Becca Enigma Palette Swatches

I'd been lusting after Becca's Enigma palette ever since I saw the beautiful promo picture for the Fallen Angel collection a little while ago. I've also come across quite a few blog posts recently and the great reviews and gorgeous swatches have only made me want it more. I finally decided to order myself one at the beginning of the week after having a slight panic attack when I discovered quite a few Becca stockists don't have any left. After frantically searching around online, I was relieved to find that Bath & Unwind still had them in stock, so I quickly parted with my £35.00 and ordered one.

I'd not ordered from Bath & Unwind before but postage was pretty quick and a couple of days later this little thing of beauty turned up in the post:

BECCA Enigma Palette

BECCA Enigma Palette

Becca's description of Enigma; Create a bold, intense, smoky eye with the Limited Edition Enigma Palette. These velvety smooth and highly pigmented powders glide on effortlessly and contain microfine shimmer for the sublets of sheen.

The palette contains two taupey/grey shades (Amure and Surah) and a dark charcoal shade (Silesia). Amure is described as a soft fawn colour and is matt, Surah is described as a mauve/mushroom and is the only shimmery shade of the three, and Silesia is described as a dark smoke.

L-R Amure, Silesia and Surah

 I've only had chance to play with it a couple of times since I got it but I'm really impressed with how beautifully silky and pigmented all of the shades are. They apply amazingly well and blend with absolute ease. Lasting power seems to be fantastic too, no creasing or fading. Amure and Surah both look great on their own and I can create an everyday, fairly natural look quickly and easily with them. Silesia looks lovely when it's used as a liner and I haven't tried it yet, but I imagine it would look pretty and create quite an intense smoky eye when used on the the lid. 

As you've probably guessed, I'm over the moon with the Enigma palette. I put off getting it for a while but I'm really glad I finally ordered one because it's something I can see myself reaching for often. I can't wait to play with it some more over the next few days!

Does anyone else have the Enigma palette? What are your thoughts on it?

A little Giveaway!

I thought it was about time I did a little giveaway to say thank you to everyone who reads and comments on the blog. I really appreciate the fact that you lovely ladies take the time to read what I write and I also appreciate all the sweet comments that you leave. So, as a little thank you I've picked up a few goodies that I thought you might like.

Sanctuary Brightening Facial In-A-Box

The Brightening facial in a box set contains everything you need to create your own 30 minute pampering spa treatment at home. You get a Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser, Radiance Exfoliator, a Moisture Boosting Mask, a Brightening Eye gel and an Illuminating Moisture Lotion. I've been loving a few different products from the Sanctuary range recently so I thought this would be a great way for those of you who maybe haven't tried the skin products to give them a go.

Barry M Nail Paints

Strawberry Ice cream and Dusky mauve are both shades I've bought for myself recently. I've already swatched both of them (my bottles, not the ones shown in the photo) in recent posts. They're both lovely shades, particularly Mauve which is apparently a really good dupe of Chanel's Paradoxal.

If you'd like to enter, please make sure you're following via Google friend connect and please leave a comment below along with your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.

For an extra entry, post about the giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link if you do this so I know about it.

The Giveaway is international so everyone's welcome to enter and new followers are also welcome.

The Giveaway will close on the 18th of May

Good luck girls!

Quick Dior Loose Powder Review

If you've read any of my previous posts, you may have seen me mention Nars loose powder. I've used it to set my make up for a quite while now and I love the stuff. It finishes my foundation really well, looks natural and I've found a great colour match (two actually, eden and flesh both work for me). My current tub is running low at the moment though so I've been using another powder for the past week in place of it. I purchased Diorskin loose powder a little while ago when I ran out of Nars and decided to give something else a go just in case it worked better for me.

