No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation Review

As many in the blogging world already now, No7 can now match your perfect shade with their Foundation Match Service which 'measures your skin's colour and matches you to your perfect skin-true foundation'. So that's exactly what we went and did! My friend Kate is my lovely model for today and she prefers a matte finish so chose Beautifully Matte. 

The process itself of getting matched is fast and easy. The assistant simply removed Kate's foundation near her chin, clicked a button and gave a near on perfect shade, picking up Kate's rosy undertones which she had always struggled to match previously. The formulation of the foundation is thick, but applies smoothly (I used a MAC 190 foundation brush to apply) and gives full coverage without appearing mask-like. 

  

Here is Kate's finished look which is great to transition from day to night (just add a little eyeliner and you're set to go):

Products used: No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation in the shade 'Soft Rose', Benefit That Gal Primer, Laura Mercier Translucent  Loose Setting Powder, Benefit Boi-ing Shade 02, Benefit Sun Beam, NARS Orgasm Blush, Benefit Bella Bamba, Laura Mercier Warm Eyebrow Definer, Maxfactor Clump Defy Mascara, Urban Decay NAKED palette, Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in the shade '101', Covergirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzer in Guava

Kate: 'It's dead good'. 

What do you think of the Foundation Match Service? Do you have a No7 foundation? What do you think?

http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Beautifully-Matte-Foundation_1273293/ £12.95 in Boots 

Micellar Waters

Bioderma is a beauty cult product. It gets rid of every last scrap of make up every time and is gentle on the skin. For those with sensitive skin (or wanting to jump on the bandwagon!) who want to try out Bioderma but find it difficult to get hold of, L'Oreal have released their own Micellar Water. For those on a budget it seems be a pretty good dupe and for only £2.49 (RRP £4.99) in Superdrug you can't go wrong sista. B. Pure Micellar Water is another option which you can pick up in Superdrug. Looks like Lisa Eldridge and the rest of the beauty blogging world has started a trend here!

Do any of you use these products? 

http://www.escentual.com/bioderma/bioderma015/ Bioderma Micellar Water
http://www.superdrug.com/loreal-skin-perfection-3-in-1-micellar-solution-200ml/invt/639956#readReview L'Oreal Micellar Water
http://www.superdrug.com/b-pure-micellar-water-150ml/invt/548853 B.Pure Micellar Water

Seche Vite- A What's In My Hand Bag Try

Okay so I have had my eye on Seche Vite for a wee while, but suffice to say I am a bit of nail biter. I love nail varnish and have always had a steady collection going but lately haven't really invested in a quality top coat. A friend of a friend used to work for OPI however so I have tried a few of their top coats and have never had any complaints.

If any of you out there haven't heard of WIMH (What's in my Handbag) I urge to you to check it out. It's a great new website giving people to opportunity to try out luxury brands at affordable prices plus a look into the handbags of style gurus/bloggers/celebs/journalists etc. It's definitely a website I check up on a lot. You can also build up your own beauty cabinet with your very own products and create a want list too! And as a founding member I was lucky enough to be able to try out Seche Vite. 

Who doesn't love sexy packaging?!

Seche Vite dry fast top coat

When I first tried this out it gave a great glossy finish. I went about my business loving life with my new sexy mani (feeling fabulous of course) when to my horror it literally peeled off in one fail swoop on my ring finger. Other nails were to follow. 

Anyway, I had a little peruse on MUA (my go to website for a quick honest review), many people had experienced the same issue. Advice came in the form of apply it to wet nail polish. So I went ahead and did that and I am pretty impressed as it no longer has the weird flexible texture. Just lovely shiny colour. These are the steps I take to ensure it doesn't peel off:

1. Apply a base coat.

2. Apply a thin coat of your chosen colour.

3. Apply a second coat of your chosen colour once you have allowed the first to dry.

4. WHILE SECOND COAT STILL WET apply Seche Vite in a medium thick layer, not allowing the brush to touch the wet colour below.

