Thursday, 29 August 2013
Skin Care-Morning Routine
I believe good skincare is the number 1 priority when it comes to beauty. Looking after your skin is very important and by eating the right things, drinking plenty of water and sticking to a good skincare routine then you can't go wrong. Yes you can cover blemishes with concealer and you can use half a jar of foundation on your face every day to create that flawless glow that everybody longs for, but I believe that if you stick to a good skin care routine and use good products then there is no need to overload your skin and fill your pores with chemicals and product.
In the morning, I wash my face with a warm flannel and then use the Clean and Clear Morning Energising Daily Facial Scrub on my face. The citrus smell of this scrub is amazing, it wakes your skin up and smell so fresh. The scrub contains Vitamin C and removes dirt, oil and impurities from the skin. The fresh scent awakens the senses leaving your skin feeling invigorated for the day ahead. This scrub is also oil free which is great for someone with oily/combination skin like myself. If my skin is blemished or I'm having a bad breakout then I use The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser. I wash my face first with a warm face cloth, then I use about one pump's worth of foam on my face, gently scrubbing it into my face. It does smell quite strongly of tea tree oil but I like the scent and, again, it smells fresh and clean. I find I cannot use this on a daily basis as it contains oil so doesn't overly suit my skin but, as I have said, if my skin is having a breakout of spots or blemishes then I'll use this for a couple of days and it does the trick!
After using the scrub or cleanser I wash it off with a warm face cloth and then apply either Garnier Moisture Match Fresh Mattifying Cream or Organic Surge Super Intensive Daily Moisturiser. The Garnier Moisture Match cream is a new discovery of mine after reading about the new range on In The Frow. My oily skin has really suffered this summer, I find it makes my skin look greasy and dirty and if I apply any make up (especially foundation without primer) it just slides right off. However if I apply a pea-size amount of this to my face it keeps the oily shine at bay. It also has a lovely fresh scent which isn't too overpowering. The Organic Surge moisturiser isn't one I would normally go for as I don't think my skin needs lots of moisture, especially at this time of year, but I received this in a GlossyBox and have been using it since. I really like the silky feel of this product but I find it doesn't absorb into the skin very quickly so isn't ideal if you're in a rush. I don't use this cream as much purely because its an intense moisturiser and I don't think my skin really needs that. Maybe I'll use it more in the Winter months when my skin is a bit dryer.
Has anyone else tried any of these products? Or can recommend any other products good for oily skin?
In the morning, I wash my face with a warm flannel and then use the Clean and Clear Morning Energising Daily Facial Scrub on my face. The citrus smell of this scrub is amazing, it wakes your skin up and smell so fresh. The scrub contains Vitamin C and removes dirt, oil and impurities from the skin. The fresh scent awakens the senses leaving your skin feeling invigorated for the day ahead. This scrub is also oil free which is great for someone with oily/combination skin like myself. If my skin is blemished or I'm having a bad breakout then I use The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser. I wash my face first with a warm face cloth, then I use about one pump's worth of foam on my face, gently scrubbing it into my face. It does smell quite strongly of tea tree oil but I like the scent and, again, it smells fresh and clean. I find I cannot use this on a daily basis as it contains oil so doesn't overly suit my skin but, as I have said, if my skin is having a breakout of spots or blemishes then I'll use this for a couple of days and it does the trick!
After using the scrub or cleanser I wash it off with a warm face cloth and then apply either Garnier Moisture Match Fresh Mattifying Cream or Organic Surge Super Intensive Daily Moisturiser. The Garnier Moisture Match cream is a new discovery of mine after reading about the new range on In The Frow. My oily skin has really suffered this summer, I find it makes my skin look greasy and dirty and if I apply any make up (especially foundation without primer) it just slides right off. However if I apply a pea-size amount of this to my face it keeps the oily shine at bay. It also has a lovely fresh scent which isn't too overpowering. The Organic Surge moisturiser isn't one I would normally go for as I don't think my skin needs lots of moisture, especially at this time of year, but I received this in a GlossyBox and have been using it since. I really like the silky feel of this product but I find it doesn't absorb into the skin very quickly so isn't ideal if you're in a rush. I don't use this cream as much purely because its an intense moisturiser and I don't think my skin really needs that. Maybe I'll use it more in the Winter months when my skin is a bit dryer.
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Pay Day Wishlist!
This month seems to have lasted an eternity! I had lots of things to pay out last month like car tax and I needed to new tyres for my car aswell. So this month I'm going to treat myself to a few new buys and thought I would show you what's on my list...
The Body Shop Skin Primer-Matte It-£12
I've been after a new primer for a while and when browsing through various blogs and magazines I noticed a lot of people have raved about The Body Shop primers. This primer is designed for people with oily skin so keeps shine at bay whilst holding make up in place-win win! Also The Body Shop currently have a 3 for 2 offer on online and in store so I need to get in there quick!
