TK Maxx Bella Pierre haul!

On one hand I feel guilty about this recent haul but on the other it was just too much of a bargain to miss out on.

I know I have mentioned a thousand times that Bella Pierre is my favourite brand, I use their mineral foundation daily and almost exclusively (with the exception of dabbling with BB creams) for over 2 years.

So imagine my delight when my sister walked in with a Bella Pierre skin care set she found in TK Maxx for a bargain price of £35! I had been prepared to myself to spend over £100 for these, which I included in my 2012 wish list, so the 60% discount was a nice surprise.

After this, the mission was on to seek out more Bella Pierre bargains, which included the complete face kits, 9-eyeshadow shimmer stack and a lip kit. They also had some other eyeshadow trio kits, which I decided to pass on. 

I was lucky that the medium complete face kit contains my exact shade, however even if I did have to pass the foundation on to someone else the brushes, blusher, bronzer and more in the kit still make it excellent value for money.

I will of course be blogging about the individual items as I get a chance to test them out but in the mean time if you are a fan or want to give the brand a try I recommend checking out your local TK Maxx.

Liz Earle series: Sheer skin tint

It has been a while since my last Liz Earle series post but I’m back with a review of the sheer skin tint, which I have been using on and off since my trip to Dubai back in March.

 Looking back I am not sure what I expected from this product. I hoped that on holiday it would provide a good alternative to foundation, evening out my skin tone without being too heavy and not melting in the heat.

Unfortunately while I Dubai my skin broke out quite badly. I suspect that it was the water because my hair wasn’t in the best condition either. Anyway, this meant that something with only sheer coverage just wasn’t going to cut it for covering up redness. The product naturally gives a dewy finish, which in the heat meant that I looked very shiny, nothing that a dusting of powder couldn’t fix, but being shiny and red isn’t a good look. Suffice to say, I wasn’t loving it and was glad that I made a last minute decision to include my mineral foundation!

After I returned to the UK and my skin calmed down I gave the product another shot, but it just didn’t deliver the “perfect way to enhance your skin”. It really is sheer (hence the lack of face photos), but that left me wondering, whats the point? Even away from the heat here, the product still looked to shiny rather than dewy.

I use shade beige (02), which is the closest match to my skin tone but not perfect. The consistency is slightly heavier than a moisturiser and there is no smell to the product. I have applied with my fingers and a foundation brush, but personally, I tend to over apply with fingers and like to buff the product in.

If you are looking for any sort of coverage, this isn’t the product to try. Equally, if you are looking for something to enhance your skin, I would recommend a tinted moisturiser or a BB cream, which in some cases are cheaper and have added benefits. I think this is only suitable for those with a next to flawless complexion and to them I would say, lucky you, skip the tint!

First impression — Alpha-H liquid gold

When it comes to skin care, and even some makeup products, I like to test for a good few weeks before I make up my mind and finally write a review. So I thought it would be good idea to start a writing a first impressions posts, a week or so after having tried something to give you just that, my first impression, which can be used a base for comparison a few weeks on.

Alpha-H is a brand that I had heard of, but largely ignored, thinking that it was meant for older skin. After watching their presentation on QVC and hearing that it is a great brand for over 25s who are thinking about anti-ageing, I snapped up the today's special value, which included their landmark product, liquid gold.

You use liquid gold as you would a toner, applying after cleansing at night. However, that is then the last step on your skin care routine, which is ideal on nights when you are feeling lazy about your skin care routine.

The solution is made up of fruit acids, silk proteins and licorice extract, which are meant to jump start the skin’s metabolism, tightening enlarged pores and giving a brighter, clearer complexion. It is meant to be suitable for combination and oily skin types and as an acne treatment (when used with other Alpha-H products).

You really do see the benefits overnight, my pores look smaller, my acne marks faded and a recently breakout has cleared up very quickly. I have been using this every other night as stated, but what I have noticed is that by the end of the day my skin condition doesn’t look as good, so I am hoping with a couple of weeks use, my skin will improve overall.

Be sure to check back in a couple of weeks for the verdict!