New In Beauty

It's January which means for us in the beauty world, it's new release season. And as always there are tons of new releases from make up to skincare, budget to high end. To say there were a lot that caught my eye would be an understatement. However I spent a lot of time looking at them all both and in store and managed to whittle it down to the five that I thought were the best for me and today I'm giving you a look at what's new this month.

Maybelline Total Temptation Mascara £8.99
This is probably my favourite of the five. I didn't think Maybelline could top their Lash Sensational that sent the beauty world a flutter in 2015 but it seems they have. Their Total Temptation Mascara as blown the Lash Sensational right out the window. A tapered bristle brush, this mascara claims to give all the length and volume they'll ever need. It's also a unique formula infused with coconut oil and with a whipped, mousse like texture that is still quite wet formula wise but it doesn't transfer when you're applying or throughout the day. Out of five stars, I'd give it five. It's a brilliant mascara and I can't wait to share my full review with you all.

Loreal Smooth Sugar Scrubs £9.99
This next release was one I didn't even know was coming out so soon. I'd seen them on Instagram but it said they were currently only available in the US. But when they appeared in my work, I knew I just had to buy them. The Loreal Smooth Sugar Scrubs are a trio of face scrubs that combine white and brown sugar granules together with other ingredients such as Grapeseed Oil, Kiwi and Cocoa Butter to create a range of scrubs for all skin types. There are three to choose from the Smooth Sugar Clear Scrub with Kiwi Extracts to exfoliate, unclog blackheads as well as reducing and fighting imperfections, the Smooth Sugar Glow Scrub with Grapeseed Oil to exfoliate and improve skin's radiance and then finally there is the Smooth Sugar Nourish Scrub with Cocoa Butter to soothe, exfoliate and nourish dry skin. The full review of these will be going up at the beginning of February and I'm looking forward to sharing my full thoughts on these with you all.

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Inks £9.99
Late last year, Maybelline released a new lip product called SuperStay Matte Ink. I brought one out of curiousity and whilst I liked it, I didn't reach for it much. But they've just released a whole range of nude shades, all of which are gorgeous and I'm obsessed. I only one of the new so far and it's the shade Ruler but it's amazing. The formula is that of a liquid lipstick but instead of being a powdery matte when it dries down, this is ultra comfortable to wear and still has a slight sheen to. It's completely transfer proof and stays comfortably in place for a good six to eight hours. The new nude range is definitely one worth checking out if you like nude lipsticks or just a good long lasting liquid lipstick.

Barry M Candy Culture Scented Nail Paints £3.99
I'm a big fan of Barry M Nail Paints and when they release new shades or new collections, I have to have them. And it was no different with this new range. I was intially attracted to the shades in their Candy Culture range but when I found out they were scented as well I knew I just had to try them out. There are four shades in the range but I only have the three that appealed to me the most. They are Coconut Cream, Blueberry BonBon and Strawberry Laces. Now you may be thinking that they've just cleverly advertised these as scented nail paints but they really do smell. One coat dries down to a semi matte finish gives a hint of the scent but add a second coat and you get a strong, delicious scent that lasts for a while after you've initally painted your nails. Of course it doesn't last forever but it lasts long enough without becoming distracting or offputting as you wear it.

Pixi Rose Tonic £10
And the last new release comes from Pixi. This month they have a whole of host of skincare products coming out from cream cleansers to new oil blends. The one that caught my eye almost immediately was their new toner. Pixi are famous for their Glow Tonic but it's obvious that not everyone will be able to use it, so they've come out with a new Tonic. The Rose Tonic is a rose and elderflower based toner aimed at dry/sensitive/reactive skin to alleviate any dryness or tightness that can occur after cleansing or throughout the day. It's lightweight, not overly fragranced but nourishing and works wonders on the skin. I've tried this a couple of times and so far I'm impressed. It's perfect for using to give skin a nourishing, hydrating boost after a long day or after a face mask to prep skin for serum and moisturiser.  

5 New First Impressions

Recently a lot of brands have released a slew of new products and some of them caught my eye. The ones I did buy you would have seen in my haul on Wednesday but whilst I was looking through my purchases I realised I had enough products to do more or less a full face of make up. So today I'm going to be sharing my first impressions on five new products from Maybelline, Collection and Barry M.

