SHOPPING THE STASH | 04

Shopping the stash usually means one thing for me: payday has been and gone and I've spent more than I should have.  So rather than buying more make up that I don't strictly need, I have a rummage through what I already have instead.  

It is actually pretty satisfying to come across a product that has been pushed to the back of the drawer, and remember how good it is.  

First up, I've rediscovered Benefit Hoola.  I can honestly say this is one of the perfect products for contouring if you have very fair skin.  The colour is a light bronze without any orange tones in it, and it is perfect for carving out cheekbones and adding a bit of natural looking colour.  

I was really happy when I found this Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon!  I love the colour so much, it is more sheer on than what it looks like in the photo but it is super moisturising and is brilliant if you want some colour but don't want to go for a full on bold lipstick.  

I first bought L'Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire lipstick when I found out that Kim K had apparently used this shade, Nude Ballet, on her wedding day.  I actually really like it, it's a glossy nude that has an intense colour and lasts for hours.  

Autograph highlighter has featured on this blog more than once before, but it really is a beautiful product that I have been using along the top of my cheekbones.  It leaves a lovely luminescent glow without being too shimmery or fake looking - no ones wants to look like they've been in an explosion at the glitter factory! 

Last up is of course a foundation: I switch up my foundations all the time, regardless of whether or not I've found one that I really love or not.  I have a steady rotation of about three bases at the moment that I really love, and L'Oreal Infallible 24hr Matte is one of them.  It isn't an old favourite as such, but fairly soon after I bought it I discovered the new Laura Mercier foundation, and got distracted by that instead!  However, I've been reaching for this one again and love the buildable coverage.  It is a great base for contouring over as well, I always find matte bases easier to work on.  

Do you like any of these products?  What old favourites have you rediscovered lately? xx

LIPSTICKS I'M LOVING #3 | L'OREAL L'EXTRAUDINAIRE in NUDE BALLET

So I can officially say that I owned this lipgloss before I knew that Kim Kardashian had worn it on her wedding day.  When celebrity gossip pages started exploding with every minute detail of Kim's big day, one of the things I noticed was that her make up artist (apparently) used some high street products - including the L'Oreal L'Extraudinaire Liquid Lipstick in the shade Nude Ballet.  I realised that I had it already in my collection and quickly put it on to see if it magically made me look like her.  

Unfortunately, it didn't.  But I did discover what a lovely little gloss it is; the cute doe foot applicator is the perfect shape and angle to cover the lips in one application, and the colour is a soft but nicely pigmented nude.  It feels really moisturising too, and most importantly doesn't feel too sticky either.  It is the perfect neutral gloss shade that I have found, generally I find that matte lipsticks make the best nudes but this is a lovely exception.  It also has pretty impressive staying power - I ate dinner and dessert whilst wearing it and it didn't budge!

I can totally see why Mrs Kardashian West opted for it now, it is a seriously impressive gloss/lipstick.  This kind of hybrid is becoming more popular lately and for me, L'Oreal is at the top of the game right now! 

Have you tried the L'Oreal L'Extraudinaire range yet?  What do you think of it? xx

SUMMER LIPS / SORTED

l-r: Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Sorbet; Topshop Lipstick in Macaroon; L'Oreal L'Extraudinaire Liquid Lipstick in Nude Ballet; Barry M Gelly Lips in Capella; MAC Impassioned; Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Unapologetic; Topshop Lipstick in Ooh La La.

Hey!  Happy Friday!  I know everyone says this at the beginning of each new month, but I really cannot believe how quickly this year is going.  It's kind of scary; in some ways I want it to hurry up because of things that I'm looking forward to, but I definitely don't want time to just fly by!  

Today I thought I would post about my top picks for summer lips.  I have featured a number of the pictured lip products before, so I won't get into a full blown review of them all.  My favourite shades are all orange and pink hues, since getting into blogging I have experimented so much more with colour and the colours I wear now are a far cry from the old days where I thought it was red or nothing!  Blue toned reds don't suit me at all, so I stay clear of them now and opt for more pink colours.  

I threw in a nude, the L'Oreal L'Extraudinare in Nude Ballet, because sometimes a natural shade is just as feminine and summery as a bright one.  I will do a full review of this recent buy, but so far so good!  It's different to the others out there at the moment, and the staying power is pretty impressive too.  

What shades will you be reaching for this summer? xx

REVIEW | L’Oreal Miss Manga Mascara

So I begin writing up this post and notice that a jumbo tube of Smarties is visible in the second photo…pretty much sums up how my healthy January is going I think!  They are my favourites though so I’m not even sorry! 

