My Foundation Collection - Review

Recently I have discovered a foundation which makes my skin look flawless and the shade is perfect for my skin tone. Foundation is probably the hardest piece of make-up to find that fits well with your skin type and skin tone.

Left to right: Bare Minerals Mineral Foundation (golden medium), Estee Lauder Double Wear (shell beige), Estee Lauder  Vita Mineral Foundation,  L'oreal Code Lumiere BB Cream (medium), Clinique Superbalanced Foundation (sand), Clinique Superbalanced Foundation (wheat), Ex1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation (F300) and Ex1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation (F400)

Bare Minerals Foundation Available here

This foundation retails for £25. I bought this foundation as I wanted a very light coverage foundation and I have never tried a mineral based foundation before. The shade golden medium is slightly too light for my skin. It seems to me that whenever I get help choosing a shade by someone who works on the make-up counter that they have no idea how to choose shades for people. The lady I spoke to recommended I get medium beige which contains pink tones in it but I ended up not going with her decision. I decided to get golden medium in the end as that has yellow tones instead of pink tones.

Anyway, the foundation itself is good, but I am actually not a fan of the mineral based foundation, especially as it is essentially powder. It takes forever to blend into my skin and is actually pretty hard to blend and I did not realise how long it would take me to apply the foundation prior to buying this product. I thought it would take me 5 minutes so would be perfect to use this for work but because it takes me so long, I barely use this anymore.

I would not recommend this foundation if you do not want to spend 10 minutes applying your foundation. On the other hand, I would recommend this foundation if you like light coverage foundations and mineral make-up. I would rate this foundation 6/10. I do really want to try the BareSkin foundation as I have heard great things about it.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Available here

This foundation retails for £29.50. I do not like this foundation because when I apply this foundation, it feels like I am wearing a mask. The thicker the foundation, the more it cracks on my smile lines. Luckily, I do not suffer from any break outs or redness so I personally feel I do not need to have a full coverage foundation.

I would recommend this foundation if you suffer from any redness, extreme acne or if you like wearing thick coverage foundations. For me, this foundation does not work. I would rate this foundation 10/10 for coverage but an overall of 5/10 because it is too thick for my liking. Also, the shade shell beige is too grey for my skin tone so I may be biased due to the shade not being right for me.

Estee Lauder  Vita Mineral Foundation (Discontinued)
L'oreal Code Lumiere BB Cream Available here

I think this foundation is discontinued as I cannot find it anywhere. Anyway, this foundation is a little too dewy for my liking. I only use this foundation when I am using my L'oreal Code Lumiere BB cream. I mix these two together and it gives me the perfect shade for a light coverage foundation. I only use a drop of the Estee Lauder for the colour as the L'oreal Code Lumiere BB cream is slightly too light and pink toned for my liking. However, these two mixed together works wonders for me.

Clinique Superbalanced Foundation Available here

This foundation retails for £22.50 and is one of my favourite foundations. It gives me good coverage and contains no SPF meaning I do not need to worry about flashbacks which is great. I have two shades, sand and wheat. I use sand when I am not tanned and wheat when I am tanned. If I am in between, I mix the two shades. This gives me a really flawless finish and is works really well with my skin type.

I would recommend this foundation if you are looking for a really good foundation that contains no SPF. It also has medium to full coverage so it will cover redness and acne. Having said that, it is noticeably lighter coverage than the Estee Lauder Double Wear as it does not feel like I am wearing a mask which is definitely a good thing!

I would rate this foundation 9/10.

Ex1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation Available here

This foundation retails for £10.50 and is easily my favourite foundation! It is a light to medium coverage and contains no SPF. It is also perfect for my skin tone and skin type as this foundation is perfect for those who have Asian, Middle/Far-Eastern or Mediterranean complexions. This foundation gives me the most flawless foundation and the shades are perfect for my skin tone! What more can you want from a foundation? It is easily buildable so if you want a full coverage, you can achieve that by layering the foundation. It also helps that this foundation has a pump and none of my other foundation have pumps so it is even more impressive!

I would recommend this foundation for those who have Asian, Middle/Far-Eastern or Mediterranean complexions. It is the perfect foundation for me. I would rate this foundation 10/10. I do not think I will find a foundation better than this and I have tried so many foundations and so happy that I have finally found a foundation that works so well with my skin.

