Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain #8 Orange de Chine

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain #8 Orange de Chine - Debenhams/Selfridges - £23.50

The YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain is a revolutionary product combining the effects of a lipstick, lip stain and lipgloss. In a range of beautiful shades, this product claims to add colour to the lips for what has been described as 'an annoyingly long time', which in my opinion can never be a bad thing! When applied you should be able to eat, drink and carry out your daily duties without any colour budging, whilst also showing off a long lasting, non sticky, glossy shine.

Despite its tongue twisting name, this YSL lip stain is perhaps one of my favourite beauty buys of the year. Pretty bold statement but honestly, this is just what I've been looking for for some time. I went for the beautiful coral shade of Orange de Chine which changes slightly in different lights; more red at times and a stronger tinge of tangerine at other times. 

My pet hate with lipsticks is the feeling of cracking, drying or generally being too matte. To overcome this I sometimes add gloss or a balm, the only downside is I can't stand the stickiness or the thought of my hair getting stuck to them, how horrendous. This is where this product shines for me. After applying one coat with the wonderfully precise applicator I wait for one minute for it to dry, resisting the temptation to rub my lips together. This, for me, is the base of the stain and would generally be fine for a day to day wear. However, for more depth of colour, I add a second layer which also enhances the glossy shine and shows off its full potential. The result is a pair of long lasting glossy lips without the feeling of any stickiness. Magic!

Would I repurchase? Absolutely, I'm already debating which shade to pick up next!

Lancome Eau Micellaire Douceur

Lancome Eau Micellaire Douceur - Boots - £22.50 (200ml) 

I received this as a gift quite a few months ago and was so excited to try it out. It was around the same time the huge hype for micellaire cleansers was about, Bioderma especially! This product is used in the same way; to take make up off using just a cotton pad. 

Lancome describe this as an 'express make-up remover' which should gently remove all types of make up with ease. I agree to a certain extent. This cleansing water is so lovely and gentle on the skin and it really freshens it up. I had absolutely no irritation or break outs when using this product and there are no nasty chemical smells. However it completely lacked the power to remove any eye make up. I therefore found myself using more products to do so which took away from the 'ease' a cleansing water should provide. 

This product, however gentle and kind to the skin, would be best suited to those who enjoy wearing a light face of makeup. It took a good few soaked cotton pads (large ones) until I felt all was removed, even then I had to use a toner and eye make up remover. It is also a product that won't last that long but I suppose this depends on how much makeup you wear and how often you want to use it to remove it. 

Quite a negative review I guess but for some people this would be a great, fresh make up remover. However it's just not for me! 

ghd Style Heat Protect Spray

ghd Style Heat Protect Spray - Feel Unique - £8.45

I remember when I was younger and I first started straightening my hair my mom would go crazy if I wasn't using some sort of heat protection spray. Over the years I eventually stopped bothering with them, whilst also starting to get highlights, bleaching and generally putting my hair through torture without any real care. Now I look back and think, bollocks, I probably should have listened to her! 

So, perhaps a bit of a boring blog post today but one of my resolutions this year is to take a lot better care of my hair from washing, styling, and treating. This leads me to my first haircare product I ordered in the Feel Unique sale over Christmas. I wanted a product I could spray over wet or dry hair and would give me a 'no product' feel; this ticked all the boxes! I didn't want to spend a fortune on this type of product and I wanted a spray that dispensed just the right amount of product; again, perfect!

The packaging is great and simple along with a beautifully fresh fragrance that doesn't smell chemically or artificial. Overall a fantastic product that I have been using every time I apply heat to my hair; using this definitely doesn't make me feel too bad about doing so!

Weekend Wishlist #13

1) Petite Plain Midi Bodycon Dress - Topshop - £28
2) Mickey Crop Top - Topshop - £16
3) Print Trousers - H&M - £29.99
4) Print Trousers - H&M - £14.99
5) Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation - Space NK - £33

I can't believe I've neglected blogging for such a ridiculous amount of time. I've had such a lovely Christmas despite not really having a substantial break and commuting between home and Manchester a lot for work. Now I'm back in Manchester, getting back into my uni routine whilst being bombarded with crazy amounts of work (which I should be doing right now). 

