Pre-Holiday Beauty Essentials

Less than three weeks until our holiday! 

These are my pre holiday beauty essentials to make sure I look and feel my best!

 

 Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub £9.45/300ml

 I've been using this twice a week on my legs and upper arms to buff away dry/dead skin. One day I'm going to lose control and just eat it as it smells sooo good! Just an amazing product, it leaves no greasy residue on my skin and it gives a great exfoliation without being harsh on my skin.

 

 Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula £3.77/250ml

Another amazing smelling product! I've been using this every morning after my shower mainly on my legs and they have never been softer! I've got a few marks on the bottoms of my legs from some mosquito bites I scratched a bit too much and this has actually worked on fading them - they are much less noticeable and I'm a lot happier to get my legs out now!

Botanics Detox Brush £5.72

I'm quite lucky that I don't suffer from the dreaded cellulite (yet!) but prevention is better than cure and I've been using this brush every morning for the past two weeks to get my circulation going! I don't know if these have actually been proven to work, but it feels nice to give my legs a five minute brush before my shower every morning!

 VO5 Treat Me Right Hair Mask £4.97/300ml

My hair gets a bit frazzled from using too much heat so I though a hair mask might sort it out. I've only used this twice so far - its lovely and thick, smells very summery and has left my hair feeling nice and soft. I'm going to keep using this two or three time a week and hopefully my hair will be in better condition come holiday time. I've also decided to have a good inch chopped off the ends before we go, eek!

Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash £7.00/100ml & Seaweed Pore Cleansing Facial Exfoliator £8.00/75ml

My skin was in a terrible state last week, I think the humidity paired with my heavy foundation caused a breakout and left me pretty depressed. I had a 50% discount code from the Body Shop website so I bought these products to sort it out! 

I also bought a Seaweed Clay Mask but in the five days between placing my order and it being dispatched (five days!) it sold out and I never received it. In the few days I've been using these products though my skin has seen a massive improvement so all is well!

Do you have any pre-holiday beauty recommendations?

I Won A Giveaway!

I was lucky enough to win BeautyH2T's giveaway and when the postman arrived this morning it was like Christmas had come early! So many lovely goodies to open, it really brightened up my Monday!

This is what I won:

 Colourworks Glitter Eyeliner, Revlon Bedroom Eyes in Mink Wink, Revlon Bedroom Eyes in Smokin', Eyeko Magic Liquid Eyeliner.

 

Marks & Spencer Creamy Eye Colour in Platinum, Marks & Spencer Creamy Eye Colour in Light, Avon True Colour Eyeshadow Due in Retro Glamour, No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow in Comet, GOSH Eyeshadow in Violet, W7 Carnival Dust in Papaya.

Avon Blush in Heavenly Nude, Stila Palette.

Bourjois Nail Enamel in Dangereusement Rouge, Olay 3 Point Super Serum Sample, Olay 30 Second Wrinkle Filler Sample, Lancome Mousse Confort Sample, Oribe Shampoo and Conditioner Sample.

Collection 2000 Extreme Coloured Lengthening Mascara in Teal, Max Factor Vibrant Curve Effect Lip Gloss in Fashion Leader, Ruby and Millie I-Powder Pen, 2True Voluptulash Mascara in Black, 2True Plumptuous Lip Gloss, GOSH Cool Lip Jam.

Phew, so much stuff! I can't wait to properly play with it all, thank you so much!

Pamper Yourself For Free - Banana & Honey Face Mask

Following on from my 'pamper yourself for less than £5' post I thought I'd do a little post on pampering yourself for free! I'm definitely a creature of comfort and I love to indulge myself so I found this little beauty treatment a lot of fun! And everything can be found in your kitchen so you (technically) don't need to spend a penny!

Banana and Honey Face Mask.

Making your own banana face mask is easy, inexpensive and fun!

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana

1tbsp natural honey

4tbsp ground oats

Water

Method:

1. Mash the banana until it has a smooth texture.
Banana is a natural moisturiser that helps the skin rebuild its own moisture level.

2. Add the natural honey.
Honey has been used as a natural remedy for centuries for a variety of ailments. It is known to reduce inflammation and swelling in wounds and can kill germs.

3. Stir in the ground oats and enough water to give the face mask a creamy consistency.
The oats in the face mask help to exfoliate the skin, removing dirt and dead skin cells.

4. Apply the banana mask evenly to your face.

5. Relax for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing the mask off with warm water.

Enjoy!

Pamper Yourself For Less Than £5

I love a good pamper.

Especially after the gym on a Friday night to mark the end of the week and to get refreshed for the weekend.

You don't have to spend a fortune either to put a basic pampering kit together so yesterday lunchtime, armed with my last £5 in the world, I challenged myself to find the essential beauty basics on a very limited budget.

