Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion

I went through a skin consultation recently and discovered that those brown spots that I have been moaning about for years now, was not hyperpigmentation. But some form of skin-tag' viral thing. It could only be removed via gently burning it off with laser treatment. Which is what I had done.

Although the procedure felt like a sharp hot needle burning the skin, the procedure was not as painful or dramatic as it sounds.

My face looked awful after each treatment, but the lovely lady who carried out the procedure put mineral make up on me and I felt confident enough to walk out in the public. I went to Destination Skin for my treatment who I found were heaps cheaper than other places, and really good.

Anyway, I used aloe vera products for about four days until my skin healed, but I was left with some small scars around the areas where I had treatment which I needed to work on.

I have always been told gentle exfoliation is the key to skin resurfacing, and I find the Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion exfoliating cream is amaaaazzing for this.

The beads are micro-fine and because of the treatment, I need to make sure what ever I use on my skin is ultra gentle at the moment. So what I do is; take a pea size amount in my palm, mix is with a bit of water to dilute the product, and kind of massage it on my face rather than scrub (which I think is a bad idea in general).

My skin always feels soft and smooth after using this, and my serum always sinks in better. The price is pretty steep, by I have had this for over a year I believe and I still have just under half the product left. A definite favourite for me. 

Jewellery Storage

I have a colossal amount of jewellery which is shoved in numerous boxes, containers, drawers etc. It is really annoying because I am always losing half a pair of earrings and my necklaces are always tangled.

I was out with the niece the other day and she wanted to pop into Claire's accessories. I immediately saw this jewellery holder which was reduced to a fiver, and thought this may resolve some of my jewellery headache.

It has loads of places to put/hang my necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

I have hung it above my desk, and I think I will get a couple more small ones to put on either side - or maybe a mirror with edges where I can hang my jewellery off. I'll see. The rest of my costume jewellery, which includes a ridiculous amount of indian bangles and sets, are shoved in boxes under my bed until I decide what to do with them. My more dearer/precious/sentimental jewellery are in the silver box on the desk which my sister bought for me as a present. 

I actually forgot that I had some of these pieces. It is so good to have my stuff on display to choose from every morning without having to rummage through boxes and trying to find pairs of earrings!

My current eye creams

I have the usual indian problems when it comes to skincare, including permanent dark circles. Some days they can be hidden under concealer, but most days they are just imposible to hide. I have tried an abundance of eye creams, but non which I have stuck to. The Aveda Tourmaline Charged Eye Cream has been the only one that I have repurchased for over 10 years as it is the only one I have found that works for me. But as the years go by, I find that I need something stronger. So these are the ones I am trying out at the moment.

The Eve Lom Eye Cream Creme Contour Des Yeux is my luxury eye cream. Not many reviews on the net, so I took a leap of faith when I bought it. I swear I noticed a difference within the first few days. I am on week three of using this product and my dark circles have noticeably lightened.

I bought mine from Space NK, and it is definatley not cheap. It would be the only reason why I would hesitate to buy it again, but then then I have spent much more money on eye cream in the past with less result. Plus it is 20 ml and I reckon should last me nine months to a year as you need the tiniest amount. The consistency is slightly thicker than what I have been used to in the past, so I warm a bit of the product between my ring fingers below applying it to the eye area.

I bought the Vichy Aqualia Antiox because I thought it would be a nice cooling product for my eyes for those 'the morning after the night before' situations.

This is the only eye skincare product I took with me on my recent trip to Thailand. It is light, comes in a stick to apply and sooooo cooling. I apply it directly onto my eye area without needing to tap the product in with my fingers. It was great to use in the mornings when I woke up (we were were getting an average of 5 hours sleep a night (if that) as the cooling sensation refreshed me instantly. It was really handy to keep in my handbag and apply throughout the day to keep me refreshed and eye area moisturised. 

Cane & Austin Sunscreen

I went into Space NK a few weeks ago, seeking a sunscreen that I can use under my make up and which does not result in giving my face a grey overcast. After spending a good fifteen minutes with an assistant looking at various options, I decided to buy the
Cane & Austin Ultra Sheer Weightless Sunscreen Protect

This was purchased in blind faith and so far - touch wood- I have not regretted it. It does everything I want it to - and more. It has whopping spf of 55, with UVA and UVB. It is very runny compared to other sunscreens I have used, so I have to use it quickly before the product runs through my fingers.

I have been putting this over my serum in the mornings, before foundation. I find that I can at times skip the moisturiser as it hydrates my usually dry skin. I love how it feels on my skin and a bonus I found was that it worked as a great base for make up.

