Smokey eye for beginners/Get ready with me!

Kate's Product of the Week - Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub

As promised 2 PotW posts this week. My second offering is this Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub (RRP £4.99). Bioré is a brand I've loved for a while now and it's not let me down yet. In Feb for my Birthday I bought this because I've been wanting a good face scrub for a while and this is oil free so it's great.

Bioré Say: "Our gentle yet effective face scrub uses perfectly spherical beads—not jagged edges—and the pore-unclogging power of salicylic acid to deep-clean clogged pores. The scrub unclogs pores by cleaning away impurities. Show the door to nasty pore-cloggers with this face scrub and get ready for beautifully clean, smooth skin."

Onto the product itself. It's lovely and creamy and a little goes a long way. As you can see from the pics above one little blob is plenty. It's really lovely and fresh on the skin and it's not abrasive at all which is what I really look for in a good scrub. I really prefer the little exfoliating beads in this scrub, it just feels quite gentle towards my skin. 

Pro's 

• It's not going to break the bank at £4.99
• It's Oil-Free, so if you're prone to oily/combo skin then this is the scrub for you
• The little beads inside are so gentle and are in no way abrasive
• Cost-Effective (A little goes a long way) 
• There is Salicylic Acid in it so will help with the prevention of spots
• It really does leave your skin feeling clean and lovely and fresh

Con's

• The packaging just is a bit plain and boring (a little clinical) 
• It's not easy to squeeze out if your hands are wet. 

Thanks for reading and for more of the latest news and reviews from the Beauty Hot Squad please follow us on Blog Lovin' 

First Time Fringe! Opinions Wanted Please!

For a LONG time, I had the same hairstyle. Long hair, centre parting, blonde. Aside from dyeing it slightly different shades over the years, it stayed pretty much the same. I was majorly bored of it! So FINALLY I decided to do something about it, and got a fringe! 

I hadn't had a fringe since I was about 5, so it was a scary moment, but it was also one of those moments where I thought 'It's now or never', and I didn't want to live my whole life thinking 'what if I'd got a fringe'! And anyway, hair always grows!

At first I loved it, then I wasn't sure, now I like it but find it difficult to style sometimes. I'm still feeling unsure as to whether I will keep my fringe, so it would be really great to get some opinions.  Please comment and be as honest as you like!

 BEFORE:

 

Kate's Product of the Week - Lush's Madame Butterfly Bubble Bar

Now you'll know I'm a bit of a fan of LUSH and I love trying their bubble bars! This one is a new one a part of their spring range. It's called Madame Butterfly (RRP £5.25) and is the perfect spring bath time treat.

Now this is super florally and citrus-ey. It's really girly and it's pink and there's a little bit of a sparkle to it which I do like. The best part about this bubble bar is that it's reusable, I think I'll get 3-4 uses out of this bad boy. It does also make squillions of bubbles and makes your water pink. 

As you can see it has a little shimmer to it.

Lots of Bubbles and Pink Water!

Here's one of the most interesting parts about it. The tag had wildflower seeds embedded into it and once you've finished with the bubble bar you can soak the tag, put it in some soil and stick the stick in the soil and wild flowers will grow. How cute is that. 

Pro's 

• It smells gorgeous, really florally
• It is so cute! Look at it, it's a butterfly
• It's re-usable
• Fun little extra with the seeds in the tag

Con's

• £5.25 is a bit steep like.
• If you don't like florally scents then this might be a bit too much

That's all really. It is a lovely buy and I think it's perfect for Mother's Day which is coming up on Sunday. 

Thanks for reading and for more of the latest news and reviews from the Beauty Hot Squad please follow us on Blog Lovin' 

First chance face tan - FakeBake

And last chance...This girls, has unfortunately been a huge let down. Let me tell you what Fake Bake have to say and then I'll give you my opinion.

'We've seen the BB's and CC's and now Fake Bake have introduced a revolutionary new product - and innovative DD (dynamic duo) anti-ageing facial tanner. 'The Face' is launching exclusively to M&S from March 31st to mid-may and promises to stimulate skin's cells to produce collagen; hydrating and plumping skin, turning back the signs of ageing whilst giving you a gorgeous sun-kissed colour at the same time.' 

Now as you can probably tell already, I ever so slightly disagree and here's why:

At 21, I don't actually have wrinkles, but theoretically that should mean this product should apply even, if not that then just slightly better... Wrong, this tan is fairly thick and although feels like its blending quite nicely for a second, it very quickly becomes almost impossible to blend (move around the face) and I had to start basically pushing it around, safe to say it didn't end well and left me looking patchy and uneven, it also really highlighted any open pores, something it claims it wont do on the box.

