Elvive Nutri Gloss Intensive Shine Masque

The pot contains 300ml of product, definitely not travel size!

The product itself

Price I Paid

This product was £5.19 and contains about 30 applications in my opinion.

Design

The pot is quite big although it was filled to the brim with the product and therefore very good value!  What i particularly like is the way that the lid clicks when it is properly shut so you know that it is secure and won't leak or dry out.

Colour

The masque is light pink which makes it quite an appealing girly product although it does not look very natural but that didn't worry me.

Texture

It is VERY thick so you probably need just a couple of blobs of this product.  My hair is quite fine though so  if you have long, thick hair you would probably need a bit more.  I left the masque on just the ends of my hair for a few minutes after shampooing my hair in replacement of my usual conditioner. It is very moisturising and my hair is fine, dry and coloured but it can get greasy easily if I use a very heavy product on it so I found this perfect as it washes out easily after use.  This product did give my hair a great boost but I have limited myself to using it only once a week because it does leave a very slight moisturising residue that is hard to fully rinse out and this would build up too much if used daily.  I find this residue continues to nourish my very dry hair after my shower but this product is probably unsuitable for very thick oily hair as the fact that it does not fully rinse out and that would add to the problem.

Smell

I can't quite work out what the smell is it is a little fruity, possibly raspberry?

Ingredients

Contains real natural oils rather than just silicones which is great for moisturising! It also claims to contain pearl protein which loreal claim "penetrates the hair to targeted care for the hair fibre."  I don't think this really has any meaning to it although pearl protein is used in certain hair loss treatments so there must be some science to it!

Overall Reaction 

I really like this masque, it is ideal for my hair type and makes my hair much softer than it usually is.

For me, I would rate this product 9/10

Avon Spiced Wine Pro Luscious Pout Lipstick/Gloss Top Coat with Mirror Review and Swatches

Avon spiced wine bullet lipstick and lid with gloss and mirror

Application

Effect of lightly running a finger across the lipstick

Swatches of the lipstick and gloss on my arm 

Price I Paid

The pot with the lip gloss was limited edition and I bought it for £4 although this edition can still be found in clearance magazines.  The lipstick spiced wine can still be bought online just without the gloss.

Design

The lipstick is conveniently shaped and to create a defined lip line and I think the idea of a small mirror in the lid is great for checkups.  The gloss in the lid is also a great idea in theory as well!

Colour

I really like the colour of this red as it is exactly as the title described, more of a wine colour rather than a ketchup red.  The gloss is very glittery and the colour does not match up with the red at all, I really don't understand the point of it with this lipstick colour which is probably why they have discontinued the gloss part of this.

Texture

The lipstick is really creamy and does not dry out my lips although this is a really tricky colour to keep in place especially if I plan to eat or drink anything while out.  It smudges incredibly easily and as I have quite long hair I find I end up with streaks smeared all over my face after a few mins.  The gloss is very sticky and glittery and it is impossible to apply over the lipstick without smearing it all everywhere rendering it completely useless.  I have not worn this lipstick since the day I bought it because although I really like the colour I ended up looking ridiculous while I was out because it smudged and stained my skin and this staining wouldn't come out with water so I ended up giving up on it and carefully wiping it all off.

Smell

No particular smell at all.

Ingredients

Avon products are often quite harsh on the skin so if you have very sensitive I would be careful of this product as I found the formula stains skin.

Overall Reaction

I really like the colour but the formula of this lipstick is a real pain.

I would score this product 1/10

Clean and Clear dual action moisturiser

Price I Paid

£3.59

Design

A pretty basic cheap bottle, not too exciting.  I found the wording fades very quickly if you leave it on a shelf in sunlight.

Colour

White, easily goes clear when spread out on face.

Texture

Quite a thin liquid, has lasted me a reasonable time although I do only use it on occasion.  This product is oil free which is great if you need to moisturise but have skin that is prone to breakouts.  It does not provide alot of moisture so for my slightly dry skin it doesn't help too much but it is very light and definitely not greasy.  My skin is generally quite clear now I am 21 but sometimes I use this when I have used an oily product on my face during the day and don't want to use a thick moisturiser after taking it off.

