[More From] No7 Vital Brights Collection

I absolutely love this collection!

There are an additional few items that I didn't purchase (or should I say haven't yet) which are the highlighter and another cream blush.

The prices range between £10 for the lipsticks and blushes to £13 for the eye palette and highlighter

I got mine for £5 and £8 with... another 3 No7 Vouchers!

The packaging on this range is just beautiful- but the lipstick cases should have the flower print too!

Lipsticks in Blossoming Pink and Blooming Pink (see prev blog post)

Swatched:

On Lips:

Again this lipstick is just as lovely as the Blooming Pink- although the brighter pink is my favourite as it is more pigmented and just lovely! This is the more 'safe' colour and very similar to Clinique Bamboo Pink Lipstick. Glossy texture with a moisturizing feel that lasts so well!

Cream Blush in Blooming Pink

Swatched: Blended and a swatch

This looks pretty frightening in the pan, but as you can see , it blends to a very soft but rich pink with just the right amount of colour. This matches so well with the lipstick after blending. I love this. The texture really melts in the pan, so you don't end up wasting loads of product- a light dab is all you need for a healthy pink flush. Lasts well too.

Vital Brightening Eye Palette

This has 5 colours of varying neutrals and they are all shimmer- not with chunks of glitter or anything like that, but even the dark brown isn't quite matte, very pretty nonetheless and it looks so gorgeous in the pan.

 Swatched:

The last colour can be used as a highligher, and the yellow gold is perfect for the inner corners of the eyelid to brighten up a smokey eye.

I also did a VLOG on this collection here;



Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup Review

This is in serious competition with Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua to be my new favourite foundation!

[I squealed with excitement down the phone to my mum who said ' they are all good' ...ehhh sorry they just aren't!! She's advertently trying to control my spending haha.]


Description:

''See no makeup. Feel no makeup™.
First-ever IntuiTone™ technology guarantees your true-to-life shade and keeps it real in every light.
Fresh, flawless, radiant. Ultra light, ultra breathable, oil-free. It will change how you feel about makeup forever.
In long-lasting shades for every beautiful skintone.Weightless, buildable coverage. Air-infused with every shake. Blends so perfectly for the look and feel of bare skin-only better.
Lasts all day. Controls excess oil. Won't clog pores''.

My opinion:

I received a sample of this in 2WN1. I've been so lucky with sample shades recently. The 2WN1 was perfect for me. Again, quite a yellow toned foundation, but I have neutral skin so it blended in really well. It covers and evens skintone but lets your own skin shine through at the same time.
It's so light that I didnt feel I was wearing foundation at all.
It's oil-free and it lasted a good 8hrs without primer before I needed to blot my T-zone.

The finish is just lovely.
 It is more of a natural matte finish- so it let's natural dewyness come through without making the face look shiny. It's not as dewy as Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua so this would really work for an oily comibination skin/oily skin if you primered and powdered. It has a really smooth texture which blends extremely well, giving you just the right amount of time to play about with it before it sets. The coverage is so hard to describe because this does even out skintone and cover redness/blemishes to a good extent, but at the same time maintains a really  ''I'm not wearing any foundation, I just have amazing skin'' no-make up look. I barely had to conceal my blemishes, just under my eyes.


Best for:
I'd say this would work for the majority of skin types. Doesn't cling to dry patches, so works for dry and dry/combination skin (which I have), yet doesn't slide off my oily nose so would work really well, as I said, with primer and powder for combination/oily and oily skins.

Purchase/Repurchase:

Yes! I think I may buy this instead of Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua, but I love them both!
If you love VA but think it's a bit too dewy then go for this.

Overall:

 Invisble but flawless finish... Win!

No7 Vital Brights Lipstick in Blooming Pink and Beautiful Skin Hydrating Mask Review

I got this lipstick for £5 with my No7 voucher and I absolutely love it! This is the nicest lipstick I've had for a long time.

[Usually £10 for 3.5g]

They say ''Give lips a pop of colour with this soft and Luscious lipstick. Light in texture & glossy in finish, this lipstick delivers long lasting colour to gove a sheer since but ultra smooth result''

I couldn't have put it better myself! This lipstick really delivers.

The colour is a lovely bright pink, it's not as sheer as the hand swatch and is well pigmented with a lovely sheen that keep the lips feeling moisturized. It almost feels like a lipstick and lipgloss combined, without the stickiness of a gloss. It lasts well and even after eating/drinking there is an even amount of colour left, with a lip balmy type feel remaining. It's amazing!! If you are after a new lipstick for spring/summer then make this it...

I also purchased the Beautiful Skin Hydrating Mask

This only cost me £7.50 [normally £12.50 for 100ml] with ANOTHER voucher haha!

''Created to help your dry skin behave like normal skin and provide tailored skin nutrition for healthy looking, bright and beautiful skin''

The spirally look of this gel come cream reeled me right in, it just looked so luxurious that I had to have it.

This is for dry/very dry skin and I have dry combination skin and it does provide really good hydration.

I spoke to the SA about this as I only realised that this was only to be left on for 3-10 mins, and I was really after something like Clinique Moisture Surge with the gel like texture (review to come), to keep on overnight. She said that a thin layer could be applied and left on overnight, so I decided to buy it. My skin felt and looked lovely the next morning (blemish redness was actually reduced), but I had a whitehead spot appear at my hairlink/cheekbone so I haven't tried this again incase it causes me to breakout anywhere else- which I really don't need right now (well ever, but especially not when my skin is already terrible) but I think the 3-10 minutes will be adequate in the future and I will stick to Clinique for overnight use.

Overall: A nice once a week treat for the face :)

Sleek Pout Polish & True Colour Lipstick

I am loving peachy colours for cheeks and lips just now and spotted these at the Sleek section in Superdrug. I am so impressed by all the Sleek products I have so far, and I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with these.

Pout Polish in Peach Perfection £4.29 for 10g

SPF 15. Contains Jojoba oil, Almond oil, Shea butter, Wheatgerm oil and Avocado oil.

True Colour Lipstick in Peaches and Cream (Sheen) £3.99 for 3.5g

Contains Vitamin E and Jojoba oil

Swatched:

Pout Polish- Peach Perfection on lips:

I'd say it's more pinky than peachy on the lips, the 'Electro Peach' colour was probably more the colour I was after, but its very nice, is non-sticky and has a reasonable lasting time. This has a sweet vanilla scent but no taste (I like scented lip products to taste of what they smell). I think the packaging is suitable for what it is. It's great for me to just pop in my pocket at work. I will definitely buy more of these in other colours.

True Colour Lipstick in Peaches and Cream (Sheen) on the lips:

One coat of this is just enough to give a nice peachy coral finish, with a slight sheen. I tried 2 coats but it looked too heavy and orange for my liking. Lasts well and feel nice, non drying or flakey. Wouldn't wear this if you have dry lips without a good lip moisturizer as it highlights dryness.

Again, I'd happily try this in other colours.

GlossyBox Harrods Edition (March)

Hmmm.

I hate to feel any negativity towards this box, as I was SO excited for this...but I was expecting just a bit more of a wow factor, and the contents just didn't inspire the excitement in me that I had anticipted with this box.

I can say I was definitely pleased with a couple of the items of I received.

So here it is...

Lol @ that still.

Eyeko Mascara Review

So as you may well know, Eyeko rebranded and got WAY more expensive, like 3x more. They used to be considedered a quirky but very affordable brand of makeup

I rediscovered a pre-rebrand Eyeko mascara in my Scotland house when I was on the hunt to find alternatives to my forgotten makeup bag without spending a small fortune again.

It was one of Eyekos tube mascaras that I swear I bought off ASOS for £5.
It's called 'Long Luscious Lashes' and basically is the EXACT same as their rebranded 'skinny brush mascara' which retails for £15!! Seriously, do companies think we are daft? Unless there has been some miracle formulation that they invented, how can a rebrand justify charging 3x the price for essentially a different font on the packaging. The long luscious lashes is an excellent mascara in terms of wear, look and staying power... a little clumpy if you layer too much, and an absolute flakey nightmare when trying to remove it, but a good product all the same for £5, but not justifiable for £15 if they are palming us off with the same formula. I hope this comes in a glossybox soon so I can review it, as I'd rather spend £15 on High Impact by Clinique.

