Primark Foundation Brush || Artis Oval Brush Dupe

A couple of months back I uploaded a Primark haul on my channel (shameless plug) which I showed a new makeup brush from Primark's PS Pro makeup line. Inspired by the Artis brushes that retail for around £60 each I was intrigued.

The Primark oval brush is £4 and is a good size for applying either foundation, concealer or cream bronzer/highlight. I am personally using mine for foundation and I cannot believe how quickly I can apply my foundation with this brush. A warning for those of you like me that can be slightly heavy handed, the handle is slightly flimsy if you press too hard.  Mine hasn't broken or anything but I would just go light. However, what's great is that you don't need to apply a lot of pressure to buff in the product as this brush does most of the work for you. I really like the finish the application gives though like with any brush I do a double check to ensure no streaky patches.

I think this brush can tend to soak up the product as the bristles are so dense but I have had other brushes that have done the same. I am a bit concerned about when I have tried to wash the brush as all the hairs clumped together and has taken quite a while to dry, I was dubious as to whether it would return to its original state and I think it has mostly.  Unfortunately I don't think this brush will be as durable as say my MAC or Real Technique brushes however for the price I am glad I picked it up.

If you have been lusting over this type of brush this is a great way to try out a new technique without breaking the bank.  I do have my reservations as to whether these are as good as the originals but if like me you are always looking for something new to try I would pop down to a Primark and pick one up.  

Beauty Blender - Best Purchase of 2016

Start of a new year is a good time to reflect on the previous 12 months.  Though I have reflected on personal things I also have had a think about what products I have discovered in 2016.  I know I am a little late on the sponge in the shape of an egg bandwagon, I have tried many 'dupes' and never saw the fascination.  Well that's because they aren't the real deal. I noticed a difference between the real one and others as soon as I felt it.

The basic principal is a small egg shape sponge (the original was pink but I have the nude colour to avoid looking super dirty with foundation) that is really soft and flexible.  For me best results come from wetting the sponge so that it expanse to about a third larger.  This stops any liquid/cream products from being absorb into the sponge. Then using a bouncing technique the sponge blends out the makeup to create a flawless look.  It's so much quicker than I expected. I use the round bottom for foundation, the tip at the top for under eye concealer and the sides for cream contour or concealer.

It can get a bit messy once you have used the Beauty Blender for a while especially if you are using all the sides so I tend to try and keep mine as clean as possible.  There is a Beauty Blender cleanser but currently I am using baby shampoo which works for all my normal brushes.

For someone with dry skin this is my new best friend I can feel my skin lapping up the extra hydration compromising only a slight amount of coverage from my foundation.  Because of the additional hydration I have found with products such as Estee Lauder Double Wear don't tend to as perfect as when I use a normal buffing brush so I am getting in the habit of using lasting sprays which have helped.

I have seen people applying powder to help bake under their eyes and I didn't like it for that I felt mixing dry powder, water and liquid was starting to make the sponge feel heavy and could make application harder so now I only use wet,

I filmed a first impression video which will be on my Youtube (ButtonsAndBowX) shortly.  

I purchased mine from Selfridges but Beauty Bay also stock individual and sets. 

Favourite Hair Masques

My hair always needs a bit of tlc, even though I am happy with the moisturising conditioners that I use I do enjoy a good hair masque to give it that little bit extra. I have used all different treatments from drugstore to highend and I have picked my favourites from each and added an extra just for good measure.

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Mineral Hair Rescue Masque - £5.99
I hadn't tried a lot of Charles Worthington but I took advantage of a deal that Boots had a few months ago. Ever since, I have been loving this hair mask and use it once/twice a week. It leaves my hair feeling smooth and soft. I have noticed my hair looking healthier and not as dull. It has the added bonus if smelling amazing too! A random thing to mention but I really like how the lid flips back into place easily so no water can get into the tub and ruin the product.

Kérastase Nutritive Nutri-Thermique Masque 200ml - £20
My first tub of this beauty was a Christmas present a year or so ago and I fell in love.  Not only does Kate Middleton use this brand to keep her amazing locks in shape but it feels so luxurious. I try to avoid using this anywhere near my roots as it is so smooth and creamy it can make my roots look shiny. It leaves my hair so smooth and I have found how tangled my hair gets when I don't use this. Now addicted to highend shampoos oh no!

