April – 2014 – Hellbent for Lipstick

Make-up

Bourjois Paris Little Round Pot Blush in “Rose d’Or” Review

April 30, 2014

Recently, I’ve been lusting after the Bourjois blushers like nobody’s business. I admit I’ve always been a fan of their whole range, but the really good stuff is just out of my price range and I really can’t justify buying it when I already have so many things. This one however, has been following me around like a lost puppy for months, so on a recent Boots trip after finding out I had over £40 worth of points on my card, I may have had a little accident and dropped this in my basket … whoops.

I still don’t know if it was the cute packaging, or the creamy blush texture that really sold this for me. I couldn’t quite decide on which shade I wanted to go for out of the whole range available, but I ended up with “Rose d’Or/Golden Rose” – a beautiful, shimmery pink colour. When swatched, it’s even more gorgeous than in it’s adorable packaging – which is also blessed with a mirror! It’s perfect for blending and does come with a teeny application brush, but let’s face it girls – who actually uses these? I also think it’s made from animal hair which is also a bit of a no no. Despite this, I’m in love – it’s also slightly perfumed, which really reminds me of sitting a my mother’s dressing table and playing with her powders when I was little.

A little more than I would usually pay for a single blusher, but totally worth it. For £7.99 you can be the proud owner of this delicate, yet feminine blush from your nearest Boots. This little round pot has stirred something inside of me and I can only imagine that little something is the urge to go out and buy the rest of the collection!

Have you tried Bourjois’ Little Round Pot range? If so I’d love to know what shades you picked and what you thought.

Totally hellbent for spending my hard earned points on something I really really want!

-Pants

Make-up

Internet Haul – Real Techniques & Make-Up Revolution

April 29, 2014

I’ve been doing some big hauling recently, but this is the last for one a loooong time!

I’ve been dying to try out some of the bits and pieces from Make-Up Revolution, so when I saw their Easter offer of a free gift with every purchase I had to take advantage!

The first thing I knew I had to have was the Scandalous Lip Collection (£1 each), the blue lipstick in particular called out to me and I’m already in love with it! I haven’t tried foiling eye-shadow in a while so I thought I’d give the Awesome Metals Foil Finish (£4.00) set a try. No Make-Up Revolution haul would be complete without trying out one of their much talked about eyeshadow palettes! I chose Sticks and Stones (£4.00) but really I want them all! My last pick was the Vivid Blush Laquer in Bloom (£3.00), I figured I have a whole host of bright blushes but not many subtle ones! My free gift with the Easter special offer was two Pure Pigment Eye Dusts in Levity and Cautious (worth £1 each), a black Kajal (worth £2) and a lovely minty nail polish in Cool Days (worth £1)

So far the quality of all the products looks amazing for the price and I can’t wait to have a play with them all!

I’ve been after some more Real Techniques brushes for a while, but when I found this amazing offer on Ebay I had to grab them right away! I got the Core Collection, Travel Essentials and Eye Starter Kit worth just over £60 for only £40 (with P&P added in) from this American ebay listing! You can read Amie’s review of all the sets here! I also got a cute NYX lipgloss as a free gift!

My to-review pile is stocking up, so I’m now officially on a spending ban! No more beauty products for the whole of May, can I keep it up? Argh. We will see! I still have packages to come from Latest in Beauty and Geek Chic Cosmetics so that should keep me going!

Totally hellbent for one last spending splurge!

– Gem

Candles

Sunday Scents: Yankee Candle Wax Tart in “Soft Cotton”

April 27, 2014

My love of Yankee Candles has been ongoing for many years now. I’m always on the look out for cheap wax tarts to fill up my oil burners and usually have a good stash in the cupboard. When Gem told me that Asda had these tarts for as little as a pound, I had to get in on it. I usually pay between £0.99 and £1.50 per tart when I get them from the internet so it’s handy to know I can pop down the road to pick up some of these treasures for around the same price.

For those that have never tried a tart before, you simply use it in place of oil in a burner, place your candle underneath and leave the aroma to brighten up the room. I prefer them to scented candles as I think you get more of a fragrance out of them. The burn time is allegedly 8 hours per tart but I’ve found it varies depending on the fragrance. My recent Cinnamon and Sugar tart probably kept it’s fragrance for around this time but my Black Cherry tart is used at least once or twice a week and has been going for over a year and a half.

I’ve not tried the Soft Cotton wax tart before, but it has a beautiful light and airy smell, it reminds me a little of Febreeze, which I absolutely love and it’s perfect to burn in the bathroom to give the upstairs a nice gentle aroma. I’ve also found that this scent isn’t too heavy but since using it, has left the whole of my upstairs smelling absolutely beautiful.

The other advantage of wax tarts is that they can be easily removed from your oil burner and stored somewhere else if you fancy burning something else. I usually burn mine until they stop smelling and for my smaller burners, I break off a little of the tart at a time which makes them last longer.

Ultimately I think this is yet another Tart to add to my favourites collection and I’ll definitely be putting this in my shopping trolley again.

For a range of Yankee Candle tarts you can visit The Scented Candle Shop website for some great deals, alternatively if you want to try a more limited range, visit your local Asda and pick them up for just £1!

Totally hellbent for a beautiful cotton bathroom smell that combats the post walkies bath, wet doggy smell.

-Pants

Make-up

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Striking

April 27, 2014

After discovering my love for matte lip finishes with the MUA Matte Lipsticks I was eager to have a look around and see what other shine-free offerings are about. The Revlon Colourburst Matte Balms have been all over the blogosphere recently, and with all the good reviews I’ve seen it was only a matter of time before one accidentally fell into my shopping basket.

I chose Striking, a orange-red (of course it was going to be a red!). The balm is very buttery and has a nice minty scent that makes it feel more like a traditional balm than a lipstick, the finish however is far more pigmented than I expected. It applies very smoothly and you do get a slight sheen at first, but after a few minutes the gloss fades and you are left with a lovely bright velvet finish that surprisingly last for hours.

I wouldn’t choose this for an evening or stage look, as I think some of the brightness fades away, even if the colour remains, but for daytime wear this is absolutely perfect for a pop of colour without being too in-your-face.

Unfortunately for my bank balance I’m a real fan of this product and definitely have my eye on a few other shades (especially the much coveted Shameless!)

Available from Superdrug.com for only £5.99 at the moment! (Normal price £7.99)

Totally hellbent for this whole matte look thing after all!

– Gem

Skincare

Deep Steep Moisture Stick Review

April 23, 2014

The Deep Steep Moisture Stick was received as part of my first ever Love me Beauty March Box. Since the moment I’ve taken this out the box, its been a definite staple in my everyday routine and now has pride of place amongst my hand creams on my desk. I am one to suffer dry skin I am forever carrying around tiny pots of moisturiser that either open up in the bottom of my bag or leave my hands greasy after applying liberal amounts on the go when I’m far from a hand washing facility. I’ve never heard of Deep Steep before, but I’ve swapped my tiny tubs for this tiny – but mighty – tube.

Unlike conventional moisturisers, this is more of a balm in a roll up container in “honeydew – spearmint”. It glides onto the skin without you having to splodge any cream into your hand first and slowly absorbs leaving those irritating dry patches beautifully smooth. The scent is not too powerful and gives a refreshing yet subtle minty fragrance which doesn’t irritate the skin. Because of it’s balm like consistency, you also get accuracy with your application and this is perfect for on the go, whether you are in the car or out for dinner you can grab it from your handbag, apply as required and need not worry about having to wash your hands or having excess cream to rub in elsewhere. Packed with natural ingredients, there doesn’t seem to be a harsh preservative or chemical in sight and better yet it’s completely Vegan with an assurance of no animal testing.

As if the above wasn’t enough to tempt you, it also comes in a range of scents; from “lavender – chamomile” to “vanilla – sugar” (yes please). From their online shop here it”s $5.05 for a 15g stick but I don’t think they ship to the UK, having said that, I’ve also found this on the Feel Unique website for £4.95 on their but you don’t have a choice of the whole range. After taking a peek at some of Deep Steep’s other products available on their site I am definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for stock in the UK. (Ahem Deep Steep take note).

If ever there was a product I have fallen head over heels for from the moment I cast my eyes upon it, this is one of them. I’m even incredibly excited about taking this with me on one of my occasional night shifts to keep my skin hydrated throughout!

Have you tried the Deep Steep moisture stick out? If so what were your thoughts? We’d also like to hear of any other Deep Steep products you’ve tried!

Totally hellbent for fully controlled and zero mess, portable moisture – wherever – whenever

-Pants

Skincare

Nip + Fab Viper Venom Eye Fix Review

April 23, 2014

I’ve got a lot of love for Nip + Fab, so I picked this up with very high expectations. We all want those wonder products that fix everything and perform miracles, and there are so very many with such extraordinary promises that don’t follow up. This however is not one of them.

The Nip + Fab Viper Venom Eye Fix is a cooling eye treatment in with a roller ball applicator that claims to smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles and target dark circles, now I’m lucky enough not to worry about fine lines (at least not just yet – eek!) but I do suffer from dark circles and tired looking eyes.

I’ve been using this for a few weeks now and I have to say it really has made a huge difference to my dark circles! I’ve tried a few other roller ball style eye treatments in the past and none of them have come close to the refreshing cooling sensation you get with this. It really does brighten and tighten the area, and the longer I use it the better the results seem to be.

The Nip + Fab Viper Venom Eye Fix is a great fix for the morning after the night before or just for those super early mornings when you need a little pick me up, but personally I’ve started using it almost every day just to keep myself looking bright eyed and bushy tailed no matter how little sleep I’ve had!

Overall another amazing Nip + Fab product to add to the collection, and I’d definitely recommend giving it a try!

I’d be really interested to find out if it works as well on fine lines, has anyone out there seen any results from using this?

The Nip + Fab Viper Venom usually retails for around £14.99 but I’ve found it here on Allbeauty.com for only £5.95!

Totally hellbent for a wonder product that actually works!

– Gem

Beauty Boxes

Love Me Beauty Box Review April 2014 – Menu 1

April 22, 2014

It’s the 22nd and my April Love Me Beauty box has only just arrived!

Unlike other beauty boxes Love Me Beauty allows you to pick from three menus, so you know exactly what you will get in each monthly box. This month I picked menu 1, and here’s what I received!

Betty Hula Secret Wonder Oil Roller Ball

There’s been loads of oils in recent beauty boxes, and I was a sceptic at first but I’ve quickly fallen in love with the natural herb-y scents and amazing results! This reminds me of the Balance Me Radiance Facial Oil only for your body instead. I love the vintage design on the packaging and can definitely see me buying another once I’ve worked through this one!

Full Size

£6.25 from Bettyhula.co.uk

Models Own Nail Polish in Coral Reef

I’m a big fan of the Models Own polishes and love a good bright coral shade so this was a perfect product for me! The bright pinky red went straight on my nails and gave such amazing coverage I only had to use one coat!

Full Size

£5 from Modelsownit.com

Neal & Wolf Silk Smoothing Blow-Dry Balm

I’m pretty lazy with my hair as unless I’m in a hurry I just leave it to dry naturally. On the occasions I do use a hair dryer I find that I get lots of flyaway and frizz so this will be great to try out! It claims to provide moisture, balance and manageability and leave hair sleek straight and silky-smooth so I’ve got high hopes! It’s definitely worth mentioning that the smell is absolutely divine too!

Full Size

£12.50 from Nealandwolf.com

Redken Colour Extend Conditioner

Considering I’ve had blue hair for about six years now, I’m always looking for ways to fight against fading colour and thus save me the hassle of a six hour hair dying session for a little longer! I’ve tried various conditioners for coloured hair over the years but none have really taken my fancy, I’m always willing to try one more though! There’s only enough for one use on my long thick hair, but if you have shorted hair I think you could get a few washes out of this.

25ml Sample

250ml for £9.99 from Gorgeousshop.co.uk

Hello Fresh Gift Voucher

This card wasn’t advertised as being part of the box so I was quite surprised to find it, however having peeked around a few other blogs it seems that everyone received one this month regardless of which menu they chose. It’s worth £25 but the cheapest thing you can purchase is £39. Definitely a perk if you use this service or are interested to try it, but not something I think I will use.

www.HelloFresh.co.uk

Overall I think it was a pretty good box with three full sized items. Nothing I’m ga-ga crazy about but nothing I dislike either (other than the voucher which I wasn’t expecting anyway).

If you want to try a Love Me Beauty box of your own you can order them from Lovemebeauty.com for £10 + P&P!

Totally hellbent for so many full size products!

– Gem

Make-up

MUA Matte Lipsticks Review and Swatches

April 21, 2014

I actually picked these up a while ago, but they’ve sat in my “to be reviewed” pile for far too long so I thought it was finally time to break them out and give them some wear! I picked up all five shades available (l-R) Peachy Keen, Pouty Pink, Totally Nude, Wild Berry & Scarlet Siren, though I’ve seen that there are two more shades floating around now (which of course I will need to find and add to complete the collection!)

The packaging is identical to the usual £1 MUA lipsticks, only the plastic tube is white instead of black which I think I strangely actually prefer. This is my first real foray into matte lipsticks as I’m usually a fan of glossy bold shades, but I have to say I really like them. All five apply really well and give good coverage for a budget brand, however I wouldn’t say they are absolutely true colours on the lips, especially Wild Berry which is unfortunately no-where near as dark on the lips.

All five have a nice creamy consistency and though I was worried they might dry my lips out, they actually made them feel quite moisturised which is a nice perk!

The MUA Matte Lipsticks are a great way to try out the matte finish without splurging on more expensive brands, but I do think they fall down massively in one place and that’s longevity. Without Lipcote (which I almost always use) they barely last an hour without fading, though I do expect a lot from my lipsticks when they have to survive me puffing on my E-Cig and chugging down water constantly. Lipcote however does extend their wear to a good few hours, so if you don’t mind adding another product into the mix you can get a lot more wear out of all the shades.

Overall I think it’s a good range of colours and I’ll likely get wear out of them all except for Totally Nude which I think is a bit “concealer lips” (is that in fashion again?).

At only £1 each you can’t really make too many complaints, and I will be seeking out the two new shades added to the range once they go on sale.

Available from Superdrug.com

Totally hellbent for a purse-friendly fun range of colours!

– Gem

Nails

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Colour in Iconic Indigo, Electric Emerald, Red-y Response & Silver Elements

April 20, 2014

Today I want to share with you another amazing Poundland find! Sally Hansen is a brand I absolutely love, and I must have at least thirty different polishes from various lines but I’ve never paid more than £1 for a single one of them! At any time you can find a variety of Sally Hansen polishes in most Poundland stores, and this week I picked up these magnetic nail colours that are so much fun!

I missed out on the trend when it first appeared because I was sure it would be fussy and complicated (but Amie was really into it as you can see from her post here!) but it was the colours that drew me in this time. The great thing about magnetic polishes is that you can wear them without the pattern so you essentially get two looks with each shade. I thought I might just wear these four lovely metallic shades (Iconic Indigo, Electric Emerald, Red-y Response & Silver Elements) as they are, because they swatched so beautifully, but once I had a play with the magnet I knew I was smitten!

The great thing about the Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Colours is that the magnet is in the polish lid (though it is removable which makes using it -much- easier!) so there’s no rooting around in your nail polish storage. You simply paint each nail in turn and hold the lid over for a few seconds to get the lovely wavy design. These four polishes all have the same pattern magnet but you can get a wide variety to give different effects.

I’ve been wearing Iconic Indigo for a few days now and there is only minimal chipping at the nail tips, so I think with a good quality top coat you could easily get a few days longer out of them!

If they take your fancy, have a root around your local Poundland or look on Amazon or Ebay!

