Beauty Review | Vanity Claire

ClaireMarch 7, 2014

Barry M Ultra Moisturising Lip Paint in Black Cherry (160) | Review

Hi gals,

After a very fashion heavy week (check out yesterday’s River Island Spring/Summer 2014 post, it’s grand), I’m bringing you a little lippy review to keep your beauty heads from exploding. Because I’m pretty positive if you don’t read this review, your head will explode. Definitely.

I picked up this Barry M Ultra Moisturising Lip Paint when I had a Boots haul with Claire a few weeks ago. I’ve been meaning to review it for AGES because it is brilliant, but here it is now and we can all get excited.

The basics of this lipstick is that it’s super super (some might say ultra) moisturising, meaning it won’t dry your lips and flake off like some lippies do. The Ultra Moisturising collection comes in a big range of shades, so whether you’re a fan of shimmering, pastel shades or bright, vibrant shades – there is one for every gal (thank you Queen Lizzy). I’m definitely a vibrant lip fan and frankly think I look a bit dead without a bright colour on my face. With this in mind, I was excited to get the Lip Paint in Black Cherry (or shade 160 for those who like to communicate by numbers). I bought it for £4.49 from Boots and you can buy it yourself online here.

Overall, I really love it. It really is moisturising, while still being vibrant enough to be mega exciting. It also fades well and doesn’t cling to the outlines of your lips (no one wants to look like Pammy Anderson with too much lipliner on).

My only bug bear is the colour on the lipstick stick versus the actual colour of the lipstick. If you wound this down to have a nosey at what colour it is, it looks practically black. Or at the very least a super dark purple. Once you’ve swatched it or put it on your face, it’s actually a much lighter pinky/purple – still pretty, but somewhat unexpected. You’d think that Barry M would be able to get the colour of the lipstick stick and the swatch colour the same by now. Come on guys. Fix up.

Besides that (which isn’t really a complaint at all, I just like to complain), I really love this lipstick and recommend it to all you gals who like slathering purple colours on your face. Triumphant huzzahs all round.

What do you think? Have you tried any of the Barry M Ultra Moisturising Lip Paints?

ClaireJanuary 6, 2014

How to Shape Your Eyebrows at Home | Eyebrow Stencils

I’m well aware that this is a #FirstWorldProblems issue, but I’ve got to admit that I spend an alarming amount of my time worrying about my eyebrows.

Like most other girls of my age in the UK, in my teens I definitely followed the ‘less is more’ mantra for my eyebrows and so between the ages of about 13 to 18 – okay, 13 to 21 (embarrassing) – I barely had any eyebrow to speak of. Eventually, big eyebrows came into fashion and we all realised that we looked like chavvy gimps. The challenge then was how to go about growing out our eyebows and, even more problematically, what the hell we were supposed to do with them afterwards.

Eyebrow shaping is a tricky thing, no matter what magazines tell you about just ‘following the natural arch’. What the hell? I plucked away my natural arch years ago and it’s not showing much sign of coming back.

Many people therefore choose to leave eyebrow shaping to the professionals – but even that is a risky business. Once I spent months and months religiously growing out my eyebrows, only to go and have them threaded by a woman who – despite me saying over and over again “I just want them tidying up” – went on to completely rip out all of my hairs and leave me with baldy chicken skin. So, if we can’t trust the professionals to shape our eyebrows, what can we do? The answer is simple – eyebrow stencils.

What Are Eyebrow Stencils?

Eyebrow stencils are things I only learned about a few months ago. I think they’re mainly used for girls who draw on/fill in their eyebrows every day and want to achieve the same flawless shape each time, but they can also be used for initially shaping.

I bought a pack of stencils from eBay, which you can get for the tiny price of £1.29. This came with 4 stencils, all different shapes so you can choose the right one for you. Some were super thin, so I opt for C2 which is the thickest shape of the 4. If you’re not sure which stencil to use then you can always outline with each of them in turn to decide which one suits you best before plunging in with the plucking.

