Current Faves–Blushers

Oh herrow! Just a quick post today showing you a few blushers I’ve been reaching for the past couple of post-move weeks! For work I need something long-lasting and I use either powder or cream blusher depending on what formula of foundation I’m wearing so I like to have options of both! I’ve yet to unpack all my cosmetics yet, partly because I need to find some cute containers to put things in but mostly because if I unleash my collection all at once in front of me or the boy it is likely to induce some sort of cardiac event.

Anyway, on to the blusher we go!

Ladyblush, Glow and Lush Nectarine have all graced the posts of this blog before at some point or another. Tremble is a relatively new purchase occurring late last year and it has quickly become a firm favourite! Firstly my favourite thing about all these blushers is that they last all day without fading. I’m pale and can look deceased without blusher so I need something to perk up my cheeks! Secondly, the formula on all are pigmented and easy to blend. I start with the tiniest amount and work my way up as all of them have the potential to look over the top if you just barge in there with a loaded brush….

Ladyblush I know, I know, I need to stop banging on about this, especially as the formula and possibly shade has been discontinued. It just goes with everything, if I’m ever unsure of what blusher to wear, 9 times out of 10 it will end up being this.

Glow This has been in my collection for a while and is much loved. On me this is a perky pink and the closest of all to the actual shade I go when I blush. In fact, if I go overboard this does make me look like something awfully embarrassing has just happened to me.

Lush Nectarine This was kind of purchased on a whim, I had my eye on it for a while and went into Harvey Nichols in Bristol and the only counter lady that would talk to me (bar the SpaceNK counter, they are always lovely) was on Laura Mercier. I’m such a sucker, all it took was a nice lady and I dropped a bomb at that counter! I’m glad though, this is a beauty.

Tremble I don’t own a whole lot of Illamasqua but what I do have, I love. This is no exception, a corally pinky shade of amazingness. This is another you have to watch out for pigment wise!

I hope you like! Blusher is my crack so if you can recommend any long lasting formulas let me know!

Review–Osmo Extreme Volume Thickening Creme

Hey hey!

I hope your having a good week ladies, I feel like I’ve definitely been living for the weekend these past few weeks! Being back working 9-5 is not all it’s cracked up to be…

Anyway on to the beauty! There’s a few bits I’ve been using that are on their way out so I wanted to get proper reviews done before they pop their clogs and this is numero uno right here!

I’ve been using this tube of goodness for about a year now and it’s almost gone. My thin, soft-as-hell-as-soon-as-you-wash-it-until-it-becomes-a-birds-nest hair needs a bit of discipline in the form of my hair dryer and some thickening product to make it look like I actually, um, have some. I’ve tried a myriad of thickening and volumising products and have formed a few favourites, of which this is one.

The packaging is great, everyone loves tubes and this is easy to dispense without it going everywhere. Though sold as a creme I would say this has a bit of gel about it too, it’s a little sticky on the hands but not in the hair and you don’t need a lot to create a whole mother load of volume!

This is probably about half to two thirds as much as I’d use on my whole head. I rub it between my hands then ruffle it about at the roots of towel dried hair before blow drying upside down and using a round brush if I can be arsed. It adds volume and texture so while you can feel there is something in your hair it is weightless and doesn’t make hair lank and greasy the next day. In my hair this feels very similar to the TIGI Catwalk Root Boost Spray.

All in all, I really like this. When washed my hair is so soft you can’t do anything with it, this adds long-lasting volume and ‘grit’ so I can actually style it! I don’t feel like I need to wash my hair the next day and it’s pretty purse friendly too! Repurchase fo sho.

I got this from Feel Unique where it is currently £7.40 but I have also seen Osmo stocked at Sally’s if you’d like to peruse in store.

Do you have any thickening products you’d recommend? I’m all ears!

Worky Time Must Haves

Well hello!! I’m trying really hard to pull my finger out and blog some but these overcast northern skies are trying their hardest to screw me over! Luckily a day off (already?! Yes my car died on me….fab!) meant I could grab the teensy bit of light and take some snaps.

If you don’t already know from my perpetual whinging about the state of my hands I work in a hospital. It’s pretty manic so I spend a lot of the time running around like a headless chicken between the arctic conditions of my department and the sauna-like existence of others. This means I spend a good portion of the day sweating (grim!) but freezing the next moment, all of which is bad news for my skin and makeup longevity.

