High protection suncare for the face - MAC and Clinique reviewed

I am the typical English Rose - I have the whitest skin in the world! I have never had a tan in my life. The closest thing to a tan I have had was being the colour of a lobster! I find it's quite a pain to be so white.

I spent a lot of my childhood in Africa (I had parents who loved to travel!) and I did not really have much of a problem. Then I had a shock, two years ago I went on a holiday to Mauritius and after a couple of days I was feeling rotten and got prickly heat and after a trip to the chemist on the island I was told to cover up completely and stay out the sun!!! It was more than a little bit depressing! I now have to take allergy tablets 1 week before I travel abroad. So it is essential that not only I buy a good hat, I buy the appropriate creams and lotions.

My boyfriend lives in Athens and at the airport on the way to visit him last summer I bought a special bumper pack of Clinique Super City Block SPF 40! It is a little embarrassing in the mornings to apply all the different creams and things, I feel like a total prima donna! The only thing I really worry about is my face to be honest, I hate that red cheeked, red nosed 'british holiday look' so I applied the city block quite liberally to my face.

I did keep re-applying the block throughout the day, before and after swimming, but I noticed that my face was still slightly flushed at the end of the day. The lotion is actually quite thick, and it does feel like you have protection. When I returned to England I had a lot of freckles, which is a clear sign of sun damage. I was really upset because I followed the instructions and was very careful and still I got burnt!

I really do not know what to say about this product now. I loved the idea, but I am not really convinced it works in very hot climates (it was 40degrees-ish!). I do wear this whilst in England because I want to keep my skin looking youthful. The Super City Block is £ 12.23 for 40ml. You can wear it alone or underneath your makeup. I have tried both ways. To be honest it does work well with makeup (although it did feel a little more greasey that usual but I think that is to be expected with a product like this). It is also available in SPF 25, and 'New Derma White SPF 40' which apparently prevents dark spots and discolourations.

I found another excellent product and it's by MAC (surprise, surprise!) it's their prep and prime with face protectSPF 50! I found this not only to be an excellent makeup primer, and it gave me the confidence my face was being protected. Unfortunately the MAC UK website does not stock this product anymore, but it is still available in shops, and also in the USA.

The only downside of this product is that it is quite small, and you only get 30ml for about £24 (if I remember correctly!). Well, on the upside, it fits in your handbag very well!!! ;)

I'm sorry mac, I just don't get your shadesticks!

Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a BIG fan of MAC products. I love them. I have once bought a shadestick in sharkskin and also beige-in.

I found the application of the shadesticks quite difficult because they felt very hard and aggressive on my eyelids. I also found them to cake a little and crease.

I was a little upset because this was my first flaw I have ever incountered with MAC. The shade-stick is apparently versitile because it can be used as a base, or as a simple eye-shadow. For me they just don't feel..... right. I far prefer Urban Decay's Primer Potion for a base as it feels far lighter and less sticky. I have heard that to make the shade-stick more useable you have to heat it up by rolling it between your hands. I tried this, and it didn't make too much of a difference. It is far preferable to buy a MAC paintpot!!! I think that we expect the highest standard from MAC, and really, this doesn't quite reach it girls!!

What do you think? Am I right?

A bad boy for this bad girl!

The famous Bad Gal Kohl Pencil!!! Many companies have tried to copy it, but they havn't even touched on the magic of this pencil! Wow. I first was given one for my birthday when I was 20 years old, and I havn't looked back. I was a little bit of a rock chick back then, (shhhhh!) and I loved the sexy smokey eye effect which you can achieve with this bad boy! Sometimes I find it's chunkiness a bit of a turn off because at times you want just a little more precision. With the vibrancy of the jet black kohl, I can live with the chunkiness! I always feel good when wearing this. It's common to feel a little self-concious when wearing kohl pencils because they tend to go everywhere.. but, if you smudge this, your eyes look smoking hot rather than smoking not!

It retails at £12.50 and can be found at many department stores, failing that it can be found at http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk (P&P £4.50 ...Ouch!).

I give this product full stars, because it totally deserves it. Well done Bad Gal!

For a Brazilian bootay....

This is one Lush product that has changed my whole view on skincare! Lush Sandstone Soap is a gorgeous smelling, fresh soap, with tones of lemon and lime- a real citrus wakeup call in the morning! What makes this soap different is that it has real sand inside!

The sand is a great exfoliator, and aparently was inspired by Brazilian ladies who mix up suntan lotion and sand to create a do it yourself body-scrub!

The price of this soap starts at £2.54. It uses a palm-oil free soap base which is great news for the forests of the world (and the Orangutans who live in them)! I feel happy that I am not only making a good beauty choice but also an ethical choice for the environment.

Within the first month of using this product, you will notice a real difference. It made the small bumps on my upper arms dissappear, and it helped reduced in-growing hairs after shaving, and I noticed cellulite had reduced (not that I have any! ;) ). The soap is great for women, but I would also buy it for the man in my life also.

I have tried hundreds of exfoliators and I give this one ten out of ten!

NARS blushes - get your hands on them!

