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 :)