Tuesday Treats

Hello darlings

Wow, it's been a while since I've published a Tuesday Treats post! I'll have to get back on that stat.

Today was the last day of my 6 days off so I thought I'd do something productive whilst we were experiencing the best of British Summer weather... i.e. torrential rain.

Lemon & Lime Cupcakes

* ~ Lemon sponge and lime frosting ~ *

* ~ Lime sponge and lemon frosting ~ *

I used and tweaked a recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook for this recipe. Due to copyright reasons, I won't be publishing it here. I will however redirect you to Amazon where you can purchase said book for a few gold coins if you so desire. I do recommend it, these cupcakes are spot on and better than any I've ever bought!

♥

Are you a cupcake fan? Do you experiment with flavourings?

Saturday Summary

Oh hello there. Don't mind me, I'm just in the middle of my 6 days off work. Bliss!

Source
P.S. I'm not here. I wish I was. Why couldn't I have won the Euromillions on Tuesday?

♥ Lie-ins

♥ Going shopping and not spending a penny of my own cash for a change

♥ Lush nail polish

♥ Summery makeup

♥ Costa Coffee opening in town :D Not loving the mammoth queues though!

♥ 3 day work week

♥ Picking up some bargains at Meadowhall

~*~

Listening to: Katy Perry - Last Friday Night, Scouting For Girls - Love How It Hurts & Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend

Buying: Bags, shoes and cosmetics

Watching: CSI

Reading: Blogs and the BBC News website *gets my geek on*

and

A few to follow: Abigail Ann, Shifa & Kat

~*~

I hope you're all having a super weekend!

A skincare saviour on a budget?

Morning petals!

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a blog post by Katie about her 'Katie-sonic' and I decided at a very budget friendly price, I couldn't not indulge and get myself a 'Kim-sonic' :D

Introducing...

The Champneys Total Micro-Dermabrasion System. Crikey. What a mouthful.

As you can see below, the kit comes with a 4 inter-changeable heads including a large body brush, a small face brush and two small foam discs. Annoyingly, and as per with all electrical items, batteries are not included. This takes 4 x AA batteries. At least there's no hefty charger pod with it unlike the big budget Clarisonic!

Thoughts

I use the small brush and foam discs for cleansing and exfoliating my face, and the large body brush for in-shower exfoliation. How cool is that: the Kim-sonic is waterproof so you can use it in the shower!

I use whichever cleansing and exfoliating products I have to hand, I don't have the Champneys ones but I will be indulging soon as they're now stocked in my local Boots.

After use, my skin is cleansed of all traces of make up - I only need to look at the brush for proof - yuck! My skin is left silky smooth and soft. It also does a great job of exfoliating lips too. 

I use the Kim-sonic once a day, before bed, after removing the majority of my make up. I cleanse the attachments after use with an anti-bacterial cleanser then leave them to dry. Overall, I really like this product and would recommend it :)

Comparisons

Price

Champneys: £9.99

Clarisonic Plus: £179

Warranty

Champneys: 2 years

Clarisonic: 2 years

Speed

Champneys: 1 speed

Clarisonic Plus: 3 speeds

Kit

Champneys: The Kim-sonic, 1 face brush, 1 body brush, 2 foam discs

Clarisonic: The Clarisonic, 1 face brush, 1 body brush, charging cradle, samples

Separate speed/power buttons

Champneys: No

Clarisonic: Yes

Length of use

Champneys: Can be used for up to 5 minutes

Clarisonic: Only needs to be used for 1 minute, once a day

~*~

The Champneys Total Micro-Dermabrasion System Kim-sonic can be purchased from Amazon for a current RRP (at time of writing) for £9.99. 

I paid £14.50 for mine and I do believe Katie bought hers for around £5. I'd snap yours up at this price whilst they last :)

♥

So there you have it. A purse friendly alternative to the Clarisonic. Same principle, different set up. Tempted?

NOTD: China Glaze Blue Iguana

Hello lovelies :)

Ok, not gonna lie, this post is totally Charlotte's fault. She makes me want to buy lots. That's two purchases made because of her blog in the last couple of weeks ;) Two genius purchases I will add. Both I and my bank balance forgive her. And my face loves her more.

Blue Iguana is from China Glaze's current Island Escape collection which is limited edition.

Whilst I was doing some research on iguanas, I came across this:

"Iguanas are capable of color changes, but only in specific situations. One of the most obvious color changes in the iguana is when it is taken outside for some real sunlight."

Source

And surprise, surprise, when in direct sunlight, China Glaze Blue Iguana reveals a more greenish tone. In artificial light, it takes on a more purple tone. Fascinating!

Please excuse the crap lighting, but it illustrates my point :)

Products Used

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Base Coat

China Glaze Blue Iguana

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat

Blue Iguana retails for £6.49 from Sally's

♥

Have you tried any polishes from the Island Escape collection?

Summer Bronze FOTD

Morning kids :)

Wow, it's been ages since I've done a FOTD! This week I've been inspired by the gorgeous Samantha Chapman in her Summer Brights make up video and I decided to try something similar.

My face and neck did match, honest!

Products Used

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in #21 Light Beige - loving this so much right now!

e.l.f. Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Glow/Fair

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15

Sleek Storm Palette

17 Instant Glow Highlight & Bronze Powder - another much loved product :D

Sleek Rose Gold Blush

No 7 Highlighter (LE - no longer available)

Urban Decay Primer Potion

The Body Shop Baked Eye Shadow in #03 Jade

No 7 Metallic Eyes Liner in #01 Green

Make Up Forever Smoky Eyes Mascara

Kryolan Anti-Shine Powder

No 7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in #20 Starshell

17 Ultimate Volume Gloss in Peach Melba

♥

What's your go to Summer look?