Products on Trial - Makeup

With my recent house move and my busy job, my blog has suffered recently! I have been trying loads of products but not having time to post about them and so now I am playing catch-up by combining several reviews into one post!

All of the above products are makeup that I have been trying lately.

St Tropez Instant Tan £10*
I realise this swatch makes my arm look dirty - this is not fully blended and I wanted to show what a great, dark shade it is!

I have tried instant tans in the past but never been too taken with them. I have the Rimmel one, which seems to be a favourite, but for me it just doesn't really do anything other that stain my tan mitt purple! At first I was scepticle of trying this product from St Tropez however recently I threw a party and wanted a nice glow. I had tanned the night before but it wasn't dark enough and I needed an extra boost. I used the medium/dark shade however this also comes in light/medium with a pink lid instead of purple. I used a mitt to apply this and it applied really nicely, it also smells lovely which is unusual for a tanning product. This made my tan much darker but still natural looking. It didn't budge all night and also didn't stain my sheets overnight. I'm totally impressed with this and will definitely be buying it again. I also think the price is great considering it's from St Tropez and their products are higher end. www.st-tropez.com

Seventeen Cheek Stamp in Bashful £4.99

I saw this product in Boots, picked it up, took it home and then wondered why on earth I had bought it! This is a very gimmicky product and strikes me as an idea thought up but not thought through. And yet I bought one! The blush itself isn't even a very nice shade! The idea is that the product is in the lid and the sponge stamp is used to apply to the cheeks. This works fine but leaves a perfect circle of the product on your cheek which you then need to blend out with a blush brush. If I decide to use this blush I think I will cut out the middle man and just use a brush!

Lily Lolo Black Natural Eye Pencil £6.99*

I have tried products from Lily Lolo before and really enjoyed them. They are natural, high quality and always really nicely packaged. You can never go wrong with a good black eyeliner and this really is a good one. The formulae is so soft and smooth feeling and extremely highly pigmented. This is waterproof and I find it stays put, doesn't smudge and has long wear. The natural ingredients also mean this isn't irritating to the eye. I am also really impressed with the reasonable price of this pencil considering the quality of it. www.lilylolo.co.uk

GOSH Long Lasting Brow Pen 001 Dark Brown £6.49

This was a definite impulse buy but turned out to be a welcome addition to my collection. As the name suggests, this brow product is a pen, similar to a felt tip. I thought that would make it really harsh and fake looking on the brow but the thin tip allows you to make fine strokes and softens the look. This definitely takes a little practise and I don't use it on days that I'm in a rush but the finished look is lovely and long lasting.

Earthnicity Minerals London Mineral Foundation and Kabuki Brush No.1 £16.99 and £11.99*

Foundation pictured is sample size.
I will be honest and say that I like a full face and full coverage foundation. With that in mind I knew this mineral foundation wasn't going to be for me but I enjoyed trying it out and will save it for the summer when my skin is clear and I want less coverage. That being said, I did find that I could work up to far more coverage than I expected, especially by using a small brush to apply the powder to blemishes. Earthnicity are definitely a company who you can purchase from with a clear conscience! Vegetarian and vegan, their products are free from parabens, talc and baddies in general! Being oil free their products won't break you out and are perfect for problem skin. The Kabuki brush is absolutely fantastic and a new favourite of mine. Although a travel sized brush handle, the head is full sized and a really decent size! The bristles are super soft and dense enough to get good control and great application. www.earthnicity.co.uk

Sleek Corrector & Concealer Palette in 04 £7.99

I couldn't resist using this before photographing so I apologise for the mess! I am a pale girl and so this kit is obviously too dark for me but I chose this to experiment with cream contouring. I am so glad that I did because I love it! I can't review it as a concealer but for contouring it is just super. I used my Real Techniques stippling brush to apply and blend and got the perfect result and just the look I was going for. At £7.99 when I am only really using one shade, this is expensive so hopefully I can find something else that does the job as well!

What have you been trying recently?

*PR Samples

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