No7 Foundation Match Made Service + Beautifully Matte Foundation REVIEW

On Wednesday the fabulous Lisa Eldridge sent ripples through the beauty industry with the launch of the brand new No7 foundation matching service now available in Boots. If you've been into Boots recently you may have noticed that the brand has had a total facelift meaning new counters, new packaging, new uniforms and most importantly, the introduction of ground-breaking technology in form of their foundation match device.

  

I actually heard about this on the grapevine about a month ago (us beauty bloggers have our ways!) and I'm so pleased that it's finally come to market. Basically, No7 have teamed up with the colour guys Pantone to create a device that you put on clean skin. It then takes several pictures of your skin and tells you what shade will best suit your skin tone. I came out as a Cool Ivory and decided to go with the Beautifully Matte Foundation (£12.50) as I wanted something to help fight shine and blemishes and give a matte finish to help combat my oily skin tone.

So far, I'm LOVING this foundation. It really is a true match to my skin. It's a lot lighter than the ones I usually use but I guess that goes to show I've been using ones that are far too dark for my skin. I'm going to go have another reading once I've applied my fake tan as the device can match you up to a foundation that best matches your skin when fake tan is applied. Amazing right?!

I applied the Beautifully Matte under Murad Matte Primer. I didn't powder like I usually do as it gave a brilliantly matte finish. I've only felt the need to use blotting sheets once today and that's without putting powder on. Usually I have to powder and blot at least 2-3 times a day so to only have to do this once is a massive improvement. I'm really quite impressed.

I highly recommend you go get yourself down to the No7 counter even if it's just to look at their beautiful new counters! The foundation matching service is fantastic (& free of charge). I have a feeling this is just the start of things to come with this kind of technology...

Rebecca x

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DIY Lavender & Chamomile Bath Melts

For some reason I've had an influx of requests for the recipe for my lavender bath melts that I wrote about over a year ago. I posted pictures but never gave the recipe so here is it for all you thrifty beauties out there.

This natural recipe is one of my favourite bath time treats as it leaves your skin feeling super soft and smelling absolutely divine.

YOU WILL NEED:

50g organic shea butter

50g organic cocoa butter

2 drops of lavender essential oil (per melt)

1 teaspoon of dried lavender flowers

1 teaspoon of organic chamomile tea

METHOD:

1.       Finely grate your cocoa butter and add to a glass bowl. Add your shea butter to the grated mixture.

2.       Place your glass bowl on top of a pan of hot water and stir until melted then take off the heat.

3.       Open a teabag of organic chamomile tea and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of it into the mix.

4.       Sprinkle your dried lavender into the mix and give it all a good stir.

5.       Gently pour your molten mix into silicone moulds (you can also use ice cube trays but I find the melts easier to remove from silicone). I like to use small pretty shapes such as flower moulds that are designed for chocolate.

6.       Add your essential oil (in this case lavender) to the moulds.

7.       Put your melts into the fridge to harden up for about an hour.

8.       Pop your melts out their mould and store in a pretty glass jar.

HOW TO USE:

Pop one bath melt in a warm bath and wait for it to dissolve. Be careful as the cocoa butter can make your bath quite slippery. If you don’t want your bath to be covered in lavender flowers and chamomile you can always place your bath melt in a muslin cloth bag.

VARIATIONS:

Feel free to adapt this recipe to suit your own personal preference and tastes. Other great combinations include lemon and orange with grated lemon zest or shredded rose petals and geranium essential oil.

Favourite Food Blogs

I love beauty blogs but when I'm looking for something a little different I always turn to my favourite food blogs. Here is a selection of my favourites. If you have a food blog or know of any good ones please leave me a link with a comment below!

Spoon Fork Bacon

Terri & Jenny have the most professional looking food blog considering they only started a year ago. Expect stunning photography and amazing food styling. A recipe I'm dying to try at the moment is their Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!

Katie Cakes

Katie has recently opened up her own shop in Newcastle which I am most definitely visiting next time I'm up there with Joe. She does the BEST cake recipes. Check out her blog here.

The Kitchn

I wouldn't really call the Kitchn a full on food blog as such. That said, they have the BEST tips for the kitchen as well as a good mix of other lifestyle posts too. This trick they found for separating eggs is awesome. Watch the video here.

