Review - Kielh's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution!

O.M.G...holy grail product.

Hey guys, back today with another review. I am always on the look out for a product that will improve the appearance of my skin. As a teenager I had quite good skin and didn't really get any blemishes - which was lucky! This all changed when I started university. At the age of 19 I developed acne. The spots were located down the sides of my cheeks and were very painful. I started a cycle of Minocycline, which was the only treatment I could have as test results proved my body was resistant to other treatments. Weirdly after finishing uni and moving back home my skin improved dramatically, I no longer take medication for my skin which is amazing but I have been left my scarring and hyperpigmentation on my face. I have really oily skin too and it's been difficult to find foundations that work well with my skin type and have enough coverage to hide my scars. 

Enter this little wonder product! I had read a lot of reviews online before purchasing and had high expectations of its potential - and it hasn't let me down! The Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution is a serum aimed to reduce the appearance of dark spots, discolouration and hyperpigmentation. I use it once a day in the evenings. It has a lovely lavender scent which is nice and relaxing for bed time. I was skeptical at first on how the serum would work with my skin as the consistency felt quite oily, however it sinks into the skin quickly and there is no residue left over. I was also worried that I might experience breakouts but my skin has remained clear. After 2 weeks of use I started to see the visible effects of the serum on my skin. Redness had been reduced and my dark spots and hyperpigmentation seemed to be fading. Now a month into using the serum my skin is looking clearer than ever. I have even been able to mix my foundation with moisturizers for a lighter finish on the skin as I do not need nearly as much coverage as before! I am so happy to have finally found something that WORKS! 

I would highly recommend this product to anyone wanting to improve the overall appearance of their skin. It has worked absolute wonders for me. At £36.00 a pop this stuff is not cheap, but I will definitely be repurchasing it time and time again. Kielh's you've got yourself a winner here!

Kielh's have also released a whole new range of Clearly Corrective products which include: Clearly Corrective White Deep Moisture Clarifying Cream, Clearly Corrective White Purifying Cleanser, Clearly Corrective White Brightening Exfoliator, Clearly Corrective White Toner and Clearly Corrective White Hydrating Moisture Emulsion. All of which aim to improve overall radiance of skin by diminishing dark spots and discolouration! Which one would you like to try?

Thanks for reading

B xxx

Review - Elegant Touch Envy Wraps Patterned Colour Wash

Why hello! A very long time no post, shame on me. Truth is a lot has happened over the past 6 weeks, good and bad, most significant being my wonderful grandma passed away at the grand of age of 93, not bad gran! She will be greatly missed by all the family. 

Anyway, on a much more positive note I had an amazing time at Oceanfest with my friends and I can't wait to go again next year. During my weekend I tried out the Elegant Touch Envy Wraps in the hope that would be longer lasting than nail polish and not leave me modeling the chipped nail look! I chose the Patterned Colour Wash design simply because I thought it was the prettiest!

The pack gives you 18 wraps, which I found slightly annoying as you are only 2 short of being able to use them twice but nevermind! I've kept the spares to use for an accent nail look. The wraps are designed like a sticker were really easy to apply. The pack comes with a nail file to neaten up and shape them once you have applied them on. Some of them were a little bit big for my nails and if you have the same problem I would recommend trimming them down before you stuck them on!

As you can see they are super glossy and you do not need to apply any top coat. They stayed on for a whole week enduring rain, mud and sand! They probably would have lasted longer however I felt they were starting to look a little tatty by that point and were beginning to come away around the edges so I removed them just by peeling them off. I am definitely going to be repurchasing these, I also want to try out some different brands to see how they compare, in particular the Little Mix range! Nail wraps would be perfect for party or special occasion and at only RRP £5.00 (Boots) a pack it is a lot cheaper then having your nails done professionally! There are a few different styles to choose from too, which one would you pick?

 Thanks for reading

B xxx

My Top 10 Festival/Camping Essentials!

I am so so excited because next week I am off to Oceanfest festival in Croyde. I've already started packing and am determined to make this trip a glamping experience! Aside from the obvious toothbrush and toothpaste, these are my top 10 products for festivals and camping!

Click to enlarge me!

