Review : No 7 'Beautiful Skin' Purifying Mask

Good evening everyone,

Hopefully you are enjoying the wonderful British weather this weekend!  Is it sunny, is it raining?  It cannot make up its mind!

A couple of weeks ago I was having a bit of a skin crisis and could feel a few little spots cropping up, I headed straight to Boots and happened upon their No 7 Purifying Mask for Normal / Oily Skin.  So after trying this product a few times since buying I thought I would share my review with you.

This is not really your 'typical' mask whereby you apply and leave to dry, wash or peel off.  It has tiny little exfoliating beads and you apply to your skin and then gently rub and rub round your skin and then leave it 'set' for 2 minutes (or just until it dries).  So really you are getting an exfoliator and mask for the price of one (and let's face it, we all like to save a few pennies where possible).

To be honest, I have recently given up exfoliating on a regular basis as I was just finding that although it does help keep the breakouts at bay, it was also making the redness on my cheeks worse.  So I only really tend to use an exfoliator when I am really in need of a deeper clean.  But this product is so gentle, it does not make my redness any worse and I have incorporated this into my skin care routine once a week or when I feel it is necessary.

To use, I just apply a blob on the back of my hand after making my face damp, then just gently rub my cheeks in small circles and cover my cheeks, nose and chin.  Upon contact this product heats up and it feels super nice and warm. Once it has dried, then just wash off and pat dry.

This product leaves my skin really, really soft after use (I actually could not stop touching it the first time I used it!) and it doesn't leave it feeling dried out.  This stopped the up the couple of spots I could feel were on the way in their tracks and they didn't develop into much at all.  It also leaves my skin feeling so clear and clean afterwards.

I love using this product so much, I'm really glad I took the plunge on this one.  This is a really solid investment and  I know I will replace this once it eventually runs out.

Usual price is £12.50 but as I have said in previous posts, keep a look out for vouchers with money off and also 3 for 2 offer is pretty much on all the time I think.  If you are interested then link is here.

Review : Kate Moss for Rimmel Matte Lipstick

Hello everyone,

I have been eyeing up the Rimmel by Kate Moss Matte Lipstick 'Wine 107' for quite some time now and finally decided to take the plunge.

Packaging of this product is cute, I really like the little Kate Moss signature on the lid. 

I've been searching high and low for the perfect dark red lip colour and this is as close as I've come so far. 

Colour wise, the names suggest it would be described as 'wine' and I wear a lot of this colour in my clothes, so I thought it would go well with a lot of things. Unfortunately, however, this really is more of a dark purple / deep pink and quite 'vampy'.  I don't think the product actually looks the same as how it goes on the lips and I was quite disappointed as I already have similar colours.



I am not sure about this product yet... I have a couple of gripes so far as:-

• it bleeds / feathers (so I need to try and find myself a lip liner which is close in colour)
• it does not smell very nice (very 'lipstick' smelling) and just feels a bit cheap. 
• it makes my lips really dry (which is probably because it is matte) and I have tried using Vaseline over the top but this makes it smudge.

As for how well it stays put, I've only worn this to work once (which is a good test for me) and it had worn off by the time I'd eaten breakfast but having said I that, I wasn't feeling very brave that day and didn't apply it as fully as I would for a night out.

For the purposes of this blog, I did apply it fully and I did find it was still on for hours after I had taken the photos so perhaps I just need to be a bit bolder next time for work!

Until I can sort out a tripod, it will have to be the 'selfie' pose

So in summary, I will probably not be rushing out to buy this product again in this colour or any other. 

I paid the usual price of £5.49 and link can be found here.

What I am wearing in these photos:

Face : No 7 Protect & Perfect Foundation in Warm Ivory (find me here!) - review coming soon

Bare Mineral Loose Power in light (find me here!) and Collection concealer in medium 3 (find me here!)

Eyes : a la carte cosmetics - divine lash mascara (find me here!) - review coming soon

Monthly Favourites : January Edition

Hello everybody,

Hopefully if like me, you have now experienced your first pay day post Xmas then you will be happy, happy, happy so, congratulations, we survived what feels like the longest month of the year. Things are looking up now that the days are getting longer which means our mornings and evenings are getting lighter and finally some vitamin D outside of our lunch hours.

In celebration of the end of January, I am going to share with you some of my favourite products and discoveries I made during the last month.

So let's begin shall we?

Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara Extra Black

I have already reviewed this early in January when I compared this to a L'Oreal mascara but this really is one of my favourite finds for January and I am really pleased with this product.  It makes my eyelashes look really, really long and no clumps.  An easy peasy favourite. 

If you wish to see my full review including price then link is here.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

I have also reviewed this product very recently and only just discovered this in the last week of January so I'm counting it as a January favourite.  

