ASH for Kurt Geiger Wedge Sandals

A quick post to show off my new shoes for summer!

L'Oreal Double Extend/Extension Beauty Tubes Mascara

I've been on a mascara spree and thought I'd test out two step mascara. Could they be better than the ordinary kind?

One end is the white primer and the other is...black stuff. I say that because the primer provides the extension of lashes but the black stuff does'nt seem to do anything but coat them. A bit pointless considering you might as well turn the primer black and that's your typical one step mascara.

This mascara definitely lengthens but does nothing for volume. If I applied too much primer, my lashes clump together. Anything more than two coats causes them to go spidery. Also if you don't wait for the primer to dry first which some suggest that you don't, your lashes look ashy. That is unless you pile on the black stuff and again, they will look clumpy.

Removal is easy. Just with warm water and a little bit of friction. The tubes slide right off.

It's a fun change from ordinary mascaras but it does'nt live up to the hype. Cheaper than Fiberwig but I think Fiberwig looks more natural and does'nt make your lashes feel stiff.

Edited to add: Made a fantastic discovery. Ditch the black side and use Fibrewig on top of the primer. It really holds the curl and makes you look like you're wearing falsies!

Clarisonic Mia - 2 Week Results

Just a quick post to report how my Clarisonic Mia is going. I'm usually too lazy to exfoliate so this machine is a godsend.

Its easy to use. Just wet the brush and your face, pour on a little non-abrasive cleanser and very lightly massage in small circles. The Mia runs for 1 minute on a single speed. In the mornings I use it with Cetaphil for a minute and in the evenings with a foaming cleanser for a minute and a half.

The result is that my face looks radiant and super clean. My skin feels softer and looks smoother. Pores are noticeably smaller although its a temporary effect. They're back to their normal size by the end of the day but its still an amazing outcome.

My only complaint is recharge time. It runs about 20 minutes on a single recharge but takes 18 hours to charge. Especially inconvenient as it means I have to go without in the morning or night while it's charging.

Will post a follow up after a month's time so stay tuned!

Clarisonic Mia vs The Body Shop Facial Brush

My skin is looking horrid these days. Congested, dull, oily and my pores are huge-mungous.

I stumbled across a forum discussing the Clarisonic Skin Cleansing system. It's been around for years and many swear by it. Pricey though. Is'nt it just a glorified electric version of the brush you see here?

The smallest model is the Mia and it comes in white, purple, pink and blue. Priced at £120, I got mine from Space NK. It comes with a magnetically connecting charger cable and a small tube of cleanser. The next model up cost considerably more but the brush is the same size. The device is chunkier and comes with a charging stand, more functions (beeping, timing and speeds), extra sample products and a body brush attachment.

It has a 30 day money back guarantee so I can get a refund if I'm not happy with it. Better than wasting money on imitation products I reakon.

Because the Mia needs to be initially charged for 24 hours, I bought the "manual version" from The Body Shop for £3 to test in the meantime.

The Body Shop brush is compact so I find it easier to control the pressure. It comes with a lid to protect the soft bristles. The purpose of the brush is to lightly exfoliate, stimulate circulation, improve skin tone and texture.

I wet the brush and my face, apply a little cleanser gel and away I scrub for two minutes before rinsing. And the result? I still feel bumps but my skin looks smoother and radiant. My pores shrunk but they reverted back to normal not long after. Still, a great result for the price.

Posting a review on the Mia shortly so stay tuned!

Denim Cut Offs - DIY Boyfriend Shorts

I've been looking for boyfriend shorts and found these for FREE.

Actually they're denim cut offs. I bought the jeans from a thrift store in Calgary so they had sentimental value but I hardly wear them. I cut them off and hemmed them with my sewing machine. Now they'll get worn alot in summer!

I'm thrilled that not only have I converted an old pair of jeans into shorts, I did'nt have to outlay a cent. And they are exactly length I was after.

So if you have old jeans, try to get good use out of them again by turning them into shorts. Even if you don't have a sewing machine, you can wear them frayed. It's really easy!

ELF Nail Polish - Light Red

Not an imaginative colour name, eh? It's self explanatory looking at the bottle but with two coats on, it's hot chilli red.

I got this nail polish as a free gift with my first ELF order and even at the normal price of £1.50, I'm impressed. I've seen alot of bad reviews on ELF nail polishes but this one is a winner. The pigmentation is excellent and the formula is creamy. I have two coats on in the picture.

For mail order, I thought the window boxed packaging is excessive. According to the box, the polish has a "revolutionary bristle design (which) glides color on flawlessly." I did'nt think so although it wasn't a terrible brush. Probably a wee thicker than normal but that's it. One thing which did live up to the promise was the "quick dry formula for no mess application". A must for reds. I'll be wearing red more often than usual now!

ELF Pouty Petal and Voodoo Lipsticks

I finally made an ELF order and got two lipsticks, a nail polish, cuticle oil pen and brush cleaner spray.

Here are the two lipsticks, Pouty Petal and Voodoo, one from each lipstick range.

The Voodoo as you can see above is the cheaper version (£1.50). The packaging is not great but atleast there is a centre window to identify the colour. The colour is beigey berry. I like it because it's a muted red and I find it easy to wear for any occasion. Quality wise, it's very good. Smooth and creamy and lasts for quite a few hours. Bargain for the price.

The Pouty Petal is a good dupe for Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Boy. This lipstick is from the Mineral line (£3.50). It's pink, nude and sheer. The texture is fine. I could'nt tell how long this lipstick lasts since it camouflages to my natural lip colour. Those with pale lips will notice a lovely pink tint.

Is it worth more than double the price of the basic lipstick? Yes but for the packaging only. The lipstick quality is just the same. In fact I noticed with both that the first swipes had little colour payoff because they had the same firm texture.