Midweek post: What A Blast!

MAC Pro Longwear Lip Liner in 'What A Blast!', £14 for 1.2g.

It's no secret that I love bright lip colours. Whether it be coral, pink or red I feel most comfortable with a pop of colour on my lips, nudes just aren't for me.

I bought this Pro Longwear lip liner in 'What A Blast!' hoping that I could use it as an all over lip colour due to it's unashamedly vivid neon colour.

The Pro Longwear pencil promises to be longwearing, with smooth application and high pigment. The pencil does tick two of these three boxes; the pencil is so creamy and buttery soft in comparison to the regular MAC lip liners, there's no dragging or discomfort. Secondly, the pigmentation is so fantastic that it'll make you wince. This shade is one of the most vivid, bright neon colours I have ever seen or experienced in lip colour and for that reason I don't want to write a totally negative review...

The one issue I have is that it isn't longwearing on me. The texture is so creamy yet when it sets on the lips it does that typical thing that so many 'longwearing' products end up doing, and that is it becomes dry and crumbly. As soon as I take a sip of a drink, let alone eat, the colour is gone and I'm left with a delightful ring around my lips along with flakes and crumbs of orange residue...now how attractive does that sound? I find this issue really frustrating as I absolutely hate being paranoid when I'm wearing a makeup product, it takes all the fun out of it when you're constantly checking if it's still in place- and in this case, it never is!
As a lipliner on it's own it is ok, and I find I can pair it with my 17 listick in 'Hot Chilli' fairly well, so unfortunately for me it'll have to remain solely as a lip liner.

Sadly my opinion on What A Blast! is a split one. I adore how vivid the shade is with it's high end edge, yet the dry consistency and it's embarassingly poor lasting power put me off picking it up as often as I'd like. Sad face.

John Frieda Full Repair x2 Review

John Frieda Full Repair Deep Conditioner, £6.29 for 150ml. 
John Frieda Full Repair Perfect Ends Sheer Mist, £6.99 for 75ml

I have dyed my hair since I was 13, when I had my first set of highlights put in. Since then I have had white/lilac hair, yellow (don't ask), brown hair, black hair, ginger hair, and I've gone back full circle recently and opted for blonde highlights run through with my natural hair colour. We'll see how long this lasts...

10 whole years of hair abuse has seen my locks loose most of it's vitality, it's certainly had a time of it. Sorry hair!

I only started taking a proper interest in hair products when I placed a Bumble&Bumble and Ojon order in the spring. While I got on with the Ojon dry recovery range, I can't help but feel it doesn't quite justify that exortionate price tag and I have an on/off relationship with BB Salt Spray.

When I was offered to try two products from the John Frieda Full Recovery range I gladly accepted, I hoped that I'd see positive results so that I'd be able to repurchase in the future as they are reasonably priced and easily accessible. 

The Deep Conditioner is something my hair obviously needed. A scoop of this from the tub and massaged into the ends of my hair and left for a few minutes has made my hair smooth and soft, and also reduces the knots in my hair that I, annoyingly, always have after washing. It's scented with a fruity salon smell and it doesn't create that icky product build up that some conditioners can leave behind (no matter how long you rinse), resulting in an intensive mask that feels lightweight on the hair. I will continue to use this and will definitely buy this one again, I just wish it wasn't packaged in a tub- they're so awkward when you're in the shower and have wet hands!

The Perfect Ends Sheer Mist is an after wash treatment, that sprayed into towel dry hair maintains the smooth feel that the conditioner created and also offers protection against heat treatments. Similarly to the conditioner, there's no residue left behind that products in the same price range do, in my experience. As heat protection sprays go, this is a nice one, it seems to hold the blow dry well- my hair stays straighter for longer after using this.

I've been more than impressed with the Full Repair range and am thankful to have been sent them as they have helped my hair maintain a good condition and are within the price range that I am comfortable with spending on hair products. (I'm running really low on the Deep Conditioner already!)

I'd be really interested to try the Perfect Ends Deep Infusion Serum when I'm next in Boots or Superdrug, as I think it would accompany the Sheer Mist well by optimising protection and perhaps helping condition and smooth out my knots.

What hair repair products do you use? Will you be picking any of these Full Repair products up in the future?

If you want to watch some helpful how-to videos created to promote the John Frieda repair range, see my post here with a link to the videos. They've since added more for you to check out so it is worth subscribing to the channel. I'm off to learn how to do a hair bow now, laters!

Midweek post: Vintage Makeup / Vintage Posters

Max Factor Advertisement 1952.