The best thing is that it goes on transparent - hallelujah!!! This is definitely coming with me in my travels :)

Talika Eyebrow Lipocils

I have always had very sparse eyebrows, and a certain 'mishap' during my uni days resulted me in burning one half off. I always feel that I look like a bit of an alien if the brows are not pencilled in. I am hoping to do some more travelling later this year, and have been thinking about what to do so that I don't crazy without make up on at the beach. So I decided to invest in the Talika Eyebrow Lipocil.

The packaging it nice - it has a mirror on one side which is handy, and the wand is flat for easy application. I have used this every night, and most mornings for about a month, and have noticed some changes. My eyebrows do seem thicker and more full, but there is some new hair growing in the 'bald patches'. I will use the whole thing, but will probably switch to Castor oil which my eyebrow treading  lady keeps demanding that I use.

The Talika website in general is pretty good, but I got mine from slapiton  - and got some free samples in my package which made me pretty excited. 

I got two sachets of hand serum treatment, and two pairs of resuable eye therapy patches. I have used these patches for a couple of years now and I love them. I keep the ones I am currently using in their custom made case to keep them cool and sanitised.

They are really cooling and refreshing. Even better if they are stuck in the fridge for a short while before use. They really help reduce bags, and I can notice a temporary reduction of the dark circles as well.

I have been pleasantly surprised with all the Talika products I have tried out in the past (their instant manicure is pretty good as well). Its a good brand, and definitely worth looking at.

Couple new additions to the skincare routine

Dry skin has plagued me ever since I took medication for adult acne. This has been going on for years now. One product that worked miracles for me to combat this is Khiel's Midnight Recovery Concentrate which I discovered last year  - I will dedicate a seperate post for this product later.

This post is dedicated for my most recent discoveries to help hydrate my skin and make it look smoother. I have been on the search for a gentle exfoliator - nothing too harsh but effective enough. I was going to pick up a Dermalogica product, but then I came across this Clarins mask which was a bit cheaper.  

About twice a week, what I have been doing is: after cleansing my skin, I'll put on a thickish layer of the Clarins Gentle Peeling  Smooth Away Cream and let it sit for a couple of minutes to dry up. Then as per instruction, I'll gently rub the mask off (over a basin, because it can get messy!). Instead of rinsing my face with water, I just swipe a gentle toner over my face, and then massage in the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask. And that is it. I go to sleep with it on and in the morning my skin feels more plump, hydrated and smoother.

My foundation goes on really well the next day and my skin looks more alive. I have been using it for just over a month now, and so far I'm loving this combination. I am really lazy with the whole deep cleansing, exfoliating, and 20 minute mask routine, so this Clarins product is great for me. It works as an exfoliator, helps sort my pores out and makes the skin look fresh.

The origins mask hydrates my skin pretty well, and I think it leaves the face more soft and plump in the morning.  It contains all the skincare goodness of Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid and avacado oil. Sometimes if I squeeze too much product out, I will massage it in for a good few minutes. It can feel a little sticky to the touch but it is nothing too traumatic, and make sure you use a good face wash in the morning to get rid of all the product off your face. I have not tried them both separately but I reckon the Clarins can be a good thing to use to give the skin a boost

I feel like my skincare products are almost there now, just need the perfect cream to get rid of dark under eye circles!

Guerlain Ecrin 6 Couleurs

This is one of my favourite eyeshadow palettes. I love everything about it - quality of the shadows, the applicator that comes with it and the gorgeous packaging.

I had been looking for  neutral eyeshadow palette for ages, and I finally found this one last summer. I tend to reach for this a lot in the mornings for a natural daytime look, especially at work, and they last all day without creasing. I like that there are colours in there that I can use for a subtle daytime look, but I can always use the darker shades to vamp it up in the evening.

I bought this palette for a whopping £53 from House of Fraser. My justification for spending that much money is that I genuinely use every single eyeshadow, all the time. There are colours suitable to use for bases, all over, crease, highlighter and the black is perfect for a smokey look.

The only minor gripe I have is that although the packaging is lovely, it is slightly on the heavy side. But Usually something like that would annoy me, but I can make an exception for this palette, and I keep it displayed on my desk rather than shove it in a drawer like I do with my other eyeshadows ;)

MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush

I made a quick stop over to MAC the other day for some advice, with the intention of picking up a highlighter and bronzer.

After trying out a few of the mineral highlighters, I eventually admitted defeat and accepted that powders just don't work on my naturally dry skin. In the end I settled for the cream base in HUSH.

Its a nice, pinky-frosty colour - a bit duskier than what it looks like in the pictures. It also blends well into my skin to give a soft finish.

I like that it is compact enough to put into my make up bag for touch-ups in the evenings. There is not much to say really except that it is a decent multi-purpose highlighter. I still love my Benefit High Beam more, only because I find I have to work that little bit harder to blend HUSH into my skin compared to the other one. I am also in love with the Nars Orgasm Illuminator which I shall dedicate a blog post of its own to soon. 

