Evening Skincare Routine

 

My evening skincare routine has changed since the colder months began. I've also discovered a few new skincare products that have really helped my skin so I thought I would take you through my evening skin care routine.

 

I don't like to use too many products on my face as I can't understand how this can ever be a good thing, so I tend to try and keep it as simple as possible. To remove my eye makeup I use either my Nivea eye make up remover or The Body Shop Camomile eye make up remover ( see here ). I tend to use the Nivea eye make up remover most of the time and then save the camomile remover for when I'm wearing much heavier eye makeup, such as after a night out. I then remove the rest of my make up using a micellar water. I have read so many different reviews on micellar water but I honestly love it! I'm currently using one from B. but I know that L'Oreal do another drugstore-budget micellar water. To cleanse I will either use the Simple Cleansing Lotion and then the Simple Toner, or the Simple cleanser/toner gel. Simple products are wonderful to use, and I have never had a breakout or a reaction to them. Any blemishes I have, I will use either my Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Blemish Stick ( see full review here ) or if I'm having a breakout I will use my Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Spot Treatment Gel. I will use the gel all over my face before my moisturiser. I then use the Lacura caffeine eye roll-on on the circles under my eyes and on my eye lids. I currently tried out the REN Active 7 eye gel and I absolutely loved it but I don't love it enough to spend £20 unfortunately! Finally, I use the No 7 Oily skin moisturiser ( see here ). This is another great drugstore product because it feels very much like a high end product, as it is very luxurious to use.

 

I think skin care is the most important aspect of beauty, a good base is key! However I don't believe that you have to use hoards of products to achieve good skin, just the right products that suit your skin. It has taken me a couple of years to find a routine that works well for me and I don't have to spend a fortune on the products which is another bonus of course!

Has anyone else used these products before?

Product Review-Seventeen Wow! Highlighter

A couple of months ago, Seventeen rebranded and launched a collection of new products. The one I was eager to try out was this highlighter. I have seen a lot of reviews raving about it so when Boots had a recent 3 for 2 event, I had to have it. On first impressions, I like the packaging and I prefer the new look of the Seventeen brand itself-its has a fun and exciting feel to it and reminds me slightly of Benefit in the way they have named their products. I decided to use my fingers to apply this at first but I think next time I'll use my new stippling brush (post to come!).

 

The highlighter applies very easily to skin and although at first has an instant shine, this is soon toned down with some careful blending and use of a powder. I use this on my cheek bones, on my brow bone and along the bridge of my nose. I like the pump action on the bottle although sometimes this can release too much of the product. Considering this product was about £4, it feels luxurious to use and compared to higher end highlighters I have tried before, I think this is a great duplicate. I don't wear highlighter often as I try to keep shine at bay but when I do I will be definitely be reaching for this little gem.

Has anyone else tried this product? What are you thoughts on Seventeen's new look?

Product Review-Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

 

I love watching Get Ready With Me videos and make up tutorials on YouTube, and the one thing that seems constant in these videos is the love for the Real Techniques brushes. I already have the Core Collection (see here to hear my thoughts) which includes the raved about Buffing Brush, but I kept hearing about the Expert Face Brush so decided it shall be mine.
 

While it is similar to the Buffing Brush, it is not as wide and is slightly more domed than the Buffing Brush. Another significant difference is the Buffing Brush is designed for mineral and powder based foundations (even though I use it for liquid concealer and foundation) whereas this brush is designed for the application and blending of cream and liquid foundations to create a flawless base.

 

I really like this brush, whilst I can't tell too much of a difference in the results compared to the Buffing Brush, I find because it isn't as wide, is much easier to blend foundation and concealer into the more awkward areas of the face. If you already have the Buffing Brush, I wouldn't say you absolutely need to add this brush to your collection but I definitely think you should have one of them. It's also handy having two brushes for foundation for when one is being washed.

 

So overall, a very good brush but very similar to the Buffing Brush in terms of the results produced.

Has anyone else used this brush? What are your thoughts?

Maybelline Collection

I find Maybelline to be one of those brands that gets overlooked by its competitors and that a lot of their products are underated. If you think about it, they have actually got some pretty great products that I sometimes forget about. When I started compiling products for this post I realised just how many Maybelline products I have in my collection!

Colour Tattoo in Light in Purple, Pink Gold, and On and On Bronze
This is the product that I think of when I think of Maybelline. It has to be one of their stand out creations, and that is because of how great this gel crem eyeshadow is. I find them great to use as either a base as it holds powdered shadow in place extremely well, or to add a splash of colour to my eyes on an everyday basis. They are easy to work with using either a brush or even your fingers if you are in that much of a rush. Light in Purple is a brilliant base colour as it can work well with so many shades due to its light reflecting pigmentation. Its particulary lovely to use as a base for a smoky eye. Pink gold is the shade I use the most for an every day use as I think it looks really pretty just on its own. On and On Bronze is my favourite shade as I love a bronzed eye. I use this shade either as a base or on the outer part of my lid to contour.

