Have I Finally Met My (Drugstore Foundation) Match?

We all know that drugstore foundation can be a bit of a minefield, it certainly is for me. Too many times I've gone in with high hopes expecting to find a great foundation and then left either with a slightly off colour or with nothing at all. I really do enjoy the feeling of spending loads on a high end foundation but they really aren't everything and I feel like I was missing out on the opportunity to try some of the amazing drugstore foundations out there. So is it true? Have I finally met my match?

It's quite strange, I've hovered about the L'Oreal True Match section for years, thinking one day either they'll change or I will and truth be told I'm not sure which one it was. I'm convinced that I have looked at the shade C1 Beige Rose a thousand times and it's never matched my skintone but on my most recent visit it just seemed to work (Chorus of angels singing Hallelujah in the background). So I nabbed it before I changed my mind.

Key Points:
- Light/ Medium coverage
- Matte finish
- Lightweight feel
- Good shade selection
- SPF 17

I apply this with my beautyblender because personally I think it gives the most even and natural finish. This is definitely a good match for me, whilst I still blend down the neck I almost find little need to because the colour is so spot on. I do think this is a good foundation, especially for make up newbies but I did find that after a couple of hours the make up began to separate and disappear despite using a setting powder and a good primer. The foundation does blend excellently so I think it's pretty difficult to mess this one up. I'll definitely keep using this but I think I'm still in search of my holy grail foundation.


Have you tried L'Oreal True Match Foundation?

Speak soon
Roo xx

BIRCHBOX August 2015 #BEAUTYJUNKIE

I'm so new to the whole Birchbox thing because as a general rule I am always late to the party. I have been getting this for the past 3 months (haven't blogged about them) so I think it's safe to say that I am, so far, taken by them.

This month was centred all around the emoji which is quite clearly shown by the very cute design of the box. within this box there are 6 products to try and 2 of which are make up items (yay!) and also a set of BIRCHBOX Emoji stickers. I have given most of the stuff a try so let me tell you a bit about them...

RITUALS FORTUNE SCRUB - £10
I am fast becoming a scrub-a-holic. This one has a Sweet Orange and Cedar Wood scent which I am really enjoying and does kind of get me in the mood or Autumn and more warming scents. The scrub has quite a fine grain, which I prefer, this allows it to be able to really give your pores a deep clean and help slough (sluff?) off dead skin cells.

(theBalm left, Lord&Berry right)

THEBALM COSMETICS BALM DESERT BRONZER - £15
Another brand I was too excited to try, I was a little disappointed when I saw the shade however, I feel that it's a little too dark for my skintone, though I understand that it with fit the majority of subscribers. Instead, I used this as an eyeshadow, it does come in quite a dinky little square pan so I thought this was quite fortunate for me, I think I would have been frustrated trying to get the product evenly onto a larger brush. It is a really nice medium warm brown shade with a light amount of shimmer and it blends really nicely into the crease.


LORD & BERRY BLUSH IN LOTUS - £17
Lord&Berry seem to come out of nowhere for me if I'm honest and I was totally dubious of the quality because I'd never heard about them before. When I did see the blush arrive in the box I was very excited because it means that I finally get to try something from them. The blush is in the shade lotus which I would describe as being a dusty rose sort of shade, ideal for pretty much every skintone and definitely a safe option for me. The product is so incredibly pigmented (light hand necessary!) and really easy to blend out. I have a little bit of love/hate for the packaging of this - It was sent as a pan. In some ways I love this because it is roughly about the size of a MAC shadow so you could fit it into and empty slot on a palette. However, if you don't have an empty palette to spare then you've got to keep the plastic outer packaging and I hate that because it really doesn't look very neat and tidy. Still a good product though!

(theBalm left, Lord&Berry right)

HUYGENS EXFOLIATING CREAM - £17.90
This is the only one I haven't tried yet, I think I'm going to wait until I have ran out of my other exfoliator before trying this. My face always needs a good exfoliate so this really comes in handy for me. The scrub uses rice powder to both smooth and purify the skin without causing irritation, I'll have to be the judge of that considering my skin is notoriously finicky.


KEBELO CLARIFYING SHAMPOO - £13.95
I was over the moon to see something like this arrive. I have been wanting to try a clarifying shampoo for the longest time but I never got around to buying one because they're always a little too pricey for my liking. These types of shampoos are used to really give a deep cleanse and help rid your hair of product build up from general styling. You are only supposed to use this once/twice a month, it could be damaging if you used it like a regular shampoo. My hair felt really revived and like brand new when I used this though I would recommend using and intensive conditioning treatment with this to give your hair an ultra soft feel.


FORMULA 10.0.6 OVERNIGHT SUCCESS SPOT MINIMIZING PATCHES - £2.95
This is the full size item in this months box and really I'm not sure about it. They are little patches that you apply over the top of blemishes before you go to bed and keep on over night. they use Tea Tree and Grape Seed to help create a more soothed complexion. I tried this and I wasn't impressed if I'm honest, I didn't see a single difference over night but I really didn't expect anything to happen. I kind of felt like an idiot with bits of sellotape on my face. I won't lie, I'm going to keep using these because, well, what's the worst that could happen?


For the most part I really like this box, I think it's a fantastic mix of everything. I've got to use most of this box and liked a lot of it so I count that as a total success. I am really looking forward to seeing what is in store for next months box too.

What did you think of this month's box?

