Product Review: Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation

Foundation is such a dealbreaker for me. It's one of those things that, until you start using it, you don't realise the difference it can make to your face, for bad as well as good. I remember my first foray into foundation use; I didn't have a clue about shade, consistency, what I wanted from the product, I just wanted to use it. (I'm sure I didn't need to as I had quite good skin when I was younger!) I can distinctly recall feeling, after smoothing this gloopy beige liquid onto my face with my fingers, that I was wearing a really greasy mask. Which I suppose it is, in a way, (a mask, it shouldn't be greasy if you have the right one!) but the last thing you want is to feel your foundation, it should blend and be enhancing to your features, not obscuring them.

Over the years I've tried many a different foundation, from a £2.99 drugstore brand to a £27 makeup counter purchase. Some have fared better than others, in honesty, the one I've always used up until recently was very expensive, the £27 Double Wear from Estee Lauder. I loved this foundation, even if after two bottles I decided I was wearing the wrong colour and got re-matched (they colour matched me in the first place but I still ended up wearing a shade darker than I should have been). The way it felt on my skin and the coverage was something I'm yet to find better elsewhere, despite many a try!

I've also been a big fan of BB creams. Well, I loved the two Dr Jart ones I received in my Glossyboxes over the course of the year, and I also purchased and then repurchased a Boots Time Delay one. I think these are more suitable for the summer, when a heavier coverage really isn't required, but as the autumn and winter months roll back around I feel I'd like something that gives a little more coverage and a little less sheen.

I've recently been using the Maybelline Superstay Better Skin foundation which is a fairly new release and promises to deliver a flawless finish whilst also evening skin tone to give better looking skin in 3 weeks. About a week in, I am really impressed with this foundation. It applies well, it's a smooth liquid consistency that dries to a flawless, not powdery, finish. I really like the coverage it gives, it's medium to full but not cakey at all, and certainly not greasy (my pet hate in a foundation!) My skin is dry to combination but this has definitely helped to reduce the midday shiny t-zone I suffer from occasionally. 

I am wearing shade 005 light beige, which at this time of year is about perfect for my skin but would be a shade too light with a tan. It actually reacts well to my own skin tone and blends in nicely without leaving tidemarks and it doesn't transfer, again a huge bonus because there's nothing worse than makeup marks all over a favourite top. Estee Lauder used to tell me that Double Wear wouldn't transfer but it always did, I could live with it though as the foundation was so good!

Overall I am really happy with this foundation and will definitely consider repurchasing it when it's finished. What foundation do you wear?

XO Amie

Just £5

Studded spike shoes Just for £5

What can you buy for a fiver? I suppose that depends where you're shopping. It might be a coffee and a muffin to go. It could be a couple of glossy magazines, some makeup, even a whole outfit if you are lucky at the charity shop or jumble. But generally speaking, the items that you can pick up for this humble sum tend to be somewhat limited.

That was, of course, until I discovered bargain website Just for £5. Literally, as the title suggests, you can pick up a plethora of items just for one price: £5. There is a huge range on the site and it covers everything you could imagine, from shoes and bags to trapper hats and prom dresses, just for £5!

Perusing the wares I spotted several items I wanted to add to my basket immediately, be they cute dresses, clutch bags or knitted cardigans. I was totally smitten with these block heeled spiked pumps, they remind me a little bit of a similar pair I have from Zara and I can't wait to rock them with black skinny jeans. I think they are so cute and perfect for the Christmas season with the sparkly detail!

Just for £5 is a well stocked and easy to navigate website with a huge selection of different items. It's a one stop destination for Christmas gifts, and would be a really handy site for a spot of Secret Santa shopping or even to help stock up on some stocking fillers for friends or family!

Have you ever shopped here before? What would you buy for £5?

