PHYSICIANS FORMULA REVIEW

If you travel to USA regularly then you must've heard of Duane Reade, apart from Sephora, this is the only other shop that I visit daily and spend hours in when I am in The States.  They have at least 2 aisles filled with make-up displays with many brands that are not available in the UK.  The prices are amazing and the store is open 24hrs. I get a real kick out of shopping after midnight.  During my trip to NYC in December there was a Duane Reade located a 2 minute walk from the hotel, in fact there is one located every couple of blocks in Manhattan.  Now I first came across Physicians Formula a couple of years ago whilst working as an Air Hostess, I discovered the range in a Walmart in Dallas.  My first product was a bronzer, I loved it so much I have purchased it several times since.

So this time I purchased a special promotion pack of their mineral products.  This included a Mineral Correcting Powder and Mineral Correcting Concealers.  These products are so gentle on the skin that they are recommended by Dermatologists and Plastic Surgeons after cosmetic surgey.  My 13 year old daughter is just getting into make-up, she has super sensitive skin and these products are perfect for her to experiment with, they are Talc Free and Hypoallergenic.

So first of all the powder.  It is marbled Green, Pink and Yellow to even out your skin tone, Green tones down any redness, Yellow adds warmth and Pink brightens.  This powder is a hi-tech Japanese formula and is of the highest quality, there is a brush and a mirror in the bottom of the compact.  The powder is super fine and doesn't cake or settle in any lines, it also does not look ashy on the skin.

The concealer is in 3 small bottles that all lock together.  No1 Correct -  is a soft Yellow that corrects dark circles and any other blueish imperfections.  No2 Cover -  conceals imperfections.  No3 Highlight -  is a Pink highlighter that highlights brow bones, cheek bones and temple.

I haven't purchased a product I didn't like yet from this range.  I paid $18 for the above products. If you are planning on visiting the USA or Canada soon then it is a brand I recommend you try.

I would really love to try their Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Make-up, especially the Blusher and the Bronzer

http://www.physiciansformula.com do a complete range of lovely cosmetics.  

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BENEFIT CONFESSIONS OF A CONCEALAHOLIC REVIEW

So you would've thought that after boarding my flight home after 5 days in New York that I would be all shopped out, well for those of you who don't know me then you couldn't be more wrong.  I get a massive thrill out of shopping at 37,000 feet, plus I had a few dollars left and there's no point bringing them back to the UK now is there ladies!  So after having a good old browse through the Virgin Atlantic Duty Free Magazine I decided on a few products to purchase, one of them being the Confessions of a Concealaholic by Benefit.  Now I love Benefit products but the only one I had tried in this collection before was Lemon Aid so I was very excited about the 5 other products in the kit that I hadn't tried.

So as you can see you get 6 products, 'That Gal' brightening face primer, 'Erase Paste' brightening camouflage, 'Boi-ing' industrial strength concealer, 'Lemon Aid' colour correcting eyelid primer and 'Eye Bright' instant eye brightener.  You also get  2 double ended brushes, a little diary booklet with instructions on how to use each product and a cute little mirror for concealing on the go.   All of these products are easy to use and more importantly they actually work. I am obsessed with concealing, I have dark circles and I have 'tea stained' eyelids, all of my concealing needs are taken care of with this little box of magic.  This set is small enough to pop in your handbag and retouch as required, the 'Eye Bright' and the 'That Gal' are lifesavers if you need to refresh your look throughout the day.

I paid £24 Duty Free for this set, it retails at £28.50 at Benefit Counters.  Now calm down ladies, I know that sounds like a fortune for a concealer, but this set is so much more than that.  Think of all the money you waste on concealers that don't work!!  Every single item in this kit delivers on it's promise.  Trust me you will not be disappointed.

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JANUARY GIVEAWAY WINNER

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway.  I wish I could give you all a prize to thank you for your continued support.

The winner this month is @CoxeeFoxy Congratulations.  Please DM me or email me your address and I will get your prize to you.


Thanks again, look out for February's giveaway soon.


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JANUARY GIVEAWAY

So here it is ladies, the January giveaway.  This month the product was once again purchased from Sephora in Times Square NYC during my visit there last month.





This pot of gorgeous, warming, loveliness is wonderful to smother all over after your evening bath or shower.  The ginger smell isn't overpowering, it's very subtle, light, warming and comforting.

