Product rave ♥

I have tried a couple of products from the Naked range, their hair mask is one of my hair favourites. This is another product that comes out a big winner from the brand, the Melt Away Naked – Starflower Foam Bath. I had kinda had mixed feelings before trying this, being so 'natural' would it really create the towering bubbles in my bath that I adore? It certainly didn't create an over flowing amount of bubbles but certainly more than enough to quench my desire for a bubble bath. It also smells divine, with 100% pure essential flower oils it creates a wonderful relaxing aroma in the bathroom, all adding to a relaxing atmosphere to melt away all the stress. The main ingredient starflower is packed with GLA and essential fatty acid all helping your skin to combat signs of ageing and it helps to keep the moisture locked into my skin.

If you are looking for a bubble bath dream then get down to boots (or online) and grab yourself a lovely bottle. For only £3.99 you cant go wrong!


Naked products on line

No7 Exquisite Curl

So just over a week ago I was sent the new No7 mascara to try out and let them know what I think about it. The aim of the mascara is to give volume and curl that lasts, does it live up to this? Yes. I would say more the curl than the volume, I've tried other No7 mascaras that give me more volume but for a curl that lasts this wins hands down. Normally most mascaras start out with a nice full curled look to the lashes but within the hour its gone and your lashes have dropped. No7 Exquisite Curl mascara really holds onto that curl, after applying at around 10am I checked back after dinner in the evening to see my lashes still looked perfect, still curled.

My eyes took a battering recently after trying another mascara from a high end brand, it left my eyes very irritated and prone to watering. This didn't make it any worse, it didn't flake or smudge. It came of really easily too no tugging or pulling at my eyes to get it off, a little bit of cleanser and it was gone. No panda eyes.

A big thumbs up from me! 

Green & Spring - Refreshing Eye Cream ♥

Nothing long to say on this just short and sweet. I love this, it is amazing and has replaced my Clinique All About Eyes cream which I used for 2 years, so for me to switch shows how much I love this. Many eye creams have come and gone but none have sunk in so nicely leaving my eye area soft and hydrated. It has definitely made a difference in the appearance of my eye area, and has helped to shift my dark circles. 

It is a rich cream, what I've shown below is double what you really need, a lot goes a long way with this. Half a pump is more than plenty to do both of your eyes with.

Have browse for yourself, and check out their body lotions too I love them.

https://greenandspring.com/node/208?cat=18

Skin Saviour - Alva Natural Skincare♥

Alva Natural Skincare do some great products, and this has to be my favourite product that I have tried from the brand - Sanddorn Skin Oil. "Dermatological studies using Sanddorn Skin Oil the moisture level of the skin increased by 69% after 4 weeks use, while the depth of fine lines and wrinkles was reduced by 21%.

Sandorn Skin Oil accelerated the healing of light sunburn by 93% compared to untreated skin. In 66% of cases the red skin disappeared entirely within 24 hours." This is a fantastic rich oil for your skin, it increases the skins ability to retain moisture, it helps to firm the skin up and all while protecting your skin from all the nasty environmental aggressors. Like most oils it is a good product to include into your routine is you have any scars on your skin, from acne or even stretch marks on your body. It is great at helping my acne scars keep moisturised, so the skin doesn't flake and this helps them to heal better.

Although it is an oil, I have found on my combination skin (with an oily t-zone) it doesn't increase the amount of oil on my skin and make me look/feel greasy. It sinks in straight away, whilst you get the benefits of it being a super hydrating oil it really doesn't feel like you are applying an oil to the skin. Big thumbs up.

The picture below is how much I use for my whole face, you only need a little amount so it will last you a very long time.

Have a look at the ingrediants, no nasty stuff in here "buxus chinensis (jojoba oil), prunus dulcis (almond oil), hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn oil), tocopherol (vitamin E), citrus nobilis (mandarin oil), cymbopogon martini (palmarosa oil)". Alva Natural Skincare is dedicated to ensuring their products are free from parabens, SLS, EDTA or PEGs. PLUS they don't test on Animals, something a-lot more brands need to pay attention to. 