The packaging is very subtle, the blusher comes in a flat black compact which includes a little mirror (which is very handy because 9 out of 10 times I forget to take mine with me!). It fits into your handbag/makeup bag easily-less bulky like their competitor MAC which has an almost bubble like container.

They are soft, sheer, pressed powder blushes made with transparent pigments for a soft and sheer look.. The great thing about NARS blushers are that they are very blendable, lightweight, and have amazing colour payoff. A little goes a long way. Also because they are very blendable, even if you are quite heavy-handed it is very difficult to acheive that "over application" horrible "clown look" with these products (let's face it girls, we've made that mistake once or twice havn't we?! Embarrassing!).

I must warn you that some of these blushers have X-Rated names! I have Nars Orgasm (coral with light shimmer) which is my FAVOURITE, Deep Throat (darker pink with gold reflectors), Nico (natural skintone, very light, no shimmer) and Madly (bronze colour with shimmer). Nars Orgasm is a fantastic product and works with virtually any skintone (in my opinion!). It has won "The best of Sephora" (a popular American Cosmetic retailer) for the past 5 years! The blush is a perfect pinky-peach colour with subtle highlights with accents of golden shimmer. Yum! It is a beauty editor/makeup artist's favourite, and it's easy to see why!

They are priced at £18.00 for 0.16oz. They are versitile and can be worn alone or layered together for more depth and intensity! MAC blushers can be hit or miss but Nars blushers always hit the spot! Can be bought from premium cosmetic outlets in UK, or directly from http://www.narscosmetics.co.uk.

I reccommend to buy from places such as Harrods/Selfridges/John Lewis because if you buy from their website postage is £ 6.00 and tax is £ 3.13!!!!!! What a rip off ladies!!

Bargain!

The Eyeko cream was a real surprise find! Whilst wondering around in Superdrug I came across a little section with girly looking lip-glosses, nail varnishes and sparkly face powder by a brand called "Eyeko". I was just about to dismiss this brand as being a "bit too young for me", when I spotted, sitting in the middle of the display a small pink box with a smiling Japanese cartoon Harajuku character on. I was a little intrigued so I picked up the box and read "Wow feel the glow, create a flawless base".

On closer inspection, the Eyeko cream is a 3 in one cream, for use as a moisturiser, eye cream and a highlighter. I tested a little on the back of my hand and the result was almost the same texture and colour payoff as Benefit's Highbeam! I was so excited! This cream only costs £4.99 for a 38ml pot! This cream can be used exactly like "Highbeam"by Benefit (highlighting the cheekbone and brow bone), it also can be used as a foundation base like MAC illuminating face cream. I

am not sure if I would use this product as an eye cream though as I am very choosey about anything which goes near my eyes. On the packaging it says it's infused with "skin perfecting light reflectors and antioxidant vitamins A & E and vitamin C for a radiant complexion". It certainly feels good on my skin and I have had no bad reaction to it. For more information check out their collection at Superdrug or order online (with free delivery at http://www.eyeko.com.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed

I am a big Clinique fan, I think their products are top notch! I am not afraid to slate a product though if I feel it is not upto standard, but I am yet to find a product of theirs that I dislike.

Clinique's all about eye rich is a fantastic product. I had a tester of both the 'all about eyes' cream and the 'all about eyes rich' cream. All about eyes is a very lightweight cream for under the eye, it was a nice product but I did not feel the need to purchase it (in my honest opinion I thought the cream was a little too thin and watery) I then tried all about eyes rich, and I absolutely fell in love with it!

This cream is far richer and thicker than it's predecessor. The second you apply it to the eye area you feel the moisture drink into the skin. I have been using this for two weeks and I can see and feel a difference. I do not have dark circles or many lines under my eyes as I look younger than my age (I am 26 but I still can't get served in a pub!), but I am a graphic designer and I am up for many nights of the week working hard, I feel that it leaves my eyes looking less than their best!

I place a layer of the rich cream under my eye in the delicate area. I have noticed that I was getting very small lines, but now I am using the cream I can't really see them anymore. I had a small discolouration under my eyes (beginning of dark circles I think) and they have reduced. I feel that to get benefit from this product you have to use it in the morning and at night, and continue to use it.

I will use this product for many years to come. I feel more confident that I am giving my skin a helping hand as I am getting older and heading rapidly towards the big 30! My mum has been nagging me for years to start a proper skincare routine "because I will thank her later"! I feel normal moisturisers don't hit the mark for the eye area, and often it is quite dangerous for the eye as it's so sensitive. Always use a specific eye cream that is dermatologically tested for that area.

The skin around our eyes is actually TEN TIMES thinner than the rest of our faces. Therefore I feel it's necessary to have something to help us!

What they say about their product "Moisture-rich formula diminishes the look of undereye circles, shadows, puffs and fine lines--immediately and over time. Helps boost natural collagen production. De-puffs with calming botanicals. Even strengthens skin's moisture barrier against common irritants".

I agree with their statement. If I see results this quickly I can only hope for as good a result in the future.

£ 19.57 for 15ml, available at http://www.boots.com or http://www.clinique.co.uk