Lush Mask of Magnaminty

Holy moly. I've found my miracle cure! My skin has been going a little crazy lately; I think I've been switching around too many skincare products. Disappointingly too, I think my skin might disagree with my new YSL Touche Eclat foundation. It seems to make my skin really oily and has made me break out quite badly over the last few days. I'm going to persevere and see if it's just using something different after SO long with the same foundation that's done it but, either way, my skin has become a LOT oilier in the past few days and I have more than a few angry, red blighters on my face!

Enter Mask of Magnaminty! I initially bought this for my sister, but a couple of weeks back when she wasn't looking I sneakily plastered a layer over my face. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever used a face mask I like this much. I love, love, love it. It balances my skin out so well; I put it on last night when my little spotty friends were really angry, and this morning they are practically gone. They're totally dried up now and can barely even be seen. My face feels really deeply cleansed after washing it off and so plumped up. (In a non-fat way, obviously.) In my head, this is a miracle start-again magic potion; my face is a totally clean slate again the day after using it, it just brings everything back to where it should be.

The mask claims to "fight eruptions", and that is exactly what it does; the spot above my eyebrow last night could only be described as an eruption. Today? Almost gone. The mask is incredibly cooling and soothing too. Last night, the hottest night's sleep of my life I swear, was the optimum time to use this mask. I was all hot and bothered and this cooled my face down a treat. Rinsing it off with cool water felt incredible too. Polished off with a refrigerated gel eye mask and it was heavenly.

♥

NOTD #2; two of my favourite things!

Essie Mint Candy Apple

I snapped this photo the other night when I went down to the harbour with my sisters for fish and chips. It was such a gorgeous evening so we decided to go down and make a proper summer evening of it! My town is hosting the Olympic sailing events so everything is just exploding with Olympic-ness at the moment. For a small seaside town that gets it's fair share of bad press, it feels incredibly exciting and actually worth being here at the moment. There's a really amazing atmosphere. Being surrounded by all the festivities has got me properly into the Olympic spirit and I'm crazy excited for it all to kick off now.

And the fingernails! I'm wearing Essie Mint Candy Apple, which I've completely fallen back in love with. I always overlook this nail varnish, I have no idea why, I seem to have a love/hate relationship with it. It's not until it's painted and dried that I remember how much I love it. It's one of those nail varnishes that makes me stare non-stop at my nails! I love the clashy pastel colour with the brights of the Coca-Cola can. I'm definitely going to try and remember to wear this shade more often.

If anyone has become as obsessed with the union jack as I have, keep your eyes peeled for more flag themed posts! A piece of trivia for you, did anyone know it's only called a union jack if it's on a boat? Apparently, on land it's just called a union flag. Can anyone confirm or deny this shocking piece of news?!

♥

Neom hand cream free with Harper's Bazaar!

I'm a sucker for a hand cream. As I have mentioned countless times before, I despise having dry hands! The sort of dry skin where your hands catch on certain fabrics? My actual nightmare. So when I saw that Harper's Bazaar magazine were giving away a free Neom hand cream in their August issue, I snapped one straight up. I love reading Harper's Bazaar anyway so it was no great hardship.

I've read and heard so much about Neom recently, it's definitely doing the blog circuit. Their Happiness candle is definitely on my lust list! I've never tried any Neom products before so was super excited to give this a go.

I didn't actually realise there were two options until after I'd purchased this. I think I would have preferred to have picked up the Moroccan Rose alternative, because I'm not honestly loving the cedarwoody scent to this. The hand cream itself though is lovely. It's instantly hydrating, which I love, and isn't at all greasy. Some hand creams tend to just sit on the surface and rub off on everything before they've had a chance to work, but this one gets on in there and does what it came here to do. It's actually a fairly generous sized sample too - I thought it would have a tiny amount of product in, but it's full to the brim. To the point where I managed to use about five times too much the first time I used it! 

