Friday Fav| Primark Shoulder Bag

So I was scouting around Primark for a new bag, I’ve been looking for a sort of businessy type of bag, that I could use for a potential job and job interview since I’ve been applying for loads lately. I was actually looking for the Zara City Bag Dupe but they didn’t have it – but I stubbled across this little beauty.

I think that this bag looks more expensive than it actually is (£10) and I’ve had so many compliments on it already in the week that I’ve had it.

There are so many little touches that make it look just that little bit more special.

The small silver edging on the front and little feet, as well as being a rather softish pleather, it is rather more usable than some of the other bags I found which we so stiff you could hardly open them.

It comes with 2 handles, one on the front and one on the back,The bag also comes with a long, completely adjustable shoulder strap which you can easily unclip from the sides and keep in the bag for easy access.

Inside the bag, is a small zip compartment, where you could keep loose change or receipts and on the other side is a phone pocket. It was a little smaller than I wanted, but only by an inch or so, it can still definitely be used to keep your iPad, books, paperwork etc (A4 size) You couldn’t keep a full sized laptop in there however.

Have you found any amazing products in Primark lately? Do you like this bag? Let me know what you think!

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It’s About Prime

I’ve started working 15 hours shifts on a Friday on reception at my hotel – it’s now my weekly shift – and because of the limited time I get away from my desk, being the only receptionist on, touch ups on make-up during the day isn’t exactly my first priority when on my break – eating is ha ha.

So I shifted my foundation to a long lasting one, which works great, but my eye make-up and mascara was rubbing off and by the end of the day I look like rubbish. So I thought that I just had to change up my eye routine and add in a primer to help my look stay all day.

I’ve used bases before, I have a cream shadow that helps to intensify the colour of my eye shadow or I usually just use another eyeshadow. Eye primers work in the same way as face primers, they absorb and stop oil and make your eyeshadow last longer.

I decided to try the Soap & Glory It’s About Prime: Eye Primer.

There are 2 shades of this primer, one dark grey ‘Smokey’ and one light cream ‘Bright Light’. I got the colour Bright Light; the colour is quite a harsh frosted white when swatched but when applied to the lids it does actually neutralise and lighten the eye lids a little. ‘Smokey’ the darker of the two primers is recommended for dark eye make up looks. Due to the fact I prefer lighter eye make-up looks, more natural, I decided the lighter primer would be more beneficial for me and would be used more often than the darker shade.

Soap & Glory say: “A first base if you want crease-free, no smudge eye colour. Contains Insta-Lift™ Firming Para Cress Flower Proteins (to help give you more flat, glossy, smooth-finished lids), anti–colour crease long wear polymers, and coffee extract to fight morning puffiness. Use BRIGHT LIGHT under everyday eyeshadow, or SILVER LINING for a shimmering layer under party eyes.”

Put a fine layer of this on, gently patted it in with my ring finger and applied eyeshadow, it really has made a difference! The white sheen of this product in Bright Light is actually really flattering as it draws attention to the eyes and away from any dark circles you may have been covering up – which I have been doing a lot lately.

The primer does help your eyeshadow stay on all day. I went up to London last weekend for my brother’s 30th birthday. I put all my make-up on at half 8 in the morning and by the time the day’s events were finished and we got back to the hotel it was still on and this was midnight. So it does work! It looked as fresh as it has when I had put it on. Granted my face needed touching up – because my face primer is rubbish – but my eyes were perfect to say it bluntly.

This is my first eye primer and I’m quite impressed I got this in Boots for £8.00

Have you tried this or any other eye primer?

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First Impressions| Benefit Erase Paste

I have dark circles under my eyes genetically, I get these off my mum who got them off her Dad, we call them the “Hook’s” after their last name, it is quite fitting I think. Anyway recently working long hours these Hook’s have become darker and more pronounced and I’ve been trying get a routine down to fix my even darker dark circles.

