Today I'll be sharing my current go-to foundation - Bourjois' City Radiance. I have been using this foundation for a couple of weeks now but like moisturisers, I think it's best to try a foundation for a while before sharing my thoughts with you. It's hard to tell whether you like it or not just from its first application.

PRODUCT QUALITY: This foundation is a liquid foundation (the only texture I use nowadays really) and gives a light to medium dewy coverage in my opinion. I tend to mix it in with a small squirt of Freedom's Pro Studio Strobe Cream which gives a more natural, glowy finish. I apply the foundation with my Real Techniques buffing brush and dab over it with a beauty blender. I really like the coverage, texture and application of this foundations. My only negatives would be that I think the colouring is slightly off (I have the lightest shade and I still find it a bit dark) and its longevity isn't that great. However, I love that it has an SPF in it and I'd prioritise that over the negatives anyway.

PRICE: This foundation retails for £9.99. As with all Bourjois foundations, I'd say it's probably on the pricier end of high-street foundations. However, it's very affordable compared to the luxury foundations from the likes of Dior and Estee Lauder. 

PACKAGING: The packaging is very simple. The tube is flat which means it's easy to pack if you're travelling with it. However, I do prefer a glass foundation bottle with a pump, but I think that's something down to personal preference. I think for the price, a glass bottle would have made it look more expensive.

SCORES (/100)

Product quality: 80

Price: 75

Packaging: 79

OVERALL VERDICT: I am a fan of this foundation, but having used Bourjois' Healthy Mix foundation in the past, I think I'll be going back to that one after I've finished City Radiance. I found Healthy Mix lasts longer and is more buildable in terms of coverage. I'd recommend this foundation if you want to wear something light on your skin.

SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her blusher, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/

PRICE: As always with MUA, the price of this is really affordable. It cost me £3, which is in their higher price bracket as it's in their Luxe range. For a liquid lipstick, it's definitely one of the cheapest I've seen.

PACKAGING: I think the packaging also makes its look more expensive than it actually is - the frosted effect on the tube and gold lid are simple but elegant.

SCORES (/100)

Product quality: 55

Price: 90

Packaging: 85

OVERALL VERDICT: Although the price and packaging are really great, I just didn't get on with the formula of the lip lacquer. Some people may be able to persevere with it and make it look great but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I'd much rather spend slightly more on a NYX soft matte lip cream which is much more moisturising and feels a lot more comfortable.

SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her blusher, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/

I thought I'd deviate from the norm slightly with this one as I recently reviewed a brow pencil on my blog (you can read it here). So for today's post, instead of reviewing a product that fills brows in, I'll be reviewing Makeup by HD Brows Browbeater. This product is a clear brow gel which you can use to hold your brows in place all day.I love filling in my eyebrows but I do find that if I don't use a gel over the top of them, they tend to lose their shape throughout the day. I received the HD Brows Browbeater at a blogging event last year but haven't had the chance to discuss it on my blog yet, so here goes!

PRODUCT QUALITY: One of the things that stands out to me about this gel formula is that it's not sticky like some brow gels can be. It's still quite a wet formula so I would suggest that you don't need to use much of the product each time. The gel applies very smoothly and the wand is great for brushing your eyebrows into place. 

PRICE: The HD Brows Browbeater retails for £14.99 which is slightly more than I tend to spend on a makeup product, but I think that the price reflects its quality. It's pretty much in between high street and high-end in terms of price.

PACKAGING: The packaging is simple but I think that's the beauty of it. It looks very classy and the box that it comes in also looks pretty special. If you know someone who loves to look after their brows, I think this would make a really nice gift.

SCORES (/100)

Product quality: 92

Price: 80

Packaging: 88

OVERALL VERDICT: This is a great brow gel and if you're in the market for a good quality gel I'd definitely recommend this one. It's a great mid-range buy for any brow lover!

SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her blusher, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/

The food and drink lounge has a chilled out, modern vibe but encompasses some historic twists to the décor, nodding towards its past use as a goods shed along the South Wales to London railway line. While I started off the evening with a bikini martini (a summery combination of vodka, Malibu, pineapple juice and grenadine), Tim opted for a Brains beer - arguably one of Cardiff's finest creations.

Apologies for the poor photo quality - I just couldn't wait to tuck in!

The bed was so comfortable - almost too comfortable as Tim and I overslept and almost missed breakfast! Cleanliness of the room was to such a high standard, I couldn't fault anything about it. Our stay also included a full buffet breakfast - probably one of the best I've ever had too! Staff were so efficient and helpful, it was a really relaxed and enjoyable stay at Cardiff's Novotel.

*Please excuse my resting bitch face*

A few months ago I was contacted by Nicola, a freelance writer who had been commissioned to write a double spread for the Guardian's University clearing supplement which was published in August just before students received their A-Level results. The supplement provided vital information for prospective University students who may not have achieved the A-Level grades they needed for their University choice and so had to go through the UCAS clearing process.

The article I was involved with was depicting a 'diary of a student blogger' through Instagram photos and interview questions to complement these. Unfortunately, the article was only available in paper form on the day it was released and isn't online, so I thought I would share and expand on some of the questions with you! (Apologies in advance for the poor quality photo - it's hard to take a picture of a picture!)

Even since finishing Uni, I still love going to the gym and eating well. I was pretty good at budgeting at University and I think part of it is down to knowing the best places to buy food (e.g. fruit was cheaper from a market stall in town) and not eating meat every day of the week. If you're interested in cooking yummy vegetarian meals, I wrote up some of my favourite recipes a while back on my blog which you can read here and here. The photo on the right was taken at the Makeup Revolution 2nd birthday party in London a few months back. I feel so lucky to be invited to amazing events like this one and I have met so many incredible people through these experiences!

I love the photo on the left of my final year uni fam at Christmas. They're totally going to rinse me if I make this soppy but it was so sad moving out because it was such a great year, even if most of it was spent deciding what film to watch in the evening. I couldn't write this article without mentioning the charity I was involved with (predominantly in second and fourth year) - Student Minds. It's a national charity with regional branches within Universities that aim to support students struggling with their eating. Student Minds was one of the reasons I decided to work on an eating disorders ward on my placement year at Uni and I loved every minute of it. We held some great fundraising events as a group and I feel so privileged to have been part of such a wonderful society at Uni. And of course I had to mention my little (5 year old) pup Alfie - LOOK HOW CUTE HE IS!
A massive thank you to Nicola for contacting me and writing up my national newspaper debut - I'm so glad I could be a part of it and it's perfectly rounded off a fantastic four years at University. If you're interested in reading my blog series on starting University, I'll put the links below. Let me know about your Uni experiences in the comments!
The Ultimate Uni Checklist: http://www.highstreetbeautyjunkie.com/2015/09/what-should-you--take-to-university.html Making Friends at Uni: http://www.highstreetbeautyjunkie.com/2015/09/making-friends-at-uni-my-top-five-tips.html