OOTD- Boho chic

Good evening girlies!

To round off March I've got a little outfit post for you to show you what I wore to work and to visit family yesterday. As it was beautifully hot and I can wear what I like to work as long as it's not too revealing I went for this boho chic style outfit...

Top- Miss Selfridge

Skirt- Tesco

Sandals- Lily and Skinner from TK Maxx

Sunglasses- Primark

Bangles- Primark

Necklace- H.Samuels

I actually got the skirt back when I was 14 from Tesco and just never grew out of it and as it's so pretty and maxi boho skirts never seem to be out of fashion in the summer I decided to get it out of my wardrobe for the 6th year in a row haha! I wore it with my cute Miss Selfridge top as it works so well with more colourful bottoms. I'm also wearing my new Primark sunnies that I got for, wait for it...a pound! and they actually fit my little face so well and keep the sun out of my eyes, what a bargain!

I really like the sandals I'm wearing too as they've got a bit of a flatform thing going on, so they add a bit of height without hurting my feet. I found them in TK Maxx years ago (a great place for discovering ridiculous discounts!) and as my feet haven't grown from a weeny size 3 since I was about 13 (I really just haven't grown like I expected to...) I thought I'd rediscover my love for them again this year.

What do you think of my outfit? Are you liking maxi skirts and the boho look this spring?

I had to work 9-5 today so I'm just chilling out in front of rubbishy Saturday night tele tonight, but I'm very excited for tomorrow as my boyfriend's coming home for Easter :) I also wanted to say a massive thank you to all my followers and everyone reading this for supporting my Budget Boutique and helping me to reach over 200 followers, you are all too lovely and  really help to boost my confidence with blogging! So much in fact that I think I might start my youtube channel tomorrow, scary but exciting stuff!

I hope you are all having far more exciting Saturdays!

Love Meg

x

NOTD- Ice cream parlour

Hey girls!

The gorgeous spring weather we're having at the moment has made me leave behind the dark purples, blacks and reds I was loving for my nails in the winter and move onto pretty pastel shades. I decided to treat myself to a couple of these new spring shades with my Boots points the other day and went for Barry M's 'Berry Ice Cream' and 'Strawberry Ice Cream'...

Not only do they sound delicious, but I think they look rather yummy on my nails too and I can't wait to add the shades 'Blueberry Ice cream' and 'Lemon Ice Cream' to my collection then I really will have an ice cream parlour!

Barry M Nail Paints are definitely my favourite nail polish brand because of the amazing range of shades on offer and the fact they are an incredibly affordable £2.99 a pop, although I do find you need a good two coats to get an opaque coverage, whereas with some other more expensive brands like Models Own and OPI  you could probably get away with the one.

Are you loving pastel shades at the moment? What are your favourite Barry M Nail Paints?

I've been pretty busy today at work and seeing my grandparents, which was so nice as I haven't seen them in over a month. And now I'm off to drive to see my lovely friend Lydia who I haven't seen since Christmas, so I'm very excited about that!

I hope you've all had a good week!

Love Meg

x

March Lust Haves and Must Haves

Hello Lovelies!

Today I thought I'd start a new monthly feature which are my lust haves and must haves! The lust haves are those expensive high end things that I'm currently coveting, but am unlikely to be able to buy for myself at the moment and the must haves are the budget alternatives/dupes which I don't feel too guilty about treating myself to!

LUST HAVE- Benefit Coralista blush £23.50

After my lovely friend Alex used this blusher on me for a night out last week it's been at the top of my high end make up wish list, however I've found a dupe for it from MeMeMe cosmetics who offer a lot of high end alternatives, so I think I'll be giving that a go in the mean time (meantime being whilst I'm poor and it's no where near my birthday, which is pretty much all the time haha)...

MUST HAVE- MeMeMe cosmetics Blush Me! Coral Blush Box £8.50

LUST HAVE- Moroccan oil £30.45 from salons

I've wanted this for so long now after hearing too many times what a miracle worker it is for over processed and tired hair, so it excites me greatly that Aldi are now selling a dupe for a fraction of the price which I'm going to try and get my hands on tomorrow...

