Pastel pink hair with Bleach London

I love the pastel hair colours at the moment and after experimenting with Bleach London's Awkward Peach Super Cool Colour non-permanent hair colour I thought I'd give Rose a try, inspired by the brand's Instagram feed (which is amazing!).

The peach washed out after two washes so I picked up the Rose Shampoo and Rose Conditioner as well as the Rose Super Cool Colour to keep the colour up in between applications.  The Super Cool Colour is a thick cream and is very easy to apply and smells divine.  It goes a very bright pink but washes out to a lovely pastel.

Then I used the Rose Shampoo and Rose Conditioner each time I washed my hair after and it deposits a small amount of colour.  I was really impressed with these products - I was expecting both to dry out my hair with the colour but my hair was cleaned and conditioned as well as any other shampoo!  And I have very knotty, thick hair so that's saying something.  I swapped out the conditioner every other wash with an intensive conditioner which I left out for ten minutes or so to really nourish my hair. 

To keep the colour fresh I topped up with the Super Cool Colour about once a month. I had pastel pink hair for about four months and loved every minute of it!  Then I needed to go back to a sensible colour and used the Bleach London Washing Out Liquid which seemed to take most of the colour out, however there was a pinkish peach tinge to the ends but barely noticeable.  

If you fancy a bit of a change then these Bleach London Super Cool Colour non-perm creams are for you!  They are easy to apply and wash out quickly.  I went pink the first time before a holiday in Ibiza and I kept the colour topped up with the shampoo and conditioner but could easily have washed it all out by the time I got home a week later.

I had pale blond hair to begin, with a little warmth so my pink was quite peachy which I didn't mind at all.  If you are after a purer colour then you will need to start with white blond hair.

My hair before:

My hair during and when still damp:

My hair after:

And here's some pink inspo from the Bleach London insta feed.

 So, would you go pastel pink?  Or have you already?!

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge review

I'm obsessed with the Real Techniques make up brushes! They don't shed, are lightweight, fit beautifully in your hand as well as are fab for building/blending product and amazing value for money.  So I thought I'd give the Real Techniques sponge a try. 

Firstly, it's great value, two for £9.99, and a bargain compared to the cult Beauty Blender sponge at £16 for one.  I've never had a BB so I can't compare but am SUPER happy with this sponge! 

Secondly it's orange... My favourite colour 🍊👌. 

You wet it first, it's a dense sponge so this takes a while and it swells when saturated. Squeeze out the excess so it's damp - not dripping! - and you're ready to use. 

It's shaped like a petal with a pointed top one end and a flat section at the other. I used the pointed end for precision work, for example on a blemish or around the nose.  Then the flat end and sides for under eyes and rest of my face. 

I dropped liquid foundation straight onto the sponge and then applied to my face but for liquid concealer I put the product on my skin first and then used the sponge. (I've used it a few times now with the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water liquid foundation, the MAC Pro Longwear concealer and the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer. It applies the Smashbox foundation like a dream!).

Blend the product by using a rapid patting motion, like you'd use a stippling make up brush, and move around your face for even application. Don't drag the sponge or rub as this leaves streaks. 

It blends foundation flawlessly and the damp sponge adds extra moisture to give a lovely dewy texture on the skin.  Using this sponge gave sheer coverage in contrast to using a brush which I find gives a full coverage finish.  It's easy to build up product of you want a heavier coverage. 

It takes a little while for the sponge to dry, so pop it next to a radiator or in a breeze. Also it sucks up quite a bit of product and needs a good rinse out before you use again and a proper wash using soap/shampoo (or whatever you clean your brushes with) every couple of uses. 

The blurb says:

"3-in 1 sponge that provides flawless results.The flat edge contours around eyes and nose. The sides of the sponge blend large areas of the face while the tip covers imperfections." It also says that it can be used dry (which I've not tried) and that it should be replaced every one to three months (which I won't be doing! I think if it's cleaned regularly then should hopefully last a bit longer...)

Pros: 

Gives a lovely sheer coverage and dewy finish 

Quick to apply liquid foundation on full face 

Blends product flawlessly 

Easy to wash and keep clean

Cons:

Drying time, and when damp it picks up little bits of fluff etc

Not great for on the move application as I don't want a damp sponge in amongst the brushes in my make up bag (I have an irrational fear of everything going mouldy!) so when travelling I take my foundation brush

Would I recommend? Yes. Will I use again? Yes, for when I want lighter coverage e.g for a daytime look. 

Below- lovely dewy finish using the Real Techniques sponge and the Smashbox foundation. 

Clean: 

After one use: 

The point: 

Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque review

For years I steered well clear of face masks that weren't hydrating or for sensitive skin after a few face mask mishaps when I was younger (burning skin, rash, breakouts etc) but I was given a sample of this at the Dermalogica counter and braved it. 

And, boy, I'm pleased I did! I've used the Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque four times now (roughly once a month) and each time I've been delighted with the results. 

The charcoal in it is meant to absorb impurities and it also contains sulfur to promote cell turnover for brighter skin.

It is thick like mud to apply with a slight green tinge. It goes on smoothly but there are tiny grains in the product. I'm assuming this is the 'sea silt' listed in the ingredients?! 

Once on, the mask dries very quickly and starts to tighten. I leave it on for ten minutes and then wash off with warm water.  It takes quite a bit of water to loosen the product and then whilst washing it all off the grains exfoliate your skin. 

My face feels taut immediately after and I then use a toner to remove any final traces.

This mask leaves my skin smooth, glowing and feeling really clean. It doesn't aggravate my spots.  My pores are smaller and wrinkles less prominent. Wonder product!

It has quite a strong smell, quite medical and with a hint of tea tree oil (another ingredient).  It also contains witch hazel and both ingredients are meant to help with spots. 

I've nearly finished this sample and I will definitely go and buy a full size at £38. I think it's worth the price. 

Scary face mask selfie below 😆

Mac Pro Longwear Concealer review

This is meant to be one of the best concealers out there. According to blogger after influencer after celebrity after make up artist so I had high, high hopes. But boy, did they come crashing down! 

Purchased for £18, MAC claims this concealer lasts 15 hours, is water and transfer resistant, is for all skin types and offers medium to full coverage. 

I was advised by a lovely MAC person that I needed shade nw20 and the shade is perfect. However! This concealer is simply *not great* on my skin (combination, spot-prone, dry and sensitive all at once, with a few wrinkles thrown in for good measure). 

I've now tried it under foundation, over foundation, on its own, under power, applied with fingers, applied with brush, applied with damp sponge and it always seems to do the same thing: cake. Urgh. 

I tried it on my undereyes and it found and clung to every teeny fine line going and settled in them making my skin look cracked, papery, wrinkled, puffy, ugly. Here are some weird coloured, weird faced pics so you get the gist... 

Horrible!! So I removed it all and started again. Here's what my undereye usually looks like using Laura Mercier secret concealer in shade 2, applied in exactly the same way a few moments later... 

Phew. The MAC Pro Longwear concealer aged me by about 30years! So, that was a fail.

I also used it on my spots. These are always quite red and generally always in an area of dryness (weird I know!) so a concealer needs to have excellent coverage and sit well on dry skin. So how did the MAC concealer do? 

Yup, you guessed it, not well! Sob. The coverage is great, hiding the redness and it does last a long time. But it is not good on dry skin. It seemed to migrate into every pore and shrink to leave a streaky line around the area covered, exaggerating all the uneven texture and patchiness. Believe me I blended this product in very carefully. I applied it in the morning and went out for the day and looked in the mirror when I got home and was mortified that it looked so caked on and obvious (sorry, more hideous pics coming up)...

Reluctant to give up on this product I have used it since over foundation, applied with sponge, ONLY if I'm going out to a dark bar/club and want full, heavy coverage as it is excellent at covering red spots.  My skin is also a little less dry at the moment so it stays smoother on the skin. 

I'm also not impressed at all with the packaging- the pump dispenser is meant to be convenient I'm sure but it pumps out waaaay too much product! I end up using about a third of a pump and the rest is binned. A lot of wastage on an expensive product. 

Verdict- would I buy again? No. Will I use again? In very specific circumstances. Would I recommend? Perhaps suit normal to oily skin better than dry. 

I LOVE 😍😍 MAC select sheer powder, lipsticks and lip pencils, eyebrow pencil in fling, 217 small fluffy brush and the Fix+ finishing mist but I don't get on with the brand's foundations or eyeshadow and now I can add concealer to the MAC-products-that-aren't-for-me list. 

Copper & rust eyes with plum lips

I created this copper and rust eyes with plum lips look using the following products... 

Face

On my face I used (in order of application):

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer 

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water foundation in light

Mac Pro Longwear concealer in nw20

Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer in 040 soft beige (under eye) 

Smashbox Halo Hydrating perfecting powder in light / neutral 

Benefit Hoola bronzer 

Smashbox LA Lights blush & highlight palette in Pacific coast pink (used shade rich pink)

Laura Mercier radiance baked powder in highlight 01 

Mac Fix+ finishing mist

Eyes

On my eyes I used (in order of application):

Smashbox 24 hour photo finish shadow primer 

Sleek Makeup divine eyeshadow palette Sunset 568 (various shades)

MUA eyeshadow in shade 17 

Barry M liquid eyeliner in black

Benefit They're Real mascara in black

Eylure lengthening lashes in no 116

Mac eyebrow pencil in fling 

Lips

On my lips I used:

Mac lip pencil in vino

Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in cutting edge 120

Tools

I used the following makeup application tools: 

*Top row left to right 

Real Techniques blush brush

Real Techniques powder brush

Bare Escentuals powder brush (use for bronzer) 

? Cannot remember the brand of this fan brush and doesn't say it! 

Make Up For Ever spoolie 

Real Techniques miracle complexion sponge, used damp (in depth review coming soon)

*Bottom row left to right 

Real Techniques base shadow brush 

Bare Escentuals 'light stroke' brush 

Model's Own angled brush

Real Techniques deluxe crease brush 

Real Techniques accent brush 

Mac 217 brush 

Eylure lash applicator (in depth review coming soon)

Tweezerman eyelash curlers 

I also braided my hair, apologies for the fat roots, getting them fixed at the weekend ;-)

And there you have it! What do you think?