Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care : SPF 15 Moisturising Day Cream

I have such a lovely treat to share with you today! 

One of the things I mentioned in my post about beating adult acne (HERE) was the importance of keeping your skin moisturised. In the past I have struggled to find a moisturiser that suits my skin, ie. acne prone, combination skin, with dry cheeks, but also aged over 30. I need something rich enough to deal with the fact I am no longer a fresh faced teenager with dewy skin that barely needs moisturising at all, but at the same time it needs to play nicely with acne prone skin (which most 30+ products don't). I got pretty sick of forking out £12+ for a so called wonder product that turned my face into pizza in two days flat and ended up in the bin, so for a long time I just got by with a completely inadequate teenage oil free anti-acne moisturiser topped up with a pump of serum here and there. Until now. Enter Superdrug Vitamin E Moisturising Day Cream. 

I was just browsing the shelves in Superdrug one day when I stumbled across their Vitamin E range which was on a 2 for 1 offer at the time. I'd already tried their hot cloth cleanser and nourishing oil and loved them both, so I thought maybe it was worth picking up some of the other things in the range. I got two different day creams, a night cream, and an eye cream. I'll be reviewing them all here soon but for today here is the SPF 15 Moisturising Day Cream.

All of the products in this range have the same scent, which is gorgeous. It's a subtle smell, reminiscent of coconut or possibly sun tan lotion.The cream is rich enough that it leaves my face feeling beautifully moisturised, but not so much that it is still sat on my face feeling greasy half an hour later. I hate that!! You know when a cream is so rich, it just won't sink in, and the stuff turns to gross little beads on your face if you rub it? None of that here. PHEW. It takes just a few minutes to sink in and then I'm ready to go. 

It contains SPF 15 (important if you don't want wrinkles!) and most importantly of all for me it doesn't make me break out at all. Since using this cream, my skin has looked one heck of a lot better too. My dry cheeks aren't dry any more, my greasy areas are behaving themselves, and my skin is actually starting to 'glow' for the first time in I don't know how long. I knew this was the right moisturiser for me after I'd been using it for a week... my son kept touching my cheeks and when I asked him why, he said 'because your face is so soft and smooth now Mum!'

One of the best bits?  Even when it's not on special offer, this stuff only costs £2.99 for 100ml! Honestly the only bad thing I can think of to say about it is that it's in a jar and not a pump or a squeezy tube - so it's marginally less convenient to use without getting cream stuck underneath your nails. But seriously? At under £3 a pop I really can't moan... I'll just spend some of that money I've saved on a little spatula to scoop it out with instead!

2 True Crystal Nail Polish : Shade 1 Midnight Blue

Happy hump day!

Sorry it's been a while since my last post; I've been on my first holiday in 8 years! It wasn't anything exotic, just a fun family camping trip to the seaside, but wow it was the most fun I've had in a long, long time. I can't wait until next year when we can go camping again!

Anyway, let me tear my brain away from kite flying and fossil hunting for long enough to show you the fourth and final polish from 2True's Crystal Nail Polish collection: Shade 1, Midnight Blue.

Released around Christmas time last year, the Crystal Nail Polish collection consisted of four jewel toned shimmer polishes, so shimmery they looked almost like sparkly metallic chocolate wrappers! They were perfect for parties and, at less than £2 each, perfect for your wallet too! I reviewed the other three HERE, HERE and HERE and I loved them all. They apply like a dream, and look amazing, and Midnight Blue is no exception to that rule. 

It's opaque in two coats although I found that adding a third coat added more richness and sparkle. It lasts absolutely ages without chipping or showing any signs of tipwear - when I took these pictures I'd already been wearing it for three days. Do you see any chips? I didn't think so. These pictures show it a little more royal blue than it is in real life; it's closer to denim blue really (the bottle colour in the first picture here is closest to how it looks on the nail). The only negative about this polish was that it took a while to dry; not painfully so, but if you're in a hurry you'll need a quick drying topcoat. I did find that leaving each coat to dry completely before adding the next helped a lot.

Pros:

Gorgeous colour, packed with shimmer. 

Opaque in two coats

Applies easily

Lasts ages

Cheap as chips!

Cons:

A little bit slow to dry

Limited edition (though almost a year later I still see it in Superdrug occasionally)

Stash or Trash?

Definitely stash. I love every polish in this collection. I'm wearing this one right now as a mani AND a pedicure. I'm far too fickle to wear the same polish in both places unless I really love it!

2 True Crystal Nail Polish : Shade 2 Vampish Red

Let me introduce you to a rare gem in my collection: 2True Crystal Nail Polish in Shade 2, 'Vampish Red'.

Do you remember when I reviewed 2True's gorgeous limited edition turquoise and purple Crystal polishes, HERE and HERE? Both times, I was blown away; they had awesome formulas, applied beautifully, dried smooth and sparkly, and looked and wore like they cost one heck of a lot more than the £1.99 (3 for £5) I paid for them. Vampish Red, an almost metallic looking, vivid cherry red (it looks a little more pink toned in real life than in these pictures) is every bit as great as they were; it went on a treat, dried nicely, and with only two layers plus one of top coat, it's survived two days of housework, showers, bleaching my hair without gloves on and washing the dog, and there isn't even any tipwear yet.

I absolutely love this polish and I currently have it on both my fingers AND my toes. It looks great with my sandals (not that I can wear them outside the house since it's peeing down with rain and so cold I've had to turn the heating back on, but still). It has this lovely inner glow, too - I love when a polish does that, don't you? Although this range was supposed to be limited edition, the last time I was in Superdrug they still had all four shades. I'd definitely recommend you snap this one up pronto while it's still around!

Colourworks London : Eye Colour Delight

Hey look, it's my first make up post! No nails or dodgy skin in sight. Don't be scared ^.^

I just wanted to share this little kit I picked up in Superdrug the other day. It's from their Christmas gift selection and I have no idea how much it cost originally, but it was on sale so I paid the princely sum of £1.99. Normally I tend to avoid these types of gift set because gift set make up can be a bit hit and miss, but at less than £2 I figured I couldn't really lose. And I'm really quite glad I took the risk!

(without flash)

You get 5 glitter eyeliners for your £1.99, making an average of 40p per liner, in black, gold, copper, purple and a turquoisey sort of blue. The black one has a black base and the other four are coloured glitters in a clear base. Application seems pretty decent - at least it did on my hand. The black one was easiest since it's pigmented, the others are a bit more sparse and you might have to go back and add a bit more in some places (swatch shows one application only). 

(with flash)

I was pretty impressed with their staying power. I kept them on my hand for about 20 minutes while I took photographs and then I removed them with a face wipe. I had to wipe quite firmly to remove them which gives me hope that they'll last quite well on my eyes too. There was certainly no fallout of glitter anywhere - it stayed firmly in the base.

I haven't had chance to try this on my eyes; since it's from a post-xmas sale they won't be around for long. I thought I'd just put these swatches up as quickly as possible for now, in case anyone wants to dash off and grab one while they still can!