Review: Lush Goth Fairy Shimmer Bar - Cruelty Free Skin Care

When I did my Halloween Lush Haul in early October (post here) the wee Goth Fairy bar was one I wasn't sure about reviewing. How would I go about it? Its not like I have anything to judge it against. Then I fell in love with it and wanted to share my thoughts regardless. 

Can we start by just discussing how cute this little spookle is? So adorably cute. She a lovely lilac colour and smells a lot like snow fairy, or for those those who aren't familiar with Lush, old school raspberry Calpol. Its really sweet, but also nice. I'm more a fan of earthy, floral or citrus scents, but the Snow Fairy Christmas scent from Lush is one I make an exception for.

So what does it do? It's somewhere between a moisturiser and a body glitter, which I know sounds like something I would not enjoy, but I really do. 

Fun fact, I'm writing this post in the background. 

As you can see from the photo, I am a) wearing matching pyjamas that have stars on them, and b) my arm is sparkly. That gorgeous smell I mentioned before last a really long time on the skin. It's also moisturising, but not heavy or greasy, and the moisturiser soaks in very, very quickly. Like most of what I mention on this blog, I really like it. 

The Lush website states that it has almond oil in it that provides "Hydration for skin and hair". I have a theory you could use it on your hair before a big night out, like the glitter spray you used to get in the late 90's/early 00's. I'm not sure why you would want to do that, but I think you could and it would probably be quite good for your hair. If anyone wants to do that, for science, then please please let me know how it goes. 

XOXO Scruffy 

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

Review: Primark PS... Love to Glow Face Mask - Cruelty Free Skincare

If you've read any of my other posts, and I mean any, you'll know I love a beauty bargain. Back in mid July I finally tried some of the PS... range from Primark, with mixed results (lip liner, yes. Eyeshadow, total failure). However with the vast majority of the products being under £5 (right within my budget) I decided to give some more ago before I made my mind up completely.

A while ago I found myself on Sauchiehall street, an area of Glasgow I don't usually get a chance to visit, with some time to kill. So I had a wee gander at some of the shops that are out that way, especially Tiger (love me some Tiger), and ended up in Primark. My first thought was heck, this one is far cleaner and tidier than my local one. The make-up and beauty area in this one is up the escalator, so I guess people are less likely to run in, rip stuff, make a mess, and leave. I got to actually look at things without the fear of getting covered in something broken and icky.

One of the first things that caught my eye was this mask. It is the PS... Love to Glow face mask with Argan Oil and Vitamin E. And costs £3 for 50ml (1.69 US Fl. Oz.). Pretty cheap for the amount you get. Also up until then I wasn't even aware Primark made skincare, I thought it was just make-up and a limited amount of hair care. So I had to try it, for science.

Packaging wise, the box is ok. Its a box, it describes the contents, its not ugly. Job done. Now for the jar. Its glass, not plastic, which is a very nice touch, however the cheap lid lets it down. Also grey product, with a grey label and grey text, not a smart move. For £3, its pretty much what you would expect though.

First impressions, grey, mudlooking, pot of goop. Its really, really perfumed which is a bit offputting, but not so offputting I wouldn't rub it all over my skin and leave it there for ten minutes. Texture wise its thick and a bit grainy but not gloopy or super wet. Better than a foil package mask but not as nice as some of the "mud type" masks you get in tubes.

Proof I actually rubbed this stuff all over my face. I actually had to do it three times to get this post finished.

Ever pull a face and then think, oh god why? Yeah, thats me right now. Why did I do that? Yikes.

The first thing you notice when applying the mask, after the smell, is the cooling feeling. As it doesn't claim to be firming or tightening, so I think whatever is doing this has been added only to make your skin feel cooler and tighter as you sit with it on your face.








So this mask claims to be Exfoliating, Smoothing, Brightening and Moisturising. I'm just going to break it down one by one and let you know what I thought.

Exfoliating: I wouldn't say I found it exfoliating. I wash my face with super soft microfibre clothes so that might have had something to do with it. It is grainy so if you wet your hands and rubbed at it once its dry, it probably would exfoliate pretty well.

Smoothing: Yeah ok, my skin did seem a bit smoother. If that was its only function I would be disappointed though.

Brightening: Anything that rubs off dead skin should in theory brighten, right? I've never really thought of my skin as being dull so I don't know if it really needs brightened up. My skin does feel nicer once I've scrubbed it off though. So win, I guess.

Moisturising: My skin isn't super dry at the moment and, in all honesty, I've been missing moisturiser some evenings. Does it moisturiser? Probably. Did I notice? Nope. Mehh...

Overall this facemask is mehh. My skin feels nicer-ish when I've used it but nothing major. I had to use the mask three times to get this review finished so I feel like I got a fairly good idea of everything thing mask has to offer . It doesn't offer much.

