L'Oréal Colour Riche Nail Colour- How Romantic

Back at Christmas time when I was in New York, it seems that pastel nails were at the top of my list of things to buy and this L'Oréal Colour Riche Nail Colour in the shade How Romantic has surprisingly been one of my favourite American beauty buys.

The softest pale Pink, aimed towards more of a sheer natural look, this is very much in the Essie Ballet Slippers family and I find it's prettiest applied with a few coats, to a slightly more opaque tone and think it's such a pretty shade for all year round.

The formula isn't amazing, it is extremely sheer and so for the kind of finish pictured above, you're looking at 3-4 coats, which I know, most people would find ridiculous. I personally don't mind spending time building it up, as I really like the finish and shade you eventually reach, and I don't find that it ends up chipping any more than you would expect a polish to anyway.

I'm not sure if these are available in the UK, I know I personally haven't seen them, but I do hope that they do reach drugstores here shortly, as I remember having my eye on a few more of the L'Oréal shades.

Costing around the $5 mark, I picked this up in Walgreens although I'm sure it's available in the likes of Target and Ulta too.

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L'Oreals Colour Riche Les Blancs Polishes- Lemon Meringue & Peach Neglige

I'm a huge fan of White based pastels on the nails and L'Oreals new Colour Riche Les Blancs collection is absolutely dreamy.

Made up of four shades, Pistachio Drage 852- a pretty Mint, Nouvelle Vague 851- a lovely Lilac, Peach Neglige 856*- a Pinky Peach and Lemon Meringue 850- a delightful White Yellow*, the collection really is lovely and I can't get enough of the two I have tried, in particular Peach Neglige.

Really easy to apply with a nice sized brush, these apply to the nails really pigmented and on first application really look me by surprise. Two coats provides a fully opaque coverage with a gorgeous shine on the nail and dying time is pretty impressive too.  

L'Oreal Colour Riche nail polishes are all pretty tiny with just 5ml of product, but they're perfectly dainty and I personally think they're a nice size, especially if you're like me and rarely finish a whole bottle before they go bad anyway.

Absolutely perfect for Spring Summer, these are available to buy now in Boots and Superdrug, costing £4.99 each.

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L'Oreal Color Riche L'Extraordinaire- Rose Symphony, Tangerine Sonate and Nude Ballet

L'Oreal Color Riche L'Extraordinaire glosses were one of the first products I picked up whilst in New York, but this week two shades that I hadn't managed to get my hands on in America were sent to me for their UK launch and I couldn't be more thrilled.

201 Rose Symphony*, 204 Tangerine Sonate* and 601 Nude Ballet are three gorgeous shades that are welcomed in a really lovely glossy formula. Initially, just like the Maybelline Color Sensational Elixir in Nude Illusion, I thought they were going to be more of a stain, following the current lip trend, but they're actually just extremely wearable, highly pigmented glosses and although a stain would be very lovely, they're really nice and comfortable to wear and so I'm not too disappointed.

Blended with both pigment and oil as opposed to the normal pigment and wax, these sit on the lips really nicely and are extremely hydrating and soft. I'm really pleased with the colour payoff of these Color Riche L'Extraordinaire Glosses and although Nude Ballet was the shade that I picked up in New York, it's probably my least favourite of the three and surprisingly, I much prefer Rose Symphony and Tangerine Sonate, which I think will be great Spring Summer shades. 

Really light and long lasting on the lips, I'm sure that the UK launch of these delightfully packaged glosses are going to go down a treat and if you want to get your hands on them, you will be able to do so in Boots, where they will be making their way to stands this month at the price of £8.99 each.

What do you think of these L'Oreal Color Riche L'Extraordinaire glosses? Will you be treating your lips to any of these shades?

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L'Oreal Colour Riche Les Ombres- Infiniment Bronze

Towards the end of last year I was becoming slightly obsessed by drugstore eyeshadow palettes and actually picked this L'Oreal Colour Riche Les Ombres quad up the day before I found out I was expecting, which in turn, with everything slightly up in the air, left this sat unloved in a Boots carrier bag for quite a while.

Fortunately, I came across the abandoned little Boots bag about a month ago and have been absolutely loving using this Infiniment Bronze quad since to create a Bronze smoked up eye on an evening. 

