Spring Series: Facial Skincare!

Hi all! We're back with another post in our Spring Series.

We've previously covered our favourite products and tips ranging from footcare to fitness and hands to body care, and you can catch up with all of them on this link.

This week is dedicated to facial skincare to help you with your way to brighter and more glowing skin!

I have recently been looking over my skincare products in shock at how much my collection has grown in the past year (eek!).

There are products for everything you can possibly imagine so initially it was hard to narrow things down.

The best place to start for me however is with a great cleanser. Removing the dirt of the day to reveal your skin is the best place to start especially when combined with an exfoliator.

I tend to use either Liz Earle' Cleanse and Polish or Origins Checks and Balances for every day, and then Murad's AHA/BHA Cleanser to exfoliate as well.

This exfoliating cleanser has so many benefits it was hard to write about when we published our post a few days ago but honestly it has had such a great effect on my skin.

The next step I'd suggest is a good radiance inducing face mask. My favourite is the REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal mask.

It's well known on the bloggersphere for being the one that's pretty much like marmalade, but the orange smell combined with the amazing radiance effect it gives your skin makes it top of my list when my skin is feeling a tad dull.

I tend to use this once a week, normally Thursday or Friday to give me a glow ready for the weekend!

Lastly for keeping your skin tip top for every day I would recommend the Make A Difference range.

I personally use the Rejuvenating Treatment due to my skin type but there are different types of moisturisers for all skin types which is what i love about it. There's a heavier cream for drier skins and a gel for oilier skins, both of which are light on the skin and don't clog the pores but deliver a hydrating punch that actually does diminish blemishes and has helped my skin to recover from my random bout of acne.

It has definitely helped my skin to become more uniform so fingers crossed it does the same for everyone! And as it's so light it would be great for warmer weathers.

Ginzing is another popular favourite, the eye cream has particles in it that helps to reduce any signs of tiredness and dreaded under eye bags. It sinks in easily and of course with all Origins products is free from nasties, hurrah!

There's my facial product tips for Spring, what would yours be??

L xxx

I'm the same as L and love to use Liz Eearle as my hot cloth cleanser of choice, I have tried the No7 one but I wasn't really a fan of that one. For some reason though I don't like to use a hot cloth cleanser in the shower so in the Mornings I'm currently loving Soap and Glory Peaches and Cream. This smells amazing and feels luxiourous as well as leaving my skin clean but not itght. It does suggest on the packaging it's more of an evening cleanser but I've noticed no problems using it during the day.

I'm also loving the Murad cleanser as my scrub of choice at the moment. I love using scrubs, it's good to make my skin feel extra clean and the Murad one is great and isn't too harsh as some can be.

As for masks I'm currently loving Origins Clear Improvement. I've reviewed that here. In love it for bad skin days and it's great for my oily skin and really helps control it. I really want another mask that's more of a brightening one. So any suggestions are welcome? I am tempted by Ren.

Something L didn't mention was toner. For me toner is a product I can't live without. I've been using a one from Lush, Breath of Fresh Air for about 3 years now. I love it, it closes my pores after cleansing and prepares my skin for moisuriser. I find when I don't use it I get spotty.

Lastly my favourites for Skin care have to be Origins for Eye Cream. For day I favour the Ginzing eye cream, it sinks in easily and has a brightening effect which is great for mornings. For evenings I prefer to use something thicker and more targetted for wrinkles. For this I use Origins A Perfect World for Eyes. This is a much thicker cream/gel forumla and feels great on the eyes.

I love using the Clinique Repairware laser focus serum. I use this before moisturiser. I'm hoping using products like this will delay me getting wrinkles for as long as possible.

Lastly for mosituriser I absolutely adore Clinique Super Defense and Super Rescue Cream (reviewed here) there is no better than this pair for me. Unfortunately they are expensive so I do try to use others to save money. Do you have products you love but can't afford to always splash out on?

