Pixi by Petra Endless Silky Eye Pen Kit

As well as having some of the most amazing skincare that I have tried, Pixi by Petra also has quite an incredible range of makeup too and on my blog, I have featured Liquid Lipsticks, Lipsticks, Lip Balms, Eyeliners and much more.  

Today is the turn of the Pixi by Petra Endless Silky Eye Pen Kit (£18 here*) a collection of the Pixi award-winning waterproof liners.

I am always the first to admit that eyeliner is not one of the products I find myself using a lot of and equally I don't purchase many either, but if there is one eyeliner that I am going to use, it happens to be the Black Noir Pixi option, which is my go to.

Create a professional eye makeup look with the PIXI Endless Silky Eye Pen Kit. Waterproof, long-wearing and smudge-resistant, each award-winning eyeliner glides on effortlessly in a single sweep to create a smooth, flawless line with ultimate control and intense colour payoff.

The Endless Silky Eye Pen Kit contains four pencils in shades Antique Gold, Matte Sienna, Bronze Beam and Black Noir.

The swatches shown above are unedited and they show from left to right  Antique Gold which is a beautiful yellow toned gold, Matte Sienna which I absolutely love as a colour and it is more of a burnt orange than an orange, the third shade is called Bronze Beam and it is the most stunning bronze shade that works so well with so many different eyeshadow shades and finally we have Black Noir which is one of the most pigmented black eyeliners I have used.

My reluctance to use a lot of eyeliner comes from having the worlds most unsteady hand, it is as though as soon as I have an eyeliner pencil in my hand, I am suddenly sat on a washing machine, but Black Noir is one of the shades I can happily use with no problems. Each shade is smudge-proof so to blend it, you need to do so immediately after applying, pigmented, long-lasting and I have found them to be the best at not drying out and becoming cakey.  They don't drag or pull at the skin and nor do they irritate my eyes.

In total, the Pixi by Petra Silky Eye Pen has a collection of over 26 shades and to buy separately they cost just £12 each and are an absolute bargain.

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

Diego dalla Palma Nuda Eyeshadow Palette

Nude eyeshadow palettes are my absolute weakness. It is my comfort zone, they are shades I like to wear daily and I feel most of the shades I choose to wear work well with how I like to dress.  There are some days when I want the full-on smokey eye and others when I want the barely there, but it is there look.

The New Nuda Eyeshadow Palette from Diego Dalla Palma is one of those palettes that jumps right out at me and says 'You NEED me' and it is true, I do.  Since it arrived a good few months ago, it has been my go-to palette for every single day.

As you can see, the Nuda Eyeshadow Palette is a hard plastic casing which is incredibly durable and it contains a mirror which fits the entire top of the casing. Inside the palette Nuda contains 12 stunning, highly pigmented shades all of which are nude and warm colours and they are said to have been inspired by the colours of the earth.  

The shades are:

• Naked - This is a beautiful neutral brown which works really well on its own for a smokey eye or alongside Madame Skin.
• Bare Green - Green is not usually a shade I would choose, but this earthy green with a hint of shimmer is just stunning.
• Ballerina - This is a stunning soft champagne gold shade and again, you can use it alone or with any of the other shades. 
• All About Nude -  This is the perfect nude. Not too brown, not too light, perfectly blends and is one you can add too for an evening look. 
• Lace - Another Shimmer which takes on a bit of a gold tone to it in the light
• Skin Tone - Is almost a peachy shade, I have used this as a base shade a few times and it is also great for the 'not there eye makeup days'.
• Chiffon - This is a really lovely, almost orange shimmer shade and it is one I use alongside Lady Nude.
• Venus - The one shade I have also used as a highlighter because it is stunning. A shimmer shade which isn't too gold or yellow, but almost barely white and I love it. 
• Too Mauve - This isn't mauve at all, it is a much red toned deep pink shade depending on the light and it works great on its own or with a bit of shimmer.
• Nuda - For me, this is the weakest shade on the palette and it is a really light almost yellow tone shade, again, works better as a base shade and with the lighter shimmers.
• Lady Nude - This is my go-to shade, the one I have used the most. It is the barely-there nude and it works with every other shade on this palette.
• Madame Skin - My second favourite shade on the palette after Lady Nude and it is a brown shimmer with a very slight bronze hue, noticeable in direct light.

What I love about this palette is that each one of the shades, whether it is a shimmer or a matte, works well with something else on the palette and they are all just so versatile and pigmented. As you can see from the swatches below, which are totally unedited and you see them as I swatched them, there are just some beautiful shades to work with.

