Coffee Revels Anyone?

So, I was sent a few bits from the new Max Factor Colour Effect collection to have a play with. Here's a little look at the whole collection if you havn't already seen it. I think its nice to see Max Factor experimenting with colour for a change.

When I saw the Rubylicious Lip Gloss I thought "lovely" This is a good colour for me as I have super pigmented Raspberry Lips, so these kind of shades are nice for me.

Excited to try it, I immediately applied it. And.... then nearly threw up. These new lip glosses all have an individual taste attached to them all. And of all of the possible "flavours" I could possibly get, I received the one that tastes like... wait for it.... Coffee Revels??

I kid you not this lip gloss tastes like Coffee Revels. Now anyone that knows me knows that anything that remotely tastes of coffee is a no go zone with me. Its like trying to mix oil with water, it just aint happening!! You know when you reach in for a Revel, hoping, praying that it is not Coffee or Orange, then when you anxiously eat it you immediately pull that face (the same face you pull after a shot of Sambuca) well thats what happened when I applied this gloss, and is the precise reason I no longer eat Revels!

However if you are a fan of the old coffee tasting produce, this is the product for you lol!!

Muchos Love Amigos xoxo

Revlon Photoready Foundation Review

*warning this will be a picture heavy post of yours truly*

So I thought it was about time I gave you my two cents on the Revlon PhotoReady Foundation.

Before I start I've had this foundation for around 6 weeks now, so its fair to say I've used it enough to give a fair review. I also wanted to wait until the initial hype around the product died down abit before I wrote this post. We all know how it can sometimes get to be flooded with lots of posts about the same product.

I'm already a big fan of Revlon Colour Stay Foundation, so was very excited to give this particular product a whirl.

The PhotoReady foundation has nice packaging and comes with a pump action which is nice, something the ColourStay lacks.

After a huge deliberation over which colour I thought I needed, I decided on Nude and left Boots a happy customer. However the next day when I wore the foundation out of the house I realised it was slightly too dark for me. Nothing major, but still it was too dark.

The following pics are with me wearing the slightly too dark foundation... you may be surprised when you see them.

Funny Picture - please dont take this seriously lol.

So despite having the wrong *slightly too dark* foundation on, I still look like Casper. You cant deny the fact that though it really does photograph pretty well. I say this because I do have problem skin and to look at my skin in these photos, you would not think this was the case, however the foundation does make my skin appear extremely pale. Also no "beauty shot" or fancy picture modes were used to take any of these photos. So in terms of the "Photo Ready" aspect of the product, it definitely gets a big thumbs up.

Alot of bloggers have commented about the sparkles within the foundation. Now in my opinion you can only see these if you literally scrutinise the skin in the sun light, in reality its almost undetectable. However I very luckily managed to capture a half decent picture actually showing the spakles. Excuse the massive nostril close up, if you look above my top lip you can definitely see the sparkliness.

I'm not sure if this Cullen-esque effect is a good or bad thing? lol ;)

So I like the formulation of the foundation, the coverage, and I suppose it lasts a decent length of time, plus the fact that it photographs well, however Im still stuck with a foundation thats the wrong shade. Now this product is over £10, and to be totally frank I wasn't willing to go out and buy another bottle straight away. Cue the lovely Cammie.

Cammie saw my dilemma on Twitter and promptly offered to send me a bottle of the foundation in the shade Vanilla as she didn't like it. Fantastic I thought. However when I tried it it was too pale!! So its safe to say I'm the shade in between Vanilla and Nude which is Shell I believe.

So I have resorted to mixing the 2 foundations together in order not to waste them.

Here are the 2 foundations side by side to show the difference in colour.

(Vanilla on the Left, Nude on the Right)

And here is what it photographs like when mixed on the skin. I still think it looks quite nice.

Here with no flash.

And here with flash.

Overall its a nice foundation. Overhyped? Definitely. Would I purchase again? Probably not. The one thing i most definitely don't like is if you do have uneven spotty oily or dry or whatever skin and you apply too much of this product it will sit on top of the skin. If you get overly oily throughout the day, it will also most probably melt away into nothing. However the pros of this foundation are it provides a decent level of coverage, photographs nicely, has a pump application, doesn't smell which is an issue with Colour Stay, and finally it doesn't break my skin out. Something else I should probably mention as well is the fact that whenever I wear this foundation i get compliments on my skin, specifically my boyfriend says "Your skin looks nice today" :)

So there you have it. Next on my hit list is Nars Sheer Glow foundation, now I just have to part with the £28 to get it *purse screams in protest*

xoxo

Not so Simple....

Why, Why, Why is nothing ever "Simple"?

Yep, you guessed it the Simple SkinCare was a big fat fail.

I only actually used this range of products the once. That was enough. Unfortunately it seems I have developed somewhat extremely Sensitive Skin.

The Simple Skin Care Range made me break out, but most importantly made my skin break out in what I can only describe as "under the skin bumps." I probably thought it looked and felt worse than it actually did, but still it wasn't great.

So its back to the drawing board. What's strange is that as a Teen I never had a problem at all with my skin, if anything I had dry skin. Now it is ridiculously sensitive, and its difficult to judge how it will react.

I thought the Simple would be mild enough but alas it wasn't. I understand that different things work for different people, so not everyone will have the same reaction as me to the Simple Routine.

What are you're experiences of Simple Skin Care? Also if you too are plagued with Sensitive Skin Woes, what skin care products do you use? Or will we forever be on this eternal quest to find the perfect products?

xoxo

Update: Topshop Big Smoke Nail Polish Review

Quick update as promised on the Topshop Nail Polish in Big Smoke. The pic below is on the second day of wear to give you an idea of the longevity of the polish.

