Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts

Wednesday, 20 December 2017

BourjoisKissMass VoxBox

Its just 5days away from Christmas, how crazy is that?I was lucky enough to get another complimentary VoxBox from Influenster, with some more Bourjois goodies!I also have a blog post on the Rogue Velvet Lipsticks that was sent to me by Influenster, featuring all of the shades and a thorough review on the formula which was done recently as well.I decided to do a makeup look with these products, apart from the eyeshadow which is explained later on.

 Healthy Mix Foundation:
I wanted to start out with the foundation first as its been nearly 10years since I last used a Bourjois foundation.I decided to go with the shade Light Beige (No 56) as the description seemed like the closest match to my skintone.
I went with my usual makeup base, which is the L'Oréal Skin Perfection Moisturiser, as it works great for liquid foundations.My skin isn't being its usual self at the moment, but I've still listed the issues that I'm having so it helps:
  • Acne 
  • Redness 
  • Hyperpigmentation on the forehead, cheek and chin

I used 1 and a half pumps to cover my entire face
I blended the foundation with the Zoeva Buffer Brush, which is my favourite for liquid foundations
This foundation is extremely runny, so I wasn't too worried about it drying too fast.Like all of the Bourjois foundations, it smells really nice and its not too overpowering either.It wasn't specified on how to apply this foundation, so I went in with my favourite brush which works great for liquid foundations.When blending, I found that it left a few streaks on my face, despite me going over the same part over and over again.I decided to do the pat method, where I patted the foundation with my brush in circular motions, until it no longer looked streaky.I left it for a couple of minutes, until it dried down and surprisingly, its a very close match to my skin tone.I added an extra 1 and a half pumps for my forehead to try and cover the acne spots a bit more.

After a couple of hours, this foundation left my skin extremely oily.It was oily around my forehead, nose and mouth area, which didn't look great at all.Setting it with a powder does help it last a bit longer, but it still ends up getting oily.Its very medium coverage as it didn't cover my spots that well and adding even more just caused my skin to look even more oily.I've tried this foundation with numerous bases to see if any could fix the issue, but my skin just ended up being an oily mess after a few hours.I honestly don't think this foundation is suitable for those that have oily skin already, but saying that, I don't think its suitable for anyone.Even on the clear parts of my face, it still ended up being oily for me and I just don't think the coverage is that great.I've tried other foundations within the same price range of this one (£5.99-£9.99) and they work a lot better than this.Unfortunately this has to be a pass for me.

Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue Concealer:
Next I wanted to try the Anti-Fatigue concealer on top of the foundation, just to see on how well they worked together.The shade of this concealer is in Foncé Dark (No 53) which is a very close match to my Tarte Shape Concealer in the shade Medium.The wand made it super easy to apply and this smells just as good as the foundation, but not as strong.I wanted to blend one side with a brush and the other with a beauty blender.The brush didn't blend it out at all and left a huge streak underneath my eye, whereas the beauty blender worked really well.I normally use a lot more when it comes to concealers, but with the amount that I used in the above photo, gave me great coverage

I've tried a lot of concealers in my life, considering I usually suffer from dark circles when my anxiety was bad the night before and this one isn't that bad.I usually use the Maybelline Eye Eraser, but the shade range is terrible.I prefer the packaging of this one, alongside having many shades to choose from and how simple it is to blend with a beauty blender.This has also replaced my other drugstore concealer and I know this one will last me longer as I don't need to apply a lot to the area.

Metallic Lip Creams/Lip Glosses:
Guilded Rose
Neon Nights
Supernova

The metallic lips formulas are super creamy and I don't get why they are listed as a "Lip Gloss".The Supernova shade was the most difficult to apply, as it was more streaky.I feel it would work better as a topper, as it just struggled being on its own.Neon Lights is extremely pigmented and I only needed two layers to achieve the full on pink effect.I'm not usually a fan when it comes to glittery or reflective shades, I'm more of a matte lipstick kind of girl, but I actually find these colours really pretty and the formula isn't tacky either.

