Product Empties: Estee Lauder Micro Essence

Hello everyone! Long time no blog! I will get into what I have been up to in a post at a later date but I wanted to jump back into blogging while I still have the blogging bug!

I wanted to talk about a product that I literally finished last night, Estee Lauder Micro Essence. Essence became a big buzz-word in the beauty community last year so I wanted to try one and see what all the fuss it about.

As far as I can tell a essence is simular to a toner but with more benefits and is more moisturising and hydrating.

Micro Essence claims the following:

1. Micro and mighty. This essence-in-lotion activates and strengthens skin's foundation to reveal its youthful, angelic glow.
2. MICRO TARGETED: penetrates deeply and rapidly within skin's surface to renew and rebalance its appearance.
3. MICRO NOURISHING: delivers a precise concentration of exclusive Micro-Nutrient Bio-Ferment.
4. MICRO ACTIVE: Activates multiple natural pro-youth abilities to replenish the look of skin.
5. Skin is more hydrated, smoother, supple. 

This essence feels simular to a toner, lightweight and warery, maybe a tad thicker than a toner or micellar water but not much. I applied this product one a cotton pad after cleansing, sweeping it all over my face before I start my skincare routine. It sinks into the skin quickly without leaving any residue or stickyness on the skin.

The bottle is just what I expect from Estee Lauder, a solid, heavy, frosted glass bottle with a gold lid. I bought the hefty 150ml bottle (RRP: £68.00)  and it lasted me at least 6 months on use every day.

Straight away my skin felt smoother and softer after applying. My skin felt instantly plumper as well. Having oily skin I was so happy to find that this didn't make my face seem more greasy and shiny, but rather refreshed and calm. I also felt it hydrated my skin much more than a regular toner would.

I didn't really notice any skincare benefits from using this product, but honestly I didn't expect it to, but it was a really lovely addition to my routine. I probably will not repurchase this as it was pretty expensive, but if you can get a smaller bottle or get this on offer I would grab a bottle.

Take care everyone, Love

Makeup Revolution Retro Matte Lip Kit in Grandee Review

After the Kylie Jenner original lip kit expolsion it seems every brand is doing one, with mixed results sadly. Makeup Revolution is a brand I can always turn to with decent price to quality ratio. When I saw they had done their own lip kits I ran to my local Superdrug to try them out. Sadly it seems I had been beaten as there was only a megre offering left. I picked up Grandee a bubblegum pink kit to try even though it was a colour that hardly ever seemed to sit right on my yellow skintone.

Let me first say a big sorry that both the box and the liner seems to have gone walkies, although honestly I hardly wear liner so for me this isn't really a big deal. So when I say this is a lip kit review I more mean it is a review of the matte liquid lipstick itself.

I love the packing of this product, Makeup Revolution have really steped up their game in terms of making things look more aesthetically pleasing than when the brand first launched. The lipsrick (and liner) was packaged in a sleek matte black box. The actual product itself features a sturdy plastic tube with pretty matte rose gold accents. It actaully looks really sleek and luxe. The applicator is a sponge doe foot which is narrow and perfect for creating a sculpted lip.

Grandee is a bright bubblegum pink, it verges on Barbie pink to me. Like I said before I don't normally wear colours like this but it should be a good indication as what the rest of the collection is like right? According to the instructions you should cover the whole of your lips in the liner first and then apply the lipstick over the top. My swatches show the lipstick on it's own without liner.

Firstly let me say this is a very thick and creamy consistency, it was opaque with one swipe without having to build so the liner really shouldn't be needed unless you want to define those outer edges.On the lips the lipstick felt very thick and heavy to wear, it seemed to take quite a while to dry down too and always felt a little tacky. This lipstick really shows off the condition of your lips, if they are slightly dry it gives a flakey look to the lips which isn't that attractive.  I also found this formula remained sticky it actually stuck the linner lips together a bit and when you opened your lips it pulled off the lipstick. I didn't try to eat or drink wearing this product as it already looked too messy after just a couple of hours of wearing it around the house.

