Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms....

Hi Guys,

This is a post I've been meaning to do for ages following a bit of a splurge on a number of these a while ago due to a fast realisation of my love for these lipsticks.I now have four of these and a few from the  original stain range that i don't love as much as these but i will probably follow up with a post about these at some point anyway, because regardless, there are still pretty damn good. These ones are in pretty similar packaging to the original stains so make sure you pick up the right one in the shop if these are what you are after. And i do really highly recommend them. 

Now these are the lipsticks that really are my 'go to' everyday favorite matte lipsticks. Revlon make amazing lipsticks anyway but they seem to have nailed these in pretty much every way in my opinion. To start with the texture, as the name suggests, the application is defiantly balmy. When my lips feel dry, i always seem to reach for Revlon lipsticks if i'm after a pop of colour, whether they be the lip butters or these bad boys. These ones in many ways defy everything i know about matte formulas for me. Because they are defiantly matte, let me tell you. But then, they are so smooth and comfortable to wear with the staying power of a regular matte lipstick but without the horrible dryness and flakiness long wear matte lipsticks usually leave you with. There is a lot of truth in the 'balm' claim and although 'matte' and 'balm' are not usually two words you hear alongside each other regarding lipstick. The texture is creamy and super blendable and easy to apply and is really light to wear, just as if you were wearing a basic lip balm. 

The colour range of the lipsticks is also impressive, although i do feel like there are a few staple colours they are missing that could, dare i say, even replace some of the colours in the range. But of course this is just my opinion and i know plenty of people will be attracted to colours that i perhaps wouldn't wear as readily but its all down to personal preference. 

But anyway the colours i have are: 

L-R: Elusive, Shamless, Striking, Sultry

205 Elusive, this is a super pretty girly, but wearable pink, it's somewhere between a mid-tone and a light pink and i'd definitely get more wear out of it if my lips were somewhat lighter.

215 Shameless, a bit of a crazy compulsive buy that i actually really like. This is very purple don't get me wrong, but the little bit of crazy in me loves wearing it as if it was a berry tone. Although i know it's not for everyone, this is a lovely colour and i will probably get quite a bit of wear out of this in the summer.

240 Striking, now this is a beautiful bright orange toned red, perfect for the summer months. I know again this wouldn't be for everyone but i really enjoy wearing this in place of a orange or even a slightly darker red as a really modern on trend summer pop of colour. 

225 Sultry, Now this lipstick is my favorite out of the ones i have. a stunning, sort of cross seasonal colour that i wear as a nude but many people would wear as an alternative to a slightly darker colour. It's sort of a browny, pinky, berry colour. Very much a 'your lips but better' colour that i feel would suit a whole range of skin tones. As you can see i've had a lot of use out of this lipstick and i really really do love the colour.

I know for a fact i'll be picking a couple more of these up in time; one in particular is 'Standout' but it always seems sold out in my local boots and if you can find a store that has a reasonable sized Revlon stand that stock all the shades, standout does look a gorgeous colour if i can get my hands on it.

The smell is really another bonus of these lipsticks for me. Again, this might not be for everyone as it does have a very minty smell comparable to chewing gum or toothpaste. Some people might not like this but it makes it feel very fresh to me. It's not too strong or overpowering and it's definitely not unpleasant unless you have a strong dislike to mint. 

The applicator makes it really easy to apply and get a lovely finish on without the colour dragging or looking messy, its a nice on the go pen applicator. If i had one bug bear with however, is that with a lot of use, the point of the lip product naturally wears down leaving more like a stub. This makes it slightly more difficult to control but for me, it's definitely worth it and it's not such a big issue that could weaken it in my favorites. And at the end of the day, if worst came to the worst, it's still a great product that can be applied with a brush.

Overall, i'd really recommend these lip products. Okay, Revlon is at the higher end of the drugstore but i do think it's worth the money if your looking for a matte product that doesn't feel matte. They are £7.99 each but they are pretty much always on some sort of special offer in Boots or Superdrug so if you keep your eyes out i'm sure you can pick some up for cheaper then that anyway so if you do see them, try one or two out. From my experience and from reading other reviews, the line seems pretty consistent so you can't really go wrong with the colours either.

Thankyou for reading, guys!

Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss Matte....

I heard a lot of things about essence so decided to have a try last week after popping into my local wilko's which is the only place i know that sells the brand in the UK. I ended up being overjoyed at how much I got at such a small price and since then I have found that the quality makes it even more impressive. I wouldn't say every product is amazing because after a second trip, I bought one of the original lipgloss' in a beautiful shade that I just found a bit patchy and too thick, although this may have been a one off, I couldn't be sure and I'll be sure to give an update when I undoubtably try some more. 

But onto the actual review; this lipgloss I'd defiantly reccomend. I'm not a massive fan of lipgloss to begin with, I'm much more of a lipstick girl and I really can't stand that tacky feeling some lipgloss' give. Many of them I find really hard to apply smoothly and to be honest, I'm not even such a great fan of the super glossy lip on me anyway which defeats the object before it is even off the ground to be fair. 