Push Up Volume Glamour Mascara:
I've used Bourjois mascara's in the past, not having the best experience with them so I was honestly expecting the worst.The formula of this mascara is a lot more thicker than most brands that I've tried, but it doesn't soak the lashes to the point where its gloopy.I feel this mascara gives the illusion of having lash extensions, but still looking very natural.You have to give it a couple of minutes for it to dry and it doesn't leave the lashes hard after setting.
I actually ended up sleeping with my makeup on (I know sorry thats bad!) and the mascara pretty much stayed intact.The only issue that I had was that it obviously left my lashes feeling a bit hard, but that was down to me not removing it.Its fairly easy to remove with a makeup remover and doesn't leave a big mess.I've tried a lot of mascaras and this one is currently my favourite to use when I want to get full, but natural looking lashes.

Quad Smoky Stories Eyeshadow & Blusher
This eyeshadow set is in the shade Over Rose and it consists of a: Prime, Shadow, Define and Highlighter.I ended up using this as a highlighter, using the lightest shade and mixing it with the glitter shade to highlight my cheekbones and collarbones.The reason why I done this, was because the the eyeshadow as a whole, is extremely hard to blend with.I found it a lot more easier to apply the shadows with my fingers as well, instead of the brush thats included in the set and with my own eyeshadow brushes as well.They are very pigmented when swatching with your fingers, but when blending or using a brush, it loses the pigmentation.
Even though I only used two shades to create this simple highlight, you need to set it or it starts to crumble after a couple of hours.I had high hopes for this as Bourjois normally create amazing eyeshadows, but the formula of these are not even near as good as their Intense Eyeshadow Pots.
Lastly I'm reviewing the blusher, which is in the shade Rose d'Or/Golden Rose.For my skintone, this blusher is too pink for me, however I only used a little bit to show you what it looks like on me.As swatched above, its actually a really nice colour and its very pigmented.It also has a scent, which smells like old fashioned perfume, but its still very ice and not overpowering.Like all of there blushes, this goes onto the skin very nicely and actually works with the little brush thats included.Although this shade is not my colour, I still think it gave a nice little pink cheek to my face, without me looking like a clown.The packaging is really cute and I love that it comes with a mirror as well, if you need to touch up your blusher.

I've really enjoyed reviewing this products and I'm extremely grateful to Bourjois and Influenster UK for selecting me for this campaign.If you have any questions that I haven't answered in this blog post, let me know in the comment section :) 
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Tuesday, 29 August 2017

My First Influenster Box: Bourjois Rouge Velvet Lipsticks

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Friday, 25 August 2017

L'Oréal Paris True Match The One Concealer & Mineral Finishing Powder

Every time I'm low on money, L'Oréal end up coming out with new products which I obviously NEED to buy.L'Oréal have been on there makeup game recently and I nearly had everything to complete a whole makeup look, but two important products were missing for me.I'm so excited to talk about these, but the real question is, are these products "worth it?"

I've always struggled to find a concealer for me by L'Oréal that isn't too light, too dark or that hasn't got a pink undertone.I was doing pretty well with just using there True Match Foundation for this, as it pretty much covered most of my dark circles, but its nice to have that brightening look under the eyes sometimes if you get what I mean?There are 14shades available to choose from and because they haven't rolled out at my local drugstores yet, I just had to completely guess my shade.At the time of purchase, there were no guidelines to show which shades suited what skin tones, so it was really hard to work out what the shades looked like.I assumed that you go for the corresponding shade to either your True Match or Mineral Foundation, but nothing was explained at the time, however L'Oréal have now provided images for this to help you.

I decided to take advantage of the 3 for 2 offer at Boots, picking the shades Beige (4.N) and Golden Beige (3.D/W).The beige shade has more of a pink undertone to it, whereas the golden beige has more of a yellow and golden undertones.These concealers are designed to:
  • Correct and even out skin tone
  • Conceal imperfections 
  • Hide signs of fatigue
  • Instantly brighten the under eye area
They are also enriched with caffeine for the above and to fight dark circles (perfect for my anxiety!).The coverage is described as lightweight medium to high, allowing you to build it up for a custom finish.
The applicator reminds me a lot of the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer, being extremely soft and flexible.The scent also reminds me of that concealer as well, with the beige shade being slightly more scented, but the smell fades after blending it out.The formulas have a little bit of difference, with the beige shade being more watery, but since this concealer is lightweight and buildable, it doesn't leave it looking cakey.Below is three images showing it just being applied, the second it being dry on the skin and the last one is a comparison with my other products I use as concealers:
Its extremely lightweight and I was fairly lucky to guess the correct shade.I personally prefer to blend it in with a Beauty Blender, as I found the coverage is a lot better.I tend to rub my eyes quite a lot because of my anxiety, and although it didn't budge for a while, it did begin to fade because of this.I did go in with a setting powder which made it stay in place, despite me rubbing my eyes a few times.