 It really is a shame as even though the colour isn't too my tastes it was actually very pretty and I can see it looking really pretty on someone with a different skintone than my own. I did see that there are new lipkits out in Superdrug and they say they have a new formula so if this issue has been resolved then good on them for addressing the formula.

In short maybe don't buy this product (unless it says it has a new formula) but it still looks pretty.

NYX HD Photogenic Concealer (Green): Review

After my last post on colour correction I have jumped a little further into the world of colours. I am not ready to go headlong into a rainbow face under my foundation but I have seen the benefit of  green/mint on my red (spot and acne scarred) face.

I picked up this NYX HD Photogenic Concealer as it was the only green colour corrector I could see that was a wand ather than a stick when I went into Boots. This range covers a range of cream concealers and colour correctors. I like the sleek packging of the NYX range, you can see the colour of the corrector clearly from the outside of the package. For me, who is still a little hesitant about using colour correctors I like the fact that this isn't too green, the softer mint colour seems a bit less scary and less likely to turn me into a hulk-type-thing!

The lid of the tube unscrews and you get a slim doe-foot, sponge applicator, which is very simiular to the Collection concealer that I love. The wand is very controlled and doesn't pick up too much product, so there is little wastage. In terms of packaging I was already happy with this product. But how well does it actually work?

So the idea behind green correctors is that it neutralises red tones. If you check out a colour wheel you can see green is on the opposite side to red! This makes green correctors great for rosacea, or like me redness caused by pigmentation from scarring or even angry red spots. I applled a small dab of this concealer on any red areas of my face and gently blended it out by gently tapping the product into the skin with my finger. This leaves a slight green tint to the skin, but most importantly the red areas suddendly don't look so red. I then applied foundation gently on top of this and I could certaintly see that there was much less redness peaking through. I didn't apply skin-toned concealer on top as I wanted a light makeup look but I beileve with that too you wouldn't see any redness. I like the idea of the green corrector though as it means you don't have to apply so much product to cover the redness on your face!

 The corrector is very creamy. The swatch above shows one dip of the wand into the product and one swipe of product. Even on my oily skin this corrector didn't start to break down and lasted all day. If you have a very bad patch of pigmentation I beileve that this corrector could be built up to the opacity you needed too.

 If you suffer with redness this product is a must! I think it is great and for the price it is a steal!

 

MUA Pro-Base Prime & Conceal Powder Review

Colour Correction is all the rage, but honestly it is a minefield  I saw this MUA powder in Superdrug and thought it would be worth a try as it looked pretty easy to use with 4 colours in one and the fact it is a correcting powder rather than correcting concelaer.

How pretty and inviting does this look?  MUA Pro-Base Prime & Conceal Powder comes in a clear and white plastic compact, which to me makes it look clean and very professional and not as cheap looking as some of the other products in the range. The powder is sectioned into quarters, you have a yellow tone for contering darkness, purple/lilac to counter sallow skin, green for redness and this bronze/orange tone (they call it peach but I find it is much darker than the other shades and has more of a shimmer) which is also to counter darkness.

This is a baked powder and a fine shimmer can seen throughout, although when on the skin this doesn't really translate. This is great as it makes it look more radient and not to harshly matte on the face. This mineral based powder is made mostly from natural mica and is milled very finely so it is very smooth and silky on the skin too.

Even though the shades look quite pigmented in the pan when you apply them they are actually quite subtle. I really has to pack the product on in my swatches so you could see the colour clearly. This means that the powder can be used in two ways, you can sweep a mixture of all four colours all over your face or use certain colours in targeted areas to help correct the face. On the skin this looks similar to a translucent powder, mattifying  and setting your makeup without adding lots of colour. I beileve this does counter some colouring in the face, espically when wearing a more ntaural/ lighter base product when some of your natural skintone and pigmnetation can be seen through. But  what I like more about the product however is how it adds a suntle illumination to the face, amking it seem more healthy and bright.

If you want a quirly powder this is certainly worth a try, it is a lovely feeling product and great fro brightening your face. If you want to take the first steps into colour correction this is product for you! 

