Origins Dr Weil Mega Mushroom Soothing Face Cream Review

Following up on my previous post "How to Make your Makeup Look Better", I thought it would be the perfect time to do a skincare review. The Origins range of skincare has always appealed to me due to the plant base of all of their products and the fact they are free from all chemical nasties. After looking through their website, my first origins purchase was the Dr Weil Mega Mushroom Soothing Face Cream. 

What Origins say -

"This remarkable hydrating cream instantly calms the skin. Visibly reduces redness and sensitivity. Great for sensitive and reactive skin"

Now my skin is in no way sensitive but in my experience, moisturisers designed for sensitive skin tend to be a lot richer which is what I like in (particularly) a night time face cream. The first thing you notice about this is the amazing smell; it reminds me of Clarins Blue Orchid Face Oil if any of you have smelled that before. It's a very natural plant-based scent which smells soothing much as the name would suggest, which I can imagine some people hating but I love. The cream has an rich almost balmy texture to it making it ideal going into the winter months for particularly dry or dehydrated skin. In terms of results, I have definitely seen a difference in the hydration levels of my skin; leaving it plumper and more even in texture. In terms of the claim that it soothes sensitised skin, I can't really comment as my skin is not sensitive but I do imagine it'd be great for those who are. All in all, I'd say this is a great moisturiser for anyone who has dry or dehydrated skin looking for soothing to hydrate and even the texture of the skin but definitely avoid if you're oily or combination.

ark xo

5 Tips on How to Make Your Makeup Look Better

This post comes with a warning, you probably wont want to hear some the tips I'm going to give you in this post because very little of it has to do with what makeup you use or how you apply it. Sorry guys! However if you're intrigued to what little things you can do to improve the look of your makeup, read on!

1) Drink lots of water - I know, I know! You'll have heard this 100 times over from anyone who preaches about health but if you genuinely want to make your foundation in particular look better, then you need that H2O! Hydrated skin looks more plump, radiant and clearer therefore making your foundation look even better and you'll need less of it. Dehydrated skin is thirsty and looking for any water based product it can get making it more inclined to "drink in" your foundation, making it look patchy or dry.

2) Your diet shows in your skin - Again, another thing you didn't want me to say but honestly, you are what you eat (well your skin certainly is). I've worked on Makeup & Skincare counters for 5 years and it's amazing how much people are willing to fork out on expensive skincare but won't do the most obvious thing for their skin! If you are having a problem with your skin, I guarantee it will be related to your diet, water intake or something you're using. I'm not saying you have to be perfect all the time, but making even small changes to the amount of veggies you eat or that one less takeaway will make the difference. Try it, you'll thank me later!

3) Skincare - The number of people I see using the best, most expensive makeup out there but don't invest a penny in their skin is crazy! The way I look at it is, if you had to paint a wall that hadn't been plastered correctly or in years, then your paint job is going to look rubbish. It's the same with makeup and skincare, they go hand in hand. I'm in no way saying you need to spend a fortune on your skincare, stores like the Body Shop do great ranges which are affordable. Everyone should be using at least a cleanser, exfoliate once a week and a moisturiser.

4) Priming - Prepping your face for makeup is such an essential step if you want your makeup to last and look fresher for longer. Now, most people think primer is only for the skin however there is primer or a way to prime for every area of the face. Facial primers can do amazing things in terms of making your foundation look better and there are different kinds depending on your skin concerns. Eyeshadow primers are absolutely key to making sure your eyeshadow doesn't crease, keep it looking fresh and vibrant and for bringing out the best pigmentation in all of your shadows.

5) Brushes - This is the one thing I cannot preach enough to anyone who wants their makeup to look better: Use good quality brushes. Going back to the paint analogy, would you paint your walls with your hands? I think not, so why would you put your foundation on with your hands? And the same goes for applying all parts of makeup, if you use amazing brushes, they will do the work for you.

I hope these tips were useful and if you have any of your own, please leave them in the comments! :)

ark xo

Foundation - What To Look For

In the shower this morning, I was pondering what would be the best blog post I could start off with. I wanted something that could help my Makeup clients and general blog readers alike and without a doubt, I get asked the most questions about Foundation.

The foundation struggle is real guys. The beauty industry is completely saturated with so many different types, each promising you that you will look like Cara Delevingne when you use theirs. Go to any counter and they will ask you what coverage you want and what kind of finish you are after, even though so many people don't even know what these mean! So I'm hear to help lovelies, here is the basics of Foundation!

The first thing you need to think about when shopping for a new foundation is coverage. Coverage basically means how much of your skin the foundation will cover (e.g. blemishes, spots and uneven tone).

