SOAP & GLORY - ONE HECK OF A BLOT PRIMER & FOUNDATION

With a lot of brands, I have to try the newest products available as soon as possible. Anyone who has read my blog before will know I’m a massive fan of Soap & Glory and I constantly have one of their Shower gels on the go and have a never ending Blusher which doesn’t seem to be ending for an empties post any time soon even though I use it most days. Soap & Glory have recently added to their make-up line One Heck of a Blot. I have been using the powder of this range for a while now as I loved the Kick Ass Powder from the brand so much. They have added a primer and a foundation to the One Heck of a Blot range and I grabbed them at my local Boots when they were on a 3 for 2 offer.

I always use a primer before applying my make-up as I have quite an oily forehead and I try and hold on to my make-up for as long as possible throughout the day. The Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Instant-Perfecting Power Primer claims to instantly shrink pores and perfect the skin. It’s suitable for all skin types, but it’s most suited for people with Oily/Combination skin who are looking to keep the shine controlled and hide imperfections. It evens out your skin tone and reduces the appearance of redness, which I definitely like about it. The primer reminds me of the Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer which I have really enjoyed in the past. I find that my make-up does stay around for longer when using this product, instead of using a foundation straight onto my skin. You can also use it over make-up similarly to the Benefit Porefessional where you can touch up throughout the day. I don’t tend to do this, but I guess it’s a great pro if you’re out for the whole day. I really like the tube design it looks a lot more expensive than it actually is and you get a good 30ml size for £10.00, I would definitely repurchase this.

I also purchased the Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot All Day Liquid-to-Powder Foundation. This foundation claims to give a full coverage flawless finish, It contains Shine-Bloc 12hr Long wear Technology so the base stays around all day whatever you may be doing. It also has Super-Blur Powders which help to blur away the appearance of pores, imperfections and redness. I find this foundation is more of a cream than a liquid, I’m not used to such a thick base so I found it hard to work with at first. It comes in four shades; Fair Enough, Cool Sand, Happy Medium and Caramel. So not the widest range of shades, but I’m the shade Fair Enough which is a little too dark for my skin tone. Again, this foundation is suited for oily skin and it does look great once you have buffed it in. I did find during the day the foundation was collecting in certain areas especially on my forehead where I am most oily. It was like the foundation was just sitting on the surface and needed to be buffed in some more. It does feel nice on the skin, really lightweight even though it’s such a full coverage. I still do set my make-up with the One Heck of a Blot Powder. I think I need to try the foundation in a few other ways, maybe applying with my fingers or just top up my powder throughout the day. It’s priced at £12.00 for 30ml, so at the high end of the High Street foundations but you can always find some sort of offer.

I have to say the powder is still my favourite product from the One Heck of a Blot line. It’s velvety, translucent and absorbs oil from my skin straight away for a matte finish. Soap & Glory are currently offering a great gift with purchase when you spend £15 on make-up including; a mascara, my favourite everyday blusher and a gloss stick! Have you tried Soap & Glory make-up?

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WINTER BEAUTY PRODUCT EMPTIES - DECEMBER 2014

Philosophy The Gingerbread Girl Shower Gel, Bubble Bath & Shampoo, 480ml £14.00 – This took me so long to use up, just because the bottle is so big. I received this as a Christmas present as everyone knows I love gingerbread. This is a multi-use product, but I just like to use it as a bubble bath. It creates lots of bubbles and smells lovely, I currently have the Christmas Cookie version on the go. Would I repurchase? Yes I love Philosophy formulas.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo & Conditioner, 250ml and 200ml £2.79 each – This duo is a basic shampoo and conditioner which do the job but aren’t anything special. I like the coconut scent and they did make my hair feel sleek and smooth. This range is suited for dry, frizzy hair and it definitely did tame my flyaways. I did a whole blog post on this range, here. Would I repurchase? Maybe not this scent, but I would try other products from the range.

Chloe Eau De Parfum Spray, 30ml £36.95 – This is my all-time favourite scent. I will forever repurchase this and will never be without it. I have tried most of the Chloe fragrances and haven’t found one I didn’t like, I’m currently really enjoying the See by Chloe fragrances. I love how cute the bottle is and looks pretty on any dressing table. Would I repurchase? Yes, forever.

