Salt Treatment?

Do you ever wish that you were on holiday so that the sun, sea and sand do wonders for your skin? I always do. A few days ago, for unknown reasons - probably because I was ill, experimenting with skin care or just hormonal, I got 2 spots. I didn't want to put any chemicals on it and wanted something fuss free. I usually use honey for spot treatments, but I wasn't in the mood for 'sticky'.

Image: Google

I headed for the kitchen, picked up the salt shaker, wet my hand and applied some salt onto it. I then, dabbed the wet salt onto the subject area. I felt some stinging, which immediately made me feel 'Ooo ahh, it's working'. The stinging lasted for a few minutes, and then I just dusted the salt off and let my skin breathe.

I did some google'ing and came across several topics about using salt in skincare. There were 2 things that jumped out.

• Acne Treatment
• Exfoliation

According to this website Salt (Sodium Chloride) is an astringent and anti-inflammatory. This website states that it softens skin and acts as a detoxifying cleanser that draws impurities out of the body through the skin.

If you think about it we are advised to use salt water to rinse our mouths if we get an ulcer to help clear it up, so why shouldn't it work on spots? Using salt water as a toner for your face will probably work wonders. I have only used it for a few days and am liking the effects, one of my spots has almost disappeared and the other is flat as a button but slightly pink.

However, after more research I came across an interesting article on Savvy Skin. Jeni, the writer posted a list of skincare ingredients to avoid if you have acne-prone skin. Sodium chloride (salt) is on that list, perhaps things we consider 'natural' remedies are more harmful than they are good? It's a tough one as skin care is SO personal. Personally, I am all for natural ingredients, The best ever skin treatment I have had is definitely sea water which does wonders for my skin, some others include, honey and lemon juice. Our ancestors didn't have a choice of complex skincare products like we do today. Coconut oil is on the list too which seems a little bit crazy.

I thought I would pick your brain a little with this post. What are your views?

Scent-Sational...

This morning I was greeted with a mahoosive size of Calvin Klein - Euphoria from my dad and it got me thinking, why the hell did I do without it for so long and decided to make a list of my favourite perfumes and share them with you.

I have sectioned my favourites into 3 rows horizontally.

• 1st Row: Evening scents. The last two are so sweet you might be sick, but not me. :)
• 2nd Row: Sweet Fruity daytime scents. Warning: some may find them TOO sweet, but I don't!
• 3rd Row: Fresh daytime scents

1) Calvin Klein – Euphoria (Dark, sexy, sophisticated & slightly sweet scent.)
2) Gucci – Flora (Sophisticated floral scent.)
3) Britney Spears - Midnight fantasy (Dark, sexy & VERY sweet scent.)
4) Britney Spears – Fantasy (VERY sweet scent.)
5) Cacharel – Amor amor (Sweet fruity scent.)
6) Nina Ricci – Nina (Sweet fruity scent.)
7) YSL – Babydoll (Fluffy Sweet fruity scent.)
8) Escada – Pacific Paradise (light sweet tropical summer scent.)
9) Escada – Sunset Heat (light sweet tropical summer scent.)
10) D & G – Light Blue (light fresh scent.)
11) Davidoff – Cool water (light fresh scent.)
12) Cerruti – 1881 (light, fresh & feminine scent.)
13) L’occitane – Cherry Blossom (light, fruity & refreshing scent.)
14) Vera Wang – Princess (light, fresh, vanilla scent.)

I personally don't like to own all of these perfumes at once, I prefer to have about 5 on the go and buy new ones as they finish. I don't want them to clog up valuable space and I seriously don't think it's necessary to own so many at once as they can go off.

And....


My favourite men's scent has to be Paco Rabbane '1 Million'. Every time my husband sprays it, it sends me a little bit crazy. It smells SO amazing! So, if you are stuck on buying the boyfriend or hubby something, definitely get him this! Look at the packaging....

What are your favourite scents?

Images from google search engine, I was not paid to do this post and I am not a secret perfume shop owner trying to get rid of my stock! :)

Bourjois Bloggers Event London HQ!

I was lucky enough to attend the Bourjois headquarters in London for a bloggers event yesterday, and I have to say that it was so organised and LOTS of fun! There was only a select few people, which enabled us all to all interact and make it very personal. The HQ itself is so cute, and looks like a fun office to work in. All the girls that worked there are uber gorgeous,very friendly and so down to earth.

What do I see as soon as I walk in to the room we were supposed to be in?

Cupcakes, and lots of them!


Bourjois have launched a fantastic Spring range that is mainly inspired by corals, peaches and golden hues. This is their ad poster that was created in Paris.

The event started off with lots of eating and talking, we then watched a presentation of the Spring make up demonstrated by Bourjois make up artist Cassie Lomas. She was so lovely, she can do my makeup any day!

Look how beautiful the models lips look, it's a sheer tangerine tone lipstick she is wearing but look at how pigmented it is. I want!! There was also a gold / green eyeliner pencil which looked amazing worn on the inner 1/3 of the lower lashline.

Bourjois is a brand with a lot of history, it was actually launched in Paris by Alexander Napoleon Bourjois in the 18th Century. This was a time when respectable women hardly wore makeup, However, Alexander changed that after his inspiration of the theatre and love for the stars of the stage. He created a light quality stage make up that became the "Official supplier to the imperial Theatre".

Below are a few variations of what their packaging was like in the 18th Century. I think it looks SO beautiful and that the new packaging of Bourjois should go back to its roots.

Here's me giving you a pose!

And here's Vex In The City and me giving you some cheesy grins!

After much chit chat after the presentation, we were to go up and choose what we wanted from a huge selection that was laid out for us. I think this was very thoughtful as we didn't end up with a foundation that was 10X too light for us or a lipstick shade we would never wear. (The photo you see is an 'after' pic by the way!)

We also had some makeup bags, how cute!

Well, I have plenty to be trying and testing. No1 on my test-list is the new 'Healthy Mix' foundation they have launched. Will I like it as much as their 10hr sleep effect? We shall see! I will probably end up doing a 'favourites' post.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend! X

Lush Haul

I squeezed in a small trip to Lush yesterday, here's what I got:

Honey I washed the kids - Soap. I love this SO much!

Tea Tree toner - My skin likes this A LOT.

The comforter - Bubble bar. OMG the last time I used this I was at college! Crazy, I know.

Happy blooming bath melt - 1st time purchase!

Ultimate Shine - Solid shampoo. 1st time purchase.

Godiva - Solid shampoo & conditioner. 1st time purchase. Used this once so far, it's quite nice. However, you can't get away with just using this. You still need a 'proper' conditioner.

Jungle - solid conditioner. 1st time purchase. Used this once so far, it's horrid. It doesn't even come close to conditioning the hair. I had to shampoo again to wash it all out and then conditioned with Bodyshops banana conditioner.

I forgot to buy ocean salt, Angels on bare skin and Turkish Delight smoothie shower soap! That's what you get for not making a list!

What have you purchased from Lush recently and are any of you ANTI LUSH?

I got my hair done!

How scared do I look in my before picture in the salon? :)

I initially went in requesting a VERY light caramel brown colour, which the stylist was happy to do, but after careful consideration I decided to stick to the brown tone I already had, but to make it brighter as it would be easier to manage when growing my hair. We also decided that this was the colour best suited for my complexion and eye colour.

Surprisingly my hair feels so much longer even though I had loads cut off, is that even possible?

Most of the photos were taken with flash, in reality the colour is much lighter and more of a golden brown, it looks SO beautiful under natural light. The photo's below were taken without flash, it gives you a good idea of the exact shade.

I can also sweep my hair to the side, which gives me a long side fringe...

Or, I can part it from the middle which gives me lovely layers that frame my face.

I had my hair done complimentary for review purposes at the Puro lifestyle salon and spa which is an Aveda lifestyle salon. The salon is very new offering a huge range of hair services and various treatments, including facials, stone massages and nail treatments. It is situated on 19 Cumberland Place, London (Near Marble Arch Station) W1H 7AS.

What exactly did they do to my hair? I had most of my hair coloured to a shade that was close to my natural colour, the stylist used a different colour on my roots, and a different colour on my ends and then blended them together as the ends of my hair were quite ashy. I had some foil highlights put at the front to add dimension. I had a haircut which basically consisted of chopping off all of my frazzled ends which was A LOT and adding lots of layers and finishing off with a blowdry.

The salon is very sleek, classy and modern. My stylist coincidentally was a Turkish lady called 'Ayten', she was SO lovely, and made me feel very comfortable and relaxed as I was super nervous and scared. She made me aware that this is how she treats everybody and that I wasn't getting any extra special treatment. The great thing about Aveda is all their hair dyes are 'natural', they keep a record of whatever they use on their system, so it's easy the next time you pop in. Contact number for the salon is: 0207 723 5028 Cut and blowdry starts from £45.00.

So. what do you all think of my new hair? :) It's not a drastic change, but I LOVE it! Clearly I'm going to be blogging about hair more often.

I gave my mum a makeover...

