Skincare Review : Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Cleanser, Toner & Moisturiser

Can you believe that I did some gardening last weekend?  Who even am I???!!

The flowers in the photo are from my garden - aren't they pretty?

And the trio of Paula's Choice products were kindly sent to me for review........like a bajillion years ago!!!

Ooops!

I actually used this trio a few months ago when we were still in Winter...but it wasn't rich enough for my severely Winter-fied skin back then so I stowed them away and brought them back out now that we are in the warmer months of the year.

Verdict :  My skin likes these products a lot better now that we are in the warmer seasons!

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser :  My favourite product from the range.  It cleanses my skin beautifully without making it that horrible squeaky clean feeling, where I have to dowse my face with moisturiser immediately.  My skin feels soft and supple after using this.

Note :  If you don't close the lid by popping it shut, there will be dried crusty bits of cleanser at the opening tip - which are not easy to clean off!

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner :  I'm not a big fan of toner because I have lazy-itis.  That said, this is pretty soothing after a blackhead-squeezing session.

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Replenishing Moisturiser :  I shall ignore the fact that the label is spelt with a "z" in moisturiser.  And well, this is a lovely moisturiser but as I mentioned before, I needed something MORE enriching during the cold winter months.  You can always supplement with a serum beforehand though.

Overall, this was a great introduction for my skin to Paula's Choice products.  I'd love to try more of their bestselling products to see if they work wonders on my skin too.

Have you tried any Paula's Choice products before?  Which one do you recommend?

How To Get Your Old Instagram Name Back

This is a bit of a geeky slash techie post for all those who have permanently deleted their Instagram but had a change of heart and now want to get their old username back.

Previously this was NOT possible but I DID IT TONIGHT AND SO CAN YOU!

{ And if you're a regular reader who isn't interested in reading this post, before you click away, I'm now @LingOutLoud on social media so DO NOT BE ALARMED.  It is still me! }

So allow me to share my experience...

When I started this blog last year, I snapped up all my usernames @LingOutLoud on the social media outlets I use - Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

But I was already active on these social media outlets as @Xyling.

And I thought I could EASILY juggle 3 blogs/Youtube channels and 3 social media personas AS WELL AS be a full-time working mum and wife.  And have a social life.  HAHAHAHA!!!
Yes, please laugh with me.  I thought I was the Blogging Beyonce...!!!  Hahahaha!!! #thereisonlyonequeenBanditaintme

Anyway, everything escalated out of hand and I decided to delete all of my social media personas and just use one.

I started with Instagram and permanently deleted my @LingOutLoud account.  And I thought I would just convert @Xyling to @LingOutLoud for consistent branding { even though I was mainly posting beauty stuff on that account as I use it for my beauty blog }.

Well...

Instagram would not allow me to use my old username even though the account had been permanently deleted.

What I should have done was this - Change @LingOutLoud to another random username and then delete it.  This would free up that username for me to use.

I WAS GUTTED.

And I stewed on it for days!!!!  I am OCD with bloggie stuff.

Anyway, fast forward a few months...to tonight...

A voice in my head { it sounded like me so it was actually me...! } said I should try and change my @Xyling username to @LingOutLoud.  #iampsychic

It had never worked before.  I tried it MANY times beforehand.

But tonight it worked!!!

So I am guessing Instagram has changed its policy on using old usernames.

YESSSSSS!!!

If none of that made ANY sense to you, just follow these 4 easy step-by-step instructions on how to get your old Instagram username back :-

1.  Go to your Instagram

2.  Tap on Edit Profile to edit your profile

3.  Delete your current username and type in your old username that you want back

4.  Tap Finished to save

Now this will NOT work if your username has been snapped up by someone else!!!  Obvs, duh!

If this helped you, please LIKE it, SHARE it and PIN it.

Review & Swatches : Bobbi Brown Telluride Collection

I was recently sent a few items from the newly released Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Telluride Collection and I had instant *heart eyes* because...well...take a look yourself...

Such a beautiful collection, right??!!!

I was IMMEDIATELY drawn to the Telluride Eye Palette $95 { can you blame me? } which has 7 complementary neutral eyeshadows.  My current favourite combo is Velvet Plum Metallic and the Antique Rose together to create a bronzey-rosy look.

