Antipodes Spree....Round 2

Morning chums!

I wrote about my Antipodes spree a few weeks ago in this post. I'm completely hooked and won't bang on about them as a brand too much but basically they're blooming good!

My second order from them involved another 2 raved about products and another freebie which I sent to the lovely Sasha from Ramblings from a Beauty Bird as she missed the deal.

I ordered the much raved about Aura Manuka Honey Mask and I'm a huge fan of Facial Exfoliators so snapped up Reincarnation too.

Reincarnation Pure Facial Exfoliator is an EXTREMELY gentle face scrub, the particles are so tiny that really its like rubbing a cleanser with the tinest amount of powder in. It's probably the most non-abrasive exfoliator I've ever used.

It contains avocado oil and jojoba oil to remove lifeless skin, Calendula oil to repair and carrot seed the revitalise the skins surface. Not only that but it also contains a range of essential oils to soothe the skin's surface, what a combo!

I've used this a few times over the last few weeks and can honestly say it is one of my favourites. I am a firm fan of Origin's Modern Friction and whilst the effects from both are the same, the Reincarnation exfoliator is definitely less abrasive so it all depends on what you yourself are looking for in what is essentially a facial scrub.
This retails at £20.99 and whilst this may be expensive for some the ingredients are of top quality and a little goes a very long way.

Not to mention that i love the packaging of these products, the tubes make it easy to dispense as little or as much as you want and ensures there is nothing left at the end as you can squeeze every little drop out of it!

The Aura Manuka Honey Mask has been raved about all over the bloggersphere and I knew I had to pick it up months ago but unfortunately buying a car had delayed my ability to purchase anything!

Now i know why it was raved about and how much i will always need to repurchase this!

Applied to clean and dry skin the mask not only utilises Manuka Honey (an ingredient from NZ that is famed around the world and which we always keep in our kitchen cupboards) to increase moisture it also has fragrances of vanilla pod and mandarin to balance your 'Aura'.

After my first use I was hooked. I was astonished how a hydrating mask could not only alleviate my dehydrated and drab looking skin but also reduce the size if not completely eliminate some pesky spots i had and reduce the redness. Unbelievable!

This mask retails at £21.99 and comes in the very same tubes, easy to squeeze out every last drop and I can assure I will be there squeezing until my next one arrives. I cannot ever be without it and I apologise to humanity for not buying it sooner, maybe you wouldn't have to put up with my 'pizza face' for so long eh?

Have you tried Antipodes before? Which product is your favourite? Are you a manuka honey fan?

My wishlist for Antipodes is growing at an alarming rate, but I'd love to get my hands on the Joyous Night Replenish Serum, the Kiwi Seed Eye Cream and their Immortal Moisturiser.

No doubt when I'm closer to being debt free I'll be snapping up everything I can get my mitts on!

L xxx

Life Lately!

Morning!

I came on here with the intention of sharing with you a mascara I've been loving lately but my head just isn't feeling like wanting to write it and I feel more like a life post!

Is it me or is this year speeding by! It's started well for me and I hope it just keeps getting better. A week ago I was lucky to be invited to an event in London for the launch of a new Lauren's way tan. We got to meet the Lauren who couldn't be nicer or more friendly. We were totally spoiled with cocktails, cakes and goodie bags and it was such a good night. I will be sharing the tan with you guys soon. I'm already a huge fan of the darker than dark lotion.

Last Wednesday I was tired and bored and decided to be impulsive and get another piercing (the 4th since last July!). It's becoming addictive. I finally got my nose pierced after wanting it for ages. I thought I'd hate the big bar but I actually quite like it and I'm in no hurry to change it now. It wasn't painful but did make my eyes water!

Lots of coffee and catching up with friends has been happening which I love doing. It's great to gossip over starbucks! I'm such an addict. Hello gold membership and free shots and syrups.

I'm also totally hooked on a new series! Game of Thrones has literally taken over since I started watching the TV series with a friend last Monday. In just over a week I'm 300 pages into the 1st book and 3 episodes down. For me I find it really slow to read but it's really good. I think it was much easier to watch a few episodes then read the book!

I've been absolutely loving playing with my Naked 3 palette that I couldn't resist treating myself too. It's got such gorgeous colours and is so wearable. I also can't believe how long lasting it is. This photo was after it had been on for 18 hours!

I've enjoyed playing around with make up lately and trying new looks even if it's not wearable! Sometimes it's fun to just pile it on.

On Friday I went out with my lovely housemates for drinks and to watch the rugby! I love watching rugby and it was such a great atmosphere in Cardiff. It was a great weekend for rugby especially with England winning too!

I keep day dreaming in work at moment. I'm lucky I work at the top of a hill and have the most amazing views across Cardiff! I can see right across the city centre and the landmarks. On a nice day it's so distracting to just stare out of some of the lab windows!

