REVIEW: Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15

Hello lovelies, I hope you are all well! Since suffering badly with teenage-acne a year or two ago my skin has been left horribly red and scarred. So with my love for Clinique foundations in mind, I was super interested in trying this too see if it really could make a difference.

This foundation really does work, usually I will put on foundation then cover up any visible redness with concealer but when I use this foundation, the only place I need to put concealer is under my eyes - amazing! This foundation gives a really good coverage, it will literally camouflage any imperfections. However, whilst giving such a full-on coverage, this foundation does not fail to give the skin a beautiful, natural glow.

My only dislike towards this foundation is that I find it's not brilliantly suited to my oily skin-type, I find myself getting shiner than usual throughout the day and having to powder more often. 

My mum and auntie both suffer with rosacea and use this foundation. It really does cover the redness in their cheeks and would honestly leave someone with no knowledge of their skin condition completely unaware. It is impressive stuff!

Thank you for reading!! :)

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain vs. Clinique Chubby Stick - Is there a difference?!

Hello lovelies! Here lies two products that look almost identical, right?! Well I'll tell you one thing, they are pretty similar in application, too. Both of these products are really moisturising and add colour that isn't too bold yet not too sheer or subtle either. They are ideal for drier lips in the daytime. The only real difference in these products is that the Revlon Just Bitten tends to last longer in terms of colour, however this is a given as it is a lip stain, after all. I really enjoy using both of these products and will definitely be looking into buying more colours.

Have you tried these? What colours do you recommend?! Thank you for reading :)

Above - Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey Douce
Below - Clinique Chubby Stick in Mega Melon

August Empties!

Hey guys, I hope you're all well! I cannot believe it is already the end of August - where is this year going?! Anyway, it is time for my August Empties post!

1. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula for Stretch Marks.
This is a product I tend to go through quite quickly! I apply it to areas where I have a few stretch marks, it doesn't magically make them disappear but I do think it has faded them somewhat. This is something I will repurchase!

2. Blistex Intensive Moisturiser.
I wrote a post about a few of my favourite lip balms/moisturisers here, and this one was included in it! I have really enjoyed this product, I found it did wonderful things for my lips. I will probably repurchase this at some point in the future but not just yet as I like to try out lots of different lip balms.

3. Burt's Bees Lip Balm with Mango Butter.
This was also in my post about my favourite lip balms. This is another lip product that I have really enjoyed using but will wait to repurchase I can try out other lip balms in the meantime!

4. Soap and Glory Hand Food.
This is my favourite hand cream of choice, I always have a tube to hand in my handbag and I use it every day! It smells really nice, and it moisturises my hands really well. I have already repurchased another tube of this!

5. Clinique Superdefense Moisturiser.
This moisturiser is meant for drier skins, but I used it on any dry patches that I often get around my nose and on my chin and it did the job well. I probably won't repurchase this as it really isn't essential for my oily skin but I liked the product nonetheless.

6. TRESemme Extra Hold Hairspray.
I keep a giant can of this at home to use before I go out but I kept this smaller bottle in my handbag and it was really handy when I needed to touch up my hair during the day! I will probably buy another can of this to fit into my handbag for when I need it.

REVIEW: Clinique Stay-Matte Foundation.

Hello guys! So I have oily skin and I'm a complete sucker for a Clinique foundation so when I saw this at my local Clinique counter I almost jumped with joy, it sounded just perfect for me!
   I have been wearing this foundation non-stop since I bought it, it really does stay matte all day! Usually I have to powder my skin every few hours, but since I have been wearing this I have literally only needed to powder my skin once during the day.
   This foundation is a gel formula, which I quite like, so when I apply it I pat it into my skin using my fingers then blend it into the skin with a brush - the first time I used it I just used a brush and it looked so streaky! On the box for this foundation it says it has a sheer-moderate coverage, I think it is definitely more on the moderate side, it still covers where I need it too. Because this foundation isn't full coverage I think it is lovely for these summer months.

TAG: 8 Most Worn Things! Summer Edition

Hello guys! A bit of a random post from me today but I am going to do the 8 Most Worn Things Tag! I haven't been tagged by anyone to do this, but I have seen this tag a lot around YouTube recently and thought it would be fun do it myself here!

1) Most worn nail polish:
'Mint Green' By Barry M, I wrote about it in My Top 5 Summer Nail Polishes post.
2 Most worn hair product:
This is a bit of a random one but it is actually just TRESemme's Heat Defence Styling Spray.
3) Most worn bag:
Cath Kidston Day Bag.
4) Most worn shoes:
I got these shoes at Faith in Debenhams a few months ago, I have worn them so much, I just love them!
5) Most worn accessories:
I have worn my Ray-Ban 'Wayfarer' sunglasses loads these past few months, I love them immensely!
6) Most worn clothing item:
This playsuit from River Island, I just love the colours in it and I think it is so summery and fun!
7) Most worn foundation:
Clinique Superbalanced Makeup - I just love this stuff!
8) Most worn blush/bronzer:
I was never a massive blusher or bronzer person, but in these summer months I have been loving Rimmel's Natural Bronzer.

9) Most worn lip product:
'Patisserie' by MAC.
10) Most worn mascara:
This would have to be my Bourjois Volumizer Mascara, it's amazing!
11) Most worn eyeshadow:
My most worn eyeshadow this summer has definitely been this quad from No 7. It is called the 'Smokey Rose Quad.' Unfortunately I got given this quad by No 7 free when I bought one of their mascaras and I don't think it is available to buy :(

Thank you for reading! And I tag all of you reading to do this, if you do this tag leave me a link to your tag in the comments as I would love to read it! xx

What's in my weekend away make-up bag?

Hi guys! So the week before last I went on a little adventure for the weekend, and I thought I would show you what I took with me in my make-up bag!

Simple Sun Sensitive Protecting Facial Lotion SPF 50 - I wear this underneath my make-up, just for an extra layer of protection from the sun, the foundation I used on this weekend has SPF 15, that wouldn't do much to prevent sunburn on my skin so I wore this higher SPF underneath.

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturiser - I took this moisturiser from Clinique with me purely because it was a sample size so it didn't take up too much room in my make-up bag, I hadn't used it before my weekend away but I actually really liked it, and I have used it a few times since!

Clinique Even Better Foundation - I find that when I'm tired, this foundation can make me look a bit more awake, so I thought this was quite essential. Read about my three favourite Clinique foundations here.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (review for this coming soon!) - I love this concealer, it is fairly new to me but it really does just conceal everything I need it too nicely.

Rimmel Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder - This is essential for me as I have oily skin, and this keeps shine at bay!

Natural Collection Eyeshadow 'Crushed Walnut' - I use this to fill in my rather sparse eyebrows, I couldn't be without it!

Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl - This is another product I couldn't be without, I simply look scary with no eyeliner!

Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara - Again, I brought this with me because it is a sample size, it is the sample that I received in Glamour Magazine a couple of months ago, when I first reviewed this (read my review here) I didn't really rate it, but I have warmed to it a lot since then.

Revlon Lip Butter 'Pink Truffle' - I brought this with me as it is bang in the middle of a lip balm and a lip stick, so I knew that it would keep my lips moisturised, add a little colour and wear away nicely!

Vaseline - I used this overnight to make sure my lips were nicely moisturised when I got up in the mornings.

My Skincare Routine: Clinique 3 Step

Hey guys! For me personally, skincare is probably the most important part of my beauty routine - why cover your skin in make-up and other products when you are not going to look after it. My skincare routine has never really changed, I have used the Clinique 3-Step religiously for a long time - the only thing I change is my moisturiser occasionally, for example more recently I have been using the Superdefence moisturiser for dry combination skin rather than the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (which is specifically step 3 of the 3-Step skincare routine), because my skin hasn't been as oily recently! I've still had an oily t-zone but dry patches on my chin and cheeks.
  I like the Clinique 3-Step because it isn't too harsh on my skin and it doesn't break me out at all! I know it is frowned upon by some because of the price, but personally I don't think it is at all overpriced, the products last for ages work really well!
  I went into Clinique today to stock up on some skincare, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that, at the moment, with any two skin care purchases you receive a free skin care kit, there was a choice of 5 kits (I think) and I went with the anti-blemish solutions one, I wonder how this will compare to my usual 3-Step skin care routine?!

