31 July 2012

200 Follower Giveaway Winner Announced!

Hello,
Thank you to everyone who entered my 200 follower giveaway, I was amazed how many of you took part and I'm really happy to announce that the winner is....


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations Emma, I've sent you an email.
If for any reason Emma doesn't get back to me then I'll pick another winner on Sunday evening.

Thanks again everyone who entered, I'm now sitting at 315 followers which is amazing to me, I can't believe so many people like to read my rambling. I'll be holding another giveaway sometime soon I promise!

Meerkats ♥
Annie x

30 July 2012

Lush Feeling Younger Skin Tint

Hello,
Following on from my last review where I raved about Passionate, one of the lip colours from the Lush Emotional Brilliance range, today I thought I'd show you my other purchase from the new range; the Feeling Younger skin tint.
As soon as I saw this I knew that it would be coming home with me. The idea of this tint is that the light reflecting shimmer in the cream helps to reflect light and brighten the skin. Now, the obvious choice of application is to use the cream as a highlighter around the tops of the cheek and along the brow bone, and this really does look gorgeous, but another way that I have been using the skin tint is to mix a tiny amount with my foundation or BB cream so that it gives a soft glow to my complexion and a nice dewy finish.
The amount in the swatch above is enough to mix with foundation for a lovely, brightening finish. As you can see, this really is a beautifully creamy product and its also highly pigmented meaning you only need the tiniest amount per use, especially if only using for highlighting the brow or cheeks. Immediately it is easy to make a comparison with Benefit's High Beam which is similar in regards to effect, however the Lush skin tint does not have the same pink tone and is a lot creamier, although the biggest difference is the style of the tub making it easier to use and blend in my opinion than when using the Benefit polish brush applicator. It is also a lot cheaper at £12 per tub so over all, a pretty good bargain for such a similar products in my eyes, especially as it is actually better (in my opinion).
Finally, like all Lush products, I thought it was important to share that this skin tint has in no way been tested on animals or manufactured using ingredients that have been which is a big bonus.
Lush products are known for having a short shelf life, however the new Emotional Brilliance range and that includes the skin tints, all have a shelf life of around 18 months so there is no need to worry about this going off after a couple of months and like all Lush goodies, they are delivered freshly made to the store and have a production date on the bottom. Mine was made a couple of weeks ago :) Another interesting fact I learnt was that the glass pots can be thrown across the room and still wont break so no worries there!

Have you treid any of the Skin Tints? I have my eye on the bronzing tint at the moment. Would you buy Feeling Younger?
Annie x
ps, its your last chance to enter my giveaway as it closes tomorrow!

28 July 2012

Storage Solutions: Making the Most of your Sachet Samples

Hello,
We all know the situation don't we ladies. Over time you acquire a rather sizable collection of sample sachets just waiting to be used when you're looking for a bit of a change. But they must be one of the most annoying things in the world to use. You try to squeeze a little out and find the whole thing is gone, or you find that half of it has sunk into your hand whilst you've been faffing around, and if you have more than one sample on the go then your makeup area soon becomes strewn with half empty packets which leak or dry up or forgotten about.
One way to get around this is to take a little care over them and invest in some cheap but very effective storage. Travel pots! These little pots are the perfect size to hold sachets of foundation, day cream, eye cream, cleanser etc etc and as the lids screw tightly on, there is no worry about samples going off, being spilt or being a nuisance in any other way.
The pots I use are a stackable set of five that I picked up in Boots for £2 and they do the job perfectly. Where the pots are clear you can easily see what you are keeping in each one and once the sample has been used up just give them a quick rinse whilst doing the washing up and you're good to go. What I also like about this set is that they are always kept together in one place so I won't hide one away somewhere and forget about it.
Perhaps what I love most about storing samples this way though is that they last so much longer. I decant them straight into a pot by snipping the corner off instead of tearing and then just take as little or as much as needed from the pot so there is no wastage from squeezing too much onto a hand. I was really amazed by how much of a difference this made the first time and its so useful when you're trying to see a more long term effect from a product and the sample is tiny!

So that's one of my top beauty tips :)
Have you got any tricks for making your products last longer? Do you do this with your samples? Do you know of any good product samples floating around at the moment for me to try?
Annie x

27 July 2012

Lush Passionate Lipstick; My New Love

Hello,
How is everyone today? Enjoying summer now its here?

