FOTD: Bright lip city gonna set my soul on fire!

I've been going through a bright lip phase at the moment which is something that I never thought I'd be doing.  These colours aren't fantastically bright but they're bright enough to allow me to strike the balance between bright and work appropriate.

My lips are pigmented and the top lip is darker than the bottom.  All three of these products mask that problem and apply uniformly to both lips.  The Korres tub is standard lipbalm size, the ELF tub really is that big. 

My favourites so far this year..

Here they are:

Holy over saturation of colours, Batman!

I use all these products on either a daily or weekly basis which is pretty rare for me as I have so much crap.

MAC 239 brush: I really don't know how I managed to get my eye makeup looking decent before I had this (I probably didn't).  With regards to brush hair density, it does very well.  They're tightly packed but you can get away with laying down and blending too.  It's not my blending brush, simply because it's not meant for blending.  If you're lazy/doing a look with bright colours, get this brush and you won't be sorry.  You can use it for crease work too, I switch it up between the 239 and the Revlon brush.

Maybelline Colossal mascara: This is probably my all time favourite High Street mascara.  I use this every day and it has been going strong for a long long time.  I love this and my Prestige mascara but I think this slightly has the edge as it's foolproof and I get the same results regardless of how I apply it.  Thick, long, black lashes.

YSL Teint Parfait: I blab on about this foundation a lot.  It was the first thing I ever reviewed on my blog but I'll give you a quick review of it now.  It's an oil free "foundation".  I say " " because you can use it as a primer if your skin is not behaving.  I like the fact that it has a dual personality like that because once I put it on, it doesn't come off unless you take it off.  If you have oily/combo skin and want a foundation which makes you look dewy, buy this and you won't be sorry.  The single best thing about this foundation is being photographed..you look airbrushed.

I've got a swatch for you and it's clear it doesn't match the skin on my hand but it blends in seamlessly on my face.

Dove Therapy Heat Defence spray: I really like this.  I feel that it does protect my hair from heat and it leaves my hair looking shiny after I've straightened it and it smells quite nice.  It makes my hair feel softer too so I've started using it even when I keep my hair curly.  The best thing about it is that you can be heavy handed and it won't grease your hair up which is brilliant.

The Body Shop Facial Massager: I was intrigued with this when I first saw it online and decided to buy it when I saw it in store.  I use this on a weekly basis.  It smoothes my skin out a treat.  I also find that after using it, my skin absorbs moisturiser a lot better and it feels clean, like it's been drained of toxins.  It leaves my skin nice and pink after using it so I can feel that there is some massagey benefit there.  There's a full review here.

Korres Zea Mays blusher: This has fast become my "brown girl's can blush too" blush.  When I wear it, it actually looks like I'm blushing which is brilliant.  It does contain glitter but use a light hand and you're good to go.  It looks practically untouched but I've been using it more often than not..  You can buy it here and read my review here.

YSL Palette Pop: I have had this for a long long time and it's a tester. I don't know why I'm always saying that..but it is.  I think it's because I'm in shock that a tester lasts so long.  I use this on a daily basis, it's my "no effort" blush.  It looks so natural on me that you can't even tell that I'm wearing it most of the time.  People only notice that I don't look so perky when I don't have it on.

See? You wouldn't think that was WOC friendly but it is brilliant for my skintone.  It also looks pretty chalky but applies like a dream.

I haven't had these brushes for too long but they have found their way into my makeup bag.

Revlon Foundation brush: There's a full review here.  It's all good.  The brush is totally foolproof and works brilliant when the operator is functioning on around 5 hours sleep.  It costs about a tenner from Superdrug.

Revlon Blusher brush: I'm sure this brush was made just for me.  It fits the cheek area perfectly, stays soft and yet is dense enough to pick up just enough product.  The full review is here.  I think this comes in at around a fiver or so..it's less than a tenner!

What have your favourites been so far this year?

Review: Korres Wild Rose Compact Powder (Shade WRP4)

This powder was unfortunately too light for me and so I couldn't review it.

As it said it was for fine lines which I don't yet have, I gave it to my mum to use as she is a fair bit lighter than me and it matched her skin pretty well.  She also only has fine lines despite being nearly half a century old, I can't give exact numbers as she would kill me.  A bit before Xmas (October time?) she had an allergic reaction to something (I'm sure it was hair dye) and this resulted in her skin getting some discolouration on her cheeks.

Ingredients:

The powder:

Check out what else you get in the box:

What Korres say: 

"Velvety powder, enriched with a botanical blend for a soft, luminous finish.  Wild Rose, a natural source of vitamin C, works to repair fine line and brighten uneven skin tone."

What mi madre said:
Can I keep it?

She loved the powder but not the packaging.  I, on the other hand, loved the packaging because I like big bulky things which won't break when you drop them (natural butterfingers you see).  She did however, like the fact that you got a useful sponge with it, she went as far to say "it picks up the right amount of powder" which is something she always complains about.

She's been wearing it since the weekend after I got it (which was back in January) and she hasn't hit pan yet.  She uses this powder every day and I wouldn't say it mended fine lines but it does make them look less prominent (maybe they will be mended if you carry on using the powder).

The one thing she was most impressed with was how natural it looked on her face and how it really did manage to cover the uneven pigmentation on her cheeks.  She had the pigmentation on her cheeks for ages before using the powder and since she's been using it, the dark pigmentation has totally gone.  I'm not sure if it's the powder which is to be credited for this but I'm thinking it should be because she's changed nothing else in her skincare/makeup routine and the pigmentation had enough time to bugger off before she started to use it but it hung around.

She mentioned that it stayed on all day and that people had commented on how young and glowing she was looking, which can only be a good thing.

Purchase:
It gets a big fat yes from the mother, which basically means that the next time we go out and she sees it on sale, I'll be the one departing with some pennies.

You can buy this powder here.

Review: Korres lip butter (Pomegranate)

I finally got around to trying this after another of my lip balms ran out.

What do Korres say?
"A buttery lip balm that melts on the lips and offers a shiny, tinted finish. The combination of Shea butter and Rice wax offers deep hydration and softness. Ideal for chapped lips."

What do I say?
The packaging first, is different to any balm/butter that I've ever used, I quite like this.

There is a lot of information to take in, so much so that Korres had to print on the inside of the box:

Ingredients:

The tub:

The first thing that struck me about the lip butter was the pigmentation in the pot, it was a really bright reddish colour which I didn't think would suit me at all.

The consistency is a bit hard to describe as well, it's like a shiny lipstick which has been melted and poured into the tub.  It's not as hard your typical balm/butter, it's quite soft so you pick quite a bit up.

I swatched some on my finger and it was just as bright.

I whacked it on my lips and it applied a bit sheerer than the initial swatch on my finger and the colour is quite wearable.

One of my pet peeves with lip balms is the fact that you can feel that you're wearing it.  You can't really feel that you have this on.

Another thing I liked was the fact that the colour was sheer but that there was still enough pigmentation in there to make my lips look better than their natural self.  After application, my lips were pretty smooth looking and they also looked glossy, I could use it as a lipgloss replacement.

It stays on for an age, I put it on in the morning and it is still there by the time my lunchbreak rolls around which is pretty impressive for a lip balm/butter.

It does everything that it claims to do and for me is a winner.

However, it's not without its faults.  The packaging is a bit decieving as a the tub is a fatter than it looks from the outside so you could get more product for your money if it was a bit thinner.  Also, despite being this thick, it still feels pretty lightweight which could be both a blessing and a curse.

Purchase?
I would buy this because I use it as a no fuss lip colour.  It stays on for ages and the colour works really well on my lips.  Plus, it's excellent at moisturising and keeping my lips nice and soft.  It costs £6 but I get quite a fair bit of usage out of the product.  If I used a lip brush then I'd get even more usage but that's a bit of extra fuss and the finger technique does me fine.

You can buy this here.

Review: Korres Zea Mays Blusher (Shade 18 Peach)

Blusher.  This has always been something which I've struggled to get right.  I never really wore blusher until about two years ago when I got a sample of a YSL one..one which is still going strong now.  I was never too adventurous with it because I didn't want to look silly but Yinka (once again!) is a great enabler.  She has practically every blusher ever made by NARS and she's nice enough to blend her swatches so you can see how they look applied.  I'm getting a lot more adventurous (and less clown like) thanks to her.

