Review - Eyelid Primer

Hello!

Last part of the ELF trilogy (for now).

This is an eyelid primer in the shade 'sheer' (not much of a shade as such lol) and it retails for £1.95. Yes. £1.95. So good I had to repeat myself!

Now, if you know me/read my blog you'll know that I don't really need an eyelid primer. But I wanted to get this for my friend who does like using an eyelid primer and I somehow got one for myself too :)

This is another item that is hyped up in the beauty blogger community so that may be why I ended up with one myself. I've been using it for a few weeks and honestly, I can't tell you if its helpingmy eye make up last longer because mine already lasts for about a week lol but it doesn't make it last any less time which I was genuinely worried about. I remember the first day I put it on and was worried all day my indestructible eye make up might slide off my lids or crumble, but I'm glad to say that me and my eye make up made it home safely that day, and every day since :)

The eyelid primer is presented in a typical concealer like tube and has a doe foot applicator. As with everything I pop it onto my clean finger or the back of my hand. I never apply directly from the applicator if it can be avoided. 

Apologies for the awful camera quality but it was kind of hard to photograph. In the tube it looks like it would be a typical concealer like consistency but the name is actually a good pick - it is what might be considered 'skin coloured' but it is definitely sheer and has a slight (teeny tiny I don't even want to mention it) shimmer. Once you pat it onto your eyelid it doesn't really offer much coverage but from the texture I imagine it works well. People compare it to the infamous Urban Decay's primer potion so for £1.95 you're laughing innit!!

I'm definitely not going to repurchase it for myself but if I get good feedback from my friend (and my mummy, I got her one too!) then I'll update you guys. I'm strangely excited even though I have no real use for this product lol
Beauty addict!

Review - ELF Powder Brush

Hi Guys!

The other day I shared with you my love for the ELF Flawless Concealer Brush and today I'm sharing with you one of ELF's bestselling brushes - the Powder Brush.

This retails for £3.95 and as the name would suggest, is a powder brush (!).

The online community love this brush and i cannot believe I waites so long to get my hands on one. 

Its dense and has a completely flat top. Its great for patting powder on to set make up, and I also find it useful to give my face a brush to get rid of evidence of my heavy applciation and any streaks/harsh lines.

There's not much to say here because this is as simple as it gets. Just believe me when I say its great. I have a $50 MAC kabuki brush which I've been using since 2009 but I much prefer this now. Also,  I didn't mention this about the concealer brush, but ELF brushes wash really well. No shedding and dries really fast.

Thumbs up from me!

Haul and Review - ELF Flawless Concealer Brush

Hi Guys,

I made an ELF order a while back and will share three of my favourite products with you in the next few posts.

First up, let's talk about ELF. Eyes, Lip, Face. An online make up line (with a new lone physical store somewhere that isn't London....) I've liked this brand for a long time. They are affordable and have some real good stuff, and they often do great promotions like 30-50% off codes.

FYI - 50% off orders over £30 until April 22nd using code 500414

Something I've been trying to get my grubby mitts on for ages is the Flawless Concealer Brush. RRP £3.75 and I love it. 

(Sorry it's dirty - not make up brush laundry day until Sunday!)

Its nice and dense and slightly dome shaped. I use it to sort out my under eye area and for me its the perfect size to get every bright and tidy without taking up too much time and messy up the rest of my face. 

I usually use some powder to dust under my eyes and depending on what I'm Looking like that day I might also use this to apply liquid products.

The only tiny tiny 'bad' thing is that the brush could be a tiny bit softer - sometimes I feel its a bit scratchy? But tbh, for £3.95 of which I paid half, I need to shut up!

I'm fighting the need to bulk buy.....

Review - Loreal True Match foundation in Golden Natural

Hi Guys,

Can't remember if I mentioned it before but I picked up Loreal's True Match foundation during Boots' previous 3 for 2 beauty promotion (FYI the promotion is running right now up until May!).

I've heard a lot of good things about the True Match foundation so thought I would give it a go. 

This was around the £10 price point, which seems to be the average for drug store foundations these days.

I went for shade W4 Golden Natural. I spent ages swatching but of course I came out with a shade that is slightly too light for me. It's so difficult to see properly in store, and I always feel like the security guard thinks I'm planning to stick the entire display into my handbag so I end up panicking. But I must say there was a good colour range, and I like that they split it into warm (W) neutral (N), and cool (C).  Once I have my contour done I think it looks ok.

