theBalm Alternative Rock Face Palette Boxset

When it comes to eyeshadow palettes, I am forever going to the one who wants the nudey-neutral shades, it is my comfort zone and let's be honest, you can never have too many palettes.  New to my stash is the Alternative Rock Face Palette Boxsets from theBalm and it is a brand I am on a road to discovery with, one I am absolutely loving and one that forever surprises me with products I have somehow missed.

Featuring two volumes, these palettes are best described as being a bit of a multitasker because not only do you get 6 eyeshadows which are triple milled, you also get a bronzer, a blush and a highlighter. So with Volume.1 you have a palette which is the more cool toned palette while Volume. 2 is the one which is a little more neutral/warm.  I have favourite shades on both palettes and given the theme of both palettes is 'Alternative' Rock the name of the shades are quite clever and kooky.

On Volume 1 you have a mixture of matte and glitter shades, so depending on your preference, you get a really nice choice of the two.

The formula seems to vary from shade to shade and as you can see, the variation between matte and a more glitter formula really stands out between the shades.  So on Volume.1 we have the following:

• Naughty Or Gneiss which is one of the matte shades and it is a light peachy beige and this is one I use as a primer or base shade on my lids
• Lead Astray is a light pink with a glittery finish and not a shade I expected to like, but it is just stunning.
• Take It For Granite is a medium silver with a shimmery, almost metallic finish. It isn't on par with Copper Attitude or Lead Astray for glitter. but this is one of my favourites on the palette.
• Copper Attitude is a coppery rose shade which also has a glittery finish and this is one of the shades I have used the most.
• Nice Ash is perfect if you like something a little different. This is a deep plum with a luminous, shimmery finish.
• All Ore Nothing is a more of an ash brown shade than a deep brown and it has a matte finish
• Iron More Than You is a warm brown shade with a matte finish.
• Of Quartz You Did is a mauve pink and it has a satin finish.
• Basalt And Pepper is a stunning frosty white but it also has a light pink sheen.

Shown below and completely unedited, are the glittery shades from the eyeshadows followed by the bronzer, blusher and highlighter.

What I really like about Volume.1 is just how easy it is to work with. Each one of the shadows is an absolute breeze to work with and with the matte shades, they work just as well dry as they do if you choose to wet them.

When it comes to Volume.2, most people won't be surprised to read that this is my favourite palette of the two, those warm nude and neutral shades just call my name. As with the first palette, Volume.2 features 6 eyeshadows, a bronzer, blusher and a highlighter and it is set out in exactly the same way.

Immediately with this palette, you can see there are some simply stunning shades, this has been one palette that has been constantly used since it arrived and the pigmentation on this palette is superb. As for the shades, well we have:

• Let Me Zinc About It is a light peachy beige with a matte finish and again, it works as a really nice bade shade for your eyelids.
• Don't Give A Schist which does make me chuckle as a name, is quite a pale gold shade with a sparkly metallic finish.
• Sodium Fine is a stunning neutral brown with a sparkly matte finish and this is the kind of brown shade I want to see without the sparkly finish too.
• Amirite? is a beautiful caramel brown with a matte finish.
• As Xenon TV is a coppery bronze shade and it too has a sparkly metallic finish.
• The Parents Argon is the one shade which scares me the most because it is a charcoal black with a satin finish and I'm not used to using such a deep dark shade on my lids
• None Of Your Bismuth which is the bronzer is a warm golden brown with a matte finish.
• Bare Minimum is a pinky peach shade with a satin finish.
• Nickel Buy You Dinner is really light golden ivory with a frosty finish.

Again, all of the swatches are completely unedited, I prefer to see how something looks straight off the palette without the need to add any highlight or contrast to the shades, these ones simply don't need it as you can see.

What I love about these palettes, other than that they are compact and fit in your handbag, you pretty much have everything you need on one palette and you can mix and match the shades as and how you feel.  The shades that I have used the most are - Nice Ash, Take it for Granite, Let me Zinc about it and All Ore Nothing from the eyeshadows.  Of the Bronzers I really like them both, so they have had a similar amount of uses but for the highlighters and blushers, I like to mix and match depending on how I am feeling.

Online these palettes retail for around £20 though I can't seem to find them for sale on many websites currently, so I do hope that changes because they are absolutely worth investing in.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Caudalie Suncare Collection

Sunscreen is one of those products I wear every single day of the year but absolutely hate. There is something about the smell, which although reminds me of beach holidays, I really don't like, along with the texture of most sunscreens, especially those for the face.  Over the years I have probably made my way through the entire shelves of products available on the Highstreet and found very little I like.  So could the new suncare collection from Caudalie be the answer?

Every year, it is said that 14,000 tons of sun cream is discharged into the oceans which pollutes the marine ecosystem and gets discharged into coral reefs, causing the bleaching and death of these marine animals. The new sun care collection from Caudalie has been formulated without any chemical filters suspected of the disruption, such as Octinoxate, Octocrylene and nanoparticle filters. These products from Caudalie are not only highly biodegradable but also water resistant, do not contain hydrosoluble filters, are non-toxic, silicone-free, alcohol-free, photostable and thermostable. In creating the collection, Mathilde Thomas, one of Caudalie's co-founders said:

For my new suncare range, I didn’t want to compromise between protecting the skin and protecting nature. For many years, we have been working on skincare formulas that give the senses an experience and are eco-friendly.

We all know that when the skin is exposed to the sun, the UVB rays on the surface of the skin cause sunburn whilst the UVA rays, which penetrate deep into the dermis are responsible for photo-ageing which can lead to irreversible damage.

As you can see, the sun care collection features three products which have an SPF30 or an SPF50 and I have been using them daily since they arrived.  As mentioned, I hate that thick, caked on cream feeling you get from most sun creams, the one which makes it feel as though the product is sat on the surface of the skin.  From Caudalie, what you get is a product that is lightweight, it doesn't linger, it isn't greasy or sticky and the scent is just absolute heaven.

For the face, which is the part of my body I really dislike applying sun cream, but still do, we have the Anti-wrinkle Face Suncare in both SPF30 and SPF50, so it is nice to have a choice as to which one would be your preference.

A cream which protects the skin and is enriched with Caudalie's patented antioxidant complex which uses grape polyphenols, offering maximum protection and a powerful anti-wrinkle action.  The cream is really lightweight and for once I love how it feels on my skin, think the texture of a light face cream which absorbs as quick as a serum and this is exactly what both products are like.

• Using Spruce Extract which is rich in specific polyphenols, its job is to strengthen the skin's natural defence system and it works in synergy with the antioxidant action of Grapseed Polyphenols.
• Vitamin E which protects the skin against free radicals and of course
• Organic Grape Water which moisturises and soothes the skin, an amazing ingredient if you have redness on the skin.

There is no sun cream smell to either of these products and because the fragrance comes from the inclusion of Frangipani leaves, there is something just beautiful about the product. I started off using SPF50 and then after a week I switched to SPF30 and I am delighted there is no difference in the texture or how it feels on the skin, as I had fully expected the SPF50 to be a much thicker texture.

When it comes to sun cream for the body, again my issue revolves about the texture, how it feels on the skin and that smell.  Caudalie have two offerings within their collection.  The first is the Beautifying Suncare Oil SPF30 and it offers the skin maximum UVA/UVB protection and leaves the skin with a luxurious, satin-like finish.

Formulated without alcohol and silicones, this oil blends nourishing Grapeseed Oil with Sesame and Sunflower Oils which also help to protect the skin. This oil is also rich in Vitamin E.  As an oil, the first reaction is to assume it will be greasy and tacky on the skin, but it isn't. Thankfully Caudalie has created a dry oil which protects the skin from UVA/UVB rays and one which feels really moisturising on the skin.  It comes in a pump action bottle, so you can spritz it onto the skin and massage in using your fingers and again, there is no residue left on your hands once you have finished using the product.

The scent again comes from the Frangipani Flowers which makes it as beautiful on the skin as it does smell.

The final body products for sun care take the form of a Milky Sun Spray and again you have the option of SPF30 or SPF50.  Again, offering the skin maximum protection from UVA/UVB rays, the Milky Sun Spray can also be used on the face as well as the body.

Again, the summery fragrances come from the use of Frangipani Flowers and as with the rest of the product range, the Milky Sun Spray is enriched with organic grape water but I really like about is the light, milky, non-sticky texture which feels soothing when spritzed on to the skin and it is, as you would expect from Caudalie, moisturising too.  

Until these products arrived from Caudalie, I had given no thought to the consequence of using sun protection on the ocean and Marine Life, the protection of my skin being of sole importance.  But, as we are becoming more Eco-aware of the damage we cause as humans, for me, this has been quite the learning curve.  We can all do more than stop using plastic straws, bags and fast fashion and it is brands like Caudalie that start such conversations, ones for which I am thankful for.

You can find the entire Sun Care collection right here* and with prices starting at £18, it is definitely worth looking into, especially if like, you are simply not a fan of the high street and traditional sun care brands we have all been using for years.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.