For a while now, I've been so unhappy with the layout of clarabellasecrets and have been contemplating whether or not I should get template that was professionally designed. As good as free blogger features are when you are new to blogging, they just weren't cutting it for me anymore and since I have been blogging for over half a year, I wanted to take a new step with my blog and start making it more professional looking.

I already bought my own domain a couple of months ago and now it was time to make it into something I was proud of when I logged into my blog and not something that was getting me down. My new blog design is everything I wanted my blog to look like and it took me quite a while to find one that I fell in love with because I wanted to find the right one, and believe me, I knew when it was the one. It completely reflects off my personality and the person I am behind the screen. I took a few snapshots of the finished result for my bloglovin' readers.

If your in the market looking for a new and professional looking, but affordable blog design then I fully recommend visiting the ladies from Designer Blogs. They have a wonderful selection of beautiful blog designs as well as tutorials and helpful guides for getting the most out of your blog. The process was also so quick and easy. I bought my template and the next minute, I was adjusting the fonts and colours to how I wanted them. Once you've purchased your new template, you get an email with two  download links. One is a step by step guide showing you how to transfer the design to your blog, and the other which is the design HTML.

I've been making a few changes to my skincare routine recently and it just so happens that the Elemis Rehydrating Ginseng Toner is one of them. I've never been crazy about toners in the past and have always avoided them especially the ones with alcohol because I don't feel like my skin needs it. In some cases, ingredients that alcohol can make your skin worse, especially on younger skin.

However, I have been trying out a few different toners which have actually done my skin the world of good. There is no alcohol in this toner which is why I was drawn to it in the first place, as well as the Ginseng Root Extract. Ginseng has many skin benefits including anti-ageing, improving complexion, rebalances the pH level, preserves natural oils, and reduces dark spots. Once you remove the cap, the little hole ensures that your don't pour out too much and either waste product or use too much. It also has a pleasant and subtle scent, and makes my skin feel firmer and refreshed. It does everything it advertises and is overall a wonderful high end toner, if your willing to pay up, but you definitely get your money's worth.

When myself and my mum went shopping many, many years ago looking for my first ever day cream, I was introduced to the glorious Simple skincare. The cream I picked out was the one featured in this post which is the Kind To Skin Protecting Light Moisturiser, and ever since then I have had my fair share of wonderful Simple products. I went shopping recently and made a couple of Simple purchases, which is why I decided to write this post.

I think Simple is so underated and they have a lovely selection of skincare goodies which can be just as good as any other high street or high end brand. It's a relatively affordable brand which is perfect for young girls, students or women who want to broaden their skincare horizon and experiment with new brands. I always go back to the moisturising face wash because it's definitely an all time fav of mine. You always get everything you pay for and they're really worth every single penny.

In Superdrug, the overall cost for all three products featured in this post which is the Kind To Skin Moisturising Face Wash, Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner, and Kind To Skin Protecting Light Moisturiser (the perfect skincare starter kit) is £10.87 which is absoloutely incredible for how good they are and how long each product lasts. Although, there is a half price sale on selected products at Superdrug right now so you can get them for an even cheaper price. After I've finished this blog post, Im definitely going to check out whats on offer.

One of the best face wipes that I've ever used were the Kind To Skin Micellar Cleansing Wipes. The towelettes are soft and cushiony and are soaked in cleansing micellar water which removes makeup and impurities to unclog pores. They didn't dry up fast and I felt like I could take my time removing my makeup instead of quickly trying to remove as much as I can before the wipes dry up, which is the case with some face wipes on the market. One wipe is all that I need to remove everything off my face and once I'm finished my skin feels refreshed and clean, and definitely not dry.

Ahh, Aluminé, Aluminé. This blog post has been a long time coming and I am finally getting back into the habit of blogging after what seems like the longest break. I should probably address my absence whilst I'm on topic. I didn't completely go MIA and was still active on all of my social media, except my blog. The reason for this is because after I broke up from college for the summer, I wanted to take a little break to completely relax and destress from the previous year I had at college. Blogging isn't something that stresses me out, in fact, its something that I thoroughly enjoy and I never see it as a compulsory thing to get stressed and worked up about. As long as I remain active and put out good quality content then I don't see why I should be strict with myself and have a router for specific days to post. Although that may work for some, I would just feel too forced and would lose the entire flow of my imagination.

I basically used my chill out time to take it easy, spend time at home with my family and catch up on LOADS of TV. I was also feeling really uninspired with my photography and although blog post ideas were popping up everywhere, my photography was really   getting me down because the weather has been awful in the UK and my photos always seemed to look dark and awful no matter how much I brightened them up. Anyways, I'm back now and I hope you all didn't mind my short absence.

As you all know, Aluminé Skincare has made quite the addition to my skincare routine and everything I received is now all featured in my daily steps, whether thats on a morning or evening. The scrub isn't harsh whatsoever so I feel assured that I can use it more than once a week without it damaging my skin because my skin feels amazing when I use it, and quite truthfully, I don't think I have enough will power to stop myself from using it so much. The directions on the back of the bottle actually say "Recommended for use a minimum of three times a week or daily.", so hey, if the bottle says I can use it more than once a week then there is nothing wrong with what I'm doing. I think its actually the doughnut scent I get every time I use it that makes me love it as much as I do. 

So whilst I've been completely lovestruck over the skincare line, I also had the haircare range to give a little try as well. I was sent the Sea Silk Volumising Styling Mousse* which is a volumising styling mousse which is supposed to "create volume and add shine and hold". To be truthfully honest, I've only used this product at most five times so I'm not sure whether that's enough to give an opinion on the difference its made to my hair condition because I haven't been using it regularly, and I've been switching between a few different products each time I wash my hair. I've also been trying finish the rest of my S Factor Smoothing Lusterizer Defrizzer & Tamer, which I finally threw out yesterday. As you know already, I'm much more of a hair oil and serum type of gal so you can imagine that I will always reach for them when I have options, but since I've pretty much used up all of my oils and serums, maybe I should start using this mousse more regularly to see if it makes a difference to my hair condition.

