L'Oréal Paris Hydra Genius

Recently I've been all about L'Oréal skincare, it's affordable and my skin just reacts nicely to it which is brilliant. So when L'Oréal released their new moisturiser, I kinda had to have it...

The L'Oréal Paris Hydra Genius (£9.99/70ml) is a moisturiser which is lightweight on the skin. Infused with Hyaluronic acid, this product aims to hydrate your skin deeply, without leaving a greasy residue on the surface. This product also contains Aloe water which is one of my favourite skincare ingredients, Aloe Vera itself is known for it's healing properties, and also for being great for sensitive skin. These two ingredients are things which I feel like every skin type will benefit from. 

What I think is extra special about this product is that L'Oréal have focused on making this product for different skin types, so I purchased the 'combination/oily' Hydra Genius as my skin does tend to be a mix of dry and oily. There is also a 'dry' and 'sensitive' version available.

Although this is a stand alone moisturiser, I find that I tend to use this as a serum, as this sinks in super fast. The reason I put on moisturiser on top of it is so my skin has a moisturised feel to it, so that there is some residual product sitting on top of my skin, so I apply a bit of my Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream SPF 30 (£24.50/50ml) over the top, so that my face is primed and ready for makeup. This is just how I like to apply this product, it's always good to play around with products to see how it best suits you!
 I also tend to use around 1 pump of this too, which covers my while face and neck nicely. I love the packaging of the product, it looks and feels so sleek. Also the fact it's a pump makes me love this product more, as it's more hygienic and easy to use. 

I'm actually in love with this product and use it twice daily. I think it's lovely to have a product on the high street which rivals high-end skincare. This is a product which I think most people will love, just because it caters for all and just does a great job. 

I would love to know if you have tried this, and whether you would be interested in purchasing a product like this, or if you have one like this! Also be sure to follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date with my posts!

L'Oreal Pure Clay Glow Scrub

I love skincare. When L'Oreal released their masks, it was a hit with the majority of the population! So I was excited when they released a scrub version, which could be used more on a daily basis. 

The L'Oreal Pure Clay Glow Scrub (£5.99/150ml) is super lovely to use. I've had it for around a month now, and I still get excited to use this. Like I said earlier it's for daily use, and so it's not an abrasive scrub, and has a creamy formula that encases the manual exfoliation beads. I find that it invigorates my skin and does add a nice glow to my face.

However as much as I love to scrub my face everyday, I find that sometimes I need more of a harsh scrub to fully get rid of my dry skin every now and then. So my trick with this product is to use it as a mask on dry skin, and leave it on for a few minutes because once the creamy formula has dried down, you are left with more beads to give your skin a nice proper exfoliation. I love how I can use this however I want, I love the traditional mask but I prefer the versatility of this product too. 

I actually also love the packaging, it's quite sleek, and I don't think it would be too much of a hassle to travel with because it's on the slim side. I think you also get a nice amount of product for your money. I think most people would love this product, as it's gentle and just a nice addition to my skincare without advertising a ton of benefits. My skin type is oily, which is sensitive and sometimes intolerant to certain products, so if my skin agrees with this, I'm sure most people will love this too!

Have you used this product? If so, let me know down below in the comments! I would also love to know what your favourite scrub is!
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How To: Curl Eyelashes So They Last All Day

So today I am going to share one of my biggest beauty secrets, it's something I do everyday when I get ready, and it honestly works. If you are like me and have the straightest lashes the world has ever seen, or if after curling your lashes they drop miserably, then I really want you to try this. I'll show you my top tip and my current routine to get the best out of your eyelashes!

Okay, so before we start I want to explain the benefits of having a good eyelash curler. For maximum results, your eyelash curler should be metal, and needs to fit the shape of your eye nicely. My eyelash curlers are from Shu Uemera, they were a gift from my friend Sakura in 2014 and I still use them. They retail for £20 and it are worth the investment as they get used every day because it performs so well. 

So here is the secret: I heat up my eyelash curlers with my hairdryer for a few seconds. I actually get my eyelash curlers piping hot and wait for them to cool down enough so they won't burn my eyes. So I will place them either on wrist or lightly on my lips to test if it's safe to place on my eyes, as those two areas are super sensitive to heat. Once I've safely tested them I will proceed to curl my eyelashes, angling the curlers toward the crease of my eyes, instead of parallel to my face. I find that this gives them a little more lasting time and I usually hold my eyelashes for a good 20 seconds. Once that is done, I will get a mascara that has a thin and waterproof formula, so this is where my L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof Mascara(£9.99/9ml) comes into play. This mascara has a great separating wand so I can capture all the lashes that I have curled and just puts enough product on my lashes to hold the curl in place while not weighing them down. You can really see how battered this mascara is, I've had it for almost a year and the drier the formula, the better as it has less chance of being weighed down!

