now. 
The lotion is gentle whilst leaving me satisfied that my skin is as clean as it will get, and knowing that it will help with the prevention of breakouts is a complete bonus for me. 
It says that you can use the lotion in the morning and/or evening, but I've been using this in the evenings only at the moment because I kind of feel that it's enough and it also takes off any make up that has clung to my face for dear life after I've used my Clarins daily energizer cleansing gel.   

I follow this up of course, with the Effclar Duo. The feel of this serum is beautiful. 
It's light and doesn't leave your skin feeling tacky due to residue like some serums can. 
It sinks in like a dream, and I have actually stopped using my tea tree primer before applying my make up for the day because this does the trick all by itself. 

So is all this coverage and hype worth it? 
I would say yes... possibly. Bearing in mind that I haven't even been using this for a week yet so I don't feel like I could give you an accurate over view of how it's affecting my skin on a long term basis. 
Time will have to tell!
But initial thoughts, is that this is a lovely little added extra to anyone's skin care routine, and with the cheeky little offer boots are providing at the moment, there's no excuses not to give it a go to give it your own seal of approval!

Face It.

I know this is such a well covered kind of blog post, but I love seeing what products other people use in their everyday make up because I like having a look at what people have made their go to and couldn't live without products.

That, and I'm a bit nosey haha

So, I think it's only fair that as I've been having a good old nose at what other people have been putting on their faces, it's only fair that I share the contents of my make up bag too.

  

To kick off, I will admit to not having a proper foundation at the moment. As I type that it sounds a bit strange because I think foundation is probably top dog in my make up bag, but let me explain. I banged on about samples in this post and as you can see, I practise what I preach! That tiny little sample is of yves saint laurent le teint touche éclat foundation is a seven day tester and believe it or not, it's lasting me way over the seven days AND I'm using plenty to give me a good coverage! 

If that doesn't scream 'winning foundation' I don't know what does and I will definitely be purchasing a full size soon... right after I've sampled Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation too, just to satisfy my curiosity!

Next is by far the best foundation brush that has ever graced my face. I use to use the mac foundation brush, but Real Technique's Face Brush now has a place in my heart and I can't see it budging any time soon. It gives a more airbrushed a natural look to your foundation and I really can't fault it even down to price. It's beautiful and I would recommend it over and over again.

I'm a little ashamed of my next two, as they are a little old and I think I need to update on the blusher and blusher brush front. But, these two have worked so well for me for so long that I just can't really bring myself to part with them just yet. Some of you may not even recognise the packaging of this mac blusher because it is a tinyyy bit old, but it has two tones that suit my skin tone so well with one having a little bit of shimmer that gives a nice healthy glow. 

Eyebrows have been a big thing for a while now, and I think it's really important to be careful when tackling the brow issue. Some girls like the more 'drawn on' look whilst others go for a more natural approach. I'm on the natural side of things, and so I use my brow palette to fill and give a bit more definition. The shape of your brows can define your face and it's amazing what a bit of maintenance can do! Benefits Brow Tingz is a complete must have for me, and I love the cute little tweezers that come with it too!

Keeping with the Benefit theme is 'They're Real!' mascara which is the UK's number one at the moment and to be fair, I can kind of see why. I don't use eyeliner all the time, so I depend on my mascara to give me a bit of definition and flutter! There's no disputing that it's an absolute beaut mascara, but there is one slight down side...

Taking it off!

The only make up remover that will make this little stunner budge is good old Bioderma, and so if you're relying on a normal facial wash, be prepared for a good old scrub to get it off!

Last is a bit of a boring one, but I wouldn't be caught dead without my Blistex. I suddenly got really dry lips at the very beginning of the uni year in September and no amount of Carmex or Dr Harris would give me smooth healthy lips again. A friend recommended Blistex to me, and I haven't looked back. I like to smear this on just before I go to bed so that I wake up with super soft lips in the morning, and then apply through out my day as and when I need it. 

   

Try Before You Buy

The amount of times that I have bought a foundation in Boots, taken it home and then realised that in the natural light that it's completely the wrong shade... well, I've lost count. I think that's the same with a lot of products and so I come onto the topic of this post...

Samples!

The first few times I asked for a sample, I felt a bit guilty. Like I was just scamming them into giving me a few freebies (I'm a student, I have no shame when it comes to freebies and especially coupons, I'm not even going to try to hide it!) but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense to just ASK! 

I'm developing a slightly more expensive taste in products, just because I'm coming to realise that sometimes, it's worth the extra in terms of quality, but also how long a product lasts. But before I take the plunge and shell out a mini fortune on something, I think it's only fair to ask for a sample before hand.

I think this is really for important people to be aware of and know that they can ask for a 'try before you buy' and not feel pressured into buying something on the spot. Take for example foundation as my top example. The lighting in stores is horrendous and you should always test your colour match in the natural light, but you can't do this without taking the product out of the store, and taking it home. Your skin also has to adapt to new products and sometimes you need to try something out over the space over a few days to make up your mind.

