Barry M Illuminating Highlighting Palette - Worth Picking Up? Drugstore, Affordable, Cruelty Free, Under £10

Ever just nipped into Boots or Superdrug for one thing, like baby wipes or toothpaste, stuck your finger in a sample on a product display out of sheer curiosity and then felt like you needed that product in your life?.... 

Recently, on a trip to Superdrug for some face wash, I did the above.

Barry M and I have a complicated history. Some of their products I love, some I hate, some I start loving and end hating. Dazzle Dust, Love, Concealer, hate. Primers (tried two or three of them), hate. Eyeliners, love. You get the idea... 

About a year ago, I decided to try their Natural Palette. Its a blusher and eyeshadow palette in some very natural shades. I thought I would like it, but I didn't. The product weas really stiff and hard to blend, and I found the colour payoff really poor (for both blush and eyeshadow). As it was around the same price as the To Be Cool in Copenhagen palette from Gosh I bought at the same time, and totally loved, I was more than a little disappointed and swore off Barry M powder products.

Barry M Natural Palette (image from Superdrug.com)

Fast forward to the face wash trip a few weeks ago, when I broke the just mentioned rule and got suckered in by one of those stand alone displays and some cute packaging. It has rockets on it.. nuff said??

So the thing that really attracted me to this palette was how soft and velvety the highlighters felt when I stuck my grubby paws in them. I mean, they are a pressed product so there's only so soft they can be, but they're definitely not smooshed into the pan with a huge amount of force. Also as a very pale girl, all three shades looked light enough for my peely-wally complexion.

LtR: Frosty Cream, Iced Pink and Gilded Bronze

The packaging is cute but it is cheap. It's card that looks like its been coated in thick black paper but not adhered together properly,  and you can see there is air between them in places. It has a magnetic closure but it's not really strong. The mirror is nice though and the design on the front is cute, however I've only had this a couple of weeks and bronze coating on the design has already started to wear off.

Across the second H and the T in highlighter the bronze coating is wearing off

So the palette costs £6.49 and you get three pans that each contains 4 grams. That's a cost per gram of £0.54, so very very cheap. The ingredients, like the packaging, aren't the highest quality with the main one being talc so definitely avoid it at all costs if you are sensitive to that.

So onto swatches, left to right we have Frosty Cream, Iced Pink and Gilded Bronze. Frosty Cream is a very pale yellow gold, Iced Pink is (as the name suggest) a very icy pink, and Gilded Bronze is a light bright coppery colour, but is definitely not bronze.  What I will say is these colours are all designed for very fair, peely-wally folk like me. I would say if your even a teeny bit tan these may be to frosty on you.

Some more intense finger swatches.

As I've already said these powders are very, very soft and as a result are a kick up quite a lot of product when you stick your brush (or fingers) into them. They apply really nicely to the skin, far nicer than expected and really aren't sparkly, which was always my biggest gripe about cheap highlighters. Is it weird to describe something as a work highlighter, because that's what these are to me.

I don't know how well these blended out swatches will show up.

So in summary...

Positive Points

Amazing value

Cruelty free

Good colour range

Not sparkly

Negative Points

Cheap packaging

Only works on fair skin

 Kicks up a lot of powder when using.

Would I recommend it? Maybe, but only to my really pale friends. 

Any Barry M products I really need to try? Let me know

xoxo Scruffy

2017 Quarter One Empties - Hair Care - Yes To, DGJ Organics, Superdrug, 7th Heaven, Batiste

So, if anyone read my life update in January, you'll know things were a little chaotic at the end of last year/start of this year. I haven't done empties since November, December and early January don't count because of Christmas and travel, so I've been collecting these since the start of January. The only sensible thing to do seemed to be to split them down into categories and hair care was the smallest so I decided to start with it.

Not crazy big or scary. Anyone that's been here for a while might recognise one or two of these from my 17 by 2017 project, which sadly got scrapped when the boiler died in my old flat. 