So at this point, your eyelashes are nicely curled, and mascaraed up, however it's only just a light layer that has dried down. You can leave it here if you are short on time, and just prefer this look, which is what I do most days. This is the point where I will add in another mascara, if I want really thick, black lashes. For this I have been using the L'Oreal Mega Volume Collagene Mascara (£9.99/10ml), as it really works to add volume the lashes, adding thickness and length, which gives my eyes extra depth and intensity. I love using this duo, as I get lashes that are my own, but the much better version that lasts all day!

I would love to know if you have tried this, or are going to try this, because it's just my ride or die when it comes to eyelashes! What's your favourite eyelash product? Be sure to follow me on Bloglovin for more beauty posts!

Instagram Diary #1

Lately, I have been in love with posting pics on Instagram. Literally, I will post one photo on the weekday, showing you guys my daily make-up look, new blog post or even a mini review. Today I'm going to show you my mini snapshot of my Instagram Diary...

The three nail polishes on this snapshot are all from BarryM, I love this brand, they have different formulas, colours, payoff's and it's my go-to brand for having everything go right with my nails! 

I have also posted three blog posts in these last three weeks, the first was my Two Essential Hair Products For Healthier Hair, the next was my Two Lipsticks to Carry You into Autumn, and the last was my 5 Skincare Hacks. I have really been enjoying blogging lately, every week I will have an idea and then I will just grab my laptop and write! I already have an idea for next Tuesdays post, so I am going to shoot some pictures later today! 

I wanted to give a mention to my brow game lately, I've been exclusively using L'Oreal products for the last few months (3 for 2 deals are when you should strike). I literally feel like the little Brow Artist Genius Kit and the Brow Plumper are all you need. 

The new item I have been trying is the Pai BioRegenerate Rosehip Oil. I have enjoyed using this oil, it leaves my skin really soft and it's full of natural ingredients, and so is perfect for anyone with sensitive skin! 

So that was my mini roundup of my Instagram! I would love it if you comment on my latest Instagram photo that you came from here! My username is anjna_harish. Subscribe to my blog on Bloglovin' to keep up to date with my next post! 

A Trio of Masks for Any Occasion

I love to spend time pampering myself as it helps me to unwind and relax. Using facial masks is one of my favourite ways to feel pampered and refreshed. Such a small thing can have such a massive effect on your mood and I'm a fan of feeling good. I wanted to share my new trio of masks that can see you through any occasion and the plus is that they are all available on the high-street! 

I'm going to start with my favourite mask that I think everyone needs and that is the Kiko Energy Mask Detoxifying Black Mask (£5.90/55ml). I've tried to look for this online, and there is no mention of this so it might be discontinued! If you do spot this, be sure to grab a bottle because it's amazing. It's a black mask that just seems to help congested skin and make your skin noticeably clearer and brighter. It's leaves your skin matte without being too drying uncomfortable! I think this makes an excellent weekly mask to just help get things balanced again. I like to remove this mask with a muslin cloth because it takes the mask off within seconds! 

The mask that is perfect for any early risers is the Soap and Glory The Fab Pore Mask (£10.00/30ml). This mask aims to purify and reduce the appearance of pores through the minty flavour which is probably the reason why this works so well! The minty smell also helps to wake you up if you put this on in the morning. It also has medium size beads that I like to work into my skin while I apply the product and take it off. This is a good one to just concentrate on the nose area before make-up application, it just makes everything smooth and pores less crater-like for people who suffer with craters on their face (like me!).

The next mask I have to mention is my newest mask which is the L'Oreal Pure Clay Glow Mask (£7.99/50ml). This mask contains Red Algae and also has little beads so you can exfoliate the face to achieve a brighter, more glowing complexion. I think this is a great product to use all year round as who doesn't want to look like they are glowing from within? For the price, I think it's a great investment, it gives you a lot of product with the addition of a scrub. This also smells like Cardamom which I like, however it was really unexpected coming from a product like this! This is the one I would recommend for someone who is looking for an all-round mask to help their skin look a bit more youthful and brightened. 

