Miracle Moisturiser

I think the fact that I have gone out and bulk bought this moisturiser should give you an idea of how much I love it! I started using this during Summer as I had forgotten to take my moisturiser on holiday with me. This was a fairly new launch at the time and was on offer in Boots, so I grabbed it. As someone with combination and problem skin I was drawn to something that sounded light and hopefully wouldn't break me out. And I have been using this moisturiser ever since!

The texture of this moisturiser is HEAVENLY. It's light and so easy to apply, quickly sinks into the skin and then acts as the perfect base for make up. My skin just drinks this stuff up!

I have been using this in combination mostly with The Ordinary hyaluronic acid. I apply a few drops of serum before, wait for it so sink in and then apply my moisturiser over the top. This really helps the moisturiser to absorb into my skin, leaving it looking a lot healthier and glowier.

I know people often recommend that you should invest more in your skincare. But over the years I have tried a lot of expensive moisturisers and I haven't loved one as much as I love Neutrogena Hydro Boost. Neutrogena is often classed as a cheaper skincare brand as it is affordable. However, all of their products are dermatologist tested and have some of the key ingredients also found in some of the more expensive brands. This moisturiser is about £12 in Boots. But check out your local supermarket as I found this in Sainsburys on offer for £6...hence why I bought so many!

I feel as though I have got a pretty good skincare rountine now. The only thing that I am missing is a vitamin C serum. So if anyone has any recommendations please let me know.

Speak soon xx

Clinique Do The Best Free Gifts

Clinique occasionally do an offer of a free gift set when you spend over a certain amount. And when they do, I almost always fall for them! I say fall, but it's more like falling in love than falling for a trick. This is not a trick. This is a bargain!

Clinique is one of my favourite brands on the highstreet. It feels luxurious, but it is fairly affordable. And some of their skincare products are my holy grail, like the Clinique Anti Blemish Clinical Clearing Gel which is my favourite and I have spoken about it so many times of this blog. And this was exactly what I needed to repurchase when I found out that John Lewis had an exclusive offer running. An offer I couldn't refuse...

Inside the beautiful wash bag I got six little Clinique minis (although the lipstick is actually full size!). The first two were these pots of Clinique moisturiser, a day and a night cream. I've used these for a couple of days and so far I am really impressed. They are very rich, which is amazing as at the moment my skin is so dry. The day cream has an SPF in it which is essential to me, although 15 is the lowest I will go. But it is really light to apply and feels like it lasts hours. Today is Sunday so I am having a no makeup day, but this moisturiser has appeared to have blurred some of my imperfections. And the night cream is very similar only minus the SPF and slightly richer. But I'll keep trying these out so that I can give a full review at some point.

The gift also included a couple of makeup goodies, a lipstick and a mascara. Firstly we can't ignore this incredible lipstick packaging. How pretty is that?! The idea of a jet black mascara and a red lipstick just makes me this of a really fresh-faced and slightly Parisian makeup look. The red is a true letter box red and the mascara I have tried before and is one of my favourites. It's also great to have a little mini to throw in to my handbag.

And finally a couple more skincare items. The face wash I am really excited to try as it is aimed towards Dry Combination skin, which is what my skin currently is since I have been on Roaccutane. And I'm hoping that this will be really gentle but still leave my skin feeling clean and fresh. And the little bottle of eye makeup remover is perfect for when I'm away. Even if I am just spending the night at a friends I will always taken my makeup off properly, this just means I won't have to carry around my huge bottle of Micellar Water!

I can't wait to continue to try some of these new products and maybe give some full reviews on the blog soon. And if you also want to get your hands on this goodie bag (I think there may be a few variations to choose from), the offer end on 11th March.

Speak soon xx

Clinique Skincare

Clinique Skincare

This is another post that I have been meaning to write for so long! But I guess the fact that it is probably nearly two months after I took these photos, and I still want to talk about these products means they really are that good!

Sadly, unlike a lot of my friends, I was not one of those people who was blessed with the genetics of perfect skin. My skin is something that I have had issues with ever since I started Secondary School and I still have some problems with now. I can't even being to imagine how many skincare products I have tried from so many different brands, all claiming to left my skin perfectly clear, and most leaving me pretty disappointed.

Clinique is a brand pretty well known for their skincare, with products that a lot of people (including some of my "perfect skin" friends) swear by. I first came across the Clinique anti-blemish solution over a year ago now after it was recommended by my doctor. At £20 for a little bottle of gel, it seems a little expensive. I thought the same when I first look the plunge and bought it. But this is one of the few products in my skincare routine that I use almost everyday and have continued to repurchase ever since.

Thankfully for my purse, a little bit of this really does go a long way. Particularly if you have fairly sensitive skin like I do, you don't want to be using too much of this stuff. When I first used it I thought I needed it on every single spot I had, so I literally slathered it all over my face, which just left my face feeling very tight! I have found that the best way to use this is after my cleanser and toner, morning and night on specific spots. And then if I have a particularly nasty one I will reapply this a couple of times throughout the day too. What I really love about this is as soon as I start to feel a spot coming I can apply this a few times during the day and often the spot will disappear without ever coming to the surface!

The Clinique dramatically different moisturiser is something that is slightly newer to my skincare routine. Not long ago while I was really trying to get rid of my acne I was using a moisturiser for spot prone skin that wasn't actually particularly moisturising. I thought that the best way to get rid of my spots was to dry my skin out. And to some extent that does work, to get rid of a spot you want to dry it out, you just don't want to dry your whole face out in the process! Especially if you have dry/combination skin like myself.

