My moisturising buddy

If there is one thing I keep changing times and times again is my day face moisturiser. For one, I don't think I have found my 'holy grail' one and my priorities change all the time. One minute, I will feel super self conscious about getting old and will want to invest into something pricey-ish hoping it will make me feel better. The next, I am thinking, I am going to get old anyway, no matter how many lotions and potions I slather on my face and will just want a very accessible and plain moisturiser which does its hydrating job well.

 
One of my skincare priorities which is hardly going to change is that I need moisture, loads of it and this what brought me to purchase a tube of Superdrug Vitamin e radiance moisture cream. I was very dubious this moisturiser would impress me. How could a £2.99 moisturiser ticks my boxes when a £14.99 face cream can sometimes leave me indifferent?





This is what it promises to do:







12 hour moisturisation, did they say? I don't know about you but when a product promises me to give {insert amount of hours/days/weeks} result, I usually like to half that and consider myself happy if I get that result. Put your hands up if you only get 1.5 weeks of fuzz free legs when you’ve been promised 4! I can't tell you if this moisturiser left me moisturised for a whole 12 hours but my skin always feels adequately moisturised after a whole day of work and until I am ready to take it all off in the evening.


To top the long lasting moisturising experience (and the Superdrug vitamin e hot cleansers fans will vouch for this) the moisturiser smells absolutely divine and reminds me of cocoa butter mixed with sun cream. Texture is lovely too and sinks in my skin very easily, leaves me moisturised, plumped, smelling gorgeous and never too greasy. It feels like my skin needs it and drinks it all as soon as I slather it on my face.
 
Now for the 'radiance' bit. This cream, in my opinion, is strictly reserved for individuals with dry/very dry types of skin. The light reflecting pigments are quite powerful and noticeable almost verging disco ball but I absolutely love it personally. I hope the following picture, taken in bright natural light will be able to give you an idea.





I admit I will probably feel self conscious if I wear this moisturiser on its own, in bright day light, say at a picnic date (eek, I can't stand picnics) at 2pm on a ridiculously sunny 'summer' day, in case I resemble one of the vampires in twilight but to be honest, I can't imagine myself wearing this moisturiser alone, and with no foundation on top. As soon as you put something on top, primer or foundation, the radiance effect is dramatically reduced. Also having said that, I have found myself reaching for this moisturiser many times, on a dull winter day, even when I am not planning to put makeup on top.

This moisturiser is not perfect though and it tragically clashes with my favourite face primer (no.7 airbrush away primer) and as soon as the two become in contact, they almost curdle together and  I am left with little bits of stuff peeling away on the surface. Is is the fault of the £2.99 moisturiser or the ridiculously expensive no.7 primer? (£19 something?) I don't know. My primer also 'curdles' with another face moisturiser which I own and my vitamin e moisturiser gets on perfectly with my L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer.
 
As for the anti ageing agenda, the Superdrug vitamin doesn't claim to bring me 10 years younger but it does contain 2 universally recognised anti-ageing ingredients (read the beauty mouth anti ageing cheat skin here) : vitamin e and a sun protection factor (SPF 15) and I am very very VERY happy with that.

I am going through my third tube of vitamin e moisturiser and it's definitely going to fall into my Superdrug basket many times again in the future, especially when I get 2 for £3.99 as it is the case at the moment. The tube has a very small handy handbag size, it's not overly girly and embarrassing to carry around and be seen with and finally no big fat fingers dipping in a big fat pot: you squeeze of fresh amount of product every time. It really bugs me I can use my airbrush away primer with it, but it gives me the chance to use up my other primers I never use.


What: Superdrug Vitamin e Skin Care SPF 15 Radiance Moisture Cream. 
How much: £2.99 (watch out for 2 for £3.99 offers during the year)
Where: Superdrug.
Availability: even the small and dingy superdrugs have got it :)

It’s Sunday and that means it’s Blogging Date with Sirvinya. If you have a few minutes to spare, please do check Sirvinya’s beauty blog. Thank you for reading xx

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Peptalash: Before and After. My 45 day trial

At the end of June, to celebrate the release of 'Peptalash', the latest eyelash enhancement product from Indeed Laboratories (The people who released Nanoblur) Boots launched a special offer: If you bought a £24.99 tube of Hydraluron (Moisture Boost Serum with hyaluronic acid) you could get a free tube of Peptalash. I had been dying to try Hydraluron so it was the perfect time for me make the plunge and try Peptalash too.

