Sunday 29 May 2016

Skin Product Review: T Zone Rapid Action Spot Zapping Gel.

Hey everyone, hope you've had a lovely Sunday so far. I have, it's been my first laziest Sunday that I've had in months! I used it to relax, watch a couple of films and chow down on some Chinese food! Heavenly! But, let's get into a review I have for you today. This is helpful for those who suffer with acne like me! Actually, it's still worth a read even if you're just interested in discovering different products. So, let's go!

This is the T-Zone Rapid Action Spot Zapping Gel. Not exactly the shortest or catchiest title for a product but I digress. With the warmer weather coming, it is worth looking and exploring different acne eliminating products in order to let your skin look its best. I suffer with spots on a daily basis. I am currently on prescribed tablets for my acne as I have tried multiple things and nothing seems to be working. But those tablets and a combination of this gel has had some results. So let's get into the review:

What's in it?
Alcohol Denat, Aqua, Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Acrylates/C 10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Polysorbate 20, Amino Methyl Propanol, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Salicylic Acid, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Menthol, Limonene, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinnamol, Alpha Methyl Ionone, Butylphenyl Methylpropionol, CI42090 

My Thoughts
Overall, I like this product alot. The packaging is cute and easy to use. It allows you to control the right amount of product to use and it's easy to travel with if you're going on holiday or doing a fair bit of travelling. I do advise only squeezing out small pea-sized amounts for each spot as it spreads really well and too much can make it take longer to dry and make the area a bit crusty!

The product is a gel with a blue-ish hue to it and it's fairly watery so just a small bit goes a long way. It does smell a bit actually which I'm not a fan of! Any spots that are near my nose makes the scent really go up my nose or any that are near the top of my cheeks, a.k.a close to my eyes, make my eyes water like crazy but this doesn't last long. But I'm not usually affected by these things or sensitive to such scents so I would keep that in mind if your skin/eyes/nose are more sensitive to these things than I am.

The results are not amazing, unfortunately. The product doesn't really "zap" any spots away completely and make you have clear skin within a day. But daily use does show some results. I noticed that my smaller spots went alot smaller and reduced the redness. The bigger spots were a little bit reduced and alot of the soreness and redness were reduced also. But it doesn't get rid of them, unfortunately so I would combine this product with any face wash you like and cleanse and tone. Just take care of your skin really and do it daily.

It was something different to try as I am always looking out for new things to try to help me get rid of my acne for once and for all. Anyone who suffers from acne or constant breakouts knows how much spots affect your confidence and how much it is annoying to spend money on numerous products in the hopes something will do the trick!!

Anyway, it was an okay product to use so it's worth trying out if you're on the look out for something new for your skin. Be aware of how much the scent will affect you if you are sensitive to those things! I got it at Home and Bargain (UK shop) for a couple of pounds so check out the links before if you want to buy it:

Buy it at:
Amazon - £1.99 (currently on sale!)
Ebay - £2.10 (excluding delivery)

Have you used this before? What did you think of it?
Thankyou for reading.
Laura.

Wednesday 25 May 2016

Film Review: X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).

Hey, everyone. I'm back!
I decided to take a break these past couple of weeks because I was SO busy with my end of year uni assignments and I handed my last one EVER on Monday. So I'm done with uni forever now so I can get back to regular blogging. I have missed it! Let's go!

So, I finally saw X-Men: Apocalypse last night with my brother and it was pretty good. I'll tell you what it's about and what my full thoughts were on it.

The Background
The first and most powerful mutant, Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) has been worshipped as a god since the beginning of humanity. After being awakened after thousands of years, disillusioned, he recruits a broken-hearted Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and Angel as his four horsemen. He and his gang of mutants are ready to create a new world and they want to destroy the current one which brings Professor X (James McAvoy) and Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) together to lead a team of young, teenage X-Men to stop their seemingly immortal nemesis from destroying the world. 

My Thoughts
Overall, I thought the film was pretty good and the special effects were spectacular as usual. However, the storyline was fairly standard and nothing new at all. It's the same-old thing of a guy trying to take over the world and it somehow involves Magneto as always. The storyline lacked a little bit of punch or originality and I felt like it was hastily and messily put together to be able to climax for the final fight. Oscar Isaac as Apocalypse was incredibly intimidating and he scared me a few times actually! His powers were epic and he was definitely someone to be wary of. 

Character-wise it was really great to see some new characters and some familiar ones but in their teenage years. The four horsemen were pretty cool but I felt like Angel did not have enough fight scenes and wasn't used to his full potential. Kodi Smith-McPhee was brilliant as Nightcrawler as was Tye Sheridan (Cyclops/Scott), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique/Raven) and James McAvoy (Professor X). 

