Giveaway - Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic

You may have noticed that my blog posts have slowed right down over the last few months. As previously mentioned I have had a few health issues to deal with, but now I am back up and running and ready to resume blogging.

I have been working full time, however come next week I will be officially unemployed! This is my choice though, like I said I have had a few things going on so I need to focus on what’s important right now. So I think you are going to be seeing a lot more of me! I am also going to re-stock my blog shop and get it up and running again, watch this space.

So as a thank you for your patience and sticking with me, I have a fabulous giveaway for you.

Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic

I have one set of Benefits Confessions of a Concealerholic to give away to one lucky reader.  This really is a concealerholics dream, it includes:

·         "that gal"

·         Erase paste 3.2g

·         Boi-ing 2 x 1.3g

·         Lemon aid 0.9g

·         Eye bright 0.9g

·         Two brushes

·         Mirror in the lid

It costs £28.50 to buy, so it is worth entering!

How to enter

Fill in your details in the Rafflecopter below

You must be a blog follower to be able to enter

Open Internationally

Closes end of 31/07/13. I will then announce the winner and contact them via email

I will be checking Rafflecopter so no sneaky sneaking

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK & THANKS AGAIN

Liz Earle Skin Care Essentials Kit, Combination/Oily Skin

Heading to John Lewis, I had the intention to buy one tube of Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish to replenish my stocks. After spending over 3 x the amount I had budgeted, I walked away with the Liz Earle Skin Care Essentials Kit (Oily/Combination) which cost £47.25. I was actually egged on by my husband to buy it; sometimes he really is a great partner in crime.

So what is inside this kit of dreams?

§  Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (100ml) - £13.25

§  2 Pure Muslin cloths - £4.25

§  Instant Boost Skin Tonic (200ml)  - £13.25

§  Skin Repair Light - Combination/Oily (50ml) - £19.25

§  Orange Flower Body Wash (30ml) - £5.25

§  Nourishing Botanical Body Cream (30ml) - £5.25

If you add up the individual items it comes to a total of £60.50, plus you get a wash bag with detachable mirror. I think this is a good deal, I would recommend buying this way if you are going to try a few items.

Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser £13.25

I don't think I have to say much here, but lets just say im a fan. It removes all of my make up easily, leaves my skin feeling soft & generally a pleasure to use. If you have not tried it yet you should!

Instant Boost Skin Tonic (200ml) £13.25

This skin tonic is alcohol free, which in turn makes a non-drying and gentle toner. The smell as you would expect is delightful, thanks to the blend of geranium and chamomile essential oils. It also contains a number of active ingredients which have many soothing & toning properties:

·         Cucumber Extract – calming & soothing

·         Geranium Essential Oil – uplifting fragrance, has toning & balancing properties

·         Aloe Vera  - cools, soothes and softens

·         Glycerin  - aids hydration.

·         Hops Extract  - has astringent and toning properties.

·         D-panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) - helps stimulate cellular renewal.

·         Calendula Extract  - has a calming, soothing effect on the skin.

·         Chamomile Essential Oil/Extract  - has soothing properties.

I used this AM & PM after using the hot cloth cleanser, applied with cotton pads to remove any last traces of cleanser to leave the skin fresh and ready for moisturising. The 200ml version is a decent size; I still have not finished this yet and have had it a good few weeks now.  I really like the twist top packaging, It’s a safer option if your prone to dropping things and also keeps the product nice and fresh.

It also comes as a spritzer – 200ml for £13.50 (and hand bag sizes too) which is ideal for when you’re on the go or travelling. If we had a summer in the UK it would be ideal for freshening up, but seeing as we don’t you will have to book a holiday somewhere hot just to use this spritz (I think that’s enough justification for a holiday)

Overall I really like this tonic, it smells lovely, has handy packaging and it does what it is supposed to.

