2 Favourites from The Body Shop

When The Body Shop is on offer, that’s the time to strike. So recently, when they had 40% off sale, I bought one old favourite and one other product which has managed to weasel its way into my favourites list.

My old favourite is the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. (£12.00/200ml) This was the first ever cleansing oil I had ever used and to this day I still am in love with cleansing oils. I remember when this used to be the cult beauty product that so many bloggers and YouTubers spoke about years ago. Using this now, the smell is still the same - It’s so nostalgic! The consistency is quite watery but that means it’s light on the skin, it’s easy to massage into the skin and remove every single scrap of makeup. I love that it comes with a pump too, however it does make the product not as travel friendly! If you have never tried cleansing oils, they are a brilliant way to take off makeup which doesn’t dry the skin out. As an oily skinned girl, I was so afraid of using oils as my face produces more than enough, but cleansing oils don’t leave any greasy residue on your face and can remove a full face of makeup in  under 30 seconds.

If you are a fan of massaging your face, this Camomile Cleansing Oil is a good oil to use because of the consistency, like I said earlier it’s so light on the skin and a little goes a long way. Massaging is great as it's increasing circulation to your face and so can help to brighten and tighten the skin.

My new favourite is the Skin Defence Multi-Protection Essence SPF 50 (£17.00/40ml). I think SPF is so important to have in your skincare, even if you live in dreary place like England. SPF has been proven to be a good anti-ageing product, as it is protecting your skin from UVA rays (which causes the skin to age) and UVB rays  (which can damage the skins surface). So even though it looks like the sun isn’t there, both UVA and UVB rays can still be harmful. In the past I used to ensure that my moisturiser or my foundation has some sort of SPF included, which is probably better than wearing no SPF but now I am completely sold on doing my best to protect my skin.

So back to this Skin Defence SPF, I love it because it’s so light on the skin, it doesn’t feel like a heavy extra layer. It sinks into the skin within seconds, mimicking a serum. The colour is white too, which I was hesitant about as old sunscreens used to leave a greyish white residue which would make me, an average Indian girl, look like a dull ghost. This product left no white/grey marks or any marks at all, I was amazed. It sits so well under makeup too, not interfering with it or clogging up my skin either. If you are looking for an SPF then this is the one to get. It has all the protection with none of the fuss or faff so no-one has an excuse not to wear SPF.

So those are my two favourites from The Body Shop which I am sure I will repurchase. I normally love to buy their candles too, however they were all sold out when I bought these online! I would love to know what your go-to products are from The Body Shop. Finally, be sure to follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date with my posts!

A Trio of Smashbox Primers

Primers are the marmite of makeup products some people love them and others just don't see the point. 

I love wearing a primer before applying my makeup as it adds an extra barrier between my skincare and makeup, and can help makeup to last longer and look more flawless.

I bought the Smashbox Holidaze Photo Finish Travel Primer Trio ($15.00/3 products) on sale in Sephora while I was out in Boston. I couldn't resist this purchase as I've never actually tried any primers from Smashbox so the opportunity to try three new primers seemed too good to pass up.

First of all, how cute is this packaging, I love the gold metallic with the slight Aztec floral theme - it's different from anything else I own. I also love that all the products are still packaged similarly to their full sized equivalent as sometimes with travel sized products brands will change the lids or nozzles. Although it's marketed as 'travel sized', you do get a fair amount of product - I think this set will last me around 3-4 months which is fab. I've tried all three primers now (my favourite type of 'homework'!) so I will outline my thoughts on all three. 

The Smashbox Photo Finish Smooth & Blur Primer (12ml) is a cult classic and is one of the most iconic primers out there. This primer has a slight silicone feel, which means it glides over and fills your pores leaving you with a smoother and flawless finish. I like to pat this into my t-zone, where I know my pores are more noticeable. If this is something you look for in a primer then this is the one to get, it's ideal for events where you might be chasing that perfected look. 

This product is similar to others I have tried in the past, which was probably created in the image of this Smashbox primer - the L'Oreal Infallible primer is similar in terms of function, however is more greasy in texture.

The Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water (30ml) came out not that long ago and I really didn't see the hype. However trying it now, I actually really like this primer. I use it after my skincare and just spritz a few times directly onto my face, I press the product into my skin and it leaves me with a very slight tacky feel that's almost undetectable. After this, I continue with my makeup routine, and it just adds that slight barrier in a refreshing way. It's just a really nice product. It's multi-purpose as you can also set your makeup with this afterwards and also refresh your makeup during the day too. If you like the idea of wearing something super light that you can also take with you then this is the product for you. 

Lastly the Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer (15ml), which I believe is the newest out of the three primers. This primer is supposed to be a fusion between a moisturiser and a primer - meaning that you could skip the moisturising step if you wanted to. I don't do that, and I apply this as a stand-alone primer. This primer is lighter in texture and also on the more liquidy side. This is the product to use if you are looking for longevity in your primer. It's lightweight and sinks quickly into the skin ready to be followed up by your makeup. I'm a massive fan of this primer - it's similar to the Too Faced Hangover Primer which is one of my all time favourites. If you are interested I would definitely try this in store to feel the texture.

My taste in primers has definitely changed, a year or two ago I would have been besotted with the Original Photo Finish Primer because that's all I wanted from a primer, however now the Primer Water and the Primerizer are the types of primers which just helps your makeup look fresher for longer and so are great additions to my mini collection!

I would love to know if you have tried any of these three primers and what your thoughts were! If you have a favourite primer, please feel free to let me know in the comments below and I will go and check them out! 

