Review: Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask usually comes in a 100ml tube and clocks in at £22. My 30ml tube was a free gift with purchase and I was very keen to give it a try because I've read mixed reviews. In case you didn't know, I'll just quickly catch you up - my skin type is combination (oily t-zone with dry cheeks) and I haven't quite escaped my "teenage skin" meaning that I am still rather prone to getting spots. I think it's important you know what my skin is like so that you can appreciate that my skincare reviews are going to be influenced by my skin's specific needs. If you have very, very different skin issues then it might be more helpful to read a review of this product written by someone with similar skin concerns to yourself.

Moving on to my review. You're supposed to apply a thick layer of this face mask before bed, after your normal skincare routine, and then leave it on when you go to sleep. I was nervous to try this out because I thought that a heavy "intensive" moisturising mask (especially a leave on mask) might break me out. What I found is that it has actually done wonders for the drier parts of my face and helps leave them softer, more hydrated and less prone to redness. However, I do think that it isn't the best product to use on my t-zone. Although I thoroughly advocate moisturising oily skin I feel as though Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask doesn't plump the skin so much in the oilier areas. Instead, although it hasn't broken me out, I feel as though it sits a little heavily in my pores - no spots per se, but I do feel as though it undoes some of the hard work I put into declogging and shrinking my pores. I now like to use this on my cheeks, and sometimes on my neck too, once or twice a week at the end of my usual skincare routine. I find that this gives my skin the help it needs in the areas it needs it and that way I don't waste any product and I don't aggravate my t-zone. 

As I said before, if you have dry skin or very oily skin all over then I think this review isn't relevant to you and I'm sorry that I can only write from the perspective of my particular skin type! I really like this product but I think that I would like to try out a different moisturising mask before repurchasing because although I really enjoy using it I am not totally enamoured with it. You can find Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask on Origins website or on the Boots website.

Have you tried Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask? Are there any moisturising face masks you'd recommend?

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My Top 10 Beauty Products For Under £10

Not so long ago I wrote a post about my Top 5 Beauty Products for under £5 and given my love of 'drugstore' make-up I thought I'd continue on with the natural follow up, my top 10 beauty products for under £10. As I've mentioned before, people often don't like to talk about the monetary value of beauty products but I think that regardless of the price bracket you're buying into you should always aim to make the most of your investments. There are some wonderful beauty products available for under £10 but there are equally some really poor quality ones. In the past the only way I had to differentiate between the duds and the gems was an often very disappointing process of trial and error. In an attempt to save some of you from much of that disappointment I'm going to share ten beauty products, that all come in under £10, which I really love and think are worth investing in.

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer RRP £9.99

This is the most expensive beauty item that I'm going to mention but I really wanted to talk about it because I feel like it generally gets incredibly overlooked. I like to use this on the high points of my face under my make-up because it gives me a natural looking glowing complexion, however, it also works just as well over make-up when used as a highlighter. It has a liquid formula without being too thin and I find that it doesn't dry as quickly as the Benefit highlighters making it easier to work with. Given how multi-purpose it is and how long it lasts (it makes it through long, long days) I think it is a wonderful product that fully deserves a place in everyone's make-up bag.

Revlon's Nearly Naked Foundation RRP £8.99

If you're looking for a really light, natural looking base then this is what I would consider to be the nicest drugstore option. It doesn't last terribly well without a primer but I love how it evens out my skin without being thick or cakey. I think for younger girls (myself included) this is a great foundation because I often want a bit of coverage but don't want to age myself by looking like I'm wearing tonnes of make-up.

Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer RRP £5.49

If you've tried Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer and wanted something with similar coverage that wasn't quite so thick then I would recommend trying Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer. I wrote about the concealers I use in this post so if you're keen on seeing swatches or reading about how I apply my concealer you might enjoy reading it.

Lanolips' Lip Ointment with Colour* RRP £8.16

I mentioned this product in my September Beauty Favourites but in case you didn't already know about these I'll give you a little run down on them. They're essentially very nourishing lip balms but they have a very thick consistency that is also really glossy meaning that they stick around on your lips a lot longer than most balms. In addition, the lip ointments with colour (as you might imagine) have a colour so they also can be used in place of a lipstick or gloss, or you can use them over the top of a lipstick or lip stain. I'm very impressed with their moisturising qualities and how long they last compared to pretty much every other lip balm and lip gloss that I've ever tried. 

MaxFactor's Colour Elixir Lipsticks RRP £7.99

(especially in the shades Bewitching Coral, Pink Brandy and Ruby Tuesday)

I would go as far as saying that the MaxFactor Colour Elixir Lipsticks are my favourite drugstore lipsticks. The only area in which they are let down is their shade range- there are only three really gorgeous colours and I've already bought them all. These lipsticks are completely opaque, have a creamy/satin finish and are very long lasting. If they expanded the shade range I think the popularity of these lipsticks would explode but in the mean time do definitely check out Bewitching Coral (a bright pink), Pink Brandy (a coral hued "my lips but better" pink) and Ruby Tuesday (an intense, classic red). 

