February Beauty Favourites!

This month has been a bit of a busy one, we moved house, I had essays due but somehow still managed to pick up a few new beauty products. Most of the products this month are new loves which are definitely becoming some of my most used beauty products.

Starting with haircare, i've been loving the L'oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner (review here). As someone who has thin hair these are perfect, they make my hair feel thicker and fuller without being weighed down. Speaking of thickening products i've also been loving the Charles Worthington Salon At Home Volume & Boost Texturising Spray, this adds lots of texture to the hair and holds it in place. It doesn't feel crunchy in the hair either, you don't seem to need to use a lot to get a great effect.

Only one skincare product this month which is an old favourite, the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask (review), my skin has been feeling a little dull and in need of a good exfoliation, this did the job perfectly in one use and left my skin feel lovely and smooth. My hands have been really dry this month and the only thing which seems to have helped is The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector, after a couple of uses my hands are now feeling softer and back to normal, this was my Mum's tube and I think I will have to purchase a new one soon.

I've been a bit base product crazy recently. The new primer i've been loving is the Rimmel Stay Matte Primer, it smooths over the skin and keeps oil at bay whilst making my make-up last longer, expect a review soon. I've been pairing it with the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser, this can be applied lightly or stippled on for more coverage. This looks natural on the skin but covers redness and some blemishes. Another light base i've been loving is the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream, this again cancels out redness whilst looking natural. It wears really well on the skin too.

A great drugstore find has been the Collection Work The Colour Nude Eye Palette (review), the pigmentation of these shadows is seriously good and they blend really nicely, each shade is really wearable for day time too. An old favourite i've dug out is NARS Deep Throat Blush (review), the perfect peachy pink colour with a hint of shimmer, a great blush to wear heading into to Spring.  

The last favourite has been the the Revlon Matte and Lacquer Balms (review), both have lovely shade ranges and wear well on the lips without being drying. These have been a staple in my handbag this month. 

So those are this months beauty favourites, what have been some of your favourite products this month?

Collection Work The Colour Nude Eye Palette - Reviewed!

Although I would say i'm pretty set when it comes to nude palette i'm always curious at what the drugstore has to offer, mainly because some of my favourite palettes are high end I want to see if there is anything that is cheaper and does a similar job.

That's where this latest Collection offering comes in. On first glance the packaging isn't the best, it does feel a little cheap but the quality of the shadows definitely makes up for it. On the back of the palette there is a guide of how to use the shadows which makes me think this palette would be perfect for someone just starting out in make-up.

The palette consists of 8 shadows and a cream highlighter, I have to say i've never used this because it's a matte colour and doesn't seem to do anything. Most of the shadows are shimmery although there is a couple of mattes. A lot of the shades are fairly pale which makes them really wearable for the daytime. The shadows are also numbered which helps you know where to apply each shade. 

Although when swatched some of the lighter shades don't seem to show up too well, on the eyes they are well pigmented. The shadows are easy to blend and feel creamy, they definitely don't feel like cheap shadows which is what really surprised me. They wear well on the eyes and don't crease if you use a primer underneath. I've been getting so much wear out of this lately, as I said it is perfect for everyday wear but you could definitely create a more smokey eye using the darker shades. 

Collection Work The Colour Nude Eye Palette retails for £3.99.

What is your favourite drugstore neutral eye palette?

L'oreal Elivive Fibrology Thickening Haircare Range - Reviewed!

As someone with thin hair i'm always curious in haircare products that claim to thicken the hair. When I spotted the new Fibrology range from L'oreal I new I would have to try it, plus a 3 for £10 offer in Boots was a great reason to do so. 

The first thing I picked up was the Thickening Shampoo, this claims to give long lasting thickness to the hair wash after wash. Honestly I wasn't expect to see much difference but after using this it leaves the hair feeling clean, not weighed down and it really does feel thicker. I follow up with the Thickening Conditioner, with having fine hair I don't tend to like heavy conditioner. This one feels light in the hair yet feels like it is helping to soften the ends. 

