Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

For the past few months I have been wearing Illamasqua's Skin Base Foundation every single day. One of my favourite things about that foundation is that it doesn't contain SPF, meaning that your face won't suddenly become two shades lighter under flash photography. Considering I'm already as white as a ghost that wasn't something I particularly liked; it left me looking washed out and rather ill compared to all the healthy looking girls around me. Since trying Skin Base I've become increasingly interested in other foundations that don't contain SPF. As I heard it was a favourite of Kim Kardashian, the one I decided to try out next was Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk Foundation.

Armani describe this foundation as 'an oil-free hydrating fluid with exclusive Micro-fil™ technology. Its lightweight and silky texture glides on seamlessly for an all-day, buildable coverage'. At £34 this foundation certainly doesn't come cheap but in my opinion its well worth the hefty price tag. I bought this from Harvey Nicks in Leeds where I was matched to shade 2. I do struggle to find a light enough colour match with most foundations but this is good enough. I can imagine it being a great choice for Summer. The colour range is fairly extensive (I believe there are about 15 shades) but there might not be a dark enough choice for some skintones. As you can see from the swatch on my hand the formula is very sheer which is a stark contrast to the thicker, creamier formula of Skin Base. I also really like that it has a pump applicator as any other mechanism often leaves you with too much product.

I began applying it with just one pump of the foundation. While it didn't cover up my blemishes, it got rid of any redness & discolouration right away whilst still showing my skin underneath. This is a great foundation to use if you're after for a naturally flawless look. I found that I needed 3 pumps worth to get the coverage I desired. I would say that the coverage is comparable to Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua. Because the formula is so sheer & silky, it layers up like a dream with absolutely no streakiness. I am completely in love with how smooth it makes my face look! This is probably also partly due to Philosophy's The Present & my lovely new Real Techniques brushes but my face has never looked so smooth before & my pores are practically invisible. You can still clearly see my freckles on my cheeks and under my eyes because this is not a full coverage foundation but it does cover the majority of skin imperfections when layered up. It also makes my skin properly glow without looking oily which I adore!

Along with the price the only other real downside to this foundation is the staying power. I did use a primer beforehand & a powder to set it but I think thats standard practice with most foundations I've used. Its not oxidised on me at all so thats a bonus. It still looks pretty good on my normal/combination type skin after about 10 hours of wear but it is a little bit patchy around my forehead. I think on someone with oilier skin it might not last as long and could end up looking a bit too shiny but its pretty much fine on me. You would probably need to top it up if you were wearing it on a night out after a whole day of wear. However I do really like it and am very happy to have two SPF-free foundations in my collection, one thick & one thin in formula to adjust to my daily needs.

Estee Lauder Elizabeth Hurley Pink Ribbon Collection

In 1993 the late Evelyn Lauder, Senior Corporate Vice President of Estee Lauder, founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, co-creating the now famous pink ribbon symbol. Estee Lauder have been champions of breast cancer awareness for 19 years and in that time have donated more than $8.5 million to the cause. These days many companies sell pink coloured products in support of breast cancer awareness but it was Evelyn Lauder who came up with the idea of creating a special range of pink cosmetics.

A couple of months ago my mum went to Selfridges in London as Liz Hurley, one of the Estee Lauder ambassadors, was there signing any purchases made from their Pink Ribbon collection. I don't know why she particularly wanted to meet Liz Hurley but hey, my mums a bit weird haha. Luckily for me this meant that I was gifted with this cute little makeup bag containing a beautiful pink lipstick and a bejewelled breast cancer ribbon pin (the blue crystal represents male breast cancer). 20% of the proceeds from the Pink Ribbon collection goes towards the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I think that this is such an important cause that we should all support because the chances are that all of us will know someone who is affected by this disease at some point in our lives.

The Pure Colour Crystal Lipstick in Lavish Pink from Liz's set is a really wonderful colour. Its unlike pretty much every other pink lipstick I've tried. The colour is incredibly vibrant yet at the same time its toned down enough to be a great every day lipstick. Its not too cool & its not too warm. Theres a slight shimmer to it which I think most of the Crystal lipsticks have but its not too frosty. The formula is really moisturising yet lasts for about 4 hours on me. I adore the packaging of the lipstick, I think its right up there with the gorgeous YSL Rouge Volupte & Tom Ford ones. The scent is very different to that familiar vanilla smell of MAC lipsticks, its a lot fruiter (apparently its supposed to be fig scented) which might not be to everyones taste. I think it works really well with my skintone and I was so happy when my mum surprised me with this. Estee Lauder also have many permanent Pure Colour Crystal shades, I've got my eyes on Crystal Baby. The Pink Ribbon sets are a wonderful idea that give you a beautiful product as well as the satisfaction that you've helped to support such an important cause. Sadly I think all the sets have sold out now but keep an eye out for this year's collection.

Incense & Peppermints

Cardigan - Primark / Blouse - Topshop / Dress - Topshop / Necklace - Topshop
I managed to swap that £85 coat last weekend and here are some of the things I got instead. It was a bit of a struggle trying to decide what to get as my local Topshop is one of the worst I've ever been to. I decided to get one of those basic skater dresses as it'll go with anything, especially one in black. I got this cute navy blouse too which seemed ridiculously overpriced at £36. It reminded me of something Alexa Chung had worn & I needed to bump up the price of my basket so I went for it. Its a bit of a strange shape as the bottom is true to size and everything above that is oversized. I got this cardigan from Primark for £12, I love the slightly scalloped edges and its kept me nice and warm in today's mental weather.

The most exciting thing I did today was shopping for nappies and bin bags. The weekends are always a bit rubbish for me because Andy works all day Saturday and hes got his bar job tonight so he'll sleep all day tomorrow. I've also put myself on a spending ban as I've gone a bit mad with my money lately. Ended up buying three skirts from H&M last week, two of which were leather! So other than paying for my hair appointment next week, I'm just gonna buy the essentials in an attempt to finish saving up for my new camera. Can't wait to get rid of my horrid roots & I'm really tempted to make my hair pink and curly much like one of Nicki Minaj's wigs in her Stupid Hoe video.

I put all the entries for my Benefit Erase Paste giveaway into a list and used random.org to generate the winner. Congratulations to... Annie! I'm just about to send you an email so as soon as you send me your address a mini pot of concealer will be winging its way to you. To everyone who missed out I'm planning to do a much bigger giveaway with several prizes in the near future so keep an eye out for that!

In other news I've finished putting all the makeup I want to sell onto my blogshop. So feel free to check that out. Theres some real goodies on there such as NARS Laguna bronzer & some MAC products. I'll be adding clothes & shoes as soon as I find the time because believe me, theres a lot of stuff!