Soap & Glory - Fab Pore Facial Peel Review

Hello lovelies, 

I've always been a huge fan of a good face mask, that feeling you get when your skin is squeaky clean and you have a nice base for everything else you're going to mess it up again with. It's so easy to just slap one on and leave it to work its magic. 

After receiving a S&G set for Xmas I found myself with some money off vouchers for their products. I managed to pick this up last month for the bargain price of £3 and I have been using it regularly since I got it. 

The Soap and Glory Fab Pore Facial Peel, Boots, RRP £8.

Firstly, I'd like to point out that this isn't really a peel in the rip off a layer of your skin, leave your face red way that you might imagine. It's more of a refining treatment that makes your skin feel rejuvenated and fresher looking. I have very fussy, problem prone skin and was a little concerned that I might not get on with it, but we've got along fine so don't let that put you off. 

So what is it I hear you ask? Well the Fab Pore is essentially a clay mask with added extras that are tailored to troublesome skin; a pore tightening mushroom extract, salicylic acid to loosen dead cells, Vitamins E&C for their anti-oxidant qualities and of course kaolin (or clay to you and I) to absorb oil. The mask also has little green beads running through it which S&G instruct you to massage into your face focussing on your t-zone or wherever you feel you have problem pores. They recommend using it 2-3 times a week for either 5 or 10 mins depending on whether you want a quick refresher or a deep clean. 

I've become quite a fan of this mask and have been using it about every 3 days to do the 'deep clean' just because I don't see the point in just using it for 5, and also I forget I've got masks on and potter about doing other things so they tend to get taken off later rather than sooner. There's something strangely satisfying about rubbing the beads into your face and having them dissolve, while the mask starts feeling as though it's getting thicker on your skin. When I wash it off it leaves me with really really smooth, clean skin and it definitely makes my pores appear smaller and tightened. It absorbs all the excess oil from my t-zone and if anything leaves my skin a little on the dry side (which by the way is not a complaint because I know it's supposed to, I'm just saying it works very well) so I make sure to moisturise after. I've used it about 10 times now and have probably got a quarter of the way in, so it seems as though it will last a few months (obviously depending on how much of your face you do) and works out pretty good value for money.

Basically it's just another reason to love Soap and Glory.

Lauren x

New Buys On A Budget

Hello lovelies, 

I've been very good but boring lately and haven't really bought much at all other than things that are necessities. I made my way to Primark this week and still didn't really manage to spend any money (go me!). Even though I hadn't been since before Christmas, there didn't seem to be anything different. I suppose this is a bit of a weird time of year where they're trying to shift the old to make way for the new. I have however picked up a few bargains this week:

Since I fell in love with S&G I've spent a considerable amount of time perusing the range in Boots. The other day (after having sniffed the sugar crush buttercream for the gazillionth time, boy is it good) I spotted this on the bottom shelf, with a reduced label marked £1.38. Now I fell out with dry oil sprays after using the Avon one and getting a huge oily patch on my duvet from letting my leg touch the bed.  However, I'm sure I can make an exception for S&G and since I live in shorts during the summer this should be pretty good :)

My skin is becoming the bain of my life, it's never great but has really been playing up lately. I've had breakouts left, right and center, and an oily t-zone combined with dry skin. Sounds a bit weird to have dry skin when it's oily, but believe me, it's possible! After trying several different moisturiser samples (and getting on with none) I decided to cut the crap and go with something stripped back and oil free. This had great reviews on the Boots website and was only £2.79. 

While in Primark the only thing I bought was this tank and shorts PJ set for a fiver. I didn't want to leave with nothing and if you spend as much time in your dressing gown as I do then you can never have too many PJs. 

Next up is this bag from  Matalan. We had a leaflet through the door saying it was going to be on offer from £12 down to £5 this week so I'd been waiting to go in and get one. It comes in black, tan, a pale pink and  grey and I really had trouble deciding which to go for because they were all nice. In the end I thought that this would go with the most things, but I think I'll probably go back and get another colour because I like it so much. 

Last but not least is this cowboy shirt dress that I picked up in Asda. It was only £1! so I really couldn't say no and although it doesn't look much here (these pics wouldn't do anything justice) the design is really flattering on me because it draws attention to my waist and gives me a bit more of a shape rather than looking straight up and down like a 12yr old boy. It's quite wimpy material but it feels really nice, has cute piping and looks good with leggings and boots. 

Lauren x

New Budget Buys Jan 2013

Hello Lovelies, 

Just some things I've been buying lately. All budget buys so nothing breath taking I'm afraid, but something to nosey at nonetheless! Something to look at has gotta be better than nothing.

I think I must be getting old as I really wasn't happy this year until I got a diary. Over the last few months of 2012 I got really into writing in my old one, just noting what I'd done that day so that I could keep track of things. This is the one I ended up with; nothing flashy, just an A5 day to page from Wilkinsons for £3. 

