Brand Focus | Aurelia Probiotic Skincare

Skincare is something I have always struggled with; I often swap from one product to another in the endless hunt to banish my acne scars or reduce my rapidly appearing fine lines. As a beauty PR this is a bit of a sin, I have access to so many different brands and yet I just don't use them. As for premium skincare, I would rather pay £50 for a new dress and a night out than a cream I may not see any difference in.

I recently attended a CEW mentoring talk held by Claire Vero, founder of Aurelia Probiotic Skincare and fell in love with her story and the beauty of her products. So much detail has gone in to every aspect of the product, from the ethically sourced ingredients to the high quality Italian card used for the packaging - it is a product of my dreams. You can see this is Claire's baby; the joy it has brought her over the two years since it has launched and the many awards it has already won are a credit to her and her determination. 

I will be the first to admit I have no idea what probiotics are, in-fact I thought it was the bacteria you got in some type of yoghurts. Aurelia Probiotic Skincare's ingredients work to manage the levels of inflammation which is the main cause of skin ageing. It also prevents DNA damage and boosts hyaluronic acid and collagen levels. 

I was kindly sent a couple of products to try and not only to I love the smells of each but the packaging is so beautiful that it looks amazing on my bedside table. I am going to be reviewing each of the products separately but get excited as these two beauties have given my skincare routine a kick up the bum! 

You can read all about the Aurelia Probiotic Skincare range here.

Stay beautiful

xoxo

Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Foundation Review

Sorry guys but I have been with holding a secret from you, I have a new foundation love. Now it isn't one you may expect. I raved about my Clinique CC Cream in this post (here), but I have been wearing this one alone for a month now. It is the Joan Collins Timeless Beauty First Base Foundation*, didn't know she had a make up range? Well you do now! 

The foundation shades are slightly confusing and even using the colour guide which suggested Cool Fair it was too yellow, so Warm Fair was my perfect match. 

What they say: Re-AgeTM Complex charges the skin with youthful energy, to help increase collagen levels. Light on the skin with excellent adhesion. Includes Hyaluronic Acid & UV filters. Paraben & fragrance free.

Half with Joan Collins Foundation | Half without 

Whole face using only Joan Collins Foundation

What I say: The Joan Collins Timeless Beauty First Base Foundation*is very light and silky, it applies flawlessly with a brush and I found that the colour adapts to my skin tone really well. It also lasts through out the day and doesn't go patchy or sink into fine lines. I actually prefer this as my day foundation to my usual Estee Lauder or Clinique ones. I also love the Loose Finishing Powder from her range that I use to set the look and stop shine coming through. It is super light and super translucent. As you can see I have applied it to half of my face and it looks amazing! 

Thanks Joanie, big hit from me!

Joan Collins Timeless Beauty First Base Foundation, £25.00

Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Impeccable Finish Loose Powder, £24.00

Have you tried anything from the Joan Collins Timeless Beauty collection?

Stay beautiful

xoxo

p.s don't forget to follow me on Blogloving

When Casper Met Tan | James Read Liquid Tan Review

Some say that pale is interesting, that my skin is the epitomy of an English rose. So why do I feel the need to smother my body in brown liquid and dust my cheek bones with deep mahogany powders? It baffles me and yet I do. Now some celebrities pull pale of with such exquisite beauty that they resemble a fragile china doll. Again, sadly my skin is mottled with freckles and moles - not the cute kind!  I have tried so many different fake tans over the years and many just do not sit well on my Casper white skin. That was until I was given a sample of James Read Liquid Tan and it was love at first mitt.

The tan is VERY runny, so I would recommend applying it in the bathroom. A month ago I was left with a dubious looking brown stain on my bed from some over eager sloshing. I apply it to a mitt, my one is from Boots and costs a lovely £2.66, and with light circular motions buff the tan into the skin. What ever tan is left on the mitt, work into the face and back of hands for a lighter finish. This is a tan that you put on at night, catch some zzz and in the morning wash it off. For me one coat isn't enough to make a large difference, so if I am tanning for an event I start applying it a couple of nights before.

Tip: once you become the master of streak free application you can get away with using it as an instant tan, it develops while you are out busting your thang on the dance floor. But, note! If it rains or some over eager love suitor spills his beer down your legs the tan WILL run and you WILL look like you have had a fight with an open tea bag. Be warned!

James Read Liquid Tan in Medium, £24.50

What tan would you recommend for pale skin? Leave ideas in the comments!

Stay beautiful
xoxo

p.s don't forget to follow me on Blogloving

Flawless Foundation | Moisture Surge CC Cream Colour Correcting Hydrator Review

Shhhhhhh!!!! I am revealing my biggest beauty secret here, you can probably tell what it is from the title. I worked at Clinique for a year and became totally hooked on a few of their products, they pop up through out my blog. People often ask my how my foundation looks 'flawless' and if I am wearing the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (also a love), but I'm not and I can't take all the credit. The Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Colour Correcting Hydrator is one of those products I will never again be able to live without. 

Light Medium

After (using Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream)

With foundation

What they say: One day, your skin looks 'different.' Too red, sallow, dull or ashy. Our guiding dermatologists know why. Skin's undertones change. Now, Smart Colour Correcting Technology helps change them back. In seconds, you look like the picture of health. Lasting, oil-free hydration and a sunscreen mean a more flawless look tomorrow, too.

What I say: On its own it acts as a colour corrector, evening out the skin tone and providing light coverage; similar to a tinted moisturiser. I have quite bad acne scaring so this alone would not be enough to conceal the redness and any blemishes.

So here is my secret, I use the Moisture Surge CC Cream as a primer. I like to use a flat foundation brush to apply a thin, pea size amount over my face. This evens out the colour and redness but doesn’t give me the coverage I need, so I follow with my foundation. Today I have decided to use Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Makeup as I do not want it to look too thick and I want my skin so have a slight dewy sheen. Using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush I then gently buff the foundation over the skin and blend it in with the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream. The finished look is all one colour, redness and shadows gone.

Some people have questioned if this is quite thick but actually it isn't if you partner it with the right foundation. I also found that the finished look is better if you layer the products rather than mixing the CC cream and foundation together. Another great thing is that there are sooooo many colours! You are bound to find one that suits your skin tone. At the moment I am using the shade Light Medium because it is summer, but I also have the lightest shade Very Light which is perfect for me during the winter when I have less colour.

If you have quite dry skin I would recommend a gentle weekly exfoliator, I have heard some people say it can stick to patches of dry skin. I have oily skin so I haven't found this. If like me you skin gets oily, I like to set the foundation with Estee Lauder Double Wear Pressed Powder, but some other setting powder would work just as well. 

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Colour Correcting Hydrator, £28.00

Stay beautiful

xoxo

My Hand Luggage Holiday Essentials

I am exhausted and I have just got back from a four day holiday. How is this possible? I did nothing.....apart from lazing by the pool and slapping on the SPF, I spent the 4 days eating my weight in paella and drinking like a fish late into the night. My family have been holidaying in the same Spanish resort for nearly 25 years and not being one to break tradition I hopped on a flight and spent a long weekend in the sun. 

In preparation I tipped the entire contents of my beauty stash onto my bed and starfished in them for a while. My house mates think I am crazy to have so much! As any beauty addict will know it is often painful to decide what to take on holiday, you never know what may be thrown at you and the warm weather requires extra strength products to stop you face looking like you have slapped on a melting mask. 

So these are my top picks for hand luggage holiday essentials -

1. Goldwell DualSenses Rich Repair 6 Effect Serum

I try really hard to look after my hair. Highlighting it every few months had left is really dry and damaged. The effects of chlorine and intense sunlight on holiday do nothing to help banish the candy floss fuzz. I discovered a new hair hero in the Goldwell DualSenses Rich Repair 6 Effect Serum and I am obsessed. After washing my hair I rub a pea size amount in to the ends of my hair, where most of the breakage is. It seals the cuticles and nourishes the split ends to prevent breakage, leaving it silky smooth and soft. I can't live with out this product and it saves my holiday hair.

3. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 Oil Free - Shade: Blush

If there is one product that you need this summer it is this one! I have never been much of a fan of tinted moisturiser, having struggled with acne I find they do not give enough coverage. Having been on Roacutane for a couple of months now my skin has cleared up considerably and so I can now get away with slightly less coverage. The Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 Oil Free gives the exact amount of coverage that you would want pool side. It blurs imperfections and evens out skin tone, but it gives a lovely natural dewiness to the skin that you don't get from thick foundations. It also has the added benefit of SPF and the tube lasts for ages. 

2. Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Defense SPF45 

My natural skin colour matches that of a cold chicken you find in a supermarket. Pale, slightly yellow and you can see every thread vein or skin follicle; so sexy. Because of this I need to protect the skin on my face with a relatively high SPF. The Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Defense SPF45  is so light it can be used under your moisturiser or foundation. It comes out slightly tinted but once it is rubbed onto the skin the colour disappears. I love this product because it doesn't leave the thick greasy feeling on your face that some other facial SPF's leave. I am pleased to say my face was the only part of me that did not burn, the rest of the supermarket chicken got cooked! Ouch!

4. Clinique Lash Power Feathering Mascara - Shade: Black Onyx

I am having a bit of a Clinique fan girl moment. When I first tried this mascara I really wasn't keen. It dries up very quickly and you do need to add a few layers to get the lashes looking nice. But after taking it on holiday with me I am now obsessed! It coats each lash making them appear longer and fuller. The best part is that with even an excessive amount of sweat and pool time there was not a panda eye in sight.

Goldwel DualSenses Rich Repair 6 Effect Serum, RRP £9.60

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 Oil Free, RRP £34.00

Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Defense SPF45, RRP £26.00
Clinique Lash Power Feathering Mascara, RRP £18.00

Do you have any holiday essentials?

Stay beautiful

xoxo

Lean, Mean, Fat Reducing, Sucking Machine: Bliss Fatgirlslim

I have to say, squeezing spa appointments into busy working weeks can be a bit of a nightmare, leaving no time to eat my lunch, let alone relax. With a shift in cosmetic technology it is now possible to turn our bedrooms into an ‘at-home-spa’.  While doing some DIY spa research I came across the new Bliss Fatgirlslim Lean (mean, fat reducing, grilling - sorry George Forman) Machine. It makes some pretty bold claims, to beat cellulite and encourage detoxification and contour the body. Hello bikini bod!

Bliss Fatgirlslim Lean Machine

How is that possible? I hear you sister. Apparently, by using a mixture of sucking, rolling and pulsating massage it boosts absorption of their own fat busting cream and stimulates circulation. They recommend using it every day on your wobbly bits for maximum effect. 

The term hoover scares me first of all. How can something hoover up your fat? It sounds painful, all that skin being sucked up into what sounds like a hand held vacuum cleaner, the type my dad uses to clean his car. But Bliss are a reputable spa brand, so I hope for all the women out there shelling out £120 for this that it gives you a body like Gisele. If you want to try it, it is a lot cheaper than having a body wrap in a spa, you can buy it HERE or at Harrods.

Stay beautiful,

xoxo

From Hungers Games to Dior

Can we just stop for a second and appreciate the beauty of this woman!! Okay so she, herself has admitted these photos are heavily Photoshopped, but still! 

These are the new images of Jennifer Lawrence, well know for her role in the Hunger Games, in her ad campaign for Dior.