Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask Review

Hey lovelies, 

I've never been a major skincare junkie, but just over a month ago I noticed that my skin wasn't looking as clear as usual, so I decided to take action. I'm not sure whether it was just a hormonal thing, the fact that I'd been working full-time in the city, or my diet, but for some reason my skin just felt quite clogged up. I've been using this Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, £23 for the past few weeks and have been thoroughly impressed with it, so I thought I'd share my thoughts! 

The active charcoal in this mask is designed to draw out any dirt which may be clogging your pores, whilst white china clay helps to absorb any environmental pollutants and lecithin helps to dissolve any impurities. 

Origins recommend first using a hot, damp towel to open your pores before applying the mask. After this I apply quite a thick layer all over my face and then wait for it to dry, which usually takes around 10-15 minutes (perfect opportunity to shave your legs!). As the mask hardens, it does become quite tight, which I personally like as it feels like it is really getting into your pores and giving you a really thorough cleanse. When it comes to removing the mask, I use either a damp flannel or a muslin cloth and despite the mask being almost black, it's really easy to rinse it out under the tap so don't worry too much about ruining them. After I've rinsed it off I like to pat my skin dry with a towel and then apply a really rich moisturiser, lately I've been using the Elemis Hydra-Nourish Night Cream, £42.

Every time I use this mask my skin is left feeling really soft, brighter and most importantly really intensely cleansed, so if your skin has been looking a bit dull lately I would definitely recommend giving this a try. 

Have you tried any Origins products?

Boots Bargains!

I was in Boots the other day and decided to browse the clearance section. Usually I find that the clearance section consists purely of broken eyeshadow palettes and questionable nail varnish shades, so I was pleasantly surprised when on a recent trip I stumbled across these products in the sale section. As my local store is so small, they often have to clear stock to make room for new products and I managed to pick up all of these products for just £7.25! 

First up is this Expert Wear Blush by Maybelline in the shade Rosewood. I thought this looked like a really pretty, wearable shade for everyday use and as I usually opt for higher end blushes I'm intrigued to see how this compares.

RRP: £5.19, I paid: 26p!

Next up is this L'Oreal Color Riche nail varnish in the shade Opera Ballerina. I'm a massive fan of nude nail varnishes and the applicator brush is quite wide which I like as it makes painting your nails a lot easier. Also, to be honest, as I do ballet I also just liked the name! (That's a legitimate reason for buying it right?!)
RRP: £4.99, I paid £2.50!

I also picked up this Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping mascara as I was quite intrigued as to how a mascara could "plump"! I really like mascaras that give my lashes added volume and so I thought I'd give this a try. They only had this mascara available in the Blackened Brown shade, which I don't usually go for, but I think brown mascaras are perfect for creating a more natural, subtle eye look.

RRP: £9.99, I paid: 50p!

I've actually been wanting to try this mascara out for a while now as I'm a massive fan of the Maybelline Volum' Express range and the One-by-One mascara is my all time favourite. This is the Mega Plush mascara, which has an innovative gel-mousse formula and a super flexible brush to coat every lash. I'm really excited to try this out and I'm hoping I love it as much as the One-by-One!
RRP: £7.99, I paid £3.99!

Overall RRP total: £28.16, I paid £7.25!

I can't wait to start trying out all of these new products and would definitely recommend you checking out the clearance section in your local Boots!

Have you found any make-up bargains recently? 

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Tremble

 Hey lovelies! I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted, but unfortunately uni and work got in the way and I've had to channel all of my energy into that. However, I'm back with a review of the Illamasqua Powder Blusher in the shade Tremble. I actually received this as a gift from my friend Alice back in February for my birthday, so I've had the opportunity to try it out numerous times with various looks.

(yay for colour coordinated nails!) ;)

This is actually my first ever Illamasqua product and on the website it is described as a "soft lilac pink, matte finish". I disagree with this statement for although in some lights this blush appears to have a lilac tint to it, I'd definitely say it's more of a true pink with a slight coral tinge when swatched. 

