Clarisonic, my thoughts..

Clarisonic, my thoughts..

Firstly Im sorry theres been a lack of posts and responses on your blogs, I'm just so busy with Jess that I'm finding it hard to find the time to keeping blogging.. But hopefully things will settle down (I'll keep my fingers firmly crossed on that one, especially as shes ripped my new dress this morning!  Not happy!)

Anyway..

Im pretty sure my Clarisonic Plus arrived on the 7th of May, so Ive been using it for 2weeks now.

The RRP for this is £175 (I used a Bank Holiday promo code and got mine cheaper), so its not something you buy on a whim.. Ive sold plenty on Ebay to pay for mine!!

When I first started using it I got the same glowing, clean, soft pretty skin that everyone else talks about.. I'd never seen my skin so fresh and glowy looking, and the pores, they were visibly reduced like many people reported too.  Winner!

You can  adjust the settings to suit you and you can also adjust the time from 60 seconds (Im sure they think '60 seconds' sounds quicker than '1 minute'!)  Have a quick look on the website here, to see what they say about it.
I use mine morning and night for 2 minutes at a time, I also use the brush head that came with it, I believe its for 'normal' skin.  There are brush heads for sensitive skin, and for spot prone skin.

What can I say..

So far, its that Im glad I didn't rush on here gushing about it and recommending everyone save up for one (like I was going to do!)!  Two weeks in my skin is still glowing.  HOWEVER, I now have the worst case of spots Ive had since I was a teenager!  And funnily enough now I know about it and have googled 'The Clarisonic made my skin worse' I'm not the only one!!
So many people have complained about it around the two week mark.  Several people have blamed it on the cleaners that come with, Ive not touched these.  I did switch to a Clean & Clear gel wash which is more gentle than my Clearasil Ultra as I found I didn't need such a harsh wash anymore as the Clarisonic was doing most of the work getting my pores clean.. But now Ive switched back, not only to be sure its the brush giving me these spots, but also because the Clearsil gets rid of my spots within 3 days, normally!  But not this time!  These spots are the really red, angry, under-the-skin sore types and theyre not in the places Id normally see spots, such as my cheeks and jawline (although they are there too!).  Just this morning Ive woken up with 3 angry red spots on my nose, last night there was 1, now its been joined by 2 friends all lining up towards the bridge of my nose.. and not just there but just under my eyes too.. who gets spots on the bridge of their nose and eyes!?  Theyre also right by my ears, theres a few on my forehead, on my cheeks.. just about everywhere you can think of, and I have one incredibly sore one brewing on my chin.
Ive been extra careful changing my towels and pillow cases etc, tying my hair back at night, not touching my face, cleaning my brushes etc..

So right now my skin is still glowy yet incredibly spotty, so I'm not happy!  Its not really about the money, I know I could get most of it back on Ebay, its more that I'm annoyed it doesn't seem to work for me, and because I know it does shrink my pores, it does leave my skin glowing, I feel even more gutted because Ive had a taster of how good my skin could look!

I guess I stick with it.. But how long do you give it before you call it a day, how bad does my skin have to get before I cant carry on!  Its already pretty sore, quite taut and dry from the spot creams and instead of having nice skin so I could go make up free, I'm having to wear a thicker foundation to cover things up!  Its just not good.

The only thing I can try now is using it once per day at night time to give my skin a rest, and perhaps try spritzing the brush head with Dettol to kill any germs that may be lurking on there..
Some people have complained about it smelling like an old damp towel.. Mine doesnt because I have been cleaning the brush head after use, but I guess it will inevitably be damp so its a possibility theres some germs on there..  We'll see!

I was going to post pics of how clean, fresh and glowing my skin looked, but I didn't take any pictures last week and my skin this week looks pretty different!  I'm too embarrassed to put any on now because it 's just too spotty and not very nice :(  Perhaps when I'm feeling braver I will.. And if the Clarisonic doesnt help in the long run I may just put some up anyway to give you an idea of what I'm dealing with after using it.. That way you can make up your own minds whether you want to risk it or not!

All in all, not happy and Im wondering if glowy skin is a good trade of for spotty skin!??

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E.L.F Haul

E.L.F Haul

Am I the only one who hates the word 'haul'!??  I just feel it sounds really greedy, like you've raided somewhere in a spending frenzy!??

..Yeah, it's probably just me!

