REN Satin Perfection BB Cream

You know when you fall in love with a product the instant you use it? That was me, with this. I've worn it every single day for three weeks straight now and can't see myself letting up any time soon. 

First let's jump in with the description bumf before handing over my opinion. It is the world's first silicone-free colour adaptive technology BB Cream. Pretty impressive. And being from a top-notch skincare brand the list of ingredients is certainly not to be sniffed at. It's full of anti-oxidants and bio extracts that I can't pronounce creating a true multi-functional skincare/makeup hybrid.

The first thing you'll notice about this is the colour. It's one of those one-colour-suits-all affairs and when I first squeezed some out I nearly laughed at how orange it was but the magic happens as soon as it's applied to the skin and this is where the colour-adaptive technology comes into play. Somehow, and I don't know how it does it but it really does seem to adapt and the crazy orange colour melts into my skin resulting in a pretty damn flawless match.

I apply this after moisturiser and although REN claims this can be used in place of there's no chance I could get away without it on my dry skin. It goes on after my beloved Oilatum Face Cream and just using my fingers this applies beautifully. It's incredibly lightweight and you absolutely cannot feel it or even barely tell there's anything there. It just seems to melt into my skin and leaves it looking like skin, only heaps better.

The part that was the "oh, wow" moment for me was when it was all blended in and my skin looked good. Not in the way that my blemish marks were covered because it definitely doesn't do that but in the way that my face looked radiant. There's really no other way to describe it, it just looked boosted and healthy and sunkissed with an evened-out skin tone. Oh, and it smells divine.

As for the finish REN claim this BB Cream leaves the skin non-oily, satin and matte and while I agree with the non-oily part (I don't even use powder with this) I wouldn't say it's matte. Satin is the better descriptor leaving a kind of mid-way finish. Just very skin-like, really.  

Some heavy-duty concealer used sparingly on any problem areas (I use Maybelline 24hr SuperStay Concealer in 2 "Light") leaves my skin looking pretty damn flawless. A touch of cream blusher and my base is good to go for the whole day. I even forgo both bronzer and powder with this because I just don't feel the need which is crazy because I always wear powder.

It's £26 for 50ml which is actually really decent compared to your usual 30ml sizes plus you don't need to use a lot either. It's actually currently sold out most places including the REN website but I got mine from ASOS (Premier account = free next day delivery, hell yeah).

I love that I've been able to ditch the foundation in place of a BB Cream for weeks on end which is something I never thought I'd be able to say but as my skin gets better the make up gets lighter. And it's great knowing that this BB Cream is from a brand that really knows their stuff when it comes to skincare and has created a make up product that is so good. Hats off to REN for their first foray into the make up world!

Sample Size Skincare

We all have them, whether it be from beauty boxes, magazines or freebies with purchases. I am of course talking samples. Usually skincare, within those dinky tubes is a condensed version of what is often a high-end product with the aim of getting you hooked so that a full-size purchase is absolutely necessary. I'm actually not great at using up my samples and tend to shove them in my drawers in favour of my my full-size buys however there are a select few samples that live in my bedside table that I reach for often and am really rather enjoying.

First up is what I'm fairly certain is the only product I've ever went out and bought the full-size of after trying out the mini version and that is the REN Satin Perfection BB Cream. I have two 3ml tubes of this stuff and they've lasted me a decent amount of time despite being so small, so much so that I haven't even cracked open my new bottle yet. This one's a prime example of samples doing what they're supposed to: splashing your cash and upgrading to the big stuff.

With the BB Cream being a makeup/skincare hybrid the rest of the samples are purely skincare with a few masks, a toner, a serum and a moisturiser. Until recently I actually didn't own any full-size face masks (I know, it surprises me, too) and instead relied on my minis to treat my skin which include the REN Gylcolactic Radiance Renewal Mask (the baby of the bunch), the Alpha H Liquid Gold Smoothing and Perfecting Mask and a whopping 30ml "sample" of the Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel which is no doubt my favourite of the three. This one has non-abrasive jojoba beads giving both a chemical and slight physical exfoliation and is packed full of fantastic ingredients.

Serums are something I've only ever owned in sample-size form and I've recently been using the Emma Hardie Plumping Serum on a morning pre-moisturiser. It's incredibly light and undetectable on the skin all the while giving an extra dose of hydration. Clarins provides the remainder of my sample-size skincare and it's only until I got these recently that I'd ever used any of their stuff and I'm pleased to say I've been very impressed. I couldn't be without an exfoliating toner now and since using the Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner nightly I'm convinced it's keeping any blemishes at bay. In fact, I'm thinking a full-size purchase may be on the cards with this one! The Hydra-Quench Cream-Gel feels gorgeous on the skin and is great for a hit of hydration in place of my La Rose-Posay Hydraphase Intense Masque which was a great disappointment after a scan of the ingredients.

I'll have no doubt used these all up soon enough (in fact I used up the very last drops of the Clarins toner last night) and it'll be interesting to see if I go out and buy any of them. Elemental Herbology and Clarins have got me wanting more that's for sure. 

Five Product Face

It's not often, if ever that I use just five products in my daily make up routine (it's usually nearing eight) but for the past week or so I've been doing just that. Especially now that the sun has finally reared its head I think a slightly more natural look is called upon. The thing that kick started this whole pared back look is the new REN Satin Perfection BB Cream which I have fell in love with, so much so that after using my two 3ml samples of the stuff daily I did not hesitate to buy the full size for £26 which is something I don't think I've ever done after using a sample.

