Nip and Fab Bee Sting Fix Cream Deluxe

Sometimes I look back at my shopping trips and wonder what on earth I was thinking; recently I seem to have purchased the entire Nip and Fab range without batting an eyelid.

It's hard not to when I've loved everything I've tried and there have been so many offers on recently.

N&F claim that the Bee Sting Fix Cream Deluxe is a 'second skin' anti ageing shield that helps to reduce the look of lines and wrinkle by hydrating the skin.

The ingredients list is pretty interesting and have some really good properties:

Bee Venom: controls the facial muscles, increases blood circulation gently plumping out and firming the skin. Also fills and smoothes fine lines and wrinkles 
Propolis Extract: this is a resinous substance harvested by bees on flower buds and it is a great skin healer, anti-oxidant and antiseptic
Hyaluronic Acid: increases moisture retention while being hydrating and moisturising
Shea Butter: helps strengthen skin + repair damage
Vitamin E: powerful antioxidant and protects cells against free radicals damage

With so many ingredients and promises I was concerned this would be one of those things that would fall short of all of the claims.

When opening the pot I was relieved that it was actually a full pot, and not a disappointment like the matching Eye Cream (review here) as that was definitely a concern. 

However the pot was EXTREMELY full and inside was a lovely thick cream that almost felt hard to the touch. This is probably the thickest cream I've ever used but on the skin it seems to melt a bit and spreads a lot easier. 

I've been using this morning and night for a few weeks and my skin has felt a lot more hydrated. I feel an improvement in my skin since the colder winter months have arrived and the increased moisturisation has definitely helped. I would agree with the claim it acts as a second skin as it seamlessly absorbs into the skin and fingers crossed it is helping my skin prevent any signs of ageing!

What do you think of Nip and Fab ranges? Do you think ingredients such as Bee Venom can help your skin? Would you be willing to try it out?

L xxx

Dr Organic Day and Night Creams

Good evening!

This post has been a long time coming as we were given these at the Bristol Blogger meet a fair few months ago....but working through our stashes it has taken a while to get to them.

Dr Organic is a great brand, they have an amazing versatile range and cover every possible scent you could ever wish for from a brand. They include pomegranate, lavender, tea tree, coconut and manuka honey, they even have a product containing snail gel!

Today we're reviewing their Virgin Coconut Oil Night Cream and Moroccan Argan Oil Day Cream.

The Coconut Oil Night cream has a list of claims detailed on the side of the box which sounds very promising! These invlude overnight hydration even down to the trans dermal level, improving firmness and tone of skin and protecting against free radicals.

I love that Dr Organic list all of the bioactive, natural and organic ingredients in their products, some of which I've never heard of but I love the honesty.
As we've mentioned in previous posts on products from Dr Organic, all of them are free from parabens, SLS, artificial colours, fragrances and any harsh preservatives.

The packaging is really simple and the pots are made of glass which is a really nice touch. The screw top lids are really good too, it might be a random thing to notice but they're really easy to unscrew but there's no chance of them coming off and spilling product everywhere.

And as always, i love simplistic styles and this ticks all my boxes.



For me, the Coconut Oil night cream was really thick in consistency and is initially hard to absorb into the skin. I found applying it as a face mask before bed was a better way for the product to provide it's maximum hydration.
I loved the feeling of my skin the next day, but as it's so thick I did use a lot more product than i would normally but I think it was still worth it!
Plus it smells gorgeous!





The Argan Oil Day cream is lighter and has the same claims as the night cream, with an added one of increasing Vitamin C production.

The Argan Oil Day cream absorbed more easily into my skin than the night cream, which is obviously better as I'm always in a rush in the morning and haven't got time to sit and wait for it to absorb before applying my make up.

This day cream smells pretty good too, and I love that the pots have the three main features of the product on the sides: Firming, toning and cell protecting. all three of these sound pretty good to me!

I have really enjoyed using both of these moisturisers and look forward to purchasing more from their range. I am a big fan of the lip balms and their coconut hand cream is amazing!
There are plenty more products I'd love to try including their Virgin Coconut Oil Moisture Melt Body Oil, Rose Otto Facial Serum and Snail Gel.

