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The Review | Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

Long time, no foundation review, eh? Rest assured, I have not become any less obsessed with foundations in my quest to find one to cover imperfections whilst imparting the perfect glow to the skin – although I must pat myself on the back for my restraint on the buying front as of late. I’m coming at you with a review of a foundation that (spoiler alert) might just be one of the very few that approach holy grail status and demand repurchase but here are the details. At the moment, I’m dealing with a cold and that hormonal time of the month, so my skin is not at its finest – a little angry and congested, and a lot dehydrated – and I figured it would be an excellent time to show you how it performs over less-than-smooth skin.

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The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($68/ ounce) is a cult favourite of makeup artists and and I’d say that this is likely because it is a foundation that does what it says. The claims that the brand boasts of aren’t complex – they claim that it’s a lightweight foundation that achieves a seamless radiant finish that’s reminiscent of silk – but it’s a refreshing change to review a product that’s not marketed as a skin miracle in a bottle. I knew that I wanted to try the foundation as soon as Armani launched on Sephora last year and I don’t regret it in the slightest. It provides medium buildable coverage that feels lightweight, looks luminous but lasts. It is almost undetectable on the skin but it has a perfecting or airbrushed quality to it. The foundation does not have the dewiest finish ever, but instead sits somewhere in between a luminous and a satin finish – read: the luminosity of this foundation comes off as emanating from within the skin rather than from visible particles or shine.

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Ingredients: WATER, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, GLYCERIN, ISODECANE, ALCOHOL DENAT, POLYGLYCERYL-40ISOSTERATE, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, HEXYL LAUREATE, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, DISTERDIMONIUM HECTORITE, PHENOXYETHANOL, ACETYLATED GLYCOL STERATE, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE, TRIHYDROXYSTEARIN, CELLULOSE GUM, NYLON-12, LIMONENE, BENZYL SALICYLATE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, LINALOOL, DIPHENYL DIMETHICONE, ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, PARFUM, DISODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, METHYLPARABEN, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPINOL, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, HEXYL CINNAMAL.

Ingredient-wise, it’s not my ideal foundation because it does include drying alcohol – which is what gives it its weightless feel and texture – and irritating fragrance actives, but it performs so well, providing both lasting coverage and a luminous look to the skin that I’m not bothered by it. It does not contain SPF but that doesn’t bother me because my skin is so finicky to SPF actives that I like to choose a separate product and because it makes it a great flash photography foundation. Unlike some truly dewy foundations, Luminous Silk does set on the skin so it would not be ideal for severe dry patches and flaking, however, it is ideal for those who want some glow while giving their skin a blurring effect and coverage of imperfections. I don’t find that it clings to texture or small dry patches and I find that it wears beyond the 12 hour mark on me without issues.

I will mention that while the shade range is quite good, is confused the living hell out of me. I wear shade 2 – the lightest in the range I believe – which has a nice beige undertone but is a wee bit to pale for me. It matches my pale beyond belief neck that somehow is always 1-2 shades fairer than the rest of my body. It works well for me in the winter months, especially because I like contouring and adding some warmth on the daily but it could match someone about a shade fairer than me. As far as I understand, the range is numbered in terms of undertone – integers denoting neutral undertones, 0.25/0.75s denoting pink undertones and 0.5s indicating golden shades. Next time, I think I would try shade 4.

Because I had applied my skincare products hours before and my skin had drunk them up. I went in with the Make Up For Every Hydrating Primer to give the foundation a layer to stick to, although my moisturizer would have sufficed, if it hadn’t been applied so long ago. I applied one pump of the foundation with a buffing brush and did not set with powder, conceal my face or use any sort of setting spray.

Have you tried GA Luminous Silk?
Maggie, x

Saturday’s Daily Highlights 03.28.2015

Being in the last couple of weeks before that dreaded time known as the exam period begins and occupied with stressing, getting myself out of bed, reading and essay writing, I have not exactly been doing anything extensive beauty-wise on the daily. However, I went to a funeral for my good friends’ grandmother on Saturday, got all dolled up and was pleased with the results. I thought I would share some musings…

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Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Rose Ivory ($57): Laura Mercier’s famous foundation has recently been reformulated – into two varieties, one for optimal hydration and with an oil-free formula – so I’m afraid that I’m talking about a foundation that you can’t easily get your hands on and can’t provide any insight into the newly released formulas. I’ve mentioned before how my feelings towards this full-on-coverage kind of foundation tend to be fickle, vacillating from pronounced dislike to moments of love. I went well in with the moisturizer and smoothing primer beforehand and applied it with a dampened sponge and let me tell you, I was pleased with how relatively flawless my rather dull skin looked while boosting radiance and not looking heavy on the skin.

