BIRTHDAY BITS

Here's a few snappity snaps from Saturday night - turns out turning 25 IS pretty awesome after all!

Taxi bants

Prosecco'd oot wur nuts

More bants 

Jenna and Nads subtly leaning out the way... NAHT!

Jimmy Choo! Fave perfume EVER!

I found a Spoon!

And a MINDTWIN!

Someone asked me on Facebook about my makeup and in particular the highlighter I was using, and actually, looking back at these pics I AM looking very GLOWY aren't I? I have to say, I do love me a bit of shimmer, although maybe I did go a tad overboard... Anyway, here's what I used in case anyone gives a tiny rats ass...

FACE

Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation - I've mentioned this before and it has now firmly become my new favourite 'going out' base. Blends like a dream with a medium to full coverage and hint of shimmer. Once set it stays put anaw. I opted for this instead of anything too mattifying since I'd decided that glowy and dewy was my makeup THEME for Sat night. Did I really just say that?

Accessorize blush in Sensation - A very pretty coral pink with a considerable amount of finely-milled shimmer. I often use this alone as a highlighter as you really have to sweep on a few layers to build up the colour, but on Saturday I used this primarily as a blush. FYI, these are widely considered dupes for the MAC mineralized blushers, and I've had this for months and months and barely made a dent. Worth the money. 

MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle - I'd neglected this baby for a while in favour of a more subtle highlight effect from the Accessorize blush alone, but on Saturday I really wanted to go all out. This gives a gorgeous flesh-toned highlight to the tops of cheekbones and brow bone, but it is definirely not subtle. I think I've said before it can verge on being slightly GLITTERY which isn't a look I'd like to channel since I stopped going to underage discos at my local rugby club THANK YOU VERY MUCH... But on a night out, if shimmer/glow is your thing you can't beat this for impact. A little goes a long way.

EYES

 MAC Woodwinked and Sable eyeshadows - Ahhh, now we come to my makeup Achillies Heel. To be honest I have no idea if these two eyeshadows are even "supposed" to be paired together given that tonally they are quite different (Sable - brown - left, Woodwinked - gold - right) but whatevs, I love them both so slapped em both on, somewhat haphazardly it has to be said. Woodwinked all over and into the inner corner and sable on the outside and in the crease. Again, these are both Frost finishes which means they are uber shimmery and I think it just about worked... Once I applied ten coats of liquid eyeliner and mascara that is.

LIPS

MAC Cut a Caper lipstick - my favourite lipstick, MAYBE EVER! A warm-toned coral, lustre finish which feels smooth and moisturising, that can be worn both sheer or more intense. I believe this was released as a limited edition shade in 2010 but has been released again with MAC's new Heavenly Creatures collection, which btw, is pretty freaking fantastic! It doesn't wear all that long but I kinda love applying and reapplying lipstick (weird) so it doesn't bother me, though it does mean I'm going through it at some rate. Must pick up another ASAP.

Topshop Lip Glaze in Laid Back - on the fence about this to be honest. It's very thick and gloopy, and the wand hardly takes out any product meaning you have to keep poking it back in again and again which makes this really gross THWACKING, sucking sound which kinda bokes me out. Also, it smells strongly like caramel which is more than a little overpowering, but I do like the colour and it stays on a long time. Hmm...

BODY



St Tropez self tan bronzing mousse - that's right peeps, I fake-tanned for the first time THIS WHOLE YEAR! The dress I was wearing was strappy and had a low back, plus I wore it without tights so quite honestly there was no way I was getting that much flesh out without some kind of tan to help mask my wobbly bits (ooh err!). The St Tropez mousse has never once let me down - the tan is green-based instead of orange-based so the result is a brown, olive tan and not that horrible shade of Oompa Loompa you see kicking about. It's easy to use for even a novice like me, develops over night and doesn't stink the house out. I know there are cheaper alternatives to this, but frankly I've had my fair share of tan disasters and just wanted something I could trust.

MAC Strobe Cream - While I don't like putting creams and lotions on my face after I've set my makeup, I still find Strobe Cream the best cream-based highlighter out there and I often use it on my chest and shoulders if I'm getting them out (fur the ladz). The effect is subtle in real life but it gets picked up particularly nicely in photos. I slapped this all over my chest, boobage, shoulders, collarbones and a wee bit on my back too and it just kind of blurred my skin a little and made me look like I was a pillar of glowing health instead of just recovering from a monster cold.

Soap and Glory glow lotion - I've never used this before but on Saturday my pal Marie came to mine first to get ready and I noticed her slathering this stuff all over her legs. It was promptly bumped and I'm definitely heading out to get my own bottle as soon as possible. Just a really lovely shimmering body lotion that smells of that delicious S&G scent and leaves a gorgeous shiny glow to yer pins.

So, aye, thats how I looked all sparkly and that on my birthday. Thanks to y'all who came out, bought me drinks, presents, onion rings, put up with my extreme drunkenness, and made me a mixtape and a collage of lusty lotharios entitled "Kirsty's Dirty Dreamboats." Hilare! Brillo night troops.



SKINCARE UPDATE

So I know I'm always harping on about new skincare purchases but I realised today I hardly ever come back months later to let you guys know how the products ACTUALLY perform against their claims...

With that in mind here's a few skincare updates.

STILL LOVING

Dr Weil for Origins Mega-Bright Serum

I've noticed a BIG difference in my skin tone recently. It's one of those weird things, for ages I didn't think this was working but then the other day I washed my face, looked in the mirror and was like WHAT THE HELL?! The scarring on my cheeks has VASTLY improved you guys, no joke. As ever I'm reluctant to credit this with just ONE product as I'm quite sure that religious use of Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair has a lot to do with it (I haven't included it here cos y'all already know how much I love it) but still, I've gotta give props to this little guy. It definitely feels a bit gloopy and siliconey on the skin and I generally prefer my serums more watery, but overall I'm actually very impressed with the noticeable results. Can't argue with that, right? Snaps. 

Lancome Hydra Zen Neurocalm anti-stress moisturisng cream

I blogged about this a while ago when I received it in an event goodybag and I've been using it ever since. Normally I'll whack it on at night after I've let my ANR sink in for a while, and when I wake up in the morning my face is SO SMOOTH YOU GUYS! It's literally the best moisturiser I think I've ever tried. BOLD CLAIM, right? It doesn't leave any greasy or sticky residue and although it's quite rich for a day cream, I have found myself using it under makeup if my skin feels a bit BLEURGH and it disappears almost instantly. My little sample pot is rapidly running out and when it does I'm definitely going to repurchase. It does have a moderately strong 'perfumey' scent but it's much more tolerable than the Liz Earle light repairing lotion which unfortunately I just cannot stomach.

Avene Triacneal

Although it's generally the best it's been in AGES, my skin has been acting up a little breakout-wise these past few weeks. Pretty sure this is down to sleeping in my makeup a few times which I normally try and never do! Anyway, whenever I notice the start of a new blemish I whack this bright yellow stuff all over it and in the morning it's normally completely away. It stings a bit, and the cream does make you look ALL KINDSA RIDONCULOUS but again, you can't argue with results. I just realised it's got retinoids or retinoic acid in it (super-strength acne-fighting chemical) and for that reason, and because it stings, I'd NEVER use it all over my face, just as a topical treatment. But hey, it works.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

While the light repairing lotion just stinks WAY too much for me to use, Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish and Instant Boost Skin Tonic have remained staples in my routine. In particular this 'toner' of sorts is honestly a delight to use. I soak a cotton pad in it and wipe it all over my face morning and night to refresh my skin and remove any last bits of makeup. The smell is delish and it has all kindsa healing oils and vitamin E in it which makes me feel like if I skipped this step my skin would miss out. If you get me. Plus, it doesn't contain any alcohol and I'd NEVER go back to anything that did after using this. If you're looking for something soothing after washing your face with a harsh facewash, this is for you.

