Sunday, October 14, 2012

Back to reality!

Hi everybody! Sorry that it has been more than a week between posts. It was my last week in India, and there was a lot to do! Anyway, I'm back in good old England now, and although I've to go back to work, my posts should get more regular. I'll be making a post with some things I got from there once I have unpacked (2 nights of no sleep meant I was pretty much comatose when I got back last night!) but for now, I'll leave you with some pictures of a very dramatic sky I saw on my way back from the airport. Hope you like!

Friday, October 5, 2012

Review: Clinique Super City Block daily face protector

A few posts ago, I had mentioned the Clinique Super City Block daily face protector as something that I use practically every day. It's an SPF 40 sunscreen, and I've been using it for about 4 months now. Enough time, I think, to give a good review. :)

It comes in a 40ml tube (see picture below). And since you only need a small amount, this tube has lasted me nicely.
 
Now I've always been a bit wary about putting heavy sunscreen lotions on my face for fear of break-outs. So I read about this product online, and given that Clinique products have not given my skin any problems in the past, I decided to give it a shot. Even so, I only purchased this after using a sample for a week.

As you can see from the picture below, when you first squeeze it out of the tube, it has a slight tint to it.
However, the tint starts to disappear once you start to blend it out, and once you've finished doing that, it's barely noticeable.

As I mentioned earlier, you only need a small amount with this. The consistency is neither too thick nor too runny, but if you put too much on, it can tend to look a little greasy. It's a bit of a weird one though, because if you have some dry patches on your skin, it can stick to them as well. So I recommend moisturising your skin thoroughly before putting this on.

And although I said that the tint isn't noticeable once it's blended in, if you have a medium to dark complexion, it might be harder for you to do so. My skin is somewhere between an NC 25 and 30, so if you're darker, I would recommend trying out a sample before you buy it.

With regard to the actual protection - Clinique says that this protects against UVA/UVB rays as well as environmental aggressors such as pollution. I don't live in a polluted city, so I can't vouch for the second bit, but I do feel like it protects my face very well against the sun. I wore it on holiday in Bournemouth and it was fantastic.

So all-in-all, I definitely recommend this as a face sunscreen for dry to normal/combination skin. The only thing that goes against it is if you have darker skin, in which case it might leave a bit of a whitish/pearly cast. And if you do buy it, be sure to use a small amount to avoid looking disco ball. :)

You can buy this product on the Clinique website or at Boots. It retails for £16.00, and also comes in a SPF 25 version if you're interested. 

I hope this review was helpful, and I'd love to know what sunscreen you use!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Award: I Got Bitten By The Blog Bug!

Thank you to the lovely Maya at Spiderleglashes for giving me this award!

The Rules
1. If you are given the Blog Bug award, you must answer the questions that follow and the title of the post should be "I Got Bitten by the Blog Bug".
2. You must give the link of where you originally got this award and you can tag as many bloggers as you want. Link their pages on the post and also inform them through comments in their blog.

Questions
1. When and why did you start blogging?
I started a long time ago - almost 9 years now! It started off as a personal blog on LiveJournal, and I wrote about  every day events, posted photos of my friends and things like that. I kept that up for quite a few years, and added on a second graphic design blog (also on LiveJournal) in which I posted icons/avatars I'd make, Photoshop brushes, textures and related things. Unfortunately both of those have been defunct for a while now but I do want to start them up again at some point! This blog is my first foray into beauty/fashion blogging, however!

2. What do you love to blog about and why do you like it?
Like I said, although I have been blogging for ages, I have only just started this particular blog. So far I like writing product reviews, because I like sharing my thoughts on something that did or didn't work for me.

3. How did you get your blog name?
It's pretty obvious, really, and probably not the most original name out there! I do want to change it sooner or later, but it'll do for now.

4. What do you think is your best post yet?
I haven't got THAT many posts yet, so I'm not sure about this one!

5. What is your inspiration for blogging at present?
I'm trying to do a little bit of everything. I started this as a beaty blog, but then decided to branch out into fashion and food as well. I try to incorporate as much variety into my posts as possible, so I'd say that I borrow my inspiration from a lot of sources!

6. Message for your readers?
A big thank you for stopping by, reading and following my blog! I know I'm a little late to the 'beauty blog' party, but it really is a lot of fun, and I really appreciate your time and support! x

I award:
Rachael at Sanderson Smith Story
Meg at Life: A True Story
Kate at Yakatety Yak
India at The Jewel Beauty
Angelica at One Little Vice