June Empties

I've finished up the infamous Liz Earle Cleanse + Polish which is definitely my all time favourite cleanser. It smells nice and it leaves my skin feeling really good. I couldn't imagine my skin care routine with out it at the moment! I've finished up the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Stress Control Daily Scrub on the recommendation by my close blogging friend Jessie. At first I didn't really like it as it made my skin feel like it was being attacked by something menthol but towards the end of it, I really started enjoying it. I will definitely be repurchasing this. I've finished up a different cleanser this time in the form of Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser which I enjoyed using every morning. It's very thick and creamy and leaves my skin feeling ready for the day. I've finally finished up the Boots Vitamin E Eye Cream which I've had since October last year. I use this both morning and night to help combat my dark circles. Whilst it might not be helping to get rid of them as quickly as I want it to, it helps protect my undereye area with the added SPF15 that it contains. You can tell that I love Vitamin E as I've finished up the Superdrug Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream which I used as a day cream. It wasn't thick and heavy and it absorbed into my skin quickly. I will be repurchasing this some point in the future.

 I've finished up two of the Lacura 3-in-1 Facial Cleansing Wipes which I don't use for taking off makeup - I tend to use them for wiping off makeup swatches or just general dirt. I've also finished up some more facial wipes in the form of Good Things Total Wipe Out Cleansing Wipes* which are the most moist wipes I've come across! They smelt pleasant and they did the trick but I doubt I would go out of my way and purchase them. I've used up a PrettyPerfect Twist and Out Instant Nail Polish Remover which I've repurchased so many times. It removes my nail varnish quickly and I would say one pot lasts me a couple of months. I've used up a Lush Bath Bomb which was the Satsumo Santa. I know that it's the wrong time of year to use it but I'm wanting to use up all of my Lush products before I purchase some more in September.

What products did you use up during June?

Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Lemonade

I'm not sure about you but I am addicted to the Revlon Lip Butters so much so that I think I will make it my mission to collect all 25 shades (11 down just 14 more to go!). Another one of the new limited edition shades released for Summer is Pink Lemonade which is the perfect name for a summer themed lipstick in my opinion.

Pink Lemonade is one of the only lip butters that applies true to bullet which is rare. I would describe as a pale, milky pink which means that in order to achieve an opaque finish, you'll need to layer it up several times. I find that Pink Lemonade lasts for only two to three hours which is standard for the lighter shades of the Revlon Lip Butters. I personally quite like Pink Lemonade as it's the ideal shade for me on those days when I don't feel like rocking a completely nude lip. 

The Revlon Lip Butters can be found at Boots or Superdrug for £7.99 and are sometimes on special offer.

Tony Moly Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel

I've always suffered with blackheads ever since I can remember and I haven't really been that fussed by them. It's only in recent months that I've started to notice just how bad they really are that I've finally started to take action to get rid of them. I've tried various nose strips which claim to get rid of them but they only get rid of a few and the thought of extracting them manually scares me so this leaves me with using products to get rid of them which brings me to the TonyMoly Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel.

The TonyMoly Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel is a 30ml product which comes housed in a egg looking container which is due to the product itself containing egg elements. As well as containing egg, it also contains magic capsules which help to remove dead skin and sebum. It aims to help purify the skin by removing dead skin cells whilst providing nutrition to the area as well as protecting the skin from further damage. It also helps to soothe the skin which is down to the Camellia Flower Extract by not irritating the skin and removing the dirt deep down inside the pores with a lightweight jelly-like feeling.

I've been using the TonyMoly Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel for the last five weeks using it every other night after I've washed my face and before cleansing. When I first started using this, I couldn't help but notice that it  smells so distinctively of artificial citrus fruits which doesn't irritate my skin at all. The substance itself is very weird - it's a liquid which feels jelly-like which you have to apply to the nose area and massage it in before leaving it on the skin for a maximum of five minutes. Whilst massaging it in, I notice that some of the magic capsules disappear which makes me believe that it's doing some good to my nose area. After massaging it in, I tend to leave it on for about ten minutes instead of the recommended five as I believe that the longer I leave it, the better the results will be.

I wouldn't say that the TonyMoly Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel is a miracle worker and removes all blackheads instantly on the first use but I definitely must say that the longer you use it for, the less noticeable the blackheads are. My blackheads are no where near as noticeable as they were five weeks ago and I've noticed that a few of them have gone from around my nose which is definite result! You can purchase the TonyMoly Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel from eBay for between £5.50 upwards. I personally bought mine from this seller as they're very generous with samples. Please note that it can take anywhere from a week to a month to arrive as it's coming from Korea.

Smooch Lipstick in Gossip

Smooch Cosmetics is a brand that I haven't really heard that much of apart from the odd review here and there. So when I opened up my goodie bag at the #NottsBBMeet to find a lipstick by them in the shade Gossip, I was rather pleased. I would personally describe Gossip as an everyday burnt peach with pinkish neutral undertones which I'm sure would suit a variety of skin tones. It reminds me a lot of MAC's Cremesheen formula lipsticks as it applies very creamy on the lips. I find that it lasts on the lips for a few hours before it needs re-applying which is standard with most creamy lipsticks.

You can purchase Smooch Cosmetics Lipstick in Gossip from their online website for £7.50.

Samples I've Used Up 001

The Dirty Works Supreme Cream Body Butter* is a product that has been on my wishlist ever since Sophia reviewed it last year. I'm glad that I got a sample of this in my #NottsBBMeet Goodie Bag instead of buying a full size as I personally don't like it. It sinks into the skin quickly and it doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy however I'm just not a fan of the scent as it smells rather artificial and not of shea butter at all.

Benefit The POREfessional* is a primer that everybody raves about which I don't rate at all. It's a silicone based primer that leaves my fingers feel really weird after applying it. I find that it doesn't work with certain foundations as it just enlarges my pores instead of minimising and I just generally don't like it. Which is a shame as I've got a full sized of this in my back up products drawer.

The Caudalie Vinosource Moisture Recovery Cream* is one of a few samples that I was given at Space NK at the #NottsBBMeet when I purchased the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation. It smells absolutely divine and it sinks into my skin quickly. It made my skin look a lot more plumped up which definitely surprised me. This little tube lasted me about six uses and I will definitely be purchasing this in full sized soon.

I've got so many samples of The Face Shop The Smim Radiating Moisturizing Cream* from various eBay orders that it's about time I made my way through them all. It's one use per sachet and I cannot give a definite answer on this from my one use. It smelt pleasant and it sunk into my skin quickly but that's all that I have to say on it for now.

What samples have you been used up recently?

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

Ever since I started blogging, I started noting down products that other people were talking about that I personally wanted to try. The Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation has been on my wishlist for the longest time and I finally took the plunge and parted with my pennies at the #NottsBBMeet back in April. £33 is a lot of money to spend, especially on a foundation however after using it for a couple months now, I've finally made up my mind on it.

Silk Creme is a medium to full coverage-ish foundation with a luminous finish. As the name suggests, it is a cream formula which means that it blends out nicely and it leaves your skin feeling soft and silky. It doesn't cling to pore as it contains silicones which adds to that flawless, polish look that many bloggers crave for. Just like a silicone based primer, it helps to fill in those areas and almost airbush over them. It doesn't cover all blemishes but it does cover scars left from old blemishes. A fifty pence sided blob is enough to cover your face - not a tiny blob as many people say which doesn't cover half a face no matter how much buffing you do! One of the only things that I like about this foundation is how radiant it leaves my skin looking which is properly down to its light-reflecting properties which add natural glowing highlights to your face without leaving your face greasy. I also like how long lasting it is on the skin as well - I've worn it for a good ten hours straight without powder and only minimal fading!

I was matched to the shade Rose Ivory which is the second lightest shade which is a perfect match for when I first apply it in the morning. Fast forward a few hours later and my face is looking a couple shades darker than my neck which I wasn't expecting at all. If I'm tanned which is very rarely then I can get away with it however most of time, I just feel so self conscious of it. I understand that many foundations tend to oxidise but I was just not expecting it to oxidise and change colour completely. Perhaps I've just got a dodgy tube?

With this in mind, I just don't like this enough to wear it over my other foundations. I like the consistency and the way it leaves my skin looking don't get me wrong, I'm just not a fan of how it looks on my skin a few hours after applying it. I will probably use this more in the Summer for when I'm a tanned as I'm sure it will look better then but for now, it's being pushed to the back of my drawers until a few months time.

The Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation can be purchased from Space NK, House of Fraser and Selfridges for £33 along with the rest of the Laura Mercier range.

Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial

I've never been a lip gloss fan - I've always found them far too sticky and I've just much preferred the application of a lipstick. It wasn't until a little over four months ago that I heard that Rimmel were releasing a product that applies like a lip gloss but dries as a lipstick which intrigued me. At the time, I didn't buy into the hype as everywhere was sold out. It wasn't until my close blogging friend Sophia surprised me with two for my birthday that I finally see why everybody went crazy for them when they were first released.

Celestial is described as being a dusky pink which I completely agree with. However as I've got rather pigmented lips, Celestial looks more like a dark pink rather than the "perfect" pink that everybody else has achieved with it. It's still a beautiful shade however I just don't personally think it suits me. I find that Celestial lasts an impressive six-ish hours before it needs re-applying which is pretty incredible for a lipstick/lipgloss.

You can pick up Celestial and all the other Apocalips shades from Boots or Superdrug for a bargionious price of £5.99.

Bourjois Delice de Poudre AKA Chocolate Bronzer

I've always been more of a bronzer than blush kinda girl and have been religiously wearing bronzer for the past five years. I've dabbled with quite a few bronzers but I've never found one that I've been really happy with. They've either been too dark, too shimmery or just too muddy for my liking. For the longest time, I've been eyeing up the infamous Bourjois Delice de Poudre AKA Chocolate Bronzer but just have never got round to buying it. It wasn't until my close blogging friend Jessie from The Bode Boutique surprised me with it for my birthday that I've finally understood as to why this product is so hyped up in the blogging community.

For starters, the bronzer itself looks like a chocolate bar and smells ever so faintly of chocolate too which just makes you want to eat it. It's not a very pigmented bronzer which means I had to swatch a few times just to get the swatch looking as pigmented as it does in the picture above. Despite it not being very pigmented, it's an absolute beaut to use as you can build up the colour as you go which means it's perfect for pale skinned beauties. I've noticed that in the pan, it contains a slight shimmer which doesn't translate onto the skin at all.

I've been using this pretty much every day that I'm wearing makeup as it's subtle enough for every day but can be built up to give a good contour effect if need be. For £6.99 it's definitely worth buying as it's going to last you a life time! You can buy the Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer from Boots and Superdrug.

Barry M Lipstick in TMLP

The Barry M Lipstick in TMLP has been on my Amazon Wishlist ever since I can remember but it wasn't until recently when people started buying it and raving about it left, right and centre that I finally picked it up. First of all, it's bright green which can be a little confusing as to how a green product can turn your lips pink. However it adapts to the PH level on your lips which turns it into a colour unique to you. On some people, it can turn a bright pink whereas on me, it turns into a purple which pink undertones.

The application of this can be slightly tricky as it applies clear at first but then starts turning your lips pink so I would avoid applying an excessive amount at first as you don't want to end up with a pink stain outside your natural lip line. Once applied, I found that this lasted on my lips for a few hours but it also stained my lips pink. The stain looked very natural though and lasted all day.

Although this product is slightly gimmicky, it's definitely one that you should try out for yourself just to see the effects. You can purchase the Barry M Lipstick in TMLP from Boots and Superdrug for £4.49

Tales of a Pale Face Summer Beauty Swap

Ever since I started blogging, I've always wanting to take part in a swap as it's such a great way to try out products that you cannot get easily in your country/you would have never thought of trying. It wasn't until I saw Kat from Tales of a Pale Face tweeting about her Summer Beauty Swap that I immediately signed up for. I was paired up with Jess from Just Jess who is the sweetest girl ever! The minute we found out we were paired up, we started stalking eachothers blogs looking for ideas on what to get eachother. We settled on a budget of £20 and went our ways on buying eachothers items. Jess and I both received each others package on Wednesday morning and I personally didn't want to open mine as the box was so beautifully decorated!

 I'd been lusting after the L'Oreal Confetti Top Coat ever since it came out and I've been looking for a bottle of it everywhere but it has always been sold out so the minute I saw this in my package from Jess, I squealed with delight! This is definitely my all time favourite confetti-style top coat along with China Glaze's Whirled Away. Jess also gave me a Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Dragonfruit which is the perfect Barbie pink that will definitely be on my nails throughout Summer.

I've never tried anything from B. so to see a lipstick in the shade Watermelon in my swap is incredible. It's described as being a very light red so I'm eager to see how this looks on me. Jess also got me two blushers which I'm not too keen on but will be giving a try. She got me MUA's Blusher in Bubble Gum which is a matte bright pink with coral undertones as well as Collection 2000 Blush in Bashful which is a shimmery pink with coral undertones. She also got me a tube of Palmers Cocoa Butter which I haven't owned in absolutely ages! It smells so devine and I can't wait to use this. She also gave me MUA Trio Eyeshadow in Innocence which has some really pretty shimmery eyeshadows in it.

Jess also threw in a few samples and she gave samples of Original Source Shower Gel in Mint & Tea Tree, Garnier Moisture Match for Normal Skin and Clarins BB Cream. I love samples as they're perfect for travelling with and they're also a good way of trying out a product before you buy it in full size.

I would just like to thank Jess for being so generous and giving me so many nice products to play with and I would also like to thank Kat for arranging a incredible beauty swap! I hope you do one again soon! If you would like to see what I got Jess, then click here.

Real Techniques Duo-Fiber Collection

I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say that I'm a massive fan of Real Techniques brushes. They're amazing quality and at only a fraction of high-end brushes with many different brushes for many different uses. The latest addition to the Real Techniques family is the Limited Edition Duo-Fiber Collection which is to be sold for one year only. They've been in Boots stores since May 20th however I cheekily ordered them with Liam's card (Birthday present from him to me with his permission!) from America where it's practilly half price on the exchange rate even with shipping!

The Duo-Fiber set contains three brushes; the Duo-Fiber Face Brush, Duo-Fiber Contour Brush and the Duo-Fiber Eye Brush. Considering the fact that they're limited edition, they have a different colour theme when compared to the original Real Techniques Brushes. Each of the brushes in this set is a black and white colour combination which makes them stand out. Each brush has the typical Real Techniques flat ended handled which means that you can stand them up. The handles are very smooth and slick which makes applying makeup to be a breeze as there is enough grip to hold them easily and firmly.

The Duo-Fiber Face Brush is advertised as being used for lightweight application and blending of face powders or pigments. I use this to lightly powder my face with the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder as it's just the right size. The Duo-Fiber Contour Brush is advertised as being perfect for controlled contouring and sculpting of the face. I actually use this brush not for contouring but for applying highlighter to the tops of my cheek bones as it adds a natural highlight to my cheeks whilst not looking too overdone. The final brush in this collection is the Duo-Fiber Eye Brush which is to be used to add any finishing touches to the eyes. This is the only brush that I do not use out of this collection purely because I do not wear eye shadow. I'm pretty sure that it would be perfect to blend out eyeshadow in the crease however. 

As much as I love this set of brushes, I do not think that they are a necessary purchase as Real Techniques do have these very same brushes in their original collections. If you're looking into buying this limited edition set of brushes, then you can purchase them from Boots for £23.99 or iHerb for roughly £13 depending on the exchange rate.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Ever since I started blogging, I've been looking after my skin with various moisturisers and cleansers. It wasn't until the #NottsBBMeet when I had a skin consultation at Kiehl's that I really started to look after my skin. I have Normal/Dry skin which means I need to start drinking more water as well as start using more products aimed towards my skin type. During my skin consultation, the lovely Kiehl's assistant recommended to me to start using the Midnight Recovery Concentrate which had been on my radar for a few weeks thanks to Sophia from Tattooed Tea Lady. It didn't take her long to sell it to me and I found myself quite a few pounds lighter.

The Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate is a light weight elixir that effectively restores skin's healthy apperance overnight which results in a smoother and much more radiant complexion by morning. I've been using this for the last two months now and I couldn't imagine my night time skin care routine without it! I normally use two drops to apply to my face and massage it in after cleansing it toning. It absorbs into the skin pretty quickly and by morning, I found that my face looked a lot better than it did the night before. I sadly don't drink enough water so by using this, it helps to hydrate my skin as well as improve my complexion.

Although the Midnight Recovery Concentrate is rather pricey, coming in at £36 for a 30ml bottle. It would last you for a very long time especially as because you only need two drops to cover your face. I cannot imagine my skin care routine without this!

You can purchase the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate from Kiehl's, Space NK & House of Fraser.