The photo shows my least favourite foundation to my favourite foundation (left is the least favourite and right is my favourite foundation).

My favourite foundations :)

My Advice

Before you commit to buying a product, always test it out. When buying foundation, it is extremely difficult to know if it is the correct product for you. Not only do you have to find the correct shade, you need to see if it will break you out or just not sit well on your skin. Lots of brands do not necessarily have a wide range of shades for you to choose from, for example Chanel so make sure it is 100% the right shade for you as I have made so many mistakes when it comes to the correct shade. Sometimes if you like a foundation and cannot find a shade that matches you, it may mean you have to buy two foundations and mix the colours to get the right shade!

Also, DO NOT always trust the person behind the beauty counter. I find that they never seem to get the shade right for me when they test a foundation on my face. They seem to always pick out a pink tone shade instead of a yellow tone which is what I am being Asian and all... You need to make sure that you look in that mirror and check the shade of your jaw line matches your neck.

Also, when I try a high end foundation, I always get someone to take off my make-up and apply it on my face and then get them to basically do the rest of my face like bronzer, blusher, highlight. Then I will test the product for the rest of the day and see how well it lasts on my face and if it is right for me. I would suggest you do not purchase a foundation instantly without at least testing it for the day. 

Most if not all high end brands allow you to take away the foundation in a little tester pot if you don't want to try it on the day. The amount they give you depends on the person but most of the time, they give you enough to last 2-3 days but it also depends on how thick you apply your foundation.

Huge Make-up Haul + Swatches

Recently, I have bought so much make-up, especially during the Black Friday sales! Some of these products I did not buy namely the Arbonne lipsticks. I bought these pieces of make-up from a variety of places: Feel Unique, Look Fantastic, Kiko Cosmetics, Clinique, Boots and Amazon. 

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette Available here

Top row - gilded ganache, white chocolate, milk chocolate, black forest truffle, triple fudge

Middle row - salted caramel, marzipan, semi-sweet, strawberry bon bon, candied violet, amaretto

Bottom row - hazelnut, creme brulee, haute chocolate, cherry cordial, champagne truffle

This product retails for £45 but I managed to pick it up for £33.75 as Look Fantastic had 25% off during Black Friday. This palette has a variety of matte and shimmer shades. I have been reading and seeing this palette absolutely everywhere and I just knew I had to get it seeing as everyone said it smells like chocolate which it does as the eye shadows are formulated with pure, antioxidant-rich cocoa powder, so each time you open the palette you'll be greeted with the irresistible scent of chocolate and I love chocolate so I just had to get it.

I apologise that the swatches are not that clear and therefore do not justify how good the shades are in this palette. They are actually really pigmented, especially the shimmer shades. 

My favourite shades are creme  brulee, champagne truffle and marzipan.

I would rate this product 9/10 so far. I love how it smells of chocolate and the quality is very good. Not sure if I would have paid the full price nevertheless as it is very pricey but for the price I paid, I am satisfied with this product. 

Ex1 Foundation & L'oreal Nude Magique 

EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation Available here

The Ex1 invisiwear liquid foundation retails for £10.50 but I picked this one up for just £7.87 due to getting 25% off on the Look Fantastic website. This is a repurchase and I am stocking up on this foundation because I love it and I got a good price so why not! This foundation gives me a flawless finish and is one of those foundations that is light to medium coverage but you can build up the colour to give you full coverage.  

The Ex1 foundation is my favourite foundation and I have tried so many different foundations before and could never find a shade to match my skin due to having yellow undertones. I use F300 when I do not use fake tan as this is my natural shade. If I have a tan, I use F400 and when the tan is slightly fading, I mix the two. This foundation is formulated for Asian, Middle/Far-Eastern or Mediterranean complexions so if you fit any of these complexions, you need to try this foundation!

I am planning on posting a blog about my foundation collection and what my favourite foundations are. You will see that I have tried high end foundations and high street foundations and yet I pick a foundation which is just a fraction of the price I paid for the high end foundations like Estee Lauder. 

I would rate this foundation 10/10. I have been using this foundation for quite a few months now and would highly recommend this. I also want to point out that this foundation is perfect for photography so you do not need to worry about looking washed out in photos!

