Sample Sunday – L’Oréal Youth Code

The quest to use up by box of samples continues with this 8ml pot of moisturiser. I got a good 5 days worth of use out of this. No that isn’t long enough to see whether a moisturiser works (I typically like to be nearing the end of a full sized tub before I reach a verdict on a skin care product) however in this case it is long enough to know that I won’t be buying this. 

How adorable is that teeny tub? Unfortunately that is the only plus I can think of. Now I’m sure this is a great product for many people. There are a lot of positive reviews on the Boots website but sadly it did not work well for my skin. This is what they claim:

“Mature skin and young skin behave differently when exposed to external aggressions. As you age, skin takes longer to recover and responds more slowly. The complexion loses luminosity, facial features appear tired and wrinkles deepen. Youth Code Rejuvenating Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream leaves your skin hydrated, smoother and more radiant. Skin behaves more youthfully: luminosity is improved and facial features appear rested.”

Clearly I’m in the wrong age group for this (I’m 23) but I have very dry skin surrounding my oily nose during the winter and this left me feeling even drier. On the plus side my nose didn’t feel as oily but for me it wasn’t a good trade off. Also I have mentioned before that I do suffer from irritant dermatitis and occasionally my skin can react to perfumes in products. Oddly I have no problem with the floral scent in a L’Oréal foundation that I have but this does have a scent and by the 3^rd day my skin felt itchy after applying it. 

On the plus side it did absorb quickly into the skin and if you have very oily skin this may be the moisturiser for you. I won’t be buying it personally but if you want to it’s currently £9.99 at Boots instead of £14.99. I’m going to stick with my Simple Vital Vitamin night cream thanks! X

L’Oréal Paris Lash Renewal Serum – The results are in

Lash growth products are one of the key themes of 2010. What was once the preserve of those with more than a little spare cash (most cost around £100) is now much more accessible with L’Oreal’s offering (£11.29) and things like Rapid Lash (I think around £40) now being sold on the high street. In general I’m quite happy with my lashes. There are plenty of them and they are nice and dark. I would however like a bit more length and a lot more curl. For my wedding back in June I had extensions fitted which I loved but within 2 days I developed a reaction to the glue. I started using this serum on my sorry looking lashes after all the extensions had fallen off in mid July. 

You get a clear tube with a rubber wand. There are no teeth like on a regular mascara wand, just a curved shape designed to scoop up the product and apply it to the upper lash line. It didn’t come with instructions so I had to Google some. You just run it along the base of the top lashes then I like to quickly coat my top lashes with the remainder. As I said I’ve been using this since mid July and I still have just over a quarter of the tube left so you get a lot of product for not too many pennies. 

Now I’ll be honest and say I haven’t used it every single day since I began using it but I’d say 5-6 times/ week at a minimum. I only use this at night as I find that using it under mascara leads to clumping.Let’s be frank here and say that L’Oréal do not make any claims about growing super long Bambi lashes. They claim it will give lashes a ‘nourishing boost’. The side effect of which is allowing them to grow better I’m assuming.  Here are my miserable looking pre serum lashes.

And here they are now after about 5 months of use. Don’t mind the staining on my eyelid. That’s what you get for playing with the new Sleek Bad Girl palette as liners without a base on your lids. Those shadows stain horribly!! As a result of my efforts to remove said shadow my lashes are slightly stuck together with makeup remover however I am not wearing any mascara in any of these photos. 

Now call me crazy but I think there is a difference. My lashes look thicker to me, the lash line is much more even. All the sparse patches have well and truly filled out. The gap that is evident in the before pics has always been there, it isn’t a results of the extensions (though they did make it worse). I think they are a touch longer too though that isn’t so evident in the pictures. 

Is this a miracle lash fertiliser? No. It isn’t going to make you grow dolly lashes that blow out candles when you blink. That being said I really do believe my lashes feel healthier, softer (weirdly) and they look better. Will I repurchase this product? Honestly I’m hoping that by the time the tube is gone I can justify spending more and getting the rapid lash. I like this serum but it has whetted my appetite. I want longer lashes and I think I might be prepared to spend the money to get them. If the budget doesn’t permit it though then I’ll happily pick up another tube of this. 

