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

NOTD: Essie's Tart Deco

Gooooooooood morning!!

Happy weekend to everyone!

I'm writing this on Friday night as when this post goes live I will be killing myself in the gym for the first time in a long time...Body Pump followed by Body Combat eek.

I've been swimming and doing my gym workout but have been away most weekends so have missed out on my weekend classes so am looking forward to it...sort of!

I bought this polish a few weeks ago when the sun was threatening to make an appearance and I was in a good mood for it.

This is Essie's Tart Deco:

It's a gorgeous coral coloured polish that can be applied in 2 coats.

I absolutely love this colour and it goes with any skin tone, I love wearing it whilst pale as a ghost and after a hefty few layers of tan.
It can also be worn on toes without fear of it making your feet look yellowing or purple as some others do when combined with my albino complexion.

I've been wearing it to work, shopping, for food, to a hen weekend, and out on a Saturday night and have been complimented on all occasions.
No really, every single time someone has told me it's a gorgeous colour and asked me what it is!

I would 100% recommend that you buy this as your 'easy go to Spring/Summer' shade as it's so easy to wear.

As if i needed to mention it......I also love the name! I love how Essie always call their polishes something interesting and Tart Deco is a cute play on words. I'm such a sucker for a name!

The only problem I did have with it was that it was very thick and therefore a little gloopy at times to apply.
This may just be my bottle and I have been unlucky, but having said all this you can see my nails above with two coats and it doesn't result in a streaky effect which it can do after one.
I found I just had to take my time and apply the generally expected two coats of polish to get the desired effect.

Also when topped with the Essie top coat (which is my current favourite since December!) it lasts such a long time.
I painted my nails on Friday and had it on until Wednesday night and that was after the gym a few times, work and nights out.


I am obviously a fan of Essie as you can tell by my ever expanding collection, but this colour was definitely a good purchase!
I was debating at the time getting another nude as I have Ballet Slippers but fancied a different shade, do you guys have any suggestions for one??
I was a bit overwhelmed at the stand!


L xxx

Review: Benefit Hello Flawless Powder

We recently posted about our visit to Swansea for the Benefit #bbloggers event for the launch of Fake Up which you can see here.

At the same time we also received a Hello Flawless powder to try, both of which were 'Gee I'm Swell' Ivory.

We were really intrigued as we both love compact's you can just throw into a bag to use anywhere and because of the wide variety of colours available, including different tones which I hadn't noticed that Benefit did before.

Benefit are currently celebrating the first birthday of Hello Flawless which has been a top seller for them since day one. 

Firstly even from the packaging we loved it, as it contained SPF and also it's a custom powder so it means you can build it up and use as little or as less as you like.....perfect!

Also looking on the back of the box you can see that in this compact, not only is there your expected product and mirror, there is also a compartment underneath for both a brush and a sponge.
That's right, both a sponge and a brush!

This is where the custom coverage comes in as the brush can lightly cover any areas you want, and the sponge can apply a heavier layer to cover up any areas that might need a heavier touch.

We both loved the instruction and tips leaflet that came with it, as they do with every Benefit product and it's always a fun and light hearted read.

I love the feeling of this product on the skin. I've applied it every day to set my foundation and to cover up some problem areas I have had.
It's been great for throwing in my bag and taking around with me and so far it's made it to Harry Potter Studios, on a hen weekend, my birthday night out and all manner of others!

I do have one slight negative to it though....it is so light and silky that it picks up a little too easily for some brushes and I've found myself wasting some product and my constant use of it over the past 4/5 weeks has meant that I have already hit pan!
I was really disappointed as although it's an amazing powder I just wouldn't be able to buy one of these almost every month at £25.50.

I think if I used a smaller brush to apply it I wouldn't have picked up so much extra product and so I will be trying this until I actually finish the whole compact.

L xxx

I was so pleased to receive this at the Benefit event. I've not used a high end powder before. I tend to just pick up cheap powders and spend more on foundations.

When reading the information that came with the powder (I love that all benefit products come with tips and tricks for best application, it's so helpful) I was intrigued by seeing using the sponge and brush gives different finishes. 

