REVIEW: Soap & Glory Hand Food

As you've probably guessed from the above image, I absolutely love Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream. In fact it's my favourite all time hand cream by a long, long way. I first tried it a  while ago when it came it a christmas gift set and I've never looked back. It comes in 3 different sizes, a mini handbag sized tube(50ml), a medium tube(125ml) and a large pump top bottle(250ml). As it's currently on 3 for 2 and the big bottles are the best value, I decided to stock up! You don't need too much either so this stash will last me a long time!

So why do I love it so much? Well the main reason is that the formula is extremely rich and nourishing but still manages to sink into the skin really quickly without leaving any greasy residue. Usually I find with hand creams, it's one or the other. It contains some great ingredients like shea butter, macadamia oil, grape seed oil and sweet almond oil so it leaves hands feeling lastingly moisturised rather than just tiding you over till the next hand wash! 

As if that isn't enough it also has the loveliest scent, it's a slightly sweet and very delicate floral fragrance that's quite subtle. If the like the fragrance of some of their other products such as Flake Away Body Scrub, Clean On Me Shower Gel and The Righteous Butter Body Butter then you'll love this because it's the same scent!

What is you favourite hand cream? 

Spring Makeup Bag

When it comes to makeup, spring is definitely one of my favourite seasons, although I do feel a bit like I say that every season. The fresh dewy skin, which in my case is usually achieved with a combination of foundation, concealer and highlighter, the sheer washes of juicy colour on the lips and cheeks and barely there eyes seem to get me all excited, is it just me?

For the aforementioned barely there eyes I'll be reaching for Natural Collection Solo Eyeshadow in Barley and Nars Single eyeshadow in Night Star. The Natural Collection one is super pigmented and leaves a glistening champagne sheen on the lids, the Nars is a sheerer formula that contains specks of golden champagne glitter. They're both beautiful individually but layered together they are even more stunning!

For cheeks I be reaching for either Benefit Cha Cha Tint or Nars Multiple in Orgasm, depending on what I'm wearing on my lips. The iconic Nars wear with everything shade is a perfect peachy pink with a hint of gold shimmer that just seems to work on every skin tone. The Benefit on the other hand I reserve for when I'm wearing orange or a slick of clear balm on the lips. Don't let the orange shade scare you, it applies really sheer and blends into the skin amazingly well. 

For lips I have 3 options, all of which can pretty much be slicked on mirror free. The first is Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon in Peach on the Beach, it sits it just the right spot between orange and pink and does something amazing for the complexion. The second is Dior Addict Lip Glow, a product I will buy again and again. It's a super moisturising lip balm that adapts to your lip most natural and flattering shade of pink, no makeup makeup at it's best. Lastly, for when I'm feeling a tad braver, it will be Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, and orangey red shade that can applied sheer in one coat or built up to a full on statement lip.

What makeup products will you be reaching for this spring?

REVIEW: Botanics Ionic Clay Mask

I feel like I've been raving non stop about the Boots Botanics skincare range as of late, but hear me out, I promise it's worth it! Their products are really well thought out and made with good ingredients so they're great value for money. Their Ionic Clay Mask is no exception, I've been using it for the last few weeks now and it's great for congested and clogged up skin that just feels like it needs a good clean. 

The consistency is a lot thinner than other clay masks I've tried, which means it dries a lot faster so there isn't so much waiting around. It rinses off really well without dragging or pulling the skin and leaves it feeling cleaner and fresher but not completely stripped and screaming out for  moisture. 

I've been using it anywhere between once a week, as a skin maintenance product, to every other day during times when my skin is oilier or more congested than usual. It's really great and speeding up the lifecycle of spots or just getting skin back to normal.

What are your favourite face masks?

OBJECTS OF DESIRE: Liberty London Large Green Iphis Zip Pouch

Liberty London Large Green Iphis Zip Pouch

REVIEW: The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder Foundation

Last week I reviewed the Liquid Foundation from The Body Shop's Extra Virgin Minerals range (which you can read here), unfortunately I didn't get on too well with that one but the Loose Powder Foundation from the same range is a whole other story. 

I'm not usually one for powder foundations as I generally prefer a natural / dewy finish rather than a matte one. I must admit, when I bought this I actually didn't realise it was a powder foundation! I thought it was just a loose setting powder and that's what I've been using it as. 

I really like the texture of this powder as it's quite finely milled so doesn't leave the skin with a powdery, caked on look. It manages to get rid of unwanted shine, set concealer and still look natural. It also has an added SPF25 which is an extra bonus. Definitely worth a swatch if you're on the hunt for a loose powder. 

