Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation Review

For the past year, I've been using one foundation every single day, and can't believe I haven't written about it even once! (I had a draft post saved, and never actually wrote it). I've repurchased it 4 times now, and will continue to do so, because I can't see myself finding a better foundation than this any time soon.

I initially picked it up because it looked like it might be light enough for me, I hadn't seen a foundation available in such pale shades other than from places like Illamasqua and MAC, and I can't justify spending that amount of money on a foundation, when I'm on a pretty tight budget.  So I went for shade 010 Light Porcelain, and decided to give it a try.  At least with a drugstore foundation, if it wasn't the right colour it wouldn't be such a massive waste of money.

As it turned out, Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation stayed true to it's name - it is INCREDIBLE.  It's the perfect shade for my skin, and as it has a very slight pink undertone, it doesn't wash me out.  It makes my skin glow - not in a sweaty, gross looking way, but that dewy, healthy look everyone's always after.

Match Perfection is available in an impressive 11 shades, from Light Porcelain through to 402 Bronze (which is a medium, yellow toned shade), but there aren't any shades for dark skin, which is disappointing.  Everyone should be given the chance to try this!

Wearing Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

I was a bit worried about the coverage when I tried it, as it's quite a watery consistency, and feels really light on the skin - but again, I was pleasantly surprised when it gave excellent coverage.  The Rimmel website boasts that it has 'Traceless coverage for perfectly flawless skin under any light', and I'd have to agree.  It's build-able so you can go from using a teeny tiny bit and completely sheering it out (perfect for you lucky people with freckles), to using a few thin layers and concentrating on problem areas to get full coverage.

 The staying power is pretty damn impressive, too.  I don't find myself having to touch up my face during the day, (but I generally do add a touch more if I've been out all day and I'm going out in the evening, just to make sure...) and the oilier areas of my face - nose, chin - stay covered and any redness is concealed all day.

 The formula is free from parabens, and has SPF 18, higher than most drugstore foundations, which usually have around SPF 15.  It comes in a glass bottle, which is nice as opposed to the cheap plastic ones you usually get, and has a pump top.

All this for £6.99 (or less depending on where you go - £4.98 in Tesco!) - you can probably see why I keep buying it!  

It's available from most supermarkets with Rimmel displays (the cheapest place I've found it is Tesco), Superdrug, Boots, FeelUnique and Amazon.

As always, thanks for reading and if you've tried the products, or found my review helpful, leave a comment below!

Rach xo

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NSpa Beauty Rituals Beauty Box Review

Skincare is something I reeeeally try and keep up with, but generally skincare = lots of money, and if it's not lots of money, it's lots of chemicals and irritants disguised as rejuvinating, revitalising, refreshing and resurfacing goodness.  But my skin is so sensitive that even the high end stuff, like Elizabeth Arden, just breaks me out and makes my skin gross and teenage again, so I'm always a bit sceptical when I try something new, and pretty much feel like buying skincare products is the equivalent of throwing away my money.

So a couple of months ago I was walking around ASDA and saw that they had an NSpa range, and didn't even think twice about buying it, it would break me out and it'd be a waste, but then my boss pointed out that it was paraben free, and I looked closer, and the ingredients were just so nice! I picked up one of their beauty boxes with 4 products for £10, and decided to give it a shot - It's not like paying £30 for a face cream that would destroy my face, and at £2.50/product, it wouldn't be too bad if I hated them.

Spoiler alert: I don't think I'll ever use a different skincare brand. Oh My God, I love this stuff.

I'll run through the basics of NSpa before I go into detail about the products I have, for those who - like me - had never really considered them as a 'legit' skincare brand, and thought they were more of a 'supermarket's own' type of thing.

NSpa is a brand of skincare, bodycare and haircare created by the experts at the UK's Number 1 Day Spa - Nirvana spa.  The products are all dermatologically approved and paraben free, and none of the products or raw ingredients are tested on animals.  

It's a 4-Step system with multiple options for each step, which allows you to create a skincare routine completely tailored to your own personal needs and preferences. The first step is Cleanse, second is Exfoliate, followed by Treat and then you finish up with Moisturise.

So the beauty box that I got came with a melting cleansing gel (which sounded great seeing as I've completely cut out foaming face washes), a hot cloth polish (the one I was using previously was discontinued, sadface), an illuminating beauty serum and a brightening day cream with SPF 15.  They're all 50ml tubes, a pretty generous size for a trial-type product.

It's packaged in a really cute white box, tied with a bow, and opens up at the top in a way I can't describe with words, I'd need to use my hands, but it's really unusual and a nice touch.  The products are all individually wrapped in tissue paper and it makes the whole unboxing feel extra special.  It would make a lovely christmas or birthday gift!

