My Nighttime Skincare Routine

Not too long ago I posted my morning skincare routine so now I have decided to follow it up with what I do at night. Both routines are very similar but I literally just substitute one product. 
I start off with the Boots Simply Sensitive Cleansing Gel to remove the dirt from the day and rinse it off with warm water. Next I apply a small amount of the Boots Tea tree & Witch Hazel Night Treatment Gel all over my face. This helps to calm my skin and reduce any redness from pigmentation or spots. Finally I slather on my EOS Lipbalm to keep my lips moisturised while I sleep. 

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My Morning Skincare Routine!

For a good few months I have done nothing nice and pampering for my skin. I had a sort of realisation a few weeks ago and decided to make a change! Off to boots I went to compile a new skincare routine to get my face feeling softer and more looked after. 

First thing in the morning I like to wash my face with Boots Simply Sensitive Cleansing Gel, I literally use the tiniest amount and it lathers up nicely to massage into my face.
Once I've washed the cleansing gel off using warm water I pat my face dry and then go on to apply my new favourite facial moisturiser. Another Boots Simply Sensitive product (can you tell I have sensitive skin?) this time in the form of the Hydrating Moisturiser. Again I use the smallest amount and apply it all over my face and down onto my neck, making sure I've covered all my particularly dry areas around my nose and under my eyes.
Lastly, no skincare is complete without looking after those lips. I'm still loving the EOS Lipbalm in Passionfriut even after all this time, it works wonders for my dry, chapped lips!

There we have it, my nice and basic skin care routine which leaves my skin feeling super clean and soft to touch!

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Every day+night skincare routine!

Skincare is something that varies a lot between individuals and its common to read other bloggers rave reviews of some products, see how well it has worked for them and then once you have tried it realise it doesn't work the same on you, gutting isn't it. I for one, chop and change my skincare routine fairly regularly but this is one I have kept up for a while and find that it's really working. First things first, as soon as I wake up in the morning I find that my skin can be a little oily especially if it's warm so I give my face a quick wipe over with an 'ultra soft, fragrance free' baby wipe, nothing fancy. I have found these have really helped stop my make up looking oily during the day. At night I keep things fairly easy. To remove my make up on a typical night I use Simple's moisturising facial wash, the moisturiser in the wash helps fight the effects of dry skin. If I am feeling lazy I will just use a make up remover wipe, normally of the sensitive skin kind, to take off my make up then jump straight into bed. After that, on a typical night, I will apply either quinoderm or clinique's anti-blemish gel on any horrible spots I have. Twice a week I apply a sudocrem face mask which I have found really helps reduce redness and size of blemishes and thoroughly moisturises. E45 cream is so good at relieving particularly dry skin, I use this so much in the winter. A fairly simple skincare routine I think, it works and its helping my skin, Finally! 

XC

Skin Saviours!

Now I have acne, like I'm talking like a proper break out every month consisting of more that one pimple that most people cry "acne breakout" over, In my opinion that's not a break out, what I have is a break out! I was recommended this by my friend at college after she took me with her to get it one lunch time (after she lost hers in the boot of her car) Quinoderm cost's around £3 and can be bought over the counter at boots, or any pharmacy I guess. It works wonders on a fresh breakout or on pimples that have been around for months, rub a little of the cream over the area morning and night and within a few days the spots are going, going... gone! I have to say this does sting a little bit on any broken skin but its minimal and wears off in a few seconds. Need a quick spot fix, you need this in your life! LINK 

Do you ever get those super annoying spots that just pop up under your skin, create a massive red lump and hurt like hell? No matter how much you poke and prod it just wont come through the skin? I think everyone has at some point. This little beauty from Clinique (£12.50) is your best weapon against those buggers. Apply the smallest amount on the spot after you have cleaned your face fully and allow it to soak in. It feels a little cold and can sting a bit but trust me, its doing good! Within about 2 to 3 days the redness has gone and so has the lump. Yes the spot is out but applying this for a couple more days and the whole thing is gone completely. LINK


I have been swearing by these two products lately and they are thoroughly benefiting my skin!
XC

Winter Skin Essentials!

