Space NK Private (not so private) Sale

Yesterday, Space NK held a private sale for their Indulge card holders. I couldn't make it because I was in the mud in Hyde Park, with seven other merry friends, dancing away to WHITE LIES, PAUL WELLER and KINGS OF LEON.

Drunk Caleb!!

Fantastic day beginning to end. I digress...

So, from today until saturday, this sale is open to everyone. I popped down there today for a browse. They have some amazing Laura Mercier makeup and it took all my strength not to buy any because I really should finish up what I have.

In the end I picked up a couple of skincare products from a line I have never heard of before - Zelens
The sales assistant was raving about them, saying how great they were and that the reason why its so cheap now is because Zelen is repackaging their products. I don't know why, so I believed her. And picked up the eye cream. Was originally £121, on sale £60. This is still the most expensive eye cream I have every bought in my life. But I am desperate for a miracle cure for my troublesome dark circles.
Its full name is intensive triple-action eye cream, and comes in a box. Inside you get a leaflet and 15 ml worth of product in a sturdy glass container.

 The other thing I bought for £25, originally about £150 is the advanced luminescence serum. I still am in love with the Darphin Serum which I am still using, but I just got sucked in and got this. I'll probably use this one at night as my Darphin serum also acts as a great base for my make up.

I have just got home and looked for reviews on Zelen products. There are not a lot, and they are mixed. I have put my faith in the Space NK assistant and hope I haven't just squandered £85 down the pan.

I'll start using this stuff tonight and let you know how it goes. In the meantime, if anyone has had any experiences with Zelens Skin Science products - I would be really interested to hear your thoughts.

UPDATE - Sept 2011
Both products now used up. Pretty quickly may I add. Absolute waste of money.

Quick note

Just to say, I haven't stopped blogging. There are loads of new things I have picked up and want to write about. Loads of different experiences I want to share. Its just, I don't know where time is going at the moment.

I am hoping to sort myself out over the next couple of weeks and re-start the blogging again

Have a lovely bank holiday everyone :)
xx

Darphin Melaperfect Serum

I am really excited about this product. If anyone had read through my blog posts, they will know that I am obsessed with having clear, even skin tone. Being of Indian origin, I am more prone to darker areas around the skin and brown spots. I have a few clusters around the sides of my face which I yearn to get rid of. Since using sunscreen over the past year, I have noticed that it has helped stop the formation of new ones. But I need something that will help reduce or even get rid of the existing ones.

The Darphin Melaperfect Anti-dark spots perfecting treatment claims to help combat these two huge issues of mine. This serum contains a patented 'Trametes mushroom extract' which helps minimise the appearance of pigment marks.

I would say the serum is just a tad thicker than the others I have been using. I like that I can put on my face cream straight after using the serum as it absorbs immediately into my skin without leaving any sticky residue. My skin feels really soft and smooth after the application, and I find that moisturiser just glides after using this.

So does it work? Well, I have been using it only in the night time for about three weeks now and I love how my skin feels in the morning. I can definitely see an improvement to its texture since using this as my skin is looking and feeling smoother. My dark spots are still there BUT I have noticed that the area around my mouth looks a bit more even to the rest of my face. An exit review will be in order to see whether or not it has worked. It will be a while though as I only need a pea size amount for each application. So far, I am loving it, my skin is loving it - I have high hopes for this!

Its exclusive at Space NK at the moment, but I think it goes nationwide in a few months. It is a bit steep at £57 but this will last months and months and months. But serums are always a bit more expensive. Plus, its one skincare product (along with eye cream) that I don't mind splashing out on.

Dior Skin Nude Foundation

My Chanel Vitalumiere bottle has been scraped clean, with my Mac Face & Body and Nars Sheer Glow almost at their end. So I decided to go out and get myself some new foundation. Contrary to many popular reviews, I found the the Chanel and the Face and Body did not like my skin much. I feel the F&B a bit too sticky and heavy for my skin, and Chanel - well not a good colour match for me amongst other niggly things. I still like the Nars one, and probably will get another bottle once I've finished mine.

I popped over to House of Fraser and skimmed pass the Dior counter. An assistant saw me eyeing up the DiorSkin foundation and asked whether I wanted to try it. So yes I did. She matched me to 031 Sable/Sand which I thought would be too light at first. But on my skin it blended in pretty well. I liked the finish so bought myself a bottle.

Here is what it says about the foundation on the actual Dior website:
Natural Glow Hydrating Makeup - Containing nearly 40% water, this fluid foundation offers an instant sensation of well-being. KSin appears fresher, silky and feels more comfortable. Thanks to micro-droplets of water, this foundation's coverage is lighter than a “classic” fluid formula, and it evens out the complexion and makes it appear more radiant and transparent. With daily use, the skin becomes more beautiful for an ever more natural and radiant result day after day.

I have only used it for about three weeks but I love it. Its not too dewey which I like, has spf 10, soo light and lasts a good 6-8 hours without rubbing off on my clothes. The coverage is great. I have some awful blemishes round my chin area because of a small outbreak. This foundation covers it up well without the need for much concealer and without looking like I have caked on make up. It still lets my skin look natural.

I am really pleased with the effect, and I have had a couple of compliments on my skin when I have been out with it on. A big thumbs up for me!

Related articles

• Diorskin Nude Compact Gel Natural Glow Creme-gel makeup review (lipglossismylife.com)

More Body Shop Stuff

I treated myself to a few things at the Body Shop last week

Vitamin E Lip Care SPF 15 (£4)

Does a decent job of keeping my lips moisturised. Plus it has spf - bonus

Tea Tree Blotting Tissues (£4.50)

I have already mentioned this on another post. I restocked because I love them. They take away the afternoon shine in a clean way. It takes away excess oil ready for retouching make up for the evenings out straight after work. 

White Musk Eau De Toilette 60ml (£14)

I have always had one of these for years now. Just a nice, cute and clean smell. 

Aloe Soothing Day Cream for Sensitive Skin (£9)

This is for my gym kit, for when I shower straight after the gym (just recently joined). The assistant said this might be the best thing for me as it is light and won't clog the pores which is what I need for my skin at that time. I tried a sample of this in the summer and I really liked it.

Also, because £15 of the products was skincare, I got a full sized Vitamin C Microdermabrasion (worth £12).

Review to follow once I've tried it out.

The lovely assistants (at the branch near Selfridges, Bond Street by the way) also gave me a sample of the Aloe calming toner and Blue Corn Scrub Mask to try out. All this for £12 is a bloody great bargain in my eyes. 

Beauty Bloggers Backstage - 7 questions with K from Cosmeddicted.com

This month, I have been paired up with the lovely K from Cosmeddicted.com I asked her seven questions, here are her answers:

1) I am obsessed with getting flawless skin. Any recommendations? 

Three things have really made a difference:

(1) getting enough sleep,

(2)drinking tons of water, and

(3) taking Vitamin E capsules. After 10 days of taking Vitamin E capsules, my skin and hair looked totally different!

2) How do you get rid of blemishes / acne scars? 

Again, water! Also gentle exfoliation and whitening products.

3) What is your typical skin care routine like?

- wash face with cleanser 

- use japanese toner on cotton to make a homemade sheet mask 

- leave sheet mask on for 15 minutes - remove, apply light moisturizer 

4) What beauty items do you always carry with you in your makeup bag or purse? 

Oil blotting sheets and lip balm. If my bag is slightly bigger, I'll have a lipstick, lipgloss, and powder in my bag as well.

5) Do you wear sunscreen over your moisturiser but under your foundation? Does it cause any problems with keeping makeup in place when you do use the sunscreen? 

I apply moisturizer, then sunscreen, then foundation. I allow enough time for my moisturizer to sink in by doing other stuff. For example, I change into my clothes after putting on moisturizer. Also, I pick a sunscreen that leaves a powdery finish.

6) How long have you been blogging for and what got you into blogging? 

I just hit my 2nd blogversary a few days ago! I got into blogging after reading a lot of beauty blogs written by other Asian girls. I'm really happy that I got to know them and even meet some of them!

7. What is you favourite high end and low end make up brand? 

That really depends on the product! For skin care, I love the Rohto Gokujyun line, which is super affordable in Asia. I love the Barry M Dazzle Dusts that I picked up in the UK. I love the Sleek iDivine palettes, although I hate their customer service. For mascaras, I never use high end products since drugstore products are great and I need to throw them out very 3 months anyway. My favorite is the Cover Girl Lash Blast (the original in the orange tube), but I'm enjoying the Maybelline Volume Express Colossal as well. It's hard to pick a high end favorite. I feel that products really need to deliver on their claims for me to want to shell out the money for them.

Have a peruse around her blog, its full of informative and fun stuff!

Origins Ginzing Eye Cream and other stuff

I was browsing though the Boots website, ordering my usual everyday supplies (like shampoo, cotton wool etc) when I came across an amazing Origins offer. Its the 'Origins Good to Glow Ginzing Eye Gift Set' which is exclusive to Boots online. The set contains:

• Ginzing Eye Cream
• Full story Lash Loving Mascara
• Duel Ended Lip Gloss
• Pretty decent sized toiletry bag

I have been on the look out for another eye cream as the two I am currently using are okay, but are not helping combat the depressing dark circles.  I have already used one of their night eye creams which I liked, but not loved but I have heard a lot of good things about Origins eye creams in general. So I thought, I might as well try the Ginzing one out as one of it's main features is to beighten the eye area. 

It contains ginseng to hydrate and reduce puffiness, with shimmery silica and mica illuminaors to brighten and minimise the look of dark circles. On the Origins website, the full sized 15ml costs £20. Now on the Boots website, you get the full sized 15ml eye cream with the bonus mascara, lipgloss and wash bag currently for a grand total of £12.50!!!!!! 

Definitely worth having a try out.

Lipgloss swatches