THE REVIEW: OSKIA RENAISSANCE BRIGHTLIGHT INTENSIVE PIGMENTATION & DARK SPOT SERUM

You can imagine my delight when i received this in the post. Being a massive fan of Oskia and user of the Renaissance Cleansing Gel, i was thrilled to have been chosen to preview their newest product 'Renaissance Brightlight Intensive Pigmentation & Dark Spot Serum' by Space NK.

Retailing at £85 you'd want to know its perfect right? well it is. Serums are a hit and miss for me as sometimes i'll come across one that i thought would be amazing but it either takes too long to sink in, too sticky, too thick, doesn't do anything, the list goes on. This one, however, ticks all the boxes for me. After cleansing and toning, i apply it sparingly over my entire face & its sinks in instantly (tick), smells fresh (tick), makes a perfect base for moisturiser (tick) and has made my skin clearer, even & brighter than ever (big tick). Space NK sent an information card with the product that gave a good overview of the product and how to apply... 

WHAT IS IT?
An intensive daily correcting serum designed to target sun damage and dark spots and fade the appearance of hyper-pigmentation. 

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Brightlight slows down the production of new melanin while papaya & pumpkin gently exfoliate away current pigmentation, revealing a brighter and more even skin tone.

HOW TO APPLY?
Apply a few drops, morning and night, onto cleansed ski under your usual moisturiser or oil. Use in conjunction with a good SPF during the day.

Overall i'd say this is an awesome serum with great benefits for the skin short term & long term!
I give it a huge thumbs up & now sadly can't live without it, thank you Oskia. 

It launches with Space NK March 1st, go get yourself a bottle, you won't regret it!

Carly x

FEBRUARY FAVOURITES

Favourite TV show this month? 
Pretty Little Liars. Not just this month, every month. Forever.
Oh and Netflix just added Big Bang theory, so that too. 🖖🏽

Favourite Beauty products this month?
1. Revlon All-In-One Mascara. Lengthens, defines and adds volume. It may actually be better than YSL Babydoll (for anyone that knows me, this is one hell of a statement to make).
2. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop. Everyone knows it, no need for a review. Perfect.
3. Oskia Renaissance Brightlight Intensive Pigmentation & Dark Spot Serum. Amazing, review coming very soon.
4. Rapidbrow Eyebrow Enhancing Serum. I know it's expensive and takes a while to see a difference, but it really works! 

Favourite book this month?
Khloe Kardashian Strong looks better naked. Inspiring, helpful, thoughtful & just beautiful. Yes i'm a die hard Kardashian fan.

Fashion?
Zara Leather Slippers. Not quite made for this cold weather at the moment but i adore them and can't wait to wear them more once the weather warms up. I sadly can't find these on the website even though they were recently purchased, however there are plenty of similar alternatives on there, phew! 


What have your favourites been?
Love x

THE REVIEW: HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING - THE EDIT

I remember my very first encounter with Hourglass being the Veil Mineral Primer SPF15 & since then I've been head over heels in love. The only slight downside to the brand is the price, however i really do believe they are worth it. Im a big fan of the Ambient Lighting Palette that consists of the three powders, so when The Ambient Lighting Edit showed its beautiful face on other blogs & online last year i knew i just had to have it!

Clearly, Hourglass know what they're doing & they've crammed all their top products into one, gorgeous looking palette. Who doesn't love a pretty palette? 

The palette features three of their ambient lighting powders, two of their blushers and one of their new bronzers. Ill briefly talk you through the colours and finishes. Theres 'Diffused Light' which is the most natural of the 3 powders (& my favourite), theres 'Iridescent Light' which is pink and shimmery & then theres 'Dim Light' which is a lovely glowing peachy shade. They really picked the blushers well for this palette as both would cater to most skin tones. 'Mood Exposure' is more neutral with a plum undertone & 'Luminous Flush' is the brighter pink of the two. They've also added one of their new bronzers in 'Luminous Bronze Light', however its a little too shimmery for me so it won't be used as my bronzer, but if you wanted a golden glow for the tops of the cheeks this would be perfect!

So all in all i think this is a beautiful palette that's well worth the hype. It costs £65 and you can get it from Space NK, Liberty, John Lewis and of course, Hourglass.