Smell

Unperfumed, but it smells a bit like rubber which I don't really like.

Ingredients

No offencive ingredients.  None that are notably good for skin either, or that prevent spots.  I think of it as a moisturiser that wouldn't aggravate spot prone skin rather than something that actively prevents them.

Overall Reaction

This product is okay, I wouldn't bother to repurchase it.  Although for the cheap price, it pretty much does do what it says on the bottle.

I would score this product 5/10

Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser

Price I Paid
This is a 30ml trial version of the product, however the full size product is 125ml and retails for £22.

Design

A squeezy bottle that makes it easy to dispense a small amount of product at a time.  Would look smart on a shelf.

Colour

The product is a pearlescent white.

Texture

The cleanser is very thick so only a tiny amount was needed to cover my face a pea sized amount was perfect.  The trial size has lasted me about three months which is good. When you splash your face with water it turns into a thin foam that easily washes away.  I was very impressed with this product because it left my skin squeaky clean, and i mean squeaky!!  It also removed the last of my makeup/ leftover makeup remover.  Only negative is this product slightly stings if you accidentally get it in your eyes so be careful.  Another thing to note is that after thoroughly cleaning all the natural oils etc off your face, it is important to moisturise properly soon after.

Smell

Smells very fresh quite a mineral smell rather than flowers or citrus.

Ingredients

White Water Lily - Known for skin calming properties as the roots contain a kind of mild steroid that would act as an anti-inflammatory.

Senega - A white flower, although it is the roots that are used in some traditional  Chinese medicines known to reduce stress and calm the skin.

Barberry - This is the berry of a thorny shrub.  After some research I think that the main benefit of this ingredient is antibacterial properties.  

Overall Reaction

I really like this product, it is a little pricey although I think it would be worth it as a product to use every few days that really deeply cleans your skin.

I would rate this product 9/10

Benefit Dr Feelgood velvety complextion balm - review

The tin lid, product and sponge

Price I Paid

I paid £13 for this product as an offer on asos.com although it usually retails for £22 and I have never seen it reduced before this.

Design

The tin has quite a flirty design on the front I guess to implicate that it makes your skin irresistibly soft.  It is quite a large tin in order to encorporate the sponge, so is in actual fact only half full of the product.  The sponge is completely useless and I actually think is quite unhelpful because this is a product you apply over makeup so the sponge ends up covered in what you have already put on and smears it all round your face.

Colour

In the tin it looks white, and I found if I don't rub it in properly it creates a kind of white film over my makeup.

Texture

I am not very keen on the texture of this product to be honest.  Although it is supposed to make your skin look flawless, it actually makes my slightly dry skin a bit flakey.  It does however absorb oil so if I apply it to the parts of my face that get slightly oily it does a great job.  I think this is the perfect product for someone who does not use alot of makeup who has oily skin and wants to stop shine.  I would imagine it would also be great for preventing makeup running in hot countries so I will update you after my next holiday!

Smell

Smells of lemon, not too strong and after a few mins no scent at all.

Ingredients

Contains vitamins A, C and E.

Overall Reaction

Personally I don't really see much point in this product, it has probably been a bit of a waste of £13.  Although I may feel the "benefit" of it on hot holidays and raise this score in the future.
Overall i would rate this product 2/10.

**********update**********

I have just come home from a holiday in Mallorca where it was 30+ degrees centigrade.  Initially I thought that this product might be good for hot countries but now I know this is not the case.  I tried it out on a night out there and it was a disaster. I ended up wiping all my foundation off and having to try and re-apply it without the balm and after a few drinks, using a tiny mirror in the toilets of a club.   A completely useless product that is destined for the bin!

Bourjois 1 seconde Gel polish in Coral - Review

The bottle

The brush

Polish after 3 days of wear

Price I Paid

I paid £5.99 for this polish although at the time there was a "spend £12 get a free blusher deal" on so i bought a few things and got the free gift that I will review later.

