Philosophy Purity 3 in 1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes Review

I just wanted to give you a bit of an update about why I have been a bit absent... I have a lot of things going on right now, I'm currently in the process of buying a house, saving for and organising the wedding, and both me and my partner have had uncertainty about our jobs which has lead to a whole lot of stress, we are literally the only idiots to think its a good idea to buy a house right now with everything happening! Thankfully everything is sorting itself out and after 6 months we finally have a completion date for the house, so hopefully business as usual (sort of) from now on... so back to blogging.

I received the Philosophy Purity cleanser 90ml in the British Beauty Blogger beauty box in June, it's not a brand I had tried before and I hadn't really heard much about them, but as soon as I saw that it was a 3 in 1 cleanser for face and eyes I thought I would give it a go, for ages I had wanted a cleanser that can take off eye makeup that isn't a balm and doesn't need a muslin cloth or flannel, although you can use one with it if you want. 

I fell in love with this cleanser from the first time I used it, the cleanser took all of my make up and eye makeup off in one go, my skin felt thoroughly cleansed but still felt soft and not stripped. I still double cleanse with this to make sure that all of my makeup has gone and my skin is clean but I do this with every cleanser that I own. I haven't had any reactions on my skin since I started using it and it has worked well with my oily skin, I think that this cleanser would work for any skin type although very dry skin might need something more hydrating.

I have really enjoyed using this cleanser, and as soon as my smaller bottle ran out I asked for the 480ml bottle for my birthday, the only criticism is the packaging, the small bottle is a screw top which isn't the best with wet hands and I tend to loose the lids of bottles like this, and the 480ml bottle is massive I've nearly dropped this on my toes a few times in the shower! But I can over look the packaging and will definitely be repurchasing this when I finally finish the giant bottle. I love that you can buy the smaller bottle for £8 so that you can test out whether you like the cleanser without committing to a huge bottle, there are a range of sizes and prices which you can find here. 

Elaine

Psst - why not check out my blogsale here

L'Oreal Colour Riche Collection Privee Cheryl's Nude Lipstick

I have had an obsession with finding a pinky nude lipstick for a long time, I found that some pinky-nudes were that bit too much of a blue pink tone or a pastel shade and just really didn't suit me. I had found the perfect shade in 17's mirror shine lipstick in Beehive but mine (in the original blue tube) was broken by my niece who enjoys raiding my bag to find my 'lipdip' to put all over her face, it was too cute to be mad, so when I went to buy a new one I bought the new packaged lipsticks and it wasn't the same at all, the colour and formula was completely different, I was soo disappointed. 

So I was very excited when I heard that L'Oreal were releasing a range of nude lipsticks, surely I would find the perfect shade?? I hunted nearly every Boots and Superdrug in town and in every shop the new Collection Privee lipsticks and testers had been ransacked, it took me ages to actually swatch the range, and then I found my perfect nude lipstick and it was by my fellow Geordie Cheryl! The Collection Privee lipsticks are £8.19, and you can find them here.

The Cheryl nude is a perfect pinky-nude shade for my complexion.

The lipstick feels lovely and moisturising and the colour lasts for about 2-3 hours, the balmy feeling disappears after about half an hour though which makes you think you need to keep reapplying but the colour lasts quite well. I really like the packaging of the lipstick but I do find black matte packaging annoying when it gets messy.

I really love this lipstick, I have worn it constantly since I bought it, it's perfect for everyday and for an evening look paired with a smokey eye. I'm definitely tempted to try more of the L'Oreal Colour Riche range.

Elaine

Soap & Glory Lid Stuff in What's Nude Review

I have a few items of make up from Soap and Glory, I really love their kick ass concealer (post here), but they aren't really a brand that I think to check out when I'm wandering around Boots, mainly as I think some of the items are a bit pricey. Quite a while ago Boots had an offer where if you bought 2 items of Soap and Glory make up you could pick up a Lid Stuff palette for free, so I picked up the neutral palette in 'What's Nude'.

The palette is mainly made up of matte shadows and one shimmer shadow, the shadows feel soft and creamy so are easy to blend, the shimmer shadow contains chunks of silver to create the shimmer but it's not obvious when you wear it and there isn't any fall out.

