Friday 13 September 2013

Face Mask Friday: Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate Ultra Deep Cleansing Masque

Have you ever bought something thinking it's going to be divine, just by reading it's name? Well I did that with this. The Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate Ultra Deep Cleansing Masque caught my eye because pampering + chocolate should definitely = HEAVEN.

Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate Ultra Deep Cleansing Masque review

But alas, it was not to be. 

For me, if the packaging doesn't suck me in, then the next thing that does is the smell. I adore products that make me want to drool as soon as I open the packet/container. This one.. if I had known how horrible the smell was before hand I would not have wasted my money on it, even if it was for a pound!

Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate Ultra Deep Cleansing Masque review

The smell was incredibly synthetic and overpowering and it actually made me want to gag. I was expecting something that smelt like MilkyBar but in reality it was nowhere close to that.

But in the end I had to put my disgust for the scent aside and put it on my face - two or three times actually, you get a lot of product in the sachet - and try to be unbiased and see if it would do anything for my face.

Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate Ultra Deep Cleansing Masque review

So I smoothed it all over my face and tried to relax (which didn't work because I couldn't NOT smell it xD) for about fifteen minutes. I could only make it to ten minutes though, and it didn't dry anywhere on my face at all, while some other masks I've used did after ten minutes or so at least.

After washing it off, my skin didn't feel much different if I'm honest. It didn't feel particularly moisturised nor any smoother as it claims to say on the packet; in fact my face always felt greasy and a little congested after I used this mask! I used this when my skin was going through a bit of a dry patch, and I had high hopes for it because it has Jojoba oil in it which is meant to be good at moisturising the skin.

skincare beauty blogger Montagne Jeunesse Masque review

I do however think that this would have been better for someone with extremely dry skin rather than someone who has combination skin like me though. For some reason I just couldn't get a long with it - the smell was just too overpowering!

You can purchase Montagne Jeunesse face masks in Boots, Superdrug, Asda, Tescos, New Look, Home Bargains, everywhere! They're usually for a quid but Home Bargains tend to do a 4 for the price of 3 a lot so you should check them out if you ever pass by one (^__^)

Disclaimer: I bought this with my own money, and all views stated at my own.

Related Posts: Montagne Jeunesse Pressed Blueberries Very Berry Ultra Moisturising and Cleansing MasqueNatural Collection Rosemary & Witch Hazel Mask, Superdrug Hydrating Self Heating Mask

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Back To Uni Wishlist ♥

Back To Uni Wishlist ft. Topshop

Back To Uni Wishlist by themaryfairy featuring Skullcandy

Burgundy Chiffon Blouse from H&M - £14.99 / Beige & Black Long Sleeveless Chiffon Blouse from H&M - £14.99 each / Dorothy Perkins Indigo Straight Leg Jeans - £20/£25 / Skullcandy Headphones - £15 / New Look Extra Wide Fit Brown Elastic Back Buckle Boots - £24.99 / Topshop Large Edge Paint Satchel in Grey - £34 / ASOS Satchel Bag With Scallop Bar Detail in Conker - £30

Anneyong my lovelies! I thought I'd post a little wish list on what I'm planning on getting in prep for uni this year (^__^)

I think the colour for this year for my wardrobe is going to be stuff like dark purples, maroons, and dark greens. I've been really feeling those colours lately, and I know for sure that once my money comes in I'm going to spend it on updating my wardrobe with a lot stuff in these colours! They just feel so wintery, I love it~ I'm actually looking forward to the cold winter.. I know I'm strange but come on, you know you are too really!

I'm in dire need of some new jeans, and Dorothy Perkins never fails to let me down in the jeans department. Their petite sizes are perfect length and fit for me, I'm so glad I found them because it's really hard to find jeans that fit me because I'm on the short side.

Shoes wise, I have some already but I need a new pair of mid-calf-length kinda boots like I did last year, but they're ruined now so I need to replace them ASAP. I think I've found the perfect ones here in New Look, but I'm going to try them out in store before I buy them. I'm really picky when it comes to shoes haha.

Speaking of being picky.. I'm quite picky when it comes to choosing a bag. And now I can't choose between these two. I might end up buying them both (which is a first) I actually love them that much, and they both will fit my netbook easily, which doesn't make the decision any easier (>.<)

Oh and last but not least, headphones to drown out the world while I work and study. My trusty old JVC headphones broke a long time ago and I haven't had a decent pair since. I don't really know which ones to get yet, but I do know I really want some in red that are similar to these! (^__^)

Have you prepared for uni yet? Or doing it all last minute like me? :P

Monday 9 September 2013

Girl, What's On Your Face?!

Hi my lovelies~ Hope you're having a fabulous evening. ^.^

I thought I'd share a kind of a 'face of the day' post with you guys today. But, you know, without the face. :D

FOTD ft. Benefit They're Real Mascara Benetint Bourjois healthymix Stila
[clockwise from left]


I don't really wear much colour on my face, but when I do it's usually the eyes where I put it - I tend to just use a coloured liner on my bottom lashes and that's it. 

