Charles Worthington Instense Rescue Balm

After having a touch of ombre added to my hair last month, I noticed that the ends were feeling rather dry, so off I popped to Boots to see what they had to offer.  I actually posted about the things I bought here and I thought I'd do a post about my favourite of the three; the Charles Worthington Intense Rescue Melting Balm.  This is part of the 'Salon at Home' range which, as the name suggests, is designed to give you the "salon experience" in the comforts of your own home. 

At £16.99 it's not exactly cheap, but the fact that all the Professional Haircare range was on a 3 for 2 offer, it didn't work out too bad.  The pot itself is also tiny, so it does feel like you're not getting a great deal of product for your money.  However, where this hair treatment is different from so many others out there is that it is in fact a hard, solid wax, almost like a cleansing balm, or coconut oil.  You only need to scoop out a small amount as when you rub it between your palms, it transforms into a light oil.  You then apply this to dry hair, and leave on for around 20-30 minutes.  It's entirely up to you; you can even leave it on over night if you so wish. I definitely prefer this method; you can carry on doing other things while the balm does it's magic, and you don't have that annoying loiter in the shower like you would with the usual post-shampoo treatments.  With it being an oil, you hair will feel rather greasy after application, but clipping it up out of the way stops it being too annoying, you could even wrap it up in a warm towel as the heat would help the oil penetrate the hair.

After this time you simply wash your hair as normal. From the first time I used it, the condition of my hair has improved loads, especially the ends where the, albeit diluted, bleach had dried my locks out somewhat. I think I've used this about 3 or 4 times now, alternating with my Lee Stafford conditioning treatment.  I definitely prefer this one though, even if just for the convenience of applying it before getting in the shower.  The smell is also gorgeous. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that is smells of, but it's really light, yet luxurious, and lingers on your hair afterwards. This product has been around a good while now, and I think the initial hype surrounding it has definitely eased.  However, if like me you didn't succumb to the wonders of it then, I suggest you get yourselves to Boots pronto and give it a whirl! Yes it's expensive, but a little bit really does go a long way and more importantly, it really does work.

Favourite Glitter Polishes

 I'm a massive fan of glitter nail polish and believe everyone should have at least a couple amongst their stash of nail colours.  Even one glitter polish can double the amount of looks you can create with your collection.  They can be applied as a top coat to add subtle sparkle, or with a few coats to each nail for a more dramatic look, perfect for parties.  Add to that accent nails, or gradient glitter effects, there's so many possibilities.  I have a few of these glittering beauties in my own collection and thought it'd be fun to share some of my favourites with you.  These aren't in any order, because let's face it, it was hard enough to choose five without putting them in order too!

No7 gold glitter top coat

This was part of No7's limited edition range last summer, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on this and the silver one.  I love them both, but have had more use out of this one.  This makes a brilliant topcoat over pretty much any colour.  Here it is over Essie's Aruba Blue. I wore this combination to a masquerade party earlier this year (my dress and shoes were blue and accessories gold) and got loads of compliments.  Definitely one of my all-time favourite nail looks!

Nails Inc Chelsea Square

This is a relatively recent addition to my collection, but nevertheless it's shot straight into my top five.  As soon as the lovely Tor from That's Peachy featured it in a blog post, I fell in love with it and ordered it that night.  It's a beautiful coppery pink colour and is perfect for Autumn. Here I've teamed it with Rimmel's Pro in Beige Babe, with just a light coating of Chelsea Square over the top.

Barry M Amethyst Glitter

This was part of a collection that came out late last year.  I abolutely love the colours in this; turquoise, purple, gold, pink and black small hexagonal glitter suspended in a clear base.  As you can see, I've applied this one in two ways; as a top coat for Topshop's Threadbare, and then did two coats for an opaque look.  

Nails Inc Connaught Square

This one is a definite to be applied all over the nail.  It's absolutely jam packed with small blue glitter and larger purple glitter.  I usually do 3 coats of this, though can get away with two if I'm in more of a rush.  I also have another one from this collection, Bloosmbury Square, which is small purple and large pink glitter.  I love them both, but Connaught Square just swings it for me.

Technique Carnival

I think most of you will recognise it as the famous dupe from the OPI Muppet's collection.  I picked this up in Bodycare for a Bargainous £1.99.  This mix of large and small multicoloured glitter looks great with pretty much any nail polish.  I'd normally wear this with a paler colour, but to add a bit of variety I've teamed it with Accessorize's Heart Beat nail polish.

Nails Inc Devonshire Street

I received this dinky little bottle in gift set last Christmas. It's a silver glitter, but is a bit more muted than most silvers I've seen before, it's almost champagne like in colour really.  Again this could be applied all over the nail and built up to a full-on glitter look, or as a top coat like I've done here.  I've applied Essie's Cocktail Bling underneath for a real wintery looking combination. Definitely one for the festive season!

What are your favourite glittering beauties?! Do you own any of these? Any you'd recommend? Let me know!

Skincare Update

I'm sure I've mentioned that I'm currently overhauling my skincare routine, and after making a few more additions today, I thought I'd give you all a sneek peek into what I'm using at the moment while it's looking all tidy in its new storage which I picked up from TKMaxx for £9.99. They do briliant storage bits I've discovered, it took me forever to decided which basket to pick up and I'll be going back for more I'm sure!

