Quick Review: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

A few weeks ago, when I decided that having more pan than powder was a bad idea, I decided to try something new - I usually get a translucent powder, or a very light shade, just to set my foundation - but I went for something different this time.

On an impulse buy, I got the Rimmel London Stay Matte pressed powder in the colour Silky Beige, which is basically just a natural skin tone colour.  Nothing crazy or super dark, just a normal colour that fits my light skin quite well.

After swapping foundations last month, I needed a bit of extra colour, as the shade I have does come off as a bit yellow in some lights.

I use a very light application on a large powder brush, and just sweep it across my T-Zone, chin, and a bit on my cheeks if I need it.  It lasts all day for me, which I'm impressed with, and uses natural minerals for shine control.

Although I like the effect this has, I am in the market for a new powder, something a bit more natural, without parabens and all the other crap they've thrown into this as filler.

For something cheap and easy to pick up, it is a pretty good product, and until I find something new to replace it, I'll stick with this one.

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Review: Glossybox February 2013

Glossybox is a monthly subscription of 5 high-end beauty product samples (with some full-size products sometimes, too) for £10 + £2.95 p+p)

You can Glossydots by reviewing the products in a quick survey, or by inviting friends, and redeem points for a free box.  Each survey is worth 50 points, so if you review 5 products a month, every 5th Glossybox should be free.  You get 200 Glossydots for every friend that signs up and places an order (1000 Glossydots = 1 free box)


February's Glossybox was Valentines Day themed - 'here to make sure you’ll have the night of your life whomever you end up spending it with.'  

I don't know if I got the leftover products no-one else would want, but I hated this month's box and wouldn't have chosen any of them.  This blog post will not be a good advertisement for Glossybox.  It is the first box I've actively disliked and been completely disappointed with - so if you're after an uplifting read, this is not the place to be.  Sorry.

The box itself is very pretty this month - with a big pink bow and pink tissue paper, very Valentines-esque.  That's where the love ends.  I honestly thought I'd never love anything ever again when I opened this box - like all capability for happy feelings had been sucked out of me.  Maybe the box contained some rogue miniature dementors, I don't know.


The first item in the box was an Anatomicals shower gel.  It's a full size, and it smells of rose, so I get to smell like Turkish Delight for about 3 minutes until the smell wears off. 

There's really not much to say that I haven't already said in the review of the last Anatomicals product Glossybox sent me - except that this isn't as nice as the grapefruit exfoliating body scrub.  

It is a good size, the packaging is nice and bright, but the smell doesn't last and you need quite a lot to get a good lather.  I wouldn't say it's worth more than the £2.99 it costs.

The next item was Sassoon Professional Illuminating Restore, a deep-treatment conditioner loaded with all the parabens and chemicals you could dream of, which you leave on for about 15 minutes after shampooing, and rinse out to find no change whatsoever to your hair, and get out of the bath/shower disappointed.

I just don't understand how a deep conditioner could contain three different types of alcohol.

It does contain Hydrolyzed Keratin, however it's in such small amounts that I don't see it doing much in the way of improving the condition of your hair.  I know I didn't notice any difference in mine, apart from that it was quite drying and made my hair very difficult to comb out.  

It's also a case of paying for the brand rather than the product with this - as it has a RRP of £20.75/130ml.  Vastly overpriced in my opinion.



Third in the box was the Fat Cat mascara from MeMeMe - a range I've wanted to try (although what I actually wanted to try was the foundation, and maybe the highlighter).  

If you're looking for a mascara that creates a look SO natural noone will believe you're wearing any at all - this is definitely the mascara for you.  The only way I could tell I had mascara on was when it fell onto my cheeks after about 5 minutes.

It's the thinnest coating I've ever had from any mascara ever - I don't know if it's the formula or the big bristle-y brush, but it doesn't seem to hold on the lashes, and it's not buildable.  Maybe I have freak-of-nature lashes, but every other one I've tried has worked for me.

