Monday 21 July 2014

Free Lip Balm!! With Red Magazine

August's issue of Red Magazine contains a free expensive-looking lip balm! If you hadn't already cottoned on to that from the title of this post...

The balm in question is Rodial's Glam Balm, which is apparently worth £19. (Everybody say 'Ooooh'...) The magazine does cost £4, so it's quite pricey. Either that, or I'm just a massive cheapskate...

This issue of the magazine also features Fearne Cotton on the front cover with her legs ever so slightly akimbo, but don't worry, you can't see anything rude. There's also an interview with Fearne, if you're a fan of hers.

My glasses aren't a freebie. Sorry 'bout that...

I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that I've bought Red, I always assumed that it was for the more 'mature' ladies... So I stuck to the ill-fated Sugar Magazine instead when I was younger and then moved onto Glamour, Company etc. I was wrong to assume that because, although it doesn't seem like it would necessarily cater for teenagers and younger women, I really enjoyed the content of the mag.

Back to the freebie... Rodial's lip balm claims to plump as well as hydrate and it contains stem cells, apparently... (Hopefully not straight from someone's embryo...?) It also boasts having 3D filling spheres and rose wax, which sounds comparatively less interesting. It all sounds VERY complicated and scientific though, so it must be good, eh?

I must admit I've not really had that much of a chance to try the lip balm out, so I don't feel very well placed to write a comprehensive review of it. What I can tell you is:

It feels really quite rich,
It seems to last quite a long while without reapplication,
It feels expensive,
The packaging's a really lovely purple colour,
It's quite a 'sticky' lip balm,
SPF 15,
Loads of 'Sciencey'-terminology. So it instantly sounds impressive? (I'm sorry, but I'm currently reading Bad Science by Ben Goldacre and it's making me really quite skeptical...)

I must admit that I've never heard of the brand Rodial before, but having done a bit of research I discovered that they're a premium (read: expensive) skincare brand. Apparently they have a huge celebrity fanbase as they offer myriad less-invasive alternatives to cosmetic surgery.

My verdict? I really like the lip balm, but I don't think that I would pay £19 for any product like that, regardless of how much money I'd got in the bank.
(Told you I was a cheapskate...)

Thanks for reading!
Katie

Cosmetics

Sunday 13 July 2014

June Favourites!

So, June's now ended and it's time for me to take you through some of my favourites of the month!

PG Tips Green Tea - Mandarin Orange Flavour

Firstly, I'm going to start off with a bit of an unorthodox choice here. It's not a cosmetic product; it's tea! This is a new tea from PG Tips that I've only seen in the shops recently. I stumbled across this in Sainsbury's a couple of weeks ago. You get 20 bags for around £1.20, which is quite good value. Mine are nearly all gone now, because I really like this tea! It's a pyramid bag and it comes complete with the monkey on the label... If a picture of a cartoon monkey doesn't tempt you to buy tea, I don't know what will.

I'm not going to preach to you about the potential health benefits of drinking green tea, but I will tell you that it's supposed to be really good for your skin.

If you're not really a fan of drinking tea, you can boil green tea, let the bag cool and smear it over your face (yes, really... LET IT COOL FIRST THOUGH) to make a face mask. It seems to make my skin feel softer after leaving it for around 10 mins. (Yes, I really have smeared a teabag all over my face a couple of times in the vain hope of getting softer skin...)

Barry M Lipstick

I really like this lipstick. I don't wear it too regularly, but I tend to find if I'm feeling a bit down one day, applying a little lipstick cheers me up a bit.

My favourite is Barry M Lipstick in 53 Coral. The colour is beautiful; it isn't too obvious, but not subtle enough to be completely unnoticeable either. For some reason, in these pictures that I've taken it seems to look quite a bit darker than it actually is; it's a bit paler 'in real life'.

It seems to last for a long time without an additional product like Lipcote over the top and the finish is quite a matte one, rather than a glossy or shimmery effect.

53 - Coral - (Complete with Pale Arm)

I always ensure that I wear a good lip balm underneath, otherwise my lips tend to dry out. It's not exactly the most moisturising of lipsticks.

TRESemmé Argan Oil Salon Sleek Straightening Spray

I bought this a few months ago in Boots when they had a 2 for £7 deal on Tresemme products. This product is normally around £5. I often use their shampoos and conditioners, so I thought I'd try out a couple of their styling products to compliment these. I really like this; it genuinely makes my hair look straighter. My hair always flicks out at the ends, then starts to go wavy and this product stops that. Yes, it's quite expensive, but it's lasted me months, with sporadic use.

The bottle has a spray dispenser and contains 250ml. It has the usual TRESemmé scent to it, which is quite hard to describe... Just generic shampoo-y smell?

I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who has quite a lot of trouble ensuring that their hair is kink-free.

Superdrug Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser

This is definitely a firm favourite of mine. I started buying this last summer and I'm still hooked. It's £5.99, but is frequently on sale for £2.99. Inside the box is a tube of face cleanser and underneath that is a folded muslin cloth.

The Cleanser Comes Complete with a Muslin Cloth

Using this improves the appearance and feel of my skin and I think that it is a serious competitor for its more expensive counterparts (which I'm too much of a cheapskate to buy).

The scent of this face wash is really subtle, it's nice, but not overbearing; which I believe makes it suitable for even sensitive skin.

This product claims to 'Awaken skin's natural glow' and that it also 'cleanses and gently exfoliates'. It certainly lives up to what it claims, in my opinion. My skin also feels much softer and noticeably smoother after I've used this.

Real Techniques Make Up Sponge

Excuse the chipped nail varnish...

Surely you've heard of this? I stumbled across this on YouTube; but I was initially reluctant to spend £5.99 on a sponge.

I've had mine for months and it's still in good condition. I wash it out every week or so and it's as good as new. It does take a while to dry though; so sometimes I have to get my hairdryer out to speed things up a bit!

I wasn't really a fan of applying make-up with a sponge before I discovered this. Now I think I've been converted! I know they always say that sponges waste make-up, but I honestly think that the finish the this sponge offers is worth a bit of 'wastage'.

It just makes foundation sit on my skin more effectively. It ensures that you're not going to end up looking cakey and that you end up with a more natural finish.

The foundation that I've been using recently is Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation and I can honestly say that this sponge makes this foundation look a whole lot better on my skin than it does when applied with fingers or even a brush. It stops it from looking overly shiny and seems to really work it into my skin to make sure it stays on for longer.

The sponge has three different 'sides'. A rounded body for using on your cheeks, chin and forehead. A slanted edge for using around your nose and eyes. And a pointed edge for covering blemishes with. To begin with, it can be a bit of a juggling act; but it's something you easily get used to.

I would honestly recommend this to anyone and everyone. It's a must-have.

Thanks for reading!
Katie
x

Barry M

Monday 30 June 2014

HEATWAVE - Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation

It's been really quite warm* recently and my skin's beginning to suffer. (*for England...)

I don't know if I'm alone in this, but when the weather heats up a bit, my skin seems to get oilier? This means that if I continue to use more moisturising, heavier, liquid foundations I just break out in spots. Half the time I opt for going without foundation or even tinted moisturiser - Just enough moisturiser to help out the dry patches of skin and then a bit of concealer on top of any blemishes.

I've opted for the past few days to use a mineral foundation. The one I've chosen to use (as you've probably guessed) is Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation. I bought this product towards the end of last summer and found that, during winter, my skin was a little too dry and delicate... and I wasn't daring enough to use powder when my skin was in such a dry state.

I find that warmer weather, however, is perfect for the mineral foundation.

Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation in the old packaging

This foundation is SPF 15. The coverage is build-able. There are an array of different shades (including ones for ridiculously pale people, like me...), and you can even order really cheap tester pots from their website to find out which shade suits you best before you commit to splashing out on a full sized pot.

One reason that I turned to this foundation in the first place was because it's non-comedogenic (i.e. it doesn't block pores and then cause spots) which is a huge bonus. I've been using this foundation in the lightest shade 'Porcelain', which Lily Lolo describe as: 'Very pale, neutral with balanced undertones'.

Lily Lolo Foundation in Porcelain

It does cost £13.49; but the pot that I have seems to have lasted ages. I've used it quite a few times over the past few months and I'm still not ready for a new one.

I did find the prospect of applying mineral foundation quite daunting after years of using liquid foundation; but once you've done it a couple of times, it's really easy.

H&M's £2.99 Mini Kabuki Brush

I've been using Collection Lasting Perfection concealer on any blemishes and then just buffing this powder over the top with my H&M mini Kabuki brush (Pictured above - which only cost £2.99!) You do have to make sure that you really work the brush into the powder and then tap any excess off; or else you look a bit too powdery. Lily Lolo also offer finishing powders and a range of other products too!

I find that this, with the concealer underneath, gives me light to medium coverage. It does make my skin look good though; providing that I make sure I exfoliate and use a good moisturiser. (I've been using L'oreal Triple Active Day Cream for Dry and Sensitive skin - To ensure that it definitely won't dry my skin out).

