Phyto, the blurb!

Phyto, the blurb!

If you want to know more about what I think re Phyto, check out my other post above.


In this post I'll let you know what Phyto say about the 4 items I own, some of what it says on the box, some of the ingredients, the directions of use, etc etc.

I have:
Phytopolleine.  This is a pre-shampoo scalp stimulant with essential oils and is 100% botanical.
I purchased this from Boots for £19.50.
25ml/0.84 fl.oz

On the box it says: "Phytopolleine is a botanical stimulant that helps regulate and purify the scalp.  It also can be used as a long-term treatment to inject life back into a weakened scalp and lackluster hair.
Phytopolleine's original formular is comprised of 1750 grams of fresh plants per 25m of concentrated solution.  The synergetic action and revitalising power of the 72% essential oils (cajeput, lemon, rosemary, sage, cypress) combined with corn germ oil, stimulates microcirculation, making phytopolleine a genuine scalp stimulant."

Directions for use:  Use before shampoo 1 to 2 times a week.

• Apply directly to the scalp section by section, using the dropper bottle.
• Massage gently into scalp
• Leave in for 20 minutes, and then wash with appropriate shampoo.

Phytocyane a shampoo for thinning hair.

On the leaflet it says: "This shampoo works to restore hair vitality trough the synergistic action of its botanical active ingredients.  Ginkgo biloba is combined with vitamin B6 to stimulate cell metabolism and hair resistance, thus fortifying hair.

  Grapeseed procyanidins (OPG), free radicals capture, thus protecting the hair bulb and preventing the appearance of aging signs. 

A cinchona bark extract with stimulating qualities, combined with a mild washing base derived from coconut oil, ensure that Phytocyane shampoo is effective and gentle."

To shampoo my hair with this I take a capful, distribute it around my hair and shampoo then rinse, then I take another capful and massage it in leaving for 5 minutes until I rinse it out.  A little, esp with the 2nd shampoo, goes a long way.

I purchased this from Feel Unique for £8.50 delivered (RRP £10.)
200ml/6.7 fl.oz
(use within 12 months of opening)


I follow with: Phytojoba mask.  I can't actually tell you much about this as Ive lost the leaflet that comes with it, but basically it is an intense hydrating mask for dry hair.  The scent of this is just wonderful and I love using it just for the smell alone!
I apply this and leave it for about 3-5 minutes, then I rinse it off.  Its not heavy, sticky or nasty in any way and it always leaves my hair with a weightless, super soft feel.
You can check out the product, along with a short video at the Phyto website

I purchased this in Boots for £18.50
200ml/6.7 fl.oz
(use within 6 months of opening)


Lastly I use Phytomist as a leave-in conditioner.

On the side of the bottle/can it says: An instant conditioner specially formulated for colour-treated hair, Phytomist is a delicately scented spray. Easy and enjoyable to use, it works to restore suppleness and shine from the very first application.
Lotus flowers, rich in nourishing plant extracts, help maintain moisture levels while hyrolyzed keratin coats damaged hair and facilitates detangling.
A Phytoprotective extract obtained from sunflower, combined with red algae rich in trace elements, works to prevent oxidation caused by environmental stress factors.  Instantly hair is easier to detangle and regains shine.

I spray this on towel dried hair, it can also be used for between shampoos to soften the ends.  I have to say though that the more I use the mask, the less Im needing to use the leave-in conditioner, so I suspect this will last me quite a long time.

I purchased this in Boots for £13.00
150ml/ 5.07 fl.oz
(use within 18 mths of opening)


I did purchase most of the items from Boots because they were on 3 for 2 at the time, however since that offer is no longer available I would recommend you look at Feel Unique because some products (most infact) are cheaper than I could find at most places online.  Its also set out nicely on their website so its easy to determine which products your hair would need.

Have a happy hair day!  :)

[ ... ]

Maybe..

Maybe..

Maybe one those little puppies will be mine/ours in 4 weeks!!

