Author: Vicki

Cornwall Catchup Week #6

- Vicki 2 Comments
Newquay Harbour

Newquay Harbour

Roo's Beach Shop

Exeter City

Exeter City

Exeter Historical Centre

Charlestown Harbour Cornwall 2016

Sea view Cornwall

Cornish Cottage Charlestown

The Boat House

Its been quite a while since I last did a Cornwall catchup, in fact I think it was way back in December, we have now been down here for 6 months and the weather is starting to warm up again. We had such a cold wet Winter, so its nice to see the sun again. Our garden is coming together nicely and we now have a shed (exciting) and have planted lots of wild flowers seeds, so we’re hoping they start to bloom soon so the garden has a little colour. I still might plant a few veggies, let me know if you grow your own & what you find grows best and takes minimum effort.

I have found just the cutest shop called Roo’s Beach , they sell homeware, makeup, stationery and fashion & I want everything they have. Its so nicely curated and has a welcoming vibe. To make it even better, just next door is a lovely independent coffee shop called Laid Back Coffee Company, they have a lovely selection of cakes and hot drinks. We go there quite often and have a walk along the beach at Porth.

We even ventured out of the county & visited Exeter and we managed to get a gorgeous sunny day. Exeter is a beautiful City and we had been craving Wagamama as Cornwall still doesn’t have one so we satisfied that craving and ate all the food. It was nice to be amongst the hustle and bustle again but its always nice to head back home to our rural hideaway.

Current Favourite Cleansers

- Vicki 5 Comments
Four favourite cleansers

Four Favourite Cleansers

Clinique Take The Day of Cleansing Balm

I have two balms to talk about in this post & the Clinique one is the first balm cleanser I have ever tried. It has been a love story ever since. This is such a lovely product to take your makeup off with because its so gentle on the skin. I take a 10p sized amount and really massage that into my skin to breakdown the makeup and help loosen all the grime from the day. The balm starts off in a solid form, once you start massaging it in to the skin it turns in to a fluid oil.  I use a warm cloth to remove the product and all my makeup and grime. My skin is left soft and clean, Its a HG product for me.

Pixi Nourishing Cleansing Balm*

This is another fantastic balm to oil cleanser, you need a little less product and I find if you use too much of the Pixi one its a lot harder to remove the oily residue. If you use just the right amount this is a really nice nourishing cleanser that removes your makeup with very little effort. With these balm cleansers make sure you take the time to massage them in to your skin, I spend a good couple of minutes doing this. This balm contains sweet almond oil, shea butter and vitamin E, so as well as removing makeup & impurities this leaves your skin silky soft, hydrated and soothed. I really couldn’t pick a favourite out of the two but I think the Clinique one is slightly less greasy on the skin but the Pixi one is better if you wear heavy eye makeup.

Makeup Cleansers

Korres 3 in 1 Cleansing Emulsion

This says to use a cotton pad to rub this on to your skin, I like to use my hands and massage the soothing, cooling milky formula on to my skin. I do wash this off and its really good for the days when my skin is irritated or feeling especially dry, the soothing formula helps calm and hydrate. I wouldn’t repurchase this as Its not great at removing makeup, I would only use this in the morning or on days I don’t have makeup on. I much prefer my trusty Liz Earl Clean & Polish.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Grapefruit & Patchouli

I always have a bottle of the original C&P on the go, this is a cleanser that never lets me down. I haven’t used any of their limited edition scents and I’m kicking myself for not getting one sooner. This Grapefruit & Patchouli version smells so fresh, fruity and uplifting, I love to use this in the morning. Cleanse and Polish is a cream cleanser that you apply to dry skin and take off with a warm cloth, its great at removing makeup but I like to use it in the morning because the scent is just perfect to wake me up.

Cleansing Balms

What cleansers are you using in your routine?

Shopping My Makeup Stash March 2016

- Vicki 4 Comments
LOreal LaPalette Nude

Shopping My Makeup Stash March 2016

L’Oreal La Palette Nude 02 Rose 

I tend to reach for the same eyeshadows and quite often my palettes go a little neglected. This L’Oreal Rose one is so pretty it has 10 shades in a mix of mattes and shimmers, I like that it has some dusky pinks and smokey purple tones. Not the colours I naturally gravitate towards but I am always impressed with how pretty they look when I am brave enough to wear them. The quality of these shadows is good but I really recommend using a primer as they don’t last very long without one. I forgot just how nice the colours are in this and I can’t wait to use them a little more. .

Rimmel Match Perfection

I spoke a little about this in my recent Foundation Collection Post and because I don’t wear foundation on a daily basis I have bottles that I forget about. This is such a great product for a daytime and I like that it feels hydrating on the skin and gives lovely flawless finish.

Korres Professional Liquid Eyeliner

This was such a let down, I love to wear black liquid liner & like it when the brush is precise and the colour jet black. The brush / nib on this was so hard, which made it difficult to get my liner neat. Each time I tried to use this I made a complete mess and had to redo my eye makeup. I thought the formula was too wet and took ages to dry down, also near impossible to do a half decent wing. The pigmentation is very black which was the only redeeming quality.

Makeup Stash Products

L’Oreal True Match Powder

I thought because I love the foundation from this line I might as well try out the powder & I have had this waiting to use for a while now. I have the shade rosy beige and it seems to be a good match. The packaging is quite bulky and feels a little cheap. I have used this a a couple of times and liked that it gave a buildable coverage and the powder feels smooth and light on my skin. It seems like a good setting powder and I like that it gives a nice even finish and it helps my skin look even toned.

