inspiration to write from a fellow blogger

My perfect primer and beauty buy.- Thanks to a very useful review by SUNDAY GIRL I have decided to include my own review of a high end primer as opposed to the less sigh inducing high street versions. I first decided to try this when I had to get a Clarins press loan for the Kensington and Chelsea review. One of their lovely representatives based in Boots suggested I try it. It "fills and smoothes as it glides invisibly over the skin...Line-filling and skin-smoothing Acacia Micro-Pearls... lodge themselves in wrinkles and like tiny sponges swell and plump the skin as they absorb moisture." Well that it did. It has a smooth paste like consistency and you use a very minimal amount, I mean half the size of a garden pea amount, glide over your finger tips and smooth out in problem areas. I use it on my forehead, cheeks and nose. It is a fabulous 'base' for your base, it removes excess oil and sebum- less use for mattifying powders this way; and it DOESN'T dry out dry skin. I use it everyday under my foundation and it pats on a treat, you can also, as it suggests use it without foundation, just as a natural base, it is completely clear. My make up generally stays put anyway but this does give it a hand. It is quite expensive, £24.00 for 15ml, but it is worth it. A fab treat for yourself.


BUY HERE

IT'S CHANEL DARRRRRLING

CHANEL: Hydramax+Active Nutrition Nourishing Cream for Dry Skin: REVIEWED!


So to remind you, I tried out CHANEL: Hydramax+Active Nutrition Nourishing Cream for Dry Skin, as seen below:

Ok, so for what I WANTED it to do, it was amazing. I shall now explain what I wanted it to do and tell you . Applying a broad bean I assumed it would be a fab day cream. Until I put my make up on top of it. Now I do not wear a lot of make up, I wear a light weight light coverage foundation, a generous dash of colour corrector and the usual mattifying and shimmery powders... and it got dry, really rather dry, at midday! I have a few mirrors where I work and I check my skin when I am testing every time I was past them, which is maybe every half hour ( ok maybe a bit more than that) and my skin had sucked everything out of the poor Chanel Hydramax by midday. So, maybe I just have dry skin? Maybe it was the product? SO, I tested it purely as a night moisturiser, and to my surprise it worked really beautifully. My skin was very hydrated throughout the night and when I woke after about 8 hours, my skin was still very nicely hydrated! Whilst it's not the best day cream I think it works fabulously as a night cream. Priced at £47.00 for 50g Buy Here: BOOTS

...SIMPLES

I am prepared to admit that until very recently I was blooming useless at skin care, always using soap and water to wash my face even though I knew I shouldn't. It was a cardinal sin for the Beauty Artist in me. The genius of what I would call High Street skincare and the gumption to ask for samples from your local Selfridges/ Boots or House of Fraser has taught me that it doesn't have to be a mission OR ridiculously expensive.

So a trip has led me to Simple. Simple is really quite an amazing brand. It contains a comparatively small amount of parabens and general bad stuff that can make your skin feel questionable. It's fragrance free, colour free and contains Pro- Vitamin B5 among other lovely things. It is also used in every type of kit and beauty regime from Lisa Eldridge to your Grandma.

I tested:

Simple Kind to Eyes Nourishing Eye Make Up Remover Cream 100ml £3.99: I started by wetting my face with warm/hot water. Placing a thumb sized blob on my fingers and massaging it over my eye area was easy and painless enough to do :) all good so far. I then wiped it off with gentle sweeping motions with dampened cotton wool pads. One of the first things I noticed was how moisturising it was and then secondly how much dirt it actually removed from my skin at the same. Fabulous! I then proceeded to Cleanse Tone Moisturise as normal.

Verdict: Lovely. Completely cleansed my eye area with zero irritation - I have very sensitive skin, no bubble bath or heavily scented moisturisers for me :( - and I haven't even needed an eye cream so far ( I tested that bit too just incase). Buy at: Boots

and for the less extravagant:: NEUTROGENA

On a separate trip to Boots, I decided to venture into the world of Neutrogena, I am usually a Vaseline kinda lady but it's stopped working for me lately.

