Current Favourites- Skincare, Makeup and Hair

Skincare

Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel

I’m going to put this out there...this range is probably the best range for acne prone and oily skin that you can buy off the shelves. I came across this range on recommendation from my friend around 3 months ago. I have never really suffered from acne but do have very oily skin so am prone to the odd spot here and there. About 4 months ago I had a break out that just would not clear up and lasted around a month. I tried so many things from not wearing makeup, higher end products such as Clinique and REN that claim to clear up skin and even tried over the counter medicines but I just found that as soon as one area would clear up another area would flare up again. After running out of ideas (and money) I decided to give this range a try. As soon as I started using these products I would say my skin cleared up within around 2 days and I have not suffered a break out like it since. The tea tree and witch hazel ingredients are naturally antibacterial which keep the bacteria that cause spots at bay. This range has received brilliant reviews on the boots website with 13 out of 17 products in this range being rated at 4 stars or more and even 89% of acne.org members would recommend this product to a friend.  

Honestly my skincare routine is now not complete without a product from this range. I use the ‘Foaming Face Wash’ (£3.59) in the morning in the shower and after I have removed my make up in the evening, I then use the ‘Cleansing and Toning Lotion’ (£3.59). If I have any blemishes or spots I use the ‘Blemish Stick’ (£2.59) and apply directly to the affected areas, following that I use the ‘Shine Control Day Moisturiser’ (£3.59). Overall this range really has cleared up my skin, makes my make up last longer and reduces the amount that I have to powder during the day. The products in this range are absolute bargains and are often on the ‘3 for 2’ offer at Boots. I still have yet to try the face masks and scrubs but no doubt I will at some point and I will be sure to do a review!

The first product is from this range I’m loving is the ‘Foaming Face Wash’ (£3.59). 

Description: This refreshing foaming face wash contains antibacterial Tea Tree Oil and skin calming Witch Hazel to help keep your skin clear and healthy by:

• deep cleansing your skin of dirt, oil and make-up without over-drying.


• fighting spot-causing bacteria and helping to unblock pores


• toning your skin and leaving it feeling extra clean.

The second is the ‘Shine Control Moisturizer’ (£3.59).  

Description: This light non-greasy Shine Control Day Moisturizer contains antibacterial Tea Tree Oil and skin calming Witch Hazel to help keep your skin clear and healthy by:

• lightly moisturising and caring for your skin without blocking pores.
• blotting up excess oil and controlling shine.
• blending in invisibly and providing a matte make-up base

And thirdly the ‘Blemish Stick’ (£2.59)

Description: This easy to use Blemish Stick gets to work instantly on fighting the spot-causing bacteria. It is formulated with anti-bacterial Tea Tree Oil and skin calming Witch Hazel to help clear spots and blemishes instantly, whilst keeping your skin clear and healthy.

 

 
Make up

Benefits ‘They’re Real Push Up Gel Liner’ (£19.50).

It had possibly the biggest build up upon its release back in June and many stores even held opening nights on the day of its release. It’s partner in crime the ‘They’re Real Mascara’ is the number 1 selling mascara in the UK and has won awards from the likes of Style Beauty so it is obvious to see why there was such a hype about the liner. Since then it has now become the UK’s number 1 selling eyeliner. However, this product has received very mixed reviews all over the internet from bloggers and YouTubers and is probably this year’s most Marmite product. Here is my honest opinion..

It has a soft angled and flexible tip which helps to create the shape of the flick and being so flexible it doesn’t feel as though it drags like many other liners I have tried- it glides really smoothly allowing you to create the shape easily. The gel itself is super, super black and another thing to mention is that it dries a very matte black too which sometimes is not the case with other liners.

Benefit claims that this is water proof which I have to agree with 100%- trying to get this off at the end of the day/night is an absolute nightmare which is why they have now released the ‘There Real Remover’ which at £14.50 to be honest seems a bit of a con in my opinion. It will eventually come off but it is much more difficult in comparison to other liners I have used.   

A tip for using this it to go very careful with the clicker at the bottom..the product releases very fast and too much product makes it impossible to use.. you may as well wipe off the product and start again. The gel is very thick so too much product can cause the liner to look clumpy and makes it unworkable. The rubber nib stores a lot of product so before clicking again gently squeeze the nib and more product will appear.

Even though this product has its faults it is undoubtedly the blackest and easiest eyeliner I have come across and has been a makeup staple of mine for around 4 months now.  

 

PS.. Feel Unique now have this on sale at £16.65 grab it now!

Haircare

Matrix Biolage Exquisiteoil Strengthening Treatment- retails for around £15.00

During the summer I was getting my hair lightened using Matrix ‘Colour Graphics’ which lifts your hair but is less damaging than bleach as it has added vitamins to provide extra conditioning. As well as offering a lift it also allows you to choose the tone you want- fab! However any lifting will slightly damage your hair and after holidays in the sun and lots of heat tools I needed to find an oil that would condition my hair long term but also make it look instantly better.

Unlike many other hair oils which just coat the surface of your hair to give it a better appearance this oil is a treatment which not only helps the appearance of the hair but also strengthens with vitamins and nutrients to give you strong and healthy hair on the inside and out.

I have fallen in love with this oil- it has really improved the condition of my hair. My hair is not as dry and looks really glossy and does receive lots of compliments. Unlike many hair oils I have tried over the years this does not feel at all greasy or heavy on the hair. I use this on wet hair and brush using a ‘Tangle Teezer’ or ‘Wet Brush’ from mid-length to ends and just blow dry as normal you can however, add a few drops to your conditioner or apply to dry hair and leave on as a treatment.  

In terms of price you get a lot of bang for your buck! I use 2 drops every 2-3 days (whenever I wash my hair) and my hair is super long so having had this since July you can see I am not even half way through the bottle! This was a gift from my mum who works for Matrix however you can pick this up in many salons...go on the Matrix website and looks for stockists near you.   

Let me know if you have used any of the above or have any tips or suggestions for me :)

Leigh x

Superdrug low-end haul

After work I made a quick dash to Superdrug to buy some essentials for my trip at the end of the month and whilst I was there I decided to check out some of the brands that I have not really given much time or consideration before. I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the products I picked up..

I have been hearing great things about Superdrug’s new line ‘Makeup Revolution’ and I have heard they are somehow affiliated with MUA- whether this is true I don’t know. However, I have been reading and watching rave reviews all over bloggersphere and decided to have a quick play. The first thing I noticed was the price- many of the products were a pound! Like many of you, I’m sure, you automatically assume that the cost reflects the quality however I was very pleasantly surprised!! I picked up a blusher in the shade ‘Sugar’ (£1) and a baked bronzer in ‘Rock On Wild’ (£4). I must say the packaging is not the best that I have seen and the blusher lid did come off the first time I used it but what do you expect for the cost and also would you rather the money be spent on a good product than good packaging!? The blusher is, in my opinion, quite sheer and isn’t very pigmented and the shade did not show up on my skin.

The bronzer on the other hand is probably going to replace my MAC ‘Global Glow’ Skinfinish for a while- and that speaks volumes! I wouldn’t use this as a bronzer; it is too glittery and, personally, in a bronzer I prefer a matte finish. But as a highlighter it is fabulous! It is very shimmery, which for me, make the best highlighters and the product pay- off is really good too leaving you with a gorgeous glow! I really regret not having this for the summer!  Another thing to mention about this brand is that I noticed that they had some really interesting eye palettes too that I will probably end up trying at some point. Definitely recommend checking this brand out!  

Moving on.. having fallen head-over-heels in love with my Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Lacquers (£8.99) recently (I’ll leave some pictures below) I have been in search of other brands that offer something similar but with a wider colour range and unfortunately many of the ones I wanted were only available in the States...(Seriously I feel like I would literally die if we had an Ulta, Sephora or Wal-Mart here)! Like many others apparently (rolls eyes) I came across the Limecrime Velvetines and absolutely fell in love with the colour range (everything from beautiful deep, dark autumnal colours to vibrant reds and peachy, summery oranges) and their gorgeous matte appearance that is like no other. Plus they are cruelty free :D which is always a winner for me! However like all American ‘cult’ products they are only really available here on EBay at extortionate prices or sold out everywhere in the UK. So off in search I went for a dupe. Velvet lip sticks have become increasingly popular recently because unlike many lipsticks these apply wet and dry ultra matte and once on they stay on. 

Recently I came across a blog that mentioned the MUA Velvet Lip Lacquers and at only £3 each I thought it was worth a try- and I am glad I did! Let me tell you- these are as matte as matte could be which is fab particularly in this weather as it avoids that ‘hair in lip-gloss scenario’ that we are all familiar with- aint nobody got time for that! These also do not BUDGE- after swatching my hand in Superdrug I had to literally scrub my hand to shift it when I got home. I picked up the shade ‘Tranquility’ which is a nude and it is likely to become a new favourite of mine. These last all day and no need to reapply after food or drink! What’s not to like!? Will defiantly be trying out the other shades!

The next brand wasn’t new to me as I have dabbled in it before. Sleek caters, for what I feel, most skin tones from the lightest to the darkest of skin. I, like many others love their contour palettes- seriously if you ever see one- pick it up..these things are like gold dust and sell out as soon as they hit the shelves!! I also love their eye shadow palettes as, for the price, you get a good choice of colours and they are super pigmented which means a little goes a long way! I decided to pick up a couple of blushes to try out. I picked up the shade ‘Coral’ (£4.49) which has a very, very slight shimmer but is a gorgeous, warm, almost peach shade (which I love- my all time favourite blush is MAC ‘peaches’). I also picked up ‘Rose Gold’ (also £4.49) which reminds me slightly of NARS Orgasm- it is packed full of sparkles and is of a similar shade! These again, like Sleeks eye shadows, are also incredibly pigmented! The Sleek packaging is classic and simplistic and also reminds me of NARS with the suede effect on its blushes which really works well and probably keeps the prices down so they can focus on giving us great make up for equally great prices.

The moral of the story for me is that you really can get great products for very low prices and it is definitely worth just trying them out. I, like many other girls, love nothing more than splashing out on higher end brands like Chanel and YSL and it is great to treat yourself now and then (unfortunately this is becoming very regularly recently). But for a couple of pound the risk is worth taking sometimes!

Let me know what you think about these brands or have any recommendations for me :)

Leigh x