I came across this moisturiser at a duty free shop going for two for $15 so how could I resist!? These types of gel like textured moisturisers always grab my attention because I usually feel they are usually the best type for my combination/oily skin. However my previous regular Garnier moisturiser isn't as gel-like, it has a slightly more creamy feel to it, which I like as it's a pleasant contrast to the more gel-like textured moisturisers I tend to opt for. My current moisturiser is completely different as it has a lovely rich velvety texture, it's a dream to use! Definitely my HG moisturiser, unfortunately it's been discontinued but I will be doing a post about it just because I think it's so amazing!! Also, you'll all know about it if it should ever come back on the shelves hehe, anyway back to the review...
Texture - The first thing I noticed about this moisturiser is its texture is similar to Clinique's Moisture Surge. In comparison I would say that Clinique Moisture Surge is slightly thicker in texture while L'oreal Hydrafresh Actice Day has a lighter feel to it.
Scent - The scent, in my opinion, is absolutely lush! The words that come to mind when thinking about the scent would be fresh, zesty, citrus, and zingy. It's got a very refreshing 'awake' scent which makes it a pleasure to use just after an invigorating afternoon shower! It's quite strong but seeing as the scent is so nice I don't find it overbearing or annoying, though if you're the type who prefers subtly scented moisturisers or with no scent all together I don't think you'd appreciate this moisturiser's moderately potent scent.
"Enriched with calcium, magnesium and Vitamin C, E, B5" this moisturiser is aimed at normal/combination skin and claims to lock in hydration, intensely moisturise, refresh and reinvigorate the skin. Sounds amazing right?? Ha, but is it?? Well, I have to say I really liked this moisturiser! I do feel like it's a cheaper lighter dupe for the Moisture Surge which I quite like so if you like that give this a go if you're trying to save the pennies. I had been reaching for this on drier days when I felt like I needed more moisture than my Garnier Youthful Radience offers me. It smells gorgeous, feels lovely massaging it into your skin and it sinks in nicely leaving your skin feeling quenched with moisture. I find it best to use this moisturiser sparingly or else it doesn't absorb completely into my combination/oily skin. I don't think I'd use this in hotter humid conditions.
Verdict: 10/10 as I don't have anything bad to say about this moisturiser! If you like light fresh feeling moisturisers I definitely would recommend this one. What are your favourite light and gel-like moiturisers?
So I recently went to Primark to get some PJs and ooobviously I came out with things I wasn't even planning to buy as per usual. Then, I went back to exchange the PJs and I guess you can imagine what happened again.. In my defence all the things I got were mega bargains! I only really like to buy Primark clothes when they're on sale as a lot of the time I don't think the full price is worth it. A lot of the time you're better off paying a bit more in a shop that sells better quality clothes. Don't get me wrong, Primark is great but you obviously aren't going to get the same quality you get in places like Mango, Zara.. etc. I have to say, even George at Asda is sometimes better than Primarni quality-wise and sells things at more or less the same prices. Things that I think are definitely value for money are of course items for the home, slippers and PJs, knickers, some accessories and a few other bits and bobs. Anyway, when there are good discounts going on at Primark I definitely think you get your money's worth for the quality your paying for, a cute chiffon top for a fiver? Yes please! Check out my haul below or here! xx
Halloween is slowly approaching meaning lots of fancy dress parties wohoo! If you're going anywhere as a princess or Barbie try out this super simple pink look! It's not as subtle as it appears in the pictures, I think the flash must have something to do with that as the eyeshadow actually looks a lot more bubble-gummy face to face. The inner corner colour practically looks the same as the rest but I assure you it's not! If you'd like to see how I did it then click here to see the vid!
Products Used ❧ Palettes: La Femme Shimmer Palette, Fash Warm Palette, Fraulein 120 colour palette ❧ Helena Rubenstein eyeshadow in Plum Cognac ❧ Clarins Super Restorative Foundation True Lift ❧ MAC Studio Fix ❧ Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer ❧ Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow Brick - Sunshine ❧ Estée Lauder Satin Cream Blush in 02 Mauve Light ❧ MUA blush in shade 2 ❧ Carmex lip balm ❧ Vult cor 29
Face - MAC Studio Fix, Estée Lauder Satin Cream Blush in 02 Mauve Light,
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer & 'Sunshine' from Bobbi
Brown Shimmer Brick Eye Palette as highlighter
Lips - Bourjois Rouge á Levres lipstick in 41 Sweet Kiss/Beige élégant
Eyes - Fraulein 120 Color Palette, Fash Warm Palette, La Femme Shimmer palette, L'oreal Volume Million Lashes mascara & Sleek clear mascara
Hi beautylicious lurrvs! Excited about getting more use out of my bargainous Amazon eyeshadow palettes, I thought I'd share a FOTD post with you! Conincidently it actually matches my top which I only just realised hehe. The purples and main gold are from the Fraulein palette, my brow bone highlighter was from the Fash palette and my inner eye corner highlighter was from the La Femme palette.
I applied the gold all over my lid then a light purple in the crease and blended it out. I then layered a darker purple over the lighter purple to intensify and continued to blend. The colour I used on my brow bone was a creamy warm colour so if you've got fairer skin you may prefer to use a lighter colour than that. I tend to opt for highlighters that aren't too light as I feel they don't work as well for my skin tone. Lastly I subtly lined my upper and lower lash line with a shimmery purple and the golds in the corners of my eyes. For my lashes I applied clear mascara as usual on my lower lashes and L'oreal's Volume Million Lashes to my upper lashes.
So there you have it, my purple and gold FOTD. I love it and got a few compliments on it so I'll definitely be going back to this one again in the future! Good vibes and peace to y'all, hope all has been wonderful. See you in Luxe 'n' Lush's next post! xoxo
Here's a quick 2-in-1 OOTD and FOTD post after neglecting my blog for a wee while!
Blazer - Danity
Dress-top - H&M
Leggings - Print Rip
Shoes - Primark
Bag - M&S
Rings - Both from same shop in Belo Horizonte, Brazil (can't remember the name right now but will update!)
Earrings - Todomoda (Argentina)
(Screw studs are my every day second hole earrings I got as a present for my 15th birthday)
The weather in London today was quite mild so I managed to wear my blazer without feeling a chill unlike Thursday and Friday which were a pretty chilly couple of days!
Face - MAC Face and Body, Collection 2000 concealer
Cheeks - MAC Creamblend Blush Posey over Sleek Coral
Eyes - MUA Going for Gold shade 5 and Bobbi Brown Tangerine from Shimmer Brick Palette in inner corners
Lashes - Maybelline Colossal Lash Effect
Brows - MUA Matte Eyeshadow shade 19
Lips - Nothing as lippy had faded
I'm back in the UK after being away for quite a while so I hadn't heard of let alone tried any MUA products until not too long ago. How I was missing out, I've been so eager to try out the products and now I've finally got my hands on a few things I love MUA! With a nice price for everything plus decent quality you can't go wrong! I just love the colours of the Going for Gold palette and the Undressed palette is great, so much so I'm not sure whether I'll get Urban Decay's Naked Palette any more. Take note that these FOTD pics were taken at the end of the day and I did not use any eye primer so the eyeshadow's staying power is pretty good for having paid only £3 for the palette (Superdrug deal whoop!)!!
I'm on a spending ban right now so I better not even step inside any Superdrugs or else tottering over to the MUA stand to 'take a peek' will be extremely tempting!
So this past week I've had my eye on some L'occitane products which have easily found their way into my wish list! With the weather being quite dry my skin has been feeling a bit dehydrated and I feel like my usual Garnier Youthful Radience Day Cream Moisturiser (which I love) isn't cutting it. I apply it and it absorbs pretty quickly (as usual) but my skin still feels slightly dry after the moisturiser has been fully absorbed. I even tried using E45 one day instead but that proved to be a bit too much for my combination/oily skin.
L'occitane's Angelica Hydration Cream promises to smooth, hydrate and plump up your skin. This is what L'occitane says about it:
"Made with organic angelica from the Drome region of France, the fresh and silky smooth Angelica Hydration Cream efficiently moisturises and revitalises the skin. L'OCCITANE's patented angelica complex reinforces natural skin hydration by stimulating aquaporines, improves skin elasticity and protects from free radicals. Skin is plumped, smoothed and more radiant."
Sounds like exactly what I need right now! This moisturiser is for dry to normal skin but I'd still like to give it a go to see if it can solve my 'oily-but-dehydrated-skin' problem!
With the whole sleep line thing doing my head in I'm still on the hunt for something that will moisturise the area under my eyes and keep moisturising for a good amount of time. I've switched to using olive oil but by morning the skin under my eyes has completely absorbed all the oil and it's as if I never put anything there in the first place as the skin is slightly dry. So, I'm thinking this Fabulous Serum may help in that area. Here is the info about it on L'occitane's website:
"This serum with repairing and protective properties is specially formulated to rescue skin damaged by harsh conditions. Ideal for all skin types, the Fabulous Serum will repair prior damage and will protect the skin in the future: "Repairing effect : Concentrated in natural origin hyaluronic acid, which has a “plumping” powers, the serum instantly smoothes fine dehydration lines leaving skin looking smooth and plum. A complex of cereal and dried fruits extracts (wheat, chestnut and walnut extracts) helps to regenerate the skin by stimulating cellular renewal and helping to reactivate the lipid synthesis. Protecting effect: Rich in shea butter (5%), it helps to restore skin barrier function, to protect against harsh climate conditions and maintain an optimal hydration level for 24 hours. The protective shea shield extract, with anti-pollution and antioxidant properties, helps to strengthen the skin’s to environmental damage. The Fabulous Serum has an incredibly smooth, creamy texture, which sinks in immediately for instant radiance and a beauty boost. The skin is visibly repaired, instantly smoothed, soft and supple."
It's quite pricy at £30 for 30ml but I guess it would last for a long time just using it under my eyes.
The Immortelle Brightening Cleansing Foam is suitable for all skin types and claims to even out your skin tone and make it radiant. Now, I'm not really sure if I believe you can enjoy these benefits by using this cleanser but it sound really nice to use! What L'occitane says:
The Brightening Cleansing Foam is a very gentle face cleanser, enriched in immortelle floral water and citrus fruit peel to lighten the complexion. The skin is perfectly clean, soft, fresh and comfortable. Complexion is evenly-toned and radiant. Suitable for all skin types. Use every morning and night on wet skin, avoiding the eye contour area.
Last but not least on my L'occitane list is the Sorbet Verbena Fresh Mist. This sounds like a dream to use on your face for an instant pick me up!
"The Sorbet Verbena Fresh Mist is an alcohol-free formula that intensely refreshes the skin and maintains its hydration level, leaving behind a delicate perfume with summery notes of citrus and mint. Energize yourself with this mist, which contains an organic verbena extract from Corsica. Packaged in a convenient travel-sized bottle, this mist is perfect to keep with you throughout the day."
The last three things on my wishlist this week are Urban Decay's Smoked palette, Lilacquer's The Fifth Element Collection nail varishes (yep all of them! The colours are just gorgeous! Check them out in this blog!) and Revlon's Colorstay Whipped Foundation.
The Colorstay Whipped Foundation gives buildable to full coverage and provides a matte finish. It comes in 16 shades and claims to be heat and humidity proof. I do like matte foundations due to having oily skin but I also like a more natural dewy finish to my face so if this foundation were to be too matte I'd just 'dew it up' a bit with a good facial spray! Initially I thought the texture would be like Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse (did not like the texture and finish at all when I tried it out once) however, I've seen some reviews on it on YouTube and the texture is mostly described as being liked whipped cream rather than a mousse and the finish isn't too matte which is good. Would be great if the foundation were packaged in a pump bottle or tube rather than a jar.
Having seen a blog post about UD's Smoked Palette I'm in luuurve =) It's the perfect palette for traveling for its size, packaging and range of colours that enable you to create more soft and subtle day looks and update them to more daring and dramatic night looks! The palette comes with a 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion, a travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion and a booklet with 12 smoky eye look ideas. This has got to be number one on this wish list!
That's it for wish list #1. Let's see how many out of these I manage to get, eh?! Hehe, what's on your latest wish list? x
"O M G" is the best way to describe my reaction after taking off my latest favourite facial mask!! No joke! I have never seen such amazing results after using ANY type of cosmetic product EVER. But I never do expect anything amazing when I use a new product, especially gimmicky ones even if their cunning marketing ploys did manage to make me buy the damn thing. So what am I talking about?? I'll give you a clue.. it's a curry ingredient staple.. yep you've guessed it.. Turmeric! Okay, I'm aware that turmeric masks are nothing new but I never actually tried one out until last night. I've read in many places about the many benefits of turmeric which include anti acne and anti aging properties just to mention a couple. Check out a few other great benefits below:
Helps to prevent and treat acne.
Helps to treat fine lines and wrinkles.
It has antiseptic properties and helps to reduce inflammation.
Evens out skin tone.
Reduces facial hair.
Exfoliates your skin.
Now these are just some of the benefits gained from using turmeric on your skin, there are a whole load of other benefits to be gained when consuming turmeric such as helping to detoxify the liver. You can read about more of the amazing benefits of turmeric here.
There are many recipes for turmeric face masks around and most of them contain gram flour (chickpea flour) in the ingredients but I didn't have any so I used oat flour instead. Here is my recipe:
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp oat flour
enough milk to make the turmeric and oat flour into a paste
a few drops of sunflower oil for its moisturising properties
I left the mixture on my face for around 20 minutes until it was all dry and removed it with water and a facial sponge. Result? Amazing glowing baby soft skin! My skin not only felt soft but it looked it too! And it was all glowy and marvelous [contented face ahhh]. My skin has decided to go a bit haywire this past week so I've been left with quite a few hyperpigmentation marks =[ so I'll be using this turmeric mask on my face every other day to see if it helps with that. If you do try this out bear in mind that although the mask will not stain your face it will stain fabric, so make sure you're wearing clothes you don't mind getting stained in case the turmeric gets on them.
Well I hope you found this post helpful and I hope you try this turmeric face mask out and find it as amazing as I do!
Heya lurrvly lurvlies! I went to have lunch at a lovely lakeside restaurant last week:
I've been before and I find it a bit expensive but I guess it's worth it just for the amazing location! The weather was gorgeous, food was delish, company was great.. so all in all it was a fab way to spend a Sunday! Here's what I wore:
Denim dress - Siberian
Leggings - Indoor clothes market
Ring - Market
Bangles - Primark and artesenal market in Sintra - Portugal
Earrings - Todomoda
Sunglasses - Motorway restaurant/shop
Sandals - Rosefini
Nails - RIVKA Ventania
The earrings I wore were the green ones I got at Todomoda in Buenos Aires.
I'm pretty much obsessed with chromatic and metallic nail varnish at the moment so I'm loving RIVKA's Ventania, it's such a gorgeous colour! I'll do a NOTW post so you can get a better look.
If you'd like to see how I did my make-up check out my Get Ready With Me video here. Hope you all have been having a lovely week, do you know any restaurants in lush locations? Which one is your favourite?
CVS/pharmacy presents Nuance Salma Hayek: An Introduction
So I'm pretty late in discovering Salma Hayek's NUANCE beauty line but hey, it's better late than never eh? Nuance, which was created by Salma Hayek with CVS in 2011 offers a wide range of beauty products from eye make-up remover to body scrub. The idea behind the brand is to offer great quality products at pocket friendly prices. Unfortunately the line is still not available in the UK so I'll just have to keep lusting over the products until something is done to make NUANCE Salma Hayek available to UK customers! Here are just a few of the products that caught me eye:
As I mentioned in my last post I've never worried about anti-aging gimicks before until the whole sleep line thing started to make me slightly obsessive! I've seen pretty good reviews about this and would really like to try it. This is what CVS says about it: "Nuance Salma Hayek Anti-Aging Wrinkle Filler Eye Serum is a rollerball with acacia senegal gum & vitamin C. Instantly improves the appearance of skin firmness, while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Acacia senegal gum helps tone, tighten and firm the delicate skin around the eye area for a more youthful-looking appearance. Vitamin C helps revitalize the skin. Lumisphere, an instant skin brightener, gives the skin a healthy-looking glow. Clinically tested. Dermatologist tested. Fragrance free. Paraben free. Not tested on animals."
Nuance Salma Hayek Wild Lime Exfoliating Facial Gel
This sounds like a treat to use! Packed with natural ingredients it contains fruit acids to gently exfoliate the skin so should help with annoying skin complaints like blackheads and whiteheads (not to be confused with pustules!). What CVS says: "Nuance Salma Hayek Wild Lime Exfoliating Facial Gel is made with fruit acids, neem leaf extract & green tea. Gentle enzyme exfoliation enhances tone and texture for a smooth, radiant complexion. Wild Lime fruit blend, rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids, helps restore skin''s balance. Fruit acids gently exfoliate to enhance skin tone and texture. Neem Leaf Extract''s cleansing properties help maintain a smooth, clear complexion. Mushroom extract promotes gentle exfoliation for a brighter, even skin tone. Green tea helps retain skin''s youthful glow. Dermatologist tested. Paraben free. Non-irritating. Not tested on animals. Allergy tested."
Nuance Selma Hayek Passion Fruit Nourishing Body Cleansing Cream
This must smell gorgeous! I imagine it must feel lovely and luxurious to use. CVS says: "With acai, shea butter & rice bran oil. Moisture rich lather helps condition and soothe for soft, silky skin. Passion fruit, acai & rice bran oil help moisturize and strengthen, and restore skin's vitality. Shea butter helps smooth and soften skin for a healthy-looking glow. Non-irritating. Paraben free. Allergy free. Not tested on animals."
I imagine this scrub smells just as gorgeous as the Passion Fruit Nourishing Body Cleansing Cream probably smells! With walnut shell powder, açaí, annato seed and rice bran oil in the ingredients this body scrub must leave your skin feeling amazing after using it! CVS says: "With acai, annatto seed & rice bran oil. Rich exfoliation designed to smooth skin's texture and add moisture. Walnut Body Scrub. Crushed walnut shells help remove dead skin cells, leaving skin clean and smooth. Acai & passion flower seed oils soften, nourish and help retain moisture. Annatto seed & rice bran oils condition, soothe and calm dry, itchy skin. Caffeine helps firm and tone skin. Non-irritating. Paraben free. Allergy tested. Not tested on animals."
Nuance Salma Hayek Raw Honey Color Protect shampoo
OK, so I don't have coloured hair but anything with honey in it automatically grabs my attention! I love honey, it's AMAZING. This shampoo also contains soy protein for manageability which is a plus for dried out hair. CVS says: "With soy protein, cornflower extract & acai moisture complex. Rich moisture and nutrient protection for strong, healthy-looking hair. Honey helps condition hair for intense moisture and shine. Soy protein helps add body and manageability. Cornflower extract helps enhance color-treated hair. Acai, passion fruit & rice bran oil help prevent split ends and dryness for soft, silky hair. Paraben free. Not tested on animals."
With evening primrose oil and shea butter goodness along with lots of other natural moisturisers such as beeswax and jojoba oil this must be a real treat for the lips while providing a bit of colour at the same time. Could it be a match to the Korres lip butters?CVS says: "Nuance Salma Hayek Hydrating Balm Rose Petal is made with evening primrose & shea butter. Rose Petal Hydrating Balm Evening Primrose, rich in essential fatty acids, helps condition skin and ease irritation. Shea Butter helps provide long-lasting nourishment for soft, smooth skin. Paraben free. Not tested on animals.
Beauty Secret: For centuries, Native Americans extracted the oil from the Evening Primrose wildflower to help heal skin all over the body. The first American settlers shipped the oil back to their native England to share its abilities to soothe dry skin. Made in Taiwan, ROC."
Ingredients: Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract, Carum Petroselinum (Parsley) Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Beeswax, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Sodium Hydroxystearate. May Contain: Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491,77492,77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 15850 (Red 6, Red 6 Lake, Red 7 Lake), CI 17200 (Red 33 Lake), CI 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), CI 15985 (Yellow 6 Lake), CI 47005 (Yellow 10 Lake), CI77861 (Tin Oxide).
These are just a few of the products I'd like to try, everything else in the NUANCE Salma Hayek line looks just as inviting! The line also has make-up for the eyes, lips and face including primer, tinted moisturiser, eyeshadow quads, a nifty three in one "creamy eyeshadow, shimmery highlighter and eyeliner" product and so on. As I mentioned above none of the products are available in the UK as of yet so hopefully they're working on that and the line will be available at some point at a UK supplier. Do correct me if I'm wrong! What do you think of the products I've mentioned? Have you tried any NUANCE Salma Hayek products?
I've never been one to worry too much about aging or wrinkles and only really started moisturising properly about a couple of years ago when I realised that oily skin needs a good moisturiser just as mush as other skin types do. However lately, every morning I had been noticing that I would wakeup with a really discrete fine line under my left eye. I had heard about 'sleep lines' before and I knew this line under my eye was because I sleep mostly on my left side. To rectify this problem I figured I just needed to use a heavier duty moisturiser under my eyes so I started to use E45 before I went to bed. The line didn't completely go away but it would be more prominent if I didn't use the E45. I wanted better results dammit! While thinking about what else I could use I decided that if I used something with a high level of vitamin E maybe I'd see better results, so, I gave my normal kitchen sunflower oil a whirl and wayhey! The next day the line was less noticeable than before! During the following the days the line quickly became practically non existent! I still use the E45 together with the oil (after I apply the oil), but if I had to choose one thing it would probably be the oil. So there you go, my newest beauty fav found in my kitchen! ♥
