The battle of the pores with Bioré

For the past few months I've been waging a war against pores. I'm not sure when they appeared on my face, more specifically on my nose and chin, but they're quite visible and not very nice to look at when you get close. No matter what fancy skincare I've used, they haven't reduced in size or really cleared so it was time to bring the big guns out.

One day I was busy browsing my local Boots when I thought it was about time I picked up some Bioré products as they're specifically made to target pores. I've seen this brand on the shelves SO many times but always bypassed it in favour of something else. It doesn't help that it doesn't have a prime place on the shelf at eye level so probably often gets forgotten about. This time though I stopped and had a thorough look through. I decided on the deep cleansing pore strips and the Baking Soda Pore Cleanser.

The strips were £3.99 and the cleanser £3.49 so not too pricey that I'd be annoyed if they didn't work. I've been using the cleanser every other day and the pore strips once a week for the past three weeks or so and I'm already seeing improvements. When I used my first pore strip it managed to catch quite a lot of dirt and grime from my pores. If you know what a used pore strip looks like then you'll know how gross but intriguing it is! Having used three of the pore strips, I can already see that the pores on my nose are much clearer as there were a couple of blackheads there too, which have now disappeared. I feel like they're not as visible when I look in the mirror too. I'm going to keep going with the strips and make them a regular thing, which will hopefully help stop dirt building up.

As I mentioned I've been using the cleanser every other day in the mornings. I just wet my nose and chin areas and use a small amount, working it into the skin in circles. The inclusion of baking soda is pretty interesting. I actually thought it would be a lot like a harsh exfoliating scrub but it's actually really, really gentle and it washes away really easy. The pores on my chin have definitely cleared and aren't so visible anymore so I'm super impressed.

It just goes to show that the cheapest, sometimes more unknown products are definitely worth giving a try as they could work just as well, if not better, than something more pricey. I'm now really interested to try the Charcoal cleanser and pore strips as well as the all over face mask from the brand.

Have you tried anything from Bioré? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

Vita Coco Coconut Oil for the beauty and kitchen cupboard

Not often is there a beauty product that can be used in the kitchen as well. Coconut Oil is by no means a new product but it's become incresingly popular recently, being loved by the health concious, beauty bloggers and foodies!

The Vita Coco pots of coconut oil are cold-pressed and popped in their pots. When cold the coconut oil hardens, a bit like lard/butter but still retains its coconutty smell. I personally think it smells of the 'NICE' biscuits you can buy, delish!

I was recently sent a little pack of Vita Coco Coconut Oil to try for myself and so far I'm pretty impressed with the amount of things it can be used for.

In the kitchen...
Coconut Oil can be used in place of fat or oil in most recipes. My Lean in 15 Cook Book has a lot of recipes that incorporate coconut oil and it's great to cook with as it melts so easily, but it should be used in moderation as it's pretty high in saturated fats. It's perfect for vegetarians and vegans too and is 100% organic and 100% raw.

I recently gave the Lean in 15 Tuna and Courgette Fritters recipe a try, which was SO simple. The mix consists of tuna, grated courgette, onion, peppers, egg and flour, which I simply popped into the pan and sizzled it slowly in the coconut oil. The oil melts almost instantly and gives a lovely coconutty smell when cooking.

I cooked the fritters using the coconut oil and had to let them rest on kitchen roll just to soak up any excess oil. There wasn't a lot of excess oil when we reheated them for dinner, which was great, but there was a slight coconutty taste to them. It wasn't too overpowering and even my boyfriend, who doesn't like eating coconut, wasn't too bothered by it. The fritters were actually really yummy and I was super impressed with the coconut oil, it was a really nice change from using normal oil.

According to Vita Coco is also works a treat in cakes, stir frys, bread, biscuits and even added to smoothies. Basically if your recipe mentions needing oil you can use coconut oil as an alternative.





In your beauty regime...
Something I'm a bit more familiar with than cooking is beauty and coconut oil has SO many uses when it comes to your beauty regime. I've been using it on dry skin on my elbows, on dry patches of skin to keep it well moisturised and even on my cuticles. You can use it round your cuticles when painting your nails to help easily remove any smudges you might make.

It can also be used as a lip balm, cleanser, hand cream, make-up remover and even a hair mask. Why not add some lemon and sugar to create your own scrub, or use it as a leave-in conditioner, a shaving cream or add baking soda to create a whitening toothpaste or even use it to combat bad breath by 'oil pulling'.

