Benefit Porefessional Review

I picked up Porefessional when it was a sample with July's Glamour Magazine back in June. To start off with I was quite sceptical about the claim to minimize the appearance of pores. I was always impressed with the formula, and the primer aspect of this product. As it is a balm, it left my skin feeling silky smooth, which made me think of Dr Feelgood, another Benefit Product.

However, I would apply this product, and look in the mirror and think 'this has done absolutely nothing to minimize the size of my pores' it was only after a few weeks that I realised it does minimize the appearance, but it is only after application of foundation that you notice a difference. I wouldn't say it makes pores look tiny, but there is a difference. I think with claims of minimizing the appearance of pores, it's hard not to expect miracles.

This is a nude coloured balm, and blends into the skin like a dream, and this sample has actually lasted me for quite some time. I still have some left. 

I've been applying this to my T Zone and a bit of my face, but not all over as this does have a mattifying effect, so really I've aimed to use it on places that need a little help in that area. Overall I think there has been a difference in how long my makeup lasts, especially on my nose.  

All in all, I would buy this product, however the price tag does put me off a little - £23.50. I'm not ruling out never buying it, but for now I think I will try some cheaper alternatives first. 

Kate x

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Dove Maximum Protection Go Fresh Anti Perspirant

Up until recently, I've been a religious aerosol kind of girl when it comes to deodorants and antiperspirants, which usually means breathing in a cloud of it after application. 

Last month,  I forgot to put deodorant on before heading off to meet my boyfriend and his best friend, which is quite literally my idea of hell - not wearing any form of deodorant that is. It was quite a warm day so I was very anxious to quickly run and buy something to put my mind at ease, and keep body odour at bay. 

I'd seen adverts for 'maximum protection' products both from Dove and Sure, and I decided to give them a go after running into Boots out of sheer desperation. I opted for the Dove Maximum Protection Go Fresh Antiperspirant over the Sure equivalent, simply because I use their body washes, so I'm more familiar with the scents, and I absolutely love the Cucumber and Green Tea body wash, so I didn't think I would go wrong with this. 

It is a little bizarre at first once reading some instructions that come with it, which include applying it at night before you go to sleep for it to have maximum effect. You can even shower the next day and it will still be effective. This is quite bizarre in my mind, but as I understand it, as your body is resting that is when this stuff can work its magic. I have to really make a conscious effort not to reapply in the morning, if indeed I have applied it before bed the night before.

I have applied this both at night, and in the morning and I don't think once have I felt the need to reapply it. Occasionally with aerosols I have felt really sweaty and reapplied it, I think I've even done so on the tube once - classy! I do still get a little wetness in the office, or if I'm anxious but nothing considerable. 

I will advise that if you're not careful it will leave white marks, which is probably another reason it is recommended to be used at night time, so it can dry. The main time I won't apply it of an evening is if I've been to the gym - I tend to just shower the following morning, and I just don't like the idea of using it after a work out. 

I would definitely recommend this deodorant, it takes a little while to get used to, especially if like me you're used to aerosols, it's been years since I've used a stick antiperspirant!

One thing I would advise against is leaving it in direct sunlight, or in heat (a hot car boot for example). I left mine in the boot of my car and it's gone a little funny inside, as though it has leaked. But the actual product itself is fine.

I will admit, it's a little on the pricy side at £5.00 +/- for a stick, but I do think it's worth it. I can't say I'll definitely never go back to aerosol deodorants again, but I do like this a lot.

Have you tried this? What were your thoughts?

Kate x

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Clinique Aglow Blushing Blush Powder Blush Review

In September of last year I went on holiday to New York, and while I was there, I took full advantage of their cheaper Clinique counters and purchased quite a lot of stuff. While I was there I had a bit of a 'make over' at the Clinique counter in Lord and Taylors. One of the products used on me was the Aglow Blusher.

It is a lovely peachy colour with gold undertones, although Clinique describe it as "a soft coppery nude with golden pearl" which I don't think I agree with very much. I especially don't agree with the swatch they have on their website. I have to be quite careful when applying as too much is just too shimmery which isn't a look I like to sport. This blusher looks like it has barely been touched, but I have worn it quite a bit, and it lasts quite well on the skin as well.

I haven't owned any NARS blushers but judging from the reviews I have read and photos I have seen, I'm going to go as far as likening it to their Orgasm Blush.

Sorry for the close up! 

I really like this colour, but my only criticism is to do with the packaging. It comes with a little brush which isn't something I've used (as you can see by the empty gap inside) but as the pan is quite narrow and deep, it's not that easy to get an even coverage on a regular blusher brush. It's not the end of the world, but it annoys me a little.

All in all I really like this blusher, and for the price it is lasting me very well. It is £21/6g.

Kate x

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Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

This is another one of Revlons products that has been very much talked about in the blogging community, but what surprised me is how quickly they appeared in the UK after being talked about the launch in the US.

They are very much akin to Clinique's Chubby Sticks but with a more affordable price of £7.99 (£5.99 in Boots at the moment). There isn't a massive range of colours to choose from in my local stores, so I assume if I came into London I'd see a few more shades.

I've picked it up in Honey Douce and I will say it's a little bit similar to the colour of my Chubby Stick but there weren't many to choose from late on a Saturday afternoon in Superdrug and I really wanted to try one! Although the colour looks like quite a dusky pink colour, but when it's applied I think it is more of a deeper pink, and looks completely different to what I expected when on.

On application it glides on like a lip balm and has a vague minty scent to it. It is quite moisturising, and I found it was fairly long lasting. Once it fades, I found it did stain my lips a little but not by much, so it isn't the most flattering thing on my lips. I found if my lips were a little too dry or a tiny bit flaky then it would really be highlighted, though if they are just feeling dry I think the moisturising feeling in this will help.

All in all I'm quite impressed with these given the price, if I had a lot of money I think I would still opt for the Chubby Sticks, but these are definitely a good value alternative, I'm more likely to buy more from this range right now.

The Just Bitten Balms retail for £7.99 and are occasionally on offer.

What's your favourite shade from the range?

Kate x

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(Sorry for the edit, I realised I'd not included my swatch photos)

Amor Amor by Cacharel

I will be honest, fragrance posts will more than likely be very sparse on my blog, mostly because I adore this perfume, and a lot of other perfumes tend to give me a headache, so naturally I don't want to spend too much money on something that may result in a sore head.

My favourite perfume has got to be Amor Amor by Cacharel. Somebody told me once, if you can't smell the perfume yourself, then it suits you. I don't know if that's true, but I can't smell this perfume on me and I haven't got to worry about this triggering any headaches. 

I absolutely adore this fragrance. It isn't the most expensive scent around, which is always a bonus. I think I started using it when I was about 16, and I haven't really switched since. I've bought other perfumes, but none have been used up quite like this. As you can see from the photo, it is already half empty and I bought it in February I think. 

It isn't just the fact that this doesn't give me a headache, but naturally, the scent as well. I'm not good with describing scents, but I would describe this as being quite fruity. I wear this day and night, so I'd say it can definitely say it is an all rounder perfume. I think it lasts for some time (but given that I can't smell it really, I can't testify to that as much)

If you haven't noticed by now...I don't really know what to say about a fragrance! 

Has anybody else had this perfume? What are your thoughts on it?

Kate x

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Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover Review

This is a product that has been well talked about this year in the blogging community, so naturally I thought I'd give it a go, if for no other reason as it removes the requirement of getting cotton wool and nail varnish remover and having to sit there with stained bits of cotton wool while removing polish.

The beauty of this product is how simple it is - a piece of sponge effectively saturated in nail polish remover with a hole in the centre to stick your finger in, wiggle it round a little and hey presto, no more nail polish!