Garnier PureActive Roll-on Review Update

The reason I bought this was primarily to fade marks that I have from my inability to leave spots alone.

Secondly, to blitz any other spots before they have the chance to surface.

When I reviewed this initially after a few days use, I hadn't noticed too much of a difference.

I've been using it daily at least once, sometimes twice a day after my usual skincare routine.

I have to mention, I have switched from using AvonProfessional facial scrub for blackheads to Clinique soap on my face, as my face was getting really dry in areas with overusage of the scrub and then whacking on Clinique's Clarifying Lotion. I still have nuisance blackheads on my nose that refuse to budge!! I'm also using the witch anti-blemish primer.

I'm going to go ahead and say that this product has worked for me! My old marks have definitely faded from a purple red, to a pinky red. The marks I have are in my 'dry' area of my chin/jaw area and one or two on my temple/cheek. The PureActive does dry out the marks/spots in these areas, but that is to be expected with the 2% Salicylic acid ingredient.

For the secondary purpose, I have noticed that this doesn't work so well on spots in oily areas. I had been wearing my glasses for a few days due to a sore eye, and I had 2 little spots appear where my glasses sit on my nose (my oiliest part). As yet the roll on hasn't quite got them to the drying out stage but they have slightly decreased in size.

I'm going to continue using this product daily and hopefully it will remove my marks entirely with prolonged use. Fingers crossed x

Since I still haven't got my Nikon D3100, I thought I'd make a polyvore of my recent purchases, minus the McQueen bag (I can wish!). I substituted the jacket and cuff/earrings for ones very similar to what I have. I absolutely love my Rose Gold Marc Jacobs Watch, it's a nice change from a yellow gold or silver watch.

The Topshop Alibi boots are SO comfortable. The heel is actually higher than you think and they go so well with the printed midi dress, although I wish the straps weren't so thin on the dress as it cheapens the look of it. It will be nice to wear at night on my holiday.

Pics sourced from Pinterest and weheartit

Samantha Chapman for Real Teachniques Core Collection Brush review

The Core Collection

As with all of Sam's brushes these are colour coded. The yellow gold handles denote that they form part of the 'flawless base' brushes and there are a further 2 brushes outwith the core collection that are part of the flawless base coding.  These brushes were bought from Boots for £21.99, but they can also be bought from lovemakeup.co.uk and brush tutorials are available at realtechniques.com

So the core collection is made up of 4 brushes as you can see, from L-R is the contour brush, pointed foundation brush, definer brush and the buffing brush. They come in a handly black carry case which stands when you pull the toggle, and folds in half for travelling. I find the elastic a bit tight round the brushes, but hopefully this will loosen up over time. I was just so excited to use these brushes!

Contour Brush

 ''Delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish''

This brush, like the others, is so soft. It's perfect for applying highlighter, a little blusher and contouring the cheekbones. I like it, but I think I will use the blush brush more [when I get my mitts on it] as for me this brush is just a little small.

Pointed Foundation Brush

''Use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage''

I personally have only used this for concealer. I think, for me, it's just a little too small for a foundation brush , as I don't have all day to try and smother my face in foundation with a teensy brush. Although in Sam's video it gives a streak-free finish despite it's size. Great for concealer though!

Detailer Brush

''Precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas; or, use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition''

This one does exactly what it says on the tin, and does it very well. Boom!

Excellent to conceal round the nose, and on individual blemishes.

Buffing Brush

''Ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation''

Love this brush! It's soooo soft. I just want to whish it over my face all day. Lovely for applying mineral foundation, transluscent powder, bronzer or a big sweep of blush. really really good brush.

