Latex Free Make-Up Blending Sponge

I have never tried out the Beauty Blender as I've always fared well with foundation brushes and couldn't quite justify spending £20 on a make-up sponge. These make-up sponges however retail for £3.99 and are available here in the U.K. from www.love-makeup.co.uk as well as www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk.

The principle for using these is the same as with the Beauty Blender - you need to dampen them, they expand in size and then you work liquid and cream make-up products into the skin by using a bouncing motion. The pointed end is used to apply foundation or concealer around the nose or eyes.

Left: dry sponge  Right: dampened sponge

Initially I only purchased one sponge, just out of curiosity and to do a trial run, but after using it only once I knew that I needed more. These are incredibly easy to use and apply liquid and cream foundations like a dream, leaving you with a truly (yes I'll throw in the cliche) flawless finish!

I wholeheartedly recommend these. This might sound dramatic but they will transform the way in which you apply your foundation, helping you achieve a truly natural and well blended finish. 

If you've tried the Beauty Blender as well as these then please leave a comment below and let me know how they compare.

Nude Cleansing Facial Oil

This past while I've been trying out some new cleansers, most of which I've been rather impressed with. I'm not going to mention them all in one post, I'll do a separate one on each...

So to start off...as the post title states...it's Nude Cleansing Facial Oil.

Now I'm sure that you've heard loads and loads about this one - it has after all been labelled as a "miraculous" cleanser. Having read all the wonderful reviews, I'd finally decided to check for myself what all the fuss was about. I do have to say that the fact that it is an oil was the biggest selling point for me. As I have mentioned before - I absolutely freaking LOVE oils - be it facial oils or body oils - I just love smothering myself in them.
I do also keep a little bottle of olive oil in the bathroom that I occasionally like to use as a facial cleanser...works a treat.

Now onto my thoughts regarding Nude's cleansing oil...

The oil should be warmed between the hands and massaged onto a dry face, then a small amount of water is applied in order to form a light milk. As you're massaging the oil into the face you can actually see all the make-up becoming dislodged and melting away. I love the fact that it is completely gentle on the eyes; any cleansers that start irritating and stinging my eyes are a complete no no for me.
It did take me a little while to get used to the scent which is rather difficult to describe...it's not that it's unpleasant...but you do immediately feel that you are using a natural product.

So does it do a great job of cleansing? Hell yeah! This surely is a magnificent cleanser, but I find that I need to use more than the suggested 1 to 2 pumps of oil. I use 3 pumps for the first cleanse and then follow up with 2 more...but I do tend to go rather heavy on the mascara. So around 5 pumps in total me...leaving my face squeaky clean.

Will I continue to repurchase and make this cleansing oil a regular within my bathroom cabinet? Probably not.

Although it is an excellent cleanser that I really can not fault in any way or form, for some reason it has failed to really "wow" or excite me.  I feel that there a lot of cheaper cleansers out there that do just as good of a job as this one and cost a lot less. In fact, I feel that I got the same sort of results by using regular olive oil as a cleanser.

Have you been "wowed" by this cleansing oil?

Random Boots stuff...

I popped into Boots the other day just for a quick nosy and as usual I didn't leave empty handed...no major shopping just three items that captured my attention:

Revlon Nail Enamel in Sunshine Sparkle

This is a very justifiable purchase as I don't own any other yellow nail polish so I'm sort of discovering new territories here:) A great shade for the summer, don't you think?! No sunshine here in Northern Ireland at present so this should brighten up my days. Please excuse the scruffy paint job but I took this pic after about 3 days of wear...

Boots 17 Falsifeye Mascara

Falsifeye claims to create a "false lash effect" look...haven't we heard that one before?...Anyway, believe it or not I did not fall for the promising claims - I just fell for the uber cool, thick, bright pink packaging!!!
What a great looking mascara tube this is:)
The mascara itself ain't too bad either. I wouldn't say that it makes my lashes look like I'm wearing fakes but it doesn't disappoint either.
What the heck, I'll just insert a picture of my eye here so you can see the mascara in action -

As you can see it's nothing mind blowing but I have very short eyelashes anyway so I wasn't expecting a miracle. Overall I'm pleased with this mascara's performance.
At the minute Boots is offering a free gift to go along with the mascara in the form of a gel eyeliner.

Aren't freebies just great?! I didn't actually notice the free gift until the lady at the till informed me about it so that was a pleasant surprise.

Revlon ColourBurst Lipgloss 

I got it in the shade Crystal Lilac - Love this gloss, it's absolutely gorgeous!

Super glossy with a natural hint of pink...and here's me wearing it -

Yeah I thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of my reflection in the mirror:)

Have you made any random purchases lately?

Grimas Cream Foundation

Grimas is a Dutch make-up company that creates cosmetics for professional use and is favoured by face painters, theatres and professional make-up artists around the world. The brand seems to be rather uncommercial and difficult to come across. I discovered Grimas about two years ago, quite by accident actually during one of my many Internet make-up researches:) 

My first ever Grimas purchase was an eyeshadow palette - absolutely brilliant - and I'll do a separate post on Grimas eyeshadows pretty soon...

I love cream foundation and it just so happens that Grimas makes a handy palette of 12 flesh tone shades that have been specifically chosen for photographic and beauty make-up. You can also purchase individual pots of the foundation. 

