Balance Me Extra Care Radiance Face Oil*

Hey All

I'm almost at the end of an amazing two and half weeks off work. This morning was an early one for us as we had to pack up our tent and leave Glastonbury after an amazing few days but it's safe to say we missed cleansing our faces and I couldn't wait to get back wash my face and get back into a proper skincare routine. 

My skin is feeling really dehydrated after 2 and a half weeks of sun, drinking and not taking proper care of my skin. My skin had been suffering pre holiday and after tweeting to ask for advice Balance Me kindly offered to send me some bits to try to improve it. I was keen to try more from their range especially as I love their rose lip balm!

As someone with oily combination skin oils are usually something I tend to avoid but as it's started to feel dehydrated to I figured it was a good time to try one. This one is aimed at all skin types so I was hoping it would sink in easily.

I love that balance me is created in the UK, it is great to support UK industries. It's also another company that don't use parabens, sulphates and many more! I love that it doesn't use petroleum too. I'm someone who doesn't like Vaseline and don't find it beneficial! 

The balance me radiance oil can be used as a moisturiser or as an extra boost. I've been using it as an extra boost in the evenings alone as I don't like to apply oils in the morning. It sinks into my skin easily and doesn't feel too greasy. My skin does feel more oilier in the mornings than normal which is why I don't use it in the mornings. I had been also suffering with minor breakouts. Since switching my skincare to include this and a scrub my skin is looking much clearer and also more glowing. I've not been wearing foundation as much which is always welcome in the summer.

It is a glass tube with a roller ball. I tend to roll this directly onto a freshly cleansed skin but not near spots to avoid spreading bacteria into the roller ball. It easily comes out and is rubbed into the skin without wasting product. I do find with dripper bottles I do tend to put too much on. The Frosted glass bottle has also meant that it stays looking clean.

Have you tried facial oils?

What's your favourite?

Love M

xxx

   

Beauty Rehab

Hi there!

I'm back with another instalment of my quest for space and freedom. My stash has got to the point where I am overwhelmed and although I'm clearly addicted and have cut my spending down dramatically, I still have drawers, cupboards and suitcases full of products. It's quite frankly ridiculous and I've cleared out crappy stuff that I've hoarded for no reason, got rid of doubles to family members and powered my way through tonnes of amazing products (which you can see following this link).

It's still an overwhelming amount of stuff but it has been cut down from its original size, here's my latest load of empties for you to browse!

Aussie 3 Min Miracle - 100% love this product, continuously repurchasing!
Scrub of Your Life - Another good one from S&G, would repurchase on a 3 for 2 deal
Burt's Bees Buttermilk Lotion - Weird smell, nice and moisturising but wouldn't repurchase
Origins Modern Friction - So much love for this stuff! Expensive but lasts a long time and works wonders

Murad Refreshing Cleanser - Lovely cleanser but didn't always cleanse all my make up off
Origins Make a Difference Serum - Lovely but just doesn't last long enough for me
Vichy Normaderm Promat - Mattifying but seems to have disappeared off shelves?
Clarins Bath and Shower Concentrate - Not a fan of the smell but was very concentrate so lasted well, wouldn't repurchase though
Una Brennan Rose Miracle Facial Oil - Nice product, removes make up well but needs a few pumps of oil to remove everything and is too expensive for such a small bottle for me personally.

Clarins HydraQuench Cream - Super thick and hydrating, but £35 for 50ml might be too much for me at the moment
Philosophy Snow Angel - Lovely smell but it was just a gift, wouldn't repurchase
Redken Color Extend - this was a sample and not big enough really to know long term colour protection effects, but was light and I barely noticed it on my hair so wasn't crispy or sticky
Sally Hansen InstaDri Top Coat - This is a pretty good topcoat, I'd consider repurchasing when my Essie one has run out

Origins Checks and Balances Cleanser - This is my 3rd tube and I've bought a 4th! Enough said.
GHD Heat Protector - Not sure if these truly work but any protection is better than none! Have repurchased a cheaper one
Ted Baker Body Lotion - This was so thick it was hard to get out the tube and hard to absorb too, wouldn't repurchase
Alpha H Liquid Gold - This definitely works and I'm a bit gutted to have finished it, would repurchase if I can find a deal!

No7 Face Wipes - Always buy these with the vouchers when they come around. I know face wipes aren't ideal but after a drunken night out its exactly what's necessary and for those times when you need to remove a few layers of product before washing your face properly.
Duac - Technically not a product you can buy as it's only on prescription but if any of you have skin problems I would 100% recommend you ask your doctor to try this. It's not a long term solution as it can thin your skin but it has permanently cured my acne.
Crabtree and Evelyn Hand Therapy - This is a lovely hand cream I would recommend for anyone with dry hands that need a little more than the average hand cream

Have you tried any of these products? Would you repurchase or give them a miss?

L xxx

MAC Eyeshadow Refill in Satin Taupe

Morning all!

After M bought me Sable for my birthday I have been eagerly looking at all of the MAC eyeshadows trying to decide what others I want to add into my palette.

After attending the Urban Decay event a few weeks ago, I bought a few things and at the time Debenhams had a spend £50 and get 750 points so it would have been rude not to spend the full £50........cue me snapping up another eyeshadow pan. This time it was Satin Taupe that caught my eye.

MAC describe this as a taupe with a silver shimmer. It's darker and more cool toned than Sable and luckily for me all of the colours in my palette are all different and all still blend together.

The colour is absolutely gorgeous, you can see without flash above it looks like a cool toned taupe and perfect for applying to your crease and blending out for a day at work look.

When taken with a flash like the photo below you can see the silver shimmer in it and how it would be great to use on a nude smokey eye for a night out.



Added to my palette (the top right eyeshadow) it fits in perfectly with the other colours that I own and you can see exactly why I bought it!

This was my eye make up the other Saturday, I applied the colour on the outer corner of my eye lid and then later on added on some considerable eye liner for the evening!

I love how this eyeshadow can be used for day and night depending on how you wear it and its such a versatile colour. some people prefer to use matte colours for day time and only shimmers for evening but I do love a bit of shimmer in the day too!

What do you think of this colour? Would you buy it too?

What other colours do you have in your palettes? What would you recommend?

L xxx

My Everyday Make up Routine FOTD using Naked 3

Hey All

As you read this L and I will hopefully have arrived at Glastonbury and be in the queue. We will stop speaking about it soon but we are just sooooo excited to go to our first festival!

Today I wanted to share with you my everyday go to make up look. This is one I do if I have enough time to tackle the dreaded cat eye in the morning. I tend to go for the liner if I'm meeting someone or doing something after work. Please ignore my brows they were being grown out pre wax!

Since I got naked 3 I use it almost everyday. I wasn't sure about the pinky tones to it at first but I really love the way they look on my skin tone and think they'd suit many tones. They also have some amazing matte neutrals that are so easy to use everyday.

I tend to go with a matte crease colour then shimmer colours over the lid and deeper colour through my outer v. For this look I used limit and nooner mixed and blended out through the crease with a bit of dust and liar on the lid and the used factory and blackheart and add some darkness to the corner.

As always for me the gel liner is maybeline. I'm on my third little pot of it. I just can't find another to compare. For mascara it's my ever faithful maybeline colossal volume. Another old faithful! And on the brows is my eylure brow pencil. 

For skin I'm loving using Illamasqua skin base. It gives such a light flawless finish and lasts all day.     

The cheek combination is one I've not been able to find a better mix of. My Liz Earle healthy glow bronzer and Benefit dandelion blush. For highlighter I'm loving the one from the naked flushed palette as it's a bit better for day time than Mac MSF as it's less sparkly.                

For concealer I'm still loving my Nars Radient Creamy Concealer. It offers amazing coverage, lasts all day and my little tube is still going since before Christmas. I think it's running low now but seen as it gets used a lot I'm impressed it's last so long.

On the lips is Mac Brick o la. This is one of my favourite all time lipsticks. It's an amazing soft red and not so in your face if you don't want to wear a bright red to work (personally I love bright reds but I know some people find them OTT for work!). It is an amplifed formula so lasts really well and is opaque in one coat.

What are your everyday favourites? Do you get stuck in a make up rut? I'm definitely in one at the moment! I think I need to take my naked palettes off myself for a bit!

Love M

xxx