(L-R) Vanilla, Pink T, Mudhoney & Aubersheen

I really love this palette, I often wear Pink T as an everyday natural eyeshadow and Aubersheen for evening looks as neutral shadow when I want to wear a bright lipstick, I don't really wear vanilla as I would prefer it to be a bit more luminous.

Soap & Glory claim that the shadows won't crease and will last 8 hours, and I would agree I haven't noticed the shadows creasing and the colour is still there at the end of the day.

The Lid Stuff palette normally costs £10 which I think is a bit pricey especially as a lot of other brands are bringing out neutral palettes but I would definitely buy this again or try other shades as the quality really is great but I might wait for another offer.

Elaine

Bourjois Shine Edition Lipsticks Review Shades 21 & 25

Bourjois is a brand that I really struggle to get on with, especially their foundations as I have pale oily/combination skin, when I hear everyone raving about their products I always want to run out and buy it but my experience with their foundations always puts me off. That was until I tried their Rouge Edition lipsticks, which I absolutely adore (you can see my post here, I have gone on to buy a few more since then) so when I heard they were releasing a sheer range called shine edition I knew I would end up buying a couple and I did... 

It was pure will power and an unhealthy bank balance which has stopped my buying more!

The lipsticks cost £7.99, but they are currently on offer in Boots buy one get one half price. 

The shades in the tube look quite dark especially shade 25 but they are actually really vibrant colours, especially the red shade which is bright with a hint of orange to it. Shade 25 is more of a purple berry shade and definitely not at dark as it looks in the picture or tube, the colour can be built up nicely but not to the dark plum colour it shows at the bottom.

The swatches below show the colour pay off after one application and after

building up the colour.

L- R Shade 25 - Shade 21

I really love these lipsticks, I would say that the red shade is a lot less sheer than I expected and is in between the Revlon Lip Butters and L'Oreal Rouge Caresse lipsticks (comparative swatches here) for colour pay off. Now the weather has turned a bit cooler I have been enjoying wearing the berry shade as an everyday colour, for an evening look I will also be wearing it on top of my Revlon Balm lipstain in Crush (post here) which I can sometimes find a bit drying, and I think they are a good colour match.

They tend to last about 2 hours and the glossy feeling tends to go within an hour but that is the same for nearly every sheer lipstick I have ever tried, although the red shade as it's more vibrant last the longest and even left a bit of a stain on my arm from the swatch.

If I didn't already have every lipstick shade I could ever need I would be straight out to get more of these, if you are a fan of sheer lipsticks I would definitely recommend giving these a go.

Elaine

GOSH CC Cream Review

Gosh are a brand that I have never taken much notice of before and I have often walked past the stand in Superdrug without even looking at it, but recently I have read more and more posts about how good the shade range at Gosh was for pale skintones, and when they released their CC cream I thought it was time to give them a try, it also helped that the CC cream was on offer too! The current price is £8.99.

I don't really get the whole BB or CC cream thing, I very much doubt the high street versions stick to the original versions from the Asian market, but I don't mind as long as they are good!

The Gosh CC cream is an illuminating foundation, which is oil free and contains SPF 10.

The CC cream has light coverage but you can easily build it up for a light to medium coverage but I don't think you could build it higher, the shade Ivory is a perfect match for my skintone and it's not the lightest (yay) and doesn't have any hint of orange (I'm looking at you Rimmel!). The CC cream gives a lovely natural radiance to my skin that doesn't look artificial and it leaves my skintone looking really even, I can hardly notice any red patches that I have. 

I do have oily skin so I find that after a few hours I do have shiny areas but for an illuminating foundation I think it copes pretty well with oily/combination skin, although I always use my Rimmel Stay Matte powder on top and when I remember I will use a primer too.

I have really enjoyed using this foundation and it is definitely my go to for the weekend or when I can get away with a light coverage, the only negative I have is the scent, I can't put my finger on what it is but it reminds me of burnt wood although when I asked my boyfriend what he thought it was he said it smelled like crayons, anyway if you are sensitive to fragrance I would just be aware of it I don't notice it after I have finished my makeup but I always notice it when I'm applying it.

