My Honest Thoughts on Estee Lauder's Double Wear Concealer

It isn't a regular occurrence that I splurge on high end beauty products. Occasionally I will treat myself to something new, that being a few Months ago when I bought the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Flawless Wear Concealer. I use the Estee Lauder Foundation and I love the coverage that gives me, so I expected good things from the concealer.

I find the coverage very high, so this would be ideal for someone that likes a really high coverage base. I have combination skin and don't find this too drying for my skin either. I have the shade 'light' which is the perfect match for my skin tone.

I find this concealer works better for me when I use it alone without any foundation. It gives enough coverage to hide my blemishes while still looking natural. I have used the concealer with the Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Coverage Camoflauge Makeup for Face and Body and I find it way too heavy for me to use both products together. I have also used this concealer with other foundations that are low to medium coverage, and I feel it works much better for my skin used in conjunction with a lower coverage foundation or none at all.

Is it worth the money? Hmm - for me, to be honest, probably not. I think it is a great product that gives incredibly good coverage and leaves my face looking flawless - but in all honestly, I don't need a high coverage concealer and a high coverage foundation - for me, one or the other is more than enough.

Botanicals Nourishing Face Balm

The Botanicals Nourishing Face Balm claims to soften and enhance your skin. It is made with active plant revived ingredients, which aid the skin to regenerate new skin cells. The product is infused with wild rose and rose geranium, which are ingredients which are known for their revitalizing properties. The face balm is made with 89% natural ingredients.
Having swapped a lot of my skin care products recently to products that hold more natural ingredients, I have really noticed the difference. For me, natural ingredients seem to work better for my skin as they do not tend to cause any extra irritation.
I must say, I feel that the Botanical Nourishing Face Balm* meets all of its aims and more. I use the balm at night and apply only a really small amount of product onto my face. Less is definitely more with this face balm; you only need a little amount of product for it to work well. When I wake up having used the face balm the night before, my skin feels super soft, smooth and moisturised.
 It is a great product, and I would recommend it if you are looking for a face balm or skin care product which really does enhance your skin. My skin is quite dull, but this product really freshens up my face making it feel and look more 'awake', clear and soft. As well the product working wonders, it smells beautiful too.
The Botanical's Nourishing Face Balm won the Green Parent Natural Beauty Award in 2013, which shows just what a fantastic product it is.

Botanicals are currently offering £5 off when you purchase the Nourishing Face Balm from their website up until the end of November! This is a fantastic deal as the product is usually £27.95, which makes the product only £22.95 when using the code. Simply enter the code NOVOFFER at the checkout to receive £5 off. 

*I was sent this product for consideration to review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own*

Helen E Cosmetics Skin Smoother

Helen E Cosmetics Skin Smoother

Skin Smoother, Helen E Cosmetics RRP £13.50 

Helen E Cosmetics is a brand which I have heard quite a lot about but have never purchased anything from before. Helen E Cosmetics is a privately run company which was founded in 1999 by Helen Elowe. 

I picked up a little beauty set from a Helen E stand while I was at the Clothes Show Live in December; included was the skin smoother, which one of the sales assistants had told me about. She explained that there are no shades for this product as the one colour suits most skin tones. She added that it helps to even out your complexion and is a long - lasting base which is easy to use. I was intrigued to try this, as the colour of the product looks far too dark to match my skin tone. I also pondered on the coverage of this product and how I would get on with it, as I wasn't particularly sure whether I could use it alone as a foundation base. 

The packaging is white plastic with a small mirror, it is quite basic and sleek. 

The skin smoother simply adapts to your skin tone - Although it looks far too dark for my pale pasty skin, it didn't look orange or patchy like I thought it would. I used a Real Techniques buffing brush to apply this product onto the face, which helped to even it out. 

Now, I did really like this product as it left my face looking soft and even. It lasts well all - day and I am quite impressed with it. I use it underneath a liquid foundation, because for me it just doesn't give the coverage I need in a base product. I actually use this as more of a primer product, I know that the product can be used as a foundation, concealer and primer but for me it is used best as a primer before foundation. I would recommend to anyone after a base product which is light coverage. 

Edit: I have since been advised to use make up sponges rather than a buffing brush to apply this product onto the face, which works much better!

Have you tried any Helen E Cosmetics products?