REVIEW: My holy grail Collection must haves!!

Hello Blogworld, 

Recently I received my final installment of student loan *boohoo*! To my luck, Boots currently have 3 for 2 across all cosmetics and as always I fell victim to a bit of unnecessary make up splurging. I was thinking of doing a blog-haul so let me know if you would like to see this?.... Anyway, I always like to stock up on my holy grail items on loan day so that I have plenty of back ups! It occurred to me that I have been repeatedly repurchasing a few items for the last couple of years and I have not shown them enough blogloving, So I thought I would dedicate a few posts to those products I could not live without!

Firstly, Collection! In general this is a brand I love; they have a really affordable range of products ideal for those starting out with make-up, interested in experimenting or just looking for some bargain buys! When I was 14/15 I started experimenting with eye liner... mainly because I loved the vintage style winged eyeliner look. My parents brought me a Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner as it was affordable and my mother used it. About a year or so ago I started using the lasting perfection concealer after hearing rave reviews left right and center! Since then these two products have been a repeat offender in my basket and I could not live without them!

Collection fast stroke eyeliner (black)
This is possibly the most re-purchased item in my make-up collection. Though I have tried a range of other eyeliners from gel to pencil, Rimmel to Maybelline i always find myself wanting my trusty collection one back. It is such a reliable eye liner, stays on throughout the day but isn't a nightmare to remove later on - what more could you want?
The "brush"? is the perfect size to do both thin and thick eyeliner (Demonstrated in the pictures below). The nib is very thin which helps with precision and a more natural looking eye liner and then the wand gets slightly thicker and this helps to achieve a thick bold line. The thing i like most about this eyeliner is that the nib/brush part is quite small and rigid which helps with precision. When I tried the Rimmel glam eyes eyeliner i found that the brush part was too long and flimsy (not sure that is the right word) but it moved around so easily and this made it difficult to get a perfectly straight line! The brush and wand size of this product is what sets it apart from others and makes it very easy for anyone starting out with liquid eyeliner. Added to that, The eyeliner drys quickly and has a slightly matte finished, the colour is a a dark black but can come across a little more grey toned if you apply it lightly. For £2.99 I think it is an absolute steal and I am very unlikely to repurchase any other eyeliners!

Lasting perfection concealer (16hr wear)

If you are into make up and beauty blogging then I am sure you have probably read tons of reviews on this product. It is a much-loved concealer! Firstly the consistency is really nice, very creamy and for me personally the colour fair is slightly too light but that helps to really brighten up the under eye area. As you can see in the picture this concealer has the same style applicator as a lip gloss which picks up a nice amount of product and helps to apply sensible amounts to problem areas of your face. What makes this product so good is the coverage, this concealer is wonderful at covering imperfections and it blends really well into foundations. Usually with high coverage products i find they oxidise and cake but this concealer does not and a small amount goes a long way so you really don't need to apply excessive amounts of product. 

The major downfall with this product however is the packaging. I took the initial blog pictures the day i purchased the products. Within about a week and a half the text on the concealer has smudged off. As you can see in the picture.  Generally it just makes the product look very unappealing (I can't stand scruffy looking make up). I think this problem has been mentioned by A LOT of people and despite a redesign of the products when the brand name changed they still did not solve this issue? Not that it majorly affects the product it is just ...annoying?! Added to that it also can make your fingers a little bit black when you hold the product so be wary of that if you use this and then apply your makeup with your fingers!

Thank you for reading x

NICOLEPOWNALLX

Why I love Johnson's skin care; Moisturising day cream & Make up be gone wipes review (rave!)

Hello Hello, I hope you are all well and enjoying the build up to Easter weekend!

 Firstly, I want to apologise to anyone who is expecting  the university related posts...I really need to take a few relevant pictures at university to spruce up my post and at the moment I am at home for Easter break so I probably won't post any for another week or so, *sorry*! 

However, Today's post is going to be a mini review of Johnson's Skin Care. Now that my friends are hitting the big 21 milestone, a few have asked me about skin care and what I use. For those who don't know me personally, I am a skin care fanatic! I love sun protection, moisturizers, serums, face masks, toners ... basically anything skin care and I am for it. As a result, I seem to be the go-to person for my friends who have not really thought about skin care before and now want to start. Reflecting on this I thought it would be a good idea to share my product thoughts with the blogworld and maybe help out a few people who are also interested in getting into skincare...If anyone wants to know my skin care routine just let me know by +1 or commenting :)

Johnson's Face Care: Daily essentials hydrating day cream (SPF 15)

