Unused Products: Sleek and Revlon

I have a heck load of makeup in my collection that I have used several times but then put in a drawer and forgotten about, however, today is a new day and I want to get more use out of such items.

From left to right: Crochet, Guipure, Chantilly

Check that mark on the far right where my nail went into it (holds back tears)

From left to right: Crochet, Guipure, Chantilly

First up is the Sleek Blush By 3 Lace Palette which retails for £9.99 here. This is one of those products that literally everyone raves about and, as always, I was drawn in and thought I couldn't live without it, BUT, I have hardly got any use out of this product. The only blusher I use is Crochet, the far left orange shade, and haven't once tried Chantilly, the far right coral pink shade, and only tested out the middle shade, Guipure once. I've been trying to reach for this palette more as they are so pigmented and are really good quality from what I have read and heard. Also Zoella loves it so isn't that enough reason?!

From left to right: Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, PhotoReady foundation in Shell

Next are two items from Revlon (sorry Revlon), a lip butter and a foundation. Again, I bought a Colourburst  Lip Butter due to the amount of popularity they received and chose the shade Wild Watermelon, available here, as it seemed more pigmented than the rest of the shades. However, I bought it a good few months ago and I honestly haven't worn this out of the house entirely because I like wearing really bright and obvious lip colours so this is just too sheer for me. I really want to wear it out though as I think it'll vary up my look (ha) a bit if I'm wearing a more subtle colour. At £7.99 I find the lip butters to be quite pricey and it kills me inside that such money has gone to waste! I should have worn this throughout the summer but now I'm going to have to be all weird and opposite to everyone and wear it in the Autumn/Winter... not that anyone is going to analyse my lips for traces of a lip butter.

Next is the PhotoReady foundation which I bought on a complete whim without having read any reviews. It was quite a pricey whim at £12.99 but I think I had been feeling bored/sad about something (maybe when they ran out of chicken at McDonald's. Joke) so wanted to cheer myself up. It did cheer me up for the initial 5 seconds it took to rip open the packaging and wear it on my face for the first time but, then after a few more wears I realised I didn't like the shimmer it had in it and cast it to the side. Recently I tried this foundation again and used a very small amount and really liked the natural look it gave but also it seemed to cover up my bad skin that I've been having and so I have been using it more and am quite enjoying it. I bought this in the shade Shell and it is a really good colour match as well which is half the battle won. I looked on Superdrug's website and the PhotoReady foundation is currently on offer here for £9.99 which I think is still expensive for a highstreet brand foundation but you know, we must continue living life.

I have far more makeup that I should try and wear more but these are just some of the items that I honestly want to get use out of! Are there any products that you own but rarely use? Also, if anyone wants to know about any of these products in more detail I'll make it my sole aim to use them regularly so I can review them properly for you!

Review: MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter

I've been meaning to post about this highlighter ever since I started my blog a grand two months ago but never got round to it because, on the three different occasions that I took pictures, the colour of the highlighter looked really odd. The colour still doesn't look how it does in real life but let us all please put that thought into a little box for a few moments.

This highlighter retails for £3.00 from Superdrug, here, but always seems to be out of stock! I'm not even kidding I tried for months on end to buy this product but each time I went into my local Superdrug they never had it. Well to be fair most of the MUA stand is never fully stocked (the rage). I eventually gave up and ordered it from the MUA website a few months ago while I was ordering some other bits in their half price sale and was so excited to finally own it.

MUA claim that this product is a 'lightweight baked powder' giving a sheer amount of coverage to create a healthy and natural looking glow to the skin. 

Firstly, I love how the highlighter is shimmery WITHOUT being glittery as glitter on my skin is one of my biggest hates as it makes me look so childish and, urgh, shudder. I suppose there are bits of glitter within it but they are really tiny and aren't chunky making it appear much more natural and less obvious on the skin. It's so reflective and seriously does add just the right amount of sheen and can also be blended out to be even more subtle. I use my Cosmopolitan Blush Brush  to apply it because the angled shape makes it easier to apply the highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones once having applied blusher.

