Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot

Described as a super-translucent mattifying powder for all skin tones, One Heck Of A Blot promises to degrease shiny skin with 'world-class shine control and oil absorption'. The powder is fine with a milky colour in the pan and translucent finish that reduces shine without adding coverage to the skin.
I'd read many reviews that said the blotting powder was almost undetectable over foundation, but I've found that it depends on how much you need to apply- for oily skin like mine I find quite a lot needs to be applied when setting makeup to keep it in place so at first it can look a little powdery. However, after the application of a setting spray (or an hours or so later when oil starts to creep through) the powderiness disappears. One Heck Of A Blot really helps to keep my makeup in place and can be re-applied if needed throughout the day without making foundation look cakey or heavy. 
I'm onto my second compact of One Heck Of A Blot and, as well as the application, I really like the compact's typical Soap & Glory vintage style image on the lid which is both whimsical and hard-wearing! The embossed 'powder' design on the actual product is a nice touch (even if it doesn't last very long!) and a very good sized mirror helps with touch-ups. 

I apply the blotting powder with a small brush like the Real Techniques Setting Brush under my eyes and around my nose, but I've found applying to the rest of my face with dense brush like the Eco Tools Retractable Kabuki Brush patted onto my skin actually helps make the product look less powdery than a fluffy brush. Once you've used this powder for setting, your makeup really is set in place so you need to be sure that your base is perfect and doesn't need any liquid or cream products added!

I would really recommend this powder for both setting makeup and controlling oil throughout the day. If you have normal or combination skin then I'd imagine a light dusting would be all you need to keep any oil at bay. Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot is available for £12 from Boots.

Buy & Sell Discounted Vouchers With Zeek

I think it happens to many of us when we get given money for birthdays, special occasions or even a bonus at work that we say we'll hang onto it and save it for something special that we really want, but we actually end up spending it on transport, bills or even the boring weekly shop.

Having a brand- or shop-specific voucher can really help when it comes to making sure that we don't spend all our money on necessary but boring things and that we keep a little left over for ourselves. For that reason I think vouchers make better gifts than money in a lot of cases, and my sister has started asking only for vouchers at Christmas and her birthday because she knows she'll spend actual pounds on the boring stuff!

I was recently contacted by Zeek and asked if I'd like to try out their app which enables people to sell their unwanted vouchers so they can earn a bit of money and someone can buy a voucher with a bit of a discount.

Zeek is free for both iOS and Android and has a super simple interface- forget eBay or any other marketplace app you use, it would be easy even for a complete technophobe to understand how to use it. There's a large range of discounted vouchers on offer from Ticketmaster to Amazon and lots for fashion lovers like River Island, New Look and Urban Outfitters, as well as for beauty lovers like John Lewis and Boots. 

Zeek generously offered me a £50 discount code so I could properly try the app out and I went for an Amazon voucher as I thought it would offer quite a lot in the way of options when it came to spending the voucher. My voucher had a discount of 6%, but I have seen discounts of up to 27% which means you could end up with a real bargain!
All the vouchers have been verified as real by Zeek and you can pay by credit/debit card or PayPal once you've chosen one you'd like to purchase. The Amazon voucher I chose was an electronic voucher, so after checkout (which look literally less than a couple of minutes) the details appeared in my account almost immediately and I could start shopping right then!

I haven't had experience of using Zeek to sell a voucher but if it's anything as easy as buying then I'll definitely be putting a few unwanted gifts up for sale soon. Zeek charges £3 to the seller regardless of the voucher amount and buyers don't have pay to processing fees, even for postage.

If you'd like to check Zeek out you can download the app for iOS here and for Android here, plus if you use the code 2WFFFH Zeek will kindly add £5 to your account to spend on your first voucher purchase! I'll also receive £5 to my account too (think of that as a little gift from you to my sister!).


How do you feel about shop-specific vouchers, are you happy to receive them or would you rather just have the cash?

Foundation Always Too Pink? Make Up For Ever Yellow Chromatic Mix Review

When I first started buying foundation everything seemed too dark and orange, but as the years have gone on it now seems that all the shades that are light enough for my skintone always pull too ashy and pink on me. No matter what the shade name- sand beige, buff, naked, ivory or vanilla, when dry these foundations just don't look quite right against my neck but the darker more yellow colours are just too dark.

My skin is naturally yellow toned but self tans (which I wouldn't be without) seem to make my undertone a lot stronger. Don't get me wrong, I don't walk about with the body of a Simpson, so it's annoying that brands think that when you're pale (even with self tan) your skin must be pink or beige coloured.

