LIPSTICK // URBAN DECAY 1993 COMFORT MATTE LIPSTICK

2

COLOURPOP // ULTRA MATTE LIPS SWATCHES AND REVIEW

4

Urban Villa Sleepover

10

Introduction To Beauty Crowd

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DOS Fit Files: Exante Diet

Part of my DOS Fit Files will detail different eating plans as well as the exercise and organisation that goes with it.
I really want to show you guys that there are different methods for everyone when it comes to weight loss or just getting healthier.

One the weight loss methods that helped me out dramatically in the past was a VLCD.

Now for those of you who aren't familiar with those 4 letters, they stand for Very Low Calorie Diet.

VLCD's have their stick and for the most part many people view them as controversial due to the restricted amount of calories you take in (around 600-700 a day) however correctly followed, VLCD's are actually not as bad as one may think and a lot of them actually require sign off from your GP before you can start.

I decided that I wanted to let you guys who are may be curious about VLCD's look into what they consist of and how they work, so when I saw that Exante were looking for bloggers, I contacted them and they kindly sent me over a weeks supply (21 packs) of Exante products as well as an Exante shaker to review.

What They Say

"Exante offers a range of meal replacement based diet programmes which utilise a mixture of soups, shakes, bars, porridge and ready meals to provide 100% of your Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins and minerals.

The diet creates a daily calorie deficit, which after 3-4 days puts the dieter in a metabolic state called Ketosis where the body uses fat stores to produce energy. When fat is burned rapidly a by-product called ketones is produced and the person is said to be in ketosis."

Ketosis is what makes the weight loss so rapid in comparison to other diets/eating plans.

My Experience

Being familiar with VLCD's I jumped right in the next Monday!

I decided to follow the Total Solution plan having 3 Exante products a day.

I immediately went for the shakes, I'm all about the sweet things in life, so the shakes were ideal for me and they came in the most delicious of flavours including: Toffee Caramel, Mint Choc and Vanilla. Loved everything about the shakes, they were filling and very delicious, perfect for me!

Mixing was super easy and very fast, I just followed the directions on the packet adding water to my shaker and then pouring in the shake powder. I have learnt that sweetener tablets are acceptable and will not slow down weight loss with VLCD's so I added a few in as I find the shakes aren't that palatable (in my opinion) without the sweetener, I then gave it a good ol' shake and drank!

The soups were a bit of a miss for me as I'm not a savoury kinda girl, I found I didn't finish them all but they were flavourful, sometimes a lil powdery for my liking, the mushroom wasn't my fav, the vegetable was...ok. 

The bars - I was given two Red Berry bars which were really nice!
Normally bars for VLCD's are an acquired taste, I can imagine this not sitting well with everyone at first but they grown on you.
These bars are very dense but great for sugar hit, they also help you with your water intake, I found myself having a bar with water due to the density.

The one thing that really impressed me about Exante was their ready meals, this is something I am not familiar with. Normally VLCD do not allow meals  (if they do this is a low calorie, high protein meal that you create yourself, Exante have the Working and Simple Solution if you wish to add food) but Exante offer low calorie ready meal packs.
I was sent the Mushroom Risotto, Spaghetti Bolognese and a few packs of Porridge, unfortunately the Mushroom Risotto bag burst during delivery so I can't comment on it but the Spag Bol was pleasantly surprisingly, easy to prepare and very filling, I added a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce for flavour but to be honest it didn't really need it. The porridge was lovely, for someone who isn't a porridge lover, I really enjoyed the porridge, it was light and creamy but filling!

My Thoughts and The Weight In

I was on the Exante Diet for a total of 5 days.
 I drank a shed load of water on the diet as this is recommended not only to help with weight loss but replace the water you would normally get whilst eating ordinary food. I was constantly running to the loo due to a full bladder (TMI - sorry!) to the point I was getting annoyed with myself but this is something common with all VLCD's.

The food was great and I really enjoyed the packs especially the shakes, it was satisfying knowing that I was taking in nutrition without feeling dumpy or guilty about what I was having.

Diets like this however do really reveal how food is EVERYWHERE!
This may seem like a silly thing to say but you begin to realise how many food programmes are on TV, how many food adverts you see around, how food is just everywhere you look!
This makes diets like Exant mind over matter.
I found the first two days pretty difficult, not due to hunger so much but because I was constantly thinking about all the food I could have. Once the third day past and I built up a routine it got easier.

But you guys want to know the real deal, how much I lost!

When I started I weighed in at: 67.4kg (10 stone 8lbs)
When I ended I weighed in at: 64.8kg (10 stone 2lbs)

A loss of 6lbs in 5 days isn't too shabby at all!
I can definitely say Exante DOES work and it works well!

The weight does come off, however the real task comes with keeping the weight off.
I can say that a week and a few days after the diet I have already put back on 4lbs...bummer!

Exante is great for removing excess weight if you have the determination and you're in the right mind set, however unless you put in your research and really implement healthy eating it is highly likely that you will put weight back on.

This isn't Exante's fault at all as they are a weight loss company, designed to help you lose weight, not essentially keep the weight off.

All in all I was very impressed with the Exante Diet, the weight dropped off and the packets were tastier than I expected however I do not think I could stay on a VLCD long term anymore, my mindset has changed from when I was 17 stone. 
Whilst VLCD's have helped me drop from 17 stone to around mid 10's, I don't think I could use these to complete my weight loss journey.

If you would like to find out more about the Exante Diet, or purchase packs feel free to check out their website: Exante Diet

Have you ever tried a VLCD?

What do you think about the idea of VLCD's?

This post does not contain affiliate links.

6

Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder in Ebony 08

If you're a regular reader of the blog you would have seen me mention this beaute on more than one occasion.

16

Ellis Faas Lips

I first heard about Ellis Faas whilst watching one of Jackie O's videos on Youtube and seeing what can only be described as the most beautiful eye shadow pen I had ever seen!

Sleepless nights later (this is what happens when I see a beauty product I love!) I decided to visit their website and fell into an even deeper level of love!

From having a browse at their products I decided that the best product for me to pick was their lip products considering how I much I love them and how it is impossible for one to have too many.

I dived in only to find they had three types that came in the most amazing packaging you have ever seen for a lip product!

I read the descriptions and decided that I wanted Milky and Creamy Lips.

So let's talk about them shall we?

First up:

Milky Lips in L202 Dark Blood

Milky Lips is described as the following:

" A long-wear, fluid lipstick that provides highly-pigmented colour, and a glossy finish that lasts overtime. Superior comfort both in application and on the lips. Plumping actives improve hydration and smooth your lips. Especially loved by women who do not like to feel lipstick on their lips. "

I can safely say that this is a pretty accurate description. 

Milky Lips is perfect for those who aren't too comfortable with wearing lipstick whether it be down to texture or colour.

The product itself comes with a brush to allow easy application however you would need to go in with a lip brush to tidy up the edges, I didn't do this hence my slightly messy swatch.

Milky Lips has a fluid like consistency, almost like a lipgloss but with more flow and none of the stickiness...score!

Pigmentation wise, as you can see it is pretty impressive. 

The below swatch was made with two good layers of Milky Lips.

If you are a lover of stained lips you can go ahead with one coat and a blot and call it a day but I love my full on colour so I applied this as a full-on shade.

Blood Red is an deep vampy red which deepens in colour and turns almost burgundy when applied in layers. My swatches show it as more orange toned red but this is down to my lighting (damn you daylight savings!) 

Click here for a more fitting swatch.

One thing I really loved about this product was how moisturising it is, it's not greasy and it doesn't sit heavy on your lips like some liquid lipstick (cough, cough Apocalips) it sits comfortably which is quite rare in most if not all of the lipsticks I own.

Creamy Lips in L102 Deep Plum Wine

Creamy Lips is described as the following:

"A long-wear lipstick that provides pure colour, and a shiny finish that lasts overtime. Superior comfort both in application and on lips. Plumping actives improve hydration and smooth your lips."

To be honest with you I don't know what I was expecting with Creamy Lips but I did not expect to love it as much as I did when I applied it.

Creamy Lips comes with a sponge applicator this time around allowing for easy application. The applicator is slightly on a diagonal which allows for comfortable access and accuracy around tricky areas such as your cupids bow and the corners of the lips. 

I thought this was ingenious!

Once again I think having a lip brush on hand (especially for the cupids bow) is useful if you are as sloppy as myself when it comes to lipstick application.