Another highlighter I have put onto my shopping list is the Becca shimmering skin perfector. I actually think about this product a lot and is on top of my list of things to buy. 

I have also ordered a couple of the E.L.F Shimmer sticks to try out and will document my thoughts on them once they have been tested out. 

In terms of bronzer, the assistant applied a skin finish powder on me which was a few shades darker than my natural skin tone. She showed my how to apply etc. It didn't look too bad, but I decided not to purchase it because I still don't think I have got the grasp of bronzer on indian skin yet. Only because I worry that I won't apply it and end up looking mental. I'm thinking to taking the plunge and picking up the Chanel Soleil Tan or try out a Benefit one. I'm not sure... its all confusing!

Yankee Candle Tart Melts

The difference between candle tarts to your usual candles are that they do not have a wick and therefore can be used on an oil burner. I have been meaning to try out Yankee Candle Tart Melts for ages now, I searched on ebay and settled for buying some from the seller hazydaysforever.

I bought a bulk order of 10 different scents from a choice of about 50 smells, and my package came through the door within a couple of days.

"Yankee Candle Tart Melt in Gardenia"

I am currently using a ceramic oil burner from The Body Shop which I already had. I thought I would be adventurous and mix two scents to burn - I setteld for half of 'Gardenia' and a quarter of 'Spiced Orange'. I found just using my hands to snap them was half easier (lazier) than using a knife.

The tarts made my entire room smell lovely for ages. I think that if the dish of my burner was larger, the scent would have been more intense. But as I already have this, it will have to do for now. I am making a list of the scents I like as I am using them up so that I know which to repurchase next time - as well as try out some other ones.  So far, I can tell that the ones I will enjoy the most are the 'clean smelling ones' such as 'fluffy towels', 'fresh cut roses' etc.

These Candle Tarts are meant to last for up to eight hours, and the scents are also available in larger, candle versions - I believe that this ebay seller has a whole range of Yankee and room - smells stuff. Below is a pretty good guide on how to use candle tarts.

If you try any out, let me know what you think and which you would recommend!

p.s. I have placed the remaining bits of the open tarts inside my wardrobe as a freshner as I sometimes do with my Lush products.... and its works!

MONEY / Méké Menété

I know almost nothing about this band. There is not much information about them on the net except that they have changed their band name a few times and the hail from Manchester (rumour has it). I kind of like this sense of mystery - makes the music even more mysterious. I don't they have released many songs but the stuff I have heard, I love. I especially adore the two songs below. The music and lyrics are haunting. The line 'New York is winking at me' in particular from 'Goodnight London' makes my heart yearn to go back to the Big Apple. So may memories, so many memories of that place. Oh but the  lyrics as a whole are pretty amazing.

They seem to be a pretty intelligent and a politically conscious band which is always a good thing in my opinion. Anyway, although not to everyone's taste, I think this is some of the most exciting music I have discovered in a long time. 

GOODNIGHT LONDON

LETTER TO YESTERDAY

Check out their facebook. Some solid (albeit scarce) information available on MONEY. Always has interesting writing and pics. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

https://www.facebook.com/courtesyisafallacy

Things I like

I bought myself a new desk, rearranged my make up collection, made some more space in my room to concentrate on kick starting a second career. And I just can't seem to get into it. For some reason, it seems more fun to plan holidays, watch Judge Judy and actually enjoy the weekdays not having to watch it go by through an office window.

Actually, ANYTHING else seems to be more interesting than working at the moment (even spending time with relatives). I am lucky I have a small amount of savings which I can eat into, so maybe I should just enjoy being a lazy bum for a while (but not for too long).

Any hoot, another post on a few things I am really liking at the moment.

L-R: B&BW hand gel, Eve Lom Lip Balm, Bourjois Foundation,  Forever 21 earrings 

Bath & Bodyworks Ani-Bacterial Hand Gel
There is something about spending money shopping abroad without having too much concern about price etc. Its almost like it is not really money. Does that make sense? This is what happened to me when I went to a Bath & Bodyworks store in USA recently. I went nuts in there and spent a small fortune on sprays, lotions and soaps. I got really excited about discovering pocket-sized hand sanitizers that smell lovely that I bought loads for myself and and gave some away as gifts to friends and family. I have not come across this type of product anywhere here in the UK (I can't usually stand the smell of hand gels) so maybe that is why I got a bit happy when I saw them. The one I am currently using is called Midnight Pomegranate and has cute little floating beads in it. I know it is just a hand gel, but I really think it is great! I think they were $1.50 each and were on offer at the time. If ANYONE knows where I can get Bath & BodyWorks stuff in the UK, please, please let me know!!