I knew this product came in a teeny tiny pot  which is quite alarming if you don’t know, considering the price of this product is £19.50. Which is why I’ve waited so long to purchase this product – I saw it ages ago and immediately wanted it but couldn’t justify the cost, but putting into consideration the amount of hours I’ve been doing at work, why not treat myself to a little something?

On first impressions, I loved the packaging. The box this product comes in, is so beautiful and quirky like all Benefit products and the fact it came with a lesson book and spatula was a nice added touch.

I was excited to try it and set about popping it under my eyes. The instructions on the box direct that it should be applied with the spatula included but I have to say it is a silly invention you’re supposed to use to get the product out, but I found that kind of pointless and a waste of plastic, so I just put it to one side. It’s completely useless you get too much product on it and it’s much better to use your fingers instead.

I dab my finger lightly on the surface and then apply it in dots under my eyes, mainly concentrating on the inner corners.

The first thing I noticed upon application was the salmon toned colour and creamy consistency. As you can see from the application on my own eye, there is an evident salmon tone to this product which is known to cancel out dark circles.

As for the texture, it is amazingly smooth and blends into the skin like a dream. But as well as being very creamy, it is relatively thick so although the tiniest bit goes a long way  I found that it caked under my eyes slightly – as well as under eye circles I have one eye crease that goes across this area where foundation/concealer anything creases unfortunately for me.

I have enjoyed use out of it though only time will tell if it continues to be helpful in my fight against dark circles.

 

BEFORE

 

AFTER: WITH BENEFIT ERASE PASTE

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Review| E45 Dry Scalp Shampoo

You all know about my current dry skin problems lately (which are slowly being fixed) but my scalp, which usually doesn’t have that many problems started to become flaky as well. It was not really itchy, just horrible horrible dry skin. I just had to rub my scalp a bit and the dandruff was already falling out. I do occasionally get eczema on my scalp but usually just a small amount – never really dry, dandruff-y scalp. My main concern was that it was gathering around my hair line where most attention is drawn to, which just leads to embrassment. I wanted to try and find a shampoo that would help me get rid of this problem.

So I’ve been trying out different shampoos lately. The E45 Dry Scalp Shampoo has been in my daily routine for about a month now so I thought it was about time I reviewed it for you.

It cost £5.49 in Boots which is cheaper than some of the shampoos I’ve used, claiming to help dry skin, who are also generally on the more expensive side of things.

E45, “the dry skin experts”, have developed a shampoo especially formulated with a ‘unique combination of ingredients to provide effective relief and gentle cleansing for dry, itchy, flaky scalps while protecting your hair to give it life, body and shine.’

The E45 Dry Scalp is ‘suitable for use on all hair types’ but obviously I wanted it for its claims to be suitable for use on more serious very dry, itchy skin and scalp conditions. The bottle says that it is clinically tested, perfume free and hypoallergenic – all good things if you have extra sensitive skin.

I really like this shampoo as it is really gentle on the scalp and hair and leaves hair nice and clean and shiny. Really like how it doesn’t have many ingredients in it either, which is refreshing because a lot of the other shampoo’s I’ve used that also claim to help dry scalps have double the ingredients and don’t seem to do anything.

This one did though! The dry patches of skin around my hair line were gone and my scalp was clear after a few washes. The smell is not the best however, just smells of soap to be honest with you. I’m used to fragrant smelling shampoos or at least a strong scent. This is a very gentle, non-smelling product really, very simple but it fixed the problem, I was very impressed with the results.

My only down side to this product is that my hair seems to have become quite flat. My hair has grown quite long now and really needs a cut but my other shampoos brings some life to my hair and although they don’t help with the dry scalp – this all contributes to feeling good about ourselves. So I am still going to continue with my search of a shampoo but will continue to use this to help control my scalp.

So, if you do have eczema, dry scalp or dandruff (from dry scalp), do try this shampoo!

Have you tried any this shampoo or any other thats helped with your dry scalp?