One of my best friends who I am currently living with swears by this moisturiser (and most things from Clinique). So when last Winter I was complaining about my skin feeling really dry she let me use her bottle of this for a few days. And it only took a few days for me to be completely sold and go and buy myself  a bottle. This is just the nicest moisturiser than I have used. It doesn't smell weird, its so easy to apply and feels really lovely. It sinks into my skin quickly and feels moisturising without being greasy. And on top of all that I also find that it is the perfect base moisturiser underneath makeup.

Let me know if you have tried either of these products or if you have any other favourite products from Clinique.

Speak soon xx

Summer Beauty Favourites

Summer Beauty Favourites

I need to apologise for being a bad blogger, I haven't done a monthly favourites since May! I usually do them right at the end of each month, but for the last two months that has been away on holiday so it has been a little difficult. So as we come to the end of August I thought instead of just a monthly favourites I would do a round up of all the beauty products that I have been loving this Summer. 

Firstly a few skincare bits to tell you about. I am going to start with the Clinique Anti-blemish Solution as I know I have talked about this a few times before. But these last few months it has honestly saved my skin. It is a bit gross but there have been several times were I have started to feel a painful under the skin spot coming through. But I just use a tiny amount of this on it a few times a day and two days later the would have been horrible spot has literally vanished! Seriously don't know what I would do without this stuff.

The next skin care products that I have been loving is Nivea After Sun moisturiser. I've been on a couple of holidays this summer and spent quite a bit of time in the sun. I always wear suncream but after a day in the sun the moisture that your skin has lost needs replacing. I love using this after a cold shower at the end of the day as it smells and feels so refreshing. It also helps to keep a tan looking lovely. 

I picked up this Cocoa Butter Sugar Scrub at the beginning of summer and I just can't get enough of it. It smells delicious, it really exfoliates my skin and leaves it feeling super soft. But what I really love about this is unlike a lot of scrubs once you rinse it off in the shower it doesn't leave your skin feeling stripped and dry. I don't really know how else to describe it other than like a residue of moisture! It is like the the sugar in the scrub melts away to leave behind a layer of moisture. So if I sometimes feel like I can skip moisturising after using this. 

I really am loving Nivea this Summer! Nivea pearl and beauty is my favourite deodorant and I always carry around a little mini version in my handbag just in case it is really hot and I want to freshen up on the go.

I have a lot (under exaggeration!) of lip balms, but Nivea Hydra Care is definitely one of my favourite. it's cheap, quick, easy and you don't have to stick your finger in it so it is perfect for on the go. But it also has SPF in which is why I haven't really used any of my other lip balms this Summer. it is really important that when you are out in the sun all day to protect your lips as well as your skin. But I hate a lot of sun protection lip balms. They are hard to apply, drying and basically turn your lips this horrible white colour which is not attractive! So this one is a great replacement that just really hydrated the lips. 

Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream is just my favourite Summer scent. I picked it up at Duty Free a year ago so it really does remind me of Summer. It's just a fresh, sweet and light scent and the bottle is just absolutely gorgeous!

When I am sunbathing or most of the time when I am on holiday I don't like to wear makeup. I am gonna be reapplying suncream, probably sweating a little and just want to be able to jump into the pool or dive into the sea without worrying if my makeup will run! however to keep me from looking totally horrific there are a few things I do. 

Firstly I will pretty much always curl my eyelashes in the morning, whether I am planning on wearing makeup or not. It has just become part of my morning routine that helps me feel more awake. If I feel like my face looks like a pancake or more often the case is that my face is like 5 shades lighter than my body as I wear a much higher SPF on my face and try to keep it out the sun, then I will apply some bronzer. A little bit of bronzer can really make a difference. 

Finally to make it look as if I have make more of an effort than I really have I will put a bit of colour on my lips. The two that I have been reaching for the most are MAC Patisserie and Clinique lip crayon in two ton tomato. Patisserie is just the most beautiful nude/pink shade that I probably reach for the most out of all my lipsticks. Two ton tomato is a lovely glossy red that can be quite sheer or built up to a stronger colour. What I love about this though is even after a few hours when the gloss has gone it stains your lips a slight red shade that looks so pretty and natural. 

You may recognise his mascara from my what I got for my birthday post last week and be wondering how it is in my Summer favourites. But I have actually been using this mascara all Summer, just in the sample size! I just love this mascara! Which isn't something that I have been able to say for a while. I will probably do a whole blogpost on this with some pictures showing you what it looks like on. But basically all you need to know if that it is slightly more than I would usually pay for a mascara but if you can try it I really recommend it, it's a lovely one! 

I picked this nail polish from Essie up probably nearly two months ago, and since then I have worn it four times, which is an actually record for me as I am always changing my nail polish. In fact one time I even wore it for a week, took it off and then reapplied the same colour! Saltwater Happy is from the Essie Summer 2015 collection and has the cutest name. And I did a whole blogpost on it here if you wanted to see some more pictures. 

This elf jumbo eyeshadow stick is something that I found in TK MAXX, didn't think I could live without it and then didn't really get into it until several months later! Beauty blogger problems! It is this shimmery bronzer eyeshadow stick that goes on really smoothly and is really blendable. How I like to use is to draw quite a thick messy line on my top lashes, concentrating at the outer corner and then bringing it down along my bottom lashes. And then I just get a brush and really blend it all out. It can be quite subtle and natural but it is really pretty and very quick. 