MUST HAVE- Miracle oil £3.99 from Aldi

LUST HAVE- Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish 200ml Starter Kit £25.50



I've recently been feeling the need to up my skincare routine which pretty much currently only consists of facial wipes (naughty I know!) and Liz Earle's skincare range seems an obvious choice as it's been raved about all over the beauty blogasphere! However, I think I'll be trying this Superdrug alternative to see if it works for me before I go and spend that daunting £25.50...

MUST HAVE- Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser 200ml £5.99

LUST HAVE- Models Own Nail Polish in 'Fuzzy Peach' £5 

 

Okay so Models Own nail polish isn't exactly going to break the bank with it's £5 price tag, but if I can save £2 by getting the same shade in Barry M nail paint then why not...

MUST HAVE- Barry M Nail Paint in 'Peach Melba' £2.99

LUST HAVE- American Apparel Disco Pants £70

After seeing claudiakitten and lucy-boots look amazingly cool in their disco pants I've been dying to get my hands on some, but at £70 I think I'm going to have to make do with some good wet look leggings like these ones from Topshop (or failing that scour ebay for a disco pant discount!)...

MUST HAVE- Topshop Wet Look Leggings £18 

So there you go, I hope you enjoyed my March lust haves and must haves list, I'll keep you posted if and when I actually get my hands on any of these little beauties!

What are your current lust haves and must haves? Have you tried any of the products in this post?

I've just had a nice chilled out day at home making the most of having a warm house, comfy sofa and full cupboards! I'm going back to work at the library tomorrow though so I won't be spending the entire holiday doing nothing haha!

I hope you've all enjoyed having another day of sunshine!
Love Meg
x 

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation

Hey girlies!

So back in February I did a post about the new make up I had bought to create my base after being stuck in a rut using the same products for ages and if you want to read that then it's here. Well now I thought I'd finally get round to doing reviews of the three products starting with the Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation...

The Product Details from Maybelline-

'ULTRA-BLENDABLE, COMFORTABLE FEELING TEXTURE. 

AIR-BRUSHED, PORELESS FINISH. 

IDEAL FOR NORMAL SKIN.

• Air-whipped liquid provides perfecting coverage for 100% poreless skin.

• Full yet lightweight coverage.

• Satin perfect, luminous finish.

• Ideal for normal skin.

• Won’t clog pores, suitable for sensitive skin.

• Oil-free, fragrance-free, tested under dermatological control. 

For best results apply smoothly and evenly to your face and blend with your fingertips.'

Firstly, I absolutely adore the packaging as the slim glass bottle makes the product feel a lot more expensive and high end than it is. The pump is also great as it allows you to dispense the product easily and control the amount you want to get out. As you might be able to see from the photo below the consistency is much more thick and creamy than most other runny liquid foundations like Bourjois Healthy Mix or Revlon PhotoReady, however this doesn't make it feel too heavy, instead it feels nice and light on the skin, whilst also giving a good medium coverage that could be built to a fuller coverage if desired, although I'd like it to cover blemishes a bit better. It does seem to be pretty long lasting on the skin too, although by the end of the day it can seem to disappear from my chin and nose area in particular. The choice of shades seems pretty good too (although I can't speak for very pale or very dark skin toned people) and 'ivory' seems to be pretty much a perfect match for both my natural and slightly tanned skin tone, but I think I might try out the shade 'nude' or 'sand' if I'm very tanned and need something a bit darker and less pinky. 

As Maybelline claims, this foundation really is super blendable and doesn't dry too quickly so I find it easy to apply quickly and perfectly every time, particularly when I wear it on top of my Rimmel primer. 

The finish is a good balance between matte and natural and dewy and does make my skin appear much more airbrushed, although it doesn't cover up 100% of my imperfections and pores as promised. However, I've only tried applying it with my fingers so far as instructed, but I've just bought the real techniques stippling brush (there will be more on this soon!) so I'll let you know if I achieve even more of an airbrush finish when I apply it with that. It's oil-free and fragrance free so I imagine that it would be good for oily and sensitive skin, however I have normal to dry skin and have found it can cling a little to dry patches, however using a moisturising primer beforehand sorts that problem out and it's never broken me out which is great!

