Wish List # 2

Can you believe it but we are only a few months away from Christmas? The year has gone so, so fast and all the shops like Boots are starting to get all their Christmas gift sets in... exciting. There are so many things I want ... I mean need (uh hum) but sometimes I can have very expensive taste in things. Here is my current 'Wish List', no doubt there will be a 'Christmas Wish List' too!

1.) Clarins Beauty Flash Balm: £28.00

http://www.clarins.co.uk/Beauty%20Flash%20Balm/C010405004,en_GB,pd.html?start=1

2.) Benefit 'that gal' brightening face primer: £21.50

http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/that-gal

3.) Elie Saab La Parfum: £38.00

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_117906900099_-1?breadcrumb=Home%7Etxtellie+saab

4.) Longchamp Le Pliage medium bag: £58.00.

http://www.selfridges.com/en/Accessories/Le-Pliage-medium-handbag_193-2001484-1623089NAVY/

5.) Monu Extra Rich Night Cream: £36.95.

http://www.monushop.co.uk/products/monu/hydration/Monu-Extra-Rich-Night-Cream.html

Thats a total of: £182.45

I really love the Longchamp Bag, & i've wanted it for ages so its something thats on top of my list and I may just have to treat myself to it. Do you guys have a 'Wish List' if so what's on it.x

Hot Cloth Cleansers: Liz Earle vs. Sanctuary

Now that I have a skin care routine that works for me I'm a bit reluctant when trying new products. The Liz Earle 'Hot Cloth Cleanser', by far is one of the most talked about skin care items out there. Its received numerous reviews and is loved by the majority of people who use it. The rise of 'Hot Cloth Cleansers' has encouraged many brands to produce their own versions, so as I had the opportunity to try both Liz Earle and Sanctuary's very own alternative I thought I would give you my thoughts on them.

Sanctuary Brightening Facial Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser:

This Hot Cloth Cleanser is available from Boots at £10.20 for 125ml. I received a travel size version of the cleanser in a kit so I can't say whether it's available to purchase individually at travel size. It comes with a standard sized muslin cloth which is soft on the skin & perfect for removing the creamy cleanser. 

This cleanser claims to open pores, deep cleanse the skin and act as a gentle exfoliator to help stimulate circulation. Ingredients such as beeswax & 'gold of pleasure' oil helps to condition the skin whilst the camomile helps to leave complexion glowing with radiance. 

There's a light smell of honey however when you massage it into the skin the scent almost reminds me of white emulsion. Not the most pleasant of scent. It has a nice light, soufflé like texture which is very easy to work with and has no irritation to the skin... at least with my skin anyway (Sanctuary don't specify what skin type their cleanser is suitable for). 

My skin felt smoother after using this product but no more than usual, with my current skin care routine. Although this cleanser claims to brighten your complexion, I found my skin looked dull and lifeless. This cleanser is NOT designed for the removal of *eye make-up which is a big let down as you would hope such product would do a multitude of things! Eventually it did remove most of my eye make-up but it took at least 3 or 4 attempts and even then there was a 'panda eyes' like residue in the Mornings.
* Sanctuary do say to avoid the eye area. However out  for review & comparison purposes  I wanted to see how well this cleanser would perform when removing eye make-up.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser:

*C&P - Cleanse and Polish. 

As much as I wanted to dislike this product, (because everyone raves about it so much), I have to say I maybe Liz Earle's latest convert. I was so impressed with the Cleanse & Polish that it may replace my current skin care routine as it eliminates the clutter of bottle and tubes and does the job of cleansing and removing make-up all in one product at one easy AND very convenient step. 

The Cleanse & Polish can be purchased online at http://uk.lizearle.com/ and is readily available at most John Lewis Stores. Prices start from £5.50 and the one thing I really like is that this cleanser comes in pump or tube form at various sizes. The travel size is great for me as it's definitely something I will take on both short & long breaks in the future and further more it means I don't have to take a separate cleanser and eye make-up remover with me although I maybe be tempted to take a toner in conjunction with the *C&P. 

http://uk.lizearle.com/cleanse-tone-moisturise/cleanse-and-polish-hot-cloth-cleanser.html?what-size

So the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish claims to cleanse & remove face make-up as well as stubborn mascara with it's mineral oil rich creamy, cleanser. The pure muslin cloth allows you to polish the face to gently remove dead skin cells & give your clean & radiant looking skin. There is a slight herbal scent which I'm not the biggest fan of but it is very light so I can get pass that. The texture is very creamy and lightweight, really easy to work into the skin and like the Sanctuary Hot Cloth Cleanser it has a soufflé like consistency. 

Although you have to go in a couple of times to remove eye make-up, all in all it does a fantastic job. It doesn't string or irritate the eyes and the surrounding skin and better still there is no residue in the mornings. This cleanser just melts make-up off the skin in seconds leaving it feel a lot more smoother & even & really clean - as if it had really lifted excess oil & dirt from my face. From using this cleanser my complexion looked a lot clearer & brighter & I think because of the natural ingredients in it such as; beeswax, & eucalyptus oil(amongst others), it has helped to prevent spots & mild break out. 

