Love Lolo Mulberry Alexa Bag Liner Review

Owning a Mulberry bag was a dream of mine for a long time I thought wouldn’t come true. I was saving and saving to buy myself one as a special treat, but I wasn’t quite close enough to get one.

Knowing how much I wanted an Alexa, my Mum managed to convince my Dad to buy me one for a 21^st birthday present and it’s been my pride and joy ever since!

Unfortunately, she’s been loosing her shape recently and hasn’t been coming on many outings. I still love her, but I didn’t want to get her damaged as a result. To our rescue, the lovely ladies on a Mulberry facebook group introduced me to the world of bag liners, and after a bit of research and deliberation I decided to treat myself to one.

There don’t seem to be many bag liner manufacturers in the market at the moment. I managed to find just two; Samorga based in Asia and Love Lolo in the UK . There was very minimal difference in price (around £33 including postage) but the delivery time was much quicker from Love Lolo. And since I’m really impatient, I opted for the quicker delivery. I can’t fault the delivery at all. I ordered it on the Monday night, and the postman delivered it on Thursday. Very quick!

All Love Lolo liners are made from felt and come in a range of different colours to suit all the different range of Mulberry bag colours. I opted for Pewter. With 2 small inside pockets for your phone/keys, and a larger one perfect for a tablet/e-reader to slide in, the liner is great for adding a bit of extra organisation into your bag. The felt is very thick, and seems to be of good quality so I have no worries that it wouldn’t survive through some hard work and use.

I did worry that I’d ordered the wrong size liner as it took a little bit of manipulating to get the liner into my bag. But now that it’s in, I can definitely confirm I bought the right size and can see the difference it’s made in my Alexa’s shape. She looks to have doubled in height and has all her shape back in her.

I never thought felt could make so much difference to the shape of a bag, and I was very worried that I was spending a lot of money on something that wasn’t going to work. But this has proved me completely wrong. I don’t regret this purchase at all, and would definitely recommend one for any other bags out there that might need some shape back in them.

Sarah x

My July Love Me Beauty Box

I'm a completely newbie to subscription boxes. I've looked at a few different ones over the past year or so, but never made the decision to sign up to them. When I came across Love Me Beauty's deal on living social (3 boxes for £14.95 + P&P), I decided it was time to give subscription boxes a go and ordered my first box.

I was really pleased when the postman rang my flat buzzer on Saturday morning. Not only had I forgotten my box was on it's way, but it also meant that my buzzer system had been fixed whilst I was in France!

I like Love Me Beauty as you get to pick what you want in your box. They give you 6 credits to spend, and then allocate a number of points to different products. You can either spend just your 6 points, or if you want more then you can pay extra to get the additional products. I went for 3 things I knew I'd use; hairspray, nail varnish and eye shadow.

The hair spray is a full size product by Neal & Wolf and is worth £9.50 on it's own! I've never heard of Neal & Wolf, but they had a few different products available on Love Me Beauty to pick between. I went for the hairspray as the one I'm currently using is feeling very thick and heavy on my hair. I'm very interested in trying this out.

There were a very different nail varnish colours from the NailsInc Gel Effect range to choose from. I went for Colville Mews as it's a very neutral shade and will be suitable for work. The product is again full size, worth £15. I've already given this product a go, and I love it. Application was super easy, the  colour is gorgeous, and the finish is perfect! Very impressed.

The final product is a mineral eyeshadow by Bellapierre (£12.99). It's not a brand I've heard of before, and it's only recently I've started trying mineral make up, but I've been impressed with Bare Minerals products so thought I'd give this alternative a try. Again I went for a neutral colour, Champagne, as I don't like my makeup to be too bright. As it's a shimmer powder, it probably won't be something I use daily for work, but I'll definitely be giving it a go on my next night out.

Overall I'm rather pleased with the products I've picked, the fact that they're full size, and how much money I've saved. Just on this one box, I've saved £17.49. I'm excited to try out all the products and to receive my next beauty box in August.

Sarah x

Product Review: Amphora Aromatics Skincare Seaweed & Aloe Refreshing Eye Gel

I'll admit, Amphora Aromatics is a brand I'd never heard of until they asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing their Seaweed & Aloe Refreshing Eye Gel. After reading their press release on the product I was intrigued and decided to give it a go.

