Introducing: SportFX - Sweatproof, Gym-Friendly Makeup & Skincare

Whether you wear makeup to the Gym or are just looking for a long-wearing makeup range to last you through a busy day at work, SportFX is a brand worth looking into.

I recently read a magazine article where they polled 100 female gym goers and found that at least half of them regularly wear makeup to the gym. The main reason given was because they said makeup helped to give them a confidence boost, which I can totally understand. Sweating it out during a session of Hot Yoga or Weight Training can leave you looking like you've just run a marathon, so if wearing makeup to the gym gets more women into doing regular exercise, then I'm all for it!

Surprisingly though, whilst many makeup brands now offer longer lasting foundations, there aren't many around who have a full range of gym-friendly, sweatproof products which is why I was so curious to try out SportFX. Their entire range is described as 'active makeup and skincare' with innovative long-wearing, sweatproof formulas. Best of all though, their products are very affordable (think high street/drugstore prices) so I couldn't wait to put some of their bestsellers to the test.

 SportFX Cool Down Primer & Recovery Gel* (30ml, £9.99)

If you want your makeup to stay put, applying a primer is one of the easiest steps that you can take to ensuring that it looks good for longer. This gel-based Cool Down Primer promises to be high endurance and contains Aloe Vera Gel, Vitamins C, E & F and the anti-inflammatory Panthenol, to instantly soothe and calm down any redness. It feels really nice and cooling on the skin and provides a lovely smooth base for applying makeup. I put it through its paces during a sweaty cardio session and it really does help to keep everything in place, plus my face looked a lot less flushed and red too - win win! This would be a great primer to use during the Summer months as well. 

 SportFX Balance Boosting BB Cream SPF 20* (30ml, £12.99)

I wasn't expecting much from this Balance Boosting BB Cream as I've tried some similar products from a few other brands in the past, but this one certainly fared better than those. Like the primer, it has a special high-endurance formula which is both fragrance and paraben free. The BB Cream comes in four shades (Medium is pictured above), and is enriched with antioxidants to protect the skin. The formula is quite thick (and best applied with a sponge), but it's sweat-resistant, breathable and matte, and the coverage is what I'd expect from a BB Cream. This held up really well during the sweaty cardio session and was still looking good afterwards. Thanks to the added SPF 20, I'd recommend this to anyone who is looking for a long-lasting, matte, light coverage base for everyday wear, and oily skins will particularly love it.

 SportFX Blend & Go Makeup Blending Sponge* (£4.99)

To apply the BB Cream, I used the Blend & Go Makeup Blending Sponge which has an 8-sided design that can be used with liquids, creams and powders for a flawless finish. The sponge is soft, bouncy and easy to use, with the angled sides allowing you to get into those tricky areas, like around the nose, quickly and effortlessly. I also like using the tip of the sponge on its side for applying concealer underneath the eyes. A clever little makeup tool - well done SportFX!

 SportFX Sport Stamina Mascara* (£9), Shape Up Brow Pencil* (£7.99) & Definition Duo Eyeliner Pencil* (£9.99)

If you're going to wear any kind of eye makeup to the gym, it's a no-brainer that the formulas will need to be waterproof, and all three of these from SportFX proved that they were smudge-proof when I tested them out. The Sport Stamina Mascara is infused with a nourishing and strengthening formula, and contains ingredients such as Sweet Almond Oil, Mango Butter, Carnuba Wax, Coconut Oil and Beeswax. It gives the lashes a good boost of both length and volume, though it did get a little clumpy at the edges, but given its performance, I didn't mind too much.

The Shape Up Brow Pencil comes with an inbuilt spoolie on one end and has an angled pencil tip on the other. It feels a little too dry and waxy for my liking, but if you're prepared to work with warming it up beforehand, it'll happily stay put all day. The Definition Duo Eyeliner Pencil, on the other hand, has a lovely smooth formula that's highly pigmented and is super easy to use. One end features a dark brown and the other a black, so this skinny duo twist-up pencil is a must-have for eyeliner junkies.

 SportFX Performance Powder & Bronzer Compact Duo SPF 15* (13g each, £14.99)

To complete a full face of makeup, this handy Compact Duo features a mattifying powder on the top for a smooth and shine-free finish, and a slide-out bronzer underneath for an all over healthy looking sun-kissed glow. Both of the powder formulas are paraben free and have natural pigments to allow the skin to breathe. I really like both of them - they're finely milled, easy to apply and work with, and the bronzer looks very natural on. The compact has a decent sized mirror in the lid too, making touch-ups before and after the gym a breeze. 

