Witch; Anti-Blemish Primer, Empty-Review

Empties: Mini Reviews

When I completely finish a product, I upload a quick blog post reviewing it.

Today I finished the 'Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer' by Witch which I bought at Superdrug.

It's around the £5 mark which I think is a really good price for how much product you get- 30ml may not seem like a lot but trust me, it lasts forever.

This is a good primer to wear to school; either under foundation or instead of it. It mattes down the skin on application and acts as a barrier between your skin and any makeup which you put on top.

This primer was a milky product somewhere in between a liquid and a mousse; it didn't run. When blended out it became clear and had a mattifying effect.

The pump to this product was amazing and allowed you to control precisely how much product you got out meaning you'd never squeeze out too much or too little.

This was my second witch product (I have tried the foaming facial cleanser which I really loved) and I probably would go back to get more because the brand seems really focused on producing things good for the skin. I can also comment on its supposed 'skin clearing' effects. One day I remember having a spot and putting this on my face with no makeup, just going out to see a friend for the day. And I did notice that it shrunk the size of the spot and started it on its way to healing. I can't say that this will certainly work for you, but it seems to be a sort of two-in-one product and I highly recommend it for that.

Will I repurchase this item? Right now I definitely have more than enough primers to keep me going (I think only one is needed, max 2), but if I'm ever looking for a cheap mattifying primer to wear on a daily basis, I will definitely come back to this one.

Have you tried this product, or will you be picking one up? What products should I try from Witch next? Let me know in the comments below.

The Body Shop; Blueberry Body Butter, Empty-Review

Empties: Mini Reviews

A new layout I'm going to do in which when I finish up a product completely, I'll post a quick blog post reviewing it.

The product I just finished today is the Blueberry flavoured Body Butter from the Body Shop.

Body butters are a sort of all-over body moisturiser to keep your skin hydrated, and I usually use them in the morning before getting dressed or after a shower.

The Body Shop are well known for this product especially, as their body butters smell delicious and are extremely moisturising to the skin. At one point I had about 10 of these in different flavours and have gradually been using them up one by one.

The blueberry scent was one of my favourites, along with the passion fruit and raspberry ones, with the chocolate being a new favourite of mine.

They sell usually for around £12, but the great thing about the Body Shop is that they ALWAYS have some sort of discount or deal on, so make sure to pick their products up when they've got a 50% discount or something, trust me it's worth waiting for.

These last for EVER and I highly recommend trying one (perhaps get a mini size that they offer, which are also great for festivals/travel) if you haven't already.

Will I repurchase this item? Probably not this exact scent straight away, as I have at least 5 body butters still in my collection that I'm working through one by one, but if I ever run out of body butters I know I can depend on the Body Shop ones.

What are your favourite products from The Body Shop? What do you recommend for me to try next? Let me know in the comments below.

This is my new blog layout!

Hopefully this will be easier to read and more enjoyable to surf through!

And guys- I promise there are more updates to come and I will let you guys know what's going on in my makeup/fashion world more often.

If you have any requests of blog posts you'd like to see, please let me know below in the comments.

Amber

Lime Crime Palette Haul! (Palette D'Antoinette)

Literally Arrived Just this Second...

Not really a haul I guess, but I was too excited not to show you guys this one! I did technically order three things, but the two below are both presents for a good friend of mine- the OCC Lip Tar in 'Tarred' and Lime Crime lipstick in 'Airborne Unicorn' (super jealous of both)- the sort of presents that you buy and really have to stop yourself from just keeping in your own collection.


I ordered these three things from Cocktail Cosmetics which allows those in the UK to get products mainly distributed only in the US. It was my first time ordering from them and I ordered them at 10pm on the 17th February, a Monday, and was amazed to see them arrive technically one day later on the 19th at 12:30, which really is amazing service. All my products came unharmed and well-packaged with bubblewrap.










Onto the palette. I have been eyeing this one for over a year now and am so excited to finally have it in my collection.

The Palette d'Antoinette

Colours: Royal Flush, Absinthe-Minded

Colours: Macarooned, Ribbonesque, Mercurious

 The colours:
Royal Flush- a light-bright pastel matte pink
Absynthe-Minded- a pastel lime green
Macarooned- a bright pastel orangey-yellow shade
Ribbonesque- a pastel purple on the mauve side
Mercurious- a satin finish metallic silver shade

It was £23.95 which is the sort of price I would expect for a palette like this, and works out at almost £5 for each shadow.

Lime Crime is vegan and not tested on animals which are both things I highly endorse.

The colours are extremely pigmented as I had expected, and I think I'll get a lot of use out of them. How they apply onto the eye and how long-wearing they are is yet to be discovered but I will post some eye looks with this palette in the future for sure.

I know I'll get a lot of wear out of the silver colour especially, as when I go out I mainly do a silver lid and brown/black through the crease with winged eyeliner.

