Since being on holidays I found myself to reach less for foundations and realised I didn't have options for something with a light-weight less coverage feel. As I was spending my days at the beach and still wanted some coverage with SPF I went on a hunt for a new BB cream.

Unfortunately I didn't have any internet to research the best BB creams from the drugstore so I picked up one that looked promising. Fortunately I chose one that works so well for my skin type that I have to share it with you all!

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Claims

• Anti-aging
• Built-in primer
• Second skin
• Hydrating feeling
• SPF protection

My opinion

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Up close and personal time. This bb cream makes my skin GLOW but doesn't make me look oily at all. It highlights all the places you want to be highlighted especially when the sun hits the high points of your skin.

I applied the product with my hands and it felt really smooth and not too thick. It provided me with a light-medium coverage (received more coverage when I patted the product in rather than swipping). Once the product was applied it only gave a slightly tacky feeling which went away once it was fully set and it barely creased under my eyes.

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 Thankfully the bb cream didn't cling to any of my dry patches and didn't feel drying on my skin at all, I also didn't need to add any extra makeup such as powder or concealer which is a massive advantage for me. In summer I don't like to pack on the makeup and I usually opt for lighter coverage products to even out my skin tone yet look natural. This BB cream is all I could ever ask for in a BB cream. I didn't sweat it off nor did it come off after going in the water.

After 5+ hours of wear in the heat it did lose a fair bit of coverage but it was not completely gone. It didn't feel sticky either and helped my skin continuously feel hydrated all day.

I haven't tried an extensive amount of BB creams, in fact I've only ever tried one other so I don't really have anything to compare it to but it works so well for me and it has been my go-to product. If it has been able to replace my foundations it must be pretty good in my opinion.

If you have oily skin this may not be for you because it is so glowy but for those of you with dry skin or normal skin definitely check it out!

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It's hard to constantly purchase and find new products that I love every month so I thought I would do my first current mixed favourites instead.

BEAUTY

Like everyone on this planet I have been into contouring and highlighting lately. I don't love a specific contour or bronzer product but I love including these into my makeup routine. My favourite highlight of the moment is NARS Albatross. It looks amazing on my skin tone and I am in love.

Traditional lipsticks are out and liquid lips took their place! Colourpop have produced my favourites - the formula and lasting power of them is amazing. My favourite shade is Midi.

Lastly for makeup I found my favourite foundation brand. Bourjois foundations (healthy mix serum & happy light) work so so well with my dryer skin. They never sink into fine lines, cling to dry patches or look cakey. Massive thumbs up from me!

SKINCARE

As always the Clarisonic Mia 2 is my favourite skincare tool. This will most likely make my favourites every single time because I cannot go a day without it.

Although I only bought this product in December it immediately became my favourite product to remove my makeup with. It is Palmer's Ultra Gentle Facial Cleansing Oil. For months I was searching for an oil or balm to remove my makeup and stumbled across this one. From the first moment I used it I loved it more than anything else I had ever used, it removes makeup so easily and leaves my skin feeling hydrated and soft.

My favourite face mask of the moment is the Andalou Naturals Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask. I'm almost out of this and I'll be picking up some more really soon.

HAIR

My current hair obsession is blonde hair! I lightened up my hair a lot last year so upkeep became a bigger deal for me. John Frieda's Tone-Correcting Shampoo instantly became my holy grail product to combat any brassy tones and kept my blonde looking fresh.

I'm also loving Coconut Oil especially to use as a hot oil hair mask. It leaves my hair so soft and healthy feeling.

FASHION

I'm really into midi skirts and loose Island vibe pants at the moment! Since the weather has been warmer I'm bringing out the brighter colours and pattern clothes.

OTHER

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Polaroid Camera - I loooove how the photos print out instantly and capture the memories right away.

Adult colouring books

Candles - especially Dusks Lemongrass candle.

Calendars and diaries - helps me to feel organised and get my life on track

Last but definitely not least I wanted to include my all time favourites: my instagram @thedailycatchup and this blog!
Both were created in 2015 and have brought me so much happiness. I always loved writing and this blog gives me the opportunity to do so, plus I always loved taking photos and makeup so a beauty-based Instagram has become my pride and joy. I'm obsessed with both just as much as I was when I first started them.