Such a shame it doesn't have a matte medium brown shade I can use for my brows though otherwise it would be perfect.

The dual ended brush is pretty good too with the fluffy end for blending and the flat end for lining.

Bobbi Brown Telluride Eye Palette is fantastic for those who love their neutrals - everyday, work, weddings - and because it's smaller than the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, I'm definitely going to be taking this travelling instead { sorry UD! }.  It is a bit of a splurge at $95 but hey, you deserve it *winks*

Next up, I was intrigued by the New Telluride Pot Rouge For Lips & Cheeks $44 because of the unusual shade - it's milk chocolate brown.  When swatched, it's a warm mauve brown but once blended { it blends beautifully btw! }, it becomes more natural looking and really helps contour my cheekbones.

This multi-tasking blush { because you can use it on lips too! } works well with the Shimmer Brick Compact in Sunset Pink $72 because a light dusting of the  superfine powder helps set the cream but also adds a touch of 'je ne se quois'; a subtle radiance.

Side note : My shimmer brick looks a little worse for wear because Mr Postie didn't handle it with care *sad face* but I pressed it back in and it still does it's thang ;)

Last but not least, there's the Twilight Glow Lip Trio $82 which consists of :-

• Bobbi Lip Pencil - a long lasting nude brown pencil which helps accentuate lips
• Bobbi Sheer Lip Color - mauve brown lipstick which is so on trend
• Twilight Shimmer Lip Gloss - mocha coloured gloss with microshimmer

Anyway, that was a long blog post so if you've read this far, I hope I've convinced you to go to your nearest Bobbi Brown counter to check out the Telluride Collection.  It is Limited Edition so don't leave it too late!

Did any of these products tickle your fancy?  What is getting added onto your wishlist?

Disclosure : Thanks to Bobbi Brown PR for providing these items for consideration. 

Makeup Review : Paula's Choice Brow-Defining Cream Duo

I have a friend who has Sharpie brows.

You know them crazy eyebrows that are drawn on really thickly with what seems like a permanent marker?

Yeah, them Sharpie brows.

We are not close at all so it's not as if I can say something like, "You need to tone them down, babe, no offence, like!" #iamsuchameangirl

In fact, we live in different countries so thank goodness I never have to bump into her otherwise I would totally stare at those Sharpie brows.

Like, how can she not see that her brows are totally OTT???!!!

Anyway, what she needs to do is ditch that Sharpie and get onto Paula's Choice Brow-Defining Cream Duo because it is brow-lliant!  See what I did there?

Paula's Choice Brow-Defining Cream Duo is a nifty little brow kit which comes with a surprisingly good mini dual-ended brow brush.

The brow creams are a light blonde/brown and a darker brown - which you can mix together if you require an in-between shade.

For my Chinese brows, I only use the darker brown.

And you don't need to use a lot of product because the pigmentation is bold and strong.  Once the cream dries, it stays put.

Once upon a time, if I had time to apply only ONE makeup product, I would grab my lippie.  But nowadays, I've been defining my brows instead!!!

Paula's Choice Brow-Defining Cream Duo - love it because it gives strong brows without that Sharpie look.

Disclosure : Thanks to Paula's Choice for sending this for review.  I genuinely like it and would be happy to purchase this again.
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Review : Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush

Thanks to Nalini for requesting a review of the Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush I bought recently from Mecca Maxima.

So I'm not going to beat around the bush and I'm going to tell it to you straight - I almost love it.

I'm probably being overly critical as I had high hopes for it especially seeing as it was $35 for this brush.

Don't get me wrong because it looks great,  The handle is solid and it stands out from my other brushes.

Yes, the bristles are lovely and soft so it feels lovely on my skin...but it's a tad too soft.

Yes, it can buff.

BB cream and foundation look flawless (compared to applying it with fingers!) and I can see why it's called Optical Blurring.

But the bristles aren't dense enough to give the feeling of awesome buffing.  I don't know about you but I like that awesome buffing feeling on my face.

It's like massages - I like those super deep massages where it's hard to distinguish between pain and pleasure.

Does that make sense???

And that, my friends, is why I almost love this brush.  It only just missed the mark.

If you want the perfect foundation brush with that amazing buffing feeling, I would suggest paying a little bit extra for the Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush $49 as it gets into those awkward spots and gives the best buffing.  

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