Clarins - Instant light lip perfecting balms

I recently bought the Clarins lip oils and I saw these lip balms at the display and decided to try one. I went for the light pink shade 03 My Pink which reacts to your PH levels to create your own personalized pink shade. I loved the balm so much that I picked up another 3 balms.

I have the shades 01 rose, 03 My Pink, 05 Red and 06 Rosewood. The balms are smooth and has an amazing scent of vanilla! They feel hydrating on the lips and the hydration stays for a couple hours if you don't eat or drink.

The picture above shows that the balms doesn't have a lot of pigment, 05 Red is by far the most pigmented of the shades I have. 06 Rosewood looks pigmented on the skin but doesn't really show up on my lips , neither does the 01 Rose shade. Surprisingly 03 My Pink shows up a lot better on my lips than in the above swatch and it has quickly become my fave of all the shades.

They are pretty expensive for a lip balm, but if your looking for a good balm that looks cute and your in a mood to treat yourself these are great. You don't need all the shades since they don't really look that different on the lips. But in my book 03 My Pink is a must have!

~Kira

Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover - Review

I've heard many good things about this product and I've been wanting to try it for a while but the price tag kept me from buying it. Luckily I got a gift with purchase and this was one of the mini's I received.

This makeup remover claims to take off waterproof eye makeup, and hearing the hype it gets from youtube makeup gurus it should take the waterproof mascara off ridiculously easy. So when I put it on my lashes I expected my mascara to magically come off my lashes with ease. It didn't! My mascara flaked of in small pieces and got in my eyes and made them red and irritated. I had to scrub hard to get every bit of mascara off and it took ages.

I wear waterproof mascara everyday and I've tried many eye makeup removers but I always go back to the same one from my local Matas store which is the Matas own brand waterproof makeup remover. It has an oily feel but I don't mind it, and I actually think it helps condition and nourish my lashes and keep them healthier.

So in conclusion I'm sticking to my old fave and won't be buying the Clarins one, it is not worth the money in my opinion.

~Kira

Clarins - Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil

So I've been MIA for the past few months due to work and some family issues, but I'm back and I want to try posting regularly like I used to.

Clarins Launched their spring collection in February and I've been wanting to get my hands on their new lip oils ever since I first saw them. Sadly I'm not the only one and the oils were sold out everywhere and in every online store I could possibly think of.

That led me to eBay, and sure enough there where people selling the oils for up to 4 times the original price. Being desperate for the pink shade, which is limited edition, I bought it overpriced. A week later I was still searching for the yellow shade (even put my boyfriend on the case as well), and googled it to find online retailers.

To my excitement I saw that my local beauty store had the oils on their website and I rushed down town to see if the were in store as well. They were! Right in front of me was the whole Spring 2015 collection, even the limited edition pink shade. I bought both shades after trying them out on my hand and though I was very happy I felt a bit sad that I hadn't discovered the display sooner as it would have saved me a lot of money.

Anyways, I like both shades and I'll tell you why!

The oils look very colorful in the tube, but they don't have much color pay-off when applied to your lips. The biggest difference between them is the scent. The pink shade has a very sweet fruity scent and the yellow shade is pretty much straight up honey scent.

The oils aren't meant to be a makeup product but rather a lip treatment, which is why I don't mind the lack of color in the oils. They feel like a lip gloss and a lip balm hybrid. They give incredible shine and hydration to the lips. They start off a little sticky, not very much but just a tad, but after a while they sink into the lips and give a nice, soft and smooth feeling to the lips.

If I don't eat or drink they last about 2-3 hours on my lips, where you can still "feel" them, if I eat or drink the shine will disappear right away but there will be some hydration left on your lips from the oil.

I would recommend these oils, since I find them hydrating and very pleasant to use. The yellow shade is permanent so it should make it's way back in store once the crazy hype has gone down a bit. If you get the chance to sniff the pink shade, DO IT! It smells amazing!

~Kira

OOTD - Christmas day

I'm spending my Christmas with my close family so nothing fancy. I decided to wear a warm and cozy sweater dress that will keep me warm, look cute and give me plenty of room for all the food I'm going to eat!

I dressed up my casual outfit with some jewellery all in rose gold, which I absolutely love.

Sweater dress: New Look (bought on Asos)

Watch: Michael Kors

Earrings: Baublebar

Necklace: Whistles

I kept the makeup pretty fool proof and only wore one eyeshadow that I blended up toward my brows and also a lip stain so I didn't have to worry about lipstick getting everywhere.

I really like this look and if you turn down the jewellery and makeup this is a great everyday look as well.


~Kira

Konjac sponge - review

I've been using the Konjac sponge for almost 2 months, and I really like it! There are a lot of different brands making this sponge, but I got mine from eBay where I bought 5 Konjac sponges for about $5. A lot of sponges are marketed as "infused" with red clay or green tea or other skin beneficial stuff, but honestly I don't believe there is anything "infused" into these sponges.

The sponge has a very funny texture but feels very gentle on the skin. It does exfoliate the skin very gently, and I have noticed my skin being a lot more smooth and soft after using this sponge. I have heard this sponge removes blackheads but I haven't noticed any difference there.

The Konjac sponges claim to do a lot of different things, but I honestly believe it's just a very nice cleansing sponge and nothing more. That's why I got mine cheap off of eBay, since I don't see the point of paying more for the same sponge under a different brand name.

If you are looking for a cleansing tool that is cheap and pretty effective then this is for you. I like this sponge more than my Clarisonic Mia, and it's a lot cheaper! It cleanses the skin well and makes it smooth which makes your makeup sit nicer. It's a win-win!

~Kira

I got my sponges here: Link

Acne update - short

If you have seen my Acne post you will know that I've been battling adult acne for a couple years now. After my antibiotics treatment it seemed to have gone back to pretty normal skin, though I still had a few breakouts it wasn't as bad as before.

About a month after my treatment I broke out again. This time on my forehead which hadn't been an issue throughout my treatment or before. I had a continuous breakout for 3 weeks, where my forehead was covered in new breakouts every day.

So I went to the doctor again and got another antibiotics treatment. This will be my last treatment with antibiotics since they aren't good for the body, but so far they don't seem to be working.

I'm about 3 weeks into my treatment and I shouldn't be breaking out anymore according to my doctor, since I only broke out the first few days, the last time I was on the same treatment.

This time my forehead and chin are the areas that are breaking out.

I will keep updating!

~Kira

Caudalie Divine Oil and Scrub

After a rough couple days where everything seemed to go wrong, I needed to really pamper myself with a long hot shower and some nice body products.

The Divine Scrub - a scrub made with brown sugar and has a similar smell to the oil. They don't smell the same in my opinion but they do compliment each other nicely. The scrub has a balm like texture that melts into the skin and only leaves the grains of sugar to scrub your skin with. It feels hydrating on the skin because of the balm like texture. 

The Divine Oil - This oil got it's name for a reason, it smells divine! It's a dry oil which means it sinks into the skin very fast and doesn't leave any oily or sticky residue which I love because you can get dressed right after your shower. The scent of the oil lingers on the skin for a good 4 hours or so on my skin, so you have to either wear it as your "perfume" or try to pair it with a perfume that will compliment it because it will be a noticeable scent if you use it on your upper body. The oil is suitable for use on body, face and hair.

I love this duo, but it is a "luxury" combo so I'll only be using it when I feel like I need a good pamper. The products aren't cheap but not too expensive either and I will definitely buy the oil in full size when I use this one up. The scrub wasn't anything too special and I feel like I could DIY a more effective scrub myself with ingredients from my kitchen. But if you want a luxurious feeling scrub this is a good one. 

~Kira