Also, hello to my new subscribers! I can't believe I've hit the 60 followers mark! Thanks :)
Today I have another review for you, as I promised to let you all know my thoughts on Garnier's BB cream! The one I own is the original one, as I know they recently brought out a BB cream specifically targeted at oily/combination skin for the same price. The product's full name is 'Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One Blemish Balm Cream', which is a bit of a mouthful so I will just refer to it as BB cream! I have it in the shade 'light/clair' but it also comes in a medium shade.
In the two images above, I have shown my skin before applying the BB cream (left) and after applying it (right). I have no other make-up on my face in either of the images so that you can see the effect it has clearly. I am really pleased with it, I think it makes me look a little healthier and it definitely does make you have a slight glow to your skin. The coverage isn't brilliant as I am sure you can see, but I find that when combined with a few dabs of concealer it has as good a coverage as foundations I have tried. It lasts throughout the day on me, but as I said earlier, it has a dewy finish so if you want a matte effect I recommend using a matte powder over it, as I do usually. As you can see in the picture, I am prone to break outs, but I find they are much better when using this as opposed to foundation, as it doesn't clog up my pores as foundation does. If I was to say the biggest benefit of using the product for me, it would be the fact that it almost 'wakes up' my skin, making it look less tired and perhaps more youthful.
It smells divine too, although it is a scent I struggle to describe! It feels like a luxury product to me so I would definitely recommend it, especially if you are looking for a lighter alternative to foundation for the summer. Garnier BB cream is usually £9.99 in most places, but is currently on offer for £7.49 at Superdrug, so now is a good time to buy!
american apparel dupes
Recent Purchases: BB Cream, Lipgloss, New Look & American Apparel Leggings Dupes!
Monday, 25 June 2012 15:18I have a bit of a collective haul for you today, as I went shopping with my best friends last weekend and I also bought two make-up bits this week. I'll try and keep it short and sweet! I bought things from New Look, Miss Selfridge and Superdrug...
Also from Superdrug is the Barry M Lipgloss in 'Coral'. This is another thing raved about in the blogging world and I had to try it, as when I smelt it I felt in complete love with it. It smells really strongly of fruit salad sweets to me and is a gorgeous colour that goes on quite sheer. It isn't sticky either which is great! This was just over £4, though I can't remember it exactly and I can't find it online.
Anyway, there you have it! Have you bought anything exciting recently? :)
"Beautifying Oil is pure beauty in a bottle. Made with a lightweight blend of nut oils including Community Fair Trade marula oil, it gives instant hydration and a shimmering finish. This one has an exotic mango scent.
· For body, face and hair
· A little goes a long way
· Exotic mango scent"
I'm going to split this review up into the different ways I've tried it myself, so here it goes!
Body: I have tried this product a few times on my body in place of a moisturiser. I applied it to my legs sparingly just after I had got out of the bath, when my legs were still slightly damp. I was pleasantly surprised at the texture of the product, as although it is an oil, it doesn't feel oily when applied and lives up to its claim of being a 'dry oil'. This particular scent is heavenly, with a strong mango scent that is identical to the mango body butter scent for those who've tried those too. It left my legs with a slight glow and I must admit that it seemed to 'wake up' my skin so to speak. It was quite moisturising, though I have stopped using it for this as it is quite an expensive product and using it as a body moisturiser everyday seemed a little bit of a waste to me.
Face (As a moisturiser): I trialed the oil as a facial moisturiser for a few weeks. I only applied it to my face after I had removed my make-up as I was going to bed, as I found it a little too oily to use before applying my make-up in the morning. This worked well as the oil didn't transfer to my pillow at all, which is something I was apprehensive about beforehand. When I woke up the next day it had a similar effect to when I used it on my body, giving my face a kind of radiant glow that lasted all day. However, I didn't find it moisturising enough for me (I have very dry skin) so I have since switched back to my trusty Olay night cream. If your skin tends to be quite oily i am not overly sure how this would work for you as although it wasn't particularly moisturising for me, the texture was still oily if that makes sense!
Face (As a weekly treatment): This is way I have started to use the oil permanently now. If I have a day when I don't plan on leaving the house then I will smother my face in this when I don't have make-up on. Alternatively, I will apply it to my face when I get in the bath and leave it on as a mask for half an hour or so. I love it for this purpose, as it acts as a kind of 'booster' for my skin, taking away the tired, grey look my skin tends to get every now and again and replacing it with a healthy glow. I really recommend this product, even if this is the only way you will use it too!
