Clinique or not to Clinique?



Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Cleansing Bar £14 (Boots)

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Clinique is another brand that hasn't appeared on my blog before as its not usually my go to brand for skincare. Its not that I don't think they are any good, I hear a lot of great things about them but I have also heard in the past that the products are full of chemicals. After hearing a few bad things about them I stopped buying from Clinique and never really even thought about trying it again. Recently over the past week or two my skin has flared up due to a hormonal imbalance and my face has needed some serious attention especially around my Tzone. I have suddenly started to suffer with really painful blemishes around my chin and jaw, they have been very stubborn and wouldn't budge no matter what.

I decided to bite the bullet and stop listening to hearsay and go back to Clinique as I know the Anti Blemish range has pretty good results. Facial soaps are normally very drying and harsh and to be honest unless you are suffering from painful blemishes I wouldn't recommend this. It is quite abrasive when it comes to the skin but It has helped to calm down the areas that needed treating. Its not an everyday soap I will use this only when I have a severe break out, recently I have been using it in the mornings in the shower and then using an antipodes cleanser at night.

I think as long as you use this carefully (its a serious no go on the eye area) then I think you will achieve good results with any stubborn lumps and bumps. Its also great on the body too as its refreshing and really leaves you skin clean without drying it out.

How do you feel about Clinique? I would love to get back into trying Clinique products are there any you can recommend for my oily skin?

Gelly & No Ice Cream



Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint by Barry M £3.99 (Superdrug)

 

So finally I know its a shock but I have been branching out from Topshop Nail Varnishes, its hard as I love them and feel like I'm cheating on them when I wear a different colour (dramatic I know). I have had Shellac nail manicures in the past and couldn't fault them for the result it was shiny right up until I took it off and lasted for weeks. When I saw that Barry M were doing a gel version of their beloved nail paints I new I had to try it, Shellac is great but it damages your nails and can be really pricey. I thought wow shiny gel nails for £3.99 Il jump straight on that band wagon please!

Now it isn't because I'm biased or because I'm negative but I have to say this just didn't really do it for me. I found it patchy and sticky when applying and after using my normally top coat It chipped not long after. Maybe it was applied to thickly or I rushed it I'm not sure as I have seen some reviews where people loved it, for me it wasn't an immediate love. I will be using it again as I want to love this as the colours are lovely and I really love glossy nails, but I feel it may have to grow on me.

How did everyone feel about these? Did you love them or feel the same as me? 

Antipodes Resurrect Toner

Antipodes Clarifying Toner £19.00 (Selfridges)

I have heard of this brand Antipodes a lot over the past few months but I never really took notice or felt compelled to try it. When I was down in London visiting a friend I went into the Beauty Hall at Selfridges and for some strange reason I was drawn into this brand straight away. Its funny because usually you find the ones you don't expect anything from infact become the brands that you love forever, and this is what has happened with this. Ive been converted to this brand and have since bought other products from the range, I just find that it does exactly what it says which is very rare. I find a lot of products preach about how amazing they are but very rarely do they actually do what they claim. Obviously another big plus for this is that its organic and doesn't contain any nasty chemicals that although work also cause severe damage to your skin especially the delicate areas on your face. Anyway after my overspill of love there for the brand.....

This is the Resurrect Clarifying Toner which claims.... " this active clarifying toner helps reduce the appearance of visual and open pores". I have to say my pores aren't really too much different in size as I have always struggled and don't think even the most amazing products will be able to help. Although It does help to refresh and tighten my pores and leaves my skin feeling amazing, It has also helped to balance out the oil production around my very oily Tzone. It feels like its working from the minute it hits your skin, and has definitely improved and faded any redness that usually appears around my nose and cheeks.

I usually apply this in the morning and night after cleansing, I spray across my face and neck and then leave it to dry before applying the rest of my routine. It doesn't affect any of the other products I use in my routine it actually adapts and works alongside them. I love the fact that its a spray bottle, you get an even layer of the product without having to use cotton wool. I do find when you use a toner with cotton wool you often end up wiping half the product away before its worked its way into your skin.

I cant rave about this toner enough it is amazing I think it would be great for any skin type, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to try this brand. Have you used this before? What do you think of Antipodes?

London Baby...& Cake

Last week I took a trip down to London to visit a friend for two days, I got a little snap happy and thought I would share these little photos with you. I went to see Michael McIntyre at the O2 and on the way home we got the boat up the Thames, it was absolutely freezing but the sights were lovely at night everything is lit up and looks wicked. We also went for a Pret A Portea at the famous Berkley Hotel, it was AMAZING as you can see by the pictures we had a feast. Each cake is inspired by the catwalk of S/S12, I have to say although they were beautiful masterpieces I ate them all and they were delicious!

After I ate my body weight in cake we went to check out the new Beauty Hall at Selfridges, Ive heard so much about it and couldn't wait to get there. I was like a kid in a sweet shop and ended up buying a few things that obviously I will be reviewing on the blog over the next week. I wouldn't say its glamorous to look at and you got pounced on as soon as you entered but I did love the fact that everything was more accessible. The beauty hall in Birmingham is great but it doesn't feature as many of the brands as the London one does, its annoying but it does gives me another excuse to pop down to LDN again.... Enjoy!

