My New Favourite (vibrating!) Gadget

Excuse the headline! Made you look though, didn't it?!

So, now you're here...I'll get on with it. My long overdue post on the Clarisonic Plus skin care brush….

Just over a month ago I was sent this famous facial cleansing brush to try out. Reviews of the waterproof hand held vibrating (ooo-er!) cleansing brush have been doing the rounds on YouTube and Blogger so I wasn't alone in being offered the chance to try this nifty little gadget. But I wanted to give it a good few weeks of use before I shared my opinions.

The Clarisonic's essentially a large electric toothbrush for the face. And although at first glance it looks pretty frightening, it's pretty good at its job of fully removing make-up (up to six times more than traditional cleansing!), dead skin cells and general everyday grime from your face. In short, it's a really good, effortless exfoliator.

Here's what Clarisonic have to say:

"The essential first step in your daily skin care ritual, Clarisonic is a professional-calibre brush that uses a gentle sonic micro massage action to cleanse deeply. Clarisonic gently clears pores without harsh abrasion or chemicals, cleansing so effectively that skin care products absorb better. Clinical results include 6 times more make-up removed than manual cleansing, reduced appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles, and improved skin tone."

 The Clarisonic Plus kit includes:

* Cordless Clarisonic PLUS

* Universal Charging Cradle UK
* Sensitive Brush Head
* Body Brush Head
* 30ml trial sizes of Refreshing Gel Cleanser, Gentle Hydro Cleanser and Nourishing Care Cleanser
* 60ml trial size Refining Skin Polish
 
 

The Clarisonic Plus (centre) with the attachable body brush and various facial and body cleansers

 
Is the Clarisonic Plus worth its hefty £175 price tag? Mmmm. I've definitely noticed a difference in my skin; it's clearer, much less dry and altogether more glowy. I doubt this can be achieved with exfoliating facial washes alone, but whether you think this product is worth the wonga is entirely due to how you feel about your skin.

I suffer from nasty hormonal break outs occasionally and, in truth, I was scared stiff about using this. I'd read countless reviews about it causing break outs, particularly in the first couple of weeks of use. I wasn't wrong to be worried and after a couple of days' use blemishes started to pop up. After this initial outbreak, however, my skin has been noticeably better and this product has literally done wonders for occasional dry patches. I also found that it lived up to its claim of absorbing skin care products better - and my evening moisturiser sank into my skin like a dream.

But if you're lucky enough to have normal skin (or double lucky you, excellent skin!), you could do worse than get one of those £5 scrublets fellow bloggers are raving about and a really good exfoliator.

Overall, I've been impressed with the Clarisonic Plus - which can also be used on the body. I've been using it on and off for over four weeks now and I doubt I will go back to manual exfolation. Would I have spent £175 on it had I just read others' reviews? Probably not, but I'll carry on using it in the hope that my skin improves further. It's certainly smoother, less dry and less blemish prone, so that's good enough for me.

Has anyone else tried this product? What do you think?

FTC Disclaimer: I was sent this product to review. I didn't get paid, neither am I affiliated with the brand.
All my opinions are honest and my own.

Apologies for the flurry of reviews lately. Normal service will resume soon, I promise!

Elemis Contest: And The Winners Are......

Thanks to everyone who entered my Elemis competition and subscribed as a result. It was lovely to read all your comments, so thanks for the blog posts and Tweets. Thanks also to Ellie at Elemis who was kind enough to donate the prizes.
I've drawn the winners out of a hat from my office desk this morning.

So, without further ado...

The first prize winner is: Cherry Pullinger

Ms Pullinger bags herself this stunning limited edition Elemis Rose and Lavender Recovery Regime set. Please email me your contact details to laurenholden6@gmail.com and I'll make sure you get your prize asap.

But wait, there's more....the three runners up are Chesty Morgan, Louise and Jo.
who all win themselves this Elemis Replenish Moisture Duo set, worth £75 each. Please email me on the above email address and I'll post prizes out soon.

Congrats to the winners, hope you enjoy your prizes. Thanks again to everyone who entered.

Calpol scented lips with Miners!

 I'm a big fan of Miners lip products, having been sent some of their fashion matte lipsticks late last year.

So when a set of six of their new Sweet Lips glosses dropped through my letterbox, I was keen to try them out.

In terms of pigmentation, these are not the best. However, the lip glosses (which cost £2.99 each) are marketed as sheer. What I do like about these are the slanted wands, which make for easy application.

