Essentials

 

A big clear out of my make up bag, stripping it down to the bare bones for every day.

Bare Minerals Original, Fair

I was seriously sceptical about this product but it is seriously amazing. I have noticed a marked improvement in the quality of my skin in the two weeks of using this mineral powder which was more than I ever expected. I love how easy it is to achieve a natural coverage.

Bare Minerals Concealer, Bisque

The little magic pot. I was blown away by this concealer, never before have blemishes been covered so successfully without even a hint of caking. I had no intention of buying a concealer when I visited the counter but as soon as it was applied, I knew it was coming home with me.

Bare Minerals Mineral Veil

After watching a lot of bridal make up tutorials, I learned that a finishing powder was a must, so I bought one of these not long after Christmas and have been using it to set my make up. Of course, I find it works much better with the rest of the Bare Minerals range but it sure does its job, and gives a gentle glow to boot.

Urban Decay Naked Basics

I love this palate, you can create so many different looks and the quality is just fantastic.

Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint, Pink and Plenty

I have always loved eye shadow sticks. Just a quick smudge and off you go, simple and effective when you don't have ages to apply make up!

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

A totally reliable concealer which I now use as a back up for really dark/red blemishes.

The Body Shop Define and Lengthen Mascara

An old faithful and something I can't live without!

Loving...

This week I am loving...

Cowshed Cowlick Shampoo and Saucy Cow Conditioner
Every time I go up north I notice how the hard water here in the Midlands makes my hair feel like straw. After our trip to Maiyango, I fell in love with the Cowshed range, especially their haircare. It makes my hair smell amazing (even late into the night!) and my hair is perfectly soft without going lank by the evening.

Fat Face Pyjamas
I was long overdue a pair of pyjamas at Christmas time. When I sadly didn't receive any as a gift, I knew I had to have the pair that I had eyed up in the Trafford Centre before Christmas. Nice and snug new PJ's. I love them!

Bare Minerals Prime Time
What a stunning little product. So light, this primer glides on. I was a little surprised at how orange it was as it came out of the bottle but it smoothes the skin beautifully. A perfect base to any makeup for that flawless finish.

Lush Cupcake Face Mask
Ooh, a pot of chocolate but not for your tum, what a tease! This smells so yummy and is very relaxing. It leaves your skin nice and clear, perfect for a girlie night in.

Clinique Repairwear Uplifting
A little miracle cream. Really hydrating and great for dry patches, puffy eyes and dark circles. And the tub lasts for ages and ages! A definite staple in my overnight bag.

A Quiet Day Oop North

This weekend we are in Burnley again as there is a big match tomorrow, Burnley v Blackburn, local derby. Unusually, the game is on Sunday, early kick off, so that means we have had Saturday to ourselves. With Poppar and Mommar away for the day, we pleased ourselves and headed north to Skipton for the morning.

We ate lunch in a cute little cafe, browsed the popular market (I could not believe just how many flat caps were on sale! Just about every stall sold them!), dreamed about owning the expensive pottery and Lowry paintings in a collectors fair and of course, visited the second hand book shops. 

We bought Mr Bee a new (to us) book, one I loved as a child, 'The Night the Toys Came to Life' by Enid Blyton. I do hope he grows up to like her books as much as I did and still do. (If you are lucky, you may catch me still reading the Naughty Amelia Jane stories over and over!) I was lucky that the local department store had a shop-wide sale on so I may have treated myself to a new Chubby Stick, seeing as I seem to have misplaced my favourite one :(

Whilst on our travels, we got some things together to make dinner for ourselves. Papa wanted mediterranean roast veggies, so that is what Papa had! Whilst they were cooking, Mr Bee and I decorated some Christmas gingerbread biscuits, easy and mess free fun, a great hours entertainment!

 You would be surprised at how much of these he did by himself! Can you spot the smiley face atop the tree on the far left?

And now a quiet evening in the big, very cold house with cups of tea and lots of blogs to catch up with whilst the boys play with Papa's old toys in the loft!
Happy 1st December everyone!

Clinique - Review

So all my blogging friends rave about Clinique, I thought I may as well jump on the band wagon and see if it is any good.

Around this time last year, I started using the Liz Earle range of skincare, suggested to me by Michelle over at Fluffy Mummy. I fell in love instantly, I loved the way it made my skin feel. It did a little to improve my hormonal spot problem, but not enough for me to never go elsewhere.

Most of the responses I got from the blog post I did about using the Liz Earle range tended to go along the lines of 'I use Clinique and it is amazing'! So finally, almost a year later, I decided to take the plunge, visiting a Clinique counter and having a chat with a lovely lady who set me on my way with an expensive bag full of goodies!

So it has been around a month and a half since I started using the three step Clinique method. The mild liquid facial soap, clarifying lotion and the dramatically different gel moisturiser, alongside the other bits and pieces I got in the 'Bonus Time' package.

I was a little dubious of the clarifying lotion at first, as it did seem to sting a little more than I anticipated, but it doesn't seem to as much any more. It really seems to do the trick. My skin feels more alive and perky after using the lotion. Followed by the dramatically different gel, my skin just feels like pure silk.

It certainly is different from the previous Liz Earle regime that I was using. The lovely feeling seems to last longer and happily, the spot situation has improved dramatically! Hurrah!
Even though the advisor assured me that the standard three step would be enough to see an improvement, I didn't quite believe her, knowing what my skin was like, but golly she was right.

I have been using the repair cream underneath my eyes to perk up my tired eyes (from nearly 3 years without a proper nights sleep). Applying it once a day for around two weeks, I have already noticed the skin under my eyes perk up a little. I can see perseverance being a wonder with this cream!

So now I can see why it is so popular. A miracle solution for beautiful skin.
I'm on the bandwagon and I am not falling off!

How do you find your current skincare regime? Do you love Clinique too? I would love to know :)