 I love that this palette is suitable for all skin tones and I love that there is the most stunning shade of Green, one which I have used and it isn't my favourite colour usually to go for because I have blue eyes.

This Diego Dalla Palma Nuda Eyeshadow Palette is priced at just £29.50 from Marks and Spencer* and £32.50 from Lookfantastic*.

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

Missha - The Global K-Beauty Phenomenon has landed at Feelunique

Korea's No.1 Cosmetic Brand, Missha has recently launched on Feelunique and I have been lucky enough to have been sent a few products to try.  I am a huge fan of K-Beauty products and have a dedicated section on my blog (here) to all of the K-Beauty brands I have tried or am trying.  Missha is described as being the beauty aficionado's must-have and it features everything from the iconic Snail Gel and Bee Pollen ranges to its super-luxe Time Revolution and Super Aqua Solutions.

Within the Missha range is six hero products which include a Snail Sleeping Mask, BB Cream, Vitamin B12 Booster, Night Repair Borabit Ampoule, Waterful Cream and a Bee Pollen Sheet Mask.  From those six hero products, I have been trying three of them and because it isn't a brand I have come across or heard very much about before, I wasn't too sure what to expect.

The first product to capture my attention was the Super Aqua Waterful Cream (80ml £30) and it is described as being a moisturiser that's like a big glass of ice-cold water for the face.  What it is, is a beautiful lightweight cream which is designed to give your skin long-lasting hydration. 

This Waterful Cream is infused with nourishing, mineral-rich bedrock water from the Blue Mountains of Australia which really helps to moisturise the skin, it works along Baobab Seed extract which helps to draw in water for a deep moisturising effect, whilst what is referred to as a powerful Vitality Complex, which is comprised of Cactus, Birch Tree and Sap extracts, help to restore luminosity and resilience. On contact with the skin, this cream immediately melts and it is one of those products that you notice the difference with almost instantly. I love that there is virtually no scent to this cream at all and it comes with its own spatula for application, so you don't have to use your fingers, something I am beginning to want more and more with products that are not in a pump action bottle.

The second product I have used is the M Perfect Cover BB Cream in shade 23 (£50ml £24). Unfortunately, this shade is much too dark for my skin tone, even though it is said to be a natural beige.  Said to have sold over 30million tubes worldwide, this BB Cream is a little, unlike any others that I have in my stash.  It not only hydrates and brightens the skin, but it also helps to reduce inflammation and it has both UVA and UVB protection.

On the skin it is lightweight, it blends with ease and it uses key ingredients such as:

• Gatuline RC, Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramide: help infuse moisture for firmer-looking skin with reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
• Rosemary and chamomile extracts: fragrant herbal botanicals that help the complexion appear calm and balanced.

Even though it was too dark for my skin, what I did like about this BB Cream is just how easy it is to work with.  The swatch shown above is completely unedited, but as you can see, it is darker than my skintone, even blended. There are seven shades currently available on Feelunique and I think I would need the lightest shade 13 to work with my skin.

The final product is my favourite of the three and that is the Vitamin B12 Double Hydrop Booster (£45 195ml). This is described as being a boosting toner which is perfect for anyone who has dry skin. 

Designed to be used after cleansing your face, you apply a few drops of this booster to a cotton wool pad and apply directly to the skin. It is quite a thick texture, so you only do need just a few drops.  Enriched with a rich complex of Vitamin B12 and ceramides, the booster helps to give the skin a hydration boost whilst protecting and nourishing. It helps prepare your skin for the next step of your routine to ensure it gets the maximum benefits.

What I have found whilst using this booster is the difference in how my skin feels, particularly on my cheeks, which is often where I suffer from dryness.  I have used this Booster only on my cheeks, sides of my nose and forehead for the last 5 weeks and slowly over that time, the dryness has become less noticeable, especially if I use products such as a liquid foundation, no longer does something stick to my skin (even with a primer), it glides on and stays in place much longer.  There is a cream version of this Booster which sounds just as delightful as this product.

As an introduction to Missha as a brand, I have really loved getting to know some of their hero products.  It is worth noting that none of the products within this range are free of parabens, artificial fragrance, and mineral oil and are all dermatologically tested.  My skin has reacted well to both the Super Aqua Waterful Cream and the Vitamin B12 Hydrop Booster and I really do love the idea of the BB Cream too.  Over at Feelunique (here*) there is a whole host of products from Missha to discover and there are one or two products I've got my eye on!

Have you tried anything from the Missha range?

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

Too Cool For School - Korean Beauty

I have a bit of an obsession with Korean Beauty, which, if you are a regular visitor to my blog, you might well have noticed, I even have a dedicated K-Beauty section HERE. New to my collection is Too Cool For School, which is said to be one of the most sought-after cosmetics brands in Korea, with Egg Mellow Cream, the brand's bestseller, selling one unit every 12 seconds in the US and globally. Here in the UK, Too Cool For School recently launched at Feelunique, Cult Beauty, Look Fantastic and in larger Boots stores across the UK.

I was very kindly sent some products from the range to try and the one thing that stands out is that although the products look and sound quirky, they are actually incredibly innovative and are presented in some of the most playful of packaging I have come across.  One notable stand out ingredient for the brand is 'Egg' and the three products I have been getting to know all have that Egg theme.

The first product in my arsenal is the award-winning Egg-Zyme Whipped Foaming Cleanser (£18 here*). Described as being a gentle exfoliating cleanser formulated with naturally derived enzymes from egg powders which turn into a rich, creamy cleanser, this is the quite an amazing product.  It is a very mild and rejuvenating facial foam which to all intents and purposes is powered by eggs and their job is to effectively remove pore-clogging debris as well as dead and dry skin cells to leave your skin looking radiant and feeling fresh.  

Naturally, I always want to know what is in any product I am putting on my skin and within this Egg-Zyme Whipped Foaming Cleanser, you will find it is packed with anti-bacterial enzymes which are found in egg whites and they are called lysozyme particles. On the skin, this low-pH face wash creates what is best described as being a gentle chemical exfoliation on the skin and it is at this point the cleanser works to dissolve impurities and excess oils whilst at the same time decongesting those pores. As it is doing this, Too Cool For School's Bubble Puzzle technology helps to create a fine and dense foam with a cushiony texture and it such a brilliant product to use. My skin can often feel congested as I spend many weekdays on and off public transport for work meetings and getting home from work, I often just want to scratch my face clean of all the dirt, grime and pollution that I know is sitting on my skin.  This cleanser does an incredible job at leaving my skin feeling incredibly clean, soft and as though it can breathe.

The second product is the Too Cool For School Egg Cream Mask and I have the Pore Tightening Mask (£6 here*).  A single-use sheet mask which has been specifically designed for oily, blemish-prone skin.  Infused with egg white extract and vinegar extract to help minimise pores, remove excess oil and clarify the skin as well as helping to clear the skin of blemish-causing bacteria and impurities.

Taking the mask form the packet, I am glad to report is that this mask does not smell like a bottle of vinegar which was my biggest worry, instead what you get is one of the softest microfibre masks I have ever used and on the skin, it feels so refreshing.  Covered in a serum-like texture, you apply the mask to the contours of your face and for me, this is one of the best fitting masks I have used in some time, once on the face, you leave it for up to 20 minutes and then discard, patting in gently, any excess serum.  After using, my skin felt incredibly hydrated and soft, the only thing I didn't notice was any pore tightening, but what I did find in its place was much cleaner looking pores,

The final product of my Too Cool For School trio is the Egg Mousse Body Oil (£24 here*).  I hold my hands up and admit that I am the absolute worst at using any body lotions and moisturisers, I start off using them daily and then after a week or two, they get pushed to one side and pretty much forgotten about, unless they really capture my attention.  With this Egg Mousse Body Oil, curiosity got the better of me and I have stuck to using it religiously every single day.  

This Mousse is in an airtight can and upon release, what you get is a really lightweight mousse which, upon contact with the skin transforms into an oil to hydrate, nourish and moisturise your skin.  I hadn't expected it to be so easy to use or as much fun, I love the texture of the mousse as it comes into contact with my skin and I love that it turns into a non-greasy oil too.  Enriched with a blend of five botanical oils such as Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Jojoba Oil and Olive Oil to replenish vital moisture and nutrients without clogging pores. Then we have Egg yolk extract working alongside the albumin in egg white extract to boost the skin’s natural ability to repair and regenerate, supporting natural cell turnover and collagen production for firmer, more supple skin. Honey extract and milk protein extract supply needed nutrients to help repair and protect at the deepest level.  As you might expect, it ticks all of those boxes for being nourishing, hydrating and moisturising and my legs no longer resemble those of a snake part way through shedding its skin!  I love how easy it is to use, it dries incredibly quickly and it smells incredibly sweet of almond oil.

For me, these three products have been a great introduction to the Too Cool For School Brand and it has me intrigued to want to try other products. As well as skincare, the brand also has a perfume, a makeup range as well as a hair care range too which I am keen to try.  If the egg range doesn't quite sound right for you, then there is also a Coconut or Pumpkin option too.

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