Rimmel Match Perfection Review

After 8 hours of wear, still holding on!

Price ~ £.6.99

Shade Range ~ 11 shades

My Shade ~ 010 Light Porcelain

My Skin Type ~ Dry with slight oily patches around my nose and chin

How Many Stars ~ 5 out of 5 stars

What Rimmel Say ~ Light perfecting radiance foundation. Traceless coverage for perfectly flawless skin under any light. Lasts all day.

What I Say ~ This foundation I will admit I bought purely because it was cheap and I had ran out of my Bourjois foundation I was using at the time, that being said I was really pleasantly surprised when I tried it and found that it worked great and dare I say was a much better match than my Bourjois foundation, so much so that I have just recently purchased my third bottle! Something that is not common with me at all, I am normally the type to get bored and try something new by the time the bottles three quarters of the way done!

Shade wise I find this matches perfectly and I am as pale as they come, so finding a foundation that actually matches and doesn't make me look the slightest bit orange is a task a lot of the time. I usually get I'd say about 8 hours wear out of it with a primer underneath, I've never personally tried without a base so I couldn't truthfully comment on that side of things. I love that it is specially designed so that adapts to your skin colour to give you a perfect match that looks natural at the same time.

However I do find that it applies really nicely, I use my stippling brush to apply it with and it goes on smoothly and doesn't stick to any dry patches on my skin! I find the coverage medium however I have found that you can built it up to a higher coverage without it looking cakey. At the end of the day I also found that it wore off gradually and subtly, not in patches which is a big A+ from me!

I love the new design of the bottle, I do also like that although it is a drugstore foundation it comes with a pump included with means less wastage. Due to the pump you can actually control how much product you want coming out onto your hand.

So have you guys tried this and most importantly did you like it? What are you current favourite drugstore foundations?

Elle

xoxo

School Series - Student Tips/Organisation Tips

It has been September for a couple of days now which in England means everyone is starting to go back to school, so it's the perfect time for some study and organisation tips!

Tip #1 - Have something to get yourself organised in!

Whether its a diary/agenda or your phone, some people I know even used a notebook and just wrote down everything in there and ticked it off as they went along.

Make sure you have somewhere you can write down any assignments, readings, essays, tests etc so you can keep track and know exactly what you have and haven't done and you can't say you didn't know about it. Those who prefer technology, use the calendar on your phone (you can also combine that with reminders or a do to list app). I personally use the calendar on my phone to keep track on any important dates for exams, tests, placement dates and also assignment hand in dates!

If you get a syllabus at the start of a school year, try to jot down all the important examination or hand in dates in your chosen form of organisation and then keep it safe somewhere (I just put it in the front of my binder, then I know exactly where it is!)

Tip #2 - Don't cram!

As much as we all like to procrasinate truthfully not everyone's brain can absorb all the information the night before. Try to think of your brain like a sponge, it takes time to absorb everything. 

Try and do a little bit every week or every couple of days, so it doesn't seem such a large task!

Tip #3 - Find your unique revision style!

No-one learns the same, what works for me might be the complete opposite of what works for you. So it's time to straighten out the kinks, take some time to try out different methods of studying and revising and see what works best for you.

Whether its using flash cards, rewriting your notes, re-reading your textbooks and/or notebooks or just giving yourself little tests. Find what works the best for you and use it, even if its different from everyone else!

Tip #4 - Colour Coding

I find it so handy colour coding in my diary, notes, anywhere and anything!

In my diary I assign colours to different subjects so that if I glance at my week I can see exactly what subjects I've got work for that week. 

In my notes and flash cards, I use highlighters and coloured pens for different things like one colour for vocab words, a different colour for names, dates, events. I also use yellow highlighters for anything that's super important or is going to be on the test!

Tip #5 - Have somewhere peaceful 

You'd be surprised how much having somewhere peaceful can have an impact on how well you study. For example I study at my desk in my room upstairs, this way I can shut my door and shut out any of the noise downstairs, my desks also faces the window so there's no distractions facing me. 

I also find it more efficient for me not to study on my bed or the floor as on my bed I tend to get too comfy and I fall asleep (especially if I'm doing work after a day at uni!) and on the floor I have the opposite problem, I can't get comfy and in turn I can't concentrate on my work!

If you find it hard to study in silence like I sometimes do, go to your iTunes and pick a random radio station and have that on quietly in the background. As a rule I try not to listen to anything too current otherwise I start singing along and get distracted! If that's all you like try turning it down slightly lower, so you'll be less likely to sing along. I normally put on classical music or a radio station that is specifically just someone playing the piano. 

Tip #6 - Turn off your distractions

This ties in with the last tip but turn off all your distractions. If you have a tv in the room you study in unplug it, turn your phone off and unless you genuinely need the Internet for your homework turn it off! 