First, the packaging:

 Ingredients:

Blusher:

Swatches:

When looking at swatches online, I usually assume that the swatch shows the colour of the product in the pan and not how it looks when you apply it.  The swatches on the Korres site are more representative of the colour once it has been applied and blended.  I wanted a peachy shade and was a bit disheartened when the product looked dusky pink in the pan.  However, once it has been applied, it is actually a nice peachy shade.

What do Korres say?
"Velvety blush with Corn starch powder particles, for a luminous effect and a smooth finish."

What did I think?
Even a rudimentary swatch will tell you that it's soft.  It's one of the softest blushers I've ever used. I loved this, it's glittery but not overly so.  Blending was a charm as well, no chalkiness.  I have to agree with all the claims that Korres make, it really is really soft and it does perk your skin up when you wear it.

I also found that it worked very well as a contour.  I just dashed it on as a blusher but quite a few people asked me if I'd lost a bit of weight and even the Mr said that I looked different.  I took a photo of my face and realised that my face did look more angular when I was wearing the blusher.

Purchase?
Yes indeedy.  Application was easy, the amount of glitter was perfect and the added bonus of contour mean that I'd buy this.

You can buy this blusher from here.

Review: Korres Pomegranate Scrub and Mask

I know I love Korres, you know I love Korres.

I reviewed the moisturiser before and it is my HG moisturiser, I'm going to buy no other than this until my skin changes (which I hope isn't for ages because you know it took me long enough to find this bad boy).

I've had the mask and scrub just as long as I've had the moisturiser but you can't scrub and mask everyday so this review comes months after the first one.

First the rambling:
I'm always a bit funny when  it comes to masks and scrubs because I feel that some hurt my skin by being too scratchy and others are too wimpy to do anything which helps my skin.

Also, I had boxes for these items and I took photos but my card went a bit funny and both the photos and the boxes are long gone.

I had high hopes for these products as the moisturiser is basically, a don.

So, here's how I got on..

First things first, the Pomegranate range is aimed at those with combo/oily skin so I don't think they would work if your skin was normal or dry (but Korres cater for all different types so you'll find something for you on their website).

The scrub.

Korres say: "A creamy scrub containing naturally derived exfoliating grains. The Olive stones effectively refine the pores, reduce black spots and remove excess sebum, leaving skin radiant. Pomegranate extract, rich in tannins, reduces pore size and rejuvenates the skin. Olive and Calendula active extracts protect the skin due to their antioxidant properties."

I say:
Creamy scrub? I never thought that scrubs were meant to be creamy and I just assumed that a creamy scrub would not clear the oil.  This scrub is pretty creamy as scrubs go (more on oil clearing later on).
Do the olive stones refine pores? When I used the moisturiser it said that it, too refined and reduced pores and I didn't notice until the last few days of using it but this time I made sure to check and my pores definitely looked better whilst using this scrub.
Reduce black spots? I don't have black spots so I can't comment on this but my skin did look more even in tone. 
Remove excess sebum? Hell to the yes, I find a lot of scrubs either don't remove enough sebum or remove too much.  This scrub removed the sebum perfectly.
Radiant skin? Yep, I've never used a scrub which cleared oil and made my skin radiant with as much success as this baby did. 
Pore size reduced? Affirmative.

So, it holds up to all the claims it makes, is there anything else worth me mentioning? I think so (surprise surprise!)  The suggested usage is once every 5-ish days but I find that if you do use it once every 5 days, your skin starts to behave so you can start using it once a fortnight.  Then you can scale back usage to about once a month.  I've been using it without the moisturiser but I think if you use the moisturier as well, you don't need to use the scrub that often.

I like the fact that the packaging for the range is the same colour but different hues, the mask tube is a darker pink than the scrub tube and the moisturier has another shade of pink on the tub.  

Another thing I was impressed with was the fact that it really spreads well, you only need a tiny bit.  I've been using mine exclusively and I only took my photo for it the other day, it still looks pretty full.

The one bad thing about this scrub is something that I have always experienced with scrubs.  After using it, my face did get pretty warm but this feeling faded within 2-3 minutes and it's a minor discomfort considering the results I got from it.

