Rediscovered: Topshop Lipstick in Brighton Rock

 Topshop Lipstick in Brighton Rock

I've said so many times I'm not a fan of lipstick. I only own about 3 and I rarely wear them. However I recently rediscovered Topshop's Brighton Rock and I can't get enough.

The consistancy is unlike any of my other lipsticks. Brighton Rock glides on so well, it has a gorgeous sweet scent and looks great dabbed over vaseline for a less intense effect. I personally think this shade suits me quite well, though i'm no makeup artist so I'll let you be the judge.

What do you think of Topshop lipsticks? Do you have a favourite shade?

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Conditioning & Care Spray

Dove Hair Nourishing Oil Leave-In Conditioning & Care Spray, £3.99

I'm a big fan of Dove as a company for embracing positive body image in their television and magazine articles, however I rarely buy their products. I picked this up in boots the other day after reading Emma's review. 

Nourishing Oil Leave-In Conditioning & Care Spray is made of two different products (one being a hair oil which is another reason I bought this) that work together when you shake the bottle to nourish and refresh tired hair. 

the first few times I used this I used quite a lot because it dosen't actually make your hair feel wet atall, it works better when you just apply a few squirts. it smells bloomin' gorgeous, it's a sweet subtle scent that lasts all day. 

To be entirely honest, I haven't really noticed a huge difference in my hairs condition since using this, it smells nicer and it is possibly a little softer but I've only had it a few days and your hair takes a while to get used to products. 

I did buy this because of the mention of an oil ingredient, however i think if you're looking for an oil you are better off spending more and buying moroccan oil or one of the similar brands. 

I would repurchase this,  its a nice hair treat for when you're skint but it's not groundbreaking for me.

Topshop Cream Blusher in Head Over Heels

Topshop Cream Blusher in Head Over Heels (£6)

 I've always loved the feel of cream blushers on my skin ever since owning a Collection 2000 one when I was around 11 years old! I hate having to use brushes for makeup, as I then have to carry them round with me for top ups and they can get damaged when they're kept in a bag all day so if I can help it I prefer products I can apply with my fingers.

I bought this a few weeks ago and I'm in love. Head Over Heels is a blue toned pink that can be layered for a more intense effect. It brightens my skin and is just the right shade for me. 

I have found it can sometimes rub your foundation off if you're heavy handed when applying but if you 'press' the colour into the skin it works prefectly. Obviously as it's a cream blusher it dosen't have the same staying power as a powder but it's so quick to apply I don't really mind.

The mirror has also been a lifesaver for me as it's always something I manage to forget to put in my make up bag. I love the cute packaging and as it's quite a slim pallette it takes up minimal space. I can't wait to go back and get more shades!

What do you think of Topshop makeup?

TangleTeezer Review

Tangle Teezer in Purple Glitter

After reading so many reviews about Tangle Teezers I decided to check them out for myself and see what all the fuss is about. I have naturally thick hair, which I'm the first to confess, I don't take very good care of. My hair tangles very quickly outdoors and brushing normally involves tugging, hair loss and flat limp hair. 

"Whether you wear long hair, short hair, have highlights, hair extensions, an afro or a weave, the Tangle Teezer will detangle and smooth your hair into superb condition.
The Tangle Teezer dramatically reduces hair breakage, splitting and damage, resulting in beautifully shiny hair. After brushing, your hair will feel silky to the touch and stunning to look at.
The Tangle Teezer is a must-have for Mums! It’s loved by children as it helps them get rid of their painful tangles quickly and effortlessly!"

Reading this description and the reviews I have seen on Boots and the blogosphere made it a must try for me so I snapped it up a few weeks ago. I was really excited to use this and got it out of the box pretty much straight away. And to be honest, I was really dissapointed!
To me the TangleTeezer feels like any other hairbrush! I still had the same pulling, although my hair did seem shinier, but because my hair is so thick the teeth didn't reach right through to my scalp and I had to almost section my hair to brush it properly.
The brush is designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand for a no-slip grip and maximum comfort but I just couldn't get the hang of it, it felt so weird to be brushing my hair without a handled brush!

The tangle teezer has however found a place in my handbag, as it takes up less space than a regular hairbrush, but it's not the wonder product I hoped it would be. A lot of people have used it and loved it but I just can't get it to work for me! (Maybe because my hair wasn't in great condition in the first place?) I think it would be better suited to finer hair types. As for using with children I have no idea as I'm not a mother but I will probably try this out on my 5 year old nieces!

What do you think of the TangleTeezer? Do you think it lives up to it's claims? 

Revlon Colourburst lip Butter

 Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake (RRP £7.99)

I'm not a huge lover of lip products. I don't like my lips to feel sticky or the inconvienience of reapplying my make-up so my pout is normally quite low maintenance. Right now I'm going through a phase where I'm trying to make an effort with my lips and this is where Revlon Lip Butter comes in. I've seen this product floating around the blogosphere for a while now and I'll admit I was originally drawn in by the packaging. I picked this up the other day in my local Boots (there's a £2 off promotion on selected revlon cosmetics right now that the lip butters are inluded in!) in the shade Strawberry Shortcake.

Colourburst Lip butters are a sheer, pigmented lipstick which to me seem more like a hybrid between gloss and lipstick. On application it feels really conditioning and I love the shade. My lips did feel slightly sticky after a while and because of the sheer finish I found that this wasn't very long lasting atall. It's such a shame because I really want to like this product. It's not practical for me but I really do love the hint of colour.

This isn't a product I would repurchase but for now I'm happy to put up with the constant topping up in the name of a perfect pink pout!

How do you rate Revlon Lip Butters? Are you going to be repurchasing?

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Foundation

 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Foundation in Vanilla (£5.99)

Another foundation review from me, it dosent seem like 5 minutes ago I was doing my last review of Rimmels Wake Me Up Foundation!
After trying Collection 2000's (I think they are rebranded as The Collection now?) Lasting Perfection Concealer I decided to get the foundation too as I love the concealer and it hasn't dissapointed me. This foundation feels very thick when you first apply it as it is a fairly high coverage product. It reminds me a little bit of Estee Lauder's Doublewear Max Cover. It takes only one 'pump' from the nozzle to do my face and I apply it using my Real Techniques Stippling Brush and I don't need to top it up atall throughout the day. Even after a 12 hour shift on my feet in a warm care home it still stays put. I got the shade Vanilla although it sometimes looks a little too dark on me. I was going to get the lightest shade, Ivory, but it looked very yellow toned in the bottle and I have very little yellow tones in my skin.

This is definatly a product I'll be repurchasing! I've always struggled to find foundations to stay in place all day and this definatley lives up to the 16 hour wear claim. The only thing I think would improve the product would be for it to not have any sun protection in to prevent ghost face in photos!

How do you rate The Collection as a brand? What do you think of the rebrand? Have you tried this foundation? What did you think?

Playtime with MUA!

 MUA 3-in-1 Contour Pen in Sage (£1.50), MUA Professional Eye Primer (£2.50), MUA Pearl Eyeshadow in shade 27 (£1), MUA Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner (£1)

Last summer when I first started to read beauty blogs I decided to try MUA nail polish after seing a few good reviews (for the price) and my experience of the brand pretty much stopped there. A few weeks ago as I was browsing Superdrug I decided to look a bit further into the range and I'm so glad I did!
I bought this little bundle to get me started and each product I now use reguarly, the eyeliner and primer I use daily!

The 3-in-1 Contour Pens come in a lovely range of colours and are a little longer lasting than other sheer coloured eyeliners I've tried (Eyeko I'm looking at you!) in the past. They're nice to use every now and again to mix your makeup routine up and I'm going to get one in Smoked Plum next!

The Pearl Eyeshadow is something I didn't really think I'd get much use out of but it's a perfect shade for me as an everyday eyeshadow and is really pigmented! They also do a matte collection, shade 19 looks like a good one for filling in brows!

I've heard so many bloggers rave about the primer and I use it a lot more than I thought I would. I actually hesitated a little at getting this as it's one of the more expensive MUA products! I think I tend to get in a bit of a super saver mindset when shopping budget brands. But I'm glad I bought it, it glides on nicely and blends well and dosent crease like my old, far more expensive eye primer did!

The liquid eyeliner is my favourite product of the lot. I've been using models Own Hi-Definer Pro Eyeliner for a while now which you can see my post about here, and I love it, but this one is: a) far cheaper and b) dosent feel like you're wearing eyeliner whatsoever. It's not as easy to give a smooth line with the MUA one though, you have to allow a bit more time to get it perfect!

Overall I'm impressed with my MUA experience. I expected chalky fourmulas and badly pigmented shades if I'm entirely honest but I've been proven wrong. I'm still not sure if I would purchase any foundation or concealer from MUA as I'm quite picky and have a few fail-proof favourites but I would definatley stock up on eyeshadows/liners and there are a few blusher shades I like the look of. Budget brands seem to be really upping their game in such a huge market and with more and more consumers needing reliable, good value products and MUA are definatley up there in my books as one of the experts at this.

