May Favourites | First Half Of The Year Review

As if it's June already? It feels like this year is flying by and soon I'll be doing an end of year review again, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Here are my favourite things from the first half of 2016 so far.

Burt's Bees Hand Salve - £10.99

If you've been following my blog for a while then you'll know that I get dry hands often so I'm always searching for good quality hand treatments and Burt's Bees did not disappoint. I've only been applying it at night time (mostly because it's a bit pricey and I don't want to use it up really quickly) but within 3 days my very flaky hands became smooth and hydrated. 

Since, my hands have gone through phases of getting a bit drier but they have never once been as bad as they have been.

Nivea Lip Fruity Shine Watermelon - £1.99

I had been searching for a lip balm that didn't have too much colour in it and I came across this one and it's perfect! I like to wear it on top of a lip tint during the day to add a bit more colour to it. This is the second one in the Nivea Fruity Shine range I have bought so go and have a look at the other colours they have to offer too.

Simple Spotless Skin Rapid Action Spot Zapper - £5.49

For a few months, my skin started to break out in small white head spots and I tried a few spot treatments that did absolutely nothing so when I used this and it worked I was super happy. It initially reduces the inflammation of your spot and within a day it's dramatically reduced. I am usually left with a small mark where the spot was for a few days but that's fine with me. And since my breakouts keep happening, I'm very glad I have this.

Soap and Glory The Fab Pore 2-In-1 Mask and Peel - £10

I have done a review on this which you can read here. Though I found it isn't actually a peeling mask, it is a refreshing mask that truly makes your pores feel like they are breathing! I love using it once a week to help keep my face as clear as I can. 

Great Modern Artists by Andy Tuohy

I bought this from my trip to Liverpool where I visited Tate Modern. I love the design on it and I've been using it for all the pens and pencils I had laying around my bedroom. I would love to take this to college to show it off but everything I take there looses it's quality somehow, but I'm happy enough with it fitting in with the aesthetics in my bedroom.

Singing in the Rain

My grandparents lent me this DVD and it is such a good feel good and entertaining film. It's great to watch on a rainy afternoon when you're bored. The talent the actors have is on a completely different level to how it is nowadays and I was shocked at how actual humans could do some of the dances that they did. Because it's quite an old film, it's not very expensive so I would recommend going to buy it.

BABOSARANG Katcha and Chandy in Wonderland Diary

Unfortunately, this diary is no longer available but BABOSARANG (you can look at their range on YesStyle.com) have loads of great stationary items so have a look at their other diaries. I have loved the art and cuteness that the diary has and I would seriously be lost without it because I am using it daily.

Posh Pocket Left Brain/Right Brain : 50 Puzzles to Change the Way You Think - £5.99

My college course means that I'm not doing a lot of brain work and, for some odd reason, I missed my high school days where I was challenged in a range of subjects. I'm sure I can't be the only one who has thought this... Nonetheless, I bought this pocket puzzle book which has really challenged me and helped me to think in ways that I haven't done for a while.

Akdong Musician - Spring Vol.1

One of my favourite South Korean artists, Akdong Musician, have finally come back with a new album and it certainly has not disappointed me. As usual, they have brought a range of different styles and moods making it perfect to listen to at this time of year. I love listening to music that matches the weather. "Haughty Girl" is good for listening to in the rain whilst "How People Move" is a really upbeat song that I like dancing to alone in my room. Seriously, have a listen to their album.

What have your favourites been for the first six months of 2016? Let me know.

Soap And Glory | The Fab Pore 2-in1 Facial Pore Purifying Mask and Peel - Review

Pores are always causing problems - full stop. One of the best ways to prevent some of the problems is by using a mask, such as Soap & Glory's The Fab Pore 2-in-1 Facial Mask & Peel. This mask guarantees that your exhausted skin will become fresh once again.

The Product

Said to unclog pores, prevent breakouts and overall detox your skin, this mask and peel is for when you're loosing in your fight against white heads and black heads. It features Rice Microbeads that will exfoliate and polish your skin. As a bonus, rice also has anti-ageing elements.

The consistency is like any other face mask as it is thick and easy to apply to your skin. It has quite a distinctive smell which,to me, is a bit minty with fruity hints - an odd combination but it's nice. 

Though it is proclaimed as a 'mask & peel', it isn't actually a peel and you have to wash it off. It does start to dry but even at that point it is unpeelable which is misleading.

Does It Work?

