Una Brennan's Super Facialist Range

Happy Saturday lovelies!

Hopefully the weather is shaping up to belong to this time of year and everyone is out and about. i do love the first pub garden visit of the year! If not....at least it's EASTER BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND! Hurrah! Chocolate galore!

You've probably heard of Una Brennan's Super Facialist Range by now. I picked these up quite a while ago during a 3 for 2 deal as I'd heard such rave reviews about the range and for some reason they've just sat in my drawers.
I've decided to be good and rotate my products a lot more to get the best use out of everything so I've recently rediscovered them and here they are!

Her ranges are designed to give you the opportunity to give yourself an at home facial without expensive products and so you can get salon skin without the price tag.
It's quite a big claim and I do wonder if anyone at all can succeed in this!

First up, the Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask. This has been created so that it is even suitable for sensitive skin and is a thick white cream that you apply to dry skin for 5 minutes before removing it.

This allegedly boosts skin moisture levels and radiance by utilising white willow extract, vitamin U and urea with marshmallow to hydrate and replenish skin.
Applying this once or twice a week this should save my skin from the dehydration issues its been having lately.

As my skin has been that temperamental I was initially worried it would irritate my skin or make it extremely oily. I'm glad to say that this didn't happen at all and my skin more nourished after use. I've even applied it as a moisturiser at night and left it on until the morning which was great too, no irritation and baby smooth skin!

Definitely a thumbs up from me!


Next up is the Miracle Makeover Facial Oil from the same Rose Hydrate range.



This pre cleanse treatment oil contains many natural oils including raspberry, carrot and avocado to eliminate impurities from the skin and encourage cell regeneration. It also contains brown algae and Calendula oil to soothe even the most sensitive skins leaving it feeling supple.
Sounds quite a lot from a little oil used before cleansing doesn't it??

It's directions state you apply a generous amount to your hands to warm it up before applying to your facial skin and massage it in circular movements to dissolve impurities and open pores before cleansing as you normally would.

I've used this a number of times and you need a few pumps (3/4) for a normal face of make up but if you've got heavy eye make up on you'll probably require an extra 1 or 2 as it can be a bit stubborn when the oil is absorbing into your skin. Having said that I really like it and it does a great job of dissolving make up and has become a fixed part of my skin routine. I sometimes use a face wipe to remove the make up from my face before cleansing to dissolve some of the crap but this is definitely a less harsh alternative and works well without irritating my skin or coating it with oil. I just wash my face with my cleanser of choice as normal and I'm good to go.

The Mask retails at £8.99 but is currently on offer with £3 off, and the Miracle Oil retails for £14.99 but is currently £9.99 both from Boots.

Will you be trying either of these products out? What products have you tried from Una Brennan before?

I've heard so much about the Vitamin C brightening products I'm going to have to give them a go!

L xxx

Coconut Oil

Happy Friday to everyone!!

I'm here today with a bargain beauty treat.

Everyone who's anyone has been talking and raving about coconut oil for ages. The health benefits are so extensive, not only can you slap it straight onto your skin and hair but you can also cook with it creating amazing tasting dishes whilst also being low in bad fats.

I have been looking for ages for a tub of this but could only find large tubs for large amounts.....which put me off.

I did however find this bargain in Superdrug (thanks to M for telling me about it!) and snapped it up for a mere £1.78.

This tub of Coconut Oil is not the pure and organic product that you can cook with, but for £1.78 I was prepared to give it a go on my patches of dry skin and chemically treated hair.

You can't cook with it because it's hydrogenated and also contains parfum (which is a little annoying...) but for such a small amount of money I just didn't care!

The oil is a solid white product at room temp but as soon as you scoop a bit out (try a spoon or get it under your nails - like i did!) it melts pretty quickly.

It feels so odd to apply this straight to dry hair but this is exaclty what you need to do and depending how dry your hair is, leave it on for a specific amount of time.
I left it on for a couple of hours before washing it out and conditioning as normal. It left my hair so silky smooth I couldn't believe it.

I also put it on my dry skin patches such as elbows and knees and it sinks in so easily and my skin is no longer dry at all.

I really would recommend this for such a bargain price!

Have you tried coconut oil on your hair or skin?

L xxx

Antipodes: Divine Face Oil

This post has been a looooooooooooooong time coming.

I have been a huge fan of this face oil ever since receiving it in the Selfridge's Beauty Box last year.
I have raved about this to anyone who would listen to me but for some reason felt that writing my post on it would just be lost in a load of others all saying the same things so I didn't type up anything.

But I'm still in love with it and want to add my voice to the mix!

Antipodes are a really cool brand, all the way from New Zealand using natural and organic ingredients to make super sonic products with a multitude of benefits.
Now sold in 9 countries around the world the company only started in 2006 which is amazing to have got this far and just shows what reliable brand it is.

Divine Face Oil contains organic avocado oil and rosehip which scientifically stimulates synthesis of collagen production in human skin cells by up to 51%.
It's packed with antioxidants and essential nutrient rich oils which smell of jasmine and sweet orange.

It has so many benefits to skin it's almost unbelievable. You can read them on the back of the box in the picture above but essentially it's anti aging, hydrating, rejuvenating and absorbs UV light from the sun to protect skin.
Sounds like a miracle oil!

I apply a few drops of this to cleansed skin morning and evening when my skin is feeling a little dry and dehydrated (which is most of the time lately!)
You rub in the oil in upward motions and pay special attention to spots, scars and any other blemishes including lines.
This to me was really weird, at the time I hadn't ever used oils on my face and was so worried about my skin breaking out etc but I really had nothing to worry about!

The dropper is my favourite part of the product because it reminds me of old medicines and being a scientist I automatically am drawn to glassware and it can't get much better than when it contains organic skincare too!
It's so easy to use and control the drops and the oil sinks into your skin so quickly.

One of the best things about this oil?? It's only £19.50! This is a bargain considering the effects and it's lasted me almost a year and I'm still not close to finishing it.

The oil is suitable for most skin conditions but particularly useful for dry and combination skin.

I've found it brilliant at hydrating my dry patches, and I feel it's cleared up so many of my blemishes and scars as the red spots on my face are fading pretty well.
The biggest factor about this oil is that it hasn't made my oily t-zone any oilier than it normally would be which has been perfect and something I was really worried about.

I'd fully recommend this to anyone and cannot wait to get my hands on some other Antipodes products.
I've heard absolutely loads about their Aura face mask containing Manuka Honey (one of my favourite New Zealand products from my family living there!) and the Juliet Skin Brightening Gel Cleanser.

Hopefully this combination of products will get my skin to behave itself.
Dealing with an oily t-zone and then dehydrated skin on the rest of my face with scars is really getting to be hard work!

What have you tried from Antipodes? Do you love organic and natural skincare?

L xxx

Skincare Wardrobe - Update

Hello!

I keep meaning to write this post for SUCH a long time now that I thought it was about time it actually got done.

Since starting this blog I have of course spent a shed load of money on various products but primarily on skin care. When starting this blog I was a culprit of using only a face wipe and occasionally eye make up remover along with moisturiser as my daily routine. This shocks me immensely and I now cannot believe I did this!

Obviously I soon realised this wasn't going to cut it and I have significantly changed my 'Skincare Wardrobe' if you like, and here is the updated contents!

I currently use this box which contained a Christmas present in 2011. It isn't ideal as I'd prefer to have them all standing upright but nevertheless it's a great box for me to separate my skincare products from others (ever so slightly...)

So trying to get things in some sort of order I will start with cleansers.
This is what I am currently using;

Origins Checks and Balances, a lovely minty foamy face wash which is one of those that gives your skin a deep clean and leaves it with that 'tight feeling', sometimes I love this feeling and others I don't so it's nice to have options. This is where...

Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish comes in, a creamy cleanser applied to dry skin that miraculously removes all types of make up so easily. It feels great on my skin and did so when I had oily skin and now with my dry/combination skin and we are both fans of this cleanser.

Having used these two primarily for the past few months I'm pretty happy with how they work for my skin. However on those nights when I come in quite late (4am is getting to be quite a regular time for me!) it's a little bit too loud to start running hot water and splash around in the bathroom waking everyone up.

For this reason I picked up La Roche Posay's Toleraine Gel Dermo Cleanser which you just rub into your skin and then remove either with a muslin cloth or wet wipe, which is what I use at 4am. It isn't ideal I would agree as I'd prefer hot water but definitely better than just the wet wipe as this removes every trace of make up even mascara and lipstick!
I am yet to post about this but so far I'm loving it especially as it's so easy and fuss free.

The Clarins eye make up remover was given to both myself and M just before Christmas at a Pharmacy event in Cardiff. I'd been using micellar water before that but this make up remover is great, requires minimal 'scrubbing', doesn't sting my eyes and gets rid of all traces.

Next up is Exfoliators:

These are without a doubt some of my favourite products to come out of my 'Skincare Epiphany'.

Origin's Modern Friction is well renowned for being good but I just adore how quick the results are from using it and although it's expensive, even with a use of 2/3 times a week this huge tube has lasted me months.
I'm about half way through and have had it well over 8 months, would 100% recommend.

Murad's AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser is something we posted about recently and I truly believe this will be staying in my weekly routine for a long time to come. Not only because this huge bottle will also last you a while but because the effects are again pretty quick and show up after 4/5 uses which is great considering it feels like a normal cleanser.
The acids and tiny tiny jojoba beads (which feel like a powder!) definitely have a positive effect on my skin sloughing off cells and revealing a glow. Basically.....buy it!

Origins have also brought out Brighter By Nature which I got as a GWP (Gift with Purchase) before Christmas time. These pads are filled with enzymes and fruit acids and just require a swipe over the face for them to work their magic. These feel great and are definitely a less abrasive way to exfoliate your skin on days where a scrub just isn't what you're looking for.


A definite new addition to my weekly routine are masks:

As you can see I have an array, and what is quite clearly becoming an obsession with Origins, yikes! so from L-R...

Drink Up Intensive - another GWP and still going strong, this is the intensive overnight version of the other Drink Up mask coming up. This was the first hydrating mask I'd ever used and even on my then oily skin, was absolutely amazing and didn't break me out.
The next three; Clear Improvement, Out of Trouble and Drink Up were all bought together in a set after using up my first Out of Trouble mask. I absolutely love it for getting rid of blemishes and reducing spot size! 100% recommendation from me.
Clear Improvement and Drink up are both great for when my skin is in need of them, the charcoal definitely helps to reduce pore size and the Drink up is great for when my skin feels dry but is breaking out and too much hydration might overbalance my skin,

REN's Glycolactic Radiance Renewal mask really does do what it says on the tin (tube?), it smells like oranges, feels like orange juice and marmalade whizzed together and takes me to a happy summery place as well as making my skin look renewed.

Eye products:

Having never used an eye cream before this blog my collection is certainly increasing!

Starting with Origins Eye Doctor: I picked this up due to my severely dry eyes and sore skin due to rubbing my eyes. I've still got no idea what has happened to make my body so depleted in hydration regarding my skin and eyes and lips, but this was my first eye cream which I chose due to it's lack of any kind of chemicals at all. It's so hydrating and as I was so worried at the time about a reaction, it's the perfect comfort blanket for me to go back to.
The same with the No Puffery eye gel, it's so soothing and helps my eyes relax after a long day at work. This and Eye Doctor combined helped to reduce my dry eye effects and eliminate the lines I was getting around my eyes, presumably from dehydration.

Ginzing was next on my list when I felt more comfortable and I love it's reflecting properties for day wear when i have massive bags under my eyes.

Starting Over is a recent addition as it was on sale and I couldn't resist picking it up to rid myself of potential crows feet! It's thicker than the Eye Doctor cream and I will be writing about it soon.

Eysilix was picked up in a 3 for 2 deal a few weeks ago so is what I am currently trialling. I like the small nozzle and how it allows a small amount out each time, but I'm not sure if my eyes like the cream as i think they sting sometimes after use. Will have to investigate this!

Serums and oils:

Clearly my anti-aging and anti-blemish tendencies are running away with me here!

Both Antipodes and Clarins oils I have written before and I am in complete love with them both and they transformed my opinions on oils for oily skin.

Aesop's Parsley seed Serum is something I have been using recently and am interested in how it will affect my skin. I've heard rave reviews!