Last week I posted about the lovely VIP launch of Emotional Brilliance that I attended at the Lush Bath store. When I was there I was drawn in by the beauty of the Passionate lipstick and simply had to bring it home. I've been wearing it almost every day since then and I think its about time I gave you a proper look :)

Passionate is a very gorgeous, very bright, blue toned pink that has an amazing shine on the lips. It is perfect for pale girls like me as it brightens the face, flattering your English rose tones, and it also makes teeth look whiter (bonus!) If you aren't a fan of a bold lip look then I'd steer clear but oh my goodness, if you love bold lips, you need this in your life! Like nearly all of the Emotional Brilliance range Passionate comes in a funky little glass bottle that holds 5g of product (sounds small but believe me, that will last an incredibly long time).
The lip colour applies very smoothly using the built in doe foot applicator and gives perfect coverage without needing to dip the brush again. The applicator also gives good control making application more precise which is important with such a pigmented colour as I find that it is difficult to remove if you smudge on to the skin around the lips. This is something to be careful about when applying in a rush but otherwise it hasn't given me any trouble. All of the lip colours from the range suggest you can use them as a cheek stain as well however I would advise against that with this shade unless you are a fan of very bright cheeks!
Now, in regards to maintenance of Passionate throughout the day or evening... there is none. I haven't been needing to re-apply at all when wearing this colour out. I wore this to our boozy barbeque on Tuesday and even towards the end of the night it was going strong after too much wine and a couple of burgers. The shine did wear off a little however the bold pink colour remained as the colour is designed to stain as well as colour. Unlike a lot of staining lipsticks I haven't found this drying because of the natural jojoba oil and rose wax in the product, in fact, I've found that once the colour has initially settled on the lips you can barely feel it there at all. No stickiness, no drying, no scratchy glitter so, in my eyes, pretty perfect.
So those are all of the reasons that I have fallen madly in love with this lipstick. To me it is unbeatable for colour and longevity as well as also being vegan friendly, full of natural goodness and in a funky bottle :)
My advice is to keep the rest of your makeup nice and natural when rocking this colour because I think it would be very easy to over do it without realising that your favourite pink blusher and purple eyeshadow are making you look a bit mad when paired with your pink lips.

So what do you think of Passionate? Is it a colour that you'd be brave enough to wear? Have you tried any of the other colours in the range?

You can pick up a bottle from the Lush website for £14.50. I will definitely be picking up more colours!

Annie x
ps, its the last few days to enter my giveaway so get in there quick!

24 July 2012

NOTD: A Matte Tape Mani

Hello,
Now the sun is out it feels like summer is finally here. To celebrate I've whipped out my bright coloured nail varnishes and put together my first ever tape mani. I'm actually really happy with the result, despite a little bleeding on a couple of the nails.
Please excuse the rubbish photo, my camera is on charge so it was webcam to the rescue. To do this I started by painting the whole nail with two coats of the coral colour before letting that dry completely (I actually left it whilst I ate the best sandwich in the world for lunch) before applying strips of normal tape and adding the blue layer. When this had dried I finished with a coat of matte finisher because I love the look of matte nails sooo much.
The colours I used were Coral Flair from Accessorize and Reeves Mews by Nails Inc which are two of my current favourites. Does anyone else find it really pleasing when their favourite colours just happen to also work together?
My top coat is just the E.l.f matte finisher top coat which is only £1.50 on their website and a complete bargain. The only trouble I find with wearing a matte top coat is that it has a tendency to highlight any imperfections and dodgy brush strokes so always be careful to stay neat when you're using it :)

What do you think of my first ever tape mani? Have you found yourself making more effort with your nails now the sun is shining?
Annie x
ps, my 200 follower giveaway is still going strong so don't forget to enter!

23 July 2012

Thank you :)

Hello,
I just wanted to say thank you and let you know how excited I was to see I have over 300 blog followers for Three Little Buhos now.
I really enjoy writing my blog and it makes me so happy that people enjoy reading it as well, makes writing all the more enjoyable.
I still have my 200 follower giveaway running at the moment (you have entered, right?) which may make things a little complicated if I ran one for 300 followers too so maybe I'll add one at 350 or 400, lets see how it goes eh :) For now, here's photos of three little buhos to make you smile.