Chloe Perfumed Shower Gel, 200ml £19.95 – I wouldn’t normally buy an expensive fragrance shower gel, but this was on offer at the time. Being my favourite fragrance I really enjoyed using it and saved it for special occasions than using it every day. Would I repurchase? I would buy this again if it was on some kind of offer and it’s great as a gift to buy someone their favourite scent in a shower gel version.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (In both old and new packaging), 30ml £9.99 – This is one of the first drugstore foundations I tried and fell in love with. I don’t like that they changed the packaging, as the old packaging pushed up any remaining product and you could see exactly how much was left. The colour is a good match for my pale skin and it gives me a light/medium coverage which doesn’t look cakey at all or oxidises throughout the day. I like the way it looks on my skin and I like that the bottle comes with a pump. Would I repurchase? Yes, Bourjois do some of my favourite high-street foundations.

Redken Blonde Idol Shampoo, 300ml £9.90 – I have really been enjoying Redken shampoo and conditioner this year. This shampoo is especially designed for blonde hair and helps to prevent my highlights fading too quickly. I like the scent and it foams up really nicely, I have reviewed this fully on my blog, here. Would I repurchase? Yes, I’m currently using the Diamond Oil range.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation, 30ml £6.99 – I really like how well this foundation matched my skin tone. For a drugstore foundation it is really pale and perfect to use all year round, unlike the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation which is a little too bronzed for me during Autumn/Winter. It so affordable and has an SPF 18 which is great to see from a high street foundation. Would I repurchase? Yes, it’s a good affordable foundation.

Vo5 Refresh Me Quick Dry Shampoo, 200ml £3.59 – I have raved about this dry shampoo again and again, I always go back to this brand. It’s really affordable and I know it works for me. I’m currently using another brand and not enjoying it so much, so will have to return to this one after I’ve used it up. Would I repurchase? Yes, I always make sure I have one at hand.

Soap & Glory Orangeasm Body Butter, 300ml £10.00 – This product has to be one of my favourite discoveries of 2014. I have really been enjoying Orange scented products and you can always rely on a Soap & Glory body butter to keep your skin moisturised and hydrated. I have reviewed this fully on my blog, here. Would I repurchase? Yes I would buy any of the Soap & Glory body butters.

Soap & Glory Heels Genius Foot Cream, 125ml £5.50 – This is another product I use all the time, nothing seems to work as well as this. It’s a thick cream which I like to massage into any dry areas and cover with socks in the evening. My feet are left feeling super soft and it makes me feel so much more relaxed. Would I repurchase? Yes this is holy grail for me, I've restocked up by buying the Annual Soap & Glory Star Gift at Boots!

Have you tried any of these products? What would you replace them with?

YSL FUSION INK FOUNDATION

In my everyday make-up post here, I mentioned that I was testing out a 7 day sample of the new YSL Fusion Ink Foundation which I got from Boots. Since then, I have enjoyed the formula that much that I have purchased the full-size version. I haven’t used a YSL foundation before but have always heard great things especially about the touché éclat make-up. I have really enjoyed YSL products recently, the rose gold primer has been one of my most used products, see my review here.

This foundation is very lightweight, non-greasy but still has a flawless medium coverage. I still have to conceal blemishes but it does a great job at evening out skin tone. The formulation is silky with a matte, velvety finish and blends nicely into the skin. I have oily skin, it does last a long time on my face, but I do find myself having to powder late afternoon to avoid a shiny forehead. I have the lightest shade B10 Porcelain which is a perfect match for my fair skin. I wouldn’t say it lasts for 24 hours like YSL claims, but who does wear foundation for that long.

The packaging is not ideal, it doesn’t come with a pump, only a wand which means application is trickier than with other foundations.  The wand is good to distribute foundation around the face, but I’m used to a pump. The frosted matte bottle is very pretty and the gold lid is so luxe. The bottle isn’t very practical, but it’s nice to see how much product you have left and does look stunning on any dressing table, but not so ideal for travelling.

There was a lot of hype around the launch of this foundation and it doesn’t disappoints. You can build the coverage and it gives a nice glowy finish. It has SPF18 and is available in 16 shades. I like to wear this in the daytime or evenings, it doesn't feel like I have a layer of make-up on at all, which is great as it doesn't clog pores. It's moisturising on the skin and feels like a powder once it's sunk in. It's really natural looking and I like the soft texture on my skin. It's priced at £30.50 for 25ml, which is pretty standard for a high-end foundation and I don't mind paying that because I know it works for me.

Will you be trying YSL's newest launch?