Samsung Galaxy S

Had this phone around 6 months and been very happy with it.

There is a huge range of apps which you can download at your will, (does take up lots of 3G) so make sure you download on wifi. However some of the high quality game apps for example fifa and certain driving games can lack and relax the reactive touch that you want, which does become quite frustrating and can make you lose games/crash.

The screen is crystal clear, it really is brilliant and can even be said to be better than iphone screens. This certainly helps as you can watch a film on the big screen with comfort. The battery life is very good, and even on the internet the battery life remains impressive, only time it doesnt is when you're downloading.

The fact that it has a normal headphone jack (not phone specified) makes it handy and you can use your own headphone in it makes everything a lot easier. Despite looking fragile mine is actually quite durable having dropped it many times before.

The camera is very good, and again the pictures look very good on the phone. And even better when you've downloaded them onto your laptop/computer. However I found when my software was downloading to be compatible with my phone it took ages and my laptop kept rejecting it (could just be my laptop though being over cautious)

All in all good phone!

Samsung Galaxy Y

High-end this isn't - although it could just about pass for a top-notch smart phone (notwithstanding its diminutive size), this is very much the entry-level end of the market. With the same basic stylings as the higher-level models in the Samsung Galaxy series, this certainly ticks the visual boxes - it's neat, functional, sleek - so good first impressions are made. A quick play around with the Y, however, shows up its deficiencies.

Of course, it's worth qualifying this - you pay proportionately for what you're (not) getting. I - like most of the phone's owners, I imagine - got the handset free with a pretty modest contract, so expectations were hardly sky-high. Indeed, I'm actually pretty happy with what I've got. I don't feel like I need the bells-and-whistles, all-singing end of the market, so the Y feels like a good choice. It's just worth emphasising that this is very much a my-first-smartphone type thing.

The basics are all here - social networking is well-integrated, there's a decent camera, sensitive touchscreen, a variety of apps and whatnot - but the quality of these is patchy, thanks to the handset. Basically, it's screen size that's the issue - there's only so much you can do with a 3-inch screen; websites need to be zoomed in so much that it's hard to work out where you are, and texts take up the whole of the screen in landscape mode, meaning you can't see what you've previously said. What's more, with so little space, all manner of simple tasks are fiddly, and frustration can be substantial.

The hardware underpinning it all does its job just fine, and it's a generally well-designed phone. It's just well worth being clear on what you want and asking yourself whether you wouldn't rather pay a little more for a phone that really makes the most of the smartphone experience.

Oriflame Essentials Moisture Concentrate

I've been a user of Oriflame products on and off for several years now as my cousin's wife is a distributor in India and whenever I visited there in the last decade I'd buy a few products from her as she provided some samples which got me hooked. As I'd not been there for a few years, I thought I'd better look up their products from a more local source so tracked down the website and ordered a handful of items to expand up my beauty products collection. 


WHAT IS IT?

Oriflame Essentials Moisture Concentrate is a moisturiser containing multi-vitamin complex suitable for all skin type. It's targeted at women of all ages and all skin types who are not looking to spend a small fortune on their beauty regime but to be assured of a safe skin care. It is an intensive triple-action cream which protects, nourishes and hydrates your skin and can be used for both day and night moisturising.

The cream arrives in a rather plain looking tub, which is no issue at all as an expensive looking container doesn't necessarily mean the product is any better. The container is easy to open with a twist off lid.


SO... DOES IT WORK, IS IT ANY GOOD?

I won't say that this is going on my list of must have products. I have been using it for a few weeks and found it sort of does some of what it claims to do. It does moisturise and to some extent it nourishes and hydrates the skin but not as good as most other similar products I've used. When applying the cream I don't think it absorbs as easily as other similar products and the texture itself feels "cheap" somehow if that makes sense - reminds me of something you'd buy in a £ shop and learn your lesson and never try again!

I'm also not exactly enamoured of the scent that this cream has. It's not exactly unpleasant but personally I find myself cringing somewhat when applying as I just can't find myself ignoring the scent.

I've used this cream before going to bed and feel my skin feels dry quite soon afterwards. I've also been wearing it in the morning before applying my foundation and definitely don't think it's good as a base before applying foundation (which I've done for years with other products. I've gone back to using Ponds Hydronourishing as I find this much better for me personally.

I'm not convinced it's worth its price tag at the reduced price and most definitely not worth the full original price. It's difficult to tell also whether the multi-vitamin complex is of any benefit.

Overall I wouldn't give this more than an average 3 out of 5.


WHAT'S THE DAMAGE?