How to Use Eyebrow Stencils

Shaping your eyebrows with stencils is pretty straightforward. Use the stencils and make an outline of the shape on your eyebrows. You could do this with powder or pencil, but I prefer to use a liquid eyeliner pen – mainly because I think it looks really funny. Apologies I couldn’t get any photos of this actual step – I needed a third hand coming out of my arse to do so, and unfortunately humans haven’t evolved to have that yet.

Once you have your shape, start plucking away around the outline with gay abandon. However scary it might be, my top tip is to trust the stencil. Don’t get attached to where your eyebrow hairs used to be and feel like you’re plucking too much – you need to follow the stencil if you want to get the proper shape. Also, that old saying about never plucking above your eyebrow – I’d say just ignore it. The majority of the time when you get your brows done professionally they’ll go above the eyebrow, so I think it’s just one of those beauty myths.

Once you’ve finished plucking, wash off the outline and say hello to your new eyebrows. As well as getting rid of a lot of unneeded hair, I think the stencils are also brilliant for showing you the parts of your eyebrows that you need to grow back. Particularly when it comes to the middle part of my brows, I have a tendency to over-pluck, and carry on plucking whenever the strays grow back. The stencils should show you where your eyebrows should really start from, meaning that you know to grow these bits out (and can fill in with powder/pencil in the meantime).

Overall I think eyebrow stencils are a good DIY eyebrow shaping tool, and are perfect for those of us who are a bit scared of our own eyebrows. For such a cheap price they’re definitely worth giving a go.

What do you use to shape your eyebrows? Do you ever DIY or do you trust the professionals?

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ClaireDecember 30, 2013

Batiste Dry Conditioner | Review

I have a confession to make, dear readers: I rely on dry shampoo to an extent that is almost socially unacceptable. Due to a combination of hair extensions that do better without too much heat exposure, and a lazy personality that would rather watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians marathons than do anything as tedious as washing my hair, I turn to these little cans of trickery at least a couple of times a week. When I first heard about dry conditioner then, it’s no surprise that my big masssive ears pricked up in immediate anticipation.

I think that dry conditioners have only been around for a couple of months, and of course one of the leaders in the market is every lazy girl’s favourite brand, Batiste. Dry conditioners are supposed to be different from other conditioning sprays such as leave-in conditioners, which can still leave hair feeling heavy and wet. The aerosol dry conditioner means that you get all of the benefits of a proper conditioning treatment but without any of the wetness, stickiness or weight.

This sounded like something I badly needed in my life. Although my hair looks fine on dry shampoo days it can often feel dry, and so something that can make it feel soft without adding oiliness would basically be a kind of miracle in a can.

Batiste say that their product can be used either after shampooing and conditioning your hair normally, for added smoothness and to tame frizz and flyaways; or it can be used after dry shampoo for a complete hair refresh in between washes. All you do is hold the can 30 centimetres away from your hair and then spray on the lengths and ends of the hair, avoiding the roots so you don’t end up looking like a greaseball.

After using this for the first time yesterday, I was really impressed. It instantly gave a softness to my hair that wasn’t heavy or greasy feeling, plus it actually added some noticeable shine, which is tricky to get on blonde hair at the best of times. I’ve woke up this morning and whereas my hair – particularly my ends – would normally be feeling dry, it still feels soft and manageable.

Overall I’m really pleased with the dry conditioner from Batiste, and I’m sure it’s going to be just as much of a success as their dry shampoos. I picked mine up for £3.99 from Boots and urge lazy girls and boys like me to do the same. Let’s make hair washing a thing of the past! (Okay, that might be a bit far, sorry…)

Have any of you tried dry conditioner yet? What do you think?

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ClaireDecember 23, 2013

Top 15 Fashion & Beauty Blogs of 2013

Hola chicas! We hope you’re all in the festive spirit and already three stone heavier from excessive mince pie consumption. As we get towards the end of the year we’re feeling all nostalgic and looking back at our first year as part of the blogging community. Here is our list of our ultimate favourite fashion and beauty bloggers that we’ve discovered in the year 2013…

Stone’s Got Style

The beaut Vickie Stone from Stone’s Got Style began blogging around the same time as us this year, and we instantly fell in blogger lurve with her quirky style and frankly quite bonkers personality.

Lydia Faye Jones

Lauren and I both have what can only be described as an embarrassingly large girl crush on Lydia Faye Jones. Always groomed and effortlessly chic , she’s basically everything we wish we could be but aren’t because we can never be bothered to brush our hair enough. Lydia has a wardrobe so stocked with Topshop and Zara that it will make you weep with jealousy.

JessicaWabbit

Jess is not only one of our favourite fashion bloggers, she’s also one of the nicest people to speak to on Twitter and a genuinely lovely girl. If you read us regularly then you also might have already seen the brilliant guest post that Jess wrote for us a while back. The way she puts outfits together is amazing, and she can wear any look perfectly.

i2 Style

Holly is much much more than just an (incredibly) pretty face; she also has heaps of industry knowledge and experience, and a gorgeous styling portfolio. Her blog’s full of beaut outfits, photos and inspiring wishlists. We were lucky enough to meet her at a recent event and can confirm that she’s just as lovely in person as she seems online!

It’s All the Rage These Days

Another complete girl crush of mine, Leanne Lim Walker can singlehandedly be blamed for my obsession with trying to dye my hair white. She’s utterly stunning and also a brilliant fashion photographer in her own right. I spend far too long ~~perving~~ reading her blog, It’s All the Rage These Days, and am also borderline obsessed with her Youtube channel.

A Fashion Fix

There aren’t many girls that can pull off that pink PVC Topshop skirt, but Hannah Crosskey is one of the few that does – and she looks freakin’ amazing. Her outfits are aways perfect, managing to combine edginess with a classic groomed finish.

Glam Beautys

Liza was one of the first bloggers that we started speaking to, and she remains a firm favourite of ours. There’s nothing about the world of fake tan and contouring that this girl does not know, and her tutorials are all amazingly helpful. Her blog’s going from strength to strength at the moment, and it’s brilliant to see such a genuinely nice person doing so well.

Tease Flutter Pout

Laura from Tease Flutter Pout is another of our go-to bloggers when we need some honest and informative beauty and makeup reviews. Her lifestyle posts are also a personal favourite of mine, bringing into the spotlights issues such as the media’s influence on self-esteem.

Clo’s Beauty Spot

Clo’s Beauty Spot is without doubt one of my favourite blogs to read, but I love her YouTube channel even more. When Lauren and I first discovered her videos, we sat watching them in separate rooms and could hear each other guffawing away like lunatics through the wall. As well as being straight up hilarious, her outfits are also beaut and her reviews are honest and thorough. All round winner.

Crystal Cosmic Chic

For bold fashion and an extensive vocabulary that would put Russell Brand to shame, you should definitely visit Crystal Cosmic Chic. As a Visual Merchandiser, Nokhuthula’s got a brilliant eye for fashion and her outfit photos are always worth a look. We bumped into her at The Clothes Show and she’s one of the loveliest – and possibly tiniest – people we’ve met recently.

Holly Mixtures

Who can resist a girl who documents the adventures of her runaway Angelina-inspired leg? Nobody, that’s who. Holly’s blog makes me literally cry with laughter, but she also knows what she’s talking about and looks fantastic too.

Amy Valentine

With bright pink hair and the best legs in the blogging land, Amy Valentine is another girl crush creeping her way into this list. This girl looks absolutely flawless in everything she wears, and her writing’s warm and witty.

Byootee

Harriet’s a trained MUA and beauty therapist, so I really trust all of her tutorials and reviews. If good makeup is really the secret to her stunning looks then I’m willing to give up food for the next year to fund a makeup collection filled with MAC.

