After a considerable amount of time spent staring at the products, it came to me!
Ever wanted to compare several shampoos but never really known how? Well, now you can with the Haircare Top Trumps!

If you’re unlucky enough not to be in the know with Top Trumps, it’s a basic card game (spawning thousands of themes, superheroes, animals, cars, even mullets) where you compare statistics of various objects and trade with your friends, i’m hoping you’re all familar.

Prepare for the newest Top Trumps theme, Haircare. I think it’s far more useful than comparing super powers…

So – I broke it down into some of the more important categories;
Price, basing this on whether I think the price is worth it.
Scent, how I rated the smell.
Texture of hair, whether it left it manageable, soft or just plain wrong!
Amount needed, how much I had to use to achieve a good result.
Total, the overall mark, taking into account the above points.

For £1.99 you really can’t go wrong with the Timotei Fresh & Strong shampoo and  conditioner. This left me with an absolutely brilliant hair day, it slicked down all my fly aways and left it really soft, I wasn’t too keen on the herb like scent, but it didn’t linger too long on the hair so it didn’t dent my experience.

I could already smell the product before even opening the parcel, whether that was due to it leaking everywhere or just the potent scent I’m not sure! This was another scent I wasn’t a fan of, it was along the same route of herbs but it left my hair feeling enviably soft.

If you read my personal blog, you’ll know that I’m always on the lookout for anything to give me some oomph to my locks, the Scandalous range didn’t disappoint, just a quick blow dry away from really light feeling hair and you only need a tiny amount of conditioner.

This was the first product I reached for, to treat my colour treated tresses, this scent was a little better than the Smooth version, but still not something I’d chose, I didn’t think it lived up to the £4.99 price tag.

I love the packaging of the Scandalous range, but just don’t think the usual £5.50 price tag is justifiable. The scent is amazing though, verging on ginger, which I hate the taste of, but love it in my hair!

So there we have it, personally I can’t wait for Superdrug to bring out Top Trumps, wouldn’t it make deciding which product to go with so much easier?

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This year I had vowed not to go – simply because the music of last year left me a little underwhelmed – that was, until I saw the headliners of Blink 182 & Paramore on the same day. It was a must. A Saturday ticket was tracked down.

I have to admit we didn’t utilise our time there very well, in terms of music. We only made it into the ‘arena’ for Limp Biskit at 4.30pm, despite getting there at midday. What can I say? Festivals were made for drinking!
We missed their iconic ‘Rollin’ which means we didn’t get to recreate the fabulous dance routine – but all was not lost.

6.45 saw Weezer take to the stage – I only know the famous songs, that being a vague knowledge of ‘Pork & Beans’ and every word to ‘Beverly Hills’ but they took on ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ which I imagine was them being ironic at people thinking it was their track (actually is Wheetus) but I’m not sure everyone understood it!
Lady Gaga & MGMT were thrown in for good measure, so even if – like me – you weren’t all the familiar with the band, they put on a brilliant show & just might have been the favourite of the day.

Next up was Paramore, which are one of my all time favourite bands – I saw them a few years back when they only half filled the field for main stage, this time there was definitely a bigger audience, however I think their scheduling was a bit of a mistake. Putting them between the random, running around act of Weezer and having them followed by the legend that is Blink 182 made them look a little sad. They definitely didn’t ensue the same energy, which was a little disappointing – but Hayley William’s outfit made her look brilliant, more points gained there!

Source

Cargo pants, exactly what I’m on the lookout for – loving the crosses on the knees as well. Twitter followers of Hayley Williams have been trying to track down where her outfit was from ever since she came on stage!

Finally came Blink 182. People were getting pretty crazy before they even came on, the audience were asked to move back 3 steps as people on the front rows were getting crushed. My boyfriend had lost his friends in the process of making his way to see his childhood heroes, I think it was worth it.

They put on an amazing show, going through all the classics, which made me realise how much I like them. They threw in a lot of banter which made for a great show. They were there with the audience, they didn’t make the same mistake the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s did a few years back, leaving the audience bored with their over indulgent guitar solos, Blink played for the audience and even came on for an encore, which saw Travis Barker absolutely killing it on the drums. I like drummers.

