What's On My Face...

The make up in this post was all contrived around the lipstick - it's Topshop's Beguiled and I've had it for a while but, as with most wine and deep red shades, had put it away when the warmer months came along and had forgotten about it. I pulled it out by chance the other day and decided on the spot that I was wearing it that day and no one was going to stop me - whether it's still July or not.

With a statement deep lip you need a flawless complexion - this one just doesn't lend itself to tinted moisturiser unless you're Cindy Crawford I'm afraid (though if you are, by all means just stick with what you're doing) so I used my L'Oreal True Match in the shade C1 to get a base that was natural looking but had enough coverage to even me out and make my skin look a whole lot more airbrushed. I layered that over a base of Benefit's POREfessional, which I'm currently trying to use up. I do like it, and had repurchased it many times, but then the Clarins Instant Smooth came along and kicked POREfessional's ass. I'm afraid once this tube is done it's Clarins forevermore for me. Concealer wise it was MAC Studio Fix in NW15, one of my ultimate favourite concealers and not one I'm ever without in my stash.

For cheeks I used MAC Frankly Scarlett blush, which is just one of the prettiest blushers I've ever owned - it looks pretty terrifying in the pan but when applied lightly it gives the most gorgeous rosy flush, and it looks really natural too thanks to the red base - it's much more representative of how I look when I actually blush and (although it is July) it's my favourite winter blush as it always gives me that healthy 'just played a rousing game of hockey outside' look. For a highlight I opted for the highlighter half of Benefit's 10 (which they've discontinued. Boohoo!)

Eyes wise I used Harvest Moon, Cuddle, Cinnamon and a tiny bit of Frolic from the Cargo Vintage Escape Palette. Don't want to say too much here as I'll have a full post coming soon, but let's just say this is pure palette love. My Stila Smudge Stick in Lionfish provided a tiny bit of definition for my eyes and I then reached for the Bourjois Volume Max mascara. Eyebrows it was MAC's Lingering eyebrow pencil (my favourite colour I've eve found for my eyebrows) and I was done!

NudeStix Lip & Cheek Pencil Review

Nude Stix Lip & Cheek Pencil - Love - £24.00

I received this as a gift with purchase from Space NK (as a regular customer gift with purchase, not a blogger gift, which is why there's no * next to it, you'll always be given full disclaimer for anything featured that was sent to me via a PR for the purposes of blogging, this one was just a regular free gift) and wasn't that interested at first. I had noticed the brand when it first popped up but wasn't all too fussed, I'm not the type of girl whom the whole concept of 'nude' appeals to - I'll always reach for full coverage foundations over light tinted moisturisers and I will always own double the amount of red lipsticks than I do of all other colours combined, #sorrynotsorry - but I gave it a go a few weeks ago and have been forced to admit that first impressions might not make the whole story.

The colour, although it looks quite baby pink in the pencil itself (the shade is called Love btw, which I really like as a name) actually comes out as a nice pinky/peach hybrid - definitely more pink than peach but not insipid and it actually works nicely on my pale skin as opposed to draining me altogether, which is what I thought would happen from the look of it in the pencil. The colour is actually turning out to be my number one factor in why I love this - since it isn't the type of colour I'm usually drawn to it it fills a gap on my collection quite nicely as as a cheek colour it's the perfect compliment to every day make up or playing the background runner to a stronger look that doesn't need a strong cheek to be added into the mix.

Anyway, enough about the colour  - let's talk formula. It actually blends beautifully into the cheeks, it goes on and feels almost wet at first while you blend it in (I used my fingers) but it does dry down and settle - but with plenty of time for you to work the colour to where you want it. The longevity is surprisingly good, it's not on par with something like Tarte but for a such a liquid-y formula it lasts a good 6 hours before it might be time to reapply, and for all the room the pencil takes up in your bag it's hardly a chore to take it with you, especially when you don't need a brush and can use it as your lip product for the day too. 

On the lips it also lasts a reasonably amount of time, it lasted through two glasses of diet coke for a start and was still on the lips when i came back from a 2 hour shopping trip. Again, it's not a matte formula so it isn't a case of apply it in the morning and it'll still be there in 12 hours time, but it's comfortable on the lips and as it fades it does so really evenly, meaning you're not left with a strange half on/half off look. It feels similar to Nuxe Rev de Miel lip balm when applied, is faff free and doesn't need a liner.

