Pore-tastic!

Apologies for the awful title.

I know a few of you having been anxiously waiting for the arrival of this post and I must apologise for how late it is! Anyway, I believe that I have found the 4 best instant pore-reducing products - and guess what? They're all under a tenner!

Top Clockwise - Soap and Glory Fab Pore Facial Peel, 17 Photo Flawless Primer, Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid, Natural Collection Rosemary and Witch Hazel Face Mask.

Useless swatches I know but these are in the same order as above.

Soap & Glory The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel - £7.15

If you haven't heard of this product then I'll just say, where have you been?! This face mask is amazing because firstly, it doesn't dry the skin out like most pore/oil absorbing face masks. Secondly, it smells beautiful and finally, it works. I apply this for the full 15 minutes recommended and my pores disappear and do not come back for around 3 days! There's nothing more to say about this product except it's so good, and there's not just me saying it!

17 Photo Flawless Primer - £4.99

I can't believe I still haven't done a full review of this product. It is literally A-MAZING! I know that primers are generally expensive and I do believe this is the cheapest one there is but do not be fooled by it's price! This primer is a clear liquid (as you can see in the swatches above) and it feels just like Gosh's primer (which is like a gel/silicone). As soon as this is applied my skin feels velvety soft to touch and it makes applying foundation so much easier. But of course, this post is about pores and I must say - this delivers. Pores are immediately filled in and covered over and all in all, skin looks so much better with this primer applied. I'd say it's the best primer I've ever tried and it becomes a lot better when you see the price.

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation - £8.19

I've had this foundation for a while now and it's a full coverage foundation that perfects skin by filling in the pores. And it definitely does this. When applying this foundation (I use ELF's Powder Brush) it glides over the skin and makes it look perfect. However the only downside to this foundation is that it doesn't last long. But if you use this with the primer above - match made in heaven!

Natural Collection Rosemary and Witch Hazel Face Mask - on offer £0.67

I grabbed this yesterday when spending my Boots points just because I love face masks. I then drove home, soaked in the bath with this applied to my skin. It's a clay based mask so it dries up and once it's dried, you just remove it. I wasn't expecting much from this face mask to be honest but my pores disappeared after using it. It is aimed at skin that is blemish prone and oily but it never occurred to me that it'd help with my pores. But it does. 

Basically I'd recommend using all of these products together (maybe just one face mask though) to ensure your pores are no longer visible. However, if your budget is tight then the one I'd recommend is as follows:

If you wear a lot of make up I'd recommend Maybelline's Dream Satin Liquid Foundation.

If you do not wear make up or little make up I'd recommend 17's Photo Flawless Primer

If you do not wear make up I'd recommend Soap and Glory's Face Mask

If you're on a really tight budget I'd recommend Natural Collection's Face Mask

However I'd say using them all together gives off a better result.

Please not that these are quick fixes and not long term solutions!

Has anyone tried these products? What other pore-busting products would you recommend?

xxx

Liz Earle Spot On

I do have blemished prone skin but recently, it has started to clear up and it hasn't been as bad as it used to be back when I was 13-17 so I'm guessing my blemished skin is just down to hormones. But it's always nice to have a spot treatment around 'just incase.' However, the morning that Liz Earle's Spot On found its way threw my door was the morning that I had one of those awful under the skin spots. I suppose you could say it was good luck.

This spot treatment can be used under make up or over make up. This is something that I definitely found handy as I now carry it around with me at all times; like I said earlier 'just incase.' It's also good to re-apply throughout the day in order to get rid of that nasty blemish quicker. Not only can this be used on spots/blemishes but you can also use it on minor cutes or bites in order for them to heal quicker - I have fortunately not had any of those recently so I cannot comment on the effect but once again, handy to have in your bag!

This treatment contains pure essential oils of tea tree, melissa and lavender plus protective natural source vitamin E to help remove your spots as quickly as possible. One ingredient that you can definitely smell is tea tree and I've also been a fan of tea tree; which is pretty strange as I know some people really don't like the smell. I guess it's because I've been using it on my skin for a very long time now so maybe I've become acquired to the scent? I must add, this smell is pretty strong and as soon as you take the lid off you can definitely smell it. However, when it's on your face it's not noticeable at all.

If you read my blog often you'll know that my usual spot treatment is my trusty Pan Oxyl so this is what I'm going to be comparing Spot On to. Both of these treatments get rid of spots within the same time frame which is around the 2-3 day mark however, the reason that I prefer Spot On is because it's incredibly soothing. It instantly removes redness from the blemish and makes it a lot easier to conceal. It also does not sting, even on an open wound which for a spot treatment is something that I've never experienced before. Unlike my Pan Oxyl it doesn't dry the skin out and it definitely doesn't leave it oily.

