...Liz Earle, No.7 and Mark Hill.

I've been a little bit frivolous this week. The novelty of the student loan arrival hasn't quite worn off yet and I still feel like I've got loads of money - despite knowing that I'm going to need it to eat.

Still, Boots was calling and having run out of my Clarins Cleansing Milk (A good cleanser but it smells like old Imperial Leather soap) I thought I'd go and see what else was around. I know it's been a while since I put a post on here, but MY GOD did my lecturers pile on the work this month - 2000 words on the Zebrafish! *smacks head on desk*

So we have...

Liz Earle - Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit - £14.75
Wow! Now I knew already what a following this product has, and I'm seriously headfirst onto the bandwagon here. It smells good, it feels good, it gets every ounce of makeup off and it doesn't leave your face with a film on it - just gloriously soft!
This was a set that came with a 100ml pump bottle and two muslin cloths. I thought the cloths seemed a little scratchy at first so I wasn't sure, but when you run them under hot water they feel a lot softer and quite nice against the skin. They're also easy to rinse, so not like your normal bog-standard face cloth where makeup clings like mould to cheese.
I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love!

No.7 Beautiful Skin Blemish Defense Serum - £16
Boots are handing out those wonderful "£5 off skincare" vouchers, so this actually only cost me £11 - yay! I've been using this every morning at evening for about two weeks now and I've had two spots in total, so I'm pretty impressed! I usually get about two a week, so hopefully it's this serum that's doing the trick! It's hard to know sometimes, because I've been making an effort to eat more fruit and drink more water so there could be a combination of factors involved... But still, I'm happy to believe that this made a difference!
It's very thin when it comes from the pump, it sort of fires the product towards you, so you have to be a bit careful. One pump is more than enough for the whole face and it soaks in quickly. It leaves skin feeling a little bit sticky, but moisturiser soon gets rid of that feeling. You get 30ml and it doesn't look like I've made much of a dent in this in two weeks... Estimated time to finish - about a month and a half hopefully.

Mark Hill Dirty Little Stop Out Volumising Dry Shampoo - £5.99
This was on sale for £3.99 which was the only reason I picked it up. I completely love this, it blows Batiste completely away! It doesn't leave a speck of white residue in your hair, the bottle is smaller, even though it still contains the standard Batiste 200ml, and the smell is lighter and a lot more natural. I'm so glad I picked this up because I think it's going to become a staple!

I'm one happy lady with all these treats.

I really have to stop buying treats.

Xxxx

...Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer Review

I have a secret love for primers that I just can't explain... They always used to seem pointless to me, but having fallen in love with Smashbox Photofinish Primer, I've been on the look out for more to try. I feel like, having had bad skin in the past and still getting spots here and there, that a good primer helps to shield your pores from all the gunk that gets smeared over them day to day.

So the new edition to the primer collection... The Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer!

Firstly, it comes out of the bottle a baby pink colour and has a pearlescent look to it. There is a matte version of this product but I wasn't as interested in that. It has a pump on the bottle and is very pretty looking in general.

Price - £10.99 for 15ml.
As far as primers go I'd say this is in the middle to lower area of the price range, and 15ml can last a month or two if used every day.

Effect 
Bourjois say:

• Non-pore blocking
• Gives a radiant and hydrated effect
• Leaves skin soft and supple

Well it hasn't given me any spots/blemishes of any kind, so that's good.
My skin definitely looks radiant after application, especially on my cheekbones, and this does look lovely under foundation and other makeup. It's not a look that I would wear on it's own as the product has such an obvious pink undertone that can look a bit weird. It actually stains the skin a bit pink if you dot it on your face and leave it there.
Leaves skin soft and supple? Mehh. The jury is still out on that one. I can't say that it really does.

In natural light. To the right I have blended it into my skin.

A few observations I have to make though; it absorbs into skin very quickly and is hard to spread over your face. The pump doesn't give enough product to cover the whole face so I have to use two. It has a very light scent, somewhat like baby powder. I don't think it makes any difference to foundation application, I haven't noticed any difference in the staying power or better blending results, but I don't think that's what it's designed to do.

On The Whole
I like it! It's great for giving you a healthy glow and I really enjoy applying it before my makeup.
4/5

Xxxx

...Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral Enriched Night Cream

What an incredibly long name this product has been given! The is one of the best-selling moisturisers that is made by Origins, a company relatively new to me. They seem to be one of those new-found brands (like Antipodes or Cauldalie) that gather their success from being nature friendly. Origins don't use harsh chemicals like parabens and pack their products full of plant extracts and natural oils.

