Beauty reviews - body cream, moisturiser, mascara, lipgloss

Well I seem to have spent much of this week catching up with myself but not quite getting there, what with work, school holidays and of course the Olympics last night (on TV – wasn’t it excellent) – hence why this latest post appears today when I had hoped to have it live yesterday. Which in turn means the recipe is shunted along also, but that’s not such a big deal as I’m not such a good cook. I wonder – should I continue with the recipes or not? What do you think, would you rather I do something else instead, more beauty, interiors or chit chat?

Back to beauty; first up is Ultra Rich Body Cream from Living Nature. If you have dry skin then you’re going to like this. The texture is rich and it smells like chocolate almost, with a hint of vanilla, which will either be a complete turn on or turn off. For me the fragrance is somewhere in the middle – I’m not that keen on vanilla but I love chocolate, the fragrance as well as the real thing.

I’ve been using this mainly on my legs after showering and despite its richness it sinks in quickly without feeling greasy afterwards, which is a boon in the hot weather we’ve been having. Active manuka honey is a natural humectant that holds in moisture, while murumuru and cupuacu butters nourish, soften and moisturise the skin, so helping the overall performance of the cream.

I prefer this to a body butter as I find butters too thick and they tend to linger on the skin and I find that annoying. I am also very receptive to the brand, which hails from New Zealand and prides itself on using natural ingredients, fragrances and preservatives, as well as botanicals from sustainable sources, and it doesn’t test on animals. www.livingnature.com

Evolve Multi Peptide Double Cream has become one of my favourite daytime moisturisers over the past few months. As somebody who gets through tons of the stuff you can believe me when I say this one is a bit special. You just need a little, which is how my sample bottle has lasted so long, and it sinks in quickly and cleanly, leaving the skin feeling firmer. According to Evolve the natural peptides in the product “have been proven to increase moisturisation by up to 60% and reduce the appearance of wrinkles by up to 18%”. Hyaluronic acid holds moisture in the skin and argan oil, rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids, nourishes and protects.

I don’t know why it’s called double cream but that’s a point I’m not going to stress over, all I know is it does what it says on the tin and for 40s+ skin it gives a quality performance at a mid-range price. The fragrance is subtle, almost nutty, and the cream is organic and cruelty-free, so suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The container is made from recycled plastic and can itself be recycled – a case of putting your money where your mouth is. www.evolvebeauty.co.uk

A few weeks ago I was the happy recipient of a Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara, sent to my by their lovely PR, now after having used it a few times I’m ecstatic. This is the first mascara I have ever used that goes on smoothly and when it’s dry feels soft. I don’t mean that in a bad way – you can still see I’m wearing mascara and my lashes look fuller, but when I touch them they actually feel soft, rather than stiff or crunchy. I’ve never had that happen before and I have to say I’m hooked. There’s no clumps either, which is a bonus as I hate clumps.

Now am I stating the obvious here – does your mascara feel soft when it dries? Please tell me. It’s just that I’ve tested a few over the years and I haven’t had one until now that has had this effect. I don’t know if it’s waterproof but it is tear proof and smudge proof – I met a friend I hadn’t seen for a while in the supermarket yesterday and I was telling her about my lovely horse dying, hence how I know it’s tear proof, then I rubbed my eyes afterwards and discovered it’s smudge proof.

Another current favourite from Bare Minerals is their Natural Lipgloss in Citrus Tart. It’s a sheer but peachy shade that doesn’t disappear as soon as you apply it and it contains botanicals including honeysuckle flower extract, pomegranate seed oil and jojoba oil as well as antioxidant vitamin E. There’s no parabens or preservatives and the applicator is a brush rather than a sponge tip, which I find very handy. www.bareminerals.co.uk

I’m a bit of a fan of lip glosses so if there’s any you can recommend I’d love to hear from you, just leave a comment and let me know.

Beauty reviews – body cream, moisturiser, mascara, lipgloss

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