What I can say though is that although it hasn't made my hair as luminous and silky as the ladies from L'Oreal adverts, I do notice that once I've blow dried and straightened my hair with the product in, it does tend to show a subtle glow, which I love because I am all about faking healthy hair. My hair normally has a bit of volume anyway on the day I wash my hair, but this product is formulated to enhance the volume and keep it holding for longer, which in all honesty, it does in fact do because I pretty much always use dry shampoo on second day hair even if it doesn't look like it needs a quick refresh because it also restores the volume I had the day I washed it, but come to think of it, I don't think I ever had to use my dry shampoo every second day that I used this mousse.

The packaging is also very lovely and completely salon worthy. The consistency is also light and doesn't actually feel like you're putting anything in your hair, but don't be fooled, because too much of it might make your hair look greasy once it's dry. I suggest that you use this in damp hair because I have a feeling that it would be difficult to distribute on dry, and you should also focus on your roots and then work your way to the ends, just so you can see the full effect of it's volumising properties. Since it also holds as well as volumising, I should imagine that you could also use it as an alternative to sea salt spray if your not a fan of the salty spray. Instead of blow drying your hair afterwards, just scrunch your hair into your desired shape and let it dry naturally to enhance your natural waves (if your lucky enough to have any).

This mousse volumises, holds shape and curl, and gives your hair a healthy looking shine, what more could it offer? Oh yeah, it also locks in moisture, protects your hair from anything that comes your way, and provides long-lasting hydration. Did I mention that this is the ultimate summer hair essential? I love it dearly and advise everyone to consider it.

A couple of months ago I did a Battle Of The Concealers post and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. It featured my two favourite high street concealers at the moment and I compared them using their strengths and weaknesses, which helped me determine which one I preferred. I think I'm going to start doing more of these kind of posts because they are so much fun to write and I really enjoy going through my makeup collection and making out my top products to compare. Today I decided to compare different high street and high end mascaras, which I all love very much, but only one can take first place! Not all of them are my all time favourite mascaras like my last concealer post, but they are what I have been using recently, so I already know straight away that there are some that I love more than others. However, there are also a couple which I just can't choose which one I prefer. I'm going to split this post into different features that I look for in a mascara and which ones do those jobs. The mascara with the highest score will obviously become my current top mascara.

Durability

One of my first questions when I'm on the hunt for a new mascara is how long does it last before the mascara starts to smudge or loose its length, curl or volume? A long lasting mascara is always a win win situation as I hate mascaras that begin to rub off your eyelashes or that don't prevent your eyelashes from losing their shape in the blink of an eye. Okay, so maybe I'm being exaggerating a tad but you know what I mean right? We have all been there, tried them, binned them, and never looked back.

Laura Geller Style Lash: 9/10

Maybelline Great Lash: 7/10

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast: 9/10

No7 Lash Adapt: 8/10

Results after only one coat

Laura Geller Style Lash: 8/10

Maybelline Great Lash: 9/10

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast: 10/10

No7 Lash Adapt: 5/10

Removing is quick and simple

I hate mascaras that are so exhausting to take off no matter how good your eye makeup remover or face wipe is, which also make you feel like your tugging harshly on your eyelashes which never ends up feeling good and can also result in redness and irritation around your eyes and gradual eyelash loss.

Laura Geller Style Lash: 9/10

Maybelline Great Lash: 6/10

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast: 9/10

No7 Lash Adapt: 9/10

Defines and separates

Laura Geller Style Lash: 9/10

Maybelline Great Lash: 9/10

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast: 9/10

No7 Lash Adapt: 9/10

Doesn't dry out quickly

The maximum life expectancy of a mascara is three months so I expect no less. I pay good money for my makeup and expect them to last as long as they are supposed to. Those that dry up in a couple of weeks are just no good for me because its such a waste of money.

Laura Geller Style Lash: 10/10

Maybelline Great Lash: 10/10

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast: 7/10

No7 Lash Adapt: 9/10

Application/Formula

Laura Geller Style Lash: 9/10

Maybelline Great Lash: 6/10

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast: 9/10

No7 Lash Adapt: 10/10

Price for quality of product (RRP)

Laura Geller Style Lash - £15.40 (high end mascara): 10/10

Maybelline Great Lash - £4.99 (high street mascara): 6/10

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast - £10.00 (high street mascara): 10/10

No7 Lash Adapt - £12.95 (high street): 8/10

Overall

Laura Geller Style Lash: 64/70

Maybelline Great Lash: 53/70

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast: 63/70

No7 Lash Adapt: 53/70

I enjoy using each mascara either separately or paired with another for different reasons. Each mascara have their pros and cons and also serve different purposes, but I always find myself reaching for the Laura Geller Style Lash more often than others. Of course, the points I gave each mascara aren't 100% accurate as they are just based on my own opinions.

Ahh the roaring 20s, when fashion became all the more glamorous. Women gradually started to earn the respect that they deserve, especially after their contribution to the war effort. So what better next step than to rebel against society and break compulsory fashion 'rules'? In the early 1900's, it would have probably been a scandalous thing for women to wear what they wore in the 20's but as the century moved ahead, it was a lot harder to stop them. Dresses got shorter and way more revealing. Flapper girls who most may only be familiar with because of The Great Gatsby, were so glamorous and the dresses were absolutely stunning. Women were also starting to experiment more with their makeup and it was all about thin eyebrows, dark smoky eyes, and deep red lips.

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