Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in Live Pink

Hiddley Ho Ladies,

With Boots running a 3 for 2 promotion currently, I needed a third item when picking up two other items a few weeks back, and decided on a whim to pick up the Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in Live Pink, as it was beautiful when swatched - buttery soft, pigmented, and a beautiful deep pink with subtle gold shimmer running through it.

I was concerned that it might be a little too harsh on my skin tone, or highlight imperfections on my skin, be it blemishes or pores, as shimmer or anything overly pink-toned can sometimes be a little unforgiving on me - but I'm pleased to say that it doesn't.

For a night out, I'd be inclined to really pack this on, but for daytime I'm glad that it can be worn in a more subtle fashion for a warm pink glow, without any of that obvious, gritty shimmer often prevalent in lower end blushes.

Although it's always impossible to get a true picture of something's finish from a photograph, I'd say that this is one of the few blushers that makes my skin look like it's glowing from within.

Whilst the packaging is ultra basic, it does mean that it's dinky and easy to store, and you just can't beat these Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blushes for their buttery soft texture and pretty shades - all for just £3.99. I only wish that Rimmel had this exact formulation for their blushes when I was a teen, as for those on a budget, these are an incredible buy!

What do you think of the Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in Live Pink?

What's your absolute favourite high street/drugstore blusher?

Anyway my lovely ones, enjoy the rest of your weekend... I'm currently embarking on a Ryan Gosling perve-fest, for no other reason then I can!

♥ CLB ♥

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Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipsticks - It Girl and High Heels

Hiddley Ho Ladies,

I hope that you all had great long Easter weekends, and at least had some time off from work/studies...

I picked up the Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipsticks in It Girl and High Heels last week, and my first thought was "£8.99 for a high street lip product is pretty darn pricey".

In any case, Superdrug were running a 3 for 2 promotion, so I decided to get two, and something else which I posted about here.

I realised that I don't have a true baby pink or a subtle orange shade in my collection, which I was why I plumped for these gorgeous shades.

 I really love the packaging of the Ultimate Suede Lipsticks, as the clear lids are unique, and once again, I love that Revlon have designed their packaging to coordinate with the colour of the product inside.

Whilst the Ultimate Suede Lipsticks do glide on beautifully, I found that very quickly they feel a little tacky on the lips. Not slimy or sticky like lipgloss can, but tacky, like I'd just been eating something sweet, and my lips were sticking together a little - not good.

Furthermore, whilst these don't initially highlight imperfections on the lips, I've found that they can be pretty drying, and along with feeling unpleasant, small imperfections that I didn't even know I had were very obvious as soon as the product began to wear off. However, when I tried to remove the lipstick, it had stained my lips, in particular, the dry patches, which looked really horrible and wouldn't budge at all - bad times.

Furthermore, the darker shades in this range can really stain, so be weary of that if/when swatching these in the shop - as it took two or three days, and copious amounts of scrubbing, to completely rid my hands of stains.

High Heels

It Girl

 

In summary, I quite like these Revlon Ultimate Suede Lipsticks - they are creamy when applied, the colour range is fantastic, the packaging lovely, and the staying power good. But, you definitely need to make sure that lips are in tip top condition before applying these, and it's essential to have a balm or gloss to hand, if you're someone who doesn't like anything that becomes too matte or overly drying.

These are my least favourite lip products across the Revlon range, and I don't know if I will pick up any more of these, as whilst they are OK, they are at the top end of high street make-up pricing, and there are far better products available for far less money.

Do you love the Revlon Ultimate Suede Lipsticks? Or are you slightly less enamoured as I am?

♥ CLB ♥ 

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Revlon Girly Nail Enamel

Hiddley Ho Ladies & Happy Easter!

It's not often that I post about nails on my blog, it's not that I don't love nail polish etc - quite the contrary, but I'm not terribly adventurous with nail art, and by not terribly adventurous, I mean not adventurous or skilled in the slightest!

That means that glitter polishes are slowly becoming my best friend, as they at least add a little interest to the nail, and are pretty much fool-proof. When I saw Revlon Nail Enamel in Girly I knew that it was coming home with me, and as Superdrug were running a 3-for-2 promotion across Revlon cosmetics, and I had my eye on two other items, it was simply meant to be ladies...

Isn't she a beauty?

It's a lilac polish, with the most incredible glitter that I've ever seen in a single polish - pale pink, purple, lilac, blue & a sort of coppery rose gold shade.

I didn't fancy applying four of five layers for a totally opaque finish, so applied Barry M Berry Ice Nail Paint first, as it's a beautiful lilac that provided a nice base, and then topped it off with Girly.

 

I think that it's a really pretty effect and lovely for Spring/Summer especially.

