Beauty Blog Link Love

Jenny from My Funny Valentine reviews a beautiful 'my cheeks but better' blush- the Estee Lauder Pure Color blush in Sensuous Rose.

 Looking for affordable cruelty-free brands? Phyrra shares her favorite affordable cruelty-free brands with you!

 Krasey Beauty introduces you to Benefit Beauty's newest superhero, Spy Gal!

 Over at theNotice, Rae's wondering how much pigment an orange gloss ought to have. Check out two orange offerings by Lise Watier and Clarins to see if you can figure out the magic pigment-to-shine ratio.

 How well does MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural fare as a powder and a bronzer? Let's hear the verdict at Adorable On Your Vanity!

 Jessika aka polish insomniac hated brown polish... until a new polish from the land down under changed her mind!

 Steal My Heart Lovee shows swatches and gives a complete honest review on the Anastasia See And Be Seen Set.

 Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed may not be too bright but at least she can look bright with the new Dior Summer Mix Collection! Check out her swatches and be sure not to use any big words in the comment section!

 Addicted to Beauty is going Korean beauty product crazy with an in depth tour of the Face Shop in South Korea.

 Check out Jenn from Spiced Beauty views on Maybelline Dream Fresh BB in Deep!

 Miss Beauty Nerd cannot decide which of Benefit's new Ultra Plush Lip Glosses she likes the best! They are all too cute!

 Beauty Reflections gives 28 reasons to love Hourglass No.28 Primer Serum!
--- Prime Beauty along with the Beauty Blog Coalition is giving away two $300 VISA gift cards! Hurry and enter to win!

June Empties

I toyed with the idea of doing this months post as a video but somehow never ended up looking presentable enough to go in front of a camera. The ‘Empties’ craze is taking youtube by storm at the moment... would you prefer a video? Let me know in the comments ;).

First up in boring news the hand cream addict of the century finished 2 hand creams. The Simple Derma Intensive Relief is a god send. So rich and moisturising. Those who hate heavy creams beware but if like me you like a hard core hand cream (that sounds so very wrong) it’s fab. The Neutrogena was a pain in the arse simply because of the packaging. The pump stopped dispensing products when the bottle was only 2/3 empty.

The No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser was ok. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about is that I felt it just fell short at removing every last scrap of makeup. I’ve found another cleanser I prefer so I won’t buy it again.

Ah Miss Dior Cherie. You are not my favourite fragrance. So why did you feel the need to lose your lid in my hand bag dooming me to having your scent following me round forever/ until my next hand bag? Meh.

The Kiehls body lotion (sample) and Clinique All About Eyes Rich were both perfectly nice but for me? I think they are overpriced for what they are. For the price I would expect amazing, nice doesn’t cut it. Oh and yet another packet of ELF wipes in the back but I use them every month.

Aw a little dinky sample of MAC Prep + Prime. I found this to be distinctly meh. I just don’t think it does anything for me? Doesn’t smooth the skin or increase the wear time of my foundation. I certainly don’t feel like buying the full size.

Lancôme Hypnose Drama was a great mascara but the fragrance is just too much! This little sample caused me to shed actual tears (I don’t tolerate fragrance right next to my eyes well).

Ah MAC Select Moisture Cover concealer. Confession time: this is the self same tube of concealer I wore at my wedding 2 years ago... so what we have learned here is that one tube will last a very long time. I personally found this to have medium coverage (and therefore not as much as I need on the black vortexes below my eyes) and it tended to cake a little. I won’t buy it again.

Finally some Lipsmackers Cola lip balm and ELF blot sheets. Both cheap and cheerful.

I’m a little annoyed as I have about 5 makeup products that are so close to being finished but just didn’t quite make it into this months post! Oh well. Have you done an empties post/ video> If so please leave the links below! x

Anatomicals Stop Cracking Up Lip Balm

Expect a slew of lip balm reviews over the next month or so. I’ve been hunting high and low for a lip balm that will magically transform my horrendous pout. Lanolips has helped, a lot, but I still want something more. This sadly is not it.

It starts off well. The packaging, or rather the text, is very cute. The price (£2.55 I think but it’s disappeared off the Boots site)is also very palatable. The balm itself is very inoffensive. It’s a very thick but non sticky clear gel with no scent or taste that I can detect. It lasts well on the lips without being overly gloopy and uncomfortable. The slanted applicator is ok and more hygienic than a pot I suppose. 

But sadly for me it just doesn’t do much of anything. I suppose it is a little moisturising but really it’s just not enough. My lips don’t feel any less chapped and flaky by the end of a day of slathering this on religiously.

So the hunt goes on. Are you a bit of a lip balm fiend too? What are your favourites? I’m desperate!! X

*Bought by me*

Benefit Dandelion

I was pleasantly surprised by this boxed powder. I had put off buying this one (although my Pokemon style quest to own all the Benefit Boxed Powders meant I inevitably own it one day) as I had thought it would show up well. Thrrrob is also a pale pink blush shade and frankly I struggle to get the colour pay off I want even on my pasty corpse face. Thankfully my misgivings were unfounded, this actually works very well for me!

Dandelion is the standard 7g of product in a cardboard box with hinged lid for £23.50 (yikes). The powder has a yummy candy scent but it disappears as soon as it’s on the skin. Thankfully. I don’t want to smell like a sweet shop all day! The shade is a soft, matte slightly yellow pink that builds up on my skin to a very flattering baby pink flush.

Although I sometimes struggle for pigmentation with some of the Benefit powders I will say this. They blend out beautifully. I do find they fade somewhat towards the end of the day but I still think the quality is good. £23.50 good? Well you can be the judge of that. I now have all of them so it’s pointless me arguing about it anymore ;)

*I bought this*

No7 Bargains

I popped into Boots today to buy boring, essential things and promptly got sucked in at the No7 stand. They are handing out their £5 VOUCHERS OF TEMPTATION at the moment. In addition they also have a free gift with purchase (£20 value) if you spend over £25.  Now I was a cheeky git, bought everything else in my basket first to get a voucher then bought their new Fanomenal mascara and the bronzer from the summer collection. Yes I know I need another bronzer like I need disco pants (I do not need or indeed want disco pants) but it was pretty.

Of course after buying this I got ANOTHER £5 VOT and picked up a pack of their face wipes. I like them but won’t pay the £7 price tag. The voucher makes the price a lot more palatable. On to the exciting stuff...

The gift with purchase consists of a makeup bag (rather fetching I think!), a full sized mascara (I got the Exceptional Definition), sample of their tinted moisturiser in Fair/ Medium, mini lipgloss in Sweet Peaches, Protect & Perfect Intense serum sample and a wee tube of Blissful body wash.

Have you taken advantage? Enquiring minds need to know, what do you recommend spending your £5 vouchers on? x

EOTD – Illamasqua Queen of the Night Pigment

First up apologies for being so craptacular with posting of late. It’s not like I disappeared completely but posts have definitely been more thin on the ground than they usually are. Why? I honestly don’t know. I have a long lists of posts to be written but when I sit in front of my laptop nothing comes out. Weird :S

Anyhoo on my eyes I used:

 Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Cotton as Primer

Chanel Mirifuque as a base just on the mobile lid

Illamasqua Queen of the Night over Mirifique/ lower lashline

The matte burgundy shade from the Sleek PPQ palette in the crease

White shimmery shade from PPQ on the inner corner

NYX Highlight on the brow bone

Black Barry M Liner on the water line

YSL Faux Cils Mascara

On the face I used:

(I forget what primer/ concealer/ powder..) MUA BB Cream

Diorskin Nude bronzer in 002 Amber

Benefit Sugarbomb (no highlighter, this is shimmery enough!)

On the Lips:

No7 Pink crush with Revlon Frankly Flirty over the top

My general thoughts on this are that the Illamasqua pigment is a little underwhelming on the eyes. It looks so sparkly and dark when swatched, on the eyes it falls a little flat. It’s quite an Autumnal look I think which is probably symptomatic of the out of season weather we are having here. I’m not complaining! I much prefer cold, wet, windy weather to being hot and sweaty ;) x

June Faves, Fails, Meh

Another month, another round of products. I can’t believe it’s June already! June is a big month for me. It’s my Birthday (25... booo) at the end of the month and last it was my second wedding anniversary! Insane. I can’t believe it has been two years and we haven’t killed each other yet! (I kid of course).

Fave  - Ginvera Marvel Green Tea Gel. Best thing I’ve put on my face all year! My skin texture is so much smoother since I started using this. Amazing!

Fail – Piz Buin Self Tanning Lotion & Colour Dial. I tried it last year and wasn’t keen on it. Now I’ve been trying to finish it and I’ve given up. The colour is just too yellow for me and it doesn’t suit so I’m sending it to my much more yellow toned sister in the hope she has more luck with it. I find it feels a bit sticky on  the skin too, it’s just not for me!

