No 7 Skin Illuminator!

I've had this 'No7 Skin Illuminator' for quite a while (bought with those amazing £5 off vouchers). I bought it after the brilliant Lisa Eldridge mentioned how good it was, I mean anything that amazing lady recommends should definitely be tried.

Bad Points:
I was so excited to use this product, I got it in the 'peach' tone because my skin a very yellow (they also do it in a 'pink' tone for those who have pinker skin tones). I went to try it the next day and it would not dispense! The applicator is a brush, so you push the tube and the product should peak through the brushes for you to blend in. The brush, personally, is rubbish, I would much rather use my fingers.

On top of that, when you do squeeze, which within itself is a task, you get far too much product out! You can't even get it back into the tube. *sigh* So I drastically chopped off the brush bristles so I could get to the hole (hence no picture of the applicator). It was still a little difficult to get the product out, so this product got left in its place for a rather long time…

Good Points:
…until recently. I decided to pick it up and try it once more, and low behold the product is coming out as I want it *smiles happily*. I don't know why it has decided to work properly, but if you want it then I would suggest decanting it into a tub or something that is air-tight.

I can honestly say I know why Ms Eldridge suggested this product. It gives the most loveliest sheen. I've been using it on the tops of my cheek bones for the past week or so, I feel like my skin has been looking rather dull so I've been trying to get it to 'shine' again.

Texture/Application:
It's a liquid formulation. It blends seamlessly into the skin. I use my middle and ring finger to dab it on. I powder the rest of my skin to get rid of all the unnecessary shine I don't want as I have oily skin. From the picture you can see how the micro specs of glitter pick up on the light. I assure you it doesn't look like you've got glitter on your face when you wear it.

Price:
£11 (but they always have money off vouchers) for 30ml.

For the winter months it provides the perfect skin pick me up. I probably wouldn't repurchase it unless the packaging changed, and to be honest, this is going to last me for a very long time. I know that No.7 have redesigned all their products so they may have improved this fault. I would definitely recommend going to see how you find the tester in store.

Have you ever tried this product? What do you think of it? What cream/liquid highlighter do you use?

♥ RP ♥

Plum & Wine ... Lips!

It's this time of year that makes everyone want to break out those wines and plums, lipsticks that is. And why not! I for one love them, they suit my skin tone far more than pink tones people wear during summer. I have collected a few (ok, a lot) reds, plums and wine colours over the years and I have to admit I've never really been brave enough to wear them in the day, but I have a feeling this year is going to be different.

I thought I would share with you the lip products that I know I will be wearing whether it's day or night this Autumn.

L-R: No 7 Grace | MAC Rebel | MAC Viva Glam I | Revlon Black Cherry

Firstly I'm going to start off with my No.7 gem, 'Grace' (Stay Perfect range), I would describe it as a brownish burgundy. I love the formulation of this lipstick, creamy but not shiny (suppose that would be a satin finish?). This is the only formulation I like out of all the No.7 lipsticks, the others are too shiny. I know I'm going to be wearing this particular lipstick a lot in the coming months.

Next are my two MAC lipsticks; 'Rebel', a blogger favourite. I understand the 'hype' around this lipstick, it's a lovely dark black-current colour. You can wear it sheerly by just putting a little bit on and rubbing it in with your fingers or a full on dark lip (like the picture). Totally vampy!

My other MAC lippy is the one I wore in my last post; 'Viva Glam I' (matte). It's a gorgeous burnt red colour. I love the colour payoff of this lipstick and the way it looks on the lips, definitely going to repurchase this when I run out. As always the smell of MAC lipsticks is Vanilla…I lurvvve it!! I could just sniff it all day! That's not weird right?

My final Lipstick is going to be Revlon 'Black Cherry'. This is a similar depth to 'Rebel' but red version. This formulation is got a bit of shine to it, but nothing too extreme. This is another one that I am going to get a lot of use out of. I initially bought it for my mum, but she doesn't wear it…so obviously I am! =)

I know all of them are non glossy finishes, but that is what I prefer personally. But I do have some sheerer deep autumnal tones that you could wear if you're scared (as I once was) of wearing a full on dark/deep lip.

L-R: Models Own Pomegrante | Revlon Berry Smoothie | Revlon Bourdeaux

My Models Own Balm in 'Pomegrante' is lovely if you just want to dabble in a darker colour for the day time, it's quite sheer and just gives a hint of colour, a bit like your lip was just bitten…sexy! ;-) You can also build up the colour if you want a glossy bitten look. And the smell of this is just….yumtastic!

Something that is berry toned (obvious in the name) is Revlon's lip butter in 'Berry Smoothie'. The picture shows it to be more pinky but I think on most other lips it will come out more berry toned, as the swatch looks.

Lastly is a lipgloss; Revlon Colourburst lipgloss in 'Bordeaux'. The pigmentation of this gloss is just…wow! It's a similar tone to the 'Black Cherry' but you can apply this so there is a less colour and obviously your lips will be luscious and glossy.

So there are the lippies that I am going to be making use of with the seasonal change! What are you going to be pulling out this Autumn? Have you tired any of those mentioned? What do you think?

♥ RP ♥

FOTE!

The weekends are a sigh of relief to everyone I think! 5 more days till the next one! Yay! I organised an evening out with my cousins on Friday, not an easy feet let me tell you! But I was so happy that all of them were able to come out (except one of my cousins seeing as she is preggo! =) I’m so excited to welcome the new addition to the family!)

Here is my make up for the evening, it wasn’t anything too elaborate, quite subtle.

My Sexy Face ;-)

Products used:

Face (clockwise):
No 7 ‘Vital enlightening Highligher powder’
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC42
MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in Medium Dark
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Dark Peach
Sleek Contour Kit in Medium
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC42
Sleek Blush in Flushed

Eye and Lips (Top to Bottom):
Maxfactor False Lash Effect Mascara in Black
MAC Paint Pot in Nubile (used a base for the eyeshadow)
Revlon Lip Butter in Moroccan
Sleek Eau La La Liner in Cocoa
Sleek Au Naturel Palette (Used the darkest Brown (bottom row 4th colour from the left) to darken the lash line)
MAC shadows in ‘Romp’ and ‘All that Glitters’

Brushes used (Left – Right):
Real Techniques Buffing Brush (core collection) (Put foundation on with this)
Sigma Tapered Highligher F38 (contoured with this)
Sigma Powder/Blush F10 (set makeup with this)
Real Techniques Stippling Brush (applied blush with this)

Brushes used (Left – Right):
Sigma Small Tapered Blending Brush E45 (Applied ‘Romp’ to outer crease)
Lauren Luke Angled Liner Brush (Applied the Darkest Brown from the Sleek palette to the upper lash line)
Lauren Luke Blending Eye Shadow Brush (Applied ‘All that Glitters’ with this and used it for blending the shadows)
MAC 224 (Blended concealer with this)
No 7 Precision Eyeliner Brush (Concealed with this)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! =) And have a lovely week! =) x

My ‘Skin care’!

I have no idea why I haven’t posted in a long time (a week) but I apologise! Today I thought I would just tell you about what products I use on my skin. Let’s just be clear, I barely do anything to my skin. I use two main products and hope my skin stays under control.

Background

When I turned 21 (long ago) acne attacked my skin. Before that I hadn’t really suffered with bad skin, just the odd occasional spot. Anyway, because of this, my pores enlarged around my nose therefore making skin oiler and I just kept getting spots on my cheeks (which I had never before gotten).

L: Here my skin is relatively clear (not wearing foundation, didn't need to) R: Very red and sore spots, majorly covered up!! Click on image for better quality.

Product One

I tried so many things to stop the acne, except going to the Doctor (I’m just not one to go to the Doctors), when I was watching ‘ThePersianbabe’ on YouTube and she spoke about La Roche Posay products helping her. So I thought I would give it a go.

I bought the La Roche Posay Effaclar K (Renovating care for oily skin anti relapse). This is my ‘moisturiser’ that I use in the mornings and at night. I swear within 2 days of using this product I saw a noticeable difference in my skin condition. Less breakouts, spots being subdued and it controlled my oil production (that sounds gross!). It’s a serum consistency, which may not be to everyone’s taste but I saw results so I didn’t really care.

It’s a whooping £13 for a mere 30ml. But this is my second tube which I started using in February, and the last one lasted me nine months. So it lasted a really long time for the ‘ml’ and it’s a good primer too.

