Review: Witch Blemish Stick

I was flicking through the latest Cosmo and came across this beauty when they were reviewing the best spot treatments. Since starting University i've been really stressed out trying to get back into the routine of being in education, and whenever I get stressed I tend to break out. So I thought i'd give this a try.

It claims to: "Break down excess oils and fight the bacteria that causes spots".

The key ingredient is witch hazel (Hence the brand 'Witch'!), which a natural growing plant that helps soothe and balance problem skin.

What I like most about this product is the simplicity. You just push up the stick from the bottle of the tube, and apply to the problem area as much as you'd like. There's no " Make sure you wash your hands." or "Only put it on once a day.", it's just apply whenever you feel like! What I also like is that when you apply it you feel a slight sting. I know this probably isn't a good thing for everyone and sometimes it can be quite painful so be careful, but it makes me feel like it's working against the bacteria and it's healing my skin.
It's compact and brightly coloured, so I can always find it when it's buried amoungst my things in my bag.

I put it on once every hour or so for about 6 hours before I went to bed, and I woke up in the morning it seemed to have sped up the process healing my spots. Most of them were almost completely healed and the redness had gone. You need to persist with it until they are completely gone because the bacteria can always linger, but it literally likes a second to sweep it across your face whenever you need it.

It retails at £2.75 in most pharmacies and supermarkets (I got mine from Boots!), and it does the job. Pure and simple.

My favourite moisturiser: Clinique's Moisture Surge

A few days ago, a lush sales assistant was advising me on how you need to moisturise your skin to tone it down after a facial scrub. She said to me:

"A girl needs three things in life: A comfy pair of shoes for when she's on the run, a good mattress for when she's laying down, and a good facial moistruster for when she wants to look fabulous doing both."

So I thought i'd share my favourite moisturiser EVER. It's Moisture Surge by Clinique, and it is incredible. I first discovered it when I bought Glamour magazine (Or it could have been Cosmopolitan, to be honest I can't remember which one!) and they were giving away free tester tubes.
The mistake I made was squeezing out quite a liberal amount and dabbing it around my face. Immediately I felt how light it was, and I ended up having to take some off and rubbing it into my neck and on my elbows so it wasn't wasted. When I finished the tester and bought the 15ml pot, I began tipping it upside down for a second and then just using the bottom of the lid as the amount I put on my skin.

Clinique describe this product as 'Extended thirst relief', and it's crazy how accurate that is. As I was putting it on, it was as if my skin had soaked up masses of water and I instantly felt refreshed and cooled down. It isn't oily, and is perfect for after you've just endured a facial scrub or have just got out of a hot shower and your skin is tighter. It can also be used for other parts of the body aswell, like your cuticles to keep them soft and moisturised during colder months.

It retails at £30, which I know is steep. But you only need less than a pea-sized amount to cover your face, so it really is good value for money.

I don't think I can rave any more about this product, I just recommend you pop down to your nearest Clinique stand and ask them to sample a tester. You'll be amazed :)

My Favourite Christmas Nail Polish!

Nail Polish in Shade 36, Accessorize - £4

If this doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will. I was in London on Monday doing an interview, and decided to browse Accessorize in Waterloo Station to pass the time before my train arrived. I usually don't like going into Accessorize, as I tend to forget that I have a budget and buy anything I can get my hands on. I found this amongst the dull shades by the till (To be honest, they were that dull but in comparison to this colour..), and for £4 I could not say no.

I had to use two coats to completely cover the nail, and each coat took just over a minute to dry which is rare for such an inexpensive polish. What I love most about this shade, is that what you see is what you get. Although my nail painting skills aren't the best since my nails became short, you can see that the colour on my nails is exactly the same as it is in the bottle.

Whenever I look at my fingers I instantly think of Christmas, which is enough to cheer me up any day :) All in all, a wise purchase and I will definitely be going back to Accessorize for more colours.

Review: Revlon 'Top Speed' Nail Enamel in Emerald

I think I said it in a post before that I was trying to expand my nail polish collection (I've been going from buying at least 3 a week to buying one a month!) and that I was lacking in greens. So, I was feeling pretty festive as I browsed the make-up aisles in Boots and came across this gorgeous matte green polish from Revlon. I always think you can't go wrong with a strong matte colour as they always look just amazing on your nails as they do on the bottle. By the way, because it's night there is no natural light,so the flash makes the colour slightly lighter than it actually is, it's a forest green!

The bottle claims it only needs one coat, and that it takes 60 seconds to dry, and it's completely right! First off, I hate still being able to see the nail underneath the polish, it's just pointless! But after applying (Quite liberally, just incase!) quickly there was no hint of my natural nail in sight. I was precise enough to actually time the drying time to see if it was over a minute, and by 60s my nails were bone dry. Result :)


Please ignore my temporarily short nails, they keep breaking off because they're getting too long! As you can see it's a gorgeous woody green, and reminds me of the colour of a Christmas tree :)
It retails at £6.49 from Boots, which I think it's amazing as the application took two minutes, and the drying time is only a minute.

Excellent value for someone like me whose always on the go and can't afford to be wasting time blowing on my nails to make them dry! I recommend 100 percent.

xo

Hello

I haven't posted alot but I promise I will soon enough. I've been working and haven't had a lot of free time. There's lots of new things I want to try, but getting into the town to buy things has been difficult. I'm looking to expand my OPI collection as they have a gorgeous Muppets collection! I just don't know if I can justify spent £21 on two nail polishes.

I'm currently typing this whilst waiting for my OPI 'Lady In Black' to dry. I don't know why, but I love jet-black nails. They're so blunt and go with everything!

The animal ring zoo continues!

1. Panther diamante ring - £2.50 2. Owl Ring - £1.50, both Primark

Okay, so it has come to my attention that clearly I will buy any animal ring I see. I already have an owl ring, but for the bargain price of £1.50 I couldn't really say no! The panther ring is gorgeous and will compliment any party outfit (And to think I almost put it down!).

So that takes me up to 5 now, which isn't really a lot but I really want more. Where do you buy your rings from?

How I Tackle Oily Skin!

I never really realised I had oily skin until I used 'Take The Day Off' Cleansing Milk by Clarins. It was amazing at taking off my make-up, but I wasn't informed by the salesperson that it was for people with particularly dry skin so it was really oily. After that, I realised that my skin was naturally red and oily and it was very difficult to make my foundation stick for more than a few hours.

I will say this now, and no doubt I will say it again: Lush Cosmetics.
I cannot get enough of this shop! I went in there and asked what they recommended, and I ended up purchasing two products that I can no longer live without:

Photograph taken from Lush Cosmetics website

I usually do my cleansing routine in the shower, because it can get kind of messy! Firstly I use my Fresh Farmacy cleansing bar. They sell it at £4.50 for 100g (Which I think is enough!), and it's basically a calamine lotion in a solid form. It's ingredients include tea tree oil (Which is renowned for battling oily skin) and lavender oil which soothes the redness. What's great about this product is that it doesn't actually include hardly any soap, which they have intentionally avoided to reduce the impact it has on the skin. I use this bar by wetting my hand and lathering it up with it until my hand is totally covered. I then cover my face with it, massaging as I go and then wash it off with warm water. I love feeling my face afterwards, because it feels as though all the dirt and rubbish has been washed away! I use this every time I shower.





The next product I use for every other shower I have, because it is technically a scrub which can be harsh on your face. It's called Dark Angels and can be purchased from Lush for £5.95. This is excellent value for money because there is so much compacted in the pot and it definitely does the job! The scariest thing about it is that it is jet black, and doesn't smell particularly pleasant. That is thanks to the charcoal, Rhassoul mud and black sugar "which together make a very absorbant and exfoliating cleanser".
Before you use this, please make sure you don't have anything white or lightly coloured e.g.: A bath mat or towel lying around, as it can stain!After i've used the Fresh Farmacy, I take a small amount in my hand (On the container it says 'penny-sized') and lather it up with some water so it forms a paste. I then massage it into my skin until it is completely covered. I then wash it off with warm water, leaving my face feeling tight and clean, with all the excess oil washed away. The only negative comment I have about this product is that it's shelf life is only three months, and for the amount you are supposed to use and the amount of times it's recommended to use it you end up wasting a fair amount.

I've found that this routine has reduced the redness on my face, and that the loss of oil has made my make up stay on longer. My skin feels healthier, cleaner and is extremely soft! These two products are definately two of the best that Lush has to offer and I don't think i'll ever try anything else!

What are your cleansing routines?

Wishlist, Christmas List, Shopping List: Snakeskin blouses!

1. Animal print side tuck blouse - £36, Topshop 2. Sheer snake blouse - £22.99, New Look 3. Sheer snake double layer blouse - £8, Primark


I love when this happens. The least expensive version of the blouse is the best, and you only pay a fraction of the price! To be fair, the Topshop blouse is gorgeous. I love the cut and the shape of the sleeves, although I wouldn't be able to justify spending £36 on it, even with my 20% student discount! I'm not really a big fan of the New Look blouse, but I can imagine with the sleeves rolled and stitched it would look a lot more appealing to me. It's also £22.99, which is also a bit pricey for me.

I found the Primark version last week when I was off draining the remainder of my bank account in Bournemouth town. It didn't look to appealing on the hanger; it seemed out of shape and I couldn't imagine it on me - so I tried it on out of pure curiosity. The second layer covers up my bra, but leaves my stomach showing due to the sheer fabric, so I wear it with black high-waisted shorts (New Look) to cover myself up a little.

Overall i'm happy with my purchase. It's light and somehow flattering, and I can't wait until I wear it again.

October Obsession: Animal Rings

(Left to right, clockwise) 1. Snake wrap-around ring - £9, jijikiki.com 2. Owl ring - £3.99, H&M 3. Rabbit diamante ring - £15, Yumi 4. Stag, bunny and owl ring set - £14, Urban Outfitters

I don't know what it is, but this month i've been obsessing over finding as many different animal rings as possible. What I love about this must-have accessory is that there are both under-stated and elaborate versions, such as the bunny cocktail ring from yumidirect.com, or the sleek snake wrap-around ring.


1. Rabbit dyamante ring - £3.75, Miss Selfridge 2. Owl ring - £6.95, Bijou Brigette 3. Reindeer ring - £2, Primark

This is the beginning of my collection of animal rings. As you can see, they're all big cocktail rings which draw attention to themselves. I quite like the idea of a smaller under-stated ring that could be worn as part of a daytime outfit, as just a bit of decoration to the hand. I'm loving the trio of rings from Urban Outfitters, as they work out at £4.60 each which is within my price range. I can't wait to keep adding to my collection, I really want a snake next!

What animal rings do you own?

It's on!

Okay, first of all I will admit to you that I am extremely competitive. Not in an annoying way that you can't trust me in fear that i'll stab you in the back, but I do have ambitions and goals that I strive to achieve. I like to strive for the best and won't stop until I get there.

I'm currently applying for more work experience placements. I've just applied for LOOK magazine and i'll then apply for others on the Conde Nast website. It's just so difficult because they are well known magazines, and even though i've been a fashion intern before it doesn't stop it being exhausting trying to beat everyone out for the spot.

I suppose it's the area of work I have chosen a career in, it's competitive and cut-throat and i'm still trying to get used to that. Anyone have any ideas for good Fashion Journalism work placements?