The only way I can describe the scent of this product is really unpleasant (it was quite offensive to my sense of smell), it doesn't have that typical biscuit smell, more of a very strong sicky smell, major apologies for wording there, lets just say, it's not pleasant, especially not so close to your nose!

'Sun-kissed' is not exactly how I would describe the colouring either. When you first squeeze it out it looks like melted dark chocolate, the second you start blending it, it becomes an awful, heavily red tinted orangey colour. Despite the shocking colour I turned I left it on over night as instructed, washed it off in the morning and it didn't look like I had used anything on my face, not even a hint of colour was left.

I tried using the product on my hands and arms as well to see if maybe it just didn't agree with my face but the same thing happened only it left my hands with a nasty reddy/orange stain affect once washed off, which thankfully only lasted a day as it came off in my next shower.

Over all I'm sorry to say, I would not recommend this, young or old, it is just no good.

Gutting for a product from Fake Bake, a few of the other girls from this blog have used Fake Bake products before and had great results and this is one that just doesn't add up at all. If I hadn't tried it myself already I'd have been totally sucked in by its luxurious packaging and amazing claims. 

Please let me know if any of you get your hands on this product and tell me your opinions, it would be great to know if it's any different on any of you :)

Kate's Product of the Week - Sorry Guys

I almost forgot about this weeks Product of the Week! I've had a mad busy week with it being my final week of training. But I promise that next week there will be 2 fabulous products next week x

I am posting this to ask what you think about the PotW's I have done so far. What's been your favourite product so far and do you like the tone of the posts and the info given. Would really love some feedback. 

Thanks so much for reading my posts week by week, it really has surprised me with it's popularity. 

L'Oreal Perfection Color Riche- Pistachio Drage

I've spotted L'Oreal Perfection Color Riche nail colours absolutely everywhere over the past few weeks. They've brought out four new super pretty milky pastel colours and can I just say that I am in love! The formula is fantastic and so far it seems to have fantastic staying power. It's almost been a day and I still have no chips- such a massive deal for me as mine seem to chip within a few hours on a good day. I chose shade #852 Pistachio Drage but I'm definitely going to go back and get the other three as soon as possible so I can have spring nails constantly from this point onwards! 

What are your favourite spring nail colours?

Kate A x

Kate's Product of the Week - NYX HD Studio Primer

Now this is a product I bought in Barcelona but is available from NYX Cosmetics Online for £12.50 and I've found it a real miracle worker for keeping my make-up in tact. 

"Designed to be paired with our HD Studio Foundation, this silky makeup primer fills in pores, minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and mattifies the complexion for a seamless finish. It also ensures the durability of your makeup, which will last for hours under even the harshest lighting."

I have used it with both the HD Studio Foundation and Benefit and it's helped it last so much longer than other primers that I have used in the past. This is also mineral enriched, talc-free and paraben-free so it's really good for your skin and not in any way harmful.

The packaging is really simple. I think you might have to do a double take when you look at it, it really does look like a MAC product. 

Onto the product itself. It's a white liquid and it's literally a blob of it will do your whole face, which means even though it's £12.50 it's quite cost effective. It can be used on all skin types and because it melts into your skin filling any fine lines and nooks and crannys it's clear so can be used on all skin tones. It's used the same way you'd put a moisturiser on and it does just glide on. 

As you can see from this picture, the primer has reduced shine reflection and I, personally, think my make up looks flawless here.

Pro's:

• It's cost effective, this one tube will go a long way
• Talc and Paraben free so nothing that can cause any damage to skin
• Good for all skin types
• This is a great primer if you're a selfie fan (like myself) because it's great for diffusing light from your skin
• It's perfect for an everyday primer because it can keep make up in tact for at least 8 hours (tried and tested)

Con's

• It's not available to buy in stores

Honestly that's it! It's a fabulous product and if you have a problem with your primer not lasting the time you want it then invest in this. I promise you it will be one of the best beauty investments you will make.

Thanks for reading and for more of the latest news and reviews from the Beauty Hot Squad please follow us on Blog Lovin' 

Blogosphere Magazine

I don't know about you, but I've gotten a little bored of the standard magazines you find on the shelves of your local newsagent. Over the past couple of years I've gotten way more into reading blogs than print magazines as it's far more convenient, you can easily search for your preferred type of content and above all its free. I thought the days of me getting excited about magazines were well and truly in the past, that is, until I discovered Blogosphere - the magazine for bloggers about bloggers.

