When I'm just doing my make up in the daytime for a relatively natural look I don't use bronzer to contour, instead using different shades of blush to create a really subtle sculpting.  Recently I have been using Sleek's Blush Pomegranate (£4.49, Superdrug) in the hollow of my cheeks.  This may sound crazy to some as this is a very shimmery blush but it happened by accident one day and I loved the way it looked.  Sleek Blushes are one of my favourite high street brands, they really are the most amazing quality and last for such a long time.

On the apples of my cheeks I go for a much fresher coral pink in the form of Benefit Coralista Blush (£23.50, Debenhams), this little mini one I had as part of a kit one Christmas has came in so handy!  I always use this at this time of year and with only a hint of shimmer it works really well with the Sleek, Pomegranate.  In my opinion this is the perfect peachy, coral blush!

I adore a good bit of highlighter at any time of year, there is nothing prettier than when the sun catches your cheekbones and a highlighter is made much more prominent, right?  When Make Up Academy released their Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder (£3.00, Superdrug) I knew I had to add it to my collection.  It's such an affordable highlighting product, something we don't see a lot of in the likes of Superdrug.  I love the pink iridescent shimmer, it adds a really girly touch to any make up look, giving a radient, healthy, glowy finish.  This is such good value for money, I would go as far to say it is my favourite highlighter available on the highstreet.

Would you like to see a full face make up look including these products?

Batiste Dry Shampoo 'blush' Superdrug £4.99, Collection Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner Superdrug £2.99, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer Superdrug £5.99,  Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil Selfridges £13.00, Urban Decay Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss 'Lovechild' Selfridges £14.00, Herbal Essences Ignite my Colour Shampoo Superdrug £3.79, Tangle Teezer - Space NK £12.50 Macadamia Deep Repair Masque -  Harvey Nichols £27.00, Ole Henrikson Nurture Me Cleansing Cloths Harvey Nichols £13.00, Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer Superdrug £4.99, Herbal Essences Ignite my Colour Conditioner Superdrug £3.79

I am always surprised when someone tells me they don't use a primer when applying their make up, it is something in my routine I just cannot live without.  Back in April I reviewed my all time favourite hydrating primer Illamasqua's Hydra Veil, I mentioned that it was finished and I was definitely going to repurchase, which I will but in the meantime Mypure have given me the opportunity to try out another one.  The Inika Pure Primer is a product I had never tried before and after reading a little bit about it online, it sounded like just my kind of primer.

The first thing I noticed about this primer is the luxurious looking packaging, the black and gold colour scheme speaks for itself and gives the impression that a very high quality product is inside.  The bottle is a matte black plastic which is not my favourite as foundation fingerprints take away it's beauty after just one use, although it is wipe clean it would be better without the matte finish.  I love that this has a built in pump it makes using the primer so much easier to use as one pump really is suffice per application.

The creamy formula reminds me of  a couple of primers I have enjoyed using in the past,  it feels instantly more hydrating and takes slightly longer to settle into the skin, so I always leave it for a few moments before applying my foundation.  The moisturising blend of coconut oil, jojoba oil and natural vitamin e helps to keep my skin moisturised all day whilst wearing a full face of make up.  The lemon leaf oil helps to keep excess oil controlled for most of the day but I do still feel the need to powder around six hours after application.  I also find this primer helps to correct the redness I tend to get around my nose and on my cheeks, this is more than likely down to the aloe vera leaf juice and lavender oil.  The scent is really uplifting which I am sure is the mix of bergamot oil, Apricot kernel oil and lemon leaf oil.  The fresh citrus scent makes me really enjoy using this, especially in the morning, when we all need a little wake up call.

I feel really happy using this knowing all the ingredients are beneficial for my skin, lots of the ingredients are similar to those in my skincare products so I feel like this is more like the last step in my skincare routine than the first step in my make up routine.  It is always so reassuring when all the ingredients of a product are easily read and not full of numbers and ingredients only a scientist could pronounce, luckily Inika's Pure Primer is free from talc, parabens, artificial fragrance and mineral oils.  As this is made with 81% certified organic ingredients it really is just packed full of all of the good stuff!

Products with such high quality ingredients do not come cheap, Inika Pure Primer retails for £29.50 at Mypure for 50ml, meaning this is around the same price as my current favourite but with 20ml more product and with so many more beneficial ingredients, it really is better value for money.  As I have only been using this for about two weeks I am still unsure if I would repurchase this but I am loving the results so far, we will see.

What are your favourite cruelty free brands?



*PR SAMPLE

In my time working for Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics one thing I am really thankful for is my increased knowledge of which fresh ingredients are most beneficial to my skin. I love so many of the Fresh Face Masks from Lush so I decided to come up with my own mask using a few of the ingredients from those, resulting in my ultimate fresh face mask.  My definition of the ultimate face mask would mean it was cleansing, exfoliating, soothing, anti aging, spot preventing whilst controlling oil but still allowing the skin to look radiant with a natural glow.  I know that seems like a lot to ask for in one mask but so many ingredients are known to help with more than one of these, so less ingredients are needed than you might think.
I decided on four ingredients known for their benefits to the skin,

Raspberries, rank among the fruits with the highest antioxidant strength great for anti aging properties when used topically.  They are also known for reducing inflammation, calming irritation and toning the skin.

Oats - an amazing natural beauty enhancer. They soothe and heal the skin, while reducing inflammation. Inflammation is one of the number one causes of premature aging, and while it all starts on the inside, reducing outer inflammation is also necessary for gorgeously radiant skin.  they are also very slightly exfoliating leaving the skin silky smooth without using something too harsh.

Honey - known as a natural cleanser which naturally exfoliates your skin to bring out a radiant and glowing complexion.  It is naturally antibacterial, so it's great for acne treatment and prevention, full of antioxidants which slow down the aging process whilst being super moisturising.

Cocoa Powder -contains antioxidants that work toward repairing damaged skin. This will make your skin softer, especially when paired with other ingredients including honey.  This also helps to absorb excess oil in the skin as it can be very subtly mattifying.

If you are reading this thinking it sounds good enough to eat, you would be correct.  Good for your skin and delicious, the best of both worlds.  I have been using this twice a week for two weeks now and love the way it makes my skin feel and more importantly look.  Immediately after use my skin definitely looks more radiant without being shiny.  This is by far my favourite DIY beauty product I have ever created, i love it even more than my DIY Hair Mask.

What would be the properties of your ultimate face mask?

Exfoliation is an essential step in my skincare routine, I find that it helps my skin to look healthier, feel softer and ensures I get the best results from other products as it helps to remove dead and dry skin, ensuring serums and moisturisers are easily absorbed into the skin.  I use two exfoliating cleansers, one of which I will be reviewing today,  Lush's Let The Good Times Roll.

This little pot of joy, which made it's first appearance as part of the Christmas range a couple of years ago, has now been made a permanent fixture to the amazing skincare range in store and online, thank you to the genius who made that happen!

I like to use this every second day as part of my evening skincare routine once I have removed my make up. The vitamin rich polenta and gently exfoliating maize flour work together with stimulating cinnamon powder, to gently buff away any dead skin cells, leaving my skin really soft and hydrated with a healthy glow.
Lush describe the scent of Let The Good Times Roll as a buttery popcorn, which I agree with to an extent but to me smells slightly sweeter than this, more like toffee popcorn.  It's difficult to explain how delicious it smells, I urge you to visit your nearest Lush shop and experience it for yourself, thank me later.

Let The Good Times Roll is a completely different texture to any other cleansers I have used, this different approach makes it really fun to use.  I just get a pea sized amount and mix in the palm of my hand with some water, creating a paste, I then massage into my skin for about a minute and rinse off with warm water.  What I love about this is you can control how scrubby you want this to be depending on how much water you add when making the paste.   Some exfoliating skincare products have often left me feeling the need to moisturise instantly after use, like they strip my skin of any natural oils and moisture.   This is not the case with this one, after rinsing my skin feels deeply moisturised but not oily, it's fantastic.

I was using this for about six months,  and have gone through three 100g tubs in that time, finishing my last pot at the end of March.  As the formula is preservative free it is recommended that it is used within three months of being made, Lush make this really easy to remember by placing stickers on each little black pot, these detail when it was made, who made the product and when it should be used by.  I know people use this after the recommended use by date but personally I wouldn't do this.  It may feel okay to use but the results will not be as effective compared to a fresh batch,

As I mentioned I finished my last pot of this around the end of March and have not repurchased as now the weather is warming up a little, my skin is feeling less dehydrated and will gradually become oilier as we come into summer.  I think for my skin this is most effective when it's colder outside.  I am now using an exfoliating cleanser that is in my collection all year round and will be sharing it with you very soon.

This can also be used as an all over body cleanser, I haven't tried this as I like to save it all for my face, please let me know if you have and what it was like in the comments below.

Back in February I mentioned in my, Smoking and Teeth Whitening - Why the Two Don't Mix feature,   that I really wanted my teeth whitened.  Since then I have taken steps to cut the disgusting habit for good, but I'll be posting about that in more detail next week.  As I'm taking steps to cut out the habit that was putting me off having my teeth whitened I have also been looking at where to get the treatment done.

I received an email last week about a brand new dental clinic which opened in Birmingham last week which has really caught my eye.  MiSmile opened last Friday, 25th April and is situated in Burlington Court, right in the heart of Birmingham.  This is the place I have chosen to have my first whitening treatment performed, of course I will be having a consultation before hand to make sure the treatment I decide on is right for me and the health of my teeth and get all the information regarding the treatment.

Teeth Whitening isn't the only treatment available, Mi Smile is the UK’s first Invisalign only clinic.  Invisalign are in invisible braces that use a series of clear, removable aligners (similar to gum shields) that are worn for two weeks and then swapped with the next aligner in the series each slightly different, means that the teeth move gradually.  The number of aligners needed will vary according to case severity at the end of the process patients are left with a beautiful smile.  This is something I doubt I would be overly interested in as I'm quite happy with the shape and position of my teeth but I wanted to mention it as some of you reading might not be.

The owner and principle dentist of this brand new clinic is, Dr Sandeep Kumar, an Invisalign Diamond elite dentist.  He is fast approaching his 1000 case and has performed over 3000 teeth whitening cases with different techniques and methods and has used and tried all the major teeth whitening systems available in the UK.  Over the years Dr. Kumar has become the celebrity dentist of choice, With celebrity clientele including Catherine Tyldesley, Michelle Keegan, Shobna Gulati, Georgia May Foote, Jorgie Porter and Ray Quinn to name but a few.

Dancing on Ice ultimate champion, Ray Quinn is a current patient of Dr Kumar and had this to say about his treatment so far, at the launch last week;
'Sandeep has been amazing, he’s been showing me how to get the smile I’ve wanted without having to worry about disrupting my work schedule.  I’m just here today to say thanks'

I think it's safe to say I am going to be in great hands especially after watching all of the customer testimonials on the official MiSmile website.    I'm excited to visit the clinic and share my progress and experience with you.

What are your thoughts on teeth whitening, is it something you would have done yourself?



*I received no financial compensation for this post

It's clear from my, Why Make Brushes Make A Difference - Lips, Eyes and Base - that I love my brushes and try to make the most of my collection and use most of them regularly.  I have only been using 'proper' brushes since early 2012, the first brand I tried out was Ecotools, environmentally friendly makeup brushes made from  recycled aluminium, bamboo and cruelty free bristles created by Alicia Silverstone.  I  loved the first three brushes I owned and have recently added to my collection and thought it was about time that I gave a full review of the brushes I own and what I use them for.

















These are the first three brushes I ever owned and believe that these kick started my obsession with the tools I now can't live without.  Even with nearly two years of use under their belt these brushes are still going strong and have been washed more times than I can remember with very minimal fall out, if any at all.  I use the Bamboo Powder Brush for setting powder and  bronzer  most of the time although as it is large I use a smaller brush for setting my under-eye concealer.  The Bamboo Blush Brush has been a favourite of mine for a long time although I don't use it for blush, I find that it applies highlighter to the tops of my cheeks perfectly, better than any other brush I own.  Both of these brushes are really fluffy and soft unlike the soft but firmer Deluxe Concealer Brush.  When I first got this brush I didn't appreciate it but I can remember loosing it once, only then did I realise how useful it is.  I have used this for concealer mainly but it's amazing for correcting mascara mishaps on your bottom lashes,  the texture of the bristles remove the mistake without spreading it everywhere, amazing!

















As you all know I am going to Wireless Festival this year and have started to build a collection of brushes more suitable for travelling, I thought the Recycled Aluminium Retractable Kabuki Brush would be perfect for powdering on the go.  The aluminium case will keep it clean whilst being lost in my handbag, also keeping the other items from getting covered in powder left on the brush.  I have been using this for my setting powder at the moment and its ticking all the boxes so far.  It is so soft and feels lovely on the skin,  although  I did expect it to be firmer being a kabuki.  With it being slightly softer than what I expected I will be trying it with blush and highlight.


































These are definitely the highlight of my Ecotools collection so far.  The five brushes that make up the Fresh and Flawless Complexion Set are so pretty.  I love the colours on each brush making it easy to differentiate between them but most of all I love how tiny they are, perfect for travelling.   These are also an addition to my festival make up brushes collection being half the size of a normal sized brush but with the same quality and results.

The buffing concealer brush (blue ferrule) is perfect for buffing concealer under the eye making sure it doesn't settle and I've been using the complexion blending brush (bronze ferrule) for setting the concealer with powder, these two are my definite favourites.  The full powder brush (pink ferrule) is great for contouring as it blends the bronzer effortlessly.  I haven't used the other two enough to decide if I like them or not, the flat concealer brush is great for packing eye shadow onto the lid, it's very similar to some other brushes I own.   I have only used the precision foundation brush once as I prefer to use a buffing brush rather than classic foundation brushes, as expected it didn't give me the results I like.

On a whole I really like Ecotools brushes, they have a permanent place in my collection for many years to come I'm sure with a few new additions along the way.

Which brushes would you recommend from EcoTools that I don't already have in my collection,  leave me a comment with your picks from the Ecotools Collection at My Pure!


*The Retractable Aluminium Kabuki Brush and Fresh and Flawless Complexion set were sent to me for consideration of review, although this does not taint my opinion, which is honest as always

 When you are just about to run out of a product and the thought of using anything else is no longer an option, you know it has become a holy grail product, this is my current situation with the Illamasqua Hydra Veil.  I purchased this around June last year and have used it everytime I apply a full face of make up, this is a long overdue review of what has become my favourite perfecting primer.  This in my opinion is even better than my previous favourites Benefit's Porefessional and the Revlon Photoready Primer.

The packing of Hydra Veil is different to all of the others I have tried, the outer tub fits in the palm of my hand and the rounded edges make it slightly luxurious and it's easy to hold but it is slightly large making it more difficult to fit into a smaller make up bag for travelling.  The gel formula inside, is concealed very well with the inner lid, complete with spatula for hygienic application, this is a design feature I love because having traveled with this a lot it has never leaked.  I think overall the product packaging is great I just wish they did a smaller size of this for travelling.

The magical gel formula is amazing, when mixed with the spatula it looks like mashed up jelly but after being left to settle, goes back to the calm water like appearance, this is what initially caught my interest before trying it on my skin, it seems the simple things in life entertain me.  I tried this on my hand before purchasing and as soon as it settled into my skin the results were instant, there was no doubt that I needed this in my make up collection.

I only use the amount of one scoop from the spatula for each application and warm up between my fingertips, before lightly sweeping over my face.  Warming the product up between my fingers turns the rehydrating gel formula into a  more liquid like texture.    I always leave this for a couple of moments to settle into the skin before applying the rest of my make up, in these couple of moments you can clearly see that pores are blurred, the redness around my nose and cheeks is reduced and my skin looks healthier.  I have normal/dehydrated skin but suffer with an oily t-zone, Hydra Veil manages to hydrate my skin, correct the oiliness in my t-zone and give me healthy glowing skin all at the same time, it is truly amazing.  The thing that really blew me away when using this was how soothing it was when using around the eyes, because of the liquid like texture it is so light and hydrating, especially great for tired eyes .

When I bought this it was retailing for about £27 if I remember correctly, it has gone up slightly in price to £30 but now that I have used this I cannot live without it so will definitely be repurchasing.  As this has lasted me in excess of nine months the price is justified every single time I use it.  I urge anyone who has not yet used this to give it a go, Illamasqua Hyda Veil creates the perfect base for flawless make up, helping it to last all day with a natural, hydrating finish.

This year will see a brand new launch from Illamasqua in the form of Matte Veil, I am super excited about trying this after seeing a really detailed review from Andrew on his blog Beauty and the Boy.  I can imagine it being just as great as Hydra Veil but with obvious differences.

What is your Holy Grail make up primer?

Since coming to Morocco I have run out of my favourite hair mask, Macadamia Deep Repair Masque,more unfortunate than running out is the fact that it is not available here.  I needed a solution quickly because after one of two weeks of not using my usual mask, I noticed the condition of my hair worsening.  I started researching ingredients that would be helpful for the health of my hair and I decided to make my own hair mask at home.  I wanted to share my experience as this is so cheap to make and you can see at the end of the post what I thought of the results.

Ingredients
1 Ripe Avocado (removed from skin)
1 Egg
10ml Argan Oil
10ml Olive Oil

I chose the ingredients very carefully as I knew I wanted my hair to be softer, shinier, stronger.  The avocado is deeply nourishing and helps to strengthen, soften and increase shine.  It also makes the mask a really cool colour naturally.
Eggs are well known for strengthening the hair and they were even used as shampoo back in the day, I just had to crack one of these into the mixture.
Olive Oil is a well known trick for softening and deeply conditioning the hair so adding a splash of this was a no brainier.  Make sure it's good quality olive oil though, the better the quality the better it will be for your hair.
Moroccan Argan Oil is one of huge most amazing things in the world, I buy mine from the local market for such a good price it's unbelievable.   Also I'd like to mention that the Argan oil I use is 100% pure not the 5% diluted rubbish taking over the beauty world, Moroccan Oil.  This made the hair mask a little but more luxurious with it's high vitamin E content.

All you need to do is mix all the ingredients extremely well together, I used my food processor to make sure there were no lumps and it's ready to use.  Then I applied this onto dry hair all over, concentrating on the ends of my hair, they are considerably drier than the rest of my hair and clipped my hair up so it was out of my face.  I have to admit the smell of this mask is not the best for me but then again I don't like eating avocados because of the smell, maybe next time I'll add some vanilla or something.

You can leave this on for as long as you like, the longer the better in my opinion.  I left this one on for about 4 hours but that was just because I was pottering about doing things, because of the highly moisturising ingredients one hour would be enough if you were in a hurry.
I rinsed of the mask and cleansed and conditioned my hair as normal and was quite shocked by the results, I didn't expect it to work so well.  I left my hair to dry naturally and I could immediately see how shiny the mask had made my hair and to touch the four hour injection of moisture was obvious.

I'm so happy with the results of this mask, especially as I can't get a hold of my favourite, Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, at the moment, I will be applying this mask once a week for the foreseeable future, although I am keen to experiment with other ingredients.

Do you have any great DIY beauty tips or tricks that I should know about, please leave them below in the comments, I'd love to try them out!

Creating flawless make up on the lips is something, that only recently, I have started to pay more attention to.  Using the bullet of a lipstick or the wand of a lip gloss is perfectly okay, although the results using brushes are much better, creating more of a polished finish.  The brushes I use at the moment are those already in my collection, none of which are specific lip brushes.  I am eagerly awaiting the launch of Karla Powell, Make-Up Artist's range of lip brushes for her own brand, Karla Cosmetics  The brushes she will be releasing very soon, are specifically for lips.  I have been following Karla's journey since meeting her at the Lush Redditch Emotional Brilliance Showcase Event, I attended last year, I'm really excited to see what 2014 may bring her way, she deserves all of the success she creates for herself, Beyonce would be proud of this beauty! The teaser pictures from her Lip Art Workshop's on Facebook are indeed driving me crazy, I want them now!

Source - Karla Powell Make-Up Artist

Personally I think that the trick to creating flawless lip make up using brushes is all down to preparation of the lips, you can see my step by step what I do and products I use, in My Lip Care Routine.  Lips are always the last thing I do when I apply make up and I start by using any (clean) toothbrush to buff away any loose dry skin.  I then use my fingers to rub a lip scrub into my lips which removes more stubborn dry skin and the scrubbing motion brings the blood the the surface gives the illusion of a plump, fuller appearance.  I then apply a light lip balm and leave for a few moment to sink in.  Once the Balm is completely absorbed I very gently sweep the foundation brush I used to dull down the colour of my natural lips.  You can read more about the Nanshy Brush I use for my foundation in one of my previous posts, Why Using Make Up Brushes Makes A Difference - Base.