Blag Friday

Hi guys, 

As many of you will know when it come's to make up I will give up my entire bank's savings if it came to it. This Black Friday I went out to scout out the deals from the fails and this post will cover what I found. Now I won't lie, I did spend (a lot) this Friday, however most of the items were things I will stock up on in the next 6 months anyway as part of my beauty regime, or my professional kit. I tempted myself from falling in to some of the Blag Friday traps. 

Black Friday "sales" originate from the U.S as a follow on from Thanksgiving celebrations, kind of how boxing day works out for us. The past few years however it has become a bigger thing here in the UK, but are all of these deals really worth us staying up, sitting in front of our computers and giving in for? 

Last week I went into Superdrug and did a double take on two items in particular. The Makeup Revolution advent calendar, and the Real Techniques 10 piece brush set. As a beauty guru I spend most of my online life reading blogs, youtube videos and surfing beauty websites and Instagram pages (sad I know), therefore only two weeks ago I saw the Makeup Revolution advent calendar launch on the MR website for just £25. When I saw this I thought great; an affordable beauty calendar which fits well with what the brand stands for. A week later in Superdrug, the price went up to £50, which confused me and put me off buying it, only for it to be brought back down to £30 for Black Friday weekend.  Not as great a deal as many would think, working out at £5 more than the launch price. This to me screamed "blag." 

The second was the Real Techniques 10 piece brush set, which is marketed at £99. When I saw this I thought it had to be a mistake, 10 brushes for £100 may seem a good deal particular for Real Techniques which are amazing quality and I don't dispute that. However, the brushes include pics from the core and eye collection (which retail on average at about £20.99 each for 4-5 brushes). I also received the Nics Picks set last year, which included 6 brushes at £32 at the time. For Black Friday weekend the 10 piece set was reduced to a "bargain" price of £48.99. 

Although there are some brands and website who may not be selling items which are quite the deal they seem, there are also a few websites I found with great deals. 

Feel Unique- This isn't a website I usually use, but for this weekend including Cyber Monday they are posting a range of special offers on items including skincare and fragrances, definitely worth a look! There is also 15% off everything not included in the Black Friday discount deals and free delivery over £10, which trumps the 10% off in Boots, John Lewis and Selfridges this weekend. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills (U.S website)- Anastasia is a brand a regularly rave about, and as a luxury brand imported from the US none of the UK stockists have included Anastasia in their Black Friday discounts. However, if you buy from the brand direct on Cyber Monday they are offering 25% off brow products, and there is also talk of a free highliting brush with every highlighter purchase to be launched so keep your eyes peeled. Although a shipping charge applies, the products still work out a lot cheaper than available in the UK. 

Clarisonic - If you own a Clarisonic, now is the time to stock up on your brush heads with 20% off everything. The brush heads can be quite expensive to buy, and you will always need them for your machine so definitely worth the deal. If you haven't read my review ranting about how great this product is read it here and you can also purchase yourself the Clarisonic Aria for £99 this weakend and the Smart Profile (which I use) for £159.20 (I paid £200). 

The Body Shop- The Body Shop is offering 40% off all products, and also flash deals throughout the weekend. I bought a shampoo, moisturiser, facial oil and scrub all for £26 including delivery. If you have always been curious about some of their products, but didn't want to commit, this would be the time to try them. 

Did you have a Black Friday or a Blag Friday? Post any fab or dud deals you found in the comments box!

Get The Glow

Hey guys, 

Its been a while since I did a post, but I had a few products I really wanted to put to the test before I blogged about them. 
I have had problems with my skin for some time, I often (triggered mainly by stress) get psoriasis on my scalp and skin. I have also had acne in the past, so my skin seems rather dull when I don’t have any make up on. The products I am posting about today were used to try and get rid of this dullness and to get a "glow" read on to find out if I had any success….

Herbal Soaps

Those of you who follow me on instagram (if you don’t then get following now... @kokobeautyuk) may have seen I tried two herbal soaps; black soap and shea butter soap. I bought both of these from @pure_herbal (instagram page) and completely replaced my usual cleanser with these for a few weeks each. 

The black soap was used for three weeks. The results allowed my marks to fade, and my skin to clear from blemishes, however post application of the soap my face never really felt fully soft and clean like it did with my cleanser, my skin also felt a little dry however I do have dry combination skin and this soap is not reccomended for dry skin. This is great for interim use when you might be having breakouts, but I would not reccomend relying solely on this, so don’t chuck out your cleanser just yet! 

