Leighton Denny - Hall of Fame Collection

There i was having one of my usual leisurely stoles through TKMaxx: Started off in shoes- nothing of interest, moves on to home wear- nothing i want, saunters over to beauty- disappointing. I was actually on my way out of the shop and had a look on one last counter when i saw it sitting there looking at me longingly. It was fate.

A Leighton Denny Set with  £17 sticker on it, when i looked closer it also had a (items missing) sticker on it. I gave it a little inspection and decided that two colour polishes, a cuticle pusher, a brush and a dropper were missing. F*** it i though, I'n still 'aving this. I was on my way to the checkout when i saw another one poking out of the bottom shelve under other boxes, i pounced. This one had nothing missing and was only three pound more! £20!!

What was in it that made me go so crazyyyyy you might be wondering?

Leighton Denny Miracle Drops - Drying takes half the time with this - With the dropper just drop over each nail when it is touch try and it will harden super fast.

Leighton Denny Precision Corrector - Nail varnish remover with a tiny brush basically, byt amazing for touching up slips or helping with nail art.

Leighton Denny Remove and Rectify - Naturally dissolves dry cuticle skin then moisturises to improve softness and suppleness. A rich blend of fruit AHAs and moisturising oil, it's the gentle way to have beautifully shaped and groomed cuticles.

Leighton Denny Demi Quarto

Leighton Denny Best Defense 20ml  - A great hand and nail cream.

Leighton Denny High Performance Nail Colour in - L-R

Berry Nice - A raspberry pink

Doing Time  - An antique gold with a little (not bling) glitter

Zero Gravity - An ever so slightly muddy grey

Tiffany's - A soft cool Pearly Pink

Not the best swatches ever but you get the gist from it :) How awesome is this:D I am so happy atm.

You get any other TKMaxx bargains, i was tempted by the Butter London sets but resisted.

Lorna xxx

Avon Advance Techniques Argan Oil Hair Mask

Ive been holding off on this review for quite a while now but I'm finally ready for it. I really wanted to use this for a while to see what the long term benefits were and not just the short term.

Avon is not a brand that i buy a lot from but as Ive found in the past sometimes you feel a real gem from them. This is one of them - Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Morrocan Argan Oil Hair Mask. A little bit of a mouthful but, damn, it really does its job.

I tend to use this once a week (usually on a Sunday) instead of my usual conditioned. So I'll shampoo my hair and stick this in my hair. I usually leave it in for 15-20 minutes, so i can still get things done i wrap my hair in a town wrap. You know the ones I'm talking about, that have the button on them and look like a hat haha:p 

After 20 minutes i rinse it out and brush through very gently with my tangle teezer and let it dry naturally. I very rarely blow dry my hair. 

After using this my hair is silky soft and swishy.  I find it so much more easy to manage and it doesn't tangle nearly as badly. 
What i really think is special about this mask is its lasting power, even after a few days when i wash my hair again and don't use this i can still feel the effects from it. A really big plus point for me is that hair isn't left with that 'didn't wash her conditioner out properly' greasy look some masks can leave.

As you can see the consistency is pretty standard. This mark is slightly on the runny spectrum of ones Ive used, more of a conditioner consistency than a thick cream mask, but i like that.

This mask retails at £5.50 but is usually always on offer, its currently selling for £3.75 in the sale and i think i got it in a half price sale. Its so totally worth the price. A real bargain.

Who else loves this?

Lorna xxx

Todays Makeup #1

I kept it very simple today, I usually have a little more on the eyes but i wanted a very light look today. I want to point out i am actually that pale, this isnt flashback as i didn't use flash and its not bad lighting, just a tan-less Scottish gal.

Sorry about the awkward photo but I'm not used to taking close-ups of my face. haha

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

Bourjois 123 Foundation applied with my H&M Beauty Blender

MAC Pinch O Peach Sheertone Blush

Chantecaille Les Petales Lumiere de Rose Face Highlighter

GOSH Eyeliner in Brown

Elf eyebrow Duo applied with Laura Young brow brush

MAC Culturalized Eyeshadow Duo

YSL Volupte sheer Candy in No.6 

I'm badly needing my eyebrows done so excuse the fuzz :) I used a slightly less lengthening mascara today so my lashes are slightly shorter looking than usual.

Also excuse the lop-sided lips, unfortunately i was born with it, i have a very crooked smile because of it.  

 

Thats my look for today, as i said i usually wear a little more but couldnt be bothered with it today as i really wasn't doing much. 

After a spray of MAC Fix+ I'm ready to leave the house.

This was my first go at a FOTD so i hope it worked out okay :)

Lorna xxx

Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Highlighter

Les Petales Lumiere de Rose Face Highlighter from Chantecaille is hands down the prettiest thing i have even seen and through a little mishap that I'm not going to complain about in the Space.NK sale, i have TWO!!! 
Basically i ordered one of these and one Les Petales Voile de Rose Poudre Delicate but got two of these instead. 

Signature Rose Design

This is the loveliest silvery pink colour in a pearl/shimmer finish. Some people might think it looks a bit to much for the day time but when applied with a light hand it actually looks perfect. Of course for a night time look its perfectly easy to build a bit more up and blend in. 

The texture of this is so silky and smooth and its clearly incredibly finely milled. Since Ive been using this there has been incredibly little (read no) fall out. It clings to the brush with incredible ease, i used the real techniques contour brush when i first used it and later applied with my fingers and it applies evenly and blends well with both. 

This next photo is heavily swatched with in lightly swatched and blended to the left of it.

This was retailing for £28 but i got it for £14 in the Space.NK sale on Christmas which i think is a good price for it but i wouldn't have paid the 28, i would have just sat around moping that i couldn't have it. haha

Anyone else get this in the sale? Or before even? What did you think?

