OPI 'Gaining Mole-Mentum'

As usual I was fabulously late to the party when it came to OPI's latest Muppets collection, Muppets Most Wanted, but while on a rare trip to the Trafford Centre I popped into John Lewis and my eyes were instantly drawn to this little gem.

Gaining Mole-Mentum is a mixed metal and rose glitter polish suspended in a clear base. The glitter type itself is most commonly described as 'shredded' and as such is a welcome change from the usual circular, hexagonal or square glitters that most polish people make..

Below, you can see the polish firstly in natural daylight, then in artificial light both with and without flash.

I tried this polish over both a light greige kind of colour and then over plain black and was pleased with the versatility of the colours. Unlike the majority of glitter polishes, which tend to be very much suited to the festive period, this is a polish that can carry through every season effortlessly if paired with the right base colour.

My only grumble about this gorgeous glitter would be that due to the jagged shapes of glitter, the occasional piece will stick up and stubbornly refuse to stay flat to the nail. This can somewhat be sorted by applying a topcoat but the best option is to apply the polish slowly and remove any pieces that don't sit flat...

...Which leads me nicely onto application. The wonderful thing about this glitter is that you really do have the option of applying it sparingly or covering the whole nail if you choose to (though always make sure to use a strong base coat!) In my swatch I applied one thick coat but you can very easily apply one thin coat if you like. Unlike some glitters, the consistency of the clear base is thin enough for the polish to remain fluid and for the glitter not to merely cling to the brush and stay there for the rest of eternity (American Apparel, I'm looking at you here!)

Of course, OPI doesn't come cheap and a polish like Gaining Mole-Mentum will set you back somewhere around the £12 mark, so this is very much a 'treat yourself' kind of product but it's ever so worth it.  So go on, treat yourself ;)

Have you tried anything from Muppets Most Wanted?

R x

Things You All Need: & Other Stories 'Shinjuku Bloom' Body Scrub

During my recent family visit to London, I turned into a bit of a beauty junkie... by which I mean I was acutely aware that I was suddenly surrounded by stores and brands that Yorkshire is still lacking. One of these stores was H&M's 'spin off' store & Other Stories. If you haven't yet heard about it, give it a quick google and I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Because I'm terrible at describing scents and also forgot to take a photo of the actual product, here's a screenshot of the site...

For £7 you get 250ml of rich yet fresh smelling, non-scratchy body scrub that will lather up brilliantly with a bit of water and really does leave your body feeling insanely smooth. It's not too intense feeling and doesn't leave the skin stinging at all. I have to say, I absolutely love the scent of this product and it's perfect for spring and summer - it's fresh smelling without being a citrus kind of scent, but also sweet smelling in a way that isn't sickly or too reminiscent of autumnal/winter scents. Basically, I have completely fallen in love with this product. 

If you find yourself near & Other Stories or are making an online order, I highly recommend you give this a try. There are six other scents (Lemon Daydream, Rose Revival, Couture Carnival, Punk Bouquet, Fig Fiction and Moroccan Tea) so if Shinjuku Bloom doesn't sound like your kind of scent, head over to their website (stories.com) and read up on the other scents. 

Have you tried any & Other Stories products? Do you think you will? Let me know in the comments below!

Lastly, I have a new email address specifically for this blog and my YouTube channel. So, if any of you have any questions or comments and fancy sending me an email, I'd love to hear from you at rachel.soshedances@gmail.com :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachel.soshedances@gmail.com
Tumblr: lookintothestorm.tumblr.com

It's All Peachy

A few weeks ago I mentioned the Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in Berry. Well today I'm sharing a second shade from the series with you, Peach. I initially assumed this was way too light for my complexion, but in actual fact I feel it suits me quite well and for a drugstore product, I really can't rave about it enough. 

It's a super pigmented cross between a mousse and a cream blush. I had initial reservations because we all know Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse is never going to win an award for being a wonderful foundation, and I feared this would head the same way. Thankfully, not only is it super pigmented, but it's also super easy to apply and incredibly long lasting on the skin. I really struggle to find powder blushes that will stay put, but this really does last from morning to night and it has become such a staple item for me during my hectic university days. 

