Kiko intensive hand balm

Hi Beauts.

One of my biggest complaints is that my hands are always dry and are definitely looking aged, considering I'm only 28, you'd think I was so much older just looking at my hands.

Whilst I was in Rome a few months back and spotted a Kiko shop in the train station, and obviously couldn't pass by without going in. Whilst browsing the many products one thing I spotted and snapped up was their intesive hand balm.

They had 3 different types of hand creams in total, but I read the 'intensive' and thought it was best suited to me. I've tried a ridiculous amount of hand creams in my time (some great, some not so much) but I've never tried a hand balm before so couldn't wait to crack it open. 

As you would expect from the name, the consistency was that of a balm and to me felt a little like a silicone which at first I found quite strange. Once applied and rubbed into the skin it did absorb pretty quickly which is always something I look for in any hand/body cream and lotion.

My hands felt really soft immediately after applying it, and I did notice that the balm felt as if it had left a film of something behind for a while after it had absorbed. Which, again is something I've never experienced before but is something I liked as I felt as it it continued to keep my hands soft for quite a while after applying.

I've been using this for a couple of months now and really am enjoying it. My hands are now feeling so much softer, and looking so much younger! This is definitely an item that will be getting a lot of use now that the colder months are approaching.

What's your holy grail hand cream?

Stacey x

Make up Revolution blush palette

Hi Beauts.

I'm pretty sure that every beauty blogger and addict have tried at least one product from the brand Make Up Revolution, am I right? 

I am SO impressed with everything I've bought and tried so far and haven't stopped using one thing in particular since I bought it. And that is their blush palette in 'Sugar and Spice' 

Now I'm a major blush junkie and I think that my blush drawer is the most overflowing out of any other make up drawer I have. As soon as I spotted this palette in Superdrug in I snatched it up and bolted for the tills. They have two blush palettes out currently, this one which pinks and another called 'Hot Spice' which consists of more orange and peach tones. 

I went for 'Sugar and Spice' as pinks and mauve's are my favourite colours to wear, and I can't really pull off anything to warm/orange toned. 

This palette comes with 8 shades: 6 mattes and 2 shimmery baked shades. The blushes range from cool toned peaches to bright pinks and on the end we have a baked pink and a baked pink toned highlight shade. 

I already new from using Make Up revolution single blushes in the past, that this palette would not be a disappointment in the least. And I was right. 

Each blush is beyond pigmented, I literally have to ever so slightly dip the very end of my blush brush into each shade and I have enough to apply to my cheek. I never have to reapply my blush through the day as these are super long lasting and at the end of each day my cheeks still have the same amount of blush as they did when I applied in the morning

If you're yet to try anything from Make Up Revolution yet, I'd recommend giving one of their blushes a go first. I promise you won't be disappointed!!

These palettes retail for £6.00 each and can now be found in most larger Superdrugs and on the Make Up Revolution website

Stacey x 

What I use to bronze, contour and highlight

Hi Beauts.

Only recently have I started to bronze and contour on a daily basis. I dipped in and out of it for a while but didn't really add it into my every day make up routine, because I felt I wasn't that good at it. 

However, for the past few weeks I've bronzed and contoured each morning, and have had a few comments on my make up from people I work with. 

So today, I figured I'd share which products and brushes I use as I thought it might help some of my fellow pale chicks out there. 

After applying my foundation and powder, I go in with my FashionistA bronzer in the shade 'LA' and use my Real Techniques blush brush. I never use this as a blush brush as I feel it's too big for what I want. This bronzer is pretty neutral with a small warmth to it which is perfect for my skin tone

Next for contour. I recently bought myself the NYX blush in 'Taupe' after hearing how great it is for a contour shade. It is definitely cool toned and doesn't look muddy. I apply this with a very light hand on my Barbra Daily angled blush brush. I can see where the product needs to be now, but found it very helpful to do the fish face when I was first starting out.

Third but not last is blush. I think everyone wears blush right? Again I apply this with an angled blush brush, and apply it on top and just above where I contoured. I'm currently using and loving the Make Up Revolution blush palette in 'Sugar and Spice. I love each shade, in particular then third from the left on the bottom

And last in my little routine is highlight. I've been loving The Balm Mary-Loumaniser lately and apply this to the very tops of my cheek bones with the elf blush brush, as it's quite a small brush and applies just enough product

Well, that's my easy peasy routine. As I say this has now become part of my every day make up and I really enjoy wearing it. On a day to day basis I do contour quite lightly and tend to deepen the colour for an evening.

