Thursday 22 May 2014

Time to Layer Up - Bath & BodyWorks Amber blush

Recently I’ve really enjoyed layering up when it comes to scents and my current favourite body products are the Bath & BodyWorks shower gel, body lotion and fragrance mist in the scent Amber blush. In my last Beauty Faves video I mentioned that I had been enjoying the Pink Chiffon collection, well I’m all out of that now and while I still love it, I thought I’d try one of the other lovely scents – there are far too many to choose from in there to only stick to one, me thinks! So I chose this one as it’s such a gorgeous fruity scent, not what I was expecting as experience tells me that amber scents are usually heavy, however this also contains notes of raspberry champagne and gardenia petals as well as crytalised amber. I might even go as far as to say I marginally prefer this scent to Pink Chiffon as I have found it lasts a lot longer on my skin. If you aren’t a fan of intense scents then I’d stay away from this one, or keep it for a night time, however if you’re a fragrance fanatic like myself and love being able to smell your body products throughout the day then this is one I would recommend trying. I love the Bath and Body Works products in general as I find them to be of fabulous quality, the shower gel lathers up a treat, the body lotion contains shea butter and vitamin E and is extremely moisturising and the fragrance mist just tops it all off nicely, plus they all smell ah-mazing! What more could a girl ask for?!
 
X


Wednesday 14 May 2014

Organic Beauty Buy - Pure Coconut Oil

I’m not sure where to even begin with this product, I mentioned it in my Current Beauty Fave’s Video a few weeks ago and since then I’ve found even more fabulous uses for it. But first things first, SO many hair and skin care products advertise the fact that they contain pure coconut oil and rave about the benefits it provides to your beauty regime, so my thoughts are - why not cut out all the other ingredients that are added to make it look luxurious, as well as the pretty packaging (and the price tag) and go straight to the source for the real deal at a fraction of the cost?! I’m not going to lie – this doesn’t have the typical scent of coconutty loveliness (more like a load of random chemicals) that most products containing coconut oil have, in fact it has no scent whatsoever, but as much as I love that fake coconut smell (think Hawaiian Tropic – oh my god!), it really doesn’t bother me at all, as this has literally become my multifunctional wonder product.
I bought this primarily because I knew it was beneficial to use on hair as a deep conditioning mask before washing as well as on the ends when they feel a bit dry, and also to try out as a body moisturiser as an alternative to my other chemical laden products. For all of these purposes I absolutely adore this stuff, it’s so moisturising and absorbs into the skin a lot quicker than other branded body oils I have previously used. Having said that, it doesn’t absorb into the hair easily and so needs to be used extremely sparingly – full details of a work related greasy hair incident can be found in the video that I linked above – not a good look! However, when used in moderation I find that I value it higher than any hair conditioner, serum or mask that I’ve ever used, and that’s saying something as I’m a total fiend for trying out new hair products.
Obvious uses aside, other ways I have tried and loved this oil are as a face moisturiser - if I’m having a makeup free day I will pat this onto my skin after cleansing for a soothing and replenishing effect. Yeah, I’ll admit it feels a bit odd patting oil onto my face but contrary to what I you'd expect – it actually rebalances my oily patches. I’ve also used this as a lip balm and a gentle makeup remover for days when I’m wearing light makeup. Oh, and you can use this for cooking too! All for just £2.50, can you tell why I’m raving now? You can find this in health stores, however I’ve found it to be a hell of a lot cheaper in my good old local supermarket.
Now for a relaxing pamper sesh courtesy of this tub of goodness...ahh bliss!
X

Monday 12 May 2014

Korres Pomegranate Moisturising Cream-Gel - Review

I’ve really been enjoying the use of this moisturiser recently and I’ve found it to be the perfect consistency for my combination skin, not so light that I have to apply lashings of the stuff, but light enough to give my face a good gulp of moisture while absorbing within seconds. Apparently, the pomegranate extract contained in this product contains free radicals to help prevent premature aging, while also having astringent properties which is what makes it perfect for combination/oily skin. I can certainly say that I’ve noticed a balancing effect, while a lot of moisturisers that are formulated specifically for this skin type just leave my skin feeling tight after use (meaning that I have to go and apply more – not ideal!) this leaves my face feeling baby soft without any annoying residue being left behind.  I think I may even go as far as to say this is my favourite day time moisturiser that I’ve come across. Small tip - you can buy Korres products in department stores such as House of Fraser and John Lewis, however they can quite often be found in TK MAXX’s cosmetics section for a fraction of the cost and fyi, for those of you who like to avoid artificial preservatives and harsh chemicals, this product is derived from 93.1% natural ingredients - bonus!
 
X


Thursday 8 May 2014

Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2014

Well hello there, I have a different type of post than usual for you today, less of the beauty talk and more of a chin wag, and if you don’t mind – I’d like to ask you a little favour!
 