Have you tried any of these masks? Also what masks would you recommend - I would love to know!

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Products I Regret Buying! #3

Trying and buying so many products sounds like the ideal life, however half the time the products that you come home with don't deliver which sucks. Luckily, even though I dislike hating on a product, I do love to use this chance to tell you guys why I didn't like a product. So here is products I regret buying #3!

Urban Decay Setting Sprays are cult favourites and I was really looking forward to try something that would help my make-up stay put and control my shine for a few extra hours. This was the first setting spray I tried, and it is actually one of the worst. I got the Urban Decay Deslick (£22.00/118ml) because it is tailored towards oily skin. It just didn't work for me, my make-up acted the same as when I didn't wear this product, so it really was a waste of money for me. However, I still want to try the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray because I know that is more popular and has had great reviews. In the mean time, I think I found my setting spray love in the L'Oreal Paris Infallible Fixing Mist (£7.99/100ml), it's a great price and works really well!

Another high end product I didn't exactly love was the Lancôme Grandiôse mascara (£25.00/10ml). I'm super picky with mascara, my eyelashes just don't hold a curl if the weight of the mascara is too wet or too heavy. This mascara can work for me if I am super careful which means I can't apply more than one layer otherwise my lashes will drop. I usually apply this as a last step on occasions to thicken my lashes after my mascara has dried so that my lashes look extra thick and black. I regret buying it because of the effort I have to go through using it, so even though I can make it work, I wouldn't purchase it again. 

While we are on the subject of mascara, the L'Oreal Mega Volume Collagen Mascara (£9.99/9ml), just didn't work for me at all, my lashes dropped within a few seconds of applying it. It's quite a thin formula, but it's not waterproof so I reckon that's why it doesn't hold a curl! It's super quick to tell if a mascara will work for you or not, so after I knew I just passed this onto my sister so it'll at least get some use.

A product that I have forgotten that I owned is Pixi Mesmerising Mineral Palette (£15.00) which is a stunning eye-shadow palette, I actually love these colours and each shadow is pigmented and unique. Unfortunately, the formula is quite thin and so creases really easily on me and so this simply doesn't get used a lot because I reach for the shadows that do last on me instead. When you own so many eye-shadows, you do begin to favour some things over others, and you tend to just go with the ones that deliver all the time. 

The last regret I have is Benefits Posytint Lip and Cheek Stain (£24.50/12ml). I've heard people say so many good things about this product and so I was excited to try it out when I purchased this as part of a mini set. When I tried this I was so disappointed, I dotted it onto my skin and blended immediately and although the colour spread a bit, you could see the stain where I had originally applied the product. no amount of blending got rid of it. On the lips it's nothing special either, and so I don't think that the price of this product is worth the formula at all.

I have to say that although I regret buying these products, they might work wonders for you. the eye-shadow palette, setting spray and mascara's are due to my awful lashes and my oily face. So if you share some of the same issues as me, then I wouldn't recommend these products! If any of you have had any luck with these products, I would love to know so be sure to comment below and also let me know what your current regrets are!
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The AM-PM Routine Tag

Recently Becki from Beauty and the Brunette tagged me when she did the AM-PM tag. It was really fun to  read because who doesn't like to snoop around in other peoples lives? So if you want to see my AM-PM routine then keep reading!

                                                                           AM

1) What is your morning beauty routine?

So I have successfully managed to drag myself away from my bed. After brushing my teeth, I head to the shower where I scrub my face with the No7 Beautiful Skin Purifying Exfoilator and then cleanse my face with the La Roche- Posay Effaclar Purifying Cleansing Gel. I love these two products as they are gentle on the skin yet clean it thoroughly! After the shower, I will spritz my face with the Avene Thermal Spring Water and pat that into my skin a minute later. Lately I have been getting seriously dry so then I apply my Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Facial Serum and then my La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + over the top which completes my skincare! 

2) What's for breakfast?

I'm not crazily religious when it comes to breakfast because I find that I'm craving lunch much more earlier than if I went without. Is that weird? If I do have breakfast then porridge is my go-to food but if I have more time then anything which includes sausages is top on my list! 

3) Coffee or Tea?

Tea! I love tea! However lately in the morning I have been trying that whole 'hot water with lemon' thing and it's going well! It's been more than a month since I started and it's very refreshing and not as...bitter as it originally was! I'm not a crazy coffee drinker, but if I need the energy then I will go with a drink with more caffeine! 