We're having our first BBQ of the summer tomorrow which I'm uber excited about so I may have to post some happy summer photos of that, and I have a fab mani rocking my nails at the moment so tomorrow brings a NOTD post :)
Ta ta for now,
Annie x

22 July 2012

Lush Emotional Brilliance Launch Party

Hello!
Sorry this wasn't up yesterday as planned but I was really suffering with my chest so slept most of the day after being sent home from work. Feeling a little better again today thankfully and even did a cheeky bit of shopping after work :)

So! On Friday evening I attended the Lush Bath VIP Emotional Brilliance launch party where the new makeup range was revealed and we go the chance to have a browse, try the products, chat to the Lush ladies and enjoy some other treatments such as hand and arm massage, skin consultations and product demonstrations. I had a fab time and here are a few of the photos I took over the evening.
First up, the new Emotional Brilliance makeup range. How lovely to all the little bottles look. So pleasing!
The idea of the range it to tap in to your subconscious feelings by spinning the wheel and getting you to choose the first three colours that you are drawn to. Each colour apparently reflects a mood that you are feeling. I think the dry ice is meant to make it more magical...
My three colours were Decisive, Calm and Confident which, to be fair to them, I was feeling all of at the time. However, where the plan falls apart is that, yes, I may have been drawn to those colours by my mood, but I wouldn't wear Confident simply because it's a brown lipstick...not really my colour. In my honest opinion, whilst the idea is good, I think it is fairly pointless as people will always buy the colours that they like best, not the colour that reflects their mood at that point in time.
Next, mum was given some advice for her very dry hands and shown how each hand cream works and how it would be beneficial to her. One thing that I love about Lush is how knowledgeable and enthusiastic all the staff are about their products.
Then it was time for a skin consultation where we were shown face creams and then how to best use the new "Desert Island" branch of the Emotional Brilliance range. This consists of two skin tints, a fab sheer face powder and the Eye Right mascara. I was matched up (of course) to the palest skin tint and so was mum. We're obviously both English Rose's. I fell in love with the bronzing skin tint and the iridescent tint and ended up buying the iridescent. The powder also had an amazing affect so I'm sure I'll be back for that when I next need a loose powder.
My other cheeky purchase was the Passionate lip colour and oh my goodness, I love it. This wasnot one of my emotion colours but boy was it my favourite. A gorgeous blue toned pink which is incredibly bright and striking on the lips. I have a full review of this planned for one day this week such is my love for it.
And finally, a little preview of how this looks on the lips. I swear, there is a love affair going on between me and this colour.

Over all, I really enjoyed the evening. It was laid back, enjoyable and most importantly I was wowed by the new range and learnt a lot about the thinking behind the range and about what Lush products will suit me.
I honestly think that everyone needs to take a look at the range. Like I said, I wasn't overwhelmed by the colour wheel but the products themselves are brilliant, vegan, high quality, long lasting and so pigmented.

What do you think about the range? Have you seen it and given it a go yet? Are you going to be buying do you think? How about the colour wheel, do you think its pointless?
Annie x

20 July 2012

What's New?

Hello,
Just a little post from me tonight because I only got home a little while ago.

This evening I attended the Bath Emotional Brilliance VIP launch party and oh boy, it was so fun. I ended up spending lots of money on some of the new range, got a skin and product consultation and ate cake :) What more could a girl wish for? I'll be writing a proper post about that tomorrow morning if I get time before work, if not then it will be up in the evening :)

I've had a touch of bloggers block recently so I'm wondering what sort of posts you lovelies would like to see? I love getting feedback from all of my fab followers so pop me a comment letting me know what posts you enjoy, if theres anything in particular you'd like to see or if you have any suggestions at all. They'd all be a great help!

As regular readers of my blog will know, I've been unwell for the last few weeks with a chest infection that has just been refusing to shift. I'm now on a different type of antibiotics to try and trick the damn thing into vacating. Apparently it's lodged in a "tricky" position which is why I haven't been able to kick it. Fingers crossed eh!

Recently I joined a great little group on facebook called Beauty Box Swaps where you trade all of your unwanted beauty box items and other new or barely used makeup products with other ladies who do want them for items that you will actually get use out of. I've already swapped lots of my unwanted goodies with some truly lovely ladies and got some fab bits and pieces in return. Definitely a group for you to check out!