I haven't tried it as a hair oil as I have quite oily hair anyway and it doesn't tend to get dry at all. However, I have seen in reviews by others that the oil is visible in your hair, which may not be good if you plan on using it before going out for example!
To sum up for you, I really like this product. I did love it on my body but as I said, I'd rather use it on my face to make it last longer as at £9 for 100ml it is quite expensive. I was lucky enough to get it for around £4 the day it was released with an online offer, but sadly it is back up to full price now. It is of course available in Body Shop stores or in the link I have included further up this post. It comes in a huge variety of scents, so there really is one to suit everybody! If you have any more questions on this product, drop me a comment and thanks for reading.
I promised I would photo a few of the looks I try out with my new 'Heaven and Earth' palette from MUA (£4 from Superdrug!), so here is my first look!

To show you how to create this look yourselves, I have included a photo of the palette so I can refer to them easily for you.
Step 1: I firstly primed my eyelids using Urban Decay's original Primer Potion, but any primer will do. I also applied a second base all over my lids, but this is completely optional- I just find it makes the eyeshadow last a bit longer. I used Elf's Color Stick in 'Golden Peach' for this.
Step 2: From the MUA palette I then took the shade fourth from the left on the top row and applied this all over my lids. For this I used a brush from 17 that I got in a set so I don't know its name! However it was just a generic lid brush.
Step 3: I then took the top left colour and applied a little bit to my tear ducts using a small concealer brush from 17.
Step 4: Using the same brush as step 2, I took the shade on the bottom row second from the right and applied this in a 'v' shape on the outer half of my eyelids. I blended this for quite a while using a QVS blending brush.
Step 5: I then used the same blending brush as step 4 and took the shade second from right on the top row, applying it into the crease of my eyelids. I blended this out for quite a while until the edges looks light and feathery and the colours seemed to all merge together.
Step 6: I then lined my upper lash line using Rimmel's waterproof gel liner in black.
Step 7: To complete the look, I used a 17 mascara that came in a set a while ago that doesn't have a name. I only applied this to my top lashes to achieve the effect in the photo.
So, there you have it! What do you think? Also, this is my first tutorial so I would love any feedback you might have for me! :)
eyeshadow palette
MUA Heaven and Earth Eyeshadow Palette Review: I Finally Caved!
Wednesday, 20 June 2012 14:33As the title suggests, I finally jumped on the blogging bandwagon and invested in MUA's eyeshadow palette in 'Heaven and Earth'. For anybody left out there who hasn't heard of it, this palette costs £4 from Superdrug and contains 12 neutral shades including gorgeous browns, creams and bronzes.
The eyeshadows themselves are actually excellent quality for the price. I've owned a few of MUA's single eyeshadows before and I've always liked them for quality; this palette follows the same trend! They are all really pigmented, even the paler shades. The staying power is great when used with a primer (I use Urban Decay's original Primer Potion) but I am not sure what they would be like on their own. With primer I find I don't need to top them up at all throughout the day.
Above is a shot I took of swatches of each shade, the swatches appear in the same order as the shades do in the palette. As you can see, the colours are so strong and all of them have a slight shimmer to them. This brings me onto my only negative point about the palette- there are no matte shades. This doesn't bother me too much as they aren't glittery at all and so I can wear them happily as an everyday look, but I know some people prefer matte shades for their neutral looks.
So, there you have it! My opinion on one of the most popular palettes of the blogging world. It is amazing value for money and I would recommend this again and again; for £4 you can't afford not to!
2. Scottie Dog Tank Top- I am in love with anything that has cats or dogs on, so this was bound to be a big hit with me. Isn't it cute!? Very appropriate for this year too, with the recent jubilee!
3. Mystic Horse Crop Top- This mixes gorgeous pastel colours with an animal- pattern emerging perhaps!?
This is my first wishlist post and I chose to keep it short and sweet as there are literally hundreds of things I would like from Topshop at the moment. I have a current love of pastel colours and so they will probably feature heavily in any future lists! If you want to buy any of these things I have linked them above as you can see. What do you think? :)
Something a bit different today! I have tried out my nail art pen for the first time. This was really simple to do and I think I'm quite pleased with it for a first attempt, although I messed up very slightly on my other hand! The products I used were Sally Hanson Hard as Nails, Hard as Wraps in 'Royal Red Creme' and Models' Own WAH! Nail art pen in black. What do you think?
Quite a fun post to write today. I am going to show you some of my go to nail polishes at the moment and colours I'll be wearing over Summer, if the weather ever stays sunny!
