The sequel: foundation review

As promised, here's my part two of foundation reviews. You can read the first two reviews here on Rimmel Wake Me Up and Collection 2000 Perfect Finish :)

• Rimmel Wake Me Up (swatch 2) • Benefit Hello Flawless (swatch 4) • 

• Natural Collection Tinted Moisturiser (swatch 3) • Collection 2000 Perfect Finish (swatch 1) •

Let's avoid the technicality of the Natural Collection product being a tinted moisturiser, because I wear it as I wear any foundation. It says on the packaging that it's a "light, sheer cover for a natural looking finish. Contains moisturisers to leave your skin feeling supple and soft". I expected to find that this had an okay cover, but nothing special, more of a simple basic for lazy days. 
I was fairly pleasantly surprised with this product after I had been using it a few weeks. It has a fairly buildable cover, and it lasts fairly well throughout the day. I wear it in the shade 'fair'. Natural Collection don't have a particularly wide colour range in tinted moisturisers, as they only have 'natural' and 'beige' alongside what I have. To me, they sound like they'd be all fairly similar colours! 
I would recommend this product, mostly because I'm such a fan of the brand. It's probably not my favourite product from their collection, but it's definitely a bargain at only £1.99 from Boots!


Last but by no means least, swatch number 4 is of Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! foundation. I know some people have probably seen countless reviews for this product since it's been getting more popular, but if you haven't it's described as follows by Benefit:
"Hello…it’s flawless time! Our new oil-free brightening liquid foundation builds from light to medium coverage for a natural complexion you can believe in. It’s you…just more luminous & healthy looking."
I really agree with this description (what a surprise!), although it possibly wasn't as flawless as maybe I expected it to be, it still is definitely a favourite of mine. I did have to talk myself into buying this a little bit- at £24.50, it's one of the most expensive make up products that I've bought.
I went up to one of the Benefit counters, and was matched to the shade 'ivory (i'm pure 4 sure)'. I was a little bit dubious for the rest of the day after the make up woman had put it on, as I felt quite orange. But after I'd had a chance to put it on myself a couple of times, I realised that she'd just caked it on a little. Each to their own, I suppose.

It's pretty much a given that I'm going to repurchase this when I eventually run out, which won't be difficult to tell thanks to the handy way it's packaged to clearly see when you're running low.

Do you love or hate either of these, or still looking to try one out?

ta-ra loves

n xx

Minnie Mouse nails

Before I get carried away in my delirious excitement over nail art, this is an idea that I got from Laura's All Made Up. You should check out her blog, because one awesome post that involves Minnie Mouse deserves at least that much, right?!

I don't have any nail art tools, so I had to make do with things that I found around my room, which is why I'm making this post and not just directing you straight to Laura's blog- I did things slightly differently :)

I started with my usual nail prep of a mini-pamper, file and Avon's grow potion followed by my 17 strengthening base coat.

The red I used is a colour that I have fallen totally in love with, it just gorgeous. I didn't have a red, so I did buy it especially for this look, and it's the 17 fast finish nail polish in baked cherry. I used two coats of this on all except both my ring finger nails, on which I used 17 lasting fix nail polish in mini skirt. I then sprayed my nails with Avon's nail experts liquid freeze, which does the job very well, but it does leave a slightly oily spray over your hands. It has pro and cons, but I still use it despite the cons!

To do the Minnie Mouse design, I used a cotton bud (or q-tip, if you will) for the main circle and a hair grip for the two smaller ears, dipped in Barry M black (the colour number has peeled off, but it's just a plain black). I then focused the liquid freeze spray on that one finger before taking the second end of the hair grip, which was more oval in shape, to dot on the bow.

I finished off my nails with a Collection 2000 2in1 topcoat :)

I really love how this look turned out, what do you think?!

ta-ra lovelies

n xx

Slightly-forbidden-shopping trip

Hm, yes. I may have spent slightly more than I meant to in my recent shopping trips... but at least I have new things to comfort myself with! This is, however, going to be my last big haul for a while- I'm having a spending limit!

Foundation foam applicators £1.19 from Superdrug

17 nail varnish £2.99 from Boots

Natural Collection lipstick in £1.99 from Boots

MUA silver eyeliner £1 from Superdrug

MUA blusher £1 from Superdrug

MUA lipgloss £1 from Superdrug

Collection 2000 clear mascara £1.99 from Boots

Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner £3.99 from Boots

I saw these in Paperchase, and as I've been searching for boxes like these for ages I just had to get them! There was another design that I liked more, but they didn't have 20% off like these did. I'm using them in a organisation project that will be in a post coming soon :) 
Overall, I bought 2 in each size. Their current sale prices are:

• small £1.60 • medium £2.20 • large £2.80 •

I hope you're all enjoying this fabulous weather, I'm in danger of melting away in this heat!

n xx

Foundation lovin', yay or nay?

• Rimmel Wake Me Up (swatch 2) • Benefit Hello Flawless (swatch 4) • 

• Natural Collection Tinted Moisturiser (swatch 3) • Collection 2000 Perfect Finish (swatch 1) •

Because I've only just recently gotten into wearing foundation on a daily basis, I've been buying quite a few (not to mention watching a few hundred reviews on YouTube) to try out and find the best for my skin. These are the ones I've been testing out at the moment :) I've split these four reviews into two parts, so keep your eyes peeled for the other half over the next few days! I'm also probably going to carry on doing a few more reviews, there's just so many brands out there!

The first swatch, Collection 2000's Perfect Finish foundation, is an example of getting what you pay for. I bought it in the shade 2 Ivory. Although I've heard some fairly good reviews about this product, I'm not so impressed. I used it a few times, and I was happy with the coverage and quality that it gave. It got a little patchy after a while, but considering it's only £4.99 at Boots I wasn't too disappointed. 
After a few uses, however, the colour started to get very... orange. Being of a pale complexion, you can imagine that I wasn't highly impressed. The swatch above shows that it's become much more orange in tone than the other shades I've bought. I don't know whether I had a slightly faulty mix, if it was left in the sun for too long or something. Whatever happened, it's become unusable for me. I might consider re-buying this product in the future in the lighter shade to see if that works better, but I'll probably leave it a while first!


Swatch number two if of Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation. It claims that it "reawakens and illuminates skin with a radiant glow and a flawless, natural-looking finish" and I can totally agree with this. I love pretty much everything about this product, from its smell (very refreshing) to the slight glittery hint that it has, to the chic packaging. Also, it's a SPF 15, brilliant if you're like me and just burn immediately in the sun.
I've been using this foundation the longest out of the others pictured, and I probably love it the most. I use it in the shade 100 Ivory, and I think it's very worth the £8.99 I paid for it in Boots. It's a pretty safe bet that I'll be repurchasing this when it runs out. 

Saying that, as much as I love the packaging, it is kind of difficult to see how much product you've used from the way that the foundation stays on the sides of the glass. I wouldn't emphasise it as too much of a negative though, as it doesn't really stand up against the reasons why I like this product.


Do you have any foundation favourites of your own? Foundation recommendations are a favourite of mine!

ta-ra lovelies

n xx

Hermione-inspired hair

Yes, you did read that right. Hermione. The truth is, recently I've been having a little bit of time off from doing... anything at all, really. Which has led to me watching Harry Potter films one after the other with a cup of tea and hobnobs for company.
As I sat contentedly with my Ravenclaw scarf wrapped round me (ahem), I came to realise how much I love Emma Watson's hair and how it's styled. So of course, I chose one particular style at random and had a stab at recreating it. 

To create this look, I pulled my hair roughly in a messy low bun-like gathering, leaving a small section of hair from just above my ear on either side down.  I then put a bobble around my hair and used bobby pins to secure any pieces that were sticking out too much or falling down. To create the loose fringe, I made sure the front part of my hair wasn't pulled too tightly then pulled it loose to what I was happy with.

I then separated the escaping bits of hair at the front into two sections on each side. They were both quite 'wispy' amounts, to make it look natural. Using my straighteners, I curled these pieces of hair until I was happy with the way they sat. I sprayed them lightly with hairspray, and also sprayed the bun to help it stay in place.

I took these photos after I'd had my hair up about 5-6 hours this way, so the curl has dropped but other than that I'm really happy with how this stayed in!

I'm always serching for new ways to style my hair, any suggestions? 

I hope you enjoyed this post :)

n xx

Summer nails

left to right

 • Avon nail experts 'grow potion' • 17 nail xtras strengthening base coat • Topshop 'Ice Crush' • Topshop 'Parma Violet' • nails inc 'savile row' •

As someone who hates having unpainted nails, I pretty much always have my nails painted in something. These five products have to be my favourites at the moment, to wear alone or in combination. 


This Avon 'grow potion' is something that I'm currently using on a weekly basis, because my nails are not in the best condition at the moment. I've not been in wonderful  health recently, and my nails have become split and weak in consequence. I had my doubts when I first ordered this Avon product- I don't really like not being able to see what I'm buying, and I wasn't wild about the seemingly tiny proportions that it comes in. However, it has turned out to be something of a miracle buy. I have such slow growing hair and nails, but this has helped them along so much. It also seems to last forever. I cannot recommend this stuff enough, honestly. Alongside it, I've been using the 17 strengthening base coat, which is also doing it's job very well. This has been my standard base coat for quite a while now, and it's probably one of the best that I've used.


My favourite colours at the moment aren't necessarily very summer-y, but this nails inc colour is super nice. It gives a nice colour whether you put on one to two coats, and is one of the colours that I fall back onto when I can't make a decision! It's a deep red/purple shade that fits in really well with my wardrobe, and is in the good half of my 'does it chip?!' nail varnish selection.


