YSL Forever Youth Liberator - Eye Zone Serum

Since having my daughter three and a half years ago, there have been quite a few sleepiness nights, from late night feeds to middle of the night sickness to nightmares, so it's no wonder that my eyes have begun to look tired.
I have been looking for something to tackle the dark circles that have developed under my eyes for quite some time and decided to try Eye Zone Serum in the Forever Youth Liberator range by YSL.
It claims to tackle dark circles, fine lines, crows feet and smooth unevenness.

After washing my face and applying toner I put a small drop on the back of my hand and with my ring finger I gently pat under my eyes. It feels a bit sticky at first but soon dries quite smoothly. I usually leave it for about the time it takes to brush my teeth and put my contacts in to then apply my usual face cream.

The serum is clear as shown above and once dried it blends to my skin colour. At £48 for 15ml, this is not cheap, but I've been using it for two months and I'm not even half way through it. It has made a difference to my dark circles and the fine lines have become smoother which is what I expected it to do. Overall I'm very happy with the results and feel more confident on no make up days!

Any products you've tried to combat signs of tiredness and ageing?

Rachel xx

BYS Eyeshadow Palette ~ Budget Friendly Make Up

BYS or Be Your Self is an Australian  make up brand. I'd actually never heard of it so I didn't know if it was any good.
I was recently in my local Store Twenty One which sells clothes, homeware and other nik nak type stuff just having a nosy about, when I noticed a make up stand by BYS. The products were nicely displayed and like an magnetic pulse, I was drawn to it.
Displayed were eyeshadows, nail varnish, lip sticks, glosses and eye liners. I picked up one of the metalic eyeshadow palettes in 15 Natural Glam. I wasn't able to swatch it but I didn't mind as it was cheap enough to take a chance. (I'll tell you the price later).

The colours aren't individually named but basically start with a dark brown colour then gradually get lighter to a shimmery gold colour.

The staying power is actually quite good but I did find that they were a bit difficult to blend despite using my two usual eyeshadow brushes. The above close ups are just a basic application.

The packaging is nice and simple but it comes with one of those rubbish sponge applicators that I never use.

So overall, not bad at all and I think I will go back and buy some nail varnish (for research purposes of course) but the totally best thing about this palette...it only cost me £1...bargain.

Any bargain make up brands that you've been impressed with? Do share.

Rachel xx 

My Eyelash Perming Experience and Results

Eyelash curlers; I've used loads over the years from a 99p one from Woolworths to a high end at £18. Have they worked? Yes, for a few hours and then back to straight lashes again ~ bugger! And another thing was that I was starting to not have time to stand there for 30 seconds with a toddler running around and turning the bath taps on! I didn't do it everyday, but mostly if I was going out and wanted my eyes to look big.

So I decided to get them permed as this would be low maintenance.

I'd had it done a few years ago and wasn't really happy with the end result, so that put me off having my lashes permed again.

My hairdresser has really long upwards lashes and when I was at the salon I just asked her if they were permed, no she said! Lucky woman.

After having my hair cut I had a patch test on my wrist to check for any sensitivities, and booked to have it done with the salon beauty therapist a few days later.

The whole process took about an hour and you can read about the process here.

I had medium size rods as I wanted a gentle curl and I didn't want the 'tightness' that I'd had before at another beauty salon, where small rods were used and my lashes literally curled back on themselves and my eyes felt like they were pinned open; not nice. This time I was very happy with the results and my lashes are still upwards and natural looking.

It cost me £20 which I thought was a good price and should last about 6 weeks.

I would actually have it done again once my lashes become straight but wouldn't book it in advance at every appointment, just when I feel like having it done.

Have you had this done? Leave a comment.

Rachel xx