Witch Mattifying Moisturiser

I'm a a bit of a fickle fiend when it comes to moisturizers. I don't have sensitive skin, so I will try just about anything. I also don't find that too many have broken me out in the past. I do try to avoid anything with mineral oil and fragrance to high up in the ingredients.  I like products with some SPF, and if they have other beneficial ingredients then I'm all for it. 

I think it is also worth noting that I have mostly normal to dry skin, with a oily nose. 

So, I was given the chance to try out the Witch Skincare Mattifying Mosituriser I jumped at the chance. I figured that something that was meant to mattify and moisturise would be great for my combination skin type, and it also has a nice SPF of 15 which is great for this time of year (or any time of year to be honest). 

You get a nice 100ml of product for the low price of £4.99 RRP but you can usually find it on some kind of offer in Superdrug or Boots. The packaging is nice and simple, perfect for traveling or taking on the go because there is no glass or easily breakable plastic. 

The lotion is light, and probably best for people with combo/oily skin. It does work for me, but if I'm having a dry day it's not quite enough for me. It doesn't mattify to much, but it is light enough to use on my oily nose. It doesn't make it worse, but I wouldn't say it helps control the oil through the day. 

I can't say I saw anything other than a light moisturizing effect in terms of benefits, but sometimes it is nice to just have a basic product that does what it says on the tin. I have just one tip for you guys, don't put this anywhere near your eyes. I do have quite sensitive eyes, but I got this ever so slightly near my undereye and it took me about 10 minutes to get it to stop streaming. 

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone with combination or slightly oily skin. It is a nice basic product for a good price and it's easily accessible for people who want to try it out.  You can get it online here for £4.99 or instore where they sell Witch products 

    

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*PR Sample

Skin Revivals Organic Facial Cleansing Oil and Advanced 24 Hour Balm

So, this has taken me far to long to post but if you saw my Life update #1
I have been majorly busy with work and uni and this blog, unfortunately, has had to take a bit of a back seat. 

 Anyways, today I have a review of two products from Skin Revivals. The first being their Organic Facial Cleansing Oil and the second being the Advanced 24 Hour Balm. 


  
The first thing that I noticed about The Organic Facial Cleansing Oil is that it is mineral oil free. The con's of mineral oils have been posted just about everywhere over the net and, let's face it, you really don't want to dress your skin in that stuff.  It's also free of other nasty things like preservative, colours and artificial fragrance. 

Because it's free of all the things you don't want to put on your skin it is jam packed with good, helpful oils like Avocado Oil for hydration, Rose Hip Seed Oil and Jojoba Oil for healing and Sunflower Oil and Sweet Almond Oil for cleansing purposes. 

The mixture of ingredients gives the oil a light scent but it's nothing offensive and I really like that it doesn't have the typical "natural skincare" scent. There might be a hint of a rose scent mixed in there but it's nice and if you don't like it, it doesn't linger after use.

Now, lets move on to the Advanced 24 Hour Balm. The balm isn't really a balm,  but is a great moisturizer for those with super dry skin. I think it would be a bit to intense for those with oily or combination skin. It is free from the nasties that are harmful or just not good for skin, most noticably colour, artificial fragrance and parabens. 

It does have a a rose scent that is described as light but it really is quite strong. It doesn't last or anything, so don't let it put you off.  I usually have an aversion to rose scents but this one doesn't freak my skin out as much as other products I've tried. 

I wouldn't say it gives 24 hours of hydration on the skin but I do like this for a nice day moisturizer. It helps soothe some of my dry skin, but doesn't effect the makeup on my face all that much.  
 

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 *This post contains PR Samples

Garnier Moisture Match Foundation for Dull Skin

I was so excited when this hit stores because I had been told that the formulation for dull skin had a similar feel to the Clinique Moisture Surge Intense on the skin. They have been out for quite some time now, and seeing as it has taken this long for me to review it you can probably guess that it really didn't impress me that much and it is nothing like my holy grail Clinique mosituriser.


I want to start by saying that I have tried the other versions of the Moisture Match and they are so much better than this one, so the bad review that is going to be just on the version for "dull skin" . I grabbed the Dull Skin version of the Garnier Moisture Match lotion because I have dull skin and I usually adore gel formulas.

It claims to give the skin a more luminous finish, boost radiance and fast absorbing. For me it did give the skin a dewy finish but most moisturizer I use do. I suppose it did sink in pretty quick but it left my skin feeling sticky and tight. I didn't see a difference in skin radiance, and I have used up the whole tube now. 

I didn't really moisturize my skin either. I saw no difference in any dryness, and it left my skin feeling like I'd put makeup on and forgot the mosituriser. I would honestly choose either the version for dry or normal skin if you find you have dull skin because they give you a boost of nourishment and moisture that helps perk the skin up. 

You can check out the whole range here, or pick them up from store for £5.99 a tube. 
 

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Soap and Glory Bright Here Bright Now Radiance Balm

The Soap and Glory Bright Here Bright Now Radiance Balm is described as an energy balm and holds similar claims to the Clarins Flash Balm. I've already reviews on supposed dupe for the Clarins option (you can read that here). 



 These balms are meant to be great for giving the skin a radiance boost alongside some added moisturization.

 I use this a primer type product over the top of a  moisturizer to give me a more dewy complexion and a smoother base for my makeup to sit on. 

I wouldn't recommend this for people with oily skin, because I feel it might just be a bit to intense for them but for people with normal to dry skin this would be great.



This, compared with the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Radiance Balm, is actually more of a balm texture rather than a lotion. Despite it being a balmy texture, it sinks into the skin really quickly leaving it feeling smooth and nourished. 

The scent of this is really strange. It's sort of similar to that of the No Clogs Allowed. I want to say it's slightly minty, but I can say for certian. If scent bothers you, this might not be for you bit it's not a irritating fragrance and it doesn't liner so you might be fine. 

 

The  packaging is gorgeous, but I think it might have been repackaged now. I'm not a fan of the minimalistic packaging that Soap and Glory have introduced, but I suppose if the product is still the same then I would repurchase this.

Overall, I would recommed this to people with normal to dry skin. If you fancy giving these balms a try, then this a good option but the superdrug option is a cheaper alternative and does very similar things to this. 

You can get this Soap and Glory Bright Here Bright Now Radiance Balm from Boots or online here for £12

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Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Radiance Balm

The Naturally Radiant Brightening Radiance Balm flew off of the shelves of Superdrug when some magazine named it the affordable dupe for the ever popular Clarins Beauty Flash Balm. At just £5.99, it's a massive £23 cheaper than the Clarins option.

 The Brightening Balm claims to even out skin tone (over time of course) and to illuminate and smooth skin. In just one use it's meant to leave skin feeling moisturized, and looking more radiant. It contains kiwi fruit and mulberry extracts, along with sugar beet extract to create an energizing complex that helps boost skin radiance.

In the long term it claims to keep skin looking and feeling softer, more refreshed and smother. After just four weeks of use, it claims to give the skin a more refined and evened out appearance.


It has a very strange scent to it. I'm not entirely sure what the scent is, but for me is kind of a combination of a fruity scent and that standard "natural" scent. It doesn't linger after you apply the product, so it doesn't bother me and the scent doesn't irritate my skin or break me out. 



Whilst this is called a balm, it's not quite a typical balm texture. It's very much like a moisturizer with a slightly thicker texture. It sinks into the skin quickly, despite it being thicker than general lotions. For people with normal to oily skin,  I would only suggest using this alone rather than alongside a moisturizer, but for those with dry skin this is great used, soft of, like a primer.  

I use this after a moisturizer in place of a primer. I don't find this holds my makeup in place any longer than normal but it did give the skin a natural dewy boost, a smoother finish and moisturized look. 

I didn't notice any difference to my skin tone over time. I didn't use this everyday because I was trialling other products along side this, so maybe that is why I didn't see a change in my skin tone. I did notice that when I added this into my skincare routine my skin looked healthier and less dry. It kept skin moisturized all day long, and gave my skin a smoother base for makeup to sit on.



The packaging isn't anything spectacular but the simplicity of it makes it great for travel, everyday use and keeping it clean. The simple squeeze tube makes it easy to get what you want out, and the compact size is great for chucking it in your bag (handbag or weekend trip bag).

I honestly cannot compare this to it's Clarins counterpart, but from the claims of both I would say try this before investing nearly £30 in the high end option. If you like this, maybe give the Clarins option a go. 

You can get this from your local Superdrug stores, or online here for just £5.99 a tube. 

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B. Active Day Cream

The B. Active Day Cream is an anti-aging cream targets at people between the ages between 30 and 40. It claims to smooth and firm the skin with concentrated tetrapeptide, hydrate the skin with hyaluronic acid and have an anti-fatigue effect with niacinamide and proteolea. It also has SPF15 and UVA filters to protect from the sun. 

The B. range offers three levels of skincare, targets skin in it's three phases. The first phase is for people in the 20's and is packaged with yellow highlight. The green highlighted packaged (which contains this day cream) is for people in their 30s and 40s and makes up the products for the second skin phase.  The final stage is targets at people 50 and over, contains purple highlights over the packaging and is meant to firm up the skin. 

Instead of picking up the day cream for skin phase 1, I grabbed this once because I thought it might be slightly more nourishing and hydrating. I know I don't need the anti-aging properties, being only 19, but it's never too soon to start taking care of your skin.  


 
Anyway, I picked this up in hopes that it could help combat my dry skin. I've always found that anti-aging creams hydrate my skin better than regular lotions and potions. The fact that this contained hyaluronic acid only made me want to try it more. 

 

The texture is really nice, but it might be slightly to rich for some people. I found the thick formulation to be something comparable to night creams I've tried in the past. It is fast to sink into the skin though, and it feels lovely once you've applied it. It doesn't leave any kind of residue on my skin and it gives me a nice base in which I can easily apply makeup onto. 

After using this for about 4 weeks, I found that my skin was leaning towards the more 'normal' side rather than it's regular 'dry' type so it works perfectly for me and if you have dry skin I would highly recommend giving this a try.




The packaging is very bulky, but it does have a luxurious feel to it. The brand is marketed as a premium brand so the weighty, and classy packaging helps aid the image that want to promote. So, while it's not ideal for traveling it does look nice sitting on top of a dressing table or vanity. 

 

One final thing worth noting is that the brand is cruelty free. It's not tested on animals, and it carries the cruelty-free international logo to highlight that fact.

You can pick up the B. Active Day Cream in selected Superdrug stores or online here for £11.99.

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Friday Favourite: Soap and Glory Glow Job

Soap and Glory are a brand that nearly every beauty blogger loves. The nice quirky packaging coupled with brilliant products makes them a win win brand in many peoples books. The Glow Job moisturizing lotion is no exception to the great products they put out. 

You can read my full review here for more information but in summary this is a nice light lotion that contains bronzing beads that add a touch of radiance to your face when working into the skin. 

You can pick the Soap and Glory Glow Job Daily Radiance Moisture Lotion here for £9 a tube. 

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Soap and Glory Glow Job Daily Radiance Mositure Lotion Review

Soap and Glory is not only a brand that houses two of three cult products but the brand itself is quite a cult brand. The cute/quirky packaging coupled with the brilliant products, bloggers and people alike have fallen in love with the brand. 

 

I've tried a fair few of there products, the Glow Job Daily Radiance Moisture Lotion being just one of them. The lotion contains "micro bronzer beads" that give the skin a one day only bronzed glow. The "Swiss Moisture Matrix" used in this formula claims to give long lasting hydration, skin conditioning and protection. It contains sweet orange peel oil that give a natural aromacological (scent) uplifter. 




You get a nice amount of product (75ml) for your £9, and you can usually find soap and glory on some kind of offer in boots, whether it be on 3 for 2 or 1/3 off.  
 
I found the lotion to be a light feeling lotion that massages into the skin nicely and absorbs quickly. The bronzing beads, which are white like the lotion when first squeezed out of the tube, burst and release a glowy bronze pigment that mixes into the lotion and gives the skin an even glow. 



The bronze pigmented looks scary when the beads first burst but as long as you ensure they are all rubbed into the skin, they don't give much of a colour. Fair girls, you can use this too. I do blend this down my neck just in case there is a little colour but it mostly just gives a nice glow. I also want to note that this is not a tanner and the any bronze look that appears on the skin washes off when you take your makeup off.


