Category Archives: beauty

The Ultimate Summer Glow with Rimmel London

07th July 2017

I’m not usually a bronzer kind of girl- for 11 months of the year at least. And then we get that rare window of time, as we creep in to July and everyone around me looks golden and gorgeous and I still give skimmed milk a run for it’s money in the translucent stakes.

It’s then I frantically start my search for the perfect army of glow givers- the products that will make it look like my skin has actually seen sunlight and reacted to it rather than stubbornly refuse to acknowledge those rays. I’m yet to find my “go-to” products so I was pretty excited when a selection from Rimmel popped through my door, just in time for that yearly mission.

*products c/o Rimmel*

My main bugbear with bronzer type products is that they are almost always too dark for my skin, and near impossible to blend so I approached this selection with some caution…there’s a fine line between a bit of colour on your cheeks and just looking, well, a bit grubby.
The Insta Duo Contour Stick is a great addition to your holiday makeup bag as it contains a highlighter and contour shade in one handy stick. I don’t get on with contouring as a rule so probably wouldn’t have purchased this product myself, but the highlighter shade (in light) is wonderful especially blended in to where the sun would naturally hit.
I already own one of these Kate Moss Sculpting Palette (in coral) and love it so I was keen to try the Golden Bronze version. Again I skipped over the darkest shade, but the highlighter and blushers are wonderful and blend nicely to give a great Summer hint of colour. This is another product that would be perfect to take on holiday due to it’s three in one nature and at £6.99 for what is effectively three products it’s a bit of a bargain.
My first thought on this Radiance Shimmer Brick was that it would be far too dark for me, but applied with a light hand and some careful blending it’s actually really not. This is probably my favourite bronzing product I have tried to date and it gives some serious radiance with it’s multiple tones. I’ll be using this all through the Summer months- and probably stocking up whilst the Rimmel range is on offer in Superdrug.
I didn’t actually try the Sunshimmer Instant Tan as I was sent the medium matte shade which I just knew would be far too dark. I really like the idea of an instant matte tan though, and at £6.99 I might pick up the light version to see what’s what. I’ve only ever fake tanned a handful of times in my life as, well, frankly I’m too impatient…but with instant results and a shower off formula I don’t see a reason not to give this a go if I get any special invites over the Summer months.
What are your go to bronzing products? I’m especially interested in hearing from fellow pale people.

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Post contains press samples and affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Posted in beauty, brands I love, make up, review

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Beauty- SENSSE Anti-Ageing Facial Cleansing Brush and Exfoliator

28th June 2017
I feel like I should preface this post by saying I am a complete novice in the field of facial cleansing brushes. They’ve been on the beauty scene for a little while now but it wasn’t until my Mum got one for Christmas a couple of years ago and raved about that I started to think about actually getting one myself.

I never did get around to it though. My skincare regime is basic at best and I always had other places where my money could be better used (judging by my current collection that use appears to be lipstick…). Since I’m now at that grand old age of 30 and noticing more fine lines and wrinkles by the day, when I was given the chance to try out the SENSSE Anti-Ageing Facial Cleansing Brush and Exfoliator* I pretty much jumped at the chance.

As I mentioned at the start of the post I don’t have any prior experience of facial cleansing brushes so I couldn’t tell you how it compared to some of the most popular brands out there so sorry if you were hoping for that.

The SENSEE Anti-Ageing Facial Cleansing Brush (and exfoliator) has super soft bristles that are designed to gently massage your skin to stimulate the production of collagen which in turn reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
I really like that there are three different intensity levels, I started myself off on the lowest one as I didn’t know how brutal it might be or how my skin would react- the higher levels are designed for deep exfoliation so best saved for occasional use I think.

The device has a built in battery which apparently lasts for up to 60 uses (I can’t confirm or deny at this point!) and it can be used anywhere. Probably my favourite feature is the built in timer which sounds every 20 seconds to remind you to move on to a new area of skin. I’m pretty sure without it I’d have scrubbed my face raw by now.

The process of using it is really simple. You remove makeup first which automatically means it’s getting me back in t to the habit of doing this! You then apply your cleanser of choice to moisturised skin and glide the device over your face in circular motions for 20 seconds per area. Finally you rinse and dry your face and revel in that deep clean, fresh feeling.

For my skin using this every day is a bit too much- I’m down to about three times a week which suits me perfectly. Whilst I can’t claim I suddenly look ten years younger my skin does look brighter and healthier for having a decent cleansing routine again and if I can keep up regular use I am hoping it’ll keep any further fine lines from appearing just yet.

It’s also a very easy on the eye piece of kit. White and rose gold is a colour combination destined to please any beauty blogger and the compact charging stand and USB connector keep things neat and tidy. At the moment you can get this for £69.99 which seems reasonable when you compare to other brand leaders so if you’re in the market for a new cleansing brush or are looking to try one for the first time this is definitely one to consider.

Have you tried any of SENSEE’s products before? It’s not a brand I was familiar with before now and I’d be interested to know what else people would recommend.

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Posted in beauty, review, skincare

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Get Cara’s Camo Look with Rimmel

20th June 2017
Rimmel have recently launched a limited edition collection exclusive to Superdrug. The range is fronted by Cara Delevingne and is called Cara’s Camo Collection. As the name would suggest the products are all based upon the bang on trend camouflage look- from the shades of the products to the packaging itself, and it’s all finished with Rimmel’s trademark Union Jack print.
I haven’t reviewed the entire range as some of the products are ones I’ve tried and featured before- the brow gels for example [the clear and dark brown are staples of mine]. Same goes for the lipstick, although I’m certainly glad to have a back up of this shade as it’s the most perfect nude I’ve found on the high street!
I’m not a black nail polish kind of girl but the other two colours in the collection are right up my street and perfect for pulling together an on trend look this Summer. I’m already a huge fan of Rimmel’s 60 second shine range and camo girl and desert disguise are fantastic additions to the collection.
Most people by now know I love my mascaras and I’m always on the look out for great new additions to my ever-growing army of them. The Extra 3D Lash Mascara is the first mascara by Rimmel to give a multi-dimensional look and one swift coat of this gives a voluminous, defined look that I’m seriously loving.
One of the first makeup items I ever owned was the original Hide the Blemish concealer stick from Rimmel and it’s been an absolute staple ever since. This is the same product we know and love bought up to date with it’s camouflage disguise. The main reason I love this product so much is that it’s a great all-rounder. It hides blemishes and conceals dark circles equally well and it’s perfect for me at the weekend’s when I’m staying at my boyfriend’s and don’t want to pack endless makeup products.
Another multi-tasking product I love from this collection is the Highlighter Pencil. You can use it to life the brow arch, or to highlight the brow bones and I’ve actually also been using it in the inner corners of my eyes for a wide-awake look when I’m really not feeling it!
The entire collection is available Superdrug and as well as being ridiculously affordable in the first instance it’s also currently on a 3 for 2 offer so now’s the time to snap it up!

Have you tried any products from this collection? What limited edition packaging would you like to see from Rimmel?

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Products sent to me c/o Rimmel for blog consideration. Post contains affiliate links.

Posted in beauty, brands I love, fashion, make up, review, shopping

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My Must Haves from Essence

14th June 2017
Another week and another new product from my favourite budget makeup brand Essence. The “My Must Haves” eyeshadow palette is something I’ve seen pop up on a few blogs recently and I just knew it was going to be a winner.

Eyeshadow palettes are tricky territory if you’re buying them pre-made, they can be a bit of a false economy really- I’ve lost track of how many I’ve bought only to use one or two of the shades and ignore the rest, then feeling horribly guilty when the rest of the palette sits there neglected and unloved.

As with all Essence products this is an absolute bargain. The empty case costs £1.50 for a four colour palette and £2 for an eight colour one. The individual products themselves then cost a mere £1.50 each making it a great way to create on-trend looks for every season.

Although my palette is filled with eyeshadows (which live up to the usual highly pigmented and long-lasting Essence standard) you can also get blushes, a lip base and powders, highlighter, bronzer and fixing powder. With the 32 product strong selection the opportunities for customisation are endless.

My personal palette is embracing my current love for all things pink when it comes to beauty- it might look a bit scary but the shade “raspberry frosting” is so bright and fun for summer and also works well as a blusher shade too.

The palette is super easy to pop together with a secure special click mechanism meaning your shades are safe and secure, but also easy to interchange.

You can pick up these products from selected Wilko stores and the Wilko website. For the full range of shades available hop on over to the Essence site and customising. I highly recommend these as a fun and affordable way to update your makeup, and perfect for taking away on holiday where you don’t want to lug your full makeup collection with you.

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Products in this post sent to me for blog consideration, all opinions are my own.

Posted in beauty, brands I love, make up, review

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Lee Stafford Ubuntu Oils Hairdryer

05th June 2017
I’ve become one of those girls I never thought I’d become. One who relies entirely on her hair styling tools and who panics at thought of being without them. I’ve also become very interested in new ideas when it comes to heat styling hair so when the opportunity came up to review a hairdryer infused with Ubuntu Oil to help heal your hair I was very intrigued to say the least.

All this from a girl who up until about a year ago only actually dried her hair about twice a year!

The Lee Stafford Ubuntu Oils Hairdryer*
 promises a lot of things. It claims to dry hair faster, give you salon quality at home and heal your hair. Big talk for a little device that costs under £25 right?

But somehow it does it all. It certainly made short work of drying my hair which is a massive bonus for me because it usually takes me ages and I get incredibly fed up doing it. My standard (as in non-infused) hair dryer is also a Lee Stafford model and that’s also pretty quick at it’s job but this one has a noticeable edge.

Salon quality wise I’m not really able to compare because I rarely get my hair dried at a salon but as with all Lee Stafford products that I’ve tried (my thoughts on the academy hair straightener here) I’ve been genuinely impressed especially with the small price tag attached.

Of course the really interesting and unique thing about this model is the African Ubuntu Oil infused grille. It’s designed to pamper, nourish and repair your hair after drying making frizz a thing of the past. I’ve only used this a couple of times so far so there hasn’t been time for a dramatic difference but I would say my hair is less frizzy than usual- which is no mean feat at this time of year when the struggle against humidity goes up a notch. I’ll report back on any longer term effects but even if the Ubuntu Oil turned out to be nothing but a gimmick I’d still be more than happy with this dryer- it’s lightweight, good looking and gets my hair dry in around 2/3 of the time it’d usually take. At £24.99 you really can’t go wrong with this.

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Posted in beauty, hair, lifestyle, review

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