Top 5: Revlon Colorbust Lip Butters

I'm sure you're all bored to death of hearing about Revlon Colorbust Lip Butters, so I thought I'd bore you just a tiny bit more and compile a quick top five of my favourite shades.  I know that the US have a lot more shades in their range, but out of the 14 or so which are available to purchase in the UK, here are my top five (going from L-R with the photo above):-

Candy Apple -  If you've been wary of red lipsticks in the past, but have always wanted to try out a red lip, then Candy Apple is an easy wearable choice to go for.  As the name suggests, this is pretty much the exact colour you would imagine a perfect candied apple to be.  In a nutshell, it's a fab warm toned orangey-red that is more opaque that some of the other shades.

Tutti Frutti - For some reason this was one of the hardest shades for me to get hold of.  It was constantly sold out every time I wanted to get it!  Tutti Frutti is the colour I would wear constantly on a sunny holiday.  It's a lovely bright orange-coral that brightens up my face.

Peach Parfait - This is my absolute favourite of the bunch.  A gorgeous super shimmery peachy pink, that I can see myself wearing a lot of over the summer.  If you're not a fan of glitter, then give this one a miss, but if you do like your lips quite shimmery, then you'll no doubt love it.

Strawberry Shortcake - I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I do, because I generally don't suit cool, blue toned pinks at all, but Strawberry Shortcake seems to be glossy enough for me to pull off.  It's very creamy and more opaque than some of the other shades.  Great for those looking for a barbie-esque pink without any glitter.

Berry Smoothie - My first Lip Butter that started off my buying craze (thanks again to Sandra for sending it to me!).  Berry Smoothie is a medium-pink with some shimmer that shows up as a bright juicy berry shade on me. 

Which ones are your favourite shades?

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Amarya Organic / Natural Beauty Box - June

The Amarya box for June arrived this morning!  Here's what was inside mine:-

• Santaverde Aloe Vera Cleansing Gel, full size, (worth £22) - I was a bit bummed out when I saw this because I have so many cleansers lying around that I haven't yet tried out, so my initial thoughts were, "Not another one!".  However, I'm sure I'll get around to using it eventually sometime soon.  It says that it's a gentle cleanser that also removes make-up, and is made from pure aloe vera and apple juice(?!).  Sounds interesting nonetheless.
• Iroisie Ultimate BB Cream with SPF 25, 2 x sample sachets - Not heard of this brand before and I love trying out BB creams, so very excited to see what these are like!
• John Masters Organics Vitamin C Anti-Ageing Serum, sample sachet - Not for my skin type but I will pass this on to Amanda and see what she thinks.

 I would have preferred more variation in the box with regards to the products they decided to include (ALL face products to me is a bit 'meh'), but that's the thing with beauty boxes, you win some, you lose some.  But if you do like everything in the box, then it's excellent value for a tenner.

Did you receive an Amarya box today?

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Guest Post: Amanda's thoughts on anti-aging/dry/sensitive skincare samples

I asked my friend Amanda to test out some skincare samples for We Were Raised By Wolves, that weren't suitable for my own skin type.  Amanda is in her early thirties and has dry-to very dry skin, which is also sensitive.  Her favourite skincare brands are Clinique, Dermalogica, Caudalie and La Roche Posay.  She is also interested in brands that use organic and natural ingredients.  Here are her thoughts on the samples that she tried out:-

Yon Ka Vital Defense - I enjoy looking into French skincare brands and Yon Ka is a brand I have heard many good things about.  The Vital Defense cream is a light and hydrating moisturiser which acts as a 'shield' against pollution and free-radicals.  It was pleasant to use and is something I would consider purchasing as a full size product.

REN Bio Retinoid Anti-Aging Concentrate - I'm nearly 32 and have recently started to notice some minor signs of aging on my face.  I have tried some Retinol products in the past but always have to stop using them because they are too irritating for my sensitive skin.  This night concentrate from REN is  a 100% natural alternative to Retinol, and I found it very effective.  It has a sweet fruity scent and I only needed to use a few drops each night.  My skin looked visibly smoother, brighter and more toned, so this is something I will be certainly purchasing a full size of.

Oskia Get Up & Glow - Unfortunately this serum did nothing for my skin in terms of brightening it and making it look more energised, as it promised to do.  It did provide a smooth base for my make-up, but priced at £65 for the full size product, I would expect it to do much more.

Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector - The sample size is too small to judge its effective on wrinkles, but I did notice a tightening effect on my skin when I used this and it visibly reduced the size of my pores as well.  This is something I would look into getting a full size version of, to see if it would have any effect on some of the lines that have started to appear on my forehead.

Lavera Lifting Serum - This serum from Lavera produced a tightening effect on my skin for five minutes or so which seemed promising, and then the feeling disappeared and with it, my skin looked a lot less taunt.  Like the Oskia Get Up & Glow, the Lavera Lifting Serum provided a smooth base for my make-up but didn't do anything else for me.

Institut Esthederm Time Technology Cream - I have seen this many times when browsing Cult Beauty and had always wanted to try it.  Sadly, I was very disappointed by this sample.  The cream has light reflecting properties which is supposed to make your skin look more awake and younger, but I personally didn't notice any difference.  Priced at £69 for a full size, I would expect to.

Caudalie Radiance Day Fluid with SPF 10 -  A light non-greasy cream that hydrated my skin nicely and made it look refreshed.  This is something I would purchase a full size of and use in summer.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion - I use a great deal of Clinique products in my everyday skincare routine so my thoughts are probably biased towards them.  I enjoyed using their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion and immediately purchased a full size after finishing the sample.  It's much lighter than their Moisture Surge so I will use it in summer when my skin is less dry.

Korres Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturiser with SPF6 - This was the surprise out of the samples that Evelyn gave me.  I didn't expect to like it because I personally don't like rose scented products, but the scent of this was more subtle than I originally thought it would be.  The moisturiser is very rich and very hydrating, a perfect drink for my dry and thirsty skin.  I would certainly purchase a full size of this.

Patyka Biokaliftin Radiant Exfoliating Mask -  Unfortunately my sensitive skin didn't like this mask and I personally found it too harsh for me.

Do you have any skincare recommendations for Amanda?  Comment below and I'll pass them on to her!

 

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Review: Kleenex Facial Cloths

When these Kleenex Facial Cloths first came out, I saw them mentioned everywhere.  Whilst I liked the pretty packaging, I knew that I'd never buy them personally because I am very loyal to my muslin cloths and stockpile cotton wool pads like nobody's business.  I also thought they were quite expensive for what looked like a box of fancy quilted tissues (RRP £1.99 per box of 30 facial cloths).

So how on earth did this box come into my hands?!

In the mad rush that have been the last four days of extended weekend craziness, I somehow ended up forgetting to pack my beloved muslin cloths AND any cotton wool pads in my travel bag (as well as some other things, packing in a rush never turns out well!).  I popped to Sainsburys to get some cotton wool and saw these on offer for 99p and thought that I might give them a go, just this once.

You can use Kleenex Facial Cloths for all manners of beauty related care such as cleansing, toning, removing make-up etc, as well as removing nail polish.  Basically anything you'd use a muslin cloth or cotton wool for.  I decided to test out the four main ways:-

1. Cleansing - The cloths did not rip or shred when used with water.  I was very impressed by how they held up.  I wouldn't say they're as good as a muslin cloths for removing a cleanser that needs to be taken off with warm water, because the Kleenex cloth just isn't as soft when wet.  However, for removing cleanser without water, it works better than cotton wool and feels much nicer too.
2. Toning - Feels really soft on the skin, but I felt it was too wasteful for this purpose because the cloth is just so big and I only ever need one cotton wool pad to remove my toner. 
3. Removing Make-Up - Similiar experience to cleansing regarding wet vs dry, though again impressed that the cloth didn't shred or tear.
4. Removing Nail Polish -  It was when I tried this, that I fully appreciated how useful these cloths might be.  Because the cloth is so big, you can easily remove all 10 nails worth of polish with just one cloth, and again, the cloth didn't disintegrate or anything.

Summary:  I'll stick with using my muslin cloths and cotton wool for most purposes, but I do find these quite handy for removing nail polish.  I would mostly use these when travelling for the convenience factor, but would only repurchase again if I saw them on offer.

Do you use these?  What do you think?

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