Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder | A New Favourite

bourjois
For as long as I can remember my go-to powder has been the Rimmel Stay Matte. I’ve mentioned it many times in previous posts, however recently I’ve been reaching for something new.

The Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder has become my new favourite high street powder and has replaced my love for Rimmel’s Stay Matte. This powder doesn’t keep me matte for as long as the Stay Matte - it claims to keep you matte for 10hrs but I don’t think any powder in the world could work that magic - but it doesn’t leave my face looking slightly lifeless like the Stay Matte does, instead it gives a subtle radiance to the face which I really like as although I have oily skin and I don’t want my makeup to move I still want my skin to look healthy. 

 The Healthy Balance also doesn’t emphasise any pores like the Stay Matte does if you’re slightly heavy handed, as it's a finely milled powder so sits on the skin beautifully. I have the shade 52 and it gives some coverage too which is nice for touchups during the day as a translucent powder just re-sets your fading makeup whereas a powder with coverage will set your makeup and add a little extra. 

 Probably my favourite part about this powder though is the packaging. It’s a slim compact with quite a generously sized mirror which makes it a handbag essential and unlike the Stay Matte the lid is sturdy so doesn't break in half or smash. The Healthy Balance Powder is enriched with Yuzu - for anti-shine - and Sharon fruit - to keep your skin hydrated - rather than using synthetics. This powder is also Noncomedogenic - it doesn't block pores - and is Hypoallergenic so is good for even sensitive skin.

What’s your favourite powder?

~ Jade xx

Banana Bread | Sunday Bakes

baking
Today I thought I’d share my easiest baking recipe in my repertoire, banana bread. This all-in-one recipe is so easy the most amateur of bakers can’t get it wrong. 

I N G R E D I E N T S :

225g (2 cups) Self raising flour
175g (1 cup) Caster sugar
1tsp Baking powder
2 Eggs
2 Bananas
2 tbs Milk
100g (1/2 cup) Unsalted butter
90g (1/2 cup) Chocolate chunks    optional

M E T H O D :

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a loaf tin.

2. Add all of the dry ingredients - excluding the chocolate chunks - to a bowl and mix.

3. Mash up the overripe bananas in a small bowl and add to the dry ingredients along with the rest of the wet ingredients.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin and bake in the oven for about 50-60 minutes - cooking time depends on your oven, but keep checking the loaf band when a skewer or knife is inserted in the middle and comes out clean, its done. Remove from the tin to cool and cut into slices.

~ Jade xx

Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer | Review

beauty
The Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer is a new addition to the shelves of the high street beauty isles. I hadn’t heard anything about it when I picked it up but was intrigued by the thought of a high street full coverage concealer - something which is usually reserved for high end lines.

This concealer is very thick and so in turn is incredible at covering blemishes. Its so thick though that it can be hard to blend so needs to be warmed up before application. You can do this by rubbing the product between your fingers before applying or, like I do, sit on the pot of concealer whilst you do your foundation, brows etc until you want to conceal. It’s waxy in texture so has good staying power and the pigmentation is unlike anything I’ve tried from the high street. Because of this though blending is paramount. This isn’t the kind of product you can throw on your face and walk out the door looking your best, it takes a bit of time and effort. Blend once. Blend twice. And then blend again.

Personally I don’t love this product for under the eyes. I have used it under the eyes and it covers everything, doesn’t crease and lasts all day but I find it just slightly too heavy for me - I prefer the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. If you’re  particularly concerned about dark circles though this will cover them up beautifully as it has a correcting tone to counteract the blue. I’ve heard this product is much like the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer, personally I haven’t tried the Laura Mercier one although it has been high on my wish list for a while.

What’s your concealer pick of the moment?


~ Jade xx

Makeup Menu #2 | Spring/Summer

beauty
The weather is slowly beginning to warm up here in England which means it's time to switch up what's in your makeup bag. Heavy, matte foundations are out to be replaced by lighter, dewy-er finishes. Vampy lip colours are to be swapped with soft hues and chiseled cheeks are swapped for an all over bronze. This is how I'll be switching up my makeup bag this spring/summer. 

BASE: Winter is a time for full coverage, matte bases but summer makes way for a lighter base. My pick this summer is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation - review here -, it has a light coverage but can built on and when mixed with medium coverage foundation like the L'Oreal Infallible - review here - it creates a radiant base which still offers coverage. Personally I'm not a big fan of tinted moisturisers but if you're in the market for that kind of base the Bourjois CC Cream is a good option or the Bioderma Photoderm Max Tinted Cream*.

EYES: To add a summer edge to my usual neutral shades I've dug out my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette*, awash with pink toned neutrals it adds a lighter more fresh look to the eye opposed to using browns. If you don't already own the Naked 3 I'd recommend picking up the L'Oreal La Palette Nude in Rose instead as the colour scheme is very similar but the cost is a lot less and actually the shadow quality is better than the Urban Decay palette. I've also been using more cream shadows recently, the Bourjois 24hr shadows are a great cream to powder formulation, the one shown is the shade Petale De Glace but I also love the Maybelline Colour Tattoos, especially the shades Pink Gold and On & On Bronze.

CHEEKS: Recently I've switched out my powder blushes and bronzers for cream versions to add to the summer vibe of lighter skin. The Bourjois Cream Blush in Nude Velvet has been a favourite as its a perfect peachy pink shade which suits a lot of skin tones, it's also a cream to powder formula so it lasts a long time on the skin, Revlon and Max Factor also do some really nice cream blushers too. For bronzer I've been using the Maybelline Fit Me concealer - review here - in the shade 35 to add warmth to the perimeter of my face, there is a lack of cream bronzers on the high street - apart from the Bourjois Bronzing Primer which annoyingly broke me out - so using a concealer a few shades darker than your skin tone is a good option. 

LIPS: For lips I've recently been using the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Nude Delight, it's a warmer toned nude to my usual Kate Moss x Rimmel pick - review here - so is a nice change for summer. For a brighter option I love the Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms especially the shade Vivacious which is a bright fascia pink, these crayons are super pigmented and moisturising - full review here.

What are your picks for this spring/summer? 

~ Jade xx

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara | Review

beauty
“Inner bristles capture the tiniest lashes you didn’t know you had whilst outer bristles volumise & define the look of longer lashes. From corner to corner, top to bottom, no lash is left behind. Our liquid ink formula, with a low wax count creates the blackest of black lashes that are so dark and defined. Layers can be built without clumping.”

I picked up the Lash Sensational Mascara from Boots the same time I picked up the Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation - review here - and like with the foundation at first I wasn’t a fan. I’m incredibly picky when it comes to mascara as my natural lashes are long but they don’t hold a curl very well so I like something which will lift and give volume without clumping. For a while I wore fake lashes nearly everyday because where a curl drops so easily, my lashes often disappeared into my eyeliner as I'm a big fan of graphic liner. 

When I first tried this mascara I found that it didn’t really hold a curl and wasn’t as volumising as I wanted it to be. It also didn’t separate the lashes and also they didn’t clump per say they did stick together in some places. However upon giving it another chance I’ve found that you need to really build it up whilst the first coat is wet. Don’t do one coat leave it and come back for another as the volume won’t build. After I got the hang on this my lashes looked curled, volumised and full as the curved brush makes it really easy to get even the shortest of lashes. A couple of months ago I reviewed the Benefits Roller Lash Mascara - see it here - and personally, I prefer the Maybelline offering - it's a lot cheaper too.

Have you tried the Lash Sensational Mascara?

~ Jade xx

Brunching with Homemade Waffles | Sunday Bakes

baking
Waffles are my favourite thing to eat for breakfast, brunch or even lunchtime. I have an unhealthy obsession with my local waffle house which luckily for me is only five minutes up the road from me, so I’m constantly dragging my friends to get waffles with me - not that they need too much persuasion. Apparently my family have taken note of my love of waffles and for Christmas presented me with my own waffle maker so I could make my favourite treat at home. So, today I thought I’d share my recipe for the perfect at home waffles.

I N G R E D I E N T S :

250g (2½ cups) Plain flour
2tsp Baking powder
20g (1½ tbsp) Caster sugar
475ml (16 fl oz) Milk
2 Eggs
30ml (1 fl oz) Vegetable oil

M E T H O D :

1. Pre heat your waffle maker and spray with oil if it isn’t non stick already.

2. Weigh out all of the dry ingredients an place into a large mixing bowl.

3. Add the eggs, milk and oil to the dry ingredients and beat the mixture until smooth. Try not to over mix the mixture or the waffles will turn out heavy when they've been cooked.

4. Pour 3/4 of a cup of the batter into the waffle maker and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Don't overfill the waffle maker as the mixture will pour out the sides and make a big mess - trust me on this, I’ve been there.