I'd love to try some of their other products from this line, have you tried any?

Alva Sanddorn Skin Oil 

100ml £18.00

15ml £5.00 

Miners Autumn/Winter Nails♥

Miners have done a good job in creating some stunning shades for this season, and at affordable prices too only £2.99 each. The colours are rich and vampy, perfect for bringing your nails on trend during the holiday party time.

The five colours (going left from right in the picture), LBD a shiny black perfect for a vampy look, Dorothys Shoes which is a really pretty shimmery red I can see where they took the inspiration from, Mulberry Shimmer a rich plum brown that looks beautiful on my toes really lifting my tan, Molton is my favourite a rich gold with plenty of shimmer and finally Midnight Lavender is a steel grey with heavy undertone of lilac another fave of mine.

Surprisingly the quality is really good for the price, on my toes it lasted 9 days before chipping (no top coat) and on my fingers they last a good 6 days before any need for tidying up.


Grab yours here!

Dior Red Lips♥

Over the past couple of weeks, I have done a lot of posts on lipsticks, so hopefully I'm not boring you too much but lipsticks are a big love of mine. Probably the biggest part of my make-up collection. If you read my previous post on my favourite red lipsticks then you will already know that this winter I have really embraced the classic red lip. I was delighted when this Dior lipstick landed on my lap a couple of weeks ago. 

Dior Rouge Favori 752 is a beautiful orange based red, creamy and long lasting. It has become my lipstick of the moment, mainly wearing it during the day, something I don't do often when it comes to red. 

It retails for £21.00 which is expensive, but it is well worth it for the quality you get. 

♥Swatch♥

I will be doing a video this week featuring this lipstick on how to get the perfect red pout for all your Christmas parties. So look out for that! For now I shall leave you with one final snap of me wearing this fabulous colour..

Grab yours from Escentual's online

Alva Natural Skincare - Rhassoul Mineral Wash Cream♥

When it comes to skincare I am always on the look out for two things, a great facial cleanser and a moisturiser to match. This facial cream stands out for me not only for be organic, but also because of the brands standards like opposed to animal testing, not using parabens, paraffin, mineral oils or PEG compounds and the commitment to the environment ensuring they source their packaging and production regionally when possible. An overall impressive brand I think.

The Rhassoul mineral wash cream is a thoroughly deep cleansing wash, it really gets deep into your pores to get all the dirt out. It also settles out any problem skin with ingredients such as tea tree and manuka oils, soothing irritated skin helping to fight against any spots, blackheads and excess oil - I have to say it really works at keeping the skin clear. Other ingredients include aqua, volcanic mineral clay, tea tree oil, lavender oil, rosemary oil, bergamot orange oil, citronella oil, ylang ylang oil, citronellol, geraniol, linalool, limonene, this product is packed with everything to give you a clear complexion. 

I like to rub a decent amount into my skin, then leave it for a couple of minutes almost like a mask to work its magic and then rinse off with muslin cloth . Aside from my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, this is the only other cleanser I have found to work as hard in getting my skin super clean but still soft with no tightness.

Like all the Alva products I've tried is smells delicious too, very fresh and citrus. It is really awakening to use in the morning. 

But remember this is a clay product so shake well before you use, I forgot one time and a whole host of runny liquid came spurting out my bathroom floor got rather messy!

150ml £10.50

Check out the brand and learn more on their website

http://www.alvanaturalskincare.co.uk

Lime Crime Lipsticks♥

I have talked a fair bit about Lime Crime lipsticks, they are a favourite of mine in my lipstick collection both for the colours and the formulation. They give a really good opaque finish but still remain moisturising on the lips. Plus the shade selection is fabulous, so many bold and bright colours to choose from. From the brand I have 4 shades, and I love them all! 

The only negative thing about them, and you can see from the picture above, they do melt a little so far only Cosmopop (the orange one) is the only really bad one the others just feel a little 'wobbly' but they are still perfectly ok to use. Just have to be gentle when applying.