Skin Repair Light - Combination/Oily (50ml) £19.25

Just when things were going so well, they throw this moisturizer into the mix. I will however start off on a few good notes, 1) it smells lovely (to be expected) 2) Nice packaging & the pump keeps it fresh 3) the pump is good for trigger happy fingers as only a small amount comes out on each pump  4) absorbs quickly. That’s actually quite a few good points, but for me there are more significant negatives.

I have been using this twice a day after the Hot Cloth Cleanser & Skin Tonic for about a month now and I can now safely say that this is the cause of my pimple break out. It is quite unusual for me to get pimples on my cheeks but since using this they have been more and more present.

In my opinion this moisturiser is not particularly light, it might be light-ER than other Liz Earl moisturisers but it’s still too heavy for my skin. As mentioned above, it does absorb quickly which is surprising seeing as the texture is buttery. However it does feel heavy on the skin even once absorbed, and it fights for the opposing team in my battle of the mid day shine.

Maybe the ingredients can explain this -

·         Wheatgerm Oil - contains high levels of vitamin E,    which is a powerful antioxidant.

·         Glycerin - aids hydration.

·         Beta-carotene - has antioxidant properties.

·         Borage Oil - is one of the richest sources of the essential fatty acid GLA (gamma linolenic acid), which helps to lock moisture onto the skin.

·         Hops Extract - has astringent and toning properties

·         Echinacea Extract - used widely in herbal preparations ever since for anything ranging from colds and flu to skin conditions.

·         Avocado Oil - a good source of vitamin E, magnesium and linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid and leaves the skin smooth and soft.

·         D-panthenol - has a moisturising effect & helps stimulate cellular renewal.

I am not a skin expert by any means but the ingredients do seem to favour fatty oils & `moisture locking’ properties, probably is not the best for oily skin every day. I do have some left so from now one I am going to use it once a week for a moisture boost and see if that works for me. Overall this is not suitable for my skin and I would not re-buy, I think this is better suited for normal/combination skin types.

Orange Flower Body Wash & Nourishing Botanical Body Cream – both 30ml £5.25

At first I thought these two 30ml tubes were free try me samples, on further investigation it appears they cost £5.25 each to buy out side of this set. That’s £10.50 for two 30ml tubes! Call me stingy but I think that’s a lot, I would rather spend that in Lush and get a few bath melts.

I used the Orange Flower Body Wash all in one go, probably two goes in this size but I’m a bit heavy handed and I fancied a full on orange flower sesh. It was nice, orangy and got me clean – that’s about it, it didn’t excite me.  A full 200ml size costs £12.00, would I buy it? No, it’s just not special enough.

The body cream however really is a treat, it smells gorgeous and leaves my skin feeling lovely and smooth. Its a bit pricey at £17.25 for 200ml, but it is nice and does the trick so I probably would buy this 

The Bag

I have to mention the bag because Its pretty good for a freebie (which it is if you add everything up)It’s a decent size and the best bit is that it has a detachable mirror which sits inside the lid. It is magnetic so you just pop it on and off when you need it. I don’t like mirrors that are sewn into the lid, where you have to prop up the lid and shove your face in the bag to see anything.

 Have you tried any of the Liz Earle Skin Care Kits? 

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Lip Tar in Electric Grandma - Review

During a recent visit to the states I bought a few bits of make up from brands that I do not usually buy from. One of these was a Lip Tar lip gloss from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I was drawn to these purely because of the array of colours on display in Sephora, there was a tempting range of shades to choose from and I could not resist. The shade I bought is called Electric Grandma! quite a vivid orange/coral colour.

OCC's main selling point is that their products are 100% vegan and cruelty free and none of their ingredients are derived from animals. Personally I like the fact it is cruelty free, but the vegan part of it does not really make much difference to me, I am sure I use other products with animal derived ingredients. Also being a meat eater wouldn't it make me a hypocrite for going mad about beeswax or lanolin content? 

The main selling point for me was the strong pigmentation and the unique colours.

The little squeezy tubes come inside a plastic pouch accompanied by a lip brush and a how to apply card. The directions suggest that you should use their clear primer first, I did not buy the primer so I can not comment if that makes application and wearibility any better. I found that the lip tar worked well without it and if I bought another Lip Tar shade I do not think I would need to buy the clear one too. However I may feel different if I actually tried it!

I followed the instructions and only squeezed out a small amount onto the brush. Usually with high pigment cosmetics a little goes a long way, well with this lip tar it actually goes a lot further than I expected. One `tiny bead' was more than enough for one application, but it obviously depends how bold you want to go. It contains peppermint so it makes your lips feel tingly and fresh, I am actually not too keen on this with the Lip Tar, it makes me concious of having something on my lips (if that makes any sense!)

The brush that comes with the tar is actually very good, I am normally not too keen on brushes that accompany cosmetics. However this brush has the right head size to get an even application, and because I like this so much I think I would investigate buying some OCC brushes.

Below are two swatches of the tar, the top being a thick application and the second blended in. Once blended you can really see the glitter that is in this shade, I was surprised because in the tube it looked more like a solid shade without the sheen. 

Overall I love the buildable colour, the shades are lush and they make a great lippy for a night out. I also think you could have fun blending colours together if you had a few shades. For just the one shade though, it is still quite versatile & buildable. If you can, I would suggest swatching before you buy and blend on your hand to get the full extent of the colour! like I said I was not expecting this Lip Tar to be quite so glittery as it looks very different in the tube!

Have you tried any of these or an equivalent? what's your thoughts?

MAC, Benefit Fake-Up & a Bit of Bling Haul

I have to say, I am a big fan of junk jewellery. When I get bored of it I can chuck it without feeling guilty and most of the time it has gone manky by then anyway.

My latest fix was in Primark, they have quite a good selection at the moment and it was hard to pick out what to buy. I have wanted a chunky gold chain for a while, not really sure why as it’s a bit in your face and heavy. However the one I bought from Primark is made from a plasticy material so it feels light to wear without looking plasticy.

I have seen big chains like this in other stores but they are charging up to £40, which is a bit much for a piece of experimental jewellery.The other item is also a necklace with gems and multicolour threads, great for summer.

I also needed to stock up on some essentials which were a face powder and concealer. I have used a MAC powder before and it helps to fix my makeup in place, this time I went for a compact with a mirror which is handy on the go.

Lastly is the Benefit Fake-Up concealer, the crease control element really appealed as I hate it when concealer bunches up in fine lines, I will be writing a post on this soon 

 

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Estée Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher

I finally decided to take the plunge and buy some Estée Lauder Doublewear foundation.  I can now officially say that it is the best foundation I have ever used. However this post in not about the amazing foundation but the serum that I bought whilst purchasing the Doublewear. I did not intend to buy a serum, but when the beauty consultant removed some of my foundation to do a colour match; it revealed my skin which is similar to the surface of the moon. She recoiled in horror and quickly recommended that I try the pore minimizing serum.  As soon as I heard `reduces pore size by 1/3’ I was sold and bought the 30ml bottle at £40 to try.

As soon as I got home (and after playing with my new foundation) I went online to have a look on the Estée Lauder website to find out what other amazing things this serum can do.

Here is what Estée Lauder say:

This fast-acting serum delivers our most dramatic skin resurfacing benefits-more efficiently than ever before.
With Idealist, your skin looks and feels like your ideal skin:

·         Pores appear 1/3 smaller-instantly, unbelievably soft and smooth.

·         Repairs the look of uneven skin texture, flakiness and roughness.

·         Smooth it on and instantly enjoy that soft, seamless, silky feeling you love.

·         See more clarity and luminosity.

·         Gives skin an overall more even tone.

So for the last few weeks I have been applying the serum morning and night between cleansing and moisturising (one pump each time) as directed by the Estée consultant. The serum itself is of a light texture with a fresh lemony fragrance, on application it makes the skin feel smooth and silky. 

