THE MARIO BADESCU SKINCARE REVIEW - FACIAL SPRAY

Happy Sunday Everyone! I love a good facial spray ... who's with me? In the morning there's nothing better that revitalising your skin with a good face mist! One of ride or die mists is Fix Plus from MAC and I haven't really found any that come close! I have however heard a lot of good things about the benefits of rosewater and so when I was having a snoop around Urban Outfitters and saw one by Mario Badescu I thought I would take it home and have a try!

This stuff is pretty amazing, it feels super soft and gentle on the skin ... and the scent! I love a rose scent, it's really calming and soothing first thing in the morning, but the main reason I love the inclusion of rose in this formula are the benefits to your skin. Rosewater has amazing hydrating and moisturising properties and so I love to use this as one my first steps in my daily routine. I use the mist over my serum and moisturiser to give my skin an extra boost of moisture! I can't really compare this facial spray to Fix Plus because I use it in a completely different way. For me this spray is more of a prep step whereas I use Fix Plus to set my face! I've been using the spray for a good month and I do find that my skin stays matte for a lot longer, it can get to a few hours before my skin starts to get oily. I wouldn't say this product is revolutionary but I do love it and will continue to use it ... and not only because I love how much it smells! Have any of you tried the spray before!? Let me know how you got on with it, I'd love to hear about your experience too! Hope you all have a great week and I'll see you next Sunday for another dose of Prim!

THE BULLDOG SKINCARE REVIEW - OIL CONTROL FACE MASK

Happy Sunday Everyone! Bulldog Skincare is one of those brands that I always gravitate towards! Not only because they cater so brilliantly for mens skincare but also because they have such quality products with amazing natural ingredients! I found bulldog on a spree in Boots a while ago and I enjoyed the products a lot! Feel free to have a read of the post I did ... 'The Skincare Review - Bulldog'. Now many of you know I really try and take care of my skin and face masks play a massive part in how I do that. I was shopping around not too long ago and saw Bulldog's Oil Control Face Mask out of the corner of my eye ... we all know what happened next!

I have a combination skin type, I'm more oily in my t-zone and dry everywhere else. I don't really have that much trouble with my skin apart from how oily I get throughout the day, especially around my nose. I've always been on the hunt for something that is really going to draw the oil out of my face and I think I may have found the one! The mask itself is packed with amazing ingredients such as witch hazel, willow bark and juniper. It's also formulated with cornish clay which helps to cleanse the skin and minimise any excess oil. Consistency wise it's actually not overly thick which I thought it might be as in my experience many clay based masks have been, it's just thin enough to layer an equal amount over the face. Now i reviewed this on my Insta-Story a while ago and for certain areas of my face it just wasn't right, it felt like it had stripped back too much oil leaving my face feeling really tight and dry. However, once I had applied a serum and moisturiser it was absolutely fine! I think in the future I'll use it more in targeted areas such as my nose etc! Overall I am a big fan of this mask and I just know it's going to be a staple for me moving forward! Hope you all have a great week and I'll see you next Sunday for another dose of Prim!

THE BODY SHOW REVIEW - VITAMIN C GLOW BOOSTING MICRODERMABRASION

Happy Sunday Everyone! At this time of year when the sun starts to shine everyone wants their skin to have a touch of glow ... without looking sweaty of course! I have always been very fond of the Vitamin C range from The Body Shop, their 'Glow Boosting Moisturiser' being one of my all time favourites! I have dabbled with a few other things from the range but nothing has wowed me as much as the moisturiser did! About a month ago I got my hands on their Glow Boosting Microdermabrasion ... and I was won over almost instantly!

Microdermabrasions are known to treat a variety of skin problems, however I was only ever aware of this being something available in a spa or something of a similar nature? And so I was really intrigued to see what this would do and how it would help my skin! The formula has a mixture of fine exfoliating micro particles and crushed garnet stones which are known to help remove dead skin cells! One thing I would say is that whilst using it, I did feel that it was a tad bit harsh on the skin. I really don't mind that, in fact I like the abrasive texture working against my skin to remove dead skin and exfoliate! However, if you have sensitive skin I would be careful when using this! In terms of usage I do find this difficult to use daily, only because I like to take my time when using it. I tend to massage it into my skin for a good 5 minutes to really work it into the skin. If I want something quick I'll tend to reach for a regular scrub or the 'MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator'. After having used the microdermabrasion for about a month or so I am really happy with the results! My skin feels like it has had a real good scrub, it's brighter and full of vibrance! I would definitely recommend you try it out if you want your skin to have a fresh glow this summer! Hope you all have a great week and I'll see you next Sunday for another dose of Prim!

THE FASHION DIARY - #3

Happy Friday Everyone and welcome back to 'The Fashion Diary! This week I thought I'd do a quick post on a little something I wore to a work meeting not to long ago. I don't really normally do business wear but I added a little 'Prim-ness' to it and off I went!

