Clinique Instant Perfector

Having oily/combination skin (yay!) I've tried many a product similar to this one, so trust me it takes a lot too impress. I often find pore perfecters to feel chalky in texture, or on the other end of the spectrum too greasy, many are silicone based so sit uncomfortably on my skin. So this tiny tube seriously had a lot of hard work to woe me has it succeeded?

Yes, yes and more yes! I previously reviewed the Smashbox anti shine over here which is still a firm favourite in my stash for de-greasing/mattifying. But Clinique, truly has won the top spot. This just blurs pores, it's incredible. I've never applied a product like this that has made such a visible difference to pores. This isn't at all oily, greasy or slippery in texture. Make up sits comfortably on top, and I've actually found using this prior to foundation makes it more long wearing. This also works over make up, eliminating shine and freshening up make up-great for touch ups. This can also be worn on it's own for those good skin days (not something I've being having recently sadly.) 

This is available in three shades, 'Invisible bright' which is aimed at paler skin tones,  'Invisible light' which is aimed at tan/olive skinned girls and 'Invisible deep' which is aimed at darker warmer skin tones (the shade I use.) I wouldn't worry too much about shade as this is totally translucent on the skin, and leaves no colour. 

Priced at £20 this does seem rather expensive (look at that teeny tiny tube) but a tiny bit truly goes a long way and with these types of products I actually find them to last a long time especially if your using them on your tzone like me.

Have you tried Clinique pore perfecter? What are your favourite pore perfecters?  

Update 2: Clinique Dark Spot Corrector

Update 2 on the Clinique Dark Spot corrector treatment,  to view update one with details about pigmentation and this product see here. 

Let me just start by saying that one bottle of this stuff used every day, morning and night has lasted me 8 weeks, which is pretty good as the consultant told me I would only get 4 weeks’ worth of use out of it. So if you are interested in the product, and the consultant is being pushy towards you purchasing the large bottle –don’t be fooled the small one goes a long way!

When photographing my face (as you do) I really wanted my picture to emphasise how much this product didn’t work for me, but instead my picture (as you can see below) looks a teeny bit deceiving. After four weeks I did notice a slight difference in my pigmentation and the overall texture of my skin had improved. The area looked slightly lighter, and my skin felt incredibly smooth. After 8 weeks I really wanted to see something drastic. As I mentioned in update 1 pigmentation is meant to increase in darkness when it’s brought to the top layer of your skin, so with continued use I did think that my pigmentation may start to appear darker, or lighter or reduced…or something. No difference between 4 and 8 weeks guys, I will continue on with this product and give you one final update (as this is meant to be a 12 week treatment.) But so far I am disappointed in this product, as this makes bold statements about having the ability to lighten dark marks in 4 weeks…

I just wanted to add that Clinique recommend exfoliation and SPF daily before and after this product which I have being doing throughout my trial.

I already have another dark spot corrector in the pipeline to put to the test, but does anyone have any recommendations for lightening dark spots and pigmentation? Has anyone tried this range from Clinique? 

Am I a 'real' beauty blogger?

Has anyone ever noticed how many blogger cliche's there are…every beauty blogger seems to adore candles, own a Muji shop, and don't get me started on the Emma Hardie cleansing balm. For me it's really important that I don't forget who I am and lose my identity in the blogosphere, so today I have a light hearted post with a few cheeky confessions (shhh) from yours truly. After these confessions I can't help but ask the question…am I a 'real' beauty blogger?

1. I dislike candles 

Burn baby burn…no. just no. I purchased a White Company mint candle last summer, how many times have I burned it you ask? Once. Yup, uno, what a waste. I get no real sense of joy out of shopping for candles or burning candles. So reading reviews on the latest fig scented candle, or watching someone gush in there latest Yankee Candle haul video is just not my style. Sorry not sorry. 

