Five products I will forever repurchase

I believe that I have written about/reviewed each of these products individually in the past, in fact I know that Nars Sheer Glow and 'Alien' have been mentioned approx 657 times each! But as I was sorting through my Make-up drawers fishing out the empties (All of the above have bitten the dust fyi) I decided that I would pop up a very quick post on these in particular and let you know why I will definitely be replacing them! 

*Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua 

Can you see the scuff on the left of the bottle? Yeah, that was where I attacked it with scissors to try and get the very last bit out, didn't work out too well as Chanel evidently do some tough ass packaging but it proves how much I really love it! (or how desperate I was not to have to fork out over thirty quid for a new bottle!)

I love it because it's light but not overly dewy, can be built to a good medium coverage and leaves a velvet finish. I do tend to favour the lightweight formula foundations in Summer and because this has good staying power (even without powder) while still being natural looking it remains a firm favourite.

*Benefit Hello Flawless oxygen WOW

A few years back I had a minor obsession with a foundation called 'light as air' by Jemma Kidd, unfortunately the range was discontinued and this is the closest that I've come to a dupe for it! 

I love this for the reasons that I love the Vitalumiere aqua, it gives the same amount of coverage but it is slightly lighter in consistency (it sits in the middle of mac face and body and VA), and it leaves a more dewy finish on the skin, so although they are similar I do need both!

*NARS Sheer Glow

It needs no introduction really, this has cult status for a reason...I've written, reviewed, and raved about it sooo many times so I'll leave links to those posts below. In a nutshell it is a medium coverage foundation with a satin finish that leaves skin looking flawless! For me it was where the search for the foundation holy grail ended.

read a full review here and some very old posts here and here

*Bourjois Bronzing primer

Supposedly a dupe for the famous Soleil tan de Chanel which I've never tried so can't give an opinion  on that but it's definitely believable what with Bourjois owning Chanel. A whipped mousse style formula that although at first glance looks pretty scary in colour it blends like a dream leaving you with subtly noticeable bronzed skin and a great base for foundation! Another thing to mention is the scent of this is sooo delicious it just smells like a holiday in a pot!!

*Thierry Mugler Alien EDP

It was just in my last post that I mentioned how I wear this perfume 90 percent of the time day and night, it's been out for ages now so I'm sure most of you know what it smells like. It is slightly heavy and more night time appropriate but not so much that it is overbearing to wear during the day although it might be for some. As with the NARS foundation this has been one of my favourites for many years now and I have mentioned it numerous times so I'll link those posts up in case you would like to know more read here and here.

Which products do you always repurchase?
xxx

Friday Favourite- YSL Black Opium

I rarely buy perfume for myself, mainly because I wear the same one (Thierry Mugler 'Alien') 90 percent of the time but a couple of months ago while browsing in Boots my Mum led me over to smell this assuring me it was the most amazing scent ever. 

There is a saying 'Mum knows best'.....

This had to go 'straight in my basket' ;) 

Seriously it is stunning, the base notes are vanilla, the top notes black coffee and the heart notes white florals which combined make it so unusual and so beautiful! A sweet yet sexy feminine scent that in my opinion is suited to both day and night time wear, if i had to pick I'd say that as there is a slight heaviness to it (though not overpowering a la the original opium) it is probably a more night time appropriate scent.

I can't finish without giving a tip of my hat to the bottle, .... Black sparkles and Rose Gold, thank you YSL my dressing table totally appreciates the packaging porn!!! 

xxx

New Drugstore Make-up And First Impressions.

I had a serious case of the Monday blues this week so by lunch time I decided to do the one thing that is guaranteed to pick my lip up off the floor and headed off towards Boots and Superdrug for a much needed (but totally not needed!) beauty hit.

The only thing I was really in need of was a new eyebrow pencil so I picked up the Maybelline brow satin in Medium Brown which is an ash toned brown, thumbs up! It's double ended with one side being a retractable gel pencil (love these as I'm a lazy sharpener) and the other side a sponge tip applicator that contains a powder meant for filling in any gaps and perfecting the whole appearance of ones brows! 

