Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm & new product photos!

Look! Just look at the new Burt's Bees range of Natural Lip Colours. The shade selection is gorgeous and it's all right up my alley with the shades of pink.
The glosses in the bottom right photo are so smooth and non-sticky. My favourite is the one at the bottom, Wink. It's the perfect shade of milkshake pink.

I've got a couple of swatches photographed however I don't have the whole range because..... I'm doing a giveaway! And I don't want to open a bunch of lip glosses if they're for someone else because that's kind of gross of me.

Inside the little circular cardboard tubes there's a lip balm - the swatch is of the shade Rose. It's tinted and smells absolutely gorgeous - fruity and floral!

It's really pigmented, especially for a lip tint. It's hydrating and leaves a slight stain as well so even if you don't top up for a while the stain remains on your lips.

These lip tints are £5.99 and you can view the whole colour range here (click!) - there are so many pinks that I don't know which to choose!

I'll be posting about the giveaway this week so keep an eye on twitter for the links to the details when it's live.

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Previously Posted Products - Where are they now?

It's often hard to tell if a blogger has kept a lasting relationship with products - the constant influx of must-haves and holy grail items means that sometimes there's a few words and photos about a moisturiser/foundation/eyeliner and then that's it... it disappears off into the archives.
The reality is that it's not the done thing to repeat product reviews unless it's a re-purchase, but again, what do people want to read; re-buys or the newest thing on the market? It's difficult.

I thought I'd give a little bit of love to some products I've reviewed before just to ensure that you all know I really did like them and they still have a permanent spot in my make-up bag!

The Dermalogica Clear Start Welcome Matte Moisturiser (review here, click!) is still very much loved. I use it in the mornings as it provides a great base for make-up. The mattifying element means that once it has sunk in I can just buff or blend my foundation in on top and there's no slipping or sliding about! This exact moisturiser isn't available online but click here to buy the updated version of this product (!).

My HD Brows palette (review here, click!) is something I use pretty much every day - I have lost the slanted brush that came with it which is a bit of a pain but I've got a couple of brushes I can use as replacements. I use one colour strictly for my brows and then there's a darker brown that I occasionally use as a liner on my top lid.
The best bit about this palette is that I have had it since September 2011 and I still haven't hit the pan on my most used shade! That's over 2 years of use... If you're worried about the germyness then I'd like to add that I wash my brushes frequently and haven't experienced any adverse effects from not chucking it out after the recommended 6-12 months of use. Click here to buy (!)

Liz Earle's Signature Foundation (mini review here, click!) is my absolute favourite foundation for a night-out. My daily make-up doesn't require a medium coverage base so I save it for when I want to make more of an effort. It has a relatively matte finish which means I can buff in some blusher and highlighter and I don't look shiny too early on in the night - ideal for me. Click here to buy (!)

The coveted Real Techniques Stippling Brush (mini review here, click!) is definitely still in use in my house! I use it with the Liz Earle foundation and it gives a perfect finish. There's really not much more to say about this except I'm so glad I bought it. Click here to buy (!)

Finally, the Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser (featured here, click!) - when I first tried this it was in the try me kit and since then I've bought at least two more pots! This is pretty much a night cream for me but it's a daily moisturiser and isn't too heavy to be used under make-up. I love how creamy it is and how luxurious it feels as it works its magic. Click here to buy (!)

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Bobbi Brown Old Hollywood Eye Palette

 I haven't bought Bobbi Brown cosmetics for a while, but I used to be absolutely obsessed with the brand when I was first hitting the high-end beauty counters. I think that was because Bobbi Brown make-up appeals to all ages; I first used the brand when I was around thirteen. I used to be able to just see pieces I could add to my make-up bag like a volumising mascara or a black eyeliner pencil. I liked the little treat of spending more money that I on the average kohl pencil from a pharmacy make-up brand.

I received this for Christmas and overall I really like it. The colour selection is certainly Old Hollywood with the shimmery golds and the dusty grey and beige. It feels very Gatsby-esque and glamorous.

Retailing at £59 this does look like it lives up to its price tag with the golden edges of the palette and the sleek black and gold exterior. It contains 9 shades each labelled individually in the photo above, five of which are shimmery and 4 which are matte. My three favourite shades out of the nine in this palette are ivory, golden pink and opal.

I use ivory as a base shadow and blend golden pink into the crease. Opal is better as a highlighter in my opinion but it does have some shimmer particles that can cause some fallout from the brush.
The same thing can be said for the majority of the colours with a glitzy shimmer - if the brush I am using is harsh or has some abrasive bristles (I'm thinking of the Real Techniques Duo Fibre eyeshadow brush here) it means that picking up a decent amount of pigment can be difficult. I prefer to use the regular Real Techniques eyeshadow brushes for these shadows. Using the softer brushes is definitely a better option for applying these shadows as it allows the brush to blend the shades together on my eyelid without being harsh or flicking specs of the shadow onto the rest of my face.
I think this is the perfect palette for a Hollywood smokey eye if you used ivory, opal, fog and eclipse. If I'd been going out on New Year's Eve I would have reached straight for this palette.

You can buy this palette from a number of retailers for £59 - click here for the Bobbi Brown website to buy it directly.

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Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

The Naked and Naked 2 palettes have been make-up staples for pretty much everyone I know. I'm not sure how I resisted both of them but somehow I did...I think it's because although they're super neutral palettes that can be used to create almost any eye look I was unsure as to how much use I'd get out of each one when I've got a stock pile of single eyeshadows in my make-up organiser.

A couple of weekends ago I was returning some items with my mum and we both decided this would be a worthwhile purchase. We weren't wrong! My mum and I have different skin tones, she is slightly more olive toned than I am but this palette is used every day by both of us. The colour range is perfect to create a quick and simple every-day look or to blend the darker colours to make a smokey, night time look.

My favourite shades are Venus and Naked 2 - I use these daily for my no-make-up make up! Venus goes in my inner corner and under my eyebrow and Naked 2 is blended into my crease.

All of these have a very smooth but slightly chalky texture apart from Venus... It's very soft but I tend to experience a little bit of fallout or grittiness with the shimmery shade. Once it's applied it doesn't really shift until I take it off though so it's manageable! There's also a strange smell to my palette, is that just me? Let me know in the comments so I know I'm not alone!

What's your favourite shade from Urban Decay? There are a ton of new releases in individual pots which are certainly next on my shopping list!

L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint

After the huge hoo-ha surrounding the US version of this product, marketed as Liquid Powder over there, I knew I wanted to try it from the first reviews I saw online. A product that's lighter than water? What does that even mean??

What this seems to translate into is that it is a very watery product. It has a very light amount of coverage but has a really soft finish, both in the appearance and in the feel of the liquid. Eau de Teint doesn't come with a pump so that's not ideal for some people but it applies incredibly evenly when applied to the skin. I just buff this in with my fingers rather than a brush because it really is so runny that I don't think a brush would do it much good!

I purchased this in the lightest shade, 100 Porcelain but it's actually got quite a lot of colour given it's a pale shade. I've swatched it alongside Liz Earle's Signature Foundation in 01 and Collection's concealer in Fair to show the colour difference. It does look incredibly dark in these photos but it's quite a good match on my face and actually matches better than the Liz Earle foundation (which is strange because the LE foundation seems to get darker even though it's lighter!).

Packaging wise it's not the most logical...a glass bottle without a pump isn't ideal for transporting or for anyone with a full make-up bag. The design on the packaging is also completely different to the US product - this isn't called Liquid Powder and the bottle isn't frosted white near the top but I think the actual product is generally the same kind of thing.

I'd say this provides around 6 - 7 hours of wear with the usual additions to the face ; bronzer/blusher/highlighter etc but if I were to wear this for a longer time I'd want to wear a powder on top to ensure it would stay and would be much easier to top up without the added stress of not spilling the liquid everywhere.

Overall this is probably a 6/10 for me. The packaging isn't particularly user friendly but the product itself does the job for an everyday work kind of make-up look.

This is on offer for now for £6.99 at most drugstores but usually will sell for £9.99 after the introductory offer is over.

PS: I am sorry for the lack of posts in the last couple of weeks. I've been super busy with work but I have also just come down with a horrible cold, woe is me! I hope to resume proper posting in the next week or so, thank you for sticking with me xoxo 

Origins VitaZing SPF15

Origins is not a brand I'm particularly well acquainted from personal use but like most brands I've read a ton about them on the internet.

Last weekend I was looking for a new foundation or foundation alternative and this was suggested to my by a lady at the Origins counter in Debenhams.

It is essentially a tinted moisturiser but for review purposes we'll look at the real name of "Energy boosting moisturizer with Mangosteen". (I have no idea what Mangosteen is...).

When first applied it is a thin, white liquid but on closer inspection it has tiny black speckles in it. You're supposed to apply it in the morning to clean skin and you don't need another product underneath so it's a replacement for both a moisturiser and a skin base like a light foundation. It replaces missing pigments in the skin to create an even skin colour and contains SPF15

The main reason that VitaZing was recommended to me was because I struggle to find a good colour match for my foundations; some products oxidise over the course of the day or are too orange to begin with etc. The idea that this would just automatically match to my skin was great because it was such minimal effort on my part! I haven't had any issues with the colour match so it ticks that box for sure.

For me this is a really good product for "weekend make-up". It's a little dewy which is fine but I like to add a powder product over the top so I still opt for my Naked Flushed palette to add some blush whilst dampening the dewy effect on my cheeks and forehead. It doesn't boast a particularly high coverage but for under my eyes or on blemishes I just apply my concealer to even everything out and I think it works really well.

I would recommend applying this with clean hands rather than with a brush, it would just get lost in the bristles of a stippling or foundation brush. I apply mine with my index finger and rub it in circular motions to ensure that I haven't missed anywhere. My only warning is to make sure when you're finished that you rub across your face gently to make sure that there's nothing that's clogged together to create a darker patch. I have found that if I don't check I could leave with a slightly thick patch that looks too dark on random areas of my face.

Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone with relatively clear skin who wants a quick and fuss-free make-up base that literally takes about a minute to apply evenly. I can't comment on fine lines or wrinkles because I don't have any but for me once it's on, it's on. Its staying power is aided by whatever products you apply over the top (like I said, for me it's a dash of my Naked Flushed palette) and the staying power of those products individually but for me it lasts between 4-6 hours depending on the environments I find myself in.

You can buy this with a price tag for £28.00 /50ml from Origins counters and the Origins website here (click!).

Real Techniques Duo Fibre Collection

I bought these brushes about 10 days ago from My Pretty Face Place for the incredible price of £13.59 and I'm so glad I did. I've put off buying them for a while because I couldn't justify the price tag from other retailers - I've seen them range from £20 upwards in high street stores. Although for three brushes that isn't a high price it seems a little steep when I've never experienced duo fibre brushes before.

The packet consists of a face brush, a contouring brush and an eyeshadow brush. They can be used with both cream products and powders, though I've not experimented with creams so I can't really write about them for that.

I've seen a couple of reviews that mention the smell when the packet is first opened but I didn't experience that at all. I've used these brushes for about a 5 days and since they're for face products I'd expect to have noticed if they smelt horrid. They come in a slightly spongy base which smells plasticy (because it's made of plastic.....) but the brushes themselves are stink free.

I love using the face brush for blusher, especially for a shade that's quite pigmented. The bristles of the brush are less dense than the usual Real Techniques brushes so I find that I can use a deeper colour without looking like Bobo the clown. The sparseness of the bristles allows for a light, even application that looks relatively natural.

The contour brush is my least favourite of the three, only because it's quite a small brush and I'm used to much bigger brushes for applying bronzer. However, for highlighter (like MAC's MSF from my last post here (click!) ) it does mean that there can be a concentrated application across my cheekbones, nose and chin with little fallout.

The eye brush is one that I use once I've completed my eye look to blend in the different shades. I really like it because the brush is so soft that it doesn't scrape or scratch around such a delicate area.

Here I've compared the duo fibre brush (the white one) to two of the brushes from the starter set for eyes. I'll be posting a review of those brushes soon, promise! As you can see the duo fibre brush has longer, less densely packed bristles.

Overall I'm glad I bought these brushes, and to be honest if I ever have to replace them I'd pay the higher price that I've seen in drugstores. The face brush is completely worth it as I've never used a brush like it and it's solved my blusher woes.

This collection limited edition but they have been out since about March this year so they're not so limited that you can't get hold of them anymore.

You can buy them for anywhere between £13-£25 depending on the retailer but I bought mine here (click!).

MAC - Mineralize Skin Finish in Adored

MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish products seem to be everyone's fail safe highlighter in the last couple of years. I absolutely love my Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette for contouring and highlighting but this MAC highlighter is beautiful both in the pan and on the skin for a peachy glow. A mix of pearly pink and iridescent peach "Adored" is a shade I can't help but use this on an almost daily basis!
It doesn't quite look like a natural flush when it's applied but it gives a little more dimension to my cheekbones and doesn't necessarily need any blusher blended along with it.

