The Sun Has Got His Hat On

Hip, hip, hip, hip, Hooray! Yes, you read that right. It's actually sunny in Britain for once, the Sun really has decided to make an appearance. Obviously this meant I just needed to buy a new pair of shades.. for my eyes sake, of course.

Whilst in town, my Mum and myself popped into Dorothy Perkins to have a browse, which was guilt-free because they had an up to 30% off everything offer. These beauties had 20% off them (a worth while saving!) so instead of being a reasonable £8.00 they were a steal at £6.40. I adore the Tortoise style frame so much I even have a prescription pair of normal glasses similar to these.. In my opinion, they are so Summer-esque, "stylish" and effortless to wear. These sunglasses add so much to an outfit too and are an easy way to accessorise. And just look how funky is that little material case.

Find these specs at Dorothy Perkins here.

Fab Product Friday #1

 Firstly, yes this post is incredibly pink and typically girly, but don't stop reading now because I have a couple of budget gems to show you. We all know the drugstore brand MUA (find in-store in Superdrug or online here), delivering fairly decent products and change from a fiver. You'd imagine that their blushers would be chalky and powder like, while admittedly they aren't as good quality as brands such as chanel or dior (costing 10/20x MUA's price), the pigmentation is great and offers a variation of shades.

 Up first is the Mosaic Blush, for this you need a fluffy brush and quite a light hand, I like to use my Real Techniques Contour Blush - I know right, going against the rules there - and apply on the apples of my cheeks. You simply swirl the colours together gently and create the perfect, flawless blush that looks so radiant. The left appears more ''highlight-y'' and the right is designed for bronzing although it's more of a deep blush/bronzed hybrid. Scroll below for swatches. For only £2.50 each you can't go wrong and this product could compare to some much more expensive brands for a fraction of the price.

Lastly, the what I like to call (Miranda quote there) block o'blush, for a mere pound. One pound, crazy! These blushes give great pigmentation and have shades from being barely noticeable to I'M HERE... haha. Honestly, you do need to work this blush in well and it doesn't blend seamlessly at first, so experiment with these ones to find your preferred application. The interesting thing is: you could have 20 MUA blushers or 1 high-end blush, wow. I know it's nice to treat yourself and go for quality over quantity but if you'd like to bulk up your makeup collection then I know which one I'd recommend.

Above; 4 swatches of the following ft.bony hands (great): Left-right: (Mosaic) English Rose, Cupcake, Bon Bon, (Mosaic) Sunkissed Glow.

Overall, I can't believe how good-value these blushes are (although the packaging could be prettier...), I urge you to check them out! My favourite of all I have is Bon Bon, a lovely muted coral shade. What are your Fab Product Friday buys? I'd like to know, so leave a comment below:-)

Background used; Topshop Spring magazine. Check there collection out here.

REVIEW // Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

Yes, The Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation did disappoint me, greatly. Despite the fact I bought this around 1 year ago, I do occasionally use this (to see if my opinion has changed), although I don't see any difference. In my opinion, this foundation provides zilch (zero..) coverage or at the most very, very sheer. Covering no spots, redness or scarring - which is not what I want/need.

Plus points;

• A pump - for easier application, as some foundations don't offer one.. (why not Colourstay? Why not? Read my review of the Revlon ColourStay foundation here).
• It doesn't dry straight away - as in it won't dry before you blend (meaning less streaks).
• Large-ish shade range (well larger than most brands).
• Affordable price at £6.99.

And for me, the advantages end there... For some reason this foundation really doesn't work with my skin. Maybe it is due to my combination skin? Hmm not too sure. In my opinion, it just seems to ''disappear'' from my face.. the coverage completely goes and I'm just left with a mess. Thankfully the colour is light enough too, but, once applied there is a significant pink/rosy tint that is visible (to me anyway).

Overall, I unfortunately wouldn't recommend this to a friend. Even though some people love it (it seems), I just can't work with it and I wouldn't repurchase either. That's the end of ranting Rachel.. for now. On another note, do you have any wondrous products that you need to tell me about? I'd love to know!

Hydrating Lip Combo

Usually, I have dry, very chipped & cracked lips but this super combination of products returns them to tip-top condition and leaves hydrated smoothness instead. It's hard to describe the textures of these lip wonders, but i'll try my best...

LUSH, LUSH, LUSH. Where do I begin? Well, firstly, I bet you're looking at this Popcorn (yes, that buttery, yummy scent) lip scrub like ''I can make that with two spoonfuls of sugar and a bit of olive oil''. But no, this is so much more. The taste is to DIE for - sweet but salty. The product is made up with very natural ingredients (save enough to eat anyways) that make my lips soft, soft, soft. It exfoliates the skin too, buffing away the ''dead'' (ew) cells on the lips without being overly harsh. Purchase here - from their website.

EOS you've won me over, I didn't know much about this brand until my friend brought me one back from her holidays last Summer. This clever, sweetly packaged lip balm is like no other and hasn't left my side once. I think it's the tingling sensation once applied that pushes it from an okay-use-it-once kinda balm to a YOU'RE-STAYING-WITH-ME-NOW product. I have the ''mint'' flavour, which sure is minty. The taste/scent does linger awhile once on the lips and top-ups are only needed after 2/3 hours. I definitely recommend the trying EOS lip balm range, but buy in America/online as prices are significantly cheaper vs. the hard-to-reach stock in the UK. Purchase here - from Selfridges.

Do you have any combination of lip products you love to use? Or lip balms you always reach for in your handbag? I'd love to know, so leave me a comment below:-)