Lush Hair Doctor - £6.95

This is the first hair product that I've bought from Lush, I usually head straight for the bath bombs. Having a sensitive, dry and flaky scalp I have found T Gel and Head and Shoulders do not quite do the job of encouraging the hair goddess in me. Specifically made to cleanse and moisturise the scalp I had to give it a try.  Once a week I smear a thick helping of this mask onto my scalp and leave for around half an hour.  Having such thick hair it took a while to get used to the clay texture but it is definitely worth it.  This was a massive improvement and lasted longer than I had expected.

What hair products have you been using to help dry and sensitive hair?

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara vs Benefit They're Real Mascara

A while ago I put The Benefit They're Real mascara to the test. Could I find a drugstore alternative that was just as good or maybe even better than the bestselling highend product. I love Maybelline The Rocket mascara and thought there may be some similarities so I filmed a review and demonstration on how both perform during a standard working day. 

Watch the video to find out my verdict. 

Let me know if you have tried either and what your thoughts are on either mascara.  Do you have a different affordable mascara that can compete against highend mascaras?

Sephora Blush Orange Pop

For Valentines day my lovely boyfriend treated me to a romantic weekend in Paris. I did a post here showing some of my favourite pictures including when I met mickey mouse at Disneyland. If you have already seen that you may have notice the mini haul photo I threw I'm there for good measure. Yes what beauty obsess can go to Paris and not visit the Sephora flagship store on Champs Elysees? It would have been a crime not to. I was on my best behavior (and the Nars palette that wanted was sold out) so I only bought one thing this beautiful Sephora own brand blush in Orange Pop.

This is the second in my collection as I loved Rose Glow so much and wear it all the time.  

Orange Pop is a matte bright pop of colour shade that will be amazing with a tan (sadly for me that is not the case right now) its one of those shade that you can pop on with a big fluffy brush and be good to go as it will add an instant vibrancy to your complexion without making you look like a clown.

This these are a bit pricey at just under £10 but I think they are worth it for the pigmentation and longevity. A little definitely goes a long way so they will last you a very long time and there are a variety of shades and finishes.

Now Sephora is shipping to the UK so the Sephora Blushes are now available online.

Bourjois Health Mix Foundation

As we are in Spring, for the majority of us, our skin becomes a shade or two darker, and we leave behind the heavy matte foundations that masked our Winter skin.  I have continuously repurchased Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation over the last couple of years and for me is one of my all time favourites.

I have to say high street foundations are a pain to colour match.  You can be minding your own business putting strips of foundation on your neck in Boots and trust me you will always get a funny look from someone, and even then it's hard to tell which one actually matches you due to the artificial lighting. Ok rant over, my point is that, this foundation matches me perfectly. The best colour match of any of my foundations, highend included.  All the shades do tend to be more yellow or neutral toned so bare that in mind if you are pink toned.

The packaging, I have had to take the whole of the top off because the pump stopped working. So for a long time I didn't really reach for this foundation as it became a bit of a pain. I like the fact there's a little cylinder inside the plastic bottle that moves up as you use the product, so you can see how much is left. It might be that little mechanism that made the pump stop working actually, hhmm oh well I still like the idea.  Also a foundation that comes with a pump is always a winner in my book.  Saves wasting a lot of foundation and is not as messy as foundations that do not come with a pump.

On to the actual foundation and the first thing that I noticed was the scent.  It's kinda fruity which is such a change from the paint-like-stench that most foundations smell off.  This is due to the 'fruit therapy' that this foundation claims to have.  Key fruit ingredients help the affect of your skin.  There is apricot for radiance, melon for hydration, apple for anti-oxidants and ginger for energy.  I don't know if all this hocus pocus is completely true, however, I do know I love the finish that this foundation gives.  A lovely, dare I say it, dewy, hydrated glow to the skin.

I would say this is a light to medium coverage foundation.  It covers my redness but not necessarily those nasty spots but it evens the skin out nicely.  Another claim is that it is supposedly meant to last 16 hours, I don't think it lasts anywhere near that time, and is the one thing that lets this foundation down.  It can become a bit patchy as it fades so I always use a primer underneath to help with the longevity. 

Retailing for £9.99, it is one of the more pricer foundations on the high street.  There is also a serum version on the market and recently the packaging has had a revamp.  I will continue to buy this foundation as it is a brilliant everyday foundation for me.

