Thursday, 13 June 2013

Urban Decay - Naked Flushed

Hey Ladies,

I hope you are all well, any of you who have been with me from the beginning will know about my huge obsession with all things Urban Decay, to this day the post I did on my Urban Decay collection is one of my most viewed posts! Since then my collection has been ever expanding. I think that lately UD have been knocking it out of the park with new products and honestly, I just cannot get enough! The Naked line from Urban Decay just draws me in completely. I was in line for the release of the original Naked palette, I was first in line for the Naked 2, and honestly the entire line just doesn't disappoint. When I found out that a face palette was to be the newest addition to the Naked family, I was incredibly excited to see what it had to offer. Let's have a little look shall we?!


The Naked Flushed has quickly become part of my daily makeup routine.The sleek packaging is light yet sturdy, its perfect for travel! The three sections of the palette include a bronzer, blush and highlighter. The formulation of these are just perfect, Urban Decay have done an incredible job on the formulation of these powders. All three glide effortlessly onto the skin and require very little effort to blend.



The bronzer in the palette is a beautiful matte, that suits pale skin perfectly. Its not too orangey, and its not a muddy brown either. It strikes that happy balance that us pale face ladies strive to find in a good bronzer. I apply it with a synthetic brush to contour and the blendability of this bronzer is just fantastic. it requires little to no effort and doesn't leave you looking like you've been tango'd! The highlight shade is a champagne beige pink with a subtle almost metallic sheen. I used this to highlight the high points of my cheekbones, as an under arch highlight and on the cupids bow, I found it subtle and beautiful, incredibly easy to work with. The blush is a dark rosey pink with a hint of coral. I would advise caution with this shade if you tend to be a tad heavy handed with your blush (let's face it, we're all a bit guilty of that sometimes!) The blush itself is almost satin in texture, aside from the issue of maybe being a bit heavy handed application wise, I couldn't fault this blush, it transfer beautifully from palette to cheek, really lovely to use,


As you can see from the above picture, the palette transfers beautifully to the face. So, what are my final thoughts? I love it. Really. I think it's another great addition to the Naked family. It's now part of my daily routine and I have already talked two friends into investing! I really don't think you can go wrong with this little beauty, so the next time you're near an Urban Decay counter, definitely have yourself a little look, and if you're feeling generous, why not treat yourself?! The Naked Flushed does not disappoint!


That's it for now ladies,
I hope you enjoyed!
What are your thoughts on the Naked Flushed?
Will you be indulging?
As always, let me know below!
Until next time
xoxo
Aundrea

Butter LONDON - Sweetie Shop Spring Collection

Hey Ladies,

I hope you are all well. I was recently invited to attend the launch of the butter LONDON Spring 13 Collection 'Sweetie Shop'. Anyone who knows me well, knows the huge addiction I have with nail polish, I just adore it, I think that a good shade of polish can add the finishing touches to an outfit, or perk you up on a bad day, ah... the power of the polish. butter LONDON are a brand that I have had an interest in for quite a while, whats interesting about the brand in particular, is the fact that they are '3 Free'. We're talking free from formaldehyde, free from toluene and free from carcinogens. Pretty fantastic right? Well let's have a look-see at the new collection!


Look how pretty?! These pastel colours are absolutely beautiful. I honestly couldn't think of a more perfect way to have Spring 2013 represented on your nails! I really feel that you cant go wrong with some pastels in your staple nail polish collection, they work for every occasion and are totally non offensives!


'Fiver' is first up, its a gorgeous icy mint with an insanely glossy finish. I found the application on this was pretty fantastic, Fiver was almost opaque in one coat, but I would recommend two coats for full opactity. I change my nail polish every two - three days and I found that it held up brilliantly, zero chipage and stayed glossy until I removed it.


'FIVER'


'Fruit Machine' is described as a carnation pink. To me is the perfect bubblegum pink, i found that with Fruit Machine I only needed one coat for full opacity. The wear time to this was just as good as Fiver, no chipping and it looked just as good after three days as it did on first application! I am in love with this colour, I can see myself getting a lot of wear out of this!



