A little bit of beauty on a Friday: Topshop Highlighter review

Hello ☆

Happy Friday! I find it is definitely the best day of the week as you cant beat that feeling of knowing that the weekend is here. During the week i rushed into the city to pick up some art supplies for my two boys. However, being a shopaholic, i couldn't resist popping into Topshop for a quick peek at their new spring/ summer range. So many lovely outfits to swoon over! I need to win the lottery as soon as possible. Anyway, i didn't buy any clothes but instead picked up a couple of their makeup products. I brought a couple of their pastel nail polishes for £5 each, which i will review later on but today i want to talk about their highlighter which i picked up for £10.  This product has been on the top of my wish list since before Christmas but i never got around to buying it for whatever reason. Knowing me it was probably the £10 price tag (yes, I'm tight). 

The Topshop highlighter comes in a black sturdy box with cute kitsch stars, just like all their beauty products, which i totally love! The product itself is encased in a white, round compact which features a tight clasp which prevents any nasty spillage in your handbag. The only negative thing i can say is that the compact doesn't come with a mirror which can be a little inconvenient. 

The highlighter comes in shades Crescent Moon and Sunbeam. The only one they had in stock at the time was sunbeam, so i settled with that. I wasn't upset by this, i actually love the shade but i think it will be better for summer when i have a little more tan on my face. Sunbeam is a beautiful gold highlighter with yellow undertones. It contains a small amount of glitter which leaves a glowy shimmer on your face. The product comes in the form of a powder product, but it does not feel powdery or chalky at all. It feels quite smooth and soft, and applies smoothly and easily on the skin. Only a little powder is needed for that glowy look so I foresee this product lasting me a very long time which justifies me paying the £10 for it. Also I found it to be easily applied with both a brush as well as with fingers, making it easy if I want to touch up during the day and do not have a brush on hand to do the job. 

Over all, I absolutely love this product and the golden shimmer it leaves on my face. I wore it to a little gathering the other day and so many people complimented me on how healthy it made me look. I definitely recommend giving this one a try. Have you tried this product or do you use any other highlighters that you think i should try?

Hope you have a great weekend.
Gem xx

Maybelline Dream Satin liquid foundation review.

Hello ♥

Today's product up for review is the 'Maybelline Dream Satin liquid foundation'. I popped into Superdrug yesterday in search of a new foundation as the current one i am using, the collection 2000 lasting perfection foundation, makes my skin look flakey. Not a good look. I was recommended the Maybelline foundation by a very helpful member of staff who must have seen me struggling to decide which foundation to buy. There are so many different ones to choose from! Anyway, I am very happy with my purchase and here's why. 

Here's what the website says: 

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

• Air-whipped liquid provides perfecting coverage for 100% poreless skin.
• Full yet lightweight coverage.
• Satin perfect, luminous finish.
• Ideal for normal skin.
• Won’t clog pores, suitable for sensitive skin.
• Oil-free, fragrance-free, tested under dermatological control.

The Maybelline Dream Satin foundation comes in eight shades: Light porcelain 4, Ivory 10, Cameo 20, Nude 21, Sand 30, Fawn 40, Sun beige 48, and Caramel 60. 

I chose to buy this foundation in shade Ivory 10. This was the lightest they had at the time but actually looks pretty good on my pale skin. At first i thought it looked a little too dark but was quickly reminded that spring/ summer is on its way, so will be prefect for when my skin gets a little more tanned. The foundation is beautiful to apply. I just pumped a little on my hand, then using my finger tip, worked it into my skin. It also works well when applied with a foundation brush. I found the the dream satin foundation gives me an even light to medium coverage, although it does work well if you're wanting to build up the foundation to gain more coverage without it looking too cakey. On closer inspection, i have also noticed that the foundation doesn't streak. I hate it when a foundation gives me those dark lines above my jaw bone. 

My only negative problem I found was that it has very poor staying power. I used it yesterday morning and by the evening, I found i needed to redo my whole face. Also my skin looks slightly shiny and had to use a powder on top of the foundation. Overall, i probably wouldn't buy this again just because the negatives over rule the positives for me. That said i will probably still use this one up. You can pick up this foundation in most drugs store. I brought mine from Superdrug for £5.99 reduced from £7.99. 