Make Up Forever Chromatic Mix in Yellow is a liquid pigment that aims to change the tone of makeup, allowing you to mix up your perfect shade with perfect undertone. The Yellow colour isn't a bright banana or Simpson colour but more a mustard yellow with a very slight green tinge that matches self tan well.

The pigment is in a small dropper bottle and is very liquid so I need just under one drop to mix in with my foundation for a full face. I find it makes my foundation a little looser and easier to blend, but it also dries a little bit quicker and smells a little strange once the product is mixed in. I've found it really helpful to counteract the ashy tones that beige and pink foundations can bring to my skin without darkening the foundation too much, and the colour blends easily into my neck to create a more seamless finish. The small bottle contains 13ml and although this doesn't sound like a lot, you need such a small amount that it will last for months.

I bought the water based pigment as my current favourite foundation Revlon Colorstay for Normal Skin is water based, but MUFE also do an oil based version for oil and silicone based foundations. I will probably purchase that too as the majority of foundations are oil based, especially from more affordable high street brands which seem to pull the pinkest on me in the lighter shades.

In addition to yellow, the Chromatic Mix liquids are also available in white, brown, black, red and blue which perform different functions from making make up lighter (white), darker (black) to removing luminosity (brown). I've heard the red and blue colours are very good for mixing the perfect foundation shade for dark skin tones, and I think a tiny drop of the black or brown colours would be helpful for anyone who tans well in the summer but hates having to buy a whole new set of foundations.

Make Up For Ever Chromatic Mix liquid pigments are available in the UK for £12.95 here.

#WrapMe Photo Wrapping Paper

I came home a little while ago to find an unexpected parcel waiting for me and I never would have guessed what was inside! After tearing through the outer wrapping I saw my cats' faces staring back at me straight from the wrapping paper of a little gift!

The gift inside was absolutely perfect for me. If you know me in person (or follow me on Twitter) you'll have already got the sense that I'm a bit of a crazy cat lady, so I'm not going to pretend that I won't be flicking through Homemade Treats For Your Furry Friends any time I get the urge to cook and whip up a treat for my fur babies.

The real treat though was the photo wrapping paper. I'd seen personalised wrapping paper, phone cases etc before and to be honest thought they were a bit gimmicky but when I saw the pictures of my kitty cats on this paper from Wrap.Me I was genuinely excited and thrilled that someone had gone to the trouble of choosing the photos. For that reason I think it's a brilliant way to dress up a gift, especially if you'll be sending it through the post (although I'd love to see a friend's face as they pulled the present from a gift bag!).

The paper is matte which gives it an expensive look and it has the Wrap.Me logo on the back which actually looks very useful to use as a guide for cutting straight lines. On the Wrap.Me website you can upload up to 30 photos to use on your paper, either from Instagram, Facebook or your desktop, and you can also choose different border styles. The paper costs from £4.99 for a single sheet up to £14.99 for a large roll and Wrap.Me offer free delivery in the UK.

If a friend has a birthday coming up I would definitely recommend taking a look at the Wrap.Me website and maybe making your own wrapping paper creation for their gift. I'll definitely be hanging onto the paper that I received as it reminds me of the cute times I've shared with my cats (however soppy that sounds!). So some fun or meaningful photos of memories you've shared with a friend would go a long way to making their gift even more special.

What do you think of the idea of personalised photo wrapping paper?

Curlers for Long & Shorter Hair- Babyliss Curl Secret and Nicky Clarke Diamond Shine Wand

I've learned the hard way that not all curlers suit all lengths of hair; some will easily create a smooth flowing spiral on long hair, while others will (quite literally) chew it up and spit it out!

Because electricals tend to be on the pricier side of beauty products, I want to make sure that the tools I'm using are right for my hair, especially when it can bounce between lengths and textures. The two curlers I've chosen for todays post are the Babyliss Curl Secret for shorter hair and the Nicky Clarke Diamond Shine Pro Salon Styling Wand for long hair.

Babyliss Curl Secret (£119.99)

We'd all seen the videos of women effortlessly creating perfect curls with the Babyliss Curl Secret, so I was super excited when I received this glittery purple gadget as a present a year or so ago and I thought I'd be using it pretty much every day. The problem is that the tool isn't meant to be used on hair that goes down past the bust and (disregarding the fact that everyone has a different length torso and boob height so the thought of a 'universal bust' is impossible, and weird) my hair did. 

I really wouldn't recommend the Curl Secret for long hair- this tool works by automatically rolling a section of hair round a barrel in the 'ceramic curl chamber' when its clamped against the hair, and I suppose the barrel is just too small to cope.