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Review| Dr Organics

Dr. Organic as the name might suggest sell organic products, which are paraben, SLS, artificial colour and fragrance free, also vegan and vegetarian. The have a number of lines including Organic Moroccan Argan Oil, Organic Manuka Honey and Organic Pomegranate among many others. As well as selling a variety of face products the brand also sells hair and body products. And the best bit – not that pricey! These 50ml jars of face cream sells for £8.49* complete in a rather expensive looking glass jar – which I love.

I came across this brand while reading a fellow blogger’s website and thought why not give it a try.

Manuka Honey Rescue Day Cream

The Dr. Organics website says this about the Manuka Honey range:
“Manuka Honey’s wonderful properties make it a powerful and effective ingredient in skincare products. As a moisturiser it restores and hydrates dry, cracked and damaged skin enhancing natural cell regeneration and improving skin tone, creating younger and softer looking skin. Manuka Honey also nourishes and revitalises the scalp and helps in maintaining healthy looking hair.”

This is a great product. This really has worked wonders for my skin, really hydrates it and leaves it so soft. You only have to use a tiny bit at a time, the first time I used it I put on far to much and ended up with really greasy skin. Being an emollient cream I find that you just need a tiny dab a little on your cheeks, chin and forhead then rub it in and after a while it sets in – a little goes a long way. So I would say that you definitely get your moneys worth. I would only reccomend this product to people with really dry skin, and even then, use it sparingly, not suitable for people with combination skin.

There were some claims when I read online about this product that it would help get rid of redness, and although it has got rid of my dry skin I still have a patch of red skin on my cupids bow. However my skin looks brighter, clear and healthy, which in my book is all fantastic I haven’t had that for a while.

Virgin Coconut Oil Nourishing Night Cream

The Dr. Organics website says this about the Organic Coconut Virgin Oil range:
“A moisture surge overnight rescue with Organic Virgin Oil. It improves firmness and tone and protects against cell damaging free radicals. It is ideal for a deep penetrating overnight hydration. Leaving the skin more supple with a youthful appearance, stimulating the contraction of collagen fibres and protects the skin support tissue.”

I wake up with a lovely complexion every morning when I use this. I was thoroughly impressed with this cream, it’s thick in the jar, making it feel luxurious and rich – it is however not as thick and the manuka honey rescue cream. But melts perfectly into the skin to give a coverage that isn’t to heavy. The jar says this is also anti-aging, but that’s something very hard to test not having many wrinkles myself.

I’ve found both of these creams really effective for my skin, I have however gotten some blemishes while using these creams but nothing major, I feel that the look and texture of my new found skin out weights this problem. I would say if you have seriously dehydrated and dry skin on your face and neck the Manuka Honey cream will be perfect for you, I only had slight dryness and this has done more than enough – although the smell isn’t my favourite thing, I think it’s a Love/Hate smell but its not big deal.

However both of these creams are on the thicker side and with summer coming I would love to try out another of their creams that is slightly lighter but that still gives great effects.

I brought these creams from my local Holland and Barratt store but you can also purchase them online (click here).

Have you tried out any of the Dr. Organics products? Let me know how you found them.

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Tried & Tested| Body Moisturisers

Another tried and tested post, here are a number of moisturisers I have in my collection. I’ve reviewed each of them in a short but sweet way. I hope you enjoy…

Diprobase Cream Emollient:

Currently this is my daily moisturiser. On a prescription from the doctor this is an emollient cream meant to help treat eczema and other dry skin conditions. It helps to moisturise and protect the skin as well as soothing and relieving dry and redness causes my skin conditions. I use everyday after having a shower of bath. I find moisturisers work better when the skin is wet because it soaks in more, in my experience; I do something find when putting moisturisers on dry skin it can make me feel dirty and the skin feel especially heavy but this can go on dry skin without irritation to the skin, and soaks in just as well as having a shower.

