#25 Travel Essentials

Afternooooon

Today I am going to share with you my 'Travel Essentials' as I am heading off to Champagny tomorrow with the family. We often drive when we are holidaying in France and it is one bloody long drive. I must admit though, it can be quite nice as we get to see areas of the country that we wouldn't if we were to fly. 

So here are my essentials when it comes to travelling (from left to right):

1.  I definitely need to start moisturizing my hands a lot more than I already do, as usually the only time they get any is when I'm moisturizing other parts of my body. When I'm bored on long journeys I'm always looking for something to do (if I'm not sleeping) and whacking a bit of moisturizer out usually makes me feel a lot fresher and GOOD for actually showing my hands some lovin'. 

2. I am usually a bit of a sleeper when it comes to travelling, which means I am never looking my best if we ever stop at a service station for food etc. SO (although I do usually have a small make up bag in my handbag), Collection 2000's Illuminating Touch Concealer is key product for me. It's perfect at giving your skin a little bit of radiance and making you look more awake before you leave the 'comfort' of your car to face people in the real world.

3. When I'm not wearing lipstick I can't get enough of  lip balm, especially when I'm sat around not really doing anything too exciting for hours on end. This lip balm is from Primark (but don't let that put you off), it's quite thick which I really like and also has a slight pinkish tone to it. The thick texture means the product is really moisturizing, and the colour is also nice as again, it makes you feel more alive and awake. The one thing I would say about this though, is that it doesn't really smell like cherry as the package suggests, but that's the only negative thing I have to say about it. 

4. Now I know some people aren't keen on reading whilst in a car, which I can relate too. However sometimes I don't find it too bad in short periods and it's definitely a good way to distract yourself from counting down the minutes. I feel like I never have enough time to read whilst I'm living normal everyday life, so I like to make the most of my free time whilst on holiday. 

5.  Perfume is a must for me on a long drive and Cinema smells AMAZING. If you haven't tried it you NEED to get  your hands on it and I am sure that you will just fall in love. 

6. And who can last a long journey without a bit of music? I would be lost without my iPhone/iPod and oh so booooreeed. I usually spend most car journeys listening to my music, so it would feel like the end of the world for me if I forgot my headphones or something STUPID.

ALSO:  FINALLY as I have mentioned already, I like to sleep a lot during car journeys SO I usually like to bring a pillow/cushion and a blanket along with me for the ride, so that I can at least try and get comfortable! 

So that is all for now, hopefully I'll have internet whilst I am away so if I have time I can get some posts in about snow, snowboarding and what a (hopefully) wonderful time I am having! 

Becmo xo 

#24 Clinique's 3-step skin care

Helllllllllllo

AGAIN it has taken me SO long to get round to writing a new post. I have so much I want to write about too! I think I'll do a few separate posts though so I don't go into blog OVERLOAD and you don't have stupid amounts to read through! 

A few weeks ago (probably more like a couple of months ago actually) I bought some small samples of Clinique's 3 step plan after a consultation with one of the women working at the counter. I thought that I had quite oily skin, however she pointed out that I actually have quite a few dry patches, which obviously weren't a fan of my previous skin care routine.

My Mum uses Clinique and has for years, but I wasn't sure if it'd be worth the price or not. BUT I was actually really happy with the results! I've definitely found that my completion is a lot clearer, and my skin tone more even. The biggest change though has been to the smoothness of my skin. I am in LOVE with this moisturizer. It is the most expensive of all three products, however I would definitely repurchase it. The only product I wasn't too keen on was step 2, the clarifying lotion. I found that it dried my skin out quite a lot, so I haven't used it too much. I didn't buy that in the full size when I went back a few weeks after as I hadn't finished with the previous bottle. I've now started using it less regularly to see if it helps, and I have found that my skin hasn't dried out this time, but I'm still not sure whether I am sold on it or not.

I also purchased Clinique's super-balanced foundation in shade alabaster. At first I really loved this foundation and I am now onto my second bottle. More recently though I haven't been such a fan. I feel as though it sits on the surface of my skin a little too much, rather than blending in. Saying this though other times I really enjoy wearing it. It definitely gives a much better finish on days when my skin isn't too dry. It has medium coverage but can easily be built up, and the colour is really nice. I really like the finish too, I feel as though it highlights the right areas of my face, and leaves a nice glowy finish. This foundation is also meant to work with the natural colours of your skin tone and to give a more balanced overall tone once used (hence it's name) which it does do, which is always a good thing! However, I'm not to fond of the fact that it doesn't have a pump (which goes the same for the moisturizer) as it is a bit annoying when you're trying to get the right amount of product out of the pot, and particularly hard when there is little product left...

Luckily when I went to purchase these products in full size there was a free gift promotion. Being an idiot I've left most of the items at uni so I will have to write about them when I get back in a couple of weeks. I have used the lip balm/stick/shine a lot though, as well as the blusher and mascara, but more of that later.

SO YEAH if you haven't given Clinique a go I really recommend it! Every time that I have been the women have been so lovely at the counter too which is a bonus. 

Becmo xo