Which are your favourite products from Dr Organic? I really do want to try EVERYTHING!

L xxx

I was initially concerned about using these products as I have oily combination skin and worried that a product for nourishment and hydration would be too much for my skin but I was pleasantly surprised.

I love the glass packaging. Glass always makes something feel more luxurious. Both the day and night creams are really thick creams that sink into the skin. The day cream feels light on the skin and doesn't leave me oily. It leaves my skin with a great base for my foundation. 

The night cream is really thick and I did think because of this it would leave my skin feeling super soft but as L mentioned you do need to apply a lot of it to get those results. I do feel like I need to use more of this than most creams and therefore have found it's not been lasting too long.

I have liked both of these creams and they have made me want to try more of there products and some specifically for my skincare. Any recommendations?

Love M

xxx

What's On My Bedside Table

I've been meaning to write this a while.  It's kind of my beauty favourites but it's what I use every day skincare wise.

Since moving I've been a lot more organised.  I keep everything in these Skubbs from ikea. 

For £6 you get 6 boxes 3 of each size.  They come in black, white and purple.  They are great for organising.

On my bedside table. I always keep a glass of water.  I get thirsty in the night a lot. I also have a soft cushioned brush. I'm trying to brush my hair more often as I figure it's better for it.  I try to spend a minute a night brushing it. 

During the week I straighten my hair so I used to be lazy and just brush my fingers through it in the morning.  Also I have deodorant.  I use whatever is on offer and pillow mist.  Not convinced it works.

Things I use morning and night in my box are: My lush lip scrub. These are amazing.  I wouldn't be without mine it makes such a difference and they are a bargain too. Lush whipstick lip balm. This is one of my favourites.  It tastes and smells amazing.  Lastly is my origins super spot remover. I do like this but I probably wouldn't repurchase.  I thought it was brilliant at first but I'm going off it now.

For day cream I use Origins balanced diet.  You can see a full review of this in my save, spend, splurge series and for eye cream I use Origins Ginzing.  I really love this.  It's light and great for mornings and brightening.

For the evening I use a lot of things. I'll use either the Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus corrector or the Bioeffect EGF serum. I love both of these. Unfortunately the bioeffect serum is out of my budget for repurchase but I will be picking up the Clinique.  I really love this. It's light on the skin and feels great.  

For night cream I'm currently using Origins starting over. To be honest I don't like it. It feels like it sits on the skin rather than sinks in. It was a freebie so I'm trying to use it up. 

My evening eye cream is Origins perfect world for eyes. I love this. It's thick and sinks in well. It's perfect for night time.  As I'm oily skinned I don't like it for days. I really love origins eye creams. I think Clinique wins on face moisturiser for me. 

Lastly at night I apply vaseline to my eyelids after my eye cream focusing on my eyelashes.  I've heard it's good to make them grow plus someone I work with said she always does it and she's over 60 and has amazing eyes so it's worth a try.

Lastly I keep my inhalers and other medicine stuff I use regularly in there. It's so handy having everything to reach. I really need to find my cuticle oil and put that in.

What's your skincare must haves?  Do you use anything like vaseline on your eyelids?  

Love M

Xxx

Save, Spend, Splurge Night Creams featuring Avon, Lush and Clinique

So a few weeks ago I did Save, Spend, Splurge on day creams, you can see that and my eye make up remover one by clicking here. I'm liking writing these as it's making me compare things to make sure I'm not just liking something more because I think I should. I have a few more of these planned including clear primers, cream based primers, hot cloth cleansers, volumising mascara, lengthening mascara and some foundation ones but I need to pick up a good save one for oily skin to test so any recommedations let me know or any other products you particularly like compared. I will try to do them regularly but most likely they will be fortnightly so I can test new things as I seem to have two things for most categories.

So on my day creams last month Splurge won (save only lost out due to lack of anti aging properites) and Spend won the Eye Make Up remover battle. Will Save win this to even up?

