Showing posts with label skincare. Show all posts

Autumn evening routine

Well hello to you my reader chums! Autumn is finally here; the darker nights, crispy leaves, pumpkin spice lattes and bath season are making their appearance once more. I love the cosiness of this season, how you can spend more time inside, taking that time for you or enjoying movie nights with loved ones; the heart-warming woodland walks and Christmas excitement to come.

For today's post, I wanted to share my autumn night time routine, how after a day at work, I like to unwind and pamper myself.

Here's my autumn evening routine...

Autumn evening routine

Bath time

Whether you're a massive Lush cosmetics fan or adore bubbles, autumn is the time to appreciate a bath. As the weather is getting that little bit chillier, I find myself wanting to soak up in the bath then get into some snuggly pyjamas and fluffy socks. Lush have released their Halloween and Christmas range recently that are packed with the best spicy scents! Cinnamon to ginger, it's all there. The spicy pumpkin has to be my favourite this time of year; its mixture of sparkles, the best bubbles and musky scent scream autumn to me.

Makeup removal

As the evenings get darker quicker, you almost want to get ready for bed that little bit earlier and for me that means wiping away my makeup. I'll usually take majority of the makeup off with Garnier's micellar water and continue with the matching face wash, to cleanse my skin, ensuring there's no residue left over.

Autumn evening routine

Face mask

Face masks are a necessity for a bit of pampering especially during the autumn season. I usually use a face mask once a week, typically on a Sunday night, to prepare for the week ahead. My favourite picks are Lush's speciality's 'Cupcake' and 'Brazened honey, Sephora's sheet masks and Garnier's. At this time of year I like to choose a mask that will nourish and repair the skin as not only does my skin get drier in autumn, but I find it can also be more problematic.

Moisturising

After makeup removal or a facemask, I always ensure to moisturise my skin. My top choices for face moisturiser are Simple's 'kind to skin' moisturiser or Garnier's 'rose extract' moisturiser. For all over body moisturiser, I have a wide variety of favourites, from Soap and Glory's 'sugar crush' to Zoella Beauty's 'ginger cream'. As my skin gets a lot drier in the autumn, moisturising is key after a shower/bath and before bed time, each evening.

Reading

I'm an avid book reader and always have been. I find the best way to unwind and fall asleep with ease is to read a book before bed. This allows for my eyes to naturally drop, whether that's mid paragraph or not, it helps my sleep quality be that extra bit better and dream sweetly of the story I've been reading. A comfy mattress, my favourite assortment of pillows and a snuggly blanket help create the perfect relaxing environment to read in bed.

I hope you enjoyed this post about my autumn evening routine. What's one thing you do before bed time in the autumn?

Thank you for reading <3



February favourites

Well hello to you my reader chums! February seem to pass us by in the blink of an eye and its crazy we're already so far into March. 2017 is going along far too quickly and I'm not sure I can keep up. Over the past few weeks, I've been trying out and obsessing about a few new products I can't wait to share with you.

Here's a look at my February favourites:

February favourites

February favourites

Garnier's micellar gel face wash

Garnier's micellar face gel wash

If you're a big fan of the renowned Garnier micellar water, then you could relate to my excitement when I saw the matching gel wash on the shelves in Boots. I can't say it fully lives up to the love I have for micellar water, however it's an incredible face wash. It's able to remove light makeup, cleanse the skin and leaves your skin feeling refreshed. The gentle consistency and no scent feature is ideal for those with sensitive skin. Find out a more information with my latest review.

Revlon's colour stay foundation for combination/oily skin

Revlon colour stay foundation in 110 Ivory

I'm one of those girls who stick to what they know and love when it comes to base makeup products. As I've heard many bloggers and vloggers hype about this foundation, I wanted to try the Revlon colour stay out for myself. I fell in love with it on the first use. They have two different formulation options, one for dry skin and the other for combination/oily skin that I chose which suits me perfectly. There's so many reasons why I love this foundation. The light-medium, buildable coverage is ideal for day-day use and if you'd like something more heavy duty for an evening out. Its consistency is very creamy, sits on the skin well and has a natural, dewy finish. With a primer, the lasting power is seamless, staying all day long and I couldn't fault the wide colour range. I'd 100% recommend if you're on the hunt for a new foundation.

