NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams

This evening's post is actually a cheeky self promo of my Youtube channel. I decided to film me swatching my collection of the Soft Matte Lip Creams (SMLCs) by NYX Cosmetics. I also added on a few shades of their Lip Lingerie products too. The SMLCs are one of my favourite lip products as they aren't too drying but still pack a punch with the pigment. Check out my opinions and my collection of colours here.

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Super Facialist

This week I thought I'd share one of my favourite skincare products. The Superfacialist by Una Brennan range is available in Boots stores and online. The entire brand is mid range for prices on the high street, the most expensive item being £19.99. I particularly like their Vitamin C Skin Renew Cleansing Oil for taking off heavier makeup and anything waterproof.

The Superfacialist range offers up a clay mud mask that's affordable in comparison to the likes of Origins but still packs a punch just as strong as high end brands. Clay is reknowned for it's detoxing and cleansing properties, as a skincare product it draws out any impurities in the skin such as blackheads. This mask also contains salicylic acid which is a fantastic ingredient for acne prone skin as it aids in unblocking congested pores.

I'm usually quite sceptical about products with big claims. This one doesn't boast, but my goodness it ought to! I have never used a face mask that has given me immediate results. After removing this my skin looks as if it is glowing, and returns the youthful qualities of my skin that insomia frequently robs me of. The anti blemish face mask is available for £9.99 linked here.

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Sweet Patisserie: Zoella Beauty

 I recently picked up a few products from the third range from Zoella Beauty. Following the original collection and her second tutti fruiti range, this time around is the 'Sweet Inspirations' collection with a macaron fragrance. If you're not familiar with the French fancies, macarons have a sweet vanilla and almond scent. Each range she develops gets better and better. I particularly love the packaging of this range, it's very sophisticated with art nouveau inspired patterns and is remenicsent of all things from the roaring twenties and 2013's film adapation of 'The Great Gatsby'. My favourite product from the range so far is the body mist. I've purchased all three that she has released so far and this is by far my favourite! The fragrance is incredibly sophisticated and yet it retails for only £8.00.

A few of the products have returned again but have been infused with the 'Sweet Inspirations' fragrance. This time around the effervescent bath fizzers are a bit larger but still retail for £5.00 and the formula still packs a punch when you pop them in the bath. The body cream has returned after it's successful debut in the first collection. I didn't manage to try the original formula but I already love the Double Créme body lotion, please don't dollop this on top of your strawberries! It's super moisturising and has a subtle sweet scent which isn't too overpowering and won't conflict with any perfume you spritz on during the day. A brand new product is the Body Fondant (£10.00). It looks like it should be on a classy vanity table with it's luxury powder puff, the packaging looks like it belongs in a French boutique! This is essentially a solid, creamy bronzer. This can be used on the body for a subtle shimmer, particularly good for the upcoming Summer months to give legs a bronzed glow. The packaging is super lightweight which makes it an ideal product to take with you on a Summer getaway!

Zoe's products are available in Superdrug stores, on the Superdrug website and on Feel Unique.

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Baking In The Bathroom

I occasionally pick up a US magazine from the racks in WHSmiths or from the Newsstand online. I recently purchased a copy of Seventeen magazine and inside there was a sample of a new product from Biore. I was excited but also frustrated as I had a feeling that either a) we would never see it in stores over here or b) we'd have a long wait for it to grace our shops. How wrong I was! On the off chance that it was available I searched Boots and Superdrug online, and HUZZAH it's in the UK.

One of the Pinterest beauty hacks that I've tried and tested is the baking soda exfoliating scrub/mask. It's a super easy and affordable way to exfoliate or something to use if you've run out of you favourite exfoliating product. It can get a bit messy and frustrating for any bakers in the house when the baking soda has disappeared into a bathroom cupboard (oops). Enter the Biore Baking Soda Liquid Cleanser (rrp £7.99) and the Biore Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub (rrp £4.99). These products have become staples in my every day cleansing routine. I use the liquid cleanser daily and the scrub every other day.

I'm a fan of the liquid cleanser because it doesn't have any microbeads in it. Microbeads became a really popular component in cleansing products as they were used to deliver a burst of a specialist product/ingredient when they are rubbed into the skin. Microbeads have since become a concern in the world of beauty and an environmental concern as it's been discovered that microbeads don't get broken down by water, which results in lots of plastic beads ending up with marine-life. They were/are frequently used in exfoliating products, but not in the Biore scrub! You simply flick up the lid, pour out some baking soda into your hand, add a small amount of water and buff into the skin. You can feel it buffing away but it isn't too abrasive as the particles are SO small. I have fairly sensitive skin and this doesn't cause a reaction. Those with sensitive skin should stick to using this product a few times a week or every other day in your cleansing routine. The scrub doesn't smell like your average baking ingredient, it has a slightly menthol scent and actually reminds me of the old citrus Polos (showing my age?). The Biore baking soda range is available on the Boots and Superdrug websites and in stores.

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Moisture Surge

Brands have started to produce in shower moisturising products. I'm definitely on board for saving time that would be spent moisturising by using a quick and easy product in the shower! Although the accident prone like myself ought to tread with caution, it can get pretty slippery if you are overly generous with the amount you squeeze into your hands!

The only downside is that the bottles of in shower loveliness don't seem to last me very long. One reason for this was that I was unaware that my partner was using it too (!) and because I have a lot of dry skin to cover! I recently saw an Australian blogger mention that she uses Lush massage bars whilst she is in the shower. The massage bars have lots of skin softening ingredients in them and it's a lot harder to over-use a product like that. You may have seen recently that some Lush customers were having problems with the plugholes in their showers. They'd been using the 'Wiccy Magic Muscles' bar that contains aduki beans, the knobbly texture acts well for massaging limbs. Unfortunately the beans were being broken down away from the bar and were being washed down the drain. A few months later some people had an in-shower garden sprouting up! At least we know that they definitely use natural ingredients in their products! At the time I was wondering why on earth they'd been using a massage bar in the shower. Now it makes sense to me.

Of course I'm not going to recommend that particular product. Any other plainer bars would be suitable for this purpose. I selected 'Dirty' a mint chocolate scented bar that looks like it came out of a milk tray, 'Hottie' a deep tissue warming ginger based bar or 'Each Peach (and two's a pear)' a sweet and uplifting citrus scented bar. You can of course use these for their intended purpose or rub them onto limbs as a solid moisturiser.

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Make It Glisten

As festival season approaches our favourite magazines and social media sites will be flooded with images of make-up and clothing trends for the big events of the Summer. This is the first installment of my festival make-up pictorials. I've got a few fairly simple looks which might seem over the top for every day wear but will fit in nicely at music festivals! Think of plenty of glitter, sequins and bold colours and you'll soon master the trends! 

 Apply some eye primer all over the lid to ensure the look stays in place all day. Primer also helps enhance eyeshadow colours and makes them look as they do in the pan/palette. Take a small strip of masking type and remove some of the adhesive on the back of your hand before apply to the skin. Make a line from the outer corner of the eye to where your eyebrow ends to create a flick shape. 

 Take a neutral brown eyeshadow on a flat brush and apply all over the lid. Next, take a slightly darker brown and blend it into the outer corner of the eye and into the crease to define the eyelid. Take the shadow right up to the tape. 

 Remove the tape to reveal a sharp flick. Take a fluffy brush to blend out the line slightly. 

 Use a soft black khol liner to tightline the upper waterline. Curl eyelashes and apply mascara, preferably waterproof mascara if you're attending a British festival as rain is inevitable!

 Using your favourite eyebrow products, define your brows to make them look sharp! 

Apply some eyelash glue to the skin just below your eyebrows. Allow the glue to become slightly tacky to the touch before applying some glitter. I used some Eyelure glue which will dry clear, and I used some large glitter from Topshop's make-up collection. 

The application doesn't need to be neat! Attempt to keep it concentrated in a line underneath the eyebrows. Use a small make-up brush such as a flat lip liner brush, make it slightly damp with some water and dip it into the glitter. A damp brush makes it easier to pick up the glitter to apply it to the skin! You can leave the look here or add some eyeshadow to the lower lash line. Match the shadow to the glitter for an additional pop of colour and smudge it up into a flick against the eyeshadow on the lid. 

