Make a date with Beautique.com

Everybody marks the beginning of December with a advent calendar. For some reason the small square of chocolate that we get adds excitement to the run up to Christmas and transports us back to childhood. I have been pointed in the direction of a calendar more befitting to my addiction...Cosmetics

Beautique.com have put their heads together and have come up with a calendar fit for any beauty junkie, best of all you won't put on an ounce. Every day right up to the 21st of December they are offering a free gift when you make a purchase from one their top beauty brands. The gifts are certainly worth having so if you are doing your Christmas shopping you get a guilt free treat for yourself  as well as a gift for a loved one, but if you end up keeping both I won't tell anyone!

So far the free gifts have included a hair product, facial moisturiser and self tan. All the help you need for the party season.

A little extra information on the site if you have never come across it before. Beautique.com stocks many high end and cult brands that may not be widely available in shops within your area. You are taken care for top to toe and best of all you get to learn about brands that you may not of heard of. Take a peek and you may discover a new must have.


http://www.beautique.com/tools/AdventCalendar.aspx

Alpha H gets a big fat 0 from me!!

My skin has been very unpredictable recently. Thinking that I had my skin under control lead me into a false sense of security and then when I was least expecting it the attack of the grease came back with a vengeance!

I have never had dry skin but over the last few months I finally thought that I had the grease under control infact even my hair had become less greasy so I was happy at getting older as I thought this had been the remedy.

I am not sure if it all the medication that I have been on or as silly as it sounds my new dip into healthy eating.

After watching demonstrations on tv I was lured in to trying a Australian brand called Alpha H.

I thought I might as well try the full routine so I bought the Clear skin kit @£39.95.

I knew what the products looked like so I was not disappointed with the very plain bottles that arrived although I do wish that they put a little thought in to the design so you feel you have bought a little bit of luxury. 

I had read quite a few reviews before buying this kit and the positives seemed to out weigh the negative reviews so I thought it would be worth the money...I was wrong.

The triple action cleanser was my first disappointment. Completely non-foaming it is like just using water on your face, you can not tell that you are washing your face at all and to be honest after rinsing my face felt no cleaner and to me that is a huge let down. I like to at least feel something move on my skin so I feel some kind of purpose of going through the step other wise why not just use soap?

You have to work all the products in to your routine as there is also a scrub and two masks.

To be honest the rest of the products were ok and not such a let down, infact I do quite like the scrub that comes with the kit.

Micro cleanse is the scrub that is included and does make your skin tingle a bit but I like that and I think it does the job of the cleanser as my skin did feel clean and smoother after use.You use this scrub every other day which I wish was every day.

You then have the purifying mask and in my kit came the liquid gold mask although that is not what is advertised.

I use each mask once a week. After cleansing my face-often with a different cleanser- I smooth on one of these masks and leave on for ten minutes whilst I get washed.

I tone with my own toner after rinsing as I do not like skipping this step. After that I use the balancing moisturiser that also exfoliates.

To me this is just a run of the mill moisturiser and after using this kit for two weeks I have not noticed any difference to my skin, the oil slick is still there over my T zone.

All these products smell artificial and I can't say I will buy any thing else from Alpha H. I am disappointed as I really thought this kit may help but it has been a waste of money when really I feel that the only product worth using is the micro cleanse but I am sure there are better out there!

It pains me to say it but I would say don't waste your money on this kit, does nothing for your skin and does not even look nice in your bathroom.

If you do want to have a look at Alpha H you can find stock on

www.qvcuk.com and www.HQhair.com

When is it ok to Save rather than Splurge?

I am well known for spending most of my spare money on cosmetics and make up, infact there is always many a joke around family over my bathroom being like a branch of Boots.

I have learned however where to spend my money and where to maybe scrimp a little bit.

I have tried many Nail varnishes right from the top such as OPI to the chemist range and to be honest with you I prefer the cheaper version. For some reason the cheaper versions tend not to chip and go dull as much as the more expensive. As mentioned in a previous post I painted my nails with OPI for a party and they did not last the evening where as when I used Rimmel It was there until I brought out the remover.

I know that maybe with the cheaper version there are not so many good ingredients that will look after your nails, but they are getting better. The way around this I find is invest in a good base and top coat and I love using nail oil.

