kate moss for rimmel london | lipstick #01

I already have 3 lipsticks from Kate Moss' collection with Rimmel London (numbers 03, 08 and 12 - you can see my review of them here!) and a few weeks ago whilst I was in Boots and looking to buy some lipsticks after a rubbish day of exams, I bought a new one to add to my collection. I already knew how much I loved the formula and reckoned I'd pick out a classic red. It really is a lipstick I love and have been wearing a lot recently to test it out a lot so I hope my review encourages you to check out some of the Rimmel London lipsticks!

The first thing that I obviously noticed with this lipstick was that the colour was absolutely gorgeous. In the case it looks slightly darker than the normal red but when applied to the lip it produces a bright and classic cherry red! I feel that it's quite 'vampy' when necessary. The more layers you apply, the darker the red becomes and you can produce a much deeper red than seen in the photos. But, you can also wear just one layer for a simple red lip and that's another thing I like about this lipstick - it's versatile, you can create many different looks by just increasing or decreasing the amount of layers of lipstick you swipe on your lips. 

Like the other 3 lipsticks I've tried, the scent of this one is really nice. I know it's not an issue for some people but I know that others find the smell a huge factor. I can't quite put my finger on the scent but it's sort of fruity. The pigmentation for all of the lipsticks is brilliant as well, especially with this one. One swipe and your whole lip will be covered in a light red colour that looks like a lip tint has been applied to the lip (which makes it attractive for those that only want a light lip colour).

Application of the lipstick is very easy I find but it's also easy to smudge as it's just so creamy. I struggle anyway with dark lipsticks and usually find them smudged around my lips before I've even left the house. So this was tricky for me and a lip pencil would probably help but it's definitely not something that will put me off using it - I just love it! Another small issue I've found is that it can be slightly tight on the lips after application but a quick rub together of the lips will sort it out easily! It also clings to dry/rough patches on the lip but doesn't highlight them, if that makes sense? And a quick scrub/prep of the lips before use could sort this out. 

Now, the flaw of this product is the staying power... The first time I wore it, it had gone (completely) after 2 hours. Now I will admit that I had gone out for dinner so had been eating, drinking and chatting so it's understandable but it was a little disappointing. I also think that the creaminess of the product contributes to the lack of staying power. I suppose all it means is that it needs a regular top up. And this is what I did find when I recently wore it on a night out. I found myself constantly topping it up. Now I wasn't using a mirror so I may not have needed to top up but I just did it for my own peace of mind I guess. And it didn't really do any harm because when I got home I found that the colour on my lips was ultra dark and almost a plum colour which showed that if you regularly top up, it can produce a really lovely colour. 

The second time I wore it I also noticed how drying the lipstick is. I was in the cinema and during the film I could just feel my lips become drier and drier. I don't know whether it was the conditions in the cinema (e.g. the air conditioning), the fact I wasn't licking my lips as often because I didn't want to wear down the lipstick or just the lipstick itself? Therefore, I would recommend keeping a lipsalve to hand to apply under and over the lipstick to make your lips feel more moisturised. Also, after the cinema, there wasn't much lipstick left on my lips, just a sort of outline around my lips which again highlights how the staying power isn't the best. It is a little disappointing but I'm definitely going to continue to use it and recommend others to try out the lipsticks!

I really would say that this isn't like a lipstick that I've ever had before because all my other reds are much lighter and I like how this one produces a darker look over all. One little thing I've found with this lipstick is that this one isn't really one you can wear during the day. I, personally, find it too dark and it's much better for night time wear. However, it's certainly not completely off limits for day time use, I'm just not brave enough! 

So there we go, a very thorough review of my current favourite lipstick! Despite its few flaws, I do really love it and I definitely think I'm going to go and check out some more colours! I do have 2 more lipsticks that I'm going to be testing out and reviewing so keep your eye out for them!

I'm now off to get ready to head out and be pampered within an inch of my life! I actually have my Year 13 Prom this evening so this afternoon I shall be having my nails, hair and make up done. I'm super excited and can't wait to dress up! I hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend (sorry for lack of posts, i was super busy and ended up sleeping for the majority of sunday...) and that this week doesn't drag too much!

OPI care to danse?

