Revlon Lip Butters

I have to admit that I can get a bit swept up in product hype sometimes and I had heard about the Revlon Lip Butter from other bloggers in the US and couldn't wait for them to be released here.

First of all the price - these are meant to be £7.99 but I got mine on an introductory offer of only £5.99! A bit steep for what is essentially a drug store coloured lip balm. Despite the price I decided that I wanted to see what all the hype was all about so I purchased just one, I didn't want to buy multiple shades only to find that I didn't like the product.

The shades - it comes in a variety of different shades one that will suit everyone's taste.

The packaging - the product comes in a silver bullet with a plastic top which actually is quite bulky but it didn't bother me that much. the bullet itself looks quite well made but the cap looks a bit cheap and I fear if it was just slung into a hand bag and got banged around too much it would crack and fall off.

The product - the product applies smoothly to the lips but the shade I have, 045 Cotton Candy, is very glittery so I wouldn't buy this if you were hoping to have a subtle colour to wear in the office. I know some of the other shades are also really sparkly so be careful to try them before you buy if this isn't for you. The formula is quite smooth but I haven't found it to be that moisturising on my super dry lips and sometimes can actually make them look worse. However the pigmentation is excellent and on some of the brighter colours I was really surprised how pigmented they were. Unfortunately I found that this product does not last that long, probably 20 minutes to half an hour. If I put it on before I drive to work it's normally gone by the time I get in the office which is a huge disappointment!

I love the colour lollipop but I'm not sure that I'm impressed enough with my current lip butter to go and spend more money on one!

I'm not saying this is a bad product but given the hype I really wanted to love this product and I just don't!

Hope you all had amazing weekends!

L x x x x

Simple Flawless make up Katy Perry style

When I saw this stunning picture of Katy Perry on the cover of More magazine I instantly loved it. It's simple and clean looking, perfect for a casual night out with friends and the berry lips add a fun touch to the look.

I recreated this look using some of my favourite products.

Firstly I used a foundation a couple of shades lighter than my own as Katy is quite pale in this photo. I used Yves Saint Laurent Teint Radiance radiance enhancing flawless foundation in shade number 1. I buffed this into the skin really well using my Real Techniques buffing brush. I then used my touché éclat radiant touch concealer under my eyes to keep this look really fresh.

I applied some urban decay primer potion to my lids and then applied Sin which is a really pretty shimmery pink eyeshadow from the Urban Decay Naked palette all over the lid but not above the crease.

I then used my L'Oreal black Super Liner to apply a thin line to my upper lash line taking the liner right to the edge of the eye before creating a very small flick.

Katy's lashes are really long and defined without looking like false lashes so I used Yves Saint Laurent Faux Cils mascara for great length and definition.

Katy's eyebrows are dark and angular so I filled in my own brows with Mac's mystery eyeshadow and an angled brush.

I then powdered the skin as Katy's look is quite matte, before applying the smallest amount of Avon's Ideal luminous blush in peach. I don't think that these blushes have been released yet but believe this will be available very shortly from your Avon representatives.

Finally I coloured in my lips with Barry M lip pencil in number 2 and then layered it with Avon Anew lip plumping lip balm for a slightly glossy look.

I realise now that I've used an awful lot of Yves Saint Laurent products but you can use what ever you have to recreate this look.

If you would like a video tutorial of this look let me know!

Lauren xx

Can you buy a good foundation for £3???

I was in boots last weekend stocking up on some beauty essentials and having a nose around the new make up products and noticed that Collection 2000 have rereleased their Naturally Matt foundation which costs just £3!

Having been impressed by some of Collection 2000's products in the past I thought I would give this one a try and see if you really can get a decent foundation for less than £5.

First of all I bought shade no 2 blonde which I thought would be my colour and without any testers it was impossible to tell. When I got it home I couldn't get over how dark the colour was and was unsure as to whether I would be able to use it. You can see how dark it is below both in the tube and when blended into the skin.

However I was determined to try this and actually managed to make it work by ensuring it was well blended down my neck.

The formula is very thick and I applied it with my Real Techniques buffing brush to make sure it was buffed into the skin. It wasn't as matte as I was expecting/hoping so that was the first disappointment and secondly when applying my concealer I noticed, as I blended my concealer in, some of the foundation lifted from my skin into little bits which looked dirty. I did solve this by applying the concealer with a brush. This lifting of the product seems to stop once the foundation has dried and set on the skin.

Overall I'm not particularly excited by this foundation but it's not terrible. I was surprised, given that it's designed to be a matte foundation, and therefore more suitable for those with an oily skin, that it sat so well on my skin. Despite the issues above I have worn this foundation to work on several occasions now so I think that this will get used but it's certainly not something I would use on a client.

Given it's price I wasn't expecting too much but its definitely a usable product.

Hope you are all keeping well!!

L x x x

My skin care routine for dry skin

Being a beauty junkie I tend to change my make up products on a regular basis, my skin care however is one part of my beauty obsession that remains fairly constant.

