The Body Shop - Lip and Eye Liner's

£8.00/ 1.25g (each)
www.thebodyshop.co.uk
Made in the UK.
Eye Liner available in 5 different shades.
Lip Liner available in 7 different shades.

While I was in The Body Shop, I came across these liners. For some strange reason, I've never tried their lip or eye liners and not really heard anything about them. I thought I would pop a few in my basket and give them a try.  I've been using them for just over two weeks and tried all of the colours to create different day and evening looks.

I picked a bright pillar box red lip liner, called '13 - Rosy Red'. I have amassed many red lipsticks, so I knew that this shade would match at least a few.
When I first opened this the colour impressed me, it looked so pretty and stunning that I took a moment to enjoy the shade.
Application of the lip liner really didn't impress me though.  It claims that it has a soft texture, however, it was a hard pencil (like a drawing pencil). I found it scratchy and rough; I had to really drag it along to get any colour onto my lip line. When I did, it had good pigmentation and a very sharp out line.
I loved the colour, it matched quite a few lipsticks I tried it with, the lip liner stayed on for hours without smudging, or wearing off (even with drinking and eating). My lipstick came off before this lip liner did. It impressed me how solid the line remained and how long it stayed on the lips for. I began to appreciate these benefits and see past the application.
It had a nice even wear so it wasn't patchy or missing in bits. It did reduce lipstick bleed I noticed that my lipstick stayed sharper and neater without blurring out. I think this is a product that I will have a love/ hate relationship with.

(L-R) Rosy Red / Glowing Amethyst / Brilliant Blue / Shimmering Steel / Vibrant Emerald.

In the Metallic Eye Definer's, I picked up four different shades. I have tried many different metallic liners and I haven't found one that I liked. They were either a great eye liner but not very metallic; very sheer or didn't work at all giving no colour pay off. So I wasn't getting my expectations up too high for these liners either.
I was pleasantly surprised when I used it though as it had amazing pigmentation and it was truly metallic. I had found my metallic eye liner that did what it said it would and did it brilliantly.
The liner glided on very smoothly and gently, with no tugging or pulling. It gave me even and smooth coverage with great colour pay off and an intense metallic effect that really made my eyes light up and sparkle.
It is an excellent liner, usable on water line and tight line, as well as upper lid. The formula is water resistant, so the liner stayed put for hours before having to re-apply. I would repurchase these liners without a second thought. Simply beautiful for both day and night.

Left - Artificial Lighting / Right - Natural Daylight

Both products contain Fair Trade Marula oil. They source this from the 'Eudafano Women’s Co-Operative' (which helps women earn a fair income) in Namibia.The Body Shop are also Cruelty Free, none of their products are tested on animals. I enjoy the fact that the company are ethically minded; this makes me feel comfortable with the products that I am using and feel fair towards the source and people who created the product.

I hope you enjoyed this look at The Body Shop's liners. Feel free to let me know if you have tried them and what your thoughts on them were below in the comments section. x

Beauty Buys

I find I buy beauty products on quite a regular basis. so, I thought I would keep you updated on my beauty picks. This way you get to see what I'm trying out, what colours look like via swatches and perhaps what I may be reviewing later on. (Sneak peeks!) Not all the products I show with be reviewed on this blog, but if there is something in particular that you would like to see more of, leave me a comment below.
On to the beauty buys.

Real Techniques - Miracle Complexion Sponge.
I've seen a few bloggers review this little guy, all of the reviews said how comparable it was to the Beauty Blender, and at a fraction of the price. I was sold from that mere sentence, I go through a few of the beauty blenders a year, if I can find another just like it at a snip of the original then I will be a happy bunny!
I've very excited to try this for myself; but trying not to expect anything from it, so that I won't get disappointed if it fails to do what I need it to. (Making people dazzlingly beautiful)
Fingers crossed, it will become a new favourite!

The Body Shop - Colour Crush Lipstick. 
(I bought the shade - 101)
I adore red lipstick. Red suits any one, any skin tone, any age, any lip shape! It's the one colour that I cannot live without. The majority of my lipsticks are reds, with other colours scattered amidst them randomly.
I saw this while I was in The Body Shop and I could never forgive myself if I had of walked out without it. (A strange fact about me - If I see a red lipstick, I have to buy it.)

