Double Review: Dr. Organic Snail Gel & Aloe Concentrated Cream

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all well, and enjoying the much-welcomed mini heatwave that's hit us in the UK. As you may have seen in my last post, I've used up my beloved Cetaphil moisturiser and thought it was time to try out something a little different. What I've stumbled across recently is the beauty aisle in Holland and Barrett (usually tucked at the back, it's honestly a hidden gem). I couldn't resist the Dr. Organic display, and it was definitely time to try out the iconic Snail Gel, before the Aloe Concentrated Cream also caught my eye.

Spring clearout: HUGE empties!

Welcome back lovelies,

I have today after a very quiet Winter, a line-up of all of my recently used up products, along with some quick thoughts about each. Hopefully it will help you decide whether to invest in, or skip on some of these goodies!

My winter skincare routine

A big welcome and hello to 2015 beauties!

Hope you all had a fabulous holiday celebrating (or simply feasting) with family and loved ones.

I have something a little different today, seeing as I've not yet posted about how I look after my reactive, blemish-prone skin I thought it was time to share some tips and tricks! In the winter skin is much more dehydrated - especially from the cold dry wind and central heating, so it needs some extra care. I've also discovered coconut oil recently (yes, the one you eat) so keep reading to find out how I use it on my face!

Review: Yes To Cucumbers Daily Calming Moisturiser

Welcome back beauties!

I have recently jumped onto the Yes To bandwagon, a brand from the US which promotes nature-infused beauty products, each internal line aimed at specific skin concerns. My face has been suffering from certain degrees of insomnia, fatigue and the [extremely] changeable weather - and thought the 'cucumbers' range for sensitivity could be a saviour of sorts. I have been using this Daily Calming Moisturiser for around 3 weeks now, reaching for it both day and night - so do carry on below for an in-depth review of this little hidden treasure! 

July & August beauty favourites!

Hello again lovelies!

I'm back from the family fun and all ready to face the new term! Having tried quite a few new products recently, I've rounded up my most reached-for skincare and make-up items for a little joint monthly favourites.

Review: Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm

Good day beautiful people,

You may have noticed that this is one of Glamour Magazine's freebies this month. With the full-size product retailing at £20, I simply had to try this Cleanse & Smooth Face Balm out!

Balance Me is a relatively new company to the beauty world, bringing us 100% natural skincare products which are made in the UK. This cleansing balm is aimed at normal to dry/sensitive skin - and even though mine is more combination-oily, it was still worth a good gamble.

Memebox unboxing! (#6 Wholegrain)

Hello beauties!

I'm so excited to share what I received in my first ever Memebox with you (with thanks to a coupon code from the lovely Which Beauty Box UK). Memebox offers non-subscription, or 'one-off' beauty boxes shipped internationally and directly from S. Korea. You're able to choose from tens of 'themes' (new ones released every week), ranging from products from single brands or ones for target skincare problems. Even though the items you receive are not personalised, there is a lovely element of surprise in that nothing is usually revealed until you receive the box itself!

 

Beauty battles: Tea tree water (LUSH vs. The Body Shop)

Hello again beauties!

I have another skincare-related review today, and it's all about the blemish-fighting, redness-combating tea tree water toner. Thought it would also be fun to start a 'beauty battles' thread where I directly compare products which are seemingly competing with eachother in the industry.

June beauty favourites!

Dear all,

Welcome to my first ever monthly favourites! I love reading others' posts and thought it was time to jump on the bandwagon. ^_^

Top 5 cleansers under £10

Hello there again!

Here's a second instalment of affordable and totally-worth-it skincare products. I have really tried out many many cleansers for my problem, reactive and combination skin - hope that this will be helpful for some of you! [I didn't include any exfoliants or make-up removers today, do let me know in the comments if you'd like my top 5 for anything else! ^_^]

Birchbox Unboxing! (June 2014)

Hey guys and dolls!

Sorry I've been away the last few days, it's been a crazy week (last uni deadline = completed, let's all cheer!). I have loads of exciting posts lined up however so please do follow the blog on bloglovin' [link in sidebar] - thank you :D

OKAY, without further ado, here's my first ever BirchBox! For those of you unfamiliar with beauty subscription boxes, this is a monthly service where samples (and sometimes fullsize) high-end/hard-to-get makeup, haircare and skincare products are sent right to your doorstep. You can customise the types of items you receive, and cancel the subscription at any point. It costs £12.95 from Birchbox UK and here's a sneaky peak of what I received!

Top 5 Face Creams Under £10

Good morning lovely people!

I'm  here with a little list of goodies that you can buy in the pharmacy, supermarket or online for under £10. Having tried and tested many drugstore brands, these are the creme de la creme! None of these products have broken me out (I have reactive combination-oily skin) even though some are lightly scented.
Remember I always link where to buy the products on the title! ^_^

Review: Aloe Protective Restoring Mask (The Body Shop)

Hello again lovelies,

I'm on a blogging roll! 

Welcome to an firm skincare favourite of mine - a second tub of the Body Shop's Aloe Protective Restoring Mask. The Aloe range is aimed at sensitive skin, and contains fragrance and colour free products. 

The Body Shop markets it as a leave-on weekly treatment mask to aid skin "that needs more gentle care". It does all that, plus so much more. I have found it the most effective and versatile (out of the entire line) when it comes to soothing sensitive, blemish-prone and/or sun-damaged skin - and I describe how to multi-use it below!

My Summer Face: Natural base for blemish-prone skin

This is going to be a part of a mini-series of posts of "My Summer Face", where I will show you a few of my go-to products to look fresh, healthy and stay protected.

Today is all about the base, creating a flawless yet shielding layer against the sun.

First of all, let's briefly talk about my skin type.

I wasn't too fortunate with my largest organ, especially across my face. I have combination and reactive skin: it is sometimes oily, sometimes dry, often both and always hyperpigmented or blemished in some way. My acne is most sensitive to INTERNAL factors such as stress, hormones, dehydration, and the lack of sleep - levels of which have all greatly escalated in the last exam period. And now that's over and done with, it's time for a skin clear up.

Moisturising

This is an extremely important step following cleansing and toning (I simply dab Lush's Tea Tree water onto blemishes with a cotton pad). Even if you have oily-combination skin, if it is not hydrated enough the skin will attempt to compensate by producing even more sebum.

I use a mixture of the Body Shop's Vitamin E moisture cream and La Roche-Posay's tinted SPF 50 cream, the effect of which is the best I've experienced for a [relatively] smooth and pore-refining look. I will dedicate another post on sun-protection, but I always use factor 50 on my face - have large 'freckles' (really they are just baby moles :/) which am trying to control, as well as  for general anti-aging reasons.