 

As you can see, I've built up a bit of a collection! I've a fair few cleansers on the go; I've been using the No7 hot cloth cleanser for a few years now and I'm still in love with it. The other No7 cleanser is the melting gel cleanser which is a bit of a dupe for the Clarins gel cleanser. I'll be reviewing this soon so keep an eye out for that.  My trusty L'Oreal micellar water is tucked in at the back there and we also have my Champneys cleansing balm, which I am yet to try out. It's supposed to be very exfoliating so I'm looking forward to giving that a go shortly.  Lastly for cleansers, there's my newest addition, the Clinique cleansing balm.

My face scrub of choice is again from No7 and is another product I've bought mulitple times. I use this about twice a week but this may change with the addition of the Champneys balm.  I have the Una Brennan tea tree mask which I turn to if my pores are a bit clogged, and I've just bought the Origins overnight mask for use when my skin is feeling dry.There's also my Sanctuary toner which I reviewed here so I won't go into detail about that, and my No7 day and night creams. Lastly I'm currently using two eye creams, yet another product from No7, as well as my new Origins GinZing eye cream.

I also stocked up on some flannels while in Primark.  I followed the rather amazing Caroline Hirons' advice regarding cleansing and got myself enough for each day, with a couple of spares. If you've not checked out her blog, then I highly reccommend you do if you have any skincare queries. Like I've said, some of these products I'm yet to try out.  I don't like to overload my skin with too many new things at once, I'd much rather introduce things gradually, see if they work for me, then add something else in at a later date. 

Obviously the little Rhino isn't part of my routine, I just thought he looked cute perched on top of my flannels! And yes, that's me in the photo, I'm the one in the grey and pink dress in case you were wondering!

Sanctuary Pore Refining Toner

Toners are something I've pretty much always neglected. I always thought they were unnecessary, and half the time it's enough effort for me to remember to cleanse and moisturise without adding extra steps to my routine.  I'm currently in the process of revamping my skincare routine so this seemed as good a time as any to incorporate a toner.  I didn't want to spend loads of cash, so I opted for the Sanctuary pore refining toner from Boots. At £9, it's certainly not the most expensive, fancy toner out there, but it's not super cheap either.  

The toner claims to be suitable for all skin types and helps to balance skin's PH levels & minimise the appearance of open pores without the skin feeling stripped or dry.  It also contains Witch Hazel to help fight blemishes and reduce any redness.  My skin is generally normal to dry, though I do get the odd oily patch occasionally, so I was looking for something to combat this without aggravating my slightly dry skin either.

The toner comes in a blue, spray bottle and is 150mls in size.  I actually really like the packaging, it's simplistic, yet sleek and doesn't look at all cheap.  It could easily be mistaken for a more expensive product I think.  The spray bottle ensures you control exactly how much product you apply; I tend to do about 3 or 4 squirts onto a cotton wool pad then wipe all over my face after cleansing.   With it being a spray, you can also spray directly on the face (eyes closed of course!) as a mist, to refresh your skin throughout the day.  I'm yet do try this as the bottle is a bit big to carry around all day but I can imagine it's nice and refreshing.

I've been using this toner for a few weeks now and I've definitely seen an improvement in my skin.  I'd noticed my pores were becoming more noticeable on my forehead and nose and this toner has certainly helped to reduced them.  My skin is also a lot smoother and noticeable brighter.  It does have a fairly strong smell, it's not unpleasant at all, it just smells like a "real spa" product if that makes sense?  I'm not a fan of using heavily fragranced products on my face, and I always get a little paranoid when I try a new skincare product, but I'm pleased to say I have had no reaction what so ever.

I'm really glad I tried this toner, and I'd highly recommend anyone to give it a try if you haven't already.  It's also available in a smaller (30ml) bottle  for £3.99 which I'm tempted to pick up for travel.

Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover.

You may recognise this from my recent Skincare Haul post. I was looking for an alternative to my Clinque 'Take The Day Off' eye make up remover, and after deciding against the No7 one, I went for the Botanics version. All three of these products are of the oil-based variety, where you have to shake the bottle before using, which I really like.  I find they do a better job, and always follow with a cleaner anyway so oily lids after using them doesn't bother me.

I have used the Botanics one in the past and have really liked it, and attracted to the pretty new packaging, I decided to buy it again.  Unfortunately, the packaging isn't all they've changed.  When I got it home I realised that it had more of a pinky hue to it than I remembered the older version having.   It turns out that they have reformulated the product and, sorry Boots, I'm not a fan! For a start, it isn't as effective as removing my eye make up than the older version.  Since I always cleanse afterwards anyway (or use a wipe if I'm lazy!) I could probably put up with this until I've used the product up, and make a mental note not to repurchase.  My main issue with this is that it makes my eyes feel sore and irritated.  They sting as soon as I apply the cotton wool pad to my eye, and also I've noticed my eyes sometimes feeling sore throughout the next day too.  This is the only new product I've used around my eyes too, so I can't see anything else being to blame.  The old formula was so gentle, and never made my eyes feel sore or irritated and I'm disappointed that this new formulation didn't live up to that. I'm gutted really, I didn't use Botanics religiously, but knew it was always there, and I'd often go back to the eye make up remover, as well as other products.  Sorry Botanics, I think our love affair is over. Sob!