Barbara Daly Face Lift

This is a post that is far too long overdue! A friend of mine bought me this lovely little pot of goodness for Christmas this year specifically so that I could blog about it, so it's about time I did.

Barbara Daly's makeup range is exclusive to Tesco, and for that reason I'd never tried any of the products until now as I don't have big Tesco within easy reach. I'd heard good things and wanted to try some stuff out, so when my friend Adrienne offered to buy me the Face Lift cream (£8) for Christmas I was chuffed! Jargon from the packaging: 

"Barbara Daly Face Lift is a feather-light anti-ageing moisturising cream with SPF 10 that’s great for all skin types. Wear it alone or under make-up to give your skin an instant lift. The micro-refined photo-reflecting particles illuminate the skin to give an instant lift to your complexion. You look refreshed and flawless, with a healthy dewy glow."

The cream smells absolutely lovely - I always thought it was citrus-y, but a closer examination of the packaging reveals that it is in fact scented with apricot. Either way, this will make your face smell lush (and who doesn't want a nicely scented face?), which is a good start. The cream itself is lovely and light, meaning that you can quite comfortably wear it under foundation without feeling like your face is dripping in makeup, but it provides enough coverage to use on its own if you aren't a fan of foundation, have clear skin to start with, or if you aren't planning on going anywhere special. If you suffer from problem skin they you will probably want to stick to using it beneath foundation in order to get a little extra coverage. (I'm not going to bother uploading before and after pictures because you'd never be able to tell the difference on my elderly camera.)

This product is perfect for achieving an on-trend dewy look for your skin without giving the appearance of being greasy, but if you prefer a matte look then this isn't the product for you. Don't be tempted to apply powder on top of Face Lift - you might as well buy a BB cream if all you want is extra coverage. Face Lift would be perfect for anyone hoping to make their skin look more youthful (hence the name), so if this is you then I suggest you get down to Tesco. 

4/5

March Splurge

Although the chief purpose of this blog is to sniff out the best beauty bargains, sometimes I have to admit that luxury products are simply superior, and worth shelling out for. My favourite beauty product in the whole world right now is an example of this, so if you're planning to treat yourself to one naughty thing this payday, make it the Molten Brown Mer-rouge Deep Conditioning Mask (£23), the best hair conditioning treatment I have ever used by a country mile.

I got this conditioning mask from my parents Father Christmas this year, having never heard of it before. I'm on a bit of a crazy mission to keep my hair in perfect condition at the moment - I've given up my straighteners for lent and only wash my locks every four days in order to keep them strong and promote growth, so I was excited to try it out. I've been using it for about three months now, and I never want to be without it! Here's the jargon from the Molten Brown website:

- Atlantic Ocean mer-rouge seaweed deeply conditions
- Vegetable proteins help enrich and smooth
- Intensive conditioners help soften, detangle and reduce risk of breakage
- Amino acid to help improve shine,


but all you really need to know is that this mask will make your hair incredibly soft, hydrated and shiny after just one usage, and the natural ingredients mean that the treatment is actually benefitting your hair, rather than coating it in chemicals that trick you into thinking it looks and feels healthier whilst actually drying it out. I try to use this treatment once a week, and my hair really misses it if I forget. Besides the obvious benefits to your hair, the mask has the most gorgeous aroma that I find incredibly relaxing; the perfect addition to a de-stress bath! Although you only need to leave this treatment in for a couple of minutes to reap the benefits, I prefer to leave it on for at least half an hour to give my hair a bit of a birthday. 

At £23, I am willing to admit that this isn't exactly a bargain. What it is, however, is good value for money - the tub is big and you don't need a lot of product to make a real differene to your hair. My clever Mum managed to find this half price in a Molten Brown outlet store in Portsmouth, where it was reduced as they have just changed the packaging, so if you live near an outlet store then go and have a snoop. Even at full price, I don't feel like I have much of a choice but to repurchase this when it runs out - it's as close to a miracle product as I'm ever going to get!

However......

If the Molten Brown is too expensive to be considered, give Mark Hill's Colour Hydration Bomb (£6.49) a go. It may not have quite the same effect as Mer-rouge, but it will still do a world of good to your hair at a fraction of the price.