Get That Rosy Glow.....Revlon Powder Blush

I have a little review today of a rather nice and very affordable blusher, that in my opinion is equally as good as much higher end more expensive blushers (but more on that later!)

Revlon Powder Blush in the shade 'Racy Rose' is a gorgeous rosey pink shade that gives a nice glow to the cheeks, without looking scary. I love pink blusher, and have many different ones, but I find myself grabbing this one day after day at the moment. It just gives you a healthy flush of colour without being too crazy or bright, which is what we all want at this time of year.

The packaging of this one is quite plain to be fair, nothing too fancy, but you do get a little mirror inside the compact which is great for when you're on the go, and saves carrying a separate mirror with you. Plus, for £7.99, your getting a really good amount of product, and you don't really expect luxe YSL style packaging for something under a tenner! It does also come with a little blusher brush, which I just threw away, as I never find them very useful, but some people might.

I would describe the colour as a muted rosey pink with a nice amount of subtle shimmer, hopefully this shows up on the photos! It's great for wearing lightly during the day and can be built up nicely for a night out. I've worn it for both and it lasts really well. I always like to touch up my blusher on a night out (numerous times) but to be honest, it really doesn't need it, it has great lasting power! I tend to use the 'Real Techniques Blush Brush' to apply this blush, and it picks it up well, not to much and not too little.

 

The colour is similar to Benefit's 'Bella Bamba' box powder, which I've had for a while, and used to wear constantly, but at around £23.50 a pop, I know which one I'll be going for in future. I actually think I prefer the colour and the effect you get more with the Revlon blush than the Benefit one (shock!!!)

 

Neutral Nails ..... Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint - Lychee

When it comes to nail polish, I always opt for red or coral shades. They look bright, vibrant and classy at the same time. But sometimes its nice to try something different, and when a colour just jumps out at you, you have to buy it. This happened to me recently when I spotted the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint (longest name ever!) in the shade Lychee. I've never tried any of the Barry M polishes before, but have heard lots of good things about them, and they are such an affordable price, so how can you resist!

I would describe lychee as a creamy, nude beige shade. Its a really unique colour that makes your fingers look really long and slim, and would look amazing with a tan in the summer. The Gelly
formula gives a gorgeous shiny, glossy finish, although I still always tend to use my Seche Vite top coat. This gives it that extra high shine and makes my polish last that little bit longer without chipping quite as quickly. I tend to have no luck with nail polish usually, but this lasts two full days before chipping, which is pretty good for me. I've had better results with the Barry M polish than with some much more expensive brands.

I've tried a few different brands doing the 'gel' formula polishes, and to be honest, I don't feel any of them have lasted any longer than your normal nail polish formula before starting to chip. If you want gel polish, Its probably best to invest in a professional gel manicure (Calgel is amazing). But obviously, the nail polishes are so much cheaper, and its nice to be able to change your nail colour every few days. The Barry M Gelly range have a huge array of gorgeous shades to choose from.

I'm so impressed by Lychee, it took two coats over a base coat to get a nice non streaky/opaque covering. I often find than paler colours can look quite streaky, but this is not the case at all. Barry M have recently release a new range of nail paints for summer, which includes some gorgeous shades, one of which is 'Almond'. This is along the same lines as Lychee, but a bit more on the grey side......This one is definitely next on my list.....

Peachy nude lips.....Mac Shy Girl Lipstick

I have mentioned before, that I'm not the biggest fan of lipsticks. I love browsing, testing them and buying them (obviously) but then I always wish I hadn't really bothered spending the money and go back to my trusty gloss. I tend to find that they dry my lips out, and never seem to last very long, meaning you feel as if you need to reapply them constantly, which is just a right pain, and who wants to be forever re-doing their lipstick! But I do like to dabble now and again, and try to hunt down a little gem that doesn't do all of the above.

I bought Mac Shy Girl lipstick after seeing it on a few different beauty blogs/You Tube videos and thinking it might suit my colouring and be a good 'everyday' lip colour for me. When it arrived, (along with a cheeky little eye shadow I had been stalking for a while) I was a little disappointed by how pale it was. It is described on the Mac website as a 'creamy neutral coral beige', but I think its much more on the beige/peach side than the coral side. So if more muted pale/nude lips aren't your thing, then this one definitely isn't for you. The little colour swatch on the Mac website isn't the best either in my opinion. So all in all, I wore Shy Girl a few times and just felt it did me no favours and put it away in my lip product stash.

