Skin Care Regime

I've seen a lot of posts recently about skin care and have invested in a lot of products recently, particularly from Origins and some French pharmacy brands.

I don't think I've ever done a post on my usual skin care so here's my general day to day products that I could not live without! 

(It's rather a long post so I'd grab a cup of tea and make yourself comfortable, there's lots of photos though!)

First up is the cleanser....the one and only Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.

I'd obviously heard rave reviews from everyone but had never invested until it came free with Red magazine a fair few months ago.

Needless to say I fell in love completely, my skin looked and felt so much better and because I was previously only using face wipes the difference was amazing!

This has definitely become a must have product in my collection and I'll probably never be without it.

I still have some other cleansers that I'm using up, particularly one from Neutrogena.

This is the 3 in 1 Visibly Clear Blackhead Eliminating Cleanser Scrub and Mask in One.

I believe Hayden Panettiere is in the advert for it?

I bought this when my Liz Earle ran out and I was penniless, and the Visibly Clear range was on 2 for £5 offer, which is amazing considering their normal price is around the £4.80 mark.

This obviously wasn't the same as the Liz Earle, but my skin has been so bad recently that I needed something more directed towards my spots and I have to say I was quite impressed.

The cleanser did work really well and all of my little spots and blackheads cleared right up and my T-zone was looking pretty good!

I also like that you can leave it on for a while as a mask which really feels like a deep clean for your skin.

This was great for when my skin was breaking out all over and if it happens again I would happily repurchase.

I was also sent 2 Actives from Etat Pur to try, after my previous experience with one of their Actives.

I had used their Zinc Glycolate (A20 which helps to restrict sebum secretion and to eliminate spots) and hadn't had a great response from using it. Initially it worked great but after 4/5 weeks I broke out and nothing would make them go away!

Their PR department noticed my reaction via twitter and kindly sent me another of the A20* to be used in conjunction with the Salicylic Acid 300mg (A22*) which when combined enhance each others activity and help get faster results.

I've been using this for a couple of weeks now and I would definitely have to agree that combined they produce a much faster response in regards to oiliness and helping to clear skin of blackheads and little spots.

My skin is very clear thanks to the combination of the Liz Earle cleanser and using these two products.

Unfortunately for me, I keep breaking out in larger spots along my jawline which can't have anything to do with oiliness as my skin isn't oily in these areas, just normal which is a huge shame as everywhere else where I am used to having spots is so clear!

Just my luck really! If you have any product ideas that might get rid of these please let me know as I really can't think what else to do!

My normal moisturiser for daily use is Vichy's Normaderm.

I bought this on a whim a few months ago and absolutely love it, it's not too expensive and Vichy seem to have some great offers on.

Their Normaderm range is quite popular and I can definitely understand why.

My full review is here and I bought this product in April. Considering that I have been using it twice a day since then that's a massive bargain as I've had probably around 5 months usage out of that one bottle.

I have of course used others on random occasions but for the most part this has been my moisturiser of choice.

I have a new Origins one that I bought recently and am desperate to try out but I would definitely repurchase the Normaderm moisturiser for the effects and the value!

As for a mask I have a few newbies in my collection including the Origins 10 minutes Out of Trouble mask.

The mask is a gorgeous thick white cream that you apply to the face and then wash off after 10 minutes.

It is so thick it feels really luxurious but isn't too thick to spread, it stays exactly where you put it which is great.

It also tingles on the skin but only ever so slightly, and has a cooling effect which I love.

It makes my skin feel great afterwards and was worth every penny!

I have also been given a sample of the Origins Charcoal Mask which I'm really looking forward to trying.

Lastly two of my favourite products to use....my eye creams!

I never used to use an eye cream until around March, when I bought Origins Eye Doctor (review here) as my eyes have become really sensitive.

But this was a perfect buy along with the Origins No Puffery eye gel (here) and it has really helped my eyes become less sensitive though they still don't like my contact lenses!

Needless to say having not used an eye cream before the skin around my eyes has improved dramatically and the fine lines I had have miraculously disappeared which was a massive bonus! 

I also was given a sample of their famous GinZing eye cream which I went on to buy in the full size as I loved it so much. So I used GinZing in the mornings to hide any bags and Eye Doctor and No Puffery at night and this seems to be combating my eye worries for now.

So there you have it! A rather expensive skin care regime to keep up with particularly as I don't have a job....but I'm a firm believer that skin care is a priority as you only get one of them so you'd better look after it!

When I get the odd spot I also have been using Sudocrem

This is so cheap and an absolute must for anyone, it's great for spots, dry skin and irritation and it's been great for the odd one that has appeared on my T-zone.

The only things I can see missing from my regime really is an SPF and a serum. I will have to look out for an SPF that's easy to incorporate in the morning and a serum would be great for helping to keep wrinkles at bay.

What do you have in your regime? Do you have any suggestions for my spot worries?

L xxx

This was my recent Origins haul and I'm so excited to start using them but I'm determined I'm going to finish up the old products first! 

Beauty Rehab post coming up tomorrow to show you how much I've been using up :)

 

* = PR Samples

Review: Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream

I was so excited to pick this up...it cost me a bargainous £4.50 which quite frankly I am still shocked at 2 months later!!

It is the legendary Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream which I have lusted after for YEARS and YEARS!

Even the packaging with it's simple white box and red logo makes me smile and go gooey inside which is a bit ridiculous for a box...

I have the American version of the box which has some drug facts on the back, something we don't have in the UK which was different.

I love the design with the 8's in a pattern in the background too, simple but still looks really good.

I was a bit surprised to see the colour of the product, as even though I've wanted it for ages I haven't ever actually seen it!