The second product was the shea butter soap. This soap felt a bit sticky to apply to my face, and I felt it was quite hard to rub into my skin. If I am honest, I did not see an amazing difference using this, and I had to stop the use of the product after two weeks as my psorisis flaired up to the worst it has been. 

So these products didn’t quite live up to the expectation I had hoped, but for the value it was not a heavy price to pay. I continued my search for good products whilst out on my trip to the U.S recently.

Clarisonic

For month’s I have researched into the Clarisonic, and whilst in Lord and Taylor (5th Avenue, oh how I miss you) it seemed like the perfect time to get some in depth face to face knowledge on the product at the Clarisonic stand. I have read review after review praising this brand, and I have wanted it for some time but never wanted to give in to the price tag (they range from £100-220). I eventually ‘ummed’ and ‘ahhed’ and I gave in (thank god I have a credit card with me). 

The purchase I made is the newly launched Clarisonic Smart Profile which can be used on the face and body through the use of different attatchments. Unfortunately, I am not sure this version is out in the UK yet, so you girls may just have to wait… although the Clarisonic Plus is very similar and a close second choice to the one I would have bought. The reason I chose this is because I often get breakouts on my shoulders and back, so I thought this might be a good investment for me. The new version also comes with a pedi brush attachment which is also a bonus. I did pay a hefty price tag of $280 (ouch), but I do not regret it one bit. 

The lovely lady in Lord and Taylor gave me a few attatchments for free which was a bonus, as well as cleansers. I personally don’t see the fascination with the cleanser if I am honest, I feel the one I use already (Clarins Cottonseed Cream Cleanser) paired with my Clarisonic does a better job so don’t feel obliged to give in. 

I am currently using an attachment for deep cleansing, which I started off using twice a day. I have read many bloggers say they broke out in the beginning and I dreaded this but my breakout was very minimal. The breakout usually is all the dirt and oils trapped under your skin surfacing to the top. I now use the Clarisonic it once a day if I have worn makeup, sometimes I don’t even feel the need to use it on the days I haven't  worn make up as my skin still feels soft from the previous day. I also use the body brush twice a week on my shoulders and back, which has really helped control my breakouts and make my skin soft.

I did a comparison of how much makeup is left on my skin after removing makeup with a wipe, cleansing and toning vs the same routine with use of the Clarisonic to show the effectiveness it has of removing makeup: 

As you can see there is literally nothing left on my skin in the second picture.

Results of my skin without make-up after a month
As you can still I still have a few scars, but overall
my skin has a nice healthy glow. Note no filters were
used to take this photo, it was taken in natural light. 

I have been using the Clarisnoic daily for a month now, and I can not believe how many people have complimented me on my skin, a lot of comments to say I look glowing (I promise its for no other reason). I have found myself wear a lot less make up, as my products sink into my skin better and also blend better than they did prior to the use of this tool. My skin feels super soft and silky to touch, and I have also gained the confidence to go into the gym without tinted moisturiser anymore, and stay bare skinned(I am usually really conscice of my skin). 

I still cannot believe how great my skin looks in the morning, and when I take my make up off in the evening. I will not stop repeating this when I say, this is honestly one of the best beauty investments I have made. I am not saying go out and buy one now and you have to, I know many don’t have a fascination or need, however I can’t stress that although not a NEED once you try this you won’t look back. I can’t tell you if it work’s for everyone, it probably doesn’t but it really, REALLY worked for me. I am sold on the hype of the product, and wonder why it took me so long to give in. 

Overall this is my favourite beauty buy so far. So if you are contemplating, I hope you sway towards getting one; I promise you won’t regret it. I know there are many brands who do similar and cheaper products, however what I liked about Clarisonic is their confidence in their product and customer service (30 day money back guarantee), the range of heads available so you can change dependent on skin type or even share with your sibling/parent if you buy different attatchments. Some of the other brands also have bristles which turn, this in effect can be harsh on the skin, the Clarisonic pulses but does not turn. Finally I love that it is gentle enough on my skin to be used daily. 

Have you used any products that have lived up to their expectations? If so what were they? 

K xx

Please feel free to post any skin care tips, products or comments you may have which could benefit others.