Chanel Marie Blog

Summer is so close you can almost smell the optimism, the BBQs going on from garden to garden and  and cheap suntan lotion lingering in the air. I really hope that 3 day thing the other week wasn't our summer and the rumours are true that Britain is in for 33 degree long summer! 

Summer in Britain is my fave, if not only for the friendly persona everyone suddenly whacks on. Out of nowhere you’re making jokes about portable barbecues with strangers in Tesco Express at 7pm on a Saturday and smiling at fellow commuters whilst cracking open a can of something cold and alcoholic on a Thursday eve. It’s pretty sassy and sexy and it brings out the best side of us I HATE EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING AND PEOPLE AND RAIN Brits.

Anyways, i thought id out together a short list of things to do when you random sunny days jump out on you and you need to have a plan of action to make the most of it! because lets face it non of us know what the 'British summer' will bring. 

01. Now this first idea is my favourite as I'm on a health kick at the moment I'm very looking forward to this.. Run to the nearest supermarket and buy an assortment of ice cream (but let’s call it gelato because we fancy bitches holidaying on the Italian Riviera), some whipped cream, fruit, chocolate toppings and some of those random sauces kept next to the meringues in the supermarket. Make the biggest sexiest sundaes your belly and your Instagram have ever seen.

02. Have a date day, either with your boo or your best gal pal at your nearest city, or swank town if you live somewhere cool. Get the train in, wear flat shoes and pack an emergency jumper and bottle of water and do an unplanned bar and food crawl. Just stroll about, explore, get a bit drunk, take photos, never look at your bank balance again.

03. Wear coral lipstick. I mean, it’s the only time of year (aside from your hypothetical trip to the Caribbean next January that’ll absolutely definitely happen) you really get to make use of it.

04. Make your normal Friday night dinner, complete with a lil glass of wine, obvs, and eat it outside. Maybe you have a garden and you just throw a blanket down and carry your plates out and watch it get dark. Maybe you load up your dinner in tupperware and head to a park. It doesn’t have to cost a single lil penny to feel like you’re pretty much 100% eating dinner on holiday somewhere swish.

05. Find someone who would probably slice out their own spleen for a couple of child-free hours and use it as an excuse to do all the things you definitely 100% want to do. Go to a nearby beach, visit the zoo, get ice cream and chips. Maybe go on a merry-go-round. Spend 2ps in an arcade. And also, help someone out because helping is pretty darn nice.

06. Eat barbecued halloumi. I’m sorry, I wanted to end this post on something motivational and heart-warming, but really, when you think about it, what’s more motivational and heart-warming than grilled cheese?

Thanks for reading! 

Chanel Marie x

Benefit are probably one of my all time fav brands and a lot of my go to stuff is Benefit (hula your the one). When I first saw the Porefessional Matte Rescue I was over the moon mostly because I LOVED the packaging and just thought it was super cute. Also i am always open to using new products. 

I feel like you definitely get your moneys worth in this tube! The product its self is a very thick blue gel like formula so a small layer over your face will do just fine or just in your problems areas, then just carry on with the rest of your make up routine. The first few times i used this product i noticed a huge difference, my make up just looked all round much better however a big thing for me is that the formula made my make up last a lot longer! I don't really know any other products like this on the market - especially ones that sink into your skin and not just make it sticky.

Now the Pro Balm is something I have seen a lot about all over the world wide web, especially with beauty YouTubers. Now I totally dig this stuff, I feel like it's a really good primer and also a sort of blur cream. It's quite a thick, matte consistency which really helps smooth out your skin and make pores less visible. I feel like there are quite a lot of these sort of products how there but it is hard to find the right one for your skin sometimes. What I also really like about this balm is it's a sort of beige tone and not just a plain white/clear primer. So I haven't been able to put this baby down!

Chanel Marie x

No, I definitely did not need another eye shadow palette, but the gorgeous warm hues in the Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Quad in Rust completely knocked any sense out of me. Who can blame me? The palette has a base, define, contour and highlight shade – the first three being matte, and the last containing some minimal shimmer. I think it’s a great size to travel with! First Impressions: I have only swatched these on my arm so far, and the shades are super soft to the touch (especially the base colour). There’s good colour pay-off but they look a little bit powdery. I shall test them on the eyes this weekend and hopefully I will have a review up soon.

More from Urban Decay’s Summer Collection! I have been using the It Cosmetics CC Cream as my daily base of choice for a very long time. If you read my NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint review you may know I tried to branch out and it didn’t work out too well for me. I thought I’d try the Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector instead, as it promises optical blurring, a luminous finish and SPF 20. ‘Luminous finish’ sounds like the complete opposite of NARS’ offering, but when Urban Decay say this product will blur imperfections, even out my skin tone and leave me with ultra-definition skin, how could I refuse? First Impressions: I have used this every single day without fail for the past week, and so far, I’m very impressed! I have to say it’s giving my beloved It Cosmetics CC Cream a run for its money. I slap some of this on in the morning, and by the end of the work day my makeup still looks wonderful. I love that my skin looks like skin, while still looking evened out and polished. I’ve been taking some progress shots for a review so you can see how it wears; watch this space!

Colour correcting is all the rage at the moment, and recently I’ve been using the Becca Backlight Targeted Corrector in Pistachio  to remove any redness from blemishes and the sides of my nose. The Becca correctors are lovely, but they do have tiny shimmer particles which I wish they’d left out. When I saw the Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid in Green, I picked it up as it’s completely matte. Plus, I had heard it was a similar (if not the same) formula as the concealers which I love, so I knew we’d get on well. First Impressions: This corrector is no joke – it is SO pigmented. You only need the tiniest amount of product to visibly reduce any redness. Like the concealers, it sets very quickly so I make sure to apply and blend straight away.

I love Bite Beauty and I just had to have at least one of their new Amuse Bouche lipsticks – the shade Honeycomb just spoke to me. Can we just take a moment? Peachy beige nude perfection. My favourite Bite Beauty lipstick is the Luminous Crème Lipstick in the shade Date, which is discontinued/only available in a mini duo, and I’m damn pleased to say this is the exact colour, just a little bit less luminous.  First Impressions: It’s very creamy and SUPER opaque in one swipe! It settled into some lines but overall I was pleased with how it wore for the few hours I had it on. I will keep testing it out!

Hope you liked taking a peak into my recent purchases..

Chanel Marie x

I am DEFINITELY ready to try any new product that claims to be matte and can help a sister out with shiny skin. Nars is one of those brands that creates such a hype when they release new products - and this matte tint was no exception. This tint comes in 12 shades, I went with Alaska which is the light 2 shade, but turns out that it was darker than I expected. So I would suggest going with a shade lighter than you think - or just wear fake tan which is what I did! First of all I LOVE the packaging on this product - it's sleek and simple which is fitting with the rest of Nars's products. 

It really does have a matte feel to it and I feel like it does go on pretty flawlessly. It reminds me of a primer as it gives that sort of velvet feeling. It's very lightweight and doesn't feel too cakey like some matte foundations can. Coverage wise I don't feel like you can build this tint up so if you want full coverage this probably isn't for you. Matte wise I am totally digging it - however I still found by the end of the day my nose area was still pretty shiny which is my most problematic area. I think this is a great sort of everyday product and not so much for a more fuller coverage look. It still looks good once you've set it with powder which I can struggle with after using some matte foundations as they completely dry your face out. 

If you suffer with shiny skin I think this is probably a product you should try out and see if you like it! However I do think it is pretty pricey when you don't get a totally full coverage. But right now this is my go to foundation. 

Have you tried out any of the Kylie Lip Kits yet?

CHANEL MARIE x