April Favourites!

Hello! The month of April has been quite skincare based for me as I'm trying to fix my skin but I have only included my favourite in this! Doing favourites posts makes me wish I did YouTube because it makes for such a long post! I've seriously been using all of these things to death so I wanted to share them with you all.

1. Bershka Jeans - I am rather slim and finding my size in trousers is a pain in the butt. However, I walked into Bershka and found they sold size 4's in a majority of their trousers. I picked these up as I can wear them to school as part of my suit and they are so comfortable! They're slightly stretchy which I love and they fit me well around the waist and my legs which I always struggle with. They weren't too expensive either! I've never really explored Bershka but I will be going back!

2. The Body Shop Vitamin E Serum in Oil - This has been a life saver! It's restoring my skin back to how it was before I had lot's of dry patches and making my make up sit a lot better the day after I've used it. It makes my skin so soft when I apply it and I feel it looks a lot more nourished and brighter. I use it 2 or 3 times a week and leave it over night, applying my moisturizer only on the places where my skin skin is particularly problematic. I've spoken about it in my skincare post here!

3. Rimmel 60 Seconds Polish in Rose Libertine - I bought this back in October as I'd seen EssieButton talk about it and I'm so glad I bought it. It's been in the back of my nail polish collection for far too long and I dug it out at the beginning of the month. This is one of my favourite polishes to apply and I definitely need to get some more summery colours (to add to the 80 others in my collection...) It's a beautiful rose colour that I bet will look even more beautiful with a tan and without top coat it lasts a good 4 days without dramatic chipping. Love it.

4. Benefit Coralista Blush - I love this blush for a pretty flush with a slight highlight. It has a sheen without it being super shiny and is great to wear everyday for an extra glow! It's quite similar to NARS Day Dream which I've also been loving this month but I find this has a bit more glow and luminosity and I love it!

5. Wayfarers by Rayban - I've spoken about these in a post already here but I have loved being able to whip these out more often this month because the sun is finally coming out for more than 20 minutes! It's actually quite warm! I love them and they go with everything - so classic!

6. Reverse Washing - I must admit, I've done this for quite a while and I didn't really realize it was a thing until I saw a couple of posts on it. Reverse washing is using your conditioner first rather than second which might seem strange until you try it for yourself. I do this every time after I swim and find it removes residue and makes is so much easier to detangle once you're out the shower. I also find it gives my hair a bit more volume as it's not as weighed down and it means there is longer between washes!

7. Frozen - I think I've watched this 4 times now? I've made several of my friends watch it and I love the songs. Might not be quite the months for it, but I really do love this film and I see why there is so much hype!

What have you been loving this month?

Favourite Songs: Waves - Mr. Probz / Stay High - Tove Lo / High Hopes - Flious Remix / Love is an Open Door - Frozen (watch it! watch it now!)

Dry Skin Fix

Hello! Huge apology for not posting yesterday but have a super (not in a good way) amount of work at the moment that I still haven't completed for tomorrow. I really hate growing up! As mentioned in a few previous posts, I've had really dry skin at the moment, particularly on my face. I think I have put it down to not only the transition in the weather but the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum which I have stopped using for a while just to make sure. It's been so itchy it's painful and has completely changed the texture of my skin. This month I've been on a mission to add moisture and hydration back into my skin and this is what's working for me! I've gone kind of skin care crazy!

I use Nuxe's Aroma-Perfection Purifying Cleansing Gel every morning and evening at the moment after taking off the majority of my make up with L'Oreal's Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil (I wish brands wouldn't name products after tongue twisters.) I find this gets off all the grime, dirt and make up from the day and leaves me with a clean but not stripped base. To my clean base I add La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo + to my problematic areas and where I can feel spots coming up (TMI?) which I find soothes the area and prevents marks being left behind (review coming soon!) and to sooth the need to itch my dry patches I add E45 cream to the worst areas (my cheeks and forehead) before finishing my routine with Nuxe's Reve de Miel Lip Balm and a thin layer of Superdrug's Vitamin E moisturizer which I'm not actually a fan of as it leaves a film on my face but I'm giving it a go.

