Estee Lauder: Perfectly Clean Fresh Balancing Lotion

On my way back to London a couple of weekends ago I dropped off at the Bicester Outlet Village and ended up leaving with a few Estee Lauder goodies! Bicester is now like a guilty pleasure for me as we always pass it on the way back to London!

I've been yearning to try out a new skincare range for some time, and initially I wanted to buy their 'Sparkly Clean Mattifying Oil Control Lotion' but when I saw the Estee Lauder 'Perfectly Clean Fresh Balancing Lotion', I thought why not? It cost £15.00 (RRP £20) which is like duty free price right?

First Thoughts...

I've been using it for over two weeks now and my first thoughts? It is strongly scented compared to other toners I have used, however this did not bother me too much. When applied, I felt a slight 'tingle' which was strange as it claims to be 'alcohol free' but I guess it is the 'menthol' within the ingredients that produced this sensation.

My Experience...

One of the main problems I found with this toner, was that it appeared to break me out. After a few days, I noticed a few new blemishes around the t-zone areas. To begin was, I was adamant it couldn't be my new toner.....but my make-up routines have stayed the same and the only change was the addition of this toner. I also noticed more shine on my face throughout the day after using this in the morning, having to powder more often =(

Overall...

I am disappointed as I expected great things from this to replace my HG Clinique toners that have been using since I was a teenager! I have to admit, my Clinique skincare range is always my fall-back brand as it never seems to fail me, I just wanted to try something different I guess!

You know what they say, once you hit your mid-20's, you really need to start looking after your skin! Well I am going to continue with the toner and see how it goes...I've still got a full bottle to get through!

I also picked up this amazing 'Pure colour' eyeshadow duo in 'Platinums' for £15 approximately. I have been searching for a all-over white shadow for a base, and taupe eyeshadow for ages and have been considering the Mac Satin Taupe, however felt that the shade was slightly darker than what I wanted.

This shade was perfect, with high pigmentation which lasted all day - and the packaging was gorgeous!
I am such a sucker for beautiful packaging, especially if it's gold too =) I would of done a swatch of the shades but I'm still so tanned from Valencia that the colours did not pick up so great at the mo...oops!

Hope you enjoyed the post all, see you all soon xoxo

Doggy Love

Getting the tan on...

Hey y'all! The weather has been so unreliable lately, constantly rainy and then sunny - really missing the Summer weather, but am also sick of waiting for it to arrive - it's July already!

Here are pics of my baby Honey when the sun did come out not so long ago.....enjoy  =)

Reminiscing...

Just stretching...

"Please give me my treat mommy..."

 

Hope you all had a fab weekend and the weather was nice where ever you were! xoxo

Moroccan Oil

Moroccan oil or Argan oil also known as 'liquid gold' has taken the beauty industry by storm, as not only does it reduce breakages, controls frizzy hair, it leaves hair superbly shiny and looking very healthy with it's great moisturising features. Originating from Southwest Morocco, the oil is extracted from the argan tree, which is a labour-intensive process making it a pricey product.

The first time I ever used this was during a visit to the salon. They applied a few drops to my hair and after it was blow-dried, I noticed how my hair was extremely glossy, nourished and felt oh so soft! I have been deciding between this and the Kerastase Elixir for quite some time, but the results at the salon helped confirm my choice! It took me a while to finally pick up the product due to it's price...£30.45 for 100ml. I finally fell for it and picked this up a couple of weeks ago from HQhair.com and have been using it religiously ever since.

The beauty of the oil is that a little goes a long way. I usually apply one pump onto damp hair that has just been washed and then I would blow-dry as normal - the results really are amazing! I absolutely love the smell and the non-greasiness of the product once applied onto the hair. I've now been using it everyday for the past 2 weeks and the bottle still looks so full!

Argan oil is also great to fight wrinkles due to it containing essential fatty acids and compounds that help rejuvenate and heal the skin which reduces wrinkles. With it's concentrated amount of fatty acids, it also makes a great moisturiser, softening dry cracked skin. I also used it as cuticle oil and left it overnight. My cuticles were really soft and I found that it helped strengthen my usually very weak nails!

Even though it is pricey, it is not your typical hair product, but a multi-purpose item that will last for a very long time. I think I have found my new HG product!  =)

Hope you enjoyed the post, until next time, take care <3