Product Empties – Concealers and Highlighters

August 31, 2016August 31, 2016 - Vicki 1 Comment

I’m trying to get my makeup collection down to a more manageable size. It is a slow process but I’m organising everything so my collection feels more manageable. I started last week by clearing out my Liquid Eyeliners, throwing away any old ones which were past their best & this week I’m doing the same with my concealers. After I have finished going through each section I will show you what products I’m left with & do a bit of a makeup collection post. So on to the concealers, these again are all quite old & past their best,

Yves Rocher Radiant Youth Corrector Pen*

I have had this for a while and I absolutely loved using it, you don’t hear too many people talk about this brand but they do fantastic sales & their makeup and skincare are very good quality. This is quite like the YSL Touche Eclat & it works to brighten rather than conceal, it’s a subtle salmon pink shade so is perfect to neutralise and brighten darkness and shadows on the face. I like to apply this under my eyes and on my chin before going in with my concealer and it helps give more coverage and lessen those darker problem areas. It has a light creamy texture, is easy to blend and doesn’t cake and sink in to fine lines. I would 100% repurchase this.

Miss Sporty Liquid Concealer

This is one of the better budget concealers I have tried over the years. It has a slight yellow undertone to it which makes it good at covering redness. I use this mostly around my nose & a little on my cheeks to counteract the redness in those areas & it works well. The formula is quite thin so it might take a few applications to build up depending upon how full you want the coverage. I like to try more affordable options & I was impressed by this Miss Sporty offering. One product I do LOVE from this brand is their Mineral Earth Eyeshadow, it is well worth picking up & its only £2.99

Primark PS Love Concealer

This is from the Primark Beauty range & it’s not great. It’s a little too oily and doesn’t stay in place for very long at all. I do like the neutral shade and it worked well to add a little more coverage to problem areas, like blemishes. This was very affordable and might work a little better if your skin isn’t oily like mine.

L’Oreal Lumi Magique Touch of Light Highlighter

This is a similar product to the Yves Rocher. I find its very good at brightening under my eyes and for adding a subtle cheek / nose highlight. It catches the light beautifully without and sparkle, it looks natural and radiant. I like to have at least one of these pen style highlighters in my makeup stash because they are subtle but can instantly brighten any look.

Seventeen Stay Time Concealer

LOVE this concealer & I’m gutted that it ran out, this is my 3rd tube and will be a forever repurchase. Its affordable, fantastic quality and as the name suggests very long wearing. It’s a nice light creamy beige and I use this everywhere & anywhere. It works well under my eyes as a concealer and it is also very good at covering marks & blemishes. If you take the time to blend this in, it will stay in place for hours. Out of all the concealers mentioned this one is great for not sinking in to fine lines, its light texture means its hydrating but still provides a nice medium coverage! Add this to your ‘To Try’ list.

I’m now left with 4 concealers in my collection, which is a much more manageable number but I would repurchase the Yves Rocher, Seventeen Stay Time and the Miss Sporty one too.

Let me know what your favourite concealers are right now & also if your makeup stash is overdue a clear out.

*PR Sample

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ Unifiant

August 30, 2016April 20, 2025 - Vicki 3 Comments

I think everyone has heard of the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo(+) range & quite rightly too because it’s nothing short of wonderful. This is a range of skincare is formulated to be an effective anti imperfection treatment, it helps reduce and control blemish breakouts as well as tackling those pesky blemish scars. It’s also fantastic at controlling oil, reducing redness and acting as an anti-inflammatory – so it’s soothing and calming on the skin. This range knocks it out of the pack when it comes to looking after blemish prone skin!

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo(+) Unifiant

The exciting news is that La Roche Posay has released Effaclar Duo(+) Unifiant which combine their best-selling Effaclar Duo+ formula with mineral pigments that give the skin a light tint to even out skin tone and add that healthy glow to the skin. It’s like a proper BB Cream, combining incredible skincare benefits with makeup. I was very excited to give this a go because I prefer to wear a light coverage base most days and the fact this is giving you the same skin loving Effaclar Duo+ formula, so I know my skin is in great hands alongside providing a nice coverage, is super exciting.

This product feels lightweight on the skin and is easy to blend out to ensure you get an even coverage. It provides me with a good light natural coverage, but don’t worry it does a fantastic job of neutralising redness and evening out skin tone so you get a healthy radiant but natural semi-matte finish.

At its core, this product is a blemish treatment with the added benefit of giving your skin a beautiful lightweight tint, so it lets your skin breathe, won’t clog pores and leaves your skin looking smooth. I am a huge fan and have been wearing it a lot these past few weeks. It is a very nice option for the warmer months because it does feel so lightweight on the skin.