Above are my top products for protecting my skin this winter because this weather is meaning my skin is taking a battering! So much so that even my eyelids are dry, my eye lids! It's absolutely horrible sometimes, especially when my face is so dry it actually hurts to move it, does anyone else get that? 

The bottom line to this post is Moisturise! (If you can't tell from the picture)

My favourite body moisturiser that I use all year round is the Nivea 'Happy Time' body lotion. It smells absolutely gorgeous, so fruity and summery so even on those cold winter days you can lather on this moisturiser and it honestly make me feel like I am in the middle of the summer season! Plus, the scent lasts for ages! 

For those of us who have problem skin I believe it is best to get a specific facial moisturiser for your skin type whether its sensitive or broken out ectt. I use the clinique 3 step acne solutions moisturiser because of my spots and it really does help to moisturise the  skin as well as protect and reduce the appearance of redness on the skin. One of my all time favourites! 

Our hands are the part of our body that take the biggest battering all year round and feel it the most especially in Winter. I received the Soap and Glory 'Hand Food' as part of the secret santa I was part of (post to come soon) and I freaking love it! It smells divine and really softens my hands, the softness lasts all day and sometimes even two days. I will be repurchasing this every time it runs out without fail because I honestly love it so much! 

Finally, If like me, your lips get quite dry a chapped then, of course, you need lip balm. I have lip balm everywhere, I mean everywhere! In my handbag, in my college bag, on my bedside table, in my bathroom, on my make up table ectt. I honestly have to apply it every day and night because if I don't I can barely move my lips without them becoming chapped and bleeding, waaah! My favourite lip products are the Formular from Marks & Spencer and Blistex lip massage. 

Anyone else suffer from the same issues as me? How do you cope with it? 

XX

30 Day Beauty Challenge - Day 8

A Photo Of You Getting Fashion Wrong

 

If anyone can explain to me why on this earth I let my parents dress me in such a ridiculous outfit and cut my hair so short I looked like a boy please enlighten me, my hair used to be down to my bum before this! What is even on that T-Shirt! 

LAST COUPLE OF DAYS FOR CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY ENTRIES. ENTER HERE!

Top Tips Part Three: Acne!

First off I must apologise for not getting this post up sooner! I started this little mini series a while back but a few other posts took priority over this final part of the series, so here it is..

If you're a teenager you've probably experienced some form, may it be mild or not, of acne! Personally, I got it bad, still have it a fair amount, not as bad however (see here for full story)

Here are my Top 5 tips for helping Acne prone skin

1. Everyone changes out products in their skincare routine at some point but if you change to something that seems to break you out, STOP using it! Don't assume your skin will "get used to it" sometimes it does but sometimes you are just making things worse

2. This one goes without saying really, Take your make up off EVERY night! Let your skin breathe at night.

3. Don't cake on your make up just to cover up the spots. Use some foundation and concealer to cover as much as you can then deal with it. If you cake it on you are just clogging up your pores!

4. If you aren't doing anything during the day, don't wear make up. Give your skin a break from being covered up. Trust me, even a day helps.

5. If your skin is really bad and you're finding that you are loosing confidence because of the way your skin looks then seek medical advice. Go to your doctor, trust me, they will be able to give you some medication to clear it right up!

Hope this helps those of you who need it 

XX 

Top Tips Part Two: Oily Skin

This is part two of my Top Tips series (obviously char, it says it in the title) and today I will be talking about the things I do to prevent oily skin.

I got oily skin from using one product, bio oil. It was so hyped up about removing acne scars and I was desperate to get rid of mine so I used it for about two weeks then realised what a mistake I had made. I had never had oily skin before then and bio oil ruined that, looking in the mirror all I could see was shine, I could feel the oil when I touched my face, it was horrible. Safe to say I haven't touched it since! Now this is just my experience with it and I am not saying that you shouldn't use it if its working for you. 

