Battle of the Cleansers: Part 1

I've been on the search for the perfect cleanser recently to sort my acne prone skin out! I tried the nspa one as a cheaper alternative to the infamous Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish then a couple of Lush samples. Here are my thoughts....

nspa Hot Cloth Cleanser

Claims: to quickly cleanse, exfoliate and purify skin. It does not claim to remove make up but as I wanted it for this purpose, I gave it a go. I had read some reviews who said it was good for removing make up. It is identified as step 2 of the cleansee, exfoliate, treat and moisturise routine but does not contain any exfoliating beads.

Smell: Not bad, it smells like essential oils (maybe lavender) which I'm not a massive fan of but it's ok. 

Use: OUCH! This should not be used on your eyes, it stings A LOT! This is not good as if I can't use it to take my make up off I would need to use a wipe as well and I'm too lazy to use that many products!

Effect on skin: Good. Apart from my eyes, my skin felt cleansed and soft.

Overall: 2/10 Not brilliant for me as I can't use it to take my make up off.

Price: £7.00 from Asda

Repurchase? NOPE!

Perk: free muslin cloth which I use with other cleansers!

Lush 9 to 5 cleansing lotion

Claims: liquid cleanser for when you're in a hurry

Smell: Honeysuckle and ylang ylang. I liked it.

Use: Really easy to use, just apply to a dry face and rub make up off. This was great to take my make up off because it was gentle on the eyes.

Effect on skin: my skin felt clean and fresh all day. It was less greasy than normal too.

Overall: 8/10

Price: £4.75/95g or £9.25/240g

(Re)purchase? Yes!

Lush Ultrabland Facial Cleanser

Claims: 'A rich, soft, oily cleansing cream that cares gently for all skin types.Softens the skin whilst thoroughly cleaning it – this product is super effective at its job. Ultra sensitive.'

Smell: This smells almost medicinal. Not too unpleasant.

Use: I found this pretty hard to use. The cream was hard to spread around the face and felt too oily. Adding water didn't seem to help it spread around or remove it easily.

Effect on skin: initially, it felt like i'd just applied moisturiser which was lovely but it began to feel a little greasy through the day.

Overall: 5/10

Price: £6.75/45g £10.75/100g

(Re)purchase? Probably not.

So, there we have it (for now). 9 to 5 is definitely on my Christmas list but there is other cleansers that I'd like to try including Liz Earle, Soap and Glory and No7. Any recommendations of your favourites?

NOTD

Today's Nails of the Day are purple and silver Natural collection polish. I layered the purple with Models Own Indian Ocean and the silver with Models Own Juicy Jules.

It's all about the glitter today!

Ebay Blusher Palette

Recently I was talking to some bloggers on twitter about good blushers and Tattooed Tea Lady and Islay told me about a cheap blush palette that they'd got of ebay.

 So, I just had to buy it! It took a while to come because it was coming from China, but when it did I was so impressed. The blushes are a lovely pigment with the perfect amount of sheen. I love the selection and didn't realise different colour blushers could make such different looks! I've been trying them out one by one and still can't decide on a favourite, I'm a little too scared to try the brightest pink though (second from the left at the bottom).

This is a total bargain £3.62 with postage. It's great to test out different colours. When I've used this I'll have a better idea about which colour blushers to look for.

Available from ebay here.

Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara Review

Boots Price- £10.00

I wasn't really expecting much from this mascara, so many mascara's have huge claims like 10x volume and length and I've never actually fell in love with one enough to repurchase. However, from the first use of this I was pleasantly surprised, I love that the brush is not hard plastic as some are and it applies well. This mascara claims 'amazingly longer, fuller, fabulous lashes. Featuring Superfill false lash fillers, shine amplifiers and no-flake technology' although I think the packaging is still quite understated and not 'in-your-face'.

I was really impressed with the look and feel on my lashes, they were defined and longer. The mascara also lasted and didn't flake. The first time I wore this someone actually asked if I was wearing false lashes, praise indeed! I will definitely be repurchasing this and trying other soap and glory cosmetics as I'm loving the Kick Ass Concealer too!

NOTD

My Nails of the Day today are done with my lovely new models own polishes.

I used Top Turqoise as a base and Juicy Jules on an accent nail, both two coats. The picture above is after 2 days wear.

I'm so glad to have found a glitter polish with enough glitter to make this effect!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway here to win your own models own polishes.

Giveaway: CLOSED!

I have my first ever giveaway for my lovely readers. I've loved meeting new bloggers and chatting to people on twitter so wanted to give something back. It's not for anything in particular but I am nearly at 150 twitter followers so hopefully you guys can get me there!

I've got a recent love for models own so I picked two of my favourites to giveaway.

One reader will win- Pink Blush and Aqua Violet.

Good Luck my lovelies.

Don't forget to enter my secret santa here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#bbloggers Secret Santa Swap

Ciao,

Ok, so I posted a while back about my idea so the preparations are already under way. To read my first post click here.

• The budget for the swap is £20 and go with a fashion/beauty theme to match the person's blog.
• You need to be in the UK
• Don't even think about trying to scam someone, only enter if you want to spend money on someone and receive an equal gift.
• If you want to take part email me with your name, postal address, blog url and email address to teaandbiscuits11@googlemail.com by Friday 19th October 2012.
• You will then get an email with your secret santa by the end of October and will have to send your package of by Thursday 13th December so that it gets there in time!
• Then it's happy opening for everyone!

Also, you'll need to follow me on gfc :)

To spread the word, feel free to post about this and also RT me @bellinibeauty1

Again, don't enter unless you're serious about putting effort into a gift for someone.

My Autumn Essentials

My Red Duffle coat- I love this, It's so cosy and warm.

Navy Bird Snood- loving wearing mine with plain tops to jazz it up.

Vaseline- essential for the cold to keep lips soft.

My Biker Boots- cosy and great for the rain.

My Grey Pashmina- Also lovely and warm and I like the pattern.

Soap & Glory Hand Food- avoid chapped hands in the cold.

Accessorize ear muffs- great for the walk to uni.

Body Shop Duo Vanilla Body Butter- I love the two sides and it smells yummy.

Fluffy socks- lovely for watching tv, to keep your feet cosy.

As, you can probably tell, autumn where I am is already cold. I'm quite liking being able to get the jumpers out again though to cover up. What is your favourite thing about autumn?

September Empties

This is my first ever empties post and I struggled to use many things up. This is mainly because I don't use many products and they tend to last me a while, but also because I've moved into my new uni house and bought new products.

Johnson's face care gentle exfoliating wash- Love this and use it most days, have already repurchased.

Wilko Fruity Berry shampoo for coloured hair- Although this is only a cheap shampoo, I love the smell and it's been really good for helping my colour fade out subtly. I use the conditioner too, but annoyingly this ran out when there was loads left! Repurchased.

nspa Vanilla Creme Bruller shower and bath gel- sad to see this go as it's discontinued, but I loved it!

Simple cleansing wipes- great for removing make up and one of the only things that doesn't make my eyes sting. Repurchased, I buy lots of packs when they're on offer.

Body Shop coconut shower cream- This felt so luxurious and rich on my skin and smelled yummy. I was using up mini's before I bought another shower gel.

Soap& Glory Flake Away- I loved using this and liked that it didn't dry my skin out too much. I have since used the body buff from them and prefer this to the sea salt.