She Said Beauty October....

This months October She Said Beauty box was definitely dedicated more to skin health than past ones I have received. I really like that most of the boxes I receive include brands I haven't heard of before, I'm a fan of cult brands but I am always searching for something new to try.

My favourites from this box have to be the Biao Beauty Rejuvenating Night Creme and the B.liv Off With Those Heads Gel. I used the Biao Creme every night along side my antipodes toner and I have to say I loved it, my skin was blemish free and soft. Now with the change in the weather I tend to get dry patches around my Tzone and this sorted them out a treat without any greasiness or spots. The B.liv gel is also a great primer for the Tzone I do suffer pretty badly with black heads especially as I do wear makeup most days, this has definitely helped to stop them looking so prominent under my makeup. I have to say I haven't used it for long enough to see any change in appearance concerning my pores/black heads, It has helped to keep the ones I have under control and I haven't seen any more appear.

I did also like the Cellinique Advanced Bio Renewal Masque although you only get a very small sample so its hard to determine exactly how great it is. I have heard of the brand before I know it isn't easily available but the products I have tried and heard about before get great reviews. The Herbacin Wuta Kamille Hand Cream was also a good full size product, now the cold weather is here its helped my dry hands but I am not overly keen on the scent. I am a massive fan of the Bliss hand creams and I find it hard to let go of them!

The only two products I wasn't as bothered about were the Palmers Cocoa Butter and the MyVitamins, I find Palmers a bit heavy for me (I gave it to a friend who loves it) and the Vitamins are something I wont be using I'm not a fan of adding anything unnecessary to my body.

Overall I thought this was a great box and I will be purchasing the Biao creme and the B.liv gel, so they will get full reviews later on my blog.

How did you feel about your box? Did you like the vitamins?

Aye Eye....brows

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil 'Dark Brown' £2.99

Ive always been obsessed with makeup and I'm always searching for products that helpme to achieve a perfect everyday look. Ive tackled most areas of my face apart from my eyebrows, for some reason I have always left them out. I think its a mixture of my changing hair colour and fear of getting that 'scouse brow' I see on too many people. The thing is since changing jobs I now travel quite far everyday so getting up and doing a full face of makeup is too much effort for me. Ive cut down on my everyday makeup quite a lot recently but I always regret it when I get to work and I look tired before Ive even started.

As everyone knows a quick way to brighten and frame your face is paying attention to your eyebrows, so I had to take the dreaded plunge and purchase an eyebrow pencil (I broke into a sweat when I bought it). There are some brands out there that do some amazing Eyebrow kits, but the problem is they are quite expensive and for a newbie I wanted a high street, purse friendly pencil to try. This Rimmel pencil ticks all the boxes for me in terms of price, packaging and colour its really easy to use and at £2.99 you cant grumble. It comes with a handy brush on the end of the lid which helps to blend the colour without leaving any patches or lines. Overall I have had good results from this so far, and not a 'scouse brow' in sight.

 There is one slight downfall as there isn't a huge array of shades, I would mainly recommend this for people with a darker brow. Even though my hair is a red tone I decided to go for the Dark Brown, I think you should go slightly darker with a pencil its slightly more forgiving. I find if you go too light with a pencil you end up with that orange glow around each brow, trust me Ive been there many a time....

I'm not sure how I feel about my eyebrows at the moment, I know they look better since using this pencil but its taking some time to get used to. Its not even a drastic change to my makeup they just look fuller and not quite so patchy but Im still on the fence about whether its really necessary? Im not even sure if a pencil is the best product for me to use as I hear great reviews about the gels and powders.

How do you feel about eye pencils? Is there a better product out there I should try?

Black Velvet...




Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick In 'Black Cassis' £19.50

This of course is a lipstick from the Violet Underground Collection from Estee Lauder, I picked it up in Debenhams last week while I was meant to be browsing for perfume. I don't usually go to this brand for my lipsticks but I have to say I was impressed with the range they have. They are quite pricey to be fair I did feel a bit guilty as I definitely don't need another lipstick, I also know there are so many high street versions that are cheaper. The thing is as a girl who LOVES makeup I like having a few nice pieces in my makeup bag to reach for when I want a change from my daily makeup. I mean come on who doesn't like shiny gold fancy cases?!

Ive seen this on a few blogs over the past few weeks so I know its not new, I usually I try my hardest not to cave into a hype but obviously I did (nothing new there...) I love dark lipsticks especially in the winter, I usually swap my summery brights for darker matte lip colours when it gets colder. Lets face it summer has gone now and so its time for the winter hauls to come out, plus this shade will detract people from looking at my shiny red nose.

excuse the hair it wouldn't behave that day....

The one thing I do have to say is it is no where near as dark as it looks, as you can see on the picture above its more of a deep red. Don't get me wrong I will be wearing this a lot over the cold months, the shade is lovely but I have even seen it darker on other bloggers pictures.

Have you tried this? What do you think of the colour?