My Dark Under Eye Circles Miracle | Bobbi Brown

  I don’t know how many times I’ve whimpered to my friends and family about the dark circles under my eyes. I’ve had them since I was a baby and it’s taken me a long time to come to terms with the fact that it’s just a genetic thing and they’re not going anywhere without some kind of cosmetic procedure which I’m far too petrified to even investigate. (Before you say it – yes I get plenty of sleep, usually over 8 hours a night and drink over 2 litres of water a day).

  All the girls on my mum’s side of the family have them and since I can remember we’ve all been searching for the ‘bestest’ way to conceal them. For a long time I’ve used YSL’s touché éclat highlighter (which is amazing) – but I have discovered a combination that literally blows that baby out of the park…

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream & Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque

  Let me introduce to you the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream and Corrector. Firstly, how frickin' gorgeous is the packaging?!

  You’ve probably seen the Corrector floating around the blogosphere for ages now – it is used for the under eye area and it’s salmony pink tones are perfect for evening out the black and blue shadows that haunt my eyes. If your circles aren’t too bad, I suppose you could use it instead of your concealer however for me, I use it as a base and put my concealer over the top. I’ve heard mixed reviews about it being cakey – nonetheless I was so super excited when I got to the Bobbi Brown counter in Selfridge’s and the assistant was applying it but when I looked in the mirror it literally looked like I’d wiped creamy cake under my eyes, I almost walked off pretty disgusted as I’d heard such great things, but I thought I’d let the assistant offer an explanation. She advised that my under eye area was so de-hydrated that there wasn’t a smooth service for the corrector to sit on, hence the cakey look. I was pretty bummed.

  Then she went and made my LIFE and whipped out their hydrating under eye cream to see if that made any difference to the finish. She removed all my makeup and applied the cream directly under the eye. I almost slapped her hand away when she started – as you’ll probably know it’s a big no-no in the beauty world to apply eye cream directly under the eyes. I was quickly corrected and advised that this particular cream was specifically made for application under the eye to hydrate and revitalise. After application (used with a cotton bud, as not to spread germs within the cream) she left it for a few moments to sink in before applying the corrector over the top.

  OH EM GEE - literally I nearly cried. I’ve never seen my eyes look like that before, and perhaps it’s more of a personal thing more than something you can see in real life, I don’t know. But what I do know is that I felt amazing for the first time ever. That probably sounds so dramatic, but when you suffer with circles like I do you’ll know where I’m coming from. 

  So this little combination is now a staple in my daily makeup routine - thank you Bobbi Brown!! I apply the cream, followed by the corrector and then follow on with my foundation etc. etc. (Note: I'm not wearing foundation in the above photograph, just the Bobbi Brown products and my concealer). Thought you might like to see how it shows up on natural skin :)
  I’d be really keen to hear if anyone else has tried these two together, and what they thought. It’s quite a pricey daily luxury, but I’m so glad that I’ve found it. If you want to pick some up, you can do so here and here.

Take a Little Care | Antipodes Eye Cream

This next sentence is going to sound hugely cliché, but hey, it’s true. Since I can remember, looking after my skin has been one of my favourite things to do; & something I will rarely compromise on. I truly believe that in more cases than not, you get what you pay for. 
I have the most sensitive skin known to man; it is so unbelievably difficult for me to find a brand/product that I can use on my face without it going absolutely mental & breaking out in a zillion spots. Hence why I have to be quite selective with what I try out & expense is rarely spared. 
I recently discovered a lovely little New Zealand brand called Antipodes through the ever gorgeous Estee of EssieButton. I’d been on the hunt for a jolly good eye cream & had a little read on theirs& was instantly intrigued.

As with most eye creams, it’s fragrance free to avoid irritation & it has a gorgeous, thick, creamy consistency that I love. In this day & age, I definitely follow the crowd in terms of loving products that have 100% natural ingredients, it just makes it more appealing don’t you think? This little pot is full of yummy ingredients, such as kiwi seed, avocado, aloe gel & carrot seed oil. The first, kiwi, is known to help with tissue repair so it’s a definite must have for any of you ladies/gents who suffer (like I do) with dark circles under the eye, & it's also famously rich in Vitamin C. The others are bursting with anti-ageing antioxidants, natural sun screen & natural healers of scars or age spots. Meaning that this pot of joy pretty much caters for everyone's needs :)
It has quite a hefty price tag, but who doesn’t want to take care of their eyes? If you don't, you should. They’re one of the most sensitive parts of your body & deserve a lot of love & care. Retailing at $48 (converting to £24.68, right now), it’s definitely not cheap but I’ve been using it for a few months now & I’d say it’s 100% worth the money. My eye area has always lacked moisture & can become quite dry & flaky when I’m not looking after it properly. Using this cream day & night has cleared up any dryness, made the area slightly plumper, reduced any smile lines & I’ve even seen an improvement on my dark circles! They’re not gone (god knows if they’ll ever shift), but the bruising has definitely reduced & the area certainly looks brighter and healthier.
I'm totally in love with this brand, & can't wait to try some more of their products. I'm particularly interested in their Joyous Protein, Rich Night Replenish Serum...
Don't forget - never apply eye cream directly under your eyes! Always apply along the brow & cheek bones; the product will then sink into the skin and aid the areas that require moisture.
Well, what do you think? Is eye cream something you've invested in? What's your favourite brand to use if so?

Monthly Favourite's | June 2012

I realise I’m always a bit late with these type of posts. Perhaps I should pay attention to the alarm bells telling me that I need to get organised! 

Anywho, it’s that time of the month again! (No ladies, not thattime of the month, eww) No, it’s monthly favourite’s time! C’mon, get excited ;)

I didn’t have too many this month, to be honest, there wasn’t anything I was hugely crazy over; excusing the items I’m just about to mention of course…

Happy Watching!

L-R: NARS Illuminator, Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer, Palmer's Natural Bronze, Tresemme Dry Shampoo, Antipodes Eye Cream, Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Wash

What were your favourite's this month?

Burt's Bees Grab Bag

So, you may have seen a few blog posts floating around recently regarding the Burt’s Bees Grab Bag. I heard about it through Estée from Essiebutton & I immediately wanted one; I’m like a beauty product magpie, I wan’t anything that anyone says half a good word about! Basically, you paid £20, & in return got sent a big fat bag, full of Burt’s Bees products! Great concept, non? I think so :)

L-R: Exfoliating Body Washes (4), Radiance Body Lotion (2)

L-R: Eye Cream, Nail File, Lip Balm (2), Hand Cream, Cuticle Cream,Lip Shimmer (3), Cute tin!  : 

I have no doubt that some bags were wonderful, but I wasn’t too thrilled with mine. I mean, I was being a bit ‘me, me, me’ when I purchased it; I wanted to try out Burt’s Bees, & thought this was a great way to test some of their products without spending a fortune. & I know, I know, before I moan, I was aware that Burt’s Bees had added a disclaimer advising that duplicates may occur; but I couldn’t help feeling a little upset that I got 4 of the exfoliating body washes and 2 of the body lotions (I didn’t mind so much about the 3 lip shimmers & 2 balms, you can never have enough lip balms right?). That’s a hell of a lot of the same product, don’t you think? But, I’ve decided to take a positive attitude towards the slight disappointment & use the extras for birthdays coming up etc. Every cloud & all that jazz.

I wont just moan for this entire post, promise. I was really, really happy to receive the little pots of their hand cream & cuticle cream; I’m also super excited to try the eye cream :) I’ve heard great things about all of these products, so fingers crossed! I'll definitely be reviewing these at a later date, once I've had a chance to test them out. On another good note, how cute is the little tin? I am a hoarder, of EVERYTHING in life, so I love collecting pretty little tins to put my bits & bobs in.

Overall, I am a bit miffed about the amount of duplicate items, but I still feel like I’ve got great value for money, apparently the bags are worth £55, wowee! I’m getting to try some products I haven’t before, & I’ve got some extra stock for presents. Not bad, eh?

I had a look on their website this morning, & I can see they’ve now sold out; but did any of you purchase a grab bag? Were you happy with what you got?