I found the tool was constantly beeping at me to let me know the hair hadn't been wrapped properly and I needed to re-clamp, or it was getting stuck in my hair and pulling it out when I went to release the curl. A couple of times it got so stuck that I had to unplug it out of fear of burning my hair off as I tugged hard to release my locks from the thing. The sections of long hair needed to ensure the curler works properly are so small that it makes it more time consuming and prohibitive than using a normal curling tong or straightener (especially as it's quite heavy to hold in the air for a long time), which in my eyes defeats the point.

However, after I had an extra big trim not too long ago, the Curl Secret worked much more as it should and does prove to be a useful tool that makes life much easier. I need to have a mirror handy to make sure the hair sections are tangle free and inserted correctly, but with the heat on high and the time option set to the middle of three, I get bouncy and long lasting alternating curls that can be separated with my fingers or brushed out to a lovely wave. 

I love curly hair but the constant wrapping and waiting can be difficult to master with some wands, so a curler that produces consistent results with less effort is exactly what I needed, even if I can't use it when my hair is at its longest. 
Its a bit of an investment, even though you do get a free heat mat and dust cover, but if you have short to mid length hair then the Babyliss Curl Secret is a tool you'll definitely reach for in order to make curling an easier task. 

Nicky Clarke Diamond Shine Pro Salon Styling Wand* (£34.99)

I'm always up for trying out new hair tools but it was the inclusion of real diamonds in this wand that intrigued me the most. The Diamond Shine Pro Salon wand has a diamond infused ceramic coated barrel that uses tourmaline technology to help transfer heat evenly, avoid damage and moisture loss, and leave a smooth shiny look to the hair.

While this wand would also work well on short hair, the 25mm barrel is exactly the right size for my hair now that it has grown out. Smaller sections produce tighter curls but the barrel can quickly heat through larger thicker sections of hair and its easy to get the hair flat against the barrel and avoid twists that produce an uneven curl.

The Diamond Shine wand reaches a maximum of 210⁰c and I use the middle of the five heat settings at around 170⁰c. With my hair held for 15 seconds against the barrel and a few seconds resting in a gloved hand, I get a really nice curl that doesn't drop too much. I'm not convinced that there's all that much diamond in this curler, but it's doing something right as it produces curls which are much more even and uniform than some I've tried. I get trouble with visible split ends and increased dryness with some tools, but thankfully with the Diamond Shine the ends of my newly bleached hair look smooth rather than frazzled.

For longer hair, the Nicky Clarke Diamond Shine Styling Wand is a hit- the high heat transfer of the barrel but lack of damage makes it a really useful tool and, if like me you're not a pro with hair styling, it will definitely speed up your curling routine! 

Which tools do you find work best for your hair length?

Faith in Nature Pomegranate & Rooibos Shampoo and Conditioner

When I was asked recently if I wanted to try out a shampoo from Faith in Nature I jumped at the chance- I'm very cautious of highstreet shampoos because of allergies, but I can't tell you how bored I'd become of baby shampoo! It does the job, smells nice and is easily available, but after about a year of use it has become seriously dull!

I chose the Pomegranate & Rooibos Shampoo (£5.50 for 400ml), and Faith in Nature were also kind enough to send me the matching conditioner. These products are vegan and cruelty free, don't contain artificial colours, fragrances, parabens or SLES, and in each of the list of ingredients there are only two (Sodium benzoate and Potassium sorbate) that aren't either vegetable derived, organic or from essential oils.

I find the scents quite unusual- quite herbal and earthy but they seem to change each time I open the bottle. Sometimes I can smell orange peel, sometimes cut grass and even a few times I've smelled Christmas trees as I massaged the shampoo into my hair. I can't remember the last time I actually ate a pomegranate, but that's definitely in there too! 

I like the smell a lot but if I'd sniffed them in a shop I might have gone for something just a little more sweet and fruity, even though it doesn't really last on the hair.

The shampoo lathers up well which I really like in a hair product, and it makes my hair feel super clean and light after use. I chose one of the range that was 'for all hair types', but other Faith in Nature shampoo scents like Rosemary are designed for normal to dry hair. 

Over the past few months I've cut down hair washing from 7 days a week to 4 or 5 days a week (a big deal for me and it took a while!) but the cleaning and de-greasing power of the Pomegranate and Rooibos means that 2 day hair is easy and even 3 day hair is possible for my oily noggin. It also detangles really well which makes life easier as my hair is so prone to knotting.

The Pomegranate & Rooibos Conditioner (£5.50 for 400ml) is light in texture and coats the ends of my hair easily. It also helps to detangle not just while in use but also afterwards so I can get a brush through my hair even after it's been dried. I've been using this a few times a week for about 3 weeks and although it hasn't made a difference in the way my hair feels, it does look shiny all down the lengths and ends. 

