Spring Lips

Hello there lovelies

 As spring is finally here (who knows how long it will last) I thought I would share with you some lip products that I think are perfect for spring, although I’m sure they would look lovely all year round too. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not the most confident of lip colour wearer, even if I know a colour suits me I don’t always feel confident, but I’m trying, I really am. So here are a few of the ones I’ve been enjoying recently.

Revlon Matte and Lacquer Balms. I got the matte balms in the shades Audacious (top) and Complex (bottom) and these are so lovely, I must admit that I was slightly concerned about a matte lip product on me as my lips dry out pretty quickly. I’ve not had any problem with these, although they are totally matte they aren’t drying in the slightest, they have good lasting power and a cool minty taste to them. I prefer the matte balms to the lacquer balm I have in the shade Demure (middle) as it’s a bit shimmery for me but it’s a lovely product and they are so easy to apply.

Revlon Lip Butter and Lipgloss. I got the lip butter in the shade Juicy Papaya and the lipgloss in Ballini. The lip butter looks a really scary orange colour and as soon as I got this I thought oh no that’s going to look awful but I actually love this, I love the texture that literally feels like butter and the colour is really sheer and not at all scary, it’s a great product to chuck in your handbag and apply like you would a lip balm while adding a subtle hint of colour. The lipgloss has a great formula and ballini is a lovely nude colour that doesn’t wash my lips out and goes great over lipsticks to add some sheen.

Sleek Pout Polish. I got this in the shade Peach Perfection and I think this product is great. It goes on feeling like a nice conditioning balm and sort of melts into more of gloss but retains the feeling of a balm. It smells of lovely shea butter and feels really nourishing; it also has the added bonus of containing SPF so great for summer. The only downside is that it’s a dip your finger in the pot to apply job which I’m not always a fan of but I love the product and the colour is lovely.

Tanya Burr Lipgloss. I got the shades Chic (top) and Afternoon Tea. They have a great formula which isn’t sticky at all, they feel moisturising on the lips and are so pigmented they also smell fab too but lets face it they were bound to be good as I don’t think Tanya Burr would put her name to any old s*** would she. I prefer the more neutral shade Chic over the pretty pink shade of Afternoon Tea. Your lips have to be in tip top condition for these too and I prefer a couple of dabs over a lipstick rather than wearing alone.

Nars Lipgloss. I got this in the shade Chihuahua, mainly because I have a Chihuahua so I loved the name. I have to say I am in love with this one; it may be my absolute favourite ever. It is such an easy wearable shade and the one I feel most comfortable wearing. It looks quite pink but it’s really sheer and just enhances your lips natural colour. It smells horrible but all is forgiven once applied.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick. I’ve had this for ages and it’s one of those ones I um and ah about every time I put it on. I have this in the shade Asia and although in the pictures it looks brown its actually quite pink, it’s a kind of dark dusky pink colour. I find it better when it’s applied by dabbing it on then dabbing it into the lips so it’s more subtle. It has a lovely moisturising formula and good staying power.

I’m getting better with my lip products and I’m getting more confident with wearing them too and I’m looking forward to adding to my collection.

What lipsticks/glosses do you really like?

Until next time

POTW 12 Mascara Magic

Hello there lovelies

This weeks POTW is this delight from Boots. Their new No7 Lash Impact mascara that is currently on introductory offer for £10. Now can we just take a moment to admire the lovely Dorothy’s red ruby slipper-esque packaging, I love it, if they’d brought this out around Christmas time could you imagine how many they would have sold. I’ve not had this for long as it’s a new release from Boots but since I got it I’ve been wearing it everyday. It’s a great volumising mascara with zero clumps, it defines each lash really well and is intensely black too. It has a fibre wand which I personally prefer over the plastic ones and it’s quite chunky so you manage to apply a good amount of mascara in a few sweeps, it’s ever so slightly tapered at the end meaning you are able to get right into the corner lashes for optimum mascara application. One coat of mascara gives lovely natural fluttery lashes and extra coats give a more dramatic look but still remains clump free. If this had lengthening properties in it too I think it could just be the ultimate mascara. 

Have you done anything good this week? What mascaras do you like?

Until next time

Face (mask) Off

Hello there lovelies

When I asked the beauty blogging community for recommendations for a good face mask there were two clear winners. I’d wanted to try these for ages and after numerous recommendations I decided to go for it. I really couldn’t choose between them so just got both (obvious choice) to try and see which I liked best. I felt my skin needed that little extra as it was looking a little dull following winter and needed a little pick me up, I’m not sure if it was dehydrated, dry or just plain dull but it just wasn’t as peachy as I wanted it to be. With a little bit of help from these masks my skin is looking much better in preparation for the (hopefully) better weather and lighter makeup bases.

Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask. Firstly the smell of this is so good, I thought it was going to have some kind of honey scent which isn’t my favourite but no it smells of light vanilla, not the horrible sweet artificial vanilla though. It’s got a lovely velvety soft texture and feels great when you’re applying it to your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes and just enjoy the light aroma while your skin absorbs it’s manuka honey goodness then wash off with a clean flannel. It leaves skin feeling silky smooth and looking clearer, brighter and smelling fabulous.

Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask. Again this smells absolutely gorgeous unless you don’t like the smell of apricots then it would smell hideous. I think it smells like apricot yogurt (which is my favourite therefore I have to resist eating it) really fresh and sweet but not too sweet or zingy, just light and fruity fresh. The idea of an overnight mask baffled me, I wondered what I did once it was applied; do I wash it off in the morning? Why is it called a mask if you don’t wash it off? Is it going to go all over my pillow? And I did think that as it doesn’t need washing off then surely it’s just a night cream. You’re meant to tissue off the excess then leave it to absorb, I don’t do this as the thought of applying cream to my face then putting a tissue near it makes me cringe, thinking about the tissue being stuck to my face and tissue fluff being stuck all over it, yuk no thankyou. Instead I apply a thin layer about an hour before I go to bed so it’s well absorbed therefore a messy pillow is avoided, I put on a less thicker layer than I would for a normal face mask but a thicker layer than if I was just using a regular night cream. I had high expectations for this one as it has all night to work it’s magic on my skin. My skin feels nice in the morning after using this but it doesn’t blow me away, it does feel soft and hydrated but I think I could get just as good results from the 10 minute version of this beauty treat. I don’t find this mask as silky smooth in texture as Antipodes but it does have a nice light creamy feel when applied to the face, it doesn’t feel heavy or greasy at all which I was worried about due to it being an overnight use product.

For me the Antipodes mask just pips the Origins one to the post (only just though) and it’s only because I personally prefer the texture and the results were more noticeable for me. I think that once I’ve used up the Origins one I’ll replace it with the 10 minute version as I feel I’ll get more use out of it.

What face masks do you enjoy using?

Until next time

This Works. Does it though?

Hello there lovelies

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t really have any kind of problem sleeping but sometimes it can take a while for me to drift off if I haven’t had time to unwind properly. When I saw this duo from This Works I was curious to see if it actually lived up to the brand name, to call something this works is a bold statement so I wanted to find out if this actually does work.

When making my purchase I decided to go for the Deep Sleep Pillow Talk duo that contains a 75ml bottle of Deep Sleep Pillow Spray and a 5ml roller ball bottle of Deep Sleep Stress Less. I wanted to try both these products but didn’t feel I needed the full size 10ml bottle of the Deep Sleep Stress Less so opted for the set of both with the smaller size. I’ve used the Stress Less a couple of times and it certainly clears the airways, it’s a bit like Vicks (but not so over powering in smell) and I imagine it will be great when you have a cold. It contains eucalyptus (which I think is the dominant smell) frankincense and lavender to aide breathing and promote a better nights sleep. Deep Sleep Pillow Spray contains lavender, vetivert and chamomile to create a relaxing atmosphere and induce sleep. I spritz this a couple of times on my pillow an hour or so before I go to bed and then the room smells of a lovely subtle lavender scent when you walk in. I don’t spray it immediately before I get into bed as I find it too strong and prefer it when it’s diffused a bit. It makes me feel more relaxed therefore able to drift off easier. For someone that doesn’t really like the smell of lavender this one is quite nice as it smells natural and isn’t strong like the artificial scent of lavender, it’s more like if you walk past a lavender bush than the horrible smell of a lavender scented air freshener. If I get home from work late and know I won’t have much time to unwind the first thing I do after changing into my pyjamas is spray this so it makes the room smell nice ready for bedtime. As I don’t suffer with any sleep problems it’s hard to tell if this works, it’s a nice product to have though and the Stress Less will certainly come in handy if I’m bunged up with a cold.

Have you ever tried any products from This Works? What do you do to unwind and help you sleep?

Until next time

Apologies

Hello there lovelies

I'm afraid I have no POTW post for you this week. I've had a manic week at work and I'm away with my family this weekend so haven't had time to blog. Normal service will resume with a new post on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Hope you all have a lovely easter and feast out on chocolate.

(Images are not my own found here and here)

Until next time

April Showers

Hello there lovelies

Today I thought I’d share with you my 5 favourite shower gels. I’m not really a bath person, I favour showers over baths, I very rarely have a bath, I love a good shower though I could spend hours in a steaming hot shower and I like a really good shower gel that leaves me feeling clean and fresh so here are my faves.

Nivea Sensitive Balance. I love the smell of this one with natural chamomile extract. It leaves skin with a lovely light fragrance and feeling really clean without feeling like it’s been stripped. It lathers up really nicely and the lather feels soft. It’s also a bargain price wise too.

Treacle Moon Iced Strawberry Dream. Firstly I get this mainly because I think the name Treacle Moon is really cute. I usually get the raspberry kiss one but decided to try this one as its limited edition. It smells really sweet not like fresh strawberries but like strawberry flavour sweets, it lathers up nicely but the lather isn’t as soft as others but I still really like it. The raspberry one is a less sweet smell.

The Body Shop Moringa. This is my favourite scent from The Body Shop and I find it lasts on the skin too. It’s a really thick gel that leaves skin feeling really clean and refreshed. I love that I can follow it up using the body butter and body spray too.

Korres Bergamot Pear. I got this because I was looking for a pear scented shower gel as you don’t see pear fragranced things very often. Bergamot is one of my favourite scents and I thought it would be lovely teamed with fresh pears. I really like this, the bergamot is really refreshing and the pear isn’t artificial like apple scents can be it just adds a subtle fruitiness to it and tones down the bergamot. This is pricey at £8 bit it is so nice. I’ve recently purchased the fig flavour to try as it was on offer for buy one get one free which is a much better price.

Boots Extracts Cranberry. This is my absolute favourite but unfortunately you can only get this scent at Christmas. That’s why I always stock up around Christmas time and use it sparingly so it lasts. It’s a really thick gel that lathers up well and the lather is so soft and creamy and I love how it smells on my skin. Whenever I use this my husband will always comment on how nice I smell I just wish it was available all year round although there are other nice scents in the Boots Extracts range.

I’m not really one for luxury bath products as feel that the main purpose to washing is to get clean, it’s nice to have something that feels good and smells good too though isn’t it?

What bath/shower gels do you like? Are you a bath or a shower person?

Until next time