Reviewing Witch products - Do they work?

Hi everyone,

So today I'm going to be blogging about the brand Witch. They do go way back and some of you might remember their products being a really big thing years and years ago. I don't really hear anyone talk about the brand as much anymore but I came across some of their products when I was searching for some skin care products for treating the bad breakouts I've been having lately and as I haven't tried them before, I felt keen to give them a try.

I find it really hard to get rid of the spots that do tend to pop up so I'm always on the look out for new products to try. You might see me blog about similar products in the future.

I grabbed five of their products altogether (They do have a bigger range) but unfortunately I've somehow lost the concealer stick and have searched my entire bedroom for it. It's just disappeared. The other four products are their cleansing and toning wipes, blemish gel, cleansing lotion, and a blemish stick. (Just to mention as well that I have been trying them out for just over a week to get a proper use of them)

If the name doesn't give it away, all of their products contain extracts of witch hazel. Witch hazel is a natural ingredient that contains antioxidants which help to maintain normal skin renewal and encourage the nature cycle of skin replenishment, vital for when your skin is recovering from breakouts. It is also meant to help tighten and close damaged skin, helping to reduce inflammation and re-infection and encourage healing (I've taken this bit of info off their website by the way)

Their products are also all oil free and suitable for all skin types. They do say they are especially good for oily/combination skin. 

So they say the cleansing and toning wipes quickly removes makeup and dirt and cleans skin whilst tightening pores. You get your standard 25 wipes in a pack. When removing my makeup I did use my regular wipes to remove the makeup from one half of my face and then the Witch wipes on the other just to compare how well they removed my makeup. And they did the exact same as my regular ones, which are from the Simple range by the way. The only difference I found between the two was how they felt. The Simple wipes felt softer on my face and easier to glide along my skin if that makes sense. The Witch wipes were slightly more rough so I don't know how that would feel for those with super sensitive skin. It did take a little longer for the one side of my face to dry as well compared to the Simple side.

I used the cleansing lotion next with a cotton pad. I thought it was going to be like a cream because of the 'lotion' bit but it's definitely more like a toner. It did remove more dirt that the wipes didn't get to. I didn't like the feel of my face afterwards. It felt really wet and sticky and took ages again to dry naturally. Honestly, it took like a good half an hour for my skin to look normal and feel clean and soft. That might not be and huge deal for others but it bothered me.

I did try out the blemish stick and usually did it later in the evening, usually after showering. It just comes in a tube like this

It's a turn lid and to get to the product you just push up from the bottom so the stick appears.

Which is okay. But to push the bar back into place you literally have to push the product down. I hate that as the bar is quite soft as it is and I just don't feel it's all that hygienic. I don't understand why they couldn't have made it twistable or something. Here's what the actual stick bar thingy looks like so you know what I am talking about

You just apply the stick to problem areas and let it dry naturally. It has a really a strong smell and definitely dried out any spots I had.

And as for the blemish gel, I used this before bedtime as it recommended. I just dabbed the gel onto my spots and left it overnight. I think this was pretty much the same thing as the blemish stick but just in the form of a gel to leave over night.

I have been using these products for over a week now and I only kept one of my usual skin products in my daily routine which was my Naobay gel to milk cleanser which I used in the mornings. And obviously I washed my face in the evenings too.

Everything else were these four products.

My review? I definitely think the products did something. I felt my spots did get smaller and less red and the stick and blemish gel really got to work by drying my spots out. But these product do contain alcohol which is how they worked this way I think. By day four of using these products my skin had definitely got a lot more drier. It didn't look that noticeable until I put on my usual foundation and found it was clinging to so many dry patches that weren't there before. It went awful cakey too. I've also been producing a lot more oil because of the dryness so breakouts have been coming with it.

I do think my skin looks cleaner. The spots the products worked on definitely made a difference but I felt like it may have been a losing battle because as soon as it worked on the current spots, more came up because of the oils I was producing and the dryness it caused.

I would probably definitely recommend this for any of you who have really oily skin and a lot of breakouts. I do think you may get a good change but I just don't want to use products that cause the very thing they advertise to help fight. I get that when you usually try out new products you can have a big mess; You know, it gets worse before it gets better kind of thing but these products have alcohol in them so would continue to dry out my skin, thus I produce more oil leading to more breakouts.

If you're interested in trying the brand out you can get the products from Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Superdrug and they're really affordable products too.

Like I said, I definitely think they're right when they say these work best on oily skin.

If you've tried products from Witch let me know what you think of them and what products you have tried. I'd love to hear from those of you who read this. 

Testing out the Makeup Revolution Retro Luxe Lip Vault set

Hey everyone,

I'm back again. I know I'm pretty late with these but I recently purchased the Retro Luxe Lip Vault set by Makeup Revolution. I have been eyeing the lip kits for a good month and then saw they had this set for half price on Tambeauty.com. Couldn't beat the price one bit.

So that's what this post will be about.

Just going to start in and say for any of you who might go look this set up, Tambeauty do ship worldwide. I don't know anything about customs and charges though as I'm from within the UK. They do stock other brands besides Makeup Revolution and they currently have a huge sale on right now. You know when you get those really crappy sales that you just think 'Really' Well this is the opposite in my opinion. A lot of stuff is half price. Though I do always say nothing is a bargain unless you actually really want the item, otherwise you've just wasted your money.

Anyway, so if anyone doesn't know about the lip kits from Makeup Revolution I can tell you that when you see the packaging you'll instantly be reminded of Kylie Cosmetics lip kits. Makeup Revolution's kits also come with a lipstick and liner and the packaging details a set of lips just minus the dripping like Kylie's. You get a total of ten lip kits in the set with five being matte, two a gloss, and the other three being metallic.

The box itself comes in a gorgeous gold metallic cover.

And the actual box that contains the lip kits has a magnetic closure. The cover just has the words Makeup Revolution in gold print and the name of the kit. (I have a fascination with the magnetic closure. So satisfying snapping it open and shut)

Anyway, when you open it you'll see on the inner cover different coloured lips for each kit and with their own names.

The top five are the names of the matte kits and the bottoms are the gloss and metallic kits.

You have two drawers that slide out super easy and can also be taken out entirely. The matte kits are in the top drawer and gloss and metallic kits are in the bottom.

The names of the matte kits are Echelon, Grandee, Noble, Duchess, and Highness

The names of the two gloss kits are Honour and Original. And the three metallic kits are Empress, Regent and In waiting.

Here are the swatches of the lip kits

From top to bottom - (Mattes) Echelon, Grandee, Noble, Duchess, and Highness. (Gloss) Honour and Original. (Metallics) Empress, Regent, and In waiting.

The second picture is exactly the same but from bottom to top nstead.

I definitely think some of the shades show up better than others and you need to apply a bit more product with some of the kits. I honestly couldn't see that much of a difference with the shades Echelon and Noble. I mean there was a difference just about but really nothing to compare.

The glosses weren't what I was expecting. I was expecting an actual gloss but I felt they were more a lip cream than anything with a slight dry finish. This I did prefer though.

The metallic shades are absolutely stunning, with Empress being more pigmented than, say, In Waiting.

With the sale price of £25 the lip kits have cost me £2.50.

At their full price of £50 the lip kits will cost you £5. That is still cheaper than their Rrp price of each kit costing £6 pounds.

I can tell you that having checked the website again the sale price is still on and the kit is still in stock. UK shipping is a stand rate of £2.95 under £30.

I can say that I am really happy with this lip set. I loved the shades and the variety and think they are definitely worth the price even at their full Rrp. You can get these kits separate if there's one particular shade that has caught your eye or you just don't want to purchase the entire kit.

They do have other shades that aren't included in the vault set as well.

If you have tried the Makeup Revolution lip kits let me know what shades you have tried and what you think. And if you have the Retro Luxe vault set let me know too what you think of the kits and what one is your favourite in the set.

Glossybox unboxing - January 2018 UK box

Hey everyone,

I'm back with another Glossybox unboxing and the first one of 2018.

For anyone who has read my other Glossybox unboxing posts, you'll know that the last box (December) had a theme. This months box goes back to the standard baby pink Glossybox design.

Like every other box you always get five products, with at least four products being full sized and the products are always going to be worth more than what you pay. You always get an information card as well on what products are in the box and a bit about them.

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Okay, so the first big product in the box is from Boots and it's their Beauty Beneath Supplements. You get a one month supply consisting of 60 capsules. It says by taking the capsules it will improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The capsules are to be taken twice daily and each capsule is packed with 19 nutrients, 'helping to boost your own collagen production, fading fine lines and wrinkles while leaving skin softer than ever'

I'm not one for taking beauty supplements like this and definitely couldn't try taking down pills the size of gobstoppers so I'll definitely be seeing if someone in my family would want to try them.

The second product is a Green tea primer by Evelyn Iona Cosmetics. It's cruelty free and free of parabens. The ingredients include Avocado oil and green tea extract which they say will help reduce the appearance of fine lines and large pores, nourish and protect your complexion, and help your makeup stay put for longer.

There is also a cream blush by Apicia and it says like all of their other products, it is rich in organic bee pollen to help nourish skin. A deep honey pink it is suitable for all skin tones.

The fourth product is a nail and cuticle energizer from the brand Nail Medic. Full of vitamins, plant extracts, revitalising eucalyptus and soothing lavender, it helps brittle nails, split cuticles and dry skin. It will help for stronger and hydrating nails.

And the final product is the Moroccan Rose Superfood Facial Oil by Dr Botanicals. It says 'This gorgeous facial oil is packed full of skin enriching minerals and vitamins, which all work together to rejuvenate, renew and protect your complexion.

And that is the five products you get in this months box. I'm definitely looking forward to trying the Moroccan facial oil, the primer and the nail and cuticle energiser. The pills is definitely not my cup of tea and I'm not feeling the love for the cream blush either  but will definitely give it ago.

