Empties

I've noticed over the past month that a lot of my makeup and skincare products have run out, so I've decided to write mini reviews on all the products that are now empties, telling you whether you should buy, or say goodbye, to these products.

Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner by Simple-This was the first ever toner I used on my skin about 3 years ago and I continue to like it as it is effective on very sensitive skin which I have. Its very soothing and removes left over makeup on your face and oils. However, I don't like it for removing eye makeup as it doesn't remove all of it and can be painful when it gets in your eyes (as any product would). I would re-purchase this product as its also very affordable and is from a drugstore/high street brand.

Stay Matte Primer by Rimmel- I liked this product as its good to put under foundation to give it a more smooth and flawless finish. I purchased this for £8.99, which in comparison to other primers is good, but I found that it didn't erase the look of my pores that well.

 

PrimeTime by bareMinarals- I got a tester of this primer and wouldn't purchase the full version, as babyskin by Maybelline is a great dupe and cheaper alternative for this product, saying this it does make your skin silky smooth and reduces the appearance of your pores.

 

Porefessional by Benefit- I really like this product, under my makeup and on its own, since its tinted and provides the slightest bit of coverage and defiantly erases my pores. But, it is on the rather pricy side.

 

Witch Naturally Clear Mattifying Moisturiser-I've already re-purchased this product, as I really like the fact that its effective on oily skin, and that it contains natural ingredients. I use it daily in the morning before and makeup and at night after I've cleansed my face.

 

Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation 103 Ivory-I really really liked this product and will defiantly be repurchasing it, as it made my skin look really glowing and healthy. However, it can make you look glittery, which personally I don't mind, but I know some people don't like that. For the price, it is one of the best drugstore/high street foundations I've used.

 

Clean and Clear Morning Energy-This product was effective at first at removing excess sebum and dead skin cells, however started breaking me out, as it spread my acne, so I wont be repurchasing this. But, for the lucky ones with clear skin the product would be much better for you as it gently exfoliates your skin with micro-beads.

 

Herbalism by Lush-I honestly went through this product in a months time and loved it so much, it exfoliates your skin and instantly improves the look of your complexion, reducing redness. I'm defiantly going to purchase the larger size next time.

 

Garnier Micellar Water-I love this product for removing all my makeup and its so easy to use,which I really like.

 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer-I know everyone loves this product, however I hated it. It is really heavy on the skin and made me look really cakey. I also found it really hard to blend and it made my skin look really blotchy and un even.

 

Zoella Creamy Madly Dreamy-The packaging for this product is so pretty and just because its Zoella I had to buy it, for more information and a more in-depth review go to my Zoella Beauty post.

 

bareMinerals Original SPF Mineral Foundation in Medium Beige-I love this product, especially in the summer as it improves the look of your complexion and is so light on your skin, its as if your wearing no makeup at all. Its very natural and has a sheer to medium coverage. You can also cover blemishes with a concealer brush to be more precise and to achieve more coverage.

 

BabyLips in Hydrate by Maybelline- I'm actually quite proud that I managed to finish a whole lip balm, but this product isn't very special. It doesn't really work that effectively and I think its slightly overacted, but I don't blame people as the packaging is so cute,

 

Eucerin Dermo Purifier Cleanser-This cleanser is especially for people with oily, acne prone skin, which is exactly what I have. It removes all excess oil, sebum and makeup, which is so easy as you only need to use one product. I use this daily in the morning and night and its gradually clearing up my pimples and spots.

 

Sleek Eyeliner in Black-I didn't like this product very much, despite being easy to use, as its in pen form. Since, the formula was very watery and didn't stay throughout the day. The colour wasn't very pigmented and I much prefer the Rimmel scandal eyes liquid eyeliner.

SheInside-American Apparel Tennis Skirt Dupe

I love American Apparel, but I don't quite like the price tags as much. I've always wanted one of there staple tennis skirts, but there sold for around £45. I was trying one on in there stores, but before I bought it I found a website called Sheinside selling them for £13! Its available in white, black, navy and lilac, and the quality is just as good. However the sizing is different to American Apparels, as they come up a lot smaller. I ordered the white skirt and it arrived about 1 week later. The website is safe to use and there are loads of amazing clothes to find and buy.

Happy shopping!

  

How I Edit My Instagram Pictures+Keeping Up A Theme

I've had this requested a lot on my Instagram and if your not following me already its @libertybourke (lets be honest this post is a total self promo for Instagram). I am way too obsessed with Instagram and feel like I've said Instagram way to many times already, but it seems to be a trend to have a good 'theme' or 'feed'. My feed reflects who I am and has pictures of everything I see, and usually everything I eat...To me a feed or theme is a collection of photos that compliment each other. Its like having a family of photos that all work together, but are individually different. I feel like I'm turning Instagram into something really deep and complicated.
 

First of all you have to take a high quality photo, which is all to do with the lighting, I take all my photos on my iPhone and use the brightness tools (you can do this by focusing the camera and scrolling up or down).

Next its all about picking a good filter and using the right editing features, some of my favourite apps to use are:

-Afterlight (£0.69)

-VSCOcam (FREE, but have to download filters(some filters are FREE too))

-Facetune (£2.99)

-Rookie(FREE)

I always use VSCOcam, especially because your photos are saved to a grid so you can see what your Instagram will look like before you've posted it. Once I've chosen a photo I'll choose the HB2 filter (which you have to download) and I'll change the intensity to around 7 or 8, the darker the picture the lower the intensity. Then I will fade the picture to +6. Depending on the photo I'll change the brightness and saturation, but I don't use these features all the time.

 

Factune-Good for changing the colour(tones) of things in photos, can smooth skin and can defocus and blur photos to a good standard.

Afterlight-Like VSCOcam with a range of filters, my favourite is russ.

Rookie-Range of filters, light leaks and textures for free, my favourite filters are mild, yuki and dusk.

I hope you liked this post I know its a bit different, comment your Instagram below if you want me to check it out and follow. Some of my favourite feeds are: @madisenrosebeauty1 @thatsojack @drumaq @lovelaurenelizabeth @arose1860 @suedebrooks @jennxpenn @claudiesulewski @inkawilliams and of course the one and only @conniexblackman!

The Worlds Most Powerful Facial

I've tried this facial a few times and it's nothing like anything I've tried before. Whilst it dries on your skin you can feel your skin pulsating. The mask is a clay which you can mix with water or raw apple cider vinegar and is 100% natural calcium bentonite clay. It is designed to deep cleanse your skin and remove impurities and oil from your pores. It is called Indian healing clay from the brand Aztec Secret.

  

Firstly, I use a plastic bowl (can be any non-metal bowl) to mix two parts clay to one part water, and I stir this until a paste is formed. At first it will appear lumpy, however you can add more liquid/clay to form a smooth consistency. 

  

Next, I paint it on to my face with a makeup brush until I have an even layer. Be careful and avoid contact with your eyes.

I then wait 15-20 minutes or until the mask is completely dry and then wash it off with warm water. If you have delicate skin I'd recommend leaving the mask on for around 10 minuets instead. 

As the mask is drying your skin will feel extremely tight and it will probably be hard to move your mouth. It is also normal for your eyes to look strange whilst the mask is drying, they are only like this because your skin is being pulled.

After you've removed the mask it is normal for your skin to be slightly red, and it would have returned back to normal within half an hour. 

You can use this mask for any area of the skin as an acne preventer, clay baths, foot soaks and for knee packs (chilled clay). 1lb of the clay will make 10-15 facials which you can use once a week.

Real Techniques Brushes-Review



 

Real Techniques has always had such amazing reviews and I've seen so many youtubers and bloggers using these brushes, so I really wanted to try them out. I purchased the core collection for £20.99 at Superdrug. The brushes are 100% cruelty free and are made of taklon bristles, which are ultra-plush with soft fibres and smoother than most synthetic brushes.

 

 

The brushes themselves are light, mostly due to their aluminium handles and fit in your hand well. They are all reasonably small and have flat bases. 

 

 

They also come in a case, which makes them easy to travel with and transport.

 

 

 

Detailer Brush-This is such a small brush which I use for small blemishes and imperfections on my skin, however prefer it for eye shadows, especially the inner corners of my eyes to brighten them.

 

 

 

Pointed Foundation Brush- Honestly, I don't like this brush, as its way to small to apply foundation. the only thing I use it for is to blend concealer under my eyes. It is a flexible brush that could also be used to cover blemishes.

 

  

 

Buffing Brush-I use this brush to apply powder to my face and mineral foundation, I really like this brush to apply bronzer and blush too, however its isn't for precise contouring, more of an all over glow. It can also be used for applying foundation and I find it similar to the expert face brush also in the real techniques collection. Overall this is one of my favourites in the core collection.

 

 

 

Contour Brush-I love this brush for applying bronzer, as its small enough to fit in the hollows of your cheekbones making them look much more defined. It also blends the product really well into your skin, giving you a flawless looking finish.

#OOTD

I'm currently in love with this outfit and its perfect for spring and summer, however can easily be adapted with tights and a warm cardigan for our delightful English weather. I hope everybody had  a great Easter and spent it with those you love...and chocolate!

 

 

Shorts-Urban Outfitters

 

 

Kimono-Bershka

 

 

 Top-Berskha

Necklace-Forever 21

 

 

Bikini-Primark

Zoella Beauty

I've had a few of the zoella beauty products for a while now and decided to write a review of what I think of the range I purchased. I got these items from SuperDrug, some of which were presents and others I purchased myself. 

By far my favourite product from the line is the perfume, Blissful Mistful, I love the scent and it is perfect for everyday use. The packerging is adorable and for me that's enough to want to buy it! I can describe is as quite feminine, floral and fresh. It is a lightweight perfume, enriched with vitimin E and fruit extracts. It was £8 for 45ml.

The next product I have is the soap opera bath soak and shower cream. I got this for £5 for 490ml. I use this in the bath along with an abundance of lush products (are we even surprised). It doesn't irritate my skin, however leaves yor bath smelling nice. The Shea butter and Aloe extracts soften and condition your skin whilst you relax. Overall I like this product, and again the packerging is so cute.

I also have the creamy madly dreamy body lotion which I tend to apply to my skin after getting out of the bath/shower. I realised that all the products in the line have a similar scent and are very girly and floral. The cream itself is quite think and moisturising, however I don't apply this cream in areas where I have sensitive skin, because it has got fragrance which can lead to irritation, however all skin types are different.

Lastly, I purchased the make up bag/pencil case in the design Just Say...YES. I mean I couldn't say no to buying it. It's perfect for keeping all you everyday makeup products handy and is a reasonable size that can fit in your bag. I love the colours (rose gold and light pink) and it is my favourite out of all the designs. I'm very happy that I waited for this design to come out because it was really worth it.

Have you tried the Zoella Beauty range yet? If not you can go purchase these products along with a few others, that weren't mentioned. I hope I can get my hands on them soon and try them out. All of these products are good value for money and can be bought at SuperDrug stores. Let me know if you try them!

Libby

x x x