Summer Ready Feet in Five Easy Steps

Here is my guide to getting Summer ready feet in just five easy steps.

I must confess the idea of going to a salon and having a pedicure is not my idea of fun, I much prefer to do it in the comfort of my home and using these tools it takes just a few minutes.

1. Soak feet.
2. Trim nails, going in a straight line (if you have thicker, more problematic nails use *Boots          Pharmaceuticals Toe Nail Clippers (£8.49) these are just brilliant as I can vouch)
3. Buff off hard skin from the soles of your feet - I like the Scholl Pedi Express which makes light work of it.
4. Deeply moisturise those feet - I am currently loving *Boots Intensive Foot Softener 150ml (5.99). It smelly lovely (no lavender here!) and really softens skin leaving it silky soft and it heals cracked heals thanks to the ingredient UREA.
5. Finally, choose a fabulously bright coloured nail polish and paint away! I hate waiting for polish to dry so I am using 60 Seconds Super Shine by Rita Ora for RimmelLondon in shade Bestival. One application is all you need for super shiny nails and it dries fast. Perfect!

Now dig out those sandals and show off those feet!

Nail polish - 60 Seconds Super Shine - Rita Ora for RimmelLondon - Bestival 

*PR Samples 

Rimmel London BB Cream Matte Light Review

Rimmel London say 

A fresh take on the 9-in-1 skin perfecting super makeup, in a matte formula.

Minimises the appearance of pores, mattifies and controls shine all day.
Smoothes and soothes skin.
Conceals dark circles and helps prevent blemishes.
Dermatologist Tested. Clinically Tested. Non Comedogenic.
SPF15

Available in shades Light & Medium 

My thoughts 

I was sent this small sample in October's GlossyBox and the shade given was light.

Honestly I wasn't holding out much hope for this bb cream, I seem to (well my skin does) prefer the higher end bases but I was really quite pleasantly surprised.

I am still trying to work out the 9 things that it does but all I can say is that the shade is perfect, the texture and consistency is ideal for blending into the skin and the coverage is simply magnificent.

Pores are covered, skin looks bright and even and redness concealed. It lasts the whole day and true to its word there is no t zone shine. The only little thing that I would say is that I didn't really notice that it was matte, you can achieve a more matte appearance by setting with powder but I am happy with the finish without powder.

For just £6.99 I am incredibly impressed by this BB Cream. A big limitation is that it only comes in two shades - Light and Medium.

Rimmel London BB Cream Matte £6.99

October 2014 Glossybox - Andy Warhol Inspired Pop Art Collector's Edition Box

Ooh I absolutely love the print on this month's GlossyBox! The Andy Warhol Pop Art design is so apt for a beauty blogger and is bright and cheery for this dreary October ... I will have no problems recycling this after I have used the contents.

As ever though, the outer is very nice but do the contents live up to expectation...

What's inside the October Glossybox

Inside my box features no less than 4  full size products, a fairly generous perfume sample and a bonus sample product.

From Left to Right -

Etre Belle Cosmetics Liplift Peel € 12.95 (Full Size)

They say - Get replenished and defined lips in an instant with this moisturising lip exfoliator. The gentle formula removes dead cells, refining the skin's surface for perfectly soft lips.

Out of all the products this is probably the one I am least enthused about getting use from as my lips are in pretty good condition, but you never know with the changing weather this could come in useful.

Yves Rocher France Quelques Notes D'Amour 5ml sample (Full Size £33 for 30ml)

They say - This scent encapsulates the feeling of falling in love through fusing notes of Damascus Rose , Guaiac Wood and Patchouli.

I like perfume samples and this is handy to pop into my weekend bag. This scent is lovely too, a bit like a delicious Turkish Delight.

So Susan Cosmetics Flutter Mascara £14.95 (Full Size)

They say - An intense carbon-black mascara formulated with hyaluronic spheres to help you achieve the darkest, curviest lashes possible.

I am always up for trying new mascaras and this sounds good, watch this space for my review!

Nuxe Creme Fraiche de Beaute Mask £19.50 (Full Size)

They say - A 24hr moisturising mask which hydrates and soothes the skin, instantly reducing discomfort or redness. Skin is left looking radiant and relaxed.

I am a big fan of Nuxe products so I am looking forward to trying out this mask which sounds ideal for the Winter months.

Ciate London Paint Pot £9 (Full Size)

I received Talent Scout a purple creme shade that be dressed up or down.

Bonus product - Rimmel London BB Cream Matte (sample size)

They say - This mulitasking 9 in 1 skin perfecting makeup cream with a natural formula contains kaolin, witch hazel and salicyclic acid for a flawless matte look.

I haven't tried this BB Cream so I will be interested to see how I get on with it, watch this space for the review..fingers crossed it is shade perfect!!

Final thoughts

This month's box represents outstanding value and with a great mix of products enclosed.

Thumbs up.

