Head To Head - Affordable Cleansing Oils

We seem to be in the midst of a minor skincare takeover at the moment here in the Jodie May Beauty head quarters (sorry to the more makeup obsessed readers) and today will be no exception to that. Us bloggers are always harping on about "dupes" for other products but some times I think we forget to compare things in the same price bracket, so I'm here to rectify that. starting with a couple of oil cleansers:

In the left corner, we have my old faithful: The Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil, and on the right we have No7's Beautiful Skin Cleansing Oil. Both of these cleansers are around the £10-£11 mark and are available in the UK from Boots. Una Brennan gives you 200ml compared to No7's 150ml so on price-per-ml the UB is slightly more affordable, but how do they perform head to head?

Packaging - for packaging, the winner is definitely No7. My biggest bug-bear with the UB cleansing oil is that it doesn't have a pump, it's a serious design flaw. The lack of a pump can make it a little bit awkward to use as you have to pour the liquid-y cleanser out into your hands and the No7 is much more user friendly.

Formula - This will largely come down to personal preferences, but I can say that the No7 oil feels thinner during use. Both remove makeup with easy and are quick to remove, neither leave the skin feeling dry or stripped at all. One thing I will mention for formula is that the first ingredient on the inci for the No7 is Paffafinnum Liquidum (or as it's usually reffered to: mineral oil). This is a low quality oil that comes from fossil fuels (it's essentially a by-product of petrol) and if you're prone to any kind of acne, it's an ingredient to avoid. The UB oil contains mainly sunflower seed oil and some other more natural oils and so I do feel like you're getting better quality ingredients from the UB.

All in all? For me the Una Brennan remains unbeaten. I will likely just decant it into the bottle for the No7 once I've used that up because the packaging is so much better on the No7. I still use and enjoy the No7 and it's pretty much always on offer so you can generally get a good deal on it but I just feel like the ingredients on the UB are so much better.

No Money March: The Budget AM Skincare Routine

We're trying something new today. Videos.

Now I must admit, I'm not going to be able to get a video up every week, but I've decided that every now and then I'll drop on into a regularly scheduled post slot. I'm finding that I have a lot of ideas for content that make for lengthy posts and I figured some people might want to see them in video format. :)

No Money March: The Budget Contouring Palette

I know "strobing" is the latest makeup trend but I still think contouring is the most effective way to chisel out some cheek bones and add dimension to the face. I've seen the more high-end contouring palettes and while they look pretty I just couldn't justify dropping the cash on them since I wasn't sure how much use I'd get out of them. Then I found out NYX had one so I figured I'd have a look at it, and here's what I think.

So the palette is £18 in the UK and it's made up of 8 shades. My breakdown of the functions of those shades breaks down to 3 contouring colours, 1 bronzer, 1 banana-powder type shade, 2 shimmer highlights and 1 matte highlight/light face powder. This is currently available in the UK from Boots, Selfridges, Very.com and FeelUnique.com.

I'm really pale and I find most of these shades workable for my skin. Both of the shimmer highlights are lovely on me, the top left corner "Ice Queen" is a lovely pale pinky shimmer that looks lovely on the cheek bones and "Nectar" (top right) is an orangey peach shimmer that I use as a blush topper but I can see this working well on deeper skin tones as well. The formula on the shimmer highlights is the best in the palette, these are really soft and buttery.

The matte highlight "Soft Light" (second from the left) is slightly more powdery feeling. I use this as an all over face powder but it could work as a highlight on darker skins. "Cream" (the yellow shade) is really interesting because I though it would be too dark to work on my skin but I find it blends out great and really brightens the centre of the face. With it being another matter powder it's not as creamy as the shimmers but it's definitely not what I'd call chalky either.

For the bronze-y shades I find I can only really use the two centre shades. "Tan" (bottom left) is too dark to bronze with and too warm to use as a contour and "Hollow" (bottom right) is just way too dark but the formula is pigmented and blendable on both. "Sculpt" (centre right) is my perfect contour shade and "Toffee" makes a nice pale bronzer.