The melting cleansing gel comes out of the tube as a gel (duh), you massage it into your skin in small circles for about 2 minutes, and it breaks down into an oil, which is so so good for removing makeup, and then you use a little bit of warm water so it turns milky, and wash it off.  My skin has never felt so clean without feeling tight and dry.

The hot cloth polish is really nice - it comes out as a thick creamy paste-y type of consistency (?) and you massage it onto dry skin, again in small circular motions.  I like to leave mine on for a few minutes to let it really get into my skin, then then rinse the muslin cloth (included in the box, and with the hot cloth polish bought alone) in hot water, wring it out and wipe away the cream.  There's a video on the NSpa YouTube page which shows the best way to do this, and I found that pretty helpful - they have videos for most of their products showing how to use them.  It leaves my skin so smooth, and again, doesn't dry out my face - the formulation is gentle enough to use daily as it uses natural fruit oils and citric acid to exfoliate rather than harsh synthetic chemicals.

Next up is the Illuminating beauty serum, which you apply 1 pump of to a clean face, after exfoliating.  It gives a nice glow to the skin and can be used over makeup for a pick-me-up part way through the day, without ruining your makeup.

And the Brightening Day Cream is applied as any other moisturiser would be, and is super light and non-greasy.  It has sooo many natural fruit oils and works really well for any skin type.

The box is currently on offer in ASDA for £8 and is DEFINITELY worth picking up, either for yourself or as a lovely christmas gift (the packaging is adorable) or if you don't fancy the sound of all of the products, the full-size ones are available at 2 for £8 at the moment, too!

So it's safe to say I loved that box, and instantly felt the need to pick up more products - which I will review separately to this, as it's getting a bit long and I'm sure everyone is sick of me by now!

As always, thanks for reading and if you've tried the products, or found my review helpful, leave a comment below! You can also like my Facebook page to be updated with new posts, or follow my blog on BlogLovin' 

Rach xo

Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Following on from my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation review, it seemed only fitting to talk about the concealer from the range.

Truth be told, I actually bought this concealer first, in  an attempt to win the battle against my under-eye circles.  Now, I haven't quite won yet, but this has taken me a good way into the lead.

I bought the lightest shade (of course I did, I'm a ghost), and it's just a bit lighter than the Ivory foundation shade, which is perfect for making those eye bags disappear.

The concealer claims an anti-fatigue effect and radiant glow, as does the foundation, and they both deliver on these points.  This might not 100% disguise my under eye circles, but it gets 90% of the way, and with a bit of help from the slightly lighter colouring of Benefit's Erase Paste, they're gone, and this makes sure that a glowing, healthy-skin look is left in their place.

It's a liquid concealer, so I use it underneath my foundation and then I'll touch up a bit on top if needed - it blends really well, so I don't tend to worry about it caking up on me if I use too much - I've never had an issue with it gathering in creases or drying out in the month that I've been using it.

The packaging matches the foundation, with a bright orange cap, making it super easy to find in my make up box - thank you, Rimmel.  It also has an applicator - one of those sponge tips, and it's actually pretty good for getting the right amount of concealer - one 'dip' into the tube is enough concealer to do both eyes and any blemishes/redness too - so it'll last ages, I hope!

It's a high-street concealer, so it doesn't cost the earth - it retails at £5.49.  Boots currently have a 3 for 2 offer, so you could grab the concealer, the foundation and get something else free.  Bonus.

Here's a quick 'before/after' of my eyes using this concealer:

Before - No Makeup

After - Using Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Overall, I do really recommend this concealer - it's light-medium coverage, but works perfectly to disguise redness and minor blemishes, used under foundation it can be built to cover under eye circles/more prominent blemishes.

I'd also suggest, if your under-eye area is quite dark, apply a bit more concealer over your foundation (either the same concealer, or a more creamy-based, slightly lighter shade concealer) and set with a translucent powder.

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Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation - First Impressions

I've been waiting to try this foundation for about two months now, and finally ran out of my Elf Studio Finish Foundation today, so I made a quick trip to Superdrug to pick this up.

I tested a few colours, and oh my holy Jesus this is a bad product.  I tested on my hand, and it CREATED wrinkles.  I'm only 22, I don't have hand wrinkles, I do now.

I'm so disappointed, it caked up into every little crease in my skin and then caked up on itself.  Not only that, but it looked flaky, like I had dry patches all over my skin.  Not a good look! For a smooth gel foundation this is really a let down for me.

Needless to say, I didn't make the purchase.  But I'm just so upset that it was so bad - for one, because of all the claims it makes, and the ingredients are all pretty good, and secondly, because it's on sale at the moment for £7.99 down from over £10.

Sadface.  Bourjois, please make a healthy mix foundation that doesn't make me look like I'm decaying, and I will love you forever.


UPDATE:  I have since tried and reviewed the Bourjois Healthy Mix Radiance Reveal Foundation, and you can read it here

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