NSpa Mango Shower Scrub Review

Whoops, look what magically slipped into my shopping basket while doing the grocery shop in Asda a while ago?

I'm a massive fan of fruity scented shower goodies and as far as scent goes this scrub is pretty amazing. It's so deliciously fruity I have to keep reminding myself that it's a shower product and not a fruity spread to put on my toast!

As gorgeous as it smells, I couldn't wait to finish this tube and move onto something else. In its defence, the fact that it's a daily scrub should have given it away, but as I only used it about twice a week, I felt no skin benefits whatsoever.
It's nowhere near grainy enough for my likings - I like it rough when it comes to exfoliation, you see.

As soon as it comes into contact with water it lathers up into a soft foam, but unfortunately it makes the grains slip off before they manage to do any of their good work. It also doesn't offer any moisturising benefits, as some oil based scrubs do. On the upside that also means to sticky, greasy residue.

My verdict? As a daily, slightly roughed up shower gel it would work well, as it's a very gentle product which will get your skin just a little cleaner than the average shower cream. For hardcore scrubbers like me, or if you only remember to exfoliate occasionally, however, you're much better off with something a little grainier.

A tube containing 225ml will set you back £3.00. Look out for special offers, as Asda often have a 3 for 2 or similar offer going on their N-Spa products.

Sephora Jumbo Liner in 08 Gold

Whoops, I meant to write this review for ages, but somehow it kept slipping under the radar lately! I went for a very short trip to Poland last summer and as soon as I saw the first Sephora I was like a small (sugar addicted) child in a candy store. I would have been quite happy buying every single item they had on sale, but the budget didn't quite stretch that far.
So I left with one of their Jumbo Liners instead.

As it was summer, I thought that gold would be a pretty colour to go for (it was that or bright turquoise), and the waterproof claim lured me in even further. It just seemed like such a great idea to not worry about primers and shadows and make-up brushes, but just to slick on a pop of colour instead and be done within seconds.

As for ease of use, this really lived up to my expectations. One quick slick around my eyes and I'm done. I've also used it as a cream shadow all over the lid, but it does require some blending with a fluffy eye shadow brush, or the edges will look too harsh.
I'm also not a big fan of the one-dimensional look it leaves when slicked all over the lid, as it tends to make my face look a little flat and washed out.

Due to its fairly hard and waxy texture the liner is naturally waterproof, but unfortunately it didn't quite live up to its 12 hour wear claim and began creasing after about 7 hours which is very disappointing. Using a primer underneath made no difference to length of wear whatsoever.
On the lids, however, it glides on and leaves a rich colour without tugging on the skin.

Sephora Jumbo Liner in 08 Gold swatch in direct sunlight

Sephora Jumbo Liner in 08 Gold swatch with camera flash

Now, the shade is something else entirely. A beautiful, rich antique gold which doesn't lean overly yellow like a lot of other gold liners do. It leaves a gorgeous metallic finish without looking shimmery which makes for an interesting effect.

I quite like this pencil, but while it's certainly easy to use I am disappointed in the amount it creased. It's not a bad performance, but somehow my hopes were just a tad higher. It's still a great thing to have in your travel make-up bag and come summer, I'm sure I'll be using it loads more again.

If you're lucky enough to be able to get to a Sephora store, you can pick up one of these for $14.00

February Wish List

Tropical Graphic Tee, Forever 21, £9.35 // Speckled nail polish in "Fragile", Illamasqua, £15 // "Shooting Firework" Leggings, Romwe, £20.14 // Maeve Pin Stud Flats, Missguided, £19.99 // Hot Pink Coco Nail Polish Phone Case, Phonefancy, $35.00

I'm loving big and colourful prints at the moment, so both the top and the leggings are right up my alley right now. There's just nothing to cheer you up on a dreary, grey winter's day than a big splash of colour all over your clothes.
I also admit that I am starting to develop an unhealthy obsession with Illamasqua make-up and their latest collection "I'mperfection" is another one of those where I just want to buy everything! If I had to choose just one item though, it would be this greyish blue speckled effect nail polish.
I've also gradually worn away pretty much all of my flats and these are exactly what I've been hunting for in high street shops, but could never ever find. I can't get enough of studs and spikes on shoes, bags and jewellery!
And last, but not least, the ultimate phone cover for pretty much any beauty blogger. As soon as I saw this featured in a post on makeupsavvy.co.uk I was smitten. There's also a dark blue version, but as these cases have become so popular, the manufacturer's actually on a backlog right now, so it would take forever to get one now - not fair!

Monthly Favourites: January 13

I haven't been very good with posting monthly favourites so far - mainly because I just don't get through enough products to think of any month after month! But I will try to be better about it this year, as I've found loads of fantastic products just from reading these posts on other people's blogs and I hope I can do the same for you!

1) Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

I have to admit I was a bit weary about the hype surrounding both the Naked Palettes. In all honesty, how good can a bunch of brown eye shadows be? However, I found myself talking about it so much, that eventually I got it as a present (wooooo!) and even though it was no revelation of awesomeness at first, I realised that I've put pretty much all of my other eye shadows aside and now I'm only using this! It's just a really great selection of colours which will allow you to create a multitude of looks, the shadows are soft, very pigmented and last all day with a good primer. What's not to love?

