Review: Boots No7 Instant Radiance Foundation

For quite a while now, this has been my go to foundation. It really is my all time favourite one!! I bought it about a year ago when Boots No7 launched their new range of foundations with colour match technology. Its a weird machine that they put against your face and it tells you the best shade of foundation for you. As someone who struggles to find a good foundation colour, I found this service to be really great. I was matched to Calico (the palest shade) and it really does match perfectly.

This is such a great foundation. I like the instant radiance formula as its nice and light. It blends seemlessly and doesn't leave your skin cakey. It really doesn't look like you're wearing foundation at all!!! The coverage is light to medium and it's easily buildable. It's not greasy at all and I only have to put a little powder on my nose and forehead where I'm prone to get a bit oily. It also isn't drying! It stays on really nicely (not sure how long exactly but it does fade towards the end of the day). It has SPF15 in it which is great and it's certainly effective. I burned my neck and shoulders quite badly this summer after half an hour in the sun but my face was perfectly fine as I was wearing this foundation. It also does brighten up your skin on a dull day but doesn't make you shiny at all! It is slightly waterproof but a little bit of an oil-based makeup remover and it comes right off.

This really is such a great foundation. I rave about it to everyone I know (even the men!!). It's just the best makeup item I've ever bought!!! I also love that the shade you get for one formula of foundation is the same shade for all the other formulas and concealers. Plus there are 17 different shades so they really do cater for every skin colour!! It's also really cheap for a higher end foundation. It's only €16.25 in Boots which is really cheap. The container is really great too. It's in a pump bottle which is really handy and hygeinic. It also dispenses the perfect amount of foundation so its not wasteful like some pump bottles.

I really do love this stuff!!! Just try it!!! You'll never go back to other foundations again!!!

Let me know what your favourite foundations are!!

Talk to you later!!
Nel

Review: Boots No7 Intense Volume Waterproof Mascara

I bought this mascara about a month ago because I was going on holidays and I wanted a mascara with more staying power. I had previously loved a No.7 mascara but they changed all the formulas and I was very disappointed to loose such a great mascara.

I really like this type of brush as it's great at separating the lashes and it coats them really well. This mascara doesn't clump unless you use huge amounts of it (less is more people!!) and it generally looks really natural but volumised.

There is a few downsides to this mascara though. It smells really chemically, like the cheap mascaras you get in kids sets. It's doesn't hurt your eyes or anything and it's hypoallergenic so it should be fine for the most sensitive people. It's also not very waterproof. When it gets wet it kind of sheds little flecks of black under the eyes. It wipes off really easily and then looks perfect again. The majority of the mascara stays on your lashes and still looks perfect so I just find this mascara a little confusing.

It costs €12.25 in Boots which is really good value. Most standard drugstore mascaras cost more than that these days and considering that this is a bit more high end, it's definitely a great price.

As a standard mascara, this stuff works great but as a waterproof mascara I really wouldn't recommend it. This was my first experience with waterproof mascaras so I can't recommend an alternative unfortunately.

If anyone knows of a good waterproof mascara put it in the comments!!

Talk to you soon!!
Nel

Review: Benefit - One Hot Minute

As as super pale-skined girl, I have always struggled to find a bronzer that doesn't look too dark or make my skin look dirty. Then I found this.

One Hot Minute is marketed as an all-over-face bronzer but for pale girls like me, it's actually perfect as a lightly sculpting bronzer.

It has a really light shimmer in it and as someone who hates shimmery face products, I thought I would hate it. But I was very surprised. Instead of looking glittery (which is what I expected), I just fount it to give a really healthy glow. Plus the powder itself it really fine so it blends superbly!

As you can see from the pictures, the packaging is very pretty but rather impractical. The brush is rather awkward to use and deposits way to much product on the face but I'm sure it would be ok in a pickle. The brush hairs are really nice and soft, they just made it in a really inconvenient shape! It sits on a little plastic thing to keep it off the holes where the powder comes out but it doesn't fit very securely so I usually use the product that spills out into the lid and brush. I also think there are too many holes in the tin so too much product comes out.