This is what I like to call 'a day time' red, a lighter red with a cooler undertone. A colour that would look amazing in summer with some matte black sunnies. Great buy!

B. Rich Intense Colour Lipstick.
(I bought the shade - 194 Marilyn)
This brand as far as I am aware are exclusive to Superdrug. They are a company with beautiful ethics, all the B. range is cruelty free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. It is also very fairly priced.
Again a red lipstick, I know - I know, it's an addiction! However, this one I planned to buy as it was compared to a high end brand. I love seeing if they are good dupes, I find it rather fun.
So far the packaging has won me over, it's so cute. To open the lipstick you press the bottom and it unlocks with a click and extended down so you can pull it out like a regular lipstick.
No more ruined lipsticks in my handbag because the lid popped off. Genius design!

Barry M - Natural Glow, Shadow & Blush Palette.
I had originally gone in to pick up some of the new 'Silk' Nail Paint collection that had been released, I came home with a few more items than a nail polish; this being one of them.
There was three different palettes, as I love neutrals I went for the natural glow. I've never tried Barry M cosmetic's before, I have only ever tried the nail paints. (Another fact about me - Barry M are my favourite polishes) I was interested to see what the cosmetics were like. They were all beautiful when swatched, the last three eyeshadow shades are on trend this spring (Metallic Eyeshadows) thumbs up Barry M, it has a nice amount of matte and shimmer shadows, which I really liked and the blush is amazing. The picture really does it no justice at all. In person wow! It was really inexpensive too.

Revlon - Colourburst, Matte Balm.
(I bought the shade - 205 Elusive Insaisissable)
I have been seeing adverts for these in every magazine, reviewed by many, many bbloggers and have been seeing it pop up in my twitter feed for days. I cracked and ran to buy one too. I absolutely love the colour, I'm not really sure if I can restrain myself from buying all of the shades.

Rimmel - Stay Matte Primer.
I have oily skin, so I am always on the look out for anything that will keep my skin mattified. I saw this and thought it was worth picking up as the cost was low.
Not really sure how this will hold up; who knows it could amaze me and change my mind about lower priced primers?
The texture is a gel/cream, a combination of the two in my experience with primers. Feels rather wet for a mattifying primer, the colour is white from the tube and blends to transparent on the skin. No scent to it, which is always a bonus. Fingers crossed this product will not make me break out.

Rouge Bunny Rouge - Lip Potion.
(I bought the shade - Devilish Nectar)
This is my second tube of this amazing lip potion. It's become my secret weapon for plump, voluminous lips.
I have a normal lower lip but the tiniest top lip, it seems to disappear every time I smile. This is incredible for making it appear I have a fuller, more plump top lip. If this sounds like something you want or need, I have a full review: HERE for you to check out the product in full detail.

Lancome - Hypnose Mascara.
(I bought the shade - Black)
My favourite mascara. I have repurchased this countless times over the year's. I have my own and I also have this in my kit. The formula doesn't dry out too fast, it's buildable without clumping and creates many looks with how many layers you apply; from natural to dramatic.

Collection - Lasting Perfection Foundation.
(I bought the shade - Porcelain)
Again this was a purchase because I had heard good things about it. So far it seems easily blendable, matte, has great staying power and the shades almost adapt personally to your skin tone. I really like this swatched, I'm hoping that this is the same after a few hours of wear on my face.

I hope you enjoyed 'beauty buys', if you would like to see more of this type of blog post comment below and I will keep you updated with purchases I make!

Winter Skin - Rescue Products

This winter my skin decided that it was going to allow the weather to win. From chapped hands, heels and lips; to dry, itchy, flaky legs. My skin had gone mad... So I bought a whole bunch of winter treats to remedy the madness and tested them all. After a little trial and error, I finally found the products that helped repair, smooth and soothe my skin the best. Hopefully, these could be useful and beneficial to you too!

Clarins - Hand and Nail Treatment Cream.
I am a self confessed hand cream junkie. I have a hand cream in every draw and every hand bag and this is only a fragment of my hand cream addiction. I have eczema that is mainly on my hands, I try anything and everything to keep them moisturised, so that it has no excuse to flare up.
Clarins products have never let me down, I saw the hand cream and bought it. As with the rest of the Clarins range it was brilliant and did exactly what it said on the tube. It nourished, soothed and replenished. Everything that I needed, the winter weather didn't stand a chance against this miracle worker! On a side note this is also great for targeting any age spots and strengthens nails all at the same time. I also adore the scent of this cream, it's a beautiful subtle floral aroma.

