SKINCARE UPDATE

So I know I'm always harping on about new skincare purchases but I realised today I hardly ever come back months later to let you guys know how the products ACTUALLY perform against their claims...

With that in mind here's a few skincare updates.

STILL LOVING

Dr Weil for Origins Mega-Bright Serum

I've noticed a BIG difference in my skin tone recently. It's one of those weird things, for ages I didn't think this was working but then the other day I washed my face, looked in the mirror and was like WHAT THE HELL?! The scarring on my cheeks has VASTLY improved you guys, no joke. As ever I'm reluctant to credit this with just ONE product as I'm quite sure that religious use of Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair has a lot to do with it (I haven't included it here cos y'all already know how much I love it) but still, I've gotta give props to this little guy. It definitely feels a bit gloopy and siliconey on the skin and I generally prefer my serums more watery, but overall I'm actually very impressed with the noticeable results. Can't argue with that, right? Snaps. 

Lancome Hydra Zen Neurocalm anti-stress moisturisng cream

I blogged about this a while ago when I received it in an event goodybag and I've been using it ever since. Normally I'll whack it on at night after I've let my ANR sink in for a while, and when I wake up in the morning my face is SO SMOOTH YOU GUYS! It's literally the best moisturiser I think I've ever tried. BOLD CLAIM, right? It doesn't leave any greasy or sticky residue and although it's quite rich for a day cream, I have found myself using it under makeup if my skin feels a bit BLEURGH and it disappears almost instantly. My little sample pot is rapidly running out and when it does I'm definitely going to repurchase. It does have a moderately strong 'perfumey' scent but it's much more tolerable than the Liz Earle light repairing lotion which unfortunately I just cannot stomach.

Avene Triacneal

Although it's generally the best it's been in AGES, my skin has been acting up a little breakout-wise these past few weeks. Pretty sure this is down to sleeping in my makeup a few times which I normally try and never do! Anyway, whenever I notice the start of a new blemish I whack this bright yellow stuff all over it and in the morning it's normally completely away. It stings a bit, and the cream does make you look ALL KINDSA RIDONCULOUS but again, you can't argue with results. I just realised it's got retinoids or retinoic acid in it (super-strength acne-fighting chemical) and for that reason, and because it stings, I'd NEVER use it all over my face, just as a topical treatment. But hey, it works.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

While the light repairing lotion just stinks WAY too much for me to use, Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish and Instant Boost Skin Tonic have remained staples in my routine. In particular this 'toner' of sorts is honestly a delight to use. I soak a cotton pad in it and wipe it all over my face morning and night to refresh my skin and remove any last bits of makeup. The smell is delish and it has all kindsa healing oils and vitamin E in it which makes me feel like if I skipped this step my skin would miss out. If you get me. Plus, it doesn't contain any alcohol and I'd NEVER go back to anything that did after using this. If you're looking for something soothing after washing your face with a harsh facewash, this is for you.

RECENT PURCHASES

Caudalie Eau de Beaute

I know, I know. I caved. Possibly THE most hyped product of 2012 and I've shamelessly jumped on the bandwagon! The buzz about this facial spritzer/toner/aromatherapy spray/makeup fixer has been everywhere ever since Lisa Eldridge mentioned it in one of her videos at the start of the year, and being the skincare junkie that I am, how could I ignore it! I actually bought the mini size of this when I was in Lisbon as it's very hard to find in the UK unless you buy it online, but in Europe it's stocked in just about every pharmacy on every high street. Go figure. Gotta say though, at first I was like, I DON'T GET IT. Underwhelmed to the max, I persisted for about a week and finally began to see why it's such a cult hit. Firstly the smell is heavenly. Truly. It's a sort of herby, spa-type smell that instantly relaxes and invigorates. After toning I would spritz a generous amount over my face and pat it in, and straight away my pores were smaller and my skin felt tighter and smoother. I think it's definitely the kind of product you need to use daily to see consistent results so I've just placed an order this morning for the larger 100ml size which will hopefully last me a while. Not sure though, the small size only lasted me a few weeks!

Caudalie Vinoperfect radiance set

While I was on Feel Unique having a browse round the Caudalie section I spotted this wee sample set of their acclaimed Vinoperfect Radiance range and couldn't resist. Again, I'd heard Lisa Eldridge talking about the serum in a recent video (I pretty much buy everything she ever mentions - total hero) and I know she and I have similar skin concerns, namely blemishes and scarring, so I figured if it was good enough for her... The £26 set includes 10mls of the complexion correcting serum, enzyme peel mask, day perfecting fluid and cell renewal night cream. I'm hoping to be able to get at least a few weeks out of these samples and I'll let you know my thoughts. Excited!  

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

OK, so not technically skincare but whatever... I actually just bought this yesterday since it was £2 off in Superdrug and I've not read one single bad review to date. I recently placed an order for my beloved Skin 79 BB cream but it takes about 2 weeks to arrive so in the meantime I'm testing this out. Today's the first day and so far I've had it on for about 3 and a half hours (yup, put it on a 5AM y'all - working the deadly early shift today) and it's holding up well. First impressions are that it's pretty thick and creamy but blends well with a medium/full coverage. Off the bat I think I might prefer this to the Bourjois Healthy Mix original as that can be a bit watery and slide off easily without powder. I really like it so far, but the real test will be how it looks around 4pm! I absolutely HATE the bottle though. SO MUCH that I actually thought twice about buying it. Orange? Really?

