REVIEW: Dior Skin Forever Foundation :)

Hi guys,

I have a confession to make: I only started wearing foundation about two or three years ago. Shocking right?!

I don't know why I never experimented during my secondary school years - probably because I spend all my money on sweets rather than cosmetics. Looking back, I probably should have invested in at least one foundation which helped to cover all the scars from my acne but I didn't think about that too much. Instead, I bought little chapsticks from the nearby chemists which came in a wide array of scents like lemon, watermelon and mint -they were my favourite as a kid :)

Anyway, I finally plucked up the courage to go to a cosmetic stand in House of Fraser one day whilst I was shopping in West Thurrock. You can probably imagine me looking at every possible makeup item on show and thinking "What does this do? Where does that go?" 

I dragged my sister with me because she also has never worn foundation and I figured that it was time to finally buy it and use it for special occasions like Eid or upcoming weddings. The reason why we didn't go to a drug store or high street shop like Superdrug or Boots was because we didn't really know what products would be good for our skin, which ones are actually good etc so we thought we'd use the help of one of the makeup specialist.

A very lovely woman who worked in the Dior counter helped us both get matched up to the desired foundation and it was because of her passion and genuine love for the products that made the experience very lovely and it gave me an insight as to what its like to be interested in makeup and all things beauty.

This is the first ever foundation that I bought and it is the one that I will be reviewing for you all.

First of all, the packaging is very sophisticated. It comes in a rectangular bottle which isn't very exciting because after all, it is a foundation but the contrast between the glass and blue lid with the Dior engraving really reminds you that this is a high end product. 

I am the shade 031 (sable/sand) and it retails in House of Fraser at £32.00 for 30ml. It comes in a range of 11 shades so hopefully there should be something for everyone regardless of your skin tone.  I would say that this foundation is medium coverage but it's buildable. One thing that you might find odd is that I always smell the foundation because if it smells awful I don't think I'd buy it but when I put this on, I actually really liked the smell. It's not overpowering and it makes you feel quite fresh.

This is one of those foundations which does justice to the statement 'your skin but better'. It glides onto the skin very easily leaving a dewy and natural finish. I find that if you prep your skin very well with a serum or moisturiser before applying, it can make your skin look and feel absolutely amazing. 

This also lasts an incredibly long time. If you apply it in the morning, it tends to stay for an average of 12+ hours so it's very good if you are the kind of person who doesn't like to touch up their makeup every hour. I can honestly say that this is great for me because the pigmentation really allows all my imperfections to be covered up but it doesn't feel cakey at all. 

I hope that you have enjoyed this review and I hope I have persuaded you to pop to your nearest Dior counter to get matched today. 

PS: If you ever shop in House of Fraser, expect lots of amazing samples being slipped into your bag at the till. If that's not a good reason to buy this product then nothing is! (heehee)

Have a nice day

Nadia x

My Favourite Perfumes!

Hello there,

I was looking through my drawer and I found some of the perfumes that I use all the time so I thought I'd tell you about them. I honestly like perfumes an awful lot and I am always looking at new ones in shops and just really driving my sister insane.

Over the years, I think that the perfumes that I often picked used to fade really quickly and that is a factor that I always look into when buying a new one. I also like sweet or floral perfumes rather than fruity however there are a few odd ones that I do like - e.g. Ralph Lauren Number 2 for women but it is really rare.

White Musk from The Body Shop

One of my absolute favourite perfumes that I like to wear on a regular basis is White Musk from The Body Shop. This retails at £10.00 for 30ml and £15.00 for 60ml and I can honestly say that if I had to purchase one perfume for the rest of my life, it would probably be this one. It is quite light however the vanilla and musk really make it quite sweet, which I think is perfect to wear everyday. It is also a lot cheaper than other  perfumes and the 30ml itself lasts a very long time. I've had mine for over a year now and there's still a little bit left. So yes, that is definitely my favourite.

Princess by Vera Wang

Another favourite of mine is Princess by Vera Wang. The bottle itself is very cute - the perfume bottle is heart shaped with a crown for a lid. This has extracts of vanilla, similarly to the White Musk, which should be quite strong however there are also notes of waterlily which helps to simmer it down a little. The scent is both floral and sweet but definitely bordering more closer to floral. This retails at £33.50 for 30ml and £44.50 for 50ml so it is quite expensive but honestly, two squirts of this perfume will last nearly the whole day so it is worth the price. I would highly recommend checking this out the next time you are at a perfume store because it is seriously amazing.

