Love Me Beauty X Phase Zero: Eyeshadow Palette

Last Month Love Me Beauty kickstarted their new subscription service with some amazing lip products which I featured right here. If you haven't come across the collaboration with Phase Zero Makeup it works like this: Phase Zero is exclusively available to Love Me Beauty and it works in a similar way to the Beauty Box Subscription. So, for a £5 monthly membership fee, you as the subscriber gain access to the Phase Zero Makeup collection at those much-discounted prices. The brand promises that they will deliver high quality, cruelty-free makeup products that contain luxury formulas but instead of costing exorbitant amounts, you will instead get them at factory prices, for example, retail for £12 but members pay only £3.50. If you don't want to be tied into a contract, then you don't have to be, you can still buy the products for their RRP. 

This time Phase Zero Makeup X LMB project features eyeshadows and the most amazing palette. Available as a build-your-own-palette you can buy an empty magnetic palette, which can fit up to 12 shadows inside, but with a selection of 23 different shades available to choose from, there really is quite a choice and even better is that those shades can be bought individually, as a pair, in a trio or even as a set of six.

The palette itself is both holographic and multi-tonal in shade, so depending on which way the light shines, depends on what colour it is.  Out of direct sunlight my palette is a mixture of blues and purples and in direct sunlight it is a mixture of yellows, pinks and red shades. It is a perfect size for having in your handbag, hand luggage and for talking away with you on holiday.  It is a really well made palette which comes with a mirror which fits the entire top side of the palette and each one of the eyeshadows fits snuggly into the magnetic bottom, firmly in place.  I have taken my palette with me on an overnight stay and simply packed it freely in my overnight bag, not one shadow moved, fell out onto my clothing or ended up smashed and damaged.

I was kindly sent a palette and 12 eyeshadows to play around with and test and as you might have guessed already, I am really impressed with what I have been using. I am a nude/neutral eyeshadow shade kind of girl and I love each and every one of the shades here.  Formula wise there is a mixture of Sheer Satin or Shimmer available.  For me the Sheer Satin shades are the best ones for blending as they are much creamier in texture and have very little fallout whereas the Shimmer shades have a bit of fall out and for me, work better on the top of the other shades rather than being worn alone.  

As mentioned already, there are 23 shades to choose from and they cost just £2.90 each for those who are LMB members or they are priced at £5.90 for the regular prices. The shades I was sent include:

• Bright Light - a bright highlighting shade
• Nude Newbie - a beautiful pink nude, perfect for a base shade
• Velvet - a warm purple with red undertones
• Cocoa - a lovely warm brown shade
• Warm Taupe - a super-soft taupe with a golden sheen
• Mush-A-Boom - a warm shade of grey
• Coffee Cup - a rich brown shade 
• Banana Beige - a shimmer shade with undertones of yellow
• Snowball - a shimmer which has is bright white, perfect for highlighting too
• Cashmere - a dusty rose shade
• Pearl - a shimmer which has pearly pink undertones
• Party Dress- a deep black shade with quite a lot of glitter

What I love is that there is everything here to take you from a lovely neutral daytime look as well as a few shades, such as Party Dress or Velvet to transform your makeup to a smokey eye nighttime look.

As you can see from my finger swatches, each one of the shades is totally different to the other and with just one swipe of my finger into the pan, there is a huge colour payoff.  I love how blendable the shades are and that they all work so well together.  

If you have never tried Love Me Beauty before or want to try Phase Zero makeup for yourself then I have a unique code which will give everyone £5 off their first purchase.  All you have to do is enter the code Rachel5 at the checkout, so essentially it is a free one month trial of what is on offer.   If you do take advantage, I would love to know what you buy!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Manta Brush

As far as I am concerned you can never have too many hairbrushes, especially if you find a brand of hairbrush you like.  I like brushes which don't scrape the scalp, feel as though the bristles have to be dragged through your hair or when they do brush your hair, they actually brush through all of your hair, not just some of it.   We all know brushes come in all shapes and sizes, do a whole host of different things for your hair and have a variety of different names including Radial, Bristle, Ceramic, Curling, Straightening, Detangling, Paddle or Vent to name just a few.

I am about to throw a new brush into the mix called Manta. Manta has been invented by Tim Binnington, a professional hairdresser with over 25 years’ experience.  I was introduced to the Manta a few weeks ago and have found myself reaching for it every single day. Originally created by Tim for his wife who lost her hair after a life-threatening illness. Tim noticed that as her hair grew back, she would comb it through using only her fingers, scared that using a conventional hairbrush might cause breakage and damage to the new hair.  With that in mind, Tim invented the Manta, a brush which is just as gentle on your hair as your fingers are and it also helps to keep the damage of daily brushing to a minimum.

The first thing you might notice about the Manta is its unusual design, it looks nothing like a traditional hairbrush or indeed anything else you might currently use on your hair. Instead, the ergonomic design allows the Manta to mould to the shape of your hand and then to your scalp and in doing so, it helps to create much less tension on each strand of hair with every stroke. Then there is its patented Flexguard engineering which enables each bristle to have complete 360 degree motion, this helps the brush and its bristles to gently loosen knots and keep the process snag-free.  There are also no sharp edges and it is heat resistant up to 80°C.

I have fine hair but a lot of it, a phrase you will have heard me mention quite a few times and any brush I use needs to be able to comb through my hair and as I can suffer from a sensitive scalp, usually when I am stressed, I want something that doesn't exacerbate what is already an issue. So the Manta is perfect for doing this. It glides from root to tip through my hair without scratching my scalp, without dragging and snagging my hair. It also works its way through knots and tangles without ripping my hair out and on the scalp, it gently massages rather than irritate.  It also helps to keep static to an absolute minimum.

I love that the Manta is easy to use, is perfect for travelling with and is an absolute dream to use.  To purchase, the Manta retails for £25 and is available in either Black or White colours. To purchase, you can find it online here.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

SVR Laboratoire Dermatologique Eau Micellaire

When something has a history dating back to before you were even born, you often wonder how it has managed to keep it self so well hidden. Born in 1962 visionary pharmacists Simone and Robert Véret created SVR: a dermatological laboratory whose key aim was to create "BEAUTIFUL SKIN". Over the years, their son and later their grandson transformed this small French family brand into a true star in the field of dermo-cosmetics.

I was kindly sent a trio of SVR Micellar waters to try and anyone who knows me or has read my blog will know that I am not the biggest fan of Micellar Waters and am yet to find something I like enough to repurchase, so this was quite the task.  The three waters I have are Physiopure, Sebiaclear and Sensifine and each one performs a slightly different role to the other.

The first one is Physiopure, a Micellar water which is described as being pure and gentle as well as ideal for busy women looking for perfect make-up removal in a single step.

Using:

• Oxygenating Magnesium : energises and re-oxygenates the cells while detoxifying the skin.
• Exclusive moisturising complex : Provides comfort, softness and suppleness for the skin, prevents sensations of tightness.

With these ingredients, this product is designed to remove all types of makeup, even that pesky waterproof mascara in one single sweep of the face, even surface dirt and grime. What I like about this particular Micellar Water is that it doesn't leave the skin feeling sticky, something that I have found with other brands.

The second is called Sebiaclear, a product which is said to be suited to even the most sensitive, oily-combination skin. 

Again it works to purify, cleanse and remove makeup in one single step, just as Physiopure does, but this one has one slight difference in that it also works to remove excess sebum without drying out the skin. Again, ingredients include:

• Gluconolactone which has anti-inflammatory action and incredible keratolytic power. As effective as AHAs with extra tolerance. It's function being to unclog those pores.
• Niacinamide, an ingredient you might see more and more, it is used for its antibacterial and sebum-regulating effectiveness.

I have combination/oily skin and often look to products which help to control that excess sebum, something that Sebiaclear is designed to do and does do exceptionally well, for me anyway.

Finally we have Sensifine AR, a selection of products which have been designed for skin which is prone to redness, sensitivity, even rosacea. The Micellar water is described as being extra-soothing, redness-reducing for face, eyes and lips. 

It is enriched with hydrating agents such as liquorice extract and Endothelyol which come together to soothe, decongest, and lower the temperature of the skin. They work alongside soothing niacinamide which gently and effectively removes make-up from the face, eyes, and lips.  I like how this feels when it is on my skin, it is soothing, it removes absolutely everything and it doesn't leave my skin feeling taut after using.

With all three of these Micellar Waters, to use you simply soak a cotton wool pad with the product and glide over the skin to remove your makeup and anything else which might be lurking.  Having used all three of these products, all three of them do exactly as they state they will do, makeup, even the hardest to remove waterproof mascara is erased in one swipe of the skin.  Given my own skin type, I found Sensifine AR is the one which works the best for me, so much so I have ordered a full sized bottle from Feelunique (here) because I was so impressed with how my skin felt after using it.  If any of these three have captured your attention, you can try and test all of them for just £5 for a 75ml bottle, again from Feelunique.

Do you have a favourite Micellar Water?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Burt's Bees New Glossy Lipsticks

Having had a taste of Spring for those few days before the Beast from the East Part2 arrived, I had been looking forward to using some of the beautiful new makeup releases I've had stored away in preparation.

Not too long ago on this blog, I was lucky enough to share with you (here) some of the incredible Lipsticks from Burt's Bees. To add to those 18 Satin finish lipsticks there is now 6 Glossy finish lipsticks. 

Burt's Bees Glossy Lipstick gives you medium coverage, glossy lip colour you'll love, with natural, moisturising ingredients that love your lips in return. These long-wearing lipsticks make lips super lustrous and keep them hydrated.

Within this collection, there are six nude and pink shades and they use the nourishing ingredients such as Red Raspberry Oil, Moringa Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil and Mimosa flower wax which not only delivers four hours of long-lasting hydration but also gives that smooth, glossy finish.  

The six shades: 

• Peony Dew is deep pink with a hint of cinnamon 
• Blush Ripple is a bright pinkish red 
• Nude Rain is delightfully neutral with just a hint of mauve
• Nude Mist is a soft, neutral hue with a pink undertone 
• Pink Pool is a bold pink hue with a hint of violet 
• Rose Falls is a lovely soft petal pink

If you are familiar with Burt's Bees lipsticks then you will be aware that they are all formulated without parabens, phthalates, petrolatum, SLS or synthetic fragrances, and made with recyclable packaging. They are also 100% natural makeup products and are never tested on animals.

The formula is really lightweight on the lips and because it is so hydrating, they do last for four hours and from the unedited swatches above, you can see that some are far glossier than others and that there is a nice mixture of shades, something for everyone.  Each Lipstick is priced at £9.99 and can be found via Burt's Bees, John Lewis, Feelunique, Lookfantastic and Amazon.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here