When it comes to nail polish I tend to either quite like higher end brands such as Nails Inc, or absolutely bargain basement ones such as Barry M, so £6.49 is a bit of a strange price point to me. Having said that, I guess that it's accessible to most, and with a friend's birthday approaching in a few weeks, I'm thinking of picking up one of these for her too, as I can't imagine any girly girl who loves doing her nails, not liking this.

I would like to add that I do not have a particularly bad fake tan job going on my fingers below - a) I haven't fake tanned in over four years, and b) it's actually a bit of eczema on my fingers.
You gotta see the polish on though right?!

Are you a big fan of the Revlon Nail Enamels? Any recommendations?

Do you like this Revlon Girly Nail Enamel?

 

Girly is available to buy HERE, and you can see my nail polish collection and storage HERE.

 

Anyway my lovely ones, enjoy the rest of your Easter weekend - I'm staying at Bojan's parent's house this weekend, and already I realise that his mum is making three kinds of pastry for breakfast, then we have two soups, roast lamb and every kind of trimming that you can imagine to accompany the meat for lunch - not to mention homemade chocolate brownies, macaroons, triple layer chocolate cake and fruit salad for pudding! His mum then genuinely asked me if I thought we'd need more Easter eggs, despite all of the food that I just mentioned, and the fact that every surface downstairs is covered in some form of chocolaty goodness... obesity is calling me girls...

 

Once again - Happy Easter!!

♥ CLB ♥ 

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Read my last Sneak Peek at the Week here

Sneak Peek at the Week #5

Hiddley Ho Ladies... and Happy Easter weekend!

This week's Sneak Peek at the Week comes two days early, but with having today off, and knowing that I might not get a chance to post on Sunday, I thought why not eh?!

I'm probably one of the only people who loves Easter just as much as I love Christmas! Most people tend to get four days off of work, the weather is usually nicer than Christmas, there's none of the hype or ludicrous expense of Christmas, just lots of time with loved ones, films on TV, and hopefully roast lamb and loads of chocolatey goodness!

As it was payday this week I treated myself to a few new things, after saving so much last month, I felt that I deserved it; but goodness knows that I must be good over the next few weeks, as I am saving like a mofo for our new place!

Dorothy Perkins Pink Twill Prom Dress - currently 30% off at £21 - LINK

I thought that this would be a beautiful dress for work, as I like the bright coral-y red colour, the thick, good quality material and the shape. I think that it's an excellent price for something that I'll get so much wear out of too.

Warehouse Black Stripe Boyfriend Tee - £15 - LINK

I've avoided Breton tops for a while, as I felt horizontal stripes wouldn't be a friend to me, as my top half is slightly bigger than my bottle half; but I couldn't help but think that they look so chic. This top looks nice with so many things, and as my surname is Le Breton, it's only right that I own a Breton top right?!

Primark "Mathlete" Tee - £4

Slogan tees aren't for me, but Mean Girls is my favourite film of all time, so I had to get this! I plan on wearing it with little black shorts for bed, and would hasten to add that it has the smallest opening for your head to go through EVER! You can see the smudge of foundation from where I forced my head in from here... needless to say I've cut some slits at the side of the neck now, and popped it into the wash :o)

Primark Black & Gold Stud Belt - £3

This belt jumped out at me, as it's simply gorgeous, and I think that it will be especially great for Summer. It's going to look great with so many different items, and I just love all of the detailing and studding, and the fact that Topshop would charge around £25 for it - I can't wait to wear it!

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede in It Girl & High Heels - £8.99 each - LINK & LINK

My friend Lucy alerted me about these a few weeks back, having seen them on holiday in America, and being a Revlon lip release I knew that they'd be amazing and that I'd be picking at least one up. I do think Revlon have overpriced them at £8.99 each, and if it wasn't for the fact that Superdrug were running a 3-for-2 promotion, then I would have probably limited myself to just one. I adore the packaging of these, and am super excited to give them a try.

As I could get a free item I decided to pick up the...

Revlon Nail Enamel in Girly - £6.49 - LINK

Can you believe that this is my first Revlon nail polish?! As soon as I saw this Nail Enamel I knew that I had to have it, so am super thrilled to get it for free as part of the promotion.

 

Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub - £3.57 - LINK & Batiste Dry Shampoo Dark & Deep Brown - £1.95 - LINK 

The Garnier Sugar Scrub is my favourite scrub of all time, it is INCREDIBLE! I use it on both my body and face, and despite how amazing it is, and how much that I love it - I think that it's a little pricy at £7.15 usually. Seeing that it was half price, I decided to pick up two, and even better than that, it wasn't until I got home that I realised I was only charged for one - so I got two scrubs for half the price of one scrub usually - result!

