Joan Collins Timeless beauty - Body polish and skin treat spray.

I haven't heard a lot about the Joan Collins beauty range so when I was offered the opportunity to try some products I jumped at the chance. I have to be 100% honest I didn't know the line contained anything but makeup so when I received some skin/body care bits I was a little shocked however I've got on really well with both products.

 

First off I'm going to talk about the I am woman Dry body oil polish £18.00*. I'm not usually a fan of body scrubs that are dry as I find they are really messy however because this one is so effective I don't mind too much. I have pretty bad eczema which makes my legs very sensitive so I find a lot of body scrubs flare it up however this one didn't. It has a really nice balance between scrub and moisture. I find it works so well to remove tan as it is quite a heavy scrub. I also find that when I use it my skin not only feels healthier but it definitely helps to give it a little bit of life and make it more glowy.

 

  My favourite product out of the two is the Ten effects Skin treat spray and makeup fixer £20.00* this claims to have 10 benefits to the skin and I will say some seem a little far fetched. Like the fact that it will apparently minimise pores however I do really like it. I do find that the spray is pretty thick so it does feel a lot wetter on the face than a lot of other setting sprays I have tried however it does a beautiful job of taking away any dryness and adding a little hydration to the skin. I think having dry skin this is perfect for me however I'm not sure how it would fare and whether it would add too much moisture to the skin. I'm not sure it particularly prolongs how long my makeup lasts however it does a really lovely job of making my makeup sit nicely. 

 

Overall I am really impressed with these two products and I'm definitely going to be looking into more of the range. 

Underrated products

Today I thought I would show you some of my favourite products which I think don't get enough hype. I actually found it quite difficult to whittle this down as it turns out there are a lot of products I love which aren't that well known. Some of these are mentioned by a few people however largely they are just products that I have picked up on a whim and fallen in love with.

 

 

Illamasqua powder blushes (Duo in lover and hussy) -

 

I love these blushes they are so pigmented however they blend out beautifully so you can get everything from a super intense look to just a slight hint of blush. I also absolutely love the two shades in this little palette!

 

Clarins Instant concealer -

 

This is possibly the most barginous high end concealer to ever exist, you get 15ml for £22.00 which is so cheap compared to most concealers which are usually around the 8ml mark. This is so beautiful, it has a very high coverage whilst still being thin and lightweight meaning that it sits really nicely on even my duper dry skin. I'm not sure how this would fare on oiler skin types however for me it's perfect.  

 

L'Oreal BB powder -

 

I'm pretty sure  that this has been repackaged since I last bought it as powder isn't something I use very often however when I do want a pressed powder this is the one I reach for. It offers a tiny bit of coverage whilst still looking completely natural on the skin. It is milled so fine that it is undetectable on the skin and I also find it doesn't cling to any dry patches like so many powders do.

 

 

Smashbox Brow tech matte pencil -

 

This was one of my Manic duty free blow out in March and I'm so glad I did pick it up. It's an incredibly fine pencil which is the perfect ashy dark brown. What I like about this is that it isn't too waxy that it makes the brows sticky but it also isn't dry so it doesn't just crumble up. I also do really like the spooly on the other side as it is nice and firm.

 

Zoeva Cocoa blend palette -

 

I absolutely love this palette, it is perfect for anyone who loves warm toned shades. I feel like the Zoeva palettes overall don't get a lot of press. I love this one the shadows are beautifully pigmented and creamy. I especially love the shade warm notes which is a stunning pink shade.

 



NYX Butter glosses (Crème Brule and Tiramisu) -

 

These glosses are my favourite of all the drugstore glosses I've ever used. I feel like a lot of other NYX products are getting so much hype at the moment but I have honestly seen barely anything about these. They aren't sticky smell amazing and have the perfect amount of pigment for a gloss.

 

No7 Precision lip pencil (Nude) -

 

This was another really random purchase which I had seen absolutely nothing about! These are so stunning and incredibly creamy. I feel like a lot of my lip liners are to dry and just really drag on my lips. This shade is a really lovely basic nude which works under pretty much any lipstick! I definitely need to get around to buying some more shades.

 

Clinique Lip pops (Poppy pop and Cherry pop) -

 

These lipsticks are so good and honestly don't get near enough hype. They are so beautiful and work incredibly even on super dry lips. They are glossy enough so that they don't look dry and gross on the lips however they also stay on the lips really nicely and don't smudge all over my face like some more glossy lipsticks do.

 



I'd love to know what your guys favourite underrated products are! 

Happy 4th Birthday Coleoftheball

 

I cannot believe I have been blogging for four years, today I thought I would do a little roundup of some of the posts I have put up in the last four years! I hope you enjoy looking back at some of my older posts and didn't cringe as much as I am! Just before we do get started I just want to say a huge thank you for all your support whether you've been here since the beginning or this is the first time you have read my blog!

My first post - Top 5 Autumn nail polishes

We have to start off with my first post! To be 100% honest I feel like I've read far worse first posts, I feel like mine definitely went downhill from here before they picked up. The photos wouldn't be to bad but I was obviously a big fan of flash which washed all the colours out so overall it was a bit of a fail.

