Simple Skincare Range- Brand Focus

Hi My Lovelies,

I hope your week has been fab so far. So, i thought i should start a little series on Beauty Brand Focus. Whether i would keep up with the series, time will tell but i guess it's best to start and see how it goes. I would also love to hear your feedback to know if it's something you would like to see more often. I really want to be more interactive with you all this year so i would welcome any comments in the comments section or you can drop me a line on my email liv@fashstyleliv.com. Now to the review...

Simple Skincare Brand

Simple Skincare is one brand i have been fascinated with a little while ago because they seem to be very simple (no pun intended) and effective. There was a time Simple Skincare was all over the Blogging world and YouTube and i think it's still popular although there are other newer brands in the market. One thing that makes Simple Skincare stand out, according to their website, is their belief that simple, healthy looking skin is something all women, even those with sensitive skin, should enjoy consistently. Their philosophy is stems from using only the purest skin-loving ingredients with no added perfume or colour and they have remained steadfast since 1960. Check out their website for their story. For me, I have tried a few products from their range and I would be sharing insights (and mini reviews) of how i got on with these products...let's get started...



Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Wipes
This is one of the Holy Grail (HG) products among many bloggers far and wide. The Simple Cleansing Wipes upped the game for many beauty and skincare brands in the sector because they do the job and really well. There are different variations of the Cleansing Wipes but i prefer the Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Wipes. It feels so refreshing against my skin and it has the right consistency of moisture for my face. It is not too wet and not too dry-it's just right. It removes all my visible makeup really well. i say visible because i know after wearing a full face of makeup for a couple of hours, some may be entrapped beneath the skin which is not visible to the eye which is why we do the second cleansing. It is a little more pricey than other wipes but it is worth it and more. Most times, it's actually on offer which is the best time to stock up.





Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Antiperspirant
After being impressed with some other Simple products i had tried, I decided to try the Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Antiperspirant. I am not impressed with it. I am not saying it's bad or anything but it's not my favourite. It does its job pretty well and it has no scent whatsoever as the philosophy means they do not use any added scents. To be honest, I would have preferred that. I am a sweet scents girl and where many people prefer not to have fragrance, i very much welcome it. It has not irritated my skin or anything but it's just too basic for me.





Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner
I really like this toner because it is as simple and effective as can be. It does not contain alcohol but rather it contains Pro Vitamin B5, Chamomile, Witch Hazel and Allantoin which are all very soothing to the skin and keeps it refreshed. I am not sure what other effects for the skin but it does help the skin feel very refreshed. To the best of my knowledge, i don't think it falls into the category of exfoliating toners but it is suitable for sensitive skin and I use it when my skin is at its best. Due to its lack of Salicylic Acid, i don't think it has any fast acting effect on my acne but its Witch Hazel content helps with inflammation and redness. What's not to love about it plus it falls under the really cheap and cheerful price range.



Verdict
I really do like the Simple Skin Care Range especially the cleansing wipes which i think are the best for first stage makeup removal. I love how it does not irritate the skin but does its job well. I have not tried all their other products but i hear their moisturisers are really good. It's a brand i like and I would always be happy to pick up their products because they are good quality, widely available and affordable. I hope you have enjoyed this post and let me know in the comments section " what is your favourite Simple Skin Care product?  toodles..xx

Beauty, Skincare and Makeup Favourites 2013

Hi My Lovelies,
A very Happy New Year to you lot. I know the year has kicked off amazingly and i hope it keeps going that way for everyone. I am sure you may have noticed that I am not the best person to put up Monthly Favourites. I tried in the past and it did not work out so I just did my thing. But i think it is useful to pay a tribute to all the lovely beauty and makeup items that left a good taste and smile on my face. I definitely do not want this post to be lengthy so i will break them down into skin care and makeup.

                                                   Beauty and Skincare
Favourite Oil/Serum: I have to give this to Gamila Secret Face Oil (review here) because it is an all rounder for me. It has served as a serum, a moisturiser, a day cream, night cream, blemish/spot clearer, etc. It's organic as well and it has really amazed me and made a difference to my skin despite the hefty price.

                                     
Favourite Cleanser: It's really hard to narrow this down because i love all my cleansers as they are useful for so many things. I would have to give it to the Lancome Gel Eclat Pearly Foam Cleanser (review here) which makes me skin feel really soft and smooth without overly drying it.

                    

Favourite Cleanser for Acne and Blemishes: I am going to have to cheat a little bit and pop in two products here because they are just too amazing and i can't seem to narrow it down. These products are Gamila Secret Cleansing Bar (review here) and SK:N Vitamin Rich Cleanser for Oily Skin. There are both very effective for Acne but the SK:N is more targeted to the blemishes because it contains Glycolic Acid which helps exfoliate the skin to reveal fresh skin fading away dark blemishes.




Favourite Toner (All rounder): I have to give this to the Lancome Tonique Douceur (review here) because it is really an all rounder and it is suitable for many skin types which is amazing. The good thing is it does not contain alcohol so it is ever so gently yet effective.



