Soap and Glory First Impressions

I just love the packaging on S&G products and have heard rave reviews about orangeasm, as well as a few other bath products. I bought 3 travel sized products and was inspired to do the review as EssieButton did a brand focus on S&G. I will link the video below, however I haven't watched it yet as below I have formed my own opinions without her influence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE376wh_dzs

Hand Food
One of my favourite hand creams ever! Smells gorgeous, isn't greasy and the effects last all day. A very high quality product!

Shampoo
Normally I use Tresemme, and decided to use this travel sized one this morning and to be honest I didn't really like it. My hair doesn't feel soft or nourished. I will probably finish up the bottle, and wouldn't repurchase a full size.

Body wash
I have used the body wash a few times now - great smell and I love the packaging. I'm not sure that body wash is something that I'm fussed to spend extra on, but this is a good product and would be most likely to buy it as a gift for someone.

Moisturiser
A great moisturiser! It doesn't feel greasy and a little goes a long way, but I would recommend an extra more heavy duty moisturiser if you get very dry skin or have patches of dryness.

Budget skin care for acne sufferers + my acne story

I thought I would tackle this in one long blog post, as those who suffer from acne like me know just how important it is to have a skincare routine that works well. If I am missing one of my products, then my skin will always let me know! I have had acne ever since I was 10 years old, which was hard as I was the only person in my class with it and people called me names and would ask why my face looked the way it did. It wasn't nice, and made me feel uncomfortable, especially before my mid-teens when I was only one of a few.

 

Over the past few years my acne has drastically improved. I have tried so many products on the market, as well as prescribed medication, but recently I have had to change my former medication. This has meant my skin has worsened again, especially as I have been stressed with my final university exams. Because of this, I have decided to use the opportunity to switch up my routine a little and find some different products.

 

My skin is clearing a little now and hopefully will improve over the summer and now that I am less stressed. Here are the products that I use on a regular basis, as well as products I have tried and didn't work for me. As you can see, my favourite brand is Neutrogena. I know they also do a cosmetics line, but I don't believe that it is available in the UK.

 

Daily:

 

Avon solutions balanced + matte spf 15 day cream and complete balance night oil-free gel

Love the moisturiser as it's so light weight and it doesn't even feel like I am wearing any at all. The one non-negotiable in a moisturiser for me is that it must have spf: everyone should wear at least spf 15 every day if they spend time outside as it's so so so important to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays.

The night-time gel I really like because I think that it is mainly water with very few chemicals, which is good because it moisturises without adding many other ingredients to your skin, which I assume is good.

 

 

Neutrogena visibly clear pink grapefruit oil-free moisturiser

This smells delicious! I have some grapefruit moisturiser from The Body Shop too, so it's all about grapefruit at the moment! I love this product because it doesn't break me out and I after I use it at night, I can still feel the effects of it in the morning.

 

Nivea daily essentials refreshing facial wash gel

Although I didn't like the Nivea moisturiser at all, I like this gel. It's not the most amazing product I have ever tried, but it seems fine and so far hasn't broken me out. At some point I would like to find a better daily gel wash.

Bio-oil
This is a product to be used for the long-term for acne scarring. It doesn't make an instantly noticeable difference, so I'm not really sure if it works, but most people swear by it, so I shall continue to use it.

 

As needed:

 Neutrogena gentle exfoliating wash

After I found out that it is harmful to exfoliate your skin twice every day - oops! - I only use this a few times per week and I love it! This is the product on the post that I have used consistently for the longest amount of time.

Quick fix clay mask

At first I thought this mask was breaking me out, but it turns out it was something else after all. It's actually very moisturising and feels like a pamper product, rather than just another face product, which is good after a long day's work. It contains deep sea mud, salicylic acid, and tea tree oil - all good things for acne sufferers!

 

 

Witch hazel tea tree peel off face mask

It's not a luxurious-feeling face mask, but it works well and is oil free, which is great if you have acne like me. My Mum loves it as well!

 

Neutrogena visibly clear rapid clear treatment

It actually does what it claims to do and that is to visibly reduce spots in 4 hours. I had an awful blemish on my chin and so I was very grateful for this product. It's probably best to use without applying makeup over the top

Wouldn't recommend:

 

Simple kind to skin vital vitamin day cream

A friend recommended this to me as she has always used it, but as soon as I put it on I knew I didn't like it at all! It left an oily film across my skin. I tried to use it for about a week, but the situation didn't improve at all so I just gave the pot to her! I've heard lots of people like it though, so it's probably just my skin.

 

 

So there you have it! These are the products that I use on a daily basis to combat acne, as well as one which didn't work for me. I am always on the look out for new things, so if you have a recommendation please leave it in the comments and I will get back to you :)

 

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Review

I love this product! Spoiler - 10/10 :D

 

I don't normally like cream eye shadows (I once spent ages blending a golden cream eye shadow palette from Avon, only to have it crease within 10 minutes!) But this works more like a base and just seems to sit really nicely on your lid - no creasing and it stays looking vibrant all evening. I would definitely recommend this, as it's so straightforward to use.

