The Poorly Face

Recently I've been under the weather like most people around this time of year and so havn't been up to putting on a full face of make up. However, when illness strikes I like to use more subtle make up to make me look a little less sick, which in turn makes me feel a bit better.

To start off I apply Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Beauty Balm in 'bronzed' all over my face and blend in well with a stippling brush. This gives a healthy, natural glow which contains moisturising oils such as coconut and jojoba, and aloe vera to sooth and condition, perfect for dehydrated skin and dry areas such as round the nose. I then applied Benefit's Erase Paste in 1 and Lasting Perfection Concealer by Collection  in 1 to cover up any other redness and dark circles. To perk up  my complexion a little more, I blended some Hocus Focus by Soap and Glory onto my cheek bones and places that would naturally catch the light.

For my eyes I used a tiny bit of the new Rimmel Scandal Eyes waterproof kohl liner in 'Nude' on my water line to brighten them up and defined my brows with a little of a Rimmel eyebrow pencil in 'Hazel'. I didn't tend to wear mascara but on the days when I felt it was needed, a few coats of L'Oreal Million Lashes was suffice.  Lastly, I lightly lined my lips in the perfect shade for my natural lip colour - 'Eastend Snob', another Rimmel product, this time their Exaggerate Full Colour lip liner. I then blended this all over my lips to give them some natural definition.

What make up do you wear when feeling under the weather? xxx

My 'Summer Face'

Today I thought I would try a different post as I have been doing a lot of reviews lately and thought it would be nice for you to read something a bit different. Even though the weather this Summer has been quite temperamental, I've shyed away from heavy and time consuming make up and updated my make up regime to easy, quick and lighter make up suitable for warmer weather. The above picture are the products I have been using on a daily basis as a standard summer face. I sometimes switch up my eyes or lipsticks depending on my outfit and mood but overall this is my staple make up at the moment. Sorry in advance about the quality of the picture, the natural lighting isn't great due to gloomy weather and some of my products are a bit battered from traveling and everyday use!

So to begin with, I mix my 17 BB cream in 'Light' mixed with a pump or two of Soap and Glory's Hocus Focus to brighten up my dull complexion and blend all over my face with my fingers to melt it into my skin. The BB cream has relatively good coverage but I cover up my under eye circles and any blemishes with Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I then dust 17 Miracle Matte pressed powder over my face lightly as I am on the oily side with a large powder brush and then blend Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer all over my face with a MAC blending brush. This powder is great as it gives my face a bit of warmth without dulling down my complexion with a light, silky texture. I dot some extra Hocus Focus on my brow bone and top of cheek bones for a highlighter, a product which I have really grown to love as it is multi purpose and gives a lovely natural glow. I then give a light dusting of Benefit's Thrrrob powder on my cheekbones with a stippling brush to give a flush of colour.

For my eyes I fill in my brows with Bobbi Brown Mahogany eyeshadow (not pictured) then using my finger blend a thin layer of Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' over my lid, which is a great natural colour for blue eyes that is easily buildable into a stronger colour if you so wish. To finish my eyes I put a few layers of my favourite mascara of the moment, Masterpiece Max by Maxfactor.

Finally, a few coats of a Revlon Lip Butter in shade Creme Brulee and I am good to go!

I have done a few reviews of the products mentioned which I have included links for. What do you think of my 'Summer Face'? Do you include any of these products in your every day routine? xxx

Review: 17 Blemish Balm

       

This is one of the items I received in a recent blog sale (see what else I got here). Although I already owned a BB cream prior to purchasing this, I have been wanting to test out a few different types and brands available to find the best one out there for me i.e. my skin type and coverage-wise because I have been using them a lot more, choosing them for every day wear over foundation. This is the second BB cream I have tried and I think I prefer it to my Garnier one, although I would like to try the new oil free version of this for a better comparison, which was not available when I purchased the original as I got it when they had just come out in the UK. At £6.99 it is 3 pounds cheaper than the Garnier BB cream although you do get 20ml less.

The shade I have is 'Light' and it is a good match for my skin tone. I don't use moisturiser after cleansing and toning in the morning when using a BB cream as my skin is already on the oily side and BB creams are normally very moisturizing anyway. I apply it with my fingers to help it melt into my skin and blend better, and also mix it with my Soap and Glory 'Hocus Focus' (see a review of that here) but I would also like to try it with the real techniques buffing brush. The main concerns with BB creams is that the staying power isn't effective but I have found this product to last all day, although the mattifying effect doesn't and so I do have to touch up with powder, however nowhere near as much as with the Garnier BB cream. The formula of this is a bit thicker than that of the Garnier and therefore gives a thicker coverage, however it is still light enough for my freckles to show through but not my pores! I've tried this both with and without a primer and it works well with both - I don't think using one changes the product. I also really like that it has added SPF 25 to it which I have become more conscious of recently in my face products.

BB Cream rubbed in

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this product and would purchase it over the original Garnier BB formula, however I will update as to whether I prefer the oil free version! So far, this has been my favourite though. Other BB creams I would like to test out in the future include Clinique's SPF 30, Maybelline Dream Fresh, Ginivera Green Tea and Origins A Perfect World and Vitazing.