So there you have it, my current mixed favourites. Let me know all the things you're loving lately in the comments or post them on Instagram with the hashtag #thedailycatchup

Have a wonderful day beauties

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I received a tin of Nude Stix products for Christmas and have been testing them out lately. I received the lip/cheek pencils in the shades whisper, mystic and satan. The three pencils come in a limited edition tin including a sharpener.

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Prior to even testing out any of these sticks I thought they would be very similar to Maybelline's Intense Velvet lip pencils however these applied so much more smoothly. The two creamier finish shades (mystic and whisper) just glided over my lips so easily, this did made it slightly challenging to perfect my lip line.

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Satan happens to be my only red lip colour I own in my collection and I was excited to see that it had a matte/velvet finish. I probably would never use this shade as a blush but it is the perfect red lip shade. This one reminds me more of Maybelline's lip pencil!

I have only worn mystic for an entire day on both my lips and cheeks so the longevity will be based off that experience. When I wore this product on my lips it didn't feel drying or sticky at all. It was a lot more comfortable to wear than the Maybelline lip stick (probably due to different finishes). The only downfalls I found were that because it was a creamier finish it didn't last very long and I did have to reapply my lip colour every 2 hours or so. It also did come off when I ate food. Out of all three pencils this is by far my favourite shade. It is the perfect nude/pink shade for my skin tone and so easy to apply!

I also did test this out on my cheeks which I was nervous about because I've never applied a cream blush onto my cheeks. Surprisingly it worked out well. I found it better to apply some colour onto my finger tips to blend onto my cheeks rather than drawing it directly on my skin. It was very easy to blend and easy to build up. I did apply roughly three layers to get a more opaque colour yet it was still natural looking. Once applied I looked up close and it was not cakey and gave me an undetectable healthy flush.

I love how these sticks are versatile and work well on both your lips and cheeks. I've constantly been reaching for mystic throughout the warmer weather and the other two will be receiving a lot of attention from me. I also went onto the official site to read about the company and I must say I have fallen in love. They are all for enhancing natural beauty rather than masking it and these sticks make makeup application super easy and practical.

I highly recommend these products and cannot wait to try more!

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Hey guys, here is my first post in 2016. This year I thought I would do something a little different allow you to get to know me better. I want to include more lifestyle/personal posts amongst the usual beauty posts. I will continue to post every Sunday (beauty related posts) as well as a few extra posts throughout the week when I can either beauty related or not!

Today I will be completely the New Years Tag Questions. There are a total of 12 questions so lets begin.

1. If you could look back on one memory from last year that you wish you could relive, what would it be?
A memory I wish I could relive would be the day my boyfriend surprised me by rocking up to my house with food after my maths exam. I had the worst day because of that exam and it turned my day completely around.

2. What was one new years resolution that you accomplished?
Starting and keeping a blog! Over the years I made many blogs but never stuck with them. I was never satisfied with the content or the way they looked and in 2015 I was able to FINALLY decide on a URL and join the blogging world.

3. 3 words to describe last year?
Loss, experiences and thankful

4. Best music related creation/inspiration last year by an artist in your opinion?
Justin Bieber's album, hands down the best. He better be having a concert soon in Australia because I will be there, lol.

5. Something your looking forward to this coming year?
Nothing in particular but I am really looking forward to new experiences. Ever since I graduated high school a year ago there is still a whole world out there to explore and so many opportunities to experience.

6. What did last year teach you?
People you thought that would always be in your life won't always be there and thats ok.

7. What was your most worn clothing item of last year?
Any turtle neck top, I was living for them last year!

8. If you had to sum up your year in one word, what would it be?
For this question I actually looked through a thesaurus of words to make my year sound really exciting but honestly to describe it in one word it would have to be change. I lost friends, had an operation, started university and got a new job. There were a lot of ups and downs but I wouldn't change any of it.

9. What are you hoping for more of this coming year?
New experiences and of course makeup.

10. What are you hoping for less of this coming year?
Disappointment

11. Best book you read last year?
The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks. It is the best novel by him so far.

12. What is your New Year’s resolution for the upcoming year?
Definitely to travel somewhere I haven't been before. That counts as a resolution right?

That concludes the tag and hopefully you all got to know me a little better.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2016 and it is full of opportunities and happiness xx