Tuesday 29 March 2016

NYX Wonder Stick Review and Photos

NYX Wonder Highlight and Contour Stick
Just lately I've been dabbling in a bit of contouring, I say dabbling lightly as I'm by no means an expert at this, but it does make a difference at enhancing your best features and hiding your not so good parts! I recently picked up this highlighting and contouring stick from NYX, as I thought it looked like an interesting alternative to your regular powder and brush contour method, so here's my thoughts.
Price
This retails for £10 for 8g of product all together, which I guess you could say is a little expensive for a drugstore brand, but this is a unique product with a dual ended stick that helps make contouring a breeze. The double ended stick also comes in four different shades, which is great to see. I picked mine up in the Light/Medium shade.
Packaging
I love the box the stick comes packaged in, as it has detailed step by step picture instructions on how to use the product, which is fantastic and defiantly helpful. The stick itself actually looks like a double ended lipstick, but this in fact helps you contour and highlight really easily.
Application
This is by far the easiest contour and highlight product to use, thanks to the stick formula and really helpful instructions. Each end is also shaped differently to help you sculpt and focus on particular areas of the face without difficulty.
Upon application this glided on effortlessly because of it's beautiful and creamy consistency. This also was the perfect shade as the contour colour wasn't to dark and the highlight end was more of a lighter concealer shade, so not shimmery at all. I applied this after my foundation and before powder, I then blended it in well to reveal a super natural and subtle contour, which was just what I wanted. The only thing I would say is because of it's really creamy consistency, you do need to powder lightly, just to prevent the contour and highlight from slipping around on your face.
Longevity
This stayed really well providing you powder with a translucent powder, plus this is almost like your sandwich layer after your foundation and before your powder/bronzer stage and so that helps it to stay put all day too.
Overall Thoughts
I absolutely loved this stick as it was so easy to use, plus it wasn't to dark, orange or shimmery at all. The consistency was beautiful and the longevity great, providing you set the creams with a powder, but apart from that I think for the price this is brilliant for anyone and everyone, whether your just starting out in make-up or your a seasoned pro at contouring and highlighting.

I award the NYX Wonder Stick 4.9 out of 5
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March Style Diary - Suede, Blush and Khaki Tones

Scarf - River Island & Shoes - Converse
March has been a month full of new outfits and old favourites, so today I wanted to share with you my most worn outfits for March, to co-inside with a week of Fashion videos I'm doing over on my channel this week. Blush, Suede and Khaki have all played a big part in my wardrobe this month, so here's a roundup of my four favourites outfits.
OUTFIT 1 - Suede on Suede
White T-Shirt - H&M
Khaki Jacket  - H&M
Burgundy Suede Skirt - H&M
Suede Tan Ankle Boots - River Island
Bag - Old
OUTFIT 2 - Sports Luxe
Sunglasses - Michael Kors
Grey Sweater - Primark
White Vest (Underneath) - Zara
Black Leggings - Zara
Trainers - Converse
OUTFIT 3 - Black Dresses & Bombers
Khaki Bomber Jacket - H&M
Black Dress - River Island
Rose Gold Clutch - Ted Baker
OUTFIT 4 - Early Spring Vibes
Khaki Jacket - As before
Blush Short Sleeve Knit - Abercrombie & Fitch
Jeans - American Eagle
Bag - Ted Baker
Suede Ankle Boots - As before
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NYX Micro Brow Pencil Review and Photos

NYX Micro Brow Pencil
I've reviewed quite a few brow products here on the blog, including the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and the drugstore version of this type of pencil from Soap and Glory. I recently managed to pick up the NYX Micro Brow Pencil and thought it would be appropriate to test out this drugstore version too, as it does have a slightly better shade selection than the S&G one, so here's my thoughts.
Price
This retails for £7 for 9g of product, which is a great price for this kind of brow pencil, plus it comes in seven shades to suit all hair colours.
Packaging
This comes boxed with a picture of the type of pencil your getting, including a few bullet points on what the brow pencil exactly does. The pencil itself looks identical to both the Brow Wiz and Archery pencil, with a handy spoolie at one end and the retractable thin pencil on the other.
Application
These are defiantly my favourite type of brow pencil, as they help get into all those sparse areas easily, thanks to the tiny nib. I picked this up in Ash Brown and initially I did think it would be a tad light, but it turned out to be a perfect match for my brows. The only thing with this NYX version was the pencil was slightly hard and scratchy to begin with, which meant it didn't glide on as softly as I hoped, but if you use this in conjunction with the spoolie end, it does soften and blend out nicely.
Longevity
This lasted pretty well throughout the day on it's own, but towards the evening time, it did fade slightly at the start of my brows, which is where I have the most sparseness. Usually in my normal brow routine I add powder on top of the pencil just to make sure it's extra bullet proof throughout the day.
Overall Thoughts
I did love this brow pencil a bit more than the Soap and Glory version, purely because not only did the micro brow pencil have a great colour selection for a drugstore pencil, it was also a pound cheaper than the Archery one. But comparing all three of these types of brow pencils now, I think for me my favourite is still the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz as this glides on beautifully, looks natural and it also comes in the best colour selection. Yes this is around double the price, but I think you can just tell the quality of this pencil compared to the drugstore versions. But if your budget won't quite stretch to the Anastasia version, then I would defiantly opt for the NYX version as this does do an equally good job, but for half the price.

I award the NYX Micro Brow Pencil 4.8 out of 5
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Sunday 27 March 2016

Early Spring Vibes - Blush Accents and Cosy Scarfs | Style Diary #9

Hooray Spring has finally sprung! I really do love this time of year, as the air is a little warmer and the flowers are finally sprouting. But although it is technically now Spring here in the UK, there is still a fierce nip in the air from time to time, so some kind of warm item of clothing is still a must. For me the thing that keeps me warm without fail, is this large cosy scarf from River Island. I love the mix of Winter and Spring colours running through the scarf, which means this goes with most of my outfits. So today I wanted to share with you one of my favourite looks currently, that incorporates this scarf and some blush and tan accents, which are perfect for some early springtime vibes.
Scarf - River Island
Khaki Coat - H&M
Sunglasses - Michael Kors
Bag - Ted Baker
Pom Pom - H&M
Jeans - American Eagle 
Shoes - Converse
Sweater - Abercrombie & Fitch
This blush pink sweater is perfect for Spring because of it's short sleeves and lightweight knitted fabric.
 
Suede Ankle Boots - River Island
I also love this look paired with these suede tan ankle boots for a more dressed up option.

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Saturday 26 March 2016

My Morning and Night Skincare Routine

My Skincare Routine
At the start of the year, I radically shook up my skincare routine by re-introducing some old favourites and new products to my everyday sequence, so I wanted to share with you my updated routine right from when I get up to what I use before bed.
AM - Cleanse, Tone & Moisturise
I tend to keep my morning routine simple, quick and efficient, as for me the most important thing in the daytime is protection. So for cleanser I use a basic cleanser to wake up my face and at the moment I'm using the Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser. For toner I spritz my face with one of my all time favourite tonics, the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer. Then finally I finish with my most important step, an SPF. I'm particularly fond of the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SOF 50+ as it sinks in really well and doesn't leave that horrible white cast, that some SPF's tend to do.

PM - Cleanse, Treat & Moisturise
In the evening I focus more on cleansing, treating and moisturising, starting with removing my make-up using my favourite Make Up Eraser to get rid of all my make-up and daily grind. I then go in with my holy grail Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water and a large cotton pad, just to make sure my face is super clean before I cleanse.

Next onto the cleansing portion of my routine. I usually double cleanse of an evening if I have been wearing a full face of make-up that day, so without fail I always start with one of my newest finds, from Una Brennon, the Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. This is a pleasure to use, smells divine and a little goes a long way. For my 2nd cleanse, I go in with an old favourite, the Cleanse and Polish from Liz Earle. This has a beautiful buttery texture which helps make my skin feel pampered and refreshed. I also wipe away each cleanser with a damp muslin cloth too.

Just lately I've really been into Glycolic products, so once or twice a week I alternate between the Nip + Fab Glycolic Cleanser and Pads and the Pixi Glow Tonic. If I'm using the Nip + Fab Duo, I will swap out my cleanse and polish and replace it with the glycolic cleanser or if I do my normal cleansing routine I will follow with the Pixi Glow Tonic, swiped over the face with a cotton pad. And when I'm not using my Glycolic products, I exfoliate once a week with the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel.

I've also been obsessed with Charcoal Nose Pore Strips from T-Zone, which I have been using once every two weeks. These really do the trick at removing any blackheads I may have, but be warned these are a little painful to remove!

Masks are another must have in my weekly routine and at the moment I'm currently rotating between the Una Brennon Salicylic Acid Anti-Blemish Pore Purifying Clay Mask and the Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask. The Una Brennon one is great for deep cleaning the skin and the Bliss one is perfect if your short of time and you need a quick energising fix.

Lastly I finish my evening routine with using coconut oil around my eye area and my holy grail Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream and if I'm in need of a subtle to glow to the face, I use the St Tropez Bronzing Face Lotion.
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St Tropez Bronzing Face Lotion Review and Photos

St Tropez Bronzing Lotion Face
Now we are hopefully getting into the warmer months, it's time to whip out the fake tan and prepare for the bikini season. But as you all know it's important to look after your face and neck area especially in the Summer months and this is something I've become especially conscious of as I get older. So now I pay even more attention to my face by protecting it from the elements on a daily basis with an SPF 50. (I will talk more about this in my updated skincare routine in my next post.)

With all of this taken into consideration I now only like to fake tan my face in the Summer and so I wanted to try out a few self tanners, that are especially designed for this area. First up is the St Tropez Untinted Bronzing Face Lotion, so here's my thoughts.
Price
The bronzing face lotion retails for £22 for 50ml, for me this is a lot for a fake tanner just for the face, but this is St Tropez, so this sort of price point is to be expected. The plus points are this does claim to be hydrating, non pore blocking and quick drying, plus this is a nice size too.
Packaging
The packaging is simple, sleek and reminiscent of all St Tropez products. I also like the fact that the tube itself has a hygienic pump dispenser and lid.
Application
Although this is untinted, it actually applied really easily to the skin, just make sure you've covered the whole of your face and neck evenly and you shouldn't have any real problems with patchiness. Upon application I also found this to be non-greasy, pleasant smelling and it sank into the skin right away, which was great as this does mention you can apply the lotion under make-up, like a primer.
Longevity
This lasted about 4 days on my face, which was good considering what I tend to use on a daily basis on my skin. The colour is also buildable, but I would say one application is ampules to give you that sunkissed glow.
Overall Thoughts
I did like this fake tan, as it left my skin with a subtle sunkissed glow, that gave me just that hint of colour to liven up my face for the summer. Overall this was easy to use and it sank in really quickly, which is always a must for me when using face products.

The only thing I didn't like was the price because your not getting as much for your money, like you would with a normal body self tanner, that potentially you could use on your face too. Despite this I thought the lotion had a lovely holiday smell to it and it didn't block up my skin either, I also love the fact that you could wear this under make-up too. So if you are in need of a natural, but safe self tanner, that's especially designed for the face, then this could be worth a try, if your not to bothered by the expensive price tag.

I award the St Tropez Bronzing Face Lotion 4.5 out of 5
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