A little bit of Sunday shopping!

This morning I applied my foundation and thought that my skin was looking particularly dry in some places. I thought that this could have been from only using Olay Beauty Fluid and it not being quite moisturising enough so I hot-footed it down to Boots to have a look at their skincare.

They are currently doing a 3 for 2 offer on all of their skincare so you can mix and match, which is great!

One of the first things I homed in on was L'Oreal's new YouthCode range. The packaging attracted me to begin with and then the description of what the day cream claimed to do sucked me in, it claims that within an hour you will have smoother, rehydrated radiant skin. Within a week your features appear more rested and skin tone more luminous and within a month wrinkles appear visibly reduced and skin is rejuvenated. I really liked the sound of this cream and also that although it is a day cream, you can use it day or night because it has no spf in, so dual purpose. It was £14.99 so not overly cheap for a drugstore cream but we shall see how it performs.

Next up into my shopping basket was Soap & Glory's Make Yourself Youthful Super Rejuvenating Serum. In usual Soap & Glory style their description says it all; 
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"Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Super Rejuvenating Face Serum is destined for Soap & Glory superstardom, this super active face rejuvenating serum is formulated using our exclusive MAKE YOURSELF YOUTHFUL™ Complex. Our exclusive MAKE YOURSELF YOUTHFUL™ complex, which mixes clinically proven levels of PALMITOYL TETRAPEPTIDE as a collagen-stimulating and fine line eliminator with DELINER (a maize-derived proven wrinkle decreaser) and our superactive stimulating organic oxygenating complex. A MOISTURE TRAPPING MATRIX that protects and hydrates. STIMULATING GINSENG.SHEA BUTTER to soften & smooth.SWEET ORANGE PEEL essential oil. After a 30 day test, a bunch of delighted test-subjects (who showed up glowing with youthfully dewy skin) reported re-energized, smoother, healthier, firmer and younger looking skin. Most users see results after three consecutive nights of application."

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See how could I have possibly said all of that! Sounds good doesn't it? Check out the customer reviews on the Boots website here if you haven't been convinced as yet. I paid £12.78.
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Last but by no means least I decided on Garnier's Nutritionist Eye Cream. This states that it not only helps smooth fine lines but it also addresses dark circles and eye bags. The first signs of ageing. I find that I can't always find an eye cream that addresses both of these issues so we will see how this cream works. I paid £6.05 for this but in actual fact it was my freebie on the 3 for 2 offer.
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What skincare have you been using lately from the drugstore?

Nars Sheer Glow : Update

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If you haven't already read my post on Nars Sheer Glow foundation, you can check it out here. I just thought that I would do a quick updated post to let you all know how I have been getting on with it, a week later.

I have found that my usual application technique of using my Mac 187 brush makes it go on quite sheer, which is fine when used with my SFF but personally I find that I get the look and coverage that I like when I apply the Sheer Glow with my fingers. 

I have notices a few tingles on my chin area since I have been using this foundation but no full on breakouts. I think now my skin is getting used to it after about a week of usage.

I wouldn't say that it is my HG foundation by far, it is just under my SFF for me, I don't find it makes my skin noticeably glowy or anything spectacular but it's a decent foundation and I am pleased with it. It is a slightly better colour match than my NC15 SFF. It does irritate me with it not having a pump I have to say.

Next on my list to try is Bobbi Brown's new Natural Finish Long Lasting foundation and of course Revlon Photo Ready!

Gosh Extreme Art Eyeliner : Review

If you are looking for a liquid eyeliner that has some major staying power then look no further than Gosh's Extreme Art Eyeliner. These will only set you back £7.00 from Superdrug but they are by far the best eyeliner I have tried, they really do not budge.

They have a nice thin precision applicator which I find quite easy to use, I am able to create a thin line or a thicker line, which ever I prefer. You need to make sure you have got any surplus product off of the brush before you begin applying because if not it can be very gloopy. I have both the brown and black colours, the are both very true to their descriptions, the black is the blackest black I could imagine and the brown is a true chocolate brown.

Here they are swatched, the black isn't quite dry, I was too impatient! Please note I had these marks on my hand for a good 24 hours, they just wouldn't budge. They do however come off very nicely when I use my No 7 cleanser or eye makeup remover, no rubbing on the delicate eye area.

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I really struggle with finding an eyeliner that lasts, everything I have used in the past transfers up into my crease but these have not, they are absolutely fabulous and would be a great addition to you summer makeup routine, for holidays etc, when waterproof and smudgeproof are a must!