To make it easier to distinguish which colour each one is I will split them into little groups. Here it goes!
Barry M Nail Paint- Left to right, 'Tangerine', 'Cyan Blue', 'Mint Green', 'Block Orange' and 'Flamingo Pink'. Barry M takes up the majority of my nail polish collection, I just love the formula and the range of colours is second to none. For summer I think orange in particular is a perfect colour, as it is just lovely, bright and happy! Mint green is a colour that is really on trend at the moment, so it is definitely going to be one of my Summer staples. All of the colours in the above image are simple block colours, except for 'Tangerine', which is an orange with gorgeous yellow/orange shimmer.
Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish- Left to right, 'Pulsating' and 'Green With Envy'. I mentioned these in my last post, my £1 bargain haul from Pound world (link here). They are both almost dual-chromed colours, the first is a gleaming hot pink that has blueish undertones and the second is a green that looks different under every light. I love them both as they dry so quick and are perfect Summer colours.
Models' Own Beetlejuice- Shade 'Indian Ocean'. This is a dual-chrome colour that has hints of baby blue, pearl and pink. It looks amazing on, see my nail of the day post in which I wore this here.
Sally Hanson Hard as Nails, Hard As Wraps- Shade 'Royal Red Creme'. This is a gorgeous staple red colour from my collection, but to me it is different from most reds. When dried, it gives the look of gel nails I feel and it goes amazingly well with a matte top coat. I also mentioned this in my previous £1 make-up post.
Ciate Paint Pot- Shade 'Purple Sherbet'. This is my favourite nail polish at the moment, the colour is gorgeous and speaks for itself- look at this link to see it for yourself!
Well, that's it for my Summer nail polish staples, I hope you enjoyed reading! Let me know your Summer favourites in the comments, I'd love to hear them!
Firstly, I have to declare how much of an idiot I am because I have lost my camera charger! This is heartbreaking as the photos I take for blog posts are going to be a bit rubbish until I buy a replacement or miraculously find it. So, I apologise if the photos in the next few days aren't up to a good standard, I hope you'll bear with me!
I'm writing today about some recent bargains I have found in Pound World and the 99p Store. As I'm sure you already know, everything at Pound World costs £1 and everything at 99p Store is 99p! I have spent loads of time in them both recently as I've discovered they have some of the most amazing deals on make-up and nail polish I have ever seen, and so I've been having a good rummage through the make-up section of every Pound World and 99p Store I have come across. I am going to tell you the things I have bought quite briefly, as I have a few more in depth reviews on some of the products to come soon so watch this space!
A 3-Pack of Sally Hanson Products- This was one of the first things I bought from Pound World. For just £1 I got all three of the products above in a little clear bag. So technically I paid 33.333p (etc!) for each of them which is amazing value. I have only since seen Sally Hanson products in Pound World for £1 for one product, so do let me know if anybody else spots another bargain 3-pack! The products I got were a 'Natural Beauty' lipstick in shade 'Pink Blossom' that I have already reviewed here, a 'Hard as Nails, Hard as Wraps' red nail polish and a pink 'Lacquer Shine' lipgloss.
Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish- I got 2 of these, the pink one is 'Pulsating' and the greeny blue one to the right of it is 'Green With Envy'. They still sell this product for around £3 in drugstores although I am not completely sure these 2 colours are still available. They were of course £1 each from Pound World, I love them both as they are almost two-toned when on the nails.
Sally Hanson HD Nail Polish- I got this in shade 'Lite', which is the yellow colour in the image above. I have yet to try this, but I bought it as I didn't own a single yellow nail polish before this. Again I paid £1 from Pound World, absolute bargain!
Sinful Colors Nail Polish- This was the nail polish I was perhaps the most excited about as I had heard so much about the brand before but I had never seen it in the shops, presuming it was just an American brand. Of course, Pound World came up trumps again and I found this gorgeous shade called 'Almighty', which is the farthest right in the image above. I've already done a NOTD post on this here, I think the colour is gorgeous and the formula is brilliant.
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick- I got the shade 'Latino'. I got this from the 99p Store which they have in most large towns and cities. I mentioned this product in my May favourites blog post so I won't go into too much detail here. I checked in Boots and this shade is still sold and is £6.29! So the fact I found it for 99p is unbelievable!
Maybelline Define-A-Lash Mascara- I got this from Pound Land for £1 again, but they only had it in brown. This is okay for me though as I can never really tell the difference when it is on my lashes compared to black mascara. This is still stocked in drug stores too, for over £8, so this was perhaps my biggest money saver of the lot.
