Review // Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon - Peach On The Beach

As I mentioned in my post about the newest in bronzing makeup technology here, Bourjois are coming out with some amazing products of late. They are, as I write, my current go to brand for nigh on everything, and for that, Bourjois, take a bow and pat yourselves on the back because in the highly competitive cosmetics world that's a pretty high achievement in my books!

I'd heard rumours in the blogosphere that Bourjois were bringing out a lip crayon to rival the other big contenders on the market, Revlon I'm looking at you. Again I was excited for these but couldn't see them on shelves anywhere, until I ended up on the weekly shop in Tesco and promptly swatched the four available shades, Peach On The Beach, Orange Punch, Red Sunrise, and Fuschia Libre priced at £7.99 a piece. 

Clearly the market for crayon like lip products has not yet fizzled out and I for one am loving them!

What do I love?

Although I can only speak for one colour of the quartet, I have to say that this lip crayon is by far the best of all that I've tried.

 The packaging is akin to most others, with a twistable bottom part to reveal more product and the colour of the outer casing aiming to match the inner colour of the product, which in this case is a soft coral peach. In terms of application this applies like a dream, it feels incredibly nourishing, almost like a soft lip balm and has a brilliantly vivd pigmentation that can be built up in multiple layers to gain a gorgeous pop of colour, or scaled down with a simple sweep of a finger on the lips to wear it as more of a tinted balm. 

The finish is glossy, more so than any other crayon style lip colour I've tried, and I like this a lot. It's a subtle sheen that makes your lips look healthy and nourished, not sticky like a gloss, and the lip crayon itself contains SPF 15, something important for the coming summer months (I know I always forget to use sun protection on my lips, so thanks Bourjois for doing this for me!).

What do I dislike?

Due to the incredibly creamy nature of the product itself you have to make sure you're really careful when reapplying the lid because any slight knock puts a big dent in the side of the bullet. I know this may seem pretty insignificant, but you know, it's all part of the aestethics of the product! Other than that I do not dislike anything, well maybe the fact that there are only 4 shades, more Bourjois, more! 

I've read around that these are set to launch on the 10th of July and that might explain their absence on shelves in Boots and Superdrug, however I have found them available on the Superdrug website, and do check out your local Tesco because I've had mine for at least a week and a half already. 

Are you a lip crayon fan or do you think these type of products are becoming over hyped? 

My Graduation From Durham University - 26th June 2013

So here I am, finally a graduate of Criminology. Call me Louise Katherine Williams BA (Hons) Dunelm if you wish...! (What a mouthful!). I had a super fun day with my brother, my mama and J, and then ended up out on the town with some chums. 

Here's one of those pics I'd hang in my office, if ever I were to get my own office!

Durham University is steeped in tradition, the graduation ceremony is called Congregation, there are maces, all manner of crazy caps and hats and people representative of the university and the cathedral who lead the procession of graduands from the Castle (which is one of the university's colleges) and through to the Cathedral. Our robes for Bachelor of Arts are a white fur lined hood, and the official colour of Durham, Palatinate Purple is included wherever it possibly can be! We also do not wear mortar boards, I don't know why, but it meant that I could have a fancy updo on the day.

With my Mama and my Brother <3
My dress is from Quiz.

My actual day for Congregation, Wednesday the 26th of June at 4pm, began rather lazily by rolling out of bed and dashing to Tesco in search of a white bra (well done me for not bringing one!) and some pain au chocolat before J and I walked down the road to go and meet my Mum and brother in their hotel. We then got the bus into the city and made our way to Palace Green by the Cathedral (via Greggs!) to collect my tickets and robes and spent lots of time taking many pictures. My mama then bought a graduation bear that we've named Cuthbert (St Cuthbert has particular significance with Durham and its Cathedral). 