I highly recommend this brush set and the stippling brush. I can't wait to get a hold of more of these brushes. They are fantastic quality and the value for money is unbelievable when you see what they can do. Tres impressed x

Boots 3 for 2 and No7 offer (Product Reviews)

When I went to buy my Samantha Chapman stippling brush from Boots the other day, the next thing on my list was to pick up the Witch Skin Clearing Primer as I had read some good reviews on it. There was a 3 for 2 on skin care so I picked up a Garnier PureActive Spot-on Roll-on to help fade old spot marks and prevent new blemishes surfacing. I also bought Garnier's BB Cream in medium [which I instantly regretted buying but I was short on time]. Because I had spent over £5 I was given a £5 off No7 voucher and I went straight back to the brushes aisle and bought an eyeshadow blending brush which then only cost me £2.25! 

I went back into Boots today, just on the off chance that they may have restocked the Samantha Chapman Core Collection brushes. They had...success! [review pending on these].

So I snapped up the brushes and was given another £5 off No7 voucher. I didn't want any other No7 brushes, so I went back to browse at the No7 makeup counter. My mum also had a £5 off voucher [which she kindly gave me :D ] and I got a lovely cleansing lotion for just £4 and a lipstick for £5!

Boots were still running the 3 for 2 on skincare so I got a Cocoa Butter body lotion and two Coconut body oils, one of which I gave to my mum.

3 for 2:

Garnier Pure Active Roll on £7.99 15ml

 Claims to fight spots and fade marks with results from day one. Contains 2% Salicylic acid  I've used this for a few days and haven't noticed too much of a difference yet, but I'll pursue it a little longer. This is really eye-wateringly fresh when it goes on but in a nice cooling way.

Garnier BB Cream in Medium £9.99 50ml

 This is far too dark for me at the minute, but in the summer when I have a tan, it will be the right shade. It's really greasy, so I haven't worn it out yet as my skin is at it's worst at the minute. I did try it out- it didn't blur imperfections as it says it does. It evened my skin tone out a little and it's very moisturising. This product doesn't wow me in the slightest.

Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer £6.99 30ml

I really like this primer. The purpose of it is to basically create a shield against foundation and other makeup, which may cause or aggravate breakouts. It's also supposed to calm and soothe the skin, while hyrdating and drawing away excess oils, and is fragrance and oil free.

I think it work really well as a base for foundation, and it glides on lovely. It has a nice smoothing effect and feels really light. I did still get a little oily on the nose, but not for a good few hours....I'd also say that was more to do with the foundation I've been using (Vitalumiere Aqua) and it easily blotted away.

Boots Cocoa Butter and Mallow Body Lotion £2.03 300ml

This smells amazing and just glides on and soaks into the skin so well! It's amazing for the price, and you get so much of it. The pump is also really handy for dispensing this lotion. It dries quickly without leaving skin tacky afterwards.

Boots Coconut Body Oil £2.54 100ml

This comes packaged in a glass jar and has a beautiful coconut scent. It's almost like a soft paste in the jar, but on contact with the skin, it just melts into a luxurious oil. This can be used on either dry or damp skin, straight from the shower.

No7

No7 Eyeshadow blend & contour brush £2.25 usually £7.25

Can't complain about this brush, good for using in the crease to add depth.

No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Lotion for Normal/Dry Skin 200ml £4 usually £9

Love this! It's so milky and takes makeup off really well with zero effort. It smells really nice too and it's just a pleasure to use. Makeup wipes are gone forever in favour of this.

No7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in Siren (120) £5 usually £10

Lovely rich colour but transfers terribly. It's so smooth that it just clings to anything that even lightly brushes passed it. Definitely requires a lip sealant like lipcote to keep it from going everywhere.

Oh and my mum and I got ANOTHER £5 off voucher each, so I'll be reviewing again soon!

Nails of The Day

Models Own in Champagne and Models Own Black 'Wah Nails' Nail Art Pen

2 for £8 @ Boots

This is a lovely, shimmery colour that coats well onto the nail. One coat gives enough colour and a streak free finish but retains a sheerness, whereas two coats creates a lovely opaque metallic finish. It dries relatively quickly and didn't smudge. I took this picture about 24 hours after applying the polish, and it didn't chip or flake in the shower, which I find a very annoying problem with other more expensive nails brands [yes you Ciate!]