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous- Again they only had this in brown, but it is still brilliant. I don't think you can get this in ordinary drug stores anymore as I haven't been able to find it, correct me if I am wrong! This was £1 from Pound Land and it's a great mascara, very dramatic!
I am going to be doing reviews of one or two more of these products so watch this space, let me know if you want a review on anything specific or even just more details or swatches :)
The colour I used on my nails today is 'All Mighty' by Sinful Colors. I love this, it is a shimmery teal-blue. Again, this is another colour that I feel looks nicer on than it does in the pot. I have my Models' Own 3-in-1 base and topcoat on too to protect it from chipping.
Foundation/Base: Nivea Visage Young Tinted Moisturiser in 'Natural'. I have been using this rather than foundation recently as my skin has been severely dry and flaky, so I am avoiding foundation!
Concealer: 17 Hide and Chic in 'Light Rose' under the eyes and Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer in 'Light' to cover redness and blemishes.
Eyeliner: Rimmel Waterproof Gel Liner in 'Black'.
Mascara: Firstly I used Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous in 'brown', then I used Maybelline Define-A-Lash also in 'Brown' to seperate out my lashes a little more. I've been loving brown mascara lately as I think it looks a little more natural than black.
Blush: Elf Color Stick in 'Pink Lemonade'
Lips: Cherry Carmex Lip Balm
I hope you liked it! Let me know if you think I should set things out or do things differently :)
I was shopping in Derby yesterday and spotted the new pink Vectra4s in Topshop. I tried them on, absolutely loved them, then talked myself out of spending the money and left without them feeling sorry for myself. I sheepishly went back to Topshop today to buy them, I have no will power haha! My reasoning for buying them was that they are really practical and comfortable whilst being gorgeous, so I felt they are worth every penny of the £28 price tag!
They come in a few different colours, but the only others that they had in the Nottingham Outlet store were the pink canvas and white and nude coloured leather-esque material. I saw mint green ones online but it said on the website that they are no longer available which is a shame, but I love the pink ones! I might never take them off!
I know I am a little bit late for this, but I've been waiting for a good time to take a picture as the camera I am using at the moment isn't excellent! Anyway, here it is!
There is quite a lot to get through, so I'll be brief and I'll talk about them from left to right and from the back row to the front (as much as I can!)...
1. Lynx Attract Deodorant For Her- I bought this a few months ago when it first came out because I love the male scents. I didn't like it at first as it stung a little, but I think I was holding it too close to my body as now I love it and the scent lasts all day.
2. Batiste Dry Shampoo in 'Big & Bouncy XXL Volume'- Batiste is a holy grail product for me, as I use it in between washing my hair to give it a bit more life. However, this particular type is amazing, it really does boost my hair's volume dramatically and smells divine.
3. Nivea Visage Young 'Be Beautiful' Tinted Moisuriser in 'Natural'- Recently I've ditched using foundation as my skin has been so dry and any foundation just flakes and looks horrid. This is what I reach for instead and I love it, it gives light coverage and moisturises really well, on top of smelling gorgeous. Perfect for the summer months!
4. Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days (Mango Oil for Dry Skin)- I did a blog post on this here, it has literally transformed my legs, giving me really soft skin in no time.
5. Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in 'Green With Envy'- I got this for £1 from Pound World and it is such a gorgeous colour, in some lights it looks bluey turquoise and in others it looks green! It dries so quick too.
6. Models' Own Beetlejuice in 'Indian Ocean'- I did a NOTD post with this recently, a lovely pearly iridescent colour.
7. Easy Nails Fast & Fruity Nail Polish Remover- This is an 85p dupe for Bourjois' new nail polish remover pot that is around £5. It is a pot with sponge inside that is soaked in nail polish remover, you twist your finger in it for a few seconds and it takes off your nail polish with hardly any effort. It leaves a lovely peach after scent too, I cannot tell you how much I love this product! Review/where to buy post coming soon!
8. Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 'Latino'- Perfect formula, perfect natural pink colour- you can't go wrong!
9. Rimmel Waterproof Gel Eyeliner- My first gel eyeliner and definitely not my last. It is much easier to control than liquid liner and stays on all day. It comes with a brush but I use a 17 angled eyeliner brush with it instead as I find it works a little better.
10. Olay Beauty Fluid- I use both the day and night creams and love them, my Mum has used them for years and recommended them and I wasn't disappointed. My skin is definitely getting there slowly in terms of being moisturised, though I have famously unruly skin.