L'oreal Nude Magique Foundation Available here

The L'oreal Nude Magique foundation is a repurchase. This foundation retails for £9.99. I use the shade golden sand. I like this foundation because it is really light. Again, you can build up the coverage of this foundation to give you more coverage. 

I would rate this foundation 7/10.

The Balm Bahama Mama and Hot Mama and Too Faced Shadow Insurance 

The Balm Bahama Mama Available here

This bronzer retails for £13.50 and I paid £11.48 for this due to receiving 15% off. I think the reason why the swatch for Bahama Mama looks like that is due to my finger having a bit of water on it and so there are darker bits! This bronzer is such a nice brown. It is not orange like how some bronzers can be and this bronzer is also not too dark meaning it is easy to build it up to your desired shade and will not give you a muddy look. This bronzer is also matte which is perfect for contouring.

I would rate this product 9/10. I definitely recommend this product for anyone who loves matte bronzers. It is very difficult to find a good matte bronzer due to the shades being slightly orange so I am very happy I bought this product.

The Balm Hot Mama Available here

I cannot wait to try this product properly. This retails for £13.50 and again I paid £11.48 due to the 15% off I got when ordering with Feel Unique. This is the perfect blush, It is really subtle so gives you a nice flush of colour and a subtle highlight too. It is perfect for every skin tone and this is definitely a blusher that every girl should have in their make-up collection. You could even use this blush as an eyeshadow!

I would give this product 10/10 because the shade is simply perfect!

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Available here

This product retails for £17 which I think is very pricey for a primer. I got this for £12.75 so I guess that is a little bit more acceptable. I bought this product as I really like wearing glitter on my eyes and I have not found a product that will keep the glitter in place without falling all over my face. I hope this product does the job of keeping the glitter in place and preventing loads of fall out. 

Arbonne, Kiko and Maybelline Lipsticks

Left to right: Arbonne - Runway Rouge, Arbonne - Rose Petal, Kiko - 914, Maybelline - Kiss Pearl 832

Arbonne Runway Rouge Available here

Arbonne Rose Petal Available here

I received this product for free but personally I would not pay £18 for this product. The packaging is very tacky so is not worth the money and you can see that the lipsticks looks like it will snap off. If I was to drop the lipsticks, I think it would break. The shades are actually pretty nice but I am not a fan of the glitter in the Runway Rouge lipstick. However, the glitter does not really show up too much so I guess it is okay. I personally do not think that the lipsticks are worth £18 due to the cheap packaging. 

Kiko 914 Available here

I actually cannot remember how much I paid for this product as I got it in the sale but the product retails for £3.90. To me, I think that is such a good price and the quality is very good for such a low price. I think the Kiko lipsticks are very similar to NYX and I really like NYX lipsticks. This lipstick is not drying and the shade is quite different to what I would usually go for. This is the perfect shade for Winter. 

If you have not tried Kiko cosmetics before, you should! It is very affordable and they always have a sale in the store in London. I would rate this 9/10.

Kiko Lip Liners

Preceision Lip Liners Available here

Cannot seem to find the orange lip liner..

Left to right: 605, 310, 309, 308

Again, these Kiko lip liners are very similar to NYX lip liners and I really like them. I would recommend these for anyone who really like NYX lip liners.

2X Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove Available here

I actually bought this from amazon for £34.95 from a seller called Beauty B. I would NOT recommend this seller as they ended up sending the wrong product.

However, this product is meant to be amazing from the reviews I have seen and from the youtube videos I have watched from people using this. This will make me clean my make-up brushes really often because it will reduce the time you spend cleaning your make-up brushes dramatically. I use quite a lot of different make-up brushes and it takes me on average about 35 minutes to clean my brushes but I reckon with this glove, it will take me around 5-10 minutes and I will not end up with really dry hands! Also, due to the different textures on this glove, you will end up with really clean make-up brushes! 

I think the price I paid is absolutely extortionate compared to how much it costs in the US ($39 = £25). I was only willing to pay this price as I got so fed up with washing my brushes and it taking such a long time and drying out my hands so much.

I highly recommend this product if you use a lot of different make-up brushes and it will also make you clean your brushes more often! If you don't bacteria will build up and you will end up with bad skin.