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Face Primer

I have been really getting into primers in the last couple of years and I have a selection of lower and higher end versions. Primer for me is really important, a lot of people do not use it and think it's an unnecessary product.  I like to use face primers for three reasons, firstly to give me an even, smooth base to work from. Secondly, to make my makeup last longer. Lastly, I do have some primers that make the skin more illuminating or counter redness ( I guess this counts as creating a base). 

The Rimmel Fix and Perfect Face Primer is my everyday primer and retails at £6.99. I think this is an average price for the highstreet, but I think there was some sort of deal going on when I purchased mine, so I think I might have got it for free, so not really purchasing.

Anyway, the white packaging is quite unusual, I don't love it, I don't hate it. I guess it makes it easy to find in the bottom of a makeup bag. I like the squeezable tube, and thinking about it all of the face primers that I have come in the same style tube. There is 30ml of product which I think is a really good amount and this has lasted me so long already, and as I said I use this everyday. The product itself is too white in colour which I have found to be unusual as well, again it doesn't affect the effectiveness of the product so I am indifferent really.

The thing I like most about this primer is the texture, I really like how it is silicon based. It glides beautifully onto the skin and unlike a creamy texture it leaves the skin smooth, both to touch and also how you can feel it on the face. It does sink into the skin but I like to leave it for a couple of minutes so I know it has had time to prep the skin. This is lovely to create a nice even base to apply your makeup, when the skin is properly moisturised and primed, you will notice how much easier it is to apply foundation to, and also how much long it is will stay put.

I find this does keep my makeup in place for longer, I'm not a massive fan on powdering my face in order to set it which is why I like using primers. Depending on the foundation with this primer I wouldn't say you would be able to put your makeup on in the morning, do a full day at work and then go out in the evening with the same face of makeup. However, I do think this is perfect for those foundations that give a lovely dewy finish but that do not have brilliant lasting power. For example I love this with Bourjois Healthy Mix.

This product claims to smooth, resurface, brighten, mattify and protect.  I think I should mention the scent, I think some people might find it a tad off putting, I personally really like it but it is a little strange.

I probably would repurchase this as I do like this during the day, there are others that will keep your makeup looking fresher for longer, but for a highstreet primer I think this is really good and at such a good price. There is also another version 001, I don't know what the difference is between the two except that the other one is an apricot colour but I haven't seen it sold in the UK.

Rituals Hand Balm - Ginkgo's Secret

Today I am reviewing Rituals Ginkgo's Secret Extra Rich and Repairing Hand Balm which retails for £10 for 75ml, but I got mine with a 25% discount. 
Firstly I would like to apologize for the state of this product, my blogging ways still haven't got any better and should really know by now to photograph a product before putting it in my handbag for it to be bullied by all the rubbish in there.

Way back in November I was in Rituals buying a present for my mum and I was having a sniff around. As you do. And I ended up leaving with a brand new hand cream.  I don't know how it happened to be honest as I'm not really a massive hand cream fan. 

Anyway, I believe I was taken in by the scent. It smells AMAZING, like not even like oohh this is alright. No! A-MAZ-ING! You know when you see holidays being advertised and there is always someone being massaged? This is how I imagine that massage to smell. Ok, bit weird but you get what I mean. Not at all overpowering the scent is more elegant than anything. 

Quality wise I think this holds its ground. It is rich, thick and creamy which sinks into the skin beautifully and doesn't leave that annoying sticky residue. My hands always feel so soft after using this product, it definitely soothes rough, dry skin. I love the packaging as well. Simple yet really effective. Also, who doesn't like it when skincare comes in a box?

This cream contains Ginseng, which according to the box is a symbol for immortality, I am assuming this is what the healing ingredient is, and Ginkgo Biloba which is used to strengthen the blood vessels. I used to keep this in my handbag, as I mentioned, but now I keep this by my bed and apply it every night before going to sleep. I feel I get better results this way as our bodies work the most at night repairing skin cells and all that lovely stuff it does for us. So due to the fact it has healing ingredients, logically I think it should be used to aid our natural healing process.

I haven't tried too many things from Rituals but what I have tried, I have loved. Their products are so luxurious, I think they are perfect as gifts or even to treat yourself.  I really love the Pink range too called Ayurveda (good luck asking for that). A brilliant thing about Rituals is that they always seem to have some form of offer going on.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

You probably don't need to me to tell you how the Real Techniques brushes have basically claimed world domination on the makeup brush front. I took a while before purchasing any as I know how some things can be massively over hyped so I thought I would bide my time and take a step back.  

