Revlon - Peach Smoothie NOTD

I've had my eye on getting a lovely peachy/nude nail polish for a while now, so when my I spotted Revlon's Peach Smoothie nail polish at Boots the other day, I had to pick it up. Plus I was very intrigued to test this whole new 'scented' nail polish concept!

Check out my Peach Smoothie NOTD here:
Revlon’s Peach Smoothie is an adorable colour! The perfect nude/peach with a pretty subtle gold sparkle. The formula is quite sheer and a little streaky so it does needs 2-3 coats for good coverage. Now onto the smell; basically the ‘scent’ develops as soon as the nail polish dries. I wouldn’t say it smells of peaches but it definitely has a sweet fragrance. The smell actually reminded me of those sugary candy string necklaces you used to get at kids parties!

It’s not a very strong smell, so don’t worry about it interfering with your perfume or anything. I could only really smell it when I ‘sniffed’ my fingers or my fingers were close to my face. The smell was the strongest on day one but after I’d had a shower I found it vanished quite quickly. It’s fun and different to your standard nail polish but just a bit of a gimmick really…

Revlon's (Limited Edition) Scented Nail Enamel is available in 8 shades. Check out the full range of colours available here. I also quite like the look of 'Pretty in Papaya' and 'Mad about Mango'. Revlon Scented Nail Enamel is priced at £6.49 and available from Boots.com now (while stock lasts)

Think you will treat your hands to some sweet smelling nails? ;)

NOTD: Revlon Goldfinger

Discovered this pretty nail polish the other day, as it belongs to one of my new flatmates! Gotta love living in an all girls house ;) I'm a big fan of Revlon polishes already and "Goldfinger" is  a gorgeous pale gold colour that can look quite neutral or metallic depending on the light that falls onto it. Gold nails really get me into a wintery/holiday spirit. Can you believe today it's exactly 30 days until Christmas!!! 

Left: Natural Light                                                            Right: with Flash  

Do you know any other lovely Gold nail polishes? xoxo

A foundation snob, no more!

Ok I admit it, for the last few years I have been a foundation snob! A long long time ago I discovered MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation, fell in love and have never looked back since. I was so happy with the foundation that I never really tried anything else. The way I looked at it was; I had a wining formula and why change something that works right? I just couldn't get myself to buy a new foundation as an 'experiment' and then ending up with an expensive foundation I didn't like (and therefore didn't use & it being a waste of money) However during the last year while following many beauty blogs and reading so many reviews on other foundations, I was starting to get curious...

So, while I was packing for my 4 week camping trip through Europe with my parents I thought to myself, hmm, do I really want to use my (expensive) MAC foundation whilst on holiday? Maybe I should be adventurous and try a cheaper drugstore foundation instead....So I did! I went to local drugstore and bought 2x cheaper foundations that I had read a lot about and had been quite keen to try out. I got:

♥ Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Light Beige (#53)

♥ Revlon ColorStay Foundation in Sand Beige (180 - Normal/Dry Skin)

So how do they measure up?

♥ Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

What it claims: "a perfectly glowing complexion and toned skin that lasts up to 16 hours". They mention special natural ingredients & "Fruit therapy". Apricot for radiance, melon for hydration, apple as antioxidant & ginger for energy"

My thoughts: The first thing I noticed about this foundation was the smell, quite nice & fruity! It applies easily and dries to a powdery soft matt finish.The coverage is medium to sheer. The healthy mix foundation lasts moderately well, but definitely doesn't live up to it's claims of 16hrs..

Pro's: Affordable (approx. €12 or £11), comes with a pump style bottle which makes it really easy to dispense the correct amount of product, gives medium to sheer coverage with nice semi matte finish & smells fruity.

Con's: Limited shade and colour collection (even though light beige does suit me but a little too "beige/yellowy" for my liking), not as long lasting as it promises, dries out after a few hours and needs re-application. The main con for me with this foundation is it's lack of SPF :(

♥ Revlon ColorStay Foundation (with SoftFlex & SPF15)

What it claims: "ColorStay makeup provides lightweight comfort, so you feel like you're not wearing make up, looks fresh for up to 16hrs, oil-free shine control, natural flawless look & transfer resistant"

My thoughts: I just love this foundation. The coverage of this liquid foundation is fantastic and leaves your skin feeling very smooth. Whilst providing heavy & full cover it never looks cakey and leaves you with a perfect flawless complexion! It also fully lives up to its claims...it lasts and lasts throughout the day! 

