So I have decided to start up a new regular feature - What Laura Loves. I haven't yet decided if it's weekly or monthly, we will just have to wait and see! But basically it's just a little insight into a few things that have really caught my fancy in the last few weeks...
One - Ballet Flats
Aaah, summer. I've been living so long in boots and tights that I could barely remember what my feet looked like! And with the sun and the (infrequent, admittedly) dry days comes ballerina flats, the most delicate and versatile of all the shoes. I've been going mad buying them recently, adding two new pairs last week alone. It's just been lovely to wear pretty patterned pumps with bare legs and feminine dresses, floating around the park instead of trudging the streets in the rain. But, with the loveliness of delicate shoes does come one humongous downside - pumps make my feet hurt...!
Two - Nivea Express Hydration Primer
I've already written about this little beauty here but the love affair has not stopped yet. I took a different product away with me for the weekend and I really did miss the splash of moisture this gave my skin. It will definitely be coming with me to Greece next week, and then it can really be put to the test!
Three - Bourjois Healthy Mix
Oh God, late to the party or what?! I've been a user of Maybelline's Dream Satin Liquid for years and years and years, and loved the soft-focus airbrushed look it gave to my skin. But with new seasons comes new needs, and after several summers of this foundation being just a bit too heavy, I decided to buy into the hype and test drive Healthy Mix for a lighter alternative. What can I say guys, it's love. The shade (Vanilla Clair, 51) is perfect, it glides on and buffs in like a dream, and really leaves a smooth, dewy finish that covers blemishes but still lets my freckles through. Next up on the wishlist is the Healthy Mix concealer and powder...
Four - Being finished with university!
As of three weeks ago, I officially finished my Honours degree and will now be heading out into the big, bad world! Terrifying and liberating and oh-so exciting, all at the same time. I've received all my grades now, and am just waiting on official confirmation of my classification (I have a good idea what I have gotten, but don't want to jinx it!) and of course, the graduation ceremony. I'm ever so disappointed that my university doesn't permit mortarboards, but I'm going to make the best of it and create Kate Middleton hair that no hat can ruin. I've got my outfit too - will be blogging about that very shortly....
Five - Reading
Oh, books, how I have missed thee. Now that university is done, I can get back to reading exactly what I want, because I want to, not because I need to. In the last few weeks alone I've demolished a fantastic book about Joni Mitchell's 'Blue', a gorgeous book called 'We'll Always Have Paris' and re-read the haunting 'Mrs Dalloway'. All come thoroughly recommended if you're a little bookworm like me!
What have you been loving lately?
Friday, 31 May 2013
Monday, 20 May 2013
Nivea Express Hydration Primer
Who'd have thought, a few months ago I'd only ever used a primer a handful of times, and even that was a sample of That Gal from the front of a magazine?! I am now the proud owner of about six primers (when did this happen?), all of which are good for different reasons.
But my new favourite has swooped in and relegated the others to the 'back-up' makeup bag, and there's good reason why...
When I saw the Express Hydration Primer advertised, I genuinely didn't think it would be my cup of tea whatsoever; it looked too wet, too soft, and too much like a moisturiser. My other primers are all quite dense and mattifying - this just looked like a face lotion. How wrong I was. I read a few reviews, and my curiosity got the better of me. When it was reduced to £3.99 in Superdrug, my fate was sealed! (FYI: this primer is available in two types - one for dry/sensitive skin, the other for normal/combination. I bought the latter).
First off, the aesthetics. I love a product to look professional, to look sleek and to not look too cheap - which is pretty difficult criteria to fulfil when on a budget. But this ticked every box for me; the primer is in a thick glass jar, very plain and simple, and was presented in a box on purchase too (this box is in the bin, whoops). From first glance, it doesn't look like you get a lot of product for your money, but a little goes a long, long way here - I've been using this for at least six weeks and have barely made a dent in it.
And now, the important bit. This primer surpassed all of my expectations, and then some. It's quite simply fantastic. It is very wet to the touch, but I've actually found that I really like this, and my skin absolutely adores it. It's scented with Nivea's signature fragrance - reminds me of my nana, but not a bad thing! - which is quite delicate. You only need to apply a small amount overall, and it sinks in almost immediately. My skin quite literally drinks it up, and it's absorbed in seconds, making a flawless, silky base for my foundation. It makes your skin feel so fresh and clean too, which is a lovely feeling prior to applying makeup. While it doesn't promise to, I've also found this manages to keep my face quite matte, yet dewy, and it evens and corrects my skin-tone nicely.