I've had this since mid-July and I've yet to hit the pan, although I've heard that these products look like they last for months and then BAM you've hit pan and it's the worst day of your life without even a hint of preparation. Le sigh! That aside I'll be using this product over and over until it reaches its demise and then I'll be buying another one or two or three in a variety of shades to keep my skin shimmering!

You can buy this shade and a number of others here (click!) for an RRP of £22.00

Quick & easy back to school rescue kit

So, back to school is rapidly approaching. I have recently attained an assistant position in an upper school so this evening I began to get prepared for my first inset day on Monday.
I can remember exactly what going back to school felt like throughout all my school years and my university degree so I thought I'd put together a little rescue kit for those days where everything is going wrong and you just need a little cuddle!

I have included : pain medication, hayfever / allergy tablets, a nail file, clear nail polish, intense lip balm, mouth irritation gel, anti-bacterial hand gel, intense moisturiser, a hair clip, 2 hair bands, bobby pins, eye drops, chapstick a piece of gum and a little perfume dispenser filled with one of my body sprays.

You could include absolutely anything from tampons, toothpaste, a toothbrush, cuticle oil, your favourite nail polish shade, mini mascara, earrings, cotton buds, spot treatment, concealer, cuticle trimmer, cough sweets, tweezers..... the list is endless!!

Do you have any essentials you will be taking when you head back to the classroom? Let me know, there's room in my handbag for more!

Revlon Lip Butter - Cotton Candy

Amongst my Boots & Superdrug purchases last week was this little lip butter by Revlon. I was sucked in by the hype I had seen on twitter and YouTube and wanted to give it a go myself.

It's very basic packaging, a translucent pink plastic lid with a quilted effect and a squared off silver twist base like most lipsticks.

This is a shiny pink lip colour that needs two or three swipes to become noticeable. For me it's got too much of a sheen to it, it looks a little golden when I apply it so I haven't got much use out of it recently. Maybe a different shade would have suited me better so I don't think it's a bad product at all, the colour just wasn't for me.

I feel like this is a less expensive alternative to the No7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick which I reviewed here (click!). It's possible that the Revlon range is aimed at a slightly younger audience if these two products were to be compared both aesthetically and in terms of the product's colour payoff.

Do you have one of these Revlon lip butters? Which shade should I try next?

Maybelline Fit Me Anti-Shine Foundation Stick

I picked this up last week in Superdrug after seeing a few people on YouTube getting on well with it and because I was just intrigued as to how this product can battle shine without sacrificing on coverage.

The product description found here (click!) says:

"Our fresh foundation has an anti-shine core. 

It's ultra-light formula is enriched with powders to instantly absorb excess oil.

Controls shine for a natural-looking, flawless finish."

There's an inner core that is supposed to battle against shine and an outer core providing the foundation. It's probably a light level of coverage. It doesn't really present any moisturising properties so you'd have to moisturise beforehand. Application is simple, you twist the bottom like a lipstick and literally just swipe it onto your skin. I have blended with both my hands and with a Real Techniques Buffing Brush and there wasn't a huge difference in terms of the finish or product wasted.

For me, this product is fine for a drugstore product but with an £8.99 price tag I did expect a little more - not a lot more but I had hoped to at least feel satisfied with it even if I didn't love it. Unfortunately I just couldn't get on board with it. It doesn't have a particular scent or anything like that but it felt a little slippery when I had applied it. A bit like when you apply a primer and it feels kind of velvety and silky except unlike when using a primer there wasn't really anything that helped the foundation bond with my skin.

HOWEVER, it isn't all bad - the idea of it is incredibly innovative. As I said there's an inner core and an outer layer which work together to banish shine. The colour match was also a big deal for me, this is the first drugstore foundation that I was able to buy in store and use at home without any colour match problems whatsoever. I bought shade 120 Classic Ivory but there are six shades altogether. Not a huge range so it's possible I just got lucky.

I probably won't buy this product again purely because it just doesn't stand up next to my liquid foundations but I do think that for younger, teenage or middle school age skin this is perfectly acceptable for school day wear. If I hadn't tried out as much make-up as I have over the years I might feel differently but hey, sometimes things just aren't for me and that's fine too!

Maybelline Fit Me Anti-Shine Foundation Stick sells for £8.99 at Superdrug here (click!), Boots here (click!) and other Maybelline stockists.