So thats pretty much all thats new in Annies world at the moment :)
What have you been up to recently? Can you help with the bloggers block at all?
Annie x

19 July 2012

My Summer Holiday Skin Essentials List

Evening Ladies,
Its a really nice evening here in Bath. The sun is shining, its nice and warm and now that its less than a month before I go on holiday I can start getting excited and thinking about what I'm going to take.
Clearly, being me, my first thought was "what beauty goodies do I just HAVE to pick up before going?" which made me think about what beauty products I couldn't possibly go away without and thought that some people might be interested to know what I can't leave the country without. To break things down a bit I've split the list in to skin care, makeup and hair products so this is post one of three.
Here are my summer holiday skin essentials.
1. Nivea Creme: This is a fairly new product to my routine and already I know that I couldn't live without it for three weeks. I cover my legs with this every evening and they just drink it up. I get incredibly sore, itchy, eczema prone legs and I've felt a huge improvement from using this cream.

2. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration: Another eczema aimed product. I find that sun cream really dries out my skin leaving it itchy and patchy however this one is designed specifically to moisturize which in turn leads to a more even tan... Plus it smells amazing :)

3. Lush Tea Tree Toning Water: Another fairly new addition to my skin care routine but by far my favourite part. I use this toner twice a day; once before applying makeup in the morning and once after cleansing in the evening. It has really improved the appearance of my skin and it is also very cool and soothing on sun kissed skin. A little secret is to pop it in the fridge during the summer so after a long hot day you can use this to cool down the face and rehydrate your skin. Therefore, holiday essential!

4. Soltan Aftersun containing Insect Repellant: Everyone knows the importance of aftersun, but if, like me, you are one tasty lady in the eyes of all things bug like then this saves a lot of time (and a little weight allowance in your case!) so that when you get out of the shower in the evening and apply your after sun you are also ready to go out for the evening safe in the knowledge that you won't be bitten to pieces by anything nasty.

5. Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets: An oily complexion plus a hot climate can lead to somewhat shiny skin by the middle of the day if you are out being adventurous so popping one of these out from your handbag is a quick and easy way to keep an oil slick situation at bay. I'll be carrying these and a small pot of loose powder at all times in Mallorca.

6. Vaseline Rosy Lips: I tend to wear a lot less makeup on holiday because I get that it all feels a little clogging and claustrophobic so instead I pop a little bit of this on to keep my lips nice and soft and protected and the slight colour to it makes everything look a little more made-up and pulled together.

7. Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula: This isn't necessarily a holiday essential as such but it is definitely a big part of pre-holiday beauty because it is amazing at improving the appearance of scars and stretch marks. Of which I have both. The scars are due to eczema and they heal really quickly with a daily dose of the cocoa butter so its well worth the investment if those are something that you suffer from.

So those are my top 7 summer skin products. Do you use any of these? Do you have a holiday holy grail skin care product that I should know about?
Annie x

ps. Have you entered my 200 follower giveaway yet? If not then you should, you could win some great prizes!

17 July 2012

Makeup Mugshot #5 and a Glitter NOTD

Hello,
After a mini haul over the weekend from a mixture of shops and blog sales today I just had to play around with some of my new bits and bobs. New cosmetics are so exciting!
On my nails I played around with my new Barry M polish and did a glitter tip mani. I think the polish is just called Turquoise glitter and I bought this one and a light pink glitter in Superdrug where you get £1 off if you buy two. I love the look of bright tips with nude nails, such a bright contrast.

On my face:

  • Maybeline BB cream sample (not impressed, won't be buying full sized!)
  • Frat Boy blush from theBalm. This is one of my blog sale purchases from Jetley Mess and I love love love it! Such a lovely matte pink shade, perfect for pale girls like me.
  • NYC mosaic blush and bronze duo in Rose Bronze to contour. Another Superdrug buy. I've wanted the MUA one for ages but refuse to buy from them after an incident a few months back and this is almost identical so I was so happy to find it.
  • MAC brow pencil in Spiked.
  • 17 blue/green pressed eyeshadow.
  • Max Factor False Lashe Effect mascara in black.
  • TINY dab of pout paint in Pin Up bought a couple of weeks ago from Ms Red's blog sale. This stuff is so strong that you only need the smallest amount to get a very bold look so I used literally a pin pricked spot mixed with vaseline for a soft look.
What do you think of the glitter mani? I love all of my new bits and pieces so much. Its amazing how much joy makeup brings me :)
Have you been buying lots in all the sales going on at the moment too?
Annie x