You also need to have smoooth lips for this product, exfoliation is key otherwise this product will happily cling to those unsightly parts of your unsmooth lips and you will feel ashamed as I did, sigh!

Deep Plum Wine is the PERFECT vampy shade, a deep burgundy with more of a purple impact. The swatches below are pretty much the colour that comes out of the pen.

This is a very creamy product but once again it does not feel heavy AT ALL. I can't get over how comfortable these lip products are! The lipstick sat gorgeously on. I am only wearing one layer of Creamy Lips and yet the pigmentation is impressive. I think blotting is key to this product as it is easy to go overboard especially with lips as HUGE as mine!

I can't sit here and comment on longevity of these products as I have only swatched them but I can say when I swatched Creamy Lips on my arm, I had to have a shower and use my African sponge to remove it completely from my arm, however saying that, I didn't have any problems removing this from my lips.

Hot Lips in L403 Bright Fuschia*

*sent for review purposes by Ellis Faas

Hot Lips is the newest lip product to be launched by Ellis Faas described as the following:

" Hot Lips is Ellis' latest revolutionary texture for the lips. Because it's absolutely packed with pigment, you'll only need a tiny bit of the non-greasy Hot Lips to add vibrant colour. Hot Lips are extremely longwearing, without the risk of drying out your lips. A little goes a very long way! "

Definitely my favourite of the bunch; Hot Lips is a fab product!

Once again I wasn't too sure what to expect when I was sent this product but as soon as I applied it I fell in love!

Like Creamy Lips, Hot Lips comes with a sponge applicator. I found the product easier to apply this time around and I found that I didn't go overboard with application, I believe this is down to the consistency, it is a little bit thicker than Creamy Lips.

Bright Fuschia is a STUNNING colour which would work amazingly on all skin tones, it's definitely a statement colour!

 There are several amazing things about this product!

Firstly, Hot Lips just glidddddessss onto the lips like a dream with it's non sticky formula but it's creamy enough not to move out of place, it is also super pigmented, the above swatch was done with one layer of Hot Lips but look at the vibrancy of this colour! Stunning!

And like the products above this is lightweight and comfortable on the lips, you don't feel as though you're wearing lipstick at all, you just feel like you have moisturised lips! #WIN!

All in all I am amazingly impressed with the Ellis Faas lip products, there is a lip product for all lovers of lipstick (especially animal lovers, Ellis Faas does not test on animals, another win!!) which I think is important especially to those starting out in make up and lipstick wearing, their lip products are also crazily comfortable which makes ALL the difference when it comes to lipstick.

If you wish to purchase Milky, Creamy or Hot Lips you can do so via the Ellis Faas website HERE

Hot Lips will be available from the Ellis Faas site to the UK from the 22nd November 2013

You can also purchase Ellis Faas lip products from Net-A-Porter and Liberty.

Giveaway - NOW CLOSED

THE KIND FOLK AT ELLIS FAAS  HAVE ALLOWED ME TO BRING ONE LUCKY DOS READER THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE ELLIS FAAS HOT LIPS FOR THEMSELVES!

I'm giving away Hot Lips L405 Bright Coral to one lucky reader of DOS 

To enter all you need to do is leave a comment below with the following:

Name

Email

How you would wearing Hot Lips L405 Bright Coral (e.g with a dramatic eye, as a statement lip or with an all black outfit)

And thats it!

The Rules:

One entry per person.

This giveaway is open to the UK only. 

You must be a reader of DOS either through Blog Lovin or GFC.

The giveaway will run until the 1st December 2013 and the winner will be contacted via email by myself.

Good luck all! 

14

Veil Cover Cream Demonstration Kit

 If you are new to the blog you may or may not know that I have several tattoos.

Some are visible which is generally not a problem for me, I don't think I've ever been denied a job due to them but some people are not as lucky as I am.

This is where Veil's Cover Cream comes into play.

Veil's Cover Cream is totally different to cosmetics we're all generally used to from our local department and high street beauty stores, this is due to it's main purpose.

Veil creates camouflage cosmetics to help cover scars of all kinds from acne scars to surgical scars.

When I heard that Veil were looking for bloggers and vloggers to review this product I jumped at the chance, I wanted to know how camouflage cosmetics worked as well as if they had shades to suit my skin tone.

I was kindly sent the Veil Cover Cream Demonstration Kit* to review.