"AA Skincare Essential's multi-purpose Seaweed & Aloe Refreshing Eye Gel helps rehydrate and restore delicate skin around the eyes, gently and effectively removes make up and can help cool skin after a spell in the sun" (Amphora Aromatics Press Release)

When the product arrived I was very impressed. The packaging has a very high end appearance, and is made of good quality. The colours are very natural which reflects the brand's image very well.

My skin can be quite sensitive, so I'm nervous about trying new skin products in case I have a reaction. Amphora Aromatics products are all made from natural ingredients which is good as, for me anyway, there's less chance of a reaction. I'm pleased to say that after using this for a month, I've had no side effects or reactions!

As the name implies, this product is a gel consistency and a little bit can go a long way. I've been using one pump at a time, and that will cover both my eyes. After using twice a day, I still seem to have a lot of the product left in the bottle. This is a product that will last a long time.

I've used the eye gel twice daily since I got it about a month ago. It's great on tired eyes, and for covering up dark circles, and the cooling sensation was great to relax my eyes after they'd been in the sun all day on holiday.

The best benefit I've found from using the eye gel is the improvement in my milla. I have milla under my left eye, and when I got this product, it was flaring up quite bad and I could really see the white bumps. Which didn't look good at all!

After a couple of days of using the eye gel, I could definitely see their visibility reducing. I've been using the product for about a month now, and they are practicably invisible. I'm really pleased with how this product has combatted this problem.

At a bargain price of £6.96 this is a product that is good value for money, high quality, and works! I will be definitely purchasing again in the future.

Sarah x

Disclaimer: Whilst this product was sent to me for free by Amphora Aromatics, all reviews and opinions expressed in this post are my own honest views.

Asda Good & Counted Chicken Nacho Bake Review

In an effort to loose weight and keep healthy, I've cut out a lot the processed food from my diet and started making a lot of fresh cooked meals. But some days I just need something quick and easy to cook, so I'm on the hunt for a ready meal that's healthy (as healthy as they can be anyway).

On today's visit to Asda I stumbled across their new Good and Counted range in the fridge section. These caught my eye as they offered something a little bit different to the others around them. I decided to treat myself to the Chicken Nacho Bake with Potato Wedges meal, at the trial price of £2 (£2.68 from the end of the month).



The product claims to be very high in protein, and with less than 3% fat. I'm not an expert on how these macros are calculated, so I can't really comment if that's true or not, but when I put it into My Fitness Pal they flagged it as being high in protein.  For someone who struggles to get anywhere near my daily protein target, this meal was a big help. 35g is a lot to get from one meal.

The picture on the front of the packaging makes this meal look really nice, there's large chunks of chicken, with a few wedges, covered in tomato sauce with crispy tortilla's on top. When I cooked it, it looked nothing like that. Yes there were large chunks of chicken and some big wedges, but there were no tortillas and way too much sauce.

The sauce however was tasty, a little bit spicy, but not overwhelming. The potatoes were a bit hard...maybe this was me not cooking it for long enough. The chicken wasn't the best though, it tasted very cheap. But I have had worse tasting meat in ready meals before.

Rating: 6/10 - For a meal thats easy to make, and with good macros this is great, but you do compromise a bit on taste. I've still had worse though.

Sarah x

Book Review: The McLaughlins Book 1, 2 and 3.

Good Girl Gone Plaid (Book 1), Kilty Pleasure (Book 2) & Loch and Key (Book 3)

of The McLaughlins

by Shelli Stevens

 

I'll be honest and say, if it wasn't for the fact that Amazon are giving the Kindle version of Good Girl Gone Plaid away for free, I wouldn't have read these books. After finishing my last book, I was looking for something light to read but something that would keep my attention, and this series did just that.

The McLaughlin series is a collection of 4 books based around the 4 siblings in the McLaughlin family; Aleck, Colin, Ian and Kenzie. The stories are all based around the love life of the characters and the troubles they face. So far only 3 books have been released, with the final book in series due out in 3 days time.