'Fruit Machine'


I've kept the best for last! This is 'Molly-Coddled'. Straight up, I could not be more obsessed with this polish! It's a beautiful lilac/lavender, this is another polish that is opaque in one coat, it just pops on the nails. I've worn this a few times, every time I wear it I get a multitude of compliments. It's such a flattering colour, and I know I' going to need a back up of this little beauty!

'Molly Coddled'


So, whats my verdict? butter LONDON is my new addiction, I need more, I need them all, and I need them now! The formulation is fantastic, the colours are beautiful and I cannot fault the opacity of the polishes! I'm excited to give the rest of the collection a try, and I will definitely let you know how I get on!


That's it for now ladies!
What are your thoughts on butter London?!
Have you tired the brand yet?
What do you think of the Sweetie Shop Collection?
As always, let me know below!
Until next time
xoxo
Aundrea

Ginvera BB Cream

Hey Ladies,

I hope you're well! Bit of a rave review for you today. 2012 was definitely the year of the BB Cream, everywhere you went last year, every brand you could possibly think of released their version of the BB Cream. To be completely honest I never bought into the hype, the reason for this being that the reviews I had read, and the majority of videos I watched never made me think 'Oh, I must try that!' mainly because it was general consensus that the majority of brands had taken their tinted moisturisers and repackaged them as BB Creams. Not only that, but I like my coverage when it comes to foundations, hence why tinted moisturisers and BB Creams hadn't appealed to me. I had heard great things about the Ginvera Range, so I decided to bite the bullet and see what The Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream was all about!


So, what were my first impressions of the Ginvera BB Cream? Well it wasn't at all what I had expected, the cream itself was very fluid in consistency, which led me to think that the coverage wouldn't be great. Goes to show you how wrong first impressions can be! I applied some to the back of my hand, and set to work with a buffing brush.

In all honesty I was astounded by the results! The coverage was just phenomenal, beyond anything I had expected. As I continued to buff the BB Cream in, I was left with a high coverage, beautifully matt, velvet, seamless finish. I'm not going to lie to you, I was shocked.  All of this from a BB Cream?!

I was curious to see how it would mingle with my skin woes, would it cling to dry patches etc... I'm delighted to say it didn't! It's not often I am completely wowed by a product, but the Ginvera BB cream has just bowled me over!


There is nothing better in my eyes than a product that provides full coverage whilst actually doing something for your skin, the Ginvera Green Tea Nude BB Cream  does it all, it has an SPF of 30, it provides all day hydration, the essential nutrients it contains help revitalise the skin and its non greasy! As you can see from the above list, this is a product that delivers on its promises!

Ginvera have an entire range of skincare products which I am more than eager to get my hands on, including the incredible Marvel Gel which I am more than excited to try. So, my thoughts on this Ginvera BB Cream? If you are looking for a full coverage, face product that contains SPF and actually does some good for your skin, then Ginvera is your brand. 2012 may have been the year of the BB Cream, but 2013 is definitely the year of Ginvera BB Cream for me!


So that's it for now ladies,
I hope you enjoyed!
What are your thoughts on BB Creams?
Will you be giving Ginvera a try?
As always, let me know below.
Until next time
xoxo
Aundrea

Skincare Favourites

Hello Ladies,

I hope you are all well, my post today is about my Current Skincare Routine/Favourites. I have posted on here about my skincare woes on more than one occasion. My skin is dry/dehydrated and it is stubborn as hell. The products I'm using at the moment have set my skin on the right track. I have to tell you straight off, that I had never used any of these brands on my skin before. I had resigned myself to the fact that my skincare routine would never be perfect, until I started to use these.


The products I'm using at the moment are mainly NUXE and Clarins, with the exception of my cleanser. I had always heard fantastic things about NUXE, and the first product I purchased from them was the infamous Reve de Miel lip balm. After seeing what that had done for my dry, chapped lips, I figured I couldn't go too far wrong with their skincare range. Clarins are a brand I had tended to favour for their makeup, I was hesitant to try the skincare because I had been burned by high end brands before. Browsing through my local counter one day with a few extra euro in my pocket I decided to give the brand a go, and just like NUXE, I'm delighted I did!



