Sorry!

I'm so sorry for abandoning you all over the Christmas period. Been so busy with family etc. I was going to talk about the wonderful gifts i received over Christmas but tbh, I'd rather talk about the things I've bought during the wonderful boxing day sales :D so here goes...

Lush haul (If you do not know they have a deal on where you spend 20 pounds and get a free gift box worth up to a whopping 30 quid! :O bargain!)

I bought:
Sandstorm soap
Honey i washed the kids soap
The godmother soap
Mister butterball bath ballistic
(For my sister)
Jumping juniper solid shampoo
Babyface solid face bar

So that was it, a bit of a small haul but i don't want to spend too much in one go so i can get a few free gift boxes, in the gift box i got: Candy Cane bubble bar, Satsumo Santa, Lil' Lush Pud, Mister Butterball, and Strawberry Santa shower jelly.

So an utter bargain i think!

Then i ran to debenhams to pick up the very LAST clinique 3 step set, as it was completely sold out everywhere. I couldn't believe there was only one left! But luckily i got it, and i also picked up the Powderazzi set with 1/3 off from Benefit, that's another deal to look out for 1/3 off of all benefit atm! :D

But that was it for today, i hope you've had a wonderful Christmas everybody, ask for any reviews on anything, i wish you all a happy new year! x

QUICK PRODUCT RAVE!

Been a bit post crazy today :P oh well, i just wanted to do a very quick product rave as I've just used it and i really do love it, it's Lush' limited edition Christmas fresh face mask, Santa's rice pudding. It is truly gorgeous and i so wish it was permanent :( the smell is to die for, it smells like sweet almond cake mix lol, and it leaves my skin so incredibly soft! It feels like it has little exfoliating sugar grains but I'm not sure, ooooh and it has cranberries in it, so festive! Everyone i seriously recommend as it will suit all skins.

Okay that's it, bye have a good evening :) x

Update on foundation dilema!

For some weird strange, bazaar reason, my acne-prone skin is clearing up :S i am not complaining but i don't know what i have done. Oh well, on this good note, i took a trip to MAC and decided to pick up the well-known Studio Finish Concealer, and wow it is great stuff. Covers everything. So I've ditched the foundation and have just been using a little dab on my scars, and then setting with powder. It gives a wonderful natural finish yet not completely matte. And it looks like skin because it is skin there is nothing covering my nice skin :D

I cannot wait for christmas!

I am getting the amazing Sigma make up brushes! And money to spend in MAC soo.. I can watch my collection grow before me :D and do a great look for new year!

I might do some tutorials not sure yet, I also might be getting the navy gilet from good old British Jack Wills, what's everyone else getting or is it a surprise?

I know it's early but I'm feeling festive, HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS! :D

GOING ON A DIET!

I've had enough of my unsightly lumps and bumps! I'm going on a diet not a crazy one i just want to drop about 20lbs...

So to kick start it, I'm going on a three day detox, LOADS of water and just fruit and veg.
Then I'm going to start taking either Cider Vinegar supplements, or green tea, and I'm going to lower my calorie intake to 1000, I'm also joining a gym nearer Christmas but for the time being my wii fit will do ;)

Hopefully in this process of getting fitter and healthier my skin should clear up too, but who knows ay?

The only way i stick to diets (or lifestyle changes as some would call it) is by tracking my weight loss, and obviously if i do bad one week you can all scream at me :D this is my way of keeping motivated lol. So drum roll......

I'm 5'7 (average height) and i weigh :(... 154 lbs (i can't believe I'm letting millions of people read this) my lowest weight is about 119 lbs. And this is my highest!

According to the NHS website BMI calculator http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx?Tag=Calculators&WT.srch=1&gclid=CPP6uffgx54CFUYA4wodvXWWqg I am a healthy weight BUT I am very near the 25 mark which is overweight, so i need to cut down, and just for comparison when i was 119 lbs my BMI was roughly 18 which is underweight!

As i said I'm currently 154 - 11 stone, i would like to drop 10 or more pounds before Christmas, don't know if that's possible but we'll soon see. Losing 20 lbs would take me to 134lbs - 9 stone 8lb, this is my initial final goal, but if I'm a full size 10 or 8 before then, I'll stop :D and visa versa if I'm not a size 10 then I'll carry on. But I'm practically a size 10 now, it's just jeans don't fit as a size 10.

So wish me luck, please give feedback and thanks for reading :)

Foundation

A really quick post!

I really need to find a good foundation, something that covers well, but is not cakey. I'm thinking about trying a cream formula but not sure as i don't have completely dry skin. I just find with liquid foundation it is not covering my acne scarring :(

I'm thinking of trying Estee Lauder Double Wear, or Clinique Superfit, or MAC Studio Tech.

If you have any suggestions please comment, I'm stuck!

xxx

An old trend...

A trend I've been sporting lately, is the black nails, they were in a weeks back and they probably still are, so here's a picture ;)

The colours gorgeous as it's pearlised, however it chipped within a day, DO NOT BUY THIS NAIL POLISH! My favourite nail brand it OPI, as i love the size of the brush and the formula i don't have many colours as i don't wear polish on my finger nails that often but for the colours i do have they're amazing!

I really want to try Essie and China Glaze as i hear they're good but just haven't got round to it yet, leave a comment, and suggest colours, I'd love to hear xxx

Mini Haul!

Hello everyone, as it's leading up to Xmas, and I'm well ahead with my Xmas shopping i thought i would treat myself to a little retail therapy ;)

(Body Shop Palette Lilac and Silver £12 and a Colourglide Lipstick: Shade 54 Pastel Rose £8)

(Maybeline Colossal Mascara £6.99, Amber Rose Lipstick £6.99, Dream Matte Mousse £6.99)

All of it, is nothing special but i thought I'd share my thoughts :)

So starting on a good note, i love TBS eye palette, it's extremely highly pigmented and atm it's only £5, however you do get a bit of fall out. Here are some swatches and i literally just tapped my fingers on the shadows.


As you can see i also picked up two lipsticks. Now I'm not one to buy something due to hype, but it gets you wondering doesn't it when it's all you hear about? So i had to pick up the infamous Amber Rose lipstick, the colour is lovely however i realised when i got home TBS Lipstick i had also picked up was pretty similar, here are some swatches Maybeline on top, Body Shop on bottom. One noticeable difference is the Maybeline is a lot creamier, and TBS is more of a gritty glitter.

So as you all probably know, i ran out of a moisturiser, so i popped out to buy a cheap-o one. And i picked up the Garnier Soft Day Cream, it smells nice and does a fair bit of moisturising i guess. HOWEVER AFTER ALL OF THIS MONEY WASTING... I've decided to just buy my Clinique as it's the only thing i can rely on.

And my last two things i purchased were the Colossal mascara, i wouldn't say it volumises 9 times that's slightly adventurous but it definitely volumises with one coat! It is amazing i think this is probably my HG mascara now!!! And the Dream Matte Mousee, now i used to love this when i was younger, but trying it again i really don't know why i did, it makes my skin look so flaky and dry, and it feels like your putting thick gunk on your face yet it only has a light to medium coverage so I'm not impressed.

Oh well, speak to you all soon, hope your having a great start to the week xxx

Love Your Blog Award

To my surprise i was nominated for this by Charlotte http://charlottehx.blogspot.com/, i hadn't even seen this award so thank you so much.

RULES
Post the award on your blog together with the name of the person who has given you the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award!

These are the fifteen I'll be nominating ;) they are just people who i love to read

http://thecurrentcustom.blogspot.com/
http://www.lollipop26writes.com/
http://gossmakeupartist.blogspot.com/
http://www.blogger.com/
http://pixiwoo.blogspot.com/
http://charlottehx.blogspot.com/
http://glam-me-upxo.blogspot.com/
http://sweetchie85.blogspot.com/
http://fafinettex3.blogspot.com/2009/10/ysl-rouge-volupte-lipsticks.html
http://superficialgirls.blogspot.com/
http://beautymarked19.blogspot.com/
http://vivalafashiongirl.blogspot.com/
http://oxfordjasmine.blogspot.com/
http://blababoutbeauty.blogspot.com/
http://makeupbylysette.blogspot.com/

Christmas soon :)

On a more happy note, there's only 25 days until Christmas, now I'm not normally one to get that excited about Christmas, i enjoy the holiday itself, but not so much presents and etc. anymore. However this year I've been making a list of things i might like, (which I'll ask my boyfriend and parents for). And at the top of my list is indefinitely the sigma brush roll set, atm i just have a mish mash of miscellaneous brushes, so i want a nice professional looking set, so that's that. But then i honestly cannot think of anything else to add to it besides vouchers or money.

So far my sister's got me this cute taupey beige scarf, you know one of those thick knitted ones, i love it, it's so warm for winter! And she's also got me a MAC voucher which i will enjoy spending ;)

I was thinking about putting a MAC eye shadow palette on my list but i have no idea which one to choose, what do you guys think? Has anyone got any of the palettes? Here's pictures and information about the palettes I'm interested in...

So leave a comment below about which one you think, or any other ideas, speak to you all soon, bye x

:(

This is juts a quick post because as of late i haven't really made any posts what-so-ever and that's because not many people seem to be following me, so I'd be ever so grateful if any one spreads the word... :) but i will bear in mind that my blog had not been up very long at all.

But anyway I'm going to carry on posting one or two times a week, if any one has a request for anything then just comment below.

I'll talk to you guys soon, bye x

8 Most Worn Things

I've been on a bit of a blogging spree lately lol, this is my third in two days. Anyway, seeing as everyone is doing the 8 Most Worn Tag i thought I'd join in :)

1) most worn lipstick/ lip gloss - definitely my Clinique Delovely

2) most worn earrings - i have this little pack of different coloured studs that i change up every day, i think they were about £2 from good old primark and there are about 8 sets in a pack

3) most worn shirt - i don't really have one, but a new top I'm in love with lately is this pink striped shirt form topshop that i got on sale

4) most worn nail polish - i don't wear polish on my finger nails other than clear but on my toe nails I'm wearing OPI paint my moji toes red (i think)

5) most worn shoes - my new riding boots from Faith, I'm in love with them!!

6) most worn hair product - either Aussie heat protector or the Tara Smith shine spray

7) most worn perfume - as of late, Versace christal noir (great deep scent for a cosy winter)

8) most worn handbag/ purse - a purple quilted bag from Dorothy Perkins

So that's it, short and sweet, hope this gave you a few ideas of something new to try x

PRODUCT RAVE!

Hey guys, this is a bit different as it's not skin care but i couldn't wait to tell you... So for probably about a month now i have been using the Schwarzkopf Bonacure Hair Therapy Repair Rescue collection (that's a mouthful). This includes: shampoo, conditioner, repair treatment, split end serum, and smooth express. I'm not going to go into what they claim to do as you can google it and find out if you're interested, however I'm going to share with you my wonderful experience :)


So the main reason i purchased these was because of the transition of going from blond to brunette, and also the constant usage of my ghd's has pretty much ruined my hair. BUT and this is a big but, this hair care range has transformed my hair completely! When i heard about a split end prevent-er i laughed, i thought nothing could mend or prevent split ends but my god i was wrong. Just before i purchased the collection i had my hair cut and i have not needed it since and it has been over a month, i have no split ends, my hair feels so much stronger, and healthier, it's shinier and just all-round great. Lately i have had so many compliments on my hair it's unbelievable.

I will admit though, i have tried to use the beloved ghd's less, and i do use heat protection spray but other than that it's down to Schwarzkopf, so a massive thumbs up... Now, for repurchasing. I don't think i will repurchase the smooth express as it's just a convenience thing, all it is, is a concentrated conditioner for when you do not have time to use the treatment which i do have time for on a Sunday evening so, other than that i will be repurchasing everything time and time again.

If anyone else has used this please let me know, I'd love to hear how you got on :) Btw this is the eBay seller i bought all of the collection off, and they gave great service and an even better price: http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/The-Hair-and-Beauty-People__W0QQ_armrsZ1

Make up

Now you all know what i do to keep my skin clean and clear, i thought I'd share my favourite make up items to cover my horrid acne scars with you...

First up is my all time fave (drum roll)........
MAC Studio Fix Fluid! It gives medium coverage that's semi matte, so you don't look like you're wearing a mask yet it covers my scars pretty well. As of now i do not use a concealer, but when i need to i use the MAC Studio Stick concealer, which i now see has been discontinued lol...

My favourite mascara is MAC Plush Lash, but atm i have been trying the Max Factor False Lash Effect but I'm not convicted i still adore the Plush Lash!

On the lips, i love tinted lip balms but lately in a clinique gift set i got a Butter Shine Lipstick (i think that's what they're called) in Delovely and it's a gorgeous shade of my natural lip colour just slightly deeper, and it's so creamy and buttery, i will def be repurchasing this baby! Great for the winter months might i add as it keeps them so moisturised!
And that's it really, in summer i love bronzer but i don't wear it so much in winter so didn't think it was worth a mention :) hope this has helped someone somewhere x

Clinique 3 step system

Hey everyone, this is a quick review on my current skin care regime... :)

Back in August i went on holiday to Australia and i only took face wipes with me as i was planning on trying a new skin care regime out there. When i arrived in Sydney i stumbled upon a department store, Myer, and i was looking around and found the clinique stand, now in the past I'd tried their samples and found the regime interesting so i got matched up and bought the 3 step system, i was quite surprised that even though i have acne-prone skin i was matched to type 2 which is for normal skin but i was happy as this shouldn't' dry my skin out.

It has now been 3 whole months of using the clinique 3 step system type 2, and I've actually stuck to the regime :O i know even i was impressed! I am one of those people who likes instant gratification, in other words I'm impatient! Well i have now come to learn you need to give it a couple of months so this was the prime time for me to review these products.

Packaging: Looks expensive, so thumbs up...
Product: I was immediately feeling positive and sort of stupid as I'd spent so much money on skin care, but hey i got over it and thought the more expensive it is maybe the better it works hmmm.. not always the case. So i tried it that evening and i liked the VERY clean feeling, but within days i had come up in these monstrosities on my face, the worst i had ever seen. I went back to the clinique counter and they said it was evidence the products were working so i fell for it and didn't get my money back.

After 2 weeks the painful spots had still not budged, however i had accumulated even more! Yes i could not believe it. So i went back again, and surprisingly i got told it was supposed to happen... so for the next 2 weeks making it a month, i carried on using the products hoping that it could only get better and I'm so glad i did, because i read many reviews that said once people had stopped using this line of skin care they got horrible spots.

Anywho thankfully after this first month they started to clear up, my skin was much more radiant, and cleaner, okay, not every pimple went but this isn't supposed to stop spots it's purely for normal skin so I'm happy, and i hate to tell you guys but the only thing i have found to clear up my spots is the dreaded daily 8 glasses of water but my god do i feel healthier :D

So one essay later hahaa, i hope this has helped x

Just an introduction about me :)

Hello everyone, my names Ellie and i live in sunny-ole England ;)
The main reason i have set up a blog is because i have a love for everything to do with beauty and making people feel happier about their appearence. I for one know how your appearence can really knock your confidence. For a couple of years now i have suffered with acne-prone skin, and it has really shook my self esteem, everytime i see a new product advertised i want to try it just to see if something will actually work...
Anyway, enough about me, onto my blog; i will be posting reviews about skin care products not only for acne-prone skin but for all skin types in general. As well as that, I will also be doing make up reviews as i have awful acne scarring so I cannot leave the house without make up :) but i'm trying to build my collection of make up atm so it will be more to do with the base for your make up rather than bright colours.
I hope you guys find my blog helpful x