I pulled this one out of my bag in my What's In My Handbag video, so you'll possibly know the last thing I want to talk about already if you've watched that but, in case you didn't, I just have to mention the packaging. The little tin with the massive mirror taking up the whole lid is ideal for throwing in your handbag (and there's room for a concealer in there too, meaning for me that I can skip the make up bag entirely) and it also comes with a sharpener, which you can actually use as a lid - it's the lid on one end and the sharpener on the other, meaning you're less likely to lose it. I am a massive fan of this as I hate products that you then need to go purchase something else to use, especially since I constantly lose make up sharpeners and always get side tracked by more sparkly products (like red lipsticks) when I go into a shop with the intent of buying one. 

Lastly, let's talk price. It's £24 which I think may be slightly more than I'd want to pay for it - I thought it would have come in to the £18-£22 category as I hadn't actually looked up the price of it before beginning to type up this review, but I do love it. I think it'll last for ages as I've been using it a fair old amount lately and haven't have to sharpen it yet and it does come with such nice packaging too. For me it's a beautiful, blend able product and the colour has really filled a gap in my collection so I can honestly say I will repurchase it when it's done, but unless you're after one of the individual shades I don't know if it's an exciting product I would rush out to buy. But then, I've got so many exciting products that I rush out and buy that a peachy/pink pencil filled a basic gap in my collection, so if you're in my boat then maybe it is something to rush out for!

Vichy Dermablend Foundation

Vichy Dermablend Foundation - Shade 15 Opal - £16.00 

I think we're off to a good start here in understanding each other - my first blog post was about eye cream and this one is about a high coverage foundation. They're both staples in my collection so I think it's a good base to gather what my beauty preferences are - good skincare and flawless finishes. 

In terms of flawless finishes, the Vichy Dermablend foundation delivers. With a coverage that seems to be enough to cover imperfections but light enough to let my freckles show through (you can see them on my forehead) this foundation is a real winner. I've been a huge fan of the Estee Lauder DoubleWear for many, many years now but I know for a lot of people they find it thick and difficult to work with as well as just being a little too much coverage - it pretty much blanks out everything on your face. Whilst I find that applying DoubleWear with a good buffing brush leaves a beautiful finish I do have days where I don't want such high coverage or thick foundation on my face - but without looking like I've slapped on tinted moisturiser - and that's where this one fits in. 

With the whole concept of Dermablend being about coverage I was expecting a really thick consistency, which this one doesn't have. Not to the extent of other high coverage foundations anyway, though it admittedly is thicker than the likes of L'Oreal True Match/Luminous Silk. Brush wise I've been swapping between the Real Techniques Buffing and Expert Face brushes and finding that both leave a really lovely finish. It doesn't feel heavy or thick on the face and I quite forget I'm wearing it, so points for how comfortable it is. 

Coverage is buildable so brilliant if you want something more natural on most of your face but want to build up to cover any areas of pigmentation or redness, I found it was more than able to cover the small scars I have on my cheeks from where I had spots when I was younger but I did still reach for a concealer for under the eyes. 

Wear time on this one is pretty good too, I found it lasted all day and - bonus - didn't need to paired with a smoothing primer such as the Clarin's Instant Smooth or the Benefit POREfessional to stop it from sinking in to pores the way DoubleWear does.

Packaging - well, it's pretty boring and nothing special but it's what's inside that counts, right? Just not exactly a bottle you'd want to display on your dressing table. Plus points are that it's not a hard bottle which makes it great for travelling and it houses 30ml of product, which is actually the exact same as DoubleWear  though the squeeze tube makes it seem like a much smaller product.

For the price point this is a brilliant alternative to a high end high coverage foundation such as DoubleWear (£28.50 for 30ml) or Laura Mercier Silk Creme (£34.00 for 35ml) that doesn't let it down on wear time or finish, though for me DoubleWear does last longer and cover more, so they're both something I want to have in my collection.