Hope you have enjoyed reading all about my Summer favourites. Congratulations if you have actually made it this far, I am pretty good at waffling! Some of the clever ones might have just looked at the first picture and understood from the title that in some way or another I really like all of these products! Anyway, hope everyone is having a good weekend. Also link in the comments below your most recent Summer favourites or monthly favourites posts so I can give them a read and find some lovely new products to try out! Speak soon lovelies xx

Summer Beauty Favourites

Summer Beauty Favourites

I need to apologise for being a bad blogger, I haven't done a monthly favourites since May! I usually do them right at the end of each month, but for the last two months that has been away on holiday so it has been a little difficult. So as we come to the end of August I thought instead of just a monthly favourites I would do a round up of all the beauty products that I have been loving this Summer. 

Firstly a few skincare bits to tell you about. I am going to start with the Clinique Anti-blemish Solution as I know I have talked about this a few times before. But these last few months it has honestly saved my skin. It is a bit gross but there have been several times were I have started to feel a painful under the skin spot coming through. But I just use a tiny amount of this on it a few times a day and two days later the would have been horrible spot has literally vanished! Seriously don't know what I would do without this stuff.

The next skin care products that I have been loving is Nivea After Sun moisturiser. I've been on a couple of holidays this summer and spent quite a bit of time in the sun. I always wear suncream but after a day in the sun the moisture that your skin has lost needs replacing. I love using this after a cold shower at the end of the day as it smells and feels so refreshing. It also helps to keep a tan looking lovely. 

I picked up this Cocoa Butter Sugar Scrub at the beginning of summer and I just can't get enough of it. It smells delicious, it really exfoliates my skin and leaves it feeling super soft. But what I really love about this is unlike a lot of scrubs once you rinse it off in the shower it doesn't leave your skin feeling stripped and dry. I don't really know how else to describe it other than like a residue of moisture! It is like the the sugar in the scrub melts away to leave behind a layer of moisture. So if I sometimes feel like I can skip moisturising after using this. 

I really am loving Nivea this Summer! Nivea pearl and beauty is my favourite deodorant and I always carry around a little mini version in my handbag just in case it is really hot and I want to freshen up on the go.

I have a lot (under exaggeration!) of lip balms, but Nivea Hydra Care is definitely one of my favourite. it's cheap, quick, easy and you don't have to stick your finger in it so it is perfect for on the go. But it also has SPF in which is why I haven't really used any of my other lip balms this Summer. it is really important that when you are out in the sun all day to protect your lips as well as your skin. But I hate a lot of sun protection lip balms. They are hard to apply, drying and basically turn your lips this horrible white colour which is not attractive! So this one is a great replacement that just really hydrated the lips. 

Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream is just my favourite Summer scent. I picked it up at Duty Free a year ago so it really does remind me of Summer. It's just a fresh, sweet and light scent and the bottle is just absolutely gorgeous!

When I am sunbathing or most of the time when I am on holiday I don't like to wear makeup. I am gonna be reapplying suncream, probably sweating a little and just want to be able to jump into the pool or dive into the sea without worrying if my makeup will run! however to keep me from looking totally horrific there are a few things I do. 

Firstly I will pretty much always curl my eyelashes in the morning, whether I am planning on wearing makeup or not. It has just become part of my morning routine that helps me feel more awake. If I feel like my face looks like a pancake or more often the case is that my face is like 5 shades lighter than my body as I wear a much higher SPF on my face and try to keep it out the sun, then I will apply some bronzer. A little bit of bronzer can really make a difference. 

Finally to make it look as if I have make more of an effort than I really have I will put a bit of colour on my lips. The two that I have been reaching for the most are MAC Patisserie and Clinique lip crayon in two ton tomato. Patisserie is just the most beautiful nude/pink shade that I probably reach for the most out of all my lipsticks. Two ton tomato is a lovely glossy red that can be quite sheer or built up to a stronger colour. What I love about this though is even after a few hours when the gloss has gone it stains your lips a slight red shade that looks so pretty and natural. 

You may recognise his mascara from my what I got for my birthday post last week and be wondering how it is in my Summer favourites. But I have actually been using this mascara all Summer, just in the sample size! I just love this mascara! Which isn't something that I have been able to say for a while. I will probably do a whole blogpost on this with some pictures showing you what it looks like on. But basically all you need to know if that it is slightly more than I would usually pay for a mascara but if you can try it I really recommend it, it's a lovely one! 

I picked this nail polish from Essie up probably nearly two months ago, and since then I have worn it four times, which is an actually record for me as I am always changing my nail polish. In fact one time I even wore it for a week, took it off and then reapplied the same colour! Saltwater Happy is from the Essie Summer 2015 collection and has the cutest name. And I did a whole blogpost on it here if you wanted to see some more pictures. 

This elf jumbo eyeshadow stick is something that I found in TK MAXX, didn't think I could live without it and then didn't really get into it until several months later! Beauty blogger problems! It is this shimmery bronzer eyeshadow stick that goes on really smoothly and is really blendable. How I like to use is to draw quite a thick messy line on my top lashes, concentrating at the outer corner and then bringing it down along my bottom lashes. And then I just get a brush and really blend it all out. It can be quite subtle and natural but it is really pretty and very quick. 

