Wednesday 29 January 2020

Skincare Routine 2020💕*

It's been a while since I last did an in-depth, updated skincare routine! My products of use have changed slightly, with some newbies and some oldies. I used to be right into my skincare, then I started slacking, and now that it's 2020, I want to have that glowing skin back, so I've forced myself to get back into my old ways and love my skin again.

Beauty Formulas Cucumber Scrub || 99p - One of my many finds in Savers: never underestimate the place, I find some right bargains! In terms of a facial scrub, I don't use them on the daily; I just use some soap to wash my face, but a face scrub 2-3 times a week.  Some facial scrubs I find can be quite harsh on the skin - they feel extremely gritty and sore - but this one is the opposite. It's gentle on the skin, yet feels effective at the same time. As it's cucumber, it's very soothing and beneficial on the skin. It lathers up surprisingly well for a facial scrub, and I love how smooth and radiant it leaves my skin. Definitely recommend it - so go have a nosy in your local Savers! I hadn't ever heard of the brand "Beauty Formulas" but I certainly want to try more of their products.

Garnier Natural Rose Cleansing Milk || £2.49 - I absolutely love a good cleanser, especially if it's a milk based one. The Garnier one I have used before, in conjunction with the rose toner, and I loved it, so when I decided to get a new cleanser, I immediately opted for this one. The scent is beautiful - floral, as the name would suggest - but the cleanser is designed for sensitive skin so it wouldn't irritate it too much, especially as it's not overpowering and is rather delicate. It has quite a thin formula, so I find that only a small amount, about the size of a 10p coin, is all that's require. I use it alongside my PMD.

PMD Clean* || £89 - I've never used a facial brush, so I was extremely excited to try this one by PMD! I've read a lot about PMD, so was intrigued to see if they're worth investing in. It has a total of 4 vibration modes, and which one you select depends upon the thorough cleanse you wish for. I tend to choose either option 1 or 2 as I feel it works best with my skin. I won't lie - the first time I used it, I felt dizzy. It was the weirdest sensation ever across my forehead, but after that, I never noticed this apparent dizziness. I apply the cleansing milk after washing my face, then use option 1 or 2 to help "work" the milk into my skin, then rinse it off using warm water, and oh my - I can't express how fresh, glowing and healthy my skin looks, plus it feels super soft and all round amazing! It's waterproof and suitable for all skin types, so I can't recommend it enough. If you feel you have a problematic area, PMD recommend spending up to a minute using the brush purely on this one area as it helps improve the issue. Recommend for people of all ages with all skin concerns as it's not too harsh whilst using.

Boots Fragrance Free Facial Toner || £1.50 - I feel a toner is an essential product for finishing off a skincare routine as you really feel the benefits of it as soon as you use it - it helps to remove any final traces of dirt, oils and impurities, close the pores as well as tighten them. For me, it leaves my skin feeling super fresh and cleansed. Use it before moisturising to prepare your skin for the final product. I've tried a fair few toners, but always end up repurchasing this one because I find that it works the best, and the price is purse-friendly too. It's fragrance free, meaning it'll work for all skin types. I've never had any problems with this toner, and it's one my skin likes (ie doesn't break me out, cause redness etc) therefore will keep repurchasing. Boots also do a cucumber version of their skincare range too if you're looking for something different!

Boots Fragrance Free Moisturising Cream || £1.50 - I used to believe the myth that if you have oily skin, you shouldn't moisturise.. if I could tell my younger self, it'd be to ignore that! I now love moisturising my skin. I like to use one that has a fairly thick consistency, which is why I opt for this Boots one. Although it's kind of on the thick side, it feels very lightweight and non-greasy on the skin: my skin soaks it up fairly quickly. It's enriched with vitamins and anti-oxidants, so it's also friendly on your skin. I like how hydrated it leaves my skin, and helps lock in all the goodness from the previous steps. As it's fragrance free, I think it'd work really well on all skin types, especially dry skin due to it's thick formula. I love slapping this on both morning and night as I don't need to wait around for a while waiting on it drying.

I'm really glad to have got back into the swing of things in terms of skincare. I have noticed that my skin looks healthier, and I haven't had many, if any, break outs this month. Additionally, I have started drinking more water and green tea, and eating more fruit too, so perhaps combining this with a skincare routine has worked wonders.

xx

*PR Samples

Monday 20 January 2020

A Makeup Remover Stick?💕

I go through phases where I pay carefully attention to my skin and how I remove makeup as I do the whole works; micellar water, toner etc. Then, other times, I'm really lazy and just use a wipe. In general, there's no in-between. I didn't intend on buying a makeup remover stick, but when I was buying items from MUA in Superdrug, they had a deal and the stick was a "free gift". So, here we are. Let me tell you all about it.

MUA Pro Base Makeup Remover Stick || £5 - So the idea behind this stick is that it helps dissolve your makeup, making the removal process quicker and easier. I will be brutally honest and admit that it is quite messy. Perhaps I just haven't found a solution to use it properly yet. All I do is scroll the stick up and in circular motions, wipe across my face, dampen my hands and work the remover into my skin. However, when I wash it off using a wet face cloth/flannel, it does actually remove all traces of makeup really well, including foundation and mascara. Yes, it removes eye makeup so no need to worry about it irritating your eyes.

