Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres £22.00 available from YSL counters 

or online here!

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres, glossy stains, are another new launch from the cosmetic brand and have taken the beauty world by storm. They are so different to the other lip stains that we had been used to, the glossy formula deepens and develops on your lips without needing an added balm like traditional stains. The colour that you apply takes a few seconds to change, so give it time to settle down and if you do fancy picking a shade up then do your research. These are brilliant whether you want a sheer wash of colour with one swipe, or want an opaque lip the formula allows you to build the product to get your desired finish. Like I said unlike traditional lip stains this wont completely dry your lips out, it does feel a little tight but 1/10th compared to others. As the name suggestions this has a glossy finish, I think they have created a great product, a mix between a stain, gloss and lipstick. I have picked up a few shades but I thought I would share my top 3, 12 Corail Fauve a gorgeous vibrant coral that brightens my face and has been a staple for me since I got it, 15 Rose Vinyl a very wearable pink, I like that you can build this to quite a pop of pink and 17 Encre Rose the palest of the trio but still suitable for everyday wear, I really like the lilac undertones to this.

From left to right: 12/15/17

The glossy stains are definitely one of my favourite beauty launches this year, I have a couple of the red shades on my wish list. Give them a go at your local counter for yourself and I'm certain you will fall in love with them too. 

Have you tried the Yves Saint Laurent Glossy Stains yet? What are your must have colours?

Yves Saint Laurent La Laque Couture

Yves Saint Laurent La Laque Couture £18.00 available from all YSL counters

Yves Saint Laurent's newest collection of nail shades, La Laque Couture, consists of 30 timeless and contemporay colours. From muted pinks, neons, metallics, classic taupes or deeper berries, the brand has created something for everyone. My hands can get a little shaky when I paint my nails, especially around the edges but this new brush is brilliant and makes the application so quick and easy. I really like the flat, wide curved edge brush, shaped to fit the cuticle area perfectly for a smooth and even finish each time. I'd go as far to say this is the best brush I have come across from brands. The formulation is richly pigmentated, giving a pretty opaque coverage in one coat but I always like to do two just to ensure it is streak - but you could get away with just one. It dries quickly and finished to a high gloss, once sealed with my trusted Seche Vite   there is some impressive shine going on. I was sent a few to try and then picked a couple more up after falling in love with them, my three favourites though have to be these ones. All pink of course. 25 Rose Romantique  is a pretty chic sheer shade, perfect for natural nails or for a french manicure. 11 Rose Futuriste  is a brighter pop of pink and has been pedicure choice of colour for about 5 weeks now. 9 Fuchsia Intemporel  is a lovely deep berry pink, this is the sort of colour I like to wear if I am going out in the evening or somewhere special. 

Have you tried the new La Laque Couture polishes? What are your favourite shades?

Neal & Wolf Elevate Volumising Lotion

Neal & Wolf Elevate Volumising Lotion £11.95 available online

A short while ago I was kindly sent a few products from Neal & Wolf, they picked the products best suited for my hair after asking me some questions. I have been using the Elevate Volumising Lotion for about 3 weeks now and have been enjoying the fuller body in my hair and the healthier look. Right now I am really into volume, any product that has volume in the title is in my hands before I can finish reading the description. You apply a small amount, roughly 10p size, to damp hair spreading evenly throughout - don't be afraid to add more if you need it I find this doesn't give greasy roots. I use the Babyliss Big Hair styling tool to dry my hair and the combination of these two ensures big volume and body every time. Not only does it add volume it helps to smooth the rest of the hair, making it manageable. With a touch of my favourite Aveda hair spray I have a great combination that holds the volume all day.  For me I would prefer if the packaging had a measured pump, but other than that I do like the cream and purple packaging.    

If you are looking for a volumising product that will give you thick luxurious hair, whilst improve texture and adding shine then Neal & Wolf has it all covered with this one bottle. I highly recommend this to all you fine, limp hair girls like me as I doubt you will be disappointed. I will be trying one of their hair treatments out this week so I will let you know how I get on next week.

Have you tried any products from Neal & Wolf that you recommend?

Stila Convertible Colour in Peony

Stila Convertible Colour in Peony £16.00 available from BeautyBay.com and selected Boots store

Stila's convertible colours seem to pop up every now and then on my blog radar, they have always intrigued me with the vibrant colour and pretty compact packaging. I have heard great thing on a few blogs about these but had found it hard to get hold of Stila products in the UK before the brands return last year and I'm not a fan on buying make up online without seeing it in person first. As soon as I received this I whipped it out and applied peony to the apples of my cheeks, it is a pinky beige shade that is very flattering and wearable for most skin tones I would say. You can use this on both your lips and cheeks, and I have been wearing it both ways. As a cream blusher it is gorgeous, the formula is very smooth and melts into the skin so pretty easy to apply and easily built up for more colour. It does lean more towards a sheer formula, so you can really use this in different ways and play around with layer to find the best suited way for you. They last a decent amount on time too, so no fear of having patchy cheeks after an hour or two, I prefer to not set it with a powder but if I were going somewhere special I would use a little translucent powder. However the subtle sheen creates a lovely dewy radiance, leaving your cheeks with a healthy glow, or you can layer it under a powder blusher to build an intense colour. I use a stippling blush to apply cream cheek products as that is just how I prefer, as I find the brushes great to blend with. On the lips it is very creamy again with a subtle sheen that is moisturising too, peony the perfect 'my lips but better' kind of shade. It is more of a balm than a lipstick because of the hydrating feel but certainly with more colour that your typical lip balm would give. Still very pretty.

As I said at the start the packaging is very pretty, it certainly makes you want to pick this up and use it. I like the fact it has a mirror in the compact and it feels sturdy so it would be fine to carry around with you.

Overall I was impressed with how lovely and easy this was to apply and wear, perfect for summer, so I can see this becoming a sunny weather staple. I already have my eye on gladiola, fuchsia and petunia, as I think the vibrant shades would look great on sunny days with simple paired down makeup and the focus being on the pop of colour on the cheeks.

Have you tried Stila's Convertible Colour's? Let me know your other favourite Stila products that I should take a look at as well.

Liz Earle Healthy Glow Powder Blush 05 Coral

Healthy Glow Powder Blush in 05 Coral £16.50 

Available from Liz Earle online here, John Lewis stores or from QVC

Last year at the launch of Liz Earle's Sheer Tint, the brands first venture into the world of colour, we were lucky enough to hear from Liz Earle herself about what was to come.  They have expanded into makeup after years of customers repeatedly asking them to create fabulous makeup to match the skincare we all love. I was so excited for the launch and kept my finger on the pulse, finally the whole was launched and I was lucky enough to receive a few products to try out. I pretty much want everything the entire range is brilliant and to the point, they kept it simple but with the opportunity to bring in more colours and other product lines. 

One of the products I had been excited about since seeing Liz Earle wearing it almost a year before, it was the powder blushes, being a big blusher fan I couldn't wait to try their offerings to the market. Liz Earle describe their powder brush as "Our sheer, smooth powder blush enhances cheeks with a soft, healthy-looking finish. The lightweight, easy-to-blend formula contains micronised pigments to make it easy to build up colour as desired. Enriched with our own natural source vitamin E." and I agree the formula is so soft and easy to work with. You can tell they really did spend years working on each product as the quality is far better that I expected. The Healthy Glow Powder Blush in 05 Coral is a gorgeous coral shade, vibrant but very wearable, don't be put off by the colour in the pan as it is a sheer-ish formula that you can easily build to give a more intense pay off. But do still be light handed as the pigment is rich so you really only need a few taps on the pan. The shade is described as "Soft coral. The warm undertones look very fresh on creamy to golden-toned complexions. It also works well with pinky undertones". This is a perfect colour for my skin tone, the pink and golden undertones really bring out the radiance in my complexion, it looks fresh.

As I said they kept the colour selections small, universal shades that work for everyone, this is available in seven shades. They have kept they shades fairly neutral too so not to intimidate or exclude anyone, however I would love to see them bring out more shades; softer pale almost highlighter colours and extremely vibrant rich shades that would perhaps take a seasoned colour fan to wear. I am excited to see where the brand goes from here. I cannot knock the blusher at all, the packaging is sleep and compact, with the subtle shimmer shot through it. It was great to see they included a mirror inside, as it is a small compact they could easily have skipped this but then Liz Earle always takes time for the little details. I have been rocking this a lot recently, I love how this brightens my face and it's not just me that thinks this, I have actually been stopped in the street on two different occasions by women to ask what I had on my cheeks. As well as my family and friends all commenting on how healthy I look.

On my wishlist right now are a couple of the other Healthy Glow Powder Blushers, Nude 03, Camellia 01 & Nectar 06, as I think they are such pretty shades.

Have you tried any of the Liz Earle cosmetics yet? Let me know what you think!

Dove Summer Glow Nourishing Body Lotion

Dove Summer Glow Nourishing Body Lotion for Normal to Dark skin £5.69 

This is half price currently in Boots stores or online here!

