The Ordinary Skincare Range - Review

A few weeks ago I decided to give some new skincare products a go. I'd heard lots of people rave about The Ordinary's skincare range and as they're all such reasonable prices (from £3.90 up to £12.70) I thought I may as well give it a try!

I was always naturally blessed with fairly good skin. I get the occasional spot and in the autumn/winter months I get some dry patches when the weather is changing. More recently though, my skin has been declining rapidly. I'm not sure if it's the sleepless nights from 4 kids, or quite possibly my poor diet at the moment... Or more likely I'm now into my 30's and my skin is aging along with me! Either way, I've been desperately trying anything I can to try and not necessarily reverse, but slow down, the aging process slightly. I've spent ridiculous amounts in the past on various skincare products in the hope of going back to how my skin was in my 20's... Probably my priciest purchase was the Sunday Riley Juno oil, which at £70 a bottle gave me high hopes. Unfortunately, despite it leaving my skin lovely and soft, and the bottle looking pretty, it didn't seem to do much else for my skin.



So, after hearing so much about The Ordinary from various bloggers, facebook groups etc, I headed over to Victoria Health to see what was so amazing about it! There I found a very in depth regimen guide, which was really helpful in deciding which products would be best for my skin and what I hoped to achieve. For general signs of aging, they recommend the Buffet serum, Hyaluronic Acid (with B5) and Advanced Retinoid. The Rosehip Oil was also recommended but I'm yet to purchase this one.

In total, the three products I purchased cost me £26.60. A fraction of the cost of a lot of good serums these days!

I've now been using these on a daily basis for around 3 weeks and I can honestly say that my skin has never looked better! It's smooth (I have a tendency to get bumps around my chin at this time of year), my forehead lines have quite visibly decreased, my skin is much less dry than usual at this time of the year, and despite having a small cluster of spots on my chin before I first started using these, within a couple of days they had disappeared completely!

From what I have read, the main product that is helping with the signs of aging is the Retinoid, which I have been applying every evening. The Hyaluronic Acid also helps to hydrate the skin, which again will help with decreasing any age lines etc.

The Buffet serum applies like a dream, and unlike lots of serums, it isn't in the slightest bit greasy, and you can then apply your normal moisturiser on top with no issues and the same goes for applying makeup after using these products. I've not noticed it affecting my makeup application or staying power at all.

None of the products contain any nasties such as Parabens, Sulphates, Formaldehyde etc... They also do not test on animals and refuse to sell in countries that do insist on animal testing which is a big bonus.

I can't find a single bad thing to see about these amazing products! If you're on the look out for a new skincare routine, this is well worth having a look into. I promise, you will be just as amazed as I am! I'm itching to get my hands on some more of their products to try, so keep your eyes peeled for more reviews coming very soon!

Much Love

Frances

Top Beauty Advent Calendar Picks for 2016!

So, anyone who knows me, knows how much I love Christmas. I know, I know, it's only now coming up to October... But I also like to be organised for Christmas too! So, I've been doing a bit of research into some of the beauty advent calendars that are available this year. And there are a LOT!

I've not listed every single on that will be available, but have picked what I think are the best of the bunch! I've tried to find dates and prices for all of them but some of them may not be 100% correct as dates can easily change.

If you have suggestions for any I haven't mentioned, please add it in the comments!

Enjoy!


Charlotte Tilbury
Available from Selfridges and Charlotte Tilbury in October
£150


Clarins
Available from Clarins in October
£95


The Body Shop 24 Happy Days Advent Calender
Available from The Body Shop in November
£60



NYX
Available from Boots at the start of November
Approx £80



Diptyque
Available from Selfridges mid November
£250



Kiehls
Available from Selfridges in October
£95

Look Fantastic
Available from Look Fantastic 1st November
£70

Ciate
Available from Ciate NOW
£49




Jo Malone
Available from Harrods October
£260



Benefit
Available from Benefit 14th October
£34.50



Tanya Burr
Available from Superdrug NOW
£15 (REDUCED FROM £25)


Sainsburys Dirty Works
Available from Sainsburys 2nd November
£10


M&S
Available from M&S 10th November
£35 when you spend £35 or more!


L'Occitane
Available from L'Occitane first week in October
£42



Molton Brown
Available from Molton Brown NOW
£150

Hope you find something you love! I've already got my eye on a few myself!
Much Love

Frances x





Urban Decay New Launches Autumn 2016

Hello!

