Revlon ColorStay review

The Revlon ColorStay foundation is the most talked about drugstore foundation...EVER!

With a retail price of £12.49 for 30ml of foundation, with it being at the higher end of drugstore products in terms of price point.  The glass bottle makes it a little inconvenient to travel with in case it smashes but also because its quite heavy but I think the packaging is simple & sophisticated & expensive looking.

The foundation accommodates all skin types as you can buy it in either 'Combination/Oily' or 'Normal/Dry'.  Both types comes in 12 shades & contains either SPF 6 or SPF 15 depending on shades & type.  I purchased '180 - Sand Beige' for when I have no fake tan on, and '220 - Natural Beige' when I have a more tanned complexion.  Just to give you an idea, I am NW20 in MAC foundations without any fake tan.
This foundation is thick in consistency but doesn't feel as heavy as it looks once on the skin.  It gives an AMAZING flawless complexion with medium to full coverage as this foundation is easily buildable depending on the finish you want.  For a light coverage I would recommend applying with a damp beauty blender, for a medium coverage I would apply with a buffing brush or standard flat foundation brush.  However, if you wanted full coverage, a stippling brush is perfect!

This foundation dries very quickly so I would recommend blending as you apply to avoid drying & making the foundation harder to blend into the skin.

I would love this foundation to come with a pump as it is very messy & hard to control how much foundation you want.  Also, there is so much product wasted as a result of no pump as you cant get everything out!
It has quite a strong, distinct smell which some would describe as a 'chemical' scent.  This smell doesn't bother me personally & doesn't linger throughout the day.

The foundation claims to have a 24 hour staying power, and like I've mentioned in previous blogs, I wear my make up for maybe 10-12 hours but this foundation certainly keeps my oily skin shine free & matte looking.  I do still set this with  either a translucent powder or if I want a fuller coverage I will set with the Revlon ColorStay pressed powder.


This pressed powder is £10.99 for 8.4g of product so again quite pricey for a drugstore brand.  It comes in a variety of shades.  I have the light/medium powder which is a tad too dark for my skin tone but its blendable so works well.

Again, this powder claims to keep the skin shine-free for 16 hours without re-applying.  It is ultra-fine & very light on the skin giving a good coverage.

There is a small mirror in the compact and also a powder puff, however, I prefer to apply this with a brush as its easier to control the amount of coverage you want it to have on the skin.

Overall, I am extremely impressed by these two products and they tend to be my go to products for a light coverage during the day or a full coverage for a night out.  I know that it will keep my oily breakouts at bay & keep my skin looking matte & flawless.

I would give these products...* 5 STARS *

Hannah xxx

Bourjois Paris Healthy Balance Unifying Powder review

I brought this powder to set my Bourjois Paris Healthy Mix foundation or serum.

I brought both the bases in 'Shade 52 - Vanilla', however, I chose 'Shade 53 - Light Beige' in the pressed powder because the lighter shade seemed too light & would make me look washed out.

Its available to buy in drugstores & costs £8.49 for 9g of product.

The powder is extremely fine & light & is almost a creamy texture while staying a powder.  This is brilliant as the product claims to be 'ultra fine & melting texture'.  

The coverage is light but is ideal to use as a setting powder.  I have extremely oily skin which has worsened since having my children so I have to set my foundation even if it specialises in oil skin or is oil free.  The '10 hours matte finish' attracted me to this product because I love my foundation to stay in place all day and to stay matte to avoid any unwanted oils seeping through.

I very rarely wear make up for 10 hours so I am unsure as to whether this statement is true, however, it certainly lasts 7-8 hours in my experience of wearing this powder.

Like the Healthy Balance foundation, this powder has a fruity scent which again doesn't linger throughout the day so don't be put off this powder if you prefer fragrance free products.  Stating clearly that its a blend of 'Asian fruity therapy hydrating & shine free'  would definitely say this powder lives up to that. The Sharon fruit is the hydrating element while the Yuzu fruit helping the skin to stay shine free.

If you wanted to use this powder on its own over bare skin this would give a very light coverage as stated above & is very easy to blend due to the feather-light feel.

The compact itself is very slim line & ideal for keeping in your handbag for on the go touch ups as there is a large mirror.  However, you would need to take a powder puff or brush with you as neither are included with this product.

I am impressed with this product and manages to keep my oil break ups at bay.  I naturally touch up once during the day anyway to avoid any shine but i doubt that this is actually needed as this powder does exactly what it says on the tin!

I would give this product...* 4 STARS 

Hannah xxx*

'Fragrance Direct' haul...

I discovered 'Fragrance Direct' around 6 months ago when I googled cheap perfume (I will detail the website below)
They sell a range of products, including perfumes, skin care, make up & gifts.
Everything on the website is at a discount price & some items are currently available in the shops.  However, some products are either only available overseas or have the old packaging if the product has been re-branded.
Delivery costs start at £1.99 & often within the parcel are vouchers for money off wine & also discounts at 'Cloggs', which is an online store which sells branded footwear.

I brought 6 foundations all of which were full size. Five of those foundations cost me no more than £3.99 each!!! The 6th foundation is the well established & widely talked about Revlon Colorstay.  This retails in drugstores at around £12.99, however, I purchased this for £7.49.  The only negative is that the shade choice is limited but if you keep checking back then at some point the variety can be good. They sell both the normal/dry option as well as the oily/combination foundation.
Revlon Age Defying Spa & Revlon New Complexion are not available to buy in the UK so this is a great opportunity to grab an exclusive at a bargain price.
The Rimmel Match Perfection is also available in drugstores to date, but the packaging looks slightly different so this is either shipped in from overseas or is the previous packaging since a re-brand.      

