Review ..... NSpa Shower Gels

I just can't get enough of NSpa products at the moment and I'm totally in LOVE with their big shower gels.

I have (from the left) Mint, Shea Butter and Coconut Ice Cream shower gels - all of which smell AMAZING!  

As you can tell from the packaging the Coconut one is a little older than the other two (hence why it's also almost empty!).  The NSpa shower gel's are HUGE (500ml) and come in an array of scents but my favourite is the Shea Butter.  They have also just come out with a Vanilla scented one which I'm dying to get my hands on but not until I've used up the Shea Butter one first.

Even though the Shea Butter is my favourite scent I really enjoy the mint if I need waking up a bit before work early on a morning - a great dupe for the Original Source shower gel.

Best of all the shower gels are cheap and readily available - £3 for one or two for £4 from Asda.

Enjoy!

Review: - Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Mascara

I picked up this mascara a few months ago when it was first released in the UK.  I hadn't tried a Maybelline mascara since the One by One was released which I did like and enjoy using but just moved onto other things.  

Anyway, back to the review,  it claims to deliver massive volume that's clump free and while I agree that it gave me volume I don't believe it was any more than a regular bog standard mascara.  As for the clump free statement - not at all!  This mascara was VERY clumpy when applied and made my lashes stick together.  The after photo that is displayed below is after I've combed through the mascara numerous times with a clean mascara wand and I'm just not prepared to go through that every day.

So overall, a miss from me.  Not only was it just okay and a massive clumpy mess but it smudged throughout the day making my under eyes look so much worse than they already are.

Sorry Maybelline - not the best I've tried from you, the One by One was FAR better.

Real Techniques Issue and Service

Recently I noticed that my stippling brush from Real Techniques was peeling away on the  soft grip handle (see image below).  

So being disappointed with the product (as I always look after my brushes) I contacted them and sent them pictures of the defective brush.  They got back to me straight away apologising for the problem and sent me a replacement stippling brush along with a small gift of kabuki brush which is AMAZING!

As you can see from the above pictures the kabuki brush is small and compact, beautifully soft and tapered to give the right angle for contouring but the best thing about it is that the kabuki brush opens up to create the perfect wide contour placement brush making it super easy to contour.

I use this brush by swirling it around in my bronzer in it's normal kabuki form.  Then I open it up and place it in the hollows of my cheeks moving it back and forth to transfer the colour to my cheeks.  I then fold the brush back up again to blend everything out and it gives me the best contour I've ever had.

If you see this brush and your into your contouring  - buy it!

Nivea Lip Butter Review

I've been reaching more and more for these Nivea Lip Butters over the past few weeks and (after a long hunt) finally came across the Vanilla and Macadamia one in Tesco's on sale for only £1.33!   The other two (Caramel Cream and Raspberry Rose) I've had for quite a while now.  The only one out of the collection that I don't have is the original one and I have no intention of buying it because I have three of them now and I have all the yummy smells.

I was going to do swatches but they are so pale in colour that it just didn't show off on camera.  As you can see they are slightly coloured in the pan with the Vanilla and Macadamia one being being white, the Caramel Cream being cream/off white coloured and the Raspberry Rose being pale pink toned.  

On the lips however the Vanilla and Macadamia just comes off as clear, the Caramel Cream tones lips down ever so slightly and the Raspberry Rose one tones lips down again with a cool pink tone.  The Raspberry Rose, because of this, may not be for everyone so have a look in store first but for only around £2 I think they are a true bargain and smell delicious!  Next time your going to buy Vaseline in pots like this, pick up the Nivea Lip Butters instead as they are more moisturising and smell AMAZING!

July Top 5 .....

My July top 5 products this month are: - 

1. Maybelline The Eraser Eye concealer 
2. Nivea Soft moisturising cream
3. Soap & Glory's Love at First Blush blush
4. No.7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream (Normal/Oily)
5. Revlon Photoready £D Volume mascara

The Maybelline concealer is great under the eye and doesn't settle into fine lines as it is formulated for more mature skins so even though I don't have mature skin it doesn't settle into my 20-something fine lines that have started to appear.