Purchase? I'd be a fool to try something else so it's an all out yes.

You can buy the scrub from here.

The mask.

I haven't used the mask as much as the scrub (despite the suggested usage being "use after the scrub") because I wear glasses.

This might seem like a trivial matter but those of you without glasses will never realise the pain :( I currently don't have any contact lens (thank you very much Specsavers).  I'm getting my eyeware from Tescos (surprising!) for the meantime as they're far better than Specsavers, both in price and customer service.  Can you believe that SS gave me non scratch lens which got scratched? That wasn't the worst thing, they wouldn't even remove the scratch despite being in blatant breach of contract.  I wrote to their HO and they offered me free glasses but I told them to shove it.

Back to the mask! Yes, if you've got glasses and you have to take them off to put a mask on, you try your best to not do it unless you really need it because not being able to see isn't good.

I've used the mask more on my forehead than anywhere else because firstly, you can do that without removing your glasses and secondly, it's the greasiest part of my face.

I have however, used the mask on my face when in the shower and a few times when I'm "resting my eyes" (perving on the Mon when he's getting changed, hehehe).

Korres say it is "formulated with white argil, a natural clay with significant sebum-absorbing  capacity that removes impurities and deeply cleanses the skin, leaving a fresh and radiant complexion. Pomegranate extract, rich in tannins, reduces pore size and rejuvenates the skin. Zinc regulates sebum secretion and provides antibacterial protection, balancing oily skin functions."

I say:
Absorbing sebum? Yes, very good at doing this.  You know how some masks dry you out but then you grease up a few hours later? This mask doesn't do that.  It doesn't give you the extreme clean feeling but it makes your skin feel comfortable. 
Impurities removed? Yep, my skin looked lighter after using it so the dirt was gone. 
Deeply cleansed skin? Yes, properly cleansed which means that my skin felt soft and clean, not tight and clean. 
Fresh and radiant complextion? Indeed, I mentioned before that I looked lighter, I think radiant is the word I meant. 
Reduced pore size? With enough usage your pores shrink so much that you have to actively look for them, they're not the first thing you see when you look at your face in the mirror. 
Rejuvenates skin? As I said above, I don't use this mask as much as I should, I whip it out when I'm feeling super greasy and it really does give me a brand new skin feeling. 
Oily skin balanced? This (I think) is a claim that very few companies make and are able to prove.  I find that a lot of the masks I use will dry my skin out but then give me super greasy skin the day after which is a bit pointless.  The Korres mask totally balanced my skin out, after taking it off, my skin feels really soft and normal.  I'm happy to say that this feeling lasts for quite some time.


Purchase? Yes but if it was a choice between this and the scrub, I'd get the scrub.

You can buy the mask from here.

Review: Korres Vitamin E Face Primer

I don't have a very good success rate with face primers.  My friend gave me some samples of Smashbox primer and I didn't really like it.  It made my face feel furry and when someone took a picture of me it looked like the photo had been edited but only my face had been blurred.

I've been told in the past that my foundation is in actual fact a primer but it works as a foundation for me and when I put powder over it, the powder oxidised and made my forehead orange.

This is why I was pretty chuffed when I got to trial the Korres primer.  The Korres Pomegranate range is, I feel, perfect for my skin and I've sung the praises of the moisturiser for that range as it has become my HG of all moisturisers.

Anyway, better start reviewing..

The only pic of the post:

I didn't take a photo of the actual primer as it's just a white cream.

Actually, I lied, there's a list of ingredients too:

What do Korres promise? Basically, this: "This silky, fast-absorbing formulation acts as a layer, keeping skin elastic and comfortable, while offering smooth, long-lasting make-up application."

What did I find?
Firstly, I think I should add that I'm quite useless with primers, I never know how much to put on, how to blend it in etc..I found a really useful video and followed what it said (find it here).

I decided to test the primer out in rain, snow and extreme heat to see if it would hold up and I'm glad to report that it did.  It left my skin feeling matte and my foundation did stay on for a lot longer than it usually does.

You only need a really small amount, you smooth it on under your foundation and away you go.

I also discovered that if you don't wear foundation over the primer, you still get smoother looking skin both in pictures and when people see you face to face.