However, this one I picked up is lovely, the consistency is beautiful, it applys really smoothly with a really nice applicator and the finish, although it promises to be matte, I wouldn't a 100% agree with and I'd call it more of a satin but I imagine with a very thin layer, you could probably find a way of making it a little more matte. 

The shade I have is from the I heart nude collection which I must admit I really like. I've tried a few products now and across the board it seems to be going strong. The colour of this gloss is my sort of nude, with a warm undertone but enough 'nude' to make it work for school and heavy eye makeup days. It's really flattering on my skin tone and I can see myself getting a lot of wear from it. 

Another highlight of this product is the smell. Most of these cheaper products tend to have the same vanilla scent to all of their products but essence is 

different. This product in particular has a really lovely marshmallow scent to it, that strangely also reminds me of cookie dough. It's definitely one of those products you wish you could eat. And of course that is always a bonus with lip products, you don't want to be putting something disgusting on your lips at the end of the day.

I'm also impressed with the wear time

Of this product and when it does fade, it fades really evenly so there is no need to reapply every hour. I'd say the actual colour would last a couple of hours tops but for a lipgloss like this, I'd say that was pretty damn good. 

Tha packaging isn't the most beautiful, granted but for the super low price of £2.80 (correct me if I'm wrong) I cannot complain for a single second. I'll defiantly be trying more of this range and id certainly reccomend it. 

Thanks for bearing with me, I have loads of exams at the moment and I'm struggling to find time for anything at the moment so I promise I'll try and keep posting but I'll defiantly be more regular post June 4th when they end. 

Thanks guys! 

Nivea Express Hydration Primer...

Hi guys!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, i haven't given up! I've had exams, school, and then my phone broke just as I was about to get back to it, so this is being posted through the best boyfriend in the world Joshyy, so it's been a bit difficult to post recently, but I'm back with a reasonably recent new love of mine.

As you know, because I've babbled on about it loads of times, I have ridiculously dry skin, to the point in which it becomes difficult to buy skin products that work properly rather than irritate or make it worse. This really was a great discovery for me and if I, one of the fussiest people when it comes to skincare, can truly rave about this product, then I think it's worth a shot.

When I went into my local Wilko's, I was looking for essence products which you know I love, and just out of interest and in need of a new moisturiser, I had a quick look round the skincare aisle. I was quite surprised about the range of products they stocked, and having never seen this product before, I picked it up just to see how I felt about it, and I actually really like it! Generally I really like Nivea products as a basic skincare essentials brand, but this seems a little different.

As a primer, it works really well. It sits really nicely under foundation and gives the skin a nice radiance to it by itself without looking too greasy. As a person who's never really NEEDED a primer as foundations tend to sit and stay on my skin pretty well, bar the odd dry patch or blemish, I can't really say it's made a huge difference in terms of prolonging the wear time or finish of my everyday face products, although I can say that it's definitely stopped, or at least helped prevent my skin getting dried out as easily.

The application is much like a gel. Super light, and feels really smoothing and comfortable on the skin. It absorbs, as the name suggests, very quickly and I can definitely say it makes my skin much softer and smoother. It also has something that, to me, is a little bit different, as with the gel formula, it's super cooling and soothing on the skin.

Another thing I love about this product is definitely the smell. It's really light and almost floral, but it doesn't hang around for long, so it's pleasant but comfortable.

The product also comes in two types, for normal and dry skin, and is also suitable for people with sensitive skin, so there is an option for everyone, regardless of skin type.

This primer is definitely one of my favourites, I've been using this one for a very long time, and in fact am almost in need of a new one, and I can say for sure I will definitely repurchase. For the money, which comes  to £4.99, I would definitely say it's worth a shot. Also, from what I've noticed, it is a lot more readily available and it was just me being unobservant when I said I had never seen it before.

I hope this has been helpful for some people, thanks for reading and I'll try to keep a bit more regular with my posting.

Thanks guys! x

I'd just like to add, regarding the instant hydration claim, in the 20 seconds I had the cream swatched on my hand, I'd say half of it had already absorbed.

:)

Miracle complexion sponge....

Now, I'm very passionate about makeup brushes. I totally think they are worth investing in a few in order to get your skin  looking as perfect as possible.

I've always fancied trying the beauty blender to see whether it was all it is supposed to be. Many people rave about it but to me as well as many other people I just felt a bit apprehensive about spending £20 on a sponge, which I could spend on other products that I know I will love, rather then something that may not be worth the hype. 

I also always knew that real techniques, being a bit of a real techniques junkie, had a similar sponge that claimed to do similar things. But somehow I had always managed to pick up a brush that I'd thought I'd like more, or decided I didn't need it when I picked it up on the shelf. But due to a 3 for 2 offer in boots a few weeks ago on all Real Techniques products, I needed something around the same price as the £8 of the concealer brush I had picked up. Enter the miracle complexion sponge. 