They're also very Calpol-esque in their scent. And who doesn't love Calpol! Moisturising (with added Vitamin E) and not too greasy, these are light on the lips and help make bright, vibrant lip colours more wearable. Not my favourite lip glosses by any means, but they're ok for their £2.99 price tag.

FTC Disclaimer: I was sent these products to review. My opinions are my own and I have not been paid to write this review. Neither am I affiliated with Miners Cosmetics

When Hair Tribes Go To War!

Fellow bloggers: Which Aussie tribe are you in? Couldn't resist the post headline - Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood was Number 1 the day I was born ; )

I received my Long Haired Tribe Aussie Angels welcome pack this morning (see below) ahead of the bloggers' event in London in July.

My pack included Luscious Long Shampoo, Luscious Long Conditioner, Luscious Long 3 Minute Miracle, some excellent long haired tribe badges, compact mirror, mini brush and chocolate buttons. Yum.

Looking forward to meeting some fellow bloggers in London this summer. Who'll be there? x

Beauty: A Man's Eye View - Round 3

Since my last Man's Eye View interview I've literally been inundated with requests from cheeky little chappies who want to be featured on A Lauren to Herself. Nah, not really. But my colleague, Nick Lakin fancied having a stab at this so I've let him loose on some style and beauty related questions (below).

Nick's a journalist at the sister publication of the newspaper I work at and he's due to get married in May (ahhhh!). He's also a big fan of the Great British Pie. Style is everything to Nick. Read on to find out why....

What's your daily beauty routine?

Wake up, yawn, rub sleep from eyes, stretch, wash face, wet hair, put gel-wax in hair, use Sure roll on anti perspirant deodorant,style hair, clean teeth and GO!

Which product can you not leave the house without?

Brylcreem gel wax in a tub, but it's not in the tub when I leave the house, it's in my hair!

Whose style do you admire and why?

I admire the style of The Dude, AKA Jeff Lebowski AKA Jeff Bridges in the film The Big Lebowski because he doesn't care when he goes out in his dressing gown or gets a milk moustache.

I also admire the style of Michael Cane in the early days.

Who's the fittest women in the world (apart from your wife to be!)

I would have to say our very own Kelly Brook, her cheekiness adds to her fitness.

If you were a woman, whose style would you steal?

I would probably steal the style of Christine Bleakley off the One Show, she makes herself look hot without revealing a thing!

If you could wear make-up for the day, what 'look' would you go for?

I would go for the "au naturel" look. Make-up doesn't really do it for me, but maybe I'd curl my eyelashes!

What's the most unflattering look on a woman?

Honestly? This is the kind of question I'd normally get lynched for answering but if I have to I'd say a woman who dresses to look like a slapper.

What item of clothing wouldn't you be seen dead in?

I wouldn't be seen dead in one of those white shirts with buttons down to the mid pectorals that men seem to wear like a uniform in town on a Friday and Saturday night!

The world is a better place since they invented....?

The hooded jumper! They're brilliant, especially in winter.

If you were a lady, how would you have your hair?

I would have it in a bob.

You're a journalist Nick. Do you have a beige mac and a brief case?

No I have a blue Berghaus waterproof jacket and a black Karrimor rucksack for the majority of the year (ie winter), and a short brown Burton coat with padded inside and a brown suede briefcase type bag for the other two months!

How do you bring the old school journalist look into the 21st century? I.e how do you style your office clobber?

Journalists dont have time for style! I wear a shirt and trousers and try my best to have my shirt ironed, a tie that matches it, and a couple of creases down the front of my trousers, but these are optional if I'm too knackered on a Sunday night.

However, I do have relatively long sideburns and a goattee beard and moustache - does that count as a retro style?

I also have brown leather shoes that sometimes clash with everything else I'm wearing.

If you could invent a fashion law, what would it be?

People should always try new styles and keep fashion moving. There are some ridiculous fashions that I think we're all aware of, but people need to keep pushing the boundaries with fashion.

My fashion law would be: There are no rules, be an individual, don't wear anything that makes you feel uncomfortable - and if you're a woman, don't be afraid to make the most of what you've got!

 

 

Thank you Nick! If anyone else (fellas only) fancy a bash at this fun feature, just email me at laurenholden6@gmail.com

Oh! And don't forget to enter my Elemis competition in the previous blog post.

WIN: Skin Care Goodies, Courtesy of Elemis and A Lauren to Herself

Evening all,

I've teamed up with Elemis to offer my subscribers the chance to win one of four fantastic Elemis prizes.

The British luxe skin care brand has recently introduced this stunning limited edition set (below) and I'm offering one subscriber the chance to win it.

