Review// Nivea Moisturising Primer

Ever since I saw this product advertised on TV a couple of months ago I have been dying to try it but I was waiting until my Nars primer was done so I could give it my full attention.

I generally don't believe in 2 in 1 products, so when I heard about a moisturiser that is also a primer I was sceptical but excited, becuase lets face it, that would kill two birds with one stone and certainly speed up the early morning make up routine.

As I have mentioned before, I cannot stress enough how important it is to moisturise in order to allow make up to do its job, I also cannot stress enough the importance of using a primer to allow make up to stay in place for as long as possible, I know soooo many girls who dont prime their face before applying make up and It is such a waste, this had the potential to be my dream product, and guess what, it is!

This product has everything you want from it, its light, it drys super fast, it leaves your skin feeling soft, it smells lovely, its cheap (compared to my usual Nars £25 primer) and it lasts.  I think the fact that it is a primer reminds me to use it every morning, I am no saint and there are mornings where I forget to moisturise or I simply dont have time but with this product it just sits with my make up and I never forget to use it, the fact that is dries so quickly is great because I can apply my make up just 5 minutes after I use it.

I got the dry skin version of this because over winter I felt like my face was a little drier than normal and it fixed this issue after about 3 uses which is great.

I am so happy with Nivea, they have always been my favourite brand for moisturisers and I am most definately going to recommend this product and continue to buy it, it has given me hope for 2 in 1 products once again.

This is a must have!!

Love Nicci xx

A Very Soap and Glory Christmas

I don’t know if this applies to everyone, but for me and my family there is always one thing we get every year at Christmas, no matter what.  For my mum its slippers from M&S, for my dad it’s a fancy new belt, for my brother its mint matchsticks and for me it’s a Soap and Glory gift set.  Guess who the spoilt one in the family is.

This year i have been to Boots various times to study the variety of gift sets on offer from the brand, which by the way I am so in love with, not only is the packing interesting and quirky but the actual products are amazing.  I have seriously grown to love the make up range also, which I intend to blog about in the future.

On my 5th trip to Boots, things got a little crazy as S+G only went and announced their annual HALF PRICE offer, so I rang Santa (my mum) and asked if my favourite gift had been purchased, when she said no I said "ok I will get it for myself because the excitement is too much for me to walk away".

Since I treated myself to this, I have decided it is my right to chose not to wait until Christmas morning to enjoy, so I present to you..my idea of heaven…

Soap and Glory, Best of All - The ultimate head-to-toe indulgence kit.  (*SCREAMS)// was £60, now £27

With 9 different products and numerous 2013 discount vouchers this amazingness is topped off by coming in a brilliant case, not unlike the one I got last year from the S+G, which is so good for storing all your beauty products and also for carrying all your stuff when going to a friends house to get ready.  The one I got two years ago was a hat box, surprisingly, I don't keep hats in it.

Inside the case you get, 

The Righteous Butter - body butter-   I have used this for 2 years now, its great.

Hand Food - Hand Cream -   So handy to keep in your handbag on at your desk in work

Sugar Crush- body scrub-   smells amazing and so good at exfoliating and removing old fake tan

Clean on me- shower gel-  I also use this as bubble bath

Smoothie Star- body milk -   I have not yet tried this, but it smells so good

Heel Genius- foot mask-   Il be honest, I hate feet so I give this to my mum every year

Peaches & Clean - cleansing milk-   again smells amazing, great at cleansing and removing make up 

Sexy Motherpucker -lip plumper in punch bowl -   I LOVE this, I have no lips so its great for me, I have only ever used nude so I am so glad to now have a new colour

Thick & Fast - super volume mascara-   SO excited to try this as I know the S+G make up range is good, I will be sure to blog about this.

I have pictured the three products I am most excited about using.

OK that was a chatty post, I am off to pamper myself silly….and I think you should too....go see more Soap and Glory gift sets here and treat yourself or someone you love who likes to share.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS xx

Review// Catwalk by TIGI Session Series Salt Spray

Festive picture.....love..

I have been a fan of salt spray for a while now, I have very fine and soft hair, which may sound like a good thing, but not for me, I like to wear my hair messy and texturised which for me is very hard to achieve, I like the effortless beach look and my hair is so naturally soft and straight it just doesn't stay.  I have tried a few different drug store salt products and many products that claim to give you the beach effect (I am addicted to dust it which I will blog about one day soon) but it is only now that I have found one I want to tell the world about.

I first heard about this salt spray from the lovely Zoella and when she described it as giving your hair "brilliant texture" I knew I had to buy it.  I got it from Feel Unique for about £13.50 which has actually turned out to be a bargain cause I use it most days and still have plenty left over one month on.  Its actually a little cheaper now, click here to buy.

Basically, it does 'exactly what it says on the tin' it adds lots of texture to your hair allowing you to achieve that beachy wave look, even when my hair is straight if I spray a little on and scrunch it in my hands it gives a nice messy effect.  

What I love most about this product is that it gives volume and texture without making your hair sticky or giving it that 'too much product used' look that I hate.  If i use it right on the root of my hair it has a similar affect to dust it powder.