I will definitely be paying more attention to Gosh products from now on.

Elaine

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipsticks Review Shades 02 & 17

There have been quite a few posts in the past couple of weeks about Bourjois's new Rouge Edition lipsticks, and I know people are getting a bit bored by them, but after I tested them for myself I knew I wanted to add my thoughts. I nipped into Boots and they were on offer for buy one get one half price, I swatch shade 17 on my hand and really thought it was a pretty colour and found shade 02 as well to take advantage of the offer, they cost £7.99 each you can find them here, I think they are now on offer for £5.99 (Bargain!).

Firstly I wanted to mention I really love the packaging, the lipsticks look really sleek and high quality, I particularly liked the numbers at the bottom of the lipstick. On the concession stand they have also grouped the shades into categories, which is a bit gimicky but I like it!

I have really been enjoying using these lipsticks, they feel lovely and moisturising on my lips so they are really easy to wear especially as my lips are quite dry at the minute, Bourjois say that the lipsticks offer 10 hour hydration, I'm not sure I would agree with that claim but they feel lovely to wear. The colour lasts a good 3 - 4 hours on me, and most importantly they don't wear away leaving a horrible lip liner look!

I love shade 17 which I think is called Rouge Buzz, it's such a pretty rosy pink, when I apply the lipstick I like to blend it in a bit with my finger so it looks more of a stain, it really brightens up my makeup and is my spring/summer essential.

Shade 02, Beige Trench, is my ultimate nude lipstick, it's not too orangey and contains a hint of pink so it looks nice and natural.

I have been really impressed with these lipsticks and I can definitely see myself buying more from the range, I currently have my eye on shade 13!

Have you tried any of the lipsticks from Bourjois?

Elaine

Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer Review

The Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer is something I have had for quite a while now and have only briefly mentioned in posts about what I was taking away with me on holiday, I really love this concealer and I was thinking about what I wanted to include in my favourites for 2012 and really thought this concealer needed a post all of it's own. 

I know this did the rounds on a few blogs quite a few months ago but I was always a bit put off by the price tag, I mean £10 is a bit pricey for a concealer, but I thought I would give it a go as I wanted to invest in a better quality concealer. I am always a bit paranoid about looking tired and having black circles under my eyes, especially with the dark mornings I feel tired 100% of the time, but I find some concealers are either good for under eyes or for covering blemishes and I couldn't find one that was good for both, I do like the Collection concealer but find it's a but heavy for under my eyes. So that's how I justified paying £10 for a concealer as I would have ended up paying more to find a concealer for under eyes and another for blemishes.

The concealer itself is a 3 step system, and includes an under eye brightening concealer, complexion concealer and a translucent powder to set the concealer, there is also a handy little mirror.

The powder is very easy to use and blends well without making your makeup look cakey, I use this sometimes on my t-zone too when I am out and about.

The concealers are really creamy and blend well, with great coverage which still looks really natural. The peach tone concealer is great for brightening under your eyes as the peach cancels out the blue in dark under eye circles, I feel that this concealer freshens up my make up and look much more awake.

The yellow tone concealer is great to conceal blemishes or any scars you may have, I have had some really bad skin lately and I really wish I listened to people who said not to pick spots as I now have so many scars/marks on my chin, and this concealer hides them really well. If the concealer is too yellow for your skin tone you can mix it with the peach to get the right colour for you. 

I love this concealer and carry it with me all of the time, I bought this in July and have used it everyday since and I still haven't hit pan, for me this is worth every penny. I will definitely buy this again when it finally runs out!

Elaine

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Excess Mascara Review

If there is one bit of makeup that I couldn't leave the house without it has to be mascara! Out of all the makeup I own I am the most obsessed about mascara, a good mascara can make such a huge difference to your look and really open up your eyes. I often have a few mascara's on the go and tend to always end up buying new mascara's that are being launched in the hunt for the 'perfect' mascara, that was until I tried L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes mascara I loved it instantly and have been pretty loyal to it, I must have bought at least 10 since I first tried it. 