Once a week or so i've been mixing the Thickness Booster in with the conditioner, you are meant to use equal parts which makes me think this small tube might not last that long. It's an oil like consistency which again helps to add moisture the hair whilst adding thickness. I do feel like a see a difference when I use this, it makes my hair feel soft and manageable.

I think by using a few products from the range together it definitely seems to help add some volume and thickness to my hair whilst making it feel clean. I would definitely recommend each product especially the shampoo which I think is my favourite product i've tried from the range. There is also a thickening masque available which i'm curious to try. The shampoo and conditioner are especially very cost effective if you buy the bigger sizes.

L'oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening Shampoo retails for £3.99 for 400ml.

L'oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening Conditioner retails for £3.99 for 400ml.

L'oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickness Booster retails for £5.99 for 30ml.

Have you tried the new Fibrology range from L'oreal? 

Boots Beauty Haul

So I went shopping in Boots again, I went in for toothpaste and came out with lots and no toothpaste, isn't that what always happens? I've been really into texturising sprays recently for adding some much needed volume to my flat hair so I thought I would try some new ones and spend some coupons which were burning a hole in my purse. 

The whole Umberto Giannini range was on 2 for £8 so I picked up the Morning After Dry Shampoo which some okay but has a strong fragrance to it which I don't love and the Backcomb In A Bottle which i've heard good things about so i'm excited to try it. Then I got the Charles Worthington Salon At Home Volume and Bounce Texturising Spray, I tried this the other day and it definitely adds some serious texture so this could be a new favourite. 

I also thought I would try the Nivea Double Effect Eye Make-Up Remover since my L'oreal version is running low. I haven't tried this yet but i'm hoping it is as good as the L'oreal version.

I spotted the new Rimmel Stay Matte Primer, i've been on the hunt for a good mattifying primer, i've tried this a couple of times and it seems pretty good so expect a review soon. I also got a back up of my favourite concealer since I had a £1 off coupon' the Seventeen Stay Time 18 Hour Concealer, I love this stuff and I feel my current tube is running low.

Something I was very excited to try is the Bourjous 123 Perfect CC Cream, i've been loving lighter bases recently and since i'm a huge fan of Bourjous foundations I couldn't wait to try this. I've used this a few times and it feels lovely on the skin, covers imperfections well and doesn't cling to dry patches. Since I spent £10 I got the Mega Liner for free, i'm rubbish at applying eyeliner so hopefully I can do some practice with this. 

Something I bought a couple of weeks ago but didn't haul is this great affordable palette, the Collection Work The Colour Nude Eye Palette, this was really cheap but the quality of the eyeshadows is really good, all the shades are really wearable to. Expect a full review soon.

 

When I was paying one of my coupon wasn't working so I add to wait a bit for it to work, to say sorry the lady gave me a bag full of Avene samples! Most are things i've not tried so I can't wait to give these a test. 

So those are my most recent beauty purchases, i've got a good few things to be testing now so I don't think I will be buying anything for a while! Have you made any Boots purchases recently? 

Dior Skin Nude BB Creme - Reviewed!

So i've been going a bit crazy for base products lately, my skin has been a bit rubbish so i've been wanting a light base with good coverage. I've picked up a few different ones, a mix of high end and drugstore and today I thought I would review one of my favourites i've been using. 

This is actually my first Dior purchase; the packaging is lovely and definitely feels high end. It comes in a tube but also has a pump which makes dispensing the product easy and there is no wastage. 

Dior claim this to be the perfect mix of skincare and makeup, this definitely helps it to feel moisturising on the skin. It also claims to be light on the skin whilst adapting to your skintone to cover imperfections. Again I would agree with this, it feels like you're wearing very little makeup yet manages to even out your skintone, cover redness and some imperfection. I do tend to use concealer to cover any angry looking blemishes, I do like the fact it doesn't cover everything in that it looks natural on the skin. 

I have the shade 002 Fair, which is a touch darker than my current winter complexion however once blended out it matches surprisingly well, I can see this being a perfect product for the Summer. The wear time is very good for a BB Cream. I find it can last up to 8 hours, I do get a little oily in the t-zone but that is normal for me. It wears evenly as well so it doesn't go patchy.

This is definitely one of the best BB Creams/light base products i've tried. The only downsides are the price, it is a touch on the pricey side but if you are looking to splurge I would definitely say it's worth it. The other being the shade range, there's only 3 shades, I do think the palest shade would suit a lot of fair skinned people. 

Dior Skin Nude BB Creme retails for £30.00 for 30ml.

Have you tried the Dior BB Cream? What is your favourite light base product?

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - Reviewed!

So I finally moved house and was annoyingly without internet for a few days (hence the lack of posts) but i'm back now and finally reviewing a product which has been a staple in my makeup bag recently. 

The palette is rather small but the perfect size for travel. The palette has a rubberised texture to it, similar to NARS packaging but surprisingly hasn't picked too many dirty marks up even after being in my makeup bag for over a month. You get six eyeshadows in the palette, 5 mattes and once shimmery shade. Two of the colours have been in previous Naked palettes but the rest are all brand new shades. 

What I love about this palette is that there isn't any wasted space in it, you also get a decent sized mirror which again makes it perfect for travel.The shades may look a little dull and samey in the palette; one of the reasons which put me off buying the palette at first, but each shade is very versatile. 

From left to right, Venus a shimmery champagne colour great for highlighing or applying all over the lid. Foxy, a matte yellow toned cream, great for evening out the whole lid. Walk Of Shame, a matte pink colour great for applying all over the lid. Naked 2, which is my favourite shade, a loved cool toned taupey brown, great in the crease or all over the lid for a simple smokey eye. Faint, a cool toned matte brown, again great in the crease. Crave which is a well pigmented matte black, great for using as a liner.

All the shade are creamy, well pigmented and super easy to blend. They wear well on the eyes and if you're looking for some great matte colours to wear everyday eye looks I would definitely recommend this. I've been using it a lot with some of my favourite shimmery eyeshadows and i've found you can create so many looks with just using the palette alone but even more when used with other shadows.

For a palette I thought I didn't need i've been using it so much, so if like me you're on the fence about this one I would definitely recommend checking it out because it is so versatile. 

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette retails for £20.00.

Have you tried this? Which is your favourite palette from the Naked collection?

 

Revlon Lacquer Balms - Reviewed!

I'm a big lover of balm stains and Revlon are definitely some of my favourites. Hence the excited when I heard they were bringing out a new lacquer and matte version, this was followed with endless searching swatches and a good few minutes stood in front of the Revlon stand in Boots trying to pick which shades to get. I ended picking up two and after testing them out for a bit I thought it was time for a review. 

First off I love the packaging, it is similar to the original design but with this almost mirrored effect so you can spot the difference between the two types. The crayon style makes applying the product very easy, this comes in handy especially with the darker shades.

When you apply these to the lips they feel moisturising and leave a slight glossy finish. Although they have a slight sheen to them they don't smudge easily. The glossyness lasts for about 2 or so hours, depending if you eat or drink, after that they leave a slight stain and colour to the lips. I don't find any product gathers on dry patches of the lips.

The shades I have are Vivacious (on the left) which is a lovely bright pink shade, it has a slight blue tone to it, I normally don't love pink lip products but this one is nice and bright and easy to wear. The other shade I have is Provocateur (on the right) which is a lovely bright red shade, the glossy finish makes this one easy to where too. Both shades look lovely on and really finish off a simple makeup look.

All in all these are a great addition to the Balm Stain range, they are easy to wear and there is a good range of shades to chose from. Compared to other crayon style stains they are most similar to the Bourjous offering, so if you like those you will love these too.

Revlon Lacquer Balms retail for £7.99.

Have you tried these? Which brand does your favourite balm stain?