Eve Lom Kiss Mix
This has a pretty thick consistency so I like applying it about half hour before I put on my make up for it to sink in well before I apply my lipstick. It gives a bit of a tingly feeling and therefore helps plump my lips slightly (although that might just all be in my head). Very moisturising for dry lips.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation
I have always been impressed with every Bourjois foundation that I have tried. I have also tried the other, foundation version and I love it as much, The only reason why I have the serum at the moment is because it works better for me in the winter as it is slightly more moisturising. This stays put all day and does make my skin look healthier. Its costs less than a third of the price of some of the other foundations I have - plus Bourjois does not test on animals - bonus!

Forever 21 earrings
Forever 21 do some really good reasonably priced jewellery - which is very important to me as I lose/break necklaces, earrings etc all the time. I just think they are really cute.

Hope you your day is slightly more productive than mine :)

Miracle of the Chanel Pressed Powder

I went away for a mini break a few months and when I got to duty free, I realised that I had left my Laura Mercier translucent pressed powder behind at home. I coincidenlty (!) happened to be sitting by the make up and perfume section and thought I'd look to see if there is a coloured pressed powder that I could pick up. I settled for the CHANEL POUDRE UNIVERSELLE COMPACTE and I am so glad I did. This has to be one of my most favourite make up items ever. 

I have this in 'Translucent Shade 3'

I apply it at home with my MAC 150 brush, and press with the sponge applicator when I'm out and about (I pop over to a Chanel counter every now and then to pick up sample replacements of the applicator). 


It gives a light coverage, and I love how it helps provide a natural, even toned and more smoother complexion. 


I can be heavy handed with it as I don't feel that it looks cakey at all. A definite Love.


To carry on with the powder theme, another great find - and happened to be freeish, is the Clinique Blended Powder 

It came as part of one of those Bonus TIme products - where you buy two products and get a bunch of stuff free. It is loose translucent powder which is so finely milled its almost like air. I buff away with this, and it smooths any lines, helps keep make up set and just evens out the face. It also gives a healthy glow which is a huge bonus. I have a friend who has some scars left from childhood acne - she will just have this over some concealor during work days and and her skin looks all lovely and smooth!

Most disappointing makeup product ever...

... actually, this is the most disappointing make up product I have experienced in a very very long time. It is the Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain and Balm.

I am a big fan of lip and cheek stains and like trying out new ones. Although I was under no illusion that I would end up looking like Jessica Biel if I wore it - she looks sickeningly gorgeous in this Revlon ad:

I was however hoping that the pigment would be strong and bold, and was pretty excited about the balm part.

So here is mine;

I got this in the colour 'Flame'

First of all, the plastic packaging was a nightmare to take off. I understood that it had to be extremely airtight as to not dry out the pen part. So I was okay with that. But then I opened it. The balm fell off with the lid.

I put the balm back on but it keeps falling off every time I try and apply it directly from the stick

Basically, the balm does not twist down - so you have to be really careful when taking the lid open or the balm just breaks off. Silly packaging, but I thought of well, I should have been more diligent. What disappointed me completely was the colour pay-off. The first application was fine. But then it completely dried up. The swatch below is after keeping it standing for a week.

I only got one proper use out of it and I ended up throwing out today.

What a waste of £6.

Shopping!

What a completely unoriginal title for this post...

I got back from California last week and my suitcase is still at the foot of my bed, waiting to be unpacked. I finally decided to do it today, but after just taking my shoes out, I've already had enough. I hate the packing, travelling and unpacking that comes with holidays. I am really tempted to leave a lot of the stuff in there ready for my next holiday which is in over a month's time. But that would be just TOO LAZY - even for me. Anyway, I thought I would take a break from the - ahem - the unpacking, and write up a quick post on a few things I picked up recently.

Jaeger black mini shorts

The sale in Jaeger in ridiculously amazing. You can pick up a real bargain from it. I picked up these shorts for £20 which were originally £100!

They were exactly what I was looking for and sit pretty well around my rotund hips. They are very short - even with black opaque tights - so they will only come out for very special occasions and with a casual top to dress it down.

Primark lace cardigan (£8)

This didn't look very nice on the hanger but I fell in love with the peachy colour and thought it would help dress up a casual outfit. I wore it to the Breakfast Club  last week over a pair of black skinny jeans and a white vest top. Blurry picture below.

Fossil Vintage Handbag

Got this little treat during my trip to California. It was about $230 but was on sale for half the price. I love the colour, I love the size but hate the fact that I accidently left a half eaten sharwama in there when I look it out last week :(

On a side note, my trip away last week was exactly what I wanted. My friends (who moved there years ago) and their friends (who I had never met before), were beyond hospitable. They are coming to visit the UK in summer and I have no idea how I will repay them back. This trip restored my faith in humankind, and I am truly glad that I have some really wonderful people in my life. I bought back loads of Almond M&Ms and Bath and Beauty products which are still in my suitcase. Once I manage to unpack, shall post the products here.

xx