Everyday Makeup

I don't often post FOTDs on here... In fact, I've only ever posted one before this! But I've recently been liking my everyday makeup so I thought I'd share it with you.

Face:

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Natural Collection Green Concealer

Paul & Joe Light Cream Foundation

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

MAC Studio Finish Concealer

L'Oreal True Match Powder

Cheeks:

Revlon Matte Blush in 'Perfectly Peach'

Benefit Hoola

Eyes:

Estee Lauder Eyeshadow in 'Sun'

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara

Eyebrows:

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black-Brown

Lips:

Benefit Her Glossiness in 'Didn't Hear it from Me'

If you would like to see me applying this, then check out my Youtube video here.

What makeup have you been using daily?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #16

This month's empties contain a mix of products. I've been getting through a fair few products lately, but still have a long way to go before I achieve my goal of clearing my drawers and only having the necessities.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Moisturising Body Butter

Review: This moisturiser was great. It left my body feeling soft and hydrated, without feeling greasy. Plus it smelt great! My main gripe was that it's in a tub, but I know you can buy this in a bottle, so I can get over that.

Would I repurchase? Yes

Garnier Anti-Dark Circles Concealer

Review: I really enjoyed this concealer. I know it's designed primarily for use under your eyes, but I also used it on areas with redness or discolouration (e.g. under my nose, on acne scars, etc.). It's a perfect lightweight concealer, which does not crease. I always thought the roller ball was a bit of a gimmick, but I have to admit it is nice and cooling under the eyes. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

Silvikrin Maximum Hold Hairspray

Review: I bought this as it was pretty cheap and the perfect size for my handbag. This hairspray had good hold once sprayed, but can feel a little crunchy. It also had a pretty strong smell, which isn't that bad, just very strong, but luckily it doesn't linger.

Would I repurchase? No

La Roche Posay Effaclar K Review: I'm a little undecided about this product. It left my skin feeling smooth and was a great base for makeup, however I don't think it lived up to my expectations with regards to blemishes. I didn't see hardly any differences with my skin when I used this. It isn't very moisturising, so if you have drier skin, then you would probably need a moisturiser over the top of it.

Would I repurchase? Maybe

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

Review: This is a nice and gentle, unscented cleanser. It's great for sensitive skin and I found it was a great cleanser for my morning routine as it's quick and easy to use. It isn't great at removing makeup, even after I have used Bioderma to remove the bulk of it.

Would I repurchase? Maybe

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Review: I absolutely love this. My skin always feels great after using this. It always feels soft and nourished the day after and I feel like it has helped even out my skintone a little. I can tell the difference on my skin between when I use it and when I don't. I've heard of people say that this has helped their blemishes, but it didn't make any difference with mine. It has a slightly funny smell to it, which doesn't linger once rubbed in. It's also pretty expensive, so if you're looking for an evening serum to splurge on, I would recommend this.

Would I repurchase? Yes

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara

Review: Here

Would I repurcase? Yes

What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

July Favourites 2012

Today I thought I would share my favourites from July with you:

Haha, Youtube always choose such unfortunate thumbnails

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #11

Today I thought I'd share the products that I've used up this month. There weren't many, but I'm glad to be rid of some of the products as I have either had them for a while (Maybelline lipstick and 17 nail polish) or I disliked the product (Estee Lauder eye make-up remover).

Left: MUA Shade 7, Right: Maybelline Baby Brown

MUA Lipstick in 'Shade 7'

Review: This is a lovely, creamy lipstick. The pinky coral shade is perfect for spring/summer colour. It is highly pigmented and I have never found the lipstick to be drying on the lips. It's a great lipstick for a great price!

Would I repurchase? Yes

Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick in 'Baby Brown'

Review: This lipstick is a gorgeous, wearable brown toned nude lipstick. It is a nice twist to a my-lips-but-better colour and I loved it. It has a very glossy finish, which was nice but could be blotted down so it wasn't as obvious. The lipstick has a sweet watermelon-esque scent to it. I haven't seen this shade in stores for a while, so I am not 100% sure whether or not they still stock it...