Ok, so I know this is COMPLETELY not beauty related, but I love seeing peoples personal posts too, it somehow makes them more real iykwim!?  Anyway, I'm sure no one else cares but me, but what the heck, somebody somewhere might like this post! lol

Berry there, is Mum to some lovely little Labrador pups :)  One of those Chocolate pups is without a name, all the rest have been chosen and named and will be going to their new home in 4 weeks, but theres one lil chocolate one without an owner.. as yet!

My fiance has been to see her tonight, he says hes taken a photo so I might try and upload it for you later when he gets back.. (done, see below!)
I didn't want to go, well i did, but Id like some element of surprise as shes intended as a pressie for my 30th in 3 days!

So far Im really happy though, shes expensive but will be soooo worth it!

Im really excited!!  More talks about her later to make sure, but I think its a yes!!  4 looooooong weeks though, booooooo !


Jess (her new name!) with the breeder:

[ ... ]

The likes, love and hates tag..

The likes, love and hates tag..

The rules are as follows:-

You have to share 12 likes, 1 love and 8 hates and tag three other blogs that you admire! 

I like waking up to a good skin day!

I like watching Greys Anatomy (Yey for the new series!)

I like looking at my skin/pores in a magnifying mirror.. the bigger the better (magnification that is!)!

I like buying a product that actually works or lives up to the hype!

I like it when my hair does what I tell it to do!

I like my jeep!

I like it when my son tells me Im the best Mummy in the world :)

I like it when I've St Moritzed!

I *hangs head in shame* like squeezing out the ingrown hairs on my legs (Sorry!!) :0?

I like it when my make up decides to stay on and not slide off 2hrs after Ive applied it!

I like it when Im having a fat day.. (I cant gain weight nor keep it on, for love nor money - trust me, its not a good thing!)

I like knowing I have my lovely fiance to cuddle up to at night :)

I LOVE my son with all my heart and soul.  He really is my little angel :)

I hate weighing myself to discover Ive lost that extra 1lb (and probably another 2lb on top!) that took me 2 weeks to gain! - My all time hate!

I hate feeling Ive disappointed someone or upset them.

I hate people with no manors.. seriously, they cost nothing :)

I hate not being able to find things.

I hate that I own so much (in the words of my fiance:) "tat".. subsequently I don't live in a show home!

I hate being ill - Im a big old hypochondriac!

I hate missed opportunities.

I hate that I buy something, think its wonderful I then buy a back-up (or three), or buy into the whole product range.. Then discover its a load of pants!

Since Ive no idea how to tag someone (do I just type it, do I click something?!?)  I tag everyone who reads my blog *waves*!

Have a lovely day everyone, enjoy the sun xx

[ ... ]

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup

Back when I was 19 I had a boyfriend at the time buy me a gift set from Clinique for my Birthday.  Id never had any skincare or makeup from anything other than Boots 17 or Boots No7, so having something more expensive was really special!
From then on their 3 Step skincare and their Superfit foundation were my Number 1!


My love, my holy grail foundation, was Superfit!  I LOVED it.. It was fresh looking, clean, it stayed put, the coverage was amazing and I just adored how nice it made my skin look.  I would always repurchase this and I dont think I ever tried anything else, nothing could tempt me away from Superfit!  Mostly I was the colour Neutral, over the Summer I would buy one in a darker shade, but for the majority I was Neutral! 


One day when I applied my makeup from my 3rd bottle something just wasn't right, the colour seemed off and it no longer suited me.. It actually seemed more neutral and less yellow based.. I now had tide lines, my face didnt even match any other part of my body and it was no longer the foundation Id fallen in love with..  i tried a few other colours but nothing was as good as the original, I tried a few others from the range but still nothing grabbed me and so I moved onto a completely different brand..


Now Ive discovered the Anti-Blemish one.. 


 Im back in love!!