For moisturiser my go-to product is the johnson's hydrating day cream; I have been using this moisturiser for about a year and a half and LOVE it. This particular one is for normal skin and I personally have normal-dry but I find it completely suitable, it's quite a universal moisturiser that would suit a variety of skin types. However, they do have skin type specific products so definitely go for the dry skin or oily skin ones if you can find them. The consistency is beautiful, not to thick but not to runny and it has a very slight smell that I would describe as "babyish" which may sound slightly confusing but Johnson's specialise in baby products and if you have ever smelt any of those it follow that same scent pattern, just a nice light pleasant smell. The main reason I went for Johnson's is because of their specialty in baby products, I have quite sensitive and fair skin so i was worried about break out or irritance but this product works nicely and does not irritate my skin whatsoever. I usually apply this product to my cheeks and nose (as this is where i suffer from dry spots) as soon as I wake up and it leaves my skin feeling soft, clean and hydrated. I must admit that it does take a little while to completely sink in and that is why I apply it as soon as I wake up. Finally, the product comes with SPF 15 which is helpful and beneficial to those lazy sun protectors. The only disappointing factor is the size, the jar is only 50ml and for someone who moisturises daily I would much prefer a larger size option rather than repetitive repurchasing. with that said, the product is completely inexpensive and can be picked up from superdrug for £3.99 but I get it from bodycare for £2.49 so definitely check your options! Overall, I think it's a great moisturiser for anyone who is just getting into skin care or shopping on a budget. 

Johnson's Face Care: Make up be gone refreshing wipes 

I thought it was worth also reviewing the make up wipes in this post due to their connection with the day cream. These wipes are simply amazing! I have used these religiously for as long as I can remember. The packet comes with 25 wipes and retail for £2.19 in Boots but can be picked up in home bargains in multi-packs as well, which i think is really reasonable. Similarly to the day cream these have that pleasant "babyish" smell which is nice and leaves your feeling fresh. Johnson's do make a range of wipes one is called pampering, this is called refreshing and there are two or three others but i personally always go back to this one as it genuinely does make your skin feel so refreshed, even when I am not wearing make up I like to use a face wipe in the morning/night just to clean my skin up and these leave you feeling so clean. In terms of make up removal these wipes do a good job, though you do need to use a cleanser and toner just to take of the last traces but I find that with most wipes and would naturally do that anyway. Overall, these are really nice make up wipes, they are affordable and they compliment the day cream beautifully.

I would absolutely recommend Johnson's skin care to everyone, particularly those starting out with skin care. You can find yourself spending a lot of money if you get into a routine and it is wise to start out with less-expensive products before indulging in high-end high-cost brands. I I do not deny that using expensive products can add an element of luxury and enjoyment to a skin care routine but if you start out with a high-end product you will end up repurchasing that and not really embracing the wonders of drugstore/budget brands! I hope you all enjoyed reading this review and let me know if any one wants to know my whole skin care routine from face wash to makeup removal and bedtime care.

Stay happy and safe

NICOLEPOWNALLX

REVIEW: Sleek Pout Polish in Pin Up!

I absolutely love the way a simple red lip can completely transform your makeup, As red tends to be the colour i reach for most on a daily basis, i get a lot of questions from my friends about what product i use, how i make it last etc. So for today's blogpost I'm going to do a mini review of my go to product for a red lip - Sleek Pout Polish in 157 Pin Up!

About a year and a half ago i discovered Sleek Pout Paint, it seemed like a really cool lip product and i was enticed by the idea of being able to create my own lip colours by mixing different shades.

Sleek website describes the product as "A truly unique lip product, Pout Paint is an intense lip pigment like no other that is made to be mixed.", though the product bares similarity to OCC Lip Tars i couldn't agree more with the statement! The key attraction to this product is its pigmentation, lasting power and wearability! Sleek Pout Paints retail for £4.99 and are available in Superdrug stores that stock Sleek Cosmetics.

Packaging

The plastic squeezy tube is really easy to use and the nozel ensures that you get a tiny amount of product with limited wastage, this also helps to maintain hygiene with the product.  Another thing i love about this product is the fact you can cut the end and scrape out the entirety of the tube ensuring you get all of the product out.
In my opinion, the design of the packaging looks classy and more expensive than it actually retails for.

Application and the product itself

When applying this product you really want to use a tiny amount on a lip brush, the application is generally quite easy and the product spreads well. However, it is easy to get in a mess with this product if you use too much and it may take a few uses to realise how little you need.
The product applies almost like a gloss but drys to a nice matte finish. I'd say it's quite difficult to get a light coverage with this product as a tiny amount tends to give you a full opaque lip look but mixed with vaseline or a balm you could create a tinted lip balm. The product has a very vague vanilla scent and taste which fades throughout the day and the product can be worn for several hours. I've found that the product does stay if you eat carefully but throughout the day the product does wear slightly and become quite dry and flaky feeling on your lips; this isn't visibly noticeable but you can definitely feel it as a wearer so i would recommend re-application after about 4/5 hours or wearing a primer on your lips.

I would definitely say this is my all time favourite product for a red lip. The staying power is amazing and the colour red is perfect for the look i desire, it's reasonably priced and just an all round great product. To anyone who wears a red lip regularly or wants a long-wear lip product I'd say this is a must have!

NICOLEPOWNALLX