I would say the highlighter is pink toned with is really flattering on pale skin but, although MUA says it's suitable for all skin tones, I can't imagine this looking very natural on darker, olive skin tones, but I could be wrong. I prefer using this highlighter when I've got a pink toned blush on rather than a coral as I feel like they correspond to each other more. But this is the girl who nearly had a breakdown while doing GCSE Art so please don't take note of my 'colour theory'.

I love the engraved, seashell like pattern on the highlighter but, sadly, I've noticed this has started to disappear each time I use it but this can only be expected.

I much prefer this highlighter to the one that comes in the Sleek Contour Kit (possible unpopular opinion) as I don't think that one gives me a glow and also find it to be quite powdery but, with the MUA highlighter, I don't find it at all powdery and it is much more pearlescent.

I really like this highlighter and it serves me well considering I haven't quite reached the Royalty of the highlighter world: a Mac Mineralize Skinfinish.

Review: Nivea Express Hydration Primer

Recently I have seen so many people blogging about this product and I was drawn in when I saw it on offer at Savers for £3.49 instead of the usual £4.99; my life was full of joy until I saw it on offer in Boots at £3.33 (PENNIES ARE PRECIOUS) soon after having bought it. Basically my blog post is about stressing the importance of looking around for cheaper offers instead of just buying the first one you see. Joke, it's not. But, hold the phone, when has Boots (aka overcharge central) been cheaper than Savers?!

You can buy this product here where it's currently on offer for £4 or here where it's on offer for £3.33. Come on, save that dollar.

Basically this product is a moisturiser/primer hybrid which creates A MOISTURISING PRIMER, please, hold the applause. There are two versions available, one for dry and sensitive skin and one for normal and combination skin, this is the version I bought because heck knows what my skin type even is. Nivea claims that this product 'moisturises and provides a smooth base for effective make-up application' and that it is instantly absorbed into the skin.

I can say that this does absorb incredibly quickly into the skin making it much more efficient for when you have limited time to do your makeup because you can basically put your base makeup on immediately after. I've been using this product in place of my usual moisturiser, the Garnier Moisture Match Protect and Glow, as my skin feels moisturised and gets rid of the tight feeling after having cleansed and toned and so using a moisturiser before hand isn't needed.

I was quite disappointed with how Nivea have made the boxed packaging a lot larger than the actual product itself as it makes you think you're getting more for your money when, in reality, the glass jar sits on an elevated cardboard platform and the thick base means there is less room for the product itself. I know a lot of other companies use this 'trick', OH THE FALSE ADVERTISEMENT, but I'd still be willing to repurchase it if I continue liking it because anything under £5 I consider cheap and affordable. Despite my complaints about how much product there is only a little bit is needed to cover the face so I can imagine this lasting quite a few months.

The formula of the product is more like a gel rather than a cream in that it is incredibly lightweight and has a cool, moist (must hold back immature laughter) feel. I really can't describe the smell of the product apart from that it makes me feel as though it's going to be really refreshing and cleansing. The foil layer over the product also adds to the sense of freshness.

Is it weird that I literally want to dive into the jar?

I'm not sure whether this product actually increases makeup longevity but, to be honest, I don't have that much of an issue with my makeup lasting all day so I can't really make a fair comment. I do feel like my makeup still looks acceptable towards the end of the day (prays no-one sees me at the end of the day to avoid screams of 'NO IT DOESN'T') but think it all depends on the other makeup products I use and not so much the primer itself.

I do like this proudct in terms of how quickly it absorbs and how lightweight it is under makeup, however, I can imagine that some people won't enjoy using this and so wouldn't recommend it if you are looking for a heavy, hydrating cream moisturiser because I don't think this would give enough moisture. The version for dry and sensitive skin might have a thicker consistency however compared to this normal and combination version. As a primer I can't really comment but it's always worth trying as the low price means it isn't causing much financial damage.

I'm currently looking for a heavy night cream as I feel as though my face can look quite dry due to wearing makeup everyday, especially as the weather is going to start getting colder soon. I'm currently using Pond's which I like and am enjoying but want to try Johnsons instead, does anyone have any suggestions?