So, I’ve been blogging for around ten months now and to say that I enjoy it is an understatement, I absolutely frikking love this little space where I share my thoughts with you and the lovely messages that some of you have sent me never fail to warm my heart. It actually amazes me that people would be kind enough to take the time out of their day to respond to something that I’ve written, that s*** cray and I really do appreciate it so much!
The favour that I mentioned earlier is this, if you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make me a very happy girl, I’d love it if you would take a minute (it really only takes a minute) to vote for me in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2014.
To vote for me in the category of ‘Best Newcomer’ Click Here.
And to vote for me in the category of ‘Best New Beauty Blog’ Click Here.
You can of course vote for me in both categories if you’re feeling extra lovely! I’d appreciate that minute of your time so much, so thank you in advance to any of you who wish to vote for me and do feel free to drop me comment to let me know if you do!
Hugs and loves!
X


Wednesday 7 May 2014

Travel Size Skin Care - Clarins

So, a little while ago I wrote this post all about the benefits of sampling skin care before buying and as I’ve mentioned before, after trying lots of products from different brands I ended up buying some new bits from Clarins, who had a promotional offer going on at the time where you could choose four items from a range of travel size skin care products as a free gift when spending over a certain amount (I think it was around the £40 mark). Why are you only showing us three products then, you ask? Well it’s simply because apart from the three I had already chosen, I didn’t feel that I was in need of any of the other products on offer, so the nice lady let me have two gentle refiner exfoliating creams instead, which I’m about to share my thoughts on, along with the other products that I chose!
 
Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream with Microbeads. I actually love this exfoliating cream, it’s non abrasive yet still does a great job of making your skin feel baby smooth and refined. It’s formulated for all skin types and I use this twice a week as instructed. This product also claims to tighten pores, which I can’t really say is something that I’ve noticed, however that’s not the reason I use an exfoliator and it certainly doesn’t clog my pores so for that reason I would definitely repurchase this. At full size (50ml) it retails at £25, so considering the travel size I received is 30ml, plus the fact that I got two, I think makes this a deal in itself!
HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase. I can take or leave this one, I think serums in general may possibly be more effective on normal to dry skin rather than on skin that verges on the oily side like mine. I certainly haven’t noticed that it’s too heavy or that it clogs my pores like some extremely hydrating moisturisers do, but I also haven’t noticed that my skin is any more hydrated – probably because it really doesn’t need to be. My thoughts on this product are pretty much summed up by the expression ‘meh’ as I really haven’t noticed any difference at all since using it. Clarins claim that this is formulated for all skin types, however I can’t help thinking that it may be more effective on those who suffer with dry or dull skin. I can’t say I’m a fan of serums in general as I don’t feel they offer anything for my skin type. The full size version of this retails at £42 for 50ml, not a purchase I’ll be making any time soon. Those of you with combination/oily skin, what are your thoughts regarding serums? As you can tell, I’m yet to be convinced by them.
Water Purify One-Step Cleanser with Mint Essential Water. As you can see, I’ve nearly run out of this. I have put my trusted Bioderma on hold to try this cleanser out and while I do thinks it’s a fabulous product – it’s gentle, it takes my makeup off easily, it smells like minty amazingness, it also removes eye makeup easily… at the end of the day it does everything my Bioderma does. But that’s where it ends, it doesn’t offer me anything more. Unlike Bioderma it is aimed specifically towards combination or oily skin and it is great for these skin types, but any beauty buff will tell you that Bioderma works to perfection on all skin types anyway. In a nutshell, I love this just as much as I love my Bioderma – they are on the same level in my eyes, and that level is way up there. However this retails at £20 for 200ml, whereas I can buy 500ml of Bioderma for £15. You don’t need to be a mathematician to figure out which one I will be repurchasing when this pup runs out.
X


Sunday 4 May 2014

My Week in Pictures #8

Seeing as though I’ve been a busy bee and haven’t had the chance to upload a ‘week in pictures’ for a little while, I thought I’d share with you a few snaps from the past couple of weeks. If you’d like to see more, you can have a toddle over to my profile here. Enjoy!
Stormy night in Dubai //  My new nike free runs  //  The Burj Khalifa and the north star, what a lovely view
Caribou white hot chocolate, yummy  //  Ahh so pretty, perusing the interiors at Bloomingdales in Dubai Mall  //  Shakespeare & Co Hazelnut Success
 
 
X


Thursday 1 May 2014

Review: MAC All Fired Up Lipstick

This blue pink under toned matte red lipstick is my idea of the perfect fashionable take on a classic colour. I love that it has a beautiful raspberry hue which makes it wearable for day time as well as night and I also love that it has a clay base which makes it extremely long wearing. I can literally wear this all day and only need to top up once, result. I don’t find that a lip liner is needed with this colour, although exfoliated lips and careful application are a must in order to avoid that crazy clown look.
Finding a red lipstick to suit you can be an arduous task, too brown or orange and you can look like you’ve come straight from the nineties, too shiny and you’re in danger of looking like a street walker (if that’s the look you’re going for, by all means rock it). But in all seriousness, this red in my opinion has the perfect amount of blue pink in it to suit all skin tones. The blue under tone makes your teeth appear whiter, while the raspberry tone takes the classic red lip to an updated, slightly edgy, but very pretty level. MAC, I’m impressed.
X