17 BB Blemish Balm [Reformulated]

I'm going to start this post by saying that, in general, I'm not a fan of western style BB creams. To me they appear to be glorified tinted moisturisers and I don't think they really offer any long term skincare benefits. Most of the BB creams I've tried have been disappointing in terms of shade, coverage or texture. 

I'm not quite sure what possessed me to purchase the newly reformulated BB cream from 17 but I've been trying it out for the past three weeks or so and I'm pleased to report that I don't hate it. I have the shade Medium which is a tiny bit too light for me but Medium Dark was too dark. The shade range isn't huge (there are three shades available) but it's an improvement on the 'one-shade-fits-all' option several other brands offer.

17 claim that their blemish balm is a wonder product; a make up/skincare hybrid that will even skin tone, cover imperfections, control oil, offer SPF 25 and improve skin within four weeks. I think they got a bit ahead of themselves here because whilst it does somewhat even out my skintone and cover minor imperfections, it's certainly not a miracle product. Some of you might appreciate the higher level of SPF too but I live in Glasgow and the sun doesn't visit often. Overall I didn't notice any improvement in my skin from using this and I don't think it controls oil particularly well either.

I've tried applying this product with my fingers but found that it didn't offer a great deal of coverage when used that way. I prefer to work it into the skin with a buffing brush. My skin is combination/oily and I find that if I don't set this with a powder it starts to move around and slide off after a couple of hours. As I said previously, this product doesn't offer a great deal of oil control but it doesn't look greasy on the skin either. The finish is on the dewy side but nothing a little powder can't fix if you prefer to look more matte. I used concealer on the areas that I felt needed more coverage.

All in all, I actually quite like this product. I wouldn't recommend it if you have very oily skin, a lot of blemishes or if you want a really flawless finish. If you take 17's claims with a pinch of salt and consider this product more like a tinted moisturiser, I think you'll be impressed. 

The 17 BB Blemish Balm (every time I write that I think it sounds like something that would give you spots...) is available in Boots stores and online for £6.99.

Do you have any thoughts on this product or BB creams in general?

Stace xx

NOTD: L'Oreal Color Riche in You Are Worth It

Another L'Oreal Color Riche NOTD...I apologise! I received this one a little gift with purchase set and to be honest, it's not a shade I'd typically go for. You Are Worth it is a medium grey shade with slight blue undertones and a creme finish.

I like the Color Riche line of polishes because they're small (a mere 5ml compared to 15ml from OPI or 13.5ml from Essie) so I might actually get through an entire bottle and because despite their dinky size, they have a nice wide brush which means they're easy to apply.

The other polishes from the range that I've tried have all been on the thin side formula-wise so I was surprised at how thick You Are Worth It was. I could have got away with applying just one coat because it was so opaque and even but I always feel weird doing that so added a second. I used it over my usual Revlon ColorStay base coat and put some Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat on top. As you can probably see, it looks a lot more blue on the nails than it does in the bottle. I'm not entirely sure that it suits my skin tone but it could look nice on someone with cooler undertones.

L'Oreal Color Riche polishes are priced at £4.99 (but can often be found in 3 for 2 deals) anywhere L'Oreal is sold. 

What do you think?

Stace xx

Worth The Hype? NUXE Reve de Miel Lip Balm

A couple of months ago everyone seemed to be raving about this product. The NUXE Reve de Miel lip balm subsequently went to the top of my wish list and I finally purchased it last month.

The balm is priced at £9.50 on feelunique.com which I think is pretty reasonable as I've tried other balms which were more expensive but contained less product. I also think the packaging is really nice even if the heavy glass jar isn't particularly travel friendly. 

Aside from the packaging the first thing I noticed about the Reve de Miel balm was its scent. It smells delicious. Some reviews I've read say it smells like Terry's Chocolate Orange and it kind of does but with a bit more orange and a bit less chocolate. I expected it to smell like honey (which I don't particularly like) so I was a little surprised. 

I couldn't wait to try it so I popped some on my lips immediately and I have to say I was a tad disappointed. It felt so...chalky. I can't compare the texture to anything else I've tried because it's so different. I was expecting it to feel creamy and luxurious. That being said, once the product reacts with the heat of my lips it feels a bit less uncomfortable and the matte texture does work well under lipsticks. Because the Reve de Miel balm isn't slippery it lasts for a long time on the lips so it's a nice one to use at night time. I think a lot of men would also like this product because it's not glossy at all. 

So, is the NUXE Reve de Miel balm worth the hype?

I'm in two minds about this one. I think it's a nice product and it's something I will use but for some reason I'm struggling to love it due to the texture. I don't think it necessarily deserves all of the hype it's received but it's still worth a try if you're a lip balm fiend like me.

Have you tried this product? Do you think it lives up to the hype?

Stace xx

How To: Make the most of a sample

It would be lovely if all product samples came in easy to use pots or tubes but sadly they don't and I'm sure I'm not the only beauty addict out there who has been harboring a stash of sachets. It's frustrating because the sachets often contain enough product for two or three uses (even more if it's an eye cream) but they're so fiddly that most of them end up in the bin after one use. No one wants an open sachet of foundation lying around, do they?

I was at an Estee Lauder counter one day when the assistant asked me if I wanted to try their new BB cream. I said that I'd love to and was presented with twenty sachets of the stuff and an apologetic "sorry, we're out of sample pots." Whilst I did want to try the product, the faff of using all those little sachets was putting me off. One day I finished up a face cream (a sample, actually!) and had a tiny brainwave. So, I sat down with my twenty sachets of BB cream and squeezed them into the pot. It was so much more convenient to use from a pot and since still have plenty of the BB cream left (it's a bit too light for me in summer), I look forward to using up the rest at my leisure. 

The moral of the story is that if you want to make the most of your sample sachets you should decant them into a pot. It works best if you have a couple of sachets of the same product or if you have an eye cream sample. Bear in mind that there's no point using this method if the sachets you have only contain one use.

What you'll need:

Sachet(s) of product

A clean pot - big enough to hold the amount of product in the sachets

Scissors

What you won't need: 

A nosy cat who tries to pinch everything...

Here I'm putting a 1ml sample of L'Oreal True Match foundation into a 7ml Clinique eye cream sample pot. I actually already have this foundation (and quite like it) so I reckon I'll get about three uses from this sample. This is probably not the best example for me to use but it was just what I had to hand.

I really recommend using this technique with eye creams; I had a 2ml sample of one from Comfort Zone and when it was in a pot I got about three weeks' use out of it. Always remember to keep the little pots for new samples, too!

I hope this was useful for some of you. If you have any tips on how to make the most of samples, leave them in the comments.

Stace xx

Budget Beauty Essential: Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturiser

I've been meaning to start a 'budget beauty essentials' series for a while; it's going to include relatively cheap products that I always repurchase or have on hand. One of the first products that came to mind was this Clean & Clear Dual Action moisturiser.

This has to be my sixth or seventh tube of this product so I definitely consider it to be an essential. I'm not a skincare snob but I have to admit that I'd never considered trying a Clean & Clear moisturiser until Miss Budget Beauty raved about this one. 

If I get a spot or feel that my skin isn't looking its best I reach for this moisturiser. I usually apply a thick layer after cleansing in the evenings, concentrating on the areas where my skin is most break-out prone. If I feel that my skin is still a bit dry I apply a different moisturiser later, before going to bed. It's very lightweight so I can use a thin layer in the mornings under my make up if I want to. 

If you're someone who has blemish-prone skin I'd definitely recommend trying this product. I wouldn't recommend moisturising exclusively with this because it's probably not hydrating enough, particularly if you have any dry areas on your face. I should also point out that that this moisturiser probably won't make a huge difference to your skin if you have quite bad acne.

You can pick up a tube of Clean & Clear Dual Action moisturiser from anywhere Clean & Clear is sold. It's usually around £3 and often part of a 3 for 2 or two for £4 deal. I've looked on the Boots website and the packaging looks different; I bought this tube a fortnight ago and every tube I've purchased over the last couple of years has had the same packaging so I don't know what's going on!

Do you have a favourite drugstore moisturiser/skincare product? Let me know what it is!

Stace xx