Review: Beauty UK 'Earth Child' Eye Shadow Palette

After having a quick play around with the contents of this month's Love Me Beauty box I said the Beauty UK Eye Shadow palette in 'Earth Child'* was my favourite out of all 5 products. Just look at how pigmented it is on my finger tips, the quality felt great. Well, I take it back. Yes the shadows are pigmented when you swipe your fingers across them but sadly it doesn't translate that way once you try to apply. The swatches on the back of my hand in the photos above were built up a good few times each which I don't mind but every shade apart from the third on the top row (my fave) started to crumble and go patchy. Tried all the colours out on my lids too, the two green shades barely showed up and the fall out was terrible. I think my best bet with this palette is to use some of the darker more pigmented shades along my lower lash line.

So disappointed, thought I'd found a great budget neutral palette but sadly not.

Have you tried this palette or any other products from Beauty UK?

What's your fave purse friendly neutral palette?

Beauty UK Earth Child Eye Shadow Palette, 3.99 from www.superdrug.com

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June 2014: Love Me Beauty Box

It's Love Me Beauty time again! :) This month I went for Menu 1*..

Montagne Jeunesse Brazilian Mud Fabric Masque, RRP: 1 (full size): I've tried a fabric mask from Montagne Jeunesse before and really liked it. Not sure if it was the Brazilian Mud Masque but I'm excited to try it. Montagne Jeunesse is a great brand, I'm a huge fan of the De-Clog Nose Pore Strips and the products are so affordable.

NYX Nail Polish 'Winter', RRP: 3 (full size): Was looking forward to trying a nail polish from NYX but this shade isn't my cuppa tea. Tried it out on a friend and was surprised by how fast it dried but unforunately I won't get any use from it.

Model Co Shine Ultra Lip Gloss 'Fairy Floss', RRP: 12 (full size): If you read my Disappointing Products post you'll know I picked up three Model Co products when they were magazine freebies and wasn't impressed with any of them. I found the lipgloss to be very stringy but know a lot of you owned different shades and didn't have that problem so fingers crossed this one will be much better.

Beauty UK Eye Shadow Palette 'Earth Child', RRP: 3.99 (full size): Beauty UK is a brand I've never tried anything from. Based on the prices I didn't think the products would be much cop but after having a quick swatch I have to say this palette is my favourite product in the box this month. All the shades are pigmented and wearable, the quality is great for the price. Obviously not as buttery as the likes of Urban Decay and the lighter shades are a bit chalky but overall it's a great wee palette.

Urban Veda Purifying Day Cream, RRP: 14.99 (10ml sample): If you know me, you know I love anything minty and guess what? This day cream smells like straight up spearmint! :) Not only does it feel lovely and light on the skin but it's cooling too. Never heard of this brand before but now I feel like I need to try more.

What do we all think of this months box? I have to say it's not my favourite but with Love Me Beauty you're able to see the contents in all three boxes each month and skip a month if nothing takes your fancy. I more than likely would have skipped this months box but I'm really happy I got to try the Beauty UK palette and Urban Veda Purifying Day Cream.

Which menu did you go for?

Love Me Beauty 10 quid plus P&P from lovemebeauty.com

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Yay & Nay: Simple Illuminating Radiance Cream & Perfecting Beauty Balm

When I think of Simple, I instantly think 'face wipes' In my early teens my cleansing routine was a Simple face wipe morning and night. The thought makes me shudder now but they served me well. I've always had sensitive skin but the wipes never caused me any irritation and I was lucky enough to escape the spotty teen phase, so, for me they worked perfectly well. Simple have expanded their range since then though and as we all know, when a beauty blogger goes food shopping at Tesco, a few beauty bits always end up in the trolley.

Let's get the nay out of the way first

Simple Perfecting Beauty Balm: The universal shade of this is extremely orange but fear not as it does blend out, to nothing. Seriously, there's no coverage whatsoever. After testing it out I was met with ''do you know you have glitter all over your face?'' I have no problem with bases containing shimmer but this was something else. Not only does it offer zero coverage but if your skin is even the slightest bit dry, avoid like the plague. So as you can guess, the finish is matte which teens with oily skin will appreciate BUT, the shimmer overload and lack of coverage is going to highlight any spots you might have. It's not all bad news though as it does contain SPF15 and evens skin tone to a certain extent but unless you have oily skin with no imperfections, I can't imagine you'll be pleased with the result.

Simple Illuminating Radiance Cream: This moisturiser is lightweight which again makes it a great product for oily skin or Summer when moisturisers tend to feel a bit too heavy and slip around under foundation. For me it isn't moisturising enough on it's own so what I do is apply a small amount on top of whatever moisturiser I'm using. It contains the same shimmer as the Beauty Balm but because I use it under foundation I don't end up with disco face. In my opinion it's way too shimmery to be used alone but makes a great illuminating primer. I also dab a small amount on my cheekbones after foundation, it creates a gorgeous subtle sheen that catches the light but never looks OTT. If my skin starts looking a bit tired and dull as the day goes on, I just pat on some more. It never feels heavy and hydrates any dehydration lines that can creep up on us around the eye/cheekbone area.

Have you tried either of these products?

Simple Illuminating Radiance Cream, 7.99 & Perfecting Beauty Balm, 8.99 both available from www.tesco.com

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Lately I've Been Lovin' #16

I haven't shared my favourites since April so lets get crackin'!

Lauren's Way Solution 60 Self-Tan Bronzing Mousse*: I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about this now but it really is that good, easily the best tan I've every used. I'm addicted to the stuff and even spoke about it in Pure Beauty magazine this month. 

