Review: Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

I spent the last weekend in Edinburgh belatedly celebrating my 21st birthday. Whilst there, I was (yet again) seduced by a Clinique counter and their amazing 'bonus time' offer, roughly translated as a range of free gifts when you buy two or more products. The Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector was £39.99 and as I also bought an eyeshadow duo, with the two together I received a free goody bag with lots of skin products worth £60 AND a free quickliner for eyes in black. While I'm not normally one for a rash impulse buy, I thought what better occasion to treat yourself at than a 21st birthday weekend!

The Clinical Dark Spot Corrector is a light and creamy serum made to correct skin tone and noticeably lessen the presence of dark spots age spots and traces of past blemishes, resulting in healthy looking and evenly toned skin. It claims to be great for all skin types and tones and is dermatologist-tested. Since buying it I've been using the serum twice a day, after washing my face and before the applying the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion as the lady said this was the best time to use it.

Evening the skin...
After using it for a few days I'm pretty happy with how it has enhanced my complexion already. It is definitely more even in general and while my skin isn't particularly uneven, the impact of any discolouration I did have has lessened considerably. The product does a great job at evening out my skin tone generally; it immediately makes the skin feel very velvety and soft.

Dark Spots...
This one's a little trickier as being 21 I don't actually have that many dark spots or other age-related marks. The lady at the counter assured me that this would still be beneficial to my skin; she uses it and her younger sister and she said they were both more than impressed with the results. The counter lady also said said it would take 4 to 6 weeks before I would notice a difference so the fact I have noticed a change already is very promising.


All in all I would really recommend the Corrector, although I think older ladies or ladies with facial scarring from acne or something similar would really benefit from using it perhaps much more than me. Being a bit of a sun-worshiper however, I think it will benefit me in the long run and maybe even prevent dark spots from developing.

So definitely one to invest in and spoil the Mum's with!

Review: Hawaiian Sky Moroccan Argan Oil

After reading tons of fantastic reviews on Morrocan Oil in the last 3 or 4 months I have been desperate to get my hands on a bottle. I'd heard it literally performs miracles on dry hair, transforming it from ill and damaged to soft, healthy and beautiful. Sounding too good to be true and knowing full well my hair was in desperate need of some TLC, I took to the streets of Leeds in search of some for myself.

I managed to find a rather large bottle of 'Hawaiin Sky Morrocan Argan Oil' from on offer from a place called 'Hair City', near Leeds Corn Exchange, costing me £7.99. This I thought was very good considering a similar size bottle sells for about £20-£30 online.For some reason I couln't find an image of this product's brand name on the internet, or even a link to buy it online! I presume it's pretty much the same formula as the likes of the Moroccanoil Series (comes in the blue-labelled bottle), Organix, Hollywood Beauty, Lee Stafford etc, so hopefully my review won't be too dissimilar to any of the other brands that sell this stuff.

At the first use, I distributed a healthy amount at the roots and ends of my hair when it was wet and then dried it off with a hairdryer. It has a strong (but nice) smell and the consistency is exactly what you would expect from an oil. Straight away I could tell it had added moisture, shine and gave my hair a silky soft feel that lasted until I next washed it. It really did feel great and almost like a completely new head of hair - all the reviews I'd read were right!

It has numerous benefits along with making the hair soft and shiny, I've heard from some sources that it protects hair from flat irons and other heat-styling tools (which is very good for a ghd addict like me).

I can't find many faults with the oil but I wouldn't say it 'doesn't give an oily feel' like it claims; I could definitely tell that it had had product in and was a little stickier than usual, making it look more greasy. Saying that it's totally worth it for the good it does to your hair, I really was amazed. Since the first use, I've found it's also very good on dry hair if it's feeling a little weak. Putting it on wet hair definitely has the best results though.
I have oily/combination skin so I don't quite dare to try it on my skin just yet. I have heard that it can do great things for the skin too though!

If you're 'umming and 'arring like I was and considering getting some Morrocan Oil from any brand I would definitely say go for it! Worth every penny in my opinion.

Amy x

21 Candles

A week ago to the day I celebrated my long-awaited 21st birthday at home in the little town of Newark. I had such a lovely day and for the first time in years it really did feel like a proper birthday. I woke up to a very excited puppy, almost as excited as me, with a fluffy birthday collar trying to clamber on my bed and give me a birthday kiss, so cute! Due to having so much Uni work I didn't have a big night out over the weekend but I've had a few before and after in Leeds and I'm going for a mini break in Edinburgh in a couple of weeks with 4 of my best friends and I cannot wait!

I was lucky enough to receive loads of cute gifts and cards from family and friends. Lots of jewellery, sweet treats, make-up and a couple of gorgeous photo album/scrap book type things which will definitely make me smile on a rainy day spent indoors. Make-up wise I got a Clinique All Over Blush and Copper Canyon Eye Shadow Duo, both of which I'll be blogging about any time soon so look out for them.

I spent most of the day with my family, we went for a lovely meal at the Fardon Boathouse, my favourite restaurant in the whole world, which lucky for me is only a 5 minute drive from my house. The meal was gorgeous, as expected, and it was lovely to spend some quality time with my nearest and dearest without having to worry about deadlines, word counts and systemic functional grammar!

Anyway here are a few snaps from the day:

Birthday Morning

My mother - would you believe she has a 21 year old daughter!

The Williams Girls

My Grandad and I

Duck Spring Roll - amazing!

My two little brothers and me :)

This did not last very long

Review: Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

Before trying this product from Philip Kingsley it's safe to say I was a little dubious. I was more than sceptical that it could just be yet another unnecessary product for women to fall into the trap of buying into. Not a shampoo, not a conditioner, not a blow drying treatment but a pre-shampoo intensive moisturizing treatment, promising to deliver elasticity, bounce and shine to hair. It is also said to provide UV protection even after washing, to help prolong the life of colour treated hair.

The elasticizer is not short of healthy ingredients; a balance of oils, humectants and elastin (protein), with a small amount of silicone. I'd heard good things about the Philip Kingsley hair range so I decided to curb my doubts and give this treatment a chance.

Thankfully I was really blown away by the product, even after the first use. Following the instructions, I applied a good amount through the mid-lengths and ends, left for 10 minutes and rinsed before following my normal hair-washing routine. It had no real immediate effect or amazing smell but once my hair had completely dried I was more than impressed! It really does volumize and liven up the hair and left mine feeling particularly bouncy and definitely much healthier. It left my very dry, over-highlighted hair feeling incredibly thick and silky, particularly at the ends which are unfortunately very damaged.

If I'm looking for fault it did perhaps make my hair go a little greasier more quickly than normal. I also can't say it really did wonders for the actual colour, however I think I may just be being overly picky with that one. I am definitely going to use it once or twice a week from now on to improve the general condition and maintenance of my hair. So all in all not so much of a fad product like I first thought!

It's definitely got me interested in the other products from the PK range; I've got my eye on a silver shampoo that could be gracing the shelves of my bathroom very soon!

Amy x