Thursday 30 May 2013

Lancôme Hypnôse


Oh! I love perfume. A few sprays and you feel great. The only unfortunate thing is that perfume doesnt really like me. 

Some are so strong or sweet that they literally will give me a headache (which is not great for someone who suffers with severe migranes).

So shopping for a new fragrance can be a nightmare (as if it isnt hard enough to find a fragrance which you really like).

I recieved this beautiful fragrance as a christmas gift. I adore it. I have received many compliments when I wear this fragrance, from both men and woman.




The fragrance smells woodsy and oriental    and contains passion flower and vanilla. It really is a beautiful smell which I never get tired of.

I have MANY MANY other fragrances but never seem to finish any of them. This is the first fragrance that I have finished and I must say I'm feeling a bit sad to see it go. This is probably my favourite fragrance EVER and it will take something spectacular to change that. 
I LOVE it.




JML Ped Egg


Summer is upon us. Meaning its sandal season, which if your like me you dread. Not the actual wearing of the sandals obviously, it's preparing my feet so as to show them off and not be embarrassed. 

I tend to forget (ignore) my feet in the winter months. (Sure who bothers with their feet when there all warm and snug in your lovely boots or furry slippers?) 

My summer savior is my ped egg. After a shower I grab it while my feet are still wet and just glid the bladed end over my feet paying particular attention to my heels. 

The excess skin simply falls into the back of the egg which is then easy to open and throw the skin in the bin. Clean and simple.


The blade looks blunt but is suprisingly sharp (although not to sharp that you run the risk of losing a foot). Quite a lot of skin can come off after one use which is great if you need a quick fix or a cheap alternative to an expensive pedicure. 

I love it and probably use it once a week followed by some foot cream and some bed socks and your feet are left smooth, soft and ready to bare when the sun comes out. 

A must have for me, I simply couldn't live without it.


Tuesday 28 May 2013

Veet Face Easy Grip Ready-to-Use Wax Strips


Ah the joys of being a woman. As if it wasn't bad enough without the addition of unwanted facial hair, and how do you deal with it? Well it usually involves PAIN! As I said the joys of being a woman! i always opt for the pain-free (or at the very least a very small amount of pain) when attempting to remove any unwanted hair




The box contains 20 reusable wax strips & 4 perfect finish wipes.

Where they can up with a 20:4 ratio I really do not know. 20 strips (which are meant to be reusable) and yet only 4 wipes which are definitely not reuse as one use has them worthy of the bin (although it doesn't claim that you can reuse them) but why only four? Have I somehow got so much facial hair that I need a minimum of 5 strips (if i don't reuse them) to rid me of my big hairy face? I think not...

you simply rub a strip between your hands for a few moments to heat up the wax, pull the strips apart and place on the area. I only used these above my lip for a very small amount of hair. i left the strip on for no more than 20 seconds and pulled it off. my facial hair is very fair and very short. one strip done the job well, whipped the hair right off.

realistically the product accomplished what it said it would. i was happy overall with the results, the only thing i was unhappy about was the lack of finish strips which to me seem unrealistic to think that only 4 would be needed when the box provides 20 reusable strips.


Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Fast Absorbing Hand Cream


I cannot live without hand cream. My hands are extremely dry and at times itchy (which isn't great when my dry skin flakes off whenever i scratch). That's all before I go near water or heat.

Over the years I have made my way through so many different hand creams and never really found one that I was willing to repurchase again. I HATE my hands feeling greasy after using hand cream and yet that's how a majority of hand creams leave your hands, which leaves you unable to do pretty much EVERYTHING for quite some time. Any cream I tried was either too greasy but moisturising or non greasy but really did nothing to moisturise my parched skin.

I bought "Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Fast Absorbing Hand Cream" on a whim one day while in a local chemist. I only noticed it as it was well advertised as being on sale, otherwise i think i would have by passed it once again. I bought it not expecting much and I must say i was pleasantly surprised by how great it was.


It states on the back that "the convenient pump format is ideal for home or work with an appropriate amount of hand cream for each use". One pump gives out quite a bit of product to cover both hands. my hands feel soft, moisturised and NOT greasy. The bottle, which is 150ml, has lasted quite a long time and the pump is so handy so as to not use to much and waste the product.

Overall, I am very happy with this hand cream and have already repurchased two more bottles, one with a pump for my desk at home and the other a small travel size for my bag. I am very happy with this hand cream and so are my very soft, moisturised hands.




