La Roche Posay Anti-Blemish Skincare System

If you're into skincare then you'll be no stranger to French Pharmacy brand 'La Roche Posay'. Now quite widely available on the UK high street, La Roche Posay are famous for their Effaclar Duo which has been a skincare favourite among bloggers for a while now but when it comes to cleansing and toning, LRP have been somewhat forgotten about until now...

 La Roche Posay Effaclar 3 Step Anti-Blemish System* £32.50

With the release of the new Effaclar Skincare Sysem, La Roche Posay are offering those with sensitive, oily and blemish prone skin an answer to their problems. Tell tale signs of problem skin include blemishes, clogged/enlarged pores, excess oil, uneven/rough skin and red/brown marks are all targeted with this new skincare system. These three steps have been selected and formulated to 'dramatically improve skin' within 4 weeks or you get your money back.
Obviously they wouldn't make a bold claim like that without researching first; a 3 month trial saw 100 female participants assess the kit both by their own evaluation and also through clinical evaluation. 88% said it provided an immediate mattifying effect, 82% said it was well tolerated by their skin and 80% said it provided an immediate hydrating effect... 
.... Of course you'll know by now that I like to put these claims to the test so for 4 weeks I will be using this as my skincare regime morning and night to see what difference it makes to my skin. I have high hopes for it as I know Effaclar Duo + does work so I'm thinking that adding an Effaclar cleanser and toner will work well. My skin has gone a bit loop-the-loop just recently (being tired and run down hasn't helped!) so this release has actually come at quite a good time.
This officially launches in stores on 3rd September but it's actually available online now on the Boots website

Maybelline Forever Strong Orange Couture

It's been a while since I posted about nail polish so when I bought a few nail polishes from Fragrance Direct I figured it'd be rude not to share my thoughts. I absolutely love Fragrance Direct for nail polish, they seem to get some real gems in at a fraction of the price of what you'd find in stores. It's usually because the brand have changed the packaging or discontinued a line but there's absolutely nothing wrong with the product itself. The first one I'm sharing with you is Maybelline Forever Strong in 'Orange Couture'...

Maybelline Forever Strong 'Orange Couture' 
I would never normally consider wearing orange on my nails, I'd always considered it to be a bit too 'garish'; you know, the kind you'd wear when you were like 12 and think you were the bees knees? But this is such a gorgeous shade, bright and summery but also quite grown up. 
It did need 3/4 coats to give a proper opaque covering but I'm assuming they've done something to the new formula to rectify this? The brush is perfect, nice and wide but small enough for precision application (which is important when you don't have really long nails) and it's got quite a nice shiny finish. 
This older-packaging version is only 99p from Fragrance Direct which is an absolute steal, I highly recommend stocking up on polishes of every shade from there because you could save yourself a fortune.

What to buy from Makeup Revolution

Slightly late to the party with this post because I know how everyone has been going a bit crazy for Makeup Revolution products, but for those few who haven't heard of them: Makeup Revolution is a budget brand available online and larger Superdrug stores. They have a massive range of products from hundreds of lipstick and eyeshadow shades to skincare products... I haven't tried a quarter of what they offer but here's what I think of what I have tried...

I'm a massive fan of their eyeshadows, both in palettes and in single 'mono' shadows. The shades in the ones pictured are my idea of perfection; the Ultimate Shimmers palette* is only £4 and has a range of nude and brown shimmers all of which are nicely pigmented and apply with very limited fallout. The single shadows* which I've picked out are in shades 'Base!' and 'Promised Land', they're only £1 each and they come in 45 different shades! Again, they're nicely pigmented and as a duo they work really well to create a neutral eye look. Of course the packaging isn't fancy but it is simple and functional it just lifts up and clips down... what more could you want?

Now onto lip products... the Salvation Intense Lacquer* is amazingly pigmented with a high gloss finish but without the usual stickiness of some lip glosses; I have it in 'A Love Like This' which is a gorgeous classic red shade. They also do a similar lacquer but in a matte finish; I can only assume this is like the Lime Crime Velvetine but at £3 it's obviously a fraction of the price! The Amazing Care Lipstick* is a great product and I can't actually believe it's from a budget brand; the core colour is encased by an argan oil outer so while you're adding a splash of colour you're also comforting your lips with the argan oil. It's not a lipstick that lasts forever on your lips but it's so easy to apply and feels so nice I can live with that; unfortunately they're out of stock on the Makeup Revolution Website at the moment but I'm really hoping they restock soon!

Of course with every brand there are products which aren't as good as others (you can't please everyone with everything, can you?!); the Vivid Blush Lacquer* and The One Foundation* just aren't for me. I don't get on very well with liquid blush products so it came as no surprise when I didn't like the Blush Lacquer; don't get me wrong it's very pigmented and a tiny bit goes a long way but it just slides off my oily skin within less than an hour so it's a bit pointless applying it really. There's not many products that I can't find something good to say about but unfortunately I think The One Foundation takes the crown for the worst high street foundation I've ever tried. It's watery and has a really strange consistency; it says on the bottle that it's for 'everyone' and that it's 'full coverage' and has a 'matte finish'... it isn't any of these, in fact I'd say it's the complete opposite!
Overall though, you could quite easily build a sizeable makeup collection for under £20 with Makeup Revolution; I could spend hours on their website just browsing through everything they have. Yet another brand to dispel the notion that budget means bad quality!

