Every once in a while (or not such a while in most cases) it's nice to give your skin a good pamper with some great products that leave you with soft, clean, beautiful skin. As is often the case, I have quite a few products that could fall into the 'pamper' category, mostly in the form a face masks. It's hard to resist them with all their promises of rejuvenating the skin and making you look bright and fresh. This offering from N Spa is the latest addition in my stash. Sold at ASDA, it's hard to resist when doing the weekly shop, especially when it's on two for £8 - what a bargain. I picked up two products from the range, the 5 Minute Magic Mask and the Skin Renewal Gel. 

Back with another skincare routine today, this time the morning edit. There a less products and less treatments here - it's all about getting things done quick so I can get out the door on time. Up until probably my second year of uni I was one of those terrible people that didn't wash their face in the morning. Looking back on it I can't imagine how I did it because the thought of not washing the oils that have been produced overnight off makes me feel distinctly horrible!

Vichy Normaderm - I like to use a pretty simple cleanser in the morning, I switch between the Clarins one that I featured in my Evening Skincare Routine and this Vichy Normaderm one. I picked it up a while ago when my previous Clarins cleanser had run out to give something new a go and I like it a lot. It's paraben, soap and alcohol free, which 'cleanses sebum and impurities, without over drying'. It also has salicylic and glycolic acids in which helps to very mildly exfoliate. It leaves the skin feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

Boots Botanics Rosewater Toning Spritz - After this, I will occasionally use this toning water. I bought this ages ago and it's still going strong, although that's probably because I go through phases of not using it at all. I don't think it does much and I wouldn't repurchase, but it smells nice and, again, feels refreshing on the skin.

Effaclar Duo - Once I'm done with cleansing, I often move on to the Effaclar Duo. I tend to use this in the morning mostly because I use other treatment type things in the evening, but also because it leaves absolutely no residue and is therefore perfect to wear under make up. I haven't had any of the amazing results from this as some other bloggers and YouTubers seem to have, but for some reason I still really like it.

Effaclar Mat - After this I will follow with either one of the two moisturisers pictured. Depending on how my skin feels, I will either use the Effaclar Mat for days when I feel a bit more oily, or the Clarins Daily Energizer Cream-Gel, for when I feel I want a bit more moisture. I was looking back and I can't believe I haven't reviewed the Effaclar Mat before because I've used it for around a year and a half now and absolutely love it. When I first purchased it I was a bit underwhelmed, but after about three weeks of using it every morning I noticed remarkable improvements in my skin. It looked smoother, my pores seemed reduced and it just looked really rather good, if I do say so myself. I repurchased it a couple of weeks ago after not using it for a couple of months, and I absolutely love it.

I'd love to know if you've used any of these products, or let me know what you use in the morning! 

Sophie

Evening skincare routines are always highly anticipated in the beauty blogging world, as they're often the beefiest part of any beauty obsessives arsenal and something that I over here at D&E get rather excited about. The ritual of spending those fifteen or so minutes taking care of your skin and getting it ready for those crucial restorative hours at night is, for me, relaxing and enjoyable. The skincare included in my evening routine is, for the most part, stuff that I've used for quite a while, although there are other things I use fairly regularly that aren't included, the Neutrogena 2-in1 wash and mask and the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, for example. 

I always do a double cleanse to make sure every scrap of make-up is removed, and for that I start of with the absolute cult beauty product, Bioderma. Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that this mild micellar solution is the fave for removing both face and eye make-up and makes a perfect first step to any cleansing routine. Once I've completed this step, I move onto my good old Clarisonic Mia, which more often than not I'll use with the Clarins Daily Energizer Gel cleanser. An absolute HG product of mine, this leaves my skin soft and refreshed, without feeling overly dry. 

Once I'm happy that all my makeup has been removed, I'll move on to a relatively new step in my routine, which is this Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner. I've been looking to add in a toning step to my routine, and I was actually going to get the Clarins exfoliating toner, but saw this in Boots and thought I'd give it a go. It has natural AHA's from the hibiscus flower in it, giving the skin a gentle exfoliation, as well as preparing it for moisturiser. So far I'm impressed with it, although I'm not sure if it has been drying my skin out a bit. I'll keep you posted. 