It’s not very often that I find a mascara that really impresses me.  Miss Manga by L’Oreal was on offer in Boots and having not heard of it before I stopped and decided to pick it up instead of my faithful MaxFactor False Lash Effect.  In the past I have tried a few various mascaras by L’Oreal and I have to say that I’ve never been too impressed with them, they just didn’t seem to live up to their price or what they were promising.  However, Miss Manga has truly shut me up; I bought it half heartedly expecting to be disappointed and it turns out that this is a bit of a gem.  It says that it gives you full, thick lashes on top as well as on the bottom and it’s actually the look of my bottom lashes that sold me; I always find that most mascaras I love do great things for my top lashes but when it comes to doing the bottom ones either the wand is too thick or the product just doesn’t work well on them.  As you can see from the photo, my lashes are all very much covered and looking a lot thicker than what they normally would be, a look which I personally like but I know that some people prefer a more subtle look for daytime wear. 

The wand is pretty thin and fairly flexible.  I always associated volumising mascaras with thick wands, so I was pretty surprised to find that it was thin and has a short and spikey comb.  It easily and quickly coats my lashes and a couple of coats is enough to achieve a bold, wide eyed look.  So, I am very happy to announce that this is one mascara that lives up to its name!  I will definitely be repurchasing, if you like a bold eye as I do then I would really recommend trying it. 

Have you tried L’Oreal Miss Manga yet?  What do you think of it? xx

Products I’ve Used Up #2

So this isn’t the largest selection of empties ever seen on a blog post…but if I’m honest, it actually takes me a loooooong time to use products up because I am one of those annoying people (or great people if you work for Boots) that buys new things before the older products have run out.  So these are the latest products to have run out in my collection. 

First up is the No.7 Beautiful Skin Night Cream.  I bought this with a No.7 voucher a while ago, and I really loved it.  It says that it is ideal for normal to oily/combination skin so I chose it because my skin is very much of the combination variety.  I had bad experiences in the past with night creams, because the general idea of most of them is to keep your skin hydrated over night but this seemed to come at the cost of them being thicker, heavier and ‘greasier’.  To be fair, it was probably down to some of the choices I made, I wasn’t keen on splurging on high end creams just yet because I just think that there is plenty of time for all that!  All I need right now is to keep my skin hydrated without clogging it up and breaking it out, and this product does the trick perfectly.  The consistency is light and it goes on easily and blends to leave my skin feeling silky soft without any build up.  I have already repurchased this cream recently with another No.7 voucher that I had, and for me to purchase the same product more than once is quite a big deal! 

Another product that I used up and repurchased straight away is the L’Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution.  I bought this after seeing it get some rave reviews from other bloggers, and anything that is supposed to remove all make up quickly and thoroughly is worth a go in my book.  I am generally quite lazy when it comes to skincare routines, and after a long day at work the last thing I want to do is spend ages removing make up and cleansing/toning/moisturising blah blah blah, I just want to go to bloody bed!  So I used this water-like solution to remove my make up and mascara, and was very pleasantly surprised at how quickly it removes it.  It doesn’t leave you feeling like you have any oily cleanser left on your face either, the consistency is so thin and watery that your skin feels completely naked afterwards and all that’s left to do is moisturise (unless you have a nice fancy serum or something, I’m too tight to buy one…yet). 

Last up is the L’Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Resurfacing Primer.  I really really loved this product, the base it created for my foundation was amazing – my pores have never looked so invisible!  I would definitely recommend this and would love to buy it again, but the one thing that puts me off is the price; it was around £14.99 and as you can see it is only a small little pot, so it is quite a lot of money for such a small amount.

So there are my recent empties!  What have you been using up this month?  Have you tried any of these products?  xx

Review | L’Oreal Glam Shine Reflexions Gloss

 

Hey  :)  This post marks the start of me taking part in #blogyoursocksoffseptember, an idea that Jess from Lovely Jubbly came up with where you blog every day throughout September…this is just the kinda thing I need to make myself get a bit more organised and schedule more posts! 

So today it’s all about my latest addition to my everyday lip gloss collection: L’Oreal Glam Shine Reflexions gloss.  I actually only picked it up because I had a voucher for £2 off one at Boots, so I thought I would give it a go.  As you can see from the photos, it has an angled applicator which I actually really like and it fits with the natural curve of your lips and means the gloss goes on in one sweep.

The other major thing I noticed was that it does not have the dreaded sticky finish!  This is a big relief, because one of the most annoying things EVER is when you’re walking about and your hair is getting stuck to your lips over and over again.  It’s so bad that if there’s a wind outside then you’re almost definitely going to end up looking like you’re wearing a fake beard.  But anyway, this isn’t the case here and the finish is a smooth and soft gloss which I could compare with the finish of a balm.  I have very dry lips naturally and this doesn’t dry them out at all, which is a deal breaker for me! 

The colour is a soft, subtle pink with a gentle shimmer.  It’s perfect for daytime wear and work etc if you just want a natural look that is just the right side of glossy and sparkly.  It is ideal if you want less colour than lip butters etc, but the shimmer makes it stand out without being too over the top for day time.

