Natural Collection Cosmetics

Natural Collection Cosmetics were one of the first brands I ever tried in my teens.  It was the biggest stand in my local Boots Store and the one that always caught my eye.  When this little box of joy landed through my letterbox it made my day, almost like being reunited with an old friend.

Inside the box as well as a sheet to colour in with crayons, something I absolutely love doing and find really relaxing, were these items:

Lash Length Mascara in Black (£1.99) - I absolutely adore mascaras and it is the on item I never leave the house without. This mascara is said to define and extend for visibly longer lashes. Now I have quite long lashes so it is never usually the first thing I notice from a mascara, though with this one there was a subtle difference, but the one thing I did notice was the smaller lashes in the corner of my eyes stood out and this is partly due to the shape of the wand, which is slightly conical making it easy to use and even easier to get to each lash. What I look for in a mascara is something to separate out and define my lashes and this mascara does a pretty good job, it is certainly better than some of the high end ones I have tried. This mascara is an absolute steal for £1.99.

Powder Blush Pink Cloud (£1.99) - I am not usually the biggest fan of blushers, I am a bronzer kind of girl but when I find a blusher I like, I use it. This is a fine, soft powder blush which gives a really light and natural hint of colour to your cheeks and what is more surprising is just how little you need to make an impact.  The shade itself is quite light and is suitable for all skin tones in my opinion.  It is buildable depending on what kind of coverage you prefer.  For me, I use my blusher brush to apply to my cheeks.  Again for £1.99 this is an absolute bargain blusher.

The next two items in the box are for the lips.  Starting with the Lip Liner (£1.99), something I didn't own until this one.  Yes I know, bad blogger, but I just haven't been tempted enough to buy them.  This one is shade plum and it is really easy to apply, much easier than I thought it was going to be and it is one I absolutely love and have been using along with the lipstick which also came within this box and they go pretty well together.

The Berry Sorbet Moisture Shine Lipstick is my favourite item in the box, this is a huge thing for me to admit considering there is a mascara in here!  Now again for £1.99, this is an absolute steal.  There are 19 different shades available in this lipstick and what I love, aside from the colour, is how moisturising it is.  It glides across the lips and leaves behind not only a trail of colour but it feels so hydrating on the lips.  Once applied, the colour lasts for a good few hours before you need to re-apply and again for £1.99 it has grabbed my attention enough to want to check out other shades within the range.

All of these products are absolutely amazing value for money and at just £1.99 each, I am now wanting to go back into Boots and try out more products from the collection.  Whilst the packaging is quite minimalist, it doesn't detract from how good the products really are.

Are you a fan of Natural Collection Cosmetics?

It's all about the Eyes!

One area on my face that I am always watching for when it comes to lines and wrinkles is my eyes. I have used a fair number of eye creams in recent years, but one thing I like are eye creams that have an applicator on the end, be it a roller ball or an applicator that is soothing.

In recent months I have been on a bit of a mission to find some of my favourite eye creams and I have managed to find four that I really like and have used the most.

Pixi by Petra 24K Eye Elixir (£22.00) which is an anti-fatigue peptide serum that massages away puffiness as it smoothes and refreshes the eye area. The formula contains actual gold, to stimulate circulation, peptides to plump fine lines, and raspberry to tone the skin. The metal rollerball gives a fantastic cooling feeling on application, which is instantly refreshing.

Vichy Idealia Eyes (£23) is enriched with ingredients that both immediately and sustainably rejuvenate the area. There is also the use of instant illuminators and a combination of DRM-Bright complex and Vitamin B3 to reduce dark circles, Vitamin CG to smooth fine lines, and Caffiene to energise. A rich infusion of Vichy’s signature Thermal Spa Water intensely soothes the area.  I love the applicator on this product, it is described as being a revolutionary applicator that replicates the soft touch of a finger, made from ultra flexible and ultra soft silicone. 

Garancia Phantom's Tears (£25) is possibly the best name for a product I have ever come across! It is a 4 in 1 Eyelid and Eye Contour Area Treatment with active ingredients to combat dark circles, bags, wrinkles and sagging and it also contains High-Tech light reflective powders and active patented ingredients to help combat the appearance of wrinkles, protect superficial periorbital blood vessel from the loss deposit of pigments responsible for colouring dark circles and pufiness, promote their natural elimination and redensify the supporting tissue by boosting collagen and hyaluronic acid.  The small rollerball on the end is exceptionally soothing and comforting around the eye area when used.

Eucerin AQUAporin Active (£15.50) is enriched with Ginseng and is an ophthalmologically tested, moisturising formula that works to provide deep and long-lasting hydration around the delicate eye area to de-puff and counteract the appearance dark circles. Hydration is a key factor for healthy skin as we all know and the Aquaporin Active range uses the skin’s own distribution channels (Aquaporins) to give it the hydration it needs. It uses a unique, patented formula which works by transporting moisture between the skin cells for optimal, maintained skin hydration. The applicator is a metal nib which glides under the eye with ease and gives an instant cooling effect.

Each one of these eye creams has been fantastic to use and each one has it's own specifically designed applicator which all work differently but are all cooling, refreshing and all help with puffiness and dark circles.

Do you have a favourite eye cream?