It's become quite obvious to me that every household needs coconut oil in either its beauty cupboard or its kitchen cupboard. The oil is best used in its hardened form for anything beauty-wise but can be heated really easily for all things cooking. I'm super impressed by its many uses and I've got a little pot of the good stuff in my bathroom and one in my kitchen too.

The fab people over at Vita Coco have put together The complete life guide to coconut oil to help you on your way to using coconut oil in your daily life.

*This post contains PR samples.

On trial: La Roche-Posay Eye Make-up Remover

Recently I've been using and loving Vichy's Pureté Thermale Make-up Remover and astonishingly I used up every single drop. For me that's quite unusual as I tend to flit between products but as the Vichy make-up remover was now sitting empty, it was time to find a new one. Vichy's make-up remover retails at around £11 in Boots, but with it being the tail end of the month my purse was groaning slightly so instead of splashing out £11 I instead splashed out £9.50 on La Roche-Posay's alternative option.

Surprisingly I've never tried La Roche-Posay but I've always heard good things about it and the clinical looking blue colour of some of the products always stands out to me on the shelves in Boots so I thought it was about time I went for it.

On a daily basis I only ever really use eyeshadow and mascara (adventurous, I know!) so because of this I was only really looking for a make-up remover that was dedicated to this area in particular. A lot of eye make-up removers can sting or irritate the eyes but the La Roche-Posay was like a dream. I put only a few small drops onto a cotton wool pad and brushed it quite firmly over my eyes, it took the make-up off in a couple of swoops and it didn't sting my eyes at all. There was the odd occasion I may have used too much of the product and thought 'uh oh' it would sting as it got into my eye but nothing. I'm super impressed!

£9.50 for 125ml isn't too bad, especially as you only really need a small amount of product for each eye. It's worth splashing out on if you want to stay kind to your eyes and have your make-up thoroughly removed each time without any harsh rubbing. I'd definitely recommend giving this a whirl if you're in the market for trying a new eye make-up remover.

Have you tried the La Roche-Posay Eye Make-up Remover? Let me know what you thought in the comments.

Head to toe pampering with 7th Heaven

If, like me, you were a girl growing up in the nineties then you'll recognise these little 7th Heaven sachets as a staple of girly sleepovers. The cheap and cheerful pampering products of which you could never pronounce the name, were always on shelves in local Superdrug stores and supermarkets and there were so many different ones to choose from too.

Back then the brand was called Montagne Jeunesse but it has recently been re-named to 7th Heaven - this was apparently to celebrate the brand's 30th birthday and the name was chosen by the fans/followers.

Fast forward a good couple of years and I never thought, at nearly 27-years-old, I'd be turning to these little packs on a Sunday night for a pre-work pamper sesh.

I was recently sent the Pulped Papaya Hair Masque and the Foot Pumice and Foot Butter so I was literally pampering myself from my head to my toes!

A couple of tips for you before I go any further...I would recommend using these in a bath as opposed to a shower. The hair masque needs to be left for five minutes or so and it's particularly difficult to get on with other shower things such as shaving/cleaning in a small shower cubicle, while the shower is running and you're trying not to wash off your hair masque. I'd also recommend opening the packets before getting under the water as they're a little difficult to open once your hands are wet!

After washing my hair as normal I swifly slathered on a good half of the contents of the hair mask sachet. The masque itself is a pinky coloured, thick, almost smoothie-like mixture that I worked into the hair and left for around five minutes. The pulped papaya not only filled the shower with delicious aroma but it made my hair smell heavenly, even 24 hours after use.

After five minutes you simply wash off the masque and get on with your day. I let my hair dry naturally so it was a little while before I knew whether the masque had had any effect or not. I must say it left my hair smelling great and feeling extremely soft. It hasn't felt this soft in a long time and regular use of these masques can only do wonders to it I feel.

I'm trying this 'thing' where I look after my hair more. I'm trying to use less heat on it after blow drying it every.single.day and not washing it as often either so any sort of masque I can use to help tackle damage is going straight on there!