Romance books aren't really my thing. I've read a few Nicholas Sparks books, and enjoyed them, but I normally prefer books that take me to completely different worlds. I liked these books for there ease to read and how different the stories were, despite being set on such a small island. There are a lot of sex scenes in these books, which can be quite detailed but no where near the extent Fifty Shades went too. My only real complaint is that they weren't slightly longer (I read each one in a couple of hours).

So, if you're looking for something easy and fun to read, give these a go. They're enjoyable romantic books to distract you from normal world for a while. I'm sure the fourth will be just as good as the others when it comes out too.

Sarah x

Book Review: Theif's Magic - Book 1 of Millennium's Rule

Thief's Magic: Book 1 of Millennium's Rule

by Trudi Canavan

In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen's world faces.

Elsewhere, in a land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer's daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it - should she dare to risk the Angels' wrath.

But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands.

Not even the people they trust.

I am a massive fan of Trudi Canavan's work, and couldn't wait to get stuck into her new series. The book is set in a whole new fantasy world with magic and magic users throughout. However, when I realised this book was split into parts, I wasn't sure I was going to like it as much as some of the other's Trudi Canavan has written. I'd loved the intro to Tyen and his story, and was disappointed to be moving on to someone else. But it only took a few pages for me to fall in love Rielle and her story. I even felt disappointed to be leaving her and returning to Tyen when the point arose, but once more I was hooked and that cycle of emotions kept repeating all the way to the end.

The stories of Tyen and Rielle are completely different from each other, but I love how their cultures and stories contrast. Neither faces the same decisions nor problems. Tyen is an academic in a land where magic is freely available and used by those who know how. Trying to prove he can become something more than just a machine operator, he discovers a magical book in a tomb and makes the decision to keep it to himself with the aim of proving it's worth to the academy and educating it in the process. When his plan backfires he is forced to run, his chances of ever graduating or working at the university gone.

Whereas Rielle is in a land where only the Priests who are chosen by the Angels can use magic. Anyone else caught is branded a Tainted and outcast from the city. Knowing she has the ability to sense magic and could, if she chose to, learn to use magic Rielle has kept her power secret from everyone. We experience her first love and the torment she puts herself through as she is torn between love and family. But it is not long until the young girl is tricked into a situation she can't get out of without using magic and displeasing the Angels. Faced with an even more difficult decision as to who to keep happy, Rielle takes an option but it soon turns out for the worst.

As both set off on their adventures, it is possible to imagine a way in which the two characters could meet but I suspect there is a lot more twists and turns to come before we ever get to that point, if we ever do. If you prefer reading books that only follow one story throughout, then maybe this isn't for you, but if you're open to different stories with a subtle link throughout, I'm sure you'll love this.

I personally cannot wait for the next book to see how the two stories pan out. This is an excellent beginning to what I'm sure is going to be another excellent trilogy by a wonderful author.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Sarah x

Birthday Celebrations and Holidays!

Apologies for the quietness for the past few weeks, I've been busy celebrating my 23rd Birthday and enjoying a lovely family holiday in the Lake District. I haven't been the best with diet and exercise whilst I've been MIA from blogging but I don't think I've overindulged too much, and I have done a lot of walking in the past seven days, so I'm hoping there isn't too much damage...but we'll find that out on my next weekly weigh in!

I've had some amazing birthday meals and a great holiday, so thought I'd share what I'd been up to and recommend some great places to go if you're ever in the areas.

P.S. this is going to be a long one...Sorry! I'm making up for my absence.

Birthday Celebration 1 - Las Iguanas, Newcastle upon Tyne with Chris

I forgot I'd signed up to Las Iguana's email offers, so was very surprised the week before my birthday to receive an email offering me a free main meal for my birthday. This was an offer I couldn't let go to waste so I managed to convince Chris to join me for a Mexican birthday meal.

I've been to Las Iguanas in Newcastle a few times and it's always busy, definitely book a table if you plan to go! Thankfully Chris had done so for us, otherwise it was a 45 min wait for a table. It's not the biggest of places and because it's always busy it was quite noisy. But we didn't mind.

The waiters were very friendly and helpful, and when they found out we were celebrating my birthday they brought me a free (non-alcoholic) passionfruit and orange cocktail. It probably wouldn't have been my first choice from the drinks menu, but it was a very nice alternative to diet cokes.

