Out with the old…

Reviewed by Tams

I was stuck in a rut in regards to the smokey-eye, that’s all I ever did. Inspired by Kate at What Kate Did Next I decided to give neutrals a chance and picked myself up a cheap starter palette.

This is MUA Professional (Makeup Academy) Undressed Palette, it has 12 mostly neutral eyeshadows from pink to gold to blue. It was also only £4 in Superdrug, which is great for someone like me who doesn’t want to fork out before I know if I like it.

Last night for a show I attended I used the gold on the bottom left across the whole of the bottom half of my eye-lid. The one next to it for the outside corners and the top right for the top half of my lid and I blended it all in. I also used Benefit High Beam, a MAC Eye Liner and MAC Zoom Lash Mascara. It looked amazing, the photo below doesn’t do it justice.. probably wasn’t my best idea to take it next to a sunny window or in a rush.

I did find that it look a little bit of effort to get the colour to show up as much as I wanted it to but I was happy with the ovaral result in the end. It was really easy to use and it wasn’t too powdery so I didn’t end up getting more of it on my cheeks than my eyelids! It also comes with an eyeshadow brush, I didn’t find this useful it was too long to be accurate and wasn’t very good at transferring the colour to the eyelids, but it was a very cheap palette and I just used my own brushes in the end.

I also tried out another look this morning, a nice summer day look but I didn’t have time to get a photo of that. However, it did show me that the possibilities when using this palette are endless and I’m definitely going out with the old and in with the new. This is the start to me experimenting with new looks, you never know what might actually suit you unless you try!

These palettes also come in a range of other colours from brights to browns and glitters.

What I love most: The endless possibilities, perfect for going from day in the office to drinks in town.

What I like least: It takes a bit of effort to build up the colour. The brush included isn’t very good.

Try it: £4.00, www.superdrug.com

Festival nails! Go neon!

Reviewed by Donna, written by Tams

With Glastonbury going on Donna and I are starting to get excited for V Fest in around 6 weeks and we’re turning our attention to all things fashion and beauty when at a festival.

I got this Barry M Special Edition Nail paint free yesterday and it isn’t my colour so I handed it over to my favourite neon-loving friend, Donna. The colour is bright and summery and perfect to stand out at a festival. Donna absolutely loves the colour and will probably need to re-purchase before we get anywhere near V!

Donna found it really easy to apply and the results are awesome. This is a limited edition summer nail paint so if you love it, probably best to stock up now. I absolutely love the on-trend Aztec pattern on the bottle too.

The shade is Vernis a Onlges and having seen it on Donna’s nails I can admit I may be changing my mind about the colour.. sexy, summery and makes a statement.

What Donna loves most: The vibrant colour.

Try it: £2,99, www.barrym.com

I say: Team it with a bright eyeshadow for the real wow-factor in the festival crowds.

In the Summertime When the Weather is Fine….

Reviewed by Tams

With the sun finally shining in Essex I had a hankering for gorgeous summer nails, I took a trip to Superdrug and among other things (Shh don’t tell my husband) I came back with these!

I choose a bright summer colour that is very on trend right now, I also thought I’d finally have a go at Gelly nail polish. I always love the colours Barry M provide and it was sooo hard to choose today but I went for Greenberry Gelly High Shine Nail paint, I also picked up the All in One Basecoat, Topcoat and Hardener.

I have really brittle nails so it was great to have an all-in-one that contains hardener. I painted on this as a basecoat first and it dried really quickly. I then popped on the nail paint which was really easy to use, even a novice like me got a great result!

The colour is definitely as beautiful on as it is in the bottom and there was no need to use the all-in-one as a topcoat as it is so shiny all on its own. I was a bit worried when I first put it on as it looked a bit of a mess but as soon as it dried it looked way better than I expected, it also only took one coat. The only thing that I found was a problem is the brush size, it is very small and I prefer a brush that covers the whole nail in my sweep.

I’m hoping that this nail paint will last a good few days, it seems pretty good so I am hopeful. Looking forward to showing off these gorgeous summertime nail tonight.

What I love most: The colour and oooo it’s shiny..

What I liked least: The brush size

Try it: Gelly High Shine £3.99, All in One £2.99, www.barrym.com

Avon Anew Vitale Day & Night Cream + Eye Cream Review

Reviewed by Tams

A good day and night cream is a must for any skin care routine

So many people use the same moisturiser day and night and for me this doesn’t give the maximum care for your skin. The skin rejuvenates and repairs over night while you dream away so it’s really important to have a good night cream to help it along. A night cream is a lot heavier than the day cream when your skin does not need so much hydration.

This range from Avon is aimed at the 20 and 30 somethings and claims to improve the brightness of the skin in just 2 weeks. I can vouch for the fact that it does do just this and when I’m not busy road-testing other moisturisers this is the range I use. It also contains a decent SPF 25 UVA/UVB in the day cream which is great! This range leaves my skin beautiful and radiant and I love it.

I also adore the eye cream, it feels really silky and luxurious when applied around the eye area each day and night. I also love the scent of these products, it’s very girly and a little sweet.

They also come in very good size pots that last a long time and they are not too badly priced either not when you consider how long they last. Avon also do an Anew range for every age and skin requirements so if this one is not for you there is definitely one available that it. Contact your local Rep for advice on which to use.

What I love most: The effect they have on my skin

What I like least: It agitates my eyes if I get too close but I do have very sensitive and dry eyes.

Try it: Day Cream £19.50, Night Cream £19.50, Eye Cream £16.00 all from www.avon.uk.com

Caudalie Divine Oil Product review

A happy multi-tasking oil that isn’t greasy, sounds too good to be true!

This oil does everything, everything! It can be used on the body which I found particularly good on the knees and elbows. It can also be used on the hair to give it a luxurious injection of moisture and shine, I’d only do this once a week though. It is fantastic for nails or a sensual massage too. I haven’t tried the last one yet which a few drops in a hot bath but I’m convinced that’d be good too.

Caudalie does all these things really well and the scent is really lovely too. However, it claims that it is non-greasy and I did feel it was a bit on the greasy side for at least 30 minutes after using it. It is great to use at night before bed but I wouldn’t recommend it in the morning unless you have oodles of time to wait for it to soak in!

It is a great all round product, I usually buy oil treatments for my hair and massages separately but this does both in one at a very reasonable price so I will definitely by buying this when I run out!

What I love: That it does everything you want from oils in one bottle.

What I like least: That it is a bit greasy for a while after.

Try it: RRP £4.05 for 15ml ( doesn’t sound a lot but you don’t need much each time), uk.caudalie.com

The pros and cons of BB Cream, Foundation and Moisturiser

This post was requested by a friend on Facebook and I definitely feel it is a great idea. There’s so much choice at the moment, but how do you even know whether BB Cream, Foundation or Moisturiser are the right product for you? Here I am going to give a quick guide to the pros and cons of each to enable you to make a decision on which is best for you.

Moisturiser

Pros:

• Smooths the skin and improves the skin quality.
• Products are available for every skin type from dry to oily.
• Should be used as part of a twice daily skin care routine.
• Provide a great base for foundation and helps it last all day.

Cons:

• Used alone, moisturiser does not provide any coverage of blemishes.

Foundation

Pros:

• Provides full coverage of uneven skin and blemishes when used correctly.
• Available in many different shades to suit all skin types.
• Comes in powder, liquid, mousse or cream.
• Many last all day without a problem.

Cons:

• Can cause blemishes if it doesn’t suit your skin, it is always a good idea to have a foundation free day each week to allow the skin to breathe.
• If applied to heavily it can look obvious that you are wearing it and that’s not a good look!

BB Cream 

Pros:

• Comes in a limited number of shades and adapts to your skin colour so it is easier to choose your shade. (Light, medium or dark)
• Moisturises whilst giving a light coverage.
• Multi-tasker, can use instead of moisturiser so no need for both which is great for oily skin.
• Originally invented in 1960 for medical use to reduce inflammation and redness around scars so it is also great for that.
• Many contain vitamin C and antioxidants which are both really good for the skin.
• Blend into the skin with no hassle, no nasty foundation lines!
• Can save money as it can be used as a primer, foundation, concealer and moisturiser.

Cons:

• The coverage isn’t as good as a foundation when used alone. Best results when a powder is used to set it.
• Formula is usually quite thick so not always best for acne-prone skin.

I hope this has been helpful and if you have any questions let me know!

 

Anatomicals – Don’t just Clean it Woman, Scrub It Body Scrub – Product Review

Reviewed by Tams

Exfoliation with a bit of comedy

I always have a little chuckle to myself when I see the packaging of Anatomical’s body scrub, little things please me, I hear one of my girlfriends voices saying to me “Don’t just clean it woman, scrub it”. Alas they would probably be talking about the baked on fat on my oven dish not my skin, domestic goddess i am not!

I do love the packaging though, it bright and eye-catching as well as being right down on my level… it gets my humour.

The scent is something I also love about this scrub, it’s a pink grapefruit scrub and smells lush. It has lovely big particles that get rid of every bit of dry skin without breaking a sweat. This scrub loves what it does and does it well.

It’s another great multi-task, probably created by a woman, it exfoliates, buffs and polish’s all in one and my skin feels amazing every time I use it. I do tend to flit around different body scrubs but I keep finding myself back at this one recently. I’ve probably mentioned before that I have quite sensitive skin and this one doesn’t irritate it at all. Although it does have big particles it feels gentle on the skin.

What I love most: How beautiful my soft feels after. Very reasonably priced.

What I like least: Can’t think of a thing and I’ve sat here the last 10 minutes trying to!

Try it: £3.49, www.anatomicals.net/aliens

Perfect Pins – Wilkinson Sword Hydro Silk Razor and Gillette Satin Care with a touch of Olay Reviews

Reviewed by Tams

In my everlasting quest for perfect legs I tried some new products last night.

I shave my legs because although I’ve been through labour I can’t quite face putting my legs through the pain of waxing every few weeks. I try pretty much every new razor that goes on the market because quite frankly I’m very rarely satisfied. My perfect razor is one that shaves close to the skin but glides along the skin. Nobody wants stubble or razor rash!

I tried Wilkinson Sword Hydro Silk Razor and Gillette Satin Care with a touch of Olay and I have to say I was very pleased!

I’ll start with the razor, it has 5 blades that twist and turn with the curves of your legs meaning you don’t miss bits and it shaves very close. It also have a moisturising serum which helped the razor glide over my legs like silk, it was probably one of the least uncomfortable shaves ever, it also left my legs feeling soft. It looks very similar to all the Gillette Razors but the performance for me was better.

  

The shaving gel was also amazing and no doubt added to how soft my legs felt after. It smells lovely and didn’t burn my legs like most shaving gel’s do, it was soft and luxurious. This duo are definitely my new favorites and they were very well priced too.

I finished off with Garnier Summer Body Moisturising lotion – Sun-Kissed look to start building up a bit of a tan. The sun clearly isn’t going to help with that lately. This is the first time I’ve used one of these lotions and it will take a couple of weeks to build up so I’ll pop up a review of that when possible.

I feel like I may finally be getting someone on my perfect pin mission!

Try it: Gillette Satin Care with Touch of Olay Sensitive Shave Gel 200ml £3.49 www.boots.com, Wilkinson Sword For Women Hydro Silk Razor £9.99 also at www.boots.com but currently on offer half price!

Hey, Sweet Cheeks!

MAC Cosmetics Powder Blush in Mocha – Product Review

I love blusher. I’m very pale and without blusher I just look plain ill. I have everything from Benefit and MAC to Rimmel and Maybelline but this is one of my favourites. It’s right up there with Benefit’s Coralista blush.

I always apply my blush from the rose of my cheeks right up to the temple to give my face definition and a super healthy glow. I added some of Benefit’s High Beam to this when I used it too and it looks lovely.

When I first put this onto my blusher brush it didn’t seem very powdery and I was skeptical about how good it would look. Turns out I was worrying needlessly as a little bit goes along way and it looks awesome!

It also lasted really well throughout the day at work which is fantastic news and the colour was perfect, it is called Mocha but it isn’t a brown, it’s more of a rosy red which I love!

What I love:  That it goes a long way.. Economical!

Try it: RRP £17.40, www.maccosmetics.co.uk

Don’t forget!

Don’t forget to enter our competition to win a MAC Zoom Lash Mascara in Zoomblack!

This is one of my current favourite mascaras and I’m giving one away to celebrate a fantastic first week (last week) blogging about beauty. I thought I’d throw in a couple of images of this mascara in action today.

 

For all the details on how to enter and about the mascara CLICK HERE 

The competition closes on Sunday and is open internationally so don’t miss out!

On a side line.. It’s good to be back wearing make-up today but if you didn’t get a chance to send my your photos over for The Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Challenge Yesterday please do send them to tams.watt@hotmail.com and I can still add them on!

Don’t forget to stop by and congratulate all our girls on their bravery yesterday and see the photos HERE.