But this time I remembered my blue gel liner from Stila and thought I'd give it a try since it had been AGES since I had cracked it open. I've literally had it for two years and used it, what, once? It hasn't dried out at all.. probably because the lid was on REALLY tight!

It actually lasted a very long time: TWELVE hours in fact! That's a bloody long time compared to my usual black Maybelline gel liner, which usually lasts about six to seven hours I'd say. I'm definitely going to be wearing this again, I loved how it made my eyes look really brown and bright in contrast (^__^)

My lips seem to be really dull lately, and I can't figure out why. So I used some of my trusty Benetint to brighten my lips up a little  and kept my Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon in my purse for when it faded away (after eating so much) through the day (^__^) haha!

What do you use to brighten up your face? Have you shaken up your usual makeup lately? And should I post more faces of the day without the faces or not? Let me know in the comments below! (^__^)

Disclaimer: I bought everything with my own money, and all views stated at my own. (>.<)

Thursday 5 September 2013

Mini Haul ft. Eucerin ☼

Ayooo~~ How's it going guys? Everyone doing well? ;D I'm back today with a collective mini haul! 

I actually bought these a few weeks ago separately, but thought I would post about them anyway, because 2/3 are for the dry skin I will be anticipating once I get on Roaccutane - it's meant to dry your skin out A LOT so I thought I'd prepare early and buy some of the things other people on Roaccutane had recommended in advance. (^__^)

Mini Haul ft. Eucerin, Simple, Real Techniques
[L-R]

Simple Kind to Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser - This is the heavier version of my usual Simple moisturiser which was for oily skin. I have tried it and because my skin is still a little oily (because I haven't started Roaccutane yet) I need a lot less than I did with the light version. So far so good! Let's hope it works when my skin gets drier. If not I have another moisturiser in mind from Eucerin ^.^

Real Techniques Stippling Brush - I ordered this off of iHerb with a load of other stuff... but the other stuff was for my younger sister and her friends lol. I just bought the one lonely stippling brush because my first one was falling apart. xD Dead cheap, you should should check it out! You do have to pay a customs fee if it costs more than a certain amont though, so be warned! I didn't know until I received it, wish I had known before -.-

Eucerin Aquaphor Lip Repair - Everyone who has been on Roaccutane has bought, used and recommended this over and over again. I couldn't find it in Boots so I ended up having to look for it on Amazon, where it seems everyone seems to get it from!

Do you know what I've noticed.. my mini hauls tend to come in threes.. o_O Why is that?! LOL! I guess since my project pan last year I've gotten good at not overspending ^.^ Hurray for not wasting money! :D

Disclaimer: I bought everything with my own money, and all views stated at my own. (^__^)

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Skin update #1 - Lymecycline/Tetracycline

Aloha my lovelies~ Today I thought I'd talk about what I've been doing for my skin lately.

Last time I posted about my skin, it was in a really bad state. You can click here to read the full post. After asking many people for advice, and them telling me to see my dermatologist, I gave in and made an appointment. I explained to her how painful it was and how I'm sick to death of battling with my acne on a daily basis; it's been about eleven years now, and I still haven't gotten rid of it, no matter what I tried. I had already been on antibiotics when I was around sixteen, and that messed my skin up even more, which put me off going to the doctors for it until now.

She decided that it was time to put me on Roaccutane, which is a last resort drug that is extremely harsh and you have to jump through a million hoops before even being considered to be put on it. I had to book a blood test to see if I had the all clear, and in the mean time she prescribed me something else to take as the time until I get Roaccutane will be quite long, and she wanted me to see if anything else that was left (that was less harsh) would work on my skin instead.

Lymecycline capsules for acne review

And guess what she gave me? Yup you guessed it.. more antibiotics.The first set she gave me when I was sixteen was an antibiotic called Tetracycline and some topical creams containing Benzoyl Peroxide and Differin in. It dried out my skin, my eyelids were rough and dry, and it LITERALLY cracked my lips. LITERALLY. It even made them turn bluey purple. 

It didn't help that I had no good idea about skincare back then either. She never told me to wash it off properly in the morning, she didn't explain what the ingredients were - I just assumed it was like a moisturiser like a nivea cream I had that had some added bonus ingredient in to get rid of the spots. It didn't occur to me to look up the ingredients or research them either, as I had a lot of bad things going on in my life which took centre stage instead.

But now that I know a lot more about skincare, I can battle anything that comes my way when it comes to any skin-related side effects when taking antibiotics.

But alas, as prepared as I was for those side effects, it was not to be. At least not with this one anyway. My dermatologist prescribed me some antibiotics (which is similar to tetracycline) called Lymecycline. I took these for two weeks exactly, and I had no skin related side effects apart from a little dryness, but that was easily combated with a heavier moisturiser. 

The reason I had to stop taking these was because I was having other side effects that I couldn't handle. These included headaches, dizziness, and itchy skin. I was itchy on my face, arms, legs, torso, back. It was ridiculous! When I would pray and stand up after prostrating, I would be so dizzy I would fall side ways and end up hitting myself on a wall or a sofa or even the fan!