One thing I do hate about this product is the way it leaves my skin feeling after using a cloth to remove - it feels extremely greasy, and almost waxy in a sense. Therefore, I find I need to use a face wash of some sort to remove the excess greasiness, but this also throughly cleanses my skin too. However, after washing my face properly, it does leave my skin glowing, radiant, and feeling clean and soft. It is more time consuming than using other makeup removers, such as micellar water. If I'm wearing a full face of makeup - which would include foundation, contouring etc - sometimes I carry out the routine twice, just to ensure that I've properly removed everything. But, I find I often end up with foundation and other makeup all over the stick, which is a bit disgusting as it builds up rapidly. This means that I'm essentially spreading bacteria across my face, so maybe I need to find an alternative way to use it. Apart from that, it does remove the makeup quite well, and for the price, I can't complain.

All in all, it's not a bad product. It does have a few cons, but I can deal with them as it does serve it's purpose and works well. As I said, I can't complain too much as it is only £5. It'd be ideal for perhaps travelling as it's small therefore wouldn't take up much room in a case/bag.  If you're looking to try a new makeup remover, give this a shot! You'll be surprised.

xx

Monday 13 January 2020

The Verdict: Primark's £2 Nails💕

I am NOT a nail person at all. Back in 2012/13, I used to love doing nail art, but since then, I very rarely even bother painting them. I've never have acrylic or gel nails or anything, but for NYE, my dress was a literal princess dress - pink and glittery - so I wanted to get matching nails. Knowing absolutely nothing about nails and not wanting to pay a fortune, I ended up in Primark. I was completely unaware at how many different styles existed; metallic, matte, square, rounded. The list goes on. In the end, I picked up their "Precious Jewel Nails", purely because they were girly, I liked them and thought that they'd be a perfect match for my dress.

In the pack, there are a total of 4 different designs of nails (seems I was a dafty and forgot to show the 4th design in the picture!). It came with a varying range of sizes too, meaning there will be a design of your choice to fit each finger too. Being the organised individual that I am, I settled on a certain set and decided to start gluing them down. The glue I used was just a Primark one - at 60p per pack (containing 2 bottles of glue), I wasn't sure how well it'd go.

The applying process was actually a lot easier than I expected. For my first time applying nails, I did a not bad job, in my opinion. One or two were maybe squint or over the cuticle, but I could deal with it. I decided to apply glue to both the back of the nail and my actual nail, just to make it easier to glue down. I applied them the night before NYE, purely because I wanted to make sure the glue had plenty of time to dry etc. I did struggle to work with them at first, even for simple things such as typing. They were long, but not ridiculously too long in my opinion. They looked rather elegant and helped elongate my hand too.

Ignoring how dry my hands are and the fact my tan is hella dodgy (I just can't tan them and they just don't take tan either?!), look how pretty they are on! I just kept looking at them, admiring them.

Now, the real question. How well do they last? So, I left on NYE with all 10 on, by the time I got to my friend's house, one of them came flying off as I shut the car door. Leaving the house with only 9, I then came home with 6 in total - 3 managed to snap off whilst I was out. Perhaps this isn't a fault with the nails - if I used different nail glue, maybe it would've been a different story. But, they looked pretty, I managed to get some nice pictures of them and they didn't break the bank. So, for future, I will definitely be buying more Primark nails, but just buying an alternative glue.

In terms of removing, I had to take them off on NYD because I was working the next day and wouldn't be able to operate the screens with my nails, so took them off. I cut them down - or what was left of them! - filed them and they simply peeled off as easy as anything.

All cons aside, they were nice nails! If you're looking for some pretty designs that won't break the bank, get yourself to Primark.

xx

Monday 6 January 2020

Brand Focus: Beauty Bay💕

Having disappeared from blogging from a while, I fell away from beauty trends too. Meaning, I am EXTREMELY late onto the bandwagon here in terms of trying out Beauty Bay. But, I caved in after seeing how cheap their own branded products were, and considering how good the reviews were, so I decided to treat myself to one or two (in my case, 5 haha) items. It's only fair to say, I wish I tried out their makeup sooner.

Beauty Bay Identity 42 Colour Eyeshadow Palette || £25 - Although it retails at £25, I actually managed to grab this palette at £12.50, an absolute bargain! This breaks down to 30p per eyeshadow when I bought it, damn. Even at £25, it means each eyeshadow equates to 60p! The palette comes in "sections", suggesting that each shade has it's own purpose. This is quite a smart idea as it's broken into the following section: base, transition, crease, liner, pop and glitter. I don't follow any of these (rebel), but their ideal and handy if you're perhaps new to eye makeup as it's a bit of a guide. There's such a variety of colours in the palette, and that's why I chose it too. I liked that it wasn't just reds or golds, but instead, had a diverse range of colours. Additionally, it's a combination of mattes and shimmer shades too rather than being just one. Taking both of this into consideration, it means it's extremely versatile - you could create various looks using just this palette. On the last note, let me discuss pigmentation. Oh my goodness, I'd heard that they ooze pigment, but I didn't realise quite how light handed you had to go in with your brush. Even a slight tap with your brush and the colour payoff is unreal. Love, love and LOVE.

