June Favourites 2014

So, I'm currently propped up in bed ill, with not enough energy to really allow me to do much more than watch Netflix and browse Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/lampysplace/ if you're interested in beauty, home decor and recipes). At least Lolly the Grumpy Kitty is enjoying having some company.

I've been a bit naughty lately and treated myself to new products from some of the limited edition MAC collections as well as a Hugo Boss Deep Red perfume, however, I'm trying not to feel too guilty because they have all become instant favourites, alongside several golden oldies that I have been loving lately.

I've mentioned the Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid foundation (review *here*) many times before and it is a foundation that I still keep returning too when I want a nice even coverage that looks natural yet hides a multitude of sins. I went back to using this lately after the madness I had with the Seventeen Miracle Matte Foundation (review *here*) and have fallen right back in love with it.
The first of my little MAC purchases was from the Disney Maleficent collection in the form of the sculpting powder in shade Sculpt which is a tan matte powder perfect for contouring along cheek bones for a defined look. Whilst it is now out of stock, the closest MAC bronzer I can find is *here*.
Its unfortunate but just an accepted fact that I sometimes have trouble with spot prone skin. I don't know why because I eat healthily, take care of my face and don't have excessively oily skin but I guess it's just one of those things. Nothing works as well for me as the Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Spot Treatment Gel (review *here*)which has been getting a lot of use during the last month as my skin grumps about the hot weather.
When the weather is warm I tend to avoid too much eye makeup because I find that it tend to smudge a little and just end up looking less pristine than I would like. This summer, instead, I have been sweeping on a couple of coats of the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara* (review *here*) which never fails to impress me with its results. It coats and lifts eyelashes instantly mking them look fuller and longer and the result lasts all day without smudging or clumping. Its a firm favourite.
My other naughty MAC purchase was the Mineralise Skinfinish Duo in Jolly Good (review in the next couple of days) from the Kelly Osbourne collection which is still in stock in a lot of stores so you can grab it if you're quick! This soft bronze powder is perfect for fair skinned girls like me who want to add a touch of warmth but nothing too dark. I either use it lightly all over for a glowing look or pair with the Maleficent powder to contour my cheek bones.
Finally, a perfume that I wanted for a long long time and finally bought myself a few weeks ago. Deep Red is a really warm, yet soft and sensual smell which is womanly without being overly sweet. Right now I can't get enough of it!

What have been your favourites recently? Have you tried any of these products? What were your thoughts?

Annie xx

January Favourites 2014!

Suddenly it seems that February is upon us, which is crazy since it feels like January has only just begun, but here we are.
It's been a month of rediscovering old favourites rather than purchasing new especially since I'm not currently working so I've been shopping my stash and have fallen in love all over again with products that I've owned for a while.

First up is the very first perfume I ever owned and I can't actually remember where or how I got it but I rediscovered the Britney Spears Curious perfume just before Christmas and have been loving it ever since. It's such a warm, long lasting scent made up from light fruits and florals held to the skin with a base of vanilla and sandalwood. Usually I'm not a fan of celebrity fragrances but believe it or not, this one is actually really sensual and sophisticated.
Who doesn't love Nars blushers? I bought Orgasm around this time last year and loved it for months before moving on to bronzer for the summer. I used this during the pantomime season to add a pop of coral glow and since then haven't been able to get enough of it, especially now I have my fringe back so I'm going for an almost doll like look with pale skin, pink cheeks and bright lips. Beautiful!
Illamasqua is without a doubt one of my favourite makeup brands. The products are beautiful and the ranges are always so unique. Sparce is a baby pink speckle effect polish from the I'mperfection collection. I also have Speckle which is the same effect in purple which I use fairly often but the other day I picked up Sparce as a change and remembered just how pretty this mini egg reminiscent shade is!
I've raved a lot recently about the Clinique Spot Treatment Gel and oh my goodness I've needed it in this last week or so especially! After a few too many late nights my skin rebels but this works wonders to keep it in check and back to normality super fast.
Finally is the Rumble in the Jungle palette from Catrice. I picked this up when I was last over in Mallorca along with a few other bits to try out the brand. I adore all four of the colours and they work so well together. I've been using either the purple or light green along with my Naked 3 palette to add colour along the crease and just above to liven up the look a little because we all know how I like colour!

What have been your favourites during January?
Annie xx

The Daily Evening Pamper

I find sitting down for ten minutes at the end of the day and taking the time to remove my makeup properly really relaxing. Its like my little daily pamper routine and recently I've found products that my skin loves so it makes it all the more rewarding because my skin is looking better and it's left feeling great afterwards.

My first step is to take a cotton pad and very gently wipe away makeup with the Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water which is a beautiful product, possibly my favourite ever face product and that's a big claim! It melts makeup away instantly without being harsh, calms any redness or irritation and is perfect for sensitive skin types. If I a wearing a lot of eye makeup I also take a second cotton pad and make sure I've managed to get it all off. Following this I sweep a little of the Nuxe Gentle Toning Lotion on using another cotton pad to close the pores back down.

