Nyx Tinted Brow Mascara in Espresso Review

I’ll admit brow gel isn’t necessarily something that I would consider an essential however, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I always enjoy using it and am grateful for it when I do have it in my makeup bag. In particular, I like the tinted ones as I use a lot of pomades and powders and they can help my brows look less blocky and more natural. I have tried a couple of brow gels in the past namely the Benefit ones so I was looking forward to trying one by Nyx – particularly as Nyx’s products are usually great…

The packaging is fairly simple, the tube is housed in a cardboard box with a plastic cover, it’s okay it does the job and doesn’t take up large amounts of room, there’s not much to say on the packaging front! The price is very reasonable, it’s only £7.00 so I can’t complain at that!

The Nyx Tinted Brow Mascara is described on the Boots website as the following:
“No shame in wishing for a strong beautiful brow! Our foolproof tinted brow mascara helps your dream come true.

It sets tames and tints brows for natural-looking wear. Our dependable formula leaves brows feeling soft while maintaining complete control.”

There are five shades to choose from so I wouldn’t say that there’s lots of choice, I have Espresso which is the second darkest shade – the darkest being pure black. There are two more brunette shades and one blonde so to be honest Nyx could probably benefit from including a shade suitable for redheads.

I personally feel that the wand on this product is very strange! First it’s very long and since the entire wand is coated in product it can be difficult to be precise with this, I have sometimes overaplied above or below the brow and had to clean up as it’s harder to control so bear that in mind. I also find that the brush itself is slightly wider than I’d like it to be, my brows are medium to thin in size so I need to be able to apply brow gel without making a mess, I find that the wider section of this is too wide for me, so I often have to use this at an angle and very careful.

The shade and undertones are actually decent for me though, on the brows this is darker than it appears on my hand but it is a medium to deep brown with slight warm undertones though on the brows it’s cooler thankfully! I do this it could probably be a little deeper in honesty however, like I said once this is on the brows it does look darker which is good for me since I used dark brown brow products.

I do find that this is good for making the brow hairs stand out however, I’m not too sure on control, on my more unruly brow hairs I found that this coated them but didn’t necessarily tame them like I wanted. Having said that, once the formula dries the rest of my brows do stay in place, there’s an ever so slight touch of crispiness but I’d expect that from a brow gel anywhere.

The crsipiness is minor and won’t leave your entire brows feeling tight, I also found that this is easy to remove at the end of the day as well so no need to worry about pulling your brow hairs out!

Overall, I do like this, I think that the wand could be slimmer and have a shorter handle but aside from that I have enjoyed using this this week. I’m not sure if I would repurchase, I do prefer Gimme Brow in honesty and I am keen to try other brow gels that are budget friendly to see how they compare but all in all, it’s not a bad product!

The Nyx Tinted Brow Mascara is available from Boots for £7.00.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please hit the like button, as always please leave any recommendations in the comments! I haven’t tried lots of brow gels so I’d be keen to get some ideas for which ones to try next.

Thanks for reading!

Boots Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream Review

I like Boots Botanics, the brand is a reminder that you can find skincare products that work effectively and don’t cost the earth. Now I’m not telling you that all budget skincare is holy grail or that your expensive serum filled with famous ingredients isn’t worth it but sometimes you need something that will do a job and is cheep and cheerful. To me, that’s the Boots Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream. I’ve tried a couple of expensive eye creams and though they were nice they didn’t blow me away, I’ve been plodding along with a budget one for a while and decided to try something new – enter this product.

I find the packaging of this actually very comforting. Packaging isn’t a dealbreaker to me nor is it something that necessarily makes me buy a product but something about the pale purple, the white and black and the straight neat font just makes me feel relaxed and safe. The price is pretty safe as well £8.99 for an eye cream is pretty good to be honest, especially one that feels nice on the eyes.

Though I’ve mentioned the external packaging, I am pleased to report that this is a squeezy tube. I’ve had eye creams in pots before and I’m not so keen on jars as you are constantly dipping your finger into the product and then wiping it on your face, the squeeze tube is much more hygienic plus it takes up less space!