Gem x

How much is your face worth?

 

Hello.

 It is the last day of 2012 and chose to finally get round to my 'How much is your face worth?' post.

I have seen a couple of these posts on beauty blogs and have been trying to get round to writing mine for a while now. All it involves is adding up how much the make up that goes into your everyday 'look' costs? I was a bit scared to do it myself, as i am no makeup expert and never really know the best products to buy. Also i do not like spending more than £10 on single item as i have felt cheaper products can be better than the expensive ones. Basically I'm a bit of a cheap skate.

Heres what goes into my everday look, quite alot really.

 

 

"that gal" face primer by Benefit £21.00 (travel size shown)

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer (light) £4.19

Collection 2000 lasting perfection foundation (biscuit 3) £5.99

Topshop eye brightener £6.50

Rimmel eye pallette £9.99 (no longer available)

Kate moss for Rimmel lipstick (22) £5.49

Collection 2000 Black liquid eye liner £2.99

Collection 2000 shimmer shades blusher £4.19

Maybelline the colossall volume express, Cat eyes £7.99

 

Total: £68.33

It really adds up though doesn't it? Although its not as much as i have seen on other blogs. Thats probably because i hang around the collection 2000 stall rather than the high end ones such as Nars and Yves st laurent. I would like a few of their products though! I should say that I mostly work from home (full time mummy) and rarely go anywhere exciting so although this my current 'everyday look' I only wear this amount of makeup at weekends or if i have time before the school run.

I'd love to know how much your face is worth ... leave a comment below.

Gem x

 

Whats inside my Glossy box December 2012

I was really excited to receive this months glossy box especially since it was going to be a festive edition. I have heard lots of great things about lasts years Christmas box so was hoping this one would be as good.

The box was a pretty silver rather than its usual pink, with black and silver starry tissue paper inside, tied with a silver ribbon. The usual menu of the contents was replaced with a large sheet explaining the contents in detail with a load of discount codes.

 

 

When I opened the box a disappointed look fell on my face. Although the box did smell nice (probably because the perfume was leaking) the products inside where not what the other girls were receiving. I felt a little bit upset that Ive paid £12 in total and did not receive the same amazing products. Most girls received eye palettes and a full sized Milkshake whipped conditioning cream. So i need to decide whether or not this is my last glossy box as i feel like I'm wasting my money. I have filled in the surveys but still get the wrong shades.

 

Anyway rant over, What did i get?

 

First up the tiny perfume sample: "Lemon" by Mary Greenwell.  

 

 Mary Greenwell is a famous British make up artist and this is her second fragrance. The "Lemon" perfume is very pricey,  costing £90 for a 100ml bottle or £60 for £50 ml. I didn't have to test this as the bottle has leaked all other the box so everything smells of this. In my opinion, this is not worth the price. I'm not a huge fan of citrus scents. I am more of a floral girl so this sample has unfortunately been placed in the bin.  

 

 

 

 

 

The next product is this nail varnish by Seche.

 

The shade is 'simplicity' which is a dull nude creme colour. This shade is not my cup of tea at all. Its too boring and plain for my liking. However, it does apply well and only really needs one coat to look professional.  A full size costs £9.95. If you like these nail polishes you can currently get buy one get one free from nailsbymail.co.uk with code: SecheGlossy.     

 

 

The worst, most disappointing product in the box is the Sleek true colour lipstick.

 

The shade is 'Amped' which is the brightness shade of pink Ive have ever seen. Very 80's. I really like sleek lipsticks, i think they are very good value for money at £4.99 but this isn't my shade. I'm quite boring when it comes to wearing bold colours so this little lipstick will be donated to a friend.

 

Product number four is the Magic Touch Cherry Blosson & Rice Milk body cream from Rituals.

 

 I think Rituals is a really great brand and the scent of this is so lovely! It's a really delicate scent and this promises to nourish the skin leaving it feeling silky soft. This is one of my favourites in this months box, and I'm really looking forward to using this one. The bottle is a nice sample size at 70ml. The website states that this is one of their best selling products with a 70ml size selling  for £5 and the larger 200ml tub is £20, a little on the pricey side, but worth the little splurge.