My free drink!

We opted against getting starters and just went straight to the mains. Chris went for The Classic Burger with fries, and I went for Our Famous Fajitas with Chicken Breast Strips and added Cheese.

Chris' Burger

My Chicken 

My Wraps and Extras

I cannot fault my food at all, it was perfect. The chicken was nicely flavoured and spicy, the sauces (salsa & sour cream) were both very smooth and tasty, the veg was fried lovely, and the wraps were really warm. Chris said, and I quote, "It was delish" when I asked about his burger.

We both decided as a birthday treat to get desserts, naughty choice but totally worth it. I had an absolutely huge slice of chocolate orange fudge cake with vanilla ice cream. The cake was beautiful. Very soft and moist, the sauce was hot, very chocolatey and had a strong taste of orange, but not too overpowering. It was probably one of the nicest fudge cakes I've had in a long time. Chris choose just to have ice cream but regretted that choice when he saw my cake. Moral of the story, always go for the chocolate cake if you're being naughty and having dessert anyway.

Overall it was very good birthday celebrations with a very good friend.

Birthday Celebration 2 - Rialtos, Northumberland with Omar and DVDs

As we weren't going to get to spend my birthday together this year as I was away on holiday, Omar took me after work to our favourite little Italian restaurant in his village. We've been a few times before and never really had a bad meal so I was quite happy to go again for my birthday.

We both chose to have starters of potato skins with garlic sauce, and then a main each. I had penne arribiata, and Omar had a kiev pizza. My pasta was lovely, very fresh and a good size portion but very spicy. I struggled to finish it because of how spicy it was, and wouldn't have got even close to finishing it without the glass of water and diet coke I drank. It was still very nice and I would most likely have it again. Omar's pizza was a very good size but didn't have as much taste as he's had in some of their other pizzas. It was still very fresh and very good for the price.

Full from our starters and mains we opted not to have dessert and enjoyed the nice walk back in the sunshine to his house for some chocolates and DVDs. I got spoilt with my birthday presents from him and his Mum.

I got a bit forgetful at this point and didn't think to take photos of our lovely food. Next time I'll try doubly hard to remember!

Birthday Celebration 3 - Caffe Riva, Bowness upon Windermere with Mum and Dad

What an amazing meal! After considering a few different places to go for food in Bowness we ended up in Caffe Riva, a little Italian on the main road down from town to the lake which has only been open under the current owners for  2 months.

We arrived without a booking and were greeted by a very nice waitress who went to see if there was a table for us, there wasn't, but she was very friendly and helpful and said there would only be a twenty minute wait for a table. As everywhere else we'd passed seemed just as busy we decided to wait and took a seat near the bar.

The drinks menu wasn't too badly priced, in my opinion, we paid £12 for a bottle of Pinot Grigio and £5 for a pint of Peroni. We thought we would just order at the bar whilst we waited but as my Mum got off her seat another very helpful waiter came over and took our order. We only waited a few minutes before the drinks arrived, along with a small bowl of peanuts. Enough to keep us going until we got our table.

The overall wait for a table wasn't long and the staff were very friendly and apologetic as we waited, regularly asking if there was anything they could get us and talking us through the specials menu. We soon got our table, placed our orders and our food arrived a little while after. And it was unbelievable.

I chose Breaded Chicken Escalope with Linguine Napoli, expecting a small portion of pasta and one piece of reasonable sized chicken I was very surprised when my plate arrived. I had a portion of pasta that I would have expected from any other Italian as a main course on it's own and two massive chicken breast escalopes. I wish I'd taken a picture of it because it was so amazing. Everything on the plate was so fresh that I just had to keep eating, even when I felt full. The food was so nice I couldn't stop eating. I even ignored a lot of the garlic bread pizza we'd got to go with the mains because the food was just so nice, and I never ignore garlic bread!

My Mum had linguini with cream, egg, parmesan and pancetta. Again the portion size was unbelievable, but again she battled through and ate the majority. I didn't try any of hers but she assured me it was just as nice as all of ours, and it did look it.