Source

So, I’d like to say I’ve seen all the bands I need to in my life, and while I love the festival bubble, I stand firm in saying I won’t be attending next year – but let’s see what happens when the line up comes out.

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So, in the early hours of Friday morning, we made our way to the airport, Barcelona bound;

Via Plastic Bullet for the iPhone

We tracked down our hotel, it was on one of the many slim streets that came off the Ramblas, which is a long street housing numerous street artists, including street theatre, painters, caricaturists, jewellers, florists and of course the street sellers stocked with ‘designer’ gear…

After powdering our noses and getting changed for the heat, we explored what the Ramblas had to offer. There were a few pretty amazing acts to see, a few gathered large crowds, each queueing for a photo with this ‘spectacular’ street artist, not meaning the ones without crowds weren’t brilliant.

Excuse the random man… He was a smiley one though.

The first evening we didn’t venture too far, but just across the road from where we were staying there was a cool little restaurant tucked out of the way. Chained in with rope lights, the only downside was the child playing in the square. See, in Barcelona the thing for kids to get is a little device you put in your mouth to make squeaking noises, really annoying squeaky noises. Aside from that, it was great! We ate and got merry from their great cocktail menu;

Cosmopolitan and Jager & Orange.

Who would have thought that Jagermeister & Orange juice would be so tasty?!

The following day we took advantage of the City Sightseeing bus, and ventured further out into Barcelona. The heat was pretty excruciating, we were on an open top bus, in full sunlight for the majority of the time. Surprisingly I escaped sunburn somehow, but we needed a break.
We took solitude in a model village, recently built to replicate ancient Spanish towns, it was filled with crafty little shops and cafes and restaurants tucked away in the shade, just what we needed! I also took advantage of one of the many ice cream shops that line the streets of Barcelona – I chose Strawberry Cheesecake and Strawberry sorbet, of course after just having a meal, the majority ended up in a bin, but what I managed to eat was delicious!

On the Saturday we also managed to see some of Gaudi’s work, there is a lot of beautiful buildings in central Barcelona, and his work is nestled among these, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

After another refreshment, we made our way back to the hotel – stopping off at the top of the Ramblas to see the fountains and the department store!

On Saturday night, we went to see the Magic Fountains. I was surprised I’d never heard about these as they are beautiful and are apparently not getting as much credit as they deserve.
It’s a twenty minute show of varying displays with colour and music. The streets that you can see it from are packed, as in can hardly walk through some parts. Smaller fountains line the street leading up to a huge display, which is the main feature, overlooked by steps of fountains where the crowds still gather. We managed to get a good view after the first ‘show’ (they begin at 9, and are repeated every twenty minutes until 11 with different music) I could have watched it all night, I seem to have developed an obsession for water.

Sunday was another day on the tour bus, although this time we managed to bag a seat in the slightly shaded area at the front of the bus. This was then overshadowed by the trek up a huge hill to get to Gaudi’s park, some beautiful mosaics scatter the area, and without a cloud in the sky, it meant the panoramic view of Barcelona was even better than usual.

With the bus taking us further around the city, we managed to see another of Gaudi’s works, which was the most recognisable to me;

I was surprised to learn that although it has been in construction for over 130 years, it’s only 67% complete, as Gaudi was knocked down by a tram before he could complete his vision himself.
I of course appreciate the time and effort that must go into this, but with the technology available today, I would have thought it could have progressed further. Maybe that’s just showing my naivety at modern culture…

Our final night was spent at the only shopping centre that is open on a Sunday, coming from a family where any of the women love to shop, we are at a bit of a loss when all the shops are shut… This one happens to be open 365 days a year, and has beautiful views across the harbour. We began with Tapas at Tapa Tapa, ending with cocktails once again, walking back through the still packed streets at 11pm.

I’d definitely recommend it for a long weekend, unless your one to stand in line for all the attractions, you’ll manage all the necessary sites in a weekend.
And, although you may initially turn your nose up at the street sellers – if the weather was anything like my weekend, you will cave in to buying a fan.

Money well spent.

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So when Superdrug asked us to share some exciting recipes, I was at a bit of a loss. I have cooked some more unusual stuff for my mum and my brother before (I really fancy myself as a chef, no matter how stressful it gets in the kitchen – I somehow enjoy it) but when it comes to eating it myself, I’ll stick with the usual thanks.
With that in mind, I’m going to share two of my favourite things with you. Not essentially summer based, but I never did stick to seasons anyway.