Hope you have enjoyed reading all about my Summer favourites. Congratulations if you have actually made it this far, I am pretty good at waffling! Some of the clever ones might have just looked at the first picture and understood from the title that in some way or another I really like all of these products! Anyway, hope everyone is having a good weekend. Also link in the comments below your most recent Summer favourites or monthly favourites posts so I can give them a read and find some lovely new products to try out! Speak soon lovelies xx

Daily Face Routine

Daily Face Routine

Since I've been back at home I haven't really done anything special or even left the house that often. And on those kind of days I try not to wear any makeup and go completely bare faced to let my skin breathe a little. And not only does it save me about 20 minutes in the morning but I have also noticed my skin improving a bit too.

I used to think that the more products that I put on my face, each claiming to benefit me in some way the better my skin would get. But now I really believe in going back to the basics, especially if you have fairly sensitive or spot prone skin like myself. In the past few months I looked at everything that I was putting on my face and decided if each product was actually improving my skin, and if I wasn't sure I cut it out my routine. So today I am going to share with you my current skincare routine so I hope that you find it interesting.

I think the two basics for skincare are some kind of cleanser to get rid of any dirt or build-up throughout the day and a moisturiser to rehydrate the skin. I've tried so many different cleansers and moisturisers that would work for a bit and then just stop working. But after finally visiting a dermatologist I am now using a brand called Solvere for both my cleanser and moisturiser. These products are especially for acne prone skin so obviously they are not for everyone. If you do suffer from acne in any way then I would first recommend going to a dermatologist as they really do know what they are talking about. If this isn't possible then look for something with Salicylic Acid in aim at acne prone skin. The Salicylic Acid dries out the spots in order to get rid of them, which might make your skin appear worse for the first couple of weeks but stick with it and you should see great improvements in the long run.

After I have cleansed my face my next step is my La Roche Posay Serozinc. I stopped using this for a few month last year and my skin was not happy about it! Never again! For me this just helps to smooth out my skin and get rid of all of those little bumps that I used to get, especially on my forehead. I used this straight after cleanser and then let it skin in for a few minutes.

Next I use another product that I totally swear by, Clinique Anti-Blemish Solution Clearing Gel. Honestly this stuff amazing! I apply a really thin layer pretty much all over my face and then a little bit extra on any specific spots. I also carry this around in my bag and as soon as I feel a spot coming through during the day I will put a little bit of this on every few hours or so and 90% of the time it will disappear!

After the spot gel has sunk into my skin I moisturise using my Solvere moisturiser. One think that I learnt from my dermatologist is not to go over board with moisturiser. There used to be a time where I would use as much moisturiser as possible thinking that one day I would wake up with skin as smooth as a baby's bottom! Now I use the tiniest bit all over my face and down my neck, so I still get all of the moisturising benefits but without clogging up my pores. Especially if you are trying to fight acne allowing your skin to dry out a little bit to get rid of spots is really important.

I also think that in around your teenage years you should start using an eye creams. The skin under your eyes is really delicate so it's important to take really good care of it. However unlike I used to think using an anti-wrinkle eye cream when you are 14 doesn't mean you won't get wrinkles in the future! It's important to get skincare that is suited to your skin right now. If products are advertised as being anti-wrinkle for 40+ they aren't really going to work for young skin. My favourite eye cream is Boots Simply Sensitive Moisturising Eye Cream. It's so light and easy to blend so you never feel like you are tugging on the skin and a little goes a really long way.

Finally I will curl my eyelashes to make my eyes appear a bit more awake. And then apply some Vaseline to my lips and possibly a bit of my Clinique Chubby Stick in Two Ton Tomato. I love using this over Vaseline as it makes it really sheer but just adds a little bit of natural colour to the lips.

If you actually managed to get to the end of this long and rambling post then I'm very impressed! I hope that it was in some way useful to someone out there or you just enjoyed finding out a bit more about my skincare routine. Speak soon xx

Daily Face Routine

Daily Face Routine

Since I've been back at home I haven't really done anything special or even left the house that often. And on those kind of days I try not to wear any makeup and go completely bare faced to let my skin breathe a little. And not only does it save me about 20 minutes in the morning but I have also noticed my skin improving a bit too.

I used to think that the more products that I put on my face, each claiming to benefit me in some way the better my skin would get. But now I really believe in going back to the basics, especially if you have fairly sensitive or spot prone skin like myself. In the past few months I looked at everything that I was putting on my face and decided if each product was actually improving my skin, and if I wasn't sure I cut it out my routine. So today I am going to share with you my current skincare routine so I hope that you find it interesting.

I think the two basics for skincare are some kind of cleanser to get rid of any dirt or build-up throughout the day and a moisturiser to rehydrate the skin. I've tried so many different cleansers and moisturisers that would work for a bit and then just stop working. But after finally visiting a dermatologist I am now using a brand called Solvere for both my cleanser and moisturiser. These products are especially for acne prone skin so obviously they are not for everyone. If you do suffer from acne in any way then I would first recommend going to a dermatologist as they really do know what they are talking about. If this isn't possible then look for something with Salicylic Acid in aim at acne prone skin. The Salicylic Acid dries out the spots in order to get rid of them, which might make your skin appear worse for the first couple of weeks but stick with it and you should see great improvements in the long run.

After I have cleansed my face my next step is my La Roche Posay Serozinc. I stopped using this for a few month last year and my skin was not happy about it! Never again! For me this just helps to smooth out my skin and get rid of all of those little bumps that I used to get, especially on my forehead. I used this straight after cleanser and then let it skin in for a few minutes.