Firstly let me start off by saying...the colour range!

IMPRESSIVE!

I cannot lie, I was overwhelmed by the amount of browns in this kit!

Click to enlarge

From Ebony, to Brown to Umber.

This kit is here for your customising needs!

The kit contains 20 Cover Cream samples and a Translucent finishing powder providing everything you need to really start creating the perfect colour for your skin tone.

I also loved that this kit contained a yellow, rose, green and mauve cover cream to really help you get the right undertones.

Application

I decided to get stuck right in and took the smallest swatch from the Brown sample, I applied to my skin and realised that there was a reason for all the different colours in the kit. I am not just 'brown', it took a while for me to get a 'fitting' shade as it seems as though I am a mixture of several colours.

In the end I took the tiniest swatches from Brown, Yellow, Rose and Peach

and applied to my tattoo in a dabbing motion.

Now let's talk a little bit about the above.

Firstly I struggled to find the right shade which is no fault to Veil but more down to my inexperience with customising shades with so many options to choose from. 

You can also see some of my tattoo from this application, this is due to the amount I used, believe it or not I only dabbed my finger on the top of each cream, I did not scoop or swipe, just dabbed.

The coverage from a dab is just astonishing!

The Cover Cream is FULL coverage, and no not MAC full coverage but REAL FULL COVERAGE. 

This is down to the consistency of the creams, they are thick but warm up once they are in contact with body heat which makes them quite pliable however I wouldn't really recommend applying these with a brush, I used my fingers to apply and then used a powder brush to set everything lightly with the translucent powder.

My Thoughts

This kit is pretty amazing, it can used for a range of things not just to camouflage scars, this sort of kit can be used for stage make up as well as in an MUA's kit (more for concealer then foundation)

For the price you cannot go wrong, essentially your getting 20 full coverage concealers for £40. Bargain!

If you have tattoos that you wish to cover, scars that you don't want to be seen or you just want more than medium coverage this IS the kit for you.

You can read up more on Veil and their camouflage cosmetics via their website HERE

What do you think of camouflage cosmetics?

Will you be trying out Cover Cream?

0

NYX The Smokey Shadow Palette and NYX Girls Polish

September is here.

This means the summer is over people!!

No more heat until next July so what can we do?

Embrace the winter months, that's what!

I like to do this by changing up my make up look, I stick to the vampy, dark colours because let's face it, winter is slightly depressing.

So how do I reflect winter in my make up?

With the help of NYX of course.

(All you summer lovers don't fret, click HERE for my last NYX review on how to achieve an easy summer look)

First let's talk about how to do this via eyeshadow.

The Smokey Shadow Palette - £8.00*

Another one of NYX newest products.

The Smokey Shadow Palette contains 6 complimentary eyeshadows for the easiest of smokey eyes.

Funnily enough, although I'm a makeup lover, I really am more about my lipsticks then my eyeshadows, if I do use eyeshadows I stick to bronzes and golds, so this palette was something very new to me.

I tend to shy away from smokey palettes due to an inherent fear that I will end up looking more like a sad panda then a smouldering vixen but when I received this palette I gave myself a pep talk and began experimenting.

I was actually surprised at how easy it was to create a smokey eye with this palette, as all the colours are complimentary you can't go wrong with any two or three of the six shadows you choose.

I started off by applying the matte black shade all over my lid, then I layered the metallic purple over it and then the glitter slate colours for some sparkle, I then added the white shade on my brow bone, the smallest bit of the beige gold on my inner tear duct and the dark blue on my lower line.

The result...

I think this gave me a great beginners smokey eye! 

For the more intermediate of eyeshadow wearers this may be a bit basic for you, but for those of us who wouldn't know where to start with smokey eyes, this palette is PERFECT!

All the work is done for you, all you need to do is blend which is super easy because of the soft formula of the eyeshadows!

What I would say is definitely use a primer with these shadows to get the best bang for your buck but I have to admit, I'm quite pleased with the result!

Don't forget to add lashes for more oomph!

So now we have the face down, what next?

Let's move onto nails!

NYX Girls Polish in Fig - £3.00*

Now I have to admit, I normally only wear two types of nail colours either nudes or darks, so Fig was right up my street.

A deep blue purple with the subtlest of silver flecks.