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical - A absolute must have for me is dry shampoo! When my hair starts to look flat and greasy this is going to bring it back to life. Simply spray onto dry hair, brush through and hair instantly looks clean and bouncy. I use this all the time at home, even on clean hair, to add extra volume. How many more times can I say hair in the paragraph? Some of the scents are a little off but this tropical fragrance smells amazing, like coconut and pineapple! RRP £2.99

Got2b Oil-licious Styling Oil by Schwarzkopf - While the top of my hair gets greasy when not washed, the ends get very dry. I usually use the L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil however the bulky glass bottle is not suitable for travelling, so when I saw this mini 50ml Schwarzkopf version I thought I would pick it up and test it out. It does the job perfectly and the argan oil leaves the ends of my hair shiny, soft and frizz free! It claims to leave no residue on your hands after application but I still felt my hands were a little oily after use. RRP £4.05 (Superdrug) 

Hand Maid Hand Cleansing Gel by Soap and Glory - Festival port-a-loos are probably the most unglamorous place on earth so hand sanitizer is vital! Soap and Glory's version is my favourite as it is scented just like all their other products instead of that horrible strong alcohol smell. RRP £2.50

 Clean and Fresh Handy Wipes - While the hand sanitizer kills the germs, hand wipes are good for mucky hands, particularly if things get a little muddy! I picked up a pack of 4 from Home Bargins for £1.00 incase of sticky situations. You can get these anywhere, mine are nothing special!

MUA Glamour Nights Palette - Sadly this palette seems to be sold out everywhere but if you can get hold of it I think it will be great for festivals. It has a mixture of neutrals and brights, all with really great pigmentation. I plan on using the brighter colours for the evenings to create dramatic and playful looks, once I've added some glitter and gems I should really look the part! RRP £4.00

 Nivea Refreshing Facial Cleansing Wipes for Normal to Combination Skin - Face wipes are another camping fundamental item. These Nivea wipes cleanse, tone and hydrate skin whilst removing even waterproof makeup. I chose these wipes in particular ones as they came in a handy miniature pack of 7 wipes and won't bulk up my bag. RRP £1.09 (Boots)

Natural Collection Apple and Lime Body Spray - With the lack of washing facilities when camping smelling clean isn't easy. This body spray is ideal. It has a lovely fruity scent and makes you feel really refreshed when spritzed on the skin. The scent lasts well too and comes in lots of different fragrances, Apple and Lime is my favourite. RRP £2.00

Revlon Lip Butter in Watermelon - These lipsticks are so moisturising and have a great colour pay off. They are super easy to apply, in fact you don't even need a mirror, making them perfect for camping and festivals. There are lots of shades to chose from but my current favourite is Watermelon. RRP £7.99

No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream - BB creams are a fantastic invention, providing both natural coverage and hydration for skin, great for camping with it's 2 in 1 properties.  I like this one in particular as it has SPF 15 which will help to protect my skin when outside all day. It is really easy to apply and blends in well with just my fingers so need to worry about brushes. There are 3 different formulas to chose from depending on your skin type. RRP £12.95

Beauty Formulas Feminine Intimate Deodorant - Lets not beat around the bush (ha see what I did there?!). If you can't shower then this is a great product. It makes you smell nice and feel fresh without upsetting things down there. I guess it might be a little inappropriate to include this but girls need to know about this if they are going camping...its brilliant! RRP £3.99

So there you have it, my top 10 camping essentials...of course me being me I'm bringing a truck load of other products too but these are definitely going to be the most useful. If you are going to any festivals or camping this summer I hope this was helpful. Oceanfest here I come! Thanks for reading

B xxx

 

Blush Lust!

Omg! There are some seriously gorgeous blushers out there at the moment and I've got my eye on these high-end beauts! So let us all take a moment to lust over things we can't afford....sigh!

Starting from the top left:

Yves Saint Laint Touche Blush in Rose

Estee Lauder Blush in Light Show

DiorSkin Nude Tan Paradise Duo Iridescent Blush and Bronzing Powder

Too Faced Sweetheart Perfect Flush Blush 

Lancome Blush In Love in Pommettes Damour

Yves Saint Laint Touche Blush in Rose - I have never actually tried any YSL products and I don't know why! I guess I just haven't gotten round to it yet, but when I do take the plunge this is going to be one of the first items I purchase. This adorably designed blusher comes with its very own built in powder puff to apply the product, good for on the go as there is also a mirror on the lid. I would be interested to know how hygienic that puff is after a while though...? The blush is said to be ultra fine to give a natural finish, it also has an iridescent shimmer to highlight the cheeks and give you a healthy glow. RRP £29

Estee Lauder Blush in Light Show -  This beautiful peachy-coral coloured blush is part of the new sixties inspired Mad Men collection and was launched alongside a gorgeous bright pink lipstick (Pinkadelic) and shimmery light pink nail varnish (Pink Paisley). The packaging is absolutely stunning and caught my attention straight away. Inside is a handy sponge to apply the product although I must admit I never use these type of applicators, but it definitely adds a touch of luxury. It's a limited edition and seems to be sold out everywhere so if you get the chance to pick it up don't dawdle! RRP £48

DiorSkin Nude Tan Paradise Duo Iridescent Blush and Bronzing Powder - Phew! That's a bit of a mouthful! This bronzer/blush compact features light and dark versions of both, aiming to sculpt and highlight the face. You can choose from two glowing shades of pink and coral to give you the ultimate sunkissed and radiant look, its the pink shade I'm after! The sleek packaging and embossed product oozes sophistication. Dior is quickly becoming one of my favourite high-end brands, I don't buy it often because of the price but when I do fork out it's a real treat. RRP £40 

Too Faced Sweet Perfect Flush Blush - As soon as I saw this I wanted it! I am such a girly girly and to be honest it was the packaging that sold this product to me straight away. Once I had finally gotten over the sheer delight that this blush is heart shaped and looked at the actual product inside I realised just how lovely it is. There are three different shimmering shades, rose, peach and coral, which are said to work on all skin tones and have a baked formula. The blush is part of the Spring 2013 collection 'Boudoir Beauty'. RRP £24.

Lancome Blush in Love in Pommettes Damour - Lancome released it's new collection 'In Love' this Spring which was modelled by Emma Watson. The collection does not disappoint, there are a number of items I would like to get my hands on and this blush is at the top of the list! Once I saw Emma wearing it I fell in love! There is a choice of shades, 'Pommettes Damour' (pink and peach) and 'Peche Joue Joue' (two peach shades), personally I think Pommettes Damour appears better value for money as you get two very different colours for the price of one!  RRP £34

So which one am I going to succumb to first...? Well Estee Launder is leading the race currently and Lancome is closely following! Since most of these products are Spring editions I don't think they will be around for much longer! Have you used any of these products? Let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!

B xxx

Mac's Haute and Naughty Mascara Review!

I recently picked up the new Mac mascara 'Haute and Naughty' and thought it would be good to do a review to tell you what I think about it. 

Firstly, I absolutely love the packaging! Anything pink, purple and sparkly is good with me! It is a two in one design featuring a defining, natural look and a dramatic, fuller look. I really like this type of design as it is so versatile, but I have yet to come across one that I really love, especially as I usually prefer plastic wands instead of brushes...could this be the one?

No mascara on curled eyelashes

Lashes after applying the natural wand

To apply the defining and natural look simply unscrew the top part of the mascara (the pink bit!). I really love the effect this gave my lashes, it defined them beautifully and gave them a perfect amount of volume for daytime. It didn't lengthen them that much, but luckily I have quite long eye lashes already so that was fine with me! If you do prefer something that lengthens then this might not be a great choice for you. The wand is a nice size (not too big) which made it easy to apply. It lasted all day and didn't smudge on my oily eyelids! All in all I am very happy with the results! 

Time to see if the fuller version is as good...

No mascara on curled lashes

Lashes after applying the dramatic wand

Unscrew the purple lid and the wand is heavily loaded with mascara which creates a false lash look. This really added volume to my eyelashes and unlike the natural design it lengthen them too. As it is the same wand (just with more product) I found it easy to apply and it lasted well like before. I didn't apply much, a couple of sweeps was plenty and my friends thought I was wearing falsies! There is a risk of clumping if you apply to much...as I discovered! 

I tried using both wands together, the natural one first to define and then the dramatic one for volume and length, however this didn't really have the desired effect! It ended up being a whore lash situation ladies, I wouldn't recommend it! It is definitely one wand or the other! #clumpclumpcitybitch

I used a face wipe to remove it at the end of the evening and it came away quite easily but my god it went EVERYWHERE! My face was completely covered in it! You might need two wipes to actually get you're face clean!

To conclude I am very happy with my new mascara! It will be perfect for my upcoming weekend away with the girls, a natural look for in the day and a dramatic look for the evening - no need to pack two mascaras or false eyelashes! At RRP £18.00 I think this is a really reasonable price for the results it gave me! Have you tried it? How did it work for you? Thanks for reading!

B xxx

My Top 5 Summer Nail Varnish Colours!

Left to Right - Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Blueberry, Rimmel Lasting Finish- Misty Jade, Models Own Scented - Banana, Mac Cream Nail Lacquer - Impassioned, OPI - Significant Other

Hello there!

Summer is just around the corner, well sort of! The weather here in 'Sunny Wiltshire' is not very sunny! Ever the optimistic I have picked out my top 5 summer nail varnish colours, which I have already been wearing! 