The packaging isn't the most glam looking and it feels a bit cheap, but it's really functional. It seems to be marketed as a pro product so the clear lid makes sense and the hard plastic is durable so I can see this traveling well. I also like that the pans are removable so if you just wanted to travel with one of two shades you could easily pop them out and put them in another palette.

In terms of bang for your buck, it works out at £2.25 per pan and each of the pans is 2.7g. For value it works out similar to their other bronzing products which run for £8 for 9g. I think these are really reasonably priced for what you get.

I also wanted to make an honourable mention to the Spectrum Collection Tapered Finishing Brush, for budget contouring, this brush is amazing. The pink handle and blue bristles is fun and the tapered cut makes it really easy to apply contour where you want it. It's a lovely soft brush that picks up product well and blends it seamlessly and it's a synthetic brush so its cruelty free.

No Money March: Olay Daily Facials Cleansing Cloths

I could have titled this post many things referencing the unlikely-hood of what you're about to read, but there were so many choices that it all got a bit overwhelming and so I went for the obvious. Basically, Emily of Beauty Broadcast has been talking about the Olay Daily Facial in a Box on her channel for years now. So despite them being two of my top skincare loathes in one (foaming and face wipes) I just had to try them, and I'm pleasantly surprised.

These aren't your typical face wipe. They come in a box and they're dry cloths that you dampen and then they lather up. I picked up the kind for sensitive skin (in the UK I've only seen the "Sensitive" or "Normal" varieties, but in the Us I believe they carry options for both "Dry" and "Oily/Combination" also) and you get 30 in a box.

The sensitive cloths have holes in the cloth which gives them a slight texture that offers a tiny bit of gentle exfoliation to the skin without them being scratchy or abrasive at all. The actual lather is nice and soft and they cloths remove makeup really well without leaving the skin feeling stripped or dry. I personally use these to remove makeup either as a first cleanse or as a lazy night where I just want to remove the makeup and get to bed, but I can see them working equally well as a morning cleanse.

The only thing that has me a bit torn is the value for money. At full price they're £4.99 but they can be found on offer for £3 in a lot of places, so for face wipes they're a reasonable price but I just think that face wipes are generally not the most cost effective way to wash your face. However that being said, these are really nice and they're a lot cheaper than the Skyn Iceland Glacial Cleansing Cloths (£13 for 30) and they are the only other face wipes I've used that I'd recommend.

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Volume + Length Magnified

So today brings us the closing instalment of our Revlon mascara marathon, and I have (accidentally) saved the best for last. While I thought I'd love the All-In-One that we looked at on Monday, it's the Volume + Length Magnified formula that really left a lasting impression on me.

I must admit, I struggled to see what would be different about the claims for this one and the All-In-One, but these claims seem to be a lot more realistic:

"Create envy with every lash flutter using the Revlon Volume & Length Magnified Mascara . The high-shine fibre formula provides amplified volume and length for big doe eyed lashes.

It’s all about the brush:

The Revlon Magnifying Lash Brush has a unique square brush, which anchors the formula to lashes, coating them individually for intense volume and length."

This does have that same lash-fibre formula as the All-In-One, but I feel that the Volume + Length Magnified has a wand that is better equipped for depositing the lash fibres onto the lashes in a way that looks more natural. This wand is a traditional bristle brush and I find that it's a really good size (neither over nor under sized) and that the bristles aren't too long or too short either. It's basically a standard no-frills-attached mascara wand.

I find this product to be very lengthening to the lashes and you can easily build volume with it if you take the time to build it up. I can comfortably apply 2 coats and started to see the tiniest amount of clumping on the 3rd coat but it does give a very fluttery looking lash. I think this is the all-rounder of the bunch, it gives length, volume and the lashes still look nicely defined with this.

That being said - I am interested to see which of the bunch you prefer if you've tried any of these?

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Dramatic Definition

So our Revlon mascaras takeover is still going strong and today we're looking at the Dramatic Definition formula. It's occurred to me that in none of the previous posts have I mentioned the price, I picked mine up at an introductory price of £6.99, but once full price these will retail for £9.99 a piece which seems to be the standard for high-street mascaras these days.