Have you tried any lash growth products? If so let me know what and how it worked out for you in the comments xx

*I bought this myself*

Why do blondes get all the fun?

If there is one thing that bugs me in the cosmetics industry it’s the marketing idea that a certain set of colours can only be worn by blondes, or brunettes, or brown eyed people, or blue eyed people etc. I say wear what you want, when you want! I bought these lipsticks despite their ‘blonde’ label so :p to you L’Oreal. Anyway these are from their Made For Me Naturals range and cost £7.99 though as always with drugstore brands you’d be mad not to wait till they inevitably go on offer. Both are nude/ natural lip shades. Here we have Taffeta which is a creamy soft pink and nude which a slightly warmer peach. 

For some reason they look very sheer in the swatch but they seem more pigmented on the lips. The texture is very slick and they feel pretty moisturising on. The trade off is that the lasting power is only average. Somewhere between the NYX round lipsticks and MAC Lustres I think. Both of these have some slight shimmer evident in the tube but on the lips they just look slightly glossy rather than shimmery which I love. 

Nude on the left, Taffeta on the right;

Nude;

Taffeta;

They have a very faint lipstick smell. It’s not that horrible plasticine smell, it’s quite hard to describe but it’s faint and doesn’t linger so it doesn’t bother me. The packaging looks quite nice but feels a lot more light weight and flimsy than you’d expect. I’ve had these a while though and they haven’t disintegrated in my hand bag yet. Over all I quite like these and I would consider buying more shades when they are on offer. And if I do I’ll buy whichever shade I want whether it says blonde, brunette or red head on the label :p x

*I bought these myself*

NOTD L’Oreal L'Oréal Paris Resist & Shine Titanium Nail Polish Shade 395

*I have no idea what's up with the text here... when I go to edit it it looks normal!*

I photographed this months ago and never posted it even though it’s one of my most worn work polishes. I got it free with a gift with purchase a while ago. It’s a gorgeous, shimmery pale gold housed in a rather odd shaped bottle. Don’t worry about that massive cap being unwieldy, it pops off to reveal a more sensible lid. 

 

This was two coats I believe (it was a while ago...). The formula is very easy to work with though I think the bottles promise of ‘up to 7 days wear’ is more than a little optimistic. I usually get three before I take it off but the colour is very forgiving of any chips. I wish the colours had proper names though rather than numbers! Xx

For my fellow pasty faced readers: A pale foundation run down

I was recently asked what foundation I recommend for the truly pale amongst us. I’m pretty pale. Not Nicola Roberts pale (how I envy her porcelain skin!) but palest shade in every foundation range pale. I also have neutral undertones just for reference. This is just a brief rundown of the bases that I currently own ranked in order of palest to darkest. All are the palest shade the brand in question offers so hopefully this might help out some people who often find that brands just don’t cater to them. Please bear in mind that I find it very hard to tell how cool/ warm something is because a.) I’m neutral so most things look ok on me and b.) I’m pretty useless...

Palest for me is the L'Oreal Infallible foundation in the shade 015 Porcelain. During the summer this is slightly to pale even for me. I find this to be very pink toned too. If you’re cool toned and pale I’d recommend checking it out. 

Revlon Colorstay (I have the combination/ oily version) in 110 Ivory. I find this to be more neutral on me though it’s kind of hard to tell when you are neutral to start off with... again during summer this can sometimes look a little too light but in winter it’s a dead on match for my skin. 

Next is the Maybelline Dream Creamy Foundation in 04 Light Porcelain (I have a sneaking suspicion they may have come out with a lighter shade since I bought this though don’t quote me on that). I find this pretty neutral, if anything just a smidgen pink. It’s a good in between seasons shade for me though I do not recommend this foundation if you have oily skin as I find it can leave me looking a bit waxy at times. You know, like a madam Toussauds.

Then we have the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in shade 1.0. I will probably get away with this shade in the winter providing I use a light powder to set it. I think this is slightly yellow toned but not overly so. It suits my neutral skin very well. 

Ah Clinique Superbalanced. I love your natural finish. I love the way you sooth my dry bits without exacerbating my oil slick nose. I hate the fact that you are now going to the back of the drawer until the sun returns next spring/ summer. Shade 27 Alabaster N (which I’m assuming stands for neutral) is fairly pale but if you are MAC NW15, which apparently I am in winter (ish...  long story), this will probably be a touch too dark and a touch too yellow for you. In summer it’s my perfect colour though. If only it lasted a little longer!

Benefit You Rebel Lite. Used sparingly and blended well I find it looks pretty good on me. Over applied and I see hints of Tango hues starting to appear. It’s handy right now but I worry that in the depths of winter even the Lite (it’s light damn it) version is going to be a bit deep. Why oh why Benefit do you think that the entire world population only comes in two shades? One size fits all is ok for scarves. It is not ok for skin tones!

For reference I don’t currently own any but I know that Rimmel and Chanel do not make any foundation pale enough for me. Both brands have left me looking like I’ve been Ronseal’d in the past. It’s a shame because I’m sure they both make fab foundations but the colour ranges apparently weren’t designed with porcelain skin in mind. 

Which is my favourite foundation? Honestly I couldn’t say. I like them all for different things. If I was told I could only wear one of these for the rest of my life I’d probably say the Double Wear Light but I’d sorely miss the other. Except the Maybelline. I’ve almost finished it thank goodness and I will not be sorry to toss that sucker in the bin... x

*I bought all these myself because I’m a naughty makeup addict and yes I know I have too much foundation....*

L’Oreal Absolute Eye & Lip Make-up Remover

I’m on a quest to find a cheaper eye makeup remover that is as effective as my beloved Lancôme Bi-Facil. I’ve tried some absolute duds but this is one of the better ones. It’s ok, but by no means brilliant. For £5.29 you get 125ml of blue, layered remover that you shake up to use.

The bottle makes three claims. I’ll go through each in turn. The first is “removes all make-up, even waterproof”. Yes it does. Eventually. For a normal work days eye makeup it does the job quite nicely however water proof mascara takes a bit more rubbing than I would like. By the time I’m done with it the skin around my eyes is quite tender.

Non Greasy – it is really quite oily and leaves a fair amount of residue round my eyes. So does the Bi-facil but less so. I feel the need to wipe it off after use.
Suitable for sensitive eyes – now my eyes aren’t that sensitive however the skin just under my eyes is very fussy. Normally this doesn’t cause any discomfort unless I’m wearing water proof mascara in which case it can sting a little by the time I’ve gotten all of it off.

Overall I think it’s a reasonably good eye makeup remover. It’s not perfect though so the hunt continues. What’s your favourite eye makeup remover? X
*I bought this myself*

L’Oréal Smoothing Resurfacing Primer

I’ve been eyeing up this baby for a while now so when L’Oréal was on buy 2 get 1 free recently at Superdrug I made a beeline for it. The unassuming little glass jar (15ml of product) costs £12.99 at full price which may seem a lot for such a small jar of drugstore product. I’ve been using this for a couple of weeks now though and have barely made a dent. You do get your monies worth as you require very little of it. L’Oréal don’t claim that this primer will make your makeup last all day or that you will be oil free for all eternity. In fact they make only one claim on their website:

“Inspired by professional make-up, this primer masks wrinkles and uneven textures in the skin, making the complexion incredibly smooth with a velvety touch. Skin feels soft as if resurfaced.”

Pores be gone! It certainly does a better job of disguising my many enlarged pores than my GOSH primer does (though I still love that). Used under my eyes I find my concealer creases less too when I’m squinting at things (I’m long sighted). It provides a soft, smooth base for your foundation to glide over. I’d even go so far as to say that I do find it mattifying too. My foundation just looks so much better with this than it does without.

The product looks and feels exactly like marshmallow in the jar. It’s all soft and fluffy and a little bit pink. You just dab your finger in it and then spread it over you face concentrating in problem areas. As I’ve said a little goes a long way so I don’t see myself using this up anytime soon. When I do though I’d seriously consider repurchasing as long as they don’t put the price up anymore. Love it! Xxx

*I bought the above product with my own money. I always give my honest opinion of a product. For further info see my disclaimer in the menu on the left*

L’Oréal Paris Infallible Foundation

The quest for the perfect foundation continues in barginous fashion after a recent buy 2 get one free offer at Superdrug on L’Oréal products. I had heard a few reviews claiming that this foundation is similar to Revlon Colour Stay which I like but it is not without its flaws (no pump and it stinks). It cost £10.99 for 30ml of product as opposed to Color stay which is £11.99 for 30ml. Not a huge difference price wise but when you think that the L’Oréal has a pump meaning it’s easier to use only as much as you need whereas with the Revlon I always feel like I’m wasting product as I can’t control how much I’m pouring out. They both have nice, substantial feeling glass bottles.

The L’Oréal wins on the fragrance front too with its light floral scent. It starts out a bit strong but quickly fades away and there is none of the heavy chemical stench of Color Stay. The formula is thick but not as thick and unforgiving as the Color Stay too so you have more time to blend it. If you are looking for really full coverage then Color Stay will win out. I would call this medium but buildable. The colour range isn’t as wide as Color Stay as far as I know (I could well be wrong though) but the palest (15 Porcelaine) is a good match for Morticia here.

Now the blurb on the bottle says “Long-Lasting Perfecting Foundation” with 16 hour wear and “Fights the signs of makeup meltdown Anti-Transfer + Anti-Mask Effect”. 16 hour wear? Yes on the rest of my face but regular readers will not be shocked to know that after about 6 hours it’s begun to break down on my nose requiring a hefty dose of powder to even things out again. Though oddly, because it isn’t as heavy as Color Stay, it isn’t as noticeable when it starts breaking down as the naked patch isn't as apparent.

The only negative I have personally is that it sure as hell isn’t Anti-Transfer. I notice some coming off on my hands every time I touch my face and I phone is frankly covered. This isn’t fixed by setting it with a powder. It’s annoying but I guess I shouldn’t be touching my face anyway. If floral scents are a turn off for you this won’t be for you either, I happen to quite like it though. Personally I do prefer this to Color Stay. It isn’t as thick and heavy, it’s packaging is more practical and it doesn’t smell of chemicals. Love it! x

L'Oreal Perfect Clean Foaming Gentle Scrub

Is there anything more frustrating than having meticulously cleansed your face only to find when you use your toner the cotton pad is still covered with the remnants of your foundation? I may have found a solution...

This fruity little number (smells like mango to me) has small exfoliating beads. It’s gentle enough for me to use every day but those with super sensitive skin may want to try the other types. I think the pink bottle is for sensitive skin (don’t take my word for it). The face wash itself is pleasant enough and doesn’t dry my skin out. I really do think my skin has improved since using it!

However, nice though the face wash is the real star is that little rubber scrublet. You put the product on it then work round your face in circular motions. It’s super soft so you don’t feel like you’re sanding your face off and according to the manufacturer it is latex/ other nasties free. Not once after using this have I found any remnants of makeup left when I’ve used my toner. My face is squeaky clean every time! And I feel that as a result of this my skin looks less congested.

It costs £4.99 at Superdrug at the moment and personally I will be repurchasing xx

It’s Sample Sunday! L’Oreal Matte Morphose Foundation

I wasn’t expecting to like this sample as I’ve not had much luck with mousse foundations in the past. Honestly though? I kind of like this! The texture is very thick and weird to work with. I applied it with my ELF Studio Foundation brush but I think fingers might be the best way to go with it. The coverage is surprisingly high and I didn’t feel the need to add concealer. 

Once you’ve worked it into the skin which does take a little effort the finish is just what I like. It’s matte but not powdery and it sets pretty quickly. I didn’t even feel the need to powder though I probably would still powder my t-zone if I were wanting it to last all work day. I wasn’t wearing any primer but my giant crater pores looked somewhat disguised, probably due to the thick texture. I love how my skin feels with this on. It’s not tacky to the tough at all, rather velvety in fact! 

Of course the shine did start after a couple of hours and I’m afraid I didn’t keep it on long enough to see it it would manage a full work day (the shade I have is too dark as per usual) but I have reasonable expectations from it due to the matte nature of the formula. One thing I think will be an issue for many is the small colour range. I can only see 6 shades on the Boots website. 

This is a possible future purchase from me if they have a colour that matches. I’m intrigued by the weird texture and I really love the finish. If you have dry skin and prefer a dewy look this will definitely not be for you and I can imagine it would cling horrifically to any flaky spots. Personally though I like it! x