Let’s Talk About Sheet Masks.

Specifically, a couple that I've tried recently from the brand TonyMoly. So Asian beauty products have been making the rounds lately and TonyMoly is a brand that popped up on Cult Beauty and Sephora not too long ago and I've been itching to try some bits. As much as I could have ordered pretty much everything that the brand has to offer (it all looks so interesting!) I contained myself to just 2 masks. With the promise that if I liked what I saw I'd go back for more. So what do we think?

TonyMoly Rice Mask (Clear Skin)

This is a 20-30 minute sheet mask that is supposed to make "dull skin look radiant and glowing" which I must admit, when I first unboxed this I was disappointed with as it's called "Clear Skin" and I assumed it would be clarifying in some way. Slightly misleading titles aside this is a nice mask.

It's instantly cooling on the skin and hasn't really got a scent to it so it's pleasant to use, I did notice a slight tingling sensation towards the end of the mask but nothing uncomfortable. When you take it out of the packet it's completely saturated and I didn't notice it drying off quickly at all when I wore it (I left it on for the full 30 minutes and the only bit that dried was the space between my upper lip and my nose).

The only thing I would note about this mask is that while it adheres to the skin nicely (mine didn't fall off with light movement) it is a bit awkwardly shaped and didn't fit my face as comfortably as I'd like. This obviously may not be an issue for you dependant on your face shape but the mask was a soft fabric texture and didn't really have any stretch to it at all.

The effects were actually really nice. This left my skin feel plumped and smooth and the cooling effect stuck around for a long while after removing the mask. When I first removed the mask I was a little confused that a "Clear Skin" mask didn't seem to give me any reduction in blackheads or blemishes but after actually looking at the claims it definitely does what it says on the tin.

Inci hot spots: Glycerin (hydrating), Mineral Oil (acne skins be careful - also super cheap oil and this mask isn't cheap), Glycolic Acid (chemical exfoliant), Sodium Hyaluronate (essentially man-made Hyaluronic Acid - hydrating)

TonyMoly Lemon (Brightening)

This sheet mask claims to make "dull and dark skin look radiant" which is pretty much what I'd expect from a mask labeled "Brightening" so the claims on this one look better. Again it's a 20-30 minute sheet mask and I think I left this one on even beyond the recommended 30 minutes. It has a clean citrusy scent that I personally found really pleasant throughout the masking process and again it was instantly cooling on the skin.

This one didn't give my skin any tingling at all (I left it on for longer because I was anticipating a tingle but it never happened). That said I did get some of the mask on my lips and they felt strange (almost like a slightly numbed feeling) for a little while after I'd removed the mask. There's the same issue with the fit (TonyMoly do a whole range of sheet masks and I'd imagine they just switch up the liquid and keep the actual sheet the same for each different one) and this one stayed wet throughout the whole process.

For results I find that this mask left my skin unbelievably soft and smooth. Again there was no reduction in the redness or amount of blemishes on the skin but this mask did reduce the swelling a little and made the surface of the blemish smooth (so much easier to hide under concealer the next day). Of the two I'd say this is my favourite.

Inci hot spots: Glycerin (hydrating), Glycolic Acid (chemical exfoliant), Fragrance (sensitive skins be careful)

In The Queue - Inside My Backups and "To Be Tested" Drawer (Part 1 - Skincare)

So I, like many other beauty obsessives in this world, have a drawer in my stash dedicated to products that aren't in my rotation at the moment for one reason or another. Some of these are products that are tried and tested and that I just can't be without and others are items I've acquired that haven't made it into the testing arena yet (While I do have options open I try not to have everything open at once). I'm going to be rotating some new things in soon so I figured it would be a good idea to let you all know what's in there so if you're itching to hear about something I can prioritise that.

The Backups.

In the backups drawer I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear that I'm hoarding a few cleansers. I've got a full sized Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel, a gel-to-oil cleanser with a lovely light rose-y scent that I fell in love with from the word go. I've also got a full size of the Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser in here, again it's a gel cleanser but I prefer to emulsify with this one - I'm currently working my way through the last drops of a trial size I had. I've stashed away not one but two mini's of the Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel, which is really similar to the Oskia in texture but maybe a bit heavier, I love these for travel. Finally for cleansers, there's a mini of the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, this was the first skincare product I properly got obsessive with and it's a lovely light, citrus-y scented balm cleanser.