Does it do all it claims?
Silky: Yep.  Silky but then also not overly so, doesn't make you feel like you've got peach fuzz on your mush.
Fast absorbing: Yep. I waited around 10 minutes the first time I used it before adding foundation but you can start the foundation procedure in half the time.
Skin elastic and comfortable? Yep. When I was really cold, my skin didn't feel tight, the same was true when the conditions were really hot (I'm talking about really warm shops, unfortunately, I haven't been whisked off on holiday YET *dropping boulder like hints to the Mr or any of you who want to take me away)
Smooth, long lasting makeup? Yep. I can't really elucidate more on that apart from that it did exactly what it promised.

Purchase?
I can really see myself buying this.  It's not costly considering how much you use per day and the results it gives are the best I've ever seen from a primer.  Even when I went a bit OTT with it, it didn't give me fuzz face and it "took" the foundation very well, no patches at all.

Korres Vitamin E Face Primer retails for £19.50 and you can buy it here.

Review: Korres Pomegranate Moisturising Cream-Gel

I'm not ashamed to say that I've got greasy skin on my face. The annoying thing is that it is only my nose and my forehead which get greasy whilst my cheeks remain normal. This makes treatment of the problem pretty tricky. If my whole face was greasy then I could just get a mattifying cream and be done with it.  Sadly, I can't. Most of the time I am left with either dry cheeks and a matte forehead/nose or moisturised cheeks and an oil slick on my nose and forehead.  Funnily enough, my chin has never succumbed to greasies..

I tried everything to stop the grease and my latest success was a combination of using Biore's Warming Blackhead Fighting Cream Wash everyday and then moisturising with my Boots moisturiser (which, I think they have discontinued..boo).  My Boots moisturiser finished and I started using Skin Foods which gave me matte skin but also broke me out in spots so I stopped.

Then I was sent Korres Pomegranate Moisturising Cream-Gel to review. I also got the Pomegranate Mask and Pomegranate Scrub (I've been sent two scrubs though so will have to ask for a mask) but I haven't used them yet thanks to el fingero dodgy-o.

I've never used a product by Korres before and for some reason I kept thinking they were affiliated with Michael Kors, despite the fact Korres and Kors is spelt differently and one is Greek and t'other is American.

Korres' USP is that they use natural ingredients and no nasty stuff to make their products.  I'll be honest and say that I never really bothered for natural/organic items which is a bit stupid seeing as all my mum's skincare recipes are 100% based on items you can't find in labs.

Korres claim that "Carob tree polysaccharides and provitamin B5 combine an immediate moisturising effect with long-term hydration balancing activity. Pomegranate extract, rich in tannins, tightens the pores and tones the skin. Vitamins C and E, in combination with Avocado extract, provide essential antioxidant protection." 

What do I have to say?
This cream works on every level. It moisturised my cheeks and mattified my nose and forehead. I didn't even think to look at my face for grease in a mirror any more because it felt matte. Another benefit which I only noticed yesterday was the fact that it had actually made the pores around my nose vanish.  This alone is no easy task as nothing has ever helped them before!

Now to the not so good.  The container is made of glass so you have to be careful that you don't drop it.  The container only holds 40ml of moisturiser which isn't a lot.  Someone on MUA said that theirs lasted them a long time but mine is nearly finished and I've only been using it since the first week of December.  The smell also takes a bit of getting used to.  Another problem I found was that it if you use it in the winter, your cheeks get dry. It's perfect for summer though.  The final problem is the consistency of the cream-gel but I think that's to be expected, it's a wobbly kinda cream but you get used to that and I'm not complaining because the results you get are fantastic.

Repurchase?
Hell to the yes. The good deffo outweighs the bad here as I have never had a moisturiser which balanced my skin as well as this did before.  Plus it made my pores smaller which is something I have wanted a cream to do for ages.  However, I won't be buying this cream in the winter if this year's winter is as bad as the weather we had in December because it does dry me out a teeeeeeeensy bit.  It's a total winner for the summer though and I feel I'd use less in the summer so it would last me longer.

Korres is available in John Lewis, Boots, lookfantastic.com and on the Korres website. This particular cream retails for £14.40 on lookfantastic.com.