Fast forward a few months, spring has now sprung, so I dug out Shy Girl to give it another go. I have now discovered that I do actually really like it, and I didn't give it a fair chance when I first bought it. It is a bit on the pale side, and I think I'm just too used to wearing pinks constantly which is why I couldn't get away with it at first.

Its one of Mac's 'creamsheen' formula's, which means its has a more cream feel to it (obviously!) and it is a bit more glossy than their other formula's. So they shouldn't dry your lips out like some of the more matte lipsticks often do. It has pretty good staying power and is quite long lasting, staying on for a good couple of hours before needing to re-apply. It does have a little bit of a shimmer running through it, which shows up on the swatch picture above, but to be honest, the shimmer doesn't really show up on the lips.

For some reason, I always love the smell of Mac lipsticks, they have a unique smell, and I think it always reminds me of the first one I ever bought when I was about 17, and the first Mac counter opened in Newcastle. I can still remember, it was a very pale pink shade called 'B-cup' The lipsticks were around half the price they are now, and I'm not kidding! 

But now, after giving Shy Girl a fair trial, I have to say, it is actually a really nice lipstick, it definitely looks better at this time of year rather than in the colder/paler months and can be worn as an everyday shade. I've also worn it for a night out recently, with a slick of Mac Pink Lemonade Lipglass over the top (shown on the bottom picture) which compliments it really well, and makes it last that little bit longer on the lips, so its perfect for an evening. Is it worth the £15 price tag?? I'm not sure, but I'm definitely glad I bought it.....its now my perfect spring lip colour!

Smooth skin in a bottle..... A bit of a skin care ramble!

Serum is one of those things I used to use now and again, but when it ran out, I wasn't exactly racing out to the shop to repurchase it. Well.....that has now changed, how did I ever do without it. My love affair with The Body Shop continues, with the discovery of the Vitamin E Moisture Serum. I feel as I am now in my 30's and having fried my skin over the years in the sun (and the dreaded sun beds when I was younger) I have finally realised in the last couple of years that I need to take really good care of my skin, ie. protecting myself from the sun as much as possible and using the best skin care products suited to my skin type.

Obviously it's impossible to reverse the signs of ageing (naturally it is anyway) but you've got to work with what you've got and try to be happy with it. As mentioned countless times before, I haven't been happy with my skin for the majority of my adult life, but I'm stuck with it, so I always follow a set skin care routine morning and evening, as well as drinking a ton of water each day, which I have always done for years and years. I do obviously love to try out new products, even more so since I started my blog, but my basics tend to stay the same when it comes to my skin.

I started using the Vitamin E Moisture Serum around three to four weeks ago. I thought I would give it a good few weeks trial before blogging and sharing my thoughts, but I did start seeing results in just a couple of days. I apply a small pump of the serum after cleansing my face but before moisturising it. A little goes a very long way, so I know that this 30ml bottle is going to last me ages. My skin feels instantly softer and most definitely smoother as soon as it is applied. The consistency isn't too thick or heavy, it has a lovely light feel to it and sinks really nicely into the skin. When I apply my moisturiser afterwards, I only need a really small amount now, as the serum is so hydrating.

 

It hasn't blocked my pores or made my skin break out, which is a major plus for me! I'm pretty sure my pores have tightened since starting to use this product. Even when I have makeup on, I feel that my cheeks have more of a glow than usual, and it has to be down to this magical little potion! So my attempt at getting my skin ready for summer is under way.....

I paid £11 for this serum, which for such amazing quality is an absolute steal. The Body Shop seem to constantly have offers on, such as buy one item and get another half price, so it's definitely worth having a look. On The Body Shop website, the Vitamin E Moisture Serum is noted as being one of their bestsellers, and I can totally see why. I will never have dreamy dewy skin naturally, but I can certainly cheat my way to making it look half decent with the help of a good skin care regime. The Vitamin E Moisture Serum now has a permanent spot on my bathroom shelf.

Best Concealer Ever.....Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate WearConcealer

Quite a bold statement to make, but I'm pretty sure that this is it, the best concealer ever, and even better, it's really really cheap! I'm sure most of you out there will have already heard about, or maybe currently using the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. It's a little tube of complete perfection (as the title may suggest!).

It comes in a cute little tube with a foam applicator and is available in four shades. I use shade 2 cool/medium, which is a bit lighter than the foundation I use, but I prefer this, as it gives more of a brightening, illuminating effect when you apply it under the eyes. 

This fabulous little concealer covers dark circles really well, and I should know, mine seem to get darker by the day (thanks kids!). But it's also great for covering scars and blemishes. Again, I can vouch for that, as I still have a few little acne scars from years ago and you can't see them at all when I've used the Lasting Perfection. I also find it lovely for hiding redness around the nose which I always seem to get.

 

The concealer claims to last for 'up to 16 hours', and as I've mentioned in previous posts I don't tend to wear my make-up for 16 hours a day, but this stuff does have some serious lasting power. I'm not a fan of powder, so don't tend to wear it, and this stays put without powdering. I do notice a little bit of creasing under my eyes after a few hours of wear, but I've found this with ALL concealers, and for such a bargain product, this really doesn't bother me at all. I used a Bobbi Brown Corrector for a while before discovering this one, and that doesn't even come close to how great this product it, plus it was around four times the price!

 

The consistency is pretty thick, but it blends in well. For quite a while, I used a brush to blend in concealer! but have since gone back to basics and found that it blends in so much better having just used the fingers to gently blend it in. 

Collection claim that they sell four of these concealers every minute, so it looks as if I'm not the only one that is completely addicted to it!

The Body Shop - Aloe Lip Care

As mentioned in previous posts, along with dry flaky hands this winter, I have also had unusually dry lips. I have always sworn by Carmex, but it just doesn't seem to be doing the trick at the moment. I discovered a little gem a few months back that was the Malin and Goetz Lip Moisturiser, which I loved, but its not so easy to get hold of! But never fear, I have since found the best lip balm/moisturiser/conditioner EVER!

When beauty browsing in The Body Shop recently, (I'm a bit obsessed by The Body Shop at the moment ) I picked up one of their fabulous hand creams, (I decided to try the Almond one this time, which is lovely by the way). I also spotted a little section full of Aloe skin care products. I thought I would give the Aloe Lip Care a go, as it was buy one item get another half price, so obviously it would be rude not to! 

You get a 15ml tube for £5.00, that promises to instantly sooth dry lips, leave them soft, well protected and smooth. it is a nice little squeezy tube, that you apply straight to the lips, so definitely more hygienic than your little pot of Carmex, and it really does what it says. I use it before going to bed, and wake up with lovely smooth soft lips, it is just amazing. From first use, I could tell how fab it was. I also use it on days when I am wearing less make-up, and it gives a gorgeous glossy shine to the lips, kind of like a clear lip gloss, but not sticky and much longer lasting. It lasts literally hours.

I am absolutely loving the Aloe Lip Care, so much so, that I am almost finished my first tube. This is certainly one that I will be repurchasing. The only downside is, it doesn't contain SPF, so not great for holidays, but I guess you can't have everything.

P.S. Spotted a few little things I may pick up the next time I'm in The Body Shop, including a gprgeous smelling Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub.........I will report back........

The Perfect Pink Pout.....Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick

I'm definitely more of a lip gloss girl than a lipstick girl, always finding that lipsticks, no matter what type of formula, would still make my lips feel dry. But I'm always on the hunt for new ones, hoping to find my perfect pink that wont dry out my lips too much. This Revlon lipstick is definitely the best I have found so far. I really like Revlon products, they are great on price but also great quality in my opinion. Their Colourburst Lip Glosses are fantastic, but more about those in a future blog post!

It is a Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in the shade 'Pink in the afternoon'. It is a gorgeous shade, not too bright and in your face, but not too much of a pale bluey pink that makes you look a bit like a corpse! Its just that perfect shade of pink, that does look shimmery on the picture above, but this doesn't really translate onto the lips. Its perfect for daytime wear, but also looks great with dark smokey eye make-up for an evening.

As mentioned earlier, I tend to always veer more towards lip gloss rather than lipstick due to having dry lips, but the formula of the Super Lutrous Lipsticks are really creamy and soft, and don't dry my lips out at all (although I still always apply lipbalm before applying my lipstick anyway). The colour payoff is also pretty good, lasting a good couple of hours before it needs re-applying. Not bad really, compared to others I've tried.

I bought this lipstick in Superdrug for around £7.00, an amazing price for an excellent quality lip product. They have a huge range of shades, so there is definitely something for everyone if nude pinks are really your thing. I know every lipstick girl loves her Mac lipsticks, I would say its worth giving the Revlon lipsticks a try, as the quality and lasting power is exactly the same in my opinion.....but for half the price tag!