What are your skincare must haves?

Love M

xxx

What's On My Bedside Table

I've been meaning to write this a while.  It's kind of my beauty favourites but it's what I use every day skincare wise.

Since moving I've been a lot more organised.  I keep everything in these Skubbs from ikea. 

For £6 you get 6 boxes 3 of each size.  They come in black, white and purple.  They are great for organising.

On my bedside table. I always keep a glass of water.  I get thirsty in the night a lot. I also have a soft cushioned brush. I'm trying to brush my hair more often as I figure it's better for it.  I try to spend a minute a night brushing it. 

During the week I straighten my hair so I used to be lazy and just brush my fingers through it in the morning.  Also I have deodorant.  I use whatever is on offer and pillow mist.  Not convinced it works.

Things I use morning and night in my box are: My lush lip scrub. These are amazing.  I wouldn't be without mine it makes such a difference and they are a bargain too. Lush whipstick lip balm. This is one of my favourites.  It tastes and smells amazing.  Lastly is my origins super spot remover. I do like this but I probably wouldn't repurchase.  I thought it was brilliant at first but I'm going off it now.

For day cream I use Origins balanced diet.  You can see a full review of this in my save, spend, splurge series and for eye cream I use Origins Ginzing.  I really love this.  It's light and great for mornings and brightening.

For the evening I use a lot of things. I'll use either the Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus corrector or the Bioeffect EGF serum. I love both of these. Unfortunately the bioeffect serum is out of my budget for repurchase but I will be picking up the Clinique.  I really love this. It's light on the skin and feels great.  

For night cream I'm currently using Origins starting over. To be honest I don't like it. It feels like it sits on the skin rather than sinks in. It was a freebie so I'm trying to use it up. 

My evening eye cream is Origins perfect world for eyes. I love this. It's thick and sinks in well. It's perfect for night time.  As I'm oily skinned I don't like it for days. I really love origins eye creams. I think Clinique wins on face moisturiser for me. 

Lastly at night I apply vaseline to my eyelids after my eye cream focusing on my eyelashes.  I've heard it's good to make them grow plus someone I work with said she always does it and she's over 60 and has amazing eyes so it's worth a try.

Lastly I keep my inhalers and other medicine stuff I use regularly in there. It's so handy having everything to reach. I really need to find my cuticle oil and put that in.

What's your skincare must haves?  Do you use anything like vaseline on your eyelids?  

Love M

Xxx

Save, Spend, Splurge Night Creams featuring Avon, Lush and Clinique

So a few weeks ago I did Save, Spend, Splurge on day creams, you can see that and my eye make up remover one by clicking here. I'm liking writing these as it's making me compare things to make sure I'm not just liking something more because I think I should. I have a few more of these planned including clear primers, cream based primers, hot cloth cleansers, volumising mascara, lengthening mascara and some foundation ones but I need to pick up a good save one for oily skin to test so any recommedations let me know or any other products you particularly like compared. I will try to do them regularly but most likely they will be fortnightly so I can test new things as I seem to have two things for most categories.

So on my day creams last month Splurge won (save only lost out due to lack of anti aging properites) and Spend won the Eye Make Up remover battle. Will Save win this to even up?

Let's see what I've picked as my night creams. I'd say it's only really the last year (since blogging really) that I've really paid attention to my skincare and made sure I cleanse, tone and moisturise twice daily. 

SAVE

Avon Complete Balance Night - Oil Free Gel

This is a super light weight oil free gel that just sinks into the skin. It has the most amazing fresh, clean smell that doesn't smell fake. It skins into the skin quickly and provides a good level of moisture for oily skin types. It can feel a touch tacky sometimes. Annoyingly this is in the current Avon brochure but it is in there regularly and I have checked with Mummy M (my mum's an Avon lady) and she has reassured me she hasn't seen that it is going out. This one tends to come and go from the catelogues. The Avon Solutions skin care range is great for those on a budget and Avon does some truely amazing deals.

I think this normal retail price of this is aroun £7.00 which for 50ml is very reasonable. But it regularly is in deals such as half price or even lower. I know when I picked it up it was £2.50-£3.00 so it's definitely worth looking at. I find it harder to find cheap skin care for oily skin, especially moisturisers. This doesn't have anti aging products which I have started to look for but is perfect for oily skin. If you have oily combination I don't think this will help any dry patches. I will re visit this and add links when it's in the next Avon Campaign. It's standard packaging for your moisturiser. Glass tub with a screw on lid. Not great for travelling but it does mean it's unlikely to get stood on and broke if you live in a messy environment like me. (I favour the floordobe, I'm trying to improve) Also glass is recyclable for you green ladies :)

Spend

Lush Vanishing Cream

I loved this cream from the moment I first started using it. This was one of the first moisturisers I spent a lot of money on. This technically isn't aimed as a night cream and can be used as both day and night. Which is handy if you are someone who travels a lot or doesn't like to have too many products. Vanishing cream is advertised as a Low fat moisturiser meaning it contains little fat/ oils and is great for us oilier skinned ladies. Vanishing cream sinks into the skin straight away. It feels light and fresh on the skin but provides a good level of moisturisation as well. It helps with any dry patches I get left from where spots have been without leaving greasy patches on my skin. It smells nice and fresh and contain lavender (which gives this a very subtle smell not at all over powering) and also witch hazel to help control any oil and help with blemishes.

This isn't going to do anything for anti aging as I use this when I have more breakouts. It's £17.50 for 45g which is more expensive than I remember but a little goes a long way and it does last. It also comes in one of Lush's black pots so save these little ones up and you get a free face mask which is always good. You can purchase here.

Splurge

Clinique Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturiser

The day cream partner for this won the battle of the day creams and I have to say this wins the night creams too but mainly because I'm paranoid about anti ageing and I'm hoping prevention really is going to help may skin staying looking better for longer. I find it really hard to find a high street cream with a cheaper price tag that is lightweight, oil free, won't break me out and helps prevent ageing. This really is a great all rounder. Mine is running out and I'm literally heart broken that I can't afford to replace these at the moment. (I'm moving in the New Year and have to save every penny going) This cream is slightly thicker but still dissolves into the skin without a greasy feeling. I like something that feels a bit heavier at night as I think my skin can do with that extra boost. Again there are no heavy fragrances with this cream. Skin is just left feeling soft, non greasy, moisturised and clean. 

The downside of course to the Clinique is it's rather pricey price tag. £37 for 50ml. It's expensive. It will last around 3 months though when used every night so it's not to extortionate. Another bonus is it comes in 3 slightly different formulations so even if you don't have oily skin there is still a good chance this cream will work for you. You can purchase it and read about other variations here

So Splurge did it again. I think I'm just getting expensive tastes. I love that it's a great all round cream and it offers it all that none of my other options do. I'm still on the hunt for a slightly cheaper one that is just as good but without a doubt when I have the money a sneaky purchase to Clinique will happen. For now I have others to use up. I haven't included my current night time cream in here as it's one I'm using but I don't like. 

What is your go to night cream? Would you spend £37 on a night cream? Although it's expensive I think it's worth it as what's the point in spending loads on make up if you aren't looking after the skin you put it on. Me and L were also once told to think about how much you're willing to spend on a dress for a few nights out ;)!! Skin is for life hehe!!

Love M

xxx

Save, Spend, Splurge Day Creams featuring Avon, Origins and Clinique

I've been meaning to write this post for a while after I got quite a few positive response on the one I did on eye make up removers (found here) I always wonder whether it really is worth paying more for things. I plan on doing posts on night creams and hot cloth cleansers too. Would you be interested in seeing posts like this on beauty products as well?