I then had to leave my guests and make my way into the Castle to be sorted into the correct position for the procession, and we meandered through waiting guests to take our seats in the Cathedral. (It was so hot. Everyone dressed in fur and practically sitting on top of each other made for an uncomfortable hour!) The ceremony was rather motivational, and again steeped in tradition. We all lined up one by one to shake the chancellor's hand and made our way back to our seats and then we processed down the middle of the nave and back outside to wait for our families. 

My Crim Chummy Laura and I :) She also has a blog, go and say hi!

I had to hand my robes back right away, and then met up with some friends and headed out for a Mexican feast, followed by lots of cocktails and a taxi home at 1am! Overall it was a really lovely day, and I wish I could do it all over again :) 

If you're graduating this year, Congratulations! If you're not, and doing it next year of in a few years, wishing you lots of luck with your studies <3

Review // Bourjois Bronzing Primer

What is it about Bourjois coming out with killer products at the moment? I've seriously been loving every new release they've made!

The new bronzing range from Bourjois really appealed to me when I found out that the shades were universal. As a paler faced girl it's hard to find a bronzer that gives you that sun kissed glow rather than a luminious orange complexion. Well, this is the case for me anyhow! The idea of a universal shade made me think that the Bourjois bronzing range would be either a lighter, rather than a deeper, brown colour (does that make sense to you? I hope so!) or that it would be incredibly blend-able so that the colour would sit lightly on the skin and give you that beautiful bronzed glow.

Heavily swatched, and then next to it - blended. 

I've found that it's been the latter, this product blends so easily into your skin that it almost disappears and leaves behind a subtle hint of colour. I've thoroughly enjoyed using this so far, although I have to say that if you're pale like me a little goes a long way. Seriously, just lightly dab your finger in the mousse like gel and then blend it in. Using a brush, albeit with a fair hand, made me look far too orange than sun kissed! 

I'm not thoroughly convinced on the priming action of this product, but I have to say that it set my makeup in place for the day. I wore it for the first time under my Benefit Hello Flawless foundation and it kept it in place all day, even inside the busy restaurant. It did make my skin feel smooth, but I think as a primer I would much prefer to use something else without the bronze in it. Again, as I'm so pale, the amount of primer I would use would be a lot more than the bronze colour I would need to apply to my face so I'd end up looking at the wrong side of orange...not good! 

I'd definitely reccommend this little product, it looks lovely underneath a lighter foundation, and even as a standalone product to give your face a bit of a bronze kiss. I found mine in Boots for £9.99, which, in my opinion is a little pricy for such a product, but I know it'll last for ages for me!

Are you a fan of bronzing? And even Bourjois for that matter? 

I Went To Ikea For Tea Towels, And Came Home With A Mulberry Purse...OOTD

Excuse the grubby Ikea toilet shot, I didn't have a full
length mirror in bedroom until we left the store :) 

The other day my mum came to town with a chum and he drove us to Ikea in Bristol. I absolutely love going to Ikea. Whilst their products aren't always of the best quality you can find some nice bits and pieces for the home, and it's fun to pretend that the amazingly well designed kitchens are part of my own home...a girl can dream, eh!

It was incredibly hot on this day, the car measured 25-27 degrees as we drove through the Somerset country lanes! I'll say not that I'm not good at dressing for summer, I mean I love pretty dresses and skirts but I always find that they're too short on me (or they're not really too short but I think they are). So I decided to try my hand at a summer outfit and wore a floaty black and white spot skirt from Topshop, with a simple plain white Primark cami top tucked in. I threw on my new turquoise/green cardigan from Gap to add a splash of summer colour and finished with some pretty white lace floral pumps from Primark, a necklace from Miss Selfridge, and my beloved Michael Kors Jet Set Tote. My hair's in a bun donut again, with a pretty floral bun hairband from Claire's Accessories. 

