Cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser... My skincare routine

I've written posts about face creams that I've tried in the past, but I've recently updated my skincare routine to now include a serum and a new face cream that I'm obsessed with so I thought I'd let you know about it! 

Cleanser

I'm still a big fan of a face wash. I find that a good face wash is the only thing that will remove all of my make up and will leave my skin feeling squeaky clean. I've tried a few but my favourite is still La Roche Posay Effaclar foaming face wash.  I use this morning and evening with warm running water and sometimes a flannel to help remove any dead skin. 

Toner

I don't think I've found the perfect toner yet. I recently bought The Sanctuary Pore Refining Toner and it seems to be ok. It smells nice and doesn't leave my skin feeling tight so I guess it's so far so good. I'm also desperate to try Pixi Glow Tonic which I'll be ordering from their website soon as I've heard lots of good things. 

Serum

Serum is a new addition to my skincare routine- I'm still not really sure what it does but as I'm approaching 30, I'm happy to try products that will hopefully keep the wrinkles at bay. I did try a tester of Chanel's Hydra Beauty Serum which of course was lovely but it is quite pricey. I'm a sucker for good advertising so I decided to try No7 Protect and Perfect Advanced serum after hearing all the hype about it. An added bonus was that I had a £5 off skincare voucher and I get 10% off No7 because I'm on the Boots contact lens scheme so it only cost me about £18, bargain! I've been using this serum for about 2 weeks now, morning and evening and I'm not sure that it'll keep me looking 29 forever but it does feel lovely on my skin. It gives a lovely velvety feel and works very well with my moisturiser so I think it was a good buy.

Moisturiser 

I think that this next step in my skincare routine is the most important. I've been using Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme for about a month now and I think it's great. It's quite a light cream but that means it's not greasy, it smells fresh and gives a perfect base for make up. I loved Clarins Multi Active Day moisturiser too but that is slightly heavier than the Chanel cream which resulted in a few breakouts. I paid £55 for the Hydra Beauty Cream but a little goes a very long way and I think it will last a good few months. I think it's a very good investment that I will definitely purchase again. Just remember when you're moisturising to also include your neck and to work in an upward motion to avoid dragging the skin down. 

Eye Cream

I usually just apply eye cream in the evening and I'm still loving Clarins Eye Contour Balm. It's not too heavy and soaks into my skin quickly. A quick tip: use your wedding ring finger to pat in your eye cream as that one gives the lightest touch around the delicate eye area. 

So that's it! It seems like such a lot now I've written it down but I think it is so important to look after your skin and this routine is really working well for me at the moment. If you do have any skincare tips or product recommendations please let me know. I hope you enjoyed this post.

Becky xx

My Updated Evening Make Up

I've recently gone for the chop and because of this and as we are well into Autumn, I've decided to make some changes to my make up. 

This post is about an evening look with dark eyes and berry lips. 

Step 1: After the usual cleanse, tone and moisturise I apply Clarins Beauty Flash Balm as a primer. 

Step 2: Then, using my fingers I blend in Chanel's Aqua Vitalumiere foundation all over my face making sure to blend in at the neck. I'm still loving this foundation, it gives the perfect coverage for me. 

Step 3: I then use No7 Instant Radiance concealer to cover the dark circles under my eyes. I just dab it on and blend in with my fingers. 

Step 4: Next, I use Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer on any lumps, bumps and blemishes again, blending with my fingers. 

Step 4: To set my foundation I apply a thin layer of No7 powder in translucent using a Front Cover Cheek brush. 

Step 5: I then apply the best bronzer in the world ever, Chanel Bronze Universal to the hollows of my cheeks, temples and nose. 

Step 6: I'm still loving the Sleek Brow Kit that I blogged about many moons ago. I fill in any gaps using the wax and set my eyebrows using a small amount of the powder. 

Step 7: I'm still obsessed with my Urban Decay Naked 2 Pallette and I use my Front Cover Fluff and Buff brush to apply Booty Call all over my eye up to my brow bone. I then apply Verve to my lid using the same brush and then using a Front Cover Point + brush I add Pistol to the crease and underneath then eye.