RECENT PURCHASES

Caudalie Eau de Beaute

I know, I know. I caved. Possibly THE most hyped product of 2012 and I've shamelessly jumped on the bandwagon! The buzz about this facial spritzer/toner/aromatherapy spray/makeup fixer has been everywhere ever since Lisa Eldridge mentioned it in one of her videos at the start of the year, and being the skincare junkie that I am, how could I ignore it! I actually bought the mini size of this when I was in Lisbon as it's very hard to find in the UK unless you buy it online, but in Europe it's stocked in just about every pharmacy on every high street. Go figure. Gotta say though, at first I was like, I DON'T GET IT. Underwhelmed to the max, I persisted for about a week and finally began to see why it's such a cult hit. Firstly the smell is heavenly. Truly. It's a sort of herby, spa-type smell that instantly relaxes and invigorates. After toning I would spritz a generous amount over my face and pat it in, and straight away my pores were smaller and my skin felt tighter and smoother. I think it's definitely the kind of product you need to use daily to see consistent results so I've just placed an order this morning for the larger 100ml size which will hopefully last me a while. Not sure though, the small size only lasted me a few weeks!

Caudalie Vinoperfect radiance set

While I was on Feel Unique having a browse round the Caudalie section I spotted this wee sample set of their acclaimed Vinoperfect Radiance range and couldn't resist. Again, I'd heard Lisa Eldridge talking about the serum in a recent video (I pretty much buy everything she ever mentions - total hero) and I know she and I have similar skin concerns, namely blemishes and scarring, so I figured if it was good enough for her... The £26 set includes 10mls of the complexion correcting serum, enzyme peel mask, day perfecting fluid and cell renewal night cream. I'm hoping to be able to get at least a few weeks out of these samples and I'll let you know my thoughts. Excited!  

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

OK, so not technically skincare but whatever... I actually just bought this yesterday since it was £2 off in Superdrug and I've not read one single bad review to date. I recently placed an order for my beloved Skin 79 BB cream but it takes about 2 weeks to arrive so in the meantime I'm testing this out. Today's the first day and so far I've had it on for about 3 and a half hours (yup, put it on a 5AM y'all - working the deadly early shift today) and it's holding up well. First impressions are that it's pretty thick and creamy but blends well with a medium/full coverage. Off the bat I think I might prefer this to the Bourjois Healthy Mix original as that can be a bit watery and slide off easily without powder. I really like it so far, but the real test will be how it looks around 4pm! I absolutely HATE the bottle though. SO MUCH that I actually thought twice about buying it. Orange? Really?

Update: OK so I've now had this on for nearly eight hours and I'm impressed! It's disappeared slightly around my T-zone but generally it's holding up very well, possibly even better than the Healthy Mix. Given that it doesn't claim to be particularly long-lasting this is pleasantly surprising! Snaps, Rimmel, I'm sold.

ON MY SHOPPING LIST FOR NEXT PAYDAY

Ginvera Green Tea whitening marvel gel

I've been hankering after this ever since Ruth did a review of it ages ago. Basically just an exfoliator, but it's meant to be one of the best out there at removing blackheads (boke) which isn't really something I suffer with, but who doesn't love a bit of heavy-duty exfoliation now and again? I've been using the Origins brightening peel pads for a while which contain AHAs and I think they're just a  little bit too harsh - I normally break out after using them and I'll NEVER touch that Alpha H Liquid Gold ever again since I'm pretty sure I'm allergic. So come on Ginvera, work your magic...

Aesop B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel

Anti-oxidant moisturiser infused with Vitamin B and C to balance and soothe the skin. I know I said that the Lancome Hydra Zen was my new favourite, but I guess I'm just convinced there's something else out there that's better. The grass is always greener, innit. I've been hearing more and more about Aesop skincare these last few months and this product really stands out for me. Vitamin C in moisturisers or serums always catches my eye because of it's brightening/whitening effects and I also like that this is formulated without any silicones. It's £77 though... Bit of a splurge. Hmm, we'll see. Have any of you guys used this, or ANY of the Aesop range? Let me know if you think it's worth it.