After 3 consecutive mornings of using the brow satin I'm sold on the gel pencil end, the fine tip and well pigmented but natural colour tone make for foolproof, faff-free brow fills which I'm definitely all about at 6:30 am! It reminds me of a favourite from back in the day the MAC brow pencil in 'fling'  but at half the price. I'm yet to venture to the powder end of this product because it's an unfamiliar concept and I want to have a bit more time for a play with it but I'll post my thoughts when I've given it a whirl
( I have heard good things though).

As Maybelline is currently on buy one get one half price I thought I'd give their new 'Lash sensational' mascara a go, not sure why because I've never found a Maybelline mascara that I've loved. I definitely prefer Max factor, L'oreal and Bourjois when it comes to drugstore mascara but because of the offer and how there's a bit of a hype around this one I found myself popping it into my basket.

Annnd this is sooo not the one to convert me to a Maybelline mascara lover, I like the idea of the tapered, curved rubber wand but that's about all because even after a 'Shu uemura squeeze' as always with Maybelline mascara this does nothing for my lashes, I don't hate it, it's just 'meh' it's a 'meh-scara' ;)

Rimmel 25 hour nude is the medium coverage version of the much loved full coverage Rimmel lasting finish 25 hour, a recent release and one that I was keen to try out. Aside from what I think we all agree is an ever so silly 25 hour claim (more like 6), it does what it says on the tin, it's reasonably lightweight formula means a little goes a long way and it blends effortlessly into skin, it does have a semi-matte finish which picks up on the annoying areas of dryness I have at the moment, but that aside it's not exactly hydrating but it is comfortable to wear. So a no-go for very dry skin days but on the whole I'm really liking this I can see myself using it as an everyday and evening foundation as it's the perfect middle ground, flawless finish without being full on.

Rimmel also has an offer on in Superdrug, currently it's any two products for £10 I knew that I wanted to get the soft khol kajal eyeliner in 'sable brown' after seeing Tanya Burr use it in a Selena Gomez tutorial last week, she raved about this pencil and it looked stunning on her so it instantly went on my drugstore to get list. I've only had chance to use this once so far but I loved it, it's so pigmented and creamy it glides on like a dream, and the colour is perfect for achieving depth and definition without being harsh for daytime wear also I'm really looking forward to using this for my favourite kind of evening bronze/brown smoky eye.

I'm going to carry on trying these products out and if there are any that you would like a full review on let me know, although the 'meh-scara'  mayyy already be in my unloved make-up drawer ...

What drugstore Make-up are you loving lately?

xxx

Seventeen Stay pout lipstick

Saintly

Its complicated

Top- Its complicated
Bottom- Saintly

Stay pout is a new addition to Boots' Seventeen range, I went out and unintentionally stumbled upon them a couple of weeks ago then bought the two because I already had one thing in my basket and it was 3 for 2 across all make-up (still is!) you know the drill... 

Stupidly of me and not something I would recommend to anyone (I don't for one minute think that you would) I bought both of these without swatching them. Why?? Well um there were no testers out on the stand I liked the stickers underneath and had way too much faith...yes I should know better.

Cut to a very disappointed me sat in the car with two very frosty (least favourite lipstick finish ever)

pinks instead of the beautiful nude and raspberry shades I had hoped for.

So I sound like I'm having a right bitch about these, I'm not I just think it's funny to share what a dumb ass I was in my shade selecting process. So for the purpose of giving you a bit of a review I have been trying them out.

Firstly the pigmentation is great, so it's a good start! They are a long wearing formula so I was expecting them to be more on the matte side and possibly quite drying, not the case here, they apply really smoothly and feel so moisturising, the Shea butter in them lends a hand to this which is great at this time of year when dry lips are rife! As I mentioned before going off on a standard tangent, the formula is long wearing Seventeen don't claim  X number of hours but I've found they last a good 7 hours, wearing off evenly into a subtle stain which I like.

Altogether a really good lipstick for the price (£4.59) I'm definitely going to check out the other shades, there's 15 in total so the chances are if there are some testers out that I'll find some I like ;) 

xxx

Big love for Dove... dry shampoo

I recently picked up the Dove refresh and care dry shampoo on a night time dash around Sainsburys, mainly because I have been doing the 30 day shred for the past few weeks and had been in the market for a dry shampoo to refresh my sweaty fringe after a workout...gross I know!