I paid £5.95 for a 75ml tub which I felt was a real bargain until I saw the original price was actually £9.95. I thought it would be definitely worth it for £5.95 as I generally pay that for 50ml of similar moisturising products. But after testing it out seems it wasn't actually worth it! 


WHAT'S IN IT?

In case you'd really like to know the full ingredients in this product or to ensure you're not allergic to anything contained in it, below is a full list of ingredients:

Aqua, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Peg-2 Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Niacinamide, Ethylparaben, Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Calcium Pantothenate, Maltodextrin, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Pyridoxine Hcl, Tocopheryl Acetate, Silica

Moa The Green Balm

Have you ever come across a product that you have loved as soon as you have set eyes on it? It isn't something that happens very often to me but just recently it has and today I am going to share with you my love for one product.

Arriving in a cardboard tube, which is stunning to look at and something that immediately grabs your attention, I introduce you to Móa The Green Balm 50ml and Luxurious Bamboo Face Cloth. I simply adore this packaging, not only does it tell you everything you need to know about what is inside, it is just so different to everything else on my shelf and is so unique I cant help but smile when I see it.

Moa is described like this, "It might not have been made by witches or wizards, but hidden inside each tube of Móa's new 'Daily Cleansing Ritual' is a balm that magically helps to remove even the most stubborn of makeup, clears up acne, nourishes dry skin and removes impurities to leave the skin balanced and glowing...". Perfect right? Well I thought so and as soon as you open the tube, inside you are greeted with the softest cloth I have ever come across, I simply wanted to curl up and just stroke it, it is that soft. Made of Bamboo Fibre, this cloth is naturally anti-bacterial and is one of the planets more eco materials and because it is so soft, on your face it feel like heaven.

The balm itself which is inside a plastic tub, is slightly green in colour, is 100% natural and is a cleansing facial balm which is jam packed full of ingredients such as:

--> Yarrow to target black heads, tone and prevent wrinkles. This ingredient is also anti-ageing and has astringent properties
--> Tea Tree Oil which hosts anti-bacterial properties to help fight skin blemishes,
--> Coconut and Almond oils which both work to soothe and nourish,
--> Soy bean oil which is an anti-oxidant that helps to restore and balance, Beeswax which helps to protect the skin without clogging pores.

Naturally there are many more ingredients that you might want to look at and you can find them all listed on the Móa website.

As I have said in previous reviews, I have combination skin which leads more to the oily side and I was a little unsure about using a balm as a cleanser because I didn't want to clog my pores or dry my skin out. Boy was I surprised! This balm simply glides onto your skin, grabs everything that needs to be removed and walks right off with it leaving your face not only feeling clean, but feeling clean. On the side of the beautiful tube there are some directions on how to use this balm and I followed them:

The step by step cleansing ritual:

1) Take some green balm and melt it between your fingertips to create an oil.
your face Smear the oil over your eye makeup, smudging it away from the eyes.
2) Massage your face with a little more balm to encourage better lymph circulation and tone the facial muscles.
3) Dip cloth in hot water (not too hot), wring it out, and press it to your face; steaming away the oil and impurities, whilst sealing in the essential oil goodness.
4) Finish by dipping your cloth in cold water, and press the super-soft side to your face; to tone and close the pores...magic!

The balm inside the tub is fairly solid, as soon as your fingers touch it, it begins to melt and it has a Vaseline type feel to it as it does begin to melt. This helps to make it much easier to apply to your face. As you apply to you face you can really smell the tea tree oil and as it absorbs itself into your skin, I was surprised to find my skin didn't look oily at all, left behind was everything on my face make-up wise that had been lifted up from my skin and smudged across my face (not attractive) and impressively my mascara 'They're Real' was also removed and for those who wear it, you will appreciate how tough it can be to do that! Infact it removes all traces of make-up and also manages to find some dirt and grime to remove from your face too, giving your skin a very good cleansing treatment.

As I applied this to my face, in my bathroom sink, I had already run the hot tap to ensure there was hot water ready for the cloth to be dipped in. I shoved the whole cloth into the water and then wrung it out so it wasn't dripping wet, and then held it to my face so the steam could work with the balm to draw out the all the impurities from my skin. Then, as you more the cloth from your face, you need to this time wring the cloth out again and repeat the actions above, but this time using cold water. I used really cold water and then using the softest side of the cloth, pressed it to my face which is absolute heaven, I would pay someone to do this too me it is so relaxing and the reason you do this is because it helps to tone and then close the pores on your face, locking in all the goodness of the oil.