Essie Nail Lacquer in Wicked ($9-10): I definitely have a soft spot for these deep almost-black vampy purple shades and I’m loving this one, especially as my long favourite OPI Lincoln Park After Dark has neared the end of its life and thickened to an unbearable degree on me. This polish has an equally great formula and is definitely among the really excellent Essie polish formula, relatively even but the teensiest bit sheer on the first coat but totally opaque on the second and quick drying to boot – the only downside is like the OPI offering, it doesn’t have an amazingly long wearing formula. Anyways, I bloody love this colour and I’ve been enjoying it – it’s one of those kinds of shades that I feel the most comfortable in and it’s easy to work with.

Benefit Posietint ($36/ full size): I’m generally hesitant about using these gel stain products on my cheeks because they are the driest part of my skin and have textural issues that I live in fear of these liquidy blushes highlighting but I’ve worn this more milky bloom of pink shade on my cheeks a few times with success – and Saturday was one of those days and I loved the way it looked. At first I made the mistake of applying it with a damp sponge, which I later learned was a recipe for a patchy disaster (and remedied by applying more and blending with my fingers) but I was pleasantly surprised by how it glided on and had a seamless skin-like finish. I’m not always a straight-pink blush person but this hue went on my cheeks in a stunning brightening way that struck me as quintessentially Spring-esque.

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MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Blankety ($19): With a bit of a smokey eye going on and no desire to fuss around with my lipstick, I knew that I wanted to go with a fairly nude and no fuss product and I found myself reaching for this slightly deeper mauve-beige hued neutral lipstick that I recently acquired – thanks to my Valentine’s Day gift from my mother. It has that comfortable, opaque and creamy formula and is actually flattering on my fair skin despite being a bit deeper in tone and having more beige undertones, even without being paired with a liner. I’m in love.

NUME Classic Reverse Wands ($139): First off, I apologize for my hair; I was using a different dry shampoo and it was disastrous, leaving this weird white bit in the roots of my hair that you can see in the picture. I was feeling tempted to style my hair and go through the whole getting ready motions and I curled my hair with this curling wand – and I got the most compliments I’ve gotten on my hair in my life. Unlike just about any hot tool, it styles my hair quickly and actually lasts days even through the elements. It’s reverse shape also creates these nice mermaid kind of wavy curls that are tighter towards the top and looser at the bottom. When there’s another sale on, I want to pick up one of their more classic wands because I like this one so much. It’s honestly a godsend for difficult to style hair and the photo above doesn’t even do it justice.

What have you been enjoying lately?

Maggie, x.

February Favourites

DSC_0385I seem to be saying this loads (but it’s not exactly surprising considering that I’m your typical ranting stressed university student), I’ve been stressed and laden down with assignments, essays and such in particular this month. With all the deadlines and such, the hectic month sped right by and while I do have some rather exciting products to share, there was nothing particularly time-consuming or interesting going on in my makeup in February. I will warn you that the products seem to follow a theme, dealing with the crazy winter full of storms and general freezing weather. We’ve had snow and then some more snow with some freezing rain thrown in and my skin has been dry and a wee bit more delicate and has been looking more than a tad bit dull.

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Target Be Peaceful Jar Candle ($12.49)

Throughout February, I often found myself burning and enjoying this uber-calming eucalyptus and lavender scented candle. It has a strong enough throw, even though it’s toted as a stress-relieving candle but it’s not overwhelming even in my rather small bedroom. I’m definitely sad that Target is leaving us in Canada, just because I will no longer be able to get a hold of this candle…

Sephora Formula X Base Coat & Top Coat ($13/each)

A while back I redeemed my Sephora points for a sampling of Sephora’s house brand’s nail care offerings and now that I’ve tried the duo and paired it with other polishes, I have to say that they are absolutely fantastic. I was into painting my nails in February and tried four or five polishes but I appreciated having this duo that kept polish on my nails for a notable long time without being a hassle in the first place. They work actually at keeping nail polish nicely on the nails for a longer period of time and have proven themselves worthy of the slightly higher price tag.