I really can't compare this to other dry shampoo's as I have only ever briefly dabbled with the likes of batiste and tresemme and never enough to form much of an opinion. The Dove one is fab though, the first thing that I was pleased to find is that it doesn't leave any white residue behind or feel sticky/heavy in my hair. It has a really fresh smell and leaves my hair feeling like it has actually been washed even on days where the whole hair washing palaver has been well overdue!

As well as absorbing oil and refreshing hair between washes it also claims to give volume, and while my fine normal/oily hair takes a lot of persuading to volumise I have found that using it on just washed damp hair at the roots while blow drying it, gives me a noticeable amount of volume and body.

Another thing to mention is that I've noticed when I spray it through the mid lengths and ends it also adds texture to my hair so its basically a multi tasking bottle of fabulousness!! 

Dove refresh and care dry shampoo is currently on offer in Sainsburys at £2.30. Normal price £4.59 

xxx

First impressions: L'oreal Nude Magique eau de teint

Hi there! Nice to see you all, it's been a while hasn't it? 

Today I have been trying out the new foundation from L'oreal, the Nude magique eau de teint* (say it out loud in a French accent it makes you feel all fancy) and I wanted to pop a quick first impressions/mini review type of thing up!

Instead of a waffly review I want to keep it short and sweet so I'm going to break it down into digestable pieces of info that's how I like to read reviews anyway...

Packaging

Teeny tiny frosted glass bottle which makes it look quite chic, the "in yo face" print and lavender metallic lid kind of ruin that but it's what's on the inside that counts right?....

Price/size

£9.99 for a 20 ml bottle. 10 ml less than your average size at around the same price as your average high street foundation. If this was a high coverage foundation and you were needing to use less product I could understand the drop in ml however it is the opposite so that is a tad disappointing.

What L'oreal say/What I think

"OUR LIGHTEST FORMULA EVER"-

Agreed this is an ultra light water based foundation which when you apply it feels like you are literally putting water on your face, weird in a good way! 

"Instantly fuses with the skin , blending seamlessly to leave a silky second skin effect"-

I slightly disagree in terms of it instantly fusing with my skin, I used my fingers to apply the foundation but found that I had to work the product into my face almost as much as I would normally to get it to blend completely. 

"Naturally even, shine free look."-

There's no denying this! It does give you a "my skin but better" look! with a satin finish. The coverage is super light, its basically one small step up from a tinted moisturiser and although I doubt it would cake if you were to try and build it up, I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't be able to achieve even a medium coverage.

"Undetectable coverage"-

Absolutely! Even in a magnified mirror around the areas foundation tends to cling in (eyebrows, nostrils etc) there was no way that you could tell I had foundation on which is very impressive!!

Buy it if....

You have many a good skin day!

This is the perfect foundation for days when your skin is on its very best behaviour ie no breakouts of dry skin which as light as the formula is,the satin finish would most likely cling to, the same goes for fine lines. Any blemishes that you have, because of the light coverage this will not cover them up so a good concealer is recommended to use along side it which will definitely give a gorgeous "no make-up, make-up" skin finish! 

Have you tried this? What did you think?

xxx

Thoughts: escentric 01 by escentric molecules

To say that I am picky when it comes to perfume is an understatement, I can name on one hand the amount of perfumes that I like and would actually hand over my own money for! I am a creature of habit where fragrance is concerned and I find myself wearing Thierry Mugler's Alien on a daily basis. Perfume repurchases are a rare occurrence, even when I find something I like I will generally become bored halfway through the bottle and go back to my old faithful.
So to purchase a scent on the internet without smelling it first is weird for anyone especially me but that is how the new addition to my small collection came about...

escentric 01 by escentric molecules is somewhat different, most of you are probably aware that it has been given beyond rave reviews by those that wear it (my favourite being from someone who was let off paying a taxi fare because the driver liked the smell so much!)

The blurb behind this scent is that compared to your standard perfumes which contain thousands of molecules, this contains just 1...I'm not going to pretend that I understand what this means, science was always my least favourite subject at school, basically it is supposed to smell so amazing that it stops people in their tracks....sold!

When it arrived, I teared into the packaging like a woman possessed, and this is how the scene played out...

Literally.can't.wait.to.smell.like.a.goddess!!