Update: OK so I've now had this on for nearly eight hours and I'm impressed! It's disappeared slightly around my T-zone but generally it's holding up very well, possibly even better than the Healthy Mix. Given that it doesn't claim to be particularly long-lasting this is pleasantly surprising! Snaps, Rimmel, I'm sold.

ON MY SHOPPING LIST FOR NEXT PAYDAY

Ginvera Green Tea whitening marvel gel

I've been hankering after this ever since Ruth did a review of it ages ago. Basically just an exfoliator, but it's meant to be one of the best out there at removing blackheads (boke) which isn't really something I suffer with, but who doesn't love a bit of heavy-duty exfoliation now and again? I've been using the Origins brightening peel pads for a while which contain AHAs and I think they're just a  little bit too harsh - I normally break out after using them and I'll NEVER touch that Alpha H Liquid Gold ever again since I'm pretty sure I'm allergic. So come on Ginvera, work your magic...

Aesop B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel

Anti-oxidant moisturiser infused with Vitamin B and C to balance and soothe the skin. I know I said that the Lancome Hydra Zen was my new favourite, but I guess I'm just convinced there's something else out there that's better. The grass is always greener, innit. I've been hearing more and more about Aesop skincare these last few months and this product really stands out for me. Vitamin C in moisturisers or serums always catches my eye because of it's brightening/whitening effects and I also like that this is formulated without any silicones. It's £77 though... Bit of a splurge. Hmm, we'll see. Have any of you guys used this, or ANY of the Aesop range? Let me know if you think it's worth it.



RECENT PURCHASES: MAY

Not too much to report, Recent Purchases-wise yet again! Last month I spent a BOMB on partying, food, mooching about and generally having a gay old time, so I've been trying to be frugal since I got paid but it's SO difficult!

Anyhoo, let's crack on.

Skeleton crop top with cut out shoulders - Topshop

This wee tee was only £14! Bargain! I'm loving this shoulderless trend and I actually got another gorge floral shoulderless dress from Toppers a while ago but forgot to include it and now it's gone from the website. BUMS. Anyway, this wee number was a steal and is super-cute on. It actually wasn't that cropped so I cut off the hem (!) to make sure it sits right on the waistband of my faux-leather H&M skater which is how I plan to style it up this weekend. It's pretty high-necked so perhaps not one for you lovely CHESTY WUMMIN, but with my hair up and a bold lip I think I can just about pull it off. Love.

Something Wicked cropped tee - Tee and Cake at Topshop

I am a sucker for a Shakespeare quote and Macbeth is my favourite so when I saw this I grabbed it to trying on, not really sure how I was going to make it work. Turns out it's a TRUE CROP which means midriff, something which really isn't cool for me (or anyone else rapidly encroaching their mid-twenties) but again, it'll work with very high-waisted shorts or that faux-leather skater I mentioned. If all else fails it'll be a super cosy jammy top - the cotton is really thick and soft...

Oatmeal open-shoulder top - Topshop

Can you spot a theme here? Yeah, I pretty much raided Topshop last night. Another shoulderless wonder, this uber-light knit is cut to fall really flatteringly and is an awesome basic to throw on with loads of other stuff in my wardrobe, plus the no-shoulder detail adds a bit of edge. Beware, it's pretty sheer though...

Crochet and chiffon cardigan - TRF at Zara

I'm going on holiday next week - WOOP! - and I was in desperate need of a wee cardi like this to chuck on over strapless beachy dresses or for if it turns chilly in the evening. This  off-white crochet number is perfect and it's stunning on - looks like it's worth at least double it's crazy £25.99 price tag!

Dr Weil for Origins Mega-Bright serum

I recently attended a beauty lock-in event at House of Frasers in Glasgow (more on that to come soon) and after a glass of cava (or three), I found myself stumbling over to the Origins counter lustfully eyeing up this baby. It's been on my periphery for a while - y'all know how much of a freak I am for skin brightening goodies - but I could never really justify the £46. The shrewd but lovely sales girl noticed my hesitation and went on to tell me loads about it, most of which I've now forgotten to be honest. But her schpiel worked and I've been using it semi-religiously every morning for around two weeks. I can't say I've noticed a huge change overall, but certainly after you put it on you can see a difference. I think it's mostly to do with the slight iridescence to the serum itself than anything else, but I have my fingers crossed for more long term visible results in skintone. One thing to note, it's quite silliconey which means it can feel weird putting any kind of emollient moisturiser over the top. I've also noticed if you use too much and vigorously rub it in it can ball up and flake off, which is NOT COOL so less is more peeps.