The Rose and Lavender Recovery Regime set, which comes in a huge metallic purple make-up bag, is a collection of the brand's top selling detox products. It's available for a limited time (and limited price) only, but you can win one right here on A Lauren to Herself.

On sale for £58, the products in this pack would add up to a massive £140 if bought individually, so this is a great deal.

The set includes: Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules, Gentle Rose Exfoliator, Pro-Collagen Marine Cream and Elemis' no 1 best selling product globally, the anti-ageing moisturiser Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream.

I've been trying out the The Rose and Lavender Recovery Regime set and I absolutely love it. The Rose Exfoliator is gorgeous - really sweetly scented and leaves my skin super soft. And I'm now converted to the joys of Elemis' best selling Marine Cream, too.

There's more than one chance to win - three runners up will receive the Elemis Replenish Moisture Duo set (worth £75 each), which includes the Maximum Moisture Day Cream and the Maximum Replenish Night Cream.

RULES OF ENTRY....

You must be a subscriber (I will check!) of A Lauren to Herself to be in with a chance of winning one of these prizes. I will use random.org to select the winner. Simply enter by leaving me a comment below - and if you blog or tweet about my competition (I'm @lauren2herself, you will earn an extra five entries.

Please let me know below if you have done either and I'll enter you accordingly.

And that's it. The closing date for the competition is Wednesday, April 28 at noon. Good luck!

Oh How You Disappoint Me....

It's been a naff week for make-up. Well, mine anyway.

I've been let down by two products this week - a lipstick and a mascara. The latter disappointment I was surprised about.

I've been lucky to have always had pretty long eyelashes, so I can pretty much use any mascara and they'll look good. Sorry to boast.

We all want bigger and better though, don't we. So when perusing last month's Avon catalogue (my friend is an Avon lady) I stumbled across their Supershock mascara.

Wow! This looked impressive. In a hefty container, this mascara was twice as fat as any I'd ever seen. Surely this means better, bigger, thicker lashes then?

Wrong!

Supershock? The only shock was that I was £5 out of pocket.

This is crap, for me at least. I'm a big fan of Avon products, don't get me wrong! But this just did absolutely nothing for me.

What's more, it had a naff plastic wand which did nothing to distribute the product onto my lashes. Sob.

I hate product bashing, so just let me say that I LOVE Avon's glazewear lip glosses!

Moving on, then....

Bourjois. I blimming love Bourjois, especially their blushes and eyeshadow trios. I don't think I've ever ventured into lipsticks by Bourjois. Until now...

I picked up this coral lippie at an outlet shop at Easter. I'm not even sure whether it's still available to buy. But either way, I was disappointed.

I'm a big fan of corals at the moment, especially Stila's Charlotte - a really vibrant coral that's super pigmented.

So I was chuffed to bits when I spotted this.... How pigmented does this look?

The lippie in question: Lovely Rouge Bijou in the shade Corail Orfevre a also has a slight sparkle to it, so I was pretty convinced I'd like it.

Did it give off the vibrant pigmentation I was expecting? Did it eckers, like. It was, at best, a slightly shimmery lip balm. But not a very moisturising one at that. *disappointed face*

What's disappointed you lately? Do share!
If anyone thinks they can make either (or both) of these products work for them, just pop me a comment below and I'll send them out to you free of charge. I'm nice like that.
Granted, they've been used a couple of times each so I'll sanitise them and wing them out to you.

Over and out.

It's a Bug's Life....?

I've seen and heard some bizarre trends since starting this blog...but the latest one really does take the biscuit.

Find out what it is in my latest article for Elf here

"If you thought our latest blog post was a belated April Fool, you'll definitely think this one is.
"Cockroaches - love them or hate them, this new trend will shock you for sure."

Intrigued? Go check out my piece and don't forget to leave a comment. You'll get £1.50 off each £10 Elf order if you do.

A Man's Eye View: Round 2

It's been a few months since my last beauty interview with a chap. So here you go...

Ladies and gentleman, may I introduce to you the lovely Andy - the fella of my fellow Portobello Style blogging partner Katie Taylor.

Here's Andy's take on the world of beauty....

                                               

Lauren: So Andy, I suppose the word on everyone's lips is: what's your daily beauty routine?

Andy: If you can call it such a thing!

I've got to have a shower in the morning, else my hair trys to copy Sonic The Hedgehog.

I tend to be fairly unfussy about shampoo etc, so I tend to have anything half decent that's on offer.

 I usually use shampoo, then leave conditioner in, then shower gel then face wash then wash the conditioner out.