First thing I noticed when I used this was how liquidy the foundation was. For example, when you dispense something like Revlon's colorstay or Estee Lauder's Doublewear you know that it's going to be full coverage cos the foundation is so thick and heavy. True Match on the otherhand is like.....melted icecream. When I pump a generous amount onto the back of my hand I have to be careful otherwise it'll be running down my arm or worse onto the carpet.

However, I have been using True Match for a couple of weeks now and I really like. In my opinion it is not a full coverage foundation but it's definitely gives better coverage than a bb cream or very light foundation. I notice that the poeple who say this is a medium to full coverage foundation are people who have been blessed with skin that doesn't need hardly any foundation at all!

Recently my skin has been in good condition (for me) and I find this gives me a nice coverage without looking like a mask and it feels so nice. It's not matt but it's not dewy either. Kind of a satin finish maybe? Smooooooooooth. But if I was having a bad skin day I don't think this would cut the mustard especially taking into account that I'm not much of a concealer user - I prefer the foundation to do all the work. Lazy).

How does this wear? This is the first new foundation I've tried since my new job and all the fun commuting so at the beginning I was like, "aaarrrghhhh my fasce is melting!!! MOFO!" but now I know that I am melting because I hate public transport. Yes, a heavier foundation might wear a bit better, but it also means your face feels tight asnd heavy and there's a danger of cracks appearing when you smile. Despite the sweating (sorry to keep talking about being sweaty, but forreals I'm drenched in sweat by the time I get to work)! my face looks pretty good by the time I get to my desk. Still smooth and bright (radiant?). In my experience this isn't a long wearing foundation, maybe 6 hours, but it does fade very evenly, which makes reapplying whatever afterwards very easy (I use my kiko foundation stick before I leave work).

I love the look and feel of this foundation, I just wish it lasted better. It hasn't broken me out so I am tempted to try one of the Loreal Infalliable foundations next. I like the True Match enough that I am tempted to repurchase and try a better colour match, but for the sake of the blog I will give a different product a go.

Have you given True Match a go? Was it your true match or more of a fling?

New shoes - New Look nude patent mid block heel with ankle strap

Hi Guys!

New shoes :)

I had a New Look gift voucher so I spent it on these beauties. They were £8 on sale!!!!!!!
They are a gorgeous pair of nude patent mid block heel with detachable ankle strap.

They are gorgeous. They'd be great for a party type event I'm sure but of course I wear mine to work.
The mid block heel and ankle strap makes it perfect for commuting and prancing around the office (or taking selfies in the toilets).

Review: Alpha H Liquid Gold

Hello :)

You may have noticed that recently I've been into trying out more skincare products. I think that since my skin has been improving due to (ironically) not using too many products I'm in a position to hopefully push my skin into getting even better. At worst, I'll have a bad reaction, but if that's the case at least I know that I can go back to basics and improve it again. This is me being adventurous!!!

So.....latest product to my skincare regime is another blogger favourite - Alpha H Liquid Gold.

I can't even begin to put into my own words what this is suppose to do, so this is what Cult Beauty says:

"This powerful firming serum works like an 'overnight facial' to tighten and revitalise tired, ageing skin and radically improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, open pores and acne prone skin conditions. Licorice helps reduce acne and hyper-pigmentation, and Glycolic Acid (derived from sugar cane) jump-starts the skin's metabolism, improving the texture by dissolving the bonds that hold dead skin cells together, allowing them to be sloughed away during your morning cleanse."

How I use it: I cleanse my face before bed. And then I put on some eye cream. (I do this next bit because of my nose issue - I put my hydraluron on my nose and some night cream just on my nose). And then I moisten a cotton pad with the Liquid Gold and swipe it all over my face, concentrating on my cheeks and jawline, because they are my bad skin areas. I only do this 2-3 times a week. Even if you have tough skin, don't use it on consecutive days.

I think that when you start this regime it's weird not moisturising your face but when I wake up my skin does not feel dry at all. I've only used this a few times so can't say if it's a miracle worker yet, but I haven't reacted badly which is good. There is a very slight tingle for 10 seconds, which I like, makes me feel like it's working.

Now....like the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, the problem is the price. You can by 100ml for £31.50 here: http://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/alpha-h-liquid-gold-night-treatment-serum.html I got mine off ebay again and I paid £29.90 for 200ml. Yeah I bagged a bargain!!!

