Was it worth the wait?

Hi everyone,

I know that the blogging world has been bombarded with reviews about Liz Earle's Skin tint over the past month or so. Personally I don't mind reading loads of reviews because they help me decide whether a product will suit me and is worth the money, the reviews of course need to be honest!
I was lucky enough to be sent the Skin tint in Bare 01. The other shades are Beige 02 and beach 03.
As a lot of other bloggers have found the Skin Tint seems to of created a whole new category for it's self. It's not a foundation or a tinted moisturiser it is just as it says a Sheer Skin Tint.

You get shade samples when you buy from Liz Earle web site

For quite a long time I have stuck to mineral foundations and still use them now. I had trouble finding a liquid foundation that I couldn't feel on the skin and to be honest I can feel Skin tint, I do not know if this is because I chose to test it out when we were having the Indian summer at the end of September ( What was that about?). However that is the only downside and one that I am happy to over look. The match is perfect, no tide marks eurgh! It leaves a amazing healthy glow on the skin that does not make you look sweaty like some can do. And most of all the coverage can be tailored to what you are looking for. I have stuck to one application because I want it to be what it is, Sheer.
It is a perfect base for that no make up look.

A description from Liz Earle

The perfect way to enhance your skin. Our rich and creamy, yet lightweight formula leaves all skin types looking naturally dewy, even and radiant. With mineral UV SPF15, it’s enriched with our own blend of natural source vitamin E, borage and avocado, specially selected to work in harmony with our skincare range.

Apply a little Sheer Skin Tint onto forehead, nose, cheeks and chin, then blend with fingertips over your face.

Overall It will stay in my make up bag and when it runs out I would purchase it for myself because lets face it you can't go wrong with Liz Earle. I am hoping that there is going to be more additions to the make up side now.

£ 21 for 40 ml

Link to Liz

Teenage dreams

In just under 2 months I will be 28, a grown up...to some degree. Yet I still suffer from spots on my face, ones that no concealer invented can cover some times. Yes I did think that I would be past this stage by now but I am sure that the amount of pain killers ect I am on don't help and my skin is getting a little bit cheesed off at time.

When I was younger I was under the impression that to get rid of spots you needed to first strip your skin of any natural oils or moisture that showed themselves. Then I would rub on toner that stung so bad I thought I had used paint stripper and then the final step was spot gel but no moisturiser. Every thing I did was wrong and I now wonder why my spots were not worse, they deserved to be lol

                                                     
When I feel the first throb and bump under my skin these days I go gentle with my skin care.
I cleanse with a cream cleanser, my favourite is a icon any way and needs no explaining I am sure.
Liz Earle Cleanse and polish cleans my skin properly whilst feeding my skin and keep the moisture levels up. Using the Muslin cloth gently gets rid of each dry layer as the spot breaks through and dry's up.
A gentle skin refresher follows just to get rid of any remaining cleanser.

I then use a tea tree Gel on the spot. Not only is it anti bacterial so stops the spot getting worse it also clears up the spot as it goes. I like Superdrug Tea tree range, it's purse friendly and it works but seems more gentle than some out there.
Once that dries I use Liz Earle's Skin repair moisturiser. I am normally the oily version but when I have bad skin I opt for Dry/ sensitive to be gentle.

The final step in my routine and the one that scares who ever sees me is my Sudecreme face mask. I just apply a layer of Sudecreme over the spotty area to protect the skin and it does clear spots up super fast! You do look like a horror film extra though so be warned lol

Hope you all find this helpful. Leave me a comment below if you have any recommendations

Sam x

sorry there is no photo of Cleanse and Polish but I have ran out !

Pay it forward

A couple of days ago I posted a review about Decleor's Neroli oil. Have any of you looked in to their oils yet? Or indeed did it change your minds about using oils on your face? I hope so!
Anyway today I am switching my focus to a moisturising cream, yet it's still not a boring, normal one.

Decleor Excellence  Regenerating cream.

This moisturiser is for mature skins so I passed it on to someone who fits the bill better than myself.

When I asked for her opinion this is what she said; "The first thing that you notice about this cream is the smell, it's gorgeous and to me that is always a sign that I am going to give it a fair try, shallow I know but still true."

