Burt's Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub

Those of you who read my Bye Bye Glossybox post, may remember me mention that April’s Glossybox money was spent on a Burt’s Bees set I’d had my eye on for a while. The brand’s Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub is something I’d seen mentioned a few times on various different blogs, and seeing as I love anything cranberry or pomegranate scented, I’d really wanted to give it a go. Cheapsmells currently have a duo set on offer which includes the scrub and matching body butter, so I quickly snapped one up.

Burt's Bees Sugar Scrub

Here’s what Burt’s Bees say: This luxurious body scrub gently exfoliates to leave skin silky and soft. A deliciously sweet blend of cranberry seeds and pomegranate oil combine with natural sugar crystals and shea butter to gently polish and condition skin leaving it feeling healthy, smooth and glowing, naturally.

Burt's Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub. Looks delicious, doesn't it?

I think one of the main reasons I’ve been wanting to try this stuff for a while, is how delicious it always seems to look in photos. In the pot, the dark red scrub almost looks like a tasty sorbet or jam that’s good enough to eat! And it smells divine. When you screw off the lid, you’re met with a heavenly, sweet, fruity scent that really is yummy.

The scrub is 100% natural and contains a whole host of lovely ingredients and oils including coconut, soybean, sunflower, shea, and of course, pomegranate and cranberry. It’s also packed full of lovely exfoliating particles, which really do a fabulous job at smoothing rough and dry patches. It does leave behind a bit of an oily film (on me and in the shower) after I’m done scrubbing, but you know what? I really don’t mind, because it also leaves my skin feeling beautifully soft and smooth, and the gorgeous fruity scent lingers for quite a while, too.

Overall, it’s a fantastic and effective body scrub, and I really do enjoy using it. The scrubby bits do an excellent job at smoothing rough areas without being too harsh, the scent is delectable and I’m left with silky smooth skin after using. If you’re a Burt’s Bees fan and you like fruity scented bath and body products, this is definitely worth checking out. It’s available from a number of different sites, but I picked up mine up from Cheapsmells. You get a 226g pot of Sugar Scrub and a 185g pot of matching Body Butter, and they both come in a lovely little Burt’s Bees box (£13.49).

Ingredients: sucrose, glycine soja (soybean) oil, crambe abyssinica seed oil, silica, zea mays (corn) starch, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, parfum (fragrance), vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) seed, vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) fruit juice, punica granatum seed oil, vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry) fruit powder, mel (honey, miel), hydrolyzed soy protein, tocopherol, aqua (water, eau), magnesium hydroxide, citric acid, limonene, geraniol

I hope everyone's having a lovely weekend!

Make Up For Ever Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream

After a pretty long and expensive search, I think I may have finally found a concealer which really delivers on the coverage front, matches brilliantly, holds up well on my oily skin, and still looks natural.

MUFE Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream. Shade 4 Flesh

Make Up For Ever’s Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream is something that was sitting on my lemming list for almost a year before I finally took the plunge and purchased a tube. The main reason for this is that MUFE products are a bit tricky to get hold of here in the UK, and I was unsure about which shade would be a good match for my NC15/20-ish skin tone. The products are available from two different sites, but I’m always a little bit hesitant when ordering either foundation or concealer before testing, as I’ve messed up so many times in the past and ended up with colours that are either far too dark, or light.

Make Up For Ever Concealer

After searching around on blogs and forums, I decided to take a gamble and ordered a tube in the shade 4 Flesh, which fortunately turned out be an excellent match.

MUFE Full Cover: 4

Consistency wise, Full Cover is quite thick and creamy, which does make blending a little bit difficult. I find it’s best to use a very small amount on areas which need camouflaging, and to blend quickly after it’s been applied. A minuscule amount is really all that’s needed anyway, because Full Cover really does do an incredible job at covering redness, blemishes and anything else which needs concealing. Spots seem to magically disappear after I’ve applied this stuff, and it fades out any redness nicely without looking obvious or cakey. Full Cover also holds up well on my oily skin, providing I set it with a little bit of powder, and doesn’t oxidize, which is a problem I’ve had in the past with other concealers.

Full Cover applied over eye liner (I wasn't brave enough to snap a spot shot!)

The above photo gives a good idea of the amount of coverage you can achieve with Full Cover. One thin layer conceals minor to moderate flaws brilliantly, and a second camouflages harder to cover areas well, without looking caked on.

I only have one slight gripe with Extreme Camouflage, and that’s that it doesn’t work particularly well as an under eye concealer. I can get away with using it sparingly if I use a generous amount of eye cream beforehand, but I find it a little bit drying and it does seem to settle into fine lines. Overall, though, Full Cover is an excellent product and definitely works well as a natural looking, long lasting cover up on other areas. It is a bit difficult to get hold of here and it isn’t cheap, but it’s absolutely the best concealer I’ve tried so far, and because such a small amount is needed with each use, I imagine the 15ml tube will last a while.

Available from gurumakeupemporium.com (£22.50)  & preciousaboutmakeup.com (£20.50)

Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick: 17 Orchidee

Recently, when on the hunt for a bright, but still daytime appropriate, pinky/red lipstick, I stumbled across Chanel’s Orchidee. I was after something a little bit more vibrant than the usual, natural ‘my lips but better’ shades I’ve been wearing a lot lately, and Orchidee seemed to fit the bill. 

Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Colour: 17 Orchidee

I’d describe the shade as a pretty, red-rose with very delicate shimmer. It’s a ‘safe’ red that’s not too intense. Perfect for those, who like me, normally aren’t brave enough to sport red lip colours. It ‘pops’ without being over the top, and really brightens up my face. I do generally tend to stick to fairly natural lip colours, and make-up in general, really, but I feel completely comfortable wearing Orchidee, even during the day!

Chanel Rouge Coco: 17 Orchidee

 
You can just make out the really delicate shimmer in these photos. It's very subtle and barely visible on lips.

I’m a big fan of the Rouge Coco formula. I find the shades I own to be comfortable, hydrating and fairly long-lasting, too. They feel incredibly light-weight on lips and fade evenly. Orchidee has a slightly creamier texture than some of the other Rouge Coco shades I own, and provides an almost full coverage finish. As it fades, it leaves behind a pretty and delicate stain.

Chanel Rouge Coco: Orchidee

Orchidee (left) swatched next to Chanel's Monte Carlo (Right)

Overall, I’m really impressed with the pretty, pink-y red colour. It’s a nice change to the very natural and normally sheer lip colours that I usually wear, and I love the comfortable and fairly long-lasting formula. If you’re looking for a slightly brighter, but still wearable lip colour, I’d definitely recommend checking out Orchidee.

Do you have any favourite shades from the Rouge Coco range?

A Few April Favourites

Chanel Orchidee & Revlon Raspberry Pie & Peach Parfait Lip Butters

Chanel Orchidee Rouge Coco Lipstick - A pretty pink-y red shade, which adds a nice pop off colour to lips without being over the top. Formula and finish are both excellent and long-lasting, too.

Revlon Raspberry Pie & Peach Parfait Lip Butters - I've been reaching for these quite a bit since I picked them up last month. Raspberry Pie is really pigmented, so I've been applying with a very light hand. Used in this way, it leaves a hint of stain like colour on lips, which is fairly long-lasting. I'm not a fan of the slightly gritty texture of Peach Parfait, but the colour is great.

NARS Douceur & Cactus Flower

Nars Douceur Blush - A great, neutral pink-brown shade. I've been reaching for this almost everyday to add a touch of really natural looking colour to cheeks.

Nars Cactus Flower - Is a vibrant reddish coral, which looks suprisingly natural applied. It adds a pretty, fresh flush to cheeks and holds up well on my oily skin. Swatch & review here.

Becca Eye Tints: Pewter & Baroque and MyFace Eye Pencil

Becca Romanticism & Pewter Eye Tints - I've been using Romanticism on a daily basis to add a wash of long-lasting, natural colour to lids. Pewter is more pigmented and is perfect for creating a quick and easy smoky eye. Swatches here & here.

MyFace Eye Liner Pencil - I picked this up last month after my brown, Dior eye pencil ran out, and I'm impressed with how creamy this it and how well it applies and lasts.

Leighton Denny Fell The Burn & Rampant Rose & Chanel June

 

Leighton Denny Feel The Burn & Rampant Rose - Feel The Burn is a rich, terracotta red shade and looks fab on fingers and toes, and Rampant Rose is a rich, berry colour, which is very similar to Chanel's April. Swatches of both here.

Chanel June - I'm still loving orange and peach-y shades at the moment and have been sporting them on nails quite a lot. June is a pretty, soft apricot colour, which applies brilliantly and dries to a gorgeously glossy finish. A perfect spring shade!

Which products have you been enjoying recently?