5. Give a good 10-15 minutes to fully set (don't be a mani-ac and start doing the dishes.. see what I did there!?......)

OPI 'Lucky Lucky Lavender' with Seche Vite Top Coat

For ladies who are big on nails and have the time to tend to their manicure it's a must have, for those who enjoy nail varnish but aren't committed to a perfect finish every time it's perfectly okay to go for a cheaper brand. I personally recommend Rimmel's 60 Second clear nail varnish as a cheap top coat alternative.

What do you guys think about Seche Vite? Got your eyes on it or do you have another top coat fave? Leave a comment and let me know!

If you want to check it out: https://www.whatsinmyhandbag.com/r/2tx3

Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat http://www.seche.com/

OPI 'Lucky Lucky Lavender' http://www.lookfantastic.com/opi-lucky-lucky-lavender-lucky-lucky-lavender/10374966.html

Top High End and Drug Store Mascaras

High End
These two really are the epitome of luxury. For me, Eyes to Kill gives a more natural look, whereas Faux Cils is more of a night out mascara for ultimate drama. 
1. Emporio Armani Eyes to Kill £24.50 Selfridges
2. Chantecaille Faux Cils £35.00 Space NK

Drug Store
I love Maybelline mascaras, in my opinion they bring a little slice of high end to the high street. I wear Maybelline The Falsies in Black/Brown when I want the length, thickness and volume but a more natural look.
1. Maybelline The Falsies £7.99 
2. Maybelline The Collosal Volume Express £7.99

Bourjois Blush and Hayden Panettiere Look

I recently picked up a lovely little bourjois blush in the shade 'healthy mix', which is dubbed as a universal shade for all skin tones. This is another addition to the successful 'healthy mix' line, which so far consists of foundation, powders, concealers and now- a blush!

I have been looking for the perfect sheer peach blush for quite a while-nothing too coral/orange nor too matte. This shade fits the bill very well! It looks very natural on the skin, giving it a sheer peachy glow making it perfect for every day and even evenings with a tan in the summer time for me. I would also agree that the shade is universal, this peachy shade would look great on almost anyone. Its also very difficult to apply too much, which would be great for people in a hurry. Only thing I'm not a massive fan of is the smell- it reminds me a little of incense/potpourri. 

The packaging is the same as all bourjois blushes and fits very snugly into my make up bag. I love the magnetic strip which closes the compact, as in the past I have crushed blushes/bronzers when I haven't snapped them shut properly (also makes a pretty satisfying click when you close it).  

So it's a definite thumbs up from me- especially with boots three for two on who can say no?! Do you have this blush or do you have a favourite blush? Let me know!

You can pick up bourjois 'healthy mix' blush in most high street pharmacies in the UK, and of course online. And below is collage look using the blush, inspired by Hayden Panettiere!

Caviar Nails

Caviar nails are dubbed as the ‘first three-dimensional kit’ for nails. Its not for everyone as I think you can tell- my mum was hatin’ on it big time. Here is the ‘Black Pearls’ kit in total which includes: a tray for catching the beads, a Ciate paint pot in Ghetto 02, the black pearls, a mini funnel to get your beads back into the bottle and of course instructions and handy tips.

I wont faff with telling you how to do it. It wont be for everyone- nor is it for every day but for special nights out it ticks all the boxes. The lasting power states 48 hours on the packet, but mine have never lasted that long. The price tag isn’t great retailing at £18.00 or $25.00 in the US, but you do get many looks out of the set plus a great high quality glossy black shade. If your nails are bitten perhaps try press ons before application.

Below are examples of how to switch up the classic look displayed on the box, using the Caviar Nails kit and ‘Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot!’ by OPI but it is really up to you! The top coat I used to protect the edges of the look was Rimmel 60 Seconds in 740 Clear (a great affordable range at only £2.99 a pop at Boots). You could even mix up the beads from the different sets: ‘Mother of Pearl’ and ‘Rainbow’.

There are loads of cheaper drugstore alternatives now such as MUA’s nail constellations, so technically everybody can try this look out.

Do you have/want Caviar nails, or MUA Nail constellations? What do you think?