Guest Post: Organic Beauty is Beautiful by Jackie Clark of the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance

Hey guys! Today's post is a guest post by Jackie Clark from the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Jackie contacted me to see if she could share her message with my readers and I thought since she works for an organisation that helps people suffering from a disease that affects so many, it would be good to go ahead and do it. Of course, I'm not being paid to post this or anything. 

There is nothing like a cancer diagnosis to make a woman feel unattractive, without confidence and powerless. Unfortunately, this is a terrible time to feel this way. When a doctor looks at a woman and informs her that she has cancer, whether it is a common form of cancer or a rare form such as mesothelioma she needs to feel confident that she can fight this disease. She needs to feel powerful and in control of her body so that she will have an easier time accepting the treatments that she will have to go through; feeling confident and powerful will make it easier for her to handle the side effects of treatment and even to reduce the severity of these treatments in some cases.

When it comes to beauty and women feeling beautiful in their own skin, cancer can really take a toll. Beauty may not seem like something that is important when it comes to cancer, but it is actually very important. The reason for this is simple; when a woman feels beautiful she feels confident and powerful. When a woman needs to feel beautiful, she turns to the mirror and looks at herself wondering how she can improve her reflection. The first thing that comes to the minds of many women is their makeup. Makeup has this almost magic ability to make women feel instantly beautiful. Perhaps it is because makeup is designed to cover and hide what women believe to be their flaws.

When a woman wants to feel more beautiful all she has to do is apply her makeup. She will feel instantly more gorgeous and her confidence level will raise several notches. When a woman wants to feel even more beautiful, she should try organic makeup. Organic makeup utilizes all natural ingredients, which is not only good for the environment and the world women live in, but also is good for their skin. Natural makeup will not place harsh, unnatural chemicals on a woman’s skin, therefore her skin will appear more youthful and smooth after a while.

Additionally, organic makeup looks more natural. Women will look naturally beautiful because their makeup will not look caked on and obvious. There is nothing more gorgeous than a woman that looks so beautiful that it seems she isn’t even wearing any makeup. Fighting cancer is difficult for women; there’s no reason they shouldn’t look absolutely fabulous while they fight their inconvenient disease.  

Bioderma Sensibio Crealine H20 Review

Hey everyone!

A review today on something that's fairly difficult to get, unless you live within walking distance of a French Pharmacie. You can get two 500ml bottles for just over £16 and extortionate postage on this website, or the same for just over £27 and free postage here. You can also get them for less on eBAY here. I picked up a teeny tiny bottle in Paris because I only had carry-on luggage, isn't it cute?

This is a super gentle cleaner/makeup remover with no soap, no perfume and a neutral pH. When I first saw it and smelled it, realising it had no scent, I was unsure if it was just water in a fancy bottle or not. But then I tried it.

At the end of every day, I pour a little onto a cotton pad and use it to remove my makeup. I swear it takes off everything including tough mascara and liners. It takes off all my foundation too - more than any wipes I've ever used.

It is also super gentle and I have had no reaction to it. I have had a few breakouts using this and a couple new skincare things, because it seems to be clearing all the gunk out of my pores.

Worth it? For sure, in my opinion, if you can get it!

S xx

Sleek Blush by 3 in Pumpkin Swatches and Review

Hey everybody!

Another review today. I picked up one of the Sleek Blush by 3 Palettes while they were £9.99 in Superdrug. You can now pick them up for £10 online. I got the Pumpkin palette.

As you can see, the packaging, like most Sleek products, lives up the brand name. It's plastic, sure, but it's black and classic, and you get a lot of product for the money. All three shades from this palette are matte, and if I read the labelling on the back correctly are, left to right: Lantern, Squash and P Pie.

The shades swatched above are from bottom to top: P Pie, Squash and Lantern. As you can see they are all incredibly pigmented and matte, which meant that for me they were a little chalky. If I was wearing these for everyday wear I'd use them very sparingly, although you could layer them up for a dramatic look, or if you had a darker skin tone than I do. 

They were a little chalky, as I said, but fairly easy to blend. They were very pigmented on the face and lasted about 7 hours. Here they are on the face below:

Squash

P Pie

Lantern

What do you think? Have you tried any of the other Sleek Blush by 3s? Is this too pigmented for you?

S xx

Sephora Flashy Liner in No4 Flash Green Swatch and Review

Hey everybody!

Another review from me today - and it's yet another eyeliner! This time it's a Sephora Flashy Liner Waterproof in No4 Flash Green ($8). 

