Lush Skincare | Imperialis Facial Moisturiser Review

 

It was the rainiest day in the history of the world when I ran soaked through to my bones into my local Lush store, and at 5.25pm no less (5 minutes before closing; sorry again guys!) desperate for some skincare goodies and a bit of skin TLC. Recently my face has been a nightmare of immense proportions, after suffering a cough an cold for a good two weeks my nose has been rubbed raw and my face seems to have broken out in that hellish rash again, leaving me resembling the unsexy side of the Phantom of the Opera. Lush were the answer.

I came away with a good couple of products, one of my favourite fresh face masks (which I hope I don't forget about again!) another bubble bar and finally my current skincare favourite Imperialis which the lovely lady helped me pick out, and if you hadn't guessed happens to be the subject of todays post.

The Imperialis moisturiser is known as one of Lush's great all around products that is a treat for your face whether you have dry, oily, combination or even scaley skin and if I'm going to be totally honest the tipping point of my purchase was the scent, it is divine, though I have been struggling to put my finger on just what the smell I'm drawn to is, I have a hunch it's the lavender or the cocoa butter but stay tuned!

And if the scent wasn't enough to draw me in I just had to take a peak at the ingredients, with balancing properties such as lavender and lily petals, soothing elderflower and throw that in with the olive oil, shea butter and orange flower absolute, I was sold, and couldn't wait to see what the shea butter would do to my skin. The pretty pale pink formula is a bit heaver than the Enzymion which I used throughout the summer last year, but my skin drinks this stuff I'm never left sitting with an oily face for very long and afterwards my skin feels so silky smooth and hydrated though because it is still quite a thin consistency and my skin is very dry I do sometimes need a bit more than one coat which is a bit of a downer give the price tag of around £12.50 per pot.

Throughout the interwebs I have found a lot of people have broken out using this moisturiser, this isn't something I have found personally thus far but it's something to consider if you're thinking of giving this a go, and I'd steer clear if you have a lot of allergies or have particularly sensitive skin, but as I'm sure you can tell I've found this months match at least and hopefully this will save me through the remaining winter months!

What are your favourite lush products? Or do you even have a recommendation for other similar moisturising products that might save my scaley, dry, phantom esque face? Be sure to leave everything in the comments below, come be a pal and share them with me on Twitter or if you'd like to keep up with my own reviews, recommendations and rambles be sure to follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, off to tune my organ.

H.Elizabeth x

The Perfect Match | The Best Foundation for Pale Girls

Now I know I'm a little prone to exaggeration on this little corner of the internet but today please regard me with the seriousness afforded to those who don't quite so frequently cry wolf as I'm about to let you in on the mother of all beauty secrets and the product of all products to end the struggle we pale girls face on a day to day basis. That's right ladies and gents, I'm about to share with you the best foundation for pale girls in the whole wide world... well you know a little exaggeration never hurt anyone right?

I remember the sadness I felt as I squeezed the remnants of my MAC foundation from the tube as I realised it was yet again that time of year where I'd be forced into searching for a new foundation, I suppose it's a little like a break up that you didn't quite see coming. First you don't want to believe it's true and you try and squeeze those last few cosy, fuzzies from the relationship in order to salvage the relationship and romance, but at the end of the day you knew what this was and it's over before it has even begun. So you're thrust once again into the badly lit department stores under fluorescent lights desperately searching for the one in a sea of colour swatches and scary looking Clique and Clarins counter carnivores who really don't give a toss if your face matches your neck as long as you look good under the lights of their Debenhams store, who cares right? So you go home empty handed, off colour and quite frankly disappointed. 

But, much like fate intervening, it's only when you stop looking that it hits you square in the nose, and eventually all over your face (okay I'm speaking about foundation now) that you find your perfect match.

I never expected to find my perfect match just sitting there at a Body Shop bloggers event, in fact at first glance I had pretty much written the poor pot off, to me it was just another store attempting what the 'real' make up counters of the world have on offer, but as the ladies at the Body Shop were so friendly and professional I thought I would keep an open mind, and ended up walking away with around £60 worth of products (woops!) One of which being their brand new Fresh Nude Foundation in Chelsea Porcelain 010 (their lightest shade in case you were wondering)

You could say it was love at first swatch really, and the more I heard about this foundation the more I knew that it was the one for my face. With you choice of a dewy or matte finish simply from your choice of application this little gem can carry you through season to season, I prefer a dewy finish as it gives your skin a beautiful glow in winter without making you look all wet and sweaty. Despite the coverage claiming to be light to medium I have found you can really build it up with very little product at all, which I have found to be perfect for people like me who are looking to cover their face without reducing myself to a Halloween mask. Unlike with MAC products this doesn't dry out my skin, I don't have to use half as much primer as I used to and since it doesn't budge all day I go through so much less product, so you could say I'm saving money... right?

Not only is this foundation a god send for my skin and a perfect match but if you like you could purchase their new Fresh Nude brown and white droppers, so if your skin is a little more tan through the summer you simply add a drop of the darker shade, or more pale in winter add a drop of the lighter shade. Now I know, I know this is probably something that has been around since the times of yore but seeing as I have just heard of it now I think this is a beauty revelation due to change the face of the make up industry forever!

The foundation itself retails at £15 which for a product of this versatility and wear-ability in all seasons I really don't mind paying, particularly when you consider the same product could cost you double somewhere else! Since purchasing this foundation I have found I'm far more open minded to companies who are perhaps not immediately known first hand for their make up brand because there are some real gems out there as beauty bloggers are discovering with the newly founded H&M make up range (which STILL hasn't arrived in Aberdeen unfortunately)  but I'd love to know what your favourite 'odd' beauty brands are or even your favourite Body Shop product is. Be sure to leave your top picks and secret weapons in the comments below, come share them with me on Twitter or if you'd like to see more of my perfectly matched face you can follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, Netflix and chill with my perfect match!

H.Elizabeth x