Review: Garnier Moisture Bomb Eye Tissue Masks

I love a good under eye patch and am slowly working my way through every pair available in the beauty industry. And for the longest time I wondered why Garnier hadn't added a under eye patch to their ever growing skincare ranges. That is until recently. I've had these sat in my collection for the last month but didn't use them until I had a back up of each waiting in my eye patch basket.

Their Moisture Bomb Eye Tissue Masks are an extension of their popular Moisture Bomb mask range. There are two under eye masks in the range. One is a pair of conventional looking under eye patches and the other is a mask that sits over the entire eye area. The patches contain Orange Juice and Hyalruonic Acid that work to reduce the appearence of bags and brighten the under eye area. They're a material mask which can sometimes be a pain to work with but these are simple and easy to use, something I put down to their size.

The eye mask on the other hand contains Hyaluronic Acid and Coconut Water to reduce the appearence of fine lines whilst simultaneously hydrating and redefining the under eye area. Both the patches and the mask claim to reduce the skin's temperature by up to four degrees when used but can be more if they are stored in the fridge beforehand. They're also fragrance free so they're very unlikely to irritate anyone's eyes but if they do, taking them off and rinsing your eyes is the obvious solution yet I think that the majority of people would be fine using these.

I like these, I'm a huge fan of Garnier and their Moisture Bomb range anyway, so it was a given that these weren't going to let me down. The patches are absolutely massive which surprised me at first but after wearing them, I see that my skin benefited from them being bigger. My under eye area looked brighter, felt smoother and any puffiness that I had, hadn't gone completely but had reduced significantly and made me look more awake and alert. The eye mask thankfully fit perfectly to the contours of my face and didn't slip or drop off when I moved, even if I did look like a member of the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles. It was extremely cooling on the skin and left my under eye area feeling smoother and hydrated, pretty much creating the perfect canvas for make up if I had worn any the day I used it. I've tried a variety of different under eye patches/masks and whilst these won't knock my holy grail Rodial under eye masks off the top spot, they come a close second. They don't cost the earth and actually work unlike other high street options that claim to work when in fact they leave the under eye area feeling tighter than it was before you applied the mask. Definitely a new release I'd recommend checking out if you're in the market for some under eye masks or are just a massive fan of Garnier like myself.

GRWM: Day At The Zoo

On Monday me and mum went to Marwell Zoo. We had a fantastic day even if I was asleep before head even hit the pillow that night. And I was going to do a GRWM that showed the minimal make up look I was going to go for but I didn't end up wearing make up and I'm glad considering it got to a good thirty degrees as we walked round there. So instead I'm showing you the things I packed in my backpack as well as a few tips that I found came in handy.

As I didn't wear make up, I thought I'd share my skincare for the day with you. It's all very lightweight and simple at the moment as I don't want to clog my pores and cause unnecessary break outs. Two stand out products I had to use though were my Optimum Glycolic Pads, this just really tighten the skin and leave it feeling soft and smooth to the touch and the Hawaiian Tropic SPF30 for the face. I don't go anywhere without putting a layer of this on and Monday was now different. And I even took a different facial SPF to spray my face with as I walked around Marwell.

My outfit was pretty simple, I went for a white t-shirt and black jeans but both went straight in the wash when I got home, hence the lack of picture. And I paired them with these faux Vans-esque shoe from Primark. And by god were they comfortable. These have a cushioned insole that makes wearing them for hours at a time a dream. My shoulders ached from carrying a backpack all day but my feet felt fine and I put it all down to these shoes. I highly recommend wearing your comfiest shoes when it comes to trips to the zoo. I saw a lot of women in shoes that looked nice but offered little comfort and I just knew they'd be regretting it at the end of the day.

The backpack I took is this rather shapeless looking yet amazingly functional one from Primark. I used it last year when I went to Marwell with Lauren and her childrens and it easily held so much stuff so taking it again this year was a no brainer. This managed to hold my lunch, a 1.5 litre bottle of water as well as the other essentials I packed with me.

If you saw my What's In My Bag then you'll know I carry a rather large purse and for the day out I didn't want to carry that around on top of everything else So I transferred the money I took and any cards I needed over into this Minnie Mouse card holder and Aladdin pouch. It made it a lot more slimline and I could easily slide it down to the bottom of my backpack without creating a bulge or bulking the bag out.

Alongside everything else I packed three essentials that definitely came in handy throughout the day. The first is headache pills, I really needed this as I ended up with a headache from hell. I never go anywhere without the Anadin Actifast Paracetamol Tablets. They work really well at getting rid of a headache in record time. The second is a antibacterial hand gel, mine's the Hand Maid from Soap and Glory but I saw a variety of hand gels as I walked around the zoo. Because toilets were far and few between, this was great at giving my hands a clean feeling without having to double back to the nearest toilet block. And the last was a pack of pocket tissues, I suffer with hayfever so these definitely came in handy as Marwell was quite dry and dusty which made my nose itch quite a bit.

Something I thought would be a necessity was sunglasses and I took my favourite pair from Primark because if I'd lost them I wouldn't have wasted a lot on them. However I barely wore them, firstly because it made it harder to see the pictures I was taking and secondly I didn't really want to get a nice big glasses mark if I did happen to catch the sun. I do wish I'd worn them more though as I think squinting as I walked around gave me the headache that made me feel like utter crap.

And the last thing I took was my iPad Mini. I would have preferred to have taken my new iPad as the picture quality on that is amazing but because it is so new, I decided to take the Mini. It got me the pictures I wanted and managed to last the whole day without dying so I was impressed. I saw a lot of people with massive, professional cameras but unfortunately one of those isn't in my budget so I made do with my Mini.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate and Coconut Cookies

Ever since I made my Double Chocolate Cookies I've been thinking of other combinations that would make a great cookie. It took a while but I managed to think of a few. And the one I decided to try the most was a combination of coconut and dark chocolate. Now I know everyone isn't a big fan of dark chocolate but paired with the coconut, some of the bitter taste is taken away and is a welcomed flavour in the cookie. 

Ingredients 

150g Salted Butter, softened 

80g Light Brown Muscavdo Sugar 

80g Granulated Sugar 

2Tsp Vanilla Extract 

1 Egg

225g Plain Flour 

1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda 

1/4 Tsp Salt 

100g Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies 

50g Desicated Coconut 

Method 

1- Pre heat your oven to 180c. I sometimes do mine at 200c to warm it up as my oven takes a while to warm up and then turn it back down to 180c just before I start creating the balls of dough. 

2- Line several baking trays with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. I always do three trays as I never know what size they’re going to turn out and I like to be prepared. 

3-In your stand mixer place the softened salted butter, granulated and muscavdo sugar and beat until creamy and smooth. You can use a electric hand mixer but I find a stand mixer is a lot quicker.

4- Add the vanilla extract and egg and then beat again. I always take advantage of this step to really scrape around the bowl and make sure everything is incorporated. 

5- Then sieve the salt, bicarbonate of soda and plain flour into the mixture. I advise taking your bowl off the base of your mixer so you don't end up with flour everywhere.

6- Beat briefly until everything is combined and you have the makings of cookie dough in your bowl. 

7- Then it’s time to add the chocolate chips and desicated coconut. I started with the chocolate chips and beat them in, both with my stand mixer and a spatula when I took it off the base. Then I added the desicated coocnut bit by bit so I got the exact amount of coconut I wanted which is something I advise you to do. Not everyone is a fan of coconut so just aff as little as much as you want. 

8- Now it's time to make your balls of cookie dough. Normally I'd just use my hands but I wanted to see if I could make smaller balls and get more out of the mixture. So I used my trusty old ice cream/batter mixture scoop. It creates just the right size ball of dough and you don't have to get your hands dirty and covered in dough. I managed to make around sixteen cookies by using my scoop and I'd highly advise using one if you're wanting to make large amount of cookies from one dough. 

9- Bake in the oven for 10-15mins or until the edges are firm and the centres are still a little wobbly. 

10- Once out of the oven leave them to rest on the tray for a couple of minutes. It just allows the centres to firm up and less likely to stick or fall apart when you transfer them to a cooling rack. 

11- When they’ve firmed up transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely or enjoy whilst they’re still warm. I'd highly advise enjoying them whilst their warm as the chocolate chips are still slightly melted and will make the rest of the cookie just melt in your mouth.

Summer Lip Edit

I'm not the biggest fan of Summer, it's too hot, I have trouble sleeping, my self confidence takes a nose dive at all the crop tops and booty shorts in the shops. The only thing I genuinely enjoy about Summer is that I can pull out some of my bold shades that don't fit in any other time of the year, oh and that it means we're one step closer to Autumn/Winter, my absolute favourite times of the year.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Amsterdam
This is one of my absolute favourite red shades. It's sits between being a blue toned red and a tomato red and compliments my fair complexion perfectly. The Soft Matte Lip Creams are very mousse like in texture and well wonderfully on the lips. They're not like other powdery matte formulas and wears comfortably on the lips for a good few hours without the need for touch ups.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso
A holy grail red I wear not just in Summer but all year round is Beso from Stila. Again it's that perfect mix of tomato red and blue toned red. It gives my complexion a perfected appearence but doesn't wash me out or make my skin look flat or lifeless. It's more of a powder matte finish than Amsterdam but still comfortable to wear and can easily be worn for a good few hours before you need to reapply. I would advise not eating anything oily or greasy when wearing this as it could end up everywhere.