The only other skincare products I have in backup are the Balance Me Congested Skin Serum, and a mini Omorovica Queen of Hungary Mist. I panic purchased the Balance Me serum as I had a trial size that I've been using for ages and I was convinced it was going to run out much quicker than it seems to be doing. With the queen of Hungary it's one of those products that I use and enjoy but I'd never pay for. This particular bottle was a gift with purchase and it's lovely, but it's completely unnecessary and very expensive for a refreshing mist.

To Be Tested

I find it difficult to give things a fair test if I have too much on rotation but I still pick up interesting bits so that when I have time to test things I have products ready. At the moment I'm hoarding a Clarins HydraQuench Cream (normal to dry skin), a Skin Blossom Gentle Face Wash and a Barefoot SOS Repair + Renew Light Moisturising Lotion. Again, I have a tonne of minis that are just waiting for me to break into them: Aurelia Miracle Cleanser, Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase, Vasanti BrightenUp Enzyme Face Rejuvenstor Exfoliating Cleanser, Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover, and the Alpha H Essential Hydration Cream. If there's anything anyone's wanting to see on here soon I can pop that on the to do list. :)

The Lip Product Addict Tag

The Lip Product Addict Tag was something that I saw on YouTube a while back and really enjoyed so I thought I'd bring it back:

Favorite Balm/Treatment - NUXE Reve De Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm. It's the only one I've tried that actually works for in the long term, I find most lip balms just add a layer of moisture on top of the lips but the soothing feeling fades as the product wears off but this actually gets rid of dryness.

Best Eye-Catching Red - Chanel Rouge Allure in "97 Incandescente". I love everything about this lipstick. Firstly the tube is so luxurious with the black gloss finish and the gold detailing, the clicky function with the lid is a nice touch and the weight on this tube is just lovely. The shade is stunning as well, a warm red with a creamy finish - probably not as practical as a matte but it's such a fresh faced look.

Best Luxury & Best Drugstore - Best luxury need to go to the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors, I have shades 1 and 2 and I wear these all the time. They're a creamy texture so they have a decent amount of colour pay-off for a sheer lipgloss and the shine on them is pretty but not over the top. Such a nice low-maintenance lip product. 

For a "drugstore" option I'd say I reach for the Rimmel The Only One Lipstick, specifically in the shade "700 Naughty Nude" the most out of all the lipsticks in my collection. I have a few shades of this lipstick and while I can't honestly say I love them all equally, I think this shade is so flattering on my skin tone and with it being a nude it goes with anything and everything. Love.

Best MAC Lipstick - I just have to give this to the shade "Lady Bug". It's a lustre finish red and it's just lovely. It's light and comfortable on the lips with just enough colour. It's a really good tone of red as well, not too warm but not too cool and it's a slightly deeper take on a sheer red. Definitely something to look into if you're in search for the perfect day-time red.

Most Disappointing - Lip Tattoos. If you want to make your lips feel like they haven't been exfoliated in about 10 years, you'll love these. Waaaaaaaaaaaay too uncomfortable for me.

Liner- Yes or No? Yes. My favourite lip liners are the No7 Precision Lips Pencils. Unless I'm down the sheer-and-shiny route, I pretty much always wear a liner, I just like the definition and they really help with lasting power.

Best Gloss - The Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Lipgloss in "Creation". It's another one of those your-lips-but-better shades that's super low maintenance. I also like how these glosses have a heavy bit of shimmer to them but the glittery particles give great shine but are super fine so it doesn't feel grainy on the lips at all.

Something Extra - Lip Creams. I feel like matte liquid lipsticks are having a moment right now but I still love the good old lip cream formulas like the NXY Soft Matte Lip Creams or the Collection Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Creams. They might not be as long lasting as the matte ones but they're so much more comfortable on the lips. I have the shades "San Paulo" in the NYX and "Cotton Candy" in the Collection and I wear them all the time.

