March Favourites.

MAC Face & Body Foundation N1 // MAC Studio Sculpt SPF15 Foundation NC15 // Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Diffused Heat // Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon Fuchsia Libre // Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Cocoa* // Beautyblender // Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner. //

As soon as the weather started warming up, I waved goodbye to the winter blues and quickly embraced the fresh faced spring trend; hence my March favourites are all about luminous skin, hot pink lips and fresh pinched cheeks.

The Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner (£25) is the new undisputed king of my skincare routine. It's a mild, non-irritating - and therefore more appropriate for my sensitive skin - take on the popular Alpha-H Liquid Gold (£31.50). It's gentle enough for frequent use but I find that a few drops swiped all over my face and neck after my cleanser once a week, are more than enough and give me super soft, gorgeous radiant skin without going too overboard. Besides being so delicate and yet so effective, I prefer this to other chemical exfoliators as it doesn't rule out the rest of my overnight treatments and I can combine its action with my serum, oil and moisturizer to keep my dry skin under control.

Moving onto face makeup, my current favourite foundation is actually a combo of two MAC bases, the Face & Body Foundation (£21.50) and the Studio Sculpt Spf15 Foundation (£25). Together they turn into such a breathable, lightweight base that has the longevity, glow and thin consistency of F&B and great coverage and just a hint of spf like the Studio Sculpt. It's the best of both worlds, utterly perfect for springtime.
The award for best purchase of the month and outright game changer goes to the Beautyblender (£16). I can't believe it took me so long to cave in and pick this sponge up. It gives an absolutely flawless finish and grants the same amazing results with pretty much any kind of texture or product; on lazy days I use it for my whole face, starting with my moisturizer and moving onto primer and foundation and even apply my blush and finishing powder with it. It's the ultimate multi-tasker and it's pink, it doesn't get any better than that.

My blush stash got a little out of control lately but one product really stole the show and kicked the rest of the gang at the bottom of my makeup drawer. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush (£28) in the shade Diffused Heat hasn't left my cheeks since it landed in my mail box: it applies like a dream, it blends out and diffuses so nicely. Not only is the texture out of this world but despite the powder formula, it doesn't sit on the skin and gives a gorgeous 'flush from within' kind of look that looks natural and healthy.

For lips, I can't stop reaching for the Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon (£7.99) in Fuchsia Libre. It's moisturizing, glossy but not too slippery and it has spf15 which is a nice extra for sensitive lips like mine. It's hot pink and bold yet, somehow, it looks easy and effortless as well. A total winner in my books.
Finally, I've been switching all month between grungy, Olsen twins-style chocolate smokey eyes and soft defined eyeshadow looks and the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour (£20.50) in Cocoa* is my go-to product for both styles. It goes on smoothly, is highly pigmented and stays on forever; it's amazing both as a base or dotted around the lash line and smudged with a pencil brush like you would do with a pencil liner and the slightly reddish deep chocolate brown makes my eye colour pop beautifully.

Have you tried any of these products?

*Press Sample

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Spring Giveaway: BECCA Bundle

Becca Jewel Dust in Laila // Becca Eye Colour Wash Brush #36 // Becca Sheer Tint Lip Colour in Leticia // Becca Creme Blush in Amaryllis

Are you just as excited as I am for spring or do you need a little help to get in the mood?
Today I'm giving away a few products from one of my favourite makeup brands to celebrate the new season and by that, thanking all of you for the love and support.

It's time to update your makeup bag with some spring appropriate products and hopefully these Becca bits to give you a hand with that. I bet you'll love them just as much as I do.
The prize includes a gorgeous Jewel Dust for eyes in the shade Laila, the oh-so-soft #36 brush, a lovely Sheer Tint Lip Colour in the shade Laeticia and a cream blush in Amaryllis to go with it.
Just be sure to follow this blog on Bloglovin, read the Terms and Conditions and follow the directions of the widget below for a chance to win these makeup goodies.

Terms and conditions:
- This giveaway is open internationally. It opens today April 17th at 12AM (GMT+2) and ends in a month on May 18th at 12AM (GMT+2).
- One winner will be chosen at random and contacted within the 48 hours following the extraction. If the winner will not get back to me within the following 48 hours, I'll pick a new winner.
- All participants under 18 must have parental permission to join this competition.