Like the Ultra Volume that we looked at on Tuesday, this was one from the line-up that I really couldn't see working for me since I have quite short lashes and this product claims to:

"Exaggerate your look by using the Revlon Dramatic Definition Mascara. The smooth, flexible formula coats lashes for clump-free definition ensuring lashes appear endless.

It’s all about the brush:

The Revlon Lash Separator Brush coats and separates each lash for dramatic, bold definition, whilst the tiered bristles define and separate every lash, resulting in thick, heavy black lashes."

This mascara has a rubber bristle brush and the bristles are distributed in 5 rows that are quite spaced apart from each other, the tip of the wand is also quite flexible. I picked this up in non-water-proof and I feel like the formula on this mascara is exactly the same as the formula on the Ultra Volume, so a tiny bit of smudging but no flaking.

When I think of defining mascaras I tend to think of "barely there" lashes, or lashes that are naturally long and full looking that don't need much help and with just one coat thats exactly what this mascara does. I find that the first coat with this one doesn't deposit much product onto the lashes and it does leave a really defined look to the lashes.

That being said, if you try to build up any type of volume of length you will notice the definition in your lashes disappear pretty quickly. I can apply 2 coats comfortably and the mascara builds on itself nicely but by coat 3 things can start looking a tiny bit clumpy and I needed the 3rd coat to get the length I wanted.

If your lashes aren't too short or you don't mind a tiny bit of clumping, this might be for you. I also think you'll like this if you're looking for a more natural lash.

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Super Length

Day 3 of Revlon mascara's week and if you're wondering how I'm choosing what order to post these in by now - it's the rainbow song. You know, the one that goes "red and yellow and pink and green...". I didn't want to go in order of preference because I thought it would ruin the surprise of whether or not I got on with it. But that aside, lets have a look a todays pick: the Super Length formula.

The Super Length mascara is the one in the green packaging and as a girl with short lashes, I thought this one would be something I'd get on with. The marketing claims on this product state that it's"

"A luscious formula, which glides on easily and builds up quickly to create incredible lash length.

It’s all about the brush:

The innovative Revlon Stretch Brush tip coats even the smallest of lashes, whilst the long side bristles pulls the high-shine, length fibres through lashes to create serious super lashes."

Now I have no idea what brush the marketing people were looking at when they came up with those claims, but it cannot possibly have been the brush on this mascara. The brush is a stand bristle mascara wand but it's easily twice as big as most, which makes it quite clumsy to apply. I did find that the mascara offered length but it didn't seem any more lengthening than any of the others in the range and it offered next to nothing in terms of volume.

This is the only one from the range that I picked up in the water-proof formula. I don't usually wear water-proof mascara as I don't usually need it but for the purposes of testing I wanted to try one and I found that while the water-proof formula didn't smudge at all, it flaked off more than the non-water-proof formulas.

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Ultra Volume

Day 2 of the Revlon mascara take-over week and today we're looking at the "Ultra Volume" formula in the pink packaging. Of the 5 different formula's available this was one of the two that stood out to me as something I didn't think I'd get on with, but in the interest of offering a complete review of the collection I gave it a go anyway.

We're sticking to the non-water-proof formula so in terms of smudging and flaking it's really similar to yesterdays pick. The main difference I found in the formulas was that this one doesn't seem to have the little lash fibres. Here's what the claims are:

"Introducing Ultra Volume Mascara, allowing you to create massive, volumised lashes with a conditioning, clump free formula, which plumps lashes for intense volume.

It’s all about the brush:

The Revlon Lash Plumping Brush has triple grooves to hold the mascara formula for maximum lash volume, whilst the short and long bristles eliminate clumps; ensuring lashes are thick and voluminous."

So the brush on this one is a standard bristle brush but I do think the bristles seem to be a bit more spaced out than they are on other wands I've seen. I also notice that while the wand doesn't seem to be upsized at all, the bristles do seem to be a bit longer than you would typically find on a traditional bristle mascara wand.

I'd say of all the mascaras in the collection, this one has the most accurate claims. On my lashes it gives a lot of volume and not much else. It's not particularly clumpy for such a volumising mascara but it does give that almost spider-y look to my lashes. I think this is because while it's really volumising, it offers little in terms of length and so if you have shorter lashes like mine, this isn't going to balance them out amazingly.

