REVIEW | MAYBELLINE BABY SKIN PRIMER

Maybelline Baby Skin Primer - £7.99

In the last couple of weeks I've been experimenting with drugstore brands that I would probably not have bothered with otherwise. Admittedly, I never try out the popular brands that you see on the TV ads, I usually just stick to my M.A.C, Benefit or such-like. So in a bid to be a bit more adventurous, I took advantage of the Superdrug 3 for 2 offer and picked this up in my combination. 

I have tried make-up primers before, one being Benefit's Porefessional which similarly to this has a very strange consistency & texture that take some time to get used to. Baby Skin from Maybelline has a nozzle for precision application. If like myself you struggle with a few open pores and a little acne scarring, these products are great once you get the hang of them. 

On the first few applications I really didn't like this product. I would put some on my face & work in using my fingertips. Disaster soon started when I would then go to apply my foundation, my once smooth & poreless skin would then look streaky, uneven & feel very heavy - contrary to it's 'lightweight' claims! However, I kept trying. I knew that there was a way to make this primer work.

I reached success when I applied a slightly lesser amount to exfoliated & moiturised skin and blended it in using a stipple brush. I think that the technique of using my fingertips was partly to blame in the streaky look I acheived before so I was delighted when the blending motion of the brush completely smoothed out my look. Since this product has a fairly powdery finish albeit a translucent gel, you can actually use a powder brush to blend it into the skin too without it causing your brushes any harm!

This works equally well on its own as it does a make-up primer & with the minimal price tag it's totally worth a try! 

REVIEW || HELLO HYDRATION

Herbal Essences 'Hello Hydration' Deep Nourishing Intensive Mask - £2.50 (special offer)

With the exposure to the amazing weather we've had over the weekend, I couldn't help but feel that my hair has been totally zapped of it's moisture! I found myself wandering around the beauty aisle last night in Asda (I'm easily distracted quite clearly) & I spotted this mask by Herbal Essences. I knew straight away that it would find itself in my shopping basket.. I was instantly sold by the words 'coconut' & 'whoops.. £2.50'. Whether it would live up to expectations & quench my lifeless locks was yet to be discovered.

After a hectic day in work & straight to the gym afterwards, I thought I'd give this a try. I popped it on after washing my hair & towel drying. I've also heard that if you do a towel turban with a hot towel it helps masks do their job - plus it was super cosy!  

I kept it on for an hour or so while I watched some TV & now that it's off my hair feels amazing. I knew it had made a huge difference when rinsing it off, my hair felt hairdresser fresh. 

So not only does my hair look & feel silky-smooth -  it smells delicious too. I think I may have shamelessly exclaimed a advert-esque 'oh yes!...' - in my head of course. I would guess that the tub probably has at least another 5 applications worth left so it's definitely great value especially since I got it on a deal (always the bargain hunter). Overall a fabulous unexpected find!

Have you tried this product? What do you think of Herbal Essences?

THEY'RE REALLY REAL!

                

Benefit - 'They're Real!' mascara £19.50

My Results❤

                                     

                                     

                                     

Not normally one to be taken in by sales pitches from the beauty counters as I'm trying to take the shortcut through Debenhams in Glasgow to Argyle Street, a couple of weeks ago I must have been having a moment of weakness & was lured in by a Benefit girl. 

As a BadGal lash lover, I was reluctant to try anything else, especially if it involved a plastic or rubber wand. However, I was more more than pleasantly surprised when i was handed the mirror for the results of They're Real mascara. The results were super quick & I couldn't believe how easily it builds with what seemed like zero effort! 

Since we all know I'm a lash addict, this product has saved me a fortune on falsies for the last few nights out and also given me an extra 5 minutes snooze in the morning. Well & truly worth the money!

PS. I'm growing my brows out for shaping soon so please excuse the strays!

REVIEW || MAC STUDIO SCULPT FOUNDATION

As some of you may know I'm a complete M.A.C addict! I have religiously purchased Studio Fix Fluid (£21.50) for the past 7 years. I was attracted to the buildable coverage since I've struggled with skin imperfections for such a long time, it's the go to product! I know what people say:-

'that's the worst thing you can do, don't wear heavy make-up, let your skin breathe..' 

blah, blah, blah.. and as much as I know that everyone's heart's are in the right place, it's easier said than done. I always end up stuck in the middle fighting a vicious circle of breakouts & more coverage. It used to really bother me but now as I'm getting a bit older & beginning to care less of what people think I'm confronting my skin issues head on & now that I've got an awesome skin routine courtesy of LUSH I thought that a make-up base change was totally necessary... something less clogging for my pores but I can still get a little more coverage from for a special occasion. 

I'm not normally one for taking the MUA's recommendations in MAC - not because I don't trust their opinion, it's just the place is always packed & I often feel like I'm on an invisible conveyor belt from product to till point, however, on this occasion it was strangely quiet & i actually got the chance to have a good discussion about my make-up needs.

After explaining how heavy my skin feels when I wear Studio Fix Fluid, I tried out some Studio Sculpt Foundation  which felt like a dream. It's a gel based formula with the long-lasting effects I desire. A little luminosity was something I liked the idea of since I'd gone through so many years of using quite a mattifying base & to achieve a dewy look I'd have to recruit another product, most likely a little bit of my gold-dust (well actually white/silver) product Miss Popularity by Benefit which frightening was discontinued, Luckily I've found a few online retailers who still stock it but once it's gone - it's gone! 

I couldn't wait to try this out properly when I got home, although it was a majorly brave move as I started my new job the next day & really could NOT be doing with a make-up disaster on day 1. By lunch I couldn't believe that I didn't need to reapply my make-up! It's an amazing product for its longevity, this teamed with the fact it's a larger product at 40 ml makes it fantastic value for money too!

♡

which MAC foundation do you love most ? 

    

HELP: I'M A LUSH ADDICT!

Hello dolls! 

So... as you can probably tell if you follow me on Twitter (i'm here!) I've been super busy recently! I started a new job & just can't seem to adjust to this 9 to 5 routine *subconsciously sings Dolly Parton* it almost seems impossible for me to do nothing else other than plonk myself in front of the TV for an hour and then start thinking about bed time - aaaanyway, this would explain why I've kind of neglected my little blog this week but since I've basically chilled out all weekend (& with a little help from some Pro-plus I purchased tonight) I have a feeling that won't be happening again! 

Despite my sleepy head all week, 5 o'clock struck & I literally couldn't wait to attend my very first bloggers event (eeeeeek!) with LUSH in Braehead! I like to be honest in my posts & I'll admit, i was pretty skeptical of the products offered by LUSH. I was always of the opinion that LUSH was well branded and marketed to have that rustic, eco-friendly look & that their products offered smelled amazing but maybe didn't have any real effects. Well, let's just say I was ill-educated on the power of this company. THEY'RE AMAZING. You would only have to base this on the enthusiasm the staff have for the organisation, the products & their morals. The knowledge these girls have of the products for sale is utterly astounding! This all stems for their own personal love❤ for it all. 

We were greeted with gorgeous cupcakes (always a plus! ❤) &  some little flutes of juice - very cute! Then we split into  teams where I was with my besty Eilidh (Maisy Meow) & Naomi (Fabugloss) who I'd just met for the first time, she was lovely! We got to sample lots of products from face masks, moisturiser, bubble bars, make-up - everything! 

We had the pleasure of previewing all of the brand new Spring products for Mother's Day & Easter! They have an abundance of ideas for even the most picky mamas, or what's probably the biggest obstacle for my family.. we all have showers - no baths! So unfortunately we can't take a gorgeous bath bomb & chill out (not unless we want to have a 'sit down shower' lol!) But there's sooooo many other items I could use in my shower! 

One of the cutest gift ideas I've ever seen was this little flower bubble bar. Not only did it smell delicious but the leaf tag attached to it has seeds inside, so if you plant it & look after it it will bloom some wee petal friends for you two - it's like a double gift! 

For me, the total eye opener was that when I read the label on the products I pretty much knew what most things were, unlike my usual skincare where the only recognisable ingredient is 'AQUA'!    

After our amazing little tour & introduction to the new products we were all gifted with a gorgeous goody bag bursting with products! Thank you so much girls!!! I honestly never knew were to start, so I thought I'd give my face mask a try. Since i'm majorly prone to spots & break outs I thought my skin could use with a little TLC ❤ 

The mask I had in my goody bag was my favourite from the tour (sooo lucky!) Brazened Honey. Below, find a typical 'here's me with a face mask on' kind of picture.. which by the way I had waaaaay too much fun with snapchatting!

Since I have problematic skin I didn't hold out much hope for completely astonishing results from a first time use which made my results even more amazing when I rinsed this off & seen my face in the mirror.

I'm filled with so much confidence to say that's me with no filter, no make-up, nothing. This was a brave step for me to take since I've always been so shy & embarrassed about my natural skin. It's by no means perfect but it has certainly made radical changes to my skin and my confidence, I'm still amazed that I'm actually publishing my wee bare face to the whole wide world - CRAZY! 

Since I've got so much to say about all of the products I'll have to spread it across a few posts! Also taking into account the fact I revisited today & bought more - ahhhh! The obsession has started!! 

What do you think of LUSH & what products would you recommend? ❤