Whilst it does have a scent, it's nothing over powering and I haven't found that it's irritated my skin or cause any breakouts. The scent doesn't linger so it shouldn't bother anyone too much. 

Overall, I love this product. It's a nice light lotion that adds a nice radiance to the skin giving it that boost you can sometimes need. It's absorbs quickly, leaves the skin feeling moisturized without it being even the slightest bit greasy or oily.

You can pick up this Soap and Glory Glow Job Daily Radiance Moisture Lotion here for just £9.

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Skincare Routine | Day/Morning

I put off doing this post for quite a while because I've never had a set routine. I mixed things up quite a lot and never really stuck to something but this year I want to clean up my skin! I'm fed up with looking at my giant pores, having them get clogged constantly and having breakouts all over my chin. Since getting into a routine, and ditching the dreaded makeup wipes my skin is better.

 I have a tricky skin type in my opinion. It's very dry, and if I don't have a quite intense moisturizer then I get flaky patches. I also have breakouts around my chine area and on my nose. My pores are huge and get clogs easily too. That's quite a tall order for a skincare product to try and help. Most products for dry skin will not stop/help spots and pores, while products that help clear spots and minimize pores dry out the skin. 

So, I've tried out a few too many products, and have settled into this routine at the moment. The products are working for me, so I thought I would share them with you! I'm going to start with the morning routine that I have going. I tend to use differing products at night because I can use something slightly more intense but for the day time the products aren't too abrasive or intense. It makes it easier for makeup to sit nicely, and it doesn't agitate my skin and make it gross and all red. 

You can see my night time routine, and some random additions in the next few days. I was going to put them all in one post, but this is already to long! Check back soon if you want to know a night routine! 

Botanics Pore Perfecting Deep Clean Mousse, LUSH Tea Tree Water link, No7 Beautiful Skin Blemish Defense Serum link, Good Things Stop That Spot link, Garnier Moisture Match for Dull Skin link, Clinique All About Eyes link & Blistex Relief Cream.

So, the first thing that I do is wash my face. I try to use pore minimizing wash and at the moment I'm working my way through the Botanics Pore Perfecting Mousse face wash. It's not my favourite, but I need to use it up and it smells amazing! I would recommend the Clean and Clear Pore & Shine wash over this, but I want to use this up.  

Next up I spritz some of the Tea Tree Water all over my face, and then take a cotton pad a wipe of the excess. It just helps minimize the pore a little more, and it helps treat any spots as well. It doesn't smell the best, but the scent doesn't stick around for long. 

Next I add my serum which is an optional step for me. If I feel I need an extra boost I'll apply a thin layer of the no7 Blemish Defense Serum. I'm not sure if this does anything, but it does fell nice of my skin.

After I let this sink in, I add my moisturizer and eye cream. I'm in love with my moisturizer, which is currently the Garnier Moisture Match for Dull Skin. It's a gel formula that is meant to wake the skin up as well as moisture it. In my opinion. it's a dupe for the Clinique Moisture Surge. It's got a similar formula and it leaves the skin feeling pretty similar after. I will think twice before getting the Clinique version now I know about this.  

My eye cream is not something I fussy about. I don't need any of that anti aging stuff because I'm only 19, and I just want something that is going to decrease my puffiness. The Clinique All About Eyes is meant to do that but I can't tell a huge difference. It adds some nice moisture to the eye area which is a bonus but I don't see a decrease in the puffiness.

 After letting the moisturizers settle into my skin for a while, I'll add the Good Things Stop That Spot treatment to any problem areas if I need too. I can't say I've noticed an huge difference with this, but we can live in hope that something will help my spots. It doesn't leave anything dry of flaky so it works great for a day time treatment. 

The last thing in this routine is the lip cream. I have the worse dry lips, and I actually have severe redness below and above my lips lines. I have tried everything to try and sort it out and nothing has but I find that using this relief cream keeps is moisturized enough through out the day so that it doesn't get gross, dry and flaky. I think this is meant to be for cold sores but it keeps lips really nice, and the cooling feeling you get when you put it on makes me think it's doing something. 

So, that's my day/morning routine and be sure to check back in the next few days for the night and random parts of this!   

