Raw Gaia Bamboo and Pumice Exfoliant

My skin isn't amazing, and I am in a constant search for products to make it smoother/clearer/generally amazing! When I received an email from Raw Gaia asking if I wanted to review a new, all natural exfoliant, I jumped at the chance. Now, I'll be honest, I probably didn't read the press release with the email properly, as I got a surprise when it arrived. I was expecting your usual cream based exfoliator, but no, this one is a powder!

The exfoliant comes in a 50g plastic tub, and costs £20.99. The directions given are to wet your face, and then dip wet fingers into the product and massage over the face for 2 mins. I wasn't sure how much product to actually use, so I dipped one finger in, thinking I could add more if needed.

I have to say, it is a strange product to use. The sensation is like rubbing sand on your face, or at least what I imagine that would feel like, its not something I make a habit of. It did feel a little abrasive, but maybe I rubbed a bit too hard. If you have sensitive skin then I would go gently with this. However, I really like how my face feels after using it. It feels really soft, and when using it you feel like its really getting into all the nooks and crannies of your face. I also asked my Mum and my friend Katie to try this out, and they had the same opinion, strange to use, but good results. I suppose it depends whether you want a nice relaxing experience, or a functional one. If its functional, then this product is for you!

The product itself is 100% natural and organic, without chemicals and preservatives. This isn't something that I am particularly bothered about, but I know alot of you out there are.

I like the powder format, it means the small tub will last for alot of uses, and if you are travelling you could just take a tiny container full and have enough!

The only drawback I see is the price, as I am a skint student (not for much longer), the price would put me off at the moment. However, I can see the product lasting ages, so price per use is probably very good.

You can read more or buy the product here.

Have you tried any unusual natural products?

Disclaimer: This product was a PR sample, but this did not affect my review in any way.

No 7 Exquisite Curl Mascara review

Yes, I am late doing this review, and you have probably already read a million of them. Anyway, I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to review the new No 7 mascara, exquisite curl. This is the first No 7 mascara I have tried,and I was interested to see how it would fare against my current mascara of choice, Maybelline's The Falsies. 

First up, I like the packaging, it looks pretty classy, which fits in with the market No 7 are aiming for.

The brush itself is made of fibres (not sure thats the right word, I mean its not rubbery), and is a curved shape, not unlike the maybelline one I already have. In terms of application, I found the brush easy to use, on both top and bottom lashes. Importantly, there isn't really any clumping, something which I find very annoying in mascara.

The mascara in action-

My naked, tiny wee lashes.

One coat of exquisite curl.

Two coats.

Both eyes with 2 coats.

Exquisite curl costs £13.00, from boots. Currently there is an offer on where you get a free eye palette with 3 shadows in when you buy the mascara, and you can use a £5 off voucher.

Overall, I like this mascara. It gives my lashes volume, and some curl, without looking too heavy or clumpy. I prefer a more natural, understated mascara, and this is perfect for that. I think I prefer this mascara to my maybelline the falsies for day time. If you like a heavy, very dark and voluminous look, exquisite curls may not suit you. Would I buy it again? Probably not. The full price of £13 is above what I would normally pay for a mascara, and I wasn't so bowled over that I would want to pay that price. With a £5 off voucher, the price of £8 seems more acceptable. However, I am fickle when it comes to mascara, and I don't think I have ever bought the same mascara twice, as there is always a newer, more exciting one on the market. Since I started blogging, this has only got worse, and I now have a backlog of mascaras waiting to be used.

If you, like me, like to try a new mascara every time, get in quick with a money off voucher, and then you can give this a go, and get a bonus palette.

Have you tried this mascara? Do you like it?



Disclaimer: This product was a PR sample, but this did not affect my review in any way.

St Ive's Elements Microdermabrasion

Whenever I think of St Ive's, I think of apricot scrubs. I have used a few of these over the years, but to be honest, I'm not that keen. The apricot smell, the grainy yet creamy feel, I don't know, but I just don't really like them. I do like a good scrub though, so am always on the look out for a more heavy duty type one, these 'daily use' ones just don't cut it! So, when I heard about St Ive's new elements range, I knew I had to try them! I got the microdermabrasion, and the warming scrub, but I'm just going to talk about the microdermabrasion for now.

 You get 125ml of product, for £4.99. Of course, I did not pay full price, I waited for a cheeky 2 for £6. I got it in Superdrug, the only place I have actually seen it.

I quite like the packaging, it looks fresh, and I guess elemental! I like scrubs in a tube, no scooping of product required.

What does it claim to do?

