Tips and Tricks

Matte Nails

So the other day I watched a video by Michelle Phan on how to make your nail polish look matte which was perfect because I was planning on buying a matte nail polish anyway. I just thought I would share the method with you because it's really easy and cool!

1. Paint your nails with any colour of nail polish
2. Fill a pan with water and put on to the heat
3. When the water begins to steam, quite quickly paint on your second coat of nail polish
4. Making sure your nails are still wet, hold them over the steam for around 10 seconds (don't hold too close or you might scald yourself!)
5. Now your nails should be matte! They will also look as though they are dry but they're not so leave them until they are before doing anything!

It's quite hard to see in the pictures the difference between the matte and the shiny because of the lighting but once you've done it you'll see how cool it is!

xo

Makeup Review

Sleek 'Be Beautiful' Blemish Balm

So first of all, I want to apologise for the lack of posts, I've been up at my grannies for the Easter holidays and she doesn't have internet so I couldn't write any. Second of all, I'm going to try to blog more regularly so if anyone has any ideas or requests for posts just let me know!

Anyway, I bought the Sleek BB Cream because I had never used a BB Cream before and I had just ran out of my foundation. I really want to try the Revlon one but sadly they don't sell it in the UK yet.. Anyway, in one of Pixiwoo's videos, they mentioned how good this BB Cream was and how great the coverage was so I picked it up in Superdrug for £8.99 in the shade Fair 801 which I believe is the lightest. They sell it in 4 shades which vary from really light skin tones to very dark tones which is really good because I've heard that some darker skined people find it quite difficult to find a BB Cream to match their skin tone. 

Being a BB Cream, it is meant to have benefits for your skin. The Sleek one claims that it ~ 

• Has full coverage 
• Has SPF 15
• Instantly conceals imperfections
• Helps to prevent wrinkles as it contains red algae
• Normikises the skins moisture content
• Promotes suppleness to the skin
• Contains vitamin C to aid in the reduction of skin discolouration
• Provides the skin with a natural glow
• Has peptides to gradually repair damaged skin

So yeah, it claims to do a lot of things to benefit your skin. I'm not 100% sure of all these things as I have only been using it for around 3 weeks but I've been really liking it and its not done anything bad to my skin! I definitely agree with it being a great coverage for a BB Cream and I only feel I need to use a little concealer under the eyes after using it. I find it applies really smoothly and is really easy to blend in with your fingers. It also stays on your skin all day so I think it's a great buy and you should consider checking it out if you are searching for a new BB Cream or even in place of a foundation. The only downside is that (this is going to sound really weird) it smells a bit like face paint.. It's not super strong and it doesn't smell all day but just when you're applying it it kind of smells like face paint, haha!

Have a happy Easter x

Makeup Review

Benefit Creasless Cream Eyeshadow

I had been looking for a good cream eyeshadow/base and I was planning on buying one of the Maybelline Colour Tatoos. While browsing the Benefit website, I noticed their Creasless Cream shadows were down to only £7 from £14! I thought this was a really good deal so I ordered one in the shade Sippin' n Dippin', a really pretty peachy colour with tiny gold shimmers which you can see in the light. I also really like the glass pot it comes in!

 

I like to use my finger to apply it to my eyelid or I will sometimes use a small lip brush or something. I think that it looks really pretty on its own or with other eyeshadows and it is really pigmented. I really like how smoothly it applies and it has a really nice creamy consistency. While wearing this eyeshadow, I have never noticed any creasing and the colour lasts all day without using a primer. The eyeshadow is a really good pairing with Coralista blush from Benefit because they are quite similar in colour.

I really like this eyeshadow and I'm really glad I bought it. It's still on sale so you can buy it for £7 here if you're interested xo

Skincare Update

Benefit 'b.right!' Radiant Skincare Line

I have had my eye on this skincare line for quite a while now because I have just always thought the packaging was so cute! The only thing that didn't tempt me was the price! I was browsing ASOS and saw they sold some Benefit products and I came across this set of 6 mini products from the b.right! line for only £10! I was so excited so ordered them the next evening! I was so happy with the ASOS delivery as it was completely free and took less than 3 days to arrive (estimated 6)!

The set includes a Foamingly Clean Facial Wash (8.9g), a Moisture Prep Toning Lotion (8.9ml), a Total Moisture Facial Cream (8.9g), an It's Potent! Eye Cream (3.0g), a Triple Performing Facial Emulsion (8.9ml) and a Refined Finished Facial Polish (8.9g). 

The main reason I bought this skincare set was to brighten my skin. I have normal/combination skin so I didn't need products to really hydrate my skin or get rid of excess oil in particular, mainly just to even out my skin and to reduces the dullness. As you can probably gather from the name, this skincare line is meant to really brighten your skin rather than focus on one skintype in particular. I do think that there is products in this line that are good for oily and dry skintypes so it is really versatile and I think everyone would like it!

Foamingly Clean Facial Wash

I love this face wash! You only need a small amount applied to a damp face for a really rich bubbly lather! I like to use this morning and night, massaging it into my skin in small circular motions, rinsing off with warm water and patting my face dry. It's perfect for even the most sensitive skintypes as it is really gentle with a light fresh scent, kind of like cucumbers or something! I feel that it gets really deep into your skin, cleaning it thoroughly. It also leaves your skin feeling really soft afterwards! 

Moisture Prep Toning Lotion

This is actually a really weird toner. It's a milky colour and has quite a thick consistency. I like to put some of the toner onto a cotton pad and rub it all over my face after cleansing. I like how the toner smells (cucumbers again) and I feel that when you use moisturiser afterwards, it applies much smoother and sinks into your skin really quickly, therefore I think this product really lives up to its name 'moisture prep'! 

Total Moisture Facial Cream

This is a really thick moisturiser which I like to use at night. Unless you have very dry skin, I wouldn't recommend this moisturiser for morning use as it is so thick and might leave your skin feeling greasy. Using it at night is great though as it can really hydrate your skin over night and your skin isn't left greasy in the morning. As the rest of the line, it has a really pretty light scent of cucumbers!

It's Potent! Eye Cream

A little goes a really long way with this eye cream! I apply a tiny amount under my eyes and across my eyelids morning and night. This eye cream doesn't have a scent like everything else, probably because you don't really want strong scents near your eyes. I love how this eyecream reduces redness and dark circles, depuffs and tightens but if you want an eye cream which is directed at one specific area then I probably wouldn't go for this. I find it perfect though and i really perks up tired looking eyes in the morning!

Triple Performing Facial Emulsion

This moisturiser is amazing! I apply this to a cleansed face every morning and it never leaves my skin feeling greasy and isn't too heavy. It also has SPF 15 PA++ (don't really understand the PA++) and is oil free which makes it a perfect day cream. I feel that out of all the products, this is probably the most brightening and is possibly my favourite from the whole line!

Refined Finish Facial Polish

This is the most perfect facial scrub! It has tiny little beads in it which scrub away all the dead skin from your face leaving it feeling really smooth. I like to use this every couple of days in the evening, just after cleansing although it is gentle enough to be used everyday. I love the scent of it and how it builds a light lather. I like to massage it in circular motions to damp skin, especially to the drier areas of my face, and then rinse it off with warm water before patting my face dry.

I love all of these products and even after using them for a pretty short period of time, I have already noticed a difference to my skin, now looking more radiant and feeling softer. I think I will be repurchasing the full size of the foaming cleanser, the facial polish and the facial emulsion but I really love all of the products. If you want to buy the little set like mine from ASOS, I'll leave the link here x