Skincare

October Beauty Purchases

- Vicki 13 Comments

Over the past few months I have made a real effort to shop my stash & use up products that are open before purchasing new ones & I’ve been doing so well. I haven’t bought much at all since the Summer & it feels great to rediscover some gems I have had in my collection all along. Although a beauty addict has to do a little shopping every now & then I’ve bought a few new products during October, I celebrated my Birthday at the beginning of the month & used a gift card to treat myself to a few things.

October Beauty Purchases

Essence Hello Autumn Eyeshadow Palette ‘Walk In The Park’ – This just had to come home with me, cute simple packaging & my perfect neutral shades. Its got it all. Autumn is my favourite season and this palette just called my name. I have used it a couple of times & the shadows are ok, a little crumbly but you can tidy up the fall out after you’ve finished. I would recommend a primer just so you get the best colour pay off. Its a nice slim palette & ideal for throwing in your makeup bag. I can’t wait to use it a little more.

Essence Studio Nails 24/7 Nail Base – I haven’t used this yet but I have an Essence topcoat that I love so I have high hopes for this & if there is one thing Essence do very very well its nail products.

Essence Nail Care Pen – I have been getting very dry nails & my cuticles are looking terrible so I’m hoping this helps hydrate & protect them. It’s enriched with Vitamin E and is meant to nourish nails & cuticle beds, so thats just what I need.

Seventeen Stay Time Concealer – This was a recommendation by HelenRamblesOn, I was after a concealer that covers blemishes without looking heavy and this has been working out great for me. It does have quite a strong sweet scent which is slightly odd but it doesn’t linger too long. The concealer is creamy and easy to blend, it gives good coverage & more importantly it stays in place, after a good few hours (not 18 as the name suggests) the areas I want to conceal are still covered & the product is still in place, so I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a budget friendly blemish concealer.

Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner –  I am a big fan of liquid liner and I really like using the felt pen style nibs. I haven’t used this yet but I have swatched it & it is very black and the nib is quite thick but seems easy to use. The swatch dried down quickly on my hand & didn’t rub off until I physically washed my hands. So it seems it has good staying power. For the price, if this wears as well on my eyes as it did on my hands we might have a winner on the eyeliner front. Watch this space.

Collection Big Fake Curves Mascara – I am a Mascara junkie and I love trying new ones. Over the past couple of months I have used up quite a few and so I’ve been on the look out for a new one & I liked the sound of this Collection offering. Who doesn’t want big lashes without the hassle of wearing false ones! The wand is MASSIVE but after using up my Yves Rocher & Origins Gin Zing Mascaras & really liking those (they both have big wands) I thought what the heck lets give that big wand a go. I will let you know how I get on, if you have tried this mascara let me know how you got on with it.

Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Translucent Powder – The beauty that is Essie Button swears by this powder & her skin looks FLAWLESS, so I had to give it a go. I love my S&G Solar Powder although the cardboard packaging sucks, I was pleased to see this powder was packaged in more robust plastic compact. I have used this a few times & it might be a little early to declare my love for it, but I like the way it sits & how little product you need to set your makeup. It makes my complexion look smooth but not unnatural. Its working out very very well so far & it is the only face powder I have packed for my 3 week stay in Scotland so that must say something.

Indeed Labs Fade To Bright – I’m always on the hunt for products that promise to brighten and keep my complexion looking radiant & this calls out the big guns in that department. It comes with lots of promises in terms of improving uneven skin tone, restore luminosity & maintaining moisture levels. During winter I feel like I have dull skin & this is going to be my skin saviour (fingers crossed). I have been using it for 1 week & I like the creamy consistency although it is a serum it feels hydrating and leaves my skin smooth. I will let you know how radiant my skin looks after a few more weeks of use.

Allure Magazine – I am so happy my local WH Smith now sells Allure. I love flicking through its glossy pages & lusting after all the make up & skincare. I have it with me in Scotland & I will be reading it cover to cover.

Let me know if you have tried & tested any of my new purchases or let me know what treats you have bought lately.

 

Elizabeth Grant Skincare

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ideal world skincare

Elizabeth Grant Skincare

I have been trying out a few products from the brand Elizabeth Grant. This is a brand that is sold on Ideal World & I call myself a skincare addict, but I had never heard of them before. I quickly learnt that Elizabeth Grant was founded in London, England in 1958 and has a rich history, it’s a brand focused on quality and customer satisfaction and is now sold worldwide.

I’ve been trying a selection of products from the Elizabeth Grant Collagen Collection over the past two months, and there are one or two products that have really stood out to me that I wanted to tell you about. I do have to say the packaging for the products in this collection is gorgeous, they feel luxurious and are very good quality. They look pretty out on my vanity and all the pots of creams come with little spatulas, which is so good for hygiene and just a great extra touch.

