Origins Super Spot Remover

So I've been wanting to try this product out for a really long time now, I have used a similar product from Clinique but it has ran out so I thought I would give this a go.  I love Origins products so I was quite excited to try this.

First impressions

What a small bottle, it's tiny in fact ! At only 10ml it's so cute.  I did wonder how long it would last.

I was wrong though, I take a cotton bud and put a drop on it and then directly onto my blemishes.  I use a separate cotton bud for each spot to avoid cross contamination.  I put it on at night time and by morning my blemishes have shrunk and the redness has definitely calmed down.  At £14 I think it is a bargain, and will continue to use this.

I bought this from the origins website because they had a cracking offer on.  If you purchased any skincare item you received a goody box of treats (4 to choose from) so I went for the "best youth protectors" which included a face wash, charcoal mask and a micro dermabrasion product.  I am yet to try these out but I am too excited !!

 

 What a great freebie !! I would check it out if you want to buy any origins products as their are 4 to choose from.

I also got 2 samples as well, so I chose to try the ginseng eye cream ( I have been wanting to try it for ages, and so far so good !! ) and also a voucher to get a free facial ! Excellent :-)

So all in all £14 spent and 5 samples !! Amazing !!

What are your favourite Origins products ?? 

Mel xxx 

Farmaline Treats

Okay so i was sent some goodies the other day from a company called Farmaline , It is an online pharmacy which has been shipping to the UK for a number of years.  You can get everything on there !! From toothpaste to Ibuprofen, and even Bioderma and Vichy products.  Each product has a discount of up to 30% which is fab.  There are more than 22000 products and 350 brands online to choose from, and i was quite thrilled when i was sent some things.

The first product i tried was a gorgeous multi purpose dry oil called Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Oil (*) - check it out here

So i have been using the oil for a couple of days now and i really like it.  I am a sucker for dry oils and love the fact you can put them wherever you feel ! I also like the body shop oils too.  I put this on my face before bed and it made me skin really soft in the morning, i also put it on my dry ends of my hair and my cuticles.  The smell is gorgeous and i like the fact that it is 30% plant oils too.

The next product i was sent was a body lotion (Which is in a massive tube) called Laino Karite Body Milk (*), you can check it out here

The body milk is lovely actually.  I am not a big fan of applying lotion and i prefer the new vaseline mist for the convenience, but i have to say its great for my dry patches such as my elbows.  I think that this will be my body lotion i use before i tan, as i know it will nourish my knees,elbows etc.  I used it for the first time the other day and i love the fact it has shea butter in it, so i know my skin was getting all the nourishment it needs.

Overall i was happy with these products, they are not brands i have heard of before and i probably wouldnt re purchase though as i think this body lotion will last me ages, and i do prefer my liz earle hair oil, but i like this oil for my face.

Have you purchased anything from Farmaline before ? 

Mel xx

The Autumn Tag

Hey guys, i came across a new blog today with a lovely post called the Autumn Tag which i thought i would do ! You can check out Mollys blog here.  Autumn is my 2nd favourite season ! (Summer being the first, obvs)

Favourite thing about Autumn?

 

The weather ! I love how chilly and sunny it can be at the same time, which is an excuse to get out all the cute jumpers, boots, jackets ! Its great.

 

Favourite drink?

 

Definitely Hot chocolate ! It has to be the number 1 autumn drink ! especially when you come home from work and you can snuggle down watching tele with a hot choc ! Options are my fave as there are loads to choose from

 

Favourite scent/candle?

 

Yankee candles are my fave and i have loads !! I love burning either french vanilla or black cherry in the autumn ! gorgeous warm scents

 

Best lipstick?

 

I don't really wear berry coloured lipsticks at all, which i know are a firm autumn favourite ! I just cant pull off plums and reds at all, I love pink ones ! YSL rouge volupte no 10 is my favourite, its so glossy and moisturising and perfect for making an outift jump out.

