Friday 26 February 2016

Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Review and Photos

Physicians Formula Bronze Booster
Last year I reviewed quite a few bronzers, after a period of using the same bronzer for years, I wanted to branch out and see what was good in both high end and drugstore. Physicians Formula is a brand I have only slightly dipped my toe into, so I thought a good place to start would be testing out one of their face products in the form of the Bronze Booster. This bronzer not only contains an SPF of 20 but it has all the benefits of a Beauty Balm, so here's my thoughts.
Price
The Bronze Booster retails for $14.95 for 9g of product, which is around £10 in English pounds. Although this is not available in the UK, it can be found in most US drugstores as well as online.
Packaging
The packaging is gorgeous, as is all Physicians Formula products. The name is defiantly eye-catching too along with the very descriptive box which is great so you know exactly what you are buying and what it does.
The compact also comes with a handy mirror and bonus travel brush too.
Application
The bronzer comes in two shades, light to medium and medium to dark, I picked this up in medium dark, as this was all they had available at the time. To look at, this bronzer is slightly shimmery in the pan, but don't let this put you off, as it actually gives a lovely, even and matte finish. The deeper colour is also not too dark on the skin, I'd say it gives more of a lovely deep glow, that's buildable and defiantly not orange looking, which is great.
Longevity
I thought this latest pretty well throughout the day, but I if you are going out at night or sunbathing I would recommend re-applying this to intensify the colour and to protect the skin, as this doesn't last all day and night. If you are using this as an SPF then it's recommend you apply this every two hours, it also advises you use a waterproof sun cream as well if you sweat or are going to be swimming.

Overall Thoughts
At first, because of my pale skin I was nervous about applying the deeper shade in this bronze booster, but it actually ended up having a lovely natural looking finish as well as being matte. Admittedly this is a little pricey for a drugstore bronzer, but given the BB benefits as well as the SPF,  I do think this has a little more to offer than your regular bronzer. I love the eye-catching packaging as well as the bonus mirror and brush and quite frankly what's not to love about this bronzer!

I award the Physicians Formula Bronze Booster 4.7 out of 5
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Tuesday 23 February 2016

Too Faced Love Flush Blush Review and Photos

Too Faced Love Flush Blush
Over the past few years Too Faced have had some amazing new releases, which didn't help with my ever-growing obsession with make-up and cute packaging! Following on from my last review on the Melted Lipsticks, comes the adorable looking Love Flush Blushers. These cute heart shaped blushers come in six shades and claim to be budge proof for up to 16 hours. I picked up the shade How Deep is Your Love, so here's my thoughts.
Price
These retail for £20 for 6g of product. As I mentioned above there is six wearable shades that make up the Love Flush Collection including, Justify My Love, How Deep is Your Love, Your Love is King, I Will Always Love You, Baby Love and Love Hangover.
Packaging
Everything about these blushers from the box to the compact is charming! Each box is adorned in gold and the colour that represents the blush inside, it also has a nice description on the back about the blush, along with the name of each on the top of the packaging.
The compact is heart shaped and again is the colour of the blush inside. There is also a mirror which is great for on the go touch-ups. The actual blusher is also etched with a beautiful design and at first I couldn't bear to use this as I didn't want to rub of the gorgeous pattern!
Application
As I mentioned above I picked up the shade How Deep Is Your Love which is a peachy, coral with a pink undertone, it's also more of a matte shade. The texture of this blush is beautifully soft and highly pigmented and upon application this colour defiantly added a pop of colour to my cheeks with only one swipe. But although this colour was buildable, I did find it a little hard to blend evenly.
Longevity
For me this didn't last all day and all night and although I did still have visible colour by the end of the night, it had faded quite a lot and didn't look as vibrant as it did when I first applied it in the morning. So if you are going out at night after work or something, I would recommend taking the compact with you to touch up for the evening.

Overall Thoughts
The Love Flush blushers are a totally adorable collection of wearable shades, with the cutest packaging I have ever seen! The shade I picked up had lovely pigmentation and was buildable too, it's just a shame the wear time and blendability was not as great as I hoped, considering the price of these blushers.

So if your a big fan of Too Faced or a sucker for packaging, then these may be a nice addition to your make-up collection, but if your not willing to pay £20 for a blusher, then there is defiantly a great selection of long-wearing blushers available on the market that do an equally good job.

