Sunday 30 September 2012

Review: Origins Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Pads


Around a month ago I had a 'complimentary facial' at the Origins counter because it was my birthday; of course it turned out to be the most expensive facial of my life because I got suckered into buying nearly every product that the lovely girl on the counter used on me!!

Despite the fact that I already own the Super Spot Remover gel (post coming soon) I somehow managed to come away with the Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Pads.  I'm still a bit annoyed with myself because I hate anything like this - essentially by selling you a prescribed amount of pads Origins are making sure you can't eek out the product for as long as you like, and at £22 (available here) for 60 pads with the instructions of using a pad in the morning and evening, we're talking £22 a month for one element of your skincare regime.  I think that that is daylight robbery, and I'm sorry Origins but that's just too much to ask! 

Thankfully, I was advised to only use one pad per evening (despite this, I'm still tempted to cut them in half to get more out of them...is that taking it too far?!) and so that is what I've been doing for the past month once I've cleansed my face and applied toner to the areas where I'm not suffering from breakouts. 

The Salicylic Acid, Oregano and Clove are meant to help fight spots and blemishes by exfoliating the area, unclogging the pores and helping to clear up and fade any current blemishes.  To control the level of excess oil Saw Palmetto is used; which also helps to clear up any dirt left on the skin. 


After cleansing with Origins Pure Cream cleanser in the evening I pat my face dry and then sweep one of these pads over the areas that either have current breakouts or are prone to them (nose, hair line, jaw and chin...that's basically my whole face).  More often than the sensation is just a cool feeling, but occasionally if there's a really big b*****d then it does sting/tingle a bit.  Once I've given it a while to sink in (it probably doesn't do anything of the sort, but I feel as though it might need a moment to do whatever it is going to do), I apply my serum and night cream and then I'm good to go.

So, have they made a difference? The truth is, I don't know.  My skin hasn't been particularly clear recently (but it isn't horrific - even though it feels like it is), but then I don't know if it would be worse if I wasn't using these, it's a tough call.  I just keep hoping my skin will clear up of it's own accord soon because I don't know how much more money I can throw at it! I want clear skin damnit! 



Have you tried this relatively new offering from Origins? What do you think of them? 

What do you feel is your secret weapon to keeping spots at bay? 

xxx

Thursday 27 September 2012

Is it time to tan?

I've got a bit of a fear of awful looking fake tan.  I notice it really easily on other people, and I would be so critical and paranoid if I wore fake tan that looked, well, fake, but I'm in a bit of a quandary because right now I'm just feeling a bit fed up with my pale skin, I don't think it does me any favours and seeing as I have to get various limbs out for my course (beauty therapy) I feel as though I'd be more comfortable doing so if I had a bit of a glow instead of the dull flubber that currently has to be uncovered! 

But, where do I start?

I've bought fake tans in the past but I've never really used them - I get the fear and never commit! Does anyone have any tips for me? Which tan should I go for, how and when is best to apply it? Do they all stain the sheets? How do I avoid looking like an oompa loompa? How do you do your back if you just can't reach it?! 

If anyone has got any tips I'd be really grateful.  I know it's something people do day in, day out but I don't and I'm not sure where to start!!

xxx

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Current Loves

Book I've got to admit that since I moved and started my new college course I've barely had any time to read and I've been just so exhausted that one page has sent my straight to sleep.  I'm lusting after Dorothy Koomson's new release though!

Nail Varnish Essie Watermelon I've had this on my toes for a week and I just love the colour, it's so bright and summery which is nice when all I can see is pouring rain!!

Face Product Origins Pure Cream cleanser.  It's gentle and it does the job, what more can I say?

Lip Product Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream I have the fragrance free version (in case you care) and have been slathering it on before bed every night...I've still got dry lips though, damn you cold weather!!

Hair Product This is a tricky one because right now I'm not loving my hair...it's probably my Tangle Teezer again, I may not be liking it but at least it's kept knot free!!

Drink It's not the most exciting answer but boy oh boy have I been loving chugging back the ice cold Water, don't get me wrong though I've stayed faithful to my one true love tea!

Food Muesli has been keeping me going recently, and I know people argue about how good it really is for you because it's crammed with nuts and seeds and fruit but hey I don't care!

Website YouTube, I just can't get enough of beauty videos, I swear I could watch them all day every day!

Place Shoreham (home) I've moved back to the place I was born, and it feels good! 

I'd love to know what you're current loves are, let me know in a comment!! 

xxx

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Brush Cleaning #1 - Making life easy for yourself


Cleaning your makeup brushes is essential if you want to look after your brushes, care for your skin, and get the best from your makeup.  That said, it's a bit of a chore and although I find it therapeutic and love the feeling of looking at all your clean brushes drying, it's still sometimes just something I'd rather not have to do!

But, if we've got to do it, and honestly, we really do, then I like to make it as easy as possible.  

Wednesday 19 September 2012

First Impressions: Tigi Catwalk Your Highness


I'm a massive fan of Tigi hair products and have been using them for about six years on and off (you've got to switch it up every now and again).  In terms of shampoo and conditioners so far I've used
-  Self Absorbed
- Brunette Goddess
- Styleshots Epic Volume
- A Rockaholic one that I can't remember the name of...(helpful I know)
Some of them I've repurchased and some I've been glad to finish to be honest (I always get the tweens and at 750ml per bottle that's a lot of hair washes!!)