Boots describes this product as the following:
“When it comes to boosting the complexion, this eye cream nourishes. Infused with a cocktail of anti-oxidants extracted from the leaves of the Ginkgo plant. Used daily it helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and dark circles and moisturises, for a more illuminated under-eye appearance.”

I notice how Boots draws attention to the ingredients within this eye cream, this does contain Ginko extract however, it does also contain alcohol which isn’t great for a skincare product. I have noticed though that this does appear to be paraben free if I go by the ingredients so that is a positive.

When you first swatch this I will admit that it doesn’t look very appealing! On the Boots website it does mention how colour may vary due to the ingredients so that is interesting. I also find this to have an interesting texture, it’s not quite a cream and it’s not a lotion, instead it has almost like a slight gel texture to it which makes it feel quite soothing and cooling on the under eyes which I like!

When you apply it, it gives the skin this illuminated appearance, I’ve not fully blended it in the photo above so it looks very wet and glassy looking which is more toned down once it’s on the skin. I do feel like this calms my eyes as well as hydrates which is important since it’s hayfever season so my eyes have been very sore lately!

So how does this compare? Compared to other budget eye creams I feel that this is more hydrating, it also doesn’t irritate my eyes like the other one and it leaves my skin looking more radiant. Compared to high end, I don’t feel like this measures up to the radiance level of Origins however, this calms and soothes the skin more so there are bonuses! I think I would repurchase and recommend this to those with dry, textured undereyes. I will most likely try some more eye creams though as it’s nice to have a change!

The Boots Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream is available from Boots for £8.99.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please hit the like button, let me know in the comments if you have tried this eye cream and of course please leave any recommendations in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

 

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly Review

Concealer is a bit of an odd product for me I must admit. I’m extremely;y reliant on it for under my eyes and it’s indefinitely a staple for me however, I find concealers very hard to find. Formulas can differ from ridiculously runny to so thick that you feel like there’s a layer of oxygen between your makeup and your face so I do tend to find it difficult to find one that works well. The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer has been on my wishlist for quite some time now (we’re talking years) so I’ve been super excited to test this over the last couple of weeks – here’s my thoughts.

Nars is of course a high-end beauty brand so it’s not surprising that the concealer is housed in this thick branded box. It always makes me smile a little bit when I compared high-end packaging to budget packaging, I mean really we’re talking about a box but suddenly you whisper the word Nars and the box seems so more appealing, funny isn’t it? The price is less amusing, it’s not awful and pretty reasonable for a high end product the concealer is priced at £24.00 for 6ml which is quite a lot I will admit compared to volume, however, a little goes a long way with this one.

On Look Fantastic, the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is described as the following:
“Achieve a smooth, flawless complexion with the NARS Cosmetics Radiant Creamy Concealer; a long-wearing, buildable formula that helps to create a softer, more even finish.

Fortified with innovative light-diffusing technology, the lightweight, ultra-hydrating concealer blends effortlessly onto skin, delivering medium-high coverage and natural-looking colour to minimise the appearance of fine lines, imperfections and signs of fatigue. Expect a fresh, dewy complexion with restored luminosity. Crease-proof, non-drying and complete with a wand applicator.

Non-comedogenic.

Free from alcohol, parabens and synthetic fragrances.”

Starting with the shade range, on Look Fantastic I can see eighteen shades available so Nars is definitely more inclusive than the average concealer brand that usually offers only three shades. I have the palest shade Chantilly which is the exact same as Collection’s new 0 shade so to me the pale end of the spectrum is good. I do feel like there could probably be more deeper shades, I notice that even the darker shades all look quite warm toned online and I’m not seeing many ashy shades so maybe something for Nars to work on.

This concealer has a wide doe foot applicator, the rounded tip means that you’re not in danger of stabbing yourself anytime soon however, it does mean you can’t be as precise as you may want to be. Personally, I like the applicator, I feel that it picks up a decent amount of the product and it’s easy to work with. What is interesting is that you can see the texture of the concealer, it’s not overtly runny which I like however, it’s not ridiculously thick either, it’s a the perfect in-between.

The finish is as radiant as you would expect, more so than other concealers that I’ve used in the past. What really stands about to me about this one is how natural it looks. I have a lot of texture under my eyes caused by milia so often concealers can cake up and make my undereyes look unnaturally dry which can make me look more tired! This one glides over the texture and leaves a smooth even finish behind, the radiance means that my undereyes definitely look brighter and my face looks healthier and younger!

I do have fine lines under my eyes so I do find that this can crease ever so slightly – sorry Nars it’s true however, it doesn’t crease as bad as most of my other concealers and since this one doesn’t dry it’s easy to just blend with your finger to correct this. I will also admit I haven’t tried baking or using setting powder so that could deal with this issue anyway.

And the longevity? If you overblend with a beauty blender you will end up lifting the product away from the skin so I like to apply this using the applicator and then using my fingers to blend. I usually find it stays on for the day with maybe a small amount of movement but nothing crazy. What I do love is how this never looks cakier throughout the day and how it doesn’t oxidise! It stays the same shade all day long.

Overall, I really really like this, I do need to sort out the creasing issue but aside from that it definitely ticks all of my boxes. I’m not sure if I’d repurchase repeatedly just because it is expensive but I will admit it’s a great concealer and if you can afford it I’d highly recommend giving it a try!

The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly is available from Look Fantastic for £24.00.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please hit the like button, let me know in the comments if you have tried this concealer and which concealers you highly recommend.

Thanks for reading!

Maui Moisture Thicken and Restore Bamboo Fiber Shampoo and Conditioner Review

I’ll admit haircare – shampoo and conditioner in particular may not be the most exciting part of my beauty routine however, I am genuinely excited to talk about the Maui Moisture Thicken and Restore Bamboo Fiber Shampoo and Conditioner. Why? Because I’ve heard a lot of positive reviews about Maui Moisture (A Brash Attitude especially) and I’ve been enjoying using these products for the past couple of weeks, thoughts below…

Starting with the packaging the bottles are colour coded so nice and easy to tell the ranges apart. I’m hit and miss witht he packaging, it’s quite bulky so takes up a lot of room on the side of my bath, I also find it very hard to squeeze the product out. On one hand this means I don’t use too much at once which I’m definitely guilty of, but on the other hand it is is tricky and I imagine when the bottles get low it will be harder. The shampoo and conditioner are not the cheapest they retail for £8.99 per product at Boots so that will add up over time however, they are great products.

The shampoo and conditioner are described on the Boots website as the following:
“Aloha to silicone free Maui Moisture for chemically damaged hair – made with 100% pure Aloe Vera Juice as its first ingredient! The next big thing in haircare, Maui Moisture takes out the bad to leave more room for the good. Fine, brittle hair?
Your hair will love our Thicken & Restore + Bamboo Fiber collection to strengthen, densify and revive.

Unlike most shampoos which start with deionized, chemically treated water as the main ingredient, Maui Moisture starts with a unique blend of 100% Pure Aloe Vera Juice as the first ingredient, followed by Coconut Water. (We use Aloe Juice to cleanse and to provide extra nourishment & moisture to the hair.)

Inspired by the beautiful Hawaiian Island, we have 5 different ranges for all hair types and textures to nourish, revive, strengthen, quench and restore – all with gorgeous tropical ingredients and fragrances to send your senses soaring.”

Bonus points for the ingredients, they utilise aloe vera juice, coconut water, thickening bamboo fibers, castor oil and neem oil. They are also vegan friendly and free from silicone, artificial colours, mineral oils, ALES and sulfated sulfates.

I really like the smell of these products, this particular range smells almost similar to apples, it’s a fruity, sweet scent that leaves my hair feeling really lovely.

The main thing about these products for me is how they leave my hair, in the shower I feel like the shampoo really cleans my hair and the conditioner stops it from drying out so my hair never feels stripped or squeaky clean. When I dry my hair I have noticed that my hair looks thicker however, thickening haircare usually leaves my hair very frizzy and incredibly dehydrated, it also usually affects my scalp a lot too. I’m pleased to report that none of these things have occurred my hair genuinely looks thicker but without the side effects so I attribute that to all of the oils.

