Benefit Advent Calendar

Hello! I can't believe it's nearly Christmas, where has the time gone?

 A product that has made my countdown to Christmas very enjoyable this year is my Benefit Advent Calendar which was an amazing surprise present from the husband. 

So here are the details about the products that I found behind the doors of my candy coated countdown...

A Few Favourites

I've been really pleased with the make up samples that I have received as they are quite decent sizes that will last a few applications. Some old favourites that I've found hiding behind the doors are Benetint, Posie Tint, That Gal brightening primer, Ooh La Lift eye brighter, They're Real Mascara, It's Potent eye cream, Total Moisture face cream and The Porefessional primer.

New Discoveries 

I understand that part of the reason for Benefit bringing out an advent calendar is so that customers can try new products and hopefully go on to buy the full sized versions. I'm a make up sucker so will probably be doing just that! Some new discoveries for me are Stay Don't Stray eyeshadow primer, Stay Flawless 15 hour primer, Watt's Up highlighter, and the Ultra Plush lipglosses which I have in Dandelion, A-Lister and Fauxmance I'm particularly loving Dandelion and Fauxmance.

Random Other Bits

As well as beauty and skincare my calendar had also gifted me hair ties, post it notes, paper clips and a note book. The hair ties are quite cute but as I have short hair now I have no personal use for them. The stationary to me is a bit naff. You don't go to Benefit for stationary so I don't understand why it's in the calendar (apart from to keep costs down). Whenever I've opened a door that has some sort of stationary behind it I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. 

That said, overall I love this calendar and the variety of beauty samples I've received is fabulous so if you're thinking of treating yourself or a loved one next year you should go for it! - Hopefully they won't include so much naff stationary next year! 

Happy Christmas Everyone xx

New Products!

Hello! 

Well I'm not technically sure if these are new, new products but they are new for me so I thought I'd do some little reviews for you. 

1. Indeed Facial Powdered Exfoliator

My face was getting a little bit flakey and I'm not a huge fan of the exfoliant scrubs so I was on the hunt for either a chemical toner/exfoliator in one or something a little different. I found this in Boots and wow, wow, wow I love it! Basically it's a powdered exfoliator so you just wash your face as usual, then pour some of the powder into your hand, add a spot of water and foam up. You then massage it all over your face for about a minute before rinsing off. I use this about twice a week as part of my evening routine and my skin feels so much smoother and brighter since I've been using it. I bought this on offer at I think about £12 and I think it'll last me a good few months. 

2. Aveda Beautifying Set

I recently went for the best massage I've ever had- a chakra balancing massage. It isn't the type of massage I'd usually go for but my local spa was offering a massive 50% off so I went for it. Anyway, to cut a long story short they used some Aveda products on me and I found them to be really relaxing and luxurious with the most amazing scents. I decided to buy this set in my relaxed state but I'm so glad that I did! The set contains a creme cleansing oil which I use as a normal face wash with a muslin cloth. It's gentler than my favourite La Roche Posay cleanser but it's also very effective at cleaning off ALL make up. It also smells of lavender which is one of my favourite scents. 

The other large tube is a body moisturiser which again has a lavender scent and is the perfect texture for me. It's not too greasy yet soaks into the skin quickly leaving a beautiful scent and super soft skin. 

The third product is the beautifying composition which is an oil. You can use this in the bath but I don't often have baths so I've mainly added a few drops to the body moisturiser for an extra boost. Even though it's an oil, it's still not greasy. This set was a little pricey at just under £50 but you do get full sized, luxury products. I will definitely be trying Aveda products again. 

3. Soap and Glory Archery Brow Pencil

You may have read my recent eyebrow blog post and noticed that I have a difficult relationship with my eyebrows. Because of this, I'm always on the hunt for new products that are going to make my life easier when it comes to taming them. I picked up this brow pencil from Boots and I haven't used anything else in the last few weeks. It's a really thin brown pencil that allows you to build up your eyebrows bit by bit resulting in a very natural look. There is a brush on the other end to shape the brows and it's I nice sturdy plastic packaging. I also prefer this to my No7 brow pencil because it doesn't require sharpening so it's always ready to use. This was relatively inexpensive too so if you're on the hunt for a new brow pencil you won't go wrong with this one. 

4. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick

I've been eyeing up eye shadow sticks for a while and decided to go with this Bobbi Brown version because I love the colour which is Golden Pink. I tend to put a primer underneath and then apply the eyeshadow straight onto my eyelid before blending with a soft brush. This is blummin fab! It doesn't crease, lasts all day and is a fabulous colour. It's also great for a quick daytime look or you can apply with a crease colour to make it more dramatic for the evening. I shall be purchasing some more of these! 

5. Benefit Advent Calender

My lovely husband bought this Advent Calender for me and I've been blown away by the wonderful products that it contains. I'm planning to write a separate post on this Calender but if you get the chance to pick one of these up next year is recommend that you do!