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Bubble Toil and Trouble

I recently stocked up on some of my favourite products from Lush and also picked up a few new products to try. Expect to see a few Lush based posts over the coming weeks! Don't worry, they'll be broken up over time with other product reviews as well as a couple of photo tutorials (something new I'm trying for the blog). 

This week I'm showing you some of my favourite Lush products, bubble bars! I probably do an online order every 3 or 4 months to stock up on these. Usually they are pretty enormous which means I can break them up into 4 pieces for some lovely bubbly baths. My favourite bubble bars are 'Brightside' which has a lovely orange scent and 'The Comforter' which smells like blackcurrant. Both of them remind me of Starburst sweets! 

Lush often do limited edition collections to tie in with seasons and special occasions such as Father's Day! My dad isn't a fan of Lush, but I did pick up the bubble bar that's in stores and online for the occasion. 'The Modfather' with it's fitting design also smells of orange and will give your bath a bright blue colour. 

I also picked up a couple of products from the full time collection that I haven't tried before. 'Karma' pictured second also consists of orange oil as well as mango butter to soften the skin. Be prepared for shimmery bath water and a sparkling bathtub once the water has drained! Not to worry though, the glitter washes off easily. The fragrance might seem a bit strong initially, but once it's diluted in water it's a lot more pleasant. 

The final product I selected was 'Granny Takes a Dip' which has a lemony citrus fragrance combined with a spicy punch of ginger and peppercorns. 

They might be on the pricier side, but as I said most of Lush's bubble bars are quite big. You'll end up getting a few luxurious baths out of each one.  

Back With a Beauty Blender

 L-R Before using cleanser and after.

It's been a while since I've posted! I wasn't sure of how much time I needed to take off from blogging, but it seems a solid two months have passed by. I definitely needed the time to grieve for a beloved pet, get my health back on track and generally take better care of myself.

I'm back with a review on the Lottie Soap Star solid brush cleanser. I've previously posted about my love of Beauty Blenders. The only difficulty I've had with it is when it comes to cleaning it. I usually use baby shampoo on my make-up brushes as the formula is gentle enough for the bristles. I'd considered getting the solid cleanser by the Beauty Blender brand, but it is pretty pricey and isn't readily available in the UK. I've noticed that some Boots stores have started stocking the original Beauty Blenders so perhaps they'll introduce the cleanser some time soon as well.

After hearing about an alternative that was seemingly a perfect dupe for the Beauty Blender cleanser, I thought I'd give it a go! My current sponge has been well loved as you can see. Although I keep it in the original pot the sponge does get dirty from other bits in my make-up bag, particularly from a kohl eyeliner that has a missing cap! I held the sponge under running water and then rubbed it against the solid cleanser to create a lather, rinsing in between reapplying the cleanser. It cleaned out a lot of foundation as I could see it coming out in the sink, but the black spots remained. I think this cleaner would be pretty effective for weekly cleans, just remember to be gentle with the sponge as it can start to rip.

The cleanser did get my sponge closer to resembling a brand new one. Unfortunately I think it's time to chuck that one away as it has been in use for a while and is starting to tear in places. You can find the Lottie Soap Star online or in some Superdrug stores with the make-up applicators or in a stand for the brand as a whole.

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Hiatus

Apologies for the lack of content for two weeks now. Last week I was away on a holiday. I had prepared content the weekend before I was due to go away, but unfortunately I suffered a loss on the Saturday which put a halt to the creation of the content. I will be taking a break from blogging for a while, I do not know when I'll be posting again but I will definitely return. In the meantime I will be working on posts when I can and feel up to it. I have gone into more detail on what happened on my personal blog. If you are interested in reading it I have linked it here. Many thanks for your continued support and readership.