Would I repurchase? Yes

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

Review: Here

Would I repurchase? No

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter

Review: I loooved this moisturiser!! It smells absolutely divine and the scent lingers too, which is great as many moisturisers have scents which don't linger. My skin felt soft and moisturised after use, without feeling greasy. I found the 50ml tub lasted me about 1 month with daily use.

Would I repurchase? Yes

 17 Nail Polish in 'Party Animal'

Review: As you can probably see, I haven't actually finished this but it has unfortunately been relegated to the bin as I have had it for many many years and it has turned into a gloopy mess. It's a lovely glittery nail polish. In the bottle, it looks like a plain silver polish. However when applied to the nails, it had rainbow reflects.

Would I repurchase? If it was still available, then definitely!

What have you finished recently?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Speed Review: Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

Today's review is on a gift with purchase with an Estee Lauder purchase some time ago. I've decided to do it in a different format to my other reviews, which are usually in long paragraphs and can get a little lengthy. I'd love to know if you prefer short bullet point reviews or longer, paragraphed reviews.

The Good
- It is a very gentle product, as it doesn't irritate the skin around the eye at all. This makes it suitable for those with sensitive skin.
- It is oil free, so it doesn't leave the eye area feeling oily.
- It wiped off eyeliner with ease.

The Bad
- My eyes are pretty sensitive and I have gotten the product into my eyes a few times and it has stung like crazy.
- It doesn't remove mascara very well. I still had remnants on my lashes after use. I found that you have to use quite a lot of pressure to remove the mascara fully. Don't even get me started on how ineffective it was at removing waterproof mascara...
- The bottle top is huge, so loads comes out at each use and there is a lot of wasteage.

The Opinion
I'm glad this was only a GWP, because I would have been disappointed if I had purchased it. I won't be buying a full size bottle, as you can find much better eye make-up removers for less money.

What eye make-up removers would you recommend?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #10

This month has been quite successful on the skincare/body and make-up usage. I'm slowly, but surely working my way through everything. Although it doesn't help that I recently bought some new La Roche Posay items!

Clarisonic Nourishing Care Cleanser
Review: This is designed for dry skin, so it was nice and rich without being too heavy. It had a sort of artificial sherbert orange scent, which I initially liked but eventually grew sick of! The cleanser worked well with the Clarisonic, and worked just as well on it's own.
Would I repurchase? Maybe

Neutrogena Multi Defence Daily Moisturiser
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Already have

Soap & Glory Clean, Girls Body Wash
Review: This is a lovely body wash. It smells amazing and leaves your skin feeling soft and clean. The smell lingers a little on the skin, which is lovely. I did find that sometimes this didn't foam well and I would need 4-5 pumps to make it lather up nicely. However the bottle lasted me ages, but annoyingly I couldn't get the last dregs from the bottom as the pump didn't reach it and I couldn't tip it out easily due to the bottle shape.
Would I repurchase? Yes

The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink In Moisture Mask
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes

Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara

Review: This mascara is brilliant! It's super lengthening and adds a little volume as well. It layers brilliantly with other mascaras - I have layered it with Max Factor False Lash Effect and Rimmel Lash Accelerator and it worked a treat. The formula does not smudge at all, so you get a nice long wearing formula without having to buy a waterproof mascara. I did find it difficult to remove the last few traces of mascara at night, so that goes to show that it really hangs around.

Would I repurchase? Yes

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

Review: Here

Would I repurchase? Yes

Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner

Review: This is a fantastic, pigmented felt tip eyeliner for a great price. It's so easy to use and would be great for anyone that is a little shaky when applying liquid eyeliner. The nib is quite big, so it may be difficult to get a thin and precise line, but it's perfect for cat eye/winged liner. I thought it dried up quite quickly, however if you press the nib onto the back of your hand, it would bring more fluid to the nib and it would work again. I never found this smudged on me, however it was easy to remove.

Would I repurchase? Yes

These are just a few mini samples that I received from a magazine (I think). The shampoo and conditioner were nice and left my hair feeling clean and soft. However the winner was the deep conditioner/mask. It left my hair feeling so soft and shiny, without making it weighed down.

What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #9

I managed to finish quite a few products in January. As per usual, they are mainly skincare items and very few make-up items. However I am determined to persevere! I am quite proud that I haven't any new make-up or skincare since Christmas (excluding restocking up of the essentials).

Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser

Review: It is a really rich moisturiser, which is designed for dry skin. It smells fresh and clean and foams nicely, leaving your skin feeling soft and clean. It never left it feeling tight or dry. It worked really well on it's own, with a muslin cloth or with my Clarisonic. However I didn't really think this cleanser was anything special to be honest. This was a free GWP, but the original price is £20 for 125ml, which is quite steep for a simple foaming cleanser.

Would I repurchase? No

Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser

Review: This was a nice gel cleanser. It foamed well with the Clarisonic, but didn't leave my skin feeling dry or tight. The gel was really pretty as it had a kind of glittery iridescence to it. As with the Gentle Hydro Cleaner one, I found that this worked best with my Clarisonic but could also be used alone.

Would I repurchase? Yes

 

Alberto Balsam Coconut and Lychee Shampoo

Review: This is a lovely and cheap shampoo. It lathers nicely and cleans the hair well. It never left my hair feeling dry or stripped. The coconut scent is so yummy and the best thing is that it lingers in the hair!

Would I repurchase? Yes

Nads Ingrow Solution

Review: I have had this for ages and when I bought this I really liked the idea of how it helps to prevent ingrown hairs. I don't think this made much difference to be honest and found it to be a bit of a waste of money. It's jam packed with alcohol, meaning that it burns if you have any broken skin and always makes me cough when I spray it.

Would I repurchase? No

 

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara (Waterproof)

Review: Here

Would I repurchase? Yes

Cowshed Wild Cow Invigorating Body Lotion

Review: This is a lovely moisturiser, which did wonders moisturising my skin. However I really hated the scent. It has essential oils of lemongrass, ginger and rosemary and the scent of lemongrass protruded the most, which I didn't like.

Would I repurchase? No

 

Carmex Lip Balm

Review: One of my favourite lips balms!

Would I repurchase? Yes

Dove Intensive Repair Express Treatment Conditioner

Review: I love this conditioner. I recently went through a phase of not using conditioner, however this has converted me back. It smelt lovely and left my hair feeling soft, nourished and not weighed down. 

Would I repurchase? Yes

 

These are just a few mini samples that I received from magazines, with purchases or through their websites. The Klorane shampoo and conditioner were alright, nothing special to be honest. The Body Shop body butter sample smelt so yummy. Even though it's chocolate scented, it didn't smell artificial. It left my skin feeling lovely and smooth.

What did you finish in January?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

October Favourites 2011

I don’t have many favourites this month, as I have been trying to speed up my morning routine and have been using the same few products all month. I also haven’t bought any new make-up for a few months now and I am actively trying to minimise my collection.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid – I bought my first bottle of this almost 5 years ago and used it every day. During the past few years, I’ve opted for lighter coverage foundations and reserved this for nights out and days where I needed my make-up to last. Over the past month or so, I have been choosing this as my go-to foundation and I have rediscovered the love I had for it back when I first bought it. It leaves a lovely matte finish, which I am aware that a lot of people dislike. I find it can look natural if you only use a pea sized amount of foundation. It lasts all day on my skin and doesn't leave me a oily mess by lunchtime. I have the shade NC15 and it is a perfect colour match. This is love.

Layering Different Mascaras –Recently I’ve been forgoing eyeliner in a bid to speed my up make-up routine and instead I have been applying lashings (excuse the pun) of mascara. The two mascaras I've been reaching for the most recently are Max Factor False Lash Effect (the waterproof version) and Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara. By mixing a volumising mascara and a lengthening one, they have made my lashes look super long and voluminous. I love that they’re both waterproof/long lasting formulas, which means that I don't get an unsightly raccoon look and they hold curl wonderfully. The combination of these two products, along with my Shu Uemura eyelash curlers, have rapidly become holy grail status.

Topshop Neon Rose – I have been using this cream blush so much over the past month. I love that I can just use my fingers to apply it and I love the matte, powdery finish. It’s a gorgeous colour, which leaves you with a pretty flush to the cheeks. Although, be aware that it’s very easy to go overboard with this blush and you could end up looking rather clown like! (See here for swatches and to find out what it is a potential dupe for).

What were your favourite products this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy