Very rarely do I get a product which completely changes up my make-up routine, but this is exactly what the Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Pallet in Beauty Glow did. I received it as a birthday present from my sister in July and since then it has become part of my every day routine in one way or another.

What I had found is that my routine had become a bit stagnant, I used the same products day in, day out without much variation even going so far as to use the same two shades out of my Urban Decay naked pallet every day (Half Baked and Darkhorse I’m looking at you!).

This pallet is meant to be a ‘5 minuet face on the go’ and it definitely does what it says on the tin. If I am going out or staying overnight somewhere it has dramatically reduced the amount of makeup I need to take with me! This pallet covers most areas, from eyes to face and blush, this pallet creates a whole look!

1 – Brighten 

This is a shade I haven’t used too much, for me I would have loved to see it a little lighter, but that is just personal preference. Instead of using this to brighten I have been using as a nice light shade to put on as my base eye colour If I am going for more of a natural no make-up make-up look.

2 – Enhance

Now I have had to get to grips with this colour and I think it is my least used part of the pallet. The reason for this is originally  was finding it hard to get any real pop of colour from the shade, which I found strange as this was not the case with all of the other aspects of the pallet. I found that when I changed my eyeshadow primer back to my old favourite (urban decay you god send) I managed to get much better pigmentation and colour from the shadow. I still battle with this shade and find I sometimes have to build it up to get a good colour, but I am learning to love it. Once I get it working for me it is beautiful coppery colour

3 – Smoke

I love this shade it is a lovely matte medium to dark brown. I am a real fan of a darker brown shadow on the outer edge of my eyelid and this one is a perfect shade for a natural look. You can build it up for a more dramatic look or put a sweep over the eye for a bit of definition.

4 – Face, Bronze

The formulation of this powder is lovely and I really do find that it stays on my face all day. Which for me is a rare occurrence as my skin can get so oily sometimes it is like an oil slick! This shade on me is a great natural bronzer, it doesn’t create a very strong look but instead just gives my skin a healthy - I’ve been in the sun this weekend and have just caught it on the sides of my face - look. I think I would personally like it to be slightly darker but I think its current shade would suite a wider variety of skin tones.

5 – Cheek swish

At the start, I didn’t quite know what to do with this shade, but now I love it. This powder is almost the most versatile in the whole pallet and like number 4 it has great staying power! It can be used as more of a contour in the hollow of your cheeks to define those cheek bones or ‘swished’ across the apples of your cheeks for a darker bronzed look.

6- Cheek, pop

And pop it does, this shade adds a lovely touch of colour to your cheeks. Much like the enhance eyeshadow shade, I find that to get the best results the colour needs to be built up in a couple of layers. This isn’t a bad thing when it comes to blush though as by building it up you are then left with a beautiful shade on your cheeks.

7- Face, Highlighter

In a highlighter, I am not going to lie I do usually like to see more of a shine on my face, but that is probably as until this highlighter I didn’t tend to use one in my every day make up routine. Well that changed, I think this highlighter really finishes off the pallet nicely adding that final glow to the make-up look.

Overall the formulation of these products is great, they all sit nicely on the skin and I don’t get that horrible cakey feeling from them! The enhance eyeshadow is probably my least favourite part of the pallet as it has taken me a while to get used it! I love to mix different parts of this pallet with other products and I find that it has really mixed up my make-up routine! It is great that I can pick this up in a hurry and have basically a whole look in one pallet! It has become one of my go-to products and I will definitely be repurchasing when it runs out!

Have you tried any Charlotte Tilbury products? If so what do you recommend I try from their range next?  

My skin has always been a troublesome area for me, I find that just as I think I have got it under control… bam the spots come back! For me and many others this can be crippling, your face is what people see first when they look at you. The first thing I see when I look at my face are my spots. This is why I am always on the lookout for items which will help my acne.

Recently I have had another flare-up and I have been trying some new products to combat it. The first one on my list is the new L’Oreal Paris, Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Mask. Now the reason I bought this item isn’t because I had heard great things or someone recommended it to me. It was purely down to advertising and a promotional offer, I when I went into Boots and saw it was on offer so I couldn’t resist!

Now there were a few to choose from, the range now includes:

Along with each of these the main components in every mask are:

So basically, there are a lot of amazing ingredients in these masks! As mentioned I am having a problem with blemishes so purchased the Blemish Rescue Mask.

