Clinique Exfoliating Scrub Review

Hi ladies,

About three month ago I popped into Selfridges with the intention to load myself up with high end skin care products for the very first time in my life.

I had never ever before bought any expensive skin product but started to become really unhappy with my routine.

It had basically always consisted of a drugstore facial wash and toner for combination to oily skin. But I started to become increasingly frustrated because nothing ever seemed to really have an impact on my skin. 

So I decided that it was time to switch it up. 

Don't get me wrong, I love everything drugstore but the product range for skin care just wasn't what I was expecting any more for my skin. But that's just me.

So, well... As said, I arrived at Selfridges, completely soaked from a massive downpour, my boots squeaking like crazy and in principle looking like a wet poodle. The salesclerk at the Clinique counter was really lovely and sat me down for a quick consultation to find out what exactly I was looking for and need.

In the end, she suggested that I go for the anti blemish solution system and I decided to go for the Cleansing Foam of that line and the Exfoliating Scrub and the Liquid Facial Soap from their general line.

Having used this for a bit more than three month now, I think I can truly say that I am over the moon with the products. However, of all three of these products, the exfoliating scrub has made the biggest impression on me and that's why I would like to give it a little shout out here.

So here is my review:

My skin, which is combination to oily, turns a little red after use but that does not put me off because my skin is quite sensitive anyways.

This scrub has a thick consistency with small exfoliating particles and does look a bit like toothpaste when you squeeze it out of the tube.

The packaging itself is the typical clean and sleek Clinique style in a very nice light green with silver lettering, and overall I am quite pleased with it.

It has a strong scent of menthol to it which is amazing if you are using the scrub in the morning as it will really wake you up and leave a nice cooling sensation on your face. That is if you are a fan of menthol of course. If not, then you might prefer to stay away from this.

The lady at the Clinique counter recommended using this scrub twice a week and having done so during the last month, I feel comfortable saying that it has made a significant difference to my skin.

My face feels much softer and smoother than ever before and my pores appear to be much smaller. I do tend to have breakouts quite frequently, and this seems to be helping to keep them in check and really take off all flakes / dead skin cells and remove all the gunk.

This scrub is my new Holy Grail. It exfoliates my skin like nothing else I have ever tried, and believe me, I have tried a lot and nothing ever did the trick to really improve my skin.

You can find the at any Clinique counter and it retails for £18.50 (100ml) which is not too pricey in my opinion as it will last for a very long time and you are getting an amazing product.

If you have tried this scrub, I would love to hear your opinion about it, or if you have any skin care you would like to recommend please let me know!!!

Lots of love,

Linda

Happy New Year!!!!

Hello my lovelies,

Happy New Year to you all!!!!

2013 has come and gone and I hope you are all had a wonderful and exciting year!

Just as a side comment,.... do you also have the feeling as if last year just flew by? Time just seems to be passing by quicker and quicker.

I don't really want to say it (cliché phrase coming....), but... I can't believe it is already 2014!

Last year was soooooooooooo exciting for me. I got married, spent a long time at home with my family which I usually don't get to do that much, traveled to Santorini and Paris, turned 30 (which I am o.k. with by now, lalalalala) and actually started with my blog again ...

All in all... a really busy but fantastic year!!!!

I can't wait to see now what 2014 is going to bring.


Lots of love, 
Linda

Christmas Shopping & Lights

Hello Lovelies,

I went Christmas shopping with my friend Stefanie and the shops and streets just looked so beautiful so I thought I really need to share this with you.

All of the video content was filmed on London's Oxford Street (the main high street for shopping), Selfridges and Liberty.

Hope you enjoy it!

Christmas Shopping and Lights
(Sorry, the website would not let me upload the video directly… so I had to use the link.)

Love you lots,
Linda

Our Weekend in Paris

Hello my lovelies,

last weekend, my husband and I went to Paris for a short weekend getaway. It was absolutely gorgeous and we will definitely have to come back!! 

