elf No Budge Shadow Stick

I am a huge fan of the ByTerry Ombre Blackstar eyeshadow crayons, as well as the M&S Rosie for Autograph Cream Eyeshadows, so when the No Budge Shadow Sticks from ELF arrived, I was keen to see how well they stood their ground, particularly when the saving is between £7 and £24 compared to M&S and ByTerry

I am a huge fan of Eyeshadow sticks, they are like the lazy girl version to skincare, easy to apply, blend and to create the look you want, especially on the go. Described as being a no budge, metallic cream eyeshadow stick which features a long-lasting formula, which when applied helps avoid smudging, smearing, and creasing.

I have three shades within my collection - Perfect Pearl, Metallic Mocha and Bronze Metal, but I do believe there is a fourth shade which is Rose Gold. The Crayon features a convenient twist up feature and within the base, there is also a sharpener to help you create that perfect shaped nib.  As well as being used as an eyeshadow, these crayons can also be applied as an eyeliner, which is what I used Bronze Metal for.

These crayons have an incredible formula and they glide across the eyelid with ease, easier than the M&S Rosie Autograph version in my opinion. Depending on how you use them, you can blend with your finger or a brush, but they are quite pigmented, so in some cases, less is definitely more.

The swatches above show the shades as they are, no filtering or changing of the colour to highlight them. Perfect Pearl is as you can see, a slight hint of gold to it, but most definitely pearl.  Metallic Mocha is a really beautiful deep metallic bronze which has a slight shade of deep purple almost running through it. Finally Bronze Metal is a beautiful bronze shade, my favourite of the three and the one that I have used the most.

For me, these No Budge Shadow Sticks more than justify the £5 that they cost, they definitely rival M&S for me and come very close to being as good as ByTerry where the formula is just slightly better.

The e.l.f. No Budge Shadow Stick retails for £5 each and is available from Superdrug, Feelunique* or the official e.l.f. UK website here, where you can grab them for just £2.50 each.

Pixi Beauty Retinol Collection

One of the words that you can't escape with skincare is 'Retinol' and I was kindly gifted the Pixi Retinol Collection a while back and I have really enjoyed getting to grips with it. Packaged inside the beautiful travel bag are 6 products from the collection.

As always with Pixi there is a Tonic. Glow Tonic is the cult hero product for Pixi as a brand and with each new release, a Tonic is added to the family.  The Retinol Tonic is described as being a potent youth-preserving tonic features a unique time-release Retinol to help rejuvenate the skin for a natural glow. 

This Tonic also uses powerful antioxidants and botanicals such as Jasmine Flower to replenish the skin for a smoother, softer appearance while soothing sensitive skin. As a product that you use a cotton pad on to wipe across your skin, im not too sure how well the Retinol works with the skin. In every other product, I have applied it to the skin and not used anything that wipes it away, but it doesn't irritate my skin or bring about any redness and with prices starting at £10 it is a nice product.

The next product is the Pixi Jasmine Cleanser and this is quite possibly my favourite cleanser from Pixi that I have used. Luxuriously creamy, what I love is that it doesn't strip the skin.

Using vitamin A (retinol), antioxidants and ceramides which all work together to remove all impurities to leave the skin feeling smoother, firmer and more radiant-looking. Also used within this cleanser is Jasmine Oil which is known to have nourishing and brightening properties. Putting all these ingredients together, what you get is a cleanser which rejuvenated and locks in moisture without stripping. Priced at £18 for 135ml.

The third product is the Pixi Retinol Jasmine Lotion and I was really surprised at how lightweight this was to use but at the same time incredibly moisturising.

As with the rest of the products within this collection, the lotion is formulated with vitamin A, jasmine oil and peptides which together work to renew, smooth and deeply nourish the skin. Designed to be used daily, I tend to use this in a morning after cleansing and before the oil, which is listed below. I love how it feels on my skin and this is a product I really would recommend trying if you like lightweight moisturising creams. Priced at £24 for 50ml.

There is always an eye cream within my skincare routine and I was delighted to see one from Pixi within this collection. The Pixi Retinol Eye Cream has been formulated to improve elasticity as well as to smooth and protect the delicate skin around the eye.

Said to be suitable for all skin types, as well as the retinol for smoothing and refining and then we have the inclusion of caffeine which helps to depuff and energise before peptides work to firm and revitalise the skin around the eyes. I have found this eye cream to be really moisturising, it doesn't make my eyes water or sting when I use it and it does a pretty good job at depuffing the eye area, which from someone who suffers from insomnia is quite the comment. Priced at £22 for 22ml.

I am a huge convert to using oils within my skincare routine. For years I wrongly assumed that having combination-oily skin, using an oil would only exacerbate the issue rather than help. Within this Pixi collection, there are two oils - The Jasmine Oil Blend and the Overnight Retinol Oil.

The Pixi Jasmine Oil Blend is described as being an exquisite oil blend which has been designed to be effective in helping the skin to recover from the loss of moisture and dullness.  What I love about this oil is that it isn't greasy, it isn't tacky and your skin doesn't feel as though it has been rubbed over a block of lard.

Using jasmine flower extract, evening primrose and grapeseed oil, making it rich in omegas, antioxidants and vitamins to nourish and protect the skin. It can be used alone morning or night and it can also be added into your moisturiser to give an extra boost of hydration. This is one of my favourite oil blends and my favourite product of the collection, one I wouldn't hesitate to buy. Priced at £26 for 30ml.

The final product and another oil, which is the Pixi Overnight Retinol Oil and its job is to help to restore plumpness and improve the appearance of fine lines and pores.

This is the last step of your routine before applying your moisturiser and it includes retinol, peptides and ceramides which come together and work to help restore natural plumpness and elasticity to your skin as well as giving you a glowing and healthy complexion. Again, this is a non-greasy oil when applied and you only need a few drops to apply to the skin, it absorbs really quickly so there is little time needed to wait for it to disappear into the skin before completing your nighttime routine. I have only just started to use this product, so I will update in a few months time. Priced at £26 for 30ml.

I absolutely love this range, if I am honest it has been my favourite collection so far and definitely one I am 

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