Sunday 8 November 2015

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water ♡REVIEW♡






















Ever since I first started reading beauty blogs about 3 years ago, one product that everyone has seemed to rave about is Micellar water, and in particular Bioderma - and to be honest it was never really something that excited me - I'd previously used liquid make-up removes with cotton pads before and had always found them to be a bit naff and I wasn't prepared to pay £15 odd pounds (and alot of time tracking down Bioderma  as it was tricky to get your hands on in the UK) for a beauty product when I was not sold on the concept.

So fast forward 3 years when nearly every drugstore brand has their own micellar water and I finally caved into the hype. Now I'm not going lie one of the main reasons for giving Micellar waters a go was my sheer laziness - I'm usually pretty good when it comes to removing my make-up and do a deep cleanse with a hot cloth cleanser, but occasionally, and I'm going to be honest here - if it's late and I'm tired, I really can't be bothered do do a deep cleanse I will most likely just reach for the makeup wipes (which if you read Caroline Hirons blog you will know that, that it is a skincare sin - Sorry Caroline!) But  I was noticing that doing this was not doing any favours for my skin and the alcohol in the wipes was drying my skin out badly and the wipes weren't really doing the job of the removing the make-up completely either and my skin was just more problematic in general. After reading lots of reviews online I decided to give one of the beauty communities favorites a go - Garnier Micellar.

To use the product, I just put some on 3 cotton pads; I use 1 to remove my Lipstick, 1 to remove my eye makeup and another to remove the rest of my face makeup (I do this as I quite often wear heavy eye makeup and bright lipsticks, so I find that by doing this it doesn't smudge it all over my face!) and just wipe them across my face - If my eye makeup is being particularly stubborn ("They're Real" I'm looking at you!) I just place the cotton pad over the eye and gently hold it there for a few seconds and then wipe away outwards and it removes it easily!

I also really like it to correct any mistakes I might make whilst applying my makeup (fellow winged eyeliner lovers will know where I'm coming from!) To do this, I just place a small amount of the Micellar water onto a cotton bud and then remove the area that has gone wrong - It just removes what you want and doesn't smudge everywhere so the rest of your makeup isn't ruined! I also really like it to remove any fallout that I might get from eye shadows before I apply my base makeup!

I find that it also last a really long time as you get quite a large bottle of 400ml for £4.99 (It's currrently on offer in Boots for £3.33!), so for me it works out as much better value that wipes as I get through those bad boys at the rate of knots (Very quickly!) It's now available too in a small 125ml bottle for £1.99 which is perfect for travelling or for in your handbag for touch-up's on the go!

I now have to say that I'm a complete Micellar water convert and I can't live without it in my beauty stash! Garnier now do two other types of Micellar water as well - Pure Micellar cleansing water and Skin naturals Micellar cleansing water for Combination and sensitive skin.

What do you think of Micellar waters? Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

Jilly xx

*Products mention in this post*
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water 125ml
Garnier Pure Micellar Cleansing Water 400ml
Garnier Skin Naturals Micellar Cleansing Water Combination & Sensitive Skin 400ml



Saturday 7 November 2015

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Lightscapade" Review - The Perfect Pale Highlighter






When I first discovered MAC the very first product I lusted over was their Mineralize Skinfinsh in "Soft and Gentle" which was THEE holy grail highlighter to have back in the summer of 2012. So fast forward to November 2014 on my 18th birthday it was at the top of my wish list, but, unfortunately for me having a birthday soo close to Christmas means it was sold out everywhere! So I started looking at what other MSF MAC had to offer and discovered it in the shade in "Lightscapade"; which I had previously been launched as part of the Hayley Williams (from Paramore) but is now part of their permanent collection!

Firstly the package, like all MAC, is lovely - I really love how sleek and almost basic MAC packaging is with the black compact and the MAC logo in white - I also love that the compact has a clear section on the top so the product can be seen through the lid (this is especially helpful when you have an extensive amount of beauty products! The lid of the compact is magnetized, so it is easy to open, especially if your a false nails wearer!

The overall base colour of the highlighter is a beautiful very pale creamy yellow with peach and baby blue veining throughout, which in the pan look gorgeous; however when swatched or applied to the skin the peach and blue veining can not obviously be seen, but blends in to the pale cream base which gives it a really nice depth and dimension when applied to the skin so it doesn't look like a flat finish on the skin, which I personally think makes it look more natural and allows it to blend into the skin better.

The texture of the powder itself, has a lovely creamy texture that blends on the skin really well and has a shimmer running throughout it as opposed to a chunky glitter, which personally I'm not a fan of, so I absolutely love the finish of this! The product can both be used to create natural and more dramatic looks as it can be applied lightly using it looser packed brush (like the Real Techniques Setting Brush) or be built up and be applied to more concentrated areas of the face using a fan brush.
 When highlighting I like to apply this product to the top of my cheeks, bridge of the nose, cupids bow (the top pick of the upper lip) and the inner corner of the eyes; I also think it would make such a beautiful brow bone highlight, but I have yet to use it for that as I already have a quite prominent brow bone and so I tend to use a matte light light coloured powder which lifts the brows without enhancing them as I don't really want to look like Herman Munster (Google it!) so I never use shimmer here, but if you do I think you who LOVE this product for it!