I have always been close with my mum, and grew up playing around with her hair and doing her makeup. Today, she asked me to do her makeup and I this is what I came up with. I tried to stick to a 'natural' theme. *Claps* for my mum for allowing me to post her 'Before' picture with NO makeup. My mum looks young anyway, but I really feel the makeup I did, just made her look even younger.



To a moisturised face I applied...

• Bourjois 10hr sleep effect foundation, YSL Touche Eclat concealer under the eyes and to highlight the face, and I dusted Mac's sheer mystery powder to set. (Image 1. shows what her face looked like at this stage.)

I then applied....

• The taupe e/s from Nars 'Madrague duo' to her crease, and the vanilla e/s to the entire lid from the same duo. I used Eyeko's line & shine, black glitter pencil to tightline and also applied to the waterline.
• Benefit's Eyebright to the inner corners of the eye. Max factor lash extension mascara and I groomed her brows with Mac's clear brow gel, and filled in any sparse areas.
• For her cheeks I used Nars 'Orgasm' as blush, Too faced bronzer from the 'Starlette' palette and MeMeMe gold cream to highlight her cheekbones.
• On her lips I used the nude/peach shade also from the 'Starlette' palette from Too faced, and I applied the silverish colour on the middle parts of her lips to help them look fuller. I also used a lipliner by Prestige called 'Silk' to neatly line her lips. (Image 2. shows what her face looked like after this stage.)

My mum is a very cheerful person, and can see the funny side of EVERYTHING.

My mum felt the need to apply a bright lipstick, but I stopped her, I was like 'no, this is a natural look' but, then she asked to have winged eyeliner... I couldn't refuse. Here's what it looked like.

I asked my mum what her secret to looking so young was, and this is what she said:

"I regularly do facial yoga/exercises, I really believe it's helped to lift my eyes. I do it every morning for different parts of my face and highly recommend it. I only wear foundation on very special occasions. Cleanse, tone and moisturise, wear SPF. Stay positive, and don't stress!!"

Well, lets hope I look like that at 44, *praying it's genetics* :)

What anti aging tips do you have?

Review - Bourjois 10hr Sleep Effect Foundation!

Finally, my review on this foundation! Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation is an anti-fatigue foundation enriched with a high concentration of vitamins E, F, B5 and minerals. Claiming to give you a fresh complexion even if you haven't slept for 10 hours.

Believe it or not, this was the first ever foundation I tried about a year and a half ago and I actually went through quite a few bottles of it. I also wore it on my wedding day which says a lot. But, curiosity got the better of me and I started exploring as time went on.

This time when I repurchased recently I actually took my time in reading everything on the bottle, I discovered that it was OIL FREE which really brightened up my day.



The packaging is clean and simple with a pump applicator. The formula of this is very thin, it has a watery and creamy consistency.



BASICS: It has medium coverage feeling very light on the skin and dries to a dewy finish purely because of the consistency - it has no shimmer particles. However, after it sinks into your skin it's not as dewy, it looks more like skin. It evens out the skintone with a buildable coverage. When set with a powder, this foundation lasts the majority of the day on me. However, depending on primer, moisturiser and your skin type this will vary. It is no way a long lasting foundation like Revlon Colorstay.

How do I apply it? I use it a few different ways depending on how much time and coverage I want. I sometimes use my fingers, a Mac 187, Clinique foundation brush or my Everyday minerals flat top kabuki which gives me maximum coverage.

In the photo below I used the Mac 187 stippling brush. I then set it with a sheer powder. The flash interferes with the true finish and colour, but I thought it would be nice to include a photo regardless.

What do i think overall? I think that this is a great foundation to achieve a healthy and rested look, I notice the freshness and life to the skin once this is used. It is particularly perfect for the morning after which means this foundation actually delivers what it claims to do! I think it's also great for aging skin as it really helps to achieve a youthful look, My mum uses this and she loves it.

Would I recommend it? Yes if you want a dewy finish with medium coverage and a light texture. I would say avoid this if you are a fan of the super matte look or prefer a heavier coverage. Even though this is oil free, I wouldn't recommend it if you have really oily skin as it will probably slide off. (FYI: My skin type is currently Normal.)

There is a downside though, it is available in 6 shades and does not cater for the darker skin tones. (Bourjois take note and action.) I use '74 Beige' and '75 Apricote' depending on how tanned I am.

Price: £8.80 30ml

Line and Shine - Heads up!

I was recently sent a few things from Eyeko including these double ended 'line and shine' fat pencils for review purposes. At first I was a bit sceptical about their quality and and pigmentation, but turns out I didn't need to be. However, I do not like them for what they are marketed for.