After that, it's on to the best bit - treatments. Not included in this post is the Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight mask, mainly because I use it very infrequently, but I'll pop it in just here to let you know that if my skin is feeling particularly parched I will use it (I should probably use it later, but unfortunately I left it at home whilst visiting the boyf). If I'm not using that, however, I'll start off with the bareMinerals Skin Rev-er Upper, which is a concoction of skin-loving vitamins as well as salicylic and glycolic acids, which really do work overnight to make your skin look glowing and refreshed. I've been using this for about two or three months now and it is definitely a keeper. I'll warn you that it doesn't have the best scent in the world, but if it works then it's worth it eh? I'll follow that with a moisturiser, and if you read my March Beauty Favourites you'll know the Clarins Daily Energizer Cream-Gel is my moisturiser of choice. This is a sample I have because I'm away and didn't want to lug around a huge glass jar with me, but seriously, you should try it! After I've let that sink in for a few minutes, I'll go on to use either the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate or the Clarins Liquid Bronze face tanner.  I'll use each one pretty much every other night and I find that this routine works really well to maintain a healthy glow without looking overly orange-faced. 

Another product that isn't pictured here which I use in times of need, is the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Spot Treatment Gel, for when you get a pesky spot that won't budge.

So, there we have it! A rather long post, but all necessary of course. I'm sure all you beauty-nuts out there will agree! I'm pretty happy with my routine at the moment, but of course that urge to try out new products will never go away, so let me know what your routine is and I might have to look into it! 

Sophie 

Bioderma 

Clarins Daily Energizer Cleanser and Moisturiser

Boots Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner

bareMinerals Skin Rev-er Upper

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Clarins Liquid Bronze

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Spot Treatment Gel

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This was another purchase from when I was down in Egham recently. I went over to Windsor for a little day trip because I had been reliably informed the shopping there was very good. 

As soon as I go off the train I spotted the Kiehl's store and was lured in with the thought of the Midnight Recovery Concentrate firmly in the forefront of my mind. Skip forward to chatting with the saleswoman (mostly in an attempt to gain reassurance for what I already knew I was going to buy) and BAM, there goes £36 out of my account. To be fair, I have heard great things about this product and don't often (ahem) treat myself to skincare, so I feel that it was perfectly justified.

Using only a few drops a night of this paraben free, 99.8% natural blend of essential oils, this promises to restore skin's moisture levels ensuring radiant, supple skin by morning. The 'elixir' (as they call it on their website) sinks in to the skin much quicker than I thought it would, and doesn't leave an oily residue, which I initially thought it would. Once applied it almost instantly makes the skin feel softer and I have found the scent to be extremely relaxing - so perfect for using before bed. 

This is only a first impressions post, as I haven't had it for long, but so far so good. My skin feels extremely soft after using this and I am enjoying the luxury of applying it by gently pressing into the skin at night. I'll keep you posted on my thoughts once I've been using it for a bit longer, but if you're desperate to know more there are loads of reviews out there in the blogosphere to help. 

Have any of you tried this? I'd love to know what you thought about it.

Sophie

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate is £36, available from here

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Aloha! I hope you're all well and have been enjoying the sunshine we've been having in the UK today. I went on a lovely day trip with some friends today, something I'll talk about a little more in my weekend post! Anyway, as mentioned in a previous post, it was my birthday not too long ago and one of the presents I was given by my wonderful parents was this little trio of beauty delights. I'd been wanting to give the Origins VitaZing a go for a long time, as well as the GinZing eye cream, so was delighted to see that they were available (limited edition for the summer I believe) in a package deal. You get a full size VitaZing, a travel size (but very generous) GinZing and a travel size Modern Friction exfoliator. For those of you who don't know VitaZing is an 'energy-boosting' moisturises with a tint of colour in, great for slightly even-ing out the skin-tone and providing a glow to your complexion, worn either alone or underneath your foundation. Ginzing eye cream is a brightening eye cream which reduces puffiness and brightens up the eye area and Modern Friction is a gentle dermabrasion scrub.