I personally think I'll get the most use out of this product as a layering mascara on top of something that's really lengthening just to add a bit more drama. However if you have long, thin lashes, this might work a treat for you.

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Ultimate All-In-One

So we're having a theme within a theme this week. We're on a month of high street beauty bits and I'm devoting this week to a pretty big launch from Revlon. I've liked a few of Revlon's mascaras in the past but they recently pulled the plug on every single mascara they had on offer and replaced them with a new line of 5 new ones, all targeted at a different lash concern.

Today we're looking at the Ultimate All-In-One Mascara, which is the one with the red lid, and after looking at the marketing behind these mascaras, this was the one I wanted to try the most. Revlon market this as "the holy grail of mascaras" and claims that it features

"5 lash transforming benefits leaving no lash behind, allowing you to achieve:

- Volume

- Length

- Definition

- Lift

- Intense Colour

It’s all about the brush:

The revolutionary small but mighty Revlon Power Mini Brush has a hollow core, designed to maximise the amount of formula to the lashes, as well as a unique mini oval shape for easy application, which reaches and covers every lash to create an intense and unbelievable length lash look."

If those aren't bold claims, I don't know what are. Honestly? I was really disappointed with this one. I find that while the hollow sections are intended to hold product to create an "unbelievable length lash" actually make it near impossible to build any length at all. As I applied the mascara volume built up very quickly and as I applied more coats to try to build length I found my lashes started to look clumpy.

The formula also has little lash fibres in the formula but the teeth on the wand aren't long enough to comb through the lashes so any fibres that are deposited onto the lashes aren't necessarily straight. In terms of the formula I got the non-waterproof and I didn't notice massive amounts of smudging or flaking and it was easily removed at the end of the day with a cleansing oil.

No Money March: Soap & Glory Archery Brow Putty Dip Pot & Brush

Brows have always been the one area of makeup that I feel like I can never get quite right. I have naturally sparse, mousey brows and I've always dyed my hair darker and in a way that makes my natural brows look borderline non-existent. With that in mind, every time a new high stress brow product launches, I get a bit excited and so I picked up the Soap & Glory Dip Pot & Brush pretty much as soon as I saw it had launched.

So the packaging of this looks very much like a jumbo pen eyeliner packaging, it's quite a thick tube with a pull off cap and initially I thought the product would be in the cap of the packaging. When you pull the cap off there's a clean brush underneath and the product is in a pot that you unscrew from the bottom of the product.

My initial though is that the packaging is a little clumsy. This is essentially a brow pomade type product and it would have been much more practical for them to package it as a pot with a separate brush like other brands have released and I think S&G have packaged it this way to make it look like it's something really different. At £10 full price it's at the same price point as most of Soap & Glory's other brow products and it sits in the upper end of high-street pricing.

Packaging aside its nice. The brush is small enough for you to not overload the brows and the product is dry enough and sheer enough that you don't end up looking like you've sharpie'd on your brows. The shade selection isn't terrible, there's 3 shades to pick from "Love is Blonde", "Brownie Points" and "Dark Chocolate", Soap & Glory's brow products usually only have 2 shade varieties so this is a step in the right direction for them.

With it being a brush that you have to dip into product it's not nearly as quick to apply as a brow pencil but I wouldn't say that it takes so long that it's impractical and the finished result is nice and natural looking. I do think it's missing a spool-y brush to comb through the brows as with the formula being quite waxy I like to comb through the brows both before application to make the shape easier to follow and then again after I've filled them in to blend in any areas that I may have been heavy-handed in.

All in all I think it's a decent product. While I have some gripe with the packaging it does work nicely and it's not unreasonably priced. If you're into brow pomades it might be worth checking out.

Nspa Does Face Masks

A while I did a post about the Nspa Skincare range at Asda (clicky link: here) and there was some gems in that post so when I saw that they did little face-mask sachets, I figured they'd be worth a try. There's 3 in the range and they're all aimed at different skin concerns, so lets ave a look.

So the first one I tried was the Nspa "Treat" Warming Detox Mask. The mask comes in a pink sachet and claims to be a "elf-heating treatment with natural clay to deeply cleanse the skin" and if I'm honest, I can't really offer this mask a fair review. I used it precisely once and the smell was so awful that I had to remove it immediately, it made me feel a bit sick. Now I know scent isn't everything and that as long as something works the scent shouldn't be a big thing, but for something that you have to leave on for 15 minutes, the scent is unbelievable strong and overpowering.

The second mask I tried was a bit better. The Nspa "Cleanse" Deep Cleansing Mask claims that it is "A dead-sea mineral mud mask to treat and refresh the skin for a beautiful complexion". This one goes on to the skin a light blue colour and though the sachet recommends 15 minutes, I found that it dried down in around 5 minutes. The scent was fresh with a slight hint of mint and was light enough that it wasn't overpowering. You get 2 uses out of the sachets and it left my skin feeling nice and smooth on removal, however it did leave my skin craving moisture and I have oily/combination skin.

The final variety in the range is the Nspa "Moisturise" Radiance Boosting Mask, and this one is the worst of the lot. It goes onto the face light pink and feels nice and cooling on application. The scent was a nice soft sweet almost herbal-y scent that was completely non-offensive and, again, you can get 2 uses out of the packet. I was really happy with it at first. Now fast-forward 5-10 minutes later, the mask had dried and as I wen to remove it my skin underneath was red and dry started heating up. The redness was really blotchy and didn't go down (even after I'd applied some nourishing oils) for a few hours.

I don't like posting super negative reviews but I thought this was worth sharing - especially that last one since the mask actually seemed to be damaging. I am really disappointment since there's lots of other products in the Nspa range that are really nice, amazing value products but these are just not great.

The Beauty Stocking Fillers Guide (Beauty Gifts Under £15)

So to kick things off with my Beauty Christmas Gift Guide I thought I'd start with the lower-cost options and move into more indulgent items as we go along. So today we're looking at gifts under £15, on Wednesday next week I have gift ideas between £15 and £35, and if that's not indulgent enough for you, check back Friday next week for my gift ideas over £35.

So the product that kicked off my skincare obsession was the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, and this year she's released a tree ornament gift with a mini 15ml pot of this amazing cleanser for £10. It's cute (if a little bit of an awkward shape to wrap) and contains a decent amount of an amazing product. So if you know someone who's either into skincare and hasn't tried this, or loves the cleanser and could do with a travel size, I think this would be a good pick.

Last year I was gifted a set from Aromatherapy Associates and that's where my love for their products was born. They've released a mini bottle of one of their scents in a tree ornament for the last few years and this year their The Star gift contains a 9ml bottle of their "Revive Morning" scent. For £10 it's a more affordable way to gift someone the Aromatherapy experience and I just love these.

In-keeping with the Christmas tree ornament theme I also have a body pick that you can hang on your tree: the L'Occiatane Verbena Festive Ornament. I haven't tried everything in this set out yet (although I must admit, it's a gift to self) but I have tried the Verbena Body Lotion and it's a lovely thin texture that instantly absorbs but that leaves the skin hydrated. The set also includes the Verbena Shower Gel, the Verbena Cooling Hand Cream Gel and the Soap With Verbena Leaves and the scent on this stuff is insanely good, reminiscent of sorbet lemon sweets.**

** Eek! I picked this set up last week and it's already sold out! Sorry! This one is very similar but sadly just a bit over the £15 limit - LINK and I've linked the individual products above - most are under £15 each.

My last tree-trinket gift is the Philip Kingsley Geranium and Neroli Elasticizer Duo. Does what it says on the tin essentially, it's a little ornament that contains two 40ml bottles of the geranium and neroli scented hair mask. So for £12 you actually get more product in this set than you do in their full sized product (75ml) and that's priced at £18.

Possibly my favourite little kit this year is the REN Glow and Go gift set. For £14 you get a 20ml Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial and a 20ml Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask. These are two of my all time favourite masks and it would be a great way to let someone trial them.

It's not quite Christmas until Space NK bring back their Shimmering Spice Candle, The 75g one is £15 (but I suppose if you wanted to you could pick up the bigger one for £25) and it just smells like Christmas. It's spicy and sweet with a sugary cinnamon type scent that I just love, and the glass jar that it comes in is so beautifully packaged.

