N07 'Essentially Natural' and 'Match Made' concealer review!

 

So recently I indulged in a N07 foundation and concealer. I purchased the 'Essentially Natural' foundation and the 'Match made' concealer.

I went into Boots and like they had advertised on TV, N07 had a skin match booth.This is basically where a N07 consultant puts on a small handheld device against your face and it tells you what shade you are. This is such an useful service because everyone knows that finding the correct shade is basically like rocket science (okay maybe not quite but still...). N07 have a range of 17 colours which is unusual, but great, as most brands do around 10 shades maximum, so you're pretty much guaranteed to find the perfect shade here. 

Now the foundation itself has a thick consistency and blending it onto your skin is fairly easy as it spreads evenly. But the thickness also means that you will need to use more than you would with a normal consistency foundation. 

Even though it is thick it doesn't leave a cakey texture so you can layer it up with other products, but make sure you use powder because otherwise it could look like you can swipe your finger across it and remove it all. The front of the tube claims that it gives you a light-medium coverage, and so it did. Blemishes were still visible but not as much, you would have to get quite close to your face to see them. This foundation isn't the best brightener, there are others that are better but it does definitely still lighten your skin.

The concealer does do well at hiding blemished and brightening dull spots. It has a creamy texture but its dry enough to not slide off your face. You can layer it with the foundation or moisturiser to give it a nice even finish. I don't think the concealer would work well with dry or open pore skin.It has a slanted tip which makes precision easier. 

So overall I do recommend these two. I think they compliment each other really well so if you can, then buy them together. The foundation was £9.95 and the concealer was £7.50 but to make things cheaper I bought them from Boots as a part of the '3 for 2' offer. N07 is known to have high quality items and it is at the top end of high street brands but I don't think people rave about their products enough! 

Let me know what you think!

Twitter: @khevanapatel

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Revisions and Exams tips!

It's that time of year again, exam season is upon us and the pressure is real. But stay calm and follow these tips so you can be well prepared!

Revision 

1) Scheduling

Keeping the few weeks leading up to your exams organized is essential because if you don't then you will probably spend excessive hours on one subject and then insufficient on another.

So there are two ways of doing this: A pre-planned timetable or a to-do list.

The timetable will probably only specify up to which subject you will study and when rather than specifying which topic from a subject. However you won't need to create a new schedule everyday so if you like your revision to be a kind of routine this is probably better.

With a to-do list you will have to create one daily but this way you can tailor to any urgencies (like due dates) or topics rather than a general subject.

2) Environment 

It is important that when you go to study there isn't too much background noise. This includes anything from crying baby siblings to your favorite playlist on Spotify, they all just make you lose your focus no matter how many times you convince yourself you're fully concentrating. Take yourself to a library or if that's too far just stay in your room. Also you want to try to keep your notes and wherever you study organized, scattered piles of paper is literally the most annoying!  

3) Resources

There are so many different resources available nowadays that there's almost too many! Firstly, get a revision guide, exam boards sell specified guides and schools usually buy them for you. Then go on your exam board site and find the specification for your course (if you don't know the exam board then ask your teacher) and go through it. This is basically a check list of everything you need to know for your exam. Once you have gone through the specification go back to the exam board site and download every past paper for your course and do it then mark it and re-revise the bits where you went wrong! If you really want to go the extra mile then check out the examiners comments, this is where answers to that paper are collected from previous candidates so that you,future candidates, can see which mistakes to avoid. These are all free and for you, so why not use them!

Some examples of revision books

4) Know your most productive time. 

No one is motivated 24/7, everyone has that specific time period where nothing gets done. The hour after dinner or lunch is common because most people just feel sleepy after a full stomach, so be smart and use that time to have fun and relax. For me personally I also never get anything done in the morning (when I'm not at school), mornings just seem to be my relaxing hours and guiltily these lasts till like 12. But my point is that you need to recognize your productive times and plan to do most of your stuff then!

Exams

1) Don't compare exams

After the exam, no matter how tempting it may be try not to compare your answers. Especially if you have other exams in the coming days because it will unnecessarily break your confidence if someone didn't write the same thing as you. Just remember that just because someone had a different answer to you doesn't mean yours is wrong, you aren't right or wrong until the mark scheme says so! 

2) Don't look at notes 

This is a tricky one, we all want to fit in every bit of revision we can during the last few minutes but honestly this is a bad idea! So don't take your notes to school on the day of the exam hoping you will learn that last little bit during your 20 minute break, because chances are you aren't going to memorize anything under that much pressure.

3) Pack everything the night before 

Pack your pencil case the night before, make sure your pencil is sharp, your pen is black, and make sure you have other things too like a rubber,sharper,ruler and a calculator.

Then put it in your school bag there and then because it's a real pain trying to find your pencil case on the day of your exam. For my first biology exam last year I had my pencil packed and ready and I thought I had put it in my bag, until I went to muster for the exam and couldn't find it-The panic on top of my nervousness really didn't go down well!


So I hope you do as well as you wanted, try not to worry too much and make sure you get rest! Good luck :)



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TRESemmé Heat Defence - Review.

We put our hair through so much everyday with heat from hair dryers, straighteners and curlers all tortuously and slowly killing our hair (the heat from the sun doesn't really count , vitamin D is actually great for you!). So you could either a) quit using the heat applicators or b) or keep using them almost damage free. Lets be honest, once you've started using them, there's not stopping especially when you can do it harmlessly!

So recently, I've been using the TRESemmé Heat Defence. One of the best things about this spray is the smell. It's like the most sweetest scent ever! I literally can't remember the last time I smelt a hair product this good but it's very similar to the TRESemmé shampoo's and conditioners. However, the smell doesn't seem to last longer than 3-4 hours unless you half drench your hair in it (don't do that). Also a few minutes ahead of spraying I did feel a little sick because of the sudden perfume burst.But after that, when the 35mph wind ruthlessly blows it against your face, you get a real nice whiff of it. 

I haven't actually used a defence spray before so i can't compare my experience to the others on the market, but i can compare it to what my hair once felt like without the protection. The bottle says that it protects your hair up to 230°C ,this isn't anything special though other company's provide this too. Nevertheless TRESemmé did succeed in making my hair shiner and smoother.When I first bought this I was worried of it leaving sticky, hard residue which would make my hair feeling unpleasant, but it didn't so that was a huge relief!

There's no doubt that this packaging is simple and stylish yet practical; the complete black packaging gives it a sophisticated look and the safety lock on the pump makes it easy to travel with. The application process is pretty simple too, I just section my hair and use two pumps starting a few centimeters below my roots to the  the bottom and then just brush through it. Depending on your hair length you may use less or more but don't spray it too close to the roots.

So the final verdict is that this product is true to it's word, handy and not wildly expensive.I bought this for £3.32 from Superdrug, it was on offer though so usually it's £4.99. Look out for discounted prices or '3 for 2' offers. A range of stores sell this, Superdrug,Boots,Wilkinson,Tesco and Morrisons - you get the idea. 

Twitter- @khevanapatel 
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