Vaseline 2-in-1 Hand Cream + Anti Bac

When it comes to keeping my hands clean throughout the day I always like to ensure that I have a handy bottle of sanitizer within easy reach. The industry I work in means that some days I can visit several sites at a time meeting and greeting customers via handshakes. The thought of all those germs passing around is enough to make my skin crawl but in most cases washing my hands frequently isn't an option when on the go which is why hand sanitizer is my saviour! But using it often throughout the day tends to leave my hands a tad on the dry side which is why I like to moisturise immediately after to avoid that nasty dry feeling. So imagine my delight at discovering that Vaseline had brought out a 2 in one (hand cream + anti-bac*) product that not only keeps my hands soft and smooth but actually removes almost 99.9% germs in just 15 secs. Priced at an affordable £3.29 for a pretty generous 75ml means no more lugging around sanitizer and hand lotion I can just pop this in my bag and away I go! And not only is it affordable and practical it also leaves my hands smelling pretty nice too!

Vaseline 2-in-1 is available from all leading Supermarkets and chemists including Boots and Superdrug!

* PR Sample 

Purity One-step Facial Cleanser by Philosophy

Purity one-step cleanser by Philosophy is an all in one cleanser claiming to replace your makeup remover, cleanser and toner by deeply cleaning the pores whilst melting away makeup and hydrating the skin.  Whilst my love for Liz Earle cleanse and polish has not faltered I had been looking for something more substantial to use in the evening for a deeper cleanse alongside my Clarisonic and this seemed perfect. It has a lightweight formulation with subtle almost soap like aromas. Used alongside the Clarisonic, a small pea size amount creates a frothy formula and leaves my skin feeling completely cleansed.

I tend not to use this alone to remove makeup as I do not believe that I have come across any cleanser that can remove all traces of makeup in one sweep without the need to double cleanse, hence why I remove my makeup first with my Bioderma H2O Sensibio and a couple of cotton pads. After using this I find my oily/combo skin does tend to feel a tad dry and tight in comparison to when I use the Liz Earle but once toned and moisturised I am good to go. I have only been using this in the evenings for a deeper cleanse whilst favouring the Liz Earle in the morning. If your skin is a little on the dryer side you might want to avoid this, despite it being recommended for all types it could leave you a little dryer. The only negative drawback I can find is the price which is a hefty £17.50 for a 240ml bottle and for this alone I am not sure whether I would purchase it again. As for results I have noticed that my skin has not broken out in a while but I am not convinced that it is directly a result of this product alone and more of a combination of new products and routines which I have been trying but I have  and will continue enjoying using this...

Boots 17 Blemish Balm

When it comes to foundations I guess you could call me a teeny bit of 'snob' favouring higher end brands such as Estee Lauder over drugstore brands. This is not saying that I think drugstore brands lack quality, I just tend to find that they have a less extensive colour range compared to the former and for that reason I opt for the more expensive. However with that in mind and with summer approaching I like to give my skin a little breather as hot weather plus thick foundation is not a good combo nor a good look which is why summer sees me favouring towards tinted moisturisers and the like. Now, BB creams, blemish balms, beauty balms or whatever you want to call them have been in the beauty market for some time now and it seems that everywhere you look almost every brand has their own version ranging from affordable drugstore to higher end merchants.

Whilst in Boots though I spotted their 17 range had released one, and at a very affordable £6.99 I was intrigued so picked up a box. The plain black packaging does not scream high end, plain and simple but not bad. For £6.99 you get 30ml of product which is pretty good although there is rather a lot of air in the tube but then this often is the case with these type tubes.

Promoted to cover, enhance and protect the skin with an SPF 15 it promises to give the ultimate flawless finish. There are 2 colours available either light or medium which is a little disappointing for darker skinned ladies. I picked the medium, although whilst it was a fairly precise match for my skin at the moment, it was very light. I can only imagine what the light version was like. Considering this was bought for summer it is not going to be any use once my skin is tanned. 

The formulation however was good, neither too thick nor runny and blended/absorbed into my skin well. It gave a medium coverage, more of a coverage than I was expecting which was quite pleasing. Although if you are an EL 'double wear' type of girl then you perhaps aren't going to like this for the fact it does not have the power to cover blemishes completely without the need for concealer. As for durability, this wore off in only a couple of hours which was a bit of a pain, although it wore off in a natural way rather than a patchy 'look i'm wearing makeup' kind of way. I personally think this product is good for girls on a budget that want minimal light coverage without breaking the bank. If you are fortunate to be able to get a good colour match from the limited range then this would be perfect to slap on during the summer when you aren't brave enough to go completely bare faced but want some coverage.

Boots 17 BB cream is available online by clicking here or in-store for £6.99 and it is currently in the 3 for 2 offer on cosmetics.