Express Hydration is excellent at holding my makeup in place, something which I worried about from first seeing it. After a full 16-hour day, everything was still as it should be, and my skin still looked soft, hydrated and bright. It's so hydrating that I've found I can skip a separate moisturiser and use this on its own - it actually works better for me as a solo product, rather than layering it on to a different moisturiser. It's very gentle on the skin, and hasn't broken me out or irritated me in any way.
As I said before, a little goes a long way with this primer, making it even more value for money. I paid £3.99 on a deal with this, but its usual RRP is £4.99 - still an absolute steal as far as I'm concerned! It's overtaken the rest of my primers, and I even prefer it to one I recently received that's six times the price. I will definitely be repurchasing, and cannot recommend this enough.
Have you tried either of the Express Hydration Primers? What do you think?
But my new favourite has swooped in and relegated the others to the 'back-up' makeup bag, and there's good reason why...
When I saw the Express Hydration Primer advertised, I genuinely didn't think it would be my cup of tea whatsoever; it looked too wet, too soft, and too much like a moisturiser. My other primers are all quite dense and mattifying - this just looked like a face lotion. How wrong I was. I read a few reviews, and my curiosity got the better of me. When it was reduced to £3.99 in Superdrug, my fate was sealed! (FYI: this primer is available in two types - one for dry/sensitive skin, the other for normal/combination. I bought the latter).
First off, the aesthetics. I love a product to look professional, to look sleek and to not look too cheap - which is pretty difficult criteria to fulfil when on a budget. But this ticked every box for me; the primer is in a thick glass jar, very plain and simple, and was presented in a box on purchase too (this box is in the bin, whoops). From first glance, it doesn't look like you get a lot of product for your money, but a little goes a long, long way here - I've been using this for at least six weeks and have barely made a dent in it.
And now, the important bit. This primer surpassed all of my expectations, and then some. It's quite simply fantastic. It is very wet to the touch, but I've actually found that I really like this, and my skin absolutely adores it. It's scented with Nivea's signature fragrance - reminds me of my nana, but not a bad thing! - which is quite delicate. You only need to apply a small amount overall, and it sinks in almost immediately. My skin quite literally drinks it up, and it's absorbed in seconds, making a flawless, silky base for my foundation. It makes your skin feel so fresh and clean too, which is a lovely feeling prior to applying makeup. While it doesn't promise to, I've also found this manages to keep my face quite matte, yet dewy, and it evens and corrects my skin-tone nicely.
Express Hydration is excellent at holding my makeup in place, something which I worried about from first seeing it. After a full 16-hour day, everything was still as it should be, and my skin still looked soft, hydrated and bright. It's so hydrating that I've found I can skip a separate moisturiser and use this on its own - it actually works better for me as a solo product, rather than layering it on to a different moisturiser. It's very gentle on the skin, and hasn't broken me out or irritated me in any way.
As I said before, a little goes a long way with this primer, making it even more value for money. I paid £3.99 on a deal with this, but its usual RRP is £4.99 - still an absolute steal as far as I'm concerned! It's overtaken the rest of my primers, and I even prefer it to one I recently received that's six times the price. I will definitely be repurchasing, and cannot recommend this enough.
Have you tried either of the Express Hydration Primers? What do you think?
Sunday, 19 May 2013
This Works... In Transit Camera Close-Up
Now, I'm definitely not in a position to blow £30 on a moisturiser, or a primer, or a mask, or indeed, as this product is, a combination of the three. In fact, I was lucky enough to win this from a giveaway on Liana's Beauty Blog, which was a gorgeous (and much-needed) little pick-me-up.
This product is currently doing the rounds on beauty blogs just now, but as a girl not so used to premium products, I thought that my two-penneth might be appreciated for all you ladies in the same position!
This Works... In Transit Camera Close-Up is a 3-in-1 moisturiser, mask and primer, designed to reduce the amount of skincare you pack when travelling, and also as a quick fix to save time while on the move. It's supposed to create a smooth, hydrated, bright look to the skin, as well as restoring moisture, plumping the skin, evening skin-tone and providing a flawless base for makeup. So far, so impressive.
On receiving Camera Close-Up, I was immediately impressed by the sleek design and the packaging. I love the bright minimalism of the product, and I thought it really did live up to its price tag on appearances alone. I like the upside-down bottle, although I can see it being a little difficult to reach the product itself when it starts to run low. Otherwise, while the size is pretty small for daily use, it's perfect for its purpose (travelling), as at 40ml, it's definitely not going to cause problems at the airport.