Gradual tanners and I have had a love hate relationship over the years, very few have passed my tests and expectations but Dove recently reformulated summer glow is a new favourite. I can remember trying this a few years back and being seriously disappointed by the formula, patchy orange and took so long to dry. However they have now changed the formula, this feels far less greasy compared to the last time I used this, it is also fool proof to use because it absorbs faster it leaves you with a more even tan. I find tans that take a while to dry often become patchy. After 2-3 days of applying this at night you are left with natural bronzed tan, not too dark however not subtle. If you are looking for a more subtle tan then I would recommend the Fair to Medium version, I do also use this but instead of using it for the sole purpose of creating a deep tan I use this to moisturise in between tanning with a self tanners (especially mousse tanners as they dry my skin out and I find this helps to rehydrate my skin again). As long as you regularly apply this it won't go patchy, as it is also a body lotion but once a week I do like to scrub all my tan off in a bubble bath to ensure my tan stays flawless! I like to stock up on this when it's on offer, which it always seems to be half price, right now it is only £2.84. A bargain for the quality.

Have tried this or any other gradual tanners?

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Thickening hairspray

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Thickening hairspray £5.89

Available from Boots stores or online here! 

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Thickening hairspray has really changed how I style my hair, I have never been a hairspray user or big fan really.. until now. This is the first volume spray that not only hold body at my roots but it is also budget friendly, coming in below £6. The formulation is very lightweight, my hair isn't left sticky or crispy, instead soft but held truly in place without looking like I have used anything at all. You can easily brush this out without needing to wash your hair again if you want to restyle your 'do'. Though what really impressed me is even when the volume drops, after hours, all you need to do is use your fingers to ruffle your hair at the roots and the volume is back again. It just seems to re-activates the product to give you that body and bounce back. Simply put this is a brilliant hair spray if you have fine limp hair that struggles to hold any volume at all like mine does , as this has held my volumised hair really well (even on hot days) and even kept my curls in place the next day.

Have you tried this? Are you a John Frieda fan like me?

Launching in August: The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser

The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser £7.50 Available from August 2012

"Big Pores? Small Problem!"

This is the newest addition to The Body Shop's globally best selling tea tree range, launching in August this year, I can see it becoming a best seller already. Tea tree is a great ingredient because of its natural, purifying and antibacterial action, so not only will this help to conceal your pores but it will clear the skin too. I love the smell of tea tree, with the fresh zingy scent it helps to clear my mind too. The silky smooth formulation glides over the skin, leaving a satin feel to your skin, filling in pores and evening the skins overall texture as well. Helping to de-congest the skin, absorb excess oil on the skin the new pore minimizer will also create a flawless base for your makeup too. Packed with organic tea tree oil which has been clinically proven to reduce the appearance of pore size within four week, mineral powders soak up the excess oil to ensure a shine free complexion and knowing that The Body Shop source their ingredients ethically makes this even more appealing. With the tea tree being sourced from the edge of Mount Kenya National Park.

I apply this after my moisturiser but before makeup so that my base stays put and is left flawless from AM to PM. Not a pore in sight! This is a must have for anyone like me who suffers from enlarged pores they want to conceal or if you get an oily complexion, making it hard for your makeup to stay in place all day. 

Have you tried The Body Shop's tea tree range? Will you pick this up when it launches? 

Origins A Perfect World BB SPF15 Age-defense Tinted Moisturizer

Origins A Perfect World BB SPF15 Age-defense tinted moisturizer with White Tea £27.00

"A hint of tint. A world of protection."

When I found that Origins were bringing out a BB cream, I literally squealed as I was very excited. Origins is a fantastic brand and one that features a lot on my blog/youtube because they are one brand I can totally trust to deliver great products. Their 'A Perfect World' range is already a great range, with the hydrating body lotion and body wash being two staples of mine, so I was pleased to hear that the new BB cream would harness those skincare benefits. The formula is packed with antioxidant rich Silver Tip White Tea, which is known to help boots our skin natural defences against the damage from pollution and environmental aggressors. With the addition of SPF 15 your skin is also protected from UV exposure with can damage the skins collagen, in turn accelerating ageing. 

In a range of 6 shades which is a lot more than most other brands have launched, however there isn't a pale shade, as I find light/medium to still be a little deeper than I would expect from a light/medium shade. The formula has a lovely hydrating and soothing feel, creating a fresh and radiant finish that will covers flaws (I was impressed with the coverage it gives). Again unlike other brands the consistency is thicker, somewhere between a tinted moisturizer and a medium foundation, as is the coverage so I was pleasantly pleased with how my skin looked all day I didn't feel I needed a concealer this coverage any imperfection. I was left with a gorgeous dewy finish and I felt totally confident to wear this by itself (no powder or concealer etc). Like every Origins product I have tried, this smells divine but I wouldn't expect anything less from them.