*spritz*

"hmmmm, did I buy CK one by mistake?"

*double check*

...No...

So it wasn't love at first sniff, to me it smelled just like the musky older sibling of CK one, I liked it though and was interested in what my family and friends had to say.

And in 3 weeks the feedback I have recieved has been....

Me..."Do you like my perfume?"

Boyfriend..."It's OK"...

Best friend... "It's OK"...

Friend..."Are you wearing D&G Light Blue?"

While I didn't expect them to pick me up and rub me on themselves like a magazine sample (ok i did!) these were not the responses I had expected to get from a perfume that has had such amazing reviews.

Anyway I feel like I'm going off on a tangent so to quickly round up my thoughts, at £30 for a 30ml bottle I think that it's a steal especially since it seems to be building up quite a cult following. The packaging is nothing special.I describe the scent as a citrusy musk,it's almost manly, if that makes any sense.I wouldn't recommend buying perfume on line.I don't dislike it by any means, but it's not love.

So far I have not been asked by any random strangers what delightful scent I am wearing, tragically not been let off paying for anything and if you happen to bump into me in the street and ask what perfume I am wearing I can safely say my reply will be, "Alien."

Have you tried escentric 01?

xxx

Review: Garnier Moisture match for dry/very dry skin

So after four weeks of using the same moisturiser, this morning my tube of Garnier moisture match became impossible to squeeze any more product out of and so in beauty blogger land what better time to pop up a quick review?

Firstly a quick bit of blurb

Garnier have quite recently released a range of five moisturisers with different formulations which are tailor made to suit each individual skin type/complaint, they are...

'Goodbye dry' (the one I have)

for dry to very dry skin

'Protect and glow'

for normal skin

'Start afresh'

for normal/dry skin

'Wake me up'

for dull skin

'Shine be gone'

combination/oily skin

 I stumbled across this range while I was on the lookout for a new high street moisturiser (the only one I have ever really liked is the oilatum dry skin repair) to try out and immediately thought how this was a great little niche for the high street, the packaging looked bright and fresh and it was the sort of thing that draws me straight in! 

I picked up 'Goodbye dry' even though my skin for the most part is normal to dry, last month I really felt like I wanted to give myself an extra moisture boost! The first thing I noticed was that it didn't disappoint in being lusciously rich and creamy in texture, however it glides onto the skin and absorbs perfectly quick enough to make a fantastic base for foundation. 

Another thing to point out is the smell...mmmmmm...smells like fresh apples!!

Initially, being an impulsive shopper I picked up two out of the range the 'Goodbye dry' and the 'Wake me up' (gel formula) which I did end up putting back, but I will definitely be grabbing a tube to try when I tootle off to Superdrug for a repurchase of this!

Yes after four weeks of daily use I can safely say that I am most definitely in love with this moisturiser, it didn't break the bank at £4.99 for a 50ml tube, it didn't break me out once and my skin has felt like a ripe peach all month long, I even included it in my February favourites video <3 

When I clicked on the Garnier website to check out the range I noticed that they are giving out free samples click here to get yours

Have you tried any of these moisturisers?
I'd love to know how well the other formula's perform!

xxx

Review: NARS Sheer glow foundation revisited

To be honest it's rare that any beauty product comes along that I can hand on heart say, for want of a better saying "rocks my socks." With every new cosmetic product release, while deep down I'm still always full of hope I have found myself becoming increasingly cynical due entirely to many past experiences of product let downs and in my 28 years (most of which being beauty obsessed) I have little more than a handful of products that make the holy grail list, this little bottle of magic (dramatic moi?) being at the very top!! 

NARS Sheer glow foundation

I did a post on this after first purchasing it a couple of years ago and if I remember rightly I declared it holy grail upon first use. I don't want to waffle on all essay style on yo asses, so I thought it best to break down the reasons why sheer glow has remained top of my cosmetic dream team...

Coverage/application

A perfect medium coverage which can be built up to achieve a medium/full coverage. Application wise this works into skin best using fingertips or a damp beauty blender sponge which will give you the sheerest result.Another thing to point out is that if you have slightly dry skin then this works best applied straight after moisturiser for extra "Give" to blend into skin perfectly.

