100 Posts! And a 5x5 face!

Hey there readers!

This is my 100th post! Wahoo! It's only taken me... 2 years to get here? I'm proud of my blog, despite my repeated and prolonged absences and I do love the interactions with fellow bloggers so I'm striving to improve!

With that in mind, I thought I would share my 5x5 face - a 5 items in 5 minutes face - that I use at times when I'm running late and don't have time to go all-out on make-up... which is pretty much every day of my life! Here are my 5 items and a little mini-review of each:

1. Garnier 5 Second Perfect Blur Primer (RRP £12.99) - I only put on primer rather than a full base because that would take ages to apply (since I'm so pernickety when it comes to blending etc.) This works for reducing the size of my pores, however it isn't great in terms of lasting power; I get shiny very quickly with this so thank goodness for blotting tissues! I will be using this up before trying another primer sadly...

2. No.7 Instant Radiance Concealer (£12.95) - After priming I conceal any spots and brighten my eyes with this concealer from No.7. This works really well on both fronts; my eyes always look bright and dark circles are reduced, as well as keeping my spots (if any) obscured from view. I would happily buy this for myself, although thisone was gifted to my by Kris' mum!

3. B. Set Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in Light/Medium (£7.99) - To set everything in place, I use this setting powder. I bought out of intrigue to see if B. was any good but the jury is still out on that front. This powder is OK if used lightly, but I sometimes find if used on top of foundations it makes my skin look a little cakey. It's OK for everyday useage but I am on the lookout for something a little better methinks...

4. Seventeen Doll'd Up Mascara in Black (£6.29) - Once the face is done, now the eyes! This is one of the 3 mascaras I swear by. The comb brush fans and separates my lashes before letting the mascara do its work, volumising and extending my lashes. It really creates a true doll effect. Definitely stocking up on this soon!

5. REN Vita Mineral Lip Balm (£9) - On the lips I keep it simple with a slick of lip balm, specifically REN's Vita Mineral offering. Although a new addition to my collection after winning a competition, this has quickly found its way into my make-up bag as my most-reached-for lip balm at the moment. This is thick and moisturising enough to protect my lips from the harsh Scottish weather, as well as keeping them soothed, soft and preventing them from becoming chapped.

And here's me wearing my 5 minute face!

Simple and easy, it literally took 5 minutes (and please excuse the mess in the background haha!) I know it's not the most exciting FOTD but I know we all have those days where we end up rushing or we can't be bothered so I thought I'd share my go-to routine for those occasions.

Do you have a 5-minute face or go-to products for when you're in a rush? I would love to hear you recommendations!

Christina xo

The Mascara Maven

Yeah...

I said a while ago that I wouldn't get drawn into the world of beauty blogging. However, the more make-up I buy, the more I wanna talk about it. Normally, most folks would chat to their gal pals about make-up and their preferences, but I live at least 60 miles away from the rest of my close friends, which makes chatting and playing with make-up a bit tricky! So I figured I'd try blogging about it for a while and see how I go...

The first thing I've noticed is that I have rather a lot of mascara, 12 to be precise (I know that some more seasoned beauty bloggers might think "Is that all?" but it feels like a lot). One of my favourite things about my face is that I have naturally longish lashes, so I like to make a feature of them. So here they all are, in order of price:

L-R: MUA eXtreme Volume Mascara in Brown/Black (£2)
Collection Extreme Coloured Lengthening Mascara in Blue(£2.99)
17 Peep Show in Brown/Black (£4 on offer)
17 Photo Flawless in Black/Copper (£5.99)
No.7 Exceptional Definition in Brown/Black (£7.50 with £5 Voucher)
Max Factor False Lash Effect in Brown/Black (£7.99 with £3 voucher)
L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic in Brown/Black (£10.99)
Benefit They're Real in Black (£11.50 with £7 Debenhams gift card)
Beautee/Relian Mascara in black (with fibres) (around £20 at a Girls Day Out show)

And the samples at the bottom: Max Factor Masterpiece in Black, MAC Zoom Lashes in Black and Lancome Hypnose Drama in Black.

My go-to mascara is usually the Max Factor False Lash effect, but recently I've been trying to use more of my mascaras and I've found a few that work pretty well. The MUA mascara is bargainous at £2 but my only issue with it is that it doesn't put a lot of mascara onto the lashes, but it does create a fair bit of volume, so I tend to use this in conjunction with something else to build up the lashes.
The Beautee/Relian Mascara was something I picked up at a Girls Day out (kinda like a beauty, fashion, chocolate, booze paradise for women) and it's lasted me at least 18 months, which is pretty impressive. You basically paint on the "transplanting gel", i.e. the mascara, then paint on the fibres, then repeat if necessary. It really does give you a false-lash look, with very little fibre fallout. AWESOME!

I have no real major dislikes with any of these TBH. The only let-down I have is the Benefit. They're Real is apparently the No.1 mascara in the U.K., if not the World and it's supposed to give you these amazing falsie-like lashes. Well I may have been applying it wrong, but my lashes ended up looking like Clump-Central. Not cool considering it's normally £18.50. However, I have found that if I use it over another mascara, it does add some good length. 

What mascaras do you guys use? If you want to know my thoughts on any of the other mascaras, just comment and let me know :) Generally let me know what you think of this post, it's my first proper beauty post and I like to get feedback!

Christina xo