I'd heard on the grapevine that VitaZing was actually better than the Estee Lauder Daywear and as I now own both I thought I'd give you my opinion on the matter. They both mention this whole 'Sheer tint release' thing, which basically means it comes out a kind of greyish white colour and then blends in to your natural skin colour. Now, I do love the Estee Lauder Daywear and I definitely prefer the scent of that to the Origins, however, on the whole (and I didn't think I'd say this) I do actually prefer the VitaZing. A common problem with the Daywear is that it can easily look a bit too orangey and leaves you very glowy. Now I'm all for a nice dewy complexion, but this (on me especially who has quite oily skin) was just a bit too much. I find the VitaZing to be a lot easier to blend in, not orangey at all, and much less shiny in comparison. I still use both but do definitely find VitaZing a lot easier to wear. 

GinZing eye cream claims to refresh and brighten and was something that I'd heard a lot about before actually getting it, and so far I am really pleased that I've had the opportunity to try it. I've never had an eye cream that I go back to or use on a regular basis because I haven't found one that's particularly effective, but this really does what it says on the tin. It has a kind of sheeny, pink look to it which you can actually see brightening your eyes as you apply it. I only use this in the mornings as an eye refresher but have found that not only does it do that, but it also makes my under-eye concealer go on smoother and has reduced any potential concealer-sitting-in-fine-line cases (I do have to watch out for these things now that I'm 22 and OLD).


Finally, I have found the Modern Friction dermabrasion scrub to be very nice to use and effective at making your skin feel soft and smooth, however at £30 for a full size I don't think I'd repurchase it simply because there are many dermabrasion scrubs out there which cost a lot less and, in my opnion, work just as well as this. In fact I bought one from the Boots Botanics range about a month ago which I have been testing out and I really do like. I'll probably do a full review of that sometime soon, but at the moment it is doing a perfectly good job.

There we have it, a little round up of three much talked about beauty products, all of which I do really like but probably only two I would think about re-purchasing. If you do see the 'Brightening Musts' collection available near you I would recommend picking it up, it cost £26 which is the same price as the VitaZing on its own, so well worth investing in. I hope you enjoyed this post, do let me know what you thought if you've tried any of these products, and I hope you like my new post schedule! I'll be sure to get some more nail posts in there as well because I love doing them and I hope you like seeing and reading about them. Speak soon and have a good evening!

So, as I mentioned in Wednesday's post I have found the absolute best face mask ever! It's not that often that I find products that I can actually see are making a difference to my skin and I've used a fair few face masks in my time. Whilst I do feel like I'm doing something good for my skin when I use them, on the whole I haven't noticed a massive difference. However, as soon as I applied this I could tell that this was different! The product in question is the Good Things Five Minute Facial Face Mask. I didn't actually know much about the Good Things brand before picking this up (and another product from the range, more on that later), but on further inspection found that it is a line that has been created by beauty writer Alice Hart-Davis. It's a range aimed at younger skin and focuses on using the power of superfruits to give your skincare a boost. This mask has extracts of avocado and goji berry, as well as green clay to draw out impurities and willow bark, which apparently helps to boost radiance. I have used clay masks before, from the self-heating type that don't harden, to the ones that feel as though you've got an iron mask on your face, but none as good as this. As a bonus, the whole range is free from parabens, mineral oils and animal ingredients. If you want to find out more about the range visit the website where you can read up on all the ingredients and products.

A little example of the product, it's not a really thick consistency and you only need a thin layer. Apologies for the black marks on my hand, I was trying out eyebrow pens earlier in the day!

To use this face mask you apply it to cleansed skin and leave on for five minutes. I find that it has a slight tingling sensation, but I quite like this because it makes me think something is happening! The mask hardens as it dries, which is also something I like, and after the five minutes are up you can literally see all the impurities that have been drawn out of your pores - it is a miracle worker. It advises to use the mask weekly or whenever your skin needs a brightening boost, however, if you have sensitive skin I would definitely stick to only once a week because I personally find it quite intense, but also very effective. I use a muslin cloth to remove it and am left with glowing, smooth and bright skin. I really would recommend giving this a go if you're in the market for an effective face mask. It does have a really strong scent so if you're not really into that I would avoid this, however, if you don't mind a fruity scent for a few minutes give it a go! It costs £5.99 (from Boots, I believe it is widely available) for 100ml and I can honestly say I have never used a better face mask. 