 EOS Lip Balms Available here

These lip balms are very moisturing and smell amazing! I love them and would recommend them if you have dry lips. I have not found any lip balms that are this good yet so please let me know if you know of any lip balms better than this!

Rimmel Apocalips (Stellar) Available here

This is extremely pigmented and creamy and I really like the brush applicator. I'm sure I will buy more of these in the future. The colour I got is stellar which I think is perfect for Summer. It is extremely bright though so beware if you do not like bright colours! 

L'oreal Super Liner Available here

I have been searching for a really pigmented black liquid eyeliner for ages that is easy to apply. This eyeliner is really good for someone like me as I have small eyes and small eyelids so I find it really difficult to apply eyeliner. Gel eyeliner has not worked for me so I tend to gravitate towards felt tip eyeliners. I have already purchased another of these as I really like it and it works well with me because it is so slim.

Clinique Long Last Glosswear and Airbrush Concealer

Long Last Glosswear in Air Kiss Available here

I love this lip gloss and again, I have already bought another one... It does not leave me with white marks when I talk which I find is great as I find a lot of lip glosses leave people with white marks on their lips when they talk a lot. I really like the packaging of this lip gloss too as it does not look cheap like how some brands look. I have found this lip gloss to last a lot longer than others such as Victoria Secret (only wear this alone with no lipstick as it moves the lipstick) and Lancome, 

Airbrush Concealer Available here

This is a repurchase. This concealer retails for £19 which I think is a little pricey but worth it. The concealer is quite light so allows your skin to still breathe unlike heavy concealers and it is really easy to apply. This concealer has yet to crease on me and I find this very rare. It is the perfect consistency, not runny and not too thick that it feels uncomfortable. 

I recommend this to people who like a light to medium coverage concealer. 

Huge Make-up Haul, Make-up Collection, Restaurant Reviews + Update

I have been neglecting my blog recently which is not good! I have been really busy therefore I have not had the chance to write any blog posts. However, I just purchased a new camera which I am so excited to use. It is the Sony RX 100 iii which is an amazing camera and very expensive (to me it is expensive haha)!

I am going on holiday from 19 December 2014 until 4 January 2014 and I have decided to vlog the WHOLE trip!! I will be doing daily vlogs which I will upload when I return to England and hopefully they will all be edited and uploaded in January. This is really exciting as I have never vlogged before and I am so excited to share my holiday with you guys. I am going on a two week cruise around Asia so I start in Hong Kong and stop off in Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. I am really looking forward to this trip as I have never been to Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore and I cannot wait for Hong Kong as the shopping there is amazing! If you guys have never been on a cruise ship, you may be interested in seeing some or all of my vlogs so you can get a feel as to what it is like! Honestly, I love cruises and they are my favourite type of holiday as it is so relaxing and fun.

Anyway, before I go away on holiday, I hope to upload a few blog posts seeing as I haven't uploaded any for ages. The first one I will upload is a huge make-up haul which will be uploaded tonight. The others will be on my face make-up collection so my foundations, blushers, bronzers and highlighters and I will be showing you my favourite products out of those. I will also be uploading a review on a restaurant I went to to celebrate my birthday with my family and cousins.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy my blog posts.

Update on my life - 18/11/2014

Hey everyone,

I have been so busy recently so have been unable to update my blog! So sorry. I hope you have all been well. This is just a quick update on what I have been doing recently so if you are interested then please keep reading :)

My birthday

It was my 22nd birthday on Sunday (16 November) and I had a fabulous birthday! I celebrated by going to All Star Lanes with my family and cousins which was so much fun. It was also my brothers wedding on my birthday so I was able to spend it with my family again which was great!

I received some really nice birthday presents so thank you so much to everyone who gave me a present and wished me a happy birthday!

Flat Iron Restaurant Review

What is Flat Iron?

Flat Iron is a restaurant which serves steak located in Soho, London. This cut of steak is from the shoulder of a cow.

My Experience

This was my second visit to Flat Iron and I can say that it was again, a great experience.

My sister and I went to Flat Iron on a Friday night around 6:10pm. This ended up being a bad idea going to Flat Iron on a Friday evening as it was absolutely packed. We queued up outside the restaurant for around 20 minutes just to get our name down on a waiting list due to the restaurant not taking reservations. I had to give my phone number so they could call me when space was available for us to dine. I was notified that I would only receive one phone call and to always keep my phone on me because if I missed that call, the table would be given away instantly. For the next hour, my sister and I walked around the shops nearby and I was so paranoid that I would miss that phone call that I held my phone in my hand and had the ring volume at the highest. I even made my sister walk back with me to wait outside the restaurant at 7:15pm and to check how many people were ahead of us on the waiting list. Finally, we received a call to say our table was ready so we quickly entered the restaurant. The wait ended up to be just over an hour for a table for two people. I overheard a couple who missed their booking and that they would have to wait 2 hours for a table.

We were greeted by two members of staff on arrival and sat us down. The tables at Flat Iron are really small and you do have to share with strangers. When we sat down, we were immediately given a big glass of tap water and a complimentary cup of popcorn. Also, a girl asked if we had been to Flat Iron before in which we answered yes. She went on to tell us about the special of the day which was a more expensive piece of steak but at this point, my sister and I knew we wanted to have the standard Flat Iron steak. If you have never been to Flat Iron before, the staff would describe the steak to you and where it comes from. Seeing as my sister and I waited over an hour for our food and we were so hungry at this point, we weren't really interested in the special of the day and we just wanted to order our food and eat it. Finally, after about 10 minutes, I raised my hand to get the attention of the staff seeing as they weren't very attentive and we wanted to order our food.

The service was pretty quick and we received our steak after around 7 minutes. The steak was beautifully presented and looked very appetising. One thing I would point out is that the portion sizes are very small. Anyway, my sister and I ordered chips which were so delicious and crispy. My sister thought that the chips were a little too crispy but I on the other hand thought it was perfect. The steak was so delicious and I just could not stop eating! The food was gone within about 15 minutes because it was just so good!! My sister thought the steak was a little too salty for her but I thought it blended in well with the steak.

Pros

• High quality steak
• Crispy chips
• Reasonable price
• Staff very knowledgeable about the food
• Sensible utensils
• Quick service
• Good location

Cons

• Shared toilets
• Small restaurant so very cramped
• No reservation
• Limited menu
• Small portions
• Very dim lighting

Would I recommend this?

Absolutely. The steak is perfect especially when cooked medium-rare and the fries were crispy perfect too. All in all, if you are not bothered by staying at a restaurant and getting an amazing dining experience, this is the place for you. It is probably best to go to this restaurant 3-4pm and the possibly evenings Monday to Thursday. The food here is amazing and definitely worth a try if you have never been here before. I have tasted some very expensive steak before and I have to say that this is probably the best steak I have had.

My rating

10/10 for the food but taking everything into consideration I would give this 7.5/10.

Arbonne Review - Please read my HORRIFIC experience

This is a review on a small range of skincare products that I was given to try for 2 days. This was a horrific experience which I felt I had to share to prevent anyone else from making the same mistake as me and to also get the word out there that Arbonne is not what it seems.

Everything I am writing on here is 100% true and I have not exaggerated anything. I will quote what the independent consultant advised me when talking about Arbonne products in addition to quoting what the website says. Please note that I spoke to the consultant through Facebook and by texts so I have the exact wording of what the consultant said.

How I was approached

An independent consultant from Arbonne contacted me on Facebook having seen my blog post on NYX and asked if I wanted to try some Arbonne products. The consultant's exact words are as follows: "I was wondering if I gave you some products to try would you consider writing a blog if you like them? I know you have just bought quite a few but these are a step above the rest and would love for people to hear about them." I said yes to the consultant as I love to try new products to find the best products for my skin but this was an experience I will never forget. The consultant also advised me that the products are "ahead of everything else out there".... just carry on reading and decide for yourself what you think..

At first glance, these products look good but they are overpriced and do not do what the products claim to do, These products have ruined my skin by leaving the worst allergic reaction that I cannot put anything on my face now without it stinging and my skin is super dry and scaly because the products have taken all the natural oils out of my face.

About Arbonne 

For those of you who have not heard of Arbonne like myself at the time, Arbonne works very much like Avon and Mary Kay cosmetics. This is referred to as "network marketing" where independent consultants promote and attempt to sell the products to their family and friends and to persuade members of their family and friends to sign up to be a consultant like themselves so they earn commission on the sales they make in addition to commission from sales their friends and family make. If I had done my research before agreeing to try the products, I would not be in this position. I only had a quick look at their website and ignored everything else on the internet as I did not have time to do heavy research around the company and to look at reviews. I wish I had done though because these products have now ruined my skin and gave me a severe allergic reaction which has still not cleared up or got any better and tomorrow will be a week since I last used those products which I will NEVER use again. 

Having had this horrific experience, I did my research on Arbonne and on their website it says the following: "We're taking pure, safe and beneficial to the next level through our efforts to match the purity of our ingredients with the earth friendliness of our packaging". The products are not pure and safe if this happened to me and others. Please note that Arbonne do not have much information about their products and that you have to dig deep to find any information about the brand. I have read so many reviews that people have posted about Arbonne and they too want to reach out to let people know of their experience. 

My experience

The list of products I was given to try: 

- Seasource Detox Spa - renewing body gelee £33

- It's a long story mascara £25

- Seasource Detox Spa - foaming sea salt scrub £25

- Calm Gentle Daily Ceanser £17

- Makeup Primer £26

- Calm Soothing Eye Gel £23

- Calm Soothing Facial Serum £35

- Calm Gentle Daily Moisturizer £26

The Calm range
I will quote what the website says about this Calm range: "Clinically tested, Calm is formulated to help provide hydrating relief from tightness, dryness and discomfort. With 80% food grade ingredients, these extra gentle formulas help calm and sooth sensitive skin that is easily irritated." The next bit shocked me as you will see if you carry on reading what happened to my skin having used this whole range.. "Non comedogenic, fragrance free, colourant free, and allergy and dermatologist tested, Calm has soothing botanicals to nurture and moisturise without blocking pores." These products did the complete opposite... the description is not even close to being accurate and I am shocked that the products are claiming to do these things.

Upon applying these products to my face, it began to burn and redden. I could not stand the feeling and had to take it off instantly. I developed irritant contact dermatitis from these products which is when something damages your skin. My skin was burning/stinging, itchy and was so red and sore where I used the products which was all over my face. I am someone who does not get spots often nor do I get allergic reactions from trying products. I have tried a lot of products in my lifetime and I can say that this experience was the worst. The products have left me with a severe allergic reaction that I still have after 6 days of trying the products and I cannot see this clearing up anytime soon. My skin is dry and scaly and it is so dry that I cannot smile. My face stings when putting on the products I use normally (not Arbonne products) and this has never happened before. Even applying vaseline twice a day does not help my skin get hydrated enough. My skin combination is not dry, it is normally oily but the products have taken all the natural oils out of my face.

The funny thing is that on the website, there are no ingredients listed for their products. Apparently, it is so other companies will not copy the formulas. Seriously, who would even want to copy the formulas of these products which leave you with a severe allergic reaction,  red raw skin and dry scaly skin. I am clearly not the only one who experienced this as I have read so many reviews and my sister also got her own set of products to try and she too got the same allergic reaction as me.

More about Arbonne and their consultants

The other thing I cannot quite believe is that Arbonne keeps using the words pure, natural, simple, green and healthy and keep going on about minimising their impact on the earth. Arbonne products contain such varied substances such as hydrogenated castor oil,sunflower, canola and safflower which are not certified to be GMO free. There are so many ingredients used in each product which make the products seem so complicated to create yet they could easily simplify the products.

Arbonne consultants will most likely not have any prior education in cosmetology and will not know the answers to the questions you will be asking them. I found that the consultant I was speaking with was exaggerating what the products claim to do when really they did the complete opposite. The consultant was over enthusiastic about the products but both my sister and I felt he was only like this because he was trying to get a sale out of us. The consultant's performance was exceptionally poor and only replied to my messages when the consultant thought they may get a sale.

I text the consultant to tell them what had happened to my skin and I have still not received a reply. This shows that the consultant is unprofessional and solely only interested in making money and not caring about the company's brand and reputation. I was shocked to not even receive an acknowledgement in the form of a message, let alone an apology. I have therefore contacted Arbonne to let them know my horrific experience. I have not heard back from Arbonne yet but I am expecting to hear back from them to see what they say.

Other products I tried
I have to admit that the other products I tried were nothing special. The mascara was just like what you would get in the high street, not worth the money whatsoever. The Seasource stuff too was nothing special.

