Review: Dior DiorSkin Forever Foundation

I am not sure what has taken me so long to write this post as I bought this foundation before Christmas in the Boots 3 for 2 spend over £60 and get £10 of points offer thing.

I went crazy and got Coralista (review here), Origins Make A Difference Moisturiser (review coming soon!) and then this....Dior Skin Forever Foundation.

First up let's talk about the packaging:

What a beautiful white bag! I love the thick card that makes this bag and the gold and white ribbon tying it together looks amazing. So simple but chic.

When I got home I also found a load of samples in my bag!

Look at that haul! Perfumes, moisturisers and serums, how lush.

The blue box of the foundation was unexpected, I just assumed it would be black like everything else as this was my first Dior purchase.

But I quite like the navy blue colour and it's a little different from other brands yet still quite classic.

As you can see from the box I am colour 010, which is the lightest colour available.

This blends perfectly with my skin as I'm quite pale (NC15/20) but I feel they could go paler.

I took a photo of the blurb on the box for you to see.

I hadn't heard anything about Dior foundations if I'm honest and pretty much bought it on a whim.

One of the girls on the counter I've spoken to a few times was working and I needed to make my money up to £60 so I told her to sell me something haha.

I had no idea how much I was missing this from my life!

The bottle is beautiful (though really hard to not get finger prints all over!), I love the matte effect glass and the lid is quite chunky and feels nice and sturdy.

It also has SPF25 which is amazing for a foundation. Many have SPF 10 but don't normally have a high level like this.

I apply this like all my foundations, using my Real Techniques buffing brush and it goes on perfectly.

It's really easy to build up and cover certain areas but it doesn't feel cakey at all.

It has a semi matte finish which is perfect for me as I don't want it to be too matte but dewy foundations can make me look shiny.

In short I absolutely love it!

The photo on the left shows just the foundation, and on the right shows with Benefit's Coralista and Dallas.

What do you think of it? I think it covers well but doesn't look cakey.

For the time being, most other foundations have been completely forgotten about and I can see this is going to turn into an expensive habit of mine!

Also, I love how many sample items you get. I have always wanted to try out the Dior perfumes and some of their skin care has really good reviews.

I've been using the night cream for the past few nights and it's so thick and luxurious!

What do you think of Dior make up an foundations? Do you prefer high end or high street?

As my first high end foundation (exclusive of Mac) I can see how it costs extra and love the added benefits.

Also on a side note.....this foundations smells DIVINE!! It's so fruity and fresh smelling, not like some others...

L xxx

Spending Ban Update (5)

Hi all! Hope your spending bans are going well. I'm here with another update on mine....I've been doing really well and now have enough to actually pay off a  portion of my overdraft hurrah! Because of this I decided to treat myself with my Boots points, obviously! As part of our rules, this isn't actually breaking the ban so this is a good way to treat myself as it's a limited amount. I picked up some Apocalips as I just couldn't not buy them any longer. I'm a little annoyed at myself as I umm'd and ahh'd at the available colours for so long because there wasn't many left that were still sealed, that eventually I ended up putting back the wrong colour...booooooooooooooooo! I'm so annoyed. I'm hoping as it's still sealed and I have the receipt I can take it back and get the right one. I should really know the policy on this from working there haha. I also picked up the new Maybelline Rocket Mascara as the only mascara I have left isn't too great, not sure if it's too wet still but it can be clumpy sometimes. My update is early this week because I'm going to London with some friends, I cannot wait and may even do an outfit post next week if the photos are good enough! So copied from my last update my wish list now stands at:

1) Macadamia oil hair mask. Having used a sample of this it is quite honestly one of the best and I need to get my hands on it and make my hair feel like silk again!

2) An Origins serum. I feel as my 25th birthday looms ever nearer that I need to take better care of my skin, as mentioned in lots of previous posts. I would like to invest in a serum to prevent further wrinkles and damage to my skin so hopefully I can pick up one of these soon.

I have actually got a sample of the Perfect World serum to try this week!

3) Benefit boxed blushes. I clearly missed out on a few years of new products and now feel like my blush collection needs updating and revitalising with additional Benefit products.