1) The first item on my wishlist this week is actually a bit of a lie. I have already purchased this dress from Topshop and returned it. I really really wanted to like it but the material is just horrendous. That and the fact it shows every flaw ever despite it being black and long sleeved. I am definitely still on the hunt for a midi dress suitable for my short self but perhaps something a little less clingy! 

2) I tried this on the other day and fell in love. It is tacky (which I believe is never a bad thing) and just fabulous. 

3) and 4) I guess I currently have a thing for patterned trousers, something I don't think I have ever considered in the past. I tried on the first pair in H&M yesterday and was a bit disappointed at the fit. I will definitely be making a purchase when I find the perfect pair!

5) I've heard such great things about this foundation but I've always been put off purchasing once realising the crazy price tag. Have any of you tried this, what are your thoughts and is it worth the money? Let me know!

Weekend wishlist #12 Christmas beauty edition

1) Marc Jacobs Daisy 50ml EDT, 75ml Body Lotion & 75ml Shower GelGift Set - Debenhams - £47 (currently £42.30) 
2) Origins Out of Trouble Problem Skin Mask - Debenhams - £20 (currently £18)
3) Enrapture Encode Totem Hair Styler - Debenhams - £75 (currently £33.75!!!)
4) Ted Baker Begina Glitter Large Wash Bag - Ted Baker - £29
5) Snow Fairy Shower Gel - Lush - £3.50-£10.25 
6) Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - Liz Earle - £3.25-£69
7) Bioderma Sebium H2O Micellaire Solution - eBay - £11.99 
8) Caudalie Beauty Elixir 30ml - Feel Unique - £11 (currently £9.90)

Just a selection of the beauty bits I've put on my Christmas wish list this year and gifts that I think any beauty lover would be happy to receive. There are so many good deals on at the moment it seems, I can't believe the highly raved about Enrapture Encode Totem Hair Styler has been reduced by so much! I'm so excited for Christmas to see if I wake up to any of these beauties!

NARS Blush in Gina

NARS Blush in Gina - John Lewis/Asos - £21

Along with Benefit's They're Real! Beyond Mascara (review here), this beautiful NARS blush is another beauty bargain I snapped up from ASOS in a 25% off student offer. It has been a staple product of mine for a while now so I just had to order it with a deal like that!

NARS describe the shade Gina as a 'true tangerine' which sounds a bit daunting to me and really quite off putting. Once applied it comes across as a much more orange based peach, however it is subtle and soft- so you don't look like an umpa lumpa! The texture is so beautifully soft making this product a dream to apply as well as easy to build up to a much richer shade. 

It adds warmth to the face and applies with a matte finish- no emphasized pores! Although the pretty hefty £21 price tag may be quite a bit to spend on a blush, this is super pigmented meaning it will last a fair amount of time with only a swirl of product needed for each application. 

Of course it is presented in such beautiful packaging with a handy little mirror. After trying a few different shades of blushes by NARS I always come back to Gina. Have any of you tried this shade, what are your thoughts? What is your favourite NARS product?

Benefit They're Real! Beyond Mascara

Benefit They're Real! Beyond Mascara - Boots/ASOS - £18.50

I realise I'm a bit behind on posting about this product but I wanted to give it a fair review from the beginning of using it towards the end of the product. I find that it's hard to judge mascaras because I can completely change my opinion on them from when I first start to use it to when it's been used for a while. Anybody else feel like that?!

I bought this when ASOS had a lovely offer of 25% off for students and received it just two days later along with a few other beauty bits. So I didn't pay full price and after using it for some time now I'm still not sure whether I would.

This mascara has had a lot of hype surrounding it recently so I had very high expectations. The picture above shows just one layer on my lashes, this can be built up with ease and the wand is so great for getting those little lashes in the corner. It does give brilliant results and just a quick wiggle of the wand gives fantastic length and volume. 

One thing I'm not so happy about is the transfer of mascara from my bottom lashes, leaving me with small black dots under my eyes after a couple of hours. My under eye concealer is then ruined and I walk around with panda eyes for the rest of the day. 

When used on my top lashes I really can't wish for a better mascara, however I'm finding myself reaching for other mascaras for my bottom lashes. Do I really want to be doing that every day?

Have you tried the They're Real mascara? What do you think?