New CiD Cosmetics i-Glow Compact Shimmer Powder

Hello there!

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to attend a wonderful evening at St David's Hotel and Spa and come home with a goodie bag of lovely products from Paul Mitchell and New CiD.

We've been using them over the last few weeks and couldn't wait to share the amazing i-Glow Compact Shimmer Powder.

The i-Glow Compact Shimmer Powder is another of New CiD Cosmetics hand baked powders which uses waxes to stick ingredients together. This helps to make the product glide over your skin smoothly creating a more radiant and youthful look - this all sounds pretty wonderful to me!

The other ingredients in the shimmer powder help to 'bounce' the light off your skin which is why the best way to use the product is by picking up a really large brush, swirling it over the powder and dusting it over your cheekbones, collar bones and just about anywhere you want with a bit of a glow!

i-Glow is available in three different colours; Icy Pink, Sirocco and Coral Crush.
We were given Sirocco which is a lovely gold colour, the shimmer is amazing but the particles are so small it gives an amazing glow.

I've been really impressed with the colour payoff but also how blendable the shimmer powder is, it's easy to blend with any base make up I put on and has been suitable to wear in both the day and night.

Here it is on:

I really like the glowy look it gives, I've had so many people compliment me on it and ask me what it is as they want to buy it too!

You can purchase all of the iGlow products for £26.00 for 9g of product in the compact. The compact itself is also super sturdy with a decent mirror size, I'm overall really impressed with this and I definitely want to try out the Coral Crush and Ice Pop to see how the glow changes.

What do you think of New CiD baked products? Have you tried iGlow?


L xxx

This was one of the products I couldn't wait to try out as I already own ice pop (well my mum did but she wasn't giving it the love it deserved so gave it to me!) which I love. The texture of these are amazing they are so smooth and give an amazing highlight to the skin. Ice pop just adds such a pretty pink flush to the cheeks.

Sirocco is more of a bronzey shade, these are so pigmented as you can see from the swatch below (apologies for the slightly dark photo, I was battling the bad weather spell when I took these!). They have a really soft blendable texture which makes them so easy to work with.

Now I've got these two I really want the i-bronze as the colours in that one look amazing. These are baked products so they're going to last for ages. My ice pop is older than I should admit and doesn't look used still. Another great thing is they sell these in minis for £16, you get a lot of product in the original and I find I rarely use a blush up so it's nice to have the option to grab a smaller size one.

Love M

xxx

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Dim Infusion

Hi there!

Finally we have passed the middle of the week and can look forward to the weekend!

A few short weeks ago I picked up my first ever Hourglass product. Unless you have an endless amount of cash rolling in it is ridiculously hard to keep up with your own wishlists and i am definitely struggling! I've heard a lot about Hourglass over the last year or so and have been interested in their blushes, bronzers and highlighters as they seem to be most coveted but I don't have a lot of money at the moment so I've been choosing wisely.

As soon as I saw Dim Infusion, one of their Ambient Lighting Blushes I couldn't leave it behind.

The box is quite chic, it's a welcome break from monochrome even though I'm a die hard fan of the old black and white.
It's also great to know the 'free from' list, interesting that they include gluten on it don't you think? Seems to be such a fad nowadays.

Dim Infusion is a coral blush with gold shimmer through it. It looks like a perfectly marbled masterpiece and on first glance I knew it was mine. Initially I didn't even know what it was, a blush? A highlighter? A complexion enhancer type thing? Who knew, it was mine as soon as i saw it, those colours are me all over!

With flash you can see the shimmer particles a lot more easily, though even then they show up as more of a glow:

It was at this point that i admittedly became a little disappointed. When I started to use the product itself it fell short of what I thought it would do to my face and my complexion. I had visions of it creating a super blendable glow effect that would undoubtedly look the most natural I had ever looked courtesy of make up.

Sadly this wasn't the case. The shimmery particles don't seem to play any part at all and so in fact, the blush is just a blush. Don't get me wrong it is a beautiful colour and I have been getting a lot of wear out of it as it suits my skin tone and is perfect for everyday use, but it does seem to have lost its magic for me.

You can see for yourself:

It's a really gorgeous colour and for £28 for 4.2g it is slightly more expensive than a Nars blush but near enough on par. It is something that I have been wearing most days and will continue to I just thought it was going to be a bit more special that it was and that is what disappoints me the most.

Part of me wonders if i had bought the Ambient Blush Palette for £56 I may have been more satisfied with three colours and they come in at 3.3g each. I've heard so much about the Ambient Lighting products and the primer from Hourglass that I just imagined it to be better and it has put me off buying products from them in future without being able to try them beforehand which can be difficult in Wales as we don't have a Space NK anywhere near.

Have you tried the Ambient Lighting Blushes before? What did you think? Have you tried anything else from Hourglass?

I haven't given up on them yet but it may be a while before I buy from them again.

L xxx

Boots Botanics Buffers

Morning everyone!

I'm on a day off today, spending it with my mum for a girly day before she goes in for an operation.
I've been loving the thought of having an even and flawless tan, I mean who doesn't want a bit more of a glow over the summer even if it's not a tan that's ten shades darker than your normal skin tone?

In my quest for this I've recently picked up these two from Boots Botanics range; the Loofah and Bamboo Buffer and the Sisal and Bamboo Buffer.

In store the Loofah buffer felt quite rough and the Sisal buffer less so, so I was interested to see how they fared at buffing my skin to glorious silky smoothness and aiding me in keeping some kind of tan in a flawless stage for as long as possible.

As I said, in store this one felt the softest so I went for this one first. My skin is weird sometimes and although it isn't classed as 'sensitive' I do feel that it can have odd reactions to things so I played it safe.
Little did i know this one would be rougher than the other when water was involved!

By no means is it abrasive on the skin but it certainly does require a large amount of foam to stop it from dragging on the skin but i do feel like I've been buffed to perfection after using this. My skin feels good as new particularly after application of moisturiser afterwards, it seems to sink in so much faster and my skin feels super soft.

The Loofah buffer just seemed to melt when water and shower gel was added to it, it is now no longer flat and hard and has puffed up as you would expect a normal loofah to.

I normally use the Sisal buffer once a week and then in between use the Loofah buffer as its a lot softer on the skin and I suppose in comparison is more of a polish than a scrub. 

These have both definitely helped my skin improve and also have meant that I have been applying a lot more moisturiser as my skin has soaked it up.
Overall these were a bargain purchase and they were on a bogohp offer which was great and as long as you thoroughly rinse them after each use and dry them properly there shouldn't be any reason why they won't last you a while as well.

I do like a loofah and my family have always had one in the bathroom!

Are you a loofah or buffer fan or do you prefer scrub products?
I like the options that they both bring and think a foaming scrub such as Soap and Glory's Pulp Friction would be really good with this....shame I've run out of it!

L xxx

Review: Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean

This is a post I've been meaning to write for a while. As you'll see from the pictures my bottle is almost empty. Both L and I are huge Soap and Glory fans as you probably know and there isn't much we don't like from them. The cleanser are something we've found hit and miss. So when I saw this in last years big Soap and Glory set I took my time before I started using it.

Scent wise if you don't like peach or strong smells this definitely won't be for you. Personally I love the smell. It's fruity and creamy smelling almost. It's a thick white cream that comes in a pump dispenser which is my favourite type. The packaging is as expected for Soap and Glory product with it's traditional colours. I love soap and glory packaging and I always like that it clearly stated what you can expect from the product.

As the bottle shoes it claims to smooth skin with fruit acids, soften skin with Jojoba Oil and Quillaja Bark. purify and deep clean and shrink pores. That's a lot for a cleanser to offer!! I absolutely love the texture of this. It glides on, sinks into the skin and doesn't cause any irritation. It easily removes make up too. My skin is left feeling soft and smooth without feeling tight or that squeaky clean feeling that soap can leave.

As for purify and deep clean, my skin is much better when I use this. It doesn't break me out and helps for if I'm having a break out. As pore shrinking I'm not too sure about that. I don't think anything works for that really.

