Balance Me Super Toning Body Polish

I am  huge fan of Balance Me products, you will see them scattered about my blog full of praise, because they work so well with my skin and are just brilliant.

The Super Toning Body Polish is a new product that I have been using for the last few weeks and it is amazing, described as being:

"An invigorating, tone-enhancing, anti-oxident rich daily body polish with walnut shells designed to firm, plump and smooth as it cleanses and exfoliates. It offers your skina mini work-out each time you massage it all over your body"

Not only is it said to do all of that above but to also encourage good circulation thanks to the unique blend of Juniper, Geranium, Lavender and Bergamot essential oils. Add to that the use of Meadow Foam, Rice Bran and Sweet Almond Oil, all of which are rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins and anti-oxidents to leave your skin look super smooth, energised and smelling simply amazing.

When you use this body polish, the advice is to massage it onto wet skin, focussing primarily on problematic areas such as upper arms, bottom, hips and thighs.  You can also massage it onto the skin and then leave it for a few minutes before rinsing it off so that your skin gets an extra treat as the body polish makes for a really nice deep hydrating mask treatment too.  I find during the current changes in weather and temperature that my skin needs a little extra TLC,specially because I am in a heated environment, then out in the cold, wind and rain before going back into a heated place - my skin becomes quite dull looking, dry and in need of hydration.

For me this body works brilliantly as a body polish, it isn't too abrasive on the skin so it doesn't scratch the skin, it is gentle enough to remove dead and dry skin cells whilst leaving behind an amazing energising scent that really gives you a wake up.  Not only that but as you pat your skin dry, it feels so soft and supple there is almost no need to add any additional moisturiser, though I do.

Yet another brilliant release from Balance Me which you can find HERE.

Have you tried any Balance Me products? Do you have a favourite?

Vichy Dermablend Powder

Every now and again you come across a product and are not sure about it and this is how I felt about the Vichy Dermablend Powder**. I have had it for some weeks and have had a bit of a love hate relationship with it. As a setting powder, I initially didn't like it the first few times I used it, I didn't like how it worked with my skin or how it worked with my make-up - then all that changed and I absolutely love it.

I have combination skin which leans towards the oily side with my t-zone and I often tend to have blotting paper in my bag for emergencies and a friend of mine suggested using a setting power rather than a spray to see if it made any difference. This for me is there the love hate relationship began because I had been used to using my Urban Decay setting spray (having run out of my GOSH setting powder) and though I quite liked it, it did nothing for my oily t-zone but my make-up did last. So having swapped the spray for the powder, I did feel as though I was slapping talc on my face and I didn't like the feel of it, it felt too thick. So I persevered with it for a few more weeks and then went back to my setting spray, before again deciding to try the powder, only this time, instead using the enclosed powder puff, I decided to switch to my beloved Real Techniques powder brush to apply it and wow, amazing.

This is the first time I have stuck with a setting powder and having hated it and now love it, I use it every day and the difference it has made is just brilliant. Instead of being part way through the oil slick arriving (delightful I know) there was hardly any and all I had to do was apply some foundation powder and everything was good as new, even right through in the evening when I had events to go too, I didn't feel the need to double check my make-up was alright, I didn't feel self-conscious or the need to re-apply anything other than my lippie - which is more of a habit than a need.

So this setting powder is a translucent powder and doesn't change the shade or look of any of the make-up on your face, it states that it has a "16hr hold and resistance to perspiration, bathing and rubbing" and it totally lives up to those claims. It also did a great job of keeping my skin looking matte and prolonged my make-up as i've said. If like me you like products to have an SPF, then you'll love this because it offers SPF30 and it is kind to the most sensitive of skin - winning!

I cannot recommend this setting powder enough, it has totally changed my setting process for my make-up and to say I once really disliked it to now really love it, I hope you can see why! This setting powder from Vichy has an RRP of £17 though Escentual currently have it on offer for £14, so grab it quick!

What do you use to set your make-up and have you tried this 

Vichy product?

Wilkinsons Kiss Apricot Lip Scrub

Everyone loves a good lip scrub and finding them can be a total nightmare, unless of course like me you absolutely love Lush and think Bubblegum is one of the best products you have ever come across!

Whilst in Wilkinsons or Wilko to those of you from the North, I came across the Kiss range which features some really interesting products which included a clay mask, cleansing water, body butter and even a primer, plus lots more.

The one product which really caught my attention however was the Lip Service Apricot Lip Scrub, the little pot cost just £2 for 10g and it contains Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil and Macadamia Oil. The directions for use are really straightforward and they are apply it to your clean lips (remove any gloss, lipstick or balm) using your index finger and then gently massage across your lips.  The scrub itself reminds me, scent wise, of the St Ives Apricot Scrub but is actually really effective, more so than I was expecting to give it credit for. The tiny particles which are sugar work really well at removing those pesky bits of dead and dry skin which cling to your lips, leaving them soft, smooth and buffed after using.

For the grand price of £2 this is a scrub which is well worth its price and one that I am glad to have found.  Whilst I prefer the scent of Lush's Bubblegum Scrub, this works just as well.

Have you got a favourite Lip Scrub and have you tried any products from the Kiss range? 