Thanks for reading my post. Feel free to leave any comments! 

Becky xx

Unruly Eyebrows

This post is about an issue that's very close to my heart and just as the title suggests, it's all about crazy eyebrows.

Arghh!

Many a beauty blogger has shared that eyebrows are sisters and not twins, however mine are more like 2nd cousins twice removed and they drive me insane! Part of the reason is because I think that some of the damage was done by myself in my teenage years. Yep, I was a plucker  and I loved it! But I've never been great with symmetry resulting in the mismatched eyebrow issue that I'm still struggling with today. I'm writing this post thinking that many of you will relate to my problem and hopefully share your own pearls of wisdom. 

So, back to present day. I now get my eyebrows threaded about once a month/6 weeks. I love threading, I've had to look around to find the place that works best for me, but now I've found it, I'll be sticking with it and this is because they were honest with me.

 The first few places that I had my eyebrows threaded at we're ok but they just threaded away without ever saying anything about my mismatched brows resulting in more of a mismatch than ever. 

When I first went to my current threader, straight away she told me that my eyebrows didn't match, the reason why and what she was going to do about it. Hurray! And the amazing thing is she only charges £4! 

The issue now is that I need to let my eyebrows grow for as long as they can before I get them preened, giving more of a chance of the sparse bits growing back  and my eyebrows matching up. 

This means that the in between phase is horrendous for me so I do as much as I can to disguise the unruly hairs poking out in all directions and this is how I do it...

Use a good eyebrow pencil 

I've recently picked up my No7 Beautiful Eyebrows pencil again after a stint using my Sleek brow kit. I did enjoy using my brow kit but I started to feel that it didn't provide the definition that I needed and left my eyebrows looking a bit heavy. I love that I can build up my pencil and use the other side to comb my eyebrows into place. I also think that it's the perfect colour for me. I always start with my pencil on the thick part of my brows, closest to my eyes, I move the pencil in one direction -that's what makes you beautiful (see what I did there!- sorry bad joke,couldn't resist!) and  build up the colour in the shape of the brow. I then move along, filling in any gaps and adding extra colour to match up my brows as best as possible.

Use a highlighter on the brow bone

I hate the straggly hairs that grow underneath my eyebrows but as I'm too scared to pluck anymore for fear of butchering my brows, I do tend to leave them. I've found that a good way of disguising these pesky hairs it to use a good highlighter on the brow bone (a usual part of my eye make up routine anyway). I'm currently using Booty Call by Urban Decay. This is a shimmery pink eyeshadow that I sweep all the way up to my eyebrows. I think because it's shimmery, it catches the light which creates an illusion of a hairless brow bone (or just blinds people so they can't look at that area for too long!) 

Something I need to invest in...

Is a good brow gel. My eyebrows aren't particularly bushy but I can find that hairs move out of place during the day. A good gel will help to set them in place without going crispy. I heard that Anastasia and Laura Mercier do good eyebrow gels so I will be investing soon and I'll let you know what I think. 

So that's it. Not the most difficult of routines and I don't even know if I'm doing the best for my eyebrows but I thought I'd share. Please, please let me know of any products/tips that work well for you as I'm always on the look out for ways to improve mine. 

My eyebrow on a good day. The other was having a bad day...

Thanks for reading 

Becky xx

Cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser... My skincare routine

I've written posts about face creams that I've tried in the past, but I've recently updated my skincare routine to now include a serum and a new face cream that I'm obsessed with so I thought I'd let you know about it! 

Cleanser

I'm still a big fan of a face wash. I find that a good face wash is the only thing that will remove all of my make up and will leave my skin feeling squeaky clean. I've tried a few but my favourite is still La Roche Posay Effaclar foaming face wash.  I use this morning and evening with warm running water and sometimes a flannel to help remove any dead skin. 

Toner

I don't think I've found the perfect toner yet. I recently bought The Sanctuary Pore Refining Toner and it seems to be ok. It smells nice and doesn't leave my skin feeling tight so I guess it's so far so good. I'm also desperate to try Pixi Glow Tonic which I'll be ordering from their website soon as I've heard lots of good things. 

Serum

Serum is a new addition to my skincare routine- I'm still not really sure what it does but as I'm approaching 30, I'm happy to try products that will hopefully keep the wrinkles at bay. I did try a tester of Chanel's Hydra Beauty Serum which of course was lovely but it is quite pricey. I'm a sucker for good advertising so I decided to try No7 Protect and Perfect Advanced serum after hearing all the hype about it. An added bonus was that I had a £5 off skincare voucher and I get 10% off No7 because I'm on the Boots contact lens scheme so it only cost me about £18, bargain! I've been using this serum for about 2 weeks now, morning and evening and I'm not sure that it'll keep me looking 29 forever but it does feel lovely on my skin. It gives a lovely velvety feel and works very well with my moisturiser so I think it was a good buy.