Have you ever tried this? Or any other products from this range? I also picked up the Deep Pore Anti Blemish Cleanser because I needed a make-up remover to use before I used my Clarisonic in the evening. It's a two-in-one cleanser and toner (it does contain alcohol) and contains fig and wild strawberry extracts for radiant and soft skin. Again, I have to say that I am really liking this product. It removes eye make-up really effectively and doesn't sting or irritate. I tend to also use this in the morning, swept over my face with a cotton pad to get rid of any oiliness and it leaves you feeling refreshed and awake. Definitely another one to look out for if you don't mind a strong smell and are looking for a new cleanser and/or toner. 

Let me know if you've got an amazing face mask that I should try. As with most other beauty bloggers I do like to find a new miracle worker! I hope you're all having a fantastic day and I look forward to speaking again soon! A bientot! (See you soon/See you later!)

Yes, here I am, with a review about this which I'm sure you've all read a hundred times! I succumbed to the hype and bought the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight mask. There has been a bit of a buzz surrounding this product recently, I know a lot of YouTubers and bloggers have been raving about its' benefits, so whilst on a little shopping spree with my Mum the other day I couldn't resist the urge to pick it up and give it a try. Especially after I gave it a sniff and discovered it smelt of mango and fruity goodness! Seriously it does smell good. 

I was very tempted to just slather this on my face as soon as we got in (does anyone else have the overwhelming urge to try things as soon as you've bought them?) but I did resist and wait until I was actually going to bed (as instructed). Obviously there is method to this madness as it's when you sleep that your skin goes into recovery mode, so this would be the best time for a mask such as this to work. So, after cleansing I applied a generous amount of this to my face, gently massaging it in as it says to do on the bottle. It does also say you can tissue off excess product, but before doing that I left it for about 15 minutes so the majority would sink in. After this I did dab my face with a clean tissue as it does leave a tacky finish to the skin which I didn't really want going all over my pillows. 

And the results, I hear you cry? Well, don't expect miracles overnight! I, as always and as mentioned in my previous post, was hoping to wake up positively glowing and with skin as clear and soft as a baby's behind, but I didn't notice a great deal of difference. My skin was most definitely well moisturised there is no doubt about that, and again (and I'm sorry if I keep repeating myself) I don't have bad skin to start with so maybe other people would have better results from the off, but it wasn't as spectacular as I would have wanted. 

However! I have continued to use it over the past couple of weeks (so, maybe five times now?) and I have to say I would recommend it. Seem to have done a bit of a u-turn there don't I, hope you're keeping up! Having continued to use it I have really started to love it and actually look forward to the nights when I use it. I know I will wake up with my skin looking plump, fresh and pretty glowy as well as ensuring it stays hydrated all throughout the day. I honestly feel like I don't need to use a moisturiser on the mornings after I've used this because it feels so hydrated. So overall, I would definitely say that it is worth the hype and I think that if you have dry or very dry skin this would be an absolute miracle worker. At £20 it's not the cheapest face mask out there, but with this and so much other skincare, I think you get what you pay for. 

I hope you didn't mind reading another review of this product, I just really wanted to let you know what I thought of it and I hope it has been helpful. I'm starting to look more into Origins products because there is a lot of love around for this brand and there's not usually smoke without fire, so I'm expecting to love a lot more of their products. Do you have any products to recommend trying from Origins? Or have you tried this mask? I'd love to know what your thoughts were :) Thanks for reading and speak soon, I hope you're all doing swell! 

As with many other bloggers, I have a rather large stash of samples waiting to be used or reviewed. Most of them I have acquired thanks to the beauty box phenomenon that has been going on, others I have actively sought out and some were just given to me either with a purchase or from people I know. I find it difficult to try everything, especially when it comes to skincare, because there is always a risk that something won't work for you and you'll have a bad reaction to it - which is definitely something I want to try and avoid. I don't have overly sensitive skin so I don't worry too much about trying things out here and there, but on the whole, I am happy with my skincare routine and try and avoid changing it up too much. 