4 out of 10. Try it if you're curious about the PS...Love rang as its not terrible, but if you're looking for amazing results, you wont get them here. Probably wouldn't recommend.

xoxo Scruffy

Boots Rant - Bad Experiences at the NYX Stand

NYX Cosmetics are a brand that are fairly new to me. I'd heard of them but alas, thought getting them anywhere in the UK other than Boots horrific website was a no go(which I wasn't about to risk my sanity trying to order from there. Trust me, its not good for cosmetics puchases!). So when I wandered into their St Enoch store looking for my lunch one overtime shift at work and was suddenly greated by a huge NYX dislpay I was one happy bunny.

Well I say happy bunny, what I mean is surprised, then happy, then annoyed at having to fight for my lipstick, then annoyed at the queue. Once I got home my anger subsided though as, for being one of the lower end lipsticks you can get in the UK (I think they're £5.50) so similar to Rimmel maybe. I dont know how much brands like Rimmel and Maybeline cost anymore, as they're not cruelty free I tried to avoid buying from them. 

 On my first trip I found two colurs I absolutely loved. Number 11 - Licorice and 17 - Pops.

 Pops was sold out though... Boooo. Hissss.

Next time I was in Boots I decided to check if they had Pops back in. They did. One was snapped in the tube, break clearly visable through the panel, and the other had been opened by someone and rubbed all over god only knows what. Yuck. Use the tester, people!

I did pick up another couple of colours, cute pink shades called Fizzies and Cotton Cady. I was in a very girly mood that day.

Trip three, also called the time I almost lost it at a member of Boots staff.

Nipped into Boots for lunch and a new eyeliner, decide to swatch all the things. You know how it goes. Check up on Pops. I feel like this lipstick is becoming my Moby Dick and I'm wondering why bother, is it really worth it?

I round the corner, I check the display, they have two in stock. I'm reaching for them, they're in my hand....

 I quickly realise that both of them have been torn open, and rubbed all over things, by some discusting human being hellbent on ruining my day. A quick survey of the NYX display tells me that this is not an isolated incident. Pops isn't being  targeted, people are just being shit and ripping things open despite they're being plenty of testers for everything.

As this is my third trip I decide to find a member of staff and ask if they have any more, and also point out the state of the display, cause its disgusting and its right at the front of the store. I'd have got my arse booted if I left a display stand like that when I used to work in retail.

Locating a member of staff takes some time as there is no-one around and I'm beginning to see why the displays look so messy and gross. I eventually find someone and am like "Hey, I want to buy this lipstick but you only have these two ripped up ones out, do you have any more?"

She looks at me like I have about three nipples growing out my face, before telling me they don't. NYX gets stocked daily in the morning but they don't hold anything in reserve in the shop. I then ask what she wants me to do with the ripped up, nasty, open ones.

She tells me to "just put them back on the shelf".

Wait. What? You want me to put unsanitary, broken products you're not allowed to sell for hygeine reasons back in a huge display at the front of the store?

I couldn't deal with it. I sat them down solemnly on the shelf next to her and walked back to the makeup section to find my eyeliner. I then see her sticking them back in amoungst the lipsticks for sale. Thinking about it makes my brain hurt.

I didnt go in for a while after that as I couldn't cope with the display and the disappointment.

Last Saturday I was in town and between saying goodbye to a friend and meeting more and had to stock up on some bits. So headed to an uncharacteristicly quiet Boots, as I also wanted to grab some food and their sandwiches are (usually) nicer that Superdrugs.

My plan was to ignore all the make up, just get what was on the list and leave. Just keep walking, you don't need it. Just keep walking, just keep walking. You get where I'm going with this.

 Anyway, theres not a route through the store that involves me not going near any of the makeup however I pick the route that goes straight up the centre as then all I have to tempt me is the end displays. In the summer thought they're full of bronzer anyway and thats of about as much interest to me as having e-coli again. And I'm walking, and I'm walking, and its going well. And I walk past the NYX end and... the pull is too strong. I can't beat it. I need to look.

And they have it in stock. Two of them in stock. And neither of them are all funked up. I had to take a moment to catch my breath. What was happening to my life?

I bought that lipstick then and there. Best thing that happened for at least a couple of hours. I then went for a late lunch and drinks with some friends and quickly forgot about my victory against the cosmetic gods.

 

Was it worth that crazy level of effort though for a semi-sheer nude coloured lipstick?

Oh hell yeah it was. I got it three weeks ago today (boyfriend was a Glastonbury festival, only reason I know the dates) and I'd say I've probably worn it between 12 and 14 times, and I dont always do my makeup at the weekend so more than two thirds of the time.  It is my favourite lipstick for work and is really easy to not screw up first thing in the morning. Seeing as for the next few weeks I'll be starting work at 7am is something I need in my life.

