Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette | Review

Today's post is an Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette appreciation post (that was just as hard for me to say as it was for you). We are approaching much sunnier days in London and I'm all for experimenting with my eyeshadows during the Summer as long as I don't end up looking like Krusty the clown.
I'm not a huge user of eyeshadows on a daily basis, I actually hardly ever wear eyeshadow but I absolutely love collecting eyeshadow palettes because you never know when you might need a specific shade and you're bound to find them in one of your 24876 eyeshadow palettes. If I had just one orange/brown eyeshadow to use for the rest of my life, that would do me fine.
BUT (yes that's a very big but) as soon as I saw the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette I was in absolute love! I know a lot of girls have been umming and ahhing about whether to purchase it just because of the deep pinks in the palette and I was thinking exactly the same thing. Would I ever really use the pinks? How much wear would I actually get out of the palette? You get the jist, but of course I caved in and bought it. I really regret not buying the Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario, so I was not about to make the same mistake again (Anastasia if you're reading this, please bring back the Master Palette by Mario!).

I do not regret purchasing the Modern Renaissance Palette one bit.

It is absolutely stunning, the packaging is beautiful, it's a lovely dusky lilac faux suede texture, which is something I've never seen when it comes to eyeshadow palettes. The palette comes with a brush (a really good quality one), the Anastasia Beverly Hills logo is in rose gold on the outside and just under the mirror, which ties the whole palette together beautifully. Most of the eyeshadow palettes I own come in some not so aesthetically pleasing plastic packaging, I'm not complaining but it's not something that impressed me. Of course it's the product inside that matters the most but packaging is a huge thing when you're parting with a pretty hefty amount of your hard earned money.
There are really only two eyeshadows that I would be hesitant to use (Love Letter and Venetian Red) but even then I think if you used them with a light hand or blended them with some of the other shades, they'd look pretty good!
My favourite shade in the palette is Raw Sienna, like I said before, give me an orange/brown eyeshadow and I'll happily use it for the rest of my life - Raw Sienna is that eyeshadow.
The pigmentation of these eyeshadows is really really good. If you've ever owned any of Anastasia's palettes or products, this is something that's pretty common with her palettes, you basically get what you're paying for and that's a really good product for a not so bad price.
I know some people may be reading this and thinking 'but there's so many palettes out there that are half the price and contain a lot more eyeshadows' and I can't disagree but this is one of those products that if you really want it, you won't mind paying the price. No-one is going to make you buy the palette, let's be real. I'm totally against the overrated hyped up products that you'll see on Instagram and Youtube. Some people feel pressurised into buying it just because you see it everywhere, please don't feel like you have to buy beauty products just because you've seen it on 34 posts in the past 10 minutes on your Instagram feed. This is my honest opinion, I did my research, looked at swatches, watched a few Youtube tutorials, thought about it (quite a few times) and parted with my money and I was not disappointed. Anastasia Beverly Hills is a brand that I have never been disappointed with, so I didn't mind paying £41 for an eyeshadow palette.

You can see swatches of the eyeshadow palette on a selection of skin tones here. As you can see it compliments any skin tone, which is another thing that's really important. I hate products that are targeted at one specific skin tone. We're in the 21st century, get with it.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette - available here and here

I really hope you guys enjoyed this post!

Yogita x

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, Serozinc Spray & Thermal Spring Water | Review

Hi all! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I know I say this all the time but honestly, I had an incredible weekend but then again you can never complain about a weekend spent with family. I know it's only Monday but I am already looking forward to the weekend. It's Mother's Day on Sunday. I hope all you kids have something extra special planned. My sister and I are being little daredevils and getting our Mum's presents towards the end of the week, as we're working all week (we're all about that busy lifestyle). We're also taking her out for dinner. I think we're more excited than she is, but then again she has no idea of our plans. Hopefully she isn't reading this!

Today I will be talking about one of my favourite skincare brands, La Roche-Posay. This brand has been such a huge part of my acne journey. I first came across the brand whilst shopping in Boots and picked up the Effaclar Duo out of curiosity, when my sister came over to me and said she had read a tonne of great reviews on the product from people that had suffered from acne/scarring, so of course I had to purchase it and see what all the fuss was about. Now this was a really long time ago and I have been using it ever since and have really seen a difference on my acne scars, they are barely visible. I try not to use it as regularly as I used to, rather every few days as I don't want my skin to get used to it and then have the product stop working altogether. I would really recommend trying it out, if you are someone that suffers from or has done in the past from acne/scarring. 