I decided to try using it as more full coverage instead of a foundation. I was impressed with the coverage it gave and the finish wasn't powdery as I had expected it to look. It gave a really natural finish on the skin and lasted really well. This will be great for Summer.

It's handy that it comes with the brush and sponge and space for both of them to be stored. The brush doesn't feel quite as good as I expected from having the blushes and loving those brushes, but it doesn't shed and is great for touch ups.



I tend to use my RT powder brush and then the brush that comes with it if it needs any touch ups. It is great for setting foundation and adds a bit of extra coverage on bad skin days. It's been thrown in my bag and the magnet closure is secure enough for it not to have opened whilst in there.

It's a very fine powder so sits beautifully on the skin, a light hand is needed with a brush though or you'll waste a lot of product. I've used it almost everyday since getting it and not hit pan yet. I really like it and think I may be converted to try more expensive powders. Especially during the summer as an alternative to foundation.

Love M

xxx

Review: Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

Murad have been a brand that we both have heard lots about.

We regularly tweet with them and love reading their quotes from Dr Murad about 'treating yourself like royalty' and in particular their snippets of info about different foods and plants that are great for your skin.

We were recently contacted by them about trying their AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser*.

The website says:

What does it do for you?

Polish away surface oil and locked-in impurities to improve brightness and clarity. Reveal a youthful you!

The Science behind the Results

Salicylic, Lactic and Glycolic Acids – This trio of acids provides clarity, brightness and improves cell-turnover by dissolving dead skin cell build up and revealing a radiant complexion.

Jojoba Beads – Gently polishes, exfoliates and smoothes skin while boosting hydration.

You are supposed to use this cleanser 2/3 times a week as well as your normal cleanser for the acids and exfoliating beads to work and the reviews on their website give it a 4.9/5.

I've been using this constantly for the past 4/5 weeks. I cleanse my skin with my usual cleanser and then use this afterwards 2/3 times a week.
It's so easy to use and the jelly like feel of the cleanser glides onto your skin really easily without irritating it. The beads in the cleanser can only be described as feeling like powder more than an exfoliator, they're so gentle on your skin that you can barely feel any kind of exfoliation or scrubbing like you would have imagined.

I usually apply this to a wet face and then gently massage it in circles. I've found that this is the best way to get the optimum results from the beads and also the acids, which really do seem to dissolve the skin cells without any negative effects to the skin.

I've seen a difference in my skin from using this, and I absolutely love it! This is so gentle but gives me glowing fresh looking skin without any side effects whatsoever.
It has evened out my skin tone, helped to combat some of the scarring on my face from some acne I had before Christmas and helped to keep more blemishes at bay.
When I noticed this and had a fresh load of spots appear, I did use the cleanser on my face for 3/4 days in a row to help and it greatly helped to clear my skin though I wouldn't recommend doing this for long term.

The 200ml tube comes in at a costly £34 which initially I was wary of, but having used it consistently for over a month and knowing there is no difference compared to the picture above, I think this is worth every penny.
I'm massively impressed with the results from this product and would 100% recommend it to anyone looking to improve their skin tone and get a glow.

L xxx

I've tried Murad a few times as I had a few samples of it. I've loved the cleansers I'd previously tried so was excited to try this. I'm a big fan of exfoliators, having naturally oily skin I find exfoliators really help to improve my skin.

This really didn't disappoint. It's not like a facial exfoliator I've tried before. It's almost got a slight jelly texture to it. It buffs into the skin really softly and isn't a rough. The beads in it are small but still feel like your skin is getting a good deep clean. I also love that a little of it goes a long way. It is quite pricey but I've been using it 3 times a week for a month now and there isn't much more gone than the photo shows so you are really going to get your money's worth from this as it'll last a long time.

After use my skin feels smoother and so soft. My spots have improved (except for the odd hormone one) and they seem to heal quicker if I use this when I sense a breakout coming. Having acid based ingredients in it, it really helps improve skin tone. I've noticed an improvement in the skin condition. My cheeks certainly look a lot better. I can't wait to use it more and get even better results.

Once I've worked my way through my stash of cleansers I'll definitely be ordering some more Murad skin care!

Love M

xxx