Summary

I was not impressed by the products and my experience with Arbonne was horrendous. I do not think anyone should go through the same experience as I did. The consultants at Arbonne clearly do not know everything about the products and probably do not know all the ingredients used in the products. I requested to try products for my skin type, combination and also to try products which are for sensitive skin. Like I said earlier, I am not someone who gets spots all the time and also it is very rare for me to get allergic reactions from products. I have tried hundreds of products and never have I had an experience like this before. My skin is still suffering the consequences of trying these horrific products and I recommend that in the future, if you want to try products out, to really research the background of the brand and its products. I made a big mistake by not researching and believing everything the consultant told me. It was clearly just so they could try and make a sale. If the consultant really cared about the user of the products and about the brand and its reputation, I would have received a reply to the text I sent. I am absolutely shocked at how awful the products are and the reaction my skin had to these products. Finally, I was told that I could join the Arbonne team and was told to tell my friends and family about this brand. There is no way I will ever join Arbonne and I will definitely tell my friends and family about how bad this brand is.

Please warn all your friends and family about this brand and to avoid this happening to you or your friends and family. The brand is not what it seems. 

Quick Update 

I contacted Arbonne on Friday 10 October. I didn't hear from them so I contacted them again on Monday 13 October and stressed that they should get in contact with me ASAP seeing as this is such a serious case regarding their products and my skin. I specifically told them to NOT contact me during my work hours and gave them the times to call me if they really needed to. I asked that they contact me via email so we could arrange a time for a call. Of course, Arbonne contacted me during my work hours and I didn't pick up the phone seeing as I was at work so they left a message which was incredibly unclear. I tried to call them back but after holding for 20 minutes, my call was dropped.... I've not heard back from them since and I submitted a third complaint to them. On the website, it says: "A Field Support representative will contact you within 24 hours." Clearly this is a lie if I have not heard back from them... I am very disappointed with this company. They clearly don't care that their products have caused so much damage to people's faces and clearly don't care about their brand's reputation. This is a horrendous company and from just reading around the website, the word SCAM comes up so often. So many people have said they have been scammed by this company and how it lures people into the company to work for them as consultants and that they have to spend £xxx amount which is usually around £200 so they have the products and then they get xxx amount free. Arbonne has ruined many lives by luring people into the company to work for them and the consultants have to work so hard to make such little amount of money. They also have to exaggerate what the products to do try and get a sale and obviously p*ss off a lot of their family and friends at the same time by trying to force them to buy something and make them become consultants too, I don't know how this company has got away with this for so long but people need to know what this company is like.

Seriously, do yourself a favour and stay away from this brand and all its promises and lies. It is all FAKE. 

NYX Haul & Swatches

I mentioned in my diary post that I attended the Olympia Beauty Show in London this year which was incredible. I had to do a single NYX haul because I bought so much and I wanted to show you guys the swatches of some of the products.

Some of the NYX products I bought :)

Unfortunately, NYX isn't available in Boots or Superdrug when they really should be! It is available on the internet though so I will put a link to the products so you can purchase them if you like!

At the show, there was only a small range of products available, that's why I didn't actually buy as much as I would have if there was a bigger range. 

NYX products are not expensive so it won't break your bank!

NYX Lip Smacking Fun Colors

From left to right: Tea Rose, Eros, Femme, Chic Red.

There is a huge range of shades to choose from and I found it really difficult to choose the shades I wanted. If it wasn't so busy, I would have picked out more colours! You can probably see from the photo that the colours I picked out look so nice and I can tell you that the formula used for these lipsticks are amazing. These lipsticks are really pigmented and creamy, they glide on so easily which is great as you don't need to apply a lot of pressure and don't need to keep building up the colour like some lipsticks from the high street. NYX products are quite cheap and these lipsticks cost me either £3.50 / £4.00 which isn't a bad price for a good quality lipstick! Available here

- Tea Rose is a shade that I have worn for about six months and I was obsessed with it that I nearly finished the tube so I bought another so I don't run out when my tube finishes! The shade is a muted plum with blue undertones so it isn't your typical nude pink. I wear this shade quite a lot for work.

- Chic Red is a cranberry red shade which is absolutely beautiful. I think it is a great shade for Autumn.

- Eros is a bright coral red, Wow, I love this shade so much!

