The Glueless Scr4pbook.

Not too long ago & Other Stories had a bit of a sale on, I think it was part of their Summer sale actually, and since I have been loving that shop like mad I had to get a few bits.

This gold toned brass ring was £3 and I really love their original designs I don't think there is any store that can compare, I have quite a few Jewellery bits from there and plan on getting a lot more too.

This pink leather pouch was £6I think this was my favourite item from the haul and it matches my 'Bouclé Greige' nail polish perfectly too.

This pouch was £5, it is cream leather with a black satin panel at the front to form an extra pocket with a zip closure for the main compartment.

And lastly this top was £8 and this is just a long sleeved round neck top with a slightly longer back made from the softest cotton ever. I live it it's super comfortable.

I really recommend the & Other Stories SALE as they really seem to cut their prices right down and everything is such good quality and made from long lasting materials, I personally think most things are worth the full price so the sale prices are a bargain.

I had run out of my trusty MAC Brush Cleanser and after seeing this online a few times I thought I'd give it a try. This being the Dior Backstage Brushes Brush Cleanser (£15, 150ml), after trying it out over the last couple of weeks I thought I'd give you my thoughts.

So of course the packaging, without question is very high end and chic looking, a clear plastic bottle so you can see how much is left, with silver writing and a silver 'Dior' embossed lid, although it looks lovely on the dressing table, the lid is not secure at all so for travelling purposes this wouldn't be great in my opinion but over all 9/10 for me as I wouldn't be taking this anywhere.

As for the despenser, it is actually a pump which I personally don't feel works as well as the MAC 'pour out as much as you need' version, it kind of shoots the product out and makes it hard to spread it over a vast area which I find has me using more than I actually need each time. Also the lid isn't removable like the MAC bottle so I can't even empty it into my spray bottle. The formula itself is perfect, quick and easy, doesn't leave my brushes feeling dry and dries quickly so brushes are ready to use again straight away. I would say the only difference between this and the MAC offering is the colour (MAC's being pink) and the price (MAC's being £11 for 233ml).

Overall I don't think I would repurchase this and I'll be going back to MAC when it runs out, but I don't regret buying it as it was a nice treat and something different to try.

A few favourites from the month of September...

I spotted the La Roche Posay Thermal Water on sale in Boots earlier in the month and being such a lover of the Avene version I decided to try it, I'm so glad I did I think I actually prefer it, majorly hydrating and perfect for using with my beauty sponge and the spray is much more fine and even, I'll definitely be needed some more of this soon.

If you have been reading my blog over the last month or two you will know I have developed a slight obsession with & Other Stories, this month I have been loving their matte lipstick in the shade Conspicuous Pink (a lighter version of MAC Snob) I've worn it nearly every day, and their hand cream in the scent Punk Bouquet has been a permanent fixture in my bag since I got it, as has the Aesop Resurrection Rinse Free Hand Wash, I've been using them both non stop.

For brows I have been reaching for the Hourglass Arch everyday, so often that it has now actually finished completely *wipes away tears*, literally the best thing since sliced bread I think, perfect shade, long lasting and so easy to work with. I need another one pronto.

For my face I have been loving the Aesop Camomile Anti Blemish mask which I have also been using as a direct spot treatment and it seems to have worked wonders. Also been loving my Vichy Dermablend foundation which covers every nasty thing in sight with just a tiny amount, so worth the money, great for people with problematic skin like me.

I have also been reaching for my Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Trench a lot this month, it's a very neutral shade which paired with MACs Painterly Paint Pot really helps make me look more alert in the mornings.

Are any of these your favourite too?

Quite a few empties this month as I've been trying to use some bits up. I'll try and make it brief.

L'oreal Miss Manga Mascara- I really liked this mascara, it's great for a day to day natural look.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer- definitely a top drugstore concealer, coverage with cracking or caking.

Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer- another top drugstore concealer, I have already repurchased, literally cannot get enough of it.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo- this truly works and I've got it on my list to repurchase, this is the 2nd one I have been through now and I think the words 'Holy Grail' are in order.