But I think the best meal of the night was what my dad ordered. Fregole alla Riva. Fregole (which is little pasta balls that look like risotto but taste and cook like pasta) with bacon, roasted red peppers, caramelised onions, spinach, in a light creamy sauce. I had a taste and it was absolutely gorgeous. I'd never had Fregole before but I will definitely be having it again. Such amazing flavours and textures all mixed beautifully together. It was a special on the night and came recommended to us by the manager, and he wasn't lying to us when he said it was good. Again, the portion size was unreal but it was so nice my Dad ate every little bit.

We were too full after mains to consider deserts but I'm sure they would have been just as amazing.

Possibly one of the best things about the restaurant was seeing the Manager's daughter helping out. I'm not good with guessing ages but I'd suspect she was about eight years old, and all night she followed her Mum or Dad around taking orders, handing out bills and making some drinks. It was so nice to see the interaction the whole family had with the restaurant and how welcoming they were to all their customers.

As we left the manager asked how we'd found everything and we openly said it was amazing. He turned to his daughter, put his arm round her and said "See Francesca, I told you we would do well". It was lovely to see how involved the whole family was the restaurant, and how much they all cared about it doing well.

I really like Italian food and I have a list of places that I think does nice Italian food, but this place tops the list. Everyone was so friendly, the food was amazing and I'll definitely be returning.

Holiday Accommodation - Windermere Marina Village

I love the Lakes and have stayed in a few different locations, in a variety of different accommodation types. I love Bowness on Windermere. The lake is gorgeous, the town is small but has a variety of different independent and high-street stores, as well as loads of cafes and restaurants to choose from. Windermere Marina Village is slightly out of the way, a ten to fifteen minute walk, of the hustle and bustle of the town centre, but it's worth the walk.

We stayed in a 2 bed Ghyll Cottage in the Marina Village, able to sleep up to 6 people. The cottage is an up-side-down cottage with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms downstairs, and an open plan kitchen/living area upstairs with a balcony overlooking the marina and the boats. It was gorgeous. Everything was so clean and tidy, the kitchen was really modern, the beds and sofas were comfy, the bathrooms were spotlessly clean and had amazing showers. You couldn't fault the quality of the place.

The village has it's own private beach leading right onto the waterside, with two bbq areas, jetties and picnic tables; a pub and restaurant right in the heart of the marina, and lots of boats to admire. I didn't want to come home at all! It's not the cheapest place to stay but if you want peace and quiet, and amazing views (if you like boats and water anyway) I can't recommend this place any more.

The Private Beach

View over the lake from the Private Beach

The views as you walk around the lake into town

Views on the walk

Panoramic View from our Balcony

View from the Balcony as I enjoyed my Kindle

Day Out - South Lakes Safari Park

I loved the safari park. I've been to zoos before and they've been amazing but this was something else. The safari park is split in two areas, one is very much like a zoo with animals kept separate in their own areas not really mixing with other animals but with plenty of space to roam around, the other had everything running everywhere. You were walking along pavements with lima's jumping over your head. It was unreal.

You don't get to touch the animals but you are so close you could if you wanted. They just run around. Obviously it's not the ones that could kill you, the lions and tigers etc were in the more pen type side of the zoo, but all the emus, ostriches, donkeys, goats, ducks, birds, deer, limas, some monkeys etc were just running around.

There's loads of talks on the animals with the different feeders and you can get the chance to feed some of them. I missed the chance to feed the penguins which I'd have loved but the kids who did get to do it looked really pleased to have the penguins waddle around so close to them!

We also got to see how like us the monkeys are when one of them managed to steal a shoe that had dropped off the foot from a little girl in her push chair and ran off deep into it's enclosure with it. They were like children playing with a new toy, throwing it around, chasing after it and trying to eat it. I wouldn't have been impressed if it was my shoe but it was amusing to watch. They're very clever creatures.

It's not very big but they have plans to expand and I'll definitely be returning when they do. I'd recommend if you go to take a picnic as the food was alright but not wonderful. Just make sure you eat it before you go into the run free side of the park as you can't take food in there.

We went on a school day so the safari park was fairly quiet, I could imagine this being a nightmare place to get parked and around if it was busy. But I definitely think it's worth a visit whether you have kids or not. Here's just a few pictures of the animals we saw:

Emu

Snuggling Lima's

Bird!

