Garnier Micellar Water

Micellar water has soared in popularity, particularly now that there are more affordable brands and choices available. 

But what is micellar water? I get asked this a lot and it basically removes make up, dirt, oil and cleanses the skin without having to rinse, ideal for when you can't get to water to wash your face properly! The name comes from the "micelles" which are tiny cleansing balls that float in the water and when they come into contact with make up, dirt, oil etc it can all be wiped away. Pretty cool right?

 Before I carry on though, I do feel there are many misconceptions around micellar water, they were designed to be used where water isn't available and are not a substitute for washing your face properly! I keep seeing them described as a "gentle" way of removing make up or as having no chemicals, or fragrance, or soap, or whatever other vague terms they can think of but actually, although it's micellar WATER and WATER sounds all lovely and natural and gentle and the like the fact is they do have chemicals in, how else is it going to get rid of make up etc? The idea is to use them when you can't wash your face properly, not as a regular thing. At the end of the day the best thing you can do for your face is wash it properly!

Now I've had my little rant you may notice my bottle of Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water is actually empty! I find it really useful to take off make up when the baby is asleep and I don't want to wake him filling the sink up and prattling around the bathroom, or I can sit and do it in my living room so I keep an eye on him (or when he starts going crazy when I leave the room, he's at that age now) or when I'm just feeling plain lazy! I got mine on offer for around £3 (RRP £4.99) and you get 400ml of product which I think is pretty generous as other ones tend to be about half that for a similar price point. I found it to be effective at removing make up but my only gripe was that it couldn't remove my waterproof Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara (more on that HERE) which is VERY waterproof indeed! It also didn't sting my eyes or skin which I have found can be the case with your standard make up remover.

All in all a thumbs up from me but not in place of a proper cleanser!

Get yours HERE or at your local store.

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

    

The True Price of Beauty

How many times have we looked in the mirror and thought to ourselves, I wish....

Whether that be whiter teeth, bigger boobs, less wrinkles, thinner, curvier, the list is endless. For me? I hate my nose, I wish it was straighter. 

I'd like to share some information with you today, did you know that 4 out of 10 people who are in a relationship would consider cosmetic surgery to keep their partners happy! I found that quite shocking, if my husband turned to me and said "I think you should get lipo," he would probably get a high five to the face! (although I did ask my husband if he'd have surgery to keep me and he said yes!) In a recent survey, the top "keep partner happy" procedures were:

• 19% Dentistry
•  11% Hair Removal
•  9% Liposuction
•  4% Implants

Scarily, dentistry is one of the least regulated industries and this came top of the survey! I always wondered when I've past salons with teeth whitening services if they really are qualified, surely that kind of thing should only be done in your dentist's office? But you shouldn't think your safe just because you go to a dentist over a salon, as the whole industry is poorly regulated make sure you do your research and make sure the person carrying out your procedure is fully qualified (and that goes for ANYTHING you have done, not just teeth!).   

Now that's the big stuff but the small stuff matters too! Do you use home hair dyes? And do you always patch test before you use it? I'm pretty sure there's a lot of you who don't but it's actually so important, even if it's one you regularly use. A colleague of mine coloured her hair from blonde to brown and she had an awful reaction to it, her scalp and neck looked burnt and sore. She was lucky, a lady DIED in 2012 from a hair colour reaction. It was reported that she had a black henna tattoo in 2007 and this increased her reactions to her hair colour. There is a reason there are henna warnings on hair colour boxes as black henna (which is ILLEGAL in the EU) contains a chemical known as PPD which causes lasting damage to the skin and increases reactions to this chemical. Years later, this chemical was in her hair colour and because of the tattoo she reacted badly and lost her life. If you go to a salon to have your hair done you will be required to have a patch test every time so why wouldn't you do this at home!

It's not just hair colour that can cause reactions, fake tan and even wax can cause reactions too! How many people do you know who have had a bad experience at a salon? A friend of mine went to a salon to have her legs and bikini line waxed as she was going on holiday a week later and the salon required her to have a patch test which she did, and the test area went a bit red. She pointed this out when she went for her treatment but they said it would be fine and she had it done anyway. Unfortunately, she came out in a horrible lumpy rash in all the areas she had waxed (yes legs and bikini line!) which required a trip to the GP and needless to say it was not a good look on her holiday. 