Moisturiser 

I think that this next step in my skincare routine is the most important. I've been using Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme for about a month now and I think it's great. It's quite a light cream but that means it's not greasy, it smells fresh and gives a perfect base for make up. I loved Clarins Multi Active Day moisturiser too but that is slightly heavier than the Chanel cream which resulted in a few breakouts. I paid £55 for the Hydra Beauty Cream but a little goes a very long way and I think it will last a good few months. I think it's a very good investment that I will definitely purchase again. Just remember when you're moisturising to also include your neck and to work in an upward motion to avoid dragging the skin down. 

Eye Cream

I usually just apply eye cream in the evening and I'm still loving Clarins Eye Contour Balm. It's not too heavy and soaks into my skin quickly. A quick tip: use your wedding ring finger to pat in your eye cream as that one gives the lightest touch around the delicate eye area. 

So that's it! It seems like such a lot now I've written it down but I think it is so important to look after your skin and this routine is really working well for me at the moment. If you do have any skincare tips or product recommendations please let me know. I hope you enjoyed this post.

Becky xx

My Updated Evening Make Up

I've recently gone for the chop and because of this and as we are well into Autumn, I've decided to make some changes to my make up. 

This post is about an evening look with dark eyes and berry lips. 

Step 1: After the usual cleanse, tone and moisturise I apply Clarins Beauty Flash Balm as a primer. 

Step 2: Then, using my fingers I blend in Chanel's Aqua Vitalumiere foundation all over my face making sure to blend in at the neck. I'm still loving this foundation, it gives the perfect coverage for me. 

Step 3: I then use No7 Instant Radiance concealer to cover the dark circles under my eyes. I just dab it on and blend in with my fingers. 

Step 4: Next, I use Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer on any lumps, bumps and blemishes again, blending with my fingers. 

Step 4: To set my foundation I apply a thin layer of No7 powder in translucent using a Front Cover Cheek brush. 

Step 5: I then apply the best bronzer in the world ever, Chanel Bronze Universal to the hollows of my cheeks, temples and nose. 

Step 6: I'm still loving the Sleek Brow Kit that I blogged about many moons ago. I fill in any gaps using the wax and set my eyebrows using a small amount of the powder. 

Step 7: I'm still obsessed with my Urban Decay Naked 2 Pallette and I use my Front Cover Fluff and Buff brush to apply Booty Call all over my eye up to my brow bone. I then apply Verve to my lid using the same brush and then using a Front Cover Point + brush I add Pistol to the crease and underneath then eye.

Step 8: My Kiko black eyeliner is the best I've ever used, I never feel like I'm dragging it across my eye as it glides on so easily. I apply this to my upper lids and to the water line.

Step 9: I curl my eyelashes using my No7 curlers then quickly apply a thin layer of Dior Lash Maximizer before applying Dior It- Lash Mascara. 

Step 10: I then apply Mac Powder Blush in Fleur Power using my Real Techniques Blush Brush and Sleek highlighter using a small blusher brush.

Step 11: The final step is the application of No7 High Shine Intense Lip Crayon in Sultry Kiss. It's a lovely berry colour that's perfect for winter and as it's the shape of a crayon is really easy to apply. 

And there you have it, my autumn, smoky evening look. It's not the best photo but let me know what you think! 

Becky xx

It's been sooo long!

Well I'm going to start by saying to anyone that does enjoy reading this blog I'm very sorry for the lack posts. In between moving house and being very busy at work I haven't had much spare time to write anything. But I'm settled and back! 

My post today is all about some favourite products that I've been using over the past month or so. 

The first is a lovely exfoliator called Angels on Bare Skin from Lush. This is basically a putty in a pot, you take a scoop out, add a bit if water and rub over your face. It took a while to get used to as it kind of feels like you're rubbing something from the garden over your face but when you rinse it off you reveal clean, soft and fresh skin. If you fancy an exfoliator that's a bit different and feels good for you then I would recommend this. Oo it smells good too! 

My favourite foundation at the moment is Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua. After running out of Dior Airflash, I decided to give this a go and I'm so glad I did!  I use the colour 3 and it is blummin amazing (even better than Dior!) You need to shake the bottle before application as it's water based and it's quite thin but I've found that a little goes a long way.  I think that the best way to apply it is with my fingers for an even coverage. It's a very light foundation but provides just the right amount of natural coverage for me and paired with my Chanel bronzer (see previous blog post) my skin glows. I love it! 

I was very lucky to receive an Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette for my birthday (thanks Katie) and I have used it everyday since without fail! I absolutely love every single colour in the palette but my favourites are Suspect and Snakebite (beautiful together) and Chopper. I'm using my palette for an evening look tonight so watch this space for a tutorial.  