This is what the palette looks like: 

 ...and you can also unclasp the little pots from your palette if you wish...

 Here are some swatches:

 Top row: 1004, W5, B6, B4, B2, B1

Bottom row: J7, J5, J3, J1, G4, G0

So as you can see - no fancy packaging - it's all about the product.

Anyway onto my verdict regarding this cream foundation - I love it!!!

The foundation is unperfumed and an absolute dream to work with due to the ease of application. In fact, I'd say that the application process of this foundation is absolutely foolproof as it is incredibly creamy and thus very easy to blend. 

You only need a little to cover the whole face and the results are fantastic. This foundation literally melts into the skin and is virtually undetectable on the skin. 

I will most definitely be repurchasing this palette in the future and will probably get a bigger sized pot of my shade for personal use. 

If you'd like to learn more about the brand you can check out their product range on www.grimas.com. 

I purchase my products from 1st Night either by phone or through www.grimasmakeup.co.uk. 

I'm absolutely ecstatic with their great customer service and super fast delivery time - in fact I ordered an eyeshadow palette yesterday and received it this morning! 

Have you tried any products from Grimas?

Kryolan Glamour Glow Palette

Meet the new gem within my make-up kit - Kryolan's Glamour Glow Palette.

Glamour Glow contains an array of eight very practical colours and as the name suggests these serve to create glowing effects on the skin. The palette is however very versatile and can be used as highlighters, bronzers, eyeshadow and blush.

The colours are - top row, left to right: Glamour Tan, Natural Tan, Pale Tan, Blush Mauve

Bottom row, left to right: Blush Peach, Bronzing Summer, Bronzing Sun, Bronzing Agais

The powders have a pearly, satin texture without very obvious shimmer particles. You can achieve either delicate or stronger glow effects depending on the method of application. It's best to apply these delicately, building on the layers as some of these shades can make you look "dirty" or like a disco ball if applied too liberally. When applied carefully, these give the skin a gorgeous, ethereal glow. The fact that the powders are quite hard gives you control over the layers being applied. 

Here are a couple of swatches - 

top row

bottom row

Have you discovered any great palettes lately?

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Bargain Hunting & New Blush Discovery

Don't you just love bargain hunting at TK Maxx? Now I have to admit that I'm no good at shopping for clothes at TK Maxx as I find it too difficult to find stuff and can't be bothered to ravage my way through all the clothing racks. I do however always make my way towards the
cosmetics section in search of some good deals.

I usually manage to find some stuff that makes me all giddy with excitement like for example -
Nails Inc nail polish at a fraction of the usual price, St. Tropez self-tanning lotion for a tenner instead of the usual and depressing £20.

During my last visit at TK Maxx I came across quite a few Model Co products. Although I'm not at all familiar with their make-up range, which by the way is tested on models and not animals, I do happen to use as well as love their make-up setting spray. Needles to say I picked up another bottle for £7.99 (BARGAIN) instead of the £23 that I'd normally pay for it online - and that is excluding postage and packaging!

Anyway, there was one item that caught my attention big time - a blush in the shade Joie De Vivre 02.

The Model Co Colourbox Blush comes in a cute pink and white two tiered box compact - on top you get the blush and a handy mirror while at the bottom you'll find a brush for applying your blush with.
I however like to use my regular blush brush for application.

So what is it that drew my attention to this particular blush? The fantabulous colour of course!

Joie De Vivre does indeed fill me with joy! The moment I swatched it I knew without any doubt that I was going to buy it. It is a lovely peach shade (and you know how I love my peachy blush) that is very close in tone to Peaches by MAC. I'd say that Joie De Vivre is a little bit more on the orange side.

Index finger: Joie De Vivre    Middle finger: MAC Peaches

Left: Joie De Vivre   Right: MAC Peaches

Although I can see very minimal and very few tiny sparkles here and there, the blush applies to a matte finish which happens to be yet another plus for me.

The price - while the regular retail price of this blush is £16.00, the TK Maxx price was £6.99 (happy grin).

Have you found any great bargains lately?

The Body Shop Almond Body Butter

The first time I ever tried a body butter from The Body Shop was a couple of years ago and at the time I remember thinking that it was one of the most amazing body moisturisers around.
A couple of years later my views haven't changed one bit.
The difficulty is however, deciding which butter to purchase as there's so many of them to choose from - Coconut, Vitamin E, Moringa (one of my faves), Mango, Strawberry, Olive...to name but just a few.
I must have stood at the shop for at least 20 minutes just trying to decide which butter to purchase for smothering myself with. At the end I allowed the price to be a deciding factor and opted for the Almond version as it was on sale for half price...oh and I do love almonds.

Almond body butter also contains cocoa and shea butter, making it extra moisturising and perfect for normal and dry skin types. The consistency is as with all body butters - creamy, soft and buttery - very easy to blend into the skin, easily absorbed and super hydrating. You can definitely sniff  out the almonds in there but overall the scent is kind of sweet and reminds me of cake icing.

These body butters are great during the winter months and when making the transition from winter to spring as they really help to clear up and soften any dry and rough bits. 

Do you have a favourite body butter from The Body Shop?

...on a different note - how do you like this bright pink from China Glaze? It has tiny particles of shimmer in it.

Oddly the shade is called Naked - don't know why...oh well who cares - it's quite a nice shade for the summer.