Thursday 20 December 2012

One the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Lift and Firm skincare from Espa.
This lovely little set from Espa containing their Lift & Firm Intensive Eye Serum and Lift & Firm Moisturiser.



The Lift & Firm Intensive Eye Serum is a lightweight serum that is designed to firm and smooth the eye area, stimulate cell renewal while also brightening and de-puffing the eye area. Micro Algae works to firm and lift the skin around the eye area while Golden Root brightens and de-puffs the eyes.

The Lift & Firm Moisturiser is a face cream designed to help firm the skin and diminish fine lines. It contains Sea Amber to help stimulate collagen production to help lift and firm the skin and Anise Extract which aids in reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

I used these products for about one week morning and evening and they didn't make any notable difference however I have always been of the opinion that it can take roughly 4 weeks before you start to see any visible difference using products due to skin cell turnover. They didn't make my skin breakout which is always a concern when starting a new product and considering the number of late nights I've been having, the Lift & Firm Intensive Eye Serum must be doing something as normally my eyes would be so puffy with dark circles.  


On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Big hair from Richard Ward...
Couture Hair by Richard Ward is a volumising root booster which also helps to control thin, flyaway or fine/weak hair... and for those of you that know me know that I have these problems with me hair.

It's been formulated with Humidity Defence technology that helps cope with all kinds of weather from the grey, drizzle of London to the heat and humidity of Thailand. It also contains Kukui oil and wheat protein that helps boost volume in your hair without the sticky, tacky residue other volumisers can leave you.



You apply this to damp hair in sections from the roots to mid lengths and blow dry your hair as normal. You can also spritz on dry as hair and style your hair as normal. It will leave your hair more volumous without looking over-styled and gives your hair a lustrous texture. I will be definitely investing in a full size bottle of this when this one runs out!

Friday 7 December 2012

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Soft, touchable hands from L'Occitane.
I've actually used this Shea Butter Hand Cream on and off for many years and have always loved it.
It contains 20% Shea Butter which is very nourishing for your skin (great during winter months) and it's high in antioxidant Vitamin E to keep skin hydrated. This hand cream also absorbs really well into your skin so you're not left with a greasy feeling on your skin. Make sure you massage it into your cuticles as well!
Now that the weather has definitely cooled and I'm having to wear gloves much more, my skin has become so much drier and my cuticles have definitely looked better.
The great thing about this hand cream is that it comes in 2 different sizes. It comes in the full 150ml size which is great to leave by your bed so you always remember to use it before going to bed and it comes in a handy 30ml travel size so that you will always have some in your bag or your desk at work so your hands stay soft and smooth all day long.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Full, black lashes from Benefit Cosmetics.
They're real! Mascara is a great find. It's a long lasting mascara that adds volume, length and lift.

It is so long lasting that it's actually quite difficult to remove. I find I need to use an oil based cleanser to remove the majority of it but then I need to follow that with another eye make up remover to remove the rest of it... However if you do happen to sleep in it (which is always unadvisable) you wont wake up with it all over your face or pillow... Of course I never do this...
My eyelashes are not the longest or the darkest so a good mascara is always something I'm on the lookout for.
As you can see from the below picture my lashes are so much more noticeable. They're thicker and longer. This is probably not a mascara that I would wear on a daily basis but definitely something I would use for those occasions where a little more is needed.  











Wednesday 5 December 2012

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Super curly lashes...
From The Vintage Cosmetics Company I received a new eyelash curler. I've always been a big fan of curling my lashes and my current eyelash curler definitely needed to be replaced so you can imagine my happiness when on the 2nd day of December I opened the window of my advent calendar and there was my brand new vintage eyelash curler.
In such a pretty little box as well. So now I can say goodbye to my (very) old eyelash curler and get started with my shiny, new one...

I've spoken to some people who don't see the necessity of having an eyelash curler but the difference it makes to my lashes is just short of false lashes. They just make your eyes pop open.

Tuesday 4 December 2012

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Ruby red nails...
Opening my advent calendar on December 1st and out popped a gorgeous little bottle of Mavala nail polish in a glittery, ruby red. Number 385 to be exact.
It's a perfect red to kickstart the christmas with festive nails. And what's better is that the colour goes on really well that you could get away with doing only 1 coat plus your top and bottom coat.

I've always been a loyal user of OPI and Essie however I think I'm willing to open my eyes and branch out into other brands of nail products especially one as pretty as this.

This may just be my go to festive season colour especially for Christmas Day.