Lorna xxx

2012 Favourites Awards

Finally i have completed this mammoth post. Its not like it took me over a week to write or anything. A word of warning before you start reading this, its a long-un. 
Like seriously, you may want to take a break in the middle and get some coffee to keep you going. I actually considered doing this in a video as it would have been easier but I'm too scared to talk to the camera haha. 
I decided to do this in a kinda awards system. So here we go, without me rambling on too much...

Skin Care Category

Cleanser - Mamma Mio Clean Slate (Review Here)

Serum - Balance Hyaluronic 554 Youth Serum

Day Moisturiser - Yves Rocher Instant Anti Wrinkle Hydra Vegetal

Night Moisturiser - Origins Night a Mins

Eye Cream - Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream

Exfoliate - Dermalogica Microfoliant

Toner - Avene Cleanance Purifying Anti-Shine Lotion

Mask - Lush Mask of Magnaminty

Spot Treatment - Origins Super Spot Remover

Make-up Catagory

Primer - Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer

Foundation - Laura Mercier Oil Free in Blush Ivory

Tinted Moisturiser - Stila Oil Free Sheer Colour in 02 Light

Under eye Concealer - Bobbi Brown Corrector in Bisque / Concealer in Beige (Review Here)

Concealer - By Terry Touch Expert Advanced in 01 Fair

Eye Powder - Elf Under eye setting powder

Face Powder - MAC Prep & Prime Translucent finishing Powder

Eyeliner - Barry M Blink Precision Felt Liner - Black

Rimmel Scandleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 005 Nude

Eyeshadow - Suspect (From Urban Decay Naked Palette)

Mascara - Benefit They're Real / Elf Exact Lash Mascara

Blush - Daniel Sandler Watercolour in Cherub (Review Here) / MAC Mineralise in Warm Soul

Bronzer - Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder - Medium (Review Here)

Eyebrows - Elf Eyebrow duo - Dark

Lipstick - MAC Plumful

Lip balm -  NUXE Rêve de Miel

 

  Hair Care Category 

Shampoo - Ojon Damage Reverse

Conditioner - Ojon Damage Reverse

Mask - Avon Morrocan Argan Oil

Product - Hask Argan Oil Healing Shine Treatment

Body Care Category

Body Wash - Soap & Glory Clean on Me

Moisturiser - Soap & Glory The Richeous Butter (Review Here)

Exfoliate - Soap & Glory Pulp Friction

 Nails Category

Base -  OPI Nail Envy

Top - Seche Vite (Review Here)

Colour - Essie in Bahama Mamba (Review Here)

 Miscellaneous

Hair Brush - Tangle Teezer (PINK :D)

Make-up Brushes - Real Techniques (I have all but 1 of them) &
Laura Young no. 27 Eyebrow Brush

Makeup Finishing Spray - MAC Fix+

Dry Shampoo - Stila Hair Refresher (Review Here)

Also adding in my Clarisonic which i started using this year and love :D

So this is the round up of my 2012 Favourites and quite a lot there were:D Hope you enjoyed and please feel free to leave comments :D

Lorna xxx

Makeup Re-shuffle

I am not the most tidy person by any stretch of means but today i had finally had enough. My make up was all over the place and all unorganised and messy so i decided today was the day to take action! So me being me, i did what seemed the most obvious solution - Dumped it all out onto the floor to sort out.

Please be aware that if you cringe at mess you may want to skip this next photo.

Ohhhh dear, look at the state of that. Its terrible. I felt so bad sifting through it. haha. But alas two hours and three cups of coffee later we have the finished product.

Taadaa :D Not all too pretty but very lovely and neat, im waiting on getting some new storage for it all but this will do for now. I wonder how long it will last like this:p

How do you store your makeup?

Lorna xxx

Bourjour 123 perfect

Now Ive been absent recently but that's just been a mix of Christmas festivities and me updating my blog,  Ive gone for a bit of a new look, please let me know what you think :D

Ooh now, what is this. A Bourjois foundation i actually like? Surely not. 

I honestly don't know what made me pick this up in the shop, an impulse buy at its best. Ive had three Bourjois foundations in the past and have not liked a single one. I try them in store and then when i put them on my face they just don't work for me. 

But here it is, the Bourjois 123 Perfect foundation.

 

 What Bourjois say:

Bourjois 1.2.3. Perfect Foundation gives a flawless even complexion* for 16hrs, thanks to a new generation formula.
3 correcting pigments for zero imperfections:

1. Yellow pigments: Anti dark circles
2. Mauve pigments: Anti dull complexion
3. Green pigments: Anti redness

• 24hr hydration and anti-shine: cotton flower extract
• SPF 10
• Medium coverage, yet lets skin breathe
• Soft and smooth formula for a second skin finish

I have this in shade 52 Vanilla which is the second lightest of the shades available. I have to say that i think the shade selection is pretty rotten, of the nine shades supposedly available (as specified on the bourjois site here) all are fairly pale. Also of these nine shades i have only ever seen five in store, and as you will notice the website only shows five as well. Slightly confused there. 

For reference i am NC20/22 as long as I'm not wearing fake tan (which is not often).

That little rant out of the way i really do like this product.
This is it blended out. It looks a little too pale for me but that's just because my hands are the only tanned part of me, its the perfect shade for my face. Its so smooth and really does cover dull skin well. I look a little perkier with this in (only my face though). It does an alright job of covering redness but for redness as out of control as mine on a bad day i wouldn't rely just on this, a concealer is still needed to help.
For as much as i like this id does not last 16 hours, for me it was more like 4 and then it was separating in oil, which is never a good look. Ive been tending to use this more only on days where i know I'm only going out for short spells. 

Overall, not a repurchase-er but considering how much i dislike all other Bourjois foundations, this is a thumbs up :D