Clinique Chubby Stick Intense

I went into Debenhams the other day and spotted the new Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Lip Colours. I love the original chubby sticks so was keen to try these out. I went for two colours – Mightiest Maraschino (below right) and Roomiest Rose (left) both £16.

In the picture below I am wearing Mightiest Maraschino which is quite an intense red. The colour is definitely much stronger than the original chubby sticks which were almost sheer. Although these are intense they are still quite creamy and moisturising.

In the picture below I am wearing Roomiest Rose, which is quite plummy and rosy at the same time. I think this is more wearable for daytime.

Very happy with both these colours and am looking forward to trying the new Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes…so watch this space!!

A Few New Clothes

First up is a pair of skinny jeans from Zara, in the sale for £9.99. They are a perfect fit and a really long length which is what I was looking for.

With the Zara jeans I am wearing a simple knit from Primark for £6. It comes in loads of colours but I liked the grey and black combination best.

Next is a pencil skirt also from Zara for £29.99. Its has an embossed pattern and faux leather trim. I really like the length and pockets, and that it’s got a bit of a stretch which makes it easy to walk in!

Finally also from Zara is a knitted tunic in black with capped sleeves for £29.99. I have been looking for something like this for a while so I can layer it with shirts etc but also wear alone. I am wearing it with my new Primark leopard print leggings (£7). Wearing my Anika Kendra Clarks shoes throughout.

Babyliss Curling Wand

I have finally got myself a curling wand. I decided on the Babyliss Curling Wand purely based on the fact that it is featured in the InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2013! Yes I know that sounds a bit silly but I really trust the experts they get to vote on these things and I haven’t been disappointed yet!

So I got my Babyliss from my local Boots store for £24.99 (bargain!). It is just a simple barrel that heats up to 210 degrees. It has a number of heat settings but given my very thick hair I just went straight to the highest setting. The great bit is it also comes with a heat protection glove (just one)! Yes that sounds odd but trust me its brilliant! It means that you wrap your hair around the barrel without worrying about burning your fingers.

So I have found that it works best after I have used my Babyliss Big Hair to style my hair. I don’t tend use it on the day I style it with the Big Hair but wait until the day after this is really because I love the way my hair looks right after I have washed and styled it with the Big Hair but by the second day its just a bit tired so needs a refresh – I normally just use the Big Hair again and give it a quick once over, but now I find I am using the Curling Wand. This does mean that I get a different hair style as well!

So how easy is it? Well I think its fairly easy. The wrapping bit takes a bit of practice, but I am not looking for perfect curls, more of a gentle wave. I am not very patient (and often don’t have much time) so I just wrap and wait no more 5-8 seconds. I find that although this doesn’t give me tight curls, it does give me a nice wave which lasts for a few days! If you used smaller sections of hair you would probably get a tighter curl, but again time, patience and thick hair equals larger sections faster!!

All in all I am very very pleased with this purchase. I am very glad I waited to get the right one for me and I certainly think I did. I am definitely going to be using this again and again just like my Big Hair!

OPI Gelcolor – My Address is Hollywood

I had my nails done again with OPI Gelcolor  for a night out and decided to go quite bright this time with “My address is Hollywood”. Its a beautiful peachy pink with a very slight gold shimmer.

Stunning J Crew Bracelet

Came home to find that a bracelet from J Crew that I ordered had arrived much quicker than expected (always good). Opened it up and was not disappointed. The packaging alone was lovely but the “Classic Pave Link” bracelet itself – beyond gorgeous.

I don’t have much more to say than that! Was pricey but oh so worth it..(£126 including delivery)!

L’Oreal Elnett Satin Heat Styling Sprays

I heard about these new Elnett Satin Heat Styling Sprays and when I spotted them in Boots I got two: the 3 Day Straight and the 3 Day Curls. They are basically hair styling sprays that work with your chosen heated styling tool providing protection against heat damage and a lasting hold.

I have tried both versions with my Babyliss Big Hair and also with my straighteners. You are meant to spray it onto damp hair and then style your hair. The spray itself is really light and smells really fresh. It doesn’t leave a sticky residue and my hair is really soft after I blow-dry it. I have to admit I do love the packaging as there is something quite chic about it!

So the promise is that the sprays are meant to keep your hair straight or curly for three days. I wouldn’t say that this is true but they do give a really good hold for at least one day. It also does help your hair maintain the style for a few days but not perfectly. Would definitely be quite good to keep your style going for an evening out.

Overall I do like these and will probably keep using them until something else comes along that catches my eye! I still use the L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Hair Oil on my hair before I use these sprays, when my hair is really wet, and also to finish off my style.

“Brightening” Face Creams

I really like the idea of skin brightening serums and creams. I have tried three different brightening face creams over the past six months. I have been using the first two serums a lot since I was left with some scarring from blemishes – my skin has settled down now with the help of the Effaclar Duo. These serums and creams are meant to help with brightening the skin, reducing pigmentation and scarring and generally giving you a more radiant complexion.

First up is the L’Oreal Youthcode Luminize Serum. This stuff is lovely! It has a silky texture that absorbs really well and isn’t heavy on the skin. It’s also got a kind of highlighting effect as it is slightly pearlescent. For me, this gives my skin a really glowy look which, because I tend to use this for the day only, works really well under light makeup. It is meant to be very effective at reducing pigmentation and dark spots and I have to say that I find it really is helping my skin recover from blemish scars.  This normally costs about £16 from Boots or Superdrug but to be honest I have always managed to get it on offer for less.

The next product which I mainly use at night is the much talked about Garnier Dark Spot Corrector which costs about £9.99 from Boots or Superdrug. This stuff is packed with Vitamin C which is supposed to work wonders on dark spots and pigmentation. This again has a really light texture which absorbs really easily. I prefer using this at night only because I like the highlighting effect of the L’Oreal Youthcode for the day. I feel like this is almost as effective as the L’Oreal Youthcode and I find the two work together quite well for me. I have fairly normal skin so I don’t need to use heavy moisturisers even in the winter. Both these serums provide me with adequate moisture and do seem to make my skin look brighter.

And finally we have Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Lotion (about £35). This is also a brightening product that is meant to minimise dark spots and skin pigmentation. This has a built in SPF 20. I used this a lot when I was on holiday in Malaysia – I got it Duty Free on my way there. I found the texture, although still quite light, a bit too heavy for me. To be honest I think that is because of the SPF which seems to make creams a little heavier. As you can see from the picture, it’s still a very light lotion but it’s not a serum. I haven’t used this much since my holiday but will probably use it in the summer. I did like it but didn’t feel that it was as effective as the L’Oreal or the Garnier.

Overall my favourite is definitely the L’Oreal Youthcode which I will definitely be buying again. As for the other two – I am not so sure!

One Peplum Three Ways

I got this peplum top from H&M a few months and ago for about £29. It’s really versatile as you can see and can be dressed up or down. I particularly like it with the cocktail trousers from Asos.

The belt is a really old Primark purchase, my jeans are River Island (a good 4 years old) and my skirt is Jigsaw (in the sale for £18). My tall boots are new from Jones Bootmaker (£90 in the sale). The court shoes are my Clarks Anika Kendra.