"I have my trusted day cream that I have used for years that is a well know chemist brand and I didn't really want to switch from it as I know it's suits me. Sam advised I used this as a night cream. I gave it a go and I am glad that I did. A little bit of luxury is always welcome before you go to bed as I find it makes you feel a bit special, almost like you are pushing the boat out a bit."

"This cream goes on well and sinks in brilliantly especially around the parts that are looking a bit tired now. I never saw the point of using a night cream when a day cream would do the job but after using this, I won't be going back as I can see the improvement."

"It's great that my skin is less dry now and although not wrinkle free it is a bit more plumped up with less really fine lines. It is the over all tone of my skin that has impressed me and converted me to this cream and I won't be changing!"

Now the lady in question does not want me to print her name in the fear that people who know her will be scrutinising her face!

You are never too old to fall in love with lotions and potions!

The science bit!

Cocktail of 4 Essential Oils (Iris Concrete, Frankincense, Immortelle and Camomile), Wrinkle Action and Firming Patch, Aurone Extract (“Lipofilling” Effect Technology)

Get yours, whether it's for you or as a treat for some one else @ www.decleor.co.uk

£92 for a prestigious 50 ml glass jar 

Sam x  

Relax while getting the best out of your skin

Hi everyone!

Oh my word I have had such writers block recently! I have loads of great stuff to blog about but the words just don't seem to be coming out of my finger tips.
I thought that I would try to lift that block today by reviewing one of my favourite things in skincare, Facial oil! In my opinion the leaders in this field has to be Decleor. I think that it is a great sign of a brands quality when they are not only used in Spa's but actually have Salon's of their own.
My interest in Decleor was already strong when I was offered the chance to try out some of their most iconic products, these reviews will run throughout the week and I hope that you enjoy reading them and they give you that nudge to invest in some for yourself.

The first product that I am going to review today is

Aromessence  Neroli:

Decleor call this a serum but in comes out of the bottle and goes on the skin just like a oil. They have a total of an amazing 15 oils for all types of skin concerns in the Aromessence range, and the Neroil is for all skin types so if you have quite normal skin with no real issues or are looking for a oil to go under your target skincare this would be for you!

I have been using it in the day under my moisturiser most of the time but I do find it creeping in at night too.  I find using this oil is addictive! it sinks in without a bother and it almost feels like it is feeding your skin. You almost wish that it would sit on your skin for longer so you could spend more time massaging it in because that part is the best start and wake up call to the day!

As you can imagine from a company that uses essential, non synthetic oils the smell of this is...well heavenly! You can't help but hold your face in your hands and take massive breaths in.

I know with it being a oil a lot of people will be a bit unsure of using it but there is nothing to worry about, you are putting the best in to your skin and as cheesy as it sounds the investment in your skin is worth it!

My make up sits better and the actual tone of my skin has been lifted. No matter what your skin concern is even if it is spots( of which I have many especially at the moment ) a Decleor oil is worth having in your skin care family.

The ingredient bit,

Neroil ,Sandlewood, Petitgrain, Sage and Parsley and also Juniper essential oils

As you can see no nasty chemicals here...fab!

To add one or even two of these to your skincare go to

http://www.decleor.co.uk/

Neroli oil £43 for 15ml ( This is going to last for ages! )

Sam x

Happy Birthday to you!!!

Hi everyone, long time no blog. I have been a naughty girl and not kept up with you all ! I consider my self told off!

The good thing is that this post is so very exciting!

Beautiful You Uk and I am sure all Bare Mineral fans want to say a MASSIVE Happy Birthday  to

                                          Bare Escentuals!!

The nations favourite Mineral make up brand have reached the fabulous age of 35 this month.

This is so exciting as Bare Escentuals changed the way we thought about our foundation first of all.

A mineral powder that was not powdery, orange or that caked where our skin was suffering. Wow!

Being a convert myself it was amazing to not worry about that tide mark at the jaw line that seemed the fashion when I was at school but something I never wanted. And to be honest the longer the make up is on the better it looks lol

A innovative company such as BE was not going to stop there of course, we then got Mineral Veil and a whole host of new goodies ranging from blushes to eye shades and of course the legendary Buxom lip glosses!

Recently BE have launched skincare of Which I did a review but the excitement keeps coming so keep your eye's peeled for more posts soon.

Lastly, again BYU wishes BE a very Happy Birthday and many more to come!!

