17 Hide & Chic Eye Brightening Concealer

17 Hide & Chic Eye Brightening Concealer - £4.99

The Hide & Chic concealer is like a drugstore version of YSL Touche Eclait.  But obviously without the price tag.  Having never owned Touche Eclait, I can't comment on how it measures up quality-wise.

I love this concealer!  This is really creamy and liquid-y so blends in without dragging on the skin and can easily be built up. I wouldn't say it's my holy grail product which has finally succeeded in hiding my dark circles, but it easily matches the coverage and capability of my MAC Moisture Cover.

Hide & Chic is a great drugstore bargain if you don't want to shell out too much on a higher end concealer...I'll definitely be repurchasing, as it always seems to be on offer with Advantage Card points!

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver - £13.50

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver is marketed as a radiance booster which can be worn alone or under make up.  I don't think I have particularly dull skin, but as it was half price and had glowing reviews I thought I'd give it a go.

This is a gel-like consistency which has a silicone-y feel on application.  I use this as a primer in the mornings and I think it's holding up alongside my Smashbox one in terms of prolonging the longevity of my foundation.  It's got an orangey fragrance, which I like and find to be a good pick me up in the Spring/Summer mornings, although anyone who doesn't like strong scents should probably steer clear.

The Vitamin C Skin Reviver isn't what I'd consider to be tinted.  It goes on clear, but has more of a cloudy look when pumped out ready to be used.  On closer inspection it has beautiful apricot-type shimmer to it, similar to Benefit's Moon Beam.

I probably would repurchase this product as it's cheaper than a lot of primers out there, but works just as well as others I've tried despite not actually being marketed for this purpose.  I can't comment on whether it brightened my skin, but when looking at the product I can see how it may work for others.  This was available free at my local Body Shop recently to anyone signing up in store for one of their reward cards (which only costs £5) so if you're interested then have a look, quick!

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation in I'm So Money Honey - £24.50

This is by no means an unheard of product; but I thought I'd add my thoughts to a blogosphere already saturated with reviews of this foundation.

I purchased this on a whim; being too early for my train leaving Waterloo I found myself drawn to Boots and sucked in to the sales pitch I received at the teeny tiny Benefit counter there.  I was uber excited to try as I'd heard great things and absolutely loved the packaging.  I think it makes such a nice change from the kitsch Benefit style we're used to, it looks really fresh and modern, yet sleek at the same time.

Unfortunately, I don't love the product.  Like?  Yes, it's ok, but just not as amazing as I was led to believe.

I have dry skin, and whilst this doesn't exasperate it, it just doesn't seem to blend in as well as I'd hoped.  My skin just doesn't look like me.  The colour match seems good, so I'm not sure if this is oxidising slightly on my skin and leaving me looking a tad off after a few hours of wear.  It's also not particularly long-lasting on my skin.

Onto the good points; the packaging is a given, a little goes a long way with this product and the pump allows you to dispense as little or as much as you please, minimising waste.  I also like the way the white bottom of the bottle travels up as you use the foundation, meaning every last drop is utilised. 

Like I said, not a review of a brand new product, but perhaps a point of view that hasn't really been expressed before and so may be useful to someone with a similar skin type looking to buy this foundation.  I was expecting great things considering the 100% success-rate I'd read and wish I'd heard the other side of the story before I purchased.

Dove Intensive Repair Leave In Conditioner Spray

Dove Intensive Repair Leave In Conditioner Spray - £3.99

My hair, when wet, is a matted, tangled, absolute mess.  I can't get a brush through it and it honestly depresses me.  My only hope is to apply a leave-in spray to help, so when I ran out of my Aussie Miracle stuff I was in a serious flap.

When wandering around Tesco I spotted this on offer for a ridiculously cheap price and figured it was worth a try.  This stuff smells a-may-zing, like Refreshers and the tiniest bit really does help me to tame my unruly hair.

It says it helps prevent damage and split ends, but I think my hair is too far gone for me to comment on this.

This is such a short post, but there really isn't much else to say.  This isn't holy grail material, but for the time being I'm enjoying using it and probably will re-purchase.

Have you tried this, or any of the other sprays in the range? 

Taking comfort in my surroundings

Blogging is a fantastic form of escapism. My confidence has grown tenfold during my blogging journey and I love pretty much every aspect of it. That said, make up and clothes are not the route to all happiness. I nearly had a heart attack at the weekend when I saw how much my savings had gone down and that (along with some other bad news) really made me re-evaluate the things I invest in to give me a quick fix. It seemed a good time to take stock of the things around me that bring me joy on a daily basis.

Mum gave me this card about a year ago from a pack she bought as the resemblance to Gus was uncanny.  It was pinned on my noticeboard in the kitchen, but following recent events it now sits on my dressing table where I can see it every morning. 

I love quotes; the one on the left sits next to my bed as a constant reminder of the person I would like to be.  And the one on the right is completely fitting for the way I spend money like it's going out of fashion!  Perhaps the sentiment isn't in keeping with the ethos of this post, but makes me smile nonetheless!

Yet more pictures of pets, these canvases are of Tabitha (my namesake) and Gus who hopefully are together again now.  They hang at the top of my stairs, where I'm hoping to add another two of Coco and Beau, and remind me of happy times whenever I see them. 

Mine and Ed's was a long distance relationship for about 18 months, and back in the beginning I called him 'Mav' (because of his msn username) and I was 'BW' or 'Bookworm' for my love of reading.  He bought me this bookmark a while back and it's one of those things with real sentimental value.

You may have spotted this before in any posts taken in my boudoir.  This photo used to hang in an old frame at my Nanny and Grandad's house, but it was only a few years ago that Mum told me it was an illustration of my Nan when she was a child.  It was drawn by my Great-Aunt, and I love the fact that this picture fits so well with the whole boudoir-theme and although it looks like a printing is actually a piece of family artwork.

So that's it; just a few of the things around me that bring me happiness and contentment whenever I see them.  What do you seek comfort in?

Sleek Eau La La Liner in Melba

Sleek Eau La La Liner - £4.00

I've blogged about these liners before with my Red Sky Night review, so I won't bore you with the details again, as the formula/concept is exactly the same.  This time I picked up Melba using my Beautycard points; a coral/orange shade.

This colour really does nothing for me.  It's far too orange for me and looks really artificial on the lips.  Don't get me wrong, I love a statement lip as much as the next girl, but something about the tone and formula just looks fake and reminds me of drawn-on clown lips.  Straight after application I have to smear on vaseline to try and dull down the vibrant colour, and it really highlights any dry patches on the lips.  I have to say though, I popped this on to take photos and found that after an hour or so pottering around the house, this did fade down to a much more wearable shade.

A few things to note then if you're thinking of buying one of these liners; my local Superdrug has no testers.  Every single product is sealed, making it extremely difficult to know for sure what the colour will be like.  Based on the guide colour on the tip of this product, I assumed I was picking up a peachy coral shade, rather than the extreme orange I got.  Also, these are listed at £4 on the Sleek website, yet I'm sure they're £3.99 in Superdrug.  I know it's only a penny difference, but I like a bit of consistency with my prices!

Did anyone else have any luck with this shade?

Defying Gravity

- Jumper: Sparkle & Fade at Urban Outfitters - Jeans: Primark - Scarf: Pull & Bear -

I can't even remember when I wore these outfits; way back when I was excited at the prospect of Spring....so absolutely ages ago!

I'm having a great week this week.  It's my birthday Friday (I think I may have mentioned it before...) and I'm one of these annoying people who love to drag it out.  It really comes down to my issues with mixing social circles, which means I find myself obliged to do lots of different meet ups with different groups of people to avoid having to play hostess to them all in the same room at the same time!

Yesterday, as any musical fans may have guessed from the title (and my twitter/instagram) I went to go and see Wicked.  We managed to get a really good deal on lastminute.com, so after years of wanting to see it I finally did.  I really enjoyed it, the singing, costumes and effects were fantastic and it was a really entertaining evening.  Not as political and deep as I remember the book being, so I've started to re-read it and it seems a lot easier second time around.

Tomorrow I'm off to eat at my favourite restaurant with some friends for work.  Las Iguanas is my number one choice at all times - their lunch menu is too cheap not to take advantage of, and they give free main meals and deserts to people celebrating their birthday!  I may also have to make a sneaky shopping trip as well, it's been too long since I've visited a MAC counter!

What did you all think of the Jubilee?  I did lose a bit of interest by yesterday and I didn't watch the concert (by what I read on Twitter I didn't miss that much!) but overall I really enjoyed it and loved seeing the patriotic spirit all around!

Scarf Collection

L-R: asos (old), Roberto Cavalli, Topshop, Primark (old), Primark (old), Primark (old), All Saints, Primark, Ted Baker, H&M, Pull & Bear, Next, H&M, H&M

It's no secret that scarves are my "thing"...so here they are, in all their glory. 

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr - £4.99

I'm sure I'm not the only person who isn't sure what these products are actually called?!  I think it's Color Tattoo 24hr, but 24hr Color Tattoo just sounds so much better!  Either way, they're not particularly new, but I thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

I picked up On and On Bronze; a lovely deep bronze shade which I don't find to be too warm, and Eternal Gold.  I've yet to use Eternal Gold as I'm worried it'll lean slightly too yellow for my skin tone.

These are marketed as a cream gel eyeshadow, which I find to be very similar in consistency and design as MAC Paint Pots.  The staying power of these when swatched is immense - even after bathing they were still going strong on my hand.  But perhaps my eyelids are just too oily, but I wasn't as impressed when I wore them properly.  They were good, but not as amazing as the smudge on the back of my hand and then "tattoo" name would suggest.  I've yet to try them as a base, so I am curious to see whether they would last longer with an eyeshadow applied on top.

Overall I'm impressed with these.  They're a great, affordable alternative to a Paint Pot and I wish there were more colours available.  What are your thoughts?