5. Serve hot with toppings of your choice - my favourite combination is bacon and maple syrup but you could opt for fruit or Nutella, anything you want.

6. Cooked waffles can be frozen and heated in the toaster. Any unused batter can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. I tend to make up a batch at the beginning of the week, freeze them and then take one or two out in the morning to have as my breakfast.

What’s your favourite breakfast treat?

~ Jade xx

Lush Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask | Review

beauty
“Brighten your complexion with nutrient-rich agar seaweed gel, soothing and moisturising honey and almond oil, and gently exfoliating almond shells. This mask is simply fragranced with French lavender, which has a calming effect on the mind and helps to balance the skin’s sebum production.”

Recently I’ve needed a little extra help with my skin. As I talked about in my Ten Tips for Better Skin post it’s important to give your skin an extra boost by way of a face mask. A few weeks ago I picked up the Love Lettuce fresh face mask from Lush to road test and I’ve really been enjoying it.

I’d never used a Lush face mask before but the fact that they use all fresh ingredients in each one appealed to me as like I also said in my Ten Tips for Better Skin post its better to avoid artificial’s in your skin care routine. Due to the face masks being made of fresh ingredients they have a shelf life of four weeks and need to be kept in the fridge, this however adds to the cooling and relaxing feeling of using a face mask but is a slightly odd product to keep in the fridge next to the mayonnaise.  Depending on how thick of a layer you use you can get 4-6 uses out of each tub, I apply a medium layer and leave for 10-15 minutes before washing off.

My love for Daniel Wellington

classic
Left to Right: Ladies Classic York, Classic Sheffield, Classy St Mawes 

When it comes to fashion my style is very minimalistic, simple and classic. I never fuss too much about the latest fashion trends - but I do like to buy a few key pieces to add to my wardrobe of basics - and I don’t like anything thats too fussy. To some that may seem boring and maybe it is, but sometimes less is more. 

When it comes to accessories I’m a big watch girl. Some girls like to have lots of shoes and handbags whereas I like to have lots of watches - although I also love handbags and shoes too. My favourite brand of watch over the past couple of years has definitely been Daniel Wellington. The brand perfectly encompass my ethos of minimalistic fashion yet still being classic and stylish, they’re the perfect symbolism of British style even being named after notable places around the Isle. I have three in my collection which may seem excessive as they are all similar but they are different I promise.

Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation | Review

beauty
“Ultra-fine, lightweight formula that is 12x finer can be applied like face cream, blend instantly onto skin, give impeccable yet undetectable coverage, coverage which is buildable but still looks and feels natural, no heavy caked-on effect, our special teardrop shape applicator delivers the perfect amount of product for fuss-free application.”

The Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude foundation has been in my possession for a while since it was first released in the UK and at first I really disliked it, to the point where I put it in a draw and forgot about it. Over the past week I decided to give it another try and my opinion has changed somewhat so I thought that I would share my musings. 

The formula of this foundation is unlike anything I’ve ever tried before. It’s extremely thin and almost like water so application is best done with hands rather than a sponge or brush as the fibres just soak up the product. It blends without any effort so its great if you don’t have a lot of time to get ready. Personally I don’t see the point in the applicator as I put it onto the back of my hand before applying anyway so I don’t get bacteria in the product but I've heard it takes forever for the product to drop from the applicator. 

This foundation has a matte finish and sticks to any dry patches so is definitely a miss for combination and dry skinned people. The coverage is barely there, it evens out the complexion overall but does little in the way of covering blemishes, hyper pigmentation  or dark circles so concealer is a must but because of this and the texture of the formula it is virtually undetectable on the skin and still lets your natural skin shine through so its great if you don’t have much to cover. There is also only eight shades for this foundation and they are all very orange in colour so it is quite hard to find a match - my shade is off but as its quite sheer you can’t really notice it by time concealer is applied.

That being said I do like this foundation on days where I want something on my face but I don’t need the coverage that my L’Oreal Infallible gives - review here - and it would also be a good summer foundation because of how light it is however it won’t be taking a place on my top foundations list.

Have you tried the new release from Maybelline?

~ Jade xx

Photography information

Canon 600D with 18-55mm lens, Canon 24mm lens or Sigma 70-300mm lens. Canon EOS M with 18-55mm lens or Canon 24mm lens. Any edited photos are edited using Photoshop CS6. Picture source is given for any photo used that is not directly ours.