Pro's: Relatively cheap (€16 or £12) in comparison to some high end foundations, the foundation comes in many colours & has different formulations for your skin type including combination/oily & normal/dry skin, it has SPF 15 and provides amazing coverage and is long lasting.

Con's: No pump (but then again my MAC studio Fix doesn't have that either...), the smell is a little like paint on application but fortunately that fades pretty quickly once applied, the foundation dries incredibly quickly which does means you have to apply the foundation to the face in sections (or work super speedy to achieve the best flawless results).

So overall thoughts? Well I am happy to announce (like post title suggest) I am a Foundation Snob, NO MORE!! The Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation is OK but probably won't repurchase because I don't love love it. Revlon ColorStay on the other hand, I will definitely repurchase! I use this foundation almost just as much now as my MAC Studio Fix Fluid and think this will save me a bit of dosh. Because compared to paying €27 or £22 for a new bottle of my favourite MAC Foundation, I think the Revlon ColorStay foundation is almost a perfect dupe/replacement but at a much lower cost! This means a shared Holy Grail Status for MAC Studio Fix & Revlon ColorStay :)

Ps: Also I have to admit now that I have dabbled with experimenting with foundations I'm secretly quite keen to try out some other foundations....like NARS sheer glow perhaps?! Hehe

Are you PhotoReady?

Ever since Revlon PhotoReady Foundation came out several month's ago it hit the beauty blogosphere like crazy!  The foundation took a little bit longer to be launched here in little old NZ so am only finally catching up on the craze that has been surrounding this new foundation. I admit that I am normally a bit of a bore with my foundation. I found my holy grail foundation in MAC's Studio Fix and haven't really switched it up for years. 

I was always of the philosophy, if it works...why change it? However after reading SO many positive reviews on blogs & the idea of a perfect drug store foundation kind of  excited me...so I gave into the hype and headed for the Revlon counter! One of the assistants there colour matched me and suggested the 008 shade in golden beige.

It seemed a lot darker in the bottle than my (beloved) NC20 from MAC 

but it somehow still seemed to blend in well with my skin colour.

What does Revlon promise?

"Poreless, airbrushed skin in any light. 
Photochromatic pigments that bend and reflect light to erase every flaw. Complete, yet undetectable coverage. Soft luminous finish. 

Oil free, fragrance free and SPF 20."

So what do I think?

In terms of coverage and finish, Revlon's PhotoReady Foundation gives a medium coverage that is buildable. Personally don't think it will hide all your flaws but it will give you a nice medium coverage.  

The foundation comes with a great pump for practical and easy application. It  blends easily with fingertips or a stippling brush, which is my preferred way of applying liquid foundation for the most precise & smooth application.  

It gives a luminous, dewy finish but there is quite a bit of shimmer to the formula, which in the beginning made me a little anxious about looking too shimmery or "edward cullen like" as I already tend to wear quite a bit of shimmer on a daily basis from eyeshadows, blushes and highlighters. The shimmer in this foundation is supposed to make you look perfect in photo's but personally feel it doesn't make me that much more 'photo ready' than with my normal foundation...

Longevity? This was a real disappointment for me. What I love so much about my Studio Fix is that it lasts all day. Revlon PhotoReady however starts looking "blotchy" after a couple of hours on my skin with the need for me to re-apply or touch up more regularly with powder.

Overall? Hmmm am still a little undecided. I like how it feels light on my skin whilst still providing good medium coverage. I have gotten used to the shimmer and quite like it sometimes for a more luminous look. Plus it sells at a good price (about $25 cheaper than my MAC Studio Fix) for a quality product!

Final decision: I suppose I would say I really like it but I don't LURVE it. My HG will remain MAC Studio Fix. Would I re-purchase? Oh gosh, maybe! Indecisive much? haha :)

What are your thoughts on PhotoReady, would love to hear!

Touch of Mauve

NOTD: Revlon nail polish in Touch of Mauve

Natural Light

With flash/sunlight

This is one of my HG polishes that this elegant and perfect for everyday wear. I think it is more of a dusty nude/pink than mauve but I still love it :)