The final product that I'm recommending in this post is an old favourite that I've re purchased after a couple of years without it. It's Benefit's dandelion face powder and it's lovely. I use this as a very subtle blusher as it's a nice light pink with some very subtle shimmery flecks in it. I find to get the coverage I like I need to apply a few layers to the apples of my cheeks but even after a heavy application, it gives a very natural flush, perfect for everyday. I also quite like the cute little brush that it comes with. 

So that's it for my favourites this week. I'm about to start my make up for this evening which I intend to blog about next. I chopped a good few inches off my hair today eek! so I'm looking forward to experimenting with my make up as I feel new hair warrants an updated look.

Thanks for reading

Becky xx

 

A New Eyeliner Trick

Hello! 

Apologies for the delay since my last post, I'm not sure where the time is going at the moment! 

Anyway this is a short and sweet post on a new eyeliner trick that I discovered whilst recently on my hols. 

Firstly, before you attempt this, you need to make sure that you have a good, black pencil eyeliner (I bought mine from Kiko when I was in Italy - it was super cheap and is amazing!) You also need to make sure that it's in good condition for hygiene reasons. 

When applying the eyeliner the difference is that when applying it to the top lid, you apply it underneath the eyelashes instead of on top. I did find this a bit weird at first but when you get used to it it's no different to applying to the water line. You might need to hold the eyelashes up a little before filling in the gaps between the eyelashes with a pencil. You can build it up as you go along for the desired effect. For a more dramatic look, I have also applied eyeliner on the top lid as usual and on the water line of the bottom of the eye for a really smoky look. 

If you do just want to keep it quite natural, a thin line under the top lashes will help to open the eye out. 

Sorry for the close up but I took this after an evening out on hols to give you an idea of how it looks. 

Happy eyelining! I'd be happy to hear some comments on what you think of this method of eyeliner application. 

Becky xx

I've been a Lucky Girl!

Hello!

So I've been quite lucky this month as the lovely hubby has bought me some fabulous bits for our first wedding anniversary. 

The first product that I'm writing about today is the Jo Malone Cologne in Vanilla and Anise. I'm so excited that I finally got this as I've been lusting after it for AGES and it definitely lives up to expectations. Well firstly, I just love the scent, it's so different and moreish. Even though it's vanilla it's not too sweet and smells natural (I'm not usually a vanilla fan as I think it can smell really synthetic) it's also the kind of scent that I can wear during the day and night as it's not too heavy or too light (if that makes sense?) Like most of the Jo Malone 30ml fragrances, it cost £40 which I suppose is a tad pricey, but the scent stays on my skin for a good few hours and even when it starts to fade, a beautiful scent lingers. I can't stop sniffing my wrists!

Also, if you've read some of my other posts you'll know how I love a good shopping experience and I wasn't disappointed. The assistant was very helpful and the perfume was so beautifully wrapped (I'm a sucker for packaging), I felt as though I was making a very luxurious purchase, I was very impressed!  

The second product on the present pile was the Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara in Black. I've never had a high end mascara before but I'm quite impressed. It has taken me a while to get used to the brush as it's chunkier than I'm used to and being quite heavy handed, I can end up with mascara all over my eyelids too! Now that I'm used to the brush, I'm really pleased with the results. I also love plastic brushes so that's an added bonus as I find the bristles separate and coat tha lashes more evenly. I find that the mascara holds the curl and builds up amazingly to create a really dramatic evening look. I also don't need to spend the usual half an hour applying this as it builds up quickly and evenly to create the desired look. I would consider purchasing this again.

The final product I received was another Dior creation (my husband knows me so well!) and it's the Diorshow Maximiser Lash Serum. Initially I wasn't too sure what to do with this, so I looked at a few reviews and there's a couple of ways that you can use it. The first way is to use it as a base underneath your mascara. I've tried this a couple of times and it takes a while to get used to but it's something I would use for a very dramatic evening look. It does help to extend and bulk out the lashes. The only issue is, it can make the lashes a little crispy, which makes mascara application quite difficult. To overcome this, I've been curling the lashes first, then I apply the serum to one eye (a thin layer) before quickly applying the mascara, then I move on to the other eye. This does seem to help the application and the way that the lashes are extended is quite amazing! I think this is something I'd reserve for parties/nights out though, instead of false lashes.

The other way that you can use the serum is as an overnight mask (which I think will be my main type of use.) it claims to be an overnight treatment that promotes lash growth, something that I'm definitely after so I'll let you know how it goes! I love Dior so I have high hopes for this product! 

So that's it for my present reviews, I've also been on a little trip to Lush so I'll be blogging about the products I picked up soon. If you have any hints for using the Lash Serum please let me know as I want to get the best out of it. Thanks for reading.

Becky xx

Ps. You can now also follow me on Instagram: Bexadod (don't ask!)

Twitter: @bexadoodle

Bloglovin': rsperrink 

Google+: Rebecca Sperrink 

The Liebster Award

Hello!