Nivea Soft moisturising cream is a great all round non-greasy cream which I use as a night cream at the minute.  I also use this on my hands and the rest of my body and carry around  travel sized pit with me wherever I go for when I have dry skin emergencies.

Soap & Glory's blush is a lovely pinky shimmery (without being sparkly) blush with hints of light bronze.  It's not to dark so is great for my pale skin and gives me slight tan a wonderful glow.

No.7's Beautiful Skin Day Cream for normal to oily skin has been my moisturiser for 2 years now.  Apart from being a good moisturiser that absorbs quickly, keeps my skin hydrated while it keeps my skin fairly oil free (to a degree) it's been a god send this summer as it contains an SPF 15.  Not only that but it is the only moisturiser that has 5* UVA protection which are the UV rays which cause decay of skins collagen and cause early wrinkles and fine lines.  UVB (which is the SPF bit) only protects against tanning.  

This moisturiser has saved my life this summer when I've gone out for the day and forgot sunscreen.  It's not a replacement for sunscreen, don't get me wrong, wear sunscreen, but if I've forgotten then at least I have this on my face.  What's also useful to know is that most sunscreens for your body and even face don't come with 5* UVA protection.  Check the back of your sunscreen bottle now - only 3*/4* - time for a new sunscreen isn't it.

Last but not least is the Revlon Photoready 3D Volume mascara that I'm currently coming to the end of.  The tube is nice and compact without compromising amount of product.  The brush is plastic bristles and fairly long but does a great job of coating lashes in the mascara and creating a clump free look.  The mascara itself is not to dry but not to wet - perfect really.  It gives me a false lash effect effortlessly.  And as for smudging - no way!  It flakes a little but that could be because it is super hot weather at the moment and the tube has been open a while now;  as I said, I'm coming to the end of the tube now.

That's it for this month - keep checking back as lot's more reviews to come.

Cetaphil Disappointment .....

After watching Caroline Hirons video on proper skincare (link here) I decided to check all of my face washes and cleansers for Sodium Lauryl Sulphates (SLS) and was disgusted that Cetaphil contains it.

SLS shouldn't be in your skincare as they dry your skin out and if your oily it'll just make your face produce more oil.  Any foaming face wash (or foaming anything) will contain SLS so steer clear.  Getting back to the reason for this post though I was going through my collection of skincare to check for sneaky SLS and was shocked to discover Cetaphil contains SLS.

I was totally thrown by this as Cetaphil is marketed as a cleanser for extremely sensitive skin or dry skin or skin which is damaged from skin conditions or following dermatological treatments yet it contains SLS which will dry out the skin.  

So besides me being totally disappointed in Cetaphil (who I think need to really rethink their ingredients if they are going to market themselves as a specialist cleanser) my message to you is to really look at what you are putting on your face, look at the ingredients and don't use anything with SLS, mineral oils or alcohol. 

As for parabens I feel they are okay but I do try to use products without them where possible.

To carry on from this post I will be doing posts on my day and night time skincare routines and DIY skincare products that really do work. 

NSpa Mini Haul .....

So on my last trip to Asda I spotted these two items from NSpa which is a brand I am becoming very interested in.  I've tried a couple of their shower gels (which are fantastic by the way) and a night cream which I wasn't so struck with but these two really caught my eye.

I gravitated towards the "no-grain" gel exfoliator as normal this kind of product is reserved (at least until now) for more high end products.  The Skin Renewal Gel aims to gently melt away dead skin cells rather than using harsh abrasive scrubs and cost only £7 - a little pricey-er than I would normally pay but if it works it'll be a wonder product.

So I was on the hunt for a moisturising mask to really give my skin a treat once a week and came across the Replenishing Moisture Mask.  Apart from being a low £5 it attracted me as it comtains Sweet Almond Oil which in my opinion is a wonder ingredient and that it's not a mask that sets.  This is more like a thick cream that sinks into your skin then after 10-20 minutes you wipe off any excess with a damp cotton pad.

Both of these products seem amazing but I will test them out for you for a while and get back to you with full reviews.