Review- Perfectly Pampered Strawberry Oil Hair Mask

Hello,
Bath time has always been a time to relax and indulge so what better way than to treat your body to some nice lotions and potions.
Perfectly Pampered Spa Hair Masks by Montange Jeunesse have been designed with this in mind so last night whilst enjoying a bubble bath I gave one a go.
The mask I tried from the range was the Volumizing Strawberry Oil Hair Mask (*) which includes (of course) strawberry oil, marine and plant extracts.
Now, I am very critical of products that you use in the bath, solely because it is a place to relax and I like products to be simple, easy to use, and effective so that I don't spend my down time being peed off with something that is more hassle than it is worth.
I do have to say that things didn't start out great with this mask. Wet hands in the bath mean that slippery plastic foil packets aren't easy to open so I ended up using my teeth to break the top open. This wouldn't be a problem if you happened to keep a pair of scissors next to the bath but somehow I don't think many people do so that is something to be aware of.
My next complaint with the product is that you are instructed to coat the mask over all of your hair, paying particular attention to the roots so that the volume enhancing ingredients are right at the root. Now, unless a)you are a man b)have a cropped bob or c) have a pixi crop this will not cover all of your hair. I have thick hair that falls to my waist and I was only really able to cover my scalp with the contents of the sachet and would have needed another two to cover my full mane. BUT, that said, I have to say that being the shallow, volume full hair lover that I am, I did end up still falling for this product because it has left my hair the softest and shiniest that I have seen it in a very long time. I have definitely been left feeling like the mask has done a world of good to the health of my mane. And as for volume? I have loads! My hair looks full of life, bouncy and very...alive.
(forgive the lack of makeup and the cat mountaineering across my shoulders) This is a quick shot of how my hair looks after being brushed and allowed to just dry of its own devices over night. No products, just a little "jushing" so as you can see, the mask has left a lot of volume at the roots.

I do still stick to my earlier gripes with the packaging and how a little more product would have been helpful but over all, I have been thoroughly impressed and would gladly use Montange Jeunesse hair masks again and again.
You can pick this one up from Fragrance Direct for just 85p.
What do you think? Is this a mask that you would try?
Annie x

*Received from BBU for review but my review is 100% honest.

16 July 2012

200 Follower Giveaway!

Hello,
A few days ago I reached 200 followers so to say thank you to everyone who supports my blog, here is my 200 follower giveaway.
I've put together a few little goodies that I really like and think are perfect for the summer including the much loved Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and one of my favourite Pixi Nail Varnishes.
To get the chance to win, simply fill in the rafflecopter form below. The only rules are that you must be a follower of this blog and you must live in the UK. The competition runs until 30th July so get entering! Good luck :)
Annie x


a Rafflecopter giveaway

15 July 2012

Darling Diva Polish Review

Hello ladies,
How are you all? Sorry I've been awol for the last few days, I've been really busy and still struggling with my damn chest infection which now finally seems to be on its way out, yay! But I'm back now!

I've mentioned before that I'm a bit fan of supporting small, independent companies especially in the world of cosmetics. Darling Diva is one of those brands that I have been very impressed with. Run from an online Etsy store based in America, Darling Diva specialize in bold nail varnishes that are usually either holographic (yes, holographic!) or glitter based. The prices are incredibly good and postage is available virtually worldwide, also at a very fair rate.
So here are the colours I've been trying out from Darling Diva Polishes.

First up is Ringer* which is a light purple holographic varnish. The formula of this varnish is very light and pretty and I personally use it over either a white or pastel lilac shade as a top coat as it gives a gorgeous sparkle. The glitter gives a very pretty copper and gold glint under sun light but it is a fairly discreet shine for a holographic polish. Maybe one for those who are more conservative with their sparkle! You can buy Ringer *here*

Next is Dreamy* which is advertised as a holographic top coat. Now, I personally think that this is so much more than just a top coat, In the photos above I am wearing three thin coats and that gives perfect opacity and a very even consistency with perfect holographic sparkle. This colour is perhaps the "expected" colour of a holographic polish and gives the typical silver-white shine that is so pretty, and boy does it do it well, under artificial lighting or direct sunlight these look amazing and reflect in the colours of the rainbow whilst at the same time still looking feminine and dainty. Three types of holagraphic glitter make up Dreamy and you can find it for sale *here*