♥Swatches♥

Left to right:

♥Retrofuturist♥

A gorgeous red, the perfect balance between blue and orange so it will flatter a wide range of skin tones. It lasts all night, and doesn't bleed which I find a lot of red lipsticks are terrible for. This has been my 'go to' lipstick when I have been out recently it is so pretty on, and I get a lot of compliments when I wear it.

♥Cosmopop♥

This is definitely the most daring colour I own, and when I chose it I was a little nervous how was I going to pull an orange lipstick off?! But I wear it lightly on top of my MAC lip erase which turns it into the perfect peachy colour, I just lightly apply it with my ring finger and job done I have a pretty peach pout!

♥Countessa Fluorescent♥

Firstly my pictures are in no way doing this lipstick justice it is MUCH brighter, almost neon, in the flesh this is one of those lipsticks I would describe as being one that Barbie would wear.A bright hot pink that always makes me feel gorgeous when I wear, there is something about this colour that draws me in. It almost comes close to being my favourite pink lipstick. A must have I think.

♥Great Pink Planet♥

Now if you aren't into wearing bright lipsticks and you like something a little more subtle then this is great. It is the pretty pale pink that we all adore, and it is the right balance of pink so that it doesn't become too light on the lips, much like Barry M 100 & 101 can be. I would say this is a more wearable version of MAC Saint Germain. Another must have for me.

A quick note, if you like the look of Great Pink Planet but don't have access to a counter or don't want to spend that much money on a lipstick then Revlon's Super Lustrous Matte Lipstick - 011 Stormy Pink is a fantastic dupe for a fraction of the cost!

Alva Natural Skincare - Fluid Foundation♥

Hey cupcakes! This review is long over due, but it's worth the wait. Before I get into the review itself I want to start on a high point about the brand, and their colour products:

Alva Coleur make-up for skin: pure & organic, naturally.

- uses only natural colouring & no carmine

- vegan friendly

- Europe's first Ecocert certified organic make-up range

- includes a patented active ingredient that supports the skin's immune response as well as giving an anti-ageing effect

- completely talc free

- powders and rouges are baked and not pressed. This guarantees a silky consistency and naturally de-humidifies the powder without the addition of potentially harmful binding agents

- PETA approved

When I did a little research into the brand I was really impressed with the overall goodness they sprinkle over their products and the brand in general. There is nothing better than knowing the products I'm using are happy ones, with good values behind them! I think the more brands that can be like Alva the better.

Foundation is probably the one product I have more of than any other in my collection, I am very picky and it takes a lot for one to impress me enough to use it or even repurchase it.

The Alva Fluid foundation had ticks in all the right boxes: Provides a matte finish, Evens out skin, Helps with redness, Creating a soft and smooth texture to the skin and packed with goodies like Vitamin, Red grapevine and evening primrose oil. It is a gem, this was a stand out for me and I was shocked. 

For me products either have high expectations or no expectations, this one had none I didn't expect it to be any good and I didn't expect to like it. I really do need to learn not to judge so quickly. I'm not sure why I had the preconceptions, it sounded amazing but maybe deep down all the good qualities that Alva can proudly show off about maybe made me think it wouldn't be as good as say a YSL foundation which lets be fair doesn't have the happy ethical ticks to it. I think I though because it sounded so good, that it was going to be too good?

So I slapped it on, a little more product than I would usually use but that's fine as it sinks in beautifully to the skin and gives it the added bonus of hydrating my face at the same time. I think however if you lean towards the more oily of skin types you may want to stay clear. My skin is normal/combination, I get dryer in winter and a little oilier in summer so this worked out really well for me.

So how was the coverage I hear you ask? Well pretty darn impressive too, definitely a medium but lets your own skin still shine through so it looks really natural. I have a lot of acne scars and this evened the tone out so they faded away, which is something I normally only get with a medium/full coverage. I think because it still leaves an element of your own skin coming through it gives you that flawless finish, which makes it look natural not too done up or like you just raided a cosmetics counter. It also didn't go patchy as the day went on, I think because it is a little more hydrating than other foundations your skin underneath it healthier making the foundation look better.

