Recent Makeup Buys

As I am currently saving for my trip to Germany (Less than two months way! I'm so excited) I have restricted my spending a lot however I have managed to sneak a few necessities in over the past month or so. 

From Lush I have picked up the Tea Tree Water toner (full review here) and I am in love! I also got my hands on Grease Lightning and, whilst I thankfully have not needed to use it too often, am very impressed.

From Rimmel I picked up the Scandal'Eyes Waterproof Mascara in black. I usually opt for a waterproof mascara as I cry more than is socially acceptable and this one seems to manage to not make me look like a panda which is always a plus! I also grabbed the Scandal'Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in nude because every blogger that I follow seems to own this and, despite what I would like to think, I am not immune to their enabling. Whilst I do like this for my waterline I don't think it is particularly long lasting, at least on me, and I do need to reapply throughout the day. I also feel that the colour is a little too shiny and metallic for a nude but aside from that I am really enjoying using it. Lastly from Rimmel I picked up the 60 Seconds Colour Rush Nail Enamel in the shade Breakfast In Bed (Is that not the cutest name?) I absolutely adore this nail polish! Everything from the fast drying formula to the gorgeous  colour has my completely head over heels!

After giving up on my Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream I decided to try the Revlon Colorstay Makeup for Normal to Dry Skin in the shade Buff. My opinion on this one is a little all over the place at the moment (some days I love it, some days I can't wait to get it off my face) so I plan on making a full review with all of the pros and cons.

I also picked up an eyelash curler (from the home brand at the supermarket because I am a truly classy girl), a Covergirl Eye Enhancers 4-Kit Eye Shadow in Pure Romance which is nice enough but nothing to write home about, a Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm which I love - great moisture without the sticky residue? Yes please! - and the Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer. Whilst this gets the job done, Bourjois is a slightly more expensive drugstore brand (I'm saving remember!) and I think that, for the $21 that I paid, it would be nice to get a little more product. Aside from the size I really like this primer and can definitely see the difference when I use it as opposed to when I don't.

xx Gemma

Lush Tea Tree Water

Recently I picked up Grease Lightning from Lush to try to rid myself of a rather large spot that had appeared on my chin. I am lucky enough to get very few blemishes on my face, as a general rule, however my chest is a whole other story. 

After about two days of applying this morning and night my spot was completely gone and I decided that I should try using it on my chest. I quickly realised that this wasn't going to work too well as Grease Lightning comes out in 'blobs' of gel formula that works really well on individual blemishes however is a little tricky to apply all over, as is necessary on my chest.

In comes the Lush Tea Tree Water, a toner containing only tea tree water (as the name would suggest), grapefruit water and Juniperberry water. This comes in two sizes and I picked up the smaller, 100g bottle for just $10. Boy, am I glad I did. This little bottle has helped so much to clear my skin. I wouldn't say I am completely blemish free but after three weeks of use, twice a day, my blemishes have reduced to well over a quarter of what they were before. 

I am absolutely besotted with this toner and would recommend it to anyone. It works quickly and effectively, does what it says on the tin and is vegan! What more can you ask for, really?

xx Gemma

Clinique Clarifying Lotion

Clinique Clarifying Lotion

I realise that my previous post about the Clinique CC cream was a fairly negative one so I thought I should combat that with a much more positive clinique review.

When I bought my clinique CC cream I saw the 3 Step Skincare range (i think that's what its called but I'm not 100% sure on the actual wording) and, as I didn't have any kind of skincare routine at the time, I thought I should give it a go. Although I own all three of the 'steps' today I am just reviewing the Clarifying Lotion as it is my favourite out of the three.

As I have mentioned before my skin is quite dry and dehydrated and when I put this toner on I can feel my skin getting softer. My skin absolutely loves this stuff and just drinks it up. I apply it morning and night and can definitely see an improvement in my skin (although I'm sure that using the moisturiser also aids this). 

I have nearly used up all of this bottle (although it has lasted me an impressive six months of use twice a day) and already have it placed on my list of things to buy. I am in love.

Have you tried Clinique's clarifying lotion? What did you think?

xx Gemma

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream SPF 30 Hydrating Colour Corrector in Very Light

I have nearly used up all of this CC cream and so I thought today would be an excellent time to do a little review as the sun is out and I have a day off (two very exciting things that don't often coincide in my world).

When my last foundation ran out I decided to treat myself to a more high end foundation and somehow ended up with a CC cream. As my skin is fairly good, aside from being ridiculously dry and a little red, I thought this would be perfect for me. Sadly I was not overly impressed with it.

I found that it clung to the dry patches on my face less than an hour after application. My cheeks and around my nose looked especially dry when I wore this and I my skin didn't feel noticeably more hydrated whilst wearing it or after taking it off. 