Peaches and Clean does say on the back in the evening (I use it for mornings too). It's easy to use massage it into the skin focusing on the T Zone and spots more with the massage and rinse off.

As Peaches and Clean contains AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) if used in the morning you do need to make sure you have a moisturiser with SPF in. AHAs are great for exfolitating dead skin away gently without uses rough scrubs.

Peaches and Clean will definitely be a repurchase for me. Have you tried it?

Love M

xxx

Review: Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

Murad have been a brand that we both have heard lots about.

We regularly tweet with them and love reading their quotes from Dr Murad about 'treating yourself like royalty' and in particular their snippets of info about different foods and plants that are great for your skin.

We were recently contacted by them about trying their AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser*.

The website says:

What does it do for you?

Polish away surface oil and locked-in impurities to improve brightness and clarity. Reveal a youthful you!

The Science behind the Results

Salicylic, Lactic and Glycolic Acids – This trio of acids provides clarity, brightness and improves cell-turnover by dissolving dead skin cell build up and revealing a radiant complexion.

Jojoba Beads – Gently polishes, exfoliates and smoothes skin while boosting hydration.

You are supposed to use this cleanser 2/3 times a week as well as your normal cleanser for the acids and exfoliating beads to work and the reviews on their website give it a 4.9/5.

I've been using this constantly for the past 4/5 weeks. I cleanse my skin with my usual cleanser and then use this afterwards 2/3 times a week.
It's so easy to use and the jelly like feel of the cleanser glides onto your skin really easily without irritating it. The beads in the cleanser can only be described as feeling like powder more than an exfoliator, they're so gentle on your skin that you can barely feel any kind of exfoliation or scrubbing like you would have imagined.

I usually apply this to a wet face and then gently massage it in circles. I've found that this is the best way to get the optimum results from the beads and also the acids, which really do seem to dissolve the skin cells without any negative effects to the skin.

I've seen a difference in my skin from using this, and I absolutely love it! This is so gentle but gives me glowing fresh looking skin without any side effects whatsoever.
It has evened out my skin tone, helped to combat some of the scarring on my face from some acne I had before Christmas and helped to keep more blemishes at bay.
When I noticed this and had a fresh load of spots appear, I did use the cleanser on my face for 3/4 days in a row to help and it greatly helped to clear my skin though I wouldn't recommend doing this for long term.

The 200ml tube comes in at a costly £34 which initially I was wary of, but having used it consistently for over a month and knowing there is no difference compared to the picture above, I think this is worth every penny.
I'm massively impressed with the results from this product and would 100% recommend it to anyone looking to improve their skin tone and get a glow.

L xxx

I've tried Murad a few times as I had a few samples of it. I've loved the cleansers I'd previously tried so was excited to try this. I'm a big fan of exfoliators, having naturally oily skin I find exfoliators really help to improve my skin.

This really didn't disappoint. It's not like a facial exfoliator I've tried before. It's almost got a slight jelly texture to it. It buffs into the skin really softly and isn't a rough. The beads in it are small but still feel like your skin is getting a good deep clean. I also love that a little of it goes a long way. It is quite pricey but I've been using it 3 times a week for a month now and there isn't much more gone than the photo shows so you are really going to get your money's worth from this as it'll last a long time.

After use my skin feels smoother and so soft. My spots have improved (except for the odd hormone one) and they seem to heal quicker if I use this when I sense a breakout coming. Having acid based ingredients in it, it really helps improve skin tone. I've noticed an improvement in the skin condition. My cheeks certainly look a lot better. I can't wait to use it more and get even better results.

Once I've worked my way through my stash of cleansers I'll definitely be ordering some more Murad skin care!

Love M

xxx

Review: Skinetica (Part 2)

Hi all!

This post follows on from my previous post where I showed you all my horrible spotty skin and wrote about the product that was sent to me to try out, Skinetica*.
If you need any details on the product I have previously detailed them all in that post so take a look before reading this one!

You can read it here.

As you can probably tell from how I left that post, the results I have had since using Skinetica have been really positive.
I had had no luck whatsoever with other blemish fighting products that I've used in the past nor tested recently so this was a massive deal for me, especially as I had graduation the week before Christmas and didn't want my skin to look awful nor did I want to look caked in make up!