As already mentioned, fabulous product and really pleasant to use.  Helps to keep make-up in place all day long.

If you wish to see my full review including price then link is here.

Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick in Shade 13110 - 335 'Hot Date'

I haven't actually reviewed this lipstick but I have been wearing it in a couple of my previous posts.  

I love this product, it goes on nicely, it is not at all drying and is really moisturising on my lips.

The colour is really great also I would describe it as just a very natural looking pink (it certainly doesn't come out as dark as what it looks like below). I wear this colour to work all the time as it's such a subtle colour and it stays put really well.

I'm a really big fan of Body Shop products and although I haven't managed to grab this is any other colours yet, it will definitely on the cards. Price is £10.00 and can be found here. 

If you wish to see what this looks like on, check out my pictures here and also here.

Sleek i-Divine - Au Naturel Pallette

Again this is not a product I have reviewed.  None the less, this is a really good palette for when I'm at work, as they are really natural earthy colours which suit my eye colour.  The product itself is mineral based and highly pigmented so it stays on the eyes really well.

I have so far stuck to the natural looking colours as opposed to the shimmery ones but I am sure I will find an occasion to wear the others and when I do I will get some photos up for you.  

The colours are nice and suit me well and are easily blendable,  I have created some really great smoky eyes with this palette. 

I picked this product up mainly because it appears to be a favourite of beauty bloggers and I am not disappointed with the results and it is so, so affordable.

I'm not sure if this is a Superdrug exclusive but that is where I picked it up for a very reasonable £7.99 and you can find it here.  I am really excited to try some other Sleek products but unfortunately I just have not got round to popping back into Superdrug.  

Baptiste Dry Shampoo - Dark & Deep Brown Brown

I have always loved Baptiste dry shampoo.  There is just not a dry shampoo like it in my opinion.  As a girl who has coloured hair and therefore washes her hair every other day, this is ESSENTIAL for me. 

I usually pick up a can of the 'Tropical' one which smells like coconut and in my opinion is the best smelling one.  But for a change I thought I would try the one specifically for brown hair as to be frank, I am getting fed up with the feeling that once I spray the normal dry shampoo on my hair, I can never quite get it all the way to blend in and it leaves me with a still slightly talc-y look on the roots, no matter how hard I try to blend / brush it in.  I have also gone back to being a brunette recently and I thought it might not come out as white once I spray it on and I was right.

This is such a great investment and sorry Tropical, but you are no longer welcome.  This product specifically sprays out brown and not white and it smells just as good.  It never leaves me with the feeling I still have the product still left in my hair afterwards.  

It may be a little bit more expensive (like a £1) then the original ones but if you hate the white talc look like me then it is definitely worth trying the specific hair colour ones.  

Usual price is £3.99 and can be found here.

Ted Baker Cosmetic Bag (Large)

I have been searching for a make-up bag big enough for my ever growing collection and I just happened across this beauty whilst in Boots recently.  I really love the pattern and it is lined on the inside which means it is easy to wipe when any marks get on it.

This was £14.00 but it does come in a smaller size and an even larger beauty case amongst other bags which are all available in the same pattern and general link is here.

Favourite Book : The Host

This book has made it onto my top ten favourite books of all time so far!

Wow.  It's so well written, which if you are already a fan of Stephenie Meyer will come as no surprise (although it is miles away from Twilight if you are not really into that).  The story is so unique and I loved all the characters, I felt like I knew them.

By the end of the book, I didn't really know what to do with myself because I had read it in such a short space of time, it took over my life for a little while there. I really did not want it to end.

 I don't want to ruin it but I will do my best to summerise the plot. So here goes...

It is based in a futuristic America where aliens have taken over and use humans as their 'hosts'.  The story is based on two characters, Wanderer who is the alien or 'Soul' as they like to call themselves and Melanie who is the human host.  Melanie was part of a human resistance who live in the shadows and once she gets discovered by a group of Souls, she commits suicide but the Souls have medicine which allows them to heal human bodies effectively.  Wanderer is put inside Melanie originally to find out information on the resistance but Melanie is still very much a part of her own mind and makes Wanderer fall in love with the memories of her brother Jamie and her boyfriend Jared in a bid to reunite herself with then. Wanderer rebels from the Souls in search of finding Jared and Jamie but once she finds them that is when the real internal battle begins.

It really is a wonderfully well written story of love and friendship and it is a real page turner, I just could not put this book down.

You may have heard it has been turned into a film but in my experience when this happens, it often cannot compare with the detail you get from a book.  The relationships are not explored properly and a lot of important information is left out which would leave you confused if you have not read the book which is a bit of shame because I thought this would have worked well on screen.

