July's Hit or Miss,on Beauty and Skincare

I thought instead of doing my July Favourites, I would do a Hit or Miss for July. Here are a few beauty and skincare products, that I have been using this month. So without a further of a do here we go.

 I will start with skincare, after the sad departure of my beloved Liz Earle cleanse and polish (I ran out) and my love affair really had gone on long enough, it was about time I moved on. I decided to take Caroline Hirons advice and try two different products. First, Soap and Glory The Ultimelt deep purifying hot cloth cleanser. I am so glad I did. Its a great cleanser. From the moment you massage the grape size amount over my face and neck you are hit with a delightful smell of essential oils, lavender and orange. I found this very relaxing, yet invigorating, yet I would not use this to take your make up off with. Although, it would do the job, its just you cannot put it near your eyes to take your eye make up off, because of the essentials oils. This to me is a big downer, as I want my cleanser to just take all my make up off, but saying that it is a fantastic first cleanser. To use this first thing in the morning, is a dream, and I would prefer to have all the pro-vitamin B5 goodness, which soothes, moisturiser to help heal and regenerate the skin. The Almond oil, which is great for removing dead skin cells, impurities and brightens the skin. So if you were to use this to take your make up off with, all that goodness would go to waste, as it will not penetrate the skin as it has to break down the layers of make up first. The cloth though is rough, and needs a wash first to remove the starch build up from it, after that it was better. For the price point on this product you cannot overly grumble. Its great first cleanser for only a tenner.

 My second skincare product recommendation from Caroline Hirons is the The Body Shop Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask. This is one of the weirdest mask I have used. Its texture which has been described as like a memory foam mattress! This gel like substance binds together, and you need to use a spatula to scoop out what you need. You apply the product on your face and neck massaging it into the skin and let it absorb. At this point it feels almost sticky and tight on the skin, but as it settles down it absorbs slowly, so you may need to find something to do while you wait. I go and brush my teeth. After about 10-15 minutes you are good to go and ready to hit the sack for some well earned rest, while your face mask works hard to provide you with the following benefits that you will feel in the morning. your skin feels bouncier, smoother, refreshed, recharged and renewed. The main ingredient it has in it Edelweiss stem cells. Now, not to bore you all but I will touch on this briefly. Stem cells from plants are the newest anti-aging ingredients. Plants stem cells have the ability to be immortal! They play a key role in tissue development, regeneration and cellular renewal. Who doesn't want a bit of that on your skin!. Particularly with the Edelweiss stem cell, it is a tiny flower which grows in Switzerland and is able to grow in extremely harsh conditions (freezing temperatures, hardly any water). This is an exciting product, and from what I have just said, I am scratching the surface on what this particular plant can do. So far, I am really pleased with the results, and look forward to the coming months on how this product will improve my skin even further.

My Last skincare product is No7 Protect and Perfect Intense Advance Serum which tackles the first signs of ageing, from the age of thirty onwards. Although I still cannot believe I am in that bracket, I have come to realise that I must succumb to a more intense skincare routine, if I want to avoid wrinkles. I adore this serum, it hydrates your skin as soon as it touches your face, and you can just feel it doing good things. I have put this on day and night for the last month, and so far I have no complaints, and I don't think this is a one hit wonder. For a budget serum, I think its worth a whirl, if you are looking for a serum which is packed with Matrixyl 3000, which is shown in high concentration levels to improve elasticity, and that No7 claim if used over a period of time, will improve signs of ageing. Which is clinically proven that products that are packed with sunscreens, retinol, and l-ascorbic acid (active form of vitamin c) if used over a period of time will improve signs of ageing. So its a win,win situation.

 First of my beauty is Rimmel london Rita Ora nail polishes in Bestival Blue. The colour is so pretty and it only took two coats to build the colour intensity. I have got into a habit lately, of not putting a topcoat on, as I think it chips the same if you have it on or not. With this nail polish though, I was highly impressed, it did not chip until day 3 of wearing it! I am astounded with this, I have more expensive polishes which chip the next day. So, I strongly recommend giving this a go.

 Lets talk about Loreal Infallible Mega Lipgloss/Matt. I picked up these two shades, The bigger the better in the Matt and Mafia in the gloss. The Matt, I do not like. The colour is stunning, great pigmentation, but when it dries, it settles in your lines around the mouth and kind of cracks a bit. I wore it out on a night out and when I reapplied it, it just drags along the lip and just looked a hot mess! I wiped it off in the end, bit it still lingered around my lips, until I removed it with some micellar water when I returned home. The Gloss on the other hand is beautiful. The colour is rich and strong. It goes on like a dream, and is not sticky. If anything it is very moisturising and gives your whole make up a lift with its glossy, glamorous feel.

 My second L'oreal purchase is the Brow Artist Genius Kit. I was in the market for a new brow kit/pencil, and really wanted to find a budget alternative to my Anastasia Beverly Hills dipbrow. I really like the packaging to this, its a cute compact with a coloured wax, same colored shadow, tweezers, a angled brush one end with a spoolie at the other end and a nice mirror. Great bits and bobs, but unfortunately that's where it ends for me. I picked up the light to medium,which would normally be o.k, but for me its far to warm. It caters for the very light blonde who have a warmer toned brow, rather than darker blonde, where you would need a cooler toned shadow. I checked the medium to dark, but that looked far to dark for me. The wax pigmentation was poor, you could'nt add any 'hairs' with this, it would just be suitable for combing through the brows to keep them in place. Its a shame, I really wanted to like this product because the gadgets that come with it are good. This is only my opinion, have a try yourself and let me know.
 
My last beauty product is the Maybelline Lash Sensational lash multiplying mascara. I am always on the hunt for a great budget mascara, and I have found one here. The mascara itself does exactly what is says, lashes look visibly multiplied and fuller, my only bug bear with this, is the wand is plastic, which I do not like, and kind of gloops your lashes together, so I have to comb my lashes through afterwards, but for the price point you cannot complain. Great mascara, Love it.

These are my Hits and Misses for July. What have you liked this month? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear from you.


Love Nay x


Disclaimer- I have not been paid to advertise any of the products mentioned above, I just like to share.

May Favourites

Its that time of the month where I blab on about things I have been enjoying in the month of May. So here we go!.

 My first beauty product I have been loving, is the Botantics Radiance Balm from Boots. Its very creamy and luxurious, and your skin feels like silk when applied. It acts as a brightener to the skin. I put this on after I have cleansed and moisturised, but before I put any make up on. It has the plant Hibiscus in it which is natures own brightness booster with a slight pink hue to it. I have been using this for about 8 weeks now and I love how it gives such a natural glow to the skin and just adds that extra va va voom to how your make up looks.

My next product is the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC cream. As we are approaching the summer months I wanted to wear something lighter on my skin than foundation. This is the answer. It has the three main colour corrective every girl needs. Apricot for anti-fatigue, Green for anti-redness and White for anti-dark spots. It covers really well, but it still gives that 'skin like' appearance. The bonus is, it also has SPF 15 in it, which is a great start in protecting your skin every day. With this great product broke my old faithful concealer out, Select Cover-Up Concealer by MAC. This one is an oldie, but a goody.  I find this concealer is light and creamy, great for under the eyes, but will also cover any blemishes, scarring, and redness. BUT, this is a big but, beware!. Work quickly, blending this bad boy in as it dries in seconds and once it has, it can look cakey and gives that dragging effect when trying to blend out. Together, with the cc cream its a marriage made. Also for the face, I have been using Nars Illuminator in Copacabana. Well what can I say, but oo la la, Mr Francois Nars has done it again! It is the most creamy, blendable, beautiful gleam to the skin. This is not for the fainthearted and if you are looking for a gleam that even NASA can see from their space station this is the ONE.