I was pretty excited about the launch of a new mascara to add to the range, the Volume Million Lashes Excess, I was expecting great things considering how much I love the original. The mascara is £10.99.

L'Oreal describe the mascara... L'Oréal Paris's Volume Million Lashes Excess mascara. Don't just volumise, millionise your lashes for a maxed-up, fanned-out effect.

I have to be honest I was really disappointed in this mascara, the long brush does allow you to reach all of your lashes but it certainly doesn't millionise my lashes or provide volume to excess.

I also found that unlike the original mascara the more I applied the more clumpy my lashes got, and it was more of a struggle to try and avoid the spider leg lashes look.

I also feel that when I wear this mascara I have to wear eyeliner as it isn't volumising enough for me, which in contrast to the original I can happily wear it with or without mascara, so I have only been using this as a work/daytime mascara but I have already bought the original Volume Million Lashes mascara again and will just stick to that. 

I know that mascara is quite a personal thing, but I found that this mascara didn't match up to it's  name which was disappointing and I won't be buying this again. 

I much prefer the Volume Million Lashes in extra black, the brush is bigger so it adds more volume but the plastic brush means that you do get fewer clumps.

Have you tried L'Oreal mascara's? What did you think?

Elaine

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift Moringa Cleansing Balm Review

About a month ago I had a lovely surprise when I received this cleanser in the post, I had completely forgotten that I had applied for a sample on Whats in my Handbag, you can see the post here.

I have been wanting to try this cleansing balm for ages, it gets rave reviews from Caroline Hirons and from other bloggers that have tried it following Caroline's recommendation, but it is quite pricey at £34 for 100ml, although if you time it right there are sometimes offers on QVC or Feel Unique . I have always been a bit hesitant to try it due to the price and I have never used a balm cleanser before so I wasn't sure how to use it or whether it would be suitable for my oily/combination skin type, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to receive a sample.

Emma Hardie Say...

Benefits:

- Thoroughly cleanses and moisturises the skin.
- Helps to purify and minimises the appearance of open pores.
- Calming for sensitive skin
- Revitalising for dull and mature skins.
- Can be used as a rescue balm, ie on dry elbows or knees, or as a lip balm.
- Doubles as a soothing mask if left on the skin for ten minutes

Key Ingredients and what they do:
- Moringa seed extract, Wild Sea Fennel and Vitamin E:Balance, purify and help to minimise the appearance of open pores
- Orange, Neroli and Mandarin extracts: Rejuvenates and revitalises the skin.
- Jasmine, cedarwood and Rose:  Helps to recondition dull, dry, dehydrated and mature skins

The cleanser can be used in the morning and evening but I have just been using the cleanser in the evening (so that it lasts longer) and I prefer a refreshing gel cleanser in the morning when I have a shower.

You mix couple of drops (or a small scoop) of the balm with warm water to create a cleansing milk and then apply to your face, I apply the balm to my face when it's dry as recommended by Caroline Hirons, it can also be used to remove eye makeup too. It did take me a little while to figure out how much I actually needed as I either would use too much or too little as I wanted to make my sample last as long as possible! You then remove the balm with a muslin cloth and warm water, although I have been using a face flannel which works just as well but is much cheaper.

The cleansing balm smells absolutely gorgeous, the scent is really relaxing and luxurious, it's the perfect scent to help you feel ready for bed. When I first applied this I was absolutely amazed at how quickly the cleanser melted my makeup away, especially my eye makeup, all of my mascara was removed with only one wipe of my face cloth! It left my skin feeling thoroughly cleaned but didn't leave it feeling tight, my skin felt lovely and soft and very moisturised. 

Straight after using the cleanser I noticed a visible difference in how luminous my skin appeared.

I absolutely love this cleanser and look forward to using it every night, as I don't see it as much of a chore to remove my makeup and clean my face as I know that this cleanser will do that all for me in one go and it's just sooo nice to use! Apparently the cleanser also doubles up as a soothing mask when you apply and leave it for 10 minutes, I haven't tried this yet but I will definitely be testing this out.