Barry M Hi-Shine in Blueberry - This is a gorgeous bright sky blue colour. Now I am a bit iffy with blue nail varnish, I like the idea of it but when I actually apply it I think 'jeez that looks so tacky!' and immediately remove it. However this is just lovely and also looks great on toes! The gelly finish makes your nails look super glossy, especially after two coats. The staying power isn't so bad either, it usually lasts 3 days on my nails. RRP - £3.99

Rimmel Lasting Finish in Misty Jade - I wouldn't call this Misty Jade, it has far more of a mint tone once applied. Unlike other mint nail varnishes I have encounter this is really bright. You have to apply 3 coats to get it looking like it does in the bottle, but once it is one it looks lovely. It is pretty cheap too but can get a little streaky if not applied carefully...or with patience as I discovered. I find the staying power on these really good, they last especially well in water so good for the beach! RRP - £2.99

Models Own Scented in Banana - Scratch the lid and you get a sickly sweet banana smell. To be honest I brought this more because of the scent then I did the actual colour, but to my surprise I adore it and it has quickly become on of my most worn nail varnishes. It is nice and summery but subtle enough that I have even got away with wearing it at work. The smell doesn't really last though, in fact once I had applied a top coat I could barely smell it - gimmick alert! RRP - £5.00

  
Mac Cream Nail Lacquer in Impassioned - I received this as a gift from my friend, she knows me to well. This is gorgeous bright coral. The varnish is so pigmented that you only need to apply one coat, great if you are running out the door. It dries nice and quickly too. I've not tried any other Mac nail varnishes so I am not sure if all of them are this good! It is a little bit more than what I would usually pay for a nail varnish, but as it was a gift I can't complain! RRP - £10.00

OPI Nail Lacquer in Significant Other - This is one of my all time favourite colours! It is just beautiful! A gorgeous lilac colour with green shimmer, sounds disgusting right? WRONG! If you get the chance to purchase it do, you won't be disappointed. When the light catches it you can see all the green shimmer which is why it is perfect for the summer. It is not to bright either so if you are afraid to go bold then this is a lovely alternative. It looks great with just one coat however you can build the colour up to get it looking more like in the bottle too. RRP - £11.50 (from John Lewis)

So there you have it! My top 5 nail varnishes for summer. What are yours? I would love to know as I am always on the hunt for a new colours. Thanks for reading! 

B xxx

Introducing Myself!

Hello there!

So I thought it would be best to do a little introduction. My name is Brogan – nice to meet you! I'm a post grad university student with little direction but a lot of big dreams! If you've recently graduated university then I'm sure you feel the same way! I thought blogging would be a good way to bring some structure back into my life and keep the creative juices flowing! For me, there was only one topic I wanted to focus on...the glorious world of beauty, in particular MAKEUP, I am a complete junkie...for makeup that is!!! Anyway, lets cut to the facts, I've answered 5 questions below about me (this sounds so vain, cringe!) and hopefully this will give a little insight into my life...without being to personal! So here we go...

1. How old are you?

I am 23! I feel like I've got to that age where I get excited but also slightly depressed about my birthday...because I know I am going to be another year old and the days partying and reckless behaviour (not too reckless mind!) are slowly slipping away!

2. Where are you from?

Currently I am living in South West England, with the olds! Moving back in with my parents after uni was...surprisingly OK! We have a very independent family, so mostly we all keep to ourselves, that's not to say we don't love eachother of course!

3. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

I actually don't. My parents only wanted one and here I am! I am proud to say though that not one person I have met has described me as spoilt. I work hard for what I have! Of course I realise that by being an only one there are definitely privileges I get that someone with perhaps two siblings wouldn't, but, I really appreciate my parents for everything they do for me.

     4. Your style?

I like floral patterns a lot, particularly Cath Kidston! All her prints are simply gorgeous. I never really wear jeans or trousers, just dresses and skirts with tights...probably because I just grew out of all my jeans! I love my cardigans and always wear a scarf in any weather condition, I feel naked without one! I hardly wear jewelery, just earrings and a ring. Flat shoes, never heels – cant walk in them! I usually wear quite neutral  eye makeup and a bright lip. Just a normal girly girl really!

     5.  Things you couldn't live without? (Aside from the obvious like food and water!)

I couldn't be without my family and friends (so soppy), I swear my laughter lines are going to be so bad when I am older because they make me laugh every single day. Gadget wise, my laptop and ipod hold my whole world. Makeup wise it has to be Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, (I actually named it as my hero in the year book when I left school!) I have a really oily complextion! And finally cosy pyjamas bottoms...I rarely get completely dressed unless I'm going out!

So There you have it! There's abit about me, I hope it wasn't boring...people that talk too much about themselves are boring...awks! Thanks for reading! Bye!

B xxx

I took this picture the other day when the weather was actually nice enough to have the car windows down!