So this is from China Glaze’s 2012 Summer Neons collection. I absolutely adore this colour. It’s described as a “bright sky blue shimmer.” This is a brightened medium sky blue with fine, pale white-blue shimmer. The formula was on the thicker side, and is opaque in two coats.
Here’s a close up, so you can see the shimmer.
When I first saw this foundation in Boots, I was impressed. It sounded fantastic. A foundation that contained a combination of clever, correcting pigments to disguise dark circles, dull skin and redness all of which I suffer from time to time. I’ve always liked the Healthy Mix foundation, and decided to give it a whirl.
I bought the shade 51 Light Vanilla, as this is the shade I most use when buying Boujois’ Healthy Mix foundation. There are 5 shades available, which isn’t alot of choice. I’ve included a comparison picture below, to show the difference between the Healthy Mix’s 51 Light Vanilla, and the 123 Perfect 51 Light Vanilla. You can clearly see the 123 Perfect is more orange, and is just too dark for me to wear without a tan. I have no idea if this is because of the “correcting pigments” within the foundation, but orange is not a good look!
(123 Perfect the left, Health Mix on the right. Both shade 51 Light Vanilla)
Coverage is okay, medium and buildable.. The first thin layer doesn’t hide any of my blemishes, so I have to apply this product in certain areas much like I would with a concealer. The formula is a little weird, not what I was expecting. It’s a thick liquid that dries to a powder, matte finish. I mix in a drop or two of my Mac Lustre Drops, as I’m not a keen wearer of matte foundations. For £10.99, this is an average high street price, but there are better ones out there more suitable for a paler skintones. If you’re darker than me and like a matte, medium coverage foundation, then try this one.
Overall I’m not impressed. If there was a better shade range, I’d be tempted to wear it more often. At the moment I can only wear it in the evenings when you can’t see the orange around my hairline. I will try to make better use of it during the Summer, when my skin becomes more tanned however this seems unlikely as there isn’t any sunhsine to be found in Wales 😦
First of all, I would like to apologise for the photographs. They’re quite dark/shadowed, but given the distinct lack of sunshine in Wales at the moment, there’s no alot I can do besides invest in some decent studio lighting.
I’ve put off reviewing this product for a few weeks now, I’ve even finished the tub, because I feel so “blah” and “whatever” about the product. Truth be told, it’s an okay hair mask but there’s so many 5 star and amazing reviews on the Boots website that I was expecting something a little more special.
The mask contains shea butter to replenish dry damaged hair and has a light, almost floral, scent. It doesn’t linger on the hair, however. The mask is incredibly thick, and glides on beautifully. A litte goes a long way, and this 200ml tub will last for ages. The packaging is gorgeous.
(A half empty tub)
You use it after shampooing, leave it one for 5 minutes and then rinse out. Fairly simply, and not terribly time-consuming. It does leave my hair moisturised, less fluffy and a tad smoother. No shine, or disguising split-ends. It’s a decent product, it does what it says on the tub. But I was expecting more, especially long term effects. I can get the same results with a decent conditioner.
I’d never heard of the Ayuuri brand before, or Neem Oil for that matter, but I’m glad that I received it in April’s Glossybox (shame, it was my 6th bottle of shower gel in a row though). It contains neem, tea tree, peppermint and eucalyptus oils. At £4.95 for 200ml, it’s not overly expensive either.
This body wash is all about cleansing, it feels cools and soothing on your skin. Lovely after a hot summer’s day (should they exsist, silly British weather!) or in the morning when you need a little pick-me-up.
It’s a little runny, but lathers well in the shower. I found it great to use on my slightly pink skin after our 5 days of decent weather a couple of weeks ago. As the formula is paraben free, it’s a great “green” alternative to the shower gels/washes you find in your local supermarket.
I prefer cream based highlighters, but this one from MAC goes even better. Lustre Drops are packaged in small bottles that you squeeze to push the product out of the small nozzle. Squeeze out as little as you can, if you’re using on your face. This can be a little tricky, and annoying if you end up with too much product on your hands. At £17.50 it may seem quite expensive, but the little bottle will last you a long time.
Pink Rebel is a runny liquid, described as “blue pink with gold pearl.” I can’t see much blue pink when I use it. It looks more peachy, with a bronze metallic shimmer. Definately a winner for lighter skintones.
I apply it by dotting the product along my cheekbones, and then buffing it in using my Real Techniques stippling brush. You could easily just use this with (clean!) fingers. It can be applied in other areas, such as brow bone, cupid’s bow and even on your body should you wish. Sometimes I mix it in with my foundation for an all over glow, which during wettest June in history, adds an extra healthy, dewy fresh look.
I know I’m not the only fan, Kate from ghostparties is also a fan.
The Body Shop released a range of body oils this Summer, and I picked up the Moringa Beautifying Oil on a two for £15 offer. Inside the bottle is 100ml of wonderfully scented oil. A bit pricey at £9, as I’ve already gone through half a bottle during the last couple of weeks. I’ve only used this on my skin, although you can apparantly use it for hair and face.
The delicate white floral scent works wonderfully with the lightweight nut oils, to give skin an instant boost of hydration and a shimmering finish.
As with all dry oils, it leaves a slightly oily/greasy residue that sinks into your skin. Takes roughly 10 minutes, and the scent lasts a good few hours. Unfortunately, once that “sheen” has gone, my skin is still just as dry as it was before I applied the product.
I’m hoping that even without the usual soft, silky feeling I normally get using a body oil, or moisturiser, that at least some of the ingredients are doing some good. It contains lots of emollients, oils and anti-oxidents but I’m not really seeing any great effect on my skin. I will continue to use it, as it smells gorgeous, but won’t be repurchasing.
Boots often hand out £5 off No7 beauty vouchers throughout the year. And unless your familiar with the brand, or at least have an idea of what you’ll spend them, the vouchers are left to gather dust on top of the fridge, or lay lonely and unused in the bottom of your bag for months.
So to help you guys, here are my choices and what I plan to spend mine on;
Boots have recently overhauled their entire skincare range – it now caters for many different skin types, and ages. If you’re young like myself, you’ll enjoy their Beautiful Skin range. Pictured in the left corner is No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream for Normal/Dry skin. At £12.50 it won’t be breaking your bank account, even more so when you use a £5 voucher. For £7.50 this moisturiser contains spf, and feels super silky and soft on your skin. I will do a full review soon. If your skin isn’t Normal, there’s a version for very dry skin, or oily skin. Or you could opt for a night cream. Or both!
Next are the No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes. I don’t advocate that you use wipes (any wipes that it, no matter the brand) as part of your daily cleansing regime. I use mine when I’m feeling super tired, or in the position where removing my make up with a proper cleanser might actually be dangerous after a few cocktails. They cost £7, or £2 after using a voucher, and are good for all skin types. They remove a large majority of makeup, you may have to use to two just to make sure, and even waterproof mascara. Can’t go wrong!
My favourite cleanser of choice at the moment is the No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser. As you can see from the picture in the bottom right hand corner, my bottle is nearly finished. I reach for it more and more often, and it’s lasted me almost 6 months. It’s compariable to Liz Earle’s famous clean and polish, it has a slightly less luxurious feel to it, but honestly I can’t say there’s much of a difference apart from price. This cleanser costs £10, or £5 with a voucher. Even without the voucher it’s still a bargain. You get a whopping 200ml worth of product, in comparison to 200ml of the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish will set you back £24.
No7 Poppy King Lipstick
Above is the shade “Confidence”. Poppy King makes great lipsticks, and this range for No7 is no different. The colours are all really wearable for any skin tone, and they apply like a dream. The problem is that they cost £12 each, or £7 with a money off voucher. £7 is more bareable, however you don’t get as much lipstick for your money – there’s only 4g. If the lipsticks don’t quite tickle your fancy, try the Poppy King Lip Crayon collection, they’re similar to Clinique’s Chubby Sticks.
Do you guys have any No7 favourites? What do you spend your vouchers on?
I bought this last weekend, which makes this quite a speedy review. I’ve tried Maybelline’s Lasting 24H Drama gel eyeliner and wasn’t really impressed. It smudged, and wasn’t black enough for me. And no way did it last 24h. My love for gel eyeliners has been dampened, but I still adore liquid eyeliners. And this new one from Maybelline even gives my beloved Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid eyeliner a run for it’s money.
Although I bought it at Boots, there is no mention on the website, and there doesn’t seem to be alot of adverts around for this product. I bought it for roughly £6.
Maybelline’s Master Precise Ink Pen Eyeliner has an ‘ultra-thin 0.4mm brush that supplies smooth, even line. No mess or excess.’ It’s like a felt tip pen, it’s soft and smooth and doesn’t drag or scratch. It’s this tip (or nib?) that makes this liquid eyeliner so easy to use.
When you’ve drawn your line, it lasts for ages. Migrates a litte, but no transferring onto my eyelid. Holds up pretty well against the rain too. I wouldn’t say it’s as stubborn, or budge-proof as the Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid eyeliner, but it’s comparable – at the fraction of the cost. It’s easy to create very thin, or thicker lines and wings are a breeze. No flaking. A big thumbs up from me!
glesnibeautyblog.wordpress.com 