I'm currently loving writing these type of blog posts at the moment, I recently wrote about my morning routine - you can read that here - and found it really helped motivate me to stick to my new routines for 2020.

Today I thought I'd go through my current skincare routine with you and show the products that I use on a daily basis. I do my skincare routine each morning & evening and do my best to stick to this even on early weekday mornings and also on late-nights when I'm super tired!

Cleanse

You may or may not have heard the term 'double cleanse' pop up on social media or around the beauty community and I just thought I'd quickly explain what it means.

It doesn't necessarily mean scrubbing your face with a cleanser once, rinsing it off & doing it all over again using double the product luckily! I cleanse once with Micellar Water to remove make-up, oil and any other crap the day has thrown at me.

I then clease for a second time but this time using a Salicyclic Acid Cleanser. I squeeze a small amount of product onto my Homedics Face Cleanser and in circular motions I move the product around my cheeks, chin, forehead and take care around my eyes and under my nose. I'd 100% recommend a silicon face cleanser - there are so many on the market at the moment to choose from and I feel like it just gives a deeper clean that I could with my hands!

Tone

After drying my face post-cleanse I'll grab a cotton pad and soak it in my toner of choice; at the moment I'm testing out the Glow Tonic from Pixi as I've heard great things about it and so far I'm loving it!

Before I moved onto Pixi I used up a full bottle of Nip & Fab's Salicylic Acid Toner - this is actually part of the Teen Skin range but as I can be prone to breakouts every now and then I really like to use products with blemish fighting ingredients. My local Boots was out of this toner hence why I tried Pixi but I'd definitely recommend this product if you're also prone to spots or blemishes.

Moisturise

Once I swept my toner across my face and neck I'll leave it to soak in for a minute or two whilst I pick out my moisturiser.

Depending on whether it's day or night I'll use slightly differnet products. In the morning I use my all=time favourite moisturiser ever, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel. I've been using this product for years now and I love how gentle and soothing it is on the skin.

 In the morning I take some moisturiser in my palm and add two or three drops of Clarin's Radiance Drops - I find this gives me a little more colour during the week and helps to balance out my skin-tone.

In the evening I'll usually apply a serum from The Ordinary (I have three from their range and have written about them here) and give my skin the once over with either a Jade or Rose Quartz roller - if you'd like a seperate blog post on rollers or gua-sha products then please let me know! :)

Finally, if I've got the odd spot or two I'll apply some product direct to the bad boys to reduce their size and redness over night, my favourite product for this is Bye Bye Blemish - you use a cotton swab to take a small amount of the pink liquid once it's settled in the bottle and whack it on the spot overnight to dry it out.

The Ordinary Skincare: Is It Worth The Hype?

I posted on my Instagram a few weeks ago that I'd treated myself to a few products from The Ordinary range and said that I'd give you a review once I'd given them a go properly so here we are!

I've never been great at skincare or looking after my skin (despite having really awful breakouts during my teenage years so I know I'm a bit silly) but over the last couple of years I've really begun to take some care over my skin and invest in some great products to give it a helping hand.

The first great thing about The Ordinary products is just how affordable they are, they're available on the Boots UK website and when you compare them to some other brands in the same area they just come out tops really on great reviews vs cost and affordability. 

I have started out my collection with three products which I'll go through below in more detail but I had a very small checklist of things I wanted these products to tackle, they were pore-minimising, smoothing, evening out skin tone, keeping my skin blemish-free and reducing any hyper pigmentation. I spent a lot of time looking at reviews and descriptions of each product, as you'll see they're named after their solutions so it's really important to see what will work for you.

Their website is super informative though and it helped me massively to find a small collection of products which would work for me and my skin. Below is what I opted for, please keep in mind I have quite blemish-prone, combination skin. 

Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%, £8.90

I knew when I was looking through all The Ordinary products that I wanted a Vitamin-C product. I have quite dull skin and it could sometimes make me look really washed-out and even poorly as it really lacked any brightness or glow! 