The other Butter lipsticks I own are nice. I dont think they wear as well, but that might be because they are more out distinct colours (baby and bright pink, berry and purply brown) so it more obvious when they've rubbed off. Also it might be because I'm more concious of my makeup when I wear them, so naturally I check up more than nude tones, so I dont realise the nudes have worn off so much.

Had a bad NYX stand experience? Let me know in the comments.

xo Scruffy

June 2016 Favourites

Well what a month June was. A lot of work, a lot of makeup and a new blog. A couple of meetups with friends and a lot of quiet nights in. 

This is just a rundown of some of my favourite things from the month. If you follow me on instagram or found this through instagram them you've probably already seen some of these but I'm going to go into some more depth here and explain why I love what I love.

Shearer Candles Tin Candle in Cranachan

OK, I've been in love and working on this candle for a while. I have it in the bathroom and light it when I'm having a proper pamper night. I was going to descibe the smell but Cranachan itself is a Scottish dessert of raspberries, cream, whisky, honey and oats and it smells like if you imagine that being a candle. Love it

 

 

Orange Lipstick

Up until the middle of last year (when I started getting into liquid to matte lipsticks) I only owned 3 lipsticks. There were two nudey pink kind of shades and a red one. I had a couple of lipglosses as well I would sometimes wear, but I really hate lipgloss so those were more if I needed something to finish my face with. Orange is not a colour you would have ever caught me in, and if you askes me if I thought it would look good on me, I would have told you hell no. Now, as much as I wear mostly a nude or a rose pink to work most days, I have a total love for a tangerine lip. And it looks surprisingly good seeing as my hair is an weak reddy brown colour and my face is usually the same colour as a tomato.

The one in the pic is the MUA Luxe velvet laquere in the colour Zest. 

 Superdrug Gentle Creamy Cleanser and Nip+Fab Glycolic Instant Fix Mask

(Please ignore the pore strips, I'm typing this late at night and didn't have the lighting for new pics)

The cleanser is as described. Its gentle, its creamy, it cleanses, it doesn't irrated or sting my skin in any way. Win. My only critisism is that it has "moisturising beads" in it, you know those little ball things that burst when you work them into your skin. I've never been a fan of these, even in my teeange years when I first started using cleansers I didnt see the appeal. I just dont understand why you couldn't just mix some extra moisturiser (or whatever) into the wash itself

The mask was something new to me. Up until earlier this year almost every mask I used was designed to calm down breakouts or unclog pores. Its only since I hit my quarter century I even began to consider maybe my skin needed something else. My focus changed from OMG my pores are blocked to OMG my pores are huge and I realised how dull and dehydrated my skin could look.

Its a little weird to use as its a clear gel, and it doesn't reallydry or set on the skin, so I have to guess when it needs washed off. I've used it three times since I got it and definetely leaves my skin feeling smoother and brighter and my pores looking more refined and reduced. I cant really speak for its wrinke reducing properties as thats not a concern for me...yet.

I'll definetly be looking into more Nip+Fab stuff once I've got my bathroom decluttereds. Look out for a post about that project in the next couple of days.

NYX Butter Lipstick in POPS (BL17)

So this took me way too long to get. It was a whole thing we wont get into right now. All you need to know is I think it took five trips to NYX counter in the St Enoch centre to get one that hadn't been ripped open already by someone else (boke). However it was worth the wait. I've used this almost every day since I got it. Its just a really nice nudey pink colour. Its not drying but I do feel like the formula dries down a little on my lips. It also doesnt seen to transfer nearly as easily as some of the other shades I have in this like Ripe Berry and Fizzies.

And lastly... My New Bedspread

Yeah soak in that tackiness. 

Thats all for now duckies.

xo Scruffy

Makeup Revolution Haul June 2016

I buy quite a lot of make up (no more till after my hollibobs in September though) and if I can trust the company I will do it online, because places like Boots and Superdrug (and if I'm feeling sassy and rich Debenhams) are not fun at lunchtimes. Big crowds stress me out and waiting in line is annoying. Also if I get there and they have several of what I want but they're all funked up as people have chosen to open them rather than use a designated tester. No, just no. Why do that? It's just gross and unnecessary.

I fell in love with Makeup Revolution a while ago, however the bay in Superdrug is always heaving with people and out of what I want or they never even stocked it in the first place. So I was over the moon when I trial ordered off their website and it went well. Shipping can be a little (or in the case of my last order, a lot) slow however they are a small UK based company so I'll let them off.

I've now ordered from them four times, and never had any kind of problem except maybe some slow shipping. Everything arrives in a kind of magical bubble-wrap burrito and emerges item by item as you unwrap it. Its like an amazing, infuriating Christmas present that you've ordered yourself.