It is also rather pricey, retailing at €34.50.

But I really do like it despite the packaging flaws and when I finish it (in several years time I'm sure as the container is huge!) I will definitely be looking to repurchase it and I highly recommend it for all the pale skined beauties out there!!!

Talk to you again soon!!!
Nel

My Beauty Wish List!!

I love buying new products. I would love to be able to buy new products all the time. Unfortunately I already have a lot of stuff and because I have so much stuff, I really don't have much money. These are the products I would really like to buy right now, but can't get just yet!!

No.7 Match Made Concealer: I love No.7 products and my all time favourite foundation comes from them. They have such a great range of colours and they are the only company to match my skin perfectly. I always struggle to find a good concealer because colours are always hard to get right. Most companies have a good range of colours for their foundations but only 3 colours of concealer. No.7 has 17 concealer colours and the name of your foundation colour will match the name of your  concealer colour which is so handy!!! I can't wait to get my hands on this!!!

Super Beauty Raspberry and Cranberry Bath and Shower Gel: I have tried another flavour of this bubble bath and it's the most amasing thing I've ever tried. I smelled the raspberry and cranberry one when I was buy the vanilla and honey one and I almost bought it. Unfortunately, I don't really have much room to store it and it's a pretty big bottle so I had to choose only one. I will definitely buy this one as soon as I finish the first one!!!

Laneige Multi Cleanser: I have tried a small sample of this and it's so good. It's really gentle but effective and you only need a tiny bit for your whole face. It acts as a mild exfoliator so your skin feels really smooth and clean after using. Unfortunately you have to buy it online so I haven't bought the full size yet and I have a lot of cleansers to finish before I buy a new one. It is a little pricey but I think it's worth the money.

Boots Smooth Care Sensitive Wax Strips: I really want to get into waxing again but waxing can be pretty expensive so I kinda want to try these. I just find I have to shave so often and even straight after I shave I'm still a bit stubbly which is really annoying. I'm hoping that waxing will fix that a little.

Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser: I've seen a lot of adverts for this and it sounds really intriguing. It's a bit of a gimmick really and I think you would use more of it than you would a normal body lotion but I still kind of want to try it anyway!!

The Body Shop Satsuma Puree Body Lotion: I'm running a little low on body lotion and I really like fruity ones so I think this one would be great. I'm currently using the peach version and it smells incredible!!!

No.7 BB Lips Beauty Balm: I'm in need of a new lip balm and I heard about these and I'm very intrigued. I really want to try them as I love tinted lip balms. They are a little pricey but I love not having to carry a whole tonnes of different lip products around with me. I like one product that does everything!!

Let me know what items you're interested in trying or if you've tried any of the above, let me know your thoughts!!

Talk to you soon!
Nel

Review: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencils

I have quite a few of these pencils, some from palettes and some from an eyeliner set. These are the only 2 I have at this house. The rest are at my parents house with the majority of my makeup collection. The first one is Uzi a medium grey with silver sparkles. The second is Zero which is the standard black eyeliner. They look quite thick on the swatches but I haven't sharpened them in a while.

These eyeliner are super creamy and easy to apply. There is a huge range of colours available if you are a bit more adventurous. They are absolutely gorgeous. I have a green, blue and purple and a few different browns.

My favourite one is Demolition, a beautiful dark brown. I even bought the full sized version of it. The ones in the picture are about half the size of the normal ones.

As you can see from the pictures, they are really pigmented so you don't have to try to build up layers to get a good colour and as they are so creamy, they don't pull on your eyelid. Also they blend really well which is great if you like to do a nice smokey eye!!

There is one bad thing about these though. Because they are so creamy, they don't always stay put, especially if you have greasy eyelids like me. I usually apply a little bit of an eyeshadow of the same colour over the top to help set it in place. I've found this to be effective in stopping it from sliding down my face!! Also I had another problem with Uzi. Because it had shimmers in it, I found it irritated my eyes after a  while when I wore it on my waterline. Other than this though, I've found them to be really, really good.

They are a little bit pricey. For the full sized one, I paid €18 but they are much bigger than a standard eyeliner and they are such good quality that even I (a cheapskate) would be willing to pay the price!!