Cheap Nail Varnish: NYC Sidewalkers & Bowery Black

This time three weeks ago Joe and I were in Morrison’s picking up some Jaeger (which I vow never to drink again) along with some other bits and pieces for our friend Amy's family do later that evening. Of course I couldn't resist having a look at the makeup and stumbled upon the NYC stand. I've never really used NYC before. I don't know why but it's just never really been a brand that I've been drawn towards. That said, I saw that their nail varnishes were just £1.29 so decided to have a browse at their colours. I ended up buying 'Sidewalkers' and 'Bowery Black'.

Sidewalkers

Sidewalkers is the perfect grey, to me anyway. It looks effortlessly chic on the nails and looks just as fabulous on its own as it does paired with Nubar 2010 and Ibiza Mix by Models Own. I've worn this quite a lot recently and have had a fair few compliments on the stunning colour!

Bowery Black

Bowery black is deep dark grey (I personally wouldn't call it black) with a hint of silver shimmer running throughout it. For the ultimate glitzy nails this looks fab paired with Saffron's silver chunky glitter (which is also a steal at £2 from eBay!)

Next time you’re in Morrison’s or Superdrug I really recommend checking out the NYC range. There are definitely some bargains to be had!

Rebecca x

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Some small announcements...

So you may, or may not have noticed that things have been quite quiet on the Be Beautiful front recently. I usually post once a day but it’s dropped down to just a couple of times a week. There is, however, an explanation for this...

1.      I've got myself new job. Although I’ve loved working in a health and beauty department I’ve come to realise that it’s the Marketing side of things that really interests me. I’ve been offered a new job as a Marketing & Business Development Assistant for a beauty brand design consultancy. I’m beyond excited and thrilled about the opportunity as it means a lot of changes which brings me on to my next point...

2.      I’m moving to London. I’ve always wanted to live in London and my new job happens to be based in trendy Shoreditch. I’m so, so excited to be moving to the capital it’s untrue. It will mean that I finally get to go to some PR events which I’m very happy about! I’m looking forward to meeting some new bloggers too!

3.      Joe and I are moving in together. After doing long distance for what feels like the longest time we are finally moving in together. Where in London? I have no idea. We have so much to organise and sort out!

So I just thought I’d fill those that are interested in on why it’s been so quiet recently. For the next month or so I guess it will be the same whilst I get sorted and settled! I’m looking for some guest bloggers too whilst I’m away in Marrakech towards in the end of September so if you’re interested please do get in touch with me at Rebecca@bebeautifulblog.org :)

Rebecca x

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Le Edge Exfoliator Tool: The Next Generation In Exfoliation?

I've had my eye on this product for quite a while and last week finally took the plunge and bought it. I'd read a lot of reviews and from the sounds of it, people either absolutely loved and raved about this tool or they loathed it. I wanted to make up my own so purchased it from HQ Hair for £20. Basically 'le edge' is a manual exfoliation tool for use on your face and body. It looks like a razor (and you use it in the same way you would a razor) but it has a blunt stainless steel blade/edge on it to safety but effectively remove dead skin.

I was very sceptical about this at first and I do love to use a scrub to exfoliate but after just one use I could see what all the fuss was about. I used it in the shower after washing my hair etc and gently glided the le edge along my legs. I was quite disgusted to see the remnants of my fake tan come off the blade. I then tried it on my arms and the same thing happened. I then dared to try it on my face. I applied my MD Formulations cleanser and gently ran the blunt blade along my facial skin thus scraping the cleanser off at the same time. I tried it on my lips too and have to say that they are the softest they've been in a while.

I was curious to find out what it would be like after I'd had a long soak in the bath as from the reviews and comments of the product on QVC, people tended to have the best results after doing this first. I had a good 20 minute soak then applied my L’occitane shower oil to my legs. Again, I gently glided the blade over my legs. This time I didn't see any dead skin come off on the blade so was a little disappointed but after drying off I felt my legs and couldn't believe how soft and silky they felt.

I really do recommend this little gadget, especially if you suffer from ingrown hairs and dry skin. Used 2-3 times a week I've definitely noticed it to have a significant impact on how my skin looks and feels. Paired with the L’occitane Shower Oil and my Jean D’Aveze Body Oil it leaves me with baby soft skin!

