Benefit the POREfessional primer review

Only until about a year ago I discovered what a primer actually was and it's only been within the last few months that I've starting wearing them with my makeup, and I really don't know how I ever lived without a primer before! I've been using a few makes but the one that has been the best is Benefit the POREfessional which I'm sure a lot of you maybe use or know about, as it has been around for a couple of years now. Benefit really is one of my favourite makeup brands and the difference this has made to the staying power of my makeup is really impressive.

Benefit the POREfessional £24.50

So, firstly what is a primer? A primer can be applied under or over makeup and it is meant to minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines, making your skin look more smoother and flawless, as well as improving the staying power of your makeup.

I tend to alternate between oily and combination skin which for me means that upon leaving the house for work with a full face of makeup I return looking like I've not even bothered. Makeup really does tend to slide off my face in the day and powders don't even help in that department either. It really was time for me to start using a primer. I think I was reluctant to use one for so long as I didn't want anything else to clog my pores up as I have spot prone skin, but I wish I never let this put me off as it really has changed my life!

As always I absolutely adore the packaging of this product and the door which opens to the mini porefessional action figure, you couldn't dream this stuff up?! The Benefit marketing/advertising team have it down to a tee!

I use this primer under my makeup, I usually apply it to the problem areas on the T zone which are my forehead, nose and chin with my fingers. It is not a thick consistency at all and it rubs in really easily. As you can see it comes out of the tube with an orangey shade to it, but don't let this worry you as it blends into your skin clear as you can see from the pictures above, so this product can be used for all skin types and colours. The liquid smooths into the skin beautifully and it feels really velvety and silky on the skin. 

I wait a few moments before then applying the rest of the makeup to my face. Makeup slides onto my skin with ease after using it and the formula really does help to fill out my pores. The difference between wearing makeup with a primer such as this beneath my makeup has made a massive difference, I come home from work with all of my makeup still in tact, it also helps to keep the grease at bay and stop my forehead shining like an oil slick, I do still use my powder with this to set my makeup though,

The POREfessional is the perfect product for people who just want to smooth their skin out under their makeup, those with combination/oily skin who find their makeup slides  off and I can see that this will be a miracle worker throughout the summer as makeup literally does slip off your face in the heat. The price of this product I think is reasonable as it does last for ages as you really only need to use a small amount for each application. I really don't know where I would be without this trusty primer, I just wish I had met you sooner!

Do you wear a primer? What do you think of the POREfessional? Which primer is your favourite?

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OOTD | Lady in oxblood

Dress - Topshop

Cardigan - Missguided

Tights - Primark

Hat - Forever 21

Boots - H&M

Another day, another new pair of boots! If only every day a new pair of shoes could grace my feet! I featured these in my what I got for Christmas post and I am still so happy that I managed to hunt these down, albeit in a store 4 hours from home but I think it's worth it. I absolutely love that they have pointed toes and the heels are the perfect size for walking in! I bought this dress a couple months ago but only wore it on a night out, Topshop also do it in green which is currently in the sale!! I love the lace/nighty kinda look that hit the summer by storm this year. Oxblood still remains a favourite colour in my eyes for winter and I think it looks great against a full black outfit. I usually stick to plain black tights, but after rummaging around my vast wardrobe yesterday I found these patterned tights that I got last Christmas which I still hadn't worn, the simple design on the back of the legs is so cute and even helps to accentuate my leg shape which is an added bonus! I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like oxblood? Do you like patterned tights?

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OOTD | Leopard print boots

Coat - Zara

Jeans - Primark

Jumper - Topshop

Boots - Next

This is officially the first outfit post of the year! I havent actually purchased many new clothes recently as I've been saving up for some travels this year. However, I will never say no to a new pair of shoes, especially if they are in the sale! I absolutely love Next shoes but rarely buy any as they are so expensive, I had spotted this pair of boots a while back and was shocked to see them in the sale from £75 down to £35, so naturally they had to be mine! They look amazing styled with monochrome outfits and with burgundy/oxblood coloured items. They are definitely a new favourite to my ever growing collection of shoes, having said that I think it's also about time that I moved out as my second temporary wardrobe to hold my excess amount of clothes collapsed over the weekend, as it was so full.. I think it might be time for a clothing cull!

