REN Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask

Perhaps my favourite product I have tried this year, this mask is an chemical exfoliant that uses fruit and lactic acids to break down dead skin cells and encourage a brighter complexion. This mask is gentle enough to be suitable for all but the most sensitive skin, but it still gives a through exfoliation leaving my skin looking more even and feeling smoother. And all without the use of manual exfoliants, which can often aggravate the skin and in my case cause redness and sensitivity.

Using the Clarisonic has improved my congested skin, the texture and scarring need a bit more help. I use this mask once a week, and it does take some getting used to, it has a very strong fruity pineapple scent, and feels a bit like runny jam! It does tingle but you won’t notice results immediately, but I think my skin looks better the morning after.

I think this mask will be a part of my routine for a long time, and hope it continues to fade the scarring I have from acne. If you are interested in chemical exfoliants I think this mask is a great place to start.

REN Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask costs £30 and is available here

Lush No Drought Dry Shampoo

It’s safe to say that most people use dry shampoo, it saves time and sometimes it’s just necessary! It can however be troublesome, if you don’t get it right you can end up looking like you’ve got grey hair or just hair that feel horrible. I could never find a Batiste dry shampoo that worked for me, the normal ones made me look like I had grey roots and none of the coloured ones looked right.
So when I spotted this in Lush I though it might be worth a try. No Drought is scented with grapefruit and lime and it has an amazing fresh citrus scent, it is off white in the tube but when rubbed into the hair it is completely colourless, no grey roots in sight! this doesn’t leave my hair feeling matted or loaded with product, just fresh and gorgeous smelling.
My only complaint is that it isn’t available in a smaller travel size bottle, which I would run out and purchase if it became available! One of the sales assistants did suggest dispensing it into a plastic baggie, but I feel that would be a rather messy affair.
Have you tried No Drought? Or are you loyal to another brand of dry shampoo? Let me know in the comments!
Lush No Drought is available in store and costs £6.50 for  a whopping 115g. 

Dainty Doll Blusher in Money Talks

Dainty Doll are one of my favourite brands to buy from, they don’t sell a massive range of products but they sell some brilliant essential products, that are cater to pale skin. A lot of the shades that Dainty Doll sell are hard to find on the high street and even from brands such as MAC. Money Talks is described as ‘Bronze’ but it has no orange tones in it, and looks very believable on my skin tone.

I use this blush to sculpt and add some definition I blend it through the backs of my (non-existent) cheek bones and around the temples.

I have heard a lot of products described as the ‘perfect contour for pale skin’ and this is the closest I’ve come to finding it. It would work better as a contour if it was matte, but having the slight shimmer does mean it makes a nice blush shade on is on (when I use it as more of a contour I pair it with another blush).

As usual I love the packaging it’s sleek and doesn’t waste any space. I feel the pricing of Dainty Doll products is fair, it’s slightly cheaper than MAC, and I think the quality is equal if not better.

You can find Dainty Doll products on Feel Unique (link) where the Blushes cost £11.50

Some Body Shop Repurchases

I’m slowly becoming both coconut and Body Shop obsessed. I’ve been trying to get better with moisturising my body and at least doing it every other day. I ran out of the Coconut Milk Body Lotion (review here) last week and used up a travel size tub of the Coconut Body Butter, that I picked up in Leeds.

I love the scent of both of these products so much, and the fact that they last through the day. If you like a light smelling lotion then you probably won’t enjoy using these as the scent is quite strong and it does stay all day, not a problem for me as I love smelling of coconut!

My usual routine with these products is to use the lotion all over every night (and some mornings) and use the Body Butter to target drier areas. I find they both sink in easily, but I don’t generally use the Body Butter in the morning before getting dressed.

While I’m talking about the Body Shop, I really recommend the Love Your Body loyalty cards, which cost £5 to buy, but they normally give you a free product when you purchase it. Before I had one I thought the Body Shop was expensive, but with the loyalty cards you can get some great bargains! My local Body Shop was running a ‘Spend £5 get a Product Up to the Value of £15 Free’ promotion for Love Your Body Card holders so with the 10% discount + the 25% off Body Lotions I managed to snap both of these up for £5.80! Complete bargain!

