Estee Lauder Lucidity Pressed Powder

I have quite bad skin due to PCOS and while I don't like to wear makeup all the time, I do like to make an effort sometimes and I tend to buy the expensive brands of makeup and have found through trial and error that Estee Lauder foundations and powders really make a difference to my skin.

This powder is available in three shades, light, light/medium and medium. When I first bought mine, the consultant at Estee Lauder matched the light/medium to my skin tone and this seems to work quite well for me.

I quite like the chunky packaging on this compact. It is made with thick plastic and feels reassuringly heavy in my hand and I am confident that if I dropped this, it wouldn't completely shatter, though I hope I don't have to ever find out for sure. It is fairly bulky but the inclusion of a sponge and a mirror makes this ideal for touch ups on the move. The compact is made of thick plastic which is reassuring – after all, after you spend almost £27 on a compact you want it to withstand the occasional drop or knock.

You can use a brush to apply this powder but I find that the small sponge supplied with this compact suits me and I get what I consider an acceptable finish using just the sponge. I also find the small sponge makes this very useful for touch ups on the go as I like to make sure that my makeup is in place when I'm out and about and having the small compact means that I can make any touch ups that I might need without carrying my makeup bag around with me. Unlike the Double Wear foundation that I use, I don't think that this powder is transfer resistant though so only use it when I'm in a situation where I don't need to rely on the transfer resistant properties of my makeup.

This has spent the last few months in my bag and there are one or two small scrapes on the compact and there are a few scrapes along the top of the compact where the logo is but these don't detract from the compact. Considering its in my bag along with keys and that, it's withstood some abuse and apart from a few cosmetic scratches, the case is still in good condition and I haven’t had any issues with the powder breaking up when in my bag either as the plastic seems thick enough to withstand day to day abuse in my handbag.

I am almost at the end of my first compact and I found that it is starting to break up slightly but it just means that I just have to be more careful not apply too much pressure when using the sponger that came with the compact. Despite having been washed a few times, the sponge still looks good as new though and hasn't fallen apart like some sponges I have had with compacts in the past. It is slightly annoying that the powder can break up when I'm at the bottom of the compact as there is a little more wastage when using it, however, considering I haven't had any problems during the life of this compact with breakages it's not a big thing and maybe if I had a brush, it would stop this issue.

My first compact cost me £26.50 and while this was initially an expensive outlay, it did last me a year and a half. I recently bought a replacement compact in Jersey where it cost me £20.70, although considering the costs associated getting to Jersey, it wouldn't be a saving for most people! You can also buy refills for this powder for £19 each but when I was buying a new one, I decided to just buy a whole new compact as I wanted a whole new packaging as well as my new powder.

This is an expensive initial outlay but is worth it for me, but I don't wear makeup all the time so it might be a little too extravagant for daily use but I like how this suits my skin tone and doesn't look caked on and I would definitely recommend this powder as it certainly seems to compliment the Double Wear foundation that I use. I'm sure some cheaper compacts are good but I liked the fact this was matched to my skin tone and doesn’t look orange like some other powders that I have bought in the past.

I would recommend this powder to set foundation and while I know it is a little too expensive for some people, I will continue to purchase this as it lasts me a long time and also I seem to have found a powder that really works for me so I am actually saving money rather than spending money on cheaper compacts that might not suit my skin as well.

Champneys Oriental Opulence Body Cream

I have quite oily skin and always assumed that I didn't really need body lotion or utter after a shower so I have had a few body lotions pile up in the bathroom. Partly because of this and also because I have noticed my skin is getting drier as I am in my mid 30's, I decided to use up the ones that are cluttering up my bathroom. This is one that my friend bought me for my birthday and I liked the sound of it so it's the one that I'm using at the minute.

About the Body Lotion

The Sanctuary website describes this as a nourishing lotion with honey, smoothing plant sugars, milk proteins and moisturising sweet almond oil which ensure your skin is moisturised and conditioned. The Oriental blend of aromatic ylang ylang, calming sandalwood and patchouli essential oils encourage feelings of wellbeing and tranquillity.

