BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone

Sunday 19 May 2013




Hi everyone! I feel I haven't written a post on a makeup product for so long so figured there would be no better place to start than a recent love of mine, the BECCA Shimmery Skin Perfector in Moonstone. First of all, I feel I need to apologize for some of the photography in this post. I don't know if this is just me, but I find highlighters are far more difficult to capture on the skin than any other skin product but still wanted to include swatches so you saw it in full effect!

The last few months I've gotten really into finding the perfect cheek products so when I heard the brand BECCA were making a return to Space NK a while back, I was deadset on picking one of these up. I chose the colour 'moonstone', a golden yellow shade as I thought this would be the most natural looking without being too white or stark on my pale skin. 

The website states that the Shimmering Skin Perfector can be used mixed in with foundation, under foundation, as a foundation or as a highlighter. I will be honest and say I have and probably would only use this as a highlighter. Although it's more of a sheen than a glitter I don't think I'd enjoy all over my face since I have combination skin so this means I can only comment on how it works as a highlight.

The sleek packaging is a real selling point of this product for me, a highlighter with a pump makes for far easier application in my books so it definitely does well in that department. In terms of the consistancy it's definitely very liquidy so I tend to apply it by sweeping it across areas I'd like highlighted with my fingers and then gently patting it in. I've found by doing it this way, it blends seamlessly onto my skin. Another great feature is that it has SPF 25.


Now in terms of the finish, I can honestly say I have never had a highlighter give me such a glow and radiance. It's on the more obvious end of the spectrum so it's amazing in the evening but I also wear it in the daytime too when I feel my skin needs some brightening and then use MAC Pearl on days I'd like a more subtle effect. The effect is so brightening and glowy but what I really love about it is how it is a sheen finish rather than something more glittery like the MAC Soft & Gentle. For me this is so important as I really dislike seeing a line of glitter on my face when I catch my reflection in direct sunlight so I love how this product never looks too unnatural whatever the lighting.

Now, I got this a few months ago for £33 in Space NK which is a lot but since it's 50ml of product and you only need the tiniest amount it will definitely last me a long, long time. This could well be a holy grail item for me and I would definitely repurchase this despite the pricetag (although I won't need to for absolute months!)  and recommend it to anyone in search of a sheen finish highlight or just a fellow highlighter addict like myself!

Have you tried this? What's your favourite highlighter?

Favourite Spring/Summer Polishes

Wednesday 15 May 2013


L-R Models Own Hedonist £5, Topshop AWOL £5, Barry M Pink Flamingo £2.99, Barry M Neon Pink £2.99, Essie Fiji £7.99, Essie Go Ginza £7.99, OPI Gargantuan Green Grape £7-9 & Topshop Celestial £5

Hi everyone, hope you're all well. Today I wanted to share my favourite spring/summer nail polishes. I was looking back through my old posts and one of my first posts was on colours for autumn/winter so I wanted to continue on with the seasonal polish post. Without further ado, here all my bright and pastel picks for this time of year! :)

First up a couple of bright polishes. Hedonist is a gorgeous red/orange neon shade that's particularly eye catching on the nails, I've done a full review here. Then we have Topshop AWOL. I was trying for a while to track this shade down and it was so worth it. It's a beautiful colbalt blue and as with all Topshop polishes, the formula is great. Then we have a couple of old Barry M favourites, Pink Flamingo which is actually a very pretty coral toned pink and neon pink which is exactly as the name suggests, a bright pink with a slightly blue duochrome to it which looks incredible in the sunshine when the light hits!

Then onto the more pastel shades! First is a cult favourite, Essie Fiji. As much work as this polish takes to get perfect (usually around 3 coats) the colour is definitely worth it. It's so unique and so pretty. Also on the off-white theme we have my latest addition, Essie Go Ginza from their new collection. I actually haven't heard anything about this shade from any bloggers but it is absolutely incredible! It's a slightly off white purple and is so stunning, definitely going to pick up some back ups when this collection goes! Next is OPI Gargantuan Green Grape which I find to be the perfect shade of mint green. The formula is really nice, I do find OPI a bit hit and miss but I have absolutely no gripes with this one. Finally, my all time favourite polish Topshop Celestial. The perfect cornflower blue that actually looks flattering against my pale skin and a nice glossy, long lasting finish.

I'd love to know your favourite spring/summer shades as well as whether your team pastels or team brights. I have to say, I'm totally undecided!

Models Own Hedonist

Sunday 12 May 2013

Models Own Hedonist £5

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to share with you a product I've been absolutely obsessed with lately, Models Own Hedonist polish. I have been wearing this colour for about two weeks straight and have totally reignited my love for it. First off, the colour is absolutely incredible. The pictures don't even do it justice! It is the most neon red/orange in the world and is so beautifully vibrant this time of year.