Sooo. I'm sure what you're most interested in right now is the results!

1 Week:
So after 1 week of using Skinetica the red lumps/cysts had reduced in size and in number.
They weren't as painful as they were and although it's still a task to cover them up, it's not as hard to do when they are smaller and less painful.

The healing time is still painfully long which seems to be why I have lots of red marks covering the majority of my face as they're taking so long to heal.
Skinetica does not help with this, but the amount of new spots and cysts I have been having has decreased.

Due to the nature of Skinetica, you can apply it and once it's dry you can still apply moisturiser and make up as required.
Because of this it meant I could go about my day as usual knowing that Skinetica was working underneath my make up and overnight whilst I slept with my night moisturiser and choice of oil to help with the scarring I was experiencing.

2 Weeks:
After 2 weeks of using Skinetica I was told that applying it without applying products afterwards would increase the effects, much like when using Alpha H Liquid Gold and other similar products.

After finding this out I did stop applying moisturiser in the evenings and noticed an improvement.
However, as my skin is slowly clearing up I am noticing that my t-zone is becoming oilier again and my cheeks/jaw line in need of moisturising so some nights I have had to compromise and apply both! But where I can I don't apply anything extra.

4 Weeks:
After 4 weeks of applying Skinetica my skin has cleared of 'active' spots and now I only have the red marks left behind to contend with.
The pictures do show a difference but as the marks/scars are still there, at a glance it might not look like much.

I can tell you though that having had the huge, painful lumps on my face decrease down to near enough nothing has meant that my skin is much easier to cover with make up and when I have it on you can barely see a thing.

The Proof:
Here are some pictures for you to compare.
I've put the same ones next to each other so you can compare the difference more easily.
The first photos are the original ones from my previous post, the second are after 2 weeks and the last photos (underneath the other 2) were taken yesterday which is after 4 weeks:

You can clearly see the difference between the first and last photos, there aren't any lumps on my face at all and all the spots have dried up.

The main thing you'll be able to notice in all photos is how much better my skin is generally, it is actually glowing which is never something I thought I'd say about my own skin!

M said as soon as she saw the pictures she noticed this which was lovely to know!!

Unfortunately a night out for New Year's Eve has brought me out in a lovely spot in the middle of my cheek, but this has already gone after using the Skinetica on the night after and only the red mark is left behind.

(If only late nights and alcohol didn't bring you out in spots!)

That is another good thing to note about Skinetica, your average white head spots often found on oily t-zones will usually dry up overnight meaning there is no need to pop them yourself!

I know the temptation can get too much and I am one of those people that loves popping them (immense satisfaction!) but the marks left behind are not worth it, plus the risk of bacteria making them worse.

Lastly this is the picture where the difference can be clearly seen and is quite miraculous!!

This area runs along my jaw line under my ear up to my hair line and was the place where most of the lumps appeared initially making them really painful as I could feel them every time I ate or talked....lush.

Now you can see that even the scars have almost healed up and gone!

To Conclude....
It has been a long and slow road to getting my skin to recover as my skin has been like this for a good 6 months now.
Although Skinetica claim that results can be seen in 2-5 days, this sadly wasn't the case for me.

However after 3/4 weeks usage morning and night my skin has improved with visible results and the number of new cysts has reduced to gaining 0 per week which is miraculous!

I for one am super impressed with the results I've had with this and have purchased myself another bottle from their website and it was so easy through paypal with super speedy postage again.
The first bottle lasted for 3/4 weeks with application morning and night.
I was so pleased with the results that I actually got my brother one to try as one of his Christmas presents ha, I'm sure he'll love me for it when the results start coming through though!


The next thing for me to tackle are the scars.

I have a choice of 2 other products which I will now be applying at night time to see if my skin will heal without any permanent marks at all and hopefully without any kind of relapse back into the cysts I was getting before.
At least I know what to use now if they ever come back!

What do you think of the results? Will you be trying Skinetica to get rid of your spots??

I am a number one fan!!

L xxx