Max Factor Advertisment 1960

Some of you may know that I recently moved into a house. Whilst I am really excited to be in a house with my fiance, I absolutely DESPISED the inevitable hours packing before we got to enjoy our new home. I just have no motivation for it. However, I knew that I wanted a fresh start with this move so sorted through all of my makeup, it was quite a task! Some of it was to throw away, and some I am going to send to Give and Make Up.

I couldn't help but giggle when I stumbled accross this Pan Stik from Max Factor. I had kept it for it's nostalgic memories of me actually using this on my face in my teen years after the only pale foundation I had found at pharmacy prices had been discontinued and a friend directed me to this.

Whilst the shade is too deep and pink for me, you've got to admire how rich and creamy this stuff is. The consistency and coverage feel like a concealer rather than a foundation to me as it is quite heavy and the way it is contained lends itself to be used as touch-up makeup, still, if you think about how long this product has been on sale for, you've got to admire how revolutionary it would have been.

A bit of history:

The PanStik was released commercially in the 1940's. Athough Max Factor died in 1938, he had pioneered theatrical makeup suitable for the modern progression in film-making by developing new formulas of greasepaint. His brother carried on the legacy and helped make the brand become successful and readily available rather than being restricted as theatrical makeup for the stars of the day.

Many modern foundations have taken the form of the Pan Stik, probably due to it's fuss free packaging, think of the Benefit Playstix, Bobbi Brown's Foundation Stick, and now Makeup Forever's very own Pan Stik, all of which are similar in their creaminess and coverage.

This (re)discovery of the Pan Stik lead me to a little online search which soon reignited my interest in vintage advertising (this may have also been prompted from watching a marathon session of Mad Men the night before).
I have always had an interest in this area and it made sense that I looked into buying a few to decorate the new house with. I found an absolute plethora on eBay for such decent prices! There's loads of choice online and brand images included Avon, Maybelline, Clinique, Mary Quant, Yardley and Coty amongst others so go and check them out if you're interested. If you want me to show you which ones I bought and where I put them just let me know and I'll do a post on that too!

(This was an unusual post, but the Pan Stik was just too hilarious not to share.)

My entry for TravelSupermarket's Beauty and the Beach Competition

I was nominated by lovely Fran from one of my favourite blogs Been There, Done That, Got The Lipstick to take part in a competition being hosted by TravelSupermarket.com

The competition is to document your favourite makeup, hair and nail look for a holiday, and the prize for the winner of each category is £500 cash!! The overall winner is the blogger who creates the best overall look for all three categories as determined by the industry judges, and the winner from that gets £1000 towards their next holiday!! Such an amazing and generous prize, and a holiday is much needed at the moment so the offer is too good to miss in my opinion.

Onto my entry....

I decided to create a simple makeup, hair and nail look that is perfect for a summer holiday, and more specifically this look is aimed towards a day at the beach/by the pool.

Makeup

On holiday, aside from looking fairly presentable poolside, my main priority is sun protection. SPF SPF SPF, I've learnt over the years on my fair skin is without a doubt very important to prevent uncomfortable and unsightly burns. I prepped my face with Avene's factor 50, my favourite product of the summer and a handy 30ml size which is great to travel with. 

With no need for foundation, I applied dabs of Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Concealer (Fair) where it was needed to cover any uneven skintone and blemishes, and before this dried I popped some Benefit 'Watt's Up' champagne highlighter to my cheek and brow bones and down the centre of my nose and blended using my fingers. I did this so that my skin has that dewy and polished glow. This is a look a strive for whether I'm on holiday or not, however I'm a big believer in embracing your surroundings- there's really no point trying to mattify your skin with dustings of powder, for it'll slip and slide after half an hour in high heat or a dip in the pool.

I quickly filled in my brows using MAC's 'Showstopper' matte brown eyeshadow (limited edition) and applied one thin coat of L'Oreal Telescopic Waterproof mascara to my upper lashes. For my lips I popped on just a small amount of Benefit's 'Benetint Lip Balm', as it contains SPF15 and has a pretty rose tint to it, to help brighten up my face.

Hair 

For my hair I like it to be out of my face, so a fuss free hairstyle is a must. I parted my hair using a comb and parted my fringe into two parallel strands. I wrapped these over eachother, and added more hair to each strand. I continued this process until I reached my ear and secured it with a hair grip, pull your hair back into a ponytail (or a bun if you prefer) and spray with a little hairspray (I used John Frieda's Sheer Blonde Crystal Hold Shape & Shimmer hairspray).