I discovered the other day that I'd been using shampoo and then leaving another shampoo in. I still am actually, should probably buy some conditioner!

I have the thinnest baby hair you have ever seen, so need to use the hair dryer so my hair doesn't go mega fluffy and that's it! I like my sleep, so the quicker I can get ready in the morning the better. 20 minutes, Done!

Before bed, just a cheeky face wash.

Lauren: Whose style do you admire and why?

Andy: Honestly, I don't think I do.

Nothing popped into my head when I read the question. I know about 10 celebrity names and that's your lot I'm afraid.

Lauren: Who's the most beautiful woman in the world? (apart from Ms Taylor of course!)

Andy: You might think I'm dodging this question, so not to offend Katie, but I honestly don't know. :P

I'd have to Google beautiful women and then be persuaded by someone's comments on a forum, only to forget their name tomorrow. Ignorance is bliss!

Lauren: If you were a woman, which celebrity's style would you steal?

Arnold Schwarzenegger! No, wait, sorry I don't know any female celebrity names!

Lauren: What's the most unflattering look on a woman?

Too much eyeshadow for sure.

 I'm not a fan of crazy eye liner flying around peoples faces either. LEAVE YOUR EYES ALONE. Loads of colourful eye shadow usually brings my attention to someone's eyes, but not in a good way. Doesn't do anything for me.

Lauren: What item of clothing wouldn't you be seen dead in?

Andy: Double Denim, or the Texas Tuxedo as I've recently heard it called.

 I always shake my head when I see someone wearing it. On the flipside I saw someone wearing Triple Denim once, Jeans, Jacket AND a Shirt in a chippy.

He could get away with it though because he also happened to have the best mullet I have ever seen.

Lauren: If you were a lady, how would you have your hair?

Good job you asked me this now and not when I started uni. I was once seeing a girl who had Alopecia, no eye lashes, eyebrows and wore a wig and a hair band all the time and I DIDN'T REALISE for 2 weeks, until a friend pointed it out, shows how little I used to pay attention.

I think I'd notice if Katie lost all her hair though! :)

I am a fan of red hair, be it ginger or dyed red. Short hair can look great on girls if it suits their face. Tied up massive hair can also look pretty nice.

Lauren: Whose style is overrated?

Andy: Due to the lack of celebrity knowledge I'm going to take whose as a plural and say Headingley Students. There's a part of Leeds called Headingley containing a hell of a lot of students.

Not sure how they rate on most peoples style's but I despise Headingley students fashion.

Males:

Big floppy grey hats, baggy tracky bottoms, vests, flip flops. - Often in the winter might I add.

Females:

Ugg boots, pyjamas.

Since when did it become acceptable to wear pyjamas in a supermarket?

Lauren: Finally, which product couldn't you leave the house without?

Andy: Got to be Vaseline, I've used it everyday since I was 8 probably, I used to have dry lips, but now I'm just used to using it. I could break out of the cycle if I wanted to, but why bother?

Thank you Andy!

If you're a chap and a A Lauren to Herself reader and you're just gagging to share your beauty views, you're very welcome to take part in my Man's Eye View interviews.

Ladies, perhaps you'd like to nominate your fellas? Go for it!

Don't forget to comment and give Andy some love (below).

Jellies Give it Some Welly!

Jelly shoes: one retro comeback that I'm strangely excited about.

Oh how nostalgic they make me feel. They remind me of hot summer days on Morecambe's beach. Back when I was a nipper I'd have probably paired them with cycling shorts (cringe!) and a foul shell suit jacket.
Perhaps a pair of jazzy flowery leggings and an oversized t-shirt if I was feeling fancy.

How do you feel about jellies?

Jellies come in all shapes and sizes: Pic robbed from Google images

I know my friend and blogging Portobello Style partner, Katie is a big fan. See why here

Hair Raising!

There's a brand new eyebrow trend currently gracing/disgracing (delete as appropriate) the catwalk.

Find out what it is in my latest article for Elf Cosmetics right here

And don't forget to leave a comment - you'll get £1.50 off each order over £10 on the site if you do.
x

What a 'Doo!

Morning all.....I thought I'd share with you a recent feature I wrote for the paper I work at...
They only went and sent me to learn how to play the didgeridoo!

Here's the feature (pictured) and you can read the full article below....

Anyone else got a didgeridoo lying about the house?!