  
I waited until I was on holidays (1 August 2012) to start my intense Peptalash regime, the same time as I embarked on a serious diet to shed some unwanted weight. So for 45 days, twice a day, morning and evening, I set myself the goal to apply religiously my bi-daily dose of peptalash on my poor 'anemic' lashes. The routine was surprisingly easy to stick to and by week two, applying Peptalash had become a habit. Sometimes, I think I was applying three times a day, to make sure I didn't forget.





The recommended minimum trial period is 2 weeks but I never listen to what instructions say: If they say that epilation would make your legs hair free for 4 weeks, I usually halve that time and count myself lucky if my legs are smooth for 2 weeks. Same for a hair colour from a packet: if they say to let it apply on your hair for 15 minutes, I usually leave the colour for double the time. So I thought I would give Peptalash its best shot and apply it for 1 month and a half (45 days) instead of just 2 weeks.






The result? I let you judge by the photos.

   
   






Has it made my lashes longer, thicker and more luscious?
Has it bollocks heck.

   
I felt that my lashes look and felt more conditioned at the time. Looking at them in real life (as opposed to looking at them on photos) I was quite pleased because I felt they looked better even though  I didn’t notice a dramatic change in length or thickness. Now that I look at the photos, I can’t help but feeling a little bit, erm, what’s the polite word, disappointed, shall I say.


Times like these I am so happy that 1) it was free 2) I wasn't sent the product for review purposes as I don't think I would have had the courage to post about it and give Peptalash not such a glorious review.

  
Long live false eyelashes, I say.
What can be done anyway with such ridiculously small, short, poker straight, thin, rubbish lashes anyway? Maybe there is no hope for lashes like mine? Maybe my lashes were a challenge too far for Peptalash.



what: Indeed ‘Peptalash’
how much: £24.99
where: sold exclusively at Boots.

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Cosmetic Candies

The teasing is finally over and MUA Cosmetics has announced the release of their latest makeup collection. Just in time for St Valentine's Day, MUA Cosmetics have inspired their latest collection on the theme of the famous sweeties 'Love Hearts'.



     

     


The adorable collection comprises 6 pastel polishes and 5 lip balms. The prices couldn't be any cuter: Each item is £2.

    
    






    

No need also to wait for the items to arrive in your local Superdrug as they are already available on the MUA website, with a low shipping cost as usual (£2.95) and possibility to pay via PayPal. Don't want to fork out on postage? The brand has announced that they will be doing free postage offers :)


MUA Cosmetics didn't make their job easy with this collection. Good pastel polishes are notoriously hard to find. Have they cracked the formula? Will they be patchy? Time will tell :) I am very tempted to try 'You and I', the lovely yellow polish. But most of all, I am very much looking forward to try their upcoming BB cream which they will sell at £4.







Now, if the free postage offer coincided with the release of the BB cream, it would make my heart and purse very happy :)
  

     

Will you be getting some love hearts?

Pictures sourced from Mua Cosmetics Facebook Page.
Top picture was also sourced from Mua’s page and lil montage done by me x

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A younger looking skin in 30 days?

I don't go to the beautician very often (twice a year maybe?) but when I do when I like to treat myself with a micro dermabrasion treatment (around £30). Money doesn't grow on trees so I'm always on the lookout for exfoliation products to try at home in between my beautician treats.



I've seen this kit today and I'm getting all excited, as excited as I was when they first started to release micro dermabrasion kits to use as home. It's a glycolic acid 30-day treatment and it's from The Sanctuary, a brand I know I won't have any problems sourcing and that even my rubbish Boots shop will have. The name is ever so pretentious, it's called 'the 30 Day Youth Revolution' but I really want to try it.