Super pigmented with just the slightest touch, this quad works to create the perfect look in four steps and it really couldn't be easier to achieve. Building up from step one to four, I actually used just one MAC 217 brush to create this look, which makes it great if you don't have lots of brushes to hand and also makes it a perfect handbag palette.

Long lasting on the lids and offering four beautiful shades with delightful pigmentation, L'Oreal Colour Riche Les Ombres quads are available to buy in Boots and Superdrug in seven different colour combinations, for £7.99.

Have you tried any of the L'Oreal Colour Riche quads? I'd love to know your thoughts.

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L'Oréal Infallible Eyeshadow- Bronzed Taupe

The first thing that made its way into my drugstore basket whilst shopping in New York was this L'Oréal Infallible Eyeshadow in the shade 890 Bronzed Taupe and after swooning over it online, I'm so glad that it's finally in my collection.

The Infallible Eyeshadows are a formula that often have people a little confused as to what expect and the only way I can describe them is a standard pigment similar to the likes of MAC, though pressed into more of a soft compact form. Incredibly soft and intensely pigmented, Bronzed Taupe is a dream to wear alongside other shades but equally, it works beautiful well on it's alone, applied both wet and dry.

Bronzed Taupe carries such a pretty shimmer and has the most delightful of reflective qualities that draws so much attention to the eyes and I can't get enough of it.

The Infallible Eyeshadows do claim to last up to 24 hours, which I imagine with a primer on the right lid, they would, but I've personally not had the opportunity for 24 hours wear with them as I only tend to wear more intense shades like this of an evening.

I paid $7.99 for this in Walgreens and although they are stocked in Boots and Superdrug in the UK, Bronzed Taupe is unfortunately only available in the US.

What do you think of Bronzed Taupe? Would this be in your US drugstore basket?

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L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Water

When it comes to Micellar Cleansers, theres an array of mixed opinions. Personally, I think used as a quick option to remove make up or for quick fix corrections, they're the perfect option and I always have one sat on my dressing table with a bunch of cotton buds, for those occasions where my red lip smudges or my eyeliner doesn't go quite to plan. 

When Micellar Waters are mentioned, for me, Bioderma automatically springs to mind. I love Bioderma a lot, but with the sterling price tag being a little outrageous in comparison to to where it's from, France, I can't help but be a little bit put off with the price tag. That's where the likes of L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Water comes in handy; widely available, costing around the £5 mark and I think doing just as good a job as Bioderma does, I personally don't think you can go wrong.

L'Oreals Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Water has three offerings clearly marked on the packaging; Dissolving make up, unclogging pores and removing impurities and toning, but personally, I would only ever use this for the benefit of it dissolving make up, which it does a fantastic job at, and the thought of using it as anything more makes me shudder slightly. 

Hypo-allergenic and suitable for the face, eyes and lips, two bottles in I've definitely been won over by L'Oreals Micellar Solution. 

Available in Boots and Superdrug, L'Oreals Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Water costs £4.99 for 200ml.

What Micellar solutions have you tried? Which is your favourite?

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What I'm Wearing

MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC30

Benefit Boing 02*

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Universal

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Sable Beige*

Illamasqua Lover

HD Brow Palette- Rich Brown

NYX Frou Frou- Black*

No7 Perfect Lips- Fire

L'Oreal Red Passion

Tonight I went to the Ice Tank Studios for the launch of Total Hair Experts hair tools. It was quite the celebrity hang out, with girls including Millie Mackintosh and Louise Thompson all sipping Champagne amongst us. I got the chance to have a little talk with Millie, and I can confirm that she is as beautiful as she looks on tv and has a fantastic personality to match. We got talking about her new lash range, and she recommended the Mayfair ones for me so I'm going to have to pick up a pair to try.

The Total Hair Experts range consists of hair straighteners, hair dryers and tongs to name just a few and will be available to buy in Tescos.

I opted for a Red lip for the occasion to brighten my mood up slightly. I have been so busy this week with work and blogging stuff and so thought it would pick me up a little, which it certainly did.

There is something about wearing a bright lip to change your mood. Sounds very silly, but I find it works. 

I've managed to get my hands on some amazing new products this week, including Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel in Sable Beige which I'm wearing above. I can't wait to share it with you, it's seriously the most amazing compact I have ever seen!

