TOUCH IN SOL Beauty Aid Cream

If you have dry, sensitive skin, then Touch In Sol have a product that you need to have in your stash and it is called All in 1 Beauty Aid Cream.  I make no secret of my obsession with this brand, every single product I have tried, I have been wowed by and it is one of the few brands I have made purchases from when I am close to running out of a product.

Hailing from South Korea, Touch In Sol has been designed to embrace the spirit of Korean innovation. Touch In Sol is fun, innovative and uses some of the most advanced technologies. If you know anything about Korean Beauty, you will be aware that they are very much ahead of us with their beauty innovations, so the chance to try them as soon as they hit the UK is quite special.

All in 1 Beauty Aid Cream is described as being an ultra-moisturising formula enriched with heavenly hydrators, it boosts skin’s moisture barrier to make it more supple, firm and healthy. It is these ingredients which include sugar cane, shea butter, birch sap, hazel, walnut and olive combine to nourish and hydrate the skin, while ceramides boost elasticity. Putting all of these together you have a product which is:

• Highly concentrated and nongreasy.
• Instantly calms and hydrates skin.
• Skin feels revitalised and smooth.
• Formulated for dry and sensitive skin.

I like to use this cream on the driest parts of the skin and that doesn't just mean on my face. I have used this on my hands, the heels of my feet and even on my shins. I have also used it on my face as an overnight treatment on my cheeks, which thanks to having combination skin, means they often feel dry to the touch.  It isn't too thick a texture that it leaves your skin feeling greasy, instead, it absorbs pretty quickly and leaves no trace behind.

I love that when I use this on my cheeks it also creates a perfect base for foundation. I find it helps prime my skin to prevent anything sticking to dry skin. It is a cream you don't have to apply absolutely everywhere, just to the places you feel your skin needs it the most and it is absolutely perfect for having in your bag, luggage and even on your bedside table.

You can find Beauty Aid on sale at Cult Beauty (here), FeelUnique (here) and ASOS (here) ranging in price from £22-£26.

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

M&S Beauty: FORMULA Absolute Ultimate Sleep Cream

Did you know Marks and Spencer had its own skincare range? Called Formula it describes itself as being "From bespoke sensitive skin care and advanced anti-aging solutions to cutting-edge ingredients taken straight from the lab, find your skincare soulmate from our newly reformulated Formula collections".  Whether you want a day cream, night cream, a serum, cleanser, toner, eye cream, neck cream and so on, there is an incredible range to try.

I love an overnight product, something I can put on to my skin and let it works its magic as I sleep.  I would love to be able to say that I get 8 hours sleep every single night, that my skin doesn't need any extra help, but in truth, I get around 5-6 hours sleep unless insomnia has kicked in and then I am awake every hour if I can eventually nod off.  So in an effort to ensure my skin looks good, feels good and I have little in the way of suitcases under my eyes, I have a night time skin care routine. We all know that the lack of sleep can cause so many issues for the skin, it is something most skin care experts will talk about and it is well worthy of listening to them as they explain just how important sleep is. Just like any other cell in your body, your skin cells take advantage of when you are asleep to repair and rejuvenate your skin, not giving your skin time to do this can lead to the moisture level in your skin being affected, your pH levels dropping and of course, those pesky dark circles appear.

The Absolute Ultimate Sleep Cream is quite the cult product. When it launched it had rave review after rave review, it sold out everywhere and had a massive waiting list of people wanting to get their hands on this cream. It is described as being supercharged with anti-wrinkle peptides, moisturising hyaluronic acid and skin-brightening actives as well as shea butter, marula oil, kukui oil and Vitamin E. 

The cream which smells just divines is not too thick a texture but it is incredibly rich in feel.  You literally need just a small amount of this cream to cover your face and neck and once it is applied, it doesn't sit on the surface of your skin, so it isn't going to ruin your pillowcase. The following morning, there is a slight chance that there will be some residue of the cream left which will need to be removed, but as I double cleanse anyway, so I would always ensure I did wash my face (ewww) the following morning.  That said, I am yet to find any of this cream not used on my skin. 

What I do love about this Sleep Cream is how my skin does feel after using.  I find that my skin goes through cycles of feeling dry and in need of moisture despite using face oils and masks, this is where this cream comes in really useful because it literally does leave my skin feeling softer and smoother to the touch, my lacklustre skin suddenly looks plump and radiant and just this week someone asked me what I was using to make my skin glow.

At £22 (here) it is amazing value for money and it gives some other well-known brands a real run for their money.  If you need a new night cream, then this is not one I would overlook, infact having used it, I am now keen to try even more from the range.

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

Benefit Cosmetics: BAD Gal Bang Mascara

I am sure everyone has heard of, come across, read about and in some cases tried the NEW Bad Gal Bang Mascara from the babes at Benefit Cosmetics by now and it is seemingly a product which has a lot of people sat on the fence as to whether or not it is any good. I have had this product in my possession for a good few months now, I decided not to rush a review out to give a half-hearted insight into what I think.  Mascara for me is the one item in my makeup bag that I never leave the house without, it is the one item I obsess over and the one product I want to try, especially if it is new or I have never tried it before.