*PR Sample

Rimmel London Salon Pro With Lycra Kate New Romantic - Nails Of The Day

Today I am embracing my romantic side with Rimmel London Salon Pro Nail Colour with Lycra in 227 New Romantic.

New Romantic is a soft and sugary candyfloss shade. It is quite sheer so I needed two coats to achieve opacity and hide the whites of my nails although they are just peeking through here!

Rimmel London Salon Pro Nail Colour with Lycra comes in 36 shades and cost £4.49

*PR Sample

Rimmel London Scandaleyes LYCRA Flex Mascara - Review

I do love trying different mascaras as you will know by now! I have a whole gallery on facebook dedicated to mascaras so you can see how different mascaras appear on my lashes . As readers of BeautySwot.com know I don't use false lashes or lash inserts or extensions. I like to see what result I get purely from using a mascara available to purchase.

The latest mascara I have been putting through its paces is Rimmel London's Scandaleyes LYCRA Flex in black

Rimmel London say 

A big volume mascara that won't leave your lashes stiff or brittle, so you can build drama from day to night! Lycra Technology formula makes lashes look full and voluptuous while remaining soft. MaxDensity brush covers whole lash line with one effortless coat to reveal and plump every lash

My thoughts 

I was a little concerned about trying this mascara I have to be honest... I mean my impression of lycra is stretchy and I had visions of stretchy gloopy mascara. I needn't have worried though as it was nothing of the sort!
The brush is big and bushy, a bit too big personally for my little eyes really so I was careful when applying (almost too careful) so I abandoned being too careful to get decent application and in the process I did make a bit of a mess applying the mascara but on the plus side it does pick up the lashes easily and the black is a nice rich shade of black.
I found the lengthening properties of the mascara great and it wasn't clumpy at all, I had nice thick lashes and best of all they remained silky soft thanks to the lycra and no flaking either.

Before mascara 

After using Scandaleyes Lycra Flex

Rimmel London Scandaleyes LYCRA Flex Mascara costs £6.99

*PR Sample

Rimmel London Salon Pro With Lycra® in Shade Hip Hop - Nails Of The day

I was sent two shades from the new Rimmel London Salon Pro Nail Colour with LYCRA® collection - Hip Hop and New Romantic, today I opted for Hip Hop - a gorgeous bright coral red shade. Kate Moss is wearing Hip Hop in the advertising campaign for the polish.

The polish promises - Up to 10 days chip resistant nail colour with gel shine finish!

Kate created 10 hot shades for the new range. I am really liking the polishes, the polish applies incredibly smooth and has a super glossy finish when it dries. The lycra makes it a bit stretchy, odd but true!

Includes the precision maxi (wide) brush for salon perfection!

Rimmel London Salon Pro With Lycra® Nail Polish costs £4.49 

*PR Sample

Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer Swatches

Out shopping today I came across the stand for Rimmel London's Apocalips Lip Lacquers. Still on the hunt for a replacement perfect nude lipstick for my beloved No7 Nude Rebel I thought I would swatch the Nude Eclipse shade and ended up swatching a couple more!

Apocalips Lip Lacquers are described as being  'The intense rich colour of a lipstick, enhanced by a satin smooth shine'.

Swatches of the shades that caught my eye.

Shades pictured from left to right

Nude Eclipse
Apocoliptic
Celestial

I absolutely loved the Nude Eclipse and Celestial shades. The doe foot applicator is great and the lip lacquers are creamy and pigmented. Apocoliptic is nice but I wouldn't wear it as much as the other two. I am planning to make a purchase very soon.

Rimmel London Apocalips are available in 8 shades and cost £5.99

Holiday Makeup By Night

You may have already seen my 'by day' holiday makeup, pictured above are the items that I wore in the evenings.

I didn't have much time from leaving the pool or beach, showering and getting myself and my 4yr old son ready for dinner to sit and apply makeup at my leisure. I had to choose items that I knew would create the look I wanted to achieve as fast as possible with as few items as possible.

The look I was going for in the evening was radiance, illumination and a flash of bright colour on my lips - not a million miles away from my day look but just ramped up with more definition :-) A sun kissed and healthy looking glow is always a winner when you are on holiday in my opinion.

YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation - My current favourite foundation. Coverage is light but even and radiant. I popped some into a sample pot so that I didn't have to take the full size glass bottle with me.

Benefit They're Real Mascara - Rather than take the full size version, I took the rather travel handy mini version that came with the Anniversary set.. Another current favourite, love how black and defined it makes my lashes, real flutter worthy and they stand out a mile!

17 Instant Glow Shimmer Brick in Gold Bronze This shimmer brick made it into my evening makeup as it is so versatile and multipurpose. I used the different shades as eye shadows, the second one really made my eyes pop. I also used the lightest shade as a highlighter on my cheeks. Best bargain product of the Summer by far!

I took two lipsticks with me as I wanted to have alternatives depending on my outfit!

