Discover Nuxe

I was invited to an event to Discover Nuxe, which was perfect because apart from seeing their products on shelves in Dubai didn't know anything about them. 

Nuxe is a French natural origin cosmetology brand that has been around since the end of the 1980s. It has its own research and development labs and numerous patented ingredients, which is something that really impresses me. 

At the event were walked through their product range, each designed for either a different skin type/concern and had the chance to feel the products and take in the lovely scents while admiring the new artwork designed to complement the range.

In terms of stand out, must try products, I loved the sounds of the Nuxellence youth and radiance revealing fluid and the Creme Fraiche beauty mask. The Reve de Miel (honey) lip balm also felt great on the lips and was much more nourishing than any lip product I have tried before. 

One of Nuxe’s most famous products is the Huile Prodigieuse, multi-purpose dry oil, which can be applied to face, body and hair.

I've been using this recently and have been surprised by the versatility and how much I like it. I love oils generally but I tend to save them for night time use. Because this is a dry oil means there is no greasy feeling and it dries quickly so I've been able to get dressed straight away without the oil transferring to my clothes.

The smell is gorgeous and I have used this on my legs to moisturise and on my hair to add shine. I have also tried it as a hair mask by applying it to my roots and wrapping my hair in a towel for a few hours before shampooing. After washing my hair felt softer than it has felt it in a long time so I will definitely be using the oil like this again. You can also mix in the oil with your normal moisturiser or foundation to give a smooth and nourished base.

The spritz is quite powerful and I would recommend spraying close to the skin or directly onto your hands and then rubbing where ever you need otherwise you will get a light layer of oil all over the bathroom floor! 

There is also a shimmer version of the oil available. I squirted a little too much on my hand at the event but with the right amount the shimmer would provide a very pretty glow and would be perfect with a tan or for use on sunny days.

You can see Nuxe's full product range and find out more about the brand on their newly launched website. 

I'd love to know, how did you discover Nuxe? 

Birchbox June 2013

It’s that Birchbox time of the month again! This month’s box landed on my doorstep on the day of my exam making it a much needed treat.

I already knew from Twitter three things about this month's box:
1) that Birchbox had a redesign,
2) that the boxes were going to be personalised,
3) that the box had a festival theme.

Now I am not a festival goer and to be honest after finding out the theme I wasn’t looking forward to the box because I expected dry shampoo — or even worse, a dry shampoo for the body — and gimmicky makeup, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Inside this month’s box:

Beauty Protector, Protect & Detangle (full size £15)

Normally a hair product would have me sigh, but because I have curly and dry hair a product for detangling could be very useful. The spray also adds shine and is meant to protect hair from UVA damage and heat, which will be perfect if I go on holiday this year.

Color Club nail polish (full size £10)

I have never heard of Colour Club before and these shades are two of four exclusive-to-Birchbox colours. They aren’t shades I would pick out myself but they look very pretty in the magazine so I am curious to know how they will look. One polishes is meant to be given away to a friend to introduce them to Birchbox but I have decided to be greedy and keep both for myself! 

Green People sun lotion SPF 15 with tan accelerator (full size £17.50)

I can’t wait to try this, I am keen to find my perfect sun protection and even though this is a little expensive if it has the right texture I would consider purchasing it. I love the fact that it includes a tan accelerator, I have used separate tan accelerating products in the past and they are great if you want to look golden without spending as much time in the sun. 

ModelCo eye define eye pencil (full size £14) 

I was very pleased to see a make-up product included in this month’s box and I am always happy to try black eyeliners especially if they are budge-proof, as this one claims to be. I still haven’t repurchased my much loved Rimmel eyeliner, so it will be good to see if this can contend for best eyeliner.

Carole Franck Fluide Fraicheur Phyto-Hydrant (£47.50)

I am sure I have said before that I am always glad to have moisturiser samples. This one is on the pricy side but it is meant to provide all day hydration and can be used in place of a primer. 

Every brand in the box is new to me, which is exactly what I think these boxes are for, and there isn’t one thing in the box that I will not try. I do feel like the box is catered to me and I hope that continues for the rest of my subscription. 

As for the redesign I am not really fussed, I would have preferred if they got rid of the drawstring bag completely, it makes me feel guilty that I can’t reuse it in someway. 

What do you think of this month’s box and if you are not a subscriber are you now tempted?

Quick review: Nivea Body In-Shower Lotion

When I saw reviews of the first In-Shower Body Moisturiser from Nivea, I knew I had to try it. It appeals to the lazy girl in me and since I am always running late in the morning the convienience and time saving element of this product is a bonus.

After washing as normal, you apply the cream while still in the shower and rinse off. The formula is meant to instantly absorb into wet skin so you are able to get dressed and go straight away. 

I purchased the dry skin formula because my skin, especially my legs is so dry that it can feel itchy. Generally I don't moisturise my upper body (my more normal skin) but I have done so using this and my skin does soft and hydrated. Unfortunately, for the area I feel needs the hydration it didn't provide that and I still felt that I wanted to moisturiser as normal.

The idea in theory is great, and if you are someone with normal skin should be ideal, but for those like me with extra dry skin it's not going to be enough. 

The mousturiser is available in two formulations and sizes, 250ml and 400ml. I purchased the larger size for £5.09 but they are currently on offer at 1/3 off in Boots and Superdrug.