It claims to reveal 'younger looking, refined skin' on the front, and on the back-'micro-fine mineral crystals, smooth away dead skin cells to expose a younger looking, re-surfaced complexion that is radiant and glowing' . It goes on to say- 'Powerful yet gentle enough to use frequently, your skin is left feeling mosturised, fresh and renewed'. It contains 'Natural ingredients- Delicate micro-fine mineral crystals, Chamomile to soothe and vitamin E to nourish'

Wow, sounds amazing doesn't it? Well, the first time I used it I liked it. It has a nice smell, kind of clean, more than fragrant. It has a thick gel like texture, which is slightly grainy, but not so much that I didn't like it.

The instructions say to work it into a creamy lather, and then apply to damp skin in a circular motion. Now, I didn't find it lathered amazingly, and it took quite alot of effort to get some lather. It does feel nice while applying, its not too abrasive, and can be worked in well. As I said, the first time I used it, I liked it, and felt that it left my skin nice and smooth. However, I used it the other day,  and I was just lazing about the house, so didn't use any other products after it. A few hours later, my face was super greasy! I do have oily skin normally, but this was a bit extreme! Maybe if I had toned afterwards, it might have been better. I didn't really notice my skin looking miraculously younger or more refined, but do you ever after using a product?

Overall, I think its an ok product, but maybe not so suited to oily skin. I think in terms of value, it was ok for the price I paid, but maybe the full price is a bit steep.

I have tried the other elements product I got, the warming scrub, but will have a few more goes and report back.

Whats your favourite facial scrub?





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Avon Lotus Shield Review

Hey everyone! Sorry its been a wee while since I last blogged, but you know how it is, sometimes you just need a bit of a breather. I am going back to university next week, so hopefully this will make a bit more organised, as I have spent the summer lazing about! Anyway, enough about me, and on to the review!

I have already shown Lotus Shield in my first Avon Haul, and in my August Favourites. I wanted to give it a proper run for its money before I reviewed, as it is a product that has received quite a bit of coverage. As I have mentioned before, my friend Katie recently became an Avon rep, so she keeps me up to date with all the new products, and it was her newly acquired sales skills that persuaded me to buy this!

Firstly, I want to quickly talk about the price, which might seem strange at the start of the review, but this is a factor that does matter to me when buying a product. As a student, I don't have a huge amount of money, so find it hard to justify spending loads on one product. Then again, I buy lots of cheaper things, so its probably is a false economy! Anyway, I paid £5 for it, but as is often the case with Avon, this was an offer price, and the normal price is £7. Now, I do think this is quite alot for a hair product, and also alot for a product from Avon, as their prices are usually very reasonable. Price aside, lets get on with the review!

Packaging-

The picture above shows the outer packaging, a white cardboard sleeve. Once you manage to slide this off, the inner packaging is revealed-

Now, isn't this a bit excessive, and certainly not environmentally friendly? I can't help but think Avon have produced this fancy packaging to make the product seem more high end, and therefore justify the higher price tag? Pretty much all the other Avon products I have bought have come without packaging, and I really don't think this packaging adds anything. I looks nice I guess, but its just going to go in the bin anyway. Given the fact that Avon is only sold through the brochures or online, its not like the packaging is going to be drawing in the customers. Anyway, rant about that over! I do actually like the product, honestly! Once you open the silver packaging, you can then pull out the actual bottle, which isn't that easy.

See, all that packing, for a little bottle! I do like the size of the bottle, its small enough to be portable, but not too small that you don't get much product. It also very orange! Which kind of goes against the sleek packaging, but hey, least I can spot it on the shelf! You also get a leaflet in the box-

 Again, I don't really see the point of this! I have just shown the english portion here, its in other languages too. I think the important information could be on the bottle, this just seems like blurb to persuade you its great! The use instructions aren't great either, there is no indication of how much to use. I think this is a bit of an issue generally with Avon, they don't give great instructions for their products. Or maybe i'm a dumbass!

The product itself has a thin, gel consistency. The first thing that I noticed about the product is the lovely smell! It smells a bit like melon I think. The smell doesn't really stay on the hair once its applied though. As there is no guide to how much product should be used, I have been experimenting with amounts, and conferring with Katie. I generally apply about this amount-

Please excuse the shadow of my big head! I have found this amount does leave a little bit of a residue in my hair once its dried, but when I used less, I didn't get the same effect. What effect is that? Well, I feel that it smooths my hair, and makes it less 'big and puffy'. I tend to avoid straightening my hair on a daily basis, and with this product I can get the smooth effect that I like, without the heat! I have quite thick hair, and the lotus shield seems to calm it down. As for the humidity repelling effect, here in Scotland we don't tend to get humidity, its more like bucketing rain! So I haven't really noticed it making much difference, but when I can eventually afford to go back to South East Asia, i'll be able to test it out with humidity!