Tomorrow is the Cosmo Blog Awards and I am so excited for it. There is so many blogs nominated that I love so much, so it will be great to see some friendly faces and meet some new bloggers.

xx 

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What I'm Wearing

Origins A Perfect World Tinted Moisturiser Light/Medium*

Bourjois Healthy Mix 53

Nars Laguna

Make Up Forever HD Powder

L'Oreal Superliner Carbon Gloss

Benefit They're Real

HD Brow Palette Rich Brown

HD Brows Brow Beater*

MAC In Synch

L'Oreal Caresse Lovely Pink

I went for a Sunday lunch with my boyfriend this afternoon and thought I'd make a little more effort than the normal lazy sunday, hair scraped up look so decided to play with my new Enrapture Totem Styler*. I really like how it works and will put together a review once I've used it a few more times.

I did that really annoying thing, where you get carried away and over apply products and I ended up throwing a bit of a strop at how caked my skin ended up looking and how product over-loaded my hair was, to which my boyfriend replied "day in the life of Laura"- men!

I tweeted the other day that I really loved the combination of L'oreal Caresse Lovely Pink over the top of MAC In Synch, and here it is. I really, really like it. The lovely moisturising finish of Lovely Pink makes it work really well and stops In Synch potentially drying.

I popped into Boots today and picked up a couple of Barry M lipsticks. I know they're drying but I really couldn't resist the colours. I'm sure they'll appear in a post very soon!

I hope you're all very well 

xx 

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L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer

I recently had a little moan about the pores that seem to have annoying made an appearance on my face and without having a product to miraculously banish them, it seems the only thing to do is to make them appear gone and get rid temporarily. That's not really ideal, but unfortunately, it's the only other option for me right now.

I do like primers, but up until now I don't really feel that they have been totally necessary within my make up collection, this has never stopped me buying them and my most favourite until now is without a doubt, a Smashbox one which felt like a silky dream on my face.

I picked this one up on a whim, without doing any research into it which is now very unlike me. It was in the duty free magazine at work and so with a few pounds off of the in store retail price, and two in the box I thought I would give it a go. 

I really do like it a lot. It certainly doesn't make my pores 100% disappear, but it most definitely reduces them significatnly and provides the most even, smooth velvety base perfect for underneath make up as well as on its own. It's like the poly-filler of the beauty world.
I apply it mostly to my nose area, as that's where I my pores are most enlarged but dab a few little bits else where just to help out a bit.
This product is meant to also help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and although it does help to again, minimise them slightly, unfortunately it doesn't work very well on mine and even with layers and layers circled in, they are still well and truly visible.

The consistency is the most bizarre thing. In the pot it's quite a sticky, mousse sponge like texture but rubbed into the skin it's the soft primer like consistency that I had hoped it would be.
You don't need that much product as a small amount does go a long way, which is handy as each pot is only 15ml, but equally you can build it up without it feeling too much on the skin or ruining the smooth base you previously may have achieved.

I paid just £15 for two pots of this in duty free, whereas in Boots and Superdrug it retails singly for around the £14 mark.

I definitely think it's worth a try if you're like me and want to stop the visibility of your pores, theres often testers in store so maybe its worth having a try on your hand or something just to see how well it really does even and cover up your pores and maybe for you, your lines.

Have you tried this product? What do you think?
Do you have any recommendations for them lines?

xx

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L'Oreal Paris Caresse- Lovely Rose

I didn't really need to buy another lipstick, especially when I mentioned before that I'm kind of going off wearing a Pink lip and opting for more Nude shades again, but with the hype that is surrounding the L'oreal Rouge Caresse products- I couldn't resist.

I must admit, when the lipstick/lipbalm phenomenon hit the UK, I was initially swaying towards the Revlon Lip Butters, but after swatching away like a crazy woman in Boots, I decided that none of the colours were really for me. 

I first came across these on a little bit of a whim really, and absolutely fell in love with this shade. After a little research into it and finding out how similar they were in formula to the Revlon Lip Butters via so many blog posts, my search to find somewhere that actually had it in stock was well and truly on!

I eventually found it in a smaller Boots and being a part of the 3 for 2 offer, I was a super pleased girl.

