The Big Skincare post

Skincare...it's a big deal. It's pretty much the only thing aside from bases that I would consider worth spending (semi) big bucks on. I also agree however that solving problem skin is not always about throwing lots of money at it and that finding a regime that works for you can include budget buys and brands you may never have even heard of. Finding a regime that works is completely and utterly unique to each and every person; that's the main thing I've learnt from beauty blogging. You can be recommended a product by your favourite beauty blogger and they may tell you it's the best thing in the world you can slather on your face but when you get it home it just doesn't do its reviews justice. That being said, the only way you can find the perfect products for you is to really do the leg-work. Give everything a try, get as many samples as you can and experiment until you find the ones you love. 

My skin is normal/combination and a little on the oily side, so take that into consideration when reading about my favourite skincare bits here!  

Cleansers: At night I like to use a balm cleanser, which is something Caroline Hirons and other skincare gurus advise. It's the most effective at removing makeup, and the Emma Hardie amazing face moringa cleansing balm has been voted as the best one out there countless times. In the morning, I either use the Ren clay cleanser or the Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing gel.  

Toners: A step which many skip, toning is actually pretty worthwhile and I have tested out a fair few. Kiehl's Ultra facial oil-free toner, Liz Earle instant boost skin tonic and Caudalie beauty elixir are my top three. Go for the Kiehl's if you have oily skin, the Caudalie if you want an extra fresh feel, and the Liz Earle if you want an UNBELIEVABLY nice-smelling product. 

Serums and oils: This is another step which I'd never really dabbled with until this year. I think my favourite would have to be the Balance me radiance face oil, which can be used in the morning or the evening. It adds extra hydration and leaves a luxurious feeling. Hydraluron is a do-it-all, simple serum which will suit everyone, especially those with slightly dehydrated skin. For the evening, the Estee Lauder Advanced Night repair is perfect, and helps with tired skin the next morning. Serums and oils are usually used after your cleanser and toner and before your moisturiser.

Moisturisers: Effaclar Mat and Effaclar Duo by La Roche Posay have been talked about by every beauty blogger and their Mum, and for good reason. Effaclar Duo is great for problem skin, whilst Effaclar Mat can help with any oil or grease. Clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel (not cream) is also good for oily skin, but my all time favourite (so far) has to be Origins GinZing moisturiser; it always sorts out my skin. 

Masks: For dehydrated skin, I would recommend Origins Drink Up intensive mask, which you slather on before bedtime. Problem skin is helped by Aesop Parsley Seed masque (a clay mask which draws out all the nasties in your pores) and Origins out of trouble. For an extra glow, I would go for Ren's Glycolactic radiance renewal mask. 

What are your top skincare picks? 

B.

The Christmas Wishlist

Canon SX500 IS camera. 

Honeydew Underwear. 

Alexa Chung 'It' and 14,000 things to be happy about books.

We're the Millers and The Great Gatsby DVDS. 

Makeup and Candles: Malin and Goetz Dark Rum candle, Dipytique Baies candle, Clinique eye and lip chubby sticks in ample amber and grandest grape, By Terry Baume de Rose, UD naked 3 palette, Nars cruella lip pencil, Aesop parsley seed cleansing mask, nails inc porchester sq polish, Clarins exfoliating toner. 

Now, stupidly, I handed out my Christmas list far too early this year. The problem with being such an eager beaver is that when you go shopping for other people you see things you wish you'd put on your own list. Because of this, I'll probably end up buying much of this for myself come loan time (naughtyyy). I already picked up my Naked 3 palette last week and am SO excited to get my hands on it properly come Christmas day. As I am now back from uni I am feeling extra Christmassy and am planning lots of outfit posts in the next couple of weeks, so keep eyes pealed for those! 

What do you guys have on your lists this year?

B.

The July Favourites

This month I have been loving SO MUCH. With my birthday this month and my splurges in duty free, I had plenty of new bits to play with and fell in love with so many products. Most are unfortunately high end and a little on the pricey side, so sadly are not too purse friendly for the future! 

Let's start with makeup. My ultimate product of the month has to be the Estee Lauder cheek gelee blush in Tease, which I found in Cyprus when it had sold out everywhere else. This blush gives colour and highlight in one and is gorgeous. For blotting and helping to create a natural glow I have been loving the Chanel les beiges powder, which I finally caved in and bought in duty free. Also from Chanel is the new le volume mascara, which is honestly one of the best mascaras I have ever used. For lips, the Bourjois colour boost in Peach on the Beach is my one and only. Last is the Dior BB cream, which I received for my birthday and wore non stop on holiday to give me a light, glowy coverage. 