I have asked for the full size for Christmas and pointed my boyfriend in the direction of Feel Unique where it is currently on offer for £26ish. It is expensive so it will definitely be on birthday and Christmas lists in the future.  

Elaine

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Masque Review

A couple of months ago escentual.com were running an offer of 20% (ish... I can't remember) discount on French pharmacie brands, as I had just come back from Paris I was a bit obsessed with pharmacies so took full advantage of this offer, you can see what else I bought here.

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Masque caught my eye as I have dehydrated skin so I was looking for a product to help keep my skin nice and soft especially in the winter. 

La Roche-Posay: When skin lacks water it can seem dull and sallow. This velvety fresh gel-cream delivers high performance hydration for dehydrated, sensitive skin. An intensive formula that will plump up the complexion with moisture, ensuring that it glows with health and appears more uniform.

The Hydraphase Intense Masque is enriched with two unique ingredients: La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring water, a natural anti-oxidant to sooth and calm the skin, and hyaluronic acid fragments to infuse and retain water in the skin for optimal hydration.

La Roche-Posay actually have a dehydrated skin section on the escentual.com website, which I think is really helpful if your new to investing in skin care, as I was.

The mask has a cream consistency and can be used weekly, now the weather has gotten a LOT colder I will be using this mask twice a week and will definitely be using this after any other cleansing or radiance mask to ensure my skin stays hydrated. 

The mask is unscented and is suitable for sensitive skin.

The directions say to apply a generous layer and leave for 10 minutes, but I often leave it on for longer and have no problems. I really love this mask, it makes my skin feel extremely soft and hydrated even when I only leave it on for 10 minutes, I have tried Origins Drink up Mask which is an overnight mask and I much prefer this one.

I bought the mask for £10.56 and it normally costs £16 for 50ml, which may seem a bit pricey but I definitely think that it is worth it, when I double checked the price on escentual.com I noticed that there is another offer on and you can buy this at the moment for £13.60!

I will definitely be buying this again I have had no problems with it at all, and I would happily recommend this mask to anyone not only if your skin is dehydrated.

Elaine

Sleek Brow Kit Review

It seems like high street brands are going brows crazy at the minute, MUA, GOSH and Look Beauty all have launched their own brow kits this year. I've never really been that into my brows, I know Rachel was obsessed with her Benefit Browzings (RIP) before it was stolen, but with all the brow kit talk on blogs I have been experimenting and became a bit obsessed with getting my own brow kit, I have used a brow pencil but I didn't really like it.
I had my sights on the new brow kit from MUA but every time I went into Superdrug they never had any left no matter which day/time I went in, and I really have no patience so I bought Sleek's brow kit in light, at £8.50 it is more expensive than MUA but I definitely think the quality is worth the price.

The kit includes shadow, brow wax, teeny tiny tweezers, a powder brush and angled brush, I have to be honest I will never use these tweezers but they are very cute!

At first I wasn't sure whether to get this due to the limited colour choice, as most brow kits are one fits all, but with Sleek they have different shade options to buy so you can find the kit that best suits you. 

When I want to have more subtle brows I only use the powder so that it is more of a natural filler, when I want to experiment with a more dramatic brow look I either just use the brow wax or mix the powder and wax together to get a darker colour. 

(L - R) Powder - Wax


I have been really impressed with the kit and the different brow looks you can create with only two shades, I think it helps that you can pick either a light,medium or dark kit. 
The colours are really pigmented so you don't need to apply a lot of layers to get the colour you want, and I have found that the powder/wax lasts all day. If you do want to take the kit with you just in case the packaging is compact so it will fit in every bag!

I have really enjoyed using this brow kit and would definitely repurchase. 

Elaine

Winter Favourite: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Stain in Crush

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I am really struggling to get good photo's due to the dark nights, so I'm relying on having enough time at the weekends and the weather being good enough to take decent photo's! 

I'm trying to create some sort of light box/background out of a shoe box to help with photo's, I'll post a picture on twitter to show how I got on, it sort of looks like I've attacked a shoe box with scissors and sellotape at the minute... might end up a disaster but worth a go!

I have managed to get a few photos taken on Saturday. So I'm finally back to blogging as usual...