Using this foundation makes me remember why I fell in love with Superfit!  On initial application it is a little matte, but as I have oily skin I find that thats ok, as by lunchtime my skin can be a little shiny.
I first applied this when I was mid trial of my Simple Skincare, back then my skin was less oily but gearing towards more blemishes..  So I didnt really need to touch up because of oiliness, I also found that the foundation covered all my blemishes and flaws and I didn't need a separate concealer.
Now Im back to using my clearasil I have fewer blemishes but LOTS of oil, so I do need to touch up.. However I am skipping my Boots No7 Matte Base (simply because my skin has had allsorts on it recently, so Im trying to limit what Im applying..), if I did apply this I wouldn't need to touch up so soon, but as it is I could probably do with using a blotting sheet around lunchtime.. again, this isn't a problem for me as I dont like a super matte finish.  I should also add that this isn't anything thats not out of the ordinary for me.  I usually apply my foundation around 8am and with most of them I find my skin is super super oily by 10.30am, which obviously just gets progressively worse as the day wears on, however with this Anti-Blemish foundation my skin does appear a little oily, but Im not left with it looking like its sitting on top of a layer of oil, theres no tiny little dots where its settled into my pores, and theres no patches where my oils have made the foundation look as if its separated from my skin!  
If you do have really oily skin like me you could use a translucent powder to set your make up, I wouldn't normally do this unless Im going somewhere special though, simply because Im not a fan of setting powder in the daytime.


Clinique say this (taken from their website.. I hope they dont mind!): New Anti-Blemish Solutions Makeup. Lightweight, oil-free, long-wearing foundation that blends gently and evenly into skin to conceal and treat current blemishes, while preventing future ones. Controls oil and balances skin's surface to maintain overall skin health. Unclogs and minimizes the appearance of pores, neutralizes skin redness. Contains skin-soothing ingredients that feel cooling upon application. 


On Boots' website there are 11 five star reviews.  On Cliniques website the rating has actually gone down since I last looked, I am quite suprised about this.  
Some people have complained of it being too drying or caking around spots, I have to say that I havent found this at all.
Another reviewer said it oxidises and I probably would agree with this, I cant say thats anything unusual for me though.. Maybelline Mineral foundation does the same with me, as does MAC Stuidiofix Fluid, and plenty of others do too.
Another also said they struggle with a colour match.. I probably would agree with that based on past experience, I however havent been to a counter for a colour match with this particular foundation, I just did some research online and went for 02 Fresh Ivory, and when I dont have a tan (thanks to my Flash Bronzer!) this colour is OK, I would like the next colour up from this though, just to either mix with 02 or use alone when Im darker.


I certainly find that it doesn't cause me blemishes, which is a massive plus as most foundations tend to break me out (Studiofix being the No1 culprit!).. As for treating them I do feel that my skin looks a little better in the evening.  But I'm also using clearasil at the moment, so its obviously difficult to tell which spot fighting product is doing what!


For reference Im NC20 in Mac, sometimes NC25 mixed in when Im tanned.


It is for dry, combination and oily skintypes.


I purchased mine from Boots for £20 (30ml) and I would highly recommend it, esp if you have blemish prone skin like mine!




(Picture taken from Clinique)

[ ... ]

I heart George..

I heart George..

I've got to confess I LOVE George!  No not Boy George, or George Bush, or George Michael.. Although Im quite fond of George Michaels music..  Im talking about Asda's range of clothing..  

I think its usually really good quality for the money.. Ive bought the odd item and thought it wasn't worth the money, but which shop doesn't overprice items at times.. and what I think is overpriced, someone else might think is fine!

Most of the things I own have come from George!   I also find some of their items are comparable to clothes you might find at ASOS, New Look or even Topshop.  Now Im not saying they're as high fashion as Topshop, far from it, theres plenty of things in Asda that your Mum would wear (and even your Nan!).. but theres odd pieces that pop up from time to time that are identical to ones sold in other stores, only at half the price!

They have a few nice things in at the moment and my favorite items so far this month are these:

Nautical Stripe Hanky Hem Dress  £14

Nautical Stripe Smock Dress £8

Western Checked Shirt £12

Bow Print Nautical Top £8

G21 Distressed Denim Jacket £16

Nautical Striped Boyfriend Cardigan £12

Maxi Boat Print Dress £14

Obviously they will need styling up a bit, a few accessories here and there.. Oh, and ignore the dodgy white leggings that the model is wearing with that stripe smock dress, I wouldn't recommend that look.. unless you like it like that of course!!

Have a peek if any of these take your fancy!

[ ... ]

Simple skincare range: A review.

Simple skincare range: A review.

I believe Ive mentioned previously how happy I am with my Clearasil Ultra range, for me theres nothing else like it at clearing blemishes, however it does have its bad points as well as the good.

The good points:
It works, it actually does what it says on the containers - you see visible results within 3 days.
It leaves your skin looking clean, fresh and clarified.


The bad points:
It can be incredibly drying
After a prolonged period it can leave your skin looking a little papery/thin.
After a few days to a week your oil production goes into overdrive and Im left with my makeup sliding off by 11am
Also after a while my pores seem much more open and visible..


So because I get tired of the thin papery looking skin on the sides of my forehead, mixed with looking like I've slapped baby oil on my skin, from time to time I find myself browsing skincare isles looking for something that does everything I want it to, which is leave my skin blemish free, clean looking, fresh feeling and yet moisturised/plump too.


After a fortnight of trying out Neutrogena's Stress Contol range (Awful, a post about that to follow soon!) I was left with lots of spots yet again.. Back to the Clearasil I went!


After a week my spots had cleared up and my skin was clean looking once again.. Yet with the clear skin comes the downside - dry skin patches, except this time I don’t think I had rinsed off the wash properly, so I was left with a particularly ugly scabby patch of skin underneath my jawline, yep 2 long 5mm wide scabs on both sides of my jaw.. Add in my St Moritz and I was left with an odd brown patch of scabby skin!  And, like any naughty girl shouldn't do, I began picking at it whilst watching TV!   Im one of those people that finds something then begins picking away, all while knowing I shouldn’t be doing it, that it will end in tears, and then I carry on regardless!  So 30 minutes later I'd made the patches of skin all red, angry and pretty sore :(   Later on that night my Mr had to nip to Tescos, so in desperation I asked him to pick me something up whilst he was there.  I figured I just needed to find something that’s a good all rounder.. So after he'd walked up and down the isles whilst on the phone to me he spotted some items from the Simple range.  He picked up the toner and read from the label: "Our Pore Minimising Toning Cleanser is a perfect blend of active ingredients and vitamin goodness to visibly reduce the size of pores.  Leaves skin feeling refreshed and clarified.  Perfect for even sensitive skin…"   SOLD!


I have to admit that it did sit on my nightstand for a few nights as I was almost too scared to use it!   I normally need something the strength of Clearasil, Oxy etc, to get rid of and keep blemishes at bay, so I didn't know how this would work out.. But as my Mr pointed out "That cost me £4.79!"  I guessed I should give it a go.. (£4.79 is considered expensive by my fiance, this is coming from a guy that only uses a 65p bar of soap on his face though!).  I should add that Ive found the Simple range to be cheaper in Wilkinson's, Aldi also carry a few items from time to time (at £2.. I picked up a packet of wipes from there, and also the moisturising wash, not pictured).
So.. I gave it a go one night.  I wasn't overwhelmed with it, it didn't seem to do anything wonderful, but I thought I might see better results if I purchased a facewash a moisturiser too.  So I picked up the Exfoliating wash, the Kind To Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion, the K.T.S Hydrating Light Moisturiser and a packet of cleansing wipes.  For the next few nights I set about using a mixture of what Id purchased, alternating between wipes and the toner, the cleansing lotion and the toner, or if I wanted to feel Id had a deep and thorough cleanse Id use the wash, followed by the toner and moisturiser..  But each morning I would skip using a wash like I had for years previous, and I would use the wipes or just the toner.. I wanted to try and be as gentle as possible to see if my skin would benefit from it.