So this is the second colour I picked up from New York Ballet collection when I was in New York. It's the purple shade from the collection and is one that I actually really love (despite my pre(mis)conceptions that it wouldn't be that good, which were based on the outcomes of the first colour of the collection that i tried - read my thoughts on 'my pointe exactly' here!).

Now after using the first colour and realising that this collection was based far more on sheer pastel colours, I was worried that I wouldn't get along with this polish at all. I will admit that it is sheer (as you can see from the pictures, my white tips still show through) but it actually produces a really nice finish compared to the dull one from the other polish.

The colour in the bottle is milky and this is transferred very well on the nail which makes it much more true to the colour in the bottle than My Pointe Exactly. I feel that it produces a sort of french manicure finish but without the defined white tip. The pictures have about 3/4 coats so that should give you an idea on the sheerness/opacity (whichever floats your boat!). It's super sophisticated and very subtle. I'm not usually supposed to wear nail varnish to work but I forgot to take this off last week and nobody even noticed I was wearing it! I know most people want to wear nail varnish to give an outfit a little extra something but this one is great for those who prefer to wear something more understated. In some lights it is lilac whilst in other lights it can show quite pink which I like.

The application of this polish was a little easier than the other, I felt. It was less watery and so it was better to produce 'thinner' layers thus making it less easy to smudge and more easy to add more layers to increase opacity.

One thing I did find with this polish was that it was quite easy to chip. I don't actually wear a top coat (which i know is bad) so it's my own fault but there was some pretty bad chipping. I only say this as a warning though as I feel that the more layers put on the nails, the easier it is to chip overall because the polish becomes brittle. And I guess this is a flaw of the polish itself as it's so sheer so needs the extra layers to add more colour. But a top coat would definitely help with this issue!

There you go then. My thoughts on my second OPI polish from the New York Ballet collection. Overall I must say that it grew on me during wear and I absolutely love it now. I often catch myself just holding my hands out in front of me and looking at my nails - it really is a sophisticated and mature colour. And it really makes a change from bright colours!

So yes, unlike 'My Pointe Exactly', I definitely recommend 'Care To Danse?'! I still have one last colour so that should be coming soon but I hope you enjoyed this review!

24 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS WITH LIZ EARLE (2012 ADVENT CALENDAR): actual products

This is the second part of my Liz Earle Advent Calendar posts and I know I said I was going to post it on Monday, but I've been too busy relaxing and enjoying my freedom to sit down and whip up a post! I hope you don't mind! I am here now though and am going to tell you about all the amazing things (and trust me there's a lot - 24 to be precise! ;)) I received in the calendar. I'm not going to do them in the order I opened them in because I've completely forgotten, but instead I'll go through the order they are in in on the back of the box. I haven't actually used all of these products but when, and as, I do I'll give you my full thoughts. For now, these are just my initial thoughts.

Just a pre warning, this is going to be a preeeeety long post... I hope you get to the end!

Now I don't want to talk too much about these three products as I got another set of miniatures with my extra goodies (which you can read about here) and so I've already told you what I think about them. One thing I was quite happy with though was that this moisturiser was 'normal/combination' which is what I actually use so that was great. And I did mention in my previous post that I wasn't sure whether I would get along with the moisturiser for 'dry/sensitive' skin and I did try it this morning, and I don't think I'll be using it again. I already find the 'normal/combination' one quite heavy but the 'dry/sensitive' one made my face seem so oily and greasy which wasn't good at all. So I'll probably just give this to a friend or my mum.

Now the normal moisturisers are 'skin repair' moisturisers whereas this is a 'superskin moisturiser' which makes it sound so much more inferior to the former. Upon first glance I thought it looked really special both because of the name and the packaging (which is plain white unlike most of the other products from Liz Earle). However, upon reading the description on the back, I've come to realise that it is more aimed towards very dry and mature skin so probably isn't the best product for me. My mum, however, may benefit from this more. Now she doesn't exactly have what I would consider significant signs of aging on her skin but  hers is mature skin so I may give this to her to give a go! 

Now I've never used any oils or concentrates on my face as I don't want my face to look any more shiny than it is naturally! But reading the details for this it does say it is a night-time product and so I am intrigued to see what effects this could have. It claims to "visably plump, smooth and rebalance the look and feel of your skin" which sounds lovely as my skin does have its blemishes and is rather 'dull' so I'm excited to give this a go!

I don't actually use an eye cream and I'm sure my eyes hate me for it. Sometimes my eyes do feel very dry though and that they could just do with a boost. I also notice on some days that I have some dark circles under my eyes although they aren't actually that bad. So perhaps on those days where my eyes are look particularly dull I could use this. It also has SPF10 in it so I could definitely take it on holiday for those periods when I want to tan my face without sunglasses on. 

Again, I don't consider to have mature skin but I do have a few lines on my forehead that I am conscious of. They appear to look like wrinkles and I think it's because when I was younger I used to frown a lot (i think my eyes are really sensitive to the sun/light so even when it wasn't that sunny, i'd be frowning) and so they've formed some permanent lines on my forehead. Therefore, I'm intrigued to see what this will do to try and combat those pesky lines!

I think this is supposed to be used in conjunction with the the eye cream above (Daily Eye Repair) to help generally improve the appearance of tired eyes. It says that it will "soothe and refresh tired, puffy eyes" so on those mornings where my eyes are looking especially tired I can use this. And I will admit that my eyes can become very puffy sometimes and I tend to use hold a cold wet flannel to them but I'm sure this will work much better at soothing them!

Exfoliators are my favourite skin care products as I just love being able to feel them work, removing dead skin cells, lifting dirt and generally just refreshing my skin so I'm super excited to give this a go! I prefer to use exfoliators in the morning and then before I use a mask so I'll let you know how they go either way.

Masks are another of my skin care favourites. I could just buy so many different types but I think they can get a bit much for your skin. I have actually used the 'Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask' before (below) and I really enjoyed using it so I'm excited to give this one a go! I also like that it's a brightening one as my skin isn't anything special and I would say it was dull so I really hope this adds a bit of 'something' to my skin after using it! 

I have used a full size tube of this mask and I really liked it. I actually prefer the thick and creamy face masks that you have to slather on but I did enjoy this. Unfortunately you only really have enough for a thin layer so you wonder whether you've used enough but the smallest amount goes a long way! I use a small layer all over my face when I have a bath and then wash it off with a muslin cloth. I really like being able to feel and see a noticeable difference after using a mask and I definitely could with this. My skin felt smoother and looked nourished (which is what you'd hope when it's in the title!). I definitely recommend those that often have difficulties with their skin to give this a go!

Now, without sounding like I don't wash (i do!), I don't use a body wash. I know I should but I never feel like I need it and half the time I can't be bothered because I prefer to be in and out of the shower as quick as possible. But on the rare occasion that I do like to pamper myself I like something luxurious and because I will always think of Liz Earle as a luxury brand, I am looking forward to using this. It smells really fresh as well so could be good to use in the morning when you need a little waking up. 

This is the counter part body cream to the wash (above) and the fact it's 'nourishing' intrigues me. Like not using a body wash, I rarely use a body cream which I'm sure isn't too great for my skin. The only real moisture it gets is when I rub some Johnson's Baby Lotion on my legs after shaving (definitely recommend - it's cheap and works!). So I think using this will be a real treat for the dry parts of my skin (as i assume that's what the 'nourishing' side is targeted towards).

This was another item I got in with my extra goodies so you can check out my thoughts over on that post! But I did in fact just give this a go on my lips and it was exciting! At first I thought it was just a normal, smooth lip balm, but as you swirl your hand over the product, it melts under the heat from your finger and in it is small 'gritty' particles that will exfoliate your lips. However, unlike LUSH lip scrubs, you don't have to lick the sugar off your lips along with all the dead skin particles, instead the little bits seem to just melt away as you rub them over your lips! Very very cool indeed!

I thought I'd write about these two items together as I'm pretty sure they are supposed to be used together. Now I've mentioned before that my hands don't get that dry and so hand products for me aren't that useful. But there's nothing wrong with a little pampering I say! The hand wash seems very luxurious and when I took the little foil off the end a little bubble spurted out and even if it it's not very mature, it did make me giggle. The hand repair I'm not sure I'll get that much use out of but I reckon that like once a week I can slather this all over my hands before bed and let it work it's magic over night so I can wake up with super soft hands!

