Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede - A review

A few months ago, I was very lucky to get a sample of a Jo Malone fragrance.  I was so excited as Jo Malone fragrances are raved about here, there and everywhere and as I have always felt rather intimidated by how expensive the shop looks, I have never actually smelt any of the fragrances.  

The fragrance I received was the Peony and Blush Suede Cologne, which was released in September last year.  Described as 'The essence of charm'. This combines red apple, jasmine, rose and gillyflower with the deeper, sensousness of blush suede.

The sample was in the prettiest little box ever! 

Truthfully, I didn't get the hype and that is why it took me so long to post this as I have tried it many times in the hope that something would click but it just hasn't for me.  The scent is quite heavily floral with a slightly masculine edge to it but I do not detect the freshness of apple.  The scent of rose and jasmine is predominant for me with just a hint of something a bit deeper.  It dries down slightly less heavy and therefore slightly less over powering.

The wear time on this is quite brief, if I were religious about my fragrance, I would be topping it up every few hours and on a cost-per-wear basis, this would not be a cheap addiction!  This is most likely due to the fact that it is a Cologne rather than an Eau de Toilette.

Jo Malone fragrances are designed to be worn alone or layered and so I would be interested to see how this one, layered with a more fruity offering, would react.  

One day, I might actually make it over the doorstep as there are a few I wish to have a sniff of, white jasmine and mint and pomegranate noir are high on that list.

Oh, and if anyone can tell me if 'Blush Suede' is an actual thing, that would be great?!

Have you tried any Jo Malone fragrances?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Maybelline Dream Pure - A Review

Although I pretty much moan constantly about how spotty my jawline and chin area are at the moment, there are some days when I really don't want/ can't be bothered to apply a full face of slap and rather would prefer to let my skin breathe a little.  This is where 'Maybelline Dream Pure 8-in-1 BB Cream' comes in.

This is slightly different from the previously released 'Dream Fresh' bb from Maybelline.  The two main differences I can spot is that 'Fresh' has an SPF30 whereas this one, 'Pure' has and SPF15.  My initial thought for this being that the higher the SPF, the higher the pore clogging ability too (comedogenic properties if you like...).  This leads nicely onto the second difference between the two products, the 'Pure' version contains 2% Salicylic acid, which is fast gaining a reputation as one of the best spot fighting ingredients around.  

As always, the 'Light' in this range, is not particularly 'Light'! And gain, the tone leans slightly more yellow too.  Aside from that, the texture is nice and creamy without being too heavy and it blends in easily.  The coverage is light but if you use a brush to apply it, it is buildable.  It is very good at evening out the skin tone and although it doesn't disguise blemishes as such, it does mask some of the redness.  What is most important for me is the finished effect, it is not too matte and therefore doesn't cling to any dry patches however, it is not so dewy that it highlights bumps and blemishes.

It does contain Dimethicone which is a silicone, so something to be wary of if you are not keen on using silicone products on your skin.  I would also recommend to be careful if you have normal/dry skin types this may dry your skin out a wee bit.

As it is oil free, wear time is pretty good, you would get most of the day out of this, even longer if you use a matte primer or moisturiser before application. 

As for spot fighting abilities, I don't personally find this makes a difference to my breakouts but as they appear to be hormone related, there's only so much one can do from the outside!

For the price, I think this is a really good 'popping to the shops for milk' base and would definitely repurchase this.

Do you use BB Creams?

Do you put make up when you're going to the shops?!

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

And the highlight of this post is...

You may, or may not, have heard that theBalm Cosmetics are releasing a new luminzing,highlightering, shimmery shadow goodness in the form of 'Cindy Lou-Manizer a.k.a.The Con-tour Artist'. The swatches are making me hyperventilate! It is very pretty and looks to be a great shade for us pale skin girls.  I am waiting patiently until it arrives on our shores though, shipping off of theBalm website to Aberdeen is $25!  Thats one dollar more than the actual item itself!
I digress, seeing the new release made me take another glorious look at my 'Mary'.  This is one of the best highlighters I have tried and I thought I would do a comparison with a product from another of my favourite brands, Benefit.  

Meet 'Moon Beam' liquid highlighter and 'Mary-Lou Manizer' powder highlighter.

So lets start on ease of use.  'Mary' is nice and easy, just lightly dust across where you require a little glow and you're done.  The 'Moon Beam' is a bit trickier because it is liquid.  A little goes a long way with these liquid highlighters and it's usually best to just put a few dots along where you need it and then blend.  This is the bit I struggle with as I often feel I end up undoing my base to blend this.

So colour wise, initially they would appear in the same colour family, so to speak,  'Mary' is a bit of a lighter, champagne gold whereas the 'Moon Beam' has a bit more warmth to it. However, once you get to blending, that changes more than I had expected!