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Vine can wait till after you've finished your homework and you'll be able to focus more with them further away from you and unplugged! 

Tip #7 - Have a break!

As hard as it seems taking a break might help you finish that assignment quicker or help your revision sink in better! 

I was always taught when doing any work don't work, over 50 minutes then to take a break! Have 10-20 minutes of phone time, get up and go for a walk in the fresh air, go play with your animals for 10 minutes, anything to get you away from that desk and get your mind away from that work!

Tip #8 - Feed your brain!

As much as this seems like a simple thing, make sure your getting regular food/snack breaks and always keep a bottle of water with you at your study area. When your hungry or dehydrated your body and your brain can't work as effectively as it should. 

I always keep my Starbucks cup filled with ice water and I make sure I have healthy snacks if I get peckish! There is a post on healthy snacks and school lunches to come! I will admit I am guilty of spending all day working with just drinking cups of tea, a extremely bad habit that I am nearly out of! If your like me, set reminders on your phone. Have on go off at your mid-morning snack and another at lunchtime and your late afternoon snack etc for as long as your doing your work.

It's all good feeding and hydrating yourself but try and make good choices, an apple instead a chocolate bar, water instead of a can of coke. Granted they might not seem that attractive but I will say I've noticed myself craving fruit instead of sweets and believe me your waistline will thank you for it. They call it The Freshman 15 for a reason guys and it can be avoided!

Tip #9 - The neater the better!

Have you ever tried to revise off messy notes?? It's not easy in the slightest! The best way to combat this......write neater notes. Yes that may mean if your not a neat writer that you have to rewrite your notes but believe me when I say that it's worth it. 

It makes it so much easier to revise because you can clearly see the information. You can also format it any way you want, you can add colours, highlighters, tables, charts etc and you've got the time to do it! I also find that the information sinks in as well because as your rewriting your notes, you've actually got to read the information and process it so it sinks in more and you remember a significant amount more!

Tip #10 - Get some shut eye!

The most important tip I think is getting some sleep, trying to recall things when you are half asleep or shattered is near impossible! If you can't study when your tired, how can you expect to be able to take a test or complete an assignment when your that tired?!

Making sure you get your full 8 hours sleep is the best way to go about it. I also found using the app Sleep Bot helped, it's completely free on the App Store and you can set a smart alarm so that it gradually brings you from your sleep at the best time. I've found this better than the sharp alarm that happens with any phone or alarm clock, more often than not I find myself falling back to sleep or waking up tired and cranky!

Elle

xoxo

School Series ~ Back To School Clothing Haul

So that time of year had rolled around very quickly. It's Back To School time and I am starting my Back To School posts!

Now I don't start uni until the 23rd September, but I have started getting a couple of bits of clothing. The clothes I have got are more comfy casual chic so I can sit in lectures etc for hours and still be comfy while looking cute! So let's get onto the clothes...

I ended up getting the majority of my clothes from my work (Monsoon) but I also managed to pick up a couple of bargains from Asda.

£4 down from £8

£4 down from £16

£10 down from £25

I also got one t-shirt from HMV that I thought was so cute and would be perfect with skinny jeans, boots and the jacket I just showed you from ASDA. All I need to say is Big Bang Theory and you may know what it is!

£11.99

These are the bits I picked up from work with that same comfy, casual chic feel.

£32

£55

£35

£39

£39

£8.70

£69

£39

£39

£49

£59

 £10

 £15

£15 

£17 

£19

So that's everything I've picked so far to add to the clothes I've already got, I am planning to get a couple of more outerwear bits soon so I may do a mini haul on them. I am also planning a healthy school lunches and snacks post as well as some more Back To School posts, so if you have anything you would like to see be sure to let me know!

Elle

xoxo 

My Product Empties - June 2013

You will not believe how happy I am to be writing this post. Why your probably thinking....?

That my friends (yes, I consider anyone who reads my blog a friend) is because I find it incredibly difficult getting to the end of products. Mainly, I get bored with using the same product and like to switch it up, that or when it's finished I bin it and forget to put it to one side for these such posts.

Here they are all together, my product empties for June 2013!

MAC Studio Fix Fluid (SPF15) in nc15 - Now this foundation I used a lot throughout high school and loved it. I always felt like my skin was rubbish and I needed the full coverage, boy was I wrong! I seem to have a love/hate relationship with this foundation, as of late I found that even with a foundation primer it would still wear off throughout the day, particularly around the nose and chin. I also began to find it a very thick foundation which I only noticed when I switched to the foundation I mention below. I do however find this good when going out to a party/event due to the coverage, but I would use it sparingly!

Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in Light Porcelain - This foundation I have come to love. I bought it with my points on my Superdrug Beautycard (similar to a Sephora Beauty Insider card, I think) when I had left mine at home and it did take some getting used to as the foundation is slightly more runnier than the foundations I usually use. I found with a primer or even a good moisturiser that it would stay on all day, ALL over my face! It's a medium coverage foundation but I will say you can build up up, e.g. over problem areas like under-eye bags and spots or blemishes! It is also in a tie with another drugstore foundation for being the most perfect match for my insanely pale skin. It also came with a pump built in which meant I didn't have to buy one (MAC) or pour it onto my hand and waste product. I have already repurchased and definitely will be in the future!

GOSH Velvet Touch Foundation Primer - I got this product a year or so ago as a gift but I never really used it, then I started watching YouTube videos and decided to finally try it. I did repurchase it, however it is a slightly more expensive primer at around £13 for a small bottle but it does seem to last for ages. It feels like a velvet silicone but I did notice that I had to clean my hands straight away otherwise my hands felt weird afterwards because the product stayed partly on my hands. I did notice that with my last bottle (shown above) that the primer's texture was a lot more liquidy, so I don't know if they've changed it or it was just a dodgey bottle!

E.L.F Makeup Mist and Set - I got this as a cheaper alternative to the Urban Decay makeup setting sprays, mainly due to the fact that I didn't wanna spend all that money for it to not work for me! This seemed to help with stopping the makeup coming off my face around the nose and chin. I also used it as a makeup/face refresher for days when I looked or felt a bit dull and it really helped, being a student (with the late nights studying and writing essays and assignments, I've had many of these dull days) it really helped to have on hand. It's also the perfect purse size at 60ml and its only £3.75 so it won't break the bank to try! I'm currently debating repurchasing it or maybe spurging and buying the Urban Decay version to try. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - I've used this powder for at least a year and this is probably my 4th container. Before this I used the MAC Mineralised Skinfinish, I did find it ran out fairly quick (anyone else find that with MAC powders?), whilst this lasts the same if not longer for a fraction of the price. I like that this mattes my skin without making me look like 1D and I find its also great for touching up, however once it reaches the stage where the point it hits pan gets fairly large, I tend to leave at home otherwise I find it shatters when it gets knocked!

Aussie Dual Personality HI-Hold and HI-Shine Hairspray - I will hold my head up and admit until I tried this I had never tried Aussie products, I would hear everyone rave about them and for some reason I got round to picking them up. This is only of the very few hairsprays that I can use that will actually hold my style and not be crunchy, which I despise might I add. My hair has a history of being notoriously bad when it comes to curling, it would fall out within 2 hours bad and this holds it all day while I'm able to run my fingers through and play with my hair. I also love the shine it gives to my hair. Aussie do have a few products in this Dual Personality range and I love them, they have a great smell while it reduces on the amount of product you've got to put in your hair!

LUSH Breath of Fresh Air toner - This was a suggestion from the lovely ladies in LUSH Liverpool and I loved it and the smell but I think I'm gonna repurchase it and use it as a skin refresher! I love that its all natural which makes me feel better about putting it on my face a lot and it definitely helps in the hot weather. 

Elle

xoxo

Where have I been?

So all I can really start this post of with is an apology! I have been gone for forever and a day and I am really sorry. 

The only reason I can honestly give is College, these last couple of months the work, assignments and exams have been coming thick and fast and as much as I love you guys and writing and my blog. I did have to unfortunately put it on the back burner as I have to ace these exams and assignments to get my university place in September which I can thankfully say now that I have my last exam result, I have got all my grades needed for September!

I hope you guys understand and I will now be back every Thursday (from next thursday onwards) with new blog posts!

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

My hair used to be naturally pin straight but I've noticed over the last year it seems to have gotten a slight wave to it. 

2. What is your natural hair colour?

My natural hair colour is blonde, it used to be like a baby blonde when I was younger and then it turned more to dirty blonde as I got older and partly because I use to swim a lot!

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I definitely get it done at the salon, I don't think I could trust myself to do it myself. 

4. How often do you wash your hair?

I use to wash my hair every third day but I wash it every other day now, which is mainly down to the fact that I go to the gym every other day.

5. Do you wear the same style everyday or do you change it?

I pretty much brush my hair through and wear it like that, I occasionally change up the style if I have some spare time or I particularly feel like it. 

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or do you go to a salon?

I don't really go any get mani/pedis but I do try and paint my nails as often as I can, but I quite like wearing them natural with just a clear coat on top. I do go and get my nails done though if I have a special occasion!

7. How often do you change your nail polish?

When I wear it I probably change it when it starts to chip, which is generally after a couple of days. But I like to give my nails a couple of days rest between polish colours. 

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter too or just in the summer?

I generally just so my toes in the summer as my feet are in and out of boots, uggs, fluffy socks and slippers in the winter. I have a feeling this year I'll probably be painting my toes more as I won't be able to wear polish on my nails!

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?

