February’s Empties

I love collecting my empty bottles and packaging. It makes me feel good about myself – I successfully finished a product and this itself is an achievement worth celebrating. Better yet, is feeling less guilty about buying new products and that at least there’s some space for something new and shiny.

Boots Expert Build Up Removal Shampoo
This shampoo is inexpensive and does what it says on the bottle. It’s not fancy but it does what it’s supposed to do – remove product build up leaving hair feeling like new. I always used this before using a leave-in hair mask. Build up removal shampoos can be quite drying in general but this one is a keeper.Recommended & Repurchased

Garnier Moisture Match Start Afresh Light Softening Cream
I like this dinky tube of moisturiser. I travel a lot between my apartment and my boyfriend’s flat and this is the one product I never forgot to take with me. The small tube is travel-friendly, no spillages and it’s perfect for normal skin. It’s light, freshly scented and made my skin feel baby soft. It’s also dirt cheap as I’ve purchased a new one already for £1.99 (on offer in my local supermarket.) This time I’m trying the pink tube version, which is for slightly drier skins. Wonderful. Recommended

L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara
L’Oreal mascaras are usually winners. They’re not as expensive as other drugstore mascaras and this one is no exception. I love the large bristle brush, I love the carbon colour and I love the volume is gives my lashes. Unfortunately it can easily smudge which ultimately stings my eyes 😦

MAC Face and Body Foundation (C1)
This is my favourite foundation ever. At first the £28.50 price tag seems a little steep, but you get a lot of product for your pennies. A whole 120ml. Usually MAC foundations (and most drugstore ones too) come in 30ml bottles. The shade is a perfect match. This is a light to medium buildable coverage foundation. It’s dewy, fresh and does cake in any fine lines. Recommended & Repurchased

The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil
I am a big fan of cleansing oils to remove makeup. They do a great job and this one is no exception. Even Caroline Hirons likes this one. And I have to agree. Good ingredients and not too damaging to the purse-strings. It is a pain to get hold of – my nearest Body Shop is a good few miles away and I can’t justify shipping costs for one item on the website. I’ve since purchased a different cleansing oil from Boots to try but I’m sure one day I’ll return to this. Recommended

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation
I love this drugstore foundation to bits. Medium coverage and a healthy glow. Also “Ivory” seems to be a good colour match. I am slightly disappointed with the brand overall. The original Healthy Mix got a revamp but the shade range is now too dark and orange, and it’s the same for their Happy Light foundation. The serum foundation is the only one I can wear.

Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner
After using this entire bottle up, I’m not entirely sure it actually did much for my skin. The natural AHAs in this product provide gentle exfoliation and brightening but it was so gentle it didn’t really help combat my blemish-prone skin. It’s cheap, cheerful and received lots of great reviews. If you’ve got sensitive skin I’d recommend giving this a try but otherwise it simply isn’t powerful enough for anybody with acne scarring like me.

Herbal Essences Dry Shampoo – Naked and Uplifting Volume

My fringe needs a good blast of dry shampoo on a daily basis. I am a dry shampoo junkie and proud! And more often than not, I’m not particularly picky or brand loyal when it comes to dry shampoo. I don’t have any complaints as long as it does the job.

Unfortunately, I do have complaints about these two dry shampoos from Herbal Essences. First to meet my wrath was the Naked version. It looks clean, sleek and inviting inside that white aerosol can. The peppermint oil smells delicious but the tapioca starch doesn’t seem to do much of a cleaning job. The product feels very wet on my hair initially and whilst it doesn’t look as greasy as it did before, the Naked shampoo doesn’t seem to have much oomph as a rice starch dry shampoo like Batiste.

Slightly better is the Uplifting Volume version in the orange bottle. The fine mist is lightweight and the citrus scent is lovely. Again, this one also applies quite wet so try not to over do it. But it’s not volumising or uplifting in the slightest and doesn’t deliver on it’s promises. It does however perform better than the Naked version.