Dr. Lipp - SOS Balm.
I have a draw full of balms, every brand you can imagine, some taste great, some tint the lips whilst nourishing, some just sit on the lips and don't work. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with a draw like this. Mine has all been forgotten about because of Dr. Lipp, it was originally a nipple balm but mothers soon found an alternate use for the balm and it has become a staple for dry, chapped, cracked lips as well a many other uses. It works wonders. I won't lie, by January my lips were a disgrace; lip colours were out of the question, nothing seemed to be working and I was making my lips sore by sugar scrubbing them constantly. Then Dr. Lipp saved me! After just 1 day and three applications in that day my lips looked amazing and I was breaking out the brightest lipstick I had. I can't explain how it works, as it only consists of one ingredient, but it works and works stunningly well. I had to buy another tube, my boyfriend has started sharing mine and I am afraid to be without it now.

Soap & Glory - Heel Genius.
I don't usually buy anything for my feet, I tend to abandon them for some reason. Perhaps it's I don't see them too much, or it's just that I am lazy when it comes to caring for the skin there.
However, this winter my feet did need a little attention. They looked like something from a horror movie, I didn't even want to look at them myself; it was time to give them some TLC.
This cream was recommended to me by another beauty blogger, I popped this on after a bath just before bed and added a pair of socks to keep everything on and help the cream absorb. Each morning I grew to admire this product more, my feet felt smoother and rough, dry patches were disappearing day after day. Now my feet are baby soft all over and I actually like my feet. I will definitely continue using this cream, my feet seem to approve and I like the soft, new supple skin I have.

Organix - Brazilian Keratin Therapy, Anti-breakage Serum.
I have long, fine hair that loves to knot up in the wind. Combing the knots out I seem to comb out half my hair, I was shedding hair like a cat. I was sad when my hair felt, dry, brittle and thin. After several oils and treatments I found this serum, it promotes strength, moisture and softness, and it was the only one that seemed to work for my hair. It felt stronger and thicker after the first use, but it felt even more amazing after a couple of weeks of using this product. My hair also doesn't break off as easily when brushing it. Amazing serum, massive thumbs up for giving me beautiful hair.

The Body Shop - Cocoa Butter, Body Butter.
Pretty self explanatory, raved about by beauty bloggers and loved by many. The Body Shop do amazing body butters, I think this is the most famed product from the company. It's because the butters are beautifully scented, thick and creamy in texture, last for ages and do an amazing job of nourishing, replenishing and softening skin. My skin was dry, flaking, itching and felt like sand paper. This product banished these and gave me luxuriously soft, supple, glowing skin. Simply the best body butter on the market in my opinion, a true skin saviour.

Philosophy - 'When Hope Is Not Enough', Hydrating Antioxidant Serum.
My face really got the worst of the weather this year; the harsh cold and big blasts of icy wind on my skin made it dry, itchy, flaky, chapped and sore. I didn't want to exfoliate too much and make it worse and I didn't know what to use that could combat all the different areas at once. At first I was using around seven different products targeted for different problem areas. After a while I knew this was extreme and tried several products on their own. These seemed to make no difference.
Then I bought this and instantly knew I had found the miracle in a bottle I had been looking for. It is brilliant - it nourished, replenished, soothed, healed and didn't break me out. (I have oily, blemish prone skin) The scent has a lot to be desired but I wasn't after a face perfume, it wasn't oily at all, the serum soaked straight into the skin with no residue. My skin now looks the best it has ever been, my acne has started to clear up too. I personally think that this is a miracle worker. It has become a repurchase, must have!

E.L.F - Essential Lipstick

£1.50 each /3.5g each
www.eyeslipsface.co.uk
Tailored for all skin tones.
Available in 12 different shades.

E.l.f (Eyes Lips Face), do a whole range of different lip products at different prices. The cheapest version is the Essential range.

The shades I chose were: Charming - A dusky rose, Flirtatious - A soft baby pink, Fearless - A classic pillar box red and Seductive - A mauve.

The formula is smooth and creamy, making it easy to apply and leaves lips feeling silky soft, hydrated, and supple. They all have a glossy finish.