June's Haul

Top: I <3 Makeup Naked Chocolate Palette, Middle: Unicorns are Real and Mermaids vs Unicorns Palettes, Bottom: 1 Salvation Velvet Lacquer, 2 Ultra Velour Lip Creams and Two Matte Lipsticks

OK so June's haul maybe wasn't the biggest on record (not even close) and that's down to me owning most of what I want already and trying to save money. I set myself a strict budget and took so much out the shopping cart, its amazing how quickly an eyeshadow palette and a couple of £3 lipsticks becomes well over £40 and that was more than I had to play with.

Here's a breakdown of what I got.

I <3 Makeup - Naked Chocolate Palette

This palette is the reason I ended up on the website in the first place and had it been available when I placed my previous order (where I got the original I <3 Chocolate and Chocolate Vice palettes) , I probably wouldn't have even checked the website again. This palette is a glorious collection of nude shades. It is slightly on the satin/shimmery side of things however I find those shades are generally better than the the mattes so I'm totally fine with that.

I know own all the palettes in the I <3 Chocolate range and plan on doing a full post about them in the near future so if eyeshadow is your thing, look out for that.

Unicorns are Real and Mermaids Vs Unicorns Palettes

OK so I may have actually crept on to buy these anyway, even if I already had the Naked palette. A co-worker who I like to talk all things makeup with came in to work wearing one of the shades from Unicorns are Real and it looked so pretty I had to buy them.

 I've never tried the long thin pan type palettes from them before however, I love the salvation eyeshadow palettes which I have in Unicorns Unite and Dia de los Muertos (although the strange neon yellow matte in that one is beyond questionable). These only cost £4 each when I ordered, and I've paid more than that for an eyeshadow single in the past so even if only 3 colours are usable its still fine by me.

Salvation Velvet Lip Lacquer - Keep Lying For You

When it comes to liquid lipsticks I want something with the longevity of LA Splash and the feel of NYX Soft Matte lip cream. In other words I want a the unicorn of liquid lippy and that ain't happening any time soon. I've tried a couple of the velvet lip lacquers before though and honestly they're not bad. They do come off on cups and food and need reapplied more than a higher end brand would. That being said though, they don't dry my lips out anywhere near as much, and they don't seem to peel or flake the way some liquid to matte formulas do so they're a nice compromise.

Keep lying for you just looked like a really pretty muted rose colour. Its a little like Rose Garden by LA Splash (which is one of my favourite lipsticks of all time) however slightly brighter and with a hint of purple to it.

Ultra Velour Lip Cream - Their Eyes Can't Find Us and All I Think About is You

I've never tried the lip creams before but I was curious so I thought I'd try a couple. Inside the box the packaging definitely looks and feel a bit cheaper than the Velvet Lip Lacquers. The font is more basic and the tube just doesn't feel or look as nice. They are actually cheap though, and anyway the packaging isn't such a big deal in the long haul.

Their Eyes Can't Find Us is a nice light "honey nude" kind of shade. I feel some people might describe it as their lips only better, however mine are very rosy red and will probably shine right through. Will keep you posted on how this goes.

All I Think About is You is basically a more pink Keep Lying For You. I also have the Velvet Lacquer in Rebel and all three of them are very similar colours. Definitely don't think I need all three of them but oh well.

When I was swatching these I noticed they have a sweet, artificial, cupcakey (vanilla maybe?) kind of smell. Its not unpleasant but if you're sensitive of lip products with a scent these maybe aren't for you. From memory the Velvet Lacquers don't have a noticeable or at least noteworthy smell so these might be better.

Matte Lipsticks - Duel and Propaganda

A while ago I tried one of their matte lipsticks in the colour Liberty (for the record its bright purple, I love really intense lip colours) and I was so impressed I figured I would try a couple more.

Swatches, Propoganda on the top and Duel on the bottom

I got Propaganda and Duel, both are reds and look virtually the same in the packaging, but when swatched (which I conveniently photographed when I got them, sorry about my raggedy nails) Propaganda shows up as a gorgeous pinky red where as Duel is more of a true red. Also they smell so good, and not that nasty fake watermelon smell you get with some drug store products. I can't describe it but there's something really nice about it. Makes me kind of want to lick them, don't worry though, I haven't given in and tried that yet. Will keep you posted if I do though.

I also got sent the three Iconic Bronze, Blush and Brighten trio palettes they were promoting recently as I spent (pennies) over £25. I'm not sure what I think about these yet. I barely highlight and do not bronze however as they were free, I'll have a play with them and let you know my thoughts.

Tried any of the Makeup Revolution products I bought. Let me know what you think.

XOXO Scruffy