Neither of these shampoos will leave you with granny grey chic hair – they’re not white like other dry shampoos. But they just don’t seem to work as effectively. If I had to choose one to buy again, it’d be the orange Uplifting Volume version but I can’t say I’d ever bother repurchasing either. Tapioca starch based dry shampoos just aren’t for me.

Stila Convertible Colours Review & Swatches

(Left to Right – Lillium, Magnolia, Gladiola, Peony and Gerbera)

I posted a quick photo of these gorgeous blushes on my instagram account @whitedoebeauty a couple of days ago. (By the way, you should totally be following me on instgram, you’ll get to see what an horrific geek I am haha). I figuired why not write a full review and include some swatches whilst I’m at it.

I’ve tried alot of cream blushes but Stila’s offerings are by far my favourite, even beating MAC. They look frighteningly bright in the pan but let me assure you, they’re absolutely beautiful applied to the apple’s of your cheeks. They’ll make you wonder why you even bothered with powder blushes in the first place.

There are plenty of brushes that work well to apply cream blushes, my favourite one is the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. When I haven’t got time to fiddle about with brushes, or when I can’t fit one in my teeny tiny travel makeup bag, the best method is to use your fingertips. Just dab and blend using a clean finger.

Convertible Colours are marketed as a multi-tasking product, lips and cheeks. I personally only ever use them on my cheeks but in a hurry they’re a great way to tie your whole makeup look together.

The blushes are so creamy and leave a nice little sheen to the cheek without being sticky. My favourite by far is Lillium. It’s so easy to wear and natural looking. I also love how the outer packaging matches the shade of the blush on the inside. No fumbling around in drawers looking at labels.

They retail for £16 and are available from the Stila website, Boots or Marks & Spencer.

Clearasil – Superfruits Refreshing Pads Review

I suffer from adult acne. I wish I didn’t. Hormone imbalances often mean my face is consistently being attacked by deep, cystic acne. A new one pops up almost daily. Or at least they used to. Thanks to Clearasil, I’m beginning to win the war on spots.

I wasn’t too keen on trying these – Clearasil and I aren’t the best of friends. None of their products have ever worked for me, often having the opposite effect and making spots worse. But you’d have to pry the Superfruits Refreshing Pads from my cold dead hands before I’d be willing to give them up.

First I cleanse my face, followed by a quick wipe with one these pads. They have a strong chemical scent – don’t be fooled by the pictures of berries on the tub. The product does contain alcohol which will sting on any cuts or grazes, but it also contains the holy grail Salicylic Acid. This ingredient works hard to fight the spots, reducing them in size by the morning. The pad itself is nothing luxurious at all. Everything about this product – the alcohol, parfum and rough pads – scream “cheap!” However I’ve never used anything as effective at preventing spots as these pads. Ever.

The only downside is that continuous use of these pads morning and night does my skin feel sensitive – I switch up my skincare routine with other toners and only use these in the evening. I follow up with my usual serum and then moisturiser.

And these are such a bargain. Retailing at £4.07 at Boots but even better, I found my tub at Home Bargains for £1.29. That’s probably less than the change I carry in my purse. Absolute steal!

Maybelline Colour Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils Review

I spotted these lip pencils whilst on a late night chocolate hunt at my local Tesco store. I couldn’t decide which colour to pop in my basket and ended up buying five. Although I’m wishing I had bought more as these short little chubby pencils are a fantastic find.

The pencils are all in beautiful colours and a excellent formula – semi-matte but still creamy and not too drying. Comparisons to the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils are obvious – they’re quite similar in finish. Maybelline’s lip pencils tend to wear off without leaving a stain, are smaller and a great low budget alternative. At £4.99 you won’t be horrifically upset if you lost one of these babies on a night out.

They’re lightweight and easy to carry around in your purse or pocket. I like the simple black pencil with the colour swatch at the bottom so I can see what I’m reaching for out of my lippy drawer.

The first shade I have swatched is “Light it Up” – a bright pink toned red. My favourite by far is “Nude Essential.” I’ve already had to sharpen this shade as it’s perfect for trying out Kylie Jenner inspired lips. “Keep it Classy” is a surprisingly deep colour, a pinky plum shade that will suit most skin tones. Next is “Minimalist” which is a sheer wash of nude-y pink on the lips. The pencil is slightly shimmery but this doesn’t translate well on the lips. It’s a great colour for Spring. And last but not forgotten is “Berry Much” – the perfect Autumn/Winter berry shade. It’s deep, dark and great for those who enjoy wearing a bold lip colour.

I highly recommend keeping your lips well scrubbed and moisturised before applying these as they will highlight flaky dry lips. I am a big lip product lover and these Colour Drama pencils tick all the boxes.

L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Review

The problem with living a separate life away from my boyfriend is that when I do finally go to stay at his flat for a weekend, I’m left struggling to pack the right beauty products. I wish I could take them all with me and have everything at my disposal but it just isn’t practical to haul a suitcase worth of hair products for one weekend at the boyf’s.

Which is how I ended up purchasing L’Oreal’s Extraordinary Oil one rainy afternoon at my local Asda. You can often find this oil on offer somewhere, Boots, local supermarkets ect but it retails at £9.99. A bargain for a product that is proud to be ultra versatile and has 6 natural oils – rose, chamomile, flax, lotus, tiara and sunflower. I immediately popped it in my basket as a multi-use item I could have laying around my boyfriend’s flat.

I’ve used it as a hair mask – rubbing a larger than normal amount into my hair 20 minutes before a shower. Honestly? My hair wasn’t transformed into smooth silky hair. There wasn’t much of a difference at all. Maybe it needs longer than 20 minutes to work it’s magic? It did at least make my hair smell lovely.

I mainly use it as a form of heat protection, plus another pump of oil afterwards to put stray frizzies into place. Perhaps I’m a difficult person to please, but I just haven’t been blown away by this product.

The packaging is gorgeous and the glass bottle, although not ideal for travelling, is very luxurious indeed. It does the job, heat protection and smoothing, but it isn’t a game changer. I’d recommend giving it a go if you have dry, parched locks like mine if you can find the Extraordinary Oil on offer (1/3 off at Boots maybe?) just don’t pay full price. There are cheaper products on the shelves that do the same thing.

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers

If there’s one product I can’t resist buying into, it’s lippy. So now that MUA have decided to include some new shades in their Velvet Lip Lacquer range, I gave in and bought three. For £3 each, many beauty bloggers are hailing these as budget dupes for the infamous (and practically difficult to obtain) Lime Crime Velvetines. I can’t make any real comparisons between the two products as my Lime Crime Velvetines are still being shipped out. But rest assured that when they arrive it’ll be swatch central in my house.

With the introduction of 4 new nude-y shades, there are 9 in total to choose from. I picked up Halcyon, Funk and Reckless. Swatched on my arm in that order,

Halcyon is the nude everybody will want to get their hands on. It’s one of the four newest released nude shades that were added to the Velvet Lacquer collection and it’s perfect for creating that 90’s Kylie Jenner inspired lip. Personally, I lived through the 90’s and I have no idea why brown lipstick was such a winner then or even now but Halcyon is a wearable warm, pink-ish nude that most people will be able to wear.

Funk is a bold fuchsia pink shade that I wish I had in my collection during the Summer months. I doubt this would’ve left my side. Bright and eye-catching but easy to pull off. It glides on with the ease of a gloss, setting to a matte velvety texture.

Last but not least is Reckless – a classic red. This one is quite a deep shade and it’s perfect for the Autumn/Winter months. Like the previous two shades this lip lacquer lasts for about 3-5 hours depending on your eating/drinking habits. My only issue is that the matte formula is very drying and instead of wearing off the lacquer tends to “crumble” in pieces – either in your food, drink or on your teeth (not a good look!) My suggestions are to use a lip scrub and balm to ensure lips are super smooth and moisturised before application.

