Eve Lom Morning Time cleanser and Cleansing Balm!!!

I received the Morning Time Cleanser and the cult Cleansing  Balm and included muslin cloth, to review for brownbeautytalk.com. I’ll start with the Morning Time Cleanser; it’s supposed to be a lighter version of the cleansing balm to be used in the morning to wake the skin up. It’s a 2 minute wash off balm and uses 4 of Eve Lom’s signature aromatic cleansing oils; Clove oil which is anti-septic, Eucalyptus Oil that helps to drain away toxins, Hops oil tones and Egyptian Chamomile Oil that softens and soothes. These are combined with Papaya Fruit Enzyme which exfoliates, brightens and minimises pores and carrot oil to stimulate collagen production, these all work together to leave skin radiant, refreshed and balanced. I didn’t think I would enjoy using a balm based cleanser in the morning, as I previously preferred a lightly foaming gel based cleanser, but I was wrong and my skin has loved it. I massage it on dry skin before getting in the shower, and rinse it off just before getting out; my skin is left soft, clean and not stripped. It has not exacerbated the oily areas of my combination skin, but leaves it nicely balanced.

The Balm was the first product  developed when Eve launched in 1985, we've all heard of this cult classic cleanser, it’s controversial as it contains mineral oil. Eve is adamant that it’s high grade extremely refined mineral, I don’t go out of my way to avoid mineral oil as I find it doesn’t appear to affect my skin adversely, but it’s something to consider. It contains the 4 signature oils mentioned above in addition to cocoa butter to condition, At night I use the Cleansing Balm and massage this into dry skin after removing my initial layer of makeup with a wipe or cleansing water, then use the accompanying muslin cloth and hot tap water to remove. My skin is left feeling clean, glowing, hydrated and balanced. 

I have been using these products consistently for almost 3 months, and have definately seen a massive improvement in my skin. My skin’s texture has smoothed out and it looks more radiant and even toned. I feel all skin types can benefit from these products, even those with oily skin, if however you want to avoid mineral oil, but want to try an Eve Lom cleanser, then consider using the morning time cleanser at night.

These products aren’t cheap, the Morning Time Cleanser is £40 for 125ml and the Cleansing Balm ranges from £40 for 50ml - £85 for 200ml, but after almost 3 months  use these products are still going strong.

Have you tried any Eve Lom products?

Thank you for visiting the blog today

Alex

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks

Earlier this year Nicola Haste, one half of the Pixiwoo sisters, annouced she would be joining her sister, Sam Chapman on board the Real techniques brand to develop and design brushes. I immediately knew they would release a limited edition Nic's pick set, just like Sam had previously, just scroll through my instagram timeline for the comment I posted on youtube when the news was announced. A few months down the line and here it is; Nic's Picks Brush Set that includes 3 exclusive brushes in the 5 piece set.

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks duo-fibre face brush

The brushes include a duo-fiber face brush, which was also included in the limited edition duo fibre set, except with a silver handle. The duo fibres mean the brush picks up just the right amount of product, so if you're heavy handed this is perfect for powder application.

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks Cheek Brush

The cheek brush is one of the exclusive designs, this is my favourite in the set and I may purchase another, just to have 2 of this brush. I have used this to buff in foundation and apply bronzer, it's super soft, densely packed, but small enough to fit in cheek contours.

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks Angled Shadow Brush

Another exclusive brush is the angled shadow brush, it's a loosely packed angled brush thats great for blending out crease colours in your eye makeup looks. 

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks Base Shadow Brush

Theres also a base shadow brush, which also comes in the starter set, which I also have. It's perfect for laying down a base colour on your eyes, but I have also used the tip of the brush to apply and blend out crease colours.

Real Techniques; Nic's Picks Eyeliner Brush

The last but not the least is another exclusive, an eyeliner brush, it's a very small, firm, angled tapered brush, thats great for eyeliner, but even better for brows.

I love all my real techniques brushes and this is no different. I purchased mine over a month ago from Beautyexpert.co.uk, it costs £29.99, but I had a 20% off code. It's limited edition so I'd be quick if you're interested.

Have you picked up this set yet? What's your favourite brush in the set?

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Alex

Illamasqua Glamour Nude Lipsticks

Illamasqua lauched the Glamore collection, a collection to celebrate the classics, a way for everyone to redefined what glamourous is to them. This included satin lipsticks, that were developed to be less drying than their well known matte lipsticks. Within this they also launched the Nude collection, 7 Nude satin lipsticks to match every skintone.

I have 3 of the 7 shades; Naked described as a creamy nude (less beige and more pinky brown than Tease), Tease described as a pink beige and Buff, the darkest in the nude range described as a fudge brown, it's a dark muted pink brown.


Illamasqua Nude Lipsticks in Naked, Tease and Buff

These lipsticks are gorgeous and creamy, you still need to ensure lips are well prepped, but once applied they last well. I enjoy using Naked applied with a pinky liner underneath or mixing Tease and Buff together, to offer versatality and prevent Tease looking to pale on my darker skin tone. Check out pictures of me wearing these on my instagram; Aallexxy.

 

Have you tried any of the nude range yet, or the satin lipsticks in general available here. What do you think of the direction Illamasqua have been going in recently?

 

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

 

Alex

 

Tom Ford A/W14 Limited Edition Collection

The high end luxury brand Tom Ford, require no introduction, and I'm sure you've seen the latest limited edition A/W launch from the brand. My Tom Ford collection is growing slowly, see unabashed review here, but I'm constantly intrigued by the brand despite the high end price tag.

Tom Ford Cheek Color Duo and Black Cherry Nail Polish

I picked up 2 pieces of the collection from the House of Fraser website, the contouring cheek color duo in softcore and a nail polish in black cherry.


Tom Ford Softcore Contouring Cheek Color Duo

Softcore cheek color duo contains 2 shades; a more matte shade to add definition to the face, although this shade I would say is not completely matte and has a slight sheen to it, especially as it catches the light. And a second pearlescent shade to highlight, these shades are extrememly pigmented and the highlight shade can appear a little frosty if applied too much, so I use a fan brush to apply. This isn't strictly a typical contour shade, I apply it slightly lower down on the cheeks and not directly in the hollows and blend upwards so it gives shape and colour to the face.

Tom Ford Black Cherry Nail Polish

The black cherry nail polish shade is my ultimate nail polish colour, I love deep dark plum shades. It's especially fitting for the autumn/winter season, although I can be seen in variations of this shade all year round. This is my first Tom Ford nail polish, and it's extremely pigmented, applied right you could get away with one coat, but I prefer 2 lighter coats.

These are selling out fast, and may prove difficult to find now, as they are limited edition. They may however still be available at your local counters, and as of writing this, both items were still available on harveynichols.com, the cheek colour duo costs £56 and the nail polish is £26.  

Have you or will you purchase anything from this collection? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for visiting the blog today

Alex.