I did prep my skin before hand with my usual skincare which includes my Loreal Hydra Genius Liquid Moisturiser, Garnier Moisture Bomb Water Gel Cream and Hawaiian Tropic Facial SPF 30. And once this sunk in I went in my Maybelline SuperStay Primer which dries down to a semi matte finish and has a tackiness to it that helps products adhere to the skin. I thought I'd share this with you so you had a better understanding of why the products applied the way they did.

 Product: These are the new Collection Lasting Perfection Colour Correctors. They come in three colours, Lemon, Purple and Green. Yellow is for dark circles, Green is for redness and Purple is for dullness. I picked up the Green and Yellow as they were what I needed correcting the most.
First Impression: These are the same consistency as the concealer and only a little is needed as they apply very opaque on the skin. They blend out better with a damp beauty blender than they do a brush and don't leave behind a weird coloured cast like other correctors do. Under my eyes the Lemon shade worked well and really disguised the look of my dark circles. Both foundation and concealer applied nicely over the top of it and didn't separate or look patchy at all. The Green however didn't cover my redness as well as I though it was going to and when I applied foundation over top caused some sort of separation between the two along my jaw and chin.

Product: This is the Maybelline Dream Cushion Foundation. It's Maybelline's first cushion foundation and calls itself a Liquid Foundation On-The-Go. There are seven shades in the range from Natural Ivory (my shade) to Caramel. This has an SPF of 20 and is supposed to have a medium buildable coverage.
First Impressions: I have the lightest shade (Natural Ivory) and it doesn't look very fair in the compact or on the skin. It's very yellow in tone so any fair pink toned skins wouldn't be able to wear this shade. The compact is saturated in product and one press of the cushion is enough to do the majority of the face. The sponge you get with the compact is brilliant for blending it out but I'd also advise going in with a damp beauty blender afterwards just to make sure everything is completely blended out. It leaves a nice coverage behind and managed to conceal some of the redness still peeking through the colour corrector. It dried down to a satin finish but there was still a glow to my skin but that could have been from my moisturisers beforehand.

Product: This is the Barry M Ready Set Smooth Loose Setting Powder. This white no colour powder is not only supposed to set make up into place but also help control oil and stop skin looking shiny. It comes with a mirror in the lid, a powder puff and there is a deep rim around the powder itself so it doesn't spill everywhere. It's very lightweight in feel and doesn't leave a colour behind on the skin.
First Impressions: This powder is amazing. It's lightweight, doesn't leave skin looking or feeling powdery and doesn't a colour to the skin. Both under the eyes and on the rest of the face this didn't look cakey or leave my skin feeling like it was covered in powder. It mattified everything I needed it to and left my skin look matt but still natural looking.

 Product: This is the Barry M Lash Saver Lash Primer. This is a white mascara designed to be worn underneath mascara. Not only does it help prolong the wear of your mascara but it's enriched with ingredients that help encourage growth and conditions lashes as you wear it.
First Impressions: This is a really nice product. It's not a stark white which you can't cover with mascara but you can see it on the lashes before you apply your mascara of choice. I wasn't expecting a lot from this but this seemed to make my lashes appear longer and the curl more defined. I went in with my Miss Hippie mascara afterwards which normally gives me good lashes but over the top of this primer it gave me great lashes. They looked fanned out, defined and the curl seemed to sit better than before. Definitely going to be using this a lot in the future.

Product: And finally we have the Collection Primed and Ready Make Up Fixing Spray. This is a lightweight fine mist setting spray that is said to lock make up into place and prolong it's wear. It's set the face down to a matt finish but doesn't leave it looking dry or cakey.
First Impressions: This is another amazing product. It's a very fine mist that doesn't drench the skin or disturb make up. It doesn't leave skin feeling dry once it's locked everything into place and doesn't leave skin powdery to touch. Some setting sprays cause mascara to smudge but this one didn't even budge my mascara. Definitely a new favourite, it could even replace my Maybelline SuperStay Setting Spray.

And this is what everything looks like put together. I added a bit of Benefit's Gimme Brow through my brows and my favourite Rosie For Autograph Lipstick in Lady Rose. I'm happy with how this looks, my under eye area looks brighter than normal and even when I went to remove my make up, my under eye area still looks brighter than it would if there was just concealer there. The foundation looks okay on my skin here but I spent most of my day worried that my neck looked paler than my face even though I made sure to blend it thoroughly down my neck. I like how this wore but noticed where I applied the colour corrector underneath it started to dry out as the day wore on. The powder and setting spray really helped lock my make up into place and kept it in place all day. There are times I have a slight sheen to my skin when I go to take it off but with this combo I didn't have that problem. And the lash primer was the product that surprised me the most. A lot of the time my lashes droop a few hours after I've applied my mascara and whilst these did droop they were also malleable and could easily be lifted back into a defined curl that made my eyes look wide awake if even they weren't. There wasn't a lot of disappointments out of these products, just a few things that could have been improved but overall I'll definitely be reaching for them again, especially the lash primer, setting powder and setting spray. Those were three that the really impressed me out of the five.