Overall I would absolutely recommend this highlighter as I love everything about the product itself with the only downside being that it costs £24.00, so it is on the pricier side, however it has been my go to highlighter for nearly the past year and as you can see I have barely made a dent! So it's definitely not going to be running out anytime soon!

Whats your thoughts on  the Mineralize Skinfinshes from MAC? Do you have any favourite  Highlighters? -let me know in the comments below, a girl can never have too many hightlighters! ;)


Jilly xx 
*Links to products Mentioned*
MAC Mineralize Skinfinsh - £24.00




Tuesday 11 August 2015

REVIEW: Revolution Blush Pallet in Sugar and Spice - Pretty in Pink









Revolution is a make-up brand that over the past year has taken the blogging world storm - every time I login into my Bloglovin or YouTube subscription box, 9 times out of 10 their will be at least one post featuring the brand; and rightly so, as not only are their products amazing, they are also soo affordable too.

I actually picked this up in Superdrug last summer for £6 when Revolution first launch (and have been meaning to do a blog post since then which just shows you how organised I am!) and it has been a constant staple in my make-up routine and is something I always drift back to.

Firstly I really love the packaging of this palette; especially the rose gold foil writing on the front of the palette (I have a *slight* obsession with rose gold!)  and it also has a large mirror inside of the palette which makes it perfect for travel!

This pallet contains 8 beautiful pink tone shades; 6 of which are matt with the other to being shimmer - which is actually what had drawn me to this pallete in the first place as I'm much more or a matt blush kinda-girl as I feel that that they are allot more versatile as I can add shimmer with a highlighter but you can't take it away.

All 8 shades in this pallet are pink or have a pink undertone, although some are less vibrant than others, they all have very good pigmentation, which I wasn't expecting as their so cheap as the whole palette is only £6 ( o they work out as 75p per blush!) and they majority of the blushes are buttery - the only 2 blushes I'm not crazy about the formulation are the 2 shimmery shades, as I find that they feel quite dry and have a very strange texture in the pan - that being said they still have very good pigmentation.

The only downside to there amazing pigmentation is that it is very easy to apply WAY too much product and as they have great staying power, they can be a little bit difficult to blend if too much product is applied. The best way I have found to apply these blushes is to use a large fluffy tapered blush - I personally use the Real Techniques Blush Brush as I feel that it the tapered shaped applies the product so it look beautifully blended.

Overall I would definitely  recommend this pallete as not only is it super cheap, it's also amazing quality for the price! The palette is also available in a number of other different shades from the Revolution website and both the Superdrug website and in stores - so I would recommend checking their other shades out too!

Do you think you'll be picking this palette up any time soon? What other Revolution or blush products would you recommend? I'd love to know in the comments below - it will be a great excuse for me to buy even more makeup that I probably (definitely!) don't need!

Jilly
  ♡♡♡ 







Wednesday 10 June 2015

Fudge Urban "Iced Raspberry an Vanilla Hairspray ♡REVIEW♡


Before purchasing this, I had been trying to get hold of it for literally months, which although proves frustrating, just shows how popular it is!!!

Usually I'm not a massive fan of using hairspray's as they seem not to agree with my nose! I usually end up in fits of sneezing with a migraine; and to be honest I just really can't stand the smell of hairspray!!!This is what interested me in this Hairspray as it is scented, so now horrible headache inducing smell!

Another thing I Love about this product is the packaging; Fudge Urban have gone to soo much detail even down to the the spray nozzle colour co-coordinating  with the body of the can - I know, I'm "sad" but pretty package pleases me and I often find if the packaging is pretty the more I subconsciously tend to reach for and use it more.

Getting on to the actual product it's self. I find that it gives a really nice finish and doesn't leave the hair feeling "crunchy" or "stiff" like some others can (another reason I'm not usually too keen on hairspray!) I also find its great at holding Volume in hair and taming any flyaway's which I may have, prevents my hair getting frizzy and keeps my hair looking smooth which is sometimes a problem. It doesn't have the strongest hold in comparison to other hairspray's I've tried in the past, but if I'm honest I much prefer the finish this gives as it doesn't really add a texture to the hair which I personally prefer and I find that it gives enough hold for day to day use; I think the holding power would only be a problem if you were to use it to hold an "unnatural" or "intricate" - with that being said if you were to be more liberal when applying  it to your hair I think it would do the job pretty well.

The smell of this product, as you would imagine is amazing and it doesn't smell your your conventional hairspray at all. Now I'm going to try and describe the smell but honestly I'm the WORST at describing smells. The main smell as you would imagine is raspberry and is quite sweet with a very subtle hint on vanilla - this is possibly one of the nicest smells of a hair product I have tried.