This product is a brightening serum with an antioxidant to reduce signs of ageing and even out skin tone  - bingo! Ascorbyl Glucoside is classed as one of the best Vitamin C derivatives and this is a solution which is water-based so easily applied and doesn't feel harsh at all on my skin.

Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, £5.00

This product is a dream come true for oily skin. It targets breakouts and minimises pores by regulating the amount of sebum (oil) that your skin produces. Its' two main ingredients Niacinamide and Zinc are two of the best blemish-battling ingredients out there so for me it ticked a lot of boxes!

I've found this solution slightly sticky initially but this soon wears off and I can really feel the smoothing effects, my skin doesn't feel at all oily when I use it but it definitely doesn't dry my skin out by any means either, so winner winner!

Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA, £7.00

The final product I opted for is one that targets hyper-pigmentation. If you're not sure what that is, hyper-pigmentation can be any dark patches or spots on your skin, for example they're quite common on the upper lip (which can sometimes give the awful illusion of a moustache) but can show up anywhere. This product has a high potentcy of Alpha Arbutin which tackles these tricky spots to reveal more even, younger-looking skin!

I've 100% noticed a difference since using a combination of the above in my daily routine, my skin is so much brighter and I've gone many days without wearing make-up now due to how much more calm and even my skin-tone is looking. My dark spots aren't as noticeable at all and my skin just has a much healthier look and glow about it. 

Make sure you use the brand's handy regime tool to work out which products you can and can't miss, when to apply them and what they're good for!

I Tried Aromatherapy To Help Me Chill The F Out

As someone that's suffered with anxiety for many years, chilling out isn't really something I've ever been good at. It hasn't really mattered what I've done whether it be yoga or meditation, my brain just won't shut the hell up for much longer than 20 seconds and I really struggle to completely relax or switch off.

I didn't quite realise just how bad I was at relaxing until I made an appointment for a lymphatic drainage massage and after half an hour of a fantastic massage my therapist Joanna at TruthPie told me that she could tell that I struggled to completely unwind. I almost felt caught out but she reassured me that she thought another therapy would suit me better; aromatherapy. I'm not going to lie, I didn't really have a clue what aromatherapy entailed but agreed to give a session ago.

So we started by picking oils that would a) be good for stress and anxiety and b) that I actually liked because Joanna said that it can differ from session to session and your body will react differently to different oils depending on what it needs at the time.

The three oils which appealed to me the most were Ylang Ylang (good for relaxation), Myrtle (great for fatigue) and Eucalyptus Staigeriana (which is really useful for easing any aches and pains). Joanna then used a mixture of these for the massage itself.

She spent an hour working these essential oils into my skin in a medium-pressure massage, she worked out some knots and tension in my upper back and shoulders before moving onto my legs individually, feet, arms, hands and then my neck. It was a really relaxing experience although I found my mind still buzzing every now and again but I tried really hard to clear my head and just relax to get the most of the massage.

Joanna gave me a mix of the oils to take home to add to my bath, so I'm really excited to give that a go and see if I feel as mellowed as I do right now as I write this blog post!

If you're thinking of trying aromatherapy then I would 100% recommend it as it's a therapy that's tailored to you, your mind and your body and what it needs. Don't forget that self-care needs to be your top priority and we need to nurture our minds and bodies alike.

Boots 'Drugstore' Haul

As soon as payday comes around, so does an obligatory Boots haul. Mainly to replenish those necessary empties but also to take a good old look around and see what's new!

I already own a couple of the brushes in this Real Techniques Foundation/Base Core Collection, £21.99 set but I thought it would be nice to a) have duplicates for the brushes I already have, in case one set needs cleaning super urgently I can switch them out, and b) use a couple of brushes that I've never tried before, like the smaller detailing brush and the contouring brush.

These Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Facial Wipes, £2.65 have been on my shopping list for a long time and they were on offer today in Boots so it seemed like the perfect time. I have skin which is super-sensitive to harsh facial wipes and I usually always go for a wipe that includes cucumber as it's such a soothing ingredient. These wipes include not only cucumber but also aloe vera; the dream team!

