Easter Buys

Now I'm running out of supplies, combined with a mini spring clean, I realized I've almost finished my moisturiser, and my cleanser is all gone too.

Boots provided me with an opportunity to replenish my skin care stock. They have quite a lot of offers on & I have no self control when faced with cosmetics or food. Or clothes, or pretty much anything in fact.

I bought Olay Beauty Fluid, Good things Cleansing oil, and Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean cleansing milk.

I gave them all a little try as soon as I got home, and the cleansers aren't as effective as the L'oreal cleansing oil, but perhaps I need to give it more attempts.

They smell a whole lot nicer though, especially the Peaches & Clean..it reminds me of the Body Shop Vineyard Peach scent. The Good things is citrusy. If people start sniffing my face, I doubt I'd particularly mind...

Foundation

It's Sunday & I'm being lazy. Though working 6 days makes affording laser easier.
Anyway, finding a foundation match is a nice way to spend my day.

Revlon Colorstay is lovely don't get me wrong - the match is so close to my skin colour, though the issue I have with it is, its unbearably dry -and this is the non-matte version for dry skin. Unless I use 3 different moisturisers, Colorstay makes me look like I'm plastered in foundation.

Although I adore the heavier coverage (flawless skin), I'm not sure I will buy this foundation again, unless it's for use in the summer months, when the satin formula is a big advantage. It's half price at Superdrug now, so I'll consider it.

So began the quest of searching foundations. I finally decided on No.7 instant radiance foundation. It's like I'm wearing nothing! That and it's not dry at all.
The coverage is a lot lighter than Revlon, making it more suitable for everyday use.
I think I'll be repurchasing when it runs out. It leaves a dewy glow, but I am sincerely worried when warmer weather prevails, my face & coverage will melt & look hilariously greasy.

I also bought Collection speedy highlighter. A smooth highlighting stick. And yes it's glittery, and metallic. So beware of over-use. But it's super cheap, and perfect in the corners of my eyes.

It's finished, although hard to see through the bottle - also no pump! 

The Revlon foundation on.

The No.7 foundation - it comes with a pump & a plastic case that is much lighter to carry around.

The Collection highlighter stick with no blending.

Cold Cream

I have just finished my Boots Traditional Skin Care Cold Cream. It was actually recommended to me by an elderly patient who loves it.

'Use a muslin cloth' she nodded at me, 'it wipes away everything!'.
At such an affordable price for a large tub (£2.79 for 200ml I think?), I didn't have much to lose. The advice had come from the 60 year old when she saw my red eyes - a stinging effect of a make up remover I had tried in the morning to get rid of the previous day's mascara.

It's very greasy, if greasy is the right word, with the majority of the ingredients being paraffin based - so more like a waxy cream. It doesn't wash off easily & needs to be wiped off.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been slathering it on at night, wetting a soft face cloth with warm water, then wiping my make up away.

She was right, its wonderfully handy at removing everything and leaving my skin softer than using detergent face washes. More importantly, no red eyes if it does get into your eyes. Waterproof mascara be gone!

The only issue is the time it can take to use - not great if you're in a hurry. But such a life saver for the past winter months, I think I'll make a habit of having a pot during the cold snaps.

Repurchase: yes I can understand why the older generations were obsessed with this, the pot is also oh so cute on my make-up table.

Empties 2016

It's hailed as a beauty must have. Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream is to an extent.

I am obsessed with its fragrance, and it is moisturising - as moisturising as Vaseline actually. It's a medicated form of Petroleum Jelly, forming a protective barrier over skin. The Eight Hour Cream is hardly a cream,but does its job better than one

It's a orange tinted ointment, that smells medicinal, and comes in a white tube - the typical 50ml tube lasted me 2-3 months of heavy use during the past winter months. 

Repurchase: I already have another tube, bought in the sales. I won't buy it full price, as its effects are equal to that of cheaper Petroleum Jelly, but helps with inflamed red spots better than its cheaper counter parts. 

Mavala nail polish

Mavala is a Swiss brand of nail polishes, and quite cute in their 5ml pots. To me, as I've mentioned before, 5ml is the perfect size for nail polishes to prevent drying up.

They retail at £4-4.50 or around $8-10. Today I used a line from their matte varnishes ( no.113- Ballerina). The best way to describe this is the colour of a ballerina's shoes; a sort of dusky pink. The matte finish is nice, but can come across as slightly streaky if only one layer is applied.

I applied one layer of the Ballerina & coated with another Mavala polish - their glitter & super shine polish (141- Magic Snow). Magic snow is a clear varnish with thin strands of silver. It's long lasting, as I've spent 5 days without any chipped nails. If you frequently use glitter nail polishes, you'll appreciate how easy it is to chip them, so 5 days is a feat in my eyes.

Each Christmas period, Mavala releases glitter nail polishes, and they are undoubtedly my favourite. Both highly glossy & glittery, they're perfect to add seasonal sparkle. Magic Snow is unfortunately from last year's Christmas collection, this year their glitters are much more eye catching in jewel colours.

 

Repurchase: I would not hesitate to buy the glitter or even glossy Mavala polishes, but the matte edition has been a miss with its streakiness & easy chipping. 
Yes & 7/10 for Magic Snow
No & 4/10 for Matte Ballerina

L'oreal Color Riche Nail Polish

L'oreal Color Riche - I like the fact these bottles are 5ml, a lot of my 10ml nail varnishes tend to dry up before I use the whole bottle - subsequently I throw it away, essentially money down the drain.

So chic pink-I bought this around 2 months ago & I only have one or two coats left before the bottle runs out. It's a quick dry & glossy nail polish, with the only downside being its quite translucent. This shade is a coral-neon pink colour. I like its look against my skin tone.

I was so impressed with this little pot of polish, I bought another one - femme fatale. This is a dark red, with hints of burgundy. Also quick drying, and two coats are more than enough.

Both polishes were of a runny consistency - which is nice on application & helps to reduce streaks. As for resistance, without a top coat mine chipped after 3-4 days, but in my profession, I use my hands a lot. With top coat, it lasts 5+ days.

Repurchase : Most definitely, I love the consistency & finish & lasting power of these polishes. Affordable too

Cadbury Double Chocolate Amaze Bites

Yes, I know I concentrate on make up etc, but I tried these and my soul wept a little.

I've always been on the lookout for the perfect brownie - currently it was Thornton's brownies, but after a 5 year reign, the Thornton brownies have been unceremoniously dethroned by Cadbury.

I bought them for 'Halloween', and originally read it as 'Amaze balls'. Got home to realize it's amaze bites. Then I tried one, then two...now I need to buy a new pack :|

The brownies are really generous in size, and avoid the sickly sweetness that some brownies tend to have, if anything they taste cocoa-y . They're very dense, and have a layer of chocolate covering each bite, as well as a few chocolate chips scattered inside the brownie.  If it makes sense, it tastes like Cadbury's chocolate without tasting like a Dairy Milk bar. It's quite confusing, but very oh so delicious. 

Also a major difference, is they're not sticky -making it easier to eat, I like their plastic tub too, meaning you're not tempted into eating them all in one go,(though if you're like me, you will anyway...)

 Repurchase : 100% yes