One True Base

 

(L-R Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum / Laura Mercier / YSL / Bourjois)

 I have given up trying to find my perfect foundation, I now have one of four which I go to depending on situation or what type of day I have ahead. One is pefect for a night out, no SPF so no dreaded ghost face but others have amazing staying power. I have blemish prone dry skin, I am always the lightest shade of "drug store" brands, Ivory by Rimmel for example is always too orange but am not the palest of skin tones. My boyfriend describes me as "porcelain"

YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation BD20 - This was all over the blog world a while ago, so I hopped down to Boots and got myself colour matched and picked up a sample. The sales assistant matched me to B30 which was far too dark. A few months ago my skin was especially dull and I needed a foundation to give me a boost so was colour matched again and an amazing lady in House Of Fraser spent ages with me picking the right shade. I was bang in the middle of BD10 and BD20 so opted for the darker shade as I can sometimes look ill when wearing an exact match! It applies beautifully and is my foundation choice for a night out.

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation Cream Ivory - Another hyped product, but it was Rebecca's glowing recommendation which made me shell out. The first time I applied it I felt a little disappointed as it looked a little caked on. However a few goes and I realised a little went a long way. The colour is a little off, I think I could easily go down a shade. As you can see from the swatches it is a lot thicker than the rest of the foundations and really important to work it into the skin. 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Very Light - First thing first, this isn't very light. It is fine for my skin, but the main amazing thing about this is the coverage! Oh my gosh. I have quite a few scars from acne and have to apply concealer and then foundation every day, this helps me skip that step on placement mornings. It also lasts and lasts through a 12 hour shift and does not move until I remove it in the evening. This isn't for the light hearted. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix 51 - Bourjois have recently changed the formula of this slightly to "provide more radiance". This is my ulitmate slap it on and go foundation. I just wish it lasted longer on my skin, even setting with powder doesn't seem to help. It also doesn't provide me with quite enough coverage but is perfect during the summer months when I can imagine the ones above making my face feel very full of make up. I don't need to say more as this is a well loved foundation all over.

So which will I buy again? Estee Lauder Double Wear Max for those full coverage days and my make up bag will never be without Healthy Mix. This must be around my 8th bottle. I'm trying more and more to improve the state of my skin under my foundation these days in a hope I won't feel I need as high coverage.

These Boots Were Made For Walking

Feet. Not the most glamorous of topics. I spend my working days on my feet traipsing up and down a ward. They take a battering and I am often in pain. I tend to get hard skin on my heels which can hurt more and sometimes they just want some pampering. I have some amazingly comfy shoes from Hotter which I think is the most important thing first but to help even more there arethese three beauties.

Soap and Glory Heel Genius - S&G usually have amazing smelling products, Smoothie Star smells just wonderful. I think however that the combination of menthol, lemon fruit acid and orange doesn't create the best smell. It is perfect for every day moisturising especially after a pedicure. Besides the smell I love this, a lovely thick cream with a slightly blue tinge. It is in the normal S&G packaging promising a "miraculous moisturising mix".

CCS Foot Care Cream - This is the real deal and a heavy duty cream. My aunt originally recommended this to my mum, as a podiatrist I'm willing to take her word for it. I apply this at night  under a pair of socks and leave it to do its thing. It really helps soften the skin on my heels without the need for a good old skin grating session, shudder. It doesn't have a strong smell unlike S&G's offering. Covering my feet in this every night in hope I end up with beautiful soft feet.

Body Shop Peppermint Soothing Foot Scrub - The peppermint is hard to miss, as soon as you open the lid you can smell it. It exfoliates your foot as well as soothes and freshens, I found it really cooled my feet down and helped ease any burning pain. I tend to apply this before a shower so it is easy to wash off, the first time I rubbed it on my feet before bed and then had to do a rather glamorous manoeuvre of getting my foot in the sink to wash it off.  

Next on my foot care wish list is the Peppermint Cooling Foot Lotion from Body Shop, I can see it being perfect at the end of a long day. 

(PS How beautiful is the scarf? It was my grandmothers and is in beautiful condition)

Oh hello there

I'm slowly getting back into blogging, it makes a lovely break from placement and uni work. A nice little hobby! I'm not going to start doing weekly catch ups but thought a little catch up from this year so far would be nice. 

♥  I started 2013 in Cardiff with one my best friends and have seen her only once since, if only trains were cheaper. I am currently driving a 206 which isn't very economical and has a tendency to break down (I am the only one who uses my families RAC membership, they no longer get discounts on renewal!) so not really feeling a 300 mile trip! It is bad enough to drive the 50 mile round trip to placement in.

♥ We  two beautiful cats, one is a complete fluff ball who wakes you up at 5am by biting your feet. The other is old beyond her years and just sits in the corner watching. Creepy cat.

♥  Currently making a conscious effort to eat healthier, slow cooker recipes are my friend. Especially freezer ones, where you can have a session of filling up bags with something like a nice sausage casserole, freeze it, defrost the night before putting in the slow cooker and when you come home from work / uni it is sitting waiting for you to eat! I've also started doing Weight Watchers after seeing some of the success over on  Where Are My Knees. A diet where you can eat cheese? Awesome. 

♥  March saw the worst snow I have ever seen, apparently some of the worst snow to hit Huddersfield in years and years. We live up a hill on a small farm so leaving the house was impossible unless you had a tractor. We were stuck in the house for 4 days until I started to get severe cabin severe and set out for the shop to buy wine and chocolate. 

♥  Most of my days are currently spent on placement, however organised I try to be I end up with lots of crap everywhere. I seem to carry around most of my make up collection and far too many pens. A new fringe means I also have to carry a comb / brush everywhere! 

All in all life is good, my course is hard work but I know at the end of it I will be a nurse and doing what I truly truly want to do.

What's in my drunk bag?

  

When I get in from a night out I tend to tip my bag upside down looking for a hair elastic or my house key. Every time. This is obviously a staged one but full of my night out essentials.

MAC Candy Yum Yum - This is my go to lipstick at the minute for night time. It is a bright neon pink with a matte finish. There are plenty of reviews if you do a quick google but it's not easy to wear, as with any matte any dry patches will show up but other than that it instantly finishes my face off. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Powder 52 and Little Round Pot Blusher 54 - This is my favourite powder ever, lovely and smooth making my skin look lovely and matte. I like a highlighter on my cheeks but nose and chin need to be matte! The Little Round Pot Blushers are iconic, this is a really easy shade to wear and perfect for topping up. I tend to not carry anything brighter in my bag as I have a tendency to over blush after a few too many jaegerbombs. 

Collection 2000 Supersize Falsh Lash Mascara - This was £2.99 in Boots, I was not expecting anything but it gives lovely perfect day time lashes. I tend to wear false lashes on a night out so this is perfect for touching up. It also doesn't matter if I lose it! Of course my trusty eye lash glue has to come out too.

The Models Own brush is from a set, it is the perfect size for blush but also just big enough to powder my nose. What's the point in taking two brushes out! You always need a black khol liner and Rimmel's is one of the best. Pefect to fix any cat eye problems. The bag is from Topshop many many years ago, it's quite small but makes a nice addition to a black dress. The shoes are from Dorothy Perkins and actually destroy my feet but I am intent on trying to wear them in!

My bag is obviously missing the random bar mats, shot glasses and proof I used my card to pay for a round of shots at 3.40am. 

(Yes, a blogger cliche post but I've already done a What's In My Bag with a difference)