Anyway, on Wednesday I placed my first order with E.L.F (thats 'Eyes Lips Face' for those of you who may live under a rock ;0p  !), up until this point I was an E.L.F virgin!

I don't know why I've never purchased anything from them, it could be in part to them being totally new to me.. You know how it is, when you're 13 you dabble a bit with some Rimmel makeup (my first ever Rimmel item was Heather Shimmer lipstick!  Does anyone remember that purple packaging with the little lever thing they used to have on the side!?    I digress!).. But you kinda grow up with those brands, you learn to know what works, but most importantly you get to try them out in the shops, and I don't believe theres anywhere in the UK where you can play with E.L.F and get to test it out first (feel free to correct me if Im wrong!).
I also think I made up my mind they were a bit too cheapy, not that I dislike cheap, I'm certainly no high-end girl.. but hearing the reviews on Youtube about all these $1 finds from Walmart, just kinda put me off!

But recently Ive been spotting posts in which their Studio Line Powder Brush was used, and all in all I don't think Ive read a bad word about that particular brush.  Then theres the dupes that people speak of, plus I'd also read Rachel's review of foundation primers at   http://queenofturquoise.blogspot.com/  , she said that the ELF primer was the best of the three she tested..  So in the end I decided to give ELF a try!

I purchased:
3 All Over Color Stick's in Pink Lemonade, Golden Peach and Spotlight (Spotlight is supposedly a dupe for Nars Multiple in Copacabana)
Mineral Lipstick - Runway Pink (a dupe for MAC Angel?)
From the Studio Collection:
Powder Brush
Warm Bronzer
High Definition Powder
Mineral Infused Face Primer
Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder  (a dupe for Nars Orgasm/Laguna?)

I can't comment re the dupe factor!  I don't own any of the others to make any real comparisons, but I'm sure with a bit of Googling you could find some swatches and make your own minds up :)

On first impressions I'm very pleased with every item, I'm also impressed at how they were packaged - all nice and neat within a small box, not bouncing around inside a huge wasteful box!  Lastly I'm pleased with the speed in which they were delivered too (less than 24 hours!).

They arrived Thursday morning (super fast delivery!), and last night I had a play with a few things.

Last night I had to go to a party (notice the word 'had' there!) so I used the primer, the HD powder, the contour blush & bronzer and the mineral lippy.

On first impressions I really like the primer, it made my skin feel silky smooth, but I do worry it might leave me with spots as it left a greasy fingerprint on my black Nars lid.  But this is one I'll be using for special occasions, not everyday use, so it should be ok.  What I also noticed is that my face looked a bit greasy 6 hours after application, which is sort of the norm for me, but I find when I use my Nars Sheer Glow on its own it doesnt look that way 6 hrs later, so Im assuming it was the primer..?  More testing me thinks.

The lipstick was a beautiful colour.  I cant carry off nude lipsticks so I found this to be a really pretty pale pink colour, I loved it and it lasted very well.

The contour blush and bronzer.. I liked the bronzer as a contour, I did find it a bit of a hastle to blend, but once Id done that I was v happy with the results... The blush, hmmmm, I'm not so sure.  I need a bit more of a play with it (With them all infact) to make a full informed decision!

The HD powder.. How silky soft is that!  It really gave my face a flawless look and I was very happy with it.

I was very happy with the brush too, so much so I'm going to look into buying some others.

And on a sort of side note, the Clarisonic + Elf primer + Nars sheer glow + Elf HD powder = An AMAZING flawless finish!!
I know thats a lot of product for a base, its certainly a far cry from what I use on a daily basis, but for a night out I'd def recommend giving them a whirl!

Do you have any of these products, which ones do you like?

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Jess - A single figure countdown!!

Jess - A single figure countdown!!

When you get to single figures on a countdown, somehow it makes things seem that bit closer!

 It's still 9 days, which feels like a loooong time to me, but I'm focusing on the fact she will be here in 'days' now, not weeks!

Yay!!

(If you were wondering.. No, I dont wear the same denim jacket and gillet all the time!  This photo was taken at the same time as the previous ones!)  :0P

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1/2 Price on Boots Original Beauty Formula's

1/2 Price on Boots Original Beauty Formula's

Yesterday I picked up a few bits from the Boots Original Beauty Formula's range.

