Clinique Even Better Foundation

Clinique Even Better Makeup | Boots | £24.50 | Link

If you caught my recent haul you will have seen that I picked up this absolute gem of a foundation from Clinique with promises that I would write a full review on it so sit tight as I have a lot of things to say about this product!

So I guess I should briefly point out in case you didn't catch my haul post where I already explained this, that I've been having problem skin and Clinique Even Better Makeup with SPF 15 was the foundation that was recommended to me by the sales assistant. According to Clinique this is made with an oil free formula that helps your skin tone appear more even both short term and in the long term - the website also calls this a moderate to full coverage foundation. I had this applied to me at the counter in Boots, and my first impressions of it were pretty decent to be honest. The lady had put this foundation on so flawlessly but without making my skin look like it was caked in makeup. It corrected the redness around my nose, covered blemishes with ease and just generally made my skin look naturally glowy and beautiful - something it hasn't done for a long while now.

My slight concern was that I would buy the foundation and struggle to replicate the awesome results that the Clinique MUA did for me. One thing that I am glad I paid good attention to was the type of brush she applied it with, now she used a flat foundation brush - a type of brush that I have never braved to use before. But while I was in Boots I decided to pick one up to use with the makeup as what she had done was a good job, so I got one from EcoTools. The next morning when it came to reapplying my makeup I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to recreate a good a job. I used the EcoTools flat foundation brush and it didn't really take too much getting used to, using more of swipe/pat motion. 

The foundation feels very light when you apply it, and its consistency is pretty liquid based - when you shake it it sounds quite watery in the bottle, I love how this feels on the skin it is almost like a moisturizer - it feels so breathable and almost as if you don't really have any makeup on your face which I think is lovely particularly as this will probably be more of a daytime option for me. Another perk of the foundation is naturally the SPF as I will be wearing this during the daytime so it never hurts to get some added protection in there does it?

The wear time of this foundation is the only real let down for me, I think that because of its watery consistency it seems to wipe away from the face within a few hours. I don't apply powder to set it so I'm not sure if adding some powder would help the duration of this foundation last a bit longer but without powder it does slip away from your face by the middle of the day which is unfortunate.  

You could definitely go medium to full coverage with this depending on how you prefer it - I really like how this can achieve quite a high coverage while still looking very dewy and skin-like.You also don't need to pile loads on to achieve a nice finish, although one thing that I would say about this foundation is that I definitely prefer it with a flat foundation brush as it gives such a better coverage and looks really beautiful. I tried this with my RT Expert Face brush for experiments sake and the coverage just wasn't there and it didn't have that lovely finish to it that you can achieve with a foundation brush.

I'm really surprised that this foundation doesn't pop up a bit more often on the beauty blogging scene because it really is a nice foundation for day time wear that gives a beautiful dewy finish with moderate coverage. However I wouldn't recommend this foundation for someone looking for a long lasting foundation as sadly I don't think that this would cut it. You wouldn't get a days wear out of this without needing to reapply or touch up, and so in terms of price I think that isn't the best value for money as I can imagine a bottle will run out fairly quickly. This isn't exactly a drugstore price foundation at nearing the £25 mark but in comparison to some high end foundations that isn't too alarmingly priced. Thankfully the bottle isn't glass so its super travel friendly meaning you can chuck it in your makeup bag on the go no problem for those necessary touch ups.

Wearing Clinique Even Better Makeup

QOTD: Have you tried Clinique Even Better Foundation?

Real Techniques Nic's Picks Brush Set Review

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Real Techniques seriously know how to do makeup brushes. Most of my collection consists of RT brushes as the quality is amazing and they are just so affordable. Now it goes without saying that the beauty world was going to swoon over the latest, silver limited edition release of makeup brushes Nic's Picks, but I swooned pretty hard and couldn't even wait for these to make their way to Boots so made a cheeky Escentual order a couple of weeks ago. These arrived super quickly and I even got them in time for my holiday which made me very happy indeed. The set includes five brushes and three of which are exclusive to the set and the brush which excited me most had to be the cheek brush, however after using these solidly for a few weeks now I can honestly say that I'm massively impressed by every single one.

The duo-fibre face brush designed for the application of lighter products just didn't really work for me with powder - I didn't get on with it for some reason but when used with my Nars Tinted Moisturiser it was an absolute dream, the soft bristles effortlessly sweep the product across my face so evenly and flawlessly. I know the brush is meant for powder but honestly try it with a BB cream or tinted moisturiser and you will see exactly what I mean! The first set exclusive is the cheek brush, which as I mentioned above was the brush I was most looking forward to using and it didn't disappoint - its honestly the perfect sized brush for blush and I can see it replacing my RT blush brush already.

Another exclusive to the set is the angled shadow brush, which is another brush I've been loving as its the most perfect size to fit into the crease of your eye and because its so soft it blends product beautifully. I know that I'm going to get so much use out of this brush as I don't have anything remotely similar. I've been enjoying the base shadow brush used with concealer and then the last set exclusive the eyeliner brush I've actually been using to soften the look of my eyebrows as I'm not really a big eyeliner wearer but still want to get use out of it.

The set is easily one of my favourites from RT so far, I absolutely love the silver handles although my one and only grumble has to be that I've noticed that the wording is already starting to rub off on a couple of brushes which is a bit annoying. I can see past the wording rubbing off the brush handles purely because the brushes are so lovely to use and as always make applying products so much easier and give you that flawless finish.

QOTD: Will you be purchasing Nic's Picks?

 

 

Sleek Eyebrow Stylist Review (Light)

 

 

 

Swatch taken in natural day light

 

I deliberated when it came to writing this post on Sleek's eyebrow pencil as its been one of those products that when it comes down to it, I have mixed feelings about. I picked this up a few weeks ago and have been testing it out ever since in my search to find a holy grail eyebrow product. I've heard that this is a dupe for the Hourglass eyebrow pencil, however I havent tried that one so obviously I can't make any comments about that.

 

I thought I would start off with the things I do like and think are good about this product. Of course one of the biggest things in this product's favour is its price tag, sitting neatly under the £10 mark (I believe it currently retails for £6.99 in Boots) this is a hugely affordable high street brow pencil. A lot of high street or drugstore branded brow products are pretty bog standard but this does come with a spoolie at one end and at the other end you twist up the pencil. For a product that is under £10 I think that the packaging is pretty neat to be honest. Another thing that I like is that this doesn't feel at all waxy which can often be another tell-tale sign of a drugstore brow pencil, it has a firmness to it which enables for a precise application.

 

 

However, its downfall? For me? The colour looks awful. Now this is the shade light, and for someone with fair hair I find that this has quite a coppery/ginger undertone to it, I'm not sure if this comes across in the swatches but it definitely does in person on me and it looks too dark. I really don't like the colour when its applied to my brows and it sort of makes them stand out in an odd way as the colour just doesn't match my skin tone or hair at all! Its a shame because if the colour was a little bit better I think I could really like this product a lot as it does have some things going for it. I would like to see Sleek come out with a shade tailored more towards blonde haired girls as I just don't think this one cuts it. As with everything though, this could be ideal on someone else but personally for me it just doesn't work. And with that, I conclude that I am still on the hunt for that holy grail brow product.

 

 

QOTD - Have you tried Sleek's Eyebrow Stylist?

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation. Where do I even begin with this post? There are so many reviews on this foundation, most of which I have stalked to death as this has been one of my most coveted items since getting into the world of beauty. So I'm not going to call this post a review as such as I don't really want to duplicate what other people have already written a hundred times before - not to mention probably a lot better than I could. Instead I'm just going to do a general chat and throw in a few of my thoughts and feelings on this product as I go along.

As I mentioned above this was a product I had been coveting over for so long and the main reason I never got round to picking it up is purely because I don't live near a Nars counter. There was no way I was risking making a stab in the dark and ordering this online without properly checking out what shade matches my skintone first. One trip to Selfridges later and the foundation was finally mine. Obviously being July when I got this I did end up getting matched to a darker shade than I normally would as I have been tanning recently, I got medium 3 in Stromboli which is quite a nice warm colour that I absolutely love.

One of the first things that I noticed when using this was that you really do want to make sure your face is well moisturised before applying it. The first time I used this I had the tiniest dry patch from a spot that was healing up and it did actually show up - nothing too drastic by any means but it was my first time using it so I didn't really know what to expect. The following time I ensured I had applied enough moisturiser to provide a smoother base for the foundation and the results were incredible. I used a sample of MAC's Prep and Prime for primer which further made for a silkier base and set it with my Body Shop Vitamin E face mist.

Wearing the foundation.

 

I've never owned a high end foundation and I am just beyond impressed with this - it makes my skin look flawless without that obvious 'well she's wearing foundation' kind of look. I suppose what I mean is that this gives the illusion of your own skin rather than simply looking like foundation. I usually opt for my Real Techniques Expert Face brush for foundation but I've currently been enjoying using a bit more of a fluffier, less dense brush with the Nars foundation. So instead I've been taking the Multi Task brush as I find that it gives for a slightly more softer, natural finish. One pump is enough to give your entire face a beautiful finish with medium coverage, a tiny bit of concealer to hide blemishes and you're pretty much good to go. I love the way that this seems so light on the skin and doesn't feel at all like you're wearing foundation.

 

Another thing I am really impressed with is the lasting power, in the picture above I had been wearing the foundation since the morning and I took this selfie before heading off out for an evening meal. I only needed to reapply a tiny amount around my mouth and nose area where it wears away naturally through eating and drinking, and I also powdered my t-zone to prevent any oiliness showing. But it still looked pretty flawless even after all those hours of wear. This is definitely worth the hefty £30+ price tag in my opinion as it just gives the most stunning results and it certainly lives up to its 'holy grail' status. Needless to say I am smitten with this purchase.