Mascaras
I didn't realise that I have 4 Maybelline mascaras in my collection! The Falsies is probably the most well known due to it being so similar to Benefit's They're Real. I used to use this mascara all the time but I have just repurchased it and now I remember why I liked it so much. It creates beautifully full lashes without any clumps, and is so much easier to remove than some other mascaras I've used. Collosal Volume Express is similar to The Falsies but rather than increasing length, its brilliant at adding volume to your lashes. However I find using this mascara, I seem to have a lot of clumps which is quite annoying! Illegal Length is probably the most underused mascara I own, I just completely forget about it. There is nothing about it that particularly stands out for me. I tend to use this underneath a volume mascara just to increase length but I can't say I've ever had outstanding results. Great Lash is one of my favourite mascaras. It was the first mascara I ever bought and I still continue to repurchase it, I love it! I use it as an every day mascara. I hardly ever get clumps and it creates the right look for me for every day without being to heavy or dramatic.

Dream Touch Blush in 02
This blush is a beautiful, peachy cream blush. I find it incredibly easy to apply and to build the colour up. I usually apply this straight onto my foundation and then use powder to buff over any lines, which I get more using cream blushers. However I love this blush, purely because I think its a gorgeous colour and is so wearable and trans-seasonal.

Baby Lips
I now have 4 Baby Lips! The first one I bought was Pink Punch (the pink bullet and yellow writing) and I wasn't overly impressed as the colour reminded me of a lipstick I would get in a cheap make up set as a child. However I loved the cream consistency to the balm and how lovely it felt to apply to my lips. Peach Kiss (the purple bullet with orange writing) is another tinted balm. It smells and tastes AMAZING and has a lovely but subtle shimmery tint to the balm. Intense Care (yellow bullet; orange writing) has no tint but is so lovely to use under a lipstick or overnight, it really feels like its working magic on your lips without being overly drying. Hydrate (blue bullet; pink writing) is probably my most used as, like Intense Care it has no tint, but its brilliant for when dry lips strike, which happens to me a lot! As I work in a care home, I am constantly coming in and out of a heated environment, and this obviously doesn't do wonders for my skin or my lips, but since using these balms I've noticed a big difference! I know most people think these have been over-hyped but I have to agree with all of the rave reviews.

Super Stay Tint Gloss and Lipstick
The tint gloss (I have managed to rub the name of the shade off #bloggerproblems) has amazing staying power, although the gloss effect soon wears off but this has to be expected. Its a lovely bright red shade and is perfect if you're in a rush, or need your lipstick to stay in place all night. Ultimate Blush is one of my favourite everyday lipsticks. It has brilliant staying power and is a lovely subtle pink shade. I like wearing this over a balm as it has a slight sheen finish to it then, otherwise it has a matte finish which is also lovely. The consistency is creamy however if the lips are very dry, the formula tends to cling to any dry areas.

Coloursensational Lipsticks in Mauve Diamonds and Rosewood Pearl
I bought these when they were on offer in a local drug store. I picked these shades because they are the perfect everyday autumnal shades. Mauve Diamonds is, as the name suggests, a pale mauve colour with a lovely shimmer. Rosewood Pearl is more of a nude shade but also has a shimmer to it. I love the colours of these shades however, as you can see by the swatches, they are not very well pigmented at all, and therefore a few coats need to be applied to build up the colour.

Coloursensational Shine Gloss in Glorious Grapefruit
This was my absolute favourite gloss of the summer! It is such a beautiful, bright coral gloss that doesn't have too much of a sticky finish to it. I find this gloss can be worn either on its own or over a coral/pink lipstick.  I'm not wearing it as much at the moment due to the change of seasons, but I still love it.

Forever Strong Nail Polish in Crystal Clear, Porcelain Pink and Winner Takes It All
These polishes are from the old collection, however I'm pretty sure they do similar shades in their latest range of polishes. These polishes are great, they have a lovely wide brush which makes application super easy, and they dry pretty quickly too which is great for someone like me who has no patience when it comes to waiting. Crystal Clear I have used on its own and as a top coat as I find it has a lovely glossy finish, and these polishes seem to stay chip free for 3 or 4 days, another bonus! Porcelain Pink is a great summer colour. Its a very sickly pink so might not be to everyone's taste, but I like wearing it during the week when I don't want to much fuss on my talons. Winner Takes It All is one of my favourite polishes, its great to wear in the height of summer but is also very festive to wear during the Christmas period. It has a shimmer finish to it whereas Crystal Clear and Porcelain Pink have glossy finishes.