As for how it lasted, this bit let it down a little I think this is more of a weekend/fun type, for a work day it wouldn't cut it (8am-5pm is a long day though so bare that in mind) as I don't like to have to touch up and tbh I don't get the chance. However if you don't mind preening your lovely self towards the afternoon then you'll be fine. I reckon this would be a really nice bridal foundation for someone looking for a very natural but still flawless look, as it photographs like a star too no flash back or horrible white face with this.

You get the standard 30ml for £18.40 putting it in the high end section but considering I pay that and more for some of my other favourite foundation I think it is a good price.


I think you need to give this a go, hopefully you'll be as surprised as I was!

You can buy yours HERE

Sigma E40 Review♥

This has been a firm favourite for me over the last few weeks, so this was next up on my list to write about it. It is their tapered blending brush, often this is compared to the MAC 224 because it is a large fluffy and covers a big surface area when used on the eyes.  It is a fabulous brush for blending out eye shadow, or buffing in concealer. I am so glad I have this plus my MAC 224 as I love to use it for both uses, no silly cleaning in between.

Compared to the 224 it works just the same, they are pretty much exactly the same. No need to say much more on it, as they do the same job. The only slight difference is the Sigma E40 is a little denser and far softer. 

Unlike other blending brushes this doesn't shed, or become miss shaped. Even after many washes it retains it's softness and shape, which it great as too many brushes lessen in quality after a certain amount of washes.

RRP $9.00 

Buy it HERE

What is your favourite Sigma brush?

Lulu

xoxo

Clinique Superdefence♥

Another moisturiser post for you all :) Hopefully you are liking my journey through all these creams! This is one I have re-purchased a few times over the years, it is a firm favourite of mine. I'm loving being able to blog about Clinique, as you all know I wasn't allowed when I worked for the brand ! This isn't going to be a long post, just want to share my favourite things about this moisturiser.

(picture taken from Clinique's website)

What Clinique say:

"Skin's most complete defense against the visible signs of aging in a daily moisturiser. Arms it to fight the effects of emotional stress, which can damage skin with effects much like sun and pollution. Helps neutralise UVA and UVB."

Clinique is a Dermatologist developed brand, with the Clinique 'computer' and in depth personalised questions so the consultants are able to tailor a skin care routine that will work for you! All Clinique products are Allergy Tested 7,200 times on 600 people, with different skin types and if any one of those causes a reaction Clinique reformulate. Products are also fragrance free, what your smelling is the products nothing artificial masking the natural scent.


One of the key things is to make sure your skin is fully hydrated, dehydration can cause early fine line, dullness to your complexion and leaving you looking (and feeling) tired. Superdefence comes in 2 formulations (Dry/Combination & Combination/Oily) to make sure everyone skin type is covered. Both are light weight moisturisers, although I find the Dry/Combination slightly thicker in texture, not in how it feels on your skin. It provides long lasting hydration, whilst controlling the oil and helping to regulate your skins moisture barrier which is the key to healthy skin. 


It provides a great base for foundation. I find when I use this I don't need a primer or any type of base, as the moisturiser sinks in and the oil doesn't break through my make-up during the day. My skin always feels a dream when I use this, haven't found another match up yet.


Age Defence! It has a great SPF of 25 which is pretty high for a day time moisturiser, and gives the protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Just in-case you didn't know, UVA - Are the rays that cause the break down of cells in the skin causing ageing, UVB - Are the rays that cause the skin to burn. Again a great thing to have in your moisturiser, it is crucial you wear an SPF during the day. Not just on your face, any skin that's exposed ladies! 80-90% of premature ageing is due to UVA & UVB rays, even when you think your safe from the sun chances are those rays are still bouncing about causing accidental damage to your skin. This really helps to protect the skin from both so fight off ageing and keeping your skin healthy.