NARS Orgasm Blush

Such an old faithful, I used to use this all the time before I discovered the beautiful Max Factor blushers. This is a really pretty peachy, pink with gold shimmer. I think its brightens up the face and adds a touch of highlighter to your blush. The light reflects off the gold shimmer and gives you the most beautiful glow. I am glad I looked this out to use over Spring / Summer its the perfect warm weather blush.

Shopping My Stash March 2016

Primark PS Love Lift & Curl Mascara

As far as affordable mascaras go this isn’t half bad, its not amazing but I will use it as a daytime mascara and get some use out of it. I love the bright purple packaging and the rubber wand is flexible and gets right down to the root of your lashes. I have been wearing it layered on top of my Eye of Horus mascara, that one gives my lashes length and the Primark one thickens them up and adds volume. They make a good pair.

L'Oreal La Palette Nude

Clinique Colour Pop Lip Colour & Primer

These Clinique Colour Pop Lippies are ideal for me. They are hydrating, glossy and feel so soft on the lips. The colour selection is impressive too, they come in 23 gorgeous shades. I have a few but this Nude Pop one is a perfect shade for everyday, even if I am wearing little or no makeup this looks great on my lips. These feel like you have put a lipbalm on first then added your lippie on top, they’re fool proof and give your lips a good amount of both hydration and colour. These are one of my favourite product discoveries of 2016.

Current Foundation Line Up

- Vicki 8 Comments
Foundation Drawer 2016

Foundation Drawer 2016

L’Oreal True Match

This has been a favourite foundation of mine for ages now & I always make sure I have a bottle in my stash. I have the shade Vanille & it’s a perfect match for me, I think they have reformulated since I last purchased it & changed the packaging slightly too. This foundation always blends really well and sits lovely on my skin. It gives me a medium coverage and I love the silky finish it gives my skin. It’s an affordable foundation and one I reach for when I want a base that I can rely on, it never feels heavy or greasy.

Bioderma Sensibio AR BB Cream

I wear a lot of BB creams, they tend to be quite low coverage, but this Bioderma one gives more coverage than the average BB cream. I like to use this when my skin is looking red and a little stressed, this BB Cream is a skincare and make-up hybrid and specifically to combat redness. I love the coverage and the radiant finish, it contains SPF 30, so your skin has a little more protection from the suns harmful UVA & UVB rays. A cocktail active ingredients reduce inflammation, anti-irritant allantoin and canola immediately soothe, and glycerin promotes hydration. 

Glo & Ray CC Foundation

This is a lovely CC Cream, it’s great at evening out skin tone and still letting your freckles show through. This glides on the skin, blends beautifully and adds a much-needed luminosity to my complexion. If you want glowing, healthy but still quite a natural base then this Glo & Ray offering is very good value for money. It’s a particularly lovely base for the warmer months, as it lets your skin breath and never feels heavy.

My Foundation Collection 2016

Bourjois CC Cream

This is a skin correcting base which contains three-colour correcting pigments – Apricot for anti-fatigue, Green for anti-redness, White for anti-dark spots. I do have redness across my cheeks and this does a good job at reducing that and evening out my skin tone. It feels nice on the skin & never goes greasy over the course of the day. I reach for this during the day, when I want a lightweight, natural coverage just to perk my skin up.

Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude

I love this product but hate the packaging, this formula is quite watery and if you knock the bottle over you better believe me it will go everywhere! I wish it had a pump. If you take time to blend this is it will give you the most beautiful flawless finish. The longer I wear this throughout the day, the better it seems to look on my skin.

Favourite Foundations

INIKA Mineral Foundation

I use this mineral foundation in two ways, if I want a lovely lightweight quite flawless foundation I will reach for this, but I also like to layer this on top of a liquid foundation for more coverage and a smooth soft focus finish. This mineral foundation is very fine and easy to wear, it has SPF15 and is a great base to wear as the weather gets warmer – as it never looks greasy or heavy on the skin. I use this almost daily, as I said, either alone or as a finishing powder, and I still have so much product left. A pot will last you ages! I have to say I wouldn’t travel with this because it’s just a powder explosion waiting to happen, but that’s the only negative.

BareMinerals Complexion Rescue*

This Complexion Rescue feels like you have nothing on your skin but makes you look like you have healthy, radiant skin. I hear some people say they like to apply this with their fingers, but I think I get a better finish when I use my beauty sponge. This has a cocktail of skincare benefits including,

  • Olive derived squalane – nourishing, hydrating and boosts the skins’ ability to regenerate
  • Marine botanicals – help refuel thirsty skin and enhance skins appearance
  • Water loving humectants, Tehalsose and glycerine-which locks in moisture
  • Heart leaf globe daisy – an antioxidant, defends skin from environmental aggressors
  • Calcium and Magnesium – help replenish the skin and promote the skins’ moisture balance
  • SPF30 PA+++ this also contains a broad spectrum SPF to protect the skin against UVA & UVB rays

So it truly is make-up with added skincare, it’s one of my favourite ever make-up bases and I highly recommend giving it a go if you like a natural, light – medium coverage.

Current Foundation Collection

Rimmel Match Perfection 

This is quite a hydrating foundation and this is the one I reach for when my skin is dry, and I need a good amount of coverage. A little product goes a long way and I like to use a beauty blender to get an even, flawless finish. I like the luminous finish this gives, I find that I do have to powder through my t zone otherwise I will look shiny by the end of the day.

As you can see, I am very much a highstreet foundation kind of girl. I think you get incredible quality bases on the high street, and they perform as well as more expensive alternatives. What foundations do you have on the go right now & let me know if you have any recommendations.

*PR Sample