Review: Biore Warming Blackhead Fighting Cream Wash

I've been battling with horrible skin recently and I don't know what's caused it to break out. I've been cleansing my skin everyday and actually looking after it. I'm convinced my nose has dark marks on it even though the Mon has advised me this is not the case. He's even taken digital camera pics on super macro to show me that I'm imagining it. I'm sure that my nose is getting greasier and that there are blackheads on the end of it which never come out as I can't get any product on them.

Monlar went out this morning to get some bits we needed, returning with a little something for me from Superdrug.

He came home clutching a Biore wash for my face hoping it would help the greasies. I've used the Biore wipes before and they were horrible, smelt like alcohol and as if they could cut through car oil, plus they really dried me out and they stung like hell. In the end I gave them to my brother so he could clean his car wheels with them.

He bought me this badboy right here:


So, with an apprehensive "let's give this a go then but it won't do owt" look on my face, I decided to try it. Truth be told, I kinda hoped he would have picked up the Pore Unclogging Scrub, which makes me sound like a right lazy cow, can't get off her arse to get herself stuff and then isn't happy with what someone brings her..

The instructions said wet your face and then dry your hands. Put the product on your hands and then apply to your face and it will heat up when it touches water. I got freaked out by how warm it got, simply because things don't usually warm up like that and the other heating thing I had (a body scrub) was weak compared to this. This feels like you've got a warm towel on your face, basically very nice. The particles are rough enough to clean your skin but not rough enough to hurt. I nearly forgot to add that it smells NOTHING like the face wipes, it smells super natural and of watermelon, not so much though that it makes you sick. It's a nice non offensive smell.

I washed it off, moisturised and got on with my day. I was out for a lot of the day and am pleased to report that I had no dry patches, my nose blackheads were gone and I had no shine, my skin, in short, looked perfect and this was without any Dr Feelgood or Rimmel Stay Matte Powder.

I remember I raved about Cyclax in my HG post but that pales in comparison to this, that gave me clean, very dry skin but this gives me clean, moisturised skin and so I don't feel as if I'm overcompensating. PLUS, you can use this every day apparently and Cyclax had to be used once every two weeks by me which kinda annoyed me.

The wash is on sale in Superdrug for £2.44 at the moment as they're doing all their Biore stuff on half price. I'm popping in over the course of this lonnnnnnnng weekend to pick myself up a few more of these and one of the Unclogging Scrub to see if it can tackle my recently very congested nose area.

**UPDATE**
Well I've been using this since the day this post was originally posted and it is now my HG face wash ever. It clears the greasies, can be used twice a day and doesn't make me break out, it got rid of spots I had on my forehead and on my chin. It also got rid of any bumps I had too which is good. When I get through my stash of face washers I shall be buying Biore and nothing else.

Cheap makeup

Just a quick post really about the most recent offers I've seen on my journeys.

Superdrug are having a massive price drop on Maybelline Define A Lash, it's down to £3 something from £8.80 which is pretty good going, I won't be buying it because I've got about 9 mascaras to get through first. They've also got their air whipped foundations on sale for about £4.

House of Fraser have some of their stuff marked down but it's not all available on the website, on their website they have ONE Givency shadow marked down to £7 and they also have the whole Lord and Berry line marked down to £3 and under.

Harrods have a decent sale on their makeup too, they have this:

on sale for £19.50 down from £40.00 which is a bloody bargain considering that it's YSL and LE.

They've got a sale on their Michael Kors Island range of perfumes, John Galliano, Lanvin Burberry for Men perfumes (aftershaves?) and some Hugo Boss stuff is also on cheap.

They're also doing Kanebo mascara for £10.50 and some other Kanebo treatment sets for face and body.

Hope that's of some help to someone out there :)

Tag:11 things which make this girl happy

I’ve been tagged by the rather lovely Lipglossiping so here go my 11 things (in no particular order) which bring me endless amounts of joy:

The man/Simon/Monlar/Le Mon/Monskator/Monlarina
He goes by many names because he’s mysterious like that. I’ve always had a thing for blue eyes and he has the nicest blue eyes I have ever seen..not that I’m biased or anything. I won’t go on about him as otherwise this entry will be about a million words long, the amount of love I have for him is larger than any number ever conjured by man or machine and then some.

Cheapo toffees

Everyone cried when Woollies shut down because they couldn’t pop down the road to get cheap pens, paper, pans etc..essentials. I cried because I’d never ever eat the nicest toffees in the world. Woollies Worth It! Toffees were my all time favourite. I don’t have expensive taste and thus can’t stomach the butter rich toffees you get from Thorntons, the Woollies ones were perfect.