Faith in Nature also make a wide range of other scents of shampoo and conditioner such as Chocolate, Hemp & Meadowfoam, Pineapple & Lime and Seaweed & Citrus, which all sound delicious, as well as skin care, baby products and soaps. 

You don't have to be into natural or organic products to give this shampoo and conditioner a go, but the Pomegranate & Rooibos would be great choice if you have oily and easily tangled hair like mine.

Disappointing Products

Generally if I don't like a product I can make it work for me by using it in another way, but occasionally I buy or receive something that really doesn't live up to my expectations or to its claims. I've been compiling this list for a little while which is why a few of the products have gone to different homes already, but each of the products below just really haven't been my cup of tea. [Apologies again for the slightly below par photos- I'm in between selling my old camera and buying a new one, so I'm still using my phone for a bit]

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (£4.99)

I was really excited to see this Micellar Water on offer at Superdrug, as I thought it was the highstreet cleansing water everyone was talking about. But as I quickly found out, the one with the good reviews is actually the Loreal version! 

This Garnier version is not for me at all- it does a pretty bad job of removing foundation and concealer, leaving me either tugging at my skin or using about 5 cotton pads and even then I can't remove everything. For eye shadow it's not bad but it's useless for waterproof mascara (I never wear non waterproof) and it's like trying to rub it off using actual water. I've lost countless eyelashes (and my patience) trying to get everything off my face using this, but as it's a huge bottle I just want to finish it, so I've been using it liberally on my face and I'm back to Simple wipes just for eyes. I can't comment on how it performs with normal mascara, but if you use a long wearing foundation and waterproof eye makeup I would stay away.

Dove Refresh+Care Dry Shampoo (£4.59)

This is OK as a volumising product but it's not my first choice for dirty or greasy hair. It's quite wet when first sprayed out of the can and when I rub it in it feels a bit sticky. This dry shampoo doesn't have that very powdery grey look that others do, and it gives my hair some shine without really weighing it down, but the shine of greasy hair is usually what I want to remove when using a dry shampoo! 

I've been using it on clean hair to get a bit of volume without the matte look, but for dirty hair its a thumbs down from me.

Lumie Bodyclock Starter 30 (£59.95) (not pictured as I sold it on, £60 ain't cheap for an alarm clock you don't like!)

I bought this in the winter as I've noticed over the past few years I tend to feel particularly down from about October until the weather starts warming up again. Add to that dark mornings and an inability to get out of the bed at the best of times and you've got trouble on your hands! This clock houses a daylight SAD bulb and has a sunset and sunlight alarm which is designed to wake you up by mimicking natural light and make you a bit more cheery.

I found the clock quite difficult to set, the buttons are very loud and the actual face that shows the time kept me awake it was so bright (thankfully that was dimmable). You can use the light as a 'normal' daylight lamp during the day and it does give off a nice bright glow, but the light slowly fades and then suddenly turns itself off every 30 minutes or so. The biggest problem for me was that it made no difference to the time or mood in which I got out of bed. Sometimes it was pretty annoying to be woken up with a bright light, other times I slept through it completely!

I read a lot of good reviews before buying, but if I was to buy another product this autumn/winter it would be a simple light box as I think that would be easier, more useful and probably cheaper too.

Avon Colortrend Chopsticks Eyeliner in Night Star (£3.50)

Can we take a second to talk about the name of this eyeliner- chopsticks? What have they got to do with my eyes? Anyway, I thought this would be similar to a dark grey kajal eyeliner, but the pigmentation is quite poor and its difficult to get a precise looking line with the chunky tip. I use this if I'm in a mega hurry- I apply it messily then rub it in to give a little bit of definition, but I was hoping for something much darker and less glossy.

Vita Liberata PHenominal 2 Week Tan* (£37.50)

I have to admit I have only used this once as I was so disappointed with the results I didn't want to try again. This tan is designed to last up to two weeks- you apply two coats with a shower in between and watch in amazement as your tan fades evenly over the next 14 days. 

Well, the first coat went fine, the second coat was also fine after showering until I woke up the next day with marks everywhere! I had rings round my ankles where my socks had been, white streaks down my arms and an actual white hand print on my leg where someone had squeezed my knee! I was pretty unimpressed and I scrubbed it off that evening, so it's been sitting in my cupboard ever since. 

If you've tried this and had good results then let me know because I've heard good reviews and I don't know what I could have done wrong!