Favourite Toner for Acne and Blemishes: This has to be my Clinique Anti-Blemish Clarifying Solution (review here). Although we started off on a bumpy ride, we have became best buds. For sensitive ladies, be careful with this one as it contains alcohol but i do not find it drying at all. I find it is most effective for my breakouts and clearing my blemishes because it acts as an exfoliating toner due to its Salicylic Acid content.



Favourite Makeup Remover: It has to be the ultimate Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water which i only used a small sample bottle but it really changed my views of all micellar waters. It has been hyped in the blogging and makeup world in general about being the best makeup remover and i think they are saying the truth. The only annoying thing is it is not readily available in the UK except online..

                                                             Makeup
Favourite Drug Store Foundation: For me it would have to be the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation (review here) in 350 Caramel which is one of the few foundations shades from Drug Stores that is perfect on my skin. I have not sampled many other drug store foundations because this has completely blown my mind away.

                               

Favourite High End Foundation: I have only used the Clinique Anti Blemish Foundation for a few weeks but it definitely has won my heart and overtaken the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation (review here) which i thought i could not do without. I had earlier tried a sample pot and it was amazing so much so that i had to buy the full size when i ran out. It is good for my Acne prone skin and does not break me out at all..

                         

Favourite Drug Store Concealer: I don't really have any but the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (mini review here) comes really close and if it were not too damn drying on my skin, it would have won my heart completely.
                                    

Favourite High End Concealer: Any day, any time, it has to be the MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC50 for me because it does exactly what a concealer should do and it has been my favourite for a long, long time. The Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation in Warm Almond 6.5 (review here), which has now been converted to a concealer, is equally good but it gets too oily by mid-day and that does not float my boat one bit...

Favourite High End Powder: There is only one powder out there and it is the MAC Studio Fix Powder (review here). My shade is NC50 and to me, no other powder exists at least for now. It has been a staple favourite for years and it still is. It always delivers full coverage and mattes up my face when it tends to get oily..it's a winner, my special winner...

Favourite Drug Store Powder: None. None comes even close to my beloved MAC Studio Fix.

Favourite Blush: I am not really a blush girl but I favor Sleek Blushes (Sahara) for Drugstore and Bellapierre Blush in Autumn Glow for High end brands.

                   

Favourite Eye liner: There is only one eye liner for me and that's the L'Oreal Super Liner (review here) and it's amazing and that's the only eye liner that keeps taking me back for more.
                        

Favourite Lipstick: My favourite lipstick has to be MAC lipsticks (review here and here) because they have very good pigmentation and they really last a long time on the lips and in the packaging so it's a win-win situation although they are cheekily upping their prices but it's amazing stuff...



Favourite Brow Liner: That again has to be the MAC Eyebrow Liner in Stud. It's amazing and I don't care that it has also become expensive but it's just the brow liner that is perfect for me and it has been that way for years now.


                               

Favourite Nail Polishes: I have a sizable collection of nail polishes but Lancome Vernis in Love Collection (review here and here) is the best I have ever tried. They are pricey but it is so worth it. For Top Coat, it has to be the JACAVA London Top Coat (review here)..this stuff is AMAZING! It ticks all the boxes and it dries really fast...



Favourite Eyeshadow: It has to be my MAC Eyeshadow palette (review here and here) which i just customised and completed. It makes me so happy any time i look at it. MAC eyeshadows are very well pigmented and the colours are ever so pretty... on the other hand, Urban Decay Eyeshadows equally look amazing!!



Writing this post has made me realise there are so many products i absolutely love but i have not talked about them here on the blog..i think i may whip up a few more reviews. I think i would stop here now so I don't bore you all but i hope you have enjoyed this post...See you in my next post..x

Winner of the Revlon Chroma Colour Christmas/New Year Giveaway

Hi My Lovelies,
Apologies for not posting the winner on the 1st January 2014 as promised. A massive thank you to everyone who entered this giveaway and keep your eyes peeled because i have more coming soon. Without much ado, I present the Winner who was chosen via Random.org.....

*drum rolls*

AND THE WINNER IS......

      *****Cerridwen with GFC name Kyla L*****

Thank you so much for entering this competition. Please send me your postal address on Liv@Fashstyleliv.com and I will send out your gift to you.

Thanks to everyone else who entered this competition and all my subscriber...YOU ALL ROCK.

See you in my next post!!

What I Got for Christmas and Boxing Day Haul

Hi My Lovelies,

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas break and a Happy New Year. Mine was very different; I spent it alone this time around because the bf had to travel home but I enjoyed myself even though I missed him terribly :-((. Sometimes, it's rare to have your alone time because you are always surrounded by people (which is a good thing) but it's good to have your own downtime to be with yourself although I won't say Christmas time is the best time for it. Anyways, I was able to listen to my thoughts, reflect over the past year, plan, pray, praise God in the way I love to do when I am alone and do all the lovely things that make me happy. I just thought to share that... and a Happy New Year to you all; it's wonderful to have you here as part of my blog..x

Back when I lived at home in Nigeria, I did not really get gifts wrapped up and all that jazz but my parents always got us new clothes, shoes, hair accessories and the whole works usually what we wanted and what they also thought was good. Mostly, I got money from my parents as well as my uncles and aunties and any other relatives during the Christmas break and I would spend it on whatever I liked. Moving to the UK was different as I started getting gifts wrapped up and money as well which is really nice for a change. Hence, most of the gifts featured below were either gifts given to me by my loved ones or ones I bought as treats for myself with money received as "Christmas Money". A few were also GWP- Gifts With Purchases which I made earlier in December.Let's get started...