I picked up some fab things in Ikea, more tea towels, a dish drainer, lots of candles etc and then the Sat Nav took us through Shepton Mallet...and we stopped at the Mulberry outlet shop...and then this happened:

My Mum very kindly gave me some pennies for doing well in my degree and I put them towards this gorgeous Mulberry Long Locked purse. As the shop in Shepton Mallet is a factory outlet the products are significantly reduced, and as far as I could see, in perfect condition. For example, there was a jewelled denim dress, RRP £600+, selling for £195! My particular purse is currently available on the Mulberry website, priced at £295 and we got it for £157! 

I love it when spontaneous things happen...I'd recommend visiting the store in Shepton Mallet if you're a Mulberry fan, the factory's near there and it's a lovely little village. 

Have you ever gone out for one particular necessary item and come home with a big purchase?

Review // Look Beauty Lip Smoothie

Ever since my Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub ran out I've been looking for something to replace it as there isn't a Lush store near my house. I was having a peruse in Superdrug the other day and spotted the Look beauty stand, a brand I'm not too familiar with. I was super excited to spot this little product on the shelf, the Love Your Lips Lip Smoothie, priced at £5 (although Look Beauty is currently having  a lip sale and it's on offer for £4).

On first impression I'm suitably impressed and it does what I would suppose it would set out to do. It scrubs my lips without being too harsh and stripping them of moisture, as the crystals are not too rough or large, and leaves them feeling soft and somewhat rejuvenated. It is however quite a runny or watery consistency, unlike the Lush lip scrub, and in the beginning I wasn't sure if I was actually buffing my lips or just applying some kind of gel to them. It also has no flavour or scent and I had to resist the urge of just licking it off when I was finished (this is why I love the bubblegum scrub!) because I didn't know if it was safe to do that! 

The packaging's also great because the applicator is shaped to sit nicely on your lips, like some tube lip glosses you see, and you don't have to scoop the product out of a pot with your fingers, instead you can apply it straight onto your mouth. This appeals to the neat freak inside of me, although I'm also a bit disappointed it has no smell or flavour.

Overall this is a lovely little product and it buffs your lips nicely without feeling too rough. It might not have the razz-ma-tazz of a Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub (think pink, sparkle, smelling like candy floss) but it does the job perfectly. I'd definitely recommend it!

Do you use a lip scrub? Have you tried this or one by Lush?

Now What?

Borrowed from here

Today has been a bit of a mixed up day. I woke up feeling dizzy and nauseous and decided to ring in sick to work (the second time I've ever done that in the entire 4 years of working for my company!) and ended up feeling a little guilty, even though I knew that I couldn't really work around food all day feeling the way that I did. Then my parcel from Ikea arrived with my Helmer unit and drawer inserts (hello new makeup storage, collection post soon? Let me know if you'd like) and I was all happy and excited. 

And now I'm sitting here, still not feeling right and having a bit of an existential crisis. I know I sound like a bit of an idiot writing all of this, a bit dramatic perhaps, but I honestly can't describe this feeling as anything but an existential crisis. But what is my crisis? This:

I've just gained a 2:1 in Criminology (BA Hons) from a top notch university. 

Now what...? 

Borrowed from here

The answer to this question should be simple. I should, by 22, have a distinct idea of what I want to do with my life, shouldn't I? Don't laugh, but the only career dreams I have right now is to make it onto the Disney Cultural Representative Programme and go and work at the United Kingdom pavillion in Epcot in Orlando. But even then that'd only be for 12 months. 

So I have a degree, now what?

People keep asking me what I'm going to do for a job. I tell them the answers they want to hear, 'oh with my Criminology I'm looking to join the Police/Prison Service/Customs', the standard thing that everyone expects a Criminologist to do. Truth be told Durham haven't really given me much career advice. So I'm still stuck. 

Now what?

Borrowed from here

I shouldn't really complain, in fact don't think I'm complaining, I'm mostly mulling over my situation. I do already have a job and recently signed up to the management programme because my head told me to get some management experience. But truth be told I don't know if I want to do that. Working with food is not something I particularly enjoy, it's meeting new people and being enthusiastic about a brand that suits me. I'm also passionate about travelling, books, writing, makeup and skincare. And shopping(!). I'm not so passionate about burgers and chips, or the general hub of fast food life. I can't keep coming home, going to sleep, getting up, and then going work again, and working unsociable hours. I can't be dealing with a cyclical life. 

But now what?

I keep reading inspirational quotes and messages I find on Tumblr and We Heart It. Call me sad, but I'm stuck. 

Have you recently graduated? Or graduated some time ago and felt like me? Tell me I'm not alone!

A Father's Day Sentiment

I love this man with 1/4 of my heart. (The other 3/4 are given to my Mama, brother and future husband!) I can only hope that he's drinking port with Admiral Lord Nelson today, and has been to see his Dad. Happy Father's Day Daddy, sending you love and hugs to heaven.

<3

Cropped Chic // OOTD Feat. New Michael Kors Jet Set Tote

Waahh, this was the best of the blurry worst :/

Look at me coming to your Blogger dash with another OOTD! I still don't have a full length mirror in my new flat so I can't see what I look like half the time, so I think I did well with this ensemble this morning! 

Allow me first of all to introduce you to my new beautiful baby. As I'm due to graduate from Durham the week after next, and as a reward for my hard slog up North I decided to buy myself a little present. Which, naturally, turned into a big present. I'd like you to meet my Michael Kors Medium Jet Set Tote in black, with gold hardware. Isn't it a beauty? I've been eyeing up a Mulberry bag for the longest time, but at £795 it's a little bit like, 'wow, I've just saved up all this money and I'm going to spend the lot on one item?' I still really want one though. So I spent a while eyeing up my dream Mulberry Bayswater in Harvey Nichols and then spotted the Michael Kors stand and fell in love with this bag. At £240 it's not light on the purse either, but for a beautifully crafted real leather bag I think it's a good price. Plus it looks classy and timeless, and I love taking it out and about with me (perfect for hiding my shopping bags in it!). Happy graduation to me!

This outfit is mostly a Topshop creation. I'm really loving the crop top trend that's around at the minute but being a bigger girl I don't feel comfortable to pair one with a little skater skirt and have a section of my tummy on show. I decided to layer this cute crochet knit style crop top over a simple black skater dress (both from Topshop) and throw on a New Look black cardigan over the top (damn rain today!). My necklace was bought for a bargain £3 in the recent Miss Selfridge sale.

To complete my little outfit I opted for a classic bun, cheating using a hair donut I recently bought in Claire's Accessories. I absolutely love this hair style, it's chic and stylish, as well as being practical, and a lot more simple that I thought it would be to create it! I finished off my bun with a cute polka dot bunny eared scrunchie to add a bit of fun. 

So there we go, this is what I'm wearing today as I pop out to town to meet up with my brother. I haven't seen him in a while and he's come to view our new flat :) 

Are you a crop top trend fan? How would you style one? 

June's Beauty Lust List

Images borrowed from brand's respective websites and Google.

I'm forever lusting after beauty items I see on shopping trips but don't have the pennies to purchase on that particular day, or that are not on my list of things to buy on that particular shopping trip. I was recently in Harvey Nichols in Cabot's Circus, Bristol. I was happily perusing Space NK (cool that there's one in Harvey Nichols, eh!) and wandered to the Laura Mercier stand. I'd already tried their Tinted Moisturiser in John Lewis in Exeter and knew that I'd fallen in love. And then I smelled the Pistachio body creme, and oh my gosh, heaven in a tub. Serious lust being felt right here!

I'm also still seriously lusting after a Chanel Les Beiges in No20. It seems to be sold out everywhere I look! I had it tried on me when I went to a little Chanel makeover a while ago and it felt so luxurious. Such a gorgeous product. 