Barry M Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in No.4 White (£5.49)

I've been looking around for a light colour that will stay in my waterline but that isn't shimmery, and when I came across the affordable Barry M waterproof white eyeliner I thought it would be perfect. I like the design of the bottle- there's a brush in the lid which you upturn and clip in to give a long brush handle, and the pot of liner unscrews from the bottom. 

The product, however, is very dry and appears quite lumpy, almost moussey. That makes it very difficult to get a nice smooth line, and the lumps are very apparent in the waterline unless you apply it very thickly which obviously doesn't look right as its an unnatural bright white. It does seem last to last reasonably well in the eye but that's only when you've spent ages applying, wiping off and reapplying in order to get something that looks kind of ok. This product definitely need to be creamier as even on the back of my hand it looks like I've drawn a line in waxy art pastel.

W7 Style Eyes Brow and Lash Shaping Gel* (£1.99) (not pictured, in bin)

This is a decent sized tube of clear mascara, but unfortunately it's a very wet product and doesn't have much hold. I have quite unruly brows and this made them feel a bit sticky until it dried but didn't do a good job of holding them in place. W7 have some great products that I've written about in the past, but unfortunately this isn't one of them.

Cocoa Brown Day and Night Tan (£7.99)

As I've said in previous posts I love the 1 Hour Tan and I love the dark version even more, but this product didn't live up to my expectations. It's designed as a tan that you can wear on a night out, then wash off in the morning leaving more of a 'day time' colour. 

I found the guide colour (the 'night' colour) really dark, much darker than I would wear outside as I'd be worried about accidental runs or smears, and I didn't think it was a very natural shade on me. On washing off, I thought I'd be left with a colour similar to the 1 Hour Tan, but the shade was so light in comparison to the guide colour that it looked like it hadn't done anything at all. 

The formula is very nice- silky, moisturising and non streaky, and I'm sure it works well for people who like wash off tan, but I was expecting to get a darker end colour after spending the time on a full body application.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream* (full size £20)

This might be great for people with ageing undereyes or wrinkles, but for me it makes the skin around my eyes feel uncomfortably tight. Whether I use it during the day or at night, I'm not keen on the taught feeling it gives and I feel like I want to plump and soften my eye area, not try to shrink it.

Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in Fair (£7.99)

Finally, this setting/face powder from Revlon- after swatching the three available shades in my local Boots I settled on Fair which, after double checking swatches online, I believe is the lightest shade. As I wear fake tan I'm not super pale, but I've found this powder so dark that after using it all over one day, I came home and was horrified to see how orange my face looked! The Fair shade is darker than my other setting powders in the pan so I don't know if it's that along with an oxidisation problem, but I'm really not sure how they can call this the lightest shade.

I bought this after seeing Mikhila from Miss Budget Beauty talk about it, and she also frequently mentions that she's quite pale, so maybe they have reformulated or mine just has the wrong label? If you also have this powder please let me know as it's such a nice formula but mine is orange!

What disappointing products have you tried recently?

Review: Old Wives Tail Melado Organic Hair Growth Oil Treatment

Because I don't use 'normal' conditioners, I'm always looking for new natural products to try out to keep my hair looking healthy and stop it becoming too dry or damaged. So, when I was asked if I wanted to try an organic oil treatment from Old Wives Tail, I couldn't refuse!

Old Wives Tail gets its name from a Portuguese grandmother who had a secret recipe for a treatment that would leave hair soft and silky, which she passed down to her granddaughter who now shares the secret (or at least the products made from the secret) with the rest of us. The grandmother is the old wife, and the tail is the long silky hair, a pretty nifty idea for a name I think!

I was sent the Melado Organic Hair Oil treatment to review, which sells for £13.99 for a 100ml pot. The treatment is handmade from a blend of four oils, including Argan and Almond which are a couple of the most well known for hair and body treatments. 

On first opening the pot to have a sniff, I was amazed at how the product smells- it has a very strong scent of lavender, but not that fake lavender that tries feebly to make your clothes drawer smell nice or send you off to sleep, a real woody lavender that smells exactly the bushes I used to have in my garden. The treatment also contains Olive oil but is much less thick than you'd expect, and it has a lovely bright amber colour.

On the first try I wasn't quite sure how much of the oil to use on my hair, as the directions just state to massage into damp hair weekly. I've found dipping my finger into the pot and rubbing into my palm about 5 times gives me an amount that will coat my hair and make it feel that it has treatment in it without turning it into a dangerously dripping oil slick. 

The oil is said to penetrate the hair roots and strengthen the follicle to encourage hair growth when massaged into the scalp. I must admit that I've only tried this once as I don't have much trouble growing my hair and its always been incurably greasy, but on the time I did try my hair was super-shiny afterwards.