(Pictured: Cleansing Milk Now £1.94 from £3.89)


The ones I saw in the teeny tiny Boots we have were all half price, although it does say 'selected' on the site. As they didn't have that much in I only picked up a few bits, but at home I placed an online order for the cleansing milk and vanishing cream, which I will collect in store to save on the delivery charge..

Anyway, heres the linky if youre interested :)



Have you tried these yet, did you like them?

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L'Oreal True Match minerals. A (scary) before & after.

L'Oreal True Match minerals. A (scary) before & after.

****Warning!  Contains scary photographs of naked skin and a zombified woman! ****

This was a last minute decision, I suddenly decided to show you a before and after of L'Oreal True Match Minerals this morning!

Currently I'm using this in W3.

Coming up is the (scary) before picture..  I'd only been awake for about 5 minutes!  I have no fake tan on my face at the moment and all I'd done was wash my face, then swiped over with my clearasil deep pore treatment pads, after that I applied some Panoxyl 5 (for my hormonal spots) and then concealed my under eye circles with Maybelline Mineral concealer in Natural (I know I still have a bit of a panda eye going on, but I'm too scared of that ASDA eye makeup remover and I dont have anymore yet!).

It was at this point I thought somehow it would be a good idea to take some photos!?

(Sorry for looking half asleep and dog rough!)

And this is after I'd applied the True Match.  I tend to be a lit lazy and use the brush provided instead of my kabuki brush.  I swirl the brush in some powder, tap off the excess then buff it on:

Its done a fair job on my uneven skintone I think (and those odd dark patches of skin around my eyes and forehead).  Like I've said before though I'm unhappy with how much it accentuates my pores (you can clearly see them on my cheeks especially).  But I think all in all it looks OK, I could've chosen something with a fuller coverage that works better with my pores, but as I just needed to be ready for the school run I didn't see the point.  You probably can't see but I have a few spots here and there (on my cheeks) - thanks to my monthly friend, and the True Match has covered them well without the need to conceal any further.

These pictures should prove useful when my Clarisonic arrives though.  At the moment my skin isn't in good condition.. I've always had very visible, open pores, but at the moment my skin has dry patches (from the clearasil and Panoxyl), and at the moment my skin is pretty hormonal..  So we shall see if theres any sort of improvement!

And thanks to my bright ideas of photographing myself that close up, Ive decided I feel quite old!!   I no longer have the skin of an 18 year old (funny that eh, considering I'm 30!?!).. but those lines on my forehead and the ones from nose to mouth.. Urgh, if I were rich Id probably be thinking about some botox round about now!!

I hope Ive not made anyone feel too ill!


Have a lovely day :)

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So excited, I may just pee my pants!

So excited, I may just pee my pants!

I'm counting down the days for the delivery of this lil delight..

For those of you that dont know what it is, its the Clarisonic!  Oh yeah baby!!

Whoohoo, come on Mr Postie!!

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"Feel the burn"

"Feel the burn"

You've heard of that saying, right?

Its probably all well and good saying it whilst you're busting your hump down the gym.. But saying it while you take off your eye makeup?  I don't think so!

I was trying out good old olive oil as an eye makeup remover, but sadly I don't have the patience of a saint!   I can't sit there whilst it dissolves the first layer, then go through a million pads whilst it takes the rest of my mascara off.  What can I say, I just don't like to faff around!

Whilst I was doing my weekly shop online I had a look at the makeup removers.  I spotted my old time favourite L'Oreal one, but as it had been put up in price I skipped it!  (I normally only pay £2 for this from Asda).  I also saw a Rimmel one, a Simple one and Asda's own brand.  Id not heard great things about Rimmels, so it was a close call between ASDA's own and the Simple!

On this occasion ASDA won me over with its £1.73 price tag!  Sometimes the cheapies come up trumps..

Dont let that cheap yet clinical white bottle deceive you, right there is a little bottle of battery acid! (alright, maybe not actual acid, but it might as well be the real deal on my skin!)

Yep people, that stuff BURNS!

OK, I wasn't left with 2nd degree burns, nothing even close, but my goodness it really was painful and it did leave the skin around my eyes red and sore!

My skin isn't what Id consider sensitive, my eye area wasn't dry and had no broken skin, and yet within seconds of sweeping the lotion over my eye it set of a big burning sensation!  That burning feeling lasted for ages until it dried.. I know, any normal person would have been running for the wash basin!  Maybe I'm a masochist, but I waited until it dried (all that was missing from the picture was a wooden stick between my teeth!)

