Korres Mango Butter Lipstick

I love a lipstick but can sometimes find certain brands to be to drying and unforgiving on my lips and so I feel I need a product with added moisturising benefits - enter Korres. 

The word butter in the title screams moisture and with a high shine finish (another favourite of mine - if you have dry lips, matte finishes are not your friends!) I knew I had to get my hands on this product. 

They have a few shades available, however I selected shade 12 frost pink -  which is a gorgeous satin light pink. 

 

The consistency of the lipstick is smooth and creamy which means it applies like a dream. It glides onto lips, providing a slick of sheer colour and gloss. 

The formula feels moisturising upon application and remains like this - it doesn't dry out as the day goes on. 

The shade of this lipstick on the lips is subtle and sheer, but I like it this way. Its muted, understated and delicate which is perfect for your daytime look, yet it wouldn't look out of place on a night out with smokey eye make up. 

I find myself reaching for this product regularly on days when I want to add a splash of light colour to the lips yet also when I need to pamper them and provide much needed moisture.

 swatch in natural light with no flash.

 swatch with the flash on.

have you ever tried any Korres lip products?

Three Day Weekend....

 

This is a  product  (and brand) you may/not have heard of - I certainly hadn't, and only stumbled upon this product whilst flicking through the duty free magazine onboard a flight! I was intrigued by its description in the mag, and pondered for ages whether to buy it or not. Eventually I decided to take the plunge and ordered a bottle from feelunique . 

The product itself is a moisurising gel which promises intense hydration for 24 hours and also to add a healthy glow to your face without the need for self-tan, and let me tell you, it was definitely the latter aspect of this product which intrigued me. 

While I do try to embrace my paleness (mostly because I can't be bothered with the upkeep of maintaining a fake tan 24/7), I can't deny that it really would be nice to have a healthy glow to my face - just to take the corpsey edge off!

The product works by stimulating your skins melanin production (the natural pigment found within your skin which causes tanning), which in turn causes your face to get a sunkisseed glow, without sunshine and false tan. Application of this moisturiser should be daily, and results should be expected with 1 week, although the website does state that results vary by skintone and your skins natural ability to produce melanin, therefore I think people with olive skintones would really benefit from this product.

So, what did I think of this product? I actually found this product rather pleasant to use. The texture is a gel which is light and refreshing on the skin and so I enjoy using this product in the hotter, summer months (or on holiday since hot, summer months don't really exist in the UK!) when I feel my usual moisturiser is too heavy. 
I wouldn't say the moisturisation abilities of this product are intense enough to last 24hours, I applied morning and night and found my skin to be comfortable. I think if I had applied it less, my skin may have felt tight and dry. 
But the big question is, did I notice a colour change?! Well...yes and no. I wouldn't say the colour change was so noticeable that people would comment, yet it was noticeable to me. My face just looked healthier, more glowy and fresher - like I went for daily morning walks! 
Like I mentioned earlier, the results are based on your skins own ability to produce melanin, therefore people who take tans well would probably experience a greater colour change. 

I'm happy to continue using this product throughout the summer months due to its refreshing texture and I will definitely take it on my summer holidays. I think when I take it abroad I will notice more of a colour change, as my daily sun exposure will be higher. More sunshine = more melanin.

I probably would recommend this product to people, as darker skinned people will get quite noticeable results, and as for us pale girls, it takes the edge off your whiteness, and just makes you look healthier. And healthy can never be a bad thing!! 

have you ever tried any tan activators/extenders like this?

Frizzy Lizzy

 

Today I'm going to be discussing a product which aims to eradicate the dreaded enemy of us curly haired ladies.....The frizz! The product in question is the Lee Stafford Dehumidifier Spray from the Poker Straight collection. 

The product packaging is typical of the Lee Stafford range, a bright pink can with the distinctive barcode and text. I like the branding of this range as I think it stands out when on the shelves and grabs my attention. 

I decided to invest in this product when I made a pact to myself to try and stop using as many heated styling tools on my hair in an attempt to strengthen my hair, as I feel it to be quite damaged/dry and brittle sometimes. I also want to cut down on the amount of time I spend taming my hair, I feel I should try and embrace my curls rather than fight them...(its a battle I am losing anyway so I may aswell hold up my little white flag..). However, just because I want to love and accept my curls, doesn't mean I need to welcome the frizz that comes with them, and so thats where this product steps in!! 
After I let my hair dry naturally (eeeeeeeek!!) I spray this liberally all over my head and I find that it helps to smooth any static or flyaway strands, and somehow, miraculously , removes the frizz! I don't know how it does it, but you can literally see the frizz fading as you spray. Once I've sprayed this all over my head, and ruffled my hair, I am good to go. It's not hard or crunchy like a hairspray/mousse or gel and it adds a  glossy finish to my hair which is a bonus as I sometimes find curly hair can look a bit lacklustre. 
Don't be thinking though that this is just for curly hair, oh no sir! This is for anyone who suffers from attacks of the frizz! If I ever do straighten my hair, a skoosh of this over my finished style acts like a barrier from the elements and stops me fretting about my hair! 
This spray is perfect for use in the UK with our unpredictable weather, and also perfect for use abroad when the hot, humid weather mucks up your hair and your regular hair routine! I honestly couldn't be without this now. 

have you ever tried this product before? Do you like Lee Stafford products?

Haulin' at Zara

Evening all! What a glorious day its has been - I'm all sunned out and sufficiently burnt so I'm happy! 
Apart from the glorious weather, what also makes me happy is the fact that my floral Zara pencil skirt which I have been drooling over for ageees finally arrived in the correct size!! *happy dance...*

Keep reading for further info regarding my skirt fiasco...

I haven't ordered from Zara online before (in actual fact, I haven't bought anything from Zara before, but to be fair, there isn't one nearby to where I live...) so I was pleasantly surprised to see how beautifully packaged my order was...serious brownie points!! 

The only thing I knew about Zara via word of mouth, is that the sizing can be quite bizarre. With this in mind, I dutifully checked the size chart provided on the website, measured myself and I settled on a size M on the skirts and an S on the tops. 

Diaster :(

The skirts were far far too big (tops were spot on though), and with Zara's fickle return policy (has to be to store or a courier comes to collect it) I was disheartened to say the least! But I perservered, went back online, requested a return via courier and ordered both skirts again but in a size S. 
When the goodies arrived this time, the tribal/aztec printed mini fitted me (happy days!), yet the floral pencil skirt was still too large and I had to repeat the courier return, reorder online process. 
Eventually, the skirt arrived in an XS and it fits like a glove! 
Therefore, I would like to advise anyone who has easy access to a Zara store to just buy from there instead of online, and avoid this whole hoo-haa!! My second piece of advice is if you are keen on buying the floral pencil skirt - downsize to get a good fit! 

 All in all, despite the carry on, I love love love my purchases and cannot wait to wear them this summer! 

I'd be interested to hear any online shopping experiences you've had? What do you think of Zara's clothing?!  

Moroccan Oil

Today I'm going to be looking at the cult hair care product which is Moroccan Oil. The hair oil market is now saturated with products and with brands such as L'Oreal, Lee Stafford and even Primark jumping on the bandwagon, choosing one can be as difficult as selecting a mascara!! 

So with all these cheaper alternatives around, why did I settle for the original Moroccan Oil? 

Firstly, not to be a brand snob, but Moroccan Oil is sooooo well known (unless you've been hiding under a bridge for years?!) and sometimes when selecting a product for the first time (yes I was a hair oil virgin!), you need to go with a reputable product/brand. 

Secondly, although Moroccan Oil is more expensive, sometimes you get what you pay for. I sometimes find that cheaper brands (although they do the job just aswell), don't last as long and buying expensive can work out cheaper in the long run. 

With all this in mind, I took the plunge and bought Moroccan oil from FeelUnique. I selected the 'Light' variety as I have blonde hair and I sometimes find moisturising treatments can turn the blonde dull + dark. 