If you know me personally, you'd know I suffer from migraine attacks very frequently, but less so than before. Because of the fact that they had been getting less, I was very happy - but then I would get a different type of headache which lasted a lot longer and was painful in a different way, and the only thing I was taking that was different was the antibiotics.

Anyone who has had migraine attacks like mine will agree with me that you wouldn't wish them on your worst enemy, and I did NOT want to have any more headaches than I could take, so in the end I had to stop taking the antibiotics.

I managed to get another appointment with my dermatologist and she told me to stop taking the Lymecyline and prescribed me another antibiotic which is also in the same family of drugs, but I will post about  how I'm getting on with that in an other skincare update, seeing as I've only just received them, so I can't really tell you if I have any side effects yet!

Whewww, sorry about the length of this, I didn't realise I had so much to say! I might post another update in about two weeks, or maybe earlier depending on if these antibiotics work or not - hopefully they will, that way I won't have to go on anything harsher! (^__^)

Let me know in the comments below if you like posts like this, and/or if you have any questions about any of the topical creams or antibiotics I've used, or anything else related to this post - I'll try my best to answer it :o)

Sunday 1 September 2013

Chitchat: Eid, Summer, and Life in General~

Anneyong my lovelies! Hope you've all been well and you've enjoyed your summer (^__^) 
I thought I would post a little update since I haven't posted in a very long time~

Ever since Ramadan ended, I've been feeling a bit down and I just wasn't in the mood to blog as a result. When an honoured guest like that leaves, it's presence is missed greatly, because it's presence basically did take over my whole life. It's just one of those things. Eid was a little bittersweet because of how sad I was that Ramadan was over, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. I'm looking forward to next years Ramadan already - I pray I live long enough to see it once again! >.<

british beauty blogger

I hope everyone else's Ramadan and Eid went well though, and if you aren't muslim I hope your summer has gone well! Sitting here typing this, I'm already wrapped in a blanket and a hoodie, it's that cold up north! While I did enjoy the heat, I think autumn and winter will always have a special place in my heart; there's just nothing like being wrapped up in a massive coat and boots, sipping on some hot chocolate, speaking through a woolly scarf wrapped around half my face whilst waddling to lecture first thing in the morning. xD

Brighton Pier

I think I've made the most of my summer this year, for once. I got work experience in various healthcare settings, went on trips to the seaside, to lakes, to parks. I applied and bagged a couple of volunteer jobs that were difficult to get, and spent a lot of time with my close friends and made many new ones.

muslim pakistani british fashion blogger
I went to a lot of weddings, and learnt more about my culture and religion. I've always been into my religion, Islam, but never so much into my Pakistani culture.

I like how everyone looks after each other not only in the Muslim community but my Pakistani community too, and how good hospitality is central to our culture as well as our religion, not just to our own people but to others too. :o)

tea coffee art costa photographyAnother thing I learnt how to do this summer is learn how to be alone, and not feel lonely. Being lonely is something every human fears deep down inside, and it's something I've struggled with for a long time.

I never liked doing anything by myself, I'd always want someone to be with me at all times and would only go out alone if I had no choice but to do so; I guess I just didn't like the company of my own thoughts.. of myself.

Lately though, I've actually begun to like being alone, doing things alone. I no longer feel shy or weird going out for a coffee or shopping on my own. It's times like these where I feel at peace and at ease, because I've realised that I can go at my own pace, I don't have to hurry or be afraid I'm holding someone up. The lesson I've learned from this is that being alone does not mean being lonely - sometimes all I need for company is me myself and I (^__^)

Beauty fashion lifestyle blogger pakistani brighton hijabiOh, and I actually managed to soaked up a lot of Vit D this summer too! Something I've been meaning to do for a long time, since I'm severely deficient and have been so for ages now.

This summer I only tanned on my hands and feet -_____- My face didn't feel like tanning so now I look very strange when I put my hands anywhere near my face haha!

Anyway, enough about what I have been doing. As much fun as it has been having nothing to do and going with the flow, I've already got loads of things planned for this year, and also the next! Let's pray that God is planning the same thing as I am, but if He isn't I'm sure He will have something even better than I could even dare to dream of planned instead, so I'm not too worried if my plans don't pan out. (^__^)

As for my blog, I'm definitely going to carry on with it. I might take breaks because ultimately, this is only a hobby and my degree and career is far more important to invest my time and effort in. But I will definitely still post as much as I can - in fact, I already have a few blog posts planned out, I just need to type them up :D

Goodness me, I've typed a whole load of waffle today haven't I? I just sat down and anything that came to mind spilled out. I hope I didn't bore you to tears and that you're not mad I haven't been posting for a while. (>.<) Mianhamnida (that's the formal way of saying I'm sorry in Korean ^.^), I will post more often now!

Anyhoo.. until next time, stay awesome my lovelies! ;D