My Kate Rimmel Lipstick Collection

My name is Elaine and I'm addicted to Kate Rimmel lipsticks.

I was having a hunt through my makeup box the other day and I realised that I have quite a few Kate Rimmel lipsticks! I have a bit of an obsession with lipsticks at the minute and I often forget just how many I actually have... oops.

I go back to the Kate lipsticks quite a bit because I think that they are such good value for money, the lipsticks are really creamy and extremely pigmented, they aren't drying at all so they are easy to wear. I do find with the new matte collection it is best to put a lipbalm on before applying the lipstick but I think thats the same with most matte lipsticks. 

The Kate lipsticks also have had 3 seasonal launches so far so they keep up with make up trends really well. 

Shades 12 and 03 are from the first range of Kate Lipsticks.

Shade 16 is from the Spring/Summer range.

Shades 111, 101, and 107 are from from the most recent range of matte lipsticks.

(Swatches below)

(L-R) Shades 12, 03, 16, 111, 101,107

My favourites are  shades 12, 03, and 16, but I think it's because I have had them longer so I am more used to them, perhaps? My least favourite is shade 101, I just don't think it suits me at all, I've tried wearing it a few times with different makeup looks but I'm never happy and end up rubbing it off, which is annoying as it was the shade I was looking forward to the most from the new matte range, and with the drama I had getting it in the first place. I will end up giving this to a friend.

When the new matte Kate lipsticks were being launched I actually bought shades 111 and 101 from their facebook shop before they were launched in the shops, mainly because I am quite impatient and they had an offer running that if you bought two products you got a free nail polish, I'm a sucker for an offer so I bought them. If I'm honest I regret it and didn't have the best experience with Rimmel's customer service. 

When I received the lipsticks in the post I was most excited about trying shade 101 and of course with my luck that shade was missing from my order, so I contacted Rimmel via twitter and they advised me to send a message via facebook, which I did. A couple of days later I received a response saying they would look into my missing order, and that was the last I heard. I sent facebook and twitter messages asking for an update but no one responded, I received the missing lipstick a week later no note saying sorry or anything, I was left feeling very irritated that no one had acknowledged my requests for information. I even sent a message saying how disappointed I was that no one had gotten back to me and that I won't be buying anything else from their facebook shop and still I got no response. Of course during this time the lipsticks were released in the shops! So I will not be purchasing anything more from their facebook shop and will just be patient in future and wait for products to launch in the shops!

I really like the Kate lipsticks and think they are great quality which is probably why I will end up with more, but bad customer service really puts me off a brand.

What makeup range are you addicted to?

Elaine

My Winter Skin Savior: Clarins HydraQuench

I recently got a new job as an outreach worker, which means that I am outside a lot between appointments and waiting for buses to visit people so my skin has been exposed to the cold weather a lot, and I have been feeling the effects on my skin of the extremes of going between the cold outside and central heating blasting inside! My skin feels much more sensitive and dry, I've also had more blemishes which I think is due to the lack of balance in my skin. I decided that I needed to invest in a moisturiser that can protect my skin in the winter months and leave my skin feeling as hydrated as possible.

Initially I wanted to buy Clinique's dramatically different moisturiser as it had some good reviews and felt rich but not too greasy when I tried it on my hand, but I was put off due to some bad customer service I received from the Clinique counter and being told flat they didn't offer samples (when other counters said they did but didn't have any sample tubs) which I don't think is right when a moisituriser is £30 personally I want to try a product out first before spending that much money, so I left feeling a bit disappointed. I was having a wander round the beauty counters in John Lewis to get an idea of what moisturiser to try when I asked an assistant on the Clarins counter for advice, she recommended Clarins Hydraquench cream gel for combination/oily skin, she mentioned that she also uses this product and that it can be used in both summer and winter months, and that her jar has lasted her at least 6 months, I was then offered a decent sample without asking.  

I used the sample everyday for a week and the difference I felt in my skin was huge! My skin felt instantly more hydrated and stayed hydrated throughout the day. Hydraquench is a very rich moisturiser but it doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy or clogged, and it soaks into my skin quickly so it's a great base for my make up.

 I have found that you only need to use a small amount of the product, so hopefully this jar will last me a long time. I do really like the packaging of the moisturiser, the glass jar makes it seem more of a luxurious product and for the price it should, but I would prefer a bottle with a pump to make it a bit more hygienic.

Hydraquench is pricey at £33.50 for 50ml, but when I decided I really wanted to buy this I had a good hunt on the internet to find it cheaper and I managed to get a good saving, currently on escentual.com you can buy it for £26.80 or if you time it right for when John Lewis hold their price match events you can get it cheaper, it's currently 15% cheaper in John Lewis now.

I have really enjoyed using this moisturiser and it has made such a difference to my skin, I will definitely be buying this again when it runs out!

Elaine

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Mist

A few months ago I took my car to the garage to get serviced, (this will get relevant I promise) when I finally picked up my car they had give it a (quick) clean and sprayed a strawberry carpet freshener  The more I drove my car the more I grew to really like the strawberry scent, I don't normally like strawberry scents as they seem really artificial, but I was converted.

I went on a hunt to find a strawberry perfume or body spray but most smelt very artificial especially Boot's Natural Collection strawberry range, but The Body Shop strawberry body mist  was perfect, the scent is more natural and less 'chemically'. 

I have been obsessed with it since I bought this and use it everyday, it has encouraged me to experiment with fragrances more as I normally stick to sweet fruity scents. 

The body mist is £12 for 100ml, if you subscribe to The Body Shop's emails they always send through really good discounts.

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

TK Maxx Finds!

It's officially December now so I have fully embraced my Christmas spirit and went a bit mad downloading Christmas songs on iTunes, so you can have the vision in your mind of me singing away to 'it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas' as I wrote this! You lucky lot!

TK Maxx is fast becoming one of my favourite places to visit when I'm shopping in town, it is always full of bargains on branded cosmetics, skin care, candles... but it is not that often that you find the same bargain product in more than one TKMaxx, so I have learnt when I find something I just buy it or I always regret it!

When I was rutting through all the cosmetics I came across quite a few NYX eyeshadow pallettes, New <id cosmetics, too faced and Jemma Kidd products.  All at really decent prices, I got a highlighter from New <id and a smokey eye kit from NYX, I also got a cute Christmas candle as a treat. 

I got this i-Shimmer for £5.99, it's a double ended highlighter with a brush.

It wasn't until I got home and tried out the highlighter that I realised there is no really need for the brush at all and it is probably the reason it is being sold off cheaply in TK Maxx!

The colour of the highlighter is a really pretty pink shimmer, but it is very subtle, the consistency of the highlighter is very light and more of a cream to powder feel. I just can't understand how you would need the brush as it is very easy to blend. I guess it gives a good gimmick to get people's attention... like me! To be honest this is just an OK product so I'm pleased I didn't spend too much money.

I have never bought any NYX products before but I know through reading blogs they are a good quality brand. TK Maxx had quite a few mini palettes and they also had a big neutral palette too.

I was drawn to this one as I'm trying out a grey smokey eye rather than wearing browns/neutrals all the time and this cute palette was only £5.99.

I was really impressed by the pigmentation and quality of the eyeshadows and will definitely look out for other NYX products in the future

I got this really cute Christmas candle for £3.99 too, it smells really nice, I love cinnamon candles around this time of year, it was soo nice I got my mam one too.

Have you found any bargains lately?

Elaine