Anyway today's post is day creams. Let's start off with my skin type. I'm an oily combination skin type. While I used to sway away from moisturiser as I was oily skinned I used to not bother as I thought it was unnecessary to add more to my skin. How wrong was I. Since realising this I've been trying different ranges of skin care to find what's perfect for me.

In a day cream I like something that's light and sinks into my skin easily so I can apply my make up on a nice base and not have something heavy on my face as it doesn't need it.

SAVE

The first one I started using was the Avon Solutions Complete Balance Day Cream. This is an absolutely brilliant moisturiser for anyone with oily combination skin. It's a mattifier day cream which just leaves the face with a nice shine free finish. It's oil free which is always good and has SPF15 which is what I like day creams to have so I don't have to worry if my foundation doesn't. The cream has a great consistency which leaves my skin feeling suitably moisturised without being oily. It sinks in easily too which means you can apply your make up onto a nice base. The RRP for this is £7.50 for 50ml which in itself is a great price but you can usually get it on offers and in deals. It's currently £5.00 here or you can get a travel set with a mask, day cream, night cream and cleanser here which is also £5.00 and is a great way to try them out. I got this one for £3 when it was on offer.

Apologises for the tatty pot. I like the pot it's similar to the Clinique one and means you can get all the product out easily. It does mean if you have long nails you do get some product under your nails. This cream has a nice fresh fragrance that is very subtle and possibly a little floral.

SPEND

For if you want to spend a little more I have the Origins Balanced Diet Moisturiser.\This is also an oil free moisturiser. It uses Japanese seaweed and sodium hyaluronate which is apparently what makes it great for oily/combination skin types as these give moisturiser without weighing down the skin. This lotion blends easily into the skin and feels very light weight. It has an almost minty fresh fragrance. I find it pleasant. This one cost £23.00 for 50ml so is significantly more than the Avon one. You can find out more about the ingredients and how they work here. I like the brand Origins and a lot of their products. But this isn't a cream I'd repurchase and I prefer the Avon one over this. Mainly because they are very similar but the Avon one also has SPF.

I do prefer the packaging of the Origins though.

SPLURGE

Onto the Splurge. The Clinique Superdefense age Defense Moisturise SPF 25 for Combination oily to oily skin (with Clinique you can get the same moisturiser but for different skin types). I have previously done a full review on this day cream here. This moisturiser is brilliant. It's perfect for oily skin as it's lightweight and sinks into the skin easily. It feels fresh on the skin and sinks in well and has the highest SPF value of the three creams. I love that this cream is not only aimed at oily skin but is also Anti Ageing and while I'm only 23 I'm a firm believer of prevention is better than cure and it's best to start young. I find it hard to find anti ageing products that aren't heavy on this skin and this is brilliant. But it comes at a price. £37 for 50ml unfortunately. While it's pricey I really think it's worth every penny and would definitely repurchase. The product lasts a long time though. You can purchase here.

The packaging looks and feels luxurious and classic and is plastic which is handy if you are travelling. No one wants to spend £37 then drop it and it smash.

So overall this time for me SPLURGE wins. It's such a great all round cream to prevent anti ageing, sun damage and control oil. I love this. But when I'm skint I turn to my SAVE option as I think it's as good as SPLURGE so it's not worth spending the extra.

Have you tried any of these? What's your go to day cream? Are you happy to spend on day creams?

Love M

xxx

Review: Clinique Superdefense SPF 25 Age Defense Moisturizer Combination Oily to Oily Skin and Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturizer Combination Oily to Oily Skin

Hey all. 

Today I bring you my first indulge in expensive skincare. With skincare I like to use the products for a good month or two at least before reviewing. I'm now addicted to Clinique and here are my thoughts on some of it.

So a few months back now I decided it was time to try a more premium brand skin care for my day and night cream. I'm only 23 but I've always been told prevention is easier than cure. A motto I like to live by. So I decided to look for day and night creams, aimed specifically at oily skin types that will still help combat the first signs of ageing.

