Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Orange Flower and Chamomile review

I’m just going to put this out there -I’ve never got on with the original C+P despite absolutely everyone telling me that they wouldn’t be without it and that they would throw themselves from a precipice should it ever be discontinued bleh bleh bleh.

I put far more effort than was needed into trying to figure out just why my skin hated it so much; it would go bright red and sting after even the most gentle cleanse. In the end I gave it to a friend and accepted that my skin will never get along with eucalyptus.

Orange Flower and Chamomile

Then I had a chat with a lovely lady at Boots in Westfield a while back, who assured me that this (typically limited edition with orange flower and chamomile) would be a better match for my skin as it had absolutely no eucalyptus in it (I’ve had a good look at the ingredients list -everything else is exactly the same -how odd that just the one ingredient made my skin want to fall off.)

And -who knew!- My skin now LOVED it, and I finally could join the rest of the population in swooning about C+P.

It eventually migrated to the back of the cleansing shelf (yes, I have such a thing), and I only thought about it the other day when I saw the set of 3 C+Ps in John Lewis which made me immediately want to buy the lot.

So I dug out my (nearly depleted) bottle and gave it another go, and it is as good as I remembered.

Creamy goodness

I think the thing that people love so much about the formulation is that it’s fairly grippy -you have to work it into the skin quite firmly so you have time enough to give yourself a really good facial massage while you’re cleansing, and when it comes to wiping off with the muslin (shmuslin -I use a flannel), it doesn’t leave behind a film that you need another cleanse to get rid of. My skin feels calmed, soft and ready for serum when I’ve used it.

Now I just have to resist the lure of the limited edition trio…

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish in all its various forms starts from around £14 for 100ml and is available HERE.

Info: Purchase

Alpha H Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera review

God love you, QVC and your occasional insanely bumper value days where I got a huge bottle of Liquid Gold, 200ml of this cleanser and an eye serum FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF A NORMAL BOTTLE OF LIQUID GOLD. *brain quite literally explodes*

I love Liquid Gold more than I love my cat (sorry, Lester) but I’ve never fancied anything else in the Alpha H range, possibly because the packaging seems so…meh.

Alpha H Balancing cleanser

I know exactly how fickle and ridiculous that makes me sound but I mean: look at it -it looks like a supermarket own brand that you’d walk straight past.

Well, more fool me, because this stuff is amazing. I don’t know how I shoved it to the back of the cupboard, because now I’ve used this again it’s going straight back into rotation.

Lovely stuff

It goes on as a lovely light, non greasy cream that has a very faint scent -the nearest I can think of is my much-beloved Superdrug vitamin E hot cloth cleanser (which I’ve just looked for online and have gone into freefall as it’s not listed as stocked anymore….Gah). It’s got plenty of slip and it takes everything off, then comes off easily with a one-two with a hot flannel. The greatest thing about this cleanser though, is how my skin feels afterwards. Comfortable, supple, hydrated, soft…the superlatives keep on coming. Its blurb says that it ‘repairs a stripped and impaired acid mantle’ and I think, given the way this makes my skin feel, that it’s probably true, thanks to the Aloe and Vitamin E.

This one has just gone back to the top of the shop, and I’m going straight back to QVC to pick up 2 bottles of 200ml for £30, which is a saving of £20 (if bought from the Alpha H website).

Sometimes the best things really do come in underwhelming packaging, don’tcha think?

Info: Purchase

A week of cleansers!

Some of my stash

Last week I emptied out all of my bathroom cabinets in order to try and wedge more stuff back in. This of course led me to find a whole trove of products that I haven’t used in a while -specifically cleansers while I’ve been on an Emma Hardie moringa balm binge-

I’ve had to be brutal; some just haven’t made the cut, but I have revisited a few that I wasn’t sure about (or had forgotten about, to be honest) and I’ll be talking about them this week.

Let’s get CLEAN, people!

Stila magnificent metals foil finish eye shadow dupe review

Gah! But have you seen the price tag on this one? I don’t think of Stila as an overly spendy brand (Their smudgesticks last for ever, don’t budge and are currently on offer here) but when I saw this on a stroll through M&S the other week, I had to have a go on it.