Kiehls Blue Herbal Spot Treatment- worked really well and wasn't drying at all, also lasted a really long time with daily used, pretty impressed.

Percy & Reed Session Hold Hairspray- this was perfect for my handbag, good hold but non sticky and smelt really fresh and feminine.

Bodyshop Honey & Oat mask- another holy grail product, I can't say for certain that it does anything amazing but the smell alone makes it repurchase worthy.

Bodyshop Vitamin E Face Mist- perfect for the summer when creams take an age to sink in, truly hydrating and also great to use with a beauty blender, I already have another on the go.

Quinoderm- the mother of all acne/spot treatments, very strong stuff but works serious wonders.

H&M Body Splash- not much to say apart from it smelt lovely of course.

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel- another of my last years Christmas sale bargains finished up, just in time for the re launch in store.

Nivea Pearl & Beauty- boring I know, but this stuff is amazing at its job and smells good in the process.

Avene Thermal Spring Water- great to wake you up in the morning and keep you looking alive during the day.

Have you tried and loved any of the above?

I recently got hold of a slightly older Chanel release which I was pretty happy about because I have tried this before when I was a lot younger and had no idea how I would like it now so I've been giving it a little test run recently and here are my findings.

Chanel Vitalumiere Satin Smooting Fluid Make Up (RRP £36 for 30ml). This foundation has an SPF of 15 and says it is an "Anti-Fatigue" foundation hence the luminous finish, I would say this is a light to medium coverage foundation and I personally wouldn't say it was buildable because of the finish. 

It is definitely a very luminous finish foundation and I wouldn't really recommend this for people with oily skin (I have oily skin myself and of course if that is the dewy, glowy look you are going for like I do when I am tanned then by all means it is a great foundation) I would say this is more aimed at slightly mature skin which needs a youthful glow and for those more oily I would suggest the Perfection Lumiere Velvet as the finish is matte but the formula still has Illuminating properties.

The luminosity is this foundation is very natural looking, no glitter or shimmer at all, just a very healthy finish. It is an easy to blend formula (with either a brush or a sponge), sinks into the skin well without creating those 'foundation pores' and overall is a very seemless natural looking foundation.

I hope this was helpful.

I have had this Pressed Powder by Nars (RRP £24) for a good 4/5 months now and since I actually hit pan a while ago I thought I better review it for you guys because I am obviously a really big fan. You know when something just becomes part of your daily routine and you take it for granted, that is what happened here so I needed to give this staple powder some room on the blog.

As I say I have had this for months now, I actually ordered it on a whim, I needed a new powder and hadn't tried too many Nars products so I thought why not?! I didn't even like this in the beginning, I continued using my Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot until I decided that I needed to use it to get my money's worth and then ... I fell in love. 

I got the shade Flesh which in all honesty is a bit too pink toned for me (I'm definitely more on the yellow side) but it is such a sheer formula that the pigment doesn't show through at all, it's extremely finely milled and silky to touch, it dissolves into the skin without settling into pores or fine lines and doesn't feel or look cakey. I would say it keeps my (oily) skin shine free for around 4 hours which is pretty good going. I'm really happy I ordered this and I would really recommend it, it's definitely worth the extra pennies in my eyes.

My love for & Other Stories just cannot be explained in words, I have just recently fallen for everything about it, the clothes, the accessories, the beauty, the jewellery, everything! As part of their beauty range they have around 15 scents of their own creation, all packaged in sleek black and white containers, the packaging alone is enough to start me drooling...

But anyway my favourite scent from the range is one named "Punk Bouquet" which is a 'Frothy vanilla soda on a rebellious rose bouquet' to quote the packaging, a very gentle light floral scent which just smells fresh and clean and I can't get enough of it, literally.

It all started with a Hand Cream (£4), when I got home and fell in love with it I needed everything, so I ordered this lot and its all so reasonably priced too. 

Above: Hand Lotion 250ml (£5), Body Wash 350ml (£5) and Body Lotion 350ml (£7).