Review: Estèe Lauder Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelèe

If there is one product that is more of a princess product, it has to be highlighter. Even knowing that I still own about seven in my collection. I love them and I know I don’t need anymore – so I should exercise some self-control. Maybe. 

I actually prefer more of a subtle glowy look. It's not that natural that people won’t necessarily know, however people won’t get blinded if they look at me either - that's the look I generally go for. 

Back to the topic at hand, I will admit it now, I bought a highlighter. It’s the Estèe Lauder Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelèe ($47.00/7g) which is absolutely stunning. The packaging is nicely weighted and opens like an old fashioned compact, when opened you can see the product on one side and also a mirror on the other. The product itself looks lovely, it has this slightly mosaic design that gives it more of a luxury feel, with a spectrum of shimmery bronze tones.

 

I bought the colour ‘Mirage’, which was the darkest and I was concerned that perhaps it might be too dark, however it’s absolutely perfect, meshing in seamlessly with my bronzer. I think if you have darker skin, this might come up as being more golden, rather than bronze. This is a product where I feel like a Victoria's Secret Model when I have it on, it’s like that perfect amount of highlight to actually highlight your features, not too overpowering but not too subtle either - it’s the perfect medium - giving that glowy healthy look to the skin. Currently, it has been the product that I have been reaching for on a daily basis because I just feel like I can get away with it more than other highlighters in my collection - I am obsessed. 

I did buy this on the Estèe Lauder website when it was on promotion as a free product so I'm not sure that they sell this through their normal website, however I was able to locate it on their US website. If you do manage to see this product, swatch it because it just feels amazing, super soft and not powdery at all. So I think we can firmly say that I am besotted with this product! So if you want the Bronze Goddess look, then look no further! 

I hope you enjoyed this mini review of my latest obsession - did any of you manage to get this promotion? I would love to hear what your thoughts are on this product! 

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Product Empties!

Is it just me, or when I love products they just run out quicker? I have a a few empties that I wanted to share my thoughts on because I either haven't mentioned them or I have loved them so much that they deserve another shout-out!

The first product I want to talk about is the first thing I put on my face when it's freshly cleansed which is The Ordinary 'Buffet' Serum (£12.70/30ml). I have been using this product for the last 6 months, and I'm currently halfway into my second bottle and have a third in waiting. I am obsessed.  It's just a miracle worker, and the fact it's so affordable reinforces that you don't have to spend a lot of money for quality products. Anyone who has congested skin that is prone to breaking out would benefit from using this product as this just manages to stop spots from surfacing in the first place. Generally since using this product, the condition and texture of my skin has improved. I have used it religiously twice a day as the first step in my skincare, and follow up with a moisturiser. If my skin sounds similar to yours, then I urge you to try this product. 

I've finished two moisturisers too, both of which are more on the affordable end of high-end. The first is the travel sized Clinique Pep Start  Hydrorush SPF20 Moisturiser (£15.00/30ml). I like Clinique as a brand, their products generally agree with me and this Pep Start Range was no different. This moisturiser is fuss free and will appeal to most people but there is nothing particularly special about this product. I don't think I will buy it again, because there was nothing that stood out. I did use it all, and my skin didn't react badly to using it. I think when you start to spend more on skincare, you don't want it to be just something you don't mind using, the product should make you excited enough to continue to use it. The packing is cute as it's a colourful range but the material doesn't scream luxury either. I would say this is a product for the minimalist, who is happy with a product just doing it's job - nothing more and nothing less. 

The next moisturiser I finished was the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream SPF 30 (£24.50/30ml). This product is the complete opposite, I absolutely loved this product, because I feel like it hydrates your skin on the inside and the outside. A lot of moisturisers are geared more for hydration and being lightweight, and although your skin does drink it up, I find that the surface of my skin hasn't really noticed a different. This moisturiser will leave your skin feeling like it's been moisturised, which some people will like and others might not. I have oily skin and this didn't break me out despite being perhaps a bit heavier than the Clinique Pep Start. This has SPF 30 which is brilliant as it fully protects your skin, and has a slight peppermint scent, which makes it more of morning moisturiser too. I love this product, I would buy it again for sure, and I have already purchased a travel-sized  of the original Ultra Facial Moisturiser from Sephora whilst I was in Boston. I would recommend this to anyone who wants their moisturiser to perform on both a hydration and moisturising level. 

In terms of makeup, I've used up all of my Sephora Collection Smoothing Primer (€12.00/15ml). This primer is that kind of slippy silicone primer, that's similar to L'Oreal Paris Infallible Mattifying Primer (£8.99/35ml), but just less of a greasy feel. Although I enjoyed using this product, I haven't actually seen it anywhere other than in France, so I'm not sure it's sold anymore. I've kind of turned away from using this type of primer anyway. I think I prefer more hydrating primers, that tend to make foundations last longer than primers that smooth over pores. I think I'm just less concerned with having 'flawless' skin and more about enhancing my skin instead. So if you do see this around, it's a cute product that's super functional and hygienic and I would recommend it to anyone who does like the L'Oreal Paris Infallible, but I wouldn't say it's a product you need to run out and purchase. 

The last product is one that I don't think I have mentioned much on my blog. It's the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder (£29.00/29g). This product really nice - it's a finely milled powder that feels like nothing on the skin, and also doesn't make the skin look cakeyeither. I would love to purchase this product again, I'm aware that Laura Mercier has brought out a 'glow' version of this powder which I am super interested in. This is actually a product that I would recommend to anyone who needs a new powder, it lasts for ages and I've actually never heard a bad word about it either which is unusual! 

So that's about it for my empties, If you have tried any of these products I would be interested to hear your thoughts on them! So be sure to leave a comment!