So we have the Yes to Blueberries Shampoo and Conditioner (full review here) which I loved, and sadly Boots now only stock online in the UK. They smell great, don't irritate my scalp and sort my hair out. I'll definetly buy them again. Having to order online and collect in store is a pain in the bum but, in all honesty, I really think they're worth it.

DGJ Orangics Hair Juice Shampoo and Conditioner. I didn't love these as much as the Yes To Blueberries ones but they're still pretty nice. Again, zero scalp irritation and worked fine with my crazy hair. The smell is to die for though. I never thought I would like melon scented shampoo, that sounds kind of gross I think about it, but it was so nice. Thinking about it again (I finished these over a month ago) makes me really want to re-order it. Bad Kirstie, Bad. I have three or four shampoo and conditioner sets in my stash right now, and thats not including whats in my bathroom so I need to get through them before I re-purchase anything.

Onto masques and treatments (and the photo had to be blurry!!). On the left is the Superdrugs Coconut Water and Coconut Oil Masque, it's the only other product in this particular post I've done a dedicated review on (here). I really like this, its more like a thick conditioner than what I expect a masque to be, and it leaves my hair really soft and shiny. I've already re-purchased it and am half way through that one. Also because it's not so masque-like its really easy to wash out, meaning I can use it during the week and not have to stress about it taking seven rinses and an extra 23 minutes to wash my hair. 

So, want to know something funny, this is the second time I've typed up this next bit. Blogger thought it would be hilarious to not save, despite me hammering the save button about twenty times. So, I'm sorry if it sames extra sassy and angry but I worked two hours overtime, had salad for dinner and took the time to actually spell check the original post, only for my hard work to disappear off into the ether. 

And then we have this little stinker. And by stinker I mean it literally stinks. It has the same strong fake powdery honey sent of a Lemon & Honey Lemsip, and that smell does not bring back good memories (because who wants their hair to smell strongly of "my nose is snotty, I'm coughing and my ears need to pop so badly they hurt" medicine. I don't like it, it didn't do much for my hair and I wouldn't repurchase or recommend it.

So now we have an *shrug* product, something I hated with a passion and dry shampoo. If its OK with you I'll skip the Batiste as everyone knows what it is and what it does. It's that magic in a bottle that gives me an extra 20 minutes in bed some morning, if I don't mind a slightly irritated scalp for the rest of the day.

Pantene Aqua Light Something Spray, I've binned the bottle already. I got this out the Poundshop a couple of years ago and it didn't do very much for my hair so it just hung about in my collection. I don't really know what else to say, it didn't do a lot, but it smelled nice, There we go, lets be positive here.

And last, and also least, we have the DGJ Organics Argan Oil. Smelled OK but weighed my hair down more than I thought was possible. It also felt sticky and I had to wash my hands after using it. Normally with hair oil I'm wet, my hairs wet and I'm wearing a wet towel so I can just rub my hand on my hair and then rub them on the towel and bobs your teapot, no more hair oil. This stuff needed a proper soapy lather to get it off. 

Like I said, I can't believe how much more curly and bouncy my hairs been since I went back the Superdrug Macadamia Oil. Lesson learned, the thing that costs at least 2x what the thing you know works won't always be better.   

So thats all, not to painful (despite the double type). Thinking next it will either by makeup or body care. I'm currently undecided.

XOXO Scruffy

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

Milani Baked Powder Blush in Berry Amore and Luminoso Review - Cruelty Free Drug Store Cosmetics

I've been obsessing over blush recently. It was always a neglected area of my makeup collection, I owned a lot but only ever wore one or two of them. Recently I discovered Milani (a brand you have to order online in Scotland), and decided to give a couple of theirs a go as well. 

The two I got were Berry Amore (top left) and Luminoso (bottom right). Also how amazing is the packaging. It is only plastic but it feels sturdy and doesn't look cheap, much love for it. 

And here's what the pans look like. They are so, so pretty. Berry Amore is a gorgeous, soft, taupe based pink with tiny flecks of gold glitter through it. I like it a lot and have worn it almost every day since I bought it. Luminoso is more of a shiny peach colour, it has a sheen but doesn't appear to have any glitter in it. I really like it but Berry Amore is just more my colour,

And here are some finger swatches. As you can see they're very pretty. The powder is really finely milled and blends out beautifully. From experience they also last all day and I feel they are amazing quality for a drug store blush.