Let me know what your favourite eyeliners are!!!

Talk to you soon!!
Nel

Review: Super Beauty - Vanilla & Honey Bath and Shower Gel

I bought this pretty recently but I just love it so much that I wanted to review it as soon as I could. It's the most amazing bath and shower gel.

It's meant to smell like vanilla and honey but its more like Kinder Bueno or Ferrero Rocher. It's amazing. I absolutely love anything that's like hazelnuts and that's what this is like. It reminds me of hazelnut ice cream (the most amazing ice cream in existence!!!)

I've tried this as both a bubble bath and a shower gel and I'm really happy with the results of both.

As a bubble bath, it is really nice. It bubbles up plenty (not quite as much as Lush's bubble bars). I found there was still bubbles remaining once I'd finished my bath 40 minutes later so its' definitely long lasting. Its smells really nice but it's quite mild in the bath as it's so diluted. I didn't find it dried out my skin at all which I do find sometimes with bath products. I felt like I used quite a lot of it but actually it was only about twice the amount I would normally use of shampoo. And it's such a big bottle that it will last for ages.

As a shower gel, this product is great. It lathers up really nicely and cleans really well. Again I found it non-drying which was great. I only needed a small bit, a little went a long way.The smell was really strong and delicious but it didn't linger on the skin. The bathroom smelled great for hours after though!!!

For a brand I'd never heard of before, it really is great. I'm definitely going to try another flavour when I finish this one!!! And it's great value!! I was only €6.59 in Boots and I got it when it was on sale so it was really cheap!! I love Lush's products but their bath products are just so expensive. This is definitely a great alternative.

What are your favourite bath products???

Talk to you soon!!!
Nel

Review: Laura Mercier - Silk Creme Foundation

I bought the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation about a year ago when I heard a lot of good reviews about it indicating it would be perfect for my dry skin. Unfortunately I have to say I was incredibly disappointed with the product. I have since given it to my sister who likes it but I borrowed it back for this review.

I bought the shade Soft Ivory which was a teensy bit too dark but as it's a full coverage foundation I'd only were it for nights out and it wouldn't be noticeable at all. Soft Ivory is the palest shade available. I found it to be a little too yellow toned. I have this problem with companies that aren't British a lot!! I'm seriously pale and I'm mostly neutral toned.

It's marketed as "flawless natural coverage. Offering light-reflection properties which cause fine lines and wrinkles to optically vanish. A long wearing rich hydrating base." In my experience this is a load of rubbish.

It looks like a mask when applied and is the most unnatural looking foundation I've ever tried. Even when I applied it super thinly, there was still no hint of my own skin or a natural finish. Instead of causing fine lines and wrinkles to vanish, it sat in them and made them look even worse. It was definitely not long wearing. Every time I touched my face, a tonne of the foundation came off on my fingers even after setting powder. I didn't find it hydrating at all and I found that when I had dry patches, it caked around them. It also smelled really chemically and it kind of lingered. And despite it coming off easily when touching it, it was actually really hard to remove. It seems to be kind of waterproof but even oil based removers struggle to take it off.

And it costs a lot. At €48 I expected a lot more from this product. Even the packaging was a bit of a disappointment. For that kind of money I would expect a nice, hygienic pump bottle, not a toothpaste tube.

I really wish I could have liked this but unfortunately it just wasn't to be. I do like some of the other Laura Mercier products especially the setting powder and the tinted moisturiser. Luckily my sister likes it so it is going to a good home!!!

Do you like the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation?? What's your favourite foundation???

Talk to you soon!!
Nel

Veet Face Wax Strips (Sensitive Skin)

 Today I'll be reviewing the Veet Face Wax Strips. I got these because I'm inclined to get so dark hairs at the edge of my upper lip and I have lots of blonde hairs on the rest of my upper lip and they're really noticeable when I apply makeup. My boyfriend's mother recommended them to me (I know that's a bit weird).

