Ark Skincare Review: Pre-Cleanser Makeup Remover, Conditioning Cleanser and Replenishing Moisturiser

I recently incorporated three Ark Skincare products into my skincare routine; Conditioning Cleanser and Replenishing Moisturiser from the Age Defend line and the Pre-Cleanse Makeup Remover. I picked two items from the Age Defend line, which is aimed at people in their 30s and 40s, even though I am in my late twenties. This was because I'm already using anti-wrinkle care in my daily routines and these two pieces had great anti-ageing claims.

Now I have been using the products for a number of weeks, I'm able to give a full review. Starting with the Pre-Cleanse Makeup Remover. It's a silky oil makeup remover that feels luxurious to apply. The oil cuts through long-wear makeup with ease. I will say if you choose to use this on your eye makeup, make sure you thoroughly rinse to ensure there is no oily residue in your eyes.

Next up, as my second cleanse, I've been using the Age Defend Conditioning Cleanser. What I love about this product is that it's so nourishing and soft on the skin. Its texture is almost like a cream, so it doesn't leave your skin feeling tight like foaming cleansers would. It's a pleasure to use! One of the key ingredients is Moringa Oil, which is rich in Vitamin A and C, both known to help brighten and refresh the skin.

Lastly, I've been loving the Age Defend Replenishing Moisturiser. It comes in one of those hygienic, push down tops. You simply push down the circle at the top and a small amount is dispensed from the middle, this saves you putting your fingers into pots. The moisturiser itself has a dreamy consistency, it's creamy but not too heavy, which means it nourishes the skin without clogging pores. Key ingredients of this product are co-enzyme Q10 and Matrixyl, which are great for anti-ageing. I can't say how this has affected my fines lines for the long term, but I do enjoy the product so far.

All of Ark's skincare is vegan-friendly and they are very transparent about their ingredients, which makes it a great overall brand!

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Revlon Photoready Candid Collection Review: Foundation, Concealer and Powder

I adore watching Katie Jane Hughes videos but we definitely have different tastes in makeup bases. From her tutorials, it's clear she likes a very, very light base, whereas prefer a heavier base to cover my acne scarring. So when she recommended the Revlon Candid range, I didn't think I'd enjoy using it, assuming it would be too light of a coverage.

I've been testing the three base products in the Photoready Candid range, the Natural Finish Ani-Pollution Foundation, Anti-Oxidant Concealer and Anti-Pollution Setting Powder for a few weeks now, and absolutely adore it! I have the shades, 110 Porcelain in the foundation, 010 Vanilla in the powder and 001 in the powder, which as far as I can tell are the lightest shades in the range.

The Candid Foundation feels like a thick cream, rather than a liquid foundation, a little goes a long way. It gives a satin base that looks seamless on the skin. You don't look like you are wearing anything cakey on your skin. It covers most of my acne scarring, if you had a fresh scar, you may need to add further concealer.

I've been using the Candid Concealer under my eyes, I would usually opt for a lighter shade than my foundation but unfortunately, even the lightest shade in the range doesn't provide that highlighting effect. I don't mind this for an everyday concealer but would opt for a lighter concealer if I was doing a night out makeup look.

The Concealer sits well under the eyes but does need a touch of powder to help prevent creasing throughout the day. The Candid Powder is perfect for this, it's lightweight and it's too matte and cakey. It has slight 'lit from within' finish that helps the skin look youthful. The powder has a plastic cap, meaning that the powder doesn't leak out of the holes when you pop it in your makeup bag, which is a big plus!

All three products combined help to achieve a satin finish makeup base that has longevity. I find I do need to powder around my nose at the end of a working day but the rest of the base still looks flawless.

Have you tried the Candid range?

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Gift Ideas For Him | AD

I love spoiling people with gifts, especially my boyfriend, but I do know how they are hard to buy for! I've gathered some of my favourite gifts for him which you can bookmark for birthdays, Father's Day, anniversaries and Christmas. These options range from the more affordable ..... to the luxurious shavers from Panasonic UK.