So on to the results- has this treatment actually done anything for the long lengths and ends of my hair that I sometimes describe as pretty straw-like? Well, in short, yes! As a weekly product I was expecting the oil to take a while to work, but I saw results from the first use and I was pretty impressed. 

After applying the oil from my ears down, wrapping my hair in cling film and clipping it to my head for an hour, I was really surprised to find just how soft and shiny it was after washing. Occasionally it needs more than one shampooing to remove the product completely, but usually it takes a couple of weeks of using something daily for it to have much of an effect on my hair so I was pretty thrilled to see my hair shining from root to tip!

I've been using the Melado Oil weekly for about 2 months and it barely looks like I've used anything from the pot, so I reckon this will last for ages. As I've said I can't vouch for its hair growing abilities, but the amazing scent and the way it will make your hair look and feel means it's definitely worth a purchase.

Is it time to ditch your daily chemical filled conditioner and turn to a weekly organic treatment? In the case of Old Wives Tail Melado Hair Growth Oil, definitely!

Traditional Beauty Products from Salèya- Rhassoul Clay Powder and Powder Kohl Eyeliner

If you like things a little bit different when it comes to beauty products, then Salèya might be a good place for you to check out- inspired by her North African routes, Salèya creates traditional and 100% natural products of spa quality for both salons and consumers. The products are based on 'rituals of the hammam' and many have been in practise for hundreds of years, with twists on product ideas that are familiar to us, and concepts that might be new to us such as this Shaving Styptic. The ingredients are sourced from North African countries and produced in France, but are dispatched from the UK with reasonable charges and next day delivery available.
I was sent four products to test out, and I've divided them into two posts; there's overlap in some of these traditional products as many can be used on the face, body and hair too, but the Rhassoul Clay and Powder Kohl Eyeliner are the two that I've mainly been using on my face (as you might expect from an eyeliner!).

I'm a big fan of clay masks and the Organic Rhassoul Clay Powder (£8.99) really intrigued me, and with good reason- this clay can be used on the face, body, hair, and alsoeven as a mild body deodorant. For the face, the scentless 100% natural mineral clay powder is mixed with water for oily skin, or water and Argan Oil for dry skin, and used as either a wash or left to set as a mask. One of the reasons I really like this product is that because the mask created is thin in texture it dries so quickly, and you don't have to wait around for ages for it to set on the face. I find if I use this product for a few minutes in the evening then any threatening blemishes are brought to the surface by the next morning, which is great for someone with skin as blemish-prone as mine. As it imparts minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium as well as removing oil and impurities, the clay leaves skin really soft and smooth, and I haven't had any problems with it drying it out my skin no matter how long I've left it on for. I've also been dusting the clay dry on my skin to absorb excess oil on no makeup days as it can tend to get too shiny if I don't give it any attention and used in this way it feels silky and not at all gritty.

Used in the hair, the clay adds volume and texture, and on the body it cleanses oils and smooths the skin which I find especially useful for my neck and shoulders. I've also tried adding the clay to cream and liquid facial cleansers if I feel they need a bit of oomph which definitely makes them more effective and adds a little bit of an exfoliating texture. My only gripe about this product is about the packaging, and it isn't really much of a problem, but because the label on the pot lid is paper rather than plastic the ink started to run once it had one drop of water on it. This obviously doesn't affect the product inside, but it's the reason I haven't shown the product labelling in the photos above. 

I've been using this pot a few times a week for the last couple of months and I haven't even used a quarter of it so at £8.99 for 100g this will make a really long lasting product. It's really a must have for oily skin.

The Traditional Kohl Eyeliner (£15) is one of the most interesting beauty products I've ever seen and it isn't easy to tell what it is until you take off the top of the hand carved wooden bottle. Traditional Kohl has been used in the Middle East and North Africa for hundreds of years and is made from ground natural minerals, which give it a shiny glint in the bottle but make it matte black on the eyes. I've never seen eyeliner applied with a stick before, but it's surprisingly easy- the stick is soaked in olive oil overnight before the first use and is then dipped into the powder before being run sideways on the inner rims of the eyes. This doesn't hurt at all (like I worried it might) and I find it much quicker than a pencil trying to get in there at the lashline. Despite the excess initially collecting in the inner corners, once this is wiped away the kohl lasts hours on the waterline and tightline.
When used outside the eyes you'll need a soft brush on hand to wipe away the fall out as it's a loose powder, but it lasts even longer on the skin (you can view a really helpful video tutorial by Salèya herself showing these methods here). This makes such a brilliant addition to any makeup collection (especially if you find lining inside the eye difficult) and would also make a really amazingly unusual gift for any beauty lover friends!