The foundation in action after a whole night of partying! (sorry for the weird serious expression haha)

Overall, I really love this foundation and at just £7.99 for a bottle that has lasted me for over three months, I'll definitely repurchase this product (although at the moment I'm giving Bourjois Healthy Mix a go!) and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable, easy to apply, medium coverage foundation with a nice semi matte semi natural quite airbrushed finish!

Have any of you tried this foundation? Or do you have any others to recommend? 

I arrived home for the Easter holidays today and got to see my boyfriend last night in London on the way home which was lovely. The long journey from Sheffield to Sheppey was a bit of a nightmare though as it was so hot and busy and I had so much luggage (despite the fact I tried to pack lightly!). I'm very excited to eat lovely homely food and have the time to blog more often, but right now I'm off to finish watching Waterloo Road and The Apprentice, oh the excitement haha!

I hope you're all having a great week!

Love Meg

x

OOTD- Coralista

Hey lovelies!

I hope you're all enjoying the sunshine today! I've had a nice lazy day sunbathing and having a picnic with my friends Matt and Loma and it's made me want to blog about the summery outfit I wore to the Platform drama festival awards last week...

Dress- Arc

Heels- Ebay 

Tan- St.Moriz medium mousse 

I called this post coralista for two reasons, firstly because of the colour of my new cut out skater dress from Arc (my new favourite clothes shop) which I'm absolutely in love with as it's ridiculously flattering, I can't get enough of cut out dresses and the colour is perfect for the spring and summer...and secondly because the beautiful Alex, who is in the stunning ivory River Island dress above (I wish I found things like that in River Island!), did my bronzer and blush for me using Benefit hoola and CORALista, which I both adore and now have firm places on my ever growing make up wish list! 

I thought I'd show you what my make up looked like up close (bear in mind this was the end of the night please!) and also what my new Max Factor Colour Elixir lipstick in 'Angel Pink' looks like on the lips. I personally am now a massive fan of this lippy as it manages to have a gorgeous creamy moisturising consistency that easily glides onto the lips whilst at the same time providing a matte colour and the shade 'Angel pink' is exactly what I've been looking for and will definitely become a spring/summer favourite. 

Another reason why I love this lipstick and the coral colour of my dress is that I think they look lovely with a tan and you may have noticed I'm looking pretty tanned in these photos compared to normal and that's because I've been absolutely loving my St. Moriz instant self tanning mousse! I'm not going to do a full review just yet as I want to use it a few more times first, but my first impressions are brilliant as it gives you a natural non-orange colour (although I don't think I'll be going any darker than I am in these photos!), never goes streaky and seems to take quite a while before it patches and fades, plus it's a ridiculous price of about £3! I honestly don't know how I have managed to go so long without fake tan in my life haha

What do you think of my coral dress and nude heels combo? What are your favourite spring colours?

As I said I've spent the day sun bathing and eating picnic food, which is great as I went out to Pop Tarts last night and haven't really felt like doing anything too strenuous today! I am off out tonight as well though for a social with the cast of one of the shows I did for the drama festival last weekend so that should be fun!

I hope you've all had lovely sunny Sundays!

Love Meg

x 

Review- John Frieda 3 day straight

Good Afternoon Girlies! 

I was having a look back though my old posts yesterday and realised the thing I seem to neglect talking about the most is hair care, which is odd as I use so many different hair products! So today I thought I'd do a review of one of the products that has become a staple in my hair care routine and this is 

John Frieda 3 day Straight...

As some of you may know my natural hair is very curly and frizzy (for more about my hair take a look at-

http://www.megsbudgetboutique.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/hair-hair-hair.html) 

and once I had it cut short I  started to straighten it with my ghd's every day. However, once I dyed it blonde and started growing it long again I realised I needed to hold back on the heat tools if I wanted to keep it in good condition, so I invested in the John Frieda 3 day straight spray and the fact I now only straighten my hair after washing it and let my hair go ghd free in the one or two day gap inbetween is testament to how good this product is!

The Claims-

'John Frieda Frizz Ease Spray transforms curly, frizzy hair into a straight, smooth style that lasts up to 3 days.