So what can you do?

• Always have a patch test (and ask for one if not offered! I would probably seek another salon if one is not offered)
• Always go to consultations before your appointments
• If you get a reaction go to your GP and DO NOT use the product again
• See a specialist to pin point the cause of a reaction so you know what to avoid     

Finding a good salon is imperative! There are lots of great salons out there but there are also some bad ones. 


There are lots of things you can do to make sure you are going to a reputable salon. When I first moved to a new town I asked my work colleagues where they go to get their hair and beauty treatments done and where to avoid too! Word of mouth is a great source of information for many things.

You can also look online, social media is huge and many salons have their own Facebook and Twitter pages where their customers will leave comments and a quick Google search might bring up customer reviews.


You can also check qualifications. No salon should be offended if you ask about the qualifications of the staff. You can even casually ask about their training and what it was like. A conversational piece, if you like. 


And if it all goes wrong? In serious cases keep any appointment cards as proof you were there and take photos of injuries and also photos of how any injuries progress (such as bruising, rashes etc) as evidence and find yourself a good solicitor!

    

I know this isn't my usual kind of post but I hope you found it informative as I think it's important. 

For more information click HERE

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

* I was approached to do this post, I didn't HAVE to and I was not compensated for it.

Sources of information and thanks to:

  
Hudgell Solicitors
www.searchlaboratory.com 
www.bbc.co.uk 

Worth The Hype? Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

If I'm considering a new product I often look at blog posts about it or you tube reviews before I take the plunge but many products burst into the forefront and are massively hyped about, but are they really worth it? 

I decided to buy the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish as I'd seen countless recommendations for it and at the time I bought it, it was on a really good offer. Is it worth the hype? Short answer, no! Now don't get me wrong it is good, yes, it removes make up, but for me there are plenty of cheaper products that do the same thing and there just wasn't anything super special about this, and for the RRP £14.00 there really ought to be. I ditched the muslin cloth as I find them scratchy and I can't abide how filthy they look after just one use and I'd much rather use my trusty flannel. It was in fact very comparable to my Nip and Fab deep cleansing fix (more on that HERE) in that you can use that like a hot cloth cleanser (and that's just one of many uses), it works just as well, it even smells very similar (both contain eucalyptus) AND the best thing is, the Nip and Fab is almost half the price with a RRP £7.95 for 300ml of product whereas the Liz Earle only contains 100ml. No brainer really!

Get Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish HERE

Get Nip and Fab Deep Cleansing Fix HERE (currently on an amazing online offer - only £3.97!) 

Have you tried anything from Liz Earle?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x       

Superdrug's Vitamin E All Over Body Cream

There are lots of blog posts out there about shiny, new, hyped up products. But what about those that have a permanent place on your shelf? 

It might not have shiny, bright packaging and it might not be all singing and dancing with a list of crazy benefits as long as your arm but Superdrug's Vitamin E All Over Body Cream is just one of those products that quietly gets the job done. Even my baby boy thinks so! That's his phantom hand in my photo, I did take a nice normal photo but I thought this one was far cuter! 

This tub sits on my bathroom cabinet and quite often gets over looked for newer, crazy scented lotions and potions but in the nice weather we've been having recently my shoulders got pretty nastily sunburnt and the first thing I thought of was this stuff. Yes, it doesn't have sunburn listed as a usage but it's really calmed it down and keeping it moisturised (fingers crossed no peeling!) I use it for all kinds of things, when I have a cold and my nose is all red and sore from over blowing, after I've used the sun beds (which I only sometimes do before I go away, so I'm not glow in the dark white), when I've shaved my legs to prevent a shaving rash (when I can be bothered shaving my legs that is!), oh and as an all over body cream too! 