First up, for the main, is good old lasagna. For those of you recoiling, stifling your yawns, there are numerous ways to add a bit extra to this dish if you don’t fancy just bolognese and pasta. Add a bit of curry paste, some chili powder, even some more flavoursome vegetables if you like.
Here’s how I do mine – ingredients are done by eye, so I can’t give any specific measurements, if you haven’t made lasagne before (it’s pretty simple) then trial and error will have to be your method!

Heat the mince in a pan until it begins sizzling, at this point, add about a tablespoon of water and beef stock. Mix in, then add in blended vegetables. My fool proofs are carrots, onions, tomatoes & peppers – but this is a dish that you can chuck any left over veg in and it will still taste great! Granted that the veg is in date of course… carrots were left out of this particular edition because the entire bag was mouldy when I got to them… Yuck!
Stir together, and leave to simmer while you get on with something else.

While simmering, add a large knob of butter to a separate pan, and leave to melt. Once it begins to sizzle, add a spoonful of flour, so it’s sticky lumps, with a little bit of melted butter left, to create a roux. Immediately add milk – in stages, better to add too little than too much – and keep stirring/adding milk until you’re left with a creamy white sauce.

Now to form the lasagna! Get an oven proof dish, and begin layering. First, create a layer of the bolognese, making it smooth and even.

Next up, start layering the pasta sheets. I prefer the green ones, they have a slightly different taste and are apparently better for you, but that’s entirely personal preference. Try and get it to cover all the bolagnaise, so it’ll create an even tower when cooked.
Over the pasta, pour on the white sauce, this has to cover all the pasta, so it has some liquid substance to cook in (this is why we added water into the bolognese!).

Repeat the last steps until the dish is full, or until you run out of sauce/bolognese. I always have the top layer being white sauce.
The last, and optional step is to add cheese. You can also add cheese into the white sauce if you want. I add grated cheese over the top as well as it makes it a little crispy. I like to have a crispy edge to contrast with the soft pasta!

Then, stick it in the oven, covered with tin foil. It’ll need about 20 minutes, on 200degrees (I have a fan assisted oven & this works for me, obviously you might need to moderate it for your own oven!)
After 20 minutes, take off the foil and put it back in, foil less. Keep checking on it, it’s personal taste how much longer you want to leave it in, 5 – 10 minutes is generally enough for me, so it’s got a crispy edge, but isn’t burnt!

Then serve it up! I added peas (and a side of dough balls – yums), but a salad or garlic bread would be the perfect partner.

But what about dessert?!
Well, this is more of a great snack or party favour – but this is something I’ve been making since I was little, bringing out the oldest ‘cookie cutters’ I could find to throw some shapes in, I absolutely love these. I always double the amounts in the recipe book, and the two trays full of biscuits it makes, are generally gone by the end of the following day.

The recipe, taken from the vintage 1984 Sainbury’s Children’s Party Cooking
This makes about 15, but I double up these measurements, it depends how big you cut the biscuits as to how many you can get.

Sift 50g of flour into a bowl, and rub in 25g of butter in, until it resembles bread crumbs. Stir in 25g of caster sugar, then gradually add beaten egg, until it creates a firm dough. Do this in tiny amounts, and use your hands to create the dough.
Flour a surface, and a rolling pin, begin rolling out the pastry, remembering to keep turning/flipping so it doesn’t stick. Roll it quite thinly, but be careful as the thinner it gets the easier it is to burn when in the oven.
You can then have your imagination run wild with what kinds of shapes to create, I went for some topical shapes;

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until golden at 180degrees, gas mark 4. Then leave to cool.

Then comes the icing (always my favourite bit). I took my time trying to make the perfect Superdrug pink;

I added a drop of Cochineal colouring to my icing sugar mix…

The before;

The finished product;

They tasted even better than they look

So, not all that exciting to most, but definitely something that will be missed when I make the move to University in September! At least I have mastered how to recreate it if I ever get homesick.