The concealer lasted approximately 7hours with no setting powder and 11hours with setting powder.You can apply another layer if you want to, because it doesn't leave it cakey at all.For me it works the best for brightening the eye area, as I sometimes only get 4-6hours sleep, so I end up waking up with panda eyes.I prefer this more to my expensive concealer, as it lasts longer, its lightweight, extremely easy to blend and its only £7.99.I recommend going to your local Boots or Superdrug to find out your shade, as you have 14 to choose from.

I've introduced setting powders to my makeup routine a lot recently so when I saw that L'Oréal have FINALLY made there own, I just had to put it to the test.I don't have many pictures to show of the actual product itself as its pretty much a powder, but I can still show you how it left my makeup looking.This translucent setting powder is designed to:
  • Leave your makeup with a matte finish
  • Controls your skin to stop any shine
  • Enhances and sets makeup without it feeling heavy
  • Prevents the skin from getting oily
  • Skin appears more healthy in 4weeks
My skin type is Normal/Combination, with it getting a bit oily during the summer time.This probably explains another reason why I've had to use setting powders a lot more recently, so my makeup doesn't slide everywhere.All of the other powders that I currently own are yellow, because translucent powders normally left my skin/makeup looking ashy.

The pot containing the powder reminded me of there skincare moisturisers, but this was such a pain to open!It also gets a little bit messy as well, because you literally have to DIP in your brush to get the product out.I prefer to tip some of the powder onto the lid, tap my brush into the powder and apply it like that, as it saves it from getting messy.You don't need to bake with this powder, you literally apply it onto the skin and sweep across it to get that "instant" matte finish.It says to apply it to your T-Zone and forehead, but I decided to apply it all over because I love matte finish looks.
Apart from the highlighter that I have on my nose and my ringlight blaring into my face, it actually left my makeup completely matte with no shine to it.I also used it alongside the golden beige concealer mentioned in this blog post for the under eye area and just look at how smooth it is!My makeup did not budge for the whole day and it didn't leave my makeup looking ashy either.

The only two negatives I can say about this powder is 1. Its a pain to get the powder out without it getting extremely messy and 2. I'm not too keen on the £12.99 price tag.You only get a small amount of product in the pot and £12.99 just seems a little bit too much for me.Don't get me wrong, it works great and we all know how much I love L'Oréal products, but I feel this is a little bit pricey and I'm not sure if I'll repurchase once I've ran out.

I hope this review has helped and if you have any questions, please let me know in the comment section :)
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Tuesday, 1 August 2017

Herbal Essences: White Strawberry & Sweet Mint

Herbal Essences have always been a brand that I never really picked up when it came to shampoo's and conditioners, as I felt it wasn't for our hair types.I've had great experiences with their Bee Strong Hair Mask and Leave In Conditioner, but since them both being discontinued, I had no real reason to return.Whilst having my weekly browse on Superdrug, I noticed that Herbal Essences have come out with a whole new range, called Bio Renew.All of them are created with a blend of antioxidants, aloe and sea kelp, which are all good for keeping the hair healthy.It also doesn't contain any parabens, silicones, gluten or colurants either, which is great for my hair as these can sometimes dry my curls out.

I decided to go with the White Strawberry and Sweet Mint, for two reasons: 1. I'm obsessed with anything that is strawberry scented and 2. Its designed to clean the scalp and any product buildup, without removing your hairs natural oils in the process.I've provided the rest of the Bio Renew range below as guidance:

Argan Oil Of Morroco - Repair
Coconut Milk - Hydrate
Golden Moringa Oil - Smooth
White Strawberry & Sweet Mint - Clean
Cucumber & Green Tea - Shine
Rosemary & Herbs - Moisture
White Grapefruit & Mosa- Volume
I'm always someone that keeps up there hair routine, whether thats deep conditioning or wash day.I really wanted to put these products to the test, so during the week I skipped having a hair treatment and let my hair build up with product.I'll be completely honest, it was hard yet disgusting not washing my hair, because it began to look so yucky, I ended up putting it up in a bun to reduce the yuckyness.

