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

Lush: The Comforter Review

Hello lovelies, 

If you were with me in December you may have seen my Xmas post which showed you that I received a  Lush 'Hello Gorgeous' gift set. A month on I've just got round to having a very long, indulgent bath using the comforter bubble bar. I have to admit to being way behind and never having used anything from Lush before. Well, clearly I've been missing out. I can honestly say I had the best bath ever this afternoon .

For a total newbie like me, a bubble bar is basically a solid form of bubble bath. You break a bit off and it looks like a pumice stone. To use it you crumble it under the hot water tap when you start running your bath. This one costs £4.25 and judging by the amount I used will last about 5/6 baths.

First impressions were that the bubble bar smells great, it's been sitting in my room making it smell lovely and now that I've broken a bit off it's re-awoken the smell. It's actually blackcurrant, but if I didn't know this then I wouldn't have been able to pin point what it was, only the fact that I love it. 

I was a bit sceptical as to whether it would bubble up, but it was fantastic and even when I topped my water up mid bath it was still creating bubbles. My bath water was also a really girly pink that didn't stain the bath or me. 

It's been a great intro the the brand and I can't wait to try out the other things in the set!

Do you have any Lush favourites?

Lauren x

Review: Sudocrem - Not just for babies' bums!

Hello lovelies, 

If like me you suffer from more than your fair share of spots then you will have probably tried a shed load of products that claim to get rid of the buggers. Enter Sudocrem.

I'd been meaning to try this for ages after seeing it doing the rounds but finally got it a few weeks ago. I paid £2.25 for 125g in Superdrug but you can get it in all the usual places; Boots, Wilkinsons, Supermarkets, etc. 

Not having any little people around I've never had much to do with it and didn't realise quite how many uses it covers. As it's quite thick and white it gives you a bit of a ghostly look unless you rub it in well. I find it's just easier to put it on at night and let it work its magic. It definitely makes my spots appear calmer and tones down the redness of marks. I think it probably stops them from getting worse due to the antiseptic properties (at least it makes me think that!). It's really kind to skin and now I've tried it I expect it'll be something I'll always use. A little goes a long way and I can see this tub lasting for ages. 

All in all I'd recommend it if you're after something that might make a difference. 

Lauren x 

Revlon 9429U Make-Up Mirror Review

Hello lovelies, 

There have been two things lately that have really made a difference to how I apply my make-up. The first is my Real Techniques brush set that I talked about the other day in this post, the other is something I asked for  and received at Christmas; this Revlon mirror. 

A decent mirror is something that I'd needed for a while. Even more so when it's so dark and dull in the mornings like it is here at this time of year. I originally had my eye on the No 7 one from Boots but when my mum offered to buy me this one for Xmas I wasn't going to say no! She got it at £25 on half price offer from  Very. 

I've now been using it every day since Xmas and have to say that I love it. It's so so handy for getting a good close up (scary at times!) of your face. I usually just use the normal side but the 3x magnifying side is really good for doing your eyebrows because you can see them so well to get individual ones out. It can be angled at almost any position, the only thing you can't change is the height (which I wouldn't expect anyway). I really like the fact that it plugs in so you don't have to worry about batteries and also that it's so easy to flick on and off. The illumination is excellent and I can see really clearly in the mirror in poor light. 

I'm very pleased with it and just hope the bulb will last or be replaceable when it does go!

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