Reef Fish* is the only glitter polish that I tried from the Darling Diva Polishes range and I was really impressed. The bottle is totally packed with glitter pieces that float in a sea of lightly blue tinted polish as the base. I'll be honest, I had a little trouble with getting the glitter to settle on my nail. I'm one of these impatient people who always ends up trying to get one coat to give loadsss of glitter (hence the lumpy nail in the photos above) but I've tried again since and two thin layers gives a lover covering of glitter and avoids the lumps I had trouble with. I think the finished look of this polish is great for an accent nail and it makes me feel like I have jewels on my finger which is pretty fun :) Reef Fish is available to buy *here*

Finally, I've saved my favourite until last. This is Event Horizon* a dark blue toned grey linear holographic polish. I tried this on and instantly fell in love. I don't usually model the dark nail look as I think they tend to make me look a bit severe but this colour is so easy to wear and even in types of light where the holographic effect isn't as visible the glitter really softens the colour. But it's when the sun hits this polish that it really comes into its own. The holographic effect of this varnish shines in all colours of the rainbow and shows off a blue tone to the polish that makes you completely forget that you are wearing a grey shade. Just two coats are needed to gain the perfect opacity shown above and from a 15ml bottle that's nothing. This is the perfect polish for long wearing, show stopping nails and I can't recommend it enough :) Buy it *here*

I have been really happy with the quality, longevity and colour of all four of these polishes, in fact I already have my eye on Channeling Coco and Unicorn Bath from the collection. The only place I can fault these at all is the quality of the label but I don't personally think that matters awfully as it's what's inside the bottle that matters with a nail polish.
What do you think? Will you be popping over to Darling Diva to take a look? Which of these is your favourite shade?
Annie x

*Whilst I was sent these items to review free of charge, everything I have written is 100% my own opinion and always will be here on Three Little Buhos.

12 July 2012

£100 Asos Blogger Challenge

Hello,
To celebrate reaching 1000 twitter followers @DiscoutCoder are running a competition on their blog where you can put together an outfit using any of the clothing and accessories on the Asos website, as long as your outfit totals less than £100. The lucky winner will get a £100 gift voucher to spend on Asos.com so its a competition well worth entering, and great fun too!

For my entry I've gone for an Aztec inspired festival look which is a bit edgy and uses pops of bright colour to catch peoples attention.

What I chose:
Bralette £18
High Waisted Shorts (were £20) £14
Kimono Jacket (was £30) £15
Gladiator Sandals £20
Canvas Bag £12
Earrings £4
Pink Bracelet (was £6) £2
Blue Bracelet (was £3) £2.50
White Bracelet (was £6) £1.50
Total cost = £89.00

I'm pretty happy with the look. Its something I so wish I could wear myself . What do you think of the outfit? Are you going to enter the competition? *enter here*
Annie x

10 July 2012

Ginvera BB Cream Review

Hello!
First up, fellow to all my lovely new followers. I hope you're enjoying the blog hop. I've found some great blogs through it this week!
If you aren't taking part yet then do! All you need to do is *go here*, read the rules, add your blog link to the list, and get finding some great new blogs to enjoy.

Mainly sold in South Asia, BB cream is intended to give a light coverage whilst also having skin care properties such as soothing, brightening dull skin, protecting using an SPF and some even include anti aging properties. The skin care aspect is something that seems to lack in effectiveness in the Western company offerings which is why I was excited to find out about Ginvera Green Tea BB Cream which is produced in Singapore.
I got a small sample in my June She Said Beauty box and fell in love so straight away I ordered a full sized bottle to use during summer.
What I instantly loved about this BB cream is that it does exactly what it says it will do. When applied my skin looks a lot brighter and the over all look is a lot more even and almost an airbrushed version of myself. The coverage is light/medium and is very easily buildable without using much of the product meaning that this is a long lasting cream. I've also found that it is wonderfully long wearing as well and I can easily last 12 hours without touching up.
The smell is also lovely which I believe is because of the green tea. I find the smell to be fresh and calming and once on the skin the aroma is hardly noticeable.
One thing that did intrigue me about this cream is that it claims to be suitable for all skin tones which is a pretty big claim considering the enormous array of skin shades and I'm afraid I can't vouch for everyone but I have seen good reviews from people of all sorts of ethnicities online so if that is something that would worry you, a quick google search should help. I personally find the shade to be perfect on my fair skin even though the cream looks much too dark when swatched like above.
In the photo above I'm wearing the Ginvera BB cream as a base and as you can see, around the tops of my cheeks, you can still faintly see my freckles and the scar on my forehead but other than that the cream gives beautiful, even coverage and I would say that it is perfect for a light, buildable alternative to foundation that will also keep your skin happy with you, especially in the summer as the SPF 30 will keep you protected from the harsher rays of sun. The only slight downside is the price. A 30ml tube will set you back £18, however, you would happily pay up to £10 more than this for a high end foundation that will most likely have fewer positive effects, especially on the skin care side of things so I think that this price is actually very fair, especially as the coverage is good and the amount needed per use very small.

