The Foundation trials - Who came out top....

Finding the two best foundations you can purchase today...

Have you ever struggled with Oompa Loompa Syndrome? You know, when your foundation just refuses to match your skin tone. It happens to the best of us. 

What do you get with 40 hours, 364 foundations considered, 6 experts interviewed, 7 formulas personally tested and 57 make-up wipes used? An in depth review of course!

The dedicated team at Reviews.com found the top 364 best-selling foundations and put them all through rigorous testing with the aim to discover which are the best so we can all stop looking like we got a bad spray tan!!

Early on, to whittle down the contestants, they removed the foundations that had controversial ingredients and less than 12 shades. Everyone is born with different skin tone, and no one likes having to play chemist to find their perfect shade, mixing shades together is both time consuming, more expensive and not to mention messy!! Most make-up artists say they end up having at least 15 shades of foundation on hand, ranging from light to dark!

Next they removed foundations with less than a four star rating on websites such as Amazon, Nordstrom, Sephora, and Ulta. While this can be tricky since everyone's skin reacts differently, generally it's a good overall indicator of product quality.

Finally, they combed through YouTube reviews, comments and pain painstakingly tested them personally. They made the final contestants really battle it out, at times wearing two at once to see which looked natural, even, and had the most staying power.

So who are their winners? Drum roll please.....

For Sheer to Medium Coverage: MAC Studio Face and Body Foundation

Once you've gotten used to MAC's watery, but refreshing consistency, you'll fall in love with it's "film formers", which is what gives this foundation it's permanence and "second skin" effect. This foundation is best for someone without many blemishes, or who is ready to put some extra work into concealing imperfections later.

For Medium to Full Coverage: Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup

Boasting a whopping 30 shades, this foundation goes on sheer and dries light. A huge benefit of this is the "build-able" aspect. So long as you don't mind taking extra time blending, it shouldn't appear cakey. The promised 15-hour coverage isn't a lie- some reviewers even suggest double washing your face after use. Who is this foundation for? Everyone!!

Head over to see their full review and the runners up: http://www.reviews.com/foundation/

Just had to share this research as I think it is brilliantly done and a very interesting read. If you are a make-up junkie like I am you will know how difficult it is to find the perfect shade of foundation. Often they have as little as 5 or 6 and you end up having to mix. They have taken the time to analyse and find the best all rounder high performing foundation, taking the guess work out of the equation. And saving you time and money!! Bonus!

New in Garnier Ultimate Blends - Delicate Oat Soothing Balm

I popped into Boots to pick up my family's favourite shampoo - The Garnier Ultimate Blends 'Honey Treasures' Shampoo - Which has been really great at helping to strengthen my hair and prevent breakages. 

Only to find some new exciting versions had been added to the line-up!

I of course picked up my trusty 'Honey treasures' shampoo.

Out of the new versions, the ones that interested me were: The Mythic Olive Shampoo, The Delicate Oat Soother Shampoo - which is designed for sensitive scalps and The Delicate Oat Soothing balm for Face and Body.

The delicate oat soother shampoo couldn't have come at a better time as lately my scalp has been really irritated and sore. Think it must be this cold weather, I really should wear my wooly hat more! I have had a few washes with this delicate oat shampoo and it seems to have helped. My scalp is less irritated but hasn't gone altogether but I suppose that takes time. My scalp certainly feels less itchy and it leaves my hair feeling touch-ably smooth and silky soft. I haven't tried the Mythic Olive shampoo yet but will certainly be giving that a go when my scalp has calmed down. It has a pleasant olive scent and says it nourishes your hair when it is feeling dry.

The product that excited me the most was the 'Face & Body Delicate Oat Soothing Balm'. 

First of all, when I saw this I thought "surely it can't be for both face and body?" but I have since tried it on both my face and body. It was lovely to apply, thicker than a lotion but also not a greasy balm, it feels light enough for the face but nourishing at the same time to be enough for the body too. 

