an affordable amazing cleanser?

If, like me, you are someone who spends a considerable amount of money on skincare and it all runs out at the same time, leaving your bank card sighing at the thought of yet another contactless payment being run through the till - sound familiar? 

Yep, well that was my life & I knew something had to give as my penchant for Space NK was definitely wearing thin! 

Being a 26 year old with limited funds, yet a love for high-end products left me wondering where exactly I could've taken myself and then one day I stumbled across a Liz Earle counter, now i've seen Cleanse & Polish many a time before, its a product you've probably heard every female and their mother mention atleast once in your lifetime, and you may have even own a bottle or 2 aswell, but me, nope, i'd never even considered trying it.

I have this thing where, if something is too 'hyped' up I just wont buy it, am I the only person who does this?

But something this time caught my eye, maybe it was the very significantly lower price tag or the huge bright flash of aqua running in columns along its counter, either way I picked up my bottle and headed over to the till with my bank card squealing with a happy face and brought my first ever bottle.

Now fast forward about 5/6 months and I've gone through around 3 bottles or so now & still loving it, however i'd been really wanting to go on a skincare splurge, but my ever relenting anxious stomach told me I couldn't, so off I trailed down to boots to pick up a fresh bottle of c&p, this time I thought, seeing as I fancied a change, to go for the Rose & Lavender and very excited by the prospect of feeling like I was trying a new product even though, really it was exactly the same just with a fancy new scent! 

Anyway, I'm totally digressing from the actual reason why you clicked on this post, are you bored yet? If not heres a snippet on the actual cleanser at hand.. 

For a start, the bottle is absolute genius, you literally pump it straight into your hands which makes it so easy and mess free to use, also no wastage which is a win win imo, the cleanser is then dispersed straight into your fingers and onto dry skin you massage the creamy cleanser all over your face, even on the eye area which is amazing for me, as, even though I luuvvvv my skincare, i'm also incredibly bloody lazy and I need a product that removes everything in one go, none of this extra eye makeup remover thanks, so, yes it works wonders with removing all traces of makeup/dirt in one cleanse, however I always like to go in with a second.

For me the ingredients in this product are just so perfect for what I need in a cleanser, the beeswax & cocoa butter help sooth my dehydrated and dry skin & rosemary oil helps repair, especially if I have a flare up of acne, i'm a picker, and this helps massively reduce the healing time and redness of the actual area - another reason I love it!

When removing the product, I like to use the (warm) muslin cloths that come with the product as they are gently exfoliating and great at removing any last traces of debris from my face without stripping it or making me feel as if I've literally rubbed sandpaper on my face, or 2-3 times a week i'll add in my Clarisonic for extra cleansing and the two work REALLY well together, my skin feels absolutely amazing, just like I've had a thoroughly good facial!

Now i'm aware this is a rather rambly post but I feel like this product really deserves all the praise it can get, I really feel like it has transformed my dull, lifeless face into one that is more healthier and radiant, which makes me one chuffed little pea!

I can safely say that I think Cleanse & Polish will remain a firm staple in my bathroom cabinet for a little while longer, maybe I should delve into trying some more from the brand? 

Do you have any recommendations? Not that I need to add anymore products into my home, but a few more can't help surely? 

Frankie xo

Current Skincare Routine

So my skincare routine has changed up significantly since the last one I posted a good year ago, everything from my cleanser to mousturizer has been switched up and I'm loving the results I've been having from them combination!

This Garnier Miceller Water is seriously amazing, Ive always been against these cleansing waters as I they always leave my skin with a horrible texture and residue, this doesn't do either of those and I'm pleased I've found a good makeup remover that doesn't cost the earth.

Ok, so no I'm not sponsored by Clinique or being paid to write anything about them it just so happens that the rest of the products I've been using are by them.

I had been breaking out over the last fews months and wasn't sure what exactly was causing it so I decided to pick up these products as I'd heard a lot about them being really good for acne and blemish prone skin, the liquid facial soap lathers up and thoroughly removes left over makeup from the using the Miceller water and feels lovely on the skin, you could use this alone without a toner although I do like to use the toner as part of my routine as it ensures all traces of makeup are removed.