This post is a little bit different to the others that I have written as I have been nominated by two great bloggers for the Liebster award. The two bloggers that I have been nominated by are LOLfashionbeauty.blogspot.co.uk and reviewsbybecky25.blogspot.co.uk a big thank you!

The Liebster Award is an award that is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers by other bloggers. The aim is to help promote new or lesser known blogs to the blogging world. Now because I've been nominated twice, I do have two sets of questions to answer so apologies if this goes on a bit!

The Rules
1. Link back to the person that nominated you
2. List 11 facts about yourself
3. Answer all the questions that you are given
4. Choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate
5. Pick 11 questions for them to answer and let them know.

11 Random Facts

• I'm a vegetarian
• My favourite film is Labyrinth
• I love to travel
• Some of my favourite destinations are: Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Croatia, Paris, Bruges, Greece, Sri Lanka, Cornwall
• I got married last year, our anniversary is August 9th
• I have an olive addiction
• I LOVE dogs
• I have the cutest niece and nephew in the world
• I love any of the Real Housewives series, my favourite is The Real Housewives of Orange County (serious guilty pleasure)
• I have the biggest crush on Alexander Skarsgard (Eric in True Blood)
• I drink far too much tea

My Questions

Set by Laura Rachel and Becky, thanks ladies!

1. What inspired you to start your blog? 

I've always had a bit of a make up obsession and I love to talk about the products that I've bought with friends. I also love listening to other people's recommendations so thought what better way to do all of that than starting my own blog?

2. What is one of your guilty pleasures or something you can's ever resist?

I can't walk through Boots without buying something! It might be something really small like a packet of cotton wool but more often than not it's make up and I cannot resist using the No7 money off vouchers! I've got 3 at the moment and I will be spending them before they run out of date on Sunday!

3. What's your current favourite/can't live without product?

My current favourite that I've been using everyday is Chanel's Universal Bronzer, it's the most amazing bronzer that I've ever used! I'm cheating a bit because I do have another can't live without product and that is mascara.

4. Name a fashion item that you can't live without

I'm not sure if it's a fashion item as such but I always need a handbag and the bigger the better. I am currently using a tan Michael Kors Hamilton bag which was a Christmas present and it is just the right size for all my random reciepts, half used packets of chewing gum, half empty water bottles etc...

5. Your biggest fears

I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to heights. My biggest issue is with downward escalators, I'm afraid that I'm the hoverer at the top who gets in everybody's way!

6. What's your most embarrassing moment?

I have many! When I was in Year 7 at school I wore a very fetching pleated knee length skirt (I think that's an embarrassing moment in itself!). I remember walking up some steps with many of my classmates behind me, when a big gust of wind pushed the skirt up over my head to reveal a very fetching pair of checked pants. Not my finest moment.

7. Who do you look up to most?

I don't think I have one answer for this as I get inspiration from lots of different people, mainly family and friends. 

8. Who's the person whose style/appearance you love the most?

I really like quite natural looks and I don't really follow celebrity trends, I just buy clothes that I think will suit me and that catch my eye. I guess if I were to choose, I do quite like Millie Mackintosh's style as she looks as though she doesn't try too hard and I like some of the floaty dresses that she wears. 

9. What's the reason behind your blog name?

My blog name is a bit boring really, it's just my name and one of my favourite things to talk about which is beauty!

10. Who knows about your blog?

It began with mainly family and friends and Facebook was my main method of sharing. My blog is gradually growing now and that's thanks to lovely fellow bloggers showing me how to use bloglovin' and Twitter to my advantage. 

11. How did you/do you react when people you know find your blog?

I was really nervous at first. I think it's quite daunting to put yourself out there and have people read your thoughts and opinions. I have been really pleased with the response that I've had though, it's lovely when I bump into a friend I haven't seen in a while and one of the first things they mention is something that they've read on my blog!

12. What is your favourite skincare brand?

I really like Clarins moisturisers, they feel like butter on my skin (without the grease). I also love the freebies that they offer!

13. How long have you been blogging?

I still feel like a relatively new blogger as I've only been writing since May, I still don't understand half of the technical bits!

14. If you could only wear 3 make up products on your face, what would they be?

Ooo I like this question! At the moment it would be Chanel's Universal bronzer, No7 Pop and Glow cream blusher and No7 Exceptional Definition mascara. 

15. What is your number 1 beauty tip?

Always moisturise after cleansing! My skin can feel quite tight after cleansing and toning so I moisturise to help balance things out again. I think it also helps make up to glide on without seeping into pores or sticking to dry bits of skin. 

16. Which bloggers inspire you and why?

I really like the blogs that also have YouTube tutorials. I particularly like Lily pebbles, Amelia Liana and Vivianna does Make up . I like these blogs because they use a mix of high end and drugstore products, their reviews are very honest and they don't claim to be experts, they are just honest about how they like to do things. 

17. What's your favourite low end make-up brand?

I don't know if this is low end but I'm a huge No7 fan (is it more mid range?) if it doesn't count I do also like Maybelline.  