Carly x

FOR THE LOVE OF SKINCARE

I love having a skincare routine that works for me, without a perfect base for makeup to sit on your makeup will suffer, then everything just feels off (for me at least). Some people change up their skincare routine depending on season, i don't do this because I've found the perfect skincare for me that works all year round, whatever the weather, morning & night! 

Starting with Cleanser, i use Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. I gave into this because of Lily Pebbles & I'm SO happy i did. Being Oily/Combination, putting an oily gel on my face seemed a little scary at first, however it's refreshing, illuminating & has actually made my skin less oily (win!). Apply it onto dry skin, massage until its melted into an oil, add a little water to emulsify and remove with warm water or damp muslin cloth. Say hello to healthy clean skin! 

I then follow with a Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic which you don't necessarily need to use, i only use one because i just love how much cleaner it makes my skin feel & incase i missed some cleanser. Next comes my newest serum which i was lucky enough to be sent from Space NK to try & review before its released 1st March, the Oskia Renaissance Brightlight Intensive Pigmentation & Dark Spot Serum. Although I've only been using for 3/4 days, I've fallen in love! It sinks in as soon as you apply it and leaves skin feel refreshed and ready for moisturiser. A proper review will be coming after about a month of use. 

My favourite moisturiser to use day and night is Origins Zero Oil, which is a lightweight lotion that sinks in instantly and leaves my skin feeling plump & ready to apply makeup to. In the evening i would then apply Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil as a treatment over night to keep my skin hydrated and nourished. Again, if you're oily don't be scared of oils, they do wonders for the skin and they keep the skin plump, healthy & refreshed! 

Cleanse, tone, moisturise!

x

IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE?

I saw this post on Lily Pebbles' blog (http://www.lilypebbles.co.uk/2015/08/if-you-had-to-pick-one.html#PxA3r4DEaFE7xfXj.97)& i thought it was a great way to start off my blog! I've used some of the same questions as Lily but mixed them around a bit. Here goes. If you could only pick one...

Makeup brand to use...
Easy, NARS. Base products are phenomenal, i love the eyeshadows, mascaras, the smudge proof eye primer is a favourite of mine, wide range of blushers, the popular Laguna bronzer and of course... their palettes. Its a winner for me every time. 

Mascara...
YSL Babydoll. It lengthens, adds natural volume and separates cleanly without clumping or giving you spider lashes! 

Lipstick to wear everyday...
This one all depends on mood, season & makeup look but i would have to go for Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat pencil in "Pillow Talk". Its the perfect pinky nude, its matte, lasts all day and you can cheat your way to bigger lips ;). I love it!

Haircare brand to buy from...
I'd have to go with Redken. My hairdresser told me to buy the Extreme Shampoo and the Anti Snap treatment and I've never looked back since. I've even got some arriving from feel unique today. I can't be without it! 

Hughstreet store to shop from...
I didn't even need to think about this one. Zara. I used to be a die hard Topshop fan but i think its completely lost its charm. Zara is my style through & through, their handbags are everything & their range of simple yet different pieces just do it for me. I love you Zara. 

Skincare item to use...
My answer to this one is actually thanks to Lily Pebbles forever talking about The Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. It always appealed to me however i always thought it would be wrong for my skin as I'm oily. I couldn't have been more wrong, its been perfect for my skin & actually helped my skin to become less oily and clearer. Ill never change cleanser again! 

Eyeshadow Palette...
This one has to be my Pro Palette x15 from MAC. You can choose whatever colours go into it & you're sorted for any occasion. 

Makeup brush brand...
Zoeva. The quality is great, prices are great & they do some really good sets too.

Foundation...
I use a range of Premium to drugstore foundations & the one i always go back to over anything is Bourjois Healthy Mix in 52 Vanille. The colour is perfect for me, i apply it with a stippling brush then buff over it with a Beauty Blender for a more even coverage, use a Bobbi Brown setting powder and it just stays perfectly all day. 

I hope you liked this post, it was super fun to think about and answer, so huge thank you to Lily Pebbles! 

Welcome

Hi, I'm Carly Woodward 

Being a qualified Makeup Artist with a huge obsession with all things beauty, i thought it was only right that i share my thoughts with everyone! I also have a passion for healthy food & photography/imagery, so be prepared for a lot of Pinterest and Tumblr plus the occasional Wholefoods haul. But I'm mainly here for Beauty so you'll be seeing beauty reviews, makeup tips, makeup tutorials, style tips, fashion favourites & more. 

Feel free to ask me anything.

Thanks for reading!

Carly x