Encased in chic frosted glass packaging, they’re smooth, thick and super pigmented. I found that using just one swipe had more than enough coverage. The paraben-free formula might not be perfect, but for £3 they’re an absolute bargain.

Bottom line, would I buy more? No, not really. I need my lip products to last and the crumbling nature of these is a feature that puts me off buying more. But for somebody on a budget, they’re perfect.

A Healthy Obsession? Bourjois Healthy Mix Comparisons

(51 Serum, 51 Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix (new formula), 52 and 53 Healthy Mix (old formula))

Bourjois’ Healthy Mix foundation is my all time favourite everyday, drugstore foundation. I’ve repurchased it so many times that I can’t keep track. It’s been a staple in my makeup bag for years.

And whilst many were excited for the release of the new Radiance Reveal Health Mix, which boasts an improved formula and fancy packaging, my heart sank a little. Why fix something that isn’t broken?

Gone has the plastic packaging, which has been replaced by a beautiful sleek, glass bottle. It comes with a red pump, that matches the Serum version of this foundation (be careful not to confuse them on the shelves) and I’ve been using it for a few days now. It has the same subtle fruit fragrance – the apricot for radiance, melon for hydration and apple for youth protection, which are now in greater quantities than the original – and it’s completely weightless. In all honesty, there’s isn’t much difference in terms of wear-time, scent, the dewy glow and the general feel of the foundation. The differences are only what you see with the packaging, and the shade range.

I’ve always been a 51 Vanille Clair kinda gal. I’ve owned all three variants of the healthy mix foundation in shade 51, and although there are no differences between the old formula and the serum, the new Radiance Reveal formula 51 is a tad darker as you can see from the comparison swatches. Which is deeply upsetting as 51 Vanille Clair was the perfect match for me for most of the year, except when I tan in the Summer months.

With the old formula gone from our shelves, I’m sticking with the Serum version (skinny glass bottle, red pump) as the shade 51 actually matches my skintone, and despite being a serum, it performs pretty much the same as the original Healthy Mix but perhaps slightly less coverage.

I’ll be keeping my 52 Vanille, and 53 Beige Clair originals (plastic bottle, black pump), and the 51 New Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix for the Summer. For the remainder of the year, it’ll be the Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Vanille Clair.

Splurge or Save? NARS Luster vs ELF Peachy Keen vs MAC Margin

(Left to Right – MAC Margin, NARS Luster, ELF Peachy Keen)

All three of these blushes are a gorgeous golden apricot colour. A colour that I tend to wear throughout the year as it’s one of my favourites, but best suited to Spring and Summer. Luster, Peachy Keen and Margin are all very similar and it’s probably isn’t worth buying all three however there are some differences, and not just the price tag.

NARS Luster is the most expensive, £21.50. It’s also soft like silk, and it’s one of the denser, creamier blushes I’ve ever used. It’s remarkably versatile, a sheer wash of colour that can built up to suit both paler and darker skintones. It’s also just that tad more pigmented than MAC.

MAC Margin was my first ever blush from MAC – it has a soft spot in my heart and I love it so much I’ve hit the pan twice. NARS Luster is a relatively new purchase for me, so time will tell which one I prefer, but the £17.50 pricetag is cheaper, and the packaging is sturdy. Ever dropped a NARS Blush and seen it smash into a million pieces on your tiled bathroom floor? Heartbreaking! There’s no difference between Margin and Luster on the cheeks.

ELF Peachy Keen is the bargain of the bunch, £3.75 but ELF often run promotions so you could get it even cheaper. The colour pay-off isn’t as good as the other two, you really have to build it up for mid to deeper complexions but you also run the risk of it becoming chalky. Peachy Keen is probably best left to those on the paler end of the spectrum.

ELF Peachy Keen net weight is 4.75g, NARS Luster is 4.8g and MAC Margin’s net weight is a purse friendlier 6g.

ELF HD Blush in Headliner and Superstar Review & Swatches

I’ve never considered ELF to be much of a contender in my makeup collection. With such good, affordable brands on our doorstep (Sleek, MUA ect) why do I need to bother with ELF? Their products aren’t available in shops, and whilst I don’t mind buying my makeup online – 9 times out of 10 I’ve already seen the product I’m buying instore. Taking a leap of faith, and trusting online swatches I added both Headliner and Superstar to my shopping basket.

And I’m rather glad I did.

Initially I was surprised by how dinky, and small the packaging is. That aside, it’s cute and functional. The product is quite runny so a pump dispenser is the best option, unfortunately you nearly always end up with too much product on your hands. As these blushes are so pigmented, you really don’t need much at all. Unless you’re opting for a clown face. They apply wet, and need some blending but as they begin to dry they become matte and less “dewy” or “sheeny” although not completely a cream to poweder formula.

Pigmented, cheap and long-lasting these HD blushes from ELF are a sure winner. If you like using cream based blushes then I’d really suggest trying these. If you’re more of a powder girl you may find these messy, but it’s worth a shot with a pricetag of £3.75 if you’re looking for something more pigmented.

I wish they offered more natural colours, as I can’t see myself wearing any of the other shades available and already rarely reach for these two. Fantastic product otherwise.

Splurge or Save?: ELF Gotta Glow vs NARS Albatross

(NARS left fingertip, ELF right)

There’s no denying that I love my NARS Albatross highlighting blush. It’s got an iconic status, and spends alot of it’s time atop my highlighters stash. Despite this, and I’m not going to lie, £21.50 caused me emotional pain to aquire this. That’s more than I spend on petrol in a week.

£21.50 buys you a gorgeous, golden shimmery highlighter that’s soft, buttery smooth. It’s finely milled, no flaking and no fall-out. It looks gorgeous on, and works universally with all the other NARS blushes.

When I heard about ELF’s Gotta Glow being compared to my beloved Albatross, I starting hoping for an amazing dupe. It costs just £3.75. That’s a £17.25 saving! Which is all the more important as NARS have hiked up their prices, two years ago Albatross was under the twenty quid mark. And my question is, is NARS really worth that £17.25 extra? What more am I getting for my money?

Packaging wise it’s easy to see similarities. NARS is all rubbery, which gets icky and dirty very quickly, and ELF just looks like a cheap imitation. But does packaging really matter? No. Not to me. It’s my face, and the makeup on it, that’s on show to the world. Not the inside of my makeup drawer (thank goodness, it’s a mess!)

Then comes the formula comparisons. Gotta Glow is chunkier, less finely milled and has major fall-out. To avoid looking like a glitterball, I tap my brush. Simple. And once blended, no matter how hard I look, I can’t find a difference between the two on my face at all. It’s only noticeable when I swatch on my fingertip. But for £3.75 I wasn’t expecting an amazing texture.

If a single tap of the brush before application is the only realy difference between how these two look on my face – count me in. That’s worth £17.25 to me, and another week’s worth of petrol paid for.

Gotta Glow net weight is 4.75g, Albatross is 4.8g – a bargain if I ever saw one.

MAC Face and Body Review & Swatches

(MAC Face and Body in Shade C1)

MAC face and body is a water based foundation that provides sheer, lightweight and long lasting coverage. The majority of foundations are 30ml. This foundation is 120ml and costs £26.50, which is a total bargain. You’re getting FOUR times the normal amount of foundation in your average bottle.

The coverage is really really light, but incredibly buildable. I like using concealer first on the areas I need coverage and then topping up with a light coverage of Face and Body to even out the rest of my skintone. I’ll add another layer if needed once the first has set. You’ll barely notice that you’re wearing foundation as it’s so lightweight.