I managed to pay less for double the amount of product........and I still feel sick. I half want not to fall in love with this because it's pricey. And the other half of me wants this to be the product that transforms my life.

I will feed back in a few months and let you know how it's working for me. Because you're not suppose to use this everyday hopefully it will last a while. I guess technically if two bottles lasted the whole year and it was a miracle worker it would be ok........I dunno. Conflicted. No more ebay!!!

(Oh! And I must admit, I've never seen the bottle in a store before, so when I open my package and took the lid off I felt a bit ripped off. That is one big lid. It's nearly a third of the bottle size. Misleading.)

Review: Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm

Hi Guys!

Around December/January I picked up the bloggers favourite cleansing balm - Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm.

I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to blog about - I love it.

I got the 100ml and I have about 3 uses left - I love it so much that I went and got myself a 200ml tub because I couldn't imagine not having this in my life.

What it does - you basically mix it with a tiny bit of water and rub it on your dirty face and it melts away your make up and leaves your face clean and moisturised. A face cloth/flannel type thing is usually used to removed this gunk, as that  motion acts as an exfoliator too.

What I use it for - now...I've tried to research this and I'm not sure why I do this but I don't often use it as a cleansing balm. I wear a ton of make up and don't find a cleansing balm too effective for me (I'll use it as a second cleanse to leve my face nice and soft) but what I love this for is......as a night time moisturiser!!!!! Seriously. I wash my face and pop this on. I'll do this about 2 times a week as I'm worried I'll break out, but it has been a good few months now and I think it's been great for my skin. I don't know anyone else who does this. I emailed the website to ask if it would kill me but no one got back to me so.......it seems ok to me.

Is this worth? - hhhhhmmmmm I can't think of any negatives aside from the price. If this was £10 I would bulk buy. It's easy to use and it leaves me with good face. 100ml is about £35rrp. I got my 200ml off of ebay. Soooo risky but rrp for 200ml is £55, and I got mine for £45. (Some people don't like the moringa smell....I can't smell it so I'm all right).

It's the sort of product that I know in my heart is so amazing but I don't feel comfortable recommending it to my friends (because of the price). Even though Hydraluron was pricey for the small tube, the effects were so wow that, as I said in my post, I would pay £100 for it and so I was happy to recommend it. With the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm it is amazing and if you love trying out skincare and don't mind throwing money into it then give it a go! If you're the sort of person who usually uses soap and water then maybe you won't appreciate this product. 

Review - Lucas' papaw ointment

Hi Guys!

I've been wanting to test this product out for years but been too addicted to my Elizabeth Arden 8 hour protectant cream. But eBay had this pretty cheap (£4.51 for 15ml with lip applicator, free p+p) so I thought I'd give it a go.

You can read about Lucas' papaw ointment over here:
 http://lucaspapaw.com.au/

Basically, it's an ointment that you can use on your face, hands, body, and lips. Chaps, burns, nappy rash; it's a really handy product to have around the house. To me, I use it exactly as I use my 8 hour cream.

The 15ml tube (comes in bigger tubes, and also in tubs) is so handy to carry around and if you know me then you will know i am constantly putting product x on my nose and lips, so a multi purpose product like this means I can use it on my lips and face without carrying multiple products around. Sure in my handbag I can have a face cream, lip balm and a hand cream but I can't exactly pop those into my pocket and put it on easily during a work meeting. Or at a bar. Or the cinema. Or all these other places that I never go too lol

This is a bit random - both of my ointments are a 15ml tube - but the papaw ointment tube is much bigger than my 8 hour cream. Handbag wise this isn't a big deal, but it can get a bit tight in my skinny jeans pocket!

Texture wise it's nice and thick and once rubbed in it isn't greasy or oily. I would say that it's less shiny than the  8 hour cream.

This whole lip applicator thing is suppose to be a selling point but I am really not bothered. For hygiene reasons I prefer to squeeze the product onto my finger rather than apply straight from the tube, but obviously I wouldn't really want to be rubbing the lip applicator onto my face in public. Or in private; it'd be pretty messy.

Scent - the original Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream is famous for it's stinky smell but they do do a fragrance free version. This doesn't affect me but I do notice some people wrinkle their noses when I whip out my tube. I think the papaw ointment is suppose to have a faint smell but i can't smell it. So for me they score the same scent wise.

In terms of preference.....I don't know. I really like both. I might stick to the Lucas' papaw ointment just because of the price point.

I would definitely recommend this product.