Ironing Out The Wrinkles

This year I turned 30. Over time I have noticed my skin look a little sad and dull no matter what I tried or used. The ageing bug has not been very kind to me. Fine lines under and around the eyes, deep furrows appearing between the brows and either side of my mouth being the biggest complaints I have. My mother likes to call them laughter lines, it shows that I am enjoying life. I may enjoy life but I don't enjoy getting older.

I had been hearing about a product that other friends in the beauty industry have been using with incredible results, according to them it was 'Botox in a bottle' and this certain face oil worked wonders on plumping the skin giving a fresh, youthful, wrinkle free appearance. Not sure if this was true or just overly hyped up I thought it was worth at least trying.

The product is Helenere - Maitrise Du Temps. 

The price tag, £173 for a pack of 5 - 10ml bottles. I can imagine jaws dropping about now.
I had no idea starting this adventure to younger skin that it came at such a high cost. However, for the sake of looking ten years younger I took the leap in Feb of this year and paid the price. 7 months in and I regret nothing, I would repurchase this pack in a heartbeat when the time comes that I run low.
Stopping the ageing clock and winding it back, this succeeds with top marks, having never had Botox I cannot tell you if it is anything comparable but what I can tell you is my eye area looks the same as it did at 20; smooth, wrinkle free and it even helped with a hood that was sagging down over my eyelid.
My fine lines are perfectly plumped out and even, my pores look smaller in size which results in foundation and powders looking better (no cakey lines that I have to smooth out half way through the day anymore). Dare I say my skin look in healthier condition than it did in my 20's. I don't think I could ever go back after using this product.

So what exactly is it? It is essentially an extra rich intensive formula serum that moisturises deeply that you use prior to your usual day/ night time face moisturiser. (In my case Philosophy - Hope In A Jar.) So, very simple to slip it into your skincare routine. This treatment renders its elasticity to the epidermis, benefits the cell renewal process, restores firmness and brightness to the skin while re-balancing its hydrolipidic film, and diminishing wrinkles.

A visible and dramatic difference in skin texture and anti ageing results appeared after around a month of using this, so not immediate but with time skin slowly winds back time and eradicates those wrinkles.
Do I think it's worth the money? Yes! Every last penny is well spent on this. I will be repurchasing the pack when I get to my last bottle, which even after 7 months I'm not even close to. The pack of 5 will probably last me a full year, as you only need a few drops each time, a little goes a long way. Overall, it probably costs you less per year than a normal face oil does, so it's pretty well priced when you do the math and good value for your money.

I highly recommend this if you want to wind back skin ageing, and help to stop it in its tracks; I can completely understand why people recommended this and hyped it up so much. In turn I recommend it to you and hope you have as much success as we did with this product. It's cheaper than Botox and drastic surgeries, both of which cost a huge amount of money - which could be spent on shoes, bags, cosmetics etc!

L'Oreal, Skin Perfection - Velvety Soft Toner

I am a huge toner fan. Not only do toners help the look of pore size, they also can regulate oils produced and even get those pesky last bits of make up you may have missed whilst cleansing.
I haven't really seen many reviews on this product, so I thought I would add a comment or two on it after using well over half of it up.
The scent is pleasant and refreshing, it doesn't make me recoil with horror. The formula is very thin, water like in viscosity. The solution is clear/ milky in colour.
I had a little trouble with the amount of product that would come flying out as I tended to get either a drop or two, or a soaked cotton pad; the flow of the toner is unpredictable so beware.
The application was nice, there was no sting on the skin, no redness after application, and no drying or irritation. It is suitable for all skin types including sensitive so I already knew these factors would not be included in this product from the beginning of use.
It does leave the skin silky soft and does remove impurities. However, personally a toner to me tones the skin, leaving pores closed; hence making the appearance of them look smaller. This did not achieve that at all. It also didn't really seem to regulate or balance out oil, I tended to see increased oils on the face half way through the day, particularly the forehead and chin.
I think if you have very dry, dry - normal skin this would probably be a great toner for your needs, but other skin types would get no benefit from using this toner. I know far superior toners for the same price that would suit other skin types better.

Overall, I don't think I would purchase this again for my skin type. If I had sensitive or dry skin I probably would buy this in a heart beat, as it did leave my skin baby soft.

La Roche-Posay - Effaclar Duo (+)

£11.62/ 40ml
www.laroche-posay.co.uk
Made in France.
Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive.

I have oily, blemish prone skin. I have suffered with acne for years and I had tried everything in an attempt to combat it, including prescription medication from my doctor. Nothing seemed to work, I would spend hundreds of pounds a year trying different washes, treatments, creams, lotions and potions that came out on the market. None worked!
Then I was recommended Effaclar Duo, I bought it, tried it, and loved it.
The first week I saw no difference; thankfully I can never abandon something I pay good money for, so to use it up I carried on using it and I'm thankful that I hate waste. The second week my angry, red, acne seems to look less red, enlarged and sore. By the third week my acne had started clearing up in large patches, and by a month I could only see the odd pimple here or there. My skin had never looked better. I loved the Effaclar Duo and had been repurchasing this every time that I have run low or run out.

Then I discovered that La Roche-Posay was launching an even better version of it and I was more than excited, I wondered how it could possibly get any better. Luckily for me I entered a competition on one of my favourite blogs: 'A Model Recommends' Written by Ruth an amazing, multi-talented woman. I won and got my hands on an Effaclar Duo (+), as soon as it arrived I had it smeared all over my face. It was like Christmas morning.
I found the consistency was very similar, the scent was the same. The only difference I could tell was the pimples that popped up, took less time to heal and healed perfectly, no bump, no redness and little scarring. It too does what it says on the box. The formula is non-sticky which to me gives it a massive thumbs up, as most of the products I had tried felt tacky and left residue on the skin - never the best feeling.

The product was created via a unique partnership with dermatologists worldwide and through extensive research, it is formulated with soothing and softening La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water and the unique formulation includes a new active ingredient 'Procerad' (a patented ceramide), Niaciriamide, LHA, Piroctone, Olamine, PCA, Linoleic Acid and Zinc.

I recommend this to anyone, people looking for a treatment for acne, acne scarring, better skin texture, brighter complexion. It gets the job done and at a small price tag. I love this product so much it's unbelievable. I will cry if they ever stop making this, it is simply - hands down - the best treatment I have ever used!

Winter Skin - Rescue Products

This winter my skin decided that it was going to allow the weather to win. From chapped hands, heels and lips; to dry, itchy, flaky legs. My skin had gone mad... So I bought a whole bunch of winter treats to remedy the madness and tested them all. After a little trial and error, I finally found the products that helped repair, smooth and soothe my skin the best. Hopefully, these could be useful and beneficial to you too!

Clarins - Hand and Nail Treatment Cream.
I am a self confessed hand cream junkie. I have a hand cream in every draw and every hand bag and this is only a fragment of my hand cream addiction. I have eczema that is mainly on my hands, I try anything and everything to keep them moisturised, so that it has no excuse to flare up.
Clarins products have never let me down, I saw the hand cream and bought it. As with the rest of the Clarins range it was brilliant and did exactly what it said on the tube. It nourished, soothed and replenished. Everything that I needed, the winter weather didn't stand a chance against this miracle worker! On a side note this is also great for targeting any age spots and strengthens nails all at the same time. I also adore the scent of this cream, it's a beautiful subtle floral aroma.

Dr. Lipp - SOS Balm.
I have a draw full of balms, every brand you can imagine, some taste great, some tint the lips whilst nourishing, some just sit on the lips and don't work. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with a draw like this. Mine has all been forgotten about because of Dr. Lipp, it was originally a nipple balm but mothers soon found an alternate use for the balm and it has become a staple for dry, chapped, cracked lips as well a many other uses. It works wonders. I won't lie, by January my lips were a disgrace; lip colours were out of the question, nothing seemed to be working and I was making my lips sore by sugar scrubbing them constantly. Then Dr. Lipp saved me! After just 1 day and three applications in that day my lips looked amazing and I was breaking out the brightest lipstick I had. I can't explain how it works, as it only consists of one ingredient, but it works and works stunningly well. I had to buy another tube, my boyfriend has started sharing mine and I am afraid to be without it now.

Soap & Glory - Heel Genius.
I don't usually buy anything for my feet, I tend to abandon them for some reason. Perhaps it's I don't see them too much, or it's just that I am lazy when it comes to caring for the skin there.
However, this winter my feet did need a little attention. They looked like something from a horror movie, I didn't even want to look at them myself; it was time to give them some TLC.
This cream was recommended to me by another beauty blogger, I popped this on after a bath just before bed and added a pair of socks to keep everything on and help the cream absorb. Each morning I grew to admire this product more, my feet felt smoother and rough, dry patches were disappearing day after day. Now my feet are baby soft all over and I actually like my feet. I will definitely continue using this cream, my feet seem to approve and I like the soft, new supple skin I have.

Organix - Brazilian Keratin Therapy, Anti-breakage Serum.
I have long, fine hair that loves to knot up in the wind. Combing the knots out I seem to comb out half my hair, I was shedding hair like a cat. I was sad when my hair felt, dry, brittle and thin. After several oils and treatments I found this serum, it promotes strength, moisture and softness, and it was the only one that seemed to work for my hair. It felt stronger and thicker after the first use, but it felt even more amazing after a couple of weeks of using this product. My hair also doesn't break off as easily when brushing it. Amazing serum, massive thumbs up for giving me beautiful hair.

