Paul & Joe Lipstick in Silk Stockings

 Paul & Joe full pigment lipstick in Silk Stockings: £12.50

Paul & Joe Lipstick Case: £5

Online lipstick purchasing is something i've never done before. When it comes to lipstick i'm extremely picky with colour and finish. I dislike anything too shiny, glossy, sticky and I find that colours presented on websites are often untrue to the actual colour of the lipstick.

However, I have literally browsed the online shelves of Paul & Joe products for years and I finally decided to just give in, but did a little product background research beforehand. I'm so glad I did too, the three colours I initially looked at looked totally different in reviews and this resembled more of the colour I had in my mind, pink wrapped with coral tones. However this is presented as a really bright pink on the website which initially led to my overlooking until I looked at a review or two... or four.

The lipstick is purchased separately to the case giving you more options to personalize your product. The lipstick clicks into the case with ease and it gives the lipstick such a dainty and quite frankly, pretty appearance that anyone would  be proud to swipe it out of their bag to apply.

I absolutely adore the colour. It's easily buildable and glides onto the lips leaving them feeling very moisturized (I applied a clear Burt's Bees lip balm beforehand).


What do you think of the Paul & Joe lipstick collections?

Clinique even better concealer

Clinique even better concealer in Buttermilk : £18

(apologises for the dab in the pot, I had to have a quick pre-work fix up before I had a chance to photograph this product).

I decided it was finally time to splash out a little and to buy myself a new concealer. Admittedly, I don't often have breakouts and therefore I always kept a cheaper concealer with me just in case I needed to dab a little on. However lately my skin has felt a little dull underneath the eyes and after a little research I came across Cliniques latest addition to its concealer range.

This concealer promises to camouflage dark spots and imperfections and brighten skin over time with vitamin-C actives. I hoped this would work as a two in one to brighten under my eyes and cover anything that needed covering, keeping my makeup bag a little lighter.

The concealer is full coverage, covering my blemishes well as well as brightening under my eyes. This concealer also did not crease under my eyes and stay put all day. Although in a small pot, I can see this product lasting a long time as after a handful of uses it looks barely touched.


Have you tried any products from the Even Better range?

Revlon photoready 3D volume mascara

Revlon PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara: £10.99

I have found myself reaching for Revlon products over other highstreet brands more and more reguarly. It all began with finally discovering the foundation that was right for me, the '24 hour colour stay'. I was so impressed with the foundation compared to every other I had tried, highstreet and premium brands, and it had only continued to go up from there. When my favourite Max Factor 'masterpiece' mascara needed replacing, I decided change old habits and proceeded to research Revlon's mascara range to see if they matched up to their (for me) winning foundation.

The Photoready 3D Volume mascara caught my eye, being described to volumise lashes 100% and receiving endless five star reviews, it was slightly more expensive than my favourite mascara, but I decided to give it a go.

I cannot begin to praise this product enough and this has quickly replaced its Max Factor contender and become a staple in my makeup routine. I use two coats and the difference is incredible. I found application very easy and the sturdiness of the brush had me feeling in complete control which I sometimes have struggled with (l'oreal volume million lashes).

This mascara is a serious contender with premium brands and I know I wouldn't opt for any over this mascara, retailing at £10.99 it's an impressive product at an affordable price.

L'oreal free gifts

I received this free gift set back in December and have only recently gotten around to trying out the new products, bar the mascara. I'm quite stubborn with my makeup routine and like to stick to what I know, but I'm slowly prizing myself away from this mindset and decided to give other products and lovely at that, that are sitting in my drawer collecting unnecessary dust.

makeup repurchases?

That time has come, you know, the one your purse dreads... when each of your everyday makeup products seems to be running out exactly at the same time as the others.

I thought i'd write a little post on pieces I will definitely be re-purchasing, looking at products I definitely will not be and new pieces I'd like to try.

herbalism

It had been a while since I had popped into Lush, so when walking by one the other day I pushed myself to pop in. I've always been interested in trying their cleansers because they're unlike any of the bottled products I usually use and I have always been a regular buyer of their face masks.

I originally picked up the 'Angels on Bare Face' cleanser, simply because it was a more attractive by look and scent product. However talking to one of their assistants and discussing how my skin is starting to get a little oily throughout the day, she pointed me in the direction of 'Herbalism', said to 'gently exfoliate, remove grease and calm troubled skin'.

The scent hasn't phased me, although i've seen in other reviews that many aren't a fan. I took a pea sized amount, mixed with water, rubbed the product together in my hands and rubbed it in circular motions over my face and washed off. My skin felt noticeably fresher and very soft.
So far I really like this product, I always feel I can feel fresh products such as this, working.

Lush also do a wider range of cleansers coming in pots like this and also bottles for different skin types.

Have you tried a Lush cleanser?

Body Shop Tea Tree toner & facemask review

Taking advantage of the Body Shop 50% off voucher, I picked up these two pieces from their tea tree collection, a toner and face mask.


The Tea Tree Face mask is said to 'instantly cool and lift away impurities'. The mask definitely did what it said by cooling, it felt very tingly on my face but I got used to this after a couple of minutes and it wasn't a horrible sensation. It smelt very refreshing and the scent remained on my face after wash, which I wasn't complaining about! I used it at night when I had an unexpected breakfast and the following morning my breakout had considerably cleared up. After washing off my face felt very silky and this feeling remained the following morning. It's nice to 'feel' a product working.

The Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner is described in such way: 'This refreshing toner for blemished skin gives a beautifully matte, shine-free finish'. To begin on a positive note, the scent is very refreshing and pleasant. However, I found this product to be very drying and a greater deal of moisturiser than normally used was applied afterwards. On application also it felt a little uncomfortable on my skin. I hadn't realised one of the ingredients is alcohol, which would explain the drying and and uncomfortable attributes. It does work well at taking any remaining makeup off after cleansing and it also does leave your skin certainly smelling a lot fresher. I certainly wouldn't recommend for dry skin and to use whilst trying to tackle a breakout problem rather than everyday.