Sukin Micellar Cleansing Water Review

Micellar Cleansing water has taken over the beauty world by storm and honestly I can see why. A product that is super easy to use, feels like water, dissolves makeup and impurities and has so many options. There is surely a version to suit everyone! Although I admit there are maybe too many now with every brand releasesing  a version. I myself must of tried at least six differet ones now (with varying levels of success). I have just seen that Boots has began selling Sukin, it is a brand that I really love and I am so glad that it is getting easier to purchase. Finally big retailers are listening and stocking  natural 100% vegan, crurlty free alternatives to your favourite products.

The cleansing water comes in this natural looking brown plastic bottle. It comes with a squeeze top lid so that you can gentle apply a small amount to a cotton pad without drenching and wasting all your product. I find that the smaller size bottle makes it much easier to control compared to some of the big-name bigger-bottle counterparts. My only complaint is that the colour of the bottles makes it hard to see how much product you have left unless you hold it up to the light. 

What drew me most to this product was the fact it was suitable for all skin types, Miceallar waters by design have tiny particles of oil in them that act as magnets trapping and removing dirt some but it means some micellar waters can be too oily or even too drying and my oily skin can be quite fussy. I have had some bad break outs in the past due to the amount of oil these cleansers can contain. However this water was gentle enough that it didn't irritate my skin at all, but at the same time doesn't strip the skin too much so is still hydrating.

In fact this water is maybe the most gentle cleansing water I have used thanks to aloe vera and chamomile in the product. It also contains my arch-nemesis cucumber. Normally I detest this stuff but luckily (unlike the Soap and Glory Micellar Water who coincidentally since I posted my review have changed their packaging so a little picture of a cucumber is now on the front of the bottle ) you don't notice the scent at all. In fact I would go far as to say this is practically fragrence free!

This product was  really effective at removing my makeup. I think because it is so gentle I would still use a eye makeup remover to remove stubborn waterproof mascara as I needed to scrub a little too muuh for my liking to get it removed, but it easily dissolved my foundation and lipsticketc, leaving my face clean and fresh without any dryness or tightness to my skin.

In all I would certainly recommend this cleansing water to anyone wanting to try it! I have only tried a couple of products from the range so I am excite to try more and see what Sukin has to offer!

Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub Review

As you know if you are a long time reader of this blog I love Soap and Glory, from their whimsical, retro packaging to their yummy scents most of the range is amazing! They are all super reasonably priced too so that is a big bonus. Somehow the Breakfast Scrub has passed me by and it wasn't until I was having a cheeky smell of it  that I knew I had to try it.

So lets talk about the scent first as that is what made me buy it. This scrub is maple scented and while sweet it never smells overly sickly. Here in the UK maple isn't something I overly associate with breakfast  (I think more of the USA and  pancakes!) but it is a really different and appealing scent and I can honestly say I haven't tried a beauty product that smells of maple before.  The front of the pot also lists Banana, Almond and Honey and to me this does sound like a smoothie!

As a scrub this works pretty well, it ticks all the scrubby boxes that it should. There are a couple of different sized particles and not a microbead in sight.  You have scrubby sugar particles, natural organic cupuacu and oatmeal. What a list! This scrub is a bit thick and that puts it on the coarser side so I would advise using this more as a body scrub than a facial scrub. But because of this thickness it doesn't just dissapear as soon as water hits it, meaning you really can work it into your skin. The pot is also massive, it is 300ml so with only using a smallish amount at once this product is going to last.

In all I really would say go and grab a pot of this scrub you won't be dissapointed, my sin felt soft and smooth after using this. The sugar hit is also really nice and lingers on the skin. If only they would bring out this as a body lotion already! As a bonus Soap and Glory is CF and I beileve organic!

Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb Night Cream Review

Hello lovely follwers, long time no post. I hope to be able to blog a little more now. I am not going to go into a long post about how I haven't blogged but instead jump straight in with a new postabout a product I have tried recently.

 Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb Antioxident Gel Cream to give it it's full name is a gel based night cream. The Moisture Bomb range really appeals to me as it isn't a range designed just for dry skin but rather dehydrated skin. As someone who doesn't drink enough water in a day I think this is really helpful (although I really should drink more water anyway!). I have oily skin so I don't want a heavy product and the gel texture is much lighter than a traditional cream and sinks straight away into the skin without any stickyness.  The texture reminds me alot of a serum and it is stange at first to use but I found myself really enjoying the cooling and refreshing feeling that a gel gibves rather than a cream.

The screw tub contains 50ml of product which is a refreshing light blue in colour. I have found you only need a small amount of product at once as although it is quick to absorb into the skin it is easily spreadable first. I also love the scent of the product, it is somehow fresh and fruity at the same time. The scent doesn't linger long enough once applied to be an annoyance either.  This cream contains Amla and Pomegranate extracts which could explain this scent.

For me the only thing that lets it down is the packaging, it's not a product I want to display on my dressing table, the bright blue plastic post is garish. I think they could play the fruit angle more as well.

All in all I love this product the lightweight cream works well for oily skin without being heavy but I am unsure if dry to very dry skintypes would find it as moistureing.  Have you used this product? The sheet masks in this range keep calling to me! 
 

My Makeup Journey

I was never a girly girl growing up, I wouldn't say I hated all things pink, shiny and makeup but it just never really interested me. When I went to University I started to get into nail polish or moreso really nail art. It was a way to channel my creativity when I was away from home. I met loads of lovely friends through the nail art community. It helped me when I was stressed and anxious. After University my stress levels rose towards their peak, I was anxious most of the time and having panic attacks often. I was in a strange place and didn't know what to do with my life. I had a degree but no job and I was living in a place that I din't know. This was around the time that I lost my love of nail polish. I am not going to go into that now but you can read about it here. It was upset and hurt, my trust of the internet comminity I loved was gone. With this went my love of blogging. Blogging now is something I do about twice a month instead of twice a day and that upsets me even now.

It was around this time that my self confidence was at it's lowest. My skin was horrible and I just couldn't feel at all pretty, sometimes I didn't feel human. I knew I had to do something but what? I started experimenting with some new high brand skincare and that helped me alot, not in the sense that it always worked on my awful skin but it gave me hope that I could combat it. It also gave me something to focus towards. Slowly I started branching out from just skincare into make-up. What first started as a way to conceal the worst slowly turned into looking at lipsticks and eyeshadow. I started to experiment with colour and developing my own style.

Working at Boots helped too, I took a real interest in the beauty department and developed my passion. I pushed myself to know about all the products, to try things out and recommend products to customers. A few months back I had the opportunity of applying as a No7 Advisor, to actually have a job within the make-up industry. If you had told little old me that I would be doing this job I would have laughed at you. But now my job is actually applying make-up to other people. I love it! I love everything it stands for. It is a job not about perfection but making people feel happy and confident in their own skin.  The brand isn't about airbrushing it is about real people- people that I get to interact with and make happy even if it is only for the briefest of moments in their day. Everyone needs a little pamper, some time to indulge in themselves and I love giving that to people. This job also allows me to be creative and improve my own skills.. I'm not a perfect flawless make-up artist, I am still learning.  But I don't ever think you can stop learning in a profession like this.

Last week I took a selfie, it was the first selfie I was 100% happy with. Sure there are flaws, my eyesight is still buggered and I have a scar on my lip and a weird nose but I didn't notice any of those things. My confidence still needs work but where I am now compared to where I was can't be more different. Sometimes makeup is a mask I wear to hide behind but more often now it is a way of expressing my personality- of saying who I am, making an statement that I am not afraid. I finally feel like me.



 

Products That Suck: Skyn Iceland Blemish Dots

 

The idea of the Skyn Iceland Blemish Dots is a wonderful one. A little plastic patch of concentrated Salicylic acid that sticks like a plaster onto any nasty blemishes to give them a good amount of drying and shrinking action (these patches also contain alcohol).  

The patches come in 4 foil lined packets so that they don't dry up before use. The patches themselves come in two sizes  and are transparent so they aren't obvious that you have them on. I would suggest using them at night as this is the time that the skin starts to repair itself. 