NOTD #22

On my nails today is Sephora's Color Hit Nail Lacquer in Sweet Candy, a pastel, bright, bubblegum pink which I'm still not 100% sure of. It's not the kind of colour I'd usually go for as I think it's a little bit barbieish but at the same time it seems to have grown on me!

As always with these polishes, both the formula and brush are brilliant and I think their idea of making small nail varnishes for cheaper prices is great because who ever gets through a whole nail varnish? The only time I ever do is if it's a real favourite.

What do you think of this colour?

REVIEW: Make Up For Ever Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream

Most people think of concealers as a bit of a boring makeup category, and I guess compared to lipsticks and eyeshades I can see why. Not me though, I always seem to be drawn to concealers when I'm browsing beauty counters. My quest for for 'the one' continues!

I've tested more than my fair share of concealers in my time and the Make Up For Ever Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream is definitely my favourite in the high coverage category. The thick formula is really densely pigmented and can cover absolutely anything, it also layers really well with out looking at all cakey so if need be, you can keep piling it on! Another great advantage is that it's waterproof, so perfect for hot sweaty summers, rainy weather or by the pool on holiday. 

As this is such a high coverage concealer, I tend to use it more for evenings out or for special occasions when I know pictures will probably be taken! For day to day I tend to prefer more medium coverage concealers like the Revlon Colourstay Concealer so I can allow my skin to 'breathe'. If I happen to be traveling and just want to take one with me I tend to go for this one and it's easy to thin out with some moisturiser into a lighter coverage concealer, a foundation or even a tinted moisturiser. There's nothing I love more than a versatile, multi use product. 

Make Up For Ever wasn't the easiest brand to get hold of over here in the UK but now that Sephora US ships to us you can just order it online.  

Empties #7

Welcome to another Empties post where I talk about all the products I've used up, what I thought of them and whether or not I would repurchase them. 

First up is a trio from Boots Extracts, the Shower Gel, Sugar Scrub and Body Butter which I got together in a set in the Christmas sales. The Shower Gel is nothing fancy really, it does the job, but the Sugar Scrub (full review here) and Body Butter (full review here) are seriously amazing! The scrub really smoothes out the skin and leaves it feeling really silky and the body butter is really rich but sinks into the skin amazingly quickly. 

Repurchase? Shower Gel, Maybe. Sugar Scrub and Body Butter, Definitely!

Next, more body products, it's only when I do these empties posts that I realise how quickly I go through them! The Soap & Glory Smoothie Star is one that I unfortunately didn't like at all and found a bit of a chore to use up. I just didn't like the scent at all. On the other end of the scale was the Righteous Butter, also by Soap & Glory which I absolutely loved (full review here). It smells amazing and the rich formula really nourished my skin. 

Repurchase? Smoothie Star, No. Righteous Butter, Yes 

On to hair products, the Charles Worthington Salon at Home Moisture Seal Mineral Rescue Masque is one I just can't rave enough about. It featured in my recent favourites post and I also did a full review which you can see here. It's basically the best drugstore hair conditioner I've ever tried!

Repurchase? Already have

The Lee Stafford Dehumidifier is a product I've been using for such a long time but I'm starting to wonder if it's just out of habit or maybe not wanting to risk not using it! It's a spray that creates a moisture barrier on your hair to stop it frizzing up in damp or humid weather conditions. I may have to do a half hair test with this one!

Repurchase? Yes

I've been using chemical exfoliators on my face as of late instead of manual grainy scrubs and the results have been great. The La Roche-Posay Effaclar Micro Exfoliant Astringent Lotion (full review here) is one of those products. It has improved my skin texture a great deal. 

Repurchase? Maybe, there are a few others I'd like to try first.

Another product that I've absolutely loved is the Botanics Facial Oil (full review here) it's a great night time facial oil which contains some great ingredients. It's a great budget alternative to higher end versions and I find it's just as good! It's improved my skin texture and helped fade old blemish marks.

Repurchase? Definitely

Lastly, a lip balm from Avon in Orange Kiss, this balm smelt absolutely delicious! Especially to me as I have a bit of a weakness for orange/satsuma/mandarin scented products, but unfortunately that's where it ended. The balm didn't last very long at all on the lips and once it wore off it left them feeling drier than they were to start with. Such a shame!

Repurchase? No

What products have you used up recently?