Review: Murad Balance and Protect Travel Kit

It's that time of year now where a lot of you are jetting off somewhere rather lovely on your summer breaks (Lucky you! No holiday for me till September!) and are faced with the dilemma of having to squeeze your entire skincare regime into small plastic containers of no more than 100ml total.
To make things a little easier Murad are launching three different travel kits depending on skincare needs which all come ready in a little plastic pouch (which you can then fill with a few more essentials if you want to). The one I've got to show you today is the Balance and Protect Travel Kit aimed at oily and combination skin.

First up you get five of the Clarifying Wipes for blemish-prone skin. The great thing about these is that as they're individually wrapped they won't dry out and are perfectly moist every time you open one. They also won't eat away at your liquid allowance if you want to take them in your hand luggage. While face wipes might not be the greatest way of cleansing your skin, they won't hurt for a long weekend or so, and I found these to be really, really effective. They did sting a little on my sensitive eyes, so if your eyes get a little dry from time to time I'd recommend packing a separate eye make-up remover.

Next up is this little 10ml tube of Oil-Control Mattifier, the hero product in this kit if you ask me. Where was this when I was going through puberty?? It's the first mattifying moisturiser I've tried that really does what it promises and keeps shine completely at bay for several hours. While my skin doesn't really get that oily anymore these days, hot summer weather always brings out shiny sweat-face (mmmmh, attractive), and this does an amazing job at keeping heat damage to a minimum while still providing enough moisture. I can actually feel my skin tighten a little bit after applying this, but it's by no means an unpleasant sensation. I've been using my sample for just over a week now and I've still got plenty left, so this should be enough even for longer holidays.

The final product is this 5ml container of the Skin Perfecting Primer in Dewy Finish. The funny thing is that I once got a sample of this in a beauty box and I absolutely hated it, but this second time around I'm really fond of it. I remember it turning my face bright orange at first, but it doesn't really do that anymore at all. Maybe I had a dodgy sample or maybe they've changed the formulation? Or maybe my skin changed? Either way, while I wouldn't rely on this for tint alone, it works really well layered over the moisturiser to give my foundation enough slip to apply easier but still have something to grip to. My make-up also seems to hang around for 2-3 hours more than usual.

This is really a rather lovely little kit and I actually think it would be absolutely perfect if you're going to any outdoor festivals, where having access to running water can be a tad tricky and you don't have anywhere to reapply make-up or powder your face all day.

There will also be a Smooth and Soften Travel Kit to tackle fine lines and wrinkles and a Youthful You Travel Kit for firming and brightening skin. They will all be £10 each, which I think is great value for the quality of skincare that you get.

They launch on Sunday, June 15th exclusively in Marks & Spencer stores.

Review: L'Oreal Skin Perfection Cleansing & Perfecting Milk

When I was younger (back in the olden days....) my number one method of cleansing would be gels, but these days I find them to be much too harsh and stripping on my skin, so I've turned to gentle milks and balms instead.

When it comes to gentleness, this one certainly fits the bill. It has a soft, almond like scent and even when I get it into my eyes it doesn't sting one bit. There's not the slightest bit of irritation and no feeling of tightness after rinsing it off.

While it's great on the gentleness, it's not the most hard-working of cleansers and I'd still be left with bits of foundation rubbing off on my towel whenever I'd use this milk on its own. I finished it as part of a double cleanse and it worked really well then, but it's not a product I'll be rushing out to repurchase any time soon.

L'Oreal Skin Perfection Cleansing & Perfecting Milk retails at £3.99.

Book Review: The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Title: The Husband's Secret

Author: Liane Moriarty

Price: £7.99

Type: Fiction

Pages: 402


The Husband's Secret is a book that's been talked about a lot and has been high up on the list of bestsellers for a while. I do love a book with a great mystery, so I spontaneously picked it up one day while waiting for a train.

There are three main characters in this book and from the very beginning you get a sense that they are all connected in one way or another. Sadly, this also means that I figured out very early what this secret might be, although finding out the secret is not the point - it's about how the characters deal with the secret and the effect it's had on them.