Finish

In a word...flawless! Although the name sheer glow still baffles me a little bit as it is hardly sheer nor does it give the dewy finish you might expect it is much more of a satin finish, however if you are after immaculate doll like skin from your foundation this is the one for you

Suitable for

I would recommend this for most skin types however those with very dry skin and mature skin should definitely steer clear as this will cling on, cake on any dry areas and look very heavy and unnatural on a mature skin, I will avoid using it if I am having a dry skin week.

Staying power

Sheer glow is in it for the long haul, even though as I have a normal/dry skin type I don't tend to use a primer or powder this gives me a full 8 hours of wear before any touching up is needed.

Shade range

20 shades from pale to dark skin and varying undertones. I originally purchased Deauville which is light with a neautral balance of Pink and Yellow undertones which towards the end of the bottle I found too pale for me and have purchased Fiji which is a light shade with a yellow undertone and perfect for my (NC25) skintone. 

Price

A bit of a "type your pin number in whilst looking away" £30.50 for 30ml, however a little goes a long way, I wear this most days, always for a night out (as it photographs well) and a bottle of this lasts me around 4 months. 

Availability

Available at NARS counters and various on line stores (ASOS, John Lewis, Selfridges etc.)

And that's it, no bad news here folks I could be picky and point out that Mr. Nars could have chucked in a plastic pump to make up for the price tag but I won't instead I must bow down and kiss his feet for creating this foundation! 

    Go and buy it and then come back and thank me in the comments when you do hehe ;) 

xxx

Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation review

I'm a foundation freak, you may already be aware of this if you have read this blog for any length of time, but when I initially saw this a while back in Superdrug I wasn't falling for it as I normally would, no, it appeared that I had malfunctioned or something that day and I didn't even pick it up in fact I had a little chuckle at it rolled my eyes and walked right past without even having a nosey! I think it was the name of it which on any other day would suck me right in but that day it didn't, it irritated me instead I wasn't prepared to be disappointed by another bold claiming high street foundation and remember thinking how very sensible I was and giving myself a little pat on the back for turning a corner.

But then I stumbled across a few reviews on it and became ever so slightly curious, then I noticed it appearing in monthly favourite video's on You Tube, curiosity got the better of me and BAM I was all over it like a tramp on chips, and I'm so pleased I gave in...

 ...never in my life has a high street brand foundation excited me as much as this one does, there are a couple that have come close (Bourjois healthy mix and healthy mix serum and more recently L'Oreal Lumi Magique) but even then I have always found that one teeny tiny reason not to truly love them... ie it breaks me out a'la healthy mix or it isn't long wearing enough in the case of Lumi Magique and with them being from the high street that's fine I had pretty much made peace with the fact that there would never be the perfect high street foundation for me when Rimmel go and come out with this bad boy! In fact, in the past couple of weeks of using this every day I am 99% sure that I shall be declaring it holy grail!

I loves it!!

Half a pump
(the formula reminds me of a lighter cosistancy MAC studio sculpt)

Coverage: Medium buildable

Finish: Radiant, really brightens skin without being shimmery or overly dewy, flawless but definitely doesn't leave skin looking cakey or too 'done' 

Staying power: Rimmel claim 10 hours its more like 8 

Shade range: 7 shades- My shade is 200 Soft beige and I am an NC25/30 in MAC foundations  

Price: RRP £8.99 for 30ml Currently on the Superdrug website for £4.99

Packaging: Glass bottle/pump combo. 

Suitable for: All skin types, it definitely doesn't emphasise dry skin or sink into fine lines or pores nor is it so light and dewy that it will look greasy and slip on oily skin the only down side is the shade range.

Random info: It smells amazing, it must be all the vitamins!! 

 I get the song 'Don't wake me up' stuck in my head for hours every time I get it out of my Make-up bag!

Repurchase? Definitely! this is a product that actually does what it says on the tin.

Have you tried this?

xxx

Review: Jemma Kidd light as air foundation

Hey Girlies,

 Happy New Year! 

I have neglected my blogging duties thus far in 2012 what with the beginning of the month always being a busy time with family birthdays, I am also in the process of setting up a new business (All Make-up and beauty related YAY!) with one of my best friends so that has taken up quite a bit of time in the past week too. Anyway I have been wanting to get this review up for quite a while and a couple of you asked what I thought, so I shall quit with my waffling ways and crack on with it...