Onto skincare, I have completely fallen for the Origins Drink up Intensive overnight mask. My skin feels super dewy and moisturised the morning after I use this. The Emma Hardie amazing face cleansing balm has been my other skincare saviour for the past 2 months, but sadly so far I have only been able to afford/get my hands on testers and smaller pots. I have also been using the Cetpahil gentle skin cleanser which is an affordable blogger favourite and another French skincare wonder. Tanning wise I have been blown away by the Clarins instant smooth self tanning for face, which gives a beautiful glow and doesn't botch up your skin! I also like the Rodial brazilian clear tan in light (which came as a magazine freebie!) as it is so easy to apply. I have been applying it after using my Waitrose baby bottom butter, which was bought for me by a friend who works in Waitrose and said it was selling like hot cakes after being featured in a top beauty article! For hair, Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer has saved my post-holiday dry frizzy locks.

What have you been loving this month? Follow me on Bloglovin' HERE if you'd like :)

B.

Purchased in Paris/Airport Haul

Left to right: Eyelure Girls Aloud 'Sarah' lashes, Bioderma Sebium H2O, Bioderma Crealine H2O (double pack), Maybelline Clolour sensation lipstick in shocking coral, Clarins Natural Lip Perfector in 04 Petal Shimmer, Barry M Gelly nail polish in Lychee, Bioderma Sebium Al Correcteur, Urban Decay All Nighter make up setting spray, Bumble and Bumble 'defrizz' (mini), Bumble and Bumble Thickening hairspray (mini). 

Now, for any beauty blogger, it goes without saying: A holiday=a holiday HAUL. And sadly, I couldn't even wait to get onto French territory before I whipped out my credit card...the haul began at THE AIRPORT at 8am (I'm ashamed). So enough of my rambling, here is what I purchased:

Bioderma goodies: Of course I had to do the obligatory pharmacy trip to stock up on Bioderma. It actually took me a little while to find a good deal on the Crealine H2O which I eventually managed to pick up in a double pack for an impressive 18.50 (euros). Considering I had bought a single bottle in the UK for a whopping £25, this was a major triumph, and if I'd have had more suitcase space I would have gone for more. I did also pick up the Sebium H2O and the Sebium Al Correcteur in a duo pack. So far I have really enjoyed the Sebium H2O, which is good for oily, spot-prone skin. I use it after my cleanser and feel it really unclogs my skin well. As for the 2-in-1 tint corrector product, I'm just not sure. I just don't GET IT. It has a colour corrector green balmy thing which you pat onto blemishes and then a tinted moisturiser BB cream-esque product which you rub all over your face. I think it's just a little dark for my skin, and I just don't really understand the green thing, but it was worth a try. 

Eyelure 'Sarah' lashes: Pretty self explanatory...lashes...impulse airport buy...you get the general idea.

Maybelline Colour Sensation Lipstick in Shocking Coral: Another day, another lipstick. And another airport purchase; it is just such a super pretty bold pinky coral colour and is really moisturising on the lips. It also smells like marshmallows (strangely enjoyable). 

Clarins Lip Perfector in 04 Petal Shimmer: This one is a brand new shade not out in the UK until next month. So of course I had to grab one whilst I was in Sephora (AND, it was the last one...SCORE). I read about these on Vivianna does makeup but never picked up any of the original shades. They have such a lovely texture (completely non-sticky and moisturising) and the colour is a super cute sheer baby pink. 

Barry M Gelly Nail polish in Lychee: This is the one shade I was dying to try after reading about it pretty much everywhere, so when I was at Boots at the airport and realised the 3 for 2 deal was still on, this was pretty much a guaranteed buy. The colour is a perfect nude, and the formula is long lasting and hi-shine. 

Urban Decay All nighter setting spray: I moaned about the price of this setting spray when I reviewed The Avene spray , but I guess I caved when I saw it again in Sephora. And I'm SO glad I did. This stuff keeps your makeup in place for hours (the lady on the stand told me 16 hours which is perhaps a little ambitious but still!) and it is a great alternative to Mac's fix plus. 

Bumble and Bumble Mini Goodies: I picked up the de-frizz which is a serum formula, and the thickening hairspray. I am yet to use these bits but will report back. I bought them both in the mini versions as BB can be pretty pricey and I wanted to test them out before I got the real deal! 

If you enjoyed this post, have a little peek at what I got up to in Paris and look at a few pictures here. And remember to follow me on Bloglovin' here if you enjoyed visiting my blog :) 

B. 