How to Wear a Denim Dress

I genuinely thought I could never make a denim dress work, denim dresses were always something I saw on other people which looked fabulous but I could never see myself in one. I also didn't realise how versatile one could be, it's actually the perfect kind of dress to take you from summer to autumn. Some dresses only work with or without tights and only with a certain type of shoe but this actually works to create a summery look and more of an autumn outfit...

Because it's still August I've styled it really simply with a waist belt and a pair of brown sandals but this would easily work with tights and boots, I'm so looking forward to wearing this in Autumn as well as right now. Can you imagine how nice this will look with a pair of thick black tights, flat boots and a scarf?

This particular denim dress is from Joules* which isn't a brand I would normally consider simply because I associate their clothes with being specifically for country folk and equestrian supplies but I couldn't be more wrong! They have some really lovely pieces and you can tell that they use high quality materials, I reckon this dress is going to be a part of my wardrobe for many years to come!

Denim Dress: Joules £49.95*

Tan Sandals: New Look £7.99

Waist Belt: New Look £1 (in store)

Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Nose Pore Strips review

If there's one thing we all look for in a skincare product it's visible results; there's all sorts of promises and claims out there but very few products give you instant visible results as soon as you've used it. Ever since I was young I have always struggled with blackheads on my nose (to the point where my husband once pointed them out to a woman on a department store counter and asked what I could do about them... cringe!!). Not only do they look awful, blackheads can make applying makeup a bit of a challenge because without a smooth surface foundation can look cakey and patchy so naturally I've always been on the lookout for products to help reduce their appearance.   Enter Biore Ultra Deep Pore Cleansing Strips*

Biore Ultra Deep Pore Cleansing Strips £7.99
With tea tree oil, menthol and witch hazel, these pore strips are designed to lift away the dirt and grime from your nose which can cause blocked pores and ultimately spots and blackheads. They're so simple to use and unlike face masks they don't create any mess at all. 
You cleanse your face throughly and wet your nose (making sure it's properly wet as the strip won't stick to dry skin), stick the strip down making sure it doesn't have any creases and then you leave it for 10 minutes to dry and work its magic.
It dries like papier-mache and feels tight a bit like a face mask does, but you don't have to rinse it off or anything like that, you just peel it off starting at the edges (this can get a little eye watering I must admit) and all the dirt is taken with it. It's the most satisfying feeling ever, and then when you look at the strip you can see what it's pulled out (gross, but amazing). Providing it has all stuck down properly you will see that it has pulled out blackheads and left you with a smooth nose. 
I'm not saying this is a long term fix for blackheads because I genuinely don't think there's anything that will stop them from appearing on my nose but these pore strips do make them a lot more manageable. 

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Heat Protection Spray

For so long I couldn't weigh up why my hair was becoming frizzy and dry, I always use conditioner and I use an intense mask regularly... it never even dawned on me that it's all the heat I use on it that could be causing the problem! When I first started using straighteners I always used heat protection no matter what and I completely forgot how it helps when you dry/straighten your hair.

I got a bottle of Elnett Satin Heat Protecting Styling Spray when I was last in Superdrug; there was no particular reason as to why I chose this over others, it just kind of caught my eye I guess. It's supposed to provide heat protection up to 230 degrees and it is said to help 'lock out' frizz and flyways... oh and keep your hair straight for 3 days *raises eyebrow*
The trigger spray makes it really easy to spray onto your hair and it doesn't make it excessively wet (no sizzling when you straighten!), it smells great and does seem to make straightening my hair a little easier. It does make my hair look less frizzy and the finished straightened look is definitely a lot more sleek than it was before I started using this. The 3 day straight thing however is completely untrue, well at least it is for my hair! I was ranting about false claims yesterday so I won't go into it today.
Overall though, I do really like this and I would repurchase it.

New Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Flavours

As much as in some ways I hate the fact that Cadbury has become yet another brand to leave Britain and fall into American hands, I do love what they've been doing just recently! I picked up 3 of their newest bars of Dairy Milk at just £1 each in Tesco and I couldn't not share my thoughts on them, I love trying new beauty products but I love chocolate equally as much so I couldn't resist!  

   The dairy milk chocolate itself tastes just as good as it always has; smooth and creamy but these new bars have a middle of either Daim, Oreo or Chips Ahoy! I'll start with my absolutely favourite which is Chips Ahoy! For those of you who aren't familiar with American foods, Chips Ahoy are a brand of cookies so as you can imagine the middle of this bar is chocolate chip biscuit; it's soft but crunchy at the same time and the added chocolate chips makes it all the more chocolatey. Oreo is similar in the fact that there's a biscuit middle but you can also see and taste the tell-tale creamy white layer which does give you that 'Oreo' hit. Daim is a different kettle of fish, it doesn't have the layer all the way through it's actually smaller pieces of the crunchy butter almond dotted around the bar... very nice but probably my least favourite purely because I'm not a massive fan of Daim.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what else Cadbury have in store for their Dairy Milk bars; I know they also do one with a strawberries and cream layer. I'm actually hoping they do something coffee related because I love the coffee chocolates you get in a box of Roses. 
If you're sat there thinking 'what's she doing eating chocolate, she's on Slimming World'... well you'll be pleased to know that 3 chunks of this chocolate is 4 syns so I can mix and match or in my case just snaffle all the Chips Ahoy 3 pieces at a time!