Swatches L - R

Laura Mercier Silk Creme in Soft Ivory - Estee Lauder DoubleWear in Shell  

Vichy Dermablend in 15 Opal - MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC15

 L'Oreal True Match in N1 Ivory - L'Oreal True Match in C1 Rose Ivory

The only thing that let me down about this product, and part of the reason I was sure I wanted to review it, was that I couldn't actually test the colour before buying. I have, since buying it, seen some of the larger Boots stores become equipped with tester racks but they don't seem to be maintained very well and it seems as though this range is pretty much forgotten about, perhaps because it's located in the skincare aisle with the other Vichy products rather than with the make up. 

The shade I purchased - 15 Opal - is the lightest and I had to blind buy, hoping it would be light enough for me - I know all my fellow pale girls out there will feel my pain at this by how often the lightest shade in a foundation range is still not light enough (get on it please brands!)! As you can see from these swatches it is by far the darkest of my foundations and for me it means that I need to be light handed and use this with a good buffing brush. It also means that if I build up the coverage in certain areas then it becomes too dark. I'm lucky that what I want to cover is mainly the scarring on my cheeks and then I'll be placing blusher over the area so I can build it up without being too obvious but I think if I was trying to build this up elsewhere on my face the colour would be noticeably too dark. Having said all this though I'm a girl who can find MAC NC15 a bit too dark sometimes so I am super pale and the shade range is probably suitable for most skin tones, though the lack of testers is a problem. At £16.00, although this is a much more pocket friendly alternative to a high end foundation, it's still more expensive than the high street offerings that are about the £10 - meaning this is 160% of the price, you want to be able to test it and check the colour is right for you. 

If you can find a tester then I really do highly recommend this foundation if you're after something with a flawless finish, good coverage and good wear time. 

The Round Up... In Shower Body Moisturisers

We live in a fast paced age, time is of the essence and the rise of smart phones and 4G mean we like convenience. (Please tell me I'm not the only one who has a breakdown if I can't get signal and therefore access the latest youtube video in my subscription box on the subway!) It's little wonder then that companies have cottoned on to this in the beauty sense and are delivering us multiple ways to moisturise our bodies before we've even left the shower. This has even more benefits if you live in the UK like me and during the winter the time spent between exiting the shower and putting clothes (which you've placed on the radiator before hand of course!) on must be minimised as much as possible, even if it means forgoing moisturiser and being a Scaly Sally for a few months. Well, scales be going (though of course there's no excuse now we're getting into July!) because there are some brilliant products out there...


Best For... Not That Much?!
Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser - £5.10
The first offering in my collection of in shower moisturising products is this one from Nivea, this one that created such a stir in the blogging world about a year (or maybe more) ago and that I dutifully trooped off to buy when I saw some of my blogging favourites sing its praises. Well, I'm really not that impressed. I don't know if I'm majorly missing something but this doesn't really do much for my skin, at least not much that's off any use in the long term. The ingredients list boasts that infamous mineral oil which stops it from penetrating the skin and that's presumably why I haven't seen anything that great come of it. It gives the body a sheen once it's first used, but it's a short term effect and there are no long term benefits so this shall be the first post which the tag 'Don't Buy This' is added to. Sure, the sheen is nice, but achievable with both of the other products listed and it means you're not washing £5.10 literally down the drain with no real benefits for your skin!


Best For... Long Term Results
Lush Africa Paradise Body Conditioner - £20.00* (Not online yet, sorry!)
In stark contrast this one does a very good job of delivering long term benefits. The high price is cancelled out by how little of this you need, so it will last pretty much forever. You use this one after you've washed yourself, stand out from under the water, rub it all over (or anywhere you want to moisturise) then rinse it off. The smell is pretty questionable on this one but it doesn't linger after you've used it. What does linger is that heavy, moist feeling - even after you've rinsed, hopped out of the shower and dried yourself you can still feel this on your skin, working its way in and penetrating all those layers. Although the smell is a but funky if you can get by it this product is definitely worth a space in your shower.