I was particularly interested to try the foot pumice and butter as well as I do suffer from dry, cracked heels. Nasty, I know! Again, I used around half of the sachet and rubbed in the foot pumice furiously! The pumice is peppermint-scented, which helps with any foot odour you might be suffering from while the grains help rub away dry, flaky skin. It's quite a nice feeling to apply and it's great for giving yourself a little foot massage with. Again, I'd recommend doing this in the bath otherwise you end up hopping around the shower trying to apply.

Once out of the shower I dried my feet and applied the foot butter, which is a pretty common shea butter conconction. It dries relatively quickly so you aren't left walking around your tip-toes waiting for it to sink in. It left my feet feeling super smooth and my dry heels were well buffed - a few more uses and I think this could do some really good things. I'll definitely be using it regularly.

Overall I had a great pampering session and really enjoyed these little cheap and cheerful sachets. For £1 these are an absolute bargain as well - people often think cheap products won't help or make any difference but I'm really impressed with both of the sachets I received and I will definitely be giving some different ones a try in the future.

You'll also be pleased to hear 7th Heaven uses natural and cruelty-free ingredients in its vegetarian kitchen.

Have you tried 7th Heaven before? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

Latest In Beauty Capital FM Beauty Box

Latest In Beauty Capital FM Beauty Box - £14.95*




It's been quite a while since I got a beauty box. I used to have a couple of subscriptions but found that the novelty soon wore off, however I was recently sent the info about the new Latest In Beauty box in collaboration with Capital FM and was very kindly sent a box to have a peek at. I have to say I am really impressed.

By now I'm sure you know how beauty boxes work. The Latest In Beauty Capital FM Beauty Box is £14.95 and when you look at the products within it and think about how much this would all cost in a single Boots shopping trip, you realise you're probably getting your money's worth here.

I'm really impressed with the products within this and really enjoy the fact there is a good mix of high-street brands such as Collection and Rimmel with the higher priced products like Burts Bees, Stila and Pixi and then you have a touch of luxury as well from the Jimmy Choo perfume sample. I actually put my thoughts on the Collection palette down over here and I've even recently written about the Rimmel nail polishes here. I was a big fan of the new Rita Ora collection so to see a shade I didn't already have in the box was great!

The Stila Eyeliner is an absolutely gorgeous black/purple shade. I actually had one of these eyeliners in green not too long ago and it was my absolute favourite so to add another one to my collection is a real bonus. This is perfect for creating smokey eyes.

The whole point of beauty boxes back in the day was to try new brands and I think that has gotten lost over the years. However, I've never tried Pixi or Burts Bees (ok, stop gasping in horror!) so for me personally, I was really pleased to discover these products in the box. I particularly like the Burts Bees lip shimmer, which is a really natural shade with a hint of shimmer.

I'm not too sure about the gold temporary tattoos if I'm honest but I might give them a try and see if they'll bring back the nostalgia of childhood fake tattoos, haha!

It's really handy to have a proper nail file like the one included too!

Overall you can probably tell that I'm very impressed with the box and definitely would have purchased this myself. I think there's something for everyone in this box and it just so happens that in this particular one, there's nine products that are right up my street!

Have you tried the Latest In Beauty Capital FM Beauty Box? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

My morning skincare routine

The best of the beauty crackers

If you unfortunately couldn't get your hands on an advent calendar this year then you could pick up a beauty cracker. Beauty crackers are becoming much more popular and are a great little treat on the big day. They can be used as stocking fillers or can be given out at the dinner table as an alternative to traditional ones.

As you might expect beauty crackers leave you with a much better gift than a paper hat and a plastic moustache. These leave you with something you actually want and can use!

Lancome Beauty Christmas crackers - £54
This set of six is ideal for the beauty lovers round the table on Christmas day. Alternatively you could split them up and pop them in various loved ones stockings to wake up to on the big day. The treats inside are incredible: Hypnose Volume Mascara, Le Crayon Khol Eyeliner, Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate, Lip Lover, L'absolue lipstick and a Bi-Facil Eye Make Up Remover.

Jo Malone - £28
Probably the most luxurious and expensive beauty cracker on the market, this one comes with a mini cologne, a body & hand wash and a Body Creme all in an elegant cream cracker tied with ribbon. The Christmas dinner table would look seriously good with these on people's place mats or they can be used as a stocking filler gift.

No7 Christmas Cracker Collection - £14
If you can't get your hands on the No7 Christmas Calendar then this is a great alternative at a fraction of the price. Again, this comes in a box of six, so they're perfect for the dinner table or as stocking fillers. You could even hide them within the tree as an extra gift on Christmas day.