Stila Magnificent metals

The colours are something else: golds, platinums, plums, aquas -and of course, Kitten-

For £33.50 (let me say that again -thirty three pounds fifty), you get a little dropper bottle of primer and a pot of foil pigment to dab on top. The principle is that you can apply a wash of sheer glitter or amp it up by layering the foil until you can single handedly rival the lighting rig at Pacha. This kind of look is usually not for me and I leave it to the whippersnappers. It’s a lovely product which for evening wear on unsullied, uncrepey eyelids would look fantastic *sighs heavily*.

I went for the sheer wash of gold, which was still pretty glittery. I blinked at myself a few times in the mirror, went through the dilemma of wiping-it-off versus doing-the-other-eye-to-match, did the other eye and then wandered over to Superdrug…

…where I found THIS

Look familiar?

Now, I don’t want you to think that I’m secretly in the pay of Make Up Revolution, so heavily have they featured here recently, but I am a firm believer of cheap and cheerful make up for the odd times when you want something fun. Foundation, blush, powder -all worth splurging on in my opinion because you mostly wear them every day. Quality, longevity and superb finish all count and my maxim is pay as much as you can afford for the stuff you like.

For glittery eyeshadow that comes out once in a blue moon my purse stays firmly in my bag.

These foils, which come in 5 finishes (so not as many as Stila, but hey), cost FOUR POUNDS. And they come with a primer.

Left: Pure Platinum
Right: Rose Gold

The MUR foils come with a little tray for mixing your colour, should you want to, but this works just as well patted on with a finger.

Left: Rose Gold. Right: Pure Platinum

Separate Primer

You can also buy a separate bottle of primer (£3, above) which I’m currently trialing under other eyeshadows and is working quite well.

The difference, as far as I can see is that the Stila foil has larger particles of actual glitter in it, whereas the MUR version is finer and slightly more sheeny on application.

Below are photos with and without primer:

Swatched without primer: Left: Rose Gold. Right: Pure Platinum

With primer

The light didn’t fall brilliantly on the silver with primer, but I think you can see that the primer makes all the difference in terms of intensity.

So there you have it. The difference of £29.50 for effectively the same product.

Stila is available HERE and MUR HERE

Have you tried either of these? Which do you prefer?

What you need to know: Purchase.

Hourglass ambient lighting powder in Radiant Light review

Radiant Light

I finally got some points back on my Liberty card *expels all thoughts of how much I have spent in order to get said points from head* and since I’d been slavering over this for a while, I finally took the plunge.

The colour I’d actually been after, diffused light, was out of stock, like EVERYWHERE, but the red mist had descended so I let myself be talked into the slightly warmer, golden toned Radiant Light on the basis that I’m going on holiday and you know, bleh bleh bleh extending a summer tan bleh.

The lush compact

I’ve read a few comments from bloggers about the packaging with complaints that their compact was already scratched when bought -and so it was with mine. In the grand scheme of things it shouldn’t really matter but ultimately it’s not a cheap purchase and is going to be knocking around in my make up case for a while so it would be helpful if it didn’t look knackered within twenty minutes of coming out of the box. (NARS please also take note that all your packaging looks like it’s been living in the pocket of a tramp for ten years approximately one week after I start using it.)

Hourglass Radiant Light

There’s a fair amount of product here; it’s a big healthy chunk of powder that has a silky, extremely finely milled finish to it.

I’ve been applying it as a finishing powder -I’m still using MAC Select Sheer NC25 on my T zone after foundation, but then sweeping this along cheekbones, nose and forehead afterwards. If using in the evening or in artificial light I would use very lightly over the whole face.

It’s magic, folks…

It seems ever so slightly pearly in the pan, and it kicks up quite a lot of dust when you swirl your brush around in it, but there’s no glitter, or shimmer or gleam. It’s hard to explain without descending into hyperbole but when this powder is on the face it doesn’t cake, or clag, or settle into lines -it just gives the most amazing, light from within pearlescent glow. It blurs out tiny lines and makes me look really, really healthy. My skin looks airbrushed -almost hyperreal.

The one thing I was worried about was too much gleam on my cheeks -it’s where I have most dry skin and I do tend to avoid highlighting powders and creams due to their tendency to cling here and highlight for exactly the wrong reasons. But this just glides on like satin and almost seems to hover over the skin. It’s amazeballs, it really is.

Swatched

I’ve had to swatch it quite heavily here to show up enough to photograph -I would never use this amount on my face. Radiant Light is definitely a golden toned shade which is working well enough now on my (admittedly lightly fake tanned) face but I think will really come into its own when I’ve been in the sun for a while (Damn you for being right, Liberty Hourglass Lady!)

The amount of people who have commented how well I look when I wear this makes me feel that Hourglass must be on to something. This has definitely elbowed out Guerlain’s Meteorites for the time being as my finishing powder of choice -and man, do I love Meteorites!-

If you’re thinking of buying, I would recommend a chat with an SA instore -there are six shades in the collection and Mood Light for example, which is quite lilac-y, looked frankly terrifying in the pan although I can see would work brilliantly on sallow skintones.

90% of the reviews I have read seem to agree that this is an HG product that works for all skintones and ages. I would say I think it’s great for more mature skins (I’ll be buying my Mum one for her birthday later this month- Hi Jan, if you’re reading!) which can suffer from dullness and lack of radiance. Younger, more flawless complexions might not recognise just how fantastic this product is due to having enough glow naturally.

This one is going on my re-purchase list!

Have you tried Ambient Powder? What shade do you use and how are you getting on with it?

What you need to know: Purchase.

Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle review

I’m all over Becca at the moment -I have minions in the basements of Space NKs up and down the country loading boxes full of Guava Beach Tint onto palettes to be shipped out to Chez Mutton whenever I give the nod. When I saw this little beauty winking at me on the website I felt I had to be fair and give it a go because it looked sooooo beautiful.

It’s a yes from me

I went for a slightly darker tone than I’d been previously using because the colour looked practically edible. It’s a raspberryish tone shot through with gold.

It’s a strange texture -somewhere between a mousse and a gel and a powder. The colour Watermelon is a Beach tint and the Moonstone swirl in it is one of Becca’s shimmering skin perfectors.

Nom

when it’s all swirled together on your fingertips it gives a golden, luminescent sheer wash of colour with a good amount of pigment and a fair amount of highlight. This isn’t something I would go too heavy on during the day as the colour is quite bright (on my skintone).

like a beautiful galaxy…

Over foundation it glides on easily -no dragging or pooling of colour anywhere, just a lovely wash of sheeny healthy colour. It’s very sheer -there are no overly glittery bits and it’s very forgiving on my dry skin.

Swatched -daylight

Beautiful as it looks in the pot -and it is gorgeous – I can see this drying out over time as most moussey textured make up does. Given that you mix the colours together with your fingers, would it have mattered if it was pre-mixed and in a tube? Or possibly the formulation could have worked better as a stick, if in a tube wasn’t possible?

It’s a small gripe, seeing as I probably won’t get to the bottom of the pot anyway before I’m distracted by something equally lovely…

What are y’all using for summer beachy blush at the moment?

Becca Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle (try saying that with a mouth full of biscuits) is £22 and available HERE

Info: Purchase

Make Up Revolution Flawless Matte Eyeshadow Palette

So: back to my Superdrug Haul.

Kind of Naked-y?

Despite my much vaunted love of sheeny eyeshadows such as Ombre Blackstar and Chanel Illusion d’Ombre, there ARE times when I just want a nice quiet matte shade. A Taupe. An Ecru, should you insist. Oh go on then; a Camel. Shades that you can just pop on and go to the shops in without looking like you might spontaneously break into a Vegas shimmy.

As I get older (I hope that I don’t sound like a broken record when I say this, but you know, time ain’t going backwards), I find that formulation is everything. Finishes on eyeshadows need to be luxe, sheeny rather than glittery, long lasting, not settle into creases or slide off on oily lids. I don’t mind paying quite a lot when I find this elusive combination, but I’m also a sucker for the promise of a cheap dupe.