Best For... Quickness
L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil - £17.50
I've been a fan of this one for years now and have repurchased many a bottle, more so than I'd care to face up to. You can buy a 500ml refill of this for £23.50 which means that after you've bought and finished a bottle you can buy the refill, which will fill it twice over and save you some pennies, which makes the price of tho sone a little more bearable. Unlike the Lush offering a little of this doesn't go a huge way - though perhaps that's not helped by the fact I love the smell and slather myself in it like I've got a version of Willie Wonka's chocolate waterfall and river that consists entirely of this oil stashed in a beauty version of his Inventing Room somewhere in my house. Which I don't. Though I can dream. This goes on like an oil but turns to a milk once it's mixed with water - a body version of the Clarins Melt Off cleanser - but the oil penetrates deeply and moisturises my skin both instantly and in the long term. I get the same healthy look that the Nivea provides but with the long term benefits too. I love the fact that this one comes in a bottle that means I can squeeze it onto my skin without worrying about water splashing in and ruining the product a la the Lush tub so it means I can use it with little care and probably too much reckless abandonment for a £17.50 shower gel. But then, it's not just a shower gel - it's a moisturiser too. See how I justify it?

In case you can't tell the L'Occitane offering is definitely my favourite, but it does feel weightless and leaves no residue so for when you want that pampered, moisturised feeling the Lush one does the job nicely, though both deliver moisture that packs a punch and penetrates into the skin properly. As for the Nivea? Save the pennies and spend a little bit more on a product that actually works. Or go about it the old fashioned way and spend the time using a separate body moisturiser - it is July after all, and the slight increase in heat means that it's maybe not totally terrible to be unclothes for a little longer between leaving the shower and getting dressed!

Stila Acai Crush Lip & Cheek Stain

Stila Acai Crush Lip & Cheek Stain - £16.00

It is a truth most commonly acknowledged that dual purpose products must be in want of something in one or other department. That is to say, in a less Pride and Prejudice inspired way of speaking, that they're usually designed for two things and pretty much only good at one thing.

This Stila product leans probably slightly more favourably to the cheeks but I actually do like it on both. 

On the lips the stain is dry and sinks into lines, as you can see in these pictures. Having said that a good lip balm underneath to smooth out lines and dryness does take care of that. It can be applied straight from the tube onto the lips with the brush applicator provided, though be careful - this stain is a Stain (note the capital S!) and that little blotch that goes slightly out of the lip line was something I was stuck with until scrubbing it off on my return home that night - following dinner out and multiple cocktails.

Now, onto the cheeks. I love this on the cheeks  - it's gel based and doesn't seem as dry on the cheeks as it does on the lips. For application though, you need to be incredibly careful. First thing's first - don't apply this straight from the applicator onto the cheeks and don't deal with this product if you're in a rush because the pigmentation is crazy. The tiniest amount goes a long, long way and heavy handedness runs the risk of clown style make up. 

When you're first getting used to the product I recommend mixing it with a dot of foundation so you can temper the pigmentation until you get the hang of it. I use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to do this. You have to work incredibly quickly with this product as, similarly to the lips, once it sets, it sets. A lot of people recommend a stippling brush with these types of products. Using a stippling brush made me look like I had chicken pox.

As you can see in this photo I have applied the product to my hand and blended, but the place where I originally touched the brush to the skin can easily be outlined and although I blended straight away the edges aren't for feathering off. When I applied the product with the stippling brush all the little areas where the product first touched settled into tiny dots and made me look like I had a real issue going on. You can also get an idea from this photo of just how bright this product can be when applied heavily.

The simplest thing for me is to twist up some of the product, swipe it over the back of your hand and then pick it up from the back of your hand with your chosen dense brush and buffing it quickly like foundation in circular motions. 

It is worth mentioning that these Stila Lip & Cheek Stains are scented - I have the coconut one and it's divine when swatched and sniffed - but the scent doesn't really translate once it's applied to the face and mixed with other produces. I haven't found that the scent has irritated my skin at all but in the interest of full disclosure it's still something worth pointing out!

The Simple Life

So in a world of beauty blogging, where a smokey eye can use up to 10 various shades of grey and black eyeshadows (plus your inner corner highlight, obvs) and I can get overexcited and want to pile every product from my latest boots spree on my face in one go, it can sometimes be easy to forget the simple make up looks.

This is something I'd call French Sexy - it's understated, chic and laid back - and, above all, incredibly simple.

