Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet

Simple, soft and moisturising: These are the three things I always look for in an everyday, non-heavy coverage foundation. Believe it or not, it's actually very hard for find a foundation like this!

Luckily enough, and after a great deal of searching, I found that this foundation is exactly what I've been looking for.

Perfection Lumiere Velvet has become one of my all time favourite foundations, but not without a little bit of drama along the way.

October Favourites

Hey everyone! October has been a pretty busy month for me, which is why I haven't posted anything in while. But this post resumes my blogging habits, and I will hopefully start writing a lot more often from now on!

There are some amazing things featured here, all of which have actually become some of my all time favourites, so I highly recommend you take the time to try every one of them if you get the chance!

My Top 3 Reds

Red is a colour that some people don't feel very comfortable wearing. They think it's too bright or too bold, and therefore prefer a more subtle shade. Personally, red lipsticks are my absolute favourites!

So whether you are a red aficionado like myself, or you are unsure of how to pull off a red lip, I have chosen my top three shades to help you find the perfect colour!

My New York Trip 2015

Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon

Hey everyone! Last week I went to London to see the new Audrey Hepburn exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.
Audrey and her films have had a huge impact on my life; they have shaped the way in which I look at fashion and they also started my love for old Hollywood back when I was fifteen years old. Not only that, but Audrey's personal life and her philanthropy are things that I truly admire- for me, she is the ultimate role model. Therefore, when I found out that this exhibition will only be on show until October, there was no question about it: I had to go.
Seeing all the portraits together and being in a place solely dedicated to Audrey was a great experience, but, sadly, I was disappointed. This may be due to the fact that, as a massive Audrey fan, I had come across the majority of photographs before. However, I also felt that there should have been more information not only about each portrait, but about Audrey's life as a whole; I quote a review by The Guardian when I say that the exhibition is "beautiful, but unrevealing."

Puffy eyes? Bye! KIKO Eyes Rescue Serum Review

There is nothing worse than under-eye bags and dark circles. For ages I have been so self conscious of seeing myself in pictures because of how puffy my eyes would look: even if I'd had a great make-up day the bags would simply ruin everything. Yes, they were mainly due to lack of sleep, but nevertheless I decided that a good eye cream would help a little bit.

Estée Lauder 'Nudité' Nail Lacquer

Nails are definitely not my forte. I tend to only wear ready-painted false nails so as to avoid the tedious waiting you have to endure after painting your own nails. Not only that, but I also always manage to make a mess of my nails, so I figured a long time ago that ready-painted nails were more practical.
However, I got an Estée Lauder nail varnish for my birthday this year, and it has totally changed the way I feel about the nail-painting process. 

It's in the shade Nudité which, as the name suggests, it's a nude colour. It's very delicate and sophisticated and, in my opinion, what really makes it stand out is its subtle hints of pink as opposed to overly beige undertones.
The great thing about nude shades is that they compliment any outfit, day or night, and this shade does so in particular because it's so classy, but discreet and simple at the same time.

I like to use Elegant Touch 001 Totally Bare nails. They are fairly easy to apply and last a good few days (although definitely not the entire 10 days that they advertise on the back of the packet).

As you can probably tell, I'm still not an expert in the manicure business, but I am slowly getting better!

What is your favourite nail varnish?
Ana xo

A Quick Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Review

Today I thought I'd write a quick review of the Fujifilm Instax mini 8. I am no expert in cameras so I won't be getting very technical- but there are a few facts about this camera that I do know and will talk about, as well my own personal thoughts and experiences with it. Personally, I love this camera!

Summer Wardrobe Essentials

Summer is here and I am so excited! It's finally time to leave the house without throwing a jacket on first and it's acceptable to wear sunglasses and sandals again- yey!

This year there are a few styles and pieces that I am loving, such as gypsy tops/dresses, scallop designs and spaghetti-strap tops.
For this post, I've put together a few of my favourite pieces to wear at the moment, all of which are pretty affordable and easy to wear.
I'll leave all the price details at the bottom of each picture, but only of the items that can be purchased at the moment!

Top: New Look, £3

Trousers: F&F, £12.

Disappointing Purchases

Over the past year I have bought quite a few skincare/makeup products that haven't quite turned out as I expected. Some of them didn't suit me specifically because of my skin type, but others have just been plain bad! So today I thought I'd talk about the products that disappointed me the most:

I LOVE NARS!

A few weeks ago I went to Nars for the first time... and I ended up spending A LOT of money, whoops.
After trying out everything I bought I can safely say that I don't regret spending all that money: NARS is my new favourite makeup brand!
All of the items that I bought are long lasting and gentle on the face, whilst also giving flawless results, so if you're looking for good quality makeup, this is the one!

March Favourites

Hey Everyone!
This is my first post in months; I've been so busy writing my dissertation recently that I've had no time whatsoever to do anything else- I hardly left the house last month! But it's all done now, so I can start having a life again.
I thought I'd do a pretty simple post today to get used to blogging again, so here are my March favourites:



Vichy Nutrilogie 2 (Intensive for dry skin): I have been using this cream for a while now, and I have to say that it's the best day cream for dry skin- I'm onto my second jar!
Since I started using this product I've been able to wear more foundations, and I haven't noticed as many dry patches. I would actually really recommend Vichy in general, in my opinion it's the best brand for dry skin.

Indeed Eysilix: I don't know if it's because I don't get enough sleep or because I'm always vvv stressed, but the bags under my eyes were getting ridiculously out of hand. I decided to buy Eysilix, which targets under eye puffiness and dark circles. This is the first eye cream I have ever purchased, and I am definitely impressed with the results. I wouldn't say that my bags are completely gone, but they are a lot better after using this product twice a day, everyday.

EcoTools Bamboo Foundation Brush & Foam Applicator: The EcoTools foundation brush was the first brush I ever purchased. I remember using it every single day back in college, and never complaining about my makeup looking patchy or cakey, so last week I decided to buy it again; and I am SO happy that I did. I cannot emphasise enough how easy and precise it is to apply foundation with this brush, my skin looks so much smoother since I started using it.
After applying my foundation, I tap a little more onto my cheeks and my nose with the foam applicator. This makes my face look even smoother and sets the foundation in place, helping it to stay on longer.

L'Oreal Infalible 24H-Matte Foundation (In Vanilla): I still can't decide how I feel about this foundation. I do love it, as its coverage, finish, and lasting power are amazing. However, it tends to dry my skin out. After I use it I have to put a lot more cream on than usual because it leaves my skin feeling a bit rough. And yet I keep using it because it looks so lovely and flawless on the skin!
I only use it once a week though, because I think making it my go-to foundation would destroy my skin.



MAC Lipstick in Faux: I am so obsessed with this lipstick. At the moment I'm really into pink shades, especially lighter ones. To me, Faux is the perfect shade of pink as it has brown undertones, making it look more natural and very wearable. I don't think the picture of the swatch underneath shows how lovely the colour actually is!
It's a satin finish, so it feels really moisturising on the lips- and it looks even better if you apply the right lipliner beforehand.




Tesco SLEEP Lavender & Jasmine Candle: This is by far the best candle I have ever bought, and it's only £3! As the name suggests, it's supposed to help you go to sleep, and oh my, it's so relaxing.
I'm not a fan of most candles as they tend to give me headaches, but this one has a really fresh and gentle smell, not overpowering at all. I light it just before I go to bed every night and it helps me drift off to sleep- it's amaaazing.



If you have any questions about any of these products just leave a comment :)

Ana xo