RIP good buddy.

Getting a bargain/finishing products/finding stuff that works

That’s really lame and superficial, isn’t it? I can’t help it, I love the fact that I bought something which was cheaper than it should have been and have saved some money in the process. The money saving thing isn’t the thrill, it’s the fact that I could have paid more for it but didn’t. This is really three things but I’ve lumped it as one.

I love the feeling you get from finishing a product, especially makeup..it’s really nice.

The same is true with finding stuff that works, cosmetic and any body related buying is a minefield, especially for women. Every month the next best thing comes out and we go and buy it, then it turns out to be pants. That’s why I love finding something that works because the hard work for that thing is over, yay!

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists/Withnail and I


Best book and film ever. I love the book and have read it about five times over, it opened my eyes to a lot and made me cry and laugh which is something few books have seldom done for me. It’s overtaken my other all time favourite book (To Kill A Mockingbird) and is now my one literary love.

Withnail and I is my all time favourite film, I simply love it. Plus, I’ve thrown a pineapple at Withnail, no malice intended of course as I love him so.

Photography
This used to be a great love of mine before I became fully qualified as then my weekends were my own and I’d go snapping around London. Haven’t been out for a very long time doing this but having learnt how to use the macro function, it sure is fun to take pictures of stuff at home. I think I would be doing photography had I not chosen law, it’s so much fun! You can make the most mundane things look beautiful and that’s an art in itself. I’d be more of a “macro-photographer” than a traditional landscape one as my composition is never right and I’ve never found anything beautiful enough to photograph since I’ve been doing it.



Staying in and watching a decent film with number 1
I sound like such an old fart but I love doing this with him, especially when it leads to some bedroom action, hehehe. He’s opened my eyes to so many great films and when I get really really scared watching a film, he actually comforts me and all is well in Gotham City once again.

Karaoke and a good few drinks


I don’t know how I could live if I didn’t have this, I love karaoke and am the biggest tart when it comes to getting up on that machine and letting rip. My cousin bought Singstar a few years ago and I convinced her to “play” it, I got so into it that the neighbours had to come around and ask us to turn it down. That would not be a shameful thing did she not live in a fully detached house surrounded by massive fir trees.

The drinking part rather explains itself, I’m not a lush, I can hold my drink really well (it’s the Punjabi in me), it’s the socialising that comes with it which makes me happy, I find people relax more when there’s drink around even if they’re not the ones drinking.

Lying in bed/the conservatory listening to the rain lash down outside

This is the single thing which makes me happiest in the whole wide world, the noise is so relaxing and I love it. I sleep by the non window side in our bed so when it rains at night I try to crawl over the man and open the doors (we don’t have windows, we have doors as the Thames runs next to our flat) and it’s lovely for me. Not so much for him.

Night time driving

I LOVE this, I don't know what is is about driving at night that I like so much. I think it's the fact that it's usually the case that me and Simon drive at night because we're coming back from somewhere or there's an emergency we have to attend. We have a lot of heart to hearts when night driving and it's nice. We usually go a mile a minute but when the roads are quiet, we get a lot of discussing done. It's nice to have a man who entertains your stupid ideas. I get a feeling of being content when I get out of the car after those "discussions". I think it comes joint first with the matter mentioned expressly above it.

Well scripted comedy
Makes me laugh so much and can make me feel better when I’ve had a crap day. My all time favourite comedy shows are:

Bottom


Early Doors


Only Fools and Horses


Blackadder

I could watch these shows end to end until the cows came home, no matter how many times I’ve seen a cunning plan of Baldrick’s fail, it always brings a smile to my face. Anyone who has seen both Blackadder and House will realise what a great actor Hugh Laurie is, the fact that he can play both a hapless toff and a sarcastic, pissed off American equally well show you how great the man is.

Finding handbags and shoes you forgot you had


I was cleaning my bedroom out today and found a pair of shoes I bought last year and three purses from Selfridges which I had never used, it’s like going shopping without the guilt of having spent any money, great!

So, those are my 11 things

I tag anyone reading this who wishes to do the same, go mad!

Review: A brown girl's holy grail of skincare products

Get ready for a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnng post.. here are all the products I swear by and will not change in a million years (unless, as is always my luck, they are discontinued)..

Shower gel:
A little goes a long way with these and my skin is still soft if I forget (read can't be arsed) to moisturise afterwards. Oooh and they smell lush.

