International Swap goodies from Christine :)

Remember this post, where I was desperate to get my hands on a new tube of CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara? Well the super awesome Christine came to my rescue and this was the result of our little international swap :)

She packaged it in a super cute Luxe Box container which I believe is the Canadian version of the Glossy Box

The Goodies:

• OPI Nail Lacquer in Skull & Glossbones
• OPI Nail Lacquer in Mod About You
• Essie Nail Polish in Braziliant
• Essie Nail Polish in Super Bossa Nova
• NYX Single Shadow in Champagne
• CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara

Skull & Glossbones - Mod About You

Super Bossa Nova - Braziliant

I honestly cannot thank Christine enough for agreeing to do this swap with me :) Everything was packaged so amazingly and all arrived without any problems. She also included a super sweet card which I stupidly forgot to photograph :(

You may remember if you have been a follower of mine for a while now that last February I did a swap with the lovely Emily and I think it is swaps like these that remind you how much fun Blogging can be. It is far too easy to be sucked into drama or the benefits of being contacted by PR companies when swaps like these show how we are all part of a community of people who have a genuine interest in beauty products are are always ready to help each other out when we want to get out hands on a product.

Over the next few weeks I will try and post some reviews/NOTD's of my lovely new polishes or you all to see :)

THANK YOU CHRISTINE!

Tag - Summer Besties

I've seen a few people on YouTube do this tag so I thought I would give it a go to show you the kind of products I have been wearing during the slightly warmer weather :)

Best Lip Product - Any Lip Balm

To be honest, any lip balm will do in the summer. I don't really bother with lipsticks or lipglosses because they just seems little too fussy when it is hot. The ones pictured are from Mac and The Body Shop but I also really like Vaseline, Carmex, and, well just anything that keeps my lips moisturizer really :)

Best Blush - Mac Well Dressed

Although many people will say cream blush is the best product to use during the summer, the one ones I own are the Topshop ones which are a cream to powder formula, so they don't really make much difference. However Mac Well Dressed was the first Mac product I ever bought and I think it is perfect for both summer and winter :)

Best Liquid Face Product - Nars Sheer Glow

Although I would love to say "oh, in the summer I love this tinted moisturiser" it's sadly just not true. I don't feel confident enough with my skin to wear something light and sheer so I stick with my Sheer Glow to provide me with a pretty medium coverage and a really nice glow to the skin :)

Best Powder Face Product - Soft & Gentle MSF and Bronzer in Golden

Ok so I may have slightly cheated but these two products looks amazing together. I don't like to wear fake tan on my face so the bronzer helps to match my face to the rest of my body and the MSF just adds a lovely sheen over areas like cheek bones, brow bones and along the nose.

Best Nail Polish - Essie in Sand Tropez

I only recently got this nail polish but the second I applied it, I fell in love with it! It is such a lovely neutral that goes with just about every outfit for every occasion (I even wore it to my prom this year). I think if I get the chance when the weather is nice I will try to post a NOTD post of this polish in natural sunlight. But if you are interested in purchasing it, it is currently on sale at ASOS at the minute here

Best Tanning Product - St Moriz & Maybelline Gradual Tanner

Ok another cheat but I just cant help myself. I like to apply St Moriz every two or three days,and then in between I like the apply the gradual tanner to keep my skin soft and to maintain the colour. And the best thing about these products is that the mousse only cost me £2.99 and the Moisturizer cost me £2.49 :)

Best Eye Product - CoverGirl Lash Blast

This is honestly one of my all time favourite mascara's. I actually prefer the waterproof one during the summer but I have completely ran out of that now :( I am however currently in the process of a swap with the lovely Christine to get my hands on another tube of this mascara before it runs out :)

Best Accessories - Toms

I only got these a few weeks ago but I absolutely love them and practically live in them! I can't want to get them in loads of other colours like white, black and navy (adventurous i know :P) And I also really like the look of the crochet ones for the summer :)

Best Clothing - Denim Shorts

I just think they are really easy to wear with everything and can either be dressed down in the daytime with like toms or converse and a casual t-shirt, or dressed up at night with heels (or wedges in my case because heels are just a no go) and a nice top.

I actually forgot to take a picture of the Best Hair Products, but during the summer it just has to be Batiste :) My favourite scent is the tropical one :)

January Favourites

I'm sorry this is so late but if you follow me on Twitter or Flickr you will know I've had a lot of school/university work to do and I've also been on holiday, but these are some of the products I have been using during the past month.

Superdrug Vitamin E Illuminating Moisture Cream I read this was kind of a dupe for Mac's Strobe Cream so I've been mixing this in with some of my foundations and although it took me some time to get used to I really like it now

Nars Sheer Glow I finally caved after about a year of wanting this foundation and have pretty much neglected all of my other foundations since I bought it. The only downside is that it turns slightly orange over time on the skin :S

Urban Decay Pigment in Shag Such a lovely colour that isn't too much of an orange toned bronze

Barry M Nail Paint in Mushroom Still loving these kind of colours

Chapstick in Forever Apple Smells amazing and has been a life saver during the winter

Covergirl LashBlast Waterproof Mascara Still such an amazing mascara that is running very low so I need to find a way to get my hands on another tube

Benefit Powder Pop Blush Set Why did I wait so long to try Benefit blushes? I love all three of these colours

Mac Mineralize Blush in Rhapsody In Two This product never really got a lot of love because I felt the product just wasn't opaque enough for my liking. However I have now been applying this with my fingers and then blending out as I feel it gives better highlight finish.