The Body Shop Aloe Protective Restoring Mask ($23)

Even though I am one of those generally perpetually stressed human beings, I’m someone whose stress levels become easily visible in my skin. Considering the stress I was under (not that I’ve entirely escaped from it) and how cold and snowy the weather we’ve been having, it should not be a shock that my skin was in need of some soothing, revitalizing and hydrating action – and this was the mask that checked all of the boxes. There’s nothing remarkable about this mask other than just how soothing and non-irritating it was, which is a good thing considering that if there was anything remarkable ingredient-wise, they would not function properly in the jar packaging. It’s also impressive on the hydration front without being heavy. I actually wore this on some mornings, both by itself and under makeup…

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Maybelline Face Studio Master Prime in Blur + Redness Control ($11.99)

I have absolutely nothing of merit to contribute about this supposed redness-reducing and smoothing silicone based primer. I haven’t experimented with it enough and compared its effects to the effects of others (and no primer) and I haven’t seen a major difference but I have really enjoyed how this primer smooths the skin and helps foundation lie nicely on the skin and stay fresh for even longer while having a nice creamy texture that reaps the benefits of those silicone primers while having a more moisturizing base. It is green but I’m not really noticing any sort of color correcting effect.

Annabelle Stay Sharp Waterproof Lipliner in Java ($9.95)

While I haven’t gotten my shit together and organized my recent lip product buying spree at Target into a post, – it’s coming, I promise – I couldn’t talk about my monthly favourites without talking about this rosy liner with a hint of brown to it. It’s quite similar to my beloved Annabelle Lipliner in Demure – I have no idea how I didn’t realize this when buying it – but I have to say I slightly prefer the formula and colour of this one, as it’s creamy but even longer-wearing and has a stronger rosy hint to it along with some more depth. Despite being waterproof (which I generally associate with being drying and unflattering) and having a self-sharpening mechanism (which I never seem to have to have success with), this liner has impressed me majorly. It wears for ages and ages without being a problem for my mega dry lips and went with both my nude lipsticks to add some life to them and deeper shades.

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NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dolce Vita ($31)

After the above lip liner, this was easily my most loved lip product of February and although I knew that I enjoyed the comfortable matte formula and the gorgeous true rose hue as soon as I got this in the mail months ago, February was the month that I fell in love with it. Being a shade that flatters with its warmth, sitting halfway in between a neutral lip colour and a true berry, Dolce Vita was a shade that I could throw on with even the most minimal makeup looks and look pulled together and throw on with anything.

Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle in Raspberry/Opal ($33)

The glowier-than-glowy muted berry shade was ideal for February when I was not willing to put any sort of effort or time into my makeup application and my skin was looking drier and more dull than one would desire. The souffle formula almost seemed to blend itself with ease and the highlight built in was intense, illuminating and all kinds of wondrous. I love this formula an awful lot, I have to tell you, and I kind of love the whole marbling highlighter with blush colour situation. This was yet another shade that seemed to effortlessly add that warm glow to my face.

And lastly, my Garage Tartan Scarf deserves a shout out but considering that I got it as a Christmas gift and its no longer available in stores or the website, there wasn’t really a point lingering on it for too long. What were you loving in February?
Maggie, x.

 

Weekly Medley #22

Recently Updated14(1) This week’s trio of products (2) Jen’s memorable post, “Living At Home In Your 20’s” (3) Sometimes I smile, even when exposing the naked face (4) This week’s post of choice, “An Everyday Lip Combination” (5) The pre-shopping picture featuring the products mentioned below on my one day off from blogging (6) I wrote my first actual nail post on Thursday

Here I am, writing this weeks post early on a Friday night in sweats, with my hair plopped onto the top of my head in front of the TV with no makeup in sight and I have no shame. This was one of those weeks that seemed to never end where everyone around me seems to be going through the most stressful and busy time of their year while I’m in this low-key phase.

This week I learned, relearned, remembered etc. that even if I’m detoxing from the computers notebooks etc by removing them from bed only to replace it with the handy little iPhone, and the little notebook and a book or magazine, can really help to recharge you and aid in the huge struggle, the quest for restless sleep. Oh and I remembered how fantastic going barefaced can feel even to someone as beauty-obsessed as myself.

