Review - Alpha H Liquid Gold

If there were to ever be a skincare product I would say is my holy grail it would be this.

For around the past year my skin has gone full circle. From insanely dry to super shiny. I've had spots so large if I went to the cinema they'd want their own seat. If you want a miracle product that will settle your skin within a week, surely this would be it.

Simply cleanse your face and wipe over with the liquid gold on a cotton pad once or twice a week (obviously depending on your skin, don't go over board, it is acid after all!) and leave off the moistuirzer for the night. Come morning, continue with your normal cleansing routine. I find the difference subtle but I cant help it restores my skin and makes it behave again. Almost like a smack bottom - for your face.

It is pricey, around the £30 mark and your best bet is to get it online. But I find well worth it and it's highly recommended by other beauty bloggers too. Let me know what you think!

Review: Clarisonic Mia

(Clarisonic Mia, pictured with the 'normal' brush head)

Apologies for the time it has taken for this post, I just wanted to ensure that this product received an honest review and as I don't use the Mia everyday it's taken a while!

I eyed up the Clarisonic for months before deciding to go for the plunge and spend a whopping £120. I read God knows how many reviews because, lets face it, that's a lot of money to be spending (Well it is in my case anyway!)

In-case you didn't know, the Mia is the smallest of the Clarisonic family with one speed setting and comes in a range of colours. The outside brushes don't move but the centre ones vibrate. I'm known for my love of pink, but the purple stood out to me more so I went for that one. The final reason for my purchase was the state of my skin. If you have read my post history you'll know I have had past breakouts and wasn't sure what caused them. During the change from Summer to Winter, my skin just didn't know whether it was going to be dry, combination or oily on a day to day basis!

If I'm being truly honest, the straw that broke the camels back was a boil. Yes you read right. A freakin' boil. ON MY FACE! I'm not going for the witch look so I was willing to try anything.

I didn't use the small tube of cleanser which came with the Mia, I just felt that if my skin was truly that bad down to a product, now wasn't the time to be experimental. So I used the Mia with trusty Cetaphil. Now my skin has recovered, I tend to use the Neutrogena grapefruit face wash.

The method is simple. Apply cleanser to your face. Use the Clarisonic in gentle, circular motions for 20 seconds on your forehead, 10 seconds for each cheek and 20 for nose, chin and neck. If you're anything like me, I hate washing my face over a basin, I get water EVERYWHERE (same goes for toothpaste too for some reason) but the Clarisonic is waterproof, so being able to use it the shower was a bonus.

The Good

• The Mia is travel-sized.
• Although it may only have the one speed, you can purchase a "normal" brush, allowing you to use it on your body too.
• Its waterproof.
• It does feel like you've had a mini-facial afterwards.
• Choice of colors (Okay, not that important but still)

The Bad

• The price. I know it can be seen as an investment. I just prefer my investments to be cheaper!
• When it comes to changing brush heads, Clarisonic say "If you are using it twice a day, change it every 3-4 months. This is standard for all of our models". Brush headscan cost around £20.

The Verdict

Okay, I'm not going to lie. I do love the Mia. Do I think it's worth £120, no. Would I buy it again? Yes (somewhere in my head that makes sense).  If you can't afford the Clarisonic, I think using a soft face brush in a circular motion will do the trick nicely but if you've got the pennies, I would go to for it. I do feel that the Mia combined with a good cleanser has help restore my skin and I always feel as if I've treated myself after use. I don't use it everyday. I listen to my skin as and when in needs it. It's totally upto you if you buy it, but the Clarisonic Mia if quickly becoming one of my skincare staples.

Clarisonic to the rescue?

Okay. I did it. I joined the Clarisonic bandwagon. I had to. No. REALLY!!

God only know what has happened to my skin within the past 2-3 months but oh my.

Let's just say I had a cry today over it. It's that bad. The breakouts have become insane, I feel like it's dying of thirst with dry patches and yet it's oily?!?! WTF?! I've never really had problem skin, not even as a teen. The only concern I've ever had is dryness. For a good six months I got into a routine of using Olay 7 Total Effects (Night and Day - Using SPF during the night just doesn't make sense to me) and I felt I had become the closest I had ever been to being happy with my skin. Then the sun came. Ever since that ONE BLOODY WEEKEND OF ENGLISH SUMMER we had my skin has just not liked anything.

