SKINCARE | LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR MAT

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat, £11.90 (x)

As stated before, I'm an oily skinned girl and extremely self concious about it. I am a big lover of all La Roche-Posay products and so far haven't been able to fault one of them, and this is no exception! The product is a thin cream, and claims to have a long lasting mattifying effect, which I totally agree with. I use this after cleansing and toning my face, just dot a small amount onto my finger tips and rub into my skin, especially around areas which I find are most oily, such as around my nose and my chin.

If I apply this before makeup, I find it acts as a very good base and primer. My foundation looks a lot 'softer' if that makes sense, and it glides on easier, but also doesnt leave a greasy residue. It keeps my oil at bay and even after the intense heat we've been having in the UK recently, my makeup still stays flawless (I hate using that word it sounds so pretentious but it's true ahaha!)

It also claims to tighten pores and reduce sebum production, which I cannot vouch for as I do not use this everyday (For days when my skin feels a little dehydrated I use Hydraphase instead) but I do believe with prolonged use it could diminish pores, as it definitely mattifys my skin.

I would definitely repurchase this, and on Escentual its on offer for £11.90 down from £14! Go my fellow oily-skinned girls, go!

BRUSHES | REAL TECHNIQUES

Following a recent indicent with a candle and my Real Techniques brushes (-.-) I toddled down to Boots to repurchase two of my favourite brushes, and threw the old singed ones into the bin. Previously I used the Buffing brush for foundation but it only comes as part of a set, and the rest of mine were in perfectly good condition, so I opted for the next best thing...

EXPERT FACE BRUSH, £9.99 (x)

I did previously own this brush too (don't worry I didn't burn that one to bits, I lost it!) and had forgotten how good it was. If anything I think this brush was the better of the two, it's smaller than the Buffing Brush, and a bit more densly compacted so you can get a flawless coverage with very little work! 

SETTING BRUSH, £8.99 (x)

Now this brush is a funny one for me. Having really oily skin I almost always powder, but I use the Blush brush (x) for a light dusting all over the face rather than this which is meant to fit in all the nooks and crannies. Don't get me wrong, it does an excellent job at that! But my use for this is actually highlighter! It all started when I went to grab my Contour brush which was my usual brush of choice, and grabbed this instead. It has sort of flimsy bristles which is perfect for a light application of highlighter, and then you can build as needed without looking like a full on disco ball straight away!

I love RT brushes, think they're such good value for money and are definitely worth a look at if you're new to the brush game and want something high quality but not with the out of the park price ranges! Now, to hide my candles...

NAILS | BOOTS PERFECT FINISH CLEAR NAILS

BOOTS PERFECT FINISH CLEAR NAILS, £8.50 (x)

I have stated previously that I am not a nail person, meaning that nail care is definitely not my strong point. I have never used a base coat in my life, my nails are thin and break easily, and because of that I do often rely on false nails to make my fingers look a little bit more lady like. As a false nail fiend, I've tried many brands and sets, from Broadway to Kiss to Nailene, but I always skimmed over Boots' own brand. 

A set of nails now days, which has maybe two sets in if you're lucky and can fit two nail sizes on one finger, costs around £8, nearly £9. Using a box every few weeks was becoming very very pricey and it wasn't until my Mum spotted these that I realised I could be saving a lot of money! At only £8.50 for 200 nails, with a variety of sizes, you can get a fair few go's out of these before you start scrabbling for the scissors to cut thumb nails into pinky nails (don't act like it's never happened to you!) 

The nails themselves are firm and a semi-opaque white which I've found look actually quite nice on without polish, and the glue that comes with them is very impressive, even with working in a very hands on enviroment I've only lost one nail so far! I've also had a lot of compliments from people asking if they're my real nails, where I get them done etc. Just goes to show expensive doesn't always equal best!

If you're a false nail junkie like me and are sick of paying extortionate prices, these are definitely worth a look at.