Fjallraven Backpack
I've seen these backpacks everywhere! They are both on-trend and practical with a rainbow of colours available. They are perfect for someone who loves to go on trips or walks.

Panasonic Rechargeable Shaver ES-LV65

Gadgets are a sure winner as a gift for men. Panasonic has a number of shavers available, he'd be over the moon if he was gifted one, plus they last for years!

Star Wars Poster
For any movie nerd, I recommend hunting on eBay for a cheap poster or print. I've seen some great ones for Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pulp Fiction and Top Gun, so simply select a design of his favourite film. Alternatively, if he's more into travel, why not get him a print of his favourite city.

Lonely Planet Ultimate Travelist  Book
If he's got a travel bucket list as long as his arm, gift him this beautiful book by Lonely Planet. He'll have plenty of inspiration and will want to book his next trip ASAP!

Boss Bottled Eau de Toilette
Aftershave is a great option if you are stuck on what to buy him. I picked out the Boss Bottled fragrance but I also love Diesel Only For The Brave and Paco Rabanne.  

No7 Complete Shave Set
Boots No7 have an amazing skincare line for men. This one is a shave set but they also have daily facial moisturisers and cleansers for him so these would come in handy, especially if he keeps stealing yours!

What will you buy him?

Date Day in Liverpool

My boyfriend and I had a belated Valentine's celebration last weekend in Liverpool. Living near Chester, Liverpool is so easy for us to get to, but if you are from outside the North West area, I highly recommend booking one of the many gorgeous hotels in Liverpool.

We both love fine food, so we booked a table for lunch at the infamous Wreckfish. They offer high quality food in their stylish city centre location. I recommend visiting at lunchtime as they have two offers available, 2 courses for £19 or 3 courses for £22, and they feature some of the same dishes on their evening menu, so the lunchtime offering is a more affordable way to try the dishes.

To start, I had the confit crapaudine beetroot, candy beetroot, smoked beetroot purée and sticky walnuts. In layman's terms, it was beetroot three ways with candied walnuts. The dish had a great balance of textures and tastes. My boyfriend had the charred mackerel, nut ragù, roast cauliflower and confit turnip, which he enjoyed.

Our main dishes arrived shortly after and they looked amazing! I opted for the Jerusalem artichoke risotto, poached hen’s egg and artichoke crisps. I'd never tried artichoke before but I adore risotto, I wasn't disappointed! Some risottos can be bland, but Wreckfish's offering was very flavourful and wholesome.

My boyfriend had the braised feather blade of beef, cauliflower purée, parmesan and truffle chips (£3 supplement on lunch offer). I have eaten this at Wreckfish before and confirm that the dish is delicious.

Although we were both full, we couldn't resist a dessert! We choose the honeycomb semifreddo, dark chocolate sauce and fresh honeycomb, it was the perfect ending to our lunch.

We continued to explore Liverpool to work off some of our lunch, we wandered around the shops and then headed to Albert Dock and visited the Tate art museum. It has free exhibitions, so well worth a look if you are in the area.

We also stopped at the Smugglers Cove bar on the dock to rest our tired legs. It offered a vast range of ales and spirits and an exciting cocktail menu. I opted for a Smugglers Martini, which was their version of the classic Pornstar Martini.

We had a great day out in Liverpool! What's your favourite thing to do in Liverpool?

*The spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Coconut Breeze Review

When I think of Philip Kingsley hair care, I think of the Elasticizer and I'm sure some of you do too! Brand Alley kindly sent me the Coconut Breeze version of this infamous product to trial and review.

What's different about this hair treatment is that it needs to be applied before you shampoo and condition! It promises to be a 'super conditioning pre-shampoo treatment, which adds elasticity. bounce and shine to all hair types'.