What do you use for bronzing and contouring?

Stacey x

Products I've been loving

Hi Beauts.

As I haven't posted a favourites in a while, I thought I'd share some products that I've been loving these past few months. Some are new things I've recently been trying out and loving and some are rediscoveries.

* FashionistA bronzer in 'LA' - I've never really been one for bronzer, if I'm honest because I could never find one that suited my skin tone. However I dug deep into my make up collection and pulled out this little bronzer. Bronzing and contouring has now become and every day essential for me

* NYX blush in 'Taupe' - Because I'm so pale, I find it hard to get a decent contour powder that doesn't look muddy on my skin. This blush is perfect for all of us pale skin ladies. It's a cool toned, light taupe shade that blends easily, and lasts on my skin all day

* Make Up Revolution blush palette 'Sugar and Spice'- This is a new palette to my collection, and one that will be a favourite for a very long time. It comes with 8 different pink toned blushes, that will suit everyone. The pigmentation I'd intense, the shades are gorgeous and the staying powder is amazing

* Make Up Revolution eyeshadow palettes - I couldn't pick one palette from the three that I have. Each one has outstanding pigmention, a beautiful shade range, they all blend like a dream and each contain mattes and shimmers

* Eyeko Skinny liquid eyeliner 'Black' - I'm a huge fan of eyeliner pens, and this one impressed me big time. It's so easy to control, it glides on effortlessly, it's super black and it stays put literally all day long 

* The Bodyshop Amazonian wild lily fragrance mist - This smells AMAZING!! I kid you not, this could possibly be the nicest smelling thing I've ever sprayed on me. I won't even begin to try and describe it, but I will say that it smells so fresh and clean and I adore it!

What products have you been enjoying lately? 

Stacey x

Asda Exotic Tropical dry shampoo review

Hi Beauts.

There's only one hair product that I have to have in my cupboard at all times, and that's dry shampoo. 

I have tried a few but found that nothing works as well as Batiste (my favourite has to be the tropical scent) However, one morning when I was running late I reached into my cupboard only to find it wasn't there!! 

After work I popped into a few shops in town only to find clearly every woman on the planet was having the same dilemma and everywhere was sold out. So I legged it into Asda and spotted that they had their very own range of dry shampoos for only £1.00, and they had a tropical scent called 'Exotic tropical'. 

I figured, for £1.00 if it doesn't work then it doesn't work and I'll go back to good old Batiste. 

I left my hair an extra day before washing it so I could give this a try and have to say, I'm super impressed with the results!! 

The first thing that I checked off my list is the smell. It is fruity but I'd say more on the sweet fruity side of the scale, and genuinely smells good enough to eat (not something I'd recommend!) Next to get a big tick was the consistency. I've tried a few dry shampoos that have actually been wet and not a powder, which to me kind of defeats the purpose of a dry shampoo right? This one is most definitely a powder and not as white as I was expecting which is an added bonus.

 The biggest test was whether or not it actually made my hair look freah as a daisy, and that it did. I sprayed a little on my roots, left it for around 30 seconds then rubbed it into my hair (I always rub it in as oppose to brushing it) and what do you know, my hair looked freshly washed! 

My hair smelt great, looked clean and didn't have a white powdery residue.

This gets a massive 10 out of 10 for me, and I think it's taken over Batiste!!! There are more scents which I will absolutely be trying out, I do tgink this tropical one will still be my fave though. 

This is available from most Asda stores, and for £1.00 you get 150ml - bargain!! 

What's your favourite dry shampoo? 

Stacey x

EMPTIES: Hits and misses part 2

Hi Beauts.

I bring to you today, my second 'hits and misses' post. I have part one here if you'd like to read that, but basically I've decided to change up the way I write my empties post.

Instead of doing a monthly empties, I shall be doing them sporadically and listing each product under the categories: Hits, Misses and On the fence.

Let's see what made it to the bin bag shall we?