Evening Routine

As promised last week, this evening's post is a peek into my evening skincare routine. I did an extensive post on the Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream last week so I won't say much more than when I apply it in this routine. If you missed that post it is linked here.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water:
You might be able to see in the photos above that this is a well loved product. I've repurchased this a number of times as it's so easy to use and it's very effective. I use this on a cotton face pad to remove all of my make-up. If I had been wearing more make-up than usual this might be my 'second cleanse' to ensure that all traces of product have been removed. A 400ml bottle lasts me around 3 or 4 months, making it pretty cost effective at around £4 a bottle. Last year I rebooted my skincare regime after relying upon make-up wipes for so long. There are arguments to say that face wipes aren't all that great for skin in the long run as they don't remove every scrap of dirt. I follow the advice that face wipes are reserved for festivals and travelling. This product is available online, in most supermarkets and drugstores.

Pixi Glow Tonic:
A cleanser like the one above, opens up the pores to release dirt trapped within them. You don't want to leave pores open and slather on a thick moisturiser...because that will chuck more gunk into the exposed pores. To close them up again or to tighten them you should be using a toner. Although this toner is of a higher price point it's totally worth it. This product has an exfoliating aspect, so it tightens the skin AND removes dead skin cells sitting on the surface. You can feel the it exfoliating just but rubbing it over the skin on a cotton face pad, but it's not abrasive on the skin like some chunky exfoliators you can get. Pixi products are available online and in some Marks and Spencers stores.

Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil:
Being someone that has an oily complexion I did wonder why on earth I needed to apply more oil to my face. As I've said before, the skin often produces oil when it feels parched of moisture which often results in it over-compensating and leaving some of us with a sheen on our faces. Adding moisture could help to reduce oily skin problems. This overnight oil is lightweight, smells gorgeous and leaves the skin feeling super smooth.

Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream:
The final product in my routine is a face cream. As a general rule you'd apply products in the following order: cleanser, toner, eye cream, oil and finally a cream/moisturiser. I've already preached about the wonders of this particular cream. It has transformed my dull, tired looking complexion, leaving my skin feel bouncy, glowing and free of dark shadows that like to lurk under my eyes.

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Sleep Dreams

This product will be featuring in next week's post as part of my night-time routine. The Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream is probably the only night cream I've ever finished. I often end up skipping a cream in my night routine due to laziness or disappointment in the product itself. However, this one has survived the test of time, I love it! For once the results lived up to the claims. This cream has helped brighten my complexion that is often left looking dull due to many sleepless nights from insomnia. Although the directions say to avoid the eye area, I do apply it to the outer parts of any under-eye shadows that I have. I often have sensitive skin and I haven't had any reactions from applying it to the delicate eye area.

When I first got this product I was amazed by the jelly like texture, it reminds me of the Adipose in Doctor Who! Who am I kidding, I still enjoy shaking the pot around to see the cream wobble! A little really does go a long way with this which is fantastic, especially if you are slightly put off by the £12.99 price tag. Never be tempted to slap on cream in thick layers, you won't see results faster, you'll most likely just end up clogging up your pores and could cause breakouts. I have the day time version of this to try as well, I'll be switching it into my routine when the weather is less harsh on my skin and when I'll be able to retire my Body Shop Hemp face protector!

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Haircare Favourites

Lee Stafford Hair Growth:
I seriously love this product. I slather this on and massage it into my scalp in between shampooing and conditioning my hair. Leave this concoction on for the length of a good bath and it will do your hair the world of good. I was initially sceptical about it's claims to help hair growth, but it's really working for me. In the Summer my hair was cut just below my jawline, it's now down to my shoulders! My hair used to grow fairly quickly but I started losing a fair bit due to stress and was left with a stumpy cluster of hair near one of my ears. This has helped stimulate the growth! Look out for 3 for 2 or 3 for £10 deals in Boots.

Wassen We Beautify Hair, Skin and Nails:
These supplements combined with the Lee Stafford treatment have enormously contributed to the growth of my hair. Perhaps foolishly I didn't anticipate the growth of hair elsewhere...I'm having to shave my legs and underarms a lot more frequently and I've had a lot more eyebrow hairs coming through! These supplements have also improved the health of my nails. The Wassen range is stocked alongside vitamins in superstores but this type appears to only be available at Boots.