After using this balm, my face was so soft to the touch it was wonderful and if you are a fan of products which are hot cloth cleansers like me, then I have no doubt that you will not only like this product, you will, like me, love it. Having used it for the last weeks in a row continuously, I have noticed that my oily t-zone is hardly noticeable, not something I have been able to say for quite a while now and I love the feeling of not having to constantly worry my face might look a bit greasy, especially now we have a change in temperature, something which always affects my skin.

I wouldn't hesitate to keep on purchasing this product it is so lovely and the cloth, which I also adore is really easy to wash, just bung it in your washing machine and then let it dry naturally and it is as good as new, hopefully one day we will be able to purchase extra cloths which I feel is needed for something you use on a daily basis. You can purchase this product for £14.99 and again you can find more information about it on the official website.

Paris Hilton Sheer Eau de Parfum

I heard that some people liked this perfume cause of the musky floral smells, but when I tried it I had different thoughts and it was nothing what I've heard from other people, and I will say that I don't have that much to say about this product either as I didn't really like it.

I saw this perfume in Wilkinson when it was reduced from 10 pounds down to five pounds (as the box had been bashed around a little but the perfume and the bottle were still in good condition) I asked for a tester and I first thought that the perfume smell was a bit strong and would calm down a bit in the next few minutes, actually it was stronger but I didn't find the smell very pleasant as I thought it smelt a bit 'off.' It was either me or I'm not a huge fan of spicy smells but the spicy smell was too strong for me. And even worse, the smell was so addicting, may be Ok for those who like this perfume.

However the bottle off the perfume is very nice, but I'm not keen on the bottle as it looks a bit plain and has 'Paris Hilton' taking most of the space on the box, and also has a picture of herself on the back. It can be quite cheap this product and you can find in most shops like Boots, Superdrug, Savers and Wilkinson - but Savers and Wilkinson tend to be a lot cheaper than Boots and Superdrug. As in Savers/Wilkinson you can get is as cheap as eight pounds for 30 ml.

Overall, I don't like this perfume, it's not the worst i've ever tried but It's a perfume I'll never use/try again. Myself, not being a Paris Hilton fan it's not me worth buying it. As well as I have said in one of my previous reviews I'm not a huge fan of spicy smelling perfumes but I have to say that this perfume is far too spicy for me or as I call it 'smells off.'

Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation SPF15 Reviews

I hardly ever wear make up - just for special occasions and important work meetings. So as you can imagine foundation isn't/wasn't very important to me. Before I bought this foundation I had a very old powder foundation that I had kept for years. But just recently I thought I should look into getting something which would give me a better coverage and which would feel nicer on my skin. I went into a department store and spoke to someone on the Lancôme desk about foundations. The staff were very friendly and not at all pushy (and not orange either, always a good sign!). They looked at my skin and recommended this foundation.

Now like I said I hardly ever wear make up but since buying this foundation I use it a lot more. It's so light it doesn't really feel like its on my skin. With my old foundation it felt really heavy on my skin, but I feel my skin can breathe with this one. It's in a glass bottle and has a pump. A teeny tiny bit goes a really long way which is great because it costs around £25. It is honestly worth it though. Now when I have a spot or blemish I can cover it really well and I get a really even skin tone. The staff helped choose a colour for me and it is really a perfect match. The fact it has a SPF 15 is a real bonus because I wouldn't really want to wear sun cream and foundation.
This foundation also doesn't have a heavy cosmetic smell which has always put me off getting a liquid foundation.
Overall I think it is a great product. Yes it is a bit pricey but its going to last me a while because a little goes a long way.

Hermes Un Jardin sur Le Nil Eau de Toilette

 

 

 

I  typically wear very fruity perfumes - my last two fragrances have been Viva La Juicy! and Escada's Rockin Rio. I was shopping at Hermes and received a vial of this as a sample. I wasn't sure about this perfume at first as it's very spicy and almost lemony, bitter initially - I thought it was one of Hermes' unisex perfumes at first. However, the initial harshness of the fragrance did fade into a very fresh, very girlish scent that played well with my body chemistry - it's slightly musky, though very light and very, very unique - I haven't smelled a perfume like this in a very long time. I was concerned that, as it's Hermes, that it might give off a very mature smell - I am only 22, and don't really want to smell like a grandma! These fears were unfounded - if anything, the lasting scent is incredibly fresh and active. What is more, I was pleased with how long the scent actually lasted - this is one of those perfumes that will (pleasantly) linger on your clothes for days after the initial spray, a clear indicator of its high quality, though you could hardly expect anything less from Hermes. It's a bit pricier than my normal perfumes are, but due to its high quality, I think it might be worth the splurge.