Simply Pure Hydrating Serum

I picked this up randomly in Superdrug recently whilst browsing for something else actually but this really caught my attention. As if I haven't rabbited on about it enough but my skin has turned much more dry in areas recently so I'm always on the hunt now for products to help that. This was a new in product from Superdrug and was on offer for around £2 so I couldn't resist. This is their Simply Pure range which is aimed at sensitive skin which I loved the sound of. Also as I suffer from blemishes products for sensitive skin I find can help that aspect too.

Superdrug claim this product nourishes and replenishes skin which is dehydrated. I've been using this every morning ever since I purchased it, before my moisturiser as an extra boost, and I can honestly say I have really been enjoying using it. I really think this helps locks in my moisture and puts the moisture back into my really dry areas. I find that this doesn't effect my normal skin care routine and fits in perfectly. My current moisturiser works really well over the top of this product and doesn't counteract with it which is a plus. The consistency of this product isn't too thick or too watery which is perfect as it doesn't take too long to sink into the skin. Therefore even when I am in a rush for work I can still apply this product without having to wait for it to dry.

Not only does this work super well with my dry skin but I also have an oily t zone and was slightly worried what this product would do to that area. But I can say that it doesn't really effect those areas at all. I simply just make sure that I powder my face once I've applied all my make up to ensure that it's not shiny as that is the only ever so slight down side - that my t zone is slightly more shiny than normal. I don't particularly see this as a down side though as the product is actually really good and I'm super impressed.

Overall I didn't initially think this product was going to be as good as it has turned out to be so therefore I am really impressed. I would really recommend this product as a starter if you haven't tried a serum before and have dehydrated skin. I think I will definitely repurchase this product and you can check it out here on the Superdrug website. Let me know your favourite serums for dry skin below :-)

Pure Colour Lip Liner in Shell Pink

Whilst doing some online shopping a few weeks back on New Look, I came across their new beauty range. I'm not sure how long it has actually been out but it was the first time I was aware that it was a whole beauty range. They had a bit of everything on offer which I loved and couldn't resist popping something into my basket to give a go. After humming and haring for a short while I ended up with this lip liner in Shell Pink. I picked this shade as it looked very similar to Rimmel's Eastend Snob lip liner which is a supposed dupe for the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lip liner. Therefore I was thinking this could have the potential to be another dupe.

The packaging is pretty standard and is the normal sharpening lip liner as opposed to the ones you can twist up and down. When swatching this product it looks great and really quite similar to the Rimmel one but I do find the Rimmel one slightly more pink toned to this particular one. This product does glide onto the lips easily and smoothly. It doesn't catch on the lips whilst your applying which is always a bonus. I would however definitely recommend applying a lip balm before using this product as I do find it rather drying. I know lip pencils are not the most hydrating lip product but I do find this one to be particularly drying.

I have tried using this product in both ways; one simply as a lip liner and using a lip stick afterwards but also using it all over my lips too. I find this product is definitely 100% more suited to the first option. When using this product alone I found it to really bleed and go patchy after a short period of time which we know doesn't look at all attractive. When using it simply to line your lips it works well, I've been using it with my MAC lip stick in Twig and I love the results. Both products work well together and it makes my lip stick last a lot longer.

Overall this is a great, cheap lip liner if you simply just want it to do the job it is intended to do and nothing else. I love the nude shade and it works perfectly with many of my lip sticks which I already own which is great. You can buy this lip stick here from the New Look website and it's worth checking out the rest of their Pure Colour beauty range. Let me know if you've tried anything from their range and what you think :-)

Amphora Aromatics Seaweed & Aloe Refreshing Eye Gel

As I mentioned in a recent post the weather in the UK has finally become very hot indeed and with that I much prefer lighter skin care products and make up too. As much as I would love to go out and buy a whole new skin care routine and a whole new make up range that is slightly out of my reach right now, especially considering I have so many other products that need using. Anyway I have been rummaging through my collection to find products which will be more weather appropriate. Recently Amphora Aromatics sent me their new refreshing eye gel which I thought would be absolutely perfect for this hot weather we've been having.

Firstly let me start with the packaging which I absolutely love. I know bloggers always say it shouldn't always matter about the packaging and it's about the product but c'mon, the packaging is always a bonus. The packaging of this product feels really high end which I love. The pump is great especially on an eye gel as one pump is just the right amount for both eyes. This product can be used in a few different ways which I also love, a versatile product is always right up my street. This eye gel can remove your eye make up, help hydrate and restore the eye area and also help cool the eye area after sun exposure. Another thing I love about this product is that it is full of all natural ingredients including aloe and seaweed which both have their positives. Both of these ingredients can help improve the appearance of the eye area in general.

Anyway enough about the packaging, onto the product. I must say normally an eye gel is the one skin care product that I'm the most lazy with if I'm honest. This one seems to have changed that due to it being so versatile and I seem to now be using this particular eye gel more and more. It definitely seems like it has become a staple in my skin care routine. As soon as I apply this product it makes my eyes feel 100% refreshed, more awake and helps hide my dark circles. I have used this product also to remove my make up and I can say that I was really impressed. I normally have quite sensitive eyes but I found this was perfect due to the natural ingredients that it's full of. The results were great and it effortlessly removed my eye make up which can normally be very stubborn.

Overall I'm super impressed with this product as I love that you can use it in a variety of different ways. I love the packaging and the fact that it's all natural ingredients for my sensitive eye area. I would definitely recommend checking out Amphora Aromatics for this product and everything else they have to offer. They are a great brand and I will definitely continue using this product :-)

Disappointing Products #1

Not only do I like to share the products that I love with you guys but I also find it helpful when reading other blogs about disappointing products that haven't lived up to fellow bloggers expectations. I find that after reading the reviews from other blogs will determine whether or not I want to buy that particular product. I know sometimes this will be more helpful when it comes to higher end/more expensive products but even some of the drug store/high street products these days can be slightly pricey if you are only just starting out with make up. Even so if a disappointing product post helps you save a few pennies in the drug store then that's a positive too. Hence why I'm going to start this little series called Disappointing Products and just post them as and when I come across a product that I don't get on with myself. I will add that this is obviously only my opinion and what doesn't work for me may necessarily work for you.

So without further ado the first product featured in this series is this matte serum primer from Bourjois. Recently I had been hunting for a new drug store primer and to be honest I really struggled. I wanted something I hadn't tried before and there just really weren't that many out there that appealed to me. In the end I took to Asos as they had money off their beauty range and ended up purchasing this one from Bourjois a bit cheaper than priced in your typical store.

What appealed to me was the mattifying aspect of the product as I have an oily t zone which I would like to keep under control for longer throughout the day. I knew this wasn't going to be the perfect product for my drier patches but I thought it may be ok to just glide over to hold my make up in place for slightly longer than without any primer. Unfortunately when I applied this product my skin just completely started flaking everywhere possible, even my oily t zone. I clearly applied the primer after my moisturiser but when applying the primer I found that it stripped my face of my moisturiser and just left my face with those of flaky patches. It made my skin look terrible and there was nothing I could do other than to take it off and start completely over again with my moisturiser. It was such a pain considering most days I tried to make this work I was actually in a rush for work, typical me.

Overall this product was just really disappointing for my skin type and completely dried it up. It makes me question which skin type this would actually work for as I have both dry and oily and it didn't work for either of those, therefore you must have to have quite normal skin I suppose. I love Bourjois as a brand and have so many other products from them which I love, it just so happens that this one did not work for me unfortunately. I hope this helps at least one of you guys out there before purchasing this particular product and I'll keep you updated on other disappointing products I may come across. Let me know your thoughts on this product if you've previously tried it :-)

Vichy Dermablend Foundation & Concealer

My oh my it's been a long time since I purchased these products and am only now getting around to writing about them on here, whoops! I purchased these from Escentual a while back when they were on offer as I had been dying to get my hands on them for quite some time. As you may well know I suffer with blemish prone skin so any product that's going to help that and conceal it is a winner for me if it works well. I wanted to do a post combining both of these products as they are aimed to work together so here goes..

Concealer
I'm going to start with the concealer as it's the one of the two products that I don't really get on with. I have quite dry skin therefore find the formula of this concealer too drying for my skin. It doesn't quite sit right on my skin and when applied to my blemishes it just simply makes them look cakey and even worse than they did before hand. So unfortunately this product really isn't for me but if you don't have dry skin then you should probably check this one out as it may suit your skin type better than mine.

Foundation
On the other hand I got on really well with the foundation from this Dermablend range. I think it must be the formula as this is a liquid foundation therefore not so drying as the concealer thankfully. This is a very high coverage foundation people and although yes it can be drying probably after a while of wear it just works. Although I do find it can be to overbearing in the summer months therefore what I tend to do is use this foundation as a concealer. I find this is the perfect way to conceal my spots/blemishes when I don't want that full coverage make up look. It conceals everything perfectly and as I mentioned doesn't dry them out. The staying power on this foundation is great, as you can imagine, I do however need to touch up with some powder on my oily t zone maybe half way through the day. Other than that, which is pretty normal, it's pretty set in stone and perfect for those long working days. The colour match to my skin is perfect, I have the shade 15 Opal which I believe is the lightest shade they have on offer. My preferred way of using this product is definitely as a concealer as I find that it just works so much better and is such a great product. Although I would say it's like a 2 in 1 product as it is aimed as a foundation which it also works well as.

Overall I'm super impressed with the foundation as it works amazingly at covering up those pesky blemishes. It is a shame about the concealer but that's just my skin type unfortunately and I'm sure it would work really well on other skin types. If you're after that super full on coverage foundation then definitely check this one out from Vichy, you can buy it on Escentual website but also from Boots. It is slightly on the pricier side but worth it if you suffer with blemish prone skin. Let me know if you've tried either of these products and your thoughts :-)