Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors have been my favorite gloss for quite a while now, even making it into my Best of 2012 post. Unlike other lip glosses these lip perfectors lack the sticky texture that make the combination of wind and hair your worst nightmare. They are also a bit of a lip gloss/ lip balm  hybrid, (with a little bit of added goodness), which is great for people like me who have constantly dry lips yet cant be bothered to apply both balm and gloss. Oh, and they smell amazing...


Though the new shades haven't officially been released yet (I believe they will start popping up in the next couple of days), thanks to the really lovely sales adviser at my local counter I was able to get my (very eager) hands on these a little bit early. The first shade, 02 Apricot Shimmer is actually one of the original colours that I've had for quite a while now but 05 Candy Shimmer and 06 Rosewood Shimmer are two of the new shades (along with 04 Petal Shimmer, a lovely baby pink colour), being launched in the next few days. All of the colours add a subtle wash of colour to the lips which is perfect for a natural day time look and makes topping up on the go effortless as you don't even need a mirror to apply.

The Clarins Lip Perfectors are definitely my 'go to' lip product at the moment, and honestly, I just can't seem to get enough! Has anyone else tried these? What do you think of them?

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I'm not really sure why its taken me so long to invest in a good nail base and top coat, (i'm desperately searching for an answer that isn't laziness...), but now that I have there's definitely no going back.

 Most of the brands i've tried before have been so bad that I often skipped wearing any base or top coat at all. As a result I would find that my nail varnish would only last two days (maximum) before looking pretty darn awful. That's where the CND stickey anchoring base coat and Seche Vite top coat have become life (or perhaps more appropriately, nail polish) saviors.


The CND base coat is designed to anchor colour to the nail which not only prevents nail polish from chipping, but has also helped to improve the condition of my nails as i've noticed they have been peeling and splitting less. As the Seche Vite top coat is fast drying this has also made painting my nails a much less stressful experience as i'm rather impatient and always manage to smudge at least two nails before it's dry. The glossy finish of the top coat is also something that i've longed for, for a very long time.


When used together I find these two little products really work wonders. My nail varnish now lasts around 4 days before the chipping gets noticeably bad. Compared to 1 or 2 days wear without these polishes, 4 days is a huge improvement and makes painting my nails a much more enjoyable experience as I know it will last longer than 24 hours! (It's probably best to mention that I am particularly 'hard' on my nails so wear time may be even longer on others).

The CND stickey base coat is available from cult beauty for £8.95 and Seche Vite top coat for £9.00 from Boots.


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1. Essie Ballet Slippers is one of my favorite polishes
2. Milk flavour chews - weird but one of my favorites!
3. Cupcakes and Tea in a really cute cafe
4. Getting ready to blog
5. Easter eggs and the cutest Easter card from Richard
6. Mischa posing for the camera
7. Afternoon tea
8. Really pretty new bin for my room
9. I think this might be my favorite Easter egg!

Instagram - laurathroughthelens

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I recently treated myself to my first ever Nars eye shadow duo and I'm in love. I chose the Alhambra palette which consists of two pale neutral shades, both with quite a shimmery finish, though not too glittery. The shadows go perfectly together, I've been sweeping the pink/champagne toned shadow across my entire lid then adding some of the more golden shade to the outer corner and blending it in. Together they brighten your eyes yet are subtle enough for everyday wear.

The consistency of these shadows is amazing. They have a gorgeous buttery texture and are highly pigmented. I've also noticed that with a bit of primer underneath, they hardly crease at all throughout the day.

The packaging is also lovely and has a decent sized mirror inside, though like all Nars packaging, it does have a tendency to get dirty quickly.

The Nars eye shadow duos retail for £25 making them an undeniably expensive purchase, though if you are looking for a bit of an indulgence, the quality of these shadows definitely lives up to the high price tag.


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I've been a bit absent on the blog recently so my March favorites is quite a bit late this month, but you know what they say, better late than never!

1. Mac Lipstick in Angel

I'm not a massive fan of pink lips but this is quite a neutral pink colour with a hint of mauve that I think actually looks quite nice on my skin tone. I've been wearing it a lot recently and think its a great everyday shade. 

2. Mac Pro Longwear Paintpot in Vintage Selection

This has been my 'go to' eye shadow base recently, though if I'm in a bit of a rush i'll simply sweep some of this on and I'm ready to go. Full review here.

3. Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Lychee

I don't think I've even looked at my other polishes since I bought this. It's such a lovely colour and the formula is great, especially considering it's only £3.99! Full review here. 

4. Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

After deciding it was about time to make a rare visit to the hairdressers, I've been treating my newly chopped hair to some intense treatments. The Philip Kingsley Elasticizer has been working wonders and it's safe to say that i'm quite addicted. I use it around once a week and simply leave it on my hair for about 15 minutes before shampooing and conditioning as normal. It really helps to make my hair feel much healthier and restore a bit of bounce. 

5. Percy & Reed Finishing Polish

On days when my hair is a little bit unruly, I've been smoothing a blob of this through it after styling and it really helps to tame frizz and define my curls. It also smells amazing.

6. Leighton Denny Glass Nail File

I'm cursed with quite dry and brittle nails that are prone to flaking, though after using this for a few weeks I've noticed quite a big difference.They seem to be splitting less compared to when I used any old nail file. That's quite an achievement in my book, though this nail file also comes with a life time guarantee also making it pretty good value if you ask me!

7. Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

Though you can use this on any dry area, I've just been using it on my cuticles every couple of days. It's quite greasy so I let it soak in for a few minutes before washing it off, but overall it's really helped to improve the condition of my nails and cuticles. 

It was my birthday at the beginning of April, (April fools day to be exact!), so I'm going to Edinburgh for a few days with the boyfriend tomorrow for a bit of a late celebration. Hopefully the snow won't be making an unwelcome return and we'll actually see a bit of sun. Maybe if I get time i'll also indulge in a few new beauty purchases...

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