Sunday 28 April 2013

If today was payday..

1367007188_03g06dtng_normal 1367007073_hol_62891_01_prod1__holproductimage500_?1367007073 1367006626_13m04dcrm_normal 1367006574_2260201078_2_1_3

1 - Topshop Tangerine Playsuit Cover Up, £30
2 - Topshop Crochet Cami, £32
3 - Hollister High Rise Short-Shorts, £42
4 - Zara Ballerina with Metal Toe Cap, £22.99

I've somehow got myself in a bit of a summer mood and started wasting endless time searching for summer clothes - these are a few of my favourites! I absolutely adore the Zara shoes and will certainly be ordering them as soon as my payday arrives!
Liv

Friday 26 April 2013

CLEARASIL GIVEAWAY WINNER


Evening everyone! Just a quick post to say thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway to win some Clearasil goodies - the winner has now been randomly chosen via Rafflecopter and that person is.. Katy! I'll be contacting you via email this evening to arrange everything.

Thanks again to Clearasil for sponsoring the giveaway, and everyone who took part.

Liv

Thursday 25 April 2013

My Top 3: Body Butters


THE SUN IS FINALLY OUT. I know I'm a bit late to start posting about sunshine, but I took these photos a couple of days ago when it was really gorgeous - and seeing as the sun is due to disappear any day now I thought I'd make the most of it! Now that it's supposedly getting towards late spring/summer, in my calendar it means I actually have to start caring about the welfare of my legs again. Not only will the endless quest for a long lasting fake tan that suits pale people begin yet again, but I'll also have to start looking for moisturizers and body butters that I'll actually want to use, rather than feel I have to in order to put away the lizard scales.
Et voila, hence my top 3 body butters!

1 - Strawberry Body Butter, The Body Shop
I won this body butter in a set a while ago on a blog and the best thing for me is the smell - if you haven't tried the Body Shop's strawberry range then run.. literally run! It has the usual lush body butter texture that the body shop has - a lot firmer than moisturizers, and is standardly amazing at keeping the moisture in your legs for a good day or so.

2 - Body Butter Duo, The Body Shop
Again, another Body Shop.. I tried to be diplomatic but the fact is that The Body Shop totally own the body butter market - amazing amazing amazing, only with a pretty hefty price tag! This one is interesting in particular as it is half the usual body butter, and half a softer more moisturizing side for dry side - I love this as I can change it up whenever I feel the need! Again, another gorgeous smell and for more on this see my review here.

3 - Coconut Latte Dry Skin Fix Body Butter, Nip + Fab
This is a relatively new brand for me as I received this little pot of loveliness in my Glossybox this month - and I love it! I'm not sure I'd describe the smell as either coconut or latte (don't trust me, I'm a terrible judge of smell) but it would appeal to anyone looking for a pretty strong (without being overpowering) lovely smell but isn't into the really sickly sweet stuff. It's also a bit less firm that the body butters, somewhere between a body butter and a moisturizer, but is totally moisturising and lasts for a good few days.

Hope everyone's enjoying the sunshine!

Thursday 18 April 2013

Thoughts on the Moroccan Oil - Review


Since I DIY ombred (bleached the hell out of) my hair last year, the ends have been in a pretty shabby state - dry, damaged and generally not very nice to look at. I've also recently noticed that my hair just doesn't grow, and mainly because the ends are so split that I simply molt it all out 24/7! Because of both of these things, and the fact that I was busy revising and so miserable I was craving shopping, I decided to do a cheeky little online feelunique order and get myself some classic Moroccan Oil treatment.

The product description claims that it
'completely transforms and repairs as its formula transports lost proteins for strength; fatty acids, omega-3 oils and vitamins for shine; and antioxidants for protection. It absorbs instantly to fill gaps in hair created by heat, styling and environmental damage'

Now I'm not actually too sure of the meaning of all of that - but what I know is that this stuff is sent from the Gods. Never before has my hair felt so soft and shiny, I can hardly stop touching it! It's deeply conditioning but it's effects last, so I only apply it twice a week (hello tiny little budget that hardly stretches to afford this!). I'm also hoping that it will help to repair my ends so that my hair can finally grow longer and I can get out of this non-growing rut I've found myself in!

