I’ve left my favourite and brand new Lancome mascara at my in-laws house along with quite a few other bits of my make-up collection. I’m going to blame it on my pregnancy brain which seems to be getting a little scatty! So I popped into Boot’s to try and find a cheap alternative to tide me over for a little while.

I found this new addition to the 17 make-up range which fitted the bill perfectly. The Peep Show mascara claims to lengthen the lashes and add extra volume to give you a “full, flirty flutter”. I like proper brushes with bristles rather than the plastic type as I find them easier to use and this mascara is exactly that. The brush is just the right length to coat all your lashes in one sweep and the formulation is clump free.

I think I still prefer my Lancome Hypnose mascara which gives me more volume than this one however considering the Peep Show mascara from 17 is only £6.2 it’s a good alternative. Just a couple of coats was enough to give my lashes the extra volume I want for a day time look.

Since falling pregnant my usual Botanics Cleansing Balm just doesn’t seem to be keeping my skin clear in the same way it used too. Previously it had been doing my wonders fro my slightly troublesome skin and I’d suffered hardly any breakouts. Unfortunately for me pregnancy seems to make my skin go a little haywire so I’ve decided it’s time to try a new cleansing routine.

Elemis is such a famous brand which is used in so many spa’s that I decided it would be well worth a try as it has products for all the different skin types. I had originally been going to buy the full size products however I spotted these travel size 50ml cleanser and toner’s which I thought would make the perfect trial size. This size allows my a good 6 weeks of using the product to see if it suits my temperamental skin before buying the full size products.

The cleanser I’ve opted for is the Balancing Lime Blossom Cleanser which is suited to oily, blemish prone skin types. The cleanser is a creamy liquid which removes all the excess oil and any makeup or dirt from my skin without leaving it feeling dry. My skin feels a lot smoother than it has done in a while and I’m suffering fewer breakouts which makes my feel as though it must be cleansing deep into my pores.

The toner is from the same range and is Balancing Lavender Toner. It doesn’t contain any harsh alcohols or astringents which can dry your skin out. It seems to remove any final traces of oil or makeup which may have been missed whilst cleansing and leaves my skin feeling soft and clean. I think it’s also meant to help re balance the pH of my skin which will help to prevent any further break outs.

I picked up the cleanser and toner for £6.20 each from timetospa which also offers free postage and packaging. I’ve been really impressed with these products and will be buying the full size versions however if you want to buy something smaller as a trial size then this travel range is a good buy.

I’m struggling a little at the moment with my skin as pregnancy seems to give me oily skin and breakout’s  rather than the lovely glow that most people refer too. My usual foundations just don’t seem to be working quite as well for me so when I spotted the new Blemish Balm Foundation from 17 I figured I might as well give it a try.

This is an all in one foundation which is meant to target all my problems areas of blemishes, shiny patches and sometimes even a little bit of dry skin. This foundation is meant to give reasonable coverage with a smooth finish and it also offers a little bit of SPF to help protect your skin from any sun (if we actually see any!).

The formulation is a thick liquid with almost a creamy finish. I’ve picked up the light shade which seems to suit my very pale skin quite well. I didn’t fancy doing a close up picture of my pregnancy skin so I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with a couple of swatches on my hand!

The foundation blends really easily and gives a smooth, matt finish. In terms of oil control this seems to keep my shine at bay until late afternoon where as most of my foundations seem to need a lunch time touch up. I’d say this was only a medium coverage and a concealer is definitely needed however it’s perfect to apply quickly in the morning with your fingers. I don’t even need to use a powder to set it.

I picked this up for £4.99 as it currently has £2 off in Boot’s which is an awful lot cheaper than most of the other foundations I own yet it seems to suit all my daily needs at the minute.

I finally have the Internet again after a very long wait for BT to come and install a phone line so I shall starting to blog again. I have a little bit of a back log of things I’ve got over the Christmas period but I thought I might as well start with this giveaway from Max Factor and Special K.

From now till June if you buy Special K all you have to do is go online and enter the promotional code from the pack to be in with a chance of winning this red Marilyn-esque lipstick. The shade is called Ruby Tuesday and is certainly not a colour for the faint hearted!

As with most Max Factor lipsticks the formulation is rich and creamy which gives a stunning scarlet colour. This shade has slight orange undertones which helps to make this a warm shade of red which I think will suit a lot of skin tones. I’ve just dyed my hair dark brown and with my pale skin this colour does look very striking. I’m just now waiting for a party to wear it too!

I know my blog has been a little neglected over the last few weeks so I just wanted to do a quick post to explain my absence! We’ve just moved house and with a 2 year old it certainly seems like a mammoth job though admittedly lovely to be settling into somewhere bigger. We’re currently with out the internet until BT get themselves sorted but hot hopefully soon we’ll be back up and running.

Image from here

We are slowly starting to get sorted for Christmas so hopefully next week I should find a little time to spend on my much neglected blog and my also rather neglected beauty collection which I’m just slowly starting to unpack.

Merry Christmas to everyone and by the new year I should have lots of wonderful posts back up on here!