Nice sleek packaging

Look at them apples

Warmer neutrals

Cooler neutrals

32 shades for £8. EIGHT OF YOUR ENGLISH POUNDS, MADAM!

I know, right? It was like being 12 again and wanting one of those massive make up palettes from the Argos catalogue. I’m a fool to myself, honestly I am.

The colour range is impressive -enough pretty browns, golds, taupes, rusts, mushrooms and fawns to please even the most discerning seeker of neutrals. The shades move from warm through neutral to cooler tones, with plenty of lighter shades for highlighting and even a black for tightlining (possibly? we’ll see) and/or smoky shading.

Top to bottom: Smoke, Rust, Oak

There is NO shine with these. None at all. They are absolutely matter than matte and as such, will suck in light like a black hole, meaning that I will probably not be using the darker shades. That’s no reflection on the quality of the shadows, which is pretty darn good, actually. But older skins might want something a little bit more forgiving as these will settle in every crease and cranny.

The colour payoff is good, if a teeny bit weak on the lighter shades, but then I don’t do backflips at Bobbi Brown’s lighter shades either and they cost A LOT more than these. Once I popped a primer underneath, these were good to go, and it actually made them more blendable.

The lighter shades are a little bit talc-y and all the colours drop a little -I would recommend doing your eyes before your base if using the darker shades. But on the whole, this is a pretty impressive palette if you want to try out some colours you might not usually go for. (They also do a palette with the same shades but in shimmery formulation -that was a bit ‘Whoa!’ for me!)

On balance -this won’t be a repurchase because I love my cream formulations too much and I can’t be arsed to blend as much as these would require me to. But it would make a fantastic gift for someone who was just easing into make up as none of the shades are too out there.

Make up Revolution is available at Superdrug or through its own website where I have just spotted the insane 100 eyeshdows for £12 palette -enough to keep any 12 year old happy!

Info: Purchase

James Read Wash Off Tan review

I’ll be honest, wash-off tan lotions fill me with the horrors. The actual heebie jeebies. The very idea of them catapults me back to 1985 and wrestling with horrific orange formulations that left streaky tidemarks everywhere, came off when you sweated (nice) and fooled nobody apart from the blind and the terminally stupid.

I’d been told that they’ve come on in leaps and bounds in the past few years, but still my money has stayed resolutely in my purse whenever I’ve been tempted. All I had to do was think back to summers looking down at my sandalled feet as the straps rubbed tell tale tan lines into my skin -or worse -getting caught in the rain! No thank you.

I’ve used fake tan over the years, of course I have. On the basis that at least it stays on, I’ve played sweary Russian Roulette with my skintone -missing patches round the back of my knees and ankles or just being cavalier and not exfoliating beforehand (and then having to wear maxi dresses for a week because my legs looked like I’d been kneeling in gravy).

So it was with the most bated of breath that I allowed myself to be suckered into the world of Mr James Read: TanMeister extraordinaire. I started on relatively safe ground -with his Sleep Mask tan -so far so good -one of the best facial fake tans I’ve used, in fact. And then I spotted this one in TK Maxx last week:

The bottle of Doom

Now, I’m aware that the brand has had a bit of a different kind of stripey makeover, which is probably why this was rolling around at less than half price, but I was sort of on the lookout for something that would make me look less pasty when I go on holiday in a few weeks, and I saw this and remembered the lovely Sali Hughes mentioning that she thought this one was one of the best in the business.

And by Jove, she’s onto something.

Terrifying

Now, let’s be honest here -it’s a frankly alarming colour when it comes out of the pump action bottle (the new version is in a tube, which I’m already sad about as a) I know I’m going to repurchase this and b) because tubes are just begging to be sat on in a handbag and explode over everything.)

I’m really rather pale. Pinky-pale, thanks to my ever present Rosacea, and a pale that can be ramped up with the right foundation, but milky nonetheless. Thank you, Scottish forebears! Thank you for bestowing a genetic legacy that ensures when I do go on holiday it takes 5 days for me to go from blue to white and then another 5 days turning a raging shade of red before turning white again overnight. It really is maddening.