Has a pleasant almond oaty slightly vanilla scent but it isn't overpowering, very subtle and sinks in nice and quickly. Your skin feels lovely and smooth. It contains 2 caring ingredients - restoring oat milk and soothing white almond cream. The thing I like most about this balm, is that it is suitable for all the family and is incredibly gentle on sensitive skin. I can confirm this as I have very sensitive skin on my face and any harsh products irritate and bring out the redness in my cheeks, after using this balm it didn't sting or feel tight and seemed to help soothe too. I would say it definitely helps to protect and restore the skins barrier and best of all doesn't leave you feeling sticky or greasy. 

So I would say if you are looking for a time saving multi tasking moisturiser that is just as good on your body as it is your face then this is ideal. Great for after a morning shower, when time is of the essence.

There are a few more shampoo and conditioners as-well as body butters and lotions added to the Ultimate Blends line-up, may be worth checking out whilst they are on offer at Boots and Superdrug. Half price! The Honey Treasures restoring body butter is next on my list!

The Delicate Oat soothing balm 200ml was £2.99 in Boots (£2.89 - In Superdrug)
The Shampoos 400ml were £1.94 (£1.93 - In Superdrug)

Have you tried anything from the Garnier Ultimate Blends range? What was your favourite?

Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm Review

Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm

I absolutely adore Trilogy's Rosehip Oil Review can be found here

So when I saw they had released a cleansing balm I was eager to give it a try!

That was a few months ago, so I thought I'd share my thoughts...

First of all, I love the fact it comes with a good old cotton flannel and is in sturdy packaging. 

(unlike my Emma Hardie cleansing balm which is is pieces!)

Inside the pot, the balm is a solid which I need to rub my fingers over to loosen it, then I warm it up in my fingers rubbing the balm all over my dry face. Then wetting the flannel with warm water I rinse the cleanser off. 

It leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh without stripping my sensitive skin or making it feel tight.

Ingredients Include: Mango butter, Rosehip oil and Coconut oil

It may just be the cold weather, but like I said I find it a 'solid balm' which takes a bit of warming with the fingers just to get it out the pot.

The scent is 'spa-like' slightly herbal one which isn't over-powering. More of a head clearing de-stress fragrance.

As you can see above the balm melts into an oil with the warmth of your skin, which makes it easier to spread onto your face.

Leaves my skin feeling clean, not tight or irritated. 

Feels looked after, removes dirt and dissolves make-up as-well. Even waterproof mascara which is notoriously difficult to remove.

I also love the quote on the box - but I do feel it may have been better placed on the actual tub as most will throw away the outer box.

Overall I enjoy using this as my evening cleanser to remove the day and any make-up. It's lovely to massage into the face, doesn't sting your eyes when removing mascara and leaves your skin beautifully soft. It is a nice slightly cheaper alternative to Emma Hardies Balm which is £38 for 100ml. Trilogy's edition is just £19 for 80ml. 

Does what it says on the tin! Cleanses and best of all its packed with all natural ingredients to soothe.

I highly recommend this cleansing balm. Have you tried this balm, what were your thoughts?

Happy New Year 2016! x

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful festive Christmas and wishing you a healthy, happy new year. Are the resolutions still going strong?! 

The tree and decorations are all packed away, so I feel refreshed and ready to blog again after having a little break to spend time with my family. So expect lots of make-up and skincare reviews to head your way shortly. 

Adele xx

Charlotte Tilbury Film-star Bronze & Glow - My thoughts!

I won a blog competition last month and the prize was none other than Charlotte's Film-star Bronze and Glow!!

This bad boy has been on my wish list for absolutely ages!! I always see it mentioned on blogs and you tube videos and I was desperate to try it for myself however the price steared me away. Imaginge my surprise and excitement when I got an email from Laura who blogs at laurzrah to inform me I had won!!

Gorgeous bronzer perfect for attempting - (if you are me!) a contour. The bronze shade goes in the hollows of your cheeks to create the appearance / enhance your cheek bones. Then the highlight shade goes on the tops of your cheekbones to add radiance and draw the eye.

Both shades are so pretty and the packaging is stunning, I smile every time I get this out to use.

Do I think it is worth the price tag? I think that if you are over due a treat to self, have a voucher or a birthday / Christmas fast approaching then it is definitely worth popping on your list. It is such a luxurious face palette to own and gives you the appearance of cheekbones in no time! 

Have you tried CT Bronze and glow? x

October's Cohorted Beauty Box - Unboxing

What's in this month's Cohorted Beauty box, well stay tuned to find out!

Bare Minerals Purifying Facial Cleanser

Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Cream

Peter Thomas Roth Mascara

Ciate Nail Varnish

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss

Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Cream 30ml (r.r.p £10.00)

Bare Minerals Purifying Facial Cleanser

60ml (r.r.p £15.00)

I have already tried and loved both of these skincare items before. The cleanser is a lovely gentle wash off cleanser which smells of lavender and makes a soothing face wash for removing make-up and impurities from the day.

The moisturiser, similar to the cleanser smells and feels lovely on the skin, providing gentle non greasy moisturising and sinks in quickly. 

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in 'Hypnotist' (r.r.p £16.99)

This is the most unique lipgloss I have ever seen. It gives off a duo-chrome almost holographic shade which changes from a peachy gold shade to a slight lilac shade depending on the light.

Looks quite subtle on, has a slight tingly minty fresh scent and taste. I think this will be ideal to put over the top of lipsticks to change the shade slightly and create you're own unique and bespoke colour!

Ciate Nail Polish (r.r.p £9.00)

in the shade 

'Serendipity'

 I love the film Serendipity, it is one of my favourite films ever! So I really wanted to love this nail varnish, however I found the glitter in this to be far too chunky making it difficult to apply and get a nice smooth finish. So I'm afraid I can't recommend this nail varnish because of that reason.

Lastly it contained:

Peter Thomas Roth

'Lashes to die for' Mascara in Black (r.r.p £15.00)

Having never tried any of Peter Thomas Roth products, I am actually impressed with this mascara. I love the look of the sleek comb like wand and the mascara is nice to apply looks nice too.

 So that was this month's Cohorted Beauty box xx

Vichy Dermablend Foundation - An Update

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Fluid Foundation* has had a sleek new make-over! 
Plus new shades added to the line-up!

Over a year ago now I reviewed the original Vichy Dermablend foundation, previous review can be found here. I made no secret of my love for this foundation, simply for its amazing ability for covering my skin when imperfections (spots) and redness were playing up.

Vichy got in touch and sent me their new improved sleek designed packaging for their foundation. So I thought I'd do an updated review, show you the new design and let you know my thoughts.

You will be happy to know the new version is still the same formula and still has all the great qualities including an added SPF 35.

Spf is a must for me, I wear it ever day when going outside even if I don't have any make-up on. So an in built spf35 is great, means I can skip a step hopefully less time getting my make-up done in the morning!

The foundation however now comes with 3 extra shades added to the line-up. 
So it now comes in a total of 8 shades with Porcelain being the lightest. Opal, Nude, Sand, Gold, Bronze, Coffee and lastly Espresso.

Still provides the long lasting stay power of up to 16 hours. Can't really comment on that as I don't wear foundation for the full 16 hours, but I do know it stays on and lasts several hours. It is still in place at the end of the day. 

What I also love about this foundation is it's not perfumed. I find some foundations can irritate my sensitive skin, this however is also non comedogenic which basically means it won't block your pores.

I love and highly recommend this foundation as it blends beautifully into the skin whilst still providing the medium to high coverage helping to conceal imperfections, scars, acnes and other problematic areas such as dark circles.

It doesn't feel cakey or overly thick which is surprising as it really does a fantastic job of hiding imperfections. You would be forgiven for thinking it would end up looking and feeling like a mask like due to it's high coverage however it feels nice and lightweight when blended in.

It has a light silky texture with a matte finish but doesn't feel drying at all and also doesn't cling to any dry areas, which I find other matte foundations have a habit of doing.

Once I have buffed the foundation onto my face I then go in with a powder brush loaded with their amazing setting powder, Vichy Dermablend setting powder review. 

It looks white in the container but trust me it goes transparent once blended in and helps keep oily shinier areas matte throughout the day. Not only that it helps prevent smudges and actually makes your face water-resistant! Although I've not yet tried this yet but I'm sure with the british weather I will get to in no time - It has a tendency to rain!. Basically it sets everything in place for the day / night ahead, providing that extra reassurance. I still stand by my claim that this is the best setting powder I have ever tried!

My blog post of how I apply and use Vichy dermablend foundation and the setting powder can be found here.

Overall I am really impressed with the new sleek make-over of the packaging for the foundation. And with the addition of 3 extra shades there is bound to be one for you and if not there is always the option to mix two shades to create your own bespoke shade! I have been using this non stop and once finished I will definitely be re-purchasing. 

If you have sensitive problematic skin and find that foundations just don't blend or sit well on your skin then try Vichy. It covers yet gives you a natural looking finish. Can be found at Boots.com online and instore. As-well as Escentual.com 

* This blog post contains a PR Sample

Marc Jacobs New Decadence Perfume - My thoughts

Marc Jacobs New 'Decadence' Perfume - My thoughts ....

Let me start by first saying that I love Marc Jacobs perfumes. They smell amazing and last and best of all look so pretty on your dressing table with their fun bottle designs. I have Daisy, Honey and Dot all of which smell delicious.

That said, the new Decadence Perfume - You know the one with the gold chain that looks like a clutch handbag .... well it's not for me.

I am very sensitive to scents and find that strong over-powering 'in your face' fragrances do cause me headaches. 

I received a mini sample with a feelunique.com order and I just wanted to share my thoughts. In case you were considering purchasing based on previous perfumes from Marc Jacobs. Assuming it would be a similar scent family, it's not. I highly recommend that you go to boots or a perfume counter to smell this fragrance as it is in my opinion quite strong.

The best way I can describe it is heady, musky and unmistakeable. Don't get me wrong it is a lovely perfume, but it's not for me and I feel it is quite a unique taste.

When googling for the notes of the perfume, I came across the description "His first Mature fragrance" and I'd say I agree, it is a grown up, sophisticated perfume.

Top notes: Italian plum, saffron, Iris, bulgarian rose, sambac jasmine and orris root 

Base notes: warm liquid amber, vetiver and papyrus wood.

If you like woody musky indulgent perfumes that last a long time and radiate before you i.e the scent enters the room before you - then this is the one for you. I sprayed the sample in the morning on my wrists and I could still smell it at night so it really does have longevity!

Soap & Glory 'Purple Rain' Gloss stick Swatch & Review

Soap and Glory Sexy mother pucker Gloss stick 
in
"Purple Rain"

When per-using boots as I do, I noticed that a new gloss stick hit the stands of soap and glory, possibly to replace the old gloss sticks as I couldn't see them. This at first made me sad because I love the gloss sticks so much and always have one in my bag or close to hand. 

But then I spotted this new shade 'Purple Rain' and at the bargain price of £3.50 I was sold!

Sexy mother pucker gloss sticks are so moisturising and provide just enough pop of colour. They aren't tingly like the lip-glosses and feel really comfortable to wear.

Nudist is my all time favourite of the old version and I'm happy to say that they still have that shade in the new version. 

As-well as being lovely to apply it smells gorgeous too, a vanilla cupcake scent!
I love the new slanted tip, makes it easy to apply.

So on to the swatches;

On the lips:

As you can see this is a gorgeous berry plum tone, perfect for autumn. Gives enough colour without it looking too bright and in your face, so if you are a bit scared of colour then these are perfect. 
They are lovely and moisturising and apply like a dream, in fact I can apply without using a mirror.

Unlike traditional lip-glosses your hair doesn't get stuck to this in the wind and it doesn't feel gloopy or stick to wear.

I have been wearing this non stop since I bought it and I have barely made a dent so I can see this lasting a while even though it seems to be a smaller tube, it just means it will now also fit in my coat pocket!

Have you tried the new gloss sticks from soap and glory? What is your favourite shade? xxx

The Balm NudeTude Eyeshadow Palette Swatch & Review

I recently got this gorgeous palette in my September Cohorted beauty box and it is so good I felt it deserved it's own blog post.