The Love Cats Inc

If I had a pound for every time I leave a comment on Helen’s blog praising her amazing fringe, then I’d probably have enough money to hire someone to come and tame my own fringe every day (and thus I could stop pestering Helen and give the girl a break). As well as having top notch bangs, she also has a perfect sense of style, always looking effortlessly on-trend and perf.

In the Frow

Did any of your uni lecturers look like this? No, ours neither – but Victoria from In the Frow has a PhD and lectures in fashion. She’s also stunning and comes across as lovely and down-to-earth on her YouTube channel. Her blog has bounded along at amazing pace since launching just over a year ago, and it’s very well deserved as each post is perfect fashion inspiration (fashpo? Can I pretend that’s a thing? Well I’m GONNA).

What do you all think of our Top 15 picks? Have we chosen any of your favourites, or are there some bloggers you think are missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below!

ClaireNovember 22, 2013

So Susan’s LacquerLove Beauty Subscription Box | Review

First of all, with my Mystic Meg-type powers I know what you’re likely to be thinking: another beauty box? With Glossybox, Birchbox and Love Me Beauty to name but a few, the market for monthly beauty boxes is pretty saturated right now, and even companies ranging from Glamour magazine to Selfridges are going out of their way to get their foot in the beauty box door. If you’re getting a little tired of all these boxes though, then you’ll be pleased to know that the latest offering from So Susan Cosmetics thankfully isn’t just a carbon copy of the others.

The reason that my personal love affair with beauty boxes was cut quite short was due to the amount of products I received that simply weren’t relevant to me. I’m more into my makeup than skincare, so building up a collection of shower gels and face serums just didn’t thrill me all that much. When the lovely Susan herself contacted us to see if we would like to review one of their Lacquerlove boxes, though, what attracted me immediately to the concept was the focus of the products inside. The Lacquerlove Box is designed for nail polish lovers, and 3 of the 4 products that you receive each month will be from their range of 4-Free Nail Lacquers. So Susan also stocks a range of other cosmetics which may be included as the bonus items. So NO MORE SHOWER GELS, hurray!

We received the launch box this morning and are really impressed with its contents. It came with four nail polishes from the range, and also a 2 in 1 eyeliner and shadow product from Jelly Pong Pong. I actually received this item in a past Glossybox, so fans of other beauty boxes might be able to expect some other recognisable brands in the future.

If you’re into your ethical products, then you’ll be pleased to know So Susan has a very strong stance on what goes into their cosmetics. The 4-Free Nail Lacquers are specially formulated to be free from toluene, DBP, formaldehyde & formaldehyde resin. No, I’m not entirely sure what those things are either – but I’m sure I probably don’t want them. They’re also 100% cruelty free and contain no animal by-products.

We received a beautiful range of colours: Mimosa, a sugary pale pink; Raspberry, a classic deep red; Pink Guava, which is a shocking pink perfect for the party season, and Silver Clouds, which is a metallic polish with a purple sheen. The formula promises high pigmentation, high shine, quick drying and a chip-free finish. Of course I wanted to put one to the test straight away (it is a Friday, after all…) I chose Raspberry as I’ve been rocking nude nails for a while now and thought some vampy colour could be a nice change.

I can confirm that it goes on brilliantly, and in two coats was opaque. It dried nice and quickly, and really does carry the most intense glossy shine – fans of Barry M’s Gelly Paints will not be disappointed!

Overall, I’m really impressed with the Lacquerlove Box. Obviously, receiving three nail varnishes a month isn’t for everyone – but if you’re a nail polish fanatic or want to build up your collection then it’s probably your dream situation. As we get closer to Christmas, it’s also easy to see that these cute little boxes could make brilliant presents.

A huge thank you to So Susan for sending this box for us to review. You can buy your own launch box for £14.95 here or you can find out more about the subscription service.

ClaireSeptember 14, 2013

How to Lighten Your Eyebrows | Smooth Care Review & Results

As I think I’ve only mentioned, ooh, around thirty times in the past week, I recently decided to bleach my hair. When I told my mum of my decision, her question was the same that it was when I used to bleach my hair from the ages of 17-21 (as in she literally asked me this at least every other month for four years): “Don’t you think you should do something about your eyebrows then?”

Although I always quite liked the contrast of dark brows and glowing-like-a-beacon hair, I decided that this time she may have a point and a lighter look all over could look better this time around.

As always, I took to the internet to search for how to go about lightening my eyebrows. As always, the usual boring people on Yahoo Answers and beauty forums came back with the usual boring answers: go to a salon/get a professional/don’t do it yourself/you’ll go blind/BLAH BLAH BLAH. Some people just don’t have a sense of adventure do they? So then I took to Twitter, and had a few DIY kits recommended to me by you lovely lot (who are altogether much more knowledgeable than the Yahoo Answers Scaredycats).

I assumed I would be looking for something specifically for eyebrows, but instead I had facial hair bleaches recommended to me, which made much more sense. I ended up buying Boots’ own brand Smooth Care Hair Lightener, which cost me just £2.66. Yes, the boy behind the till did have a sneaky look at my upper lip to see if I was rocking a ‘tache, and looked a little disappointed that I wasn’t.

The kit comes with a tube of Hair Lightener, a tube of Accelerator Cream, a pot and a spatula. The instructions are very simple: mix a bit of these together, whack it on the hair you want to lighten, leave for 10 minutes and VOILA. Of course it wasn’t quite a VOILA case with me, as those are instructions to fully bleach the hair and I only wanted to lighten my eyebrows. I therefore decided to check my eyebrows every 30 seconds or so to make sure they weren’t going too light. Oh, and I also put some on my lady-tache (or misstache) anyway, just to get the most from my money. Here I am looking fit:

Yes, my thumbs are weird.

After removing a bit to check the colour and dabbing a bit more on a few times, I think the cream was eventually on my eyebrows for about five or six minutes before I decided I was happy enough with the colour. Remember: you can always add more later if you still want them lighter, whereas over-lightening them could leave you having to faff about fixing them.

So here is how they turned out!

I’m very very VERY pleased with the results, and consider this to be a victory for DIYers everywhere (didn’t even go blind so HA). I think it’s had quite a big impact on my overall look, with my face looking much softer now that my hair and eyebrows don’t look like they’re fighting on opposite sides of a war. Also, even though it was light before, the worry that you might actually have a moustache is one that can strike you with fear every now and then – usually when you’re on a date – so I’m also happy to know that my misstache is now completely bleached.

The other excellent thing is that I have LOADS AND LOADS of the kit left still, so it’s brilliant value for money if you need to re-apply, or if you want to get all your friends round for some kind of tache-bleaching party (I don’t know what you kids do for fun these days).

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ClaireAugust 28, 2013

Primark False Eyelashes in ‘Sultry’ | Review

Two of my main loves in life: Primark and false eyelashes. So I was beyond shocked when I found out that Primark are now selling their own range of lashes that I knew nothing about. Ever the dedicated blogger, I picked up a couple of pairs on my last trip to town and gave them a whirl at the weekend. There a few variations to choose from; I bought the above ‘Sultry Lashes’ as well as a pair of ‘Natural Lashes’ (I know this doesn’t sound like me, I ~~think~~ know I’m getting old and boring). The Sultry Lashes, believe it or not, weren’t the longest or thickest ones available so those of you who are dedicated to the proper Camel Lash might want to give the next size up a try. These are perfect for me though, as I always prefer slightly feathery false eyelashes, and ones that criss-cross over like this are a particular fave.

