Saturday 19 September 2015

My Top 3 Drugstore Foundations

 
I've always stuck to No7 foundation throughout my make up loving years however a few weeks ago I decided to give a selection of drugstore foundations a go to see if going for slightly cheaper alternatives made much of a difference. Turns out a few of these foundations actually work wonders on my skin so I've picked my top 3 from those I purchased to talk about.
 

http://www.boots.com/en/LOreal-Paris-True-Match-Foundation_16049/
 
This is the lightest foundation of all 3 but provides a great, even coverage. The pigmentation isn't amazing but the texture and easy application makes it perfect for those confident days when you're skin is looking fresh and clear. I've been using this a lot throughout the summer because it allows your skin to breathe without moving or streaking on your face. The colour I have this foundation in is 'Ivory' which I've found is a great colour match for me. The foundation also has an SPF of 17 which is perfect for me! This foundation ticks all the boxes for a light, even and breathable foundation: providing what feels like a new top layer of skin that stays throughout the day without caking or slipping. It is also only £9.99 which is a great price for just how great this product looks and feels on the skin.
 
http://www.boots.com/en/Max-Factor-Face-Finity-All-Day-Flawless-3-in-1-Foundation_1279334/
 
This foundation is the smoothest foundation I've ever used! It is titled to be 'Primer, Concealer and Foundation in one' which I can absolutely believe, when putting it on it glides onto my skin as if I have a base of primer and covers the darker areas or blemishes on my skin perfectly. I purchased this foundation in the colour 'Beige 55'. This foundation would be perfect as a first foundation for people just getting into make up; the consistency is smooth yet buildable but not cakey or drying. This foundation offers a high SPF of 20 which is unusual with a lot of drug store foundations. This foundation is a great quality product for a fantastic price of £12.99.

http://www.boots.com/en/Rimmel-Wake-Me-Up-Make-Up-Foundation-30ml_1246748/
 
 My favourite out of three has got to be this one: everything about it ticks all my personal boxes! The colour, coverage, staying power, breathability, SPF and even the smell! My colour is 010 Porcelain and I honestly cannot get enough of it! This foundation brightens my skin, covers all my dark circles and imperfections but isn't heavy or cakey. I feel like this is the only foundation of the three I can feel going onto my face but after a light powdering you can't feel it on your skin. I would recommend this foundation to anyone and at only £8.99 its a bargain!

 
Until next time, Toni. xo

Saturday 12 September 2015

Another Bourjois Lipstick Love Affair



 
If you have seen my recent post [here] about my Bourjois discovery and new favourite lipstick, you will notice I have found yet another loveable lipstick from the Bourjois 'Rouge Edition' range in a much more toned down, yet equally as beautiful colour! This new shade is the colour '02 / Beige Trench'. I purchased this as I felt the softer nude tones with hints of peach throughout would be very flattering against my skin tone to live out the final few weeks of summer and possibly for an understated make up look when I go back to college.  

 

'18' Alongside '02'
 
The lipstick has a slightly smoother and silky finish meaning I find application a lot easier and quicker than the previous shade '18'. This lipstick works very well with Mac's 'Whirl' lipliner as a base but also a simple, slighlty darker nude outline. Staying power isn't perfect on this lipstick due to the softer finish however, I find it quite a hydrating lip stick making it perfect for all seasons!
The colour is buildable making it wearable for near enough anyone being able to adapt to all looks.
 
I've found myself wearing this lipstick with a slight pink/gold eye shadow and soft blush on the apples of my cheeks. I am planning to try it with a dark smokey eye and defined bronzer contour very soon as I am interested to see how adaptable this colour really is!


Until next time, Toni. xo
 


Saturday 5 September 2015

Glossybox: 3 Month Subscription Review



http://www.glossybox.co.uk/

Glossybox is an online beauty subscription box that has been going for many years - I discovered the subscription service through instagram when a sponsored avertisement popped up on my feed - I was instantly intruiged as I had never thought to sign up to a service like this one. I realised this was a great way for me to try new and different products I may otherwise never have the opportunity to.