 

 

L - Permanent taupe

R - On and on bronze

 

 

And this is what it looks like on the lid... (obviously these are taken in different lights)

 

 

Permanent taupe: this has the darkest shade in the Rimmel trio in shade 621 orion blended into the outer corner

 

 

On and on bronze: this is paired with the 17 eyes trio in Enraged in the outer corner and the Barry M kohl pencil in shade 10 (gold) in the tear duct

 

Let me know if you have tried this product and what you thought of it

Body Shop Haul

After hijacking my friend's Body Shop discount card for a few hours, I made my way over and picked up a few things that I have wanted. For some reason, the photo arrangement reminds me of a Christmas tree...

 

 

The first product I picked up was a Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser, which I have used once and was pleased with. The smell of tea tree oil isn't my favourite to be honest, but I used to have severe acne and so prefer to use products with this in mind. The product was very light, which I hadn't really thought about (duh - it's a foam!). I wouldn't use this every day, but it's nice to use after having worn heavy foundation.

 

 

Secondly, I picked up this lipstick in shade 15 after having seen EssieButton wearing it. It's so pretty and buildable. I wore it fairly sheerly the first time, but next time I will build it up a little more.

 



 

 

This blush has honestly improved my entire face - a bold claim!! I have very pale skin and so finding a blush that puts colour in me, without looking too bright, can be a fine balance. I became unhappy with my previous regular blush since I was looking quite washed out compared to my friends in photos. This blush (03 Flushed) is a lot brighter and less peachy then my previous blush and suits me a lot better. I put far too much on at first, but it blended out really nicely so I was really happy with it. 9/10

 

 

 

I'm happy to say that I don't make too many impulse purchases, however this next one was... (Coconut Lip Butter) I smelt it and that was it - I was in love!



 

 

To be honest I didn't really need this but it was on a buy 1, get 1 50% off with the lip butter and therefore was £1.50. It's the Pink Grapefruit Body Puree (moisturiser). I have had it before so I know it works and smells delicious. To be honest, it's nothing that special, but it does the job and is travel sized.

 

 

That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed the post and let me know if you have any other Body Shop recommendations I should try out :)



Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint Review

Such pretty colours :-0

 

Left: Blueberry, Right: Prickly Pear



I like to think of Blueberry as 'Cinderella' blue! It's such a timeless colour, and I had so many compliments when wearing both.

I'll be honest and say that I am fairly consistent in polish colours; I always stick to pinks, nudes, reds, and purples (and the odd metallic for something special). But I have seen so many beauty gurus talk about pastel nail polish, so I decided that it as time for a change. At first I wasn't sure how it looked against my skin (very light, cool undertones), but the longer I had it on, the more I started to like it.

Despite the colours being so fresh and 'spring-y', I was slightly disappointed with the durability. I tend to stick with No 7, and this lasted no way near as long (2 days looking newly painted). However, you may only want either of these colours on for a short period of time, so I wasn't too fussed (especially as they are only £3.99 each).

I feel I was several years too late on the Barry M nail varnish band wagon! Aside from the lasting factor, I was very very pleased with the colours :) 8/10

Are there any other particular colours I should try from Barry M?

Fancy Dinner

I wanted to write a post regarding the look I wore for my university leavers' dinner, which is just before my final exams and graduation. I wanted something quite understated, yet different to the good old neutral eye, and this is what I came up with...

 

Eyes: Maybelline colour tattoo in permanent taupe; The Natural Collection eyeshadow in heather; darkest brown shade from the Rimmel eyeshadow trio in Orion; Maybelline Master Precise liquid eyeliner in black; Maybelline define-a-brow in medium brown; Rimmel Kajal eye liner pencil in stormy grey

Lips: The Body Shop lipstick in shade 15; Rimmel exaggerate full colour lip liner in eastend snob (!)

Face: The Body Shop blush in flushed; Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation; Covergirl concealer in fair; Maybelline Fit me powder in 110

I got a few compliments, which was nice, and overall was quite happy with the look :) Let me know what you think in the comments xxx

EYES-EYES-EYES

Although it's been done to death, I still stand by bronze-y eye shadow as being one of the most beautiful looks that works all year round. It's been popular for so long now, that I fear it will lose its interest :0 But for now, here are some of my budget favourites...

When I want something to look special, but am not feeling imaginative, I gravitate towards my 17 Eyes in Enraged It's super shimmery and a really nice formula.

 

This is the first thing I have ever owned from Sephora and it was a gift to me. It is such a nice palette, with all the basic bronzes (and a few greys/blacks) to a really nice smoky eye. The bottom left shade is a perfect inner tear duct shade. It would be great for travelling as you can do a lot of different looks with it.

Now this is a funny one! This was my very first bronze eye shadow I owned, from H&M! It's called Hot Sand I have one other duo from H&M that I wasn't as pleased with. The colour on the left is such a lovely shade for your brow bone, without appearing too glittery/white pigmented. I can't say I've ever bought more H&M make up after the second duo, but this bronze set is lovely.

Now to finish off with another shade from 17 (statuesque). This has a definite rose gold vibe - love it!

Comment below and let me know if I'm missing off any other of the best Drugstore eye shadows, as I would love to try some more!