I know the packaging looks blue, and the swatch has a fair hint of blue in it too, but I've swatched it below next to my NARS Larger than Life Liner in Abbey Road and you can see the green tones in it. It's more of a sparkling, shimmery, turquoise colour, in my opinion, than a straight-up green.

Top; Sephora Flashy Liner Waterproof in No4 Flash Green; Bottom: NARS Large than Life Liner in  Abbey Road

The formula of this pencil is much more creamy than the NARS formula - there is no dragging, but I found it more likely to smudge, and it took longer to set. However, it is pretty long lasting - although again, not quite as long lasting as the NARS pencil. It lasted about 7 hours on me with no fading or sliding. It didn't flake.

The colour is pigmented but it did take more than one swipe to get the line to be truly opaque. I did find this pencil very easy to use, however, as I said before it's creamy so it applies well and you could smudge it for a smoky effect. This being waterproof I did need to use Bioderma to remove it at the end of the day. 

It's a pretty colour for sure - and so shimmery! I think it works well for spring/summer.

Have you tried any of these liners? Or are there other bright eyeliners you would recommend?

S xx

Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes in Bronze 10L Swatch and Review

Hello everyone!

Today I thought I'd show you another very pretty eyeliner I picked up in Paris, a Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes Liner in 10L Bronze (£12.95 from Guru Makeup Emporium).

How gorgeous is this colour? A shimmery bronze gold that sparkles in the light. You all know by now how much I love gold colours for the eyes. So this was the first MUFE Aqua Eyes I even looked at.

I apologise for the wolfy brows - i have plucked them since, promise!
This liner glides on with no tugging. It is super pigmented and super creamy - although maybe slightly less pigmented than the NARS eyeliner from a couple of posts ago. Once one, it sets pretty fast. It did fade a little during the day - it wasn't entirely as long lasting as NARS but it didn't move or slide that I noticed and the pigmentation was still there.
I'd highly recommend these - they come in so many shades and for the price on the UK website above they are cheaper than NARS. They are slightly less long wearing but not dreadfully so - although on super oily lids this may be different.
This is a great colour too - on my skin not too obvious but adds a glimmer and a bronzed effect.

Have you tried any Aqua Eyes liners? Do you have a favourite?
S xx

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser SPF30 Alaska Swatch and Review

Hey everyone!

Another foundation review for you today. I got a free sample of the new NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30/PA+++ in Alaska (£27.00 for full size). Much like the NARS Orgasm I got, it's super cute and tiny.

As you can see, it's not a very runny tinted moisturiser. On application I found it wasn't watery at all - it took more work to blend than I expected, but it wasn't difficult or thick. There is a slight scent, but of fresh, clean things, nothing too perfumed. 

The top photo is me with no makeup on, the second is with the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer applied and the bottom is all my other makeup as well (including an eyeliner and blush coming up for review!).
As you can see the colour is fine for me and the tinted moisturiser lives up to it's 'radiant' description. It leaves a satin glow to the skin, but it's not dewy. It's light to medium coverage and very buildable. It doesn't cover my blemishes or the more red parts of my face, but a few dabs of Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer fixed that up.
It did not move around on my face all day - it didn't slip or oxidise. Of course, after 8 hours it didn't look perfect but I wouldn't need to reapply, necessarily.
I feel like this would be perfect for summer for those who enjoy a light-as-air feeling, as this doesn't feel heavy or masklike on the face. It doesn't budge, but it doesn't cake like perhaps a foundation might. I feel I would like this better if my skin was better and I didn't need fuller coverage at the moment.
It's a lovely tinted moisturiser and I can see myself purchasing a full-size in the future.

Have you tried this yet, or do you like any other tinted moisturisers?
S xx

NARS Isolde Duo Eyeshadow Swatch and Review

Hey everyone!

Today I'm reviewing one of the loveliest things I got in my Paris Haul - my NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Isolde (£24.00). For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, it shouldn't surprise you that this is the duo I picked - I love gold toned shadows.

As always, the packaging is my favourite - how lovely do these shadows look in the pan? It's a handy size with a big mirror, although I hardly ever use compact mirrors, and it feels and looks as expensive as you'd expect NARS products to look.

You can see how shimmery and incredibly pigmented both these shades are in all the swatches - they were applied dry with no primer. The lighter shade is an orange-gold shimmer and the darker is a copper shadow. Both apply butter-soft, smooth and velvety, and are very easy to blend. I popped them on my eyes, with the lighter shade all over the lid and the darker in the crease and outer v, to show you what they look like. Please excuse my atrocious brows:

This duo is very warm - the golds are yellow based for sure, but they are so gorgeous and over primer, how I wore them, they do not budge. I experiences no fallout even throughout the day and they lasted all day on me. I love these shadows and if i could afford to I'd get several more!

