All used up....

Hello!

Just a wee update before I get started - its actually has a lot to do with doing an empties post. I'm moving house and so I have started the daunting task of packing up all my belongings. I always see a move as a chance to have a good clear out and I had so many empties products hoarded to blog about and so I thought I should get on with it so I could chuck them out.

First up is the ELF nail varnish in desert haze.

I LOVE this nail varnish and it is the fist ever polish that I have used up and re- purchased. This one has gone all goopy and so I got another while elf had discount offer running and I'm so happy to have it again. This is a perfect everyday which goes with anything. Elf polishes can be so hit an miss, some have terrible pigmentation and staying power while others are totally fab - this one included. Two coats and its perfect and with a top coat on it lasts for days. Not bad for £1.50!

Next is the Body Shop body butter in strawberry

I really like the Body Shop body butters and I have another 4 of them in my room at them moment that I'm working my way through. The scents are amazing and they make my skin so lovely and soft! I usually give myself a good scrub in the shower and then slather this stuff on and it make me feel fab! The Body Shop always have offers on so you can get these quite cheap but they retail for £12.50

This is a sample of Elizabeth Arden's new skin balancing lotion for combinations skin.

I got this in a Glossy box and decided to give it a try. I'm usually nervous about trying new face products as my skin usually doesn't appreciate any changes in my routine and punishes me with a lovely break out. not this baby! I loved it so much I even bought the full sized bottle - at a whopping 32 bucks! This is a lovely light cream that give my combo skin all the moisture it needs without overloading it and making it more oily. For me it was worth splashing out for.

I also got this next product in a Glossy box and it is the Balance me wonder eye cream.

I'm kind of on the fence with this stuff. I liked it, but it didn't do anything particularly wonderful for my eyes. I have anther sample of it so ill work my way through that and see how I feel but I don't think it will be re-purchased. I think I'm looking for something more that just a touch of moisture for my eyes these days. This is made from 99% natural ingredients and if that floats your boat, it may be a good one to try.

Last up is the Fake Bake airbrush tanning spray.

If you are very fair and looking for a light luxury tan to try then this would be the one for you. You can pick this up from a variety of places for as little as 20 pounds. I was using this for my face and upper body in the winter (shows how long this bottle has been hanging in my room for) to give myself a subtle glow. The spray is tinted so it helps you see where you have applied it and the colour is of a greenish tome so it develops to a light golden olive tone - no orange! Once it dries you can go over it to get a deeper colour. Its really easy to use and very natural and so I would get this again. My boyfriend even said he like it when I use it and preferred it to my other fake tans.

well I better get back to my packing...

A little love
Emma xo

Clinique Even Better Foundation Review

Hello!

Sorry for the delay in getting out this review as I have been a very busy bee. There has been loads going on at work and I have ended up changing jobs and I'm also going to me moving house.Crazy times but anyway, on to the review

I just want to say this first... I love this foundation!

I tried this out as I had seen Tanya Burr apply it on one of her tutorials and I just loved the way it looked on her. Now I don't have skin anything as beautiful as hers so I was a bit unsure of how it work on me. Instead of just rushing out and buying the full product I decided to buy a few sample sachets from eBay. I got 5 for 3.40 with postage - bargain! I emptied them into a little container and they lasted me over two weeks! This was plenty time to test it out, see how it sat on my skin, how long it lasted and if the colour worked for me. I would totally recommend doing this for testing foundations. I find it hard to go and ask the counter ladies for freebies sometimes

The photo in the left is me without any makeup (again yuk) and on the right with just the foundation applied.
The foundation itself is a quite thick and creamy and applied on the skin gave amazing coverage without feeling heavy at all. It really evens out my skin tone and covers my hyper pigmentation. id say its medium to full and leaves a slight dewy finish. I usually shy away for a dewy foundation but this actually worked very nicely on me. It says its suitable for dry combination or oily combination skin but I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work any skin type.

 The colour I have is 03 ivory and the is perfect for me just now whilst I have a bit of summer sun. I love the way it wears on the skin, usually by the end of the day I start to look pretty messy and patchy but with this stuff, thought wearing away, still look good! I do get a bit shiny as the day goes on and have to powder my skin once late afternoon - usually id have to do this umpteen times during the day.

Me after applying the rest of my makeup

I really cant find any problems with this foundation at all - it doesn't even break me out at all. (I told you it was love!) I have just picked up the full size bottle for £23 at boots - a fair price for a high end product. I think this is going to be a staple in my makeup kit!

Have any of you tried this foundation or any of the others from Clinique?

I have plenty more foundations to test and I will next be testing Collection 2000 lasting perfection foundation. Its going to be hard to put my Clinique one down though!

A little love
Emma xo

Mark Hill anti-humidity hair spray

So who loves it when you spend time curling and straightening your hair to preened perfection and then you step outside for a moment and you end up looking like Hermione Granger: The early years?

Not me!

I have really fine hair and find it gets really static and fluffy in the warmer months - especially when I have been curling it and using styling products. I received a trial sized tin of this at an event last year and it ended up rolling about the back of my makeup drawers unloved, until one particular frizzy day (we are talking Albert Einstein hair here) I gave this a whirl and it was magic!

