Clinique Redness Solutions

When it comes to skin complaints redness is my main issue, not on the scale of having rosacea or anything, but my irish skin does fall victim to rosy face syndrome. I don't tend to wear blusher that picks up on the pink pigments in my skin opting for plum browns instead, however I think I've found a regimen from Clinique to help combat my clown cheeks.

Now, I've raved about Clinique Super Primers before here, but I am particularly fond of their primer specifically for correcting redness*. I love the yellow mousse formula that melts into my skin, and the yellow pigments really do help to counteract any rosyness I may be having and calming it down. I find this works best having used the Redness Solutions Day Relief Cream* beforehand. This is a really cooling moisturiser that is suitable for sensitive skin and those that suffer with mild rosacea. It helps to hydrate my skin and reduce any visible blood vessels hence muting any flushing to the skin. I love how this dries matte on the skin and although can feel quite heavy when first applied, it's oil free and doesn't leave any annoying film to the skin.  

Lastly the Redness Solutions Instant Relief Pressed Powder* (phew!) was something that I was really excited and intrigued about, however, I wasn't wowed. Again the yellow pigmentation to the powder does aid redness correction, but I found this very drying on my skin and not to last long at all. I think I'll be sticking to the former pair, which have helped my skin woes ten fold.

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The Sunday Post: Summer Shimmer

Matte has been my mate through the years but with the sun shining I thought I'd mix things up and add some shimmer to my everyday look. Dewy, radiant skin is what we all crave during the Summer months and these are few products I've been coveting lately...

Special mention goes out to the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, applied under my foundation or mixed up together this stuff gives my skin such a lovely healthy sheen. Old time buddies include MAC All That Glitters a subtle golden bronze that finishes off my look with a simple sweep over the lids, and of course MAC Soft & Gentle which is perhaps my all time favourite highlight.

I've also been playing around with Benefit's Fine One One*, an all in one brightening color for cheeks and lips which illuminates the skin. I love multi-purpose products and so this is great product to keep in your bag for on the go touch ups.  I'm a huge fan of the Origins GinZing Range which refreshes my dull skin giving it a new lease of life, so I was really excited to test out the GinZing makeup range. Look out for reviews on their Brightening Cream Eye Shadows, the look gorgeous in the pan but do they live up to the heights of the GinZing Moisturiser and eyecream, the jury is still out on that one...

I love a coral lip in Summer, heck I would wear a coral lip all year round if I could so Revlon's Juicy Papaya Lip Butter is on regular rotation in my makeup bag. I also have a soft spot for my Estèe Lauder Pure Color High Gloss* which started off my conversion to lip glosses with it's lightweight feel and non sticky formula. I love to whack this on when I'm sporting a more natural look or a heavier eye.

I couldn't put up this post without mentioning the Urban Decay Naked 2, my absolute favourite palette for adding a touch of shimmer. My personal favourites have to be Half Baked, Chopper, Suspect and YDK.

What are your go to shimmer shades?

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Two Step Toner

Yonka Lotion Yon-Ka Toner* 

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner

Always one to listen earnestly to the skincare advice of Caroline Hirons, I eagerly took note of her top toner tips. Caroline recommends using two different types of toner, one to first exfoliate the skin, and the one to hydrate.  So with these words of wisdom I took to the two step toner method with the following toner combo...

I'll start with my evening routine as that features both the Yon-Ka and the Clarins Toner. After cleansing I'll use a few drops of the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner on a cotton pad and wipe over my face a neck. The Clarins toner acts as a chemical exfoliant, with ingredients such as tamarind extract which aims to eliminate impurities and rid your skin of dead skin cells, it also contains salicylic and tartaric acids. These AHA's and BHA's help in reducing pigmentation, scarring, and blemishes, well in my case it definitely has. After using this every night since I received it over a month ago I have noticed my skin is a lot brighter andpink scarring from old spots has been significantly reduced.

 Despite the word 'acid' flaring up worries of irritating the skin, especially for those of us with sensitive skin, the toner is gentle, exactly as it says on the bottle. I do feel a slight tingling, but I actually like the sensation. This is a much gentler substitute for the Alpha H Liquid Gold.  I usually leave this work its way into my skin for a few minutes before carrying on with my skin care routine. 

Next up, hydration. My hydrating toner of choice at the moment is the Yon-Ka Lotion, which is an alcohol-free toning mist that contains 99% natural ingredients. I love this toner as a mist that can be sprayed onto my skin rather than wiped on with a cotton pad, I take a few pumps of this and in that respect it reminds me of the Avene Thermal Water Spray. Packed with essential oils such as lavender, geranium, thyme, and rosemary, not only does this smell fresh but it feels luxuriously refreshing on the skin. I used this to prepare my skin in the mornings to wake me up as well as after the Clarins Toner and before carrying on with moisturising the skin. 

What toners do you recommend? Or do you skip toning out completely? I really do think is a vital step in my skincare routine.