I also found it difficult to apply evenly, although this is my first cream foundation and I may find that I have this issue with all cream foundations not just this one. I tried to apply it with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and also with my fingers but unfortunately I didn't feel like it was working for me either way.

If this CC cream had been a drugstore purchase I may have been a little more forgiving but at $45 it has been a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't terrible but nothing stands out as incredible with this product and, as a student with a very limited budget, it feels like a bit of a waste of money. I wouldn't repurchase this at this price and, even at a lower price, I would probably reach for a different foundation before going for this one again.

Have you had similar results with this CC cream? Do you have tips on how I could have made it work better for me?

xx Gemma

Review: The Body Shop - Japanese Cherry Blossom

I was shopping for birthday presents for some of my friends when I stumbled across the Japanese Cherry Blossom range completely by accident. I hadn't realised but the Body Shop had a deal of buy two body mists and receive a hand cream free. So on arriving at the counter I was pleasantly surprised to be asked to pick which one I would like. As I was in a bit of a rush I quickly grabbed the Japanese Cherry Blossom hand cream and thought no more of it. That is until I returned home and opened it up to discover that it was the nicest smelling thing that my nose had ever come across. Sadly The Body Shop doesn't actually sell the hand cream as a stand alone product as far as I know (but if I'm wrong please let me know as I absolutely love the stuff) however this did lead to me buying two of the other Japanese Cherry Blossom products which will feature below.

Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Mist - $25.95

Escape to Japan with cherry blossom. A light spritz infused with Japanese Cherry Blossom. This romantic, captivating blend of floral and hinoki wood accords was inspired by a spring day in Kyoto. 

After chatting to my friend, who is very into perfumes and such, I was a little hesitant to buy the body mist as she said that it didn't smell all that strong however I am ever so glad that I did buy it. The scent isn't overwhelmingly strong but you can definately smell it and it has a lovely fresh fruity/florally scent. I could smell this on me until about lunchtime when I ate an orange that overpowered the smell however that is about six hours worth of lovely smelling freshness which I think is pretty good. I am ever so pleased with this purchase because of the amazingness of the scent. It is probably my favourite one that I have found at The Body Shop which is saying a lot because I absolutely adore The Body Shop! I would definately recommend trying this!

 Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Wash 250 ml - $20.95

I was actually super excited about this one as I thought 'Oh yay This will be long lasting, smell fabtastic and complement my Body Mist really nicely' however I was rather disapointed apon trying it. The smell was actually pretty different to the one I had quickly fallen in love with in the hand cream. It was deffinately less strongly scented and did not smell anywhere near as nice and florally as the hand cream and the body mist. Sadly I was disapointed with this and it has put me off buying Body Shop body wash's again which is a shame.

So those are my thoughts n the Japanese Cherry Blossom range (or some of it because I am most definately not rich enough to buy the whole range). I did buy some other things whilst at the body shop and will hopefully review those ones in a later post! 

What scents do you like from the body shop?

xx Gem 

p.s. As I do not have a camara that actually takes nice photos I have used the photo's from the Body Shop website

Review: The Body Shop - Vitamin E Cool BB Cream

Vitamin E Cool BB Cream - $21.95

The Vitamin E Cool BB Cream illuminates, evens skin tone and moisturises for 12 hours. The air-whisked lightweight texture will effortlessly smooth onto the skin for a fresh and natural look. 

I was reading up on different makeups last week, when I was sick and avoiding work that really did need to be done, when I came across a review on BB cream. I had, of course, heard of BB cream before as there are always adds on TV with some actress telling me just how much she loves her BB Cream however I am not someone who likes to wear foundation. I see many beauty bloggers who are evidently wearing foundation and look absolutely gorgeous however I also see many a girl at shopping centres who have so much foundation caked onto their face that their head has grown a good couple of inches and this is not a look that I would wear as I do actually have fairly good skin.  Also considering how young I am wearing heavy foundation wouldn't quite suit my style of dress etc. So when I read a review of BB Cream (which I think was by Zoella but I can't quite remember and I can't find the post so I'm not 100% sure) and she said that she wasn't too fond of the BB cream as it didn't give her enough cover and that the look was a little too 'natural' for her I thought well that sounds absolutely perfect for me! So I bought this when I went to The Body Shop on Monday and I have to say I am loving it so far! It doesn't have a 'caked on' effect that foundation can get yet still makes my face a lot less blotchy and I look a lot brighter. It lasts for the whole day as well so I don't have to try to top it up every two minutes and I hardly notice that there is anything on my face so my skin is still able to breath nicely! My face also feels really nice after taking it off however I am not sure if this is the Cream or my new Facial Cleanser. This is perfect for beginners with makeup and anyone going for a more 'natural' look. And I would recommend it very highly!

What foundation do you use? Have you tried many BB Creams? Let me know in the comments

xx Gem