I award the Too Faced Love Flush Blush 3.9 out of 5
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Thursday 18 February 2016

Rimmel In Shower Self Tan Review and Photos

Rimmel In-Shower Self Tan
Self Tanning is one for my favourite past times, as it always makes me feel complete when I have a nice glow to my skin. Of course fake tanning is the safest option, but with so many different types on the market it can be a mind field out there.

Last year came the release of the in-shower self tanner from St Tropez and although this intrigued me, I couldn't justify the price tag if this new, innovative product didn't work out for me. Thankfully Rimmel have come out with a more affordable option, so I thought I would give it a go and share my thoughts on this interesting concept.
Price
This retails for £9.99 for 200ml, but this can be found in Superdrug on offer for £6.59 for a limited time only.
Packaging
The packaging is lovely, bright and eye-catching. it's also a great size for a all over fake tanner. This is also packaged in a squeezy tube for easy application.
Application
At first this seemed like a very bizarre way to apply your fake tan, but the idea is you shower with your normal shower gel and then you apply the tanner while in the shower. It's then advised to gently rinse your skin, step out and gently pat yourself dry. I did exfoliate and moisturise the day before to prep my skin.
At first, this serum like tanner felt as though I was rubbing a kind of grease or oil into my skin and I did think how on earth is this going to take effect! But the lotion instantly sunk in and when I went to rinse the remainder off, the water just glided off where I had applied it. Surprisingly the self tanner dried quite quickly after I had patted myself dry and I was able to step into my pj's without any problems, but don't forget to wash the palms of your hands to avoid any fake tan mishaps after you get out the shower. This also left a lovely fresh, perfumed smell on my skin.
It does mentions that the colour develops within a few hours, but I would recommend doing this at night to give it a nice amount of time for it to develop properly. It also does say that this may stain your clothing, so again this is better to do in the evening.

The next day I showered and moisturised as normal and discovered I had quite a pleasant glow to my skin. But this was only a glow, so if your after instant darker results, I don't think this could be for you. One thing that did stand out the most for me the next day, was the smell. Gone was the lovely perfumed smell and in it's place the good old biscuity scent, which ended up lingering for the whole day, even after I had showered.

I ended up applying two coats of the tanner to my legs to see how deep the colour would get, as I do think this is more of a gradual tanning product. The results were not to my liking as I feel I looked slightly orange, so I do think one application was enough for me to achieve the shade I was happy with.
Longevity
With the two layers of tan, this lasted just under a week which was good going and I guess you could reapply this after the 3rd or 4th day to top up your tan. But I would recommend trying out two applications first just in case the colour isn't for you.

Overall Thoughts
Overall the Rimmel In-Shower Self Tanner did work great and defiantly gave me a lovely glow initially, but I do think anymore applications and it tends to look a little less natural. I also found that because of the in shower application process you couldn't customise how much colour you applied to certain areas, especially the parts that tend to take to self tanner more, like the knees, feet, hands and elbows.

This tanner for me is a great convenient, gradual self tanner, if your a mum and you don't have time to fake tan usually, but you do like to pamper yourself now and again.This is also perfect if you have a special occasion to go to and you've ran out of time to go through the whole fake tanning process a few days before. But if your after a deep, dark instant tan, then this may not be for you.
 
I award the Rimmel In-Shower Self Tan 3.8 out of 5
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Sunday 14 February 2016

Valentine's Make-Up Look - Chocolate Eyes and Rosy Lips

Valentine's Makeup Look
Happy Valentine's guys! I hope you all had a lovely day whatever you did. Today I thought I'd share with you my valentine's look using some of my current favourite products. What's your go to romantic look?
Products Used:
Foundation - Revlon PhotoReady Foundation
Concealer - Urban Decay Naked Skin
Blusher - Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink
Highlight - Becca Champagne Pop
Eye Base - Kiko Eyeshadow Stick in 05
Eyes - Milani Bella Eyes in Bella Bronze
Liner - Maybelline Gel Liner in Brown and MAC Eye Pencil in Stubborn Brown on Top
Mascara - Benefit They're Real in Brown
Lips - Revlon Lip Butter in Cotton Candy
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Friday 12 February 2016