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Stila Convertible Color Trio in Warm

Stila Convertible Color Trio (Warm) £23

When I saw this pop up on the Space NK site, I knew it had to be mine. I absolutely adore the Stila Convertible Color Cream Blushes, they're versatile, pigmented, and flawless on the skin and so snatching up a trio for £23 in my eyes was an absolute steal. A single convertible color is £16 and so three for £23 is not to be missed, yes, there is slightly less product than a single but that's to be expected for the price. My one and only complaint is that as it is a trio it does not come in the gorgeous packaging the single convertible color's come in, which match the shade they hold. That aside, hands down my favourite purchase of the summer thus far.

There are two palettes you can pick up, one marked 'Cool' offering up cooler shades (obviously), and the other 'warm', which is the palette I opted for. The three shades that make up the warm palette are: (from l-r on picture above) Gerbera, Camillia, and Honeysuckle which is a limited edition shade and my favourite of the bunch. I'm shown wearing Gerbera in the snap above, which does not do this shade justice as it is a gorgeous milky peach that is a stunner on the skin this summer. I haven't braved Camillia yet, which is the most nude shade of the three and I'm betting will look subtle yet gorgeous on most skin tones. And, finally, my fav Honeysuckle which seems to me to be the cream blush equivalent of NARS Orgasm with its rosy pink flair sporting golden flecks to add its very own highlight.

Go on, pick one up before they sell out, you know you want to...

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Beauty Spotlight: Super Facialist By Una Brennan

I've been on the hunt for some more purse friendly skincare items to take the place of my more costly cleansers and facial oils, so when Alix popped this post up about the Una Brennan skincare line I headed straight for my local Boots.  The Super Facialist line offers up three ranges which include: Rose for hydration, Tea Flower for a deeper cleanse, and Neroli for firming. As I find my EH Cleanser does a good enough job in terms of a deep pore cleanse I opted to pick up some bits from the Rose Hydrate range as my skin has been irritatingly dry and de-hydrated as of late.

Now, I do adore my REN Clear Calm Clay Cleanser for days when I'm a tad more prone to blemishes and the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm for the evening but I felt my stash was lacking a more every day gentle cleanser, and that's where the Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser comes in. The Creamy Cleanser and the Miracle Makeover Facial Oil are a great cleansing duo that has given my skin a new lease of life and added a much needed radiance.
The stand out product for me has to be the facial oil which acts as a pre-cleanse to the skin, I literally use a pump of this and massage it onto my skin in circular motions. Not only does it give off a subtle rose scent which I happen to love but this oil doesn't leave a greasy film on the skin which I have experienced with cleansing oils in the past. Only problem is I can see this running out very quickly!
Next up, after washing off the Facial Oil I then up the anty with the Calming Creamy Cleanser. I find this cleanser great for those of us with sensitive skin as it is super soft and brilliant at reducing redness which is something I tend to suffer with. My skin feels so refreshed and supple afterwards and I can see this becoming a fail safe team within my skincare line up.

Last up on my Una Brennan binge is the Radiance Day Cream with SPF15, I picked this up due to a severe lack in daytime moisturisers. Let me tell you, this day cream is SO soothing, the cucumber oil and marshmallow extracts work wonders at calming the skin which offers up a healthier base before applying my daily make-up. My skin does appear more radiant, nothing too radical but definitely a product I would re-purchase purely due to the way it calms and hydrates my skin. I thoroughly recommend Una Brennan SF, great skin care on a budget, what more could you want ;)

My eyes are on the Tea Tree range next! Have you bought anything from the UB Super Facialist range? I also recommend keeping an eye out for the 3 for 2 offers in Boots, as it saved me some penny's!

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Purely Natural Skin Acne Cleanser

Purely Natural Skin Acne Cleanser* - £7.95

This is the second product from the Purely Natural Range that I've been very kindly sent to review, first being their Healing Moisturiser. I chose this product from their collection to test out as not only is it their best seller but acne is something that has plagued my skin on and off for many years now. Like my skin type, this issue is a very sensitive one for me and I've often dallied with the idea of posting my bouts of strugglesome spots. Luckily my acne has always been quite mild in comparison to some of the more ferocious and unforgiving cases but every girl and even every boy I believe will attest that it is something that makes you highly insecure about your appearance and gets your spirits down on many a occasion.

I like Purely Natural Products because that's what they are, purely natural ingredients so the abrasive and harsh chemicals of other products I've tried (and failed with) are thrown out of the mix. Upon first opening up the product I was a little taken back by the consistency, it reminds me very much so of Cookie Dough or an Oat-y dough mixture, it even has a slight cake like smell. Therefore I was a little daunted about how to use it, I'm used to liquid or gel cleansers and so the paste like content of this acne cleanser does take a little work.