For a boost, I add a little extra moisture into my skin with two products that I love at the moment. Firstly, Lush's Oatafix Face Mask which I find intensely moisturizes and gently exfoliates my skin which doesn't irritate my dry skin. I've spoken about this before so I won't rave too much! I use this once a week, normally on a Sunday for an end of week pamper and top up for my skin! The newest edition to my routine is The Body Shop's Vitamin E Serum-in-Oil. This was suggested to me when I called on the #bbloggers of Twitter to help me with my dry skin dilemma. @VivelaVieBlogs suggested I use this and I'm so glad that I went and picked it up. I use 3 or 4 drops twice a week and it leaves my face feeling so smooth. It doesn't irritate my dry patches or make me break out so I think that really, this is to thank. I quite like putting oil products on my face as well because I find it really gives my skin an injection of moisture that I can't find in cream products. Thank god for The Body Shop.

Do you have anything you use when you have dry skin? What's in your skincare routine at the moment?

Birthday/Wednesday Wishlist #2

vagabond shoes, topshop boyfriend jeans, zoeva crease brush, bobbi brown face blender brush, zara dress, soap and glory solar powder, zara bikini, topshop lipstick in pillow talk, asos rings, bumble and bumble surf shampoo and conditioner, white new look skort, leather pouch (can't find similar but would like to purchase a dupe! help!), nars sheer glow foundation, zara slip ons, fujifilm polaroid

I've mentioned these shoes before and I'm truly in love with them. I definitely think they would go well with the jeans, the dress and the skort which are also included in my wishlist. I really need a new foundation as my current one is causing me troubles (review coming soon) and I really want to try this out, especially with the Bobbi Brown brush after watching lots of Tanya Burr's videos recently. I love the Zara bikini and would love it for my holiday this summer and who isn't obsessed with these slip on shoes? Although they're bloody hard work to break in! Cor, isn't that a pale-pastel wishlist!

Do you have your eye on anything at the moment?

CLUBMASTERS

Hello! About a month ago I was lucky enough to go and meet Gemma Sheppherd through a competition I won (see my outfit of the day here.) Winning this competition gave me the opportunity to talk fashion and beauty with her, have lunch with her and I was even gifted a pair of sunglasses thanks to Vision Express.

I entered the competition run by the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust by writing about how having one eye has effected me and my self-confidence, as well as how I have overcome it. Along with 3 others, I went to the Mayfair Hotel in London to meet Gemma, have a chat about how the four of us could improve our self confidence and how we have managed to overcome some of the issues we have faced. This was finished off with a beautiful lunch where we continued to chat a bit more about ourselves and what we like (there was a lot of fashion and beauty talk on my end!)

After lunch we were lucky enough to all be able to choose a pair of sunglasses from Vision Express. We had spoken earlier about what kind of eyewear we go for and I said I loved the style of Wayfarers and Clubmasters so naturally I tried both but ended up going for classic black Clubmasters which I love! They are super sturdy and I also love the case just as much as the glasses!

Rayban Clubmasters

Thank you so much to CHECT, Gemma and Vision Express for my amazing day and sunglasses! 

*this post is not sponsored by or in association with Vision Express in anyway.

Currently listening to | Waves (Robin Schulz Remix) - Mr Probz | Stay High (Habits Remix) - Tove Lo | Tremors - SOHN

From Across the Puddle

Hello! As mentioned in my previous posts, I was in France this week and something caught my eye in the supermarket... The Pharmacie. I had some euros and as I was going to Center Parcs where there isn't a great deal to buy except food I immediately thought skincare (and there seems to be a skincare frenzy on my blog at the moment!)

I've read so much about La Roche Posay on lots of blogs so I thought I would definitely pick up some Effaclar Duo + and I also got a sample of the Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel which I thought was a really nice touch. I haven't tried out my sample yet, but so far I'm liking applying a thin layer of Effaclar Duo + under my moisturizer morning and night. I will let you know about how well it lives up to it's claims of being anti-imperfection and pore clearing.