The next step is to slather my face in my other favourite face product, the beautiful Nuxellence Jeunesse which is a gorgeously light and nourishing serum/moisturiser that is designed to be able to be used alone as a face cream or paired up with a richer moisturiser on areas where you need extra attention. I use this alone across my cheeks, chin and forehead but then layer up with my Nourish Argan Skin Renew(*) on and around my nose which has a tendency to get rather dry. This argan, rose and frankincense infused cream is rich and deeply hydrating without leaving an oily or clogged feel to the skin and as we all know, argan oil leaves skin and hair feeling so amazingly soft it's unreal!

Finally I focus on the little areas that need special care. I pop a small amount of the Clinique Spot Treatment Gel onto any blemishes or areas that look like a spot is lurking waiting to pop up. I do this after moisturising because the treatment can be a little drying and creates a protective barrier on the skin so I like to use it to lock the moisturiser underneath as well so the skin gets the benefit of both products.
Not my favourite eye cream ever but currently I am finishing my routine by dabbing Dr Nick Lowe Age Correct Eye Serum under the eyes. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with this product because it works beautifully yet I find that it leaves skin feeling a little...sticky? It is fabulous for reducing my dark circles and tackling any puffiness but it does leave the skin feeling less smooth than I'd like, sort of tacky, all the same, I'm determined to give it a good chance.

What products do you use regularly? Do you find the routine of sitting down and pampering as relaxing as I do?
Annie xx

Clinique Spot Solutions Gel Recap

In March last year I posted a review of the Clinique Spot Solutions Spot Treatment Gel (ridiculously long name I know!) which I picked up whilst on holiday in Tenerife. For a couple of months I used it religiously before kind of forgetting all about it in the summer. When it got to November and my skin started to get a bit grumpy again I dug this little gem back out and have been loving it ever since so I thought I'd do a little recap.

The Spot Treatment Gel is designed to battle blemishes fast by drying them out, reducing redness and swelling all in one little dab. All you do is use  clean finger and dab a little of the clear gel onto the skin and pat it in for a few seconds. The gel dries and creates an invisible barrier on the skin to protect the area and slowly it sinks in, all the while, the active ingredients tackle redness and swelling and helps to visibly reduce the appearance of the blemish before the day is through which when you're as self conscious as I am, is a god sent!
I pop this onto any visible spots or areas where I can feel something brewing under the surface before bed as I take my makeup off and by the morning I usually find that the offending area is looking much better and is left a lot more manageable when it come to concealing.
As I said in my original post, at £13.50 (now £14.00) for 15ml this product doesn't come cheap however I have been using this now daily for a good few months and I still have over half of the bottle left so when it's broken down into cost per use it's actually very reasonable. Back in my original review I mentioned that whilst I liked this product there were others I preferred, however, I now disagree and find that I never reach for anything else on bad skin days.
Have you tried this product? What do you reach for to battle your blemishes?
Annie xx

Clinique Spot Solutions Spot Treatment Gel

Over in the heat and sunshine of Tenerife, my skin became more oily than I'm used to and I had a bit of trouble with a breakout on my chin. Just what you don't want when you're on holiday and there are lots of photos being taken! So when I found the Clinique spot treatment gel on offer in a shop over there I pounced on it, desperate to get my face back to normal.

I really like Clinique products although they are on the pricier end on the scale, but they are effective and I've found them all to be lovely to use so far. The spot treatment proved no different.

To use the treatment you squeeze the bottle very gently and apply a tiny dot straight on to the spot and then dab it in using a clean finger. When the gel dries it creates a barrier protecting the spot from any other dirt or grime getting in to the blocked pore whilst actively drying the spot and reducing the redness. You can reapply as often as you need to, but as it can dry the skin I wouldn't do so too often or you will over dry the area. I really found that this worked well and pretty quickly. There was a definite improvement within the day and the spots only took a couple of days to go away as apposed to a week or so like they usually would. The applicator is nice and small and allows you to get just the right amount of treatment without wasting and the bottle is a good size for popping in a handbag.
My only complaint is that I like to apply a bit of the treatment before using my foundation if I can see a pesky spot lurking under the surface but it can have a tendency to react with the foundation and flake off if you don't use a foundation brush, I think this is because it sits on the skin rather than sinking in straight away like a cream does but with a light touch its ok, just an annoyance.
At £13.50 for 15ml this is not by any means the cheapest product you can buy for clearing spots, and if I had been in England at the time I would never have bought it, but I'm glad I did, it feels like a little luxury that I can count on to save my skin on a bad day. Would I buy it again? Maybe, but I think I would shop around first and try something cheaper because at the end of the day, this is just a spot treatment made using very similar ingredients to most and I definitely prefer my usual Lush Grease Lightening.

Annie x

The Big Sample Survival Experiment Week one

Hello,
Hooray for Monday being out of the way, and having a few hours to relax this evening.
At the beginning of April I set myself the challenge of using up all of the samples that have been littering up the bathroom (If you saw the original post, you will know that there are a lot!) and so far, so good...ish. Let me tell you a bit about my progress.