4) A number of DVDs. I really want to update my DVD collection having not bought many in the past 5 years, I'm thinking Game of Thrones TV box sets along with others as well as ones like Magic Mike for some eye candy!

5) A new dress to go out in. I have my birthday coming up so I will be needing a new dress! No idea what type as op yet.....but I'm sure something slinky and figure hugging will be just the ticket!

6) Urban Decay Oz Palettes. The palettes are absolutely gorgeous and I want my hands on both the Theodora and Glinda looks, both serve my split personality for pretty pastels and smokey neutrals. I'm devastated that these have come out during the spending ban and I'm actually considering buying them and screwing over the ban.

7) Liz Earle Bronzer. I've seen M's and its such a gorgeous colour, I need it in my life for contouring for every day use!

I would have added Apocalips but now have them. What's on your wish list? Is your ban going better or worse than mine?! L xxx

NOTD: Essie's Ballet Slippers

As you well know, my collection of Essie polishes is growing faster than a chain reaction. I picked one up in America, and ever since have been sneaking them into my basket whenever I can.

On a trip before Christmas I picked up the infamous Ballet Slippers, the pinky nude that everyone raves over and is a staple in any nail wardrobe.

The colour is gorgeous and creamy, though quite thin in some places, requiring three coats for completely full coverage which is what I think looks the best.

I wasn't prepared for this as i expected it to be opaque in two like others, nevertheless the colour applied easily and I think it really is a perfect nude!

The only thing I can think of is that I like a range of nude shades so Ballet Slippers wouldn't be my one and only nude, and so calling this a 'one stop nude' for everyone isn't quite right....
But Essie has obviously thought this through as they have the biggest range of nude coloured polishes that I've ever seen!

I've seen a lot of posts on Fuji recently which looks gorgeous and looking on their website just baffles me!

What's your favourite Essie nude? Which one would you recommend?

L xxx

Review: Benefit Dandelion

I was lucky and for Christmas my other half cleverly consulted L on what I would like. L gave him some ideas and I'd been hinting after this blush a lot after purchasing Erase Paste (Review here) and the girl on the counter using it on me. I'd said Feeling Dandy to him most mornings for about 2 months as that was a Christmas Gift Set version I wanted. Bless him, when he went shopping he'd forgotten the brand so wondered round boots asking different counter girls for Feeling Dandy, unfortunately it had all sold out by the time he went shopping. I don't mind though as I've ended up with a bigger version of the blush.

I've never had a benefit blush before but had used a few of L's when I've been doing my make up round hers. At first I was sceptical of the cardboard boxes as I thought they'd get damaged and look tatty quickly. 6 weeks in and it still looks pretty good. I like that it's a flip back lid as it won't get lost and that it has a mirror in. 

I personally love the brush that comes with it. It's not the softer of brushes but it is amazing for applying the blush. The shape of it makes it really easy and I use the brush most days over my Real Techniques Blush Brush. I keep the little tray that comes with it to keep the brush and the blush separate.

Dandelion is a gorgeous soft pink colour. It is perfect on my rather pale skin. It goes on really easily and while it's pigmented it's perfect for building up. This blush is also perfect if you don't where blush much or are new to it as you can't over do it. As much as I love my Sleek Palette of blushes where they are super pigmented I have to be careful. With this it just looks like a gorgeous natural flush.

The swatch shows the gorgeous colour of it. It looks amazing on the apples of the cheeks and literally has been on my face almost everyday since I got it. I probably pick this one 9 times out of 10. 

As you can see it just gives a little flush of natural colour to the cheeks. I also have my Liz Earle Bronzer in the hollows of my cheeks. Another love of mine. I'll be reviewing it next week!

I literally couldn't be without this now. Dandelion Retails for £23.50 which is a reasonable price for the quality and you get a little brush too. The Feeling Dandy gift set I really wanted is on £24.50 and you get a smaller Dandelion Blush, Dandelion lip gloss, and mini's of high bean and posie tint. These set would be great gifts!

I really want to try another benefit blush. I love the look of 10 and Benefit Watt's Up. What is your favourite?

Love M

xxx