Tinted Moisturiser -

no cover, will only add a slight colour to your complexion.

BB & CC Creams -

 extremely light cover, mainly to even out the tone of the skin.

Light -

covers minor imperfections, looks very natural & almost like your own skin.

Medium -

will cover most imperfections, can still look natural if applied correctly.

Full -

 covers all imperfections and leaves little of the skins natural tone & look visible.

Max -

completely covers all skins natural tone and leaves almost doll-like perfection.

The second thing to consider when purchasing foundation is what kind of finish you want your foundation to have.

Matte -

almost powder like finish with absolutely no shine. Most artificial looking finish. Best for Oily skin.

Satin -

almost matte with a slightly less powdery finish. Best for normal to oily skin.

Luminous -

gives a "lit from within" appearance to the skin. Most natural & skin-like looking finish. Best for normal to dry skin.

Dewy -

gives an ultra bright, radiant and slight sheen to the skin. Best for dehydrated and dry skin.

There are various other things you may consider when choosing a foundation, whether or not to have SPF is a big one. SPF in foundations is fantastic if you don't have a great skincare routine as it means you're still protecting yourself from sun damage, however if your daily moisturiser has SPF then there is no need for your foundation to have it too. SPF is a very important thing to consider if buying a foundation for nights out as the titanium dioxide included in sun protection causes a flash back effect in photos making your face look much paler than elsewhere on the body. You may also want to consider if the foundation claims to have any skincare benefits (e.g. moisturising) and the feel/texture of the foundation, for example if you want a full coverage but do not want the feeling of a heavy foundation.

I hope this helps anyone who feels confused about all of the Makeup lingo used around foundation and makes identifying what you need a little easier! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below and I'll see if I can help :)

ark xo



Beauty Haul

Hello lovelies! Well it'd been that glorious time again when our bank accounts fill back up to a beautiful level and we can afford to treat ourselves! So, with that in mind I got a fair few bits and pieces to cheer myself up this month and in this post I'll show you the beauty items that I picked up.

First stop, MAC! The reason I went into MAC in the first place was to pick up the "Harmony" blush as I'd seen a few pictures of girls wearing this on instagram as a contour and it looked gorgeous. It's the perfect cool toned brown blush with a matte finish. It's my go to for contouring now!

 

I feel like everyone and their granny had tried Strobe Cream apart from me! Everyone raves about this product to prep skin before foundation or to mix with foundation to give your skin more luminosity. This is a completely different texture from what I expected, but I'm loving this underneath my usual foundation or on it's own if I'm just going to the gym or something.

I fancied some new lip liners as I've not really tried any MAC ones apart from Cherry which is my absolute must have when creating a red lip. I saw this little nude number and picked this up too. It's a little bit lighter of a nude than I normally go for, I'd say this would probably go perfect with the likes of Hue and Myth.

 And obviously, I needed a little Cherry replacement :)

 

I've been looking for a nice coral lip pencil for a while now and I couldn't seem to find one that suited the coral lipsticks I had in my collection. So, I was ecstatic when I swatched this bad boy and saw it was the perfect colour! If you're looking for a nice liner to go with Vegas Volt etc. I'd definitely suggest this.

 

 Eyeshadows are my favourite things to browse and play with from MAC. I love the vast range of shades and textures that they offer so I always end up coming away with at least 1 new shade every visit! The shades I plunged for were Moons Reflection, Coppering, Naked Lunch and Cranberry. Moons Reflection is a stunning cornflower blue colour, Coppering is a red based copper, Naked Lunch is a frosted nude with warm undertones and Cranberry is an old favourite of mines and had to buy a replacement as mines crumbled! It's a stunning metallic plum.

 

 

And finally, I picked up Love Nectar Lustreglass. Just to let you know, I am NOT a lipgloss person at all... I very rarely wear it as I find it high maintenance and just a plain bugger. However, I saw this and I fell in love. I do appreciate a lipgloss when I'm going for a nude lip and this is the perfect partner to any nude lipstick!

 

I also had a snoop around eBay to pick up some new bits and pieces for my kit. So I purchased a couple of cheap palettes to use on clients and I have to say I'm actually quite surprised at the quality!

 

This concealer palette was only £3 and the product is quite good! It's not amazing, but it works well for contouring and highlighting.

The 120 Palettes have intrigued me for ages and I finally decided to take the plunge and get the classic...and the neutral too! These eyeshadows again, aren't blow you out the water amazing but they do well for when you're looking for a specific colour and would be great for beginners!

 

 

 

Review: Advanced Night Repair Eye

There is so much debate out there about eye creams; whether they are really necessary, if they work etc.  and in spite of working within the beauty industry, I would wholeheartedly say I'm not 100% convinced about them. I've tried a few, not many to be perfectly honest because I don't find them a staple to my skin but I have found one I like and it's the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye.

The Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate promises to do everything that the facial serum does for your skin but for your eye area. So essentially that tells me it's going to make my eyes look amazing! I wouldn't quite say it does that, but it definitely does help in a few ways. If I don't use any product at all on my eyes, they tend to dry up and get a little flaky (this is due to the fact that your eyes can't moisturise themselves as there are no oil glands around the eyes) and this product definitely elimates that. I also love the texture of this, it's a rich gel cream which feels beautiful & soothing when I place it around my eyes. Yet again, only being 22 I can't comment on the anti-aging aspect that this little pot promises however I do feel my eye area feels plumper, mainly due to being moisturised. 

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this if you're looking for a nice eye cream and have money to splurge however due to the fact I don't see a massive difference with them, I'll still be on the search for a cheaper alternative.

Pros: Texture // Moisturising

Cons: Price // Not huge effects

Available from Debenhams, House of Fraser, Boots, John Lewis etc. for £38

What's your favourite eye cream? Please tell me any cheaper alternatives! :)

FOTD: Plum Smokes

I had a rather exciting interview today for a job working as a Makeup Artist in a Glasgow based salon so I decided to do something a little bit different from my usual brown smokey eye, it's so easy to get stuck in a rut doing the same things with your makeup! I love this look, it's still smokey but with a little bit of colour to give it a more summer feel.

Products used -

Face: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm as Primer. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Cashew Beige mixed with Nars Orgasm Illuminator (loving this combination for more dewy "summer" skin). MAC Ambering Rose Blush. Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer in Deep to contour. Estee Lauder Heatwave Highlighter (L.E). Estee Lauder Doublewear Concealer in Warm Light for under eye.

Eyes: Illamasqua Brow Cake in Thunder for Brows. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette using Strange as brow bone highlight. Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden. MAC Eyeshadows in Star Violet, Cranberry, Swiss Chocolate & Sketch. Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black. Dior Mascara Base. Dior Extase Mascara in Black.

Lips: MAC Lip Liner in Magenta. MAC Lipstick in Impassioned.

What do you think? Do you experiment with your makeup or do you stick to the same looks you know work? 

Favourite Cleansers

Cleansers are, possibly, the bane of my skincare routine. I have fairly normal skin, not dry and very rarely oily so you would think finding a cleanser that I like would be easy as pie. I wish! I find that about 90% of the cleansers I try, I absolutely hate. So I thought I'd share a few of my favourites in hope that I can help anyone out there looking for a lovely cleanser - 

Favourite Foaming Cleanser

I love using a foaming cleanser but my skin really doesn't love me when I use one. This is because my skin is very dehydrated so in general they leave my skin feeling stripped. I've search high & low and feel like I've tried just about every foaming cleanser on the market and the only one that doesn't leave my skin crying out for moisturiser is the Clarins Shea Butter Foaming Cleanser. It doesn't matter how many different foam cleansers I buy, I always end up chucking them out in favour for this one. It's so beautifully gentle on the skin, whilst leaving it with that squeaky clean feeling that I love. The shea butter really leaves my skin feeling comforted and soft after using this, and it cuts through my face makeup really quickly too. The only downside of this is the price, however your tube lasts you forever & a day because this stuff foams up like nobody's business! Well worth it ;)

Favourite Cream Cleanser

Everyone is going to think Clarins pays me to rave about their products but they don't, I promise! I genuinely believe that their cleansers are the best on the market today. My favourite cream cleanser of theirs is the Alpine Herbs Cleansing Milk. This stuff is gorgeous, so light in texture, beautiful smell, comforts the skin... Just a little treat to use! My only criticism of this is that if you're planning on using it to take off your makeup, you might be there for a while. I tend to use this if i'm double cleansing or after I've used a quick cleanser to get a proper good deep cleanse. 

Favourite Quick Cleanser

Now this is a new discovery for me and I'm so glad I've finally found a cheap skincare product that I actually like! The Loreal Micellar Water is a little godsend. For years I used the Clarins Water Comfort 1 Step Peach Cleanser to remove my makeup and loved it. It made whacking off all this slap a 2 minute job which made my life a little bit happier! However, I received this as part of a Christmas gift last year and I haven't looked back since. It cuts through makeup in a jiffy, doesn't irritate my skin or eyes, leaves my skin feeling clean and has absolutely no smell to offend me and at £4 what's not to like about that? The only thing I miss about my Clarins one is the scent, the peach-y smell was something I really enjoyed about the product but I can live without it for the sake of £16.

What are your favourite cleansers?