Colour Show in Urban Coral
This colour is a great colour for the warmer months! Its very bright yet wearable. I find the formula quite thin so at least 2 coats are needed for this polish, however the staying power of this polish is awful! I found within an hour, the polish had already begin to chip. Also, after a day, the polish could be peeled off, one nail at a time. I am so disappointed because there are some great colours in this range but the polish itself is really not worth bothering with!

So that's my Maybelline collection. I'm really enjoying posting about the different brands I have in my collection, its helping me rediscover my love for some of the products!

Has anyone else tried any of these products? Do you have anything from Maybelliene that I should try out?

Product Review-Loreal True Match Concealer

 

L'Oreal is a brand I see as the higher end of the drugstore brands. It's products have a higher end feel and look to them but their prices obviously reflect those of a drugstore brand. I never really buy anything from L'Oreal as their products never stand out to me. I have watched a lot of 'Get Ready With Me' videos on Youtube recently where people were using the Prep and Prime concealer from Mac and it always produced glowing results. So I set out to find a duplicate and this is what I came back with! As you can see it has a brush which makes application easy as all you have to do is click the end and quickly dab the concealer onto the skin. I then use my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to blend the concealer into the skin. I have to say, on my first use I already started to like it more than my Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer. It has the same idea as it reduces the fatigue look and has light reflecting particles to leave an illuminating and glowing look. I prefer this concealer because of the application process as I'm not a fan of applying concealer using a doe-foot applicator, and because the concealer supposedly matches your skin tone. I'm not entirely sure I believe that but it does a brilliant job of reducing, if not completely concealing, under eye circles.

Has anyone else tried this product? Have you had similar results?

Product Review-NYC Eye Shadow Palette

I don't own many NYC products, its a counter I very often walk past without even glancing at the products. However, I was in Superdrug one day waiting for someone and started looking at their NYC stand, and this palette stood out to me straight away. I think it has a lovely autumnal feel to it, however still being trans-seasonal. The palette is called Fashion Bootcamp, and consists of 4 shades-a cream, a deep green, a bronze and a charcoal shade. I've used this product a lot recently because I can create so many different looks with it. If I'm using all the shades, I'll use the lightest shade as a highlighter for my brow bone and the inner corners of my eyes. I then brush over the lid with the bronze colour and then lightly dust the green over the top as this creates a really pretty effect. I'll then use the charcoal shade on the crease of my eye lid and the outer corners. I'll then either use the bronze or the green very lightly on my lower lash line. For a more simple look I might just use a couple of the shades, the bronze and cream go beautifully together. The shadow itself is fairly well pigmented, and has good staying power. It can be hard to build up the colour using the lighter shades but when it is done its definitely worth it. I think this palette was about £4 which is an absolute bargain aswell!

Has anyone else used this palette or any others from NYC?

Product Review-Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation

 

This fairly new release from Rimmel was something I was interested in trying out. As you may or may not know, I have oily skin and try my best to keep that greasy shine at bay. This foundation claims to create a matte finish yet without feeling too heavy on the skin. First things first, I found a little goes a long way when using this foundation which is great! I used my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to blend this foundation onto my skin. It definitely left me with a natural matte finish however it did leave my face feeling caked in make up. It felt very heavy on my skin which contradicts the 'lightweight formula' it says on the bottle. Another flaw of this foundation is the packaging-it feels very cheap and I don't like seeing the colour of the foundation before I buy it. I went for Ivory because I've had that shade in other Rimmel foundation so thought that would be the best match.
So I'm a bit undecided with this one. Although it creates the look I am after, I really don't like how heavy it feels on my skin and I probably wouldn't have bothered with it if I had known that before.

Has anyone else tried this product? What are your thoughts?

Product Review-The Body Shop Camomile Eye Make Up Remover

I had seen this product reviewed on quite a few blogs and although its more expensive than my typical drugstore eye make up remover, I have a weak spot for The Body Shop, and I knew that they wouldn't disappoint me. I decided that in order to properly test this I would use it after a night out on heavy, smoky eye make up. And, oh my, it certainly does what it says on the tin! Not only did it remove ALL the eye makeup with 2-3 swipes, it didn't sting my eyes whatsoever. It actually felt very soothing to use, and it didn't feel like I was using chemicals on the delicate eye area. I am so impressed with this, I would highly recommend! They have a whole new camomile range so I'm tempted to try another product from that collection out.

Has anyone else used this product? What are your thoughts?

Product Review-In Style REN Samples

I don't normally purchase In Style magazine but when a fellow beauty blogger tweeted about these REN freebies in last months issue I had to pick myself up a copy. I wouldn't normally buy REN products due to the prices but I have been desperate to try out something from their range to see if they are worth the hype. The mini pack came with 3 different samples-the gentle cleansing milk, global protection day cream, and active 7 eye gel.