I would really recommend having a look not just at the above products but also at the Salèya range as a whole as there's such a interesting collection of traditional products, and they would make the best gifts (don't forget Mother's Day is coming up!).

In my next post I'll be talking about the two products I've been using on my body and hair, including organic Black Olive Soap!

W7 Matte Lipsticks- Magic Matte Cheeky and Go West Perfect Pink & Powder Pink

 

For some reason in the winter more than the summer I have trouble keeping lipstick on. I'm a chronic lip chewer/licker so it might be that when they're more chapped I subconsciously think they need more biting, and my lipstick doesn't stand a chance.
Matte formulas are always more long-wearing on me than high gloss, and I prefer them over satin which can have a strange neither here nor there formula that can't decide what it wants to be. I picked up the W7 Go West Matte Lipstick in Perfect Pink (£2.50) and the Magic Matte Lipstick in Cheeky (£2.99) on a bit of a whim, and as lip swatches were few and far between I took a bit of a gamble on the colours.

The first thing to note about the Go West Perfect Pink lipstick is that it isn't really matte, despite being described as matte by the brand. You can see the sheen on the bullet in the photos compared to the texture of the darker lipstick and its something I wasn't expecting. I do, however really like the texture, it melts onto the lips and glides across them like a lipbalm while still having pretty good staining power. It's very much what I wanted the MUA number 7 Lipstick to be. When it has dried down a bit and been blotted, then it appears matte and I've shown Perfect Pink blotted on my lips in the top left swatch above. I think it takes better to blotting than some other lipsticks as it looses sheen but not much colour so you don't need to blot and keep reapplying. I'm a big fan of the colour, a bright bluey pink is just what I like, and even though the formula wasn't what I was expecting from a matte I've been pleasantly surprised by how moisturising this product is. You can see in the photos above it looks reasonably smooth even though my lips were quite horribly chapped when I took that photo, and it doesn't accentuate the flaky bits too much. This product has an RRP of £5.99 but it's discounted at a lot of places online and I bought mine for £2.50 from Xtras which I think is a pretty good deal! I'm not sure about the name though, Go West makes me think of the Wild West and cowboys, but I'm pretty sure I've never seen John Wayne in a nice bright pink.
I was recently sent the W7 Go West Lipstick in Powder Pink* (top right swatch above) which arrived while I was drafting this post and I thought I'd slip it in, which is why I have a swatch photo but no photo of the product in the tube. I have only worn this shade a few times so far but I really like the colour; it's very bright and also brightening to my complexion, it verges from a pink into a coral colour, and under artificial light it can glow almost neon. Unfortunately this colour isn't as forgiving on dry lips as Perfect Pink, it still glides across easily but has slightly less of a sheen when un-blotted and can clump around dry areas to look a bit chunky. The colour does, however, look lovely on smooth lips, or under a gloss like the the W7 Super Pout in Mady (I'm loving the Super Pouts and I'll write about them in another post). Wearing a gloss over the top slightly defeats the point of buying a matte lipstick, but you really can't sniff at £2.50 for such a gorgeous colour!

The colour of the W7 Magic Matte lipstick was the biggest gamble, and Cheeky turned out a bit darker and redder than I was expecting, but it's that deep berry that gets well-loved in the winter time. The formula of this lipstick is so much better than much more expensive matte formulas that I've tried, and it's hard to believe you can buy this for just £2.99. It glides over the lips with practically no tugging, and it has a beautiful velvet finish that makes it look almost strokable, although it does give a bit of a sheen in strong light. When just applied it smooths over dry areas, but when blotted it does make dry lips look a bit parched and crinkly as it turns into a super matte stain-like texture. (Bottom left swatch above- applied straight from tube, bottom right swatch- blotted). On normal lips it's a beauty, and I still can't believe the price. A lipliner or cotton bud swept around the lips is needed to achieve a really crisp line, but touch ups are easy peasy and it isn't all that drying when worn for a few hours. This really stains the lips which I like as it ensures the colour lasts for hours even when the product has worn off. Be careful when swatching this on your hand though, you'll need a good scrub or oil cleanser product to remove it!

I would really recommend trying the W7 Matte lipsticks if you're looking for a new budget matte, or if you want to test out a new range as an alternative to a pricier product. The Go West lipsticks are definitely worth a go as well as the colours are gorgeous even if they're not quite matte.

I've got a bit of a collection of W7 products to review, both that I've bought and have had sent to me, so keep your eyes peeled for posts coming up soon. Check out my review of the Africa and Candyfloss boxed powders to keep you going until then!

Avojo Black Peel Off Mask

I'm a big fan of peel off masks- while they often don't do as much as those that sink into the skin, they do have their uses for skin texture and oil control, and they are so satisfying to peel off! The masks that I usually use are green, so I was really intrigued by these Avojo Black Peel Off Masks* which come in 10ml sachets and are £3 each or £10 for 5.
Avojo is a new Danish brand, the masks have been sold since November in Denmark on madeformen.dk and have only just launched in the UK. These facemasks are designed to remove blackheads, dirt and oil from the T Zone, while leaving skin soft and revived. While these are interesting for being black, the most interesting of the ingredients list are Kaolin and Allantoin, which absorb excess oils and promote smoothness of the skin.

The mask is applied in a thick layer to the T Zone and left for 25-30 minutes, before peeling off and rinsing the skin. On application mask is thick and reminds me of very dark marmite, and it is possible to apply it too thickly and risk runs and drips. It has quite a strong scent, a nondescript skincare smell, and my eyes watered a little as I applied it to my cheeks, but that may have also been from the alcohol content of the mask. 10ml really is plenty for the T Zone- I've applied one sachet to my whole face and still had some left over so I think I would have preferred to see this product in a tube so that there isn't as much wastage. 

After drying it has a smooth rubbery texture and, while it does peel off, it does so in small pieces so it takes quite a while to pick everything from the face, and you need a mirror to make sure that you've taken all the pieces off. I would say this is much more a liquid extraction strip than a peel off mask- it removes debris and blackheads from the skin (especially well on the nose) but it does hurt. It isn't unbearable, but its a pain similar to fabric pore strips when they've dried and the removal made my eyes water a bit more than application, so I don't think these would be suitable for dry or sensitive skin. Spreading the mask thinly on the skin makes it easier to peel off in larger pieces and also creates less pain, but the results aren't’t as good as thick layer.

All told, the masks do give results- while they didn't remove all my blackheads (I suffer from them frequently as my T Zone is so oily), what they did remove was visible on the peeled pieces and it was a lot more than I was expecting. My skin also felt and looked smoother once the redness from the peeling had subsided. If you suffer from occasional blackheads then this may be all you need to keep them at bay!

If you have oily skin and are looking for something new to give your skin a deep clean to remove blackheads and dirt then I would recommend giving the Avojo Black Peel Off Masks a try, as long as you’re not averse to a little pain!

Holy Grail: Witch Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer

With a nose that's the oiliest thing south of the North Sea Floor, it isn't difficult to understand why I need a primer to keep my foundation in place. I've tried all sorts from budget and expensive brands, and while some offered specific benefits such as filling in pores or making my skin look more radiant, none of them have been able to combat oil and increase the wear time of my foundation. After a few hours, my makeup starts to separate, look cakey and patchy, and even bases created for oily skin only give me an extra hour or two of wear.

It was on a bit of a whim that I decided to try the Witch Skin Clearing Primer, which contains antibacterial Witch Hazel and promises to hydrate while drawing away excess oils. The 30ml primer is contained in an airless pump bottle and applies to the skin like a thick white moisturiser. It feels hydrating but doesn't give any shine, nor does it have that powdery slip that silicone primers have. I apply half a pump to my face, concentrating on the T Zone and using extra on my nose and centre of my cheeks where I have the most trouble with oil. This primer creates a very cooling feeling while it dries, which is strange but I imagine would be a great feeling for the summer months.

After trying so many primers, I have no doubt that I've now found my holy grail- my foundation stays well in place for 8 hours, and even after 12 hours I'm still looking presentable. I need to blot or re-powder in the afternoons, but my skin just looks dewy and shiny rather than a patchy mess of oil and pores, which to me sometimes seems like a miracle. Even though I have oily skin, primers can often dry other parts of my skin out, but I've had no such problems with the Witch primer, which I'm also very pleased about. The only way in which the product is slightly let down is that it doesn't mask large pores all that well but, in light of how well it works to enhance the longevity of my make up, I'm not really all that bothered. 
The Witch Skin Clearing Primer claims that it prevents blemishes by protecting skin from make up and I haven't seen a huge difference in the amount of new blemishes, but have noticed that my skin is slightly less congested after lots of long days wearing foundation. As long as my primer doesn't actually cause blemishes like silicones ones do for me, then it's not a huge loss for me that it doesn't prevent them from other causes.

The Skin Clearing Primer is £6.99, which is a steal compared to others and I'd be happy to pay twice that for a product that works so well for me. As long as I powder after foundation application, this primer keeps my make up on for hours.