The toner is super clarifying and has a soothing tingle to it, the first time I used it I was quite shocked by how strong the tingling sensation was but after the second use I was used to it and actually enjoyed the feeling as it seems asif it is soothing everything after the cleanser! 

Moisturiser is a step I'm quite lazy with, I do tend to forget to apply it and when my skin is breaking out I feel like I should avoid using it as it tends to make my skin worse, I know you have to go through the purging stage with new skincare so I've been trying to stick it out and give this a fair go, initially it feels light on the skin but it thickens up whilst rubbing it into the skin making it quite a rich formula, so far this has been fine with my skin and I haven't broken out any further than before hand.

The last step is to apply the anti blemish solutions spot treatment gel to any current acne I have, this works incredibly well at diminishing and reducing the size of any spots, it clears them much quicker than if I hadn't used anything atall, again this is a product that gives quite a tingle and can be sore if applied to any open acne but only lasts a few seconds, it dries out the spot and the next day whatever I have applied it to is practically disappeared.

I'm currently feeling really happy with my skincare routine and feel lik my skin has cleared itself up significantly since using these products, the clinique skincare range is something I would really recommend especially with people with acne prone skin!

I hope you enjoyed reading about the products that have been working for me recently, have you tired any of them? 

Lots of love, frankie 

                                                                

#RushBloggerMeet at Rush Hair & Beauty..

Hey guys, sorry its been a few days since ive posted but ive been super busy with work and other things that i just haven't gotten round to posting much this week, im now currently sitting down infront of my TV watching Youtube, drinking tea from my favourite Cath Kidston mug and FINALLY writing a post for you all :D

So last night i ventured upto London for an amazing event i had the luck of being invited too, it was the #RushBloggerMeet which was being hosted by the wonderful people at House of Rush in Piccadilly, what an amazing venue to have chosen!
The event was hosted by the lovely ladies and a fellow blogger Becky from Lipgloss and Lashes and Laura who works for a PR company @Lauzzenger, the girls did such a fantastic job at making everyone feel welcome and the event was seriously so good, im so pleased i got the chance to attend, thankyou girlies :D

First of let me tell you just how beautiful this place is, id done a little sneaky online before i went there to see what it looked like and its even more beautiful in real life, the smell, seriously, heavenly, they were burning candles around the whole salon called 'THAI treatments' i WILL be hunting these things down because i neeeeeed them burning in my home!

The beauty treatment rooms are beautiful, you literally walk in and feel relaxed by the scent and the calm music playing softly in the background, we all got the oppurtunity to have oxygen facials, seriously i think i fell asleep half way through, its so relaxing, its basically a facial using oxygen being blown onto your face through a small nozzle, it feels like a dusting of cool water as it is moved around your face and you can have it done whilst wearing your makeup so perfect for a lunch-break treatments, it is pure oxygen which opens your pores allowing them to fully breath clean air therefor thoroughly allowing your pores to be cleaned, it leaves your skin with a beautiful dewy finish (Sam from Honey Go Lightly having her facial).

The interior of the salon is so chic, with quotes dotted around by famous names, inspiring you as you walk around, i've also decided i must book myself in here for a cut as i just want to sit infront of the beautiful hanging mirrors and take a selfie
(blogger problems)!
Also How cute are the room names :)

We also got to have a manicure done, super relaxing and if you'd seen the state of my nails before hand you'd have been glad they were offering this haha, i love having my nails done so this was such a treat for me, i chose Essie 'Fishnet Stockings' a beautiful berry red colour perfect for this Autumnal weather..

Doctor Carvar was also there to give us demonstations on Botox and Dermal Fillers, something ive considered in the past and now i have seen her first hand performing the procedure on a client i must say im more inclined to get them done in a few years, the lady having them done didnt even flinch, you can also dissolve the product too, so if you dont like the effect you can actually remove it, this is whats swayed my mind as im paranoid of having the dreaded 'frozen face'

Im so pleased i went and learnt so much from attending, met some lovely bloggers and got the chance to drool over the salon, the products and the food, i forgot about the food, delicious yummyness all in one area, i wanted some cake but never did as i feared of getting it all over me haha!

How bloody good does that cake look, i should've asked to take it home, i could've done with it on the train journey mmm ::)

Thankyou girls and to Rush for allowing us all to attend such a fantastic event, and a huge thankyou for the goody bags, im SOOOO pleased with my filofax, im in need of a new one :D
I also cant wait to try out all the other goodies, it did include some hair paste from Rush which i gave to Samuel, he used it tonight to go out and it smells like bananas mmm, also some Lindt chocolates but i ate them as there my favourites :)

Incase your wanting to get yourself over to Rush i have a code for you, you can get 20% of any beauty treatment or 50% of microderm treatment (which im desperate to try myself) when you call to book use the quote BLOG20 or MICRO50 to take up this fantastic offer!

Hope youve all had a brilliant week?

Lots of love Frankie xXx

Lancome - DreamTone..

As soon as i saw this product was being released i knew i was going to have it, a 'beautiful skin correcter' YES PLEASE.

My reasons for getting this product are, as some of you may know, my acne scarring.
The product is aimed as a 'dark spot correcter' so im hoping this could be a product that could really reduce the appearance of them, there aren't as of yet many reviews out there on this so i definitely brought it on a whim, a very exspensive whim at that, priced at £69 a bottle this is definitely on the higher price point scheme of things, but the reviews i have read have all highly praised this at reducing marks on there skin, so fingers crossed this is money well spent.

WHO IS IT FOR?
DreamTone is for the woman seeking visible dark spot correction and a more even skin tone. She wants skin so naturally beautiful, she can dare to bare her skin.

WHAT IS IT?
DreamTone is a new generation skin tone clarifying serum that not only corrects the look of dark spots, but also goes beyond to correct the appearance of uneven skin tone and color imperfections. The serum is customized to skin's specific needs — such as treating the look of dark spots or redness.

WHAT DOES IT TARGET?
A global study on women of multiple ethnicities resulted in three formulas adapted to specific skin tones:
Fair: Corrects the appearance of dark spots, uneven skin tone, dullness and provides specific color correction for the look of redness
Medium: Corrects the appearance of dark spots, uneven skin tone, dullness and provides specific color correction for the look of sallowness (olive)
Dark: Corrects the appearance of dark spots, uneven skin tone, dullness and provides specific color correction for the look of acne & blemish marks

I purchased this lightest of the three serums, because im very pale, this seemed to be suited best to my skin type.

I really love the twist cap opening to DreamTone, it houses the liquid inside the bottle nicely so theres no way of any spillage, or the lid coming off in your bag, especially good for travelling with, the bottle is nice and sleek and looks lovely in my collection.
I also really love the design of the bottle, its a pink/purple toned ombre and is so different to any other product ive seen out there, so it really stands out what the product is.

As you can see the serum is very light, it has an almost pearlescent sheen to it but this completely dissapears when applied to your face, the fact it is has the sheen to it makes the face looks really illuminated and awake, it appears to make the skin look very fresh and clean so perfect for a base underneath makeup.

Im really looking forward to trying this product, i am going to start using it tommorow morning once ive done my usual skin routine and update you all in a few weeks to let you know how im getting on with it!

Have any of you heard of this product, or brought it, let me know as id love to hear thoughts on what its like!

Frankie xXx

P.S Just a quick announcement, i am going to be starting YouTube videos in the next coming days and was wondering if there was anything in particular you would like me to film, i love hearing your ideas so it would be fantastic to give you all your own requested videos, leave a comment below for me and il be sure to get it done for you xXx

Ren Gycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask..

One word.. HEAVENLY.

Seriously could a mask be any nicer? It literally smells like a cocktail, or a Solero lolly, anyone remember those?
This is down to the gorgeous ingredients, Natural Fruit Acids from Passion Fruit, Lemon, Grape and Pineapple,
Papain from Papaya these exfoliate the outer layer of the skin, encouraging cell turnover and smoothing fine lines, ok so i dont have 'fine lines' as of yet but this product is great for congested skin and as we all know my skin is definitely being given a huge clear out.