Firstly it smells of citrus, cinnamon and vanilla, but only very softly. It comes in a jar and is a thick, viscous cream. A little does really go a long way, and I only need to apply a small blob here and there to cover my whole face. It seems to absorb into the skin, rather oddly, in two stages; firstly as you'd expect from a thick cream you have to work it well, massaging it into the skin, but when it starts to warm up and absorb it becomes like an oil. It does leave a bit of a greasy residue on the skin, so I blot this off with a tissue so it doesn't end up all over my pillow.

I haven't noticed any vast improvement with my skin, although it does feel soft and look a bit brighter in the mornings. I really enjoy using this as I adore the smell and it really does feel luxurious to use.

Price - £34
Quite expensive but I'd expect it to last for a long time. On the Origins website it says that 98% of those that used the cream regularly felt that their skin was renewed and refreshed in the morning, so I'm going to use this for at least a month before I decide if I'll repurchase.

Ingredients
This contains a hell of a lot of ingredients, so I'm just picking out a choice few.

Valeriana officianalis - Plant extract of the herb Valerian, often used as a mild sedative and, interestingly, can be an alternative to Benzodiazepam.
Centella asiatica - Another plant extract, commonly used as a supplement and is said to improve circulation, stress relief, asthma and many other ailments - however these claims have never had any reliable scientific testing.
Anthemis Nobilis - Chamomile, an anti-inflammatory and whitening agent.
Linalool - A fragrance oil, used in about 70% of all perfumed hygiene products. Also used as an insecticide.
Retinyl palmitate - Used in vitamin A supplements, known to help acne, psoriasis, sunburn etc.
Tocopheryl Acetate - A vitamin E supplement and a beneficial antioxidant for the skin to absorb.
Disodium EDTA - A salt compound used to give the product a longer shelf-life. Also shown to improve the absorption of other ingredients into the skin.
Folic Acid - Vitamin B9 or H.
Linoleic Acid - An omega-6 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory, acne reducing and moisture-retentive properties.
Citrus Aurantium Amara - Bitter orange, possibly effective for treating fungal infections, possibly unsafe if consumed as a supplement.

I've probably missed off a couple of good ones here, but there are so many ingredients on the label I had to be a bit choosy. I tried to make sure that I put all the good ingredients on, as well as some of the less desirable ones. There is nothing particularly out of the ordinary in this cream, and most of the claims of this product have some backing within the ingredients - quite a rare find actually!

Overall I am pleased with this, I've never used a proper night cream before but I really enjoy it! It's nice having a moisturiser that can have all these goodies in but you don't need to worry about how shiny it makes your skin, or how well make-up sits on top of it.

A decent 4/5

Xxxx

...Diorshow Waterproof Liner - Rosy Gold

I've seen Michelle Phan using a rose gold eyeliner in many of her recent videos on YouTube and I completely fell in love with the way that it brightened and opened up her eyes! I looked all over Boots for a similar one but I couldn't find anything in the cheaper makeup sections...

So I took a deep breath and headed to the Dior counter (oh dear, oh dear, oh dear).

 "Wow... That's really pretty..."

 "£18?! No, I couldn't possibly spend that much on an eyeliner..."

"Limited edition, you say? And it comes with a little built-in sharpener?..."

*sigh* "...I'll pay by card."

And God it's so pretty! I could just sit and look at it! The colour pay off is amazing and it stays put for hours without smudging or moving around. And the tiny sharpener is such a cute little detail, not that it's really needed since the nib is so thin anyway.

I've already had compliments on my makeup and I really am so glad I caved, it was the last one in stock! BOOM!

As usual the picture quality isn't great, but I still think the liner looks lovely. This is the only makeup I'm wearing on my eyes, it's such an easy way to make your eyes look bright and awake. I've never owned anything limited edition before, mostly because it takes me so long to decide to buy something. I have to ponder a product for a good few weeks and read lots of reviews before I'll buy it. But now I own limited edition Dior I feel like part of an exclusive, fancy club! Woo!

It also makes a great highlighter for the cupids bow and the brow bone. The multitasking makes me feel a lot better about the price.

Xxxx