Claire

Christmas Gift For Her | Magnitone Barefaced Daily Cleansing Brush

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIf there’s been one hyped-up beauty product in recent years that has given me serious FOMO, it’s the facial cleansing brush. Designed to deep-clean, exfoliate and tone, it seemed like the product my skin was crying out for – and like a lot of women, it was top of my Christmas list (okay, maybe second after a puppy – that’s a dream I’m never giving up on, dammit).

So, you can imagine my absolute delight when the amazing Magnitone London Vibra-Sonic™ Facial Cleansing Brush* arrived at Casa de Claire, right in time to get my skin glowing for Christmas. In a stunning limited edition rose gold finish, the skincare tool instantly caught my attention – who wouldn’t want this pretty addition to their bathroom? But mainly I was excited to put the Magnitone to the test and see if these brushes are worth the hype. View Full Post

Claire

Better Together | Current Favourite Product Combos

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I feel like us beauty fans are always on the quest for the one perfect product. The one foundation that will have amazing coverage but still leave a luminous finish; the one mascara that will add length, volume and flutterability; the one-sweep wonder lipstick that’ll be highly pigmented but still light on the lips and maybe even bring peace to the middle east. But recently I’ve gone for a slightly different tactic – why not combine two good products for one perfect finish? View Full Post

Claire

At Home Microdermabrasion with PMD Personal Microderm

PMD At Home MicrodermabrasionTaking better care of your skin is one of the things I’ve realised is essential once you’re in your mid-20s (along with actually having to exercise and suddenly taking an interest in curtains, apparently). While we know that things like facials and microdermabrasion are beneficial from a young age, treatments in a salon can get pricey. So when I saw a couple of bloggers raving about an at-home microdermabrasion device I was VERY intrigued. I’ve since got my hands on my very own PMD Personal Microderm* (RRP £135), and after trialing it for a few months it’s safe to say I’m a bit in love with it.  View Full Post

Claire

October Beauty Haul & Favourites

October Beauty 1Aloha beauties! I originally sat down to write a September favourites post, then realised September ended 14 days ago. SORRY, WHERE IS THE TIME GOING?! So instead you get a bit of a random mixed post of things I’ve bought or have been given lately that have made me think ‘this is aiight, this’. I know, the enthusiasm is overwhelming, right?

Beauty 2Tantruth Ultimate Tanning Collection* – £16.99 Salon-Services

I hadn’t heard of Tantruth before I was kindly sent this range to review, but they’re a professional spray tanning brand which also stocks a retail range. This Ultimate Tanning Collection contains three of their retail products, which match the three stages of self-tanning: preparation, tanning and maintaining. The products are:

  • The Perfectionist Exfoliating Body Scrub, 250ml
  • The Ultimate Self–Tan Lotion, 195ml
  • The Prolonger Tan Enhancing Body Moisturiser, 250ml

(Has anyone noticed I left the exfoliator at my sister’s house so it’s not in this photo? No? Oh good, our liddle secret)

I’m really impressed with the tan itself. It has a strong guide colour so you know exactly where you’re putting the tan, and the colour once applied is the closest I’ve achieved to a professional shade while at home. It’s a lotion, whereas I do usually prefer a spray or mousse, but I haven’t noticed any problems with streaking so I suppose that’s not really an issue. The exfoliator is really nice to use – and is also bright pink, so a nice addition to my sister’s bathroom. The post-tan moisturiser is the only product of the three I don’t love, mainly because it’s a very thin, milk-like moisturiser so a lot more spills out of the bottle than you expect. It’s also a bit difficult to apply because of this, BUT on the plus side it does leave skin feeling nice and has a nice whiff to it too.

Overall this is a really nice collection, and I think having the three products together is a really nice touch. I mean, we all know that we should exfoliate the night before tanning but sometimes it’s just a massive CBA. Having this box did force me to be a little more A, so props to it for that.

Beauty 3Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water – £4.99 Boots

Micellar water has been one of the most hyped products in skincare for a while, so I picked up this cheapo Garnier offering (as obviously I would never pay £30 for a bottle, do I look like some sort of fancy Nancy?) With no soap or alcohol, it’s supposed to be a gentle makeup remover and cleanser. And it is. Using this leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean, and is a good eye makeup remover now I’ve got my Hollywood lashes and need one without oil. So… good. That’s as enthusiastic as I’m ever going to get about skincare, I’m afraid.

Beauty 4Juicy Couture Couture Eau de Parfum – £64.36 for 100ml, Boots

As I’m a massive chav I’m a big fan of Juicy Couture perfumes, so was suuuuuper happy to get Couture Couture for my birthday this year. I can’t describe scents at all so I won’t even try, but it’s fresh and girly, which is what I like for my day-to-day stank. I also think it’ll go really nicely with the Juicy velour tracksuit I would also still really like to own…no? WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO?!

Beauty 5Barry M Gelly Nail Paints in ‘Chai’ and ‘Coconut’ – £3.99 each from Boots

Lauren and I both adore Barry M Gelly Nail Paints and so when I had to stop getting acrylics done due to silly things like council tax and TV licenses (zzzz), I knew the only thing that would cheer me up was a couple of new shades. Chai is one of the new releases for autumn and is a steel grey. Coconut is white, but a much nicer white than the plain white Barry am Nail Paint they brought out a couple of years ago. That one was a bit Tippex-y, whereas this is slightly…warmer? I don’t actually know why it’s a better white, but it just is (great reviewer, eh).

Beauty 6Primark Candle – £1
Finally, no, this is not a beauty item. But if you haven’t discovered the joy of Primark’s candles yet then you ain’t living life right.

What do you all think of these items? Have you tried any of them?