Vegan Shaving Foam Lush Review

If you're looking for a vegan shaving option then Lush is the place to be. When first released, D'fluff caused quite a stir and I guess you could attribute the excitement to the fact that it's from Lush; they're reknowned for their gorgeous smelling shops and colourful baths so when they release something a little different (for them) it's usually a little different in more ways than one. Lush D'fluff shaving soap not only has a funny name but it also comes in their trademark black pot and it smells just like strawberry marshmallows.   

 Lush D'fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap* £5.75 (70g)    Because it's a soap rather than a foam it doesn't give the usual opaque white covering of an aerosol shaving product, it's more of a pale pink slippery layer. It's quite weird to begin with actually if you're used to foam because it actually feels a lot softer than foam and the razor seems to glide a lot easier. The only awkward thing about applying this is actually getting it out of the pot; the product is actually quite hard (even though it looks as soft as whipped cream!) so rather than applying it directly to my skin, I actually work it into my hands and then I smooth it onto my skin. I find this gives a much more even coverage of product without using too much because I find direct application makes it hard to spread it properly. 
Like most other Lush products this smells amazing, it's nicer than any other shaving product I've used and it does make shaving just that little bit more pleasurable. It can also be used as a body wash but I personally wouldn't bother using it just to wash with, it just means that when I shave I'm washing at the same time... bonus! It does seem expensive for a shaving product at £5.75 for 70g but if you apply it how I suggested (working through your hands first) a little goes a lot further than you think. I must add, don't be fooled into thinking this is just for girls, it might be pink but it is absolutely fine to use on your face if you're a bloke who's looking for a funky new shaving product!
Would I buy this? Probably not. However, if you've gone Cruelty Free or Vegan with your products then this would be a great option for you if you're stuck for a nice shaving product. I can imagine this will fly off the shelves initially because it's a novelty product but I wouldn't say it's something I would be prepared to rebuy every time I ran out.

Eucerin 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Fluid

Usually I swear by my Bee Good Cream Cleanser for my night time cleanse and I have spent months and months thinking that a micellar water just couldn't do the job properly; I always found that I still had the remains of my eye makeup under my eyes and my skin just didn't have that clean feeling. That was until I met the Eucerin 3 in 1 micellar cleansing fluid.

Eucerin 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Fluid* £9.00 Boots    Eucerin is a brand well known for products which are great for sensitive, troubled skin so I had no qualms whatsoever about road testing it (usually I'm a bit hesitant at first with a brand I don't know because I'm so scared it'll break me out!). The 3 in 1 micellar cleansing fluid is a cleanser, toner and eye makeup remover all rolled into one; it's PH balanced so it should be suitable for all skin types and it should leave skin feeling clean and fresh without stripping it of natural oils. It contains hydroluronic acid which is known for helping the skin to retain moisture levels but it is free of fragrance & alcohol which are known culprits for causing skin problems.    After taking this for a road test both morning and night I can say that if you're looking for a product to have at hand when you don't have time for a full hot cloth cleanse then this could be for you. Although there is a separate eye makeup remover available from Eucerin I would say that this does the job really well. Not only does it cleanse off any base makeup it also dissolves eye makeup easily and you don't need to pull and tug at your eye to get it bring mascara off. Of course it does a great job during a morning cleanse because there's not the amount of dirt to get off your face but I would say it does an equally great job taking makeup off which is a big bonus! This is readily available in Boots stores now so if you're in the market for a 'lazy cleanse' product then this is worth a look. 

Michael Kors Tech Wallet

I'm not actually one for splashing the cash on bags, purses or shoes. I usually see spending big money on small things as a bit of a waste, I tend to consider how many clothes I could get for the money or how many lipsticks it would pay for - you get my drift. However, when I went to Florida in May I had my eye on something from Michael Kors, I knew the prices were slightly cheaper over there than in the UK so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to actually buy a designer piece.


 

After much deliberation I settled on the Michael Kors Tech Wallet which not only holds money & cards but it also has a space for a phone. It's slightly smaller than the traditional zip around purse but it has a zipped compartment for coins as well as 3 card slots (doesn't sound a lot but I tend to organise my cards so my most used ones are easily accessible). Tech wallets retail for around £125 in the UK but I paid the equivalent of around £75 in the US so I made quite a good saving! I know compared to some designers Michael Kors is one of the more affordable brands but £75 is still a lot for me to spend and not feel guilty about it! Made of saffiano leather, the three stripe design really caught my eye because it's modern but quite a classic design. Tan and white seemed like a really nice summery to the usual black accessories that I would normally choose and the gold hardware finishes it off beautifully. Trouble is, I'm now looking out for the perfect bag to match...