I have fairly dry skin that I need to keep hydrated or I find that I tend to get breakouts. On the whole my skin is pretty clear and I've never really struggled with acne but I put a lot of this down to the Liz Earle skin care.

I've tried all sorts of products in the past including Dermalogica which are great products but I constantly find myself coming back to Liz Earle and if you see all the awards that Liz Earle have won you'll probably understand why.

My Night Time Routine

My absolute favourite cleanser of all time is the cult favourite Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. I can't actually tell you how long I've been using this cleanser for, it seems like forever. I love how clean it makes my skin feel. For those of you that haven't come across this product before its a creamy cleanser which is suitable for all skin types. It has loads of great natural ingredients which smell amazing! The cleanser in itself is great but the real magic comes when it's used with the muslin cloth supplied with it. It gently exfoliates and leaves your skin feeling amazingly clean and soft.

I also have a bottle of eye make up remover which just helps to remove any waterproof mascara as I find this can be difficult to remove sometimes with the cleanse and polish. I recently bought Rimmel London's gentle eye make up remover, well I'm not sure that gentle is the word because this stuff makes my eyes sting like crazy! It says on the bottle its suitable for sensitive eyes, I wouldn't really say I have sensitive eyes if I'm honest so I was quite surprised to find this problem. I would love to take it back and get my money back if I'm honest. I have a feeling this will be making its way to my bin very soon!

After my cleanse and polish I always use Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic. I prefer to use it in a spray bottle rather than applying with a cotton wool pad as I feel like I use less of the product. I usually just spritz it on and leave it to sink into my skin on its own while I brush my teeth. This also is suitable for all skin types but I find it amazingly moisturising in fact some nights I've actually gone to bed with no moisturiser and my skin has still felt really comfortable.

I always used to complete my night time routine with the Liz Earle Skin Repair for dry and sensitive skin which I love but since turning 26 in May I decided that it was time to start taking really good care of my skin as they say that your skin starts to lose its youthfulness and elasticity from around 26. I noticed that Avon had a special deal on where you could buy a complete range of their Anew skin care for £20 as part of their 20th anniversary offers so I decided to take advantage of it and see what I thought. I bought the renew rejuvenate creams which are designed for those over 30 but as there doesn't seem to be any creams out there that cater for those of us in our late 20s I thought I'd give it a go. The set that I received comprises of a day, night and eye cream. The night cream is of a gel consistency but is not that thick so I was concerned that it wouldn't be heavy enough for my dry skin to keep it hydrated all night. I was wrong, this cream does a great job and although I haven't noticed any dramatic changes to my skin I really feel like my skin is brighter and smoother. Obviously I'm not expecting my skin to look up to 5 years younger as the brochure suggests given I'm 4 years under the target market for this product.

The eye cream is also fab it comes in a pot with two sides which contain a day and night cream. The night cream is more of a gel like consistency which gives a long lasting source of moisture which will cope with the needs of your skin at night as skin cell turnover can be up to 8 times faster while you sleep. Not having any wrinkles means I have no idea if this cream is actually doing anything for me but if it helps prevent wrinkles than I'm all for it!

I also keep some cleansing wipes handy for those evenings when you get in really late and the thought of doing a full cleansing routine fills you with dread! My favourites are Soap and Glory's Off your Face cleaning cloths. I love these in particular because they're really gentle and apparently act as both a cleanser and a toner so I usually just whip off my make up with these and then slap on some moisturiser and get into bed. They aren't the cheapest wipes priced at £4.50 but if you're not using them on a daily basis I think they're well worth the money.

My Morning Routine

I don't normally have time to do a full cleanse and tone in the morning so I tend to use a scrub or facial wash in the shower. Every other day I use a scrub and I love the St Ives apricot scrub for dry and sensitive skin. St Ives is apparently the UK's best selling scrub brand so they must be doing something right! I absolutely love this scrub and it leaves my skin feeling super soft and it is gentle enough to use on a daily basis however with the cleanse and polish I don't feel the need to, so on the other days I use Soap and Glory's Face Soap and Clarity which is a gel facial cleanser which apparently works as a scrub as well but I don't find it abrasive enough to really scrub my skin but I like the way it leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean afterwards. It can be a little drying and on the Boots website it does state that it's good for young problem skin so this might be why. I find once I've put my moisturiser on its fine though so I wouldn't let that put you off trying it.

I then follow with the day eye cream from my Anew rejuvenate skin care kit and the day moisturiser before I apply my make up. I always used to use the Garnier eye roll on before make up which I also loved. I don't have puffy under eye circles but it is excellent for helping with these!

On an ad hoc basis I will also use the Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing mask. I find this is particularly good for after you have been ill and taking care of your skin hasn't been your main priority and it can look dull and feel dry or stressed. I find this is a great quick fix for skin that needs a pick me up!

This might seem like a lot of products and it probably is! I think I probably could get by just using the Liz Earle cleanser, toner and moisturiser if I'm honest but I am really enjoying my Avon skin care so I'm going to keep going with it!

Let me know if you have any questions.