Organic Beauty You'll Fall In Love With || Tropic

As anyone who has stumbled across this blog before will know, when it comes to Tropic, I'm a hard core fan. They may be a company that I partner with for reviews, but I truly use the products on a daily basis and will rave about them until the cows come home (whenever that is).

This time around the lovely team sent over some of their make up items - I know, squeeee. I think I might have shed a tear when I unpackaged all of this. 



By far, the most exciting item I tried out was the ColourClick Lipstick Collection*, of which I trialled three shades (in order of swatches down below, 'In Bloom', 'Dragonfruit' and 'Poppy'). The packaging of these lipsticks is totally unique to me, in that they literally click open and the lipstick shoots out - I think my Mum and I spent about ten minutes when I unboxed them, just clicking and unclicking. Its addictive, you've been warned. Kind of like a beauty fidget spinner.

In Bloom - a subtle peach

Dragonfruit - a fresh, pink coral

Poppy - a vibrant 1950s red

As for the formula, the word 'buttery' comes to mind; fitting, since they're enriched with oils such as avocado, jojoba and argan. I particularly like the two darker shades, if only because they have more of an impact than the nude, which is a given. The colour just glides on, and stays put for hours without clumping or fading in the centre of the lips. £14 is definitely reasonable for these little beauties, and the shade range is beautiful! I had a hard time picking out some colours to try.

The Lip Glaze* in 'Pink Champagne' is another hit - I tend to be pretty picky with glosses, but this formula is just creamy enough to avoid the tackiness that I dislike. As for the colour pay off, this isn't a gloss with a high pigmentation (like the Bare Minerals Buttercream Glosses), but it is a lovely shimmer that would work well alone or on top of a lipstick, and has the texture of my favourite glosses. Again, £14 for a quality and versatile lip product is reasonable; you can't go wrong by adding one to your basket. 

Last but not least, the Correcting Cream Concealer* (£22). This product knows how to cover blemishes, let me tell you. The idea of a face product made from 100% natural ingredients appeals to me on a high level; it's so nice to not have to worry what you might be putting on your face. The texture is creamy and blendable, and considering I'm a liquid concealer girl, this went down a treat. On the website the description mentions "oat oil, zinc oxide and arnica extract" to fight blemishes and redness. I didn't even know that oats could produce oil, but if they do I definitely want to be a part of the action. A pot of this would last a long time, even with daily use. Similar to a pot of Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade, you pay a lot on the spot, but the product lasts long term. An investment make up item!

 

*These products were sent to me to review, but all opinions are my own.

A million thanks to the wonderful team at Tropic for reaching out again and sending these to me to trial. I had a lot of fun testing shades and adding to my Tropic collection. 

The New-In Drawer

 

If there's one task I turn to if I want to chill myself out, its re-organising my Alex Drawers (I've only just realised how sad that sounds, but I'm sure some of you will relate). During my latest therapeutic sort-out, I decided to incorporate a 'new-in' drawer, since I constantly have new products that I need to trial and review, and shoving them in the back of other drawers occasionally leads me to forget about them. I thought it might be interesting to show you a few items from the drawer, as a little sneak peek of what I'm currently trying out, and what might feature over here during the next few weeks.

 

First up is a repurchase, but I know that the product had a rebrand, and let me tell you, I'm kinda in love with the revamp. The Urban Decay setting sprays cannot be beaten in terms of keeping your make up in place, I remember reviewing one a couple of years ago after I used it in Death Valley (one of the hottest places on Earth), and my makeup didn't slide. I know. This time I went for the travel size; the spray lasts forever and it seemed more economical to just buy the small version for now. So far, I love this just as much as the large version, and this only set me back £10. 

 

Next up is the bareMinerals Gen Nude Buttercream Lip Glosses, which I won't talk much about considering I have a lip swatch and review post scheduled, but man these are beautiful. Formula, colour range, pigmentation, you name it, this product has it. So much so that I went back and bought another one. You know how critical I can be of glosses, but these just hit the spot.

 

The Tropic 'Spotlight' highlighter was sent to me to review, and I have been absolutely loving it under my foundation for a light, natural glow. You can read my full thoughts on this product (and another Tropic Limited Edition summer addition) over here. As someone that usually gravitates toward powder highlights, I was surprised at how easily I took to this. I'm keeping it in the new-in drawer however, so it doesn't get lost in the chaos of my highlight drawer, which is a hot mess.



 

The Makeup Geek Plush Matte Lip Cream in Daredevil is a liquid crème lipstick that I was gifted at a blogger event, and when I saw how bold this colour was, my heart sank a little, as I don't usually stray much from the nude/mauve spectrum. I was also given a bright pink, which sadly is way too bold for me to pull off, but I tried Daredevil a couple of days ago and its a beautiful lilac. Not too neon or bold to be wearable; I am over the moon to have found a lilac that I feel comfortable wearing, so this is staying in my trial drawer for the foreseeable future.

 

Finally, for my 19th I received the Real Techniques Blush Brush, something I've had on my wish list for a long time. The Real Techniques brushes make up the majority of my collection, and since I don't own any other brushes that cater specifically to blush, this seemed like a good choice for an addition. So far I really like the way that this applies blush, but I still need to play around with it as I don't quite have the blush technique down. One thing I will mention though, it that this brush is incredibly soft, a factor that I find makes it much easier to apply a light layer of product. 

 

What products have you got lined up to try next?

Tropic Shimmer Collection || Summer 2017*

You all know how much I adore my Tropic skincare routine, so when their PR contacted me to ask if I wanted to try out the new Summer launch of products, I practically jumped at the chance. I was sent the 'Spotlight' Cream Highlight* and the 'Summer Goddess' Shimmering Body Oil*, but I also know that they've released some sun protection products and deliciously scented shower gels. If summery products tickle your fancy, you can check out the whole collection over here.

Let's start with the cream Highlight, which retails for £18 and is described on the website as a "soft shimmer highlighter to brighten and illuminate your complexion, while enhancing cheekbones and creating a dewy glow". I'm usually much more of a powder highlight girl, I find them easier to apply and sometimes I find that cream/liquid highlights are too intense for the natural look that I prefer. Spotlight is perfect for pale complexions, a pale pink shimmer that looks beautiful underneath or over foundation for a soft glow. I like that this works well under my base if I want a natural look, as a lot of creams don't blend into foundation well. This is an expensive highlight, but you don't get any texture (it contains Vitamin E for moisture) which is a major bonus, and it feels lovely on the cheeks. I would label this as a less intense and more wearable version of High Beam by Benefit, and although it isn't it's primary use, this also looks gorgeous dabbed onto the eyelids!

The Shimmering Body Oil (£28) is by far what I was most excited to try out, considering I've never played with a product like this before. You apply the body oil onto your skin and massage until the oil sinks in - I was worried that this might give my arms and legs the glittery disco ball effect, but in reality it just leaves a gorgeous summery shimmer that looks amazing for a night out or on holiday. A little amount goes a long way, which is ideal since the price is quite high, and it smells incredible. The oil has "scents from Tahitian and bourbon vanilla", and whilst this isn't sickly, it does leave a subtly sweet scent on your skin, like the summery sun cream scent you associate with the beach. Another element that I love is that it doesn't leave your skin feeling tacky or oily like some body oils would, but just adds moisture so that you can get away without your typical body butter/cream. This product would make a lovely gift for someone spending time in the sun in the upcoming months, and you need to catch it quick as this beauty is a limited edition product.

Thank you to the team at Tropic for giving me a glimpse inside the new summer collection; I'm so impressed, particularly as I've never trialled their makeup range before. If you're looking for a couple of new additions to your routine to spice things up for summer, then I'm confident that you'll love these items.

*These products were sent to me for review, but all opinions are my own.





Tropic Skincare || Vitamin Toner*

A few weeks back I posted about a cleanser from Tropic Skincare that I absolutely fell in love with, and since then I've been trialling the Vitamin Toner Pore Refining Mist*. The two products work perfectly in harmony with each other as a night time skin routine, and I'm at the point now where I'm struggling to imagine how I would get by without the pair. If you want clean, healthy looking skin, with products from a sustainable brand that prides itself on using fresh ingredients, then you've come knocking on the right door. 

Okay so I can't not mention how pretty the tropical packaging is that the toner comes in (or any skincare product when you make an order.) There's something so intriguing about colourful, tropical packaging; and the sleek bottle underneath is ideal for travel and makes your skincare shelf look gorgeous. My journey with Tropic these past few weeks has been such a learning curve - before this, I had never used toner or cleanser, and now its safe to say that I'm a convert.

I spritz the toner over my skin following my micellar water and cleanser routine, and instantly my skin feels refreshed. On the bottle it says that you can use a cotton pad to wipe the excess away, but I'm finding it more beneficial, particularly considering that I'm using it at night, to let it sink into my skin. Two of the ingredients in this toner are organic aloe vera and cranberry extract - I don't think I can think of a more refreshing duo, and the scent of this product is lovely, which is obviously always a bonus. The toner claims to balance out pH and minimise pores, and I've got to say that this, maybe combined with a new primer I've been using (review to come, don't you worry), is making my skin look and feel a lot smoother.

There's something so sophisticated about using this toner, and I know that by saying that I'm practically sticking a sign on my head that says "I'm a skincare amateur", but it's completely true. Having a skincare routine is a fast-track method for an extra boost of confidence, and I don't know about anybody else, but it makes me feel like I have my life together (even if I don't sometimes), you know? 

Thank you to Tropic for sending me this toner to use alongside my cleanser; I've honestly been so surprised by the difference these products have made to the health of my skin, and I can definitely say that when I run out of these two I'll be stocking right back up. This toner is available to purchase on the Tropic website here, and costs £14 for 120ml, which I think is very reasonable for the amount of time that this will last you. I would recommend buying this alongside the Smoothing Cleanser, which I've also trialled and reviewed here. So far I'm really enjoying all of Tropic's products, and I was flicking through the catalogue yesterday and apparently they do makeup? Sign me up. 

*This product was sent to me to review, but all thoughts are my own.