Now that the autumn/winter has arrived I decided it was time to change up my make up look, and for me the easiest way to do this is to experiment with my lip colour. I'm not normally one to try bold makeup or follow makeup trends that closely, but this changed when I became obessed with reading beauty blogs and  I have been really inspired by other bloggers so I try to be a bit bolder with my lip colours, and buying one lipstick (or two...three...ok sometimes four) is the easiest way to keep up with trends/seasons.

 I've had my eye on the Revlon Just Bitten stain in 'Crush' ever since they were released in the summer, it is the perfect berry autumnal shade (swatch below). 

I already have 2 other stains in Honey and Rendezvous, I have to admit that when I first bought them I wasn't overwhelmed and thought they were nice but very so-so, but after a few months wear I have really changed my mind as they are such easy to wear lip products and would probably have more if there was a wider colour range, at £7.99 they are a bargain too. You can see the swatches for Honey and Rendezvous here.

So back to crush... 

I absolutely love this colour, and would encourage anyone who wants to try a berry lipstick/stain to buy it. The colour itself is quite purple which is unique compared to the huge selection of autumnal reds on the high street, the colour does oxidise slightly darker on your lips, but you can build up the colour which is great if you are starting to experiment with lip colours. 

The colour lasts for about 2-3 hours max before you need to reapply, the longevity is pretty much the same as the other stains I have. 

Crush is exactly the same as the other stains I have from the range in that the balm feeling on your lips doesn't last very long about 20 minutes, but it is moisturising compared to liquid (felt tip like) stains that can be quite drying. 

The only negative is when the colour wears off it does leave a purple stain behind which is slightly more vibrant than the berry colour, I personally don't mind it all but some people might, if you aren't sure you could test it on your hand and see how it wears.

I have recommended this to friends and would definitely repurchase. 

What is your favourite autumn/winter product?

Elaine

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette Review

I recently became a bit obsessed with contouring after watching a Pixiwoo video on the contouring trend, although the video is a couple of years old it was full of great tips. I really wanted to try contouring for myself, I know it should be second nature for a beauty blogger to be able to contour but I have always avoided it as I am soo pale and a bit rubbish so I thought it would look too obvious on me especially as most bronzers you come across are shimmery!

That was until I was having a bit of a nosey on the Sleek website and found their Face Form contouring and blush palette! I had never seen this in the Superdrug before (don't get me started on the poor quality Sleek stands in Superdrug shops! It drives me insane) was this launched on the quiet??

The palette is designed for different skin tones so you can select the palette that will suit you best, I got the palette for fair skin, but there are 4 options to choose from.

The palette itself contains a bronzer, highlighter and blusher.

• The bronzer is a lovely matte colour that is a perfect shade for my skin tone, the colour is subtle enough for me to confidently experiment with contouring without worrying that I look like I have been tangoed! I have also used this as an eye shadow for a casual daytime look.

• The highlighter is a really lovely pink shimmer, subtle enough to be used during the day and evening.

• The blusher is the infamous Rose Gold blush that a whole lot of bloggers raved about, and I can understand why, it is a really gorgeous colour that is very pigmented so you only need to apply a small amount then you can build it up for the colour that you want.

Top - Sleek eye shadow palette, Bottom - Sleek Face Form palette

I was expecting the palette to be quite large but I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived, it is a decent size but definitely small enough to put in your bag for travelling or touch ups. I have compared it to a Sleek eye shadow palette in the photo above so that you have an idea of the size if you do buy it online.

I really love this palette and have been obsessed with it since I bought it, I think it is really good value for £10 considering the rose blush is £5 if bought separately. I did have to pay delivery of £2.95 which was very annoying (Superdrug!) but I kept going on the Sleek website to look at the palette so I decided to just pay the delivery charge and treat myself!

I'm really liking Sleek makeup at the minute! 

I also bought their Brow Kit so will do a review soon.

Elaine

Sleek i-Divine Ultra Mattes v2 Darks Palette Review

This is the first Sleek palette that I have bought, I have always been tempted by their other palettes (Rachel has the iconic Storm palette which has some great colours) but this is the first palette where I actually thought I would wear all of the colours. It was definitely the colours that attracted me to this palette rather than the fact they were matte shadows, as I normally wear shimmery or metalic shadows. 

