Maxfactor Smoky Eye Effect Review

I had my eyes on these smoky eye effect eyeshadow pens from maxfactor since they were first released and managed to get two on promotion as a free gift with purchase of a mascara. Although I feel confident doing a brown smoky eye, I have always struggled with black in particular and thought this would be the perfect solution.

I got ‘Silver Storm’ a grey and purple and ‘Onyx Smoke’ which is black and white. I have tried to show the transition between the two colours once blended, which is meant to give the smoky eye look.

The swatches look great, and the product applied smoothly and is very creamy, so I was confident this would work well. Unfortunately, it only works well on your hand. There are no instructions as to how best to apply, even in the store promotions. I applied primer potion and started with step one, applying what is quite a thick crayola like stick all over the lid, step two is then a more tapered stick which allows you to apply in the crease and along the lash line very precisely.

The blending is not easy, and I found the more I tried to work the stick over the first eyeshadow, the more it moved around and left gaps of no colour. I used a concealer brush to blend into the brow a little and make it look more finished, which worked well, but wasn’t ideal. When I tried using my finger, I ended up removing a lot of the colour. The end result wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t what I had hoped for either. The colours are subtle, but it was quick to do, about 2 minutes max.

Although I could not see it in the mirror, after taking photographs, I could see just how much the eyeshadow creased, and I had only been wearing it for about 5 minutes! From the photographs you can hopefully tell, that with these two colours there isn’t really much of a difference, I probably could have gone out with my eyes differently without anyone noticing (although they may be distracted by my freehand attempts at winged eyeliner being dramatically different!)

I really like the colours, it just a shame the finish doesn’t live up to the claim. I originally thought I might try and make use of this as a eyeshadow base, but because of the creasing, I don’t imagine that will work. I will have another attempt otherwise will hope the mascara works well, be happy that I didn’t pay for these, and go back to practicing with brushes and powder eyeshadows!

Quick Review - Simple Eye Makeup Corrector Pens

The Simple Eye Makeup Corrector Pen was released over 2 months ago now, exclusively to Boots priced at £4.99.

I always seem to smudge my eyeliner or transfer mascara, typically I end up using a cotton pad or ear bud to tidy it up. This pen replaces the need for that, it has the perfect pen nib shape, which makes it great for getting close to the lash line and removing any stray liner! Being ’simple’ the formula, is non- greasy, non-irritating and gentle.

One thing I noticed in the instructions though, is that you need makeup remover wipes to clean the nib after each use, but I don’t use these and need to get myself a cheap packet for this purpose only.

It seems so obvious that something like this should have been made earlier! Only thing I haven’t been able to judge yet, is how much use you will get out of it. 

Quick Review - Samy Jooouge Fun Fibre Curls Creme

I am yet to find a hair styling product for use in between washes for reviving my curls. This product by Samy comes pretty close. I brought it from Superdrug in the clearance section, I’m not sure if this means that they are discontinuing it! The bottle was a bit grubby so I suspect that is why.

My sister is a big fan of Samy products, so I had been wanting to try them. The first thing I noticed on opening this is that it smells amazing! That being said I cannot put my finger on what it reminds me of!

The creme consistency is not too sticky, after rubbing between my palms, I just smooth over the parts of my hair that have lost the curl or have become frizzy, and it works really well to smooth it down and hold it in place. The only down side is that you have to be careful with the amount you apply since too much can leave a sticky and almost greasy feel. At £3.99 for 115ml, it works out at great value since I don’t use it very often. 

Jewellery History (picture heavy)

I wanted to do something a bit special for my 100th blog post! Can’t believe it has been 100 already, I still feel new to the blogging world, but thank you to all those who have and still support me. Thank you for commenting and of course coming back to see more. 

Back in January I visited the Victoria and Albert museum last week. Originally I went to see the clothes section which was closed but in exploring the rest of the museum, found the jewellery section. It was dimly lit, with the jewellery behind glass so clear that it felt like at any point you could reach out and grab it! Unfortunately no photographs were allowed but if you are a jewellery lover it is a must see.