 

Go-to moisturiser?

 

I would have to say clinique moisture surge and the intense one ! These are a staple in my autumn/winter routine as my horrid blemish, oily skin can dry out quickly ! I like that it is oil free too and hydrates my skin lovely!

 

Go-to colour for the eyes?

 

neutral browns are my go to for the autum ! or any combination from the urban decay naked 2 pallette, i adore all the different looks you can create from one pallette.

 

Favourite music to listen to?

 

The wanted ! i listen to them all day everyday ! (big fan - they are hot)

 

Favourite outfit to wear?

 

My leather jacket and a thick pashmina scarf.  I love woolly tights too and a cute dress.

 

Autumn treat?

 

Definitely the new barry m matte nail varnishes ! cant wait to get my hands on them !!!

 

Favourite place to be?

 

My bed ha ! its comfy and i love being snuggled up in the autumn !!

So, here is who i tag !!!

Chloe at closbeautyspot.com

Vicky at heartsstarsandtea.blogspot.ie

Carly at carlysbeautyworld.co.uk

harriet at harrietdarcey.blogspot.co.uk

sophie at sophierosee.com

sophie at sophisticatexx.blogspot.co.uk

Thanks for reading !! I love doing posts like this :-)

Mel xxx

 

Liz Earle strengthening nail colour

Okay so it's no secret I'm a massive liz Earle fan, so when I received an email the other day saying free delivery on colour products I jumped at the chance to try their new nail varnishes !

After about 10 mins of deciding what colour to go for, I went for a gorgeous pink called "Parade 06"

It came a couple of days later and I got a free mini cleanse and polish ( which you can never have too many of ) 

First impressions. I love the sleek and simple packaging and I adore the colour !  It's such a fresh and summery colour (which I know we are getting into autumn but I've never been a dark colours girl when it comes to nail polish )

So I have been wearing it for 3 days now and it hasn't chipped yet ! Yay ! 

I love the fact that it is so glossy and shiny.  The liz Earle theory of using natural ingredients is common in the nail polish as it contains avocado and borage oil to strengthen the nail as well as protecting it. 

I am moving to Manchester this week, so will definitely go and look at the other colours when I get to the liz Earle counter.

Have you tried any of the colours yet ? At £7.50 a bottle, they are a bargain for a high end brand :)

Love mel xx 

What's in my make up bag ?

I have too many things in my make up bag but these are my favourites ! 

First of all I LOVE my make up bag ! I bought it from New York when I went in feb ! (Excuse the state of it, it's been bashed about it my bag ! )

Smashbox O-Gloss I love this gloss, it goes on clear and transforms into your own shade of pink when it comes to contact with your lips. It's not sticky either ! 

Benefit stay flawless primer this primer is so good, I rarely touch up my oily skin when I use this. You do need to apply foundation with a brush though or it doesn't blend properly if not. My make up stays in place for ages ! I love that it is colourless too.

Mac studio fix fluid I have nw20, which is too dark for me (the girl at mac colour matched me wrong ! ) but its a perfect colour for when I tan, so I'm using this at the min. The coverage is fab too ! 

Bare minerals stroke of light I have this in luminous 1.  It's a pink colour and neutralises the dark circles under my eyes ! I use this as a base and pop another concealer on top. It's a fab product!

Make up forever full cover concealer I love this concealer, it literally covers Everything !!! I wear number 4, it's a good  neutral shade. I use this to cover my blemishes and I use a concealer brush to apply. 

Benefit fake up concealer I use this under my eyes to hydrate and brighten. I really like it as it is quite light but still covers. I use 01 light.

Mally volumizing mascara I rave about this mascara so much.  My lashes are so big and long when I use it and it makes them so black ! Best Mascara ever !!! 

Have you tried any of these products before ?

Mel xx 

Battle of the hand creams

I love nail varnish and pretty nails etc but what's the point in doing all that if you don't have the base to start ! Why would you do amazing designs if your nails are dry and cuticles are messed up ! 