I mentioned in my post about Nuxe Reve de Miel that I wanted to try more from the brand so I jumped at the opportunity (almost knocking everything off the shelves) to try their Purifying Cleansing Gel which I have been using since I got it. I will let you know when I'm a bit more aquainted with it but so far I really like it. It removes all remaining traces of my make up and leaves my skin feeling clean without feeling stripped. Perhaps I'm on to a winner...

Have you tried any French brands recently?

15 Second Miracle

Hello! I'm back from France now and wanted to share with you something I've been loving for a while but is so easy when traveling. I have never had an issue with applying oils to my face in the name of skincare and use olive oil for intense make up removing on the odd occasion which is why this Skin Perfection Oil by L'Oreal caught my eye when in Boots.

L'Oreal Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil - £5.33

The oil is transparent when first applied to a dry face. I take about 2 pumps and massage this into my eyes before taking another pump all over my face then waiting 15 seconds-ish before wetting my hands and really working it in. When water is added, it turns into a really thin milky oil before rinsing it off. If I have heavy make up on I will need to do this twice, especially to my eyes before all of my make up is off but it's so quick and easy to do. I especially love this for late nights or just before I get in the shower. The product says it 'instantly dissolves waterproof make up' although I never use waterproof make up because it's so hard to get off! However, it removes my Benefit They're Real Mascara which must mean it's pretty good. I find it breaks down my make up really quickly and even if it doesn't remove it the first time, it makes it a lot easier to remove if I were to use something like micellar water afterwards - so quick. The product is also amazingly non-greasy. It leaves my skin feeling moisturized but hasn't got the oily feeling you would expect after rinsing off with water. I find this so quick and easy with a little bit of toner and moisturizer afterwards and I'm good to go! I would definitely repurchase this but note to self: do not loose the lid next time. It makes it super hard to travel with!

Have you tried this or another cleansing oil?

Oatafix

Hello! Right now I should be in France and I have been told that I won't have Wifi... What a nightmare! But I'm probably having a nice little break with some lovely revision. Brilliant, just brilliant! So, without further delays, has anyone tried Oatafix?

Lush Oatafix Mask, £6.25

After finishing one of Lush's most loved face masks, Cupcake, I decided I would pick one of their other most loved and talked about. Oatafix promises to 'cleanse, soften and moisturize dry skin' which is something I've really been struggling with at the moment. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm hoping it's down to the cold weather rather than being allergic to something... It also claims to 'reduce redness and gently polish' with the almonds and illipe butter which nourishes and restores the skin. Alongside these products is bananas which contain a large amount of antioxidants and vitamin C which aids elasticity and protection of the skin. They're also great for just making a DIY mask in your kitchen (would anyone like to see a recipe?) which is a quick fix if you're in need of some skin TLC.

Oatafix has a waxy and grainy texture down to the oats and almonds within it. As a result of this, the mask is quite hard to spread over the face but I find that with application to a wet face and perhaps a little extra water when working it into the skin makes it a lot easier and less wasteful. The smell (and taste which I discovered by accident) reminds me a lot of flapjacks which smells sooo good and is probably my favourite scent of all lush masks (I find Cupcake lingers a little too much for my liking...) I also love how cooling this mask is, especially as with all Lush masks you have to keep them in the fridge to ensure the natural ingredients last longer.

I find that with Lush face masks that I don't notice the effects until I stop using it and realize how great it was for my face. I haven't got through this whole tub, but I use this about twice a week and every time I use it it nourishes my skin and gently exfoliates, leaving my skin so smooth and moisturized. My make up always goes on so much better the day after I've used this as I find it evens out my skin so that it's ready for my base. It hasn't completely solved my dry skin problem but it's been 2 weeks so I'll give it a chance and perhaps it will come out on top as my new favourite Lush mask and I will see why everyone loves it so much!

I've tried The Sacred Truth, Cupcake and now this, but do you have any suggestions for what I should pick up next?