FOTD: Everyday Face

Morning lovelies!

I'm not sure if I've ever done a FOTD before so I thought it was about time I did. I LOVE painting my face on every morning so I thought I'd go through my usual products on my face on a daily basis.

Starting with my base:

I've recently been using a new product for my foundation as I picked up MAC's Mineralize Satin Finish about two months ago. It's not as heavy coverage as some of the other MAC foundations I've tried, particularly Studio Fix, so I tend to wear it now my skin is a lot better than before.

I apply this using a Real Techniques buffing brush. Sometimes I wear primer and others I don't, if I do wear it at the moment I've been using the relatively new Bourjois Happy primer for oily/combo skin. On reflection I should have bought the other version for drier skin now that my skin doesn't seem as oily but maybe over the summer it will be!

Next I applied Benefit's Erase Paste to my undereyes, I cannot rave enough about this beauty and I'm sure on the dreaded day it runs out i will be repurchasing! It's so creamy and brightening that you just cannot love it, and the number 1 shade is perfect for my skin tone. It blends easily and brightens so quickly! 

After that it's brows and cheeks.

I've been using the fabulous HD Brows kit in Foxy ever since receiving it in the Latest in Beauty Glamour Edit box before Christmas. I can 100% recommend picking up the HD Brows kit and also the Latest in Beauty boxes as they are full of treats and new things for you to play with, I've found some definite new favorites including the brow kit. 

As for cheek products I've got on the Bourjois 'chocolate' bronzer to define my face and Benefit's Coralista. I love the two combined as they suit my skin tone and give me enough of colour for a day at work (being in a lab doesn't call for make up really....).
Coralista is my ultimate favourite blusher, coral coloured and a slight golden shimmer.

As for eyes I've got my uber fave Urban Decay Theodora palette on. It's perfect for every day wear regardless of what you're doing and I absolutely love it. It's such a shame it was only a limited edition palette as once it's gone I don't know what I'll do!

I use three colours from it mainly; Broken, Bewitch and West. For me they create the perfect blend of neutrals and browns for day wear on any occasion. 

As for lashes I'm currently wearing Soap and Glory's Thick and Fast after having it in so many Christmas sets. I quite like it and its a good general mascara for every day use; separates and coats each lash and doesn't spread down my face after a few hours.

Lastly on the lips I have MAC's Crosswires, its a gorgeous Creme sheen lipstick that's the understated sister of Vegas Volt. I actually don't wear lipstick to work as I feel like it would be too much but I couldn't resist!
I'd wear this face to most day occasions including work and shopping trips.

What are your face basics? Do you like my FOTD? Is it something that you would wear too?

L xxx

No7 Make Up Brush Cleaner

Hey lovelies!

I've been meaning to write about this product for a long time and just haven't got round to it. It's always the same with everyday stuff that you always use isn't it, doesn't get a mention but is always there!

This is the No7 Make Up Brush Cleaner.

I bought this on a whim when i had the £5 off vouchers falling out of my purse and felt like it was Christmas. I hadn't noticed it before but my constant lack of clean brushes was getting me angry and I needed to do something about it.

After using the voucher this costs £3 so really its an essential.

It's got a heft plastic pump that you can use to dispense the liquid straight onto the brush (which is messy) or onto cotton wool and then wipe the brush onto the pad.
For the lazy girl like myself this was great and dissolving some of the orange foundation that had built up on my buffing brushes and i was grateful that it worked so well.

It's hypo allergenic which is great for everyone and although the main ingredients include alcohol this isn;t a problem as its going nowhere near your skin.

It does say that this is a quick fix and I would have to agree with them, this is the kind of thing you need to try and use every day after make up application to make your brushes last a bit longer between thoroughly washing them in hot water etc. It says to do that once a month but being the germophobe that i am I wouldn't leave it longer than 2 weeks because of the build up of bacteria that could potentially give you a break out and nobody wants that!

This was a really good choice of product for No7 to bring out as not many companies have. You can of course use other make up removes but oily ones will not help your brushes at all and micellar water can get expensive.

This has been perfect for getting me through those dark times of having no make up brushes to hand and it being 5 minutes before I need to leave for work. I'd always wait for the No7 vouchers to come around though, I mean it retails at £8 which in itself isn't bad but you can get this for a measly £3 and really it would be rude not to pick it up wouldn't it?!

Have you tried this Brush Cleaner before? Will you be picking it up on your next load of No7 vouchers?

What do you think is the best way to deep cleanse your brushes and how often do you do it?

I'm curious, let me know!

L xx

Save, Spend, Splurge: Facial Exfoliators

Morning lovelies!

M has written a fair few 'Save, Spend, Splurge' posts previously and I had these three facial exfoliators that I just had to compare. All are very similar but differ in price....are they worth it?

Soap and Glory's Greatest Scrub of All - £9 125ml

Antipodes Reincarnation - £20.99 75ml

Origins Modern Friction - £33 125ml

S&G's Greatest Scrub of All contains smooth boost spheres that 'pop open' when you press them. These are made from silicon and contain salicylic acid when you pop them so it's like your own DIY microdermabrasion.

It's a white cream with what feels like a powder the consistency of sugar granules in. It feels rough on your hands but not on your skin especially when it was wet, makes it a lot easier to exfoliate your face without anything too harsh.

I quite liked this, especially for the price. It doesn't have an overpowering smell and my skin did feel like it had been scrubbed (in a good way) and felt clean and free of oil, dirt and residues.
The packaging is cute, witty and easy to like, plus its dermo tested and from the UK. There's not a lot to dislike in this product!



Next up is Antipodes Reincarnation Pure Facial Exfoliator.

This packaging is totally different; its a very grown up cream tube made from recycled materials and has a black lid. It's a whole lot more grown up and kinder to the environment.

The scrub itself is cream coloured and contains the tiniest particles I've ever used in a scrub. They're actually jojoba beads and the other main products in this exfoliator are all natural including avocado oil, calendula oil and carrot seed.

Again this is applied to damp skin and my skin feels cleansed and my newer cells shining through after the duller older ones have been removed. You can barely feel the particles sloughing off dead skin which is really good especially for sensitive skin.

Lastly we have Origins' Modern Friction, which is self titled as 'Nature's gentle dermabrasion'.

I have to agree as this is the first product I bought from the three shown in this post. It's again a thick white cream containing Rice Starch to slough away the lifeless skin and Lemon Oil to aid illumination.

This can be used on wet or dry skin; dry skin for a more concentrated scrub and wet skin for those who are more sensitive. The scrub doesn't feel rough on your skin even when used on dry skin and not only does the skin feel smoother it looks visibly more uniform.

It was a hard task to decide which of these i preferred more. When looking at the figures and sizes of the products, the Antipodes Reincarnation exfoliator was actually more expensive as the original price was for a 75ml tube and not the 125ml that the others were. It actually works out at £34 for 125ml so is pretty much the same as Origins.

It's a hard choice but I think that with skincare it always ends up being the most expensive that wins out. I do think skincare is worth splashing out on, and Im yet to find a product from Antipodes or Origins that I haven't liked, hasn't been worth the money, and hasn't lasted considerably longer than other products that are cheaper.

S&G is a great scrub and I will continue to beg my mum for the sets at Christmas.....but I think in this case the Save option has been beaten by the Splurge options.

Do you think skincare is worth spending on? Or are you not bothered and would prefer to save your money for shoes?

Have you tried any of these exfoliators? Which one did you prefer?

L xxx

Brow Arch March

Evening all!

Tonight L and I have been at an event with the lovely Benebabes from Boots Cardiff to celebrate Brow Arch March. Brow Arch March is a collaboration between Benefit and Debenhams to raise money and awareness for the amazing charity look good feel better.

Look good feel better helps teens and women suffering with cancer deal with the visible side effects it causes by providing workshops and advice. I absolutely love the charity and what they due makes a huge difference. My mum's cousin is currently undergoing chemo and has benefited from advice on how to tie scarves and really found it useful to have people around to help with such tasks.

Brow arch march is now going to be an annual event. The benebabes described it as our version of Movember! I love that. For the whole of march you can go to a benefit brow bar and get your brows waxed for free. They suggest a £5 donation for every wax. The full donation (whatever you choose) goes completely to charity! All us bloggers paid to get in tonight to help raise money. I know L and I will be popping along for a wax or two as well! 

Whilst we were there we were also introduced to some of the latest releases to try out. L and I were both excited to try out Gimme Brow! We'd wanted to try it for ages and Benefit really our amazing at brows! It's fair to say it didn't disappoint and L and I will be running to the counter come pay day! It has the perfect size little brush, fills brows and helps create the perfect polished look easily. Whilst doing all of that it's also weather proof so you won't find your brows have slipped half way down your face in summer (if it comes!!).

As soon as we got there my eyes went straight to the Big Easy. After seeing this on Lisa Potter-Dixon's instagram a few weeks back I couldn't wait to test it out. Described as better than a BB cream and as I'm a BB cream fan especially as I've been wearing less make up during the day at the moment I needed to try it! It provides a flawless skin appearance, corrects redness, cream to powder finish (no dewy finish which I love), provides moisture and has an impressive SPF 35!! I will be grabbing this for my holiday. Who needs sun cream when I can have BB cream and look good on the beach.

Benefit have teamed up with Marvel and have a Spy Girl comic now!! How amazing the geeks in L and I were VERY excited!! It even features the black widow!

Also available to try was lolli tint. Lolli tint is right up my street. I'm a pinks girl when it comes to make up, especially cool tones. Where I'm so pale I find they suit me. I loved the colour it was on my lips. It does come out different on everyone's lips. It produces a gorgeous soft pink on the cheeks!

Not the best photo but hello amazing brows and lolli tint lips!

I think it's far to say our love of Benefit products grows again! L and I are such addicts!! The wish list now contains agent zero shine, stay don't stray, gimme brow and lolli tint! 

What's on your wishlist? Are you going to visit a brow bar for brow arch march? You save yourself £6.50 on the normal price, get an amazing Benefit brow wax (they conceal and reapply your brows for you!) and get to feel good about donating to a great charity!

Thanks lovely benebabes and benedude! Was great to see you all again!

Love M

xxx