And I am shocked at how long it took me to invest in one of these in hindsight. 

I love it! To the extent where I no longer have the desire to buy the beauty blender because for the significantly lower price I don't know how the expensive sponge could do anything so much more amazing then the cheaper sponge to justify an extra £14 spending on it.

The product itself you use damp. Just pop it under a running tap for a couple of seconds and squeeze it out. It's pretty cool seeing it double in size when it gets wet and then when you squeeze it out, getting smaller but not much.  If I had to criticise at the point, I'd say the sponge seems to retain a little more water then I'd maybe like, but that's just me being nit picky. Then you simply dip it in your foundation and apply and it use such little product but applies it so evenly and beautifully that even on my majorly problematic skin, it covers redness and imperfections beautifully without drying out my skin at all. 

The shape of the sponge means it's super easy to use and blend over large portions of the face but also to be able to focus on smaller areas such as under the eyes and round the nose with the pointed and flat sides. 

I've also seen people use it with not only foundation but with powder, blush and contour also, but I can't say that I've tried that myself, but I'll be sure to have a go sometime. Who knows I might love that too! 

In conclusion, I genuinely think this is one of the best budget makeup application product on the market and it is pretty much faultless in doing what it says in the tin in my case. It may not work for everyone with every skin type so I can only speak for myself, but I would recommend this very highly and for only £5.99 it is defiantly worth the risk, especially if you are thinking about picking up the beauty blender.

I'll probably do a brush review shortly as they are probably one of my biggest collective passions, which may be a bit sad but I don't care :) 

I've only got three exams next week left and then i have lots of spare time in order to churn out a few more posts a bit more often so bare with me, I've not given up yet. 

Thanks guys! 

Jo x 

Sorry....

Sorry for not posting much recently I'll try to do a proper post later on today or tomorrow. 

Why you ask? 

A levels are a bitch. 

Enough said. 

Thanks guys x 

Favourite people.

Hi guys!

Just pictures of my favourites on our adventures because I've had a really great weekend with them all before exams start and they are definatly my favourites. I couldn't ask for better friends and they are always here when I need them, I love them all so much, I thought it was time to dedicate a post to these nuggets.

I'll be back to normal reveiws next time sorry :)

Me, Charlotte, Hannah, Jake, Richard and Josh

Me, Josh, Jake, Richard, Charlotte and Hannah

Charlotte, Hannah, Me and Emma 

*from top picture* Richard, Josh, Me, Laura, Liam, Jake and Jake (I know confusing right) 

I'm not going through this lot, but my NCS buddies :)

Me and Charlotte 

Me and Jake 

Me and Laura 

Me and Josh

Me and Richard 

Charlotte, Jake, Josh, Richard and me 

NCS buddies once again :) 

Jake, Jake, me, Richard, Laura, Liam and Hannah :) 

Tah for being awesome everyone x 

Portable Power!

I've got an iPhone that barely ever keeps charge, it's a bit ridiculous really. But after a suggestion from my boyfriend and being in awe of his portable charger for a while I decided I should invest. 

Now this is the only one I've tried so, to be fair, I am rather bias. But for the money and charge output I'm super happy with this and couldn't live without it anymore! 

I bought this off amazon for about £20 a few months ago and now I barely go anywhere without this dropped in my bag. 

It's small and compact, light, easy to use and is so unbelievably handy especially if like me, your phone doesn't hold much charge. It comes in like an cushiony case as you can see in the picture which is handy too, as you don't need to take it out to charge it or see how much charge is left and it keeps it safe from being bashed in your handbag by all the crap pooling round the bottom in my case. 

Without the case, as you can see it's chic and slim, nothing fancy although I like the shiny plastic it's made from, I think it's pretty unisex and obviously the look isn't what it's all about, it meant to be practical, but I think they've found the balance of practical and stylish to some degree. 

The charging time for the actual battery, okay, is kind of long, but if I leave it overnight plugged in, it's fully charged by morning so that's what I do most of the time which is fine with me. 

It has two USB charging ports and a micro USB to charge the actual battery. This is good obviously because your not just limited to your phone as most chargers these days are USB cables. I've been saying 'phone charger' a lot, but that's just what I use it for primarily, doesn't mean it can't be used for something else for you! 

The most impressive part however, is that  it not only holds about 5 full phone charges dependent on the phone of course, but it also charges the phone super quickly much faster, I've found, then plugging it in the mains, which is pretty damn cool. 

My friend has a smaller one, but that holds less charge than this for the same price which makes me feel that this one is definatly worth the money. 

My charger is by ANKER and I got it off amazon for £20, I can guarantee it's worth it's weight in gold for people on the go a lot whose phone means a lot to them, like moi. 

Anyway, thanks guys x 

I'm sorry I've not been posting as much, I've got my AS level exams coming up and I'm having to devote my time to revising so much, it's not fun. Although I'll post when I can and it'll all be back to normal in a couple weeks. 

Jo :) x