Skincare Haul

If there is one thing I love more than make up it's skincare. So whenever I see something new in Boots or Superdrug I just have to get them. And over the last few weeks I've been picking up new products or things that I have caught my eye and stashed them away until I've had enough to do a haul.

The first thing I picked up was this new Loreal Micellar Water. It has a different formula to their other micellar water and is advertised as a purified water instead of a cleansing water. This is some pretty powerful stuff and removes all signs of grime, dirt and make up. And as someone with sensitive skin it's a pleasure to say that this doesn't break me out or cause any irritation. I've already reviewed this and you can find it here.

Another cleanser I've picked up recently is the New Hydro Boost Water Gel Cleanser from Neutrogena. This contains Hyaluronic Acid and is designed to give your skin a long lasting hydration boost whilst simultaneously cleasning skin. It's watery gel formula foams on the skin but doesn't cause any irritation or break outs like a lot of foaming cleansers do. It's a perfect cleanser for no make up days or as a second cleanse. A full review will be up on the blog so keep your eyes peeled for that.

One final cleanser I've been trying is the new B Stubborn Make Up Remover. This is a bio phase make up remover that you use with a cotton pad. Just shake it all together and apply to a cotton pad before wiping over the face. It claims to remove even the most stubborn of make up and from a first impression I'd say it did pretty well. One pad went a long way and removed most of my make up. I did go in afterwards with my Liz Earle cleanser but if you went in with another pad it would remove every last speck of make up.

This particular product I didn't buy but was kindly gifted to me from a friend as it didn't work for her. The Garnier Moisture Bomb day cream is their newest moisturiser offering and claims to give skin enough hydration to last longer than a day. The gel formula night cream did nothing for me but this day cream is perfect. Containing Hyaluronic Acid and Pomergranate Extract this is perfect for people with dry to dehydrated skin. It's a cream formula that isn't too thick or heavy on the skin and sinks in almost instantaneously. And as a person who doesn't have serverely dehydrated skin this doesn't make me oily or overly shiny.

A new release from Nip+Fab that I just had to get my hands on were these Teen Skin Breakout Pads. Containing Witch Hazel, Salicylic Acid and Wasabi Extract this work to cleanse the skin of any breakout creating bacteria whilst simultaneously soothing and helping to reduce the size and appearence of any exsisting blemishes. This may be advertised for teens but would be perfect for anyone who suffers from severe breakouts or clusters of acne at any time. They're pricey but on first impressions they do work to help soothe and reduce blemishes. Plus whilst they smell refreshing and good for the skin, they're not too fragranced that they'll cause any issues.

A product I just had to repurchase was the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer. I had a travel sized bottle to trial it and fell in love with it. It contains the same ingredients as the Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, Lavender, Calendula, Aloe Vera and Vitamin E to name a few. It's suitable for sensitive skin and helps ease roseca and redness on the skin. It's hydrating, non irritating and easily absorbed. This can be used under skincare, over skincare as a top up and even on top of make up. It smells divine, leaves my skin feeling super soft and helps ease the look of any redness I may have.

Another new moisturiser I've picked up is this new one from Olay. It's a lightweight cream formula which is supposed to give instant and long lasting hydration all day long. It also contains SPF 15 which isn't the highest but is still some sort of protection for the skin. It does have a fragrance to it so for people with extremely sensitive skin this may be a big no no but anyone who can use fragranced products then this is perfect for an instant skin boost.

Sheet masks are becoming a big thing and everyone is releasing their own versions. So when I saw that Boots had released five of their own sheet masks I just had to get them. There's one for every skin type and skin need. There are ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Charcoal, Lotus Flower and Peony amongst the ingredients of these masks. I'm most looking forward to using the Super Hyaluronic Sheet Mask and the Safflower and Peony Mask. A full review of these will be on the blog once I've given them a full testing.