£20 may seem like quite a lot but when you weigh up how much you would spend on creams, exfoliators etc then it actually works out rather economically. I heartily recommend it and really do think this kind of tool is the next generation of exfoliation.

Rebecca x

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Elemis Absolute Eye Mask REVIEW

A while ago I mentioned how I’d picked up the Elemis Absolute Eye Mask after I had a facial over at the Sak’s Salon in Cheadle. I’ve since been using the product 3 nights a week and feel it’s about time I let you all know my thoughts on it. Here’s my verdict...

First up, here are the ingredients:

Aqua, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Water, Glycerin, Camellia Kissi Seed Oil, Proylene Glycol, Sucrose Distearate, Isohexadecane, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Plantago Ovata Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Symphtum Officinale Extract, Carbomer, Yeast (Faex) Extract, Cirtus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Organge) Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Absolute, Acacia Decurrens Absolute, Lacandula Angusifolia (Lavender) Oil, Sucrose Stearate, Tromethamine, Glutamine, Leucine, Serine, Proline, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tochopherol, Diazolidinal Urea, Dichlorobenzyl Alcohol, Methylparaben, Sorbitol, Propylparaben, Sodium Benzoate.

Nothing immediately strikes me as being special in there and the vitamin e (Tocopherol) is much lower down on the list that I would have expected for an eye cream. However, it is nice to see some the essential oils that Elemis are so famous for including Bitter Orange and Lavender.

Instructions:

Pat sparingly around the eye bone area avoiding direct contact with the eye lid and inner eye area. Apply 2-3 times a week.

On the paper instructions that came included with this product it actually states to wipe off the residue after 20-30 minutes. Rosara, however, advised that it’s best to apply it just before you go to bed then go to sleep and leave it to do its magic overnight.

I’m not entirely sure why but when I applied the mask it really made my eyes water despite only using it on my dark circles i.e. nowhere near my actual eye or water line. I think it may have been the essential oils or something but it really irritated them. However this gradually faded once the product had been on for a couple of minutes.

Price wise, it doesn’t come cheap in the slightest. It retails around the £27 mark and if you’re desperate to try it I recommend you finding it on Feel Unique (free delivery etc). It all boils down to whether or not I would buy it again? The short answer is no. 

It’s a nice product but I just cannot justify the price tag and didn’t see a big enough difference to be able to buy another tube. Alas, my search for the perfect product to reduce my dark circles continues.

If you have any recommendations on eye masks, eye creams/gels or concealers to help diminish the signs of dark circles please do get in touch and leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Rebecca x

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Foods To Help Turn Back The Clock

Today I have a lovely sponsored post from Bella all about foods you should eat to maintain a youthful looking appearance! Enjoy! 

Crow’s feet, lines and wrinkles are a natural part of the ageing process – but there are ways to keep them under control. The right foods can make a world of difference, so start eating your way to younger looking skin.

Here are five wrinkle fighting snacks:

Avocados

Free radicals can damage our skin cells, so it’s important to eat foods full of antioxidants – such as avocados. This delicious fruit counteracts the damage caused by stress, weight gain, fatigue and toxins and helps the skin stay soft, smooth and supple. According to the World Beauty Book by Jessica Harris, avocado skin can also be used as an abrasive scrub, so why not give it a go?

Dark chocolate

That’s right! Dark chocolate can fight off wrinkles, so keep a bar or two in your fridge. This delicious snack contains antioxidants known as flavonoids and is great for your skin if consumed in moderation. White and milk chocolate do not have the same health benefits, however, so try to choose a bar with 65 per cent cocoa or more to enjoy the full skin-smoothing effects.

Papaya

A glycolic facial peel can improve your complexion, but if you’re strapped for cash – try papaya. This delicious fruit – which originates from North and South America – can help combat wrinkles, fine lines and blemishes and is packed with immune boosting minerals and vitamins including A E and C. It also contains an enzyme known as papain, which promotes the growth of healthy new skin cells – leaving you with a radiant glow.

Blueberries

If you love fruit, make sure you have got plenty of blueberries in your fridge. This superfood contains antioxidants that prevent long-term cell damage and is great as part of a mid-morning snack. If you don’t like eating them on their own – as they have quite a unique taste – try incorporating them into a smoothie or throw a few berries on top of your porridge in the morning.

