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After my recent Tarte Shape Tape failure I wanted to write a review on a concealer that I really love - Clarins Instant Concealer. Clarins is probably one of my favourite, if under-used, brands. I'm a huge fan of their Extra Comfort Toner - it's hydrating, softening and smells divine - Eau Dynamisante, Beauty Flash Balm, HydraQuench mask - the list goes on. It's a French brand that's been around since Jacques Courtin Clarins opened the first spa in Paris in 1954 - having a facial at the Clarins Spa in Paris is on my skincare bucket list! Clarins products all have an understated luxury about them - they smell gorgeous, do exactly what they claim to and the packaging is simple and chic, which I far prefer to some of todays over-blown nonsense. It's the kind of brand that makes you feel grown-up and stylish when you use their products. They also have an emphasis on natural, plant-based ingredients which is fab. I had this concealer a couple of years ago (I imagin

Hi everyone About 5 or 6 weeks ago I ordered The Ordinary's Retinol 1% (from either Cloud 10 Beauty or Beauty Bay, sorry I can't remember). I was hugely excited and wrote a blog post with some info on retinols/retinoids and my prior experience (Paula's Choice Super AntiOxidant Serum with Retinol, fail). I promised to use The Ordinary and come back with a review so here I am! I'm going to start off by admitting that I used this for just less than a month and here's why. *After two uses (every third night, mixed with serum) my skin was itchy, red and flaky *Even so I persevered, and went down to using it every fourth night, with an even smaller amount,  again mixed with serum *After just over 3 weeks of this my skin was like that of a snake. I kept it smooth enough for make-up by gently exfoliating with a flannel and balm cleanser at night, but when the dryness spread down to my neck and was worsening on my face I basically just said 'F@ck this' an

Hi Everyone! The time has come to review the Tarte Cosmetics mini haul that I got last month! Tarte is an American brand that is as of yet unavailable in Europe, unless you buy directly from their US site - although I have heard rumours that they will be launching here in the future. They used to offer free shipping internationally with a spend of 75 euros, it's now 51 which is more reasonable. Their site is well-laid out and easy to navigate, and they have a great option where you can pay the customs charges at the check out so you don't get any nasty surprises when receiving your order. The first order I made was for two Shape Tape Concealers, and I paid an extra 9 euros in customs on their site. At the time they were offering free shipping for 24 hours - the second time I ordered (a mini palette and two lip products) they were offering free shipping to France in honour of Bastille Day which was pretty cool. Overall I found the service great - they are very responsive on s

Toners and Acids Hi Everyone! We've pretty much covered the basics of cleansing, so let's talk a bit about toners. Traditionally toners were used to remove any make-up left over after cleansing and were utterly boring - this is no more. Nowadays toners, much like cleansers, serve many more purposes and range from the cheap to the extremely expensive. Personally I think everyone should own two toners, that one should be an acid toner, and I will explain why. Acid Toners Using an acid toner, whether it be a BHA/AHA/Lactic/Glycolic, or a Salicylic does so much more than hydrate and soften. If you see someone over the age of 25  who has beautiful and naturally glowing skin, chances are they use an acid exfoliator. If  retinols/retinoids are the superstars of skincare, then acid toners are the backing singers who tackle redness, texture, ageing, pigmentation and the general well-being of your skin. They exfoliate the skin chemically, which for me is invaluable as m