Boots Essentials - Lip Salve in Strawberry

This lip balm it comes in a little strawberry red tube. The balm itself is white but it does go on clear with a nice sheen to it and has a buttery consistency. It does not have SPF but it keeps my lips soft and moisturised for at least a few hours. I probably reapply 3 or 4 times a day.

So this is a product I just picked up as it is a lot cheaper then other brands of lip balm/salve, I got mine about 2 weeks about and i am really loving it, its super nice smell not to much,just right. It really helps your lips feel lovely and soft. The packaging is not that nice to look at but I am not really one for packaging 

These guys are ideal for both men and women with their unisex packaging. They do what they say on the tin - hydrate and protect the lips. There's no fuss to them and like Vaseline, they're a great all-rounder. I always end up buying these when I forget to bring a lip balm out with me! They have a heap of different variations in the range, so there's one for everyone. 

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The Body Shop - Raspberry Body Butter

  

I've been a fan of the Body Shop body butters for years, and have gone through countless tubs. At the moment I'm using the Raspberry Body butter.

Like all of The Body Shop's body butters, this has a thick, creamy texture which melts on application to the skin. The raspberry body butter is for normal skin types. I find it sinks in really quickly and doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy or sticky.

It has a nice smell, it's my favourite scent from The Body Shop, but it's super  pleasant . Obviously it has a raspberry scent but it also has a toffee-like undertone.

This does leave my skin feeling nicely moisturised and smooth, but I don't find it as moisturising as some of the other body butters from The Body Shop. The Satuma one, is super nice and hydrating and smells like heaven in a tub. This is  perfect for the summer months but I have been using it through the Winter too, as it's not heavy, absorbs quickly and doesn't leave a greasy feeling, however I'll probably try a different one in the Summer with a fresher scent and  when my skin's a bit less dry, as I  think this will be moisturising enough for now. I've enjoyed using this, but although I love The Body Shop body butters, this isn't one I'd repurchase and I much prefer some of the other ones.

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♥

Wilkinson Sword Intuition Naturals Razor

I recently purchased a Wilkinson Sword Intuition Naturals Razor.

Now I had been looking for a razor for a while now, and I'm quite particular with razors because I tend to always shave not use creams etc.

So I needed something that was going to work well and I thought it would be handy with the in-build cream around the razor.I have another Wilkinson Sword razor which does a good job, so I had high hopes for this one.

So let me just say... its a bulky one, thats for sure.
But ... its perfect for the shower because this guy has a soap bar round the razor so it lathers and shaves at the same time. 

It's a 3-in-1 product that shaves, lathers & moisturises.

Meaning no additional shaving foam/gel or after-care moisturiser. Well that's the theory anyway, but I find I still need to use a moisturiser after use to keep my skin totally smooth, soft & happy.

You just need to wet the razor to "activate the gentle creamy soap", and keep it wet throughout the shaving process, so this is best done in the shower, or in the bath.

My Thoughts?

I was getting ready to head out last weekend, when I decided to shave under my arms. I was quite excited as I have never used a razor like this before. So, I started to shave and It felt nice and soft but after a few stokes of me shaving I looked and nothing,it didn't remove any of my hairs from under my arms,then I thought there was maybe a build up of cream on the razor, I popped it under the tap,and water didn't remove any of the soap/hair etc. I was really disappointed with this product as it didn't do the job it was meant to. So I tired one more time but to no avail. So I would not recommend this product as its also very expensive . You would be better off use getting a standard razor and using shaving cream.

Pros

1. Nice packing
2. Build in Handle to use in the shower

Cons

1. Doesnt remove much hair
2. Very hard to remove build up on the razor head
3. Quite expensive (around 10euro)
4. Replacement razor heads also very expensive

5/10

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer - Review

I purchased this Boi-ing concealer in shade 01 after hearing such good things about it online/youtube etc . I'm not sure I'd have spent €20.00 on a concealer before but this is worth, almost, every penny. Boi-ing is available in 5 different shades which makes it quite easy to find one to suit any skin-tone. Benefit increased the number of shades up from 3. Shades 01 and 02 stayed the same whilst altering shade 03 and extending. I chose shade 01 after trying shades 01 and 02 in my concealer set but if you want to choose the perfect one for your I suggest either swatching the concealers at a Benefit counter or getting help from the Benefit MUAs.

I use this concealer mainly for my under-eye circles but it does a great job covering even the red-est of blemishes. This concealer gives amazing coverage and has a nice texture for being a cream concealer as it's not too thick or cakey.

I apply Boi-ing with my fingers, using the heat of my fingers to soften and blend.