My feet, on the other hand, are super dry. Especially the heels and the balls of my feet and considering my job requires me to stand on my feet for hours on end, they can become very rough by the end of the week. Therefore, I am very excited to have some products that can treat my sore little tootsies! I particularly like this pair of products requires a good buffing and exfoliating of the feet to get rid of any dead skin and to make the feet a bit smoother and then to further soften my rough feet, there's a moisturiser! I can't wait to give these a try at the weekend after my shift at work!

I reckon this scrub is to be used with the two products below and I think they'd five a really revitalising and fresh experience! I think using a scrub would mean that you were getting an exfoliation, then the wash would mean you have a really good clean and the lotion would result in a soothing once you'd finished! I definitely think I'll be using these three together when I next have a shower to see how well they work!

The body wash and cream I've already written about were from the Orange Flower range whereas these offer a more 'energising' experience. I really think these are perfect for when you're feeling down and need a good 'pick me up' - for example, I'd use these if I was particularly tired in the morning or felt quite groggy (like when you feel grungy, if you get what i mean, and are really in the mood for a good scrub in the shower!). This even smells fresher than the 'Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash' which can only be a good thing! I'm sure the lotion will be just as wonderful too (although i now feel spoiled for choice on body lotions and creams!).

Now when I think of a skin care company, I don't automatically think, 'oh yeah, maybe they do shampoo and conditioner too!' so I was really intrigued to see what these two items would promise. I personally would hope that they would give my hair a really good deep clean. If all the other products can clean my face, hands, feet and body wonderfully, then why not my hair? Since cutting my hair, I haven't felt that it was particularly dirty, but the current dry shampoo I am using is leaving this powdery residue type thing all over my scalp which makes it feel like I have a ridiculous amount of product in it, even though I haven't actually used any? So I shall be interesting to see if this shampoo and conditioner can make my hair feel super clean again!

Fruity scents are my favourite. So I'm not entirely sure if I'll like these two offerings from Liz Earle. Also, the fact they're called 'Botanical Essence's' makes me just think of floral smells and so I'm not entirely sure I'm interested in them. But I'll definitely give them a whiff: No1 I actually like! Despite my preconceptions! It's a slight twist on the typical Liz Earle scent but is slightly spicy (i'm useless at describing scents!). I can't put my finger on the scent exactly but it's something I've smelt before! It reminds me of a sweet for some reason? It's ultra sophisticated so I'm definitely going to be wearing this in the future! So this just goes to prove that you should never judge a book buy it's cover (or description...). No15, actually contains 15 products which is very interesting. I won't share them all with you (i'll save that for a full review!) but it definitely means there is a lot for the nose to have a whiff at! This is much fresher than No1 and reminds me of a perfume my mum has... When you first spritz it, it's a little much but after just letting it to settle, I'm enjoying the scent! It smells a little like cleaning products at times but I do still like it! 

Well done for getting this far! If I could, I'd give you all a medal! Trust me, I'd quite like one because this was a tough post to write! I felt like I was just repeating myself the whole way through! But I really hope this post and my last one has introduced you to some Liz Earle products that you may never have heard of/thought of before!

I'm hopefully going to be trying out most of the products in the near future as a lot of them excite me and then I can give some more detailed thoughts on each of them!

For now though, that's all I have to offer. I do have another post coming up on my new feature for the blog which I hope you enjoy reading so keep your eye out for that!

Thank you for bearing with me whilst I've been finishing my exams and well done to all of us that have finished! Here's to a long and enjoyable summer! :)

24 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS WITH LIZ EARLE (2012 ADVENT CALENDAR): extra goodies

Now this has been a long post coming and I've sort of been putting it off for a while but I don't know why. I think it's because I'm not sure how to go about presenting to you all the things I got with my Liz Earle Advent Calendar (i know, it's a strange post to do in june but i really wanted to share it all with you!). I've decided to split it into 2 parts - 1 which will show you the unexpected extra items that I got and then the 2nd post will be all the products that I found behind the doors of the calendar. I think it'll be easier this way because there really is a lot to share with you! So here we go - the first post!

This is the Christmas catalogue which I know is completely out of season but the products inside are available all year round. Plus inside are some wonderful gift ideas. I personally love looking at gift sets that companies put together because it gives me ideas of which products I can use together and which ones would benefit each other. 