This trio of beauty products includes one that I love, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, £4.19 and also a couple of new buys. I have very dry skin so I've always been wary of powders as I don't want to invite any cakey-ness onto my face where it's not welcome, this Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, £1.99 looked super-lightweight and I'm excited to give it a try.

I also really liked the look of Maybelline's Dream Bronze BB cream, £6.99. As the weather gets warmer, I like to wear less and less in the form of foundation so this bronzed BB cream fitted the bill perfectly. It also contains SPF 25 which is a huge bonus, I'll let you know how I get on with this BB during the week.



The new nude lipstick collection from Kate Moss for Rimmel, £5.49 have been all over the blogosphere lately so when I spied them in Boots today I just couldn't resist choosing a shade to take home. I opted for shade 45 which is a beautiful brown-based nude with a hint of pink (so don't worry, it won't look like you've got foundation on your lips). I'll be reviewing this product in full very soon so keep an eye out for that post.



Finally, I picked up this John Frieda Frizz Ease Secret Agent Touch-Up Creme, £4.00. I've been using Bleach London's Split Fix Serum to control my flyaways and to smooth out my ends for a long time now but as they were out of that in the store today I took the opportunity to look for something new to try out. I found this product and it looked like it would do the trick.



Full reviews for these products will be on the way once I've given them go so make sure you're following me on Bloglovin or Twitter for all of the updates.

 

July Beauty Favourites

This last month has been a manic one and I feel like it's flown by! I've titled this post my July Beauty Favourites because I think I'm going to try spreading my other 'Favourites' out (like clothes, movies, music) throughout the month rather than all in one post because, you know, I'm always discovering new things and want to share them with you as soon as I've figured out I like them!

Anyway, that's enough rambling for me, let's get down to my July Beauty Faves.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo and Conditioner: The Marvellous Transformer with Argan & Camellia Oils 



The name is a bit of a mouthful but these two products have really helped in getting my hair back to a much better condition after it was lightened earlier this year. I've been trying for the last few months to not bleach or use as much as heat on my hair and so far so good. However, a little extra help never hurt anybody so during a recent Morisson's shopping trip I noticed these two products on offer and grabbed them!

There are a few different varieties of shampoos and conditioners in this range but this pair is designed for dry and dull hair and contains two types of nourishing oils; argan and carmellia. Since using them I've found my hair is a lot silkier and softer after washing and I like to alternate these throughout the week with the Lee Stafford Bleach Blonde shampoo and conditioner that I mentioned in my Julianne Hough hair tutorial.

Garnier Ambre Solaire Self-Tanning Dry Body Mist



Here's a funny story; last weekend I was feeling super pale, the weather was beautiful and I was going for lunch SO I grabbed a St Moriz instant tan out of my drawer and proceeded to slather it all over my body after a shower. Little did I know that particular bottle of tan was about 18 months out of date.

The tan turned an instant greyish-green colour and I freaked out and washed it off entirely. I then went back upstairs again to root through my drawer of self-tans (yes, that is a thing I'm afraid) and found this one which fortunately was in date and also worked a bloomin' treat!

I love, love, love tanning mists. They're the second easiest way of self-tanning after the super-easy in-shower tan, like the one I wrote about last month. I sprayed this instant Garnier mist all over and by the time I was ready to head out the door a couple of hours later, it had already developed into a beautiful, natural golden tan. Due to the nature of this product I found that it didn't leave nasty streaks or uneven patches. I also have the face version of this tan so I might give that a go in August and update you!

Hair Burst 



I'm going to write a full blog post on this soon, I know I've missed my 30 days milestone now but I've been super busy so please forgive me, it is coming!) So far, I really, really like the Hair Burst vitamins! I've noticed changes in my hair length, hair condition and also, more excitingly for me, the condition of my skin since I started taking them, you can read my original post on these all-natural pills here.

