NYX Cosmetics comes to Boots stores...

Yes! You heard right... NYX Cosmetics have hit Boots stores.  You could not imagine my excitement as I was browsing through my local Boots store just picking up the usual bits and bobs when I spotted the stand.  Understandably there were women swarming over it like flies on... (Y'know) but I still managed to spend a good 20 minutes just slapping a bit of whatever I could get my little mitts on all over my hand and swatching like a mad woman.  

I knew I wanted  a good look at the soft matte lip creams so after swatching whatever I could I decided on the shades Abu Dhabi and Cannes.  Abu Dhabi being the browner of the two shades and Cannes being the pinker.  I also picked up the liner brush and the brow pomade in black as I actually wanted to try this for eyeliner.  Since picking up these products I've actually been back and picked up a couple of other bits so expect another little haul post featuring NYX and a first impressions post once I've had a good play with them all.  If anybody has any recommendations from NYX then please let me know as I have a feeling I'll be a regular at that NYX stand for the foreseeable future.

The Gentle Cleanser Post...

Anybody that's been a long term reader of my busy little musings will know that my skin does tend to have a hissy fit at the first sign of something it doesn't like, be that something I've eaten or a new product I've used that my skin hasn't taken a liking to.  So I'm constantly on the lookout for gentle cleansers that will be tough on makeup but not cause my skin to freak out too much.  Now these are a few I've been using recently and having given them each a fair trial I thought I would share my feelings.

The Body Shop Camomile sumptuous cleansing butter says it's suitable for all skin types but you know if it has camomile in it, it's going to be calming and gentle on the skin.  Apart from the fact it comes in a tin that you have to dig the product out of I really can't fault it.  It has a light floral scent and you know with The Body Shop you can't really go wrong with the ingredients.  Once warmed up in the hands and applied on to a dry, full face of makeup this just melts away everything you have on including stubborn mascara and all you need is a clean muslin cloth or flannel to rinse away the product.  It's great for my dry skin as it leaves my skin feeling nourished without that tight feeling some cleansers can leave.

Now you may think if you love the cleansing butter so much why buy more cleansers but it was the messiness of it that led me to the Boots Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash.  This says it 'gently lifts away makeup and impurities' which I would say it only half does.  It has a gel like consistency which you are supposed to massage into damp skin to remove makeup but I always find I'm left with panda eyes from my mascara and eye liner after using this and even if I then go in with a second cleanse I still don't feel as though it's all gone.  I don't really feel as though my skin benefits in any way from using this although it is marketed as containing Hibiscus as 'Nature's brightness booster' and that natural AHA's from the flower act as a mild exfoliant to smooth and brighten.  There could possible be some slight brightening effects with this but aside from that and the convenience of a gel cleanse it's pretty redundant.

And finally the No 7 Beautiful Skin foaming cleanser for normal/oily skin.  You're probably wondering why I would buy a cleanser targeted at more oily skin types but I don't use this everyday.  This is more a cleanser for those evenings after a sweaty long day at work or for a quick cleanse after a good gym session.  This again does nothing for removing mascara or eye liner although it says it dissolves makeup I beg to differ and because this is targeted at removing oil and tightening pores it does leave a little bit of a tight feeling just after washing but as long as I only use this once or twice a week and I go straight in with a good toner, serum/oil and moisturiser that feeling doesn't bother me too much.  I will however continue to hunt for the perfect gentle cleanser and if anybody has any suggestions please do pop them below.

Nip and Fab Bee Sting Eye Cream...The verdict

After posting this picture on Instagram a fair few weeks ago it got quite a bit of attention and I promised a full review with my thoughts after I'd spent a bit more time using it so this is what I'm sitting down to type up for you today.

Having used this now for quite a while, about 9 weeks to be exact I'm still a little bit torn.  Nip and Fab is a brand that always intrigues me when I step into a Boots store and I often spend a fair few minutes perusing their interestingly named products which claim to contain quite innovative ingredients.  Not only do they have a Bee Venom range but also a Viper Venom and Dragon's Blood range to name a few.  Not going to lie it's the Bee Venom that initially attracted me to this product but actually when I started using it my under eyes just drank this up and loved me for it.  There is a slight feeling of a tingle or tighten when first applied but now I don't even notice when I put it on but it's become a staple in my daily routine and am quite enjoying the thick creamy texture for my dry papery skin.

The reason why I say I'm a little bit torn about this product is because before using this I was using nothing for an eye cream and so I can't differentiate between whether  it's actually the Bee Fix that reduced the puffiness and dark circles or whether ANYTHING would have given the same results given the utter deprivation my under eyes were experiencing.  I will however give the product its dues as it has reduced some of the puffiness, my dark circles seem to be lighter and although I haven't noticed a huge difference on the fine lines I was concerned about I think it will take a lot more use and persistence to impact those crows feet but I will continue using it as the Nip and Fab website does claim big things from this little yellow tub of craziness and I'm hoping it delivers.  I'm intrigued to try some of Nip and Fab's other products so if anybody has any reviews or has tried any of their other products and has any thoughts on them please do let me know...

Currently Adored...