I also managed to get this Primer on sale from £15 to just £5, if you haven't visited an & Other Stories yet, make it your mission in life, or just try the website which is amazing too.

Since the Summer is definitely nearing an end here in Britain I thought I had better dedicate a post to these gorgeous smelling candles that have been keeping me happy all summer. I am a huge fan of Yankee Candles all year round but I go especially crazy for their seasonal scents and this summer they brought out "Summer Scoop" which is based on the scent of strawberry ice cream, as as always they did not fail to deliver on the scent front, it smells exactly as you would expect, sweet, vanilla, strawberry, summer, amazing.

I usually tend to get the traditional jar candles but this time I picked up the box of Tea Lites because it was so much cheaper and I have so many cute candle holders that never seem to get any use. It's actually great value for money, for 12 candles I paid £5.99 and each candle burns for around 4-6 hours. They of course had the samples candles, tartes, small medium and large jar candles available too, I'm pretty sure it will be disappearing soon if it hasn't already, so get them while you can they're amazing.

A while back now I placed an order on the YSL Beauty website because I had been wanting one of the Rouge Volupte Lipsticks forever and was browsing the site when I saw a shade that interested me, I chose shade number 7 Lingerie Pink (£22.50/ 4g), which is a true Barbie pink shade, and reminds me slightly of my favourite mac shade Creme Cup, I have since fallen in love with the lipstick and have mentioned it in my recent '5 Things Pink' post, it is so moisturising and creamy, the original colour payoff is great but due to the creamy texture the lasting power isn't so amazing (I like carrying around my lipstick to reapply during the day anyway, I always do so this doesn't bother me), the only bad point I could mention about this lipstick is the scent which is sweet and most people would probably like it but I can't like it, it's not overpowering at all so I of course still wear the lipstick, but a simple vanilla would have been better in my book. All in all I would highly recommend them.

Anyway the main focus of this post is to tell you how pleased I was with the service from YSL, I only ordered one item worth £22.50, I received free postage and the delivery came in 2 days, I also received 3 samples, a 1.5ml spray sample of L'Homme scent for men, a 2ml sample of the Shocking Mascara and a deluxe sample Rouge Pur Couture in the shade 9, I was really impressed and it was well worth forfeiting my Boots points for. 

I will definitely be ordering directly from their site again, have you ordered anything recently?

Bourjois has recently brought out a 3rd shade in the famous Delice De Poudre Bronzer, this time it is actually a duo, one side a bronzing shade and one side a highlighting shade, still with the same chocolate scent as before. The Bourjois Delice De Poudre Duo (shade 55) retails at £7.99 for 16g, which is great value for money in my opinion.

Now a lot of people have referred to this as a contouring kit, I don't personally think it is as the bronzing shade is far too red toned to use as a contour in my opinion. The Bronze shade in the duo is closer to the original 52 shade, ever so slightly deeper than the original 51, and the highlighting powder is a beautiful pearly champagne shade which really reminds me of Nars Copacabana in powder form, both are swatched below in natural light.

The consistency of the powder is very lightweight, "finely milled", doesn't feel heavy on the skin when layered up, doesn't cake or go patchy, for the price I think these bronzers are great.

I am already a fan of the bronzer, and I can say I now love this too, it's really handy to just stick in your bag, the highlight is really pretty, natural looking and long lasting. The only thing I would say is that the pan is too slim for the divide of product and I personally would have rather paid a little more for a little more product so that each colour were more accessible individually. With a tapered brush like the Real Techniques Blush Brush you can almost seperate them but any huge bronzer brushes have no chance.

I personally have tried swirling them both together which give the face a gorgeous sun kissed glow, and I have mainly been using the RT Blush Brush for the bronzer and doing the 3 motion down my face, and then I have been using the RT Setting Brush for the highlighter on my cheekbones, bridge of my nose and brow bones. I really recommend trying this out but if you are looking for a contour I wouldn't recommend this shade as it is designed to give the face warmth, and for a contour you are trying to create shadows which are dark.

Have you got any tricks on ow to use this Duo?