Product Review: Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation

I’m not entirely sure how long I’ve been looking for a "perfect" foundation, but I know it’s taken me two BB creams and two liquid efforts to find it. Until I was about eighteen, I didn’t wear much make-up (or at least I can’t remember doing so!). I can recall using a lot of cheap Seventeen pressed powder compacts, and then making do with just a basic concealer dabbed on the most offensive spots. For special occasions, my sister usually made me up, so I wore whatever she had in her make-up bag! Then there came the big ‘Beauty Balm’ (BB) explosion, and - off the back of several rave reviews I read in magazines and the like - I bought Smashbox’s ‘Camera Ready’ version. This worked for quite a while, as it boasted SPF 35 and was a lightweight, low-coverage option for my low-maintenance needs. However, as those needs developed into more complex (some may say borderline obsessive…) demands on my make-up, I started casting around for alternatives. This was whilst I was living in Washington D.C., and when I heard that Benefit had launched their "bigger than BB" Big Easy "liquid-to-powder" product, I popped down to the Sephora in Georgetown to pick it up for (slightly) less than I’d be able to in the U.K. Unfortunately, all that did was convince me that I was definitely a liquid, and not a powder (or liquid-to-powder!) kind of girl. It also made me aware of how annoying it is that you can’t really test products before you purchase them. Sure, lots of beauty counters offer mini-makeovers these days, but if they really know what they’re doing they’ll use an abundance of things (clever lighting, mirrors, sales people etc.) to convince you to buy. 

So I was pretty pleased when I found an "invitation" (read: coupon) from Estée Lauder to get a "10-day sample of your perfect foundation" - Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup - in a recent copy of Elle. My knowledge on the brand had somewhat increased in the recent months due to my outrageous obsession with all things Kardashian (no judgement, please); Kendall Jenner is their newest spokeswoman (read: stupidly high-paid model). I started looking for opportunities to visit a counter and take advantage of the offer, but it wasn’t until the New Year that I managed to get to one. The process was quick and easy: a friendly Estée Lauder consultant matched my shade by working with me to narrow it down from her three original picks to the one I felt would work the best with my skin and its needs. This was 1N1, or "ivory nude", and I got a 4ml pot to take away with me, tucked inside a little leaflet with details of the shade written down. 

Café Review: Reloved Tearooms (Dorchester, Dorset)

It feels like I’ve only just managed to sit down after one of the busiest weeks ever! I worked six days in a row, with three of those days being 10+ hour shifts, and I am shattered. Even after I finished yesterday afternoon, I immediately had to leave for a trip to visit my grandma (what a romantic start to Valentine’s Day, eh?!). 

So today’s post is just a quick review of a café my mum and I came across today in Dorchester. We’d left dad going through the list of odd jobs Granny’s always got stacked up for him, and took the dog for a wander through the town. When I was little I used to find Dorchester really boring and uneventful, but it’s sort of come into it’s own recently! Little independent shops and boutiques have sprung up, and their trusty department store Gould’s has had a much-needed facelift. It’s sometimes difficult having the dog with us, but a few places are happy to let him come in with us, or we take it in turns to browse whilst the other one waits outside!

Birchbox Review: January

I really liked this month’s box; not only did it come with some great products, but there were two freebies in the shape of a cute “#nofilter” slogan pocket mirror and five awesome postcards with some lovely quotes and graphics on them! Again, it was apparently a collaboration with Pinterest but I've yet to see exactly why... Anyways, I’ve also just opened this month’s (always behind, me!) and it looks just as promising!

Travel: Bristol

Why have two cocktails when you can have four (for the
price of two?!)

So my trip to Bristol was far too short, especially once I'd realised how well this city and I would get on! I was visiting a friend who's just moved there, but she had an exam the following Tuesday, which meant that I didn't go until Saturday afternoon, to give her time to revise. We'd booked a table at Turtle Bay, a Caribbean restaurant that has an amazing 2-4-1 happy hour - a rare find on a Saturday night! Apparently it's a chain (normally when I go somewhere new I like to find a more local place to eat), but we couldn't resist BOGOF cocktails! Apparently neither could anyone else, because the place was rammed! We managed to grab some drinks just before happy hour ended, and even a seat to drink them at while we waited for our table. It’s a good job we did, because the trip seemed a little wasted once we realised just how hot all the food was! Neither of us are big spice people but we figured that if we went for some safe options (i.e. nothing with the words “chilli” or “jerk” in them) we’d be okay. Uh-uh! Cue lots of water-downing. So, whilst I could appreciate how quick and fresh the food appeared, the experience was kind of wasted on us.