Rituals Sensational Soft Cleanser // Review

Rituals is one of those brands which I have heard a lot of rave reviews about, and has a sort of 'aspirational' edge to it. Therefore when I found myself in need of a new cleanser, it was one of the first brands I checked out. I was surprised that this Sensational Soft Cleanser was only £11.50 from Feel Unique, so I snapped it up!

This is a gel to oil cleanser which you massage onto dry skin, and then wash off with warm water. On your skin this feels super luxurious and soft, and it melts your makeup off instantly. I mentioned in my haul video that I didn't think it was great at taking off makeup, and I would like to retract that, as after more uses I actually think it does a wonderful job! However, it isn't good at removing some of my eyeliners and mascaras, and does irritate my eyes. So it is not an all-in-one makeup removing cleanser! The fragrance is very subtle and inoffensive, and claiming to contain 'calming botanical extracts', this feels very gentle on your skin, and also does seem to reduce some of the redness on my face that tends to crop up when I remove my makeup. I follow this up with my No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream, and my skin feels clean, refreshed, plumped up and soo, so soft. I do find washing it off an annoying hassle, but overall this product is simply lovely!

Dainty Doll [on the cheap] // Haul & Review

L-R : Blusher in My Girl //  Lipstick in Storm in a Teacup // Lipstick in Saucy Sailor // Blusher in You Are My Sunshine

So something is up with Dainty Doll. There are epic reductions to be had across the whole range on the internet, and having read this blog post about this, I decided I needed to take full advantage of this, being the pale girl that I am! I purchased these 4 beauties for £1.99 each from fragrancedirect.co.uk , which is a reduction of about £12 per item. I am still in shock at the price of these to be quite honest! The website also delivered in good time, and had fair p&p pricing, so I think I got all this for around the £10 mark.

Now I have never tried Dainty Doll before, which may surprise you as I am a very pale girl, and this range by Nicola Roberts is tailored precisely for girls like me. But to be honest the price always put me off. However I can now fully vouch for the quality of the brand, and that it is worth it!
Starting with the lipsticks, I chose a deep but bright true red in the form of Saucy Sailor, and the muted grey-brown toned nude of Storm in a Teacup. The actual colour of the red is almost my perfect shade. The consistency is nice, if not a little dry.

However I have not had a proper use of it yet, so I can't comment wholly! On the other hand Storm in a Teacup has fast become my favourite lipstick! It is the perfect nude for me! It is pigmented enough to erase the pinkiness of my lips, which tend to shine through most nudes and looks really odd. The finish is super glossy, and the cool tones are really flattering. A definite win!

Moving onto the blushes, I am overwhelmed by the pigmentation of this cheeky pair! I tried My Girl for the first time and packed it on with my blusher brush as per usual, and was alarmed by the line of pure pink on my cheek! ahaha A gentle hand and only a little product is needed in future! hahaha. My Girl is a pale bubblegum pink with a slight shimmer through it. It is very pretty, and cool toned, which is very flattering on my pale skin. However it also worked well dusted over my bronzed cheeks and looked super natural! You Are My Sunshine is plugged as a peach, but I would say it is a peach-toned pink with gold shimmer. I haven't had a proper run of this yet, but it just as pigmented as My Girl. It is a super pretty colour which is definite dupe of Benefit's Bella Bamba, which coincidentally is my favourite blusher for evening looks! Therefore I have high hopes ;)

Anyway have you tried any of Dainty Doll's range? Will you be saddened if it is discontinued?

Mac Fix+ // Review

Mac Fix+ : £13.50
 for 100ml 

Mac Fix+ is a product which I had been lusting over for literal months, to the extent that when my birthday rolled around at the end of January, my gorgeous housemate knew exactly what to get me! 'Fix+' as a name is misleading as this is certainly not a fixing spray, or a sort of 'hairspray-for-the-face' product. What is is, is a "skin refresher/ finishing mist". This means that when you spray it on a clean face your skin feels refreshed and if you spritz it over makeup your makeup appears to sit better on your face, and look overall better applied.

What I love about this product is how it really helps to create really dewy skin, whilst making your skin feel fresh and not at all weighed down with products. It also smells lovely, light and fresh, and it feels beautiful on bare skin. I cannot claim that it makes your makeup last any longer than it would do without it, but it does boost your makeup and finish it off wonderfully. Overall I have been loving this over the past 2 months, and would thoroughly recommend it, as it is a real makeup-pick-me-up product!

Barry M Textured Nail Effect // Review

Barry M recently brought out this range of 'textured effect' nail varnishes, and I couldn't resist trying one of them out! This is in 304 Atlantic Road, which is a pale cornflower blue with aqua undertones, I'd say. The colour is super pretty and makes me feel all spring-ful, even if the weather refuses to be so! haha. The other three colours are a really pretty pastel pink, a pale pastel yellow and another, paler blue which wasn't in store, but is online. The colours are also beautiful, but I don't reckon I would buy them because I personally don't think I need any more than one textured nail effect varnish in my collection. But that is just me!

The effect itself is really cool, and I do really like it. It dries to create a gritty texture which is also opaque with two coats. The effect is subtle enough to be wearable and stylish, but is also interesting and different. The finish is also matte, which is what you would expect, however I am tempted, if I'm honest, to apply a clear topcoat to seal the texture in and add a little glossiness.

Whilst I only bought this yesterday (for £3.99 from Boots) so therefore cannot comment on the lasting power, it feels durable on my nails. I don't think it will flake off easily, as the texture makes it feel strong. However if this proves wrong I will tell you :P For the price though I am definitely loving this nail varnish!

BTW this is my 50th post on this blog! :D yay! Thank you so much for reading (and following..? haha) it really does mean a lot xxx

Mac Studio Sculpt // Review

Mac Studio Sculpt has been my go-to foundation since the New Year, and I honestly can't believe it has taken me this long to review it! I have it in shade NC15, and I must say it is the perfect match!