My only issue with these blushes is the packaging to blush ratio is insane. You can see from the photos the pan of blush is far smaller than the packaging itself. and is actually really thin. It flips open it reveal a mirror and a tiny, plastic brush that really isn't worth what its made out of. 

I'm never going to use this part of either of them and actually really wish they weren't there. I'm considering gluing this part shut as there's no catch keeping it closed and when you try and open the blush it has a habit of coming open. Its not a deal breaker and it wouldn't stop me buying more. It's just annoying. Also I wish brands would stop including low value, mini applicators with products (like the super cheap brushed that come with some eyeshadow palettes). If we're buying your stuff online and paying shipping and so on, we have a means of applying it to our skin.

Overall, despite my packaging complaints, I do really like these products, am considering getting more next time I order from Milani and would highly recommend them. Each blush contains 3.5g of product and at £7.49 off the Milani Website and £8 off Beauty Bay I think they're fantastic value for money.  If I do get another one soon I think it'll be Rose D'Oro which looks gorgeous. Also the photos of the colours are far better on Beauty Bay, but the direct website (in the UK at least) ships DPD who now deliver to an assortment of high street stores you can pick up from. So it might be worth checking anything you want on Beauty Bay to confirm the colour then ordering direct. One of the shops they deliver to is Matalan so I got my order sent to the Jamaica Street store in the centre, very handy and the staff were really nice (even thought they had to run about and look through their delivery whilst I waited).   

Do you have a favourite Milani product I need to try? Or anything you'd like to see me review? Please let me know in the comments.

XOXO Scruffy

Other blush products

Revolution Blush Queen Palette

Too Faced Love Flush Blush

Collection #BlushAndGlow Palette

Revolution Solo Blush Review

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com 

Sleek Onto The Horizon Ltd Edition Palette Review with Arm Swatches - Cruelty Free Drugstore Makeup

Earlier this year Sleek released some limited edition palettes: Onto the Horizon, Nordic Skies and Goodnight Sweetheart. All of them are still available and over the past month I've somehow acquired all three. I've spent a bit of time forming an opinion on them and now I plan on reviewing them all whilst they're still available on Sleek website.

The first one I got was On The Horizon palette, and I believe it was a Superdrug exclusive in the UK. Sleek have a habit of splitting collections down the middle in the UK and making half of it Boots and half Superdrug. They've done it more recently with the Rockstars Collection and you can find my review of the Hidden Gems palette from that here.

This is also one of the products I thought I'd lost all the photos for when my laptop died. Luckily I managed to find some on my backup hard drive, and I've chosen to use them as I've already binned the box and can't re-photograph it.

They all have gorgeous outer packaging that is themed around the colour selection. On the Horizon is a mix of forest greens,burnt oranges and brown tones. I've been wearing a lot of nudes recently but on Saturday I cracked into Lightyear from the Moondust palette I bought on Black Friday and I'm in love with greens again.

So the actual palette is just standard Sleek packaging. It comes with the usual sponge applicator and sheet with the names printed on it. I now have a stack of these in my palette drawer just from Sleek and Makeup Revolution, and I have no idea which one goes with what palette.

Here's a better photo of the shades themselves, you get 9 shimmery metallic shades and 3 mattes. The shimmer shades are where Sleek always excel so its a really good breakdown.

So here's the top row of the palette, as you can see the first shade and last three are gorgeous but two and three (Sugar Maple and Beech) didn't swatch very well.  It's a shame because Sugar Maple is such a pretty rose gold colour and looks really nice when its blended.  Beech on the other hand is just mehh.. and blends away to nothing.

Here's the bottom row. Again not all of them swatched very well. The first shade, Chestnut is a really beautiful brown with a blue/purple sheen. Willow (third from the right) swatched really intensely but isn't as vivid and vibrant when blended out and the two shades to the right of it Dew Drop and Pine Cone are really nice shimmer shades that just need building a little. The only shade in this palette that I would say is bad is Fawn (the yellow shade third from the left). It's far chunkier than any other Sleek eyeshadow I've ever seen and just skips and highlights skin texture. 