While in town I also used one of the vouchers I blogged about that came with the Soap & Glory Best Of All set. It gave you £3 off facial skincare. I decided to go for the Fab Pore Facial Peel which was already £8 down to £6 and with the £3 knocked off that only left £3 to pay.  If you have them then the first set go out on Jan 22nd - go and spend them ladies! I used it last night and was impressed - review coming soon.

Next up - something boring but essential. This one smells nice and is really gentle on my skin. It was super cheap too. I've found that if you use a print out advantage card voucher (in this case 25% off a deo) it will take it off the full price even if something's on offer. So instead of £3 something it was just 80pish. This works for other boring things like toothepaste too, which means more money to spend on pretty/fun things instead. 

I also needed to spend my £3 Body Shop card (the one from Glamour). I was in a real hurry in the shop and it was the last day so I opted for this fresh smelling watermelon and eucalyptus shower gel for £2.50. It sounds pretty good and is completely eco friendly. 

Last but not least, was this Palmers lip balm for £1 from Asda. My lips are really feeling the wintery weather and I like to have lip balms in my various bags and pockets whenever I need it. You can never have too many. 

...and that's it!

Lauren x 

Recent Empties January 2013ish!

Hello Lovelies, 

You must all know what an 'empties' post is, so without further ado...

Peep Show Mascara: Read my review here

Palmers Cocoa Butter - I've already repurchased, great at moisturising very dry skin and an addictive scent.

Skin Therapy Eye MU Remover - Another thing I've repurchased. I use this every night and it does the trick without irritating my eyes.

Vaseline Deodorant - I never actually ended up using this all. It is so strong smelling and used to make me feel like I was being asphyxiated, I got complaints from the family too for making the house smell of it!

Timotei Shower Gel - Cheap and cheerful. Probably wouldn't repurchase in a hurry, because I think I need to use less soapy and more moisturising shower gel (IYKWIM).

Sleeptherapy Shower Gel - This was wasted on me as I always shower in the morning. I needed a shower gel and it was hanging around from my days as an Avon rep. It's pretty good.

Dove Shampoo - I used this before and repurchased - it's really moisturising.

Boots Expert Scar Care Serum - This is the second tube of this I've finished but it wasn't really a repurchase as I bought them both at the same time on special offer because they were re-branding the product. I believe it's now called 'Scar Reduction Serum'. I used this twice a day over a pro-longed period of time. I'm not 100% convinced whether it was other factors, or just skin regeneration, but my scarring has certainly been calmed down *I have/had really bad purple/pinky scarring on my face, particularly cheeks*. It feels quite nice and soothing on skin.

That's all folks!

Lauren x 

Real Techniques Core Collection Review

Hello lovelies,

It seems ages ago now that I told you I'd finally bought the RT Core Collection set. Before buying it I read several reviews (thank you blog land) and couldn't find a bad word said about it, so here's another by someone who's been won over by these brilliant brushes.

L-R: Buffing, Pointed Foundation, Detailer and Contour brush.

The Core Collection Set

The set is one of a few by Real Techniques and consists of four brushes which are designed to help you achieve a flawless base. The brushes themselves are all made from synthetic taklon bristles that feel incredibly smooth and very soft on skin. They're also very light to hold because of their aluminium handles. The brushes come in a black case (great for travelling) which doubles as a stand.

Contour Brush
At the moment I don't pay much attention to contouring (although I should because I know it can make such a huge difference) but I do use this to sweep highlighter in a few places and it's really good. It picks up a lot of product so I have to remember not to be heavy handed and to blend.

Pointed Foundation Brush
I don't use this brush much, purely because I prefer to apply my foundation with the buffer to really blend it in. If you like to use a proper foundation brush then this one is excellent quality and it's definitely a fall back for me.

Detailer Brush
This is quite a small brush that looks like your typical eye shadow brush. I hate the doe foot applicator that comes with my concealer so I use this instead for slapping a good amount on under my eyes or over spots.
This gives me a lot more control over how much concealer I want to apply and where I want it. I often feel like I'm painting with this brush. Being a detailer, it's just the right size for under eye patch ups and for covering pesky bits of blemished skin. Rather than just blobbing the product on in a thick lump, this allows you to spread it thinly or build it up.

Buffing Brush
This was the one that drew me to the collection, I was after a brush that I could use to apply liquid foundation and I'd narrowed it down to the expert face brush or this one, which is only available as part of the set. I weighed up my options and decided that spending a bit extra to get 3 more brushes was too tempting not to do.
This is the main brush I use. I put a few blobs of foundation on my face (cheeks, chin and forehead). Starting with my cheeks I start spreading the foundation around using circular motion and just do this repeatedly on the different areas of my face until it's all covered.
I also use this after applying my blusher. I like to just give a quick couple of sweeps over the blushed area to ensure that it's blended in well.
I can honestly say I don't know what I did before I had this. It just makes it so much quicker and easier to apply my foundation and the effect is excellent. I never used to feel like my make up was applied well but now I have this I don't even need great light to do my make up as I can be totally sure that it's all blended in well and I've not got the dreaded streaky make up look!