I discovered my holy grail of setting sprays in debenhams one day. The Urban Decay 'De Slick' setting spray (£19) which you spray on before you apply a primer and again when you have finished all your face make up. It seriously helped to cut down on the shine and oil (horray!) The next thing I worked into my make up routine about a month ago was the Rimmel 'Stay Matte' powder(£3.99), I lightly dust this over my face with my ELF powder brush (£3.50) concentrating on my forehead, cheekbones and chin. Bye Bye shine & oil! Of course those things wont banish the shine all day, everyday, so for those moments when a little shine creeps up on you I always have an ELF clarifying pressed powder (£1.50! Bargainus!) and a small powder brush (Primark £1.50) to dust the shine away! 

If you have any questions please let me know, I am more than happy to answer them! 

TWO DAYS LEFT ON MY HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY, ENTER HERE! :)

Xx

Top Tips Part One: Dry Skin

This is part one of my three part blogging series of Top Tips for different skin types. The first part is my little tricks and tips on controlling or banishing that horrible dry skin! This is not me, in any way, saying you MUST do these things, its just a little bit of advice. 

The products:
My top 3 products I use to combat the dryness are E45 cream, Liquid foundation and Rimmel Primer. When I discovered the rimmel primer I was like "OMGTHISISPERFECT!" it has the consistency of a moisturiser so when you apply it it feels like your skin is getting a little bit of moisture instead of a silicone formula which I found just made my skin worse! Using a liquid foundation as opposed to a powder will help cover any dryness by covering the dry patch instead of exaggerate it by clinging to the dry areas and not blending properly. Finally E45 cream, I will pick this over any facial moisturiser any day! Not only does this moisturise, it soaks in super quick and can help to reduce any redness caused. 
A couple of other things to take into consideration are when washing your face try not to use any harsh exfoliants that could aggravate your skin and cause it to become even drier. If you drive a lot or spend a lot of time in the car try not to have the aircon blaring at your face as it will dry your skin out, much like being outside in winter! However, if you live in the UK you will know you wont have to worry too much about aircon and more about it actually being cold!


I hope you enjoyed this and found it useful. Let me know what you think and if you want to see more. 
Thanks! 
5 days left for my halloween giveaway! Enter HERE! 
Xx

My Skin Story

Turns out I inherited the worst skin genes from my mum and dad! I never ever used to wear make up so my skin was so nice, until that time where a girl becomes a woman and everything went downhill, rapidly. From the age of about 15/16 my skin went from bad to ACNE. Believe me when I say I tried EVERYTHING to banish those little spotty buggers but nothing ever worked. My skin was at its worst 2 years ago when my face was covered in acne, I hated the way I looked, I had zero confidence, no matter what products I tired they wouldn't clear up, whatever make up I used I just couldn't cover them, It was then I decided something just had to change. I asked my mum if I could go and see my doctor to find out if he could do anything. Sure enough he had my lifesavers in his prescription list! HALLELUJAH!! 

I started off with erythromycin tablets which I still take twice a day (one in the morning and one in the evening) as well as a solution that I put on my face before I go to bed, It stank and made my eyes sting but that's the price you pay for beauty!. I used the two together for about a year and I've never been so impressed! My skin had cleared up about 70% in just one year of using them. Half way through last year I stopped using the solution and just took the tablets, took my make up off every night and found a foundation with SPF in it (helps with scarring) and everything got better from then. Although the spots had gone I suffer from a little scarring so I took another trip to the doctors and he gave me a cream that essentially acts like a chemical peel, over time. I used it for around 2 months on different parts of my face and it seemed to work. It wasn't until about a week ago when it went a bit odd. I managed to get a small bit of the cream on my neck and it became inflamed and the next day it began to peel like I had been burned badly by the sun! My face completely dried out, it felt like every last bit of moisture had been sucked from it. safe to say I am no longer using it! 
Right now I'd say my skin is around 85% clear, I have break outs when I'm due on but I'm taking my tablets everyday, I've finally found a skincare routine that works (more on that later) and I have my confidence back! I can look in a mirror and think you look nice today, not you look disgusting always.

I'd like to say to anyone who has similar skin to me that it will get better in time, you will get your confidence back. Love yourself for who you are and not who you think you should be! You are beautiful! 

Xx