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: The Affordable Brand Overview - LOC Cosmetics

I've spoken a lot about Birchbox lately (although rest assured that I have no sponsorship or affiliations with them, they're just doing some cool things lately) and I've been waiting for this UK launch since I saw Tati's video about her collaboration with them (here). Birchbox recently started up there first in-house brand LOC (Love of Colour) and I managed to get my hands on the whole collection, so lets have a look.

So firstly, when I say "the whole collection" I should be clear that the whole collection currently consists of just 5 products. They have 2 eye shadow sticks and 3 lip crayons available at the moment and if the US line is anything to go by I feel like it won't be long until the range expands a little.

The first thing I picked up were the eye shadow sticks. I have both shades but of the two I personally find "Champagne Problems" to be the more wearable shade, it's a nice cool silvery-taupe shade with shimmer and it makes a great lid shade and also works nicely on the lid. The other shade available is "Perfect Cents" which is a warm golden shade with shimmer. Both shades are really pretty, I just find that really warm shades don't sit as nicely on my skin tone.

The formulas on these are amazing. They apply nice and creamily to the lids and you have a decent amount of time to work with them so they blend out really effortlessly. Once you've blended them in they set down on the skin and are pretty much budge-proof. I don't experience any creasing with these at all.

I also really like the matte lip crayons. These are currently available in 3 shades: "Skinny Dip" (a warm nude), "Trouble" (a vibrant slightly warm red) and "Uncorked" (a bright berry). I find the formula on these to be comparable to the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils, they're not quite the same but they have that almost powdery feeling finish on the lips and the staying power on them is really good.

They're super affordable products at £8 each for the eye pencils and £6.50 each for the lip crayons. They're also available in value sets which makes them an even better deal, you can get all 3 lip crayons in a set for £14 or if you want the whole collection thats available for £25 so definitely high street pricing. Being an in-house brand these products are currently only available to purchase via Birchbox's website.

My one gripe with these is the amount of product you get. The shadow sticks contain 1.35g of product and the lip crayons are a mere 0.6g a piece. Now for the shadow sticks it's not too bad as I find the standard amount of product for an eyeshadow pencil to be around 1.6g a piece. The lipsticks however, not so much. I compared these to the Nars pencils before and Nars give you 2.4g of product for £19, so LOC give you a quarter of the amount of product for around a 3rd of the price. I do really like the LOC lip crayons but I can't honestly say I feel they give you value for money.

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.

No Money March: Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation

As a super oily t-zone sufferer, every time I see a new base product with the word "matte" in the title, it goes straight to the top of the "must try" list. So naturally, the second the new Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation hit the shelves of the Great British high street, I was on that faster than I could say the products name. I've been testing it for a few weeks so let's have a look at what I thought:

First off: the packaging. I cannot explain the joy I feel when brands package products in sanitary containers. Seriously. Glass bottles and fancy jars are nice and all, but if it doesn't have a pump I'd rather have a squeeze-y tube any day. So +5 points to Maybelline for the packaging on this, I also like that the lightweight plastic makes it really travel friendly.

I also appreciate that Maybelline foundations tend to be on the more affordable end of the spectrum for high-street prices. While L'Oreal and Maxfactor tend to charge £10+ for theirs, this is comfortably in the middle of Maybelline's foundation pricing at £7.99 for 30ml.

The product squeezes out with a really whipped consistency, and feels almost like a thick mousse in texture. It feels nice and creamy going onto the skin but sets down with a matte cream-to-powder finish quite quickly. One thing to keep in mind is that this foundation does set really quickly - which is nice if you like to apply your makeup quite quickly but it does mean you'll have less time to blend it into the skin. I apply it to my face in sections to avoid streaking.

I would say the coverage is light to medium. If you just apply one thin layer to the skin you'll be able to see freckles and will need concealer to hide slightly bigger issues on the face. However as the product sets really quickly it is so easy to layer up with. I find that by the time I've finished the first layer I can go straight in with a second if I want to build it up. However the formula isn't completely weightless on the skin so the more you apply the more you will feel the product on the skin.