To conclude, you need to read this book and Amazon link is here.

Favourite Song : Pharrell  Williams - Happy

Oh I lurrrrvvveeee this song so much.  I first heard it on Despicable Me and I am so glad to hear this on the radio.  Such a great, feel good song which I am not bored of listening to yet.  Every time I hear this song, it just puts a smile on my face.

I'm sure you have already heard it / downloaded it by now but if not, YouTube link is here.  This also has a 24 hour video which if you are really bored I guess you could watch?

So that concludes my January edition of my favourite things which I found this month so thanks for reading!

Review : Smashbox 'Photo Finish' Primer

Hi everyone,

This week I was in the queue at Boots (no surprise there) and they had a small travel sized bottle of the Smashbox 'Photo Finish' Primer just waiting on the shelves by the till and I just thought to myself, why not?!

An impulsive buy I must admit, but I just could not resist this little dinky primer to add to my collection.  And what a treat.

I think this is by far the best primer I have found, and if you are not really sold on the primer thing yet, then just give this little sample one a try and I can assure you it will change your mind.

It has got a really great silky feeling when applied and I can see a minimizing of my pores straight after application.  On my first day of use, I looked in the mirror at work and my foundation had stay put noticeably more than it had done when I have used alternative primers. Where I usually have a lot of make-up slipped off the apples of my cheeks and my cheekbones, this had helped to keep my foundation still very much in place.

This is a great product from such a great brand and if you have oily skin like me then it is ideal as this is oil free.

I actually really like the idea that some of the bigger beauty brands are doing small size samples of their products because let's face it, there is nothing worse than spending a small fortune on a product and then not loving it.  It is a really great way to trial a product before making the commitment.

I will almost certainly be purchasing this in a normal size when I have finished with this mini sample.

It is not the cheapest and this small size bottle cost £12.50 which is quite steep but I would be happy to pay this again as it really is a worth while buy.  Link is here for the travel size and if you wish to purchase the full size this is £25.00 and can be found here.

What's In My Bag - Skin Prep

Hello fellow beauty fans!

I thought I would share with you a "what's in my make up bag?" skin care special.  Below I will talk about the the products which are my tried and tested favourites before applying make up and also using after I take my make up off.

I should probably start by saying that I have combination skin which means I have oily skin around my nose, chin and forehead but I also tend to suffer with dry skin on my cheeks.  I have found that since establishing a daily skin routine that I tend not to suffer with combination skin as much and I put this down to using the right products to suit my skin type.

Cleanser & Toner

So let's start with the basics.  I own the No 7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for Normal / Oily Skin and let me tell you, this product is AMAZING.

I like foaming cleansers as opposed to lotions, I just find it works better with my skin type as milks/lotions tend to leave my skin feeling greasy and I prefer to wash the day off properly with a foam cleanser. This leaves my skin feeling clean, refreshed and totally matte, and super soft.  It has also got a really nice smell to it.   I just love this cleanser and it is going to be a staple in my skin care routine for the foreseeable future (if its not broke don't fix it right?).

I use this in the morning (just one pump) on the face and neck and then again in the evening before bed (two pumps) on my face and neck again.  Using this twice daily means one bottle will probably last me about two months so in my opinion it is quite long lasting and good value for money.

What I really like about the No 7 range is that they are tailored to specific skin types i.e. normal / oily / dry / very dry and I'm pretty confident most of their products are hypo-allergenic which is great news if, like me, you have sensitive skin. If you are not sure what skin type you have, go and ask someone in store they will be able to tell you.

Now the price.  If you usually reach for Nivea, Garnier, etc., then the price tag might be slightly more than you are used to paying but let me tell you it is so worth it.  So far I have found every No 7 skin care product very effective and I know there is some serious research that goes into all their products and hence why the price is slightly higher than your usual drugstore brands.  Having said that, if you shop in Boots regularly then chances are you have been handed a voucher and these will most likely contain money off their No 7 range so its such great value when you get can £5 off or alternatively they often do 3 for the price of 2 across the whole range so there will always be some type of offer on.  Usual price is £9.50 and you can find it here.

Next up is from the No 7 range again, the Soft & Soothed Toner which is, as far as I am aware, the only toner in the range.

This again is a really good product.  I just pat a bit on a cotton wool pad in the evening after I have cleansed and this instantly hydrates and soothes my skin and takes off whatever make up or grime is still left on after cleansing (I work in London and it really is shocking how dirty your skin gets when you are working in the big smoke!). It also leaves my skin smelling pleasant after use, calms down any redness that I may be suffering with and reduces the look of pores.

