Technics Prime It! Face primer - a great addition for your makeup collection

I have heard such great things about face primers. I am only on a really tight budget though, so I have never been able to afford to get a face primer in the past. In March 2011 however, Technic launched a primer in their range of cosmetics. My heart leapt. At only £3.99, it was really cheap, and certainly worth a try.

I rushed straight out and purchased it!

I was surprised to see that the packaging almost completely rips off the design from benefit. The benefit primer is in a slightly different coloured container but the design looks just like the kind of design that you would find on the side of a benefit make up product. I guess this is to make the product look more attractive, and to make people think that you are using a branded product, but I do wish that for once, Technic would be proud of their cosmetics range and try to come up with their own image and designs rather than stealing every one else’s.

The primer is in a pump container. I like that because I can put it on my dresser and not have to fiddle around with screw caps. Just a simple squeeze with the palm of my hand if I am mid application and covered in makeup and I can get out enough of the primer to use.

I have found that the primer is actually more of a moisturizer for me. I don’t particularly notice such a huge difference when I wear it. I guess it does make the makeup that I apply over it stick better and last longer throughout the day, but the more expensive primers actually fill in any blemishes, which this one just doesn’t do.

For £3.99, I don’t have any major complaints. It is easy to apply, smells really quite pleasant and I guess it does add a little shimmer to your face if you’re not going to put any more makeup over the top of it, but I wouldn’t go replacing your current primer quite just yet.

The Novotel Hotel, Liverpool - a great stay!

I frequently travel around the UK for my work, and a couple of months ago, my travels took me to Liverpool in the West of England. If you’ve never been, Liverpool itself is quite a busy city, which is rich in culture and heritage. It was the birthplace of the Beatles, as well as being famous for many other things.

When I arrived in Liverpool, I had to find a hotel at short notice, as my company had only sent the assignment to me at the last minute, so I didn’t really have the time to search for somewhere before hand. I came across the Novotel, which was quite conveniently placed in the centre of the city, and for the most part, it seemed to have all the facilities I would need, as I anticipated that I would need to stay for at least three days. I was traveling to Liverpool by train, and so another thing that was convenient was the hotel’s close proximity to Liverpool’s Lime Street train station. In fact, it only took me 5 minutes to walk there.

When I walked through the doors, I received a friendly but polite greeting from the first staff member I saw, and the lady who was working on the check-in desk was very helpful and friendly too. Although I had not reservations, the lady was very accommodating, and I was checked in within about 10 minutes of arriving.

I had booked a large ensuite room, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much room I actually had. It was well lit, and the bed was nice and comfy. I had chosen a double bed room, as I hate single beds and I was pleased to find that I actually had a queen sized bed.

I cant fault the facilities in the room. I’m not a tea or coffee drinker, although I did observe that the tea and coffee making facilities were well stocked, and the cups and the kettle were all very clean. I loved that the TV was a flat screen because most of the hotels that I stay in still have the old style CRT TVs which make my eyes go a bit funny. Luckily for me, there was a hairdryer, which I hadn’t been able to pack in my suitcase before I left for Liverpool, and there was an ironing board, although I didn’t use this.

The ensuite had a bath with an integrated shower, which I had not problems with. Sometimes when I visit hotels, I notice that the showers are not hot enough or there is a problem with the pressure, but I found the bathroom at the Novotel to be very clean in general, and the water in the shower was just fine.

I enjoyed the buffet style breakfast that was provided each morning when I woke up. The restaurant at the Novotel is quite modern and clean. The breakfast itself was a full continental breakfast, and I even got pancakes, which I haven’t had before in a hotel.

All in all, this hotel is excellent. The facilities are great, and there is even a pool, which I made full use of during my stay. The staff are friendly and do all they can to make your stay as pleasant as possible and I think that if I am ever in the Liverpool area again, I will certainly book this hotel again.

Technics Adorn and Adore Zip it up! pampering gift set

I was given the Technic Adorn and Adore Zip it up gift set as a present in March. I am a big fan of Technic cosmetics as they are reasonably priced an provide as good a quality as most of the more expensive brands that I have tried. I like too, how the Technic products don’t make my skin flare up, as I am quite sensitive to the chemicals that some of the more expensive products use.

The Technic Adorn and Adore Zip it up set consists of a bottle of shower gel, hand and body cream, and a body scrub, all in mini travel size and the kit also comes with a little body scrub scrunchy too. All this is comtained in a clear plastic travel case, which has a zipper, hence the name of the set. Since I got this for my birthday, I have used the first set in its entirety, and ended up purchasing another set so that I can use it in the furure.

At only £3, this kit is a steal. For going on holiday, it has everything you need to stay clean. The shower gel smells lovely. It makes a great lather, especially when you use it with the little scrub scrunchy. It smells really nice, and leaves my skin feeling really soft. If you use the body scrub too, then this is a perfect combination for silky smooth skin when you are traveling.

I am quite fussy when it comes to body lotions, and I find that the body lotion in this kit is a bit oilier and a bit stickier than I would usually like. I don’t think it absorbs very well into my skin, although it does the job if my skin ever does need that little bit of moisturizing.

I think this is a great little kit if you are planning a trip.

Working as a room attendant

If you are a student, recently moved to a foreign country and not able to speak the language fluently, or if you simply need work whilst you are finding something better, then you could get a job as a room attendant in a hotel. I did this myself for 2 years when I was in college.

The thing that suited me at the time was the working hours. Because I was working on my studies in college, I could only devote a little time each week to a job. Working in a hotel was a great choice, because hotels are busiest in the college vacation times and at weekends. The hours were not too long either so I only needed to work from 9am-2pm, meaning I had a good portion of the afternoons still free.

The pay for room attendants is not so great. You will probably only be paid at the minimum wage, as I was when I worked in this position. If you want to stay within the hotel cleaning business, then it might be a good idea for you to listen out for promotions that are available as these are the positions where you will be able to get better pay.

The room attendant job requires that you clean everything in each hotel room really well. Sometimes you will need to prepare a room for a new guest. This includes putting clean towels, clean sheets, new toiletries if the hotel provides these, as well as cleaning everything that you can in the room. Other rooms that you will need to clean are those that are still being used by guests. The guest will probably go out for the day, and so you will be able to clean the deserted room alone. I was always careful to leave everything that was not owned by the hotel exactly as it was. Sometimes, people would leave their things on the floor or untidy. I would leave these as they are as many people don’t appreciate a stranger touching their things, even if you are just trying to help.