Designed to work with your hair straighteners, this weightless spray with heat protection blocks out frizz as you straighten. A revolutionary blend of polymers with keratin protein wraps each strand, sealing in straight style for up to 3 days.

Keeps hair glossy, smooth and swinging with body

Safe for colour-treated and chemically-treated hair

Or until your next shampoo if less than 3 days.'

How you use it-

'Spray throughout damp or wet hair, NOT on dry hair. Start with 10-15 sprays. Use more or less, depending on hair length and thickness.

Step 1: Wash & condition with Frizz-Ease® Smooth Start® Shampoo and Conditioner

Step 2: Spray Frizz-Ease® 3-Day Straight™ Semi-Permanent Styling Spray on wet hair

Step 3: Blow Dry

Step 4: Straighten with hair straighteners

Days 2 & 3: No need to wash, just touch-up with hair straighteners if desired.'

The Verdict-

So firstly, yes I do think this keeps your hair straighter for longer, obviously it doesn't always keep it perfectly poker straight or totally protected from the weather, but the most I ever have to do in-between washes now is touch up places where I've slept on it funny or where it's been blown about or rained on! It also seems to make my hair less frizzy and more manageable after blow drying so the straightening is easier anyway. I'd definitely agree the spray is weightless too, as it doesn't leave my hair feeling sticky or heavy and the feeling that you have product in your hair seems to go when you straighten it. 

 I feel like it's hard to tell how well it protects your hair from heat, but considering how much my hair has been exposed to heat over the years it's in pretty good condition, so I think that shows the protection works. As for making hair 'glossy, smooth and swinging with body' I feel like it would depend on your hair type, as I don't have fine glossy silky smooth hair naturally so it would be quite amazing if it changed my hair type completely, but I do think it gives my naturally frizzy hair a nice smooth finish, although I'm pretty sure the volume I have comes from hair spray!

So overall I'm very happy to give this product a secure place in my hair care routine as it lives up to its main claims, can be used in conjunction with other products (such as smoothing serums or oils) and comes in at a very affordable £6.99 (plus it's usually on some sort of offer in Boots anyway!). You don't get the biggest bottle ever at 100ml, but a few sprays covers my whole head so I find one bottle does last a really long time.

Have you tried this product? Or have you got any other tips to keep me away from the ghd's?

 I'm just having a pretty relaxing day off from uni today, then I'm making a belated birthday dinner for my friend Joe later tonight so I need to go on the hunt for some recipes now!

I hope you've all had a lovely week!

Love Meg

x

OOTD- Hello Spring!

Good Morning my lovelies!

Yesterday was officially the first day of spring and amazingly it was also suitably sunny, so to celebrate I dipped my toes (and rest of my body) into my spring/summer wardrobe for my day at uni. To be fair I wear most of my clothes all year round, including my short shorts and just wear tights or not depending on the season, but there are a few items which can only come out when it gets warm and my cropped chinos are one of them...

Top- Miss Selfridge

Chinos- New Look

Sandals- Topshop

Belt- New Look

Earrings- Boots

Necklace- River Island

Bangles- New Look

Okay so it might be a little early for crop trousers and sandals, but we have such 'blink and you'll miss it' sort of summers I've decided to just wack out the summery wardrobe as much as I can this year! I really love this outfit as it's perfect for casual day times like uni or dressier nights like BBQ's. The cropped chinos are definitely one of my best summer buys from last year as you can wear them when it's not warm enough to get all of your legs out, but want to feel a bit summery and the loose fit and material makes them very cool and comfy. The Topshop gladiator sandals are also one of my favourite buys from last year as they're just so gorgeous!

Have you started rediscovering your spring/summer wardrobe yet? Have you been enjoying the sunshine?

I'm doing an early post this morning as I'm busy for the rest of the day watching Jump Street 21 at the cinema with my friend Helena, then having a nice meal at Pizza Express with the friends that I'm living with next year... lovely jubbly :)

I hope you've all got nice Wednesdays planned too!

Love Meg

x

Bargain Max Factor Haul!

Hey Girlies!