Without going into too much detail - I'll be no doubt reviewing it soon - it makes my skin look so healthy in a way that Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (which I have been using recently) just doesn't do. In the tube this stuff looks scarily orange and I thought there was no way in hell it could work for me but it does. It applies so nicely - more like a moisturiser, really - and sheers out leaving my face looking almost lightly tanned. Oh, and it smells absolutely delicious.

Of course my skin isn't that good to be able to get away with the BB Cream on its own and this is where Maybelline's SuperStay 24hr Concealer in 2 "Light" works its magic. It's absolutely fantastic at covering imperfections and I much prefer it to Collection's Lasting Perfection (I wrote a post on the difference between the two here). I can't wear it with all my bases due to the colour (it's quite err... beige for lack of a better description) but it's an absolutely flawless match for the REN BB Cream. Blended in with my MAC 224 it lasts all day. And I'm not kidding, even after being out in the sun all day I can happily say that it doesn't budge. 

The three remaining products are those I deem absolutely necessary: brow stuff, mascara and blusher. For brows I've recently been mixing up the two shades in my Japonesque Brow Kit to create something ever so slightly less harsh and while it's a very subtle change I'm enjoying it. I'm still loving my Collection Cream Duo in Strawberries & Cream for my choice of blusher and mascara-wise it'll be no surprise that L'Oreal Telescopic is the one. Together with my Shiseido curlers it's a match made in heaven for uber long, uber curled lashes that stay put all day. 

And that's it. I've been foregoing the powder, eyeliner, bronzer and lip stuff  (Carmex doesn't count) in favour of a slightly lighter look while blusher and long, curled lashes keep me looking polished and sprightly. Of course this is all down to the addition of REN's BB Cream to my life and together with the Maybelline concealer it's a duo I'm quite addicted to. Maybe one day I can whittle it down to four products but for now I'm happy with my five product face.

Topshop Daisy Tee

Topshop Daisy Tee £26

It took only a matter of minutes to stumble upon this absolute beauty of a top. It was meant to be. It's such a me top: it's oversized, it's white and it's got daisies on. Why is that important? I love daisies. And I love daisies on clothes. It's only recently that they seem to be in abundance - I ain't complaining.

Anyway it was love at first sight and into the shopping bag it went. At £26 it's not cheap but having it in my grasp now I can tell you that the quality makes it worth it: it's quite weighty and it just looks good and feels high quality.

I'll wear this during the day, I'll wear it at night and all the times in between. Basically I'm gonna get a ton of use out of this. I especially can't wait to wear it on a night teamed with this cropped vest top (which is unfortunately almost entirely out of stock), my black highwaisted Joni jeans and studded flatforms.

For someone who's relatively "into" clothes I don't seem to do an awful lot of clothes shopping these days so when something grabs me I do not hesitate to snap it up. Next on my hitlist is a white/cream cropped jacket. I'm thinking Zara will probably come up trumps on this one. I'm keeping my eyes peeled.

What I Bought: May

In last month's What I Bought post I made the decision to stop buying so much rubbish - you know, the trips to Boots resulting in impulse buys of lipsticks and mascaras that inevitably get shoved into the drawers to never see the light of day again. I also decided it was really time to up my skincare game and get it sorted once and for all. And how did I do? Well, the pictures speak for themselves really. There's a fair bit of decent skincare, a couple of slightly unnecessary make up purchases and the rest was stuff I'd ran out of and needed to buy.

The first purchase of the month was a repurchase that was completely and utterly necessary: Shiseido Eyelash Curlers. My original ones bent out of shape and became pretty much unusable leaving me with my Shu Uemura curlers which are alright but for me personally they pale in comparison to Shiseido's. In fact I've done a whole post on the subject matter here. Let's just say I'm so, so happy to have them back in my life.

For skincare three purchases were made and I'm pretty over the moon with all of them. I've already done a sort of introductory post on the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask and Trilogy Rosehop Oil here and so far I'm really enjoying both of them, saving the Antipodes mask for use once a week in the hope that I don't run out too quickly! The Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm was a long, long awaited purchase and wow, having only ever used one other balm cleanser before in the form of the Botanics one let me tell you that the Emma Hardie cleanser is so, so luxurious in comparison.

May was the month that all of my make up decided to run out at once. I'm talking foundation, under eye concealer, liquid eyeliner and powder (although this one actually decided to smash into a million pieces). Why does that happen?! With no foundations in my drawers suitable I bought the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 (review) and for liner the Revlon Colourstay Liquid Eye Pen which is absolutely crap. Do not buy it.

May's buys would have ended nicely there if it wasn't for a for-one-hour-only 50% off everything flash sale on Illamasqua. Anyone else who tried ordering in that hour I feel your pain, I really do. In the end though I got my hands on a lipstick in the colour Resist and Skin Base in 03 which luckily is probably the best match for me. Excitement at a foundation I'd wanted to try for quite a while unfortunately turned to disappointment when I put it on my face. This stuff is thick. I haven't used a foundation so thick since my Revlon Colourstay days resulting in caking along the sides of my nose and chin. Lovely. It fared better when mixed with Healthy Mix Serum but I've since ditched it in favour of a sample of the Ren BB Cream which I was pretty much blown away by the instant I put it on my face. A June purchase, perhaps?

I'd say I've done pretty well with my buys this month. I mean come on, I only stepped foot in Boots once and that was to buy things I'd ran out of. And OK so in hindsight the Illamasqua purchases probably weren't completely necessary but what sort of beauty junkie would I be if I didn't take advantage of a 50% off deal?!