Skincare!

Just got back from a Criminology exam and what with being the little eager beaver I am, I thought I’d sit down and write my next Blogger Challenge Post – EARLY!  (Don’t worry the organisation skills are shocking me too).

Let’s take a looksie shall we:

And the winner is *drumrole please* SKINCARE!

Ooherrr Gaby’s trying to turn us all into beauty bloggers?!

Where to start!?  With a disclaimer I suppose.  Although I wouldn’t say I swore by this routine, I really like it but the disclaimer revolves around the fact this face cleansing ritual I do twice every single blumin day, has yet to rid me of a humongous spot near my mouth.  So feel free to write to the companies coming up and tell them their products are useless and I still have a gynormouse freaking spot!

Probably not the best way to start my skin care routine but hey ho, off we go…

FIRST you shall be presented with an itinerary picture from which we shall systematically go through.

1) On the left we have the Garnier Skin Naturals Fresh Essentials ‘Refreshing Gel Wash’ enriched with grape extracts that promises to purify and clean.  I shall be honest and tell you that I have just run out and that is an empty bottle.  On the plus side at least I can give a well informed review!  I really have never been fussed in the slightest about what face wash I use, I’m a bit of a face wash whore truth be told, always going for the cheapest.  I really did like this one though, it spells divine and although I won’t be repurchasing (as you will find out I have become a Simple girl) it was through no fault of its own!

2) Next along would be Garnier’s replacement – Simple, Sensitive Expert range ‘Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin foam cleanser’.  They don’t all have half posh names these lot!  I adore it!  It’s absolutely lovely and foamy and not only washing my face but making me happy at the same time through the sculpture of Santa Clause beards every day, twice a day.  The only con I am seeing with this is that the formula seems to be going down pretty quickly, possibly because it takes a fair amount to get the required two squirts it recommends.  Hopefully I won’t have to repurchase TOO soon!

3) Third from the left is Simple’s ‘Kind to skin purifying cleansing lotion’.  I mainly use this to get rid of those stubborn bits of mascara that you would normally find hanging out drizzled all down your face the morning after the night before.  It’s lovely and creamy and I really can’t fault its ability to move all that stubborn makeup I never seem to be able to get with a wipe.

4) Next up is Clean and Clear’s ‘Blackheads clearing cleanser’.  This was a repurchase and possibly my favourite face product of all time (apart from the obvious moisturiser).  I love the tingly feeling you get when you smear it all over your face (though my new one doesn't seem to give it as much) and how clean and refreshed it leaves my face feeling.  I have a massive confession to make.  I actually never even knew what a black head was until just after Christmas when I asked my boyfriend what the black things were on his nose.  I thought that a blackhead was just a general spot and that was what the formula was clearing up.  Think how good that makes this stuff.  HAVING USED THIS FOR ALL THESE YEARS I HAVE NEVER HAD A BLACKHEAD!?!?  Now it may be down to genetics or something but I’m just going to go with the fact that it was Clean and Clear looking out for me like the bros that they are.  Since my boyfriend had these mythical blackheads I bought him some of this stuff for Christmas and have got him into a cleansing routine like a boss!

5) FIVE. Simple's ‘Soothing Facial Toner’.  To be honest I have no ideas what this does.  No clue.  All I know is that it was on offer when I was buying the others and it seemed like a good idea at the time.  It claims to make my skin feel clarified and refreshed, but I’ve used so many products by this point it could be any one of them.  I’m not hating it seems nice enough but nothing special in contrast to the other Simple products.  If anyone has any ideas about what I am actually gaining from swiping over my face, feel free to let me know!

6) Lastly but certainly not least is that Simple ‘Kind to Skin Replenishing Moisturiser’.  I have about 3 of these floating around my room from when I bought them on sale.  They are absolutely a life saver for keeping my skin feeling hydrated and clear (most of the time, damn you spot!).  This is the cherry on the top of my Simple collection.  I love it!

So there it is!  Quite a list when I look at it now!  I also do the occasional face mask and use various spot creams when the occasional volcano pops up but mainly I can’t complain about my skin, this lot seems to keep it looking pretty clear.

I look forward to reading everyone else’s and hopefully pick up a couple of tips from you lovely ladies.

Using these skin products seem to be negating my last resolution of being a zombie in the new year.  Letting the team down most definitely.