I hope you all had a great weekend! What do you think of this outfit? Do you like leopard print? Whats been your best sale buy?

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Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!

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Happy New Year everyone!!! I just want to start off by saying I hope everyone had a lovely evening celebrating bringing in the New Year (a few sore heads today I expect?!) and I want to say a huge thank you to all of my past, current, and present readers of my blog. My blog has improved so much over the last year with the chance to take lots of amazing opportunities and I wouldn't have had the chance without you lovely lot, so thank you to each and every one of you! I did a very similar post to this last year which you can read here if you want to see what my goals were for 2014!

I think it's nice to just round up whats happened in this year and to be grateful for the good and bad, and to go into a brand New Year with some new aspirations. 2014 has been a brilliant year for me. I graduated from university with a first which I'm still pretty shocked about, I moved back home, went on some lovely holidays and I am now working full time - maybe something I don't want to do for the rest of my life but I'm lucky to have found something, there are far and few decent jobs in Plymouth for a graduate! On the blog front it's really been a fantastic year, my page views have considerably increased over the past few months, as has my readership, my highlights had to be attending both LFW's in February and September which I will be eternally grateful for, I maybe didn't attend the biggest shows but it's something that I will always remember. I also got to attend a few local blogger meets where I have got to meet the loveliest bloggers, some which I speak to daily, the blogging community does the world of good to me and it's so nice knowing that someone is only ever a tweet away! The people really do make blogging the most enjoyable and nicest hobby out there.

I have had a great year and I'm a very positive person in general but as some of you might be aware I've had a really bad year for my health unfortunately. January started off badly with me ending up in hospital with my never ending stomach problems, in March I established it was just IBS which I posted about here. Since then I've not spoken about how I've been at all but the last few months I've unfortunately been really unwell, it's been so hard to keep going whilst juggling a full time job and a blog, I honestly don't know how I have. We are almost at a final diagnosis now of a stomach condition called gastroparesis, I don't feel like talking about it openly on my blog now but I'm just hoping for a much better, healthier year and to find some way to cope with this chronic illness and to get back my life which has very much been put on hold for the past year. But enough with the negativity huh?! However, I did want to keep you all in the loop with things but now we can move on to my main resolutions!

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 Some people think it's a rubbish idea and that every year it's the same 'new year, new me' but I personally think goals/aspirations and having something to work towards is the best way to stay positive and focused and to see how far you've come throughout the year! Here are a few of my resolutions which I have split into two main categories:

Blogging:

1. Continue to post regularly 3-4 times a week

2. For my blog to continue to grow

3. To try and attend at least one blog chat a week

4.To read and comment on more blogs

5. To attend another blogger event

6. Get press accredited for LFW in February

Life:

1. To land myself a graduate job

2. Travel more

3. To get better and get my life back!

4. To say YES more!

5. To join a gym when I'm better

6. To move away from Plymouth

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Last year I vowed to keep a jar of all my happy memories of 2014 and it really was one of the best decisions and it was the easiest and quickest thing to do! I got myself a jar and did it up nicely and every time something good happened I wrote it on a piece of paper and put it into my jar. It really helped to keep me going through all my bad days and to know that even though you might have a bad day, there is something good in every day, however small. The jar is full to the brim now and it was SO nice to look back over all the good things in my year, I would definitely recommend anyone to do this for 2015!

Thank you for reading, and again I want to wish all my readers, friends and family the happiest and healthiest year yet, I cant wait to see what this year has in store!

What are your New Years Resolutions? What was your highlight of 2014? Will you keep a happy memories jar for 2015?

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