 

The nail art pens were also part of the 2 for £8 offer, so I picked one of those up as I have never tried them before. I really liked that it had a fine metal nib and also a long thin brush. I found a little too much product comes out of the nib, and it was really difficult to use and draw with my left hand (I'm right handed ). I think using this on other people -or using it in your own pedicure- is much easier!

This took a little longer to dry and did smudge slightly. I also think the nib can drag on your colour coating a little, so be sure to let it dry well before attempting to express your creative nail design ideas! 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Review

I'm converted!

I love this foundation. It's almost Superfit [Clinique- discontinued blah!] which was my holy grail foundation.

I used the shade B30 Beige which was perfect. The coverage was so much nicer than Perfection Lumiere, which clung to my dry areas, peach fuzziness and round my nose. I would also say that the shade B30 Beige in Perfection Lumiere is much more orangey in colour.

 Vitalumiere Aqua is so much smoother to apply and you can really work it in and build up a flawless base. it does a good job of covering blemishes pre-concealer too, unlike it's Chanel counterpart PL. I used the Samantha Chapman stippling brush to apply this, although I should point out that I didn't use any brush to apply Perfection Lumiere, so a slight disadvantage to PL's review outcome
 I will also apply Vitalumiere Aqua with my fingers tomorrow, and then sans primer the next, and see if I'm still as happy with it.

Description:  ''Ultra-light skin perfecting makeup. Instant natural radiance with SPF15''.
It's an oil-free, water based foundation.

Chanel state:

''Its soft and evanescent ultra-fine fluid texture is a real surprise. Although it is exceptionally delicate and light, an incomparable “second-skin” perfecting result is achieved. The complexion appears amazingly even, fresh and energized. The skin glows with seemingly nude beauty. As if glowing from within. Bathed in light…

 

 

My Opinion: There is definitely a dewy glow from this foundation. I used it over the Witch Anti-Blemish Primer (I will review this soon) with no moisturizer prior to the primer, to see if VA would cling to my dry areas too- it didn't!
 I have dry combination skin, so it's only my t-zone that can get slightly oily, but it's more just my nose and the crook of my chin that gets a little shiny late in the day. I don't actually use any pressed or loose powder to 'set' foundation, as I like to contour with bronzer and just sweep the remnants on the brush over my head/nose/chin etc. However, I don't think this foundation is for people with combination oily or oily skin.
The coverage is supposed to be light/medium although I found it more medium, but still natural looking. It allows you to build over blemishes without caking. Vitalumiere Aqua feels so lightweight for the coverage it gives, and it smells lovely (although kudos to PL - it actually has a nicer scent)
 I need a rather long-lasting foundation as I work 13 hour  crazy-busy days/nights, and touch-ups are usually impossible for me when I'm at work. 
Vitalumiere Aqua's staying power (with primer) for me was  very good. I wore it for at least 8 hours and it still looked great
When I go back to work I will update on how this holds up.

Price: £31.

Repurchase: Yes. Although it's more than I would usually pay for a foundation (my HG was ~£22), I think this foundation is just about worth it.

Vo5 Plump it Up Weightless Mousse

I picked this product up the other day....VO5 Plump it Up - Weightless Mousse with Heat Defence

I have really long but quite fine hair, so it's as flat as a pancake most of the time, especially after straightening, so I'm always after a new volumising product that will work in my hair.

Well I think I may have found it in this!

Price: only £2 from Asda (offer)

Product Description: ''This lightweight mousse will give your locks long lasting volume! Not only that, it's non-sticky formula will help protect your hair from heat damage''.

Directions: ''Squirt onto palm of hand. Gently rub palms together and starting at the roots, "rake" through the hair to distribute evenly . For ultimate volume, use a large round brush to blow dry and lift from the roots. Get styling!''

My Opinion: There aren't actually any instructions as to whether or not this should be used on wet hair or dry hair on the back. I tried it on dry hair and was really impressed.