The palette's pigmentation is especially commendable due to the fact that 4/5 of them are matte pastel shades and usually those barely show up.

The packagaging is a little bit more flimsy than I had expected- the purple tin I thought would be more sturdy like the Naked 2 but it is more lightweight and the black base of the palette is just a plastic casing and nothing solid.

Well done Lime Crime, this palette is wonderful and I will surely be purchasing more Lime Crime products in the future.

Do you have any products from Lime Crime that you think I should try? Do you think this palette is worth picking up? Let me know in the comments below.

Wear These on Your Nails This Winter!

Winter 2013: 5 Nail Polish Favourites

Hey guys and here's the five nail polish I've already found myself reaching for already as winter approaches, and definitely were five that I used to DEATH last winter and am super happy that the season is back here in which I can wear these again.

A lot of the shades are actually nicely wearable in other seasons, and of course you can wear whatever nail polish you wish at whatever time -who cares the season- but these five colours are my favourites for winter as I find they go with more of the things I wear at this time, and are less 'in-your-face' than some of the brighter colours I like to wear in spring and summer; reflecting the weather.

Left-Right: Essie 'Velvet Voyeur', China Glaze 'Purr-fect Plum',
Barry M 'Blue Plum', Orly 'Decoded', China Glaze 'Exotic Encounters'

I'll go through the colours from left to right. Velvet Voyeur is the first one, and it's a dark cranberry-wine colour. I love it so much. The next one, 'Purr-fect Plum' is a similar colour only lighter in shade. It's one of those that I wore and got so many compliments. It's perfect (Purr-fect perhaps) for winter or autumn. I'm a huge fan of the Gelly range from Barry M, not only because of the formula but because of the wide range of awesome colours too! This for me is the perfect dark blue shade. It's dark but doesn't come across navy, it's just a dark, rich blue! Orly is a super cool brand and this colour is unlike what I've seen from other brands. It;s a muted blue-grey with just enough blue so that it isn't bland at all and still has some character. It's not boring at all! The last one was, for me, last year's winter superstar. I got so many compliments every time I wore this, and I think that's partly because it's green so not really something you'd automatically want to spread all over your nails. Green is unusual but should definitely not be forgotten- it's great! Just as mint green is a summer star, this darker green is the perfect shade for winter. I urge you to get it or something similar!

Each nail polish on a nail wheel with two coats and no top-coat

Do you have any of these nail polishes? What are your most-worn nail polishes in winter? Let me know in the comments below.

MUA Eyeshadow Trios

MUA Trio Eyeshadow in: PINK SORBET, INNOCENCE

Some of the Best Eyeshadows on the High Street

MUA AS A BRAND has been getting a lot of hype recently, and usually this is for their eyeshadows. Their most popular products are their palettes, such as the Heaven and Earth ones which have become a big deal due to their extremely low price.

Pink Sorbet

A lot of the MUA (Makeup Academy) line sells for just £1, such as their lipsticks (of which a review is coming up shortly). The MUA line can be found at Superdrug in the UK, and this is their website. As for the price of these two trios I have to share with you today, they sell for just £2.50 which I think is an amazing price.

Unlike some eyeshadows out there, these are packed with pigmentation, and there is a lot of product in each of these little domes of colour. They will definitely last you for a long time.

MUA is a cheap hit-and-miss brand, just like ELF is. Some products are really good, and others not so much. But their eyeshadows, and particularly these eyeshadow trios are worth a try.

They come in a variety of different shades, and here I am showcasing two of my favourites.

Innocence trio swatches

As you can probably tell from the swatches, they are extremely shimmery and glittery. The two trios I have to show are full glitter, meaning that there is not a single matte colour. This, for me, is definitely not a bad thing. Sure, it's hard to make a look using just the three eyeshadows and nothing else, but who says you have to do that? Certainly the lightest colour in each palette makes a stunning everyday light glittery colour for all over the lid: you don't have to wear them all at the same time.

The good thing about the glittery-ness(?) of these products, is that they provide more of a beautiful sheen than a full on glitter. The eyeshadows have a surprisingly creamy texture (not too chalky at all) and there isn't too much fallout when using them on the lid.

Pink Sorbet trio swatches

My favourite of the two is probably Pink Sorbet because I find that I can use all three colours together for one look. Admittedly, this was for a night out at an 18th Garden Party. I really recommend using all three in conjunction if you know you'll be in a very dark environment because your eyes will look amazing. 

I still think the middle colour (the lightest shade) in the Innocence trio is just divine. If you're looking for an extremely pigmented, light bright shimmery colour for any sort of highlight (browbone, inner corner, cheekbones even) then this is perfect.

The best thing about these? The swatches shown were used on normal clean skin- aka: no primer. Yes, that is the pigmentation without a primer.

Will you be trying out these trios from MUA? Does anyone have any recommendations from the rest of the MUA line? Leave me a comment below.

SO MANY EMPTIES!

About three months worth of empties have been piling up...

I'M GOING THROUGH that stage of trying desperately to use previous items of makeup and general care which have been lying about in my collection, hardly touched. It's that satisfying feeling of using a product up which I love, and also it allows you to skip the guilt next time you go shopping. PLUS, it's been eye-opening using these products and helped me realise which products I love and which aren't up to scratch; something which you can only really get from using one product singly for a long period of time.

First here's a general selection of body-care, I guess we could classify these three products as. On the left is the Superdrug own brand Mango and Papaya Body Butter which was absolutely amazing, and I would repurchase. I used it twice a day for about two or three weeks and it left my legs feeling smooth-non greasy- and smelling fruity but not too much. In the middle is the Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream which I got in a gift set a year ago and have been using recently. It's extremely thick but did the job and left my feet feeling good as new! The Sure Mineral Fresh Deodorant was okay, but not my favourite deodorant ever and I don't expect to repurchase.

In the last few months I have used up four sets of makeup wipes. The ones on the right are the Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes. What I loved about these was how drenched they were in product. They don't get every bit of makeup off but are good to run across the face after the initial makeup removal is done. I always repurchase these. The others are the Freederm Deep Pore Cleansing Wipes which in terms of removing excess makeup and more importantly getting rid of spots- yes these really are a miracle product- they do a great job. I bought them initially on a recommendation from a friend and I will definitely repurchase. They got rid of my spots- simple as.

I also used up three sets of makeup removal pads, two Superdrug 100% Pure Cotton Wool and one Essential Waitrose Cosmetic Pads set. The Waitrose ones were smoother and more gentle on the skin, but the Superdrug ones were cheaper and not too much worse, definitely for me easier to buy, so I think those will be the ones I continue to use in the future.

 Next, what I use to actually remove my makeup. Clearly I've been trying out a few different products here, and one stands out. The Bioderma Crealine TS H2O is a people's favourite, but to me although it is good it doesn't live up to the hype. I have another 500ml bottle I'm using up but I found that it didn't remove all my waterproof makeup, and so in the future I won't go out of my way to buy it. Next is the Nivea Daily Essentials Extra Gentle Eye Makeup Remover which I've been using from the very beginning, and it is good and non-irritant, like the Bioderma. But my current favourite and complete makeup-removing MIRACLE product is the Nivea Daily Essentials Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover and I beg you all to try this because it's amazing. It effortlessly removes all my makeup, and a full rave review is coming soon. The little tub at the bottom is an Avon product, the Clearskin Professional Clarifying Toner Pads which I was using after cleansing and before bed just to tone my face. These smell amazing and had loads of product soaked into each of the pads. And they definitely helped whenever I had a few bad spots. Next time I do an order from Avon, these will be in my basket. Avon also is extremely cheap, and great quality- I recommend it to everyone.

Here are two products I used for spot removal. The first, the Dr Sebagh Breakout Spot-On which my mum bought for me ages ago and I only recently used up, was a disappointment, especially since I love their cleanser which worked miracles for me. It didn't work for me but that's not to say it won't work for you. The Neutrogena Visibly Clear Rapid Clear Treatment worked extremely well for me, however. It is very very strong though and does have a tendency to burn- this stuff is for real. It works though so I can't complain. I will be repurchasing this, it's really cheap from Superdrug.







Here is the makeup I used up. The orange ball is an EOS Lip Balm, you know those dome-shaped ones. I have about 5 of these and finally used one up! I love them they're great. The smell of the orange one reminds me vividly of a particular time so getting rid of it will be hard. The ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen is one of the worst products I have ever bought. It comes out not pigmented at all and has a tendency to drag across the eyelid so I hardly used it, but I'm throwing it away. The next two are Random Lipglosses I got a while ago and am throwing out now, one was from Primark and another from a magazine ages ago. They were good, nothing special. Primark surprisingly has some really good makeup and makeup brushes, I can do a specific post on this if people want. The mascara I used up is the Maybelline Waterproof Illegal Length Mascara which I got ages ago and wasn't particularly impressed with. It just didn't do too much for me but I'm tempted to try it again this summer as it had a really great brush and I need a reliable waterproof mascara for the hotter times (hopefully) approaching. Last here is the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder which here is in 002 Pink Blossom. I really liked this and purchased another one, this time in translucent. I much prefer the translucent one but anyone with a darker skin tone might want to find one closer to their skin colour to avoid any white caste. But for me it worked, great for the 'drugstore' price and availability.

PHEW! Onto the last empty product! And not a particularly interesting one either- sorry! Just some Superdrug own brand Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover. This was a bright light blue colour which was really nice, smelt the same as all other nail polish removers I've ever used, worked the same. I really seem to have no preference to nail polish removers- is it me or are they all the same? If anyone has any suggestions of good ones let me know.








Have you used any of these products above? What is your most repurchased beauty item? Let me know in the comments below.