You can shop for yours at http://www.bareescentuals.co.uk/

Sam x

image credited to theforumsite.com

Testing Bobbi Brown Beach collection

According to reports us Brits are going on less summer holidays than in years passed, in fact more than 17 million of us are staying at home to save money. So we have to find ways to bring the holiday atmosphere to us! Hopefully we will get some sort of hot weather so we can pack in some lovely sunny weekends, eating outside and going for a nice walk some where new. I think for us girls though the holiday feeling goes further. When I pack to go away it's my cosmetic bag that I always pack first, to be honest it's the same for my wedding, I already know what I will be putting in my freshen up bag!
There are certain things that transport us back to sunnier climates, foods we have eaten, drinks that we have sipped or downed depending on your tastes lol To me I have scents and lotions, even make up that I pop on to transport me some where else, especially when I'm having a bad day.

Being a HUGE Bobbi Brown fan I was really excited to be given the chance to test out some of Bobbi's body care. Bobbi's skin and body care is possibly less talked about than her iconic make up so it was interesting to see how the skincare matched up.

For the summer of 2010 Bobbi released her Beach collection and some of these products have followed through to this summer. I tested the Beach shower gel and body lotion.
The packaging whilst quite plain is really classy and in true Bobbi Brown style.

I used the shower gel first, you only need the tiniest bit to get masses of lather and the smell just filled the bathroom and lasted forever. To me the smell is pure summer.It's nice that there is not a coconut smell to it as this is what companies normally base their summer products around, instead you can smell the sea, it's a bit tropical and floral at the same time. I think if you are lucky enough to go on holiday this year this shower gel will make it in to your summer memories.

It makes sense that it smells like the sea as one of the ingredients is sea kelp. The gel is fantastic for the hot weather as it's moisturising as you wash and it comes in a handy tube so there is no waste.

All in all this shower gel fits summer perfectly. Does everything a high end shower gel should do and brings Bobbi Brown luxury to the shower. Big thumbs up from me!

Now where can I hide it away from H2B?

£20 for 200ml

Exclusive to Selfridge's and online

www.bobbibrown.co.uk

Tomorrow... Can the lotion live up to the shower gel?

Bare Minerals Skin care

Having tried the Bare Minerals foundations and Mineral veil kit and loving it, I thought that I would branch out and try the new skin care line.
After watching so many demo's on my favourite channel QVC I hit the red button and ordered the 30 day try me kit.

For £22.74 I got to try out 60ml of the Naturally Luminous Purifying cleanser
30ml of the Purely Nourishing Moisturiser for combination skin and
5ml of the firming eye treatment.

I swatched the creams for you, the top is the moisturiser and bottom you have the eye cream.

For the money the sizes are fantastic and after a months use are still going well.

They say the main ingredient is Rare minerals Active Soil complex, don't worry it looks and smells nothing like soil thank goodness!

Starting with the cleanser, I like it. You get a nice foam that feels luxurious and not synthetic, it cleaned my face really well and I did not break out using it. As the line promises no Synthetic fragrances and no artificial oils I would think it's suitable for all skin types really. 

You only need a teeny bit to do you whole face so I think this 60ml size will see me past my weeks break in July. My pores have been starting to look bigger on my face which I think is due to ageing but after using my face wash they did look smaller to me. With any skin care it is a good testament when people tell you how well you look when you are wearing no make up at all and this is what happened to me after using this.

The moisturiser:

I have changed, recently to anti-ageing moisturisers but I pushed them all a side to give this a go.

After using it for a few weeks I have actually come to the conclusion that for me, this moisturiser is great as a make up primer. It leaves my skin matte, yet still soft and my make up goes on and stays on longer when applied over the top of this. As I am on a lot of medication I need a bit more moisture than this gives me but it gets major thumbs up because of the primer effect.

Eye cream:

I feel at ease using this on my eye lid as well as under my eyes as it feels very gentle to me. I have not noticed my shadows going anywhere but this cream never promised that. I would love to go in to more depth on the eye cream but alas I can't as my H2B has taken and hidden it as he has secretly fallen in love with using it, but for me this shows that it's a great product because he wouldn't bother if it did not work!

All in all I am giving the Bare Minerals a thumbs up! I will be packing it in my bag for my break in Whitby and would recommend anyone to give it a go It is great value.