I bought and have been using the following for two days:

Neutrogena® Visibly Clear® Pink Grapefruit Cream Wash 150ml £4.49: This smells very citrusy and fresh, is of a nice non greasy consistency and is pale pink in colour. Having first wet my face and neck thoroughly with warm- hot water and then put a small ish blob onto my fingers and massaged gently on my cheeks, t zone area (forehead nose and top lip) and my temples while my skin was still wet. I then wet some cotton wool pads, squashed them between my palms to drain and swept upwards and outwards and gentle motions until my face was clear of face make up, grime and general dirt. NOTE: I didn't use this product or the next mentioned toner on or close to my eyes. I have a separate cleanser. It felt nice, fresh and tingly on my skin. It also did not leave my skin feeling tight and dry like some cleansers do. TIP: I cannot explain often enough how it is also incredibly important to wet your cotton wool BEFORE using it with product. It doesn't drag the skin as much as using it dry and also makes your product go further.

Neutrogena® Visibly Clear® Oil- Free Moisturiser 50ml £4.07: After towel drying my face I applied a blob of moisturiser about the size of a thumb nail to my fingers and rubbed between them, I then applied using individual fingers to areas of my face, excluding the eye area. It felt very zingy- which is why I was at first cautious and then definite to not apply it to the eye area. TIP: This feeling can often be mistaken for being allergic to the product, if you cannot get samples of a product or you have already bought it anyway perform a skin allergy test. This is crucial for all products you use on your skin and should be performed at least 48 hours before you are to use it properly. A small patch of skin either on the inside of your elbow or behind either ear can be used for this. Any redness or reaction and pop yourself along to your Doctor/GP asap. It was blended into my skin really nicely and left my skin feeling soft and hydrated for around 9 hours. - I have notoriously dry and dehydrated skin so this was lovely to feel!

Verdict: Very surprising, it was a lovely and convenient product to use, fairly inexpensive, nice textures and kept my skin feeling lovely for a while. It got rid of my drier patches for a few hours. It's a definite if you are on a lower budget!

CLARINS and the beauty of samples...

OK, so I walked into Boots the other day, decided to try out some Clarins' products. My skin has been really dry and under nourished for some time now. Having tried other products samples with a hefty price tag I found they just were not going to benefit me.

So I walked into Boots by Bond Street station and a lovely assistant helped me pick some products to try judging by what products I already use, have used, and what routine or non routine I have. I have rated the products as an altogether thing as I really do think they should be used as a team.

Here is what I got to try:

Clarins Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs for Dry/Normal Skin 10ml tester: Smells incredibly fresh, slightly woody and old fashioned- much like all of the Clarins tested products ( good so far!) Looks pale blue in colour. Having first wet my face and neck thoroughly with warm- hot water and then put a small ish blob onto my fingers and massaged gently on my cheeks, t zone area (forehead nose and top lip) and my temples while my skin was still wet. I then wet some cotton wool pads, squashed them between my palms to drain and swept upwards and outwards and gentle motions until my face was clear of face make up, grime and general dirt. NOTE: I didn't use this product or the next mentioned toner on or close to my eyes. I have a separate cleanser.

Clarins Toning Lotion with Chamomile for Dry/ Normal Skin 10ml tester: Smells like an English/ French garden in summer! Glorious! Has a yellow colour and like most toners I have come across is in water like liquid form. I put four blobs of the toner on a wet ( as before) cotton wool pad and swept as before across the same areas as before. Unlike other toners this felt like it was cleansing my skin and tightening my pores but not in a drying or irritating way.

Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi- Phase for Dehydrated Skin 3ml tester: Smells incredibly fresh and garden-y and has a delicate oil texture. Two drops per CTM routine is more than enough. Like most serums I have seen in the past this is meant to be used sparingly. I used straight after I had Cleaned and Toned and noticed a difference in my skin almost straightaway. I used one drop on each check area and also massaged into my top and bottom lip area. Unlike alot of other oil based products it blended into my skin very nicely and LIGHTLY.

FINALLY: Clarins Hydra Quench Cream Normal/ Dry Skin 5ml tester: Again smells very fresh and clean, white in colour. I used a small blob, about the same as the cleanser. Rubbing light along my fingers and massaging finger by finger around my face- again like the cleanser and toner deliberately leaving out my eye area. It was soft and smooth to blend into my face.

VERDICT: An absolute must if you can afford it!!! I am not usually incredibly enthusiastic about skin care products, I find them very hard to test and generally end up with bad results. As skincare is of upmost importance to a Make Up/ Beauty Artist, it sets the foundation for the rest of the work on the face that you do, it is hard to get it right, especially if you have to pay alot of money for it. But Clarins have come up trumps. It got rid of my drier patches of skin straight away and my face felt smooth, silky and nourished after 12 hours! It will definitely be going into my kit as soon as my next paycheck comes through!!! For full prices go to Boots.