This week, there was a trio of standout products and they might not be totally surprising, as per usual. First up there’s an actual primer that rather than doing absolutely nothing, actually has impressed me with it’s priming abilities; It’s still early to say anything definite but thus far the ridiculously-named Annabelle “CC” Colour Control Luminous Finish Instant Perfecting Base has helped foundation glide on smoothly with its silicone base particularly over drier patches and uneven texture whilst adding a subtle opalescence to the face.

The next product is yet another Annabelle offering, but one I’ve mentioned before — the creamy Smoothliner in Black. Although it isn’t the easiest formula to transfer to the waterline of the eye, I’ve discovered that with some effort it actually can be used to tightline the upper lashline without transferring to the waterline and isn’t a nightmare to remove from my dry eyes.

The final noteworthy product of this week’s trio, the NYX Parisian Chic Love in Paris Palette , is yet another drugstore gem but is one that has been in my stash much longer than the former two. The shades in the palette are not fantastic across the board but the matte taupe and brown shades are fantastic and I’ve been using them to create a more natural brow as well as in the crease – And the shimmery browns and the soft black are excellent as well.

On the post-front I really enjoyed Jen’s “Living At Home in Your 20’s” post, not only because I can relate somewhat, living at home while going into my third year of University but I thought it was written in an interesting and provoking way. I’m a great admirer of her blog because she manages to write a beauty blog that also discusses the other aspects of our lives that we don’t tend to talk about in an authentic and genuine way. And it’s a great read – there’s that.

So another week has passed — an usually busy and hectic one at that — and it was fairly good as things go and I hope yours went as least as well. How was your week?
Maggie, x.

The Daily Face #17: ‘My Face But More Attractive’

Weekly Medley #20I’ve been meaning to do one of those popular but interesting to read nevertheless “no makeup” makeup kind of posts for ages around these parts but as I tend to be an all or nothing kind of girl — either a full face or authentic no makeup –, I’m hesitant at calling my attempts successful in the endeavour of wearing makeup to look like you’re not wearing makeup but rather look better – with clearer skin and brighter eyes than before — but here is my take! It also took about seven minutes which is ideal for a daily kind of basis when you’re like me and tend to benefit from more definition than just mascara on your lashes and shadow through your brows. But now looking at the finished result, I reckon that this is very similar to the picture in the sidebar from my Daily Face #12 – just in case the uncanniness was bothering you in the depths of your soul.

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I don’t think its necessary for me to point out the humidity in the air today — my out of control hair does all the talking for me — but it’s a rainy day so I skipped out on the sunscreen as its such a bother and I’m extremely lazy. I’m pleased to report that I’m through with the purging that resulted from adding tretinoin back into the skincare routine but I’m still suffering from the scarring and dullness that has been left behind; to combat this, I’ve been going in with the smoothing and subtly pearlescent Annabelle CC Colour Control Luminous Finish Instant Perfecting Base before going in with the skinlike Revlon Age Defying Firming + Lifting Makeup in 10 Bare Buffthat manages to somehow glide over dry skin and uneven texture while offering medium-to-full coverage and a damp sponge to maximize the effect. Although it didn’t make much of a difference because the imperfections that I was looking to cover up were no longer inflamed but rather textured scars, I went in with a small synthetic brush and the Make Up For Ever 5 Camoflage Cream Palette in 1and then I went for the radiant but invisible Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in 125 Very Fairto brighten up the skin underneath the eyes.

Before starting on the eyes, I made sure to slap the EOS Summer Fruit Balm on to ensure that there would be no further chapping of the lips. Because nothing kills the ‘no makeup’ effect like shimmer overkill, I went in with the translucent NYX HD Eyeshadow Baseand while I was waiting for it to set, I filled in my brows with the matte light ashy shade from the NYX Parisian Chic Love in Paris Palette.For the eyeshadow, I was feeling the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, so I patted Strange into the inner corner, applied the peachy sheeny shade named Burnout all over the lid, blended Nooner through the crease and then concentrated the plummy Factory in the outer corner. As I’ve said before, I’m someone who really benefits from liner even on basic makeup days so I applied the Annabelle Smoothliner in Blackto the outer half of the lashline and smudged it, diffusing the line. I tried to keep the lashes looking natural with the separating and thickening L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess on the upper lashes only.