L'oreal Elvive Nutrigloss Luminser Spray:
I must admit that my girl crush on Karlie Kloss lured me towards this product as she headed the campaign for the Nutrigloss range. This actually turned out to be a fantastic product for my hair. I really struggle to bring shine to my hair, the blonde usually looks dull. A few spritzes of this on damp hair gives life to my blonde locks and softens it. This is stocked in supermarkets, drugstores, online and even Wilkos!

Lush 'Roots':
This fresh minty formula is gorgeous! It looks a bit like a cross between a thick toothpaste and face cream, but I assure you it's worth slathering on your hair. Apply this onto dry hair, massaging it into the scalp. The mint stimulates the scalp and supposedly is great for fine hair. Since I've been using this I've lost less hair when I wash my hair and when I brush through it. It also feels really nice on the head as it cools the scalp and gives a tingling feeling. If you don't have a Lush store close to you, you can purchase this online.

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Winter Skin Reviver

Imagine my surprise when my skin type seemingly changed on me! I've had combination/oily skin for years, I've always struggled to eliminate shine on my t-zone. After spending a couple of years at uni in Durham I suddenly started getting dry, flaky patches and my skin felt tight.

Oil is the body's natural moisturiser. When it emerges on the surface of the skin it's because too much oil is being produced. The body is over-compensating for a lack of moisture either from drinking too little water or from the lack of using a moisturiser in your daily skin routine. I was the latter, skimping on moisturising as I didn't want to add any more oil to my skin. I started to use one as it was what my skin was calling out for, but even the oil free moisturisers weren't helping the dry patches.

Enter the super moisturiser from The Body Shop. It was extremely hard to get hold of this year, I visited a few stores and was told that they were struggling to get stock in due to high demand, the secret was out! The Hemp Face Protector is aimed at very dry skin and is a perfect protecting balm against harsh weather, such as the turbulent winds we're currently facing in the UK. This moisturiser quickly removed the dry patches on my cheeks and forehead, and eliminated the tight feeling that comes with a lack of moisture. This product is only available from The Body Shop and is £8 for a 50ml pot. It might seem steep for a small pot but a little dab of this works miracles!

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Time Out

No beauty post this evening. Sometimes life gets overwhelming and snatches time away from us. I really hate doing this, I try to maintain a healthy backlog of posts so I always have content but I haven't been able to do so recently. I will be back next week, I hope you will come back to see what I have prepared for you! If you are curious as to what is going on with me, check out my personal blog here where I discuss all aspects of my mental health. See you next week! 

Sheet Masks

I finally decided to hop aboard the hype express. Over the past couple of years sheet masks have become incredibly popular. They first started cropping up in magazines and on the Instagrams of celebrities. The sheet mask is the less messy, travel friendly, compact cousin of our regular gloopy face masks. They have handy holes cut out for the eyes, nose and mouth. Supposedly they are good to use on flights as the recycled air in planes has a drying effect on the skin, so sheet masks supply a nice dose of moisture during long haul flights. I'm not a frequent holiday goer and I don't think I have enough confidence to sit on a plane with one of these sitting on my face, they can be a frightening sight to behold.

Sheet masks were an export from South Korea. Korean cosmetics have become very popular and are usually very effective. I've tried a few products from Korea and have found them to be worth the hype. I particularly like the hydrating eye masks from Tony Moly. I saw that the brand also have a range of sheet masks available and that they were available on Amazon, 11 masks for under £10 with free delivery seemed like a pretty good deal to me particularly when they retail on Sephora for $7.50 for 2 masks.

In the bundle you receive one of each of the following: lemon, tea tree, tomato, aloe vera, pomegranate, red wine, seaweed, broccoli, rice, avocado and makegeoli (rice wine). They all deliver a good dose of moisture and natural oils and they have the following beneficial properties:

• lemon = brightening
• tea tree = soothing
• tomato = radiance
• aloe vera = moisturising
• pomegranate = elasticity 
• red wine = pore care
• seaweed = skin purifying
• broccoli = vitality
• rice = clear skin 
• avocado = nutrition
• makegeoli (rice wine) = skin purifying

They are an affordable and express form of pampering for those that have little time to give their skin a treat! You can amp up the benefits of sheet masks by using a rotating face brush on top of the face. I use a Magnitone Lucid which you can find on Boots or Superdrug, there are newer models available but the Lucid has gone down in price on the Boots website! There are also some cheaper ones available from different brands such as Olay or Clinique, but I'd definitely recommend anything by Magnitone. I've got a few more products from the Tony Moly brand to try, let me know if you'd like a first impressions review of them!