 

My first OOTD - Blogmas Day 16..... OOTD

I think it's so strange to look back on this and see how much I have changed I honestly don't think this looks anything like me! I have never done a lot of OOTD's on my blog and I feel like this post explains why.

My first FOTD - Blogmas Day 9...... FOTD Simplicity is key

Cringey title - Check
Bad camera angles - Check
Bad quality Photos - Check
Gappy teeth - Check

This post really does have it all!

First yearly favourites  and the time I sprayed batiste on my hand (Would definitely not advise you do this!) - 2012 Favourites

I find looking back on favourites so strange! I now don't use any of these products and I'm pretty sure the only one I still own is the natural collection lipstick.

 

My first high end review - Urban decay Naked basics review

 

I actually don 't mind this post, it isn't overly detailed however the pictures aren't too bad and it seems to have a little more structure than some of the reviews I had written before.

 

 

My most recent OOTD - Inside this place is warm, outside it starts to pour

 

I can't believe the last OOTD I did was this long ago, I really do still love this outfit and I really like the photos from this post.

 

 

 My most recent FOTD - The Autumnal smokey eye

 

Looking back at all those old FOTD's made me realise how much I've changed and grown up in the past four years. This is one of my most favourite recent posts and it definitely shows how not only my photography but also my writing has improved.

 

 

My most recent Yearly favourites - Blogmas ¦ Day 31 - 2015 Favourites

 

Even looking back at last years favourites there are some things that have been replaced by other products and I just find them so interesting to look back on. Also can we take a moment to appreciate the improvement in my flatlay skills!

 

 

My most recent High end review - Smashbox brow tech matte pencil   

 

Even though I didn't mind my naked basics review I feel like this is so much better. It is better structured and just goes in to much more detail whilst I also offer an alternative. It definitely shows how much my collection has grown and how much more educated I am!

 

 

So that's it for today I really hope you enjoyed this post!

 

Cole x

Natural collection makeup - Tested!

I'm back again with another makeup testing video and post for you today. Natural collection is one of those brands that really reminds me of when I first started wearing makeup so without further ado lets get on with it. If you would like to watch my first impression video on these products it will be at the bottom of the post.

 

Cover cream in Fair - £1.99

 

I actually didn't mind this, it isn't the thickest of concealers which meant I found it doesn't fall into any of my dry patches or look cakey. Coverage wise for me it is a little light however I have been enjoying using it for lighter makeup days. I can see this being a really lovely one for people who are just starting out with makeup as it adds a little coverage whilst still being natural.

 

Sun tint bronzing powder in Golden glow - £1.99

 

For me this was a little lacking, it isn't very pigmented however it is nice and finely milled and can be built up. I personally love a lot of bronzer so this probably isn't the best for me however again I think it would be brilliant for people who prefer natural makeup or are just starting out.

 

Blushed cheeks in Pink cloud - £1.99

 

I've loved these blushes pretty much since I started wearing makeup, it's a stunning medium pink shade. In contrast to the bronzer I do find this has quite a lot of pigment however it blends very easily so if I do go a little heavy handed it isn't a problem.

 

Highlighter stick in Rose gold - £1.99

 

This is one of the newer products to the collection, I was super excited to give it a go and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Although it leaves a really pretty rose toned glow on the skin I found it quite difficult to blend and found unless I worked very quickly with the product I found it would set wherever I first put it down.

 

Brow pencil in Medium brown - £1.99

 

Out of everything this was the product I disliked the most, for a start the colour was absolutely awful it was so orange toned. I would normally go for the dark brown shade however they didn't have any left in my local boots. If it was just the shade that was awful it would be a little better however I just found it was so waxy and smudged everywhere.

 

Brow gel in Dark brown - £1.99

 

I also picked up the new brow gel which I really liked however I did find the brush was huge. Due to the gel being very pigmented and the brush being huge it did make my brows a little messy however if I am careful I can get this to works although I do have to wipe a lot of product off the brush.

 

Eyeshadow duo in Mink and sable - £1.99

 

This was practically no existent the shades look really pretty in the pan however I just couldn't get any pigment onto my lids at all. I think if perhaps a parent wanted a subtle eyeshadow for their child this would be really lovely however for me this doesn't even work for no makeup days.

 

Concealer, highlight stick, bronzer, blush, eyeshadow duo, brow pencil, brow gel, lipstick

Waterproof mascara - £1.99

 

I really like this it's a lovely natural mascara which adds a really natural curl to the lashes whilst slightly lengthening them. I would highly recommend this if you want a natural mascara and it's definitely my favourite product I have tried.  

 

Lipstick in Berry blush - £1.99

 

I really like the natural collection lipsticks they're very comfortable on the lips and are so hydrating. The shade of this is a stunning slightly metallic berry shade which isn't going to be something I'm going to reach for everyday however I think it will be a really lovely one for this time of year.

 

So that's it for today, I hope you enjoyed this and don't forget to check out this video.