My final 3 lusts are relatively new products I've seen on the web and the blogosphere. YSL's Babydoll mascara looks lovely and best of all the brush has plastic bristles so I'm desperate to try it! I love the luxurious look of the mascara tube too. 

Benefit's new primer excites me greatly because, well, it's Benefit and I know I'm bound to adore every product they produce. I imagine it'd pair nicely with my favourite Hello Flawless foundation, not long until the launch! 

Lastly is this fun looking palette by Sleek. I've always thought the Blush By 3 range is an excellent value for money and the sight of these powder blushes pleases me greatly. How pretty are the colours?! I'd love to see them swatched on my pale skin, hoping that they wouldn't be too bright and over power my face...

Do you agree with my choices? What are you lusting after at the moment?

Recent Empties

When I was back in Durham recently I was cleaning out my room and came across some recent empties that I thought I'd share with you. I love reading empties posts, they're much more insightful than initial thoughts in my opinion because you've been committed and finished the product...with that in mind, onwards!

Clockwise:

Boots oval cotton pads - There's no doubt about it that I love these. They're slightly bigger than the standard cotton pads I'm used to and only need one or two to cleanse my face with my micellar water in the morning. They're priced around £1.89 and are currently buy one get one half price.

Tiny Tatty Teddy cotton buds - There's not much to say about these other than for a £1 (I bought them in the pound shop!) they did the right job and were a right bargain!

Lush Snow Fairy - I was so excited to buy this and try it out because it's Lush's most raved about product in the winter months. I've since used it and found myself making myself finish it, the scent because too overbearing. This makes me sad, and perhaps I should try a small bottle this year, or buy the lip butter...

Sugar Crush Body Scrub - I absolutely love this, and I've since gone on to repurchase. It scrubs your skin in an effective but gentle way and leaves in feeling incredibly soft and smooth. I'm in love <3

Lancome Toner - I'm so happy I discovered some of Lancome's skincare. I often overlook the fact that major makeup brands come accompanied by a skincare line, and Lancome's is spectacular in my opinion. I loved this toner, it was refreshing and removed excess debris from my face well. Definite repurchase. 

Elemis Fresh Skin Face Wash - This little tube was a delight to use but it wasn't anything special in my opinion. It did make my skin feel fresh and clean, but won't be replacing my other favourite face washes. 

Revlon Grow Luscious mascara - I bought this as a waterproof mascara to take with me when I went to Florida last September. It worked superbly as a waterproof mascara and, I don't know if it was a placebo effect or if it actually happened, but I actually thought my lashes grew. My only qualm was that the brush did not have plastic bristles so it was a little clumpy, but overall a good mascara.

Dermalogica Heating Mask - To get right to the point I didn't enjoy this at all, it was the first self heating mask I've used and I didn't like the effect on my face, am I the only one? Definitely not repurchasing. 

Nivea Gentle Exfoliating Scrub - To be honest this bored me. When I look for a face scrub I want a good 'scrub' so to speak. This didn't 'scrub' enough for me and I was excited for the tube to end. Not planning on repurchasing.

Lancome Cleanser - I loved this cleanser, it was light and refreshing on my skin and removed excess dirt and dust well. I would repurchase. 

Lancome Bi-Facial Remover - I absolutely loved this product and I'm so glad I found it. I'll be purchasing a full sized version very soon so expect to see a full detailed review. 

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream - I'm always harping on about how much I love Benefit's skincare. I'm still yet to see any dramatic results with this eye cream but it's refreshing and feels nice on the skin. I'd repurchase, but only in the £10 trial set, I don't think I'd want a bit pot. 

Prada Candy - Mmmm this is delicious. I was actually quite sad when it came to the last few spritzes and it ran out :( I love sweet smelling perfumes and this is as sweet as it might get with notes of caramel - yummy! I'll definitely repurchase eventually. 

So that's what I've used up lately. 

Have you tried any of the above products?