It really is a lightweight, non sticky mousse as described and when used on dry hair it didn't make my hair look or feel greasy or crispy, but be careful not to squirt out too much. The volume it produced immediately was excellent and it smells amazing! It gave great lift from the root. I think using this pre-rollers for a night out would give even better volume, especially when set with a hairdryer. Having the heat defence is also a bonus as I use some form of heat styler every day and I've been quite lax at using any form of heat defence lately.

Repurchase: Yes.

Sam Chapman for Real Techniques Stippling Brush Review

Background: They are made by Real Techniques in conjunction with Sam Chapman from Pixiwoo who is a professional makeup artist and does loads of makeup tutorials on youtube with her sister Nic, also a professional MUA [check out their channel here].

What's also great about these brushes is that Sam has made tutorials on every single one of them, so even absolute beginners can see how to effectively utilise these brushes and achieve great makeup looks. These are all on the Real Techniques website. 

I had hoped to review the stippling brush, the blush brush and the core collection. However, the latter two are sold out in the whole two Boots stores they distributed to [why only two ?]. The SA explained they had ran out of stock and were waiting for more from RT's end. I think I will just be ordering them online from Love Makeup

So the stippling brush is the only one I have to review for you just now...

Price: £11.99 (£10.99 from Love Makeup btw)

Description: ''This dual-fibre brush is the trade secret for creating airbrushed, high-definition results with all types of makeup: look pixel-perfect even in harsh light, ultra-plush synthetic taklon bristles are hand-cut and 100% cruelty-free, self-standing for easy storage, extended aluminium handle is light and easy to use''


My Opinion: This brush is smaller than I thought it would be, but it's perfect! The bristles are soft, don't jag or drag on the face and they don't splay, so are great for really buffing in and stippling foundation. The handle is nice and lightweight as described and the flat bottom allows the brush to stand vertically. Not a single strand has fallen out of this brush.
The finish this gives is excellent, even on a mid-range drugstore foundation. I actually didn't have to wear concealer today on my blemishes (which are bad) as this brush got my foundation to cover them well enough!

Rating : 5/5 


Recommend: Absoloutely!

Sleek Oh So Special Palette Review

Having been so impressed with the Sleek Blush Palette, I thought I'd try some of their eyeshadows.

I am addicted to the Urban Decay Naked Palette (I will swatch and review this one day!) so I was looking for a palette that wasn't too similar in colour, as I just wouldn't use it (Sleek's Storm palette being one of them- a good and purse friendlier alternative to UD Naked I'm sure)

This palette has 12 mineral based eyeshadows which are 1.1g each.

It costs £6.49 and is available from Superdrug or online at Sleek's website.

The packaging is really nice, it has a mirror, and is actually pretty sturdy!

[Just after I took this picture I accidently launched the palette across a wooden floor and it did not smash or break]

As you can see the names are only printed on the plastic, so you should keep a hold of this if you need to refer back to the colours you are using, as it's not printed on the back of the packaging.

Bow: Pale pink matte

Organza: Bronzey pink shimmer (< this)

Ribbon: Medium pink matte

Gift Basket: Bronzey brown shimmer

Glitz: Pewter shimmer

Celebrate: Deep purple with iridescent shimmer (<3 this)

Pamper: Very matte light pink

Gateau: Purple with amazing gold shimmer through it (My fav <3)

The Mail: Beige matte

Boxed: Brown matte

Wrapped Up: Purple/Brown matte

Noir: Black matte

The colours that really stand out for me are;

Organza

Glitz

Celebrate

&

Gateau

I would definitely recommend this palette. for £6.49 the range of colours are excellent, highly pigmented and have lasted well on wear so far (with UD primer).

I would repurchase this 5/5!!

xxx

GlossyBox's MysteryBox revealed as Harrods Edition !!!

So Excited!!! I cannot wait for March's box!

The Harrods Edition of GlossyBox

GlossyBox say;

''This exclusive GLOSSYBOX will contain luxury cosmetics that can be found at Harrods''

There will be variations in this box (don't disappoint me with the cheaper one again GB!) but hopefully we are all much happier with March's box.

If you don't yet subscribe go go go!!!