Next I use another product that I totally swear by, Clinique Anti-Blemish Solution Clearing Gel. Honestly this stuff amazing! I apply a really thin layer pretty much all over my face and then a little bit extra on any specific spots. I also carry this around in my bag and as soon as I feel a spot coming through during the day I will put a little bit of this on every few hours or so and 90% of the time it will disappear!

After the spot gel has sunk into my skin I moisturise using my Solvere moisturiser. One think that I learnt from my dermatologist is not to go over board with moisturiser. There used to be a time where I would use as much moisturiser as possible thinking that one day I would wake up with skin as smooth as a baby's bottom! Now I use the tiniest bit all over my face and down my neck, so I still get all of the moisturising benefits but without clogging up my pores. Especially if you are trying to fight acne allowing your skin to dry out a little bit to get rid of spots is really important.

I also think that in around your teenage years you should start using an eye creams. The skin under your eyes is really delicate so it's important to take really good care of it. However unlike I used to think using an anti-wrinkle eye cream when you are 14 doesn't mean you won't get wrinkles in the future! It's important to get skincare that is suited to your skin right now. If products are advertised as being anti-wrinkle for 40+ they aren't really going to work for young skin. My favourite eye cream is Boots Simply Sensitive Moisturising Eye Cream. It's so light and easy to blend so you never feel like you are tugging on the skin and a little goes a really long way.

Finally I will curl my eyelashes to make my eyes appear a bit more awake. And then apply some Vaseline to my lips and possibly a bit of my Clinique Chubby Stick in Two Ton Tomato. I love using this over Vaseline as it makes it really sheer but just adds a little bit of natural colour to the lips.

If you actually managed to get to the end of this long and rambling post then I'm very impressed! I hope that it was in some way useful to someone out there or you just enjoyed finding out a bit more about my skincare routine. Speak soon xx

Present From Paris

Present From Paris 

For the last couple of days my dad has been on a business trip to Paris, something that happens every few months with his work. And everytime that he goes there is one thing that I ask him to pick up for me - La Roche Posay Serozinc. 

I know that this is now available in the UK online but it is so much easier for him to pick it up for me while he is in Paris - not sure if it is a little cheaper too! And last night he got home and no only had he picked up FOUR bottles of Serozinc but he also had a few magazine that he had got for free! His trip really couldn't have come at a better time for me as I was just about to run out of my last bottle too! 

I like to use Serozinc as a toner after my face wash in the morning and evening. I'm not really too sure what this product actually does or is meant to do. All I know is that a the end of Summer I stopped using it for about a month and all of the little bumps on my skin came back. And then as soon as I started using it again they disappeared! So if you haven't tried it and you suffer from little bumps on your skin that never form spots but are impossible to get rid of, then I really recommend Serozinc. 

And if you have tried it I would love to know what you think and whether you have any other La Roche Posay recommendations for me. xx

Present From Paris

Present From Paris 

For the last couple of days my dad has been on a business trip to Paris, something that happens every few months with his work. And everytime that he goes there is one thing that I ask him to pick up for me - La Roche Posay Serozinc. 

I know that this is now available in the UK online but it is so much easier for him to pick it up for me while he is in Paris - not sure if it is a little cheaper too! And last night he got home and no only had he picked up FOUR bottles of Serozinc but he also had a few magazine that he had got for free! His trip really couldn't have come at a better time for me as I was just about to run out of my last bottle too! 

I like to use Serozinc as a toner after my face wash in the morning and evening. I'm not really too sure what this product actually does or is meant to do. All I know is that a the end of Summer I stopped using it for about a month and all of the little bumps on my skin came back. And then as soon as I started using it again they disappeared! So if you haven't tried it and you suffer from little bumps on your skin that never form spots but are impossible to get rid of, then I really recommend Serozinc. 

And if you have tried it I would love to know what you think and whether you have any other La Roche Posay recommendations for me. xx

Neutrogena Skin Care Rountine

Neutrogena Skin Care Rountine

I haven't written about my skincare routine for quite a long time on the blog and considering that I have been using these products probably about 4 months now I feel like I can talk to you about how I have been getting on with them. 

Since about the age of 14 I've had some problems with my skin. It's not awful, I know that some people have a lot worse but it is enough to make me pretty self concious. Over the years I have tried so many different products hoping to find the one, but I never really have. Some have just been awful and really irritated my skin and others have worked for a little while. 

So before I talk to you about these products I just wanted to say that they aren't miracle workers. Your skin isn't just about the products that you put on it, there are so many other factors. I like to think I eat pretty healthily, drink enough water and get enough sleep most of the time. But the fact is that right now I am still in my teens and spots are a totally normal thing. So I realise that a skin care routine probably isn't going to make all my spots disappear but I just need something that isn't going to make me breakout more than I naturally will. And I have faith that my skin will continue to improve as I get older and don't have as many hormones flying all over the place!

Anyway, back to the products. After a particularly bad skin patch several months ago I went to the doctors and she recommend Neutrogena as the best high street brand for skin care. She said most of their products contain Salicylic Acid which is the best ingredient for fighting spots. I picked up this pink grapefruit facial wash and so far I am really impressed. It smells really nice and leaves my skin feeling really clean and fresh but it is still gentle enough on my sensitive skin. I definitely do still get spots but since using these Neutrogena products I think my skin had cleared up a bit and become a lot less "bumpy". 