I've probably gotten it down to about 10 minutes for just basic makeup and about 20 when I do my eyes properly. 

10. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Ever since I started putting makeup on, I've always done my face first and then my eyes if I fancied it!

11. Do you 'collect' makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

When I first started I used to spend ALL my money on new makeup items but clique as it sounds, as I've grown I've just got used to buying what I need and using up my makeup that I don't use as often. Which I have to tell you is a very hard job, it feels like it lasts forever!

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Very very rarely, I think the second time I wore them was at my work Christmas night out in December.

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

Full face of makeup to me is made up of moisturiser, primer, concealer, foundation, blush, eyebrows and mascara. I won't say I wear this everyday and you'll see why in the next question.

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?

I don't wear makeup when I'm in the house, as the majority of time at home is either relaxing or doing assignments, essays or exam prep (revision) so I don't see the point in getting dolled up and it also lets my skin breathe! It's also good as these days I often the gym and only ever wear mascara for the gym! 

15. Will you leave the house without makeup?

If you'd asked me about a year ago I probably would have told you 'No!' without a doubt, but I feel more comfortable with myself to go out without any makeup on. My motto if you can go workout and sweat like a maniac in front of people, you can go outside without makeup on!

16. How many high end products do you have?

Not that many anymore, I've used most of them up and replaced them with drugstore alternatives. 

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

My most used brushes I wash once a week and the rest every two weeks. I have got a daily brush cleaner that I need to start remembering to use!

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?

I think if I've got a special occasion or its the first day back at school after a holiday is probably the only days I plan my outfit out!

19. How often do you change your handbag?

Quite often, I carry my school bag during the week for college and then my handbag during the weekend/when off school for work. 

20. What time do you get up & go to sleep?

This varies constantly. My getting up if I'm in college is 6am and then when I'm not it's 8-9am, but going to bed is a different story! Anywhere between 9pm-3am depending. 

21. How often & when do you workout?

Like I mentioned before I go every other day, so it's easy to remember and I've just recently tried doing an exercise class (my current fav is bokwa) and then doing an hour in the gym. 

22. Left-handed or Right-handed?

Right handed mainly but I can do a bit with my left. 

23. How tall are you?

I am 5ft 3inches. Great things come in small packages guys :)

24. Do you speak a foreign language?

I speak a bit of French from school and I can do a bit of sign language.

25. How many pets do you have?

I have 2. A cat and a dog 

26. How often are you on blogger?

I try and get on at least twice a week in school time, but if I'm busy with college I just can't. In the holidays I try and get on it at least 4 times a week including using the blogger app on my iPhone.

27. Do you read the comments posted on your blog?

Yes, I love hearing from everyone and I love learning that what I'm writing is reaching people as far away as Australia! 

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

I do have a little notepad that I write down any ideas for blog posts and I keep a running wishlist at the back of it!

29. How did you come up with your blog name?

My blog was originally named after my YouTube channel as I created it to run alongside it but when I started college I found it easier to blog because I could do it on the train to and from college and on breaks on my phone and was easier than trying to edit videos. I have currently taken a break from YouTube and whether I will carry on with filming I'm not entirely sure yet!

30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

I've just started using a Nikon CoolPix L810 which I am still getting used to!

31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other)

I still live at home, so my mum does the main cleaning and I do the cooking everyday and the dishwasher and then I wash clothes every other day. 

32. What is your favourite colour?

It changes depending on when you ask me, at the moment it's coral and turquoise and seafoam.

33. What is your favourite beauty/fashion magazine?

Look magazine and Cosmopolitan are definitely my favourite at the moment. 

34. Do you swear?

I do occasionally but I often find myself saying feck a lot more than any other swear word but I am trying to stop myself!

35. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

I am currently taking a break from cleaning and re-arranging my room then it is off to work for me.

Elle

xoxo

Climbing Watkins Path + Update

Now this blog post is a bit out of the ordinary and well frankly it's not on my normal day! I'm basically just gonna do a little bit of an update as there are going to be some things that effect my blog.

1. I got a new camera (well I got it as a late birthday present from my friend), it's the Nikon Coolpix L810 camera in black. So that means better quality pictures and I can take more pictures outside as well!

2. I will be doing some lifestyle/health/fitness related posts as this coming summer (we are thinking July, no exact date has been set yet!) I am climbing up Watkins Path up Snowdon, one of the tallest mountains in the UK. It is an 8 mile round trip with an 1,015 metre ascent. I am raising money for a charity I am involved in The Olivia Rae Foundation, they aim to support young people in Merseyside to achieve their aspirations through education and the arts. We give grants away to young people in the Wirral area to achieve their goals through education and arts. We awarded our first grant just before christmas read about it here.

You can find all the information about it here www.justgiving.com/climbingwatkinspath

Elle

xoxo