Urban Decay YDK Eye Shadow in the Sustainable Palette Always loved this colour but because it was in a palette I never reached for it until recently when I shopped my stash

How much does "your face" cost you?

You know when you come across a blog that you just completely fall in love with and just sit scrolling and reading through all of their previous posts, well this happened to me the other day when I came across Golden Glow. A post that really stuck out to me was when Lisa added up the cost of the products she uses on an average day. I hope she doesn't mind but I thought I would give it a go too ...

Nars Sheer Glow - £29.00

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - £3.99

Mac Studio Finish Concealer - £12.50

Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil Concealer - £10.00

Mac MSF in Soft & Gentle - £19.50

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush - £6.00

Mac Blush in Well Dressed - £16.50

Urban Decay Primer Potion - £12.00

CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara - £5.00

Mac Eye Shadow in Satin Taupe - £11.00

Urban Decay Eye Shadow in Sin - £13.00

Max Factor Eye Shadow in Burnt Bark - £0.99

Sleek Ink Pot in Dominatrix - £3.99

Mac Tinted Lip Conditioner in Feelin' Good - £10.50

Mac Lipstick in Hue - £12.50

Total = £166.47

This is the sort of make-up that I would wear on maybe an average weekend or a night out to the cinema or for dinner.

I think this post would make a really great Tag, do feel free to add up your face and let me know what it totals too :)

August Favourites

I'm sorry this is late but I started year 13 a few days ago and I'm just kind of getting back into school

Gosh Holographic Nail Polish My absolute new favourite :) I love it, and I get asked about it whenever I wear it. I really want to try and get more Gosh polishes, they are so lovely!

Rimmel Matte Finish Nail Polish This is so perfect for school. I'm not allowed to wear nail polish to school but by wearing a nude polish and then the matte top coat over the top makes it look really natural but still nice.

Mac Lipstick in Angel Angel is about as adventurous and bright as I go with lipstick. I've really liked wearing this over August just to brighten up my day.

Barry M Lipgloss in Coral Nowhere near as pigmented as some other Barry M glosses I have tried, but it smells lovely and is just really easy to wear either alone or over any lipstick.

Sleek Ink Pot in Dominatrix Why did I wait so long to try gel liners? I love this and can't wait to try out some other colours and brands! I never really bothered with eye liner because I found it too difficult to apply but this is so easy with an angled eyeliner brush.

Topshop Blush in Flush This is without a doubt, the best blush I own because the colour just suits my skin tone perfectly. There really isn't much more I can say about it.

Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturiser I've used this tinted moisturiser so much this summer and am really interested to look into some other brands ready for next summer.

CoverGirl Last Blast Waterproof I need some more of this soon, it's just perfect :)

Boots 17 Eyeshadow in Mardi Gras This is great to wear along the lower lash line and then to line the top with just a flick of mascara. Really effortless but brightening.

Max Factor Eyeshadow in Burnt Bark Please, please, please, please just promise me next time you are at a Max Factor counter you will at least swatch this shadow. It is without a doubt my most used eyeshadow! I love everything about it.

June Favourites

In all honesty, I've been really lazy with my make-up this month and have just been keeping it really plain. I've mainly been using products that i know work. Also, as a little heads up, I've put myself on a make-up ban so there is a chance that next months favourites wont be very exciting either:

Mac MSF Natural in Light Medium This is the only face powder I own because it works so well i don't feel the need to pick up another. As you can see from the picture, i have hit pan so i may have to break my make-up spending ban soon to replace it.

Mac Studio Fix Fluid Great for school because i can apply it really quickly and i know it has enough coverage that i don't really have to worry about concealer. It's not ideal for hot weather because it is a little heavy, but it stays in place for hours!

Barry M Nail Paint in Berry Ice Cream My new favourite colour :) I'm currently wearing it on my toes :D

Avon Make-up Brushes They are sooo soft and apply make-up soo well. I will admit i have no mac ones to compare them to but I'm so happy with the Avon ones that i currently don't feel the need to have to try mac's.

Natural Collection Lipstick in Apple Blossom & Natural Collection Lipgloss in Fondant Such a beautiful lip combo. and with both products costing £1.99 each it is such a bargain! I'm really interested to try more colours by this brand :)

CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof Recently found this in my collection and it's been great for the hot summer weather :) My mascara usually has a habit of melting into my eye which is VERY painful

Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara I was so upset when i lost this but now I've found it and i love it again! amazing quality for such a bargain brand like Maybelline.