4) How long does it take you to get out the door?

I would say an hour. That's me doing the whole shebang - shower, blow-drying hair, make-up and clothes -

at my own pace. I can actually do this all in 40 minutes but that just stresses me out and I usually enjoy this hour I have to myself!

5) What is your go-to makeup look on a fuss-free morning?

I go for a natural awake look I would say! I focus on the base and eyes, so I use my L'Oreal Infallible Primer and then go in with my NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation and I will buff that in with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I then focus on my brows using the L'Oreal Genius Brow Kit and also the Brow Artist Plumper. I then like to curl my lashes and add mascara so that I have some ounce of femininity! I then set my face with the L'Oreal Infallible Fixing Mist which I love! I swear I'm not sponsored by L'Oreal, they just have some good stuff and I am a sucker for deals!

PM

6) What is your evening beauty routine?

Recently, I have been using the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel to remove my makeup, it's a gel which transforms into an oil balm and I have been enjoying using it! Once my make-up is removed then I will wipe one of the Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads and then the rest of my skin-care is the same as my AM routine!
The only thing I add is my Lancôme Hydra Zen Yeux eyecream and I top everything off with my Sunday Riley Luna Oil! 

7) Snack time! What's in the bowl?

I am a sucker for sweet things at night! I will have some form of those 5 pack Sainsbury's own cookies, because I live like 10 steps away from Sainsbury's. I try (very hard) not to eat one everyday! 

8) How do you wind down and prep for bed?

I shower again at night to de-stress and relax my body. After the shower and doing my skincare routine, I like to head to bed and paint my nails while watching some form of tv show! I've just finished House M.D! I loved it and now I have to figure out what else to watch so I am open to some suggestions!

9) Cozy up! What are you wearing to sleep? 

I change things up, some days I like to wear a full set of PJ's, and other days I mix and match some shorts with a tank top. My university room is boiling in the summer so the latter is usually the case! 

10) What are some things you must do before hitting the hay? 

I like to plan out the next day by creating a list of things I need to do! This helps me be really productive in the morning! I check my alarm a few times too because I get panicky if I think I am late!

I hope you enjoyed reading this tag! It was really fun to write! If you enjoyed this post, then be sure to subscribe on Bloglovin'! 

Brand Focus: L'Oréal

Ain't gonna lie, it took me by surprise to know how little acquainted I was with L'Oréal, I've always known what they had to offer but just never really gravitated towards it. That all changed in the past three months when I finally bought my first L'Oréal product, which lead to my second... and now I have accumulated quite a few products that I really think deserve a mention! I'll talk you through my favourites...

The L'Oréal Infallible Primer Matte Base (£7.99/35ml) was one of the first few products that I purchased, and this is a silicone feeling primer, that leaves your skin smooth and ready for make-up. For me and my massive pores, this is a must! If I had to compare it, I would describe it as a mix between The Body Shop's Instablur and the Make Up Forever Step 1 Mattifying primer, it's more smooth than the former and more thcker than the latter! On the other end of the spectrum the L'Oréal Infallible Fixing Mist (£7.99/120g) is a recent addition to my collection, and I have to say I've been loving it so far! This does actually set and hold your make-up, and I have noticed that my make-up is fresher for longer and my face is less oiler throughout the day. One tip I want to share is that you shake the product properly before using it so that the powder in the bottom gets distributed in the solution!

A new product that I have been testing out is the L'Oréal Brow Artiste Genius Kit (£9.99) in the shade 'Medium to Dark' and I have been blown away by this, it's a duo that contains a wax and powder, and the colour match is pretty great for my eyebrows, as my eyebrows are a cool-toned ash brown shade The wax controls my eyebrow shape pretty nicely, and then it's easy to just fill in the gaps with the powder! Also it comes with a tweezer and a brush and spooly so you are pretty much set! After filling in my brows I set them with the L'Oréal Brow Artist Plumper (£5.99/7ml), which helps tint the eyebrows slightly and set everything in place, I love using just this product on my lazy days as it just makes everything in the eyebrow department look a lot better.

Moving onto eye's, I've mentioned the L'Oréal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof (£9.99/2ml) in a previous blog, and I am still loving this! It's great at lengthening and fanning out the eyelashes and has a great hold! On day's where I want more Oomph however, I reach for my L'Oréal Superliner (£6.99), I love how black it is! It's got a flexible nib so it's great at getting close into the lash line. I need more practice with this though! I haven't used a liquid liner in months which makes me feel like a beginner again, on the plus side, if you do make mistakes this isn't such a hassle to wipe off!

