Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Review

I just want to start off by saying that I am ridiculously late on the bandwagon with this foundation, but if you're anything like me, when it comes to foundation, I find something I love and stick to it. 

This was the case for around about 18months where I'd stuck to Clinique's Superbalanced Make-up and no matter what other foundation I tried, I always ended up returning to my trusty Clinique foundation.

Then there comes a time when you buy something on a whim, and you have to explain to your boyfriend why you can't pay your half of Pizza Express as you've just spent £32 on a foundation! Part of me wanted to hate this foundation so I wouldn't have to spend this ridiculous amount of money again, but alas, I love it.

As this foundation has been around for a long while, there are a fair good few reviews floating around on blogs and YouTube, which you have all undoubtedly read/watched, so I won't bore you with all the technicalities, but I will share a few of my thoughts on this pricey little beaut of a foundation!

Firstly I've always wanted to have something from Chanel in my make-up bag, as superficial as that sounds, it really is the luxury in make-up and it makes me feel like a grown up when I see it in my bag ha! The packaging is exactly what one would expect from Chanel, but ladies this really isn't a good enough reason alone to buy a foundation!

 I was colour matched at 20 Beige, which is pretty much perfect for me. Colour matching my skin is something that many ladies at make up counters struggle to do as I'm relatively pale, with pink undertones. Once at an Estee Lauder counter, 6 shades were tried on my face before one that matched was found, and even then when I got the sample home it was far too dark!  

 Anyway back to this foundation....

The fact it has SPF 15 is perfect for me as I'm not one for putting on sunscreen before my foundation as I am far too lazy and forgetful . The chanel website states 'its crystalline fragrance accentuates the sensation of freshness and pleasure on application' which I'd have to agree on, it has a nice,clean, fresh scent which makes it all the more luxurious! 

The website also says to apply the foundation with your fingers to work it into the skin, but as I am wild and play by my own rules, I apply it with a Real Techniques buffing brush. I find this way, I get the desired 'second skin' flawless look and just generally find it easier with a brush. 

Overall this foundation gets a massive thumbs up for me, as it is pretty much perfect!
I do urge those of you who are stuck in a rut with your foundation to try this beauty from Chanel, but maybe do the sensible thing and get a sample first as £32 is a lot of money to part with if you don't get on with it.

 Obviously this foundation isn't for everyone and there may be a lot of you who have already tried it and didn't get on with it, but this is my new love in foundations and I will continue to repurchase even if I can hear  my debit card screaming haha.....


♥

Lipstick Obsession...Exotic Orchid Shimmer

If you've been reading my blog for a little while now, you will know that I love lipsticks as I don't stop banging on about them! In my Estee Lauder Lipsticks post, which you can find HERE, I briefly mentioned one of the Lipsticks Exotic Orchid Shimmer. I am in love with this lipstick, it has become my new obsession. 

 It was always one of those lipsticks that I would wear only on a night out, due to the vibrancy and the paleness of my skin but over the past two weeks I have been wearing it every single day.

This is a hideous picture...Apologies

 Packaging:  Love Love LOVE the packaging. Sleek, shiny gold tubes. What more can you ask for?

Scent: Most Estee Lauder Lipsticks have a particular scent that I can't quite put my finger on but it I do love it. It's fruity but not too overpowering which is what appeals to me.

Durability: The durability of this lipstick is great. Stayed on for pretty much my whole day at work with just a few touch ups and it also didn't dry my lips out which is an added bonus! 

Consistency: This lipstick goes on like a dream, it's so creamy but it does tend to slip during the day. I would definitely  recommend bringing a compact with a mirror with you if you are wearing this lipstick as no one wants lipstick smudged all over their face!

Price: The price is something I dislike about this, and all Estee Lauder products. I can justify spending £18 when I have the money but if I don't, I do feel it is a little steep for a lipstick. 

If you like Estee Lauder lipsticks, or just bright colours and don't mind spending £18 on a lipstick then I highly recommend this! This is by far my favourite lipstick in my whole collection!

♥

Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipsticks Review

Most of you will already know that I love lipsticks. A few weeks ago I did a haul post from xtras online (which you can find HERE) and I bought 3 Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipsticks . So, what do I think of them once I'd given them a whirl?

Rose Sunrise, Amber Shimmer,  Flamant Rose Flamingo

Amber Shimmer, Rose Sunrise, Flamant Rose Flamingo

Packaging: I find the packaging to be a little meh. I'm not really a fan of the red bullets as I feel they look slightly cheap and tacky

Texture: A.mazing. Super moisturising and I really feel like my lips are being conditioned as well as applying a beautiful colour. 

Pigmentation: The two pinky coloured lipsticks are really pigmented but sadly Amber Shimmer didn't live up to the high standard that the other two had set.

Durability: As the lipsticks are a moisturising formula they don't last as long as a matte shade would, therefore I do find myself reapplying the lipstick quite frequently.

Price: I LOVE the price of these lipsticks, £1.99 is an absolute bargain for such a moisturising lipstick. I think the original price before they were discontinued was around £6 which I too could justify paying for them.

Overall I love these lipsticks, I like the fact that they make my lips feel conditioned and moisturised whilst adding a beautiful flash of colour. I have a feeling I will be buying more from the collection in the near future.

Have you tried these lipsticks? What is your favourite shade?

♥

From Nature, Simple Goodness Skin Care Review

Finding the perfect body wash and moisturiser is something that have been trying to do for a while now. I find that I'm very fussy with strong scents and consistency, along with the packaging (this shouldn't really matter, but to me it does) and price.

From Nature isn't a brand I'm familiar with, but I was gifted the bath and body set at Christmas time and have only just got round to using it. I'm slightly annoyed with myself for taking so long to eventually use these products as they are A.mazing for my skin

The set includes Cleansing Coconut Body Wash, Softening Coconut Body Butter, Softening Coconut Lip Butter, Cleansing Mango Body Wash, Moisturising Mango Body Butter, Conditioning Lemon & Lime Hand Lotion and Conditioning Cherry Lip Butter.

Unfortunately for me I don't like the smell of coconuts so I haven't been able to use any of the coconut based products and have given those to my sister, but I have loved using the Mango, Lemon & Lime and Cherry products.

Cleansing Mango Body Wash: Firstly the smell is delicious, it makes me want to eat it but more importantly it's so moisturising and leaves my skin feeling lovely and clean.

Moisturising Mango Body Butter: I love love LOVE this body butter, it has the same smell as the body wash but as it's a body butter the smell stays on your skin all day. I'm very sad that it only came in a 50ml bottle as I have used three quarters already after 2 applications! Must buy some more!

Conditioning Lemon & Lime Hand Lotion: This hand lotion is actually now my favourite hand cream, it has taken over from my Cherry Cupcake hand cream ( you can find the review for that  HERE). It smells so citrus-y and is moisturising, conditioning and non greasy. 

Conditioning Cherry Lip Butter: This lip butter is probably on par with Carmex and I love carmex! It doesn't leave a tingling feeling on my lips which, to me, is a little disappointing but it is super moisturising. It also smells and tastes delicious, like real cherries. I find that I put it and end up licking it off, is that weird of me? Ha I guess it is. 

I think From Nature is a great brand and I love the Simple Goodness range. I like the packaging as it's simple and colourful. It certainly brightens up my shower! Sadly I'm not sure on the prices of these items as they were a Christmas gift and I'm also not too sure where to buy them from. I've had a quick google but haven't found anything as of yet. Alas! I will ask my step-brother and his girlfriend where they bought this from though as I need some more in my life! A bit dramatic but hey ho! 

Do you have a favourite brand of Bath and Body Products?

♥

Cheapsmells: Part 2

The second part of my order from cheapsmells finally came (Yay) and I was so pleased with what was delivered. The products that I ordered were:

♥ Revlon ColorStay foundation in 110 Ivory

♥ NARS Cream Eyeshadow in El Dorado

♥ BeneFit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Slippin' n Dippin'





Sorry for the awful picture





I had bought Revlon's ColorSaty foundation about a year ago in 150 Buff Chamois ( I'm a lot more pasty and pale like a vampire now that's why I bought Ivory haha), and I loved the medium to full coverage so I thought I'd give it another go as I'd run out of my curent foundation. I work 12.5 hour shifts and this foundation stays on for the whole shift and is suprisingly really moisturising. I use a GOSH 324 foundation brush to apply and then set the foundation with Rimmel's Silky Loose Powder in Translucent and I find that this works well together.

The Nars Cream eyeshadow whas something that I thought I'd just give a go and I'm so glad I did. It's a shimmery, bright golden colour in the pan but on application ( I use my finger as I feel it works better than a brush) it was more of a bronzy colour. I think it is really well pigmented and the shimmer isn't too much for an everday look. To stop the shadow from creasing I use Too faced Shadow Insurance and then apply the shadow. I would highly recommend this cream eyeshadow if you want an everyday versatile look.

BeneFit has to be one of my favourite make up brands and this shimmery coral/orangey (technical term there haha) cream eyeshadow has just confirmed my love for it. It is so pigmented and is perfect if built up on its own or under a neutral shade, I was a bit skeptical of the 'Creasless' tag that had been used but it actually doesn't crease even when no eye primer was used. This shade is perfect for the summer as it warms up the eyes and if used with an angled brush it creates the perfect eye liner.



Left: BeneFit Slippin' n Dippin'. Right: NARS El Dorado



I love all four of my purchases from cheapsmells.com as I can use them all for an everyday look or when I'm on a night out and will definitely be using the website again. ♥.