glow

The Body Shop Vitamin C Range

- Vicki 6 Comments
The Body Shop Vitamin C Skincare

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skincare

Over the years (many years) I have used almost all of the skincare ranges from The Body Shop but the Vitamin C Range for some reason I hadn’t ever tried and I am kicking myself for not giving it a go sooner. The Vitamin C range is formulated to give your skin a boost of hydration giving it a gorgeous energising glow. I have been putting it to the test over the past 2 months and I’m absolutely smitten with the range. Earlier this year The Body Shop added two new products to this range, the first being

Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser* £16.00

This is such a lightweight water based moisturiser – it feels like a gel and I was very surprised at how quickly it absorbed into my skin, it was almost instantly. I like to use this in the morning because it’s a great way to give your tired skin a boost of hydration making it look and feel plumped and the Vitamin C helps your skin look glowing, making you look healthy and more awake. The zesty citrus scent helps energise you too, it smells so fresh and uplifting!

The packaging feels and looks luxurious, it’s in a weighty orange glass jar with a black lid, its sturdy and really good quality too.

There is no SPF in this which I know a few people are disappointed with but I like to apply a separate SPF every day so it’s not a problem for me but just something to note if you’re looking to use this as your daytime moisturiser. After using it almost daily for 2 months my skin feels smooth and is looking radiant. Its a welcomed addition to my skincare routine.

The Body Shop Vitamin C Range

Being someone that has quite naturally dull skin I welcome any product that promises to give me a natural glow – most of the time the products end up being a little disappointing but The Body Shop seem to have hit the nail on the head with both these new releases. The second new addition to the Vitamin C Range is,

Vitamin C Instant Glow Enhancer* £14.00

I like to use this on top of my moisturiser, it has quite a creamy texture but it’s not heavy or greasy and to my surprise, it has a really flattering peachy tint to it. I apply this mostly to the centre of my face, focusing on my forehead, nose & chin as this is great at blurring pores and fine lines making my skin look smooth as well as giving it a slight peachy glow. You see instant results with this product, it really helps combat the signs of fatigue and is just the perfect base for your makeup.

Instant Glow Enhancer

It has a velvet finish and your makeup seems to glide on. It also helps keep my foundation in place and looking its best all day/night. There is no shimmer in this which I really like, it gives your skin more of a natural glow, the colour adjusts to your skin tone (like magic) evening out your skin tone and I love the blurring effect it gives the skin. I really like the tube packaging & the fact its bright orange and will be so handy to travel with or throw in your handbag for giving your skin a pick me up throughout the day. I also think its a great moisturiser too if you have oily skin, it adds another good layer of hydration to your skin which for me is always a good thing.

So this is a bit of a multi-tasker – a primer, lightweight moisturiser and tinted cream all in one. I really recommend trying this! Oh, & it also has the same zesty orange scent – smells good enough to eat.

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skincare

Vitamin C Energising Face Mist* £10.00

This isn’t new but its new to me, I love using face mists and always have one on my desk but if I remember I do like to keep a couple in the fridge that makes them so refreshing and cooling especially in this crazy heat.

This face mist is an instant pick me up, it smells like oranges and it instantly cools the skin. Like the other products in this range it contains Camu Camu which is rich in vitamin C and aloe vera, so its hydrating, calming and helps boost the skin’s radiance. Its so nice on a warm day & you can spray on top of your makeup throughout the day to keep skin feeling fresh and hydrated.

I feel like The Body Shop has really stepped up their game over the past 18 months & are releasing some really great products. Let me know what products you have recently discovered from The Body Shop.

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.

ESPA Naturally Radiant Tinted Moisturiser

- Vicki 5 Comments
ESPA Tinted Moisturiser

ESPA Tinted Moisturiser

ESPA recently released their Naturally Radiant Tinted Moisturiser & I knew it would be right up my street. Incase you don’t know, ESPA have over 450 spas in 50 countries and have developed a range of spa quality products, which they use in all their spas. Their products are also available online and in high street stores like Harvey Nichols and John Lewis. So you can use their spa quality products at home.

This new Tinted Moisturiser is available in four shades and has SPF15.

I’ve been trying out the two lightest shades and I can get away with both of them but at the moment I prefer the lightest shade which is 01 Nude*. It has cool undertones and is quite a fair colour, I think it is the perfect match for me. The shade 02 Blush* has peachy pink undertones is slightly too dark for me right now but come July this will be a really good match.