So initially it is enjoyable to use, I found that it did help to repair flakiness and is a good refinisher. However as time went on I found that it did not give the same silkiness as it initially did and also my pore size did not reduce by 1/3 as claimed. I would say that this serum is in fact a primer with extras, as it smooths out the skin instantly (as claimed) however when I wash my face of an evening the smoothness washes away too. I found that this did not treat the large pore problem but only masked it like a primer. It did however treat the flaky skin problem without over exfoliating/moisturising so I did like it for that element.

I also found that using it all over my face was not of any benefit,  in fact it started to give me small white heads on my cheeks & forehead. This is probably due to the high content of silicone which can often create the problem you are trying to treat as some skin types do not react well to it. I now just use it on my nose which is the target area and have reduced it to one application in the morning.

Overall Thoughts:

PROS

- Fresh lemony fragrance with a light texture

- Good refinisher and helps to combat flakiness

- Creates a smooth finish and acts like primer

- Has antioxidant ingredients

CONS

- Did not reduce pore size by 1/3

- Did not treat the large pores but masked them (masked well but I bought a treatment not a primer)

- High silicone content

- Caused a few pimples to arrive

Overall I find that this works well on my nose to help with the oily/flaky balance as it is a gentle exfoliator. However I would not use it as a pore minimizing treatment all over my face as the pore minimizing aspect of this serum is in my opinion just a primer. I will use the whole pot as I have over half left but I am not sure I will re-buy

Have you tried this? What is you opinion?

Pointy Nails

Pah, Rihanna eat your heart out, if you can do the pointy nail trend then so can I!  It doesn’t matter that I have to carry out tedious manual household chores, oh no, style will prevail! Until I have to pick up dog poo that is, Let’s face it Rihanna never needs to don a marigold rubber glove.  She has no need to hesitate, I am pretty sure her mind is far away from loo scrubbing while she is getting her nails done.  

For me, one of my first thoughts was `how am I going to type? I don’t think my boss would be too keen on me using a rubber topped pencil to type with all day long’ having aired these worries with my husband, the satisfactory answer of `oh well’ was enough for me to go full steam ahead. Whilst spending the next 5 minutes trying to translate pointy to the Vietnamese lady at the nail bar, (I said POINTY, POINT-Y) I sent hubby off to pick a shade. He came back with what I would describe a `slut red’ the perfect match to my slutty pointy nails. I think the lady overheard as I’m sure she said `slutty, oh yes I understand’ I corrected her `yes pointy’ however she carried on regardless. Luckily I walked away with a perfect set of pointy red nails, well worth the £26.00 investment.

I can’t stop looking at my new nails, all shiny and new. However they do remind me of witch’s nails, the rubber Halloween ones. They have gone from being named slut nails to witchey poo nails, nevertheless they are still fab.

Reasons to get pointy nails

1)      You can go to a fancy dress party as a witch/vampire

2)      Good for scratching

3)      The `I might break a nail’ excuse works twice as good

4)      The most important reason – They just look SO GOOD

Sephora Primal Instincts Palette/ Made In China

During my Sephora shopping trip I picked up the Primal Instincts palette by Sephora. I wanted to try something which I would not get in the UK, but also get something that I would use frequently. 

Looking at the palettes available, I was tempted to go for the moonshadow baked palette because the colours were beautiful and shimmery, but I knew I would not use a shimmery shadow everyday.

So I opted for the primal instincts one that has 14 shades of browns and purples which is ideal for both day and night. I tend to stick to brown shades for day so this really suited me, but I have enjoyed experimenting by adding a little purple in the crease and lining the eye.

I would say that the shadows are of good quality, OK for everyday use and fairly long lasting. However since finding out that the palette was made in China I felt a bit disappointed. I am not a makeup snob or anything but I am always a bit cautious about buying make up from China as the quality is thought to be poor (hence the lower prices)

Doing a quick search online it appears that NYC, Smashbox & ELF amongst others are also made in China (some state to be made in PRC which stands for Peoples Republic China - used as a marketing tool so they don't have to say made in China)

Having now bought and tried it, I like it. Although I might not have bought it if i'd have known it was made in China. However now that I know the quality is good I would buy it again.

Does this put you off? would you avoid buying a cosmetic product because it is made in China?