And then the rest of the picks here are just regular available-all-year-long type items that I think would make lovely gifts. For example the L'Oreal La Palette Nude or any of the items in their La Palette range are nice for £14.99. You get a whole host of shades and the quality of the shadows is nice, and they don't look cheap by any means, they could easily slap a high end name on this and it wouldn't look out of place at all.

You could create your own bathing gift with a gift box and a few pieces from Lush's bath range. Their Bath Bombs, Bath Melts and Bubble Bars are lovely and range from around £2-£6 a piece. If you picked out 2-4 from the range that would create a lovely thoughtful gift from under £15.

Similarly to the L'Oreal pick, some of the palettes Revolution have been putting out lately are lovely and quite a few of them look more expensive than they are. These range from £4-£8 and you can pick up everything from eyeshadow palettes to blush and face powders. My favourites are the Highlighter Palette in "Radiance" (£8) and the Icon Blush Bronze & Bright Flush (£4). The Redemption Palettes are also really nice for £4 but I think these look less expensive than the other picks.

And finally, we have another makeup item that looks more luxury than it costs. I think that KIKO's range of lipsticks are amazing value for money. Their Intensely Lavish, Velvet Mat Lipsticks, Luscious Cream, Luminous Chrome and Crystal Sheer formulas are all £6.90 and as well as the formula being top notch, the packaging these are housed in looks and feels so high-end. They have magnetic closures, buttons you push to remove the lids and they're weighed nicely as well. Unbelievable quality for the price. Their Cosmic Starlets Collection also has sets where you get a lipstick and either a lip pencil or a nail polish for £10.90.

30 Lips in 30 Days - Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick

So this is it, day 30 of the 30 lips challenge. Today we've got a super affordable option of the Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick. I have heard a few good things about the line so I wanted to see if these were any good because, at £1.99 a piece, these could be a really nice addition to your collection. The shade selection is wide but there's nothing too out there in the collection, lots of neutral shades along with some berries and reds, I have shade "Raspberry" and it's a your-lips-but-better type medium pink.

The packaging seems to be where they've saved money because I must admit it's really cheap looking and a bit flimsy. That being said, the formula on these is actually really nice, they're opaque without being too thick and very very creamy so they're very comfortable on the lips. The one thing about the formula is that, because it's so creamy, the lasting time isn't great and these will need to be maintained through the day.

30 Lips in 30 Days - Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick

I feel like the Revlon super Lustrous Lipstick in "Cherries In The Snow" has become almost a classic shade. I remember EssieButton talking about it way back in the day of beauty vloggers and when I saw it on the shelves of my local Boots the other day I couldn't help but pick it up. The packaging is pretty old school with the classic glossy black tube and the gold detailing, the top of the lid is also clear so you can see the colour through the top so you can see which colour it is if you have a few from the line.

As for the formula, it's really rich and creamy so it's super comfortable on the lips and the colour payoff is great. It's thin in texture so it doesn't feel like it's weighing your lips down throughout the wear time but the colour is still nice and intense on the lips. The one thing I would say is that due to the high moisture content, this lipstick doesn't set on the lips and will move around if you aren't careful, it will leave a mark on cups and if you catch your lips with anything you can easily drag the colour out of your lip line.

30 Lips in 30 Days - Collection Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream

So we're back with another lip cream and today we have the Collection Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream. I picked this up mainly because they look identical to the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams and I thought it would be nice to compare the two, especially with the collection ones being a bit cheaper. When first applied the Collection one feels very much like the NYX, both are smooth and creamy in texture and there's quite a bit of moisture in both formulas. The name "moisturising lip cream" is, in my opinion, at least a little bit misleading as both the Collection and the NYX formulas dry down to a powdery matte finish and leave little to no creaminess on the lips. On a blind swatch test I'd assume they were simply different shades of the same product.

It's also hard not to draw on the similarities in the packaging. Both products come in a tube that reflects the colour of the product with a matte black lid and black detailing on the tube and have the same doe-foot applicator. I'd actually say the scent on the two is identical, a light vanilla type scent. The main difference is that the Soft Matte Lip Creams retail at £5.50 and has wide shade selection, where the Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream is slightly lower in price at £2.99 a piece and only comes in 3 colours.

