La Roche Posay Serozinc Spray

My lovely friend from France brought me two bottles of the La Roche Posay Serozinc Spray as I had been desperate to try it. You can’t get this easily in the UK (I think you can get it on Bay). This is a toner that is meant to help keep spots at bay. I spray it all over my face after cleansing in the morning before I apply serum and moisturiser. I don’t use it everyday only when my skin is feeling oily or breaking out.   The spray is a really fine mist so could even be used after your makeup. I do really like this and feel like it does help keep blemishes in check. I wouldn’t use this all the time especially when my skin is feeling dry as I think it would probably dry it out further. I took this with me on holiday to Malaysia to try and help my skin adjust to the hot, humid weather out there and reduce the number of blemishes I normally get when travelling. It seemed to work well and if I could get more I definitely would! Lets hope this comes to the UK soon!

Sanctuary Spa – Wonder Oil Serum

As you can see from the image above I am already halfway through this Wonder Oil Serum from Sanctuary Spa (£19.50). I actually bought it in August just before I went on holiday to Malaysia and I am so glad I did.

This was a key component of my in-flight and holiday skincare and I have to say my skin never behaved better. Normally after a 13 hour flight I have major skin issues, but not this time. I will do a separate post on my in-flight skincare soon but this was such a lovely product to use on parched skin. It also worked really well with the hot humid climate in Malaysia where my skin is normally not so dry.

So to use this you have to shake the bottle really well so the two layers mix together. Then pipette a few drops into your hands and massage into your face and neck. The texture is definitely oily and takes a while to absorb into the skin. If you have drier skin thats probably a good thing! The smell is quite fresh and citrusy which is nice.

I have found that my skin has responded really well to this product. I have had fewer breakouts and as I said my holiday skin was almost flawless for two weeks when I pretty much only used this as a moisturiser. I am very tempted to repurchase this when I finish it just to have it in case my skin goes crazy! I would highly recommend this although I dont know how well this would work on oilier skin.

 

Makeup by Sponge?

I finally decided it was time to try the beauty sponge way of applying my makeup. I went for the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (£5.99)

The sponge is designed to have lots of different angles:

• Rounded sides blend large areas of the face with a repeated dabbing or “stippling” motion.
• Precision tip covers blemishes and imperfections.
• Flat edge for the contours around the eyes and nose

It can be used for everything from foundation, concealer, blusher and even powder! I have mainly been using it to apply foundation and concealer and I love it.

It definitely fits nicely into the angles and contours of my face and gives me enough control to apply concealer where I want it. Everything also seems to blend together much better leaving a much smoother finish.

After using I just wash it with a bit of shampoo and let it dry and start again! Sometimes I don’t let it dry and just use it damp which works amazingly well too!!

Travalo

I have quite a few perfumes but they are all in quite large glass bottles that are not easy to take with me on a day to day basis. I then came across this brand called Travalo which makes the cutest little perfume spray that you can fill with any of your own perfumes.

This involves no finnicky decanting just remove the spray nozzle on your perfume and attach the Travalo to the plastic stem and pump! Its amazing!

There is also a small clear window so you can see how full it is.

I got mine for £11 from Feel Unique. It holds about 50 sprays which is perfect if you want to take it with you in your everyday makeup bag (like me) or for a weekend away. It has also meant that I am more likely to use my perfumes as I know I can decant them into my Travalo so I can top up my scent during the day! Genius product.

 

 

 

Zara do Perfumes

Its not something I ever look for when I shop in Zara (I am always too distracted by the amazing clothes) but one day I found a gorgeous perfume there which I have been using non stop for months now so I thought it was about time to share this find!

I kind of wandered into the perfume bit and started sniffing all the perfumes and then I got to this one called Nuit and I was immediately hooked. Its a very “me” scent in that its got vanilla tones but also a musky element. For the 100ml it was £12.99!!

I would say that this is more of day time scent (unlike its name!) as its not heavy and to me is a holiday smell. I just adore this and always get loads of people asking me what I am wearing. For that price its definitely become part of my daily scent wardrobe.

Magazine Inspiration Board – September

The October issues were absolutely brimming with amazing clothes, skincare and makeup so this is going to be quite a long post – be warned!

I won’t ramble on too much but let’s start with clothes! There were loads of great Autumn skirts, shorts (yes so pretty from H&M), dresses and of course coats and boots to choose from here are my favourites.

If I didn’t already have a couple of over the knee boots for this winter (see here and here) I would definitely be on the lookout.

A couple of new collections also caught my eye – both H&M. The first is a new collaboration from H&M (below).

The second is this image from the Dries Van Norten A/W 2014 collection. I love the fuchsia print material and then found this dress and skirt in H&M  which are so similar and  I love them!

A couple of accessories. Love the safety pin brooch from Sonia Rykiel £44.

Next some skincare. I am especially into the serum in oil idea and have tried a two of the ones featured – the Sanctuary Spa and Sarah Chapman. Am also very keen to try an EE cream!

So on to makeup, two L’Oreal and one from Rimmel. I need a new brow tamer and this one looks perfect. I absolutely love nude nail polishes in Autumn and will definitely be giving these 2-step ones a try! The new Rimmel mascara also sounds lovely – argon oil is definitely a huge trend.