It's a two-part treatment system (£22.50) which combines a skin renewal Glycolic Peel-off Mask and anti wrinkle Serum which promises to reveal, used on a daily basis, over a period of 30 days to reveal younger, smoother and brighter skin.







They could have maybe chosen an older model in the video but other than that I am really tempted: The peel off mask is only to be used twice a week and it's the serum that they use every day, which I should be able to manage. Santa, if by any chance you're reading, you know what to do...

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Pay Day Temptations

If I didn't know before today I was a nail polish addict, today I have one proof my love for nail polishes has reached uncontrollable heights. I've just indulged in a models own half price sale (my polishes have reached me safely 2 days afterwards!) I've not played with them yet and I want some more. Let me share with you what I've now got my heart on.


These polishes are from the Models Own Professional Range, which is a little bit pricier than the normal range: £8 per bottle as opposed to £ 5, for the traditional range


The Models Own Professional justifies their prices as it is "specially formulated to both assist nail growth and prolong colour, preventing any fading. Added benefits of the premium range include vitamin E and UV sun filters to protect the nail". The added benefits do sound very nice but at the end of the day it's still £8.


This another bootleg press release picture, showing of the very well kept stand of Models Own Professional range in the Boots shop in a town near me.



  



and these are the shades which got me drooling in particular.








I need to hang in my head in shame as I wrote the information about the first polish incorrectly and looking back at my notes, there is no way that this polish can be called 'Stark Naked' and be a nude beige with a golden shimmer. My guess is that this one is called ‘Lavender Blue’. ‘Pinky Pearl’ is a rather odd name for this sumptuous shade of shimmer reddy rusty orange shade. ‘Sunny Honey’ is a shimmery golden yellow and Clay Away is gorgeous shade of khaki.







If money grew on trees, those beauties would be what I would have loved to spend my pennies on. Boots have a got a special 'triple points 'offer on, especially for the bank holiday week end but I shall be good and resist... until there is hopefully another 3 for 2 offer on these polishes. If you do happen to know the name of pale lilac polish, please let me know!




Will you be splurging at Boots this week end?

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Catwalk False Lashes by BeautyUK

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False Lashes are probably definitely my favourite 'makeup item'. I've been trying lots of Beautyuk products lately and when I heard they were releasing some false lashes, I couldn't wait to try some and purchased the 'catwalk' set of false lashes at £3.99 from the website.





This was the first time I ordered some beautyuk items from the website. I paid £1.75 for first class delivery and my order reached me in no time at all. I was pleasantly surprised and received a discount voucher for a future purchase. The second surprise was the size of the box of lashes: I bet you could actually fit one of their eyeshadow palettes in there, the box was huge, complete with fully detailed instructions on how to apply them on. Did I read the instructions? Of course, not. I was too impatient to put them on.



 



The second thing I've noticed is how slightly uneven they are. You'll see that the right hand side differ a bit from the left hand side and vice versa. What you lose in symmetry is gained however in 'natural looking effect' of the lashes. The lashes are very long (perhaps longer than the lashes I am used to wear) but also very light, and once they're on and you can hardly feel they are there.







As for the application, as with 99% most of the false lashes I needed to trim them from the outside corner so that they can fit my small eyes. The lash band is very thin and very flexible and you'll have no problem putting them on. The vertical curl on these lashes is absolutely superb and they instantly lift your eyes. I bought many lashes before (corner eye lashes from nyx from the top of my head) that just won't cut it: as they're so straight, you wonder why you put them on in the first place.








how ridiculous do my bare lashes look, seriously. If nothing else, this should boost your self esteem ^_^





However, the fussy false eyelash lover in me was slightly disappointed with the horizontal curvature of the lashes. When I took them off from their support, they felt a bit straight and not as curvy as my beloved eylure 101. This was not a problem because the lashline is very thin and very flexible but if the lashline had been a bit thicker, I could have seen myself having to spend a bit more time trying to make them 'marry' the curve of my lashline.







Overall, I am quite happy with my purchase. The Catwalk lashes are a bit longer than I would personally usually go for but oh boy, they gave me such drama, I can't wait to wear them again. I hope beautyuk will make them available in Superdrug soon.


how much: £3.99
where to buy: online at http://www.beautyukcosmetics.com/ (accessories section)
disclaimer: I bought these lashes myself.

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Russet Eye Glitter Dust (Beauty UK) and EOTD

What can I say. I think I might have a little crush on Beauty UK. After Lily from Beauty’s Bad Habit was raving about the metallic eye sparks, I wanted to get some for myself. Alas there was none in my Superdrug: instead 2 little pots (the last ones) of  glitter eye dust were begging me to grab them: Russet and Green. The glitter lover in me couldn’t resist at £2.99 each.




Let’s cut to chase and go right into it: the packaging is far from ideal but let it not deter you as the product it contains it’s gorgeous. It is like your traditional loose glitter but more finely milled to look almost like an eyeshadow. With this product, you get the best of both worlds: vibrancy, glitter and drama which you would get with a loose glitter, but a product very similar to eyeshadow as far as the removal goes: a cotton dampened with eye make up remover will take it off very easily, while traditional glitter would be more tedious (I usually resort to sellotape to remove the excess first)





Talking of packaging, this is what it looks like inside. I feel like the product dissipates itself around its little opening at the top.

 



You can actually remove the whole plastic protector inside and just use the lid. I happened to have some mini jars (5ml) left so I decided to depot them.



 
Are you still with me yet?
Now for the look. This is not very elaborate at all. Look at it more like it’s a swatch of the product but made directly on the eyelid.

 





To create this look, I used 3 colours from the Day and Night Palette (reviewed and fotd’ed here) and the russet glitter eye dust. Eyepencil and eyeliner are the same usual ones, I won’t bore you with it :P Again, I must point out that you won’t usually see me using shimmery shadows in my crease.  But the shimmery burgundy from this palette as well as the other colours don’t have an overpowering shimmer at all, it’s more of a mix between subtle sheen and shimmer.

I treated the glitter eye dust exactly like it was chunky loose glitter and applied it with my beloved and trusty splash proof sealer. In retrospect, I wish I had darkened the crease a bit more with a bit of black. Never mind.


 


Now what am I going to do with 2 jars of the same glitter, huh? ;)
Oh, anyone want to have a guess at the nail polish I am wearing? answer tomorrow. I know, you just can't contain yourself ... and I need to get out more

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‘Beauty UK’ Day and Night Palette. EOTD and swatches

Let’s be honest. I have never bought anything from Beauty UK ever. Why? Cos it’s too affordable, because it makes me think of what a typical teenager would buy and I guess because I am a bit snob. Lately, I noticed that Beauty UK was on twitter and I thought they must be a cool brand if they are on twitter. So I went last to Superdrug (3 for 2 mix and match offer ends on 4 January) I took the plunge and chose the ‘Day and Night’ (6) 10-eyeshadow palette  as my free item (value £3.49) 








I couldn’t be happier with it. There is one colour I am really running low on and it’s the bright pink from my eBay 120 palette and this comes just at the right time for me.
I was really impressed by the pigmentation of the shadows. The palette offers a mixture of shimmery and matte. The shimmer is finely milled and is easy to work with. They are a little bit of the soft side (do not drop them) but then again my 120 palette is the worst offender in that department and it’s the palette I tend to reach out the most. I am not majorly blown away by the green. I expected a true lime and it’s bit too yellow for me. The star for me in this palette is the burgundy. It’s truly a gorgeous colour on its own but I can see myself using this as an alternative to black to darken a crease.










 


My first play with this palette therefore had to incorporate this colour. So I used the bright pink, the burgundy and the shimmery white. I also used a little bit of mac vanilla to help blending toward the brow/highlight area. Please excuse the mask of foundation. I went just a bit heavy with it on that day! What do you think? Would you wear this during the day, or at work for example? I would, I love my brights :)






 









Next, I think I want to buy these 2 palettes. I have way too many eyeshadow palettes already though :( Do you own anything from Beauty UK?

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