Natural Collection Makeup Haul

I have been meaning for a while now to do a haul of products from the Boots Natural Collections range and I finally got around to it. It's so cheap I have to admit I really wasn't expecting much, but have been pleasantly surprised.
First of all I will list the products I bought:

• ShineAway Foundation in Walnut
• Blushed Cheeks in Dusty Pink
• Cream Blusher in Naked Glow
• Eye Liner in Black
• LashBuild Mascara in Black
• Corrector Stick in Green
• Moisture Shine Lipstick in Berry Blush

All of these products are £1.99 each; there is currently an offer on that is 3 for £5 so I got 6 then couldn't resist one more to test out.

At first I used the foundation, which is really nothing special. I applied it with my fingers (after applying a base coat of moisturiser to keep the foundation on for longer) and it didn't work out well at all - it was uneven, patchy and had streak marks from where my fingers were moving the product around. I re-tried though, determined not to give up, and used a foundation brush the second time around applying small amounts of product at a time and it worked a treat. It has very light coverage, but I think that's nice in summer, don't want to be caked in make-up.

Next I tried out the powder blusher (Blushed Cheeks), applied it with a blusher brush and it was ok. I applied the cream blusher to my other cheek and could barely see it at all (it may be as I'm slightly tanned at the minute, will probably show up better on its own with paler skin). I then had a little idea to apply the cream blusher over the top of the powder blusher and I'm glad I did because it looks great, gives a really healthy summery glow.

I then tried out the mascara and all I can say is that I am in love with it! It's totally brilliant, opens up the eyes, no clumps at all, lengthens and separates lashes better than any other mascara I've used, it's brilliant. I do think it's more of a "day time" look rather than a night time one as it isn't very dramatic.

I briefly tried out the eye liner on the back of my hand and it glides on brilliantly, and after about 5 hours of washing my hands, going to the shops and walking the dog etc, it was still there on my hand so definitely will stay put (came off easily with make up remover).

I bought the green concealer as it's been one I've always thought as quite unusual, to put green on your face to cancel out another colour; it's supposed to hide redness and I have a lot on my cheeks, nose and forehead so thought I'd give it a go, but again, having slightly tanned skin, it didn't really work as it was way too light. Will try this out again when the tans faded.

The lipstick is brilliant, I have 3 Natural Collection lipsticks and they're brilliant, they don't dry out your lips and they stay on for a decent amount of time before having to re-apply.

Here is as good a picture I could get to show the look I got from using the foundation, powder and cream blusher, mascara and lipstick. I love it for day time. Was also told I looked very "healthy" which I was pleased and worried about. I must look like a corpse for the rest of the time. Definitely try out the Natural Collections products and try and improvise with them as using them 1 way may not work or using them without another product may not look as good etc. For £1.99 each, you really cant go wrong.

Harajuku Lovers Sunshine Cuties Perfumes

I have been looking for the perfect summer scent without paying £30 for a bottle of expensive perfume. I wanted something that had a bit of a coconut smell to it and I assumed this would be a simple task to stroll into Boots and pick a body mist up for a few pounds and that was it... Unfortunately, that was not the case, and it has been quite a long winded process to find something I liked enough to be my summer "signature scent".

I first heard that The Bodyshop had made a summery twist of the classic "White Musk" (smell that we all remember fondly from the 90's) that it was a cooling spray for holidays and more importantly, it was not musky but a light summery fragrance. So I made a point of going into The Bodyshop and didn't want to doddle around so just picked it up, paid and left. As soon as I got in the car I got it out to spray some on and was happy at first - it had an ok smell and it did cool me down (it was a really warm day).
Unfortunately, by the time i was home and in the house, I couldn't smell it on myself at all. Throughout the rest of the day I continued to spray it over myself but 5 minutes later, the smell would be gone. I asked a few people to see if they could smell anything on me (just to make sure I hadn't just gotten used to the smell and couldn't smell it anymore) but nothing. Thoroughly disappointed to say the least. It is usually £8, but when I went in they had 30% of all day so got it for £5 something - not worth that and definitely not worth paying £8. The smell isn't even that nice, I'll only be using this as a "cooling down" spray on holidays. What a waste. I will learn from my mistake and take more time next time!

So a few days later, still on a quest to find this scent, I gave in and went to the Boots perfume counter. After smelling almost everything there, I asked the girl at the counter if i could smell some of the Harajuku Lovers perfumes (Gwen Stefani's line) as they had cute little bottles. There is the ordinary line with bottles looking like this:

and then the new summer line:

and I fell in love with the first one I tried, which is this one:
It is EXACTLY what I had been looking for - light, summer, fruity and... coconutty! I love it, reminds me slightly of Malibu (in a good way - not as sickly) which is convenient as it's usually my favourite mixer on holidays :). Unfortunately though, I was giving in to paying a little bit extra and I paid £14 for 10ml. I am not a huge perfume buyer so I was completely unaware as to just how little 10ml actually is... literally like a thimble full! You can't even buy any other amount in this line (you can buy 30ml in the normal range). I suppose its less weight in the suitcase. I am totally loving it though, smells gorgeous, smell stays on you and its summery summery summery down to a T (for me anyway!). The packaging is so cute, I love the different little dolls on each of them, really different.

I have to say as well that I did smell Sarah Jessica Parker's 'NYC' and it is amazing. Not the "summery scent" I was needing but if I had the money, I would have bought it, it's so lovely. Might treat myself to it in duty free....

What's your favourite scent? Do you have a "summer scent"?

Boots 17 - Nail Varnishes

In the last few months I have had a little bit of an obsession with nail varnishes and have created quite a large collection of different colours. I was recently having a look through all of my varnishes and I noticed a recurring theme with regards to the brand that I seemed to have bought the most colours from, this was Boots "17" line.

Most of the colours I had purchased from this line were bright, eye catching and summery. I have also been buying these a lot because they are very cheap (£2.99 each) and extremely good quality for the price. The colour lasts a long time, is very vibrant with 2 coats and I feel they are perfect for summer as they will look nice with a tan! Here are a few I applied quickly (sorry for the state of the application and my nails):
Definitely give them a go as you will not be disappointed. Buff the nail first before applying 2 coats of the varnish and if you want it to last longer, apply a top coat of clear varnish. Voila!

Let me know if you use "17" varnishes and how you found them.
What is your favourite nail varnish colour/brand?