Holiday Skincare

I finally have found some wifi in Cafe Nero in Kings Lynn yay so here's a post to keep you all going for a tiny bit till Sat/Sun

As you know by my post yesterday I am away for a week and wifi is spotty at best so I thought I would do a post on what skincare items I brought with me.

Micellar Water

This is a biggie I deported my Garnier micellar water into a pump bottle for easier transport. I love this micellar water it does really well at cleansing my face.

Halo Eye Makeup Remover Wipes

These are if I get back late and I am being lazy at removing my eye makeup these do the trick nicely.

Garnier Ambre Solaire Face and Body SPF30

I love this it's small so itcan fit in my handbag easily and it does a good job of protecting me from the sun.

Hawaiian Tropics Silky Face Lotion SPF30

This is a new purchase, I saw that this is good to be applied under makeup (that is always a good thing) at the moment it is in a testing phase with me so keep an eye out for a review next month.

Botanics Toning Spritz

This is a big favourite for me it takes the last hanger ons if my makeup so I'm ready for applying my moisturiser.

Boots Cucumber Eye Gel

This is really cooling for under the eyes and helps with the puffy eyes.

The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Moisturiser SPF15

This is a really nice moisturiser and mattifies the skin really well.

Travel Wipes x10

These were bought from home bargains for £1 I think they are really useful they take off my makeup when I am being lazy and they are good for wiping hands.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma

xxxx

Spotty WiFi

To my subscribers,

Sorry for the no posts for a couple of days, that was due to illness and no energy. Posts will be spotty this week as I am away till Saturday n wifi is spotty where I am so keep an eye on Bloglovin and some posts should be up ASAP

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma

xxxx

Jungle Gem - Sally Hansen

Welcome to another polish from Sally Hansen, this is Jungle Gem, a dark blue colour.

With all Sally Hansen polishes they are 7 in 1 so you don't need a top coat or bottom coat as the polish already has this in it.

The polish is highly pigmented, and goes opaque on the 1st coat (I added a 2nd coat anyway). The brush is a large flat brush and applies to the nail really well. The formula wasn't too drippy and the brush didn't take on too much of the product onto the brush.

I really loved this colour and thought it would be a good colour for Autumn, this one will be popping back out in Autumn 2014.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma

L'Oreal L'Extrodinaire Liquid Lipstick

This is the new release from L'Oreal the L'Extrodinaire Liquid Lipstick.

L'Oreal describe this product as having three dimensions of lip perfection, the pigmentation of a lipstick, the shine of a gloss and the softness of a lip balm. Well these are very huge boasts that L'Oreal are making so I just had to try it out and see what all the fuss was about.

Pigmentation of a Lipstick
This when applied to the lips is very pigmented and applies really well to the lips. I only need to swipe the applicator over the lips once and the colour came out really well.

Shine of a Gloss
As you can see in the swatch the shine of this product is high and it adds a really nice shine to the lips.

Softness of a Balm
This really does moisturise the lips, after wearing this for a couple of hours the lipstick didn't start to go claggy.

Overall I really liked this product, and the colour was a great nude colour, the colour wasn't a shade too close to my skin colour (don't want it to look like I have no lips). I love the packaging the product looks a lot more expensive then it actually is (L'Oreal seem to have the edge on this). When I am next in the drugstore I will look at the other colours in the range.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

Morny Lily of the Valley Body Moisturiser

I love Lily of the Valley, it is my favourite flower so when I spotted this moisturiser for £1 I couldn't say no. I've recently found this in Savers for the same price but this was also found in the local £ shop.

The scent of it is gorgeous, the scent is also quite strong but it lasts on the skin for hours. The formula of the moisturiser is one I am not used to as it is very liquidy (I'm a Body Shop body butter snob, which are a lot thicker then this one).

I did like this moisturiser it did melt into the skin quite easily and you didn't really need a lot of product to really moisturise your skin. One thing that I did notice is that it is blooming cold when putting it onto the skin.

I would repurchase this moisturiser again (but at the moment I have a backlog of body moisturisers that I need to use).

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

L'Oreal Colour Appeal Eyeshadow - Beige Platinum

This is a lovely champagne colour eyeshadow which is great as a base colour when trying to create a smokey eye.

Pigmentation of the eyeshadow is really good and when packed onto the eyelid create a great base. I have been wearing this eyeshadow on its own as part of a natural look when I am at work.

The eyeshadow does apply well to lid and it is easily blendable with other colours. I do want to try the rest of the other shades in the range and see how good they are.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

The Body Shop Cocoa Lip Gloss

As you know I love The Body Shop and their Chocomania range, so when I saw there was a cocoa lip gloss, that was it I was sold.

I bought this at Christmas when The Body Shop had their special offer on of 'spend £50 and get £25 off'.

I've not really dipped my toe in Body Shop make-up barring their eyeshadows years ago, so this really was my first dip into their makeup for a couple of years.

The lip gloss is really shimmery, but as you can see in the swatch above once applied the lip gloss is very sheer, so this can be worn during the day as something to give your lips a bit of a shine.

As you can see the lip gloss is a tube type gloss with the plastic applicator, it does apply to the lips really easy (but most tube lip glosses do).

Overall a nice lip gloss and one that is great just to stick in your bag just to add a nice sheen to your lips.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

Limoncello - Avon Colour Gel

I know we are still in Spring but Summer is not far away so to start getting in the mood for the summer months I ordered Limoncello from the new Avon Gel Finish range that was recently released this year.

Limoncelo is a bright yellow polish with minute bits of glitter, it is highly pigmented (which really surprised me), I thought due to the colour it would take 4 coats max.

On the Avon site they state:-

"High impact nail colour with a gellike finish without a UV lam. Base coat, protection, shine, colour and top coat, all in one nail polish. Strengthens nails by up to 42%." (Avon Gel Finish page)

I have to admit that above statement from Avon is true, this nail polish is the shizz!! It took only two coats before the nail polish was opaque.

When it comes to the staying power of this nail polish I don't even think a jackhammer could remove this. I went into the shower while wearing this (now with other polishes, when in the shower they always chip or flake off due to the heat of the water), this polish never moved, never flaked, never chipped.

I loved this polish, once I put it on I was iffy about the colour as I wasn't sure if it suited my skin tone, but after a couple of days it did start to grow on me (this is always good).

I will be having a look at the other shades in the range, and think they will become a massive staple in  my nail polish collection.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

B. Vivid Eyeshadow

I have never tried anything from the B. Cosmetics range at Superdrug and these eyeshadows just popped out at me.

For the Price of £4.99 they are quite affordable (I bought some when Superdrug had B. Cosmetics on half price so £2.50)

Filigree
this is a shimmery moss green colour that would look well on the lid during a night time look or it's that light enough that it would look ok on the lids during the day.

Cocoa
This is a dark brown matte shade, a great crease colour when you want to create a smokey look during the night

Elfin
Elfin is a light brown shimmery shade, that is really shimmery that it almost looks metallic on the picture.

Cinnamon
This is another matte shade from the range, a lovely reddish brown that applies well to the lids and as you can see from the swatch very pigmented.

Ballet
Another shimmery shade this baby pink colour would be good as a base colour for a smokey eye

Nougat
This is a shimmery beige colour with very good pigmentation on the skin. This would be good if teamed with another shade as either a base or as a crease colour.


The range has a small colour selection, but I think they could easily add some more to the range. I do love these eyeshadows they apply well the the lids (there are one or two of the lighter colours that just need a tiny bit of patting to make them fully opaque). They are all a pressed powder and they all blend very easily together (which is a good thing as a lot of the colours are great to put together for a smokey eye).

Overall a great eyeshadow and for £4.99 they are not a bad price either.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

Miss Sporty So Clear Face Powder

I was browsing in Superdrug when this little compact caught my attention, a powder that states it is going to minimise pores, breakouts and imperfections on the skin. Well this I had to try due to it's bold statements.

The powder applies well to the face and does mattify the skin, I will admit when using this powder I didn't notice any massive breakouts and if I did they were only inherently small.

When applied to the face the powder did feel very lightweight on the skin, and it didn't feel like it was making drying my skin. I also noticed there was little to no oxidisation on the skin which is always a good thing (looking like you have been Tango'd is never a good thing).

Overall a really good powder and very inexpensive due to it's £2.99 price tag, I would purchase this again in the future as well.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

E.L.F. Lipsticks

A while back I did a big order on the ELF website and out of that I ordered two of their lipsticks in Fantasy and Charming. The lipsticks were inexpensive at £1.50 each so I thought I would give them a whirl

Fantasy

 Fantasy is a dark chocolate brown in the tube but when applied to the lips applies a lot lighter so it isn't too dark. The llipstick can be layered so you can make the colour darker if you want to, I had two coats of the lipstick to get this colour from it.

Charming

Charming in the tube is a dark pink colour (it reminds me of Revlon Sultry), as with Fantasy this can be layered to create a darker colour on the lips, this again had two coats of colour.

I will admit that I did find the packaging to be quite cheap (but you do get what you pay for) and flimsy (like it will just break in 2 minutes), the lipsticks apply well and can be built up to create a darker colour. I will admit I'm not sold on these yet and don't know if I will purchase anymore from the range.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo

These eyeshadows are a big favourite with beauty bloggers and I can see why, there are a wide range of shades and I have six of them here to show you.