It was organised such that you could see jewellery through time, from ancient Egypt through to now. The material used, as well as the purpose or symbolism of each set of pieces was described. The opening quote which caught my eye was ‘ jewellery adorns and protects the wearer on the journey through life’. It was that which inspired me for this post, jewellery throughout time has served a purpose, ranging from purely decorative and extravagant to functional and even spiritual. I learnt a lot and I thought about the pieces of jewellery I own and the story they tell in my own life.

My first pairs of earrings, given to me as a new born, yes I still have all my baby jewellery. Although there are a lot of pieces I will never wear again, I cannot and will not ever get rid if them. The studs I wore up until my teenage years when I discovered hoops!

My first ever ring, I had the stone replaced since the original fell out. 

Various pendents I wore continuously!

18th Birthday gift from my two best friends at the time from school

18th birthday present from family, each piece was given to me by a different family member

Of course in between I have brought cheap bits of jewellery, however they also have their story. The necklaces I thought were so stunning throughout A-levels!

My personalised earrings

My ‘heart of the ocean’

The necklace brought for me on my most memorable of trips to Marrakech.

This is just a small collection of what I own. I have always loved jewellery, it is one of those things, that age, shape, size doesn’t discriminate and always has a way of making you feel beautiful.

Nails of the Week - Sand Storm

It's been a few weeks now I kept my nails polish free, with the bad condition and not knowing what I could get away with in the office, I decided to file them all right down and hopefully get them to a good condition again. I have started using the O.P.I nail envy and hope to be able to report back positive results soon!

I opted for a neutral-like shade which I purchased a while back from the 99p store. It is by L.A nails and is the shade sand storm. As much as I love the colour, the formulation leaves a lot to be desired. It is very thin which isn't necessarily a bad thing but it streaks a lot and highlights the areas of splitting near the tips of my nails so the overall result up close isn't very good. Although I applied thinly it took a lot of time to dry between coats, which meant that I ended up with my second hand having those bed crease marks! Luckily the colour is forgiving and should see me through to next week.

Bare Minerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment - Part 2

Over a month ago I purchased the Bare Minerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment and did an introductory review about why I purchased it and its claims, here.

I hadn’t even realised that it had been a month since I started using the treatment. I found that it easily slipped into my routine and have not missed a night of use. Following cleansing and moisturising, I apply the makeup ‘1 layer’ to one half of my face at a time, and then 1 layer all over rather than the 2-3 layers all over as advised. It ends up being a fairly heavy layer of makeup, which I just buffed in, particularly over the areas I wanted to target the most (nose, cheeks and chin).

The medium shade worked perfectly for my skin tone and looked fairly natural. I never had comments from family having noticed I was wearing anything. I have to say, the product did satisfy my vanity by concealing somewhat and making that first look in the mirror in the morning a bit less scary! It was a bit strange to wash my face in the morning though, and see so much makeup coming off. Contrary to the claims made by the bare minerals team, this does rub off on your pillow, but luckily also washes off easily.

The first few nights I was convinced that my skin felt itchy immediately after putting it on, but I didn’t feel this over the course of the month. In fact I could barely tell that I was wearing it. Originally I took some scary close up images of my skin, open, blocked pores fully visible and hoped that I could at the end of the review period I could show some lovely images of my reduced pores, but alas this isn’t the case and I don’t wish to scare anyone! Some days I felt as though my pores did appear reduced, but the close up images really speak for themselves and I know this was all in my head!

One thing I did like though, is that any nights where is looked like a potential spot was forming, in the morning I noticed that it had reduced, and never developed completely. I know that there are mineral spot treatments out there, for example ELF have one in their mineral range which they sell for £6. Since this was the only real benefit I saw, I think I know what I will buy for this. I have read some reviews where the product has broken people out, seeing the opposite effects I don’t know why this would be.

