Thursday, 17 December 2015

New to Me: Skincare

Hi everyone, I have few newbies to my skincare stash to share today!

skincare nivea sensitive caring micellar water sensitive post shave balm primer pixi overnight glow serum

Since I got Pixi’s Glow Tonic earlier this year I have been absolutely in love with it so on a recent splurge on Cult Beauty I decided to go for this serum as a little extra add on to my skincare routine! It’s described as a concentrated exfoliating gel and as it contains AHA’s, it may increase the skins sensitivity to sunlight. The product itself is distributed from a dropper and has a thick silky consistency and actually feels a little slimy to me but in a good way!

A few drops spread easily over my face and neck and dries in quickly ready for my moisturiser over the top. Pixi says it’s “brightening, hydrating and clarifying” and I would have to agree. While I don’t see drastic results over night there is a subtle difference in my skin and it looks clearer when I wake up and flakiness (nice) is at a minimum. It’s obviously not all down to this serum but it’s a welcome addition to my skincare routine! The only con to this would be that the bottle top can get a little messy when putting the dropper back in!

There is so much hype about this as a primer! I think it stems from NikkieTutorials originally who I haven’t watched before but I've seen it mentioned and blogged about by so many people! When I saw half price in Boots for £2.67 I slipped it into my basket to see what the fuss was about. It’s a really weighty bottle with a lot of product although it doesn’t have a pump which I usually don’t mind with things like foundation bottles but with this I sometimes find myself tipping it just a little too far then trying to scoop it back in as so much comes out!

The balm is lightweight with a thin consistency and dries in quickly on my face ready for makeup. I’m so impressed by this! It’s a lot cheaper than many primers, especially if bought while on offer and its works better than a lot of them too! I’m definitely a lot less shiny than I usually am at lunchtime when I top up my powder and the makeup on my nose which is the first to go throughout the day is still hanging in! So glad I picked this up!

nivea sensitive caring micellar water 3 in 1 care cleanser for face and eyes review

This fragrance free Nivea micellar water promises to remove eye makeup gently, cleanse deeply and remove makeup with the sensitive version moisturising and reducing three signs of sensitive skin – redness, tightness and dryness leaving skin feeling soft and supple and looking healthy and beautiful. The range offers three options for different skin types, Sensitive Caring for sensitive skin, Gentle Caring for dry skin and Caring for normal skin.

Micellar water is something that honestly I have never really been interested in. I've read the hype about Bioderma and the Garnier micellar waters and never been tempted and as a bit of a skincare snob, I wasn’t expecting much from this. Two cotton pads get the majority of my makeup off (I do like to cake it on) but I still like to go in with a balm or oil cleanser afterwards to make sure I have all my makeup off. The micellar water does what it says in terms of sensitive skin though, it doesn’t flair any redness or make my skin feel tight or dry which I really like about it! It also doesn’t leave a residue after use but on its own its not enough to make me feel like I’ve have a deep clean. Overall, I am not fully converted to micellar waters; however this is a great option as it’s so gentle! Oh and it’s great for getting rid of swatches of my arm after a blog photo taking session! Available at all major retailers!

Have you tried anything I've mentioned? What did you think? Tell me what’s new in your skincare stash!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.

Danielle xx

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Monday, 14 December 2015

Forever Repurchased #2 Higher End Edition

After my post on drugstore repurchases I realised I had a few higher end recent repurchases too so here they are!
emma hardie moringa cleansing balm pixi glow tonic alpha h liquid gold estee lauder double wear review

I actually got this and the Alpha H in the gift with purchase Cult Beauty had last month, it was just too good to pass up for me! This product is so hyped up in the blogging world and I caved last year when they finally started stocking it on more online shops and I had a 20% off code for ASOS.com! It’s such a gentle but effective exfoliating toner that promises to remove dead skin cells while toning, smoothing and refining skin texture. I am so sceptical when it comes to blogger hype and will usually try to find something wrong with the product but with this I just can’t, I love it! My acne prone skin laps it up and it just makes my skin feel smoother and clearer and its one I will continue to repurchase! The 250ml I’m using at the minute (not pictured) has lasted me around a year because you don’t need a lot and I sometimes only use it at morning or night instead of both to save it!

I've spoken about this before in this post on my Skincare Saviours and it’s another one I love having in my stash and miss when it’s not there! It’s an overnight chemical exfoliator that claims to resurface the skin and help to diminish wrinkles, pigmentation and sun damage. Again, another product I bought because of the hype and another one that totally lives up to its claims for me! The mornings after I use this, my skin just looks better, it’s clearer, more even, and plump and my old acne scar pigmentation doesn’t look as obvious. Couldn’t be without this now! 

This is my Holy Grail going out foundation, I love the stuff! Finding a shade match can be a little dodgy and I’m on my second or third match at the minute (Desert Beige) which I’m happy with when I have tan on. Nothing else compares to the coverage of this though. It’s not for everyone, but as someone who had bad acne until a few years ago and still has scarring this foundation is a godsend and makes me feel so much more confident when I have it on. I usually apply with either my fingers or a beauty blender and you have to work quickly as it sets fast but once this is on it is going nowhere. I've come in from nights out and my makeup looks as good then as when I went out hours before. The only possible downside is that is has SPF 10 in it which does give a bit of flashback but it’s a small price to pay for the amazing coverage and lasting power it gives!