Usual price for this toner is £8.00 but as above, if you look around you can usually buy this with some kind of offer.  If you are interested in this product, then link is here.

Moisturiser

At the moment I am using the Neutrogena Visibly Clean Pink Grapefruit Oil Free Moisturiser and also the Garnier Moisture Match "Wake Me Up" for Dull Skin.  I often find myself alternating between moisturisers and these just happen to be my current two.

I do not think I have ever found a moisturiser that is "ohmygosh wow" (which is likely to be down to the fact that my skin is often oily) but I have found the Neutrogena very suitable for my skin type. If I am having a day where I have blemishes then this oil free moisturiser helps to hydrate and leave my skin soft but I also know it is not going to be clogging up my pores.

I actually bought this to compliment the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub and both products worked well together when I was using them to help keep blemishes at bay (I'm 25 and still suffering from teenage skin).  Usual price is £4.99 but currently on offer here.

I picked the Garnier up on a bit of an impulse and upon reflection, it was probably not my best choice.  If I was to replace this product I would probably try the "Shine Be Gone" which is for oily / combi skin.  However, having said that it probably still suits my skin because it's not a cream moisturiser but a gel and therefore doesn't leave me too oily, dries really quickly and hydrates my skin well. As for the part about it supposedly making skin less dull I haven't really noticed a difference after using it.

Usual price is £5.99 but currently on offer here.

Lashes

Are you still with me? Great.  Because now onto the game changer.

I used to have individual false lashes and after them practically pulling out every eyelash I had, it was time to give them up which needless to say, left me with tiny stumpy lashes.  It was such a sad time.  Until..

I was scouring the internet desperately searching for some kind of lash enhancing miracle and behold, here it is in the form of L'Oreal Renewal Lash Serum.  After I noticed this on Amazon, I was scrolling through the reviews, praying for some positive ones.  I didn't find many but I figured I didn't have much to lose, at worst I'd wasted the tiniest bit of money which at the time was around £2.00 plus p&p.

This I can honestly say is one of my proudest moments, one of my best finds, I really can't believe the reviews aren't 100% positive.  As I said above, I found this on Amazon so I was slightly sceptical when I could not find this in any stores but this is just a little treasure.  I put this on day and night religiously and within a few weeks my lashes were not only back to normal but longer looking than ever before (which is a God's send if you have experienced effects of individual lashes, you will understand how terrible your lashes look once they're off and trust me, this is such a good cure).  After using this I regularly got compliments on how long my lashes were and I'm so glad I took a chance on this one.

The only 'con' as such is that once I stop using it, I do notice that my lashes just look normal again, not as lovely and long as when I am using this regularly.  However, this has definitely contributed to the revival of my lashes, they are in such lovely condition these days (really soft) and I can only put it down to this product.

Usual Price is apparently £11.29 however this can currently be yours for £4.20 and you can find it here.

Eye Creams

Keeping with the 'eye' theme, I thought I would share with you the eye products which I'm currently using. As mentioned above, I have recently turned 25 and I started to ask myself, when do I need to start using anti-ageing products? Apparently the answer is now.

No 7 as well as tailoring to specific skin types, also tailor their products dependant on what stage you are at in the anti-ageing process and as I'm in the 25-35 bracket, that means I should be perfecting and protecting. 

Probably not a product I would have picked up if it wasn't for the 3 for 2 offer, No 7 Protect & Perfect Eye Cream is actually really a great little product.  (I shouldn't expect anything less these days seeing how much I love all this range!)

This clever little cream this helps reduce the slight lines I have forming under my eyes almost instantly and leaves the skin feeling tight.  I try and remember to put this on morning and evening.

Usual price is £15.00 but as above, look out for the offers.  Link is here.  Also available in an 'intense' version.

If I find the delicate skin under my eyes dried out I like using Boots Simply Sensitive Hydrating Eye Cream.  This is so moisturising and it is really great if you are going to put concealer under your eyes and it makes sure it doesn't go on too cakey.  

This product as the name suggests is good for sensitive skin as it is hypo-allergenic and also has aloe vera which helps to sooth the skin.  Great little find and relatively inexpensive at £3.49, find it here.

Primer

As well as my growing obsession with No 7, I am also in love with Body Shop products.  Cruelty free and quality products, what more could we ask for?

The Body Shop Skin Primer Matte It is a good addition to my growing primer collection.  Does what it says on the tin, matte finish and product once applied feels silky smooth, helps my make-up glide on and stay put fairly effectively throughout the day.  A good buy if you have oily skin and find other primers too oily. 

A relatively cheap option at £12.00 and can be found here.

Well that is it folks.  Hopefully the above will be of help if you were thinking about purchasing any of the other or even if you were just searching for some inspiration.