The Body Shop Satsuma Body Polish-£5
I love anything with a citrus scent, especially to use in the shower as I think it smells really clean and fresh. I've been looking for a new body scrub for a while and as there is an offer on at the moment I might aswell take advantage. This body polish buffs away dead skin cells and leaves the skin feeling soft, but I think the smell alone will convince me.
Real Techniques Core Collection-£21.99
I've completely jumped on the bandwagon with this one. After months of reading about these brushes and seeing them used in videos and tutorials I've decided its time for an investment. I've decided on the core collection because although its £21.99 you get 4 brushes rather than £9.99 each. In the core collection there is a buffing brush, a contour brush, a detailer brush and a pointed foundation brush. I honestly can't wait to get these, I really hope they're worth the hype.
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer-£4.19
During the summer months I've been using the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer which I love but during the winter months my skin can handle a bit more coverage and I know from past experience that this is a brilliant concealer and does everything it says on the tin with excellent lasting power! And for £4.19 I really don't think you can go wrong.
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation-£8.99
As I said I've been using the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer during the summer moths, I love the dewy effect it brings and yet its not very heavy on my oily skin. I've been using the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation during these warmer moths as its a lovely light weight foundation however as the months start to get colder my skin needs a bit of extra help. I used this foundation last winter aswell as the Maybelline Fit Me foundation but I love the way that the Rimmel foundation 'wakes up' your skin. This foundation contains illuminating pearls which help give a radiant finish to the skin when used.
Tangle Teezer-£10.99
The last on my wish list. I don't like using brushes on my hair. Due to years of colouring and heat damage my hair is in quite a delicate state so I like to take extra good care of it. I normally use a wide tooth comb on my hair but I've seen this on a few blogs and the reviews have been really good so I'm going to give it a try. Due to the 'unique teeth configuration' the Tangle Teezer delivers 'rapid and pain free detangling'. I do think £10.99 is steep for a hair brush but I think this product is a bit different-I'm going to look at it as more of an investment. So watch this space!
Has anyone got any of these products? Or any alternatives you can suggest?
The Body Shop Skin Primer-Matte It-£12
I've been after a new primer for a while and when browsing through various blogs and magazines I noticed a lot of people have raved about The Body Shop primers. This primer is designed for people with oily skin so keeps shine at bay whilst holding make up in place-win win! Also The Body Shop currently have a 3 for 2 offer on online and in store so I need to get in there quick!
The Body Shop Satsuma Body Polish-£5
I love anything with a citrus scent, especially to use in the shower as I think it smells really clean and fresh. I've been looking for a new body scrub for a while and as there is an offer on at the moment I might aswell take advantage. This body polish buffs away dead skin cells and leaves the skin feeling soft, but I think the smell alone will convince me.
Real Techniques Core Collection-£21.99
I've completely jumped on the bandwagon with this one. After months of reading about these brushes and seeing them used in videos and tutorials I've decided its time for an investment. I've decided on the core collection because although its £21.99 you get 4 brushes rather than £9.99 each. In the core collection there is a buffing brush, a contour brush, a detailer brush and a pointed foundation brush. I honestly can't wait to get these, I really hope they're worth the hype.
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer-£4.19
During the summer months I've been using the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer which I love but during the winter months my skin can handle a bit more coverage and I know from past experience that this is a brilliant concealer and does everything it says on the tin with excellent lasting power! And for £4.19 I really don't think you can go wrong.
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation-£8.99
As I said I've been using the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer during the summer moths, I love the dewy effect it brings and yet its not very heavy on my oily skin. I've been using the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation during these warmer moths as its a lovely light weight foundation however as the months start to get colder my skin needs a bit of extra help. I used this foundation last winter aswell as the Maybelline Fit Me foundation but I love the way that the Rimmel foundation 'wakes up' your skin. This foundation contains illuminating pearls which help give a radiant finish to the skin when used.
Tangle Teezer-£10.99
The last on my wish list. I don't like using brushes on my hair. Due to years of colouring and heat damage my hair is in quite a delicate state so I like to take extra good care of it. I normally use a wide tooth comb on my hair but I've seen this on a few blogs and the reviews have been really good so I'm going to give it a try. Due to the 'unique teeth configuration' the Tangle Teezer delivers 'rapid and pain free detangling'. I do think £10.99 is steep for a hair brush but I think this product is a bit different-I'm going to look at it as more of an investment. So watch this space!
Has anyone got any of these products? Or any alternatives you can suggest?
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
My Issues with Nail Polish
Up until I was 20 my nails were almost non-existent. They were chewed, nibbled on, bitten to within an inch of their lives (you know what I mean!)! But when I turned 20 I decided that it was time to grow up and act like a lady. And a lady has lovely, long, strong, colourful nails. The first thing I did was invest in a jar of Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Daily Nail Treatment (click here for link) and applied this religiously everyday. I also had to teach myself to stop biting my nails and get rid of that awful habit.