About a week later I went back to Boots and picked up the blackhead eliminating lotion and the oil-free moisturiser. I had always though I had dry skin so had always used really thick heavy moisturisers. But it turns out that was probably what was clogging up my pores as I actually have normal/combination skin that can get a little sensitive. I use the blackhead eliminating lotion a bit like a toner and it only took about 2/3 weeks to see the reduction in my blackheads, especially around my nose. I also now only use a tiny bit of the moisturiser and concentrate this mostly on my cheeks where my skin gets driest. Sometimes when you do have spots the best thing that you can do is leave them to dry out on their own rather than coat them in millions of different potions and lotions. 

If you are looking for a quick fix to perfect skin, like the majority of products these aren't going to deliver. But they are good ones in my opinion particularly for younger more acne prone skin. Hope you have found this helpful in some way. Or at least if you do suffer from bad skin then know that you are not alone and that hopefully it will go with time.

Speak soon xx

Neutrogena Skin Care Rountine

Neutrogena Skin Care Rountine

I haven't written about my skincare routine for quite a long time on the blog and considering that I have been using these products probably about 4 months now I feel like I can talk to you about how I have been getting on with them. 

Since about the age of 14 I've had some problems with my skin. It's not awful, I know that some people have a lot worse but it is enough to make me pretty self concious. Over the years I have tried so many different products hoping to find the one, but I never really have. Some have just been awful and really irritated my skin and others have worked for a little while. 

So before I talk to you about these products I just wanted to say that they aren't miracle workers. Your skin isn't just about the products that you put on it, there are so many other factors. I like to think I eat pretty healthily, drink enough water and get enough sleep most of the time. But the fact is that right now I am still in my teens and spots are a totally normal thing. So I realise that a skin care routine probably isn't going to make all my spots disappear but I just need something that isn't going to make me breakout more than I naturally will. And I have faith that my skin will continue to improve as I get older and don't have as many hormones flying all over the place!

Anyway, back to the products. After a particularly bad skin patch several months ago I went to the doctors and she recommend Neutrogena as the best high street brand for skin care. She said most of their products contain Salicylic Acid which is the best ingredient for fighting spots. I picked up this pink grapefruit facial wash and so far I am really impressed. It smells really nice and leaves my skin feeling really clean and fresh but it is still gentle enough on my sensitive skin. I definitely do still get spots but since using these Neutrogena products I think my skin had cleared up a bit and become a lot less "bumpy". 

About a week later I went back to Boots and picked up the blackhead eliminating lotion and the oil-free moisturiser. I had always though I had dry skin so had always used really thick heavy moisturisers. But it turns out that was probably what was clogging up my pores as I actually have normal/combination skin that can get a little sensitive. I use the blackhead eliminating lotion a bit like a toner and it only took about 2/3 weeks to see the reduction in my blackheads, especially around my nose. I also now only use a tiny bit of the moisturiser and concentrate this mostly on my cheeks where my skin gets driest. Sometimes when you do have spots the best thing that you can do is leave them to dry out on their own rather than coat them in millions of different potions and lotions. 

If you are looking for a quick fix to perfect skin, like the majority of products these aren't going to deliver. But they are good ones in my opinion particularly for younger more acne prone skin. Hope you have found this helpful in some way. Or at least if you do suffer from bad skin then know that you are not alone and that hopefully it will go with time.

Speak soon xx

Pick Of The Pinks

Pick Of The Pinks

Like a lot of girls I love me some pink! And as October is cancer awareness month I thought that I would group together all of my favourite pink things and talk a little bit about them. Most of these products I have already talked about on my blog before so I will link all the pages below where you can find a more detailed description. 

Fake flowers in pot - IKEA

Butterfly wash bag - Ted Baker

Revlon Colourburst Lacquer Balm in Demure - A very pretty glossy baby pink lip crayon. Read the full review here. 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Mask - A really quick, light moisturising mask. You can check out my full review here. 

No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Pink Pearl - A beautiful shimmery baby pink shadow stick. This is really long wearing and brightening so I love using this on my inner corner. Review in full here. 

Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold - this has been a favourite for such a long time now. It's also what I chose to wear to my prom as it is so long-wearing and just beautiful. You can check out the review of this here. 

Neutrogena Visably Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash - been using this for the past few months now and so far I'm really impressed. Haven't done a full review of this yet but it should be coming up soon in a post all about my new facial routine. 

Benefit Posie Tint - Quite a new favourite but very natural and such a gorgeous pink. Featured in my September monthly favourites here. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in 020 Pink Rose - I've had this blush for quite a while now and out of all of the blushes that I own it is still the one that I really for the most often. Really natural with a little bit of a glow and perfect for all times of year. 

MaXfactor Colour Elixir Lip Liner in 02 Pink Petal - A beautiful natural lip liner that works perfectly with gloss or a lipstick. I love using this to make my lips look a little bit fuller. Featured in my June favourites here. 

Maybelline Colorsensational Shine Gloss in Cashmere Rose - I've talked about this gloss on this blog so many times so you probably know all about it already. Basically it's the one that made me like wearing lip gloss again. Read me confessing my love for this product here in my March favourites!

Love that shimmery baby pink for eyes and lips.

Such a beautiful pink shade for cheeks and lips. 

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this post. Let me know what your favourite pink products are in the comments below :) xx

Pick Of The Pinks

Pick Of The Pinks

Like a lot of girls I love me some pink! And as October is cancer awareness month I thought that I would group together all of my favourite pink things and talk a little bit about them. Most of these products I have already talked about on my blog before so I will link all the pages below where you can find a more detailed description. 