 SportFX Raspberry Rhubarb Recovery Lip Balm SPF 15* (8g, £4.99)

This lip balm was the only product that I tried from SportFX which I was very 'meh' about, simply because it doesn't really do anything that a good quality lip balm does already (the hint of pink tint and the rhubarb custard scent were good though). It feels initially moisturising on the lips thanks to ingredients such as Shea Butter, but I did find that my lips felt dry again after an hour or so, which made me need to reapply it more often than I wanted to. There are so many other amazing lip balms in this price bracket that you can pick up, so I'd give this one a miss. 

 SportFX Time Out Face Mist & Fix* (30ml, £5.99)

For that final step in your makeup routine, a setting spray is an essential helping hand, and this one not only fixes your makeup in place, but it also can be used as a refreshing, hydrating facial spritz whenever you need it. The mineral oil and paraben free formula feels nice and cooling and helps to control shine, so your makeup stays looking fresh for longer. A steal at just £5.99 and the perfect size for tucking into your handbag to use on the go.

SportFX Face Off Duo Eye & Face Makeup Remover Wipes* (20 wipes, £6.99)

When you want to take it all off, these makeup remover wipes do the job effectively and quickly. The box of 20 wipes contains 10 sachets which have a specialised oil-based wipe on the left for removing eye makeup and waterproof mascara, and a micellar water infused wipe on the right for taking off the rest of your makeup. Both of these feel soft on the skin, work incredibly well and removed everything easily! 

Shop the full range of SportFX makeup and skincare at sportfx.com

Do you wear makeup to the gym?

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Bank Holiday Fun Makeup: Glitter & Gems with Urban Decay & Lottie London

Hope everyone is enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend! Today's post is all about fun makeup to make the most of those late Summer nights when the heat is still on - Summer's not over yet!

 Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow Palette* (£36, link)

Are you missing a badass colourful glitter eyeshadow palette in your makeup collection? If you are, Urban Decay's Moondust Eyeshadow Palette will keep your lids looking awesome for every single festival you're planning to go to for at least the next ten years! The packaging is seriously amazing for this palette, with a sparkly and textured granite-esque casing. Open it up and you'll find a large mirror in the reverse lid and eight pans of glitter eyeshadow heaven.

These eyeshadows are insanely glittery and pigmented, and you can use them dry for a sheerer look or wet for a proper intense, full-on festival-ready finish. I've swatched with just two dry swipes below to give you an idea of what these beauties can do and I love the range of colours. They wear well with minimal fallout and look even more mesmerizing on the lids. If you enjoy experimenting with your makeup - this is a must-have!

Swatches! Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Razor Sharp Long-Wear Liquid Eyeliner in Goldrush* (2.3ml, £17, link)

To amplify your makeup further, a colourful liquid eyeliner can really pull the whole eye look together and I've been having fun trying out one of Urban Decay's Razor Sharp Long-Wear Liquid Eyeliners. These have a super fine tip which makes applying the liner much easier as you can get a really precise skinny line and they stay put all day, with incredible pigmentation. You do have to shake the tube a couple of times to ensure that the formula is thoroughly mixed, but when you get it right, the colour and payoff is worth is the wait! These liners come in a range of shades and I have Goldrush which is a killer metallic gold colour.

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Spandex* (7.5ml, £15, link)

If you only want a smidge of glitter on your eyes, try one of Urban Decay's hugely popular Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliners. The wand tip is very fine so you can easily achieve a skinny sliver of glitter or build it up for a thicker line which I've done in the swatches below. As you can see, the glitter is in a clear base, so these can be worn on their own or you can layer them over a black liner or shadow to really make them pop. They stay on all day and night (basically until you want to take them off), so you can see why they are such a coveted product in many a makeup artist's festival beauty bag. Available in a number of shades, I have Spandex which is an explosive mix of iridescent glitter with blue, black, silver, green and fuschia particles.

Urban Decay Vice Special Effects Lip Top Coat in Reverb* (4.7ml, £15.50, link)

Glitter lips continue to be a big trend, especially during the Summer months and holiday/festival season. Urban Decay have these cool Vice Special Effects Lip Top Coats which you can layer over your favourite lipstick for a completely different and unique look. You can also wear them on their own, but I find that they look much better layered over a lip colour, especially a darker one for an intense and vampy lip. They feel a little drying on, so make sure that you use a lip balm underneath. I have the shade Reverb which is a black, purple and silver glitter mix.

Swatches! Urban Decay Razor Sharp Long-Wear Liquid Eyeliner in Goldrush, Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Spandex and Urban Decay Vice Special Effects Lip Top Coat in Reverb. 

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray* (30ml, £10, link)

For makeup that is going to stand up to the heat and last all day/night long, a high-quality setting spray is an absolute must. I've been using Urban Decay's All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray for years and I've yet to find anything that works as well as this bad boy does. A quick spritz done twice all over the face will ensure that your makeup is put on lock down until you want to take it off. This 30ml travel size bottle is also perfect for holidays and handbags.

Lottie London Gems in Unicorn Tales, Off Duty Mermaid and Queen Of Hearts* (£3.99 each, link)

To finish everything off, why not pick up a pack of these new Gems from Lottie London? These self-adhesive jewels will add some instant bling and festival fun to your look, plus they'll stay on all day and are reusable for your next festival adventure (just add a dot of lash glue to the back of them when re-using and you'll be good to go!). There are lots of different designs available, but I think Unicorn Tales may have to be my favourite!

Have you tried any of these?

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May Beauty Favourites

May was a great month for discovering some new and old beauty favourites, and this roundup features a bit of everything! Let's get stuck in shall we?

Velvotan The Original Tanning Mitt* (£2, link)

As someone who enjoys slapping on the fake tan during the Summer months, I've tried out a lot of mitts from various brands over the years and let me tell you something - the quality of them can vary considerably, and paying more money for a tanning mitt doesn't always mean that it's going to be any good. I'm currently using this one from Velvotan and it's one of the best that I've tried (and I love a bit of leopard print!). I've used it with a couple of different formulas and it's worked well with all of them, plus it comes out of the washing machine looking like new. A steal at just £2 and you can pick it up in Tesco. 

Woodland Trust Fikkerts Bluebell Hand Cream* (75ml, £10, link)

The Woodland Trust are an environmental conservation charity that I've supported since I was a young child, so I was pleased to see this gem of a hand cream in their latest Spring/Summer catalogue. Made by Yorkshire brand Fikkerts, it's a really lovely and luxurious feeling hand cream packed full of moisturising natural ingredients such as Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Honey and Vitamin E. It has a subtle natural scent of Bluebells and leaves hands feeling silky soft. 

MAC Matte Lipstick in Velvet Teddy (3g, £16.50, link) 

I finally took advantage of MAC's much-loved Back 2 Mac recycling scheme and swapped some old empties that I had lying around for a free lipstick - yay! I chose Velvet Teddy which used to be one of my all time favourites as a teenager, but I hadn't gotten around to repurchasing it until now. When I applied it again, it brought back so many memories and it still suits me as much as it did back then. Happy days!

MAC Lip Pencil in Spice (1.4g, £13, link)

Naturally, one does not go into MAC without coming out with an impulse purchase, and I picked up a lip pencil in the blogger favourite, Spice. This is just one of those great classic shades that goes with some many of my most-used lipsticks and I love how it looks on its own too.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray* (30ml, £10, link)

A long time favourite of mine, this cult classic has recently had a packaging makeover and I think it looks pretty snazzy! I use this a lot during Summer to keep my makeup from melting off my face and it does an excellent job of keeping everything where it should be throughout the day. If you haven't tried it before, I'd recommend getting your hands on this 30ml travel size first to test out, as the full size is quite pricey, but I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Alucia Organics Chamomile & Calendula Calm Balm* (50g, £14, link)

I love trying out different balms to tackle my eczema flare-ups, and my latest discovery is this wonderful Calm Balm from Alucia Organics. It's 99% organic and the balm is formulated with an expert blend of nourishing and soothing ingredients such as Shea Butter, Hemp Seed Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Chamomile, Beeswax, Rosehip and Calendula. I find this very effective for calming down my irritated skin and helping it to heal, whilst keeping everything thoroughly moisturised at the same time. As with most balms, a little goes a long way, so I expect this jar will last me a long time.

Organic Be Argan Oil* (50ml, £13.59, link) 

Argan Oil is a firm staple in my bathroom as I use it for both skincare and haircare purposes. It's a fantastic natural multi-purpose oil that you can use literally anywhere to soften and smooth. One of my favourite ways to use it is as an intensive hair treatment, where I'll add a few drops to my dry lengths and ends, plait my hair and then sleep in it overnight. It's much, much easier to wash out than Coconut Oil and leaves my hair feeling stronger and looking shinier. This one from Organic Be is just straight up pure organic Argan Oil which is how I like it!

What are your current beauty favourites?

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