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I’ve seen the website before,  advertised in some top weekly glossies, and featured on a few of the more fashionable blogs that I follow – so I knew I was in good hands.
I browsed the site with ease, navigating my way through different pieces of clothing, current trends and the different ways I could style each piece. After much deliberation I decided on 5 pieces to get me through my voucher money plus a little extra.

Delivery is a reasonable £3.95, which is well worth it with the service you get. After my ‘confirmation of order’ email, I received the date on which I should expect my delivery, followed the day before arrival, with an hour time slot in which it should arrive. It came promptly, 2 minutes after the opening time of the specified delivery time

I began trying on my new items, mentally planning an occasion to give them their first outing, when, disaster struck. My favourite item of the order was too small! This was my own fault, perhaps being a little optimistic about which size I should get. I immediately took myself back to the Miss Guided site to see what my next step was in returning the dream short.
All went quick an easy, it was parcelled up and labelled with the address label attached to the order form, through the wonder that is Twitter, I was contacted by a Miss Guided representative, who kindly told me instructions on how I could get a free returns label, so I didn’t even need to pay postage back!
I’m currently awaiting the replacement arrival, which hopefully should be the perfect fit, and look just like this;

Tailored Suede Style Shorts £16.99

So, back to the other items. My eye was immediately drawn to the next piece, the only difficulty coming from choosing which colour and pattern to order. I went with classic black, goes with everything and to me was the most ‘stylish’ of the ones on offer.

Priya One Shoulder Dress £23.99

The final two items are things that I’ve already worn a lot since receiving them, both can be worn with a casual outfit or have an air of dress up about them if you want to pair them with something for a night out.

Lace Insert Jersey Cardigan £14.99 & Skull Printed Scarf £8.99

And so my fashion status in life continues, with my semi new wardrobe from Miss Guided!

Thanks go to Superdrug and Miss Guided!

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I’ve been to Gay Pride before, I was probably about 13 and it was a gloriously sunny weekend, where we used trees to shelter from the heat while watching the amazing procession of decorated boats, blaring out music and involving the audience in simple, but oh so affective dance routines. Crowds literally line the main river of the ‘show’, if you get there late, you’re not going to see anything but peoples heads, unless you have the advantage of a riverside flat.

This weekend, that was the plan. However, with the one week back in June greedily hogging all the sunshine, this weekend turned out to be a very rainy one.
Nevertheless, we made our way to the river – successfully navigating our little map – on Saturday afternoon, to be greeted with crowds upon crowds. We found a nook under a tree, nestled in between bikes that line the streets we stood our ground and watched between others’ heads as the parade began.
If you’ve never been before, I can’t begin to describe the atmosphere and effort that goes into the boats with enough flair, this is an annual event, and they go all out. If the weather is nice it’s an amazing day, and while the rain didn’t hold the procession back, I have to admit that it did have more of a vibe when the sun was shining. Here are a few of my favourites;

I would make a point to go next year if you haven’t been before. Whether you’re gay or straight, whether it’s glorious whether or chucking it down – you’re going to have a good time. There is something going on somewhere every day of the weekend, it’s just up to you to track it down.

Another highlight of the weekend was the House of Bols. Bols is a flavoured liqueur that is served and sold in the UK, but is a little rare and probably unheard of by most (I only know it because we serve it in my club). From a well placed sponsor on the map, we tracked it down and ventured inside. For just 10euros you get a trip to the Bols museum, to learn as many facts about Bols as you can squeeze in (admittedly the museum section is rather short. I think there is 3 rooms total) plus sample each flavour by scent.

We were presented with a corridor lined with bottles, all attached to a vaporizer, you’re meant to guess the flavour, then lift the corresponding flap to learn what it actually is! We sniffed each one and chose our favourites. Then made our way into a night club esque room, by which I mean, a sofa, with ceiling to floor television screens of people dancing and sipping cocktails. It was rather surreal, and at the same time completely mesmerizing.

To finish off the ‘tour’ you get a complimentary cocktail, which you can chose via a computer and print the recipe to take home, you also get two ‘tastes’ which are shots of whichever flavour takes your fancy, then a further discounted cocktail if you want it. That’s the limit though… My Amsterdam cousin had previously said that her friends had taken advantage of the ‘all you can drink’ offer when it first opened, but it turned out that was, just an offer. Too much of a good thing it would seem.