My Favourite Products of 2009

My plan was to do this post during 2009 but i completely forgot sorry :(

The Products

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light Medium - When i first got this i was just like ... well ok this is no better than my £4 boots 17 powder, but i was completely wrong. The finish of this gives a perfect glow and sets my foundation without making my face completely matte. And on a very good skin day, it has enough coverage to wear either on it's own or just with concealer

CoverGirl Lash Blast - Probably my favourite mascara of the year because it does everything i want a mascara to do It's a perfect black, gives volume, adds length and lasts most of the day. The only downside is my Very Black one has started to dry up now :(

Rimmel Lipstick in Clear - I love to use this when i don't need something quite as strong as carmex. I've got through 2 of these already which i think is really good because i never finish lipsticks :)

Mac Paint Pot in Painterly - Its a great base for eyeshadows, a great everyday colour if you want something really quick and simple and i know i probably shouldn't do this but it is a perfect skin match for me to use it as a concealer ... lol :)

Boots 17 Bronzer in Light - My first ever bronzer and i love it. It's light enough to dust all over the face as a powder without looking dirty if you don't want to fake tan your face but still want the colour. Then i use my slightly darker bronzer from mac for my cheeks

Mac Lipstick in Angel - Such a great pink colour that can be worn both day and night. I think it's a frost finish but it doesn't come out overly frosty, it just looks really nice :)

Soap & Glory i-Foam body wash - I know i only got this like a week before the end of 2009 but i love it soo much i feel like it deserves a place on this list. I've used it everyday since i got it and it is probably my favourite thing out of my S&G Hat Box

New Cover Girl LashBlast

I have been so fortunate this week because two of my friends went to Florida on holiday and picked me some things up while they were they because i cant get them in the UK. The first is a back up of Cover Girls LashBlast which is probably my favourite mascara! I now have 3 that are all slightly different. My new one is the regular but in Black Brown rather than Very Black like the one i originally have.

It's perfect because it give the same volume and lift but the change in colour means i can wear brown in the day and then my more intense black at night :)

I'll do a separate post on the other ting my other friend brought back :)

A Mascara Overview

If you could see close enough in my last post you might have noticed thatone of the requests was a mascara review, but i've collected quite a few and decided to do an overview instead so if there is a particular mascara you are interested in, i can review that seperatly. Just leave me a comment with the mascara you want to know about and what you want to know about it. Anyways, back to the overview:

All of My Mascara's

(L to R) CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof, Avon Astonishing Lengths, Benefit Bad Gal Lash, Beauty UK Lash-FX extreme volume, Maybelline Great Lash, Avon ColourTrend Plump Out, Avon ColourTrend Curling, CoverGirl LashBlast, Bourjois Ultra Black, Avon Spectra Lash, Gosh Long Length Mascara

The Day Time Mascara's

Avon Astonishing Length

Beauty UK Lash FX Extreme Volume

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

Avon Colour Trend Curling

Gosh Long Length Mascara

The Night Time Dramatic Mascara's

CoverGirl LashBlast

Bad Gal Lash

Bourjois Ultra Black

Avon Colour Trend Plump Out

Avon Spectra Lash

In favourite order

<--- Most Favourite to Least Favourite --->

Avon Haul :)

so ladies it's monday (ok technically its 1:30 am on Tuesday), which means avon delivery day. I ordered quite a few things this month because loads of stuff was on offer and a figured it would be an exam results treat. So here is what i got :)

Nail Experts conditioning nail enamel remover

i just got this because it was on offer for 99p and the bottle looks alot nicer and more professional than my current nail polish remover

Solutions Day Total Radiance refreshing day cleanser

the bottle says: Revitalising creamy gel removes overnight build-up and deep cleanses, while refreshing and awakening skin

i'm not too sure when i am going to get round to using this because i'm loving my solutions purepore-fection cleansing foam and dont want to upset my skin by bombarding it with loads of different products

Solutions Night Total Radiance makeup removing night cleanser

the bottle says: Cleansing gel dissolves all traces of makeup and daily buildup. Leaves skin with a luminous, healthy looking glow

this also sounds super cool but i'm going to wait a while before i use it

Conditioning eye makeup remover lotion

this was also on sale for 99p and i figured i would see how it compared to by beloved boots make-up removing gel

Planet Spa african shea butter brown sugar body scrub

this is literally like washing with sugar and i love it. It smells so good its good enough to eat :) I generally love all of the planet spa products but this is without a doubt one of my favourites

Solutions plus pure pore-fection face lotion

this stuff is AMAZING! i think i might have just fallen out of love with my nivea moisurising fluid! This makes my skin feel soft just like the cleanser does. i cant stop touching my face :) its lovely!!!

Naturals conditioning balm

i bought this because i liked it when i reviewed my sisters in my Hair Care Diaries but i can't decide whether to keep it or use it as a giveaway prize :S

While i was visiting family in Doncaster today i got a present from my uncle & aunt who just came back from florida :) Its the legendary CoverGirl lashblast and i LOVE it! when i put it on my sister actually said "wow" and she NEVER compliments me :) Her best friend has a house in Florida and goes every October so i might give her some money and ask her to pick me a few up :)

i also got an issue of NYLON that my uncle get's for me :)