Jemma Kidd Light as air foundation

Packaging

The JK Light as air is housed in a black plastic squeezable tube, which considering that the product is priced as a higher end foundation could be a disappointment to those who prefer their packaging to reflect the price that they pay for a product. 

Saying that I really rather like it, it certainly isn't going to smash in my make-up bag, and thinking about it, with the consistency being so runny, a glass bottle/pump combo would definitely have disaster written all over it.

 So thumbs up for the packaging!

Consistency/Coverage

As this is a water based foundation the consistency is super runny, I find it to be the happy medium between two of my all time favourite foundations, MAC Face and body and Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. It gives medium coverage which feels light on the skin as the name suggests 

0-60 in 3 seconds!

Finish/Staying power

Upon application it appears to leave a very dewy, luminous finish. However after it settles into the skin it sets to a slight powdery finish, that said, it manages to retain luminosity and give an absolutely flawless finish.

As I have a normal/dry skin type I find that with this finish of this foundation I do not need to powder my skin at all and it will stick around all day.

Who will it suit

This is a great foundation for most skin types, however those with very dry skin should probably steer clear as the powdery finish tends to cake pretty badly on dry area's. 

Colour range

There are 7 shades to choose from ranging from ultra light to dark, so there is a shade for pretty much everyone I have shade 03 light/medium (NC25-30) it is a tad dark for my natural skin tone (NC20) but I generally wear fake tan so it's not a problem and it will definitely be the perfect shade for me in the summer.

Price

 RRP £25 for 30ml but is currently on sale at feel unique.com for £20 with free worldwide delivery and Beauty Bay for £19.95 with free worldwide delivery (this week only)

Another thing to point out is that even though it contains spf18 

it still photographs well with flash 

(I'm not too sure why I am cross eyed in this pic but hey ho ;))

Initially I did not fall for this foundation as hard as I had expected to and the reason for this was that I had been skipping out moisturiser from my skincare routine, which obviously with my skin type (normal/dry) is never a smart thing to do, and I was finding the finish drew attention to just how dehydrated my skin was!

 Since I have reunited my skin with it's much needed moisture, I have finally come to adore this foundation and everything about it, it is most definitely in my top 5 favourite foundations of all time, although not even I know the order in which that list goes (I'm ever so slightly fickle you see ;)) 

Have you tried this foundation? 

Do you wanna??

xxx

Holy grail mascara!

After the last mascara review that I posted I swore to myself that I would never write another, mainly because to be honest, as much as I love it, I find mascara a pretty dull subject to write about.

     This morning however a little black package was delivered and here I am tapping away, fickle as ever ;)

What's the bad boy in question?

MAC Zoom lash 

I love MAC (I even have a MAC song and dance, don't judge me) I would go as far as to say it is my all time favourite cosmetic brand, so it's strange that I have never owned or wanted to own one of their mascara's I usually see them in store think 'meh' and head off to the lipsticks.

When I received this 1.4ml sample with an online order I was intrigued and quite excited to give it a go.

When it comes to new mascara I usually brace myself for disappointment, in my experience 90% of the time proceedings unfold like this...

 "Ooh new mascara gonna have me some sexyyy lashes tonight"

...20 mins later sobbing in the bathroom removing the clumps and starting my whole eye make-up from scratch.

So over the years the thrill of getting a new mascara has worn off somewhat.

One coat 

Zoom lash is something else! From the second the brush hit my lashes I could swear I had an out of body experience, heard angels sing, fireworks went off, the whole shebang! The wand gripped my lashes with brute force and held on to the very end leaving them volumised curled and separated. I was actually blown away by it hence (and sorry for) the overly dramatic post! 

9 hours later my lashes feel exactly as they did upon initial application, still perfectly curled and there hasn't been so much as a hint of flaking or smudging.

