My latest beauty faves

It's been a while since I wrote a beauty post but I'be tried a few new things recently and some of them won't be leaving my make-up bag any time soon.

First to give my make-up bag a breath of fresh spring-inspired air is these nail varnishes. I tend to stick to Essie for longevity but I loved these Rita Ora for Rimmel shades and they haven't been too bad for chips to be honest, plus the colours are bold and apply really evenly. At £2,99, they've brightened up my look in an instant.


Next, my eyes.

The eyeshadow cubes from The Body Shop have long been a beauty favourite for many and this latest colour palette really caught my eye.

I mean, how stunning are these shades?

I did wonder whether I could actually use the yellow shade but the assistant gave me a few tips and I've been using this as a highlight or blended into one of the other shades.

I'm trying to give my black eyeliner a rest - a bit of a scary concept for me, having worn it for the best part of 15 years now - but I want to try a softer look for the warmer months and combined with my Benefit Roller Lash mascara, which I still adore, I'm getting used to my new eye make-up.

I really like how you can layer the colour up, so it's subtle or so it packs more of a punch, plus all the colours can be blended together to create a different look; the dark brown looks great with the yellow dusted over the top.

In the words of Miss Trainer, it's all about the bass, or rather base, for me at the moment. As the weather gets warmer, I've been looking for a lighter alternative to foundation and came across the Bourjois CC Cream.

I thought that CC creams might just be a fad but having quite a red tone to my skin, I thought I'd try this and I am so glad I did. It feels so light but gives a lot more coverage than I expected. It's a complimentary shade for my Snow White skin, which can be hard to colour match on the high street, and I think it gives my skin a really flawless finish without making me look too pale or too orange. Best product I have used in a long time, for sure.

I've been using the Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer underneath, which has a nice texture to it, then if I need a touch of extra coverage, I'm using No7 Stay Perfect Compact Foundation in Calico which I'm also loving.

For my cheeks, I picked up the two Rimmel shades above on a whim as there was a deal on but I am so pleased that I did. I find blusher can really fade on me and I don't think I was applying it in the best way, until I had some advice from the No7 counter which changed everything. I now apply my blusher with a soft, angled brush and only put it on the tops of my cheeks, brushing outwards; before, I tried to contour by brushing it underneath my cheekbones, to little effect.

Pink Rose (above left) is a beautiful shade which I wear during the day and Live Pink (above right) is a nice bright pop of colour for a bolder look.

The Bourjois Liner Feutre eyeliner felt tips are pretty good and give a slim, accurate line plus I like the plum shade for a softer lined look and my Benefit Browzing kit is a daily essential and has gained me many a brow compliment, believe it or not!

And last but not least, I absolutely adore this perfume. I've loved many Next scents in the past, such as their New York and London perfumes, but this is THE one. You know, the one that just smells right?  

It's a fragrance with white florals and green notes, apparently, but to me, it's not too sweet, not too floral and has a really intoxicating scent. This lives in my handbag and it makes me feel in the spirit of the new season with every spritz. Not bad for £10.