I think you can see what kinds of products I go for in this post, I love long lasting make-up and I think L'Oréal has done really well with all of these products! I really want to try their new sculpt range, so if you have any recommendations let me know in the comments!

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Long Lasting Make-up tip? Yes Please

For some reason when I think of long-lasting make-up I envision a model with a ton of matte make-up on her face. This post is not going to be that. Instead this post is based on a more realistic and accessible way to get make-up to look as though it hasn't melted away during the day. 

I want to say, and this is from my personal experience, that less make-up is better if you want to look semi-decent at the end of the day as you did in the start. I find that if I wear less eyeshadow, less blush, less foundation, I look more like the woman who left the door at 8am. If I put more make-up on then when I come back 9 hours later, you can really see how much I tried in the early hours of the morning. 

I really have been encompassing this idea into my daily life, on Mondays I have a 9-6 day at uni, and so I am out the door at 8am and back home at 6.30pm, so I really try to use a minimal amount because God knows my head will be in my hands at the end of the day!

My Monday make-up routine consists of me firstly priming my face with the L'Oréal Infallible Primer (£7.99/45g), then I go in with my NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation (£32.00/30g) - I add half a pump to my face, trying to just even out my complexion rather than masking my face. I then fill in the sparse areas of my eyebrows with the Mono Eyeshadow 'MMMM' from Makeup Revolution (£1.00/2.3g), (this is quite warm toned, and it does a good job but I've recently discovered a new favourite!). My next step is to add mascara, my currrent one is the Loreal Million Lashes Waterproof (£9.99/2ml) and it's awesome! I then proceed to set my make-up with the Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder (£36.00/30g), and then add a bit of the bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip-Oil Balms (£16.00/3.1g) - these are great because they reduce down into a stain and so actually do great for making your lips look naturally pigmented! 

For some reason, this sounded like a lot of steps, but I swear I can do it all in around 5 minutes! Also I try to make things as sheer as possible! 

I would love for you all to try to minimise the make-up that you have on on your crazy busy days, I can guarantee that you will notice that you don't look quite as worn down by the day, because you didn't look so done up at the start of the day! It's about reducing that gap. To me, when I look at the mirror when the day is almost over, I don't have to deal with creased eyeshadow, smudged liner, or blush that is half way down my face and although I love make-up, I don't enjoy looking like that!
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Review: L'Oréal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof

For some reason, I've never really ventured into L'Oréal, they always seem to have lovely stuff, and some products have been forever on my wishlist ( the True Match foundation, is something I want to try). In Boot's L'Oréal have an excellent offer: if you spend £14.99 or more you get a free gift, the Feline Fatal Christmas 2015 gift which includes a mascara, an eyeliner, an eye-shadow quad and also a nail varnish. So I snapped up this mascara, along with a primer and I've been so impressed with the deal I just had to share. 

The L'Oréal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof  (£9.99/ 2ml) is eye-catching, it has a lovely mirrored gold exterior and is more on the chubby side, I wanted this purely because it is waterproof, I have learned the hard way that short, thin, straight lashes need a waterproof formula in order to hold a curl. This actually lived up to it's claims, I don't have a million lashes but it seems to bring out a few more, giving me a more doe-eyed effect, also it holds a curl so it is a good mascara in my books! What I love about this product is that it has an anti-clump wiper, so when you pull out your mascara wand from the product, it's got a nice amount of product to give you what you need and so it's hard to really make a mess of things.

I only wear one coat, and I find that this is good for separating and defining individual lashes, it gives you a slightly fanned out effect which is nice. This mascara makes your eyelashes feel normal, it's not crispy or hard, and so you can tell that this product just wants to emphasises and make use of what you've already got.

As this is waterproof, and some people may find taking this off an issue, I always use a separate eye make-up remover just because I don't want to irritate my eyes. I found that this wasn't that hard to remove without using an actual eye-makeup remover, but I only use one coat, so that may be why!

I'm happy with this product, and I'm glad I went and bought it. Usually with mascara's, I know within the first five minutes if I will like it (my eyelashes will usually start drooping) and this has most definitely exceeded that! 

I can't wait to try out the other L'Oréal stuff and I will be reviewing them for sure! Let me know what your favourite products are from L'Oréal.
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