Once my nails decided to grow a little bit I treated myself to a jar of Barry M polish in Raspberry (a beautiful, deep, berry shade, ideal for the autumn months). I was very proud of myself. I had lovely long nails and they were a gorgeous colour. And then it was time to show off my lovely new accessory. I bounced into work full of the joys of Spring, casually showing off my wonderful new nails. Now in my job, there is a lot of glove work, washing hands, washing up cutlery and utensils etc. So your hands unfortunately suffer. By the end of the shift my once beautifully painted nails were now a shadow of their former selves. The polish was chipped on every single nail and a couple of them had started to break. I was pretty fed up. Having my nails painted cheered me up, everytime I looked at them I saw an achievement, it had taken me years to get to that point. And now they were ruined and I was right back to where I had started. So that was when I decided that I needed to invest in a decent base coat and top coat and that I would only paint my nails a colour on the weekends I didn't work (I get every other weekend off). I became quite tight in my nail-polish-buying. I didn't see the point in spending a lot on something that would only survive on my nails for a couple of days.
I've always loved the Barry M range, they've got such an array of colours its hard not to find one that suits your needs. I also really like the quality of the formula in Barry M polishes, the colours are buildable but usually I only need 2 coats and I'm happy.
For a long time I only bought the Barry M polishes, and that was when they were on offer. But then my Mother bought me a few of the Rimmel 60 seconds polishes and, I have to say, I think I prefer these. The brushes are wide enough to use one stroke only, there isn't as much choice on colour but the colours they do have are lovely. So I started to widen my collection of polishes but still only buying them when they are on offer.
Nowadays I have a wide collection of polishes but I still refuse to pay more than £6 for on a jar of polish. I can get 2 for that usually! A friend bought me an Essie polish and although I think its a lovely polish I cannot find any difference to the Barry M or the Rimmel polishes. In fact, I have almost the exact shade in a Barry M Polish. Also, since I've discovered this fabulous world of blogging if I read a review of a lovely polish by Chanel or Illamasqua, I can quite often find a matching review on a dupe of these products. Win Win!
I now have a lovely collection of polishes, and seeing the colour on my nails still cheers me up and brightens my day (the little things and all), and I still will only buy polishes when there is an offer running in one of the drugstores. I know that sounds tight and cheap but when you're on a budget you must live by your means and for me that includes my beauty purchases.
Can anyone recommend any other good drugstore nail polishes? I'm always keen to discover new brands!
Once my nails decided to grow a little bit I treated myself to a jar of Barry M polish in Raspberry (a beautiful, deep, berry shade, ideal for the autumn months). I was very proud of myself. I had lovely long nails and they were a gorgeous colour. And then it was time to show off my lovely new accessory. I bounced into work full of the joys of Spring, casually showing off my wonderful new nails. Now in my job, there is a lot of glove work, washing hands, washing up cutlery and utensils etc. So your hands unfortunately suffer. By the end of the shift my once beautifully painted nails were now a shadow of their former selves. The polish was chipped on every single nail and a couple of them had started to break. I was pretty fed up. Having my nails painted cheered me up, everytime I looked at them I saw an achievement, it had taken me years to get to that point. And now they were ruined and I was right back to where I had started. So that was when I decided that I needed to invest in a decent base coat and top coat and that I would only paint my nails a colour on the weekends I didn't work (I get every other weekend off). I became quite tight in my nail-polish-buying. I didn't see the point in spending a lot on something that would only survive on my nails for a couple of days.
I've always loved the Barry M range, they've got such an array of colours its hard not to find one that suits your needs. I also really like the quality of the formula in Barry M polishes, the colours are buildable but usually I only need 2 coats and I'm happy.
For a long time I only bought the Barry M polishes, and that was when they were on offer. But then my Mother bought me a few of the Rimmel 60 seconds polishes and, I have to say, I think I prefer these. The brushes are wide enough to use one stroke only, there isn't as much choice on colour but the colours they do have are lovely. So I started to widen my collection of polishes but still only buying them when they are on offer.
Nowadays I have a wide collection of polishes but I still refuse to pay more than £6 for on a jar of polish. I can get 2 for that usually! A friend bought me an Essie polish and although I think its a lovely polish I cannot find any difference to the Barry M or the Rimmel polishes. In fact, I have almost the exact shade in a Barry M Polish. Also, since I've discovered this fabulous world of blogging if I read a review of a lovely polish by Chanel or Illamasqua, I can quite often find a matching review on a dupe of these products. Win Win!
I now have a lovely collection of polishes, and seeing the colour on my nails still cheers me up and brightens my day (the little things and all), and I still will only buy polishes when there is an offer running in one of the drugstores. I know that sounds tight and cheap but when you're on a budget you must live by your means and for me that includes my beauty purchases.