The best thing about Superdefence and it's night time partner Super rescue is the effect they have on your skin, your skin is left glowing and brightened. Now when I was on training this was something I raised as I wanted to know why or what created this, and my trainer (fabulous as she was) couldn't give me a specific answer but told us it was most likely due to the many the cocktail of anti-oxidants that are great for the working of your skin. I really love it, there isn't a moisturiser out there that I have found to give me the same kind of results. It really gives a glow from within the skin.


A-lot of people claim this helps to make the skin clearer, and I wouldn't necessarily agree with that I would say it brightens the skin which gives the illusion of a clearer complexion. Because it hydrated the skin, and locks that moisture in the skin.


At the very least you need to go and ask for a sample, give it a go and let me know how it worked for you.


Next moisturiser - Liz Earle Skin Repair Light!


Lulu
xoxo

Sigma F80 Review♥

Sigma have really out done themselves with the F80 Flat top kabuki brush, it is one of the best make-up brushes out there right now! It is definitely the jewel in the beautiful Sigma Crown.

I find this brush so multi-purpose it works perfectly with liquid, cream, powder or mineral foundation and it is amazing for bronzer too - it makes contouring look natural like you were born with chiselled cheek bones . It blends and buffs any product into your skin so well, you don't need to worry about having 'cakey' or 'thick' foundation. For me this kicks all my other foundation brushes out of the water.

The reason I feel it works so well is the density of the brush, the bristles are packed in there tight but it still gives the right amount of movement to make make-up application easy peasy whilst giving a flawless soft finish. It also means unlike a lot of other foundation brushes it won't absorb your foundation or liquid make-up into it, saving you from wasting or using excess product. 

(excuse my brush being dirty I just used it!)

For a synthetic brush it is incredibly soft, something you can say about the majority of Sigma's brushes. When I first opened my package I couldn't stop running this over my face, it is soft and dreamy on your skin. Unlike other brushes the shedding is minimal, I have washed this a few time and haven't had more than a hair or two come out, impressive!

I'm sure you can all tell by now how much I love this brush! For me it has given me the airbrushed look that I've longed for the MAC 187 to give me, it distributes my foundation easily over my skin, buffing it into my pores along the way to help them to look smaller (almost not even there!).


But above everything else the best feature of this brush has to be the price, $16.00, much cheaper than a MAC brush yet works much better than some of my MAC brushes! Definitely a brush everyone needs to invest in.

Hop, skip and jump over to Sigma Makeup to get yours now.

Lulu

xoxo

Trilogy Rosehip Oil♥

Recently I have been on the hunt for the moisturise of my dreams, one that will fix all my skin problems. I decided to try oils after much research I realised that even with my oily skin I could still use them, as an extra treatment boost for my skin. Packed with Omega 3, 6 & 9, essential fatty acids and antioxidants all helping to restore optimum skin health. 


This is a great product my skin is always left plumped, hydrated, smooth and glowing, without feeling or looking greasy. Having combination skin I was so worried about using an oil in my routine, I had the normal preconceptions that it would leave my face a big greasy mess. Totally not the case. I apply this at night so it can really nourish my skin overnight and I don't have to worry about applying too much as no-one will see. 


Rosehip oil has so many benefits long lasting hydration, helps to plump out fine lines, reduces scarring and evening the skin tone. So it will please everyone. You can even use this on stretch marks, which I do have so have been slapping this on them and the results are great. After 4 weeks of use, just a tiny amount too, they are fading al ot better than any creams I have tried before.


You only need a tiny amount, I use 2 drops on my face. So this will last you a very long time, making it really great value for money.


Buy it HERE


Lulu 
xoxo

Xen Tan Deep Bronze Luxe

This is a rich and creamy, but a light lotion that gives a golden dark colour. The guide colour allows you to rest assured you won’t end up patchy, as you can easily spot any bits you have missed. It sinks in super quick so no standing around in silly positions, but just play about to get the right amount for your body.

