Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

I have had this for sometime and still haven't made up my mind up on it. I go through phases of loving it and then just thinking meh - it's not worth the price.

The times when I have loved this has all been when I am having a good skin day and mostly in the summer. Seeing as though this is a tinted moisturiser I guess that is no surprise. This doesn't have a lot of coverage or staying power but does feel like nothing on the skin which in the heat is what you want.

One of the biggest niggles I have with this product is the shade range. I purchased Porcelain which is the lightest shade but in the winter it is slightly too dark. I know I have fair skin but I didn't think I was that pale. It is still wearable in the winter just takes a bit more blending.

I really want to write a rave review about how this is a summer must have but I am sure that there is a drugstore BB cream or tinted moisturiser out there that is just as good and a fraction of the price. If anyone does have drugstore recommendations then please let me know.

This hasn't stopped me wanting to try the Silk Creme Foundation but I doubt I would repurchase this.

This is available from uk.spacenk.com for £34.

Sample Sunday - Dr Brandt - Pores No More Pore Refiner

Another product I have had hanging around waiting for me to review. 

This is for oily/combination skin and can be used under or over makeup. This is very similar to Benefit Porefessional Primer with a silicone feel. I mainly concentrated on the areas of my face where I suffer larger pores and oiliness so my forehead, nose and cheeks. 

I don't feel that this made much difference to the appearance of my pores or controlled how oily my t-zone was, but it did make my makeup sit better on my skin and last longer.

I didn't try over makeup as not convinced this would sit nicely on top, if you have tried this please let me know how you got on.

Silicone primers are not my favourite to be honest, I don't get all the hype. I know they are popular but I don't really like the feel on my skin and they don't seem to do much for my pores.

Considering how similar this is to the Benefit one I can't get over the fact that this is nearly £15 more expensive - if you like the Benefit one stick with that and save yourself the £14.50. If you don't like silicone primers skip this one completely.

If any of you have any primer recommendations let me know I am especially interested in trying some drugstore ones.

The full size of this is available from birchbox.co.uk for £39.

**This was a sample received in a Birchbox which was fully paid for as a gift from a family member**

TRESemme - Nourish & Renew Tonic

I have mentioned my scalp issues on here several times before and rely on Philip Kingsley to help but it is a tad pricey. I saw that TRESemme had come out with a scalp tonic so had to give it a go.

As with the Philip Kingsleys toner you apply directly to your scalp after washing and towel drying your hair. Unlike the Philip Kingsley one this includes sunflower seed oil and is therefore oily. I had to be careful not to put too much on as it can make your roots look limp and greasy. As well as being careful how much I put on I definitely had to wash my hair everyday with this, although I do that anyway.

The other down side to this was the nozzle, it blocked and when I tried to clear it obviously made the hole too big so ended up with way too much coming out.

These are the main downsides whether this is as effective as the Philip Kingsley one I am not sure, it didn't make my scalp worse. I did try making my own tonic which was a disaster, it left my hair and scalp sticky so if you are on a budget and a scalp toner is a must I would give this one a try.

I am still on the hunt for something that will clear my scalp 100% if anyone has any recommendations please let me know.

This is available from boots.com for £5.50 for 150ml.

Paul & Joe - Creamy Facial Foam

The first beauty post of 2015 is a product I have had for awhile and wanted to finally review. 

I hadn't heard anything about the product so was interested to see whether it was an unearthed gem. It doesn't have any instructions so I followed Caroline Hiron's cleansing cheat sheet - which you can read here. 

Things to note about this cleanser.

One this is horrible on dry skin, it really drags so I ended up having to wet my skin. 
Two it is very heavily scented of oranges which I don't mind but others might.
Thirdly this left my skin feeling tight and dry. 
Lastly do not get this anywhere near your eyes - it really stings.

