Brighter skin

For a while now I've been looking for a body product that will brighten and remove any dead skin cells from my body. Products with AHAs even out skin tone and leave a brighter appearance, something that I was looking for. I have therefore been trying out products that claim to reveal newer skin.

I have had the Clarins one (Renew Plus Body Serum) for a while and like this as its a very lightweight consistency and is easily absorbed into my skin. I feel its very effective and leaves my skin looking more luminous. One downside though is the price. Another product at a similar price is the Clinique Turnaround Smoothing Body Cream. This is slightly thicker in texture and I feel is slightly more moisturising, which is good as summer is coming and no one wants to reveal dry skin, not a good look. It definately evens out my skin tone and my skin felt very smooth. On the hunt for a cheaper alternative I found the Palmers Cocoa Butter Skin Smoothing Lotion. As a lover of the original cocoa butter by Palmers I was keen to give this a shot. I love it, it feels light, yet moisturising and evens out my skintone. It brightens the skin and removes any dead skin cells. I think its the perfect mixture between moisture and brightening my skin tone. A new love for me and brighter, smoother skin for my body.

xxx

Nina by Nina Ricci

OK, so I have a bit of a collection going on here. I love this perfume. Not only do I have the full size, I have a mini one and a sample size for my handbag. Perfect for on the go touch ups. I also have the shower gel, deoderent (which I was given as a gift and found the concept weird, but I like it) and a couple of body lotions. I love to layer my scents as you can tell. It doesnt mean I smell overpowering, well I hope it doesnt, but just means it lasts longer. Its a very sweet and feminine scent and has hints of lemon, vanilla and toffee apple (hence the bottle.) Great perfume for the summer, yummy.

xxx

The removal of the makeup

I like to remove my makeup with a different product before using my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and at the moment, my product of choice is Mac's Cleanse Off Oil. I like the smell as its quite citrus like and very clean and fresh smelling. I like the texture, even though I was very skeptical of an oil at first, but I feel that as its an oil it melts off the makeup in a way that cream cleansers or washes dont. I also like how it turns into an oil and washes clean off the face and no residue is left behind - something I personally find very important. You can also use it on your eyes, but I tend not too as im not to keen on the feel of it on my eyes but thats just me. So all I do is remove my eye makeup first with any old eye makeup remover or baby wipe and apply the oil to my made up face. I massage it in quite welland then rinse off with water. Pretty simple really. Then I dry my face and apply my Cleanse and Polish cleanser and follow with Liz Earles 3 step routine and I'm done.

Sometimes I like to switch it up and use a different make up remover and my reserve is Garnier Fresh Essentials Normal /Combination cleansing milk and to remove any residue I use the matching toner. I like the scent to these and like the name, they do leave my skin feeling fresh and probably slightly more hydrated than the Mac Cleanse off oil.

xxx

Tangle teezer

Ok, so it looks like something you would brush a horse with or some kind of animal brush but its not. Its a great handheld brush that glides through your hair more easily and prevents breakage and detangles your maine (I mean hair :o) This brush was originally showcased on the TV programme Dragons Den and is now stocked online and in salons across the country.

I love mine, it makes brushing my hair so effortless and I can even use it when my hair is wet as it doesnt break my hair and detangles so easily. Im trying to grow my hair, even though its pretty long now. Using this brush means I eliminate any unnecessary pulling, therefore less breakage occurs and this will hopefully result in longer, healthier hair for me, woooo.

xxx

The perfect base

By this, I mean foundation or tinted moisturiser. Currently my two favourites are Nars Sheer Glow and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisteriser Oil free.

First with the Nars. A lot of people have raved about this product and I have to say, I agree with them. Its a fluid consistency that claims to "even skintone and leave the skin more brighter and radiant". It certainly does leave my skin with a smoother looking texture and I like the coverage it gives, not heavy at all with only a tiny amount of product. It blends well into the skin due to its light formula and looks natural on the skin. It lasts most of the day. However a few powder touch ups are needed here and there. I dont use a primer, but I am interested to see if the Nars primer would increase the staying power of the sheer glow (perhaps another product to add to my wish list.) Overall, a good product, and at the moment its my holy grail foundation. The name is slightly misleading though, as it is neither sheer (its a medium coverage) or particularly glowy, but I can use highlighters for that.

On to the Laura Mercier. This is a tinted moisturiser with an spf 20 and I use the oil free one. For days when I feel I need extra moisture or more of a glow (after a night out is a prime example) I just apply this with some concealer and im good to go. I like that this leaves my skin with a glowy sheen and feels lightweight (as its only a tinted moisturiser.) It controls oil breakthrough, being oil free, and adds a slight amount of moisture at the same time. However, when wearing this I still use my normal moisturiser as I feel its not hydrating me enough for a moisturiser. I think this product wll be great in the summer as with a tan I need even less coverage and the moisture and spf will be an added bonus.

xxx

Wish list

Here is a current wish list of things im longing for.......

♥ MD Dennis Gross Alpha Beta daily peel pads - as I have seen them on Belle du Jours blog and want to try them to get rid of any milia I have and refine my complexion.

♥ Sigma brushes - particularly the contour, stippling, concealer and powder brushes.

♥ By Terry Balme de Rose - yes its a ridiculously price lip balm but I long for soft slightly plumped lips.

♥ Mac Angel lipstick

♥ Estee Lauder Advanced night repair

♥ Some kind of intensive hair treatment for dry and coloured hair, not sure which brand yet, but im on the look out.

xxx

Summer nails

On a recent shopping trip I picked up two more Barry M Nail paints to add to my ever growing collection. Pink Flamingo (305) a fairly bright pinky coral colour and Mint green (304), a popular mint green summer colour. I like Barry M nail paints, they are cheap, come in great colours and can be layered to obtain desired colour intensity. These two are great colours for the summer months and brighten up any outfit.

xxx