This post focus' on my 2 favourite hand creams ! 

Rituals extra rich and repairing hand balm and Clarins hand and nail treatment.

Okay, so the rituals hand balm is my go to hand cream, I have about 3 in my house and I always carry one in my bag ! With the run up to winter, this is when our hands become at their driest so I'm a firm believer of using a hand balm every day and this one is perfect. At only £10 too I recommend it to everyone ! 

It has ginseng and ginkgo biloba in it which are natural ingredients to help to repair the hands, strengthen and stimulate the blood flow ! I love this because i know it's repairing my hands as well as moisturising them. The texture is a thick balm but non greasy which i love ! They do a gorgeous hand scrub for the same price called hand therapy which I use as well. It's amazing !!!! Those 2 products are my saviours during winter months !! 

The next hand cream is my luxury treat ! At £20 it is steep for a hand cream but its worth every penny ! I rub this into my cuticles every night and the smell is just divine ! I have a tube of this on my bedside table so I can just use it whenever. The texture is similar to the rituals one, quite a rich balm. I prefer that to a light lotion anyway. This cream protects hands too from hard water etc and minimises age spots which is great if you have any! I don't, so I can't comment ! 

The rituals on is 75ml and the clarins 100ml. I prefer the rituals one for the convenience and I love the bright green tube, it's great for people on a budget too ! The clarins one will be one of those presents I don't buy myself and will always be on my Xmas list ! 

You can see the textures are quite similar ! ( the rituals one is the white balm and clarins is the beige coloured one) 

Have you tried any of these hand creams ? I'd love to know ! 

Mel xx 

The Skincare tag

So I was kindly nominated to do a skincare tag by the lovely Carly at Carly's Beauty World, you can check out her blog  here !! :)

I love skincare, and I am a firm believer that if you can't get your skincare right then your make up will never go on they way you want it !

Everyday I leave 5 mins for my moisturiser to soak in otherwise my make up will literally slip off straight away ! When I was younger I didn't understand why my foundation never stayed on for more than an hour and now I know why !

Working on cosmetics counters I have seen skincare at its best, and I love exploring new things.  My favourite skincare brand is of course Liz Earle because I love the fact all her ingredients are natural.

I do like sticking to one brand but in todays world we mix and match to tailor to our skin needs ! I use Liz Earle but I also use a Clinique wash for my blemishes and a serum from Aesop for my dehydration.

My beautiful Liz Earle Collection ! Pretty sure I have more things now haha.

The Tag Itself :

Describe your skincare routine in 5 words:
Cleanse, tone, serum, moisturise, eye cream

What’s your skin type?
Oily and blemish prone (unfortunately)

Top Blemish Zapper
Tried many over the years ! (trust me) Clinique anti bacterial gel or benefit boo boo zap

Face Wipes, yay or nay?
definitely nay ! I just don't find my skin to be clean when I have used one ! I used to use them when I was about 14 but they just freak me out now haha.

Toner, yay or nay?
definitely yay ! Toner is one of the most important steps in any skincare routine ! It removes all traces of make up and tightens your pores. It makes your skin clearer ! I love Liz earles instant skin tonic! its gorgeous ! or clarins exfoliating toner ! (exfoliates and tones in one ! brilliant)

High-end skincare or high-end makeup?
Either or ! not fussed ! I love high end skincare and make up ! I couldn't choose !

What’s the most unusual skincare product you’ve tried?
toothpaste for blemishes ! Its rubbish and definitely doesn't work haha.

Tell us your top skincare tip

I would always recommend using a serum/face oil ! People associate serums with mature people but that is definitely not the case ! A serum gives that added boost of hydration etc that your skin may need !

 

Here is who I nominate

 

Chloe

Hannah

Emma

Jess

Stacey

Harriet

Emily

Vicky

Sophie

Beth

 

What are all of your fave skincare products ?

 

Mel xx