Rimmel's Kate Moss Matte Lipsticks £5.49

(especially in shade 107)

Rimmel's Kate Moss Matte Lipsticks have a satin finish that is definitely on the matte end of the spectrum but it means they aren't as drying as many matte lipsticks. The colours swatch very opaque and they last on the lips for a number of hours which helps make it less scary to wear the deeper, intense colours (such as 110 and 107). I wear the shade 107 to death in the autumn and winter and I think if you haven't swatched it before then you definitely should. However, if you don't like dark, bold lip colours then 101 is a very pretty pink colour that comes highly recommend from nearly everyone I talk to!

Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains RRP £7.99

These are my absolute go-to lip products. I nearly always wear them on 'nights out' as I know they'll last on my lips for hours and hours and they don't ever smudge or bleed on me. I have about six shades which I've reviewed and swatched (on my arm and lips) which you should definitely read if you haven't already tried them. I think they're the bomb.

Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara RRP £7.99

A relatively new favourite of mine but Maybelline's The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara really delivers in terms of quality. I find it gives me long, volumised lashes without any clumps and it doesn't ever leave me with panda eyes despite it not being waterproof. I have this in brown so I can't comment on how black the black shade is but I would definitely recommend this on the basis of its formula and brush. If you're interested I wrote a full review here.

Bourjois Volume Clubbing Liner RRP £6.99

Although I am gravitated away from liquid eye liners I still think that this Bourjois offering is the best one that I've ever found. The colour is intensely black and the lasting power is amazing. I used to wear this daily for years and years and have gotten through countless tubes of it. It can be a little tricky to apply but the brush is really tiny which allows for precise application. I love it and it doesn't seem to get the attention it deserves.

Sleek's Eye Shadow Palettes RRP £7.99 

(shown here is the limited edition Respect Palette)

Sleek's eye shadow palettes offer some of the best value for money eye shadows without compromising on quality. I have worn the Respect Palette to death since I bought it and am keen to try other palettes in the future. I find the colour options to be incredibly wide meaning that there will be a palette for everyone and there are both matte and shimmer options. At under £8 I really don't think you can do better and if you pick the right palette for you then unless you're a complete make-up junkie like me you'll probably not need any other eye shadows!

This was a bit of a long post but I really enjoyed putting it together! I hope this helped any of you on the hunt for good quality, affordable make-up. What some of your favourite beauty products are that cost less than £10?

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September Beauty Favourites

Review: Stila Convertible Color Trio in Cool

Stila's Convertible Colors (which are multi-purpose cream products for cheeks and lips) have been getting quite a lot of attention for a while now. At £16 a pop they seemed thoroughly out of my price range, especially as there was no way that I could settle on just one shade. However, when I spotted the Convertible Color Trios on FeelUnique, which offered three shades for £23, I gave in to temptation and splurged [although I'd like to make it clear that I bought this product before my spending ban started and have been trialing it for a couple of months]. I chose the 'Cool' palette which contains the shades Peony, Lillium and (a limited edition shade) Cherry Blossom (there is also a 'Warm' palette available which contains different shades). Although the amount of product you get of each shade is much less than if you were to buy each colour individually, I don't often finish make-up and I prefer to have a variety of colours so at £23 this palette seemed perfect for me.

left to right: Peony, Lillium, Cherry Blossom.

All three shades in this palette are gorgeous. I have found that they all work very well against my pale skin as it is easy to apply them lightly, however, I've also experimented with building the colour up for deeper, less subtle, shade and they also work very well when used like that. I think my favourite colour in the palette is actually Cherry Blossom (which you can't buy individually) although the colour that I bought the palette for was Lillium. Cherry Blossom and Lillium look relatively similar in my swatch (and in the pan) but Lillium is a lot pinker than Cherry Blossom. Cherry Blossom is great when used as a subtle bronzing or contouring shade as it is quite brown so can really help to shape my pale face without making me look dirty or orange. Lillium, however, has a lot more pink to it - and you can just about see that when you look at it for long enough. When you blend it out on the skin the colour is incredibly flattering for a subtle wash of colour and I think it is the easiest shade of the three to work with. It goes with a lot of make-up looks and unless it is built up a lot it looks incredibly natural. Peony is definitely not the normal sort of colour I'd wear, it looks incredibly Barbie-esque when swatched. However, when applied lightly and blended out it gives a really fresh glow to the face which is especially useful on days when you desperately want to look more awake without piling on make-up. I was incredibly surprised at how much I liked using it and I think that this colour works best in a high quality form., such as Stila's Convertible Colors. 

All three shades are very light feeling and blend amazingly well. I use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush to first apply them to the high point of my cheek bones and then blend the colour down my cheek with my fingers. The result is seamless make-up and a glowing finish that lasts for about six hours. If I applied these in the morning I would like to reapply them after six hours to regain the full initial impact of their colour and dewy finish, however, the colour does linger for a bit longer than that. 

My overall opinion of the Stila Convertible Colors is that they are really fabulous products. The shades are all beautiful and the formula is incredible to work with. I think they are on par with Illamasqua's Cream Blushes (which I really love) and now that I've had the opportunity to really try them out I do think they are worth their hefty price tag. The Cool Palette is currently out of stock on FeelUnique but if you like the idea of trying out three colours for £23 then you might want to give the Warm Palette a once over.

Do you like wearing cream blushes? Have you tried/or wanted to try Stila's Convertible Colours?

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