The Perfect Pick-me-up?

The Caudalie Beauty Elixir is a product that is very much raved about on the blogosphere and YouTube beauty community. Put simply it is water in a bottle! I picked up the 30ml size for around €10 when visiting Brussels last week to see what all the fuss was about.
The scent is very much an 'acquired taste' I would say, the main ingredients are extracts of grape essential oil of rosemary (..wtf), orange blossom and rose extracts etc etc. When I first used this product I was overcome by the scent, it is very strong and sort of herbally-smelling but quite pleasant in my opinion. However, it may not be to everyone's liking and I have heard many people complaining about it (including essiebutton and Zoella).
I was quite sceptical about spending my money on this as it is not cheap (the full-size is nearly £30) and the first time I sprayed this on my face, in all honesty I didn't notice much of a difference. However... I've come to notice a real difference in my skin after several applications, and it leaves you with a much more glowing complexion. I like to use it if my makeup is looking a bit too cakey and I want a more fresh and dewy finish. The smaller bottle is also the perfect size for popping in your handbag to refresh yourself throughout the day.
I'm not too sure if I would invest in the larger size in the future, I've heard that some people like to use it as a toner but personally I think you can get better things for the price. I would definitely consider repurchasing the smaller bottle though for using on days when I'm feeling a bit bleurgh! ;) 
You can pick up Caudalie products in the UK at www.feelunique.com

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse

Quite a few of my friends swear by the Maybelline 'Dream Matte Mousse' foundation, an air-whipped formula for normal to oily skin. It comes in a cute little pot and with 18ml of product at £7.59, it was a bargain especially compared to other foundations I have tried.
I decided to try it and picked up the shade 010 Ivory, the third-lightest shade. I normally go for either the lightest or second-lightest, but this colour seemed to match my skin the best. It is best applied with fingers which is quite good for on-the-go I suppose, and blends very easily.
However, in terms of longevity, it really didn't last the day. I applied it the other day at about 7.30am and when I looked in the mirror at about 10am my skin really wasn't looking great. In my opinion its an OK foundation for touch-ups throughout the day, but really isn't very good if you need lasting coverage, so I would suggest using a different foundation in the morning and carrying Dream Matte Mousse in your bag.
It did live up to its name upon application, and certainly mattified my skin. The problem was it just didn't last.
Have you tried this foundation? What did you think?

Dainty Doll by Nicola Roberts

'Dainty Doll' is a line of cosmetics by Nicola Roberts (from Girls Aloud) designed specifically to cater for pale complexions. As I have very fair skin, when I saw the stand in Boots I decided to give it a try.
I purchased a blush in the shade 03 'Money Talks', a beautiful dusty mauve colour with shimmer, comparable to 'Sin' by Nars in my opinion (although 'Sin' is more red-toned). The slimline compact comes with a mirror for on-the-go application, and has a funny retro picture of Nicola on the front. I think the packaging of the whole line is very nice and sleek, quite simplistic but tasteful.
'Money Talks' suits my complexion well and I would imagine it suits other girls with pale skin too, there are only three blushes in the line but this was definitely my favourite judging by the testers I swatched in the store.
If you're a Snow White like me, I'd definitely recommend you check out the Dainty Doll line available in Boots!

March Favourites!

Hey everyone, I've seen a few other bloggers do posts like this so I decided to give it a go! These are just some of the products I've been reaching for in the month of March. Also, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while and I realise its getting quite late in April for a favourites post but oh well!

Paul Smith 'Rose' Eau de Parfum

This is a perfume that I've been loving this month, as the name would suggest it is a lovely rosy scent. I noticed that essiebutton recently did a post about her love for rose scents and I definitely agree with her! It is a relatively affordable perfume at about £25 for 100ml.

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder (shade 52)

This is a much raved-about bronzer on the blogosphere, I got it for £6.99 which is next to nothing compared to the staggering £25 I paid for NARS 'Laguna'. I heard it's meant to smell like chocolate, I don't know if I would agree with this but it definitely does have a lovely sweet scent. In terms of colour it is a more golden-toned brown with shimmer.

Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in 'Apple Blossom'

This lipstick is SUCH a bargain at just £1.99 from Boots. I first heard Barbara (ThePersianbabe) talking about this on her channel, its a nudey-pink shade comparable to 'Creme d'Nude' by MAC but with a bit more pink. I generally find the Natural Collection lipsticks to not be too drying and be fairly pigmented, amazing for the price!

NARS blush in 'Sin'

I definitely prefer NARS blushes to MAC, they are just so pigmented and long-lasting with an amazing range of colours. 'Sin' is quite a popular shade, its quite a dark berry colour with gold shimmer. I think its just so pretty and its a very wearable colour, I've been wearing it a lot during March.

What were you all enjoying using in March?

Thoughts: Clinique 'Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss'

This week, bored waiting for a train at London Bridge I popped into a newsagent's in search of a magazine. I was so excited to discover that this month's 'Cosmopolitan' (£3.50) comes with two mini Clinique products!

I snapped one up quick, and received my free 'Moisture Surge' and 'Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss'. There is also another edition where you can receive the '7-day scrub cream' and a mascara.
The concept of the superbalm is that it adds gloss and a hint of colour to the lips, while also acting as a conditioning balm. Mine is in the shade 10 Grapefruit, a pale blue-pink, and the mini size is 7ml (full size 15ml).
The gloss claims not to be sticky, and I would definitely agree with this. It doesn't give quite as much sheen as I would have liked, but it was a great bargain! Clinique seems to have a good range of neutral shades, and the full size retails for £13.50 (the same as MAC lipsticks).
I am obsessed with lip balm and carry one in my handbag at all times, so this product is great for using on the go. I would definitely recommend picking up a copy of Cosmo to get your free gifts!