Make up remover wipes are another area that I kind of begrudge spend alot when they should always be a last resort any way. I find using either Baby wipes or my favourite Boots Cucumber wipes gets the job done when it is a late night removal or a mistake mop up. I don't feel that they clean the face enough to use them as my cleanser step so keep them in reserve.

When money is tight and I have to trim down on my skin care routine I tend to compromise on my toner. As a toner is generally used to remove excess cleanser when funds are squeezed I go more simple and turn again to Boots cucumber toner as it does the job without drying my skin out and causing any other issues. I would say though if you have a structured routine for a specific skin issue I would try and stay true to your routine.

One thing I would never scrimp on though is moisturiser, after all this is what feeds and nourishes your skin making it one of the most important parts of your skincare.

Are there products that you would not splurge on or are you happy to try anything no matter the price?Do you know a nail varnish brand that beats all others?

Drop me a line and let me know as there may be some undiscovered treasure out there that I have not tried yet!

Take care

It's Bliss

I received Bliss Fat Girl scrub and at first I thought it was a joke, who knew I was on the chubby side?lol

In all seriousness or maybe not, Bliss are along the lines of Soap and Glory for their fabulous naming of products, Love Handler and Poetic waxing among the best.

The look of the jar of this product is high end and after a bit of research I found out that Bliss is a Spa brand with high tech Spa’s offering a Menu of treatments. For those of us who transform our bathrooms into a spa Bliss give us the chance to indulge in their products at home.

I had just ran out of my favourite Soap and Glory Sugar crush scrub so I jumped in the bath with the tub of Fat girl scrub.

I love the look of the jar first off and that is really important to me, if I don’t love the look of it the pot tends to be shoved to the back of a draw.

The scrub it self looks like melted brown sugar but as soon as you sniff it you get a refreshing hit of Peppermint…yummy. It also has grapefruit extract in it and this paired with the peppermint gets you in the scrubbing mood.

Although the scrub looks like brown sugar it is actually packed with Himalayan pink salt and this is the stuff that buffs your skin and leaves it silky smooth from the first scrub. It also contains something called red algae that is clinically demonstrated to improve circulation. Everything in this little pink pot looks after your skin and helps buff out dimples like a good session with photo shop!

For the past 3 weeks I have scrubbed myself silly with this minty scrub, following the instructions of working in circular motions towards the heart(like you do with a body brush) It is the first scrub that I have used all over my body and even got my boyfriend to scrub my back as I left no inch of skin un scrubbed.

My skin is smoother and looks more even in tone. Any dimply bits are starting to get less noticeable. My favourite thing about this scrub though ,is the smell as it is refreshing and makes you feel clean and not oily. I can’t wait until the weather gets sunny again to test out this opinion even further,

All in all I am really impressed with this scrub and I have already been looking on the Bliss web site and making a wish list as it all looks so good.

Bliss? It sure is!

You can get your bliss by clicking www.blisslondon.co.uk

or dialling 08081004151

Fat girl scrub £26 for 8oz

Toothpaste or nappy rash cream?

Recently my skin has been changing, I am not sure if it is my age as I am approaching 30 at lightening speed, or if it's all the medication I have been on for the last 9 months.

I have been slotting in anti aging creams in to my regimen since I was 25 because it had been drummed into me by beauty magazines that it was the magic number, so wrinkles are not the problem for now but my skin has taken on a multiple personality and has other issues. The grease has gone however the spots are popping up left right and centre and as if that’s not enough to deal with I have been getting itchy areas on my face and neck as if my skin is parched.

I do have a little tub of magic that I can use for my spots in the shape of Sudecrem.

You might of read in celebrity magazines that it is great for spots, although there was also a craze for putting toothpaste on your face too. I tried the toothpaste and woke up minty fresh but still spotty, the baby bottom rash cream however really works! I still have spots but they are less angry and that's fine for me at the moment until I find another product to get rid of them.

As for the dryness I am slathering on the Decleor Oil I mentioned in my last post but I am also adding a bit of Decleor Aromessence Balm in Ylang Ylang. It balances the skin but because it is a balm it is also super moisturising.

Fingers crossed that my skin starts to settle down

Oil on your face....really???

Having always had oily and unpredictable skin through my teens I was hoping that going into my 20’s and now heading towards my 30’s that my skin would have settled down by now….but no.

There are many advantages of course to having skin that sits on the oily side, less wrinkles than my more dryer friends for example, however I am sure they will eventually arrive.

Spot prone skin brings its own worries, you never know if you can trust it especially coming up to a party or even an important meeting.