2. I HATE figs or anything fig scented 

Talking of Figs. I dislike them. Diptique fig scented fragrance I hear you say? No thanks. I hate anything fig scented, genuinely hate. I hate fig candles, fig fragrance, fig body products…fig food. Even as a 'mature' scent I just can't ever see my sniffer (or taste buds for that matter) growing acquainted to it

3. I'm rubbish at nail art 

Yeah, steady hands I don't got. Sadly I have sausage fingers (cheers dad!) so precision detailed nail art ain't happening. Polka dots and stripes are about as fancy as it will ever get on 'Subject Beauty.' It is something I'm working on who knows, I may get better…*tumbleweed*

4. I hate washing my hair…

And will do anything not to (que quick spray of Batiste.) Blow drying, straightening, curling, sitting with a hair mask on just anything hair routine related is such a chore for me -perhaps having longer hair doesn't help…maybe I should go for the chop?

5. Pampering can be boring…

Body scrubbing, general de fuzzing, moisturising-so time consuming and not the funnest of tasks, all the products I use have to be quick, easy and effective.

6. I hate painting my nails

To coincide with number 3, I also hate painting them. Why is it when you paint your nails, you suddenly need a snack, pee, itchy nose anything to smudge those freshly painted nails.

7. I don't own any MUJI storage  

Now quite a controversial statement to make but can I be honest here and say I'm pretty happy with my standard make up bag. Don't get me wrong I can see the appeal, acrylic storage your products visible everything ordered by colour, size, use. But if I'm honesty I'm just not that organised. I keep all of my daily used make up at the top of my make up bag I reach in I get it…I'm sorted. Why fix it, if it ain't broken?

8. I've never owned a MAC lipstick

Dum dum duuuuumm. Shocker of the century here. Yes I love make up, I do. But as for lips, I've always been fairly happy with what the drugstore has to offer- if anything it's just getting better! There's so many similar shades to MAC lipsticks at the drugstore, I've lusted over MAC shades but I've always found something similar for half the price…sorry MAC lovers

9. I'm bad with eyeshadow

I'm just very uncreative in this category (I'm working on it guys) every 'look' I try to achieve ends up with the same result, I could use a blue, purple and green eyeshadow and some reason they would all end up with the same look!

10. I dislike the Emma Hardie cleansing balm…  

So Caroline said it's good and we all bought the stuff! I do love Caroline Hirons blog and tips…but I can't help but get the feeling how can one product work for so many different skin types? I've never really agreed with the 'one fits all' approach to make up or skincare...

So there we have it, what are your blogger confessions I'd love to know.

Kiehl's Calendula Toner

The forgotten step, toners. Before introducing toners into my skincare regime I thought they were unnecessary, a marketing ploy, another additional step on an already timely routine. Fast forward a few months and there an absolute essential in my skincare routine. Finding a toner on the market that's free from nasty ingredients and alcohol free is a challenge. 

This toner by Kiehl's is a gem, this manages to remove impurities from the skin, and refresh all without stripping the skin from natural oils. When you first see this toner it does look rather odd, it contains flower extracts (they look a little like orange peel at the bottom of the bottle) but the main ingredient is calendula. Calendula is an anti-inflammatory and can be used heal wounds, treat acne and is a general antiseptic.

I have always been extremely fortunate with breakouts, the odd spot here and there, but recently I suffered from really bad breakouts (on my cheeks of all places) unfortunately I went through a vicious circle of treating the spots only for them to return- I have scarring and bad pigmentation as a result of this. Having spots/breakouts can really affect your confidence, and nothing seemed to help. I tried this toner in hope that this could, clear my skin and reduce the breakouts. 

After a consultation with Kiehl's, I left with an empty purse, but confident in the products I had purchased. This toner used in conjunction with my holy grail Kiehls cleanser reduced the breakout's on my cheeks. I have been using these products for around 3 months now, and since then I have had one spot on my cheek, the angry clusters that I had previously had have stopped. These products along with a review of my diet, exercise, and stress levels really helped reduce my breakouts. 

Whilst having my skin consultation three bottles of this stuff were sold (this really must be a popular product) a bottle of the stuff will set you back a chunky £34.50 but if like me your experiencing break outs, and feel like you have tried every lotion and potion available on the market this may be worth a shot. 

What are your favourite Kiehls products? Thoughts on toners?