However, it is a bit of a double edged sword because there's always that little niggle that says 'Your skin could be even better if you use this or that product!' and there are so many hyped up products that claim to work miracles for other people, so I often feel like I want to try it just to see if it really is that good. It's a tricky situation, wouldn't you agree?! I do like having a little box full of exciting new things to experiment with if I'm feeling in such a mood, but to be honest, with a lot of things that claim to work miracles, I often don't see much of a result. For example, the Caudalie Vinosource Serum (received in a Glossybox) did absolutely nothing that I could put my finger on. Bearing in mind I don't have dry skin maybe this product would have worked well for other people, but I've kind of lost interest in trying a lot of things because I'm sceptical about their effectiveness. I think I am probably the sort of person who expects a little too much from products sometimes, I mean you're not going to see dramatic results overnight with most things, and I think I might be a bit impatient, but when you're getting so-called 'luxury' samples each month, I would expect them to do something. 


I don't really know what the point of this post was, I just felt like having a bit of a chat and I am pretty sure that if I persevered with some of the samples I did have then I would be pleasantly surprised. The thing is, with something like my Clarins cleansing gel (yes, I'm mentioning it YET again!) I actually did notice a difference in my skin after pretty much the first use, so with products such as serums or toners, which are supposedly far more concentrated or astringent (in a good way) then I would expect to see something happening, but for the most part, I just don't. Anyway, this honestly wasn't meant to turn into a rant or to undermine the usefulness of samples because I do love getting them and trying them, I guess I just haven't had much success with a lot of the ones I've got, probably because they just weren't aimed at my skin type. So yes, there we go, a bit of a random post for today! I really hope you're all doing well and I looking forward to speaking again! Bye bye! 

Good morning! If you've been reading my blog for a while you may be aware that I have a slight love affair with Clarins. I don't know if I'm the only one but do you ever feel like there are certain brands out there that you just feel are right for you? Well that's how I feel about Clarins, I just love everything about this brand. I don't know if its because it's a French brand, and anyone who knows me knows that I have an, as yet unfulfilled, desire to live in France, specifically Paris or whether its just because every experience I have had of their products has been a darn good one. So, on that note, I went to my local Clarins counter last week to re-purchase my cleanser and moisturiser and was rather excited to see that there was a special offer on. On purchasing two full size products you could receive three (very generous) travel sized samples of products to try. There was a choice of ten and the lovely lady at the counter talked me through each one and I am here to show you my choices! And boy am I pleased! 

First just (another) quick rave about the cleanser and moisturiser I use, because I love them so very much! I've been using them for about a year now and have not looked back. I use the Daily Energizer range, which is specifically aimed at 18-25 year olds, and I feel has seriously improved the overall appearance of my skin and significantly reduced the amount of breakouts I get. I use the cleansing gel which claims to 'deliver fresh-looking complexion radiance' and the Cream-Gel moisturiser (there's a choice of this one and just the cream version for drier skins) which claims to 'visibly diminish imperfections to provide...a healthy looking radiant complexion'. I honestly could not recommend them enough, but obviously everyone's skin is different so what works for me might not work for you! 

Now, onto the exciting little freebies I got. First off I chose another cleanser (the Gentle Foaming Cleanser) which, with hindsight probably wasn't the best choice seeing as that was what I was buying anyway. But that's neither here nor there, I haven't actually used this yet because I just can't stop using my daily energizer one, but when that runs out I will definitely be giving it a go and I'll let you know how it goes. I am a bit dubious because I've used a foaming cleanser from Clinique before and absolutely hated it! Seriously, I don't know if any of you have used it, it's called the Rinse-off Foaming Cleanser and it leaves the weirdest feeling on your skin which I can't even explain, it just feels kind of sticky but not tacky. It's really strange (and really stung my eyes)! Anyway, here's hoping this one is better! 

Next up is this absolute beaut! I probably wouldn't have gone for a bath or shower type of product as my freebie in the beginning because I already have far too many samples to use up, but after I smelt this at the counter there was no looking back! This smells absolutely incredible! Now, I will warn you, this scent is not for the faint hearted. If you are not one for a strong fragrance or if you like your fragrances very girly and sweet then this is not for you! Seriously, this product packs a heady punch. It's got a herbal, aromatic scent with essential oils to relax tired muscles and can be used in the bath or shower. It hasn't got a thick lather, it's lightweight and I actually find it quite refreshing to use in the shower. I've not poured it into a nice warm bath yet but I can imagine that breathing in the scent of this before bed would send me to sleep pretty quickly! Absolutely love it and would recommend it for anyone who loves a bit of an assault on the nostrils now and again! 