Glasses - ASOS | Shawl - Handmade | Shirt - ASOS | Trousers - Jacamo

THE KIEHL'S REVIEW - LITE ELITE SHAVE CREAM

Happy Sunday Everyone! Something exciting happened a few weeks ago ... Leicester finally got a Kiehl's! My lovely friend Wendy from work popped in not too long after their opening and said how lovely and cute their space was and I knew I had to pay them a visit. Now, I have been to a Kiehl's before but didn't pick anything up, the ranges are more on the pricey side and so I wanted to really get a feel of the things that they have before I took the plunge! Now, when I did pop in I had a quick look around and saw a few things that I wanted ... but it was a week or two before payday and so I didnt go too crazy! The reason I went into town was because I needed a new shaving cream ... so when I saw one in Kiehl's I knew it was meant to be!

I have done a number of reviews on different shave creams on my blog and honestly they are one of my favourite types of posts to write! The shave cream I picked up is called the 'Lite Elite Shave Cream', when I initially saw it in the store one of the main reasons I picked it up was because of the 'Close Shave' claim on the lid! I have quite a distinct shape when it comes to my facial hair, I have a shaped goatee-tach situation but then everywhere else on my fave is shaved. I always aim for the closest shave possible, to the point where I have hacked at my face to get the shave I needed! So I was super excited to see if the claims they made were true! The cream is actually super thick which at first I found difficult to work with, I had to really buff the cream into the skin to think it out slightly and this is where the first con comes into play. Because the cream is so think I find myself using a lot of product to cover the areas of the face that I need to shave. I think if you had somewhere to work the cream into a lather before you applied it, almost like a palette of some sort, it would be easier to work with and you wouldn't use as much! That however is where the negatives end. The cream has a lovely subtle floral scent, it isn't overpowering at all but it's lovely! It has also has a lot of super amazing ingredients, I won't bore you with the details but it left my skin feeling amazing! Now to the claim that led me to buy the shave cream in the first place! I was ridiculously impressed at how close the shave was whilst using this cream! It wasn't as close as I thought it would be but it is the closest shave I have ever had! I loved using this, a part of me is actually super sad right now because I know that I have hit the bottom of the tub and I only have a few uses left! Kiehl's here I come! Hope you all have a great week and I'll see you next Sunday for another dose of Prim!

THE REAL TECHNIQUES MIRACLE CLEANSING SPONGE

Happy Sunday Everyone! Hope you've all had a lovely week! A couple of weeks ago I had a massive splurge in Superdrug and Boots ... I know, what's new right?! Haha! Anyway, as I was shopping I saw that Real Techniques had launched some new sponges! One of which was a cleansing sponge! Now, I absolutely love Real Techniques, they are a brand that I have trusted and loved for a very long time and they have never disappointed me! I saw Nic Chapman showcase the sponge and I knew I had to have it in my life!

I've been using the sponge religiously for a good month now and I absolutely love it! I reviewed the Seaweed Gel Cleanser from The Body Shop two weeks ago and I use that with this sponge near enough every day! Like their Miracle Complexion Sponge I dampen the sponge underneath a running tap and the sponge expands! I then lather my choice of skincare that day within the sponge before running it over my skin to help cleanse. The texture of this sponge is what has made me fall in love with it, I don't have sensitive skin but I still don't want to be using a lot of force when cleansing, the sponge is super soft so it's really gentle on the skin and the porous texture helps gently exfoliate your skin too! The shape of the sponge is an exact match to their complexion sponge too! You have the larger flat surface which I prefer to use on bigger areas of my face such as my neck, checks and forehead but you also have the lovely point on the sponge which I prefer for the smaller areas like under my eyes or my nose! For me this sponge is definitely a winner and I would hand on heart recommend it to all you skincare lovers out there! Hope you all have a great week and I'll see you next Sunday for another dose of Prim!

THE OGX REVIEW - NIACIN AND CAFFEINE

Happy Sunday Everyone! Today I thought I would do a little review on my favourite shampoo and conditioner at the moment! If you've been a reader for a while you'll have seen and read many reviews on different hair care that I have tried over the years! I seem to go through phases of certain brands but one thing I always look for is something that will strengthen my hair, prevent any fall out and thicken my hair without weighing it down! Well! I think I may have found the one!

OGX is a brand that I have tried before and I have reviewed the shampoo and conditioner from their 'Biotin and Collagen Collection' which you can read *here*, sadly by the time I had finished the bottles I wasn't wowed and I don't think I would reach for it again. However, I have always heard such amazing things about OGX and they have so many more options available! And so when I was perusing the haircare aisles in Boots I picked up a shampoo and conditioner from the Niacin and Caffeine collection. Having a quick read at the description on the bottle I knew straight away that this is something I would take a fancy too! For me this works if I want a quick wash whilst I'm in the shower but it's also super amazing when I'm having a bath as I can use the conditioner more like a mask! Both bottles have a beautiful formula, there is this lovely cooling feeling as you massage them in! Personally, I love this because you can really feel the caffeine working into your scalp! The one and only thing that slightly puts me off is that the shampoo doesn't lather very well. I'm definitely one of those that loves a good lather and unless you really work the shampoo it really doesn't foam up in your hands. But! I love this stuff so much that I can happily put that aside! All in all I would totally recommend this range, my mum has lovely hair and she doesn't really need to fight any fallout but even she absolutely loves this collection ... she even had a little bit of a paddy when it ran out the other day! Don't worry Mum, I'll be heading into town very soon to pick some up some more ... I mean how could I not! Hope you all have a great week and I'll see you next Sunday for another dose of Prim!