I just want to say Thank You for your patience over the weekend during Sport Relief whereby I took part in the Blog blackout from Friday as part of Best British Bloggers on line mile. If you are not aware of what sport relief is then please visit my post by clicking here.

Blog Blackout...A post of a different kind!

This post is a little different from my usual and is something that I feel that we should all be aware of and participate when possible. For those of you that are not familiar with Sport Relief then here is a little info for you. 

Sport Relief is one of the UK's biggest fundraising events, bringing an entire nation together to get active, raise cash and most importantly change lives. All the money raised by the public helps people living incredibly tough lives both at home in the UK and across the worlds poorest countries. 

I don't know about you but I feel incredibly blessed to have the life which I have that some people aren't fortunate enough to lead. 

As the nation celebrates the biggest ever year of sport, the entire country can join in the fun with Sport Relief from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th March. 

And because of this I shall be participating in the Blogging blackout in aid of Sport Relief! All beauty related posts shall be put on hold until Sunday and what I ask of you, my loyal readers that if at all possible you click the link right below and donate whatever you can, every little helps. I will definitely be donating today! 

Let me know if you have participated this year in the comments below, fundraising events etc. and will you be participating in the blackout?

For further information on Sport Relief and where your money goes please visit http://www.sportrelief.com

Revlon Lip Butters Review/Swatches

Ok, so nothing new here, I think anyone within the beauty community will be well aware of the amazing albeit hard to get hold of Revlon Lip Butter which were released this month in the UK. I for one have been awaiting the arrival of these little gems for some time having seen them floating around amongst our fellow beauty bloggers from across the pond. When they were released on Boots.com a little while ago they literally sold out immediately and despite my frantic efforts (6am alarm people) I missed out, so when they were back in stock I knew I had to get in there quick. 

These can be purchased on Boots online for £7.99 a pop, however they were/are offering a 2 for £10 deal on selected Revlon products which included the sought after lip butters which meant a whopping saving of £6, perfect. The lip butters have now been released in store (19th March) to be precise but they are flying off the shelves like hot cakes. Whilst I believe the £10 offer is an online exclusive they are doing a 3 for 2 offer on these in-store which means effectively if you get the 2 you can get a 3rd absolutely free but I did notice that in my local Boots store there was not such an extensive colour range as those online. 

 L - Macaroon R - Cotton Candy

I opted for Cotton Candy, which is a light, subtle bubblegum pink and Macaroon which looks like a brown shade in the bullet but actually is a rather pinky reddish colour somewhat similar to my own lip shade only 100 times better. What I noticed about these immediately was the formulation, they are not quite a lipstick more a tinted balm in terms of they do not have the colour pigmentation of a lippy yet have the moisturising qualities of a lip balm, I guess you could say they were 'inbetween'. With this in mind they give a lovely subtle colour coverage which is perfect for daytime without looking too heavy. As for the longevity I had to re-apply after a couple of hours however due to the moisturising effect of the product it actually felt like I was doing my lips good rather than drying them out which I can find when re-applying certain lipsticks throughout the day. 

Overall, these were definitely worth the wait and the hype surrounding them. Sometimes I feel that I overlook Revlon in the makeup stakes having been a little let down by their lip stain which you can read my review on here. Having tried these though I think I can let that one slide for now...

Facial Detox with The Sanctuary

Every now and then my skin needs a good detox and I find that by making time for this at least once a week, usually at the weekend, my skin will thank me in the long run. So it was about time that I shared with you my most recent skincare treat which has been keeping my skin in tip top condition. I can't take all the cred for this, I first learnt about the Santuary Facial Oil From Gh0stparties.com and how it can work wonders under a heated mask. So I hot footed it to Boots and picked up these little beauties. 

The Sanctuary Therapists Facial Oil 30ml £17.35

The Sanctuary 5 Min Thermal Detox Mask 100ml £10.20

The facial oil is a lightweight oil which can be applied under moisturiser or mixed with your usual moisturiser. As a sufferer of slightly oily skin I was a little skeptical about applying oil to my face for fear of looking like a complete grease ball, but it actually has the opposite effect. My skin looks positively glowing after using it. I don't tend to use this every single day, just on occasions when my skin looks a little 'meh' in the morning and needs more of a pick me up than usual. What I have been doing though is teaming it with The Sanctuary's 5 minute thermal detox mask, a self heating charcoal treatment designed to clean and purify the skin.

After cleansing my skin and sporadically steaming it when I have the time, I apply the facial oil all over my face resisting the urge to rub into the skin. I then use an old foundation brush to apply the mask over the top. Due to the oil it can be difficult to get an even covering of the mask over the top hence why using a brush helps to achieve this. The mask instructs that it is applied to damp skin to allow the self heating properties to work but it works all the same with oil. You can feel the mask gradually heating and drawing out all the nasty stuff. If you are like me then you will find this process really relaxing. After 5-10 minutes I remove this with a muslin cloth, due to the oil barrier the mask slips off easily with no mess unlike the clay like masks which can be a nightmare to remove. A quick splash of cool water and I am good to go, I then finish with my usual night-time regime, speaking of which has recently had an over-haul, post to come soon. I find this really does do my skin a wonder of good, it definitely feels really clean and looks more plump and refreshed than usual.

You can buy both the Facial Oil and The 5 Min Thermal Detox mask from boots by clicking here.

Hello Cotton (Please Read)

It was reading Nykki's post at My Mane Blog that prompted me to sign up for Hello Cotton. If you are not familiar with HC , it is very similar to Bloglovin' in the sense that you can follow/keep up to date with all your favourite blogs. In light of the demise of GFC for all non-blogger blogs I know that a lot of bloggers are concerned that it won't be too long before Google removes the gadget altogether hence why I have joined the bandwagon and set up a Hello Cotton account. This is nothing new to bloggers I hear you say but what I do ask of my readers/subscribers that you please do me a favour and follow by clicking on the little gadget under the GFC to the right. 

Thanks a lot everyone for reading this. 

Get your glow on...Topshop Skin Glow!

For a while I have been eying up the BECCA skin perfector but have been reigning myself in due to the cost. Then I happened to be in Topshop and spotted their Skin Glow, a liquid highlighter. As I do not own a liquid highlighter this was justifiable, right? And at only £10 for 30ml it is a fraction of the BECCA but would it live up to my expectations? I was eager to find out...

The packaging is the generic Topshop cosmetics packaging, plain and simple. Skin Glow is available in 2 shades, dark and light. I opted for light to use as a highlight although the dark version would not only be perfect for darker skinned ladies but would work well on lighter skin as a liquid blush/highlight which would be gorgeous in the summer. The lighter version expels as light cream which appears almost pearl like but as you blend it reveals gorgeous pink irredescent undertones which pick up under the light perfectly. You really only need the tiniest amount which can be applied under or over foundation, I tend to apply under in the areas I welcome highlight such as cheek bones, bridge of nose and then apply foundation over the top. This could also be worn bare faced (if you are brave enough) for just going to the beach etc as it gives a really healthy glow without looking too shimmery. The Tophop Skin Glow is available for £10 in store.

I can't wait to use this throughout the summer as I think this will go perfect with a tan, I just need to book a holiday now :).

Harrods Exclusive D&G Charm Pencil

Saturday afternoon my boyfriend and I decided to take a trip to Harrods, London which was rather apt considering I received my Harrods edition glossy box that morning. I was on a mission to buy some Macaroons from the famous Laduree, which I successfully did after a very long queue! I had also heard on the grapevine about some new exclusive charm pencils by Dolce & Gabbana and I, being a stickler for anything fancy was keen to check them out and I must say they did not disappoint.

There are eight pencils in total, four lipliners and four eye pencils, each individually adorned with a beautiful gold charm, with each charm set to represent the different characteristics of the Dolce and Gabbana universe. 

Personally, I had never experimented with any cosmetics by Dolce & Gabbana prior to this, its not a brand that is readily available in your average High Street department store so it was nice to be able to have a browse and see what they had available. The packaging and quality alike is very reminiscent of YSL in terms of the sleek gold packaging and gold boxes which is a brand I am equally fond of, their touché éclat is a must have for any makeup junkie.

The formulation of the pencil is smooth and highly pigmented. There is no smudging or budging throughout the day with this in comparison to some lower end black pencils I have tried. However, with this said I do stress that the hype surrounding this goes without saying to the charms alone and I do not doubt for one moment that if you are only looking for a black pencil without the quirky characteristics of this one then your best bet is to search the high street for a cheaper alternative. 

All of the pencils retail at £19.50 which I will agree is pretty pricey and I do even shock myself every time I remind myself that I paid this for what effectively is only a black eye pencil. However, if you are a cosmetics junkie and love your limited edition/hard to find items then this is a perfect gift to your self or someone else.  

The charm pencil is available exclusively to Harrods online at www.harrods.com and in-store at Knightsbridge, London.

What do you think of these?

LIFE #1

I know these Instagram posts have been floating around for a while and I am not sure how you guys feel about them so please let me know in the comments section whether you like or not. Here goes tho' my life in pic's Feb/March 2012 :)

V-Day Chocs, Gel nails, Going out, Steak dinner, Cheesecake, Fresh faced, Vino, Walk in park, 7 day post op, Ribena, Chippys, New lippy, Chris, Fraud, Yum, Goodies, Basil Street nails, Hot chot @ Peter Andres shop, More goodies, TomTom, Road rage, traffic en route London, Jimmy Choo (Harrods) aka Heaven, New brush holders

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