Camera Close-Up has a very soft, subtle scent - This Works... products pride themselves on being synthetic-free, so the fragrance is due to the natural scent of damask rose and orange blossom oil. It's quite nice, and doesn't smell at all synthetic, I'm just not sure it's my kind of thing.
The texture of Camera Close-Up is a little strange - it feels light when pumped out on to the skin, but as you massage it in, it becomes quite thick and almost tacky. This Works... say on the box that skin should feel 'dewy', but tacky is the only way I can describe it. Thankfully, this does dry to a soft matte finish, and you can definitely see the 'photo-perfect' finish that you're promised. Despite this relatively odd feature, skin automatically feels softer, smoother and plumper, and you can definitely see a difference in brightness and evenness. Personally I prefer a wetter, more hydrating feel to my skincare, but the effect Camera Close-Up leaves can't be argued with!
As a mask, it definitely feels luxurious, but I've only used it once this way as I don't want to waste too much of the product, when it works nicely as a primer/moisturiser. I smoothed a fairly thick layer on my face and left it for about ten-fifteen minutes, during which time it had almost completely sunk into my skin, leaving hardly any product to wipe away.
I wore this all day to go to the shops, go to work and go out in the evening, and while there's no promise of long-lasting benefits of the product, I found that my makeup stayed put and sat smoothly throughout the day, and my skin still looked bright and fresh underneath.
Personally, while I do really like using this product, I really can't see myself repurchasing when it runs out. I was intrigued by the hype Camera Close-Up has received, and am very fortunate to be able to test it for free, but it hasn't become my daily staple like I hoped it might. While I do like the style of the product, and love the idea of a 3-in-1 combination, the texture and the smell aren't really to my taste. Besides all that, I couldn't fall in love with it even if I wanted to, as the price for such a small product (40ml) is just too steep for me; I can buy my favourite moisturiser, mask and primer for a combined total less than the £30 this costs. I'll enjoy using the rest of this, but for now, it hasn't turned my head to the world of luxury skincare, and for that I'm sure my bank balance is grateful!
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
The Book Tag
I saw this little tag on Tres Queentastic and, seeing as books are my most favourite things, I thought I'd give it a go too. Here we go...
Audio books or book in hand?
Book in hand. I have this thing where a part of my baby self has remained; the second someone starts reading aloud to me, I'm out like a light. Also, I think it would be incredibly easy to stop focusing and let the mind wander if you listened to the book rather than read it. Most pretentiously, you can't see the beauty of the word if you don't read the word.
Soft or hard cover?
No real preference. I like the solidity and grandeur of a hardback book, but I don't like them so much when I'm reading in bed, fall asleep and drop it on my face (this has actually happened).
Fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction. I've only ever read non-fiction books because I have to, other than biographies or fashion books. Now that I'm nearly done with university, I can't wait to leap back into fiction books and really enjoy the luxury of reading something transformational.
Fantasy world or real-life issues?
Real life. I love Harry Potter but otherwise, my favourite books are all set in the actual normal world. That said, all my favourite books aren't modern ones - I love F. Scott Fitzgerald, Truman Capote and Oscar Wilde the most.
Harry Potter or Twilight?
I've read all of both - but Harry Potter by a mile. Twilight was poor - only the first book was well-written; after that, they were hurried, poorly thought-out and merged from the dull to the ridiculous.
Kindle, iPad or other?
We have an iPad, but I'd never read a book on it. Kindles = ugh.
Borrow or buy?
Both. I adore going to the library and filling a bag full of new treasures, and using the excuse of a return date to spend days sitting around reading. The only thing is, I love books in the house, so I usually buy everything anyway, even if I've just rented it from the library!
Book store or online?
A proper old, charming bookshop everytime. I bought a beautiful book in South Kensington last time I was home, in a lovely dusty old bookshop. But they are few and far between now, so faced with the options of Waterstones or Amazon, Amazon wins.
Standalone or series?
Standalone, I think. Sometimes leaving things a little unravelled is perfect.
Monster read or short and sweet?
Monster read, I love getting sucked into something humongous! Although, three of my favourite books are very short (The Great Gatsby, Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Picture of Dorian Gray).
Starry-eyed romance or full of action?
Eh.... somewhere in between is best, but if I had to pick, it would be a good, proper love story every time.
Curl up on the sofa or lay in the sun?
The sofa! Books are made for afternoons curled up inside under a blanket, looking out of the window, sipping tea.
Read the review or decide for yourself?
Decide for myself. If I like the sound of it, the look of it and the blurb, I'll normally just buy it. You learn something from everything you read, even if it's not everything you expected it to be.