My skin is not as dry as it use to be since using this, I don’t know if that is a result of increased cell turnover as the product claims? In fact, particularly on my forehead it can feel a little greasy, I have been travelling into central London more though, so I suspect it may be to do with the dirty air!

I never cleaned the brush, on the bare escentuals night, we were told that since you were applying it to clean skin it was unnecessary. Since my skin never broke out or felt itchy, I didn’t feel the need to.

I think it is safe to say I won’t be repurchasing this, and equally I won’t be trying out the cleanser and moisturisers. If this product is meant to contain the highest active concentration of ’soil’ then I doubt using the products containing less, in combination, will show any difference. After the months trial, I had some nights where I did not apply the treatment just to see, if my skin would then look any different not it, but again I didn’t see any effects.

Since bare minerals are always stating that their makeup is good enough to sleep it, if I wanted to be that vain, surely I should just apply that and save myself the extra cash?

Hair cut and treatment

I was in desperate need of a haircut. My hair was starting to look dull and the curls were falling out from the weight. Lucky for me my mum is a hairdresser, so I am able to let her do her thing without too much worry! Having curly hair, and wearing it that way the majority of the time, I am a bit limited with style, so I usually get a few inches cut off and some layers put in, and have found that works best for me. 

I washed my hair immediately after and decided to treat it with a hair masque. I was sent this “hot miracle” by Montagne Jeunesse for review and picked it seen as it only needed to be left in for a minute. I let the hot water of the shower heat up the packet a little before applying and then left it on for approximately one minute. The packet is separated into two, with the hair mask in one, with just enough product for one application. Although it is meant to have an avocado scent, I could not really make one out. The mask isn’t as creamy as ones I have used in the past and I also didn’t get that immediate soft feeling that you get after rinsing. The second half of the packet contained a hair serum, again enough for one use. This had a great texture to it, not sticky at all and spread throughout my entire hair easily. I then styled as normal and let my hair dry naturally. 

This was the result…...

My hair feels so soft to touch now, I can’t help but touch it, plus it has a nice bit of healthy looking shine. Curly hair has a tendency to be dry, so to feel my hair so soft is amazing! Immediately after using the products, I was a bit ‘meh’ about it, since I could not feel any immediate effect. I am not sure if it was the mask that improved the condition, the serum or the combination of the two. Either way I think Montagne Jeunesse should think about bringing that out alone as a bottle, and potentially even the hair masques in larger tubes as they have with the face masques. I have never really been a fan of serums since I never saw a result. 

I hope this isn’t a case of ‘one time wonder’ since I personally have found with hair using something new makes it feel great for a while and then it almost gets used to the product. At £1.01 it is definitely worth a try and will be one I will be repurchasing. 

Marie Claire, Inspire and Mentor Event with Liz Earle

When my Marie Claire email came through, advertising 3 events for anyone interested in getting into the world of fashion, beauty and business, I immediately signed up to the beauty event ‘How to get into Beauty with Liz Earle’. Having always wanted to be a dermatologist and being interested in science, skincare and beauty, as well as being a Liz Earle user intermittently, I was intrigued by it all, and went along somewhat unprepared. 

The ‘inspire and mentor’ programme aims to help women to achieve new heights in business, beauty, fashion, media and science. The option is available to apply for 4 hours of mentoring with one of the 17 women involved in the campaign this year. 

The event ran from 6.30-8, with an initial half hour reception, I wasn’t expecting this and walked in alone feeling very awkward! The room was filled mostly with women and very well dressed and made up at that! Luckily, I found two other women who were alone and ended up striking up a conversation with them about what they did for day jobs, as well as why they signed up to the event. 

I have always secretly thought about my own skin care product, similarly to Liz, it stems from wanting to make something that works for you, and then extending that so that other people can benefit too. If I didn’t have bad skin I don’t think I would have been quite as interested. Although I have nothing planned for the future, I wanted to hear about her background and get a better idea of what is involved, as well as finally see in the flesh this woman I always watched on QVC!

