Revlon baby stick

Revlon Baby Stick £6.99

Hello, can you believe it's May already? Where is this year going! Yesterday I had my last ever lecture of second year, it was about dissertations (scary stuff). Now I just have 1 more assignment, two exams and then this year is completely done with and I am one year closer to graduating! Then I'll actually have to join the real world and get a proper job haha...
Just before I went off to London for the Cosmopolitan Media Masterclass in April I had a little spending splurge in Superdrug and bought a few beauty bits including a Bourjois Blush and the new Revlon Baby Stick.

Revlon have recently released their new summer collection called Pacific Coast, which contains new shades of some of their top products such as the lip butters and longwear nail enamels. One of their new products if the Baby Stick, a tint for lips and cheeks. It's available in three different shades; Sunset, which is a vivid, coral orange, Pink Passion, a bright summery pink and Tahitian, a paler, orangey-pink and the one I went for. The stick has a creamy forumla which glides effortlessly on to skin, it provides a dewy finish for cheeks and a more matte effect when used on lips.
This product has a very sheer colour, that's why I didn't swatch it because it didn't even show up in the photograph. Because of this I'm not really keen on using it as a replacement for my Bourjois Blush, as I might as well not wear anything at all. That's why I've taken to wearing it with a blusher because it gives a really nice, dewy highlight to your cheekbones in one easy swipe. Tahitian is also a great choice for an everyday lipstick as it's such a light, summery colour. So even if you prefer a more vivid blush you can still pick up a Baby Stick to use just on your lips.

What do you think of the Pacific Coast Collection? Have you used any products yet?

Beth xx

Umberto Giannini extreme taming spray

Umberto Giannini extreme taming spray *

Hello, I hope you're all well. Today I'm sharing a product that, unfortunately, I was very disappointed with. I have very thick, wavy hair so I'm always on the look out for products that promise to bring me the sleek, shiny and (most importantly) straight hair do I desire. I remember the first time the hairdresser straightened my hair for me, I had such tight waves at the root that I had to have two people straightening my hair at the same time! That was nearly six years ago now, so years of daily straightening (and growing my hair out long again) have helped to tame the waves but not enough that I could simply blowdry it and walk out the door.
This bottle was part of our goody bag from the Cosmpolitan Careers Masterclass so I was really looking forward to trying it. 3 days of frizz free hair just seems too good to be true doesn't it, and while the product did stand up to the label for me it just wasn't worth hassle.
The spray is heat activated, so you can use it both before a blow dry and before you straighten you hair. The only problem I found , and it may be just because I have thick hair, was that the spray started to dry in your hair before you could properly blow dry it. And when I say dry, I mean dry ROCK HARD! I had to - very painfully - drag a brush through my hair and try to separate it so I could finish blowdrying it. It's even worse when you spray it into dry hair and try to straighten it. Although I did find it helped to keep my hair a bit more frizz free than usual the results weren't worth the extra time I had to spend drying and straightening my hair, maybe if it was a special occasion I would use this but it won't be going in my everyday collection. I think I will probably be trying some other products from the Frizzi collection as I think the shampoo and conditioner may be more up my street.
You can buy Umberto Giannini ultra taming spray online here, or in some Boots stores for £5.99

Have you tried the ultra taming spray? What did you think of it?

Beth xx

Bourjois blush

Bourjois Blush £7.49

Now here's a product that you won't see on my blog very often, it's not that I have anything against blusher it's just because I don't wear it very often so I'm wary off ending up looking like a clown! Maybe I should just learn to apply blusher properly and then I wouldn't have this problem. A couple of weeks ago Superdrug were running an offer where if you spent £12 on Bourjois you could get a free little round blusher pot, seeing as I needed to get some face powder anyway I thought I might as well make it up to the amount and then I would get to test a new product out for free.
First of all how cute is the packaging! Bourjois is celebrating it's 150th birthday - 1.5.0 that is amazing - so they have bought out these really cute little vintage pots, it's the same design as their regular little round pots of blush (or eyeshadow for that matter) but with a new silhouette sticker. Personally I think they should keep it like this for all their products but it's nice to own something a little different.

I also love that the little brushes are included with the blush, one less think to try and pack into a make up bag, and the little mirror makes it perfect for touch ups on the go. Because the brush is rounded it not only sits perfectly in the pot, it also picks up just the right amount of powder to sweep on to the apples of your cheeks. The product also has a lovely, subtle rose scent, which I only realised recently, but it's a nice touch.

As you can see from the swatch - and apologies for the poor quality - Rose Ambre is a fairly light, dusky pink that doesn't leave a pink stain on your cheeks. You need to layer it up to get a rosy glow but I don't mind that because it allows me to control how much I want to wear. I really love the shade of this blush though, I think the pink tones really suit my fair skin and bring out a natural glow where as some blushers can be really heavy. Because of the baked texture, the powder is ultra-fine and extremely easy to blend on to skin.

Apologies for the picture, it's the only decent one I have of me wearing the Bourjois blush. Recently I've been layering it up with the Revlon Baby Stick to add a highlight to my cheekbone, but you can read my review about that here.
All in all I'm very happy with this blush and I'm glad I tried it. It's much better than the one I was using before from Neal's Yard Remedies, it was a lovely colour I'm just not a big fan of loose powder products.
You can buy Bourjois blushers online from Superdug or Boots and also in store, for £7.49, there are 12 shades available so I'm sure you will be able to find the right shade for your skin tone.

What's your favourite Bourjois product?

Beth xx

Origins super spot remover

Origins Super Spot Remover £13.00

Hello everyone, hope you're all well, looks like the nice weather has lasted past the weekend so I'm pretty happy. I didn't blog yesterday because in all honesty I was feeling pretty rubbish after the birthday celebrations (haha) and I had an assignment due that needed finishing.
Origins super spot remover is one of my all time favourite products and part of my night time routine. I have struggled with my skin for several years, it's oily, my make-up is always sliding off and I suffer with regular acne breakouts in my t-zone. I started medication for my spots when I was 15, and I'm now on my third treatment from the doctors and while I'll be the first to admit that my skin texture and type has improved vastly over the last four years I still feel that it needs an extra boost now and then and that's where this spot treatment for Origins comes in. Like most spot treatments it contains salicylic acid which speeds up the healing time, although it also means it might cause a slight sting on your skin, especially if you try and use it on open spots. It also contains caffeine to calm the skin and red algae to visibly reduce redness, super exfloiaters (whatever they are!) are also designed elminiate excess oil and skin blogging dirt. I am very impressed with this product as I find it really helps to attack and heal my skin in quite a short amount of time, I'm not going to lie and say that you can put this on in the morning and by the evening all your spots will be gone (if that was true I think it would be a lot more expensive!) but it will reduce spot size and redness over the day, and in a couple of days you will find your blemish fading. But even if it doesn't work in a few hours, I am still happy to invest in this product as you only need a tiny dab for each spot and it really does work in the end, unlike those spot treatments which claim to heal them within four hours.
You can buy Origins super spot remover online here, also available in some departments stores such as Debenhams, Beales or House of Fraser.

What is your favourite Origins product?

Beth xx

DHC deep cleansing oil

Deep Cleansing Oil *

Hello! It's another beautiful day here in Bournemouth, looks like Spring is finally here at last although I don't know how long it will actually last! I'm off to a friend's 20th birthday this evening so I'm spending the afternoon getting ready for that - who doesn't love a good pampering session? Last night I fell asleep still wearing my make-up - I know, it's terrible but everyone does it once in a while don't they - so I thought it was a good chance to test out this cleansing oil. It's not something I'd buy myself because I'm wary of using oil based products on my skin because it's already oily enough, but the bottle was actually part of our goody bags when I went to Cosmopolitan Careers Masterclass so I figured I might as well give it a go anyway. The cleansing oil contains a blend of olive oil to hydrate and vitamin E to moisturise. A couple of pumps should be enough to massage into dry skin, dissolving make-up, dirt and other impurities.
I wasn't super impressed with this product though, it feels really strange the first time you use it because it's literally like rubbing cooking oil into your face and that's a feeling I just can't get used to. It claims to dissolve make-up but in my opinion I don't think it does much of a better job than a normal facial cleanser. If you have dry or sensitive skin then this might be an ideal product for you because it does really very gentle and ultra-moisturising on your skin., I just don't think it's the right for me.
You can buy DHC Cleansing Oil online here. This sized bottle (70ml) is £11 and a full sized (200ml) is £21.50

What do you think of cleansing oils?

Beth xx

Phil Smith Hair Transforming Cream

Phil Smith Hair Transforming Cream *

Another cheeky free gift from this month's edition of Cosmopolitan, I have to say they've been really good with their samples lately. Anyway on to more important things. Now this little bottle makes a lot of big claims but does it live up to the hype?
I've spent more than my fair share of pennies of so called miracle products which claim to rescue dry, damaged hair - I've haven't exactly been kind to my hair over the years ever since I discovered the joys of hair straighteners - so I was a little bit sceptical when the bottle claimed it would "transform" my hair and leave it feeling "unbelievably silky . But I was actually pleasantly surprised. You only need to apply a pea sized amount to the mid-lengths and ends of your hair before blow-drying as normal. It actually really helped my split ends (I haven't had my hair cut in over 6 months eek) and my hair felt much easier to straighten. I know make sure I use it every time I blowdry my hair because I think it really makes a difference. Plus a full size bottle is only £10.99 which I think is really good, because I don't know about you but I find that any products with argan oil tend to be pretty high priced.
Available to buy here online for £10.99. Sainsbury stores also stock Phil Smith products.

Have you tested out any Phil Smith products?

Beth xx

Elemis skin clear mattifying moisturiser

Elemis mattifying moisturiser *

I actually got this sample in the (I want to say) April issue of Cosmopolitan and I kept meaning to write and review and stick it on the blog but you know how thinks just mount up and before you know it you have a to-do list as long as your arm.
This is the first time I've ever used an Elemis product, I've always thought they were a bit expensive and I don't part easily with my cash for high-end products unless it's something I've lusted after for a long time! But I'm happy to report that I actually love this little moisturiser and it's fast become part of my morning skincare routine.
The Fresh Skin range has been specifically developed for younger skin to target problems such as oily and blemish prone skin. The mattifying moisturiser contains seamat to reduce t-zone shine, shea butter to help promote cell renewal and bergamot which is an antiseptic. The Bergamot has a really uplifting lemony scent, which wakes me up in the morning and it provides the perfect base for my make-up but I do still use a primer before my foundation. The good news is the bottle will last for quite a while as you only need to use a pea sized amount. I'm not sure if this moisturiser provides 8 hours of matte skin but it is one of the best mattifying moisturiser I have used so far and I think I will be investing in a full size bottle soon.
You can buy a fullsize version of Elemis mattifying moisturiser from timetospa.co.uk for £20.00

What's your favourite Elemis product? Or do you have another favourite moisturiser?

Beth xx