The 7 piece Collagen Collection included the following products,

  • Elizabeth Grant Collagen Reinforce Day Cream 50ml
  • Elizabeth Grant Collagen Reinforce Night Cream 50ml
  • Elizabeth Grant Collagen Reinforce Platinum 24hr Firming Eye Cream 30ml
  • Elizabeth Grant Collagen Body Firming Cream 200ml
  • Elizabeth Grant Collagen Reinforce Silk Edition Extreme Wrinkle Serum 30ml
  • Elizabeth Grant Collagen Reinforce Gel Eye Pads 6 packs

Elizabeth Grant Eye Pads

I really enjoy using Eye Pads / Masks & think they really help revive tired eyes & give your skin a boost of hydration, especially when you’ve been burning the candle at both ends. I’ve been enjoying these Elizabeth Grant* ones &  found they’re great for puffy tired eyes, they hydrate and nourish your skin and help temporarily smooth the fine lines. They fit perfectly under my eyes & are very comfortable to wear, I leave them on as long as I can & once I take them off I pat the remaining products in around my orbital bone. I like to travel with these as they’re a great way of combating tired dark under eyes. They are great to incorporate into your pamper routine, too. I get quite dehydrated under my eyes & for me, it’s showing the first signs of ageing & those pesky fine lines are appearing, so eye pads are a nice way of giving that area a little TLC.

Another stand out product from this range was the Elizabeth Grant Collagen Reinforce Silk Edition Extreme Wrinkle Serum*, Serum is a step I never miss out from my morning & evening routine, but often it can be hard to see or feel the actual effects. From about the 3rd day of using this Elizabeth Grant Serum, my skin felt so smooth and looked plumper. It feels lovely and silky and once applied it’s absorbed quickly in to my skin, I like to massage two pumps into my skin in the evening and I then apply my night cream on top. I don’t use this during the day as I find it a little too rich and think it works better for me as a night serum.

Elizabeth Grant Eye Cream

The Elizabeth Grant Collagen Reinforce Platinum 24hr Firming Eye Cream* is working wonders for me too, it looks like a cream in the jar but once you apply it to your skin it feels like a gel. It absorbs very quickly and is instantly smoothing, which is why I like to use it in the morning, as I find it wears very well under makeup & provides a smooth base for concealer. The gel like consistency means it’s not greasy on your skin. You get a whopping 30ml of product & that’s quite a lot for an eye cream, this is going to keep me going for a while. I wouldn’t say it diminishes fine lines or firms the skin, but it does feel hydrating it makes a nice primer for my concealer.

The other 3 products I am still trying out, so expect reviews on those in the coming months. Let me know if you have tried this brand & if any of the range works for you. If you want to see more of the range, you can here. Also, Ideal world do lots of great offers (make sure you keep your eyes peeled for those) as this 7 piece collection was £39.99 instead of £183.94.

These products have been sent to me for my consideration. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However, if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

I’ve Made a Friend For Life

- Vicki 9 Comments

LUSH Butter bear Bath Bomb

I have to admit that I haven’t tried a whole lot of LUSH products. They have such a huge range & many ltd edition products that its hard to try everything & I get so overwhelmed by it all. I tend to stick to bath bombs & I also like their face toners / spritz. I do get excited about the Christmas range & when I heard it was in stores despite it being October I had to pop in and I treated myself to two things, one being my old faithful & much loved The Melting Snowman & also  a new product called Butter Bear.

Lush Bath Bombs

I think like the ‘Ickle Robot this is a product aimed at children but who isn’s a big kid at heart? LUSH describe Butter Bear as

‘Cocoa butter creates a creamy soft bath that is great for nourishing and protecting your skin, with the same vanilla-like fragrance as Butterball bath bomb. Moulded into a friendly and sweet-smelling bear, this is sure to be a winner with little and big kids alike!’

This is a low key bath bomb it leaves your bath water a milky white colour with a few bubbles but nothing too OTT. It smells relaxing and soothing. I like citrus scents so love this, its perfect for a relaxing evening. The cocoa butter leaves your skin so very soft. I have fallen in love with this little white Butter Bear & have been back to buy a couple more. I think he is going to be my go to bath bomb for the festive season.

Let me know what your picks are from the LUSH Christmas Range.

Current Favourite Cleansers

- Vicki 8 Comments

Cleansers

nspa Melting Cleaning Gel £6 for 125ml *

This is the first product I’ve tried from nspa & let me tell you it did not disappoint, in fact its fast becoming one of my favourite cleansers. I am a big fan of gel cleansers and I love how smooth, hydrated and clean they leave my skin. This one from nspa is available in ASDA so it is very affordable and readily available. Its packed full of skincare benefits and its suitable for all skin types.