This is what I decided on:

Radox Moisture Soak - 99p; Mudd Sea Mask - £1.01;

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner - 99p; Coconut & Shea Butter Body Butter - £1. 

All from Superdrug.

I also treated myself to an MUA lipstick in shade 4 - £1.

It looks shockingly pink in the tube but it is actually very sheer and wearable. It applies like a dream and is incredibly creamy and moisturising.

This brings the grand total to...£4.99!

Clearly they are not the most luxurious items available but I just wanted to show that you can buy everything you need for a relaxing makeshift spa evening without breaking the bank!

Samples and travel sized items are a great buy if you are looking to try something new or you are simply on a tight budget.

I hope you all have a lovely Friday night; I'm off to soak in a hot Radox bath while my face and hair masks do their work!

Hangover Face

Hangover Sunday's are usually spent sat in my dressing gown on the sofa drinking Diet Coke and watching the repeat of Take Me Out - this always involves little to no makeup and pretty questionable hair.

Today however I had to actually get properly dressed to go down the pub to watch the football with the boy and his friends. I don't do it very often but today it was nice, seeing as the weather is more bearable to go out in. I didn't have time last night to take a photo of my makeup (I give myself three hours to get ready and it still turns into a mad rush) so I thought I'd show you today's makeup instead.

Face:

Mac Prep & Prime

Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation in Rose Clair

No7 Quick Cover Concealer in Medium

17 Instant Glow Bronzing Pearls

Bourjour Blush in Rose D'or

Eyes:

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeliner in Chainmail

Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black

Benefit Bad Girl Eye Pencil in Black

No7 Beautiful Brows Pencil in Brown

Lips:

Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Lipstick in Bubblegum

How has everyone's weekend been?

What Is Your Must Have Basic Beauty Item?

Mine is cotton wool pads!

These basic, cheap little round pads are a constant must have for me; I use them for everything! Removing makeup, applying toner, taking off nail polish, creating make-shift eye masks...I can easily get through 100 in a month, they're so handy and so much better than cotton wool balls.

What is your must have, can't live without, most basic beauty item?

Get Party Perfect Skin In One Week - My Tips

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that I suffer from oily skin and large pores around my nose and on my cheeks. I’ve been working really hard on trying to both eliminate and conceal my pores, and try and get my skin to stay matte looking all day.

It took a lot of guts for me to post my Friday and Saturday night face photos, and after scrutinizing them both in a highly magnetised size I have to say I am fairy pleased with how my skin looks in them. I took both the photos using flash which as you know is not the most flattering way to take a photo, but nonetheless I am happy with how I look.

From reading all of your blogs I know that I am not the only one to be blessed with quite unfortunate skin so I thought I’d share the skin routine I use when I am getting ready for a night out. I don’t want anyone to think I’m showing off or anything because my skin is honestly nowhere near perfect, but I have simply learnt to make the best of what I’ve been given!

When my skin was at its peak of awfulness during my teenage years I would constantly try new products, read a million skincare articles and generally do whatever I could to get my skin looking nice. So hopefully this might be useful to anyone in the same situation I used to be in!

Seven Days To Go – Drink Water! 

I try and drink the recommended amount of water every day, but if I know I have a night out coming up I’ll put in extra effort to drink that little bit more to make sure my skin is well hydrated and bright – it works.

Six Days To Go – Moisturise! 

Even if you have oily skin – I never really believed in this but recently I have been making a lot more effort with it and can definitely see the benefits. Sometimes oily skin can have a tendency to look a bit dull, so a brightening moisturiser such as Avon Solutions Total Radiance is a must. I only moisturise at night and my skin is starting to look a lot brighter in the mornings. You can read my Avon review here.

Five Days To Go – Exercise! 

weheartit

Again, something I do regularly, but always put more effort in if I have something to work towards. This is not just to look skinny – cardio exercise such as running or cross training really gets your blood pumping and circulation going which results in a lovely fresh complexion. Sweating gets rid of all the toxins that can build up – just make sure you remove all traces of makeup before hitting the treadmill. I like to go for a run on the morning of the occasion – just twenty minutes is enough to boost your circulation and leave you with a lovely healthy glow. An alternative to this is gently steaming your face for a couple of minutes. 

Three Days To Go – Fake Tan! 

This step is optional, but for me my skin looks nice and glowy with a bit of healthy colour – I like to have a healthy bronzed glow, I’m not a fan of the tangerine look! Make sure you exfoliate and moisturise your body the day before you put the tan on; the best way to apply it evenly is with a mitt. Tan covers a multitude of sins and I swear by St Moriz - review here.

Two Days To Go – Exfoliate! 

Give your face a gentle scrub to get rid of any dead skin. Usually when I do this it does remove a bit of tan but this can be reapplied the morning of the occasion as it only takes a couple of hours to develop and the excess will be showered off anyway. If you're not keen on exfoliating scrubs, The Body Shop sell Face Loofah Pads which are great for gently buffing away old skin with your regular cleanser. My Scrub Your Nose In It Review is here.

One Day To Go – Clean Your Make-up Brushes!

 The worst thing you can do is have lovely clean skin and then go wipe dirty brushes over it. Clean them the day before and leave them to air dry.

Three Hours To Go – Face Mask!

I adore face masks, and I have found nothing beats Soap and Glory 15 Minute Facial Peel to really cleanse and tighten up pores. This is ideal if you’re going out; relax with it right before you get into the bath/shower, then splash your face with cold water once it has been rinsed off. Pores will be greatly reduced – obviously they will go back to their normal size in a day or so, but this mask has been my saviour many times and I will continue to use it in the future. £7.50 for 50ml.

One Hour To Go – Primer! 

A good primer is an essential in my makeup bag. Currently I am using MAC’s Prep & Prime which creates a smooth, matte base for make-up - you can read my review here.

Forty Five Minutes To Go – Make-up! 

By this stage your skin should be prepped and buffed and looking lovely. After primer but before foundation, I like to dot a bit of concealer on my cheeks just to make sure the pores are covered; you don’t need to cake it on, just a thin layer to make sure the foundation doesn’t settle anywhere you don’t want it to. If you can get away without powder, don’t use it for now – bronzing pearls or a good powder blusher should be enough – you don’t want to start looking ‘cakey.’

I hope this hasn’t been too dull; if nothing else you have an insight into my ‘night out’ routine!

How Clean Is Your Makeup?

I was reading an article yesterday about ‘beauty beasts’. Basically it was about microscopic bugs that live in your makeup sponges, brushes, mascara wands etc and cause rashes and eye infections – yuck! The worst culprits for gathering germs and bacteria seemed to be products you use on your eyes – eye pencils, liquid liners, eyeshadow and mascara; I bet you all use these products daily, I know I certainly do!

I probably wouldn’t have given this article a second thought as personally I am pretty hygienic with my makeup; my brushes get washed, I never share makeup and I always replace old products before they can start causing problems.

So what has made me write about this now?

I was browsing around Boots the other day in my lunch hour and I saw something that made me shudder. A girl was looking at the Bourjois makeup, in particular the eyeshadows. As you probably know, the Bourjois eyeshadows come in the little round pots with an applicator sitting on top of the shadow. Anyway, she opened one of the pots and the applicator fell out and onto the floor. So what did she do? Picked up the applicator, put it back and replaced the eyeshadow. Cringe! Think of all the people who have walked over that floor, all the dust that has gathered etc. I do feel sorry for the person next person who comes along and purchases that particular product!

Anyway, it did get me thinking about the way makeup in shops is packaged. Very rarely do you get a product that has been security protected or given a plastic seal to prevent it from being opened before it has been purchased.

I popped to Boots on my lunch hour today just to double check that this is the case, and the worst offenders in my towns branch were No 7 and Collection 2000 with pretty much nothing sealed up.
 Other brands like Bourjois, L'Oreal, Max Factor, Maybelline and 17 have some of their products sealed but I still noticed some mascaras, lipsticks/glosses, blushers, eyeshadows, foundations and concealers with no seals at all.

Revlon and Barry M however had everything sealed up so it's good to know that at least some of my makeup has been previously untouched!

How often do you see people taking a mascara wand out to look at it, apply lipstick or gloss actually on their lips, or rub their fingers over a blusher/eyeshadow/concealer etc?

 I know tester products are put out but sometimes they just look so disgusting, that people resort to opening new products and testing those instead, and the icky thing is they don’t always buy them after! So you could very well be buying something that someone has already had their hands on, and has been exposed to the air and all sorts of bugs and germs which then find their way onto your face.  

I'm not saying I’m completely innocent here – I admit I’ve been guilty in the past of opening a ‘real’ product to check, either because the tester was missing or just looked too horrible to touch. I just think that since I've been getting more into makeup, beauty and blogging, I’ve become more aware of the problem and I now avoid doing this.

So what’s the solution?

Buying makeup online? Keep makeup behind a glass display like perfume? Obviously I’m not business minded so I don’t know the costs it would incur companies to put a seal on every single piece of their makeup, and then the knock-on effect of makeup prices for the customer. There’s also the environment to think about but I think people are more educated about recycling these days (I like to think so anyway) so the plastic seals/wrappers could just be recycled and reused.

Am I just being too squeamish about the whole thing, or would anyone else like to see better protection around their makeup?

I’ve love to know your thoughts on this!

*photos from weheartit.com