Have you got any NARS eyeshadows? Any favourites you'd recommend?
S xx

NARS Orgasm Blush Swatch and Review

Hey everyone!

Today I want to show you the cutest little blush I got as a free gift when I bought three other products - a teeny tiny NARS Blush in Orgasm (full size £21.00)! The mini is 0.12oz, whereas a full size is 0.16oz. 

The packaging is so sweet! It's the same as the larger packaging, and in fact I quite like the smaller size - it's more transportable and I'll maybe actually use up the whole product! 

I'm sure you've all seen a million swatches of Orgasm, but above is a swatch on my finger, then some in the shade and some in the sun to show the shimmer. 

Orgasm is a light pink with peachy gold shimmer - the shimmer isn't chunky, but it isn't exactly subtle either, especially in direct sunlight, as you can see above. On some people this may exaggerate pores on the cheeks. On me it exaggerated the breakout I was currently experiencing, much to my joy!

 It really is a very pretty colour, and I can see why so many people love it The base colour itself is actually quite subtle - I put a few layers on her using my MAC 188. It's odd because my other NARS blush is very pigmented, but this is a subtle, glowy, sheer wash of colour. The shimmer isn't so obvious on the face but glows enough that you could go without highlighter for sure.
It lasted about 7 hours on me.
The NARS Blush formula is, of course, amazing - buttery, velvety and blendable, easily my favourite blush formula. Would I purchase this full size? Probably - but there are a number of other NARS Blushes I want to get my hands on first.

What NARS Blush is your favourite? Any you are currently lusting after? I'd love to know!
S xx

Sephora Poudre de Soleil in Clair 1 Swatch and Review

Hey everyone!

Yet another review today! Maybe you're getting bored of these but I still have a few to get through so hopefully not! Today it's the Sephora Poudre de Soleil in Clair 1 (13.50€) or about £11.24. 

The packaging is your basic black plastic, with a big mirror in the lid. The powder is printed with the Sephora S logo.

I thought this was going to be far lighter than it is - it was the lightest shade in the shop. It has orange undertones so it's not perfect for my skin - I'm thinking of ordering NYX Taupe to see if a cool toned bronzer works better for contouring on my skin. However, using a light hand (and my Real Techniques Contour Brush) you can see above what it looks like on my face. I'm wearing the bronzer, and Vivo Baked Blush on my cheekbone above it. 

It's very powdery and velvety and blends really easily. I don't think it looks too muddy but a light hand is definitely a must if you are as pale as me.

Overall, I wouldn't buy it again as it's just too dark and warm for me, but it's a good powder all the same.

S xx

VIVO Baked Blush in Peaches & Cream: Swatch and Review

Hey everyone!

I know after my Paris Haul I wasn't supposed to buy anything new, but I was in Tesco with my boyfriend and spotted a Vivo Cosmetics stand and I couldn't help myself. The Baked Blushes were the first thing that caught my eye, and I bought the shade Peaches and Cream. You can get them in the UK from Tesco for £4.

The packaging is fine, especially for the price. It's obviously plasticky, but the blush looks so nice that it doesn't bother me. I love the look of the blush in the pan! 

This is a gorgeous warm apricot shade with a subtle shimmer. It has a little peachy pink in it too, hence the name. The blush feels creamy and soft too apply, and it's surprisingly pigmented too (see the swatches) but blendable, so you can sheer it out.

Despite the shimmer, it doesn't seem to be to shiny on my skin and I don't think it emphasises the imperfections on my skin too much. 

It's quite long lasting as well - I felt it lasted fine for about 5 or 6 hours. 

Have you tried this blush or any other Vivo products? 

S xx

NARS Abbey Road Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner Swatch and Review

Hey everyone!

Another review today! This time it's NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Abbey Road (£17.00). 

It's lovely, sleek packaging as always - and it has a twist up bottom with a detachable sharpener, which I enjoy. It looks like a gorgeous colour in the bullet, and here's how it swatches on the arm and on my eye:

Abbey Road is a gorgeous metallic peacock blue, a shimmery turquoise that I fell in love with at first swatch.
It's such a creamy eyeliner, it goes on really smoothly with no tugging on the eyelid. After it's been applied it sets pretty quickly and I swear it doesn't budge. At all. I had to use Bioderma to remove it! It's fantastically long lasting, a beautiful colour, and so far my favourite eyeliner of all time.
It's very, very expensive, but I'm so glad I got it.
I wish I could afford them all!

Have you got any NARS eyeliners? Do you like them?
Sxx