Strawberries

Longing for a clean, clear complexion? Then eat strawberries on a regular basis. They’re packed with vitamin C – which will keep your skin hydrated – and can get rid of puffiness and inflammation underneath the eyes. They also contain salicylic acid – that’s found in many acne ointments – and work great as part of a facemask.

Cosmetic surgery is available at reputable clinics across the UK, but natural products can also help improve your appearance.

Rebecca x

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Next Nails

So for the past three weeks I've been trying to upload a nail video tutorial to YouTube that I spent absolutely ages making. Alas, YouTube wasn't playing ball so I've had to resort to doing a quick post instead. You'll have to excuse my horrible dry cuticles on these pictures, they are beyond dehydrated at the moment so if anyone can recommend a good cuticle oil I'd love to hear from you!

Here are my Next nails using a nude shade and a shimmering blue shade. I used a konad plate to create the zig zag effect then sealed it with a top coat. I love the design of these nails, I think they're really pretty and very eye catching! You can pick up the colours I used here. What do you think?

Rebecca x

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Philips Avance Collection Juicer REVIEW & My Plight To Get Beach Body Ready!

This isn’t a post you’d expect to see on a Beauty Blog but I honestly couldn’t resist talking about it. Although, come to think of it, I guess this gadget can really help with the improvement of your skin so maybe it is appropriate? We’ll see! Anyway, a couple of weeks ago the lovely people at Philips sent me one of their Avance Collection Juicers along with the fruit and veg to make 3 delicious tasting juices. I must say we already have a juicer at our house and to be honest, it’s crap. It’s the most frustrating piece of kitchen gadgetry we own and is a ballache (sorry but there is no other word to sum this up) to clean. As such it hardly gets used so I was interested to see how the Philips version matched up.

Here I made the Summer Slimmer which contained a pink lady apple, 1/4 cucumber, 1 stick celery, 3cm piece of root ginger and a handful of ice.

Is it easy to use?

It’s actually really fun to use (yes, I know how ‘housewife’ that sounded). It absolutely annihilates anything that comes in its way. Ice? Easy. Whole apples? No problem.

How much juice do you get?

A fair amount! I was quite gob smacked by how much juice you can get from just one apple. A stalk of celery, an apple, a pear along with some crushed ice and a squeeze of lemon is easily enough for 2 people.

Is it easy to clean?

As sad as it is the first thing I thought when I received this was ‘I bet this is going to be a nightmare to clean’. How wrong I was. My mum and I both agree that it’s probably the easiest piece of kitchen gadgetry to clean that we’ve ever used. It comes apart very easily and there’s no room for bits of juice, fruit, veg etc to get stuck which is a major thumbs up in my books. I hardly ever use our smoothie maker due to it being a nightmare product to clean so to have something so quick and 

convenient to.

Has it made a difference to your complexion?

I can’t say it has but what I have noticed is that it’s made me feel a lot better in myself. It’s good to know I’m hitting my 5-a-day every single day with it and no doubt the vitamins and minerals are giving my body a real treat.

It’s safe to say that I am now a fully converted juicer and if I don’t have my daily dose I get really quite upset! I really recommend getting one of these if you want to incorporate more fruit and veg into your routine. I’ll be juicing on a daily basis up to and beyond my upcoming holiday to Morocco to help me get beach body ready! 

Any who, I’ll stop rambling now, off for another juice I go!

Have you ever tried juicing? Do you have any favourite recipes? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Rebecca x

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*PR sample

Philip Kingsley Stimulating Scalp Mask 20ml REVIEW

For the last six years or so I’ve suffered with a scalp condition. It goes through phases where it can be fine for 3 months or so then suddenly, out of the blue, it will flare up for no reason. When it’s particularly bad I get small sores all over my scalp which causes it to be very sensitive and a nightmare to handle. I’ve tried all sorts of scalp treatments (both medical and non medical) and nothing really seems to help.

Whilst browsing Feel Unique a couple of weeks ago I came across the Philip Kingsley Stimulating Scalp Mask for £4.45. It was a trial size so I thought I’d try it on the off chance that it might help to alleviate some of the sensitivity.