Guest post on All That Slap

I’m very lucky that Grace from All That Slap kindly allowed me to invade her space for a day and write a guest post.

Grace is one of my favourite bloggers and if you are a fan of my blog when you are sure to love hers because I think we have pretty similar tastes when it comes to beauty and skin care. 

As I say in the blog, I had a tough time deciding what to write and in the end it seemed obvious, in fact I can’t believe with all my talk of skincare I haven’t spoken about my routine before.

Pop on over and have a read here, then come back and let me know what you think!

Hello Flawless

To be honest I didn't have high hopes for Hello Flawless when it was given to me at a Benefit event a few months ago. But since the first try I have been wearing it every day.

Hello Flawless is a powder foundation and I was matched to the shade Honey, which is a great perfect for my skin tone in the winter months.

I wouldn’t say that the foundation makes me look flawless but I get pretty close, and that’s good enough for me on a daily basis. 

The foundation provides a light to medium coverage at best. It isn't very long lasting, but because of the size of the packaging I carry this round with me to touch up my foundation if I am planning on going out in the evening.

The finish is matte and you can see the level of coverage and shade in my last makeup post here. 

The application is a little tricky to get right, only because you need lots of thin layers to get the coverage level you want or you risk looking cakey. Surprisingly, I found that the brush and the sponge stored underneath the foundation are best for application.

I use the sponge to press the powder onto my skin where I want the most coverage, and then with the brush apply the light layer over the rest of my face making sure to blend well.

The foundation costs £25.50, a little pricy in my opinion for that money I would want something with a few more skin benefits but I wouldn’t say no to buying it again when I run out.

Sample session: Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation

I’ve really tried hard to love this product. But I just don’t. I’ve applied it sparingly, slapped it on, buffed it in, let it settle, but whatever I do I can’t seem to achieve that flawless skin everyone else describes.

The No Foundation Foundation by Perricone MD is meant to correct skin undertones, blur lines, wrinkles and pores and offer all-day moisture with an even, dewy finish. It also contains lots of anti-ageing ingredients to help to firm skin and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles over time.

The first few times I used this my skin was at its worse, lots of spots and scars and the dewy formula just made me look greasy. The orange tint it left my skin also did nothing to tone down the look of the spots and I didn’t notice any reduction in the appearance of my pores.

So I decided to let my skin settle and try again. This time it did even out my skin tone but the orange hue remained. I did hope that by leaving it to settle product would adapt to my skin tone but I didn’t find this to be the case.

My conclusion is that if you have flawless skin the first place and need the security that comes with applying something on your face then this is for you. But if you are someone looking for more coverage, then this wouldn’t work. That being said if the colour does work for you this would be a great choice to use on holiday — although it wouldn’t provide much in the way of coverage the skin benefits would make up for that. 

At £47 for a full size bottle, this isn’t something I would repurchase right now. If I ever achieve my goal of flawless skin it may be something I revisit but only because I would want to benefit from the ingredients it contains. 

Let me know if you have tried this and what you thought, am I using it all wrong? 

Rimmel quad eyeshadow in smokey brun

This is an oldie but goodie eyeshadow palette that I pulled out the back of the cupboard and has led to a lot of compliments on my eye makeup when I have worn it.

Now I’m a bit confused about this palette, in store there is a product with the same name but that has been redesigned, but online this same look palette is available.

I had forgotten how good this palette is. The shades are great to wear on an every day basis and because they apply so smoothly and blend well, I can easily do a quick smokey eye look in under 5 minutes.

What is even more impressive is that without a primer and the shadow has lasted over 8 hours without creasing! Using a primer it lasts for around 12 hours.

In this pic I am also wearing the nude eyeliner I blogged about here!

I remember buying this as a student and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have spent £6.99 on it. I think it is a little pricy for 4 eyeshadows, but as part of a 3 for 2 deal or another other offer it would be worth picking up. This would make a great gift for a newbie to makeup or as a handy sized palette for your bag, which is how I use it.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil Review

Long long ago I attended an event by DHC cosmetics, which is a brand from Japan and is one of the biggest Asian skincare and cosmetics brands.

I hadn’t heard of the brand before so the event was a nice introduction to the brand and their existing skincare line as well as new cosmetics collection (which I will be reviewing separately).

Their most famous product is the Deep Cleansing Oil. The oil is a water soluble based cleanser containing vitamin E and olive oil.

I was a bit concerned that with the hype around this product I would end up disappointed but I in fact I have been really impressed.

To use, you apply a small amount of oil to dry skin, massage your face and remove with water - I've been using either a damp muslin cloth or my Clarisonic. I've used this to remove eye makeup and although I was a bit nervous I didn't experience any irritation and my eye make dissolved immediately and was removed in one go. The cleansing process is quick and a small amount of product goes a long way.

The product smells just like olive oil, but the scent is light and not offensive. I haven't bothered to double cleanse with this because I haven't felt the need to, my skin is left clean and there is no oily residue on the skin. I've had no issue with break outs since using this.

The cleanser comes in three sizes, the smallest bottle is 30ml, and you pour it to get the oil but I the two larger bottles have a pump dispenser.

I love that the mini bottle is available for purchase so you can try the oil before you commit to a larger size. The price of the 30ml bottle is £4.50, 70ml is £11 and 200ml is £21.50, and they can be found on the DHC website.