And last but not least a hair thing! I saw this and thought it was such a lovely idea and will definitely be giving this a go – a scarf plaited into your hair!

Split Ends?

A price to pay for my ombre hair is few more split ends especially on the finer hairs around my face. I was desperate to try Garnier’s (newish) Ultimate Blends range for split ends – The Silky Smoother. The product I was most interested in was the 1 Minute Polishing Srub. Scrubbing my split ends sounded both odd and satisfying so I had to give it go!!

I got the Shampoo, Conditioner and Scrub from Asda for £2.50 each.

The Polishing Scrub like the rest of the range has Vanilla Milk and Papaya extract but has added  tiny micro-beads that are meant to smooth away split ends.

I used the shampoo first then used the conditioner on my roots to mid lengths and then the polishing scrub from mid lengths to the ends. I did massage in the scrub especially where I know I have split ends and my hair is very dry. This scrub is definitely a scrub (!) and not one where the “micro beads” dissolve – they dont – but they do wash out very easily.

The smell of this is lovely and not too sweet and cloying. I found the shampoo and conditioner were really nice and moistuising. The scrub was a real surprise. I thought it would be gimmicky and not really do anything, but I have to say that even after one wash I noticed that my split ends looked better. I have used this about 4-5 times now and I am really seeing a difference on my split ends. My hair is definitely smoother and less dry. Also when I blow dry my hair I cant see any obvious split ends where I could before.

Overall I am extremely impressed with this range and will definitely repurchase the scrub. I am also very tempted to try the other “blends” in this range especially the Marvellous Transformer!

 

 

 

Summer in a bottle

Summer frangrances are something I always look forward to. There is something so lush about the perfect summer scent that I am always on the look out for new additions to old favourites.

So for an old favourite first – every year without fail I find myself re-purchasing my ultimate summer fragrance – Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess Eau Fraische Skinscent (£47).

The smell is a combination of Bergamot, warm Amber, Tiare Flower and Vanilla combined with Coconut. This basically smells like really expensive sun cream, the beach and sea all rolled into one! Its is simply delicious and always gets loads of compliments.

This is one smell that always makes me feel like I am on holiday (even when I am going into the office!).

A new scent discovery this year that has well and truly captured the essence of summer for me is the Parfum Divin de Caudalie (£39) – Oh My! I absolutely LOVE their Divine Oil (see here) and was very happy when they decided to make a perfume version.

If you love the smell of the oil then you will love this even more. Its even better if you can layer the two – so I use the oil in my hair and the perfume everywhere else. The scent is a mix of Bulgarian rose absolute, Moroccan rose essence, Virginia cedar, vanilla, and spicy pink pepper. It’s warm and sensual and just summer in bottle! Come autumn/winter this will definitely help liven up a dark dreary morning!

 

 

Long Haul Travel – What to Wear

My biggest dilemma when traveling long haul (i.e. 10+ hours) is what to wear! I know that sounds strange but there are so many things one outfit needs to do.

1. Temperature – I mostly travel from the UK (cold) to Malaysia or South Africa (very warm) to see family. This is a huge problem as I take off in freezing UK and land in hot humid Asia/Africa! Also planes are often very cold or very hot or both!

2. Comfort – I think I can wear skinny jeans on plane for up to 6-7 hours max, after that its just not good! So whatever I choose to wear on long flights has got to be comfortable enough to sit/sleep in for many hours without looking like a right mess on landing!

3. Fashion- ok well I don’t mean Victoria Beckham standards but still I don’t want to look awful just because I am flying. A lot of travelling time is also spent in airports – shopping, eating etc. So I do like to look reasonably well put together!

So this is my wardrobe solution to all the above!

I go for a loose fitting cotton trousers that are therefore extremely comfortable, not too thick but warm enough. I think this is quite stylish too and a perfect addition to the holiday wardrobe.

I pair this with a simple T-shirt (mine is from Zara)- normally black (in case of any spillages!!) and a cardigan which can be removed at the warm end!

I chose to wear Birkenstocks this time as it was summer in the UK when I left but I did of course have socks with me for the flight.

I also packed a huge cotton scarf in my hand luggage in case I was still cold or just wanted a blanket!

As far as I am concerned that is my perfect long haul travel outfit!

 

Brightening Moisturiser Body Spray

After the success of the Vaseline Spray and Go body moisturisers I was intrigued when I spotted this in Boots from the Botanics range (£4.29). It claims to have “active plant extract, hibiscus, natural AHAs which mildly exfoliate to leave the skin smoother and brighter”. Sounds amazing! I really love the Vaseline sprays and still use them – more in the summer when my skin isnt so dry.

I have been trying this as my main moisturiser for a few weeks now and I have to admit that I really like it. It definitely moisturisers my skin really well and leaves if feeling soft and lovely. Its very easy to use and I find that you can control how much you spray so it doesn’t feel like you are wasting any! I like the idea of the AHAs gently exfoliating my skin but I would be lying if I said I noticed that bit! Overall its a lovely moisturiser and so quick and easy. I am not sure this would be enough for my skin in winter but it definitely does the job now!