Application/Appearance

The packaging is very sleek, very modern, and very ‘professional hair care’ looking. I liked the fact that it had a thin nozzle so you could apply it exactly where you wanted it on the scalp. I applied it all over and left it on for as long as I could to get the maximum benefit. It had a cooling effect on the skin which leads me to believe it must have some sort of peppermint/eucalyptus essential oil in it. This did actually soothe my scalp and make it somewhat less irritated whilst I had the mask on. I then rinsed it off and shampooed and conditioned as normal.

Result

I was really disappointed to find that the cooling, soothing sensation vanished almost immediately after rinsing the product off. It felt the same as it did prior to the treatment – dry, irritated and sensitive. Maybe you get better results if you use the product a few times but I won’t be buying to find out. It was worth the £4 to see whether it would make a difference but unfortunately, in my case, it just didn’t do anything.

Verdict

What’s good about it?

-Good that you can buy a small size before getting the larger one.

-Slim nozzle for precision application.

-Temporary relief whilst mask was on.

What’s bad about it?

-Didn’t actually have a long term positive result on my scalp.

-One tube = £4.45 which is quite expensive if you were to use it weekly as suggested.

Overall I wouldn’t buy this again but if you suffer from similar symptoms to myself then it might just be worth trying, you never know! What doesn’t work on me might work well on you. I’d hazard a guess that this might be better suited to those with occasional dandruff who want to keep it at bay.

As a side note, in my personal experience, the BEST thing I can do for my hair when it’s acting up is to completely douse it in olive oil and I mean absolutely drench it. I then leave it on as long as I can (overnight usually) and then shampoo and condition it as normal. It doesn’t work miracles but it gives my scalp the moisture injection that it needs.

Rebecca x

Ginvera Green Tea Exfoliator REVIEW

Today I have a very exciting product to talk about that I’ve held off reviewing until I’d thoroughly tested it. The brand have cropped up from nowhere and are currently taking the beauty industry and blogging community by storm. I’m of course talking about the Ginvera Green Tea Exfoliator!

I’ve never been much of a fan of physical exfoliation on the face. I don’t believe that rubbing and scrubbing your skin with bits of shell, kernels or micro beads etc has any major benefit to the skin and, in my personal experience, has actually been more detrimental than beneficial. I’ve always preferred chemical exfoliation as I feel 

it works so much better and leads to healthier looking and more radiant skin.

Now as mentioned, I have seen reviews of this crop up all over the internet last month and it wasn’t until talking to my good blogging friend Thereze from City Scape Bliss that I decided to take the plunge and purchase it. I got it from eBay for £18.99 after her recommendation and haven’t looked back since. It’s also worth noting that I ordered this on a Wednesday afternoon and it was with my by Thursday morning. Talk about customer service!!

Application/Appearance

The Product itself is a green colour that doesn’t look too appealing. It has a gel-like consistency that you apply to clean, dry skin. You massage the gel all over your face and neck until the smooth gel starts to form clumps (perhaps not the prettiest description!) Your dead skin cells literally roll off your face with this product – it’s really quite remarkable! You then rinse off the product with warm water and pat your face dry.

Result

The first thing you will notice is just how incredibly smooth the appearance and feel of your skin is. I know this stuff really works as I had a patch of dry skin down one side of my nose which has disappeared. I’ve also noticed that the more I use it, the more those pesky blackheads appear reduced.

Verdict

What’s good about ?

-Exfoliates well

-Readily available from eBay and the Ginvera website (I also believe it’s been made available in Harvey Nicks? Someone correct me if I’m wrong!)

-Leaves skin feeling super soft

-Visibly reduces blackheads over time (on me at least)

-A little goes a long way. I reckon there are about 20 applications per tube.

What’s bad about it?

-The smell isn’t great. It smells a bit smokey if that makes sense to anyone else who has tried it? It’s something I can put up with though.

-The price isn’t great. I think if they took this down to around £15 they’d see their products literally fly off the shelves.

As with all skincare products I review on here it’s important to note that what works well on my, won’t necessarily work on you but either way, I’d urge you to try this and see for yourself. Overall, I’m really pleased with this and will definitely be repurchasing. I’m now very keen to try the rest of their range, especially their BB cream!

Rebecca x

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