 

QOTD: Have you tried Nars Sheer Glow Foundation?

The Body Shop Honey & Oat Mask

Honey & Oat 3 in 1 Mask | The Body Shop | £10 | Link

The world of skincare is still all relatively new to me, however a brand that I have begun to rely on to help with my skin woes recently is The Body Shop. With an email reminding me that my welcome offer of 25% off was shortly expiring I decided to branch out and purchase the Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask. The fact that this little pot claims to be a 3 in 1 product had me intrigued that this product could be a little different. The ingredients in this also caught my attention especially the fact that this contains honey which is widely known for its health benefits in both diet and beauty.

 

According to The Body Shop this is meant to 'cleanse, polish and moisturise' [link] but what did I think? Well firstly my initial impressions, I thought that the consistency was really good I didn't have to apply a tonne to get a decent coverage across my face. I expected this to be a tad on the messy side as it looks gloopy and thick in the pot but its not at all like that once applied. I also liked the fact that this wasn't gritty so it was pretty comfortable even when it had set in and dried somewhat. The smell is really fresh and had me craving a bowl of oatmeal infused with honey afterwards!

One thing that I have noticed is that this does dry pretty quickly it turns into more of a transparent layer as it begins to dry up, for this reason alone its therefore advisable to not leave this on for too long - I've found the 5 minute mark works best for me. So after looking like you've dipped your face in your breakfast bowl then comes the nicest part which is rinsing the mask off. I like to run a small luke warm bowl of water and take my time to work my fingers in small circles to fully achieve that exfoliating benefit before washing it off with a cloth. Immediately after all traces are washed away my skin is left feeling super clean and supple.

All in all I've really enjoyed using this mask, its definitely a nice product to use in your weekly skin care routine, and because this is so gentle you can get away with using it a little bit more than you could with some masks. I tend to use it every other day and my skin has been fine.

 

What do you think of face masks? Have you tried this one from The Body Shop?

Fragrance Focus: Chloé Eau De Parfum

I'll be honest here, perfume has been my 'thing' for many, many years now. It was something that I suppose got inherited from both my parents who equally have an admirable collection of frangrances between them. It all started back in the day on holiday when I got treated to Tommy Hilfiger True Star - who remembers that one? My taste in fragrances has come a long way since then and I think even in the last six months it has changed somewhat. My go-to scents have been my Marc Jacobs for quite a while (since I was 16/17 maybe) and after using a few bottles up I decided it was time for a change.

No surprise then that I found my legs walking me to the perfume department in John Lewis. And there it was. Staring me in the face. A display of the most stunning collection of square shaped Chloé bottles embellished with a chic little bow, that seemed to be calling out my name. From the second that the smell of this filled my nose I knew it had to be mine.

On the skin this perfume has a warm yet delicate florally scent, however it has the power to last for hours (I do top it up once or twice throughout the day) - even so I wake up in the morning and can still smell this faintly on my body. It is invigorating but all the while managing to refrain from being over powering. Chloé is versatile enough to be worn during the day time and is still classic enough for evening wear too. Needless to say I have found my new signature scent.

What is your signature scent?

Soap & Glory Orangeasm Body Wash

Today I'm going to be running through a quick 'first impressions' type of review and that is on the new Soap & Glory Orangeasm body wash. I literally just picked this up in Boots yesterday, so I only had a chance to use it last night and then again in the shower this morning but I knew I wanted to do a quick post as there has been a lot of hype surrounding the new range from S&G - and rightly so! The Orangeasm range has introduced three new S&G products including this plus a body butter and a fragrance mist.

I'm a huge sucker for orange fragrant bathing products so when I discovered these new releases I was at Boots before you could say orangeasm. I love S&G body washes so I knew that this would find its way into my life, however the body butter I was a bit indifferent about so I gave it a miss and stuck with just the one item. I thought that the body butter smelt a little overpowering and while I like the smell of orange I'd rather not smell like one all day. This body wash is right up my street though! In true S&G fashion the consistency is slightly creamy which glides across the skin for an indulgent fruity shower experience, that will have you 'mmming' and 'ahhing' meaning that the title Orangeasm does deliver its promise....

For an even more orangeasmic experience I would recommend putting a small pump of this onto a bath lily to create oh, so many fruity and foamy bubbles. This is going to be perfect in the mornings to wake me up as the smell is so energising. However the good thing about this in my opinion, is that the smell doesn't linger on your skin, once your towelled dry and popped your clothes it just leaves a fresh aroma on the skin. All in all this little lovely is a perfect shower addition in the run up to summer.

Have you tried Orangeasm yet? What are your favourite S&G products?