2) Aussie 3 Minute Miracle

My hair has now been through a grand total of three bleaching sessions and unfortunately they have all taken their toll on my tresses. Trust Aussie to bring my hair back from almost certain death. It moisturises, repairs and just seems to undo all the damage I have caused through dying and heat styling. I cannot recommend this enough for anybody who has dry, brittle and/or damaged hair. I've already repurchased it twice and once this bottle is empty I'm getting another one. I'll write a full review on it soon.

3) Makebelieve Enhance Sunbeam Bronzer*

I've been reaching for this loads in the past few weeks, as my winter complexion is even ghostlier than usual. This bronzer gives a beautiful flush of colour and as it's not too shimmery it's the perfect contouring powder - I swear it makes my cheekbones as sharp as razorblades. What I love the most, however, is that it just settles to such a marvellously natural finish on my skin - no obvious bronzer or contour marks there at all. You can read a full review on this one here.

4) Simple Kind To Skin Cleansing Wipes

I can't believe I never wrote a blog post on these wipes. I think I may have mentioned them once in a Youtube video (haha, yeah....), but that's about it. Truth be told, I don't even remember how many times I've repurchased these. Let's be honest, sometimes you just haven't got the time or the energy (or you're just really, really drunk) to do a full skincare routine before bed, but the least you can do is take off your make-up. Nobody likes messy pillows and crusty eye lashes. I've tried a few other wipes from time to time, but none come close to these. They stay soft and moist forever, get all the crap off my face without being drying and most of all make sure I don't get breakouts caused by my laziness.

*PR Sample

What are your favourites for the month?

Sample Summary #6

1) Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Make-up

Full size: £27.50 for 30ml

Estee Lauder Double Wear used to be many a blogger’s holy grail foundation (I noticed it made a bit of a disappearance as of late) and I came close to buying it several times, so it was nice to get a little sachet to try it, even if it was only enough for one application and the colour didn’t match my skin at all.

Turns out I hate it. Thick, gloopy and pasty it looked like a mask on my face and felt very heavy while I was wearing it. I think I’ll stick to my light to medium coverage foundations for the time being. Glad I didn’t waste money on a full sized bottle, at least!

2) Dior The New Nude Foundation

Full size: £31.00 for 30ml

As opposed to 95% of foundation samples you get in magazines, this one was actually a fairly good match for my skin tone. I’m not entirely sure why, but I was hesitant to use this sample, expecting not to like it before I’d even given it a go. So upon application I was actually very surprised to find it’s a lovely product. It smoothed on perfectly, melted into my skin and gave a lovely matte, but natural look. Staying power was also quite impressive.

The only thing I’d say is that the name is a bit misleading. You’d expect light coverage from a foundation called “The New Nude”, but it was more of a medium coverage, bordering on heavy. Still, I think there might be a purchase looming!

3) Boss Nuit Pour Femme Body Lotion

Full size: £22.00 for 200ml

Now, I’ve got to be very frank here. I have absolutely nothing against sponsored posts, but when this fragrance launched, pretty much every blog on my reader had a sponsored post up about it and rather than entice me to buy the perfume, it actually put me off trying it. There’s a thing or two to be learnt about over-saturation in my humble opinion.

Now, that aside, I liked the fragrance when I smelled the body lotion, but there was nothing exciting about it, so even after having a whiff I won’t be running out to buy it. Moisturising properties of this sample were pretty much non-existant and it only served as a way to lightly fragrance my body.

4) Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion

Full size: £5.40 for 200ml

This one, along with the Palmer’s cocoa butter, seems to pop up in magazines on a regular basis, yet I’ve never actually purchased a full size of either body lotions.

It doesn’t have the typical fruity scent I usually go for in body lotions and butters, but moisturised my skin well and despite being quite rich, sank in quickly and was easily spreadable. Again, I prefer scented body butters, but that’s just personal preference and I found nothing wrong with this lotion at all.

5) Jil Sander Everose Body Lotion

Full size: 17,95€ for 200ml (currently unavailable in the UK)

Another perfumed body lotion. I honestly don’t know, why cosmetics companies bring them out, because they’re frequently just plain awful. Just like the Boss one, this was runny, sticky, didn’t sink into the skin at all and for moisturisation I would have been better off rubbing myself with a carrot.

The scent was nice, quite summery, but again nothing I’d go wild about. I do find that a lot of Jil Sander fragrances are very samey and hey, if they’re your thing then that’s great, but personally, I think I’ll pass.

6) Annemarie Boerlind Naturoyale Biolifting Day Active

Full size: $229.99 for 50ml (currently unavailable in the UK)

This is a sample I picked up from a German magazine a while ago. The cream was way too rich and greasy for me and turned my face into a sticky, oily mess. To be honest, that’s something I’ve noticed with many German brands - their skincare is just so ridiculously rich that loads of brands I’ve tried have given me instant breakouts and/or a really shiny face.

This one was just horrible, so I’m not overly bothered that I can’t get hold of any of these products over here in England. Not to mention that the astronomical price tag gave me a little heart attack as soon as I found out how much people are expected to pay for this little tub of lard.