It is a two phase cleanser which means it starts off as a gel which you apply to dry skin and massage in to breakdown your makeup / dirt and pollutants from the day. You will need such a small amount of this as once you begin massaging it in it turns in to an oil and a little goes a very long way. Once you have massaged it in, I like to do this for about a minute or two, you then rinse it off with warm water & I like to use a face cloth. The gel turns in to a cleansing milk when you apply the water and you will find this leaves your skin very soft, not stripped or tight but smooth and nourished. It has:-

  • Grapeseed Oil to breakdown makeup & dirt
  • Vitamin E which is a good antioxidant which that repairs and protects your skin
  • Avocado, Apricot and Neroli Oils – Which nourish and rejuvenate your skin
  • Ginseng which brightens your complexion and helps fight the signs of ageing

I really like this cleanser and can’t believe how fresh and glowing my skin has been since I started using it. It is also very hydrating and my skin feels very plump and smooth after using it. If you have an ASDA near you, go & buy yourself a tube! You will thank me for it, I promise you that!

A trio of my favourite cleansers

Nip & Fab Deep Cleansing Fix £7.95 for 300ml

Both my mum & I have been using this cleanser and calling each other the next day to declare how much we both love it! This is a big old pot of product & it will last you for months! I do have to admit its not the most hygienic way to package a face cleanser as you have to scoop the product out but because I love it so much I am willing to over look that!

This product is a multi use 6 in 1 product and can be used in the following ways,

  • Removes make up
  • Deeply cleanses
  • Use as a 10 minute mini mask
  • Apply directly to blemishes for a treatment
  • Leave on overnight for a more hydrating mask
  • Exfoliating when used with a face cloth

I have used it in 5 out of the 6 ways, I tend not to suffer from blemishes so I’ve had no reason to test that out but all the other ways to use this Deep Cleansing Fix have worked a treat. I would say that I prefer to leave it on as more of a face mask for about 10 – 20 minutes than sleeping in it overnight. Just because I love my night time skincare routine & that works well for me so I enjoy this more as a relaxing mask.

This is quite a thick cream but it is easy to massage in to the skin as a cleanser or smooth over the skin as a mask. It contains Sweet almond oil which nourishes and smoothes whilst the Tea tree oil cleanses pores. So your skin will feel clean and look bright. I just love it and the fact that its a multi use product is even better. For the price this is a cleanser you should have in your arsenal for those days when you’re skin feels decongested, dull or you need some thing that packs a punch to help those blemishes heal quicker. Did I mention how huge this tub is?! 300ml is bigger than most body products so this tub will be with you for a very long time. Which is good news for the bank balance.

ESPA Optimal Skin ProCleanser £30.00 for 100ml

This is the latest release from luxury brand ESPA and is also a multi use cleanser. This is a Tri-Phase Cleanser which means it is a gel cleaner, exfoliator and a mask all in one. This is aimed at all ages and all skin types so if you love luxurious skincare then this is the product for you. I have raved about the ESPA Optimal ProSerum many times on this blog and this is like the sister product.

This is a very gentle cleanser and is also packed full of skincare benefits,

  • Moringa seed extract cleanses and removes make-up
  • Jojoba spheres gently exfoliate and melt to leave your skin clear, nourished and smooth
  • Pumpkin enzymes gently dissolve dull cells, revealing a beautiful, radiant, healthy glow

It comes out as a white gel with tiny exfoliating spheres which when massaged into your skin melt away, they are so gentle and not in the least bit abrasive. I smooth this on to dry skin & leave it for at least 10 minutes then rinse with warm water and a face cloth. This leaves my skin incredibly soft and so hydrated, its feels like it has a moisturiser in there too. It is very luxurious and my skin always looks bright and healthy the next day. I use this as my second cleanse and not to remove my makeup as it is quite a high end cleanser and I prefer to use it as a treat. I leave it on my skin for a about 10 minutes to let the ingredients work their magic. It always feels like such a waste to wash it off straight away.

If you do like to use high end skincare, then you will adore using this new Optimal ProCleanser from ESPA and your skin will love you for it. I also know that a lot of people are on a budget & prefer to spend a more affordable amount on a cleanser & either of the other two I have mentioned in this post will give you nourished, cleansed and fresh looking skin. So you can take your pick, they’re all great at cleansing and I have enjoyed using them all.

Let me know what your current favourite cleansers are & if you have tried any of the three mentioned in todays post.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.