I use the lemon and tea tree but couldn't find a photo of that one.

Body exfoliator:
I'm quite particular when it comes to these, I want it to be grainy enough and then cheap enough because I fly through these. I bought the Botanics one in a tube and it was finished after one shower and I won't buy it again as it was rubbish!

My current HG one is Delicious Beauty Scrubalicious from Boots and mine is a cocoa butter flavour. It smells gorgeous. It is really grainy and works well on my arms where I have a lot of rough skin and yet doesn't cut me to ribbons either. Mine doesn't come in a pot, it's in a squeezy tube but it's the best tube exfoliator I've ever used.

Body moisturiser:
Been through the mill with these products and this came out on top:


The only moisturiser which actually does its job and lets me moisturise once a day and have soft skin. When I'm on the way to work in the morning the only way you can tell people are wearing MB stuff is if you use it yourself, I find it smells very executive and grown up (not granny like). I always tell the man that if they bottled up the way boardrooms and sharp suits smelled, they would smell like MB products.

Foot scrub:
I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Body Shop's Peppermint Foot Scrub, it scrubs enough dry skin off and makes them soft afterwards which for me is great. I also love Scholl's foot scrub but the TBS one smells nicer.
Face wash:
I don't really rate the Clinique three step skin care system as a three step thing, I am in love with their liquid soap. I use number 3 I think which is the one for normal to oily skin and it works a charm on me. Gets rid of the greasies and more importantly doesn't give me dry patches.
Face masks:
I love this, it doesn't dry on your skin but when you take it off you feel a lot less greasy and the colour of the mask in the box I have is a very nice green. I think TBS UK have stopped making it as I haven't seen it in stores recently. Been using this range for years with good results.

This is the brother of the face mask posted above, it does go hard and is really good for my nose. Also seems to have been discontinued which is not good. I prefer this to Biore as they recently haven't been doing anything for me and this works a charm. Doesn't leave me with gaping big pores which the world can see.

Face scrub:
This is the be all and end all as far as I'm concerned. Cheap, smells nice and does the job perfectly. I've tried St Ives and that pales in comparison to Cyclax. I have been using one jar non stop since last March.Cleanser:
Dr Barefoot (Barefoot Dr?) Clean Face Enhancer. I would buy this product until the day I died if they hadn't stopped making it. Clears off anything horrible on your face, all makeup etc.. It's a foaming cleanser so I put it on and let it get to work. Once it sinks in, I just wash off with water..no fuss no muss and one gorgeous face at the end.

Oh, how could I forget my other HG cleanser...Boots Time Delay Daily Cleansing Balm. This is a dupe of an Eve Lom cleanser I think and it's great, it's also greasy but it's not foaming. Majorly stops the greasies and I think it will be bought until the end of time after Dr Barefoot dies :(

Here are both my beauties:











When I get lazy and am not wearing makeup but feel to cleanse I use the Botanics wipes from Boots, I can't remember which sort I buy as I have only bought them once (been on the using everything up flex) but will buy again when all my cleansers run out/I go on holiday..here's what I think they look like:

But I know they aren't the ones for sensitive skin so they are either the pore perfecting or double action ones..hmm, should really read stuff.

Toner:
Quite drying on my skin so I don't have one but I do use these Clearasil pads (I've reviewed them on this blog) and they act like a gentler version of a toner. They tone and "exfoliate" at the same time and I can see them getting grime off my face. Perfect as they are wet enough to get the dirt off and also not leave me dry.

Moisturiser:
Simply the best EVER. Moisture in the right places and matte in the right places. Just need to exfoliate as well to prevent false dry skin. Not sure if it has SPF but I think I remember it having some..Eye cream:
It's super easy to apply and feels nice and cool, I don't know what they mean about giving you the wide eyed look but it doesn't do that for me.
And there we have all my HG skincare products..

I think I'll do a hair care one and a makeup one the next time I don't know what to do with myself.

I hope the stuff above is of some help to someone out there :)

My first MAC orientated post: MAC Graphic Garden

I've never in my life paid for anything from MAC before, I've been given some products by friends and family in the past but have never really used them as much as MAC-aholics do. I do like them but I don't really reach for them that often. I suppose that would change had I actually gone out and bought shades which I LOVED.

I'm not sure how new/old this collection is to MAC but I do love the stuff I've pasted below.

So, here's what MAC have to say about the collection:

"A modern graphic garden grows like a haute hologram in black-and-white chic. Sleek metal compacts with lenticular Op-Art plaques and kits that trick the eye, delight the senses. Glossy black-and-white Lip bags, indispensable Brush Sets."