Here is a list of the five products below and the Rrp price

Beauty Beneath Supplements - Boots Rrp £39.99 Full Size

Green Tea Primer - Evelyn Iona Cosmetics Rrp £22 - Full size

Cream blush - Apicia Rrp £22 - Full size

Nail and cuticle energizer - Nail Medic Rrp  £5.99 - Full size

Moroccan Rose Superfood Facial Oil - Dr Botanicals Rrp £55 for full size - Travel size

I'll also mention that I've been trying the gel to milk cleanser from December's box by the brand Naobay and it's absolutely amazing. It has made my skin feel a lot more cleansed and softer and overall looks healthier. It feels a bit like one of those volcanic masks when you use the product so I recommend this.

Anyway, if anyone else has a subscription for Glossybox, be the UK box or overseas, leave a comment and let me know what you think of this months box and what products you got if you got a different box.

Trying out Technic makeup - Really affordable

Hey everyone,

So I have bought a bunch of makeup from the brand Technic and now that everything has arrived in the post I have been able to try the products out and can now blog about them.

The first thing to mention about Technic is that it's a really affordable brand with most items costing under £5 pounds. They have a fairly big range so there is a variety of stuff you can choose from. You can get the products from Fragrancedirect, lovethymake-up, Dorothy Perkins, Ebay, and I believe Boohoo and Prettylittlething also stock the brand. The brand is cruelty free but not all of their products are vegan.

Okay, so the products I have are two foundations, a bb cream, two highlighters (One liquid and the other powder) a transparent loose powder, a primer, a mascara, an eye crayon, a concealer, and a contour stick set.

I'm going to try and use as many products as I can just because I want to test as many as possible in one look.

The foundations I got were the fluid foundation in the shade Light and the colour fix foundation in the shade Buff. The fluid foundation comes in your standard 30ml and the colour fix comes in 35ml. The packaging is what you would expect for the price. You do get a pump with the colour fix and the fluid foundation is just a squeeze tube.

Right away the foundations looked like they were going to be too dark for me but I did try one of them anyway just to see how they applied, how well the coverage is, and how long the foundation lasted. The left is the colour fix and the right shade is the fluid foundation.

I did use the primer first and actually found it was okay when first using. It did come out bitty when I tested some on my arm but once I gave the bottle a good shake that problem went away.

The texture was like a cream and it dried really quick when applying onto the face. I couldn't tell I was wearing the primer; like it didn't feel heavy or sticky or anything like that. It does have a slight smell but barely anything noticeable.

The foundation I used was the colour fix foundation just because it didn't look as dark as the fluid foundation. It actually isn't that bad when applying. I thought it was going to be really dark but I was actually pleasantly surprised. The foundation is supposedly full coverage but I can tell you that this is not true. I did go back over with another amount of foundation and it didn't do anything so it's not buildable either. The foundation was slightly cakey in some places and was slightly crumbly in patches on my cheeks. I don't know if this is from the foundation itself or the primer underneath.

I did also apply the foundation with a makeup brush on one side of my face and a blender on the other and there wasn't much of a difference.

The concealer I got was in the shade Light and it honestly did nothing for me. It didn't do anything to any of my spots. It just seemed to disappear into nothing when blending it in.

I did also use all three of the contour sticks. You get dark, light, and a highlighter and at the back of the packaging it tells you how to use them. I literally followed the back just because contouring is not something I do.

Okay, so these were really hard to blend. I tried a brush, a makeup sponge, and even my fingers and when I finally got it to blend it was just pointless. If it's meant to contour it did exactly the opposite. I felt the highlighter was probably the most visible of the three crayons

The mascara was weird. I mean I got the point of the wand but I just didn't like it.

It did take a few coats to get results on my lashes and it wasn't bad. They didn't clump or anything but they weren't uplifting or spectacular or anything like the product was advertising.

So onto the translucent loose powder. Again, this didn't really do much for me and it was really chalky and powdery. Like I know that it's a powder but the product just got everywhere. More everywhere than on my face.

So the highlighter was quite promising. There were two to try from; A powder and a liquid.

I know the powder one reminded me of the highlighter from Makeup Revolution and Milani. The liquid one I am told is a dupe from Benefit on their high beam highlighter but as I haven't tried the Benefit one I couldn't say if it is.

I did try the liquid one just because when swatching the two this one seemed to have more promising results. The top one is the powder and the second one the liquid.

I liked the highlighter. It gave a nice glow but did take some blending as it really did just look like a streak otherwise.

So these were all of the products I tried. I didn't obviously try the bb cream and I didn't fancy trying the eye crayon just because...Did you see the size of the crayon.

I wish I had picked up some eyeshadow and one of their lipsticks or lip palettes so I could have really got a full face of everything.

I'm sorry I haven't got any actual pictures of the makeup on. My phone camera is so so bad and I'm working on getting my actual camera working again (It just needs a new memory card)

I wasn't able to wear this look all day because I had a driving lesson and there was no way I was going out with how the foundation looked. If I was staying at home I could have stuck it through for longer. I can definitely tell you that the hour or so I did have it on, the foundation did get dramatically worse. It was separating in a lot of places and had gotten even cakier. It didn't conceal any of my pores, reduce the redness and appearance of my spots or really give any coverage.

I did like the highlighter and thought the mascara was good. The products are really cheap so you do get what you pay for.

If anyone has read my post and has tried the brand yourself let me know what you think.