30 Lips in 30 Days - NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

As promised, another pick from the NYX Cosmetics line, today we have their Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade "08 - San Paulo". Again, like their Butter Gloss the colour of the packaging reflects the colour of the product and the detailing on the packaging is matte black, the NYX packaging is almost Nars'esque in it's sleekness. "San Paulo" is a mid-tone matte pink that lies somewhere between a red-pink and a fuchsia shade.

The Soft Matte Lip Creams are smooth and creamy to apply and go on with a slight hint of glossiness and then dry down to a matte finish. They do take a little while to set and so can be smudged within a few minutes of application and even once they've set, moisture will make them fade quicker so if you're drinking or anything like that this will need to be retouched through the day.

30 Lips in 30 Days - Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Lacquer

Having been a fan of the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks for a while I wanted to give the lip lacquers a go to see how thy compared. The packaging is nice and simple with the black accents on the clear packaging and the doe foot applicator is nice and a good size for application.

The formula is a little thick on the lips but they are smooth rather than sticky. As the product has a slight thickness to it the shades are quite opaque and they last relatively well on the lips for a lip product with a glossy finish. I have the shade "Charm Offensive" and it's a medium nude with a slight hint of a rosiness to it which makes it a bit more wearable than the really brown-toned nudes out there. They have a light vanilla scent to them which I like but this doesn't linger too long on the lips after application if you're not a big fan of scented lip products.

30 Lips in 30 Days - NYX Butter Gloss

When I heard that NYX Cosmetics was hitting Boots I was jump-up-and-down type excited. I'v heard so much in the blog-o-sphere about NYX but they were near impossible to find in-store in the UK and even places that shipped online weren't great for us. I just picked up a couple of bits to begin with and the Butter Gloss in "Tiramisu" made the first cut. The packaging is nice with the very well colour co-ordinated lid for each shade and the clear plastic tube so you can see the colour of the product and the doe-foot applicator is nice and small so it's easy to apply.

The formula feels a lot like a liquid lip balm, thin and moisturising and really comfortable, my lips actually still feel hydrated after the product wears off which I love. Despite the product being so thin in texture the pigmentation is nice, these are still a lipgloss so they aren't going to be completely opaque but there is a nice amount of colour on the lips and you will be able to see a difference in each shade. I have heard that these glosses can sometimes be a bit streaky but "Tiramisu" doesn't seem to be for me. Very excited to see more from the brand after trying this product. Anyone with recommendations/requests for reviews from NYX let me know in comments!

30 Lips in 30 Days - Eyes Lips Face Mineral Lipstick

So I think by now most people that are into beauty have heard of Elf (or Eyes Lips Face) Cosmetics and know that they're an affordable US brand that have been delivering internationally for a good few years now. I think Elf has some really great products and the Mineral Lipsticks are a good pick if you haven't tried much from them before. They've got a good bit of moisture to them so they're super comfortable on the lips and the staying power is pretty good too.

The shade I have is "6710 Cheerful Cherry" and it's a lovely, slightly deeper red. I'd recommend blotting down a bit with this particular shade just because the deep colour will make it obvious should you accidentally catch your lip and drag the colour outside the lip line but it doesn't seem to feather from what I've seen. There's a decent colour range in this formula and the packaging is quite sleek looking with the matte black tube.

30 Lips in 30 Days - KIKO Intensely Lavish Lipstick

I'll say this from the off - if you're looking for an absolute bargain of a lip product, you need look no further than the KIKO Intensely Lavish Lipstick range. These are unbelievable, especially for the price (£6-£7). These lipsticks are packaged in a weighty, rose gold effect lipstick tube with a magnetic close and they look and feel like a high-end product.

I have the shade "05" which is a mid-tone pink-y berry shade and if I did have one complaint about this lipstick is would be that the colours are just numbered rather than named but it's a small detail. The formula is a creamy satin finish that's comfortable and the product stays for a long time and doesn't leave you with any weird lip-liner looks. All round a great product and I'm already looking into getting more shades from the range.