Sunday 26 May 2013

Argania Organic Moroccan Argan Hair Oil


Recently, hair oil has become the must have hair care product. they promise to nourish and smooth hair, banish frizz, create brilliant shine, detangle and condition and protect for heat styling. When I first heard of the benefits of using hair oil I shook my head in disbelief. When I seen the average price per bottle, I shook my head some more.

However, I still wanted to try these "miracle" oils but the price always put me off. Then I found this little beauty sitting on the shelf in Boots at a fraction of the price (€20/£15 for 100ml) so decided to give it a try.

The benefits of Argania Organic Moroccan Argan Hair Oil are as follows:
  • Antioxidant rich protection for all hair types.
  • Eliminates frizz between washes.
  • Gives hair instant lustre and body without leaving an oily residue.
  • Protects and assists in extending the life of hair colour.
  • Restores and rejuvenates damaged hair.
  • Great for detangling wet hair when combing.
  • Soothing and conditioning for the scalp.
  • Provides heat protection during styling and reduces blow drying time. 
Sounds wonderful but does it live up to the hype and more importantly does it give the more expensive oils a run for its money?

I tried the product after a shower on wet hair, I put a small amount in the ends of my hair and proceeded to blow dry my hair as usual. I have naturally curly hair but tend to blow dry it straight as I get fed up with how frizzy it can get. 

After I blow dried my hair I noticed my hair was very smooth and soft with a wonderful healthy shine with no frizz. I was utterly amazed as I had convinced myself there was no way any product could promise so much and actually do all that it promised (especially after one use) but it did. 

I would advise anyone using such oils in their hair to take a "less is more" approach as to much can leave your hair heavy and dead looking and at times quite greasy, and whatever you do DO NOT use near your roots or you will be re-washing your hair. 

Overall, I love it. This has fast become my new favourite hair product. Personally I think it is well worth the money as a little goes a long way. I have this bottle about 3 months and there is still half a bottle to get through. 

Next time your in boots make the investment...your hair will thank you for it.




Clinique 3-Step Skin Care


I began using Clinique when i was about 18 years old (my mother ruined me with expensive products at an early age) I suffered with acne at the time but also with terribly dry skin. Most products on the market for acne prone skin are designed for oily or combination skin which made my skin even more dry.
So on a visit to a Clinique counter and a quick skin analysis I was directed to the 3 step skin care regime.

STEP 1: Liquid Facial Soap (Mild)
I loved using this cleanser. It glides onto the face and lathers up well. It never irritated my eyes which alot of cleansers are prone to do as I often get them into my eyes. It has no smell what so ever which is a plus for me as I really don't like facial products to have any sort of smell of them (strange, I know). It also lasted a long time as one pump was more than enough to cover the whole face to feel like my face was adequately cleansed.

STEP 2: Clarifying Lotion 2
The controversial toner. Loved by many and hated by many. Some find it a great product with great benefits and others find it terrible for their skin due to the amount of alcohol in it. At the time I started using this product I had no idea it even had alcohol in it so I proceeded to use it blind as they say. Initially, I loved it my skin felt soft, smooth, glowing and looked very healthy. However I still had acne. When I say acne I mean REALLY REALLY bad acne. Not just on the skin but also under the skin. I took a visit to a dermatologist recently who told me that someone with acne should NEVER use products with alcohol in them. So i stopped using this product and just used the other two and I must say my skin has improved. I don't have nearly as many spots (although i do still have some). If you don't not suffer with acne or any skin complaints which are irritated by alcohol, I strongly recommend this toner as it really does do what it promises.

STEP 3: Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion
The last in the 3 step routine is the moisturiser. I really enjoy using this product. It is so light and non greasy and yet it leaves my skin very soft and moisturised with a slight glow. The product lasted a long time as very little is need to get the job done. As I mentioned above I have very dry skin but I never felt like I could do with more moisture while using this product. I must say I love this moisturiser, its no surprise it has won so many awards over the years.


These three products do work extremely well together. When I stopped using the toner and just used the cleanser and moisturiser my face didn't feel as good. The moisturiser took a bit longer to sink into the skin. If you have no problems with alcohol products I really do recommend these products. I have since passed the toner on to my mother who has since purchased all three and LOVES using them on her face. These products really do what they say they will do so you get what you pay for in my opinion. If i didn't have such bad acne I would definitely still be using all three products.