Now Ive heard great things about ASDA's nail polishes, some of their makeup line and I myself am a fan of their clothes, but this products gets a huge thumbs down from me!

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My perfume collection..

My perfume collection..

I guess I have quite a few perfumes, but theres only perhaps one that I would repurchase!  Some I keep to remind me of nice moments or people, some of which I just need to use up and bin!

 I think that over the years my likes in perfumes have changed and there arent all that many that I really must have.  I tend to get bored easily too, so its worthwhile that I only buy 30ml bottles from now on!

I used to only wear perfume when I was going somewhere special too, and I found myself 'saving it for best'!  Which is probably why I have so many, any normal person would have used them up considering how long they've been sat there!  But Ive began wearing them more and more recently, if only to get rid of some and get some space(!), I also have found that a few are on their way out, theyve started going off and simply need to get used.. Part of this problem was them being stored in a basket, now theyre out where I can properly see them (Although still in a dark corner to conserve them).

I'm not going to attempt to describe the notes of these fragrances, that would be laughable if I were to try.. But all the same, someone might enjoy being nosy at my collection!

..Maybe!

Right at the front left is Giorgio Beverly Hills, Ocean Dream.
Theres a teeny tiny bit of orangy yellow perfume left at the bottom!  Its in no way usable as its about 15 years old!  I just keep it because it was the first perfume ever given to me and I like to smell it from time to time, nice memories and all that!

Behind that is Jordans Stunning, the cheapy dupe for Dior's Miss Cherie!
Now, I did buy this from Ebay so it could be old (Im sure on the box there was a 2008 date on it?), or it could've been stored badly.. Or it could just smell this way on me!  But Im not that keen on it.  It doesn't last and its not that clean or crisp smelling, and yet its not totally musky too.. its kind of an icky inbetween!  Seeing as lots of people love it I will assume mine is a little off because I feel something isn't right with it.  As for the cheapness of the plastic bottle and its badly fitting lid, urgh!  This is definately one to be kept off display!

Behind that is Matthew Williamson, Sheer.
Now I took a punt on this one after I saw Laura (Lollipop26) rave about it being one of her favorite perfumes, so I hunted it down online and bought it..  What can I say, perhaps just that Im thankful I only spent £7 on it!  I just dont like it, I also find it doesn't last that long.

Behind that is Giorgio Armani, She.
An Ok fragrance, again Ive had this a while and I think the novelty has worn off with it.  I think its more of an Autumn or evening fragrance, it does last well too, Im just not in love with it and am in the process of using it up.

Behind that Giorgio Armani, Mania.
I really really liked this when it was given to me, but Im just keeping the last bit of it as a reminder!  My Dad bought it for me when he went on holiday, and I'm a bit weird in that sometimes I can't throw things away.. And as far as perfumes are concerned I always like a bit left as a reminder!

Next to that, with the flat top lid is Calvin Klein Eternity.
I used to LOVE this.. Now?  Not so much, and luckily theres only a little left to use up.

Next to that is Hugo Boss Deep Red.
I like this too, its a fragrance I turn to in the evenings or Winter as its quite musky.. Again, this was a present from my Nanna, so its likely a bit of this will get left over!

The tall orange bottle is Kenzo Amour.
My fiance bought this for me, and if Im totally honest (Sshhh), I dont like it all that much!  I told him I like it though and I tend to wear it around him because he likes the scent of it, but for me I feel its a scent for someone older than me.. (Thats just my opinion, so dont bash me if you're only 18 and you love it!)

Next to that is Cerruti 1881.
I used to wear this all the time when I was about 18 through 21, I loved it.  I bought it again when I was about 28 and I discovered Im not that in love with it anymore!  I used to get a lot of compliments when I wore it, but not so much anymore and I dont think I would repurchase.  A classic maybe, but its just not for me.

Infront of 1881 in the little red bottle is Cacharel Amore Amore...
My most recent one.  Again, another evening or Autumn/Winter musky fragrance.  I like it, but I dont love it and so Im doubtful Id repurchase.

Next to 1881 are my 2 Gucci perfumes.
The brown one is another musky scent, the pink one is more floral and girly - a good Summertime fragrance.

Next to the pink Gucci, in a dome shaped bottle is Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet.
I like this, its nice and quite strong, it also lasts well and I think its quite a unique fragrance.

