Tuesday 29 May 2012

First Impressions - Clarisonic Plus Face & Body Complete Sonic Cleansing System

This is my favourite present from my mum for my birthday earlier this month - the Clarisonic Plus Face & Body Complete Sonic Cleansing System in Floral Pink. I have been lusting after a Clarisonic in sooo long and I am really happy with it so far. It included:

  • 1 x cordless Clarisonic PLUS (in the cutest floral pink design - LOVE)
  • 1 x universal charging cradle
  • 1 x sensitive brush head (white)
  • 1 x replacement head for normal skin (grey)
  • 1 x replacement head for delicate skin (blue)
  • 1 x body brush head
  • 1 x Refreshing Gel Cleanser (30ml) - gentle foaming cleanser to brighten and exfoliate oily and congested skin
  • 1 x Nourishing Care Cleanser (30ml) - gentle, non-foaming cleanser soothes and comforts
  • 1 x Gentle Hydro Cleanser (30ml)
  • 1 x Gentle Hydro Cleanser (177ml) - gentle, non-foaming cleanser soothes and comforts
  • 1 x Refining Skin Polish (60ml)
  • 1 x Refining Skin Polish (177ml) - formulated for use on the body with the body brush head

  • My mum bought it from QVC and you can see more info here

     I have used it every day for about 3 weeks, every morning and night but I have been slacking recently at night time, so I need to keep that up so I can get the full effect. At the moment I can't see a massive difference in the appearance of my skin, but I'm not expecting a difference just yet, because my skin is scarred by acne there is a slow skin cell turnover. But I have noticed a difference in the texture in my skin already, it feels so much smoother and softer, which means I get a much nicer finish with my foundation. Moisturisers also soak in much better now too and don't feel like they sit on my skin like before. The amount of oiliness has reduced somewhat too but I still get very oily after a few hours but I think it also may be due to the weather being warm, I always have oilier skin in the spring/summer months. Any recommendations you have for skincare products to control crazy oily skin in warm weather would be much appreciated!

     I have been using the refreshing gel cleanser (which smells so good) with the normal brush head (grey), I used the sensitve (white) brush head for the first few days and then went on to the normal because I wanted a more exfoliation. A full review of this will be coming in a couple of months, I really want to give it a chance to work and from what I've heard, if you have problem/scarred skin like I do, then allow up to 3 months to see the full effect. If anybody else has the Clarisonic Plus tell me about your experiences about it or any cleanser/clarisonic combos for oily skin, I would love to know!

    Love,
    Star x

    Wednesday 9 May 2012

    Versatile Blogger Award Nomination!

    So I have been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by My Mini Bag, a blogger who shares really amazing deals, promo codes and money saving ideas for various retailers and products. I would like to say a MASSIVE THANK-YOU to My Mini Bag! I really appreciate it :D It's my first award so I am relatively new to blogger awards so here goes:


    Rules:

    Nominate 15 bloggers who are relatively new to blogging

    Let them know that you have nominated them

    Share 7 random facts about yourself

    Thank the bloggers that have nominated you

    Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post

    My 7 Random Facts About Me:
    1. I love soured cream and eat it with everything! :P YUM
    2. I cannot walk in high heels :(
    3. I am a quarter New Zealand Maori but have never been there
    4. I have the cutest 10 month old godson called Ole and want a baby myself!
    5. I have been reading other people's blogs and youtube channels for 4 years but only plucked up the courage this year to do it myself
    6. I love reality T.V. shows! Anything Kardashian, Big Brother, Made in Chelsea, you name it I watch it!
    7. I hate touching cotton wool and polystyrene

    The fellow bloggers I nominate are:

    Beauty Nerd
    Louise - Confessions of a Secret Shopper
    Marked Beauty
    Shoba - She Shops A Lot
    Ashley - Blush Bug

    Congratulations!!
    I will try to let you all know that I have nominated you but recently blogger has not let me comment on some blogs, so I will try to find another way to contact you if I can't comment on your blog :)