Nars Illuminator in copacabana

 Staying with the face, the last two products, Maybelline The Eraser Eye. Not much to say about this. Its o.k, for under the eyes its light, creamy blends o.k. But im not bowled over by it. I am quite demanding when it comes to a concealer and this is....o.k. So not a favourite, but I would not rule it out if you were thinking of giving it a try. On the cheeks I have pulled out a favourite from last year, my Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for lips and cheek in the shade Calypso Coral. Beautiful bright peach, blends beautifully and can be sheered out to not such an intense colour. Great for lips and cheeks. On my eyelids I have been going for a grunge look, just because I have been super busy and its the quickest eye make up technique to do in a hurry. I have been wearing NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Knight. Its a khaki green colour with gold flecks in it and I have blending this out with a little bronzer all around the eye and BAM! you are good to go. Last but not least, is the Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in 03. Its a caramel, pinky, nude tone lipstick.  Not a massive fan of the smell, but can live with it for the price of these lipsticks.

Top-NYX Knight Jumbo Pencil Middle-Bobbi Brown Calypso Coral Bottom-Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick 03

Onto nails now, I have been loving the Barry M Quick Dry Nail Polishes. My collection is growing at a steady pace and I like the colour pay off and they last a while using a base coat. I have found that not to use a topcoat with these as they chip more, but when I did not use it, they just faded at the tips. Colours I have are TL-Pitstop, TR- Full Throttle, BL-Eat my dust, BR-Need for speed.

Lulu Guinness Continental wallet croco print leather in mink

This is my little moment where you were in the right place at the right time. I was in TK Maxx where I was picking up a Grobag for my 17 month old and I spotted the above out of the corner my eye. A  lulu guinness continental wallet croco print leather in mink. I got an amazing discount which makes me love it even more. My last favourite for this month and sadly I have needed to wear this more than I have wanted to for May, my bright yellow rain mack from Primark. It has rained so much in Lancashire, GB which is not normal for this time of year, so I was glad of this purchase.

So there are my favourites for May. What have you been loving this month? Is there any products or items of clothing that you might think I would like to try? I would love to hear from you.

Love Nay x


Disclaimer- I have not been paid to advertise any products mentioned above, I just like to share.

My Skin Care Favourites

I am finally coming to the end of my most beloved cleanser, Liz Earle cleanse and polish. I worked out that I have been using this product since I was 18,19 years old and I still love it. I occasionally stray to other cleansers, but its not long before I am lured back by its soothing green colour bottle and the rosemary,eucalyptus scent. The cleanse and polish has been a great cleanser for me, its soothing to the skin, yet it still packs a punch in removing the dirt and grime build up of the day. I then spritz my face with the Liz Earle Instant boost skin tonic and the smell of geranium just gives you that lift to start your day and quenches my thirsty skin. On top of that I smooth on Olay Total effects 7 in 1 moisturiser and serum. I like this at the moment, as I would say my skin is combination, but after cleansing it can feel a little tight, and I can have some dry patches, so, I normally have a serum and then moisturise as doing that delivers the needs for my skin. I am always sceptical of two in one products, but with this I was pleasantly surprised that it actually does a good job for a two in one product. It has a nice smooth consistency and absorbed quickly into my skin. It also has a SPF 20 which is a great added bonus.

For night time I like to double cleanse, as being a make up artist you do tend to make your make up last till the evening, so when I remove my make up at night I need something that will 'remove it'.  I really feel this is an important step to really give your skin the chance to breath and repair adequately over night. I use my cleanse and polish to lift my make up and any grime over the day, then go over with my Garnier cleansing miscellar water to remove any last traces, (I did a separate review on this, link to review) and then comes the good stuff. I am a big fan of oil moisturiser, especially for night time use. The oil can deeply penetrate levels of the skin and give it much needed TLC through the night. I was first introduced to Tropic Skincare brand from a friend, who had become a brand ambassador for the company, and she seemed very excited about the products, I knew then it had to be good. These products are made up of natural ingredients and plant extracts, so I decided to try Organic Facial Elixir Oil Rosehip and Moringa. The smell alone as you smooth and massage this golden coloured oil over your face, neck and décolletage, ( I also like to rub on the back of my hands as well),  just lulls you into a relaxing state and that you are ready for bed. The oil contains organic Kiwi seeds which is highly moisturising, and it can heal cracked skin, eczema and psoriasis, which is perfect for me, as I can suffer with dry skin and sometimes have a break out of eczema. The Moringa oil contained in the product helps to penetrates deep into the skin and the Rosehip oil is a fatty acid, which aids skin cell rejuvenation and repair. When I apply the oil, I notice that my skin is noticeably firmer and supple, and it has a glow about it. It absorbs quickly and leaves no residue. Rosehip oil is such an understated oil, it has so much going for it and provides so much goodness for the skin. Any product that contains Rosehip oil is worth a go.

Once or twice a week I would use Tropic Face Smooth Brightening Polish (my friend, who I mentioned earlier gave this to me) is a smooth, yet grainy pale yellow gloop. The smell of the product instantly awakens you with its heady scent of sweet oranges and zesty lemon. As I rub this in circular motions over my face and neck, it feels so smooth and you can feel just flecks of organic rice flour and sugar cane. Once I rinsed my face, it feels noticeably smoother, and my pores smaller. Over the next few weeks the redness disappeared from around my nose and my skin felt plumper.

I have been very impressed with both of these products and would recommend to anyone to try Tropics Skincare range, anything that can boast only using natural ingredients and plants extracts and delivers such great results, deserves a fair chance.

So, there you go, my round up of my current skin care routine. Have you tried any of these products? Have you tried Liz Earle or Tropic Skincare range at all? I would love to hear from you, and if you have liked any other skincare from their ranges.


Love Nay x


Disclaimer- I have not been paid to mention any of the above products, I just like to share.

Budget Vs Highend, Battle of the Reds Feat-Maybelline Color Drama and Nars velvet matte pencil

Wearing Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil in the shade Light me up

In the U.K recently, Boots (a drugstore) had some really great offers on their beauty products, so I thought I would take advantage and try out Maybelline color Drama lip pencil. I am always dubious of crayon lipsticks as they can be normally very drying and you cannot beat the feel of turning a lipstick up from the bullet, that being said, I am always open to new make up experiences. I decided to go with the colour light me up, its a vibrant blue toned red, perfect for pale skin tones. The formulation of this pencil is lovely. It has a buttery, creamy formulation which glides on the lip effortlessly. I really love how moisturising this is and it did last a good couple of hours before I needed to reapply. The pigmentation is also very good which just add's to it's staying power. I think it is well worth the money.

Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil in the shade Light me up

 I am always keen to see how the budget (drugstore) brands match up to the high end brands. I tried the Maybelline color drama lip pencil against the Nars Velvet Matt Lip Pencil a cult classic in the make up world, in the shade Cruella. I had read many reviews on this particular product and colour, and I was keen to give it a whirl. I always thought the high end had the upper hand with the extra ingredients, but on this occasion I could not be more wrong.

 The packaging on the Nars lip pencil is beautiful. The moment I removed it from its box I knew it had a place in my make up bag. The smooth black outer layer is simply a joy to behold. The Maybelline is not. Its your usual black plastic looking packaging nothing really to write home about, but this is where Nars only has the upper hand. The formulation of Nars velvet matt Lip pencil I found drying. You would think with the extra vitamin E and emollients added that it wouldn't be. Upon application it seems to drag across the lip, and it feathered so much around the the outer lip line that I had to blend the edges with a lip brush. I first wore it at a dinner party with friends and it did not last the first course!. I was very disappointed with this product, as I had done the necessary preparation to make my lipstick last. Saying that the colour is very beautiful and would suit many skin tones. For me though, this is not enough to make it a firm favourite in my handbag, but it is not a complete right off. I will still wear this, but will have to do plenty of prep before I apply it. As you can probably tell by my tone I am thoroughly disappointed, as you would think for what you pay for this product you may be getting something better, well for me, not on this occasion. So save your pennies on this one and go for a budget brand such as Maybelline Color Drama lip pencil, as this one will be staying in my handbag.

Wearing Nars Velvet Matt Lip Pencil in the shade Cruella

Nars Velvet Matt Lip Pencil in the shade Cruella

Light me up (left) Cruella (right)

So, there you go, my thoughts on Lip crayons. Have you tried any of these? Have you found another brand of lip crayon/ Pencil I should try?. Please let me know, I would love to hear from you.

Love Nay x


Disclaimer- I have not been paid by any products mentioned above, I just like to share.