Rosie For Autograph in Supermodel Kiss
Whilst we're on the topic of red's, this orange red is one of my absolute holy grail lip products. Supermodel Kiss is bright orange with red undertones that makes it suitable to be worn by all skin tones including those with paler complexions. It's satin finish that lasts all day on the lips comfortably and doesn't require any touch ups, unless you're chowing down on a burger or something equally as greasy.

Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte in Siren In Scarlet
Let's just get all the reds out the way now. Siren In Scarlet is another matte red shade that leans more towards being a blue toned red than an orange red. It looks gorgeous on a multitude of skintones and won't wash out fairer complexion. It's a very creamy formula that doesn't dry lips out but still has a slightly powdery feeling to it. Because it is creamy, it can bleed or smudge if your not careful but a transparent or red lip line applied beforehand will stop any problems you may run in to.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Hot Pepper
An old favourite that I've rediscovered this Summer is Hot Pepper from Bourjois. It's a stunning orange red that really pops on both fairer and darker skintones, making it the talking point of any look. It's not a real matte but it's also not a satin finish, it's a weird hybrid that doesn't dry lips out but also doesn't budge or bleed. It's definitely one I can see myself adding to a minmal make up look to give it a boost.

Sleek Matte Me Up Liquid Lipstick in Rioja Red
This is a red that I haven't worn a lot but plan on changing this Summer. It's again a more orange based red but doesn't have that much orange that it washes out fairer complexions. It's definitely a lipstick that requires some prep but when done right, it's absolutely gorgeous. I'd highly recommend taking a lip balm with you when you wear this to combat any dryness but it certainly won't budge no matter what you eat or drink.

Make Up Revolution Pro Supreme Matte Pigment in Spiritual 
Now I know you're probably fed up of red's right now but I promise this is the last one. Red is my go to shade all year round but especially during the Summer when the sun's out. And this is the latest addition to my collection. It's again a mixture of an orange based red and a classic blue toned red, which for me is my perfect Summer red shade. This has some staying power but does require a little waiting time as it dries down. I don't advise pressing your lips together as this dries as you'll have to redo it but the wait is worth it. I found this to be a little uncomfortable to wear but a lot of that came down to lack of prep on my side. This does not budge and is a perfect budget dupe of both Stila's Beso and Kat Von D's Outlaw.

 Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Pink Pong
Let's move on to the very small amount of pink shades I'll be wearing this Summer. Pink Pong from Bourjois is the perfect blue toned pink that compliments all skin tones including fairer complexions and doesn't make teeth look yellow. It's a weird formula that sits between a matte and a satin finish without the accompanying powder feeling of a matte finish. I love wearing this with minmal make up and a basic white tee and jeans.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Ole' Flamingo
Another shade from the Rouge Edition range I adore for the Summer is Ole' Flamingo. It's not a blue toned as Pink Pong but still looks stunning on a multiude of skin tones. It's got warmer undertones than Pink Pong which warms up us with fairer complexions and gives our complexions a boost even if we are covered in SPF30.

Rosie For Autograph in Rosie Lips
A deeper pink that I reach for a lot when I'm looking to tone down a look is this one from Rosie For Autograph. It's got a deeper raspberry tone to it that stops it from being too over the top but still allows it to be bold and seen. It's a satin finish that doesn't budge from the lips and easily brightens the complexion, a must have pink for anyone who finds pink a hard lip colour to wear.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Rome
Even though it's Summer and bold lips are the in thing, I still love a good neutral lip every now and again, especially when I'm wearing something more colourful. And that's where this shade from NYX comes in. It's neutral enough to not clash with anything bright but still has enough colour and warmth to make it stand out and compliment the rest of your make up. It's mousse like texture makes it a dream to wear for long periods of time but application can be a little tricky if you don't have enough product on the doe foot applicator. Time and patience is the best way to go with this product, something not all of us have but is well worth it.

 Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Patina
Another pinky neutral shade I love comes from Stila. Patina may look more brown in the tube but in fact has a deeper pink undertone to it that doesn't really show itself until it's on the lips. More of a traditional matte finish than others I've talked about but with the right prep beforehand this can look gorgeous on the lips for a good few hours without drying, peeling or flaking off.