The first three are 24K Gold, Endless Purple, and Eternal Gold.

24K Gold
This is a really strong gold coloured eyeshadow, I have worn this on a night out previously and it looked fantastic. (an idea is to use this and the eternal gold as a smokey eye type Las Vegas effect)

Endless Purple
This is a lovely purple (my camera has turned the swatch blue for some reason) and really does look good on the lids.

Eternal Gold
This is a muted gold colour, not as bright as the 24K Gold but something that could be worn during the day without being too loud on the eyes,

The next three are Permanent Taupe, Everlasting Navy, and On and On Bronze

Permanent Taupe
This is one of my favourite colours of the range, once applied to the eyes its a grey colour and is easily blendable.

Everlasting Navy
I bought this colour to coincide with the Doctor Who anniversary as it was such a Doctor Who blue. Looks really good on the eyes, to tone it down I use a lighter eyeshadow shade over the top and blend in, but could be used in a smokey eye look.

On and On Bronze
This is a colour that a lot of youtubers seem to love and I can see why its such a lovely shimmery brown that really does look amazing on the eyes.

All these eyeshadows don't need much on the brush to be applied to the eyes as they are all highly pigmented, all are also easily blendable with your finger.

These are some great eyeshadows, I will admit Permanet Taupe and On an On Bronze are my favourite.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

HRH - Butter London

This is my first Butter London nail polish, so I did have high hopes as this is my first high-end make up purchase. I will admit I sat for a while trying to take the lid off (the lid pulls off and reveals the screw top lid with the polish brush attached). I liked the pictures that were attached to the side

This is a lovely shimmery purple colour and reminds me of the Dairy Milk chocolate wrappers from Cadbury's. The polish applies to the nail quite streaky because of the tiny brush, the size of the brush can be a help and a hindrance. A help because you can get into all the corners, but a hindrance because of its size the polish on the first coat goes streaky.

On the second coat the polish does apply really well and go opaque, as you can see in the picture that the polish hasn't gone streaky and looks really good on. This did become one of my favourite polishes because of the colour payoff.

Overall a great polish, terrifying to apply on the first coat because of the streakiness of the polish, but it does clear up on the second coat. I am looking forward to trying other Butter London polishes in the future.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

Avon True Colour 8-in1 Eyeshadow Palette - The Nudes

You would have seen a sneak peak of this in my Avon Haul post a couple of weeks back. I've managed to get some uses out of this palette and I am ready to talk.

As you know I like my neutral colours, I'm a natural look kinda gal and these shadows do it, they are great for when you want to have a 'I'm not wearing makeup or am I?' kinda days (me at work, so everyday basically for me).

The palette is small as well so it's easier for travel (if I use this palette it comes with me in my makeup bag if I need to re-apply), the colours range from a mattes to shimmers and as you can see the colour payoff on 75% of them are fantastic (the swatch is just one swipe of my finger). The other 25% just had to be patted onto the eyelid just to make the colour show.

I have to admit I really do like this palette I love the size of it (it will be coming to London with me in July because of its size) and it has such a varying range of colours that can take you from day to night quite easily.

This retails on the Avon website here for £12.00 and comes in 2 shades (nudes and metallic).

Have you found any palettes that you've fallen in love with recently?

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser Eye Concealer - Light

I love a concealer, especially one that is going to cover the dark circles under my eyes.

This was Maybelline's launch at the end of 2013 and the concealer contains goji berry which supposedly helps the under eye area from the rigours of a busy social life and lack of sleep.

I am iffy over the applicator, the sponge on top is all well and good but it is unhygenic and bacteria can grow on it, also you never know if any is coming out of the packaging or if you are just reusing what is already on the sponge. When applying this to the under eye area I dab it under the eyes and then use my finger to blend the concealer in.

I'm also not a fan of the colour it's a bit to yellowish and it is a bit difficult to blend in because of the yellowish tones, it could be I just need to try the other shade of this and that might have a different tone to it but this is not rocking my boat so to speak.

I may not be a fan of this concealer but I will admit it does stay under my eyes for ages, I came to reapply the concealer after 7hrs and it was still under my eyes, all I needed was a light dusting off powder over my face.

I don't think I will repurchase this as I do find the applicator a bit unhygienic and the shade a bit too yellow for my skin tone.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

April Empties

 

Welcome to my April empties, it always surprises me how much I actually get through it a month. Anyway let us get on with the show:-







 

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - This is a great cleansing water, I love that you get 400mls for 4/2.99 (depending on where you shop) and it lasted around 2 months of constant use to get my makeup off and just general cleansing.