Price: €7.29

What's in the box:
20 wax strips (in pairs)
4 perfect finish wipes (I really wish there were more of these)

These are pretty easy to use. Unlike the way they always show in the movies, You actually have to do it in 2 stages as the hair grows in different directions on either side of the philtrum (middle part of the upper lip). Unfortunately, this does mean that you have to do the painful part twice!!! It's not to painful though. It's just a brief stinging and it fades away quickly. Then you just use one of the handy wipes to remove any left over wax and it's done!

I kind of have a love hate relationship with these. On the one hand, they work really well, they're easy to use, they don't leave massive red marks on your face, the hairs take a few weeks to grow back and they're cheap. However I find when the hairs are growing back that I get a lot of spots from ingrown hairs. I am particularly prone to ingrown hairs though. From what I've heard, most people don't have this problem. I don't know if I just need to exfoliate my lip more often or what.

Overall I think they're good but watch out if you are prone to ingrown hairs like me. I might try the hair removal cream version and see how I react with that. If anyone has any suggestions for what to do about the ingrown hairs let me know!! I'm always looking for solutions!!!

Talk to you Thursday!!!
Nel

Burt's Bees - Herbal Blemish Stick

Today I'm going to be reviewing the Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick. I had used this before for a while but when I looked to buy it again I couldn't find it. When I did find it after about a year, It looked a little different but I decided to give it another try anyway, since I liked the original one so much. I don't think the formula has changed much but the packaging certainly has!! It used to be a bottle like an essential oil and you had to use a cotton bud to apply it. Now its in a very convenient roller-ball bottle!!!

I suffer from acne quite frequently (mostly hormonal and diet related) and finding a good spot treatment can be very hard to find. My skin is also pretty sensitive and dry so finding one that doesn't strip my skin or react badly on my skin is rather hard as well. But then I found this.

The Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick uses herbal extracts in an alcohol base to help heal acne quickly. It contains lemon, calendula, borage, yarrow, parsley, fennel, willow, tea tree, juniper and eucalyptus extracts.
Lemon acts an exfoliant and helps to brighten the skin which prevents acne scarring.
Calendula helps to reduce inflammation and promote healing in damaged skin. This is great for pickers like me!!
Borage is a great treatment for dry skin and is used in treatments for eczema and dermatitis.
Yarrow is an astringent which helps to promote blood clotting is is also used in anti-aging treatments.
Parsley is a good antioxidant and can be used to heal chapped, dry skin.
Fennel helps to reduce oil production and livens a dull complexion. It also smells really good!!!
Willow naturally contains salicylic acid which is great for healing acne.
Tea tree is an antiseptic so it kills of the bacteria that causes the acne and helps prevent and cuts from becoming infected.
Juniper is an antiseptic and is also used to treat inflammation.
Eucalyptus is used to treat boils and sores so its great for those massive painful spots!!!

This stuff smells really good! It's like licorice (the fennel causes this!). It's really easy to apply because of the roller-ball applicator and it works really well. I find that spots are reduced quickly and it doesn't cause dry patches where the blemish had been which a lot of treatments do. It's also a really small container so it's great for your handbag or for travel.

The only problem with this product is the price. It's €15.29 but I bought it when it was half price.

I really think this is a great product but I don't think I would be willing to pay the full price for it (I'm a real cheapskate!!). A really great alternative is the Simple Spotless Skin Rapid Action Spot Zapper. Although it's not all natural, it's even more effective that the Burt's Bees one and it's only €5.19!!

Talk to you again soon!!
Nel

Drugstore Haul / Boots Haul

As I said previously, hauls won't happen very often but I was in the mood to shop and I kinda disregarded my lack of money and bought quite a few new bits in Boots!!! I'll do full reviews of all of these if I can ones I've tried them all properly.
Since I have quite a bit of stuff I think I'll just get straight into it!!