Luckily I’ve found a few goodies I’ve come to rely upon along the way…

L-R MAC Blushcreme Ladyblush, Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets, Wet N Wild Eyeshadow Fine Wine, Sure Maximum Protection Confidence, Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow 25 Ash, Aveeno Hand Cream, Make Up For Ever Face & Body 38, Eyedew Dazzling Eye Drops

MAC Blushcreme Ladyblush I got this before the formula of MAC cream blushers was changed…they do still have a shade called Ladyblush but I’m not sure it’s the same one! I love cream formulas and this one is a winner, it stays put all day long and the shade is really natural.

Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets If you haven’t tried these you must! I had never found a blotting sheet I liked before these, a lot claim to remove excess oil without disturbing makeup but these deliver. They are always on offer too.

Wet N Wild Eyeshadow Fine Wine Again I’m not sure where you can get this, I picked up a load back in the day when Wet N Wild was sold at Tesco. For a quid you can’t do much better, the formula is smooth and creamy and stays all day with maybe a bit of minor creasing at the end of the day. That’s without a primer mind, I’m on my last one of these and when it dies I’ll be gutted!

Sure Maximum Protection Deodorant Is something I saw a lot of posts about at the time of it’s release and wasn’t sold on. However a while later I was desperate for a deodorant that really did the business and this does. I don’t faff with applying at night though, I do every morning and it works fine.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow 25 Ash Is a fairly new purchase but a goodie, finally my eyebrows stay in place all day. The colour is slightly off, I could have probably gone a shade darker but it blends fine and I’m not bothered if they don’t move!

Aveeno Hand Cream Is my favourite of the minute. It contains oatmeal but be aware that doesn’t mean it smells like Hobnobs. Sad face. If your hands are an old lady mess like mine then try this.

Make Up For Ever Face & Body 38 I’m on my second bottle of this. It gives a really light coverage, enough to even skin tone but not enough to skip concealing. My favourite thing about it though is that it lasts. Even if it does fade it does evenly so no weird patches or flaky bits! Best foundation ever!

Eyedew Dazzling Eye Drops Can’t be beaten to wake you up in the morning! When I’m tired my eyes go red and hot and I look like I’ve been on the wacky baccy. These sort that out!

What a woolly mammoth post that was! Did anything catch your eye? Do you have any recommendations of things that can go the distance? I’m all ears!

Review–REN Resurfacing AHA Concentrate

Howdy there! This is just a quickie today on a skincare goodie I’ve been loving the past few weeks!

I’ve ranted and raved on here before about Nuxe’s Creme Etincelante, it was truly a fantastic night cream, may it rest in peace, but unobtainable in the UK. Since it’s demise last year I was stuck for a rejuvenating night cream that would live up to the legend of Etincelante. After seeing this post over at Sailboat I was sold, my first foray into much hailed REN skincare it was.

REN’s Resurfacing AHA Concentrate claims to “Gently exfoliate so skin appears radiant, even toned and smoothed. Reduces the appearance of pores size and fine lines. Improves moisture retention and the efficacy of your skincare routine.”

In a nutshell, I would agree with all of those statements. I use this every other night and follow with either La Roche Posay’s Effaclar Duo or Origins Make A Difference Plus + Treatment and the following morning all the flaky bits down the side of my nose are gone (urgh!) and my skin is generally more radiant. Since using this my pores have been bothering me less and my forehead doesn’t feel anywhere as dehydrated as it used to. I also haven’t had nearly as many issues with redness and flaking as I normally do in winter and I think that can be largely attributed to this!

 

I give it a little shake then empty and refill the pipette so I’m getting newly mixed product then apply all over my face with the remainder down my neck. I don’t experience any tingling that it does warn may happen but I don’t have sensitive skin.

The glass bottle is pretty classy and as a science nerd at school anything with pipettes make me feel like I need to wear those shocking goggles. Ahh nostalgia.

The price is the only thing that put me off buying this at first – at £30 for 30ml it certainly doesn’t appear to be a bargain. However I’ve used it alternate nights since just after Christmas and I am only down to the bottom of the orange band around the top of the bottle so it’s clearly going to last a long while!

If you are looking for a treatment that banishes flakes and makes redness more manageable then look no further! This is a worthy Etincelante replacement for sure.

I have only bought REN through their website, the delivery is brilliant, they frequently have offers and you get a choice of samples too!

Have you got any other REN suggestions?! I’m due to need a new night cream and got a sample of their Frankincense one, I’m hopeful!

Haulage! Kiko Goodies…

Evening ladies! Jaysus I need to stop spending the £$£$£, not even on stuff for my face just full stop! Moving up north has thrown up all kinds of final payments topped with a dead car has left my purse empty. Despite a mothballed purse I still struggle to ignore a 20% off Kiko deal…topped with free shipping on your first order to avoid the hefty £5.90 shipping and I’m suckered in.

A problem shared is a problem halved and all that so here’s the goods!