The most amazing dessert place from Red Hot Buffet! I love red hot buffet for when I want to pig out!

I finished off that evening with Mia wine! It had mine now on and was sparkling so would be rude not too!

It seems I've also finally got my fitness motivation back which is well overdue. I've been riding, kickboxing, pump classes, pilates, running, weights, HIIT and punch bag training. In 3 days I've done about 5 hours. If I can move in the morning I'll be surprised haha. 6 months till tough mudder!

That's my past week and a bit! I hope you've all had good weeks. Here's to the next one being better. L is coming round tomorrow and I'm cooking. Can't wait for a girly gossip!

Love M

xxx

Makebelieve Enhance Sunbeam Bronzer and Brush!

Hey All

Happy Tuesday! It's definitely the worse day of the week for me and always the one that drags! I'm hoping to get another gym session in tonight to hopefully distract me!

Anyway onto today's review. Apologies for the messy packaging but at least you can see it's well loved. Lately I've been trying to shop my stash and found this gem from the Bristol Bloggers meet around a year ago. We had such amazing goodie bags I've been working my way through them.

Makebelieve isn't a brand I've tried much off but after getting my hands on this and falling in love when I eventually tried it I think I need to get my hands on the fake tan!

A matte bronzer is a daily must have for me. My cheeks get contoured everyday. Anyone who has read the blog for a while may know I'm a huge fan of the Liz Earle bronzer and that bad boy didn't leave my face for well over a year!! Since trying this one it's been replaced!

The packaging I don't love as it is cardboard and gets really messy and covered in my mucky finger prints. But saying that it has held together well. First impressive thing the the amazing kabuki brush it comes with. Usually brushes that come with products aren't that great! This bad boy is so soft. I can't believe I left it untouched for so long! It's also the perfect size to fill in my cheek bones.

The bronzer itself has great pigmentation and not much is needed. As you can see from the picture after about 3 months use it still has the embossed mark visible.

A good matte bronzer isn't the easiest to find. It has to be non orange, non muddy looking and non shimmer. In the pan I thought this would be slightly too orange for my pale skin but after trying it I was totally hooked and it's become an everyday staple for me.

Natural skin

With bronzer applied under the cheek bones.

I love using this to add shape to my face! I really like the colour it comes out on my skin. It adds a natural colour and really lasts well. I like to flatten the kabuki brush so it fits perfectly into my cheek bones. I then use it as is to sweep colour around my temples to give me a glow!

I'm totally converted from my Liz Earle and I hadn't expected that. This is a great quality product with an amazing brush. It's perfect for make up application in a hurry as the brush is always there.

Love M

xxx

Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream

Hey all

Hope you had a great weekend! My weekend was spent with lots of rugby, drinking, catch ups and gossips and ended with game of thrones marathon! A pretty good one.

Today I wanted to share a product review on a product I've loved for a while and just haven't gotten around to posting. I first tried this BB in a she said beauty box ages ago and loved it straight away. Being someone with oily skin I've not found many high street ones which really agreed with my skin and gave me the coverage I felt comfortable with.

Ginvera originated in Singapore and has spread through Asia as well as Europe and America now. Some of the best BB creams originated in Asia and I couldn't wait to try one of the originals as the one's from the western market hadn't lived up to my expectations. BB creams, beauty balms or blemish balms claim to be light on the skin while given better coverage than tinted moisturiser.

A product that claims to suit all skin tones always concerns me. I'm naturally super pale with freckly skin and find products that claim to be suitable for all skin tones have to much of an orange tone to them. I was really surprised to try this and find it was too dark on my hand but does blend out for a perfect match. I like that it is a squeezy bottle so the right amount can be easily dispensed.

I love that it has a high SPF as lighter foundation is something I want in the summer and the fact this gives the protection to is great. It claims to be non greasy, even skin tone, moisturise and brighten. That's a lot of promise from one product!

Ginvera BB does have a slight grey tone to it. But for me I think this helps it work as a product to suit multiple skin tones as it doesn't have the dreaded orange tint. I did worry it would make my skin look dull.

Natural Skin

Just Ginvera BB Cream

As you can see from the photos it really covers up redness, evens skin tone and has the natural matte finish. It has even done a pretty good job at neutralising some pretty bad spots! It leaves my skin looking healthy and not like a mask. I like that some of my freckles can still be seen.

As someone with oily skin I do use a powder but I always do. With a powder it lasts me all day!

This is my go to foundation now for lazy days as it's easily applied and blends out perfectly with the fingers. It leaves me skin feeling so light! No other BB creams have come near for me.

Have you tried Ginvera or other BB creams?

Love M

xxx