IN my five years at The Visitor, I’ve been lucky/ unlucky enough (delete as appropriate) to be sent out on some pretty wacky jobs.
I’ve joined the public for a spot of cheese tasting in the market, played ‘librarian’ for the day at Lancaster Library,  enjoyed an afternoon sing song with the old folks at More Music’s Seagull Café, cut Greg Lambert’s hair when I work shadowed a barber for the day and danced naked around the Eric Morecambe statue.
Okay, that last one was a joke – I was just checking you were still with me.
But when I was sent out on my latest assignment – to learn to play the didgeridoo with local musician Ian ‘Scotty’ Moorhouse – I couldn’t have been more dubious.
I haven’t so much as picked up a musical instrument in my 25 years, let alone tried to play one. And don’t get me started on the spelling of it!

Arriving at Ian’s house recently, his didgeridoo looked, quite frankly, terrifying. Formerly of Lancaster funk act Mainway, Ian has been playing the didgeridoo for more than 11 years, after his curiosity got the better of him when his mate brought one back from Australia.
But it’s only been the last couple of years that Ian’s really started to take his didgeridoo playing seriously, forming two-piece band Greenheart with his pal James Fraser and travelling the country to join the bill at didgeridoo festivals. Yep, they do exist!

The didgeridoo itself was developed by indigenous Australians some 1,500 years ago.
Originally made from Eucalyptus trees which have had their interiors hollowed out by termites, didgeridoos were  traditionally used not to make music, but for communication.
“The aborigines didn’t use didgeridoos to make music. “ says Ian. “They’re used for story telling and for communication. They (the aborigines) basically played what life they’ve been conditioned to – making animal noises and such.”
It’s a far cry from how didgeridoos are used today in Britain, where they’re predominantly played for entertainment.

As Greenheart, Ian and James have even played the Fringe Festival, busking in Edinburgh’s centre and selling a whopping 27 of the band’s CDs to passers by in little more than an hour.
So, no doubt the question on everyone’s lips is – could Ian be as good as Rolf Harris?
“I’m better than him!” he says with a smile. “Yeah, I probably am anyway!”
Now, Ian has not one, not two, not three, but 11 didgeridoos on the go – each of them very different.
Standing in Ian’s music room and taking in his impressive didgeridoo line-up, I am intrigued but still not sure whether I’m quite ready for a go myself.
“It’s easy once you get the hang of it.” explains Ian. “It’s kind of like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time.”

To get the ‘drone’ noise a didgeridoo makes, you blow down the tube with loose lips to create a vibration that echoes down the tube, coming out amplified. Then comes the harder part, you’ve to buzz your lips while gently pushing air down the tube. “It’s easy when you know how,” offers Ian
I’m sceptical, but I get stuck in. Forget all that about women being able to multi-task, this is hard.
I can barely make a sound, let alone a note – and I’m out of breath at the very first puff.
Who am I kidding, I can’t even blow up a balloon – and I soon realise that this isn’t the instrument for me. The Visitor’s photographer, Nigel, on the other hand, is a born ‘didg’ man, picking the technique up in minutes. He goes away in the hope of getting his very own didgeridoo. Maybe it’s a man thing...
Ian says while some find the sounds of the didgeridoo relaxing, it isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea.
Learning to play the didgeridoo is definitely one to tick off the 100 things to do before I die list, but I don’t think I’ll be giving up the day job just yet...

*For more about Ian’s band Greenheart, go to www.myspace.com/greenheartsongs

Mum's The Word!

It's been a lucky old couple of weeks for the Holden household of late.

Superdrug posted a contest on their website in the run up to Mother's Day - and I only went and won a prize.

The rules were simple: In 100 words or less, explain why your Mum is 'blooming lovely' for the chance to bag her a set of Lula Bloom goodies.

I penned a silly little poem and received this little lot in the post as a result.....

My  Mum was chuffed to bits. They say good luck comes in threes (the pie win came first - see my 'Free Pies for a Year post') so I promptly went out and bought a lottery ticket. I lost!

World Cup Make-Up Set To Fly Off The Shelves!

UPDATE: If you hadn't already guessed, this was an April Fool!

Footy mad make-up fans are in for a real treat this summer, as an exciting new cosmetics line is launched in time for the World Cup.

Each product in the new line will be named after a different England footy player - and demand is already high for WCC - World Cup Cosmetics.

A 'Rooney Rouge' blusher for the cheeks is set to fly off the shelves, as is the popular Cole eyeliner, Lampard lippie and Milner mascara.

Plus, customers who make it a hat trick and buy three of the line's new products, will automatically be entered into a draw to win a pair of tickets to the World Cup final.

Intrigued? Go to http://www.poissondavrilcosmetics.com/ to pre-order your stash in time for this year's World Cup.


Old school footy 'make-up' is set to be a thing of the past....