The wear time on this is great, I set it with my Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot powder as I do with all foundations (and no, I don't think I'll ver stop raving about that powder). I find that I do get a little shiny in my t-zone after about 5-6 hours of wear but I get that with most foundations. My only other gripe about wear time is that I find sometimes my cheeky start to look a bit cake-y as the day goes by, but this isn't something that happens all the time so it may be to do with other products I've been using - will check back on that.

I do also like that you can apply this in a variety of ways and it looks nice. I personally prefer to apply this foundation with fingers but I've also had a nice effect applying it with a damp makeup sponge (my usual preferred method). Which brings me nicely to my next point:

The Maybelline Dream Blender Foundation Sponge.

I picked this up as it's advertised as the tool to apply the foundation with and there was an offer on them when I picked mine up. Honestly? I can't say I'm a fan, and here's why:

While it does apply the mousse textured Dream Velvet Foundation nicely, it's not a massively versatile tool as I find the sponge is too firm to be used wet, and a dry firm sponge isn't going to apply most formulas to the skin in a way that give a natural finish. At first I really liked the idea of the handle as not touching the sponge would be more hygienic for the face and would also keep your hands foundation-free but I find that, again, it makes it more difficult to get a natural finish.

But by far the most annoying thing about it is the size. The sponge on the end of this tool is about half the size of a dry beauty blender, and because the sponge is so small, it takes so long to apply foundation that it's impractical at best. Personally I feel like for just £1 more, you can get the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and that this is a far better tool for applying foundation.

Balance Me Congested Skin Serum

Some people like to find a skincare routine that works for them and stick to it. Me? Not so much. I've been trialling a lot of newness (or at least new to my skincare stash-ness) lately and one of the things I've been playing with for a little while is the Balance Me Congested Skin Serum. So I figured I'd let you know how it's been working for me.

So this product is a little confusingly marketed, my first thought was "ooh, a serum for £16, that might be a nice budget product for the blog"! Upon it's arrival I noticed it was only 15ml of product which pushed it more into the mid-range price bracket, and then upon reading the packaging, it doesn't seem to be a serum at all, it's a spot treatment.

So confusion aside, it seems to be reasonably priced compared to higher end spot treatments (Origins Super Spot Remover is £15 for 10ml, Benefit Boo Boo Zap is £14.50 for 7.4ml for comparison). The packaging is also quite nice, it's a hard-plastic tube with a pump on the top. The pump doesn't pump out too much product and it keeps things nice and sanitary which is exactly what you need on a spot treatment.

The actual product is white in colour but goes clear and colourless as you press it into the skin. It has a thin, slightly gel-like texture to it which absorbs into the skin fairly quickly. As I've mentioned this is intended to be a targeted spot treatment which you just dab directly onto blemishes, but the formula isn't at all stripping and I see no reason why you couldn't use it all over the face. I myself have used this as an all-over serum and didn't notice any dryness or dehydration at all, and I find even when used all over the face that it sits well under makeup and won't drink up liquid foundation.

I found the scent on this serum/treatment really pleasant, it's a nice sweet citrus-y scent that will wake you up a bit if used in the morning. I didn't notice the scent lingering on the skin too long after application and it's not at all over-powering for those of you that are sensitive to fragrance. However for those with sensitivities I will mention that the formula does list some ingredients like essential oils so if that's something your skin doesn't like this might be one to skip.

Other than that I think this is a nice product - I personally prefer it as a serum than a spot treatment but if it's a spot treatment you're looking for, this is a nice gentle one that might be worth a try.

My Must-Have Masks

Face masks have always been a really popular product type in the world of skincare and with good reason. They tend to be my go-to product for a quick fix when my skin's misbehaving and I've tried an awful lot of them but here's a run down of my favourites from the ones I've tried:

For the dry or dehydrated out there, there's a lot of moisturising masks on the market and, while some budget options are quite good, my absolute favourite one is the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (£23 for 100ml). It's essentially a super heavy duty night cream and you apply a thin layer before bed for a boost of hydration. The scent is nice and fruity and it leaves the skin feeling soft and supple. If the Origins is out of your price range my affordable alternative would be the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask at £9.99 for 125ml. This is more of a quick fix type mask than an overnight treatment but it works well and the rose scent is lovely.