Let's see what I've picked as my night creams. I'd say it's only really the last year (since blogging really) that I've really paid attention to my skincare and made sure I cleanse, tone and moisturise twice daily. 

SAVE

Avon Complete Balance Night - Oil Free Gel

This is a super light weight oil free gel that just sinks into the skin. It has the most amazing fresh, clean smell that doesn't smell fake. It skins into the skin quickly and provides a good level of moisture for oily skin types. It can feel a touch tacky sometimes. Annoyingly this is in the current Avon brochure but it is in there regularly and I have checked with Mummy M (my mum's an Avon lady) and she has reassured me she hasn't seen that it is going out. This one tends to come and go from the catelogues. The Avon Solutions skin care range is great for those on a budget and Avon does some truely amazing deals.

I think this normal retail price of this is aroun £7.00 which for 50ml is very reasonable. But it regularly is in deals such as half price or even lower. I know when I picked it up it was £2.50-£3.00 so it's definitely worth looking at. I find it harder to find cheap skin care for oily skin, especially moisturisers. This doesn't have anti aging products which I have started to look for but is perfect for oily skin. If you have oily combination I don't think this will help any dry patches. I will re visit this and add links when it's in the next Avon Campaign. It's standard packaging for your moisturiser. Glass tub with a screw on lid. Not great for travelling but it does mean it's unlikely to get stood on and broke if you live in a messy environment like me. (I favour the floordobe, I'm trying to improve) Also glass is recyclable for you green ladies :)

Spend

Lush Vanishing Cream

I loved this cream from the moment I first started using it. This was one of the first moisturisers I spent a lot of money on. This technically isn't aimed as a night cream and can be used as both day and night. Which is handy if you are someone who travels a lot or doesn't like to have too many products. Vanishing cream is advertised as a Low fat moisturiser meaning it contains little fat/ oils and is great for us oilier skinned ladies. Vanishing cream sinks into the skin straight away. It feels light and fresh on the skin but provides a good level of moisturisation as well. It helps with any dry patches I get left from where spots have been without leaving greasy patches on my skin. It smells nice and fresh and contain lavender (which gives this a very subtle smell not at all over powering) and also witch hazel to help control any oil and help with blemishes.

This isn't going to do anything for anti aging as I use this when I have more breakouts. It's £17.50 for 45g which is more expensive than I remember but a little goes a long way and it does last. It also comes in one of Lush's black pots so save these little ones up and you get a free face mask which is always good. You can purchase here.

Splurge

Clinique Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturiser

The day cream partner for this won the battle of the day creams and I have to say this wins the night creams too but mainly because I'm paranoid about anti ageing and I'm hoping prevention really is going to help may skin staying looking better for longer. I find it really hard to find a high street cream with a cheaper price tag that is lightweight, oil free, won't break me out and helps prevent ageing. This really is a great all rounder. Mine is running out and I'm literally heart broken that I can't afford to replace these at the moment. (I'm moving in the New Year and have to save every penny going) This cream is slightly thicker but still dissolves into the skin without a greasy feeling. I like something that feels a bit heavier at night as I think my skin can do with that extra boost. Again there are no heavy fragrances with this cream. Skin is just left feeling soft, non greasy, moisturised and clean. 

The downside of course to the Clinique is it's rather pricey price tag. £37 for 50ml. It's expensive. It will last around 3 months though when used every night so it's not to extortionate. Another bonus is it comes in 3 slightly different formulations so even if you don't have oily skin there is still a good chance this cream will work for you. You can purchase it and read about other variations here

So Splurge did it again. I think I'm just getting expensive tastes. I love that it's a great all round cream and it offers it all that none of my other options do. I'm still on the hunt for a slightly cheaper one that is just as good but without a doubt when I have the money a sneaky purchase to Clinique will happen. For now I have others to use up. I haven't included my current night time cream in here as it's one I'm using but I don't like. 

What is your go to night cream? Would you spend £37 on a night cream? Although it's expensive I think it's worth it as what's the point in spending loads on make up if you aren't looking after the skin you put it on. Me and L were also once told to think about how much you're willing to spend on a dress for a few nights out ;)!! Skin is for life hehe!!

