DHC Quick Film Smoother

I have a lot of time for slightly quirky skincare products and the DHC Quick Film Smoother is no exception. I also like the no-nonsense approach DHC took to naming this product - Quick Film Smoother. It's designed to make an instant 'improvement' to the look of your complexion, it creates a kind of film over the skin and it smooths wrinkles in one fell swoop. Pretty much does what it says on the tin then really.

The Quick Film Smoother is a skincare and makeup product in one as it provides an immediate smoothing effect and delivers a dose of ingredients that work over time.

Particularly brilliant as a primer, Quick Film Smoother is a lightweight gel-cream formula that works instantly to smooth out wrinkles. This effect is thanks to the addition of egg shell membrane peptides that are rich in collagen- they provide the 'tighten and lift effect' that the Quick Film Smoother provides. Various derivatives of the humble egg seem to be a popular ingredient in East Asian skincare so it's not really surprising that DHC include it in this product- I myself haven't tried any skincare containing egg before (though I have had my fair share of egg on my face ha ha ha...) but trying this product has certainly piqued my interest in the power of the egg as a cosmetic ingredient. While the egg peptides provide the immediate effects, skin is nourished and moisturised by algae extract, Sodium Hyaluronate (a water-soluble salt form of Hyaluronic Acid) and soy protein.

As mentioned, this is brilliant as a primer and I'd say it would suit pretty much every ski type. It doesn't have a heavy, artificial, silicone feel on the skin and just provides a nice smooth base ready for foundation. Or it can be worn without foundation if you don't fancy getting made up but would like a little glow action.
DHC Quick Film Smoother is on special for £17.50 at DHC until February 28th. After this date it will return to its full price of £22. You can also find DHC at Escentual.

Sleek Bare Skin Foundation Review

Right, let's get straight to the point. Sleek Bare Skin Foundation feels like nothing. As in, when I've got it on, it's really easy to forget I'm wearing any base at all and that's the truth.
In fact, it's so light on the skin that it's less noticeable than a lot of BB creams and tinted moisturisers I've tried, and that's saying something.

A liquid formula, the bare skin foundation glides on and blends in smooth as butter, evening things out and delivering light coverage on the way. The foundation comes in 12 shades ranging from very light to dark so most people should be able to find their perfect match, or at least something close to it. I have shade 'Shell' which is the second lightest and too be honest a little bit too light for me (though I got this in my goody bag from the Blogger's Tea Party earlier this month and we were asked to give our skin tone in advance so we could get a close match so I'm not complaining!).
I was also very kindly given the Control Shine & Prime Oil-Free Mattifying Primer which is fairly similar to Benefit's Porefessional primer in terms of look and feel. I'm sure this is a great product for oilier skin types but I'm going to keep this one stashed away until summer when things start getting greasy up in here.

I've tried the bare skin foundation with and without primer and I much prefer it without as it is a moisturising formula and I need all the hydration I can get right now!
In terms of coverage, when it says it's light, it's not fooling around. The coverage is definitely light but still enough to conceal minor blemishes and make everything look better in general. Here's a before and after:

I haven't really dabbled in Sleek as a brand but I think this foundation may just convince me that the rest of their products are worth a shot. Sleek Bare Skin Foundation is £8.99 at Boots, Superdrug and online here.

Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow Review

From watching Charlotte Tilbury YouTube videos and reading interviews, she just seems like such a warm, genuine woman that I almost feel like buying her products is simply the right thing to do!

I would love to try every single one of CT's products but for now I'm sticking with one- Wonder Glow Instant Soft-Focus Beauty Flash. 

This is a real magpie product- it's shiny, quite new and is packed full of shimmery goodness so it's only natural that people (me) would be drawn to it. Looks aside, this stuff is called Wonder Glow, which just instantly gave me images of walking casually down the street with a perfectly luminous, healthy complexion that had the potential to trick people into thinking I was so glowy I must be with child. 

While it doesn't quite have that effect on me, it is still a lovely product. Here's why.

Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow is part skincare, part makeup and designed for use under makeup for that coveted 'lit from within' look or over it for added dewyness and a touch of shimmer. I've been mixing a little blob of Wonder Glow in with my foundation and find that it does make my makeup look fresher, healthier and just better in general.

Wonder Glow contains collagen boosting peptides and patented wrinkle-preventing ingredients to treat the skin while the light reflecting micro-spheres with fluorescent core scatter light around the face, blurring imperfections and filling in wrinkles.

Much like a lot of primers, Wonder Glow has the consistency of a creamy gel and it leaves skin seriously soft with a very subtle wash of shimmer. When I first squeezed a little out of the tube, it looked pretty sparkly but I soon discovered that it blends out to a far less scary finish, making it ideal for younger and older skins alike. Packaged in a plastic tube with a rose gold coloured lid (not as beautiful as the packaging of other CT products, but still very nice), it has a gentle rosehip and camelia scent that is a lovely finishing touch that makes using it even more pleasant.

Wonder Glow is fantastically multi-use and a little really does go a long way, if that's any consolation for the £38 price tag. I haven't got a lot of experience with any similar products so I can't really compare it to a more purse-friendly product, though I'm sure there would be something comparable out there. You can find Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow at online at Charlotte Tilbury.