Friday, 31 August 2012

St Ives Invigorating Body Scrub


So, I just wanted to bring you a little review today, and it's on the St Ives Apricot Body Scrub. It's the invigorating formula, but I've never seen a different formula so I think this  might be the only one out there.


St Ives are freakin' awesome. Their facial scrubs are amongst my favourite, so this was already a win for me before I tried it.

I remained unbiased as I tested it, and still come to the same conclusion. I love it. It's one of the best body scrubs I've used, and it's not that expensive either. I think it was about £4.99 (Don't quote me on that though).

It's pretty much the same as the facial scrub. It smells the same, and feels very very similar.


Overall it's pretty darn good. It does what it says on the tin, and it lasts ages. It really makes my skin feel smooth and super clean after using it which is a win win in my book.

I would highly recommend this little tub of goodness, and give it 4/5. The only thing I would change is the scent, and that goes for the facial scrub as well. I;m just not a fan of it, but I can get over it because it's an awesome scrub that does what it says. 


Have your tried this? Do you like St Ives Scurbs?
Thursday, 30 August 2012

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Wednesday, 29 August 2012

FOTD + How Much My Face Costs?

So, today my post includes an awkward mirror pic and some shocking makeup news! I've seen a few of these How Much is My Face Worth hit the blogs as of late, and I just wanted to throw in my two cents on my everyday look and how much that costs!


Sorry for the weird picture. I’m not always comfortable on camera (and the horrid hair) but today on my face I’m wearing: 

  • YSL Touch Eclat Foundation in B10 | £28 
  •  Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 2 Light | £4.09
  • YSL Semi Loose Powder in 2 Sand | £38
  • Solait Maxi Bronzer in Golden Glow  | £4.99
  • MAC Blush in Immortal Flower  | £17.50 
  • MeMeMe Moonbeam  | £5.25 
  • Vivo Ultimate Brow and Eye Kit  | £5 
  • Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain | £7.99 
  • Dior Eyeshadow Palette in Corquette |  £40 
  • MeMeMe Eyeline in Coal |  £4.99 
  • Sleek Eau La La Liner in White |  £3.99 
  • MUA Every Lash Mascara in Waterproof Black  | £3 
  • Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara in Extreme Black |  £7.99

The total price of my face today is £170.79, and that is just the makeup. I dread to think what the total would be if I added the skincare/prep I use. I also have not counted brushes! With the tools I used to apply everything my total would be £212.78!


How much is your face worth?
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Monday, 27 August 2012

MUA Immaculate Collection Palette

MUA Immaculate Collection Palette

I adore MUA. Sometimes their social media presence can leave you feeling totally awkward but the products from the brand are amazing and super cheap. I reach for these over some of my high end products and love them even more than the most expensive items. 

This particular palette differs from the others that the brand offers. The regular palettes are £4 for 12 shadows, but this one if £8 and you get a selection of 24 eyeshadows. 

There is a brilliant selection of colours, so there is something for everyone here. You can create so many different looks from these shadows, and if you love on in particular you can find them in the £1 range of single eyeshadows that MUA offer. 

The first row of shadows offers mostly pearl shades, and just one matte. The matte is almost invisible when swathed and the formula leaves a lot to be desired. It's chalky, and disappears the moment you try and blend it with anything. The pearl shades are gorgeous though. The formulation is great, they are pigmented and the blend nicely. There isn't chunky glitter, but you do get a little fall out if you pick up too much product! I just tap of the excess to avoid that. 

MUA Immaculate Collection Palette Swatches

The middle row offer some of my favourite colours in the collection. The golden/bronze colour is a great dupe for MAC Amber Lights and lovely champange colour are briliiant highlights. The matte colours here are just as bad as the one in the top row, so I don't use those but the pearl shades are loved dearly by me! 

MUA Immaculate Collection Palette Swatches

The last row offers the most matte colours in the collection and they are awful. The brightness and deepness of the colours mean they show up a bit more, but they are still awful to blend and they have so much fall out that you have to do the eyes first before you even think about creating a base.

MUA Immaculate Collection Palette Swatches
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Friday, 24 August 2012

Top 5 Blushes | YSL, Topshop and ELF

I never used to be one for blush, but recently they have become my obsession. Now, with summer supposedly just around the corner, cream blushes have found there way out of storage and into my makeup bag. 

So, today I wanted to share with you my top 5 blushes of the moment. So, in not particular order, I give you my favourite blushes of the moment. 

Top 5 Blushes


5. ELF Studio Blush – Pink Passion

ELF Studio Blush in Pink Pasion

At only £3.50, this matte, bright pink blush is a favourite of mine. It's decently pigments, the packaging is nice and it blends really nicely. It can fade a little though out the day, but I don't mind considering the price. A total must have for me!

4. Topshop Cream Blush – Head Over Heels

Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heels

This is the only orange toned blush I've found that I can wear. Usually they look awful on my but with the pink tone also in this blush these look great! It's great for summer and the cream to powder formula makes it long wearing.  It easy to apply and super blendable, so a great all round winner for me. Read my full review here!

3. YSL Blush Variation - Shade 2

YSL Blush Variation in 2

I fell in love with this the moment I got it. Not only is it super luxurious but it's a great colour and formulation. I love the colour, and it leaves the most amazing finish to the cheeks. There is  a little hint of shimmer in there but it doesn't make you look like Edward Cullen, but rather leaves a nice luminous finish to the cheeks.
2. Topshop Cream Blush – Neon Rose

Topshop Cream Blush in Neon Rose

I've already said I love the formulation of these cream blushes, so that gives this one big tick right away. The colour of this gives it another huge tick as well. The beautiful yet subtle pink colour works with almost any makeup look and works great on my skin tone. Read my full review here and here!
Topshop Cream Blush – Flush 

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush

Yes, this is the third Topshop blush in my favourites but I love them just that much. This colour is my favourite of them all. The bright pink can be blended to a more subtle look or built up to make the cheeks pop! It's just the right tone of pink for my skin tone.  Read my full review here and here!
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Monday, 20 August 2012

YSL Natural Radiance Poudre Sur Mesure Semi Loose Powder

 The YSL Poudre Sur Mesure Semi-Loose Powder is meant to combine the convenience of a pressed powder with the lightness and transparency of a loose powder. It contains YSL's "bright pearl complex" which is meant to highlight skins true radiance. 
 YSL Natural Radiance Poudre Sur Mesure Semi Loose Powder  
I love a loose powder. I've always found those better for keeping skin looking like skin rather than heavily covered and cakey like pressed powder can leave it. That being said, I am the messiest person on the planet and clumsy too so I've seen one to many powders go all over my carpet. 

YSL Natural Radiance Poudre Sur Mesure Semi Loose Powder



This is my dream. You get the lovely finish of a loose powder and the ease of something pressed. It isn't quite a transparent as loose powders, but it doesn't make my skin look cakey at all. You don't waste anything because just one little twist of the grinder is enough for one use on the face.

I picked up shade 2, which is great for people who are around NC/NW 15 - 20. It offers a little coverage but nothing to extreme, but it really leaves a flawless finish/look of the skin. 

The packaging is a bit too chunky for my liking. It's beautiful, don't get me wrong but it's not the kind of thing I could just throw in a small bag on a night out to touch up my skin. It's just to big! 

YSL Natural Radiance Poudre Sur Mesure Semi Loose Powder
 

I like that it has a mirror, so if you do take it out (if you carry a big enough bag) you can touch up without worrying about finding a mirror. The little brush you get free isn't a favourite of mine, but it is really nice quality and it works fine for little touch ups. 

The price does bother me a little but it lasts a long time so it's not like you are spending £38 every month. It was a bit of a kick in to stomach at the time I brought this because I was used to my £2.99 collection powder but after realizing how much better this is on the skin, I would thing about repurchasing it in the future. 
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Thursday, 16 August 2012

Clarins Toning Lotion With Iris

A few weeks ago, I had a bit of spend up on a blog sale. I picked up quite a few skincare bits, including this Clarins Toning Lotion With Iris for Oily/Combination Skin.  It was only £3 and I thought it was a great way to try something expensive before buying it new. 

Clarins Toning Lotion with Iris
Clarins Toning Lotion With Iris, Normally £18, purchase here
The toner is alcohol free, contains purifying iris and sage extracts. It claims to tone and tighten pores while helping to normalize skin oil levels. It has a slight scent, but the only way I can describe it would be "clean". 


Alcohol-free toner—with purifying Iris and Sage extracts—removes every last trace of cleanser, leaving oily-prone skin clean and perfectly radiant.Tones and tightens pores while helping normalise surface oils. Preps skin for the Clarins treatments that follows. - See more at: http://www.clarins.co.uk/Toning-Lotion-With-Iris-%22Combination/Oily-Skin%22/C010103002,en_GB,pd.html?start=19#sthash.hqAE8MO1.dpuf
Alcohol-free toner—with purifying Iris and Sage extracts—removes every last trace of cleanser, leaving oily-prone skin clean and perfectly radiant.Tones and tightens pores while helping normalise surface oils. Preps skin for the Clarins treatments that follows. - See more at: http://www.clarins.co.uk/Toning-Lotion-With-Iris-%22Combination/Oily-Skin%22/C010103002,en_GB,pd.html?start=19#sthash.hqAE8MO1.dpu
Alcohol-free toner—with purifying Iris and Sage extracts—removes every last trace of cleanser, leaving oily-prone skin clean and perfectly radiant.Tones and tightens pores while helping normalise surface oils. Preps skin for the Clarins treatments that follows. - See more at: http://www.clarins.co.uk/Toning-Lotion-With-Iris-%22Combination/Oily-Skin%22/C010103002,en_GB,pd.html?start=19#sthash.hqAE8MO1.dpuf
Despite the fact that I have dry skin, I thought I would give this a go in hopes that it might help balance the oil I get around my nose area. In defense of the product, it didn't dry out my skin, but it also didn't help me with any other skin issues.  

I used the toner as directed by Clarins (soaking it in a cotton pad and massaging over the face and neck). It didn't help any breakout/oily areas on my skin, and it didn't worsen my dry patches. I saw no improvement in the visibility of my pores over the time I used it. 

I can't say it's a bad product because it did nothing to make my skin worse but, for me, it's not worth the retail price of £18 because it did nothing more for me than helping remove the last little bit of cleanser left on my face. 

For me, I would recommend trying the Tea Tree Cleanser and Toner from Superdrug before this because it helped out my skin at lot more than this and it's only £2.99 a bottle.  The peppermint scent of this product can be off putting, but it does help with breakouts and it works as a traditional toner. 

You can pick up the Clarins Toning Lotion with Iris at Clarins counters or here for £18.
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