The powder is available in three shades, transparent light, medium and dark. I normally go for the lightest shade available in powders but after swatching what was on offer, medium seemed to be a better match for me. The product comes in a sleek looking plastic sifter tub which is fairly heavy and looks lovely but doesn't seem to work all that well and can be quite messy if you use the lid to dispense product like I do. It also comes with a puff which is nice, really soft and it washes well and lasts ages too.

Dior Loose Powder

The powder itself feels incredibly soft and silky, blends with ease when I swatch it on arm and leaves just a hint of colour. When I use it on my face the result I get it quite different though. The powder still applies as well on my face and feels light weight and soft but doesn't seem to set my foundation well. With Nars loose I get a little bit of extra coverage and my make up looks fresh and even after application. Dior loose offers no additional coverage and I feel as though it leaves my foundation looking slightly patchy and uneven. Medium looks fine when it's first applied but seems to darken quite a lot after I've been wearing it for a couple of hours and has an unattractive orange hue to it, which is not a great look.

I've not had much luck with lasting power or oil control with this stuff either. My oily skin only stays matte for a couple of hours after applying so on top of the orange tint this seems to add to my skin, I also have an incredibly shiny face. Touching up with this is a bit of a disaster too as the powder tends to cake and take off my foundation instead of saving it.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I've only given Dior loose another chance over the past week because my Nars is on it's last legs. After trying the stuff again, I've decided that I really don't like it because it does absolutely nothing for me. The only positive thing I can say about it is, it doesn't break me out. When I pay £26.00 for a product, I expect it to do a little bit more than that though. I think those with drier skins may have more luck with this if they can find a colour match, I've personally given up on it and will be replacing my beloved Nars loose as soon as possible.

What are your favourite loose powders? Have you used Nars before but found something better? Please let me know.

Clarins Truly Matte Foundation Swatches

I've been testing out a new foundation over the past few days (Clarins Truly Matte) which I'm really liking. I'm fairly happy with my current foundation (Clarins Everlasting) but thought I'd give truly matte a go since the weathers starting to get warmer and my skin tends to be really oily in the summer.The base is described as a super-sheer, super-covering stay-fast, oil-free foundation that gives skin a perfect matte finish all day long. Even when it's hot! Coverage is described as medium to full but I'd say it's definitely more medium.

There are only six different shades available (only five at my counter) which seems like a pretty poor selection really, I managed to find quite a good match with Pale Ivory though. It's not a perfect match for my NC15 ish skin tone but it's not bad. The product is fairly runny in consistency and like other Clarins foundations I've tried, quite heavily scented. I actually don't mind this but I know others do. Truly matte seems to apply really well, gives you plenty of time to blend before it starts to dry and feels quite nice on skin too, pretty light weight. Lasting power seems to be great and I've found I need to touch up/blot less when I wear it because my skin stays relatively shine free.

L-R 02 Pale Ivory, 05 Shell, 07 Tender Ivory, 08 Sunlit Beige, 10.5 Apricot

Shade order as above

Overall I really quite like Truly Matte but feel the coverage isn't quite enough for me at the moment. I think I'll be sticking with Everlasting for now and may come back to this when I have slightly less to cover.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Tonic & Skin Repair Moisturiser

I recently wrote a post about Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish which I was sent a sample of to try (Post here). I was really pleased with the way it effortlessly removed my make up without drying my face and also with the positive improvement it had on my acne prone skin, which I'm really battling with at the moment. Last week the lovely Liz Earle PR team kindly sent me the next two steps from the Daily Essentials range, so I ditched my normal skin care products and have been using these in place of them.  

Liz Earle Instant Boost skin tonic is the second step from the daily essentials range and it's described as a heavenly scented, non drying floral tonic which revitalizes, soothes and brightens. It contains a mix of vitamin E, organic Aloe vera and rose scented geranium and is alcohol free.


How to use

  

Moisten a cotton wool pad and sweep over face and neck every morning and night after cleansing with Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser or using one of our special treatment masks. Whether your skin is dehydrated, oily, dull or congested, the nourishing and brightening botanicals will help to leave your skin feeling soft and looking fresh for longer. It also primes your skin perfectly for your choice of Liz Earle Moisturiser.

 Results

A toner is actually something that's been missing from my skin care routine for years. Whenever I see or hear it mentioned, it immediately brings back memories of the horrible burning sensation I've had from using products which are full of alcohol in the past. Instant Boost Skin Tonic is nothing like those products. Instead of burning or stinging, the floral scented liquid cools and soothes and feels lovely and refreshing. As I mentioned at the beginning, my skin is a real nightmare at the moment and some of the blemishes I have are quite sore so the soothing sensation I get from the tonic is really helping to relieve that. I also feel that it's helping to take some of the redness out of them too and is generally helping to calm my skin. 

Liz Earle Skin Repair Light Moisturiser

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser is the third step from the daily essentials range. There are three different varieties available which are aimed at different skin types, I was sent the light version which is suitable for combination and oily skins. It's described as light, gentle and easily absorbed and contains a finely balanced blend of naturally active ingredients including, borage oil (a rich source of the essential fatty acid GLA), echinacea, hops, avocado oil, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) and natural antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin E to replace lost moisture and help protect your skin.

How to use 

Massage into face and neck, morning and night, after Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Results

Having oily skin has made finding a suitable moisturiser quite challenging for me. I've found it really difficult to find something that adds enough moisture without making my oily skin even more oily. Most products I've tried have either added far too much moisture or not enough which leaves my face feeling dry and uncomfortable. I've used an oil free moisturiser from Peter Thomas Roth for years and have been pretty happy with the results but I sometimes feel as though my skin could do with something a tiny bit more hydrating. 

Liz Earle Skin repair moisturiser

Liz Earle's Skin repair seems to give me that extra bit of hydration I need without making my skin feel greasy or making it look shiny. When I initially tried it, I was slightly worried that it might be too rich for my skin because the product is fairly thick in consistency and feels quite creamy when it's applied. Within a minute or so though, the product seems to disappear completely without leaving any sort of residue and my skin is left feeling hydrated and soft. I'd say it controls oil well throughout the day too and creates an excellent base for make up. Overall I'm really enjoying using this product at the moment. I really like the way it makes my skin feel and I'm completely in love with the scent which is amazing.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic & Skin Repair

I mentioned at the start that I've only been using these products for the past week and I obviously realise that I haven't been using either long enough to see any major results yet. I'm going to continue using both for the next few weeks in place of my usual products and update with results. So far I'm really impressed with the products I've been sent from Liz Earle though. I've really fallen in love with the Cleanse & Polish and I'm thoroughly enjoying using the tonic and skin repair from the range too.

Both products are available from the Liz Earle site. Instant Boost Skin Tonic costs £11.75 for a 200ml bottle and Skin Repair costs £17.60 for a 50ml pump or tube

Has anyone else tried either of these? What are your thoughts on them?

Becca Rosita Glossy Lip tint

Anyone who's read any of my previous posts probably knows I'm pretty much obsessed with Becca cosmetics at the moment. Everything I've purchased from the brand recently I've loved and glossy lip tints are no exception. I managed to pick up Rosita in a sale at the beginning of the year and I've used the shimmery, rosy pink gloss a lot since. 

Becca Rosita Lip Tint

I'm not normally a big fan of shimmery lip products but the sparkles in Rosita are lovely and subtle. The formula is lovely too, really light textured, non sticky and fairly long lasting for a gloss. My only slight gripe with lip tints is the brush. I've had a couple of issues with the bristles getting bent out of shape, which has made the product slightly difficult to apply. I'd much prefer a doe foot applicator but, I'm willing to put up the brush seeing as the formula and colour are so pretty.

Becca Rosita swatch

3 for 2 offer on Becca at Bath & Unwind

Just spotted this on the Bath & Unwind site and thought I'd post it. There are quite a few different products included in the offer.

www.bathandunwind.com