Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

I heard so many good things about this foundation, so a few months ago I took the plunge and bought it. I do like this foundation, however I do find the glitter a bit too overwhelming. Everyone who talks about this talks about how when you swatch it, the glitter is there but when you apply it onto your face you can't see it. I have to disagree with this, I caught myself in a car mirror on a sunny day and I looked like something out of Twilight. I don't apply too much of this foundation, just one layer using my Real Techniques Expert Face brush. This does put me off quite a lot as I worry about looking like a glitter ball so I tend to use a powder over the top, making it slightly redundant as a foundation which is meant to make my skin appear dewy. The glitter is something that doesn't really put me off using it completely, however I would have to say that I perhaps would not purchase again but maybe opt instead for the L'oreal Lumi Magique Foundation.

Summary: Meh. Would wear, but not repurchase. Could be nice in the right light, but in bright sunny daylight? No thanks.

Beth xxx

P.S. There is an issue whereby when I upload pictures onto here, they add weird black bits to my pupils. Weird. Sorry about that!

Stormy Days

So, tonight a big storm is predicted. Weather warnings have been issued and in some areas there are meant to be gale force winds. Even though the weather doesn't look too bad for where I live (surprisingly) I still see it as an excellent excuse for sitting inside and watching films. But sometimes, it's nice to just sit by the fire with  some music playing whilst reading a book. I've created a playlist over a 8tracks which has some music which I find perfect for listening to during a storm. What do you like to do during stormy weather? Leave a comment below letting me know!

Slowly Chilling from beth1562 on 8tracks Radio.

Beth xxx

Trend: Tweed Jackets

A trend that I absolutely love at the minute are textured blazers. They tend to cost around £30, however there are some lovely ones which cost a lot more. I think these are pairable with a pair of black or blue jeans and a simple top, or even a skater skirt with a simple top. Personally, I would pair these textured items with a plainer top because I wouldn't want to clash too much, however some of these jackets have been styled with striped or even checkered shirts underneath.
Here are my picks of this trend, both more budget friendly ones and higher end ones:

1. New Look Grey Heritage Blazer £29.99

2. Grey Leather Look Trim Blazer £24.99

3. Jack Wills Boyfriend Blazer £198.00

4. Barbour Blazer with Elbow Patches £229.00

5. H&M Jacket in a Wool Blend £35.00

6. ASOS Blazered in Textured Boucle £35.00

There are my picks of this trend!

Do you like this trend? Let me know in the comment box below!

Beth xxx

What I Wore On My Face #1

For some reason my eyes went a little funny in that last picture in the upload. Oops. No idea how to fix that. 

I wore this makeup look when going out for a meal with some friends, it's not too fancy but not too casual and that's why I like it. I used the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in true ivory as my base with my Nivea Daily Essentials Hydration Primer underneath it to really keep it in place. I applied the foundation with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and I am really impressed with the finish, it looks almost flawless. For a concealer I used the classic Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light under my eyes and to cover my blemishes, this was also applied using my expert face brush as I find that it's perfect for concealer. I used the MUA Blusher in the shade Lolly lightly on my cheeks to add a gentle flush. And then applied the raved about Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Big Bang on my lips. As for the eyes I used the MUA Undress Me Too palette. I used the shade 'Reveal' as a base over the whole eye, with 'Exposed' applied over the top of that. In the crease and outer third of the eye I used 'Corrupt' just to add some more definition to my eyes. I applied the Collection Extreme 24 Hour Eyeliner in Black lightly to add some more definition and Bourjois Kohl & Contour (Ultra Black) which is my all time favourite eyeliner. I find that it stays put as well as being very pigmented.

I found that this look stayed put on my face and didn't slide off during the night even though it was hot in the restaurant. If you have any thoughts leave them in the comments section below or tweet me @bethssecret 

Beth xxx

My Night Time Skincare Routine

Since I stopped using makeup remover wipes, my condition of my skin has improved incredibly. If you currently use make-up wipes I thoroughly urge you to step away and pick up new products. My main concern with changing up my skincare routine was the problem of cost, however I've found that it's probably actually costing me less in the long run and I'm getting much better results!

So the first thing I do is to remove my makeup using the Superdrug Hot Cloth Cleanser. You sometimes find that Superdrug and Boots do big reductions on certain brands at certain times so as a I got this on sale for £2.98 and it is thoroughly worth it. After the first use I noticed a good change in my skin, it's definitely brightened my skin. I take a 20p sized amount and apply to my dry face, including my eyes and work it into the skin for about half a minute. I then run the muslin cloth that it comes with under the hot water tap before giving it a gentle squeeze and using it to remove my makeup. The only problem that I find with this product is if I get a little in my eye it does sting a tiny bit but that goes away as soon as I remove the product.

Following this step, I then use the L'oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Water to remove any final traces of makeup. I just dampen a cotton wool pad with the product and then sweep it all over my face. I find that this really easily removes any final traces of my makeup and I sometimes use it in the morning if I don't have access to a sink to cleanse my skin.

If I'm going for a full pamper session, I follow this step by using the St Ives Apricot Invigorating Scrub, to remove the dead skin on my face (yummy) however I am in the market for finding a new way to exfoliate my skin so if you have any suggestions please leave them in the comment section below! After this step I would use the Beauty Formulas Cucumber 3 Minute Clay Mask. I found this product in Bodycare for only £1 and thought I would try it out, for a very very low budget product it is a reasonably good product, it does help to remove impurities. However I find that I need to leave it on a lot longer than the suggested 3 minutes and instead leave it on for roughly ten minutes and then remove using a warm flannel. I am interested in trying the Raw Skincare Little Muddies Replenishing Mask so as soon as I have a pop at it, I'll write a review on this blog.

Finally, I use the Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Oil all over my face which I have found to really soften my skin and has not caused any break outs! I follow this step by using the Nivea Daily Essentials Regenerating Night Cream on my forehead, nose and cheeks. This Night Cream was an absolute life saver a few months ago when my skin became irritated and really really dried out and it started to flake badly, a few nights of using this and it stopped and became healthy again.

So that's my night time skincare routine! If you have any suggestions please leave them in the comment section below or tweet me @bethssecret !

Beth xxx

What I Wore Today

A quick little outfit post on what I wore today. One of my friends was back from university for the weekend and so we went into town for a nice little coffee with another friend. I had a Bailey's latte and damn, it was delicious.

Because I was just meeting friends for a coffee, I kept it quite casual by wearing my blue denim jeggings from Primark (these were £7 and after 3 washes are still holding up okay), a silky feeling blouse from H&M that I picked up in their Christmas sale last year for £4 and my green vans. Because it was raining I opted for my red school leaver's hoodie and a checkered scarf which I found in Primark for £4! For makeup I kept it secret using the MUA Undress Mee Too palette. I used the shade 'Reveal' all over the lid with 'Obsessed' in the crease and outer third of the eye. I wore my Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in Black close to the lashline. For foundation I used the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation with the MUA Blusher in Lolly (which is a lovely peach colour) on the apples of my cheeks.

These pictures were from my Instagram, go check it out!

Beth xxx

My Morning Skincare Routine

Skincare is something which I've recently become interested in thanks to bloggers such as Caroline Hirons and these past few months I've got a bit obsessed with my routine. Over the summer my skin decided to go a little crazy and I've suffered with frequent break outs on my chin and forehead. However, thanks to a dedicated skincare routine, the breakouts have died down hugely!

In the morning, it's important to cleanse and get rid of all the sweat and dirt you picked up over the course of your night. Lovely. I have a Normal/Dry skin type and find that washing my face in the shower hugely dries it out so that's a big no-no. So, the first thing I do in the morning is to jump in the shower, wash my hair and body then wash my face using the Boots Skin Clear Ultra Treatment Wash applying it onto dry, un-dampened skin. I have found this to really reduce the amount of spots I have, it also clears them faster. However, if I'm finding a lot of blackheads on my skin, I'll use the Garnier Skin Naturals Pure Deep Clean Cream Wash (I seem to be going for products with ridiculously long names!) as I find that it helps to clear my blackheads. However, even though it states that it doesn't "over-dry skin" I find that it does leave my skin feeling quite dry, quite quickly. If I feel that there's still some product left on my skin, I will use the Olay Refreshing Toner which is at the bargain price of £1.99 at the moment. I just pour some of this onto a cotton pad and sweep it across my skin in upward motions and wait for it to dry.

After it's dried, I go in with my Superdrug Simply Pure Aqua Hydrating Serum which is currently on offer for £2.28, down from £4.59 so grab it whilst you can. I love this product, I have found that it has greatly improved how my moisturiser sinks into my skin. If you have dry or de-hydrated skin, I cannot recommend this product enough!