Aloe Vera Gel: Olea

I’d never used a gel before but when my parents were holidaying in Greece they brought this back for me by someone who recommended it the shop. Its an all natural product and came with a pamphlet that explained all about the brand. I really enjoyed using this, it hydrated my skin, helped soothe my red itchy skin and left my skin the softest its ever been. This was only a small tube – my parents didn’t know if I would react to it or not, so small is always a good to go for if its a new product – I’ve repurchased another brand of the same product, also natural and I’m seeing the same effects on my skin. Currently I put this on as I get out of the shower/bath do my face moisturising/cleansing etc and then put on my diprobase cream. My skin has never felt so good. Great Combo!!
(My new gel was from Dr. Organic which can be brought online or at Holland and Barrett and was about £5 something)

Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days

When this first came out I went online to get a sample before they all ran out and it really hydrated my skin. However personally this is better for my body and legs, where my skin is less sensitive and dry. It leaves your skin hydrated and soft. On my arms and neck where I have the bulk of my eczema and dry skin it wasn’t enough. But is is a great light moisturiser for the summer.
(This can be purchased at any local drug store for around £1.99)
Cyclax Moistura, Super Rich Moisturising Lotion

This cream was given to my by my Gran who also suffers from an itchy skin condition. I found the smell of this to be quite overpowering, its a very ‘perfumed’ fragranced cream, but it hydrates well. But like the Garnier cream this was better for my body and legs rather than my arms. It has a light smooth textures and would be great for people who just needed a little hydration in the winter months.
(This retails about £4.99 I haven’t seen it in any drug stores but it can be found online.)

Clarins Body Rich Moisturising Body Lotion

LOVE THIS LOTION! Great hydration, I love all Clarins products. I found when I first started using this it helped clear my skin, hydrated and soothed my skin and had a great scent. Its not a majorly thick cream, but in the middle of light and thick, going on very smoothy. But it is on the expensive side (£24-30) and hate over spending when I have so many other products to use up but I definitely think I will be repurchasing this product.

I Love… Raspberry & Blackberry

Another product given to me by my boyfriend. He’s always getting me things to help with my eczema, he hates watching me itch etc. it is horrible. But anyways this has a great scent – you smell like a dessert which is excellent ha ha and it is a good moisturiser, I really liked it. I found it to be a strange texture however, it almost has a jelly look to it but its creamy at the same time – its quite hard to explain but it doesn’t really matter. (This retails around £2-3)

Coconut Body Butter: The Body Shop

This is one of my all time favourites. I’ve always had a pot of this in my draw, I have tried other body butters, but I aways return to body shop. Its application is good, not sticky and I dont have to spend loads of time rubbing it in. The results are instant with my skin displaying immediate softness and rehydration. It brings the smell of Summer to the cold of Winter especially during the winter months when my skin is suffering from the cold and I use this more and more.
(Depending what size you want this can be brought from £5 – £13 – but the body shop always has offers on).

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Eczema Kit Product #2

Ok so a while ago I wrote a post about one of products in my eczema fighting kit lol (click here), but having not added to it since I thought it was about time I did.

Product number two is usually a product that is constantly changing – usually because after some time my skin reactions to medicated products. Its to help with with patches of eczema that flare up. Currently this product is Hydrocortisone. Its a mild topical corticosteroid (also referred to as a topical steroid). Hydrocortisone relieves the symptoms of a flare-up by reducing inflammation, itching and redness. I have to tell you that it is not a cure for eczema, but it will help to relieve some of the symptoms.

This is a product that can be bought over the counter at pharmacies, without a prescription but I usually do, because the tube you get on prescription is larger. You’re meant to only use this for 7 days, but I’ve been using this for years now. NOT EVERYDAY HOWEVER!!

I did find after a long period of time that the side effects started to show (thinning skin or discolouration;). When summer came round and I started to tan (which is ever so slightly) patches of white skin where I had been applying the product stayed white. This scared me off it and I didn’t use it for a year worried about what is was doing to my skin – I tried using alternatives such as sudocream but it didn’t work as well and my skin suffered.

However when my skin got extremely bad I decided to go back to the cream because it was the only thing that helped with the inflammation, redness and generally helped clear up my skin. I now however only use this when I have a bad flare up. I no longer use it to help clear up any patches.

I don’t want to scare anyone off using this, because it has done wonders for my skin and is in my eczema kit. But at the time I was young and just wanted to get rid of all these horrid eczema patches over my arms and so used it more than I should have. But all in moderation it is a great product.

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First Impressions| bareMinerals Perfect Nude

So another new purchase the bareMinerals Perfect Nude Lip Trio.

I do like the bareMinerals products I have their make-up base and mineral foundation and when I saw this I just wanted it. I’ve started to wear lip liners and lip sticks etc together for work but I can never find good products to go together and I’m never any good at swatching lipsticks etc in the store. So when I saw this trio I thought the work was done all for me. In the box you get a lip liner, lipstick and lip gloss all in the shade ‘nude’. You could also get the box set in the shade bronze but I figured that my skin would be too pale for a bronze lip look.

When swatching the products on my hand, I felt they were a lot darker than I had initially thought they would be, expecting more pinky than the red I got. But putting the products on I rather liked the colours. I don’t think the lip liner matches the lip stick perfectly – at all- but if you blend the liner first before applying the lip colour they work much better.

The lip liner even has a built in sharper so you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself, I don’t quite know how that works yet but clever idea. One thing I don’t like about the packaging (and this is just a aesthetic thing) the lid off the top of the liner doesn’t fit onto the bottom so you can’t attach it – its no big deal its just something I like.

Moving onto the lipstick. Like the colour, HATE the texture, its so dry, normally putting on a lipstick it glides onto the lips – this is quite hard going. I’ve found wetting my lips and a bit of the product helps it on but it’s still not great. I like the lipstick I just wish it wasn’t so hard. I was a bit disappointed with it honestly – but great colour.

Now moving onto the lip gloss, great colour, great texture, I LOVE this, and I think even just the lip liner and the lip gloss would be a great combination. On top of the lipstick makes the look even more natural – I know glossy lips isn’t natural but the colour is fantastic. It’s not too sticky or heavy – it glides, but like all lip glosses re-application is required as it does come off but this doesn’t bother me, with the lip colour underneath it’s no big deal.

I like the kit just wish the lipstick was more glide-y lol and moisturising maybe this would help it. For the price which I thought was quite expensive £22.79 (this was the cheapest on all sites I looked on) – I’m a bargain hunter – if you look at the prices of the products singularly its good. However I will tell you, that you can’t find these ‘nude’ shade singularly I think they may have different names but the pack says they are all in the shades nude and none of the lip liners, lipsticks or lip glosses (sold separately) are named ‘nude’ – thats one of the reasons I brought the pack.

What do you think of the Look?

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First Impressions| Mavala Mini Trio (Nude)

I’m very much into natural colours and make-up looks atm. So I’ve been looking and buying many products associated with this. As many of my followers know I usually do a post on my Manicure of the week on a Monday, but with my busy work schedule over the bank holiday I wasn’t able to. Plus I was waiting for the products to arrive so I could do a post for you.

Mavala say they are a world leader in nail care created in 1958 by MAdelaine VAn LAndeghem. A Swiss beauty brand that specialise in the maintenance of beautiful looking nails and offer a complete range of products to alleviate all nail concerns, from uneven nail surfaces, splitting and flaking due to lack of hydration or nail discolouration, and offer a vast array of over 150 nail colours in shades ranging from chic yet understated, nudes to the bold and vibrant.

I opted for the Mini Trio Box set that came in the colours:

Vanilla – smooth ivory with a pearl finish
Glacier – a rose pink with a creme finish
Moon Grey – a soft shimmering grey

All 5ml and cost £9.50 – so £3 for each one basically.

