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 Dreamy Foundation Post...

Excuse my horrible nails and feast your eyes on my new favourite foundation.  This is quite literally the dreamiest thing to have had the pleasure of gracing my face.  I picked this up on a whim because I really do NOT need another foundation in my collection but after noticing it on the shelves and swatching it on my hand I simply had to take it home.  The colour match was perfect (on my hand) and it was as if I was blending air onto my skin,  As it says on the bottle the Dream Flawless Nude foundation is very fluid-like.  It's safe to say the consistency is a strange cross between an oil and water and I'm sure when you try this you will kind of understand what I mean by that.

On application it sort of slips onto the skin as though a silicone based primer would or an oily base and I'm often left blending for dear life thinking is this even working but the end result is as close to perfection as you can possibly get with a medium coverage foundation which to me leans more towards the full end of the spectrum.  I'm fairly blessed in that I rarely breakout and my under eyes don't need a three step concealer programme to hide any lost sleep so this does a pretty darn good job of making my skin look...well flawless as the name would suggest.

When I picked this up it was on for the introductory price in Superdrug for £5.99 which was even more of an incentive to impulse buy, not that I really needed one.

I'm always up for trying new foundations so leave me comment with your favourite foundation picks and let me know if you've tried this one and what you thought of it?

The base factor...

Recent base related discoveries from Max Factor which left me pleasantly surprised.

When shopping for the perfect base product for my wedding day I automatically ventured towards the Giorgio Armani Luminous silk and Dior Forever skin options thinking that the more I paid the more flawless my face would look but surprisingly Max Factor did bring it when it came to a healthy glowey yet highly covered mug shot! 

The whipped cream foundation is exactly what it says on the jar, a whipped moussey cream which blends like a dream into the skin and looks flawless, can be used with a Real Techniques blending brush but looks equally as good just blended with fingers.

The Pan Stick however I feel needs the warmth of the fingers to achieve that good skin day look as it is much more of a solid oily formula.

On those days when I'm feeling really adventurous I'll use a combination of both to create an almost perfect base.  A light wash of  the Whipped Cream buffed into the skin with a few swipes of the Pan Stick under the eye bags and around the nose.

Who else has been pleasantly surprised by the highstreet offerings in the base department?

Dove Intensive Repair Leave-In Conditioning & Care Spray...

Hello again Beautifuls!

 



I'm back again with a quickie review for you of a recent discovery that I've just fallen in love with.  If you've been a follower of my blog for a while you'll probably notice that a haircare review is a little out of the norm for me.  But with the change of weather it's not just my skin that's suffering.  I've been browsing the aisle's for intensive treatments and masks but always turned away with nothing knowing that my hatred for thick gloopy hair masks teamed with my very fine easily weighed down hair couldn't really be catered for...That is until now...

 

Enter the Dove Hair Therapy Leave-in Conditioning and Care spray.  It's weightless and helps to prevent breakage and split ends which I'll admit I was in desperate need for.  The spray comes as a dual formula with a milky layer and a more transluscent layer which you shake to combine and then mist onto either towel dried, damp hair or dry hair.  I love the spray dispenser for this bottle as it gives a really even fine mist, you don't need much.  I have mid-back length hair and I feel 3-4 sprays is more than enough for my whole head.  I've been using this before blow drying as a bit of a heat protectant and on next day hair for shine and conditioning.  I haven't been using this long enough to know if it's actually doing anything amazing for my hair but since I've bought this my hair has looked a million times healthier and just generally in better condition. 

 

It's definitely is weightless but I do find that if you have really fine hair like mine you probably will have to wash your hair a day sooner than you normally would.  To be honest I really don't mind this.  I also think this Dove conditioner is great for coloured hair although they do have another version specifically for coloured hair as I recently went redhead and everytime I spray this in my hair it does genuinely make y colour look fresher, more vibrant and richer.  And just to top of the rave...It smells GORGEOUS! It's a scent that is defintely present when it's sprayed but not overpowering but lingers on the hair and I have been told it's quite an 'attractive hair smell' whatever that means! It's a little bit floral with fruity cocktail hints and would be great as a holiday essential I think. 

 

I picked this up in Boots for half the RRP at around £1.48 if I remember correctly which is an absolute steal! Go and get it! you won't be disappointed. I'm so tempted to pick up a few more while it's on offer just to stock up.

 

Apologies for not having proper pics guys, the weather has just been so pants and grey and what with it now getting dark at 5pm by the time I'm ready to sit down and blog my pictures all come out pants! :(

 

leave me your lovely comments and don't forget to subscribe and also let me know what you're using on your hair to save it from this horrible cold weather!

Until next time

Ciao for now World

xoxox

Review...Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

Hey There Beautifuls,

Left: 001 Honey Right: 005 Crush

I'm Going to jump on the Kissable balm stain bandwagon and I come bearing crappy Iphone pics n all! Yay! :D

I was browsing through superdrug oblivious to the release of these and spotted them...I have to say I stood a little dumbfounded for a minute and I was good and walked away (only to rush back the next day and buy the above shades...)

Yes I have no restraint or self control...

I have to say I'm really impressed with these, they have a minty smell which I like, and obviously the packaging is comparable to that of the infamous Clinique Chubby sticks.  They're currently on offer in both Boots and Superdrug for £5.99 which is an introductory offer (RRP will be £7.99)

The consistency is quite balmy to begin with but then turns a little bit waxy but the colour pay off is pretty good and wear-time is approx 4-6 hours before you need to reapply with eating and drinking which I can live with and I haven't experienced that 'drying-settle-in-the-lines' feeling which gives them a big thumbs up for me! :D

I initially wanted to pick up the Orange shade but I thought I'd step out of my comfort zone a little bit with these and I've not regretted it yet.

Have any of you tried the Kissable Balm Stains and if so what are your thoughts?

Until Next Time

Ciao For Now Beautifuls!

xoxox

Review...No7 Melting Gel Cleanser

Hey there Beautifuls,  I have a quick review for you guys as you can guess from the title, It's the Boots No7 Melting Gel Cleanser for Normal to Dry skin.

Boots say...'The first step to beautiful skin is effective cleansing. Specially formulated to effectively clear away dirt and impurities, No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser leaves dry complexions feeling as soft and supple as normal skin.'

'The gel develops into a non-drying oil to protect the skin’s natural moisture levels and hydrate dry areas at the same time. It then changes into a light milk formula for easier rinsing, so skin is left residue-free and totally refreshed. What’s more, it’s enriched with rosehip oil to really lock in moisture and offer a fuss-free approach to truly tailored skincare.'

My thoughts? I like it but I'm not blown away... It does feel nice on the skin but used on a full face of makeup it only removes approximately 75% of the makeup (It tends to struggle with mascara and eyeliner) However used with a muslin cloth (if you have you're own because this isn't designed to be a hot cloth cleanser) you dont experience the panda eye problem so much.

You only need a small amount and the transformation from gel to milky texture is gentle on the skin and good for those with dry and sensitive skin like mine, however it does have a floral scent which can be quite over powering so if you don't like scented skincare products then I'd suggest stearing well clear of this...that being said it's in no way an unpleasant scent.

The best thing about this cleanser is the lovely soft supple feeling of your skin after you've cleansed, it doesn't leave a residue on the skin but it does feel moisturised yet clean at the same time.

This retails in Boots stores for £9 however with the infamous £5 off vouchers lurking around at present you can pick this up for £4 if you're quick.

Does anyone have any skin care recommendations? or anyone tried any of the other new No7 skincare range please let me know...

Thanks for stopping by, Ciao For Now World

xoxox

Tool Review...Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection sponge

Hey there Beauts!

I was out shopping yesterday...As you do on a Thursday afternoon! And came across the Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection sponge in Superdrug.  I remembered hearing a bit about this and reading a few rave reviews so I picked it and thought...'meh it's £4.99 so if it all goes horribly wrong atleast I havent spent £20 on a brush'.  Thankfully for me...It all went horribly RIGHT!