Fake flowers in pot - IKEA

Butterfly wash bag - Ted Baker

Revlon Colourburst Lacquer Balm in Demure - A very pretty glossy baby pink lip crayon. Read the full review here. 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Mask - A really quick, light moisturising mask. You can check out my full review here. 

No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Pink Pearl - A beautiful shimmery baby pink shadow stick. This is really long wearing and brightening so I love using this on my inner corner. Review in full here. 

Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold - this has been a favourite for such a long time now. It's also what I chose to wear to my prom as it is so long-wearing and just beautiful. You can check out the review of this here. 

Neutrogena Visably Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash - been using this for the past few months now and so far I'm really impressed. Haven't done a full review of this yet but it should be coming up soon in a post all about my new facial routine. 

Benefit Posie Tint - Quite a new favourite but very natural and such a gorgeous pink. Featured in my September monthly favourites here. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in 020 Pink Rose - I've had this blush for quite a while now and out of all of the blushes that I own it is still the one that I really for the most often. Really natural with a little bit of a glow and perfect for all times of year. 

MaXfactor Colour Elixir Lip Liner in 02 Pink Petal - A beautiful natural lip liner that works perfectly with gloss or a lipstick. I love using this to make my lips look a little bit fuller. Featured in my June favourites here. 

Maybelline Colorsensational Shine Gloss in Cashmere Rose - I've talked about this gloss on this blog so many times so you probably know all about it already. Basically it's the one that made me like wearing lip gloss again. Read me confessing my love for this product here in my March favourites!

Love that shimmery baby pink for eyes and lips.

Such a beautiful pink shade for cheeks and lips. 

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this post. Let me know what your favourite pink products are in the comments below :) xx

The Best Face Mask Combination

The Best Face Mask Combination

A few weeks ago I was watching an Essie Button video where she talked a little bit about using two face masks together; a deep cleanse one to remove impurities and then a moisturising one to replenish the skin afterwards. Whenever I used a face mask I always looked at my skin and decided which type of face mask I needed more. But clay face masks can be a little drying and moisturising face masks can feel like they are just clogging up your pores. 

So I tried this idea out by first doing my normal face routine, then using the Manuka Honey radiance face mask followed by the Vitamin E moisture face mask. Afterwards I was pretty impressed by the results and I think that there are very few moments where my skin has felt that clean and fresh. And the moisture face mask had prevented my skin from feeling dry after the clay mask. 

However the really improvement could be seen the morning after. When I woke up my skin just looked so much better and smoother. And the few under the skin spots that I could feel coming though before had all significantly gone down or gone altogether! I was just so impressed by what this has done to my skin. Recently I have been trying a few different skin product and thinking a bit more about what I eat and my skin is really starting to improve. And I think this combination of masks is definitely contributing to the improvement. 

I have also done detailed reviews of both of these mask before so you can have a read of those by clicking on the links below. 
The Body Shop Vitamin E face mask
Good Things Manuake Honey radiance clay face mask

The Best Face Mask Combination

The Best Face Mask Combination

A few weeks ago I was watching an Essie Button video where she talked a little bit about using two face masks together; a deep cleanse one to remove impurities and then a moisturising one to replenish the skin afterwards. Whenever I used a face mask I always looked at my skin and decided which type of face mask I needed more. But clay face masks can be a little drying and moisturising face masks can feel like they are just clogging up your pores. 

So I tried this idea out by first doing my normal face routine, then using the Manuka Honey radiance face mask followed by the Vitamin E moisture face mask. Afterwards I was pretty impressed by the results and I think that there are very few moments where my skin has felt that clean and fresh. And the moisture face mask had prevented my skin from feeling dry after the clay mask. 

However the really improvement could be seen the morning after. When I woke up my skin just looked so much better and smoother. And the few under the skin spots that I could feel coming though before had all significantly gone down or gone altogether! I was just so impressed by what this has done to my skin. Recently I have been trying a few different skin product and thinking a bit more about what I eat and my skin is really starting to improve. And I think this combination of masks is definitely contributing to the improvement. 

I have also done detailed reviews of both of these mask before so you can have a read of those by clicking on the links below. 
The Body Shop Vitamin E face mask
Good Things Manuake Honey radiance clay face mask

Summer Skincare Saviours

My Summer Sun Saviours

I’m sure that you all already know how to stay safe in the sun, I know that I’ve heard it so many times before! But we each have our own way of doing things and different products that we use so I thought that I would quickly share mine with you.

The first and most important thing when spending a day in the sun is sun cream. I really like using Nivea sun creams as the spray bottle makes them really easy to use and whatever factor they are always really light and easy to blend. I can also use these sun creams on my face and they won’t make me breakout which is definitely a bonus. I like to take two different factors with me, one for my face and one for my body. On my face I will nearly always use a factor 50 on my face as I’m really conscious about protecting my skin from the sun now and prevent damage while I’m still young. On beach days, especially just with my family I won’t wear any makeup so Nivea SPF 50 is all I will use. On hotter days where I do want to wear makeup my La Roche Posay 50+ sun cream as it is a nicer base for my makeup. If you want to know a bit more about this product then I did a more detailed review of it in this post here. On my body I like to wear a lower factor so I am more about to tan. I usually start off summer wearing a factor 30 when I am more prone to turning a little pink and then once I have a bit of a base tan I’ll swap to a 20 or a 15.

