Sleek Brow Kit

As someone with blonde eyebrows, using something to fill them in is an essential in my morning routine; invisible eyebrows is not a strong look! Up until recently, I'd only ever used eyebrow pencils, and whilst they did a decent job, they never gave a perfect finish. In search of something better, I decided to buy Sleek MakeUp's 'Brow Kit' whilst having a browse around my local Superdrug. It set me back £8.

Firstly, I love the packaging! It comes in a matte black case (reminiscent of Nars products) with an admittedly tacky font on the front, but its what's inside that counts! It comes with a large mirror, brilliant for popping in your bag instead of having to take a separate mirror with you. It also feels really sturdy and closes securely, so I have no complaints.

The product has two steps, a tinted brow gel and a setting powder. It comes with two mini brushes and a pair of mini tweezers - they're not of the best quality but they do the job perfectly well if you've nothing else to hand. I use the angled brush to apply the gel, which has a lovely texture and delivers a nice, natural colour which helps to shape and define my brows. I then use the rounded brush to apply the setting powder which helps even out the colour and set the product. The result is lovely defined and well groomed eyebrows! I much prefer using this to brow pencils, as it has a much better colour pay off which is more natural and has better staying power. I also feel that it gives more control over the shaping of the brows, but perhaps that is down to personal application preference.

I must say I purchased this product in 'light', which tends to lean a little red. I think this would look fine on those with blonde or red hair, but those with light brown hair may need to look elsewhere. The only other shade available is 'dark', which looks a lovely true dark brown in the compact, but I haven't personally tested it so can't comment on the colour. Overall, this is a lovely product that I would definitely recommend for the price!

£7.99, Available in larger Superdrug stores or online at Sleek.

Have you used this product, or any other brow gels? 

The Breakfast Scrub by Soap & Glory

Personally, I can't have a shower without using a good body scrub. I just don't feel as though I'm properly clean otherwise, perhaps I'm a little OCD? Who knows. Anyway, I often find that many products which profess to be 'scrubs' are little more than a glorified body wash with beads/sand/shells thrown in for no other purpose than to get all over my shower and annoy me when I have to wash it.

None of these things are true of Soap and Glory's 'The Breakfast Scrub', aka the best scrub I have ever used/one of the things I'd take if I were stranded on a desert island/the eighth wonder of the world. I really cannot say enough good things about it.

The packaging is typical of Soap and Glory; cute, kitsch and pink! It comes in a round tub which will look lovely in any girls bathroom. It is an 'oat, shea butter and sugar body smoother' with 'capuacu bio scrubs' which, whilst I'm not entirely sure what they are, do the most amazing job! Really, this stuff is brilliant. It is a thick, gritty formula which can be applied to either wet or dry skin; either way it exfoliates the skin incredibly well, getting rid of all dead skin leaving it feeling smooth and soft with no greasy residue - just perfect skin!

The best thing about this scrub (which is saying something, as the scrub itself is fantastic) is the smell. It smells like MAPLE SYRUP! Really, can you think of anything better?! It really does smell good enough to eat. The only downside I can think of is the price - it is £9.45, which may seem steep for a body scrub, but you get a huge 300ml of product, and a little really goes a long way! One pot should last at least six months, so it works out cheap in the long run. Also, you can get this for £7.70 on asos, although it is out of stock at the moment (no surprise, this is worth its weight in gold!).  

Available at Boots and Asos.

Have you tried this scrub? What did you think?

Vitamin E Moisturiser Review - The Body Shop

Now as winter has come in the form of harsh winds this year, my skin has taken an absolute beating. Even popping out to the local shop has at times resulted in my face feeling as if it has actually been blown off in the gales. With complaints of chapped skin and just general discomfort, a friend and I set out to find a good mosturiser to combat all the negative effects of winter. The Body Shop has always been a favourite of mine; good value products which promise not to test on animals definitely make me feel better about my growing obsession with purchasing cosmetics. With my skincare regime consisting mainly of their Tea Tree range, I surprised myself in buying their Vitamin E Night Cream, alongside the Vitamin E Day Cream.

The Vitamin E Cream comes in a sizeable container which makes application easy as there is no nightmare product-and-fingers-getting-trapped-in-dispenser problem when being so stingy that every finger-full counts. The Vitamin E Night Cream itself however, is rather thick in consistency - like a paste almost (see above photo). It's definitely easy to assume which is the night cream and which is for the day, if the lids were to be removed. Once applied, the moisturiser works to eliminate any dryness with a completely hydrated face being the conclusion once morning comes round. This stuff is getting stocked up on once I have some spare money.

On the other hand, the day cream offers lighter hydration. As a perfect base for make-up, it rids them damn bits which are just so unable to receive moisture (namely my massive rudolph nose) so foundation is easily applied. As a whole, I don't believe the day cream would be incredibly remarkable, but when used on the morning prior to applying the night cream the evening before, it has completely changed the appearance of my skin.

Does anybody else use either of the products? 

