Clinique 3-Step Skin Care Facial Soap Mild

For about 4-5 years now I have been an avid user of Clinique's 3-Step Skin Care routine. Depending on the time of the year I switch between 2 or 3 (which denotes skin type). My Mum bought me a replacement facial soap for Christmas as I am now down to the tiniest sliver of soap. 

The Clinique Facial Soap comes in bar form but it also comes in a liquid form. I have always favoured the bar form as I felt that it would last longer, and after having tried a travel bottle of the liquid cleanser I prefer the feel of the soap bar. I found that the liquid soap was quite tingly, almost as though there was mint in it or something. I'm pretty sure it all boils down to personal preference between the two soaps.

I really get on well with this soap, from time to time I will stray to other brands but I always come back to this one. I feel like this thoroughly cleans my skin without feeling any residue on my skin. I like that I can just lather this up and rinse it off, it is such a fuss-free cleanse. 

I don't feel tight skinned after using this, and I think if I've been using this for so many years now without complaints that definitely says something. 

The Clinique Facial Soap bar is available in two sizes 100g (£11.00) or 150g (£14.00) personally I think that the 150g bar is better value for money, and I really am not joking when I say that this lasts for a long time. 

Kate x

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Life in photos #1

01. Chocolate treats at a girlie night in. Ashamed to say that I ate too many cadbury's fudges. 

02. I have my boyfriend well trained in making me hot chocolates with frothed milk, marshmallows and squirty cream. 

03. I was locked out at work after having the locks changed, so I waited in my car for someone to come and let me in. I work in rural Suffolk so I have some nice views.

04. I have new trainers for the gym and I absolutely love them. Much nicer than my old battered pair from when I was about 13. 

05. Out for an evening drink with the boy after going for a yummy chinese meal. I love shredded duck.

06. My boyfriend's Mum bought me this little chocolate angel from ChoccyWoccyDooDah on a trip to Brighton before Christmas. This is the before picture. You can probably imagine what the after picture looks like. 

07. A view from one of the two office windows last Monday. Snow looks so pretty when you don't have to drive in it.

08. Waking up to this last Tuesday was not fun. I busted out my super warm coat from when I lived in Berlin. Function over fashion. 

09. I went to see Django Unchained on Saturday with the boyfriend. It was actually the first certificate 18 I've seen at the cinema. 

This is my month of January so far in photos. I haven't done a 'photo' blog post before, so I hope you enjoy this! I always enjoy seeing what other bloggers have been up to. 

Kate x

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Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector for Sensitive Skin Review

When I first heard about BB creams they were a wonder product only available in Asia, shortly after that the first few started popping up in shops over here. One of the first BB creams I was aware of was the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB cream. 

It took me a while to get used to the formula of BB creams as before then I hadn't really been wearing anything aside from powder and concealer. 

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector is available in a few shades, and since I am fairly pale I opted for light. On first squeezing this product out, "light" still doesn't look all that light. However, I can't say I've noticed myself having any tell tale tide marks along my jawline to suggest this is a shocking match. 

I tend to use this product during the week when going to work as it is so simple to just squeeze a little out and apply with my hands like I would my moisturiser. I can't say I have ever tried to apply this with a brush, although I have seen some videos with other bloggers using a one. In all honesty, before work I want to apply my make up as fast as possible and this kind of product allows me to do that.

Coverage wise this is fairly light, but enough for my skin tone to look fairly even. One thing I have found with this product is to use this sparingly. Too many times I have squeezed a little too much out and it has felt quite heavy on my face while finishing the rest of my makeup. The creamy formula allows the tiniest amount to go a long way. I'm talking probably a pea sized amount or less.

This lasts quite well during the day, and I can't say I've ever noticed it going patchy or overly orange. I've only ever tried one other BB cream and that was from MUA (review here). The other big plus for me is that it doesn't excessively highlight any dry patches on my face which is something I'm very conscious of in this cold weather.

I know some people prefer to stick to their foundations in winter for a fuller coverage, but this is perfect for summer months with added SPF 25.

This is £9.99 for a 50ml tube which is more than most foundations and a little bit really does go a long way. You can find this online or in most drugstores or supermarkets with a beauty/skincare section.

Kate x

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Pandora Jewellery

When I first heard of Pandora, I will admit I wasn't a fan. I genuinely couldn't see what the attraction was, until a conversation cropped up with a friend who had a bracelet from Pandora with multiple charms. She had a story for each charm, who bought it for her and on what occasion. That's when it twigged for me why they are so popular.

Last Christmas I asked for a Pandora bracelet and have been adding to it ever since. Each charm has a memory, and I am incredibly fond of it. I rarely used to wear bracelets, this is one of the only bracelets that I wear regularly and I try to take good care of this.

Two of the charms stand out the most to me, namely the heart and the Brandenburg Gate charms. Both are presents from my boyfriend, the heart was for my birthday in June which was when we went on holiday together to Berlin for the first time. The Brandenburg Gate was for Christmas and was hard to get hold of - my friend living in Berlin bought it and sent it over after I sent her the money (on behalf of the boy). 

The beauty of the Pandora bracelet is that they are so individual - I highly doubt that anybody else has the same 'configuration' as me. They also do necklaces and a variety of other jewellery. 

What do you guys think? Do you have a Pandora bracelet or something along those lines (Troll Beads etc)? What memories do you have behind your charms?

Kate x

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Favourite products from 2012

We're well into the swing of 2013 now, and while I'm sure this will be a fantastic year, I thought now was a good time to share my favourite products of 2012. The majority of which I have mentioned or reviewed in here, but like with all products some definitely outshined others.

01. Essie Nail Polishes - I'm very new to Essie Nail Polishes but since I managed to hunt them down in mid November they are the only nail polish I've been wearing and I now own 6, all of which are beautiful and last on my nails for a long time, making them the best nail polishes I think I've ever bought.

02. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask - I've been moaning about having dry patches of skin for a few months on here now, and I'm sure a couple of you may have been thinking 'well do something about it already!' and that I did, this was one of my purchases to combat my dry skin and I love it. This has become one of my favourite masks because not only does it leave me with hydrated skin in the morning, I can also just wash it off in the shower without having to worry that I've missed a spot like I do with my clay masks.

03. MAC Lipsticks - Before this year, I did own two MAC lipsticks, but this year has been when I've really been into them. They have beautiful colours, the lipsticks themselves feel lovely on and they also smell divine. My favourite of the three I purchased this year has to be Vegas Volt, and a review should you be interested can be found here.

04. Yes! Nurse Protect Your Lovely Hands - Over recent years I have begun to notice how dry my hands have been getting and I have bounced between handcream brands to try and find one that helped my hands the best without being too greasy. This is the one. I love it.

05. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - I received this palette for my birthday in June this year, and I don't think I've put it down since. I already owned the original Naked palette which I still love, but I've found for everyday colours I steer more towards the Naked 2. This year saw the launch of Naked Basics Palette which initially I scoffed at, but now I'm getting more and more tempted.

06. Hydraluron - This goes together with my love for the Origins overnight mask. Both containing Hyluronic acid which helps plump the skin and hydrate. I tend to use this at night, but when my skin is really dry of a morning I will slap it on too. A review is to come, but I wanted to give it a good road test before declaring my love for it like everyone else.

07. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Foundation - Up until this year, I rarely wore foundation, but after realising how rubbish my skin can look without foundation I decided to break it out again. In June I got a free sample of the hotly anticipated YSL foundation and fell in love. I now own a full size, which although may be a little dark for me in these winter months offers brilliant coverage without feeling heavy.

08. Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets - The last time I'd used shine absorbing sheets was back when I was at school, and then I used the type that have powder infused onto them which if not careful could come off looking quite patchy on skin. I wanted to get back into using these sheets as they are so much easier to carry than powder and powder brush. Thankfully I found out about these beauties and yesterday I bought my third pack.

What are your favourite products from the past year?

Kate x

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