I've got a Max Factor haul to show you today, but it's not just any Max Factor haul- it's a totally bargain one due to the offer they have on at Boots right now which I urge you to go and take advantage of! Max Factor is what I'd consider to be a higher end drug store brand so I usually try not to fritter away too much money on their products when I pop into Boots, but the other day I noticed all their products were three for two and on top of that if you spent £12 you got a free Max Factor 'make up must haves box' so naturally it seemed ridiculous to walk past!

Instead, I took advantage of the offer and got all this for only £20-

In the initial three for two offer I went for -

1) Fusion False Lash Effect Mascara, as I've wanted to try it for ages to see if it can beat my beloved £4 pounds cheaper Maybelline Falsies Black Drama Mascara which I've sworn by since it came out...

2) Colour Elixir Lipstick in 'Angel Pink', because it's been on my lipstick wish list for a while now and will fill the light shimmery pink lipstick shaped void that I have in my make up bag...

3) Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in 'soft pink', because I bought this last year and have been in love with it ever since but sadly managed to lose my other one last week.

Then as if it wasn't enough to get the blush for free, for spending over £12 I also got given a free Max Factor 'Make-Up Must Haves' box-

This contained a pretty make up bag, Nailfinity Polish in 'Disco Pink', Max Colour Effect Polish in 'Intense Plum', Masterpiece Max Mascara, a Black Kohl Pencil and a £3 off any other Max Factor product as well as a cute 'Get the look' book to show how to get polka dot nails...

I thought this was such a nice free gift and the whole bargainess of it all put me in a great mood for the rest of the day haha I'll be doing reviews and things about the products once I've used them all enough, but in the mean time I'd definitely recommend you get down to Boots and make some serious savings too!

Have you already taken advantage of this offer? Have you used any of these products and what did you think?

I've just had a pretty standard day at uni and now I've got a rather dull night of tidying and working ahead, thank god I've got a fun day of the cinema and pizza express planned for tomorrow!

I hope you're all having a more exciting Tuesday!

Love Meg

x

OOTD- Cute cut outs

Hey Lovelies!

Sorry I haven't posted in a little while, but I was performing at an amazing uni drama festival this weekend which took over my life for the last week, but now it's all over I can get back to posting, yay! 

Today is an outfit post from a couple of weeks ago where me and my friends all got dolled up for 'supas sessions', which is like a dressy open mic night and this is what me and my friend Livvi wore (when I told her last night that she was going to be in this post you would not believe how excited she was, so hey Livvi!)...

Dress- Asos from ebay

Shoes- h&m

I can't get enough of cut out dresses at the moment, as I think they cut out in all the right places making them very flattering and I've been on the look out for this one ever since I saw claudiakitten wearing it on her blog. It's an Asos dress, but as they no longer sell it I had to hunt it down on ebay and finally managed to snap it up for less than half it's original price! There's a black version available  too, but I fancied a change from my little black dresses so thought I'd make a statement in red. I teamed it with my favourite h&m flatforms, black Nica clutch and Rimmel Kate Moss purple lippy to make it a bit edgy and I'm very happy with the overall look.  

Livvi's dress was also a bargain at £13 from h&m, so I'd definitely give h&m a look if you're in need of a party dress on a budget! I think it's so classy and classic and the killer heels she wore with it are so gorgeous! 

...and because six pretty dresses are better than two I thought I'd show you what all the lovely ladies in our girl group 'The Rolling Tones' wore...

Are you loving cut out dresses at the moment too? Have you found any ebay bargains recently?

Because of being so busy with 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and then Platform drama festival this is my first night off in about 2 weeks so I plan on making the most of it by making a yummy spag bol and watching all the rubbish tele I've missed out on!

I hope you've all had great weekends and a good start to the week!

Love Meg

x

The Fittest Flatforms

Hey Lovelies!

A couple of weeks ago I did a post about the flatforms and creepers trend, which you can find here if you haven't read it yet.

Well I'm still not sure I can pull off the quirky creepers, but my love for flatforms is growing massively and I've now bought another pair that I think may actually be the perfect shoes...

Like my other dolly shoe style creepers they were from h&m (I literally can't get enough of that place at the moment!) and were the same very affordable £20, but I love them so much more than my other ones. For starters I think the cut out lace up design is gorgeous and I'm a sucker for shoe boots anyway as I love the edginess they add to dressy girly outfits (an example of which will follow soon in a going out outfit post). 