How much does your face cost?

After reading Describing Beauty's post on how much does your face cost? I was instantly curious about the cost of my own face, if not a little nervous! I decided to find out anyhow and share it with you all!

Moisturiser: Clinique Superdefence £37

Lip Balm: Blistex Intense Moisturiser £2.59

Primer: No. 7 Colour Calming Primer - £11

Foundation: Clinique Superbalanced £21.50

Concealer: Which (I don't think it has a name?!) £4.99

Powder: Rimmel Clear Complexion £3.99

Eyebrows: Natural Collection Eyeshadow 'Crushed Walut' £1.79

Eyeshadow: Natural Collection 'Sea Shell' £1.79

Eyeliner: Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl £5.00

Mascara: Bourjois Volumizer £10.49

Lipstick: MAC 'Patisserie' £13.50

Lipgloss: Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker 'Candy Gloss' £9.00

Total: £122.54 - eek!!

You may have noticed I haven't included blush or bronzer, this is because I only wear these products on special occasions or nights out because I have very red cheeks naturally so I don't feel like I need the extra products in the daytime.

I'd be interested to read your 'how much does my face cost?' posts too! Let me know below if you post one. Thanks for reading!

My Favourite Clinique Foundations!

It is no secret that Clinique is my all time favourite brand for foundations, I have worn Clinique foundations pretty much since I started wearing makeup, I just love them! Here I am going to talk about my three favourites.
  When reading this it may be useful to bear in mind that I have an oily skin type which is very much acne prone - thanks to this I do have some acne scarring on my skin so I like my foundation to have a full enough coverage to cover these, but I also need my foundation to stay as matte as it will on my skin - which does get oily throughout the day. I apply all my foundations with a No. 7 Foundation Brush.

 1. Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions.
I have this foundation in the colour 03 Fresh Neutral - this was my foundation last summer when I had a lot more colour in my face, so it is way to dark for me at the moment!
  I was recommended this foundation by a lady on the Clinique counter when I was going through a fairly bad breakout stage in about August last year. The name 'Anti-Blemish Solutions' immediately drew me in.
  This foundation almost immediately became my new every day foundation, it has a good coverage (I would say medium) and it isn't too dewy so my face never looked ridiculously shiny whilst wearing this. Obviously I am too pale to wear this foundation right now, but during the summer I will definitely start wearing it more often.

I know this foundation looks absolutely disgusting - sorry about
that - you can see it has been well worn by me!

2. Clinique Even Better.

I have this foundation in the colour 02 Fair (this colour suits be a lot better than the Anti-Blemish Solutions - ha!). I do really like this foundation, it gives a really good coverage - maybe slightly fuller than both of the other foundations in this post - but it still doesn't look at all cakey on my skin.

  I can only wear this foundation when my skin is having a bit of a drier day than usual - if I wear it on a 'normal' skin day it will make my skin look far too oily. I think this is a shame because it gives such a good coverage and it looks really nice on my skin (before it starts to get oily, obviously). If you have a drier skin type I would definitely try this foundation out! 

 3. Clinique Superbalanced Makeup.
I have this foundation in the colour 27 Alabaster. I love this foundation, it is my current everyday foundation. When I bought this the lady on the counter told me that this foundation has a fuller coverage than the Even Better, but I disagree, I think this is slightly more sheer and natural looking, but at the same time it still covers up everything that I want it too.
  This foundation controls my oily skin very well - I still have to powder and touch up during the day but I expected nothing less. Once I have finished this bottle I will definitely repurchase it. I think out of all the three foundations I have spoken about, this is my favourite! I have used this almost every day since I bought it. Even on a slightly warmer day when I want a more natural looking foundation, I will mix this with tinted moisturiser and it looks just lovely. And when I am having a slightly 'dry skin day' this looks really nice mixed with the Even Better foundation. It is just perfect!

If you have any recommendations for foundations that are or aren't from Clinique please leave a comment telling me about them below:). The next Clinique foundation that I plan to try out is their new Stay-Matte Oil Free Makeup - have you tried this?

Even Better, Superbalanced, Anti-Blemish Solutions.
(Some of these may look to dark for me, I was matched for all of them
 but some of them were purchased in warmer months when I was tanned.)