It has a RRP £7.99/8ml, although I wouldn't recommend this mascara at all - there are far better high street mascaras out there for a fiver.



Next  was a loose shimmery eye powder from Mica Bella Cosmetics.  It does say on the description that it's a pigment, but I refuse to call it that as it is not pigmented well at all.  The description also boasts that it contains 100% Natural Mica - except for the possible Carmine and Titanium Dioxide.
Carmine is a colouring which is known to cause severe allergic reactions, and Titanium Dioxide is dangerous when inhaled in micro-ground form as it is in this product.
Aside from that, it's generally just not a very good product.  I wore it today in place of my usual dark brown crease colour, and it lasted all of about 30 seconds.  The shimmer disappeared when I was blending it out, and the rest either soaked into my skin somehow, or was blown away by a gentle breeze somewhere between leaving the house and getting to my car.  I was left with dirty brown smudge patches on my eyelids.  So cute.
Here's the kicker though, the RRP is £14.95/2.5g.  If you pay that much for this product, please seek professional help.


The final, and most insulting, product in the Valentines Day box was a lipstick from Miners Cosmetics. 'Perfect your pout with Miners Cosmetics range of stunning and vibrant Lip Colours.'
 I'll have to double check the shade I received, but I like to call it Slutty Robot.  Now if you do like to dress as a slutty robot, this lipstick is PERFECT.  For everyone else, however, you will want to rip your face off when you try it.
It's a frosted, shimmery, very light lilac/pink, and it feels and smells about as cheap as it makes you look.   It sits on top of the lips rather than being in any way moisturising, and just applying it for the photo to the left made my day a whole lot worse.

(The colour I have is 'Dreamer')
RRP. £3.99/4g. 


The people at Glossybox also added a heart shaped lolly to the box as an extra treat.  That was the highlight.  Hopefully next month will be a whole heap of amazingness, or my subscription will be gone.

Fingers crossed!


Previous Post: My Miracle Procuct - Tamanu Oil
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My Miracle Product: Tamanu Oil

Tamanu Oil is a product I've been using for over a year now, but I kind of lost my bottle when we moved house, and I've just rediscovered it's amazing-ness when I found my bottle last week.

It's a soft, smooth oil with so many amazing properties - wound healing, anti-inflammatory, scar healing, pain relief and my personal favourite - skin clearing.

I can't remember exactly where I heard about it (probably a YouTube video) but I researched it before I bought some, and learnt that it was used in the late 1920's by a nun to treat the pain of conditions such as rheumatism, sciatica, shingles and later she used it to treat leprosy - with positive results.

It comes from the nut of the Tamanu tree, which is native to South-East Asia, and islanders have used it for years as skincare.

The oil contains:
Up to 17% Palmitic Acid
Upto 17% Stearic Acid
Upto 50% Oleic Acid (Omega 9)
And upto 50% Linoleic Acid (Omega 6)

These together possess a capability to promote the growth of new tissue, along with anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties, it's perfect for a skin clearing remedy.

So I figured it was worth a go - it's not expensive and I only bought a small bottle so even if I hated it it wouldn't be too much of a waste.

I apply mine twice a day - morning and night, just a small amount straight onto my problem areas - redness, spots, dry skin, acne scars etc - and I can feel an improvement almost straight away, but after about a week of use you can see the improvement. It only takes a few days to fully heal spots and dry skin.

It doesn't clog up my skin or leave it feeling greasy and dirty - it absorbs really quickly and makes my skin feel fuller and brighter straight away.

I've used it for other problems, too - cold sores, damaged hair, burns, razor burn, cuts - it speeds up the healing process for all of them, and I can see now why my skin got so crappy when I lost my bottle!

I also turned my step-mum onto Tamanu Oil, for her arthritis pains, and she definitely felt an improvement (until she tried to take the bottle in her hand-luggage on a flight and it was confiscated at customs).