 I recommend this to any one who worries about dark circles under their eyes, to anyone looking for a thick concealer and to anyone who struggles to cover up blemishes. This concealer really is industrial strength!

This is very pricey but so worth it! Go to your nearest benefit counter and get it 

Dr Organic - Vitamin E Deodorant

What it claims?

An antibacterial deodorant liquid cream roll-on, extremely gentle yet highly effective providing skin care benefits to all skin types. It is based on Organic Vitamin E and Aloe Vera, Sunflower oil, Icelandic and Irish Moss. This mild and non-irritating deodorant helps neutralize unpleasant body odours and leaves the skin protected, hydrated and soothed.

What I Think?

My main two reasons for buying this were that it was pretty cheap for an organic deodorant and it smelt incredible. If you have a Holland and Barratt near you, go in and have a sniff of this , it's so nice!

So the deodorant itself, it's a  cream based roll-on ( like all roll-ons) that is free of Aluminium, SLS, Parabens and Alcohol, as well as artificial colours, fragrances and preservative. You need to remember that natural based deodorants is that they won't stop you from sweating as they're not antiperspirants. I don't think it's very good for your skin to use with chemicals to stop you from sweating, which is why I use these deodorants instead. Natural deodorants will however make you smell super nice and get rid of your sweat, so don't worry, you're not going to be walking around smelling horrible all day. The deodorants from Dr Organic all have a non-pore clogging formula and I found this very good. As it's a natural cream roll-on, on application it is wet of course and does take a little time to dry. I don't find this a problem for me personally, as I always apply deodorant after a shower, so by the time I've put on my body lotion and everything else, it's dry and fine for me to get dressed.
I found it worked well throughout the day without needing to be reapplied, but I did need to reapply it if I did some exercise. It doesn't irritate my sensitive skin and can be applied straight away after shaving with no stinging at all. But the best thing about this deodorant is the scent. I can smell it subtly throughout the day and it's so nice. Lovely, fresh and feminine, perfect!

Would I buy it again?

Yes, I would buy it again, its great for your skin and smells super nice. This price is about €5.00

8/10

Soap and Glory -Hand Food Review

Recently I've noticed that my hands have become horribly dry. They were so dry the other day that it was like walking around with sandpaper as skin.

So, I got this hand cream and tired it. First I tried one from Boots which smelt amazing but was a too greasy for my liking. Then I tried a cheapy one from Tesco which did the job but I had to wait half an hour after using it before I could touch anything as it didn't soak in very well. 

So I took myself off to Boots and went up and down the aisles looking at all of the hand creams. There were hundreds. They all claimed different things, all came in different sizes with different prices.....So I chose the pretty one. Soap and Glory's Hand Food.

Before I start with the review I have to say that this hand cream comes in two different sizes. There is 50ML for €2.50 or 125ML for €5. 

The packaging calls it an "anti greasy hand cream" and I completely agree! It's thick, creamy and dries into the skin within moments. Once it's absorbed I can get on with whatever I was doing again - no waiting half an hour for the grease to soak in to my skin. It leaves my hands feeling super soft, completely moisturised, 

Another great thing about this product is the smell! All of Soap and Glory's products smell amazing (Supercat eyeliner not included) so I didn't expect any less from this product. The packaging says it smells like "shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow" I don't know about you but after reading the word 'marshmallow' I was completely sold! I don't know how to describe the smell but it smells amazing.

On the packaging Soap and Glory asks "the most astonishing hand cream ever?"  yes it is!!

You can buy the 50ML tube here for €2.50 or the 125ML for €5.

Review - Sure Maximum Protection

What Sure say:

'Designed to be the most effective antiperspirant from Sure, you can rely on Maximum Protection's clinically proven formula for constant protection against excessive sweating. Whether it's heat, stress or life making you perspire, Sure Maximum Protection antiperspirant will keep you fresh whatever the day brings.'

What I Think:

Sure Maximum Protection claims to have 48 hours of under arm protection. You are supposed to apply this at night before you go to bed and then it should last you all day.But I have to say it does last all day with no under arm wetness or odour. I thought the application was odd at first so just applied it as I normally do after I've had my morning shower. But I tested it by applying it at night and then not applying after my shower and it seemed to work still. 

The deodorant itself is in cream form, so you twist the bottom until the cream comes through the holes at the top. The instructions say to use the roll on at night, and it promised to work throughout the day, even after showering. I would 100% buy this product again despite what I would call a hefty price tag for a deodorant, but it does work incredibly well and will be perfect for the summer.

 PROS

• Keeps you dry
• Smells nice
• Loads Of Product
• Works for at least 10hours

CONS

• Little bit expensive (around 8euro)

To buy or not to buy?