This hairstyle is great for both clean hair and beach hair as it can work with natural, salted curls and is a versatile style that can take you from day to night just by adding a flower hairclip, or turning the ponytail into a top knot.

The hair and makeup takes me under ten minutes everytime, which is ideal as you don't want to be faffing around too long when you've got a holiday to get on with, nor do you want your suitcase to be weighed down with unnecessary products. Makeup and hair products included in this look amount to just 7 items, the makeup look was created using my fingers (make sure they're clean!), a hard angle brush for my eyebrows and my Shu Uemura eyelash curlers. For the hair, you'll need a hairbrush/comb and hair grips.

Nails

On a hot, summer holiday I love nothing more than playing around with colour. Colourful nails are a definite must and nail polish is a cheap and easy way to incorporate a trend. There's no denying that the colour of the season has been orange, so on top of Collection 2000's '2in1 Strengthener Base Coat' I applied a coat of L'Oreal Colour Riche nail polish in '303 Lush Tangerine' and followed it with my go-to topcoat- Sally Hansen's 'MegaShine'.

To add an extra dimension, an interesting topcoat such as Rococo's Gold Leaf topcoat in #7676 will instantly add a bit of holiday glamour to the nails.

As part of the competition I need to nominate 5 fellow beauty bloggers who I think would enjoy taking part in this competition... so I nominate:

1) Hannah from A Little Beauty Spot

2) Chantelle from Dolly Nails

3) Catrine from Unnaked Nails

4) Lydia from Florabundance

5) Beth from Birds Words

Don't forget you can check out the competition on Travel Supermarket's website HERE, where there's all the vital information you need to enter. Good luck!

The Pennywell pig farm and my baked goods.

I very rarely do these, but I wanted to document my recent ventures, and as part of it involves cute tiny animals and the other shows my 'rad' baking 'skillz', I thought it might take a few of you by interest!

It was my birthday last Monday, and while I've never really enjoyed my birthdays (I always feel a bit depressed and pressured to have a good day!) I was so grateful for some thoughtful presents (including a bakery cake in a box which I have always wanted and a voucher for a makeup course at Illamasqua) and I persuaded the fiance to drive three hours to Devon to visit the Pennywell Pig Farm which I have wanted to visit ever since I was made aware of micro pigs!

Then at the weekend I had a free day on my hands as I was waiting for the man to come and install the TV and internet, so naturally I baked. I baked cheddar and onion soda bread and white chocolate and cherry scones. I gotta say, they were pretty damn good.

If you want the recipe for either of these please tweet me (@emilydimplesxo) or email me. Also, don't forget to follow me on Instagram (@emilylaurenbethxo)

Bye for now!

Empty Products- the August Edition.

I've not done one of these before but found myself really enjoying other people's posts on what they've used up so am giving it a bash myself. Grab yourself a cup 'o tea, I hope you enjoy!

 17 Photo Flawless primer 

Since becoming a DoubleWear convert I have strayed away from using primers as I haven't found it completely necessary to use one due to the 15hr staying power of the foundation. I've owned this product for a while and repurchased many times as I found this primer to be of excellent quality particularly for the price and I noticed no difference between this one's performance and the infamous Smashbox Photo Finish primer. If you're looking for a cheap silicone based primer that will mattify the surface of your skin and absorb excess oils aswell as minimise the appearance of pores, then give this one a go!

Will I buy this again?

Oneday I'm sure I will, but I don't need it right now.

17 BB Blemish Balm, All In One Magic Makeup, SPF15.

I was so impressed by this, as always the quality of 17 makeup seems to surpass it's pricetag. In hindsight it was too deep for my skin but I did enjoy mixing it in with Illamasqua's Skin Base foundation for a while. The SPF15 is quite low considering this is meant to be a BB cream and while I didn't notice particular skincare benefits, it offers a great coverage and leaves the skin looking so fresh and healthy. Full review here.

Will I buy this again?

Whilst I recommend this, it's not a product I need or want at the moment so I probably wouldn't.

Revlon Colorstay Makeup in 'Ivory'

In a bid to use stuff up before I moved house, I used up the last few drops of foundation after it sitting at the back of the drawer for a few months. This was a foundation I absolutely loved last year, despite it's initial stench of emulsion paint this foundation offers medium, buildable coverage and lasts really well. Pretty much a DoubleWear 'dupe' on the highstreet, plus it comes in really pale shades- wahoo!

Will I buy this again?

I will certainly buy this again, it's a good foundation to have 'just in case'. 