So being brown I was a bit shocked, clear or white was what I was expecting but never the less this was not about to put me off.

You can see from the picture that it's quite thick, it almost looks and feels like grease which was both alarming and reassuring depending on what I thought I'd be using it for.

Dry skin? Eye make up remover? Taming brows? Woohoo!

However using it anywhere on my face and hair was a bit of a reluctant thought as both are on the oily side.

I've heard it's one of the best things to use when you have a cold and have really dry skin on your nose, but I don't want to use it there and erupt in spots either!

However when you rub it in it seems to sink straight into your skin which drinks it right up

It leaves a lush sheen to your skin which I photographed above, the back of my hand felt amazingly soft for ages afterwards and my left hand felt awful ha.

This was definitely a welcome product in my collection, though I'm still not sure about using it on my face.

I think this will have to be reviewed in the winter when the weather will dry out the skin on my face and i will likely get some kind of cold/flu that seems custom around Christmas!

I've also heard it's great for on flights, your cuticles, heels, and in some cases as a highlighter.

Do you own the 8 Hour Cream? What other uses do you have for it?

My skin has been erupting all over the place lately, have you found the 8 hour cream made it worse/better?

Please let me know!

L xxx

(Edit: I just read that it contains salicylic acid which is very good at getting rid of spots and controlling oil. I will give it a go and see....!)

Review: Stylfile S-File Nail File by Tom Pellereau

Today is a review of an item I was so pleased to see when I opened up my July She Said Beauty box (which by the way I am completely loving and have so far had 3 boxes I really like). This is the S-File style file designed by Tom Pellereau. If you watched The Apprentice you'll recognise his face.

Whilst on The Apprentice I believe he mentioned he had designed this and at the time I was intrigued but had stubby nails from biting them. When I finally grew my nails I had forgotten about it.

The design is simple, it's curved to better fit the shape of the nail to make filing nails easier. So is this just another gimmick on an item that's not really useful but we think is ....

I honestly don't think it is. It does make getting a nice shape to your nail much easier. It's also a really sturdy file and handbag proof though I do keep mine in its box. As the file has hard plastic in the middle it makes it durable. 

The file has two different sides which is rougher on one side making it easy to quickly file away a break or the less rough side can be used to gently shape the nail. 

Another bonus is it's meant to last 12 months. Pretty good if it does. I've had mine around 6 weeks and always grab for it now.

I love that it's black and pink. A great colour combination but not to in your face pink for those girls who aren't as girly as me.

Would I repurchase? Definitely it's great. I'm also going to pick my mum up one. They also do a buffing one which I'm intrigued by as I'm not sure whether that will be easier and a keyring sized one which I will definitely pick up soon. They can all be found on Amazon here. They are all around the £4 mark and you can get the set of three. They can also be purchased from the she said beauty website but it's not wanting to load on my laptop at the moment to link it here!

Have you tried the Stylfile? Is it something you've wondered about?

Love M

xxx

Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb and Zara scent

Bit of a different post today and I will straight away apologise for my bad scent descriptions! If you follow us on twitter you may have seen over the past few months me try to find 'my' scent. I tend to flit between perfumes a lot and was keen to find one that when I smelt it would be one I'd go back to time and time again.

After being completely overwhelmed by the task in hand. There are way too many scents to smell and I find putting them on those little cardboard things pointless, you don't know how long the smell will last on you or even how it will smell on you.

So I decided to leave the task to Mummy Dearest as my birthday was coming soon and she is good at picking my scents I like. (Ghost Serenity (discontinued boooo) and Diesel Fuel for Life)

Mum picked me up Dior Addict. But warned me not to open it and to go and smell it in the shop a few times. After testing it on my skin it sunk in and I found I couldn't smell it on me at all. After deciding to return it and put the money on a gift card so I could decide at leisure fate intervened (how cheesy am I it's just a perfume) as I was walking up to the perfume counter a sales lady was helping a guy pick his girlfriend a perfume, me being nosey I went to smell the one she was suggesting and was instantly sold.

Meet my new perfume love. Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb 

How cute is the box, a wax seal on with the V&R emblem and in cute colours, baby pink and black.

This is unfortunately one of those big boxes little bottles. Now this isn't cheap it's and Eau De Parfum meaning it will last longer on the skin. Something I've notices I need. It can be picked up cheaper than boots on fragrance websites but it's worth considering how many points you can get during offers to decide if it's worth it.

The bottle is plain glass and the perfume has a pink tinge to it with a simple silver plaque stating the perfume name. It also has a little black seal the same as the box. This isn't one that will instantly stand out on your make up desk but the smell makes up for it.

So what does this perfume smell like. The Viktor and Rolf website says:

Full-bodied and opulent, the Eau de Parfum explodes in a bouquet of sensations with its addictive floral notes which leave their trail, like a whirlwind that is distinctly couture. A millefleurs around the freesia, Centifolia rose, osmanthus and Sambac jasmine, supported by a background of patchouli

I'd say it's definitely a strong oriental floral scent with a hint of softness to it. It's not overly floral I don't instantly think flowers when I smell it. I detect a small hint of vanilla to soften the floralness. (see I'm not good). But it's really good and you should go smell it.

What I was more pleasantly surprised at was when I was in Zara that was a perfume that smelt very similar but obviously had a more attractive price tag to it and would be great for day to day wear. It's one I will definitely pick up soon. I believe it's the Zara Black peony but I will double check when I purchase :)

Have you tried Flowerbomb of Zara Black Peony? What's your favourite perfume?

Love M

xxx

EDIT: While I think black peony does smell similar I think the Zara oriental fragrance smells more like it and you get more for £9.99