Budget Anti-Wrinkle/Ageing Serums - Lacura Vs. No.7 Protect & Perfect

I may only be 22, but I really believe beginning the anti-ageing process now is going to make a massive difference to my skin as I get older. After all, prevention is the best cure (my Mum is proof.) I'm going to stop those pesky wrinkles from even getting a chance to form! I already have some quite prominent wrinkles on my forehead, so I would like to keep them from getting any worse & hopefully slow down the formation of any more.

Everyone has seen/heard all the hype about No.7 Protect & Perfect Serum after it was proven to actually work! The beauty world went crazy nuts & everyone went out & bought it. Well, last year there was a big buzz about Lacura anti-ageing products; especially their Multi-Intensive Serum. Lacura is an award-winning German beauty & skincare company, sold in the U.K in Aldi stores for ridiculously cheap prices.

Both the Lacura Multi-Intensive Serum & the Boots No.7 Protect & Perfect Serum have been proven to work, but guess what? The Lacura serum actually came out top in a recent beauty survey, beating the No.7 serum (which came second) & many more higher-end & more highly priced products.

So which one should you choose?

Lacura 'Multi-Intensive Serum - Aldi £3.49

I have been using the No.7 Perfect & protect Intense Serum for 3 or 4 months now, therefore feel I can give quite an accurate review of this product; it is of a thin, clear consistency which I find doesn't Spread over the face very easily so a little does not go a long way, but it is handy because it is thin enough to also be used on the eye area. To be honest, this product doesn't seem to have any other benefits in addition to the anti-wrinkle aspect of it - it is not moisturising (in fact, possibly the opposite) & it doesn't even out skin tone or anything of the sort. Unfortunately I don't have a before & after picture to properly inspect any results, but I do feel it has made a little bit of a difference to the fine lines & tightness of skin around the eyes. I don't think there is an noticeable difference to the forehead wrinkles, however.

Now, I have seen lots of rave reviews about the Lacura serum & this is what pushed me to buy it. Plus it is sold at the incredible price of £3.49 for 50ml whereas the No.7 serum retails at £21.00 for a 30ml bottle! There is surely no good reason not to give it a try for that price.

The Lacura serum is much creamier (see pictures); more like a moisturiser than a conventional serum. It does state that it has moisturising properties & I've read that a lot of people use it in place of their actual moisturiser as well (handy!) I've only used this for a few days so I can't comment on the anti-ageing effects but  I am absolutely amazed at how soft & smooth my skin feels - it's flipping fabulous! I thought I had soft skin already...obviously not though. From the first application I noticed that it spreads nice and evenly over the skin & a little definitely does go a long way with this. It absorbs amazingly quickly whilst leaving your skin feeling instantly moisturised and soft. I really can't get over it. Also, I have noticed that it makes a great base for foundation - glides straight on. The only downside is the scent which is floral & quite strong.

All I can say is that I will be without a doubt switching my No.7 serum for the Lacura one, although I may still use Protect & Perfect on my eye area...This will be saving a heck of a lot of money and I much prefer it. I absolutely recommend it to anyone of any adult age or skin type & I can't wait to see the effects it has on my skin in the long run!

Have you tried either of these products? Or both? Which one did you prefer? 

Christmas Presents! (Ideas for ladies.)

It's only a month until Christmas & for once in my life I'm succeeding at being a little bit organised. I think I have bought roughly half of my presents- quite an achievement! (Trust me, I'm a 'leave it 'til the last minute' kind of girl.)

There are a few presents that I really want to keep for myself though, haha. I won't, but I thought posting them here might give someone else a few ideas for their Christmas shopping.

Champneys Complete Home Spa - Boots £50 (bought at half price on special offer.)

Would love to keep this! This is a big box containing all the full size Champney products listed - *drool* & even a cute drawstring bag to keep all your bathroom bits & pieces in. I think this is a pretty perfect present for any lady; Champneys bath products are always of excellent quality & all girls like to pamper themselves now & again, right? When I open the box the fragrance wafts out & smells DIVINE. 