I was most impressed with the Louvre Museum, if not just by it's sheer size but with the collection of art and antique artefacts. Simply amazing. We spent almost all day and still have not even seen half of it.

But without further rambling, I hope you enjoy some of the photos I took.

Love, Linda

Makeup Academy Pro-Base Eye Primer

Hi guys,

A little while ago I purchased the Makeup Academy Pro-Base Eye Primer. I have given this quite a few tries and unfortunately, have to say that I am not that impressed with it. Usually, I am a huge fan of the Makeup Academy (short: MUA) brand, especially  for their eyeshadows which are amazing quality for their price tag, but this primer is a real let down for me.

The packaging is being kept quite modern and sleek with a white lid and a silver body, which is quite neat.
The primer itself is a light nude shade which blends easily. The consistency is not as thick as other primers and therefore it is really easy to blend. Once applied to the lid the primer is quite sticky. It takes some time for that disappear. Of course, there is pros and cons to this. The consistency made my shadow stick to my lid very well (unfortunately only for like an hour or so). But it also made it really difficult to blend the edges. 
And the worst was, that when I had my eyes open, it felt like it was a bit stuck. :-(
Not so nice!


My eyelids can become very oily, so it is almost essential for me to wear a primer because otherwise, my eye makeup will just melt down my face within a few hours. However, I had the feeling that the shadow was creasing even quicker with this primer than without!
I have read a lot of reviews on this product by now, and most people seem to be really happy using the primer. But for me it just did not do its job.


All in all, I would not repurchase this product which is a shame, because at £2.50 the price tag is amazing compared to some other brands out there.
Like many of you probably are, I am on a budget when it comes to buying makeup and simply can't go out and buy high end products all the time.
The primer that has worked best for me over time (and I mean even better than Urban Decay Primer Potion, of which I had a sample once) is the ELF (www.eyeslipsface.co.uk) mineral eye primer. At £1.50 it is even cheaper and works miracles on me.

In a nutshell, the effectiveness of this product comes of course down to a lot of factors like skin type, weather, etc. and might work perfectly for a lot of people. It is just not the right primer for me.

I really do not like to write negative reviews and I do want to highlight again that I am a huge fan of the MUA products and do own quite a few of them. And just because one product was a bit of a let-down does not mean that I am unhappy with the brand.

I hope that this review was helpful for you!

Love,
Linda

Curing one girls dislike of coffee

For as long as I can think of, I have always loved the smell of coffee but always hated the flavour of it. 

I mean, really hated the flavor!! Not just disliking it…. I really could not even drink a sip…..

Until………………….. about a week ago. 

The Toffee Nut Caffee Caramella came along…..

I saw an image outside of my local Costa Coffee and it kind of lured me inside….. And now I am hooked (even tried some more different types of winter / autumn coffees).

So, for every coffee dis-liking fellas out there…. Try flavored coffee and maybe you will also be converted. 

Speak to you soon my lovelies!!

Linda XXX

Cashmere

Hi Everyone,


I bought this fragrance about 3 month ago for my wedding and thought it is about time to give it a little review...

Cashmere by Next is a gentle and delicate fragrance that combines both flowery scents and powdery musk. It is a very warm and cosy fragrance with an added creamy softness that shows warm woody undertones.

As mentioned, I wore this as my wedding fragrance because I wanted something that was not too sweet and floral but also not too mature or sophisticated. 

So this fragrance really ticked all my boxes of what I was looking for for my big day. 

The scent is very long lasting on my skin, like usually more expensive fragrances would do. Even with all the dancing and hot weather (about 28 Celsius and sunshine), I still had the scent on me in the early morning hours.

The bottle is absolutely gorgeous, completely up my alley. It's got a total vintage feel to it without being over the top. 
This is definitely going to be a keepsake on my vanity!

You can get this fragrance from Next stores and you also can't beat the price:

30ml Eau de parfume at £12
30ml Eau de Toilette at £7.50

Lots of love,

Linda