The Make a Difference Serum is absolutely gorgeous. Sinks in like a dream and I'm completely gutted to find out that it was only available at Christmas time exclusively from Selfridges. Heart broken!

Pepta Bright and Hydraluron were the other 2 items I picked up in my 3 for 2 deal with Eysilix (Indeed Labs got me good!). Hydraluron is a great extra step for adding in more hydration as it sinks in easily and doesn't clog your pores but my skin feels a lot more hydrated.
Pepta Bright has definitely had a brightening effect on my skin and I'm pretty sure has also helped to reduce the size and colour of the scars on my face but shhhhhhhhhh let's not say that too loudly as it might stop working! Posts on all of the Indeed Labs products will be up in the future when I feel like I've tested them properly.

Lastly onto moisturisers and other bits:

My first and only product from Apivita is this gorgeous organic lip balm with honey which has been a saviour in keeping my dry lips from worsening. It's been a god send in work as it's not a pot and really moisturises.

I'm sure everyone on the planet has heard of Effaclar Duo and I am one of them having picked it up a few weeks ago during a mass break out on my skin. It works a treat on drying up the white heads but on my bigger spots it only helped to reduce redness and size, not eliminate it completely. It works great but it isn't a miracle worker so don't expect it to remove all traces of a zit!

Normaderm is one of my favourite day moisturisers as it sinks in so easily and doesn't add to the oil on your skin. It prevents breakouts and helps combat scars and all other blemishes and it just works. This was a god send when I had oily skin and I still use it now, get it! You won't regret it.

Perfect World was a freebie from Origins when you took in an empty bottle of moisturiser and its taken me a while to warm up to it. Initially confined to the bottom of the pile it's now a firm favourite with my dry skin especially for day time due to it's SPF 25. Really loving this now!

Make a Difference is something I posted about fairly recently and am still raving about. The rejuvenating treatment glides onto skin and your skin drinks it up in seconds. It's helped to reduce scarring, even out blemishes and skin tone generally and hydrated my skin without overdoing it. Love.


This has been a gargantuan post and if you got bored I'm rather sorry, I had no idea there was quite that much to write about.
I have learnt a few things:

a) I'm obsessed with Origins

b) I need to condense my skincare down. Nobody needs this much on a daily/weekly basis!

c) Skincare is expensive but worth every penny, you only get one face which everyone sees every day, spending £30 on one skincare item lasting 6 months is much better value for money than £60 on shoes you'll wear once!


Have you written up your Skincare Wardrobe?? Do you have as much as me?? What are your favourite products and brands?

L xxx

Review: Tresemme Liquid Gold

It's ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonly blooming Friday!!!

Thank the lord! Even though I've had a day off this week and consequently have to work on Saturday I am so glad it's Friday. It means that my day in work on the weekend will be quiet and I can just chill out and do nothing as I have made no plans for Sunday apart from gym and EAT. Woop!

As you'll know hair oils are pretty big news, and I was excited when Tresemme brought out their addition to the mix, Liquid Gold.

It contains Argan Oil and comes in a really easy to use pump as shown above, and comes with a lid. This is VERY important so it doesn't spill everywhere as I can imagine this would be an absolute NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTMARE to clean up.

That being said, I managed to 'lose' mine in my overnight bag for such a long time I thought I'd lost it.

After much rummaging and confusion however I found it had fallen through the lining and was actually in said bag the entire time, hurrah!

So I quickly started using this again over the past few weeks whilst I was still on the spending ban.

If you've read any of my posts on that ban you'll see that I have spectacularly broken my ban after a trip to the Cosmetics Company Outlet (CCO) and now I'm just trying to be really good....

So, back to the oil.

Having used the Macadamia Oil hair mask and fallen in love with it, promising myself that I would buy a tub of it as soon as the ban was over I used this oil without much hope.

So I am quite happy to admit that I have been proved wrong and my expectations of this were exceeded.

Not only is it really easy to use and control how much comes out, it sinks into your hair really well and so far I haven't experienced any oily residues after using it on wet hair before I dry it nor on dry hair to tame those pesky frizzy bits.

Now I must admit I am lucky in the hair department due to having relatively straight hair with a bit of a wave in (think Kate Middleton...probably on a bad hair day) so I don't really need much in the way of taming the frizz but as for helping my coloured hair stay in good condition it has helped quite a bit.