Speak soon
Roo xx

Products I've Used Up | Empties

I don't do too many of these posts because usually I am too forgetful and end up throwing away something I could have talked about. Thankfully, I have remembered and created a little stash of empties that I can talk about.

I felt like I was being artsy and mysterious with this photo but let's face it, it hasn't turned out that way haha. I feel like there were a few other things I could have included at a push but it would only be grasping at straws. I mean how interested could you possibly be in my thoughts on Boots' own brand cotton buds?

LANCOME DREAM TONE 1 SERUM
Honestly I would never ever buy this for myself unless I was feeling super flush. This was bought as a birthday present and I finished it ages ago but I haven't been that active online and also haven't had a lot of empties to talk about so that's why it's taken a while to get around to. I really like this product if I'm honest, which makes it a lot harder to part with. It's very silky and moisturising and whilst I can't saw that I saw that changes that it promised (remove dark spots and even skin tone) I definitely liked using it but I think that there would be better, cheaper alternatives.


BATISTE DRY SHAMPOO LIGHT&BLONDE
I kind of wasn't a fan of this if I'm honest. I love Batiste Dry Shampoos but what really let me down about this was the pigment it came with. I've tried a few of Batiste's tinted formulas and I really think that the colours are so off. This one was extremely yellow which really wasn't what I wanted especially considering I had just bleached and toned my hair so I was trying to get away from that brassy/ straw look. It's a similar issue with the one formulated for red hair, unless your hair is dyed bright crimson the this will look incredibly obvious when you use it. I would skip this and try sticking to an uncoloured version.


NO7 BEAUTIFUL SKIN HOT CLOTH CLEANSER
If you are looking for a inexpensive alternative for Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish then look no further. This doesn't have an amazing spa like smell like Liz Earle but it ain't half bad. You literally rub this all over your face (including your eye area) and wipe of with a hot muslin cloth, which they include in the box and it will get rid of everything. I would wait until you get a £5 off skincare voucher from No7 because then it makes it even better value but if you don't have one then it is still pretty affordable.


ST TROPEZ TAN OPTIMISER BODY POLISH
This, to me, has a similar feel to the Clinique Sparkle Skin scrub. It's a very fine scrub that you use before and after you apply fake tan. I'm not much of a tanner but this scrub was really nice to use anyway. it helps smooth the skin and make it incredibly soft. This also has a pretty nice smell and is opalescent so it's got a really pretty shimmer to it.


LADY GAGA FAME EDP 100ML
I got this because I am a bit of a Gaga obsessive. I think she is amazing and super talented but I won't dwell too much on that. I usually get put off buying a celeb perfume because generally I think they are all a bit samey when you boil it down. Don't get me wrong, I loved this perfume and there is something appealing about those types of fragrances but I feel at times they can be a little juvenile (not that it's always a bad thing) when what I am after is something a bit more sophisticated. I probably won't go out of my way to buy this but I may try her newer fragrance, Eau De Gaga, in hopes that it is a bit more unique.


L'OREAL ELVIVE EXTRAORDINARY OIL
I think this is a fantastic hair oil, especially if you are just testing the waters (or should I say oils, heh). Generally I like to apply this to the ends of damp hair and then blow dry but I have recently gotten into smoothing over my fly-aways with the teeeniest amount so that I look a bit more pulled together. It does have a little bit of a fragrance but it's nothing offensive and I would really recommend this to everyone who is looking to tame or condition their hair a bit better.


THE BODY SHOP SHEA SHOWER CREAM
I got this as a Christmas present and it's a really luxurious feeling body wash though I do find the strangest thing about it - Before I actually apply it, it smells weirdly like PVA glue but then when I begin to lather it the shea butter, chocolatey/vanilla scent comes out. I do feel like I went through this pretty fast though :/


LUSH RO'S ARGAN BODY CONDITIONER
I swear one day soon I will invest in a vat of this stuff I love it that much! Another Christmas present that I used up long ago but haven't gotten round to repurchasing. Typically I hate rose scents but there is something about this, given that it is mixed with Argan oil, that makes the smell just divine. Every time I used this it felt like such a treat as well, some lotions I just hate applying because it feels like effort but because this is so smooth and velvety it just makes moisturising so much easier.


COLLECTION 24HR EXTREME LINER
I've been on a bit of a liner journey and sometimes you can't beat the basics. There has never been a truer thought than when it comes to this product. This has one of the most opaque and precise lines I have ever come across and I have tried my fair share of eyeliner. The nib is the perfect firmness to be able to control your line without pulling the skin too much. The only downside I would say is that it's not waterproof so that is something to be careful with.


KEVYN AUCOIN PRECISION BROW IN WARM BLONDE
I was looking for brow inspiration when Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Whiz took over the scene. It's not such a readily available product for me but I had heard great things about an Hourglass pencil and went in search of that one instead. So I headed to my local Space NK only to find that they don't stock a huge amount of Hourglass and didn't have the pencil I was after but the lovely woman who worked there showed me the Kevyn Aucoin Precision Brow instead so I purchased it on a whim. Turned out to be slightly more affordable than the Hourglass one and the colour match is amazing! I'm on my second one currently and though I am looking out for new things to try I know that this is going to be a top contender.



That is everything for this empties post but I have a feeling that it won't be too long until my next one as I seem to be finishing off a lot of products.

What have you used up recently that you have been loving?


Speak soon,
Roo xx