Cleanse: This is my 'Holy Grail' cleanser, Bioderma. Anyone who uses this will know what a nightmare it is to get hold of it when you're not living in France. I managed to find a reliable stockist however, who don't gouge you on the price, or for shipping*. The thing I love about Bioderma is, it's just a gentle, hassle free, thorough way to cleanse and remove makeup. It is a micellar solution that is specially formulated for sensitive/dry skin, but you can also get one to match your own skin type for example if you have oily skin. I will say that the first week I used this it dried out my skin a lot, but after that it quickly became a staple in my routine, and now? I couldn't live without it.

Tone: You know when you try a product and after a few uses say 'I will never be without this'? The Clarins toning lotion in Chamomile is one of those products for me. It smells beautiful, really fresh and zingy. Again its very gentle and is alcohol free, which is something I look for in my toner. It's an absolute pleasure to sweep across the face and leaves the skin feeling clean and soft.


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Moisturise: Day - For daytime I use the Clarins HydraQuench Lotion with an SPF15, it's a very lightweight moisturiser, which sinks into the skin in seconds. I find that this hydrates my skin beautifully, it's just perfect for day wear and my makeup glides on to the skin flawlessly after I apply this. I have my eye on the HydraQuench Cream, it is definitely on my list to try. This lotion makes me want to explore the HydraQuench range all the more!

Moisturise: Night - For night use, it has to be the NUXE Reve de Miel, Ultra Comfortable Face Cream. This has quickly become a favourite of mine, and for good reason. The RDM range is especially formulated for dry/sensitive skin and it's such a treat to apply. The cream itself is thick and creamy, so luxurious on the skin. It smells incredible and it moisturises the skin to an extent I've never felt before with any other moisturiser. I honestly cannot recommend this enough. Again, it's one of those products that make you want to run out a try the entire NUXE range!


Serum: Morning - For my morning serum I use the NUXE Nuxellence Jeunesse. It is a youth and radiance revealing serum. Its perfect for day wear. I find it gives a lovely glow to the skin and really helps you appear more healthy and well rested. It smells divine, as I've discovered the majority of their products do. It leaves my skin super soft and just wonderfully healthy feeling. I always feel more awake after using it, which of course is a bonus on these cold mornings!

Serum: Night - The Clarins Double Serum is one in a million for me. I just adore it. It helps to revitalise the skins 5 anti-ageing functions. Hydration, nutrition, oxygen, rejuvenation and protection. I tend to warm up the serum before applying it to the skin, it applies like a dream and sinks into the skin effortlessly. We all know that prevention is better than cure right?! You really cannot go wrong with this little wonder!



Lip Care: The Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm has been a firm favourite of mine for the past few months. It is a very thick, nourishing balm, it smells amazing! Once you put this on your lips, it will not budge for a least 5-6 hours. A perfect example would be about 2 weeks before Christmas when I was roped into helping my father put up the outdoor Christmas lights at night in the freezing cold. I applied this to my lips at around 8.30pm and when we had finished around 12am, by which time the temperature had dropped to -3, the balm was still firmly fixed to my lips. I dread to even think what state my lips would have been in, had I not been wearing this! It works wonders on dry, cracked lips. It's definitely a must have for me!

Hand Care: I have been using the Reve de Miel hand cream for quite a while now, I think it's a fantastic day to day handcream. I do use a different intensive treatment at night (review to come soon) but I carry this with me in my handbag and use it 3 to 4 times a day. I honestly couldn't fault it. It leaves my hands soft and supple, and does an excellent job of keeping my cuticles in good condition! I think if you are in the market for a new hand cream this is a really great option to have.




That's it for now ladies,
I hope you enjoyed!
Have you any skincare products that you are loving right now?
Has anything above struck your fancy?!
Let me know below!
Until next time
xoxo
Aundrea