The one thing I really like about the outside of this palette is that it has the name of the palette stamped on the front on clear lettering. My biggest criticism of these palettes has always been that I can't tell them apart from the front and need to flip them all over or open them to see which is which. I like that they all come in a hard plastic shell and have a large mirror, it helps make all their products feel like they're extra good value for money.

I've also been using this palette for a week straight now and I do love the shadows but I was limited by the colour selection and had to mix it in the Naked Ultimate Basics palette as the week wore on. I liked mixing the shiny green and brown colours together but found I didn't use the orange even though I thought I would. I also didn't find a use for the lovely navy blue and feel sad I couldn't be more creative in the mornings. 

XOXO Scruffy

Other Sleek reviews

Matte Me Liquid Lipsticks

i-Lust Hidden Gems Palette

Smoke and Mirrors Gift-set

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

(Just a wee note. I live in Scotland and we're currently in Winter. Right now we're getting less than eight hours daylight a day and I spend that in work, so sorry about the badly lit photos).

Review: Revolution Blush Queen Palette with arm swatches - Cruelty Free Cosmetics

Ever bought makeup online and when its arrived been like... What did I just buy? This palette was one of those purchases and I initially didn't love it and wasn't going to review it as I didn't want to seem negative. I now feel like we passed that point after the Natural Collection eyeshadow and 7th Heaven Argan Mask reviews. As times gone by I've given this palette more of a shot and don't hate it as much so I thought I'd dive down that rabbit hole.

So I bought this because on the Revolution website it looks like a palette of little planets for your cheeks (link here so you can see for yourself). It's very, very cute and I was excited to have it in my collection because I loved outer-space as a kid.

It's a little used not and the planet look only seems to stand up on the blush's where the accent colour is stronger. Also packing from Revolution comes in two forms, nice or cheap. This falls into the cheap camp, the nicer ones have sturdier plastic and a large mirror in the lid. The only thing that the cheaper packaging has to its advantage is that you can see through it and tell exactly whats in it, making it much easier to find what you're looking for. It just feels so plasticky.

Top Row.

Bottom Row.

All the blushes are sparkly, and some of them are very similar. So even though you're getting 13 grams of product for £6, its not over 8 pans, more like 5 (or maybe six if you really build it up). Also its not so much a blush palette as a blush topper or highlight palette. The only shades that could conceivably be used as blushes are the send and fourth ones on the bottom. 

I think that might have been part of my instant dislike for it. As its called Blush Queen I was, understandably, expecting for it to be filled with blush. Seven out of eight of them are very soft  and easy to use, and all of them blend well. That scary looking bright pink actually sheers out really nicely and gives you a gorgeous, flushed glow.

Would I recommend this as a blush palette? No. Would I recommend it as a cheek and highlight palette? Maybe. There's not a lot of blush options, and everything is baked and sparkly. If that's what you're into then go for it though. 

XOXO Scruffy 

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com 

Jester Bubble Wand, Lush Christmas 2016 Collection, Bubble Bath Review with Pictures - Cruelty Free

So recently, as you might have noticed, I've been on a major Lush kick. I've been loving some of the Christmas things that have been released this year and decided it was time to try my first bubble wand. I chose Jester as it smells divine, but I also picked up Santasaurus. Its a dinosaur rocking a Santa hat, whats not to love?

So Jester is slightly more expensive than the three other bubble wands Lush have brought out, but only by 50p and he is a very big boy. He also smells amazing. Sweet, fruity and really revitalising. My favourite scents from Lush are the orange or rose ones so this is a complete winner for me.

Right before he took a dunk in the tub...

Oh no, its pouring...

Time to dry off somewhere...

And look at those bubbles. 

That bath smelled so good and was bubble-tastic. The wands work exactly like the bubble bars, except they seem to be denser and don't immediately break down when they come in contact with water. Also a little seems to go a long way so when they say its multi-use, they mean it. I barely run it under the tap and got a full baths worth. I'm not sure how many uses you're supposed to get, but I think I'd probably get about  five or six.

Another thing to note about Lush is they have the most amazing customer service. I've dealt with the twitter team loads of times and they're always lovely, even if you've just tagged them in a tweet saying how much you love something, they tend to respond. I had placed my bubble wand on the textured mat I used for cleaning makeup brushes as that way air could get under it and would stop it going gloopy, but it wasn't drying that quickly. I tweeted them to ask advice and had a response in under 24 hours at the weekend. I was impressed (as always). 

Also their advise for drying it out was to stand it up in a glass so it doesn't stick to surfaces. I moved mine to a jar I had just cleaned out and it dried a lot quicker. Also it makes where-ever you dry it (if its a small room, like my bathroom) smell gorgeous as it drys. Free air freshener all round.

Final thoughts, this is great. I'm a convert, bubble wands all the way. It would be good for anyone that likes citrusy smells, likes bubble baths and likes Lush. It would make a great, fun, stocking filler for a child that's old enough to know not to eat it, but still loves splashing about in the tub. Also the smell isn't overly girly so you could get it for a guy that likes a bit of a soak. Heck, you could probably gift everyone this at Christmas without too many complaints. This is definitely something I'm going to stock up on nearer Christmas 

Other Lush Autumn/Winter 2016 reviews

Monsters Ball

Autumn Leaf

Ruby Red Slipper

Lord of Misrule

XOXO Scruffy

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

Thrift Haul - May 2016

I love thrift shops. I love having no idea what the heck I'm going to find. I love the tackiest, nastiest, most garish things ever. I love not spending a lot of money on anything if I can avoid it (except maybe mascara, I've paid a lot for mascara before.

I live in Glasgow, more specifically the Southside of Glasgow. But not the posh bit. This area is full of charity shops selling a huge variety of weird and wonderful items donated by the highly diverse population.

About once a month I give into my (often morbid) curiosty and go for a rumage. Sometimes I find amazing steals, items that are new with tags (hello Rocha John Rocha jeans I got for 99p last year), Terry Pratchett books and super cute vintage items that I love. Sometimes I find hideous prints, clashing colours, and things that may have come from the 90's that I love more.

I love sharing my findings with the world for, you know, purely scientific reasons. And also so you can all gasp in horror at my poor taste.

May's Haul 

May's haul is going down in history as the first time I've ever manage to get items that go together well enough for me to create two distinct looks with it. One for the office and one for funsies. I also found an item with maybe the most discustingly awesome print my eyeholes have ever had the pleasure of viewing.

Taa-Daa....

Teal Cap Sleeved Top £2.50
Cute, collared, some classy cleavage through the wee peep hole and originally from Next. I cant say for sure how much it cost originally, I know it was more than the £2.50 I paid though.

Black Skater Skirt £2

The skirt is from New Look and I presume it originally came with one of those crappy, fake leathery, shiny belts that come with everything and everyone owns like 3 of but never wears. I really dont care thats not there, I swear every time I dig to the back of my wardrobe, the ones I have have multiplied quietly back there and are plotting world domination. Its just a plain black skater skirt, fills a hole in my wardrobe nicely.

The Hogfather - Terry Pratchett

So I'm a huge Discworld fan, I have been since I read the Wee Free Men when I was 13 or 14. A few weeks later I found a couple of his books in a local charity shop (The Colour of Magic and Sourcery I think, however I've actually got a huge amount of my Discworld collection from second hand shops so I cant be 100%) and I've never looked back. I already own The Hogfather but it wasnt in the old Josh Kirby cover, and his cover design is amazing, so when I come across the older ones I snap them up. 50p.

And the grand finally....

That shirt! 99p

What can I say about this. Huge Roses. Sky Blue. Shiny Popper Buttons. Its like I designed myself a shirt. I love it and wont hear a bad word said about it. Its actually proven wearable as well (which came a shock to evern yours truely)



See, told you it was wearable.

xo Scruffy