Stila SPF30 Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser

I bought this in a Stila set from TK MAXX months ago but due to the shade, Medium 01, I haven’t been able to use it until relatively recently. I can just get away with it when I’ve been hitting the faux tan. I’ve almost given up on foundation at the moment and my oily nose is destroying whatever I put on it. The sheerer coverage of tinted moisturisers means that it isn’t obvious when the patches around my nose start to fade so this has been getting a lot of use. You get 50ml in the bottle and it can be found for around £7 on Amazon.

The packaging ain’t pretty but it’s very functional. The squeezey tube is very travel friendly (I took it on holiday with me at the end of June) and the thin nozzle allows you to squeeze out exactly what you need and no more. The SPF and reasonable moisturising properties mean that on my combo (leaning towards oily this summer) skin this takes the place of foundation, SPF and moisturiser so my mornings have suddenly gotten a lot easier!

The consistency is extremely thick to the point that it is quite tricky to blend. I find that it needs the heat from my fingers to get an even finish. The coverage is higher than Benefit You Rebel Lite but nowhere near foundation territory. It’s enough to even out my skin tone and make me look a little more human but I still need concealer. 

Although the finish isn’t as shiny as a typical moisturiser I do still set this with an oil control powder and blots/ powder throughout the day. As I mentioned the light coverage means that it isn’t noticeable as it starts to fade towards the end of the day. I’d say I get 6-8 hours of coverage out of it but I don’t look like a disaster when it starts to fade. 

Would I buy it again? I like it although it is a battle to blend. There are just so many other products out there that I want to try and this wasn’t special enough to warrant repurchasing it x

*Bought by me*

Benefit Bella Bamba Blush

Hehe.. alliteration. Ahem, so this is the latest blush offering from Benefit. I’ll get the obvious/ boring bit out of the way. OVERPRICED. £23.50 and they’ve dropped the amount of product down to 8g without dropping the price. Cheeky... Also making an appearance is the new hinged lid avec mirror. The blush itself is a ‘watermelon’ pink with a strong gold shimmer. 

This is marketed as “3D watermelon blush. Laced with shimmering gold undertones, bella bamba is taking eye popping pretty to the third dimension...you'll never use traditional blush again!” So erm, it’s shimmery? Which makes it less flat looking than matte blush? Nothing new there I’m afraid. The shimmer is flattering though and doesn’t make my crater like pores look any worse than they already do. 

The powder has a strong sugary watermelon scent which is actually quite pleasant though it doesn’t seem to last on the cheeks. My problem with this, apart from the price, is that the shade just isn’t right for me. With a tan it looks fine but when I’m pale it pulls awfully red on me. Not in a ‘just in from the cold’ flush kind of red, in a ’50 year old alcoholic’ kind of red. It’s disappointing as it looks so pretty in the pan and on other people. 

*Thankfully I paid for this with Boots points not actual monies*

Blogger Interview! Hannah from The Roxy Loves

Another Monday and another blogger interview! This time the lovely Hannah from The Roxy Loves is in the hot seat!

·        *  Quick fire question – tell us something you love about blogging and something you’re not too crazy about!

I love the interaction between myself and other bloggers, i love reading other blogs and getting tips, learning new things and getting ideas for products to buy! What i'm not too crazy about? Hmmm i hate the pressure to blog regularly, with a full time job and lots of other commitments i can't always dedicate time to blogging daily. :(

·         * Why beauty/ makeup? What made you decide you wanted to blog about it?

I chose make up and beauty because at the time it was really my only outlet, i was living in an awful town which i hated, hadn't really made any friends and my husband was always away working, i was desperate to talk about things i was interested in and the latest lotions and potions always interested me, so that's how my little blog began, it's morphing all the time, and through it and twitter i've gotten to know so many lovely people with the same interests and me! You'll be happy to know i'm in a much nicer town now and get to see a lot more of my hubster!

·         * You have 5 minutes before you have to leave the house. What items do you throw on?

Clothes? haha, well assuming i'm already wearing my outfit for the day, and this question relates to make up? My "go to" quick face is lashings of mascara and a pale pink lip. Easy to wear and quick to apply :)

·        *  Are there any brands that aren’t available in your country that you would love to try? What ‘local’ brands do you think everyone should have a chance to try?

Hmm i'm not sure, i would like "Cargo" to be more assessable in the UK, and i wish Stila was a bit more available too, but saying that, you can still find them if you search! I do think that everyone should get the chance to try Natural Collection or Collection 2000, they're good high street brands that don't cost the Earth but have some gems if you look for them!

·        *  What entices you to follow a new blog? What puts you off?

I'm always interested in blogs that diversify a bit, not all beauty all the time. So ones with variety always keep me interested, i'll usually follow a blog that's written well and keeps me amused. What puts me off? I HATE when people will do post after post after post on the freebies they've received. Great that they're getting them and all that, but once in a while we'd like to see something a little different, well i would anyway!

Thanks for taking the time to answer Hannah :-) I'm totally with you hating feeling obliged to blog. I think sometimes we all need to remind ourselves that this a hobby, not a day job! xx

Project 7 Day Palette – Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland

In case you missed it last week I announced the beginning of Project 7 Day Palette. The aim is to get more used out of eyeshadow palettes that you have been neglecting by using it for 7 days straight, creating a completely different look each day. Last week I used the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette. Bear in mind that I also used NYX Highlight to blend out edges and as a brow bone highlight as there are no matte highlight shades in this palette. Please also bear in mind that a lot of these pics were taken at the end of a long day!

Sunday: I used Underland, Alice, White Rabbit, Curiouser and Jabberwocky. 

Monday:  I used Wonderland, White Rabbit, Mushroom and Mad Hatter.

Tuesday: Oraculum, Queen, Drink Me Eat Me

Wednesday: Muchness, Absolum, Drink Me Eat Me, Mad Hatter

Thursday: Mushroom, Underland

Friday: Curiouser, Vorpal, White Rabbit, Jabberwocky

Saturday: Underland, Alice, White Rabbit, Jabberwocky

So what did I learn. I learnt that there are plenty of neutrals in here so I have no excuse not to pull this out for work. I also learnt that the shades with the chunky silver glitter (mainly Midnight Tea Party, Wonderland and Curiouser, the other glittery ones were more finely milled) are a pain in the arse. Stunning colours but with epic fall out. Up next week is the Front Cover Rainbow Eyes palette that I haven’t used since last October... x

*This was bought by me way back when*

Olay Anti Wrinkle Eye Gel

Strangely I can’t see this on the Boots website yet I’ve seen it in supermarkets. It costs around £8 on Amazon at the moment. Maybe it’s been discontinued? If so I won’t be shedding any tears. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever used! The gel is thick and totally transparent which makes it seem a little slimy to me. Creepy...

After several weeks of use I can’t report back any change to the fine lines under my eyes (thanks to squinting because of my rubbish eyesight) although the skin feels fairly well moisturised. What puts me off about this product is how it dries. It just kind of doesn’t. It leaves a sticky film over the skin that grabs at any makeup that you apply over the top making it more difficult blend. On the plus side it doesn’t appear to cause my concealer to crease at all but it’s a pain in the arse to blend over. 

The packaging isn’t a win in my books either. The pot isn’t exactly hygienic although the heavy duty plastic feels nice and sturdy. I just don’t like having to dip my fingers in there. Yuck.

I don’t think I even need to state that I won’t be buying this again. Eeeew. 

*Bought by me, unfortunately*

June Empties

It’s been ages since I’ve done one of these empties posts. I do find them very satisfying to do though so here are my empties for the last couple of months. Sadly there is only one makeup item, must try harder...

Lacura Concealer Pen – This performed pretty well considering it was only a couple of quid from Aldi. Just one problem. If anyone takes a photo of you with the flash on instant reverse panda eyes. It had a tendency to get a touch cakey too so I won’t repurchase.

Random eBay oil control tissues – Did the job fine.

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum sample – Loved this. One day, when I’m feeling a bit rich, I will buy the full sized. 

Boots Vit E SPF15 Eye Cream – Cheap and works. Sinks in really quickly so it’s fab under makeup. 

No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Exfoliator – Loved it, I have a £5 voucher standing by to buy the full size. 

Simple Kind To Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes – As wrong as it sounds these weren’t quite ‘moist’ enough. And they irritated my eyes so I won’t repurchase. 

T-Zone Spot Zapper – This was actually the first PR sample I ever received (I haven’t received many) and I did like it. I’m trying a million other spot zappers at the moment though. 

Botanics Organic Face Moisturising Eye Cream – Love it! I think I scheduled a review recently for this so check that out for more details. Would happily buy it again. 

LUSH Rub Rub Rub salt scrub – Works well but it’s too messy. There are cheaper and easier to use alternatives. 

Revlon 30 Second Eye Makeup Remover – Evil stuff. I bought this in Thailand and I wish I’d left it there. It dried my skin out and stung my eyes. FAIL.

Botanics Moisturising Body Lotion – I’d buy this again, it’s a cheaper alternative to LUSH Dream Cream. I have a review scheduled for this too. 

Naked Rescue Intensive Care Shampoo – The sulphate free shampoo doesn’t quite leave my hair as squeaky clean as I’d like but my scalp thanks me for going SLS free. It really does make a difference to my skin. 

Aussie Take The Heat Conditioner – I would take this over the three minute miracle any day. Left my hair super soft and yummy smelling. I’d happily buy it again. 

Boots Expert Dry Shampoo – Didn’t do much to refresh my hair. Would not buy again. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo – Fabulous product! It doesn’t have the same horrid strong scent as the original and it doesn’t leave me with grey roots. I have another can on the go already.

*All bought by me apart from the T-Zone spot zapper which was a PR sample*

Superdrug Raspberry Exfoliating Mud Mask

Given a few hours to myself you could safely bet I’ll end up with a face mask on, attempting to fix my brows and a pot of tea (or glass or two of wine...) My combination skin has a tendency to get congested, especially around my t-zone. I’ve tried plenty of things but nothing does the trick quite like a good old fashioned clay mask. I wouldn’t use it more than once a week or they can be quite drying but used sparingly my skin loves them. On a random note I have to lock the bathroom door when I use face masks or my cat pulls this face, yowls and runs off. 

They don’t come much more cheap and cheerful than this. It’s just £2.59 for 75ml and a little goes a long long way. I’ve had this for months (and I’ve been buying it for years) and it’s not empty yet. The key ingredients and kaolin clay, raspberry seeds and apricot kernels. it has a pleasent fresh raspberry scent. As it dries it soaks up excess oil and when you wash it off the grains exfoliate away dead skin. The end result is clearer looking, less congested skin. 

If you are prone to congested oily skin I’d recommend trying it. For the price if you don’t like it’s not the end of the world! If you have dry skin I’d stay clear though as it can strip your skin a little x

*As  usual bought by me*

St. Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Moisturiser for Face (Light/ Medium)

For the last three weeks I’ve been back on the fake tan. I can’t believe that only a few months ago I was a complete novice and terrified of the stuff, now I’m addicted! I’ve have so many comments a log the lines of ‘you look so healthy!’ that I’ve become a total convert. That said I do still like to keep it subtle so I’ve been using my St Moriz every 7-10 days. In between uses I’ve been using the Dove Summer Body lotion and this to stop my tan from fading completely away. Somehow I don’t think cycling from paper white to bronzed ever week would be convincing... 

You get 50ml for you £14.30 housed in a handy squeeze tube. This does not have SPF in it so I’ve been using it as a moisturiser at night. The cream itself has no tint, it just looks like a normal moisturiser. There is a fairly strong scent which initially I thought was to mask the inevitable fake tan eau de Hobnob. If it is it does a thorough job as I’ve never noticed the biscuit smell appearing.

If you have dry skin I suspect this won’t cut it as a moisturiser. I find it’s *just* enough for my skin but It wouldn’t be enough for my skin in winter. It sinks in quickly and hasn’t irritated my skin although it doesn’t do it many favours either. It does take at least 3-4 applications to get some decent colour from it. When it does finally appear it’s a subtle brown tint which does a decent job of tiding me over between tan applications though I suspect it might get a little orangey with prolonged use (I just use it for the last few days before tanning again). 

I would like something that works a little better as a moisturiser too so I’m in the market to try other gradual face tans. Any suggestions?

*Bought by me*