ESPA Naturally Radiant Tinted Moisturiser

For my everyday makeup I like to keep it simple and for want of a better expression go for the ‘no makeup makeup look’. I like my skin to look as natural as possible and find that tinted moisturisers & BB creams are my go to base. They’re a nice alternative to foundation and this new release from ESPA is just perfect. Not only does it provide sheer coverage but it also includes these skin benefits too,

  • Sunflower Seed Concentrate to hydrate and strengthen the skin
  • White Lupin to powerfully increase elasticity and skin firmness
  • Spruce Knot Extract helps to prevent the skin from free radical damage
  • Shea Butter and Hyaluronic acid helps to lock in moisture for all day hydration
  • UVA and UVB sun filters are enhanced with Argan, Vitamin E and Chamomile Extract to provide SPF 15 protection

ESPA Makeup

The product feels lightweight, moisturising, silky and easy to blend into the skin, I used a pea sized amount for my whole face & that was enough product. It give my skin a lovely fresh natural glow, it has a radiant dewy finish and would be gorgeous for the warmer months. I found I needed to use a concealer around my nose and on a few stubborn blemishes just for a little extra coverage. I do like how the tinted moisturiser let my freckles show through and just gave me that added glow and warmed up my complexion. I didn’t have to powder but I think as the weather gets a little warmer I would have to add that step just to stop my forehead & chin area getting shiny (as I would with any base product).

If you’re looking for a tinted moisturiser which will give you a natural, radiant glow to the skin then this is for you. It wears well and doesn’t oxidise throughout the day and is also fragrance free and like I said has SPF15.

ESPA Naturally Radiant Tinted Moisturiser* £32.00

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.

Feeling Flushed

- Vicki 3 Comments

I had a look through my makeup collection and picked out some blushes / highlighters that will be perfect for summer. So here are my picks.

Summer Blush

MUA Shimmer Kisses Blush £3.00 for 7.3g – this blush quad is really pretty and can be used as a blush or a highlight. I tend to swirl my brush around and pick up all four colours. It’s a really soft pink and very easy to wear, it isn’t too dusty and I find it wears about 5 / 6 hours on me before the colour starts to fade. It has a slight shimmer to all the colours but nothing too over powering. This is also a great product to travel with as you can get alot of great blush shades from it and the packaging is quite slim and compact.

Me Me Me Shimmer Stack in Bronze £9.99 for 12g – This is very versatile and for £9.99 you get alot of product for your money. It comes with 5 shades from a cream, bronze, gold and a rose gold. They can be used individually and make lovely eyeshadows too. As a blush it gives the same look as Mac MSF in Soft and Gentle. It is very pretty and gives a lovely metallic shimmer, all shades are very pigmented. I’ve loved using this and would highly recommend it.

Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam £10 for 6.5g – Wow this is a big highlighter and the packaging is so cute although it doesn’t have a mirror. It is a little bulky to travel with but I really like using it, mostly as a night-time highlight. On the top of the cheeks it leaves a very pretty sheen. It is gold and very pigmented so a word of warning, use with a light hand otherwise you will end up with far too much shimmer. This will last you forever so is very good value for money. I can’t see me ever finishing it.

Summer blush

e.l.f Baked Blush in Pinktastic £3.75 for 6g – I have some really fantastic e.l.f products in my collection and their baked blush & bronzers are some of my favourite. Amazing value for money and you get 6g of product. They are a little chalky but if you tap off the excess product you will be OK. This Pinktastic blush is a very subtle pink, I’d say it was more of a highlight than a blush but either way it gives your skin a healthy glow. I plan on taking this with me on holiday as its is quite small and compact.

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose $11.95 for 7g – This came in a beauty swap I did last year & I admit I wanted it solely for the packaging and the love heart detail looks so pretty. But all that aside it is the perfect touch of pink, great for summer. It isn’t the most pigmented product but it leaves you looking healthy and fresh-faced & not like you have overdone it. The down side to this is the packaging is a little clumpy and not great for travel but I love the blush.

Cute Blush for Summer

Benefit High Beam £19.50 for 13ml – I have both high beam & moon beam and love them both but if I had to pick just one then high beam would win. It is on the pricey side and I have seen a few people blog about great dupes but this 13ml bottle lasts forever. I have mixed it in to my foundation for a radiant all over glow (Only a drop needed) and it looks great on the cheek bone for a real beach look. I am a huge fan of this and wouldn’t be without it in my collection. It can make quite a subtle highlight if you dab it on lightly and when the light hits you just looks radiant and glowing. Very summery.

Avon 24k Golden Glamour Duo 8g – I can’t find this for sale online, I paid £6. I have spoken about this Avon blush and highlight duo on my blog quite a few times & if you want to see a swatch you can here. I love the blush part of this duo so much it’s quite a frosty pink and looks really pretty for day or night. The highlight shade is a creamy peach shade and just adds the right amount of glow to the tops of your cheeks. I often travel with this as it is two products in one & again you get 8g of product which will last you a long time. Pixiwoo have done a video using this blush here.

Mac MSF in Soft and Gentle £21.50 for 10g – I only bought this in December and so was massively late to the party. How I lived without this I will never know (bit dramatic). Pretty isn’t a good enough word to describe this but it just gives your face a fantastic glow. I need to be careful that I don’t apply too much around my outer eye / top of cheek area as it does gather in my fine lines ( I am 35 this year). I have used this non stop for 5 months and it looks like new, like I haven’t used it. This is one product where a little goes a long way. I love having it in my collection.

So they are my 8 cheek products for the summer. Looking at them now I seem to have an obsession with baked products, I do love them and how they look. Let me know If I have mentioned any of your favourites or if I have mentioned something you have never tried before.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend

Vicki x