Today I'm Loving...

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend! Today I wanted to share with you some of my favourite products at the moment, as they seem to change so often. Some of these products are new and others are not so new, but they are either new discoveries or rediscovered gems that I've been getting a lot of use out of lately.

First up on my list is the Perfection Lumiere foundation from Chanel. I had been dithering over this foundation for ages but finally committed to swallowing the £36 price tag (eek!) and investing. This felt like quite a financial commitment for me and I have been using Chanel samples on and off for weeks now trying to decide whether or not it would be worth it. I had heard mixed reviews about this foundation and I'm aware that it oxidises quite a lot- the first shade I was matched with looked fine at first but turned positively orange as the day went on. In the end I found a shade that suited me well (20 Beige) and I was really impressed with this foundation's staying power- it is one of the few that I've tried that doesn't oil up AT ALL when I wear it. Since purchasing this has become my go-to foundation and I love how lightweight it feels on the skin whilst still giving a good level of coverage. I would thoroughly recommend it to fellow oily-skin sufferers, although one thing I would say is to make sure that you try it out before committing to a purchase!

Another foundation on my list is the bareMinerals Matte foundation in Medium Beige. I am still a newby to mineral foundations having recently discovered the ELF Personal Blend foundation which I LOVE. This one I find is a lighter coverage and certainly doesn't feel heavy on the skin- it is the sort of product that enhances rather than covers. Therefore, I would reserve this foundation maybe for holidays or good skin days, but it is a really hard working product that lasts all day and gives a really natural finish. 

I'm also really excited to have got my hands on my first YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick. This one is from the 'Shine' range in shade 15 (Corail Intuitive). I was a little concerned at first that this would be a bit too bright a lip colour for me but in fact it is a gorgeous light pinky-coral that is really easy to wear and not too in-your-face. As with all of the YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks it smells divine and feels really moisturising and luxurious on the lips so I am a happy bunny! This is currently one of my favourite lip colours and the packaging definitely makes it feel like a special product- I have been showing it off constantly.

A gorgeous lipstick needs gorgeous lips, so I've also been getting a lot of use from my LUSH lip scrub in Mint Julips. I use lipbalms religiously but I can't seem to stop my lips from occasionally flaking, so this lip scrub is a real lifesaver for me. To be honest I'm not 100% convinced that I couldn't have made it myself at home with a bit of sugar and peppermint oil, but it tastes absolutely yummy (like After Eights!) and does make my lips a lot smoother after use. 

I've also recently rediscovered my love for my Nars blush in Super Orgasm. I received this as a present in a Nars gift set last year and it is a lovely powder blush with a hint of sparkle. Unfortunately the colour has not come out particularly well in the photo but it is similar to Nars' signature 'Orgasm' blush and gives you a really nice, natural flush. I am not usually one for a sparkly blush but this one is very subtle and I can easily wear it for work without worrying that my cheeks are lit up like a Christmas tree.

Finally, I have also been loving my L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Mist for fine hair. For those that follow my blog you may be aware that I ombre'd my hair recently, and the bleach has made my ends really dry. This oil mist has been my saviour, and I've been applying liberally to both wet and dry hair to keep the ends soft. My hair is very fine and the mist works better for me than a standard oil which would weigh my hair down and make it look flat. I happen to also really love the smell of this mist, it is enriched with lotus flower extract and the scent is very subtly floral and just delicious. 

These are my current picks and all of these products have been getting a lot of use in my house recently! If you have tried any of the products mentioned or have any recommendations for me let me know- I love reading all of your comments.

Have a great week all!

Rosie x

Feeling Wild...

*Not my image*

Evening Everyone!

I know that I am arriving realllly late to the 'ombre' party, but I'm finally here! I decided yesterday on a bit of a whim to give my hair the 'home dip dye' treatment and bought myself a L'Oreal 'Wild Ombres' kit in colour No. 2.

Personally I was pretty nervous about doing this at home- although I've dyed my hair before I have never bleached it, and I have been severely put off from doing so listening to some of my friends' horror stories. In fact, I deliberated over this for ages in my bathroom at home, kit in hand, and even dug out an emergency semi-perm kit in case it all went horribly wrong!

As it happens I don't think it did go horribly wrong, although I wouldn't say that this is the easiest kit in the world to use. I chose colour No. 2 which is the shade for 'dark blonde to medium brown' hair, purely because I preferred the photo on the front (in the photo for dark hair the model's dip dye looks decidedly ginger..). The kit contained all of the usual suspects: gloves, powdered bleach, colour solution, nourishing shampoo etc, as well as an odd little brush to apply the bleach. The kit suggested starting midway down your hair and brushing through to the ends, but I worried that the ends would end up darker than the middle-bits, and so I found myself starting at the bottom and working my way up.

It's really nerve-racking trying to blend the bleach into your hair in a way that isn't going to come out all stripy. I did use the brush provided but found a lot of the bleach clung to the brush rather than to my hair, and so I ended up combing it through with a wide tooth comb. I also tried to do a little bit of backcombing to try and achieve a graduated colour effect.

L'Oreal suggest leaving the solution on for up to 45 minutes, although I was completely paranoid after 25 minutes and ended up washing it off early. I'm actually really glad I did- the effect I've ended up with is not blonde and thankfully not ginger; it is more of a caramel tone that blends quite nicely with my natural colour. I used barely half of the bleach solution provided and threw the rest away, but I would say that the key to this kit is to be cautious with it and to do the ombre in stages- if you are not happy with it then you can always do a second bleach at a later date. It is always a bit of a risk bleaching your hair at home, but I found that this kit was a great way to give my hair a bit of a lift and a revamp without the salon price tag. Plus I think it looks pretty cool!

Have you tried the L'Oreal Wild Ombre kit? Let me know what you think!

PS. OMG I almost forgot!! Thanks to all of those that entered my giveaway- it is now closed and congratulations to my winner Katie Nelson from Curled Fantasies who has won all of those Revlon goodies!

Rosie x

'Before' Shot

'After' Shot