If I liked the scent of this it would absolutely be my new favourite hand cream, but I'll be totally honest, it makes me feel a bit queasy! I just love the smell of The Sanctuary hand cream too much. It definitely has a luxurious scent to it, but it would seem that my immature nostrils just aren't ready for that yet!

I'd definitely recommend picking up Harper's Bazaar this month, but go for the Moroccan Rose if you can!

♥

Nail of the Day #1

 

M&S Limited Collection, Pale Peach - £3.99; Models Own Hed Kandi Ibiza Mix - Boots, £5.

I have LOVED the Models Own Hed Kandi range sinec I first saw it. I am truly smitten with glitter nail varnishes. They're just so much more interesting than a plain polish. I think I like that they're a bit tacky, but because it's only a teeny part of one's attire, it doesn't really matter.

Please everyone excuse my hideous fingernails in this picture; I swear no matter how hard I try, I always have horribly dry, crispy cuticles! I bought this M&S nail varnish for my sister when she came home from uni for the summer. I thought it was loving, sisterly thing to do, and she hasn't used it once! Hadn't even taken it out of the bag. So I thought in that case she probably wouldn't mind if I used it! I've never used M&S nail varnish before, and was a bit dubious, because if I'm being honest, M&S wouldn't be my first port of call for a nail varnish. I absolutely loved this though. The consistency is perfect - a lot of light colours look very streaky and need lots of coats for even coverage, but I think I could have got away with just one coat of this. In the picture I'm wearing two coats. I really liked the brush too. This is going to sound ever so odd, but I have very wide fingernails, so am always really glad when nail varnish has a nice wide brush!

A very bad habit of mine is to get bored very quickly with my fingernails. After less than a day of wearing just Pale Peach (how originally named!), I decided I needed to paint some glitter over it. I always do this; get really bored and end up doing it purely for the sake of doing something. And then usually regretting it. I decided to add Ibiza Mix on just the one finger, which I actually love. Even though my boyfriend says I look like I have a weird nail fungus. I just don't care. I've tried this over brighter polishes and it just doesn't look as good. You can really see the colour of the glitter when you paint it over a lighter colour. Success!

I really didn't think I could write this much about nail varnish, so I'm sure lots of this is very waffley. In the future I will endeavour to keep these posts to just a picture and the name. Job done.

PS. Check the rain in the photos, EUGH!

My Current Beauty Wishlist: July!

I'm going to make this a regular post, because it seems that every month comes a host of different beauty products that I want to try! I'm going to do a post later in the week with some mini reviews of the things I purchased from last month's wishlist, so look out for that. But for now, July!

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation - Debenhams, £28; Seche Vite Fastdry Top Coat - feelunique.com, £9.85; Nars Laguna - £25; Essie Fiji - Boots, £7.99; Real Techniques Blush Brush - Boots, £9.99; Nars Blush Duo, Albatross and Orgasm, £29; Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs - Boots, £10.29.

Are you sensing a theme here? Everything looks decidedly pink. This definitely wasn't intentional, but I do like a good theme.

I think the YSL Touche Eclat foundation is probably at the top of everyone's wishlist this month. As soon as I heard it was in the making I knew that I would buy it, probably on the day it launched. I'm a staunch user of Touche Eclat under-eye concealer, so I absolutely cannot wait to get using this! I'm planning to pop in one day this week to ask for a little sample pot. I want to wear it for a few days to make sure I'm definitely getting the right colour.

I've read so much about Seche Vite, I really just need to try it for myself. I'm an impatient nail painter, so if this really does make them dry faster, I'm there! Essie Fiji looks absolutely gorgeous. I'm a big fan of the neutral fingernail, but for the summer I fancy something a bit more than nude. I love that it's baby pink, but isn't horrendously tacky.

There's quite a bit of Nars this month. I must confess, I own absolutely no Nars at all. And I think it's time. I've wanted Nars Laguna for ages and Orgasm is such a talked about blush, that I definitely want to try it. My friend Arwen then recommended Albatross to me, and oh my, I love the sound of it. I think it's brilliant that Nars do these blush duos, it saves a bit of money! There's no way I'll be getting either of these this month, and definitely not at the same time; that would be SO much money! They'll be on the longterm wishlist I think.

I really need a blush brush. I'm using some shabby thing I've had since I was about 16, pretty sure it might have come free with a magazine. I've only recently realised how much better makeup looks when it's properly applied. I know, heathen! I absolutely love the Real Techniques buffing brush and the contouring brush, so I'm going to go for their blush brush too!


And finally, Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. I really want to be able to wear dresses and heels this summer and not feel horribly self conscious. I'm going to give this a try and see if it covers up any of the marks on my legs! If it does, I might buy shares in Sally Hansen and would urge you all to do the same.

What are you lusting over this month? :-)

Getting my legs ready to bare..

I feel very strange divulging this on the internet, when I can't even wear a skirt to walk down the street. I suffer really badly from ingrown hairs all over my lower legs. And when I say really badly, I mean it's very bad and very unsightly - not just something I have a personal hang up about. It's not just the odd raised bump here or there, it's me entire leg. It's a dot to dot. And they are angry! I've done a lot of Googling and research and there doesn't really seem to be a lot of information about ingrown hairs on legs, more so on faces. My boyfriend and I have done a lot of research and I've used a lot of products and tried lots of things, so this post is about all the products I'm using on my legs and everything I'm doing! Hopefully if anyone else suffers from the same problem, this might help.

I don't shave my legs, always wax, so that can't be the reason. I can't really pinpoint a time when it started, I do remember a time when my legs just looked normal. It got really bad just after I got back from gap year travelling, about four years ago, and it's just got worse as time goes on. It really does get me down, mostly because I have so many gorgeous dresses and shorts and I can never wear them! I really don't like to expose my legs. So, I decided that this was the summer for some intensive leg care.

Let's start with exfoliation. I use the olive shower gel from The Body Shop on a puffy net thing (not really sure on its technical term). I really like the olive range, I think it's a lot less harsh than some of their other fruitier scents. I know I should probably be using something other than the netty-puffy thing on my legs. It's tied together with string in the centre, so stays pretty damp between uses. I've been told that this is an absolute breeding ground for bacteria, so if there is broken skin on my legs, I'm just constantly re-infecting them from the sponge. Sorry if that's too graphic. I don't want to use anything too harsh on my skin, and have no idea what I could replace it with! Recommendations anyone? For a deeper exfoliation twice a week, I use Molton Brown's Warming Eucalyptus and Ginger Body Scrub, which I absolutely LOVE. It smells so good, and makes the angry patches on my legs feel really soothed. I won't show you a picture of mine, the lettering rubs off the tub really easily and it looks fairly shoddy!

Molton Brown - £29

I've been using TendSkin intermittently for about a year now, not twice a day as it should be used and with long periods of no use. I soak some into a cotton pad and then just wipe it all over my legs. It does sting a bit if you've got any broken skin, but I think if it's hurting then it's probably working. I've realised that for this product to really work, it needs to be used religiously. After a few weeks of use, I would notice a definite improvement, get complacent and stop using it. I've accepted the fact that this is probably going to be something I have to use for the rest of my life! You definitely need to get into a routine with this, or leave yourself enough time for it to dry on your skin. It's incredibly drying so you need a generous lashing of moisturiser after this. Hence the drying time! It really is a fantastic product though, and so unexpected. I would never have thought that something that looked so unassuming and, dare I say, cheap, could work so well. Ever the snob! It's sort of aimed at men for their faces, but it works just as well on legs. It does smell of pure alcohol though, so one has to question what it does to the face! I order mine from Mankind, who often send out 20% discount vouchers to lure you back in if you haven't shopped recently! I think you can get it for about £8 and it does last quite a while. I wouldn't put a price on clear legs though, I'd buy this stuff if it was £100.

TendSkin - mankind.co.uk, £9.95; Malin+Goetz - Liberty, £27

 In the mornings, I slather on the moisturiser after TendSkin, but in the evenings I shake it up a bit. I've started using Malin+Goetz Ingrown Hair Cream. It was the first cream I'd heard of that targeted that specific problem. I picked mine up from Ministry of Waxing in Covent Garden, their partner for this product. You can also find it in Liberty and Brummell's of London, but they were sold out for an absolute eternity due to it being so popular. For £27, I was surprised at how small the tube was, but you only need a very concentrated amount on the particularly problematic areas. A little really does go a long way. I've noticed a difference in the few short weeks I've been using this; there is still redness, but so much less. I've definitely noticed less new ingrown hairs cropping up, it's all about getting rid of the existing stubborn ones now. I thought this product might have a Savlon-y smell to it, and it does smell a bit medicinal, but in a really nice, tangy, fresh way.

I really think these two products together might be a winning combination. I definitely like to see instant results but I'm having to learn to be a bit more patient with this. It's going to take a long time for the skin around the really bad areas to regenerate. I've taken some 'Before' pictures, and when I think I'm finally there, I'll take some 'After' pictures. But I'm definitely not going to share until I have a nice clear leg to show off! I'm optimistic. Finding a combination of products that seems to be working has made me more positive and convinced that before Winter is here, I WILL wear a skirt! Until then, I try to disguise the marks a bit with Garnier Summerbody. I find that I can't use this too often though and especially not if I plan to leave the house that day! It smells really vile, but does give my legs a lovely natural colour.

Does anyone else suffer from this problem? I would genuinely be really interested to hear about anyone else's experiences, are there any other products that have really worked for you?

Here's to smooth legs. <3

A very good eye makeup remover. With an even more agreeable price tag.

I'm a huge fan of oil based eye makeup removers. I don't know if they are actually oil based, in the technical sense of the term, or if they just feel oily? I have a paranoia that if I rub my eyes too much when removing my makeup that I'll get really wrinkly before my time. I love that with these oily eye makeup removers you only have to swipe your eyelids a few times to remove your makeup, even pesky waterproof mascara!

It all started off with Clinique,  then I moved onto Dior, and I'm currently in love with Lancome Bi-facil. The fact that it's £20 doesn't sit well with me though, particularly when I'm supposed to be saving! I'm still suffering the fall out from my student days, so spending that much on an eye makeup remover is an unaffordable luxury! I have found before that I have a very sensitive eye area; I've woken up with unsightly eye eczema one too many times now! For that reason I tend to spend a little more on eye products.

So imagine my unadulterated glee when I found No7's Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover. It caught my eye immediately because, aside from the packaging, it looks exactly like Bi-facil. 

No7 has always been on the periphery for me; it's generally not a brand that I go for at all. It reminds me all too much of stage makeup; caked on and with a definite makeup-y smell! But when I saw this was priced at only £7.75 I had to try it. I will add at this point that I did have a £5 No7 voucher which did considerably aid my decision.. £2.75!

And like it I do. It's easily comparable to any other eye makeup remover I have ever used. It removes every scrap of makeup, no fuss. There are no apres-cleansing panda eyes either, like with other makeup removers that only appear to have done the job! It does leave an oily residue on the skin, obviously, but there is absolutely no trace of this after cleansing. I'm sure it's probably all in my mind, but my general eye area seems to be brighter after having used this for a couple of days!

If you have a penchant for pricey makeup removers, I would seriously recommend this if you start to feel the pinch! I cannot even begin to explain how impressed I am with this little bottle, without sounding like a walking, talking advertisement. It's literally amazing! This is definitely going to become a facial staple. And with a No7 voucher, which Boots seem to be giving away these days, this is hard to say no to. I think you have to spend £5 in order to get one - deodorant and razors, BAM.

Are there any other holy grail eye makeup removers I should know about?