The Body Shop - Cocoa Butter, Body Butter.
Pretty self explanatory, raved about by beauty bloggers and loved by many. The Body Shop do amazing body butters, I think this is the most famed product from the company. It's because the butters are beautifully scented, thick and creamy in texture, last for ages and do an amazing job of nourishing, replenishing and softening skin. My skin was dry, flaking, itching and felt like sand paper. This product banished these and gave me luxuriously soft, supple, glowing skin. Simply the best body butter on the market in my opinion, a true skin saviour.

Philosophy - 'When Hope Is Not Enough', Hydrating Antioxidant Serum.
My face really got the worst of the weather this year; the harsh cold and big blasts of icy wind on my skin made it dry, itchy, flaky, chapped and sore. I didn't want to exfoliate too much and make it worse and I didn't know what to use that could combat all the different areas at once. At first I was using around seven different products targeted for different problem areas. After a while I knew this was extreme and tried several products on their own. These seemed to make no difference.
Then I bought this and instantly knew I had found the miracle in a bottle I had been looking for. It is brilliant - it nourished, replenished, soothed, healed and didn't break me out. (I have oily, blemish prone skin) The scent has a lot to be desired but I wasn't after a face perfume, it wasn't oily at all, the serum soaked straight into the skin with no residue. My skin now looks the best it has ever been, my acne has started to clear up too. I personally think that this is a miracle worker. It has become a repurchase, must have!

E.L.F - Essential Lipstick

£1.50 each /3.5g each
www.eyeslipsface.co.uk
Tailored for all skin tones.
Available in 12 different shades.

E.l.f (Eyes Lips Face), do a whole range of different lip products at different prices. The cheapest version is the Essential range.

The shades I chose were: Charming - A dusky rose, Flirtatious - A soft baby pink, Fearless - A classic pillar box red and Seductive - A mauve.

The formula is smooth and creamy, making it easy to apply and leaves lips feeling silky soft, hydrated, and supple. They all have a glossy finish.

They are highly pigmented, so a couple of swipes and you have a nice opaque colour. The lipstick has an even wear and doesn't dry out on the lips. However, the colours only lasted for a couple of hours before a reapplication was necessary, shorter if you have been eating/ drinking.

The packaging does have some problems and this is my only complaint about the lipsticks; the lids tend to fall off in your purse and the twist body is fairly flimsy. For the price I can look past these small flaws though. You get a product that is brilliant value for money, hydrating on the lips, has a good opaque colour and you get a good selection of colours to choose from.

I would highly recommend these to younger people who are perhaps just starting out with cosmetics, who have little money but want to try a selection of colours to see what suits them the best.

Avon - Supershock Gel Eyeliner

£6.00 each.                   www.avon.co.uk
Tailored for all skin tones and eye colours.

Eyeliner is one of the most fun items of cosmetics that I think pulls a whole look together. It frames the eyes, making them bold and beautiful. For this reason I hold eyeliner high up on my importance list, also meaning that I want the most from it.



Avon produced Supershock to tempt me, after trying this I am a firm fan. It was soft and gentle on the eye, easy to apply and glided on like a dream - no dragging or pulling.

The colour was rich and intense after one swipe, leaving me with opaque bold colour. A nice true colour formula that transferred exactly the same from pencil to eye. On sharpening the pencil I found that it did not crumble at all, perhaps this is down to the gel like formula.
The liner did not dry out the eyes, but contact lens wearers may need to take extra care as it can irritate the eye after a few hours.

The liner lasted all day, even on the waterline; I had no need to re-apply until late in the evening. Very easy to smudge out to create a stunning smokey eye. It did not move or budge, once the liner is on it stays put without any blurring, transference or flaking.

Great value for money; I like that Avon have regular money off savings on this item, meaning you get it even cheaper. It is easy to find online or from an Avon agent (ordering through an agent the item can take a little longer to reach you).

Overall I really like this product, I will repurchase it and will be trying the other colours in the range. I would give my recommendation for this, I think anyone looking for bold, dramatic, long wear liner would love this.

Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher

£7.99/ 2.5g              www.bourjois.co.uk
Made in France.
Tailored for all skin types and all skin tones.
Ultra fine and easy to blend powder blush.

"The baked texture transforms when applied to the skin into an ultra-fine pressed powder, which is easy to apply and blends impeccably. One stroke of the brush reveals the irresistible aroma of the rose scented powder. Its built-in mirror and brush is perfect for touch-ups on the go!"