I actually bought this product a couple of weeks ago, but since buying it, I hadn't worn any nail polish, in a vain attempt of giving my poor nails a breather. Earlier this week, I put on Ciate's Bon Bon Nail Polish with a top layer from the Nails Inc Gossip Girl Blair collection, which isn't always the easiest to remove. It started to chip last night, so I knew it was a perfect chance to try this out! Although this product claims to take "1 second per nail" I would have to disagree with that, but that is for nails with a glitter top coat. It took less than a minute to remove each finger, probably less than 30 seconds if I'm honest, but nowhere near the 1 second mark. 

Getting ready to remove my chipped nail polish!

Like I've said, I think the beauty in this product is the ability to carry this around in your bag, without the need of carrying surplus cotton wool. This has a nice after smell, although when the lid is off, you do still have the familiar nail polish remover smell, but on your fingers themselves afterwards the smell is quite pleasant. 

Common sense, but I would say, be careful how far you stick your finger in if you have any broken skin - I did it by accident, and I knew immediately that I shouldn't have my finger in as far as I did, cor it stung!

I am yet to try this on a regular polish, that is to say one without any glitter in it whatsoever, so I would say that it takes less time for that to be removed, but if I'm honest, I'm not too bothered whether it takes 1 second or 10, it just makes removing nail polish so much simpler, because I hate having lots of cotton wool around me to throw in the bin. I don't know how long this product will last or whether it works out as good value for money, but for convenience it wins hands down!

I know similar products have been for sale for a while, though I have never seen any. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for them in the future!

Have you tried this product, or something similar? What were your thoughts?

Kate x

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Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets

First of all, let me apologise for my lack of posting as of late. It's a new month and I'm going to try and post more from now on. I will admit, I have been suffering from Olympic fever, so that is the main reason for my absence!

This product is probably overlooked quite a bit, but since school I have been using some form of blotting paper. I used to use Superdrugs' own which are a powdered blotting paper, which is something I'd prefer to avoid now, and until June I couldn't find any blotting paper that didn't have a coat of powder, but then Sherrie from Beauty in the Mirror mentioned these in a blog post and I went on a frantic hunt for them. I managed to find them by accident in Tescos when they were on offer!

I work in an office that doesn't have windows, so the only air circulation we have is air conditioning which results in me getting very greasy shiny skin during the day. I would like to point out that my skin is good in all other situations, bar the office where the temperature does waver as none of us have mastered the perfect aircon setting yet. So by the end of the day (occasionally mid day) I can feel that my skin must be so shiny that somebody could see their own reflection in it. That is where this comes in. It blots away the excess oil from my skin, and I feel human again. I usually finish off with a touch up of make up (when meeting the boyfriend after work) and I'm good to go. 

I was getting quite down about the oilyness of my skin as in recent years it has been less oily, but I'm glad that I now have these blotters and have realised that it is only when at work my skin gets like this, so I have my little fix.

I have now tried three different types of oil blotting paper, powder based, some that looks like grease proof paper and these and the Kleenex ones I have to commend, as they have a bit of a backing so the oil doesn't saturate all the way through to leave your hand feeling a touch oily too. I would definitely call this a make up bag necessity, as I now keep them on hand at all times, but like I've said, the only time I really need them is in the office (or on particularly hot days, not that we're getting many of them!)

Surprisingly, these little sheets are purple, with a plain side, and a patterned side. As you can probably see from the photo, you use the plain side to absorb excess oil. There is also a little sticker (under the peel off thing) on the inside that you can use to pull up a new sheet each time you open it up (if that makes sense).

For anybody in the same situation as me, I would thoroughly recommend using these, as powder will look absolutely god awful if you apply it over shiny skin. Or at least, it does on me.

It's worth noting that these will be found in and amongst the skincare products, which may be glaringly obvious to others, but with it being Kleenex I did find myself wondering if they'd be with all the tissues!

Kate x

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