- Femme is a bright pink red, sort of orangey. This is a perfect shade for Spring / Summer but I will probs wear it all year long! 

Jumbo Lip Pencil

Jumbo Lip Pencil - 712 Plush Red

The one thing I regret is not buying more jumbo lip pencils. These pencils are the most pigmented and creamy lip pencils I have ever tried. The formula is amazing and it glides on so easily that I barely even need to press it into my lips when applying it. The shade Plush Red is also a beautiful shade, it is perfect. If you have never tried a a NYX lip product before, I would 100% recommend you buying a jumbo lip pencil. I thought the Lip Smacking Fun Colours range was good but this is on a different level! I actually didn't swatch this when I was at the show but if I had, I would have probably bought the whole range! This I think was just £3.00. Available here

Retractable Lip Liner

Retractable Lip Liner in the shades Red and Nude Pink.

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of retractable lip liners now because I find they clump up, break easily unless you work with the tiniest amount and they aren't that precise. However, these products are much better than the Rimmel retractable lip liners which don't glide on well and you have to build up the colour. These NYX products glide on much better but next time, I will stick to the lip liner pencils as they are more precise. Available here

SPL - Slim Lip Pencil

Slim Lip Pencil in the shades 816 Fuchsia and 813 Plush Red.

These lip pencils are really good and are much better than what you would get from Rimmel. Maybelline etc. These are very precise and I couldn't help myself but use the Fuchsia shade last night when I went clubbing and it lasted the whole night. I wasn't much of a lip liner person before buying these products but I have definitely changed my mind. They stop your lips from the colour bleeding when wearing really bright colours like Fuchsia and Red. When applying the lip liner, I lined my lips then filled in my lips which I have to admit was a little drying but I put my Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm over which worked amazing together. That is a little trick I will do when wearing a bright lip now. This lip liner also helped my lipstick stay on throughout the whole night so I didn't need to top up! When I attend my next beauty show in London, I will definitely be buying more of these lip pencils. Available here

Single Eyeshadow

Single Eyeshadow - Favourite Colour (ombre)

I only bought one eyeshadow as this was the only one which stood out and would be a good inner eye eyelight or under the brow highlight. I have so much eyeshadow that I do not need anymore. I do really like NYX eyeshadows though as I own a smokey eye palette. Available here

Matte Bronzer

Matte Bronzer - Deep Tan

I love this bronzer so much. It doesn't come out really chalky or powdery like how some bronzers on the highstreet are like. I will probably buy this bronzer in a shade lighter when I am not as tanned as the colour I have is quite dark. Available here

Eye Liners

I forgot to take individual photos for these eye liners but you can see it on the photo I took of some of the products I bought :).

Curve eyeliner - This attracted me straight away as I am always looking for a really good eyeliner as I am obsessed with eyeliner. I have yet to find an amazing pen eyeliner which is really dark black. I am really hoping this curve eyeliner is amazing and the way it is shaped will hopefully help a lot when applying so I don't have to smudge my face make-up when trying to apply eyeliner like I usually do! I will keep you posted on this when I open it to use. This is a little on the pricey side so I have high hopes that this will be really good! Available here

Super Skinny Eye Marker - This is my second product as I really liked the first product. As it is really skinny, I can draw a really precise line. I really like pen eyeliners as they don't smudge and are easy to apply but the one thing that's annoying is the shade of black. It is never dark enough. I tend to use this product over my false eyelashes to hide the lash band and it does work well, just think that if it was darker and more wet, it would be better. Available here

Mascaras

NYX have quite a wide range of mascaras to choose from. These two stood out to me because of the mascara wand and because it is supposed to lengthen your lashes. I always try to find lengthening mascaras as my eyelashes are so short. You may know that I wear false eyelashes most of the time but I still wear mascara on my bottom lashes so they need to be as long as they can. The Fly With Me Mascara seems like a great mascara as it is supposed to lengthen AND thicken the lashes and it is meant to be extremely black! To me, that is the perfect mascara if it does do what it claims to do so I am very excited to try this product. I really hope these mascaras aren't really wet like how quite a lot of mascaras are like as that tends to clump my lashes which is a horrible look and it doesn't lengthen your lashes at all. 

Doll Eye Mascara - Available here

Fly With Me Mascara - Available here

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I will be uploading another one on the fake tan products I bought and on my hair styling products :)