Wash day FINALLY arrived, and I was so ready to wash my hair.Taking a "generous" amount (ha generous for curly hair), I applied it directly onto my scalp and hair that had the most buildup.It lathered up pretty quickly and smells absolutely incredible.Its scented more strawberry than mint, but doesn't smell like a knock off strawberry scent and isn't sickly at all.Washing it out of my hair was super easy and it was obvious all of the product buildup was being removed, because you could see it in the water as I was washing it out.Once the water ran clear and no more bubbles were being produced, I touched my hair and its felt amazingly soft.My scalp felt very clean, no longer having that yucky feeling and my curls were back to their happy selves.

Next was the conditioner which of course I was super excited to try out since I got really good results with the shampoo.Again taking a "generous" amount, I applied it all over my hair, making sure I got every strand covered, because who says you can't have too much conditioner?Taking a wide tooth comb, I began detangling my hair and it actually was a lot more easier with this conditioner, as it didn't matte my hair up like some conditioners do.The texture is more thick, being more like a cream and the scent is a lot more stronger compared to the shampoo.I personally don't find it overpowering at all, and although it still smells more of strawberry, you're more aware of the mint in the conditioner.Washing it out again was super easy, leaving my hair feeling a lot more moisturised, soft and surprisingly a little bit defined.As I always do after washing my hair, I follow it up with a curl cream to add that extra definition.

Below are pictures taken throughout the day to show the changes to my hair and you may notice the lipstick change too:
12:00pm: This is my hair still somewhat damp, but began to dry after 30minutes of being in the sun.I had a busy day planned ahead of me as well, testing out new makeup products and keeping myself busy, so it was interesting to see how long my curls stayed happy.
6:09pm: This is my hair approximately 6hours after the first picture, with it still being very defined and shiny.I wanted to capture it in natural lighting, just so you could see how shiny it looked.There was also minimal frizz, which was mainly caused by me constantly touching it (anxiety problems!).My hair is prone to shrinkage too (especially on wash day), however it wasn't as bad as it would normally get, and because my curls were happy, I was too.I didn't need to reapply with any curl cream as my curls were still hydrated and defined, and I didn't want to risk my hair feeling sticky with too much product either.
11:00pm: Last hair update of the day, 5hours since the last picture.I've spent most of the day rushing around, chasing my pets, testing new makeup, playing/raging at Crash Bandicoot and laying on my hair.I'm very shocked on how my curls are still so defined and feel incredibly soft.You can see on the left side of the picture, I have a little bit of frizz going on, which again is down to me constantly flipping it behind my ear and touching it.You can still smell a little bit of the strawberry, but its barely noticeable compared to what it was a few hours before.

These both retail at £5.99, but are often on sale for £2.98, which was the price that I paid for them.Would I pay full price?If I continuously get the same results like I did for the first time, then yes, because I've paid more for luxury brands that never achieved these results.You also get 400ml which is perfect for me shampoo wise, but if you have thick curly hair like mine, you need at least 750ml-1000ml worth of conditioner for us.I have nothing negative to say about these at all and I feel these will be a massive hit for those that have the same curl type.
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Thursday, 27 July 2017

Garnier Ultimate Blends: Coconut Milk & Macadamia 3 in 1 Mask (Curly Hair)

Garnier have recently added to their Ultimate blends range, including more shampoo's, conditioners and hair masks.I had a great experience with their coconut oil and cocoa butter range, so I was really excited to see the new stuff that was added.I currently have enough shampoo's/conditioners (about 20+), so decided to purchase a hair mask instead.Garnier have a total of 8 hair masks to choose from and I decided to go with the coconut milk and macadamia mask.Its targeted for dry hair, which curly hair naturally can be, mostly more during certain seasons.I like finding hair products that give my hair extra moisture, without it being too much where its left greasy, so I decided to start off with this mask.