There are 3 duo's available. My favourite duo is the 'Popstar' duo which includes the shade 'Electric blue' perfect for a summer holiday or to add interest to any look.

I was sent 2 of the duo's, Here is a closeup.

Swatches - You can see the pigmentation for yourself.


Price: £4.00 (per duo)

How to use? They are actually marketed as eyeshadows, However they are terrible for that purpose as they crease like crazy. I tried these as a liner for my upper lash line and as a base but it still transfers and creases. I found that these are perfect for the waterline and to smudge underneath, I wore mine all night and it had amazing staying power.

Would I recommend them? Yes, but only if you are looking to experiment with colour on your waterline without breaking the bank. However, the black glitter one doesn't last as long as the others, which was very dissapointing.

What do I think of Eyeko? Mixed views; I don't really like their packaging but I like their affordable prices. I hate their nail polishes, I think their bronzing cream is 'OK'. I was also sent a felt tip graffiti liner which is actually REALLY nice.

EXTRA NOTE: I understand that reviews of products from PR companies can become VERY boring, but I think it's important to get some swatches and opinions posted. I was not paid for this post.

Less is more...

Well sometimes more is more, but less is more in this instance.

At the moment I am on a minimal make up kick. I have been focusing more on my skin than anything else.

I have been loving up my Bourjois 10hr sleep effect foundation, I actually wore this foundation on my wedding day. However, this foundation isn't for everybody. I will do a full review on it soon. Here's exactly what I'm wearing;

• Face - Bourjois 10hr sleep effect and Mac sheer mystery powder to set.
• Cheeks - Eyeko bronzing cream and Mac Lilicent blush creme on apples of cheeks.
• Eyes - Max factor lash extension mascara. (+ Maybelline liquid mineral concealer under the eyes.)
• Lips - Mac Lilicent blush creme and Benefit 'posh' lipliner.
  

Here's a closeup of my lashes, I actually attended a Max Factor bloggers event today and this was one of the things that were in my goodie bag. It's a really interesting mascara that deserves its own post.

What kind of make up look are you wearing a lot of lately?

ELF - Pink Lemonade Review

Blogging can sometimes cause you to fuss over 'new' products and make you forget about existing ones.

One of my 'must have' make up items is ELF's (Eyes Lips Face) all over color stick in 'Pink Lemonade'. I use this very often when I need to look 'fresh faced' and realised I hadn't blogged about it. I first purchased this over a year ago when I saw OxfordJasmine use this in a few tutorials.

It's a pigmented cream product that can be used as a blush, highlighter, illuminator, e/s or lip colour. The texture is smooth, creamy but not greasy at all. It dries matte with a sheen. If you close your eyes and feel the product, it just feels like skin, it's undetectable. The packaging is practical, but not very exciting which is what you should expect with Elf. The colour is a soft, cool toned rosey pink with shimmer. I have had no problems with this fading, for me it lasts all day.

Below you can see the silverish sheen.

This is what it looks like swatched...

Here's what it looks like blended.

I mainly use mine as blush on my cheeks when I need to look awake which this product certainly achieves. It will work well for even the lightest and darkest skin tones, as it's controllable and pigmented enough. I have also tried this in the shade 'Toasted' but it did nothing for me. I have tried several other items from Elf but honestly nothing has really stood out for me, they just seem 'blah' but this product is definitely worth trying.

Price: £1.50 (GBP) Visit ELF for more information.

What's your favourite ELF product?

Feather in my hair!

Tonight me and my hubby went for a quiet meal at Nando's. I was feeling very blah and needed something to make me look 'interesting' without looking over the top.

Enter the feather clip that I purchased from H&M ages ago. I gave my hair a major side parting and slicked it down with some hairspray and clipped the feather in at the side. I flicked out my ends to give some bounce and glamour.


My make up was pretty low key too. Here's what I'm wearing;

Face: Bourjois 10hr sleep effect foundation mixed with Max factor lasting performance to get my perfect colour. Mac sheer mystery powder lightly dusted. Smashbox concealer under the eyes. Cheeks: Elf Pink lemonade as blush, Benefit High beam as highlight, Mac matte bronzer to gently contour. Eyes: Maybelline line definer liquid eyeliner, L'oreal voluminous mascara and Benefit eyebright on inner corners. Lips: Nude lipliner & Illamasqua explode sheer lipgloss.

I hope you had a fabulous weekend! X

Lisa Eldridge

I discovered Lisa Eldridge (professional makeup artist) had a YouTube channel and it made my day! You may remember her amazing work from 10 years younger. She's the global creative director of No7, consultant cosmetic expert for Pure Beauty and creator of a brand new cosmetics line for sale in specialist Shiseido beauty shops throughout Japan. She has worked with countless celebrities, magazines and designers. I'm so ecstatic about it and wanted to let you all know.