It's been WAY too long since I posted... In fact, I think it's well over 2 months now! Things have been a little manic here with the summer holidays etc, so apologise for being so slack. I promise I'll be posting a lot more regularly again now that the kids are all back at school!

Anyway, this blog post is going to be about some of the new launches from Urban Decay. I know I've included a couple of things that aren't new, but these are new to me and things I would highly recommend, so I thought I'd include them too!


Urban Decay have launched a couple of new palettes recently. The XX Vice Reloaded palette, which was launched to celebrate UD's 20th anniversary. It contains some of the most popular shades in their collection, as well as a few throwbacks such as Gash, Acid Rain and UV-B. There are 20 shades in this gorgeous palette and a good mix of colours and finishes too so something for everyone! Midnight Cowboy and Twice Baked are two of my favourite shimmer and glitter shades in this palette. I can see myself using those a lot over Autumn and into Winter!


The actual case of the palette is brilliant too! It has a really high quality feel to it and the lid is spring loaded, which is something I haven't seen on a palette in a while. It also includes a double ended brush, making this perfect to take with you if you're travelling etc.




Here are the descriptions of each shade, taken from the UD website -


Suspend (greige-brown matte), Oil Slick (black matte w/silver micro-glitter), Roadstripe (iridescent white w/blue-violet shift), Gash (metallic brick red), Midnight Cowboy (pink champagne shimmer w/ silver glitter), 501 (deep metallic blue w/copper micro-glitter), Shallow (pale taupe-silver satin), Laced (pinky-taupe matte), Hot Pants (pearly medium pink), Mildew (deep metallic green shimmer), Smog (deep coppery bronze shimmer), Misdemeanor (deep olive green matte w/green micro-shimmer), Freakshow (bright purple satin), Asphyxia (hyacinth shimmer w/blue shift), Acid Rain (pale yellow-green shimmer w/green shift), Moonflower (metallic rose-gold w/gold micro-shimmer), UV-B (bright blue w/violet shift), Goldmine (bright metallic gold), Twice Baked (rich brown satin w/gold micro-glitter) and Anonymous (pale peachy cream matte).







If you're after a new palette, this is definitely one to have a look into!


The next palette that they've recently launched is the Moondust palette. This is such a gorgeous palette! All 8 shades are super pigmented and SUPER glittery! They're amazing shadows to use to add a pop of sparkle to the center of your lid, or even if you want to go full on, all out glitter! Although these are designed for minimal fallout, you do still get some which is expected with this. UD themselves recommend applying using your fingers. This will increase the amount of pigment applied and will also create less fallout. The shadows aren't scratchy or chalky. They've quite smooth and fairly easy to blend which is pretty hard to come by with such glittery shadows! I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this, especially over the festive period! I wouldn't say it's an everyday palette (although I know plenty of people who wear glitter on a daily basis!) but it's definitely very versatile. You can wet each shadow for a more intense colour, or use dry and with a brush for a nice, light coverage.




Here are the descriptions from the UD website - 


Specter (soft pink w/tonal sparkle), Element (peach w/pink shift and sparkle), Magnetic (purple w/blue sparkle), Lightyear (vibrant green w/tonal sparkle), Granite (black w/multicolored sparkle), Lithium (brown w/iridescent 3-D sparkle), Vega (bright blue w/tonal sparkle), and Galaxy (smoky blue-gray w/iridescent 3-D sparkle).








Probably the most talked about new launch is the All Nighter Liquid Foundation. If you're after a full coverage foundation that's going to last, this is the one for you! I personally only have good things to say about this foundation. It has amazing coverage and it really does last all night! I've seen mixed reviews from people with quite oily skin saying that it can gather around the sides of the nose etc. I haven't had this issue myself and I do have combination/oily skin. I do use a good mattifying primer underneath though and set with powder too, so I think this probably helps. When I first applied this, I panicked that it was far too light for me! Within a couple of minutes though it hadf oxidised and gone darker and was the perfect shade. It applies evenly and smoothly (I've used both a beauty blender and a brush to apply and both work well) and it has a matte finish to it. It also doesn't feel too heavy which is a bonus. I went for shade 3.25 and I wear MAC NW15 usually.