I hadn't looked at reviews of products online and decided to stroll into boots and see what counter hit my eye, the scientist in me was draw to Clinique with the white coats reminding me of lab coats and there clean looking display. As I walked up to the beauty counter it was one of those days I need a lot of help and advise and a good chat with an assistant. Unfortunately she decided to ignore me. Nice eh? When you need them they don't bother. I decided to try House of Fraser as by this point I was set on Clinique. As I strolled in she finished serving and then had a chat with me about what I was hoping to get from my skincare and what my problems were and the main ones I wanted to target.

Nice free gift bag

 My free gifts. How generous are Clinique!! Lots for me to test out 

 One of the things I loved the most about Clinique is you can buy most of their products for different skincare. I was told I was a 3 and could use products aimed at 3 or 4. I was recommended the superdefense SPF 25 age defense moisturiser for combination oily to oily skin. It comes with a slightly eye watering price tag of £37. But as L once said to me if you'll spend it on a dress or bag why not on skincare. So I splurge and as they were offering a bag of goodies if you bought two items I picked up the night cream to which is the super rescue antioxidant night moisturiser again for combination oily to oily which is £35.

Both products are paraben free, allergy tested and 100% fragrance free. Great for if your skin is a little more sensitive. Something both L and I try to look out for. The day cream is gorgeous. A light product that just sinks into your skin and leaves it well moisturised without feeling greasy or tight. I find some products for oily skin leaves my skin feeling so tight it's uncomfortable. For the price you get a reasonable 50ml. I've been using mine most days now for 3 months and I'm probably 2/3 through the pot. I try to use only what's needed and make this product last. It also contains a healthy SPF 25 so great for protecting the skin from the sun and hopefully preventing even more wrinkles.

As you can see it's a good consistency and blends into the skin without leaving a greasy residue. I've been so impressed with this product. I've had no product related breakouts. Which is always a worry with my skin type and my skin is left feeling moisturised and healthy.

I love the night cream just as much. These two work together so well and I'm so pleased I splurged out on them. They are so worth it. This is again 50ml but I feel I'm using it quicker. One thing I don't like about the night cream is that it's in a tube. I prefer a pot so I can get out just the amount I need easily and I can see how much I have left. I feel like this may run out before the day cream which will bug me as I like them to run out at the same time. 

The night cream is a slightly thicker consistency but still sinks into the skin well without leaving the skin feeling oily or coated in product. I can't say how well they work on wrinkles really as the few fine lines I have do appear a little reduced but I'm hoping this will more be protecting my skin against further.

Even though these products are more than I would normally spend on day and night creams I'm completely converted and would repurchase without a doubt. They have lasted a while so isn't as expensive as it first seems.

I would wait to repurchase till there are good freebies though as Clinique are generous with their free gifts and you get a lot of products to try. I especially loved the eye cream and the serum I got in the free gifts and I am considering purchases those along with a foundation. I've heard so many great things about Clinique lately I can't wait to try more products.

The lady in House of Fraser was lovely and as I had a delay at the till was kind enough to give me all these samples along with my free gift.

Successful first trip to Clinique I think. I'm still working my way through the samples and I'm loving some and will purchase some not so much like the eye make up remover. You can find my thoughts on that here.

Have you tried Clinique products? Any recommendations?

Love M

Don't forget our giveaway. Some great skincare products in there! 

Save, Spend, Splurge - Eye Make Up Remover, Baby Oil, No7 and Clinique

I've been wanting to do posts like this for a while. I like reading posts like this to see if it's really worth paying out for the higher end products. In some cases I think it is while in others the high street alternatives are sometimes just as good if not better.

Lately I've started to use a separate eye make up remover as I was noticing using wipes was tugging at my eyes and I'm very conscious of being gentle to my eyes as I'm doing all I can to prevent wrinkles. I like to remove make up before I cleanse (I don't like my cleanse and polish clothes not being white, I'm odd I know, and it just makes me skin feel cleaner)

So the 3 eye make up removers.