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Empties #1

Be prepared for a long post guys. I’m going to try and keep it as short as possible and not ramble to much. These are the empties I’ve gathered since the 15^th of September. I can only give you the precise date because it’s they day I moved up to uni, and these are the only products I’ve had with me. So, on with what I’ve used up. 

Superdrug Tea Tree Moisturiser

There isn’t much to say about this to be honest, except that the scent is so strong it makes your eyes water. It’s great for those slightly oily days or if you’re having a major breakout, but other than that it’s not too much different from other moisturisers. It’s doesn’t dry out my skin, but it doesn’t work miracles. It’s just ok. 

MAC Cleanse Off Oil

I’m so sad this is gone. I adore this stuff, and because of my spending ban I cannot purchase another just yet but I will be when I have the cash to. It’s the best makeup remover that I’ve ever tried, and it removes every bit of makeup on my face. It does leave a bit of an oily residue, but for my dry skin it’s not too bad. I either wipe it off with a baby wipe, or cleanse with a hot cloth cleanser. 

Clinique Rinse Off Makeup Solvent 

I don’t recommend this. For the price, it’s nothing. It doesn’t remover waterproof makeup, or anything remotely stubborn. It stings a little when I use it on my eyes, and it’s just not worth the money. 

Sure Woman Maximum Protection Deodorant

I debated about putting this in this post because it seems like strange thing for me to talk about but I have to ask something of you all. I brought this in Boots when it was on sale. It was normally about £5, but it was knocked down to £2.50. I didn’t think much of it at the time but now I fear it’s been discontinued. It’s the best deodorant ever! It’s smells nice and it really works. 

Simple Light Hydrating Moisturiser

If you don’t need to much moisture this is for you. It’s a simple product that does what it says on the tin. It lightly moisturises the skin, without leaving a scent or any kind of residue on it. It’s also super cheap which is great to. 

Max Factor Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint in 04

This isn’t used up, it’s just dried out. I’ve had this for quite some time, and it’s lasted pretty well but I didn’t get that much wear out of it  because of the shade. If I would have brought it in the autumn months it would have had a lot more wear but it’s just not a summer colour so it didn’t see the light of day. 

Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in 6 Pink Parfait

This technically isn’t finished either, but it belongs here because the bullet broke and I can no longer use it. I’m sad that it’s gone because it wasn’t cheap but it’s wasn’t the best lipstick in the world either so I won’t be repurchasing it. The colour was decent, but didn’t last all that long on the lips. 

MAC Lipstick in Sweetie (Lustre)

I will repurchase this. It’s the best lipstick I’ve used in a long time and it works amazingly well for fall and winter because it’s got that deep purple hue to it that screams autumn. It didn’t last all that long, but I didn’t care because it was a fabulous colour. It gives a beautiful stained effect to the lips rather than blanking them out like some lipsticks can which I think is fabulous. 

MAC Limited Edition Lipstick in To Catch A Sailor (Frost)

I wasn’t a fan of this, and this has a similar story to the Estee Lauder lipstick. The bullet broke and I depotted it, but the colour just wasn’t worth the hassle of it all so I binned it. I love the packaging and as sad as it sounds I will miss it looking nice a pretty in my collection.   

MAC Select SPF 15 Foundation in NW20

This was a really nice foundation, and had I had it in the right shade it would have been used up a lot sooner. It’s a nice foundation for those who have combination skin and it has the SPF built in so for people like me whose moisturiser doesn’t have it in, this is great. It gives a medium coverage, but it’s most certainly buildable to. It lasted pretty well and didn’t melt off my face. 

MAC Studio Tech Foundation in NW20

I used this as a concealer because it’s just too thick to use as a foundation. Again, I would have preferred this if it were in a better shade for me but it worked well enough. It’s not the best concealer in the world, but it’s better than some. I wouldn’t repurchase it.  

MAC Eyeshadow in Crème De Violet

This isn’t technically an empty, it’s a depotted shadow but the container is empty so I put it here. I have a review of this here so read that to see what I thought. 

MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in Rich Core 

I love this, and wish it wasn’t limited edition. I used this as crease colour for more dramatic looks and as a liner at times too.  It’s a nice shadow, that was really blendable and I loved it. I could have got more use out of it but the shadow fell out of the pan and broke so it was no more. If they were to ever re-introduce them I will snap another one up.