Sam

x

Wedding stress

Morning peeps. I hope that your Monday was not too stressful?
Today's weather is a bit 'blah' in not so sunny Sheffield, although I am not too crazy keen on hot weather a little bit of sun would be great!

Any way h2b and I have decided on a wedding date! Originally I was meant to have three years to get my self slim and serene for the day but now I have a year and a half as we have chosen 28th July 2012!
I need to get my fatty bum bum bride ass in to gear to get this weight loss mission started.

Like most brides to be I am of course excited to find my ideal dress ect but I wouldn't be me if  I wasn't also on the look out for wedding make up and nails! Along with the diet I am going to give my skin a good overhaul. I am not too much of a disaster but I do want glowing skin on the day.
Along with that is of course make up! A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of having a bit of a run through at the Bobbi Brown counter. They were very patient with me wriggling and standing up now and again because of my back but as well as that I have never felt so pampered sitting in the middle of a shop lol.
I was lucky to be in the hands of one of Bobbi's visiting professional make up artists who looked at my face and gave me great tips. It was refreshing for a make up artist not to put make up on inches deep and actually comment on my good features rather than going on about my flaws( yes a MUA has done this!)
I was introduced to gel eyeliner which I of course bought! I will be doing a review on this and putting it up against others in a post this week so keep your eyes open!

My nails are easy because of the nail God Leighton Denny! Thanks to his easy to follow instructions, helping hands products and his ability to put together great kits I am sorted with his French Facination kit. Not only does it have the French manicure down to a T, but it also has a bit of sparkle with a bottle of Cascade and a pot of corrector fluid and brush. With this kit I am having a manicure party the night before the wedding and will be a working bride doing about 10 manicures lol


It would be great to hear your experiences at the hands of a MUA good or bad! Please leave a comment below.

ps only 501 days till I tie the knot...eeek

Sam xx


Leighton Denny polishes can be found at www.leightondenny.com

Picture credited to banburylimohire.co.uk

A smooth start to 2011

I wanted to start the New year off with a bit of oomph in my Skincare.
As I mentioned in the previous post I have my Elemis Pro-radiance cleanser on order...and I am still waiting. However I also wanted to introduce a new exfoliator too.
Clinique have managed to come up with an ingenious exfoliator/mask called Turnaround Instant facial.

It has been doing wonders for my skin. I have been cheating though as I have been using it for the past two weeks. When you first apply it to your skin you do want to keep massaging it in as you can feel the little grains in the product smoothing out the skin. You leave a layer on your face, and neck if you wish for around 5 minutes and then massage. The mask side of the product seems to suck all the dirt out of your skin and then the grains get rid of rough bumpy bits. It works as a more gentle alternative to microdermabrasion.
I was left with silky soft skin. I am suffering from a break out though so I cannot say that my skin is bump free but the product did not irritate my spots or indeed spread them around which some harsher products can do.
I will certainly be keeping this up and using it 1/2 times a week.

If you are suffering from skin that is looking like you are still partying the nights away like Christmas, this might just be what you need to bring you in to 2011

Priced at £30 you can find this at all good Clinique stockists

The Dr does house calls!!

For a week or two I have had a very stubborn lump on my chin. I have tried everything to get rid of it to no avail. The other day I popped in to Boots to kill some time before an appointment and headed straight to my favourite Soap and Glory stand. It was my lucky day as they had an offer on so I bought some Off your face skin wipes and Dr Spot.

I thought that I would give this a go although to be honest I did not hold out much hope and I was sure that my bump would grow ready for Halloween!
I cleansed my skin and dabbed this clear gel over all my blemishes. When I looked in the mirror the next morning the bump under my skin had reduced by half!! There was still a bit of redness there but the painful lump was going.
I have used it twice a day since and the lumpy bumpy has almost gone... just in time for my birthday too!
This will now certainly be my go to spot treatment from now on and I can not recommend it enough.
S&G have done it again! I am forever a fan.
A little bit of science and ingredient info, Dr Spot contains Salicylic acid to get rid of dead skin and reduces inflammation deep down,Witch Hazel our old spot fighting friend and loads of Vitamins to treat your skin and not just dry it out.

Get yours from Boots stores for £7 ( three for two at the moment)

www.boots.com

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!!