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is

1.  Follow my blog if you are not doing so already.

2.  Leave me an 'Enter Me' comment and your twitter name or email address so I can contact you if you win.

3.  Tweet the giveaway 'RT I just entered this Origins giveaway  http://t.co/lCZRGO6  @jadlgw'

Giveaway will close at midnight on Monday 24th January 2011 and is open to UK and BFPO only

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ELIZABETH GRANT BIOCOLLASIS REVIEW

I love trying skincare that isn't readily available on the High Street in the UK.  I have found that shopping channels are a good place to shop for brands that are not available here.  Last year I purchased the Elizabeth Grant Biocollasis Collection from Ideal World.  I paid £50 for all of the full size  items shown below -:

EG Biocollasis Complex Night Creme 50ml

EG Biocollasis Complex Day Crème 50ml

EG Eye Cream 20ml

EG Essence of Torricelumn 120ml

EG Complex Gentle Cleanser 185ml

EG Silver Cosmetics Bag

Absolute bargain, I have paid more than that for an eye cream before now!!

The magic ingredient in all of these products is Torricelumn™ this was discovered by Elizabeth Grant in 1948, her skin had been badly damaged during the second World War, she had Torricelumn™ specially formulated with other ingredients and began applying it to her skin.  Her skin was transformed within 8 months and in 1958  her skincare range was born

So I will give you my opinion of each product in the order that I used them.

EG COMPLEX GENTLE CLEANSER 185ml.  I really can't make up my mind whether I like this or not, it does what it's supposed to do and cleanses the skin effectively, there is no tightness after use and the skin feels soft.  I think it's the smell that I don't like, it has a detergent/washing up liquid kind of smell.  I am more used to an essential oils/floral kind of smell in an cleanser so it takes a bit of getting used to.

EG ESSENCE OF TORRICELUMN 120ml.  I love this product, it comes in a pump action bottle and it contains Torricelumn™ in it's most concentrated form.  It has a serum/gel like texture and the skin just drinks it in.  It leaves a gorgeous glow on the skin and it's not sticky or tacky.

EG EYE CREAM 20ml.  This eye cream is one of the best I have ever used.  It comes with a little spatula so you don't have to stick your finger in the pot.  It is a cream/gel like texture, you only need a tiny amount.  It feels as though it is doing the area around the eye the world of good as soon as you apply it.  I found that my concealer went on smoother and lasted longer.  I have been using this cream twice a day since October and the jar is still two thirds full, I think this will last me a good 6 months.

EG BIOCOLLASIS COMPLEX DAY CREME 50ml.  When I opened this gorgeous pot of cream my expectations were high, and what's the first thing us girls do when we open a pot of cream? we smell it.  Well to tell you I was disappointed is an understatement, I couldn't believe that my jewel encrusted pot didn't smell as good as it looked.  In fact this cream had hardly any smell at all, this came as a bit of a shock to me as I'm used to trying products that have essential oils in them and in some cases synthetic fragrances.  Anyway, after sulking for a few seconds I actually applied the cream to my face, in the pot it looks like a lightweight cream but on your face it feels very rich and luxurious, it took a few minutes to sink in but my skin felt smooth and hydrated all day.

EG BIOCOLLASIS COMPLEX NIGHT CREME 50ml.  Again this cream had no real fragrance to it and in colour and texture was exactly the same as the day cream.  When applied though this took much longer to sink into the skin, again my skin felt hydrated.  The next morning my skin looked much better than it normally does, it felt softer and just looked more rested.

So after a couple of months of using the products I have to say I have been quite impressed with this range.  My skin has survived the harsh weather in New York, the even harsher weather back in the UK, the Air Con in the office and the central heating at home.  My skin looks firmer, especially around the jawline, some of the lines around my eyes have diminished and my skin is generally smoother all over.    My favourite products have been the Eye Cream and the Essence of Torricelumn and my least favourite has been the cleanser.

For more information on this brand and to read more about the magic that is Torricelumn™ please vist the Elizabeth Grant website at http://www.elizabethgrant.com




For your information the products were purchased and paid for by myself .  This review is my own objective opinion about these products.

SKINCARE AFFAIR

I have spent more than 30 years looking for 'the one' and during that time I have had dalliances with budget skincare,  flirted with high end products and I've had a few long term relationships but 'the one' is still eluding me.  Am I too fussy?  Are my expectations too high?  Am I  commitment phobic?  Or am I just a skincare slut?

