Tuesday 8 April 2014

Beauty Tag

Hello Lovelies,

I was recently tagged by the lovely Georgie at Bean's Beauty Blog to do a Beauty Tag. I have done the 
Would you Rather? Beauty Edition Tag before, which is similar to this one, so I have decided to just answer the questions I didn't answer in the Would you Rather Tag

If you fancy doing this Tag, copy and paste the questions and let me know when you have posted your answers.

Here are the questions.

If you had £500, would you spend this on clothes or makeup?
I would probably spend half of it on makeup and half on clothes, treating myself to some high end things I wouldn't normally be able to buy.

Bright nails or nude nails all year round?
I think I would choose bright nails, because although I love nude nails I don’t think I’d like to have them all year round. I love wearing bright colours on my nails especially in the Spring and Summer.

Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found one?
I like a really black one that separates my lashes and makes them look longer and thicker. I am loving GOSH’s The Secret Of Longer Lashes Mascara at the moment!

What's your ideal coverage foundation?
I tend to wear BB Cream or a light coverage foundation unless I am going for a night out and then I will use a more medium coverage one. I like a foundation to look quite natural.

Favourite High Street/Drugstore beauty brand?
I would probably have to say Rimmel, because I like several different products of theirs. I also think MUA are a really good affordable high street brand that means anyone can try out different looks without having to spend lots of money.

Favourite High End beauty brand?
I have to agree with Georgie and say MAC and Benefit.

Is there any makeup you can leave the house without wearing?
I don’t often leave the house without makeup unless I am just going to someone’s hosue. As a minimum I usually have BB Cream, Concealer and Mascara on.

What is your most cherished beauty product?
MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle, I love this highlighter and use it all the time. I also love my Naked 3 Palette that I got a month or two ago.

Do you have a budget each month, or do you spend freely?
I don’t have a budget as such, but I try not to buy too much as I have lots of products I don’t use enough already!

How often do you shop for goodies - online or in stores?
Probably a couple of times a month, but whenever I am near a beauty counter or just a shop that sells things like that I can’t resist having a little browse.

Do you always use the same skin routine or do you like switching it up?
Although I know it’s not great for your skin I do switch up things like my cleanser, exfoliator, serum and mask depending on what I feel like, although I tend to stick to the same moisturiser and I love Premae’s Crème Balms, in particular the Harmony and Triumph ones .

If you could only buy one makeup brand forever which would you buy?
For high street I would probably say Rimmel and for high end I would probably choose Benefit or MAC.

Which brand has your favourite packaging?
I think Benefit’s packaging in gorgeous!

Which do you apply first, concealer or foundation?
Always foundation and then use concealer if I feel I need to.

What skin type do you have?
Combination/Oily.

Name a makeup crime you hate.
I hate when someone’s foundation is a different colour to their neck and also really clumpy eyelashes. I use a metal eyelash comb every time I apply mascara and love it for separating out my lashes.

Quick Fire
Blush or Bronzer? Blush
Lipgloss or Lipstick? Lipstick
Foundation or Concealer? Concealer (I always wear this under my eyes)
Brushes or Sponges? Brushes
OPI or Essie? Essie
Lotion or Body Butter? Butter

I tag:
Hayley from Hay Sparkle
Sophie from La Vie Sophie
Emma from Emma's Treasures
Amy from Amy J Walters

And all of you! x

If you do this Tag, let me know, I’d love to read your answers and make sure you check out Georgie's answers here.

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x

Tuesday 1 April 2014

Avène Soothing Hydrating Serum

Hello Lovelies,

I am always excited to try new skincare products, so when I saw Escentual were looking for bloggers to try Avène Soothing Hydrating Serum, I jumped at the chance and I am really pleased that I did, because it has definitely improved the look and feel of my skin.

I hadn't tried anything from Avène before and didn't know much about the Brand or their products. They are a French Brand that use Avène Thermal Spring Water in their products, which is known for its 'soothing and anti-irritating properties',  making them 'the ideal line for sensitive skin'.


This Serum is 'highly concentrated in Avène Thermal Spring Water' which  'provides an immediate calming effect' and also contains Glycerine that 'offers superior moisturising, suppleness and comfort'. Avène say this Serum will leave your skin with a 'velvety feeling' and with 'balance and softness restored'.

This Serum has a lightweight gel texture that feels really refreshing when applied and absorbs quickly into your skin, leaving it feeling silky smooth. I have been using this for about 2 weeks now and I apply 2-3 pumps in the evening and then wait a few minutes for it to really sink into my skin before I apply my moisturiser. 


I have combination/oily skin and have had a few drier patches recently, but since using this they have gone and I have definitely seen an improvement in my skin, it now looks more even and feels much more hydrated. Sometimes products that aren't specifically designed for combination skin can make my skin a bit more oily than usual but this hasn't :)

The bottle is made of glass which I think makes this feel like a luxury product and the pump is perfect to make sure you get just the right amount of Serum. 

After using this I really want to try some other things from the Avène range, especially the Thermal Water Spray and Cleanance Mask.

If you are looking for something to help soothe and balance your skin I would definitely recommend Avène Soothing Hydrating Serum especially if you have sensitive skin. You can get this from Escentual here and at the moment it has 15% off  and is only £14.45 for 30ml! 

Have you tried this or any other products from Avène?

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x