L'oréal Studio Secrets Primer Review

Sadly, I suffer from uneven skin and extreme open pores. Having tried endless amounts of scrubs and creams to try and combat this, I am now of the opinion that camouflaging the issue is a much more practical solution than trying to deal with the underlying problems. As such, a good primer is an essential in my morning regime.

Enter L'Oreals 'Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer'. Promising to 'mask uneven textures in the skin' and make the 'complexion feel smooth and soft, with a remarkable velvety touch', I decided it was worth a try. At around £14 for 15ml of product, this is quite an expensive purchase for a high street brand. However, most high end primers are at least double this, so it is one of the cheaper options.

The packaging reflects the price point of the product, keeping it nice and simple in a weighted glass pot, giving it a more expensive feel than a plastic tube. This might cause hygiene issues for those who dislike products in pots, but as long as you apply this with clean hands, I don't see this as an issue.

I apply this product where it is most needed (t-zone and chin) with my hands, and blend outwards using circular motions, as directed. It is a thick, mousse like texture which blends well and does leave skin feeling 'velvety soft' as promised, although it can take quite a while to set on the skin. I found that when worn on its own, this primer does smooth the skin, leaving it 'resurfaced' with almost invisible pores! However, when foundation is applied on top, my pores showed through - a huge disappointment after seeing the effects on bare skin. My pores are less visible with this primer underneath, but definitely still there. I also didn't find it helped to prolong the wear of my foundation, despite the fact the product didn't claim to (logic caused me to believe using a primer would combat the issue of having to reapply foundation). It did keep my skin feeling soft though!

Staying ability: 4
Appearance: 3
Price: 2
Value for Money: 2
Would I recommend this: Yes to those who don't usually wear foundation, no to those looking for something to wear under foundation!

A Quick Update!

As we settle in, why not have a little look at what we'll soon be reviewing? These products & plenty of others (of course). 

What can we say?! It's just been Christmas, of course we're going to have received too many cosmetics than we actually need...

Clarins Everlasting Foundation Review

Having formed the belief Clarins was for the older generation, I strayed clear from their products before receiving a sample of one of their mascaras last year. With the mascara (I forget it’s name) being incredible, I decided I should trust my faith in French cosmetics and try out a foundation (or two). Whilst testing one on my hand in my local Debenhams, I was asked the age old question of whether I needed any help. Usually, I’d promise that I was “only looking” but the lady on the counter looked too friendly to deny so I asked if she knew which foundation would be suitable for my skin. As I have combination skin, which decides when it does and doesn’t want to co-operate with me, I declared I just wanted something that would cover my acne scars and stay on my face instead of sliding off within a seconds (where it even goes, I’ll never know). The lady produced a tester of Everlasting Foundation and Extra Firming Foundation and told me to let her know how I got on, whilst noting down the colours I would need if I were to purchase the product.

Before I begin reviewing Everlasting Foundation, let it be known that Extra Firming Foundation was a great foundation, but for winter I felt that Everlasting Foundation was more suitable for my face. On first application, I was wary of using this foundation on my nose as I have found it doesn’t take to foundation as well as the rest of my skin does (I tend to use a thicker foundation on this part of my face). However, this foundation was brilliant on said area, and along with covering my acne scars, it gave me a healthy glow (which also gave me several compliments). 15 hours later and the foundation was still fully on my face, as promised on the box. After using the foundation for several weeks, I have come to the decision that the foundation is possibly the best I have used. The only negative point I would have would be the price as it is usually around the £20 mark.

Coverage: 5

Fragrance: 5

Staying ability: 4

Appearance: 5

Price: 2

Value for Money: 4.5

Would I recommend This: Yes

Smith’s Rosebud Salve

As my friend’s just love to jet set, I tend to request an exotic gift upon their return and usually, it’s either cosmetic or food based! As a great friend of mine knew I longed to find a great lip balm, she returned from New York with a tin of Smith’s Rosebud Salve which states has use as an all purpose skin preparation. I’m not usually one for carrying around a tub of Vaseline as I find that it’s generally not moisturising enough for my lips or skin so was a little dubious. However, when using the product for the first time, I was over-enjoyed by its delicious scent and the fact it gave a slight sheen to my lips but did not change the colour of them. I then continued to reapply it every five minutes before telling myself to calm down and savour it as I probably wouldn’t be able to get hold of a tin for a while (I later found out that it is sold in House of Fraser, Anthropologie and some Urban Outfitter and American Apparel stores). In all honesty, this lip balm is probably my secret saviour. As it claims, it is fantastic for moisturising every part of the body, I sometimes find myself using it as a hand protector in the cold months, and boy, does it get rid of dry skin! I recommend it to all of my friends and although it does come at quite a price in England (usually around £8), it is definitely worth investing in. I have also tried it in ‘Mocha Rose’ and it is just as delicious!

Appearance: 5

Fragrance: 5

Price: 2

Value for money: 5

Would I recommend this: Yes