Revlon Photoready Re-Evaluated

I have had Revlon Photoready for quite a while now and due it's relatively poor staying power, it got relegated to the back of my foundation drawers. As I am constantly trying (and failing) to downsize my makeup collection, I dug out Photoready a few weeks ago. I tried it again, loved it and I have been using it everyday since. You can see it in action in the FOTD I posted a few weeks ago (here). I wrote a review about it in June 2012 (here) and while I still stand by all the points I made, I want to add a little more to the review.

Like I said, almost all the points that I mentioned last time are still the same. (To sum up: Good - Nice finish, good colour match, medium coverage, spf 20/Bad - Has glitter in it, clings to dry patches). I originally said that the lasting power of this foundation was very poor. However it has recently been a lot better, which has made me love this foundation now, instead of just liking or tolerating it. During the winter my skin balances out and is currently veering towards normal with dry patches (instead of combination-oily in the summer). This has meant the foundation lasts a lot better on my skin and adds some much needed glow to my complexion. I do find that it does cling to dry patches, but that's nothing a little exfoliation or extra moisturisation can't solve.

My opinion has definitely changed about this foundation and I would definitely recommend this foundation for people with normal or slightly dry skin. This has become a staple Winter foundation for me, however I would not touch it with a barge pole during the Summer again.

Have you ever experienced foundations that are better suited to different seasons?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Casual Weekend FOTD

Yesterday my family and I ventured to a number of furniture stores to try and buy some new furniture for our house. In the end, we traipsed to at least 5 versions of what felt like the same shop but came home empty handed. Better luck next time, eh?

At the weekend, I like to keep my makeup light and simple and try to use as few products as possible. If I could, I would go out without any makeup on, but instead I opt for a 'no-makeup-makeup' type look.

I decided to use Revlon Photoready in Shell as my base, as it gives a subtle glow to my complexion. I used my Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer in Natural Beige under my eyes and over any redness or blemishes. I gave my skin a light dusting of Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder to set my base and then used Benefit Dallas on the apples of my cheeks, as I think it gives a nice, healthy glow. Although I wanted to keep my makeup simple, I still did my staple winged eyeliner using the Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner and used my current favourite mascara - Rimmel Lash Accelerator. I filled in my eyebrows using my MAC 266 angled brush, which I am in love with, and a cool toned brown from my NYX Nude on Nude Natural Look Kit palette. To finish everything off, I used a little Eve Lom Kiss Mix lip balm to keep my lips soft and moisturised, while adding a little glossiness.

What does your weekend FOTD consist of?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

September Favourites 2012

I'm really sorry my September Favourites are a little late! Usually when I post my monthly favourites on here, I tend to upload a picture and link you to my Youtube channel as I do a monthly favourites video every month. I was thinking about this recently and I kind of felt bad for just posting a picture and then linking to a video, as most people aren't too interested in watching my Youtube videos. So I have decided to write a summary in the blogpost about the products I love each month:

I never thought I would say this, but I have been enjoying using this Revlon Matte blush in 'Perfectly Peach'. When I first bought and swatched it, I couldn't get over how unpigmented it was and it got relegated to the back of my makeup drawers. Recently I dug it out again in a bid to use it up and I discovered that with the right brush (I use the ELF stipple brush), it leaves a lovely natural looking peachy pink flush to the cheeks. It is a matte blush, but somehow adds a pretty glow to the cheeks. It lasts really well too, which is great.

I have been alternating between the Revlon Matte blush and Benefit Dallas this month. Dallas is a gorgeous red-toned blush, which is a bit like a mix between a bronzer and a blush. I used to wear this every single day and kind of forgot about it. But I'm glad I rediscovered this! It gives such a lovely colour on the cheeks and has a slight shimmer, which isn't obvious but gives a nice glow. I have a blog post (from over 2 years ago!) where I show a dupe of Dallas, so if you're interested then check it out here.

I finished my can of Batiste Original in the middle of the month and picked up the Batiste Tropical version. I definitely prefer this as it smells amazing (coconuts!) and doesn't leave that unsightly white residue on my hair, like the Original did. It gives my hair a boost of life when it's looking a little worse for wear on my second day and I have been using it more often than before.

I neglected my Clarisonic when I went home for the summer and I have been loving using it again this month. I took apart the brush head to make it better for precision cleaning around my nose and cheeks after watching Nur's video on Youtube (here). I feel like my pores look much clearer now that I've started using this again and my skin in general also looks clearer and more even. I have been loving using it with the Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash, as it is a lovely cleanser that leaves my skin feeling soft and looking brighter. I am going to post a more in depth review soon, which I will link when it's live.

If you watch my monthly favourites videos on Youtube, you will know I always include a random favourite of the month. This month, I have been loving these Links of London style friendship bracelets. I have been lusting after a Links of London friendship bracelet for a while now, but couldn't justify the £150-ish price tag. My mum kindly bought these dupes for me when she went to China. I love the look of the bracelets, as they're a nice twist on a traditional thread friendship bracelet and look great dressed up or down. I have been wearing the red and pink one pretty much every day since I got them and I have found it goes with everything. They look great stacked with other bracelets and on their own.

What were you loving in September?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

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

Review: Revlon Photoready

In a bid to downsize my collection, I have been trying to use up products and have been "shopping my stash" and using products I haven't used in ages. I have had Revlon Photoready for quite a while now and have been using it a fair amount recently.

 The glitter in the bottle

From top to bottom: Blob, Slightly blended, Fully blended

The Good
- It looks really nice on the skin when freshly applied. It has a satin, slightly dewy finish and the shade I have (003 Shell) is a great colour match for my skin.
- It is a medium coverage foundation. It covers my red areas and blends easily into the skin.
- The packaging looks and feels expensive and the pump dispenses the right amount of product each time.
- It has SPF 20, so I was concerned that I would get major flashback face when being photographed with flash photography. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it did photograph well on the skin, hence the name 'Photoready'.

The Bad
- It has sparkles in it. It won't make you look like Edward Cullen in the glitter stakes, but if you look closely at the skin after application you can see glitter. I like to use 2 layers of foundation and I find it collects on areas that have more product.
- The staying power is very poor. I find it wears off my combination skin after a few hours, especially if I don't powder.
- It can look a little cakey on the skin. I have found that this does not suit dry skin at all. It clings to dry patches or healing blemishes and the glitter collects around these areas too.

Would I repurchase? Although the foundation looks lovely on the skin and is a great colour match, the poor staying power and the cakiness around dry patches really puts me off. So unfortunately, I don't think I would repurchase this.

Have you ever tried this foundation?

Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy

EDIT: PLEASE READ MY UPDATE REVIEW OF REVLON PHOTOREADY

April Favourites 2012

Today's post is for my April favourites. I hope you enjoy the video :)

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

Hi everyone! Happy Easter! I hope you have an eggcellent day! Hehe :) I just wanted to quickly say sorry I haven't posted here in a week! I went away for a few days with my family and decided that I just needed some space to clear my head after a stressful term at uni, so my laptop stayed firmly shut in my suitcase.

Today I have a quick review of the Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart. I bought it a few weeks ago and have been wearing it pretty much every day since.

In natural daylight

With flash

- It is a lovely bright blue toned pink colour. It kind of reminds me of a glossier and slightly sheerer version of MAC's Pink Nouveau (Swatch of Pink Nouveau here). A perfect shade for Spring/Summer!
- It has great pigmentation. One coat gives a lovely, subtle pink shade, but the colour can be built up for a brighter pink.
- The Lip Butter is lovely to apply. It feels moisturising on the lips and doesn't leave my lips feeling dry.
- The wear of the Lip Butter isn't anything outstanding. It lasts for a few hours, but comes off easily with eating and drinking. So more applications are required to keep the colour going, which is rather annoying as you don't get a lot of product.
- I really like the packaging. I think the quilted detailing is cute and it's so handy that the top of the lid is clear, so that you can see the colour.
- I was a little disappointed that you only get 2.8g of product! When fulling twisted up, you only get about 2cm of product.
- Cost = £7.99 each, which I think is pretty steep! Especially in comparison to the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks, which are only £7.49 each and you get 5g of product (almost double!).

Have you succumbed to the craze of the Revlon Lip Butters? What shades do you have?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Recent Purchases

I posted this earlier this week, but with all the problems on Blogger, it seems to have unposted itself... So I am reposting this!

I realised that my first two Youtube videos were collective hauls for February and March, but here's another one for the month of May. I find doing haul videos easier than haul posts with photos and text. Plus I find editing videos quite therapeutic. Haha.

One of the comments I received on Youtube was that I'm not smiling in the video, so I apologize for that now.




Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

The Bigger, The Better

If I leave my hair to dry naturally, it tends to be wavy, a little frizzy and quite flat. I'm always on the hunt for bigger hair and I have found a few volumising products, which I use quite frequently. I don't always use them all everytime I wash my hair, but these are the products I go to when I want big hair.