"Our ultimate remedy for nourished, soft and supple hair. Garnier Ultimate Blends Wholesome Nourisher for dry hair, enriched with natural extracts and Coconut Milk & Macadamia.Our créme de la créme hair saviour Coconut Milk and Macadamia are blended with love in a delicately scented, creamy formula to nourish hair, leaving it smooth and full of shine.Hair is replenished and nourished, to give it shine and luscious suppleness.Soak it up"

  • Wholesome blends for naturally beautiful hair every day
  • Enriched with natural ingredients extracts 
  • No parabens
  • 100% Recyclable Bottles
I like the way hair masks are now presented in a tub, instead of a bottle, because it can be an absolute pain standing there and shaking the bottle like mad.Upon unscrewing the lid, the strong scent of coconut is insane, and its DELICIOUS!.I've smelt a lot of coconut "based" products in my life, where it has that kind of chemical scent intwined with it, but this mask does not at all.

The texture is thick and creamy, melting onto the hair once applied and it feels so nourishing.This hair mask does have the option to apply to dry hair, to smooth and tame, but I personally prefer to use it on wet hair for suppleness.My hair is extremely thick, so I applied two 50p sized amount to my hair, making sure every strand was covered.I left it on my hair for 5minutes, and you can feel it working on your hair.I didn't want to wash it out, because my hair smelt that good and felt soft already before even washing it out.It was extremely easy to wash out and my hair felt so nourished and soft, I didn't even bother applying any curl creams or gels to my hair.
The top picture is my hair an after of drying, with the one below 6hours after
Despite not having curl products in my hair, the frizz is actually compared to what I usually get (BIG CLOUD OF FRIZZ!).Thinking about it though while typing this, its most likely my fault, as I cannot stop touching my hair because its so nice and soft.I have a little bit of shine to my curls, which is impressive as I normally have to use a shine spray to achieve it all over.

I'm happy to continue using this hair mask and no doubt I'll be purchasing this one again in the future.If I had the money, I would purchase all of them to try out and review, unless Garnier would like to send me them *hint hint*.Its currently on sale for £2.50 at Superdrug, with it going up to £4.49 next month.I would happily buy it at full price, considering that I've spent money on more expensive ones and I don't get these results.They are super popular too, with most of them out of stock at Superdrug, but you can also pick them up at Boots and Amazon.If you have any questions that I haven't answered or you'd like to share your experience on this mask, please let me and others know in the comments! :)
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Friday, 23 June 2017

ST.Tropica Coconut Hot Oil Hair Mask: Hit Or Miss?

I love testing out coconut oil based products, because I absolutely love coconut oil.I heard so many positive things about this hair mask, but never got round to purchasing any, as I couldn't find any reviews for curly hair types.I was very lucky to be contacted St.Tropica back in May, asking if I would like to try and review them, and of course I accepted straight away.This review is not sponsored in any way and its 100% honest and based on my experience.
I'm not sure if the bow comes originally with the packaging but I still found it really cute.The box got a little damaged (thanks customs!) which isn't St Tropica's fault at all, so I was unable to get pictures of the box properly.The box contains 3 hair masks and a cap, which I thought was an added bonus as my current silk cap is pretty much ruined.The packets contain solid coconut oil, which needs to be melted with either using a microwave for 20seconds or a kettle for 30 seconds, which then you can either put the oil into a bowl or distribute it from the packet by cutting off the corner.I personally prefer cutting off the corner, applying the oil directly onto my hair or by putting it on my hands to then massage it in, making sure I apply it to my scalp too.

What the hair mask states that it can:
  • Repair damage inside and outside the hair cuticle
  • Locks in the moisture to eliminate any split ends and frizzy hair 
  • Helps strengthen the hair
  • Help with hair growth

I remember using this mask for the first time and honestly thinking nothing positive would come from it, as it sounded too good to be true.Firstly my hair absorbed this oil up so fast, I was tempted to use a second packet.It didn't leave my hair feeling heavy either, which some oil based products can leave my hair feeling like that which isn't nice.I also did use the cap that came with it, which did help to penetrate the hair cuticles even more, but I decided to stop using it as I personally feel silly using it.I decided to use my Kérastase Curl Ideal Cleansing Conditioner to remove it, as it works as a shampoo and a conditioner to provide the nutrients back into the hair.These are the results after using the hair mask for the first time, and after applying a little bit of cream to add that extra definition.

Each time I've used this mask, I've noticed a difference each time which are all positive.The normal frizz that I would always get on a wash or deep conditioning day has been reduced by a lot.I would love to say that I have zero frizz, but I constantly touch my hair so I can't really avoid it.I have quite a lot of hair already anyway, but I felt this mask helped with not only detangling the mess that it can get into, but also gave my hair more volume and bounce.I could of easily gone about my day without applying a curl cream, but I love having that extra definition.

