November and December favourites

November/December favourites

With this last month being so busy I've decided to join November and December favourites together. I've been only been using a few items in skincare and make - up, but have found myself using the same items all the time. (All product links are at the end of this post)

1. Kiehl's creamy eye treatment - this is so comforting. My skin has felt quite dry recently and the La Roche posay eye gel I was using was great but just not quite enough to keep my skin hydrated. This is really moisturising and

Improving confidence when you have acne!

Recently my skin has really been playing up. I have always suffered with my skin, but over the last few years, since taking roaccutane, it has been so much better. Occasionally, though, I get flair ups. These do really affect my confidence and the stress and anxiety of worrying about my skin overwhelms me. I'm pretty sure it is hormonal and due to a little extra stress so have attacked it in the best way I know how!

October favourites

October favourites

1. 'Chanel chance' perfume. An old faithful! This was a present for my birthday. I love this perfume. It has a sophisticated scent that lasts all day.

2. 'Vitamin E face mist' from The Body Shop. I haven't used anything from The Body Shop in such a long time, but I know this range has been really popular recently. This is a lovely, refreshing mist for throughout the day which sets and perks up your make up.

3. 'Berry picking' lipgloss by Tanya Burr cosmetics. I love this colour. Fantastic for autumn. I've worn it lots this month. Makes you feel really glam, even on a dressed down day.  Great formula and longevity. I am excited to try more of the range.

4. 'Vitamin E sink in moisture mask' by The Body Shop. This is a great moisturiser. I use it day and night. I put quite a thick layer on overnight. It says to tissue off excess but I only do this in the day. In the morning my skin feels really soft. It's also a good make up base. Very affordable. I'm impressed with The Body Shop again.

August favourites

1. Sarah Chapman 'Overnight facial oil' - I have wanted to try this for ages and decided to finish up other things first. This is a miracle in a bottle as far as I'm concerned! Perhaps

St Tropez 'In shower gradual tan' - worth the hype?

Shower, leave on for 3 minutes, then shower off. It's that simple - pretty much! You need to wash your hair and cleanse first, then turn off the shower and apply a generous amount in circular motions. You then need to wait 3 minutes (I would advise wiping the excess product from hands and nails at this point) and then you shower off with just warm water. I think this is brilliant- you don't have to wait ages for the product to dry, just 3 mins and you can get dressed straight away! It does have a biscuity smell on me so perhaps doing it the night before you go anywhere might be advisable. It is also quite moisturising for a fake tan and has a subtle tint. If you like a very dark tan, then this probably isn't for you. However, if like me, you just want to take the edge of a very pale skin, but it not be too obvious that you've used fake tan then this is fab! I find it lasts about 10 -12 days and doesn't go patchy, just fades very slowly. I have used it, perhaps twice a week since the beginning of June and I still have enough left for at least 3/4 applications.  I love the ease and efficiency of this product and am sure I will be repurchasing very soon.

Cheap, effective facial hair remover!

This product is actually advertised as a 'brow shaper' and a very good one at that! When this was advertised on TV, I was watching the demonstration and the lady promoting the product mentioned how good it was at removing facial hair,

July Favourites

1. Dr Jart Blemish balm - I've been using this range for a few years now and it is my go to base in the summer months. It's really light weight but has great coverage and is more like the original eastern BB creams that have skincare benefits for pigmention, healing acne etc. This one has SPF 40 and I often feel like it has made a difference to evening out my skin tone.

2. L'oreal true match foundation- this is such a find. It has great,buildable coverage and doesn't feel heavy or cakey on the skin. It can be built to create a really flawless look and it also has great staying power. Can't believe it is a drugstore foundation. So pleased I tried it!

3. MAC Pro concealer palette - on Suzie from hellooctober's video recommendation, I had to get this. I have really dark circles under my eyes and also dark eye lids. It is amazing how much more fresh and awake I look when wearing this. The concealer does need warming up first in order to blend out easier but I don't think I could be without this now. Something to note is that the 'Light' palette is really light and I have quite pale skin. I can use all the shades but I would probably get more use out of 'Medium'.

4. MAC Fix + spray - I used to use this years ago and lately I have been feeling like I want to add in a step before applying my make up. I suppose my skin has felt a bit dry and this is really comforting. It does help my make up to stay on all day and creates a glow too.

5. Barry M speed quick dry nail varnish in 'Pit stop' - does what it says on the tin! Very quick drying. Looks better with 2/3 coats. Opaque and Matt finish. It doesn't last that long on me but it has been really fast to top up.

June Favourites

1. Braun silk epil 7 - I can't seem to find the exact version of this online as I bought it years ago. This is the wet and dry epilator but I think it is less painful dry. Lily Pebbles' video on hair removal has gotten me absolutely obsessed with this again. I have broken through the pain barrier and am not going back to shaving!!!
2. La Roche Posay Hydraphase Intense Legere - Fantastic moisturiser with SPF. Really light, but hydrating. Doesn't break me out. Need I say more?
3. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo - An absolute must, will re-purchase again and again! Keeps breakouts at bay, very good with hormonal spots. I use this under moisturiser in the morning and sometimes at night too.
4. Tanya Burr Lipgloss in 'Chic' - Really lovely formula, stays put, not sticky and great colour pay off. I really need to get some of the other colours in the range. A shopping trip is in order!
5.Bobbi Brown Pot rouge in 'Powder Pink' - I've had this for ages but just re-discovered it. Lovely on the cheeks and the lips. Great pop of colour to lift your complexion!