This little lost cost me just over £25. Not too shabby! Like a good blogger I managed to abstain from using allllllll these…bar the lippie on the far right. The box is a bit battered from being carted around in my handbag for the last week. Oops!

One thing that annoys me about Kiko is the numbers – no names for products!

Eyebrow Marker 01 Brunettes and Black haired women – this looks waaaay too light

Eyeshadow 129 Macropearly Light Beige – not sure about this, it looks a bit glittery to me!

Luxurious Lashes Extra Volume Brush Mascara – big ol’ brush, I’m excited to use this!

Smart Lip Pencil 713 Pearly Ballerina Rose and 701 Pearly Pink Peony

Smart Eye Pencil 801 Gray Taupe

Glossy Stylo 807 Red Coral and 817 Bright Pink

These are the only things I’ve used (the pink one) and I really like it! A pop of colour that lasts well and it smells beaaautttiful. Expect a follow up!

In all I’m not totally thrilled at some of the products I ordered but I suppose that’s the risk of buying online. I would have researched more but swatches are scarce! At least I didn’t spend too much on these bits.

Do you have any bits you recommend? I do like Kiko so far, good quality for the price so I would love some suggestions!

Luscious Lashes–Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a good start to the week.

My Monday has been spent giving blood and preparing for the first day of my new job tomorrow! Eek!

 

I picked up this mascara in Amsterdam but only started using it at around Christmas time. It’s now on it’s way out so I figured I’d get a quick post in there before it finally bites the dust!

 

Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Ultra-Volume Mascara I got this in the Amsterdam store, in the UK it is available online for £16.90, currently on offer for £8.95

 

I first read about this mascara on a blog I can’t remember absolute yonks ago. It didn’t pique my interest enough to buy online but when I spotted the shop in the Dam I grabbed it quick!

It’s housed in a smart dark purple tube, pretty standard so far. Upon opening however you are greeted with this mahoosive bad boy!

I did do a quick comparison picture with the other mascaras I currently have, all are plastic bristled though but you get the idea…

It’s pretty ginormous. I personally don’t struggle with big brushes but if you do have issues with the likes of Benefit’s Bad Gal then you might want to give this one a wide berth.

Formula wise, it’s forte is definitely volumising over lengthening. It doesn’t create a clumpy one lash mess though – my lashes are kept nicely defined. The formula is really buildable too, the odd lashes might require a comb-through but I am particularly fussy about this. If I do feel like adding a little more length I just brush through the tips of my lashes, this boosts the length minus the clumping.

              

This holds a curl pretty well too – especially as I have my fringe covering half my face all day. I do have one issue though that I don’t usually suffer with. Smudging. It happened the first time I wore this so I put it to the back of my stash only to love the effect it has on my lashes. I’ve been keeping this as my weekend/day off mascara for this reason and it’s been fine until recently now its on it’s way out.

Would I repurchase? Yes, I do really like this mascara and if it wasn’t for the smudging it would be top fave material.

 

What do you think? Do you have any mascara suggestions? I never know which ones are any good so generally buy blind in Superdrug or Boots and end up disappointed!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Eye Cream!

Happy Friday! The move up north has happened and this week has been a mess of boxes and socks. I’m still fannying around with finding ideal lighting conditions but posting should commence soon!

 

I thought I’d post about something I haven’t seen a great deal about but I’ve been using for a few months now and quite like…

 

The writing on this thing makes it such a pain to photograph!

Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Eye Cream £12 from Boots

I picked this up a few months ago in Boots after needing a new night-time eye cream. I didn’t really have a clue what I wanted and perused the Soap & Glory skincare stand after hearing a few good things about their products. Nothing in particular drew me to this, more the shabby selection in my old local Boots but I’ve been pretty pleased with it. It claims to give you ‘fresher, tighter, brighter eyes’.

Firstly, the packaging. It comes with a pump which is pretty great and it’s sturdy so I don’t fret about it bursting if I take it away. One pump of this dispenses enough product for both eyes. It’s a pet hate of mine when products have a pump but dispense a completely inappropriate amount of product, what’s the point!

This is a pretty light cream that sinks in quickly. It leaves my eye area feeling moisturised but not overloaded and heavy. It brightens but not in the ‘shimmer everywhere’ way that some eye creams can do. After using this nightly for several months I do feel like it has tightened my undereye area a little but brightened? No. Nonetheless it is a nice eye cream.

My only real minus is it doesn’t contain SPF which I am making an effort to use in the daytime at the moment, hence the night time use. Other than that it’s a nice eye cream, affordable (especially as S&G skincare is frequently on offer) and available in Boots.

Have you tried any Soap & Glory skincare? Do you have any recommendations?