This week I have managed to use up nine samples which sounds like quite a few, yet they don't seem to have made much of a dent in the box somehow. I have been using:

Magic Touch Whipped Body Cream

Sisley Hydra-flash

Clinique Even Better Foundation

Erno Laszlo Instant Eye Repair

The Comfort Zone Vital Leg Cream

Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion

Erno Laszlo Moisture Infusion

Body Shop Day Cream

OXI Triple Action Wipe

So a bit of a mixed selection really in regards to both product and quality but heres a little bit about each product I tried.

Magic Touch Whipped Body Cream: At first I was very happy with this cream. I used it on my eczema prone legs to test it as the skin here takes quite a lot to make it smooth. This cream was a silky smooth consistency and applied and sunk into the skin well. There was a little shimmer to the cream but this wasn't visible once rubbed in. Whilst this made my legs feel a lot more hydrated, it made them feel a little itchy and I think that has something to do with the heavily perfumed formula. I seriously did not like the smell, it was completely over powering and when I used it one night while feeling a little under the weather, the smell was enough to turn my stomach completely, it also lingers for a long time which I didn't like. Rated: 2/5

Sisley Hydra-flash: I completely fell in love with this product 100%. I used this on my face in place of my usual Neals Yard moisturiser and found myself instantly wishing I hadn't as it retails at a whopping £108 so I will never be able to afford to replace it, despite the instant love I felt. The formula is wonderful; an indulgent thick and creamy consistency that melts beautifully into the skin with little effort leaving skin feeling really soft and hydrated. The smell was also nice, very faint as I think a face product should be, and very slightly herby and fresh. Rated 5/5

Clinique Even Better Foundation: I was excited to try this because I'm a fan of high end foundations, they are nearly always worth the money because they just make skin look so much better than drugstore brands. The Even Better foundation did not disappoint on this front. Whilst the shade I had to sample was slightly too dark for my very fair skin tone, it adapted well with a bit of buffing. Although the coverage says to be light to medium, it worked well to smooth the look of blemishes and lasted a nice long time on my face without wearing off or looking shiny. Rated 4/5

Erno Laszlo Instant Eye Repair: This is a tricky one for my to write as my initial impressions were fairly good, yet I am pretty sure this is the product which caused such a traumatic allergic reaction (I still have swollen, dry eyes now!) so I am going to simply tell you what I first thought and not rate this out of 5. When using this, my eyes felt instantly refreshed, soothed and instantly hydrated after a long hard day. The creamy consistency was easy to work into such a small area and a little went a long way which is always a good thing. Even though I initially liked this product, I would never buy it because the price tag is extortionate and there are so many cheaper brands that are equally as effective.

The Comfort Zone Vital Leg Cream Gel: This is my definite favourite of the week and felt like a real treat on my legs. The idea of this product is to nourish, tone and protect legs as well as refreshing and relaxing the muscles after long periods on your feet. I really think this lives up to its claims; when I use it my legs feel relaxed, refreshed and fairly well moisturised at the same time. The smell will not be for everyone as it is herb based and smells almost medicinal  but I personally love it. Rated 5/5

Palmers Cocoa Formula Lotion: I know that most people absolutely rave about this body lotion but I'm personally not a fan, and I don't think it is anywhere near as nice as my beloved Chocomania body butter from The Body Shop (reviewed here). The formula itself is a bit too runny for my liking and I find that you need quite a lot to properly coat legs to the level I like to, I also find it a little greasy on my legs which isn't something I'm used to with such dry leggies. But what I can't stand at all is the smell. I find it way too sickly sweet to the point that its almost artificial which isn't my cup of tea. What I will say though, is that if you're looking for a quick burst of hydration, this is a great product which works well even if it isn't something I like. Rated 3/5

Erno Laszlo Moisture Infusion: Again, I find it hard to write about this product so I will keep it short and sweet. The first thing I noticed when opening this cream is the lovely smell which is nice without being over powering or offensive. Like the eye cream, this has a soft and creamy formula which feels indulgent on the skin. I do think this is best suited to very dry skin however and it is very likely you will find a product just as good with a much smaller price tag.

Body Shop Day Cream: This is definitely the biggest disappointment I faced this week. I was really excited to try this cream out but when I did I found it to be wayyy too greasy to contemplate wearing and it looked like an oil slick on my face. I have little more to say about the product really. Rated 1/5

OXI Triple Use Wipe: I was intrigued by this product because it claims so much. The wipe itself felt just as soft and gentle on the skin as a face wipe yet it worked so much better at removing dirt and make-up than a normal wipe does. I think I will be buying these again because I was so impressed. Rated 4/5

Goodness, what a wordy post, maybe I'll try and find a shorter, easier way to tell you about next weeks samples. I'm not going to be starting vlogging because I'm too shy, but I will see what I can do :) If you'd like a full review on any of these products then just let me know and I'll pop one up for you :)

Have you tried any of these? What did you think?

Annie x