A little also goes a long way with this product - I've probably used it 6/7 times now and hardly any had gone (until I accidentally knocked it over on top of my handwritten history essay, aaaah the pain!) To put it into perspective, when I knocked it over I wasn't saying 'oh no, I'll have to re-write my history essay', I was shouting 'MY MOROCCAN OIL, NOOOO' - and that wasn't even because of my deep resentment towards history!

I do have a bit of a thing about oils, and absolutely hate touching them - after using this it does (obviously) make your hands feel very oily and I have to make sure I have a towel next to me to immediately get rid of it, but it's totally worth it, even for the oil phobes!

As I was a bit dubious before buying this product, I only purchased the 25ml bottle - but if I were to go back I'd definitely be buying the 100ml. For starters, it's much better value for money as this bottle was £12.85 (feelunique, here) and the 100ml was £30.45 - that's less than 3 times as much for something 4 times bigger. The 100ml also comes with a pump, so you don't have to pour more than necessary amounts onto your hand, and because of this it is far trickier to knock over accidentally!

When using the product, it's important to remember not to rub it onto your hair, as this will break the hair further - simply smooth it evenly over your hair without using too much and this will allow it to have the best effect. As well as this, simple things like not rubbing your hair when towel drying it and making sure you use conditioners etc will do wonders for the condition of it!

So to summarise all my blabbering about history and whatnot, this is great at improving the condition of your hair and repairing damaged ends, doesn't need a lot of product for effect and makes your hair feel absolutely luxurious!

As I mentioned earlier, if anyone fancies trying it I got mine from feelunique here, and I couldn't recommend it more!

Liv

Friday 12 April 2013

GIVEAWAY: Clearasil Ultra Blemish + Marks Scrub, Wash and Mask*



I have a little treat for all my readers! When the lovely folk at Clearasil sent me over some goodies to review (see here), they also sent over some for my readers so I could hold a little giveaway! I really enjoyed using these products, so it's great that I can offer one reader the chance to try them too!

The giveaway will be open for 2 weeks, from 12/04/13- 26/04/13, closing at 12.00 on the 26th, and is open to UK readers only.

Entry is by rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck to everyone!

Thursday 11 April 2013

Clearasil Blemish + Marks Scrub & Wash and Mash - Review*


I've mentioned in a few posts now how my main problem is no longer with acne, but rather the awful marks left behind that lots of girls will understand all too well. These can take months to completely disappear and can make your skin look a whole lot worse than it actually is.

Medically speaking, these marks are called 'Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation', or PIH, and are a result of the skins natural response to inflammation. When your skin is inflamed by acne, the skin produces an excess of melanin, the pigment causing skin to become darker. This is left behind after the skin has cleared up and can take up to 24 months to clear - 2 whole years!! However, there are products on the market designed to combat the problem - usually either through brightening of the skin, or exfoliation. When Clearasil offered to send me a few products to try designed to combat this, I jumped at the chance!

The new 'Ultra Blemish and Marks' range are designed to combat not only to prevent acne, but also to clear up these marks to provide the ultimate clear skin, and include a Scrub, a Wash/Mask and a treatment cream. I chose to try the scrub and wash/mask, as I already have a prescribed treatment cream that works well for me. I've been trying the products for a few days now, so without further ado, here are my first impressions!

Blemish + Marks Scrub
This is probably my favourite out of the two products - an exfoliating scrub designed to exfoliate away skin cells and renew the skin. The first thing that struck me with these products is that they smell incredibly weird when you first open the bottle, but then as soon as you apply to the face, it begins to smell all fresh and lovely and apparently (according to my sister) a little like watermelon? A good scented face product for me, is always necessary! The scrub is very effective and has very small particles in it's formula, meaning it doesn't feel rough on your face but still leaves your face feeling incredibly smooth - to the point where you will walk around having to resist the urge to stroke your face (that might just be me...).

Blemish + Marks Wash and Mask
Woah, what's this?! A wash and mask in one?! When I saw this it struck me as totally weird, but thinking about it, as long as it works it does make perfect sense and is very handy! I first tried the face wash and to be honest it was tough competition from the word go - I have a deep emotional connection to my Liz Earle Cleanse+Polish, and a slight 'bit on the side' connection with my Body Shop foaming cleanser, so it was always going to be hard! This wasn't great at removing makeup, but worked effectively as a cleanser after using a makeup remover to cleanse my skin. I used it as a mask a few days later and in my opinion, it works much better as this! I applied it heavier this time and let it set for around 10 minutes - it's a slightly runnier formula than the usual mask because it's also a wash, so won't harden - though if applied lightly it will dry on the face. It had the usual slight sting of a face mask working its magic when first applied, but fades after a few minutes. I quite like that, as it makes me feel the product is actually doing something! It was easy enough to wash off with a flannel as it instantly softened when met with water. Bear in mind also that the face mask creates a break out the day after, as it will bring all the layers of dead skin cells, sebum and other dirt concealed in your pores to the surface - but after this I had no problems.

I did really enjoy this as a mask, but I do wonder why it wasn't marketed as a separate product, as the wash just wasn't that effective for me! Something to bear in mind when used as both a wash and a mask is that this product is extremely drying on the skin - I understand this is to combat acne and is due to the lactic acid and salicyclic acid in both products, but it is definitely necessary to use a moisturiser with these products so they don't completely dry your skin out. I would also recommend using the products no more than once a week for the mask, and two/three times a week for the scrub - and these are definitely only suitable for people with combination/oily skin! If used this regularly, I would definitely say these products would be effective in preventing acne, as long as you monitored the dryness of your skin!

I can't yet comment on the effectiveness of the mark fading, as this can take 4-8 weeks to work, but I will definitely do a follow-up post with before/after photos to let you all know how it's worked!

Liv



As mentioned in the post and as marked with an asterisk (*), this was a sponsored post and the products were provided by a PR company - however all views are my own and will not be influenced by any external factors other than my experience.

Friday 5 April 2013

Topshop 'Brows' Pencil - Review



The Topshop brow pencils are something I only heard about a couple of weeks ago, but hearing that the release date was soon meant I had to rush out and get myself one - Topshop makeup has never before let me down and I'm happy to say that I won't be changing that today!

Brow pencils, let's face it, are something that can't exactly blow our brains out - even if they excel at their job, the most they'll do is fairly impress us. But hey, that's all I'm looking for! A nice little brow pencil to do it's job (and eeeeek it comes in the gorgeously cute packaging that is topshop too!)

That's right, I'm starting with packaging. I know it's not that important, blah blah blah, but when I buy something new I want to look forward to using it, not hide it away because the packaging looks like a nice 'Wilko' own brand (Not that there's anything wrong with Wilkinsons, you are my stationary saviour). That's partly why I love the Topshop makeup brand so much - their packaging is always effortlessly cute and exciting - even with some stars, spots or stripes they can make me happy!

I ordered the shade 'Blonde' (out of two choices, Blonde and Brown) because even though my eyebrows are pretty dark, I have light colouring and my hair can go pretty blonde at time, so I don't want my whole face overshadowed. The first thing I would say is that this definitely isn't suitable for anyone with lighter than mid-brown hair, as it's incredibly dark! I actually thought they'd sent me the wrong one at first, till I checked on the website and realised it's just a slightly different meaning to Blonde than you'd expect. Nevertheless, I can just about get away with it so I'm fine!

