.... Beauty: A'kin Cellular Radiance serum review......

As much as I adore Josie Maran Argan oil, I cannot purchase it here in the UK (Why Josie, why????) so I needed to find an alternative because, without it, my skin just isn't happy.

Enter the first contender, A'kin Cellular Radiance Serum.

image courtesy of qvcuk.com

I bought this product as part of a duo set from QVC, it contained this and the A'kin Rosehip oil at a very decent price compared to other websites I checked. 

As you can see, the serum, which is actually an oil, comes in a 30ml size dropper bottle which is nice for dispensing just a couple of drops. The oil looks and smells pretty much the same as the standard Rosehip oil which is a sort of dark amber colour and smells a little bit like tea leaves. 

I like that about it, I have tried cheaper oils that have no colour or smell and they haven't done anything for my skin so, for me, these "imperfections" are proof of the quality of the A'kin products.

I use it the way I used the Argan oil but only in the evening:  2-3 drops on my face, 2-3 drops for my neck and decolletage. I emulsify it in my palms first and then gently massage and press it into my skin, including around my eyes and on my eyelashes.

I would totally recommend this serum as it healed my skin during a reaction to another product. The first couple of times I used it my face looked amazingly glowy when I woke up but that hasn't really happened since, which is a shame, but I still love it for the way it keeps me spot free.

You can buy it A'kin from qvcuk.com like I did or from mypure.co.uk.

Thanks for reading.

Scarlett

xx

..... Reading: A Song of Ice and Fire (or Game of Thrones) .....

If there is one reason for my laissez faire blogging habits it is these books. Every spare second has been taken up with completing the story so far.

I can't really give an in depth review without giving something away for the uninitiated, the plot is so full of twists and turns, but I can say that, once you get past the initial shocks, the story sucks you in completely.

If you have caught Game of Thrones on HBO but haven't read the books behind the TV show I would definitely recommend checking them out.

Scarlett xx

.... Beauty: 7 day trial of L'Occitane Divine Cream (courtesy of BeautyBecca) - Day 1

So six days ago I received a lovely email from BeautyBecca telling me that I had had won her giveaway of a week's worth of L'Occitane Divine Cream and, as someone who is a little obsessed with all things beauty and (ever so) slightly addicted to QVC, I was more than a little excited to get a change to try this super luxe Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible "Miracle Cream" champion which I had been lemming since seeing the demo a couple of weeks ago.

Here is what I won:

image from http://beautybecca.blogspot.com/

and here is what I think so far:
First of all, I think I will be able to get at least 14 days out of these as I only use an SPF day cream. Second of all, even the sample sachets are puuuurty....... *sigh*

Anyway, I tried the cream for the first time last night and so far I really like it. The cream is thick but I didn't find it greasy and I didn't need much for my whole face and decollete. I found it quite hydrating, even on my cheeks which have a tendency to become dehydrated. The smell is quite subtle and a little bit "herby", it smells like a L'Occitane product.

This morning I was very impressed by how my skin looked. Usually in the morning I look tired and greasy, not so this fine morning - my skin looked surprisingly even and was not greasy at all!!!

Obviously I will be continuing the trial until I run out so I will post updates as it goes along but, so far, I am definitely impressed and I can't wait to see if the the results get even better.

Thanks for reading,
Scarlett xx

...... Food: Super simple breakfast recipe - Banana and walnut mash up........

It's almost embarrassingly simple but sometimes it's easy to overlook the obvious and this one only occurred to me when I ran out of porridge one morning.

The instructions are in the title, simply mash one banana in with some crushed walnuts.

Tasty. Filling. No dairy.

Enjoy.xx

..... Beauty: Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel review

image:feelunique.co.uk

I was sent this product (as part of a promotion on Facebook) in a trial size when it was first released but didn't really have the chance to review it until now so you may have already seen a bajillion reviews but I am adding my 2 cents just the same.
Here goes.

The product comes out of the tube as a translucent orange gel-cream which also smells like (slightly chemical) oranges.

When you rub it on your skin it transforms into an oil which you massage in like a normal cleanser.

To remove it, you add water so that it turns milky and easily rinses away. In theory...

I found that, for some bizarre reason, it just will not rinse off! I have now tried it for two weeks and not once has this milky miracle transpired! I've seen it demonstrated on QVC so I know it can be done but, for me, this cleanser simply doesn't live up to the price tag of £19.40 for 125ml.

An extra gripe is that you can't use it around your eyes so you would definitely need a separate product to remove eye make up.

There are supposed to be some exfoliating benefits to this cleanser but I haven't noticed any, possibly due to the greasy residue that I get left with every time I use it.

Sadly, I cannot recommend this product. Elemis makes some good stuff but this one was just not right for my oily, sensitive skin.

Scarlett xx

...... Beauty: Gliss Shea Cashmere Shampoo and conditioner review

Well, that no 'poo days are officially over. I followed the advice in Curly Girl to the letter and ended up with a tangled crows nest of hair on top of a sore scalp so last week I went to Savers and picked up the silicone loaded bargain that is Gliss Shea Cashmere.

image:hair-craft.co.uk

These babies cost a bargainous £1 each and after the first wash my hair felt silky soft and my scalp went back to normal. I still have that frizzy halo but these products make no claims to fix that and I have used much pricer products *ahem* Sebastian Laminates *ahem* that made the frizz worse and my hair feel like straw.

Would I recommend these products? So far, it's a resounding yes :)

You can buy these where I did: Savers, or at Superdrug where they are £1.99 but sometimes buy one get one free if you want to collect points ;)

Scarlett xx

....entertainment: 30 Rock Rules!!

Ugh. I haven't  quite gotten the hang of this regular blogging malarkey yet but, you know what they say, practice makes perfect, so at some point the habit will stick I'm sure.....

Anyway, one of my many recent distractions has been (finally) cottoning on to this hilarious television show.

I love it, I totally get the hype and Alec Baldwin is my new hero. Nice job Tina Fey :)

If you haven't seen it already( there may still be some of you left!!) do check it out, it may be just the thing to brighten up those impending Winter nights.

Scarlett