You get 12ml of product with these nail varnish (10ml with Barry M and 7ml with Maybelline Color Show) which is quite a lot for £3.00.

The brush is skinny which I thought would initially be a problem but this allowed for a less messier (than normal) application for me.

I only needed to apply two coats of this for opaque colour which is also impressive!

These varnishes come in a staggering array of shades so for those of you who aren't too down with dark nails in the winter, do not fret, NYX hold a shade for you!

All in all I have loved using these products that NYX sent me, for such an inexpensive brand their products are really something to sing about, from their bronzers and lipsticks to their eyeshadows and eye pencils!

I have several products from NYX including lipglosses, lipsticks, correctors and blushes and I can say that I adore them all!

If you haven't ever tried any of NYX products I definitely hope I've given you something to think about and if you have then you already know why I feel so privileged to have won the opportunity to be NYX Cosmetics UK Blogger of The Month!

Thanks NYX Cosmetics!

7

ELF Mineral Moisturising Lip Tints

Besides lipstick lip balms are another important focus in my life, not only do they moisturise my lips but nowadays a lot of them come with subtle tints allowing you to pop on a bit of colour for work without going overboard.

I've always longed to wear colour on my lips to work but as someone who works in a small formal office this can sometimes be difficult.

So when ELF gave me the opportunity to trial out their Mineral Moisturising Lip Tint* I knew I was one step closer to my aim! 

What They Say

ELF describe their liptints as the following:

'...super emollient, lip quenching colour...This just-bitten tint of colour provides immediate soothing relief to irritated chapped lips while also diminishing the appearance of fine line and wrinkles around the lip area.'

The lip tints currently come in 8 shades (UK site) ranging from rose pinks to a subtle nude brown.

When I received the products I have to admit I didn't have the highest hopes for them, this was mainly down to the packaging.

They say don't judge a book by it's cover but alas I could not help myself.

I quickly threw the plain white uninteresting box to the side after I had made my way to the goodies it contained.

Application

Very simple here, just twist and apply!

No time wasted!

I chose the colours Berry and Cinnamon.

Berry I applied straight onto the lip however as Cinnamon is more of a pink toned brown I had to apply a brown lip liner to make it look more natural and less ashy.

My Thoughts

I honestly did not think I would like these as much as I do! 

I am really surprised!

Essentially this products is a perfect and inexpensive way of achieving an easy nude lip or the most natural flush of colour.

Firstly these babies glllllliiiiiddddde onto your lips with no effort, they are super emollient meaning dry lips are instantly nourished!

Great for someone with a lip mass like myself but what I really really loved was the colour these products gave.

Turns out Cinnamon makes for a fab nude lip for my skin tone and Berry gives  me the 'bitten' flush of colour look.

These little nourishing sticks of joy are fab for everyday use (work too) to add a lil something extra whilst also acting as moisturiser central with the addition of Jojoba, Coconut, Shea butter, Vitamin E and a small but appreciated SPF of 8.

The only thing I would definitely say it did not hold up on was filling in fine lines and wrinkles around the lip area, this isn't a primer but as it is so creamy I can see why this claim was added. 

The texture of this may also put off those of you who do not like overly creamy products, this is a bit 'slidey' but this can be forgiven especially when it tastes so good (I'm ashamed to say I may have licked off the first swatch, le sigh)

Top Left - Berry/ Bottom Right - Cinnamon

Where To Buy

The Moisturising Lip Tints retail for £3.50 and can be purchased from the UK ELF site HERE

If you live in the US you can purchase the Lip Tints for $3.00 from the ELF site HERE

What do you think of the lip tints?

Have you tried them before?

Let me know in the comments!

4

NYX Butter Gloss and HD Grinding Blush

I cannot tell you how excited I was when NYX got back to me about being their Blogger of The Month!

Not only am I a huge fan of their products I love the fact that they are so accessible for all, a lot of my favourite Youtubers use NYX and it's fantastic that I have the ability to buy the exact same products!

NYX kindly sent me some products to review which I was super super excited about so ladies and gentlefolk let me introduce you to the following:

NYX Butter Gloss in Cherry Pie - £5.00*

The Butter Glosses are one of NYX's newest products.

Now let me be honest here, I have never really been a lip gloss fan, most of the lip glosses I have tried out have been sticky, gloopy and uncooperative, however I have always found a friend in NYX lipglosses (they are the only lip glosses I own) so I very excited about the new Butter glosses.