There was also the pleasure of seeing my pregnant cousin! Just 10 weeks to go until she welcomes her first born into the world! It’s a shame she’s in Amsterdam or I’d spend every second of the day with the newbie! There are of course numerous travelling plans for the tot, I’m sure within the first few months she’ll have done more travelling than me with the relatives that are spread all over the world.

The rain tried and failed to dampen everyones spirits, even getting lost among the winding streets of Amsterdam in pouring rain didn’t wipe the smiles of our faces!

Still, nice weather for ducks!

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The Albion Street Superdrug has been there a little over two years, it is currently outdoing the other two branches in Leeds centre, with sales up by 29% just for this month. I personally believe this is from the look, location & design of the store. It is nestled in right next to Urban Outfitters, across from a Starbucks and next door to a designer salon, all pretty upmarket places to bring in more customers to the fashion conscious Superdrug brand.
So, Sarah and I got on to discussing the top sellers in this Superdrug branch. All of which are from the Superdrug brand.

First up is Superdrug’s brand of Bio Oil – i’m sure you’ve all heard of Bio Oil, but for those who use it (me included – it’s great for acne scarring) it can get quite pricey. Superdrug’s Restore Oil is currently on offer for just £4.99 (normally £6.49) compared with Bio Oil’s £8.55 for less product. Sarah said that ever since this product came in, it has been flying off the shelves, and I can see why, with such a great price.

Another product she brought to my attention was the previously unheard of Superdrug Colour Radiance hair dye range. Another best seller, it competes with the likes of the Live XXL range, and does quite well! It works in 10 minutes and has apparently sold so well because it doesn’t damage the hair like other top selling brands can do.
This is another offer to grab while it’s hot! It’s currently 2 for £7, perfect for maintaining your at home hair colour.

The final product that has been ‘flying off the shelves’ (her words!) is the Bronzing range from Solait. Especially as it’s holiday season, the self tanning range has proved more popular than first thought. It competes with the likes of L’Oreal and Rimmel but manages to hold it’s own among the more well known brands.

Onto the layout of the store -Offers are placed in the queue area, so that customers are tempted to buy them while waiting to be served – I’m guilty of this, pulls me in every time! – the current product being Gilette razors, not having the space for a full display in the Albion Street store, they instead place them in full view of the customer, but without the bombarding signs. This encourages the customers to pick up something they might have previously overlooked. The same goes for the beginning of the store. The ‘Stunning Deals’ stand is in pride of place at the front of the store, laden with ‘must have’ products at Superdrug’s great prices.

A Superdrug Insider look at a Superdrug store, wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some of the Superdrug exclusive brands. These include Sleek & Gosh – which are among my favourite brands. The Gosh brushes inparticular are amazing, along with the somewhat ‘cult’ product of Sleek eyeshadow palettes. At under £5 for some incredibly pigmented and long lasting eye shadows you can’t really go wrong.

And so concludes my day out at Superdrug! So, with my £20 gift card, kindly gifted by Superdrug – I went around all the isles once more, and began filling my basket.
Here is what I managed to come out with;

The essentials;

• Garnier Pure Cleansing Pads – probably the one product I will continue to buy until they stop making it.
• Clean & Clear Moisturiser – to revitalise my almost finished Simple Spotless Skin moisturiser.

The treats;

• Rimmel ‘fruities’ nail varnish in ‘Lemon Drop’ – purely for the novelty of a scented nail varnish.
• Rimmel 60 seconds polish, this one is for my mum! I thought she deserved something out of it too.
• Sleek Kajal eyeliner – I’ve been looking for this in every Superdrug I’ve been in! I nabbed the last ‘Nocturnal’ shade.
• Samy Fun Fiber hairspray – completely fell in love with this brand after trying the Thickening Cream, i’m gradually working my way through the entire product range.

The holiday necessities;

I’m going to Amsterdam next weekend for the annual Gay Pride weekend, it is a great, weekend long celebration. Me and the bestie are going Friday night and coming back Sunday night, so I stocked up on cute holiday minis from Superdrug’s great range. After being sent the Go Blonder range from John Freida, I was happy it was in a mini version because I love what it does to my hair!