I recommend this product to anyone with very straight hair who wants a disheveled/messy/beachy look without having to cut choppy layers.  I do not recommend it to anyone who wants that silky smooth shiny hair look.  Go on..Mess it up a little.

If you use this please let me know what you think via comment or Twitter, also I love TIGI so if you have any favourites from the brand share your thoughts. 

(Ive lost my 'Love Nicci' pic so.......

LOVE NICCI XX

Review // Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation 150 // Building the foundations

This is my final post - for now- on the current foundations I use religiously, and this one is about what I refer to as my 'party foundation'.  I call it this because it is my go-to foundation for any night out.

I came across Illamasqua about two years ago by accident in Debenhams, the concession visually looked very interesting so I stopped for a look and a nice sales girl talked me into trying a sample (I will never buy an expensive foundation without trying a sample for a week), I tried it that night which was a Saturday and happened to turn out very messy with me staying out until 6am Sunday morning, as I stubbled home from my night out I was pleasantly surprised to find my face still in tact.  I went back to the shop 2 days later to buy it, I was committed.

I am told this brand was originally used and loved by make up artists for stage performers, this immediately makes me think "if its used for the stage, it must be long lasting" and that thought would be correct.

I have never come across any foundation that stays in place for as long as this one.  The 'Rich Liquid Foundation' provides maximum long lasting coverage, this would make you think, like others that claim to do this, that it will look and feel very heavy, but surprisingly it doesn't at all.  It is light.

There are literally so many good aspects to this product that I could write forever.  It is a bargain compared to other high end foundations - just £25.00 for one bottle which will last at least 5/ 6 months- even if you use on a daily basis, the tiniest bit will cover your whole face. 

The consistency of this make up is like no other, its has a sort of 'paste like' feeling to it, which may not sound attractive but it is the only way I can think to describe what it does, you squeeze a tiny bit onto your finger or brush (i recommend using your fingers to apply to get the most from it) and apply to your face and you will see this tiny blob spread across your whole face literally making any blemishes vanish in an instant.  Sounds magic right? it feels magic too.

If you are a little scared by all this, Illamasqua do have an alternative called 'Light Liquid Foundation' which I have tried and is also great, it is a little less intense, but it just doesn't have the same wow factor as this one.

This foundation leaves you feeling and looking absolutely flawless for a long time, My personal tip would be when removing to wash your face twice as much as you normally would cause it can be harder to remove, which is expected if its going to keep you looking air-brushed all night.  

The Illamasqua website is brilliant, they always offer good discount to customers and when you order products they arrive in a sleek black box with shredded paper inside making it feel like a lovely little gift.  My next stop to the site will be to try their primer which I haven't yet done, the offer a great service called 'Create your own foundation set' which allows you to buy a primer and foundation together for a discounted price.

Cannot speak highly enough of my experience with this brand, I plan to keep purchasing and experimenting with the range.

To give a visual, the final picture I have attached is of my and my bestie Kim (who is an amazing fashion blogger that you can find at here) on a recent night out, it is an end of the night photo in a very sweaty hot club, believe me I had wiped my forehead various times and my foundation is still in place and looking acceptable, if i do say so myself.  Please note the dirty make up mark on my shoulder is not from my own face, I hugged someone not using a very good foundation :)

The proof is in the pudding!

PS.. I use number 150 as my shade, I have quite fair skin so it is pale but as it is my 'party foundation' the 150 is a little darker than my normal choice.

Nars // Sheer Glow Foundation in Fiji // Building the Foundations

I am quite new to Nars, unforgivable i know, I bought the foundation on a recent shopping trip to Manchester, and I have fallen in love, not only with the foundation, but with the brand.  I plan to blog about many more Nars products so watch this space.

This foundation does "exactly what it says on the tin", gives you a sheer glow.  As I said in my previous foundation post, my daily foundation is quite matte which I am a lover of but recently I have found myself craving the slight dewy look that some girls have, having slightly de-hydrated skin I have no hope of achieving this look naturally so when I found this foundation it was a match made in heaven.

Sheer glow is very light and feels like silk going on, Nars have done the impossible and created a light feeling foundation with full coverage that lasts the day.  I would recommend this foundation to anyone who's skin may not be tolerant enough for the heaviness of some others and anyone who wants a subtle glory satin finish look.  This product is £29.50 but is very worth it and will last around 3 months.

My own personal tip is to mix a little sheer glow in with any other foundation you may use for a certain occasion and zombie the best aspects of both.  For nights out I mix Sheer Glow with what I call my 'partying foundation' which I will blog about tomorrow.  

I am obsessed with primers, so while I was at Nars I decided to try one of theres.  For a few years I have been using Smashbox primer but it is very expensive so I decided to go for something different.  I got the Pro Prime- Multi-Protect Primer at £24.00.  First thing that stood out to be about it was that it looks and feels like a moisturiser, the primers I had been used to had more of a gel like appearance.

This primer is again really light, absorbs really quickly and feels like a moisturiser but it does everything a primer needs to, creates a smooth complexion and helps your make up to stay in place.  It is a great partner to the sheer glow foundation. 

To sum up, I think everyone should try this foundation, it is so worth the money and you will not be sorry.

look out for my final foundation post (for now) tomorrow on my favourite 'party foundation'.

Review // Estee Lauder // Building the Foundations - Part one...

I confess, I am a little obsessed with foundation, I own 6, and each one I use for different occasions.  I don’t do this because I am insane, I do this because I genuinely believe that it is impossible to find one foundation for everything.  I am also a major cheerleader for primer and if you do not use primer then shame on you.

Since I put so much time into my own foundation routine I thought it only fair to share my thoughts on the products with you as they are some of the most popular foundations available.

As I have to many to get through, and long blog posts are not attractive, I am going to do each one separately, starting with my most loved and most used.

Estee Lauder // Double Wear in Bone 17

This is my every-day ‘work’ make up.  That may shock some people, as double wear is thought to be very heavy and bad to wear every day but I think that’s a myth, I have been using it as an every day foundation for 5 years now and I am yet to find any foundation that can beat it.  Double Wear is so durable and does not come off your face, I leave work and it is the same as when I arrived.  I use a very light colour called ‘Bone’ as I have very fair skin but the brand has such a large range of colours that you will never be stuck for one to match your skin tone.

Although it is pretty expensive, at £26.00 per bottle, it really does last a long time, you only need to use a tiny bit as it spreads well, one bottle usually lasts me roughly 3-4 months.

Double Wear is also quite a matte foundation, which I love, but there is the odd time I want more of a glow that I cannot get from highlighters, in this case I use Estee Lauder Spotlight Skin Tone Perfector.  This is not to be mistaken for a primer, it simply goes on before or after your foundation to add a little glow to it.  Perfect.

The only downside to double wear is I find that on nights out it reflects in photographs so I have a brown neck (from my tan) and a very white face.  It is for this reason that I don’t use it as my ‘going out’ make up, otherwise I would as it would be sure to stay on all night.

To sum up, I have been around in the foundation world and I ALWAYS come back to Double Wear.  If you have fair skin and hate when your foundation goes a little orange looking, Bone 17 is perfect, this will make you flawless.

Click here to see the full range of Estee lauder foundations and more Double Wear.

Review // Boots Botanics Radiant Youth Replenishing Night Cream

First rule of beauty, moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!! 

I feel like sometimes people don’t realise the importance of this, even if you were born with perfectly hydrated skin that never dries out (poor you), you can never under estimate the power of moisturising and its ability to make your make-up sit perfectly.  I have friends who tell me they cannot find a good foundation because most will wear off or go blotchy, I tell them it is probably not the foundation, its their lack of moisturiser.

This brings me to my next point, night cream., this is a 'must have' for every girl.  The reason I choose a night cream over a day cream is simply because I think its less hassle.  I am very impatient and also not a very good morning person, so to wake up every morning, apply day cream and wait the recommended 10 minutes for it to absorb into my skin before I apply my make up is just not going to happen.

With a night cream, I add it to my bedtime routine, applying it just before I go to sleep and leaving it for a whole 8 hours to sink it and make me beautiful.

On a recent trip to boots I was on the hunt for a new night cream and I decided I wanted to try to spend as little as possible, with using the cream so often it’s not nice to have to fork out £20 each time, this brought me to the Boots Botanics range.

Now I KNOW the product I have chosen is recommended for ‘mature skin’ and to help wrinkles, which at 26, I should not have to worry about yet, but my thinking is, why not start early?  It couldn’t hurt right?  It was the only night cream in the range in stock, so I got my granny on for the day.

The first thing that attracted me was the price.  I cannot remember the exact price but I think it was around the £4.95 mark, bargain! Looking online, it says this cream is £6.99, perhaps it was on offer in my local Boots or I got a smaller tub, either way, the price is not too shabby and very much worth it.

The second thing was that it is all natural.  When it comes to using a cream on my face every day, I think natural is best, you don’t want to spend your life rubbing chemicals into your face, the Botanics range is great for this.  This particular cream is “enriched with protective ginko”- I assume some sort of plant.

I have been applying this every night before bed for over a week now, and I can officially give it the thumbs up.  It smells amazing without being perfumed, in fact, it actually smells natural, which may sound weird but if you try this you will know what I mean, you can smell the plant effect of it and it gives you a sense of reassurance that this is natural product you are using.

The cream goes on really smoothly and dries in really quickly, also it spreads well so you don’t have to use very much each night.  The big test for me was waking up in the morning to see if it had left my skin oily or greasy.  I have had this happen with various brands of night cream before, I would wake up and touch my skin and my finger would slide down it, (so sexy) but this time the cream had fully absorbed and my skin felt normal, just a little softer.

This night cream is light, smells nice, all- natural, cheap and left my skin soft and of course wrinkle free :)  I recommend it to anyone who wants to stay moisturised and free of dry skin this winter.

For the full Botanics range click here.

If you have anything you would like me to review, leave a comment and let me know.