Review || Indeed Labs Eysilix Instant Eye Rescue

Up until last year, eye creams were always something that I neglected in my daily skincare routine. I never felt like I needed to spend extra money or incorporate yet another product when I could use my moisturiser of choice to basically do the same job.

That's all changed now though. As I'm going to be turning the ripe old age of 25 this year and I've recently started to notice a few fine lines developing around my eyes, I thought it was high time I invested in a good eye cream. 

I've used the Origins Ginzing Eye Cream in the past and thought it was OK, but I always felt that it leant more towards the make-up side of things than skincare (since it has light-reflecting properties that help to brighten the under-eye area). It never really seemed to do anything else. 

The Eysilix Instant Eye Rescue from Indeed Labs, on the other hand, really does. For me, it has really made a difference.

The cream itself is just as you would expect - a white, lightweight formula. I squeeze a very small amount (about half-a-pea size is enough for both eyes) on to my ring finger and pat it under my eye and around the sides, continuing with this motion until it sinks in. Almost immediately I notice a (not unpleasant) tingling sensation where I've patted in the cream - always a good sign that something's happening!

I've been using Eysilix day and night for a couple of weeks now and I've seen a definite improvement in the fine lines. When I use it in the morning, it also really helps to calm any puffiness. I haven't seen a noticeable difference to the darkness under my eyes but hey, 2 out of 3 ain't bad - and I'm very happy using concealer to rectify that issue.

It's not the cheapest product on the market - but it's also nowhere near to being the most expensive either! Since it works for me, I'm more than happy to spend that little bit extra. It retails for £24.99 and you can pick it up from Boots. Note: I did have trouble finding it in my local stores, but click on the link to find it easily online.       

Wishlist #2

Ikea Alex Drawer Unit

Bourgois Cream Blush 

L'Oreal Confetti Top Coat

Reiss Amyline Dress in Bright Avocado

Accessorize Statement Necklace

Artwork of the Week #7

Man Ray Self-Portrait with Camera, 1932

Picture: The Jewish Museum / Man Ray Trust

Last week I went to the Man Ray Portraits exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London, during one of the gallery's late night events. Firstly, I thought the exhibition was very good. It showcases over 150 prints - including many that demonstrate May Ray's beautiful and characteristic technique of solarisation, and his relationships with artists and actors of the time. Great for a bit of celeb-spotting! 

The exhibition is displayed chronologically, across 4 or 5 rooms, which was the perfect size for an hour or so of evening viewing. It also wasn't particularly busy. I can see a packed space being detrimental to the experience of seeing these works, since the prints are hung at an unusually high height and are fairly close together. Since I'm quite little myself, this meant I had to stand a few feet away from the objects to avoid having to crane my neck up - this is all well and good when it's relatively quiet, but not so when there are crowds surrounding you, impatient and keen to get up-close to study the detail of the works. 

If you can make it to one of the late night openings, I'd definitely recommend it. Not only do you get a much more pleasant viewing experience, there's also always other events on for you to enjoy before or after - this week there will be a harp recital within the galleries, and on the 23rd May they will hold a discussion entitled 'Classy and Fabulous' considering Man Ray's stylish portraits of Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli. I always love the NPG's take on the late-night - it offers such a good range of events, whilst maintaining that slight touch of exclusivity and glamour that you just don't find during the day. 

For me, this is a must-see exhibition. It's heading into the final weeks now and will be on until the 27th May. 

My Michael Kors Rose Gold Watch

MK5340

Yesterday, I was one very lucky (and spoilt!) lady. My boyfriend received his bonus from work a few weeks ago and wanted to use some of it to buy something for me. He was extremely generous, and now I am the very happy owner of this beautiful Michael Kors watch.   

I had wanted one of these watches for a while now and so had a rough idea of the type of model I was looking for. I have very small wrists though, so was a bit worried about the size of some of the ones I'd already seen in the collection. After a lot of searching online, I finally found this one in Ernest Jones - the model is MK5340, with a face diameter of approximately 35mm and a band width of approximately 15mm. I think it's just the right size for me and I love it in the rose gold colour. This is the first rose gold accessory I own though...I sense that some shopping for some matching items might be on the horizon soon!

Hola Barcelona!

Last weekend, the boy and I flew to Barcelona and spent a lovely few days exploring, eating, and relaxing. I'd never visited the city before but it had been top of my list for a good few years - the art, culture and food had always tickled my fancy and it's pretty much around the corner from England so seemed like a plausible destination for my poor graduate self.

We landed on Friday and were greeted by lovely gloomy grey skies and lashings of rain. I won't dwell too much on the weather - I think we've all done enough of that already over the last few months(!) - but it was grim. Our guide book had just one page devoted to 'What to do if rains', because bad weather apparently only hits Barcelona roughly 50 days out of the entire year. And yes - we enjoyed 4 of those. 

So, moving on to the good stuff! We stayed in a beautiful hotel called Hotel Grums, which is situated in the west of the city and is only about a 5-10 minute walk away from the famous, bustling street La Rambla. I highly recommend it if you're after somewhere modern and stylish, yet affordable and welcoming.

Since it rained a lot we made good use of the Metro (such an easy system to get to grips with) and the 10-trip ticket - a definite bargain if you're not one for walking or just like to get to places quickly! For the rest of the time, strolling on foot suited us just fine. In fact, I'm really glad we did so much of this because we saw a lot of beautiful buildings and quirky residential areas away from the main tourist routes that we would never have found otherwise. 

Dinners pretty much consisted completely of tapas. You have to do it, right? 

This was an amazing little restaurant we found called Mam I Teca, which had only 4 tables and 1 waitress, but it served the most delicious food. Perfect for a quiet, romantic meal. 

I'll let the pictures do the talking for everything else:

La Sagrada Familia - or the 'Gaudi Cathedral'

Review || Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

I finally managed to pick up this much-raved-about product a few weeks ago (thank you Boots and your lovely 3-for-2 offers!) and think I'm just about ready to share my thoughts on it.

This top coat is supposed to be THE best one out there, and I have to admit it is pretty good. I apply a thick layer on top of my nail polish after it's had a few minutes to dry on it's own and the result is a beautifully glossy finish. I also think it makes my nail varnish last a lot longer, and I've rarely seen chips or peeling within the first 2-3 days of wear.

Having said that, I'm afraid that I've actually found the fast drying quality to be a bit hit and miss! The first time I used it, it was incredible - within about a minute I could touch my nails (with a good amount of pressure) and there was absolutely no tackiness. But, the 2nd and 3rd times were completely different. I did eventually get the hard, non-tacky result achieved before, but it took soo much longer. And, in the meantime I managed to make dents in the varnish from all of the tapping to see if it had dried! I did use different brands of nail polish each time (Essie for the first, Rimmel for the 2nd and No. 7 for the 3rd) so perhaps this is where the issue lies. In my opinion though, such a celebrated product should perform effectively every time. 

The jury is still out on this one. I'll keep using it because I love the shiny finish and the fact it keeps my varnish looking good for longer, but I'm not sure if I'll be re-purchasing when it's all gone...