I find the best way to apply this is to wet your hair in the sink, bath or shower, then add the product to your hair and make sure it's covered from root to tip. I then use a shower cap as you need to leave it on for 10-20 minutes, I'll usually exfoliate and shave my legs in this time. Once done you can wash the treatment off and carry on with your normal shampooing and conditioning routine. If you don't mind sleeping in a shower cap or on a towel, you can also leave this treatment on overnight and wash off in the morning.

When I came to blowdry my hair after the treatment, I noticed it was more manageable and had fewer tangles. The Coconut Breeze scent is incredible and a few people complimented me on it!

This treatment is best for those who don't mind patiently waiting in the shower or bath. If that's you, it's sure to make your hair feel softer and smells amazing!

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January Beauty New In - Pay Day Wishlist

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Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer
Cult Beauty know exactly how to get the beauty community excited about new makeup launches, everyone has been hyped up over Milk Makeup coming over from the US to the UK. I myself have been caught up in this whirlwind and I'm currently lusting after the Matte Bronzer. I love stick bronzers and contours because their formulas tend to blend seamlessly with foundation.
I've also heard great things about their Kush High Volume Mascara and Blur Liquid Matte Foundation.

Soap & Glory Wonditioner Intensive Conditioning Pink Clay Hair Mask

I'm already a huge fan of the Soap and Glory body care, their range is affordable and smells incredible. I wouldn't expect anything else for their new haircare range. They have shampoos, conditioners, serums, dry shampoos, and oils, but it was the hair mask that has grabbed my attention.

Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation

I wanted to purchase the original stick formula of the Hourglass Vanish foundation but had read reviews that said it didn't last long, so it didn't seem good value for money. However, I think this liquid formula would be easier to use more sparingly than a stick. 

Dr Dennis Gross Skincare Clinic at Home

I'm not going to lie, the name of this piqued my interest. It sounds like it would pack more punch than your usual at home skincare. It contains Alpha Beta Extra Strength Peels (30 pads), Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting Cleansing Gel (60ml) and the Alpha Beta Exfoliating Moisturiser (15ml). 

BECCA X Khloé Kardashian Bronze, Blush & Glow Palette

Keeping Up with the Kardashian's is my guilty pleasure, I think Khloe might actually be my favourite sister. Her collaboration with Becca looks dreamy, this powder palette would be ideal for travel. I imagine the texture and finish to be the same as the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. 

Flower Beauty Supernova Celestial Skin Elixir Primer

I watched a few interviews with Drew Barrymore on YouTube for the launch of Flower Beauty into the UK market and her charisma is so inspiring! The Supernova Skin Elixir seems to be one of the hero products of the line. It promises a glowy base to apply your makeup to. It would be interesting to see how the purple tone comes through on the skin!

What's on your payday, new in beauty wishlist? 

Gym Makeup Duo

Yes, I know wearing makeup in the gym is bad for you! However, as I have quite a bit of acne scarring, I need a little coverage even when going to the gym. Having a more even complexion gives me the confidence I need while working out.

The Garnier BB Cream has been around for years, it was probably one of the first BB creams to become widely available to the Western market. I purchased the Oily to Combination Skin formula in the shade Light. Unfortunately, this product has a poor colour selection, I believe it only comes in Light and Medium. I'm a MAC NC15 for reference and the Light shade is slightly too dark for me.

I use my fingers to work the BB Cream into the skin, I find a brush tends to create streaks as you apply. Using your fingers really helps you to work the product into the skin. The consistency is light and moisturising, it doesn't feel too heavy and has a nice subtle glow on the skin.

The one thing that the Garnier BB Cream does not cover is my under eye circles, so I do need a touch of concealer to cancel out the purple tones.

I use the Glossier Stretch Concealer in the shade Light, which is a better colour match for me compared to the BB Cream. I lightly pat this under my eyes, it's a moisturising formula, which again works best when applied with your fingers. It creates a brightening effect, which is ideal for a minimal makeup look.

Both products combined give me the confidence to go to the gym, they are sweat proof and can be easily be removed after your workout. I don't think that either product would stay on all day due to their moisturising formulas but they are both quick and easy products to wear in the gym.

Do you wear makeup to the gym?

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