Have you tried this product?  Are you taking part in #blogyoursocksoffseptember?  Let me know! xx

Review | Moisturisers I’ve Used Recently

Moisturisers I’ve Used Recently

 

 

Hey!  Today I thought I would review some moisturisers that I’ve tried lately, because I found that I have bought quite a few in the last few weeks which is outrageous to me as a regular person but really quite normal as a blogger.  I’ve never spent so much money on make up as when I started reading blogs!  Now I can’t even go anywhere without coming back with something, even if it is just one of those £1 face masks!  When it comes to make up I try to stick to high street for most things apart from foundation, which I always spend a little (a lot) more on.  There are a lot of high end moisturisers out there that have lots of great reviews written about them every day (Origins I’m looking at you), but I’m trying my hardest to stay away from them so I have been trying out some bargain creams from the high street.   I have combination skin so that is why these creams are all fairly similar in some ways. 

 

Nivea Pure and Natural Soothing Day Cream (around £4):

 

I bought this moisturiser because the ‘Pure and Natural’ part sold me and also because I’ve used Nivea body products since I was younger because it is a great help when you suffer from eczema.  This cream is pretty inoffensive, it does the job of moisturising your face nicely and sinks in quickly.  It leaves my skin soft and makes a great base for the rest of my make up, and the smell is gentle and not too fragrant.  There’s nothing bad about this product to me, it isn’t as oily as some of the other creams in the Nivea range, like the classis cream in the blue pot, so it doesn’t break my skin out, but I would say that out of all four of these moisturisers this one is oiliest…if that makes sense..!  The only thing that has stopped me using this up and wanting to repurchase is that it doesn’t have any UV filters or spf, which is important especially if your foundation doesn’t have any either.

 

Garnier Moisture Match, Dull Skin (around £4.99):

 

This has been the biggest disappointment to me unfortunately, I expected great things from it.  Because of how pale my skin tone is with pink undertones and general unevenness, it is quite dull and pasty looking so as soon as I saw that this product was especially for that I picked it up.  I have been using this for two weeks and I can confirm that there is no change what so ever to my skin and it has even broken me out in spots all over my t-zone :(.  It may be that this is not ideal for combination to oily skin, but the gel like consistency did sink it quickly and didn’t feel oily to me.  This also didn’t leave my skin feeling particularly soft, it’s hard to describe but it just didn’t have the texture that a cream has, and also no spf once again.  I haven’t tried any others from the new Garnier Moisture Match range, so i can’t say if they are any more effective at what they do.

 

Garnier Hydrating Day Cream (around £2):

 

This is a moisturiser that I have reviewed before in my everyday make up post.  I love everything about this product; it goes on well and is lovely and creamy without being oily at all, it sinks in straight away and creates a nice smooth base, and it feels light and not like it is clogging or too rich.  As I said previously, I would use this much much more if it contained an spf, but it doesn’t because it’s a bargain £2ish and I really really wish it did because otherwise it is perfect for my skin :(.  I would definitely recommend this if you don’t worry as much about spf yet, or if your foundation has it in.

 

L’Oreal Triple Active Light Moisturiser (around £4): 

 

This is a moisturiser that got put in my make up drawer and then got forgotten about for about a month.  I bought it on offer in Sainsburys because my trusty No7 one had run out and I couldn’t afford another, and I am really pleased I did because this is pretty damn great!  It has the uv filters in it which is great and much of a relief to me, and it leaves my skin really soft and hydrated without making my stupid t-zone oily at all.  It leaves a silky matte finish which is what I like, and it makes putting foundation on much much easier for some reason, and I also find that that I only need a little primer on top of this in some areas where my pores are large or my skin is uneven.  I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a bargain moisturiser that does everything that a higher end one would.  Unless I find myself with a lot of spare cash to splash out on something else, I will definitely be repurchasing this and think that it is great quality for the price. 

What moisturisers are you rating right now? xx

Sarah x

Review | L’Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer

L’Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer

 

Hey everyone :).  Today I’m reviewing L’Oreal Studio Secrets primer.  When I was buying it I picked it up from the shelf and it was the last one there.  I couldn’t find a price ticket for it anyway but, me being me, I took it to the till anyway.  £14.99!!  I was most shocked by the price tag!  I would usually have said ‘actually no I won’t take it’, but this was on payday and I always become reckless on payday.  So I got it home and gave it a go, and I’ve been using it for nearly a week now and I have to say that I’m very impressed.

 

The texture is quite thick and a bit mousse-like, and you only need to use a small amount of it as well because it goes a long way.  It creates a great base for foundation, and it covers up all my pores around my t-zone which I guess is where the ‘resurfacing’ element comes in.  I would compare the feel of it to Benefit’s ‘The PoreFessional’, but a little thicker. 

 

I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who has, like me, large pores in certain areas or scarring or anything else that may need smoothing over.  If not then I would probably say only get it if you are willing to spend £14.99! 

 

Sarah x