Design

The design of the bottle is good, I like the long pointed lid because it makes it very easy to control the brush attached.

The reason this polish is called 1 seconde is because the brush is shaped in a way that makes it easy to paint polish on your nail in one second.

Colour

It is quite a nice peachy orange, it isn't too bright and garish so goes with most outfits.  It has a hint of gold shimmer which makes the colour perfect for summer.  Unfortunately because the polish is so thick the sparkles do slightly sink to the bottom as it is drying so they are very subtle.  It is not as shiny as some polishes which i think is a shame as it would really finish of the look but it could easily be coated with a shiny top coat.  There are a few colours in the Bourjois gel polish range although currently they are limited to about 7/8 quite strange colours such as yellow and bright gold which I think is a shame although i'm sure they will bring out a better selection soon enough.

Texture

Although the gel title gives the impression that it has something to do with the uv cured nails you might get at a salon, what it means is that polish is much thicker than their usual range of polishes.  This consistency does make it a bit harder to apply but the handy brush makes up for it.  It claims to dry in about 50 seconds and it is touch dry in that time but after doing two layers i have found it needs about 30 mins to actually be dry enough to go about day to day activities without damage.  Probably best to put this on during your favourite tv show and by the end it would probably be dry.  Although this drying time is a bit annoying I do normally do my own actual gel nails and therefore I found the thickness of this gel to be a real positive.  Normally my manicures stay on for about 3 weeks so it was refreshing to find a polish that has lasted 3 days with only one minor chip and can be left on for around 7 days with only the odd touchup.

Smell

Smells quite strongly for a nail varnish, definitely keep the window open or polish your nails outside after using this one.

Ingredients

I know very little about the ingredients but Bourjois is owned by Chanel and both are well established brands.  Therefore i would think that the ingredients in the products have been thoroughly tested for skin reactions etc.

Overall Reaction

This polish has incredible staying power, just a shame there aren't better colours!!

9/10

Avon Ultra Colour Rich Brilliance Lipstick Berry Glitz - Swatch and Review

 The lipstick itself



Swatch on my hand of the colour

What the colour looks like on me

Price I Paid

£4.00 on offer half price.  RRP £8.  Avon always have offers on their products so I have never bought any full price it is better to wait a month and buy it when it is on offer as I found there are deals on each product every other week.

Design

A slightly strange title of "ultra colour rich brilliance lipstick," i don't think it required so many adjectives.  The container is very smart and feels reasonably high quality.  The pink colour makes it easy to find in a handbag which is good because I carry around some huge bags and things always get lost in them. I feel like Mary Poppins whenever I fully empty them because I find loads of things I had completely forgotten about.

One issue I had with this product is that there isn't very much of it on the stick and compared to other more expensive brands and it gets used up very quickly.  Although for the £4 price i paid still think it is good value.

Colour

It is often better to test avon products by finding a representative and trying out their samples. or look up swatches of them online before purchase because the colour swatches online and often in the catalogues almost never match up properly to the actual product!

This colour is a really pretty pink, I think the colour title "berry glitz" is a bit misleading because it is a slightly darker than bubblegum pink so i'm not sure what berries they would be talking about!  What i really like about it is that it has a little glitter in it, not a tacky amount but enough just to add a real shine to your lips.  The glitter is kind of mirrored but seems to reflect pinks and blues, which I really like in a lipstick because blue hues tend to make teeth look whiter which is an added bonus!

Texture

The texture is what I love most about this lipstick.  It glides on very easily and really moisturises unlike alot of other lipsticks so it is perfect for dry lips and i used it almost every day during winter.    Another positive is that it wears off evenly, although it does only last two or three hours for me and wouldnt survive a whole meal.

Smell

Doesn't smell of anything really perhaps very slightly flowery.

Ingredients

Contains vitamin E and jojoba oil which gives it it's moisturising properties.

Overall Reaction

I really like this lipstick as daywear, only downside is that it gets used up quite quickly and there isn't alot to begin with so i would not want to spend the £8 on it. 

Paying £4 for this product i would score it 9/10