Kiko cosmetics Enigma lipstick in shade 03

Kiko Cosmetics Enigma lipstick in 03

I have a big admiration for Kiko's products, everything I've tried from their brand are always top quality for an affordable price. This lipstick is no exception. I'm seriously impressed with the packaging even if slightly bulky as I love the magnetic effect on how it closes. I'd describe the shade as a toned down berry with a glossy finish. I'm not usually a big fan of lipsticks that aren't matte, however, the sheen wash over the top makes it the ideal everyday lipstick. The consistency is incredibly creamy and feels like a thick lip balm once applied which through wear, leaves the lips feeling moisturised. Its lasting power isn't as impressive given the glossy formulation, however the quality and shade have won my heart. 

Max factor miracle touch blush

Max Factor miracle touch creamy blush

Similar to base products like primers and foundations, I tend to stick to the same blushers. However, there was a sale on Max Factor so I couldn't resist picking a new one up. I remember these blushers being hyped a few years back in the beauty world but never jumped on the band wagon until now. With the tiny compact easy for travelling and intense pigmentation, I couldn't fault this blush. The shade 'soft murano' is a warm pink, slightly red toned colour which easily blends onto the skin. As its a cream blush, there's no need for a brush as your fingers will give a more even finish.

argan oil lip balm

Argan oil lip balm

With the cold day of February, dry lips were bound to be on the horizon. This little pot of argan oil lip balm did the trick with even my driest and cracked lips. It helped soothed and moisturise them until my lips were back into their normal state.

I hope you enjoyed my February favourites. Which products have you been loving last month?

Thank you for reading <3



Brand focus: Sephora

Well hello to you my reader chums! When in Rome and Athens, I had to take a trip into Sephora as I've never visited a branch before. Being my first and second time in the store, I was overwhelmed with excitement to what they had on offer. As it was the European chains, they didn't stock all the American brands I'd liked to have tried, so decided to pick up a few of Sephora's own branded products. I didn't want to go too wild as I had a limited amount of Euros on both trips which I'd already invested into other activities. However, I wanted to try out their renowned face masks and picked up some shadow sticks as I love trying out new eye looks.

Here's a look at all the products:

Sephora face masks and eye shadow sticks
Sephora face masks and eye shadow sticks
Sephora face masks and eye shadow sticks

Face sheet masks - I picked up two face masks, the Avocado, for nourishing/repairing skin and the pomegranate which helps tackle fatigue. As they were for different purposes and scents, it gave me a chance to see how both worked. Initially, putting on the mask I was a bit taken aback. I typically use your generic face mask, that's applied, left onto the skin and washed off, never a sheet one so a new experience for me. I pulled it out from the packaging, took of the excess layer and placed onto my skin, which felt a bit strange at first. Once settled, I got used to the soft and wet texture, allowing the product to sink into my skin and allowed myself to unwind. I left it on for the recommended 15 minutes and after peeling it off, my skin felt like I'd revealed a new layer. It was soft, moisturised and revitalised. The avocado scent for me personally smelt a lot better than the pomegranate which lingered much more.

Eye mask - As I got on quite well with the face mask after the initial new experience, I couldn't wait to give the eye mask a go. These were a bit trickier to put on as my eye area wasn't large enough for the design so I had excess mask that I ended up folding over. Despite this, once on and left to sink into my skin, the eye masks felt like a refreshing dream. The gentle texture of the material and soothing product were the perfect blend to awaken my under eyes. I can't wait to give more of these a go in various scents! (Hurry up and come to the UK Sephora.)

Sephora face masks and eye shadow sticks

Shadow sticks - A product I love trying out are eye shadow sticks, to test new colours, consistencies and how long it stays under shadows. I have two different shades, the champagne colour, ideal for an everyday look and a khaki colour, something unusual to vamp up the eye look on an evening out. The creaminess of these sticks is unreal, they draw on and blend seamlessly. Pigmentation is slightly toned down to the product on the tube, yet still intense enough to wear as just that on its own. The wearing power is great, I'll pop it on in the morning and it'll last throughout my working day with minor creasing, pretty fab considering I have quite oily eye lids. The champagne colour holds golden and nude tones running through mixed with a lot of shimmer, making it an ideal base for an easy, day to day look. I like the khaki as it's not too vampy and dark, yet more like an olive toned, emerald green which can easily be smoked up with some black shadow. To sum it up, they're incredible. I can't wait to try out more shades!

Sephora face masks and eye shadow sticks

Now I've tried out their shadow sticks and face masks, I'd love to give all the other products a go. Sephora has certainly impressed me, I wish there was one right on my doorstep!

I hope you enjoyed this overlook at a few of Sephora's products. What's your favourite item of theirs?

Thank you for reading <3


Day in London: Catalyst Autumn/Winter preview event

Well hello to you my reader chums! Yesterday, I attended the Catalyst Autumn/Winter preview event, my first ever blogger-style occasion. As I was quite new to going to these functions, I asked to bring my twin along to make the day much less nerve-wracking. However, when I arrived, I was welcomed with such a friendly environment that all the initial worries floated away. 

The Catalyst Autumn/Winter preview event was an exciting day in London, and here is my full experience.

Catalyst Autumn/Winter preview event

The event was set in a gorgeous clear rooftop area, filled with a range of different booths showcasing and demonstrating a vast selection of products. After arrival, we delved into the many stands and got talking to all the companies. Through chatting, we learnt about the unique products, the history, how to use them and top tips. As well as a lovely interactive experience, it was really insightful and educational too, finding out about many unknown brands/products. I loved how friendly and easily approachable everyone was. I even got chatting and made friends with a couple of bloggers, Ceri and Lydia, who Maria and I then went and had Starbucks trip with afterwards.

Catalyst Autumn/Winter preview event

BeautyCrowd

The first stall we approached was BeautyCrowd who were genuinely so lovely and informative about everything on display and themselves.

Catalyst Autumn/Winter preview event

Steamcream

The lady at Steamcream and Micro cell 2000 was ultra sweet, testing out the products and explaining them all to us. At Steamcream, the tins were the most adorable and distinctive little things, I can't wait for the Christmas ones to be released!
Steamcream

Nanokeratin

Heading to the Nanokeratin stall, we found out it's a family run business. Within their family included twin brothers which was pretty fab as we could relate and easily talk to them both!

Nanokeratin

Sexyhair

The spread put on by Sexyhair was very glamorous and suave, complete with a backstage-esque type mirror where they styled guests hair.
Sexyhair

Sexyhair

Catalyst Autumn/Winter preview event

PawPaw

Waltzing over to the PawPaw booth I was very excited because I've been loving the original balm over the past few weeks! Finding out more about the product I've been using was not only interesting but eye opening as weird as that sounds because it made you aware of what's being put on your skin and the benefits it has.

Pawpaw

PawpawPaw paw

Revlon Professional 

One of my favourite stalls we went to was the Revlon Professional. Offering us a relaxing and inviting experience, the stylists made Maria and I up by doing our hair. They gave me rather swish, beachy waves and for Maria since she has long hair, experimented with a wedding inspired up-do.

Revlon professional

This is me posing in the mirror, which I have to admit I wanted to take home! It reminded me of backstage theatre where all the actresses/actors prepare their makeup and hair before an electrifying performance.

Revlon professional

Here's my final look; I felt oh so fresh at this point and wanted to just swish my hair around (without looking like a complete fool.)

Revlon professional

Maria's ever so elegant look ( I really loved the final outcome!)

Revlon professional hairRevlon professional hair

After a incredible and insightful few hours at the event, with our new buddy Lydia we headed to Starbucks, grabbed a drink (plus a nutella cookie aka the best creation ever) and sat down in Cavendish square for charming chat. I thoroughly enjoyed Starbucks and a natter with our new blogger friend in the cutest little setting. Good company and pretty places is all you really need for that perfect afternoon! 

London Chelsea
Starbucks

I want to say a big thank you to Catalyst for inviting me and making me feel so welcome at my first ever blogger event. The overall experience was fantastic, I left feeling so enlightened, discovering new people and products. I'm so excited to now dive into all my new goodies and give them a try! 

Thank you for reading <3