Now when I saw this I was a bit confused as to what on earth it was. Upon closer inspection it basically contains a colour spectrum of all the make up available from Liz Earle. It's split into different sections - Face, Cheeks, Eyes and Lips - and then within each section it shows all the shades available for each of the products. It's a really lovely tool I think because then you can compare the colours you do have with those you don't and which ones will work well together. I, personally, don't own any make up from Liz Earle but this little item has made me tempted to check out some products!

I've just had another little flick through and noticed that there are some empty boxes to the side of each shade in which you can smudge your current foundation, favourite lipstick so that you can compare make up from other brands with Liz Earle. I thought I'd just share this with you because I find it such a wonderful idea!

Now Liz Earle really are all about the extra touches. I don't think my mum did anything when she ordered me the Advent Calendar that involved foundation. But they went that extra little step to include  a sample of their Signature Foundation. I'm yet to try it out but I think the shade will be right for my skin tone as I am quite pale on my face anyway. I am actually very eager to give it ago as well, just to see what it looks like. The description on the little 'promo' card makes it sound wonderful and I do hope I like it!

Now this is what intrigued me the most. I came upon this before the actual Advent Calendar so I looked to me mum to see if she had bought me an extra present when she was placing the order. She shook her head and I came to the realisation that Liz Earle had put in a whole gift set for me, for free! I'm pretty sure they do this with most purchases (i.e. placing an extra little goodie in to your package) but I certainly wasn't expecting all these products!

The first item was this miniature Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser with another Muslin Cloth. This was a very welcome present because I have unfortunately run out of my full bottle and haven't yet gotten round to purchasing another one. I don't know if I should do a full review on this as there are so many already out there (i'm pretty sure this is Liz Earle's most famed product!) but I really can't rave about it enough! If you're not sure whether to order a full bottle, I know you can order miniatures of everything so it's definitely worth giving it a go! It works absolute wonders for the skin!

This is also something that I'm slowly running out of. I don't really consider this to be a major necessity to my skincare routine but when I do use it I realise how wonderful it is at evening out my skin tone.

This is a moisturiser I'm undecided on. Don't get me wrong I love it, but I already have a pot of this and I have the Normal/Combination type due to my oily skin and I actually find it quite heavy on my skin so I'm not sure if the Dry/Sensitive one would feel even heavier/greasier on my skin? I am actually running out of my usual one (after goodness knows how long - one tub can last a lifetime!) so I will be giving this a go when I've finished but I will apply with caution. I do think it's worth the purchase though! My skin feel so smooth and plump and moisturised after use! Just make sure you get the right one for your skin type!

Now this is a new product for me and one I'm not sure I'll use. I rarely ever use hand cream because, luckily, I don't have dry hands. But when I do they go insanely dry and start cracking (nice!) so this sounds great for when that does happen. Although they only get dry during winter so it may be a little while before I can try this out... My mum religiously uses hand cream so I'm sure I can ask her for her opinions!

I'm not entirely sure what this is for but I think it could be a multi use balm? I'm personally think I'm going to use it as a lip balm as my lips are constantly dry. I'm not too keen on the scent but to be honest, if it works towards giving me smoother and less chapped lips, I'll use it regardless!

So they're all the extra little items I got with my Liz Earle Advent Calendar. I know you can buy these individually so I know this an ultra late post but at least you can still buy everything! I definitely recommend the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, the Instant Boost Skin Tonic and the Skin Repair Moisturiser but I'll keep you updated on my thoughts on the other things! I also hope that this has given you an idea for this Christmas! I know this is an annual thing for Liz Earle so keep your eyes open for this years Advent Calendar!

Now it's time to apologise for a lack of posts recently! It's been a week since my last post which may not seem a long time but it's annoying because the whole time I'm revising, I'm coming up with ideas about what to post and I'm constantly eager to post! As I said though, I do have so many ideas for posts to come up and when I finish on Monday (last two exams - i cannot wait!), these posts will be coming regularly!

This weekend is set to be full of working and revision but on Monday I'll be bringing you the second part of my Liz Earle Advent Calendar posts!

I hope you've all had a wonderful week and this weekend is lovely - such a shame about the weather though! To all those still revising like me, we can do this! And to those that have finished, well, I'm extremely jealous!