If you're an avid blog reader you'll no doubt recognise the cover stars above; some of my all time favourite bloggers. The magazine features a full article with the featured blogger aswell as many mini features with other fab bloggers, check out these snaps I've taken from inside my issues....

Now I know some people may not like the idea of this magazine, but Liberty London Girl summed it up perfectly in her interview in issue 2 when she said, 

"I think [Blogosphere] is a great idea, you know there are so many talented people out there who don't get their voices heard. Finding a space where you can get all those bloggers together online is quite difficult, and with an online magazine it becomes about content and not about the writer, whereas with a print magazine it's all about the writer"

If you're obsessed with blogs you'll enjoy this magazine for sure, but it may not feel like there's anything new in terms of content. I know when I was browsing the beauty section I thought, 'there is nothing here I cannot find online' but it is a brilliant way to find new blogs to follow. It's also not just about beauty, there are sections for all genres of blogs which I thought wouldn't interest me that much but I actually really enjoyed browsing and looking at articles I wouldn't usually read online. There's also a great Agony Aunt section which answers all of your blogging dilemmas! 

Blogosphere is available from News Stand for £4 an issue and there is a new issue released each month.

What do you think of Blogosphere Magazine? Let me know in the comments below....

Linda x

A little bit of Heaven - Skincare Review.

I struggle embarrassingly with the condition of my skin through the winter, my skin disagreeing with the cold air and the whipping winds. Dry, flaky, scaly patches that don’t budge, at least not permanently, with any products I have tried. It’s pretty shameful.

I jumped at the chance to try some luxury skincare, in hopes that something I wouldn’t usually buy, could be my saviour.

I went sent, by Heaven skincare, the EllaJane Celebrity Organic Face Wipes priced at £7.30 for a pack of 30 and a 15ml pot of the Bee Venom Mask priced at £25.30 but does come in larger pots if required.

The first thing I noticed was obviously the packaging of the items, definitely quite a sophisticated look. I particularly love the monochrome box that the Bee Venom mask comes in, it screams luxury just looking at it!

I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the pack of facial wipes, considering there are 30 wipes in there; the packet is huge, giving me a good impression that these organic cloth wipes, made with naturally absorbent 70gsm 100% cotton are going to be of a decent size and thickness.

Firstly, the face wipes. I wasn’t wrong. These wipes are huge in comparison to the cheaper high street brands I have used in the past. They smell very pleasant, refreshing, a slight peppermint scent.

The wipes are textured in order to give a gentle deep clean of the skin whilst exfoliating, I definitely felt like my skin was deep cleaned after using them! The wipes remove my most stubborn mascara with ease, without resulting in me looking like a panda and my skin feels soft after using one, without leaving my skin feeling dry and tight. (Something else I’ve found with cheaper brands i’ve used!)

At £7.30, they are slightly more expensive than some, however, I do think the price reflects the quality of them.

The Bee Venom Mask, natures alternative to Botulinum Toxin, probably more commonly known as BOTOX to you and me, is made using natural and organic ingredients, including manuka honey, which has soothing and healing qualities, Shea butter, rose and lavender essential oils for softening and calming and the all important bee venom which works to control the facial muscles for lifting, tightening and firming.

I noticed a difference in my skin right away, as the skin reacts to the bee venom as if it has been stung (without the pain or discomfort!) which kick starts the production of elastin and collagen. My skin appeared to be more plump, glowing and refreshed, feeling softer to the touch.

I have been using the cream daily for little over two weeks now and the difference in my skin is incredible. My skin is more voluminous, plumper, and taut, the texture has improved significantly.

Not only that, I have noticed a great difference in how dry and flaky my skin appears to be, particularly in the most troublesome spot, around my nose, which has given me a massive confidence boost. Application of makeup since using the cream has improved, probably due to the texture and smoothness of the skin.

Heaven Skincare has taken my skin from dull and dry to absolutely ‘bee’-autiful! 
I couldn’t be happier with either product and will be looking into stockists local to me.

I highly recommend taking a browse around the website, http://www.heavenskincare.com/ as they supply products for all needs. From oily skin, to eczema and psoriasis, they even supply products for men and have a great variety of great gift ideas. 

Have you given any of the Heaven Skincare range a go? Let me know!