Her approach to make up is very fresh, and we can all benefit from her advice. Her videos on primers, foundation, concealer and morning after make up is outstanding.

Subscribe to Lisa on YouTube and follow her on Twitter @Lisa_Eldridge. Check her website for more information.

My Favourite Hair Product!

I love styling my hair and experimenting with different looks. However, I don't like the damage that comes with it. Dry/split ends look disgusting and give me the creeps.

Regular trims are the answer to all hair problems, but when your trying to grow your hair, it doesn't seem so smart.

I have recently started using my all time favourite hair product again which I used to use for YEARS and my hair is looking much better! My mum recently gave me a bottle and I am rediscovering my love for it all over again. It's Avon's advance techniques daily results dry end serum.

I use 2-3 pumps of this serum on towel dried hair which detangles and makes my hair feel so much smoother and easier to manage. If my conditioner is not very good (Lush American Cream for example) this helps drastically! If necessary I use 1 pump on the ends of my hair after blowdrying or styling to seal in my cuticles.

It's a glass bottle that holds 30ml of product and fits in your hand which has a pump applicator. It has a light watery consistency with no oily or greasy residue. (It dries matte on your hand if rubbed in.)

I hate buying 2 different serums for wet and dry hair. This product can be used either way!

INGREDIENTS: CYCLOPENTASILOXANE CYCLOMETHICONE SD ALCOHOL 40-B DIMETHICONE PHENOXYETHANOL CREATINE LAMINARIA DIGITATA EXTRACT PELVETIA CANALICULATA EXTRACT PANTHENOL PHYTANTRIOL ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE PARFUM/FRAGRANCE BENZOPHENONE-2

Usually I would go the natural route, which I had been doing with olive oil and using it as a serum, but it gets so greasy and smelly to use everyday and is better suited as a deep conditioning treatment. This has a non offensive pleasant scent and also contains sunscreen for protection. I have also tried plenty of other serums that don't do a better job but cost 10X the price!

The best part.... Wait for it, is the price!

It's normally £4.80 but I have just checked Avon's website and it's been reduced to £1.95. However, my mum gets ours from the market at 3 for £5. Bargain!

Photos!

I have had a few questions about the black and white photo I added to my sidebar and default Twitter pic, so I thought I would do a post on it. These photos were taken by my husband in 2007 for a project at uni.

With regards to hair and make up in these photos, well my hair was just blowdried straight. Makeup - I'm not wearing much, just mascara, cheek stain and lip balm which was basically my makeup routine until a year and a half ago.

I only started wearing foundation because my hormones went bananas and started experimenting with eyeshadow at the same time. So, basically I started wearing a full face of makeup at 23. I was united with mascara and cream blush at about 14.

How old was you when you first started wearing make up?

Garnier 2 in 1 Tinted Eye Roll On!

Garnier have launched a tinted version of their popular eye roll on. It aims to act as a normal eye care treatment whilst concealing dark circles and delivering a illuminated, hydrated smoother surface. It contains caffeine and lemon extract and a UV filter but no SPF.


It comes in the same packaging as the green eye roll on but in a champagne colour. It has a metal rollerball applicator to massage whilst applying the product. The formula of the roll on is surprisingly pigmented and light feeling.

It applies quite smoothly, the texture is light and easily blendable. It only comes in two colour choices, fair or medium/dark. What's that about, there needs to be one for a chocolate skin tone! (Garnier take note!) I have it in medium/dark which is a very close match. It has some warm tones in it which counteract the blueness under the eyes.

I only applied a little bit!

I dabbed it in with my ring finger and this was the result. It looks quite rested, don't you think?

I think that this product is rather clever, as it eliminates the usage of 2 products under the eye area. 2 in 1 products are great for travelling and I think this will come in quite handy.

This product has been compared to the YSL touche eclat, I would say it IS similar, but the consistency is much lighter, the touche eclat leaves a slightly tacky more matte finish similar to the Bobbi Brown eye brightener. It's also quite similar to the BodyShops lightening touch concealers but that feels a bit more watery even though the Garnier one is also watery. It's also comparable to the Mac moisture cover but not as creamy. Does that make sense? :)

I was sent this product for free, however I was not paid. I mention this at the end as I don't feel that it's that important as it doesn't affect my opinion. I would have purchased this anyway as I'm curious like that!

Price: £9.99 (15ml)

Available from Boots.