At the moment, I'm placing the blame on a number of things:

• My skin hates the sun. Therefore I should stay in bed. Forever. 
• My medication for my bipolar disorder has been changed repeatedly (Ok, this may be a major factor)
• Diet change (Kinder Eggs don't count though right?)
• My hormones have gone insane recently?
• Due to the above, my mood is considerably low
• Trying way too many products trying to rectify the problem!
• God obviously hates me.

So, I'm bloody fed up and have decided, to hell with it all. I've purchased a Clarisonic Mia (in Purple if you really wanted to know!) and I've gone back to the holy grail that is Cetaphil.

I just wondered, if you happened to stumble upon this post, what your thoughts are? Have you tried the Clarisonic? Do you have holy grail products to run back to?

Also, I would just like to add, that if like me, £120 is all you can stretch to (and I struggle to justify that price but time will tell) you CAN use the Mia as a body brush too, just buy the normal brush head (it comes with sensitive). As lovely as the saleswomen were, they did lie saying you would have to buy the plus if you were to use it on your body and for £180 - they can jog on!

So, time will tell. I'm not too sure what will happen when it comes to posting reviews on cosmetics etc within the next couple of weeks, my skin really needs some TLC. That and I pick up a puppy on Thursday! wo0ot! I imagine puppy photos and NOTD will be the way forward for the next week or so!

I will definitely keep you updated on the Clarisonic though!

-x-

My New Love - LUSH

I tried to fall in love with Lush around a year or two ago, and I think at the time, I just wasn't ready for a new love. Or maybe the confusion of the products or different overwhelming scents in the shop put me off? But oh, my, how times have changed!

After watching some videos on YouTube about what the different products are and how to use them, I decided to pop into Lush and give it another go. I was greeted by this lovely guy who was so freakin' cute I wanted to mother him! He was so helpful in explaining how the different products worked and genuinely wanted to help find things that would work for me and my skin. So, I came out with:

• Honey I Washed The Kids (Soap) - Lush says "The irresistible toffee and honey soap. Once you've sniffed it, you've got to have it. On paper, it's difficult to portray the full effect of this honeycomb and toffee scented soap. People who fully intended to walk past a Lush shop find themselves unable to resist its tempting fragrance. They inhale, drool, pick up a big chunk and join the queue for the till. It's hard not to buzz about this one." 

 And my God aren't they right! If there is one product I recommend you try it's this. I felt so clean and my skin more moisturised than other soap I've used.

• Hevanilli (Massage Bar) -  Lush Says "Delicious Vanilla Fountain fragrance harnessed in a Massage Bar. This deliciously fragrant bar melts onto the skin with ease, creating a sweetly sensual, tactile experience. The natural shea and cocoa butters smell of jasmine, vanilla and tonka and will make you irresistible to your masseuse. And if you're the one giving the massage, you may find yourself overtaken with desire."

  I wouldn't quite go THAT far but it is a really nice treat for your skin which I think smells slightly of white chocolate. I use massage bars in the shower after I have rinsed the soap away. I then stand out of the stream of water, use the massage bar as a lotion almost and rise off.

• Strawberry Feel Forever (Massage Bar)- Lush says "Our fruity Massage Bar is made with crushed strawberries and an infusion of hibiscus flowers. It's scented with a delicious fruit-sundae-with-cream-on-top aroma that will make you think of summertime. Celebrate the strawberry feels forever." 

 I want to eat it. It's smells so good! And it leaves me skin feeling soft and supple. Favourite status!

• Sugar Babe (Scrub) -  Lush says "One of our aims in life is to make as many things solid as possible and make them naked, free of packaging. Sugar is already solid of course, but it's still a bit tricky to transport. It's a mix of sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar, which makes it sound more like a cake than a cosmetic, and moisturising coconut oil. It's scented with perfume made from ylang flowers and mimosa blossom, so that we can all smell sensational, too. Become a sweetly smelling Sugar Babe (without all the arguments)." 

 This is fab if you feel like you need that little more exfoliation although I'm ummming and ahhing over the Buffy Massage Bar is better. I think with Buffy, you'd get more for your money and it smells amazing. Although Sugar Babe almost has a calming effect with it.

Have you tried Lush? xx