The Glueless Scr4pbook.

Last month I finally got round to popping into the Guru Make Up Emporium in High Street Kensington, I had been wanting to check it out ever since hearing about it on one of Lily Pebbles' vlogs. I have been on the website many times but it's not the most easy to navigate and they are often out of stock of the most popular products and shades. Anyway they stock a couple of hard to get hold of brands such as Make Up Forever and Ben Nye so I picked up my two most wanted, the Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Cameo (£10.95) and the MUFE Full Cover Concealer (£23.50).

It's a pretty small store but it seems well organised and the staff were really polite and helpful, I suggest popping in if you get a chance. Next on my list is the Ben Nye Banana Powder and the MUFE HD Foundation.

Part 2 of my new series, the products I have already, or definitely would repurchase.

1. Chanel Soliel Tan De Chanel

I just repurchased this, this has been my number one bronzer of choice for the last 6 months, it's so natural and you can build it up for night time, it can be used over or under foundation or even on its own, it's very lightweight and although it's pricey I think it's worth it.

2. Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment With Avocado

Again I have literally just repurchased this one too (I got the smaller pot this time though so I can actually fit it in my Muji drawers (the struggle). This is my eye cream of choice as it's super nourishing but not too heavy or thick with is perfect for my oily skin.

3. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

This is one of my absolute favourites, I'm on my third tube, it's a great multi tasker (pigmentation, blemishes, scars, dark circles all covered with this) and it really is creamy so it blends easily and doesn't cling to any dryness.

4. Vichy Dermablend Foundation

This is hands down the best full coverage foundation that I have tried, a tiny amount will cover whatever you got, the texture is great too light and creamy but with a healthy satin finish so it would work well with every skin type.

5. Garnier Micellar Water

I recently purchased the famous Bioderma for the first time and can honestly say that this does a better job, and doesn't leave my skin feeling stiff like the Bioderma seemed to do, also fantastic value for money and they also do a version for sensitive skin now too.

6. Nails Inc Victoria Beckham Bamboo White

I think I would go as far as to say that this is my favourite nude polish, it's totally opaque after two coats and dries quickly too, it's pricey but I think it's worth it, hopefully it doesn't sell out before I need a new one.

L'oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit £9.99. Shade Light to Medium.

I recently spotted this brown kit in Boots and it reminded me of the Benefit Browzings that I used to use all the time so I thought I'd give it a go. The little kit comes with mini tweezers, a double ended brush (spooly/ angled brush), a brow guide and a mirror which I think is great for such a small compact. The wax is very pigmented which is great but it's also very hard so needs warming up a little first and quite a lot of working onto the brush, sadly the shade is too light for me and seems to be very red toned which isn't great, the powder on the other hand is perfect, I have been using it every day, no fall out or chalky looking flat brows and no warm tones in sight. 

I would definitely say this is a great high street alternative to the Benefit Browzings and great value for money, maybe the darker shade would have worked better for me, but I am so used to my Hourglass Arch or Burberry Brow Definer now that I don't think I could go back to the wax and powder method full time, if this is your method of choice I highly recommend it though.

Have you tried this already?

Zara Black Eau De Toilette (30ml/ £5.99) (10ml rollerball/ £3.99)

I have spoken about my love for Zara perfumes before, they are amazing value for money, most come in a handy rollerball version and best of all a lot of them smell incredibly similar to some designer options. If you are perfume fanatic like me I highly suggest you check out the perfume section in your local Zara (they are usually right near the cash desk).

My current favourite is Zara Black which is very famine and sweet but not too heavy with musk and sepervivum as a base, vanilla at the heart and top notes of orange and cinnamon- it's perfect, so good I bought it twice.

Have you tried any Zara fragrances?

Chanel Illusion D'ombre 'Illusiore' (4g/ £25)

I spotted this randomly on Google a while back and quickly became obsessed with finding it (I read that it was discontinued, it isn't). I asked a girl in the Covent Garden boutique and she told me they still stocked it so I went home with it, now I just wanted to do a little review for anyone who still hasn't tried these (I know I'm a little slow on the uptake).

This is a really unique shade, a sort of grey taupe with a soft purple undertone and lots of soft multi coloured glitters (grown up glitter, if there is such a thing). These are a soft mousse texture which are easy to apply with fingertips and blend out equally well with a brush, this layers up easily for heavier smokey eye but it's also delicate enough to wear in the day time. This has not creased on me at all but I don find you need an eye primer with these to make sure they last all day, when I didn't it seemed to disappear pretty quickly. These also come with a very cute, very soft brush which unfortunately I found to be pretty useless for applying to the lids but for under the bottom lash line it works well. Over all I love this and I'm definitely going to be checking out some of the other shades.

Have you tried these before?

I've been working away from my usual area so I was in a hotel for a few weeks and had to pack relatively light because of the travel so I thought I'd share some of the skincare bits that I took with me.

I picked up the Origins mini skincare set in the sale a few months ago and thought it would be a great time to put it to use properly, so I took the Checks and Balances face wash which I actually found to cleanse my skin very thoroughly but it did leave my skin feeling kind of stiff which isn't something I like in a cleanser at all, I took the Modern Friction Exfoliator which I really liked, the beads are pretty big but it didn't seem harsh at all and left my face feeling really smooth, I took the Ginzing moisturiser for the mornings which I totally fell in love with, it's very moisturising but not heavy so it dries in quickly for immediate make up application and I took the High Potency Night-a-mins for the night time which again, I loved, thick and heavy but not greasy and I didn't wake up with any residue left on my face either. I also took the Ginzing eye cream which I used both morning and night and it's a lovely light cream with brightening properties which is probably best for the daytime but worked well for both.

As for masks I took the Origins Clear Improvement charcoal mask for a deep cleanse incase I got any dreadful breakouts, I do like this for a deep cleanse but it is kind of messy and there are others I prefer but it does do the job well, I also took the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey mask for a bit of a softer cleanse with a tad of moisturising in there too, I have reviewed this before. I took the Jouer Anti Blemish primer because I thought it was the most multi tasking of the ones I own, anti blemish (kind of), oil control and generally keeps make up on a little longer.

I have done a few beauty orders online at Net-a-porter and they come in little resealable bubble wrap bags which are so handy I used one to carry all my cotton wool and buds to keep them from getting grubby.

What do you take away with you?

Aesop Tea Tree Leaf Facial Exfoliant (£27/ 30g). Aesop Amazing Face Cleanser (£21/ 100ml).

I recently treated myself to this set of Aesop goodies, I had been wanting them for a while and I finally decided to take the plunge, they are not the cheapest skincare products on the planet so I was feeling a bit guilty until I tried them properly; I have tried the Tea Tree Leaf Exfoliant before from a few different testers and that is actually what lead me to buy the full size, I didn't go in blind, I havn't tried this particular cleanser before, I actually had a couple of samples of the Parsley Seed one which were great but after hearing so many good reports about the Amazing and Fabulous cleansers I decided to go for one of them instead. The sales assistant told me the Amazing was better for an oily/ blemish prone skin type so I went with that one.

The cleanser contains mandarin rind, ylang ylang and lavender stem and says it is a "concentrated low-foaming formula to remove grime and oiliness." It has a lemony herbal scent like most of their products which is really refreshing for a cleanser. I am in love with this cleanser, I think I can quite happily say that it's the best one I have ever used and it was totally worth the money. I use one pump (it comes in a screw top bottle but they provide a seperate pump with it) which is plenty and gives my face a good thorough clean without drying it out or leaving that stiff feeling.

The exfoliant contains aloe vera, walnut shell and of course tea tree leaf, this is "An exfoliating blend of ground botanicals designed to be mixed with your preferred Aesop face cleanser." So it is small grains of tea tree leaf which are loose in a pot for you to then mix with whichever cleanser you prefer, for this I use half a pump of the cleanser and a sprinkling of the exfoliant the same size as the cleanser, mix together between my fingertips and rub into my face concentrating on the most congested areas (nose, chin and inner cheeks) and then just splash it all off with warm water. They advise you to use this 2 times a week, I use it 2-3 times a week because my skin is quite resiliant. my skin has never felt softer of smoother I kid you not, not drying or stripping at all, it's amazing, and the two together are great. 

They lso do an exfoliating paste which I am interested to try and I think I will pick up the Parsley seed cleanser and mask next time too. Have you tried any of these?

Chanel Les Beiges Powder (£39/ 12g) SPF 15, shade No. 10.

I finally decided to take the plunge last month and pick up the famous Les Beiges compact so I wanted to give you a few thoughts on it.

This is basically a sheer pressed powder which can be used either over your usual foundation or on its own for a very sheer base, the latter just doesn't cut it for me as my skin requires a medium to full coverage to get an even finish but I did not buy this with the intention of using it as a base I just wanted something light and healthy looking to set my foundation for the spring and summer months. 

So what's so amazing about this powder? Well as I say it's very sheer and lightweight, super finely milled so you can barely feel anything on the skin, there is no heavy cakey feeling with this whatsoever which is lovely when you already have a face full of foundation. This is great for the warmer months especially because it doesn't mattify the skin it leaves a lovely healthy glow but still sets everything else in place, (I use a different powder to set under my eyes as I prefer a matte finish in that area) and this can be touched up as many times as needed throughout the day because instead of separating the make up underneath it seems to blur everything back to perfection so I have been keeping this in my bag for this exact reason. This powder has the signature Chanel scent which I love but is worth noting for those who don't like scented products. Also worth noting is that these powders, even though sheer, are very pink toned (I have yellow toned skin and it still works for me) which is a shame as the shade range isn't very wide. There is no shimmer or glitter in these powders they just manage to keep the skin looking healthy by some Chanel magic. Finally as for the packaging, of course it's gorgeous, a sleek cream compact (as opposed to the usual black) with a large mirror which comes in a velvet pouch to protect it in your bag. Love.

