Clarisonic Opal (Review) – It’s All About Eyes

If you use eye cream regularly, you’ll know the application drill: apply sparingly and tap gently in to the delicate skin around the eye area until fully absorbed.

No matter how many times I hear this, I can still be a bit heavy handed with my technique. I don’t mean that I rub and pull at my skin; it’s just that my patting can be a bit over zealous. Actually, sometimes it’s hardly patting/tapping at all, more like smoothing cream on with my index finger instead. Oh dear!

My rather sporadic (OK, I fess up, lazy) approach to applying eye cream is what first got me interested in the Clarisonic Opal. Yes, you heard me right, the Opal. If you’re a beauty device geek you will undoubtedly be familiar with the Clarisonic cleansing brush, and probably even own one (lots of us do!).  But the Opal has rather remained in its shadow – it’s not even that easy to spot on the Clarisonic website! Rumour has it Clarisonic is developing a new version, so perhaps that’s why?

Friday Beauty Buzz – Win Beauty Worth £3000 (and more)

Emma Watson, pic credit: David Shankbone

Sitting in a café with a very large latte (or two!) and a newspaper is something I have always tried to make time for. I relish solitary moments like this, in which to enjoy a favourite drink and catch up on what’s been happening in the world.

These days, having swapped the manic London job for motherhood and home working, the reading material tends to be lifestyle magazines and blogs read on my tablet. Luckily, most days I still get time to snatch a half-hour or so in Nero, to indulge myself in a grande and other writers’ stories.

There’s always something thought-provoking to read and share. By share I mean 21st century sharing, ie re-posting across my Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest pages. It’s never really occurred to me to do a round-up post of my favourite stories on the blog too. Until now!

So, welcome to Friday Beauty Buzz, a précis of my favourite media stories from this week. Perhaps this will become a semi-regular feature, who knows?

3 Of The Best Hot Cloth Cleansers – Liz Earle, Eve Lom, Espa

If you were asked to name a brand you associated most with cleansing, chances are you’d say either Liz Earle or Eve Lom. Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish and the Eve Lom Cleanser are multi-award winning classics, adored the world over.  

That both feature in my top rated may not be all that surprising. Less predictable perhaps is my third featured cleanser - Espa’s Nourishing Cleansing Balm. This one may not share the ‘cult’ status of Liz Earle or Eve Lom, but to me it is just as adorable.

Synergie – Potent Grade Skincare On Test

You may recall that earlier this year I met with the creators of a brand new skincare concept that was set to launch in the UK. What was particularly exciting about it was the potency of the skincare.

An Australian brand called Synergie, the skincare included high doses of some of my favourite anti-ageing ingredients, plus a heap of actives I’d never heard of but which sounded incredible on paper (see launch story).  Also, I loved the brand’s formulation strategy  – combining cutting edge scientific breakthroughs with naturally derived ingredients, plus a commitment to ‘clean’ science (ie, no harmful or questionable ingredients).

Just before Summer I was sent samples of the Synergie range to try for myself. With my trial complete, and the Synergie concept now fully launched on our turf, it seems the perfect time to post my review.

Goodie Bag Bonanza as Space NK, Liberty, Balance Me, Launch Events

Fancy having a splurge on your favourite beauty products? If you do, and you have £150 to spare, then you may want to head out to Liberty London or your local Space NK next week.

Wednesday (17th September) sees Space NK holding its latest national event day and its goodie bag looks pretty amazing:

September’s Fave Freebie – L’Occitane Hair Repair Duo

When I bought a copy of InStyle last Monday I was perhaps jumping the gun a little. The date was 1st September and most October issues had yet to hit newsagent shelves. But so cracking is this latest InStyle beauty freebie that I was pretty certain it would rank as my favourite this month. My hunch was correct, though in fairness there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of competition!

Back to School!

Where did Summer go? I can’t believe it has been more than a month since my last blog post. It only seems a moment ago that I was waxing lyrical on my two favourite tan fakers (post here). Today is Friday 5th September and thoughts are turning to Autumn, no longer Summer.