First, there's Cecilia: A middle-aged woman living in suburban Australia with three daughters, impeccable organisation skills and a thriving Tupperware business. Think Bree from Desperate Housewives and you're pretty much there. She finds a letter from her husband addressed to her from years and years ago and it's this letter that throws her life upside down.
Then there's Tess. Tess has just found out that her cousin and her husband have fallen in love with each other. In complete shock and disbelief she packs her stuff, grabs her son and flies halfway across Australia to live with her mother again, hoping for a new beginning.
Finally, we meet Rachel, an elderly lady who works at the local school as a secretary. Rachel's daughter Janie was murdered when she was just seventeen and Rachel has never been able to move on from this horrendous event. Her life is filled with bitterness, hatred and a deep, vengeful desire to find Janie's murderer. In doing so, she alienates her son more and more without even realising.

As such, it is beautifully written. Although I hoped for a bit more on the relationship between said husband with a secret and his wife, the author delves really deep into the emotions of each character. They are well rounded and most importantly, very believable. I found it very easy to imagine to be each of those women and to follow their thought process. In that way, it is really similar to Jodi Picoult's writing and I think that if you're a fan of her books then you'll love The Husband's Secret.

It's a really great book - well written, it drags you in and makes you desperate to find out what happens next. The thing is, I didn't really enjoy reading it as much as I hoped I would. My problem with this book is that it's just so goddamn white middle class. I have nothing against white middle class, but when I read a book, I want to escape from everyday life into a world I would not normally experience and even though the characters in this novel were all thrown into an unusual situation, I found their reactions to be not only extremely predictable, but also incredibly dull. The ending in particular is what really did it for me. It was too perfect, leaving the reader with no unanswered questions. Uninspiring is the word that describes it the best.

I realise there is a place for books like this one and there's a reason it's been so successful. If reading about suburban everyday lives being thrown off-kilter is your thing (and by all means, there's nothing at all wrong with that), then I would gladly recommend this book to you, as chances are you're going to love it. For me, I've finally come to realise that this is simply not my kind of story and thankfully, my next read could not be further away from this book if it tried...

Review: e.l.f. Blending Eye Brush

I've mentioned in a recent review that I find elf brushes to be a bit hit and miss. Turns out, this one is a slight exception to the rule, depending on what you're after. Like most elf brushes, this one's amazingly well made considering the price. It's not going to last all your life, but I've had it several months now and despite frequent washing it still holds up well without any shedding or without the metal barrel coming loose. But just like the blush brush which I reviewed last month, the problem with this brush is its density.

The hairs are stiff and dense and for that reason blending is certainly not what this brush is good at - unlike the name would suggest! But that doesn't mean that I don't frequently use it and enjoy doing so. I find the dense hairs work really well at picking up loose pigment and packing it onto the lid without too much fallout. I also don't have any other brushes in my collection with a similar shape and while the rounded tip hugs the crease of my lid very nicely, I do need to use another brush for blending unless I'm using a very light colour.

At £1.95 a pop this is an absolute bargain and you really can't complain - just don't use it for it's intended purpose!

Review: Simple Kind To Skin Exfoliating Facial Wipes

So far all of my reviews of Simple products have been overwhelmingly positive, but today I want to talk about a product I just didn't get on with. It didn't start well, seeing as I only bought this accidentally. I was stocking up on my beloved Simple face wipes and it was only when I got home that I realised I picked up the wrong ones. Instead of being smooth all over, these exfoliating wipes have one smooth side and one rough side which is meant to exfoliate while it cleanses.

Now, I don't know about you, but I buy face wipes for those days when I just cannot be bothered with my regular skincare routine. I use them when I come home tired or erm, slightly intoxicated and I can only just manage to remember to take my make-up off with a wipe before I collapse into bed. The problem with this scenario is that when it's dark and you're tired/drunk you have no way of telling which side is the smooth one and which side is the exfoliating one - until it's too late and you've already rubbed what feels like sandpaper over your eyes.

Now, don't get me wrong, because these wipes will certainly get your skin clean. Very clean. But I feel that rubbing my face with something that literally feels sharp just defeats the whole purpose and I'd rather not actually take my make-up off at all.

So, while the regular Simple wipes are still among my favourite beauty products ever, this exfoliating variety is not something I'll be repurchasing.

Simple Kind To Skin Exfoliating Facial Wipes retail at £3.55 a pack.