A little before 7pm, everyone migrated toward the meeting room, which was had an intimate and comfortable feel. Helen Russel, online editor of Marie Claire, led the interview, talking through Liz’s history and initial career, as well as how she and her partner set up Liz Earle and expanded it over the years. Liz was lovely, very calm and serene, I have to admit she does annoy me a little on QVC but I guess that is just the sales persona, but in person she truly is lovely and her skin is flawless and has as lovely glow, helped in part by Bobby Browns Shimmer Brick. 

I have to admit, her first words left me a little disheartened. She said something along the lines of always taking opportunities as and when they arise. As much as I believe that, in terms of going after your dreams or trying to build a business as she has, I would like to think I could rely on a little more than luck and good connections to get me started if I chose to. Of course Liz has worked very hard and also has great connections, which leads to another big point she made about maintaining good relationships with people, which I think we can all understand is advantageous, whatever your background.  

Briefly, her background, she initially worked in editorial, and wrote a book about oils, linked to diet I believed. After deciding on setting up a business with her business partner in 1995, they developed the company from mail order (and QVC) to what it is today, having sold it a year ago to Avon, whilst still maintaining independence. 

I found it fascinating to hear about the way ingredients were sourced, with some products requiring the perfect ingredient to be complete (for example their shampoo which took 6 years to produce) and some products being developed from finding a perfect ingredient (for example the firming bust cream). Now more than ever, sustainability of these sources is a key issue, so the great connections and relationship Liz has with growers means that she has the ingredients she needs. 

There were some other great things that Liz said; 'Crawl, Walk, Run', and ‘if it has to be now, it has to be no’ - the idea that you should never rush a decision or a product and that you should always stick to your principals and not succumb to the pressure, ultimately striving to produce something that works and that you are happy with. Surprisingly, she also said something along the lines of not having time frames when initially starting up, and I get the impression that there wasn’t too much planning, linked to taking opportunities as they come. 


She also talked about the importance of valuing and keeping your customer happy. I personally know that Liz Earle are true to this, since I previously had a problem with products I had brought from QVC which were off (unused but pretty old and smelt bad) which they replaced no questioned asked. Liz also made a very good point that beauty is a luxury and about pleasure rather than a necessity, which is why she believed so strongly that the packaging and feel of her products should be like ‘getting a present’ She also introduced me to the word ‘ masstige,’ the middle ground of products between mass market (drug store) and prestige. Personally, I have always considering Liz Earle products as prestige, for me anything more than £10-£15 are!   

Every guest was also given a goody bag containing: this months Marie Claire, which luckily I hadn’t brought yet and contains a Body Shop body butter freebie as a bonus, three Liz Earle skin care products (which turned out to be my favourites!), all presented in a specially designed Marie Claire bag by Reiss.


Overall it was a great event, and I am hoping to attend another related to publishing when the tickets go on sale in June. 

Finally one my favourite things said on the night and one I definitely inspire to achieve;

‘If you do something you love, you never do a days work’

Quick Review - Clinque

Another quick review of the Clinique Take The Day Off eye make-up remover which I got as a freebie in Glamour magazine.

As you can see from the picture, I am almost finished with this. I have reviewed Bourgeois eye makeup remover in the past, which has the same two layer, oil based system, which you shake to mix before using.

I prefer oils to creams, since I seem to rub my eye less using them. Considering the rave reviews this gets I was expecting a better result, than I got. Also considering the price, I think the Bourgeois version works just as well.

I didn’t find that this removed all my eye-makeup in one go, although my eyes looked clear, after washing my face, I had residual mascara resulting in panda eyes. I have always wet a cotton pad with remover and then held it over my eye for 30seconds or so to dissolve the make-up, and this has generally worked so I don’t think it is a case of not using the product properly.