So not only does this get a thumbs up from me it has so far stopped me from purchasing the considerably more expensive Macadamia oil......this actually only costs £4.99 at Boots right now!

This is an absolute bargain, and after checking the most recent prices I have spotted some other things from Tresemme I'd love to get my hands on.

Has anyone tried the Keratin Smooth Deep Treatment Masque? It sounds pretty good to me!

What do you think of Tresemme? Have you found cheaper high street products to be as good as more expensive boutique and designer ones?

L xxx

Review: Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil

A goooooooooooooood few weeks ago now myself and M went along to a Clarins event at Central Pharmacy in Cardiff.

We met up with the lovely Charli from Charli Dot Dot Dot and Cariad from Cariadity and had a great night playing with the Clarins products, having make overs and hand massages as well as some lovely nibbles and drinks.

As Clarins are a well known brand for their skin care I couldn't help but talk to them about my then troubled skin.

They suggested I try the Lotus Face Treatment Oil, which although is an oil is aimed at troubled and problematic skin...perfect for me!

If you remember I had been using Skinetica to get rid of my spots but it did not help much with the scarring.

After getting over my initial reluctance to use an oil on my skin I got well into applying 2/3 drops of this in the morning and the same again at night.

As you can see it contains Rosemary and Geranium to balance oil and purify skin, and Lotus extract to refine the skin.

This oil has been great for me.

I love the bottle and the fact you only need a tiny amount, I'm barely down to the bottom of the Clarins word  after 2/3 months of use.

The oil is also quite a dry oil considering how liquid it is, it sinks into the skin quite quickly and even though I apply it in the morning before a day of work it doesn't leave my skin oily and shiny for the day.

The dropper is really easily controlled as well so you can judge how much you need really easily.

As for the results my skin has felt so much more hydrated and my skin has become more even in tone.

It has definitely helped with the scarring though unfortunately I don't have any pictures to prove it!

I would definitely recommend this to anyone struggling with oily skin and blemishes, anyone with scarring and also anyone with combination skin as it hasn't caused me to break out but my skin is hydrated.

This was a random purchase but I'm pretty sure it was a good one!

Have you used anything from Clarins skin care before? I would definitely consider purchasing more, let me know what you'd recommend!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Me and M were lucky enough to win tickets to London Fashion Week, so we will be in London all weekend.

Let us know if any of you will be around, and I'm sure there will be a post to come on it soon.

We're so excited!!

L xxx

Product Buzzword of 2012

I know a lot of people will be writing posts about their best products of 2012 and I most likely will do the same once I've had the chance to think about what mine are!

However when I was thinking of what products have featured heavily in my 2012 and also in general in the cosmetic/blogging world there was only one type of product that stood out in my mind: oil.

Image from Thrive Farm Wordpress

How many types of oil are there available??

Hair oil, face oil, body oil, shower oil.......

In particular Moroccan/Macadamia/Argan oil have taken the cosmetics world by storm and although I haven't used much of it, I have used the Macadamia hair mask and the Ojon oil and am very much a fan of both!

I have used some body oils but I'm always in a rush and am yet to find one that sinks in fast enough and does a good job.

As skincare is one of my favourite topics and aisles to browse in store, I have tried and tested a few face oils this year that has been my biggest surprise.

Starting off my year with oily skin, the last thing I would have put on my face is oil!

Once my skin changed due to stress and became drier and covered in cysts, I was forced to apply more moisturiser to combat the lack of hydration that I'd never experience before.

This included oils and now I would never be without them!

They helped clear some scars on my face, hydrated dry patches and did not in any way affect my oily t-zone! (Particularly Antipodes Divine Oil)

This for me was a revelation and I have been happy to swallow my words on adding oil to oily skin.

Do you agree that oils have been the biggest buzzword of 2012?

It makes me wonder what will be the product type of 2013...does anyone have any ideas?

I think nail art comes a close second as the biggest hype in 2012, maybe it hasn't had its day yet....or maybe products with a distinct lack of chemicals will become even more popular and product choice will increase with demand?

Who knows!

You know however, that we will all be watching! I for one cannot wait for 2013!

L xxx