You will recieve 4 foiled line packets in your box each with 12 assorted sized dots

I used a few of these patches on consecitive nights on a range of 'problem' areas. The reason I have taken a dislike to this product is a simple one, for me at least they don't work. I have used them on blemishes which are in many different states (cystic acne, spots coming to a head and healing spots) and noticed no difference in any of them. Like I saidd before I gave these dots the benefit of the doubt and used them every night and found that I have no better results from these than from letting the spots do their own thing (gross I know!). 

As a person who has used a lot of blemish fighting products I know that not every skintype will react in a good way to every product but considering these cost me £17.50 I expected a little more from them. Colour me dissapointed

My Wishlist

 I haven't done a wishlist post for a while but here are the products I am currently lusting after. I wonder if any will make it into my shopping basket (I expect not!)

Too faced Unicorn Tears
Lunatik Cosmetics Contour Palette
LaSplash Summer Daze Collection
Dose Of Colour Pearl Dust 
Anastasia Beverly Hills Gleam Glow Kit  
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
Nars Orgasm 
Phee's Rainbow Glow Highlighter
Beauty Bakerie Lip Whips
Nyx White Eyeshadow Base

Estee Lauder Clear Difference Oil Control/Mattifying Hydrating Ge
 Milani Limited Edition Amore Matte Metallic Lip Crémes


What are your most lusted after products?

Beauticology Vanilla Frosting Body Butter

I must admit I am sometimes a brand snob, Beauticology is one of those brands I always saw in Boots and Superdrug and never looked twice at. For me the main factor is their imintation Philsophy packaging  (little did I know this is actually a sub-brand of Bayliss and Harding).

 For Christmas however I recieved a gift set of Beauticology products who didn't understand my irritation for the brand. The main product inside was this body butter in the scent Vanillia Frosting.

The scent straight away went against  what my head was telling me it would be like, no plastic smelling, over scented chemical yuckyiness but instead a light vanillia scent that somehow was faintly sugar-sweet. Consistency wise this was also a big shocker it was ultra lightweight and almost gel like in texture, melting straight into the skin leaving it soft to the touch without being sticky or over rich for my oily-prone skin. It was also faintky cooling when applied which is something that I really appreciate and wish all my expensive body butters were like!

This tub is a whopping 250ml, it has lasted me months with use everyday and I am finally scraping the remians out of my pot. Sadly I beileve that this particular product was a seasonal release only and is not longer around to buy. The moral of the story is try something by this brand it might shock you. I really must stop judging my beauty products by there brand names and packaging!

MyPure Review: Lavera Colour and Shine Intense Hair Treatment

Since growing my hair I have noticed that the ends tend to need a little more TLC espically after dying my hair. The warm humid weather we have here certainly doesn't improve my hair's condition either!

Today's review comes from the stotre MyPure which sells loads of natural and organic beauty and makeup products. This is the Lavera Colour and Shine Intense Treatment. This is a hair masque packed with loads of organic mango and avocado. It comes in a 125ml squeeze  bottle and is the perfect size to sit in the shower. The product itself is quite thick and really coats the hair, this means you really need to massage it into the hair and it really feels like an intense treatment because of this!

Scent wise this produt doesn't smell of much in the packaging but as soon as you massage it into your hair and it hits the hot water it smells really fruity and fresh. It has a freshly pulped  fruit scent to it that clings to the hair even once it is dry. This made my hair feels really soft after I had used it. I also noticed it was more shiny. I also noticed that my hair wasn't as tangled after using this product and I had less shedding hairs! Personally I wouldn't use this product every day as it is a bit rich for my easily grease-prone hair but as a treatment I think it is only suggested as a once (twice at most) a week product and my hair really agrees with that.

 

In all this is a lovely treat for the hair and it is really worth using. I think your hair is sometimes neglected so it is always worth spending the extra time to pamper it. Shoot on over to Mypure to pick up your bottle and be sure to check out the other amazing products in the range!


The product above was sent to me for review. All opinions are honest and all information is correct at the time of writing. For more information please refer to my disclosure and PR policy
 

Holiday Miniture Travel Essentials

I have been off the blogging grid for a while, first I went on holiday to the lovely (but cold) Copenhagen in Denmark and then my laptop self-destucted.Then my replacmeny laptop exploded. But third time is a charm and I am back. If we can I would like to take a step back and talk today about some of the cute dinky travel sized products I managed to pick up for my holiday.

