VICHY NORMADERM Anti Imperfection Hydrating Day & Night Lotion Review

A little review on the moisturisers I have been using for the past year from the Normaderm range by Vichy Laboratories.

I am a HUGE fan of the Vichy range. I made my first purchase just over a year ago when I came across the Vichy Normaderm Anti Imperfection Face Wash. I was highly impressed with the face wash, it was non irritating and really helped to clear up my skin, so I decided to see what else Vichy had in their range to get the full benefits. I have very oily skin and I felt this range helps to keep the oil under control.I am prone to the occasional break out, which is hormonal so not much I can do about it except treat my skin with the right products to help it heal.

Vichy Anti Imperfection Hydrating Lotion

This has got to be one of the best moisturisers I have ever tried, to date ( clinque drmatically different a very close second;)..more about that on another post). Vichy has targeted this moisturister for people who have oily and acne prone skin. Vichy claims that their product provides-

Tri-Active, Anti Imperfection, Hydrating Care and Hydra-peeling effect technology. That reduces the look of imperfections, provides 24 hour hydration and a long lasting matte finish. Healthier looking skin and a more luminous complexion.

I couldn't agree more! I use this moisturiser every morning after washing my face and I apply it just before my make up. It has a really light, blend-able consistency which just glides on and is absorbed easily. It creates a smooth and even base for foundation and it gets rid of any shinyness and oilyness and minimises my pores. It leaves my skin hydrated all day, its myth that people with oily skin don't need moisturiser ( we do!) otherwise your skin will just produce more oil trying to re-balance itself. Normaderm is non comedogenic, so wont block pores or cause spots. If you do have acne this moisturiser would be ideal as some medicated products you use can dry out of your face, so this is not going to irritate or make acne worse. Even if you don't have acne or your skin isn't that oily I would still recommend this as everyone is prone to shinyness and this will hep mattify your skin, keeping it look flawless and healthy. LOVE LOVE LOVE! <3



Next up Vichy Normaderm Anti- Imperfection Night Cream. I use this every night before sleeping after I cleanse my face from make up. It has an ultra absorbing consistency which is slightly than the day moisturiser.This being normal for night moisturisers as it is at night the skin renews and repairs itself. My skin feels instantly smoother after applying this product and it also has the mattifyng effect of the day cream too as it is also non greasy. What Vichy say -

Pore targeting technology + zincadone A, acts on pores and skin's texture. Night after night pores size is visibly diminished. Enhanced 24 hour action when used with Normaderm Anti Imperfection Hydrating Lotion

The main selling point of this product is that it claims to reduce pore size, which was what I was looking for whilst searching for this product and I truly feel that it does especially when used in conjunction with the day lotion. It is also non comedogenic and Vichy claims to have tested the cream on acne prone skin under dermalogical control, which proved that the product wont irritate acne or make it flare up worse. It will only help :)

Both creams have the same sort of  fresh smell, which I really cannot describe unfortunately. To me it has a slight aloe vera smell; thats all I can really describe it as. It doesnt have a nasty over medicated smell :)
Both creams retail for round £12, but if you search around you might find them cheaper.

I really couldn't recommend these creams enough! I hope this review has been of help,

Helen xX

Custard Creams

I'm not a big fan of the normal custard creams that are already made and packaged in the supermarkets, but these are totally different! :D Much more tastier and creamier. There is also something more satisfying knowing that you have made them yourself. Keep reading to find out how to make them..

What You Will Need:

Biscuit-

150g Margarine/ Butter

50g Icing Sugar

150g Plain Flour

50g Custard Powder

Filling-

50g Icing Sugar

25g Margarine/Butter

Splash Vanilla Essence

Method

Pre- heat oven to 180 degrees

Lightly grease baking tray

Cream together margarine and sugar

Sieve in flour and custard powder

Knead well on a lightly floured surface

Roll out and cut into shape with a cutter

Bake for 10 - 15 mins, until golden.

Once the biscuits have cooled you can prepare the buttercream filling.

Simply, cream together the butter and the icing sugar and the vanilla essence til it has a smooth and thick consistency. Using a knife, spread the mixture in-between two biscuits nd sandwich together. Dust with a little icing sugar.Enjoy!

Helen xX

Melt In The Middle Mars Bar Cupcakes

 A yummy chocolate cupcake recipe with a twist!

I adore chocolate, cannot go a day without it..how sad haha but I was looking around my cupboards for something I could add to the cupcakes to make them just a little bit more interesting. Then I came across ye old trusty Mars Bar. Mars Bar has been a bit of a favourite of mine when it comes to baking. I have already done a post on Mars Bar cookies and will be doing a post in the near future on Mars Bar Cheesecake. But for now here is my take on Mars Bar cupcakes... Happy Baking! :)

What You Will Need:

                                     

                                     

Cakes -

Castor Sugar 100g 

Margarine 100g

Self Raising Flour 100g

2 Eggs 

Splash Vanilla Essence

Cocoa powder (roughly 25g)

2 snack size Mars Bars

Icing-

Icing Sugar 75g

Margarine 25g

Cocoa Butter 

1 Snack Size Mars Bar

1tea spoon Milk

Method

Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees

Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and stir in.

Beat eggs in a cup and gradually add to the mixture and mix together

Next, sieve in the cocoa powder, I used 25g as a guide as usually I just wing it :P

Mix in the cocoa powder and sieve in the flour and use a metal spoon to fold in. Add a splash of water to the mixture to give a  dropping consistency.Chop up Mars Bar into chunky slices to place in the middle of each cake.

                                                 Now, whilst spooning the mixture into the cake cases only add a small first, then add the Mars Bar chunks and cover the cake batter                                         Make sure it is covered completey.

Repeat this for all the cakes and bake in the oven for around 15- 20 minutes.Make sure you check on the cakes at around 15 minutes so they don't burn :)

For the Icing cream together the icing sugar and butter and add a 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cocoa powder (depending on how chocolaty you want it) stir together then add the tea spoon of milk. If the mix is too runny add a little more icing sugar and if it's too stiff just add a little more milk. Place chopped up chunks of Mars Bar on top for decoration :)

Result :)

gooey centre

This recipe makes around 12 cupcakes. I decorated a few with just dusted icing sugar as they are very chocolaty.

Enjoy!

Helen xX

Pink Dip Dye Hair

I have been admiring brightly coloured hair and pastel hair for a while now. Not being brave enough to dye my whole head bright pink I decided I would dye some extensions so I could get the dip dye effect without having to ruin my blonde hair :)

I used my shorter HeadKandy extensions in bunny blonde (they are only 3 or 4 inches longer than my real hair).

The dye I used was La Riche Directions, in carnation pink. I mixed this in with some white conditioner to make it less concentrated and to give me a lovely pastel pink shade.

Basically what I did was lay my extensions out on some old towels and painted on the conditioner and dye on with a tinting brush. I only painted half way up on the large wefts and on the smaller wefts for around my face I painted on the colour on whole extension. For this part I used a baby pastel pink colour :)

But after i had washed and dried my hair I felt that the pink wasnt as bright as I would have liked so i added some dark bits of pink to some single clip wefts. The dye is very, very bright when you don't add the conditioner, so its really great if you are looking for a stand out colour. I was very impressed with the dye and will definetly be re-purchasing again. Most importantly the dye will fade after a couple of washes so I don't need to worry about having to get rid of the colour.


My only issue with La Riche Directions is that the pot is very small, I used nearly all off it whilst dying my extensions. I would imagine if you were dying your whole head you would need at least 2 or 3 tubs.

Here's some pics :)

Hot Pink Strands (Instagram)

Helen xX