Loreal Nude Magique BB cream review

So after seeing this advertised on the telly, (I am a sucker for clever advertisements), I thought I'd give it a go. I'm just about to go on my weeks holiday to Madrid and fancied a new product to try. My skin is, thank god, fairly good at the minute and seen as I've ran out of foundation, I thought a new BB cream might be the best way to treat myself, plus I love wearing light make-up on holiday.

Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream - Bare skin Beautifier in Fair Skin Tone

Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream - Bare skin Beautifier in Fair Skin Tone

Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream - Bare skin Beautifier in Fair Skin Tone

Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream - Bare skin Beautifier in Fair Skin Tone

Firstly, I like the packaging. I normally find Loreal's packaging tacky for even my standards but this isn't bad. Simple, effective, I like it. Secondly, this product makes VERY attractive claims. A product that not only is a "bare skin beautifier" but that also involves "smart pigment capsules". I for one have absolutely no idea what these are, but I like the sound of them. I chose the product for fair skin, knowing that like all high street BB creams it will probably be darker and therefore suitable for my holiday.

Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream - Bare skin Beautifier in Fair Skin Tone

Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream - Bare skin Beautifier in Fair Skin Tone

Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream - Bare skin Beautifier in Fair Skin Tone

Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream - Bare skin Beautifier in Fair Skin Tone

Loreal Nude Magique BB Cream - Bare skin Beautifier in Fair Skin Tone

This BB cream is different from my Garnier and No7. It comes out as a white liquid with small white pigments inside it, and then spreads out to create the skin tone described on the bottle. Yet again, as with all my BB creams, I can get away with this as my skin has a yellow undertone to it. However, it is not exactly what I would describe as "fair".

Overall, I do like this product. The texture is nice on my skin as it is extremely lightweight. It does even skin tone considerably for myself, yet I do need to apply concealer on my red patches and old blemishes. Moreover, it gives my skin a nice glow without being oily. I only needed a small amount to cover my whole face, therefore I think £9.99 is a fair price to pay, as it will definitely last me a long time.

The final product (ignore bags and dodgy eyebrows)

Love, Sally x

Life in Miniature

For my next post I thought I'd share a few things from my toiletry bag that I am taking on my week to Madrid. Because we refused to be ripped off by extortionate baggage prices on our cheap airline, four of us girls are sharing one large case to hold our weeks worth of toiletries. This panicked me. However, today I found myself down the aisle in Boots that contained their travel sized products. They are SO CUTE. So i decided to purchase three of them, and decant my shampoo, conditioner and facial cleanser into travel sized tubes.

Lee Strafford Moroccan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner| Soap and Glory body wash miniature|  Aussie hair care 3 minute miracle miniature|  Soap and Glory body butter miniature|  Soap and Glory Face Soap facial wash

Lee Strafford Moroccan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner

Soap and Glory body wash miniature| Aussie hair care 3 minute miracle miniature| Soap and Glory body butter miniature| 

Soap and Glory Face Soap facial wash

I have recently started using Lee Strafford's Moroccan Oil shampoo and conditioner after reading good reviews about it on the Boots website. I always though it was way too pricey at £10.99 a bottle but it was on three for two, which made it a bit better. However, after using nearly half the bottle on each, I have realised it is so worth the price. Because I have coloured hair, I can get away with very oily products. They made my hair ridiculously soft and looking healthy even a few days after I'd washed it.

I decided to buy a miniature body wash, body butter and three minute miracle. In stead of after sun I often find that body butter is much more effective, but the tubs are just too big to be carting around when I only have limited luggage allowance. I also thought I'd get a three minute miracle because my tubs of hair mask are much too heavy. I used to use this so I know keeps my coloured hair nourished.

I will also be bringing with me Soap and Glory's Face Soap Facial wash as it is my favourite cleanser and does its best to keep my skin clear. Don't be fooled by the title, it is not a soap, and doesn't leave my skin too dry or tight.

Love, Sally x

BB Cream

Due to the fact that the British beauty market has become AWASH with BB creams and cleverly marketed "BB technology" in the past year, I thought it was time for me to review my old favourites. I am referring to these three creams as old, because who knows what they are going to bring out next. Personally, I am finding it extremely hard to keep up with the ever-changing and improving development of this product. However, I am a massive fan of natural looking make-up, forever wishing to be brave enough to leave my house with no make-up entirely. Last year, when I gave my first BB cream a try, I was pleasantly surprised with the compromise which this new product brought to the table. In this post, I will review my three favourite BB creams and share which ones I am eager to try.

