Dainty Doll Blusher in '004 You Are My Sunshine' | Review

I have fallen in love. As a matte lover, I never thought I could love a shimmery blush so much, but obviously a girl can change as here I am about to rave about one! 

Dainty Doll is a make up brand by Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud. It's aimed at pale skinned girls, and since I sit somewhere in between pale and not pale, I was intrigued to try something from the range. I bought the shade 'you are my sunshine' last year in a fragrance direct haul, received it and was utterly shocked at how bright and shimmery it looked, so put it in my 'I don't use this often' make up box and that was that! 

After Christmas, I just felt like none of my blushers were doing it for me as they're mostly peachy summery colours, so before automatically buying a new one, like I'm prone to doing, I thought I'd get all my make up out and have a bit of a shake up. That's when I found 'you are my sunshine' again. 

I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of the packaging, although it looks lovely in the photo, it's actually quite cheap looking plastic. Buuut, it's what's on the inside that counts, and cheap plastic and dodgy clouded mirror aside, the product itself is beautiful! 

Without flash. 

With flash. 

Now I know what you're thinking, it's slightly reminiscent of a certain offering from Nars. And extensive researching and checking online swatches has proved that this little baby is pretty much a perfect match to the infamous Nars 'Orgasm' blush. For a £1.99 fragrance direct bargain I'd say that's pretty good going! 

Left-lightly swatched. Right-heavily swatched. 

The formula of this blush is very soft, you do need to apply with a fairly soft hand, and accept quite a bit of product fallout, but other than that, I have nothing but praise! It blends beautifully and gives a warm glow to the complexion, a perfect pick me up for those cold days and, as it's intended, a perfect match to my winter pale skin! I've been wearing it none stop over the past month and my love is still going strong into February! 

Illamasqua Blusher in 'Lover': The Review

Hi! 

Illamasqua is a brand I have been lusting after for a while now. I think Beth from Birds Words blogged about one of these blushers and ever since reading that an Illamasqua blush has been on my radar, however the £18 price tag did put me off a little; being a drugstore kinda gal, I'm just not used to forking out that amount for any kind of make up! In fact, I've only recently taken the plunge and forked out MAC prices... 

Anyway, going off topic as usual, a week or two ago, as i'm sure anyone who follow Illamasqua on Twitter knows that they had a flash 50% sale for one hour one Friday night. Every blogger and their nan must have been on that site trying to get their beauty mitts on something as the server was mental and crashed so many times! I managed, after about 40 minutes of refreshing the page, to get my hands on a blusher at the bargain price of £9! May I introduce to you my new love in life - 'Lover'. 

The packaging of Illamsaqua products are sleek, black plastic casing with a clear lid which is handy for when you have a couple of the same product as you can see which colour the blush is. I really like the shape of the blush, it's quirky, yet looks very sophisticated, and the shiny black casing gives it an air of classiness. 

The colour of this particular shade, 'Lover', is a gorgeous matte peach with a hint of coral. I have quite a few shimmery coral shades but sometimes I feel they can be a bit too much for every day wear, and matte shades seem to be much more wearable. 

The shade is quite a bit lighter than I am used to for a blush, but I love that. It means I can create a very subtle look, however I would suggest using a very light hand with this as it's very highly pigmented, and you could easily end up looking like a doll. The only downside to this product is that there is a lot of product fallout. I have found however, that if you simply dab the blush with your brush rather than sweep, there seems to be less fallout, but that's my only downfall. 

Overall, I'm really impressed with this blush, and for £9, I think I really did pick up a bargain blush. So far, Lover is definitely earning it's place in my make up bag! 

Do you own any Illamasqua blushes? Which are your favourite? 

May Favourites!

Honestly, where has this month disappeared to? I can't actually wrap my head around the fact it's June tomorrow, which means it's 30 days until my days as a University student are over and I have to move back home. Crazy. Anyway, on with this months top 10 products... 

Over exposed image or what?! Sorry!! The lighting in my room is just weird today... I'll have to retake this one and replace it at another time... 

1. Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder: I have been loving this little chocolate flavoured beaut this month, and have worn it to contour my cheekbones practically every day. It's subtle enough for everyday use and definitely one of my favourite drugstore bronzers. 

2. Benefit They're Real Mascara: I am such a sheep, and when bloggers from all around started raving about this one, in typical Gem style, I had to have it. My student budget didn't quite stretch to the £18 full sized mascara, however a few weeks ago Elle Magazine had a mini sized freebie, so I snatched it up to see what all the fuss was about. I absolutely love it and wear it most days. I shall definitely be stretching the budget for a full sized version one I run out of this! 