    Love,
    Star x

    Tuesday 8 May 2012

    My Virgin Banana Daiquiri Recipe

    Hey guys! :D
    So one of my presents I got for my birthday was a blender, and I love my new toy! I can't wait to blend everything in sight and I had a look at what I had around the house and realised I had some ingredients for one version of a banana daiquiri. I actually did have some Malibu left over that would be perfect but decided seeing it was a Tuesday evening it may not be the best time for cocktails! ha ha ..
    I thought it turned out pretty well so I will share what I did with you:
    You will need:

    A blender (obviously haha)
    2 bananas
    A tray of ice cubes
    1/2 - 1 pint of water
    3 tsp of lime juice
    Caster sugar to taste

    Makes approx 2 servings

    1. Empty a tray of ice cubes into blender and pulse once or twice to crush the ice. Then break up bananas into pieces and put into blender on top of the ice. Blend again until mushy.

    2. Add water slowly until desired consistency (I stopped at a smoothie like consistency).

    3. Then add 3 tsp of lime juice and pulse 2-3 times to mix.

    4. Add tablespoons of sugar until desired sweetness (I think everyone likes a different sweetness) so after adding each tablespoon, blend and test a little bit for the right taste for you.

    TIP You can also add more lime juice for more tanginess if you want it to pack a punch! You can add a splash of rum (if you are of the legal age to drink of course!) to make it into a proper daiquiri but this one is just as yummy in my opinion.

    You can use other fruits aswell or instead of banana but this is what I had in the house at the time and it was delicious! (Strawberry is still my favourite though!)
    So give it a go if you have a blender and let me know what you think of it! I am loving blending things now so let me know if you have any yummy recipes for me to try :)

    Love,
    Star x

    Monday 7 May 2012

    My 21st Birthday Weekend in Pictures!

    So it was my birthday yesterday (Sunday 6th) and I have been celebrating all weekend so I thought I would share some pictures with you :)

    Me and my best friend Jodie out on the Friday being rather drunken in a taxi :D

    Me and my fiance Warren on our way to the Trafford centre on Saturday for a meal

    A strawberry daiquiri - yummiest cocktail EVER!

    Tasty burger with tempura prawns - delicious!

    A very tangy key lime pie

    A cake my lovely friend Emma surprised me with on my birthday (actually made by her mum I discovered :D )

    Me opening my favourite present from my mummy :) (if you can see what it is! :D ) Birthday haul coming soon!

    My hilarious birthday cake put together my my brother haha
    Chocolate, Red Velvet and Chocolate Ice-Cream cake with magic stars and white chocolate buttons!
    The most random cake ever! Love it haha ..
     I only just noticed this one while checking through the pictures on my camera, thanks fiance!

    As you can see I was exhausted by the end of Sunday and have finally had a calm lazy day today (Monday)  to get my energy back haha :) I had a lovely birthday and I am soo happy that I could extend my birthday ALL weekend, shopping for an outfit and going out on the Friday, a yummy meal on Saturday and spending time with family on Sunday! And it was just to top it all off that it was my birthday, it's one to beat!

    How did everyone else spend their bank holiday weekend?
    Love,
    Star x

    Thursday 3 May 2012

    Mini Haul: Topshop, MAC and Urban Decay

    Hello Everyone :)
    So it's just a short haul with Topshop (promised from my post when I went to Trafford Centre store), MAC and Urban Decay. I had ordered a couple of products from the Debenhams website that I couldn't do without any longer and I recieved them earlier this week, yay!

    Here is what I got from Topshop:
    Topshop Nails in Gypsy Night - £6.00
    LOVE this! Its a multi-colour glitter varnish, and it's beautiful. (The picture doesn't do it justice on how it looks in real life) I originally saw this on Zoella's blog on this post and thought it was pretty, but then I saw it in Topshop and HAD to have it! I have worn it once since I've bought it, and even though its not necessarily a springtime colour I don't care - I would wear this all year round, it's stunning. <3


    Topshop Lips in Rio Rio - £8.00

    Without flash

    With flash

    Personally I love orange-toned or coral lip colours and when I saw this red/orange I thought it would be the perfect red for me. I saw the Oh La La tester lipstick first and reeeally wanted that one but there weren't any packaged ones left so I was a bit disappointed :( but when I saw this one I thought it would be a pretty nice consolation prize! I still have my eye on Oh La La when I next go to Topshop. I really like the super pigmented formula, although I found it was a bit drying on my lips when I applied it without using some sort of lip balm/moisturiser first. It also started to go sort of bitty (yes that is a technical term) after a few hours if I kept on reapplying, but I think it was due to the really dense amount of colour in it. It's not a moisturising lipstick at all but it is worth it because of the amazing colour payoff, and adding a lip balm before applying and regularly when reapplying stopped the drying for me.


