So Sorry.

Recently I finished a 5-week teaching placement, which not only left me stressed and drained but somewhat missing the outside world.

The one thing people don’t seem to realise is that teaching isn’t a 8-4 job, you then have to mark the children’s work, plan the 6 lessons for the next day and do each lessons resources, its easy to say I was going to work at 7 to then be up until 10 doing work for the next day.  Due to it being my placement we have to do a whole lot of extra stuff for university, which we wouldn’t usually have to do in the job. Therefore, for the last 5 weeks I haven’t been able to see my boyfriend as much, because between planning, working and sleeping there wasn’t much time for him in-between. Anyway, recently I finished the placement and my second year of university (YEY!) which means I have a long time off to spend with him, write blogs and generally do nothing much.

Ultimately this means I will be doing more blog posts, as I know I have been away for quite a long time, and I apologise so much for that, its just been too busy for me to write and review anything. So thank you everyone for being patient, and hopefully everything will start getting back to normal.

Super sorry again!

E x

Antibacterial Make-Up Spray.

Pro Hygiene Collection - 

Antibacterial Make-Up Spray 

When it comes to cleaning my make up brushes I’m normally really good. I do it every week to make sure that there super clean. However, something I have never though of is sanitizing my actual make up such as pressed powders and blushes.

A few weeks ago I saw this little product on feelunique and I thought, as my skin can be really temperamental I would give it a go. It sanitizes makeup and helps reduce the growth of bacteria that can lead to infection.  It’s suitable for all sorts of make up such as pressed and loose powders, creams, gels, pigments, lipsticks, pencils and make up brushes and tools.

I tend to use this once a week when I wash my brushes, and sometimes every couple of days on my brushes and make up if I’m having a really bad break out, just to try and illuminate it spreading. Its really easy to use, you simply spray it onto your makeup or brushes, leave them for 60 seconds and then there good to go. I sometimes swirl my brushes on a piece of tissue just to make sure they’re nice and clean. There is no smell or residue left on your make up and its not affected my make up in any way, shape or form. However, the one thing they do not recommend using this spray on is mascara, as mascara is very specific in its use by dates!

This retails for £15 for 240ml like I said you could find it at cultbeauty (buy here). I have also seen this on feelunique who stock a 100ml bottle as well for £10 (buy here). I’m not going to lie, it is pretty extortionate paying £10/£15 for what is glorified antibacterial spray, however it’s a really big bottle and if you just use one or two sprays it should last you quite a long time.

What do you think; will you be purchasing this Makeup spray any time soon?                             

Micro Blur.

Kiehls –

Micro Blur Skin Protector

It really seems that blur products are big business at the moment and the latest launch from Kiehl’s provides instant blurring and skin perfecting effects along with skincare benefits over time.

The line from Kiehl’s is that this is a lightweight, satin finish skin-perfecting formula that combines an instant blurring effect with long-lasting, visible skincare results. It contains: Lipo Hydroxy Acid, Lentil Extract and Bark Extract. These promise to refine the appearance of pores and improve the texture of skin over time, which I think it pretty interesting for an instant blur product. Kiehl’s advise using this as the last step in your skin care routine day and night (after sunscreen, or BB cream, should you use it, for day).

When applied it softly mattifies (?) and it greatly diminishes the appearance of pores and evens out skin texture. It works really nicely under foundation and the finish is very natural and not over made-up which is sometimes the case with primers.

It does contain silicone, which accounts for how beautifully it glides on to the skin, but it is incredibly lightweight and doesn’t have the heavy feel that some blurring products have at all. This is a big thumbs up from me – it’s a fabulous makeup primer and I love the fact that it can deliver skin improvement over time.

Overall, its really become my new favorite. However, The Body Shop have also just released a blur primer, which has also been receiving some amazing reviews, so I may have to take a look at that as well and compare the two.

Nail Envy.

OPI –

Nail Envy Original Nail Strengthener

I've heard so many bloggers rave about the O.P.I nail envy nail strengthener but as much as I try to avoid being a sheep this was on sale, so I'm adding to the hype!