So, what do you think? Is this a BB that you would consider buying? Have you tried it and fallen in love like I have?
Annie x

9 July 2012

BBU Blog Hop


Hello,
BBU are holding their second blog hop this week and have chosen me as co-host. 

If you don’t know what a blog hop is, it’s simply a way to find new blogs to follow and gain some new followers. 

The rules of BBU Blog Hop are very simple:

♥ Follow the BBU Blog and the co-host blog through GFC (or Hello Cotton)
♥ Add the button to your sidebar, or do a blog post about the Blog Hop.
♥ Follow at least three new blogs & leave comment to tell them you found them through BBU Blog Hop
♥ Follow back blogs that have followed you!

Optional
♥ Leave a comment on the BBU Blog if you'd like them to follow you.



Submit your blogs to the inlinkz form below.




8 July 2012

Pay Day Treats! - June

Hello,
I've been meaning to post this blog for ages now. Its been delayed lots of times because of products that I just couldn't wait to share with you.
Most of the month I try to be quite good with money and not spend too much, but when payday comes around I love to treat myself to a few bits, and I think it feels extra special for being a bit of a monthly treat... that said though, I have bought myself a few other bits since taking the photos for this last week :P But here are my payday treats.
Ginvera BB Cream £16.00- This stuff is amazing. I got a tiny sample as an extra in June's She Said Beauty box and fell in love with it straight away and knew I'd have to buy a full sized bottle. This BB cream actually has foundation quality coverage as well as boasting all the extra benefits you get from a BB cream. I have a full review of this planned for one day this week so I won't go in to too much detail but basically I love it and everyone should own a tube.
River Island Owl Bracelet/Anklet £3- This little guy has wanted to come home with me for weeks so I headed straight to River Island when I was shopping. I really like the simple look of this bracelet but I did find that it is a little large on my wrists so I wear it as an anklet. Isn't the little buho so cute?
Topshop Cream Eyeshadow tubes £2 each- I saw these in the sale in Topshop and leapt on them in a way that perhaps a koala would some eucalyptus. I love the pigmentation of Topshop's cream shadows and these are no exception. The colours I picked up were Emerald City and Amethyst and let me tell you, Amethyst may well be my new favourite eye colour. I have a review coming up of these too so keep an eye out.
Pink New Look Studded Sandals £12.50(?)- I grabbed these when New Look had their 25% off sandals sale and can't quite remember how much they cost but I had to have them in my life. I was drawn in by the colour, the studs and the fact that they don't have a toe bar which I find can feel a little restricting with proper sandal style shoes after a while. These are really comfy because they have fairly padded soles so I'll be able to wear them all day on holiday with no problems and they also look cute with jeans here in England during our not so great summer.

So thats pretty much it. I also picked up a half price bra in Boux Avenue for £9 but who wants to see my over the shoulder boulder holders in all honesty so I thought I'd spare you that sight and since then I've bought 4 pout paints in a blog sale and a No 7 lipstick using one of the infamous £5 off vouchers but I'm back to being good for now, honest :)
What did you treat yourself to this pay day? Am I the only person already eyeing up next months treats?
Annie x

7 July 2012

Makeup Mugshot #4

Hello,
Just a quick one today because I'm off out tonight, looking forward to seeing some of my besties :)

I've gone for a pretty simple look. Bronzed glow, cat eyes and red lips.

What I used:

  • Ginvera BB cream
  • Natural Collection Translucent loose powder
  • Miners Bronzer and Blusher mix
  • Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer
  • Bobbi Brown nude shadow
  • Rimmel London Glam Eyes Liquid Liner
  • Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara
  • Sleek Pout Paint in Pin Up
I thought a bit of loose powder was in need for a long evening of being a social butterfly and a nice long lasting lip colour.
So thats me for today! I'm off out. Have a great Saturday night. What are you up to? What do you use for a nice long lasting fix?
Annie x