There is ten shades in the L'oreal Rouge Caresse range, but Lovely Rose is the only one that really stood out to me. There is only one shade lighter and thats Fashionista Pink but I found that far too light and sheer for me. The rest are all much darker and didn't really appeal to my taste.

 The formula is lovely and the application is super easy, however in terms of the formula I don't think I could wear it too much. I like the feel of having a full on lipstick on my lips and with this being a lip balm like formula, I often find this feeling a little too glossy and maybe too moisturisingly sheer- if that even makes sense?

I like the occasional touch up or addition of a lip balm to revive my lips, but not continuously. In saying that, I do think that both this product and the formula will be perfect for me for work.

In such a dry, dehydrating environment it's extra important that my lips are looked after and if they can look pretty whilst being moisturised then that's just brilliant.
I think that for such a soft, moisturising product this has pretty good staying power. I assumed that it would come away from the lips quite quickly, especially with me rubbing my lips together with the softness so often, but it shocked me at how long it actually lasted.

The colour of this shade, Lovely Rose isn't completely what I thought it was from swatching it in store, but it isn't hugely different so I'm not in the slightest bit disappointed. It's a Sheer Rose toned Pink and other than it being Glossy or Sheer, it isn't much different from the other Pink shades I would normally go for. 

It's quite buildable, but I do much prefer both the colour and the feeling on the lips less built up. 

I haven't yet experimented with it, in terms of mixing it with other shades but that is how I often find my perfect colours so I'm pretty sure I will.

When I was looking into these products beforehand, I heard a few raves about the packaging, but to be honest I'm not super keen. I like the Gold, but I think the clear plastic cheapens it slightly and makes it a little more clumpy than it really has to be. This really isn't a huge deal though, and didn't put me off- we can't always have it all and it doesn't take anything away from the fact that this is a lovely lip product.

 L'Oreal Rouge Caresse lipsticks cost just £7.99 which is pretty good, I got mine in Boots on a 3 for 2 offer which I think is running for a few more days.

Are you tempted by these products? I'd love to know what you think on both these and the Revlon Lip Butters

xx

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Cheryl Cole Limited Edition L'oreal Lipstick- Red Passion

Remember when I was terribly excited about the Cheryl Cole L'oreal Elnett hairspray? Well, I was very slightly obsessed and was even more excited when I read that Cheryl was launching a limited edition L'oreal lipstick all in the name of charity.

The lipstick, named Red Passion (297)  is "her shade" and apart of the Colour Riche range.

For each lipstick sold, £1 of the sale will go towards her foundation- The Cheryl Cole Foundation which is apart of the Prince's Trust.

The day this was launched, I visited so many Boots and Superdrug stores and it was sold out everywhere! I was a very disappointed girl and feared that I would never get my hands on one. 

Today, whilst stocking up on essentials in Superdrug, I couldn't help but look and to my joy the L'oreal lady was restocking the counter- yay!

I grabbed one from the stand so quick and had a look at the colour, it isn't my favourite shade of Red however it has Cheryl Cole on the packaging so it was sold from the start.

Believe it or not, this is my first L'oreal lipstick. I'm quite impressed with the formula although the product itself has a little bit of a perfumed smell which isn't really for me.

Superdrug are currently running a £2 off promotion, leaving it costing just £6.19   

I'm really sorry the lightings quite terrible and my application isn't quite to standard but it has been a long day and I wanted to share this with you all desperately!

Will you be treating yourself to a Cheryl lipstick? Go on..it's for charity! 

xx

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Models Own Eyelash Curlers

I've never really been one for curling my eyelashes- well I used to be and then I kind of just stopped?

I've been meaning to get some eyelash curlers for a while- I have heated No7 ones but they don't quite do the job I don't think, so whilst in Boots trying to figure out what to get on 3 for 2 (as if I had to get anything) I decided that these little beauts would be my third and free thing. They really are quite beautiful and pink.

Models Own Eyelash Curlers- £6.00

Oh my gosh, what a lovely difference they make. My lashes look so much better and really think they open up my eyes tons. My boyfriend even asked me if they was falsies- yay!

Mascara- L'oreal 4D Lash Architect

I really like the shine in my hair, I washed my hair with Liz Earles Shampoo & Conditioner and I'm sure its all down to that. I'll make sure I do a review shortly.

I hope you're all fantastic.

xx

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