The formulation is thick but extremely blend-able, and there is no chance of a tell-tale tide line or any other forms of foundation 'obvious-ness' (as long as the shade is a true match!). The coverage is probably medium, and it leaves a semi-dewy finish which is super lovely. I tend to buff this in using the real techniques buffing brush, and place over the L'Oréal Paris Lumi Magique Primer to really take full advantage of the lovely dewiness of the foundation itself.

At £24, it is certainly not cheap, but the quality is outstanding, and you only really have to use a pea-sized amount to cover the whole face, so it will last a good long while. Also it works effortlessly with my dry skin; not clinging to dry patches or drying the skin out more. All in all this is my favourite foundation that I have ever used! I would highly recommend!

I used it in my latest video, so if you want to check out more about it / what it looks like watch below:

Hair Oils: Love// Like// Hate

Moroccanoil: £30.45 // Mythic Oil: £13.95 // Coconut Milk: £5.99

Okay, so hair oils have been floating around the beauty world for about a year or so now, and if you have't already worked them into your general hair-care routine, do so now! They will revolutionize your life, trust me.

I have naturally very thick, wild and frizzy hair, which I have also damaged a hell of a lot over the years from bleaching, dying, heat styling and backcombing, and using Moroccanoil has made the most difference to the manageability of my hair. I first bought this last year, and instantly fell in love. The oil smooths onto the hair easily, with a few pumps covering my entire head. It absorbs fairly quickly and smells lovely! The main advantage that I have found is that it eradicates frizz, defines my natural curls and makes my hair look a whole lot healthier. Also it can be used as a treatment, so you know that it is helping to heal at the same time as all those other lovely benefits! After trying (and for the most part failing) to find a cheaper alternative that is just as good, I recently repurchased, and whilst it is a little expensive, I believe you can't afford not to have it, and I will definitely be repurchasing 'till kingdom come! I really think you do get what you pay for here :)

On the cheaper side, is a product that I have liked a lot over the past few months, but just isn't quite as good as Moroccanoil. L'Oreal Professionel's Mythic Oil has more of a serum consistency, and does do much of the same job, except to a lower standard. Judging it without trying to compare it, I would say that it is a very good hair product for after-shower hair prep. However when it comes to maintaining my hair, it isn't amazing and starts to leave a greasy looking residue. I have used most of the bottle though, and for the price I do think it is a very lovely product!

Okay so Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk is technically an 'anti-breakage serum' not oil, but it lists, very overtly, the inclusion of coconut oil in the formula, and this is why I have put is next to these two 'genuine' oils. First up I would like to comment that the smell of this is divine, and I will keep the product purely for if I want to maybe put the tiniest amount on the ends of my hair just to smell it. Apart from the smell however, I hate this product. The consistency is definitely serum standard, but even for a serum is uber sticky and a little doesn't go very far, as opposed to my beloved Aussie serums. As soon as you put it in your hair it looks greasy, weighed down and lank. It feels like it is not doing anything to help 'nourish your hair', as it claims to do. I would really not recommend this serum / oil / hair product whatever you want to call it! I bought it blind, which is something I never normally do, as I usually am a slave to reading reviews, but I love coconut oil (I used to plaster pure coconut oil on my hair during the height of it's damage) and the brand really caught my eye. I am severely disappointed in this product and shan't buy any more of Organix's products  unless I hear some fantabulous reviews!

All in all I would recommend Moroccanoil and Mythic Oil, and the range in price there means that depending on funds, I will be repurchasing both :)

No7 'Beautiful Skin' for Dry/ Very Dry Skin: Product Review

No7 Beautiful Skin for Dry/ Very Dry skin: Cleansing Balm £9 // Day Cream £12.50

No7 is one of those brands that I have forever ignored. I think this is mainly because it is essentially a 'Boots own brand', but is not cheap, and the money off tokens that you often get at the checkout don't lead to free products, and this annoyed me. Silly me indeed!

However I recently made the decision to switch up my skincare routine, as I had grown to hate my moisturizer, and buying 2 packs of face wipes a month was starting to seem excessive. I also knew there was a cleansing world beyond all-in-one face wipes, and felt it was time to explore! Therefore when perusing the skincare aisles in boots I kept being drawn to these products. Specifically because it claims to be made specifically for dry/ very dry skin, which is a skin type that is often ignored by skincare brands.

I picked up the cleansing balm a few weeks ago and fell in love, it applies like a moisturizer and quickly dissolves all makeup, which you then wipe off. I also love the fact that it leaves my skin feeling soft and nourished, as if I have applied a moisturizer! Therefore, as I knew that I desperately wanted to replace my moisturizer I decided to try out the day cream of the same range, which retails at £12.50, but, having a sudden fit of savvy-ness, I got for £7 because of a £5 off No7 skincare voucher I had got when I bought the original cleansing balm! Yay me ahaha.

The day cream is very thick, but doesn't feel heavy on my skin, which just drinks it up. There is no greasy residue and my skin feels super soft and nourished, and sort of 'plumped up'. The main description for the range is making your skin behave like normal skin, and I can honestly say I totally get that from using these two products together. My usually difficult skin feels completely normal, and I put that down to these products! They also have a night cream in the range, which I may test out in the future, but for the moment I am happy just using these :)

Have you tried any of the No7 Skincare products? The 'Beautiful Skin' range has specific products for all kinds of skin -type, and I am sure they are just as good. I am starting to think I should test out some of their makeup, as I think it is probably very high quality!


This is the moisturizer that I used in my Every Day Makeup for Pale Skin video. If you haven't already checked it out, please do, and don't forget to like and subscribe! Thank you for reading x