Formula wise this is a definite hit from Models Own. As you may have seen in my Fruit Pastel collection post, some of those feel a little short with streaky and sheer formula's but this one only takes two coats to be completely opaque. I also don't find it to be streaky at all despite actually being a matte formula and it lasts around four days on my nails which is also really great.

I'm not usually a massive fan of matte polishes but this with a bit of my Jessica High Gloss In A Flash top coat leaves a really nice creme type finish meaning the colour doesn't fall flat at all. All in all, this polish has to be one of my all time favourites polishes and one I would repurchase over and over. If you get this be prepared to get a whole lot of compliments from strangers!

Thought I'd include an indoor picture so you can see the kind of shade it really is!

What's your favourite summer shade? Do you own this colour?

Please make sure to leave me any requests for any posts you'd like to see and feel free to check out my blogsale page at the top which has been updated if you're interested! :)

Current Favourites!

Saturday 4 May 2013


Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the total lack of posts this last week. As some of you might know I'd been doing work experience at Red Magazine the last two weeks so hadn't had a lot of time to post but from Thursday onwards I will have no uni so will be able to fully commit to posting more! :)
I thought today I'd share some of my current favourites. I have to say, I'm not one for doing monthly favourites myself yet just because I don't feel my favourites change often enough every month so I thought I would do a roundup every now and again when I've had products really stand out to me. 

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray - This was a slighly impulsive purchase I made a few weeks ago. I actually had a Space NK voucher from my birthday to use and really wanted to try this out after seeing so many amazing reviews of it giving voluminous hair. Although pricey this stuff is incredible, I absolutely love it. I've never found a product that gives my hair so much volume and this alongside my Bumble & Bumble Texturizing Cream (which is also a favourite but forgot to take a photo of it!) gives me the perfect beachy, volumised hair.

Laura Mercier Radiance Primer - I got this in the gift with purchase offer Harvey Nicholls were running and oh my gosh, this is my new holy grail primer! I was initially so worried about how it would fare on my skin but with Benefit Porefessional on my oilier nose and this all over the rest of my face, my skin has never ever looked so bright and healthy. My makeup lasts far longer than any other primer I've tried including the Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer so I'd urge anyone to give this a go.. it's incredible!

Maybelline Babylips in Peppermint - I love this stuff for days where I don't feel like wearing anything too heavy as it gives a sheer wash of colour that slightly lightens my lips whilst making them baby soft. It's also great to pop on before a lipstick to help my lips stay a lot more moisturized and I honestly adore these so much for really hydrating my lips as well as the minty scent and cannot wait for them to arrive in the UK. I've done a full review of them here.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer & YSL Touche Eclat Foundation - I won't talk about these too too much as they were both in my last post but I've loved these whilst I've been having a lot of early mornings for brightening up my skin and have worn them together everyday for the last three or so weeks.

MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl - You may have seen in my last post that I really wanted a non-glittery more sheeny highlighter and this one is incredible. It is exactly what I was looking for, it's pretty subtle but that's exactly what I like for everyday use if I'm honest and I really, really love it. Next on my list is Luna as like Pearl it's a sheen finish but more intense which I think will be ideal for evening wear. Thank you to Megan for suggesting I try these out!

Stella Summer Rose Perfume - I mentioned this in my perfume collection I did months ago but I have really loved using this perfume lately, it's definitely going to be my summer scent! As the name suggests it's pretty floral which isn't usually my taste but it's a lovely and such a beautiful bottle.

MAC Malt Eyeshadow - I've had this for a couple of months now and it's quickly become one of my top three favourite MAC eyeshadows. It's perfect for in the crease, a light cool toned brown with a bit of pinkness to it and great all over the lid for a neutral matte eye. I haven't found a single colour or makeup look it doesn't work with as of yet.

Topshop AWOL - I am totally obsessed with anything cobalt blue at the moment and this polish is no different. The shade is similar to Essie Butler Please that was in a haul of mine a little while ago which I mainly got as I couldn't find this shade online and presumed it had been discontinued. I then managed to find it in store a while ago and had to get it. The reason this beats the Essie is totally due to formula, it lasted around four/five days on my nails whilst the Essie only lasted a day without chipping. A lovely shade all year round I'd say.

Models Own Polish in Hedonist - Finally, another bright nail polish and this is Hedonist from the Headkandi collection. Again, Models Own aren't my favourite formula but this one actually lasts better on me than other ones I've tried and the shade is totally worth it. It's a neon red and it's so, so bright on the nails that it's definitely one of my all time favourite colours of my collection.

What have been your favourites lately? Also please let me know if you'd like to see a full review on any of these products or if there's any others posts you'd like to see from me!