What it says on the box:

• Clinically proven to correct the appearance of blemishes
• Unclogs blocked pores
• Helps to refine skin texture
• Controls the appearance of shine
• Fights against the appearance of marks

I've never come across a product that does everything it says on the packaging, but the Effaclar Duo is definitely one of those rare products that do exactly what they claim to do. 

Before I went on holiday last year, I was on the lookout for some face sprays that would not only help cool me down in the hot weather but also help with my skin (and hopefully not break me out). Of course I went straight on to the La Roche-Posay website to see what I could find (I'm a loyal customer). I came across the Serozinc Spray and the Thermal Spring Water. 

The Serozinc Spray is specially formulated for oily and blemish prone skin. Now if you know me you will know that I haven't had a break out in absolutely ages but I do suffer from really oily skin and in countries with hot weather, oily skin is an absolute nightmare and I definitely didn't want to look like I had just enjoyed my Mum's amazing curry a little too much (to the point where I dunked my whole face in the pot). This really helped to keep my skin look as matte as it possibly could and it didn't break me out which was a huge plus. 

The Thermal Spring Spray is mainly just to soothe sensitive skin, refresh your skin after cleansing and hydrate your skin in warm weather. Both these prays worked extremely well together. After cleansing I would use the Serozinc spray because it does a little extra for your skin and the Thermal Spring Water was something I kept in my bag, so I could use it on the go to soothe my skin in the hot weather. Both these products are huge, 150ml to be accurate, so they will last you absolutely ages, just make sure you use them before the expiry date.

Both the Serozinc and Thermal Spring Water are hypoallergenic and don't contain any perfumes. The Thermal Spring Water is just pure thermal spring water, so it doesn't contain any other ingredients (how insane is that?).

La Roche-Posay is an extremely affordable brand, which is great especially if you're someone that is on the hunt for skincare products that are effective but won't break the bank.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo - available here

La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray - available here

La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water - available here

Please note that what works for me may not necessarily work for everyone. Just like clothes, what fits me may not necessarily fit you, but we all try things on! This is just what works for me and therefore I am sharing with you. I have used a lot of products in the past that were recommended by others but they didn't always work for me, which is fine. It takes a lot of time, trial and error to find things that work perfectly for you, so just be patient and always do your research!

Yogita x

L'Oreal Pure Clay Glow Mask | Review

Today is going to be a face mask and good book kind of day, so I thought I'd share the mask I will be using and my thoughts on it as I have used it a few times before and reach for it quite a lot when my skin is in need of some pampering.

I am a huge fan of the fairly new L'Oreal Pure Clay Masks and couldn't possibly choose a favourite out of the three but I love anything with the word 'glow' on it, so of course I reach for this one the most. It doubles up as an exfoliator as it contains small beads. I absolutely love the exfoliating element of this mask because it leaves my skin feeling so smooth and extremely clean. I find that with a lot of other masks that don't contain any exfoliating ingredients in them, even when you wash them off they leave a not so pleasant feeling to the skin. I find that the beads not only help exfoliate your skin but they also help by making sure your skin is thoroughly clean and no residue from the mask is left on your skin.

I have extremely oily skin and I find that skincare products that contain clay really help keep those deep frying pans that live inside my pores at bay.

This mask genuinely leaves my skin looking so radiant and it smells incredible, the smell kind of reminds me of saffron.

The mask contains three different types of clay, Koalin, Montmorillonite and Ghassoul. It also contains Red Algae Extract which is known for it's brightening properties.

• Koalin is an effective natural clay which helps absorb impurities and excess sebum and is known to give a soothing effect on irritated and sensitive skin.
• Montmorillonite is very rich in minerals and helps eliminate imperfections.
• Ghassoul is a pure clay high in vitamins and helps clarify your complexion.

The pot will last you absolutely ages and it's pretty inexpensive at £7.99 (it's currently on offer at Boots for £5.99). I try to use a face mask at least once a week usually on the weekend and apply it using a flat foundation brush. It's the perfect pick me up for your skin after a week's worth of gunk (that your daily cleansing couldn't tackle) sitting in your pores from the jam packed trains and heavily polluted air clouding over my beautiful London (or wherever you live).

I hope you guys have a great week ahead!

L'Oreal Pure Clay Glow Mask - available here

Yogita x

L'Oreal Fine Flowers Gel Cream Wash | Review

I always get uber excited when the weather is amazing in London and today is one of those days, so I will start off by talking about the weather, as we all do in awkward situations (not that this is awkward). It's Monday guys, only a few days until Friday (ha!).
I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I had a pretty fantastic weekend. I went for a spot of shopping and lunch with my Mum and sister. Is it me or does everyone feel like a child again when they go shopping with their Mum? I bloody love it! Obviously she didn't get me the scented glittery gel pens I wanted, but whatevs, her loss.