Real Techniques is a brand created by Samantha Chapman, who is a professional makeup artist and one half of the Pixiwoo sisters over on YouTube. There is also a Real Techniques channel if you want to see how Samantha herself uses these brushes. 

I decided to go for the Expert Face Brush out of the whole collection for two main reasons. Firstly, I am really into having a perfect base at the moment so I am loving new foundation brushes (but I didn't want the buffing brush from the core collection).  And secondly, because though I wanted to see what people said about the brand, I wanted to try out a brush that I hadn't really seen a lot about as I wanted to form my own opinion without all the hype around the specific product.

To begin with, this is going to shock a lot of people, I didn't really see the massive hype about it. It was soft, dense and applied my foundation nicely, but I didn't get the 'WOW this is amazing' feeling. Before this, I had been using a Coastal Scents Flat Top Kabuki and didn't really see why I would prefer this over that brush. I do however, really like the design, the gold handle and the thicker base for it to stand up independently, really makes them seem unique. The brushes are colour coordinated into groups, gold to get the perfect base, purple for eyes and pink for face brushes.

In terms of the brush itself, it was only after I had washed it that I started seeing what people had been saying.  Don't get me wrong I never thought this was a bad brush or anything, I thought I would be getting better results. After washing there was no shedding and it dried very quickly considering how dense the bristles are. I now saw a better finish, it is meant to give a slightly more opaque coverage than what the buffing brush does, just for reference. I really like the finish that I get with the Expert Face Brush, blends beautifully and evenly, I find it works with a stippling motion too for the areas that need slightly more coverage. Though I use mine to apply liquid foundation, it can be used for cream products too. I have cream foundations that I really enjoyed using this with, and I found that unlike some other brushes it doesn't retain that much of the product so you don't waste as much. 

I would definitely say if you are looking for a foundation brush you should try and get your hands on this brush. I say try because it took me 4 attempts at various different Boots before managing to nab the last one from the shelf. At £9.99 I wouldn't call this dirt cheap, but I think for the quality, versatility and finish that you can achieve I think this is worth the money.

Sephora Blush - Rose Glow

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say us Brits need to sign a petition to get a Sephora over here, sharpish!  If you wish I did a post on a couple of things I picked up when I went into Sephora. One of the items being this lovely Sephora Collection blush in Rose Glow for $14 so under £9. I am so impressed with the quality and colour payoff.

 As you can see the packaging is quite basic, simple black pot with a transparent lid to let the Sephora logo embedded in the blush peek through. I love when brands have their name or symbol crafted into the product, I think it makes it look so elegant. A good size as well so if you're someone who likes to carry a blush in their bag then these are perfect.

 There were so many shades to choose from but I think I picked the right choice, a dark rosy colour I love this for in the Winter. You only need a little as the blush has good colour payoff, and easily blends to leave a natural flush. These last for such a long time without fading as well which is always something the cheaper blushes tend to do.

This is probably one of my most expensive blushes but I am so glad that I purchased it. I would definitely get some other shades, as this is a matte shade I would love to try out others that contain a bit shimmer to see how they compare. I'll have to wait till I get a chance to go to Europe or America again though, that is the only downside.

Nars Bronzer - Laguna

Yes I caved, I bought it.  As well as being an avid lipstick junkie, I am partial to a bit lots of bronzer. I have tried various high street bronzers by all different brands, but Nars Laguna Bronzer is the beauty community's most hyped bronzer, so naturally when ASOS decided to have 20% student discount before Christmas I couldn't say no. 

I don't know how to say this, but, here goes. Initially I was so disappointed with this particular shade and could not understand the hype. The bronzer generally is beautiful, it's Nars I didn't expect anything less to be honest. The texture is so lovely, so smooth and it blends amazingly on the skin to give a natural finish. Though there is shimmer that runs through the product in the pan, it doesn't transfer onto the skin.