The thing I noticed immediately was how my skin seemed more 'normal' and far less oily, I LOVED that.  The fact my foundation would stay where I put it, the fact it wouldn't slide off by mid-morning, that you couldn’t see reflections of objects in the oily patches on my face, WONDERFUL!  My face no longer looked like an oil slick and I didn't need to retouch several times a day!  I think I then got over excited after about 5 days, so excited that I thought 'wow, this is amazing.. The reduction in oil, great.. I wonder what else the other products would do..'  Sooooo, project bathroom went right out the window and I purchased the Moisturising Wash, another packet of wipes (As a back-up because they were just £2), the K.T.S eye balm, the Refreshing Gel Wash and even the K.T.S Night Cream!  Yep, I went wayyyyyyyy overboard!


I don't think I would recommend the Night Cream or eye balm.  On my skin I found the night cream far too rich, mildly heavy and it left a sticky almost greasy type residue which I hated.  I just hate applying anything on my face or body that will leave a sticky feeling, I like to feel fresh and like my skin is able to breathe.
The Soothing Eye Balm, well that just didn’t seem to do anything for hydration, if anything I felt a tightening effect.. So if tightening is what youre after then yep, its definitely a good one to try, but if like me, you want an eye cream that feels rich, hydrating and nourishing, then I would skip it.  It is a little disappointing.. With the word 'Soothing' on it I expected a cooling sensation on application, or something richer, but it just didn’t do anything special..  I wont let it go to waste though, so I think I will keep it for daytime useage and also perhaps during the Summer months when my eyes might be a little more oily due to the heat.
The Cleansing Wipes.. I really liked those.  I found that using them in the morning was really nice, as apposed to feeling I might have stripped my skin through using a wash off cleanser, the wipes felt lovely.  After using them my skin did look clean, any oil on my face was gone and there was no dirt on the cotton pad after following with toner.  When I'd used them in the evening they did take off my mascara too, as well as the rest of my make up.  So all in all I would recommend those.
The exfoliating wash is so be expected by a range that’s gentle and intended for sensitive skin.. I however don’t like those types of scrubs..  I know its probably bad to have something pretty 'scrubby' on your skin, but I hate those tiny little beads, I find they barely do anything, they certainly don’t leave my skin looking bright like my St Ives scrub (for blemish prone skin) does.  So that’s ok, but nothing special.
The refreshing wash..  I wouldn’t say it left my skin feeling refreshed, but if you have oily skin like me then that’s the one to go for as it feels nicer with it being a gel.


So how did it pan out… Well after day 12 ish things started going awry!  I just couldn't keep on top of the one or two spots I was getting.
Previously I had been applying Clinique's Anti Blemish Gel to the occasional spot, and dabbing on tea tree oil on the ones that were just starting to appear.. But now it was at the point where they were popping up all over.  I would wake up, see one or two spots, then by night time and Id washed off my make up, there would be another 3 or 4.. A big angry spot on my jawline, little painful ones on my upper lip, the odd one or two on my forehead, but mostly they were coming up on my cheeks, and lots of them..


So a few days ago I had to switch back to Clearasil!  My skin still isn't clear but its showing improvement at least, there arent that many new spots appearing..  However, as usual, what comes with the clearer skin? Yep, an over-production in oil.  I'm not sure what is worse, skin that is incredibly shiny by mid-morning, or lots and lots of spots!?


Overall I would say give this a try.. If your skin isn't prone to spots like mine then give it a whirl, it did WONDERS at reducing oil because it was so gentle, but I feel it just doesnt deep clean enough, or just simply doesnt fight blemishes.  I have considered buying into their range for oily skin, but I just dont think it will cut it.. So back to the Clearasil for now to get my face spot free again, and then maybe onto something else that will (hopefully!!) reduce spots yet keep oil to a minimum.. I wish!!  I just can't bare all this oil on my face!!