I am definitely in the minority not liking this product, but I am glad I got the chance to try it, let me know what products you wanted to love, but just didn’t! 

Quick Review - Advance Techniques Curl Control Curl Defining Gel

The second of my quick reviews, I brought this on promotion for £2, having been pleased to find that Avon was finally doing a curly hair range! 

Avon states; Lightweight gel serum that adds definition and bounce to curls and waves* (*Formulated to help protect hair against heat styling) 

I have always preferred gels and creams to mouse and sprays since, I found the result to be that much better, with nicer, frizz free curls which hold for up to two days as long as I tie my hair up at night. This product is no exception, to use, after brushing through wet hair, you rub a little gel between your palms and scrunch throughout your hair. 

The consistency is very fluid rather than gel like and just pours out of the tube, I have always ended up with more product than I wanted. When you rub between your palms though it does take on more of a gel feel and is easier to work with.

I like to let my hair dry naturally overnight, getting the results shown below. I then just use a little natural hold hairspray and find that the curls last for two days.

I have dropped it and the lid broke immediately, which was disappointing and even more annoying considering how fluid the gel is. When I let my hair dry naturally, it does dry a little more ‘crispy’ I expect because I apply more product than I would like. 


The curl gel normally retails at £4.50 for 150ml, however considering the results I get with other products in the same price range, I wouldn’t repurchase this unless it was on promotion again. I like the idea that it is formulated to protect against heat styling (although I am not sure how I could test that claim!) and would like to see more products which double up as styling products and heat protectors. 

A new bit of bling…..

A new bit of bling to add to my collection;

Last night I ‘walked the walk’ along with thousands of other women and men raising money for breast cancer research and care.

It was definitely an experience, not sure if it is one I will repeat, but maybe once I have had more rest I’ll think differently! Once we crossed the finish line we received a medal to mark our achievement which proudly hangs with the rest of my collection (of necklaces I mean!!)

I walked with my two aunts, sister and mum, with a time of 4 hours 30 for the 13.1 mile half moon. Nothing too spectacular in terms of time, but we didn’t stop once, which I was impressed with. It was great to soak in the sights of London at night, no matter how much I see the same view, the different streets and buildings never cease to amaze me.

sign for the last mile! the longest part of the walk was from here to the finish line! 

sunrise over the river

Just wanted to share a few images of the night. As a makeup and beauty related note, I used my smashbox primer for the first time in a while, and was amazed how well my foundation lasted considering it was about 12 hours later that I removed my makeup. I have always liked the smashbox primer, but this was the first time I really put it to the test! 

Everyday Makeup Look

This is an updated look from my bella pierre foundation review. Since, I have started a part time job (yay!) I wanted to use makeup to enhance my complexion and features as much as possible, whilst attempting to look as natural as I can!

The main difference here is the incorporation of eye makeup, I love lining my eyes and believe it compliments me, but most of the time I am just too lazy! I love to have a thick black line all around my eye normally, which I know is a no no generally as a day time look, so I have been as subtle as I can with a thin line on my upper lash line, and very lightly lining my water line, mostly concentrating adding some colour to my lower lashes. 

On the lids I used my Avon anew eyeshadow and bittersweet (sleek) eyeshadow lightly in the crease.

A very light application of MeMeMe blush and eyebrows and everyday look complete! 

On a side note, I wanted to send a massive thank you to Charlotte at Lady of the Lane, who featured me in her bloggers best things feature today!! THANK YOU! Was so exciting to see today and she has a wonderful blog so I encourage all to check it out. 

QVC O.P.I Set

I mentioned in a previous post that I took advantage of a QVC today’s special value featuring O.P.I nails. The parcel arrived on Monday and I immediately tore it open and swatched everything!

A little disappointingly, the package arrived with very little in the way of pretty packaging. Just as well I was so excited about the contents. 

I’ll start with the less exciting stuff, O.P.I nail envy, which is just on time in terms of my nail condition, since they are peeling and breaking regularly. Also a cuticle gel, package for your handbag.