Nivea Men Post Shave Balm Primer Review and Photos

Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm
You may have already seen this Nivea Men Post Shave Balm trending around the beauty community and that's thanks to the lovely Nikkie Tutorials on YouTube. She actually found this by fluke in her boyfriends cupboard as she forgot to bring her regular moisturiser, so she thought why not give it a go. It actually turns out that this is one of the best beauty secrets to be discovered in a long time due to the essential ingredient in this shave balm, called glycerine. Glycerine is a great sticking agent and because of this it help's your make-up adhere to your face better. Of course I had to put this unusual primer to the test, so here's my thoughts.
Price
This retails for £5.29 for 100ml which is great value for money.
Packaging
The packaging is simple, non-fussy, clear and masculine, which is reminiscent of the whole Nivea for Men line. The actual bottle itself is glass and has a pour method application to it.
Application
Upon application the consistency is like a serum and you really only need a tiny bit as a little goes along way. The trick is to rub it in really well until the balm feels tacky to touch, then you know your ready to start applying your make-up.

As this is designed for men after they shave it feels lovely and light on the skin and sinks in beautifully. The smell of course is masculine, but this only lingers for a minute or two.
My make-up applied beautifully over the top of the balm, but initially it didn't look any different to what it usually does when I use either the Benefit Porefessional or Maybelline Baby Skin as a primer.
Longevity
Although my make-up didn't look any different to what it usually does, the longevity for me was the selling point, I was amazed at how well my make-up stayed all day and all night. My blusher is usually the first thing to wear, but this stayed in tact and overall my whole face looked exactly the same as to when I had applied it in the morning!

This balm would actually be ideal if your going on a night out or getting married and you want fool proof make-up to see you through. But like with all products I recommend you test them out before hand, so that you know if their going to be right for your skin type or not.
Overall Thoughts
This for me is one of the best primers I have ever tried, I couldn't believe how well my make-up stayed and the fact this is only £5.29 for 100ml, makes it one of the most affordable beauty hacks to be discovered in a long time. So if your after an affordable primer alternative to all those fancy primers and setting sprays, that's also gentle on the skin, then this may just be your best kept secret for bullet proof make-up!
 
I award the Nivea Men Post Shave Balm 4.5 out of 5
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Wednesday 10 February 2016

Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette Review and Photos

Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette
Not only have Real Techniques re-branded their logo recently, they have also launched some exciting new products to add to their exsisting line. Last year Real Techniques launched their own Brush Cleansing Gel and this year is the turn of the Brush Cleansing Palette to go along side this. This palette excites me as there really isn't much in the way of specifically designed brush cleaning tools within the UK market. I wanted to put this to test, to compare it with what I usually use to deep clean my brushes with, so here's my thoughts.
Price
This retails for £12.99, which I think is not bad considering you also get two sachets of Brush Cleansing Gel to try out too.
Packaging
The packaging is clear, bright and informative, which is always great to see, especially from Real Techniques as they always have so much helpful and detailed information on the front and back of each of their boxes.
The actual palette is silicone and comes with a handle on the back so you can hold and support the palette while cleaning your brushes. The front has different textured nodules on to accommodate various sized brushes.
Application
Not only does the box have detailed instructions on how to use this, there is also a very helpful video too.
The instructions advise you to add a tiny amount of brush cleanser to your palette and dampen your brush with warm water, it's also best to keep a bowl of warm water near by too, but I decided to do this directly over the sink as I usually clean my brushes this way.
 
I typically wash my brushes with the Johnsons Baby Shampoo and a small silicone face scrubber I found in Primark a few years back, I have a more detailed post on this if you want to go and check it out.
I tested out three different sized brushes on each of the three textures to see how easily they cleaned. All of the brushes cleaned really good, especially the small and medium sized ones, but the large duo-fibre brush I tried didn't clean as well, due to the long, different sized bristles, so I also tried a kubuki brush too and this worked perfectly on the palette.

I found the criss cross and tiny nodules on the palette to work the best at cleaning the brushes effectively and efficiently.
You can also use the palette to dry some of your brushes on, but if your washing a lot at the same time they wouldn't all fit on, so this is only useful if your doing a quick spot clean or something.

With regards to the brush cleanser, this had a lovely scent to it but I think for how much you pay for a full sized bottle and how much I usually use, I do think the Johnson's baby Shampoo works just as well and is a more affordable option.

Overall Thoughts
Overall this is an amazing, affordable and unique brush cleaning tool within the UK market. It's well thought out, has detailed and informative packaging, that helps to get your brushes cleaned quickly and effectively. It also makes cleaning your brushes a more pleasurable experience overall. So if your after a nifty brush cleaning tool, that's affordable, accessible and does the job well, then this might be just what you've been looking for.

I award the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette 4.8 out of 5
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