I’m definitely not snobby when it comes to lashes – although we all accept that Eylure are the metaphorical dog’s cojones, at a fiver a go they get mighty pricey. I therefore dabble quite a lot in cheaper alternatives from brands such as Brit Rocks which retail more around the £3 mark. These Primark ones though were just £1. Yes you read that right – ONE ENGLISH POUND STERLING. This is unbelievably cheap and so to be honest, I wasn’t expecting a huge amount from them. And guess what, dear readers and strange people of the world? I was so pleasantly surprised!

Tell-tale signs of cheaper lashes usually include a very thick, plasticky band and a very shiny finish. These factors are both pleasingly absent from the Primark lashes. The band is nice and thin, making them easy to glue down, and the lashes themselves are as feathery and flexible as more expensive brands. The lashes came with their own adhesive, but I think it’s the glue that often lets cheaper makes down. I shunned the included bottle in favour of my big bottle of Eylure glue, which I really recommend buying if you’re a regular lash wearer. Just don’t let any idiot pals like Lauren near it – the distress that I felt when she shattered my bottle by dropping it on the apartment floor in Kavos last year is something I’ve never quite got over (much like the fact that we even went to Kavos, but again that’s me being old and boring).

Have any of you tried the false eyelashes from Primark? What did you think?

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ClaireAugust 25, 2013

Benefit Primping With The Stars: Review

Good morning and happy Sunday to one and all!

I’m back on my makeup reviewing hype and I am VERY excited about it. I’ve been having some vonderful chats on Twitter with you all about making some makeup changes in my life (and we all know how important these changes are…), so I thought I would do a little review on something that I have been loving a lot recently.

One of my best friends from uni (combined with her boyfriend, who is also a good friend) bought me this Benefit set for my birthday and I have to say how HUGELY excited I was when I opened the wrapping. I’m a big Benefit fan, I know some people are not quite as keen on it as some products can be seen as a bit ‘gimmicky’. But I’m quite a gimmick fan and the packaging makes me literally want to die with happiness inside. I had their smokey eyes palette for a long time when I was a bit younger and I still maintain that it has been my favourite eye kit to date.

The Priming With The Stars kit has a lot of the products I have wanted to try but haven’t been able to afford recently, so I love the fact that I could give these a whirl FOR FREE, and in smaller sizes so I can decide how I feel about them without having the big version (sorry about the terrible English in this sentence, my brain has fallen out).

1. Stay Don’t Stray Eye Primer. 2. Pore Professional. 3. Some Kind of Gorgeous Foundation Faker. 4. Benetint. 5. Girl Meets Pearl Highlighter. 6. They’re Real Mascara.

So, what do I think of Benefit’s Primping With The Stars kit?

1. Stay Don’t Stray Eye Primer: I really like this primer. I’ve been loving eye primers recently, I find they keep my standard liquid eye liner flick in place without smudging. This one has a nice nude tint to it, so almost works as a concealer too.

2. Pore Professional: This is a kind of tinted primer and as far as primers go, I’m very impressed. I have very big pores and it really does reduce them significantly! It’s also tinted, which means it can be worn without makeup over the top.

3. Some Kind of Gorgeous: This is the only product that I’m not hugely keen on in this kit. It just doesn’t give the kind of coverage that I like – I love full coverage foundation and this is very, very light. For people who like a light foundation, this is great for a matte effect! I do like it, it’s just not heavy enough for me.

4. Benetint: I LOVE Benetint and I have for years and years. I like the rose colour for my lips and Posietint for my cheeks particularly, so I’ve been using this little one on my lips a lot recently. Not much more needs to be said, it is great.

5. Girl Meets Pearl: I love highlighters and this one is great. I’ve been using it on my brow bone and cupids bow mostly, because the blusher I’m using at the mo is quite shimmery, so I don’t want to look too disco-ball like. Very impressed!

6. They’re Real Mascara: Everyone raves about this mascara and I was always a bit skeptical about it. I am no longer. This is amazing and I’m very very tempted to buy the full size when this runs out. BRILLIANT.