My hair tends to get quite dry in the summer, especially because of the heat and the sun causes my hair to change either red or blonde.This mask does help lot with dry hair, leaving my hair not only soft afterwards, but extremely moisturised.The strength of my hair has improved a lot too, with not a lot of fallout when brushing my hair and I'm able to tie my hair up in a bun, without the worry of my hair breaking when taking the hairband out.I'm also able to style my hair in a bun with dry hair, which I couldn't really do before, as I had to constantly re-wet my hair to not risk it from breaking off.
I was worried about the scent of this product, because sometimes coconut oil based masks can smell a bit funky (like an odd smell).This mask smells really really nice of coconut and left my hair smelling really good.

The only difference which I haven't found with this mask, is the hair growth.I feel like I haven't used it that long to be able to see results or give my opinion on it, as its only been other a month.I would say that my edges have gotten thicker, but no new growth has come through yet.I also think where I've had less fallout with my hair, I will hopefully see a difference when it comes to hair growth.I wouldn't count this as a negative, because it does take 2+ months to see any difference.I haven't found anything negative to say about this mask so far either and I've been enjoying it so much I want more!
This is a picture of my hair which I took on the 21st June, using my last St Tropica mask and applying some curl cream afterwards.As you can see my hair is a lot more thicker, especially my curls.I have a lot more bounce to them now as well and I hardly get any frizz in this crazy summer weather.Depending on your budget, you can spend as little as £10 ($15) to £38 ($42) as a bundle on these masks.Since now trying this out and seeing the benefits that its done for my hair, I would purchase the 6 pack during the summer and the 12pack for the winter.My hair does get more dry during the winter time, because of the cold and the constant rain (yay for UK weather), so being able to treat my hair on a monthly basis would be perfect.If you're still not sure about this mask, then I would recommend trying it out by purchasing the cheapest option, that way you can see how well it works for your hair or feel free to ask any questions on here or over on my instagram @shanisemorgan

Below I've listed some more positives about this mask, which you may find beneficial:
  • Contains ZERO chemicals, parabens, sulfates, additives, stabilisers, preservatives or fragrances
  • Gluten free and soy free
  • !00% Organic ingredients 
  • Cruelty free
  • Vegan Certified 
  • Microwave or kettle safe
Ingredients: organic virgin coconut oil, organic biotin, organic horsetail, organic amla, organic hibiscus, organic green tea, organic coconut butter, organic coconut fruit extract
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Wednesday, 10 May 2017

Huda Beauty 3D Highlighter Pink Sands Edition Palette & Carli Bybel Deluxe Edition Palette (GIVEAWAY!)

Since I've posted an unboxing video on these products 6 days ago (click here to view), I thought I would do a blog post with swatches too.Firstly I want to talk about the customer service that I received from them both as one was shipped from the U.S and the other here in the UK.I originally ordered the Carli Bybel Palette from BH Cosmetics on release day, but the website went down even before it went live, and me along with many other people got charged more than once.This caused a lot of panic of course on social media, especially since BH Cosmetics weren't that helpful.Carli however was absolutely incredible with handling it all, getting people's refunds sorted out and reassuring us that everything was going to be fine.I got my refund after 8days after chasing them, and I was able to reorder the palette through Carli's website: Pranava Beauty.My order did take a little while to dispatch along with everyone else, as all the shipping was done by BH Cosmetics, but the customer service from Pranava Beauty was amazing.The order took 9days since placing the order for it to be delivered by Royal Mail.

My Huda Beauty Palette was shipped by Cult Beauty which I've used many times in the past.I decided to pay the extra £7.95 to get it the next day, because I literally have zero patience when it comes to new product releases.It was dispatched 3hours after placing the order, along with a tracking link with DPD handling the order.Both of my orders arrived on the same day with an hour between them which was pretty impressive.