I always use some type of nail treatment as a base coat and I must admit that I never really notice a difference with these products because I assume that naturally are just really weak from acrylics. BUT...with this I must say there was a noticeable difference. When I'd had it on for a couple of weeks under various other nail polishes and then removed it my nails were literally ROCK HARD (like, you cannot bend them at all) I'd go as far to say that it would be quite a challenge to break one (not that I'm going to try). 

The consistency is quite runny when you apply it so try to scrape a little bit off the brush beforehand or you'll end up with it all over your fingers. It also does take a few minutes to dry so if you use it as a base coat like me then I would advise leaving your nails a while to ensure its dry before applying a colour. I have experienced quite a bit of streaking over the past couple of weeks when using this so I need to investigate further into whether it is this causing it or the polishes I'm using, maybe I'll try applying a base coat over the top of this as well.

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I would pay £18.75 for this, however whilst ever BeautyBay have it on sale for £12, I think I will carry on buying it. On the other hand, I might try the sensitive one as my nails have more of a tendency to peel.

Have you tried any of the OPI Nail Envy products?

Mosaic Bronzer.

No7 - 

Perfectly Bronzed Mosaic Bronzer

Ok, I’m not going to lie, this was actually my mums but there was something about it that I really enjoyed using, and as she found it wasn’t enough for her very dark skin tone, she donated it…to me.

The compact is very sleek and with the mirror inside it's perfect for my handbag. I love the multi-tonal colours in this as I like the bronzed look but also favour the pinky reds as well. It's a great mix of colours and gives a highly pigmented colour without looking to over the top.

This product gives off a lovely shimmer, you only need the smallest swatch on your brush and it looks amazing! It is perfect for winter and summer as it gives you a little bit of colour but doesn't tango on pale skin. I really like using this for a quick every day look, as with just one product I can do the whole blush, bronzer and contorting that doesn’t look over the top or muddy. 

It really is a gorgeous bronzer/brusher duo, which looks great on both pale and tanned skin!

True Match.

L’Oreal -

True Match Foundation

I’ve heard so much about this foundation. For the last year everyone has been raving about how it’s a fantastic dupe for Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, and after a lot of standing and testing on the back of my hand, walking away and then coming back, I finally caved and bought it.

The L’Oreal True Match Foundation is marketed as a ‘super blendable’ foundation with a creamy liquid texture, flawless finish and true-to-skin shades that ‘matches the colour and texture of your skin’. It contains SPF 17 and it comes in a 30ml glass bottle with a pump (something you shouldn’t get too excited about, but which you actually do).

This foundation has a silky texture and matte & luminous finish. From what I can gather it’s pretty much identical to Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk in this aspect, and it feels very pleasant on the skin. True Match claims to give your skin a flawless finish, which I slightly disagree. It’s definitely not a natural finish, but it’s not flawless either, so I’d put it somewhere in between natural and flawless.

True Match has a great light to medium coverage, perfect as an everyday foundation if you’re used to wearing foundation on a daily basis. It covered my redness and hyper-pigmentation with 1 layer and without clinging to any dry patches.

Where the formula is concerned this is where True Match mainly differs from Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk; The L’Oreal foundation is a creamy liquid and the Armani foundation is more like a creamy paste. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk is thicker, and therefore it gives you a higher coverage and it’s more longwearing than True Match.

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by the L’Oreal True Match foundation and I believe it is very similar to the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation. Granted, it’s not an 100% dupe because True Match is less long-wearing, less flawless and less creamy, but it’s the most similar foundation to Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk I’ve tried so far, and it doesn’t cost a small fortune! It’s fantastic for everyday use and the wide shade range with different undertones is commendable.

Overall Round Up:

- SPF 17

- True to skin shades

- Warm, cool & neutral undertones

- Natural matte & luminous finish

- Light / medium coverage

- Silky texture

- Creamy liquid formulation

- Lightweight

- 20 shades

If you’re thinking of buying Luminous Silk but you can’t quite afford it yet, give L’Oreal True Match a go and see how you get on with it first.

Instant Illuminating.

Dior - 
Diorskin Nude Shimmer Instant Illuminating Powder in 001 Pink

These are described by Dior to be more than a finishing powder but less than a blush/bronzer; these powders are all about ‘radiance’. Ultra finely-milled and with the softest shimmer you can imagine, one sweep of a brush swirled through the pan is enough to give your skin a light-kissed look, without ever coming across as overdone.