Overall, this is a wonderful treatment that is tiny and handy to carry around with you. The rollerball hasn't gotten blocked up as of yet and I can't see that happen. It's easy to apply, treats spots very quickly and also with the added bonuses of not stingy and soothing.

You can find this product here and it retails at £7.90.

Has anyone else tried this? What are your favourite spot treatments?

xxx

Halo Hair Extensions - Review

Around 2 months ago I wrote this post about Halo Hair Extensions and I believe I've finally given them the test that they need in order to write a good enough, truthful review. 

Basically the hair extensions I received were these ones and as mentioned in the post above you receive 2 medium (6 inch) pieces which have 2 clips, 4 small (2 inch) pieces which have 1 clip and 2 big (8 inch) pieces which have 3 clips. 

I must admit that at first I struggled with using the clips but that was just me being an idiot. Instead of unclipping the clips, I was leaving them shut and then pushing them into my hair and hoping for the best - not the way to do it at all! If you are new to hair extensions then I highly recommend you using Halo's How To guide in order to save yourself from looking like an idiot - like I did! But yeah, once I knew how to use the extensions correctly, they were so easy to use! You literally unclip to clip, place it into your hair, clip the clip shut and there you go! These extensions are also very sturdy aswell and all the time I've been wearing them (college, nights out etc) they have not moved out of place.

As you can see in these pictures there is no length added onto my hair and that is because the extensions are the same length as my hair. This is because I chose the wrong sizing - oops! But in the end I'm glad that I did. This is because they look so natural and do exactly what I want from my hair - they add volume! Once these extensions are fully clipped in my hair is so big I LOVE IT! But for those of you who want to know what these extensions look like when adding length..

 

I used them on my mum! As you can see, the extensions are not the same colour as her hair and this is because her hair is a lot darker than mine. But you can see that the extensions blend incredibly well with her natural hair (minus the colouring). She also commented on how you cannot feel them once placed in the hair and how sturdy they are.

I have also washed these extensions a few times now and there has no fall out or loss of hair.

As for Halo as a brand? Well the website is incredible. There are lots of information on the products that you can buy as well as 'How To' videos like I mentioned earlier and tips. Also, if you're unsure on what colour/length to go for there is  a colour picker chart or alternatively you can ring up and ask for advice. 

Halo Extensions are extremely affordable and retail at just £39.99 for these ones in particular which are '16" Full Head Clip In Remy Human Hair in Light Brown #6.' But there are more expensive extensions and also cheaper ones.

If you require anymore information about these extensions or feel as though I've missed something out - please do not hesitate to contact me and I'll answer your question.

Has anyone else tried extensions before? Halo ones? Another brand?

Let me know your thoughts below :)

xxx

Beauty Face Masks Crystal Collagen Face Masks

I was lucky enough to be contacted by Beauty Face Masks to try out their Crystal Collagen Face Mask. I was really excited about trying it out because the concept it completely different to anything I've ever tried before.

The face masks comes in its very own paper sleeve and on the paper it tells you everything you need to know about the mask. This includes what it does, how to use it and information on the other face masks that the company produces.

Here you can see the back of the paper sleeve and the face mask itself.

The face mask itself comes in a silver foil type thing that is sealed incredibly well to ensure that the product remains fresh and so that no spillages are made. To 'activate' the mask all you do is put it in mild water for a few seconds and it's ready to applied.

I thought I'd include a very scary picture of the face mask applied. I must add, this scared my mum! So it's pretty freaky haha. Also, the quality isn't amazing because it's taken off of my Blackberry.

As you can see, the mask clings to the face - it will not fall off of your face! So you don't have to worry about it dropping off in the bath.

As for what the face mask does:

• Anti Wrinkle
• Moisturising 
• Firming
• Nourishing

Whilst I cannot comment on the anti wrinkle part (because I've only used one mask and I don't have wrinkles) I can tell you that my face felt incredibly moisturised after using this mask. So much so that I didn't require any moisturiser that night and the following morning. As for firming? My face definitely felt all lovely after using this and it looked a lot more, put together? If you understand what I mean haha! It was also very nourishing and most of all - relaxing! This is such a lovely mask to apply and has a gorgeous aroma that fills the bathroom. Now, I have pores. Pretty big pores. Maybe medium sized? And after using this mask, they had, well disappeared! I don't know where. But they'd gone! And they weren't just gone for that night - they had gone for around 3 days! Such a quick and easy fix for pores.

Oh I forgot to mention that you leave this mask on for 30 minutes and it can only be used once for obviously hygiene reasons.

This face mask retails at £9.99 and more information can be viewed here.

I definitely recommend trying one of these out because they do work, they're relaxing and they're a lovely 'new' product to try. Has anyone tried one of these masks out? Or are going to?

xxx