Oil free foundation...Natural collection vs Barbara Daly

It's taken me a while to be able to write this as i keep forgetting to properly test them out!
I have recently been trying out some new oil free foundations as i have quite oily skin. I bought 2 different
cheaper foundations to try out and these were Natural Collection's Shine Away and Barbara Daly's Oil Free Foundation. Both claimed to be medium coverage which I liked because I don't like thick cakey foundations. Here is the packaging for both:

The Natural Collection foundation was priced individually at £1.99 but in Boots at the moment they have a 3 for £5 offer on all Natural Collection products and so i bought a concealer and some pressed powder too .Great bargain!! The Barbara Daly foundation cost £6.75 in Tesco and i thought this was a great price as i have tried out some other products from this collection and i really love them and they are such great value.

The natural collection foundation was the first one I tried. I used my usual moisturiser on my face and my concealer before applying this. It only took 2 splodges (technical term of course) to cover my whole face and I applied it using an avon foundation brush. It was a great colour match (porcelain) and I found that it was as it said a medium coverage. It didn't leave my face feeling dry as some oil free foundations have done but it gave me a radiant glow without the oily look. After using my usual pressed powder i completed my make-up and left it all day to test the durability. It lasted all day and didn't rub off at all or start to look dry. Overall I really liked this product and will definitely be reaching for it on a daily basis. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a cheap but excellent quality oil free foundation.

The Barbara Daly foundation that I picked up was again a good colour match for my skin (almond) and this was the same shade as porcelain in the natural collection line. The first thing I would say is that there is not much choice in colours in the oil free range and anyone with even slightly tanned skin probably wouldn't find a shade to match which is a shame. I applied this in the same way as the natural collection foundation and i found that this worked better if I used my fingers. It again didn't take a lot of product to cover my skin but i did find that it left my skin looking and feeling a bit dry. My skin is usually oily which is why I tend to reach for oil free products but this one dried my skin out quite a bit. The coverage was not what I would call medium and seemed to me more like a tinted moisturiser which is a shame because i expected the same kind of coverage as the natural collection foundation and since this one was more expensive i was quite disappointed with it as it didn't last as long as the natural collection foundation either and I found myself touching up all day.

Overall I would definitely recommend the Natural Collection foundation and even the Barbara Daly one would suit if you are looking for light coverage but maybe it is suited more for people with really oily skin  rather than just someone looking for a mattifying foundation.
Both are brilliant products but the Natural Collection was a real winner for me.
Mwah xx

My newest nail love!!

This Barry M nail paint was a gift off my boyfriends sister for my birthday and I had been waiting till spring cam along so that I could show it off better. Its a pastel pink/lilac (colour berry). Im not really sure how to describe the colour. In the bottle and in the picture it looks more pink but when its on the nails it has a lovely lilac tone to it.

When i first put this on i noticed the brush was really nice to use. All my Barry M nail polishes seem to go on really smoothly and this was no exception.
It didn't take me long to coat my first hand and it looked really silky and had a slight satin look to it.
It only took just over a minute for my first hand to be completely dry and i thought this was great as Barry M don't advertise their products as being quick dry.
It didn't smudge too easily but i noticed if i applied the second coat just after it was dry it did drag a little bit so even though its dry you might want to leave it a little bit longer before applying the second coat.
I really loved this colour on and it really fits the spring pastel trend (even if the weather isn't really matching today!)
So i've had it on for a couple of days now and wanted to wait to see how durable it was.
I was actually pleasantly surprised to see no chips and no smudges!
I mean because its the weekend I'm not using my hands as much as I would be if I was at college but they have lasted perfectly so far.
Its a light colour so it will go with most things and i even have the dark purple crackle polish that I might try over it soon :)
I will post pictures if that looks ok.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone! :)
Mwah xx

Review: Garnier simply essentials 2 in 1 make-up remover.

I have long been trawling the shops (and the internet of course) for an inexpensive make-up remover that doesn't make my already oily skin look like its been coated in lard...or that won't break me out.
Let me tell you its been a long hunt!!
However today my quest ended in Tesco when i found this Garnier 2 in 1 make-up remover.

It cost me £1.99 which i thought was an absolute bargain!
It says on the front of the bottle ''no perfume'', ''no alcohol'', ''no rubbing''. I used it tonight to take off my make-up and it took me less than a minute to completely remove all my eye make-up. Even my waterproof mascara and eyeliner!
I followed the instructions on the back to soak a cotton wool pad and then wipe over the eyes. after a couple of gentle wipes everything was gone!
I wasn't left with that horrible oily feel afterwards and it left my skin feeling fresh and smooth.
The no perfume part really caught my eye as I hate strong smelling products on my face especially. With strong perfumes always come chemicals and I for one don't want to be wiping that into my pores last thing at night!!
It also states that it is suitable for sensitive skin which is great for me as my skin has a tendency to break out when I use new products.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who needs a low cost alternative to the more HE make-up removers and for those of you that just need to quickly wipe away your make-up without the spots that come after!
*****

First Hello!!

A BIG HELLO!!
Ok so i've tried blogging a few times but I never really had a purpose. I was just another lonely soul getting lost within the internet.
I want to mainly blog about beauty products and then hopefully incorporate some of my personal life in there too :)
It will most likely look horrendous for quite a while so theres your warning!!
I have however just bought tons of stuff that i wanna review :)
So watch this space!!
Love Ellysia <3 Mwah xx