Step 8: My Kiko black eyeliner is the best I've ever used, I never feel like I'm dragging it across my eye as it glides on so easily. I apply this to my upper lids and to the water line.

Step 9: I curl my eyelashes using my No7 curlers then quickly apply a thin layer of Dior Lash Maximizer before applying Dior It- Lash Mascara. 

Step 10: I then apply Mac Powder Blush in Fleur Power using my Real Techniques Blush Brush and Sleek highlighter using a small blusher brush.

Step 11: The final step is the application of No7 High Shine Intense Lip Crayon in Sultry Kiss. It's a lovely berry colour that's perfect for winter and as it's the shape of a crayon is really easy to apply. 

And there you have it, my autumn, smoky evening look. It's not the best photo but let me know what you think! 

Becky xx

1st time self tanner. Eek!

Hello!

My first post today is all about the wonderful world of self tanning. Now I have had a spray tan before and I have used the moisturisers with the gradual tan, but I have never been brave enough to try actual, one application fake tan. But, we were out on Saturday night and I had purchased a new dress for the occasion that had a base colour of white, argh! Not a good look with my pasty, knobbly knees! I couldn't be bothered with the faff of a spray tan and as much as I like the gradual tanners, they always leave me smelling of biscuits (does anyone else thinks that fake tan smells like that?) and they also leave my skin quite sticky.

So, I took a trip to trusty old Boots to see if they could sort me out with a fake tan that wouldn't make me a streaky, orange mess!  I spent a very long time perusing the aisle trying to work out if I could justify the price of the St Tropez express tan, £25 seriously?!! But as I don't often wear tan I couldn't. Instead I picked up the Soltan Beautiful Bronze self-tan gel which claims to give you instantly luminous skin that develops into a natural looking colour in 2-3 hours. 

I felt that this was the perfect option for me as I wanted something that I could apply on the day of the party rather than the night before. There weren't a huge amount of instructions on the tan which stressed me out a little but I prepared my skin as you would for a spray tan- with a shower and a good old exfoliant (I used my Clarins exfoliating body scrub on dry skin which worked wonders! Amazing stuff!) 

I then used a tanning mitt to apply the gel all over (had to get Tom to do my back!) now I'm not sure that my skin became instantly luminous, it did have a subtle glow but I still felt a bit pasty. I began to notice the tan developing after an hour or so but I think it took longer than the 3 hours to develop into the tan that it claims. 

Here is a picture of me at the party. I'm quite pleased with the tan here as I think I  have a nice glow without looking too obviously tanned (this is about 3 hours after application).

I have woken up this morning with a slightly deeper tan and I'm really pleasd with it. I don't smell of biscuits, my skin didn't feel sticky at any point and I could put my dress on as soon as the tan had dried. I would recommend this product to  first time tan users and anyone that wants a tan that doesn't involve too much stress. Plus, at £8.99 I don't really think you can go wrong. All I would say is if you want the full effect of this product, apply it at least 5 hours before. 

Thanks for reading 

Becky xx

On the hunt for a cheaper face cream...

Hello everyone! This is the first of 2 new blog posts that I am writing today and it is going to be about a new face cream that I'm trying.

I know I blogged about the Clarins moisturisers not long ago but I'm nearly out of night cream (very sad times). So, I did a bit of research to see if I could find something that was going to be a bit easier on the bank account. Ideally I wanted a cream that I could use for both day and night. I had been having a look at some of the Origins products online and yesterday went to their concession in House of Fraser, Birmingham. 

Origins have a range of different lotions and potions all at different prices. I picked up one of the cheapest moisturisers, which is the GinZing energy boosting moisturiser for £23.

It says that you can use this day and night and claims to brighten and energise the skin. I tried it last night and it smells great and made my skin feel nice and smooth. It isn't as rich as the Clarins moisturisers but I think that might be a good thing as, although I love it, I was starting to get some breakouts. So far so good! 

I did also get a freebie with my cream (yey!) It is the Clear Improvement Active charcoal mask to clear pores. You get 4 little pods of product (1 per use) which I think is a decent sized freebie! I haven't tried it yet but it is their best selling mask apparently. 

I will keep you updated on how I get on! 

Thanks for reading.

Becky xx