Claire

Seventeen Back Lash Mascara Review

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Anyone who knows me and Claire at all will know that the quest for the perfect mascara is always present. From Benefit’s They’re Real to horrible excuses for mascaras like Rimmel’s Scandaleyes Rockin’ Curves, we’ve tried and tested so many different brands with varying degrees of success. I like to try and buy a different mascara each time I run out because to frankly, I haven’t found anything that has made me think ‘Zut Alors, I must give up my life as a rather short, stumpy ginger girl and dedicate it to this here tube of mascara’.

Unfortunately, Seventeen’s Back Lash Mascara hasn’t quite done that for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it, it’s just that it doesn’t wow me (…who do I think I am? Simon Cowell?). So without further waffle (I want a waffle), here’s my Seventeen Back Lash Mascara review. With bells on.

P1070307Lets get started with the brush. I’m a fan of most brushes. Claire’s partial to a nice plastic brush that separates the lashes properly, but I’m not too fussed whether its fibre or plastic. Although there’s a hugey caveat on that. If it’s fibre, it can’t be rubbish. While Seventeen’s Back Lash Mascara isn’t exactly rubbish per say, it’s a bit on the weak side. As you can see from the before and after pics below, it’s  tends to clump my eyelashes together a bit. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

P1070308On the other hand, it doesn’t flake off and lasts really well. I also hugely enjoy the silver packaging, it makes me feel mega jazzy. If I ever get stranded at the discoteque without a glow stick, I would quite happily whip this bad boy out and flail around.

I just can’t agree that it gives me over 100% greater lash impact. Maybe like, 23% greater lash impact but lets all be honest, that’s not particularly hard since I have the blondest eyelashes known to womankind. Any mascara would give me a greater impact, in the sense that it would actually make my eyes visible (fun fact, my aunty once told me that I should get my eyelashes tinted because they made my face look piggy. Cheers hun).

Before and afterSo would I repurchase Seventeen’s Back Lash Mascara? Probably not. But its handy enough to make me look less piggy eyed, so for that I will thank Seventeen profusely, and perhaps ask them to send a letter to my aunt in South Africa explaining that.

If you’d like to buy this silver tube of relatively alright mascara, you can do so for £6.49 at Boots.

Have you tried Seventeen’s Back Lash Mascara? Do you think its aight too?

 

Claire

Angel Eyes Eyelash Extensions | Review

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make: I am a stumpy girl. I have stumpy legs, a stumpy body, stumpy fingers and even my hair long ago decided to give up growing and just become stumpy hair. Basically, nothing on my body has ever been arsed to grow to an agreeable length. Unsurprisingly this also includes my eyelashes, hence why I’m borderline obsessed with mascara and have wanted to give eyelash extensions a go since approximately FOREVER (and even more so following an unfortunate recent incident with an eyelash curler where I might have… er… snipped off half my lashes).

Recently at a press day I was lucky enough to be given the chance to try out some semi-permanenent false lashes from Angel Eyes, which I was SO excited about. Before I had them done, I got chatting to the founder of Angel Eyes, Marie Di-Rito, who devised the unique 7-step technique after years of experience in eyelash extensions. This technique is now taught to lash technicians in salons all over the UK that fit Angel Eyes extensions, so you’re guaranteed the same amazing quality wherever you get them done.

Angel Eyes Lash Extensions

Before / After

After an initial consultation where we discussed what look I wanted, I opted for the ‘Socialite’ lashes which are designed to last between 2-3 weeks before you need infills. Application only took around 15 minutes and I was so pleased with the results. As you can see, my lashes transformed from being mousey little stumps to thick, full, dark fluttery things of dreams. I thought they might feel a bit uncomfortable or at least heavy in the same way that some strip lashes do, but in all honesty I couldn’t feel these at all.

I’ve heard of other people having lash extensions and waking up the next morning to find they’ve nearly all fell out, so I was curious to see how long these would last. However, they really impressed me. I lost one or two lashes in the first couple of days but other than that they basically stayed put. You’re advised not to use oil-based mascaras which I thought I’d struggle with, but they looked so good that I quickly grew used to not needing mascara. I was careful wiping my eyeliner off at night and tried not to touch my eyes during the day, but other than that I got on with my life as normal and they were no hassle whatsoever.

Angel Eyes Lash Extensions

Looking cock-eyed but fluttery

I’d been advised that the lashes could only be removed by an Angel Eyes technician, which did make me wonder whether I’d actually given over my eyeballs to some sort of witchcraft. I also thought it might end up being a bit of a pain as my nearest technician seemed to be in Leicester and I find it a bit of a chore just getting off the sofa sometimes. However, after just over 2 weeks a few more of the lashes had started to shed and then I couldn’t help but start picking just a bit… I’ll point out that this is totally not what they advise and you really should get them removed by a professional to avoid damaging your own lashes – but mine remained absolutely fine.

Overall I was really impressed with the lashes and think I could have got another week out of them if I hadn’t got a bit pick-happy. I have a few important occasions coming up in the summer and I would definitely be tempted to get them again as they’re so perfect for a holiday (as a side note, they’ve also been tested in conditions ranging from blizzards and strong winds to 40 degree temperatures, so whatever holiday you’re on they’ll definitely last!) or just adding some glamour to your everyday look.

If you’re interested in getting Angel Eyes eyelash extensions then you can take a look at their handy salon finder to find a technician near to you. I’d also like to say a huge thank you to the wonderful ladies at the CiCi PR event who hooked me up with my lashes – you released me from my stumpy life for a couple of weeks, which may go on record as being the best weeks of my life.

Have any of you had eyelash extensions before? What did you think?