Another thing that I can’t go to the beach with out is a sun lip balm. Lots of people forget about this but I think that protecting your lips from the sun is just as important as protecting your face or your body. Nobody wants to have cracked damaged lips for summer. I’ve tried so many different sun lip balms but this is definitely my favourite. It’s the only one that doesn’t turn my lips white or leave a line on my lips after a while. This Boots Solan Active one has an SPF of 30 and it’s also nice and pocket friendly.

Finally I can’t go anywhere is summer without my sunglasses. Even if it looks like a cloudy day in the morning you never know when the sun could come out and you always need to be prepared. I always take a hard case around for my sunglasses as well as even though it does take up a bit of room in my bag it the only way to properly keep my sunglasses safe. If I’m going to the beach then I will also take a sunhat with me to protect myself from the sun. I love this one that I got at the beginning from Forever 21 one as the two tone makes it a little bit different.

Hope you are all enjoying your summer and remembering to stay safe in the sun. Let me know if you use any of these products or what other products you are using this summer. 

Summer Skincare Saviours

My Summer Sun Saviours

I’m sure that you all already know how to stay safe in the sun, I know that I’ve heard it so many times before! But we each have our own way of doing things and different products that we use so I thought that I would quickly share mine with you.

The first and most important thing when spending a day in the sun is sun cream. I really like using Nivea sun creams as the spray bottle makes them really easy to use and whatever factor they are always really light and easy to blend. I can also use these sun creams on my face and they won’t make me breakout which is definitely a bonus. I like to take two different factors with me, one for my face and one for my body. On my face I will nearly always use a factor 50 on my face as I’m really conscious about protecting my skin from the sun now and prevent damage while I’m still young. On beach days, especially just with my family I won’t wear any makeup so Nivea SPF 50 is all I will use. On hotter days where I do want to wear makeup my La Roche Posay 50+ sun cream as it is a nicer base for my makeup. If you want to know a bit more about this product then I did a more detailed review of it in this post here. On my body I like to wear a lower factor so I am more about to tan. I usually start off summer wearing a factor 30 when I am more prone to turning a little pink and then once I have a bit of a base tan I’ll swap to a 20 or a 15.

Another thing that I can’t go to the beach with out is a sun lip balm. Lots of people forget about this but I think that protecting your lips from the sun is just as important as protecting your face or your body. Nobody wants to have cracked damaged lips for summer. I’ve tried so many different sun lip balms but this is definitely my favourite. It’s the only one that doesn’t turn my lips white or leave a line on my lips after a while. This Boots Solan Active one has an SPF of 30 and it’s also nice and pocket friendly.

Finally I can’t go anywhere is summer without my sunglasses. Even if it looks like a cloudy day in the morning you never know when the sun could come out and you always need to be prepared. I always take a hard case around for my sunglasses as well as even though it does take up a bit of room in my bag it the only way to properly keep my sunglasses safe. If I’m going to the beach then I will also take a sunhat with me to protect myself from the sun. I love this one that I got at the beginning from Forever 21 one as the two tone makes it a little bit different.

Hope you are all enjoying your summer and remembering to stay safe in the sun. Let me know if you use any of these products or what other products you are using this summer. 

Good Things Manuka Honey Radiance Face Mask

Good Things Manuka Honey Radiance Face Mask 

I've been searching for a new clay face ask for a while, one that would get really deep into my pores and remove all those impurities, of which my skin has a lot! I didn't know what brand or anything I was looking for which is unusual for my as my beauty shopping list is always full with specific products in specific shades that I've liked the look of from other people's videos or blog posts. But this time on my trip to Boots I was left to wonder round the face mask collections and really reading the back of the product to find what I wanted.

This one really caught my eye as it's a brand that I think might be new because I've never seen or heard of it before and I love trying new products as much as the next beauty blogger. After reading the back I found out that the brand Good Things has been developed by award winning beauty writer Alice Hart-Davis. I remember that when I was younger I got a book written by her for my birthday called Be Beautiful. It was filled with beauty tips and tricks for younger girls such as how to apply blushes and how to deal with spots and fun pampering ideas. I think it was one of the first things to really get me into beauty and makeup and I loved how it was also few factual and scientific as well so I trusted that Alice would know a bit herself about skincare and be able to developed a really great product.

Firstly I love the packaging because it's fun and pretty and reminds me of summer. The second thing I noticed was the smell and I was a little disappointed as it's really not a smell I like. Although I have also realised that the only other clay face mask that I have also smells pretty much exactly like this so maybe that's just a general clay face mask smell. Before I used this I took my makeup off, cleansed and then steamed my face. I try and do this about once a week and afterwards I love to use a good face mask, especially a clay one. The steam really opens up your pores so after when you use a face mask it get get even deeper into your pores to really clear them out.

The product itself applied really smoothly to my face and I applied a nice thick layer like it suggested on the back of the product. I then left it on for 10 minutes before washing it off with warm water. While I was wearing the mask my face started to feel really tight as it dried out pretty quickly but I left it on for the recommend time anyway. I wouldn't really suggest leaving it on my longer as it might get uncomfortable. After taking it off my skin felt so nice and smooth. I applied my Clinique spot gel and lots of my Body Shop Vitamin E moisturiser and I was done. I've used this a couple of times now and each time I am so impressed my how much clearer my skin looks the morning afterwards.

All in all despite the kind of yucky smell I love this product. I think it does great things for my fairly sensitive skin and it is pretty gentle so it would be good for most skin types. So next time your in Boots I recommend checking this one out. And let me know if you've tried anything else from this range because I really want to now.