How time flies - it's been a while since my last post! A few weeks ago I did a bit of shopping for beauty products and I came out with a mini haul from Feel Unique. I really wanted to try these products out thoroughly before I mentioned them to give a proper review, so here they are!
Firstly I was really impressed with the speedy delivery of the package - it came a day or two earlier than the 'Track my Parcel' feature predicted. This might be something to bear in mind if you're ordering from here, but I think of it as a good thing as you don't have to wait so long to try out your new purchases. My order also came with 2 free samples of my choice (but just like me, I lost them before I tried them out!).
Zoella Bath Latte:
I saw this was on offer at the time and thought I'd give it a go - I was looking for something that gave loads of bubbles, and judging by the reviews on the website I wouldn't be disappointed.
The packaging looks really lovely - the rose gold lid matches the reflective pattern on the bottle, and I love the idea of a bath milk being packaged in an old fashioned style milk bottle.
At first I was hesitant to believe the reviews because I assumed that many would be from loyal fans of hers ready to sing her praises, and when I first smelled the product from the bottle I thought it might be a bit too sickly sweet.
However, I was really pleasantly surprised once I actually used it in the bath. The scent was pleasant and not overpowering, and there were SO many bubbles! When I got out of the bath my skin felt really soft (although it's worth noting I always use a splash of baby oil in the bath to soften my skin even more) and I'm sure I'll go through this bottle really quickly.
L'Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Oil:
I've never really done much in terms of haircare because I don't think it's my best feature, but I realised if I want it to look better, I need to give my hair some love!
The glass bottle makes it feel a little more special than if it was plastic, but it also makes me a bit paranoid I'll drop it and end up with hair oil all over my floor! The pump has a 'locked' and 'unlocked' position - just twist it to the right to unlock and dispense the product.
This definitely lives up to its promise of improving the softness and shine in hair, and the smell is really nice and not too perfume-y. It's important to remember that a little goes a long way, so stick to the two drops they recommend using. In my opinion, the best time to apply it is just after a quick towel dry before blowdrying and styling, so that you get some heat protection as well as a bit of hold. I find that my natural waves are brought out a lot more this way.
But, if you're like me and suffer from oily skin and hair that gets greasy fairly quickly, I'd steer clear of putting it near your roots. Applying it to the mid-length to end of your hair should do the trick. However even just limiting it to that, I have noticed I need to wash my hair more frequently.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat:
Speaking of oily skin, I'm really pleased I've found this. Other moisturisers I've tried have left my skin feeling greasy, but this glides on smoothly and leaves my skin feeling hydrated but not sticky.
The way it applies reminds me of a primer, and it does act as one very well. It doesn't affect the way my foundation applies, sits nicely under a full face of makeup, and helps mattify my face through the day.
I'm not claiming it soaks up every bit of oil in my skin - I do look a little bit shiny at the end of the day, but not nearly to the same extent as I would if I wasn't wearing anything.
As for any long-term effects, I haven't noticed any significant changes. And, while I haven't had any painful breakouts since I started using this, I think it's still too soon to say if it's a coincidence or not.
NYX Lingerie - Honeymoon:
Okay, so maybe I was a little influenced by beauty bloggers/vloggers who can flawlessly pull off a brown lip when I bought this...
On my pale complexion, this came out a lot darker than I thought it would. The applicator is longer than I was expecting, and I think a doe foot applicator would make it a bit easier to apply to those small, harder to reach areas like where the top and bottom lips join.
I found it hard to get an even layer of colour with one application due to little spots of clumping, and a second layer looks a bit too dark to be wearable on me. It also tends to exaggerate the fine lines on my lips, but from a distance it isn't really noticeable.
Once it's dried down, I don't notice a huge amount of transfer when eating or drinking (unless you're eating anything with oil, a liquid lipstick's worst nightmare), but this means it can be a pain to take off! My micellar water only made a dent, I had to resort to straight olive oil to take this off! If you're looking for some industrial strength lip colour, this might be the product for you.
I'm not writing this off completely - I want to see if I can make this work, and I'm interested to try some more shades from this range to see if the formula is any different. A brown matte lip is definitely a trend this Autumn, and if I can make this wearable for me then I think I'll enjoy it.
Overall, I was really happy with my little haul and with Feel Unique as a whole. This isn't sponsored, but I think it's a great website and it has a ton of my favourite brands stocked (like Clinique, Urban Decay, NARS & loads more), as well as some really good deals and offers.
If you want to try it out for yourself, you can use this link to get 15% off your first order: http://referme.to/g5svOGo
Happy shopping! X