Product Two

The second product which I think is making such a lovely impact on my skin is ‘No.7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for Normal/Oily skin.’

This is a product that I only recently started using (I talk about it here). I’m not going to talk about it too much. Just that it does what it needs to, for the skin type that it is recommended to treat. It leaves my skin feeling so clean and tighter (in a good way). It retails at £9 for 150ml.

Needless to say I wouldn’t use this if you have dry skin. These are the two things that I use consistently now. I don’t use a toner, I occasionally do a face mask and exfoliate, that’s it. I am using an eye cream but I don’t think it does much. (May inform you about it in another post).

What products do you use? Have you ever had problem skin? =) x

Cleansing for a Brighter Face!

Oh Dear…this is my second product review of the Brand No.7! Sorry, but I thought I would just share this new cleanser that I bought.

Let me start by saying that I have problem skin; I am prone to acne, I have very large pores around my nose/cheeks making my skin oily and I have scarring.

This is the ‘No.7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for Normal/Oily skin.’It retails at £9 for 150ml.

So what made me try this cleanser? Well, I have been using the Hot Cloth Cleanser by Liz Earle for the last 6 months or so, and it really does the job. But recently my skin has been getting a bit spotty and I’ve been getting patches of dryness on my face, not good! So I thought a little change would be good.

This cleanser claims to remove make up and tighten pores all in one step. The boots website says; “As well as No7’s unique multivitamin and mineral blend to hydrate and energise, the foaming cleanser is also enriched with zinc – proven to help regulate the skin’s oil production – for radiant, healthy-looking skin all day long.” Let me tell you, it does just that. I have only been using it for a week or so but honestly my skin feels so clean after using this.

It says to apply it to a damp face, so I leave my make up on and splash some water on my face (which is utterly weird), take a full pump of cleanser and then apply it to my face. Now, it doesn’t keep foaming which was a slight disappointment but is dissolves all my makeup including eye makeup. I rinse it off and my skin feels so clean AND tight. I would recommend moisturising after, my skin feels a bit too tight. Another downer is that I dislike the smell of it, but for the result I'm not fussed!

My skin has been looking a lot better but I have also been drinking a lot more water to keep my skin hydrated. I forget how much of a difference drinking water makes, which is silly I suppose because we are told of the benefits so often!

This range has different products for different skin types, which is nice to see. Have any of you tried anything from this new range? What is your favourite ever cleanser? =) x

The High-light of my Face!

Ooo how those £5 off vouchers come in handy when you have been craving to buy something from No.7! (To be fair, that’s the only time I buy No.7 products.)

Firstly, let me say that this product is apart of the spring collection and I don’t know when it is going to stop being in stores. I have one of the cream blushes already, which absolutely gorgeous! All the limited edition collections that are released by No.7 are created by the amazing Lisa Eldridge and I have to say most of their stand out products are from these collections.

Now, at first look it looks like any other highlighter, you know, nothing special. I have the No.7 skin illuminator (which is a fluid) and I hate getting product out of it, even though it’s lovely, so I didn’t have high regards for this highlighter. I mean, did I really need it in my life? Really? The answer I think is obvious…YES!

I placed my finger into the tester to see what it was like, it was sooo velvety, I don’t think I have felt a makeup product that soft before. Well, maybe that’s my naivety but the instant I touched it…I wanted it!

On the left the highligher blended out.

The price wasn’t great though, £13, it’s not drastically expensive but this wasn’t something which I needed, so I waited for the £5 off No.7 vouchers. I had some things to buy and in return I got my voucher. (I think they are stopping the vouchers mid March.)

This product is described as; “peach undertones that add warmth while the perfectly-partnered pink shimmer gives a youthful glow.” And it really does. The shimmer is so finely milled that it is only really noticeable in harsh lighting; so if you were going to dinner I wouldn’t really wear it. But if you’re going out on a night out and its going to be dark or you were to wear it during the day it would be perfect. If used sparingly (which is the way it should be used) it gives a nice sheen-y glow, not making it obvious that you have any highlighter on your skin. I just use in on the tops of my cheeks and under my brow.

Have you seen this highlighter? Have you seen any of the spring collection? Are you looking forward to the next collection? =) x