Fay 
xxx

RapidBrow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum: Part 2

It has taken me quite a few weeks but here is my Part 2 RapidBrow Review.

When I first started using the RapidBrow Serum the first thing I noticed was that my brows looked nice and shiny/healthy, this continued up until now with using the serum, it has only been these past 2 weeks that I have noticed the real difference it has made and I have to say I am very pleased with it. 

When I first started using the serum I used it on both of my brows but then I decided to use it just on the one brow that was quite sparse at the front so I could see if it made a difference and it certainly has as you can tell by the picture above. On the left is my brow before, it has for a long time been quite gappy at the front especially in the one place more than the rest which you can see on the picture. On the right is how my brow looks now, as you can see their is no gap whatsoever. My brows do grow really fast naturally but never seemed to grow where the gap was, this serum has made that happen and I have to say I am very happy, I also love how much more nicer they look which the photo doesn't really show up that well.

I would recommend this to everyone, especially if you have thin brows or sparse brows like me, it does really work and is totally worth the price that it is. Honestly you will not regret purchasing it. 

The RapidBrow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum is available from Boots for £37.00 and is currently within the 3 for 2 offer so it's definitely worth getting especially whilst it's in with that fantastic offer. 

Chantelle

x

Kate's Product of the Week - MUA Trio Eyeshadow

Sorry it's late this week, been settling into my new job so my head being stuffed with new info about standing orders and direct debits. So onto my PotW...

This week my Product of the Week is the MUA Trio Eyeshadow in Pink Sorbet (Superdrug £2.50).  I've chosen this because it's a fabulous product which is a fantastic price. ]

Sorry about picture quality.

This is a small eyeshadow trio, barely the size of a compact with 3 shades to choose from. One each of a dark, light and mid shade. They are all a little bit metallicy. 

What I really like about this is that it has a little application suggestion on the back, so if you're not sure about eyeshadow application then this is perfect. I'm not great as it, but I've supplied a pic to show how it works. 

1. Define and Line - Dark Shade
2. Blend and Shadow - Mid Shade
3. Highlight - Light Shade

It's got alright staying power, I'd say it stayed so long because I primed and used a fixing mist after my make up was finished. There is also an applicator which is good because you can pop it in your bag. The thin end is for the dark shade to line your lid

This product for me is an all around good egg and if you like MUA products then this is something to add to your collection and if you've never tried MUA before then I say give it a go, it's cheap and nice quality. 

Pro's

• Cheap
• Lovely Quality
• Applicator included
• 3 colours for separate looks or can be mixed
• There's a look guide provided
• Great for day and night
• Great pigment
• Great size

Con's 

• The only thing I can think that would make this amazing was if there was a little compact mirror built in.

So there you go! Hope all my lovely readers have a great weekend and come back next week to see my 11th Product of the Week. 

Thanks for reading and for more of the latest news and reviews from the Beauty Hot Squad please follow us on Blog Lovin' 

MAC Stereo Rose - Review & Swatches

MAC Stereo Rose has been a blogger favourite for a long time so when I saw it was being re-released as part of the Fantasy of Flowers collection I knew I had to have it! However, I have heard that it isn't the exact same shade as the Stereo Rose that had been released previously which is a bit misleading, but I'm happy to have it nonetheless. 

Let's take a moment to just look at how beautiful this is....

Stereo Rose is a Mineralize Skinfinish described as a 'copper bronze'. It is a peachy pink shade with a metallic sheen so it is like a blush and highlight rolled into one. I definitely wouldn't use a highlighter on top of this unless you are going for the disco ball effect but this gives a beautiful glow to the cheeks, making my skin look really bright and healthy. I've worn this everyday since I got it and I really do love it.

The shade is similar to Benefit's Rockateur blush but definitely more glowing.

I do love Stereo Rose, but I am disappointed it isn't as coral as the previous releases. I think MAC should have just released this product with a different name to avoid confusion and it would probably still be as successful. Stereo Rose retails for £22 and is part of the Fantasy of Flowers Collection for Spring 2014.

 I also purchased a lipstick from the same collection which I have reviewed here.

What do you think of Stereo Rose? Let me know in the comments below....

Linda x 

New! The Vita Liberata Skin Respect Range

Recently I was lucky enough to try some new products from the Vita Liberata Skin Respect range before they were released! (They are now available to buy!)