The only downside to this product is that it isn't the cheapest of hairspray's - it's costs £4.99 at Superdrug and £5.29 at Boots - that being said it quite often on offer so keep a look out when your browsing in Superdrug or Boots. Because hairspray isn't something I get through rapidly and lasts me quite a while I feel that I can justify the price!

Fudge Urban have a whole range of other beautiful scented products which I'm dying to try!!!
Have you tried any other Fudge Urban Products? What's your favourite hairspray?
Let me know in the comments below - also feel free to ask questions in the comments too as I'd love to answer them!!!


Jilly
♡♡♡



Monday 27 April 2015

MAC Studio Fix Fluid ♡REVIEW♡



Way back in November, when I celebrated my 18th Birthday, there was one thing that was at the top of my Wish list, MAC! Also being so incredibly pale and picky when it comes to foundation and having found none which I absolutely love from the drugstore, I thought a foundation from MAC would be the perfect place to start.


I went into a MAC store so I could properly colour match the foundation to my skin-tone. I would completely recommend doing this as the swatches look very different in person than they appear on their website; I would recommend doing this even if you have purchased a different foundation from MAC previously as there are  variations in shades between their different face products (which I have experienced! but more on that in a separate post!)


After looking at all the foundations and swatching the lightest shades in each,  I decided to go for Studio Fix Fluid in NW10; the lightest shade (such a surprise, I know!) In terms of undertone I would say that from what I have read online and by looking at my skin I have a cool/neutral undertone however the lightest cool toned shade (NC15) looked very yellow in this formulation, which if I'm honest wasn't the look I was going for. Even though NW10 is a warm shade, because it is very pale it edges towards a neutral undertone as there is very little warmth in very pale skin tones; which means it actually a pretty  good match; the best I found so far anyway! Studio Fix Fluid comes in 39 shades, both with warm and cool undertones, so there is basically a match for everyone.


MAC describe this foundation as having a "natural matte finish" with a "medium-buildable coverage" (I would say that it is much more of a full coverage which I prefer, obviously depending on how you apply it- I usually use my Real Techniques Expert Face brush and buff it into the skin!) which I completely agree with in terms of finish; it almost has a liquid to powder finish giving the skin a satin/ velvet feel that feel just like skin and is not sticky of tacky in the slightest without making the skin look dry or dull, it literally makes the skin look as if it has been airbrushed as does eliminate the majority of imperfections and discolouration; this is down to as what MAC describes as "Soft focus powders to smooth out and minimize the appearance of imperfections"



Because it sets like a powder it has great staying power, even on my skin which tends to get very oily throughout the day. MAC claim at it has a “long lasting – up to 8 hours” and that it "absorbs and dispenses oil".which I would agree with and then some; I have worn this foundation on multiple occasions for long than this and it is still completely intact and looking flawless even without a primer and just a light dusting of powder where I tend to get extra oily across the t-zone and the tops of my cheeks. It also doesn't leave my skin feeling tight or dry after I have removed my make up thanks to the "Skin conditioning ingredients" it contains.


Even though this foundation does contain an SPF 15; which is obviously great for looking after your skin, SPF tends not to be so great if your found of taking the odd photo as that can sometimes mean serious flashback (no-one wants to be that "ghostly" face in a group shot!!!) However, I personally haven't found this a problem; there might be very slight flash back when using a "cheap" flash, but it's definitely not enough of a problem to stop me using it.  


Even though I love this foundation there are a few things that I'm not such a fan of. Firstly that this foundation does have a SLIGHT smell of paint when it is first applied; this is only really noticeable to me when I am blending on or around my nose (and my nose is very sensitive to smells) but quickly goes after being first applied. Secondly that this foundation sets fairly quickly down to the "powder" finish I mentioned earlier; this is only really a problem if you have to stop blending it in mid application. you can add more after you've completely blended what's on your face, you just can't blend what's ALREADY on your face once its set (I hope that makes sense).  Lastly you need to clean you brush after each application, I know I should do this anyway!!!This is because the foundation on the brush sets, so when you re-use the same brush it kind of pulls on the skin and doesn't blend the foundation out as flawlessly.


Overall I absolutely love this foundation and it is the best one I used to date. It isn't the cheapest foundation at £21.50 but you get 30ml; which is a pretty standard amount and a little goes a long way, you only need 1 pump to get a completely flawless finish. It is also worth noting that this foundation doesn't come with a pump so it has to be purchase seperately and costs £4 and is a must for me as otherwise I would end up wasting half of it, however, this only needs to be bought once as it can be re-used when you re-buy the foundation (which I will be!). 

Products Mentioned:


What other MAC Foundations would you recommended?, I'd love to hear your suggestions in the comments below!

Jilly
♡♡♡

WONDERLAND TEMPLATE CREATED BY PRETTYWILDTHINGS