Michael Fassbender as Magneto was heartbreakingly good. His acting skills always blow me away and you actually feel some sympathy for his character in this film (I won't give anything away!). But Sophie Turner as teenage Jean Grey and Evan Peters as Quicksilver stole the show for me. To the delight of fans, there is a another slow motion scene where Quicksilver is involved. I won't spoil anything but it was really funny and so, so cool! His one-liners and humour are nice touches to the film. Sophie Turner did really well as Jean Grey, especially in the final fight which was just awesome. To bring Jean Grey and her inner demons to life is probably hard to do but Turner did a brilliant job and I loved her in the final scenes.

There was a certain cameo too by a beloved X-Men character which was fabulous to watch, I won't spoil it unless you've seen the trailer and you know exactly who I'm talking about. The film itself was actually a bit more graphic and bloody than the previous X-Men films! There was times where I genuinely winced and squirmed at some of the scenes. But I pretty much liked it overall, X-Men films are something I'm always going to go and see I think.

The ending and after-credits scene led me to believe that we haven't seen the last of the X-Men clan yet. But I'm hoping they will do better storyline-wise but I know I can't get enough of mutants and their powers so I'll be sure to see more future X-Men films!

Check out the trailer:

Have you seen it? What did you think of it?
Thankyou for reading.
Laura. 

Wednesday 4 May 2016

Film Review: Captain America - Civil War (2016).

Hi everyone, hope you're good. I finally saw Captain America: Civil War today.
I've been so excited to see it so let's get straight into the review! (There may be some spoilers)


The Background
Civil War is about a political system that pressurises the Avengers to take accountability for their actions that have caused collateral damage and the death of innocent civilians. The Accords Act splits up the team with Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) believing that superheroes should remain free to defend the world without government involvement whereas Iron Man/Tony Stark massively disagrees and supports the Act. The debate escalates into an all-out free-for-all between the superheroes, making the likes of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) pick a side between their friends.

My Thoughts
I liked this film ALOT, I had no doubt that I would. It was a little different and hard to see the superheroes fight each other rather than come together to take down an evil force. I really liked the fact that all the way through the film, you are never 100% what side you are on. For most of it, I was on Cap's side but then there were moments, particularly towards the end, that made me sway towards Stark's side. There was a few cameos that were great such as Martin Freeman turning up as Everett Ross and with the almighty Stan Lee as always.

The two new characters: Black Panther and Spiderman made a hell of an impact.

Spiderman's introduction was great. At first, I wasn't too sure about the casting choice but Tom Holland proved what a fab, new addition he is. He brought something different to the film and also integrated some comedy proving how young and nerdy he is which works a treat for the Spiderman fans. I haven't watched any other Spiderman films, Tobey Maguire was Spiderman for me but it was refreshing to see a new take on the superhero.  

Black Panther was a force to be reckoned with in this film. His introduction was absolutely fantastic and he was silent, lethal and unbelievable to watch. Chadwick Boseman did a fabulous job bringing the character to life and his storyline. The chase scene between him, Bucky, Captain America and Sam Wilson/Falcon was pretty thrilling!

The two major fight scenes between the teams were great and different for various reasons. The first big face-off, a mass battle in a German airport, was pretty cool. Steve Rogers had Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Wanda, Sam Wilson, Bucky and Tony had War Machine, Vision, Black Widow, Black Panther and of course, Spiderman. This fight was pretty great and hilarious. Alongside the punches and kicks, there were some great one-liners which toned down the seriousness of the fight. It became more of an Avengers film rather than a Captain America one, although Hulk and Thor (I'm assuming he's fighting his own battles which we will see in Thor 3!) were nowhere to be seen and were only mentioned briefly. 

Spiderman really came into his own here and excelled his fighting skills but also showed how naive and innocent he really is as he doesn't stop to listen to Cap's side. Ant-Man was still great to see after his own solo movie went down a treat with me. I felt like he could've been used more in this film, there was so much potential for him and I don't think they used him as much as they could have. 

The second fight was between Stark, Rogers and Bucky which was much more intimate and genuinely more painful to watch. It was hard to see your favourite characters go head to head with each other and really throw some hits that make you wince. There was no comedy here, just pure raw emotion and pain. It was an emotional climax to the entire film and you find out and see some things that really shock you. 

However, I felt like the ending was a bit anti-climatic after such emotional scenes and it felt a little rushed but it was a cliffhanger which makes you think what state are the Avengers in now? The film could have been wrapped up a little better and the entire film did not seem like a civil war really, it was more of a squabble between superhero friends which turns more serious and emotional later but not into an all-out war. Perhaps I am the only one who feels this way but I still loved the film.

I left the cinema feeling like I was on Team Cap and so did my brother. It was a great film but Steve did make me wonder about how far he would go for Bucky which was scary at times but I also understood his position more than Stark's. It was a great film and the actors, who are now so in tune with their characters, each played their scenes so well. Even when they were being overshadowed by Cap or Stark, the supporting cast such as Black Widow, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Falcon etc. each did well and added their own humour to the scenes.

Also the two post-credits scenes were great to watch, so stay for them!

Have you seen this? What did you think of it?
Thankyou for reading.
Laura.