I’ve also found that despite being rich in oil;s this doesn’t turn my hair instantly greasy either, the warm weather means that my hair is naturally more oily at the moment however, I don’t feel that these products made that worse which is always a bonus!

The bottles are also generous with size, usually I will have to pay a few pounds for 100ml which I’ll go through very quickly whereas this lasts a lot longer so I would say they are cost effective.

Finally is the repairing, I will admit that my hair isn’t necessarily damaged but it does really need a trim as I have a lot of split ends, though these won’t replace a haircut they have made my hair malt significantly less which is always great!

Overall, I’m impressed, these are quite hydrating so I imagine if you have damaged hair then the moisturising one will be particularly great. If like me do you do have fine hair and want volume without the dryness give these a try, you may experience a small amount of coarseness however, your hair won’t feel stripped or damaged – I would recommend and repurchase!

The Maui Moisture  Thicken & Restore Bamboo Fiber Shampoo and Conditioner are available at Boots for £8.99 each.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please hit the like button, let me know in the comments if you have tried anything by Maui Moisture, so far I’m really impressed!

Thanks for reading.

 

Benefit They’re Real Double The Lip and Liner in Revved Up Red Review

I remember when Benefit first launched these lipsticks, they were presented in a metal case which was around £20 for all of them at the time and bloggers left right and centre were receiving them and putting them to the test. Though I like an ombre lip I’ll admit that I’m not skilled enough to be able to pull it off so anything promising to do the hard work for me is worth a try right? I’ve been testing this a couple of weeks and I’ll admit it’s not what I expected, read on for my thoughts…

Let’s take a look at the packaging, this is a mini sample that came free with a magazine so it is slightly different but it is reminiscent of the They’re Real Mascara and They’re Real Eyeliner Pen so it makes sense for the brand. I do like the artwork though I did think the lips looked strange, personally I find that ombre lips work better if they’re more subtle but that’s just me. The travel size of this is worth £10.50 but since it takes a while to use up a lipstick you get plenty of product for your cash – I would advise testing the travel size first to see if you like it.

The Benefit They’re Real Double The Lip & Liner in Revved Up Red is described on the Boots website as the following:

“Get fuller-looking lips in one easy stroke wherever you are, with They’re Real! Double The Lip mini in Revved-Up Red. This lip liner & lipstick in one features a Custom Teardrop Tip that grabs and defines your lip line and fills in lips with complementing colour for the appearance of volume and dimension. This semi-matte lipstick comes in neutral to bright shades for visibly fuller, sexier lips.

91% said lips look visibly fuller & sexier*
92% said it grabs & defines the lip line*
8-hour longwear lipstick**

*consumer panel survey of 110 women after 1 week.
**instrumental test on 20 panelists.”

A quick thing to note is the lack of testers for this product, personally I feel that 110 women is far too little to use to generate a product claim, I also think that 20 people again is a minute pool so I am dubious about that, I think it would be better to remove those bullet points and stick to the description personally but that’s just me!

As you can see the lipstick is split so a third of the lipstick is the part for filling in your lips and the top part is the liner. The colours doo look very different when you look at the lipstick this way however, I found that once you apply them both together they are indistinguishable so don’t worry about that!

The shade is both bolder and paler than I envisioned which is quite surprising. I looks very bold in the tube but when you apply it has more pinky red tone to it which translates onto the lips. You can see where I pressed down on the left to build up that red shade but I was surprised to see that this was pinkier than I had anticipated. I was also expecting a matte or satin finish so the texture and finish surprised me.

As you may be able to tell the formula is very balmy and slippery, I personally found thsi a little off-putting for several reasons. Firstly, the formula of the entire thing is slippery which means that the lip liner function doesn’t work too well. I didn’t notice any bleeding but it did feather slightly and I struggled to get a crisp line. With a lip liner they’re typically drier to hold the lipstick in place but that’s not the case with this.

I also found that the formula sat on the lips but didn’t sink in like a balm, it emphasised any texture even after exfoliating my lips and move around more than I would have liked which gets me onto my next point. This is a red lipstick and red = obvious smudging! With a colour as bold as red you need the lisptick to stay on the lips so to choose a glossier balmy formula struck me as a strange choice.

This is the product on me, personally I found that it looks darker in the centre of my lips even though I used the liner on the outside! You can see that this hasn’t made a terrible mess however, it isn’t perfectly even, I struggled to get this formula to stay in place and the slippery texture meant that getting a crisp line was impossible I also found the tip of the liner to wear down much quicker than the rest of the lipstick so bear than in mind!

Bonus points were that the lipstick smells nice and isn’t as harsh as a true red or blood red but even so I didn’t find this to be flattering on me.

My overall thoughts are that this is just a gimmick, from the slippery formula to the built in lip liner which isn’t a lip liner at all – this just didn’t deliver on what I expected and I found it harder to work with than necessary. Personally, I wouldn’t purchase or recommend, it’s a nice idea but the final product doesn’t really make sense for the purpose to me. I think if you are on the hunt for products that will make your lips look larger then invest ina  lip liner it will save you a lot of time and look better in the long run!

The Benefit They’re Real! Double The Lip & Liner In One Travel Sized Mini Revved-Up Red is available from Boots for £10.50.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please hit the like button, let me know in the comments if you have tried these lipsticks and if you like an ombre lip.

Thanks for reading!

Beauty Brands That Excite Me

Last month I spoke about the beauty brands that don’t typically excite me, so today I thought it would be fun to do a positive post talking about the brands that do excite me. I’m not going to say that I love every single product from all of these brands but to me, these brands offer something iconic, something reliable and are unafraid to innovate and constantly push the creative boundaries. These brands are the ones that always make me sit up in my seat and look for reviews on their latest launches, here they are!


1.  Barry M
I unintentionally included a lot of high end brands however, Barry M is one high street brand that I really love. I haven’t always enjoyed every single one of their products however, they constantly try new things which I really admire. The Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paints are my holy grail of nail polishes, I also like a lot of their lip products particularly the Matte Me Up Lip Kits which were excellent. From the iconic Dazzle Dusts to the growing range of cheek products, Barry M consistently delivers which is why I find it such a a great brand.

2. Benefit Cosmetics
I will admit Benefit definitely milk it a little bit, for example I found the brow ranage to be a little excessive. Having said that, I really like the Benefit cheek products. Hoola is a fantastic bronzer and I also have a cheek palette which has Dandelion, Coralista, Sugarbomb and Rockateur inside and I genuinely love each blusher. Definitely a fan of Benefit and I’m always keeping my eyes out for new releases.

3. Glossier
I’ll admit I was on that Glossier bandwagon before they even landed in the UK (though I didn’t import any products). So far I’ve used up a Milky Jelly Cleanser which I did enjoy, I also have one of their Cloud Paints which I’m very excited to try. There’s a lot on my to-try list but I like how Glossier has a very distinct brand and regularly listens to customer and influencer feedback – social listening done right!

4. Illamasqua
For me Illamasqua are hit and miss, there’s been some products that have blown me away and some that just haven’t worked for me – usually though the products are a good match for me and the quality is always there. Out of every beauty brand, Illamasqua is the epitome of innovation and creativity, I love how the brand actively tackles social issues as well as creating products for customers from all walks of life – a genuinely diverse brand with an astounding portfolio of premium products.

5. Lush
I love Lush, thee products are a little pricey but having said that the ingredients are always high quality and ethically sourced which is great for the environmentally conscious. Thee bubblebars always leave my skin incredibly soft as well as providing a moment of true relaxation, plus can we talk about the swirling colours and amazing scents?

6. MAC
I’m just going to come out and say it – MAC release waaaaay too many collections and I struggle to keep up! Having said that the products are always high quality and there’s always lots of interesting shades and formulas. Again, I like how MAC experiment a lot with textures, shades and finishes, they’re not afraid to try something different and I love that.

7. Nars
I don’t own a lot of Nars simply because of the price but what I do own I do like. Nars is one of those brands where when I try a product in store it always impresses me, the quality is definitely there and I like how they make a lot of different shades and colours for their products so there is truly something for everyone.

8. The Body Shop
Bodycare never excites me as much as makeup but I do like The Body Shop. I’ve gone through countless body butters and the skincare and makeup are usually pretty great too. The brand is comfortably mid-range so you can treat yourself without spending an absolute fortune and it’s rare for me to absolutely loathe a product from the brand.

9. Urban Decay
A firm favourite of mine I’ve had at least seven Urban Decay palettes though I have parted ways with some of them now. Urban Decay just often seem to get it right, there are some products I’m not keen on however, I love how the brand is constantly trying new things and experimenting with different shades. Urban Decay also strikes me as very trend conscious usually jumping on all of the trends in beauty but without compromising on quality.

10. Vichy
Vichy is a skincare brand that truly excites me because my skin loves the products. I like how Vichy have lots of different ranges to suit different types of skin and I find their products to be particularly hydrating. I adore the Aqualia Thermale serum and their latest Mineral Plumping Booster left my skin looking radiant.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please hit the like button, I’d love to know in the comments which brands excite you plus any recommendations! I’m always on the hunt for new brands to test out.

Thanks for reading!

No posts this week!

Quick note, there will be no posts going live this week, this is because I’ve actually had a friend over for the weekend which is when I usually write content.

Have a great week! Posts will be going up as usual next week (week commencing 16th July).

Real Techniques 6 Miracle Sponges Collection Review

When my last makeup sponge inevitably fell to bits I was ready to pickup yet another Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge when I saw this bad boy. A set of six sponges for £19.99? You’d better believe I was all over that! I’ve been a fan of the Real Techniques products for a while but their sponge is a staple in my routine. I’ve only ever tried the Miracle Complexion Sponge before so I’ve been enjoying testing out these other versions, here’s an overview and roundup.

The Real Techniques 6 Miracle Sponges Collection offers six makeup sponges for the price of £19.99 instead of the usual £5.99 per sponge. Since each of these sponges purchase individually would reach £40, I think it’s a pretty decent offer! Packaging is simple a plastic tray holding the sponges with more plastic casing. In honesty, it works but at the same time it’s a lot of plastic usage, and once you’ve opened the set the sponges end up everywhere.

The collection is described on the Boots website as the following:
“Create the perfect look with the help of the 6 Miracle Complexion Sponges Set. We’ve combined our three unique Miracle Complexion Sponges to help you create the flawless base for any look.

Miracle Complexion Sponge:
Shaped to create the perfect base and build coverage where needed
Tip: use damp for a dewy glow or dry for a full coverage.

Miracle Mini Eraser Sponges:
These little miracles help sweep away your makeup mishaps with soft, flexible foam that helps pick up any type of makeup; especially around the eyes.
Tip: use damp to blend harsh lines or dry to pick up makeup.

Miracle Sculpting Sponge:
Expertly cut for controlled application and designed to help create shadows or highlight your favourite facial features.
Tip: use damp for a dewy glow or dry for a full coverage finish.”

The sponges are different shapes and sizes to be used for different parts of makeup application. To make it even easier they are handily colour coded: orange is the Miracle Complexion Sponge, pink is the Miracle Sculpting Sponge and purple is the Miracle Mini Eraser Sponges.

Miracle Complexion Sponge

The original sponge from Real Techniques that was created in response to the cult Beauty Blender. It is designed primarily for foundation application but can also be used for stippling with cream blushers and bronzers.

This is one of my all time favourite sponges. I’ll be honest I very rarely use the flat edge however, this sponge absorbs more water so it absorbs less foundation which I like for applying product to my face. This is affordable yet extremely high quality, I find it can blend near enough anything and it does last around three months before it needs replacing. This is my favourite sponge in the collection.

Miracle Sculpting Sponge

The Miracle Sculpting Sponge has a very unusual shape, to be honest, I don’t really understand the reason for this shape as it has little purpose and doesn’t benefit my makeup application. Certain parts such as the middle will never touch the face since the larger parts have a wider surface area.

This sponge is designed for bronzer and highlighter but I’ll be honest, this doesn’t work well for me. I want my bronzer to contour the face and for highlighter I like to have shining cheekbones. The rounded shape of this sponge makes creating lines or precision work pretty difficult, especially as there’s more round shape than there is flat surface or point. Having said that, this is a good option if your Miracle Complexion Sponge is looking a little grim (like mine is), I also didn’t mind this for cream blusher and liquid tints, in fact it did a good job of blending those out.

Miracle Mini Eraser Sponge

Of all of the sponges these are my least favourite in the collection. First of all, there is never a situation where I want to pull off makeup from my eyes – in fact that’s the last thing I want! If my makeup looks heavy I’d always rather blend it in that pull it away in lumps so as a concept I don’t really get this.

These follow the exact same shape as the Miracle Complexion Sponge but on a smaller scale, they do fit perfectly under the eye so they are good at blending concealer however, my main issue was that I had to reapply concealer because this kept lifting it away in a patchy fashion rather than blending. Am I sold on this? No not really.

Overall, the collection has a couple of gems in it but to be honest the only one I can see myself using religiously is the Miracle Complexion Sponge and possibly the Miracle Sculpting Sponge. As mean as it sounds, I do feel like the whole sponge hype is getting a bit silly now with sponges available by so many brands. I think with this collection, I don’t see how practical or necessary it is so it does feel a bit like it’s been created more to make up money rather than because you need these individual sponges.

I wouldn’t repurchase the full set but I would repurchase the Miracle Complexion Sponge. As for recommendations, I really don’t think you need this however, it does serve as a nice introduction to the world of sponges to find out which you prefer shape-wise.

The Real Techniques Six Miracle Sponges Collection is available from Boots for £19.99.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please hit the like button, let me know in the comments if you have tried this collection and if you think you would use every sponge – I’d love to know.

Thanks for reading!

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess EDP Review

For the longest time I have wanted to try the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess fragrance. I remember a few years ago smelling it in Boots for the first time and instantly falling in love with the creamy coconut aroma. Annoyingly, this fragrance is modified each year which means that if you fell in love with it a few years ago it will have changed! My lovely boyfriend bought me this as a gift and I’ve been using it non-stop for the past few weeks, as always here’s my thoughts.

Alongside the scent itself, the packaging also changes year on year. This time we have a metallic bronze bottle with a ribbed bronze lid with a blue band. Do I like this packaging? In honesty, not really! Since the packaging is reflective it leaves an absolute ton of smears all over it so it’s hard to keep clean. Having said that, I like the bronze and blue combination it’s very summery! There is an Eua Fraiche version of this I believe but I have the EDP which is £58.00 for 50ml or £82.00 for the 100ml. I think there is a 30ml but it was around £50 so I have the 50ml.

The product description on the Boots website is pretty short, but it reads as follows:
“The cult fragrance, now in a captivating Eau de Parfum.
A sensuous, sun-drenched blend of Bergamot, warm Amber, Tiare Flower and Vanilla combined with delicious creamy Coconut.
It’s endless summer.”

The perfume notes are listed on Fragrantica as the following:
Top notes: Mandarin Orange, Ginger and Lime
Heart notes: Jasmin Sambac, Coconut and Frangipani.
Base notes: Vanilla, Cashmere Wood, Musk and Amber.

This fragrance is not readily available so do bear that in mind. First of all this only comes out in the summer so if you want to buy it in Winter you will not find it in stock. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, this fragrance changes year-on-year so if you do smell it one year and fall in love with it, if you can buy it there and then because you may not have the option to do so later. I’m not about promoting mindless consumerism, but I have to admit it’s a clever (but frustrating) sales and marketing tactic.

Moving onto the potency, this is very strong when you first apply it so you really don’t need to go overboard. As daft as it soudns, I’m not keen on the combination of top notes so I use it a little more minimally anyway. I have noticed though that the more you use at once the worse it smells (in my opinion) so by all means top up through the day but you don’t need eight squirts first thing in the morning.

The fragrance smells quite floral on me, in fact it smells much more floral than I realised when I first smelled it in store and I’m not usually a fan of florals. When I first spray this the strongest note is the lime however, the ginger changes it from being quite zesty to being more floral. As the fragrance settles a little more I can definitely smell the mandarin orange, it’s a note I didn’t originally detect but now I’ve just sprayed this on my arm I can smell it above other notes.

I struggle to smell any Jasmin at all which is a shame as I love that perfume note, again the coconut is more minimal which I’ve disappointed in as I would love it to be more coconutty. As the fragrance unfolds into the base notes I can definitely smell the sweet combination of vanilla and amber – by this point the fragrance has mellowed out into a sweeter, creamier fragrance which I love.

It’s difficult to pinpoint an exact wear time for this, I do find that it lasts longer than a lot of my other perfumes that I have tried, though Juicy Couture does last longer than this. I’d say for a few hours at least I can definitely smell this but any later and I struggle to detect it  – though do bear in mind that you can’t smell yourself easily!

Overall, this is a nice perfume there’s no doubt about it, it’s very summery and I’ve received at least three compliments on it so clearly it’s a popular scent! I am a tad disappointed with the floral overdose this year, for me Bronze Goddess is all about suncream and coconut and I feel liek this perfume doesn’t really tie back to the Bronze Goddess roots.

Would I repurchase? I wouldn’t repurchase this year’s version however, who knows what it will smell like next year! I think for recommendations, I’d definitely encourage you to smell it, if you like floral fragrances I think you will like it.

The Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess EDP is available from Boots, the 50ml version retails for £58.00.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please hit the like button! Let me know in the comments if you have tried this – or any previous iterations of Bronze Goddess, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for reading.

Clinique Love Clinique All About Shadow Trio in Going Steady Review

Every so often, Clinique has a special offer on where if you buy a certain numbe rof items you can receive a free gift. I spot these offers in Boots sometimes and though they are pricey they can be a great introduction to a brand. One of the products I received in a free gift a while ago was this little eyeshadow trio from Clinique. I’ve not tried a lot of Clinique eyeshadows only one of their lid pops which was fairly decent. I do love lilacs so I’ve been putting this to the test this week – here’s my thoughts.

Since this was a free gift I won’t talk about price, the packaging however, is adorable, small, dinky, easy to store and I love the pretty graphics on the front of the case.

You do get a doe-foot applicator within this trio but to be honest I just got rid of mine, I don’t really like those sorts of applicators as they feel scratchy on the lid, don’t pickup product very well and are not great for blending.

The shade selection I do find to be good, often with smaller palettes you sometimes get completely contrasting shades (I’ve had one duo by a different brand that was green and pink once) so all of these shades work well with each other to create a look. There’s no shade names but the right-most shade is great for over the lid, the left most, can be used in the centre of the lid and inner corners and the middle shade can be used in the crease to add depth or on the outer corners.

The left and right shades have a subtle shimmer finish whilst the one in the middle is primarily matte with flecks of silver glitter.

Though the shades are pretty, the palette falls down on pigmentation and texture. First of all these shadows are incredibly dusty, I would have loved a buttery smooth formula that glides onto the lid but this isn’t the case. All three of these shadows require a lot of building and digging into that pan as they are firmly pressed. There’s also fallout.

The pigmentation is also lacking, to get the above swatches I had to pack this on in layers and even then, you can see in the middle swatch that there’s just not a lot to work with in terms of colour pay off. I found that even when I packed these onto the lid, I had to go in repeatedly, three or four times and even then, the look was subtle and the dusty formula made my lids look very textured. Of the three shades, the middle shade is the most pigmented.

These blend out okay but you have to be careful not to blend too much with the paler shades otherwise the colour disappears from the lid. I found the matte shade harder to blend but at least it had more colour.

I didn’t notice anything notable about the longevity, it lasted for a few hours but didn’t stay on all day and within one hour the look had already faded.

Overall, I don’t loathe this, it’s okay for a subtle look but to be honest I am disappointed. From a higher-end brand like Clinique I expected much higher quality and better results, I also found that I had to put in a lot of effort to make these shadows work, when I have had better results from the likes of Rimmel London. Overall, I wouldn’t repurchase this eyeshadow trio or recommend it.

This product was available as part of a gift however, you can find this specific trio floating around on Ebay if you really want to try it for yourself.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please hit the like button, let me know in the comments if you have tried Clinique’s eyeshadows before, do you like them or hate them?

Thanks for reading!

 

Longevity

Overall