Nip + Fab glycolic fix daily cleansing pads

Recently I have been using these glycolic fix cleansing pads, from Nip + Fab. They offer a gentle exfoliation without scrubbing to reveal fresher skin. And fresher skin = younger looking skin right?

A pot contains 60 pads, and each pad is soaked in glycolic acid, which helps to re-texture and resurface.

Lush's fresh face masks - 'love lettuce': review

He might be a big, beefy Marine officer but when it comes to the girly stuff, the Boy has it nailed!

He's often bought me shoes, accessories and helps me pick out an outfit quite happily (well maybe not happily) but he is also pretty good when it comes to knowing what beauty products I like!

I was surprised with a huge box of bath bombs from Lush and also this little treat for the face...

A face mask from Lush's Fresh Face mask range. 

Nivea BB cream: review

I have never been a fan of foundations, I find them far too heavy and thick and I only end up with "cakey-face" where I haven't blended them properly. So when BB creams burst on to the market a few years ago (thank you Korean beauty world) I was hooked. And have been ever since.

my new fav beauty buy

Laura Mercier under eye concealer: review

I first discovered Laura Mercier beauty products and how much I loved them in the run up to my wedding a couple of years ago. I was on the look out for a tinted moisturiser that would give me a gorgeous glow on the big day and I stumbled on their illuminating shimmer tinted moisturiser (see the blog review here). 

coverage in a pot! 

Another one of their products I have to have is their "secret concealer" for the under eye area, for me it is shade 03, but they do 12 shades, so there is a shade for everyone.

"No clog allowed" super self-heating deep pore detox mask

I have used a lot of face masks in my time and this has to be one of the best I have used! It is in the mid range of pricing (about £11.50) and well worth it. 

On a damp face, rub in the facemask and you can feel it heating up - it feels lovely and it might be psychological but this makes it feel like it's really working! 

Clarins BB skin perfecting cream with SPF 25: review

The BB cream. 

It is has been around for a wee while now but I am still loving them. It is safe to say they are firm fixture in my make up bag.

If you are new to the BB cream, let me share with you the wonders of this 5 in 1 cream.

Unlike a foundation, the BB cream offers a gentle coverage to your skin but at the same times, acts like a moisturiser so if you have dry skin like me, when you are looking for a helping hand in achieving an even skin tine and a little glow, BB creams are perfect!!

great coverage, colour and texture 

This week I have been in Rome and with the sun shining (and therefore drying out my skin) this BB cream from Clarins was my savior - it is thick enough to cover my skin evenly covering any skin imperfections but light enough to not look cakey. I didn't even need bronzer as it is such a lovely colour. 

Trilogy Rosehip oil: review

As you may have seen, I recently went away a few weeks ago for a few days of skiing in Andorra. In case you didn’t see, let me inform you that whilst on that trip I engaged in a few moves that I can only describe as “unintentionally acrobatic” – including, skiing backwards, back flipping over a fence and skiing on my chin. All moves that were quite impressive but bloody hurt!

Of all of them though, the skiing on the chin has to be the most painful, as my epic fall on top my face, and continuing to go down the mountain (it weren’t even a mountain at this point, it was a very flat blue run) resulted in ‘ice burn’ on my chin and nose.

For those of you that have not had the pleasure of face skiing let me enlighten you. Ice burn takes a lovely layer of skin off you but you don’t actually bleed which left me with a scabbing chin for the next five or so days.

Whilst it provided entertainment for the girls, I was actually a wee bit worried that this was going to be a red scar for some time. However, my lovely aunty Caz saved the day with this...

rosehip oil saved the day

Estee Lauder advanced night repair serum: review

At Christmas the Boy treated me to a beauty product that has been on my wish list for sometime now – Estee Lauder’s advanced night repair serum.

finally have my mitts on this! 

Why has this been on my wish list for so long?

Well firstly cos it is bloody expensive at about £50 a bottle, so out of my usual beauty product price range,  but also because it claims to reduce the appearance of the key signs of visible aging, revealing smoother, firmer and fresher skin.

Sleek trio of blushers: review

I am currently in Sharm el Shiek in Egypt and as always I have taken too much luggage. But not with my make up and toiletries. 

I always struggle in my attempt to not overload the make up bag when I go on holiday, so I have now started looking for handy make up sets and palettes. 

This blusher set from 'sleek' has done the trick for me in sorting out what blushers to take, offering three very pink but very different shades. 

a trio of pinks to add a flush of colour to your cheeks

The Body Shop vitamin C skin reviver: review

At this time of year it is vital you get your vitamin C but how about some for your face too!

Couple of weeks ago my lovely friend Natalie introduced me to “Vitamin C Skin Reviver” from the BodyShop.

A serum oozing with vitamin c and Brazil nut oil,  this helps perk up dull skin. And I got to say, I genuinely think that this has worked for my usually sad winter skin.   

Lush cream cleanser: review - au naturel and handmade

I seem to be a bit obsessive on facial products at the moment, doing my best to try what’s out there to get my face sparkly clean. Lately I have been sampling a natural cleanser from Lush – Ultrabland facial cleanser.

ultrabland facial cleanser...
said to be the Lush founder's fav product! 

It’s marketed as a beeswax and rose cream cleanser, homemade with fresh ingredients, with ingredients such as almond oil, honey and rose water. Sounds tasty and perhaps the ingredients for a dessert (I am thinking Turkish delight perhaps?!) but being au naturel, I was a bit sceptical about it working.

What’s more, the lady in the shop said that as my face is used to the usual chemical stuff, it may take a while for my skin to get used to it. Hmmm.

Turns out however, that this stuff actually is pretty good and does a thorough and proper job of cleansing my skin. It is quite thick and a touch oily in texture so is probably best for dry skin.

Lush's lip scrub - buff away chapped lips: review

This weather is not kind to my lips. My lips are not friends with the bitter wind, the freezing cold, the office heating system or the drizzly air. I find that my lips are permanently chapped and dry, and that I grow a disgusting compulsion to pick the dry skin off my lips. (Don’t gimme that – we all do it secretly!)

tasty, handmade and preservative free! 

I had even given up the lipstick for a while as soon as I put it on, it just highlighted the dryness and the cracks. Not pretty.

But my friend Sophie introduced me to my knight in shining armour last week and this little pot of brilliantness has now reformed my lips to soft and kissing worthy once more!

Laura Mercier bronzer: review

I love bronzer. Not going to lie. It is a staple, not just in my make up bag, but in my life. Well, who doesn’t love a warm glow that looks like you’ve had a bit of time in the sun?! Especially this time of the year when it is becoming glaringly obvious that the sun is starting to hibernate.

Over the summer, whilst I had a bit of colour to my body, I was using one from NARS in “casino”.  However, even a bronzer junkie like me has to admit that having a bronzed face and a pale body isn’t the best look and therefore I have  swapped this for a lighter shade (actually it was in my bag that was robbed in Ibiza but it was time to lighten up anyway).

Laura Mercier matte radiance baked powder