Gentle Cleansing Milk
I used this on a day when I had worn my normal every day make up (bb cream, blusher, powder etc.). I used this in the way the bottle instructs-rub gently between hands and then massage onto face. On the application my first thoughts were that it was very soothing to apply. Whilst I didn't actually feel like it had done a thorough cleanse, it felt lovely when massaged onto my face, and had a luxurious feel to it.

Global Protection Day Cream
I applied this cream after washing my face in the morning. It again had a very soothing application but I have to admit, I didn't notice a difference between the results compared to any of my drug store moisturisers.

Active 7 Eye Gel
This was my favourite product from the set-I love it! I can say that I absolutely noticed a big difference in my under-eye circles after using this for a few days. Its very cooling to apply as a gel and a little goes a long way. Out of all three products this is the one product I would repurchase, I have yet to find a product to provide the same results. I did have a sneaky look in Marks&Spencers to look at the prices but before I cash out £20 on this beauty, I'm going to try a few other dupes to see if I can find something with similar results but in my price range.

Has anyone else tried these products? Do you have any recommendations for good duplicate products?

Product Review-The Body Shop Coconut Beautifying Oil

The Body Shop have a range of Beautifying Oils that can be used on your face, body and hair. I picked up this one as I love coconut as a scent, and I wanted another oil to use on my hair. On application, the scent isn't too overwhelming which is nice, however the oil is very thin and watery. My Wella Oil that I normally use has a much thicker consistency to it (click here to see my review) however both have their advantages. I like that The Body Shop oil isn't too thick as it doesn't feel like I'm using too much product on my hair. I have been using this oil for a couple of weeks now and I think it is doing just as good a job as my Wella oil, and the gorgeous scent clings onto the hair which is another plus! I'm really enjoying using oil on my hair, I would definitely recommend it if you're still unsure. I haven't tried this oil on my skin as I prefer to use a moisturiser but I am so impressed with it that I think it would do absolute wonders on dry skin! 

Has anyone else tried this oil? Or any others from the collection?

October Non-Beauty Favourites

So hopefully you caught my beauty favourites, if not have a little look here. But I thought I would do a little lifestyle post about all the other things I'm loving at the moment. Possibly a bit random but hey ho.

TV shows-Made In Chelsea, Magaluf Weekender and Downton Abbey
I love love love this time of year because some of my favourite programs make their return to my tv! If you haven't seen them I'll give you a quick rundown. Made In Chelsea is a reality-drama show (think TOWIE). All the cast lead such amazing lives, which involves numerous parties and events, and plenty of gossip. I get so caught up in it. Magaluf Weekender is about a hotel in Magaluf and two groups of guests that stay there for a long weekend. The groups are different every week and one group is male while the other is female. Add that with lots and lots of drinking and you can guess al the drama that happens! The reps are consistent throughout the series and they bring just as much entertainment. Downton Abbey is a period drama that is currently set in the 1920s. Its centres around the Crawley family who live and run Downton Abbey, and their staff. Its such a beautiful programme and has amazingly gripping stories. I love it!

Red Daisy Primark Dress
I got this dress a couple of months ago but I love it so much. Its fitted on the upper body, has a zip on the side to loosen it, and then flows past the waist and ends just above your knee. At first I thought this dress was a summer dress but I've recently worn it with some black tights, boots and my coat and scarf and I think it works. So its wearable throughout all seasons really. Win Win!

A Song Of Ice And Fire
If you've watched Game of Thrones then you will know this book, but for those who haven't think Lord of the Rings but much more gory and a lot of incest and sex scenes. Its such a good story but I have found reading the book is much better as it explains everything so much better than the TV show, but the show is brilliant at bringing things to life!

Ribena
My favourite favourite favourite drink in the whole world has to be Ribena. However as I'm tight and don't justify spending £5 on squash I always wait for it to be on offer at my local supermarket. Its so refreshing and every time I drink it again I remember how good it is.

Songs-Disco Love by The Saturdays, Azonto by Fuse ODG and Changes by Tupac
Is it just me or has there been quite a few new amazing songs released recently? I love The Saturdays anyway but Disco Love has literally been on repeat so much on my IPhone. Its quite an upbeat song and the lyrics are nice and easy to sing along with (something I ALWAYS do). Fuse ODG's Antenna was my favourite summer song, and Azonto is almost as good. Not quite as 'clubby' as Antenna but still such an uplifting song, it makes me want to get up and dance whenever I hear it. Changes by Tupac is one of my all time favourites and I've been listening to it loads recently, I don't think I could get bored of that song. The lyrics have so much meaning and the tune is easy listening too.

So I hope you like this post, I've seen a few other bloggers do it so thought I would jump on the bandwagon. Has anyone else got any posts like this? I would love to read them.