Ciara-Rose

Last week I did my usual ''go to Boots for one thing'' and came home with a bag full of things that I want but don't really need. My skin had been breaking out recently so I spent some time looking through the skincare aisle when I came across these new face masks by L'oreal. I'm a huge fan of  the L'oreal Infallible foundation and their products generally seem to work well with my skin.. so at £5 a piece, I couldn't not try out these two new masks. 

One thing that was definitely missing from my skincare routine was a brightening/illuminating face mask - hence why I was immediately drawn to the Pure Clay Glow Mask by L'oreal (pictured above on the left hand side). I've swatched it in the image below (on the right) and as you can see it's an orange/red mask with exfoliating beads which aim to exfoliate the skin without drying it out. L'oreal have mentioned that this mask has been created using three pure clays combined with Red Algae Extract to help brighten and illuminate. I leave this mask on my skin for 5/10 minutes and remove using a damp muslin cloth. I find this product to be great for brightening and illuminating however I do prefer to exfoliate using the Pixi Glow Tonic which I find gives much better results in terms of exfoliation. Nevertheless, it's a nice mask for a pamper morning/night and for those wanting to add some glow to their skin.

Clinique are a brand that seem to be overlooked slightly, but their counter is always where I run to if I'm running low on moisturiser, or just need some skin advice. 

Back in September I posted a review on the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm, and since then it has become my number one cleanser.. I managed to use up the whole 200ml pot in just a few months! Taking the price of that balm into consideration, and the fact that I used quite a bit in a short space of time.. I was keen to try an alternative option, which is when I came across the 125ml Clinique 'Take The Day Off' Cleansing Balm.

I use this balm  pretty much the exact same way I used the Emma Hardie one. I firstly remove eye make-up and most of my foundation with the Garnier Micellaire Water (which is  an absolute god send for those nights when cleansing is just too much effort), then taking a pea-sized amount of the Clinique cleansing balm, massaging it into my skin in circular motions and removing with a damp muslin cloth. TIP - don't waste your money on expensive muslin cloths from high-end brands, you can buy much cheaper ones in Boots and they're just as good!

The balm itself is scent-free although it doesn't turn as oily as the Emma Hardie when massaging into your face, which makes it feel a bit less nourishing to be honest, but keep in mind that this is almost half the price of EH, and has 25ml more product!

Having said that, this balm does a fantastic job at removing any make-up residue, cleansing the skin and leaving my skin feeling soft and smooth. My only criticism is that my skin does not feel just as moisturised after using the Clinique as opposed to when I was using the EH, but my moisturiser takes care of that.

A few weeks down the line and I'm still enjoying this product, and for £22 I think this balm would be great for any skin type while the 125ml pot looks like it will last quite a while. Although my skin type is combination/oily, I suffered with dehydrated patches down the sides of my face before using the EH. Since switching to Clinique, I still haven't had any issues so I'm curious to see how my skin holds up over the next few months! All in all, I'd give the Clinique Cleansing Balm 8/10 and I'm sure I'd re-purchase at some stage in the future, although I have to say, the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm is still top of my list - I don't think that will ever change! 

You can purchase this product at Feel Unique, Look Fantastic and Debenhams!

Please leave any cleansing balm suggestions in the comments below as I'd love to try some more! The Elemis one is next on my list of products to try!

Thanks so much for reading... 

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Yearly favourites are up there with my favourite posts to read/videos to watch. I'm always so intrigued to hear about products that somebody has been loving for not just one month, but a whole entire year, which goes to show how well the products work in the long-term. Although for most areas of make-up and skincare I've pretty much found products that work perfectly for me, there's always room for better discoveries.. not to mention when Look Fantastic sends you new offers via email on a frequency that is not so good for my bank balance. But who can resist?

An explanation is in order for the lack of posting lately.. final year of college life has taken over everything the past few weeks and today is the first time in what seems like forever that I've been able to actually spend an hour doing something other than research or write-ups! I predict I'll be mega busy from now until Christmas, so please bear with me while I get my life in order.. *weeps*  

Moaning aside, I had been contacted by a lady from the Love Me Beauty subscription service a few weeks ago, who had kindly sent me over this lovely box for review. In the past, I hadn't been interested in subscribing to beauty boxes as you're usually unaware of the products you'll receive, and whether or not they'll be something you'll actually like and use.  This is where Love Me Beauty has really upped their game.

A very simple online questionnaire helps determine what products will benefit your specific skin type, hair, body etc, and based on the answers you give, the specialists handpick the products you'll receive! I was really surprised at the selection of  amazing brands to choose from, including Too Faced, Lord & Berry, Nuxe, Malin & Goetz and NailsInc (although these products are switched up quite regularly, and obviously you mightn't receive the same products as it is dependent on how you answer the questions.) You can check the Love Me Beauty website for more info on how the service works! (The prices are usually 70% lower than high street prices, and you can use discount code - ciara50 for 50% off!! )

The box itself arrived really quickly and I've been spending the past few weeks trialing the products, some of which have really impressed me! You can see my review of the products below..

The team at House of Fraser have announced that between Monday 7th September (NOW ON) and Tuesday 22nd September 2015 (inclusive), they will be having a '£10 off Beauty Confidential Event' both in-store and online. The event allows us make-up and skincare addicts to receive a very generous £10* off one of our favourite beauty products when we purchase one of their favourite products featured in the list below. 

So why not give your autumn/winter make-up and skincare stash a refresh with the award-winning products handpicked by the team of beauty experts at House of Fraser? 

I picked up this Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanner for face a few months back although it has only been this past few weeks that I've been using it everyday. Now that its summer, I prefer wearing a lighter coverage foundation or tinted moisturiser - my favourite right now is the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue and since I accidentally picked up a shade too light for my skin tone, having a natural bronzed face helps to create the perfect colour for me.

I apply this with a cotton pad, sweeping it all over my face and making sure to avoid eyebrows and my hairline so that it doesn't stick or cling to these areas. You can apply this both morning and night but I prefer to just apply it on mornings right after my moisturiser and before primer or foundation. 

It gives a really natural looking bronze to the skin and never looks orange or streaky. The bottle lasts a long time also, as you really don't need a lot per application, however I must say if you want to maintain the bronzed look on your skin, you will have to reapply every other day at least as it does fade due to cleansing and exfoliating.