The Balm Liquid TimeBalm Concealer

As you may have noticed by now, I love this brand! This concealer came in yet another gift set, retail price was $82 and I got it for $29.99 (I can't help it, I love getting money off haha) I wasn't after this particular concealer but the items it came with were all things I'd looked at, plus at that price it means I get to try a few things without spending a fortune.

I'm in love with all of Thebalm's packaging and this one is no different. I know it's just your average "tube" but the wrap around label does make it stand out. The applicator is a doe-foot just like you'd see on a lot of lip glosses, that the Maybelline 24 hour concealer. The shade that I got is "nude" which is the medium shade, unfortunately with gift sets the shades for concealer etc are always going to be a medium shade. This for me is a little too dark and I think I'd be better suited to the "fair" shade. It doesn't notice as much after it is blended out.

Here is what Thebalm has to say about the product:

"Zap zits in a flash all while keeping a flawless face with this fabulous new formula that can be worn day or night. tea tree oil, a naturally purifying antibacterial, soothes blemished skin while the creamy concealer smooths imperfections and covers redness, leaving a perfect canvas for further beautification."

The smell of this is incredibly strong due to having the tea tree oil inside, when I first opened it it kind of shocked me how strong it was. But I like the smell of tea tree oil and once applied it is unnoticeable. I have not noticed directly whether this product has helped my skin but it hasn't broke me out in any way and I will continue to use it to see if I get better results. I think it's nice knowing that your concealer is also doing good things for your skin during the day. It blends quite nicely into the skin and doesn't dry my skin out like I have noticed with other brands.

This Concealer retails for $20 and can be purchased from their official site www.thebalm.com

NYX Bourgeois Pig Blush

NYX is one of those brands that is difficult to find in the UK. There are some sites here that sell their products but I like to see a product before buying it. So when I visited ULTA a few weeks back I made sure to check out the NYX section. I'm a blush addict so knew I'd be picking up one, the colour I decided to go with was "Bourgeois Pig". This is a medium pink matte shade. I usually go for shimmering shades in a blush so thought this would be something different. I think this shade is great for an every day blush and gives just enough colour to not look too overdone. I loved the packaging of these blushes, they're quite compact so great for putting in your makeup bag. I only like to use a little of this during the day but it is a buildable blush. I was impressed with the colour pay off of this considering how cheap NYX products are. This blush retails for $5.99 from ULTA or you can purchase NYX products on www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk