PapayaGold Paw Paw moisturising balm

When it comes to annoying skin-related issues, the post-cold dry nose/upper lip is right up there for me.  My skin is pretty dry naturally, so when you add in a week worth of nose blowing, the skin around my nose and upper lip literally just cannot cope.  It gets sore, it goes red, and man alive does the skin flake off.  I often then pick at the skin (classy) which makes it even more sore, and sometimes even bleed (attractive).

Then what follows are several weeks of exfoliating with dry flannels, and slapping on a load of face moisturiser.  And bad nose foundation, literally for ages.  Flaky, nasty, dry foundation around my nose.  Because lets be honest, no foundation deals well with dry flakiness, whatever they may claim.

However recently, I came across (was recommended) something which helped me in my battle against the post-cold nose syndrome.  I was at a Christmas meal, and was slapping some Vaseline on my sore little schnozzle, and my friend's girlfriend was like "woah woah woah, don't use Vaseline, are you crazy!?" (OK slight exaggeration, but her reaction did make me feel a bit like I'd sat there wiping engine oil on my nose)  She then chucked me a little red tube of Paw Paw moisturising balm and told me to try that instead.  Slightly shamed by her reaction to my tin of Vaseline, I promptly went into Boots the next day and purchased a tube of Paw Paw.

I'd seen Lucas' Paw Paw ointment before, advertised as the "go to" product for celebs such as Miranda Kerr, but when I'd seen it was the same consistency as Vaseline, I just assumed it was a posh (and pricier) Vaseline.  So not worth it.

I can safely say I was wrong.  Although the Paw Paw balm is extremely similar in consistency to Vaseline, I'd say it is ever so slightly lighter in consistency.  It feels less like something you'd use to grease a squeaky door hinge, and more like something designed for your skin (no offence Vaseline).

And it works.  Slapping some of this on my nose and lips definitely killed off the post-cold effects so much faster than anything else I've used.  When I now have colds, I do find myself putting it on during the day at work (much to the intrigue of my colleague, who pointed out she normally only does this kind of thing in the privacy of her own home) but it's so good both as a preventative measure and a treatment.  My nose was definitely so much less flaky after using it.

I've also found other uses for it.  I get patches of dry scaly eczema on my hands and fingers, which are so frustrating but flare up all the time from washing up / washing my hands during the day.  I don't like to use steroid cream too much, so started putting the Paw Paw on.  I was so impressed with the result.  It doesn't clear them up as fast as the steroid cream (obviously) but because it's so moisturising and it sticks to the skin, it did such a good job of keeping the patches at bay.  I also now squeeze some on my hand with my regular hand cream, to give my usual hand cream a bit more gusto.

The tube I bought was the PapayaGold version and was £5.99 for 25g, which isn't as cheap as Vaseline, but then in my head I figure the Vaseline simply doesn't work so it's wasted money anyway.  Plus the tube has lasted me much longer than I thought it would.  I also prefer the squeezy tube to Vaseline's tin.  The tube hasn't got messy at all, and am I the only one who finds the lids of Vaseline tins SO hard to get off!?  I'm now running out of my PapayaGold, and have just bought some of the Lucas PawPaw ointment online to see how that compares (I'll keep you posted).  But either way, if you suffer from  dry skin patches or if the post-cold nose/lip happens to you, then I'd say it's worth carrying one of these around in your bag.  It's a little god send in my opinion.

The Beauty Blender

So there were a few beauty items that I bought last year which I've been holding back from blogging about, mainly because after using them for some time, I've got a serious case of "sitting on the fence" syndrome.

All of the products are much-hyped in the beauty world, rather expensive, and are items which I spent literally ages trying to decide whether to buy or not.  I researched them to within an inch of their lives and then ended up taking the plunge when I was feeling a bit down or a bit frivolous.

The first of these is the Beauty Blender, an innovative new way of applying your foundation which is supposed to give flawless, unrivalled coverage.

I blame American Youtubers for this purchase, because I swear there was a time when every. single. one. of them used one of these babies.  And the results were undeniably flawless.  I'm always intrigued by new methods of foundation application, because my own "application methods" have evolved throughout the years and always for the better.  From the wedge shaped sponge (every teenager's go to method) to the round sponge, to the paintbrush style foundation brush, to the Real Techniques bulb-ended Expert Face Brush and crashing into 2014 with the bloody amazing wide-topped Zoeva buffer brush.  I've always felt I've upgraded my method, so when this completely new concept popped onto my radar, it was a no-brainer to give it a go.  My next successful evolution could be just around the corner!

So a quick 4-1-1 on the Beauty Blender. It's a small, egg shaped, bright pink sponge, which you're supposed to squeeze in water before using.  When you squeeze it in (or under) water, it grows.  Kind of like those random flannels you get that start off the size of a tealight and then you chuck it under water and it grows into a flannel.  Except maybe not on the same scale... Anyway.  Once it is wet and "fully grown" you're supposed to towel it off and you are left with a damp, bouncy, slightly larger egg-shaped bright pink sponge.

OK, so the photo above doesn't really give you any idea of the size change as I didn't either a) compare it to the dry version or b) give a size reference.  But oh well..there it is.  All saturated in water. And bright pink.

The wider end of the "egg" is meant for applying foundation over your whole face, whereas the tapered end is for more precise application around your nose, your chin and also for concealer.

First things first, this application method does give you coverage, and plenty of it.  When I used this with any of my foundations, it always up'd the coverage compared to what I was used to with a brush.  It's also supposed to make you use less foundation as the sponge is already wet so it doesn't absorb any liquid.  I'm not sure I noticed a massive difference in the amount of foundation I was using, but it may have been because I was going in a bit heavy handed.

If I'm honest, I didn't find this the most natural and easy product to use - it certainly took quite a bit of practice and I'm still not 100% convinced by it.  You have to tap or sort-of bounce the beauty blender on to your face to apply the foundation, but for some reason it just didn't feel quite right.  I felt like I wasn't using it properly, or that I just wanted to give the foundation a good old buff.  I found myself doing some random half tap-half buff type action which probably isn't the technique the creators intended. If they'd have seen me using it, they might have cried a little bit.

The end result was that I felt the foundation was sat on my skin a bit, and it felt quite mask-like.  I also found that the dampness of the sponge actually dried my skin out.  I have the kind of skin that feels very tight after being in contact with water.  Give me 5 minutes after a shower, and if I haven't moisturised then I'll have shrivelled up like a prune.  I got a similar effect with the Beauty Blender, where I could feel as the "dampness" evaporated or was absorbed into my skin, or wherever the hell it went.  And left behind was quite a thick, dry layer of foundation, which didn't feel particularly comfortable on my skin.  Maybe this is one of those products better suited to the oilier skinned girlies out there, but if you suffer with dry skin like myself, I don't think it's the best way of putting your foundation on.

I do keep going back to this little egg sponge, because I am concerned I may be using it too heavy handed, or not trusting the tap-tap-bounce method enough, but when it comes to the success of beauty products with me, I always find the proof is in the continuous use.  If I've stopped using it within a few weeks of purchase, then to me, it's a sign it was a complete novelty product.  A novelty, or a disappointment, or I've got fed up of not quite getting how to use it.  This falls into the latter for me, and safe to say that little eggy is rolling around somewhere in the bottom of my make-up box as we speak.  Or someone could have pinched it.  I'd literally have no idea.

I think I would use this to apply foundation on areas where I need a bit more help in the coverage department, but I'm not really a fan of it as an entire face application method.  I thought I was a bit on the fence with it, but now I've sat down and written this post, I think I'm leaning a bit more towards not enjoying it.  I'll probably rediscover it next week and fall hopelessly in love with it, but if I do, I'll be sure to let you know :)

In the meantime, I'd say save your pennies on the Beauty Blender and invest in a Zoeva Buffer brush instead.

Merry Christmas with Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Set



So, someone was a lucky lady this Christmas because Santa (aka, my boyfriend) stuck these little beauties under the tree.  Let's just take a moment to gaze at their rose golden wonderness.

I have been coveting this brush set for SO long, and on various occasions have been tempted to throw caution to the proverbial wind and make a cheeky (and somewhat expensive) purchase.  But so far I've resisted, mainly due to the price (£59.99) and mainly because you are paying a premium for them being rose gold, and I've been desperately trying to curb my spending on unnecessary cosmetics. 

But this made them the perfect Christmas present, and it's safe to say I was over the flipping moon when I opened them.

Zoeva brushes have been gathering steam in the cosmetics world over the past year, and are starting to make a real name for themselves as brushes that come with a reasonable price tag, but which don't compromise on quality.

Take this set as an example.  It contains 8 brushes all finished in black and rose gold, and they arrive in a rather gorgeous leather make-up bag (which is big enough to be genuinely useful).  So that works out on average at £7.50 per brush with a free bag thrown in for good measure.  Not bad. Not bad at all.  Go in to your local drugstore and I defy you to find a decent blusher brush for under a tenner, and that's not even taking into account how goddamn pretty these are.

And with Zoeva, it's all about the little touches.  No.1 the make up bag.  No. 2 the fact each brush is wrapped in plastic and with a separate, custom shaped plastic "hood" fitted over the bristle end of the brush.  If you buy them individually then they come wrapped in the plastic and zipped up in individual bags.  You feel like you are buying brushes that are so much more high end than the price you paid.

And as a self confessed cosmetic and beauty addict, these brushes literally speak to me.  Zoeva seem to get that, for me, doing my make-up is an experience I really enjoy (sad, I know).  And I love a make-up product that I can proudly display on my dressing table (OK I don't have a dressing table, but you get the idea) and these brushes are exactly that.  Even my boyfriend agreed they looked "nice" and trust me, nice means he is impressed.  And he's a boy.  And they're make-up brushes.  Am I making my point...?

OK so let's break these down to the individual brushes....

106 Powder

The first and biggest brush in the set is the 106 Powder brush.  It has a large rounded-off head of ultra soft bristles, which are packed loose enough to allow the flexibility needed for a good powder brush.  You need to be able to "sweep" the powder across your face, and this gives good sweep.  I've been in the market for a powder brush for some time, as I've recently started using the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish powder to set my make-up, and I need a decent brush to apply it with.  The head of this brush isn't ridiculously big, but still has enough surface area to cover your face quickly and lightly.  I like this, as sometimes powder brushes can be too big and they can lack stability.  The head can be really large and floppy and there's just no guts behind them.  The 106 brush on the other hand seems to have struck a good balance between flexibility whilst still having enough structure and density to buff the powder into the skin for a seamless finish.

102 Silk Finish

This was the brush I was most excited about in the set, and was the one I have got SO close to buying individually in the past. The bristle head is smaller than the powder brush but the bristles are much more densely packed together - I reckon this is going to be blinding at buffing foundation in.  Size-wise, it is similar to the Real Techniques Expert Face brush, but it is so much softer to the touch and has a rounder bulb type head.  I think this is going to be really good at buffing liquid foundation into smaller, more precise areas of my face or for cream based blushes or bronzers.  I swear by the Zoeva 104 Buffer Brush for applying my foundation, but do find the surface area of it to be a bit too large for certain areas of my face, so I'm thinking the 102 is going to be the answer.  It's got the same "feel" to it, but more compact.

127 Luxe Sheer Cheek

This is an absolute dupe for the MAC 168 brush, but in my opinion is so much softer and nicer to the touch.  As blusher brushes go, the bristles on this are quite loosely packed and flexible.  I think this is why it's called the "sheer" cheek, because I imagine it doesn't pack the product on your face, and I don't think this is for serious buffing.  I'm excited for this brush because I'm a bit of a blusher wimp, and go in very carefully with my blush, so this could end up being my best friend.  I think it's going to give a very sheer, gentle wash of colour.  I'm also keen to use this with my Mary Louminiser highlighting powder as I think the gentle touch of this brush is going to make it perfect for giving that effect where highlighter or blusher has just "touched" certain high points of your face.

110 Face Shape

The 110 Face Shape is a smaller version of the Silk Finish brush.  It has the same round, bulb shaped head of bristles which are densely packed to give fierce buffing power.  As with all of the brushes, the bristles are still crazy soft to the touch and there's enough flexibility in them to mean the brush will still feel gentle on the face.  This looks like the perfect brush for precise contouring, especially down the bridge of the nose.  I also think it will be good at applying liquid foundation in the more "crevice-y" parts of your face, so around your nose, across your eyelids and around the chin area.

142 Concealer Buffer

This is one of only two brushes in the set that I already own.  I bought this a few months back and reviewed it here.  This is a mini version of the Silk Finish, with the same features - the bulb head, the dense bristles, the softness.  When I bought and reviewed this originally, I wasn't a fan of it. The brush itself is gorgeous to the touch, but I have very dry skin and just find that my concealer needs that warmth from my finger to blend it in.  If I use a brush, the concealer just goes a bit too dry.  And this is no reflection on the quality of this brush, it's just it doesn't suit my skin type.  Having said that, I've been loving this brush for eyeshadow blending.  Because of the density of the bristles, partnered with the softness of the brush, this is perfect for the delicate eye area.  It buffs and blends eyeshadows like a dream, especially more stubborn cream-based eyeshadows. 

227 Luxe Soft Definer
231 Luxe Petit Crease

There are two eye brushes in the set, the 227 Luxe Soft Definer and the 231 Luxe Petit Crease.  I already own the 227 and did a mini review of it here.  This brush is a total dupe for the much-loved MAC 217 and I am so pleased to have a second one in my collection.  Much like the MAC 217, the Zoeva 227 applies eyeshadow like a dream.  It loads the colour on, it blends it well, it covers well, it gets into your creases and crevices.  As is the running theme with these brushes, it is super soft and to be honest I don't know why anyone would part with the extra money to buy the MAC version.  It does the job just as well.

The 231 has a tapered end and is a more precise brush for application of eyeshadow to the crease of your eyelid.  I have mega hooded eyes, so my crease is pretty defined already, but it also means that all of my eye make-up involves some kind of 'crease work', so this brush is going to be a welcome addition to my make-up kit.  The bristles are dense enough to give this enough "power" behind the application, but the taper means that power is being pushed into the right area.  I have very small eyes as well, and this is the perfect size to fit my eyelid.

317 Wing Liner

So the final brush in the set is the 317 Wing Liner brush.  This is such a delicate little brush of super fine bristles which taper to an ultra fine point.  I'm quite a fan of a slanted eyeliner brush like this, as I think the shape lends itself well to the application of a winged eye.  It's really tricky to find a slanted eyeliner brush which is as fine and precise as this.  As my eyes are very small and hooded, I don't have much room for liquid eyeliner so I have to keep it mega tight to my lash line and this brush is perfect for the job.  Plus the bristles are once again so soft that I don't get any irritation around my super sensitive eyes.  If you're a fan of gel eyeliner then I would totally recommend this brush.  Totally.

So the Rose Golden Luxury Set is available direct from Zoeva's website.  Bit of a warning....the postage costs are pretty steep on these brushes as they come from Germany.  Regardless of whether you're buying one brush or ten, the postage is an eye watering £7.50.  So if you can find a friend or sister or mum who wants some brushes too, maybe combine the postage, as it is priiiiicey.

You can get some of the brushes and sets from www.love-makeup.co.uk which carries a more reasonable £3.50 shipping cost to the UK, but you may notice some of the brush prices are a tiny bit more expensive than buying them direct from the Zoeva site.  So swings and roundabouts really.  Swings and roundabouts and really, really pretty rose gold brushes.