Tuesday 31 August 2010

Lash Accelerator from Rimmel London

WOW, I have been absolutely bursting to tell you all about this super duper lash treatment, which helps promote natural lash growth. Unfortunately though, I had been sworn to secrecy....until now that is!!

The first thing I noticed about this was the design of the brush. It's a perfect length and holds just the right amount of mascara so theres no need to scrape off excess (something I find I have to do often with others), and due to it's size, you can just about get all your top lashes in one swipe!
Below is a pic of my eye (sorry about the quality) before the first application:


It's pretty hard to tell from this, but my lashes are quite fine and widely spread with not much definition, so i'm really interested in seeing what results I get.
The pic below is after the first application:


Just don't do what I did and poke yourself in the eye with the mascara wand...OUCH!!! As you can (hopefully) see, the length of my lashes dramatically improved with just one use. No clumps, nice overall coverage, no sticky afterfeel and my lashes still felt soft rather than weighted down....so far, so good!
I'm only four days into this 30 day challenge set by Rimmel London and I have already noticed a real difference. Here's a pic of how they looked this morning before I applied for the 5th time:


These are my lashes 'au naturel' this morning before using anything....pretty impressive I reckon, and get this, my other half said to me last night that the mascara made my eyes look sexy.....first time in 17 years he's ever said that so Rimmel have gotta be doing something right!!!
Anyway, i'll be back with more updates in a few days time and give you a little more info on this fantastic product. In the meantime, any questions, just ask either on here or over on twitter.

Thursday 26 August 2010

Aveeno Hand Cream

I have been accepted on to the AVEENO® Discoverer Programme, helping to spread the word about AVEENO® products. I get sent free AVEENO® samples and have the possibility of being rewarded with additional benefits.

The next product for review is the Aveeno Hand Cream as shown below:




I won't bore you with how fantastic I believe this product is as i've already reviewed it previously, but just a quick recap.......I can't recommend this enough, it gives a lovely soft feeling to hands which are dry and in need of some tlc, it also continues working even after washing so theres no need to continuously reapply. A great all rounder in a handy sized tube!
I asked my friend to review this cream for me too as she works as a hairdresser and suffers with dry, irritated hands. Heres what she thought:
"When I first got this cream, I wasn't sure if it would actually help at all as my hands are dry and quite rough due to using various hair chemicals and the constant washing and drying I do at work. I've tried many creams before and although some of them do work for a while, I have to reapply quite often. This cream was different though. It feels quite luxurious when applied and you don't need a great deal as it spreads quite well. I could immediately feel the protective coating it put over my hands. I went about my normal daily work and found that I didn't need to reapply until before bed that evening....amazing! Whilst at work, my boss spotted me with it and asked where I got it as she is a regular user of Aveeno products, but hadn't tried the hand cream. I rang Elaine who gave me the web address to pass on so she could find out more. Overall, I found this to be the best i've used so far and will continue with it."
 
As you can see, i'm not the only one who thinks this is fab, why not try it for yourselves, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!
For more information about Aveeno and their products, click here and for details of where to buy, click here.

Monday 23 August 2010

Inika Mineral Foundation & Kabuki Brush

I was absolutely thrilled when I received my latest My Pure pack for review as this one was tailored to match my skin/hair type.
The first products I am going to review are the Inika Mineral Foundation in Patience 05 and the Inika limited edition travel Kabuki Brush both of which came in a delightful little gold purse.

The Mineral Foundation I received is a 3g pot, i'm not sure of the price for this but an 8g pot is available on the My Pure website for £24.99 and is available in 6 shades (click here to view) which have the most fabulous names like Pateince, Trust, Strength etc.
The limited edition mini retractable travel Kabuki Brush doesn't seem to be available to buy by itself, however you can purchase the regular sized Kabuki Brush for £22.99, which in my opinion would be money well spent as they really are perfect. These brushes are one of a kind as they are 100% certified vegan and 100% certified cruelty free and due to the unique design, the bristles remain in tact. As you can see from the pic, it's ideal just to pop in your handbag and it won't take up too much room either!

I've personally never used a mineral foundatin so wasn't quite sure what to expect....or even how to use!! I began by applying just a small amount of powder to the brush, then I gently swept it over my face until I had a light coverage all over. Instantly I could see results, my uneven skin tone looked more even and a few of the blemishes had faded...fantastic news for me! The powder gave a much lighter feel to my skin than my usual foundation and I was able to comfortably apply eyeshadow etc over the top. This is probably the most natural I have ever managed to look with make up on so I was extremely impressed.....no tide lines and no areas where the foundation had 'clumped'.
I didn't need to reapply this at all throughout the day but it was very easily removed with my regular face wipes.
I would defiantely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a natural look which isn't too heavy and leaves your skin looking radiant and shine free.
If you're thinking the mineral foundation and the brush come in a little pricey, you can also buy the Inika Essential Collection Gift Pack which contains a 3g pot of mineral foundation (5 shades available for this one), the limited edition mini retractable travel Kabuki Brush and a full size (11.4g) luscious certified organic Berry Lip Whip all come in the fabulous little gold purse as shown in my pic - I love the purse and the fact that its useable makes it a blummin good buy! The Essentials pack costs only £29.50 which I reckon makes it a very good buy!!

Saturday 7 August 2010

Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion

I have been accepted on to the AVEENO® Discoverer Programme, helping to spread the word about AVEENO® products. I get sent free AVEENO® samples and have the possibility of being rewarded with additional benefits.

Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion: Contains Triple Oat Complex and immediately relieves and nourishs extra dry and irritable skin. Moisturises for 24 hours and soothes on contact leaving skin looking and feeling smooth, healthy and soft. Fragrance free.

Again, these are the claims on the tube, now find out my opinion......


MY OPINION: When I received this and read the tube I immediately thought wow, they've read my mind and made a cream just for me!
So, with high expectaitions and a desperation to see if this worked, I promptly jumped in the bath so I could have a 10 minute soak before applying. I have to say, I don't like applying moisturiser to stubbly legs, so ended up shaving them first - the lotion was about to undertake its first test!
Normally, I make the mistake of applying moisturiser after shaving and and end up jumping round like a headless chicken...those of you who've tried this will know that it really flippin hurts, but I was quite hopeful that this would be different, and it was.....HOORAY!! No pain at all, in fact, it stopped the slight burning sensation which occurred from over drying my legs on a rough towel!

Unlike the Daily Moisturising Lotion, although this did absorb quickly, it still left a slight afterfeel so I knew it was there....full points so far. Immediately my legs felt smooth as a baby's butt - which really is saying something, and they weren't sore, itchy or painful in any way.
Throughout the day, I felt no need to reapply as this really was working like magic and the next morning even my other half commented on how smooth I was....and that was only after 1 application!!
I won't lie here, although unperfumed, it does have a very slight smell which I really don't like and i'm at a loss for words on how I could describe it to you......but don't let that put you off as it only lasts whilst you're applying it and wares off soon after.
After continued use, my skin has a new lease of life so 10 out of 10 from me!
I also have a male freind trying this for me so will post his comments when i've spoken to him.

Feel free to check out the Aveeno website for more information and click here for details of where to buy all Aveeno products reviewed on my blog.

Aveeno Daily Moisture Lotion

I have been accepted on to the AVEENO® Discoverer Programme, helping to spread the word about AVEENO® products. I get sent free AVEENO® products and have the possibility of being rewarded with additional benefits.


Aveeno Daily Moisture Lotion - This lotion contains a fine mix of naturally active Colloidal Oatmeal with rich emolients, and is clinically proven to moisturise for over 24 hours replenishing the skin's natural barrier. Within 2 weeks the condition of dry skin is left looking and feeling soft, smooth and replenished.
 
These are the claims on the tube, now for the opinions of myself and a friend who I had try some of this for 2 weeks......
 
 
MY OPINION: Firstly, I have to say that I suffer from really dry skin, especially on my legs.....probably due to years of shaving, waxing etc so I find I need a good moisturiser to keep me from looking like a dried up old prune! I also like to 'feel' a moisturiser so that I know it's working properly.
This Daily Moisture Lotion has no smell and contains natural ingredients making it ideal for sensitive skin. The lotion soaks quickly into the skin acting from the inside, however, as I said before, I like to 'feel' it on my skin and with this, I didn't. Skin on other parts of my body ie arms, back etc, I did notice an improvement in the texture of my skin - it felt a little softer after 2 weeks use and also looked healthier.
I would definately recommend this if your skin isn't extremely dry, but for me, i'd definately need something different for my legs.
D's OPINION: I normally use E45 after bathing and showering but was more than happy to give this a try! I like the fact that it's made from natural ingredients and I also like the fact that it's unperfumed, but I too found that it soaked in a little too quickly. Maybe this is because of the E45 being a bit slimy after application and that's what i'm used to, but using the Aveeno, I didn't really feel like i'd applied anything.

Personally, this isn't the cream for me but i've enjoyed being given the chance to try it.

If you'd like to try Aveeno Daily Moisture Lotion for yoursself, just click here to find where to buy - it's currently only £4.99 from Superdrug for a 200ml tube.
You can also check ot the Aveeno website more more information.

Thursday 5 August 2010

Rimmel London Vinyl Gloss

Rimmel London Vinyl Gloss in 800 Crystal Clear


Sorry about the picture quality....with it being a clear gloss it kept reflecting the light!

Anyway, this is my next mission from Rimmel London and I have to say, I was over the moon when this landed as i'm a huge fan of glosses!
I love the tapered design of the bottle and the fact that you can see the colour of the gloss inside...makes choosing so much easier as there are 14 fantastic colours available

This fabulous new gloss contains a shine magnifying formula which uses a boosted technology giving lips up to 80% more shine and making them up to 40% curvier.

That's the nitty gritty bit out of the way, now for my opinion!!
The design of the wand makes this extremely easy to apply as it snugly glides along the lips leaving a perfect coat of gloss. The shine was, I must admit, quite remarkable and I immediately felt quite sexy! My lips also appeared to look fuller which I personally rather liked, however, although this claims to be non sticky, I found the opposite to be true. Admittedly, it's not quite as sticky as some i've tried, but I did have to remove my hair from my lips quite a few times, not to mention the sticky marks I left on the side of cups. I also found that they remained sticky even after rubbing the gloss off!
For me though, this is a pretty small price to pay for voluptuous glossy lips - far better than running the risk of surgery and ending up with a famous Trout Pout!!
Despite drinking and eating, I found that my gloss didn't need replacing too often and it also gave my usual lippy a great boost when applied over the top.
Overall, this is a winner for me and i'm now raring to try some of the other shades available....if you have already, please let me kjnow what you think!
Rimmel London Vinyl Gloss is available to buy from various retailers including Boots where it is costs just £4.49 - a bargain in my book!
There is also the chance of winning one of these for yourself from Rimmel London - why not give it a go, you never know!!