It claims to be a “Once a week tan”, which certainly works well like that, however I love to use this in between  my Xen Tan Mousse or Dark lotion as a ‘top up’ to stop my tan going patchy or fading. The shea butter moisturises your skin whilst you tan, which is why I find it works perfect for keeping my tan perfect and my skin soft. Deep Bronze Luxe is also packed with Vitamin E and a whole host of anti-oxidants to really give your tan radiant boost.

As with all Xen Tan products it has that yummy vanilla scent, and you don’t have that horrible fake tan smell that repells men! However, if you sleep in this you will notice a slight scent but you get that with EVERY fake tanner, though this is no where near as strong!

If you find your tan quickly fades, goes patchy or streaks then you need this in your life to fix those pesky tanning problems. I find this fool proof, this has never turned streaky or orange on me.

RRP £25.95 

Buy it HERE

Next up: Xen Tan Dark Mist!

Lulu

xoxo

Vichy NORMADERM Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care

Vichy released a new product a couple of months ago and I was interested straight away as it claimed to fix skin imperfections, specifically scarring from acne. The hydra-peel technology , combining LHA, Salicylic acid and Glycolic acid, the skin is exfoliated on multi levels, clears pores and reduces the bacteria that causes imperfections to the skin.


It claims to transform the imperfections on the skin in only 4 weeks, blemishes are gone, texture and tone become evened out. The skins epidermis is refined and smooth, excess oily/shiney patches is evened out and skin generally becomes healthy looking. 


Now onto my experiences, I have acne scarring along my jaw line that for the last two years I have reduced significantly using another brand, but at a cost. So this immediately jumped out to me for the price, and the quick turn around of events. My skin  was brighter and clearer in a week, but even after many weeks I still didn't see the promised change. I really hoped it was going to  be a miracle product that would save my skin and save me pennies too!  But it didn't live up to my high expectations, I really need to stop hyping products up before I use them.


In reality this is a good product but not a great product, my skins texture and tone was definitely changed, and I like the fact that the moisturiser can do this whilst hydrating my skin. As for my scarring it is softer, less cakey when I wear my foundation but less noticeable? I'm not convinced yet. This is still part of my routine and I'm going to use it all up! Hoping to see more changes. The multi level exfoliation definitely speeds up the natural cell turnover,  and brighten my skin. It has also meant I haven't needed to use an exfoliator as often as there hasn't been the normal 'build-up' of dull/dead skin cells. 


My favourite thing is how matte it keeps my skin, I don't need a primer when I wear this under my make-up. This is enough to keep me shine free. 


Overall - I think this would work better if you had 'new' imperfections, mine have been here for a couple of years so I think need a stronger treatment. But for someone who has recently had acne scarring and looking for something to fix it before it gets worse then this is for you. I am going to continue to use this, and hope that maybe does help my skin - but I have my doubts.


Priced at £11.50 
You can buy it in Boots stores or on-line HERE 

The Body Shop: Big and Curvy Mascara♥

So you have seen like 10000x reviews of this mascara, it was launched some time ago but I wanted to leave it a while before I tried it so that you aren't sick to the teeth reading the same thing over and over.

The mascara claims to give 9 times more 'volume and incredible curl', with a formula that coats each lash from the root to tip, meaning you get a wide eye look with each lash being coated. Does it live up to these claims? For me it did, after reading a few negative reviews saying this did nothing and got gloopy black stuff in your eyes, I wasn't looking forward to trying this at all. However, I got long fluttery lashes, and that stayed curled for a decent amount of time. This has become a favourite of mine, along with my HG Clinique High Lengths.

It doesn't give me amazing volume, but enough to satisfy my needs for thick lashes. 

The brush is really thin, and long which is what I credit to giving the length. I really like it as it gets really close into my lash roots, and is thin enough that it can reach into my inner corner to get all those fiddly lashes that are a pain to get!

Will I re-purchase? I want to say yes, but at £10 I'm just not convinced it is fully worth that.

Lulu
xoxo