I was fresh out of my favourite dry shampoo, but again, it is a little pricy at £3.99 a can, so I was thrilled to see it on offer for £1.95.

All in all, I'm thrilled with the things that I picked up and I hope that you liked seeing them too.

 

Anyway I'll leave you all now, but would like to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Easter and hope that you all eat yourselves into chocolate comas this weekend... the above chocolate overload all came from my brother, and doesn't include the sweet treats that I received from other people - odd really, as he knows that I don't really have a sweet tooth!

I'm sure that I know a few people who will be only too happy to take some of these off of my hands...

♥ CLB ♥

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17 Miracle Matte Skin Primer

Hiddley Ho Ladies,

I've been wanting a new face primer for sometime, but having tried lots of different ones from both ends of the price spectrum, there wasn't any that I would repurchase; not from MAC, Benefit, The Body Shop, MUA - nothing.

When I was in Boots however, the 17 Miracle Matte Skin Primer jumped out at me, and I just love the packaging! I love that the tube is the colour of foundation, as it will automatically stand out as a "base product" in my make-up drawers. I also really like the hot pink lid and simple, clean fonts.

The primer is £4.99, so really inexpensive, and I've found the results to be amazing.

I haven't used a primer under my foundation for a few months now, and immediately I can tell the difference when I use this under my day-to-day foundation - Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation. It really does help the longevity of my foundation, as well as provide a really nice base for the foundation to go on beautifully. I also applied it under Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation, and gosh, the results are flawless skin - absolutely beautiful. There was still a little of the usual creasing with Double Wear, but then again, there always blooming well is!

The primer itself looks like a pretty bog standard white lotion, but as soon as you apply it to the skin, it becomes really thick and dries immediately; and if you try to really spread and work it into the skin, it can become a bit flaky if that makes sense? Therefore it's best if you apply little amounts at a time, and pat it onto the skin rather than spreading or buffing it in.

Something that makes me chuckle about this product is the 22 hours shine control claims - what a random figure!

I've really no idea if it could last that long on some people, or if they'd ever need it to, but I do need a light powdering after five hours or so, which isn't half bad for an oily-skinned girly like myself.

So to summarise, this provides a great base for foundation, not only helping it to glide on easier, but also (I genuinely believe) providing a flawless finish, as foundation builds beautifully over this. It definitely assists with oil control, keeps make-up in place much longer, I love the packaging and the bargain price, and would definitely recommend this to anyone, especially those seeking a shine-free finish.

Have you tried the 17 Miracle Matte Skin Primer?

♥ CLB ♥

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Sneak Peek at the Week #4

Hiddley Ho Ladies,

It's been a fortnight since my last post and in that time I've done a little shopping, well actually a LOT of shopping, but it's mostly been for our new home, so it totally doesn't count right?! OK it does count, as the few things we've bought were large purchases and have cost us an absolute fortune (who knew the boy had such expensive taste?) I suppose I can admit to be super excited by the things we've bought too... though we still have wardrobes, a couple of small furniture items and lots of little bits and pieces to get, not to mention choosing paint colours, but we'll wait until the current tenants leave in two weeks time for that.

I'm in no rush to move in, I just want to get everything clean, painted and set up, before I descend on the flat with my hoards of boxes!

Beauty-wise, all of my purchases were made/arrived this week, and as you can see from the below I got two Sigma brushes, SIXTEEN WEEKS AFTER ORDERING THEM! I'm appalled at Sigma's customer service, they refused to refund me once they admitted my parcel was lost after fourteen weeks of waiting, and instead said that they would resend my order and then it was up to me to return it - knowing full well that most people won't pay the overseas shipping costs to return it. At no point during my conversations with Sigma did they offer me an apology - not even once.

Disgraceful and disgusting service in my eyes.

In any case, I received their Small Contour - F05 and Precision Flat Angled - P88 brushes; with both working out to be exactly £10 each after the exchange rate was applied.

Also in the parcel was a complimentary Eyeliner E05 brush, which I must admit is a gorgeous shade of pink, and I'm glad to have.

Despite my misgivings with Sigma's customer services, the brushes do look lovely, and I'll pop a full review up shortly. However, I know that no matter how good they may well turn out to be, I will NEVER order from Sigma again - NEVER.

I was running super late for work on Thursday so only had a chance to apply my foundation and brows before running out the door. I packed my make-up bag full of things to finish my make-up once I got to work, and like a total idiot, I obviously forgot the whole thing. Now I'm not so shallow that I can't leave the house without make-up on, but the problem is that I looked really weird because my skin was all one colour from the foundation, as I had no blush or anything on my lips, and I looked even more featureless as my brows were the only defined thing on my face!