The 'Moon Beam' ends up with a reddish, apricot tone to it which is totally different to the 'Mary'.  The change is quite drastic, and although it is very pretty, it has the potential to change the make up look that you were intent on having. It's still nice and shimmery but on my pale skin, to suddenly have reddish tones along the top of my cheekbones makes me look a bit oddly flushed.  Not ideal if you were aiming for Kim K. style contours.

A few more pics just because I was thrown by how much the 'Moon Beam' changed!  

It's very pretty and on skin with a bit of a tan, the apricot tones would look gorgeous but for now, 'Mary' suits my paleface and my needs much better.

'Moon Beam' is discontinued now but that's not to say it won't come back, however, I did some digging and found a blog post by What Larry Loves, which compares 'Moon Beam' with a super cheap, easy to get a hold of alternative, if the colour sets you aflutter!

I got my 'Mary' from feelunique when they had a 10% off sale however I have noticed it has went from £15 to £16! Sad times!  Save your pennies up and wait for the sales folks! 

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Weekend Mani #20

So, last week when I posted my weekend mani, here, you would be forgiven for thinking that I had pretty much declared my undying love for 'My Current Crush'.  Being somewhat a polish harlot, I have a new love this week and it has left me wanting more! 

Meet 'Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow' an O.P.I Suede. 

This is why I love O.P.I.  This is essentially like a matte polish and was released maybe three years ago now, way before most other brands jumped on the textured bandwagon.

One coat in and things are looking a fair bit patchy but the essence of the colour was definitely there, a nice emerald green.  The shimmer appears very fine and not in a metallic or frosty kinda way. 

With a second coat, it begins to take on a whole new meaning! When first applied you can see glimmery, shimmery things starting to happen and then when it dries it has a gorgeous matte but better finish. 

This is two coats and the colour is a lovely, deep emerald green.  The texture feels quite nice too, there is no roughness to it.  As it is supposed to be a suede finish, topcoat is not recommended so that does narrow down wear time, I had a decent amount of tipwear 36 hours later but it was still presentable.  On the plus side, it dries pretty quick so you can do your two coats in less than 10 minutes. I have some pictures of this with various glitters etc which I might do as a wee collage, I just couldn't resist! 

Aaah, it's like someone took the evil dark fairy 'Maleficent' from Disney's Sleeping Beauty and bottled her! I love the almost villainous glow that the shimmer and finish to this polish evokes and it has definitely left me wanting to try more of the suedes.

Interestingly, the suedes are not really that similar to their namesakes which is a little bit bizarre, see what I mean here and here!

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

Hugs,

Jodi 

xxx

Lazy Days and Hair Do's

A few weeks ago, after running out of my stock of Batiste and deciding I wanted a new dry shampoo in my life, I stumbled across this little nugget in sainsburys for half price, fate I tells ya!

I think this was actually released quite some time ago but ashamedly I admit that haircare and haircare products are not my strengths... I had, however, tried the shampoo and conditioner from this range and really liked it so thought I would give this a whirl.

So, what makes it 'Pure'? No silicones, no parabens and no colourants is what! At a time where everyone and their grannies seem to dislike using silicone in their hair products, items like this can really carve a name for themselves.  It also contains organic green tea leaf extract which I'm struggling to find the benefits of (most folk associate green tea and organic with bring good off you but a lot of that is if it is taken orally) my best guess is that if helps protect the hair and possibly the scalp from UV damage. The question is, does it work?

First off, the smell, I would buy this for the smell alone! It's fresh, it's lemony, it's uplifting, I love it.  It has the same smell as the shampoo and conditioner and is very refreshing.  

But that's where I start to cool towards it, for giving my hair texture and a bit of 'grit', this is great, I have quite flyaway hair and this gives it a it more oomph, however, I don't find this makes my hair feel clean, in fact, after a while with this on my bonce, I'm starting to wish for rain on the way home.  

The spray is good, the nozzle doesn't clog and it doesn't make my dark hair look gray and ashy but it doesn't make my hair feel clean and refreshed as promised! 

I think my search continues for the best dry shampoo for dark, flyaway hair.  Any suggestions? 

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Weekend Mani #19

Weekend Mani's are back!  I kinda lost my mani mojo although it is slowly but surely coming back, helped along by this little nugget right here.

Let me introduce you to 'My Current Crush' an O.P.I Liquid sand.

As with most of the Liquid Sands I have tried so far, you would get away with one coat, as in the pictures above and below.  That also had the added bonus of drying quicker if you are in a rush.

 This is two coats and it is perfectly opaque.  I really love this colour, it is just the perfect mid-purple and the silver glitter running through it just gives it that extra summin' summin'.

This post is a little picture heavy because I love it so... sorry.  I'm not sorry.

This was part of a set called 'The TXTure Effect' of which the other part was a 'Natural Nail' Base coat which is surprisingly something I have never tried from O.P.I before, I usually just use the Nail Envy as a base.

In sunlight this takes on an added warmth to it and the silver becomes more evident.  The texture is not overly abrasive, just enough so that every once in a while you find yourself stroking your own fingernails... just me then?!