The base was really easy - Benefit's POREfessional (which I totally forgot to include in the bloomin' photo - #fail!) around my nose and cheeks to try an drake those pores seem invisible, for however fleeting a time they may be, plus L'Oreal True Match foundation in C1 Rose Ivory - a really thin layer applied with the Real Techniques buffing brush.

An issue I find, as a pale girl, with drugstore foundations is that the cooler, pink tone based ones can often emphasise the pink tones already present in my skin if I try to build them up or create more coverage but the neutral or warm toned ones, even in the palest shades, can seem slightly too dark. I do like the L'Oreal True Match in the shade N1 Ivory but I do find I need to spend some time properly buffing it in to avoid the mask look at the edges. As far as drugstore foundations go though, they're probably some of the best I've found for the pale kids and the finish and wear time are great too. I used my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly around my eyes and then dusted everything in with my Soap & Glory Powder, using the Real Techniques Powder Brush.

Cheeks wise it's MAC Tenderling, which is the perfect shade to define the cheeks and add some life without depositing too much colour. I layered that over the highlighter side of Benefit's 10, which isn't available anymore but was basically a powder form of High Beam. For me, layering highlighter first then putting blush over the top means I never go OTT with the highlight or get the really glittery look. Both applied with a MAC 168.

On the eyes I went all over with Estee Lauder Hot Cinnamon, applied with a MAC 217 and taken just over the lid itself, not blended up or out and then lined with the Stila Smudge Stick Eyeliner in the shade Lionfish (the brown one!) on the top and outer bottom of the eyes - smudging a tiny bit with the MAC 239, though you could just use your fingers. Mascara wise it was Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume and my eyebrows were lightly filled in with the Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in the shade 002 Hazel. (As you can see my eczema is playing up and my eyebrow lady can't thread them when it is so they're quite grown in and didn't need too much filling in as a result!)

As for the lips? Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm finished it off looking natural and leaving lips perfectly soft.

Oh! And just before I go... I am spending tonight washing all the make up brushes I own, so don't get freaked out and think I'm leaving them like that!

From The Archive - MAC Girl About Town

For those of you who read my original blog - Rose Keats - these posts may be a little boring, as they're copied straight over from it, mainly because I think they're good posts and, more importantly, good products that deserve a place on my new blog with it's beauty focus. 

Mac Girl About Town Lipstick - £14.00

Mac Girl About Town Nail Varnish - £10.00

Girl About Town is one of those infamous Mac shades that almost everybody owns and I love it. I think for so long pale, insipid pinks were the order of the day and I just didn't suit them at all that I'd convinced myself I was a reds only type of girl and that was it. Although reds are probably still the shade family I'm happiest and most comfortable in after years of avoiding pinks I finally plucked up the courage and bought myself Girl About Town and Lickable and I now don't mind wearing pinks as long as they're bright, rich pinks and not the pale, washed out look that was so popular in my formative make up years.

This is an amplified formula and of all the amplified formulas I own this one seems to be the slippiest, and most likely to move off the lips and onto the face so I find that using a lip liner then almost staining this on in layers is the best way to avoid disaster. Although this sounds like a more fussy process than just swiping it on it doesn't take long to get the colour payoff, and I'd rather do that than have it across my cheek somewhere. It is super pigmented and opaque so if you do end up with it somewhere it shouldn't be it will not just rub off, you will need to resort to layering concealor over the top of where the lipstick will have stained - hence why I'm particular about the application because as much as I can now embrace pink I don't necessarily want it on my chin.

The nail lacquer is a product I'd heard less about and didn't actually know existed till I picked it up thinking it would match Girl About Town lipstick quite well, only to find this was precisely the idea. I used the Essie no chips ahead topcoat over it and I got 3 days out of it before any chipping appeared - which is really good for me because I can manage to chip nails washing my hair, I'm just incredibly rough with them - but I don't know if that's down to this or the top coat or both. I know these nail lacquers don't have the best reputation but I can't add to that - I was impressed. At £10 as well these nail lacquers aren't really much more pricey than an Essie diffusion line polish, so I definitely don't mind the price at all.