Tresemme Heat Defence Styling Spray - I love this heat protectant, I use it all the time when I am straightening my hair as it really protects my hair from high heats and doesn't make it feel greasy afterwards.

Garnier Ultimate Beauty Oil - I love a body oil after a bath/shower as I feel that a bath/shower takes more moisture so the oil just gives an intense hit of moisture. I wrote in my post about this that my hands got greasy and made it hard to use the pump. Once I stopped have a stupid moment I realise to spray it all over first then rub in. I did like this oil but it is a bit pricey about the same price range as The Body Shop Beautifying oil so I would repurchase if it was on offer.

NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray - I was iffy with this product and in some ways I still am it had a weird smell and when I sprayed the product it just seemed to go everywhere but my face and for £8 I don't think I would purchase this again.

Lush Rub Rub Rub Body Scrub - This is the second time this has shown up in my empties and it probably will show up again. I love this scrub it really does clear all the dead skin and leaves my skin feeling really soft. I will be repurchasing when I've used up some of my other body scrubs.

Superdrug Oval Cotton Wool Pads - I went through 2 packets of these which is quite amazing, but I do love these to spot clean my brushes with the No7 Brush Cleanser. They are oval so I can really swirl the brush around the pad, I already have a backup packet in place.

Bodycare Pink Round Cotton Wool Pads - I like Bodycare's cotton wool pads as they are really soft on the skin, and these were pink so it was quite a novelty. I would purchase these pads again when I am next near a Bodycare shop

Pure Baby Soft & Gentle Baby Wipes - I used to do my makeup in the bathroom but over Christmas my partner got me the No7 light up mirror so I have sorted out a little vanity area for me but I have applying products then opening another product and just making a mess. I use a baby wipe to clean my hands while applying then I properly wash my hands afterwards to get rid of everything.
These were OK baby wipes which I got from my local Home Bargains shop for under £1, I would repurchase again as they were ok.

There's my empties, I hope you enjoyed yourself, and where there any products there that you have been using and loved/hated.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

April Favourites

Welcome to my April Favourites, I am sorry I know I am running 2 days behind so expect a bombardment of posts this weekend to catch up.

I haven't got many favourites this month, I've been on a use up month at the moment, I will admit there are mostly nail polishes in the post as I have used some great ones. Now on with the favourites.

Mark Hill Anti-Humidity Spray - When I do straighten my hair I have nightmares about my hair just frizzing out so this spray helps keep my hair frizz free, which for me is always good. It feels really light on the hair and doesn't feel like it is going to make my hair greasy by adding more product onto the hair.

Dove Original Antiperspirant - I always have a bottle of deodorant in my bag it is one of my bag staples. I had a travel sized of the dove orignal and forgot how great it smells so I had to go out and buy the compressed version.

Models Own HyperGel (Cornflower Gleam) - I aabsolutely love this light blue colour it looked brilliant on the nails and applied so well. I wore it for 4 days before I took it off to change the colour and it hadn't even chipped. I think if I left it on it would've lasted a lot longer on my nails.

Butter London (HRH) - This I wore to match an outfit I was wearing for a colleagues leaving party. This is a gorgeous purple colour and reminded me for the Cadbury's wrappers for Dairy Milk. The brush was quite small but allowed to get into the hard to reach bits.

MUA (Frozen Yoghurt) - This was such a different colour for Spring, it wasn't a pastel purple but it was just a hint darker then a pastel purple. It applied to the nails really well and dried really quickly.

Models Own Speckled Egg (Magpie) - April was Easter month and Models Own brought out their Speckled Egg collection. This was a gorgeous turquoise blue with speckles. It applied really well and looked amazing on the nail the speckles really did look good.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx

Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel Palette

Everyone loves a palette and Sleek know how to bring them, this is their Au Naturel palette that consists of 12 eyeshadows of nudes to browns, shimmers to mattes.

As you can see the top row consists of the lighter shades mainly mattes and one shimmer on the end. Some of the eyeshadows are pigmented on just 1 finger swipe and others when applied may need to be patted on just to get some payoff on the eyes.

The bottom row consists of the darker shades of the palette, and this row contains 4 mattes and 2 shimmer colours. As you can see in the swatch the darker shades are quite pigmented so only a tiny bit is needed.

This palette is great for a natural smokey eye look (I have dipped my toe into the waters with this palette and it did look great). The eyeshadows are easily applied to the eyes and really easy to blend with each other.

I have to admit I do love this palette as it is great for during the day at work as well as using on a night to create some more dramatic looks.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
xxxx