Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation // Review

If you saw my recent Sephora haul you'd know that I picked up the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation. Since then I've used it quite a few times and decided to share my thoughts with you. I picked up the shade 2.0 which is about right for my skin. It looks quite yellow toned in the bottle but once blended in these don't come through quite as much. It recommends that you shake the bottle before use as the product itself is fairly runny in consistency. The small pump though allows me to get exactly the right amount out to cover my face, and it's easy to add a little more should you need to. I buff this into my skin with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (which is my go-to at the moment) and it's very quick to apply, disappearing seamlessly into the skin without having to spend ages blending (unlike the Laura Mercier Silk Creme- I love it but it takes a long time to apply!). I think the coverage can be very varied, depending on how much product you use. Normally I like to build it up to a medium coverage for an everyday look, but if I'm not being too fussy I can just apply a very light layer all over to even out my skintone.

The main downside that I'd seen reviewers mention was the staying power of this foundation. I've used this quite a few times already to get a feel for it, including in very hot Florida weather. My verdict is that the staying power is not too bad. It lasts most of the day, but it does usually wear off first on my nose and chin. Obviously wearing a primer underneath helps to avoid this but really it's not a huge downside for me. If I want a super flawless, very long lasting look I'll always reach for my Tarte foundation as it claims 24 hour wear, but this works nicely for a normal day, if I'm just running errands and am not up to a huge amount.

Overall, I'm really pleased with this product and it's already become a staple in my make-up routine. As I picked it up from Sephora in America it was a little cheaper than it is here in the UK but it's available in Debenhams for £27.

Olivia Ellen XXX

Office Wanderlust Suede Boots // Shoe Unboxing

This A/W I've fallen head over heels for suede. I recently picked up a suede jacket and there's a few suede pieces on my wishlist at the moment so you can imagine my delight when I spotted these suede peep toe ankle boots in Office. Admittedly, these aren't exactly weather-appropriate if it rains but they're so beautiful that I know I'll wear them a lot anyway. The heel height is about 2.5 inches which means they'll be fine for everyday wear. The suede is super soft, both inside and out, making them very comfortable, and the adjustable ankle strap gives them the perfect fit. They look fantastic with my blue mom jeans and the suede jacket (an outfit you'll no doubt be seeing here very soon), as well as with black jeans and my favourite leopard print skirt. While they were fairly pricey (student discount helps to justify this though!) I think they're fantastic quality and providing I spray them with a suede protector, should last me a long time.

Olivia Ellen XXX

The Blunt Midi Bob

Suprise! I had a bit of a drastic hair change yesterday and I was so happy with it that I thought I'd share it with you. If you have a look back through some recent outfit posts you can see how my hair was previously- fairly long with light blonde ends but very dark brown roots. I've been growing my hair for years after having a very short pixie cut when I was about 13 and it was a decent length but the ends were gross- they got tangled easily and just always looked messy, no matter what oils or products I put through them. While I'd been enjoying experimenting with bright colours over the blonde base, the last few weeks I'd just become more and more unhappy with the colour. My roots were a dark brown that made the blonde look very unnatural. It was also looking quite brassy, and overall I was just tired with it. No matter how I styled it, I was never completely happy so I booked myself into the hairdressers to get it fixed up.

I knew I wanted a really blunt cut and my hairdresser was so thrilled by this, chopping away all the straggly ends that instantly made my hair look in better condition. It's quite a lot shorter than it was, sitting just on my shoulders, but it's still long enough to tie up and style. As for the colour, it was a very last minute decision to go darker, as I was originally going to go for a dark blonde all over but changed my mind the night before! I went for a warm chestnut brown all over, although there are still some tones through it from the highlights that were already underneath, so it looks beautiful when it catches the light. I'm so pleased with how it turned out- I was nervous I wouldn't like it but I think it's such a welcome change and really makes a difference to how I feel about my look. I got this done at Cute Hair in Wolverhampton, a salon I've been going to for years and would really recommend if you're in the area!

Olivia Ellen XXX

Summer Beauty Favourites

I know it's not long since I did my August favourites but I thought I'd round off the summer with my favourites products from the last few months. While I'm super sad that summer is over, we haven't exactly had the best weather and this autumn brings a really exciting new part of my life, plus I'm loving the look of this season's trends, so there are some positives (although in three months when I'm wearing 5 layers with a sniffly nose we'll see if I'm still saying this!). Anyway, let's look back over the summer!

The most obvious favourite is of course my Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue. It's the perfect light base but one that I'll definitely keep using through the winter months because it keeps my skin feeling so nourished and hydrated and adds a gorgeous glow to my skin. Another product that I've been loving is the Clinique Pop Lipstick. It's really moisturising and glossy but with a really intense colour payoff although to be honest I probably haven't used this as much as I should. A product I've only recently found is the Charles Worthington Sun Protection Shampoo and Conditioner as I picked up a mini bottles of these to take on my holiday. The small bottles actually didn't quite last me two weeks so I did have to pick something else up while I was there but I did really enjoy this combo. It made my hair feel so soft and my dry ends practically disappeared. As I wash my hair everyday on holiday I was worried it would look a bit limp but this wasn't a problem at all.

Something that I'll definitely continue to use all year round is the Soltan Shimmer Body Oil. While scent-wise it's probably not on the same level as the Nuxe or Tom Ford one, it's still a great dupe for making my legs look lovely. It's important to shake it up before applying it (something I've forgotten to do many a time!) as the shimmer particles do sometimes sink a little in the bottle, but once rubbed into my skin leaves it feeling super soft, enhances my tan and gives a perfected look. Finally is the Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scent. It's the sugar crush scent condensed into a really strong body mist, that really lingers on the skin and hair. It's a fresh scent that will remind me of summer whenever I spray it.

Olivia Ellen XXX