XO Amie

Walking on a winter's day

Wearing: Crumpet cashmere biker (competition prize) ASOS peplum knit Gap skinny jeans Topshop heeled brogues

I was so lucky to win this amazing Crumpet cashmere biker jacket in a Facebook competition recently. To take part in the contest you had to explain how you'd style the jacket, and then the Crumpet team picked a winner from the answers supplied. I said that I'd wear this jacket with a simple top, silk peg trousers and mannish shoes, and I did intend to style it this way to wear today, but I thought that this blog has definitely seen enough of my Whistles silk trousers, so I'd try them a different way! I'm sure I'll pair it with those trousers soon enough, I think it would look lovely with those and maybe the pink angora jumper I've got from H&M!

These Gap jeans are such a staple, I am loving the slim silhouette and they also look great tucked into boots. I got this peach knitted peplum from ASOS back in the summer and it's very lightweight, but I love the shape and with a vest top underneath and a jacket over the top, it's just about temperate enough to wear at the moment.

My brother came over to visit for the day and we thought it would be nice to look around the charity shops and as the weather was nice we went for quite a long walk around which was lovely. It wasn't a very successful chazza haul although I did get a cute dress which I am hoping to be able to wear soon! I am making an effort to wear more of my wardrobe, I am sure I only wear about 20% of it on repeat! Sometimes it's very easy to get habitual about your clothes and wear the same old things, so I am going to try and switch it up and take a leaf out of the lovely Vix's book and be more adventurous with my wardrobe!

XO Amie

Penelope Chilvers Vs. ASOS

Ever since I posted this dream outfit I've been obsessed with the idea of getting a pair of velvet chelsea boots. I think it doesn't help matters that a certain Ms. Chung, aka my current massive style crush, has them in about 3 colourways. I was really keen to add a pair to my boot collection but unfortch my wallet won't stretch to almost £300 bucks for a pair. Try as I might to make it.

So it was with glee that I clapped my eyes on this pair:

Ah ASOS, delivering again with a very similar looking pair; it's clear to see the difference in quality when the images are side by side but for less than a tenth of the cost of the Chilvers ones, these are a passable dupe and are very similar in shape; the ASOS pair aren't so high on the ankle which actually suits me better, given as I'm not blessed with Alexa-style, coltish limbs...they'll actually prevent my legs from looking too stumpy, I hope. I've actually bought these with the 20% extra discount that ASOS were running on Sunday, and they're yet to arrive so I'll have to review them again when they do; the danger with online shopping is always the colours, I find-they're called 'navy' on the site but I've bought shoes from there before named 'oxblood' and they've arrived and turned out to be an obnoxious shade of purple, so we will have to see when I can see them in the light of day as to whether they are a keeper or not. If they're anything but navy, they're going back-cobalt blue shoes? I think not.

Anyway, a little bit of a different post from me today but I thought it would be interesting to share these dupes as I did put a call out on the outfit post that featured the Chilvers ones, for any similar styles, and since I'd found a pair I thought it would be good to share! The ASOS ones are still available here, or, if you are a recent lottery winner looking to splurge, treat yourself to the real mCcoys here.

XO Amie

Instagram Week #17

India // New foundation // Harvey Nichols mannequins // Christmas windows // Camel and black // Outfit post featuring Clarks and OnePiece // Charity shopped Whistles coat // Dream coat // Glittery shoes

It feels like only recently I shared an Instagram post but that's because I did last week's on a Wednesday when I'd normally post on a Monday. Anyway, normal service resumes this week and I'd taken quite a lot of pictures between then and now anyway so I had a few to choose from!

My brother is travelling in India at the moment and I had to repost this picture he sent to my mum of the Taj Mahal. Isn't it lovely? I am used to seeing it on the TV so it's a little bit surreal to think my brother was there in front of it. It seems a bit of a letdown to have it sitting next to a photo of a foundation, but hey, that's something else I wanted to post, this new foundation that I've got hold of and can't wait to try out. It's called Maybelline Superstay Better Skin, and it looks and feels like a nice consistency so I am excited to try it, especially as all my foundations seem to have run out at once!

I paid a visit to Harvey Nichols last week, just to window shop of course (and marvel at their lovely Christmas windows!) I completely fell for this beautiful Tara Jarmon coat, but the £700 price tag was enough to put me off! Who spends £700 on a coat!?!