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Budget Beauty: Eye Palette

You're all going to think I have an obsession with eyeshadow palettes! Lets face it, this is a beauty blog and most beauty bloggers are make-up addicts. I just love having colour in my life and it just so happens to frequently appear in this form!

This palette was the topic of a lot of talk and dare I say hype last year. I've had this post lined up for a long time but it managed to be bumped off my radar due to writing a lot of drafts for new posts. I'm glad I found it as I really enjoyed photographing this palette. The light bounced off the shimmery tones in a magnificent way. This is one of the many great palettes available from Make Up Revolution, this brand is available in most Superdrug stores and on the brand's own website.

I really love the range of colours in this palette. I think this is their offering to rival Urban Decay's Naked palettes. I own the Naked 2 and Naked 3 palettes and I really like them, but they are on the pricier side. This one offers a lot more shades for a fraction of the price retailing at £6.99. It's made up of some classic neutral tones as well as some "newtral" tones which have more of a pink and brick red base to them. There is a good balance of matte, shimmer and satin shades AND I actually like the brush it comes with. Again the brush appears to be echoing the Naked palettes which also include a dual ended applicator and blending brush. I'd always recommend avoiding the use of shimmery tones in the outer third/crease of the eyelid, instead opting to place it in the area of the lid directly above the iris as it's generally more flattering. Then again, rules are always there to be broken!

I'd just like to say thank you and welcome to any new followers! It's lovely to know that people are stopping by and actually wanting to continue reading! Thank you also to my regular readers, I promise there will be more of a variety of posts soon. I'm currently having a major clear out in my office, picture black bin bags covering all floor space. Once this is done I'll be doing some make-up looks and even start filming. Exciting things to come. If you would like me to use any specific products or come up with a specific look please let me know in the comments. 

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Flawless Face

2015 was the year of the Beauty Blender, or at least the revival of it. This product has been around for a while, and seemed to be under appreciated. I certainly couldn't see the appeal of spending the equivalent amount of a makeup brush for a sponge instead. Oh, but now I know it's so much more than a sponge! For the second half of 2015 I started using a buffing brush to apply my foundation. I'd then use a damp Beauty Blender, bouncing it on the skin to remove any brush marks to create a flawless looking base.

It's SO important that you use this tool damp. Hold the sponge under running water whilst squeezing out any excess. You'll soon see the sponge getting bigger (as shown above L-R dry and damp). Gently squeeze out any remaining water in the sponge and gently blot it on a dry towel. It will feel super smooth and lovely on the skin. There is no need to rub the sponge against the skin in circular motions as you might do with a makeup brush. This year I'm hoping to start doing some Youtube videos so I'm sure you'll see me use this tool in action!

During a recent trip to Primark I saw that they had produced an equivalent 'beauty sponge' in the same shape. It's available at a fraction of the cost, so out of interest I decided to purchase one. I followed the same steps of wetting the sponge and using it damp. Unfortunately it is in no way a dupe of the Beauty Blender. Their offering feels very rough against the skin even when used damp, even whilst using a blotting motion it feels as if the sponge is dragging against the skin.

If you're having any problems with brush marks or an uneven base after applying foundation, I'd definitely recommend giving a Beauty Blender a try. They are available in a variety of colours and sizes. I'm currently trying a smaller version to apply concealer to my under-eye area, I usually use the pointed end of my black or pink Beauty Blender for this area. If you'd like to hear how I get on with the smaller version let me know in the comments section below! These are stocked online on Amazon, Sephora, Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty, Selfridges and even on eBay. For those sceptical of the authenticity of those on eBay, go for sellers with higher ratings and those based in the UK. I've purchased a few off eBay and they have been genuine!

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