What BB creams have you used and would you suggest? Have you tried either of these? xxx

Drugstore Haul

For a while now I have been wanting to invest in some Soap and Glory products, ever since seeing Miss Budget Beauty rave about them. As they were 3 for 2 in Boots (like I think they are a lot of the time) I decided I would try out my most urgent lust after products. Instead of the Flake Away scrub I was keen to try the Peaches and Clean cleanser and/or Kick Ass concelar but they didn't have any in stock :( I also got a shampoo and mitt that I needed too as I often forget toiletries I need at Uni when I go home, so prefer to have a spare at home.

Tanning Mitt

I bought this from Superdrug for around £3 rather than from Boots, mainly because I prefer that its pink :) It is just a standard mitt to be honest, but they do last a long time and I way prefer applying fake tan with a mitt to avoid orange hands and streaks. Not a very interesting purchase but I bought it at the same time as the other stuff so thought it should be included.

Elvive Colour Protect Caring Shampoo

I bought this at Superdrug too for such a good price at less than £2, which was cheaper than the smaller bottle... bit strange but I wasn't complaning! I have recently used this up at Uni so I can start using a new Tigi Bed Head shampoo I bought (upcoming review), so this will also be featuring on an upcoming empties post. I bought this for home use though as it was such a great price and also because I really did like it. I get highlights but only about twice a year, maybe 3 times at a push so always look for hair products specifically for coloured/blonde hair that will help maintain the condition and vibrancy of my hair. I used this with the matching conditioner which I am still using up at the moment and I think it keeps my hair in good condition (in conjunction with hair masks and serums), has maintained the 'salon fresh' colour for a longer time than other shampoos I have used in the past and I also really like that it has UV protection in it. If I'm not impressed by the Tigi one I will seriously consider re-purchasing this.

Soap and Glory: Hocus Focus

First of all I have to say, I loooove all the Soap and Glory packaging!! It's pink and girly (obviously a plus point for me) and reminisent of Benefit products by using old style glamour and wording. This was a complete lust must have for me as I feel like my skin can get a bit dull, so thought it would be able to perk me up a bit! To be honest though, for £13 I was a little dissapointed. I'm not sure if that is because I hyped it up too much for myself but it just didn't live up to it's expectations for me. You can mix it into your foundation, with your daily moisuriser or use it on it's own as a highlighter. I was expecting a real 'wow' effect but when used with my foundation you couldn't really see it's full effect. On a day to day basis I use Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse as I've found it's the best wearing for my oily skin and has a really light coverage. Even so, this light coverage still masked the effect of the product, which was annoying as I normally wear foundation rather than just a BB cream as it gives me more confidence, so for £13 I wouldn't get a lot of use out of it. However, when I did try it with a BB cream and as a highlighter for my cheeks, I really liked the dewy finish it gave, even with a light dusting of powder and the smell was really nice too. Therefore, I'd recommend it for holidays and for those who aren't a big fan of the matte finish look or who don't wear foundation regularly.

Soap and Glory: Fab Pore Facial Peel

This was another product that was reviewed highly so was another of my must haves and I must say this did live up to my expectations. It says to use 2-3 times a week, but I have been using it every other day, leaving it on for around 15 minutes, although you can use it for 5 mins for a quick freshen up. The consistency is quite thick and when you rub it in you have to burst all the blue beads in the formula. It is meant to reduce the appearance of pores so I put it on my 'problem' areas where I get most oily - forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. A little goes a long way and for £8 I think it is good value. I think it cleans the pores rather than diminishes them but I am a fan of that because there is no point closing them up if there is a load of gunk in them! I will continue to use this as I do feel like it's doing something. The smell is quite nice and smells of 'clean' although it isn't the best scent I've ever smelt so personally I think other products in the range are better for that.

Soap and Glory: Flake Away Sugar Scrub

I hadn't even thought of buying this product before I picked it up to complete my 3 for 2 as my other 'must haves' weren't in stock.... however, I think this may be my favourite out of the 3!! I have been looking for a sugar scrub which is affordable for a while now as standard exfoliators don't seem to cut it for me at the moment at giving me the clean feeling I want, especially when trying to get off stubborn fake tan! This was £7 and so the one I got free on my 3 for 2 but I would be happy to pay full price for this. The smell is amazing and lingers on your skin after using it, which I really liked. Because it is a sugar scrub it is quite harsh, therefore I only use it once a week at the moment but I do use it all over my body, not just my legs. For those who would like something a bit more gentle I would suggest the Sanctuary's Daily Body Scrub (I have the travel size for holidays etc) which I am a fan of too. Again a little goes a long way with this product and I felt like it was properly exfoliating me. It also left me feeling moisturised afterwards which was nice as I was worried it could dry my skin out a lot as I already get fairly dry legs and need to moisturise them daily. I used this in conjunction with my new Garnier 7 days moisturiser (mango oil for dry skin) and really like them together. I would really recommend this for its scent and price as it should last me a long time.

What other Soap and Glory products would you recommend for me to try? xxx