Left: Laguna    Right: ELF Contour

The only reason for any disappointment is probably my own fault. Laguna bronzer is normally used as a contour shade and is the reason why I purchased it. For those of you that are not familiar with this term, contour is where a shadow is created in hollows of the face to scalp and shape the face to make it look thinner and define bone structure. I like a really dark, defined contour which I blend out, I found that Laguna did not give the full effect that I wanted. As the swatches show Laguna is so light compared to it's ELF 'dupe'. (Which is the bronzer I am currently using for my contour.)

I really love the quality though, definitely my favourite bronzer for longevity and finish. The packing is nice, sleek, black compact with a massive mirror which is handy. The outside can get a bit grubby after a while as any dirt or makeup does seem to attach itself to the rubber packaging. 

 I now use it all over my face and it warms up my complexion beautifully. I use this sometimes during the day as it is so easy to work with, but mainly in the evenings as I know it is one of those products that always looks good.  I do really like this and do appreciate that the quality that Nars Bronzers have is amazing. I still cannot quite fathom as to why this shade has become so big, because I don't believe that Laguna perfectly suits as many people as there is claiming that it does. I do definitely want to check out other shades, but I will go to a Nars counter before purchasing next time. Hopefully they will open a counter near me soon, not too close actually, I wont have any money left.

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation

Last year Maybelline released a new range called 'Fit Me' and consists on a foundation, concealer and a face powder. Being the foundation lover that I am, I dove straight in and bought the foundation, the other products didn't really appeal to me.

The main selling point behind this range is that the makeup should 'fit' your skin tone.  They cater for whether you have pink or yellow undertones, something that very few high street brands do.  If you have yellow undertones like myself then your shade will end in 0, whereas the pink undertone shades end in 5. There is also 9 shades within each undertone section and also have a larger darker shade range than many other high street brands.

I do like this foundation, and has become my everyday foundation throughout the Winter. I like the matte finish that it has as well as it's longevity. On me this foundation can last a good 6-8 hours, with powder. It has a medium coverage that can be built up, but what I like is how natural it looks on the skin. I haven't found this to be cakey or patchy at all.  It blends very nicely in to the skin and you don't have to work too hard with it.  I think this foundation can be used all year round as it never looks heavy but can provide enough coverage so that it can be worn in the evenings too.

I like the packaging, a sleek glass bottle and yes with a pump. I find it really annoying when you buy a foundation and then have to waste most of it because you have to pour it onto the back of your hand. I find 2-3 pumps is more than enough to achieve the flawless finish that I like. I also like that it's square, a lot of drugstore foundations are round so it's nice to have a change. Oh the little things in life keep me happy.

At around £7 I am really impressed with this foundation and the shade range is really good. So if you do struggle to find a good match, especially darker skin tones, I would definitely say to have a look for this foundation.  The only thing that I found a little weird is that the first couple of times I used it I think it broke me out.  I don't know if maybe it was a moisturiser that I was using that it had a problem with and I changed or whether my skin got used to it quickly, but it's absolutely fine now. 

Vitamin E Night Cream

As we are well into winter now I also like to use a night cream, as these windy days tend to dry my skin out and make me flaky (the attractive days of my life). I have been trying this nourishing night cream from Superdrug's Vitamin E that't meant to keep skin hydrated for 12 hours. My very first thought when I bought this product was actually, I really like the packaging. I'm normally the first one to say that if I'm  buying anything from the highstreet the packaging doesn't really bother me because I want to pay for the product inside as opposed to fancy gold writing on the bottle. However, I don't think this looks like an own brand product as it's not as stripped back, plan and boring as other ranges. 

The cream itself is your standard white but surprisingly it has a faint nutty, coconut smell which I didn't expect and find quite refreshing before bed. On further inspection of the ingredients I found that this contains aesculus hippocastanum, which is a form of horse chestnut extract, which contains anti-inflammatory, skin purifying and skin softening properties. Also the smell it not at all overwhelming and once applied to the skin the smell fades so don't be put off by that. 

I have been trying this for while and I can say that my skin hasn't felt dry like it normally does at this time of year, but I don't think it lasts the full 12 hours that it claims. However, I am very pleased that I picked this up and am enjoying using it. The main downside that I found is, personally I find the texture to be very thin for a night cream. This is just a personal thing, my negative point might be someone else's positive. I generally like night creams to be thick so I can feel them sinking into my skin and feel them working, so almost more like a mask. As this is light it doesn't leave the skin greasy and as you rub it in, it sinks into the skin immediately. 