The Coconut Milk Body Lotion costs £8 and the Coconut Body Butter costs £12.50 and are available instore and online (link)

Maxfactor Fantasy Fire

Such a beautiful polish. And of course so hard to photograph. I don’t have a lot to say about this polish other than I love it,yes it is very sheer and best kept for layering, but it’s so beautiful I don’t care.

Maxfactor Mini Effect Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire costs £3.99 and is available at Boots and Superdrug

Montagne Jeunesse Break Out Mask

The Montagne Jeunesse Break Out Mask is part of the new Skin Heroes range. It is  ‘cleansing mud mask for problem skin, prone to eruptions’ it is a 2 stage product and comes with a Rapid Action Moisturiser.
The mask is a classic mud mask, a staple in most peoples skincare regimen. You get a generous amount, and I applied a thick layer all over and left for the recommended 15 minutes. I did find this dried to some extent, but not so much that it was uncomfortable, and it didn’t leave my skin feeling tight. This mask left my skin feeling soft and cleansed, and  I followed it up with the moisturiser.
When I used this I had a few spots that were refusing to come to the surface, and this definitely brought them out. I love having a clay mask on standby for when my skin is feeling congested, as they are very effective at bringing all the rubbish in you skin to the surface. I did have spots after using this, but I would prefer having a spot and it healing than having a painful spot that won’t come to the surface!
I will definitely be buying one of these to keep in my stash for the next time my skin flares up, having a sachet is great if you don’t want to drop a lot of cash on a  product that you are only going to use occasionally.
The Skin Heroes range is available at Asda and Montagne Jeunesse website (link) and cost £1.49 each.

Disclosure: PR Sample

Nars Blusher in Torrid

Nars Blusher in Torrid ~ £20.50

I bought this blush on my birthday, and it’s safe to say it has started a new obsession. Nars describe Torrid as a ‘coral with shimmer’ it is a coral that leans orange, and has a soft gold shimmer. The shimmer is very fine, and there is no visible or chunky glitter. In theory this shade does sound quite similar to the infamous Orgasm, but they are nothing alike, Torrid is most definitely a red/orange toned coral, while Orgasm is a lot pinker. When swatched together Orgasm pulls a lot pinker, and has a more obvious shimmer.

Torrid would flatter a wide range skin tones, as the red tones would suit most skin tones. This is the first coral blush I own, and I haven’t reached for a pink blush since I bought it.

Texture wise this (and the other) Nars blushes are flawless, this blends with no problem and the shimmer looks natural whilst still giving a gorgeous glow.

I apply this with either the Japonesque Blush Brush or Real Techniques Stippling Brush (both available at Boots) and love to pair with a warm nude like MAC Kinda Sexy or reds (my favourite being Revlon Strawberry Suede or MAC Ruby Woo).

You can find Nars Blushes at Space NK (link)

Illamasqua Lies Cream Blush

If you remember this haul, you’ll know I bought Illamasqua’s Cream Blusher in Lies from their Leeds store. A few of you asked to see swatches and more about the product so I thought I would share my thoughts on it today!

I love Illamasqua’s Cream Blush formula, they have a dewy finish, blend amazingly, and last well even on my oily skin. Lies is a pearlescent pink with a lavender silver iridescent sheen. I apply this with the Real Techniques Contour Brush, on top of foundation, and I don’t powder on top of it. It will also blend perfectly well over powder products.

This is the most natural looking highlight I have found but it’s still dramatic enough that you can tell it’s there. Although it does look very pink in the pan but it is almost translucent on the skin. Even if Illamasqua is a brand that your not normally attracted to I don’t think anyone could fault this product.

If you have any of Illamasqua’s Cream Blushes, you need this highlighter, I wear it with Sob and they blend together amazingly, and create the most beautiful dewy pink cheek. I’m actually tempted to get some more of Illamasqua’s Cream Blushes to pair with this!