 I think I'll start with these 3 as they are some of my favourites!!
On the right is the Quick Fix Facials - Calming Clay Mask for red and sensitive skin. I had never heard of this company before but it was on offer and I was looking for a new face mask (I'm a self proclaimed face mask junkie!!). It cost €3.83 which is really good for a tube of face mask. I tried it out yesterday and I really liked it! It has Aloe Vera, Chamomile and Rose Extract to help calm and soothe the skin. It just smells of chamomile which is nice and relaxing and my skin felt lovely and soft afterwards.
In the middle is the Super Beauty - Vanilla and Honey bath and shower gel. I love having baths and I love lush products but it costs a lot to use only lush products so I wanted a bubble bath like this. It cost €3.29 (again it was on offer) and it smells incredible!!! It's like hazelnut chocolate!!!! I really can't wait to try it and as it's a huge bottle it should last for ages!!
On the left is Bio Oil. It's a treatment oil for scars and stretch marks. I've been meaning to try this for quite a while now and I decided to try it out. I have a scar on my hip which has been bothering me quite a bit so I figured it was worth a try! It was also on offer (can you see a trend here??) and cost €7.52 for the smallest bottle. So far I've noticed that the redness has reduced from the scar so hopefully it will continue to work.

 In the middle here is the Dove - Intensive Repair Leave-In Conditioning and Care Spray. It's a bi-phase solution (two layers, the white one on the top and the clearish one on the bottom) so you have to shake it to mix it before use. I love Dove products and I've wanted to try a new leave in conditioner for a while now so this sounded good. It can be used on wet and dry hair which is great since I tend to forget to use them when my hair is wet a lot!! It cost €4.79.
On the left is Sure for Women compressed antiperspirant in the fragrance Bright (flowers and apricot). It smells amasing and I like the small container as it's easier to carry around! It was on offer and cost €1.92.

I've been really into nail varnishes lately as I no longer work so I'm allowed to wear it again!! So I've been stocking up on some nice new ones!! Unfortunately nail varnishes are pretty expensive in this country and the cheap ones are often really bad quality so it's hard to find a middle ground!
On the right is Rimmel London Lasting Finish in 700 Block Your Green. I actually bought this one last week so I don't have the price of it but I don't really recommend it. I only did one coat but it took ages to dry and it applied quite unevenly. It also chipped within hours and the colour payoff wasn't great.
Second on the right is the Revlon Chroma Chameleon in Tanzanite and next to it is the same type in Pink Quartz. These are kinda strange as they're dual coloured. The Pink Quartz one is a really pretty pink with an awful greeny gold mixed in. In some lights it looks fine but in others it just looks tacky. The Tanzanite one is much nicer. It does contain the greeny gold but it looks a lot better in the purple and is much less noticeable. I got to two of them for €15 but individually they're €9.15.
Second on the left is Collection 2000 2in1 Base Coat and Ridge Filler. I've been looking for a nice base coat but they are normally really expensive. This was €4.79 so it was definitely good value. It also has the ridge filler which I was very happy about because I do have very textured nails and it makes nail varnishes look really uneven. I have tried this out and it is very effective.
On the left is Seventeen Lasting Fix Nail Colour in Clear. I wanted to get a top coat but they're more expensive than base coats so I compromised and bought a clear polish that I could use on top of my coloured ones. It cost €2.49 on offer. I haven't tried it yet but I'll let you know how it goes.

If you have tried any of these or have any recommendations of things for me to try, please let me know in the comments!!!

Talk to you soon
Nel

What is "True Beauty Magic"??

For a few years now I've hopped between making beauty videos on youtube and making blogs. During this time, many blogs and youtube channnels have been made and then abandoned. This will not be one of those.

On here I (Nel) will be showcasing many beauty products, some which I'll like and others which I won't. I believe wholeheartedly in an honest review and that's what you'll find here. There will also be hauls and other beauty related stuff but hauls will be few and far between as I am rather lacking in money right now!!! The wonders of being a college student!

So the intention is that I will upload a review every second day or more frequently if I have the time but I really can't guarantee anything!!

Anyway here's a little info on me:
My name is Nel and I'm a college student in Ireland. I'm 22 and I'm a beauty hoarder. I like all things beauty but I also like books and films and music and a whole tonne of other stuff as well!!


Feel free to contact me at truebeautymagic@gmail.com
I always welcome opinions, questions and suggestions!!!

Talk to you soon!!!
Nel