I would say this is an overpriced product but considering how much you use at a time (and there is barely any fallout) I think it will last forever which technically makes it worth the extra pennies.

Have you tried these powders?

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer (£17/ 5ml)

After hearing all the hype about this concealer and how it was so similar to the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, and some had even said its replaced the Nars altogether, I had to buy it and thought it was about time I shared my thoughts.

After using it for around 3 weeks (on and off because I couldn't quite get on with it) I can safely say that  it's actually nothing like the Nars in my opinion, the Nars is exactly what is says 'radiant & creamy', this one is creamy when first applied but once set it's much more of a powder finish. I found this tends to set quite quickly too, much like the Mac Prolongwear and it also has the same kind of strong scent as the Mac. This is a very brightening concealer so I do like that for under my eyes but because of the semi powder finish I find it does seem to settle in fine lines on me, contrary to almost every other review I have read which is strange. I would say the coverage is on the high end of medium but again Nars beats it there too, I do however love the applicator which makes it really easy and smooth to apply. So to sum up, I wouldn't say this was a bad concealer by any means and it doesn't actually work out much cheaper than the Nars when you look at quantity versus price (this has less in the tube) so I will definitely be sticking to he Nars in the future.

Hope this review as helpful for you guys and just a reminder that this is just my opinion about how it worked for my skin type. What did you think of this concealer?

Benefit High Beam

An old favourite that I haven't used for ages and I fallen in love with it again, it gives a natural sheen but doesn't make me look oily.

Vichy Dermablend Foundation

I have been getting a lot of use out of this for highlighting when I have fake tanned, it has such a high coverage that there is no need for concealer which is always a good thing.

MUA Blush Perfection Cream Blusher in 'Blossom'

This is a perfect natural nude blush for my fair skin tone in a soft blendable cream form and only £1.99.

L'oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit

I didn't get along too well with the wax but the powder in this kit is a perfect ashy brown shade and has great colour payoff with no fall out.

Bare Minerals Marvellous Moxie Liner 'Thrilled'

I have been using this smudged all over the lips this month, it's a great 'my lips but better' shade.

Lanolips Rose Lip Ointment

A lovely natural lip cream which is moisturising and glossy but not sticky, it smells amazing too.

Aesop Amazing Cleanser & Tea Tree Leaf Exfoliator

I have been obsessed with this duo ever since I got them, I have done a full review.

Chanel Card Holder

This has taken its place as my new favourite purse, it fits all my cards, notes, change, vouchers everything and it's so much quicker to switch bags because I don't have to switch purses too now.

I recently realised that I actually haven't tried any of the soaps from Lush, and I have loved everything else I try so I decided to give some a go. I will do individual reviews I think, so this is just a sneak peek into what I got.

Honey I Washed The Kids which is honey and caramel scented with orange and aloe vera, Rock Star which is sweet and creamy and smells similar to Snow Fairy, Karma which is a refreshing citrus scent, I also got another Pink Fun because I have one which has dried up because I didn't make good use out of it so I will be giving this a good old test. Keep an eye out for the reviews...

I have been working away recently so I thought it would be a good time to share what I chose to take away with me. It is a good mix of new products and old faithfuls so that I was sure to cover all bases when I didn\t have my full collection to hand.

Starting with base, I decided to take 3 options with me, the new L'oreal Infallible 24hr Matte which I have been loving, it lasts all day without fail, the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet which is a really light texture but with a great coverage, great when you know you are going to have a long day and don't want to be cake faced and finallly the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser which is really light and dewy, very different to the other two. I took two reliable concealers the Nars Radiant Creamy and the Mac Pro Longwear which both have excellent coverage and lasting power. I took my Chanel Soliel Tan De Chanel bronzer because even though the packaging is not exactly travel friendly I love it way to much to leave behind, for contour I had to take the ever reliable Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder, for blush I chose the Nars Virtual Domination Palette because there are three great options in there and finally for setting powder I took the Mac MSFN. I only took one lipstick because I have been loving it so much that I was sure I wouldnt need anything else and that is the Mac Fleshpot lipstick, I also took two liners, the Burberry Lip Definer in Rosewood and Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk which I have been playing with recently.

For eyes I packed the new Collection Eyes Uncovered Nude Palette which is actually such a great palette for the price, the Nars And God Craeted The Woman Palette because its such a perfect size for travel and its so versatile too (I use the lightest shade for my brows). I also took the Mac Teddy Liner and the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara, and for brows I took the Burberry Eyebrow Definer which I didn't love initially but it has grown on me since and the L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper to set them.

I just picked my most used brushes to take with me and any that I could use for more than one purpose, so 2 eye brushes, a brow brush, 2 stipple brushes, two powder brushes, a sculpting brush and my Real Techniques sponge. I found this was plenty and I actually could just live with these few to be honest. 

Hope you enjoyed this post. How do you pack for travelling?