Key Ingredients & Skincare Benefits

Piroctone Olamine – to combat bacterial infection
Linoleic Acid – to regulate sebum
Niacinamide – an anti-inflammatory ingredient for intensive smoothing
Procerad – a pluripotent ceramide to diffuse inflammation within 1 day and prevent and treat post inflammatory hyperpigmentation
LHA – for keratolytic action (speeding cell renewal)

At the moment this only comes in two shades Fair/Light & Light/Medium, and I have the Fair/Light shade which is an OK match for me during the Summer months but will be too dark for me as we head into Autumn / Winter.

It’s exciting to see La Roche Posay extending their Effaclar Duo(+) Range, and for me this newest release ticks so many boxes. I could go on about its benefits for a very long time, but keeping it as short as I can, Unifiant is great in controlling shine, reducing redness, evening out skin tone, reducing blemish scars and providing a natural tint without clogging pores.

I did notice that La Roche Posay also offer an Unifiant version of my favourite Anthelios Facial SPF which I am excited to try next.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] Unifiant 40ml*

*PR sample

Pureology Fullfyl Haircare System

August 27, 2016April 20, 2025 - Vicki 3 Comments

Pureology are a brand that I have been eager to try for a long time, the reviews I read of their haircare range are always super positive, so I jumped at the opportunity to test out 3 products from their Fullfyl System Range.

This Pureology Fullfyl System is 100% vegan, sulphate free and is a 3-step hair care system developed to give volume, thickness and added texture to fine colour treated hair. Their signature AntiFade Complex includes a blend of antioxidants and full spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreens which care for your colour and optimise colour retention along with protecting your locks from hard environmental aggressors and damaging free radicals. So I have loved having this range over the Summer, I live in Cornwall so spend a lot of time outside and often worried about my hair being exposed to the sun and saltwater, this trio of products has kept my hair feeling hydrated, soft and super glossy!

So this haircare system includes,

**Pureology Fullfyl Shampoo* £19.95**

This does have a nice lather despite it being sulphate free, which I like. I do find that this leaves my hair feeling very clean, and I wouldn’t be able to only use the shampoo as it felt just a little dry, but I guess that’s what makes this a system in that each product does a roll & the shampoo cleanses, the conditioner then goes in and adds back the moisture. The shampoo is sulphate free and contains a plant based starch Keravis which helps give texture and volume to your hair. I have naturally wavy hair & I loved the weightless texture this gave. I am also addicted to using dry shampoo and this Fullfyl shampoo made light work of removing product build-up, which is a must for me.

**Pureology Fullfyl Conditioner* £20.00**

This is the star of the show for me, I think that because Conditioner is the product which makes your hair feel and look healthy and glossy. You apply this after shampooing & massage it in from the roots and into the length, then you leave it for 2 minutes and rinse. This leaves your hair knot free and silky soft without hair feeling limp or product heavy.

Pureology Fullfyl Densifying Spray* £26.00

I can be lazy when it comes to haircare and quite often skip any steps after shampoo and conditioner, but I soon discovered this spray wasn’t an unnecessary step. In fact, I think this is the product that adds that extra volume and texture to your locks. You spray this on to damp hair, section by section, beginning at the scalp and massaging into the roots – then work it through to the ends. Don’t use too much, or you will cross the line from thicken to crispy & no one wants that! I am in LOVE with this spray & have used it after every wash – even if I have used another shampoo & conditioner (naughty)

It smells so refreshing, not that I could make out individual notes, but it contains nectarine, pineapple, amber, melon, mango, a few floral touches of jasmine and tropical gardenia and lastly creamy vanilla, amber and soft woods – so it has quite the cocktail of scents but they all work so well together and all three products smell incredible.

Key Ingredients

Pureology’s signature AntiFadeComplex helps keep colour wonderfully vibrant and shiny
PhytoBlend™, a plant-derived Amino Acid and Plant Protein, is known to wrap around hair fibre to create a further densifying effect
IntraCylane provides a thickening effect as it penetrates hair and crystallizes to thicken and reinforce each strand

So if you have dry, limp, flat colour treated hair then you 100% need this haircare trio in your life. For salon quality haircare Pureology are affordable, and their products are Vegan, Sulphate Free & as a brand are committed to sustainability.

Pureology is available at over 1000 hair salons in the UK and Ireland & Online

*PR Sample

Exploring Scotland #11

August 24, 2016 - Vicki Leave a comment

Every couple of months we head up to Scotland to visit family and we always pop over to St Andrews, which is only a 15 minute drive from my parents house. I have posted lots of photos from here on my blog, its just such a pretty place no matter what the weather.

Its quite a small town but has something for everyone including a beach, Castle, beautiful restaurants & shops. It is a bustling place, what with it having a University, big golfing community and plenty of tourists. It is a very friendly place to visit. We like to just wander through the cobbled streets, stopping of for numerous coffees along the way and always make sure to walk along the beach, even if its blowing a gale.

I did notice on my last visit that Jo Malone & Bobbi Brown have opened little boutiques there, could be quite dangerous.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit I highly recommend popping over its like being on the set of a Harry Potter film.

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