But just look at them – do you seriously need any more reason than that?

The powder is housed in a luxurious (does Dior do anything but luxury?) silvery compact bearing the distinctive Dior cannage pattern with a nice hefty feel, and secure magnetic snap closure. It also comes with its own protective velour pouches (must keep that finish pristine) as well as a small kabuki brush.

I know this is going to sound strange but both me and the boyfriend agreed that its delicately scented, not in a bad overpowering way, in a slightly rose way, the fragrance itself is subtle and disappears into the background of your application. To say that these powders are ultra-finely milled, would be an understatement – I experienced no kickback when I swirled my brush across the pan. The tiny kabuki brushes work surprisingly well, and actually do a great job of buffing the powder seamlessly into the skin. Lasting power is excellent as well, going way past the 8 hour mark – when my skin’s oils finally combined with the powder to give an even more natural glow.

This rose/pink shade is the lighter of the two shades available in this powder (the other being an amber shade) and perfect for fairer/fair medium skin tones (which is exactly where I fall). This compact bears 4 hues: the larger sections in light tan & blush, with the pink and pearly white lettering to add a hint of colour. Trying to pick up the individual colours is pretty hard, however can be done if you wish, personally I don’t think it would give the same beautiful glow due to it being made to wear mixed together.
I wore this two ways. The first was a blush, focusing a little more on grabbing the pinker shades to help give a rosy glow, this I find is perfect for everyday wear and gives my face such a pretty healthy glow. The second way was to mix them together and focus on the upper cheek area and my temples, giving an instant brightening, glow effect. This way is perfect for those special occasions, nights out or the times when your trying to make a little more of an effort.
TIP: As with other tinted face powders and/or bronzers, you should be aware that the colour “develops” slowly – it’s best to apply with a light hand, and then wait a few minutes to see the desired result before going in with more product.

Have you tried either of these beautiful Diorskin Nude Shimmers?
If you’ve tried the Amber shade…I would love to know your thoughts on it!

Kiss Me.

Dior -
Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Kiss Me (389)

The new Dior Addict Fluid Stick is one of the few makeup items that actually got me excited this year. I am already deeply (?) in love with Dior Addict lippie and lip-gloss range, and this "lip hybrid that can do it all" peaked my interest. The tube is the same size as Dior Addict Lip Gloss. Firstly, I adore this chic and pretty case but it is a bit heavy and borderline bulky. You can clearly see the colour through the transparent exterior. The inside is shaped like a lipstick bullet, which is perfect for the "Fluid Stick" name. Kiss Me appears as a light ballerina pink from the outside, but the colour on the applicator looks much warmer and darker. Dior Addict Fluid Stick has a creamy and cushiony consistency and Kiss Me is very pigmented and looks as slightly deeper pink once applied on the back of the hand. On my lips though, it shows up lighter and cooler, which is more like the colour you see from the tube.

This is hands down the prettiest light pink that I own.

From the swatches I have seen on other peoples blogs, the bright more vivid colour’s are also incredibly pigmented, however personally I am not really brave enough to wear a really bright, vivid, statement lippy, I am more of the pretty pink colours with amazing glossiness and a bit of sparkle.

I must tell you Dior Addict Fluid Stick is slightly strange. It transforms both in the texture and the colour, which caught me off guard a little. I expected it to be a thicker version of a lip-gloss, however when I first tested it, the colour went on thick like concealer and slightly washed out my complexion.

At this point I was silently disheartened, but the formula warmed up in seconds and transformed into something much lighter as if it was melding with my lips. The colour deepened and ended up looking not only wearable but also incredibly pretty.

It wore really quite well, I expected it like a lip-gloss to fade and wear off pretty quick. However even the shine lasted such a long time and it left a stain to my lips afterwards which meant I only had to put a lip-gloss over it to help regain the glossiness.

Overall, I have to say the boy did good getting this. It’s just as amazing as I was hoping for. Personally, I think it really lives up to the hype! Just slightly wish there were less bright shades.

Have you tried the new Dior Fluid Sticks?
What are your thoughts on them?