What are your thoughts? Have you tried the Dream Touch blushes? Let me know in the comments below :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com
Tumblr: lookintothestorm.tumblr.com

Celestial

Those of you with a keen eye for new releases might have already figured out what today's post is about purely by the title, but if you're not quite up to speed on recent releases then you might be excited to hear that Rimmel have released a new line of lip products.

All hail the Apocalips! I'm actually quite wary of hyped releases such as this, as usually the products don't really live up to expectation. The colours in this line are, admittedly, gorgeous, although only the colour I'm showing you today appealed to me personally. The remaining shades, such as Big Bang or Stellar, are perfect for those who love to wear a bright, bold lip. I picked up Celestial while I had some time to kill in the train station last week and am pleased to say that it does indeed live up to expectation.

Of the lip products I already own, I'd compare the formula and consistency of this product to my NYX lip creams. Celestial is a vibrant, springtime pink that stays on the lips for a very decent amount of time and won't need to be reapplied every hour or so. The only downside to this product is the smell, which really does not appeal to me at all. Thankfully, it disappears once on the lips and it doesn't hang around for long at all.

As a student who often spends all day in university without chance to reapply make-up, I have to say I was very impressed with this product. I also think it will be very versatile and can be used to create a number of looks. 

Here's what it looks like overall ^ What do you think? Have you tried any of the Apocalips products? Do you think you would now? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

Perfection in a tube?

Today I'm going to talk about a product that has definitely already done the rounds on blogs and YT channels, but as usual I'm totally behind with the times and have only recently decided to see if the hype is justified. Being a lip product lover, I can only be talking about the Clarins 'Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector'.

Mine is shade 1 'Rose Shimmer' and I bought it for £16.00 from Debenhams. Firstly, this product smells divine... It really reminds me of the Korres 'Jasmine' lip butter scent which I love. Secondly, the colour payoff is surprisingly good. For a nude lipgloss, I expected the pigmentation to be fairly lacking, but as you will see from my swatches it is definitely pleasing. 

These swatches are taken in different light. The first is taken without flash in dim light, and the second is also without flash but in daylight. My lips are naturally slightly darker than most nude lip colours can suit, but because this product isn't fully pigmented I feel I can pull it off well and it feels lovely on the lips.

Have you tried any of these? I know the coral coloured one is also popular. If you have, let me know in the comments :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

YSL 'Le Teint Touche Eclait' Foundation Review

It's 11:46pm as I sit down to write this post, so I apologise in advance for any spelling mistakes or sentences that just don't make sense. I've been up at about 8am two days running to sit in and wait for a delivery (don't even get me started on deliveries...) and revision is just about killing me. So, to try and balance out the stress I thought I'd take to my blog and talk about my most recent purchase.

As far as I know, the foundation is relatively new to the YSL range. My shade is BD40 (Beige Dore 40) and I was colour matched at my nearest YSL counter. 

For £28.00, you get this 30ml bottle, though in my experience you don't need a lot at all to get decent, long-lasting coverage. I am actually able to wear this foundation without using a concealer over any blemishes, but I'd say the coverage is medium. I wore this all day on Friday with barely any powder and found that it pretty much lasted all day, including through a nap on the sofa where I woke up with one half of my face pressed into a cushion. 

A little bit terrifying, but here's how it looks on my skin. This photo was taken in natural daylight and the only other face products I have on are blush on the apples of my cheeks and the Touche Eclait highlighter around my eyes. 

I feel like this foundation is definitely worth investing in as it will last me for ages and gives me better coverage than any drugstore foundation in my collection (and believe me, I have a fair few of them). I don't feel like my face looks too made-up and the fact that I don't need to spend an eternity concealing my face is a big plus point. 

I also got given a 7 day sample of this, which has gone in my little handbag make-up bag for when I'm out during the day. If you're interested in the foundation, it would be a good idea to go and get colour matched then try it out for a while.

What do you think? Have you ever tried high-end foundations? Do you prefer drugstore foundations? Let me know in the comments below :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo

Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti

Instagram: iRachey

Email: rachelelizabeth.xo@googlemail.com

TRESemmé 'Split Remedy Conditioner' Review

I don't know about you, but by the time I go for my hair cutting, my hair is horrific. I go every six weeks or so, and by the time I'm sitting in my lovely hairdresser's chair, 'split ends' is an understatement.

I received a sample of this product in one of the beauty magazines (I think it was Marie Claire) in November and after trying it out, I decided to get the full product.

I didn't even think to review this, but my friend Hayley tweeted about split ends and I recommended it to her. So if you read this Hayley, hi ;) TRESemmé tell you that you will experience an 80% reduction in split ends after just three uses (and if you don't believe me, it's on the bottle above). Now, I can neither confirm nor deny this claim, and I'm pretty sure I haven't yet developed a way of measuring all of my split ends, but for what it's worth I think it does work.

I have a hair appointment on Saturday, so by now my hair should look absolutely hideous on the ends and feel like it's in desperate need of a good trim and treatment. I've been using this on and off for a few weeks now, and I'm pleased to report that, for the most part, my the ends of my hair still look great. I generally have quite troublesome hair, but this leaves it feeling soft and looking shiny, something which so many products have failed to do.

For £4.99, you get 500ml of product in what feels and looks like a ridiculously large, heavy bottle. Yes, it's more expensive that whatever might be on offer in your local supermarket, but it's worth noting that you do get more product and it does do its job. 

Overall, I think this is a really good product and is worth trying out if, like me, you have the annoyance of bad split ends. If you have tried this, or if you do after reading this, leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts :)

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo
Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti
Instagram: iRachey

Benefit 'Wanna?' Lipstick Review

Hola everybody! In my November Favourites, I mentioned Benefit's 'Wanna?' lipstick and said that although it was a new purchase, I loved it. 

I'm pleased to report that my thoughts are still the same on this gorgeous, vibrant-yet-deep raspberry pink from Benefit's Full-Finish lipstick collection. 

If bought directly from Benefit, this lipstick costs £14, however if you go to a counter in department stores - especially around this time of year - they often have discounts on so you could theoretically get it for a bit cheaper. I bought mine during one of Debenhams' sale weeks, so mine cost something around £12. 

I really love this lipstick. Up until very recently, I didn't own anything by Benefit. Now, two of my go-to daily products are Benefit and one of my current favourite lipsticks is too. Isn't it funny how that works...?


What do I love?

- I really, really love the packaging that this comes in. I didn't think to take a photo, but the packaging is funky and interesting. Brilliant description, right?...

- The size. This lipstick isn't too big, nor is it too small. The 'bullet' feels sturdy and secure in its casing too, which for £14 you'd definitely expect.

- The colour. As I mentioned, this is a vibrant looking raspberry pink, although in some lighting it can lean more towards being a raspberry red and in some lights it appears a lot deeper and darker in colour. I've never seen a lipstick colour quite like this, and I know Benefit isn't exactly praised for its lipsticks like other brands (Mac, I'm looking at you), so it's quite probable that there will be more hidden gems in their collection too.

What don't I love?

- The fact that this lipstick really needs lip liner underneath it. I know, I know, most bright shades do. I often think that the reason nudes are so popular is because they take minimal effort to throw on while you're rushing out of the house, but there are bright, colourful lipsticks that don't necessarily need a liner. Unfortunately, this one does, which means that my usage of it will be limited. Still, given the price tag, that isn't necessarily a bad thing - I have a habit of using the same lipstick over and over for a good month and then ignoring it, so I'm hoping this won't happen as much with Wanna?.

Here's a shot of me wearing it. Please bear in mind that this was taken at around 8pm when I was a) ill, b) absolutely exhausted and c) had been out for my mum's birthday meal.

Overall, I really love this lipstick and am looking forward to wearing it out over the coming months. I think it's actually versatile enough to take it through into the summer months too, if you so desired. What do you think? Can you see yourself rocking a raspberry colour over the winter? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Twitter: rachelizabethxo
Personal blog: estoy mejor sin ti
Instagram: iRachey