I targeted the dull skin problem further, by applying the sheer and undetectable-looking Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in 200 Pink Lightonto the tops of my cheeksbones with the pads of my fingers and I must say that it made such a difference in terms of making me look wide awake, revitalized and all that. Because of the minimal nature of the whole ordeal, I shockingly skipped bronzer and instead opted for a cream product, the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Rose, which I applied in dots quite high on the cheeks and blended into nothing with the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. I skipped the powder altogether because this foundation really doesn’t require it and I find it makes face makeup that much more noticeable on the skin.

I’ve been really loving my new Annabelle Lip Liner in 405 Demure and I’ve been using the creamy rosy pencil to line my lips and fill them in as well. On top, I applied the slightly deeper but flattering Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Rose yet again, as it actually appears to work well on the cheeks and lips. I acknowledge that this might not truly be a “no makeup” makeup kind of deal but it’s my slight alteration on it and I hope you enjoy nevertheless.

What do you reach for on an everyday “no makeup” look?
Maggie, x.

Oops I Did It Again…

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Remember when I said that I was going to stop with all of that impromptu not-too-small drugstore haulage and instead be much more careful and contemplative about my purchases? Well that didn’t happen – whoops; it was a meh kind of rainy day and my friend and I were taking a casual stroll through Target so I’m sure you can surmise what happened. And I indulged my book-loving soul at Chapters (the Canadian generic bookstore if you were curious) because you can’t come out empty handed, obviously.

I’ll get the books out of the way first. Wait, that made it sound like they were a burden when in truth I love them as much as my favourite beauty items (shock-horror). Well, first I picked up a Father’s Day gift (for the father obviously, who happens to be quite possibly the most difficult person to buy gifts for because if there’s something out there that he believes is worth the $, he will go out and buy it for himself)– Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East— which I can happily report went over with great success as despite not being a huge reader like myself, he enjoys this kind of general knowledge and will converse on these kind of subjects frequently i.e. casually at the dinner table. Because there’s nothing as life-affirming as perusing the shelves of the bookstore and coming out with at the very least a few, I picked up two for myself as well. After picking up a few books that fit under the young-adult umbrella, some weeks back for the first time in ages, I was tempted to pick up the next book in Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian’s series, Fire With Fire, as despite the cliched names of the books in the series and how superficial they appear, they were actual enjoyable reads that aren’t anything resembling brainless and mindnumbingly adolescent and juvenile despite being centered around the lives of high schoolers who decide to seek revenge on those who have wronged them. The final purchase was a typical kind of selection from me, I’ll Be Right There,an introspective and seemingly poignant novel of a twenty-something woman coming back to face the traumatic events of her past, written by Kyung-Sook Shin.

Moving on to the Target purchases of the beauty variety, I stuck to more of a basic theme going for yet another foundation, a primer, a concealer and an everyday sort of lip-liner. Obviously I did not need another foundation (when do I ever?) but I couldn’t resist picking up the fairly new Revlon Age Defying Firming + Lifting Makeup ($16-18)that didn’t appear to have any SPF (here in Canada) and I had heard was a nice medium-to-full coverage foundation for drier skin types with a pump so when I saw this for less expensive there, I had to grab it. I went for the second lightest shade, 10 Bare Buff, which is the second lightest shade out of 11 and considering that there were no testers, I’m convinced I did a magical job as estimating my shade as it has slight yellow undertones and suits my skin with a wee bit of colour to it. I didn’t go for it for its anti-aging properties as I’m twenty years old so I can’t report but I have to say that thus far I’m impressed with this buildable-to-full coverage foundation with a natural finish that remains looking like skin even over dry patches. And, it’s lasting power is fantastic, hardly developing any shine without powder and not fading after 15 hours yesterday.

I’ve tried a few primers and have given them a good shot but I haven’t exactly found my one yet or even my verdict on their efficacy on my dehydrated skin suffering on the texture front and I’ve been contemplating actually purchasing one and giving it a go and when I spotted the Annabelle CC Colour Control Instant Perfecting Base in Luminous Finish ($15-17)and saw that it appeared to be formulated without the usual irritating ingredients, I overlooked its cliched status as a ‘cc’ cream and picked it up. It’s just a primer, to be honest, without any coverage but its silicone-based texture seems to help foundation glide over dry patches more smoothly and add a subtle shimmer-free opalescent glow to the face. Thus far, it reminds me of a more siliconey and subtle-in-a-good-way version of Laura Mercier Radiance Primer. 