But this…this juju in a bottle just went straight on, rubbed in, didn’t attach itself to the wizened and dry parts of me, didn’t streak, make tidemarks or any other such nonsense. It just sat there, looking gloriously believable.

A tan! I’ve got a bloody tan!

Received wisdom says to not use this over moisturiser, as it contains moisturising hyaluronic elements. I’ve practically daubed my entire body with it (using a mitt, natch) and I’m very, very impressed.

The only problem I’m encountering is doing my hands -I wash my hands A LOT every day doing my job and I’m ending up with a collar and cuffs look which is not what I imagined. I may have to use permanent tan on the backs of my hands and try and join the two up somehow. Or maybe I’ll just keep it for legs. Or maybe I’ll just stop washing my hands (Eww.)

I’ll figure something out.

James Read wash off tan and other sundry Tantastic items are available HERE and HERE -or rolling about TK Maxx next to some Italian Shampoo you’ve never heard of and an Opi Nail Varnish that at least 17 people have had a go at and they still want £4.99 for. Oy vey.

Info: Purchase

By Terry Ombre Blackstar review

Oh Ombre Blackstar, despite your slightly ludicrous winner of the 4.30 at Aintree name, let me count the ways that I love thee…

I am such a sucker for a cream eyeshadow I can’t tell you. Cream formulations, especially ones that come on sticks, are like a dream come true for a cack-handed fool like me. I started becoming obsessed when I discovered Laura Mercier’s Caviar cream sticks a couple of years ago, except I consistently went for shades that were too dark and ended up looking like a suicidal panda:

Sad Panda is Sad.

But eventually I discovered RoseGold and all was well with the world. Or so I thought. Because there was a BETTER cream-eyeshadow-on-a-stick out there than I could have possibly dreamed of -one so light and creamy, so blendable and with such staying power that it knocked everything else into a cocked hat.

Without wanting to sound too much like a complete fangirl, I’ve yet to come across a By Terry product that I don’t immediately want and covet (-apart from the Baume de Rose -NOTHING will convince me that forty quid is a sane price for a lipbalm).

Squeal!

 Anyway, back to the action. I already own a couple of these babies (Bronze Moon and Brown Perfection -safe colours for my blue-grey eyes), and I completely love their ability to be worn alone, or together on the days I feel up to blending the two colours for a bit more va-va-voom.

They are great for more mature skin like mine, and eyes that are hooded (also like mine) and skin that is beginning to crepe (…). The wash of colour is sheer but has dimension, so that instead of just sitting on the eyelid looking flat they really bring the eye to life. There is just enough shimmer to look glamorous and a bit saucy without looking like you’re rocking total Drag.

Left: Frozen Quartz
Right: Misty Rock

This time I went for Frozen Quartz, which is in my beloved shade of rose-gold, and Misty Rock which is a browny-slightly-amethysty colour. In the swatch below it looks more bronze, but it definitely has a strange tint to it.

Left: Frozen Quartz
Right: Misty Rock

What I adore about these is the satin sheen they give. Because I have slightly hooded eyes I usually go for lighter shades that bring the recesses forward and minimise any tiredness that may be lurking. Glitter on me is far too Sunday Night at the London Palladium, but these hit just the right note that says ‘Made an effort’ rather than ‘Ten quid and not on the face’**

**too much?

Left to right: Frozen Quartz, Misty Rock, Bronze Moon, Brown Perfection

The only thing with these is: you have to be quick. You’ve got about 20 seconds once you’ve scribbled them on your lids to get blended after which the colour Does. Not. Budge. The trick, I’ve found, is to do it a bit at a time (up the the socket in one go, blend and then proceed with another wash that goes beyond the socket. Blend again and then do what you will with it as a liner.) Frozen Quartz is a great inner eye highlighter and subtle enough to use a dab of on the arch of the browbone. Misty rock is currently my default daytime all over colour that makes me look polished but not too ‘done’. Bronze Moon and Brown Perfection work great in tandem for a more evening smokey eye.