The product applies really smoothly and easily which you have to watch out for - I ended up colouring in my eyebrows the first time and did look rather odd that day, as I'm used to having to scrape my old MUA one over my face to get any product out. Another thing I liked was that though a lot of product came onto my brows, the pencil stayed the same shape and appeared to have hardly been used - so I can tell this will last me a long while. The best thing for me about the product is it lasts an absolute century! So I can put it on in the morning and relax knowing I actually have eyebrows all day - not something you want to go without..

I'm impressed with the end result after applying - I'm going to just apologise before you all look at the results pictures, as I recently got a little too pluck-happy and destroyed half my eyebrows from my face, so i'm mid growing them back - hence why they're a) a very very odd shape at the moment and b) fairly sparse in some areas. They're usually an acceptable shape I promise!!



I think they look much better after!
Overall I'm super impressed with the Topshop 'Brows', it's long lasting and easy to apply, as well as having incredibly irresistible packaging..

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Face Mapping: What does your acne really mean?


Oh lookie, another post that includes a photo of me with text all over my face! This is becoming far too much of a habit..

Feels like an absolute century since I've blogged, but what with AS revision for my (far too quickly) approaching exams, and more shifts at work, along with trying to maintain scraps of a social life I guess my little baby blog has got a little lost in it all!

Anyway on to another of my 'I better try and be somewhat helpful', today's post was inspired by one I read a while ago on The Beauty Gypsy's blog and has really helped me in controlling my skin. As a lot of you will know if you've read my other posts I suffer with horrifically bad acne, so finding any way to minimise them or even get rid of them is a great breakthrough.

This face mapping technique involved looking at where you get spots, and rectifying things to try and combat them. Remember I've only mapped half my face on this photo, but mirror the numbers to the other side and you get the same effect.

1- Forehead
Spots in this area are caused by the typical unhealthy foods - usually processed foods or junk food, and are easy to get rid of. Just take yourself on a little detox with some healthy foods that contain less fat, check you're drinking plenty of water and they should disappear in no time

2- Between Eyebrows
This is the part of the body linked to your liver - in other words, if you've been enjoying a little too much alcohol, fatty foods and grease filled meals, it'll show up here first. Try detoxing off these foods and taking a break from alcohol. This is also the part of the body where food allergies show up, so it's a good idea to check any new foods you've eaten.

3- Temples and Under Eyes
Spots here link to the kidneys - this is an easy one, simply make sure you're drinking plenty of water - it'll do wonders for your skin here as well as your all over health.

4- Top of Cheeks
This area is particularly prone to spots from things such as dirty pillow cases, mobile phones, excessive face touching (sounds weird but it makes a difference!), as well as being the top spot-spot for smokers and anyone with allergies. Generally for here it's advised that you cut down unnecessary sugars and get outside!

5- Cheeks
This is my killer spot - like I mentioned earlier, I have awful skin - but almost all of it is centered in this area. Unfortunately, this area is determined by hormonal changes and stress, so for girls that's pretty bad news! Keeping your skin clean and minimising heavy foundation in this area will help, as well as a good diet and lots of exercise to keep yourself healthy. If you still have really bad problems in this area, then I would definitely take yourselves to the doctors to get some prescribed medicine - it's what I did and my tablets have worked miracles on both my skin and my confidence!

6- Nose
As you all know, your nose is full of dilated pores just waiting to get filled up with bacteria: so watch out! I mainly get spots in this area if I haven't washed my make up brushes in a while, and it's a great indication of that - as soon as I wash them my spots instantly clear up. Also check you're not piling too much makeup in this region, as it's normally best to put very little or no foundation here to keep natural looking skin.

7- Chin
Another area hugely affected by diet is here - if you've overloaded on high toxin food recently then get yourself on a high fibre diet complete with drinking lots of water.

8- Problems on your neck and chest can be great indications of when your body is fighting illness - I know I've had problems here recently when I was under the weather a little. Here the main thing is to be patient, and get yourself better with lots of relaxation - doesn't that sound nice!


Obviously there are many other reasons why you might have spots in certain areas and this doesn't cover them all, but it's a good starting point when trying to figure out why your skin behaves the way it does - and getting it back on track!

Happy mapping!