HITS:

* Nspa melting cleansing gel (I seem to have binned the empty tube!) - Nspa fast became my favourite skin care brand. The melting gel cleanser is something that will always be a repurchase, it removes every inch of make up with ease and leaves my skin feeling and looking so smooth and fresh

* Nspa Hot cloth polish - This is the second step to my skin care routine and yet another product that I will continue to repurchase. Again, such an easy and effective product that left my skin amazing

B.Pure micellar water - I really enjoyed using this, and shall definitely be repurchasing it. It removes my make up so easily and doesn't sting my eyes when I remove my eyeliner and mascara

* Along came Betty 'Fix Me' - The last of my stash, and I have to say I'm gutted!! This was THE BEST primer for my oily skin, it kept my make up in place all day and kept me looking matte

* NYX matte finish setting spray - This is a product that will always make it to the 'Hits' section of my empties posts. It's an amazing setting spray if you have oily skin, it mattifies and keeps make up in place all day

* B.Set sheer finish pressed powder in Light - My new favourite setting powder. This is yellow toned so is perfect for my skin tone, it sets my make up great without caking up and definitely keeps me matte and shine free all day

MISSES:

None this time

ON THE FENCE:

Again, none this time

What have you used up and loved?

Nspa melting cleansing gel review
Nspa Hot cloth polish review
Along came Betty 'Fix me' review
NYX matte finish setting spray review

B.Set sheer finish powder review

Stacey x

B.Set Pressed powder in Light

Hi Beauts.

When it comes to make up finish, I like matte. Simple as that. (I'm a poet!) Because I have oily skin, anything dewy looks like an oil tanker just leaked all over my face. I think dewy skin is so pretty, especially for the summer, but it just ain't a good look for me.

Because of said problem, I have to powder after finishing off my make up and have serious trouble finding one that doesn't oxidise or look cakey. Please step on stage B.Set sheer finish pressed powder.

I hadn't read any reviews about this powder before buying it, but knew straight away that it would be a great colour match for me. I read 'Light' and thought that'll do, but when I opened up the tester in Superdrug it was a yellow toned powder. As you may know, I can't wear anything warm toned as I just look either orange or dead so this was the perfect shade.

Because the name says 'sheer' I assumed it would add a matte finish to my skin, but not any coverage. Well, I admit it I was wrong. After applying my foundation and then popping this on top it gave me such a gorgeous flawless finish, and it didn't add or take away any colour from my foundation at all.

Now, for the biggest test of all: Did it keep me shine free all day? Ohhhh yes indeed it did. I didn't need to powder throughout the day when using this in the morning, unless it was a rather hot day and I sweated my make up off (such a lady aren't i?!) I was left matte all day and my make up looked pretty much exactly how I'd applied it first thing. On those odd hot days when I did need to powder, it didn't cake up or look like I'd just wacked a tonne of powder on my face.

This is now the only powder I use, and definitely one I'd recommend if you have oily skin and are super pale.

This is available to buy from most Superdrug stores for £7.99

Previous B. posts:

Micellar water review

Lip and cheek crayons review

Thanks for reading you lovely lot 

Stacey x

Guess who's back.....Stacey's back....

Hi Beauts.

It would appear one hasn't blogged in a wee while...quite a while in fact!!

I shan't give a billion excuses, only 2: I've been working a heck of a lot (9 hour shifts) so I've been (and still am) out of the house pretty much 13 hours if we slap travel time on top of that! However, I love love LOVE my job so I'm not complaining! It did just mean that I was beat when I got home so didn't have the energy to blog.

Excuse number 2, I lost my mojo. I just wasn't in the zone anymore and rather than give a review 50% I just decided to take a bit of a break and wait a little while until my heart was back in it 100%.

So what's happening in the life of Stacey? Not a lot to be honest! As I said, I adore my job and actually look forward to going every day (yup I'm one of those people now) Through work, I've made SO many amazing friends and may have been socialising rather a lot....... I've been to Rome and absolutely loved it. My cousin and I went to a spa a week or so back which was amazing! And lastly, hopefully within the next week or so, I shall be starting my driving lessons!!!! 

So, what can you expect from Peace Love and Make Up from now on? I'm thinking a new blog design may be in order, product reviews, favourites, driving lesson updates (you may need to read through your fingers!!) hauls and so much more. 

I think it's time to add a little extra somethin' somethin' to the ol' blog!!

I hope you're all well, and thank you for sticking around <3 BONJOUR to my new followers!!!!

See y'all soon

Stacey x