A perfect pink blush! These are hard to come by believe me (think unicorns), I have one other favourite perfect pink blush in my kit which is a M.A.C and this is all I had until I picked up this little pot. It suits any skin tone, any eye colour and has a natural 'blushing' look, which is what you're aiming to achieve by using a powder.
It blends out like a dream, it looks seamless and very natural; you can add a simple sheer layer or for photographs/ or darker skin tones you can layer it to make the colour bolder and brighter.
The powder is very finely milled which makes it blend in evenly and smoothly, leaving no cakey looking chunks on top of your makeup. Massive thumbs up for the little pot, I have already added some more to my beauty shopping list and will test a few more to see if all the pots are a hit with me. I am fast becoming a fan of Bourjois cosmetics. ( A little bird told me that the company also own 'Chanel' cosmetic's; not sure if this is correct, let me know? )
I have added a swatch; my skin tone is very pale, almost white and this is swirled and wiped via finger, so this is a lot of product.

As you can tell the formula of the blush is creamy/ matte looking, no shimmer, no caking. Once blended out this colour is just divine. I highly recommend picking one up and having a try, brilliant value for money, highly pigmented and they have a large colour selection to choose from.
Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Rouge Bunny Rouge - Devilish Nectar, Lip Potion

£19.89/ 3.5ml         www.rougebunnyrouge.com
Made in Italy.
Suitable for vegetarians.
Tailored for all skin types and tones.
Use to get full, plump, flushed lips; on it's own or over your favourite lip colour.

This shiny and fragrant gloss boosts your lips to make them fuller and flushed with colour. The secret is the blend of spicy essential oils they use; Clove, Chilli and Cardamom, which instantly start working to naturally increase blood-flow. Frequent re-applications will further intensify the effects.
Softness is aided by the use of Jojoba and the micro mica particles give it a beautiful shimmer that looks fresh and natural.

I have a full pouty lower lip and a very thin upper lip, so over the year's I have tried every single brand and product available to boost and/or plump my almost invisible top lip. I was expecting another gloss that looked pretty but didn't do a whole lot; like the various I have tested.

This WORKED and worked extremely well, I saw immediate visible results; my lips were pinker, fuller, and far more pouty than usual. Others also commented on my lips, which I smiled about all day.
This may not be everyones favourite as I know some people dislike the tingle sensation on their lips. I personally like the sensation, as I know it's working. This product definitely gives that tingle!
It smells spicy and exotic, but not overpowering. It's not too tacky or sticky. I enjoyed it both applied on it's own and over my lip colour. It didn't alter the colour of the lipstick at all but did give it a lovely shimmer.

I recommend this product to everyone, if you have sensitive lips and dislike the tingle sensation then this may not be a product suited to you. However, if you don't mind that, this lip potion is a miracle in a bottle for big, full, flushed lips.
I will be repurchasing this as soon as I start running low; it's become this year's must have beauty item for me.

Steamcream Moisturiser

£12.95/ 75g.             www.steamcream.co.uk
Made in the UK.
Suitable for Vegans.
Tailored for all skin types.
Long lasting hydration for the face, also great nourishment for hands and body.

Handmade using high quality, fresh, natural, traceable ingredients; fused together by a shot of steam.
It's super moisturising, sinks deep down instantly and revives your skin straight away.

Very strong Lavender scent. Use more than a pea size amount and skin can look and feel greasy.
I would not recommend this for normal to oily skin; this is definitely a product for dry/ very dry skin. I personally have oily skin and this created a very shiny finish.

A good size but also a mid-range price tag, if you have dry/ very dry skin this may be value for money and works incredible to nourish your skin.
I will not be repurchasing this as it is not suitable for my skin type.

Dr. Organic - Dead Sea Mineral Eye Rescue Rollerball

£8.99/15ml       www.drorganic.co.uk
Made in the UK
Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans.
Tailored for both male and female consumers.
An eye cream which uses natural ingredients to effectively reduce puffiness, tired eyes, dark circles and improves micro-circulation.

Dr. Organic is committed to creating unique, natural products, free from parabens, SLS, artificial colours, fragrances and harsh preservatives.
A bioactive base formulation of Dead sea mineral salts with natural and organic extracts and over 20 essential oils. This targeted formulation energises skin cells which increases oxygen consumption and lypolytic action, resulting in the breakdown of fat deposits. Instantly addresses fine lines around the eyes, puffy, sagging skin and dark circles.

I enjoyed the packaging as it was clean and mess free. Very easy to use.
The rollerball made application quick and easy. The product lasted well over three months. (used day and night)
A lovely cooling effect to the under eye, making it feel refreshed. The scent was mild. No burning or irritation occurred while using this product.
The formulation did decrease the puffy, sagging skin under the eye but the fine lines and the dark circles remained the same - no visible difference in my opinion.

I would place this at average value for money.
The rollerball is personally not my preferred method of application due to hygiene reasons. The formula only addressed the puffy and sagging skin and failed to effectively target other problems.
However, if you are looking for a firming and tightening product for under the eye area and suffer from tired, puffy looking eyes, this product would be worth a try.