So to conclude this comparison you can probably tell that I hand's down preferred the Liz Earle Cleanser over Sanctuary's version. I will be purchasing the full size version of Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish because I'm always looking for products that do a multitude of things in one easy step, it means less clutter but I'm not having to compromise in the quality of my skin care routine. I'm more open to trying other versions of 'Hot Cloth Cleanser's ' so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know by commenting below and it would be interesting to know your thought on both the cleansers mentioned in this review.x

they're Real ! Mascara Review

I've always thought that Benefit products are overpriced for what they are but whenever there is an opportunity to try products from this highly acclaimed San Francisco brands I always take it. Randomly in Boots a few weeks ago they were selling travel size versions of the; 'they're Real!' mascara for £9.50 - slightly steep for a travel size product but it meant I could try it before potentially wasting my money on the full size version (if I didn't like it.

The 'they're Real!' mascara claims to; lengthen, curl, volumise, lift & separate the lashes as well as having a formulation that is super black, long lasting and doesn't smudge or dry out. As with most Benefit products the packaging of this mascara is fun & quirky without bordering on the scale of tacky. I think what make's this mascara so unique is, its brush and that's what I talk about mainly in this review. 

The plastic wand is unlike any other mascara wand i've seen. A specially designed brush with tiny bristles allow you to get right down to the roots of your lashes to achieve separation & volume without the hassle of real false lashes. The top of the wand is slightly tapered so you can to get to those tiny lashes in the inner corners of your eyes as well as helping to coat the bottom lashes too. Despite this mascara being unique for its wand I did find that it did irritate and scratch against my eyes at times and because of that it took time to work with the mascara.

Without Mascara. 

The formulation is completely different to the 'BAD Gal Lash' mascara, its wet, but not too wet if you know what I mean and is just the right consistency. It's pigmentation is really strong and gives the blackest of black lashes. My only problem with this mascara is getting it off, and I know many people have expressed this problem too. It just won't budge, even with my holy grail eye make-up remover (Garnier Simply Essential Soothing 2 in 1 make-up remover) it can be very problematic with signs of residue in the mornings and no one wants 'panda eyes' do they ?

With Mascara.

So the question is; would I purchase this mascara at fully price? The answer to that would be a big fat NO. Although I really liked the effect it gave to my lashes it didn't do anything more than other mascara's I've used to warrant paying the £18.50 for a full size. The fact that it's also a pain to get off also puts me off because the more I have to rub my eyes that more I feel I'm doing damage to my lashes - does anyone else feel like this too or is it just me being me weird? If you've used or are using Benefit's they're real! mascara let me know what your thoughts are by leaving a comment below. 

I hope everyone is well and having a good week so far.x 

Empties 5 #

So I normally do an 'Monthly Empties' post but I've now decided that I'm only going to do an 'Empties' post when I have a substational amount of used up products (i.e 5 +) which isn't always the case. So lets go ahead and get started... 

Boots Pharmaceuticals Eye Wash:

 This gentle ‘Eye Wash’ is great for cleansing &refreshing the eyes. I heavily used it during the warmer parts of the month when my eyes tended to get dry & sticky but I’ve found myself using it everyday just before I go to bed. It’s great for hay fever sufferers too & it also comes with an ‘Eye Bath’ so distribution of the liquid to each eye is much more easier. Its one of those store cupboard products. 

Korres Anti-Ageing Eye Cream:

Skin care has become more important to me in the last few months so when I saw this £40 Korres Eye Cream for a bargain at £10 from TK Maxx I didn’t hesitate to purchase it. Although the skin around my eyes felt much firmer and tighter, after using this eye cream I failed to notice much else. I do now understand the importance of using an eye cream but would never pay as much as £40 for one. 

Louis Marcel Hair Removal Cream:

Lets face it girls, from time to time our inner werewolves come out and we are summoned to using various hair removal products. This is a cream I’ve been using for year but I cannot tolerate the scent anymore it has a ‘gone of egg’ type smell ... nice and its just off putting, despite getting rid of unwanted hairs in a quick and gentle way. I only use this for my upper lip and use it every 3 months, but find it can leave stubble so I will not be repurchasing this product again.

L’Oreal Elvive Triple Resist Reinforcing Shampoo & Conditioner:

This shampoo and conditioner claims to make your hair feel stronger after use, which I agree with to an extent. I’ve noticed that my hair tends to fall out less but I don’t know if it’s due to these products or the fact that I’ve being using almond oil once weekly. As with all shampoo and conditioner I like to mix them up or just get whatever’s cheaper so I don’t think I’ll be in a rush to buy these ones again... just yet.

Benefit Bad gal lash:

The formulation of this mascara is very dry however it does give nice, natural looking lashes without looking too natural if that makes any sense at all. It doesn’t wow me & I certainly don’t think its worth the price but if you can get hold of a free sample size its nice to keep for travel.

Clinique High Impact Mascara:

Yet another sample size however I think it’s a great mascara, so great that I am even considering buying it at full size & I never buy high-end mascara’s. The formulation is super black but it can become gloopey towards the end of its use. The brush is a bog stand plastic brush but it really   separates and gives volume to the lashes, so much that someone asked me if I was wearing false eyelashes. What more could you ask for from a mascara ? 

If you've tried any of these products let me know what you thought of them and if you've done an 'Empties' post please leave the link below and I'll check it out! Hope everyone is well. x