Hello Again World!

I seem to be back in the swing of blogging so here's another quick (or so I thought) one for ya.  Now I figured, it's too late to do a November favourites and a bit early to do a favourites of 2011 so this is just my in betweeny blog about things I use on a day to day basis and things I'm currently adoring.

These are the things I've been loving a lot recently and use pretty much on a daily basis...

These two products are favourites for my skin. I have dry sensitive skin which in the winter is a nightmare! The best moisturiser for my skin is the E45, it's cheap and cheerful and does the job far better than some more expensive moisturisers I've tried.  This tub is 125g and has lasted me for about 6 months and costs no more than £5. The origins vitazing is what I took with me on holiday recently and found, although it is much pricier than the E45 cream it is equally as amazing.  At first it comes out as a grey cream but quickly changes to a light tint that matches the skin once applied.  It has an SPF of 15 which is good for protecting the skin and works wonders for the days you just dont want to wear foundation.



This is basicly what I use on my face everyday when I'm going out or for work.  I use the Revlon Photo ready foundation in the shade 003 Shell.  Love this foundation, it photographs amazingly well as the name suggests and workes fine on my dry sensitive skin.  It does have very very fine glitter particles in it which is hardly noticeable but may bother some people.  This foundation claims to offer 'complete coverage' which it does very well and also has an SPF of 20 which is an added bonus.  This retails at around the £10 mark for 30mls which is reasonable I guess.  Now I use this pretty much everyday and find that 30mls last me about 4-5 months...not bad I'd say!

In the summer when I need to powder over the top of my foundation I use the Revlon photo ready powder in the shade 010 Fair/light. I have however stopped using this in the cold winter months just because I dont need to powder over dry skin and if I do it just accentuates my flaky-ness :(

To conceal I use the Collection 2000 lasting perfection 16 Hour Wear concealer in the shade 2 Light.  This is great for under the eyes and covering redness or breakouts, very affordable and the little tube lasts quite long.  I've had mine for about 6 weeks now and still going strong.  I dont however think it does what it says on the tin as far as lasting 16 hrs is concerned but it handles my 8 hr work days pretty well.

For my eyes I've been using either the Urban Decay Naked Pallette.  Has great day appropriate colours, shadows are great quality and has the double ended black and brown eyeliner in the kit so perfect I'd say.  I've recently seen reviews on the new Naked 2 pallette that's been released....uh-oh!!

When I'm not using the Urban Decay shadows I'm using my Rimmel London eyeshadow quad in 019 Sun Safari. Now I dont really tend to buy Rimmel London products but I picked this up in the pound shop for a quid! now correct me if I'm wrong but £1 for four Rimmel eyeshadows is a bit of a bargain!! Love the colours, great for everyday wear, onlly problem is I'm not sure if you can still find this in the Rimmel London range so once it's finished, it's gone :(

My favourite mascara of all time ever has to be the L'oreal Volume Million Lashes, I've tried the original black when it was first released and it was love at first site.  I'm now using the extra-black one and am still in love!  Costs between £8-£12 depending on where you get it from and whether there's an offer on but totally worth it for me.  Each tube lasts me about 4 months and I do use generously pretty much everyday!

As for eyeliner I used to love my Collection 2000 liquid eyeliner and wouldnt really venture out to try anything else liner wise but since I've tried the elf cream eyeliners I havent even looked at my collection 2000 one!  Costs £3.50 from the elf studio range which is pennies for what you're getting! works wonderfully and lasts all day, I have three of them so far but am considering getting the others just because I can't get enough.  The only down side to this liner is that my black one seemed to dry out after about a month or so whereas my midnight blue and brown ones are still going strong.  I have found that if I warm up a little bit of the black one on the back of my hand it works perfectly

A few other things I've been loving recently...

My all time favourite blush right now has to be the Accessorize merged blusher in 4 - Diva.  I think I got this over a year ago for about £6, have used it pretty much everyday for about 6 months and havent even dented it, I think this will literally last me forever!

The Ultimate lip treatment ever to exist in my opinion has to be the Kiehl's Balm #1 in Mango.  this comes in different flavours, I just happen to have the Mango one.  Bit pricey for a lip balm at £9.50 but totally worth it.  Has an SPF for an added bonus and literally feels like butter on the lips.  And when I say this is the best I've tried....I would know as I have tried and tested every lip product ever to exist because I think I have a bit of an addiction to all thing's lip related...*hangs head in shame*

And finally for my currently adored is a product for the hair...

I decided I would buy into the Argan Oil hype by trying something Argany without actually buying the pricer morrocan oil.  I found this VO5 miracle concentrate elixir with argan oil in Superdrug and decided to give it a try.  It cost about £4.50 for a 50ml bottle which at first I thought was a bit pricey for a tiny bottle but no...this stuff is never ending.  All you need is 3-4 drops for the ends of your hair as an intensive leave-in treatment and you're good to go.  Leaves the hair looking healthy and shiny and smells lovely too!  I've been using this for about 2 months now and the bottle literally looks brand new!

Well, I do believe that is more than enough talking from me for now, until next time...

Ciao for now World!

xoxo