Revlon Powerdry Glamour Hairdryer - £30.63 and ghd hair straightner - £99
I got my hairdryer for Christmas and it is great. It came with a number of attachments and other accessories and has 4 heat settings and 3 speed settings. I LOVE my ghds! I've had them for almost 4 years now and they're still going strong. Now I can't imagine using any other straightner - Once you go ghd, you never go back.

Kent Round Brush - £5.99
I've had this for ages and use it with my hair dryer. I mainly use it around my crown and then pull it through my hair to straighten it and to style my fringe. This just gives a nice lift at the roots, especially if you bring the brush up and out before bringing it through the length of your hair.

Tigi Small Talk - £13.25 (You can probably find it cheaper if you look around online)
Tigi says that this is a 'thickifier, energizer and stylizer'. I've had this for ages and have only recently discovered how good it is. It really thickens my hair and gives a really nice amount of volume and bounce. It has a fruity smell, which I really like but some would probably find it overpowering. The smell stays even when you hair is dry and styled. A tiny bit of this goes a long way, you literally need less than a pea size otherwise your hair may look greasy and feel weighed down. It can leave a slimy residue on your hand if you have too much or don't work it through the hair enough.

Schwarzkopf Got 2b 2 SEXY Collagen Lift Effect Hairspray - £3.99
The instructions on the can state to spray it in short bursts generously onto the hair. When I use it on dry hair, it gives a lovely amount of volume and hold, but it made the areas I sprayed it on a little crunchy/crispy. I wonder if it was because I hadn't used the spray in short enough bursts, since I'm not used to that. That said, it would be suitable if you used it on your underneath layers after backcombing for some extra hold or if you tip your hair upside down and spray it on the base of the hair. I generally tend to spray this onto my hair after it's been towel dried and before I blowdry it for some extra voluminous hold. I love the smell of this hairspray, it's kind of fruity and sweet. The smell doesn't linger on the hair.

Velcro Rollers - £0.99 for 6
I bought these from Bodycare and like to put them into the roots of my hair when my hair is nearly dry just to give it some extra lift. Because the rollers are velcro, they stay in place and you don't need to faff around with clips. They're really gentle and don't pull your hair out.

Other products I use in my hair are Schwarzkopf Guardian Angel (Heat protectant), Redken Smooth Down Heat Glide (Heat protectant and serum) and John Frieda 3 Day Straight (Review here).

What products do you use for volumised hair? I would love some recommendations!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

First FOTD, plus a few other things

This is my first FOTD post (Actually it's yesterday's FOTD...), eeek. I was quite hesitant about posting this, because I was feeling self conscious about the picture as my skin hasn't been that great lately and I filled in my eyebrows unevenly! But in the end, I just decided 'What the heck, I'm just going to post it'. This is just a simple, neutral day look which I wore to my lectures yesterday.

Please excuse my washing in the background!

Face
Benefit Dr. Feelgood (As a primer)
Revlon Photoready in Shell
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15
Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder
MAC Virgin Isle CCB
Bourjois Rose de Jaspe

Eyes (I forgot to take close up pictures of my eye, sorry!)
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MUA eyeshadow in Shade 11 all over the lid
MAC Brun eyeshadow in the outer third, crease and eyebrows
No7 Gel Eyeliner
No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara

Lips
Body Shop Sheer Lip Shine in Sheer Pink

Last week, I was lucky enough to win another giveaway. I was so chuffed when I saw an email from the lovely Leah telling me that I'd won. The parcel with the prizes arrived at the weekend, so that was a really nice way to start off a lovely weekend :) Thank you so much, Leah!!! Go take a look at Leah's blog (Look! Flying Monkeys!), it's full of a mix of beauty, fashion, food and all things lovely. :)


I just wanted to share a quick Boots purchase with you all. It never would have occurred to me that you could buy jewellery in Boots, but I was waiting for my friend while she was buying some stuff and was surprised to see a jewellery stand. Not only a jewellery stand, but one with lots of pieces that had 1/2 price stickers on them, score! There were some other pretty pieces, but this ring really caught me eye. It reminds me of a wing ring that I'd seen on ASOS a while back, but smaller and cheaper at only £2! I really like how it has the diameter of the ring on the label, rather than S, M or L. Although when I first tried the ring on, I almost had a panic attack when I thought it was stuck, lol! From now on, everytime I pop into Boots, I'm going to keep an eye out for their jewellery section! :)


Have any of you bought any jewellery in unexpected places before?

Thank you for reading. I hope my FOTD didn't scare you off, lol! xoxo, Joy