Today's blog post is on the L'Oreal Fine Flowers Gel Cream Wash. I have become a huge fan of L'Oreal's skincare range especially since they came out with the whole clay mask range, those masks are incredible! I was even more excited when I spotted the Fine Flowers range in Superdrug. I had run out of my trusty Boots Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash (available here). If you have read my skincare post, you will know exactly how much I love this Foam Wash, so this was the whole point of my shopping trip, to stock up on some more which is when I conveniently came across the Fine Flowers range and instantly picked the Gel Cream Wash up, it contains Rose and Jasmine so I was really excited to smell it (out of all things to do with a cream wash), plus it's pretty inexpensive at £3.99 (currently on offer for £2.65 at Superdrug), so I couldn't not pick it up!

I have been using it for around 2-3 weeks now and I actually really like it; I mean it hasn't done anything incredible for my skin, it pretty much works the same as my Boots Botanics Wash, although I prefer the Boots Botanics Wash because it really helps brighten my skin. It hasn't broken me out or caused any irritation which is a massive win for someone who has previously suffered from severe acne and has extremely sensitive skin, if you have the same sort of skin problems as me or have done in the past, you will know exactly how daunting it is to try something new not knowing what the outcome will be. I think the fact that the wash does not contain soap or alcohol really helps. It's a runny gel consistency so you really don't need a lot, which also means it will last absolutely ages (providing you use it before the expiry date). It leaves my skin feeling really soft and gives it that really clean feeling (does that even make sense? you guys know what I mean).
The only thing I absolutely hated about the wash was the smell, it does not smell like Roses or Jasmine in the slightest, now I'm not sure whether it's just the one I bought or whether they all smell the same but mine smelt like washing up liquid, which is great for washing the dishes but not so much for my face. I was really disappointed with the smell because it was one of the things that initially drew me to the product considering it contains ingredients that should really smell incredible. For this reason I won't be repurchasing it but I will be picking up the Toner on my next shopping trip because I've heard it smells a lot better and it's pretty good, so I shall keep you guys posted.

L'Oreal Fine Flowers Gel Cream Wash - available here

I'm now off to my white board to master a plan that will trick my Mum into getting those scented glittery gel pens for me, wish me luck, she's a tough little cookie. I hope you all have a lovely week ahead and I will see you in my next post. Toodles.

Yogita x

Superdrug Vitamin E Hydrating Mist | Review

Today's post is on this little gem. This has been all over Instagram and I am a sucker for facial sprays so of course I had to get my hands on this pronto. I am a huge fan of the Superdrug Vitamin E range, but never really came across the Hydrating Mist until a few weeks ago.

I have been using it ever since and the first thing I noticed was the delicious scent, it smells so lovely.
It contains vitamins E, A, B, F and H and also horse chestnut extract and aloe vera. All the ingredients combined help to care for dry skin, protect against environmental damage and prevent premature ageing by combating the harmful effects of free radicals.
Vitamin E has been known to treat wrinkles by promoting new skin cell growth and speeding up cell regeneration.
I have extremely oily skin but it doesn't stop me from moisturising or using oils/serums on my skin, in my opinion the more moisture you can apply to your skin, the better!
This hydrating mist has made my skin so radiant and smooth. It gives an extremely refreshing feeling to the skin. I apply it to my face straight after cleansing, moisturising, applying eye cream etc; kind of like the finishing step to my skincare regime, to lock everything in and work it's wonders on my skin.

It comes in a spray bottle, which works really well. It doesn't hit you like a tonne of bricks or run down the bottle, it applies evenly all over my face (I use 2-3 pumps). 

Honestly, I cannot recommend this product enough, it hydrates your skin and gives it a beautiful glow.

I have heard that some bottles say 'Toning Facial Mist' and some say 'Hydrating Mist' but they are exactly the same product so don't be alarmed if the label on yours does not resemble the one I have. 

It is extremely inexpensive at just £2.99 and currently buy one get second half price (mix and match, so you can purchase some other favourites whilst you're at it!).

I'm not someone that wears makeup everyday but I will definitely be using this under my makeup and possibly to set it all in place, I'm pretty sure it would work really well as a primer/setting spray and I shall keep you guys posted on how I get on. You can also pop it in the fridge so it stays super cool for a colder soothing spritz on the skin, especially when the temperature is a little high outside; hardly likely in London, but I look forward to doing this in the summer. I really hope Superdrug come out with a mini version that you can just pop in your handbag to use on the go.

Superdrug Vitamin E Hydrating Mist - available here

What are your favourites from the Vitamin E range?

Yogita x