To Repurchase or Not To Repurchase?

LUSH Tea Tree Water Toner 100g - £3.95

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

When it comes to purchasing products, I rarely stick to what I know. It usually takes me a while to finish a product, so by the time it rolls around to needing a new cleanser/foundation/blusher/anything I can find an excuse to buy, I'm usually ready to try something new. I think I suffer from grass is greener syndrome, or something to that effect. Rummaging through my ever-growing stash of skincare and cosmetics, I was slightly embarrassed to discover that I have only ever repurchased two products - TWO. It appears that I'm just as fickle as I feared I was when it comes to product loyalty.

LUSH Tea Tree Water is a product that I used to use years ago, but drifted away from and recently rediscovered over Christmas when I worked at LUSH. I didn't instantly repurchase this, I have to admit. As much as I liked it and had a little panic when it ran out, I dabbled in a few toner samples I had kicking about in my skincare drawer. Unfortunately since I stopped using this toner, I've suffered from a horrible breakout on my chin. I promptly ran to LUSH and repurchased this, and my skin is already thanking me for it. My skin seems to just love the antibacterial properties of tea tree in just the right concentration that this toner water offers. I promise I won't stray again!

Ah, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer... I'm actually sick of hearing those 4 words stringed together in one sentence, but I am indeed a member of the fan club. Everyone and their dog seems to swear by this concealer and since I tried it last year, I haven't even bothered trying any other concealers - which is a mean feat for a beauty blogger, by anyone's standards. It just does the job for me. It covers my blemishes and any other areas of redness like a treat, although I do find it slightly too thick for the under-eye area. I'm on my 3rd tube of this and I can't see myself abandoning it any time soon. At £4-odd a pop, it's hardly breaking the bank and it ticks the boxes I need it to.

Which products do you always repurchase? Are you as fickle as I apparently am?!

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday EDP

Nicki Minaj Pink Friday EDP Spray 50ml - £29*

Since I quit smoking in January, I've become a little bit of a perfume addict. Before I quit smoking, I would wear perfume but I never really appreciated it because the smell of tobacco smoke almost always overpowered the fragrance as soon as I sparked up. Now I appreciate smelling nice and not just for the whole 5 minutes before I leave the house. Perfume-wise, I'm a fan of fruity, light scents for daytime wear, and something a little deeper, muskier and sexier for evenings.

Joining the plethora of celebrities launching signature fragrances is Nicki Minaj. I was expecting her scent to be a little off-the-wall and crazy, and probably not to everyone's taste. But with Pink Friday*, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a sweet, non-offensive and fairly agreeable scent that I think a lot of young girls and women alike would be happy to spritz themselves with. I'm rubbish at describing scents, but this perfume has base notes of vanilla and caramelized pear, top notes of starfruit and Italian mandarin, and heart notes of gardenia and jasmine petals - definitely appealing to my girlier side! Scent aside, the perfume is presented in a bottle which is a little different, to say the least. It represents Minaj's upper body/head and to get to the spray nozzle, you literally pull her head off. Ever so slightly unsettling for some, but the bottle is robust and does its job. I can safely say that this perfume stands out from the rest of my collection, at least.

In terms of wear-time, I still catch whiffs of this hours after I've sprayed it, which is good news for me. The scent doesn't change too much once it's applied to the skin, it just delivers a lingering fruity, uplifting scent. I reckon I'll be popping Nicki's head into my suitcase with me this summer for a much-needed spritz of sunshine.

What do you think about celebrities launching fragrances? Have you tried Nicki Minaj's offering?

*This product was sent to me free of charge with the purpose of reviewing it on my blog. All views are honest, as always.

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Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush - Coral Reef

Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Coral Reef - £7.99

We all seem to go a little crazy for coral as soon as the rare sight of the British sun makes even the briefest of appearances, and I'm no exception. I've been completely converted to cream blush and rarely reach for my powder offerings these days. Pair this obsession with the most beautiful bright coral shade ever, and we could be onto a winner...

