Review: The Body Shop Lightening Touch Concealer

Well hello there,

Today I am reviewing the Lightening Touch concealer from The Body Shop. It's a product in the same niche as YSL Touché Éclat, Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch and Soap and Glorys Wizard of Flaws. Some of these are more highlighter based some more concealer but I think most people tend to use them as a bit of both. 

The Lightening Touch markets itself as a concealer and comes in three shades depending on your skin tone. I have number 01 the lightest shade and bought is for £14. 

What they say:

A light diffusing liquid concealer, masks under eye circles and fine lines. 

What I think:

As with the other products mentioned above it's pretty bog standard packaging with the integrated brush. The outer cover is nice but I must say it gets dirty very quickly and so the nice shiny packaging doesn't stay that way for very long! You click the bit at the bottom and the product comes out the top (very simple really!). 

I tested this under my eyes and boy is it shiny. The light illuminating particles it says it contains are pretty bright. 

My under eye area looked like I had put tons of shimmer underneath :( and throughout the day I noticed that my mascara smudged quite considerably. Now I wear the same mascara nearly every day and it NEVER smudges so there is something about this product that must cause it. Finally it didn't really work as a concealer - it didn't cover my under eye circles in any shape or form, although you probably did notice them less as you would be too busy wondering what on earth I had under my eyes. 

Pros:

Blended well

Good colour match for me

Cons:

Too much shimmer!

Terrible coverage

The big decision:

Will I buy this again? A big fat no. It's just too much shimmer for my face to handle. I might try and use it up solely as a highlighter but there is no way I'll be putting this anywhere near my eye area again, the coverage is simply terrible and the shimmer too much. The Dream Lumi Touch by Maybelline is a much better product if you are looking for a highlighting concealer. 

Claire

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any brands mentioned and I purchased this product with my own money. Links are for reference only and I am not affiliated with any companies linked. 

http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/make-up/face/lightening-touch.aspx

Nails of the week: Essie In Stitches

Well hello there,

I have renamed this as I think doing a nails of the week rather than a review makes a little more sense (especially as I am currently obsessed with my Essie nail varnishes) as I have roughly the same things to say each week!

Anyway - it's been the Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK and we have had a little sun - woop! Did a little shopping and a little sunbathing wearing my nails of the week :)

Essie In Stitches. 

I find this a hard colour to describe: it's a dark pink with purple but also brown... Well I really like it!

What have you been wearing?

Claire

Disclaimer: I bought these products with my own money - I am not affiliated with any brands mentioned and all links are for reference only and I am not affiliated with any brands linked. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essie-Stitches-Nail-Polish-15ml/dp/B004ORDF1G

Little rant!

Well hello there,

Today I am having a little rant! At the weekend I set out on mission to try and find a new foundation, I headed into town and my first stop was the Estée Lauder counter. I wanted to test out the Double Wear foundation as well as he Double Wear Light so at the counter tried a couple out on my hand to get a feel for the product. There were several assistants there who all basically ignored me and several other customers browsing. Whilst I don't want to be hounded at the make up counter a simple 'is there anything I can help you with?' really goes a long way. Then after trying to get the attention of one of the assistants attention who decided she would rather deal with another customer I gave up. 

There are several other Estée Lauder counters where I live so I headed to check out another one. This time there was one assistant doing nothing who again acted like I didn't exist until I was able to work my way round the counter until I was basically in front of her and then ask to be matched. I think it was pretty obvious I was looking for some help and felt like a lot of assistants seem to act like customers are a bit of a nuisance. Once I had her attention she did match me to the Double Wear foundation but when I asked for a sample to test out at home she looked at me like I was trying to rob her! I don't know why anyone would spend £27 plus on an Estée Lauder foundation without having a sample to try first! In America it is commonplace to be given a sample to try something which here in the UK is a mission in itself. The woman didn't give me a sample and didn't give a reason as to why, instead she scribbled the name of match she had found for me on a bit of paper and sent me on my way. I must say I was pretty cross about the way I was treated, it seemed a bit like because I was't all dressed up then I shouldn't waste the time of the assistant and I got the distinct impression that she thought I couldn't afford any of the products I was asking about which is really a terrible attitude to have. Anyone should be able to try the products not just the people the assistants believe can afford them!

