REVIEW | LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR DUO AND CLARIFYING LOTION

Recently, I was early for a train to visit le boyf. This oh so obviously led to a trip into the huge boots in my town. I had been toying with the idea of purchasing Effaclar Duo, as it has been raved about across the blogosphere. I caved. But all is not lost! At my local boots, they had a deal on all the La Roche-Posay Effaclar line, which involved buying two products for only £15. How could I say no! This meant that I simply had to purchase something else, and I settled on the Lotion Astringent Micro-Exfoliant.

Effaclar Duo - £13

Astringent - £11

I suffer from a lot of hyperpigmentation after I get an outbreak of dreaded spots, and so I really wanted to try the Effaclar Duo to see whether it would help. I am pleased to report that this is truly worth the hype, and I might even consider it a Holy Grail product! It glides on so smoothly onto the skin, and you only need a small blob to cover the entire face. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated and smooth and even after only using it for just over a fortnight, it has already improved the state of my skin dramatically! As well as this, it smells delightfully of roses, which i personally love. All I can say about this is that if you are on the fence about this purchase, jump straight off and run to Boots now!

The Astringent claims to “unblock and reduce the appearance of pore size.” I have to admit, I haven’t consciously noticed a difference in the state of my pores, but I haven’t really been paying too much attention to be honest. When applied as a toner, it feels refreshing and cooling and also has the same lovely scent of roses. Again, hardly any product is needed to cover the face, making both these products fantastic value for money.  But I am still not sure about this product. Occasionally, it has left my face stinging after use, and I would therefore not recommend it to anyone with sensitive skin, or who has severe acne. However, for someone who gets the occasional breakout, I would say to give this product a go! I do recommend not to use it every day, morning and night, though as it contains an exfoliant LHA, which may not be so good for your skin if over used!
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MY NEW LIP OBSESSION!

Looking through ASOS is always going to burn a hole in your pocket especially when there is a 20% sale and student discount which is bound to draw people in and Ella was one of those people! And because she is a very kind sister she kindly bought me some things, and in that small bundle was the Korres lip balm in quince and I have not stopped using it since I opened the box!

The smell and taste of this lip butter is to good not to love (well at least in my opinion it is anyway) and unfortunately this means that I can't help but lick it off my lips which is a bit of a problem as if I carry on like this I may end up buying another pot! It is described as 'a buttery lip balm that melts on the lips' and I can't do anything but agree, it is one of those lip balms that when you have it on you can't help but rub your lips together! If you compare it to something like the Body Shop Lip Butters where, if you have tried them you will know, they are so thick that they almost smother your lips this is nothing like that! Even though it is still quite thick it is just thick enough that it feels like it's moisturising your lips, which in these cold months in definitely something you need.

Korres lip butter - £7

The lip butter leaves a gorgeous natural pink tint to the lips which is absolutely perfect for day to day life where you just want to shove something on that will look nice and keep your lips moisturised. Hence why I keep this on me at all times and it does not leave my bag! I am definitely going to be buying more of these lip balms!

What's your favourite lip balm for this time of year? 

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REVIEW | REVE DE MIEL & THIS WORKS TURBO BALM

Nuxe Reve de Miel - £9.50       This Works Turbo Balm - £10

The other day I was perusing the Space NK website with a bank full of student loan, and some accidental purchases were made... Two of these were the Nuxe Rêve de Miel lip balm, and the This Works Turbo Balm.

 Firstly,  Nuxe Rêve de Miel lip balm has become a sensation within the blogging world, and I would have to agree! It is a thick textured balm that has a slightly medicinal honey smell to it. It goes on to the lips smoothly although it has a slight grit to it that can also be used to exfoliate. The finish of this balm is very matte, which would make it ideal to use underneath lipsticks. 

 I find this balm ideal to use at night, as it doesn't feel sticky or heavy so is perfect for slapping on and getting to sleep! When  you wake up, your lips are hydrated and softer than anything! I often suffer from chapped and extremely dry lips when it turns to the colder months, and whilst I have only had this for a few days I can officially declare this a holy grail product! 

 The Turbo Balm from This Works has a whole different feel to it, and I would say this would be put to better use when not used as a lip balm. This balm has a much smoother, thinner feel to it, and disappears when applied to the skin. This, in my opinion, would be perfect to throw into your handbag and use on those pesky dry patches that pop up when the weather gets colder.  I have found this to be a life saver for soothing the itching that comes with my dry skin. Due to its small size I think this would be a perfect on the go solution for anyone!

I  hope this helps anyone looking for a lip balm or all over balm, let me know if anyone else has found a 'holy grail' product for them! :)

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REVIEW | NARS TORRID BLUSHER

NARS Torrid - £21

Torrid is described as a 'warm coral with golden shimmer' which I find is very accurate as that is what I would instantly describe it as being (however it is on the pinkier side of coral)! I have ummed and aahed over getting a NARS blusher for so long as they are rather on the pricy side however I thought to myself ‘I have wanted a NARS blusher for so long so I may as well’ and here we are!

Every blogger and their mum has raved about these blushers, and I must admit I see why there is so much hype around these blushers. This is honestly the one of the best blushers I have ever tried as it is so unbelievably pigmented that you only need to dab your brush in and there's enough (don't go swirling your brush in it as you will end up like a clown!).

This blush is very versatile and can be used for both everyday and more formal occasions and would definitely suit most skin types, the shimmer is very subtle but still noticeable especially under bright light where it gives your cheeks a warm glow. I have been wearing this since the day I got it and I love it! If you are looking into getting a NARS blusher I would definitely recommend this one as it gives your cheeks a beautiful natural glow!

What is your favourite blusher? NARS or not, let me know!

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