Saturday 12 July 2014

Cheaper Brands, Fabulous or Fail? Enter: Creightons


I'm an absolute sucker for a bargain. I might not really want that top, but it's a fiver, how could I not buy it?! In general I try to rein it in a bit more with makeup and beauty products. I probably will wear the €5 top, however I probably won't use the €1 orange lipstick. With that being said, how will I ever find brilliant new products if I don't take a chance every now and then? So begins this blog....

While in Dealz the other day, randomly browsing, a pretty pink stand caught my eye. At first I thought "Wait a minute... isn't that? No they don't sell that brand in here. Do they?" On closer inspection I realised what I was seeing was in fact a very (very) similar packaged product to another glorious brand available in Boots (see what I did there?). Anyway, you can judge yourself just how similar Creightons line is.



They're were a few different products there, but I decided to pick up the 'Squeeky Clean Body Better Body Lotion' and the 'Movie Matte Photo Finish Moisturiser'. At €1.49 each I didn't exactly have high hopes but I've been pleasantly surprised with things I've bought in Dealz before. This time was no exception.



 I'm very picky when it comes to moisturiser. My skin can be quite sensitive and I have reacted badly to skincare products before. Also it's incredibly combination with quite an oily t-zone, but dry cheeks prone to redness. Needless to say I was quite anxious when trying this! It claims to give 'camera ready skin that is kissably soft'. Straight away I loved the scent, so we were off to a good start. It's a very fresh, almost fruity smell. Although it looked quite thick in the container it melted into the skin with ease, and immediately my skin felt much softer. I used this for a week straight, both day and night. On my first try, my skin felt quite tight after but this seemed to be a one time thing! Even after sleeping, my skin still feels moisturised the next morning. I'm definitely a fan of this, and will continue to use it. With 100ml in the jar I feel it will last a long time too!





In my eyes, body lotion is body lotion. I've never really come across one that has 'blown my mind' so to speak. But the promise of evoking 'my inner siren with irresistibly soft skin' was to much to pass up :)
Again it goes on it make some fairly big promises 'deeply conditions and moisturises your skin, leaving it touchably soft and kissably smooth all day long'. Sure what more could a girl want?

It has the same beautiful scent as the face moisturiser which was a plus. The formula wasn't quite as thick however a little went a long way. My skin did indeed feel softer, and surprisingly even after a few hours I could still smell the scent on my arms. It may not have lasted all day long, but it absolutely lived up to it's €1.49 price tag.

Overall I'm very impressed. It goes to show that a massive price doesn't necessarily mean a quality product, just as cheap can be more than just cheerful. If nothing else, the packaging is amazing! Do you trust cheaper products, or do you stick with certain brand you know? 

Til next time,
Toodles,


Wednesday 2 July 2014

Sleek 'Face Contour Kit' and 'Corrector and Concealer Palette' Review

Oh deary me it has been far too long..... I'm talking again today about one of my favourite affordable makeup brands, Sleek Makeup. As much as I love them, they do have a tendency to be quite a hit and miss brand. However when they get it right, they get it really right.



Contouring is an absolutely intricate part of makeup since Kim K showed us exactly how her makeup is done. Realistically, the amount of product used to create her look isn't going to fair very well in the average persons day to day makeup, however there's no harm in doing a more understated version of said effect. Our pale Irish complexion can be very tricky when it comes to this, so I generally prefer to use a powder product with a light hand. Enter Sleek...




This kit comes in 3 different colours. I, of course chose Light :) You get a lovely matte contour powder along with a complimentary highlighter. I was very impressed with this palette from off the bat. (I swatched the products quite heavily here so they would show up well in the photo)


The contour colour works well with my whiter than white complexion provided I build the product up slowly. The highlighter gives a beautiful glow, and the tone is gorgeous. I brush this across my cheekbones, down the centre of my nose and put a little on my cupids bow. As a little goes a long way, this is an absolute steal at  €6.49 in Boots.

Of course for the perfect complexion you cannot be without a good concealer! And of course Sleek do a palette to cater to our blemish covering needs.


These come in a variety of 5 different shades, and surprise surprise I've gone for the palest again! In the palette we have a correcter, a concealer and a setting powder. I really like this palette. The corrector and concealer give a nice amount of coverage with feeling too heavy on the skin, and the powder sets them just nicely with being cakey.




As someone who has quite a bit of pigmentation and redness in their skin, concealer is an absolute must for me. I carry this everywhere for quick touchups, and am very impressed by its staying power so far. Again at €6.40 in Boots right now you really can't go wrong!

Til next time,
Toodles,