Lady Million by Paco Rabanne

Another perfume that I love is Lady Million by Paco Rabanne. This has a lot of floral notes in it like Orange flower and Arabian Jasmine but the overall feel that it gives you is quite glamorous yet classy and sexy. It is quite strange but I absolutely love it as it is unlike any of the other perfumes that I have talked about previously. The bottle is amazing - it is shaped like a diamond and has a gold plated lid which makes it look really expensive and draws your eye to it. It is also great if you want to carry it around with you because it is quite smooth and doesn't have any extra detailing like Vera Wang's Lovestruck. This perfume retails at £35.50 for 30ml and £44.50 for 50ml which is similar to Princess by Vera Wang. It lasts absolutely ages- I've had this one over six months now and I still have half of it left so definitely go and check that out.

Alien by Thierry Mugler

One last perfume that I absolutely LOVE is Alien by Thierry Mugler. Because mine is completely finished, I don't have a picture of it but the bottle is extraordinary - to me, it looks like a creature but its a really beautiful bottle and it definitely grabs your attention. This again has hints of jasmine but it has wood and white amber which is quite an odd mix but it works really well leaving a soft yet distinctive scent behind. The best thing about this perfume is that it lasts longer than any of the perfumes above - if you spray in the morning, it will still smell the following day or late into the night. This retails at £43.50 for 30ml and £66.50 for 50ml. This is a lot more expensive than the others but selected stores such as The Perfume Shop allow you to refill the perfume only after it is finished rather than buying another bottle with new perfume inside it. I highly highly recommend this and I absolutely love it.

I hope this has given you an insight into some of the perfumes that I love and I hope I have persuaded you to check some of them out.

Have a nice day.

Nadia x

REVIEW: Maybelline The Falsies Flared Volume Express Mascara

Hey guys,

So I thought I'd do a review today of Maybelline The Falsies Flared Volume Express Mascara. I've always seen this Superdrug or Boots and always picked it up, pondered for a few seconds and then put it back because I was fine with my Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara. However, because this is nearly finishing I thought that there wasn't a better opportunity to finally test out one of the most raved about products this year!

First of all, The packaging is really nice. It is purple (one of my favourite colours) so that's a definite bonus for me personally. The bottle is quite curved which is different but funnily enough, I like it. One thing that is a little bit odd is that it is thicker than your average mascara but I know that Maybelline like to make most of their mascaras chunky looking so I don't really have a big problem with it. 

When I applied it the first time, I found that it helped to lengthen each lash with just the right amount of product without clumping it. Also, because it doesn't clump together it helps to give the impression of false lashes. But, what I discovered after that coat had dried was that it is very hard to volumise your lashes without making them look like spiders. I guess with more practice, it may get better but for now, I'm dissapointed in that. 

Another thing is that there are two sides to the brush - hence the reason why its flared- one side is curved and the other is straight which might confuse you a little bit. It confused me at the beginning because I didn't read the instructions properly and whacked it on like any other mascara (heehee) but then I actually read it and used the two sides of the brushes as best as I could but again, i didn't understand the point of it because it didn't really help much. 

When you apply the mascara, it doesn't heaps and heaps of product onto your face which I like and overall it can help to lift your face. It honestly is one of those mascaras that you can wear by itself and leave the house because it really opens up your eyes more.

If you have eyelashes that belong to a five year old, like mine, then it would help if you curl them with an eyelash curler before applying the mascara. You can also  put two coats of the mascara on and not curl your eyelashes at all. It is completely up to you. 

In a sense, I do understand why youtubers and bloggers rave about this product quite a lot because it does make you feel a little bit more jazzy and perfect when you haven't really done much. It does give the impression of a false eyelash because it does lengthen each eyelash with just enough product.

 I would probably give this mascara an 8/10 because it does lift and curl my lashes a lot more than the previous mascaras I have used but it can clump your eyelashes if you use too much product which leaves behind spidery eyelashes which is not a good look.