In my opinion this is the best bloomin' thing since sliced bread!  I believe this is the UK's version of the 'Beauty Blender' and does pretty much the same job but trust me this makes your foundation just blend into your skin and look really natural and flawless (I hate that term but I can't actually think of anything better right now'

You take the sponge and run it under water, then squeeze out the excess water and begin blending using a stippling sort of motion.  Because you're using the moisture from the sponge your foundation doesn't sit on your dry patches in fact when you use this....'What dry patches..?!?' so far I've tested this with my trusty Photoready, the infamous Healthy mix and my Clinique foundation and they all look lovely, great finish and you get an evened out skintone and lovely glowy skin and I've found that I end up using less product because this just does the job with one layer of foundation whereas before I was packing on two to three layers for a very full coverage!

It has a pointed end for getting in those more hard to reach areas such as around the nose and under the eyes which brings me to another reason why I love this sponge...There is absolutely no pulling or tugging on the skin, it's so light and glides across the skin whereas before I was using my fingers and pulling on my poor sensitive skin...NOT GOOD!

The ONLY downside to this is once you've used it, it'll never be clean again, no matter how much you wash with baby shampoo or soap you'll never get those darned foundation marks off it however at £4.99 I could easily re-purchase every 3-4 months say and not even lose any sleep over it.

Thnks for checking in guys, if you're in the UK you'll have finally seen the sun these past few days and have probably caught a bit of a tan too, check out my post on staying safe in the sun HERE.  Don't forget to leave me your lovely comments and don't forget to click the little follow button if you havent already :D

Until next time lovelies

Ciao for now!

xoxox

A Simple Review...

Hey there beautifuls

Feels like a long time since I've done any writing that was non-work related and on this lovely sunday evening what else is there to write about than skincare!

The blogging scene has recently just blown up with reviews and raves on the Caudalie beauty elixir so...I'm not going to talk about that! lol I came across this new product on the market that was sort of designed with the same purpose in mind.  It was half the price with almost double the amount of product and was designed especially with sensitive skin in mind...OBVIOUSLY I was going to pick this up!

It's the Simple Moisture Boost Hydro Spray...

Image taken from Simple.co.uk

What it claims to do...?

'Our Moisture Boost Hydro Mist is a perfect blend of active ingredients and Lotus Flower goodness to give tired, dehydrated and dull skin an Instant boost of hydration for naturally dewy skin.  The fine mist absorbs instantly into the skin, refreshing and restoring optimum moisture balance and can even be used over makeup.  Perfect for even sensitive skin.'

How is it good for you...?

'Contains Lotus flower for optimum hydration

Glycerin hydrates and nourishes

Vital vitamins pro-vitamin B5 actively restores, softens and smoothes

Vitamin E moisturises to improve skin condition.

No perfume, no colour, no unnecessary ingredients and no harsh chemicals so it won't upset your skin

Dermatologically tested and approved'

How I've been using it...?

I've been using this as a toner in the morning to refresh after cleansing and at night just before bed. I've also used this as a refresher throughout the day and tested how it fairs over and under makeup.

And my thoughts...?

To put it simply (haha Get it..?!) I like it! Now don't get me wrong it's not a miracle worker and it doesn't instantly make you look like Megan Fox frollicking on a beach on Dubai! But it is nice, just to refresh and with your eyes closed if you have hot, dry, tired eyes it instantly soothes and cools them.  Used under makep it works as a nice little base for your foundation especially if you have horribly dry skin like me.  It doesn't however replace my moisturiser completely so not as hydrating as I'd hoped.  Used over makeup I really like it.  I have skin which will dry in a blizzard which is not a good situation for foundation and this mist just eliminates the dry lines and cakiness that tends to appear half way through the day.  The only problem? It's a temporary fix and the effects only last about 30-60 minutes before I need a respray.

Overall I do like it and with it being priced around the £5 mark for 50mls it doesn't break the bank but is it something I could live without?! hmmm Probably and even though I haven't tried the infamous Caudalie version do I think this is as good?! From what I've heard of the Caudalie one I don't think the Simple mist would surpass it in the ranks and the Caudalie Beauty Elixir is next on my 'To Get' list.

I'm really getting into my skincare now and drinking a lot more water so any skincare suggestions would be great! Don't forget to comment below and follow my blog if you like it :D It'll make my day! :D

Until Next Time

Ciao for now world

xoxox