No 7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Normal/Oily Skin in Fair | Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector in 0-2 Light | No 7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Dry/ Very Dry Skin in Fair

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector in 0-2 Light

The first BB cream I tried was Garnier's "Miracle Skin Perfector". Due to its clever marketing and its claim to even skin tone in a lightweight formula, I'm sure this was the first BB encounter for many. As well as these claims, Garnier also insists that this is an "all-in-one" BB cream, suggesting that many of the qualities that one searches for in a "perfecting" cream are encapsulated into this one formula.

Personally, I do quite like this product. My skin is average to good, other than the occasional monthly breakout/meltdown, therefore I don't usually have any coverage problems. However, when I am forced to endure my skin's monthly tantrum, I don't think this would be the facial product that I would reach for. It is a LIGHTWEIGHT alternative to foundation, which, most of the time, I do enjoy.

What I do not like about this formula is the texture. My skin is the epitome of combination, spanning from the extremely dry to the extremely oily sides of the spectrum. However, even during my dry spells (ha), this formula is just way too oily. My skin can tolerate this cream in small amounts, but if I was to put anymore than that on, I might as well start using cooking oil as a moisturiser. I presume Garnier have encountered this problem themselves, as they have recently released an oil-free alternative. This is something I am eager to try.

In addition to its oily texture, I do think Garnier's idea of "fair" skin is slightly warped. This is a problem I have found with multiple BB cream's I have tried. I would class my skin as fair, however I do have yellow undertones which makes the colour of this cream acceptable for myself. I would in no way class the hue of this cream as "light". Therefore, I would love to try Maybelline's take on the BB phenomenon, as their product is available in a wider variety of shades.

No 7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Normal/Oily Skin in Fair

No 7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Dry/ Very Dry Skin in Fair

My favourite BB cream of the moment is No 7's Beautiful Skin BB cream in fair. Because of my combination and erratic skin type, I bought one cream for dry/very dry skin and the other for normal/ oily.

This product claims that "one simple step provides a flawless, healthy complexion for a beautifully bare make-up look". This, for my skin, is a fairly accurate claim. I really do like the coverage that this cream provides, however I do use concealer as well as this product. Because No 7 provides three different creams for three different skin types (the third being for normal/ dry skin), the problem of an overly oily or drying texture is eliminated.

However, yet again, the concept of fair is seriously misconstrued. This cream is absolutely perfect for holidays or when my skin is darker, but when I am  my natural FAIR tone, it is a little bit too dark. Applying a smaller amount will fix this problem, but I do think that a reassessment of their formula's tone will improve No 7's product immensely.

If you want to give this cream a go, it's priced at £12.95. I know this is a bit steep for a BB cream, but with the ever present £5 off No 7 vouchers, the price becomes A LOT more reasonable.

Love, Sally x

A little bit of Ibiza fashion

I realise that recently I have completely neglected my little blog, due to the fact that I've been too busy having fun in the Balearic's. My plan was to take daily photos of the outfits which I planned for Ibiza, but the fact that I did not own a camera restricted me somewhat. The breakdown of my friend's camera on our first day succeeded in dashing my hopes entirely. However, I refuse to let this destroy my hopes of an Ibiza fashion post, and so I will share with you the pathetic amount of photos which we took on our phones. Quite the disaster.

This was our first night at Cafe Mambo and Cafe Del Mar. We all decided to wear something nice to watch the sunset go down and have a jug or three of Sangria and Pimms. This was one of the few nights we decided to take more than one photo. I am wearing a white sparkly top from Topshop, a skirt from Urban Outfitters and my favourite black wedges from Office.

This is the one photo we took from our experience at the super club Space. It was an absolutely amazing experience, however I refuse to ever pay 15 euros for a gin and tonic EVER AGAIN. For this night, I decided to wear one of my favourite summer dresses from ASOS.

This was our first night in Ibiza, at a full moon party in the superclub Eden. For this, I decided to wear a white bikini with a blue and purple, mid length cover up I recently bought from Topshop. My sister, sat in the middle of the picture above, is wearing a cover up I bought last year from H + M.

Sorry to disappoint with my rubbish collection of holiday snaps! However, I am going to Madrid in a week so hopefully I can take more pictures of holiday outfits then with my new, working camera.

Love, Sally x