And finally, I chose the fragrance 'Eau des Jardins'. And let me tell you, I am in love. This is everything I have been looking for in a summer scent, and so much more! It is absolutely beautiful and not only is it a gorgeous smell, it is also described as a treatment fragrance which 'moisturises, soothes and ensures beautifully soft skin'. The lady at the counter said to gently press it into your skin when you apply it  to ensure the fragrance lasts longer as well as making sure the benefits, such as the essential oils and plant extracts, really get into your skin and work their magic. The only thing I would prefer from this was that the travel size came with a spray applicator, because I'm just lazy and it's harder to dab it on from the bottle! But apart from that I cannot complain, it is the most gorgeous fragrance and a happy addition to my collection. I think the lady said that the freebies would total up to something like £61 so I was pretty darn cheery when I walked away with my bag full of goodies! 

So that's all for today folks, I hope you don't mind me ranting on about Clarins all hours of the day! Do you have a favourite brand that you love for reasons unfathomable to others? If so, let me know and I hope you're al having a great day and enjoying the sunshine (or what's left of it anyway). I'll be back tomorrow with another post, I'm having a writing day today to try and get back on track and will definitely be putting some more nail posts up soon. Speak soon and au revoir! 

Good morning everyone, have we all had a good weekend? I had a very relaxing one - baking bread, drinking wine and...playing on the Xbox?! I never normally do that but for some reason me and the boyfriend got into playing a game and ended up playing for about 5 hours! It's all good fun. This week I went to see The Avengers (twice!) and absolutely loved it (clearly!). It is the best film I've seen in a while and I would highly recommend it even if you haven't seen any of the films leading up to it. It's a great film in its own right and, my god, it has some serious eye-candy in it. I think I may have fallen in love with Thor (a.k.a Chris Hemsworth, swoooon. Sorry boyfriend.). Let me know if any of you have seen it and what you thought. 

Now, onto the main event, the Glossybox review! I wasn't going to do one because I'm sure lots of you will have read about it other places but I really did like this month's, so felt I should share with you my thoughts on it! The theme this month was au naturel, starting off with a 100% bio-degradable box! (Because we like to look good AND do good of course). I do like this whole themed box thing that they've got going on, I think it adds something extra to the 'experience' and makes the samples seem less random. The first thing I noticed, and which made my heart sing with joy, was that there were no perfume samples in the box this month! Woohoo! I was getting really quite bored of receiving a tiny little sample of obscure perfume (most of the time) and was pleased to see they hadn't copped out and popped one in this month (but I guess perfume can't be all that natural can it?). I was really happy with all of the samples this month, they're all things I use (bar one) and would buy anyway, so I'll get on and show you what they were!

First up the Cauldalie Vinosource Serum which is meant to thoroughly hydrate and quench thirsty skin. It's quite a liquidy formula and quite refreshing when applied and, even though I don't have dry skin, which I'm guessing this may be aimed at, I find it a pleasure to use. After cleansing and toning it is absolutely lovely to pop on and makes my skin feel deliciously soft and smooth. I'm not sure I'd buy the full size version (around £26 on feelunique.com) but it is a lovely product and a generous sample size.

Next up the Monu Spa Hand and Nail cream. Now I personally love a good hand cream (read my post on my fave of the moment here) so I was particularly excited to see this fabulous sized sample in the box. This one is a very thick consistency which leaves absolutely no greasy residue (on my hands anyway), but leaves hands very soft and smelling kind of minty. I've kept this one in my handbag for on-the-go moisturisation and I can't really say a bad thing about it. Again, I probably wouldn't repurchase it because there are loads of great handcreams out there that are cheaper than the £10.95 that this one is asking for, but it is very nice.