The 3 products I received from this exciting new range were:

Vita Liberata Skin Respect Skin Plumping Peptide Mist - (Oligo Peptides plump, firm & supercharge with Pomegranate for anti age benefits & Peppermint to calm & soothe skin. Apply before tanning to enhance the depth & finish of your tan - then use daily to maintain perfectly plumped, flawless skin. Follow with Argan & Passion Flower Dry Oil for the deepest skin regime.) 

Vita Liberata Skin Respect Argan & Passion Flower Dry Oil - (Organic extracts smooth, soothe & protect against the sun’s damaging rays. Passion Flower conditions, Argan repairs, Sweet Almond calms & Rosehip fights signs of aging. Leaves skin hydrated with a silky soft glow & no greasy finish. Performance enhanced by Skin Plumping Peptide Mist.)

Vita Liberata Skin Respect Luxury Instant & Wash Off Bronzing Lotion - (Flawless instant bronzing in a super sheer, one night only, wash off formula. Sculpts, tones, smoothes & conditions; fights the signs of aging & strengthens skin. Apple Complex revives skin & Neroli Oil conditions skin. Moisture Lock™ gives ultimate skin hydration that lasts for 72 hours - even after showing!)

You can see I already used quite a bit of these products before I photographed them - was too eager!!

These 3 products work in sequence with each other. First you use the Skin Plumping Peptide Mist which is really easy to apply and distributes evenly onto your skin. This is great to spritz onto your skin after a hot shower as it is lovely and cooling.

Then follow with the Argan & Passion Flower Dry Oil. I found that the best way to apply this is to squirt some onto your hand then apply it to the desired area. I especially love using this oil on my face! I've always had problems with combination skin: my face is often greasy yet it has dry patches and I have quite an uneven skin tone. I found that this oil was really moisturising on my face which helped to even my skin tone (it calmed it and made it less red) yet this oil also absorbs really quickly and leaves a non-shiny, non-greasy finish!

After using the mist followed by the oil for a few weeks now I find that my skin has improved a lot - it is smoother, softer and generally happier - it doesn't feel tight or dry any more. The oil is great on the body too - because it doesn't leave you with sticky or greasy skin it means you can get dressed pretty much straight away after applying it.

The instructions say that you can either follow this oil with your usual moisturiser or leave it without. I personally think that you don't need to use a moisturiser AND the Dry Oil because this amazing product is moisturising enough!

After applying these two brilliant products, if you then want to apply the Luxury Instant & Wash off Bronzing Lotion, now is the time. You can use a bronzing mitt to avoid staining your hands but it's not vital as I found that it washed off my hands easily with warm water and soap. This bronzing lotion left a really even tan and good-quality finish on my skin. It also dried quickly and wasn't sticky at all (I can't stand stickiness!). It is also perfect for sensitive/dry skin as it moisturises too.

The main reasons I love these products are the ease of application, the non-greasy finish and how wonderfully moisturising they are. I definitely recommend them if you have dry/sensitive skin that needs pampering in this cold weather! The price of these products range between £30-40 for the large bottles but you can get smaller bottles for less, and I personally think they are worth the price because they are so effective. Also these products are 'anti-age' and although I'm only 22 there's no harm in fighting the wrinkles now!

Will you be trying any of these amazing new products? View them here.

Ingrid x

MAC Dreaming Dahlia Lipstick Review & Swatches

Here we have the latest addition to my MAC Lipstick Collection - Dreaming Dahlia, which is part of the new Fantasy of Flowers collection. 

Dreaming Dahlia has a 'lustre' formula which means it isn't the most pigmented lipstick but it gives a lovely sheer wash of colour to the lips and it feels really nice and nourishing. I would describe this shade as a sheer coral-red, perfect for everyday wear and something I think would be perfect for the upcoming spring/summer! 

I personally find it a bit difficult to wear red lipstick during the day without looking a bit 'try hard' so this is the perfect alternative for me. I've had this lipstick for almost a week now and I've worn it every single day!

I'd say I get about 4 hours wear time out of this before it needs topping up which is typical of the lustre formula, but it is very easy to apply and comfortable to wear. In application it feels like a tinted lip balm which is perfect for applying on the go without a mirror and it looks lovely and glossy on the lips! 

I absolutely adore this shade, I think it's definitely worth the £15 price tag and it is a new favourite in my MAC Lipstick Collection. 

What do you think of Dreaming Dahlia? Let me know in the comments below.....

Linda x

P.S. I may have made another sneaky purchase from the Fantasy of Flowers collection so watch this space!