From past experience with Soap & Glory, I thought I would only notice small differences but I was pleasantly surprised. After you take it off, there is an extremely fresh feeling that comes over your face - a sensation that's similar to the feeling in your mouth after you brush your teeth...

That being said, in the weeks that followed my first application I experienced cleaner and more refreshed skin. 

Conclusion

If you are in desperate need of your pores being purified or fancy treating your skin then I would recommend you try this out. I do think that you'll probably find masks that could give more help to your skin, however. 

One of my main impulses in buying this product was because it said it was a peel and I haven't used a peel in a long time so I was pretty disappointed when I found out it wasn't one. 

Another reason I bought this was because it was half price, but the full price is £10. As I said earlier, there will be other products that'll purify your pores for a cheaper price. BUT, it does work well and if you're willing to pay that price then don't be put off from buying it. Or wait until it's been reduced - like I did.

I give this 3/5

Have you tried the mask and 'peel'? What did you think?

Soap & Glory Clean Getaway Gift Set | Review

Specially designed for travel purposes, the Soap & Glory Clean Getaway Gift Set includes four mini products perfect for when you're jetting off and not taking up space in your suitcase with original sized products. It's also great to give someone for a gift - which is how I received it. And since I have (almost) finished all these products I thought I'd take the chance to review each one of them.

Soap & Glory Clean Getaway Gift Set - £10

Firstly, you don't have to buy this just because you're going on holiday or to buy as a gift - Soap 7 Glory products can be a bit pricey (especially if you don't have an income, like me) so buying this would be great to experience the glory of their products without having to splash out.

The shower and bath gels lasted me just over a week each whilst the body butter lasted around 3 weeks and I'm still using the hand cream now (considering I started using it in November). Though it's not long for each product, it can help you decide what to buy if you want to get the larger product.

Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel





































As with all the products, the shower gel is scented with the Original Pink fragrance and it smells great! Though the scent doesn't stay with your body all day, I have still got a whiff of it at mid-point during the day.

With a 'built-in body lotion', it leaves you with super smooth skin as well as saving you time because you don't need to moisturise when you come out the shower.

The larger version is at £6.50 so I give this a 4/5

Calm One Calm All Stress-Battling Softening Bubble Bath

I don't favour baths so I used this as shower gel (judge me all you want) but I don't think it really matters, right? This also doubles up as a body lotion thanks to it's skin conditioning extracts to leave you feeling extra smooth.

Buying the larger one of these as a present, rather than the whole set, is a good idea especially if you know the person loves their baths, unlike me.

The larger size is £6.00 (a whole 50p cheaper than the shower gel!!!) even though there isn't much of a difference between them so this gets a 5/5

Hand Food

Now, my hands get very dry often as you may know if you have been reading my blog posts since I started so I can get pretty critical when it comes to hand cream. As Boots best selling hand cream (*), I can only agree to an extent.

It has been great to renew my hands when they need a quick bit of moisture but I wouldn't recommend this if you have really dry hands because the fragrance could irritate them even more otherwise. However, if you happen to use this when your hands are suffering then it doesn't irritate them as much as I have known others to, so you could use this as a back up hand cream if you are in a desperate situation.

You can buy this at £7.00 for 125ml, £2.50 for 50ml or a pump version with 250ml for £7.00 and this get's a 4/5 

The Righteous Butter

Another product with the Original Pink fragrance and determined to give you soft skin, you wont need to wear perfume if you put this on after you shower.

Similar with the Hand Food, don't use this if you have more serious skin problems because it will probably irritate it even more, however you could use it on other areas that can accept creams with a fragrance. It is also quite similar to the hand cream because of it's scent and it's purpose but as a body butter this is thicker.

To buy a 300ml pot, which would probably last a life time is £10.00 or you could buy a £2.50 50ml pot. Either way I give this product 3/5

And that marks the end of this review, I hope it was somewhat informative and influences your opinion when you next go to buy a Soap & Glory product.
- Zin

My Top 10 Beauty Products of 2015

Is it the end of another year again already? To be honest, a lot has changed for me since January and I've been very busy so at the same time 2015 feels like the end has been long awaited. Whilst I'm not ready just yet to let go of 2015, I'm also excited to start a new year and see what life will bring to me. I'm hoping it will bring me some new straighteners, actually.

Nevertheless, I have decided to bring my top 10 beauty products of 2015! Some things have been long time favourites, others are newbies and some have saved me from self-hatred.

Without further ado and in no particular order, our 1st beauty product is .....


