I can definitely see myself using one coat of this mascara on the curved end to help lengthen my lashes on a daily basis. I hope you enjoyed this review and let me know your thoughts.

Have a nice day.

Nadia x

My Skincare Routine

One of the things I've seen littered all over the web and Youtube are skincare routines and I thought I would jump onto the bandwagon and tell you which products I use daily too.

First of all, I'd just like to point that even if these products may have worked for me, make sure you look at whether or not they would be suited to your skin type too.

I would describe my skin type as normal to combination - again, I am not completely sure as I have not had a skincare professional tell me at any point in my life what skin type I am. This is just me taking an intellectual guess - I mean, what harm can it do?

As a teenager, I had relatively good skin but it wasn't perfect. My pores were quite big and if I had got any spots, it would scar my skin very badly. And yes, unfortunately I am one of those people who can't resist squeezing my spots. A nice mental image for you there (ha!)

Because I am also quite lazy, I like to keep my skincare routine very simple because I can't be bothered to lather on one product after another every morning and night. Over the past few months, I have found one brand that has really helped with the scarring on my face and the minimisation of pores and this is the simple range. Simple is a skincare range which is quite cheap, can be found in most supermarkets or pharmacies and uses multi-vitamins and skin loving ingredients to make skin feel thoroughly cleansed and moisturised.

If you do nothing for your skin, just exfoliate, tone and moisturise. I actually read that quote on the Liz Earle website a few months ago and I use this principle pretty much everyday and that is why the basis of my skincare routine lies on two products and these are the Simple Kind to Skin Daily Facial Wash and the Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner. I've found that these two products are very gentle, highly moisturising and have helped to keep my skin feeling soft and refreshed during the day.

You must be thinking 'So what about the moisturiser?' 

Well, that depends on what time of day it is. If I have just woken up, I tend to go for the Simple Kind to Skin Light Moisturiser. On the bottle, it claims to work for 12 hours and I believe that it lives up to such a bold statement, especially in summer. It is also easy to apply and a small pea of product can be used on your entire face. This leaves my skin feeling so soft!

However, if I am just about to go to sleep, I tend  to reach for my Silkia Re Gen Cream. I bought this from Home Bargains for £3.99 and it comes in a 125ml tub which lasts you literally forever. This has similar ingredients to those found in Bio Oil however I do not like putting oil on my skin as it makes me feel greasy so this is a nice alternative and is a fraction of the price of Bio Oil. It has the powers to lighten skintone, minimise the appearances of scars on the face and can help with blemishes. If you choose to wear this in the morning, it also acts as a great foundation before applying foundation or concealer as it leaves your skin smooth and prepped. I can safely say that this is one of the best creams that I have come across so far as it has really helped with scarring from acne across my cheeks and forehead.

I hope this helps those that are thinking about their own skin routine and what products you can use which would be suitable for your skin. Just remember that not all products work for every skin type but try and see which ones work for you.

Good luck!

Nadia x

The beauty of coloured jeans

It's that time of year again when the sun is shining, the days are longer and everyone's happy.

Yes, summer has finally arrived in London. It's long overdue but better late than never is what  I say.

The one thing I really like about summer is that you can dig up long lost treasures from the back of your wardrobe. Items of clothing that you may have forgotten about because of the horrendous weather lately. (Rain in the middle of June - it's madness, I tell you. Madness!)

I dug up a few pairs of skinny jeans that I had completely avoided and I'm happy to say that I am using them a lot more now. There are always bright neon pants or trousers being sold in high street shops such as Topshop or New Look so if you want to feel dressed up when really you've just chucked a random top on, I suggest you check them out.

Personally, I don't have an orange or yellow skinny jean but I have my small stack of coloured ones that I can get away with wearing on a day to day basis without looking too bright!

And if you are quite self-conscious, not to worry! You can always ease yourself into wearing bright colours or add a statement necklace to a plain t shirt and work your way up from accessories to scarves and before you know it, you'll have the confidence to sport a lime green cardigan perhaps.

Just remember that a pop of colour, even in accessories, found in any outfit can really lift it and make you feel more dressed up. 
Let me know what items of clothing you've found lying at the back of your wardrobe and I hope you have a nice day.

Nadia x

 Skinny jeans: A perriwinkle blue, a khaki green and a mustard pair