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Dash
And finally my last neutral and last lipstick for this edit is another pinky nude shade that is a great budget friendly dupe for Patina. Dash is slightly darer in tone but still has that pink undertone that won't wash out fairer complexions. It again is a traditional matte finish and can feel powdery on the lips if too much is applied. It isn't one to wear out to dinner but is perfect if your nipping out to run errands or nipping to the shops and don't need to worry about reapplication. This is a gorgeous lipstick that I have worn many a time but if I were to chose, I'd have to chose Patina over this down to the wear time and feel on the lips. 

August Goals

Last month I wrote a post outlining my goals for July and I let myself down. Now I'm not saying this for sympathy but I did and I have no one else to blame but myself. So today I'm back with my August Goals and this time I plan on sticking to them. And if I don't, then feel free to give me a good kick up the ass.

So last month I said I was going to focus on posting more both on here and on Instagram. But that went right out the window and I only posted nine out of the thirteen I had planned. Now I know it doesn't sound that terrible and I should be happy with nine but I'm not. I'm better than that and I never used to be so lazy when it came to the blogging but lately I've just become so lazy and have enjoyed procastinating more than anything. However when I had some time off work recently I sat and planned out all my posts for August, September and October. Now I know that may sound like unprecedented pressure on me but these are ideas that have been floating in my head for ages and their persistence has given me the drive to get back into blogging and working harder at create good content instead of sitting and watching a ton of SWAT episodes again. So keep your eyes peeled every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for new posts from now, filled wit what I hope is amazing content.

Again another goal I'm carrying over from last month is to read more. I started the year off so well but lately I've let it slip and again it's for no other reason than I've gotten slightly lazy. However I have a pile of what looks to be amazing books to read (I brought new ones when I didn't need more books) and I can't wait to share my thoughts on them at the end of the month with you.

And my penultimate goal for the month is to stop worrying as much. Whether it be about work, money, the blog or my appearence, I'm going to try my best to stop worrying about it. Over the last month I've had quite a few nights where sleep has been disrupted or hard to find because I've been overthinking everything. I've got another week off work soon, packed full of amazing plans so I'm going to stop worrying about the stupid things and start focusing on the good things such as time spent with family and friends.

The final goal I've decided to set myself for August is to continue the mindset of not comparing myself to others. I spent so much time thinking I had to be a certain way or have a certain look about me that I lost sight of what makes me, me. Blogging is a good example of that. I always thought I had to have the newest products as soon as they came so I could feature them on the blog and remain relevant. However that's just not possible considering the sheer amount of products that can come out every month. So with blogging I've decided to focus more on posting what makes me happy and worrying less about not having the lastest hyped up product. And the same goes for me as a person, I'm going to stop focusing on the fact that I haven't been away on holiday this year or that I may not be everyone's cuppa tea asthetically and focus on what I love about myself and cherishing the little things that make me uniquely me.

Monthly Favourites: July

Tis the end of another month which can only mean one thing. It's monthly favourites time and this month I have a lot more non beauty favourites than I do beauty favourites purely because make up has been the last thing on my mind during this horrendous heatwave and skincare I have no new favourites.

I haven't worn a full face of make up in weeks, choosing lighter, skin tint/tinted moisturiser bases instead. But I still wanted the little coverage I was wearing to stay in place. I also wanted something that was going to disguise any redness that warm weather had brought to life. Which is where the Maybelline Master Primer Anti-Redness Primer comes into play. This primer has worked wonders for my skin everytime I've used it, it's disguised redness, blurred my pores and gave my skin a perfected look without that horrid green cast that many colour correcting primers do. And make up actually does last longer with this on, something I happily discovered as I rushed sweatily to dinner with a friend the other night. I've been enjoying this that much I haven't even reached for my trusty SuperStay Primer from Maybelline and we all know how attached to that product I am.

The only other beauty product I've been loving this month is a setting spray from I Heart Revolution. I credit a lot of my 'make up' staying on my face to this as well as the Maybelline Primer. There are various scents in this range but I have the Guava and Rose scent which seems to calm and hydrate my skin, making my make up look natural yet still flawless or as flawless as it can be in thirty degree heat. It's lightweight but powerful and has stopped me looking like an oil slick whenever I've wanted to look nice instead of my bare faced teenage self again.

I have a new TV addiction and it's all Shemar Moore's fault. His latest show S.W.A.T just premiered here in the UK and I was hooked with the first five minutes of the first episode. That hooked that between work, sleep and baking, I binge watched the entire first season in a week. And I may or may not be indulging in a rewatch as I wait for Season Two to arrive in September. Centered around the LA Metro SWAT, the show focuses on the work of Sergeant Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson and his team of extremely badass colleagues. Each episode is packed full of drama, action, humour and realistic issues that the world is facing each and every day. It's easy enough to get lost and binge a good three or four episodes at a time without realising you're doing it.

 I don't even think I need to explain why I loved this next favourite so much but I'm going to any way. Mamma Mia Here We Go Again is the amazing sequel to the ABBA fest that was Mamma Mia. I can't even put into words how much I loved this film and how uplifting and feel good it was. The soundtrack was phenomenal (I've had it on repeat all week) as well as the cast, who brought back all the memories of the original Mamma Mia but with the added additon the younger versions of the original cast. Lily James smashed it as young Donna whilst Amanda Seyfried gave me all the feels as present day Sophie. Too some people it's camp and over the top but it's a good way of relaxing for two hours with amazing music, scenery and several heartfelt moments that'll have you reaching for the tissues. And it has Cher in it, what more could you want from a film.

Apart from the Mamma Mia soundtrack there has only been one other album I've loved this month. And that comes from Canada's greatest export, Shawn Mendes. His new self titled album can be described in no other words than amazing. In My Blood, Nervous, Lost In Japan and Particular Taste are my most played songs but really there isn't a bad song on the album and coming from someone who's fussy as anything about albums like I am it's saying something. It's been my baking playlist, my blogging playlist and my relaxing playlist since I downloaded and apart from my next favourite, I haven't listened to much else.

My penultimate favourite is a musician who can do no wrong in my eyes. Her voice is sensational, her music is incredible and I can remember every word to every song better than I can remember any other song lyric in exsitence. Carrie Underwood is the queen of country music, her albums the only other music I've been listening to after Shawn Mendes this month and I'm counting down until her new album is released in September. Songs like Choctow County Affair, Church Bells, Undo It, The Champion, Cry Pretty and Cowboy Casanova are some of my favourite songs but again she is an artist that doesn't produce bad music and if Cry Pretty is anything to go by, her new album titled Cry Pretty which is released in September will be another sensational album from my musical idol.

And for my last favourite I'll have to ask you to ignore the awkward pose and the dirty mirror and focus your attention on the jeans. Never did I think there would be a day where I would prefer wearing a loose fit blue jean over my standard go to black skinny jeans. These little beauts are from Marks and Spencers and are the best money I've ever spent. They're a mid rise, relaxed fit, slim leg jean that have the most flattering turn up on my 5'3 frame. They cost a little more than I'd usually like to pay for my jeans but they are so comfy and give such a nice relaxed look to any outfit whilst keeping me cooler than skinny jeans would in the hot weather.

Review: Loreal Bonjour Nudista Skin Tint

I always like to go for a lighter base when the weather warms up, yes I know that's an understatment for the UK right now. But I do, I put away my medium/full coverage foundations and reach more for my tinted moisturisers, BB creams and skin tints. So when Loreal released a new skin tint, I just had to give it a go.

 The Bonjour Nudista Skin Tint from Loreal is a skincare/make up hybrid product. It looks like a foundation but is actually more of a tinted moisturiser. It's got very minimal/natural coverage that lets skin look and feel like skin. It's lightweight formula is extremely lightweight, breathable and just gives skin a healthy lit from within radiance. It's packed full of nourishing ingredients such as apricot, coconut and shea so it nourishes skin as you wear it. It comes in four shades which isn't necessarily the best selection but because it's such a light coverage it's quite adaptable and works with a multitude of skintones. But it's not to be confused with the Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream. The Nude Magique is grey in colour and adapts to match skin's natural colour when applied whereas the Bonjour Nudista is coloured like a normal foundations and blends out like a foundation would without adapting, oxidising or changing colour as you apply/blend out.

I'm in two minds about this product. On one hand I love the concept of this product but on the other hand I've really struggled to get along with it. I like the idea of having a barely there base, especially in this heatwave but with this skin tint, barely there coverage would almost be like hyping it up too much. I apply this with my hands and for the most parts after I've applied and blended it in, it just looks likes I've rubbed clean hands over my face. And the areas where it does show, it doesn't show in the good way. It's streaky and takes a while to blend in and even then looks uneven and requires more concealer than what I'd be looking to apply in a minimal make up look. I think if you have skin that didn't have a ton of imperfections then this would probably be a natural skin tint but for someone like me who has dark circles and redness, I think you're best going with a light coverage foundation that still allows skin to breath but is more likely to cover what you want covered without being too heavy or pore clogging.