re.create: Beautiful Movements Prime & Create Mixing Medium

I received this in a glossy box back in July (I think) as in a teeny tiny little pot of 2.5g. I thought that this was a little small for a sample, but a I still haven't used up this small amount.

This clear gel is designed for use as a primer for the face or eyes or as a mixing medium with powder products. I haven't yet tested this mixed with my mineral foundation (re.created myself - follow me for tutorial coming soon!) but I have been using it as a primer and it works a treat! It makes the colour of any eyeshadow appear far more vibrant because it 'grabs onto' more of the pigment. I haven't used it as an all-over face primer, mostly because I have been testing other things out but with a look at the ingredients it seems to be a nicely lighweight, silicone-based primer that should do the trick.

re.view: L'Oreal Voluminous mascara Carbon Black

My new mascara of choice.

Holy grail, holy grail! OK, so I haven't tried that many perhaps for this mascara to warrant such an address but this is the mascara that I have been using every day despite having four other tubes of mascara open (one natural, one defining, one 'false lash' and one turned out to be rubbish).

re.view: Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush

What a wonderful little blush!

Now, this is the most expensive blush that I've ever owned. Being a highstreet cosmetic fan, particularly for colour-cosmetic products, I had never really been tempted over to the dark side of high-end blushes, but after reading such rave reviews of this product again and again I finally couldn't help myself when I had access to a Sephora in North America (It's very difficult to get hold of Tarte products here in the UK, so I think the novelty value of it probably also tipped me over the edge!).

re.view: Make Up Forever HD Powder

I bought this little tester/travel pot of the Make Up Forever HD Powder from Sephora while I was in North America recently. I'd been wanting to get a decent make-up setting powder as the warm [read: oily] summer was approaching fast and my previous highstreet/drugstore powder wasn't doing the trick. I'd also read a lot about this and was really looking forward to giving a high-end product a try!

This powder works very well indeed. It's imperceptible on the skin once applied and finely-milled so you can't see the particles of powder on the skin unless you apply it very liberally indeed (if you do, just give it a spritz of a toner to bring it back to normal!). It famously can give a white cast to the skin under flashlight photography, so I reserve this for daytime wear and tend not to wear this in the evening events. For the evening and for touch-ups throughout the day I go for the Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot powder that I am a real fan of.

re.commend: Toners

What do toners do?

I've noticed a bit of confusion recently on beauty forums such as Beautylish around what toners are for and whether they are a bit outdated with the range of today's skincare available.

For me, there are a couple of different toners that I still find useful for two different purposes:

re.create: MAC Fix+

This re.create is more of a re.dupe (except unfortunately that isn't a word...if you can think of something more appropriate please let me know!).

MAC Fix+ is a spritz for your face that is best for refreshing makeup if you've been a bit over-enthusiastic with the powder, or just throughout the day when your makeup needs a bit of re-blending or feels a bit tired. So, it's not a setting spray in the way that some of the spritzes are from Skindanavia and Urban Decay (also made by Skindanavia).

re.view: Laura Mercier Radiance Primer

I was excited to buy the trial/travel size of this radiance primer from Sephora when I was in Canada recently as I'd been looking for a primer and prefer a luminous finish to a completely matte one.


It comes out of the tube as a peach-coloured cream and the shimmer is quite subtle once you blend it out with none of the peach tint. It glides over the skin nice and smoothly. I can't really tell on my skin the degree to which it is able to smooth over fine lines and pores but it certainly didn't highlight any dry patches.

re.view: Dove summer glow nourishing lotion

Short re.view today on a gradual self tanner from Dove.

It's been lovely weather here and I've been so excited to get my summer wardrobe out. I like to wear dresses but my legs don't get much exposure in the wintery months (we have many of them here in the UK) and I don't like sunbathing so sometimes they need a little bit of a kick start on their way to a healthy colour.

re.view: L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow

I've been ignoring these eyeshadows on the L'Oreal shelves since they came out. Despite glowing reviews from all fronts, I just couldn't help thinking to myself....do I really need any more eyeshadows? Well, during the Boots 3 for 2 offer I caved in and since I now have this blog I thought I could/should/this is just an excuse review them for you. Verdict: yes. I did need more eyeshadows and I needed these ones in particular. 

re.view: Khiels Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50

Sun calls for suncream!

I bought this in duty free at Heathrow Airport a few weeks ago before I went abroad to mainland Europe for a week. I'd heard a little bit about this and have been looking for a higher SPF cream for my face. I'd been using the No.7 SPF 30 face cream here in the UK and, while I find it well priced and very wearable under makeup, in the hot hot weather I feel like this might make my makeup slip off my face and go from 'dewy' to 'sweaty' pretty quickly...

re.commend: Clean and Clear dual action moisturiser

My moisturiser!

I've tried a moisturizers few over the years and in the past have preferred to buy one with some sun protection in, but I've been buying or 'repurchasing' this again and again this year. When it's on sale in Boots I'll pick up a few to store under my dresser at home.

re.view: Alpha H Liquid Gold

Ode to Alpha H Liquid Gold....

I have come across this product on a number of blogs but I first bought it after reading a glowing review on amodelrecommends . I used to have a problem with small cystic-type spots in my skin, the type that hang around for up to a month and then leave a nice little dark scar afterwards (particularly if you get frustrated after week 3 and desperately try to squeeze it...). I've managed to figure out how to keep this fairly under control but I still have a few dark spots on my face that I'd like to get rid of.