Fave – My Kindle! I’ve finally converted and I love. I’m now getting through loads of books as I can just chuck it in my handbag and my Good Reads challenge is finally getting somewhere.

Another Fave! - Diorskin Nude Tan in 002 Amber. I get such a thrill every time I pick up the gorgeous compact and the colour is great on me. It really warms up my skin and sculpts the face. Love it! 

Meh – Soap & Glory Hand Food. The Most Astonishing Hand Cream Ever? No. It’s perfectly ok but everyone and their cat was raving about this and it’s just not that amazing. The huge 125ml tube for £5 isn’t a bad deal but I have other hand creams (I’m a proper hand cream whore) that I prefer. Sorry Soap & Glory!

So what have you been loving and loathing recently?

*Oops! Forgot to say I bought everything apart from the Ginvera which was provided for review. I am not obliged to profess my undying love for it, I've been doing that of my own accord!* 

Benefit Dallas

I now have all of the Benefit Boxed powders! Woot! Reviews are still to come on Dandelion and 10. Yes I know collecting them all is a bit daft at £23.50 for 9g of product in cardboard packaging but bear in mind I bought almost all of them either with gift cards or Boots advantage points. Anyway, on to Dallas! 

The packaging is completely adorable. And the ‘’outdoor glow for an indoor gal” on the box couldn’t be any more appropriate for me in summer. I spend 99% of my time in door and the 1% I venture outside I am smothered with SPF so I can always use a little help faking a glow! Dallas is a pinkish bronze shade with a fine sheen to it. It’s definitely too pink and shimmery to be a bronzer, it is more of a bronzy blush.

It’s the sort of colour and finish that work really well on its own so I don’t feel the need to add bronzer and highlighter in order to give my face dimension. This is enough by its self. A word of caution though, this looks amazing when I am fake tanned to the hilt. I look healthy and like the sun has just caught my cheeks. But when I’m my natural pale self? It looks muddy and almost a little bruised. Pale skins beware and make sure you try it in store before shelling out the pennies.

Because I can really only use this when I’m tanned this does kind of restricts its use but I like it nonetheless. Do you need it? Well only if the colour suits you! I think it’s a fab shade for lazy summer days when I want quick and easy makeup without a million steps. The quality is good, it is pigmented and finely milled and blends easily (for some reason it looks a little wahed out in the above swatch :S Sorry abuot that) x

Swatch Sunday – Sleek Purples!

At the suggestion of Liloo, and because I’ve pretty much run out of samples for Sample Sunday, I’m starting a new miniseries. I’m going to start swatching a category of shades from all of the Sleek palettes and comparing them. I suppose the point is so you can see if the shade you are lusting after in one palette is actually already duped in one you own! To date they have released 22 palettes (not including the primer palette) and there is another Olympic inspired version on its way on July 4^th!

I thought I would kick off with purples. All are swatched on bare skin using one swipe of a finger and are named according to which palette they are in as not all of the palettes have individual shade names.

Bohemian, Circus Top Row, Circus Bottom Row,PPQ (Swatches in the same order)

Curious, Monaco, V2 Ultra Mattes, The Original

V1 Ultra Mattes, Curacao, Bad Girl, Sparkle

And finally Acid which incidentally I think is probably the best of the matte purples from this lot.

Well we have learned that I have enough purple shadow to last the apocalypse. And Sleek have a penchant for shimmery lilac shades! The matte shades, as with many brands, certainly do work much better with a sticky base.

Has this been in any way useful? No? Any other shades you would like to see comparison swatches of? x

Beauty Blog Link Love!

Read about how Beauty Reflections got her Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate for a great laugh!

 Check out a gorgeous taupe and violet eyeshadow duo this week on theNotice - and make sure to give the accompanying look a read, too!

 The Pink Sith reveals what was in her June Birchbox and if this was it's third strike or a home run!

 Is the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencil a more convenient form of their best selling gel-liner? Head over to Makeup, Beauty and More to find out!

 Get beauty schooled, with Krasey Beauty and Make Up For Ever.

 This week, Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed discovers the wonders of Yves Saint Laurent La Laque Couture - check out her swatches and see if you agree that the polish looks just as nice as the bottle!

 Phyrra has over 25 reasons for you to be happy this summer with the Meow Joys of Summer Collection!

 Gouldylox discovers a hair treatment that is nothing short of a miracle. The shampoo and Leave In Treatment work so well, my hay-like hair isn't missing a traditional conditioner!

  bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Glosses have become Prime Beauty's best friends!

 Don't know why your hair is perpetually flat and greasy? Silicones could be your issue! Here are a couple of tips to prevent silicone buildup on The Beauty Nerd, so that you can put some volume back into your hair!

 Hellcandy introduces Bex Londoner, a luxury range of unisex fragrances that capture the many distinct scents of London city.

Ginvera Green Tea Whitening Marvel Gel

Zero blackheads in one step? Sounds appealing! My skin is normally relatively well behaved but one problem that does persist is congestion. No matter how much I scrub and exfoliate I still have blackheads across my nose and rough bumpy skin elsewhere. I still had raised dark scars from the breakouts that I think were caused by a skin care item I tried several weeks ago and some flaky bits to boot (I’m painting a lovely picture here aren’t I). So I jumped at the chance to try this product. This claims to rub away layers of dead skin and by doing so clear blocked pores and leave brighter skin underneath.

I had thought that this would be a typical physical exfoliator with little scrubby bits in but it isn’t. It’s a completely smooth clear green tinted gel with no real fragrance that I can detect (which is a plus in my book, I don’t like fragranced skin care). You massage it into dry skin for 1 minute before rinsing off. At first I thought it wasn’t doing anything but after about 20 seconds I realised my face was covered in (and there is no pleasant way of saying this) balls of rolled up dead skin. I’m no chemist but I’m guessing this is a chemical exfoliant, and a pretty freaking fantastic one at that!

It does say it’s safe for daily use but after a week of solid use trialling it out I switched to using it every 2-3 days which I think is enough for my skin. It has certainly helped with the blackhead situation although I wouldn’t say I am 100% blackhead free. A couple of stubborn ones still linger but it’s a huge improvement from before.  For me the most dramatic change has been the texture of my skin. Gone are the rough, bumpy congested pores. The dry flaky remnants of past breakouts are now flat and smooth and encouragingly I haven’t had any new blemishes since I started using this.

So my skin looks clearer, feels smoother and as a result whatever makeup I apply now looks better because it has a smoother canvas. Because my pores are less gunked up they look less noticeable too! It’s not often a skin care product really makes an obvious, visible improvement to my skin. More often than not I’m judging producst on whether or not they have an adverse effect! This though has really surprised me. I can feel a real difference. This costs £22 from Janiro.co.uk

*Product was sent for review consideration. As usual this doesn’t affect my review, I am not obliged to provide a glowing review just because I didn’t pay for it!*

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows: Birthday Suit & Get Figgy

I love the Benefit Creaseless Cream shadows. On me, over a good primer, they really do last. Ok by the end of a long work day there is a little bunching up right in my crease but for cream products they do pretty darn well. *Confessions time* I don’t actually own these shades . I bought them as gifts for my mum ages ago and took the opportunity to try these shades out when visiting!

You get 4g in a sturdy glass pot for £14. Birthday suit is a slightly cool beige taupe. Get Figgy (love the name) is a burgundy with a slight purple tone to it. Both are shimmery. I find these apply best with fingers or dense synthetic brushes.

Here they are in action! Apologies for the sloppy application and wild brows. I was just throwing them on to see how they looked together. Personally I really like the combination! 

LUSH No Drought Dry Shampoo

I think my life can be separated in two periods. Life before dry shampoo, and life after. You see my hair is a royal pain in the arse. It gets greasy but reacts to being washed everyday by drying out and breaking off. Plus when it is short I have to blow dry and straighten it every time I wash it lest I look like I tumbled out of the 80’s. Sexy no? So I apply copious amounts of dry shampoo instead which allows me to get away with washing every 2 or 3 days thus saving me and my hair from a lot of heart ache.

I’m a Batiste Brunette disciple and normally go through 1 or two cans a month. There are only two things wrong with it. Firstly the cans tend to run out pretty quickly and secondly the aerosol delivery is neither particularly travel friendly or eco friendly. So I got suckered into buying the LUSH alternative. You get 115g for £6.50 which I suspect will last be several life times. I mean really, I’ve been using this for about a month and it looks brand new. The main ingredient is cornflower surprisingly (why did I buy it then, I have cornflower in my kitchen?)but it does have a lovely citrus fragrance to it which makes it feel less like I’m baking on my head.

I will cut to the chase. Yes this works. Pretty damn well actually. It absorbs all the oiliness brilliantly and even in my very dark hair doesn’t leave any white patches. But I still don’t like it. It’s the delivery method. You either shake the bottle over your roots or onto your hands then apply it to your hair. Either way it’s a complete mess. I end up covered in it! I have to use it before I get dressed otherwise my clothes look like they’ve been in a fight with a baker. It takes ages to evenly distribute it through my hair.

I’m sorry to say but for everyday ease of use I’m a little bit addicted to the aerosol can of Batiste. I just don’t have time to faff about with this bottle! It’s a great idea in principle and the product itself is good. I’m just too cackhanded to master it L

*Bought by me*

Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream

The one thing that has put me off trying ‘proper’ Asian BB creams is the fact that I couldn’t find a UK based distributor. Thankfully the Ginvera skin care range is now available from Janiro.co.uk which is UK based. Huzzah! At £20 for 25ml this is on the pricier side of the scale so I was keen to try some samples so I could judge for myself whether it was worth the cash.

For me the SPF30.PA+++ is a huge bonus. This really is one of those products you can throw on and go in the Summer without having to faff about with separate skincare, sunscreen or primer which is exactly what I want from a BB cream. The texture is much, much thinner than other BB creams I’ve tried the side effect of which is that you need very little and it spreads seamlessly over the skin. I prefer to apply it with fingers.

In addition to the SPF it has other skincare properties. Green Tea, Ginseng and Chinese Angelica nourish the skin. Hyaluronic Acid is in there too which (and bear with me, it’s a couple of years since I did any chemistry!) is hydrophilic meaning that it attracts water. This has the effect of plumping the skin. I find this to be relatively hydrating but not to the point where it slides of my oily bits.

Skincare aside I have been using this in place of foundation and I’m pleased with the results. When I first swatched it I thought it would be too dark for me but it is a surprisingly good match on my pale skin. I’m not sure how it would work for deeper skin tones though, although it is marketed as being suitable for all skin tones I’m a sceptical. On me though, it works. Initially it has a distinct greyish cast to it but after a few minutes it seems to settle on the skin and takes on a slightly beige/ pink tone. The effect is quite brightening on me. The coverage is light to medium – more medium than light. It does an excellent job of taking down redness but I need a bit of concealer on any blemishes.

The finish is supposed to be matte but on my oily bits I find it to be a little more glowy. I do feel the need to set this with a powder (as I do almost every base). It is very flattering on me and does not pool in my large pores at all. It is a very natural finish on me, a far cry from the heavier foundations I’m used to. It lasts pretty well on me too.

The samples I received lasted me around a week which has reassured me that although you only get 25ml of product that would probably be enough to last me a very long time as I use so little for each application. I really prefer this to a lot of the more orange (in general) toned tinted moisturiser style BB creams you normally find on the Western. And the fact that you don’t have to buy it from overseas thus incurring customs charges sweetens the deal. I like it! X

*These samples were provided free of charge for review purposes. My opinions are my own as always and are not influenced by how I come to try a product. You all know me, I can be brutally honest!*

Sleek Eau La La Liners – Pumpkin & Bullion

What’s that you say? Brand spanking new liners from one of my favourite high street brands? Waterproof? And multipurpose?! *Does a little dance of glee*. There are 20 gloriously mad and wearable shades for £4 each on the Sleek website (can’t find them on the Superdrug site just now but I think they might have been a couple of pence less when I bought them in store).

According to Sleek these pencils are perfect for use on the eyes, lips, brows and body. I picked up the shade Bullion, a bright shimmery yellow gold with a view to using it on the eyes. Pumpkin, a bright matte almost neon orange, has been equally useful to me on the eyes and the lips.

The texture is very soft and creamy and these transfer very well onto the waterline where they wear for 6-7 hours on me. Pumpkin lasts a little longer than Bullion and shows up slightly better too. On the lips Pumpkin is quite drying and can be a little patchy. You need to smoosh it in with a finger to get an even finish but again it lasts for a very long time. It works best as a lip liner under a more moisturising lipstick.

So yes I do love these. I love the formula, the colour range and the price. But sadly it all went horribly wrong with Pumpkin. I went to sharpen it and look...

A great big chunk of the lead fell out! I tweeted Sleek who said I should return it to the Superdrug where I had bought it but sadly I no longer had the receipt. This is the only thing that is stopping me from going and buying the rest of the shades. I’d be curious to know if anyone else has had this problem?

*Bought by me*