As is standard, it features the O.P.I Pro-Wide brush for quick and easy application, unless you have tiny pinkies like me then the brush is a little bit too wide! 

I got this set in TKMaxx just before christmas for £12.99 and gave it to my mum to give to my brother to give me for christmas, yeah, that's how we roll at christmas.  I think most people are wary of buying a beauty products for someone has a stash to rival Superdrug but at the same time, I couldn't think of anything I would rather have than beauty, skincare or nails bits and bobs.  

Although Limited Edition, there are still one or two places where you can get this. 

I've never used this website before but they are offering free delivery as are Nail Polish Direct, here. If you do go a-browsing, particularly on Nail Polish Direct, watch out for some of the glitters that are priced at £19.95, I think 'The Living Daylights' and 'When Monkeys Fly' were the two I remember seeing priced as such.  There is no need for them to be that price, they are not hard to find so do shop around.

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx

Hello Flawless Custom Powder Cover up - A review

A few months ago, I think October, I purchased Hello Flawless from Boots.  I hadn't intended to, I was on the lookout for a loose powder so to come home with a pressed, expensive powder was a bit of deviation from plan but I had high hopes as A) I have always loved Benefit and 2) I had seen a few good reviews about it.  So, does it meet those expectations?  All will be revealed...

These pictures were taken when I first got it and it was all pretty and new.

I love the packaging, its very similar to Topshop Cosmetics packaging though with the white background and black polka dots.  It comes with a handy instruction leaflet which gives you a brief 'how to' depending on the method of application and type of coverage required.

The compact itself contains 7g of product and has an SPF 15, I'm not sure how well it photographs with regards to flashback as it contains SPF so that is something to be wary of.  It has a nifty little compartment in which resides a wee brush and a wee sponge.  They are cute but as with the benefit blushes, the brush is a bit meh.

And this is it in it's untouched state, I got this in shade 'Ivory - gee I'm swell' which annoyingly isn't the shade I wanted as it is darker than 'Ivory - I love me' and yellower than 'Champagne - Me, Vain?'.  I wasn't informed by the Customer Advisor that there were two shades of Ivory! Grrr! for £25.50, I want this to be the right one for me.

It's not this little fella's fault though, although what happens next is not for the faint hearted and if you don't like cosmetic abuse, please look away now...

I broked it! *sobs* the works night out where I lost like half my stash? this happened.  I lost the brush before I had even used it, miraculously saved the sponge, cracked the powder so that I left half of it in my work chums hubby's car and the powder now comes out completely!  Whoops! 

This is the sponge, it's spongey... recommended for use if you want a fuller coverage and so you just pat it on the areas where you need a bit more coverage.

This is my hand with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum on in shade '51 Light Vanilla'

And this is my hand with Hello Flawless over the top.  It may just be me that is hyper critical but how yellow does that look?!? The skin on my hand is relatively similar to that of my face, it is my neck that is really pale and man alive this is waaaay too dark and too yellow!

And again, at a slightly different angle to show it in a different light, it's still yellow folks.

This is it after I have taken my RealTechniques powder brush over the top and unforuantely, it's still yellow. 

And look at how much is left on the sponge, that is the one and only time I have used the sponge and look how grotty it is, there is so much product left on there.

There is a fair bit of fall out too when used with a powder brush, so if you are wanting to do some 'finishing touches' once you have put on your LBD then I strongly advise some sort of bib device.

So, onto the actual finish, is it worth it?  No.  I really wanted to say yes, I have a lifelong affinity to Benefit products and used to have quite a stash of them but this has me thrown which is why it's taken me so long to review it.  

The shade range is not exceptional, I really wish brands would start making their light shades lighter, they need to spend some time in Scotland and see what no sun does to a complexion! Apart from being too yellow and too dark, I found that when this was applied with the sponge is was a wee bit too cakey for me, but again I think that was more due to the shade rather than the formulation.  I would say I have normal/combination skin although on some of my spotty bits there was some dryness and I definitely feel that was accentuated rather than masked by this powder.  I felt that it oxidised during the day too, which means it got darker and more yellow! it does last fairly well on the skin, albeit clinging to said dry bits and can lean towards patchy on me as the rest of my makeup where I have lightly powdered this has disappeared and I'm left with a slightly yellow, flaky muzzle - schexy, no?!

As I say, I wanted to love this but as it turns out, I can't wait until it's finished.  I think I might try Soap & Glory's 'One Heck Of A Blot™'  next or if I'm feeling flush, I quite fancy trying out Illamasqua's loose powder,I have never tried any of their products but have always heard good things (the nail polish 'Facet' and the lipstick 'Shard' are both high on my 'if I ever put an order in' list, oh and so is Perseid, Raindrops and Pink Raindrops - uh oh!). 

Have you got a 'Holy Grail' face powder for me to try?

Do you find it easy to find shades to suit you?

Hugs,

Jodi

xxx