I want it all, no spots and no oil.. Not an either or situation!


What have I learnt from this..  To not get over excited and to give it longer than a week before excitedly buying up half a product range!!

[ ... ]

How naughty of me..

How naughty of me..

I've not made a post in absolutely aaaaaaaaagggges, which is incredibly naughty of me.  I hope Im forgiven!

Life has just gotten in the way.. my son's time off school for Easter break, his Birthday, a dog which we rescued and then had to take back (agression issues - not something I could put up with through having a 6 yr old in the house :(  )

So a bit of a beauty update, and some other stuff...!

The castor oil on my lashes, that was stopped.
In the beginning it was working wonders, around the 2nd week I noticed a difference in that my lashes did appear fuller and slightly thicker.  That then tapered off to nothing, in fact they looked like they were falling out a little - not good.  So I stopped that because a) in all honesty I found it a huge chore.. mainly due to my own fault of being too lazy to wash out an old mascara tube and wand, so I ended up applying from the mahoosive bottle I had!  And b) after further reasearch I wondered if I had purchased the incorrect castor oil, I dont believe mine was the pure oil, so I ditched the trial with the intention of buying some decent, more expensive pure oil..  Then  life got in the way and with pennies dwindling I haven't yet had chance to buy it..  However, since then I've rediscovered a new product, or at least found somewhere that sells it (it seemed to have dropped off my radar for a while!).  Soooo, next month I will be purchasing a 'proper' eyelash treatment and will be sticking to it.  More to come on that!

The Nail Magic and Nail Envy trial.. Mixed views on that, again, a more detailed post to come on that front.

On to the other 'stuff'..

In one week's time I will be a national speed limit.. So my Dad keeps reminding me!  The big 3-0, scary times! lol  I have to say that I have actually struggled with it, I don't know why exactly.. I remember a few years ago my fella said to me 'You'll soon be 30!', and he said it in quizzical way, as if to say aren't you bothered.. And I thought at the time, its no big deal, who cares, its just another 2 years older, what possible difference would it make.  But oddly, it feels a big deal.. however its pretty likely that its not a big deal in any way shape or form!  I guess I've spent too much time watching Youtube videos of young girls with their fresh teenage skin, no grey hairs, no cares in the world and suddenly here I am, noticing a few wrinkles here and there, my grey's winning the battle over the brown's(!) and a few other things!  Thankfully Im coming around to the idea and its not a big deal.. Although Im sure I'll go through something similar when Im reaching my 40th too!

My (not-so) little man had his 6th Birthday recently too!  I've no idea where the time has gone!

Annie!  We took on Annie from a rescue centre, and the time she spent here was wonderful (for the short time it lasted).. If you have a pet you'll probably know what I mean, and if from time to time you've been unfortunate to suffer with depression, you'll understand even more so!
She was a lovely dog, she was training well and one day things just turned, a distraction technique (advice of trainers and Victoria Stilwell!) seemed to go a bit wrong and she ended up turning on me..  She didn't make contact and it appeared to be fear aggression, but I just couldn't take any chances with my son being in the house.  I/we felt guilty for a long time, esp as she hadn't been given much of a chance prior to us coming along.. She was taken to the dog kennels by the elderly couple that brought her as they weren't up to exercising her enough, then 3 months later a working couple took her on, but again she was left in their house while they went out to work and their kids to school, which resulted in her chewing up their possessions and snapping at someone.. We figured with some training, walks and love we could work things out, but in hindsight we were perhaps taking on too much..
Oh, and btw, the muzzle she has on in the picture is because shes a Lurcher, it was a condition of her being outside for walks - that she wear the muzzle incase of any rabbits, or other small animals crossing her path etc!

Anyway, so theres a little update, if anyone is in any way interested! lol

I promise I will post more.  I've found a foundation which I'm loving, a new hair toy which I'm also loving, and a few horrible products which I hate too!

[ ... ]