I have heard amazing reviews on the Calvin Klein make up range, and at £1.99 for an eyeshadow, these have been heavily discounted and are AMAZING value for money.  The shade choice was excellent & all the colours available were wearable.
There were also liquid foundations, pressed powders, concealers, mascaras, lipsticks & bronzers to choose from, all under £5.00 which is unbelievable!
The range also caters for all skin types & the quality is what you would expect from a designer make up collection.

The Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner has been compared to many of the high end brands such as Bobbi Brown & MAC.  At at under £5 (I can't remember exactly how much this cost me) this really does live up to all the hype.  Again, there wasn't a huge range of colour choice, but I loved the look of this 'Black Gold' as it has a very subtle gold shimmer to it to add more intensity to a look.       
I also purchased the Maybelline Dream Luminous which is also currently available in stores, however, as you would expect, this was considerably cheaper on Fragrance Direct.

If you are looking to expand your make up collection, or you want to try new products, Fragrance Direct is the best opportunity to do this.  The slashed prices enable you to experiment with shades & looks at a price that isn't going to break the bank.

Hurry and get browsing while stocks last!!

Hannah xxx

Website: www.fragrancedirect.co.uk

Other products purchased:    Bourjois  Eclat Mineral Radiance Powder
                                           Almay Smart Shade Smart Balance Make up
                                           Bourjois Bio Detox Organic Foundation
                                           Collection 2000 Idol Eyes Eyeliner
                                           Rimmel Scandal Eyes Crayon
                                           Calvin Klein Ultimate Edge Lipgloss
                                           Maybelline Volume Express Mascara 'Falsies'

  

MUA (Make Up Academy) eye shadow palettes

MUA is a make up brand who not only have a website where you can purchase products (I will detail the information below) but it's also available to buy exclusively in Superdrug stores across the UK.

Each palette of 12 eye shadows costs just £4...bargain! There is 9g of product and each palette has a unique name so I have gone ahead and reviewed my favourite 4 from the collection so I hope you find it useful!

POPTASTIC 'A show stopping collection of eye shadows that will make your eyes pop'

This palette is ideal for summer or for a colourful look for a night out.
All these eye shadows have shimmer in, some are more frosted looking than others.
They are all very pigmented with a great pay off. The darker colours have an almost creamy texture but the lighter colours are a little chalkier.
All the palettes come with a large double ended sponge applicator, however, I dispose of these as I prefer to apply with any fluffy brush similar to a MAC 217. 

GLAMOUR NIGHTS

This palette's name speaks for itself...its perfect for a glamorous night out & creating a smokey eye.

There are 5 matte colours (white, black, deep navy blue, purple & grey) the rest have a shimmer or frosted appearance.

Again, they seem very pigmented, however, like the 'Poptastic' palette, the highlight colour in the bottom right is very chalky & when applied has some drop out.

I LOVE the deep shimmer purple (top row, second from left) and really suits my brown eyes. 

The white is also a good highlight colour for on the brow bone.

HEAVEN AND EARTH 'A collection that will enhance your eyes to give the perfect natural look'

The first thing I noticed about this palette is that you are getting 9.6g of product.

All these colours are shimmery or frosted so if you like using a matte colour in your eye crease then you will need to find an alternative colour.  MUA also do a palette very similar to this called 'Undressed' which has a range of natural shades, some of which are matte so this could also be an option (these were too similar to review both)

This too comes with a nice frosted highlight colour.

The pigment in these are ok, the shades are very 'samey' but I do like that some shadows are more  shimmery than others so there is plenty of looks you could do with this palette depending on how dramatic you want the eye to look.

GLITTER BALL 'Spectacular collection that will add sparkle to your eyes for ultimate impact'

As the name suggests these are all highly shimmery & glittery shadows which are brilliant for an intense look.

The shimmery black is gorgeous and a great contrast to the matte black shade in the 'Glamour Nights' collection.

The bronze & brown are exceptionally glittery, more so than any of the other shadows.

The coral (top row, second from left) is a gorgeous colour but is unfortunately quite chalky which seems to be a trend among all these palettes.

They have a great pigment & transfer beautifully on the lid.

Overall, I am really impressed with the quality of these eye shadows.  Considering that all the palettes together cost the same as one MAC shadow, the value for money is extraordinary.

I would definitely recommend these products & I look forward to trying out more products from the MUA range as they also do nail varnish, lipsticks, blushers, foundations & even primers & setting sprays.

I would give these eye shadows...* 4.5 STARS *

Hannah xxx

MUA website: www.muastores.co.uk

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum review

So I've heard so much about this foundation, I decided to give it a try!

I got it in the shade '52 Vanilla'

The product cost £10.99 for 30ml, which is creeping up to the top end in terms of price point for a drugstore foundation.

The first thing I noticed was the incredible scent.  I know some scented foundations can offend people so if this is the case for you then I would suggest you stay away from this product.

The scent is fruity which would make sense due to the vitamin rich fruits used.  These are lychee, goji berries & pomegranate.  Although the scent is present during the application of the foundation, it does not linger & isn't a scent that will stay all day.

It is a gel consistency & has a light, sheer coverage with a semi-matt finish.  I would recommend this mainly for dry/combination skin types. However, I have oily/combination skin & I find this works perfect with the 'Bourjois Healthy Balance Unifying Powder' to set the foundation...I will be reviewing this soon!

The foundation claims to last 16 hours, however, I only wear my make up for 12 hours & lasts pretty well. 

I would agree with the packaging when it says that it gives 'flawless complexion with undetectable coverage' as I find this is almost like a second skin once applied.

Its a brilliant pick me up foundation if you want your skin to have a radiance boost or to revive your complexion.

Overall, I would recommend this product if you want a flawless finish, without heavy application.

I would give this product.... * 4 STARS *

Hannah xxx