Love M

xxx

Review: Clinique Superdefense SPF 25 Age Defense Moisturizer Combination Oily to Oily Skin and Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturizer Combination Oily to Oily Skin

Hey all. 

Today I bring you my first indulge in expensive skincare. With skincare I like to use the products for a good month or two at least before reviewing. I'm now addicted to Clinique and here are my thoughts on some of it.

So a few months back now I decided it was time to try a more premium brand skin care for my day and night cream. I'm only 23 but I've always been told prevention is easier than cure. A motto I like to live by. So I decided to look for day and night creams, aimed specifically at oily skin types that will still help combat the first signs of ageing.

I hadn't looked at reviews of products online and decided to stroll into boots and see what counter hit my eye, the scientist in me was draw to Clinique with the white coats reminding me of lab coats and there clean looking display. As I walked up to the beauty counter it was one of those days I need a lot of help and advise and a good chat with an assistant. Unfortunately she decided to ignore me. Nice eh? When you need them they don't bother. I decided to try House of Fraser as by this point I was set on Clinique. As I strolled in she finished serving and then had a chat with me about what I was hoping to get from my skincare and what my problems were and the main ones I wanted to target.

Nice free gift bag

 My free gifts. How generous are Clinique!! Lots for me to test out 

 One of the things I loved the most about Clinique is you can buy most of their products for different skincare. I was told I was a 3 and could use products aimed at 3 or 4. I was recommended the superdefense SPF 25 age defense moisturiser for combination oily to oily skin. It comes with a slightly eye watering price tag of £37. But as L once said to me if you'll spend it on a dress or bag why not on skincare. So I splurge and as they were offering a bag of goodies if you bought two items I picked up the night cream to which is the super rescue antioxidant night moisturiser again for combination oily to oily which is £35.

Both products are paraben free, allergy tested and 100% fragrance free. Great for if your skin is a little more sensitive. Something both L and I try to look out for. The day cream is gorgeous. A light product that just sinks into your skin and leaves it well moisturised without feeling greasy or tight. I find some products for oily skin leaves my skin feeling so tight it's uncomfortable. For the price you get a reasonable 50ml. I've been using mine most days now for 3 months and I'm probably 2/3 through the pot. I try to use only what's needed and make this product last. It also contains a healthy SPF 25 so great for protecting the skin from the sun and hopefully preventing even more wrinkles.

As you can see it's a good consistency and blends into the skin without leaving a greasy residue. I've been so impressed with this product. I've had no product related breakouts. Which is always a worry with my skin type and my skin is left feeling moisturised and healthy.

I love the night cream just as much. These two work together so well and I'm so pleased I splurged out on them. They are so worth it. This is again 50ml but I feel I'm using it quicker. One thing I don't like about the night cream is that it's in a tube. I prefer a pot so I can get out just the amount I need easily and I can see how much I have left. I feel like this may run out before the day cream which will bug me as I like them to run out at the same time. 

The night cream is a slightly thicker consistency but still sinks into the skin well without leaving the skin feeling oily or coated in product. I can't say how well they work on wrinkles really as the few fine lines I have do appear a little reduced but I'm hoping this will more be protecting my skin against further.

Even though these products are more than I would normally spend on day and night creams I'm completely converted and would repurchase without a doubt. They have lasted a while so isn't as expensive as it first seems.

I would wait to repurchase till there are good freebies though as Clinique are generous with their free gifts and you get a lot of products to try. I especially loved the eye cream and the serum I got in the free gifts and I am considering purchases those along with a foundation. I've heard so many great things about Clinique lately I can't wait to try more products.

The lady in House of Fraser was lovely and as I had a delay at the till was kind enough to give me all these samples along with my free gift.

Successful first trip to Clinique I think. I'm still working my way through the samples and I'm loving some and will purchase some not so much like the eye make up remover. You can find my thoughts on that here.

Have you tried Clinique products? Any recommendations?

Love M

Don't forget our giveaway. Some great skincare products in there!