Carli Bybel Deluxe Edition Eyeshadow & Highlighter Palette
The packaging of this palette is incredible, like I was just happy with my plain Morphe palette, but this takes it to the next level.It was hard to pick up the rose gold writing on camera, but its so beautiful.The palette itself with the marble details is stunning with "Aspire to Inspire" above the eyeshadows and it also comes with a mirror too.
The swatches below start from the top and go left to right:
The pigmentation of this palette is incredible and all of the shades are extremely beautiful.The shimmer eyeshadows glide onto the skin like butter and only needed just the one finger swatch on the arm.The matte shades were a little more difficult to pick up, needing 3-4 swipes on the arm, but this is understandable as their matte.I'm in love with all of the eyeshadow shades, but the forth shade on the first row is my favourite.

I was very surprised by the highlighters too, because I wasn't expecting them to be so pretty.I was worried the second shade on the last row was going to be way too light for me, but its easily become one of my favourite highlighters or can be used on top of a eyeshadow.I'm still learning how to use eyeshadow, so please excuse the not so amazing blending.
I think Carli has done really amazing with this deluxe palette, and I'm so glad that I picked it up.This palette only cost me £23.63 (which includes shipping), which is a really good deal.I love my Morphe palettes, I really do, but this has now become my favourite eyeshadow palette for now.It can be purchased from either BH Cosmetics or Pranava Beauty

HUDA BEAUTY 3D Highlighter Pink Sands Edition + GIVEAWAY!
HUDA BEAUTY never fails when it comes to her beauty products, so when she announced on her instastory that she was releasing highlighters, I went a bit crazy.I loved both palettes, but I wanted to play it safe with ordering just the one, as quite a few reviews weren't really keen on it.I decided to go with the Pink Sands Edition first, mainly because the shades in this palette are unique to any of the other highlighters that I have already.

The packaging of this highlighter is ridiculous and although I love my Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kits, I think this one is so much better.It comes with a plastic case to keep it protected, but I've decided to take it off because it was such a pain to take it off in the first place.If you have seen my Youtube video review on this, there is a clip where I literally spent ages trying to get it off.Its pretty amazing how the highlighter and eyeshadow on this packaging is actually 3D, and of course Huda looks absolutely stunning on the packaging too.
These are the swatches go from left to right in the palette(names are below) and I've never found a formula like it.The first shade Capri, has a texture that feels like water, but applies and melts onto the skin like butter.Its really weird to explain but I love just how simple it is to go on the skin.You can use these in 4 steps as a PREP, SET, SCULPT and FLUSH or you can use them how you wish.As a preference, I prefer to apply these with my fingers, instead of using a brush.
These are all swatched onto my arm just the once with my fingers, and I used a makeup brush to tidy it up, to make a rectangle shape.All of the shades look really good on my skintone, especially AZORES, but I was really surprised about the shade IBIZA.I'm normally not a fan of pink shades when it comes to highlighters or blush, because it makes me look a bit like a clown and I normally just let my mum have it.IBIZA is a beautiful pink highlighter, but its not too much for my skintone to make me look like a clown and you can build up the intensity of what you want as well.
I created this simple makeup look the other day, using this palette in the shades AZORES and IBIZA, as those two shades really compliment each other.I used a little bit of the Carli highlighter too, to just make it pop even more and to make my eyes stand out.This is currently available at Cult Beauty for £40, but it is 100% worth it.I have been using this palette every single day, and I know I'm going to be using it all summer, even more than my Sun Dipped Glow Kit.

So fancy winning either the Golden Sands or Pink Edition Palette?

I've recently started up my Youtube channel, and as a thank you for the support on here and my other social media, I wanted to give the opportunity to someone to win one of these palettes.The winner will get to choose which one out of the two.All you have to do is subscribe to my Youtube channel and once it hits 1000subscribers, someone at random will be chosen.As an extra entry, you can comment which one you would like to win, its that simple.My Youtube channel (plus the video) is linked below for you:

*CLICK ME TO ENTER*

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Saturday, 29 April 2017

L'Oréal Hydra Genius Aloe Water: Normal To Combination Skin

YEEEEEES!The Hydra Genius Liquid Care has finally landed in the UK.L'Oréal have been teasing us the last few months on there insta story showing the Hydra range, and the reviews have been crazy.They kept it very quiet about it coming out over here, so once I saw it on Boots, I had to get one before they all sold out.I've compared some aspects of this product to the Skin Perfection Correcting Concentrated Serum, as they're both very similar and make a good comparison.
I decided to pick up the Normal To Combination Skin bottle, mainly because my skin tends to get oily sometimes during the summer time.I also like to have that extra moisture in a bottle as well, especially since I wear a matte finish foundation quite a lot.The other two bottles in this range for other skin types are: 
  • Normal To Dry Skin 
  • Dry And Sensitive Skin
The Hydra Genius has a lot of promises when it comes to looking after your skin which you would think are too good to be true, but where I've used and tested L'Oréal products quite a lot, they do live up to the hype.The few benefits of this product are listed below:
  • The skin instantly absorbs it
  • Water like texture that rehydrates and reinvigorates the skin
  • Leaves the skin with a natural looking glow
  • Leaves the skin hydrated and moisturised up to 72hours
  • Enriched with Aloe Water and Hyaluronic Acid
  • Can be used in replacement of a moisturiser
Firstly, I'm glad that L'Oréal decided to stick with a pump with this product, because it makes things so much easier to distribute it and the fact it doesn't take up a lot of space on my dressing table.I thought nothing could replace the ombre pink look the Skin Perfection bottle has, but I prefer the Hydra bottle as its a nice ice blue colour, with a greenish blue top.The textures are very similar, but definitely both leave a very different finish to the skin.I agree with it feeling like a water like texture and it absorbs very quickly into the skin.
This photo shows how similar they are when swiped just the once with one finger, also showing the serum having a beige colour and the Hydra Genius being clear.The skin absorbs the Hydra Genius a lot quicker, leaving the skin with a cooling sensation across the face, instantly leaving it moisturised.The serum takes a little longer, plus you have to massage it into the skin a few times until you feel it working on your skin.So are you ready for a zero makeup mugshot?
I don't have the best skin as you can see from the photo, but this is what my skin 20-25seconds looked like after it had been applied.One pump is just enough for the whole face, as it spreads across pretty well and the skin absorbs it pretty fast.This is my skin in natural lighting, and I wouldn't say that it leaves it "glowing", but it does certainly give the skin a nice finish.This is just by using it for the first time though, so maybe overtime it will leave your skin with a "glow" look, but I'm still pretty happy with the results.The Hydra Genius does have a scent like all of the L'Oréal skincare products, however this one is not highly perfumed.I've found sometimes with there creams (like the Extraordinary Oil day cream), they smell so strong that it gives me a headache sometimes, but this hardly has a scent and it goes away after about 5minutes.

I decided to keep my makeup simple and to test out the hydration first without a foundation, so I just applied one of my favourite lipsticks, which is the L'Oréal Nude Gold(my swatches video here). 
So my thoughts on this moisturiser?I think it really is amazing and its great that it doesn't cost a bomb either.The photo above is a few hours later from applying it, with my skin looking a lot more healthy and radiant (and thats in bad lighting).I also want to mention that none of this photos are retouched, which is probably obvious because my skin isn't exactly "clear".You can only currently pick this up from Boots with it being on sale for £6.66, with it soon going up to £9.99 for a 70ml bottle, which I think its really good for the price.

I agree with everything that this product has stated so far and have nothing negative to say about it at this time of this post.I'll update below of course if anything does change like a skin outbreak or if it changes my skin in anyway.I hope this review has helped you if you were thinking about purchasing a bottle.

MAKEUP UPDATE:
So as promised on my instagram, this is how my makeup after applying it and underneath is a photo of it being on a few hours.I used the Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation to put to the test, as its an extremely mattifiying foundation which can sometimes latch onto dry patches on my face.The Hydra Genius pretty much stopped this from happening, and if you zoom into the image, you can't see any dry patches on my skin anywhere.
A few hours later, my skin is still very hydrated and moisturised, leaving me seriously impressed.If you've read my Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation review, you know that this foundation sometimes leaves dry patches around my mouth and forehead, which eventually starts to flake (ew).This does not happen at all, even after a few hours after applying, my skin is still happy.I also didn't need to apply any highlighter, because my skin was given a lovely radiance from it, so I just added some lipstick, eyeshadow and mascara.

If you're someone that wears matte foundations on a daily basis like myself, I highly recommend this to not only moisturise, but also as a makeup base and to stop your skin from drying out.

Makeup Details:
Foundation: Kat Von D Lock It-Foundation
Eyeshadow: Morphe 35T Palette
Mascara: L'Oréal Miss Baby Roll
Lips: L'Oréal Pure Reds, in Blake Livelys Shade (love her!)



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