I tear off small chunks and warm under water, rubbing between my finger tips to create a finer paste like substance, which, with my muslin cloth, I then rub into my skin using circular motions every morning and night whilst my skin is clean. It doesn't agitate my blemishes, nor does any redness appear which is always a good sign for me, I'm prone to redness and so sighed a sigh of relief. The substance whilst swirled around my facial and neck area became much smoother and even slightly milky leaving my skin feeling softer and clean after every use.

So, has it banished my spots into the abyss? No, not just yet, as I'm having a particularly bad few months skin wise. However, after using this product for just two and a half weeks I have noticed major changes, my skin is calmer, softer and blemishes do tend to shrink in size and do not blare out in redness anymore giving me a huge confidence boost. I think if I continue to use this my skin will only go from strength to strength!

p.s. would you all be interested in a post about my skincare and troubles with acne relief? Have any of you suffered from acne and could recommend any products?

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Look 'Prime Perfect' Primer

Look 'Prime Perfect' Primer* £10

I've only recently got into using a facial primer after I moisturise and before I apply my foundation with my potion of choice being Benefits Porefessional which I adore. However, at a hefty £23 a pop I've been looking elsewhere for cheaper drugstore alternatives so was extremely pleased when I received this from the lovely people at Look Magazine.

At £10 the pricing is somewhat in the middle of the range compared to pricier L'Oreal, Revlon, and GOSH primers and the cheaper alternatives produced by MUA and Collection 2000. I'm not entirely sure if I would have ever picked this primer up whilst browsing around Superdrug as the packaging is very simple and not too much to behold, which in many respects I do like but my eyes would not immediately be drawn in instead preferring brands such as L'Oreal that appear more worth the money, if that makes sense?

Packaging is not the bee all and end all, it is the product and the results it produces that matter most in my opinion. The formula is like a water based jelly, I'd advise you to use a little as it goes a long way, and once applied to the face using circular motions my skin does soak it up like a dream and it's left feeling very even and incredibly soft as soon as the primer has worked its way into the skin.
Upon first applying this product I was slightly adverse to the water based formula worrying that it was slightly oily on my skin as I used far too much product when you really only need the size of a 5p for it to spread evenly across your face. Overall, although I do prefer the thicker paste formula of my Benefit Porefessional which I could not rave on about enough, I have become a little bit attached to the feel of this primer on my skin as it leaves my skin feeling very light and refreshed. 

Look's 'Prime Perfect' Primer does work rather well in terms of prolonging my make-up for the day and leaving my skin soft but I'm not sure whether I would re-purchase this product at £10 for 35ml. I'd like to try a primer that tackles redness in the skin next as that's my main skin complaint and therefore after using this primer, and loving the even layer and softness it creates, I'd like to try Look's Colour Correct Primer next as I think that would be more suited for my skin.

What's your favourite primer?

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Purely Natural Skin Healing Moisturiser

Healing Moisturiser* £9.95

I hadn't heard of Purely Natural until they recently got in touch via twitter and I jumped at the chance to try out their new healing moisturiser as, like all their products, it is made of 100% Natural ingredients! And although their packaging is very simple and not much to behold when compared to some higher end brands, the no fuss packaging doesn't bother me and in fact I applaud companies such as Purely Natural for using recyclable PET packaging.

Now let's get onto what we really want to know, does the product work?

This product is geared towards those of us who have suffered or do suffer from damaged skin in need of a bit of TLC. In my early teens I did go through quite a horrendous and emotionally draining phase where I was very acne prone and my light purple acne scars around my chin area serve as a not so pleasant reminder of those days. I've searched and searched for products aimed to help reduce scarring with some hits and many misses along the way and so after using this healing moisturiser I hope to try out their healing scars scrub and acne cleanser.
 I have noticed a reduction in the appearance of my acne scarring and a clearly visible 'good riddance' to dry skin just by applying a small amount of this product and after just a few applications my skin feels smoother, more hydrated and I feel like it's added an extra luminosity to my otherwise quite dull skin. 

In terms of its contents it contains beeswax, carrot seed oil, sunflower oil and Vitamin E oil amongst other natural oils found from vegetables and fruit.
Vitamin E has been a popular choice for beauty oils even since the ancient Egyptians for skin and hair care purposes and has been considered a valuable source of maintaining healthy skin as it is an excellent antioxidant providing both cell protection as well as maintaining our immune system. The results speak for themselves as Vitamin E has proved an ideal weapon against problematic skin such as roughness, dryness and fine lines - what more could we ask for!

 I would say that I do prefer more creamy forumula's when moisturising my skin and in particular my facial area as opposed to the more oily consistency of this product which I don't normally like applying to my skin. However, the skin does quickly absorb the oil which as shown above is filled with skin loving ingredients that will only serve to nourish and moisturise and there is little excess oil and residue left on the skin surface which I originally thought might be a problem when first trying out this product; you only need to use the smallest amount so don't over do it with the product as it is oil based.

The results speak clearly for themselves as my skin does feel heaps and bounds betters and I look forward to trying out more from the Purely Natural range!

What do you think, will you be trying anything from their range or could you recommend any products specifically for damaged skin?

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