They're also vegan friendly and have active antibacterial ingredients - Another reason why this foundation is great for preventing spotty skin!

This foundation seems to leave my skin looking really lovely; not too matte, but not really shiny either. I'm very impressed.

Advantages:

Build-able coverage,
Huge range of different shades,
Non-Comedogenic,
Anti-bacterial and vegan friendly.

Disadvantages:

£13.49 is relatively expensive for some people,
Probably not ideal for dryer skin,
Lighter coverage,
Not available in shops - You can only buy this product over the Internet.

You can buy Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation here.

La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water

Another product which I recommend for this weather is La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water. It's so cooling when you spray it on your face! It costs £4 from Boots; but it's so worth it. I am trying to save it, so only use it for those moments when my skin feels really flushed.

This product also doubles up as a great setting spray; especially with the Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation!

Thanks for reading!
Katie
x

United Kingdom

Beauty

Friday 20 June 2014

Glamour Magazine - Free Eyeko Eyeliner

This month's Glamour magazine comes complete with Eyeko Skinny Mini Eyeliner ~~(and some sex advice, but we'll not dwell on that...).~~

I would definitely recommend spending £2 on the magazine just to get the eyeliner as it's normally worth £12.

The Skinny Tip Enables a Precise Application

This eyeliner is great for staying smudge-free, which tends to be bane of my life when I wear eyeliner and dark eyeshadows. The finish is a matte one as opposed to a more shimmery look.

I got this eyeliner free in a magazine some months ago and it's definitely my favourite liquid eyeliner. Bold, thick eyeliner doesn't really compliment my eyes that much, so this is perfect for creating a more subtle look - This eyeliner is perfect for the daytime.

I was really tempted to buy this product after my first one (pictured) virtually ran out. I do think that £12 is quite a lot of money to spend on eyeliner, so I opted for Soap and Glory's Supercat Eyeliner instead, which is half the price of the Eyeko product. The tip of the Soap and Glory eyeliner is thicker and therefore tends to leave a much bolder line. So when I saw that this month's Glamour had the Eyeko product as a free gift, I jumped at the chance to get it for a mere fraction of the price.

(If you don't believe me about it being a fantastic eyeliner; Alexa Chung's a fan, so it must be good...?)

As I said, I'd definitely recommend getting the magazine, even if you're not that bothered about the other contents... It's a deal that's not to be missed!

Thanks for reading!
Katie
x

Beauty

Tuesday 17 June 2014

May Favourites*

*Yes, I know we're in June now, but I thought I'd let you all know about the products that I loved using in May anyway...

**Links for all the products are available if you click on the store names.

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara - Boots - £10.99

I'd seen so many good reviews of this mascara and I was keen to try it, but I was deterred by the price. It's £10.99, and I didn't want to waste that much money on a mascara that I wouldn't necessarily like.

By chance, Glossybox sent this product to me last month...

It really reminds me of Max Factor False Lash Effect, which is probably my favourite mascara ever, if I'm honest. It's not quite the same, the brush is shaped differently and the formula tends to have a little fragrance to it; but luckily, it doesn't aggravate my eyes.

As you can see, the brush is a plastic one rather than a fibre one. It is great at combing through your lashes, but if you use too much it can potentially look a bit 'spider-lashy'.

I would still say that I just favour Max Factor False Lash Effect, but I do really like this mascara too.

Toni and Guy Leave-In Conditioner - Boots - £5.49

I've been using this pretty much every day for weeks and sporadically for months before that. I love the smell of this product, even though I'm not entirely sure how I'd describe it.

It's in a squeezy tube. I'm only on my second tube, so, surprisingly, a little goes quite a long way, even though I always use a generous dollop on my hair each day.

I don't really know what else to say about this, other than it's suddenly become one of my staple hair products. I'm normally quite experimental with my hair products, but this is one that I'm smitten with. I think that speaks volumes about how good this is.

My hair's quite prone to frizz and it often takes an array of a hair products to tame it. This significantly reduces the frizz nearly every time I use it. I do still have the odd bad hair day, but since I've been using this, teamed with VO5 Smoothly Does It Straightening Cream, my hair's much more managable.

Garnier Hand Intensive 7 Days Hand Cream - Superdrug - £2.99

If you suffer from dry skin on your hands, like I do, this is amazing. It's one of my top three favourite hand creams at the moment (the other two being L' Occitane Rose Tenderness Hand Cream - which is quite pricey- and Palmer's Cocoa Butter Hand Cream - Which retails for around £2).