The formula itself is perfectly matte which I love. I tend to use my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle as a highlight, so sometimes I feel as though using a blush with shimmer in simultaneously can be a bit much and I can end up looking like a glitterball. The incredible pigmentation of this product is actually both a blessing and a curse. On one hand the colour you see in the packaging is pretty much identical to how it transfers on your face. However, it also means that it is quite easy to apply too much and end up looking somewhat clown-like. That said, once you get the hang of applying this blush with a lighter hand, the colour pay off is wonderful and leaves your cheeks with a really pretty, doll-like flush.

I really like the packaging of this blush as the top is clear, meaning it's really easy to see the product inside and the shape of the pot itself is unique to Illamasqua, meaning it's easy to spot amongst the other blushes in my collection. 

This product is pricey and at £21.50 for just 4.5g of product these blushes are significantly more expensive than ones from other higher end brands such as MAC, whose powder blushes retail at £18.00 for 6g. However, unlike other high end brands, throughout the year Illamasqua have AMAZING sales during which these blushes can be reduced to around £5-£7.50, so if you're set on buying an Illamasqua blush look out for these as they're a great time to pick up some bargains and try out products that you wouldn't usually splurge on. 

To find out more check out the Illamasqua website.

Have you tried any Illamasqua blushes?

Urban Decay Naked 1 & 3 Review

Hey lovelies! I received the original Urban Decay palette in February last year as a birthday present and it has become a staple part of my make-up collection and I use it almost daily. Unfortunately when the Naked 2 palette came out I wasn't particularly excited by it as I was already content with the neutrals I had in the Naked 1. From photos and swatches online I didn't feel that I could justify spending £37 on an almost identical palette and so I decided to let that one pass. 

However, Urban Decay recently released their third installment of the collection, the Naked 3 and as soon as I saw the press release photos I knew I had to have it. Unlike the Naked 2, there is no doubt about the fact that these colours are completely different to the original and unlike the previous two palettes all of the shades in this third palette are all brand new and exclusive to the palette.

  Colours

Naked 1- Urban decay describes this palette as a collection of “bronze-hued neutrals”. It contains a couple of matte browns (Naked and Buck), which are great bases for eye looks and also good for adding definition to the crease, whilst Half Baked and Smog are lovely for creating a bronzy look. The lightest shade in the palette, Virgin, is a shimmery champagne colour and works perfectly as a brow bone or inner corner highlight.

Naked 3- This palette is “rose-hued” and is extremely feminine and girly. It’s not as warm and bronzy as the original (with the exception of Trick which is a lovely shimmer copper) and instead contains a range of shimmery pinks (Dust, Burnout), mauves (Buzz, Liar), pinky browns (Nooner) and even a beautiful shimmery black infused with specks of red glitter (Blackheart). The highlight colour in this palette is Strange, which is an extremely pale pink/champagne colour (almost white) and I love that it is a matte shadow. Unfortunately I’ve found that the matte Urban Decay shadows tend to have quite poor pigmentation but this is absolutely not the case for this shade. 

Temptalia has some amazing swatches if you'd like to see these colours up close.

Packaging

Naked 1- I love the chocolate brown velvet case of this palette, but unfortunately it does get dirty extremely easily and it’s a bit irritating that the letters have started wearing off. I do like the magnet closure however and I’ve taken it on various trips and it’s always been very secure and none of the shadows have been damaged. I really dislike the brush that comes with this palette though as it's quite stiff and is only really useful for packing on colour.

Naked 3- Urban Decay have clearly acknowledged the obsession girls have developed lately with rose gold and there’s no denying that the packaging of this palette is lovely. The metal casing does make it feel slightly more high end and durable. Also, the fact that the mirror inside is so much bigger is definitely a major plus as it makes it perfect for travelling and on the go touch ups. The brush supplied with this palette is double ended and much softer and it's great for blending so i'm really happy with it.

   The Naked 1 came with a mini tube of the original primer potion. The Naked 3 came with 

   this collection of samples of the different types of primer potion that have since been released and i'm excited to try them out, but to be honest I love the original formula so I think I would preferred to have another tube of that one.

Which do I prefer?

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore the Naked 3 and can't wait to start experimenting with all of the colours . However if you don't yet own any of the Naked palettes or are on the hunt for the perfect palette of everyday neutrals I would definitely say go for the original Naked palette, as it really is worth the hype and can create endless different looks.

Both palettes retail for £37 in the UK and can be purchased from Debenhams and House of Fraser.
Which palette do you prefer?