Lancome L'Absolu Rouge Lipstick 152 Rouge Mars This is a favourite Summer lipstick of mine, brightens the whites of my eyes and wakes up the whole face. Seriously, it is that good! It looks gorgeous with a warm tan too (I get mine with bronzer ;-))

Clinique Long Last Lipstick All Heart Such an easy to wear bright lipstick although it doesn't look that in the tube, it appears quite dark. In reality this is a very pretty and flattering pinky red toned shade.

Liz Earle Natural Glow Bronzer and Liz Earle Healthy Glow Powder Blush in Nectar I was sent these items just as I was about to leave for my holiday so decided to take them with me and use them every evening, full review coming shortly...watch this space!

Just a final and quick mention for my holiday nails - I used Rimmel London 60 Seconds Coralicious on my fingers and toes! Bright and cheery.

Holiday Makeup By Day

In the days running up to our family holiday I was umming and aahing about which make-up items to take with me whilst trying very hard to keep it light. To a beauty lover this is no mean feat, but in the event I think I managed to achieve what I had set out to do...

The majority of the time we were going to be either in the pool, by the pool or at the beach so I didn't want anything too heavy during the day.

5 items made up my daytime 'look' but obviously I alternated the gloss so in reality it took just 4 items to look lightly sunkissed and beach ready.

17 BB Blemish Balm

Absolutely love this product,it is light in product and packaging, evens out skin tone and contains SPF25, perfect for holiday.

17 Instant Glow Shimmer Brick in Gold Bronze

One of my favourite products this Summer, so it was only natural this came with me on my holiday. Big brush, swirled across all the shades and applied across the cheeks provided a pretty and subtle beach glow.

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Mascara in Black (Waterproof version)

I didn't set out to buy this mascara, I was actually after a L'Oreal waterproof mascara but annoyingly Tesco pull down the shutters on their make up stands (who knew!) and the Rimmel London stand was the only one that remained open. 

This looked good from the description, came in bright orange packaging (won't get lost) and was temptingly cheap seeing as I was really only needing it for the week. It promises to have - Like the regular Scandaleyes mascara Max density brush is 50% larger to cover whole lash line and capture every lash. Triple collagen + Keratin formula plumps even the thinnest lashes -Waterproof- Lasts all day.

I really didn't like this mascara, the wand was so huge it wasn't ideal for my small eyes. I found it hard to coat each lash as I was just making mess everywhere, I found it clumpy and although it does provide volume, it didn't provide any length or definition which was disappointing but maybe unreasonable for me to expect it.. Most importantly it didn't perform well as a waterproof mascara. It smudged terribly and gave me panda eyes. Not good!

Clinique Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Juicy Apple

I have done a post on this previously but this is a fab gloss, sheer, nice hint of colour, it lasts and contains SPF15 ideal to protect lips.

Lancôme Juicy Tube in Mangue

Every makeup bag should contain a juicy tube! I like this one as although it looks rather scarily bright orange in the tube it comes out far more subdued but really brightens the face - perfect for Summer! Sadly this shade is now discontinued.

Eyes Of The Day - EOTD

Today's Eyes Of The Day actually belong to my sister - she has beautiful big brown eyes. These were her eyes on Saturday night.

She used just 3 products

Eye Shadow - L'Oreal Quad Pro Hazel Eyes - Colour 1
Eye Liner - Collection 2000 - Fast stroke Eye Liner in Black
Mascara - Rimmel Extra Super Lash in Black/Black


Just gorgeous, I would love to have big eyes!!

NOTD - Rimmel London 60 Seconds Coralicious

Rimmel London 60 Seconds in 430 Coralicious

I bought this nail polish back in July for £3.69 from Boots. I was looking for a bright and cheery Summer coral shade and this fits the bill perfectly! This is a wonderful pinky/orange shade.

 Coralicious perks me up no end and looks gorgeous in the Sun.

 Ideal nail polish for nails and toes...

One coat and fast drying, with a wide brush this is super easy to apply. Excellent nail polish I would recommend this.

RIMMEL LONDON 100% Waterproof Mascara

The hottest day of the year so far, pollen levels very high and my hay-fever at its worst, I was going to be on the tube and had an half hour walk each end. What better day to try out a waterproof mascara and put it through its paces....?

Well application was easy, it's a nice enough wand and within seconds I had long fluttery lashes, impressive for a waterproof and it was a good black colour, so it passed my first test.
As usual and invoking sod's law, as soon as I had finished applying my make-up, my nose started to itch and the streaming watery eyes began, great what a waste of lovely make-up. My eyes did not stop watering for the next 3 hours and I was constantly dabbing at them, and yet my tissue was clear. I didn't look in a mirror for over 2 hours, so you can imagine my relief when I got home, looked in the mirror and saw the same lovely eyes I had left the house with and not the panda eyes I was expecting...

I have no hesitation in recommending this mascara and at £4.99 from Superdrug it's a steal.