I decided to pick up a couple of these cream blushers by Revlon - this shade, Coral Reef, and a hot fuschia number, Flushed. I have to admit, the colour of this in the pan terrified me. I thought there would be no way of me applying this and not looking like a clown. But I was wrong. As vibrant as the colour is in the pan, when swatched the formula really sheers itself out without much work. I use the Real Techniques Stippling Brush for applying this, and I actually have to swirl my brush quite a bit to pick up enough colour. However, this means it's great for building up colour - you can add the subtlest flush of barely-there colour, or make a bolder statement. Formula wise, this feels like velvet on my skin. It's not dewy or 'sticky', just really soft, easy to work with and creamy. It really perks up my complexion and makes me look healthy. I also love the texture of this, it manages to blend seamlessly with the rest of my make-up and leaves a gorgeous, natural finish.

I'm so impressed with this little number and I can see myself using it endlessly when summer rolls around.

What do you think about cream blush? Are you crazy for coral?

Morning Skincare Routine

I'm going to put it out there - I am a skincare junkie. I admit it. I love nothing more than buying a new cleanser and being excited to wash my face. Routines are something I find hard to stick to though, if I don't see results quickly then I get bored and I move on. However, this current AM line-up has been keeping my skin happy recently - but we'll see how long that lasts.

My skin is very temperamental. I suffer from redness, sensitive skin, dehydration, oiliness, blemishes and scarring - sounds like a treat, right? I've been loving Philosophy's Purity Made Simple Cleansing Gel* as my morning cleanse. It foams up just enough to leave my skin feeling purified, but not so much so that my skin is left feeling tight and crying out for the moisturiser. Toner-wise, I'm usually a LUSH girl through and through but I recently ran out and I've been trialling a sample size of Clarins Toning Lotion with Iris* which is for combo/oily skin. I'm not totally sold on this and I doubt I'll be picking up a full size. It just doesn't really do much.

La Roche Posay's Effaclar range and I have a little history. I fell in love with the Effaclar K last year, but I stopped using it over Winter and tried out the infamous Effaclar Duo. And my skin did not thank me for it. It wasn't the holy grail product I wanted it to be, but recently I've reverted back to the K lotion and I'm remembering why I loved it in the first place.

I don't use any heavy serums in the morning, but I do like to slather on some Hydraluron. For me, it deserves all the hype it gets. It preps my skin for moisturiser and I notice a massive difference in my skin when I skip this step. I apply a little bit of Origins Make A Difference Rejuvenating Treatment on top of Hydraluron, and it sinks in so quickly - perfect for early morning makeup application.

I've been trying out Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream* over the past few weeks and it is the first eye cream I've ever tried - I know, what kind of beauty blogger am I?! But I really like it so far, it feels lovely and soothing on the delicate area around the eyes and helps to brighten that area up which is much needed alongside a strong coffee in the morning. Finally, I pop on a little of This Works In Transit Camera Close-Up miraculous 3-in-1 product as a base for my make-up. It leaves my skin feeling velvety soft and plump, but not overly hydrated or greasy. It might be love.

So there's what I've been using in the morning to keep my skin somewhat happy recently. No doubt the line-up will have altered by next month, I'll keep you posted!

Do you follow a strict AM/PM skincare regime, or do you mix things up a little?

MAC Lightscapade

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade - £21.50

I made one of the most difficult beauty decisions I've had to make thus far - Soft and Gentle or Lightscapade? I am, of course, talking about MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes. Eventually, I was swayed by Lightscapade and popped one in my virtual shopping trolley. This is my first 'proper' highlighter product and I was always a little skeptical of how much they could really do in terms of my makeup routine. Let's just say, once you start highlighting, you never go back.

I've been so impressed with this product. The shade is a cool toned champagne colour, as opposed to Soft and Gentle's peachy shade. This suits my fair skin down to the ground, it adds the most gorgeous glow without packing on the glitter. It's definitely a subtle shimmer as the powder is so finely milled. I dust this over my cheekbones with a Real Techniques contour brush and it seems to just perk up my whole complexion. I'd feel a little lost without this little baby in my everyday makeup routine, but I am still ever so intrigued by what Soft and Gentle can offer purely due to how much praise I've heard it receive. 

Help a girl out - do I need Soft and Gentle or is one of these MAC babies enough?!

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