Scents of 2014

I am going to post some more outfits soon, PROMISE! I've just put on a bit of weight and I'm feeling very bleh, but there will be outfits gracing this blog before the festive season is out.
Anyway, I cannot believe how quickly 2014 has gone by! And now it's nearly Christmas! All the Christmas lights are on here in Plymouth, and everyone seems to have started their Christmas shopping, then there's me over here being a poor student who can't afford to buy people presents. The struggle is real. I LOVE buying people presents, and I don't want to brag, but I'm pretty darn good at it. There's nothing nicer than watching someone's face while they open the perfect present.
Around this time of year there are so many offers on fragrances and gift sets, so it's the best time to invest and get more for your money. I've actually bought a few perfumes over the course of the year and I thought I'd share my top 3 with you, just in case you want to treat yourself or someone else.

Viktor & Rolf - BONBON

'BONBON is composed of sparkling, effervescent mandarin and orange slices - crystalised into crackling pieces of caramel wrapping succulent fruit. The sweetness of paradise peach accord flirts tenderly with supple caramel notes, clinging to the roundness of peach’s fleecy surface. Sun-filled jasmine is sustained by orange blossom whose sweet flavour clings to the soft smell of caramel.'*

I purchased BONBON back in May, it hadn't been out for long. I decided to give it a whiff because I know how popular Flower Bomb by Viktor and Rolf is, and personally I thought this was even better! I love sweet scents and this really hit the spot, it's delicious. And truth be told, I've had so many compliments when wearing this! If you see it in a store, definitely give it a try, it might be my favourite ever.....

Marc Jacobs - Daisy Dream

'Light and airy, Daisy Dream is both floral and fruity. The fragrance captivates with delectable top notes of blackberry, fresh grapefruit and succulent pear. The heart imparts a rich, feminine jasmine, notes of lychee and blue wisteria. A dreamy drydown of white woods, musks and coconut water.'*

Can we just start off by looking at how pretty the bottle is! Absolutely adorable! My parents picked this one up for me when they got back from holiday in August, they weren't able to get it in duty free, but decided to treat me. It's not as sweet as BONBON but it's still sweet, light and feminine. It's a lovely everyday fragrance. Definitely one of my favourites.

Yves Saint Laurent - Black Opium

'Discover Black Opium, the feminine fragrance by Yves Saint Laurent – new glam rock fragrance full of mystery and energy. An addictive gourmand floral with notes of: Black Coffee – for a shot of adrenaline; White Florals – to instantly seduce; and Vanilla – for sweetness and sensuality. '*

This is my most recent fragrance purchase. I have a friend who works in Debenhams, so I got it for £31 instead of £44 which is brilliant! Also, because it's a Christmas set you get a 10ml one for your handbag, and the set costs the same price as the 30ml on its own. I'd had my eye, or my nose, on this one for a while, it's delectable. I can't really describe it, I just love it, and so does my mum now too. I also love the bottle, you can't see it too well in the photographs but the bottle is black and glittery with the glass circle in the middle, very chic.

*All perfume descriptions from http://www.theperfumeshop.com/

Skincare for Oily Skin - The Bane of my Life

Skincare is something I have a deep-rooted obsession with, and it extends to a foundation addiction.
I have very oily skin, and find that makes me more prone to large pores, spots and blemishes. On top of that, the oil my skin produces means that my foundation rarely lasts more than a few hours without the shine creeping through. I'm on a lifelong mission to make my oily skin become normal skin, and products are what I use to help get me there, so I'll let you know what I like, and I might slip in a couple of dislikes too! These are my opinions, and everyone's skin is different, so if I like or dislike a product, it doesn't mean it will affect your skin the way it affected mine.

Cleansers are just one of those things which you can buy and buy, and to be fair, I've not found any I hate using. I personally feel like a cleanser is a cleanser, as long as my skin feels clean then it's done the job. At the moment I'm using Clinique Liquid Facial Soap for Oily Skin, and I'm also using Fresh Farmacy from Lush, and I can't fault either of them. I like to switch it up and use multiple cleansers at the same time so my face doesn't get bored!

I also exfoliate a couple of times a week, and I'm currently working my way through a tube of Boots Skin Clear Ultra Deep Pore Facial Treatment Scrub which works well for me. Most weeks I will also use a face mask, and I found a great one in TK Maxx called Quick Fix Facials Anti-blemish Mud Mask. It was only £4 for a tube, which you can (supposedly) get 10 uses from, and it feels really nourishing, my skin feels super soft afterwards but it's not harsh at all, a great one if you've got sensitive, spot-prone skin.