Moroccan Oil is golden nectar and my hair loves it! Seriously, my parched ends drink this stuff up like water! I pump 2 squirts into my hands, rub then together and then rub my hands through my damp hair and then proceed to blowdry/straighten my mane. Not only does the oil nourish my damaged hair but I also think it speeds up drying time (always a plus!) 
As well as using the oil pre-blowdry, I also apply on dry hair (to the ends) before bed, much like you would apply a moisturiser to your face, and when I wake up in the morning, I have soft, easy to tame hair. 

Despite its multipurpose use, and my heavy handed application. I think this product will last me a long time and when I run out...hells yeah I will repurchase!

Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer

Long gone are the days when (after moisturising of course) foundation was the first product you applied to your face when starting your make up regime. These days, in order to fully prepare your skin for application and to provide maximum staying power, you need to apply a primer. 

A good quality primer should smooth the skins surface, blur fine lines, mattify the skin and basically provide a blank canvas for you to work with. 

There are various primers available on the market and it can be quite daunting to pick the one which satisfies your needs and remains within your budget. I've played around with primer quite a lot as during my working day I don't really have the time to reapply powders/blushers and so I have 2 primers which I would happily grant holy grail status too (more on them later). 

The Bourjois flower perfection primer is one which I experimented with when 1 of my HG primers (smashbox btw) ran out and I wanted to try and find a cheaper alternative. After sampling a few products on my hand in my local boots, I settled on this Bourjois one as the texture on my skin after application appeared to be very similar to my Smashbox one. 

This primer is OK, in that it decreases shininess on the face and definitely makes the skin feel smoother but I just don't feel it has the staying power of my beloved Smashbox primer. It's also quite a small pot (another gripe I have with it as I much prefer the pump bottle which the smashbox primer is packaged in) and if you want staying power, a little doesn't seem to go a long way, therefore I feel this will be used up quite quickly if you apply primer daily like me. 

Sometimes (not always), this primer seems to make my foundation 'ball' up which my two go-to primers do not. 

All in all, this primer is OK and I will continue to use (I have actually started using this under my eyes to try and stop concealer settling in my fine lines), however once this runs out, it will be no loss to my make up bag and I won't repurchase. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

Helllloooo lovely ladies!

Sorry for the delay in posting, been down in England the past few days without laptop access - buuuut I am back now, ready to go and raring to blog... 

Today I am going to be reviewing a product which has been a firm staple in my make up bag since my teenage years : Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in the shade 'Transparent'. 

I haven't been completely loyal to this powder throughout my make up years, I've dabbled in Maxfactor, Collection 2000, Clinique and Loreal yet this is the powder I always return to  - infact, this is the only face powder which I have finished! With all the other face powders I have experimented with, I usuallu throw in the towel halfway through and returned to Rimmel. Why though? What is it about this powder which keeps drawing me back?! 

Well the price definitely helps! This little gem retails for £3.99 at Boots - very purse friendly! And for a whopping 14g of product, you really can't complain! And most of all, its like Ronseal - it does exactly what it says on the tin! 
It mattifies skin without caking and leaving an undesirable powdery finish. It doesn't make me orange no matter how heavily handed I apply it and it doesn't disturb my foundation/blush application. Perfect! It also doesn't clog pores which is a big YES for my spot prone skin. 

Look - look at the colour of that!! Perfect for pale skin tones...it will never make you orange! 

Any downsides to this product? 

The packaging probably lets it down a touch as its not very travel/handbag friendly. All it takes is for the lid to pop off and uh - ohhh, the powder will crack and break up but for £3.99 this is not a high end product, therefore I shouldn't really expect high end packing... should I? And the packaging definitely does not stop me from repurchasing time and time again. 
Another downside (although not for me personally), might be the lack of dark shades available? I think the darkest tone they do is called Warm Beige and its not mega dark, therefore darker skinned ladies may struggle to find a good match with this product, however for us Snow White girls, it's a god send! You really can't afford to not have this in your make up routine...