Oxg : Anti-breakage Keratin Oil Range (1) (2) (3) £6.99-7.35

We are starting of the list with a product I've never mentioned on my blog before because it is a new favourite! And let me tell you, Oxg may be a new brand for me to try but it is on this list for a reason.

I have had trouble with my hair since my exams finished in June, earlier this year because of all the stress they gave me. Seeing my hair as thin as it was and clogged plug holes blocked with weak, dark blonde strands of hair made me even more stressed. I tried a lot of different hair care products with one eye on my purse and finally found these God-sent wonders.

This is the second time I have bought these products and within a few days my hair felt stronger and was far from falling out. Next thing for my hair is for it to get thicker again.

Skin79 : Superplus Beblish Balm

I thought I better put this friend in my favourites because I may well be saying goodbye to it. I cannot find anywhere online that sells this anymore other than Amazon (and I don't trust the sellers on there to be selling the real thing). If you know where you can buy this then please let me know!

This year, Superplus BB Cream has never not been on my face, apart from when I'm sleeping. I have linked my review underneath the picture if you want to read more about my friendship with this super loyal beauty product. In short, it evens your skin tone, has my ideal consistency and is kind to skin.

Maybelline : Baby Lips Electro Pink Shock - £2.99

We all go into the shop planning to buy one particular thing then leave with again without even touching what we went in to buy. That's the story on how I bought this. I loved the Electro 'Oh Orange' but mine was running out, so I rushed straight to the make-up section as soon as I got the chance to go shopping and saw 'Pink Shock' and bought it. I didn't even glance at 'Oh Orange'.

If you know me then you would have only ever seen me wear this since about April as well as see me apply this to re-moisturise my lips after my lunch. Thank you Baby Lips, you never fail me.

Banila co. : Clean it Zero - £15.00

THIS PRODUCT IS A LIFE SAVER! Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a tad but I genuinely feel lost without this product in my life at this moment. It is a cleansing balm and you can read my review on the link under the picture.

My heart sometimes sinks when it comes to my make-up removing routine. The wiping of the face, the annoying scratching on my eyelid with a make-up wipe to get rid of my eyeliner, then the cleansing and the washing of the face UGH. It is the worst part of my day sometimes. This holy grail would take all my make-up off and cleanse at the same time. That's it. Done.

Quick Fix Facials : Exfoliating Scrub Mask Blackheads and Blocked Pores - £4.99

This is another product that saved me in one of my darkest times. It let my pores breathe a sigh of release once every few days - and still does.

I rarely get spots any more (lucky me, I know) but I do get clogged pores that I can only see when I inspect every millimetre of my face for 15 minutes in front of a mirror. Then I can see them when I see a reflection of myself in a shop window 10 feet away from me. Not good. Something had to be done. And this is what saved me. I can see inside every pore on my face now. Almost....

Simple : Kind to Skin Foaming Cleanser - £4.49

This cleanser is simpley the best. *wink wink* I have mentioned before how this is my everyday cleanser and it's great. I must have bought this 4 times now since I first started using it. Though I said what a drain it is to remove my make-up and then cleanse, I know that this is going to clean all the make-up out of the little crooks and crannies on my face. Because you do know that a make-up wipe doesn't remove all of the gunk on your face, right?

The Body Shop : Japanese Cherry Blossom Fragrance Mist - £8.50

This fragrance isn't one of my all time favourites but it is one that I use often and it great for an everyday scent (more in my the post that is in the link above). Not only is it a very pretty and not too fancy, this is not your widely popular fragrance that your Dad bought you for Christmas that every female in your village has, oh no.

I would recommend buying a fragrance from The Body Shop, maybe even this one, if you want a casual everyday scent that not everyone has smelt on everyone else already.

Soap & Glory : The Scrub of Your Life - £7.00

Don't we all hate that dry patch in that really awkward place and moisturising whenever we can remember just doesn't help it? Well my awkward dry patches have gone and even my dry and cracked heels on my feet have started benefiting thanks to The Scrub of Your Life!

I don't know if this is meant for feet but it has certainly helped them to start healing. Plus it has a wonderful scent of Soap & Glory's 'Original Pink' fragrance, which is fruity, flowery and a teeny bit musky. Perfect for that love-yourself feeling in the shower.

Well that's the end of the show folks! Let's wish that the new year brings many more new beauty products that I will fall in love with, a pair of new straighteners and happiness. Happy new year!
- Zin