I’m ooh-ing over the absolutely gorgeous shade Velvet Orchid at the moment, which is a heavenly plummy purple which would look incredible on hazel or brown eyes. But I must be strong, and look to the Panda, whose little face says ‘Step away from the dark shades, woman; you’ll look like a hag.’

By Terry Ombre Blackstar colour Fix cream eyeshadows cost £28 (which is cheap when you consider that I will never ever need to buy another eyeshadow again**) are available from SPANK and Net a Porter

**hollow laugh

Info: Purchase.

Make Up Revolution The One Blush Stick : NARS Orgasm Dupe

So, last week I basically thundered through Superdrug with my arms wheeling in order to get my hands on the few remaining items from this brand that hadn’t been opened and smeared across the faces of feral schoolchildren during half term. I practically stiff-armed a very nice lady who was eyeballing the last of these into a display of TENA Lady panty liners*

* Not really. I just snarled; ” Back off, Bitch”**

**I totally didn’t. I was very British about the whole thing. (I said “After you!” merrily whilst simultaneously praying she didn’t go for the same thing I wanted.)

So Far so Good

First up, I would just like to say that it looks like they have TOTALLY stolen been influenced by REVLON’s font. Be that as it may: first impressions are of okay packaging, grown up, smart, looks like it knows what it’s doing. The fact that they have called it The One (as opposed to, Oh, I don’t know, I’m blue sky thinking here… the Multiple perhaps?) makes me think that this is a very sassy tongue-in-cheek brand.

The Tubes

I went for Rush and Matte Rush, which under the strip lighting in Superdrug, looked very familiar, especially Rush…

Left: “Rush”
Right: “Matte Rush”

Rush looks like a pretty spot on dupe of NARS Orgasm to me -it has that sheeny rose-gold glimmer that is so recognisable.

From the top. Left: “Rush”, Right: “Matte Rush”

In the spirit of full disclosure here I feel I should say that I’m not a massive fan of the NARS Multiples. I have Maui, and I’m relatively ‘meh’ about it.  I do love me a cream blush, but for my money the Multiples don’t have enough grip or staying power, being rather siliconey. That said- NARS powder blushers are second to none in terms of colour payoff and staying power. I know, right? WEIRD.

Swatched

So, we have Rush on the left and Matte Rush on the right. They swatched nicely on my hand and Rush has a fairly vibrant shimmer in that it’s quite glow-y** but the glitter is very finely milled so it’s not too RuPaul.  Matte Rush is a very strong coral indeed. The nearest colour I can think of that I have used recently is Becca’s Guava Beach Tint, although that is much more subtle.

**technical term.

Blended out

 You can see from the blendout that Matte Rush has much more pigment. A little goes a LONG way with this one, as I found when I wore it on my face. It was a little too overpowering for me -possibly when I have more of a tan it won’t look so alarming, but on darker and olive skintones this colour would really pop. I needed to really work it in with a stippling brush to avoid looking a bit mad.

Rush blended out well, but on my cheeks looked a bit thin -it didn’t look much more than a generic shimmery highlighter on me with none of the nuance that I find Orgasm has. I dug out my (powder) Orgasm for comparative purposes (below):

Left: Rush, Right: Orgasm powder blush

There is a bit of shadow I couldn’t avoid in this picture hanging over the Orgasm swatch, but I think it gives you the idea, even though it’s not like for like as one is a powder and one is a cream.

Rush is a Coral/Gold which would be ideal for cooler or neutral toned skin, and Orgasm has a Pinky/bronzy/gold that works on all skin types (miraculously) but looks superb on warmer skins.

If you’ve been dicking about wondering if the hype over NARS Orgasm is merited, you could do worse than give Rush a go before doling out the sponds on the big boys, as the overall effect once on is pretty similar.

Make Up Revolution The One Blush Sticks are £5 (!!) in 4 colours and 2 formulations and can be found HERE, or in Superdrug, if you sharpen your elbows and are prepared to trample teenagers into the mud to get your hands on it.

What you need to know: Purchase.