The bottle with atomizer in the middle is Britney Spears Curious..
I'm not completely sold on this (Which is unfortunate considering theres about 99ml left!).  I don't know why, I liked it at first but I'm just not overly keen, it also only lasts a matter of hours too.  I do want to try Fantasy as Ive heard its a nice fragrance.

Right at the front is Thierry Mugler Angel.
My all time favourite!  This lasts the whole day, it smells wonderful and is probably the only one I will adore for a long time to come!  I always get nice compliments when I wear it, it makes me feel feminine and dare I say it, a little bit sexy!  I love the bottle too, its so pretty!  This is probably the one I would recommend to anyone!


I would like a nice, fresh, girly Summer fragrance, is there any you recommend?

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April favourites

April favourites

In April I mainly rediscovered some old faves!

I know its a bit naughty of me to rave about things you cant buy in the shops anymore, but rest assured Ebay will come up trumps for the oldies but goodies!

I went back to minimal makeup towards the end of the month, I got so tired to trying out looks that just didnt really suit me, getting fed up and not enjoying wearing makeup.  So I figured why not try out what used to make me happy, and it worked!

Does anyone remember those Maybelline Lip Express pencils!?   They're a lipstick and liner in one, I used to buy them in Superdrug and they were fab!  I was gutted when they discontinued them, but luckily they've popped up over the years in the cheapy online makeup stores and also on Ebay.  I have several of them, a couple (mainly the nude ones) are pretty drying, but the one I keep repurchasing is 02 Keep Mauving.
I dont apply it like a lipstick, I dot it on my lips and blend it in with my finger to create a stain effect.  I love it!

In the centre of my lips I apply a shimmer gloss to make my lips appear fuller, my all time fave is Barry M 02, an iridescent  pale pink.

My favourite blush for April is Bourjois 95 Rose De Jaspe.  Ive tried a few blushers and bronzers recently, but I tend to keep coming back to this one, I just find it works well for me.

I also fancied a purple liner one day so I pulled out my old(ish) Loreal Colour Endure pencil in Wine.
I just love the colour of this, its a kind of plum purple with a slight metallic sheen.  I just really like how it looks next to green eyes, and somehow it makes my eyes appear whiter.. My one gripe with this though, it just doesnt last!  If I could find the same colour in gel form I would be one happy laydee!!

L'Oreal True Match Minerals.  I can go from loving this, to hating it, probably in the space of a week!  But when my skin is behaving (ie not acting like an oil slick!) I love this and Ive been using it a fair bit - L'Oreal True Match Minerals (powder), in W3 (at the moment!).  I know I'll moan about it one week and complain how it never stays on, but when my skin isn't so bad I will go back to it and love it once again!
I do love the coverage, its not powdery or chalky like the Maybelline ones, its a great match for my skin tone and it does give a nice glow/slight sheen to the skin.  But on the days where I have a bit too much oil, I hate it because it just doesnt stay put!!

Ive been loving my St Moriz too (I forgot to put it in the photograph!)!  Prior to this I was using Loreal Sublime Bronze, and that was ok, it gave a nice colour, but I found it was a bit smelly and at times it felt a little bit tacky after application, the St Moriz doesnt feel like that at all, it sinks in and feels like your skin normally would.
Im so happy I found this tanner, its a bargain, it applies really well with a mitt, it lasts well and I find I get the deepness in one application that I would previously have gotten with two to three with the Loreal one!  Having said that, I wouldnt recommend the spray version!  I dont know whether its me and Ive bought a dud, but I find I get a mist combined with big blobs splurting out too.  Im sure I will do a review on it soon, once I figure out the best way to work it!

And last but not least my Phyto products!  I ADORE these!
Im not going to lie and say I now have Jennifer Aniston hair, but Im so happy with the condition its in at the moment!  For me its the softest its been since I was about 15 and hadnt yet battered my hair with colourants!  15 years of colouring sure takes its toll, obviously it gets a cut(!!), but it never gets more than a few months break from colouring, and sadly, now Im old enough to start accepting/liking what Ive got, Ive now got no choice but to dye it.. thank you first grey hairs!  In my opinion the Phyto products are expensive, but I have a bathroom cabinet FULL of cr*p products that didnt live up to anything, so this for me is something Im happy to invest in :)

What are your faves from April?

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