Balance rescue tonique review

As you may already be aware from my last blog post disclosing the items of my Glossybox, you may have picked up that I wasn't impressed with the contents. The lip balm has performed as per standard, the Renu mask is also average. This post is not about the other products, it's about the Balance rescue tonique for combinations skin which I previously described as smelling like a 'mouldy fruit bowl'. I have got to swallow my own unkind words because the product is BRILLIANT.

Glossybox UK January review 2013

This morning I received the first Glossybox of the year. It started out so happy and joyous with me running down the stairs to meet the Hermes man... it ended there. As soon as I was passed the parcel(!) I instantly felt how light.. extremely LIGHT the box was!!

Back to its pink gorgeous self!

Christmas sale part one

I only wanted 3 things in the Boots half price sale today, the No7 bronzer set, the polish set and Marc Jacobs Daisy giftbox... I only managed to nab two out of three :(

Swatched are the two colours, damson dream and hot to trot. It took two coats to get the foil-ey finish. At first I was a bit worried about the quality of the polish; sometimes gift sets are made more cheaply than normal products on brands lines. The first coat was very weak and thin, I thought, gosh it's going to take me at least 5 to get a sweetie wrapper finish! but the second coat, did the trick to make it opaque, so I'm very happy!

I was also worried about the bronzers when I got home and reviewed the box details. Made in Thailand it stated, I wondered, do Thailand make good cosmetics?! However they are wonderfully buttery soft. The mosaic and duo one, have a little more fall out than the baked Bobbi Brown style brick however I'm happy to keep all in my collection and not give them away as gifts. The brush itself is made in China, described as 'beautifully soft', it's actually more on the scratchy cheapy side. 

Polish set 1/2 price at £5.00

Bronzers set 1/2 price at £8.00

Boots

UNII palette review

UNII palettes are basically an empty palette, there are no specific holes that fit eye shadows or blushers like the MAC ones, instead it's just free flow. The bottom of the palette is magnetized, so in theory it will stick to the tray; if the casing of the make up item isn't magnetic, the kit also comes with magnet stickers to do the job for you.

Glossybox Decemeber 2012 review

I've been waiting days for this bloody thing to come. I've been Googling reviews like crazy, just to see a glimpse of what I might get. So after days of waiting, I received the holy grail... or did I?

Roaccutane the saviour pill

I am so sorry I have been MIA for quite some time. Today, I was more than motivated to blog, as I want to RANT! I have been so disgruntled lately with the 'news' on short bursts of current affairs on the BBC and of course hypeuptheproblem Daily Mail. Everyone and their uncle is trying to highlight the dangers of Roaccutane. 

Having been prescribed the drug myself (I think for a 6 month course) I am a living testament of what a miracle these pills are. Yes, there are side effects hence why it can only be prescribed by a dermatologist. He or She monitors the patient very closely on the course of the prescription (every 3 or 4 weeks). Also, you are told of the negative outcomes; including depression and how a small statistic of patients have committed suicide, which was probably due to the drug. Not only does the dermatologist lists the side effects but you are also required to sign a waiver, saying you have been told of the side effects, you understand and agree to go ahead. 

During my final months of the prescription, I was on 70mg a day. This is a rather high dosage but the doctor prescribes on the the basis of how well you have been coping with drug (emotionally and other side effects); how the progress of trying to clear the acne is going and height and body weight. I didn't feel I was effected in terms of my emotional health, my main side effects were extreme dry and sensitive skin and very achey achey joints. Nevertheless, my dermatologist always made a point of asking how I was feeling emotionally. 

Roaccutane saved my life. I know I would never have been able to do well in university academically as well as socially. How does acne effect your studies??? Simple, I wouldn't have had the confidence to participate well in group work or even talk to lecturers without being self conscious and insecure. 

Yes, I understand some young adults have died from the nasty side effects of this drug. However lets not forget everything in life has risks, surgery has risk, would we stop operating on people due to 1% of those patients unfortunately die? no. I wish their parents would stop campaigning for Roaccutane to be banned. It's none of their business, this drug in my personal opinion does more good than bad. Banning this drug would mean that thousands of young adults who could take the drug and only have minor side effects like me, can't have the desired, insecure and self conscious free life they could. 

If you are a sufferer of acne, choosing the the best course of action is ultimately up to you and your body. There are many different treatments for this awful skin condition and if it has been long term, I would suggest speaking to your GP. I was told at 16, that I would grow out of it, I didn't and had to suffer years of waiting for the miracle day I would wake up with clear skin. As a result of that, I have a few prominent areas of scarring and terrible memories of being insecure and ashamed. 

It feels quite sad and superficial to say that a skin condition has held me back in the past. Should I have embraced my flaws instead of feeling sorry for myself? It's hard to say, maybe I could have been a little less negative and focused on all the positive aspects in my life. Nevertheless, my acne is gone and I have to thank Roaccutane and my dermatologist from the bottom of my heart.

No7 match made service

Remember to ask for a sample to take away :)

I am no way a fan of No7 make up, even with the whole redesign from make up artist Lisa Eldridge, I still find the brand dreary. Of course, there are perks, such as the £5 vouchers Boots frequently gives out and lately the new promise of finding your perfect match shade of foundation

My experience.

A small amount of makeup removed from each side of my jaw line and then a snap on each by the sales assistant. Simple. The shade that I was matched to was 'warm ivory'. 

I asked the No7 girl, where that shade is on the colour spectrum, pink or yellow? She hadn't a clue what I was talking about. Sigh.

I was not given a tour about all the types of foundations they had on offer, or what type of coverage and finish I wanted. She simply grabbed 'stay perfect' which is fine as it's like Mac studio finish.

Below is how the colour compares to my usual choices of foundations right now, L'oreal lumi magique and Mac studio sculpt. 

Even though the No7 shade looks lighter than L'oreal, I did find No7 looked much darker on my skin, as it oxidised... but only slightly. I've got incredibly dry skin at the moment, so stay perfects gluey formula made the skin very uncomfortable and highlighted the dry patches, making everything appear even more pinky and inflamed.

I'm not 100% happy with the shade compared to my lovely yellow based mac, which neutralises everything on my face, so no purchase here.