Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free Foundation Stick

I've had pretty good luck with Maybelline products this year - Their mascara are always on point, the Colour Tattoos are worth every penny and the Fit Me range was impressive too. Naturally when I saw the Fit Me foundation stick in Allure Magazine I was intruded, all day coverage with a shine free finish.. Sounds pretty perfect, right? When it was finally released in the UK I practically ran to Superdrug to get my swatch on and put this to the test. 

The Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick is gel stick foundation with an 'anti-shine' core that absorbs excess oil, helping to create that shine free matte finish. The foundation stick is incredibly soft and creamy when swatched, and as you can see from the picture its actually every so slightly dewy which was unexpected but very welcome. Since this was my first experience with a pan stick foundation in a very long time I was a little unsure how to actually apply this, so I just drew a couple of squiggles on my face and blended with my fingers.

For some reason it took a little longer that most other foundations to blend into the skin, it looked a little streaky and didn't seem to sit very well on the skin. The coverage was light-medium which was pretty disappointing, and immediately fell into every single fine line and pore on my face. When it settled on the skin it emphasised all my imperfections - flaky skin, dry patches and large pores in places I didn't even know I had them. After a couple more attempts of different methods of application, I just could not get this foundation to work for me at all.

If you're on the lookout for a new foundation, I would give this one a miss to be honest. But if curiosity gets the better if you like it did me, have a little swatch and see what you think. The Maybelline Fit Me Foundation is priced at £8.99 and available from Boots and Superdrug.  

Hydraluron Moisture Booster

When a product is this hyped, where do I even begin? For the last couple of months this little tube has been on every skincare expert and bloggers lips, it's been sold out in stores and has been recommended endless times. It very quickly became the latest 'it product' and received the highest praises from all the Queens of skincare. But what actually makes this product so good, and does it really work?

For those of you who don't know Hydraluron Moisture Booster is loaded with a pure grade of hyaluronic acid, and hyaluronic acid is the nuts for hydrating, plumping, and softening the skin as it can attract and hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water. Hydraluron also contains a bio-engineered strain of marine red algae that causes mild, controlled stimulation of skin turnover, which ensures the thorough penetration of its hyaluronic acid content to the skin. While it makes a positive difference to skin hydration from first application, with regular use, Hydraluron improves the skin’s own ability to retain moisture by providing below-the-surface hydration. This means that you should need to use less of your usual moisturiser on top of it to maintain optimum hydration levels. 

What drew me to this product is the fact that it's not moisture, it's pure hydration. The exact think my oily-but-dehydrated skin was literally crying out for. The weightless clear gel doesn't overwhelm my oily skin, but instead it quenched it and created the perfect base for foundation. It is seriously lightweight stuff, it honestly feels like water once applied to the skin. The second thing that drew me to Hydraluron is its promises to help heal acne scaring and improve suppleness, another area of my skin that could really do with some work. The catch, it'll set you back £24.99 - A little over my general budget for only 30ml of product.

After using this for twice a day for around 2 months, I can 100% say - yes - Hydraluron is worth the hype. The texture, tone and quality of my skin are seriously improved. My oily-but-dehydrated skin feels fresh and soft, and looks healthy and supple and has basically brought life back to my lack-lustre skin.

If you quite fancy the sound of this snap a couple (yes, a couple) of tubes up in Boots whilst its priced at a slightly more reasonable £16.66 - you will not regret it. 

*ENDED* WIN a set of Three Maybelline Baby Lips

Summer Makeup Want List

Summer Makeup Want List by lucyelms featuring lips makeup

Natural Collection Solo Eyeshadows in Willow and Asteroid

Natural Collection at Boots is a brand I have been using on and off for years, like most people my age, Natural Collection was one of the first make up brands I started to use around aged 12-13 due to it's extremely reasonable pricing and overall natural and thus foolproof colour selection. Everything in the range is priced at £2 and under making it outstanding value and one of the cheapest high street brands available, and these two bargain Solo Eyeshadows have crept their way into my daily routine.

Willow, a cool-toned shimmery champagne, makes the perfect tear duct and brow brown highlighter and a brilliant base for following shadows. Its softy pigmented so gently brightens and awakens the eye when swept across the lid, or can even double up as a highlighter for the face! Think something along the lines of MAC Naked Lunch, and you get the idea.

Asteroid is that perfect neutral brown we're all searching for, it's a warm-toned shadow that's super soft and bendable. It boasts beautiful flecks of gold alongside a subtle shimmer throughout, creating a something quite eye-catching. Asteroid is little something between MAC Twinks and Bronze, but not as rich in pigment. 

On the lid, neither shade has spectacular pigmentation or staying power. But its something that I'm more than willing to over look considering the price, and can easily be fixed with with a touch of primer. I've been using either Urban Decay Primer Potion or Too Faced Shadow Insurance underneath and the shadow has stayed intact for the best part of a full working day. 

These shadows are available in store at Boots, and are priced at £1.79 or 3 for £5

Ojon Revitalizing Mist and Full Detox Shampoo

What I forgot to mention in my Ojon Rare Blend Oil post, is that I got an absolutely amazing deal on an Ojon set in the Cosmetic Company Outlet in Cheshire Oaks which included the Rare Blend Oil, Revitalizing Mist leave in conditioner and Full Detox shampoo. I don't usually invest much money in hair care products but this offer was honestly too good to miss out on. Full price the products would have cost a staggering £70 (!) but I snagged them for a bargainous £21, which is less that the price of just one product. I've been using both these products for just over a month and I have nothing but good things to say about them.

Ojon Dry Recovery Revitalising Mist - (£20.50) This leave-in conditioner hydrates, smooths, de-tangles, revitalises whilst still leaving the hair light and bouncy and incredibly soft. Some leave in conditioners can leave hair a little stiff and tacky, but the Ojon Recovery Revitalising is a totally weightless formula. It leaves the most beautiful lingering scent of soft and sweet creamy honey on the hair which is really beautiful. To use, you give the bottle a good shake to mix and spritz 4-6 times around the end of wet hair and style as normal. Looking for this online I do believe it has been re-branded and repackaged since I bought this, although it does seem the fantastic formula has stayed the same. 

Ojon Full Detox Detoxifying Shampoo - (£21.00) Having fine, dry hair I do tend to use a lot of products to give my hair some life and keep a style in place but that subsequently means dreaded product build up that the likes of regular shampoos just can't quite handle. The Ojon Full Detox Shampoo deeply cleanses to remove impurities and product build-up whist being gentle enough to not strip hair of vital moisture. I use this detoxifying shampoo once every two weeks for a super special deep cleanse, and it works amazing well. It has a fresh and light fragrance, which just adds to the clean feel of the shampoo. Also, If you're an extension wearer and you wash your extensions, I seriously recommend this as it'll leave them looking as good as new!

If you're lucky enough to live near a Cosmetic Company Outlet, all I can say is go go go! They stock Ojon, MAC, Clinique, Smashbox, Bobbi Brown.. Ok, its heaven.