The last products from the newest launches are the Razor Sharp Eyeliners. These are waterproof eyeliners and come in a great selection of colours with a choice of matte or glitter shades. The ones I bought were Kush, Retrograde and Zodiac. Kush is a gorgeous shimmery bright green colour, Retrograde is a sparkly dark purple and Zodiac is dark sparkly green. I've used these a few times, and they really are waterproof! In fact, they don't come off really easily when you remove your makeup either! I use an oilbased remover (Garnier Oil Infused Micellar Water) and even that takes a bit of rubbing to shift these! Kush is definitely my favourite of the three and I have a fairly big list of other shades I want to buy too!






The last couple of products aren't new launches, but I've only recently purchased them and feel like they need a mention! My go to product at the moment is the Naked Concealer. This really is my holy grail concealer! I've tried so many different ones and this is one I will definitely be sticking with! Perfect for the undereye area. It's creamy and thick enough that it cover those dark circles perfectly. It doesn't sit in the lines under or around your eyes, and is really easy to build coverage too without looking cakey.

Another product I've purchased recently is the Naked Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder. I've been looking for a good finishing powder for a while and this ticks all the boxes! It's beautifully lighweight and silky and blurs all your imperfections. It isn't cakey or chalky at all and it's not completely matte so gives your skin a gorgeous photo perfect finish.


I also decided to treat myself to one of the Vice Lipsticks. The shade is Backtalk and its a lovely matte mauve pink shade. Perfect for this time of year!






The last thing I purchased was the All Nighter Setting Spray. I decided to try the travel size version as I have a few setting sprays already and wanted to give this one a go first. So far I've got no complaints and it seems to do what it says it does! Just spritz it over your face when your makeup is all done and off you go!

I hope these reviews have been of help to people! If there's one thing you choose from the newest launches, I would definitely recommend the Vice Palette out of everything. There's just so much choice in there, you can't go wrong!

Fingers crossed, I'll be back again in a few days with another blog post for you all! Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' to keep up to date on all my posts!

Much Love

Frances x

Lime Crime Velvetines

I've been meaning to do a post about these for a while now but only got round to taking pictures today!

I've been gathering a collection of Lime Crime Velvetines for several months now. I absolutely love these. They're basically a liquid lipstick. They go on like a lipgloss and dry matte. There are lots of different colours to choose from, but these are the ones I currently have. Faded is definitely my favourite!

I've taken a few pics of them on my lips (sorry the first one came out a bit blurry but it was the best one of a bunch of bad ones!) and also did swatches of each colour I own.



First  is Cashmere which is a greyish beige colour. Unless I have a bit of colour to my skin this can make my complexion look a bit pasty!

                             

The next colour is Polly which is a pink mauve colour. It tends to show up much more pink on me than I've seen on others for some reason!


Teddybear is a lilac brown. Again, this shows up quite dark on me for some reason! I do really love it though. This is quite a new release and has been REALLY popular.


Cupid! I wanted this for ages. I got it, tried it, wasn't too sure about it, but think I'm falling in love with it all over again! A gorgeous petal pink colour.


Finally, my favourite, Faded. This was one of the first Velvetines I purchased and is still a firm favourite for me as it goes with most looks and most skin tones!


Lime Crime Velvetines have AMAZING staying power! Kiss proof, and food and drink proof! I've actually come home from a night out and forgotten to take my makeup off (oooops!) and my lips were still pretty much perfect when I woke up the next morning!


If you're in the market for a new liquid lipstick, these are definitely worth checking out.


You can order direct from the Lime Crime website, but shipping is a bit more than within the UK obviously, or I've ordered most of mine here - https://www.love-makeup.co.uk/lime-crime-m-13.html

Thanks for reading and don't forget to check back as I try to post a couple of times a week!

Much love

Frances <3

Grav3yardgirl X Tarte - Swamp Queen Palette Review

A lot of you who are into beauty will have probably heard of Grav3yardgirl on Youtube! Her real name is Bunny and she's such a quirky, fun youtuber to watch. She does some awesome videos on makeup tutorials, product reviews etc. She has a pretty huge following too! If you haven't checked her out already, please do! - Grav3yardgirl's Youtube

So, quite a few Youtubers are coming out with collaborations at the moment. If you haven't already seen it, please check out my review of the Jaclyn Hill X Becca Champagne Face Palette!