Thanks go to Superdrug for treating me to a £20 spend in store, although I saw quite a few items I previously didn’t know about after milling around the store for so long – I’m going to have to go into Superdrug more often to keep up with their ever increasing range of products!

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Then the news came, Toy Story 3 was becoming a reality. I remember seeing a mock up of the film poster on Tumblr & couldn’t contain my excitement (I also recently saw one for Monsters Inc 2 – hoping that is fake as it should be left where it is).

I saw it last week, and it is AMAZING! Even better than I could have expected. I just think the script is so witty and the majority of it will probably go over childrens’ heads. Their was a little boy (about 7) two rows in front with a Woody doll sat on the arm rest, it was the cutest thing, but I was a bit jealous I didn’t have one for myself.
The ‘premiere’ seats were filled up with 15-20 year olds, and after a group being created on Facebook – ‘Move out of the way children I’ve been waiting 11 years to see Toy Story 3′ – I think we know who the real target audience are!

So, with all that in mind, I really wanted to get into the swing of things! Using my beauty know how I put this masterpiece together;

Now, I know it isn’t up to some of the amazing standards of nail art that I’ve seen out there. But I, personally, am pretty proud of it! It would have worked better with a different shade of green, but that is just about the only colour missing from my nail varnish collection!
If you want more details of what I did, then you can go over to my blog, but it’s pretty basic! Just use an orange stick for precision!

This is how I showed my pride at the Toy Story 3 showing. Whether you have seen the other two or not (which you really should!) then the third is still going to be great, there are some references to the previous two, but nothing that is going to keep you of the loop of the storyline.
It gets a little emotional at the end, I kept it to a lump in my throat and my eyes welling up, but the tears didn’t overflow!
Although a fourth installment would most likely enjoyed, I’m hoping this is the end of the Toy Story saga, it ended beautifully, which is how it should remain.

I’m sure there are still great things to come from Pixar in the future.

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After brainstorming as hard as I could, I came up with the following looks. While they might be a little further out than i’d normally go – I could honestly see me wearing these looks out. Which is how I used my ‘creative’ side, something I would actually be able to use in the future!

After getting some inspiration from the Superdrug Looks page and the make up artist’s video I set my make up to work!

My first looks are flip versions of each other, I prefer the Spicy Bronze all over the lid, as I think small amount of blue brings out my natural eye colour, with the brown enhancing it as it’s at the other end of the spectrum.

For this look I used the Spicy Bronze shadow all over the lid, building the colour up in the outer corners and shaping it into a wing. As the eyeshadows are so easily blended, it meant I could fade the bronze into the inner corner without it being too daunting. The Posh Peacock shade was then traced along my lower lashes, finished with the Aqua Sparkle Exaggerate liner on the waterline. I also added the liner under the Posh Peacock eyeshadow, to give it something to grip to. The entire look was then finished off with the number 3 setting on the 3 look mascara, to compliment the dramatic look!

Pretty self explanatory what happened here! I used Posh Peacock for the lid, I piled it on the outer corner and blended some of it inwards, adding a little more to the eyelid crease when I’d finished.
I think the Posh Peacock shade, blended out would be great for a subtle addition of colour in the day, then you could always add more to take it into the night.
I added a small amount of Spicy Bronze to the outer half of the lower lashes, instead of creating a wing, this time I traced the colours next to each other, to really show the contrast, then again, it was finished with the number 3 setting on the 3 look mascara.

Finally is a more wearable look, something that wouldn’t be completely out of the ordinary for me to pull out in the day time.

After swatching the bronzer on my hand, I found it looked simliar to a lot of the brown shadows already I collection, this of course prompted me to use it as a shadow! With a light hand I applied it all over the lid, and blended it out to a ‘barely there’ finish, then added a little more into the crease to deepen it up a little.
The Aqua Sparkle Exaggerate liner was then traced along the lower lash line, smudged out then topped up with a tiny amount of Posh Peacock shadow. I finished the look with the number 1 setting, to tone down the volume a little.

I loved using the eye shadows, they were so creamy and easy to blend, it makes me want to look into the rest of the colour range. I could imagine the black being great when used as a liner affect.
I can’t say I really saw a difference between the different ‘settings’ on the mascara, when twisting to a certain ‘setting’ I found it often twisted itself back when I began opening the tube, meaning I had to start all over again. I thought the brush was great to get into the corners and for the lower lash line, but to cover the whole eye took some effort because of the somewhat small size of the brush.

I’m currently rocking the Coral Crush 60 Seconds polish on my toes and Grey Matter 60 Seconds Polish on my fingers, these are some seriously easy to work with polishes, plus the grey is a great match for the colour of the English clouds!

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It was here that I came up with the idea to spend ‘24 Hours With Bourjois‘.  I would create a look for the day, seeing how it fared for a day shopping and then bring the look into the night to challenge it with a shift at a nightclub, created soley with the products Superdrug so kindly sent my way.

So of course I started with a blank canvas;

Not the most natural of beauties, but hopefully not too bad! A few blemishes around the chin, as always and I’ll always add extra coverage under my eyes just to brighten them up a little bit.
While I was looking forward to trying the Healthy Mix foundation, I was unsure how it would fair against my blemishes. I’d heard it was quite a light foundation, which left me worried to venture out without concealer.

My initial worries were put to rest when I started applying. I used a flat foundation brush, and only needed a little over one pump to cover my entire face adequately. This was one of my favourite products of the bunch. I loved the pump, much easier than having to pour it out, ending up with too much or spilling it everywhere, and the fruity scent really was enjoyed! I find there is a subtle scent to all of the Bourjois products, but this one I really liked!
The Healthy Mix is a light foundation, as in it doesn’t feel too heavy when it’s applied, but it offers really good coverage and blends easily to a seamless finish. In the future I’d opt for a lighter shade, but it’s definitely going to be added to my list of top products.

To finish of my ‘day face’, I added the blusher (35 Lune D’or), applying it lightly to the apples of my cheeks, a couple of coats of Mascara Elastic, focusing on the upper lashes and a slick of the Effet 3D gloss (46 Rose Lyric) to bring in a bit of colour. The gloss is already a firm favourite of mine, I’ve gone through quite a few of these in my time! I love the brush applicator, and the taste isn’t a hassle to have to live with. I think it has a good colour range among the rest of the shades as well, whether it’s something shimmery or something natural you’re after – Bourjois can provide in the lip gloss department!

The final result?

Bourjois Day Face

I love the glowing affect the blush added to my cheeks, it looked beautiful when it caught the sun. The foundation managed to last a good 4 hours walking around, going through changing rooms and crowded sales racks. I was impressed with how long the lip gloss lasted, but found that it gradually wore off and left me with a lip liner affect, but without eating, I didn’t need to reapply all that frequently.

Next up was the ‘night face’, I was looking forward to trying the Ombre Stretch eyeshadow and loved the proper brush that came with it, instead of a sponge applicator which always goes unused.
I kept on the Healthy Mix foundation, simply touching up where there were blemishes and around my mouth. I then lightly swept the Delice de Poudre (52 Peaux mates) over my face, focussing where the sun would naturally hit, followed by the blusher (35 Lune D’or), only used as highlight along the cheek bones and around the corners of my eyes.
For the eyes, I used the Ombre Stretch eyeshadow (02 maxi blanc) all over the lid, I then used the Delice de Poudre (52 Peaux mates) as an eyeshadow, adding a little bit to contour the eye, with a thin line of the Liner Feutre (11 Noir), slightly winged out along the upper lashes, a little tip – if you store the liner upside down in a pot, it allows the product to flow into the nib, making it easier to apply. Followed by lips, using the Rouge a Levres lipstick (07 Framboise Exquise) topped up with the Effet 3D gloss (46 Rose Lyric).

The results…

Bourjois Night Look

The lipstick was definitely a favourite for this look. I would never have chosen the colour, but I like the raspberry tone it adds to my lips, it wasn’t drying in the slightest and wore off nicely. The packaging was another bonus, it’s a gadget in it’s self, something to entertain me while I apply my lippie!
The majority of foundation was still there when I took it off at the end of my shift, the blush as a highlight looked great, I like to use it for a highlight more than the blush, the pink isn’t overpowering which makes it versatile for anywhere on the face.

So concludes my 24 hour stint with the delights of Bourjois! Keep your eyes peeled for the Rimmel eyes, coming to a blog post near you!

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