Overall
As I've said I was only really after the buffing brush, but now that I've got this set I'm really impressed with the general quality of the brushes and how well they work. I definitely get the most use out of the buffer and detailer, with the least used being the foundation brush.

There's more info about how to use the brushes on the Real Techniques website.

I bought my brushes from Amazon for just under £20 but they're also available at Boots and several other online retailers.

Lauren x

The Christmas Post 2012

Hello lovelies, 

I haven't really taken the pictures I wanted, but I feel like I need to do a Christmas post today to get it out of the way by next year. I love Christmas but I feel a bit conflicted when you say goodbye to one year and hello to another with the decorations still up and Christmas hanging around, so likewise I didn't want to be blogging about Xmas when we're in 2013. 

L-R: Fingerless gloves, Revlon mirror, Next baubles, Lush Hello Gorgeous set, bamboo socks, balls again, what I'm reading, pressies. 

Here's a snapshot of what I got for Xmas. Like my birthday I mostly had money which I have many plans for already, but I also got the odd few bits above. 

Lauren x

Soap and Glory: The Best of All Gift Set @ Boots

Hello lovelies, 

This is just a quick post to show you what I got today. When I say I got this today what I really mean is that I got my mum to buy it for me for Xmas and I had a quick look at it before she took it away  from me again! There's been a lot of hype around this set and it's sold out online already., For those of you who don't know, it's Boots Star Gift this week which means it's £27 instead of £60. I've never tried any Soap and Glory before (I know, I'm years behind) but this was the perfect opportunity and I can't wait to get it back and try everything out.

So anyway, as I haven't tried any of it yet I can't tell you what it's like or anything, but I wanted to tell you about the vouchers inside. I was really surprised to find that you get nearly 10 different vouchers to use during the first 3 months of 2013. Some are money off and the majority are extra advantage card points when you spend on certain things such as 'facial skincare' or 'indulgent bathing'. These will be so tempting and will give me the excuse to try even more of the range. 

First impressions are that it's a really really good offer. You get a lot of product for your money. Even if you bought the products individually on the 3 for 2 offer at the moment you'd still be spending way more. It works out £3 per item not including the bag so would even be good for splitting up for birthdays or Christmas. 

Before you ask, I don't work for Boots. I just think it's a great offer and am happy that I'm getting it :)

Thank you by the way for the birthday messages I received yesterday, I had a lovely day and will be doing a post with presents etc tomorrow hopefully. 

Lauren x 

P.S. Sorry about the rubbish picture quality, they're a combination of poor lighting and an even poorer photographer.

Cosmetics Haul November 2012

I'm still trying not to spend or at least keep it to a minimum, but here are some things I picked up in town last week. 

I really needed some shampoo but knew I had an Avon one on the way, so I bought this double pack of shampoo and conditioner for £1.49 in Savers.
The Chit chat nail varnish was from Poundland, as far as I know it's their own range of make-up. They had this in quite a few different colours and I really liked this blue.
17 Miracle matte powder £5.49 - having a bit of a problem with the balance of my combination skin at the moment so hopefully this will control my shininess! Make-up is buy one get one half price at the moment in Boots so I also got 17 Photo Flawless Primer - this is my replacement for my Porefessional sample. I'm not expecting it to be as good but it's a fraction of the price at £5 and because of the offer I only paid £2.50.
Natural Collection Corrector Stick - I've seen this on other blogs and wanted to try it out because I'm intrigued. It was £2ish and with that I got a black cherry nail varnish which ended up costing around £1.
Last but not least, Burt's lip balm with pomegranate oil. I like to have a lot of lip balms on the go so I can have one in each bag/pocket/room pretty much.

Not bad for around £15. I just need to get my arse into gear and buy some blimmin Christmas presents now.

Lauren x 

NOTD Natural Collection's Black Cherry

The title of this post is pretty self explanatory. This is one of the things I picked up in Boots the other day as part of their buy one get one half price make-up offer. I was after the green tone correcting stick which was £1.99 and this was £1.89 but in the end it worked out as 90 something pence instead :) I was stuck between getting this one and the raspberry shade which was a bit lighter but still looked like a deep berry colour. This one is a very rich colour with a slightly golden toned shimmer. 

I'm impressed because I thought being so cheap the quality might be lacking but it actually went on really well and it has a lovely shiny finish. I'll definitely be looking at the other colours they do when I'm next in Boots.

Lauren x 

Mascara Bargain

I love a bargain as much as the next girl so I thought I'd share this one from Boots. This morning they put up a printable voucher on their 17 Cosmetics Facebook page offering a mascara for £1!

You can find the page by searching for '17 Cosmetics' on Facebook. 

I haven't tried this mascara before but at the moment I'm using the 17 Va Va Voom one, which is really good. At a pound I'm sure it's worth a try, just hope they have some in stock!

Lauren x