Makeup Monday: Blogger Makeup Bag

 

I'm thrilled to introduce Lydia from Florabundance Blog, also known on YouTube as lydiaoc26, for April's Blogger Makeup Bag. Lydia has great taste when it comes to products and has been responsible for the addition of foundation, neutral eyeshadows and MAC lipsticks to my ever-growing beauty wishlist so I couldn't wait to peek inside her makeup bag and find out what her go-to products are. Over to Lydia...

 

 

 

 

My make-up bag is from Cath Kidston, it flips open to two clear compartments which is great for travel. Inside I have two foundations - YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat and Laura Mercier Silk Creme. The YSL is very light in coverage and the Laura Mercier is more on the full side - I keep both of these in here to cover all needs! I often like to mix the two of these to create the right coverage and finish.

Concealer wise I have Clinique Airbrush, which is lovely and light for under the eyes, and Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection for any blemishes or scars. 

I have my go-to bronzer and blusher - Nars Laguna and Benefit Coralista. For me they are fail safe and what I always reach for in a hurry! Another every day staple is Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter. I am constantly being asked questions about how I get my cheekbones to look so luminous and I owe it all to Dior!

Finally, lately for eyes I've been loving Urban Decay Naked Basics palette for a really natural every day look. I also keep L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim in my bag to add some winged liner. If I'm going all out I will also brush through my brows with some of my MAC Omega eyeshadow with any angled brush I can find to hand.

For more from Lydia, visit:

Florabundance Blog: http://lydiaoc.blogspot.com/
Lydiaoc26 on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/lydiaoc26 

Speed Review: Natio Meditate Shower Gel

Today's review continues the theme of April Showers with a look at Natio Meditate Shower Gel.

Natio is an Australian brand whose products I've previously found to be somewhat hit & miss so I didn't have particularly high expectations when it came to trialling this.

Although presented in a plastic bottle, I liked that the colour and ethnic design give a nod to a spa experience. It has a functional pump dispenser and is transparent so that I could see how much was remaining.

Natio Meditate Shower Gel is a thick gel formula with a caramel colour and gives a generous lather. The main feature of this shower gel is the very strong scent which lingers on the skin after use. Natio pinpoint Narcissus Attar as the scent, describing it as being reminiscent of green leaves and fresh flowers, which I was very surprised to read and don't agree with. I found the fragrance to be warm and sensual- certainly not green and fresh and it certainly won't appeal to everyone. Nonetheless, I found it calming for use in the evenings.

Natio Meditate Shower Gel was ok- I didn't love it nor did I hate it, it's just an average shower gel and for that reason, I'd be unlikely to repurchase it. At £9 for 240ml, I feel that it's overpriced despite the spa-like branding. There are so many other (often cheaper) shower gels available which I want to try and nothing about this stood out for me to sufficiently justify a repurchase.

Speed Review: Le Petit Marseillais Gel de Douche Zeste de Citron & Bergamote (Lemon Zest & Bergamot Shower Gel)

Today's review is of a product that I picked up in France, however, it can also be bought online.
I've recently been using the Le Petit Marseillais Gel de Douche Zeste de Citron & Bergamote, which translates as Lemon Zest and Bergamot Shower Gel from the French brand, Le Petit Marseillais.

The branding has a chic French quality to it but the slimline bottle is a fairly basic green plastic with a functional flip top dispenser. The label is a sticker, as opposed to being printed on the bottle, and after a couple of showers, it started to peel away.

The scent is from the "Recettes Mediterraneennes" line inspired by the Mediterrean and is a light, citrusy blend of lemon zest and bergamot, making it a refreshing choice for morning showers- I very much enjoyed the fragrance. The high concentration of SLS made for a fairly rich lather, however, I also found it drying on my skin and for this reason, I'd be unlikely to repurchase.

The bottle contains 250ml and given the relatively thin consistency of the shower gel, I found that I went through the bottle quite quickly. I picked this up for a couple of Euros in the French supermarket, making it a wallet friendly buy.

Speed Review: Heaven by Deborah Mitchell Anti-Cellulite Body Wash

Heaven by Deborah Mitchell is one of my favourite skincare brands but I have to admit to being less familiar with the bodycare products from the celebrity facialist's range. With this in mind, I was intrigued to try Heaven by Deborah Mitchell Anti-Cellulite Body Wash.

On first impressions, I liked the slimline bottle which features a functional pump dispenser. I also appreciated that the bottle is transparent so that I could tell how much was remaining. The body wash itself is a bright green colour and has a very liquid formula which doesn't lather very much (it bubbles ever so slightly). Some may find that this takes away from the indulgence factor but I was pleased to note that there's no harsh SLS included which dries out my skin. The only downside is that I felt as though I was going through the bottle quite quickly- this tends to be the case with most body washes but I felt that it was enhanced given the formula.

It has a strong botanical fragrance which I found to be awakening in the mornings. The oil-rich formula meant that my skin wasn't left feeling tight & dry after use, although I still needed to moisturise as there was no oily residue left on my skin.

I tend to be quite cynical when it comes to products which profess to have anti-cellulite properties and this is no exception. I certainly can't claim to have conducted a scientific experiment or even anything as simplistic as taking a photo of my problem areas before and after use (for fear of breaking my camera!). However, the ingredients list is impressive including vitamin A & C rich asparagus, white birch to help break down calcified deposits and eucalyptus and cypress to increase metabolic rate so it certainly can't have done any harm to incorporate this into my routine.
At £26.20 for 250ml, this is a worthwhile product to pick up if you have some spare pennies but if you're looking for an introduction to the brand, I'd be more inclined to go for the famous skincare range.

Giveaway Winner

I'm delighted to announce the winner of my recent Wet 'n' Wild Comfort Zone Eyeshadow Palette as Gillian Holmes- congratulations! The winner was picked using a random number generator and the prize is in the post.

As a side note, I realise that I've been somewhat absent from my blog recently. After being ill last month, I've lost my blogging mojo slightly and never like to force blog posts. I'm starting to feel inspired by all of the new Spring Summer collections so hopefully normal service will be resumed shortly. In the meantime, thanks for bearing with me!