The Balm is an american make-up brand created by Marissa Shipman in 2004. 

This eye-shadow palette contains 12 satiny smooth shadows that blend seamlessly enabling you to create numerous eye looks.

First of all, the packaging is so unique and all the names of the shadows are fun and quirkily named after things to call people for example; seductive and sultry.

The pigmentation of the majority of the shadows is amazing, it took just one swipe to swatch on my hand. The only ones I had to swipe over twice were, Silly, sleek and serious. Silly is quite glittery, with the other two being more of a matte finish. The rest of the shadows however are buttery soft satin finishes which seem to just glide on beautifully.

Now for the swatches:

SASSY - Is a vibrant white with a touch of silver to it. Perfect inner corner highlight shade. Has a satin finish.

STUBBORN - A peachy pink with a slight sheen to it.

SELFISH - A muted taupe shade again slight sheen

SOPHISTICATED - A brown with a slight golden tinge.

SEXY - A gorgeous deep plum / burgandy shade

SERIOUS - A matte black, ideal to line the lash line

SNOBBY - A golden peach shade with a satin sheen

STAND-OFFISH - A bronzey satin pink

SULTRY - A lovely warm brown shade

SEDUCTIVE - A beautiful bronze with a sheen

SILLY  - A dark brown with golden glitter

SLEEK - Deep grey with a matte finish

My top picks from this palette are: 

Selfish, sophisticated, sexy, stand-offish sultry and seductive.

The double ended brush you get is actually quite good with one end being a slanted eye-liner brush and the other being a slanted denser perfect for crease and all over lid.

Overall I highly recommend this palette if you like to wear bronze, browns and creamy neutrals then this is perfect for you. Plus the illustrations and names of the shadows can't help make me smile every time I use this palette!

Autumn Love

Autumn is my favourite season with Spring coming a close second. It's not too cold but a perfect excuse to wrap up and snuggle on the couch. When you do venture out there's conkers, pine cones and that crisp morning air. I love the anticipation of Christmas and all that goes with it. And of course the leaves falling from the trees and the beautiful colours.

So I made a little list of things I love about Autumn;

Stepping on crunchy leaves

Walking out of the house to the fresh crisp air of the morning,

Conkers and pine cones

Bonfire night fireworks

Hot chocolate with mini marshmallows & cream

Berry, plum and red lips

Make-up actually staying on and not melting / sliding off your face

Darker purples / reds nail varnishes

Wearing boots and wrapping up in scarves

Cosy fluffy dressing gowns

Candles

Comforting food such as lasagne, roast dinners and soup

Nights drawing in, going darker earlier

Downton Abbey

Candle lit bubble baths 

Pamper evenings, face masks

Ramping up the skincare routine, thicker moisturisers and lots of oils

Preparations for Christmas - perfect excuse to shop

And lastly....

Chocolate, just had to include, oh and here's a picture for your delight!! yummy!

What do you love about autumn? xx

September's Cohorted Beauty Box - A mini Review

Yes ... it is that time again, September's Cohorted beauty box.

I was really pleased with this month's box and here's why:

It contained....

The Balm's 'NudeTude' Eye-shadow Palette

The shades look so pigmented and so pretty! I love how each eye-shadow has a fun name to it,

 - Have been wanting to try this ever since 'Essie Button' mentioned this in a YouTube video ages ago. It looks so pretty and I can't wait to try them properly and have a good ole play.

A mini the balm eye primer - perfect to prime the eyes to help the eye-shadows stay in place without creasing.

A full size Nars matte lip pencil in 'Walkyrie'

I love nar's matte lip pencils and have a few already, my favourite of all time being 'Mysterious red' which is a stunning deep red shade. This one in 'Walkyrie' is a gorgeous brown / deep rose shade. Feels lovely and comfortable on the lips and best of all as it is a matte so stays put for hours!

Gucci shower gel - Its a nice way to trial the scent of a perfume in a travel size.

So I am absolutely made up with this month's box and I'm off now to play with my new eye-shadow palette xx