Here's what I want from the collection:

Graphic Garden palette:

Graphic Garden palette, which contains the following shades:

• Social Climber

• Botanical Blue

• Straight Hedge

• Wild Wisteria

• Linear Lilac

• Graphic Garden

I've taken an objective look and have realised that I could use all these colours and more importantly, I don't have more than half in my collection. I'd use the black colour for setting liner/smokey eyes, the grey colour as a lid wash, the rest compliment brown eyes and the white-ish one could be used as a highlighter/inner eye brightener. There was another palette which would suit lighter skins as it contained light oranges and peaches but this would work best for me as oranges and peaches look like chalk on my skin most of the time.

Quite the bargain at only £28.50.

Brush sets:

"A black and white patent-finished twill bag (7” x 4.5”) featuring Graphic Garden’s signature rose pattern. Contains a separate zip-up brush holder with five brushes to help shade and define your look: the 129SE, 190SE, 209SE, 219SE and 252SE (All brush sizes are w/ 6.5” x 2.5”)."

I think, THINK I can see the 219 there which I'm told is the HG shadow brush if you just want an overall wash so this is why I'm swayed by this bag over the other one. Plus, the second bag contains an eyeliner brush which I already have in this design and a blusher brush. My blusher brush is from the pound shop but I do use a Kabuki brush generally (which fares slightly better as it is from Boots) so I don't even think I'd need the blusher brush. I'm not sure what that brush on the end does, the skunky looking one..so if anyone knows, do let me know :)

I just realised it's a bit silly me saying I thought I could see the 219 there when the list clearly states it is in there, I did clock it before reading the brush numbers, honest Miss!


"A black and white patent-finished twill bag (7” x 4.5”) featuring Graphic Garden’s signature poppy pattern. Contains a separate zip-up brush holder with five brushes specially selected to help shape and perfect your look: the 168SE, 187SE, 194SE, 212SE and 275SE (All brush sizes are w/ 6.5” x 2.5”)."

OK, two became three but in my defence I need to choose between which brush set is best for someone who already has a foundation brush, a lip brush, three eyeliner brushes and a basic eye shadow brush..none of which are MAC.

Both brush sets retail at £39.50

This is where you lovely readers come in, which collection would you suggest for someone who mainly wears eyeshadow, blusher and foundation? I'm leaning towards the first one but the two brushes at the top scare me..Also, are these brushes full size or a smaller size?

Nail polish

This time last year I had about 300 bottles of polish. In my defence however, none of them were bought by me. In my family imagination for Xmas presents doesn't run very far when it comes to buying presents for teenage girls. This is explanation enough

Now, I bite my nails..what is a girl to do with that much polish? Let's just say I had the bitchin'est toenails in the whole of west London during my supposed formative years (though I'm sure I'm forming more NOW than I ever did then).
I'm 25 now (eesh!) and only last year did I cary out operation: destash. I find that polishes are a double edged sword, on the one hand they last for years and then on the other hand they never finish. I have polishes from when I was 13 that show no sign of finishing, you can't tell how much I've used or how much is left.

I've just realised that I've never paid full price for nail varnish..I bought a pink Samsung phone last year which came with three free Nails Inc polishes, then I bought a copy of Glamour magazine which came with a free bottle of the same brand (in my defence, I bought it for my mum and she didn't like the shade so I felt it only best I take it for myself)..now I've finally received my cheapo one from the Nails Inc offer from NoTW.

Speaking of which, I think Nails Inc have been a bit crafty, mine looks like a factory second, it just says Nails Inc on it and there are no fingery hands or anything. I suppose I shouldn't complain, the colour is gorgeous and it was only £1. I did order a bit after the offer came out and so Nails Inc probably got rid of a lot of their "unsellable at full price" polishes that way. I'm not complaining, just thought I'd make a point. Quite a few girls at work ordered polishes too and some have a nice new "full price" looking bottle and the rest have bottles like mine.

I've had this post in draft form for ages because I wanted to take a photo of my polishes but my brother has taken my camera to take photos of his car so I'm waiting around for him to return it.

Now for the picturey bit..

Here's my current stash (you can hardly see it due to the toe torturers I have over them):
Not sure what that murky rainwater colour thinks it's doing, it's a gorgeous "petrol in the puddle" colour usually. There's about 50ish bottles in that small Ikea box.

The Nails Inc colour I got today:
See, no fingery hands, boo!

My old address was 189...