This is the first set from the Catwalk range that I've every tried and I've got very mixed feelings I've got to admit.  After my first use of this I was astounded, it really did give me great volume and once I'd styled it my hair seemed to keep it's shape and volume for ages, which is very rare with my pancake flat locks! Sadly, after my second wash I was left with limp hair that felt heavy and ladened with product still.  I thought that maybe I was being an idiot and had suffered temporary amnesia and forgotten how to wash my hair properly, but this turned out not to be the case as I've made a mental note to be super super extra thorough when washing the product out but still more often than not my hair feels a bit lank and product laden. I'm hoping that this will miraculously change, and I'll fall in love with this tween, but until then I'm staying put on the fence! 

I'll let you know if my thoughts change!



Have you ever used this range? If so, what did you think of it? What's your favourite shampoo and conditioner? 


xxx


A bit of a hairy situation

Adios dear Venus, I miss you already!


Hair removal, or even admitting that we have hair anywhere other than our heads, eyebrows and eye lashes is something that is seldom spoken of in the blogging community, but I wanted to share with you my latest hurdle in the hair removal stakes; to not remove it! 

I have been categorically told to step away from the razor, the tweezers and the way and let all hair that I'd usually remove grow!  The reason for this is because as some of you may know, I'm doing a beauty therapy course and we've got to do waxing, and you can't practice on hair free skin; so, for the sake of my course I am about to become some kind of wolverine (highly unlikely I'll snag myself a boyfriend this month hey?!) 

Personally, I do not care about other people's hair removal preferences, whether the keep it or get rid is totally up to them, but it could take a while for the urge to grab the razor when I'm heading to the shower to subside.  I wax my legs, bikini and eyebrows so I'm used to having regrowth in those areas, but what I'm really struggling with is my underarms, not shaving them daily or every other day is just such an alien feeling to me and I've got to be honest so far I'm not loving it.  At the gym particularly it's making me feel uncomfortable, and I'm now scared to raise my arms when socialising in a top without sleeves.  

To be honest, it's also made me feel a bit pissed off with our society and culture...why the feck do I feel this pressure? It's not dirty, it's not unhealthy, in fact, hair removal probably creates more permanent problems compared to it's relatively short term gains (ingrown hairs, shaving rash, irritated skin, sensitive follicles, and even razor cuts: I'm looking at you!) yes we feel temporarily silky smooth but is it sodding worth it, and why do we bother in the first place? I want to ask a question, if you do remove hair, who do you do it for, is it yourself, your partner, or just to fit in?

I may sound a bit like a raging feminist here, but don't get me wrong - I'm a slave to hair removal, and I hate to think how much I've spent over the years on waxes, tweezers, razors, hair removal creams etc and I can't see that changing any time soon, but I also suffer from awful ingrown hairs, and I do sometimes wonder why on earth I still go through it!!

Sorry that this isn't a particularly thrilling post, but hey, it's still a pretty big deal in the world of beauty! 


Lots of love,
Alice and her hairy pits (lovely mental image for you there...and they're not even more than stubble yet!)

x

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Review: The Breakfast Scrub

I've got to admit that I'm a bit of a flake *honestly there was no pun intended* when it comes to using body exfoliating products.  I definitely go through phases, one minute I just can't get enough, and then the next I've shoved the poor things back on the shelf for another stint of dust collecting! I think that in summer I'm the worst, but I can't bear the thought of shedding any of my skin while I've got a tan...I can't afford to lose any of colour I've managed to grab!! Another reason is sheer laziness (coupled with a bit of shower OCD), but scrubs in pots are just a bit of an effort; I hate it when they get water in them, so you've got to be really careful about where you put them, and then you've got to make sure they're screwed tight, but then you've got product all over your hands so it becomes a massive mess - urrrggghhhh!  It's safe to say that I'm much better with a tube of scrub... so naturally I've bought myself yet another pot!

Thursday 13 September 2012

Suffering for a case of blogger's block

I'm suffering from a case of 'blogger's blog' and I thought that instead of waiting for some great spark of inspiration, I've decided to just blog about it! 

So much has gone on over the past week and a bit; I've turned 23, I've moved 220miles away and into a new room in a new house, I went to the Paralympics closing ceremony and I've started a new course at a new college with new people...it has been absolutely insane! Mostly I am feeling exhausted this morning, but I am also content.  I finally feel like I am in the right place, doing the right thing and let me tell you, I haven't felt that for a long time! 

Here I am, ten minutes from Brighton, surrounded by family and friends, I think I've already made a new friend at college, without sounding too cheesy or lame I'm really hoping that now is my time! 


It's ok, I know I look crazy!

With my mum, brother and dad! Love those guys! x


 I hope I'll now be back into the swing of things and be able to blog blog blog! 

xxx

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Sod you technology!!

Sometimes I get utterly bamboozeled (and quite frankly really pissed off) by technology.  The reason for my annoyance today is that I took a gazillion pictures of me wearing Redd lipliner and Russian Red lipstick (because they'd been requested and I simply love them) - I'd got my lighting right, I'd taken the pictures from loads of different angles and all the rest, I then looked back over them and they seemed fine.  Now, here I am ready to insert them into my blog post about these products, the camera is plugged into my laptop and I'm ready to import the pictures but sadly the pictures are not ready to be imported.  And why is that? Oh, because THEY HAVE DISAPPEARED. They have gone without a trace never to be seen again!!  

I'm finding this extra annoying because a) the weather is now rubbish so lighting will be awful b) it is more effort to take photos of me actually wearing makeup than just images of products and I'm exhausted and c) I haven't posted in what feels like ages because my house has been like a hotel recently and I've not had five seconds to myself let alone long enough to write a post!

I can only apologise that instead of a post about some truly beautiful makeup, you've got the rantings and ravings of a frazzled mentalist. I truly am sorry, and maybe after tomorrow I'll be more mature and able to deal with these things seeing as I'll be a whole year older and the grand old age of 23! 

Am I the only one who gets well and truly screwed over by electronic devices? 

xxx