What's in my make up bag?

I thought I'd share what's in my make up bag. These are the products that I select from to use most days. I sometimes delve into my drawer of products but to be honest, that doesn't happen that often.

L-R

Collection translucent powder.

Jemma Kidd light as air foundation - sadly discontinued. I'm currently alternating between this and Laura mercier silk creme foundation. Read Simone's review here.

No7 smoothing and brightening eye base. I don't use this all that often, it tends to crease but it is good at making eyes appear brighter.

Nivea pure and natural lip balm.

B. Rich intense colour lipstick in Orchid 077. A current favourite but I find that I need to use lip balm with it. You can read more on the B. range products that I've reviewed here.

Boots 17 lipstick. Doesn't have a name, it's another natural, coral/beige lipstick for everyday wear.

An old L'oreal eyebrow palette.

Natural Collection eyeliner and mascara both in black. I don't tend to spend much on mascara as I'm lucky to have quite long eye lashes and I like the results of the Natural Collection ones. Same goes for eyeliner, as long as it stays on a considerable amount of time, I'm generally not too fussy with which brand I use. You can read Simone's Natural Collection Water Guard mascara review here.

Revlon Colorstay eye liner in brown, in case I feel like something a bit softer. I don't use this all that often and it definitely isn't waterproof like it claims to be.

The Body Shop Eye Lash Curler.

Powder brush from the Models Own 5 piece brush set.

Mac Studio Finish Concealer.

Max Factor miracle touch creamy blush. You can read my review of this blush here. Since reviewing, I have bought it in Soft Pink.

Mac Eye Shadow in Omega.

Sleek Gel Liner. Read my review here.

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliner in Tiramisu.

Boots Botanics Ionic Clay Mask Review

Price: £5.49
Size: 100ml
Ingredients: Sea silt (Natural oceanic clay), Aqua (Water), Potassium sorbate, Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, Salix nigra (Willow) bark extract

Claims:

This mineral-rich ionic mask absorbs excess oil and detoxifies skin.

The oceanic clay exhibits a negative electrical charge, which helps to draw out deep-rooted impurities without overdrying.

Skin is left clearer, softer and smoother.

Willowbark is nature's champion clarifier. Excess sebum, pollution and old skin cells can clog up pores, resulting in shine and blemishes.

The bark of the willow tree is a natural source of salicylic acid which helps to refine skin texture and actively target imperfections.

Our beauty scientists use active plant extracts approved by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to bring you beautiful skincare that's proven to work.

We've taken steps to reduce our impact on the planet at every stage in this product's journey.

Formulated without parabens.
People tested.

Formula: Green in colour like most clay masks but a lot runnier than your average clay mask.

Packaging: Simple tube with a clean design and it's also recyclable.

Thoughts: I generally don't like clay masks as they tend to break me out (I know that's the point at first but I can never seem to get past this stage) so I was a bit worried it would break me out. However, I thought I'd give it a go due to it's natural ingridients.
Firstly, I found the mask really runny but I got used to this and I find that it just needs a bit of a shake before you use it. The mask goes on a dark green colour and dries to a light green, so you can see that it is fully dry and pores are darker, which is more than likely the ingridients working. It's recommended to leave on for ten minutes, which I generally do. When it has fully dried, it leaves your face feeling really tight - I quite like this as I feel like it's doing more than just keeping pores clean and I especially notice it around the eye area (I apply it carefully around here) and temples. I find it to crumble slightly when it's dry and it's recommended to "Wipe away excess mask with tissues and rinse well with warm water". Personally, I can't see how tissues would work, it'd just create a big mess. I prefer to use a warm flannel to remove the mask. My skin is a little red after but it doesn't stay like it for long and it's also not sore at all. The tightened feeling lasts for a while, which I like and my skin feels smooth and is definitely less shiny than usual. Thankfully, the thing that I was most worried about hasn't happened...It hasn't made me break out, yet it has helped to keep my skin clear. I will add that I always use La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo (will review soon) after applying the mask, just in case! I've used the mask for a few months now and I still haven't ran out and although it's a fairly small tube, a little goes a long way. I'll definitely be repurchasing!

Pros: Keeps skin clear without drying or breaking you out. Lasts a long time so it's great value for money, especially with the natural ingridients.

Cons: Runny formula but it's not so bad that I won't continue using it!

Would I recommend this product?: I couldn't recommend this mask enough - amazing results and great value for money.

You can purchase Boots Botanics Ionic Clay Mask from: Boots

Butter London 'Perfect Prezzie' Nail Lacquer Review

Price: £5.00
Size: 11ml

Formula: "butter LONDON products are formulated without the use of the harmful ingredients like Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP or Parabens."

Packaging: Rectangular shaped - glass bottle with black lid, which has a 'lift to open' sticker on. Once lifted, it has a screw top, which is shaped like regular nail varnish but is grooved, making it easier to grip to open.

Thoughts: 'Perfect Prezzie' is the first Nail Lacquer that I have tried from butter London. I really liked the deep red mixed with the gold shimmer. However, it needs a few coats to build up to an opaque finish and disappointingly, the gold doesn't apply as it looks in the bottle - it just appears to be more of a red with a metallic finish that has a hint of gold in. To me, it doesn't seem to last that well either. What I do like about it, is the packaging. The shape is so much easier to hold than a round bottle and the grooves make it so much easier to undo. If all nail varnishes were shaped like this, it would make them so much easier to store. I bought this in the sale for £5 and butter London nail lacquers usually retail between £10-£20, depending on the type you go for. I don't think I'd be willing to pay the full price but if I saw another colour in the sale that I liked, perhaps a matte one, then I would probably give it a go to see if it's any better than the metallic finish of 'Perfect Prezzie'.

Pros: Great packaging.

Cons: Colour didn't apply as it looked in the bottle and doesn't last that well.

Would I recommend this product?: I would recommend it for the packaging more than the colour but I would like to try a matte finish from butter London.

You can purchase butter London Nail Lacquers from: butter London & Boots

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! You're probably wondering why this bunny is appearing on a beauty blog but - or should I say Butt ;) it has a hole in it's bum and is for holding cotton wool/cotton buds. I've used it for cotton buds as I don't use cotton wool and the cotton wool pads I use are too big to fit. Hope you all have a nice weekend!



From Tiger

Beauty Bargain- Philosophy

We picked up a bargain the other day and thought that we'd share ;) We spotted a selection of Philosophy products reduced to £3.50 (480ml full size- usual price £14.00) in Boots. We couldn't resist the opportunity and stocked up on some Philosophy Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath.

As you've probably noticed, they are Christmas themed products, so would be great for putting by for Christmas presents (nothing like planning ahead!) but with all this snow that's about, does it really matter if you use them now!? We picked up Christmas Cookie, Holly Berry Bubbly and Have A Cherry Christmas. Candy Cane was another option and I've just seen online that the Tinsel Town Stocking Stuffer is also reduced.

Hopefully you have a Boots near you that stocks Philosophy products as it looks like they have now sold out online.

Body Shop Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF 15 Review

Price: £5.00
Size: 30ml
Ingredients: Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Sunscreen), Octyl Salicylate (Sunscreen), Butylene Glycol (Humectant), Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Sunscreen), Ethyl Trisiloxane (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Parfum (Fragrance), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer (Stabiliser/Viscosity Modifier), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative), Methyl Gluceth-20 (Viscosity Modifier), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Ceteareth-20 (Emulsifier), Tocopheryl Acetate (Antioxidant), Butyrospermum Parkii (Skin-Conditioning Agent/Emollient), Glycine Soja Oil (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Rosa Damascena Flower Water (Skin Condtioning Agent), Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil (Emollient), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Caprylhydroxamic Acid (Chelating Agent), Rosa Canina Fruit Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate (Chelating Agent), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Methylpropanediol (Solvent), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables (Skin Conditioning Agent), Hexyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzyl Salicylate (Fragrance Ingredient), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant), Caramel (Colour), CI 17200 (Colour), CI 15985 (Colour).

Claims: This daily hand cream with rosehip oil provides much needed moisture to mature skin while helping to reduce the appearance of brown spots.

Formula: Quite a greasy formula but has a nice rose scent.

Packaging: Metal squeezy tube- splits easily.

Thoughts: I received this as a gift (I had hinted about it). I love the packaging, it reminds me a bit of the more expensive brands such as Aesop. When I say I love the packaging, I mean I really like it to look at but it's the annoying type that the more you use, the more it starts to split. I like the rose scent - I have tried The Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector before and I really don't like the smell of it. However, it feels quite greasy and takes a while to sink in and I don't think my hands felt that moisturised after. Because of this, I had to reapply a fair bit and I used the whole tube up quite quickly. It's recommended for mature skin, which I don't consider myself to have and I think it would suit all skin types. I love that it has SPF 15 and really like the smell but I don't think it made my hands feel that moisturised and it took a bit too long to sink in for my liking.

Pros: SPF 15. Rose Scent.

Cons: Packaging splits. Quite a greasy formula that takes a while to sink in.

Would I recommend this product?: It's ok but it's nothing to write home about. I think it would make a nice gift but mainly for aesthetics and the rose scent.

You can purchase Wild Rose Hand Cream SPF 15 from: The Body Shop

Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush Review

Price: £6.99

Claims: Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blusher. Foundation might be perfect for your skin but a hint of Max Factor Creamy Blush is the secret weapon to a healthy glow. Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blusher gives your skin the ultimate finish. Unlike powder blushers Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blusher stays looking freshly applied throughout the day.

Formula: Creamy.

Packaging: A small pot with screw on lid.

Thoughts: I have the Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush (bit of a mouthful!) in the shade Soft Murano. I've been using this blusher for a couple of months now and at first I wasn't too impressed but I now really like it. I think the problem for me at first was that I had quite dry patches on my cheeks and it just didn't blend in very well/highlighted the dryness. If I'm honest, I prefer the forumla/consitency over the shade and wish Id've gone for the brighter pink, which I think is the shade Soft Pink. To me, the Soft Murano tends to be a bit coraly and I would have preffered a more pink blush, so for me the shade is the only negative, which to be fair is my own doing. I bought this blusher to replace my Mac Cremeblend Blush, which I had in the shade Posey. I happen to think the Max Factor Creamy Blush in Soft Murano is a good dupe for this. Posey is described as a warm peach, so fits with Max Factor's Soft Murano being a bit coraly. I do however, much prefer the Max Factor blusher over the Mac one (which is £17.50 so quite a saving). It's so easy to apply, blends really easily and gives a nice smooth dewy finish i.e a healthy glow, as it claims and it also lasts well throughout the day.

Pros: Good Price. Colour is very pigmented - the small pot will go a long way. Gives a natural finish.

Cons: Could be available in a wider selection of shades.

Would I recommend this product?: I would definitely recommend this blusher. It's great value for money and gives an excellent finish.

You can purchase Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blusher from:
Boots
Superdrug
Max Factor