Needless to say I am going to have to purchase the full size as soon as possible *goes to check price* £13.50 It's actually only a pound more than my old faithful Loreal Telescopic, happy days :) 

What is your Holy grail mascara? Have you tried Zoom lash or any of the other MAC mascara's?

xxx

Confessions and a MAC Studio sculpt foundation review

Evening girlies,

I thought that tonight seen as I am home alone, I would partake in a spot of late night (OK 9pm, I'm very,very old!) blogging, and seen as this one has been sat half written in my draft post box thingy for the past week, it should be a nice relaxing one to whip up while I relax in front of the TV with my decaf coffee mmm :)

So you may have heard me mention in a few past posts of my undying love for foundation, we all have a thing though, and any form of beige fluid (ahem) is definitely without a shadow of a doubt my bag baby, to prove this point I just made myself count exactly how many I actually own....are you ready?...

32!!

I'm not entirely convinced that this is normal! I had anticipated somewhere in that region and convinced myself that I must be overestimating to soften the blow when it came to counting, but seeing them all spread out like that made me so happy wonder if maybe I need checking in to some foundation rehab facility, this was a fleeting thought mind you and now that I have confessed my sins I will crack on with a short review of foundation number 32 which came into my possession on a fun filled shopping trip in Leeds a few weeks ago.

 MAC studio sculpt 

Application/price

This foundation only requires a pea size amount to cover the whole face (which means even if you used this quantity every day the 40ml tube will last for months) having said that this foundation can be built up to achieve a full coverage without going 'cakey.'I find studio sculpt applies best either with fingers or a wet sponge/beauty blender. Studio sculpt retails at £23.00 and can be purchased online or at any MAC counter or PRO store.

Who would/wouldn't it suit?

It's creamy gel based formula makes it a great foundation for normal/dry skin types, although don't completely discount it if you have a combination/oily type skin. I have even read reviews from people with oily skin that have raved about this foundation, but I would advise popping into MAC and asking for a sample if you have very oily skin as this might not be your best bet. If your skin has large open pores then this will definitely not be your best friend as it likes to settle itself in them and make them super noticeable. It also has a tendency to make a bee line for fine lines so I wouldn't suggest this foundation for a more mature skin type.

Finish/staying power

MAC describe studio sculpt as a satin finish.I agree with that, the finish is natural and dewy it has the coverage factor without looking mask like and leaves my skin feeling really silky smooth, in fact so very smooth that  I have found myself stroking my cheek a time or two...anyway moving on from that... even with all of the face stroking it lasts a good 6-8 hours on my skin (normal/dry) 

Overall I really,really love it! I wish that I could say that I had found my Holy Grail, it's very close but I feel I must continue in my quest for the perfect base and may or may not be awaiting a small delivery...ooops! 

Hope you are all having a lovely night 

xxx

Review: Liz Earle Sheer Skin tint

Hey lovelies,
This is a very long overdue review of the Liz Earle sheer skin tint, I really wanted to give this product a thorough road test before sharing my thoughts, and because I favour a medium coverage from a base on a day to day basis, I haven't always allowed myself to reach for this product, but better late than never eh? ;)

Generally I am not a fan of tinted moisturisers and haven't purchased one for myself in years, the reason for this is that if I do ever find myself wanting uber light coverage I will mix a light foundation into my moisturiser and save my money. However I do count the Liz Earle cleanse and polish as one of my holy grail items which truly worked wonders for my skin! So when I was given the opportunity to try the brand's first ever cosmetic product I was really excited to give it a go.

I really don't want to write a long winded review, as Liz Earle have done the PR rounds with this and there are a million and one reviews on it already, so I'll try and make it snappy...

Application/coverage/finish
When I initially applied it to the back of my hand I was pleasantly surprised by it's creamy texture, this fooled me into thinking that maybe it was going to blend off to a heavier than expected finish, but no, it does feel ultra rich on application but blends off to a barely there, dewy finish and leaves the skin feeling incredibly hydrated, and soft.

Click to enlarge

Left (Skin tint applied to the back of my hand)
Top (Blended slightly)
Bottom (Blended out completely)

Shade range
Sheer skin tint comes in three shades
01 Bare (for very pale skin tones)
02 Beige (for medium skin tones)
03 Beach (for tanned/olive skin tones)

I (being naturally NC20-25) chose 02 Beige which LE claims will work well on most Caucasian skin tones, and I agree as it has no stand out undertone of pink or yellow, tone wise it strikes a fabulous balance between the two. However with a (fake) tan it becomes too pale for me and I would definitely need to go up a shade.
The three shades that are available seem to cover a very broad spectrum of skin tones, although I do think there should be a shade available for darker skin as the darkest one available would not work on black skin.