Origins have created another great product with the Origins A Perfect World BB cream and I am excited to see if they expand further from this. You can purchase Origins from counters or online here!

Have you tried a BB cream yet? Or are you using this one, let me know!

Origins Mega Bright Serum

Origins Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega Bright Serum £47.00 from Origins

The new Mega Bright serum is the latest development in the collaborations between Origins and Dr. Weil, they wanted to create a product that would even out the skin tone and brighten your complexion too. In recent years, due to medications, I have noticed my skin becoming dull and frequently suffering from breakouts that often leave scarring. I don't have major scarring or hyper pigmentation but my skin uneven and does need a brightness injection. Mega Bright makes my skin feel hydrated, fuller and smooth, the formula glides on evenly and is absorbed quickly (one pump is enough for me). There is obviously some pigment capsules in there too, as I did notice an immediate brightness and illuminated but not shimmery more subtle. 

After a month of using I could definitely see a difference in my complexion, it was certainly more even and clearer but I haven't seen a big difference to my acne scarring yet (I'm going to wait 3 months before I update the review as I feel it really needs to be fully used up before I can judge it on reducing scars). However there was an improvement in terms of stopping further spots scarring, I could tell after 2 weeks that my skin was healing from spots better and faster. 

The price may put some people off purchasing this, as it is expensive but after using a similar product for 4 years that cost much more, I would happily repurchase this if the results continue. Whether you are using this for adding brightness, fading acne scarring/dark spots or evening out the complexion, then I would suggest popping down to your nearest Origins counter to try a sample. 

What Origins products do you swear by? Have you tried Mega Bright yet or will you?

Soap & Glory It's About Prime

Soap & Glory It's About Prime £8.00 available from Boots stores or online here!

Towards the end of last year I was sent the Soap & Glory cosmetics range to try out, unfortunately that was in between moves, so it got lost in the mess and when I discovered them last month I got straight to testing. The eye shadow primer has been one of the stand out products for me from the collection, the shimmery cream really grabs onto your shadow and makes them pop. The formulation is quite thick compared to some others, it also takes a moment to dry but I like that as I like to blend my primer over the entire lid and lower lash line. Soap and Glory, in my opinion, have created a nice crease proof long wearing primer and with added coffee extract this packs a punch to fight puffy eyes in the morning too. 

It's About Prime comes in two shades Bright Light and Silver Lining, so you have two primers perfect for day looks and for vamping it up at night with a smokey eye. Or, if like me, on those days you are in a rush either shades works nicely as a cream eye shadow for a simple wash of colour. Recently I have been pairing this with their eye shadow quads, I shall aim to record a simple day time tutorial using both so you can see why I like them so much. 

Have you tried any of the Soap & Glory cosmetics? What S&G products do you love?

Origins Super Spot Remover

Origins Super Spot Remover £12.00 from Origins counter or online here!

This was sent to me last year, for months I thought I had lost it and 4 months ago I found it hiding at the bottom of a handbag. With a tiny blue bottle containing only 10ml, you might think this won't last very long but this has been a staple for atleast 5 months and I'm not even half way through. Origins Super Spot Remover is the perfect treatment for any unsightly breakouts you have. For me I tend to get them around that time of the month, or if I have a infection in my kidneys. Over the years I have tried many many spot creams and gels, but none were ever repurchased as they didn't perform as well as this has for me. This fights the spots, heals the skin and aids fading of scarring. They have included salicylic acid to instantly soothe and heal the area, caffeine and red algae for relieving redness (I hate nasty big red spots) as well as ingredients to help exfoliate the skin to keep pores nice and clear. 

Whenever a pesky spot pops up I immediately pop a tiny amount on the whole area, then repeat every morning and night until it disappears. Normally it takes 1-3 days depending on how bad the breakout is, but the earlier I catch it the sooner it goes. The gel formula is cooling, it also doesn't dry the skin out like some brands can, however it does make it feel a little tight on some parts of the face so I always like to apply my face cream over. 

If you are looking for a product that will clear your skin fast when spots appear, then I can suggest this enough! You might feel the price is a little much for the amount you are getting but with skincare I am a big believer of quality or quantity, plus since you need such a small amount this really does last forever (like I said mine is still going 5 months later).

What products have you found that really work to get rid of breakouts?