Not me, that's for sure! My latest find is this Whistles biker coat I got in my local charity shop. It was really expensive at £40 which is much more than I'd ever usually pay for anything, but I made the fatal mistake of trying it on and absolutely adored it. It's pretty much new so I've consoled myself with the fact that it retailed for £180 last year, so to all intents I've still got a pretty good bargain.

XO Amie

Party Feet

It's that time of year again, when sequins are dusted down and dresses are dragged out of the depths of the wardrobe, and Christmas and New Year parties are at the forefront of everyone's mind. Of course, there's the age-old ponderance of the right shoe, the perfect, hard working number that will take you effortlessly from dinner to party, limo to nightclub, and heck, even accompany you on the walk home in the small hours!

I think I've found said shoe-saviour in the form of this resplendent platform pair from 90's stalwart brand Shelly's. I loved Shelly's back in the day, the platforms were huge and the prices were, then, out of my reach but the brand was so iconic to me. Nowadays, they seem to have been slightly swallowed up on the high street, awash, as it is, with so many different established and up and coming shoe brands that those that were once at the forefront of the British shoe retailer market have bitten the dust (remember Faith and Chipie? to name but two)

So it was with glee that I rediscovered this brand on Spartoo. I see time has been kind; the platforms remain but the aesthetic is more refined. I particularly rate these gorgeous glitterball courts; the mirrored heel adds just the right amount of sparkle and the platform gives comfort to a higher heel. I also love the gorgeous suede bow which lend a little more interest and will definitely add an edge to a plainer dress. Likewise these are subtle enough to wear with a frock that has the wow factor, without serving to distract!

What do you think of these? Are party heels on your shopping list yet?

XO Amie

Winter Sun

Wearing: Topshop coat (last year's) Zara trousers Brogues c/o Clarks Jumper c/o Onepiece H&M bowler Gap shirt Topshop necklace

The one thing I like about the winter is those crisp days when it's cold, but that's ok because the sun is shining and when there is no wind it actually feels quite pleasant to be out and about, rather than stuck inside. I must admit when I was taking these pictures last week I had forgotten how nice the sunshine feels on your face; can it really be that we had a (to all intents) heatwave this summer? The idea of wearing anything less than a trillion layers seems alien to me now (though I did see a girl today wearing hotpants and over knee socks, so for some, evidently, there's no such thing as a season in fashion.) 

It was lovely to get over to Weston to catch up with my mum and dad last week and I was able to get some really good pics; my mum is so good at taking photographs and she loves to do it so we went for a good long walk so she could take loads. I was really keen to share the jumper that I was kindly sent by OnePiece, it's so cosy and cute and perfect for the colder days. You might remember I featured it in this post here and you can shop it here. The guys at OnePiece have also given me a discount code to share with you so don't forget to include 31CREDITCRUNCHCHIC at the checkout for 20% off, ideal if you want to buy some Christmas presents!

I've also got on some beautiful studded brogues which are from Clarks. These brogues are the ultimate, I have been after a new pair for ever so they are coming in so useful. I love the fit, Clarks offer a 3.5 size which is my exact shoe size and NOWHERE seems to offer shoes in a half size. I usually size up and buy a 4 which normally fits ok but these shoes fit like they were made for me and I love them. They come in a couple of different colours too which I am already eyeing up to add to my brogue collection! You can see them and shop them here. Clarks are also running a cool competition where you can win £100 of Mr & Mrs Smith vouchers. All you have to do is upload a pic of yourself styling out in your Clarks shoes or boots to Instagram, and hashtag it #clarksstyle. If you need any inspiration, take a look at the other entries here!

I've also dug out my Topshop coat from last year, I wore it a lot last year and it did feature in many posts! I last wore it in March I think, with much darker hair! I wore it for a change, but now I have definitely reverted back to my camel charity shop number and another charity shop find that I'm going to post up soon-they're both a lot thicker!

XO Amie