The final step in my morning skin care routine is to moisturise, of course. If it's a no-makeup day, I'll wait about 30 seconds after applying my serum before slathering on my Johnson & Johnson Day Moisturiser for Dry Skin, I've found this to be perfect for my skin as it sinks in well and moisturises my skin effectively. However, if it is a makeup day, I will use the Nivea Daily Essentials Hydration Primer Normal/Combination to prime and moisturise my skin. My only problem with this is that I wish that I had picked up the one for dry skin as it doesn't quite moisturise my skin as much as I would like it to. But, it does help to stop my makeup sliding off my face. I find that this isn't something you you can apply with a moisturiser underneath as the primer starts to roll off. 

So that's my morning skincare routine! My night time skin care routine will be up tomorrow but in the mean time, go check out my September monthly favourites as well as my twitter and instagram @bethssecret.

If you have any post suggestions for me, or any comments, leave them below and I will get back to you!

Beth xxx

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My September Favourites!

Even though it's halfway through October, I thought I should try doing a September Favourites/Review post! September saw a lot of my friends leaving for university and me trying a lot of new products which I've reviewed here. These are some of my favourites from this month:

My first favourite is the Cocoa Butter Firming Butter. I love this moisturiser. Recently, I've been trying to tone up and in an attempt to prevent stretch marks I started using this product.Even though this product is meant for post-pregnancy and I haven't just given birth, I love to use it. I love the scent! Some bloggers have stated that they don't really like the smell and I do admit that it is a powerful scent however I find it to be quite pleasing. As well as this, it moisturises incredibly effectively and leaves my legs feeling soft. However, the one downside that I have found to this product is that it does seem to leave a slightly filmy texture on my legs. But if you can deal with that, then I recommend this product. Whether or not it actually prevents stretch marks, I so far have yet to see any stretch marks that it does seem to have lessened the ones on my bum a little after daily use for over a month. I would strongly recommend this product, especially as  it lasts for aaaaages. It's available here for only £4.85.

Another of my favourites is the Collection Eyeshadow Pencil  in Hot Chocolate. This is an absolute lifesaver. I run it over my lids then blend out the edges with a fluffy brush for an eyeshadow look which literally takes seconds. Sometimes I will add in a little black to the outer third of my eye for a smokey look, however most of the time I try to keep it casual with a small amount of liquid eyeliner. This eyeshadow pencil is only £3.19 here and with a primer it lasts me a decent 8 hours. I mean, this stuff is tough. It survived a two mile walk and a breakup during a heatwave.

My third favourite has to be the Superdrug Hot Cloth Cleanser with Muslin Cloth. I use this every night to remove my makeup (skincare routine coming soon)  and I have genuinely found it to improve the quality of my skin and brighten it. I take about the size of a 20p onto my fingers and apply to my skin and over my eyes and it melts away my makeup. The muslin cloth that comes with it is of a fair quality, however you will need to stock up on some more to prevent the spread of bacteria. This product is on offer right now here for only £2.98 so go grab it!

My final beauty and skincare favourite has to be the Dirty Works Buttery Salt Scrub.  I got this item from Sainsbury's where I found it on offer for a mega cheap £2.50!! However, I think it has gone back up to it's original price of £5 I cannot recommend this product enough. The size is a massive 300ml and the scent is glorious. It reminds me of the Soap and Glory products, but at a much cheaper price. It has quite a grainy, but moisturising consistency which is perfect for buffing away dead skin on my body.

As for my favourite YouTuber this month, it has to be Gabriella Rose or "velvetgh0st" http://www.youtube.com/user/velvetgh0st , I think that she is so funny and pretty and deserves a lot more subs as her make-up tutorials are wearable. If you have some time, pop over to her channel and take a look!

Finally, my favourite music artist of the month is RAC. Short for 'Remix Artist Collective', they produce remixes of various songs however they don't change the song entirely, mostly they just add a more catchy drumbeat in the background and change the song a tiny bit. My personal favourite remixes have to be their remix of "Next Year" by Two Door Cinema club soundcloud link here and their remix of "Laura Palmer" by Bastille soundcloud link here. Personally, I prefer both of these remixes to their originals as they are so much more upbeat and perfect for pretending that summer isn't over!

Thankyou for reading through my first ever post! If you have any questions tweet me @bethssecrett or leave a comment below!

Beth xxx