Lily Lolo mineral eyeshadow: review

Lily Lolo mineral eyeshadow (2g) £5.29
Available online at lilylolo.co.uk and amazon.co.uk

Ethics:
BUAV approved cruelty free
Ethically sourced
Natural ingredients
Made in UK

Review:
These eyeshadows come in cute little pots. Although they look quite small, the products are highly pigmented so a little bit goes a long way. It's also really easy to build up the colour, making it stronger and darker by applying another layer. I apply them onto my eyelids with an eyeshadow brush but you can also use your fingers. They're really easy to apply, aren't drying and easily blend into the skin without leaving creases. I find that they're also long lasting, so I can't fault the formulation at all. The ingredients are really simple; the main one is mica followed by titanium dioxide (which also adds a SPF) then a small handful of colours. That's it!

In order, the colours I've tried are: Chocolate fudge cake, Honey peach and Vanilla shimmer but there are loads more to choose from. Chocolate fudge cake is my favourite of the three, it looks very purpley in the pot but once it's applied it appears as a mid to deep, rich brown colour with shimmery purple undertones when it hits the light. All of these colours are two dimensional and shimmery, revealing a slightly lighter sheen when they catch the light. I think this is really flattering and brightens up the eyes.

Overall I love the natural ingredients, beautiful colours, high quality and ethics behind this family brand. Their eyeshadows could also make a perfect gift as you can choose for yourself any three colours and have them packaged in a nice-looking gift box for £14.99.

10/10

Dainty Doll loose mineral powder foundation and concealer click pen: Review

Dainty Doll loose mineral powder foundation (32g) £19.50
and
Dainty Doll concealer click pen (12g) £12.50
Available at larger Boots stores, Debenhams stores and online at daintydoll.co.uk

Ethics:
I emailed Jelly Pong Pong before buying their products and they assured me that:

They do not test on animals.
They do not use any animal by-products.
Their manufacturing plants are environmentally conscious and cruelty-free.

However I noticed after buying them that they are distributed by Original Additions, who seem to be an animal testing company.

Foundation Review:
Dainty Doll is a makeup collection inspired by Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud and created by company Jelly Pong Pong. The idea is that the range of product colours and tones will match and suit very place skin colours. This is absolutely what drew me to the brand because I’m very pale skinned and have always found it problematic searching for skin make-up that doesn’t leave me looking orange.

I bought the foundation in the very lightest colour, 001 and was surprised to find it was actually too light for my skin and made it look much paler. So unless you’re extremely pale, as in goth-pale, go for the colour up (I presume that would be 002) even if you’re very light skinned. The product itself is fine, I think the foundation looks very light almost as if you’re not wearing much makeup while the coverage is still decent. Mineral foundation is really good for oily skin which is why I picked this one up, and found that the formula worked well with my skin type. The brush that comes with it is very soft and good quality, but you’d expect that for the price.

However, the packaging design is horrible. The applicator brush is attached to the vial of powder which means it doesn‘t come out easily at all, making it take far longer to apply than I can put up with since only tiny bits of powder come out at a time. It would be much better if the two were separate but alas I cannot seem to rip them apart. Shame.

Overall, the quality of the product is good but the design lets it down. It’s also pricey and wouldn't have bothered buying it if I'd realised the problems. I only used it once, disappointed.

6/10

Concealer Review:
The clicky part of the pen moves the formula up from the tube to the brush tip. This can be a bit tricky and it can take a few seconds for it to register, which lead to way too much concealer plopping out all over the place for me. As with the foundation, I think this is a design flaw. The actual concealer itself however is pretty nice, very light on the skin and doesn't look cakey. It's creamy so suitable for use around the eye area.

7/10

Lush Enzymion facial moisturiser: Review

Enzymion facial moisturiser (45g) £13.50
Available from Lush stores or online at lush.co.uk

Ethics:
Against animal testing.
100% recycled packaging.
Fair trade.
Vegan.
Made in UK.

Read more about Lush’s ethics here


Review:
Enzymion is a light moisturiser intended for oily skin, formulated with fruit extracts. Fresh lemon juice is the main ingredient and is intended to mattify skin, helping to keep natural oils away. Aloe vera gel is second on the list of ingredients and acts to calm spotty skin while papaya juice is meant to ‘brighten’ skin. In lesser quantities, emollients are also included to keep your skin hydrated; Cocoa butter comes third on the list of ingredients, followed by glycerine and essential oils which all act to lightly moisturise.

The first thing I noticed about this cream is the lovely strong lemony fragrance which is long lasting; I can still smell it a few hours after application. It is a light moisturiser, but not as light as some others I’ve used so I think it would suit both oily and ‘normal’ skin. The claim that it prevents oil production however isn’t true for me; my skin gradually becomes just as oily as ever using this cream so that disappointed me a little.

Overall, this product is a little bit on the expensive side compared with it’s cruel-counterparts but I think it’s worth it if you’re looking for ethical cosmetics as this one ticks every box.

7/10