They are highly pigmented, so a couple of swipes and you have a nice opaque colour. The lipstick has an even wear and doesn't dry out on the lips. However, the colours only lasted for a couple of hours before a reapplication was necessary, shorter if you have been eating/ drinking.

The packaging does have some problems and this is my only complaint about the lipsticks; the lids tend to fall off in your purse and the twist body is fairly flimsy. For the price I can look past these small flaws though. You get a product that is brilliant value for money, hydrating on the lips, has a good opaque colour and you get a good selection of colours to choose from.

I would highly recommend these to younger people who are perhaps just starting out with cosmetics, who have little money but want to try a selection of colours to see what suits them the best.

Collection - Deluxe Lipsticks and Swatches

£3.99/ 5g       www.collectioncosmetics.co.uk
Made in China
Tailored for all skin types and skin tones.

5 Shades of retro inspired lipstick. Prohibition, Talullah, Charleston, Speakeasy and Silent Movie.
Enriched with a 70% blend of lip conditioners, antioxidants and hydrating ingredients including Shea Butter, Avocado Oil and Vitamin E for a lip of luxuary.
A range of creamy lipsticks for a luxury feel with velvety textures and a sumptuous finish. Encased in a decadent metalized pack

The colours I chose were a pink (Speakeasy) and a deep red (Prohibition). See pictures above for swatches.

Hydrating, non-drying, true colours that did not bleed too badly; lasting power was very impressive and best of all very good value for money. Limited on colour range but at the same time they have a nude, red, pink, a wine colour and a brown so a colour for any taste. I enjoyed the products and I would recommend and repurchase.

Rouge Bunny Rouge - Devilish Nectar, Lip Potion

£19.89/ 3.5ml         www.rougebunnyrouge.com
Made in Italy.
Suitable for vegetarians.
Tailored for all skin types and tones.
Use to get full, plump, flushed lips; on it's own or over your favourite lip colour.

This shiny and fragrant gloss boosts your lips to make them fuller and flushed with colour. The secret is the blend of spicy essential oils they use; Clove, Chilli and Cardamom, which instantly start working to naturally increase blood-flow. Frequent re-applications will further intensify the effects.
Softness is aided by the use of Jojoba and the micro mica particles give it a beautiful shimmer that looks fresh and natural.

I have a full pouty lower lip and a very thin upper lip, so over the year's I have tried every single brand and product available to boost and/or plump my almost invisible top lip. I was expecting another gloss that looked pretty but didn't do a whole lot; like the various I have tested.

This WORKED and worked extremely well, I saw immediate visible results; my lips were pinker, fuller, and far more pouty than usual. Others also commented on my lips, which I smiled about all day.
This may not be everyones favourite as I know some people dislike the tingle sensation on their lips. I personally like the sensation, as I know it's working. This product definitely gives that tingle!
It smells spicy and exotic, but not overpowering. It's not too tacky or sticky. I enjoyed it both applied on it's own and over my lip colour. It didn't alter the colour of the lipstick at all but did give it a lovely shimmer.

I recommend this product to everyone, if you have sensitive lips and dislike the tingle sensation then this may not be a product suited to you. However, if you don't mind that, this lip potion is a miracle in a bottle for big, full, flushed lips.
I will be repurchasing this as soon as I start running low; it's become this year's must have beauty item for me.

Carmex - Vanilla Lip Balm.

£3.25/ 4.25g        www.mycarmex.com
Made in the USA.
Not suitable for vegetarians.
Tailored for all skin type's.
A balm that protects and nourishes the lips.

The Carmex ultra moisturising formula provides superior, enhanced hydration and makes even the driest lips soft and supple again. Extra gentle twist stick will not stress chapped or cracked lips, and offers a broad spectrum sun screen.

Glides on like a dream, ultra smooth; this extra moisturising balm makes your lips feel incredible!
The creamy flavour is unlike anything you have tried from Carmex before. It has a buttery, vanilla scent comparable to sugar cookies but with a minty undertone. Personally, I'm not a fan of the feeling of residue left from lip products; this leaves only a thin layer and unlike many on the market I have tested it is not as tacky or sticky.
Comes in a twist tube, so easy to use with no mess and no sticky finger. Contains an SPF15 and protects brilliantly against the wind and cold weather.

It soothes, it moisturises, it protects.
Brilliant value for a very small price. Great before applying lip colours as it prevents fade lines.
This is another hit product from Carmex. I will be repurchasing this again.