Can anyone recommend any other good drugstore nail polishes? I'm always keen to discover new brands!
Sunday, 25 August 2013
A Love Affair with the High Street
When I first discovered the wonderful world of blogging, not only did I discover a love for hearing what others had to say and their opinions, but I also discovered that a big part of the beauty blogging world revolves around the high end products and brands. I am a lover of all things High Street, from shoes to clothes to makeup, I love a good bargain. Although I love my job, unfortunately it comes with a lower rate of pay. On pay day, when I take away rent, car insurance, food and any other outstanding bills/payments, I'm not left with that generous an amount. So this means that my beauty needs must also be budgeted, hence my love for the high street! I love nothing more than taking my advantage card, heading into a Boots store and stocking up on all my favourite beauty goodies. Even more so when Boots has one of their '3 for 2' or 'Buy One Get One Free' offers. My make up bag is full of high street brands, in fact i own hardly any high brand products. Yes I've tried and lusted after it, but when it comes down to making that purchase, most of the time i just cant justify parting with that amount of money when I know i can get something cheaper and very similar in Boots or Superdrug. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be able to afford the Mac Pigments and Eye Shadow Palettes, or the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, or even the They're Real mascara by Benefit, but so far to date I have not been able to find a good enough reason for making these purchases (although they are all on my wishlist!).
When it comes to clothes, the High Street is where its at for me. I am not a lover of buying clothes online as I like to be able to feel the material, see what sort of fit it is and sometimes the colours don't quite match up online. I have only ever made one order online and that was on New Look and I ended up sending most of the order back. So that sort of put me off for life. I'm not overly adventurous when it comes to shopping, I tend to stick to the shops I know and love. I walk through the shopping centre in Bristol and I will always go to the same stores (H&M, New Look, Primark), every now and then I venture into Hollister purely because I cannot resist the scent that is in the store, its heavenly. I would like to start shopping in new places, maybe open my eyes a bit as I think I've become a bit regimented in my shopping ways. Can anyone recommend any reasonable stores?
P.S. Sorry about the pretty poor photos, I've just got a new camera and I'm still figuring it all out :)
Thursday, 22 August 2013
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A Fascination With All Things Beautiful
Hello!
About 6 months ago I discovered the wonderful world of blogging through magazines and social network sites. I quite quickly became addicted to keeping up to date with the blogs I enjoyed reading aswell as discovering new reads. Most of the blogs I enjoy reading are beauty or fashion related but I'm pretty open minded, I enjoy the community that is created through blogging. So after a few months of deliberation and reading posts about 'Starting a Blog' I decided to take the plunge and go for it! I have received lots of handy tips from established bloggers, I love hearing about how they first started. It shows that its possible for us all!
Who Am I?
I'm a 21 year old care assistant who lives in a smallish (hot-fuzz-like) town just outside of Bristol. I am a bit of a country girl, I love animals and the countryside lifestyle but I'm also partial to a trip into the city for a spot of shopping, food and/or a good night out.
I love reading blogs about beauty, fashion and lifestyle and I think that is the route I want to take my blog down. Like a lot of young people nowadays, I live by quite a strict budget which of course affects my beauty and fashion purchases. I'm a girl who loves a bargain! I'm not professing to be a beauty expert or a Fashionista because I am far from both of these and I am still learning a lot, but I do have a fascination with all things beautiful and that is what I hope to share with you :)
So I hope you enjoy my little corner of this scary and exciting blogging world....enjoy!
About 6 months ago I discovered the wonderful world of blogging through magazines and social network sites. I quite quickly became addicted to keeping up to date with the blogs I enjoyed reading aswell as discovering new reads. Most of the blogs I enjoy reading are beauty or fashion related but I'm pretty open minded, I enjoy the community that is created through blogging. So after a few months of deliberation and reading posts about 'Starting a Blog' I decided to take the plunge and go for it! I have received lots of handy tips from established bloggers, I love hearing about how they first started. It shows that its possible for us all!
Who Am I?
I'm a 21 year old care assistant who lives in a smallish (hot-fuzz-like) town just outside of Bristol. I am a bit of a country girl, I love animals and the countryside lifestyle but I'm also partial to a trip into the city for a spot of shopping, food and/or a good night out.
I love reading blogs about beauty, fashion and lifestyle and I think that is the route I want to take my blog down. Like a lot of young people nowadays, I live by quite a strict budget which of course affects my beauty and fashion purchases. I'm a girl who loves a bargain! I'm not professing to be a beauty expert or a Fashionista because I am far from both of these and I am still learning a lot, but I do have a fascination with all things beautiful and that is what I hope to share with you :)
So I hope you enjoy my little corner of this scary and exciting blogging world....enjoy!
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