Clinique Take The Day Off Balm || Review

 When it comes to cleansing and skincare routines, I've always had the attitude that whatever does the job quickest with the least mess is best. When I'm tired, the last thing I feel like doing is dragging myself to the sink and doing an extensive routine. Therefore I never really strayed from my Bioderma because it did the job and it did it fast and pretty effortless too but I think it is quite important for your skin to give it a proper deep cleanse too. 

 Recently I have been trying out the Clinique take the day off balm* which I had high expectations for because I had heard amazing things and because Clinique are the skincare kings. This product did not disappoint, it has a consistency very similar to Coconut Oil where it's solid at room temperature but when it comes into contact with your skin it turns to an oil. The oil when rubbed into your skin breaks down your makeup and removes it even stubborn water proof mascara.

 The consistency of this product is so lovely and it feels like a real luxury when you're massaging it into the skin. Once removed it leaves your skin feeling soft and supple which is definitely where I noticed the difference after using this instead of Bioderma. I did find myself wishing that it had a lovely fragrance though because it's completely non-fragranced however this would be a big plus for anyone with sensitive skin. I have a pretty normal skin type and it works amazingly on me but I also know people with both oily and dry skin who have tried this product and loved it so it definitely seems like a people pleaser.

The only negative I've had with this product is that when removing eye make-up it can blur your vision for a few minutes if the balm gets in your eye which doesn't hurt but just feels really annoying and it also makes a bit of a panda eye effect but that washes straight off with a warm face cloth. I still have continued to use this to remove my eye makeup, just carefully but if I was tired or in a rush I think I would use my Bioderma to remove my mascara first and then use this balm for the rest of my face. 

 Although this product is up on the higher end of skincare products at £22 I can already see that it's going to last me a very long time. Even though I've been using it everyday there's barely a noticeable amount missing because you only need the smallest amount to breakdown the makeup.

Have you tried any of Clinique's skincare items? Next on my list to try is the take the day off cleansing milk!

Lots of Love,

♥

Pink Pearl Pop || MAC Mondays

I haven't done a MAC Monday post in a few weeks now so it's time I did another one. Shock, it is again another lipstick but I have a lipstick addiction therefore that is what I have most of from MAC so I hope you're all lipstick junkies like me!

 The second shock to you all will be that it is yet another pink lipstick, yes I have a problem. This one is not one I'd heard a lot about when I got it, I was just in MAC swatching every lipstick up my arm as per and I noticed a pink that I somehow had never noticed before, Pink Pearl Pop. It's a gorgeous everyday shade which goes amazing with both natural and heavier makeup.

 On days where I'm not really sure what lipstick I want to wear I always go for either Creme Cup, Chatterbox or Pink Pearl Pop which are all fairly neutral pinks. It's a very blue toned pink which is always good because it makes your teeth look whiter and brighter.

 It's from their Cremesheen and Pearl collection so it has a sheen to it which makes the lipstick look slightly more sheer but it looks more opaque as you build it up. It's a strange finish to describe but it's almost quite a frosty look similar to Pure Zen. They're lovely and creamy so apply to the lips very smoothly but because they're so creamy they only last about three hours before needing reapplied.

 I must admit I don't love the pearl-like formula as much as I do as the standard cremesheen or amplified finish but it makes a nice change and adds something different to my ever growing lipstick collection.

If you like pink lipsticks then this is a nice everyday one that goes with every make-up look. Have you tried Pink Pearl Pop?

Lots of Love,

♥

Clinique || Event & Haul

 A few weeks back now I was invited by BBC Radio One DJ Gemma Cairney to a VIP Clinique event in a secret venue up town. This secret venue actually turned out to be a stunning house on Carlton terrace that had quite possibly the most beautiful interior design inside. It was all very lovely, there was a lot of people there and I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Kate from Gh0stparties and Adrienne from Thesundaygirl. It was such a lovely event and I wish I could have stayed a bit longer but if I'm honest I felt so overwhelmed and anxious that I left after a few hours because I just felt so out of place. Everyone there was so important and I didn't really know anyone else there and the busy environment only made me feel more panicky.. anxiety is awful! I'm really glad I managed to go though because I met some amazing people and got the opportunity to try out some amazing products. Even being there a few hours was an achievement for me because a year ago I'd have ignored the fact that I'd been invited and been too anxious to even go so small steps.

 As I left early I didn't actually pick up my goody bag so Clinique kindly emailed me saying would I like my goody bag to be sent out to me so obviously I said yes because who wouldn't want a bag of Clinique goodies?! Long story short, the Royal Mail confiscated it because it contained perfume which is apparently a 'restricted good' so it didn't arrive. After a few weeks I emailed Clinique to let them know I hadn't received it so they knew I wasn't just being rude and not thanking them. They then asked me if there was anything I would specifically like to try out so I said the take the day off balm because I'd heard wonderful things about that and the pore refining correcting serum. A few days later I received a big parcel which contained those two things and lots of other goodies for me to try out and review. Then this morning I came home to find that the original perfume they had sent and a custom repair serum had finally arrived with a note from the post office about how they had to confiscate them etc.



Left to Right:- chubby stick, baby tint, cheek tint, chubby stick intense

 I feel very, very lucky to have this opportunity to try out all these skincare and makeup bits. Never did I ever think when I started this blog at the start of the year that 8 months later a company like Clinique would want to work with me. It really does give you that boost when you see your hard work paying off. If there are any of these products you'd specifically like a review on then please do let me know!

What's your favourite Clinique product?

Lots of Love,

♥

Winter Boots

  One of my all time favourite things about Autumn/Winter is the shoes and especially buying those new Winter boots. So I bought not one pair but two...woopsy. I am very lucky because I work in Clarks (aswell as going to university) so I get 75% off shoes which is why I justified buying two pairs because what is saving money? Something I definitely cannot do.

 The first pair I bought are the style 'Maisie Hotel' and I got them in a tan leather. How beautiful are they?! I'm in love with them, I think they look amazing with skinny jeans and leggings and they will be well worn throughout Autumn/Winter.

 The next style of shoe is called 'Mariella Busby'. Quite a few people have said to me aren't they just the same shoe in black but no they aren't, they're very similar but this one is a much softer leather and has a nicer sole. I do already have black chelsea boots but they aren't as nice as these ones and they really hurt my toes so it was definitely time I got a decent pair since I love them so much. I needed a new pair of shoes for work too and I don't want to wear my tan ones to work because if the leather gets scuffed it's much harder to hide. Whereas with black leather you can hide it with black shumagic and polish etc so these are much better for kneeling down and measuring feet with. I will of course wear them out of work too because I love them so much.

 I have worn them both and both pairs are really comfy and I'd recommend them to absolutely anyone. Both of them cost £79.99 from Clarks. I definitely have a shoe addiction but you can't not purchase one.. or two as the case may be boots at the start of Autumn/Winter.

What Winter boots have you got/are you getting this year?

Lots of Love,

♥

So Sinful || Review & Tag

 I was recently contacted by the lovely Kandice from 'So..?' and she asked me if I would like to review one of their perfumes. The one I chose to review was 'So Sinful' and after the Royal Mail confiscating it due to 'security reasons' I eventually have it.

 I am absolutely horrendous at trying to describe scents so instead I'll tell you how 'So..?' describe the scent themselves. It has top notes of mint and pineapple, heart notes of violet and strawberry and base notes of praline and musk and vanilla. To me it smells very sweet and girly and most definitely more of an every day scent. When you first spray it you can 100% smell the mint which isn't my favourite in a perfume but when it settles down you get that floral, fruity, vanilla scent that is most prominent which is a lovely combination.

 I must admit I'm not a massive fan of the perfumes packaging. I love the body fragrance packaging because of the eye catching purple colour and it's very girly but the perfume itself I don't like the lid of. I'm not really a fan of plastic lids on perfume as they always tend to cheapen the overall look. I do like the girly colours of it and the glass bottle though. The body spray is 75ml and retails for £1.70 and the 30ml perfume bottle costs £6.35 but is currently on a half price offer in Boots. Obviously it's an eau de toilette instead of a pure parfum but when you're getting it so cheap you can afford to spray it more. I think I might keep this one in my handbag because it's a good size for carrying around and if it gets broken or damaged it isn't too expensive to replace.

 'So..?' have also included the fragrance tag for me to do so without further a do...

1) How many perfumes/body sprays do you own?
I have a lot of perfumes but I do use them all! 16 bottles of perfume and 9 body sprays. Least I'll always smell nice!

2) What smell brings back the happiest memories to mind? 
For me there are quite a few smells that bring back memories to me even with silly things like hand gels or certain foods. A happy smell for me is the smell of my granny's homemade rolls. I absolutely love the smell of fresh bread and I loved going to my grannies for a roll and some soup when I was younger.

3) You are only allowed to own one So...? scent which would you chose and why?
I would chose So..? Sinful, which I chose because it's a popular one and it has scents in it that I really like.

4) What smell do you love on a guy? 
I love One Million (like every other girl). Gary also has Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf and Ralph Laurens Red which both smell yummy too!

5) Wearing the same fragrance as your friends? yay or nay?
I think this is more of a thing you do when you're at high school. Now I'd much rather have my own individual scent that's acquired to my personal taste!

6) What food smell would you happily wear as a perfume?
I would have to go for a fruit or a sweet because I love sweet and fruity perfumes. Maybe strawberries or a juicy sweet apple because I love the smell of them!

7) If you had to wear just one type of fragrance for the rest of your life, would you prefer to smell sweet or musky? 
Definitely sweet because I love fruity and floral fragrances.

8) If you could create a So..? fragrance what would you call it and what notes would you include?
I would probably call it So..Abby? (or maybe so uncreative? so unoriginal?? haha) and I would include notes of jasmine, tiger lily, rose, apple and strawberry. What a mixture hey!

9) Your friend borrows your perfume and returns it pretty much empty. Do you a) Just pretend you haven't noticed b) Ask them to repurchase it or c) Secretly do the same thing to something of theirs?
I wouldn't do the same thing to them because I'm not that petty. I probably wouldn't be as direct and blunt to ask them to buy a new one either. I think I probably would pretend I hadn't noticed (and secretly be very upset) or make out how upset I was and hope they would replace it.

10) You're on the bus and someone next to you sprays a scent you really hate. Do you a) make it really obvious by having a fake coughing fit b) Move as far away as possible or c) spray some of your own.
I would spray some of my own probably or just hold my breath until the scent had passed.

Have you tried any of the So... fragrances? What do you think of them?

Check out their site to find out more about the Fragrances they do.

Lots of Love,

♥

Meet Luca

 As a lot of you may know already if you saw my puppy haul post or you follow me on instagram or twitter (@whatabbyloves). We recently got a Springer Spaniel puppy called Luca, he was my boyfriends 21st birthday present but he's a joint pup realllyyy... hehe. He's 9 weeks old on Monday and we will have had him for two weeks.

 He's very cheeky and very playful. He loves to climb on absolutely everything... he's even worked out how to jump on numerous items to make it onto a double bed. He also can climb up and down the stairs all by himself! One step at a time but he still does it.

 He also loves chewing on everything..including fingers. His teeth are already super sharp and we're having a bit of a hard time training him not to chew people and clothing. If anyone has any good tips for teaching pups not to bite then please let me know!

"Enough pictures now mum"

  He does currently sleep in his crate which is like a house to him because he's so small at the moment but occasionally during the day we let him sleep in his fluffy big boy bed for a nap.

 Eric is currently a really jealous big brother. When we first brought him home he wouldn't even be in the same room as the pup! Now they're much better together, he'll tolerate him but he still doesn't really want to play with Luca but that doesn't stop him trying 40 times a day! I think eventually he'll accept the puppy properly and want to play with him.

 

 When we first got him he used to have a bottle of puppy goats milk at night. We occasionally do still give him this but not always out of a bottle because he can drink himself out of a bowl. He loves the bottle teats for teething on though!

 

His litter, Luca is bottom left with all the markings!

I hope you enjoyed seeing pictures of little Luca. If you want to see more of him then make sure you're following me on my instagram @whatabbyloves.

Lots of Love,

♥

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense || Review

 Last week I was invited to a Clinique event in town and we were allowed to swatch their chubby sticks and pick a shade to take home. There were two types of chubby stick the regular ones and the intense ones and being a bold lipstick junkie I much preferred the bright colours that the intense sticks gave. After much umming and aahing and deliberating on whether to pick another bright pink which I know I would wear but I already have 100 of I decided it was time to be adventurous and pick something different.

 So in the end I went for a dark purpley plum shade which will be the perfect shade for Autumn/Winter. It is much scarier than any colour lipstick that I normally wear but I really hope that I can pull it off. I personally think it will look amazing with leggings, chelsea boots, a leather jacket and I'm really excited to play around with it when the weather gets colder.

 Firstly I love the packaging of these, I do prefer the traditional lipstick packaging but out of all crayon lipsticks Clinique definitely steal the show for packaging. I love the silver lid and twisty bottom with the coloured section in the middle that matches the shade of the actual product. It also makes me really happy that the bottom is twist up so that no giant sharpeners are involved which always annoys me because I can never find a sharpener that fits.

 The colour pay off itself is good, it's not as pigmented and opaque as say a MAC lipstick but it is more of a pigmented version of their normal Clinique chubby sticks. I find the colour to be a pretty good dupe to MAC's Rebel but less opaque and more moisturising. The pigmentation can be built up on the lips to intensify it even more which I like because I'm definitely more a fan of the bold lips look than sheer ones. The secret to the moisture in Cliniques chubby sticks is apparently down to the shea butter and mango seed butter and jojoba seed oil in them. With it being a darker colour it leaves a nice stain even after the moisture has soaked in which leaves you more time to top up the lipstick without that awkward patchy fading lips look!

 I'm actually really looking forward to styling this during the coming months as it will certainly add a bit of edge to an outfit. What are your favourite Autumn/Winter lipsticks?

Lots of Love,

♥