Clay masks are something you really don't need to spend a lot of money on if you don't want to. My absolute favourite clay mask is the Aroma Actives Deep Cleansing & Purifying Clay Mask. It's around the £10 mark for 100ml and I pick this up from Sainsbury's (although this product isn't available on the Sainsbury's website), I like this one because it's an effective clay mask but it doesn't strip all of the moisture out of the skin like some clay masks do. If Aroma Actives isn't available near you or if you just fancy splurging on a more luxe clay mask, the Charlotte Tilbury Goddess Skin Clay Mask is a nice one. My only problem with it is that, at £45 for 75ml, I think it's quite steeply priced for something that works very similarly to the Aroma Actives one.

The final mask type I'll be talking about today is the exfoliating mask. I have two that work very similarly and they are the Oskia Renaissance Mask and the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask. They're both an orange-y pink gel texture with a soft rose-y scent. They both go onto the skin with a jelly-ish texture and neither of them will dry or "set' on the face. I personally wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them in a blind trial and they're quite similarly priced with the Oskia being £48.50 for 50ml and the Tata Harper being £45 for 30ml. I'll leave either of these on for 3-10 minutes, rinse off and my skin feels so smooth after use.

A good exfoliating mask for me has some slightly pricier ingredients in the formula and, because of that, I haven't been able to find a more budget friendly option. However if you're strapped for cash and need some exfoliation in your life I'd recommend a more affordable exfoliating toner which you can use 2-3 times a week like the Pixi Glow Tonic (£18 for 250ml) or the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (£22 for 60 pads).

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.

Beauty Brands You Can Pick Up In Manchester

I can imagine there are people in the world that plan a trip solely around the tempurate of the country, or the sights to be seen. I guess there can be a whole range of factors that might have an effect on where people choose to travel to when they're booking trips, but for, the local shopping has become one. So with my home town of Manchester being a seemingly popular tourist destination (for reason that I unfortunately can't understand let alone explain) I figured I'd let you know which beauty brands you can pick up in store here.

You won't find a Space NK store in every city in the UK but you will find a little one in Manchesters St. Ann's Square. Don't be fooled by it's size it is small but perfectly formed, and the staff there are so friendly and helpful. If you're not into online shopping this store has brands like Becca, Hourglass, Oskia, Oribe, Sarah Chapman, By Terry and Aromatherapy Associates on the shelves where you can see/feel/sniff them.

For department stores, we don't have a Fenwicks or a Liberties, but we do have 2 of the 4 UK branches of Selfridges, Debenhams, House of Fraser and a John Lewis (but you do need to go specifically to the Trafford Centre for John Lewis and our House of Fraser can be found near Deansgate in Manchester city centre). Between those stores you'll find Urban Decay, Nars, MAC, Diptique, The White Company and Tom Ford (and if you find yourself in the Trafford Centre branch of Selfridges you'll even find a little section dedicated to Muji).

There's a Boot's or a Superdrug (or one of each) in most areas that have some form of shopping centre in Manchester but I find the Superdrug in the Trafford Centre to be the best one for beauty selection here and the Boots on Market Street in the City Centre carries NYX and Origins which you wont find in most other branches. Market Street will also be the one place you'll find a H&M that stocks their entire range of beauty products.

You'll be able to find Lush and The Body Shop in most area's and we have a stand-alone Yankee Candle store in the Arndale Centre - but you can find a selection of Yankee's products in some branches of Clintons Cards.

If there's anything I've missed feel free to update in the comments - I think this is one of those posts that will need revisiting as new brand become available etc.

The Perfect Smokey Eye With Tom Ford

I've mentioned owning the Tom Ford Eye Shadow Quad in "Sahara Haze" before on the blog but I wanted to give it a good testing before I did a full post on it. I was going to pick up a few of the palettes and do a review on the line as a whole but I figured that really, the palettes are so different that stand alone reviews made sense. So this is on the "Sahara Haze" colour collections but if you're wanting to hear about the others, I'm up for doing those posts for you too.