 

 

The fifth product is the Sebamed Anti dry day defence cream.

This a much needed product for me. With having to walk 5 miles a day for the school run in freezing temperatures, my skin is suffering. I have used it and i can say I'm quite impressed. There is no scent and has really done its magic on my dry patches. A 50ml bottle costs £9.99. Defiantly recommend giving this one a try.

 

 

This month Glossy box gave their subscribers a bonus product. Mine was this very pretty own brand blusher.

 

The shade is Glossy Rosewood. This is a very nice little extra. It looks a very suitable shade for my skin tone and will be defiantly adding this to my makeup bag.

 
Overall i thought this was a disappointing box, especially before Christmas. Some products i will keep but most will go to the bin or to friends. As always with Glossy box, I find myself jealous of other people’s boxes, but it is still a nice treat to myself once a month. I may wait till January's box to decided whether or not to carry on my subscription.  What do you think? What did you get in your boxes?

Gemma xx

 

 

 

 

 

What I got in my glossybox October 2012

 

This month's Glossy box arrived today. Receiving it from the post man really makes my day. I had sneakily checked out other blogs on what they received before i got mine. Naughty i know. I had seen on twitter that it was going to be a breast cancer box so i was expecting lots of pink or as its nearly Halloween, lots of black. I was happily surprised to find that this months box was D.I.Y beauty. On the back of the card they tell us that the products have been chosen to get us through a gloomy October, by treating us to a cosy night in with a home spa experience.

Whats inside



• Anatomicals, Don't just clean it woman, scrub it body scrub.  A pink grapefruit body scrub that buffs with a bravura sense of charm and wit. (full size £3.49)
• Olay, Olay regenerist 3-point treatment cream. Olay regenenerist's award winning, best selling moisturiser is now available fragrance free. (Full size £29.99, Box contains small sample)
• Skinetica, Anti- blemish. A unique solution for clearing skin blemishes, showing results in 2-3 days. kind to skin with no side effects.
• Yves Rocher France, Moisturising cream lipstick- Couleurs nature. Perfect coverage from the first application, a smooth, supple luminous film covering the lips. (This is full size worth £14.50)
• Dr. Jart, Premium beauty balm, This Dr. jart +BB cream provides high SPF40 protection with anti- oxidents. A slightly glossy, low coverage cream which helps fight ageing. Aimed at ages 30+. (fulls size product £24, sample size in box)

Reviews

 
At the moment i use soap & glory breakfast scrub   so it will be good to see how this compares! I have seen this brand around but its never caught my eye if I'm honest but of course i will give it a go :) It smells lovely, really fruity. It's not as rough as the breakfast scrub and it's quite jelly like.




Okay so I'm going to start with the only downfall to this product...the cost, just a tad pricey at £29.99.  Don't get me wrong, wonderful cream but would like it to be  be a tad cheaper. Gorgeous product though, slightly greasy on my skin upon first application but eventually my skin started feeling soft and smooth. An all round good product and do recommend trying it.


 


Am always in need of a good spot cream for when I suffer from the occasional one, so hoping the Skinetica Anti-Blemish can be used for targeted areas alongside general acne prone skin. I have not tried this just yet but from other reviews it looks to be a good product to have.













I have been on the hunt for good red lipstick for a long time and I finally found it! It's a opaque satin finish lipstick and it's very long lasting. It's definitely my evening colour - I think I wouldn't wear it during the day, but it's a personal preference.
It applies good, it's not slippery (with strong colour it's better if it's not). I apply it with a brush or straight from tube for touch ups.
The packaging looks nice and different, I really like that. I think it's a really nice lipstick.






I have already been using this for a month now and I'm in LOVE. A little goes a long way. I use 3/4 of a pump on my face, use a bit of concealer where needed and set with Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. Let it set into your skin a minute and you'll see that it blends with your natural shade. After that, some contouring and mascara leaves me with a natural, medium coverage look. I have acne prone skin and have had no problems so far. Fully recommend buying this product.






Thanks for reading.
Gem xx