I sprayed this over my hair and the static frizz disappeared instantly! it doesn't leave any noticeable product in your hair and it has a lovely fresh sent too. I have been keeping this in my handbag to use on the go and tame the mane when ever I need it. I have noticed that Mark Hill have re designed the packaging for this and it is now called Mark Hill Defrizz-ilicious Bedazzeled Anti Humidity Spray (cracking name) and is currently 5.99 in boots for a 200ml can. I hope the formula is still the same though.

I'll be picking this up again the next time I see it in store. Its been a god send in this warm humid weather and I imagine it would be great on holiday too.

Have you tried any Mark hill products?

A Little Love
Emma xo

Boots essentials cucumber eye gel

I was in boots the other day picking up a few bits and bobs and grabbed a tube of the Boots essentials cucumber eye gel. I have been trying various eye creams out lately and not finding one I like. This was only £1.42 and I thought that if it didn't do anything, at least I hadn't broke the bank paying for it

I was actually really surprised by how much I like it. I have really dry tired eyes and just need something to give it a bit of a perk and a touch of moisture and this does just that. The product is a clear gel and is really cooling and soothing on they eye. I apply it in the evening before bed and in the morning before I apply my makeup. I keep mine in the fridge to make it extra cooling for my eyes.

This would be perfect for someone in their 20s who isn't worrying about wrinkles just yet but just needs something refreshing and lightly hydrating for their eyes.

What eye creams have you been loving?
A little love
Emma xo

Foundation Reviews - Garnier BB cream for oily/combo skin

Hola!

So I have been testing out this BB cream for the last week and am ready to report my findings. I have been nervous all week about this post as my skin is not in tip top condition at the moment and I'm not at my most photogenic. At least this way you will get a good idea on its coverage!

So BB creams have been doing the rounds haven't they? I had my first dealings with a BB cream a couple of years back with the skin 79 gold version and I wasn't all that impressed (despite the hype) I just felt it didn't do anything at all really.

I have been on the look for one with a bit more coverage and that would work for my skin type and after testing soooo many I discovered the new garnier BB cream oily/combo.
I tried the tester out in the shop and once I blended this into my wrist I just loved the effect it gave my skin - so in my basket it went.

Here is me before its applied (I know yikes!) and you can see I'm dealing with an angry red breakout on my chin. I look a bit ghostly in the photos but in real life there is a bit more colour to me I swear.

I have it in medium as I'm a bit of a fake tan fanatic and it gives me a lovely sun kissed warm colour to my face. The coverage is light - medium and it dries to a matt finish. The consistency is very runny so I find the best way to apply it is with my fingers. It evens out my skin tone but does not hide my blemishes and acne scars so I go back over with my trusty Vichy concealer to hide these.


Here is it just applied without any other makeup

As you can see at lot more even but there is still a bit of redness (smile Emma!).

I really like the way this product wears on my skin throughout the day. I find that it doesn't go patchy and it manages to keep oil at bay. Usually I would be powdering 4 hours after I had applied my makeup but I can easily going about 8 hours before I get a bit of shine. It doesn't feel heavy on the skin and looks very natural - great for daytime use. Below is me after adding the rest of my makeup.

One thing that I don't like is that It stinks of alcohol which I thought was odd? Alcohol is well known for drying out and being generally not to great for your skin. I know that us oily girls need a bit of that but I don't like the thought of rubbing alcohol on my face to do this. Saying that, I haven't had any irritation with it.

Conclusion? alcohol aside, I do really like this BB cream and and love how it feels and looks on my skin. I'm looking forward to wearing it when my skin is in better condition and I'm not needing a fuller coverage. If like me, you have been searching for a BB to fall in love with and that's suitable for your oily skin then I would give this a whirl. Its costs between £7.99 and £9.99 which is not a bad price at all.

Hope that's been help full and the pictures didn't scare you too much. I have just got a few samples of the Clinique even better foundation so ill be testing that out this week. Stay tuned for a review on that...


A little love
Emmaxo

Just finished - Jergens Naturals Ultra Hydrating hand cream

I have just used up my tube of the Jergens Naturals ultra hydrating hand cream to the very last drop. They have a few different versions but I picked up this one as I have very dry hands - probably a lot to do with the hand sanitisers I use all the time

This stuff its lovely to apply and had a light watery/creamy consistency. It absorbs into the skin quickly and leaves no horrible greasy residue and leaves a very delicate fresh scent. I for one cant stand when a hand cream leaves you feeling like you have dunked your hand into a tub of butter and smelling like you have doused your hands in perfume.

I will defiantly pick up another tube of this and would really recommend it for anyone with very dry hands like me

A little Love
Emma xo

Foundation reviews

Image courtesy of Google images

Hello!

I thought I might start a new series of posts about foundations. They are the base to your whole makeup look and getting this part right can make all the difference to it.

My plan is to take a foundation, test it out for a week and then feedback on my experience with it. I'll take photos of it freshly applied and then after a day of wear so you can see how it looks on the skin and how it lasts.

I have a lot of foundations in my collection already so I have plenty to report on

At the moment I am trying out Garnier's new BB cream in the Oily/Combination version

Ill report back next week on my findings

A little love
Emma xo