Antipodes: Aura Manuka Honey Mask

 

Hii Lovelies!

This little beauty of a face mask has been on my wish list for such a long time, and finally a month or so ago i finally took the plunge and ordered it. I'm on a real Antipodes kick at the moment so this is the second, out of three products reviews. I've already raved about their Divine Oil, you can check that review out here!

Antipodes products boast a whole host of lovely ingredients, with many of their products being certified organic. Now if you've followed my blog for a while you'll know I'm an avid fan of the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel Mask, so it takes a lot to impress me. This mask uses the traditional New Zealand remedy of manuka honey, which is known for its anti-bacterial and hydrating properties. Perfect for me as i suffer with dry skin and blemishes! Its thick in consistency but a little goes a long, long way and the smell is just divine, the vanilla pod really stands out to me and there is just something about vanilla i find so relaxing!

I've been using this in rotation with my Papaya Enzyme as both work for different purposes. I'll use my Papaya first, as an exfoliant and then this to hydrate my skin after on a twice weekly basis. Even with all the hydrating claims its not at all heavy on the skin and leaves my face feeling soft and refreshed, so  I can see this working for nearly all skin types. Needless to say this is little gem has now become a permanent part of my skincare routine. I absolutely adore it!

 I purchased mine from Feel Unique for £21.50, and for 75ml of product is quite a steal for something so lovely! You can check it out here.

Feel Unique often have coupon codes running so keep your eyes out for one of those. You can currently save £12 on any order over £100 with the code 12offjune13.

What is your favourite face mask?

Facebook | Twitter| Instagram| Bloglovin 

She Said Beauty | Youtube

xox

Darling Girl - Skin Quenchers

Ello lovelies!

Darling Girl Skin Quenchers are probably my favourite body care discovery, ever... and thats really saying something! I first discovered these last year when i ordered Black Raspberry Vanilla on a whim with one of my orders and I'm so glad i did! I'm now on my second bottle and i ordered a few more scents to play around with too! 

Skin Quenchers are a dry oil spray and they smell absolutely beautiful. I'm a big fan of dry oil and love Elemis Frangipani, but not only is it hideously expensive, its also a pain in the bum to use as you have to warm it up first. Skin Quenchers come in a spray bottle so they are easy peasy to apply. Whats lovely about them is that they aren't greasy and sink into the skin pretty quickly, so they are easy to apply in a rush in the morning. I love to apply them after a long bath. They also leave a slight scent to the skin, which i really love.

I'm terrible for remembering to use body butters, so these little beauties are incredibly handy for me. I suffer with extremely dry legs, to the point that when they are at their worst a lot of body butters will sting and leave my legs sore. Skin Quenchers are the only thing i have found that solves this issue, they also work brilliantly on dry elbows too! My absolute favourite scent is Black Raspberry Vanilla, it smells divine!

Basically, I'm head over heals for these little gems and will continue to repurchase them for as long as Darling Girl makes them. Priced at $6.25 they are a fraction of the price of higher end body oils and in my opinion, work a hell of a lot better. I'd wholeheartedly recommend checking these out, or some of the other amazing products Darling Girl stocks!

You can find these and the rest of the Darling Girl product range here.

I'd also just like to add, although this is a rave review i am in no way affiliated with the company, i just really love their products. :)

Whats your favourite dry oil? 

xox

Christmas Gifts, the Beauty Bits! + Boxing Day Sale

Ello lovelies!

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas! I had a lovely one and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the bf and the family, but with all the good food I'd be suprised if i can fit through the door by the end of the week the amount of cheese and crackers I've consumed, ooops! Present wise, I've spoilt rotten this year. I was absolutely over the moon with everything i received and i had to say the boyfriend did an absolutely AMAZING job! So i thought I'd leave out the smellies, chocolates and other bits and bobs i got and share with you the beauty goodies!

·  Disney Scented Candle

·  Large Yankee Candle - Red Velvet (ERRRMERRRGERRRD. I love my boyfriend)

·  Lush - Bubblegun and Mint Julips Lip Scrubs

·  Too Faced - Sweet Indulgences Palette

·  Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel Mask

·  Disney Villians - Nail Polish set, eeee!

·  Clinique - Bold Eyes To Go (Soooo excited to try Bottom Lash!)

·  Urban Decay - Smoked Palette

·  Urban Decay - Naked Basics Palette

·  Mac - Soft and Gentle

·  Lush - Snow Fairy (and a whole load of other lush bits not pictured)    

And if that wasn't enough...

 

Oh Manifesto, why you smell so good? I knew i was getting this bad boy as i did the majority of my Grandmas shopping! Its a more sophisticated scent that i usually go for, but its beautiful!

Since my trip to the USA i have been bitching every time i spotted Marc Jacobs Dot after regrettably passing it up at the airport. Apparently men do listen! My lovely other half got me a mahoosive bottle, bless him!