I told myself that I couldn't get a whole new make-up bag of things as it would be wasteful/unnecessary, and the Boots near my work is pretty crap anyway - so I limited myself to a Rimmel Apocalips in Nova (so irritating as I already have it, but I thought I'd picked up Celestial), Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer in Soft Beige and Rimmel Extreme Black Volume Flash Mascara.

It was unintentional that I chose all Rimmel items, but I guess subconsciously I realised that you can always rely on Rimmel for good quality, budget items - especially their mascaras.

I'd found some pressed powder in the bottom of my bag, but having nothing to apply it with (my brushes were in my make-up bag at home), I decided to pick up some cheap facial sponges. The sales assistant told me it was 3 for 2 across all cosmetics, and did I want to get another two items? Girls I was like Wile E Coyote, I couldn't get back to the make-up stand fast enough!

I had been desperate to pick up the 17 Miracle Matte Skin Primer as I wanted a new primer, but not something in the realms of £20+, and the fact that I think the packaging is gorgeous, and it claims to help keep things matte, meant it was a no brainer for me.

Last but not least, the Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in Live Pink jumped out at me, and having already tried the Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blushes before, I know that I was on to a winner.

 

 I'll pop full reviews up of everything in due course, as there are some really great items here.

Have you tried any of the above items? Thoughts?

Anyway my lovely ones, I'm off to play with the virtual wardrobe planner on the Ikea website, and to watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Have a fabulous Sunday all!

♥ CLB ♥

 Instagram ~ BlushCrush
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REN Clearcalm 3 Replenishing Night Serum

Hiddley Ho Ladies,

As some of you already know from this post, I've gone dairy free in a bid to help my skin, and whilst it's gone quite well, I'm still left with some pretty pigmented scars, and uneven skin tone. Whilst I don't seem to really be getting any new spots/breakouts, the ones that once were, still very much are!

I picked up the REN Clearcalm 3 Replenishing Night Serum as it claims to reduce the appearance of pigmented scars, reduce redness and leave skin feeling soothed, calm and comfortable, all the while battling against the causes of spots.

Scarring is definitely my main problem, but I'm worried that if I do start breaking out again then I'll need something for those times at night, when my skin is red and sore, and I know that it needs moisture, but I don't want to irritate it further by slapping on super heavy creams.

REN advise that you apply the Replenishing Night Serum in the evening, to cleansed skin, which I usually do; however, I've also worn it under make-up during the day, and found that it didn't "upset" my make-up in anyway.

That being said, I'm sure that this product is ideally used on clean skin, and when it really has a chance to get to work i.e. when you're asleep.

The serum is white and of a medium thickness, and I was surprised to find that it was surprisingly moisturising. I tend to apply it to the bottom half of my face, and then apply my usual night cream to my forehead etc, and the Replenishing Night Serum leaves my skin feeling nourished, which I wasn't expecting from something that is intended for those with spot-prone skin.

Having used this serum approximately 4-5 times a week, for 3 weeks now, I think it has definitely helped my skin. It's really helping to fade and erase my existing scars, and I think that it's having a calming and preventative effect on my skin in general.

My skin is by no means perfect, because I fell ill, and then fell off of the dairy-free wagon, but it's definitely looking more even in terms of colour, and the surface of my skin is the smoothest it's been in a long while.

If you're looking for immediate results then this product is not for you, as I think whilst results were noticeable for me pretty quickly, it is still a slightly gradual process, where you'll see it work its magic over a series of days/weeks. Also, this isn't something I find myself using everyday as I still want the odd night where I can slap on my serums and heavy night creams, or use a treatment such as Alpha H Liquid Gold; so I tend to use this around four times a week.

In summary, I think that if you suffer with pigmented or raised scarring then this could really help you. Whilst it isn't dirt cheap at £22, it will last you absolutely ages, as (clichéd as it sounds), a little goes a really long way. You won't be cured of scars overnight, but you should see an improvement within a couple of days, and for those of you who want something to deal with actual blemishes, I think you'll find that this really does help turnaround time, and minimises the redness and pain that inevitably comes with them - all the while leaving your skin feeling soothed and taken care of.

This is definitely a product that I'll continue to use, and I don't regret purchasing it in the slightest. I may end up needing something else in the long run to help rid me of my very last scar remnants - but it the meantime, this has really helped to improve my skin tone already.

Have YOU tried the REN Clearcalm 3 Replenishing Night Serum? Thoughts?

Anyway Ladies, I wish you all a very happy Friday and I'll speak to y'all soon!

♥ CLB ♥ 
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