This is available at Superdrug for £2.99, 100ml tube, which is a perfect because I use this probably about 5 times a week and you don't need much so hopefully this will last me through the harshest of the winter months. The Vitmain E range have so many more products so I am definitely going down there and picking more up.

MUA Eyeshadow Trio

I'm going to start this series with one of my more recent purchases. This eyeshadow trio to me looks very similar to the Bourjois eyeshadow trio, don't you think?  I am so annoyed that I bought a Bourjois trio just before the MUA ones were launched, as these are so much better.

Firstly, the pigmentation is amazing.  Sometimes I find that very shimmery eyeshadows don't have a very good colour payoff, the shimmer stays but not necessarily the colour underneath which can be a pain. But I did not find that problem with this trio at all. They blend very nicely together and I really the shades that have been put together. There is also a small diagram on the back of how to combine the colours together into a smoky eye look.

The packaging doesn't excite me but it's ok.  What I do find weird though is that the case opens sidewards. So as you see the product in the picture above, the top flaps open to the right not upwards.  Very strange! But I think how is it compact so handy for travelling.

Like so many other people I chose this particular shade range as I wanted to use the light pink as a highlight colour for my brow and inner duct of my eye. I thought that would be the shade that I would use most, but actually I really enjoy using the darker pink shade.  

These are so nice to work with, transfer on to the skin smoothly and feel soft but without feeling or smelling chalky. Even though the shades I have are metallic with shimmer I haven't found that these produce a lot of fallout if any. I have been using a primer with these shadows, as I do with all my eyeshadows, but I did go one day without use any primer and found that these creased after about 4/5 hours so not bad for evening use but I think to wear these all day without a primer may lead to some fading.

The best bit though, has to be the price, these are available from Superdrug for £2.50, I have already got my eye on 2 or 3 other shades that I want to try too.  

L'Oreal Colour Riche Nails - Boudoir Rose

I first tried these little beauties out in the summer, however, the colours that I had weren't very summery so I didn't really use them. I recently bought this shade Boudoir Rose (number 204) as I thought it was a lovely pink nude shade that would go with everything.

At £4.99 you may think that's really good for a L'Oreal nail varnish, however these only contain 5ml of product. Whereas, a Barry M has 10ml and a Models Own has 14ml of product, so not such a good deal price wise.

However, L'Oreal claim that these nail varnishes have a new LiquiGel technology which "offers easy application, even coverage and lasting glossy shine." As you can see in the above picture, L'Oreal have also created a paddle style brush which helps the application of the polish.  I actually really liked the brush, at first I didn't believe it would do anything, but it makes the application so much easier and a lot quicker than other polishes from other brands.

 As far as the LiquiGel technology, it is true that you would be left with a glossy finish that other varnishes do not have, and the reason I repurchased this product. However, they claim it is long lasting, but this shade did not last long on my nail at all. The first 24 hours were fine but after that a few chips started to appear, which to be honest did not bother me that much, (I know that some people cannot stand it though) but after 3/4 days I needed to repaint my nails completely,  therefore, I definitely would not call these long lasting nail varnishes.

It is really annoying that the colour does not last a little bit longer as I think L'Oreal Colour Riche nail varnish would be my favourite out of all the brands I have because the finish on the nails is so lovely and is so easy to apply. I think these would be brilliant for anyone that likes to change their nail colour every few days but wants a glossy finish without the faff of a topcoat. I personally am going to use these for when I go away for a few days or to a special occasion and want a nice quick manicured look.
Boots have a 3 for 2 offer at the moment so you could get 3 different shades for just over £3 each which I think is a good offer.

Accessorize Bronzer in Laguna

A bronzer called Laguna, but not the Nars version, you say. I have you intrigued don't I?
I bought this when I picked up my Accessorize Blush over a month ago now and I didn't actually see the name of this bronzer until I got home and examined the product more carefully. I believe this was about £6 from Superdrug, sorry I could not find a link to it on the website.

 Even though this is a 'bronzer' I actually use it has a highlight mainly across the tops of my cheek bones and down the bridge of my nose. As you can see there is a spilt in the middle of the product as there are 2 shades, these can be used as two separate shades or mixed together.  I orginially thought that the shade on the left side of the pan was going to be the more 'highlight' shade and the other to be the bronzer of the two. Now, I think there's not really much in it, both have golden tones amongst shimmer that looks beautiful on the skin.