Well, Bunny just so happens to be one of those Youtubers! She's teamed up with the amazing Tarte Cosmetics to create a gorgeous palette appropriately called the "Swamp Queen Eye & Cheek Palette".

I know when it was first launched, it sold out REALLY fast. I managed to get mine on Sephora when it was released again last week but I think they do still have some in stock HERE.

I've had mine a few days now, and used it quite a bit already! There is such a variation in colours here that you can create so many beautiful looks. There's a mix of matte, shimmer and even glitter too! So you can easily take your look from day time, to night time. In fact there's even a little insert with the palette giving to easy looks for day or night!


Not only are there 9 beautiful eye shades, you also get a blush, a bronzer and a highlighter. If you're familiar with Grav3yardgirl, you'll know of her love of "Gator Wings" and the highlighter with that name is stunning. If you want a low key shimmer on your cheeks, it's probably not the one to go for. But if you want a lovely full on sheen then this is the highlighter for you! The colour payout is just amazing on this! The blush is called "Does This Thing Really Work?" and is a pretty pink hue with some golden shimmer to it. I have the NARS Orgasm blush and I think it's pretty comparable to that colour wise. The bronzer is called "Sweet Tea" which I personally think will suit most skin tones.


Moving on to the eyeshadows... You have #SFS which is a rose gold shimmer, Natural Peaches which is a peachy nude, Dogman which is a burnt sienna colour, Big Baby which is a cream colour ideal for either a base or a brow bone highlight, Sassy Bun which is a shimmery copper peach, Sippy Sippy which is the most stunning, super glittery brown colour, Haunting which is a dark matte lavender, Uncommon which is a purple slate and Mancat which is a luscious deep plum.

You also get an eyeshadow brush in the set. I don't often rate the brushes you get in palettes (other than Urban Decay ones) but this is actually quite a decent brush and really usable!

Overall, I'm absolutely in love with this palette. From the brilliant packaging, to the gorgeous easy to wear eyeshadow shades, and that highlighter is just to die for!

If you're on the look out for a new neutral palette, this could well be the one for you!

Much Love

Frances <3

Jamberry Nails


If you're reading this from the US, there's a good chance you've heard of Jamberry. If you're in the UK (or elsewhere), you may have heard of them, or may not.

Jamberry launched in the UK back in April this year and it's been a huge hit! I myself am a Jamberry consultant (disclaimer, all views are genuine. I wouldn't sell something I don't personally love!) and they really are getting more and more popular in the UK now.

For anyone who doesn't know what Jamberry is... Jamberry was launched in the US in 2010 by three sisters - Lyndsey, Christy and Keri.
Jamberry create beautiful nail wraps that are durable and REALLY easy to apply! There are some absolutely stunning designs, and lots of more subtle designs too if you don't want anything too extreme!


The application process is really simple. All you need is your wraps, tweezers/orange stick etc to hold the wrap with, nail clippers/scissors, a nail file and either a Jamberry heater or a hairdryer.

Each sheet contains enough wraps to do 2 manicures, 2 pedicures and have a few spares to use as accent nails, for example if you want to paint your nails and have one or two nails that stand out more!

They last up to 2 weeks and are really hard wearing. I've done all sorts whilst wearing mine and they always still look perfect at the end of the day!


They even do Junior wraps for kiddies! My youngest absolutely LOVES having her nails done. The best thing is that no matter how much they fidget about or have to stop for a drink, a snack, the loo etc, they won't get messed up. Unlike nail polish which I've found is almost impossible to do in my little girl at the moment!


Jamberry wraps also don't contain any nasties. They're easy to remove when you want to and they will not damage your nails so long as you remove them correctly. So many people have told me how much their nails have grown whilst wearing their Jams and they're brilliant for stopping people from nibbling at their nails too!



As I mentioned earlier, I'm a consultant and this isn't something I would do unless I absolutely loved the product I'm selling.

I would highly recommend giving them a go!

If you're based in the UK and would like to try a sample, head over to my FACEBOOK GROUP and message me and I can get one out to you to try!



Don't forget I try and post at least a couple of times awake, so either subscribe (just at the top on the right hand side!) or keep checking back for more posts!

Much love

Frances <3

A Weeks Worth of Hauls!