My Thoughts

As soon as you unscrew the lid of this body lotion, you can detect the rich, exotic scent. There is something relaxing about this scent as well and I was instantly in love with the scent of this lotion. While I can't really detect individual scents that well, I loved how the combination of the ylang ylang and sandalwood in this lotion helped prolong the relaxing feeling that I get after a bath.

The lotion itself is a pale yellow colour and there seems to be something slightly iridescent through the lotion as well, almost looks like there could be glitter in it but I don't think there is. It is thicker than some other body lotions that I have used in the past and could describe the texture as something between the thickness of a body lotion and a body butter.

I found that this lotion was almost instantly absorbed into my skin and the scent did linger for around an hour after I used the lotion and had dried off after the shower. I was hoping it would stay on my skin for longer but it's not bad either as with some, the scent disappears almost instantly.

After using this lotion for a few weeks, I noticed a real difference to my skin. While I didn't really suffer from dry skin (or so I thought), I did find that my skin looked less red and felt softer to the touch as well after using this lotion. After the initial results were so promising, I continued with this lotion and saw a real improvement to my skin's texture after using this for around a month. I did feel that the slightly oiliness that I sometimes felt with my skin disappeared and my skin looked plumper and in better condition.

I don't really suffer from sensitive skin so I can't comment on whether or not this is suitable for sensitive skin but I would say it's probably best to avoid it as it does have quite a strong scent which could irritate more sensitive skin.

Price and Availability

I got my 50ml tub of this from a friend as a birthday present so unsure of how much it cost her. A 175ml tub costs £10 from Boots and while this is more expensive than some lotions on the market, I liked the results I got with this lotion and would recommend trying it if you suffer from dry skin as I found a real difference to my 'normal' skin. It is often on offer as well so if you fancy trying it.

Kindred Spirit Shared Fragrance Body Spray

I was quite a tomboy in my teens are preferred to either use 'shared' fragrances or quite often used men's fragrances rather than women's. While CK One was my favourite, I had acquired a few bottles of this scent as a cheaper alternative during my teenage years. I had assumed the scent had been discontinued so was over the moon when I was in Home Bargains and saw a 150ml body spray, so decided that I had to buy some for nostalgia's sake.

Packaging

I always remembered this as being similar to the packaging on Calvin Klein's CKOne fragrance and this hasn't changed since my teenage years. It is in a silver coloured can which is quite plan and simple, yet looks quite modern sitting on my dressing table amongst my other scents.

The scent

This scent is made up of the following notes:

• The top notes are green lemon zest and crisp apple.

• The heart notes are clean white lily, white rose buds and cyclamen.

• The base notes are moss and sandalwood.

In Use

When you first spray this on, you get a very fresh, fruity scent and I can really detect the apple in this scent. While there is a slight masculine edge to the initial burst, I feel that it's not so strong that it's not a unisex perfume and it's just a very nice, fresh scent burst. This soon fades slightly to be replaced by the more feminine heart notes although these aren't as strong as the initial apple scent. After a few minutes this scent mellows down and the sandalwood and moss leave a rich base behind.

This isn't the strongest scent that I have ever used, even as a body spray and the scent does fade away after an hour or two. However, no body spray is long lasting in my opinion and the longevity is similar to other scents that I have tried in the past.

Unlike some of the other more feminine body sprays that I have in my collection though, this comes in a quite bulky can and would certainly take up more space in your handbag compared to something like an Impulse can of body spray.

Price and Availability

As I mentioned above, I bought my can from Home Bargains where it cost me 89p for a 150ml can of this. I haven't seen this anywhere else though but if I see this again in Home Bargains, I will certainly repurchase as I love the scent and it's nice to just spray on when you're popping out for something quick.

Summing Up

To be honest, my main reason for purchasing this was a nostalgic trip for me but I am glad that I did. It’s a cheap scent which I do actually quite like and while I don't normally use a lot of body sprays as I prefer perfumes, it's nice if I just want a burst of scent and I'm not too worried about longevity. I would certainly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a slightly different scent to what is out there for most women's perfumes as this has a slightly more masculine edge but not so much that you feel like you're stolen a man's scent.

Rimmel ScandalEyes Mascara retro Glam

I have been using Benefit’s They’re Real mascara for a while and really rated it but when I received this mascara in a Glossybox, I was excited to try it out. I used to use Rimmel mascaras when I was in my teens and really liked them but as I got older, there were so many other brands and mascaras to try and I sort of forgot that I’d liked the Rimmel ones so much. There is also a side to me that loves retro things so a mascara that promised retro glam was always going to catch my eye.

The Mascara

Rimmel describe this mascara as:

• The 60s are back full swing with a thicker, fuller, wide-eyed look!

• A wide-eyed false lash look, fanned out volume with NO clumps!

• Lashes Up, out and over the top

As far as I am aware, this mascara is only available in one colour and that is Extreme Black which is okay for me as I normally use a black mascara anyway and

if I want something different, I started with a black base and add a blue mascara on top for example.

This mascara has a use by date of 12 months on the packaging although it is recommended that you change your mascara every six months even if you haven't used it all. To be honest, I have probably been using this mascara slightly longer than 6 months and I haven't had any issues with the mascara drying out or clumping.

My Thoughts

This is a very chunky mascara and is bigger than most mascaras that I have used in the past. The black and white colour scheme fits in with my idea of the monochrome trends of the 60's that this mascara is supposed to emulate. Once you unscrew the lid, you can see the long wand which is an hourglass shape which is quite unique. There are a number of different length bristles on the brush and it seems to be made of a very soft plastic which don't hurt or scratch when you apply the mascara.

Compared to most other mascaras I have used, the brush and the applicator wand on this mascara is about twice the size of the ones that I am used to. I did wonder how effective this would be in giving my lashes the effects that it claimed but I had high hopes. While it did take a couple of attempts for me to get used to the brush but now that I have used the mascara for a few weeks, I actually like the brush and think it makes applying my mascara easier. The large brush does seem to make it easier to cover all my lashes including the smaller ones that my usual mascara misses. I find that one sweep of the wand is enough to coat most, if not all, of my lashes and I am satisfied with just one coat of the mascara. The differing bristle shape and sizes seem to leave each lash coated with some mascara, although I don't tend to be one of those people who apply mascara to the very corners of their eyelashes or lower eyes though.

To be fair, I have quite naturally long and slightly curly eyelashes anyway so I just want to use a mascara that makes the most of what I do have and that leaves my lashes looking their best as I like to draw attention to my eyes when I wear makeup as I feel that they are one of my best features. Therefore, a mascara that has a slight curling effect, that leaves my lashes looking bolder and defined and something that still looks quite natural is what I look for with my mascaras. Having used so many that only seem to either lengthen, curl or define my eyes, I was pleasantly surprised with the effects of this mascara. It left my eyelashes looking bolder, thicker and more defined and I only needed to use one coat to get the result I was looking for – although adding another coat did give a more dramatic effect as well. I didn't get the spider's leg effect that I can get with some mascaras, this just helped enhance what I have. While I wouldn't describe this as a false lash effect, I don't think that any mascara out there will ever have that effect so I take those claims with a pinch of salt.

I don’t have many complaints about this mascara but one little niggle is that it does seem to take a few seconds to dry and I do occasionally find that I have to remove some of the mascara from around my eyes when I have blinked before the mascara is properly dried. I did find that it clumped slightly the first few times I used this mascara but now that I am used to it, this hasn’t happened. I find that if I try to apply more than 2 or three coat though this does seem to get slightly clumpy on my lashes but considering the bold effect that I get with only one coat, I find that this is usually all that I need and if I want something more dramatic, I normally use a coloured mascara on top of this one. To be fair though, I only normally use mascara on my upper lashes rather than the smaller lashes underneath my eyes as I normally just use some eyeliner to define my lower lashes and this brush because of the chunkiness could make applying this to smaller lashes more difficult but this isn't an issue for me.

I have quite sensitive eyes and can find that some makeup can irritate them, and have had to stop using some mascaras in the past as I felt that they were more of an irritant than a help but I have had no issues with this mascara.

While this mascara isn't waterproof, I find that it does seem to last a full day without flaking off or leaving the area under my eyes like I have taken makeup tips from Alice Cooper. I also have found that to remove this, while it can take a few wipes to remove all traces of the mascara, I find that this is the case with most mascaras and I would rather have something that holds from morning to night and still look good than something that I might have to reapply throughout the day that is easier to remove.

Price and Availability

I have had mine for a while as I got it in a beauty box around 2 years ago and while checking online it appears that this mascara has been discontinued but you can buy this mascara from Amazon where it will cost around £4 which I think is fantastic price considering even budget brand mascaras cost around £4 if you are purchasing them from places like Boots.

Ingredients

Aqua/water/eau, paraffin, glyceryl stearate, copernicia cerifera cera/ copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax/cire de carnauba, pvp, cera alba/beeswax/cire d’abeille, propylene glycol, tribehenin, polysorbate 20, stearic acid, acrylates copolymer, panthenol, caprylyl glycol, hydroxyethylcellulose, tocopheryl acetate, sodium hydroxide, talc, acrylates/ carbamate copolymer, ascorbyl glucoside, gossypium herbaceum (cotton) powder, serica /silk powder/poudre de soie, retinyl palmitate, hydrogenated vegetable oil, glycerin, collagen, hydrogenated olive oil, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, hydrolyzed keratin, prunus armeniaca (apricot) kernel oil, sodium sulfate, ceramide 2, olea europaea (olive) oil unsaponifiables, potassium sorbate, phenoxyethanol, bambusa arundinacea leaf extract, sodium benzoate, tocopherol. 

(please note that parts of this review may appear elsewhere) 

Batiste Ella Henderson Dry Shampoo

I go through a lot of dry shampoo as I prefer to only wash my hair every other day but it can look lank and greasy. I am always on the lookout for new and exciting types of shampoo to try and this was my most recent purchase, mainly as it was on offer and also I was tempted by the promise that this had a sweet and seductive scent as I love sweeter scents.

About The Dry Shampoo

 

Batiste describe their products as 'instant hair refreshers' and I would agree with this statement. While dry shampoo implies that this will leave your hair looking and feeling clean, the hair refresher means (to me anyway) that it improves the look and removes any oiliness from hair and does make my hair look better than it would, but not as good as actually washing my hair.

You can also use dry shampoo to add volume and texture to hair – particularly when styling hair in an updo but I don't normally use this for this reason as my hair normally has some texture of it's own as well as plenty of volume. It's also useful if you have fine hair as this dry shampoo gives you some added texture to help style hair.

My Thoughts

I do use quite a lot of dry shampoo and have tried a few brands with varying success.  Batiste are one of the better brands out there in my opinion, although I have had a few better ones as well.

I bought this dry shampoo because of the claim of a sweet and seductive scent rather than any fondness for Ella Henderson if I'm honest. I really loved the sweet scent of this dry shampoo although I don't have a great nose for detecting scents but it certainly lived up to the claims that it has a sweet scent. As for the seductive – I'm not really sure any scent can be described as seductive!

I normally spray this dry shampoo around the front of my hair and on the roots only, although I do maybe have a bit more of the dry shampoo around where my parting would be as well. This does help to absorb any oiliness or grease and also leaves my hair looking brighter as well. While it certainly doesn't compare to actually washing my hair, it certainly makes my hair look a lot more presentable.
I am unable to comment on how long this helps keep my hair looking refreshed as I always wash my hair in the evening on the day that I used the dry shampoo but I don't find I have any issues with washing this out of my hair either and it leaves no lasting effects either.

I use this dry shampoo about 2 - 3 times a week and a 200ml can tends to last me around 3 months so it's good value as well in my opinion.

Price and Availability 

The 200ml can of this dry shampoo is available from Boots and Superdrug for around £3.99. The brand is often on offer so it's worth stocking up when it's cheaper. This may be a limited edition dry shampoo though so worth stocking up if you really like the scent.

Ingredients 

Butane, Isobutane, Propane, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Alcohol Denat, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Linalool, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride, CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides).