Sunday Samples - Liz Earle, Jane Iredale and Vaseline Body Lotion

Its been a while since I've explored some of my samples stash, so I thought it was about time I had a quick delve into it. 

Jane Iredale Lip and Cheek Stain in Forever Pink

This came with a recent Jolie Box and having never heard of Jane Iredale before, I was excited to try it out.  Jane Iredale products are all mineral products and aside form the odd Bare Minerals flirtation, I haven't tried many mineral cosmetics products previously.  

I tried this on both the lips and cheeks and far preferred it on my lips.  On my cheeks, it looked a little greasy and disappeared within a few hours.  It was also very lightly pigmented and I prefer my cream blushes to be more pigmented.  On the lips, it gave a slight sheen, and lasted around an hour and a half before I needed to reapply.  It felt more like a balm though and was perhaps too subtle for my pigmented lips.  For those who like natural makeup, with a  barely-there lip, this may be a good buy, but I have lots of lippies already like this and I didn't feel it added anything to my collection.

Vaseline Essential Moisture Clean Feeling Lotion

I usually prefer body butters to body lotions as they tend to feel richer and more luxurious.  This body lotion from Vaseline was pretty much as expected - fairly lightweight and non-greasy, although it did take some time to sink in.  I tend to moisturise my body in the evening though so it didn't affect my morning routine. 

Scent wise, it was fairly innocuous and from the swatch above, you can see it was slightly runny  and a little difficult to control consistency-wise.  All in all, a decent budget body lotion but nothing earth-shattering, and I think I prefer Nivea's version.

 

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate

I kind of blow hot and cold with Liz Earle - some of her products I love but some I feel rather lukewarm about as they aren't the miracle products I was expecting.  The Superskin Concentrate was on of these products but in fairness, I'm not sure if I am the target audience for this with my oily skin. 

Ths Superskin Concentrate is an oil that you warm in your hands and apply after cleansing in the evening.  The scent is a delightful mixture of lavender and chamomile which aids relaxation before bed, and the oil absorbs quickly without leaving an oily or greasy feeling.  My skin did feel a little softer but that was about it.  I didn't feel more radiant or feel that my skin was in a particularly better condition than previously.  

As this was only a 2ml sample, I am curious to see if I would experience any significant benefits in the long term with regular use.  Skincare is such an individual thing and I usually prefer to test something for at least a month before judging its performance.

Have you tried any of these products?  

 

Review: Illamasqua Promise Cream Blush

Despite reading a lot about the brand in various blogs, I'd never actually tried anything from Illamasqua before and when I saw this cream blush become available on BuyaPowa I snapped it up. 

 

I'm usually not that adventurous with blushes, preferring to stick to something peachy from the Nars Orgasm family.  Over the past year, I have started trying some cream blushes and have been very impressed with offerings from both Bobbi Brown and TopShop.  So how did Illamasqua fare?

First off, I have to say that I really like the sculptural designs of Illamasqua's packaging.  It is just really ergo dynamically pleasing.  It doesn't feel; luxurious in the same heavy way that brands such as Chanel and YSL do but it does seem as though a lot of thought has been put into the packaging.

 

The cream blush itself is a bright, cool-toned bubblegum pink in the pan (even more pink than it appears in these photos) and it feels quite soft to the touch, although not so soft that it is tacky.  I have to admit that it was with some trepidation that I tried this as I thought it would be way too bright and out of my comfort zone.

 

As you can see from the swatches below, it does apply fairly bright initially, but then blends away to a light pink, subtle glow with a  dewy finish, which actually looks very natural on my NC20 skintone.  If you require a brighter hue, the colour is very buildable, so it is certainly possible to apply a couple of layers for extra intensity.

 

Lasting time on my oily / combination skin is unfortunately only about 4 hours after which it seemed to vanish on my skin.  I do have rather oily cheeks but I did find the wear time a little disappointing as the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges last all day on me!

Verdict

For cream blush lovers with dry or normal skin, I think this product would work very well on you and have good lasting power.  If you have oily cheeks however, you will probably need to either set this with another pink powder blush or retouch after 4 hours.  A little does go a long way and for a healthy pink flush, this is certainly a great buy which I think would look fantastic on those with fair skintones.

4/5

Price  - £16.50

Where to Buy - Illamasqua, Selfridges, Debenhams, ASOS, Cult Beauty

January Favourites

I seem to have quite a few favourites this month, I guess because some of these were Christmas or Post Christmas purchases and they all still seem very shiny and new!

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash

I haven’t managed to review this yet but I am finding it great for my oily / combination skin as it cleans without stripping away oils and really makes my skin feel very clean.  I’m not sure how good it would be for drier skins though.

Tom Ford Violet Blonde

A Christmas present from my lovely hubby!  This is more of a weekend scent for me, reminding me of holidays and trips away.  I won’t embarrass myself by trying to describe the notes, but needless to say it is gorgeous!

Top Shop Cream Blush in Neon Rose – I reviewed this here as part of my cream blush post and was reminded of it when The Sunday Girl posted about it recently.  I love the way that it is not a traditional cream blush formulation, as it changes from a cream to a powder on the skin and lasts all day.  Only the tiniest amount is needed!

Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Mascara – review here

This is my current favourite mascara (and boy do I have a lot of mascara!).  A great natural look, no flaking or smudging and the most important thing-  no CRISPY LASHES!

Mac Matchmaster in 3.0 - review here I have been wearing this foundation a lot recently and although I did find it a little too dark initially, I have been wearing it with a little of the Nars Orgasm Illuminator to tone it down a little and give a more radiant look.

Kiehl's Eye Alert – review here

I really enjoyed using this eye cream which I bought on a  whim from a blog sale.  I’m almost finished it and currently deciding whether to repurchase at full price or to finish off my Liz Earle eye cream which I wasn’t as enamoured with.

Laura Mercier Lip Gloss in Mauve 

This is my first Laura Mercier gloss and I very much like it.  A great my-lips- but-better shade, it has a gorgeous cocoa butter scent and is a great shade to go with lots of looks.  This was a limited edition product I think with the Space NK gift set, but based on the quality of this gloss, I will be investigating others from her line.

Chanel Illusion d’ Ombre in Emerveille - review here

This has been included in my monthly favourites previously and I am still enjoying the ease at which I can smooth this on with my fingers, add some mascara and I have an easy eye look in less than a minute, with no complex blending of several different shades. 

What were your favourites this month?  See anything above that catches your eye?

My Cream Blush Collection

I have recently become more interested in cream blushes after years of thinking I couldn’t wear them as I have oily / combination skin. Turns out that I can wear them, I just needed to purchase the correct ones and ensure my skin was prepped correctly before applying.

I currently have 5 cream blushes and they cover a wide spectrum of colours and shades, although I am always looking for more!.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges in Tawny, Fresh Melon and Calypso Coral – these blushes are contained within the colour strips palette that I came out last year and although these particular shades are no longer available as they were limited edition, there are many similar colours available on her website. The shades I have here are Tawny, Fresh Melon and Calypso Coral. The coral shade in particular is my favourite.

I love the Pot Rouges as they were the first cream blushes I tried and they showed me that it was possible to wear them. I apply just a tiny dab of these with my fingers and blend them outwards for a healthy flush. They are very pigmented so you only need a tiny amount and therefore they will last ages. They can also be used on the lips but I find them quite drying when used in this way so I prefer to use them only on my cheeks. 

Elizabeth Arden cream blush in Plum – I received this as part of a goody bag at a Britney Spears fragrance launch event some time ago and was really pleased with it, despite it looking quite scarily dark in the pan. I do feel that Elizabeth Arden’s packaging could feel a bit more luxurious for the price though as the product is not cheap and plastic, lightweight packaging is something I would expect from a drugstore brand.

Top Shop cream blush in Neon Rose – When Top Shop’s makeup range was initially launched, this was the blush everyone seemed to be talking about and despite it looking very scary and bright in the pan, it is a lovely wearable coral (can you tell I love coral shades?!). It blends easily to a powder finish and easily lasts as long as my other cream blushes from higher end brands. The finish and consistency of this blush in the pan does seem to be significantly dryer than my other cream blushes but I think that may be due to the fact that it blends to a powder finish unlike the others. I have owned this for over a year though and it has not yet dried out and I am using it on a regular basis. I also have to mention the packaging of this product which is very cute, and the addition of a mirror in the lid is an added bonus.

L to R: Neon Rose, Plum, Tawny, Fresh Melon and Calypso Coral

For me, the key to using cream blushes effectively, without them disappearing within a couple of hours, is to ensure my skin is prepped with primer and that I don’t have too many layers of products underneath the blush. I moisturise first thing in the morning after my shower, then apply my primer and foundation / tinted moisturiser after which my blusher is applied. I take time to do this though and wait for each ‘layer’ to dry fully. I also often use a powder blush in a similar colour to set the cream blush if I want to ensure it stays put all day, otherwise, I need to reapply a little after about 5-6 hours.

What is your favourite cream blush?

Price

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge -£18

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Cream Blush -£22-23

Top Shop Cream Blush -£6

Where to Buy

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge -Bobbi Brown

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Cream Blush -House of Fraser, Debenhams, Boots

Top Shop Cream Blush -Top Shop