Spend, Spend, Spend: Clinique Bonus Time and LUSH Haul

Hello. Being one not to shy away from free goodies, I was sucked over to the Clinique counters to make a little purchase and claim my free make up bag full of little mini Clinique treats as part of their bi-annual Bonus Time promotion. All you have to do is purchase 2 products from Clinique, with one to be skincare, and you will be rewarded with: a make up bag (a very nice make up bag!), 3 skincare products, and 3 make up items, all in a miniature promotional size. 

I did also claim the free Bonus Time bag last October as well, so you can compare the contents to last year too if you're interested: 'Clinique Bonus Time and Beauty Haul' post.  One thing worth pointing out is that the blush packaging has been stepped up a notch 12 months on; Look at the comparison in these photos of the 2013 v 2012 blush. Plus, there's a weight difference of 3.1g compared to 1.8g last year. I notice little things. 

The Bonus Time contents are: Skincare - 7 Day Scrub Cream, Dramatically Difference Moisturising Lotion+, All About Eyes Rich, and Make-Up - High Lengths Mascara, Chubby Stick Intense in Plushest Punch, Blush Powder in Iced Lotus. But what did I purchase to get my mitts on these goodies? I got a small 'discovery set' style trio of skincare to try. It includes a cleanser, toner, and moisturiser in generous trial sizes for £20. I also got a clay mask from the anti-blemish range for £19.00. I haven't used any of these products yet, but there may be a full review of the blemish mask soon!

Then, from Lush I picked up 4 bath time treats: all 3 from the Halloween stock, and the fourth from their permanent line. I got the 'Sex Bomb' (oo-err) bath ballistic - a supposedly sensual bath bomb with little floating rose petals inside. I hope to do a separate post on the three Halloween bath ballistics / bubble bar with photographs of them 'in use'. I'm most excited about the 'Lord of Misrule' bath ballistic as it turns the bath water a rich, deep wine colour and it smells gorgeous, but I'm a little bit dubious about using 'Sootball' after reading some strongly negative reviews, and it's also leaving black stains on everything that I put it on! It is supposed to turn the bath gold though, which I find intriguing. ..We shall see. 

 Thanks for reading!
Have you tried any Halloween stock from Lush, or claimed your Bonus Time freebies from Clinique yet?

Heads up:
House of Fraser are running a competition for you to win 1 of 5 Clinique Overnight hampers. You can enter here: link.

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Model Co. Party Proof Matte Lipsticks for Birchbox | 'Classics'

Heyy. Say hello to an exclusive collaboration between BirchBox and ModelCo - a trio of 'Party Proof Matte Lipsticks'*. There are two trios to choose from and they can be bought only from BirchBox for £15.50 per set. The two sets are the 'Classics' - the set I have: red, orange and pink, or the 'Nudes' - obviously a selection of nudes, which from pictures I've seen looks like peachy, browny and pinky nude tones.  

While on the whole, I do like these lipstick and I think that they're good.. I do have a fair few criticisms of the trio in general, and of the individual lipsticks. Sorry. Let's dive straight in with a packaging complaint and that is that although they're quite unique in a white bullet as opposed to standard black, they do looks pretty tacky (to me), and they've got an incredibly cheap feel to them, right down to the swivel up mechanism (but that's just me being picky). Also the transparent circle on the top serves no functional purpose, it only adds to the cheap appearance. (Major bitch out of the way now, only minor bitches to come). 

 

The swatches don't come out very true to the shade in the bullet at all, and you might also be flitting your eyes back up the post title and thinking 'did she say matte?', because yeah.. matte? It's very strange for these to marketed strongly as matte lipsticks - it's even in the name of them! - when they are actually some of the creamiest and glossiest lipsticks that I've ever tried. Even with blotting down and a considerable amount of wear time, they end up more of a satin finish. No matter what, they're a long way off being matte. 

(Sorry my skin looks rank, we weren't all born with a flawless complexion). I thought that all was lost when I tried the first shade 'Disco Fever' as it really isn't the shade for me. Not only is the colour all wrong, but it also has a bit of a different texture and consistency to the other two shades - very thick, sticky, creamy in kind of a 'gooey' way and didn't sit well on my lips at all - even though they were well prepped and primed! I strongly, strongly, dislike the shade Disco Fever. 