Finally I went to the Estée Lauder counter in Boots and finally found a great assistant at the counter. I had a quick look round as I did at the other counters then she asked if I needed any help. I told her what I was looking for (foundation for oily skin) and she suggested I try both the Double Wear and the Double  Wear Light and immediately asked if I would like to be matched. I agreed and after having a nice chat she had matched me up and (without asking) given me samples of both to take home. 

I left feeling pretty upset and cross about the whole situation.  If I am thinking about spending such a lot of money then a little respect would be nice (even if I had no intention of buying anything manners cost nothing). The whole experience was rather stressful and I'm not really excited to try the samples I did manage to get as I feel the mission to get them rather put a bit of a dampener on things!

Phew. Rant over. 

Obviously not all make up counter experiences are like this, I just felt a bit disappointed with the way I was treated on this occasion and am in no way generalising to everyone!

What's you make up counter experience?

Claire

Disclaimer: this was my individual experience, I am not generalising to all those working at Estée Lauder or those who work on make up counters. I am not affiliated to any brands or companies mentioned. 

Review: Lush Lip Scrub Popcorn

Well hello everyone!

Today I am going to be looking at another product I have been using for a little bit. 

It's one of Lush's lip scrubs, they come in three 'flavours' bubblegum, mint julips, and popcorn for £5.25 for 25g. 

The reason for me buying this is that I have a terrible habit of biting my lips, it's one of those things that I have always done (my sister does it too) and it's an infinite circle of biting and making my lips uneven and then biting more as my lips felt uneven.  In order to try and stop myself doing this as I know it is really bad for me, I got this scrub hoping that if my lips were smooth it would remove one of the main temptations for biting them.  

What they say:

The ingredients create a perfect mix to leave your lips smooth and moisturised once you have buffed them to perfection. 

What I think:

I really like this, at first I was unsure about the flavour, it came off as tasting just salty but once you get used to that it's great. I use it before I shower and just take a small amount out and rub it into my lips then as it is edible I lick it all off. My lips are left smooth and looking fab, creating a great base for any lip products I use during the day. 

Pros:

Works great

Tastes really good

Perfect for scrubbing any dry skin away before applying lip products

Cons:

It is a tad on the expensive side for what it is

I find that you can't leave it in the bathroom as the damp air can get into the container

You can make a bit of a mess as the grains tend to fall off when you are rubbing them into your lips

The big decision:

Would I buy this again? Yes, absolutely. I find it one of those addictive products that once you have felt how soft and smooth it make your lips feel you are never going to want your lips to feel different again! I might be tempted to dry one of the other flavours next though. 

How do you feel about lip scrubs?

Claire

Disclaimer: I bought this product with my own money and am not affiliated with any brand mentioned. Links are for reference only and I am not affiliated with any brands linked. 

Popcorn scrub: https://www.lush.co.uk/product/6080/Popcorn-Lip-Scrub

Review: Sleek Blushes in Rose Gold and Flushed

Well hello there everyone,

I went shopping at the weekend as as my current obsession is blushes I picked up a few from Sleek! I have heard great things about Sleek blushes and initially wanted to get one of the blush palettes which contain three complementary blushes for £9.99. However, the Superdrug near me didn't have any of the palettes so I picked up a couple of the single blushes I instead. The singles are £4.49 each and are available to buy either at Superdrug or on Sleek's website. 

The first one I picked up is colour 926 Rose Gold. It's a lovely peachy toned blush with gold shimmer running through it. 

The other one I picked is 935 Flushed which is a lovely raspberry/cranberry colour. Which has a little shimmer but much more of a matte finish. 

 I have switched both of the colours with Flushed on top and Rose Gold underneath. 

I love both of these. The pigmentation is great and the packaging is great - both have mirrors in the kids so they are perfect for handbags! The Rose Gold colour is very shimmery which is great bunt means for me (oily skin) it's not something I could wear during the day or for a long night as shimmer plus oil equals a very I attractive look! I also think it works great as a highlighter. 

Loving both of these and will be investigating the Sleek stand more fairly soon!

What products have you been discovering this week?

Claire

Flushed: http://www.sleekmakeup.com/face/blusher/blush

Rose Gold:http://www.sleekmakeup.com/face/blusher/blush

Disclaimer: I purchased both these blushes with my own money and am not affiliated with the brand mentioned. Links are for reference only and I am not affiliated with any linked sites or companies. 

Review: OC Eight

Well hello there,

Up until now it seems all my reviews have been something I haven't been completely bowled over by but this product is the absolute exception!

OC Eight is a mattifying gel that you use before makeup in order to control oil though out the day. The idea is that the gel contains small particles which are able to absorb oil as it is produced throughout the day. The gel is meant to give 8 hours of shine free wear and it doesn't last that long for me but this is mainly due to my skin being far more oily than most!

I started using this product when I was 15 or 16 after tremendous amounts of research, at the time in America it was listed as a prescription product from dermatologists (though this isn't the case any more) and it was this that was the main reason for me trying it initially. I thought if it was strong enough to be available on prescription then it might stand a chance against my skin!

It is a creamy gel, thicker than a moisturiser and quite similar to a primer in texture. You smooth it onto your skin in small circles before applying your make up but after any moisturiser (or in my case La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo) and wait for it to dry before applying any foundation and the rest of your make up as usual. It dries fairly quickly but if you are a bit too keen sometimes it can make your foundation go a bit patchy or cause white marks to appear. 

I must say I LOVE this product. It is the only product I have ever used that I will without fail always continue to repurchase. Since first buying it at 15/16 there has not been a day when I have applied make up without using this first. It is the only product that has ever really made a difference to my oily skin, although it might not seem a lot to most people having a product that keeps your skin vaguely matte for up to 4 or 5 hours depending on what foundation I am using as opposed to my make up looking a mess after 30-45 minutes without is a huge achievement in my book. I usually apply it around 8am in the morning and notice by around half one/half two my face is beginning to shine. As I said it doesn't seem a lot but considering then difference when I don't use it last until after lunch is pretty remarkable!

This product doesn't seem to be that we'll known in the beauty world (as far as I know) so I really wanted to say how much it has changed my skin! It's priced from between £8-£10 depending on where you get it though I find you can get it in multipacks of 3 tubes for about £22-£25 making it a little cheaper. There aren't that many places that seem to stock it - online pharmacies are usually the place I find it!

There we have it - a product I am pretty convinced I shall continue to use and repurchase as long as it's still available to buy!

What do you use to keep your make up looking fresh?

Claire

OC Eight: http://www.expresschemist.co.uk/category_1991_oceight.html

Disclaimer: I purchased this product with my own money and I am not affiliated with any brands mentioned. 

Links are for reference only and I am not affiliated with any companies linked or mentioned. 

My skin story

Well hello everyone,

I though I would give you a little background into myself and my skin as I feel this will shape a lot of the products I review and things I talk about and so giving you a little insight into what I am all about will help you much better understand where I am coming from.

The first thing to say is that although I have been into beauty and makeup for a long time it is only the past couple of years where I have really started experimenting and trying lots of new things. I tended to just buy the same things time and time again without giving much thought to what I was buying or how it would affect my skin. But a few years ago I really for the first time noticed just how bad my skin was and from there have been on a quest to try and find anything that would help

My skin type is oily, not just the run of the mill a little oil, but full on oil slick skin. When I am wearing no makeup in a matter of minutes my skin is covered with an oily sheen. Up until recently I was one of those strange cases where although I had really oily skin I didn't really suffer with acne, just the occasional spot or blackhead but through trying out all the different products to try and combat my oily skin I have actually made my skin worse and am still no closer to finding anything that can help.

For my skin I have done or gone through most of the phases and crazes to try and bring my oil to a more manageable level. I have tried everything from not putting anything on my skin so that it naturally balances itself out, to trying to strip away oils and everything in between and so far I have only found products that keep my oil at bay for an extra few hours (which is not great).

I find myself constantly checking in the mirror to make sure my make up hasn't slid off my face and would love to be able to go out for the day without the constant worry of what my makeup is up to.

I use a variety of products currently (all of which I will do full reviews on later), but to give you an idea of what I use of a daily basis: first La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, then OC Eight mattifying gel, MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC15, Urban Decay All Nighter makeup setting spray and then Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 003 Peach Glow. This is just the basics and it still doesn't make a huge difference.

I will do a proper post on my skin care and make up routines another day but from this I hope you can get a feel of what sort of things I am looking for in my beauty and makeup purchases.

Phew this has been a bit of a long one but I hope it gives you some insight into what I am about and to all those girls who also struggle with their skin sometimes it's just nice to know you are not alone!

What's your skin type and how do you manage with those not so great skin days?

Catch up soon,
Claire