Recently, I went to overcome this exact problem. I wanted to try out the infamous yves saint laurent le teint touche éclat foundation, but instead of going in to Boots and coming out with a foundation I had no guarantee with, the lovely lady who matched me gave me a seven day sample and I can confirm, that it has in fact lasted me more than seven days and I think I may have found my first true foundation love. 

Origins have also gone up a notch or two in my books after I was caught lusting over the Drink-Up Intensive which is on my wish list. But instead of pushing for a sale, the woman gave me a small pot and suggested I fill it up with whatever I like, take it home and see how I get on. How nice? THAT'S what makes me want to go back, and that's why I could so easily spend my whole day in Boots talking to all these lovely people about skin care and all things make up.

So moral of this post? 

Try before you buy.

I promise you that you will not regret it, and you will 100% feel more satisfied putting your hard earned money into something you can guarantee will work for you and give you the results that will keep you repurchasing.  

mbp

xxx

Wish List

I'm usually very guilty of having a wish list as long as my arm, but for the sake of this blog, and to make sure it doesn't end up being about a million pages long, I've gone for my top 6! 

1) First of all, I saw these leggings on Warehouse before Christmas and fell in love with them then, but being a non working student and with a very strict budget for Christmas I had to let them go. But, along came the sales and there they were in all their glory on the website. With monochrome and patterned trousers being so big for Spring and Topshop sporting very similar patterns, I'm surprised (and ohhh so grateful) that these haven't already gone out of stock and people haven't already snapped them up... 

With a friendly £15 price tag, I think these are a right little hidden gem!

 2) With this next one... you may laugh, and you may wonder what sort of blog you've come across, but before you write me off as nuts, bear with me. Mane and Tail can and is used on horses to improve the shine and conditions of their manes and tails (hence the name). But, this is a product that has swum across the atlantic from the States and is fast becoming a big thing for achieving healthier and faster growing hair. It's not available in the UK, but fortunately, good old eBay isn't short of many top rated sellers all providing us with a steady stream of this product, averaging out at about £10 for both the shampoo and condition and including p&p.

For that sort of price, I'm more than willing to give it a go, all in the name of a healthy, nourished hair. 

3) I know you may be a little tired of reading posts on this, but I'm a sucker for trying out things that have been tried, tested and given the stamp of approval by the blog-sphere. I have normal to dry skin, and suffer with the occasional break out every now and again, and so if this will prevent these unfortunate breakouts then it's a winner in my mind. It's also meant to be a good make up base. Multiple uses is always a winner for me! 

Boots are also doing a 2 for £15 on the Efclar range, so I'm thinking of purchasing this along with the clarifying lotion for good measure!        

4) I was hmm-ing over putting Moroccan Hair Oil down on my Christmas wish list, but something stopped me. It was only until I heard about this cheeky little bottle that I knew that my gut instinct was bang on point and I was right to refrain from caving into the hefty price tag. Primark have done us proud yet again, and this Hask Hair Oil can be found in their stores for an amazing £2.50. Whether it'll live up to expectations is another matter, but for the sake of £2.50, it went straight to the top of my wish list. 

5) I'm a Clarins girl through and through and haven't been this happy with my skin care regime for a veryyy long time. But, although my facial cleanser works wonders, my skin is starting to feel a little dry at times, and it's crying out for a bit of love on the moisture front. Origins has always appealed to me, but I've never really felt an over whelming need to buy one of their products. Until now. I'm dying to give the Drink-Up Intensive  a go. You apply it at night, and whilst you sleep, it works it's magic promising nourished skin in the morning. It's so easy you can do it with your eyes closed (literally). 

6) Last, but by no means least is this little stunner courtesy of Zara. Zara can do no wrong in my eyes, and I would buy the whole store if I could. Strangely enough, I'm not usually one to go mad over high street bags, but this one would be so perfect for uni with all the separate compartments, and it looks so grown up and elegant that I can only explain its creation by suggesting that it was made to fill the black grown up bag hole that's currently in my life.   

Mmm...

I'm a huge fan of blogs. I hadn't even looked at one this time last year and then all of a sudden, I was coming across pretty pictures on Instagram, stumbled across a few blogs and before I knew it,  I was completely hooked. I think the majority of my purchases are influenced by blogs, and I think there's something nice and personal about someone giving you their true opinion of products. Because let's face it, how many times have you bought a product promising you the world only to be left with yet another face wash or foundation that just doesn't quite live up to your expectations.

So in the midsts of my reading, raving and purchasing, my friend suggested that I get a piece of the action, take the plunge, and shock horror... start one of my own. There's one thing reading someone else's master piece of a blog, but another creating your own! But after thinking. Cringing a little that I may just end up talking to myself. And then thinking some more... Here is my first post as a little hello to the world of blogging...

mbp 

xxx