Things vastly improved when I moved on to the two other shades: Peony and Red Velvet. These two lipsticks completely won me over and changed my mind about everything. Although they are still very shiny and very glossy when they're supposed to be matte (I can't get over this element!), they are actually gorgeous shades. The formula is lovely, really moisturising and creamy on the lips with very minimal bleeding considering I didn't use a lip liner for such intense shades. The pigmentation is 'WOW' and just a single swipe is shown on my lips and the hand swatches - no need to build them up. I wore Red Velvet the other day and I can't actually say is lasted 'x' amount of hours, because it exceeded the amount of time that I was awake in the day! I was at uni for 8 hours, ate 3 meals, came home and still had to get out a make up remover to get it off. That's staying power. 

I feel like the red makes my lips look more plumped, and dare I say it - sexy. There's just something about red lips on pale skin that looks so.. 'classic'. Which then bring me onto my next criticism of the set, and that is: does the orange shade belong in a set of classic shades? Red, yes. Pink, yes. A light coral orange? Hmm. Debatable. The fact that these lipsticks can only be bought as a trio hugely lets down the whole package for me. If they were available as a red/pink duo, or there was an option to buy each of the shades individually then, for me at least, it would make a more appealing purchase. 

So, the individual lipsticks, Peony and Red Velvet, rank very highly with me and I completely love them and will continue to wear them - especially the red for glamorous evenings, but we'll just pretend that Disco Fever doesn't exist shall we?

Party Proof Lipstick 'Classics' Trio* - £15.50 | link

Thanks for reading!
What do you think of the trio?

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Review: Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel

Alohaa. Today I have for you a review of the Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel*, a little bit of a cult product in the beauty world and one that I have been lusting after for such a long time. When Clarins offered me the chance to try it out a few weeks back I nearly fell over myself scrambling to type 'yes yes yes!' in that reply box! Clarins did not let me down with this one and it is honestly my new favourite product! From the first use, I just absolutely fell in love. 

I did make an attempt at showing the transitional forms that this cleanser takes, but it didn't come across well in photographs. Pure Melt is a little bit of a fancy one and it has three stages to it's consistency: It starts off initially as a thick gel, which then melts down into an oil upon contact with warm skin, and then emulsifies to a milk when mixed with water. I don't know if it's just me and my easily pleased simple mind, but I enjoy the novelty of this triple-texture cleanser.

Massaging the beautifully scented gel onto dry skin feels absolutely heavenly. So good that I look forward to pulling this out of the cupboard and washing my face at the end of the day! It gives a very at-home spa like feeling, and as the gel eventually transforms into a thick and nourishing oil cleanser it makes light work of breaking down all make up on the skin, even eye make up, and other skin impurities. Just a single cleanse with this leaves the skin feeling clean and refreshed, but calm and softened. It is an ideal night time cleanser to really give yourself a bit of a luxurious pamper after a hard day. Honestly, you might be thinking - 'Chill your beans, Hannah. It's just a cleanser', but it just gives the nicest sensation to the skin during use, and after use too.

I've tried to use straight up cleansing oils in the past but have never found any that I've agreed with, and they tend to be a bit messy. Pure Melt cleanses the skin as an oil but it adds ease to entire process, just by setting off as a gel, as opposed to being an oil from the start. Then, like with all oil cleansers it mixes with water and forms a 'silky milk' that then rinses the skin clean and - voila - all make up and yuck on your skin from the day is washed away and your skin is plumped and comfortably moisturised with the essential Marula Oil.

So, I might have gone a bit OTT on taking pictures, but it was a photographic product (yep, I did just say that), and I think the packaging of this is just lovely - all aspects and angles of it needed to be shared! Clarins is good at making their product packaging simple and quite understated, but at the same time gorgeous with an expensive feel to them. No frills, but no cheap feel. I love that they've always got their signature splash of red somewhere on the product too.

But anyway, that's Pure Melt in a nutshell for you and the two final words to summarise would have to be: Absolutely. Amazing. I don't even think that it's too badly priced for a luxury skincare item either. I know that it's one I'd definitely go to purchase again, and I'd highly recommend it to all skin types as well - especially those in need of a bit of extra moisture.

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel - £19.50 / 125ml | link

Thanks for reading!

Have you tried Clarins Pure Melt?

(If you haven't - do it!)

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Facebook *(c/o) Clarins --- Check out my October Gold advertiser, Tasha, and her amazing blog: Hello-Freckles.com ♥

October Guest Post | Wishlist for A/W13

Wishlist for A/W13

Post written by Charlotte Christmas

---

Hello everyone, I'm Charlotte from the blog 'Charlotte Christmas' and Hannah has kindly let me write a post on her lovely blog! Ever since I started blogging, I've only ever written 'beauty-based' wishlists and since we are approaching Autumn, there are a lot of things I have my beady eyes on and I thought I'd show you some of the things that I've been eyeing up recently...

1. Office City Bag | Zara | £49.99

I absolutely love the bags in Zara and I'm constantly looking in store and online at what's out there, I've actually wanted this for some time now, I've just put it off because I have so many black bags. I lob so many things around in my bags and this is perfect because it has so many compartments which is great because I'm kind of ocd and I like everything in it's place. This is also great for carrying my iPad and laptop.

2. Tube Scarf | H&M | £7.99

Snoods are one of the best inventions ever! They look great with a leather jacket and keep you really snug and warm! I currently only own two, in black and grey and I would love to add a burgundy to scarf stash. This colour is great to add some colour to my wardrobe since I only really wear black and white.

3. Five Pocket Skinnies | Forever 21 | £7.00

I don't believe that you can ever have too many skinny jeans, they are such a versatile piece and these from Forever 21 seem to have a really nice fit and this colour is easy to wear with a pair of burgundy converses. I actually don't own any jeans this colour and it would be good to switch it up a bit.

4. Fleece Faux Fur Overcoat | Amazon | £35

For the past year or so, I've been looking for the 'perfect' faux fur jacket. Something black, fluffy and past the bum. I have finally found something to that description. I think it would be great for December time when it's freezing outside. I think this good look great with numbers 1,3,6...what do you think?

5. Fake Fur Collar | H&M | £12.99

Sometimes I have days where I'm wearing a leather jacket and I don't want to wear a scarf but would like something warm around my neck. This fake fur collar could  some character to the whole outfit especially because it's such a classic attire and easy to put together with any outfit!

6. Alter Mid Heel Chelsea Boots | Topshop | £50.00

I'm constantly on the hunt for a nice pair of black ankle boots. It's great how you can switch up the boots for any occasion whether it's at a festival with shorts or to wear with jeans to go shopping. This is such a versatile and timeless piece.

What's on your wishlist for this Autumn/Winter?

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Review: Glam Glow Super-Mud Face Mask

 

Hello! In case it isn't clear from the first few images, this is going to be a review of a one-use sample sachet of the Glam Glow Super-Mud Treatment Face Mask. I'd love to be able to review a full pot of the stuff, but wait until you get to the end of the post and see just how much it costs (sorry in advance if this post makes you want the full size! I want it too, if that's any consolation). This was a 2.1ml size sachet and I found that I barely had enough to cover my whole face, which is odd for a sample as usually there's oodles of the stuff inside. I can usually get about 4 uses out of a foundation sachet! But anyway, I made it stretch across the majority of my skin surface and here's a little collage of the next 10 minutes:

A little bit photo-heavy crazy? But who doesn't love a face mask selfie? I genuinely did stand and face a mirror for 10 minutes while this was on my skin and I watched it dry and change colour as the time ticked. One of my captions on an Instagram photo of this was that it made me look like 'the world was on my face', especially in the 2nd and 3rd photos - you know, like land and sea on a globe? Or am I losing the plot completely? Probably. 

There's a whole list of problems Super-Mud can target, including: visible pores, blemishes and breakouts, blackheads, whiteheads, and even razor burns and ingrown hairs! This is one of the best de-clogging masks that I've ever used and it was perfect to use before an important event. I'm thoroughly impressed with how instant and dramatic the results are after just one use. Glam Glow say that 'you can visibly see the congestion pull out from your pores as it dries', which it definitely does. Look closely at the following pictures and you'll see:

 

This is one of the lines of the Glam Glow description that particularly struck me: "The 'Pore-Matrix' will reveal Dots of Extraction, Absorption and Encapsulation of Problematic Sebum Oils, Bacteria and Toxins". What I love about this is that you can actually see it working, while it's still on your skin. Just look at that around my nose, and a little bit on my chin too - that is disgusting!! Honestly, I feel a bit ashamed of myself for sharing the above picture so publicly and letting you all see excess oil and bacteria being extracted from my pores, but hey, at least you can see that the mask is working and actually doing something. I love the idea of the 'encapsulation' of the nasties onces they've been drawn out of your skin - can just imagine oil being sucked up and put into a little bubble, haha. 

Sorry there's no photos of my skin after removal, but my naked skin isn't something I want you to see because it's far from perfect and a personal insecurity. But for me and my eyes that have become accustomed to it's imperfections, I can clearly judge very accurately when there has been an improvement, and Glam Glow results were astounding! There's a reason why celebrities go ga-ga over this and it costs an absolute arm and a leg. Everything that you'd want to be improved in your skin, just happens ..in 10 minutes! Noticeable pores are reduced, redness is reduced, oil reduced, plus general skin surface is smoother and clearer. Bye bye existing blemishes, regardless of the size - All of the bacteria they live off is absorbed away so all blemishes are effectively killed off. I love it!

This is why samples of products are a terrible, terrible idea for somebody who already buys too much! You think 'yeah sure, I'll try a sample, just use it once'. Well yeah, you use it once, realise how good it is, love it and then want more and end up tempted to buy a full size. Gah! Okay, £45 for a face mask is ridiculous. Really, ridiculous. I don't want to pay that for it, but should a 20% off code arise for a stockist of Glam Glow then I know what my first purchase will be! I am now dying to be able to use this mask again - the visible results are phenomenal. 

Glam Glow Super-Mud Face Mask - £44.99 / 30ml | link

Thanks for reading!

Have you tried Glam Glow?

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*This sample sachet was gifted at an event --- Check out my October Gold advertiser, Tasha, and her amazing blog: Hello-Freckles.com ♥

Pamper: Pre Cosmo Blog Awards Prep

As this post goes live and you lovely guys get to be able to read this, I'll be all the way down in London, suited and booted in my posh frock and nerves at an all time high ready to attend the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013. Woo! I've already gushed about my gratitude a million times before, but this post wouldn't be right without an extra added thank you to everybody who reads, follows, comments and shares the content on Cosmetic Crave. Without your support I wouldn't have landed myself a nomination for Best New Beauty Blog and I wouldn't even be attending this event! So, a huge thank you to all of you, especially those of you who spared a nomination and a vote for me :) 

The Cosmo Awards is basically like the Oscars for bloggers - it's a big deal. Photos will be taken and the pressure is on to look your best. Well, at least that's how I'm feeling anyway! So I thought that I'd run you all through my pre-awards pamper preparation and how I soaked, polished and treated myself to feel my best:

Hair: I used Redken's All Soft shampoo and conditioner for the first time and they lived up to their name of making my hair suuuuper soft, really smooth and silky. They're lovely and I might be buying the full sized bottles of them before long. Continuing with this mini range, I followed with the All Soft Heavy Cream for a deep conditioning treatment. After towel drying I followed with hair care favourite of the moment:  It's a 10 Miracle Leave In Treatment to detangle and tame frizz before adding in a pump of Amargan Hair Therapy Oil* through the ends.



Body: I exfoliated every inch of myself using The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub - This is a creamy scrub, as opposed to an oily scrub, so it makes a perfect prep for the skin prior to fake tanning. I followed up with the matching Coconut Shower Cream - woah, heaven! Going all out with the coconut theme I rubbed a small amount of Coconut Body Butter on my elbows, knees, ankles etc, (not all over - tan doesn't sit right on moisturised skin for me!), and then whipped out Vita Liberata 2-3 pHenomenal Mousse Tan* for it's first use. As I'm writing this post I've still got the guide colour on and need to wash it off, but I'm very impressed by it so far! The application was so, so easy.



Skin: Possible overdoing it on the skin front, but I exfoliated with Origins Modern Friction exfoliator and then followed up with a detoxing clay mask: REN Invisible Pores mask. I still wasn't satisfied with how congested my skin was looking so used another detoxing mask: Glam Glow Super-Mud Mask (I wrote up a review of this also and it is scheduled to go up tomorrow - it includes some pretty pictures of me wearing the mask, so don't miss it!). Seems silly, but after sucking so much out of my skin with the mud masks, I felt like I had to add something back in, so I used the Vitage Radiance Mask* which is a creamy and moisturising vitamin C mask that breathes life back into dull skin (full review to come in a week or so!).

My poor skin is probably so overworked by now, but there's just one final step for it and that's to use up the last of my Alpha H Liquid Gold solution and then I just dotted a little bit of La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo over the few small spots that are peeking up.

Nails: Finally, I moisturised my feet with Nip+Fab Stiletto Fix (this will also be coming on my trip away with me to soothe my feet after a night of wearing heels, and then a full day of walking around London). I painted my toes with: Models Own Pukka Purple, using a plain white nail varnish as a base to really make the bright neon colour 'pop'. After much deliberation (and an Instagram vote), I painted my fingernails with OPI Pink Shopping, Pink QVC! with Models Own Jack Frost layered over the top on one accent finger. Quick top coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat and then the finishing touch of moisturising hands with L'Occitane Hand Cream. Done!

And breathe. Bed time.

I can't believe that this is my 250th published post!

Thank you again for reading, and for your continued support!

It means the world! ♥

Related post: Chill Out and Pamper

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* Items marked with an asterix were gifted for review purposes. I still use and love them as if they were bought with my own pennies.
--- Check out my October Gold advertiser, Tasha, and her amazing blog:

Hello-Freckles.com

♥

Review: Origins 'Modern Friction' Exfoliator

Hello! Welcome to my long awaited review of Origins Modern Friction ( - it's only me that's been awaiting this for a long time, don't worry). I was talked into buying this top seller from Origins following a free 'mini facial' that can be offered at Origins counters, where you can be given a full skin consultation, have products trialed on you there and then; I had a full cleanse, exfoliate, a pair of masks, serum and moisturiser when I went, and then recommended the products that will best suit your skin needs. My consultant told me that my skin was particular congested around my T-zone and that a good old scrub 2-3 times a week would do my skin the world of good - those dead skin cells need shifting away with more than just a cleanser and a face cloth. 

I had Modern Friction demonstrated on me (in the middle of Debenhams, may I add!), and I instantly expressed how much I liked it ..but when the £33 price tag was revealed I think I did let out a little gasp of horror. I was already 80% sold though because I'd just had it tried and tested on me, but then being showed how as little as the amount I've squeezed out in the photograph below will be more than enough to use, I knew that this could be a skincare splurge that would be worth making. 6 months after buying and the tube is still going strong!

The consistency reminds me of a combination of porridge and rice pudding - soft and creamy, but with lumpy bits in it! Rice pudding could be more of an accurate description for this though because the grains within this exfoliator are actually rice starch (as opposed to porridge oats!). Origins say: "Skin-refining rice starch cushioned in cream, rapidly removes sluggish cells, uneven patches and signs of skin damage and discolorations". 

It can be used in two ways, depending on how much of a scrub your skin needs or how sensitive it is. A pea sized amount can be massaged over dry skin first to really work and give a deep, thorough exfoliation, and then splashed with water to mix up and create a frothy, lighter solution before rinsing away - or it can be massaged onto damp skin straight away for a less intense effect. 

I can't use this too often, because it feels gentle at the same time as being harsh. Sounds weird I know! While using the product is does feel soft and gentle on the skin and it doesn't hurt or cause any irritation at all, nothing like that ..but after using it I can absolutely tell a difference in my skin, to look at and to touch. It feels quite sensitised after use, like a top layer of skin has been removed (well, it has) and fresh, new supple skin has been revealed underneath. Oily skin or dry skin, this will buff everything away and leave gorgeously polished skin underneath - super smooth and glowingly radiant! I don't want to say 'shiny', but it really does glow as the 'flat' effect from dull and dead skin is taken away. 

One last point: it states on the packaging to avoid the eye area. Listen to this advice! It stings like crazy if you get it in your eyes!! I'm thinking this is maybe because it contains Lemon Oil within it (to kick start skin illumination) and that's why it could sting so much!

Origins Modern Friction - £33.00 /125ml | link

(Can also be bought in a smaller size (50ml) for £12.00) 

Thanks for reading!

Have you tried Origins Modern Friction?

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my October Gold advertiser, Tasha, and her amazing blog:

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♥