As you can probably tell this was never going to get a brilliant review but I thought well I will make do and use it up. After about a week of using I noticed that my skin on the top of my cheeks were increasingly tender and sensitive. I thought this was just the changing seasons, so carried on. Then about three days later I developed lots of bumps and redness along my jaw. 

So I decided to go back to basics and used my trusty Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser and my skin cleared up. I then used the Paul and Joe once more and my skin went back to tender and sensitive. 

The lesson I learnt if a product doesn't suit your skin don't keep using it. Usually I want to get my money's worth but sometimes it's just best to put down to a lesson learnt and bin it. 

Safe to say this won't feature in an empties and I won't recommend.

This is available from asos.com for £13.50 for 110ml 

A New Year and a New Start

I was planning on doing some posts rounding up 2014 but then I realised it's been it's gone, it's time to move on. I am determined that 2015 will be a good year and I don't want to keep focusing on the past or even too much into the future. 

I have lots of plans and ideas on what I want to do this year but the main one is I want to get healthy. I don't just mean lose weight - although seriously after Christmas who doesn't want to. I want to get in a healthy frame of mind.

How do I plan to do this

1. Be more grateful - I read the below on Pinterest and it really struck a nerve.

I have bought a page a day diary and plan to use it as a gratitude journal. I also plan to use happier to save photos and quotes.

2. To practice being mindful everyday. I have several books and also downloaded headspace so no excuses.

3. To look after my physical well being - eating well and getting plenty of sleep - boring I know but they make such a difference.

I would also like to get in a better financial position but I say that every year.

What are your goals and aims for 2015?

Banana Boat Aloe Vera Gel

Not a very seasonally appropriate post today but I have just come back from a week in Tunisia. It was a very hot relaxed week by the pool so we did get a lot of sun.

We did get a little too red on a couple of occasions, but even if I didn't I would always use an after sun. My after sun of choice usually is Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Body Butter in Exotic Coconut which is available from boots.com for £10.50. The reason that we didn't bring this is because we already had this in our cupboard after buying earlier in the year after my boyfriend burnt his face.

I know a few people that swear by Aloe Vera throughout the year but I thought that I would still prefer the much nicer smelling body lotions and creams. However after getting a few bits burnt mainly my toes and my chest I have to say this is much better if you do actually get burnt. As nice smelling as the Hawaiian Tropic one is, if you do get burnt it isn't a patch on this one. It is cooling and absorbs much quicker. It also seems to let your skin breathe and not clog up up your pores.

My boyfriend also loved this which was a surprise, he caught more sun then me and was impressed in how quickly this soothed his skin. 

This has definitely become a holiday essential for us both which we will be taking on future trips to the sun.

You can pick this up for £6.00 from boots.com.

Soap & Glory - Trick and Treatment Dark Circle Concealer

I thought I would complete my mini series of the concealers I currently own *although at the time of posting I have bought another one. After being impressed with the Laura Mercier Undercover Pot which I reviewed here I saw that Soap & Glory did a version the Kick Ass Concealer which is available from boots.com which I fully intended to buy. 

However once in Boots I got sucked into trying out this. The reason I wanted to try this instead of the Kick Ass one is that this claims to not only conceal but also treats your dark circles. 

This is only available in one shade which with hindsight should have got the alarm bells ringing as sadly this really isn't my shade. I am rather fair and this is too dark and orange for me.

Shade aside I am not a huge fan of this due to the large amount of glitter this seems to have in it. My camera doesn't pick this up but it's like a glitter ball, especially in natural lighting. It also doesn't actually cover my dark circles just adds a large amount of sparkle. 

I can't review the claims on treating the dark circles as I haven't used more then a handful of times. If you are fair skinned and have bad circles I wouldn't recommend this sadly, the tone is just too dark and the coverage just isn't there either.

This hasn't put me off trying the Kick Ass concealer but will definitely check the shades.

You can pick this up from boots.com for £9.

If anyone has any concealer recommendations please let me know.