L’Oreal claims that you will be able to see results after one use:  

 Immediately – Skin is fresh, pores have shrunk and blemishes reduced

 Use for one week – Blackheads are unclogged, skin is mattified

 Use after use – Pores are cleared, skin is visibly transformed

I can’t yet say that my skin is visibly transformed as I don’t think I have been using the product long enough, but I can say that I saw results after the first use.

I noticed was that the red angry spots which I had before, weren’t so angry and that the redness had definitely been reduced. Which is a win in my book. As for the other claims, I don’t think that my skin is more mattified but I would say that the number of blackheads on my nose have reduced. I think after more use I could see more results which excites me!

Often people are looking for that fast fix with skincare which usually never happens. If you had bad skin then it is a process to finding what works well for you, and then letting it happen, your skin will not be transformed overnight. This is why I really like that L’Oreal says what you should find from each type of use, if you don’t use it as often as they say then you won’t see the best results!

The texture of this mask is lovely, it is very smooth and almost silky in feeling. A little goes a long way and I haven’t made much of a dent in the pot yet even though I use it twice a week!

It dries into a beautiful metallic blue shade, which I would love to buy some piece of clothing in it! It does dry slightly tight but I don’t mind that feeling. My skin feels really hydrated once I rinse it off. There isn’t much of a specific smell, but it doesn’t smell bad and the scent it does have is not overly powerful once it is on your face.

On to the packaging, which I love, sometimes with cheaper items you can tell from the packaging that they cost less, but with the clay masks, that isn’t the case. While the box they come in is quite generic, just with the usual branding on the outside, the jar that actually contains the mask feels really secure and more premium.

I would definitely recommend this product to people, especially if you are having acne issues!! What is your holy grail skincare product? Anything you recommend me trying?

My Nan wore the same perfume most of her life, even now, years after she passed if I smell Youth Dew I am taken back to sitting in her living room while eating toasted cheese and Bovril sandwiches done in the toasted sandwich maker (something we did not have at home, making the experience that more special!).

Perfume is something I wear every day. While the main reason for wearing it, is so that I smell nice, the other is so that I can have a sniff of it if I go through somewhere which smells or when I am on the tube on the way home. People can get a bit whiffy in the evening!!

While previously I have been a massive fan of YSL (see my blog post here) and Michael Khors (I might do a post on that one), I have found a new cheaper, everyday perfume. It is from Zara!

Now as soon as I smelt this I knew I had to purchase it. My friend Alice – hi Alice if you ever read this! – had been wearing it for a while and whenever I smelt it I always commented on how much I liked it and asked where she got it from. Time and time again I got the same answer, Zara! Apparently, I have the memory of a sieve sometimes, as I have lost count of the amount of times I asked!

When I was offered my new job, Alice and I took a weekend trip to London so we could hang out and spend some time together before I left the house we were sharing, also who am I kidding - we wanted to shop. I knew that I wanted to get this perfume during our trip, and now I am obsessed with this perfume.

One of the most important things for me is that it smells amazing but doesn’t cost a fortune. As I wear it every day (and put a decent amount on!) I have been known to go through perfume quite quickly. By wearing a cheaper brand during my day to day life I can save the more expensive products for the weekend or special occasions.

This perfume called Fruity, as the name suggests, has quite a fruity scent with the it being built up of top notes of Grapefruit and Mandarin, heart notes of Rose and Jasmine, then finally with a Vanilla base note. This builds up to create a wonderful light and fruity scent perfect for everyday use. The thing I like most about it is that while you would describe it as fruity, it’s not overpowering and I would even describe it as having a fresh edge to it.

I find that the perfume lasts all day which is definitely a must for me, no point to putting it on if it only lasts half the day! I tend to put it on both of my wrists, then rubbing a little into the pulse points on my neck. Occasionally I will give myself a body sprits, but often I find it is not needed as, let me tell you, this perfume can be quite strong, meaning you don’t need to put too much on. I hate it when I have to cover myself in a perfume just to get a hint of the smell!! Don’t misunderstand me though, this is not an overpowering perfume. Somehow Zara has got it spot on!

The packaging perfectly portrays the philosophy of Zara, stylish and minimalistic. It comes in a pink box with just the name on the outside and the bottle itself is clear showing the slightly tinted liquid on the inside. Now I love a bottle where I can actually see how much I have left! It makes life just that little bit easier as I can then notice when I am going to be needing more! And the price is not bad either, coming in at £5.99 for 30ml, £9.99 for 100ml and £12.99 for 200ml. Not bad at all! This has quickly become one of my favourite perfumes and I can’t wait to try more of the range!

So, what is your favourite at the moment? Do you change it up between a few, or are you loyal to one? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time my lovelies!