Well, the title says it all really! I've gone a little bit crazy this week and spoilt myself more than once...
I've had a couple of orders from ASOS, which is my FAVOURITE online store at the moment! If you love the ASOS stuff, then definitely think about signing up for Premium delivery. It's £9.95 per YEAR and you get next day delivery for that entire year! Great for people like me who love to get their stuff ASAP. And the cut off for ordering for next day delivery during the week is midnight, which is equally as awesome!

So yea, a couple of ASOS orders in here, a Space NK order, Tarte, Benefit and a very special Sephora order (and can I just say how amazingly quick the Sephora delivery was!)



Anyway, getting on to these gorgeous deliveries...

I ordered a few bits from the new Benefit Brows launch. I think it officially launched on their website today, but they had a quick 24 hour advance sale the other day so I nabbed a couple of bits then! The only Benefit brow products I've tried before is Browzings, which was good, but the shade options were very small so probably not the best shade match for me. I do know however that they have now repackaged this to tie in with all the other brow bits, and now also have 6 shades to choose from! So pretty much something for everyone really! 
I ordered Gimme Brow, Ka-BROW and 3D BROWtones. 

Gimme Brow - A volumnising fibre gel. It contains microfibres that attach to your eyebrow hairs making your brows look fuller and more defined. I really love this. It's quite a natural looking way to give your brows a boost and you can easily control how much or how little you apply depending on the look your prefer.
Ka-BROW - An eyebrow cream-gel colour. Again, this is fairly buildable but I personally didn't find this quite as natural looking as the Gimme Brow. It comes with a cute little brush that is part of the lid and you just take it out, flip it over and you have a handy little applicator! This comes in 6 different shades, so plenty of choice.
3D BROWtones - This is something I've never seen, let alone tried before! It's highlights for your brows! You apply this last on top of you other brow products to add natural looking highlights and give your brows a bit more depth. I love this product! Really helps to finish you brows off nicely.

So that's all for the Benefit delivery. All 3 products are brilliant and definitely worth a try if you're looking for something new.




Next up is my Space NK delivery. I've never ordered from Space NK before, and unfortunately there are no stores near me (other than London, which is a bit of a trek!) and I'd seen a few bits mentioned my other bloggers that I really wanted to try...

Hourglass Ambient Lighting in Luminous Light - I've been itching to try this! So many bloggers/youtubers have recommended this and I do love a good shimmery powder! It can either be used just as a highlighter, or can be used all over as a face powder to give your skin a gorgeous, subtle glow. There's a few different shades in this but this was the one I'd heard the most about. I may well be tempted to try a couple of the others too soon!

Kiehls Tumeric and Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Mask - I'm yet to try this but again have heard very good things about it! 

Diptyque Baies Candle - Gorgeous scents of roses and blackcurrant leaves. Diptyque candles look gorgeous and smell amazing. This one now has pride of place in my bedroom!



Tarte Tease Palette - Such a cute little palette with some really beautiful colours. I've never tried Tarte before, but this has me sold! I'll definitely be investing in one of the larger amazonian clay palette!
The shades are Whisper (light pink), Crush (taupe shimmer), Heartbreaker (brown), Wink (light mauve), First Kiss (mauve shimmer and BFF (plum).



Becca X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette - I've been SO excited about getting this! This limited edition face palette is a collab between Becca and youtuber Jaclyn Hill. It contains 2 beautiful highlighters, Champagne Pop and Prosecco Pop. Champagne Pop has been previously released on its own but Prosecco Pop is brand new! Champagne Pop has pinkish, peach undertones whereas Prosecco Pop is more of a gold coloured highlighter. The 3 blushes are Amaretto (matte toasted almond), Pamplemousse (matte warm coral pink) and Rose Spritz (soft peachy pink with pale gold shimmer)

And finally, I had TWO ASOS hauls! Some bits I haven't taken photos of, but will still add links below.









NARS Limited Edition Deluxe Orgasm Blush - The same as the original but bigger!

Stila Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Palette in Fair - Two gorgeous blushes and 5 eyeshadows in neutral tones with a combination of matte, shimmer and pearl finishes. These sets come in 4 different tones to compliment every skin tone!

So, that's everything! Sorry this is such a long winded post! I really have been on a bit of a shopping mission this week...!



Keep checking back for more posts soon!


Much love

Frances <3