Different brands of the oil have different smells - my first bottle smelled very nutty, whereas my second bottle had a distinct smell of curry, but it all does the same thing, and the smell fades off as the oil absorbs into your skin.

There are a few different 'recipes' for the different uses of Tamanu Oil, for scar healing, massage blends for pain relief, dry skin, but my favourite way to apply has always been straight from the bottle, just 100% Tamanu Oil straight onto the skin.

I use it either before or in place of my moisturiser (if using before, make sure it has mostly absorbed into your skin first) and just put my finger over the top of the bottle, tip it up and use whatever I get out - you don't need much, it's really moisturising.

It makes my skin feel like it's had a really good drink.  That's the best way I can describe it, I think.  It's super hydrating and moisturising, makes my skin softer and fuller and I've fallen in love with it all over again.

I found that the best place to buy it was from Ebay, from sellers with a high rating.  It generally costs between £4-10 for 10-60ml, depending on the seller.  I found a cold-pressed 30ml bottle for £4.19 from AkomaTradeUK on Ebay.



I definitely suggest trying Tamanu Oil for skincare, leave comments below if you've tried it and let me know what you thought!



Previous Post: Review: Benefit They're Real Mascara
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Review: Benefit They're Real Mascara

After hearing a LOT of great things about Benefit's They're Real Mascara, I went for a look around the Benefit shop in the Trafford Centre with Chris.

I was stood reading the packaging, admiring, coveting, wishing it wasn't so damn expensive, and then Chris offered to buy it for me - I refused, he offered again, I refused again, he told me he'd only offer one more time, I accepted.

We came home and I immediately removed my mascara and applied this... Oh My God.

My eyelashes are naturally stumpy at best - I usually wear eyeliner along the base of my lashes, and then a couple of coats of mascara, to make them look a bit thicker and longer.  One coat of this and POW eyelashes everywhere.

I didn't believe the hype, but it's all true! Every word.  With the first coat, my eyelashes were longer, thicker and jet black, and with the second coat they practically touched my eyebrows.  Amazing!

I'm not sure if it's the mascara wand or the formula, but they're both different to any high-street mascara I've tried before.  The wand is plastic with little spikes all around, and longer spikes on the end - so you can actually get the eyelashes in the inner and outer corner of your eyes, and it makes all the difference!

The formula is wetter than most mascaras I've used before, and it doesn't dry super quickly, so you have time to apply a coat and fix your lashes into the right position to avoid clumping before you apply the second coat if you need it.

The instructions say to apply the mascara starting at the base of the lashes and slowly wiggle the wand toward the tips - it's definitely the only way I've found to apply it to avoid my lashes sticking together, just because the formula is so wet.

Ingredients - Paraben Free

I also find that I need to curl my lashes before I use it, because mine aren't very curly naturally - it's pretty lightweight, so it doesn't weigh down your lashes at all and holds the curl really well.

I've not had any issues with the mascara crumbling or flaking off, and it stays on until you wash it off.  It's definitely got the longest wear of any mascara I've tried before.  Whilst that is a major positive, the negative is that it is quite difficult to remove.  I've adapted my nightly face routine to include an oil based cleanser around the eyes - either Dermalogica's Precleanse or DHC's Deep Cleansing Oil, whichever is closest - followed by my usual Witch face wipes.

It is pricey, as I mentioned, at £18.50/8.5g, but it's DEFINITELY worth the money.  If you have stumpy lashes like mine, or if you're looking for a mascara that won't clump, or you simply want one that will stay put for as long as you need it to, this is the mascara for you - give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

I've included some photos below to show the comparison between my natural/usual/they're real lashes.

Natural lashes - No mascara or eyeliner

Lashes with  2 coats of Maybelline Colossal Volum'Express Mascara and eyeliner 

Lashes with 2 coats of Benefit They're Real Mascara and no eyeliner

Available to buy from Benefit (2 free samples with every online order) and Boots for £18.50.



Previous Post: Review: Elegant Touch Nail Polish Remover

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Review: Elegant Touch Nail Polish Remover

So today, my new nail polish arrived (NYC Park Ave) and I was dying to try it, but I only had a tiny bit of a crappy (Cutex Acetone Free) nail polish remover left, so I had to make a Tesco run.  I'll give Tesco credit in the fact that they had a pretty good selection - Own brand, Cutex, Remover pads or Elegant Touch.

I picked up the Elegant Touch Super Strength because I've got their Rapid Dry Spray and I liked that, so I figured this would probably be pretty good quality too.

The one thing I absolutely HATE about doing my nails is taking my polish off.  I love putting it on, I love wearing it, but taking it off is a ball ache of epic proportions.  It usually involves 2-3 soaked cotton wool pads, a ton of nail polish remover, stinging, sore fingers and a room stinking of the stuff.

But this, this is the Holy Grail of removers.  This would come to a desert island with me (in a bag full of everlasting nail polish with an unlimited supply of cotton wool).  I won't use another nail polish, ever.  Never ever.

Why?  Because it removed my nail polish in one wipe.  Not a scrub, not a hold on your nail for a minute and wipe, INSTANTLY.  It must have some sort of dark magic behind it, because I've never seen anything like this.  The bottle says it contains Panthenol - maybe that's code for Voodoo, I'm not sure - all I know is that it works, my nails didn't go dry afterwards and my house doesn't stink.

Another thing I absolutely love about it is the bottle - the opening isn't just your normal open top, it has a teeny little hole in the middle of what would usually be the circle of spillage.  You can tip it onto your cotton wool pad and give it a gentle squeeze, and you get a tiny bit out.  One 2cm circle of remover did all my nails and touched them up after I'd re-painted them.

All the awards go to this nail polish remover.

So it must be super expensive, right? Wrong.  £2.10/200ml in Tesco.  Very affordable, will last a long time, works really well and is easy to apply.

I love it.

Available to buy from Tesco Stores or from NailPolishDirect.co.uk (£2.99/200ml)



Previous Post: Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer
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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.

Previous Post: Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation
Next Post: Review: Elegant Touch Nail Polish Remover

Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

I've recently changed my foundation routine, replacing a couple of products, and my previous foundation (ELF Studio Flawless Finish Foundation) was one that didn't make the cut.

After looking into a few different foundations, I initially decided to go and buy Bourjois HealthyMix Serum Foundation, but when I got to Superdrug and tested it, it did NOT live up to my expectations, and so I tested a few others and bought Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation.

The bottle states that it has an anti-fatigue effect, radiant glow and SPF 15.  And for once, I can say that I have a foundation that lives up to it's claims!

This foundation works miracles on my skin - no uneven skin tone, no dry, flaky patches, no slipping off the oily bits of my face, it's amazing.  It gives my skin a soft, dewy finish (which still shows through my mattifying powder a bit, as just a glow) and it just makes my face feel more 'pumped up' and healthy, thanks to the peptides, which increase elasticity and help skin to recover more quickly.

I have it in the lightest shade, 100 Ivory, and it fits my skin really well.  It blends super easily., meaning no dirty marks around my neck, and doesn't crease or cake up.  It provides a light-medium coverage, but builds well for heavier coverage.

Wearing Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

I love the packaging, The glass bottle looks a lot less cheap than the usual plastic ones, and it has RIMMEL embossed on the side, which is a nice touch.  The orange cap gives it a bit of a twist and it does stand out against the others on the shelf, and was part of the reason I was drawn to try it.

The best bit about this foundation is that you hardly need to use any to get great coverage - I find that a small pump (about 1/3 pump) does my whole face, and lasts all day.  With 30ml in a bottle, it'll last a good few months, and I will definitely be repurchasing it, as I haven't broken out once in the week I've been using it.  Result!

At £8.99/30ml, it's a pretty standard price high-street foundation, and it's definitely worth the money.  I'd recommend this for any skin type, and there's a good range of shades, too.

Available to buy from Superdrug.com


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