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Lies is available from Illamasqua’s Website (link) and Debenhams (link) and costs £16.50

Essie Mint Candy Apple

As I mentioned in my last NOTD, I picked up the very hyped Essie Mint Candy Apple. It’s a beautiful shade, perfect for spring and I got so many compliments when I wore this. Unfortunately the staying power is as good as Chinchilly, but it’s still better than a lot of polishes I have tried, it lasted 4 days without any major chips.

Essie’s new diffusion line is available at selected Boots and Superdrug and they retail at £7.99

The Body Shop Coconut Body Lotion: Moisturising for Lazy People

I don’t talk about body products too much on here, mostly because I’m very lazy and have to force myself to moisturise. This is where this Coconut Body Lotion comes in, it has a very light texture I can only really compare it to milk. For extra convenience, it comes in a spray bottle so I only have to spend 2 minutes when I get out of the shower spraying it on and as it is so lightweight you can get dressed straight away and not worry about it sticking to your clothes.

The scent is gorgeous, not too sweet or synthetic and light enough not to interfere with any perfume you wear.

If your like me and are far to lazy for the likes of body butters, then I can’t recommend this enough!

You can find THe Body Shop Coconut Milk Body Lotion instore and online(link) where it retails at £8.00

Purple Eye Nude Lips FOTD

I wore this make up to go out for dinner with a friend, and decided to put down my Naked palette in favour of some of my favourite Inglot shades. Being Inglot shades I have completely forgotten the numbers but I used a dark warm toned purple in the crease, and a true gold shade on the lid. I’m planning on trying to get all my Inglot shades out of the palettes and reshuffling them, so I will be sure to write down the numbers! I’m really loving the Laura Mercier Mineral Powder that I got in my Leeds Haul and will be reviewing it soon!

FACE

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NW15

L’Oreal Lumi Magique in C1

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Foundation in Soft Porcerlain

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Lies

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Sob

EYES

UDPP

Inglot Eyeshadows

L’Oreal Liquid Liner

Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara

Vivo Brow Kit

LIPS

MAC Kinda Sexy

Carmex Tinted Lip Balm*

Items marked * are PR Samples.

Montagne Jeunesse Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

As I mentioned in this post I have been trying out the Montagne Jeunesse Skin Heroes range, the first product I want to talk to you about is the Deep Cleansing Pore Strips. You get 3 strips in each pack and I have used one strip a week for the past 3 weeks.

These are really easy to use, you just dampen your nose, apply and wait for 15 minutes before gently removing it. I find these do improve the texture of the skin on my nose, I do have a lot of congestion and it looks less obvious after using these. I do find that the results are temporary but I imagine if you used them on a regular basis the results would last.

I would repurchase these if I wanted a quick fix, as make up did apply a bit smoother but I would personally not use them regularly as I would worry that pulling them off would aggravate my sensitive skin if used to often.

The Skin Heroes range is available at Asda and Montagne Jeunesse website (link) and cost £1.49 each.

NOTD: Essie Chinchilly

I’m sure your completely sick of seeing the Essie polishes now, since their recent release at Boots and Superdrug they have been talked about quite a lot. I didn’t really think much of it as I wasn’t expecting my local tiny Boots would be stocking them. So while I was perusing the aisles and didn’t quite believe it when one of the make up stands had been replaced with lots of tempting Essie polishes!

Chinchilly is a lovely grey shade and in the photo I am wearing two coats, but in hindsight it could of done with a third. I don’t use topcoats with any polishes, and usually get chips about 2 days in, I’ve had Chinchilly on for a week and while there is a bit of tip wear, I haven’t experienced any chipping. The new brush also deserves a mention, it’s flat and wide enough to cover the nail easily but doesn’t flood the nail bed. I’m very impressed with my first Essie polish and can’t wait to try out Mint Candy Apple, which I also bought.

Have you tried any Essie polishes? Any shades you would recommend?

Essie’s new diffusion line is available at selected Boots and Superdrug and they retail at £7.99

Revlon Raspberry Bite

If your sick of reading about tinted lip balms and sheer formulas read on! Revlon Raspberry Bite Looks quite dark in the tube and looks like it would be more of an autumn shade. When applied however it is a really bright, in your face, true raspberry. This is definitely the perfect raspberry shade, if your missing your autumn berry shades this is a great lipstick for Spring/Summer.

I can’t fault the formula of this lipstick, it’s creamy, wears well and isn’t too drying. The best bit is I got this for £1.99! You can’t get this in Boots/Superdrug, I got it from a discount/wholesale cosmetics store but it can be found very easily on eBay (link) along with a lot of other Revlon shades.

Orly Petit Four

Orly Petit Four is a great transition shade. It’s somewhere between a pastel lilac and a dusky pink, and if like me you feel a bit ridiculous wearing bright pastel shades when it is pouring it down outside, but want to move on from darker autumn colours this is a great shade. The formula is pretty spot on, doesn’t take too long too dry and I get a good amount of wear from it. I love the lids on Orly polishes which for a clumsy oaf like myself mean less polish ends up all over my cuticles, hands, face and actually on my nails. Always a bonus.
You can find Orly Petit Four on Beauty Bay(link) priced £7.50

Disclosure: PR Sample

Clarisonic Plus : First Impressions

So I finally caved. I have been wanting a Clarisonic for about a year and the combination of having birthday money burning a hole in my pocket and a 10% off code for Feel Unique made me finally give in. I got the plus, as with the code it wasn’t much more than a Classic full priced and I wanted to be able to use it as a body brush, so it made sense, although if you do just want to use it for cleansing I would say the Mia is a lot cheaper!

I use this twice a day, and have been for the past fortnight. Please remember this isn’t a review, I just want to catalogue how I am getting on with it every few weeks or so, as I think it will be helpful for anyone considering buying one.

When I started using this I was suffering with quite few breakouts, and a lot of cystic acne on my jawline. After I ordered this I literally couldn’t wait for it to arrive as it was driving me mad! I use the sensitive brush head, and use it on the highest speed setting, after about four days my spots had pretty much all cleared up, and until today I have had no spots, aside from one pesky one that cropped up on my chin last night.

The texture of my skin has definitely improved, feels a lot smoother and the stubborn blocked pores look a lot better.

I’ve used this with a lot of different cleansers, but my current favourites are REN’s No1 Purity Cleansing Balm at night and Origins Checks and Balances in the morning.

In each of these posts I am going to include a picture of my skin without make up, so if you are of a nervous disposition look away now…

So at the minute my main concern is scarring and uneven skin tone, which I am hoping will hopefully submit to the products I am using currently. I don’t have the best skin in the world, but this is the best it has been for a long time. 

I haven’t hit the dreaded ‘purge’ stage yet, and am really loving the Clarisonic so far!

REN Kit for Blemish Prone Skin

REN are a skincare brand that I am becoming very interested in. I picked up this little kit of travel size products from Beauty Expert which contains four products from the ClearCalm 3 line, which is aimed at blemish prone skin. My skin has calmed down a lot recently (more on that soon) but I have a feeling I will still get some pesky spots once a month.

As my skin is between types at the minute it made sense to try a few smaller products, and these will also come in very handy for the weekends I spend in Leeds.

I haven’t tried these yet, but I got such a good deal I had to share! If you shop at Tesco a fair bit no doubt you get sent a fair few coupons every few months, I found myself with a quite a few and wanted to spend them on something more interesting than milk and bread. £5 of coupons can be used to get £10 in Beauty Expert vouchers, and along with a 20% discount code I got a pretty good deal on this and some other bits I picked up! They send out quite a lot of discount codes, so if you like high end beauty but not the price I definitely recommend signing up for their newsletter.

The REN Kit for Blemish Prone Skin costs £15 and is available at Beauty Expert.