Beauty review: No7 instant radiance concealer

It's not often I do reviews on my blog as unless I really love something I don't think it's worth you reading. That and I wouldn't know how to be enthusiastic about mediocre products!

On this occasion I'm reviewing the No7 instant radiance concealer because it is quite frankly the tits!! Recently I went to Boots to find a concealer specifically for my dark under eye circles which wind me up something chronic! I'd been using concealers which were far too heavy for my delicate under eye area and the effect was a tired cakey under eye- not the look I'm going for unless I want to look aged..

I was on a bit of a budget, with the wedding fast approaching and didn't want to waste my pennies on a product that wouldn't work so I headed to the trusty No7 counter and had a lovely lady try out this concealer on me and instant my mind was blown! My eyes were shouting "hello, I'm awake now!" The effect truly was instant! And for that I was sold. £13 isn't a cheap concealer but for use purely under my eyes and not requiring a lot of product to do the job, I saw it as an investment.

Concealer is on the left side (as you're looking at the photo). The right side is make-up free

The sales assistant advised me that you can apply it before your foundation and then again after application if up feel you need a bit of extra coverage. In these photos I have no other make up on to show you just how amazing it is. I'd feel confident to wear this with a touch of mascara and go out, it's that good. The consistency is so light and glides on with ease, only requiring a small amount to do an excellent job. It didn't crease and has great staying power. It's the perfect under eye concealer! It has light reflective particles which disperse dark areas leaving my dark eye area looking light and refreshed. I bought shade III as it's the darkest and matches best with my tan (although it doesn't match my hand I am aware!)

I really can't praise this product enough. No7 have really hit the nail on te head with this one and created an excellent product.

What are your favourite concealers to combat those pesky under we circles?

My Summer Beauty Favourites

MAC Bronzing Powder 

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter 

No7 Instant Radiance Concealer

Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Waterproof Mascara  

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation 

No7 blusher 

No7 BB Lips

I don't usually do beauty favourites but I couldn't go without telling you all about these awesome products I've been loving over summer so far! There's a few No7 products in there and the products pretty much make up my current beauty routine day to day.

MAC Bronzing Powder

This bronzer is the perfect shade for my tanned skin and gives a really healthy glow. I've been applying this to the areas that the sun would hit i.e the top of my forehead, down my nose, chin and also to sculpt around my cheekbones, temples and onto my neck to match it to my face and body. It really helps to give dimension to my face.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation

The studio fix fluid foundation from MAC is oil free and mattifying to my oily skin which is great for longevity and staying power. I bought it in the shade NW25 which is pretty dark on my face but matches up to my body. I don't know why but my face is always a lot paler than my body and looks a bit bizarre! This shade matches well to my tanned skin tone and contains SPF 15 which is handy. 

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter 

This has quickly become my go to lipstick and I'm almost out of it- nooo! In Peach Parfait it is the perfect summer shade with subtle gold shimmer running through it to give your lips glossy luscious appeal. It's also very buidable. I like to dab it on lightly for a day look or apply a couple of times for a highly pigmented glossy evening look. Think I'll be wearing this for my wedding squeeee! :-D

No7 Instant Radiance Concealer

I only picked this up last week but already it has become a firm favourite. I've been looking for an under eye concealer to cover my dark circles and this does exactly what it says on the tin by giving instant radiance! I'd previously been using collection lasting perfection concealer but found it to be too heavy and cakey under the eyes. This is a lighter consistency yet still pigmented and banishes those dark areas with ease whilst keeping my under eye area fresh and awake.

No7 Coral Flush Blusher

My mum actually bought this recently then decided it was the wrong colour so it landed in my lap and I am sooo glad! This colour is just perfect with a tan! It gives a warm coral  glow to your cheeks which comes through well with a dark tan whilst being subtle at the same time. A little bit goes a long way and gives a lovely healthy glow which I think is needed with a tan so you don't look mucky and brown. D'you know what I mean? Yeah.

Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Waterproof Mascara 

I've been a bit dubious of waterproof mascaras in the past due to the formula never being as good as the non-waterproof version..until now.. The consistency of this mascara means it glides on with ease and adds amazing volume and length to your lashes. It gives a real open doe-eyed effect that really emphasis your eyes. And it is oh so water proof which means I shall definitely be wearing this on my wedding day as I'm pretty much destined to sob! Happy tears of course!

No7 BB Lips

I love this No7 BB lips formula in the shade "blink pink" which is such a cute name! It contains UV protection and SPF 15 so it's great to pop on for a day out in the sun and leaves your lips feeling nourished with a healthy pink glow. I need to get the full size one now I've tried the sample but it really is pretty! Kind of between a lip gloss and  lip butter and simply divine. 

I hope you've enjoyed this post, I just need to work on photographing beauty products as it's not my strong point! Any tips and tricks would be much appreciated ^_^. Don't forget to check out the video below!

Kat

xxx

Beauty Haul: March 2014

Hey lovelies, I've got a beauty haul for you! It's been a while!!

Dry Shampoo- Boots

Natural Collection Concealer- Shade Medium

Natural Collection Nail Polishes- Tip whitener, Peach manicure & Mulberry

L'Oreal ELVIVE Extraordinary oil

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter- Peach Parfait

Whilst back in the UK I had to get a few bits I can't live without in Cyprus, the main ones being dry hair shampoo and natural collection products (they're just so cheap)! I opted for Boots own brand dry shampoo in "Paradise Island" as opposed to the Batiste range as it was cheaper and 2 for 1! Bargain! I can happily say it was a good saving and I prefer it to Batiste Its less chalky in the sense it gets rid of the greasy look without leaving a mega obvious chalky residue behind. It's less noticeable and easier to brush out than the batiste range.

I usually would go for the collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer but I was feeling a bit craaazy and went for this natural collections concealer in shade medium. Now I'm no medium shaded lady at present, however once the summer sun hits Cyprus which should be any minute now, I will require a darker shade of concealer and this one matches perfectly to my mac studio fix in shade NW25- result!

As for the Revlon Clourburst lip butter... well... I can tell you that this baby is the tits. It's damn sexy as far as sexual lipsticks go, giving a lovely juicy look to the lips in a sheer glossy way. It glides effortlessly onto the lips and leaves them feeling nourished and smooth! I love the sheerness of the shades as it isn't too over powering and for gals like me who like a bit of colour but nothing too BAM in your face, its perfect! I definitely want to invest in other shades but for now peach parfait is a dream, the subtle shimmer is also perfect for a summer wedding so don't be surprised if it's my lippy of choice for my big day!

The nail colours are pretty self explanatory but I must admit I'd never purchased natural collection nail polishes before. They're surprisingly long lasting, cheap to purchase and have a good colour pay off!

The L'Oreal ELVIVE Extraordinary oil was a re-purchase, being a firm favourite in my hair care routine. It nourishes the hair beautifuly, leaving my naturally dry locks feeling soft and silky. I can get away with quite a lot of this product in my hair without it looking heavy or greasy. And gosh it just smells so lusssssh. Yum.

 Now onto the big guns...

 Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Ohhhh lordy lordy lordy... my life is complete. I am a proud owner of the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. Not only has it taken my UD virginity but it has changed my outlook on the brand. Aaages ago I did a blog post on the MUA undress me too  palette vs the Naked Palette and as good as the MUA dupe was, it just wasn't the real mccoy and I knew it. Now I can see how blind I was.. I was in denial! This is a thing of beauty with its amazing colour pay off, it's beautiful shades which all work seamlessly together and beautiful shimmers. I know there's not a lot of matte shades but quite frankly I don't care. I love shimmer! The hard metal casing also means I can quite confidently pop this in a bag and not worry about it breaking. Roll on trips around the world with me you naked mistress! I could go on but there's hundreds and hundreds of reviews on this palette which I'm sure many of you have read, me included and yeah.. It's beautiful, that is all. The only down fall is it's brush! It's not my favourite as the bristles don't really move the way I like and blend the way I like but hey, I bought the palette for the shadows not the brush!

 Real Techniques Core Collection

Another thing I've been lusting after...brushes! I've not treated myself to new brushes for years and years, sticking with my trusty SBA rushes from college (my makeup career clearly kicked off eh). I've gone from rags to riches with these brushes and being reintroduced into a buffing brush once more. My original college one generally angers me everytime I use it as the bristles fall out of it like some kind of alopecia brush. It's terrible and leaves me with a whisker face- nooiiice! Anyhu, I've been watching the Pixiwoo ladies for a few years now and everytime they get out their real techniques brushes I'm truly fascinated by the way they appear to blend and apply make-up so effortlessly and now I can see why! They're fantastic although I've still not found a major use for the little detailer brush but I'm sure it'll have it's day. The white ends of the bristles hold the product whilst the black half work and blend the product in with ease. The shape of the brushes for me is what really make them great as they fit the contours of my face so well. This kit comes with a: detailer brush, foundation brush, buffing brush and contour brush. The bushes also come with a handy little stand which doubles up as a carry case- perfect for on the go. I trusted that these brushes would be good, being made by make-up artists themselves and I wasn't wrong- they're fantastic and I can't wait to get my hands on the other ones!

Enrapture Totem Styler 

Aaaand last but not least the enrapture totem styler which I have been wanting for a good year now and finally treated myself with some left over Christmas money. If you're looking for a curler which can do many styles then this is the one for you. Thanks to its three heat sections of the barrel, you can create various defined styles dependant on the heat setting. The heat settings range from 1 to 3, 3 being the highest and so far I have created very loose waves on setting 1,1,2 and a more defined look on setting 2,2,3. The size of the barrel is just what I was after as it produces a beautiful wave shape without being ringlety. I know that's not a real word but ye know! Ad another thing to note is the cord twirls which makes it a lot easier when using the curler so the cord doesn't get tangled. Simple things! I may well do a separate post on styles I create with this wand.

So there we have it, my beauty haul done! A lot of waffling by me but I was super excited to share with you guys! Hope you enjoyed, see you sooooooooon!

Kat
xxx