    Topshop Jumper - £28.00
    (I can't find it on the website to link for some reason but as far as I know it is still in shops)
    As soon as I saw this jumper I thought it would be the perfect versatile staple in my wardrobe that I was looking for. It is sooo comfy and warm, and I have been wearing it a lot still seeing that the weather is still awful even though we're nearing summer, I'm getting a lot of wear out of it. I got it in a size 12 because I like the oversized look for jumpers and makes them a bit more cosy :) I also love the 'inside-out' material aswell, I think it's a bit different to the usual baggy jumper look and more interesting. For me some Topshop prices can be a tad too much to pay just for a trend that will go out of fashion in a few months time, so I like to buy classic staples from Topshop that I know I will wear over and over again so I know I'm getting my money's worth. Overall I am LOVING this jumper and the fact I can pair it with leggings and boots for a casual look or with statement jewellery and heels for a more evening out look. Perfect baggy jumper.

    So that's it for Topshop, and next on to what I purchased from the Debenhams website. I think it was the Blue Cross event that had 10% off all beauty products (I can't quite remember what event it was) and I also had free shipping because I am a member of their Beauty Club too which is not a surprise haha!

    MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in NC20 usual price - £19.50
    I usually order from the MAC website but any opportunity to save money, even if it is 10%, i'll take it! I actually first bought this product last year and loved using it with bare minerals so this is a repurchase just in time for the supposedly warmer months when my oily skin goes crazy. I had never used a powder foundation before and I was sceptical about the coverage, as I do like a fuller coverage foundation, but I was pleasantly surprised! It gave really good coverage and the colour matched perfectly too, but something I discovered is that it worked really well with the bare minerals foundation. When both were buffed into the skin, I would get the radiant, breathable finish of the bare minerals with the coverage and perfect colour match of the powder plus foundation. A dream team that I will be using once again!

    Urban Decay DE SLICK XL Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray usual price - £23.00
    This is my third repurchase and will not be my last. This product has revolutionised my relationship with makeup, I know that is a big statement to make, but it has. No matter how perfectly I used to apply my makeup or what I used it would always oxidise and shine like a disco ball (and not in a good way :( ) I would have to reapply or touch up, then creating the dreaded caked-face because all I was doing was smushing more makeup on top of the oil that had been produced. I used to despair because nothing would work at stopping the oiliness, until I found this. The first time I used this I was shocked at how my makeup stayed on the whole day without the necessary touch-ups I always had to do and how matte my skin stayed. Since then I haven't looked back, I spray it on after moisturiser and before primer ( leaving it to soak in first though!) and then after finishing all make-up to set it. I am so happy that Urban Decay brought out the XL version because the more of this product I can get my hands on the better! The only teenie tiny criticism I would have is the smell, it's not yucky or anything but it's not a nice smell either. But for me it doesn't matter, I would use this regardless even if it had a horrible smell as long as it did the job! Definitely recommend!

    And last but not least is a little skincare sample that came with the products from Debenhams which I was really pleased about recieving :D

    Estee Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme Oil-Free SPF 25
    WOW what a mouthful!
    I am usually fluent in skincare jargon but this one has me a little confused as to what the properties are. I will have to do a little research as to what the multi-protection and anti-oxidants, I'm guessing anti-aging properties? All I know is I've used it a couple of times and it absorbs really well into the skin but leaves my skin moisturised and smells like cucumber :) Don't think I will be purchasing full size at a whopping £39.00 a pop but if you have the money to spend on a nice day cream I say go for it.

    So that's it! I'm really happy with them all and am loving using them, has anybody ever tried any of these and if so what do you think of them?

    Love,
    Star x