after reading several rave reviews and recommendation of st. ives, i decided to try the st.ives blemish-fighting cream wash so see if that would help my poor skin - i had previously been using Herbalism from Lush which is alright, but awkward to use and has slowly been inching its way to the back of my cosmetic cupboard! the daily cream wash has teeny microbeads in it and is absolutely gorgeous - a godsend! it leaves me skin feeling soft and incredibly clean, and my skin in virtually flawless. i LOVE this. consequently, i have bought the blemish-fighting scrub aswell, which is equally as good.

also on a recent venture to my workplace (Superdrug - hah!) i bought a new moisturiser - its by Natural High which is a Superdrug own brand (hello 30% discount), suitable for vegetarians and vegans (a stipulation for a certain follower) as well as not being tested on animals. its the 12hr day cream, which also contains SPF 15 - CRUCIAL to prevent wrinkles! having got it for just under £2, this is absolutely brilliant. it smells like raspberries, which not only leaves your skin smelling delicious, but also wonderfully smooth and hydrated. its also perfect to mix with foundation to create a tinted moisturiser, which i have been doing this past week as the weather was scorching!

EDIT: as much as i love this moisturiser...the yummy smell, its making me break out!! so i'm going to have to hand it over to my mother and revert back to my Simple Light Moisturiser (which was brilliant anyway, i jsut fancied a change and am just susceptible to fruity scents)

today, i also used one of my gifts from R, the Strawberry Feels Forever massage bar and !!!! i used this after my bath, and warmed it in my hands till i could feel it getting slippery then directly massaged the bar all over my skin, then rubbing in with my hands. its takes about five minuted to sink in, and leaves this divine strawberry scent lingering on your skin as well as being incredibly moisturing. R couldn't stop sniffing my skin (strawberries and raspberries are his favourite scent) . this is definiately a repurchase - tho i'll have to be quick because its a limited edition!!

MAC. ahhh. just the name is comforting. even though i can often be founded pouring over the eyeshadows and yearning after the blushers, i haven't actually bought any MAC since a school trip to New York in, god, 2007! so, i finally scratched my MAC itch and indulged! since finding out that NARS SuperOrgasm is only avaliable in the US (sob!) i've been searching for a different blusher to quench my peachy-apricot colour thirst, and of COURSE MAC should've been the first place to go! i bought a blusher and also a concealor, mine having run out (it was a Collection 2000 liquid stick thing, actually excellent but lasts me a pathetic two weeks).

the blusher i bought is called "style", and is this yummy peachy (slightly SLIGHTLY pinky that i seem just inexplicably drawn to) colour that leaves a gorgeously subtle gold shimmer on my cheeks. its very pigmented and requires just a very quick sweep across the apples, and lasts all day, even in this heat! i love love love love it.


i also bought the select cover-up concealor, and the shade i was matched to was NC30. now, the NC bit is accurate, but the 30 is not! it is a tad too dark when just applied onto my skin on its own, but once i apply my foundation it blends in seamlessly. it'll be perfect for when i (hopefully) get abit of colour on my face during the stifling weeks to come. anyway, this liquid concealor is brilliant - it covers all my blemishes and acne scars perfectly and i can apply a thinner/thicker layer depending on my tempremental skin. possible HG material!

today, i am jittery with excitement! R, being the ultimate boifriend, bought me tickets to see Blur in Hyde Park WHICH IS TODAY, i can't wait.

the big one-eight. adulthood. THATS ME. sunday 21st was absolutely perfect, i spent it with R, who hastily whisked me away to an english seaside, hastings (of 1066). we did everything that one should at the seaside - skimmed stones, ate ice cream along the shore, visited the arcade! a cheeky grin from me enabled us to get a free minature golf game (my first), and I WAS AMAZING! well, almost - he only beat me by abit (ie. fourteen points). R treated me for lunch, and we snacked on mozzarella bread and other italian inclined dishes - yum yum! he makes me so unbelievable happy - other birthday treats included stuff from Lush and "Twilight" with a note scibbled inside :)

i also received the holiest grail of all handbags; a medium Chanel 2.55 classic flap gold-chain black bag!!!! its so increadibly soft and just GORGEOUS. i can't quite articulate its sheer aura. when i slip it on my shoulder, i instinctively stand abit taller and straighter and i simply FEEL like a better person (how my superficiality is seeping through). obviously, this is a handbag that can't be taken just anywhere, but instead must be saved and savoured for special occasions - for now i shall settle for just pulling it out when im feeling melancholy and it leaves a little smile dancing across my lips. sigh.

EDIT: i really need some close-ups of my bag. I NEED A CAMERA!!!