They are also the most comfortable things ever! One reason is because the size 3 fits me perfectly and also because the boot lace up design means they stay on my feet much easier so I can walk and dance in them all night without my feet slipping out. The main reason I can actually last all night clubbing in these babies though and not hear any complaints from my feet is because as with all flatforms the difference between the height at the front and the back of the platform is very slight, creating the illusion that you're wearing killer heels without them actually having to kill your feet, genius! You've no idea how happy it makes me that I've found a pair of going out shoes that are actually sexy and comfy, it finally puts an end to the whole 'shall I wear flats and be happy or wear heels and look sexy?' dilemma haha!

Are you loving the flatform trend? Do any of you have the same pairs from h&m or are there some others out there you recommend?

I'm a very happy bunny today as my boyfriend and one of my best friends from home have come to stay for the weekend so they can watch me be a daisy in the final night of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' tonight. It's already been so much fun as we all went out clubbing last night with my uni friends and we've also got the after show party to look forward to tonight- think I might have to lay off the alcohol a little after this week though!

I hope you've all got equally lovely weekends planned!

Love Meg

x

p.s After a few glasses of wine at the first night meal I promised my very talented friend Matt Malone, who has done all the sound for the show, that I would give him a mention in my next post... so there you go Matt, I'm sure you've enjoyed reading all about my new shoes!

NOTD- Bling on my ring

Good afternoon girlies!

I'm just going to do a short and sweet nails post for you today as I haven't done one in a while, mainly because now I wear false nails they never chip so I'm not changing the colour nearly as often as I used to! However, I went to a dressy open mic night that my performing arts society runs last Sunday and wanted some new nails to match the new outfit I had on (the outfit post will be following soon!)...

As I was wearing a  new deep purple lippy (again, there will be a post coming about that soon too!) I wanted deep purple nails to go with it and as I don't really own many purple varnishes I treated myself to the No7 stay perfect nail varnish in 'Blackberry'. I used one of those trusty fiver off No7 vouchers to buy it making it a little £2 bargain.  

I really love the colour as I have a bit of an obsession with my 'beautifully black' No7 nail polish and this is a nice alternative dark, but bit girlier shade. I also don't really like having just having one block nail colour on without any extra decoration, so added a bit of bling to my ring fingers by putting my gold glittery Rimmel top coat on them followed by a gem from my Kiss nail artist rhinestones. 

What do you think of my understated glamorous look? Do you like to do something a bit more fancy to your ring fingers?

I'm having a lovely chilled day today just doing all the jobs I haven't had time to do in a while, then I've got the opening performance of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' tonight followed by the first night meal which I'm so excited for! 

I hope you're all having a lovely week!

Love Meg

x

Priming and Setting part 2: Body shop Vitamin E face mist

Good evening my lovelies!

Today I'm going to do the second part of my priming and setting post, which is about (surprise surprise) the setter I've started using. As I explained yesterday I'm trying to start putting more effort into what I do to my face before and after make up and after falling in love with my Rimmel primer I wanted to try using something to set my make up once I've finished applying it to see if it would make it last even longer and look even better!

The product I went for was the Body shop Vitamin E face mist because it was so highly recommended by my all time favourite blogger Corrie from dizzybrunette3 for making her make up last all day and last month as I was walking through St. Pancras I noticed it was on buy one get one half price so thought it was the perfect time to try it out...

At only £7 for a 100ml bottle that will last you absolutely ages because you only need a few sprays to cover your whole face, I think it's such a good value product! Particularly considering it's from the Body Shop and not just a regular drug store. 

Body shop describe it as-

 'A quick skin pick-me up and excellent for setting make-up. Spritz it on for instant refreshment, moisture, and protection. With a delicate rosewater scent.'

To start with the scent is really lovely and fresh, as well as well as nice and subtle on your face so it doesn't feel like your spraying any harsh heavily scented chemicals on it.  At first I thought that I'd only be interested in how long it would make my make up last, but I now also love the way it softens your make up to give you a nice dewy, glowing complexion, which ensures your face doesn't look unnatural, overly matte or too powdery.  So now If I don't have time to top up my actual make up, but want a bit of a boost  then I'll spritz this on for a bit of refreshment. 