11. 17 Miracle Matte Pressed Powder- It does exactly what it says on the tin. It sets my make-up perfectly and gives a great smooth matte finish to my skin whilst staying put for ages. I love it!
12. Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara (Sample Size)- I got this free with this month's Glamour magazine and I am so impressed, it gives my lashes real definition and is build-able to work up to a dramatic lash effect. I would definitely buy this!
13. Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer in 'Light'- This includes a pink colour to hide tired eyes and a yellowish colour to hide redness and blemishes, with a pressed powder to set the look. I love it, it has a brilliant amount of coverage and doesn't go cakey on my skin. The packaging is gorgeous too and so handy, with a mirror in the lid and a puff for the powder.
14. Cherry Carmex SPF15- Oh gosh, I cannot describe how much I love this. I had it a while back and lost it, I was gutted! So I couldn't resist repurchasing it. It leaves my lips feeling so moisturised and is easy to apply with to stickiness or mess. The cherry scent is to die for, I could just sniff it all day!
So there you have it! If anybody wants a more in depth review of anything, let me know! :)
I'm still very much learning what works well for my blog and I've been trying to think of a good name for it. 'Becky Blogs Life' is just a little too boring perhaps and doesn't really say anything about me and my blog! My boyfriend thought of 'The Colour Carousel', because I am obsessed with colour and it sounds quite fun, which is hopefully what my blog comes across as!
What do you think? :)
As I posted last week, I've been on holiday to Scotland and got back home at the weekend. I bought a few things whilst I was there as is tradition when on holiday! We went to both Stirling and Glasgow, which were amazing for shopping. I especially loved Glasgow, the centre is gorgeous and full of quirky shops and the usual high street shops. Anyway, here's what I bought!
17 Hide and Chic Concealer- I actually got this product for free at Boots with a voucher I printed from the Boots Advantage card machine which entitled me to get this product free with any other 17 purchase. It costs £4.99 to buy usually so I got a great deal! It is what I believe to be 17's answer to Touche Eclat, with a twist-top that dispenses the product onto a brush at the base for application. I really like this, it is marketed at people wanting to hide tired eyes and I think it does the job perfectly. I have been using Soap and Glory's 'Kiss Ass Concealer' recently and I completely love it, but I feel the 17 concealer does as good a job for half the price.
Topshop Crop Tee- This was a bit of a copycat purchase after seeing the white version on my sister and how nice it looks on her! I don't normally go for fitted crop tops, as I favour oversized crop tees that I can wear a cami underneath. However, I thought it would be nice for when the weather is really hot (not often then, haha!) and I loved the colour- a pastel orange with grey flecks. Perfect as orange is my favourite colour! You can buy it too for £8 from this link, it comes in a variety of colours from white to pastel blue.
I am back from my holiday and have a backlog of posts to upload, so there might be a few going up in a short space of time, sorry haha! This first post is a quick review of the Sally Hanson Natural Beauty line Lipstick. Before seeing this in the shop, I thought that Sally Hanson was purely a nail care/polish company so I was intrigued and eager to try other products. I technically got this for 33.3p from Pound Land! It came in a clear packet with a lip gloss, a nail polish and this lipstick, all Sally Hanson and the three only cost me £1, which is unbelievable value.
There were different combinations of Sally Hanson products to choose from in these 3 packs, but I chose a packet that came with a pink lipstick as I was still on the hunt for a wearable everyday lipstick. I'm pleased to say I have found it!
The colour I have is 'Pink Blossom', which is quite a natural peachy-pink and is one of those perfect 'my lips but better' shades. I don't suit hot pinks and so I really wanted to try a more natural colour and this does the job perfectly. The lipstick itself is brilliant quality, it glides on and doesn't stick to the lines on your lips. Also, I find that the colour is good to build up and that one coat of this lipstick can look drastically different to three coats. To me this is a good thing as I can vary the intensity of the look depending on what I am doing that day! It doesn't have a scent, but this isn't something I was bothered about too much.
The image above shows how the lipstick looks on me after 2 coats. I have looked at the Sally Hanson Natural Beauty website (www.sallyhansonnaturalbeauty.com) and I can't find this product on there so I am guessing it has discontinued, but they sold it in 2 different Pound Worlds that I have visited in the last 2 weeks so if you are interested, I would get to one quick- it may take some rummaging through the shelves but for £1 you get 3 fantastic products which is amazing! They did sell the lipstick in various other colours too again in a 3 pack bundle with other Sally Hanson products. (I may write another post on the Lip Gloss and Nail Polish possibly- I don't know if that would interest anyone?).