Typically I will get 6 hours wear out of this before it starts to fade. It’ll last longer with a bit of powder/setting spray. C1 can at times look a little too orange for my pale skintone, but after blending, blending and more blending it works well for me. The finish is mostly matte, but with a hint of a glow. No glitter, no shimmer, just enough dewy goodness to keep it from looking flat.

This foundation is quite runny, and that can make it difficult to work with. If I was a really sheer coverage, applying it with my fingers will do it justice. I tend to find your typical flat fouantion brush leaves me with streaks, so a rounded brush, or a stippling brush. My favourite is the MAC Duo Fibre Face Brush (187), simply swirling and patting the product onto my face until it’s blended.

It’s by far my favourite, most loved foundation. I don’t use it very often, mostly in the Summer, but everytime I do use it I’m reminded of how brilliant it is.

NARS Albatross Highlighting Blush Review & Swatches

I bought this highlighting blush some time ago, but only recently started to using it. I use it to highlight my cheekbones and down my nose using the Real Techniques Contour Brush that came in the Core Collection set.

Albatross is described as a “sheer, light golden sheen,” and I couldn’t agree more. It looks white in the pan, however once applied it leaves you with a golden, illuminous sheen rather than frosted or shimmery. On its own, it’ll make warmer, darker skintones look washed out. Although when it’s paired with another blush it almost becomes universal. It works especially well with other NARS blushes, or at least those with a golden shimmer to them.

I manged to get an excellent seven or eight hours wear out this highlighting blush too before it started to fade. The price tag is a little off-putting. £21.00 is excesive. I got mine with a 10% discount at John Lewis, when they had a price match offer going on. Even better, get your NARS from Asos and enjoy 10% for students all year round (sometimes more).

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder Review & Swatches

Everybody seems to be talking about this pressed powder from Rimmel. At £3.99 it’s budget friendly and has received rave reviews. I don’t have oily skin, in fact at the moment it’s quite dry and flaky which makes this powder, Stay Matte, an odd choice. However I like to wear powder to set my makeup, making it last longer rather than use it for it’s mattifying purposes.

I picked out the shade 001 Transparent, which judging from my photos is actually not at all transparent. Luckily this powder is available in 7 shades, and I’d really reccomend picking one that suits you best as 001 Transparent definately isn’t a translucent one-shade-suits-all kind of deal. Luckily, I’m a pale British girl.

Compared to my favourite MAC powder, this offering from Rimmel does indeed feel powdery and chalky. It tends to look more cakey on my dry skin, and highlights/gathers in my very dry patches. I have to use a light hand, but otherwise it’s actually a really nice powder considering the pricetag.

It does ensure my makeup lasts longer, but I really need something that doesn’t cling to my dry skin too much. Shame, as I’d really reccomend this to anybody with oily skin.

Superfacialist Rose Miracle Makeover Facial Oil Review

I’ve long been intrigued by facial oils and cleansing balms, and considering that my skin has become very dry this Winter, I thought it was time to take the plunge.

This oil by Superfacialist, a brand created by skincare specialist Una Brennan, is a pre-cleanse treatment. I already use the double cleanse method for days that I wear makeup, so this isn’t an unfamiliar technique.

You need to warm the oil between the hands and then massage it into your skin before removing with a muslin cloth or flannel. Then follow up with your usual cleanser.

What’s beautiful about this oil is that it doesn’t contain mineral oil to bulk it out. It really does feel amazing on your skin, and smells gorgeous. One or two pumps is adequate, despite the small bottle size (30mls) it is lasting well. As a cleasner it does a good job of removing makeup whilst also being hydrating. My skin feels comfortable and soft, with no dryness or tightness.

I’ve really enjoyed using this oil, and it’s peaked my interest in the rest of the range. At £14.99 it’s not cheap, however Boots (exclusive stockist) often have 3 for 2 offers on, so it’s worth stocking up when you can.