Bohemian Chic Minerals Lip Gloss

 RRP: £15
# of shades available: 19
purchase from http://bohemianchicminerals.co.uk/lip-gloss

--What does the promo say?--
"A natural and organic lip-gloss, made from the finest natural, organic oils and waxes for a smooth application with the right amount of colour and shine to give your  lips a perfectly enhanced appearance of fuller, gorgeous lips! Suitable for acne prone skin and sensitive skin. Preservative free. Nano-particle free; bismuth-oxychloride free; 100% pure and  natural minerals. Suitable for Vegans and Halal use."

--Packaging--
A standard plastic tube with application wand included. My only complaint is that all of the writing on the tube is a bit small, meaning it's quite difficult to read and wouldn't necessarily stand out as being from this particular brand.

--Application--
Dot onto the bottom lip and blend in with your finger for a subtle effect, before pressing lips together to transfer the colour. Use the wand across both lips for a more dramatic look.

-Appearance--
The shade I was sent, Burlesque, is the one that's sampled above. In reality it's less of a red wine colour and more of a slightly rusty or coppery red, which sounds worse than it is! In fact, it's a very natural-looking colour that suits my lips perfectly when applied using the 'subtle' method mentioned above (I felt that using the wand all over my lips would be a bit full-on for me). The wide range of shades available online means that there should definitely be a shade to suit everyone - although the French resident and general pedant within me does hope that by "Bourdoux" they actually mean "Bordeaux"!

--Texture and consistency--
Smooth and not at all sticky. Strangely, not like a gloss at all! More like a lip tint (think Benetint or its numerous copies) in that it 'dries' on the lips. It does this, though, without cracking or being paint-like, and it is marginally thicker than a traditional lip stain (these tend to be more liquid). 

--Longevity--
Excellent - it doesn't quite last as long as traditional lip tints, but will mostly get through a meal, and as its consistency is less like a gloss than normal, it definitely goes above and beyond most products marketed as a gloss. Its lip stain-style qualities are such that it could also be used as a cheek stain.

--Value for money--
£15 initially seems expensive. However, when you consider its longevity, natural-looking colour and multi-use properties, I would definitely purchase another when mine runs out. An excellent product for travel, swimming, and any other moment where you need to save on money, space and time. 

perfect partner
Lipstick, £14 

Bohemian Chic Minerals Eyeshadow

RRP: £11
# of shades available: 29
purchase from http://bohemianchicminerals.co.uk/

--What does the promo say?--
"Our mineral eye shadows are created using pure natural minerals. From soft to vivid, smoky to deep, shimmery to matt. The range is endless with  lush shadow shades with a lustrous, silken sateen finish.

Suitable for acne prone skin and sensitive skin. Preservative free. Nano-particles free; bismuth-oxychloride free. Suitable for vegans and Halal use."

--Packaging--

Comes in a tiny plastic screw-top pot, which has a plastic disc with holes in sitting inside. This is further protected by a sticky plastic sheet, which you can either remove completely or use to reseal the disc after each use. Generally this works quite well: to get more product to come out of the pot, close securely with the lid and shake it around a bit before carefully upturning and reopening. Spillage or wastage does not seem to be a problem.

--Application--

Use an eyeshadow brush to dot and blend the shadow over your eyelids as desired. This is easy - the beauty of mineral eyeshadows means that blending's a breeze and that making mistakes is nigh on impossible.

--Appearance--

The shade I was kindly sent, Kiwi, produced a lovely natural-looking sage shade that went well with my eyes and general complexion. Very pleasing! Would lend itself well to mixing with other shades of green and brown from the same range.

--Texture and consistency--

Soft and blendable without being too dusty (i.e. doesn't shower you/the sink/the bathroom with eyeshadow whenever you open the pot, put some on your brush or try to put it on your eyelids). Adheres well to brush and eyelids and is easy to manipulate to create different effects.

--Longevity--

Sadly, this is where the product fell down. Creased and faded significantly after about 6 hours' wear. You will definitely need to reapply during the day - although there's a chance that it would fare better with the help of an eyeshadow primer.

--Value for money--

While the colour and texture of this product is most pleasing, for £11 I would really expect it to last longer on the eyelids. For this price, I'd be more inclined to try Stila's mineral eyeshadows instead, which are also £11. If you're going to buy from this brand, go for their lip gloss instead - it's much better (review to follow!).

perfect partners

Eyeliner, £6.50 (2 shades)

Eyebrow dust, £6.50 (2 shades)  

Eye contour brush, £7
Eyeshadow brush, £7
Crushed Pearls primer, £18
Pigment stacks, £49.95 (pack of 6 eyeshadows)