I was a skincare virgin until I was 15 years old, I remember my first encounter like it was yesterday, the white and blue bottle of Anne French Cleansing Milk seemed so sophisticated and grown up, I thought we would be together forever but our relationship was over within a few months. I then met Johnsons Baby Lotion, we stayed together until I was in my late teens as this removed make up and moisturised.  When I started buying grown up magazines I discovered I could do much better for myself and dumped Johnsons for Clearasil, our breakup was not as painful as the breakout this product caused.  I then moved to Germany for 7 years and had several relationships with products whose names I couldn't pronounce, sadly none of them lasted more than a few months.  I moved back to the UK and got back with Johnsons for a while but again this didn't last, although I must confess we still have the occasional one night stand!!  Then Glamour magazine was launched and changed my life, I discovered Clinique and Clarins and on occasions I was seeing both at the same time, sadly neither of them could truly satisfy me and although I was happy for a while I just couldn't commit myself to either.  I watched the launch of Liz Earle on QVC and thought that's it, that's 'the one', I loved all of the products immediately and we were together for a couple of years, but I was lured away by Decleor and Gatineau, although Cleanse & Polish still pops in and out of my life.  I then trained as a beauty therapist, this was a revelation for me, it opened up a whole new world of relationship opportunities.  The first salon I worked at used Espa products, I was in heaven, this range treated me very well and when I left that salon I was heartbroken at first but then I was introduced to Elemis, I thought I had found my soul mate at last, I thought this is 'the one'. We had 2 very happy years together, then disaster struck, I became an air hostess and my skincare affairs went international!  I had liaisons with Korres, Estee Lauder, Kiehls, Chanel, Molton Brown, Prevage, Ren, Biotherm, and Bliss to name but a few, but I loved and left each and every one of them.

I got to thinking recently about why I found it impossible to remain faithful, is it because these products fail to deliver, have I got some sort of undiagnosed medical condition or am I just a skincare slut?  I have been really lucky to be blessed with very good skin, the majority of people who do not know my age would guess I am younger than I am, is this because of good genes or because over the years I have always taken good care of my skin, despite my inability to have a monogamous relationship with one brand?  I don't know the answer to this question but I do know that my quest to find 'the one' goes on, so until then I guess I shall continue to be a skincare slut and I'll have a blast with any new brands that find their way into my life.

I would be interested to know if you have found 'the one',  the skincare product that you can't live without, the one that will be with you forever.

GARRA RUFA FOOT TREATMENT

Firstly a very happy new year to all of my fabulous followers, and now for my first review of 2011.

I celebrated a birthday in December and was absolutely delighted that my youngest daughter bought me a Garra Rufa Foot Treatment or Fishy pedicure as she called it.  Anyway, I have been reading other blogs regarding this treatment and was very excited to have the opportunity to try it for myself.  

When I was a practising therapist I have to say that if ever the opportunity arose to have a treatment myself I would always opt for a pedicure so I was really looking forward to this.  When I arrived at the salon I was full of questions regarding hygiene, this was my main concern, the full filtration system was explained to me fully and I was assured that the water had been cleaned and filtered fully since the previous treatment.  

So firstly the therapist washed and inspected my feet to ensure that I had no fungal infections, I was then invited to put my feet into the tank.  As my feet were a few inches away from the water all of the fish came swarming to the top of the tank.  The water was luke warm and the fish immediately started their work.  I would not describe the feeling as ticklish, just very pleasant, after a few minutes it felt more like a vibration.  I was encouraged to spread my toes to encourage the fish to get inbetween my toes.

I had the 30 minute treatment, but next time I would probably opt for 15 minutes as 30 minutes was too long for me to have my feet in luke warm water.  Once the treatment was over the therapist dried my feet and at that point it would've been lovely if she had applied some lotion to my feet.  I think next time I go for this treatment I will book a normal pedicure to have immediately after.  When I arrived home I did my own pedicure, what was left of my cuticles came off with a rub from a cotton bud and although not all of my hard skin was removed the improvement was amazing and my feet felt lovely and soft.

I would definitely recommend this treat and I will be having another treatment in the very near future.  If you do not suffer with dry skin then this would be nice as a one off treat, if you suffer with dry skin then a course of treatments is recommended.

Just a word of warning, if you do decide to try this treatment out please go to a reputable salon, check their filtration system and what they do between clients to ensure hygiene standards are adhered to.  I bombarded my poor therapist with questions and there wasn't anything she didn't know about the tanks, filtration or the welfare of the fish.