Skincare: The Beauty and the B edit

Now, let me just start by saying the reason I am doing this post now is because these items are all recent purchases and collectively have sorted out my skin and made me a VERY happy girl. I have also been drinking LOTS of water recently and making an effort not to touch my face, so that might have something to do with it too. But I just had to blog about these wonder products. I should also point out that I have combination skin, with dry cheeks and an oily T-zone prone to the occasional break-out, so I cannot vouch for whether these products would suit other skin types. Also note that I do not use every product every day, I only use the tea tree oil and mask when I feel my skin really needs a boost or if I've got a pesky blemish that won't back down.

1. Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel: I bought this a couple of weeks ago and so far it has been great for my skin. It leaves me with a super soft face feeling really really clean. It's a different style of cleanser than I am used to; before this I was using the old Clinque foam cleanser. To use, you rub this gel-oil in the palm of your hands then massage into your skin to create an oil which you then rub off. I would really recommend this to anyone with a similar skin type to me, but it does say it is for 'all skin types'. 

2. Bioderma Crealine H2o: Every blogger and their mum uses this, I know. So this is me being a little predictable. I actually don't like this for use on eye makeup, I'm going to go as far as saying it is pretty poor in removing mascara or eyeliner (especially waterproof) and always leaves me with the dreaded panda eyes. But I do like to sweep it over my face before I use the Clarins as it does a beautiful job in removing makeup and making skin feel nice and fresh. Looking forward to this being sold in the UK, but might have to stock up when I go to Paris next month! 

3. Sanctuary 5 minute Thermal Detox Mask: I like to pop a mask on weekly to have a deep cleanse and remove any grime a cleanser just won't get to. My mum actually recommended this one to me (thanks mummy) after reading about how brilliant it was. I have only used it a couple of times but in conjunction with my other products it fits into my regime nicely. It is a clay formula which warms up, so it feels really great on the skin and leaves you with a super clean de-toxified face. 

4. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo: I completely bought in to this cult product, and I am SO happy I listened to all the great reviews and went for it. It is AMAZING. Literally, AMAZING. I am lucky enough not to suffer with severe breakouts, but I do get the occasional time when I get a nasty little area of spots especially when I am tired and have been eating crap. I use it as a moisturiser and it clears any breakouts up and prevents any more. It might not work for everybody but if you suffer from acne or bad skin in any way, please please give it a try because it has the potential to do a lot of good!! 

5. Lush Tea Tree water: I use this as a toner after my Clarins cleanser and before the Effaclar Duo. It is a nice effective toner that won't break the bank and is great for breakouts as tea tree always is. It also smells lovely and refreshing and feels all tingly on the skin. 

6. Tea Tree Oil: I bought this on holiday in Barbados, but of course you can buy straight tea tree oil pretty much everywhere. I just pop this on any particularly nasty blemishes as an extra treatment after my moisturiser if I feel I really need to. I do try to leave spots alone though and just use my usual products. My Mum always told me the most important thing about skin is to keep it clean and avoid using too many products, so this is only for emergencies. 

Have you guys got any other great skincare products to recommend? 

B. 

The Beauty and the B Haul #1

 

From left: Sleek blushes in 'life's a peach' and 'suede', topshop 'bombshell' lipstick, Barry M 147, Lush 'the kiss' and Lush 'Mint Julips. 

Swatches from left: Topshop bombshell, barry M 147, Lush the kiss, Sleek life's a peach and suede

1. Estee Lauder 'magnascopic' mascara- I'm hoping this will fill the void left by my beloved 'Projectionist,' which crazily has been discontinued (WHY estee lauder WHY?) 

2. Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel- Have heard so many wonderful things about this so will let you guys know how I feel about it. 

3. Lush 'the kiss' lipgloss- an impulse buy....it looked pretty, what else can I say

4. Lush 'Mint Julips' lip scrub- this stuff SMELLS AMAZING...seriously amazing. like after eights and heaven. 

5. Lush tea tree toner water- I haven't used a toner in a while, and I was looking for something natural which had tea tree or witch hazel in to help my skin...BINGO. 

6. Models Own 'Utopia' nail polish- just such a beautiful colour. The only way I can think to describe it is like clay. That sounds horrible...it isn't it's lovely.

7. Katy Perry for Eyelure 'cool kitty' lashes- got these as a part of my Topshop haul, they are VERY full, and as a bit of a fake lash (half) virgin, I'm a little scared. We will see. 

8. Sleek blushes in 'life's a peach' and 'suede': A very bright coral and muted dusty rose. I have heard so many positive things about Sleek blushes. They are super pigmented and so affordable. Also love their packaging. 