Let me first start by saying I took a five day break and all the produvts mentioned in this post lasted at least until the end of the holiday!

 

So these were the produts I took with me. Most shops will do travel size prodcuts now as will most brands. This is a great way to get what you know and love while on the move. I also think it is a great way to try new products without committing to a large bottle (and of course travel size is cheaper!).

I raided The Body Shop for my Grapefruit Body Butter and shower gel (which also doubles up as a great bubble bath) and then on Boots for my Nivea Body Spray and Elvive Colour Care shampoo and conditioner. The St Ives scrub was a great surpise to me and while not a travel essential I had never seen a tiny tube before so I had to snag one. The Lime and Ginger Shower Gel is a Superdrug own brand product The Venus Snap razor is too cute not to grab. I do think it was a little on the expensive side and actually is also a bit fiddly to get to grips with but it was lovely and compact. Lastly the tiny tins from Lush are super easy to slip into a pocket in your bag and in the colder wheather for mw they were both a life saver! 

What products do you need to take with you when you are away?

MyPure Review: Benecos Natural Highlighting Powder

I never got into the whole contour craze, for me bronzer just looks like a dirty mark on my face. However one thing I can get behind is strobing. I adore highlighter! So the chance to add another to my collection was a must. MyPure's newest all natural brand Benecos has a massive range of beauty products. This highlighter is called Stardust.

The Benecos highlighter comes in a standard plastic compact. It is a light pink/peach colour with a subtle pink/golden shimmer. It is pressed into the compact and embossed with a cute flower logo.

The product itself is very finely milled so the shimmer is not very chunky. This gives more of a glow to the complexion than full on luminosity which I think makes it more wearable, especially for daytime looks. I think this is a perfect highlighter for those who are a little inexperienced as it is more forgiving and the amount of glow you want can be built up as you wish.

I find myself using a soft fluffy brush with this powder and I sweep it across the tops of my cheek bones and the inner corners of my eyes, but you could use this on any traditional highlighting points.

It has a soft velvety texture when applied and it super lightweight.

This powder contains all natural and organic ingrediants so you know you are not putting any chemical nasties on your face with this one. 

In the photo below you can see one swipe of the product on my arm. This is medium density swatch and as I said before this highlighter is easily build-able.

In all this is now my go-to hughlighter for work and I really recommend it. While you are looking at the MyPure site be sure to check out the other Benecos products!



The product above was sent to me for review. All opinions are honest and all information is correct at the time of writing. For more information please refer to my disclosure and PR policy
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Products That Suck: Extracts Strawberry Scrub

 

When I was a teenager (back in the day) I would go wild for the Boots Extracts range (I think they rebranded a few years ago because they were called something else back then).So I was excited to get a set of a few different Extract goodies for Christmas, it would be the ultimate throwback.

They used to do a really great sugar scrub which sadly has been replaced, and I was interested to see if this new scrub lived up to my love of the first one. I was also happy to see that this scrub is fairtrade.

The scrub itself it is yogurt-y consistency and comes in a 200ml screw lid flat jar. It is lightly coloured pink but it looks natural instead of being a bright cerise pink. To me the Strawberry smell in this scrub is on the subtle side and smells more like strawberry milkshake, I think this is down to the addition of shea butter.
 

So why do I note rate this product? For one there is no longevity to the scent at all. Even in the shower I struggled to detect much scent from it. Moreover the biggest flaw with this scrub was the lack of scubby-ness it has. The particals of scrub were too fine- almost sand like in size but they weren't dense enough to really do any kind of exfoliating on the skin. And while this scrub contained shea butter I wouldn't even say it was overly moisturising. 

In all I was really let down but this product. I have tried using more of it and less of it to see if any change might alter my feelings on it but alas no luck!

 

In conclusion I think there are far better scrubs on the market than this one, I know it is at the lesser end of the price scale but I can think of lots of products that work much better for the same price. I will continue to use my pot as it isn't unusable but it does leave me rather apathetic.