I have come across the new trend for the coming decade. Oil….. yes I know that it sounds almost unnatural to think of slathering oil on to your face when you think of it more as a strongly scented massage tool, if you are lucky. What ever the skin care needs, cleansing or moisturising there seems to be an oil out there for the job. There are also oils out there for what ever skin type that you have. Nice, light but still sweet smelling ones for the likes of me with the spot prone and unbalanced skin and on the other end of the spectrum there are amazing oils out there to reach into the skin and nourish it from the deeper layers and therefore giving very dry skin the chance to become luminous and breathing new life in to the skin.

Aromatherapy has of course been around for years, but associated alot of the time with hippies or just some thing used in spas. Aromatherapy is a strong tool and holds magic knowledge of what plants and flowers hold within them to mix and head for the next little bottle of heaven.

I first heard of oils being used as an ingredient to skincare but they have now broken out and become products in their own right.

Decleor have an amazing collection of moisturising oils that you massage into the face and the smells the oils release ease your soul.

They have the relaxing Ylang ylang oil for skins that are oily or maybe prone to spots. It contains gorgeous Ylang Ylang oil along with Geranium Rosemary and St Thomas bay. Just one sniff of this relaxes me immediately and gets me ready to sleep, and that’s a hard thing to do as I don’t chill easily.

As I use this as a night moisturiser I wake up to skin that is softer and has a glow to it.

The only thing that would make it better would be some one to massage it in for me!I will always use oil now and infact I am lusting after trying oil cleansers.

Even though it is a oil if you pick one to suit your skin type it helps with your problems rather than just cover you in oil. So because I picked the oil for oily skin the blend is just right. There is of course oils for Ageing or dry skin or infact skins that just need a pick me up.

Try some thing new and breathe new life into your skin!!

Sit tight and relax

Being a woman is fabulous except for

• PMS
• House work….blurgh
• Having to be immaculately hair free
• Diets
• Oh and the big one….cellulite!!!

Well worry not ladies there are some revolutionary, affordable products out there to help….well with the last one at least!

90% of us will be plagued by cellulite at some point in our lives, and it can be on our thighs, bum or legs. Any woman can get it what ever our size and it can be for many reasons. Pregnancy, birth control, hormones or indeed a poor diet.

Soap and Glory to the rescue again!

Sit tight has soooo many plus points. The biggest one, the one you won’t believe unless you try it, the one you wouldn’t bet on….is that it works BEST whilst you are sat down! Hallelujah!!!

Yes watching TV is now good for you, Reading that magazine is a work out!

Ok we all know that exercise is an important part of life for so many reasons so I have not gone all crazy on you and I am not saying become a couch potato, but with sit tight you can help things along when you are sitting down too.

For all of us that have desk jobs, or may be poorly right now sit tight is a helping hand.

Sit tight contains what S&G are calling a pressocapsular firm system and this is there to release a burst of caffeine when slathered on to ‘problem’ areas and then sat upon.

Bums on seats takes on a whole new meaning!

Without getting too complicated when we sit down the action of our bum hitting a seat triggers increased movement of sit tight to areas most affected by the fatty build up.

So it’s simple, slather on, feel the heat (means it’s working) and then sit!

I have been using it for over a fortnight now and my skin looks smoother and certainly feels smoother and softer and I am addicted to the warm feeling once it’s on.

Brill!!

Celebration time for Liz Earle and her team!!

The iconic Cleanse and Polish from The Liz Earle range is today celebrating yet another award to add to the 49 they already had, Yes that’s 50!!!!!!

50 awards and accolades over 15 years is some thing to shout about.

Proof if you ever needed it that the Liz Earle philosophy of Gentle, botanical packed cleansing is reaching cult status.

Maybe if you were thinking of trying Cleanse and polish it’s the push you need to get buying. You won’t be alone you will be joining millions who have already added it to their beauty routine.

To date a total of 6million bottles and tubes have been sold in over 80- countries, which means 1 every 30 seconds! All these women can’t be wrong!

Cleanse and Polish is also making it’s way in to the celebrity world too with the likes of Lily Allen, Justin Timberlake’s Mrs, Jessic Biel and Miley Cyrus, to name a few

Using it to keep their well papped faces clean enough for star status.

Liz has only ever made one cleanser and now we know why!!

Congratulations to the Liz Earle team xx

Get yours from http://uk.lizearle.com/