Dupe for the Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour?

Every man and his dog seems to have jumped on the contouring bandwagon in the hope that they will wake up looking like one of Kardashian/Jenner “klan” *see what I did there haha* sorry.

Now, although I am a long way from being the bronzed goddesses that they all seem to be, a little bit of contouring makes me feel slightly more confident in my own skin, slims the face and makes me appear like I have actually been out in the sun and haven’t been sat inside watching back to back Jeremy Kyle episodes all Summer. *Oops*.

A few months ago Clinique jumped onto the contouring bandwagon by releasing their own chubby stick that made the ‘oh so tricky’ method of contouring that little bit easier. It allows you to swipe some of the scary looking cream product onto the skin with no mess of powder products that are also a little less forgiving if you accidentally apply too much or in the wrong place. Seems good? Well yes…it does make fool-proof contouring slightly more accessible for us but the price tag of £19 was a little off-putting.

Ladies I present to you….Makeup Revolution The One BlushStick in the shade ‘Matte Malibu’.

You simply twist up the product (which I admit does look a little scary in the packaging), apply it to the areas you want to create a shadow (temples, under the cheekbones, along the jaw line and if you’re really brave along the sides of the nose), and blend out seamlessly with a brush. My brush of choice is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush as I find it firm enough to blend the cream product out whilst not dragging the skin. It is also an ideal size to get precisely below the cheek bones without moving the product all over the face. 

The price? £5.

I cannot fault this product. It is so creamy, a lovely colour, blends beautifully, and best of all only costs £5 which I think is perfect – particularly if you are unsure whether contouring is for you.

I hope this helps fill a little gap in your makeup bags!

Available from Superdrug stores and online at http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Face/Blusher/Makeup-Revolution-The-One-Blush-Stick-Matte-Malibu/p/358201#.Va-ihv7F95M  

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La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] ... worth the hype?

I’ve been sitting on this blog post for a while but couldn’t quite believe that one product could make such a dramatic difference to my life. I decided to wait a while and double check that it really was this one change that was making the difference. Anyway, with my boyfriend out for the evening, and having just applied it again I decided now was the perfect opportunity to word vomit about this truly life-changing product.

A bit of history to start…

My skin is by no means troublesome. I did not suffer with severe acne as a teenager however I did have regular unpredictable breakouts on my chin that spread like wildfire. Once I got one, the next day there would be four. I did not know how to control them so just picked them (sorry for the TMI) and let them scab over. This left me with visible scarring and redness on my chin which I thought would be there forever. This vicious circle continued for years until I plucked up the courage to spend £15.50 on a product that I had heard so many others rave about. 

Let’s just say, I have not looked back since….

I have not had a single spot since using this product for the past 7 months. That is unheard of. My scarring has also almost vanished and redness of the skin in other areas (around my nose and cheeks were my problem areas) has pretty much all gone. I am confident enough to only wear makeup bases once or twice a week now which my makeup junkie self is kind of missing but wearing it would be a waste when I have got nothing to hide.

I cleanse my face as usual every morning and then apply the cream about 10 minutes before my makeup. It dries very quickly and does not leave you feeling greasy in the slightest. I would go as far to say that it actually feels cooling and soothing on the skin.

I go about my day as usual and then repeat the process before bed (cleanse as usual and then apply the product).

As I said before…how can I be sure that it is THIS product that is making the difference and not a sublime combination of a few?

Well, due to me being a university student and the lack of money that comes alongside that…£15.50 was an eye-watering amount to spend on 40ml of face cream. As my student loan slipped through my fingers and the tube was becoming more and more empty, I began to use it more sparingly and occasionally missed an application or two….my skin did not enjoy it and I could feel the beginnings of a breakout brewing. Not the usual corkers though, just small warnings of what was about to come. I quickly slapped on some more cream and by the morning all had been forgotten and my skin was blemish-free again.

I cannot recommend this cream enough. I stock piled 2 more tubes when my student loan came out in April because Boots was offering £5 worth of bonus points when you bought it. Despite having to use it twice a day, the 40ml tube lasts surprisingly well. I managed to make one last 4 months.

If you are on the fence whether to try this then I thoroughly recommend you do. Although it seems expensive, the cost-effectiveness of using this rather than trying a gazillion different products to maybe have the same effect makes it totally worth it…even on my tight budget.

You can buy it online from Boots here.

I hope it works as well for you as it did for me.

What are your holy grail skincare products?

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