Clarins' '3-Dot Liner'

Liquid eye-liner and I have never seen eye-to-eye (pardon the pun!). Whether its my extremely small eyelids or my obscenely shaky hand, achieving the perfect cat-flick has always been way beyond my reach. Therefore, when I was given Clarins' '3-Dot' Liner* to try, I couldn't wait to find out whether or not this would be the answer to my problems.

Sorry about the damaged packaging, i've been waiting to review this for a while!

As the diagram suggests, you simply just use the revolutionary 'triple-point applicator' to dot above the lashline, and as the dots join they form a straight line. Easy! The idea of a 'pen' style is particularly affective as it allows easier grip and you can get close to the lash line, giving the illusion of a fuller-looking lash line.

It looks so simple I can't believe nobody had thought of it before! However, as you can see my camera is zoomed in quite far, and the three 'prongs' are actually really small and don't distribute a lot of product, so actually achieving the line does take a while. Therefore, I do sometimes fill it in by lining it like a normal liner, but the dots make amazing guidelines and have definitely made the process easier. When using gel or regular liquid liner it's near enough impossible to make the line symmetrical, but with the lack of product distributed it does achieve a thin line that can easily be built on, making achieving a matching line on each eye possible.

For £20, this is perfect for anyone who isn't a liner pro (So that's 99% of us!). I'll admit it is expensive, but this liner does not budge until removed with eye make-up remover - making it perfect as a day liner, and then built on by adding a flick and increasing the thickness for the evening.

You can purchase Clarins' '3-Dot Liner' from your local Clarins counter.

Review: My first Glossybox! The Harrods Edition - March 2012

I've been so excited to write this post. Ever since I started blogging i've wanted to start receiving a monthly Glossybox - a selection of luxury miniature products for a bargain price of £12.95 a month (Including P&P) delivered right to your door for you to sample and adore. To be honest, although it isn't an insane amount of money for what you receive, it took a lot to convince me to sign up. After reading lots of reviews on February's box, I saw that they were bringing out a limited edition Harrods box. They had me at 'limited edition', I could not wait to see what products I would receive.

First of all, let me apologise for the quality of the photos. I didn't have a lot of time to take them and only had my iPhone with me.

I love the gorgeous packaging, the chic white box definetely adds to the exclusivity of the limited edition box. 

Here's what I received in my first box:

Vanitas Versace Eau de Parfum

What a gorgeous little sample of one of Versace's newest fragrances that's perfect for spring. It's floral but not too overpowering, with hints of cedar wood to create a balance of innocence and seduction. The little bottle is so cute, it's great for my handbag. 

Clarins' Extra-Firming Body Cream

 I was so excited to see something from Clarins in my box, as I'm such a big fan. It aims to create firmer skin and a more 'youthful' body - Well, i'm only 20 so I'm unsure whether this applies to me. However, a full size version of this product costs £39.50 in Boots, so I'm happy with the tester to see if it tones and smooths my skin. As it is for the whole body, I don't know how far this product will go.. I can only see myself getting three or four uses. 

Bliss Blood Orange + White Pepper Body Butter

I don't quite know what to think about this product. I've never been too fond of the use of orange as a scent, I find it too tart and makes my face scrunch up like i've just bitten into a lemon. The back of the bottle describes the product as 'vibrantly-scented' - you could call it that! There's no need for perfume with this body butter! When I tested it, I found that my skin clearly felt softer, but I found the mixture quite thick and heavy on my skin and required a lot of rubbing in so my skin wasn't sticky. This will be a good travel product as the blood orange does give it a tropical feel and it's a good size, and luckily you can't smell any of the white pepper! 

Revive Intensite Creme Lustre SPF30 

 

This is the smallest sample of moisturiser I have ever seen! I didn't know quite to do with it. Much like the Clarins product, this moisturiser promises to produce firmer skin and reduce wrinkles (I suppose it's never too early to start trying to stop wrinkles - i'm sure to have visible laughter lines by the time i'm 25!).  I don't think this will do for more than two or three applications, however this is a generous size seeing as the full price product retails at £235! I haven't tested the product yet, but i'm unsure as to whether I will bother writing a review - £235 for a moisturiser is just plain ridiculous.

Lancome Juicy Tubes in Toffee

This was the product that immediately caught my attention, and what I was the most excited about! I've always wanted to purchase one of these legendary lipglosses, but never got round to it. It smells absolutely delicious, so much so that I will probably need to buy another tube as I keep licking it off my lips! The perfect end to the Glossybox, i'm so happy to have one of these gorgeously scented glosses to carry around with me at all times! 

Overall, I have extremely satisfied with these products. I read disappointed reviews on various other blogs about the limited edition box, but I can safely say that I will be continuing my subscription with Glossybox, and can't wait to show you all what I get next month! 

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?