One of my favourite mascaras from Benefit is Rollerlash but I like to use the wand with the formula from They're Real if I really want to make my eyelashes stand out. I have fairly long lashes, so I need a formula that isn't too wet or I will have spatters of mascara around my eyes and on my cheeks. I also don't want a formula which is too dry because I cannot stand that caked on, crusty eyelash look. BAD Gal Bang:

BADgal BANG! 36-HOUR* FULL-BLAST volumising mascara creates MASSIVE volume without weighing down lashes. The gravity-defying formula contains aero-particles, one of the lightest known materials, derived from space technology. This innovative intense pitch-black mascara layers easily for bigger & BIGGER impact.

That is quite the description from the Benebabes as to what their new mascara is and does.  Firstly it contains what is referred to as gravity-defying aero-particles, described as being one of the lightest known materials derived from space technology, which I personally think is quite amazing and intriguing all at the same time, who even thought to include such a thing in a mascara?. Anything, aero-particle inclusion is said to ensure that the mascara formula can be layered up for the maximum impact such as adding volume, length and curl without clumps or weighing lashes down.

The packaging is something I really like, the space age handle with the lumps and bumps making it easy to grip onto. The streamlined brush referred to as 'Slimpact' has been designed so that it coats every lash evenly and the formula is described as being both smudge-proof and water-resistant.  Firstly the formula - it is quite wet initially and it is also a very dark intense black but after using it daily for 3-4 weeks I did start to notice a change. I won't lie, I hated the formula after using it for a few days, but it is a mascara and it is Benefit and I wasn't ready to give up on it just yet, so I continued to use it, persevering and finally that formula did dry slightly making the application less clumpy, but again depending on how many applications you apply, depends on how clumpy it is.  For me, no more than two applications and I am happy with my lashes, anything more and the clumps start to appear.

So it does give those lashes a coating of very dark mascara, the formulation for me needs a good few weeks to settle and become usable and it is also a case of less is more for my lashes. It doesn't smudge one iota once applied and given the weather we have had of late, it is waterproof, windproof and even snow proof! When it comes to the removal it does come off the lashes with incredible ease, there is no need to over rub your eyes to remove every single last trace, I find my eye makeup remover does the job pretty well and there is no need to buy a special remover (I am looking at you They're Real).

Overall, I don't think this is a bad mascara, it pretty much does do what it promises to do, albeit I've not tested the 36-hour theory. I like it, I just don't love it as much as Rollerlash.

Priced at £21.50 (here) you can find this Mascara at all Benefit counters and online too.

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

Makeup Revolution 24K Gold Eyeshadow Palette

Whenever Makeup Revolution or Revolution as they are now called release a new eyeshadow palette nine times out of ten I want it.  In my time of using eyeshadow palettes from Makeup Revolution (Or Revolution as they are now called) I am yet to find one which I haven't liked or loved.  In fact my most used palette is Fortune Favours The Brave.

When I saw that there had been some new releases, one I clearly missed featuring the 24k Gold Eyeshadow Palette, I wanted to give it a try. Priced at £8.99 from TAM Beauty but not currently available from Superdrug, this palette is described as being a "special edition palette is packed with 16 shadows in rich, warm tones. Alongside six matte shades, this palette contains a range of shimmering golds with undertones of peach, yellow and bronze for endless, gleaming looks". Like other palettes from Revolution, this one comes complete with a mirror which fits the entire top half of the palette.

Looking like the chocolate bar design we have all come to know and love, this one differs slightly in looks due to the 'unwrapped chocolate bar' being gold dripped and shiny, similar to that of the Rose Gold Bar, which I also love.  Inside the palette, you will find that the 24K Gold Palette contains 16 eyeshadows alongside a double ended sponge tip applicator, which I think is better made for this bar than some of the previous ones I have had and used.   

The shadows, again, I think are much better in this palette than some of the previous ones and the selection of shades includes:

• Bling – a light golden shimmer. 
• Lustre – a matte cream and one of the few shades I hadn't expected to be a cream. 
• Spirit – a mauve brown matte. 
• Spice – a beautiful chocolate brown matte. 
• Gilded – a light warm brown matte. 
• Flare – a chocolate brown matte which has some copper shimmer particles. 
• Stun – a warm orangey gold shimmer. 
• Real – a rosy brown shimmer and one of my favourite shades 
• Moonlit – a lovely light peach shimmer. 
• Glacier – an olive green foil which has a golden tone to it, almost duo-chrome. 
• Solitaire – a stunning golden brown foil 
• Rock – a copper shimmer. 
• Stone – a peachy brown matte. 
• Crown – a warm chocolate brown matte. 
• Satellite – an intense matte black. 
• Gem – a light champagne shimmer.

As I have said, for me this is one of the better chocolate palettes from Makeup Revolution and the quality of the shadows are simply amazing for the price.  I have eyeshadow palettes which have cost me more than double the price that are not as good as this one. This is a great palette for those who love their nude/neutral shades but with a little something extra thrown in.  My favourite shades from the palette are Crown, Flare and Gem but they are all beautiful shades and they all work amazingly well on their own or together.

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