CHANEL Poudre Universelle Libre AKA Natural Finish Loose Powder  

A full review can be found here if you wish to know more detail however I'll state a couple of points about it. I love how fine this setting powder is (it's like dust!) and the amount you get is so generous that this product lasted me 6 fabulous months. The grate that controls the product can be a little wasteful at times and the packaging is huuuge and bulky!- Definitely one you want to depot if going away for the weekend! 

Will I buy this again? 

For now, no. I do think there are better powders out there for perhaps a cheaper price. I did love having a bit of Chanel luxury on my face everyday, though and it was a great match!

MAC bronzer in 'Bronze'

Yeah this is a pretty good bronzer, it's matte, fairly soft and not too dramatic on fair skin. You get a fair amount of product and don't need to use much, but I haven't felt the need to use bronzer much and so just used up the last scraps of it this month.

Will I buy this again?

Unlikely.

Avene Very High Protection Cream Factor 50.

I have given this a full review here and stated my love for this product. I believe it is a must have for everyone, but especially fair skinned ladies such as myself. It absorbs well and keeps me completely protected and burn free on those sunny days.

Will I buy this again?

Already have, haven't I!

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanse and Polish

I'm always a little bit sad when this runs out as I do think it is a brilliant cleanser, and it has done wonders for my skin. I've recently been using Vichy's 3in1 cleanser instead, however I don't like not having one of these in a drawer somewhere as a 'back up.'

Will I buy this again?

Absolutely, it's a must have!

Lee Stafford Flat Iron Protection Shine Mist

I've been using this for a long time as I think it does the job alright for the price. As I've said numerous times before, I'm terrible at hair and don't really know much about it or what it needs, but yeah, this seems good.

Will I buy this again?

Most probably, plus I like the sweet musky smell!

Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover

This is my standard, go-to nail polish remover. After the disaster that was Sally Hansen Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover I slapped myself on the wrist for even daring to try another. This works and does the job efficiently, and doesn't smell too bad.

Will I buy this again?

I'll never betray you again, Cutex. (Already repurchased)

Elie Saab 'Le Parfum'

I've actually got through several samples of this as the 5ml tubes do not last me long considering I like to soak myself in the stuff! This is such a me scent at the moment, I could literally bathe in the stuff and I'm hoping to have a full sized bottle in my possession ASAP! Elegant, feminine, floral. Lovely.

Will I buy this agin? 

Yes please!

 

If you have any questions about any of the products mentioned, you can leave a comment below or tweet me @emilydimplesxo. Do you use any of these?

Vichy, I love you.....

Vichy Purete Thermal One Step Cleanser, £11.00 for 200ml.

I think one of the best beauty discoveries in the last year (for me) has been the French thermal water brands that can be found at very reasonable prices in larger Boots stores.

I first wrote here about La Roche Posay and how it transformed my naughty skin in under three weeks, since then I've tried Vichy's water spray and Avene's factor 50 cream for the face (though I love slathering it over my body too!) and now it's time for me to tell you about Vichy's creamy cleanser...

Despite me literally daydreaming about Emma Hardie's Moringa Cleansing Balm my budget at this present time cannot quite stretch to it (though the moment I get a new job it's being purchased!) so I asked myself what else I wanted to try and of course Vichy popped into my head, as I am yet to have a bad experience with the brand.

The consistency of the cleanser is a milky liquid and about the size of a 5p piece on the palm of your hand will gently wash your makeup away, though I always repeat this a second time just to be sure and thorough! It's white and has a soapy scent which I love and is a welcome change to the herby smell of Cleanse & Polish.
Personally I have found it is best applied to a dry face then splashed off, then the second cleanse lathers up and creates more of a deep clean rather than just makeup removal.

I only have good things to say about this product, it is gentle yet removes stubborn eye makeup with ease. My skin feels so fresh and comfortable afterwards and it didn't disrupt my skin one single bit. I've been using this for a month now and I've noticed that my skin condition is constant and I have developed less spots than usual (however I have been using it in conjunction with a weekly application of Origins Clear Improvement mask- review to come on that one!)

As ever, I do not review skincare until I feel it has been properly trialled. At £11 I think this cleanser is worth every penny, plus it should last me a while even when used twice daily due it's whopping 200ml size.

Vichy is paraben free and targeted towards sensitive skin though I can see it benefiting all skin types
Although this product claims to be a 3in1 product (cleanser, eye makeup remover and toner) I still use a toner seperately to then be followed by a serum and moisturiser.

Have you dabbled in the delights of these French skincare brands? What is your favourite cleanser?