This boasts that you can still feel the benefit after washing your hands and I genuinely agree with it. It seems to keep my hands in much better condition, even if I only use it once or twice a day.

I can't wait to use this through winter, in full knowledge that the skin on my hands will probably fare much better than it normally does. I normally get dermatitis in between my fingers and where my hands and wrists meet, this is one hand cream that seems to help eradicate that problem.

Some hand creams make my hands sting because my skin's sensitive to the strong perfumes. This, however, isn't too heavily perfumed. It smells fresh and... hand-creamy.

Elf Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 - EyesLipsFace.co.uk - £1.95!

I don't know about you, but when the weather's quite hot, foundation can feel a bit too heavy on my skin. Instead, I opt for this really cheap tinted moisturiser, and I am definitely impressed. Costing less than £2, (Yes, £2!), this tinted moisturiser is perfect for those days where you can't really be bothered with foundation. It must be said that I use this on top of my usual moisturiser, or mixed in with it. I pop a little concealer and pressed powder on top and I'm ready to go. It's great. The tint isn't that strong, and the colour is genuinely pale enough for me!

The smell's quite unusual to begin with. It's orangey, which strikes me as a little odd for cosmetics. I soon got used to it though, and now I actually quite like the orangey-ness!

Lacoste Joy of Pink Perfume - The Perfume Shop - £41.50

I'll be honest, I bought this last July when I went to London. I was in Harrods and it was in the sale. I managed to get a full sized bottle and a smaller, travel sized bottle for about £25-30.

I used to use Touch of Pink by Lacoste when I was at University, so I was intrigued as to whether I'd like Joy of Pink just as much. I really like Lacoste perfumes because they're not too pricey and they're not too cheap either. They certainly don't smell cheap (at least, I hope they don't...)

I like wearing perfume and I do wear it every day, but I don't like spending too much money on it. Lacoste perfumes are brilliant for me, because they smell lovely, feel expensive but aren't actually too pricey.

I hadn't used this perfume for quite a while, but I saw it lying around in my room a few weeks ago and decided to try it again. It smells really lovely and I've been wearing it every day since!

Thanks for reading!
Katie
x

Beauty Blog

Sunday 8 June 2014

Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation - Review

Yes, it's yet another foundation review...

I was, up until quite recently, an avid user of Max Factor's Lasting Performance Foundation. Seriously, I'd wear it everyday. Come rain or shine. Even if I had a break out or eczema attack, that foundation would be stuck to my face all day long.

Now, the reason that I stopped using it was because I thought I looked a bit orange. The whole 'orange face/white neck' look is never one to strive for... And instead of just putting foundation on my neck and fake-tanning my entire body to match my darker face, I went on a quest for a paler foundation.

As you've probably already noticed, I'm an ardent tester of Rimmel Foundations. Mainly because they're one of the only high street cosmetics companies who bother to cater for super-pale people.

Anyway, back to Max Factor. I like the company. I know they're at the higher end of high street cosmetics in terms of price, but I feel that the quality outweighs cost with most of their products.

I bought this foundation quite a while ago but never really used it. It seemed to be a similar colour to the Lasting Performance and I didn't want to return to my orange-faced roots. So, I just left it, sitting in the bathroom, all alone; unused and gathering dust. But, last night, I had a change of heart and decided to try it out again. I was a little impressed, so I decided to use it again today.

Again, I was quite impressed. I bought this foundation in Light Ivory. Don't think that 'Ivory'; means 'pale' with this foundation. It doesn't. It's not pale-pale. Just lesser orange than most foundations available. I would say that, in terms of texture and finish, I would still favour Lasting Performance, but only just.

Shade - 40 Light Ivory

It's quite pricey at £9.99 for a pot. Luckily though, a little goes quite a long way.

I'd say that this foundation provides medium coverage. You could build it up, but I would guess that too much of this foundation could look potentially cakey.

As mentioned, this foundation comes in a pot. Which is quite handy, because you can pop the foundation straight back into the pot if you take too much out. The pot's made of glass, which makes it feel like it's a high-quality product. It's got a screw-lid, which, for me, is reminiscent of Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse Foundation. The product itself feels really different to that though; it's far creamier.

I actually used this foundation without powder and it looked wonderfully radiant, for a while. Eventually, after a couple of hours, the dreaded shininess kicked in and I wished I'd used powder after all...

I would definitely recommend this to people who have combination skin, because this foundation seems to hydrate those dry patches (without clinging to them) whilst simultaneously making those oily bits look a bit less... Oily. It's great for evening out combination skin, but I'm sure it's great on most types of skin.

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