I know Sophia, I know.

Ooft look at that complexion

Body Shop Shimmer Cubes Lily Cole v Shade 23 Purple

For me?! How thoughtful...

Yo ho ho and a bottle of RUM!

So today I received a lovely cheeky little package from the Body Shop containing some naughty purchases I ordered over the weekend.  I am a complete and utter sucker when it comes to the Body Shop and the only thing that normally deters me from picking up a bounty of their lovely moisturisers and makeup is my heart wrenchingly empty bank account.  Cue tears and wailing.

HOWEVER, my lovely boyfriend happens to have O2 priorities installed on his phone and luckily for me, this weekend when he came over, there happened to be a 50% off discount for the Body Shop.  50% OFF!  That’s means I can buy twice as much!  Hmmm… Not really, but I was able to choose some things that I’ve been craving for a while to treat myself to for Christmas.

So I bought these two things – The Lip and Cheek Stain 01 in Rose Pink and the Shimmer Cube Palette 23 (The Purple one!).  And now for the reviews…

The first thing I want to mention is that I was completely torn between which shimmer cube to get.  I absolutely ADORE the whole concept so knew that I was going to end up indulging in something my mum would definitely say I didn’t need, but I wasn’t sure which colours to get.

I LOVED the chocolate warm ones but since I already own the Naked 2 Palette by Urban Decay I figured I had most of the shades already covered.  I really can’t imagine reaching for anything other than my Naked 2 for the everyday neutrals look so that takes the Warm one (currently, never say never!) out of the picture.  I was left between a choice of the purple palette and 21 Pink (though I think it also has a grey in it).  In the end I went with the Purple 23 since I wanted one with a little more pigment and I already owned the Blue and Green cubes.

I was a little worried that the purples would be the same as the Lily Cole cubes that I also have and searched high and low on the web for a post that contrasts them.  Alas, I couldn’t find one and took the leap to just buy it anyway.  Since I had so much trouble and wanted a comparison post I’ve decided to include a mini one here for anyone suffering the same dilemma.

In terms of pigmentation, the colours are extremely vivid and it comes with a lovely variety of shades so you can basically use the whole palette on one look if you wanted to.  The white is great for the inner corner and highlighting although its worth noting that it IS the same pearly white that comes in other shimmer cubes so you might end up getting a repeat colour if you purchase more than one.

 

Left to Right: Orchard Purple, Candy Pink, Pearly White, Velvet Plum

With and without the flash.  It was quite hard to get the two darker colours to come up true, however this is fairly close though the little finger one is slightly less ‘brownish’.  The pink is gorgeous and the two darker colours, although at first glance look similar, have completely different undertones that really show up when applied to the eye.

Top to Bottom: Velvet Plum, Pearly White, Candy Pink, Orchard Purple

Above is how they show up on the skin, gorgeously shimmery and not bad colour for a single swipe!  They look even more pigmented when applied wet.

SO NEXT I SHALL COMPARE!

The Lily Cole collection looks like this:

And swatches like this:

As you can see, the colours are a lot less intense with the light pink on the end barely showing up there, only providing a hint of a shimmer.  I have definitely grown emotionally attached to this one and it’s gorgeous for a subtle look, however, it terms of intensity, my new Purple Shimmer Cube wins outright.

A last couple of shots of the two side by side for comparison – Lily Cole on the top and Shade Number 23 (Regular purple one) on the bottom:

 

So I hope this has helped anyone who is hesitant or unsure which to buy.  The colours are DEFINITELY different with the Lily Cole one great for a natural look and Shade Number 23 (Purple) awesome if you want a little more intensity.  There IS a fair amount of fallout on both if you rush and get too much on your brush however nothing that can’t be fixed if you take your time.  Really great colours for building up and I can’t wait to experiment a bit more with my new one!

If you’re interested, I bought the Lily Cole Shimmer Cube from Ebay for £6.00 (it’s a limited edition so out of stock on the website but there’s still plenty floating around to grab!) and Shade 23 (Purple) from the Body Shop website for £8.00.

This post is already far too long so will do another with thoughts on the lip and cheek tint in red, comparing it to the bronze one I already own.

See you later blog! 

Argghhhhhhhh!

(I’m a pirate – see even Body Shop acknowledges it…)

Far too easily amused...