Turtle

Donkey and Goat (The Donkey took a liking to my Mum and tried to follow us)

Lima!

Kangaroo

Prairie Dog 

Tiger

Penguin (These are so cute)

Rhino

Monkey waiting for Banana from it's feeder

I did have lots of other days out but the safari park is something I thought I should share with everyone. It is definitely a place to go if you're in the area, it's such a nice experience and seeing animals walking free is so nice.

Sorry for the long rambling post, but here's just a recap of the last two weeks of my life. I'm really disappointed to be back home as I enjoyed the holiday so much but I can't wait to see all my friends and Omar again.

Sarah x

Summer Spends

Although I'm supposed to be saving ready for my new house, there's a few spends I couldn't resist this summer. Here's my highlight summer spends for 2014.

1 - Jack Wills Fullford Tee - £14
I love Jack Wills clothing at the best of times, but even more so when they have a sale on. This tee comes in a wide range of colours and was down to £14 in their summer sale. The one I've got is a lovely lilac colour and is very loose fitting and comfortable. Great for summer! I love the style and comfort so much my Mum and Grandma are buying me two more in different colours for my birthday.

2 - Boots Cucumber 3 Minute Clay Mask - £1
My skin recently has been feeling very greasy and spotty so I decided to invest in a face mask to try and help my skin out. I didn't want to pay a lot of money so I did some research and found this Boots Cucumber 3 Minute Clay Mask which had some rather good reviews. I decided for £1 I couldn't really go wrong so bought it on my lunch break. After one use my skin was feeling much smoother and a horrible spot that had been developing on my chin disappeared straightaway. I was rather impressed. It's not a massive tube that you get, but if you use it twice a week as recommended it should definitely last more than a month. A purchase I will definitely be repeating.

3 - Dorothy Perkins High-Tops - £7
Another of my sale bargains. I wasn't particularly after a new pair of casual trainers but stumbled across these in the DP sale and they caught my eye. When I took a closer look I saw that the only size left in stock was my size, and decided it was fate! They're super comfy and will be great as the weather starts to get a bit cooler and wetter.

4 - Trudi Canavan Thief's Magic Ebook - £6.49
I love a good book and can't wait for my holidays to be able to do some serious non-college related reading. Trudi Canavan is one of my favourite authors, I've read every book she's published and loved them all. This is the first in her new trilogy and I'm really looking forward to getting into the story. It's a bit pricey for an Ebook in my opinion but since it's relatively new and still cheaper than the hard copy I'm not going to complain.

5 - Personal Planner - £17.95
This is by far my favourite summer spend. I love a good diary and this is definitely one of them. I won't write much here as I plan to write a blog post alone on the pros/cons of this purchase but I definitely will be buying another next summer.

6 - Sensationail Gel Glitter Nail Varnish - £15
I bought this to go with my outfit for the Christening I went to a few weeks ago. It's a gorgeous peachy colour with glitter, the only downside was it took quite a few coats to have a good coverage. You need a UV light for the gel to set, but once it is set it looks really good. For me I didn't quite get the two week coverage it claims to give but I'm not the best at applying nail varnish so I'm normally pretty pleased if they last more than a week.

Sarah x

100 Happy Days...Day 57

Day 57 - Sanctuary Body Butter

After cleaning out my bathroom cupboard the other week I stumbled across an unused tub off Sanctuary body butter, and I've been giving it a go for the last few days.

I've used body butters in the past and always thought they were ok, but after trying Sanctuary's product I'm in love with it and would definitely but it again. The butter is very soft to touch and doesn't feel thick when you put it on. It soaks so easily into the skin, putting the moisture back instantly. Great for after showers or shaving.

I used the butter on my legs yesterday morning and before I showered this morning, my legs were still really soft. It's also been great for my feet, especially when combined with moisture socks. The feeling of the cream soaking in as I walked across the kitchen floor was heavenly. Combine this with the gorgeous smell I could never get enough of, this product has definitely become one of my must have items.

To whichever of my lovely family members bought me this present, thank you so much. I'm in love.