Save is Baby Oil, which can be picked up so cheap, I like this handy travel size Johnson's one, perfect for travel and is only £1.30 for 100ml or boots own brand can be picked up for as little as £1.49 for 300ml

Spend is No7 Eye Make Up Remover is £7.75 for 100ml. Or stock up when the vouchers are out (which is a lot of the time) and it's £2.75 :)

Splurge is Clinique Take the Day Off Make up Remover for Face, Lips and Lashes and is £15.50 for 125ml

Save

First up is Johnson's Baby Oil. Oil based products are great for remover eye make up remover as they can dissolve it off so to speak and tackle tough waterproof make up without having to tug at eye lashes. This one isn't one to be used if you don't like greasy products. For me it doesn't bother me as I'm cleansing my face after so the oil is removed. This is the softest of  three on my eyes and has the least amount of pulling but is the greasiest. Even though I have oily skin I like to use this and it's great for those months when you have a little less money.

Spend

This was the first of the three I tested. This is a two liquid solution that needs to be shaken well to mix the two products. It has a subtle oily feeling but doesn't leave to much of a coating on the eyes like the baby oil does so is good for those nights when you want to be a little lazier. It gently removes the eye make up without tugging and with ease. My only issue is it's a small bottle and gets used quickly. I think it would last between 4-5 weeks so for me I don't think I would spend £7.75 on it but for £2.75 (when using the vouchers) it's amazing! This will be repurchased and is my favourite out of the three.

Spend

This was the least oily of the three products and felt gentle on the skin. This is aimed to be a multi purpose make up remover and due to this made removing eye make up a little harder. This felt the most pulling on my eyes and required more product and didn't remove all of my eye make up as well. I think this was due to being a less oily based remover. It does feel nice and light on the skin though. Personally I don't think it's worth the money when you can pick up others that do the job better for cheaper. 

I also wanted to mention the pads I used with these as I think these are the best for removing eye make up. I personally prefer a pad over a ball as it can cover the whole eye in one go. These ones are great as they have two different textures on either side and are only 20p dearer than the others.

What eye make up remover do you use? Do you use a separate one? Are posts like these something you like to read?

Love M

xxx

Apologies for the photo quality for some reason uploading from my phone to the bloggers app if ruining the quality. Have you found this?

June Wishlist

Another month gone already. I swear I start every wishlist this way! Sorry! This year seems to be speeding by for me. Does it seem the same for you? My May wishlist can be found here.

You'll all probably be pleased to know I finally got some new skinny jeans! I managed to pick up some perfect black ones from New Look for the bargain price of £14.99. They are such a nice proper black and so comfy. Also I was pleased they had a 34 inch leg in store as I couldn't find it online. Still on the hunt for coloured ones though.

As for Make Up. I actually resisted MAC this month so haven't got them. The Lipstick and eyeshadows still stay on my wishlist as I love them.

I also didn't get the heat protector or soap and glory sit tight XL. I  do still want these products but spent so much on other stuff this month I resisted.

So for this month!

Make Up

I really want the Kate Moss No 2 lipstick from her collaboration with Rimmel. I absolutely loving a bright pink lip at the moment.

Image from google images

Skincare

I'm starting to notice the a few very fine lines on my forehead so I've decided it's time to spend some money on some good skincare. I recently picked up some Clinique bit that I'm loving and really want the full size eye cream. I will review the bits I've got in full soon but want to use them for six weeks before I do. Pictures are on twitter of what I got so far.

Image from clinique.co.uk

Bags

I've been eyeing up lots of bags on eBay at the moment. I really want a new everyday bag. This one is my favourite and comes from America so it's not cheap when you add postage on but I love it!! Seller found here here

Image from seller

Bit of a short wishlist this time as I still want the make up from last months and the purses from Aprils Wishlist

What are you wanting to purchase this month?

Love M

xxx