Have you tried MUA products? How do you rate the quality compared to other brands?

RIMMEL Wake Me Up Foundation

 Rimmel Wake me up Foundation in Ivory - £8.99

I bought this foundation last week on a bit of a whim after my old one had ran out. I remember seeing the advert for this and thinking it looked okay and then completly forgetting about it for months-typical me! 

When I swatched this it felt very thich and creamy, like other Rimmel foundations I've tried, and of course it has the trademark highly perfumed scent.

This foundation has light reflecting particles which you can't see when applied, though in low light it's quite obvious. I prefer my foundations to be as invisible as possible so I wasn't really keen on this factor.

The finish is quite sheer, I need a lot of coverage so this isn't great for me but it could be good for summer as it feels more like a moisturiser. I'm trialling Estee Lauder Double Wear right now so this has gone in my backup makeup box for now. 

I will use this again as I hate wasting foundation but it's probably not one I would buy again. I may get one of the less sparkly rimmel ones for summer though.

How do you rate Rimmel foundations? Have you tried Wake me Up?

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Stippling Brush, £11.99, Boots

 "Create a flawless base with this beautifully designed Stippling brush by Samantha Chapman, which helps you build coverage gradually for an airbrushed, high definition result"

After hearing the hype over the blogosphere about this range I decided to pick up the Stippling Brush last time I was in Boots. This brush has been a saviour for me since I have had it, I couldn't go back to my old Topshop foundation brush now. The great thing about a stippling brush is that it can be used for foundation, blusher, bronzer and powder, so cuts down the need for other brushes. 

My makeup looks so light while still providing the coverage I need when I use this brush, and I've been recommending it to all my friends! It dosen't absorb any product and is easy to clean. Such a lovely product!

Sneak Peek

Not posted in a while as I've had some sad family news, so here is a little peek into whats coming soon. Reviews from Enrapture, José Eber, Corioliss, Real Techniques and Rimmel. I'm so excited to share these with my readers and hopefully I will get some outfit posts out too. I'm starting my new job tomorrow so I'm going to try and sort out some kind of schedule rather than try to whack out posts in a rush that end up being of bad quality.
Hope everybodys had a lovely Mothers Day, I know mine has been spoilt!

EDIT: "I hope everybodys had a lovely Mothers Day, I know mine has been spoilt!" Meaning I know my Mum has been spoilt by us all, not that the day was spoiled because of the news! 

Nicki Minaj for O.P.I Mini Set

Nicki Minaj for O.P.I Mini Set in Pink Friday (Pink), Fly (Turquoise), Did It On Em (Lime), and Metallic 4 Life (Black with glitter). Available at BeautyBay.Com

 Picked these up last week online as I'd never tried O.P.I polishes before, and there's no way I'm going back to other brands after trying these babies! The colours are very fast drying and last for ages while keeping their shine. I also bought 'Wear Something Spar-Kylie' from the KardashionKolour collection at Nicole by O.P.I which was full sized so I've had an oppourtunity to try out the standard brush, which makes application so easy and quick! These mini's go on well considering the brushes look like the kind notorious for leaving streaks! Metallic 4 Life (Black with glitter) dosen't photograph very well - I need an SLR in my life! - but it's a gorgeous shade. When I looked at these online I thought Pink Friday would be my favourite colour as I always wear pink polishes when I have no nail inspiration but I actually love Did It On Em. It dosen't really suit my skin tone atall but I can imagine it would look lovely with a tan or on darker skintones. It's a fun colour and so summery!

Jolie Box February 2012

RMK Cleansing Oil, Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain in Forever Pink, Taaj Himalaya Micellar Water, Lavera Basis Sensitive Organic Hand Cream

My favourite product this month from JolieBox is definatly the Cheek & Lip Stain. I love the tiny packaging and the fact the stain changes colour depending on body temparature. The hand cream and possibly the cleanser will go to my Mum as they're not really for me and I have so many samples of this kind of thing from previous beauty boxes. I'm intrigued by the hair masque as I've never used one before and my hair is so damaged from constant straightening. I'm not sure about the idea of the RMK cleansing oil as I don't like the thought of putting oil on my face but I will most likely give it a try.

These items retail at £69.29 if you were to purchase them all full sized, so like GlossyBox, this months box is definately cost effective. I think I prefer GlossyBox to JolieBox this month, and will be ending my subscription this month. I've really enjoyed recieving my beauty boxes but I feel that they've run their course for me and I would rather put the money towards products I really really want each month.

GlossyBox February 2012

 

BM Beauty Pure Mineral Eyeshadow in Dahlia Blossom, Becca Beach Tint, Como Shambhala Invigorate Shower Gel, Awapuhi Wild Ginger Styling Treatment Oil by Paul Mitchell, Dr Bronners Magic Lavender Hand Sanitiser

This months GlossyBox is a bit hit and miss for me. The eyeshadow is not really a shade I would normally wear and is messy to open as it's a loose powder, but I like that it's from an animal and eco-friendly company and I will still be giving it a try. The Becca Beach Tint is a winner for me, I have already used this and love it. You don't need a lot for one application so it will last me a long time. 

Not used the shower gel yet and it's not something I am rushing out to try, this may come in handy for travel though. I'm excited to try the hair oil as I don't currently use one and was going to buy Morroccan Oil in the coming weeks so this saves me from having to do that for a while. The hand sanitiser is a big thumbs down from me as I don't personally class it as a 'beauty' product. The RRP of this is £3.99 which I don't feel represents GlossyBox's ethos of providing 'luxury' beauty samples each month.

This months box comes to £76.94 if you were to buy the full size products which is a good little lot for only £12.95. I don't like the inclusion of the hand sanitiser but obviously GlossyBox caters for thousands of different tastes so you're bound to get a few not so great products for yourself that may be just what another subscriber is looking for. 

What do you think of this months GlossyBox?

MODELS OWN CREAM EYESHADOW

 Layer up sultry darks for a dramatic look or apply sheer, subtle colours for an iridescent glow. These cream eyeshadows will look beautiful day or night, whatever your style. - Models Own

I love cream eyeshadows as the sheer fourmula mean they're good for daytime so I was drawn to these brand new ones by Models Own. This is probably one of the longer lasting cream eyeshadows I've used, though the staying power with most cream shadows is nothing compared to pressed ones. I like to layer this in the crease of my eyelid for a subtle daytime smoky eye.

You can purchase Models Own Cream Eyeshadow here, though I bought mine at boots. I'll be going back for the Pink Piper shade!

TOO FACED LASHLIGHT MASCARA

Came across this in my local TKMAXX. I'm not really taken by the light up cosmetic trend, I used to have one of the first light up lip glosses years ago but I never really used it. It can be used with the light on or off though which is good.
Not sure I'd repurchase, the brush is a little too chunky to really give full coverage, it's hard to manouvere to the small hairs inside the lashes. It does however last all day and has a nice glossy finish.
The one I found in TKMAXX was £5.99, Lashlight retails at £16.50 from beautybay.com, though I'm sure if you shop around you can find it cheaper.

SOAP & GLORY THE FAB PORE 15 MINUTE FACIAL PEEL

I bought this product a few weeks ago after reading a few reviews. I have combination skin that's very prone to acne, especially as I'm the biggest picker ever. I just can't leave anything alone!
My skin has been paticuarly bad lately so I decided to try this out as I don't have a mask that I reguarly use.

"Soap & Glory The Fab Pore™ 15 Minute Facial Peel 50ml has an intensive pore refining action with our exclusive PORESHRINK-R COMPLEX. Ideal for greasy, spot prone or problem skin, or for a strategic attack on a misbehaving T-Zone."

The first thing I noticed about the mask was the lovely, typically S&G packaging, winner for me, and a nice sized pot, it literally fits in the palm of your hand. One thing I really like about this product is that the mask itsself has blue beads in it, so you can see that you've rubbed the fourmula in properly.

You can just kick back and relax for 15 minutes while the mask does its job, and when I say you can relax, you actually can, it dosent dry up and leave that horribly uncomfortable 'cant-smile-unless-i-crack-this' feel. A few splashes of water and my skin felt refreshed and smooth. I've been using this product at least once a week for a month now and I would say my skin is definatly smoother and my spots are less red and angry looking. The pot does say to use it 2-3 times a week, and I will be doing so in the coming months, as my skin is definatly a confidence issue at the moment, I'm just so bad at sticking to skincare routines!

The fab Pore retails at £8 at Boots. I feel the price is good for what you get out of the product. It will last ages as you only use a grape sized dollop at a time. If I used this 2-3 times a week I can confidently say I'm sure my skin would benefit.

You can read more about Soap & Glory at http://www.soapandglory.com/

Do you like Soap and Glory products? Have you tried The Fab Pore? What did you think of it? Do you recommend any other items from the Soap & Glory range?