On to the colours, if you did read my last post, I primarily brought this set for the silver shatter polish (more about that later!). On air I was not too impressed with the colours. Having now seen them in the bottle and on my nails, I love them.

My favourite is the ‘houston we have a purple’ which is like no other shade I own, there is a strong pink to the shade, and in different lighting, the shade can look completely different, but always beautiful.

Surprisingly, I also loved the ‘guy meets gal-veston’ shade, which is a lovely coral, which I was expecting to be a lot more neon than it is. Also included was ‘you don’t know jacques’ a deep taupe colour, which is more of an autumn shade than a summer in my opinion, but will work great with neutral outfits. When I first saw the taupe polish on air, I thought it may be similar to ‘mushroom’ by Barry M, but as you can see from the image, mushroom is a lighter shade.



Finally, the star purchase in my eyes, the silver shatter. A beautiful, shimmery silver, which looks stunning on the nail. I love this more than the black shade and I think it will work perfectly in the summer and winter.

All of the polishes have a sheer finish, and need a minimum of two coats. Unfortunately, my base coat took an age to dry and in my impatience I applied the polishes anyway and found they took ages to dry too. I am assuming this is the base coat rather than the polish itself, otherwise this will be quite disappointing, but I  will comment on this again when I get round to a nails of the week post. 

Let me know what you think of the shades, and do you think the silver shatter will get everyone excited about shatter polishes again?

 N.B. Incase you were wondering, no it’s not my hands featured in all the pictures, I used my mum as a tester too! 

Quick Review - Avon Glimmerstick Eyeliner

I wanted to start a series of quick product reviews as and when I try new things out. I know that generally I am quite extensive, which I think is necessary with those pricy purchases however, some things just don’t need that much detail!

First up is Avon’s Glimmerstick Eyeliner in blackest black. I have mixed feelings about this, I have always heard good reviews so I had high expectations, which is never a good thing!

On the plus side, on the lash line it does last all day. I like that it is retractable and I don’t have to search around for my sharpener when I am in a hurry! It is also cheap, at £6 or under generally, even offered as a freebie with other purchases in occasion.

Unfortunately, there are more negative points. I haven’t found that it lasts on my waterline, contrary to other reviews. Since, the formulation isn’t creamy, it is difficult to spread and apply easily, and I struggle to get a lot of transfer to my waterline.

Considering the name, it isn’t an intense black (unless you press more than you should on your eye), that being said this works well as a day liner. The image below shows the bottom lines applied with the same pressure I would use on my lash line, and top line applied with a harder hand. I also did a quick water and smudge test, it is a very smudgy eyeliner, but does perform quite well after being wet.

Although being retractable is a plus, it means that the nib is a little wider than I would prefer so I find it difficult to get a thin line when I want one.

Overall it's a thumbs down for me, since I wouldn’t purchase it again. I like the fact that it lasts all day but so does my gel eyeliner and that is easier to work with. I do have a ‘diamond’ glimmerstick which I haven’t used yet, so I will let you know if that performs the same.

Let me know what you think of Avon Glimmerstick, has it lived up to the hype for you? or does Avon sell something better?

Bargain Alert! InStyle Freebies

So I spied this is in the newsagents today and of course had to pick up a copy. For £3.70 you get a copy of InStyle magazine and one of 3 shades of Nails Inc polish. One of the colours (teal) was not available, so I chose ‘Candy Orange’ since the other shade (Fashion Fawn) reminded me of one from the diet coke promotion earlier this year.

I haven’t painted my nails for a while, since they seem to be breaking a lot but I wanted to do a quick swatch for you on a few nails, so please excuse the unpainted nail! I want to start some sort of treatment to get them in good condition again (suggestions welcome). My little finger only has one coat applied, whilst the other two fingers have two coats which I think is perfect. I prefer the consistency of this polish to other freebies I have had, since it is thinner and therefore applies more smoothly. Another plus point is that it dries very quickly.

I love the colour, it makes me feel happy, but I love brights generally! Unfortunately, it is very difficult to photograph and appears more neon that it is. It is worth mentioning that the colour is true to what you see in the bottle (which I have noticed isn’t always the case with some polishes), so if you don’t like it in the bottle it may not be for you. Let me know what you think of it, or if you went for the other shades!  

Clarisonic Pro Review

I can imagine that the internet is flooded with reviews of the Clarisonic, but I wanted to share my experience of using it. I received the Clarisonic Pro as a christmas gift, there are several models, the pro has various speed settings and also allows for the body brush attachment.

Briefly, the tool claims;

• sonic technology (gentle vibrations, not rotations) gently yet effectively loosen dirt and oil to clear pores. 
• more than 300 movements per second gives micro-massage action gently exfoliate skin which can be twice as effective as manual cleansing 
• removes 6x more makeup than manual cleansing
• leaves skin feeling and looking smoother
• cleanses so well that products absorb better
• gentle enough for twice daily use
• helps reduce oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes
• helps reduce the appearance of visible pores

Since I have received it I have used it twice a day, every day, with the odd exception when I have not been looking at the power level and it has run out of charge. It may make you laugh to know that the first time it ran out of charge after about 2 weeks, I got myself into a panic thinking it was broken! The intensity of the vibrations is the same from full to low power so not having taken notice of the light indicators on the front, it didn’t occur to me that it was out of charge!!

I use the clarisonic as follows; wet the brush, add cleanser (I have noticed cream cleansers work best), use for 1 minute as directed, rinse face. The clarisonic has a one minute time setting which is advised for use, 20 seconds each on the forehead, nose and chin area, and 10 seconds on each cheek. A series of beeps let you know when it is time to move onto the next area of your face. Very quick, simple and best of all in that one minute you can be confident that your skin is clean.

I have used this for 4 months now, and also had the chance to try out two different brush heads. The clarisonic originally comes with the sensitive brush, which as the name suggests is suitable for sensitive and normal skin types. Being softer than the normal brush head, it makes it the most suitable for an introduction to using the clarisonic. I had no problem adjusting to using the clarisonic so after three months, I replaced the sensitive brush head with the normal, which is a little more rough.

Unfortunately, at the time I initially starting using the clarisonic, my blog was just an idea so I did not take pictures of my skin to be able to show the difference. I am pretty sure that I will be repeating myself here, but my main skin care issues are dry skin, blogged and enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, scarring and monthly breakouts. Since using the clarisonic my monthly breakouts are almost non-existant. In the last 4 months I can only remember one huge, inflamed spot which led to a scar on my upper lip.

Additionally to helping with my breakouts, my skin feels smoother and the tone overall has improved, looking much more even now, coupled with the fact that the dry patches of skin I would get on my cheeks is also gone. I have found myself using less products, since they do absorb better. My scarring has faded hugely (although I do use other products for this). Just to note, the clarisonic is not labelled as an exfoliating tool, but I assume due to the nature of the way it works that a small amount may occur?

With each day I have found myself applying less and less makeup to coverup and overall my confidence has increased. I have had compliments on my skin, as well as people not thinking I am wearing makeup at all. I still want to tackle the blocked pores and do what I can to reduce the appearance, so I will try the deep cleanse brush, as well as experiment further with the best cleansers and exfoliators to use with it. So far that for me is the only claim it has not lived up to.

The regular gentle cleansing for one minute in the same fashion every day, I think is a key element to the success of the routine. The clarisonic is one of those investments that pays off, I realise that it is expensive, but I would pay it again if I had to, and for me the price is the only negative. That being said, if I think of the multiple numbers of cleansers I have purchased over the years, I have probably spent a lot more and not seen results. I understand other tools based on the same idea are now for sale which have faster vibrations, deeper cleansing and are cheaper, so should they work the same, they would be a great alternative.