I got a few GWPs (Gifts with Purchase) from Lancome as always who are, to me, the ultimate high end brand when it comes to Gifts With Purchase. They are amazing!!! The first free gift is the Lancome Gel Eclat Pearly Cleanser Set with other samples from their Renergie range. Granted the Lancome Renergie range is mainly anti-ageing so i would be passing that on to my mum but I absolutely love the cleanser, lipstick and mascara included in this set which I would be keeping. I am quite impressed that Lancome have started putting their samples/GWP in sturdy gift-like boxes which makes them feel even more luxurious.




The next GWP is the Party Essential Kit which contains 6 beauty must-haves for the perfect night out and these samples are drawn from different high end brands all owned by L'Oreal of course which include Yves Saint Laurent, Lancome and Giorgio Armani. Again, I totally love the packaging and it has the whole Christmas theme running across with red, white and black colours. It contains samples of the Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Mascara and Dessin Du Regard Eye Pencil, Lancome L'Absolu Rouge 06 Lipstick and Lancome Advanced Genifique and lastly Giorgio Armani Code Femme and Diamonds Rose perfumes. I really, really love this GWP from John Lewis...



My colleague also gave me some Kiehl's samples which I absolutely love and I was really wishing I had more samples of the Kiehl's Soy Milk and Honey Whipped Body Butter so i was really pleased (and surprised if I may add)  when she gave me another one alongside the Kiehl's Original Rich Nourishing Cream. I really love this and I think after this is finished I would be investing in the full size because it is so luxurious and smells amazing!!

On to Skin Care, as you all know, i have been trying to get my skin especially on my face really healthy and glowing. I have been lusting after the Clarisonic Mia Cleansing Brush but the hefty price tage has not swayed me off my feet yet. I decided to invest in a cheaper alternative from Boots which is the No 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush after I read so many good reviews. I really like it and I am glad we have gotten along really fine. I also think it's important to try something cheaper first if you can in case the expensive one does not agree with your skin. I am so glad i treated myself to this and a full review will be up soon.


Still on skin care, I also went back to an old favourite cleanser which is the SK:N Vitamin-Rich Cleanser for Oily Skin. It contains Glycolic Acid, Evening Primrose Oil and Vitamins A, C and E. Teamed with my Boots Cleansing Brush, my skin has definitely made some significant improvement and i am pleased. I would definitely put up a skin care routine in the New Year.



For Hair Care, I still have my hair extensions on and I was using the ORS Anti-Frizz Serum which seemed to be annoying my hair extensions so I switched back to my old love the John Frieda Frizz Ease Serum which I have always used. Why I left in the first place is beyond me but I am so glad my hair is back to its original state.


For Beauty and Makeup, my favourite buy is the Lancome La Vie est Belle set. I have been lusting after this for so long after receiving various samples but the price of this perfume always kept me clutching tight to my purse. On boxing day, I strutted down to Debenhams and hovered around the Lancome counter to see if there were any juicy discounts and they did not disappoint. I saw my beloved perfume Lancome La Vie est Belle was on offer in a gift set with Lancome Nail Polish Madame Tulipe, La Vie est Belle body lotion and Hypnose Masacara sample all for £28!!!!!! I was over the moon and quickly snapped it up. Look at how pretty it looks!! I don't even want to use it...*just joking, I have been spritzing away ever since*. 







I also decided to top up my foundation and went straight to the Clinique counter for the Clinique Anti-Blemish Foundation in 07 (full review up soon) and I also recieved a free Clinique Butter Shine in Pink-a-Boo Lipstick which was pretty generous of them. The only way I can justify spending money on high end brands is getting numerous samples and i cannot stand high end brands who do not give samples.. *side eye, MAC I am looking at you*. I also picked up my MAC Eye Brow Pencil in Stud which is my ultimate favourite and the L'Oreal Color Riche Nail Polish in Magic Croisette 811. Honestly, I should not be buying any more nail polishes because I have quite a lot now.


I saved my favourite for last. My dear friend surprised me with an early Christmas Gift. She sent me a Guess Watch. I was so happy and surprised because I really did not expect this and I am really appreciative and if you are reading this, I really appreciate this..x. Look at how beautiful it is and really good detailing. It's slightly heavy but I am used to it now and I have been wearing it almost everyday. That's it folks. I hope you have enjoyed this post and you had a wonderful Christmas. I was happy to treat myself this year because I feel I have really worked hard this year and I am so grateful to God for seeing me through. See you in my next post.