Price and availability
Liz Earle Sheer skin tint is priced at £21.00 for 40ml and is available online at Lizearle.com, John Lewis, or at one of the Liz Earle stores in the UK, Store Information can be found here.


Conclusion
The skin tint is a lovely, value for money product and demonstrates how good Liz Earle are at making great skincare.If you are a fan of tinted moisturisers then I would recommend this wholeheartedly, likewise if you are new to make-up and the idea of wearing foundation freaks you out. Personally I don't think I will ever be a skin tint/tinted moisturiser kind of girl, while I'm all for skin looking like skin, I need me some coverage.

*This product was provided by Liz Earle PR 

Review: Bourjois Volumizer mascara

It has taken me a while to jump on the 2in1 mascara bandwagon but when my Loreal Telescopic lost it's battle against dryness the other week, I took the opportunity to see what the fuss was about and popped the Volumizer into my Tesco basket.

Basically there are two parts to the wand, step one which has minimal product to create clump free length, and step two which is loaded with product 'to create spectacular 3D volume.'

Step1 (length)

Step 2 (volume)

Before

After step 1

After step 2

For length and volume I really cant fault it, my Mum even asked me if I was wearing false lashes :) It also doesn't flake or smudge under the lower lashes and even though it isn't waterproof it managed to stay put when I washed my hair over the bath (don't ask!)
However the whole wet messiness of step 2 is a clump fest/black eyelid disaster waiting to happen and something that I don't generally have time for on a day to day basis. Step one is nice enough to use on it's own but I will be going back to my Loreal Telescopic which I find gives my lashes a much better/long lasting curl.

Overall I think that if you are looking for a long wearing dramatic lash effect then you will love this mascara.

Personally step 2 is something that I can live without !

Video Review:Barry M Perfect tan, gradual self tan mousse

Hi everyone, I hope you are all having a good weekend! In my last post I said that I would be posting the results from trying out the new Barry M gradual tanning mousse in video form,so here it is :)

What a sexy thumbnail!!

I hope it's helpful for some of you.Let me know what you think, and to really make my weekend please hit the thumbs up and subscribe to my channel :)

xxx

Colour B4:Hair colour remover *WARNING*

Lately I have been toying with the idea of lightening my dark brown/black hair to a light brown shade for the Summer months, so the other day I picked up the Colour B4 hair colour remover in the hopes that it would simply remove the deeper tones of dye that have built up in my hair over the years, take me back to my natural shade which is a medium/dark brown and that I would subsequently have a great natural colour ready for a trip to the salon!

What Colour B4 claims to do

• Remove Permanent and semi-permanent hair colour
• Use to remove any unwanted hair colour
• Remove colour build up
• Can be used before salon treatment

How it works

Colour B4 shrinks the artificial dye molecules in the hair, enabling you to simply rinse them away.Colour B4 does not touch your natural hair pigment so you are left with the colour which lay beneath your natural shade

Included are three bottles (A,B,and C) which work much like most home hair colouring kits. You simply mix bottles A & B, apply all over the hair, wait for an hour (I knooow!!) then rinse and apply bottle C which is a buffer that removes any trace of colour and makes sure the hair is left ready for any future colouring treatments.

The box states that some colouring products contain high levels of peroxide which can lighten the natural hair colour and (in some cases) cause a warm shade to be revealed once Colour B4 has removed the dark artificial pigment.

Hmmm...WARM SHADE? I think Orange is the term they were looking for!

I was mortified to wash off the solution after an hour of waiting, and the recommended 20 minutes worth of rinsing! My actual hair colour is now the same as before but I also have these rather fetching patchy orange streaks on the top of my head. 

My son even asked why I had dyed my hair orange, and my Dad thinks it's funny to call me Cilla Black hmmpphh!

I wouldn't have thought that my dark hair dye's contained a high level of peroxide so continued with the treatment but obviously the fact that the box states this means they are covered against any backlash from angry orange headed customers!

So as you can probably tell I am very unimpressed and I thought I should just post this as a warning to anyone who is thinking of using colour B4 as I am now really wishing that I had put the £11.99 towards a trip to the salon. *goes to find a hat*

Have you had an experience with Colour B4?