I was sent the colour Cherry Pie which is fantastic for my skin tone, it's warm enough to use on it's own as a stain or applied on top of your favourite lippie.

This colour is buildable when used on its own but as I don't like to overdo gloss I decided to apply this like a stain.

One thing I absolutely love about this product is its texture, as it's name indicates, it is like butter! It feels like lip balm on the lips which is always a thumbs up from me!

This is a great product for those of you who want to introduce colour into your everyday makeup routine without going overly bold.

The glosses come in 12 gorgeous shades ranging from warm pinks to very subtle reds.

If you are anything like me and you're not a fan of sticky lipglosses I would definitely recommend this product to you!

Next up:

NYX HD Studio Photogenic Grinding Blusher in Apricot - £14.00*

You guys know how much I LURRVE blush. I cannot get enough of the stuff so when I heard about NYX's HD blush I was overly excited! (Lol! Makeup loser!)

This blush is not only tailored for easy application (finely milled,) it is paraben free and made to photograph fantastically, as an Instagram lover and blogger this is a bonus!

At first I was a little bit sceptical as I always am with most pink toned blushes as they can show up ashy on my skin tone but I went ahead an applied and I was glad I did.

This colour is GORGEOUS!

It's a soft pinky orange toned blush which gives me an effortless natural healthy glow.

This matte blush is heavily pigmented and a little goes a very long way!

I also love the packaging of this blush, the sleek tub with snazzy grinder makes application more exciting - it's all about the little things!

If I had one con it would be that it is sometimes easy to waste product with the grinding blush but this can be remedied by only turning the grinder gently.

This blush is available in 8 natural shades from pinks to subtle browns making it suitable for all skin tones, winner!

I wasted no time swatching and applying these two.

As you can see the two worn together give the most effortless natural look. Sunkissed and healthy!

I am absolutely loving these products which are fantastic for those of us who love the natural flushed look.

Don't forget to check out NYX Cosmetics website 
to shop and find out more information on their products. I would honestly recommend them for the price and quality! 

I've already had a cheeky shop on there, watch out for my post regarding their bronzer and orange concealer coming soon!

I am so chuffed to be able to receive these fantastic products and to be chosen as NYX's Blogger Of The Month!

2

IMAN Skin Tone Evener BB Creme Review

Life seemed so much simpler before BB creams came into play. 

I was happy and relatively comfortable with tinted moisturisers, however when BB creams came out of their shells my curiosity got the better of me.

As with most beauty products finding a BB cream that was accessible, affordable and in my skin tone became a problem and to be perfectly honest it is still a problem, a big and stupid problem for women of colour to be experiencing in today's age however that's a rant for another time and place.

When I heard the message for bloggers to review the IMAN Skin Tone Evener* I jumped at the opportunity like white on rice! I had had a reader of DOS previously ask me to review this product last year and since then I've been waiting patiently for it to hit our shores. 

I responded to the request quickly and requested the shade Earth Medium.

Ok so first things first, let's get it out of the way, Earth Medium was the wrong shade for me, it has a bit too much red in it, NW45's or anyone with red undertones this may be the summer shade for you.

 Now, let's get down to the nitty gritty!

The IMAN Skin Tone Evener BB creme is paraben free with an SPF 15, not super high but the protection is there which is fantastic for those of you who love minimal make up in the summer, two birds one stone really.

Application

I applied this by squeezing a 1p piece on the back of my hand then I went in with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and buffed the creme into my face, adding more product where needed.

I then used my MAC Blotting powder to lightly blot my face as I have oily skin (a real pain for a BB cream lover) 

My Thoughts

The most important requirement of a BB cream differs from person to person but my main requirement is how it feels on my skin. 

This is where this product is a winner for me! I loved the texture! It was light and silky with sheer coverage, the complete opposite to Sleek's Beauty Balm which is a little bit more heavy duty.

If only it was in my skin tone!! Grrr!

This gives a gorgeous healthy glow to the skin and covers my blemishes relatively well. When I first wore it to work I received compliments on how my skin looked. This product really does even out your skin tone and creates a gorgeous and light natural base.

Lipstick: MAC Smoked Purple

I think this product would be absolutely PERFECT for those of you with dry skin who love the natural dewy look, it is nourishing but light enough to wear on warm days. 

Those of you with oily skin may want to avoid this one, as you can see even though I did blot there is still shine.

Where To Buy

The IMAN Skin Tone Evener comes in 6 shades (I may actually be more a of Clay Medium Deep but don't quote me on that) of which the lightest is suitable for caucasian skin.

This product is not yet available in the UK but keep an eye on the IMAN website where it will be available soon!

2

Face B4 Review

I have been one who had relatively 'good' skin until around University.

The pressure hit, my diet suffered and my skin care regime when out the window and I've been paying for this ever since.

For the last year since I've been out of university I've been working hard to get a skin regime in check and 'fix' my skin, so I was more than pleased to try out FaceB4* to see if it would become an integral and helpful part of my new skin regime.

FaceB4 is currently a two step regime aiming to help those with problem skin.

What I love about this is that it takes all the hard work out of finding a regime, no need to find the perfect moisturiser to match your cleanser or the other way around! It's all handled for you!

I was sent the FaceB4 Daily Cleansing Foam and After-Cleansing Serum.

The two were to be used twice a day as a two step routine.

FaceB4 Daily Cleansing Foam RRP £14.95

Application

This foam is an anti-bacterial toner and cleanser combined.

When pressed, the nozzle combines the two and you are given a lightweight foam to massage into your wet face in circular movements. You are then instructed to wait for one minute (it's funny how long a minute becomes when you count it out) and then wash off.

Thoughts

I liked this foam. It was a very different to what I am used to, I like really 

sud-sy washes, whereas this was quite lightweight.

I did find myself going overboard trying to compensate for how light it was but I soon overcame this.

I liked how clean my skin felt once this was washed off however if you are looking for something to help wash your make up off this isn't it.

I would go in with a soap first, then use the Daily Cleansing Foam to finish off your face.

I also found that if I left this on for longer than a minute my face would get tingly, I wouldn't recommend this if you have any broken skin, it will sting!

The Daily Cleanser hold Salicylic Acid which is an acne sufferers known friend  however the concentration of this seems to be small when looking at how far down the ingredients list it is.

FaceB4 After-Cleansing Serum RRP £14.95

Application

The box directed me to pump a small amount of the serum onto my fingertips and then gently massage into my face, avoiding my eyes, in upward strokes until the serum is absorbed.

I did all of the above besides the upwards strokes just because I don't apply my moisturiser this way.

Thoughts

This serum is very lightweight with a cream appearance but velvety serum texture. It's soaks in easily and does not irritate my sensitive skin.

I took to this very well.

Firstly I loved that this was moisturising enough but not too oily for my combination skin. I tend to suffer from super dry skin on my cheeks and an oily T-zone. 

I found this serum remedied both. 

When applied this does leave a sheen which I personally loved, if I was not feeling it was a 'sheen/dewy skin day' I would just blot off the excess.

The serum contains vitamins A, B, B5 and E all beneficial vitamins for great skin and skin healing, however, if your an all natural skincare lover this will definitely not be your cup of tea. 

The serum also contains Hydrogenated Castor Oil and Parraffin. 

All in all

How do I feel about this? 

I am a FAN of FaceB4!!!

My skin has improved dramatically since using the Cleansing Foam and After-Cleansing Serum!

My skin is clearer, my oily t-zone has virtually disappeared along with my dry patches.

I finally feel confident stepping outside without any make up on again which is something I thought would never happen when my skin was bad!

The other day I had told my colleague that I wasn't wearing any make up and she was genuinely shocked.

Now, don't get me wrong, I still have scars and the odd spot but these came around my time of the month.

Annoyingly I do not have many pictures of my before, I simply deleted the photos I had taken out of sheer disgust at how bad my skin was however I did find the following picture, here I am wearing make up but you can see evidence of my occasional break outs, especially on my cheeks.

The following pictures were taken last week. I am wearing no make up here.

Click To Enlarge

Not entirely fault free but MUCH better than before!

Would I repurchase this?

MOST DEFINITELY!

I've been using this for 2 months now and I can safely say FaceB4 has now become an avid member of my skin regime and something I am happy to use.

Where To Buy

If you would like to try out FaceB4 for yourself you can find the products in Boots HERE

You can also visit their website:

www.faceb4.com

for more information.

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