Back to Revlon, I was interested in a heavy-duty kind of concealer that would be much more compact than my beloved MUFE Palette and I had heard good things about the Colorstay Concealer in 02 Light ($10)in that context so into the bag it went. I’ve only used this once so far but it seems to be a nice spot and pigmentation concealer – it’s a bit dry for underneath the eyes – and the shade seems impressive, moderately fair with beige-to-yellow undertones, especially in comparison to the offerings of other drugstore concealers in my opinion.

I went for another Annabelle product it appears and it was definitely induced by the bargain-price of the Annabelle Lipliner in 405 Demure ($4-6), my recent success with products from this Canadian brand and the nice selection of natural-my-lips kinds of shades. I’ve mentioned before that I haven’t found that perfect everyday shade and that I’m not much of a lip liner girl but this one seemed to have a bit more warm pink to its neutral-browny tone rather than the dull peach generic shade and I’m glad that I did. The liner is creamy and slides nicely over my drier-than-dry lips and is the perfect match to the my lips but better lipstick favourite of mine, MAC Patisserie. I’ll keep you updated on this one but I suspect all you will hear in the future will be overwhelmingly possible. You catch my drift? Oh, and below I’m wearing the lip liner alone all over my lips and the foundation and primer mentioned earlier…

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Have you tried any of these products? Have you picked up anything lately?

Maggie, x.

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Medley #20

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(1) Me + The Camera: The Cliched Blogger Selfie (2) the pre-evening out face (3) My new love (and an actual instagram photo) (4) my new youtuber discovery, Allana Davison (5) evening out take two photo (6) wrote up my first daily highlights post (7) Monday’s Daily Face (8) delicious Mojito on night out with friends (9) the birthday beauty-related gifts

 

It’s been yet another week of gorgeous weather — enough so that it seems as Summer has sprung upon us a wee bit early. I mentioned in last week’s post of this variety that it was my birthday (on Sunday as I was writing the post) but it falls more easily into this weeks territory. I had a great low key day and a nice family supper out the night before in celebration and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wish that I had had the foresight to photograph the low-fructose fluffy ricotta cake that my mother baked for me but I imagine that your imagination will bring you close enough for all intents and purposes.

I’m really not the easiest person to please but I must say that I received some really lovely gifts from my family and close friends. Although my main gift was a wee bit late, I have to say that the Nikon D3100that I received from my parents and brother was well worth the hiatus. Prior to beginning this little blog here, I was not someone with any sort of interest in photography and certainly did not possess any sort of skill in the whole endeavour so its definitely still a journey in progress but I’m loving my camera (and the improved pictures IMO) as I’m learning. It was quite a generous gift even when my brother chipped in and provided his legitimate knowledge of photography.

From the parental unit, I also received a gorgeous rose gold necklace that actually excites me, the girl who generally speaking has a no-jewelry policy, a few other odds and ends that aren’t coming to mind and those hair products that I had hinted that I wanted to restock on – the litre size of the firmer hold gel, the DevaCare Arc AnGel and another bottle of DevaCurl B’Leave In. From other family members and friends, I got a gorgeous maxidress, a few Essie polishes, a lovely new teacup, a heavenly selection of magazines, an intriguing book and a much-appreciated gift card. I’m not an ‘it’s all about the gifts’ kind of girl but nevertheless were they lovely.

The evening out photos above were from Saturday night when I met up with my best friends from university and we had a low key and hilarious night out featuring delicious pasta, wonderful cocktails from Morris East, brownies cooked by my lovely friend (who got me the book) and a later night full of nostalgia, watching early episodes of The Vampire Diaries. It was my kind of night, obviously.

I’m definitely repeating myself by saying this here but I’m going to risk the redundancy; as a little (HA!) birthday gift to myself, I picked up this little beauty of a foundation by Chanel when perusing the recently moved local Halifax department store, Mills — with absolutely fantastic service, I might add. I might have possibly slightly fallen in love with the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation.It has less alcohol content than its sister product, feels like nothing on the skin in even the hottest conditions, provides surprisingly good coverage and with its luminous but matte finish, doesn’t cling to my dry patches in the slightest. Win.

How was your week?
Maggie, x.