Bourjois BB Cream 8in1 Foundation: 22 Beige Dore

One drugstore brand that's getting me very excited this year is Bourjois. After having a bit of a break from them in 2012 (I just got sidetracked by other brands for a while and nothing was particularly grabbing me), I've had them thrust back into my life with a BANG for 2013. I recently reviewed 2 shades of their new Rouge Edition Lipstick range (post can be found Here) that I had been lucky enough to take home from London Fashion Week. I also took home this BB Cream with a difference...

Bourjois BB Cream 8in1 Foundation: 22 Beige Dore*

I love love LOVE the packaging of this product! I don't think I've seen any other BB Cream (not a drugstore brand one, anyway) that comes in a compact. And it's a GREAT compact! The mirror is a fantastic size. I did scratch my head a little when I first got it as to how it opened because the lid swivels and tilts every which way haha. I'll admit here and now that I've been a bit MEH about BB Creams on this blog. I tried the original Garnier BB Cream when it first came out and found it to be a bit wet for my liking and it put me off them for a while. 

The Bourjois BB Cream boasts the following....

Combats Fatigue

Erases Shine

Long Lasting Hydration

SPF 20

Anti Aging

Perfects, Smooths and Evens the Complexion

Targets and Corrects Imperfections

Medium Coverage

The medium coverage part was music to my ears! I always failed to see what separated a BB Cream from a tinted moisturiser to be honest. The Garnier one turned out to be quite wishy washy (although I did get a fair bit of use out of it last summer when I didn't want anything too heavy and it did moisturise my skin very well), but this one I feel like I could wear all year round. It's a great shade for me for the summer too. I'm NC30 so a warm medium tone is always a winner.

Look at the face on it haha!! It was 8am on the first day back at uni after the hols though. Gutted! I've been applying this straight from the compact with a stipple brush or my fingers (using the sponge in any areas which needed a bit of extra coverage). I find it works best if it's warmed a little with the fingers before application.

 It spreads evenly and gives a lovely medium coverage. It conceals my under eye circles (and my little 30-yr-old mini wrinkles *cough*) pretty well and gives a lovely glow to my face. I've tried it on it's own and with my MAC MSFN in Medium Plus (which is in the photo) but I suspect it would work well with my new BeneFit Hello Flawless powder as well. There's plenty of time to experiment though! As a combo skinned girlie, I do find I'm a little shiny around my nose by the time it comes to home time but, it is a BB cream and not a foundation. It doesn't claim to mattify. My skin feels hydrated all day which is a big bonus and it looks really natural.

Bourjois BB Cream 8in1 Foundation retails at £11.99 for 6g of product and is currently exclusive to Selfridges and selfridges.com

There are so many exciting new Bourjois releases still to come over the summer months. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw posts like this one from Amelia Liana. Their forthcoming bronzing primer looks TO. DIE. FOR!! I'm a massive fan of the Delice range. And their new special edition blushes are so beautifully packaged!

What drugstore brands have you fallen back in love with lately?? What are your thoughts on BB Creams?? Do you have any favourites??

Monday Manicure #6: Ciate Paint Pot in Sand Dune

My Monday Mani is making an early appearance this week. Mainly because I got a bit overexcited at this month's Marie Claire freebies and wanted to share it with you IMMEDIATELY!! In their May issue they are offering up a choice of TWO different full size Ciate Paint Pots as well as a mini Jergen's Body Moisturiser. The only shade I could find in my local Sainsbury's was Sand Dune so I snapped it up and I thought I'd pop it up on the blog as a Monday Mani so that you lovely ladies can see it on the nails.

I LOVE the Ciate packaging! It's a big bottle at 13.5ml and the curved shape and Ciate's signature bow are very pleasing on the eye. I like that the cap is longer as well as I find it easier to control the brush that way.

This is actually my first Ciate nail polish. I seem to have missed out on previous magazine giveaways with them included and I just failed to stumble across them whilst out and about and promptly forgot they existed until I spotted them in Marie Claire today. Sand Dune looked so pretty in the bottle. I love a nice golden shade on my nails in the summer, expecially with a tan, and this one has the most beautiful sparkle to it without being overly-bling. It's very similar to Barry M's Gold Foil Nail Effects but it has more sparkle and isn't quite so metallic.

I actually found this polish to be a bit of a hassle to apply. It seems to cling to any imperfection in the nails and, on a couple, I had to redo it several times before it would look smooth (thank God for my Bourjois 1-Second Nail Polish remover). I really did get rather angry after the 3rd attempt bodged.  It's almost like the second coat is trying to pull the first coat OFF. Very strange but probably my fault for not waiting longer between coats. However, the finished effect is lovely! It's more subtle than the Barry M Foil and the sparkly effect is so pretty! Definitely worth £3.80 for an issue of Marie Claire, despite my issues.

Will you be buying Marie Claire this month?? What do you think of Ciate Paint Pots?? What nail shades will you be going for for SS13??