Yes, go buy this product, really great and lasts a really long time 

Lidl - Cien Suncream Review

Cien Suncream 50spf

I know a lot of people that won’t shop in Lidl or Aldi because they believe that cheap prices equals cheap quality. Which is not true in every case. You can get awesome products in Lidl you just need to look for them.

I have  never used Lidl suncream before I used to always spend, loads of money even up to €18/19 this product is definitely excellent value for money. They may take a bit more elbow grease to rub in but for the price I do not mind putting in a little bit of effort. It does go on a little sticky and you will have to wash your hands or use a wet wipe after you use it, but for only €5.00 I think its a minor thing. Gives you great protection in the sun and will help you not to get burned and develop sun spots.

I highly recommend you check out Lidl’s suncare offering. They come with SPF and UVA/UVB protection [Sun Protection Factor (SPF)) refers to how long you can stay in the sun without getting burned so the higher the factor, the longer you can remain exposed without burning.  The UVA screen protects against the aging and carcinogenic rays of the sun, whereas the UVB screen acts against burning] so Cien gives you an effective two-pronged protection system. I’ve listed prices for you below.

Cien Sun Cream for Kids SPF 50 100ml €3.99

Cien Sun Cream SPF 10/20 assorted 100ml €2.99

Cien Sun Cream Anti-Aging/Sport  SPF 25 100ml €3.99

Cien Sun transparent Sun Spray SPF 20 250ml €4.99

Cien Sun Lotion SPF 30 €3.99

Cien Sun Lotion for Kids SPF 30 €3.99

Cien Sun Milk SPF 10 500ml €4.99

Cien After Sun Lotion 500ml €3.99

Pros

• Keeps you protected
• €5.00
• Loads of options (eg. kids,aftersun etc)
• Great value
• Easily accessible 

Cons

• A bit sticky

To buy or not to buy?

Yes, go buy - Its super cheap and great value for your money. So you’ve no excuse to not protect your skin for those prices! 9/10

Essence Nail Polish Color and Go - Review

So today's review is about Essence Nail Polish Color and Go collection, now first off I don't wear nail polish that often as I bit my nails alot so there not that long, but from the few that I have tired from this line have not been good. There are many bad points that I will go over. But the only good point I can think of is that they do have alot of really nice colors in the collection. So now for the bad, First off the first coat you apply comes out kinda transparent which you would expect from a polish that is only like €2.00, but then you go along and print over that and it looks good for like a day not even a day and it has chips and ruins really easy when drying and no I don't think the dry fast like the bottle says. I used some of my sisters top coat by Sally Hansen and it still chipped off, so top coat is no good here either.

Packaging: These polishes come in tiny little glass bottles and have caps that follow the colour of the nail polish. Very cute and tiny

Application/Texture/Consistency: The polishes are a dream to apply. They glide on easily on the nails without being streaky. Both textures are not too runny nor too gloopy and thick.The require two/three coats to give an opaque finish. 

Durability: Both polishes lasted about 1 day with a top coat before chipping noticeably. 

Price: At €2.00 each

Would I repurchase?- Nope, its just not worth even spending €2.00 on them, they chip way to easy - 3/10

Where can I purchase these?- Boots, Penneys 

Satsuma Body Butter - REVIEW

SATSUMA BOY BUTTER REVIEW

I only bought this a while back , and thought, why have I not bought one before now they are so damn good!  Something I like in general about The Body Shop body butters is that they really do have some amazing scents.  Ideally I'd have them all and choose mine based on my mood. 

I popped in and gave them all a sniff and ultimately decided that no matter what I was buying Satsuma.  A lot of moisturizers and body butters don't pack a punch with their scents.  Not really an issue with this scent even to wear perfume over it you can still smell it,  but I like that with this particular body butter the scent is strong enough to hold it's own.  I put it on the other night and the whole house smelled orangey - but definitely in a good way.  I'd say it's a soft creamy orange scent, with a kick of citrus that definitely packs a punch.

It's moisturising (always good with a body butter) and I love the scent.  My ultimate favourite thing about the Body Shop Body butters is that while they don't sit on the skin, they leave a gorgeous sheen - like a glow for hours.  Ideal if you're going out and you want your skin to look, smell and feel fab.  

CONS

• Little bit expensive (around €15.00)

PROS

• The smell 
• Lasting power
• Beautiful Feeling
• Soaks into the skin
• Not sticky/Greasy 

To buy or not?

Yes, for sure buy. Its gorgeous and smells fantastic and if you don't like Orange there are many more to choose from

9/10

REVIEW - Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Plumping Gloss 




The Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Plumping Gloss (great name, btw) in Punch Bowl is great; I got it in one of Soap and Glory's Christmas gift sets, but the gloss usually retails for about €9.00/€10.00 


This lipgloss itself is a really nice shade - it's bright and really pigmented, but it's still a shade that can be worn in an every day, normal look. It also has the perfect amount of glossiness.  Having said that, it very sticky(which can get annoying). When the glossiness has faded away, there's still a faint pink color left behind that I really like.

As for its plumping abilities, I didn't really notice that my lips were any bigger after applying. But whenever I applied the gloss, it gave me a weird, stingy/tingly feeling for a few minutes. It's not very comfortable, but bearable. The gloss also has a really nice, I didn't like the smell, it smells of vanilla and I personally hate that smell.

I don`t know if I would go out and purchase this product again, while it has a nice color and the packaging is really nice. The price for me and the stickiness turned me off from running out and buying this product again, there are many products that are cheaper and are not sticky on the lips.

Pros:

1. Cute Packaging
2. Really nice color pay off

Cons:

1. Color Range..(only 5 shades available)
2. Very Sticky
3. Kind of expensive
4. Hard to find in stores(only in some Boots stores)
5. No plumping abilities -( in my eyes anyway )

To buy or not?

As I said above, its just to expensive for what you get, so no I would not recommend this product

5/10

Review - Revlon ColorStay

According to the Revlon Website

 – 

ColorStay Makeup with SoftFlex provides lightweight cover, so you feel like you're not wearing makeup at all. Looks fresh for up to 16 hours

Shades 

• Ivory
• Buff
• Sand Beige
• Nude 
• Natural Beige
• Medium Beige
• Fresh Beige
• Golden Beige 

Whats to Love?

What I love about this foundation, is that it not only comes in a fantastic variety of shades, but it comes in different formulas for certain skin types. Mine skin type being the Combination/Oily. ColorStay was only around €18 in Boots. I honestly fell in love with it at first site. It matches my skin tone perfectly (I'm the shad-110 Ivory),I actually bought a second slighty darker shade for going out and stuff like that(180 Sand Beige) the product also has an SPF of 6,it  gives a flawless finish and it lasts all day. It can get a little bit  too thick/heavy, but I think a small bit goes a long way. It definitely gives a medium/high coverage, I only need to use a small bit of concealer under my eyes, as the foundation works it's great on its own

Cons 

1. Little bit pricey (€18)
2. Can be a bit heavy
3. No pump

Pros

1. Great Color Range
2. Easy to apply
3. Lasts Ages
4. Lasting Power
5. No need for concealer  

To buy or not buy?

Buy for sure, 9/10

Catrice - Ultimate Color Lipstick Review

     

Catrice Ultimate Color Review


I have two of these colors

1. Oh so Juicy (Orange)
2. Pinker-Bell (Pink)

My thoughts? 

If you have a spare few euros laying around,then head on over to your local store and pick yourself up a Catrice Lipstick Ultimate Color. They are great for going out they add a-lot of color to a plain outfit. The price is right (as the saying goes) they are about 4-5 euro. Have alot of color payoff for a cheaper lipstick!

Packaging

Awesome packaging, closes tightly and clean. very sleek looking and you get the name and a hit of the color and number at the bottom. Glossy black packaging, whats not to like?

Pros:

• great, luxurious looking packaging, very unusual for a drugstore brand!
• lovely color for the summer 
• amazing lasting power (up to 5 hours)
• dries into a matte, powdery finish that makes even bright colors very wearable 
• for about €4.50 the price is unbeatable 
• smells and tastes good but not too strong and the smell/taste fade when it has dried

Cons:

•  Only about 7-8 colors (not really a bad con)

To buy or not to buy?

Buy, if you have money now. Go and buy one or two even you will not be disappointed 

Essence I love Rock Eyeliner - REVIEW

Essence if one of those super-affordable brands that is available at Penneys and some Boots stores. Most of there products are under €7, I will do a blog on more essence products as soon as I get some new products. 

For those of you new to this brand, Essence is a German cosmetics company. You can view all of the products on their website, and get more info about them on the Essence website.

About the Product

It's very pigmented and has a slick, glossy finish - probably one of the best colour payoffs for a cheaper brand of black eyeliner. Literally feels like butter, so creamy, good price. It has a glossy texture, which means that it's prone to instant creasing on people with oily skin or eyelids,  great if you're going for a grungy look.  

                                  

To buy of not to buy?

Yes, 100% buy. This product for the price is the best eyeliner I have ever used. 

Pros

1. Price €3.00 (around)
2. Very Black 
3. Easy to remove
4. Cute Packaging 
5. Available in all Penneys/Primark
6. Super smooth to put on
7. Great as a base to create a smokey look

Cons

1. Very easy to smudge
2. Not water proof