Video || August Favourites

Hey guys,

I hope you're all well :o)

August is one of my favourite months and that is quite possibly due to the fact that it's my birthday month.  I feel like this year is going so fast and August has come and gone in the blink of an eye.  As well as enjoying my birthday with lots of meals and drinks, I have also enjoyed some beauty products this month and I thought I'd share these with you guys in a little video.

Last month was slightly uneventful skin care, beauty and make-up wise and so I ended up doing a clothes haul type video but I have seen the error of my ways and this month I haven't tried to cram in loads of beauty products but I'm just going to try and get slightly more organised and have a little more structure to my beauty favourites videos.

I must confess I haven't purchased an awful lot of make-up related products this month and so this video contains a lot of skin care items which I've loved using this month but hopefully you guys will still enjoy me sharing my skin care favourites.  It includes some serious goodies so hope you enjoy :o)

Full review post on the L'Oreal Cleansing Oil : http://goo.gl/Fn7iiU
Full review post on the Indeed Labs Hyraluron Serum: http://goo.gl/uRhFxs

What I'm wearing:

Dress : H & M
Necklace : Dorothy Perkins

Face :  NARS Sheer Glow foundation in 'Mont Blanc', BareMinerals Original Foundation in 'Light', Benefit Lollitint Lip & Cheek Stain, Bourjois 1 Seconde Mascara in Waterproof, Sleek iDivine in 'Storm' with Mac 'All That Glitters', L'Oreal Colour Riche L'Extraordinnaire in 500 'Molto Mauve'.

Products Mentioned:

L'Oreal Skin Perfection Miracle Cleansing Oil - http://goo.gl/3mgh73

Indeed Labs Hydraluron - http://goo.gl/hDtJjD

The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream - http://goo.gl/bFm5IX

Sanctuary 5min Thermal Detox Mask - http://goo.gl/4ptxlU

Origins Eye Doctor Moisture Care - http://goo.gl/62JCoK

Kryolan Highlighter in Cashmere (Kryolan 'Illusion') - http://goo.gl/m0XI2z

Wella Professionals Brilliant Shampoo for Fine to Normal Hair - http://goo.gl/yjkVpY

Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi Electric Foot File - http://goo.gl/R8CDXJ

Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet Eau de Toilette - http://goo.gl/6209DR

Life // Skin Care 101: Cleansers - Got to Catch 'Em All.

Hey guys,

That's right, I named a post after the Pokémon theme tune.

I thought today I would share a round up of all the cleansers I currently own and, for the main part, use.  

It seems there are so many different types of cleansers out there these days - how are we supposed to keep up with what's good and what's not?  So to help you you, I have been waiting a while to do this post because I really wanted an example of each different type of cleanser in order that I could share a better overview of each type for you guys. I am not going to give a review of each product but just a general overview of each type of cleanser and the pros and cons of each instead.

Foaming Cleansers

My favourite kind of cleanser up until recently was a foaming cleanser.  These are generally cleansers aimed at the oily and blemish prone skin and hence why this was up there with my first choice.  These are always my go-to cleansers when my skin is in blemish melt down as I know these are the best kind of to kick some serious blemish butt.  These usually start as a gel and work it up to a nice lather.

Pros:

• Good for oily skin
• Leaves skin feeling really clean
• Tightens up pores

Cons:

• Can leave skin feeling too tight and ends up feeling dry
• Can strip skin the skin of goodness
• Doesn't suit all skin types - no good for those with dry skin

Micellar Water / Cleansing Water

Micellar Water was up until recently France's best kept skin care secret with many French brands (Bioderma, La-Roche Posay, etc) having their own version.  They are what many make-up artists swear by because they get rid of make-up without the fuss.  Just squirt a little onto a cotton wool pad, and gentle wipe off make-up. Admittedly,  this is not my favourite cleanser I have ever tried and this is now resigned to getting my make-up off after a lunch time gym class simply because it's easy.

Pros:

• Suits all skin types - especially good for those with sensitive skin
• Easy, no fuss, on the go way to take off your make-up
• Gentle and light - doesn't feel like you're striping your skin or packing too much product on

Cons

• Those with oily / combination skin may not feel this does the job well (I'm in that club)
• For those who like make-up wipes (I'm not a hater), could be more time consuming

Cleansing Oils

I have branched out so much recently with my skin care and although I swear I'd never try a cleansing oil, I broke my own vow.  Now one of my favourite things to use is a cleansing oil.  Cleansing oils are great for balancing out the skin and getting your skin clean, nourished and back to full health.  Take two or three pumps of the oil into your hands and work round the skin including eyes and work round the skin, making sure you give your skin a mini massage also and then wipe off with a flannel when finished.

Pros:

• Great for all skin types including (from personal experience) oily / combination skin
• Quick and easy, gentle and also effective
• No harsh chemicals which will strip the skin

Cons:

• May be too fragrant for some people

Cleansing Balms

Another very recent discovery for me is cleansing balms and I would go as far as to say that this is my favourite kind of cleanser.  I am not sure if this is just because it's Emma Hardie but this does amazing things for my face.  These cleansers start off as a waxy substance and can be worked around in the palms to create a soft product which is applied to the face and washed off with a flannel or muslin cloth if you want some extra exfoliation.  