Oh, I almost forgot. One of the other main points that Avon say about this product is that it doesn't need to be used every time you wash your hair, as it lasts between washes. I tend to use it every second or third time, as I don't want product build up. Given this, and the fairly small amount I use, I think this bottle will last a good while.

So overall, I like the product as a smoothing, calming serum, but can't vouch for the humidity repelling. I think I probably would repurchase, but not at £7! Its been £5 for the last few brochures, so I hope that continues.

Have you tried Lotus Shield?
Do you have any other products you would recommend to calm my hair?

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Making me blush! Part two- Bourjois Rose D'or

Now, by rights, this should have been the first part of my series. Do you remember the days, pre beauty blogging, when you only had a few bits of make up? Well, back then, this was my blusher! I maybe had another few,but this was the one I used, day in, day out. In fact, I have 2 of these, as I lost it once, and instead of being adventurous and buying a different one, I bought it again! Since I started blogging, and buying alot more make up, its been a bit unloved. I still do love it really, and need to use it more!

Packaging


The packaging for the Bourjois Blushers is the same as the eye shadow pots, which can lead to confusion,as I have an eyeshadow in a similar shade! I do like the packaging, its compact, and sturdy. You get the wee mirror, which wouldn't be much use for doing your whole make up, but is ok for touch ups.  I actually think the brush isn't too bad, again in those dark pre-blogging days, I just used to use this. I have now upgraded to an E.L.F blusher brush. Overall, the packaging gets the thumbs up from me, it has a good clasp, so stays shut during transit.

Onto the product itself. You get 2.5g, and mine looks hardly used, even though I have used it alot. I'm not sure i'll ever get on to the second one! It also has a slight smell, kind of powdery, flowery,which doesn't last too long on the skin, but I actually quite like when I am applying. I like the colour, its a darkish pink shade, with a golden shimmer. It actually looks alot more shimmery here than it actually looks when blended on the cheeks. This swatch is unblended-

and blended-

Again, my pictures aren't great, but this blusher isn't hugely pigmented. It gives a subtle glow, which can be built up. I often use it over a cream blush. All in all, I still like this blusher, even if it has been ousted from the favourite spot by my recent purchases. Oh, nearly forgot, it costs £6.99, which is maybe a little on the pricey side for a high street blusher. Or maybe i'm stingy! I would like to try some more from their range, so i'm keeping my beady eyes out for a 3 for 2 offer!

Do you have any bourjois blushers?

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Review: 17 Limited Edition Precious Metals Bronzer

I saw this on Sabrina's blog, and knew I had to have it! It is from the 17 Precious Metals collection, which is limited edition until the 13th of July (apparently). The collection also contains a nail polish, eyeshadow trio and lipgloss. The bronzer was £4.49, from Boots. Also, they have an offer just now if you spend £6 on 17, you get a free gift with lipgloss, mascara and nailpolish, bonus! So, lets have a lookie-

Packaging-

I think the packaging is ok, the gold effect on the front is quite nice, but i'm not sure about the white bottom. It gets a little mucky, as you can see at the bottom. Overall though, its no biggie, its a nice size, and a wee bit different than the normal black 17 packaging. It also seems pretty sturdy, so shouldn't open or break easily in bags!

What it says-

'A shimmering powder that creates a beautiful bronzed glow. Sweep a brush through all 4 shades then lightly dust onto cheekbones'

I have to say, I love this! Lets look at some swatches, firstly the individual shades-

(sorry about the bad photo quality, that is something I need to work on, so any tips on lighting or technique, greatly appreciated!)

All shades mixed-

So as you can see, its fairly shimmery, as would be expected! It isn't something I would wear on a daily basis, but for summer, or a night out, its ideal! I did wear it in Paris, and found that it does need a good bit of blending, but looks lovely! I would say apply lightly and build, as it can be a bit of a shimmery shock at first!

While thinking about this review, I tried out a few other uses. As there is a good range of shades, it is actually a very versatile product. The lightest shade works well as a highlighter, applied below brows, or on cheek bones. The other shades make great metallic eyeshadows. This makes it an ideal product for taking on holiday, as you have all these products in one, and you can look shimmery, summery and fantastic!

I think that writing this review has actually made me love this even more! So ladies, get yourselves down to Boots before it sells out!

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