The next product is the Figs and Rouge Organic Lip Balm and, oh wow, I love this! How cute is the packaging? I think I'd keep this in my bag even if it was crap because it looks so good! However, it is actually really really good as well! It's an odd consistency at first, kind of lumpy but then it smooths onto the lips (or any other area you want to use it, it's multi-purpose) and feels so smooth and makes lips lusciously soft! This is another minty smelling product and I would definitely consider repurchasing this. It comes in different flavours as well which I may just have to try out!

This product is a Lip Liner from Inika. It's certified organic and is the most gorgeous kind of shimmery orange-coral colour. If I had to I would say it probably has something of a frost finish, which I wouldn't normally go for, but this colour seems to work. On the lips it has a a very pink shimmer running through it, which in my opinion would probably make it more night-time appropriate because it is quite obvious and for day-to-day wear it might be a bit too much. The pencil is really soft and applies well, not too sure about lasting power yet as I haven't road tested it fully but at the moment I am liking it. I think it would make a great base under a deep coral or lighter red lipstick to add some more depth. I actually wore it under my MAC Vegas Volt lipstick (review here) when I went for a night out and it worked very well indeed. 

And finally the product that I wasn't too excited about, the Philip B Styling Gel. I haven't actually attempted to use it yet because I'm not sure how exactly I would use a styling gel in my hair, but it promises to add 'Volume, Texture and Definition', so maybe if I was going for a messy beach waves kind of thing I could add this to the ends to add some definition. It does say on the back that you can add it to the roots to add volume so maybe this is worth trying on second day hair to spice it up a bit. I'll keep you posted! 

So there we have it, this month's Glossybox. Not too shabby in my opinion, a nice mixture of things to try out and some that I would consider repurchasing, so well done to them! Looking forward to this months' box now, I've heard it's their one year anniversary so I'm expecting something spectacular (no pressure Glossybox!). Are any of you signed up to Glossybox? What do you think of the products in this month's box? I hope you've all got a fantastic day lined up, I'm off to work (exciting) so was up early to finish off this post to get it up for you all! That's dedication right there ;) Hope you're all very well and I shall speak soon! Bye for now!

Just a quick post today, I'm currently working on a little post about my day away yesterday, with lots of lovely pictures, so keep your eyes peeled for that! But for now, a very random beauty favourite for me at the moment is this hand cream from, of all places, Laura Ashley. It's not a place I would necessarily go to for anything beauty or cosmetics related, and it's not something they do as a permanent line, but I picked this up a few weeks ago and have been loving it! It is a seriously good moisturiser, it doesn't leave your hands greasy (which, in my opinion, is the worst side effect of some hand creams) and leaves my hands moisturised for a long while. You get 275ml of product in a pump bottle, which is extremely handy and, whilst I'm not in love with the bottle or general packaging, the product inside more than makes up for it. 

I think the scent is a love it or hate it kind of thing, I know a couple of people who are definitely not too fond of it, but I personally love it. I don't really know what it actually smells of (it's called Falling Leaves, but who knows!) but it's kind of slightly floral (?) and not sweet at all. I am really bad at describing smells, clearly. But anyway, if you can find it I would definitely give it a go because it really is very good. I've used a hundred different hand creams in my time and this is definitely up there with my favourites which include the L'Occitane one in the silver tube (can't remember what it's called) and the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula thingy (the concentrated one) which I use when my hands are in desperate need of a moisture injection. 

What's your favourite hand cream? Let me know in the comments and also let me know if you've ever tried this one! Hope you're having a great day!

Good afternoon and happy Friday to you all! I popped in to my local town earlier and saw that the Boots 3 for 2 offer on all make up was still on! I have so far managed to resist the lure of this magnificent offer but today, I caved. Firstly because the Bourjois nail varnish that I have been wanting for agggggesss (see here) was back in stock so I just had to get it! It's number 25, I don't think it has a name which is rather disappointing, and is the most gorgeous bright pink with a hint of coral. It's what I'm wearing in the look in the pictures below (as well as Rimmel's 'Aqua Cool' number 420) and I love it! I was inspired to do this look by Fleur, from FleurDeForce, in her latest video (watch here) and absolutely love it! I think it makes such a nice change and allows you to use more of your nail varnish collection! You could use either clashing or complimentary colours and I think the effect would be just as good. 