Man I love this stuff. I was hoping I wouldn’t because its expensive buts it’s just a lovely cleansing balm that leaves my skin feeling soft, hydrated and most importantly, clean. A little bit goes a long way with this which is why I didn’t feel so bad repurchasing but I did wait for a 20% off code! It’s so gentle and works really well over the eye area too which I love and it has quite a strong orange smell which I got used to quickly! It doesn’t feel drying in the slightest and it’s just a really luxurious feeling cleanser that I’m glad to have back!

Have you tried any of these products before? What did you think?

Danielle xx
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Thursday, 10 December 2015

SEVENTEEN Christmas Gift with Purchase 2015

Hi everyone, I wanted to get a post up today with a gift with purchase that’s currently available in Boots! If you spend £6 on selected SEVENTEEN products you get a free pouch with three makeup brushes! Here’s what I bought!

SEVENTEEN gift with purchase Christmas 2015
  
SEVENTEEN gift with purchase blush powder makeup brushes review


SEVENTEEN Stay Time Pressed Powder
I go through powder quite quickly and my Holy Grail powder is No7 Perfect Light pressed powder, being that SEVENTEEN is meant to be the baby sister brand of No7 I thought I would try one of their powders. I went with Stay Time as I like mattifying powders that help make my makeup last and so far I’ve been really impressed with the stay time (geddit) of this powder! I have it in the shade Fair and although I do prefer my setting powders to be translucent, this doesn’t add any noticeable colour to my face and I’m really impressed with its lasting power!  

SEVENTEEN Blush Powder
The packaging of the blusher is not my favourite thing in the world as it’s a screw cap and I just find it more fiddly than anything but the range of colours is great and I had a hard time picking just one! I eventually settled on China Pink which is a lovely bright matte pink colour that has a great amount of pigmentation and lasts all day on my cheeks! The best thing about these blushes – they’re only £2.99!

SEVENTEEN stay time powder fair blush china pink swatch review
l-r Blush in China Pink, Stay Time powder in Fair
SEVENTEEN gift with purchase makeup brushes review

The GWP includes a black glitter pouch with three makeup brushes, one for cheeks, eyes and lips. They are all a lot softer than I was expecting and the cheek brush works well to apply the blush evenly, the eye brush is great for applying a darker shadow colour in the outer corner and the lip brush has been perfect to use to apply the lip products in my In the Balm of Your Hand palette!

Have you seen all the Christmas makeup GWP’s in Boots at the minute? This might not have been the only one I bought! Did you get any?

Danielle xx
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Monday, 7 December 2015

My Favourite Makeup Brushes

 favourite makeup brushes zoeva real techniques no7 boots

I thought today I would share my favourite makeup brushes! These are the ones I use every day and some of them I have doubles for because I love them so much!

favourite makeup brushes zoeva powder real techniques setting brush

Some powder brushes I've used in the past are massive and while I like my powder, I sometimes feel a little like they make my makeup look a little cakey! This one is a great size and works perfectly to spread my powder evenly over my face! I got it in the Zoeva Rose Golden set which is expensive to fork out for but the quality of the brushes is amazing so it’s definitely worth it!

I never used to use this one until maybe the start of the year when I realised my powder brush wasn't great at reaching under my eyes and my concealer was creasing a little. This brush solves that problem for me! I sometimes use a different powder to the one I use all over my face such as a banana coloured powder to help brighten this area and it works so well, I couldn’t be without this one now!

favourite best makeup brushes no 7 blush zoeva luxe sheer cheek brush

No7 brushes are seriously underrated! This is actually the third incarnation of this brush I have gone through. It was in the first brush set I ever got years ago in a No7 Christmas set and I used it for blusher until replacing it when it got a little too worn looking and starting to use it for contour. I then rebought it a few months ago as they updated the brush line and mine had started shedding a little! This is my favourite brush for contouring as it's quite small but not completely flat so there are no harsh lines and it fits nicely under my cheek bone! It’s really soft so blends easily and it’s probably my favourite brush ever! I've got about 2 to 3 years daily use out of each of the previous versions I've had and while it’s quite pricey for a drugstore brush, if you get them with a £3 off No7 voucher they work out much better!

I switch quite frequently with this brush and a Zoeva 128 Cream Cheek brush depending on what blusher I am wearing but at the time of taking these photos I had just got the Hourglass blush palette (found it in stock online at John Lewis!) and this is the most perfect brush for applying those blushers! I have preferred to use an angled blush brush for the last few years as I feel I can apply my blush much more evenly and this and the Zoeva 128 are the perfect size.

favourite makeup best brushes real techniques base shadow angled zoeva pointed crease wing liner eye brush

I actually have two of these brushes, one from the starter set (of which this is the only brush I rate) and one from the Nic’s Picks set. This is by far my favourite brush to apply eyeshadow with. It’s soft, flexible but not too flexible and applies just the right amount of eyeshadow. I wish they would make this available as a single brush because I would definitely pick up a couple more, mine are starting to look a little battered but they still work really well!

At first I thought this brush would be too stiff to apply a darker colour in my crease but it works perfectly to add a bit more depth to my eyes!

This is my favourite blending brush to use, I love that it’s angled! I find it fits my crease better and allows me to blend more effectively! This is another brush I wish Real Techniques would sell separately as I love it so much!

This is another brush I have two of and originally talked about in this post! I use this bamboo handled one for my eyebrows when I’m using powder for my brows or my Anastasia Dipbrow pomade and I also use the one from the rose gold collection to apply eyeliner (usually just a black eyeshadow). It’s not too firm so I get a really natural look when using this!

I generally use my fingers or a Real Techniques sponge/Beauty Blender to apply my foundation so don’t really use brushes for that! Let me know what your must have brushes are!

Danielle xx
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