Update

Hello all! It's been a little while since I've posted about myself, and a little while since I've had regular posts too! As any GCSE students (or students in general) will know were almost smack bang in the middle of exam period, which means a ton of revision and no blogging. However, I'm pretty pleased with my schooling at the moment! Prior to this month I despised my Chemistry teacher, up until I got my HT additional Chemistry result back that was! Have you ever had that overwhelming sense of pride when you see a big fat A* sat right next to your name, on a rather large projection board for your entire school to see, oh yeah! just call me izzy newton! Anybody else sit their additional, how did you find it?

Also, huge thank you to the interest in the blogger button swap I launched about 2 weeks ago. I had a great response and I'm looking forward to working with you all. If you are interesting in the blogger button swap, its never too late! Just send me an informal email at Aisforayla@hotmail.co.uk and I'll get back to you! Cmon its free, you may as well!

Speaking of great responses thank you for your lovely emails, I've gotten so many compliments on my blog and I really am thankfull! It almost makes me feel quite guilty for not posting as much as I usually do! I've had record views this month, and I couldn't be more delighted!

Anyway, off I pop, the Britain's Got Talent breaks over! See you soon lovelies!

P.S did I mention im gonna meet the queen next week?

NOTD Diva Violet

Max Factor Shade 8 'Diva Violet' £4.00

Bare Minerals Starter Kit

Now if your a long term reader of mine you may have noticed that I dont post much about liquid makeup, infact I never post about liquid makeup. This is purely because I stick to just minerals for my base, and of course I had to try the master of all mineral makeup, Bare Minerals. I opted for the starter kit so I could try a few different bits. The kit contains (in order on the left photo) a 'Tinted Mineral Veil', a 'Hydrating Mineral Veil', an 'Illuminating Mineral Veil' and the original 'Mineral Veil'

TL-BR - 'Translucent Mineral Veil', 'Illuminating Mineral Veil', 'Hydrating Mineral Veil', 'Tinted Mineral Veil'

Translucent Mineral Veil

• Your basic translucent finishing powder
• Slightly pinky toned in the jar, but perfectly transparent on the skin
• Really is just your standard high end translucent powder.
• Stays matte for around 6-7 hours
• Would recommend, however not for those looking for something groundbreaking

Illuminating Mineral Veil

• Pale peach toned powder with finely milled purple/silver glitter
• applies nicely on a whole, but like all loose highlighters, the glitter drops onto your jaw
• I'd most recommend applied to the cheek bones. If on the nose or brow bone be prepared to buff it out quite a bit because it does apply very pale and stark.
• Overall a lovely powder, personally I dont use this for everyday, its a nicer product for special occasions and in photographs!

Hydrating Mineral Veil

• Typically the original mineral veil, although I like this much more
• More yellow toned, wouldnt recommend for dark skin
• Slight orange/yellow toned shimmer which gives a dewy appearance when applies all over the skin
• Not sure on the 'Hydrating' qualities, it does feel much nicer than most powders I've used
• Can easily be used on an everyday basis
• Overall, my favourite of the 4

Tinted Mineral Veil

• Dark in the jar, however applies very subtle
• Very buildable colour
• Good for the 'I've just returned from the Bahamas' look as its subtle and gives all over even colour
• No shimmer, adding to the effect
• I use it for my neck and collarbone area as these are unusually pale compared to my olive toned body and face, as its subtle it gives the illusion of no makeup used
• My favourite of the 4 after the 'Hydrating' variation

L-R - Tinted, Illuminating, Hydrating, Translucent

 The powders as a whole are a good investment for those looking to try out new things, or as an introduction to Bare Minerals. Obviously as they are finely milled loose powders they are a bit messy, especially the illuminating as the glitter gets everywhere! Under no circumstances turn these upside down because you will regret it. I love everything about these powders, apart from the scent. If you apply heavily, you get a horrid scent thats very unusual and different from the one you get with other cosmetics. Its hard to describe but of course I would prefer it with the powders were without. Also, just to add in at the end, these are not cakey and are great for covering dry skin as they don't cling! One of the other things I find kinda cute about the starter kit, apart from the diddy little 0.75g pots is the tiny 'Flawless Face Brush' it comes with, its completley impracticle but so so cute!

For this kit £21.50 is the usual price

For a 6g pot of any of the 4 the price is £6

The 'Flawless Face Brush' retails at £12

Olay Provital Tinted Moisturiser

Now I realise it is pretty unusual that a 15 year old is buying products for mature skin however, pretty much all my life I've had numerous sleep disorders which in turn has ruined my skin and caused a few early wrinkles. They aren't the huge, deep wrinkles that need a bit of botox, but they aren't they wrinkles 15 year olds should be having either. Obviously I'm well aware these are only going to get worse with age, which is why I start on the anti-ageing pretty early.

Honestly I struggle to find complaints about this product. It glides on smoothly and evenly and can be applied quickly and easily with just fingers. I don't like to wear a full face purely just because the colour is a little dark for me, so I wear it on the outer areas of my face where my skin is naturally darker. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone pale. I'd use the photos of me on my blog as reference if you are unsure. As you can see in the photo, it really does give a coverage, something rare in most tinted moisturisers despite their claims. The formula is light and a little goes a long way! The only complaint other than the shade range (which I believe consists of 1?!) is the scent, it smells maybe a little too much like Grandmas old perfume, but you can't always win!

Olay Provital Tinted Moisturiser For Mature Skin

£7.99 for 50ml at Boots and Superdrug

Overall Rating (7/10)

No7 High Shine Lipgloss in 'Happy'

'Happy' is a pretty peachy pink with average pigmentation and slight flecks of gold and apricot glitter. It has a small brush tip applicator which allows for precise application. This, paired alongside with its smooth formula makes it a delight to apply! It's not sticky and sits on the lips for hours! I applied this at 8am for the school day and it was still going strong by 2:30 despite meals, a ton of chatting and licking of the lips. This really is one of those lipglosses you can't help but lick your lips when wearing because it has the sweetest, sugariest, candy taste ever! The gorgeous taste stays on as long as the colour does too which is awfully uncommon in most lipglosses! In my opinion, this £9 lipgloss is better than most I've tried. It comes very close to topping my all time favourite Bare Escentuals Buxom in 'Destiny' which just happens to be double the price!

No7 High Shine Lipgloss in 'Happy'

£9 exclusively at Boots

Overall rating (9/10)

Garnier Fresh Essentials Grape Toner

I never really post about skincare here on my blog, but that's all about to change! A few weeks ago some of you might remember this Garnier toner featured in a haul. The only reason I bought it really was because it was on offer and the green packaging made it look I dont know, 'natural'. Previous to the moment I had been stripping away the oils in my face with the Clean & Clear blackhead clearing cleanser, which don't get me wrong, I love dearly and have done for years but the fact that Alcohol came first in a long list of ingredients on the bottle scared me a little. So I was on the hunt for something else, something to drastically change my skin routine and hopefully the appearance of my skin. However it seems I'm still looking.

You see the basic issue with this so-called 'toner' is that its just well, not a toner in my opinion. For me, a toner is something that really gets into your pores and takes away that extra dirt that your cleanser can't. This here barely cleanses my skin, never mind 'tones and refreshes' it. This is another issue, it doesn't feel refreshing at all. This sounds really quite ridiculous because its got the consistencey of water, but it feels quite sticky! However, I will give Garnier points for claiming to brighten your skin because honestly I do feel my skin did look a little perkier. Although it probably would have looked perkier regardless of the grape extract and pro-vitamins because lets face it, I'd been washing my face with spirits for 3 years. It smells amazing, but other than that its pretty much *insert negative adjectives here*

Garnier Fresh Essentials Refreshing Toner With Grape Extract

£3.15 Available at Boots, Superdrug ect.

Overall rating - (2/10)

Blogger Button Swap

Hey! For forever I've been meaning to make this post however I never quite managed to get round to it. Basically, I'm starting the Blogger Button Swap. If you don't know what it is, basically its just like blogger advertising but for free. You make a button (like the one displayed in my sidebar) and send the code to me. Alternatively you can just send me the image and I'll hyperlink it if you struggle with HTMLs. Once your blogger button is on my sidebar, my readers have direct access to your blogger page, business page or whatever you want to link. As your part of the deal, you then grab the HTML code in my sidebar, add it in to a HTML gadget and pop it in the sidebar on your blog!

I would ask that you make your buttons between 200 and 250 wide just purely because I like my blogger sidebar to look uniform. If sizing it too much of an issue I can do it quickly for you, however I need the image to be sent rather than the HTML code. I will check your blogs, businesses or pages just purely to make sure they comply with the style of my blog and the image I set to give to my readers. The button swap is completley free for blogs aswell as small businesses or organisations (I don't believe in the making or losing of money through my site for individuals or businesses)

To apply for the blogger button swap simply send me an informal email at Aisforayla@hotmail.co.uk with your site URL. Once I've approved the site we can go ahead and swap HTML's and the deal is done! If you have any queries or questions again, send them to my email and I'm more than happy to help. Emails are usually replied to within 12 hours.

Oops! Primark Shopping Again!

Worn with the mint Primark shorts I hauled here

A quick post to show all you lovely blogger peoples this top I picked up at Primark the other day for just £8 yes, 800 little pennies! Its a sheer sort of material but opaque enough to get away with not wearing a top underneath (don't let the photo decieve you, you can only see my bra because of the flash!) which makes it perfect for the warmer months. The shirt came in tons of lovely patterns, I'd have bought more if I had more money with me at the time! I also picked up a lovely playsuit I intend on showing later!

Accessorize Bronze Illusion NOTD

Accessorize Illusion Nail Polish in 'Bronze' - £4 Superdrug & Accessorize stores.

Natural Collection Eyeshadow Duo in 'Mocha Latte'

It feels like ages since I bought this trio from Natural Collection at Boots, when in fact its only been a few months! My only justification for feeling like I've had this a life time is because I used it day in day out all the time! And so for that reason I guess it would only be suitable if I did a quick post on it, no?

The Natural Collection was really the first ever makeup line I discovered, for those looking for basic makeup in basic shades at bargainous prices this should be your Mecca! I had tried everything from their powders to lipsticks to concealers. Their Lash Length mascara I reviewed here has always been a personal favourite so it triggered me to try a few more of their eyes productsconsiderring most white eyeshadows don't have great pigmentation. The mocha however is what makes me fall in love with this product! Its a beautiful soft mid-brown that blends so well and looks gorgeous on the outer corner and crease.

I have no doubt that these will impress anyone that tries them. The only things that could possibly upset a preson about this duo is its texture. The Natural Collection eyeshadows are very soft, which in turn creates a bit of fall out - not a massive problem just a bit of a faff! But there is a plus side! as there so soft the shadows blend beautifully making them perfect for complex eye makeup with numerous colours. As they are soft you'd expect them to crack and ruin when dropped, however there's more chance of the pan falling out of the plastic casing than the shadow falling out of the pan. Ive had this for a while and its been through multiple knocks and bumps and has managed to survive them all.

Natural Collection Eyeshadow Duo in 'Mocha Latte'

Available exclusively from Boots £1.99

Overall Rating - 8/10