9. Topshop lipstick in Bombshell- Just such a 'wow' colour. I had been looking for a good dupe for Mac's limited edition 'Show orchid', and I think I've found it. 

10. Barry M lip paint in 147 'peachy pink'- can be seen in my OOTD#4 post; just a really pretty pinky nude colour. 

I'm thinking LOTS of these bits will be in my March favourites, so look out for full reviews then :) 

B. 

                         

On my beauty wishlist this month...

1. Jo Malone 'Pomegranate Noir' Candle 
2. NARS Sheer Glow foundation 
3. Illamasqua speckled 'I' mperfection nail polish in' Fragile'
4. Smashbox primer
5. Xen-Tan Deep Luxe Bronze Dark Lotion 
6. Mac quartet of eyeshadows 
7. L'oreal professional techni art super dust
8. Yankee candle in Vanilla Satin 
9. Chanel Rouge coco shine lipstick
10. YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick 
11. Soap and Glory Sugar crush body wash 
12. Clarins Liquid Bronze Self tan 
13. Urban Decay Naked 'Flushed' palette
14. NARS the multiple stick 
15. Lush Snow fairy body wash 
16. Mac studio sculpt foundation 
17. Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir perfume
18. Dior Nail glow 
19. Benefit triple emulsion moisturiser 

Favourite January Products: The Monthly Gems

As we are already half way (nearly) through February…a little late to the party…I know.

 But as I’ve only just started blogging I decided this would be a good start.

Last month served up some real goodies for me. After receiving Christmas treats and a few bob to spend, there was only one thing on my mind. GET ME TO THE BEAUTY COUNTER. What follows is a list of products I have therefore discovered and completely fallen for.

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in 307 L'impatiente, Barry M Lip Paint in 54. 

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine. 

Swatches of Barry M, Chanel, and apocalips in Apocaliptic and Nude Eclipse. 

Firstly, I have gone a little lip product mad since Christmas. My brother kindly bought me Chanel’s Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick in 307 ‘L’impatiente’ from their Christmas range. It is a beautiful dark purple colour (I STILL haven’t gotten over last seasons goth-themed trend) and has a matte finish, perfect for night-time glamour. Next up is Barry M’s lip paint in 54: a vibrant creamy orange colour which would suit any skin tone. Korres Jasmine Lip Butter has also been on my radar, giving my lips a smooth feel and pretty nude sheen. Lastly, I’ve been loving Rimmel ‘Apocalips’ (I picked them up in apocaliptic and nude eclipse). I know everyone has been raving about these beauties, and I can honestly say they are a PERFECT substitute for the YSL glossy stains. I wore the hot pink colour (apocaliptic) on a night out recently, and it stayed on ALL night and didn’t feel overly sticky at all.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine nail paint in Blueberry. 

NARS blush in Deep Throat. 

Another couple of make-up bits I’ve been loving include Barry M’s Gelly Hi-Shine nail paint. I purchased the colour ‘Blueberry’, and it is fair to say I have been impressed! I am a bit of a nail polish snob and so I was pleasantly surprised how good Barry M’s polishes actually were. The gelly formula gives a shiny, glossy finish to the nail, and lasts around an impressive 5 days chip free. I am also really liking NARS’ ‘Deep throat’ blush. It is so SO pretty pink on the cheeks, and I have just always been in love with the minimalistic packaging.

Clarins Super Restorative Replenishing Comfort Mask. 

Bumble and Bumble BB Sunday Shampoo. 

Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Soap. 

 Lastly, some face and body products. A product I’ve been raving about to anyone who will listen is Bumble and Bumble’s ‘BB Sunday Shampoo’…makes my hair just amazing. It’s a clarifying shampoo, so it’s best to avoid using it more than once or twice a week (perhaps alternating with your usual shampoo), ESPECIALLY if you have coloured hair. And now that bumble and bumble is available in boots, it is a hell of a lot easier to get your hands on the stuff, hurrah! Clarins' ‘Super Restorative Replenishing Comfort Mask’ has also caught my attention. As a huge fan of face masks, I am very picky when it comes to what I use on my face. But this mask smooths on easily, doesn’t dry uncomfortably and smells pretty nice too. Go try it! And finally, Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir soap has been a favourite. The smell is just divine, admittedly it is an acquired scent, but if you like it you will grow to LOVE it. Also lasts a really, really long time, and the ladies at the Jo Malone stand will package it beautifully for you.

Thanks for reading!

B.