I really like this cream as I find it sinks into the skin really quick as I tend to find with other body lotions they sit on your skin and leave that horrible moist feeling that lasts for ages. It's also full of good stuff for your skin like vitamin E (you don't say!) vitamins A, B, F and H, coconut oil, and horse chestnut extract. I'm one of those people that will look at the ingredients of something to see if it's really in there and it all checks out with this! It has a scent to it which I like but it's not overpowering or perfumey (new made up word there for you!) It's also on offer most of the time and it's a bargain at full price (£2.99 for 475ml) and because it's Superdrug's own it BUAV approved which means it's not tested on animals and contains no animal ingredients (so much so it's suitable for vegans).

I'd go as far as to say it's a skin saviour (cliche alert!) 

Get yours HERE or at your local Superdrug (currently on offer at £1.99!)  

What's your skin saviour?     

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

Freebie Friday! #9

I know I've already spoke about Latest Free Stuff before (HERE) but I wanted to show you a couple more free samples I've had from them. 

I've signed up to their mailing list and they send me emails most days with freebies, although I know some people won't like that you don't have to sign up to a mailing list you can just check the site regularly. Do read freebies carefully, as some require subscriptions (which you can usually cancel after) or other requirements. I usually scan through their emails quickly and see if anything takes my fancy and recently I received these goodies in the post!

I got samples of Garnier Ultimate Blends Strength Restorer shampoo, conditioner, and serum and also an Eve Lom Rescue Mask (coming to a Mask Monday near you soon!) 

I've not been paid, sponsored etc to write this post but I just wanted to show you some of the free samples I've had from this site and as a blogger (and a shiny new one!) it's really good to get samples like this that I can write about and as a budget blogger nothing is more budget friendly than a freebie!

Have you found any really awesome freebies?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x   

Mask Monday! #2

It's Mask Monday again! 

(The bottom right picture just shows how excited I am! And for my amusement!) 

Today's offering is in the form of Nip + Fab Deep Cleansing Fix it's not just a mask, you can remove make up with it and apply it directly on spots as a treatment, I love this stuff, it's not the first time its appeared on my blog (you can see my previous post on this HERE).

For today's purposes were just talking how it performs as a face mask. It has a creamy texture and is fresh feeling on the skin, the eucalyptus scent is refreshing but it is strong and may put people off trying it. It doesn't sting but it does have a slight tingle which wears off after a little while, because of this if your skin is sensitive you might want to give this one a miss. I like a tingle, it makes me feel like a product is doing something but blemish products do have a tendency to sting, however, this does not! I usually wipe this off with a muslin cloth and then rinse my face to make sure there's none left behind and after I use this my skin feels nice and soft and really clean feeling (if you know what I mean) without my skin feeling dry or tight.  

I do feel like this product really does help keep my, at times troublesome, skin at bay and I regularly use it as a ten minute face mask while I'm chillin' in the tub!

The packaging has changed (mine is old packaging) but get yours HERE and rest assured it is the same thing!

Thanks for reading,

Wench x     

Lacura Expert Skincare

It's review time again!

You might remember these from a couple of weeks back, when an Aldi shop turned into a little beauty haul! See my first post HERE to see what I bought. 

Now I've had some time to test them out I'm going to tell you my thoughts (that is how a review works after all!). We'll start with the Lacura Expert Intensive Care Beautifying Serum, I've used this morning and night since I've got it and my overall opinion is that it's not so great. It didn't break me out which is always a good thing, a little goes a long way, I only needed 3 drops to cover my face and after using my skin felt more moisturised but other than that I couldn't say there was a massive difference to my skin. A point to mention here is that at 25 I'm not massively in need of anti ageing (or at least I hope not!) and I'm not this products target audience so it may be better for someone who is a bit older. 

I did however have some gripes with this product, I found the dropper to be very irritating, it didn't seem to work very well, you press the top and it's supposed to draw the serum inside the dropper and then you press again to dispense, but it was really awkward to get it to dispense so I found myself just dipping it in and then wiping on my hand. The smell is quite off putting too, it smells like aniseed cough medicine and I found the formula to be quite sticky after it's applied. This does disappear when it's sunk in but I couldn't apply make up over this until the stickiness had gone. Unfortunately, Lacura Expert Intensive Care Beautifying Serum gets a thumbs down from me!

Now let's move on to the Lacura Expert Double Effect Eye Gel and this I'm quite impressed with! The gel is nice and cooling around my eyes which feels really nice as my eyes usually feel tired and feel quite hot (sounds strange but I'm sure you know what I mean!). The eye gel doesn't feel sticky like the serum does and it feels nice and light whilst making the skin around my eyes feel moisturised. I find darkness under my eyes is reduced and my eyes in general look more awake. Now I'm not saying it's the best eye cream in the world but for the tiny £3.99 price tag I'm really happy with it and I will use it up although I'd probably not repurchase it as there are other eye creams out there that I prefer to this one. Lacura Expert Double Effect Eye Gel however does get a thumbs up. 

Thanks for reading,

Wench x     

Balance Me face wash Review

This is the Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash. It's made from 98.8% natural ingredients, and I did look at the ingredients and there's only a few things that I'm not sure of and helpfully the funky Latin names have their English counterparts next them! So that claim seems to check out (I'm no expert!). It also contains anti-oxidants and spruce knot extract that balances normal to combination skin. 

I have to say my skin has been relatively clear recently which makes a refreshing change however I'm not sure if that's down to this or other things I've been using on my face. However, even IF it's down to this product I don't think I'd buy this at full price or even pick it up as a magazine freebie if I saw it in one again because for me, the smell is HORRENDOUS! It smells very strong, like citrus, but as if it's gone off. It's really hard to describe, my husband says like aniseed, and we both agree there's some kind of almost medical smell about it. And for that reason, I'm afraid it's a thumbs down from me.

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

Lacura at Aldi!

I was wondering through Aldi doing my boring food shopping (I hate food shopping!) and I came across these! So food shopping turned into skin care and make up shopping, hooray!

I picked up a Lacura Wondercurl Mascara £2.39, there were a few different ones, including a 3D effect one and a volumising one but the volume brush looked huge and I tend not to get on well with those and out of the other two this one seemed better for me. 

I also bought a Lacura CC Cream in Light £3.99, we'll see how this goes as I find lighter shades in cheaper brands tend to be a bit orangey.

The last make up item I picked up was a Lacura Eyeliner in Black £1.99, these also came in Emerald (green) and Smoke (grey) and they come with a separate sharpener in the box which impressed me because I can never find mine! There were also some eyebrow pencils that were 

Skin care wise I picked up a Lacura Expert Beautifying Serum and Expert Eye Gel, there's lots of funky sounding ingredients in these, the eye gel boasts Kudzu Extract, Mimox, and Caffeine (see what I mean!?) and the serum contains Blue-Green Micro Algae extract and Mimox X (I've no idea what Mimox is!) 

I got all of these for an impressive £16.35! If you like the looks of these I'd be quick as Aldi tend to do these things for like a week only, however I do believe some skin care stuff is available all the time. I've not tried these yet but I'll have swatches and reviews galore once I've give them  a good go! 

Thanks for reading!

Wench x    

Nip + Fab Deep Cleansing Fix

I just have to tell you about this!

This stuff is the bomb!

Nip + Fab Deep Cleansing Fix is a deep cleansing cream and as you can see from my tub, it's well loved by me! You can use it in the following ways:

• Massage into dry skin and rinse with warm water 
• Or use a cloth (like a hot cloth cleanser) to remove make up.
• Use as a 10 minute face mask.
• Apply a thin layer as an intensive overnight treatment.
• Apply directly onto blemishes.

I've used this in all these ways except overnight and it has done wonders for my skin. It doesn't strip your skin but does give you a really nice clean feeling. It's effective at removing make up even stubborn mascara, I've never got out the bath with panda eyes and it doesn't irritate my eye area either. It contains sweet almond oil and tea tree oil which are both great for your skin (especially oily skin like mine). Be warned though the smell is very strong (this is why I haven't used it overnight), described as "uplifting eucalyptus" but I'd say it smells more of tea tree (I suppose these smells are similar). I know it contains both of these so it's to be expected and at first it did put me off, but I got over it and I'm glad I did because I love it!

Full price is around the £7.95 mark and available at Tesco HERE but I got mine on offer (I can't remember exactly) but do shop around as it's on offer a lot.

Thanks for reading!  

Wench x