Next come the toners. My favourite toner is Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3, which I'm actually out of at the moment! I can't really afford to buy more either, stupid small student loan! I would note that this toner is quite harsh, so if your skin is really sensitive maybe opt for something else, but I love the fact that my skin feels clean and tight after using it. So when I'm not using Clinique, I opt for Garnier toners, I like the ones with the Salicylic Acid in, because it helps to fight spots. Salicylic Acid is something which I often look for in facial products because it can dissolve dead skin cell build up in pores and encourages the shedding of the top layer of skin which prevents the pores from becoming congested.

Even if your skin is very oily like mine, it's very important to moisturise! Always remember that keeping your skin hydrated starts from the inside, and you should make sure you drink plenty of water each day. But there are also some great products available to add some moisture from the outside. I really like Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream from The Body Shop and Enzymion from Lush, these are my current go-to products of a morning. Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream sinks in like a dream, its more of a gel consistency, but nonetheless is moisturising and mattifying. When I first used Enzymion I was unsure about it, it left a residue on the surface of my skin which isn't something I like, however I do like the smell and the feel of it, and my make-up lasts just as well using Enzymion as it does when I use Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream.

Of an evening I usually opt for a serum, because I'm more likely to exfoliate or do a face mask at that time, and I just want something which will help my overall complexion while I sleep. For a little while I have been using Freederm Daily Complex which claims to visibly improve the complexion of spot-prone skin. I can't say I have seen a great difference since I've started using it, but it still makes my skin feel smooth and nice. However I won't be using it for a little while now as I've just purchased Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Serum, and according to the packaging I'll be able to see a visible improvement in my complexion in 2 weeks. Supposedly, glycolic acid regenerates collagen,thickens the epidermis and dermis, and evens skin tone. I've only been using it for a few days, but it's more gel-like than the Freederm serum, and smells citrusy, so I do quite like the formula. But only time will tell if it can live up to the claims it has made!

I'm not sure how I feel about primers if I'm honest, but I've got 2 on-the-go at the moment; Benefit Porefessional and MAC Prep + Prime. By the time I've cleansed, toned and moisturised, I generally feel my skin's ready for make-up without a primer, but I do like to use these if I'm having a no make-up day to improve the overall look of my complexion.

When it comes to foundation, I've tried SO many! At the moment I have 2 favourites; MAC Studio Fix Fluid and MaxFactor Face Finity All Day Flawless. Studio Fix Fluid is very full coverage and matte finish, I'm really happy about the shades they offer, they go very pale which is exactly what I need, I'm shade NW13. With Studio Fix Fluid I also use MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, which is my favourite concealer ever! It's my morning saviour for dark circles and blemishes. When it comes to high street, Face Finity All Day Flawless is my favourite, not as full coverage as Studio Fix Fluid, but still a decent amount, and it's just easy to apply. Also, it's primer, concealer and foundation all in one, so no need to buy loads of products if you're looking for a foundation you can slap on in a morning rush!

In contrast I've got 2 of my least favourites in the photo; Benefit Big Easy BB Cream and Urban Decay Naked Skin Liquid Makeup. The BB cream claims to leave a matte finish. It does deliver on this claim, it's such a light formula that somehow you look quite powdery with no coverage, and also, it doesn't last 2 hours on my oily skin. Definitely not worth the money. I had really high expectations for this, expecting light coverage, matte finish and good staying power, but that's not how it worked for me. The Naked Skin foundation was even more disappointment. It claims to have optical blurring technology (whatever that means) to blur imperfections, but it just covers them like any foundation. Also, it claims to have a demi-matte finish, and it did just after applying, but it didn't last. However that's not the worst part; the formula separated when my skin started to go oily and I looked very blotchy and awful, I was so embarrassed!

If you have any questions just drop me an email, and also please email me if you could recommend any products for my troublesome oily skin; kateannharvey@gmail.com
Thanks!

Iridescent loveliness

Today I thought I'd share all of the shiniest goodies I own with you, aren't they beautiful!

Pyramid Bag / Topshop

Iridescent Snake Cross Body Bag / River Island

Iridescent Snake Make-up Bag / Topshop

Iridescent Croc Notebooks / The Works

Holographic Coin Purse / River Island

Iridescent Snake Phone Cover / Topshop

Holographic Phone Cover / Primark

Happy Halloween

So yesterday it was All Hallows' Eve and I decided to get in the spirit of things, as you can see above.

Last week I purchased Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup by Urban Decay, and because of this I got a free make-up session with the girl on the Urban Decay counter, so when better to use it! I went for a sort of infected zombie look, and due to being a poor student I couldn't really afford to go all out and buy a costume, so I dug up some old clothes, chopped them up and got a bit of fake blood out. All the make-up used was by Urban Decay apart from the lips, as they didn't have a shade which fitted the look, so I used one of my Topshop Lip Bullets. I also painted my nails for the occasion, the polishes used are Barry M, the black is matte and the red is one of their gellys.