So I guess the first thing we need to address with this product is the price. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it's only four shades. Yes, it's a little bit outrageous, but it's Tom Ford. While I do think his products are pricey, lets not forget that there's some other fashion designers that have released cosmetics recently that are also earth-shatteringly expensive (I'm looking at you Mr Louboutin). Aside from the ingredient and the 10g of product, you're paying for the name and the packaging with a product like this.

I think the packaging is nicely done, it feels really luxe with the little velvet pouch (that yes, I do keep) and the mirrored brown and gold palette casing is nicely weighted and feels sturdy and substantial. When you open the palette, inside the lid there's a really nicely sized mirror and a small well that contains two mini applicators.

The applicators included are usable if a little cheaply done - two double ended applicators, both have one end that is a standard sponge tip and then the others ends are a tapered sponge tip on one and a thin tapered brush which is actually quite soft. Your eyeshadow will look fine if you use these but for the price it would have been nice to see some actual brushes included. Although I should mention that the sponge used on the sponge tips is softer than the ones you'd fine in an NYC quad, so they are "high-end" sponge tips, if those exist.

The eyeshadow pans are nice and big so you'll have no trouble dipping whatever brush you want into them and in the "Sahara Haze" collection, it's a variety of smokey looking shades. The lightest shade is a creamy off-white with yellow-gold undertones and for me it's like a satin with a bit more glow to it, very pretty everyday shade. The next shade working clockwise is a medium cool grey, standard satin finish and possibly a little on the sheer side - for me this is the weakest shade in the palette. The darkest shade comes off black but definitely has a hint of greenish tones in there and is laced with super-fine gold glitter. And then the final shade is one of the much-hyped "Glitter Top Coat" shades, in a swatch it comes off as a very light green with lots of gold glitter but when applied to the eyes it gives a similar effect as a super-fine micro-glitter pigment would.

All in all, the shades are all really pretty and work perfectly together to create a really glam smokey eye for an evening out. They're also all really unique, even the light creamy colour is unlike anything else in my collection. My main disappointment is that despite there being four shades to play with, I feel like there's only really one look I can achieve with it because of the colour selection. If the grey had been swapped out for a more brown-ish medium shade then you'd have had a day time look with the lightest and medium shades and you could work in the deeper colour and the glitter for an evening look but the grey confines it to a lid shade for me.

For quality the shadows are soft and creamy and they are really easy to apply and blend on the eyes. I feel like when I've done my eyeshadow using these products everything on the eyes looks nice and seamlessly glam. I will mention that because the shades are so creamy they can fall down a little when you're applying so you might want to be careful in that respect but they are really nice shadows that I do really enjoy using. I just think this colour selection is a little limiting in terms of the looks you can achieve with them.

The Build Your Own Birchbox Event At Selfridges

Firstly - a quick apology as this means there's been two posts about Birchbox this week - worry not, there is no sponsored posts going on here. I genuinely loved my February box enough to blog about it and I only found out about this event on Tuesday night this week and it's ending soon so I wanted to get the post up ASAP for you so no one misses out.

The first Birchbox X Selfridges event is being held at the Manchester Exchange Selfridges in Manchester's city centre, the event here ends on the 21st of February, so you have until next Sunday to get yourself down to that one to participate. If you do miss it don't worry, Birchbox are holding a second Manchester event at the Trafford Centre Selfridges between the 20th of March and the 9th of April and they'll also be visiting the Birmingham branch of Selfridges between the 29th of May and the 11th of June.

When you get there they give you an empty box and a tick list which tells you to pick 1 product out of each of the categories. The category boxes are broken down into two labeled "makeup", one labeled "skincare", one labeled "body", one labeled hair and one label "bonus" and each category is split into 4 sections, each containing a different product. So it's not a "pick any 6 products" which I'd have preferred, I personally would have picked two skincare, two body, one makeup and one bonus for my box if there'd been no restrictions.

Hopefully the range of products available is the same at each of the events (I'm planning to attend the Trafford Centre one to check and will update if this isn't the case). At the Manchester Exchange event you could choose from the following samples:

Makeup:

Benefit They're Real Lash Primer

Jelly Pong Pong Caribbean Sun Duo Bronzer in "Martinique"

LOC One & Done Shadow Stick in "Perfect Cents"

Laura Mercier Kohl Ey Pencil in "Black Violet"

Lord & Berry Couture Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in "Black"

Mirenesse Glossy Kis in "Cheeky Kiss"

Pop Beauty Eyeshadow Trio in "Peach Parfait"

Wild About Beauty Lip Pencil Duo in "Fiona or Mia"

Skincare:

Absolution L'Eau Soir Et Matin

NUDE ProGenius Omega Treatment Oil

Huyges Le Gommage Visage Exfoliating Cream

Sarah Chapman Skinesis 3D Moisture Infusion Mask

Body Care:

Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser

Bliss Lemon + Sage Body Butter

Korres Santorini Vine Shower Gel

Rituals Honey Touch Body Cream

Haircare:

Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturising Shampoo

Macadamia Professional Moisture Shampoo in Nourising, Weightless or Ultra Rich

Parlour By Jeff Chastain Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray

Percy & Reed Reassuringly Firm Session Hold Hairspray

Beauty Bonus:

This Works Sleep Plus Pillow Spray

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste

Birchbox Key Ring (Selfridges Event Exclusive Item)

So a decent enough selection and a lot of the products are great. The build-your-own-box is £15 compared to the £12.95 that a normal box would cost including the shipping so it is only £2 more than a normal box. It's also nice to see some more luxe brands like Sarah Chapman, Laura Mercier and This Works included as this box is slightly more expensive.

The main thing that I couldn't help but notice was how many of the products I thought "I'd pick that, but I've already had it in a box before". I've been a Birchbox subscriber for a year now and prior to this event I'd already had 9 of the 24 products and I've had another one in a different shade in a box as well. It would have been nice to see more products that we'd not had in boxes before for existing subscribers.

The “I’ve Been Crying” Eye Fixer

I've been meaning to get some more review posts up on here for a long time. While I'm enjoying the post ideas I've been coming up with, I've been thinking about how I use the blogs that I read and generally, I find review posts really helpful so I've been wanting to give you guys some more reviews. So today we have my tear-y time skincare saviour: the Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels.

Skyn Iceland as a brand seem to market themselves for "stressed skin" and as I've mentioned, I've had a rough time this January. Trying to get used to being back at work after a bit of time off over Christmas coupled with some personal-life issues has had my stress levels a little higher than usual and that sent my skin into temporary panic but it's all good now and trust me. After all of that, I can say I've put these to the test.

I apply these to a freshly cleansed face before any kind of toners or spritz or anything and can leave them on for way over the recommended 10 minutes. The gel pads are very flexible and adhere to the skin well. They're so cooling under the eyes and if you have any issues with puffiness these will help reduce that a lot. Also the change in temperature under the eyes is supposed to help with drainage which is understandable, I do think my under eye area looks refreshed after using these.

As much as the gel pads are cooling under the eyes, there doesn't seem to be any liquid residue on them so while they do adhere to the skin I can't detect any additional benefits other than the cooling effect. They will bring down puffiness but don't seem to do anything for redness, nor do they seem to have any moisturising quality to them.

All in all, they seem to work very similarly to other products aimed solely to cool the under eye area. Jade Rollers specifically come to mind but the gels seem to be the lazy-day mask version. However for value for money, the gels come in a pack of 8 gels for £25 and a small Jade Roller is £20 and that can be used over and over. I really do like these and if you've got some serious puffiness going on these might be great for you but for me they don't seem to do enough for me to justify a repurchase. Will be saving the ones I have left for special occasions.

I'd be really interest to try the Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Detox Depuffing Eye Cubes. At £34 for 6 sets, the price-per-use seems to be a bit pricier than the Skyn Iceland gels, but as far as I can see these are something that will melt and leave something behind for the skin to absorb so watch this space for a review on those in the future.