The crackers include a selection of mini products such as: No7 Stay Perfect Nail Polish in Temptress, No7 Stay Perfect Nail Polish in Beanie, No7 Stay Perfect Nail Polish in Damson Dream, No7 Protect & Perfect Day Cream, No7 Protect & Perfect Night Cream and the No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Eye Cream.

This Works Miracle Cracker - £10
The This Works Miracle Cracker is really great for those that have trouble sleeping. It contains a deep sleep body therapy and a mini spray-on body treatment with Lavender and Camomile to relax and hydrate.

Cowshed Cracking Hand & Lip Gift Set - £10
This is technically not a cracker, but a gift set in a cracker shaped box. However it makes a great little stocking filler and includes a luxurious hand cream and lip balm, perfect for the winter weather.

Clarins Christmas Crackers - £39
Another expensive cracker at £39 but again, a luxurious one containing Wonder Perfect Mascara, Gentle Refiner, Beauty Flash Balm, Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, Eau des Jardins and a Rouge Eclat lipstick. This would make a lovely Christmas gift/stocking filler if you didn't fancy splashing out on a whole bunch of crackers for the Christmas dinner table.

SpaceNK Best of SpaceNK Crackers - £48
Another expensive one but this time the £48 is for a box of six. Each cracker contains a hidden beauty treasure such as a Rococo Nail Polish, Oribe Supershine Hair Cream, Life NK Body Wash, Laura Mercier Primer, Caudalíe Beauty Elixir and a Lipstick Queen Gloss.

What beauty crackers will you be pulling this year? Let me know in the comments.

The best of the beauty advent calendars

It's coming up to that time of the year…advent! As a kid I used to love having a chocolate advent calendar to open every day. These days I'm more into beauty advent calendars than chocolate ones so I decided to put together a post about the best of the bunch. Hopefully you can pick one of for yourself if they haven't already sold out!

I have to admit, the only beauty calendar I've ever had is one of the Ciate ones. I'd love to have one of the Benefit ones or one of the highstreet beauty ones though. Let's hope I can get my hands on one before December 1.

Primark beauty advent calendar - £15
I keep spotting this in store and I always pick it up and put it back. I guess this is the most bargainous advent calendar on the market at the moment at a mere £15. It contains a selection of Primark beauty goodies including nail polishes and manicure accessories. It's a really great option if you're on a budget. There's also a jewellery version full of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and more.

Tesco Advent Calendar - £50
From what I can see this is the only beauty advent calendar from any of the supermarkets. Tesco has really upped their game this year when it comes to all things beauty. While £50 is a tad on the expensive side, it is totally worth it as you actually get £125 worth of gifts inside throughout December. Brands include Nip & Fab, Tanya Burr and Baylis & Harding.

Elemis - £59.50
This is probably the most luxurious calendar out there, full of beautiful Elemis treats. This one is only actually for 12 days so can be used in the run up to or even after Christmas. It might be a good idea to use the treats in the 12 days following Christmas as a bit of a treat for the skin after all that food and chocolate. The calendar contains some of Elemis' most well-known products including the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream and the Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules.

Benefit Candy Coated Countdown - £60
Unfortunately I believe the Benefit advent calendar is sold out but if you do happen to get your hands on it somehow then you're in for a whole host of Benefit goodies including the POREfessional, BADgal lash, Fake up, Posie tint and a few cute bits and pieces such as a hair band, funky paperclips and a doodle pad. At £60 this is probably one of the most expensive out there and I'm not surprised it's already sold out as they are always so popular.

No7 Beauty Calendar - £35
I've seen this one in Boots stores quite regularly. Although it is sold out online I think you might find the odd one or two still available in stores. I really wish I had picked this up when I saw it as I love No7 skincare so this is right up my street.

This is actually the first time No7 has brought out a calendar and they've done such a great job. The goodies inside total £135 so you're really getting your money's worth here.

Ciate Mini Mani Manor - £49
The Ciate advent calendars are always one of my faves. Last year I picked up the calendar at The Clothes Show for a mere £10 and I absolutely loved opening the door every day to find a cute mini polish. Ciate is a great brand and its polishes are really great quality and you'll be treated to a full size version on the big day.

What beauty advent calendars will you be opening this year? Let me know in the comments.