Pros:

• I really want to write 'everything' but that wouldn't be very informative but it's true
• Last ages
• Thorough but gentle cleansing (leaves skin feeling the cleanest of all the cleansers I have tried)
• Good for all skin types
• Rebalances the skin
• Skin feel hydrated and nourished after use

Cons:

• Cost - don't skimp, a cleansing balm will last a lot longer than any other cleanser.

Hot Cloth Cleansers

I have a total love and hate relationship with hot cloth cleansers.  Find the right one and you could be on to a skin care winner but they can take a lot of time to use.  Hot cloth cleansers are a creamy paste which you apply all over the skin (including eyes if you like) and you just rub it round until it's clear and wipe off with a muslin cloth.

Pros:

• Gentle exfoliation leaving skin looking bright
• Skin feels deep-down clean
• Suitable for most skin types - good for dry skin because it's very rich, be careful with sensitive skin

Cons:

• Time consuming and laborious to get product truly worked into the skin
• Not all take off eye make-up gently
• Invest in a good muslin cloth to get best results.

So there you have it - my round up all what each cleanser is and my pros and cons.  I'm not sure if there any other types of cleansers out there but I'd love to hear about them if there are.  I'm always on a quest for better skin.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post and hopefully this might have given you some inspiration on your next cleansing purchase.

I'd love to hear what you thought or if you have any cleansers that you love so please feel free to leave me a comment below :o)

Review : Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner Pen in Black

Hey guys,

I have mentioned this product an awful lot lately but I realised that I haven't actually shared my full thoughts on this gel liner with you guys yet.

If you watched my What's In My Bag : Festival Edition video or seen my Face Of The Day : Festival Edition post then you'll know that I originally picked this product up because I was attending Wireless Festival and I thought a gel liner would last better throughout the day.

I will hold my hands up now and say that I am no expert at applying eyeliner and my skills are pretty much begin and end with an straight(ish) line with a flick on the end.  However, even I find using this eyeliner an absolute doddle. 

As you can see, the nib is angled but what you probably can't see is that it's actually made out of silicon and you have to twist the end to actually get the product out.  Once you've twisted and got the right amount of product to your satisfaction you can then just gently glide this over the lids.  Because the tip is made of silicon, it's very soft and you can use this without too much pressure to the eyelid to create your liner as thick or as thin as you want it to look.  

I have found in the past that when you have a stiff pen or brush that the product does not flow very easily and sometimes some angles can be very difficult to reach.  All my problems are now solved with the easy silicon applicator which allows you to manipulate its position and angle in order that you can perform the perfect flick and fill in any gaps which you may have missed without making a total mess.

The nib is angled so that at the top you can create a really thin line or if you're after some serious eyeliner art and definition you can lay the nib flat against your eyelid to create a really thick, clean line with an easy swipe.

Hopefully this close up shot will give you guys a true sense of how basic my eyeliner application skills are but even I don't think I've done too bad a job with my new favourite eyeliner.

 My one disappointment, as you may be able to see, is that it does run slightly upon application.  I do tend to find that it rubs off onto the top of my eyelid but perhaps I am just simply not allowing this enough drying time.  But in the above photo you can see this has transferred down slightly onto my water line in the corner of my eye.

Would I buy this product again?  I'm not 100% sure.  I like the concept and I like the application however the product itself has left me slightly disappointed.  I actually bought this around the same time as the Benefit Push Up Liner came out and the reason I tried it was because I wanted to try something similar but not splurge on the Benefit one.  Now I know I like how the application and the way it works, I would be more likely to plump for the Benefit Push Up Liner however for beauty on a budget I'd suggest this is a great dupe.

If you'd like to pick up the Lasting Drama Gel Pen then you can do so here and RRP is £8.99.

Have you tried this gel liner pen or any others?  I'd love to know your thoughts so please feel free to comment below :o)

Video || E.L.F. Cosmetics Haul with a twist

Hey guys,

A couple of weeks ago I uploaded a video which I totally forgot to add to my blog!  Slap on the wrist for me.

I had filmed an e.l.f. Cosmetics haul video an absolute age ago now and for whatever reason I didn't upload it to my channel.  In my bid to keep things fresh and interesting and not just the usual show you guys what I bought (because surely you see enough of that already), I thought I would put a slight twist on it and still show you guys what I bought but instead create a make-up look using what I bought.

Now obviously when I made this order all that time ago, I didn't consider I'd be making this video so just a little warning that this does contain other products to help me finish off the look but each product I brought from that order does get featured in some form in this video.

I hope you enjoy this video and not only does this show you guys what I bought but also what I like about each product, how I like to apply them and finally what they look like on.

What I am wearing:

Top - H & M
Necklace - New Look

Items Mentioned:

Tinted Moisturiser - http://goo.gl/TLSO9W

Eyelid Primer in Sheer - http://goo.gl/dOk2HR

Loose Eyeshadow in RockCandy - http://goo.gl/bfKLZF

Baked Blush in Peachy Cheeky - http://goo.gl/3ORtRO

Mineral Lipstick in Pouty Petal - http://goo.gl/JImVuH

Moisturising Lipstick in Coral Cutie, Rosy-Go-Round & Ravishing Rose - http://goo.gl/EOyne2

Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Movie Star - http://goo.gl/QaXL6o