As a set, I’ve actually been keeping this in my handbag because it has a big mirror that’s useful if I’m doing my makeup on the train or bus! It’s also nice having a Benetint and mascara on me at all times, it reduces the panic in case you get invited to see Rihanna and have no makeup on you whatsoever.

My verdict? This kit is brilliant. I really recommend it for you gals who want to try some of Benefit’s most famous products without investing in the full ones. There is also a little booklet with handy tips, which is great if you are an idiot like I am.

Anyone else tried this kit? What do you reckon?

ClaireAugust 21, 2013

Lush Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub & Ocean Salt Facial Scrub: Review

As a bit of a fake tan addict, scrubs are HUGELY essential to my weekly beauty routine. I’m usually a pair-of-exfoliating-gloves-from-Poundland kinda gal (and the tramp strikes again), but I figured it was time to get scrubbing serious about things. I have a full time job in a real industry, for goodness sake. It is no longer ok to be buying my beauty essentials for £1 (I say this as I remove my makeup with a £1 cotton pad).

I love Lush and there has only been one product I wasn’t happy with – the henna disaster that I blogged about here. I think that that may have been more to do with me not really understanding what henna is and also being a genuine idiot, however. So, these scrubs were something of an excitement for me and I was a genuine eager beaver to try them out. TO YOU I SAID GOOD DAY, DRY SKIN.

SO…lets start off with the Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub.

It’s described as being a “fragrant blossom-scented sea salt scrub for your body and hair.” Smell-wise, it’s amazing as most Lush products are. It is also an exciting bright blue, which made me feel quite the fancy lady. The salt grains are quite fine and there are two ways that you can use the Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub. You can either use it on dry skin for more vigorous exfoliating OR you can use it in the shower, where I found that it lathered up a bit more. I tried both and I think I preferred using it in the shower – mainly because it meant I didn’t get salt all over my bathroom floor.

My verdict: I really love this product. It exfoliates well, although I would say that the more stubborn bits of tan were a bit more difficult to shift (I had to revert back to the gloves for those!). I think I’m going to use it when I just want light exfoliation during the week – it’s not harsh at all so I reckon could be used pretty regularly. Their claim about being able to use it in your hair I’m not so sure about. I did give it a go in the interest of blogging. It’s supposed to give volume (because of the salt), which I could kind of feel before I chucked on loads of conditioner and probably lost any volume that was present anyway.

Next up we have…the Ocean Salt Facial Scrub.

I was really impressed with this bad boy as well. It’s apparently got loads of sea salt, organic limes and avocado butter to wrap it up in a wonderful package of cleaning, brightening and softening magic. It’s marketed as a face exfoliator but it can also be used on the body too. The salt grains are a lot bigger in the face scrub than the shower scrub and the smell isn’t *quite* as nice. Saying that, I’m more of a fan of flowery smells than fruity ones, so others might disagree.

My verdict: Excellent and an honour to our Queen and country. My skin felt SO amazing after using this. I suffer from skin that’s a bit uneven and looks royally crap without some kind of primer or makeup. But after the Ocean Salt facial scrub, it actually looked relatively normal! I would say that it’s a harsh exfoliator though – if you have very sensitive skin then this one probably isn’t the one for you. I have quite a sensitive lip/chin area and it stung a bit when I first used it – especially when I went at my exfoliating circles with brute force. Keep a gentle hand, my friends, when using this. It isn’t necessary to get too wild!

Friendly warning: try and not get either of these in your mouth. They are very salty.

ClaireMay 30, 2013

Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser Review

Moisturiser is something that I have a massive love-hate relationship with. On the one hand, my skin resembles a St Moriz drenched freckled lizard that is permanently dry and in need of a boost. Because of this, I am constantly on the search for the perfect moisturiser (much like Claire and her mascara quest). I’ve never quite found one that leaves my skin feeling soft for longer than a few hours and this is why I secretly throw tantrums when a new moisturiser doesn’t do what it promises. I’ve tried everything from Chanel to E45 and nothing has impressed me overly much. View Full Post