Good luck!

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On The Go Beauty Essentials.

ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzing powder // Clarins Ever Matte Shine Control Mineral Powder Compact // Clinique Airbrush Concealer // Clinique High Impact Mascara // Laura Mercier Undercover Pot  // Whistles Small Clutch // BeautySoClean Cosmetic Sanitizer Mist // Paul & Joe Blotting Paper // Sigma Brushes // Bumble and bumble. Thickening Hairspray // Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Color Fresh Raspberry

I'm not the kind of person that usually reapplies her makeup throughout the day, but I like to be prepared and carry a few essentials in my bag every time I'm out and about, just in case something comes ups. However, being the over-packer I am - seriously, Mary Poppins is no match for me - a few things obviously turned out to be an awful lot of stuff.

The one thing I make sure to never leave home without is the Paul & Joe Blotting Paper (£11). Everyone needs to carry around some great mattifying sheets and these come in the cutest case, which is also extremely neat thanks to the decent mirror, really handy for quick touch-ups on the go. The blotting sheets easily absorb the excess oil and get rid of any unwanted shine in nothing flat. Also, they aren't powdered and allow me to add any extra product myself. If the case, I grab the Clarins Ever Matte Shine Control Powder (£27) and dust a little bit of it on my T-zone with a Sephora travel brush. You need the tiniest amount to achieve a fresh, demi-matte finish and the best thing is no matter how many layers of this powder you apply, it never looks cakey.

The Laura Mercier Undercover Pot (£29) is another makeup bag staple; I'd be lost without it. With the Secret Camouflage to easily cover even the worst blemishes and the Secret Concealer to correct any darkness that may pop up around the eyes, I can face pretty much any skin emergency and with a pinch of loose powder I know everything will stay in place till cleansing time. If I'm just in need of a little pick-me-up, the Clinique Airbrush Concealer (£18) is simply brilliant to brighten the under-eyes and instantly refresh a look. It's light, blends seamlessly and it's not overly shimmery or too light reflective and it'll hardly flash back in pictures.
Also from Clinique, a mini size of the ultra black High Impact Mascara (£16.50) is great to add volume to my lashes whilst keeping them defined as well. It's excellent for layering over my everyday mascara for extra, clump-free drama.

The ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder (£3.95) is something I make sure to pop into my makeup bag every time I know I'll be out all day and going out at night as well. This uber cheap take on the NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo comes really in handy when I need to refresh my blush or give a little oomph to my base with a bit of bronzer for some extra definition. My lipstick of the day - lately I've been loving the Laura Mercier Creme Smooth (£20) in Fresh Raspberry - and a wee bottle of the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray (£7.50) to tame unruly locks and add texture and fullness to the hair, close the product line-up.

Of course I'd feel completely naked without a couple of good brushes on me: along with the Sephora travel brush for powder products, I pack a mini Sigma E25 (£9.95) - similar to the 217 brush by MAC - which is a great all-arounder and works for precise powder placement, to blend concealer in and to add a little bit of bronzer in the crease for a quick contoured eye look, and finally a Sigma L05 (£8.95) for lippies and such.
For quick fixes and damage control I've put together a small plastic pouch that contains a few pointy q-tips, some Eye Makeup Remover Filled Cotton Buds (£3.99), a couple of cotton pad and a mini lash glue; these little guys come with me everywhere I go, along with a pair of tweezers, a moisturizer sample and a teeny-weeny bottle of micellar water which is super handy when I need to take my makeup off if I'm having a counter makeover or simply a bad lipstick day. Finally the Beauty So Clean Cosmetic Sanitizer Mist (£9.50) comes out whenever a tester doesn't look particularly well-kept in store and I really need to dip my paws in it. A must have for hygiene-freak beauty bloggers on duty.

Everything fits nicely inside my Whistles Small Clutch (£35) in Pale Green - it's surprising how much you can squeeze inside these beauties - and stays nice and tidy and organized in my purse.
I bring the 'better safe than sorry' business to a whole new level, don't I now?
What's in your on-the-go makeup bag?
Are you part of the Mary Poppins tribe like me or do you manage to slim it down for real?

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