Benefit Cosmetics Makeup Review

Having been using a No7 foundation for quite a while now and finding it didn't quite match my skin colour that well, last weekend I paid a visit to the Benefit beauty bar in John Lewis, Newcastle upon Tyne, to try out their foundation range and see if I could find a better match. After talking with the very helpful Benebabe and trying out a lot of the Benefit products on offer I came home with the Hello Flawless foundation and powder which I've been using daily since purchase.

I have a very pale skin tone so ending up with the lightest colours in Benefit's range didn't surprise me. The "I'm pure 4 sure" ivory foundation and "I love me" ivory powder are a great match to my natural skin colour, and surprised my Mum when I actually said I had makeup on it's such a great match.

The foundation gives a good coverage from a very small amount of liquid. It's very smooth and creamy to apply, and blends in well. When I first tried it, I did feel this foundation was slightly heavier than some others on the market I've tried, but it's not so heavy to make you aware of the fact you're wearing makeup. I've worn the foundation every day this week from 7am till 6pm ish with issues around the product wearing off, so I'd definitely say this is good for those who don't like to keep reapplying makeup whilst they're out and about.

Benefit also do a Stay Flawless 15 hour primer to extend the length of coverage and provide a little sample in their foundation bottles to try. Knowing I was going straight to my boyfriend's house after work I thought I'd give the sample a go yesterday morning. As soon as I applied the primer, my skin began to feel very dry and the coverage I'd been getting from the foundation prior to this just didn't seem to work with the primer.

By 11 o'clock yesterday I ended up with a huge patch across my nose/cheek where my makeup had just rubbed off, meaning I had to spend 10 mins in the toilets at work removing the rest of my makeup so I didn't spend the rest of the day looking patchy. Not ideal as I don't carry spare makeup around with me.

For the rest of the day I felt that my skin was very dry and for ages was very hot and red. I do have sensitive skin so whether this was a reaction to something in the primer or just a result of me scrubbing the makeup off at work, I'm not sure. So unfortunately this is one Benefit product I wasn't impressed with, but I'm glad I'd had the opportunity to try the tester before I ran out to buy it.

The powder also gives a good coverage from very little product and is very light on the skin. With previous powders I've found that if you touch your skin after applying powder you can feel it on your skin, with this you can't. It also doesn't seem to leave a residue of powder in the room you've been applying it, something I found with my previous powder which seemed to leave product all over my dressing table/floor/mirror no matter how careful I was with my power brush.

Overall, a good purchase in the foundation and powder. Good coverage, and good colour match. Perfect for every day use or for special occasions. I used to be a No7 girl through and through but I'm slowly find myself becoming more attracted to Benefit products. Next on my whishlist to try is their blusher, mascara and brow products.

Price: £25.50 for the foundation, £25.50 for the powder. (If you're a student Benefit's website offer 10%)

Purchase from: Benefit Cosmetics Online, Boots, John Lewis, Debenhams, Fenwicks

Rating: Foundation 8/10, Powder 8/10, Primer, 2/10

100 Happy Days - Day 26

Day 26 - Having freshly painted nails

Although I'm not a wiz at this, I do love having my nails painted. As with a lot of women at the moment, I love having gel polish put on....I just can't afford to pay someone to do it for me all the time, so therefore I'm trying out different home techniques.

Today's paint is from a gift set my mum got me for Christmas called Nails inc. Capsule Colours (click on the name to see where you can buy it). The set came with 8 different mini nail polishes and a full size gel effect top coat. It's a bit pricey (£52 in Boots..it was on offer at Christmas) but it does seem to give a really good effect. It doesn't give the same feel as when I go to the salon, but it's a good colour, lasts longer than normal nail polish and gives a good glossy look.

I've tried 3 out of the 8 colours and all give a really nice effect. Last week I had a really bright blue on (picked out by my boyfriend) but as I have some important meetings this week with senior people at work I've gone for a more subtle purple colour. The copper colour is also really nice, very subtle and goes with everything.

Not sure how long these mini polishes will last but I'd definitely consider buying a Nails Inc. product again in the future.

My rating: 8/10. A little pricey and not quite the same as gels, but a good product nevertheless.

Nails Inc. Capsule Colours