3. The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care SPF 15: As we've had a sprinkling of sunny days this month, I've been reaching for a lip balm that not only will keep my lips hydrated, but will also give me protection from the sun. This little balm does just that, and has been my most used balm of the month. 

4. The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Toner: I have the weirdest skin. Sometimes it's oily, sometimes it's dry, sometimes it's normal. This means I constantly have to have different types of skincare available for whatever mood my skin is in. This month, it's been oily, meaning i've been reaching for my most mattifying products. This toner has been great to use before bed, and helps to get rid of the last traces of make up, whilst banishing any excess oil. 

5. Benefit Coralista: Coralista is the most perfect peachy pink toned coral blush, and I've practically wore nothing else this month. It's fairly similar to Nars orgasm, in which it's highly pigmented with a nice shimmer running through. I've been loving wearing coral lips, and this blush is the perfect companion. 

6. Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser: Did I mention I've been producing oil by the bucketload this month? Out with my normal moisturiser, and in with the mattifying one. This is great at giving my skin a matte finish, whilst also moisturising and giving my skin the nourishment it needs. This also acts as a great base for make up; I feel like I don't need a primer when wearing this. 

7: Le Mas Des Collines Lavender Pillow Spray: I've been having real trouble sleeping over the last few months. I'm a worrier, things play on my mind, and before you know it, I'm wide awake and panicking about the silliest little things that are out of my control. I picked up this pillow spray at TK Maxx for £2.99 and although it hasn't really sent me straight to sleep, it helps to create a calming atmosphere, and i've found myself spraying it not only on my pillows, but on my wrists and pulse points. If you don't like lavender scents, i'd steer clear of this as it's very strong, but I quite like it as it reminds me of my Grandma's garden when I was younger. 

8. Next Eau Bloom Eau De Toilette: I wouldn't usually stick in a perfume unless it was something special, but i've been reaching for this one a daily basis; it's definitely a favourite for this month! I'm rubbish at describing scents, but it's very light and crisp, fruity yet almost floral. It's basically the perfect Spring/Summer fragrance, and it's very cheap. I picked up this little 10ml bottle for £3.50, and I'm already half way down so I may have to pick up the 30ml bottle for £6 soon! 

9. Miracle Oil with Argan Oil: This is Aldi's version of Argan Oil, and for saying it was only £3.99, it works a treat. I've used this after every wash and it's helped to keep my hair soft and protected at the ends. I'm not sure, as my hair grows fairly quickly, but i'm certain my hair has grown a bit more than usual since using it too! 

10. Goldwell Curl Love Curl Cream: I talked about this is my The Perm That Killed My Hair & The Products That Brought It Back To Life post, and it really good after a shower on towel dried hair to keep curls in place without making them frizz out, which is a problem with my hair. I've been wearing my hair naturally curly/wavy a lot more since having my perm, and this cream has been my go-to product for a natural style. 

What products have you been loving this month? 

May Wish List.

Hi! 

Hope everyone's having a great week so far! It's a bit here and there for me. My final assessments start next week so this week is a bit hectic, painting studios (and the studio floor - who paints floors?!) in preparation for displaying our work. Scary stuff! 

The good things about this week are that three years of hard work are coming to an end soon (yay!), and I bought me and the boy tickets to see Lee Evans next September! (YAYYY!) For those of you who don't know Mr Evans, firstly, do you live under a rock? And secondly, he is my all time favourite comedian - I saw him a couple of years ago and literally cried, I was so happy to finally see him live! Anyway, this has let my bank balance looking more sorry for itself than I had thought, meaning my beauty and fashion wish list is growing, as I can't bear myself to part with any more cash! 

Here is my wish list for May. 

Firstly, I apologise for the shoddy quality of my makeshift collage - photoshop is not my friend, so basic photomontages will have to do! 

1. River Island | Coral Skater Skirt | £16 | 2. MAC Cosmetics | Powder Blush in 'Melba' | £17.50 | 3. John Lewis | Enrapture Extremity Heated Rollers | £54.00 | 4. ASOS | Black Disco Pants | £30 | 5. River Island | Acid Wash Denim Skater Skirt | £18 | 6. MAC Cosmetics | Lipstick in 'Coral Bliss' | £14

What are you lusting after this Month?