So... I like it, it falls into the "greige" category thats bang on trend at the moment. However its more grey than mink/beige. It goes on nicely, and the above picture is only one coat. To be totally honest I rarely ever apply two coats of polish. Am I alone in this notion? I just cant be bothered :) *lazy*

The consistency of the polish is lovely and super easy to apply.

Would I recommend it? If you were to ask me about it in person my response would be "yeah its nice"

The only downfall is the price, the Topshop polishes are £5 each, and for the product, I think this is too high. Other than that, overall its a nice polish, you can buy it here :)

xoxo

Giveaway Winner!

Can I have a Drumroll Please...

So the winner of the little giveaway is Dainty Dolly Mix!!

Congratulations my lovely! I will send you an email and get these goodies sent out this week!

xoxo

Topshop Make Up - Initial Thoughts

As many of you lovelies already know, the arrival of the new Topshop make up has been causing somewhat of a frenzy amongst us cosmetics obsessed folk.

As usual, the teeny Topshop branch in Halifax hasnt yet got the make up line in - so I promptly placed an online order in order to see what all the fuss is about!

So I ordered 2 of the cream blushes and 2 of the nail polishes. I also got a free make up bag with my order which I thought was rather nice!

So these are the 2 blushes I ordered Pinch on the left and Flush on the right.

Heres a closer look at Flush - a lovely light pink shade

And here we have Pinch, a much brighter pink but still believe it or not extremely wearable.

I have worn this for the last 2 days and I really like it.

Its akin to a Mac Pro blush I own called Azalea, or the Mac Hello Kitty Blush Tippy.

Here are a couple of swatches of the blushes - as you can see they have a nice pigmentation, and the colour pay off is equal to the colour you see in the pan.

I also really like the formulation of these blushes - more of a cream to powder finish as opposed to some of the Mac cream blushers that are almost bordering on greasy, and sit on top of the skin.

Although I have to say Mac Lady Blush is one of my favourite blushes..... I digress.

These blushers were £6 a pop which I personally think is about the right price for the product you are getting.

I havn't tried the nail polishes as yet - I'm giving the red one away (Pillar box) and havn't had time to try the lovely mink shade (Big Smoke) so I will update you on that when I get chance.

A final note on the range, from what I've heard I believe the star products in this line are the cream blushes, so I'm glad I didn't place a huge order.

Also I have to confess, I'm not loving the packaging. Its not a big deal but I feel like the packaging is trying to be "cute" but failing miserably.

For me I would have preferred Topshop to woo us with something a little more.... Sassy, Stylish, Chic?

To be honest, I'm a sucker for packaging, any gimmick gets me going, I'm a marketers dream, but I do think Topshop could have done a little better with the packaging design for this range.

Have you bought any of the Topshop Make Up Range? What do you think?

xoxo

WIN: Diana Vickers Album & Topshop Nail Polish

So I bought Diana Vickers new album the other day, and I will be totally honest, I'm not a fan... I couldn't understand a damn word the girl was saying!!

However, I'm sure a few of you out there are fans of our Diana and her claw, so I thought I'd give it to someone who will actually listen to and enjoy the album.

Also, I thought I'd throw in one of the new Topshop Nail Polishes with the album for good measure!! I bought this the other day but realised I already have something more or less identical *I have a serious nail polish problem*

So what do you have to do to enter? Well not much really... I like to keep things simple.

Just leave a comment saying "I love a bit of the old Diana Vickers" along with your email thats it.. easy as that.

Unfortunately I will only be able to post to the UK on this occasion. At 8pm GMT tomorrow (14/05/2010) I will randomly pick a winner and send the album and polish out to you!

Muchos Love

xoxo

I'm back with Superdrug Hauling

I'm Back!! Have you missed me? I've missed you all lots! I can't wait to catch up with everyones blogs. University is almost over, I only have one exam left in Advanced Business Operations on the 11th of May and its Game Over, Finito, Over and Out, Job Done :)

My student days have come to an end, and I now have to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life... Hmm yeah we'll leave that for now and concentrate on Superdrug Hauling Thanks.

So heres what I picked up today in Superdrug.

Heres a closer look...

(L-R) Moisturising Facial Wash, Soothing Facial Toner, Smoothing Facial Scrub

(L-R) Hydrating Light Moisturiser, Vital Vitamin Night Cream, Superdrug Vitamin Eye Cream

I've been using my Neutrogena Skin Care Routine and Clean and Clear Moisturiser for years, and to be totally honest, I'm always looking for something new. I'm fed up of spending a fortune on trying high end skin care for it to be well, a bit pants really.

I've heard alot of good things about Simple Skincare, so today I picked up more or less the full range give or take a few products. The price of these products is fantastic, with each item costing between £2-£5. I will be reviewing these products in a couple of weeks time when I've given them a proper trial, soft smooth skin will be mine!

The eye cream I picked up was about £2, I'm not expecting miracles, but a little old lady told me today in Superdrug, I need to start young and buy an eye cream. Who was I to disagree?

So I promptly picked up the Vitamin Gentle Eye cream with SPF 15.

Cacharel Amor Amor Perfume

I also picked up the Amor Amor Perfume, its currently on offer for £12.99 which is an absolute bargain. I had a bottle of this bought for me as a gift when I was younger, and its one of those perfumes you absolutely love but forget all about. I really love this scent, and for the price its a bargain! I would highly recommend you pick this up whilst its on offer.

Oh and talking of bargains, this months Glamour Magazine is out and its only £1

Oh I'm so happy to be back on form! I've really missed blogging, and well life in general.

Let life as I remember it resume.

xoxo