As well as the nail varnish, another thing I picked up was Rimmel's Lash Accelerator Mascara in Black. I used this a couple of years ago and really really liked it but never re-purchased it because I am incredibly fickle with mascara. I'm hoping it will be as good as I remember but if not, I'll just have to go and try another one! I also picked up one of the much talked about L'Oreal Colour Infallible eyeshadows. I got the colour Sahara Treasure which really is a gorgeous. It's a shimmery golden taupe kind of colour which I think would look great as part of a smokey eye look to brighten it up a bit. On first impressions I thought it looked a bit chunky and hard to use, but actually it glides on really smoothly and blends effortlessly. I haven't actually worn it yet so I don't know about staying power, but I will definitely let you know. 

Finally, I picked up a long-overdue moisturiser. My favourite one of all time, the Clarins Daily Energizer Cream-Gel, ran out about 2 months ago and I've been getting by on various samples and remnants that I have left over from other moisturisers. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to buy a new one but today was the day, and I thought I'd give something else a go. So, I picked up the La Roche Posay Effaclar Mat Sebo-Regulating Moisturizer (long name), formulated for oily skin. It claims to moisturise, mattify, refine the pores and slow down sebum production (i.e. the stuff that makes skin oily.) Since I have relatively oily skin I thought I would give it a go, and at £13.50 it's about £6 less than the Clarins one. 

Have any of you tried this moisturiser? I'd love to know what you think. I hope you enjoyed this post and liked the nail look :) I hope you're all having a fantastic day and are looking forward to a nice weekend. I'm super excited about going back to my uni town tomorrow for the day and who knows, I might just pick up a few more things to write about ;) Speak soon and bye for now!

p.s. I might have to eat my words from what I said about the Revlon nail polishes in this post because I have to say it lasted really well! I had it on for about four days and there was minimal chipping which surprised me because I've used both before and they chipped quite badly. What can I say!!

This is a little post about some beauty products that I am loving at the moment, and have been for the past month or so. I'm having to get a bit creative with my hair because of my mission to not use heat on it (you can read about that here) and have found it difficult to get it looking nice enough that I don't feel like a total tramp, especially when I go to work where it probably pays off to look slightly presentable, so that's where the rollers come in. Obviously, they're not heated (would kind of defeat the point!) but I just use one in my fringe in the morning as I'm getting ready in order to give it a bit of lift and a couple at the front pieces of my hair. I find it really helps to just make it look a bit more 'done' and on days when I'm not actually washing my hair I'll just dampen it with a bit of water and pop the rollers in for about 20 minutes.


My Clarisonic is (at the moment, anyway) my all time favourite beauty gadget. It is seriously amazing. I know there has been a lot of hype about this for months and months now and I got mine for Christmas (after a bit of persuading on my part because my Mum couldn't seem to get her head around the concept of using a giant toothbrush on your face!). If you haven't got one, you should! Honestly, it is just incredible. I don't have particularly problem skin anyway but this has just made it even better. It feels so soft and smooth and looks the best it has ever done. In the past couple of weeks I've actually had a few comments on how good my skin is looking and I would definitely put that all down to the Clarisonic and it's ability to work wonders! I know it is a little on the pricey side but it is worth the investment and will last for years and years, so you will get your money's worth.

Miss Dior Cherie - absolutely loving this at the moment it is such a sophisticated scent in a gorgeous bottle.


Estee Lauder DayWear - have been wearing this almost everyday since the weather has been getting warmer and sunnier. I love it. I'm sure you will all have heard lots about it but it is worth the hype as it gives a gorgeous dewy, sunkissed glow.


Umberto Giannini Overnight Beauty Moisture Balm - yet another hair care product which I've been using to bring my hair back to tip top condition. I like it and it smells divine but I'm not completely convinced that it does that much for my hair. 


Blistex Lip Brilliance - really great product that I have re-purchased many times. Gives lips a lovely rosy tint with the slightest hint of shimmer whilst making them super soft and moisturised. It's only £2.49 and something I always opt for if I'm in a bit of a rush or feel like my lips need looking after. 

Do you use any of these products? What do you think of them? Let me know what your faves of the moment are!