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

I have been itching to try the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation ever since it was released. The only reason that stopped me was that I didn't know which colour to go for, and I don't have a Nars counter local to me, I am NC15 in Mac. I already owned Nars' Oil Free Foundation in Deauville, which was too pinky for my skintone so I was pretty confused and so not prepared to risk buying online.

Luckily this week I went to Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent and Space NK and tested all of the bottles out on display and decided on the shade Mont Blanc which is Light2. Honestly ladies I am sure you're better off deciding your colour match by yourselves, the girl there was useless and many a time I have been swayed into buying a colour too pink or too orange. You know what shade you need. I am happy to report that this shade is perfect it's even a slightly better match than my Studio Fix Fluid.

I have to say I am really loving this foundation but I did expect it to be a little more luminous on the skin, it seems quite matt to me so goodness knows what Sheer Matt is like! It is a very natural finish and blends beautifully. I've been using my fingers to apply this and it has been going on very nicely. One thing I am disappointed in is that it has no pump (oh yes Nars show them on display with pumps why don't you!) but you have to shake the bottle before applying so I have been shaking it with my finger over the top and applying it from there, I am too clumsy to start tipping/pouring it out.

Have you tried Sheer Glow? What are your thoughts?

No 7 Hot Cloth Cleanser

While browsing the aisles of my local Boots, I stumbled across No 7's new Hot Cloth Cleanser, their take on the iconic Cleanse and Polish by Liz Earle. I am a big fan of Liz Earle, I have had facials at their store on Kings Road, and their products have been a godsend for me when I was suffering from nasty cystic acne as a teen, but alas things have changed, I have a mortgage to pay now and so my money has to be more carefully spent (I could never just buy ONE thing from the range, orders would run into the £50.00 mark!) so I haven't used Cleanse and Polish for sometime. 

I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to pick this up in Boots for £8.75 and was able to use my £5.00 No 7 Skincare voucher. You get quite a bit for your money too; 200mls for £8.75 when the equivalent size in Liz Earle will set you back £21.50 (a 100ml pump is £11.50) and you also receive muslin cloth to remove the cleanser, I have tons of these from the years of using Liz Earle but an extra is always welcome!

If you're not familiar with the concept of a Hot Cloth Cleanser, basically you apply one or two pumps of the cream cleanser to dry skin (a face full of make-up if you will) and massage in, all over, even the eyes to remove mascara. You run a basin of warm/hand hot water to which you soak the muslin cloth for a couple a seconds, wring this out and using circular motions remove the cleanser from your skin, the muslin cloth helps to exfoliate your skin so I make sure I pay special attention to around my nose etc. Once you have removed all of the cleanser your simply wipe any excess away with the muslin cloth (rinse this as many times as you need while removing the cleanser) and then you have beautifully cleansed skin.

I used this for the first time last night, two pumps on a full face of make-up and it removed it all with little or no effort. Even the Liz Earle I struggled to remove mascara with and ended up using a separate eye make-up remover, so I was very impressed with this. It also left my skin so super soft and glowing. I am completely sold on this cleanser, it's gentle, effective and affordable. 

February Favourites...

Gosh, it's that time again, I can't believe how quickly February has been and gone! I have spent the month mostly rediscovering products I have neglected, mainly due to me making a concious effort to stop spending and also because I honestly have too many beauty / makeup products!

YSL Singular Mascara - I purchased this on a recommendation from a friend and also because a lot of bloggers were singing it's praises but sadly it did not live up to my expectations. However, I finished my Mac mascara and decided that rather than open a new one, I would go back to this. It works much better now, maybe because it has had time to gloop up a little, but it's much more volumising and long-lasting than when I had previously tried it.

Mac Golden Bronzer - Love love love this bronzer! I have become completely obsessed with this, and I was never a big bronzer fan. This doesn't make me look orange at all, but just warms up my complexion perfectly.

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lashliner - I have been using this for the entire month. I have to say that is hasn't really made a difference to my lashes, growth wise but it is very nice to apply and I am a big fan of the colour as it isn't a harsh black. Definitely on the lookout for a longer wearing liner though if you ladies have any suggestions?

Cetaphil Moisturiser - This has been heaven for my dry, sensitive skin. It is such good value and lasts forever. I have really depended on this a lot this month, it's helped me through some sensitivity flare ups.

Kiehls Lip Balm #1 - I cannot say enough good things about this lip balm, it is amazing. Not only does it smell divine (coconut flavour) it moisturises instantly and lasts a very long time on the lips. I would 100% repurchase this.

What are your favourite products for this month? Have you rediscovered any products?