The colours that I reach for most often are Thunder, Flesh, Paper Bag, and Villan. 

Flesh is a really great neutral shade for a daytime look and I have been using Paper Bag on my eyebrows, by blending the colour on the back of my hand so the colour isn't too dark. 

All of the swatches are below.

Top to Bottom - Orbit, Ink, Highness, Noir, Dune and Pillow Talk

Top to Bottom - Thunder, Maple, Flesh, Paper Bag, Villan and Fern

I have mixed feelings about this palette, I found that some of the colours look completely different when you swatch them such as Fern and Noir, and not as dark as they appear in the palette. Some of the more vibrant colours are quite difficult to blend which means they aren't the best to add as an accent colour, so I tend to use when I want to have a single eye shadow look so not as much blending will be required.

Pro's

• My favourite colours Fern and Thunder - Fern creates a nice natural day time look, it gives your eyes a great even look, your eyelids but better. I have been using Thunder for a subtle evening look, when you don't want to look too 'done'.
• The price, £6.99 is a great price for a palette which contains 12 shadows.
• The packaging feels secure and good quality for the price, I also like that there is a mirror included.

Con's

• I found that the eye shadow's were very chalky which felt really cheap, especially as I know that other palette's tend to be more on the creamy side compared to this.
• The colours are quite difficult to blend and take a lot of work, and the more you blend the lighter the colour becomes so to get the colour you want you need to apply more layers of shadow.
• Some of the colours when applied and swatched weren't true to how they looked in the palette even when you layered the shadow.

Verdict

I was quite disappointed in this palette, I had expected the quality of the shadows to be better as I know that everyone raves about the Sleek palettes. I have found that I don't wear as many of the colours as I thought I would as they are difficult to blend to create different looks. 

I don't think I would rush to try Sleek matte eye shadows again.

Elaine 

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream Review

Maybelline's launch of it's BB cream passed me by at the time, I just assumed it wouldn't be for me, not really sure why, until recently I sent away for a free sample pack available through Maybelline's facebook page. I'm not sure how long they took to arrive, but it was quite a long time, as when they arrived I had actually forgotten I had even applied for a sample!

I received 3 sample sachets in light, so I gave a sachet to Rachel to try out too.

Maybelline say... Feel BB Fresh! Our 1-step wonder for a dream skin day, every day. 8-in-1 Skin Perfector. Why you'll love it, imperfections look blurred, a natural looking glow, fresh feel, compliments skin tone, skin looks smooth, hydrates, protects with SPF 30, and oil free, non greasy.

I found the consistency to be thicker than I expected and was more like a foundation, quite similar to the original Garnier BB cream, however it did feel lightweight on my skin. You only need to use a small amount of BB cream for your whole face, I found the coverage to be light to medium as it can be built up for extra coverage, I did need to use concealer for blemishes. The BB cream did gave a great natural fresh finish, without looking too much, it lasted on my oily skin for about 4-5 hours before becoming quite shiny and started to disappear. Price £7.99.

Pro's

• I found that this was quite a good colour match for my skin, not perfect but one of the best light shades of BB Cream on the high street.
• Maybelline have 4 shades in their range, which isn't huge but it is pretty good for BB creams.
• SPF 30 is quite impressive.
• Coverage was better than I expected, and I did find it gave me a great even finish. 

Con's

• My skin did become quite shiny after a few hours, so it might not be the best match for my oily skin.
• I found that it didn't have the longevity that I wanted, by the time I finished work the coverage had disappeared.

Would I purchase?

Elaine - I did like this BB cream, but it didn't come close to my Garnier BB cream for oily skin, I would consider buying this if some how I fell out of love with Garnier.

Rachel - I'm used to wearing tinted moisturiser so I found this BB cream to be quite heavy, I also didn't find it to be particularly moisturising, overall it's ok but it doesn't stand out enough for me to buy it.

Have you tried Maybelline's BB cream? Which BB cream would you recommend?

Elaine