And another sheet mask that caught my attention was this one from Face Inc an extenstion of the nail brand Nails Inc. This is the 40 Wink Anti-Ageing Sheet Mask. This contains Collagen, Rice Proteins, Multivitamins and Retinol to help reduct the visible signs of ageing. I'm not overly old but I believe it never hurts to give yourself an anti ageing treatment every now and again. The cutest thing about this sheet mask is that it's printed to look exactly like it does on the package. They also ones with cat faces and flower crowns which I'll obviously be picking up for review purposes.

New In At The Drugstore

Every now and again there is a mass launch of new products in the drugstore. Sometimes a lot of them catch my eye and other times not many catch my eye. This time round my eye was definitely caught. So today I thought I'd talk you through some of the new releases I've picked up during my last shopping trip.

I'm actually going to start with a older but still recent release. These are the Barry M Coconut Infusion Nail Paints. Containing a blend of coconut oil and water these are supposed to hydrate the nail as you wear them. They come in nine shades which you can see above and all have very tropical, holiday inspired names. My favourites are Laguna, the bright blue and Flamingo the coral shade above it. I have already reviewed these polishes and you can find the full post here.

Another recent release is one from Revlon. This is there Ultra HD Matte Liquid Lipstick. With the popularity of liquid lipsticks on the rise it's nice to see a high street brand bring out there own version. I picked up the shade Addiction. However for me this isn't a wow as a liquid lipstick for me. If you're into more satin or velvet finishes instead of a drier matte finish then this is right up your street. I have done a first impressions of this which you can find here.

Whilst we're on the subject of liquid lipstick shall we talk about Maybelline's new offering? These are the Vivid Matte Liquid Lipcolor. I picked up the shades 05 Nude Flush and 35 Plum Possession. These have a simple doe foot applicator which is standard in most liquid lipsticks and makes me think that application will be easier than some on the market. When swatched on the back of my hand these didn't dry down completely matte but I find with some matte lip products they never do but dry matte on the lips. I haven't given these a go yet but when I do there will be a full review on the blog.

And to carry on the lip trend I have going on, let's move onto a new release from Barry M. This is there Coco Loco Lip Oil. Yes you heard me right a lip oil. Now lip oils aren't exactly popular on the high street but they are become more and more popular in higher end brands. Clarins, Hourglass and YSL are just a few brands that have one on the market. And it seems Barry M took note of that. They've released two lip oils, Coco Loco and Berry Much both enriched with ingredients to hydrate, nourish and soothe lips. Coco Loco contains a blend of Coconut Oil and Camella Oil to give lips that extra boost. It comes with what looks like a standard doe foot applicator but it actually is on a roller that means it rolls product evenly across the lips. I gave this a go the day I picked it up and the first impressions were good but I'll let you know what I think after a bit more use. A full review will probably be up on the blog in a couple of weeks.

Barry M just keep rolling out releases don't they? Next we have one of their new Molten Metal Nail Paints. There are four in total in the collection but only one really jumped out at me. This is Copper Mine which looks like a mixture between a copper and a rose gold. It comes with Barry M's new flatter square brush which makes application easier. I've got this on my nails now and whilst I'm not sure if it suits me I do like the look it gives nails. I can't say anything about chip time but I'm sure it'll crop up in a favourites or a disappointing products at some point.

Now moving onto two new releases I've been looking forward to. The first is this new Loreal Mascara. This is the Miss Hippie Mega Volume Mascara. It claims to give lashes a boosted fanned out volumised look that's perfect for the upcoming fesitval season. It has a big straight brush which is covered in a variety of spaced apart and close together bristles. I've already given this a go and my first impressions are good but I'm saving my thoughts to the full review that's going up in a couple. What I can say is that's a lot better than last year's Miss Punky's release.

And I've saved the best til last. If like me you watch a lot of American Beauty Guru's then you'll know this is one of the most anticipated high street releases. Finally ladies we can get our hands on the Loreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation. If you haven't heard about this foundation, it's the first budget foundation to come in a cushion form. You get a pad for application and underneath it is a cushion which contains the foundation. One press and you have your product at your fingertips. I have the shade 01 Porcelain and I believe there are five or six shades in total for this product. First impressions are good but a full review will be going up soon once I've given it a good try. But for now I can say it's probably my favourite purchase of this haul and of the year so far.

So that's some of my favourite new Drugstore Releases for the moment. Have any of you tried these? Or do you have a new release that you think I'd like? Let me know in the comments and keep your eyes peeled for reviews of the new releases soon.