Top shade:Mixed together, Middle Shade:Shade on the right of the pan, Bottom Shade:Shade on the left of the pan

Like the Accessorize Blush, I quite like the packaging, girly, simple and looks pretty in my makeup bag. I also said in my other review how the case closes with a snap, and I did like that about it. Until this morning when I caught my finger in it. I still don't understand how to be honest.

Even though I use this product mainly as a highlighter, I do also use it as it's proper purpose, a bronzer. Due to the shimmer, there is always the worry about accidentally looking like a disco ball, however, with a light hand this can be used as an all over face bronzer. I would personally try and emphasize my cheek area more if I were to use the product in this way.
Also, please bare in mind this would definitely not work for contouring or to sculptural the face in any way. Not solely for the shimmery side of things, but also because this shade doesn't have the ashy tones that a contour should have, it consists of a more orange tone which works for a bronzer and not contour.

Please let me know if like me you're willing to ditch your Nars for your Accessorize.

Vaseline Pink Bubbly Limited Edition

I haven't really seen many posts on this product so I thought I would indulge in the world of Vaseline. Pink Bubbly is the new limited edition lip therapy and is supposed to smell like champagne, I personally would describe it more like a fruity scent with a kick really. But I do like it oddly enough and the more I smell it the more I like it. 

I don't use mine as a 'lip therapy' as I don't think Vaseline actually does anything to moisturise or hydrate the lips.  There are other useful ways, on my lashes to help them grow, over lipstick to add a sheen to the lips and also on any small dry patches of skin. Saying this, I do own every single version that they bring out, my excuse is that it's a staple item. 

Vaseline is always quite sheer, hence why no swatch, and mine now lives in my handbag. A normal pot would be £1.99 but this one is £3.49 from Boots, smacked lips face! I really cannot tell why this one would be £1.50 more than the others. However, I do spy with my little peeper, there is wine extract in the Pink Bubbly which may explain a little.

Overall, I think this is my favourite scent but was a bit of an impulse buy, I don't know if I would repurchase this if I happened to lose it though.

Rimmel Lasting Finish - Pink Blush

This was in my haul last month and I said how I normally don't go for bright pinks. I love this shade, it's a matte finish which can be a little drying but if applied on top of a lip balm it isn't a problem for me. This particular shade does show cracked lips which as it's coming into winter could be a problem. As the name suggests this is a long lasting lipstick, I found it lasted a couple of hours, but not all day. I don't know if I would wear this alone during the day without gloss but in the evening I really like this lipstick.

This is the shade without balm or lip scrub

I am loving Rimmel lipsticks at the moment and even though I still think Pink Blush looks a little scary, once it is applied it looks lovely, especially with tanned skin. I like the packaging too, just simple black with the Rimmel slanted lid. You can pick this up for £4.99 and boots have 3 for 2 at the moment which means more shades :)

Accessorize Blush in Scandal

After spending years hating the 'baked' form of products I recently had a change of heart. They look too good in the pan not to fall in love, aren't they? They sort of reminded me of the Heavenly Creatures Collection from MAC with the swirls and mixes of colour.

The shade I have is Scandal, a pink toned blush which is such a lovely girly colour. I can lightly dust this over the apples of my cheeks for a daytime look, bring out more of the shimmer for a more glamorous evening look. This blusher is really pigmented, I was pleasantly surprised. I love the shimmer it's not too full on and I think it really brightens the face and looks beautiful in photographs. I had doubts as to whether this would actually stand up as a good quality, long lasting product, or if the pretty shade in a pretty box was all it was. I was definitely wrong, this blush lasts a good 6-8 hours on my skin without a setting spray and the texture is lovely and smooth as it is applied.

As you can see, it's not as burgundy as it looks in the pan but I think it could probably be built up to a deep pink if that is what you are aiming for.

I like the packaging, one of those plastic snappy cases (some people may call cheap) but I actually prefer this style sometimes because I know that they close properly. A transparent lid to see the colour of the blush and the butterflies are cute which I think appeals to the more girly amongst us.
I picked mine up at Superdrug for around the £4 mark, sorry I cannot seem to find this product on the Superdrug website so can't add a direct link. I do know that this will last me as I've been using this blush nearly every day for about a month and haven't even started to make a dent in the pan so I am definitely going to pick up some more shades soon.

Have you tried any Accessorize makeup?