Totally hellbent for pretty nails at minimal effort

– Gem

Skincare

Dermalogica UltraCalming Review

April 18, 2014

You may recall many post ago Gem and I gave in to the Glamour Beauty Edit 3, one of the main perks of this being the miniature dermalogica UltraCalming starter kit. Well it may have taken a little while but I’ve finally cracked this open and put it to good use! The UltraCalming range is supposed to be well suited to those that suffer from flare ups or inflammation due to sensitivity of their skin – which sounds absolutely perfect for me! In this mini starter kit, you receive a cleanser, a facial mist, a serum and a face mask.

UltraCalming Cleanser

I’ve been very much enjoying my Soap and Glory “Peaches and Clean” facial cleanser for some time now so it was a little hard to push that to one side to try this out. I was very impressed by how fresh my skin felt afterwards and it didn’t seem as dry our angry after I’d washed it. I think I’d have to use this over a much longer period of time though to see if this is a new cleanser for me as it’s quite difficult to judge over a 1-2 week period (I think I can just about managed to squeeze 2 full weeks out of this sample). It’s priced at £26.90 on the dermalogica website and I’m not sure how I feel about splashing out that much cash on a cleanser at the moment and it’s a risk if after three weeks my skin decides that actually it doesn’t like this any more and it’s going to throw a strop (yes this actually happens!) I’m surprised at just how long Soap and Glory has managed to stay in my morning cleansing regime!

UltraCalming relief masque

Like most face masks, this should be applied after cleansing and left for around 10 minutes. I admit I haven’t tried this yet because I’m saving it for a nice pamper day but I’m intrigued as to how this feels when applied and also the end result. The full sized product is priced at £40.10 which is very steep for a face mask and even if this worked wonders I’m not entirely sure I could justify spending that much money on a product that I wouldn’t use as regularly as a moisturiser. When I do crack this out though, I’ll be sure to let you know how it was! You can see this on the dermalogica website here.

UltraCalming mist

I’ve been using this for the past few weeks now, the idea is that you spray your face and neck before applying serum and moisturiser. It’s become part of my morning routine and I am rather enjoying it. I’m going to be sad when I run out if I’m being completely honest. The website describes this as a soothing mist that can quickly calm redness and is used to lock in moisture and prime skin. One of my biggest problems in the morning is after I’ve washed my face, my skin feels really dry and I can usually see it beginning to redden. It’s a bit of a race against the clock to try and slap my moisturiser on as quickly as possible before it dries out any more. This spray however is very lightweight and does seem to calm my skin down during that initial period. It’s not too greasy and absorbs beautifully. I usually leave this for a few minutes before going ahead with the serum which seems to work. At £28.30 for 177ml it’s not quite as extortionate as the face mask and I would probably be inclined to invest in this having tried it. It’s available direct from the website here.

UltraCalming serum concentrate

At first this seemed a little watery, but after a bit of shaking, the consistency thickened a little and was easier to apply. I’ve been using this straight after the mist and I have noticed a huge difference, mostly towards the afternoon of each day. Usually about lunch time I feel like I need to top up my moisturiser or my skin begins to feel tighter, but since using this I’ve been fine up until the evening when I re-cleanse and get down with my evening routine. I’ve had not crazy red patches that have suddenly broken out on me because I’ve dared use a slightly different product and I’ve actually really enjoyed using it. It is currently priced at £52.60 which is very expensive for a serum and is a little off putting. You can view the serum here but although I’ve loved the results of this it definitely is out of my price range.

My only issue with this starter set is that it didn’t come with a moisturiser, which really would have completed it and given me a good all round regime to try out. Although it’s produced some great results, I definitely can not afford to splurge on each item and although dermalogica sell a starter set of minis similar to this for £43.60 it just wont keep me going long enough! I do keep telling myself that I should spend a little more on my facial care but my current regime is serving me well. I may consider buying the UltraCalming mist at some point when my bank balance looks a bit healthier but that may be a long way off given my most recent shopping sprees!

Have you tried any of the dermalogica UltraCalming range? What sort of price would you expect to pay for skincare? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Totally -not- hellbent for “sorry I can’t afford your absolutely amazing skin care range”

-Pants