The exact colour match really appealed to my OCD tendencies and love of all things matchy-matchy. Girl About Town isn't the only one to have a nail counterpart - there is also Morange, Saint Germain, Snob and Impassioned, amongst others, so if the idea of a perfect match appeals to you it may be worth having a look to see if your shade of choice is available.

The Round Up... Eye Creams

If there's one thing I can call myself a bona fide expert on it's eye cream - I suffer from dark circles, extremely sensitive, often inflamed and very dry, delicate and dehydrated eyes. Yep, I get all the luck. I fully believe in having options within all types of skincare and listening to what your skin wants on a daily basis and the same goes for eyes - after years of experimenting I have a nice little wardrobe of eye creams to chose from to treat different issues.

Best For... Dark Circles 

StriVectin-EV Get Even Dark Circle Corrector - £38.00

Okay, so this is the one that's made the biggest difference to my life - I've had dark under eye circles since before I can remember - you can check my prep school picture if you don't believe me! I remember asking my classmates in junior school what time they went to bed at since I thought that under eye circles were all linked to sleeping and, well, it just doesn't matter how much I sleep - they don't go anywhere!  This is the only eye cream to significantly make any difference to my circles - I don't know how it does it but it delivers. Over time it's definitely reduced my dark circles quite noticeably - they're never going to disappear but this really has brought them down. 

It's quite a potent formula and not one I can reach for on days when my eyes are feeling sensitive. Although the Space NK product description says this can be used on the eye lids I find my eyelids are too sensitive for most eye creams so I can't personally recommend that - though clearly it is safe to do so if you're eyes aren't as sensitive as mine! 

This product isn't really designed to do anything other than reduce circles and brighten the area, both of which it does, so you need something else in your arsenal for lines, puffiness and hydration but if your dark circles mean Bobbi Brown Corrector is your best friend then this is one to check out. 

Best For... Puffy Eyes 

Arran Aromatics Green Tea Eye Gel - £3.50*

£3.50 and I can safely say this is the best de-puffing eye gel I've ever used! I was gifted this at an Arran Aromatics blogger event and the lady in the shop said they all swear by it and have various jars in the fridge in the staff room for the early morning starts when the eyes just need to be refreshed a little. I don't think puffiness is something that can really be tackled long term but for an immediate cooling and de-puffing of the eye area this baby is brilliant. 

I also have tried the Origins No Puffery Cooling Roll On which retails at £24.00 and is supposed to do the same job. In fact for my sensitive eyes the Origins product was far too potent and caused the skin to become really inflamed and I have to remove it immediately - though I was still left with visible red marks from where the product had made contact! There is a tingle to the Arran Aromatics version when you apply it but nothing my eyes couldn't handle.

Best For... Dry Eyes 

Eucerin AQUAporin Active Eye Cream - £13.50

When my eyes are dry and dehydrated this is what I reach for. This moisturises and nourishes the skin without being too heavy a formula for the thin skin around the eyes. I also find that no matter who inflamed my eyes are I can still go in with this one and it won't just cause further irritation.

I also love the design of this bottle - it comes with a pump dispenser which I much prefer. Although the other creams in this post have all made it in they've done so based on formulas rather than packaging design - I'm not a fan of the stick your finger in a pot method! The pump dispenser means there's less product waste and it's just all much more hygienic all round.

Make no mistake though, this one hasn't made it in here because of the packaging over formula - the pump is just an added bonus to a fantastic product for anyone with sensitive, dehydrated, dry eyes!

Best All Rounder

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye - £38.00

For those of you who don't have any of these problems in a massive way this is the eye cream that does it all - it delivers hydration, deals with lines and brightens and de-puffs the area. So why have I included all the others? Well, I think this ones main focus is in anti-aging and it deals with the other issues as a by product of revitalising the whole eye are apt make it look fresher and younger. I do see results for my dark circles and hydration levels with this eye cream, but not as much as I see them with the other creams that are specifically designed to target those issues. 

If anti-aging is your main concern or if you don't suffer from any of the above issues in depth then this is a fantastic eye cream to reach for that does it all. It also protects the eye area from UV damage, which as we all know is hugely important, especially now that it's coming to that time of year where we'll all be hoping to start spending some more time in the sun - whether that's through some BBQs in your own back yard or because you're jetting off to a tropical island.