Soap & Glory 'Youcube' - Boots £10

Everyone knows Soap & Glory bath products smell lush. I think this is a great little present for a friend. Even better, Boots offer 3 for 2 on all gift items, so you can grab a couple & keep something for yourself. :D

How is your Christmas shopping going?

Mini Haul - Budget Buys (MUA & Natural Collection etc.)

It's that time of year again; everyone's a bit strapped for cash (I certainly am) & we all have to watch the pennies. But this doesn't mean we have to stop treating ourselves to new beauty products! With brands such as MUA now on the market, who charge a mere £1 for many of their make-up items we no longer have to feel deprived. I snapped up some little make-up bargains from MUA & Natural Collection this week to keep my inner spending fiend at bay.

I've been needing a new blusher for ages;

MUA Blusher -Shade 2 £1

Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks - Peach Melba £1.99

I am incredibly impressed with both of these blushers; they are both quite subtle but the MUA one is also surprisingly pigmented so could be built up into a deeper shade very easily - it also has rather lovely gold shimmery particles in it. For my skin tone the Natural Collection is more suitable for every day use but I will use them both & can't help thinking that for the price they cost there's no reason for everyone not to have one in their make-up bag!

MUA Lip Gloss - Shade 1 £1

Aww, I love this lip gloss; on first application I thought it was overly glittery but I now think this is perfect for the sparkly Christmas season & it's also very flattering. Being blonde & quite pale I find that lighter, shimmery & very glossy lips suit me 100x more than bright or strong colours. I would say it's quite a heavy gloss but it is not sticky at all - plus it does stay on for a long time unlike other cheaper glosses & it smells DELICIOUS (reminds me of bubblegum) :). Thumbs up.

Natural Collection Juicy Lips - Raspberry Ripple £1.99

Again, so pleasantly surprised by this! At first I was not overly impressed because it comes out  light on the lips (lighter than they actually are - not a good look), BUT I found that as it developed it actually stained my lips to a quite lovely, subtle but bright pink colour. As the day wore on it got stronger. It is not particularly glossy but quite shiny &.... iridescent I suppose could explain it well. Will definitely be trying out other pieces from Natural Collection.

Simple Hydro Mist - RRP £5.99, purchased for £4 on offer

As many people do, I get dry skin during the winter months. It's been driving me insane during the last few weeks; trying to keep it hydrated is such a chore. As the day goes on and I re-do my make-up, it gets dry & my face tends to look more 'powdery' (a look I am not a fan of.)

After seeing this on an advert, it seemed to be exactly I was looking for - a moisturiser you can carry around to spritz on at any time, even over make-up to give you an instant moisture boost. I must say, this is not a miracle product...I am not blown away by it, but it seems to do the job. It's refreshing when sprayed on, light too, & it sinks in fairly quickly. It doesn't smudge make-up and it definitely makes skin look more dewy after it has been applied - not bad!

VO5 Tame & Shine Spray (Price forgotten)

Has anyone else noticed how yummy all VO5 products smell?! I want to eat them. Anyway, I wanted a shine spray to brighten up my dull winter hair & decided to pick this up as I'm quite the fan of V05 & their delicious-smelling products. It certainly does add considerable shine, but you must be careful not to overdo this product or else you hair will just look greasy (a good one spray all over is enough, I would say.) As for the 'taming' effect I don't have much to judge on as my hair doesn't need taming - but that isn't to say that if you have unruly hair it won't help - I just don't know.

Have you used any of these products? What about others from the MUA & Natural Collection ranges? I'm curious! How were they?

Charity shopping

I do love to pop into the local charity shops every now & again; You just never know what little gems you may find! Plus any money you spend all goes to a good cause... so everyone's a winner, wahey.

This is something I picked up the the other day:

Isn't it cute? 
£2.99, what a steal.
What have you found in your local charity shops?