I feel like this product, combined with my Rimmel primer, has completely got rid of the annoying dry patches of skin I used to have on my forehead and keeps my face feeling moisturised all day. And as well as my dry skin disappearing, I've also noticed that my skin is much clearer (touch wood!) and I'm sure starting to use this product everyday has something to do with it as vitamin E is so good for your skin.

 Now onto the actual purpose I bought it for- Yes I do think this makes you make up last a lot longer than normal, particularly when combined with primer. However, I do still have to touch up the concealer on my chin and forehead where I have slight scarring towards the end of the day, so this isn't some miracle product that will make your make up look exactly the same at the end of the day as when you first applied it, but I'm pretty sure that product doesn't exist yet (If it does please let me know!)

So overall I'm ridiculously happy I've added a primer and setter to my make up routine and it will be a long while till I feel the need to look around for a setter that beats my vitamin E face mist (although there are other products in the range that I'm now tempted to try out, oops!).

Have you tried this face mist? or do you use a different product to set your make up?

I've had another long day of rehearsals and show type things, including the 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' city rally, where we go into town in costume to get publicity for our show. I must say I'm now rather looking forward to having a week off from Pop Tarts and just chilling tonight with a bit of take me out and nail painting!

I hope you've all got fun Saturday nights planned!

Love Meg

x

Priming and Setting part 1: Rimmel fix and perfect pro primer.

Good Morning Girlies!

Until recently I was only giving thought to the actual make up I was putting on my face and not thinking about what I was doing before and after applying it. However, many beauty blogs that I read put so much emphasis on priming and setting that I thought I should look into getting a primer and a setter myself to see if they can make as much difference to your make up as people claim.

For primer, which is what you apply just before you put on your make up to allow easier application and better end results, I went for the Rimmel fix and perfect pro.  I'll review the setter I went for tomorrow in part 2, as this post would be mega long if I reviewed both in one!

Rimmel fix and pefect pro primer-

I went for this primer because it was on offer on the Boots website for £4.99 rather than its usual price of £6.99 and was also the one that gave you the most product for money. When I was researching into primers I was a bit shocked at how expensive they are for how much product you get, for example No7's Airbrush away primer was £19.50 for only 30ml and all the primers were a lot more pricey than the foundations by the same brand. I've also found most of them aren't available in store (even the massive Sheffield Boots!) so you have to add on the postage and packaging cost on too.

After the faff of having to order it online I was worried it would run out really quickly as it didn't seem like there was much product in the bottle, but thankfully over a month later it's still going strong! This is because I've found a little bit of this product goes a very long way and the tiniest blob manages to cover my whole face due to its nice light and thin consistency that spreads and blends easily. 

Now onto the actual results...Rimmel claims that it 'Smoothes, resurfaces, brightens, mattifies, protects and prolongs foundation wear' and I've got to say that it most certainly smoothes, resurfaces, mattifies and prolongs the wear of my foundation, as well as the rest of my make up and although it's harder to tell if it's brightening and protecting my skin, I do feel like it does those things too. I literally couldn't believe how much easier it was to apply my foundation after putting a thin layer of this on first and how much more matte and air brushed my face looked afterwards! It has also cleared up the slightly dry patches of skin that I had on my forehead where my foundation used to cake slightly, as it's really moisturising too. Plus, you can also wear it on those make up less days to give you a nice moisturised, bright and dewy look.

So basically I am now in love with this primer and primer in general, can't recommend it enough and definitely don't intend to ever wear make up without it again! Although I might try out a couple of other primers when it runs out such as 17 photo flawless or the Body shop mattifying day cream which I've also heard good things about and don't break the bank either.

Do you use a primer? What's your primer of choice?

I had such a nice time yesterday in the sun, even though I'm super busy at the moment me and my friend Rosie managed to make time for an ice cream in the park which was lush. I'm off to get ready now for another busy day with rehearsals for the girl group I'm in called 'The Rolling Tones' (lol), then a supas committee meeting and finally a Chicago rehearsal! I best get a move on then...

I hope you enjoyed the sunshine yesterday and are having a great Friday!

Love Meg

x