Beautyqueenuk

YSL Lipstick 9 - Nude in Private!

So Tuesday 29th July was National Lipstick Day and the first email I saw when checking my inbox was one from Debenhams proudly stating that to celebrate there is £5 of every lipstick you buy - well it would have been rude not too right?

I was meeting the lovely Kimberely from Kimberleysbeautyblog outside Debenhams anyway and we decided to have a quick browse -  after plenty of swatches I decided I could no longer resist the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine lipsticks and it was a choice of two, number 8 or number 9.  I settled for number 9 which is called 'Nude in Private'.  

The first thing there is to say about YSL lipticks is the packaging, not usually an interesting conversation to have, but wow, stunning from the outer gold box to the actual lipstick case. The outer case on this lipstick is gold coloured and there in the tiniest of intricate details are the YSL letters, behind it is a solid purpley pink colour, which for me makes the whole thing look stunning, I could sit here and look at it for hours.

As soon a tried this product I loved it. The texture of the lipstick is incredibly smooth, almost like a lip butter and really hydrating. When applied it glides onto the lips and has a definite shine to it. However this lipstick is also packed with fruit extracts and it is one of the first things I picked up on when I was testing it, it smells like raspberries to me and I really like it. Not only does it have fruit extract but it is also rich in vitamins and antioxidants which are said to leave your lips visibly softer and smoother with up to eight hours of hydration and it contains the beauty bloggers favourite ingredient Hyaluronic acid - quite impressive hey?!

This lipstick and others within the range retail for £25 each, though with my £5 discount it cost £20 which is just £5 more than I would pay for a MAC Lipstick and this one is much better design, quality and lasts much longer on the lips and I mean a lot longer.

If you don't own one of these lipsticks, I urge you to go and get one, I am so glad I did and I will definitely be purchasing more!

Do you own a YSL Lipstick?  Do you have a favourite?

My Lipstick Collection

So I asked on Twitter if anyone wanted to see a post on my lipstick collection and I got a resounding YES to do it, so this is that post.  Before I entered into the world of blogging, I owned no lipsticks, it wasn’t anything I was bothered about because I had a lip balm addition instead.  Overtime I have read lord knows how many posts on lipsticks and have found myself hankering after one or two, okay lots of them and have purchased one or two myself, so here is my collection.

So far you can see from my photo, there are 8 lipsticks of which two are the same, it does happen to be my favourite lipstick and it was a bargain, but anyway, this is what they are

Miners Cosmetics - Dreamer. I got this as part of my February Glossbox 2013 and it is quite a dusky pink colour, not a shade I like that much, but with a bit of gloss it looks okay.  

Cargo Cosmetics - Bermuda.  I got this lipstick from the Debenhams Beauty Event I went too and it is described as being a nude pink, but I think it is more of a warm pink and it is really pigmented, not that you can see from the photo above.  

Oriflame 3D Lipstick - I got this from a blogger meetup last year and it is reviewed HERE on my blog.  Again, it is described as being a nude peach but with the way it is designed it is said to create an optical illusion effect giving you fuller lips. In one single swatch you can create the effect due to the contour, volume and colour.

Vivo Pink Sweetie - I never ever wear this shade because I find it too pink.  It does however glide onto your lips effortlessly and is quite moisturising, just a shame about the colour.

Rimmel Kate Moss No.8 - I picked this up a few weeks ago quite by accident and I love it.  Said to last for up to 8 hours and formulated with black diamonds.  Now it doesn't last for 8 hours, it lasts for 2-3 if you are lucky but I really like the shade and I would describe it as being a dusky pink.

Rimmel Moisture Renew - Latino 200. Now this little beauty has an SPF20 and vitamin A, C and E as well anti-oxidants to protect the lips. It also contains three Super Moisturisers - Collagen, Polypeptides and Hyaluronic Acid which help to keep your lips soft and smooth. Colourwise it is descirbed as being Mid Rose Pink and it looks fantastic on my lips.  I am a huge fan.

Oriflame Hollywood Red - Part of the Demi Moore range for Oriflame, I reviewed this product HERE and whilst it would not be my colour of choice, it is a super lipstick and is really pigmented.

Dior - Rouge Dior 649 - My favourite of all the lipsticks I have and it has been reviewed HERE. I first came across this lipstick at the Debenhams beauty event when I had a mini make-over at the Dior stand and this was the colour chosen for my lips and I loved it.  Then I happened to be in my local pharcmacy and found this lipstick on offer and decided I needed to have it, it was fate and bought two.  The colour is Mythical Pink and it is so lovely, lasts for hours, much longer than any of the others mentioned in this post and is one I would repurchase time and time again.

The one lipstick missing from the photo is my Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in 005 which is called sugar Frosting which you can see reviewed HERE and this is one product that stays in my desk drawer at work as an emergency.  This lipstick gives a very subtle nudey pink colour to your lips and is described as being a 'sheen lipstick', which it most certainly is.

In the next week or so there will be a review on my lip crayon collection which is growing quite rapidly.

So there you have my collection.  Do you think I am missing a brand, should try a certain lipstick or have any recommendations for me?