Beauty Bay EYN Fiery 16 Colour Palette || £11.50 - Originally I had seen the EYN Fiery Matte 9 Colour Palette (£6.50), but I ended up with the 16 colour palette instead because it included an addition 7 colours for only £5 more, plus there are shimmers in the ones I opted for too. But, can we just appreciate the beautiful, warm hues! I've really been into reds, oranges and warm browns for my eye makeup, so when I found this palette on Beauty Bay, it was practically a match made in heaven to be honest. Much like the previous palette above, it's super pigmented, so a light hand is all that's required! It doesn't have quite as many shades as the last palette either, meaning it's a lot smaller. This means that if you're on the go or doing your makeup at yours friends (which I try avoid because I will take over your whole room trying to get ready and always forget something), it wont take up much space in your makeup bag. Perhaps going to be my go-to palette of 2020.

Beauty Bay Ethereal Bouncy Beam Multi Use Highlighter Palette || £12 - I was adamant I was getting one their highlight palettes because they just scream Anastasia Beverly Hills at me, but for a fraction of the price! I was tied between two, and I sat lusting over them both for ages before settling for this one. And boy, am I glad I chose this one. Each shade is different, even though they appear kinda similar in the photo. Some are blue toned, others more white with warmer undertones. And the glow! I use a fan brush to apply, I don't even need to reapply a few layers to achieve my desired glow because it just glides onto my skin so effortlessly and leaves me looking like a highlighted queen. I apply it in the usual part of my face - cheekbones, under my eyebrow, top of my nose and my cupids bow. It's been my go-to highlighter palette lately, because no matter my eye look, I find that this palette has got a highlighter which will compliment my eyes, and that's a big winner in my books. Sometimes highlighters can look "chunky", leaving a big stripe of "glitter" across your face, but this glides on so smoothly that I haven't came across this issue.

I do not know what rock I've been under, but I've only just discovered liquid eyeshadow. I didn't know anything about them nor had tried them, so naturally, I ordered two of them from beauty bay. They had a few to choose from, but in the end I went for "Peach Quartz" and "Opal". I really do wish I discovered these little gems sooner, because damn - eye makeup has never been easier!

In terms of packaging, it comes in beautiful little holographic boxes, which read "Living my Best Light". The actual packaging of the liquid eyeshadows resembles a lipgloss, so be careful you don't mix them up!! They have a dofoe applicator, which can be a bit awkward for applying on the eye - I recommend brushing some onto a smaller brush to fit your eyelid better.

Beauty Bay Liquid Crystal Eyeshadow - Peach Quartz - Looking at this product, you'd expect it to be quite orangey, warm toned. I feel as though I've been lied to because in actual fact, it's definitely not - it has to fall under the pink category in my eyes! For me, this isn't an issue; I do prefer it. On my first use, I applied it onto my eye with no base eyeshadow, but I found it to be quite sheer, so I used a few layers. However, upon my next use, I quickly applied a pink eyeshadow from the first palette (Identity) before using this, and it made a massive difference. It gave it something to "stick to", and it almost helped enhance the pink base (which was my desired achievement). The opacity was completely different, but I decided to use a second layer purely to ensure it popped and was as glittery as possible: it was for NYE after all! Between applying layers, I like to let them "dry", just so that when applying the next layer, I don't smudge or ruin the previous layer. I have blue eyes, so this pink really helped them pop. I'll insert some photos below of me wearing it so you can see how beautiful it is on!


Beauty Bay Liquid Crystal Eyeshadow - Opal || £6 - so I had originally bought this shade for NYE, with the previous shade being a "back up" second option, this one unfortunately didn't match my dress as well, but that being said, doesn't mean I don't dislike it! It's a beautiful light/baby pink, but with silver undertones. Much like the previous one, I apply it on top of eyeshadows just so I can wear it at its fullest opacity. I like to wear this one with a glossy pink lip and a cool toned highlighter as it helps it to pop. But, it's a shade that could be worn with a variety of makeup looks on many different skin tones too - being pale and this having a silver undertone, it really compliments my skin but would still look as beautiful on a darker skin tone too!

I don't have many photos with it on, but you can see the silver on my eyelid - well, that's this beauty. I decided to pair it with a red crease and red lip as I was wearing a red dress later on.

The thing I love most about the liquid eyeshadows is the fact that they don't smudge or crease, and they last for hours. They've made my eye makeup much quicker and easier - colour on my lid, work some into my crease, apply the liquid eyeshadow and voila! Simple yet effective.

As mentioned, I wish I'd tried Beauty Bay sooner. Their products are of such an amazing quality for the price. It's free delivery over £20, and it arrived within a matter of days too. I know for a fact I'll definitely be using the website and treat myself again!

xx
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