Now on to the sale stuff...

 

 I am one of those weirdos who checks online on Christmas day to see what offers are on and there were some corkers! After spotting all the (out of stock) ridiculously discounted perfume sets a few days after Christmas last year i was determined to snag a bargain this time round. So with my Christmas pennies burning a whole in my pocket off i went to town pretty early Boxing Day morning. Diesel Loverdose was reduced in Superdrug to £19.99 from around £40 and Especially Escada down to £15 from £32... score!

Boots wasn't as impressive as they were only offering a third off their sets (last year it was half price). But at £13.33 i couldn't resist these, plus i had enough points for one so it really was a bargain. Fantasy, although i am not a Britney fan, is one of my all time favourite scents. And I'd been eyeing Wonderstruck for a while, again not a Swift fan but it does smell amazing.

Think a no buy is in order now...

Did you get any beauty goodies? Or pick up any bargains in the sales?

xox

My Skincare Routine

Ello lovelies!

Over the last few months I've had quite a few requests for a skincare post so i thought it was about time i got one up! I'm pretty boring with my skincare and more or less stick to the same staple products with the odd new thing thrown in every now and again for good measure. For reference i have quite dry / sensitive skin and over the past year or two my skin has been slightly problematic with breakouts every so often, nowhere near the severity of acne, but still enough to get right on my nerves! I've found a routine that is more or less perfect for my skin, i just need to find a way to battle pesky blackheads! So onto the products!

Simple Cleanser & Toner

I've been using these two for absolutely years! Having a beauty therapist lecturer as a Mother has meant I've been cleansing, toning and moisturising from my early teen years. These aren't very glamorous and are cheap as chips, but they do the job. I generally only use the cleanser on my lazy days, when i can't be bothered to cleanse and polish or whack out the Clarisonic. The toner i use on a daily basis and if my skins being overly problematic i add a drop of tea tree to a spray bottle mixed with toner to help calm it.

Soap and Glory Fab Pore Minute

This second or third tub on this little beauty. I use it twice a week on my nose to try and combat my blackheads, it helps temporarily but has no real long term effects. But it makes my pores feel and look smaller in the short term.

Rose & Co Apothecary Rose Petal Salve

One of the only good things i received in a beauty box. Feels so much nicer on the lips than Vaseline and i find it a lot more nourishing. Has its place permanently next to my bed before i go to sleep to banish dry or cracked lips.

Oilatum Natural Repair Moisturiser

This really does live up to all the hype. I've been using this almost constantly over the past year and i really would not be without it. If you suffer with dry skin, you need this. Again its not a fancy product but it does the best job at moisturising the skin. I picked up an Embryolisse at IMATS and it does not stand up to Oilatum, its just not as moisturising. I really could not recommend this product enough.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

I really don't need to say much about this do i? Its so hyped online and I've got to agree with all the hype, its a fantastic product. Works great with a muslin cloth and with my Clarisonic, i love it!

 
Etat Pur Salicylic Acid

A new addition to my routine. I'm using this at night in an attempt to rid my nose of blackheads, I'm not sure if its having a huge effect yet, but I'll be sure to do a full review once I've given it a good ol' testing!

Elemis Fruit Active Mask

Its a good mask, but its not my favourite. Elemis is on the pricey side for me and I'm currently out of my favourite Papaya Enzyme Peel Mask and desperately trying to be good and use this one up. On the plus side Fruit Active smells AMAZING, maybe even better than Papaya Enzyme, i just prefer the results with the peel.

Origins Drink Up Mask

I recently reviewed this beauty, you can read that here! Again its another corker of a product, great for dry to normal skin.

Clarisonic Plus

I'm a bit naughty when it comes to using my Clarisonic Plus every day, but when i remember i really do love it. Do i think its worth the money? Meh probably not, the Mia or Classic is a much better choice although still an expensive one. With regular use i really see a difference in my skin, it feels smoother and i have a lot less break outs, i just need to be better with using it! I really don't use the body brush in this either and would of done fine with the Classic model, but no, i had a Veruca Salt moment and wanted the PLUS! Hehe.

So that's it! My entire current skincare routine.

What are your skincare staples?

xox

Elemis on QVC - Today's Special Value

Hello Lovelies!

Just a super quick post for all you Elemis fans out there! QVC have a very special Today's Special Value set running today! It contains five FULL SIZE products from Elemis worth well over £100! Me and my crazy Mother have already purchased four of these! 

This set is £39.96 + P&P for one day only!

The Pro Collagen Marine Cream is one of my Mums all time favourites from Elemis and on it's own would cost more to buy than this entire set! This is phenomenal value for money and would make a perfect Christmas gift!

Check it out here!

It's not even December and I'm already so excited for Christmas!

Have you got any great gift ideas? Let me know!

xox