As for these two Topshop colours, they have effectively convinced me that I should own as many colours from this range as possible. I bought 'Ice Crush' because I'd seen it on a poster once and just craved it since. I love the glitter and texture that this gives, and I could rave about it for hours. However, be warned; it takes dedication and time to get it off your nails. The plain lilac colour was one I bought because I feel that I own too many dark colours, and while by itself it might not be my favourite colour, I love it in combination with patterns and with other colours I already have.

photo from my Instagram - @nikkiyvonne_

when I painted my nails in 'Ice Crush' and 'Parma Violet'

Do you have any of your own favourite nail varnishes? :)

n xx

Hand lovin'

I. Love. These. So much.


I bought these at a craft fair about 2 months ago, and simply described they are an exfoliator and moisturiser. Not only are they made with 100% natural ingreedients, they are also produced by hand, not to mention they smell DIVINE. I'm rubbish as describing smells, but they are really fresh and energising.


I bought the normal 'Massagical Gold', which you use by applying a small amount onto your hand, then rub together (as you would with any exfoliator). You dry your hands, then follow up with the tiniest amount of 'Massagical Cream'. All it takes is the smallest pea sized amount, and it covers your hands surprisingly well. So far, I've only used these on my hands, but I can imagine they'd be pretty good on feet and the rest of your body too.


The cream can also be bought in an 'Extra Sensitive' version, if you have particularly sensitive skin. But I have to admit, I have eczema all over my hands, and the normal cream hasn't made it flare up yet. They might also be a little more than maybe what some people like to spend on hand care, but they last forever. At least 3 people in my house have been using these on a once/twice weekly basis, and there's hardly anything gone.


I simply can't describe how good these make my hands feel. They are both made with Elderflowers and Rape Seed Oil, and the moisturiser has the addition of Shea Butter. If you're more of a 'moisturise and go' kind of person, these might not be for you. It does take a little while for all that lovely natural goodness to sink in properly, but I tend to do mine when I'm watching TV, meaning that I'm not doing anything or getting moisturiser everywhere.

You can find these products on this website, and I can't explain how much I recommend these. 

n xx

June Avon haul

clockwise from top

• Magix face perfector (SPF 20) • true colour eyeshadow quad • angled eyeliner brush • mosaic effects top coat nail enamel in black and white • perfect wear make up remover •

 out of packaging

• Magix face perfector (SPF 20) • true colour eyeshadow quad •

inside the true colour eyeshadow quad conpact

I have to admit... I am a little bit of an Avon junkie. I can't help it, I just seem to lose any self restraint when it comes to their offers. I was very excited for this delivery when it came a few weeks ago, because I've tried out quite a few new products this time.


I bought these two crackle nail varnishes because I haven't invested into the 'crackle craze' before now, but they have begun to sway my opinion. I consulted with my sister in reference to how good she thought their quality was (she's used several other brands that I haven't) and the verdict was that they seem to be one of the longest lasting that she wears, which is good news for me!


The make up remover and angled eye liner brush were just a couple of things that I bought because I like to test out different brands in both products, to try and find the best suited to me. I'm not wild about either of them yet, but if they turn out to be magnificent, you will be the first to know.


The last two products, the magix 'face perfector' (or more simply, primer) and the eyeshadow quad, were the two things that I was most excited about receiving. I have really fallen in love with this primer, and have been using it practically non-stop since I got it. Although it's a little stubborn to get out of the tube, it has the most amazing silky touch that I haven't found with any other primer that I've used to far. I confess, I made everyone in the house stroke my face when I first put it on. Even my dad was impressed, so Avon must be doing something right.


The eyeshadow quad was something my mum treated me to, because I'm a little dubious about branching away from the natural browns and creams that I've adopted for my every day look. All four colours have a little sparkle to them (plus point right there), and can build up to really nice colours. They seem to be fairly durable so far, but I'm not wild about the two darker colours, especially the blue. Maybe they'll grow on me, who knows!


I'd love to know of any Avon products you can recommend, I'm always on the hunt for new things to order!

n xx

Dry shampoo

Until around a year ago, I had never even really heard of dry shampoo- I knew vaguely what it was, but that was about it. Since then, I've been using two main brands, Tresemme and Batiste, and as a person who does a fair amount of camping (against my free will, mostly), both have been very well tested.


Although I love the range of the Batiste line, I'm not overly keen on the way it can leave my hair looking suspiciously lighter than before I used it due to it's white powder effect. In the summer, the white isn't as recognisable as my hair noticably changes colour in different seasons, but if I happen to miss a patch of white, the effect isn't so lovable. That isn't to say that it doesn't do the job, because it most definitely does, so maybe I can forgive them! 


Tresemme, on the other hand, I have very little to say about except for how much I love it. I like the smell, and I can tell what parts of my hair I've sprayed without any kind of white patches appearing. I initially only bought it in a smaller size in case I didn't like it for any reason, which I am now regretting. It's light and refreshing, meaning this is one product which is most definitely going into my list of beauty favourites.


Which dry shampoo do you use? Got any to recommend? :)

n xx