During certain times of the month I suffer from breakouts, usually it's inevitable and I just roll with it because it never lasts more than a week, but since taking Hair Burst it's safe to say I haven't suffered from any at all *touch wood, as I don't want to jinx it!*

Ultimately, Hair Burst contains a lot of the same ingredients as your average hair, skin and nails vitamins and I've definitely noticed vast improvements in all of those areas so I'm really chuffed. I will of course be updating more thoroughly for the next couple of months and there will be a big post at the end of my three-month trial to let you know how I got on and whether I will be continuing to take the vitamins.

My Current Bases

Two things that I'm always experimenting with and changing are foundations and moisturisers. I've got quite a collection of both and I often switch them up, depending on what my skin is doing at the time.

I've got quite dry skin so an intense moisturiser is a must and right now I'm loving this particular moisturising lotion from Aveeno. The Daily Moisturising Lotion contains Colloidal Oatmeal, which to you or I means a product which is made of very finely ground oats. This mixture is perfect for itchy and dry skin and products containing Colloidal Oatmeal can be very good to treat rashes, irritations, bug bits and other skin conditions. In my case, just super dry skin!

I find that this particular moisturiser stays put all day and keeps my skin hydrated for hours and hours, whilst in the past I've discovered most moisturisers still leave my make-up looking cakey by the end of the day. I apply this moisturiser once in the morning before I put my foundation on and then once again once all my make-up is off before I go to bed.

Speaking of foundations, as the weather gets warmer I like to ditch my maximum coverage MAC foundations and switch it up to something a little lighter. Right now, my foundation of choice is Bourjois Paris' Happy Light Foundation. I love how lightweight this foundation feels and in my opinion it's the next best thing to a CC-cream. It also contains translucent pigments which claim to give you a luminous and flawless complexion in any light - now that's a big claim! I'm not sure I'd go as far to say it does that, but it definitely gives me a dewy look with plenty of coverage and I love to team this foundation with my favourite Hoola bronzer from Benefit and MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter for that sunkissed, summer glow.

You can buy the Bourjois Paris Happy Light Foundation, £11.99 and Aveeno's Daily Moisturising Lotion, £5.45 from Boots.

Sydney Sierota Bronzed Smoky Eye Makeup Tutorial

Echosmith singer Sydney Sierota absolutely nails the bronze smoky eye and she's even said herself that it's her favourite look to wear both on and off stage, so recreating it using Sydney's favourite products was a no-brainer.

The three MAC eyeshadows I used in this tutorial are the same three that Sydney uses to create her bronzed eye look but if you don't want to splash out then I would definitely use a Naked palette or any nudes/bronze palette to recreate this look. Let's get on with the tutorial.



Firstly, apply an eyeshadow primer all over your lids to ensure your shadow stays put all day - or night!



Next, I use a Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush to cover my eyelid with MAC Brule



I then used the same Real Techniques brush to sweep MAC Wedge over the outer 3/4 of my eyelid, leaving my inner corner light and bright to open up the eye.



Then, I used a Real Techniques Duo Fibre Eye Brush to darken the crease and very outer corners of my eye with MAC Antiqued. Using a fluffy brush by Smashbox I blended all three shades together to remove any harsh lines.



Finally, I lined my top and bottom lashes with Bourjois Paris' Contour Clubbing Waterproof Eyeliner in shade 57 Up and Brown. I then finished by applying Rimmel London's Wonder'Full Mascara to both my top and bottom lashes.

Let me know what you think of this look, is it something you'll be giving a go?

 

Rimmel 60 Second Super Shine by Rita Ora in Pastels

Summer is pretty much upon us now and when the weather gets bright, so do my nails. Despite having very small little nails - because I have a terrible habit of biting them when I'm anxious or nervous - I love to play around with fun nail polish colours and these beauties from Rita Ora's Rimmel London collection are no exception.

Rita's 60 Second Super Shine nail polish collection has now grown, with over 12 different shades, all in summery, bright shades with adorable themed names such as Glaston Berry, Peachella and Daisy Days. My personal favourites from this collection are three pastel shades, Bestival Blue, Rain Rain Go Away and Go Wild-Er-Ness.





What I love about these three polishes is not only their amazing colour which only needs one or two coats at a time, but also the 60-second drying time which is perfect if you don't have the time to sit around and fan your hands in order to air dry your polish! These polishes are a bargain too at only £2.99 a pop at Boots.

June Favourites

June has all round been a pretty great month for me, it started off a bit rocky and I struggled with some bad bouts of anxiety but I also went on an incredible week long holiday to Mallorca with my best friend which was full of sunshine, cocktails and very yummy food! As the month comes to an end it's time for me to share my June favourites with you all!

Julianne Hough's Platinum Messy Waves - Tutorial

Along with being an incredibly talented dancer on Dancing With The Stars and her very own tour, Julianne Hough is also well-known for her incredibly gorgeous platinum blonde bob. Julianne got her long locks chopped by her best pal and hairstylist to the stars Riawna Capri and since then she's shown there are many ways to wear her neatly cropped style whether it be braided, straightened, half-up half-down or even pink! However, the style she rocks most often is a fresh platinum-blonde loosely curled 'do and that's the look I'm going to help you achieve today.

MAC and NARS Haul

A day out in London this weekend resulted in me spending the best part of my afternoon in Selfridges, going all heart-eye-emoji in the beauty department. I've had these four items on my shopping list for a long time now - mainly for one very good reason that I will share in just a moment - and I thought it was the perfect time to treat myself!

St Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan

As an avid fan of sunless-tanning I'm always on the look out for that natural looking glow, which is why I'm always drawn to gradual tans. I love the St Tropez brand, their mousse was the first fake tan I'd ever tried so when I knew the brand new 3-Minute In Shower Gradual Tan was launched I had to give it a go!

Hair Burst - My Journey

I recently had my hair cut fairly short (think Julianne Hough's current bob) and I loved having all of the dead, damaged hair chopped off. It feels a lot healthier already and as much as I like how edgy my messy bob looks, I am already missing having longer hair. That's why I decided to try Hair Burst.

Soak Up The Sun

If you're going on vacation this summer or simply staying at home to soak up the sunshine you'll want to look fabulous while doing so. Since getting my hair chopped shorter I've been looking for ways to jazz up my 'do this summer - especially seeing as I can't really pull off cute top-knots or sleek ponytails anymore!

Along with finding great ways to style my short hair - tutorials coming soon - I've also found some amazing accessories to switch up my summer styles.

Headwraps

Imagine Vanessa Hudgens at Coachella; these headwraps are a stylish way to add some bohemian vibes to your outfit. Curl your hair into messy waves and team with distressed denim shorts and a plain boxy tee for that effortlessly chic look.  Get this headwrap from Forever21.

Hair Rings

If I could heart-eye-emoji on my blog then I would because I am in love with these hair rings. Slide a few onto your hair while you braid or wrap your hair around a ring to jazz up a half-up 'do. If you'd like a tutorial on a few ways to wear hair rings then comment below. Get these hair rings from Free People.

DIY: The Perfect Pamper Night

A weekend with no plans is the perfect time to relax and catch up on some much needed me-time and there's no better way to do that than with a pamper day with homemade DIY treatments!

I rarely have time to indulge in face or hair masks so there's always plenty of homemade treatments to get stuck into when I fancy treating myself. Here are my favourites:

Moisturising Face Mask
I have quite dry skin so I need a face mask that's nourishing and moisturing. My avocado and honey mask does just the trick.

What you'll need:
1/2 really ripe, soft Avocado
85g honey

Method: 
Mash the avocado and honey in a bowl and then apply to your face. Leave for 10 minutes and then rinse off with a warm washcloth.

Keep blonde looking fresh

When you're not a natural blonde - like myself - it can be a struggle to keep your blonde looking fresh and to keep those annoying yellow tinged out of your hair.

There are a combination of ways to battle brassy blonde hair, here are some of my favourites: