Nars Tinted Glow Booster Review

*This post contains affiliate links.

I'm a sucker for anything glowy so obviously had to try Nars's new Tinted Glow Booster, especially when I found out it was limited edition! I'm a massive fan of Nars's Sheer Glow foundation so I figured this would be a perfect accompaniment!

Nars Tinted Glow Booster is designed be a complexion enhancing fluid that can be worn as a primer under foundation or on its own. It promises to illuminate your complexion whilst blurring pores and giving a dewy, soft focus finish. It also promises to extend how long your makeup lasts. It contains jojoba to help keep skin nourished. It comes in 4 shades which cover all skin tones. I've got the lightest shade. As you can see from the swatches below, it gives skin a warm glowy boost.

Bottom is unblended, top is blended.

The main comparison for this product is Charlotte Tilbury's Flawless Filter, which is a firm favourite of mine. This isn't anywhere near as glowy or illuminating as that so if you found the CT one a bit much, this would be a great option!

I found a need a few pumps worth to cover my face. It's a fairly thin consistency that blends easily. It definitely does a great job of blurring imperfections and giving skin a healthy glow. Performance wise, I've had mixed results. Some days my makeup sits brilliantly on top of this and other days it can look patchy within a few hours. I definitely don't find it hydrating so I prefer to pair it with a more hydrating foundation.

All in all, I've found this to be a fairly average product. As always, that's just how it's worked for me. It may work brilliantly for you! I've read some very positive reviews for it so bare that in mind if you're considering buying it. I'd suggest getting a sample if possible. I definitely prefer the full on glow from CT Flawless Filter. This is certainly a more understated option.

Nars Tinted Glow Booster is available from numerous retailers including Space NK, Cult Beauty and Look Fantastic for £28.

Allies of Skin Molecular Silk Amino Hydrating Cleanser

*This post contains affiliate links.

I'm having a bit of a moment with Allies of Skin so I had to get their newest product, the Molecular Silk Amino Hydrating Cleanser to try. Especially after I'd seen loads of positive reviews for it!

This cleanser can be used either as a first cleanse on dry skin, to remove makeup / SPF or as a second cleanse on damp skin, to clean skin. Consistency wise, it's a thick gel that emulsifies when water is added to easily rinse clean. It has a pH of 5.5 so it won't leave skin feeling stripped or tight. It contains hydrating ingredients - hyaluronic acid, phospholipids and silk amino acids, as well as Vitamin C to brighten skin tone and safflower and moringa oil to purify skin.

So how does it perform? I've used it as both a first and second cleanse. When used as a first cleanse, it applies easily to skin. It doesn't drag or pull skin when applied to dry skin. It melts down a bit to make spreading it about easier. I've used it to remove eye makeup and it's not stung my eyes at all. When a bit of water is added, it easily breaks down makeup. I remove using a damp microfibre cloth. It removes heavy makeup really well and doesn't leave a film on my face, so you could not use a cloth if that's what you prefer.

When used as a second cleanse on damp skin, it emulsifies fairly quickly so I've been preferring to dry my face beforehand so I can give my face a good massage. Whichever way I use it, my skin is left soft, hydrated and clean. The only minor issue I have with this is that I don't get a full spa feeling as it doesn't really have a fragrance. It has a very subtle natural scent which is very un-offensive. Obviously that would be a selling point for some people as they don't like fragrance but for me, I love a full sensory experience with my cleanser, so it's a slight negative. Purely personal preference obviously! That being said, it's not enough to make me dislike it as it's luxurious texture more than makes up for it!

All in all, I'm really enjoying using this cleanser. I prefer to use it as an AM or second cleanse on dry skin. It definitely leaves my skin feeling super comfortable and hydrated.

Allies of Skin Molecular Silk Amino Hydrating Cleanser is available HERE for £39. 

Drunk Elephant F-Balm Review

*This post contains affiliate links.

 

I decided to wait a while before I wrote my review of this product as I wanted to make sure I'd given it a really thorough test! Especially as reviews of it seem to be completely polarised. I'm thinking it's the Marmite of skincare - you either love it or hate it! Anyway, I bought this on the day it became available in the UK - 1st January. It took about a week to arrive because of the sales but I've been using it ever since.

So what does F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial Hydrating Mask promise to do? It's an overnight mask that's designed to strengthen and hydrate skin. It contains:

• Niacinamide to strengthen your skin barrier,
• Squalane to hydrate,
• Ceramides and fatty acids to nourish,
• Vitamin F (hence the name) and antioxidants hydrate and plump.

Texture wise, it's a fairly light gel / cream that contains little balls containing Vitamin F, which pop when rubbed into skin. You can't really feel these though. This ensures the Vitamin F stays fresh.

Now when this was first released, there was a lot of confusion about how to use it. It's called an overnight mask and the instructions say to apply it at night as the last step in your routine, on top of your moisturiser and / or oil. However, DE like to say all their products can be mixed / used together / used both AM and PM, which is where the confusion came in. I'd seen people saying it could be used in place of your moisturiser or that you can use it in the day etc. which I guess you can do but you're unlikely to get the full effect of the product as that's not really what it was designed for. For me, it's been developed to be used as an overnight mask and that's how it should be used (In my opinion anyway. If it works for you when used otherwise, that's great!)

So what do I think of it? I love it! When first applied it soothes and hydrates skin brilliantly. It feels like a protective layer on my skin. It's not heavy or sticky either. My skin the following day is always plump, hydrated and nourished. For me, it give skin an added boost, a bit of oomph.

I know F-Balm caused a lot of people to break out (likely because it contains coconut oil). I was really worried as I've very acne prone. As I break out often and as spots can take weeks to appear, it's very hard for me to say for certain that this did or didn't break me out. What I can say is that I haven't had an increase in spots since using it, nor have I had break-outs in areas other than my chin and jaw (which is wear all my acne is). I would think that if I'd had spots appear on my cheeks or forehead, it would have been a different story! I'm certainly happy keep using it anyway. Plus what breaks one person out, might not cause spots on another! 

As it stands, I'm really impressed with F-Balm and will definitely repurchace it. It's certainly not an essential product but it's a lovely added extra to my routine. I've found I prefer to use it every few nights. I don't think my skin needs it every day. It's a fab treat!

Drunk Elephant F-Balm is available from Space NK & Cult Beauty for £44.

Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer Review

*This post contains affiliate links.

If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I adore the makeup brand Hourglass. They're one of the more high end brands that I like but I think that the higher price reflects the high quality of their products. So when I saw that they were bringing out a concealer, I knew I had to try it! It was perfect timing as well, as I had been looking at getting a new concealer and it was when Space NK had their £15 off a £60 spend offer.

So let's start with what the concealer promises to deliver. It claims to be full coverage, whilst giving a radiant finish. It's also meant to be long-wearing and crease proof for up to 16 hours. It should cover blemishes, dark circles and pigmentation. The concealer contains microspherical powders to fill in lines to provide a smooth finish. It has a flexible doe-foot applicator so it doesn't tug or pull skin. It also claims to feel weightless for comfortable wear. It comes in 22 shades which I thought was a good amount, however looking at the swatches, there doesn't seem to be an even mix of shades. There's definitely more lighter shades so those with deeper skin tones might not find a match, which is a shame.

I used the "find my shade" tool on Space NK's website to guess my shade. It came up with the seconds to palest shade called Crème. This has cool / pink undertones. I'm pleased to say it's a perfect match for me! In fact, it's one of the best matches I've had for a long time! I do however want to say that I know a lot of others that used the same tool to match their shade of this concealer and it was way off! So proceed with caution if using that. I always recommend Temptalia's foundation / concealer match tool too (found HERE). Well worth a look.

Anyway, on to how the concealer performs. Now I don't like applying concealer straight from the applicator to my face, I always use a brush, so I can't comment on how well the applicator works. I can say that I holds plenty of product on it so bear that in mind if you apply straight to your face. It's definitely full coverage - it covers my spots and acne pigmentation with ease. I don't have particularly dark under eyes so can't really say how well it covers dark circles but I suspect it would cover them brilliantly, with how well it covers my spots. Now although it's full coverage, it feels really light on my skin. It blends easily and isn't cakey at all.

I would say the finish is natural / slightly luminous. It's enough to brighten under your eyes without looking too glowy for spot coverage. It's a great balance! I always set my concealer / foundation regardless of finish. I mainly use the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders anyway which are super finely milled and light so rarely make concealer / foundation cakey. It certainly didn't make this one cakey at all.

Now when it comes to my under eye area, I usually struggle with concealers creasing. The only one that doesn't crease for me is Trinny London BFF Eye (review HERE) as it's a concealer / serum hybrid. So I usually use BFF Eye for my under eye and my other concealer for the rest of my face. I did try the Hourglass concealer on my under eyes a couple of times and although it performed well, it still didn't beat BFF Eye for me. However when using Vanish Airbrush on the rest of my face, there was no creasing or cracking at all, even around my nose, which is usually a problem area for this.

All in all, I'm massively impressed with this concealer. Enough to say it's taken No1 place as my favourite (face) concealer! The only slight downside is the price, which is £32 for 6ml. 6ml is a pretty average amount for a concealer so that's not bad at all. The price is obviously on the more expensive side but I think is in line with Hourglass as a brand. For me, they're a "you get what you pay for brand" - they're more expensive but worth every penny in my opinion. I'll certainly be repurchasing it.

Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer is available for £32 from a number of retailers including Space NK, Cult Beauty, Feel Unique and Skin City. 

Dermalogica Biolumin-C Eye Serum Review

*This post contains PR products and affiliate links.

 
Dermalogica kindly sent me their newest Biolumin-C Eye Serum to test as part of their #skinfluencer programme. There's already a Biolumin-C Face serum so this is a great addition to their range.

This serum is designed to hydrate, brighten and firm the eye area along with addressing signs of aging. Sounds great, right? It contains a Vitamin C Peptide complex, antioxidants and Vitamin D.

The serum itself is quite runny and lightweight. You only need a small amount to easily cover the eye area. It has a faint orange scent which is really uplifting. It absorbs quickly and easily, leaving the eye area visibly hydrated. It's great to use either AM or PM. I've been preferring it in my PM routine as I love Drunk Elephant C-Tango in my AM routine. I sometimes suffer with sensitivity around my eyes but haven't had any issues with this. I love the packaging too - you can clearly see how much you're squeezing out thanks to the see through tip.

I don't have particularly bad dark circles but this has certainly kept them at bay. The same with wrinkles! It keeps my eye area well hydrated throughout the day. I'm really impressed. If you're looking for a new eye product, I'd highly recommend this one.

Dermalogica Biolumin-C Eye Serum is available from numerous retailers including Dermalogica, Skin City, Feel Unique and Look Fantastic and costs £63 (£59 on Skin City). Don't forget to shop around for offers!