After looking on the Glossybox website [here] I opted for the 3 month plan where you pay a set amount and get boxes for 3 months - if you like the service after 3 months the service continues in the same way with payments being taken quarterly (you can opt out at any time). There are other payment plans including monthly, half yearly and annually.
The less often you pay the cheaper it becomes!

Monthly = £10
3 Month = £9.50
6 Month = £9
12 Month = £8.50
 
 
My first subscription box was for June and arrived very quickly! I will be totally honest in saying I was slightly disspointed with this box as none of the products were make up and I'm not a lover of nail varnish. However, the actual contents of the box were good quality and worth a lot more than what I paid for my month's subscription.
 
Each month Glossybox selects a number of products from different companies across the world, ranging in price and what you get in your particular box is the luck of the draw. I know in June there was also an Essence Lipgloss I would have liked to try but my box just so happened to contain the nail varnish.
 
Out of this box I have only so far used the wipes and the body mist. I've found the wipes very gentle on the skin and the fact they're non fragranced means that sensitive skin isn't irritated! The pack is also a very handy size making it perfect for festivals along with the gold and black body tattoos. The body mist's handy bottle size is great for the bottom of your bag when you're skin is having a bad day and needs a pick me up. I've found the oil based product is a great, deeply moisturing spray that leaves your skin non-sticky and feeling refreshed. As the product is very oil based I would reccomend it only for people with dry/normal skin textures as oily skin would see no benefit.
 
 
July saw a collector's edition, French inspired Glossybox that focused on skin care! This box was very exciting to open as the packaging was completely different and I didn't know what to expect. I love the care that goes into the boxes as the products are layered with shreded tissue paper and wrapped with a sheet of tissue paper. This paper is usually black and baby pink topped off with a black ribbon bow and Glossybox logo sticker.
The July box cleverly used French flag colours throughout the box including the tissue paper, ribbon and Glossybox sticker. It is small touches like this that made me love the Glossybox packaging as I imagined each box personally put together by hand and sent off to each subscriber - giving the worldwide service a very personal touch.
 
 
When it comes to the products I was very happy with the contents as each product was amazing quality and great size. The difference with this box was that one of the products was actually a make up bag/travel pouch which I've been loving for transporting my brushes away from home! My favourite product from the box was: The Lollipop's Lip Balm. This box also had several products that you may or may not get due to luck of the draw but after looking over the other possible products on the site I was over the moon with the product selection I was sent.
 
The Lipbalm glides onto the lips effortlessly and leaves a perfect shine on the surface with long staying power and a perfect hydration impact. This is actually a product I've nearly finished and will be looking to find and repurchase as soon as I have emptied the tube. I would reccomend this product to literally anyone, I've luckily never suffered badly with dry lips but find this product locks in the natural hydration my lips have. If you have dry lips this will provide the perfect sollution to stop your lips feeling chapped or sore. Even over the top of your favourite lipstick, on a no make up day or just to give your lips a little added extra with soft makeup, this works perfectly.
 
 
August's box was back to normal packaging but the product content blew every other box I had recieved out the water! This box had set products with every subscriber recieving the same contents, I can honestly say I love every single product and they are all being used regularly within my make up and skin care collections. I struggle to pick a favoruite product from the August box as each of them have become go-to products in the recent month! However the product I have been using religiously every day is the Naobay Toner, not only have I used this to remove any make up that may be left after cleansing but also on non make up days to give my face a refreshing and hydrating boost. The bottle size is very generous and will last a while, however I know I will buying more before I run down this bottle to ensure I don't go a day without it. This product is good for all skin types and is very delicate on the skin not to irritate any sensitive areas.
 
 
I will now change my subscription to annual payments to save money and revieve boxes until my heart desires! I would reccomend this service or any similar ones to anyone wanting to try new products regularly and for an extreamly reasonable price as this service brings high end and sometimes holy grail products straight to your door offering a personal, fast and top quality service!
 
 
Until next time, Toni. xo