18. What is your favourite high end make-up brand?

Noo this is too hard! At the moment I have two, Dior and Chanel - sorry I couldn't possibly choose between the two! 

19. What's your favourite perfume?

I don't tend to stick to one perfume, I have different perfumes for different occasions. I suppose if I had to pick my ultimate favourite would be Eau de Merveilles by Hermes because it is so unusual. I also have Jo Malone Vanilla and Anise cologne on my wish list at the moment. 

20. What bog is your current favourite to read?

Probably the previously mentioned Lily Pebbles.

21. What high street store is your favourite?

I love House of Fraser, I love that I can usually go in there with something in mind and come out with just what I wanted. the clothing concessions are great, as are the beauty counters. I can also usually buy something without spending a fortune.

So there we have it, 2 sets of questions answered, I hope going through these wasn't too mind numbing! 

 Questions for my nominated bloggers

1. In your opinion what is the best way to remove make up?

2. Waterproof mascara or regular mascara?

3. What is the best beauty product out there?

4. Is there one item of food or drink that you think can help improve your appearance (e.g. skin, eyes, hair)?

5. Which beauty products are worth spending more money on?

6. How long do you think you will be blogging for?

7. What kind of response have you had to your blog?

8. What is the best thing about blogging?

9. Is there a downside to blogging?

10.  Do you have any tips or tricks that you would share with your younger self about make-up?

11. Have you ever had any embarrassing hair/fashion/make-up moments?

Nominations

Acesparklestar (I couldn't see how many followers you have on your blog so apologies if it's over 200)

Shaun Nolan

Bella Nokomis

Naomi

Kelly Louise

Sophie

Sue

Gabby

Taylor

Jessica

The Next Chapter

Thanks for reading! xx

A Few Bits from Boots

This is probably going to be the least exciting blog post that I've ever written, but I'm in Boots a LOT and there's always little cosmetics that end up in my basket and it's about blummin' time that I blogged about them. 

The first product to tell you about is a heat protector that I've started using that seems to be doing the job ok (I'm not really sure how you tell with a heat protector but let's just say my hair is in quite good condition). It's Dove's Style+Care Heat Spray. I really like this because it sprays easily onto my hair, smells lovely and doesn't feel in any way heavy. I also think it was less than £5 which is great! 

I think I'm really late to the party with the next product which is the Tangle Teezer hairbrush, but better late than never! My hair is ridiculously knotty as it is quite long and thick and I do use a hair extension brush, which my hairdresser recommended, as the mixed bristles are quite gentle on my hair.  However, it doesn't always remove the tangles, particularly close to my scalp. I've walked past the Tangle Teezers a few times and love the bright colours that they come in. I was put off a little by the lack of handle but decided to take the plunge when I saw them for sale for £10.49. I've used this brush on dry and wet hair and I do quite like it. I prefer to still use my extension brush to get out the majority of tangles in my wet hair but I think the Tangle Teezer works better on dry hair. It doesn't make me cry, (my paddle brush reduced me to tears on quite a few occasions) or want to throw the brush against the wall, it's just great at removing tangles gently. A fab product! 

The next product is for anyone as lazy as I am when it comes to using a body lotion. I've blogged about The Sanctuary Body Oil before as it's a great lazy girl moisturiser but as my skin has seen a little more sun than usual, I needed to find something with a bit of extra moisture. That is why I picked up Nivea's In-Shower Body Moisturiser. I was a bit sceptical about this as I wasn't sure that it would moisturise as well as a lotion but I do think that it's quite good. You apply to wet skin after cleansing with a shower gel and then rinse off. It left my skin soft and without feeling too tacky, a great product if you haven't got the time to moisturise properly. Even though I do like this, I will still probably alternate with a normal body lotion, particularly as my skin is quite dry at the moment but it is great for those lazy days and is definitely better than using nothing at all. Another top tip is to use baby oil on wet skin after a shower, it can be a little bit messier but works just as well at keeping your skin smooth.

The final product that I'm writing about today is a new toner that I picked up as I've recently ran out of La Roche Posay Effaclar Toner and decided to look for something a little cheaper. I went for Garrnier's Refreshing Toner which claims to tone and brighten the skin. I've been using this toner everyday for about a week and I'm really happy with it so far. It doesn't feel as harsh as other toners that I've used but does still seem to remove any residue left over after cleansing. It also smells very fresh and I've had no break outs recently so it must be doing a good job, especially as I'm spending a lot of my time feeling grimy and sweaty at the moment. I bought this toner on offer and again I think it was under £5. I would definitely consider purchasing this again as it seems to be just right for my fussy skin. 

So that's it for my recent purchases, I hope this post was of some use and please feel free to follow me on bloglovin ( just search rsperrink.blogspot.com) or google+ I'm also on Twitter @bexadoodle.

Thanks for reading! Xx

My Holiday Make up Staples

Hello! 

So we've all been there, the weather is heating up or we've taken ourselves off abroad and we want to look sunkissed, beautiful and natural within the first 5 minutes of stepping off the plane (or is that just me?)

Well I can't guarantee that, but I can recommend some of the products that I use in the summer and some new purchases that I will be using in the warmer months. 

Foundation: 

When my freckles start to appear (my face doesn't tan) I either like to wear a very light foundation or none at all. The two products I've been enjoying the most are the No7 BB Cream and the Dior Airflash foundation (I know I regularly rave about this but it is a lovely light foundation for the summer) the only downside with this product is that it has no SPF.  I love the No7 BB cream because it looks very natural but leaves a smooth, dewy look to my skin and also has an SPF of 15. Plus it's very reasonable even before the £3 discount vouchers. 

Concealer:

I still get bags and blemishes in the summer so I do need to continue to use a concealer. I'm loving Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer at the moment as it isn't cakey but offers good coverage. 

Apologies that the photo isn't the best but these are well loved products! 

Eyes:

I don't like to wear too much eyeshadow or eyeliner in the summer. I just don't want to end up with sweaty panda eyes. I do however, like to give my eyes a wash of colour and I think bronze looks beautiful when you want to achieve that sunkissed look. A recent airport purchase was a Clinique Eyeshadow Quad in Morning Java. This is the first time that I've tried Clinique eyeshadows but I really like them. There's a highlighter, bronze, light brown and dark brown shade and they work very well together without looking too over the top. I apply the light brown all over the lid and the bronze in the inner corner of the eye and below the lower lashes. I use the dark brown eyeshadow as a liner on my upper lid, shove a bit of mascara on and hey presto! 

For an even easier eye look, I've just bought Maybelline's Colour Tattoo eyeshadow in On and On Bronze. The colour is a lovely bronze cream. It is quite metallic so I keep the application quite light in the daytime but it has a lovely sheen to it and works well with just a bit of mascara or a small amount of eyeliner on the upper lid.

Bronzer: 

A firm favourite of mine is Chanel's Universal Bronzer (and I'm glad after paying just over £30 for it!) I apply this bronzer to the parts of my face that would naturally catch the sun and I think it's amazing! So natural yet very effective. It makes you look as though you've been sitting in the sun all day. 

Cheeks:

When I'm wearing bronzer I don't always apply blusher. But on days that I do, I sometimes use the Nars blusher in Luster. This is a bronze blusher that helps to further enhance a tan. The other option is No7's Pop and Glow stick in Rose Blossom which is a pastel pink. This is a cream blusher which gives a natural glow to my cheeks that seems to stick around for a good few hours. 

Lips:

In the summer months I tend to favour lip gloss, particularly during the daytime. My favourite is No7 BB Lip Cream in Blush Coral. The cream itself is very nourishing and offers UV protection which is always a bonus. It's easy to apply and is fairly long lasting. The subtle coral colour also works really well with a tan. 

So that's it for my recommendations. Of course I still wear mascara and I have to tame my crazy eyebrows. My favourite mascara is the already blogged about No7 Exceptional Definition mascara in black. To avoid a shiny face I make sure that I apply a powder to set everything in place, I also like to use a highlighter on my cheekbones to enhance the glowy, sheeny look.

I hope that this post has inspired you to change up your summer looks, it would be great to hear of any other summer recommendations that you may have. 

Thanks for reading xx

My Summer Holiday Skincare

Hello!

I have recently been lucky enough to travel to Majorca for a long weekend with the girls and thought I would share some of my holiday skincare musts and also a disappointing product or two. 

I think the MOST important product when travelling anywhere sunny is sun cream. Obviously it protects the skin from burning but can also help protect from the ageing and harmful effects of the sun. My friends and I shared sun cream between us and went for Boots Soltan due to it being fairly reasonable and also having five star UVA protection. I've got to admit I didn't know much about UVA but my friend explained to me how harmful the rays can be, penetrating the skin much further than UVB rays. I was also surprised to see that most sun creams don't offer 5 star UVA protection. We chose 2 different types of cream from Soltan, the first was an invisible spray in factor 25.

I thought this product was very good as it wasn't sticky, smelt quite nice and applied easily. I also think that it protected my skin well and I didn't have to reapply it too many times throughout the day. I will definitely use this product again and would recommend it to anyone who hates that greasy feeling that comes with using a cream.

The second cream that we bought was the factor 15 spray cream.

*This photograph was taken from the website as I threw the cream away before returning home.* 

The cream itself was ok, again not sticky and seemed to offer quite good protection but I had one really big problem with it... the smell. My friends and I all noticed that when we applied it, there was a really strange smell and this is disgusting, but the only smell I can liken it to is poo! I know the scent shouldn't matter too much when you've found a good sun cream but it just made me feel horrible. I didn't want to use it at all. Also, because it dried so quickly, it was difficult to see any bits that I'd missed resulting in some burning. I wouldn't recommend this sun cream.

As well as the usual sun cream, I always have to buy a very high factor product as my shoulders only have to glimpse the sun before burning. For this trip I bought Soltan Baby 50+ sun cream.

This product was amazing! It offered extremely high sun protection, didn't need to be applied very often and didn't really have any scent. I know it's designed for babies but it did work wonders on my sensitive skin. Even though my shoulders were exposed for most of the holiday, there was not even a hint of pink. A must have product for anyone that burns easily. 

The final product that I want to blog about is a product that I recently mentioned on Twitter. This is a face cream that I picked up on offer in Boots for £2.99! (And I'm sure that's it's not more than £5.99 usually!)

This is the Garnier Moisture Match face cream with SPF 20. I used this at home for a few days before travelling and also applied this cream on my day of shopping on holiday when I was in and out of the sun. The cream promises to hydrate and illuminate the skin for 24 hours and I really like it. It's a nice light cream that absorbs quickly and works well with my foundation. I also found that it did protect me from the sun and it also smells really nice too. I'm not sure if I was glowing after applying this, but I do think that it's a very nice moisturiser for the price with an added bonus of SPF protection. It definitely rivals my Origins GinZing face cream (which doesn't have SPF).

So that was Part 1 of my holiday blog, it might not be the most exciting but I hope it was of some help. Part 2 will be all about the make up looks I went for as I love the beachy, bronzed, fresh faced look. 

Thanks for reading and don't forget that you can follow me on Bloglovin (there should be a button somewhere on my blog) or follow me using Google+. I'm also on Twitter as @bexadoodle. I really appreciate the reads and the comments. Thank you!

Becky xx

I went shopping again...

Hello! 

Before I start writing some product reviews I just wanted to let you know that I've recently filmed some videos for my upcoming YouTube channel so please keep a lookout for those, they're just in the process of being edited. 

Right, so yes, I went shopping, I didn't mean to, it just happened but I'm so glad it did! 

The first product that I bought was the Chanel Universal bronzer that I had seen recommended in another blog. This is a light,creamy bronzer that can be applied to the face and body. I have been using this bronzer daily over the top of my foundation and I think it is amazing! I had no idea how I would go about applying this bronzer but the lovely lady in Chanel showed me how to apply it with a kabuki brush wherever I want it. I did find that the kabuki brush was too big for me, especially when contouring, so I use a smaller blusher brush to apply the bronzer. I swirl it in and use it mainly for contouring and a little bit of bronzing on my temples and nose. I love this bronzer because it looks so natural and there are no shimmery bits which Is great for me as I like to use a highlighter instead. The bronzer cost £32 which I actually think is a really great price for a product that I think will last a long time. It also smells amazing! 

The second product that I bought was the Rimmel Lasting Finish colour rush balm in 700 Not an Illusion. Again I've seen this balm on a few blogs and I wanted to try it for myself. It cost just over £5 and I think that this is another great buy. The balm is in the shape of a pencil and it glides on the lips really smoothly. It is quite pigmented so leaves a lovely colour but also some shine (not as much as a gloss though). I find the colour lasts ages and my lips are also left feeling fairly moisturised. There's loads of colours to choose from but I went for this colour as I don't have a similar one and I think it goes great with the bronzed/gold look. A great product overall and a bargain price! 

The final product that I recently bought is the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Cool Medium. This concealer has been raved about a lot so I thought I should give it a go, especially as it was less than £5. I use this concealer for under my eyes and on blemishes and it's great. I think the colour might be a little bit dark for me but when it's blended in it's fine. It gives a great coverage without being too chalky or cakey and I love that I can use it for eyes and spots. My only issue is that when you close the tube, a bit of product oozes out of the side which is really annoying because it gets everywhere and  looks a mess. But, for the price I think I might be able to overlook that! 

 I also bought some new eyelash curlers on my last shopping trip. I had been eyeing up the Shu Uemura curlers but at £20 thought they were a bit pricey. Instead, I went for the No7 metal curlers that are priced at around £7.25. They look great and come with an extra pad to replace after a year which I thought was a nice touch. An extra bonus was that when I went to the counter, I bought some other products and the sales assistant put those through first so that I could get a £4 No7 voucher to put towards the curlers. In the end they were less than £4! I think the curlers are great too they grip tightly and give a nice curl to my lashes that seems to last. I am very pleased with my bargain buy!

The last product that I want to mention is on my wishlist and it's a Jo Malone cologne. I recently smelt the Vanilla and anise scent and it is beautiful. It costs £40 for 30ml which is why I haven't bought it yet but when I sprayed it on my arm I couldn't stop sniffing it. It smells very unique, like most of the Jo Malone fragrances but also very rich and long lasting, absolutely gorgeous. 

Anyway that's all from me for now. 

Thanks for reading,

Becky xx