The consistency of the mask is light, it looks as if it would be really sticky but when you apply it to your face its actually not atall, infact it just slides on smoothly but stays perfectly, it is described as: A potent bio active peel mask designed to renew the complexion, reduce the appearance of fine lines and dramatically improve skin tone.

This mask definitely lives upto these claims in my opinion, i only just brought this and used it a few times so far and i can say its seriously cleaned my skin up, along with my Clarisonic i feel like my skin is brighter and more radiant already, after the first time using this i can say it really brought any small spots to the surface of the skin but they have faded very quickly using the Clarisonic everyday since.

Again, excuse the no make-up, i swear every post on my blog none of you see me looking 'normal' haha, i seriously need to update my blog with some photos where im not bearing all!

You can see the consistency in these photos, it gives you a lovely looking glow when your wearing the mask, not like those awful clay ones where they dry to your face and make you look awful, not to mention feel like pottery!

I thought this was going to be a peel of mask so i was suprised to see enclosed was a muslin cloth, you actually just leave the mask for 10 minutes and rinse of with the enclosed cloth dampened in warm water, i actually really like this as it doesnt dry on your face, i find it alot friendlier to my skin this way, and using the muslin cloth i know its going to completely remove impurities and any left over mask from my face.

The product does state you might feel a slight tingling when using the mask but personally i didnt feel a thing, other than pleasantness :)

The results from using the mask are:

Removes dead skin cells to renew the complexion.
Skin looks brighter, healthier, more radiant.
Helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Combats congestion, blackheads and blemishes.

Im super pleased i picked this up and i think this could be one of my favourite masks ive ever used, infact, yep it is :)

Have any of you tried REN products or the Gycolactic Mask yourselves, let me know how you got on with them!

Dont forget to enter my MAC lipstick giveaway below, you must be a follower of my blog for your entry to count!

Lots of love, Frankie xxx

Clarisonic Mia 2..

Helloo my lovelies, so as you can tell from this post title i got a beautiful little gift for christmas..

Im literally over the moon that i finally have one, ive been wanting one for years now, every birthday and christmas i ask for one and end up changing it to something else, but i asked for a suprise this year and finally recieved one!
I got the Mia2 deep pore cleansing system, i absolutely love it!

There are literally tons of reviews online about how amazing the Clarisonic is, i know its going to be a huge investment into my skincare regime, and as many of my followers no i am really into my skincare and want to look after myself as much as i possibly can, on the inside of the box it has a mini 'article' i would say of what the Clarisonic does, and how effictively it cleans your skin..

I must say i can definitely say after using this tonight for the first time i can say i do NOT clean my face thoroughly enough by manual cleansing and i have photos to back this up..

I cleaned my face with the deep pore cleanser that comes in the set, by 'cleaned' i applied it to my face and with my hands i manually cleaned what i thought was all the makeup off of my face, i then applied a 20p sized amount to the head and followed the timer on the Clarisonic, it beeps/vibrates when you need to change the area on your face, 20 seconds on your forehead, 20 seconds on the chin/nose and then 10 on each cheek and your done, i washed my cleanser off with a splash of water and then took a look at the brush

It was literally orange and dirty, considering i had 'cleaned' my face already i never expected there to be anywhere near as much residue as there was, it just goes to show you how much we really dont get down into the pores of the skin by manual cleansing!

The brush head after i washed the residue off, see how much cleaner it is!

I then swept off any remaining mascara left on with my Clarins Eye Makeup Remover and then applied my usual Origins - GinZing moisturizer, which applied like a dream, it sunk straight into my skin and plumped it back up, as the Clarisonic did leave it feeling a little tight where i had properly deep cleaned.

I have to say im absolutely blown away by this product, or should we say beauty tool, i firmly believe this will be a staple in my routine, i have heard that you can go through a 'purging' phase with the Clarisonic (basically where all the acne comes to the surface of the skin where it has lay dormant underneath it for so long) but i am happy to go through that if i can see there's is going to be real benefits from using it!

Im so pleased and will update you all every week of before and after photos of over the next month, on how i'm getting on with it, and if its worth you going out and buying one yourself.

Do any of you own a Clarisonic? i'd love to hear your thoughts, and if its worked for you or not?

Speak soon, Frankie xXx