I like the packaging, they say that they’re a nail cream – which I don’t understand what that means, because the texture isn’t creamy but quite watery, especially on the first coat. The second coat goes on more creamier than the initial coat. The grey colour seems to have coped quite well with only 2 coats and looks like it needs no other – as the instruction read (2 coats) but the other 2 are rather light and I can still see the white tips of my own nail through the varnish – further coats are definitely needed. But I will put a third coat for all my swatches of these colours so you can see them fairly, against one another.

But considering the texture of the ‘nail cream’ is rather watery they dry extremely fast, so it’s not long before you can put another coat on. So far I’m really enjoying the colours they remind me of a neutral primary colours or even red, white and blue. They have a great shine to them even without a top coat. Out of all the colours I surprisingly LOVE the yellow, Vanilla colour – but they are all great colours and a great pick-me-up in this awful grey weather that we’re having.

So far impressions are good. I will do another Manicure/Review post for you with just one of the Mavala nail creams (I think the Vanilla) and see how well the colour holds up. So far though, so good.

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Review| Pai Skincare Trial Pack

I wrote a post a little while ago about purchasing the Pai Skincare organic sample set (Click here to read post)- I thought it would be a good idea to review the samples for you to see how I got on.

Pai Skincare is a British made certified organic range, free from parabens and petrochemicals and a whole bunch of other unfriendly skin chemicals. The set is of course aimed at providing a taster to potential new clients, at a very reasonable £5.00.

It comes beautifully packaged in a little card box, with a pull out drawer to hold all your pots, this will slip neatly into an overnight bag. I thought these would be perfect for travelling, weekends & overnight stays etc especially if you were buying the products again.

The set contains 6 very sweet little pots of the following, plus a muslin cloth:

• Camellia & Rose x 5ml
  gentle hydrating cleanser
• Macadamia & Rose x 5ml
  dry skin cream
• Avocado & Jojoba x 4ml
  

  Pai Skincare Samples

  hydrating day cream

• Kukui & Jojoba Bead x 5ml
  skin brightening exfoliator
• Chamomile & Rosehip x 5ml
  sensitive skin cream
• Geranium & Thistle x 5ml
  combination skin cream

The smells of the products were all very nice, but from past experiences I was worried the strong scent would be a trigger for my eczema, but they weren’t.

The set is moisturiser heavy, but it’s a excellent way to try out all their lovely moisturisers, so you can be sure which one is right for you and although 5ml sounds a small amount there is plenty there for a good 3 or 4 days use. I of course having dry and sensitive skin I opted to just use the moisturisers for my skin type and gave the other 2 to my mum.

I really enjoyed using both the Avocado & Jojoba day cream and the Macadamia & Rose samples. The smells were incredible and I felt they really moisturised my face. My skin felt smooth and hydrated afterwards, however they didn’t hydrate well enough for me currently as I still had dry patches in places, where my skin is very dehydrated. But the creams worked well and I enjoyed them immensely.

Personally I’ve found the exfoliator and the cleanser has enough for 1-2 uses. I can’t say a bad thing about the cleanser I loved it so much I brought the 100ml bottle online – the smell again was A-MA-ZING! The texture of the product, out of the sample, was rather thick but you didn’t need to much of the product honestly. I rubbed it over my face and neck and then gentle exfoliated it into the skin in circular motions with the FREE muslin cloth, that came with it. I could feel it hydrating and moisturising my skin there and then – so soft. Another good product was the muslin cloth I’ve used it everyday since I received the sample set.

The brightening exfoliator was nice, strong scent and the texture was very fine, you could barely feel them until you started using it on your face. First time I used this my skin reacted a little and I was apprehensive about using it a second time – but my skin was already a little sensitive so thats probably why. But I noticed my skin was brighter and clearer after one use and the second time I noticed the same, I was even complimented on how great my complexion looked! Big positive!

I will definitely be purchasing and trying other Pai Skincare products in the future. I enjoyed using them and love the philosophy behind their brand.

Have you used any Pai Skincare products? Which do you own and recommend? 

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