Clarins Bronzing Duo '02 Medium': Since I've been getting a bit tan happy I don't feel the need to wear foundation every day but as we all know, tan fades from our faces first. So, to keep my body and face the same colour I've been swishing this beauty from Clarins all over my face with my Zoeva 106 Powder Brush. I love that it's a duo, the two shades allow me to go as bronzed or natural as needed.

Filorga Time-Filler Eyes*: Really enjoying this eye cream. I use it day and night yet it still looks almost full.

Vo5 Extra Body Styling Mousse: Such an affordable product and one I'll definitely repurchase. I use this in conjunction with Silky Sexy Hair Frizz Eliminator*, match made in heaven! The mousse holds my style in place all night even if I get caught in the rain and doesn't feel crispy when I use a lot of it which I do for nights out. The Frizz Eliminator makes my hair feel like silk and keeps it frizz free until the next wash.

L'Oreal Fibrology Thickening Shampoo & Masque: Bought these on a whim in Tesco while they were on offer. Really wasn't expecting much but they're not bad at all. I wouldn't say they make my hair feel thicker but it definitely looks fuller and any style I create lasts a lot longer before dropping flat.

Good Things Manuka Honey Refining Scrub*: This is such a brilliant scrub, feels like I'm slathering porridge all over my face :) It's creamy and moisturising but really gets rid of any dry skin.

Liz Earle Brow Pencil 'Dark': My Holy Grail brow product! Usually I use the shade 'light' and have gone through a few over the last two-ish years but this time I went to the dark side and it's fantastic. My problem with dark brow pencils is how red they look on me but the tone of this is spot on. 

Have you tried any of these products?

What have you been lovin' lately?

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I'm In This Month's Pure Beauty Magazine!

I'm so excited to be in the June 2014 issue of Pure Beauty Magazine. I'm on the blogger panel with Evelyn from We Were Raised By Wolves & Kate from Sugar Fixx Beauty who is sadly cut out of the photo above as a screen shot pro I am not, sorry.

If you aren't familiar with Pure Beauty magazine you can find out more about it here but in short it's the UK's leading magazine for high street and fragrance retailers. The magazine is read by management, beauty buyers and sales consultants every month and keeps them up to date with all the latest market trends. It also enables sales staff to confidently recommend products to customers.

I shared my product of the month which is of course a tanning product, surprise surprise eh. :) Lauren's Way Solution 60 Self-Tan Bronzing Mousse, it's a keeper! 

Are you subscribed to Pure Beauty Magazine?

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Review: Skinny Tan 24-Hour Bronzer

I'm a faux tan devotee at the mo. My bed sheets look like the Tango Man has been murdered in his sleep but I'm not willing to give it up just yet, I just look and feel better with a bit of colour and the latest addition to my cupboard of brown stuff comes from Skinny Tan.

Skinny Tan 24-Hour Bronzer* is an instant bronzing gloss which makes it the perfect product to have handy for those times when you decide to go out at the last minute as there's no developing time, it feels like a regular body butter and best of all, it smells yummy! They describe the scent as coconut which I adore but to me it smells like straight up chocolaty cocoa butter. It's goooood! 

Skinny Tan claims to contour your body and reduce the appearance of cellulite. I have to say I haven't noticed much difference between the 24-Hour Bronzer and any other tanning product I own, in my experience they all seem to make things look a bit better but it is moisturising thanks to the hydrating almond oil and doesn't make any dry patches more noticeable. My favourite way to use it is on top of  whatever tan I'm already wearing. Instead of using body lotion the day after applying tan I'll use this. It keeps my skin hydrated and makes my colour more intense. In the pot the colour looks way too dark but once applied to the skin you're left with a gorgeous, natural golden glow.

So far it sounds great but there are a couple of things I'm not so fond of. (1) The packaging. To me the colours and design seem a bit dated, more so the tub than the box it comes in. I know how a product looks shouldn't be important but to me it is, if I saw it on a shelf next to other tanning products I more than likely wouldn't give it a second look. Not a fan of the tub either, would much prefer a bottle with a pump. (2) Even though it's an instant tan which washes off, I still expected it to be a little bit water resistant but sadly it isn't.

Have you tried this or any other products from Skinny Tan?

Skinny Tan 24-Hour Bronzer, 200ml 16.99 from www.boots.com

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Pamper Your Paws With Organic Surge Gardeners Hand Scrub & Hand Cream

A good few years back I used and adored a hand scrub from Virgin Vie but as with most good things things, it was discontinued. Since then I'd just been using a regular body scrub on my hands in the shower and thought it was doing the job but when I got my mitts on the new Organic Surge Gardeners Hand Scrub* & Hand Cream* I noticed a huge difference from the very first use.

The natural olive seeds in the hand scrub help buff away ingrained dirt which is why it's perfect for gardeners and the blend of calming plant extracts and shea butter leave the skin baby soft. The scrub is dense but really creamy, just look at the 2nd photo! While scrubbing away it absorbs into my skin and once rinsed off the feel, look and tone of my hands completely changes. I'm not a gardener, I love flowers but my fear of bugs of any sort (even butterflies) puts a stop to any gardening notions I have but if you love a bit of fake tan you'll really appreciate how well this scrub removes any leftover tan that's clinging on for dear life on. The hand cream hits the spot too - non greasy, hydrating and thanks to the aloe vera it helps soothe sore, irritated skin.

Both products contain lime, basil and rosemary. Rosemary is one of my least favourite scents, I would go as far as saying I can't stand it and I know I'm not alone there. So I'm sure many of you will be pleased to know that it mainly smells like lime which I love :) Both products now take pride of place on my sink and I even love the colour of the packaging, pearlescent light green.

Have you tried the new Gardeners range from Organic Surge?

Organic Surge Gardeners Hand Scrub, 7.99 & Hand Cream, 7.99 from www.organicsurge.com

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*PR sample