Khiels Avocado Eye Cream

Every now and then my eye area needs some extra help to stop it looking dry and crepey and of course wrinkly! Having heard many good things about Kiehl’s Creamy Avocado Eye Treatment (£20 for 14ml) I decided to give it a go.

I went for the smaller tub as a little goes a very long way and I know I get bored easily!

The consistency is very thick and very creamy (as the name suggests!). The texture is strange as you are meant to gently tap the product until it “pops” and feels like water! I actually really like this. It is the right level of richness for my eyes and so far helps keep everything looking smooth and hydrated!

The Bag Scarf

I love this trend for tying scarves around your bags in different ways. It is a great way to update a bag and to use your scarves! Below is my Mulberry with a Zara scarf simply tied. The colours work really well together and just adds something special to an already gorgeous bag!

Another Mulberry this time with a Diane von Furstenberg scarf.

Finally another Mulberry (!) with a vintage Christian Dior scarf.

 

Luxe Tops

I love simple but luxe tops that I can wear with a range of skirts, trousers and jeans, both are from Zara.

This one below is a gorgeous silver grey with a tie waist (£19.99).

Next is this black sleeveless one (£12.99).

The Metallic Court

I am sure everyone knows how much I love Clarks shoes (see here). When they get it right its the perfect combination of beauty and comfort. These metallic silver court shoes are a perfect example of that. They are stunning and extremely comfortable and reasonably priced at £60.

They are very very flattering and go with everything!

Leather Mini

Another winner from Zara, a simple faux leather/suede a-line mini (£19.99). Its very easy to throw on and definitely looks more expensive that it is!

Primark Haul

Every now and then Primark get it very right and this time I found some real gems.

Starting with this gorgeous snake print shirt dress (£13) (my own belt). A great piece that looks much more expensive than it is.

I also picked up this lovely grey t-shirt that has an interesting frill detail (£6).

Finally this blush pink blouse (£8). A lovely piece that will go with loads.

Simple but Stylish

There is nothing better than a simple but stylish dress that you know you can throw on and it will always hit the mark no matter the occasion. This Zara dress ticks those boxes for me (£25.99).

It is a shirt dress with slits that is very flattering and works well with heels or flats.

Olaplex 3

I feel like I am constantly reading or hearing about Olaplex so my curiosity was peaked and I decided to do some research to see if this was something my hair would benefit from. My hair is generally OK, it is very thick and curly and dry. I have bleached my ends but I don’t do this very often probably twice a year.

So Olaplex is “Bond Multiplier that dramatically eliminates breakage from chemical services and leaves hair feeling amazing”. There are 3 parts to the treatment, parts 1&2 are in-salon and part 3 is for home use.

I found a salon in Winchester offering the service so I decided to give it a try. The treatment cost £25 and took an hour. It involved wetting my hair and putting on the Olaplex 1 (a liquid) and leaving that for about 20-30 mins followed by Olaplex 2 (also a liquid) for a further 10-15 minutes. Then your hair is shampooed and conditioned and that’s it! I then purchased a bottle of Olaplex 3 (£30) to take home. You are meant to use this once a week, again wet your hair, towel dry, add the treatment (a little goes a long way) and leave on for at least 20 minutes or even overnight. Wash and style as normal.

 

The at home treatments are really easy and although the bottle is only 30ml it looks like it should last at least another 5-6 washes (so 8-9 washes in total and given the length and thickness of my hair that’s pretty good!). I definitely find my hair is much less tangled after using it and when left to dry naturally much less frizzy.

The salon did recommend at least three treatments in the salon (once a month) to really notice a big difference.

So after one in salon treatment and three at home washes, my hair definitely feels softer and looks better. I cant say that the results are dramatic but it has been enough for me to book the next 2 in salon treatments. I know that Olaplex works really well if you are colouring or bleaching your hair but I just wanted something to repair the existing damage and make my hair feel and look better. Given that the in salon treatments are actually quite reasonably priced I am happy to go for the next 2 and the take stock again! So far its been worth trying!

 

 

Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution

I recently had some breakouts on my face that left my skin scarred and I have been trying lots of different things to reduce the dark spots. The scarring is definitely better but I don’t feel like I found one thing that really worked on its own. I then read about the Kiehls Dark Spot Corrector and thought it may be worth a try partly due to the rave reviews and partly because it is actually quite reasonably priced at £32.40 (compared to some of the other products I was considering!). Another product that almost won is the Caudalie Radiance Serum Complexion Correcting (£49) which also had great reviews.

 

Having chosen the Kiehls serum I started using twice a day focusing mainly on where my dark spots were worst (cheeks). I also made sure that I was using my Clarisonic Mia twice a week and also using the Pixi Glow Lotion day and night. So I guess I cant be sure it was the Kiehls serum (but I am pretty sure it is) but the scars started looking better after a week! I noticed that not only was my skin looking better I was also getting less break outs and if I did have a breakout there was minimal scarring.

My skin is finally getting back to where it was last year before it went crazy (I think caused by age, hormones etc.) and I am so pleased. I don’t really like wearing lots of foundation or concealer and I am at that point now after using the serum for a month where I can get away with some pinpoint concealing and nothing else!

I am still really curious about the Caudalie serum and may get that when I finish this one, just to keep on top of my skin and making sure it looks as good as possible! Although I may also have to have one of these as a backup just in case!

 

Brush Cleansing Palette

I really wanted a brush cleansing glove but they are so expensive (about £30) I decided too get the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette (£12.99) and I am so impressed! I hate washing my brushes but this just makes it so easy and almost fun!

One side has all these different sized nodules to clean your brushes and the other side is a strap to keep it in place while you are washing your brushes.

So I generally lather up my brushes using a gentle cleanser (I am using a Dr Bronner cleanser here). I then swish the brush on the palette a few times until the bubbles are clean and clear. Then I rinse them off (always making sure the brush is facing down so water doesn’t run up into the handle).

I then lay them on a towel to dry usually slightly elevated again to stop water entering the handle which can ruin the brush.