Bravura Dermaflannel

I first came across this product with the help of the fabulous and all round beauty oracle Caroline Hirons. I was looking for something that might help some bumps on my arms that I've had for a while and through research, seemed like Keratosis pilaris. This dermaflannel was mentioned and I thought I would give it a go.

May favourites

May faves

1. 'Volumising no oil oil' from Percy and Reed - What a lovely product. I have quite fine hair, but a lot of it and it tends to lie quite flat. This gave my hair a real

Want whiter teeth?




Day 14



Day 6



Day 1



Coconut oil has many uses- which I will do another post on soon - I have been testing it out to see if it can whiten my teeth.
I'm sure you can see from the photos (sorry about the poses!) that it has actually worked and I'm pleased with the result. My only issue is that I didn't start off with all my teeth being the same shade so it makes a uniform 'white' look quite difficult to achieve.
The process (called oil pulling) is a bit labour intensive to be honest, but I did get used to building it into my routine.

I used a teaspoon full of Coconut Oil every night for two weeks. I swilled the oil around my mouth for 5 - 10 mins, then spat out, each night before cleaning my teeth. Many articles online state to do this for about 20 mins - I didn't have the patience for that, but may try it in future, now that I've seen the results.
Because Coconut oil is usually solid until it comes into contact with heat, the texture feels really weird at first and it's a bit of a mind boggle as it's happening. I just tried not to think about it too much, as I prayed for whiter teeth!
It was probably just less than a week when I thought I started seeing results, so I took some pictures and found that there definitely was a difference. I was surprised how much whiter my teeth were. I've used a few different whitening options before but never something natural, so cheap and such a result!
I use Pukka Organic Virgin Coconut oil which is just available in my local health food shop and it's great. As I said, the only thing for me is that not all my teeth are exactly the same colour and I'm not sure how to overcome this without going down the painful and expensive route of teeth whitening. For now, this will just have to do!
There's supposed to be a huge amount of benefits to oil pulling in general, greater oral health, detoxification etc. I have linked some websites down below if you would like to do any further research. It makes for interesting reading. I have found that my skin seems quite clear - not sure if this is a coincidence or not?!

http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/oil-pulling-the-habit-that-can-transform-your-health

http://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/oil_pulling.html

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Do's and Don'ts for Acne

Do:

• Use a really gentle cleanser - this is really important, you don't want to strip the skin as it will produce more oil/sebum and probably create more breakouts.
• Moisturise! As a teenager, I thought that if I moisturised it would make my breakouts worse - how wrong I was! As above, you don't want to force your skin to create more oil. It will be happier hydrated! You can get lightweight moisturisers from lots of brands, try La Roche Posay.
• Check your shampoo/conditioner - if you have acne/spots around edge of face, jaw, back, it could be what you are washing your hair with. Check for paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil) this clogs pores and it might be worth switching.

COLAB dry shampoo - just discovered how good this is!!!

I may be a bit late to the party here, but I have just discovered how good 'COLAB sheer invisible' dry shampoo is!
It's created by Ruth Crilly, fashion model and blogger www.amodelrecommends.com who I have followed for a few years and I'm sure you are already aware of.
I bought some when it first came out and if I'm honest, I thought it was fine but I forgot all about it after I finished it. I used up the bottle and then went back to another one I had used before, which was on offer. I ran out of the old dry shampoo recently so I went back to the COLAB (I originally bought quite a few). It's brilliant! I don't know why I didn't see this before!!!

Long lasting nail varnish?

Day 4 - 'For the Stars'



On an impromptu visit to Boots I noticed the new Barry M Sunset Daylight Curing nail varnish. They have a great range of colours, really rich and remind me of sunny, holiday evenings.
I have really oily nails and have tried several gel nail brands in salons and at home. I have to be careful not to use too much hand cream or watch the household chores if I want them to last more than a day. Most of them only last a few days on me and peel off around day 3. I always get chips very quickly too and as soon as I see one I have to take the whole thing off. So I was a bit sceptical when I picked up the Barry M varnish.

My experience with Roaccutane

Before you read this, you must be aware that this product is not for everyone and I am not endorsing this product in any way. I'm just sharing my story.
After battling with acne for a long time, two and a half years ago I decided to change my life. After my sister was prescribed Roaccutane (isotretinoin) for her acne and the results were incredible, I set off to my GP.
At the time I had cystic acne around my jaw line and chin. I had tried everything. I bought dozens of products weekly and my bank balance, along with my face was suffering.

Tria hair removal laser precision - watch this space!

Over the next few months I'm going to be trialling the Tria Hair Removal Laser Precision. After some research, this seems to be the new product on the block so I thought I would give it a whirl. I ordered mine from QVC, as I like the protection the company gives with '30 days money back guarantee' and I also find the reviews helpful. 
Like most women, I have tried lots of different hair removal solutions - shaving, waxing, epilating and I have also tried another laser device, which I was quite disappointed with.
So far, I have only used this once.

Make - up for acne

Covering blemishes or acne can be a daunting task, however, from my experience it is the one thing that made me feel able to face the world. There were many days when I looked in the mirror and just wanted to hide away.
I have since, however, discovered a few

Treating acne and blemishes

If you're reading this I imagine you have tried everything you possibly can to obtain clear skin. I know I have! I struggled for years with teenage acne and then in my mid to late twenties, adult acne. Over the years I have tried all sorts of lotions and potions, from expensive facials, DIY masks and scrubs to toothpaste and Olbas oil (DO NOT try at home) to combat my problematic skin.
I am not claiming to be an expert in this field, just an expert in my own skin and it's flare ups.
I now think I understand a little more about how my skin works and how to treat it, so I thought I would share my current skincare routine.