Origins Brighter by Nature high potency brightening peel

Yup, I was suckered into this too. I explained my night-time skincare routine to the sales assistant and she told me I was lacking a glycolic treatment and a mask, both to use a few times a week. I couldn't really argue to be honest, I mean I HAD tried the Alpha H Liquid Gold (which I still have by the way, should really throw it out...) but unfortunately every time I used it I woke up with horrible little spots that took ages to go away. I think it's just too harsh for my skin, and I've never noticed the miraculous effects others seem to rave about... Anyways, I decided on this even though I suspected it might be a similar type of product (akin to a 30% glycolic peel apparently!) and I was right :( I've used it twice and both times it stung and left me with those painful wee red spots. BUT, after a day or so once my skin has calmed down, it has been feeling a bit smoother. Not brighter as such, just less red and clearer overall, but it's hard to know whether that's solely down to this or my new moisturiser (coming up). I THINK it's working but I'm still undecided whether it's worth the unsightly side-effects...

Origins Out of Trouble 10 Minute Mask

Although my skin seems to be changing to more normal/combo instead of combo/oily, I do still get the odd breakout now and then. Thanks to some crazy partying recently (Kirsten's 25 going-away parties amongst other things) I've accidentally fallen asleep with my makeup on a few times with some NASTY results. I opted for this as my final Origins splurge to hopefully sort things out once and for all and I'm pleased to say it definitely worked. It does exactly what it says on the tin - soaks up any excess oil, deep cleans and dries out potential spots before they come to the surface. Putting it on is like smearing toothpaste all over your face though, which is well weird! The consistency is super-thick and it smells strongly of camphor which I don't love. But I do like the effects - definitely a winner.

Lancome Hydra Zen neurocalm soothing moisturising cream

This is a bit of a cheat cos I didn't ACTUALLY buy this, it was in my goodybag from the Frasers event a few weeks ago. But I'm including it cos I think it's worth mentioning since I've been using it pretty much non-stop ever since. So after I'd used those brightening peel pads my skin was really tight and red - not something I'm used to since using the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish virtually every night for 4 months. I noticed I'd been given a sample pot of this from the new Lancome Hydra Zen range designed for sensitive skin and tried it out after my Advanced Night Repair as usual. HOLY COW. I've never woken up to such soft skin before! Seriously, when I wake up all I want to do is stroke my face for ages... The heavy glass pot feels luxurious, it smells delicious and is absorbed quickly. This white pot is an oil-in-water version and they do an oil-free one, but I don't think it has SPF which is disappointing otherwise I'd be snapping it up to use in the daytime too. If you have sensitive skin I'd highly recommend this,

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara

I first tried this in November last year and I LOVED it but stupidly decided that at £22 it was too expensive to repurchase. I got myself another Maybelline One-by-One mascara to take its place but I've had to admit that it just PALES IN COMPARRISON. Whereas the Maybelline one dries out in a matter of weeks, has a stabby, synthetic brush and goes clumpy and flaky after 2 coats, this does none of these things. The tapered wand makes it perfect for getting every single tiny lash, top and bottom, and the formula stays 'wet' for ages, both in the tube and on your eyes which reduces any dry flakyness. It's not the most smude-proof mascara out there but then it isn't waterproof so I guess I can't judge it too harshly for that. Simply put, I love it. Plus, weirdly, it smells really nice too, though beware when trying to sniff it. Black smudges all over your nose isn't a hot look, TRUST ME!

Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips (bought from eBay)

So I've never had a huge problem with the colour of my teeth before, they've never been YELLOW or particularly stained (unless you count a night on the red wine...) but who WOULDN'T want their teeth that little bit whiter eh? My mum recently got her teeth whitened at the Girl's Day Out Show in Glasgow a while back, and the results were not bad. You could see a slight difference but nothing spectacular, and she paid £60 for the priviledge. I'd been thinking about doing the same, but I remembered seeing reviews of these on

YouTube and they were all overwhelmingly positive so I decided to go for it. I'm glad I did! A pack of 20 upper and lower strips cost me just over £20 and I've only been using them for a week and I can definitely see a difference. They're pretty fiddly, take half an hour to develop and can sting/make your teeth slightly sensitive afterwards, but in terms of results, they speak for themselves...

OK, so I AM wearing a blue-red lippy and I took this on Instagram with a filter, but seriously, they are definitely, DEFINITELY whiter. They're not quite Ross from Friends yet, and I'll stop using them if they start to go that way, but for the moment I'm very happy with the results. Be careful using them cos they're not approved for sale here and if you're worried about sensitivity or whatever, maybe steer clear. But the bottom line is they work.

So, aye. That's what I've been buying/using recently. As I mentioned I'm going on holiday next week and still have a few beachy, summery things to get before I go so if I have enough time I'll show you guys what I get. If not look out for holiday pics in a couple of weeks! I'll also be posting the link to a guest blog I've written all about BB creams (once I actually write it!), so look out for that too. Along with some more info on the Frasers beauty event... Jings,  my to do list is out of control at the mo!

ALSO, incase anyone is wondering what I actually DO to fund all these purchases, a colleague of mine wrote about A Day in the Life of a Subtitler for my company's blog. Check it oot if you're nosy curious.