Lancome Teint Idol Ultra 24 Review...

So in my hunt for the perfect foundation, after much searching I decided Estee Lauder was my holy grail (I never reviewed as so many other have but if you want it, I will)...my only problem was I am always aware I am wearing foundation when I have DW on, and as fab as it is on a work day when I need my foundation to last all day (I never touch up at work) on weekends it just felt too heavy. I still wanted my foundation to last but I want something just that touch lighter then Double Wear...
...Enter Lancome Teint Idol Ultra 24hr.

The spiel- 

The Teint Idol ulta 24 hours boasts: A flawless looking, even complexion with a velvety-smooth, shine-free finish. A new ultra-comfort texture that blends effortlessly. 24h retouch-free wear and comfort.

Flawless yet comfortable from dawn till dusk, natural matte with buildable coverage, Teint Idole Ultra 24h takes on every daily challenge. 

Colour Match- 

The range comes in a fairly impressive 18 shades (26 in the USA). I originally got matched for this in John Lewis (I love the ladies on John lewis beauty counters) and was given a very reasonable 2 week sample (I have since purchased the full size). I was matched to 035 Beige Doré, but she had none in, so gave me 03 (Beige Diaphane) and told me to mention to the counter in another store to get my actual shade, and they happily obliged. The colour match is ideal. Both shaded work well, 035 is slightly warmer and I have also found 04 (Beige Nature) and 045 (Sable Beige) pretty great matches so the selection is brilliant and easily adaptable for winter and summer.

The product- 

First of the smell, it has a slightly rose-type fragrance which I personally love, with most long lasting foundations I find the smell a little off putting and paint-like but this is really fresh and clean. I really like the packaging, and the fact it has a pump (one think I dislike about my Double Wear) I'd say it takes 2 pumps for one layer as only a small amount comes up. The coverage is completely buildable, with one layer I would say it is medium giving you a great flawless complexion but for instance if you had cute freckles they would still be visible. The finish is a velvety matte, so if you are not a fan of the dewy look this is great because it is matte without being cakey. I apply one layer with my real techniques stippling brush, or two if I am having a bad skin day, however in the pictures below I used about 3 little pumps. 
Longevity- So it was never really going to last 24 hours was it?! It doesn't stay as perfect as my DW  for 12 hours but you can definitely get a 6-8 hour day out of it (without a primer), and if like most you do touch up then it will be absolutely fine! I love wearing this on the weekend cause I still get a great make-up look without feeling so overdone. 

Sorry about the flash in this one!

Yes I am wearing my boyfriends dressing gown, makes me feel like a Jedi!

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Overall I adore this foundation, obviously as I still have plenty of tester left but have already purchased the full size. Fans of DW in particular should definitely give it a go if you are on the hunt for something a little lighter. 

Price £27 (although there was 10% at John Lewis when I picked it up)

To see a little before and after click below, I didn't want to subject you to the absolute horrors of my face without make up without due warning...be aware my skin is in the *worst* state these days

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50% off at Motel

Just a quicky, I like most girls am a massive fan of Motel...I have been shopping there for 5 years, and their dressers feature regularly in my going out attire and their website is usually an open tab on my laptop with a nice full basket...

Well the lovely Selina from Motel has let us know of a sneaky discount to shop their sale now. The actual sale starts next Wednesday but you can get a head start on everyone as snap up your must have items now with an very enticing 50% off...amazing right? 

Click here for the collection of sale items and then just enter: SECRETSALE50 at the checkout!

Easy peasy!

Happy Shopping guys :) Let me know if you get anything nice...

Motel Rocks 50% off Valid till Next Wed

The Greatest Love Story of All Time...

I'll set the scene for you...a random but greatly appreciated heatwave decends upon London, my colleagues are all tied up in meetings and I find myself alone at lunch with no ipod and no desire to stay at my desk...oh and I work here:

The only obvious decision I  could come to was head to the onsite WHSmith and buy myself a new book, after a good 10 minutes of blurb reading I picked up

The Greatest Love Story of All Time

Admittedly the title gave me some reservations, as much as I love a good cheesy movie, when it comes to literature I want a little bit more, I have to rely on my own imagination after all. But the blurb together with the picture at the front made me giggle and with that in mind I took it to the till, grabbed a deck chair and started the book.

The Plot

It is Fran's 30th birthday and things are good, she has a great job and a handsome boyfriend with a ring-shaped bulge in his pocket...then something goes wrong and Fran is left devastated cuddling a sock and drowning in her own filth and screaming abuse at her evil-judgmental cat! She plans to continue this new found hermit lifestyle complete with some new-found stalking habits but her friends have a plan to save their friend

"eventually she agrees. And so begins the greatest love story of all time . . ."

What I thought?

Like I said I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book, and I did find myself a little embarrassed whenever someone asked me what I was reading, knowing they would draw their own conclusions of me  being a over the top love-enthusiast with several cats and no love life  (in fact, I am constantly suspicious of cats and their evil intentions)...I digress...this book is fantastic. It had me on the tube in my corner seat giggling like a fool, this continued at home while my bf  gave me worried looks for my sanity as I spluttered. Fran may not be slick or particularly cool, but my god is she relatable. A lovable buffoon, she doesn't handle breakups with the poise and class we all wished we possessed. No she is just like the rest of us, she is a wreck, opting for the same masochistic routes we all seem to follow, reading things we know will make our heart break all over again and sobbing night after night into our already soggy pillows and wondering how it is possible to hurt this bad with no visible physcial injury. At times you wanna shake her, at times you wanna scream at her for being so infuriatingly silly (whilst secretly knowing you would act in the same way), but like her fabulous friends in the book you always want what is best for her. You want to see her heart mend.

 I could not put this book down and was pleasantly surprised to learn author Lucy is a fellow blogger who writes for Marie-Claire (I will defiantly be checking out more of her writing). The Greatest Love Story of all time, is full lovable characters (even the evil cat) and moments that with make you cry with laughter and those that will leave you a little chocked up. Robinson writes in a way that means you can easily picture every word of the book as if it is happening to your own friends. In fact since finishing it I occasionally almost found myself thinking I needed to call Fran and see how she was getting on...this either makes me incredible sad, or the book incredibly good, I'll let you decide.

An absolute must-read for girls who can admit to a little Facebook stalking of an ex, have spent many a morning nursing the pain of one two many vodka-red bulls and the resulting bad decisions and those of us who occasionally fall over our own feet, stub our toes and drop a few to many C-Bombs!

A perfect read for the coming summer months!