Boots Haul - May 2014

Hello everyone! I don't know about anyone else but when I need to pick up new things I seem to save it all up for one big shopping trip. The plus to this in Boots is that more often than not there are 3 for 2 offers available and I always get sent vouchers that allow me to get more points with each purchase - so it's a win win!

Boots Haul May 2014

As I am sure you can tell by the photo there are a few items I have mentioned on my blog before and a few newcomers to the bunch! So lets take a look!

Batiste XXL Dry Shampoo - £3.99 each

The first three items I picked up were three of the Batiste XXL Dry Shampoos. As you can probably guess this was on 3 for 2 and since I use this stuff so much it is always worth me stocking up. I mentioned these on my most recent product empties post if you'd like to take a look!

Soap & Glory - Glad Hair Day - Shampoo and Conditioner - £5.50 each

Continuing on with the hair theme I also decided to finally take the plunge and pick these two up! I have been umming and ahhing about picking these up for a while. In my local Boots they only seemed to ever have the Shampoo in stock too which put my off as I really wanted to try the pair together! However I struck out and managed to finally grab the pair together! I don't want to give too much away as I will be reviewing the pair at a later date so stay tuned for that review!

Soap & Glory - Heel Genius - £5.50 

Also continuing on... Soap & Glory were also on 3 for 2. I really couldn't decide however what I wanted to include as my third free product as I wanted to keep it under the £5.50 price tag that the Shampoo and Conditioner each had! I have reviewed Heel Genius before and absolutely loved it. Since summer is coming back around I thought it would be best to pick this up and take it as a sign to begin using it again for the summer!

Seventeen On The Spot Foundation - £6.99

I reviewed a sample of Seventeen On The Spot foundation a while back now and really loved it. I loved it so much that I depotted the sample and continued to use the foundation on any little spot I got. I love dabbing this foundation on any spot you may have and just letting it do its magic underneath my regular foundation. It also has amazing full coverage! Sadly my sample came to an end so I knew I had to go back out and repurchase to have amongst my foundation collection!

Maybelline Baby Skim Instant Pore Eraser Lightweight Primer

Lastly we have another product that I have also reviewed which you can check out here. Maybelline Baby Skin is a fantastic drugstore primer in its own right. Yes it does help slightly with the reduction of pores however as a primer I think it is top notch. It allows my make-up to glide on smoothly without the steep price tag that some primers have attached to them.

So that is it for my haul! Have you tried any of these products? Are you interested in any? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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St Ives Apricot Scrub - Blemish fighting review

As I mentioned in my daily skin care routine post - I am a big fan of St Ives. I have recently finished this and before I had even finished this I had repurchased it! I really do love this as my daily facial exfoliant. 

Above: St Ives Apricot Scrub

I had never really heard of St Ives as a brand till I was 16. I didn't really have an exfoliation method either. When I was looking in to it I found rave reviews about St Ives as a brand and I have to say I really do agree with them.

Above: The product itself

As far as exfoliants go the St Ives exfoliant is on the abrasive side, you can definitely feel the product on your face. I really do feel like it works away any dead skin and it always leaves soft and smooth skin behind. The smell does, in my opinion, pretty much resemble apricots. Since the formula is medicated towards blemish fighting it can have an underlying smell of the typical acne products you can buy - but that could just be my subconscious smelling that since I always feel like if something is designed for acne it must have that weird smell that follows!

Does the blemish fighting element work? The answer is yes it does help. For me I use this more as a deterrent to acne rather than a cure but on the occasion I have gotten a spot it has helped to clear it up pretty quickly.

The price for this product is pretty good and it lasts a really long time! As I mentioned I have recently finished my most recent one of these and it lasted over a year of daily exfoliation. For the price of £4.29, go check it out on boots here, you can't argue with it!

Positives:

• Really does exfoliate the skin giving a noticable difference
• Price is good at £4.29 for 150ml of product
• Scent is nice

Negatives:

• Slight 'acne medication' type smell

I also have a written review on the St Ives body scrub if you'd like to check it out here!

So what facial scrub do you use? Have you tried St Ives before? Let me know in the comments!

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Natural Collection Green Corrector Stick review

Back when I very first started getting make-up I was still learning to be confident with my skin. My acne at the age of 16 was just starting to clear away but some areas where still red and irritated and some acne spots would come out red and angry and look worse than what they were. So that's when I used the good old internet to find out what exactly I could use to cover up redness. This is when I learned about color correction with the skin and how essentially applying green tinted products to red areas of the skin hides any redness. Now I know what you are thinking, green on your face... really? Well it works! So I carried on searching for these corrector sticks I had read about and I came across the oh so cheap brand of Natural Collection once again. For those of you that don't know the Natural Collection Brand is an own brand label in Boots that has a continuous offer to buy 3 products for £5 or to get each product for £1.99 each - and in this brand you can find some steals! This to me is one of those steals.

If you're interested in any other reviews on Natural Collection products go check out my other posts here:

• Natural Collection blush in Sweet Cheeks review
• Natural Collection pressed powder review

Admittedly now I have about two or three of these laying about in cases of acne breakouts or any eczema playing up so if you do get the occasional redness or spot they are cheap enough to have in as a go to product! However when I was first using makeup this was practically my primer for over my acne and before my foundation. If you suffer from rosacea this product and others like it will be perfect for you! 

For those new to corrector sticks I will let you know how I use it:

1) Apply all your moisturizers, toners and primers as you would normally

2) Before concealer either directly with the stick or using a brush apply some of the corrector product to the red area and blend - there will be a slight green tint visible

3) Apply concealer and foundation as normal over this!

Above: Natural Collection Green Corrector stick

As you can see the product comes in a very plain container with the Natural Collection logo on. The packaging to me isn't important really for the price of £1.99 and to be honest I like the simplicity of the product. Back when i was 16 I was grateful of the cheap price and now I still am because I don't feel guilty about having it in for skin emergencies!

Much like its packaging which is comparable to that of a lipstick tube, the product is exactly the same. It comes out like a stick of lipstick, you can either apply the corrector right from the stick to your skin or you can use a brush. Personally I like to use a brush as it means germs and such are not trapped in there with the product but it is entirely up to your preference! The amount of product you get is also the size of a normal lipstick so for £1.99 that is nothing to complain about!

The product is simply named Corrector Stick so it is easy to find on the stands and as you can tell from the above swatch the product is thick in its color. The product itself feels creamy and blends easily in to the skin so for those that are worried about it being hard to blend and being left with a green looking face you don't have to worry about it!

This is a product I would recommend everyone picking up even if its just for those little skin emergencies. Don't walk past the Natural Collection stand just because it is cheap!

Positives:

• Cheap and Affordable
• Available at all boots stores
• Covers redness on the skin
• A good amount of product

Negatives:

• Plain packaging
• Not available outside of the UK unless you hunt online

So have you tried any Natural Collection products yourself? Have you tried their Green corrector stick? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!

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How to deal with acne

When I was a teenager I had pretty bad acne. My face was practically covered and like many kids in the 90's I lived seeing the Clean & Clear logo throughout my adolescent years. My mum must have spent a fortune on creams, face washes and expensive body shop products with tea tree oil in just to try to help me. My mum pretty much told me she would not let me take the pill which you can take in order to get rid of acne due to its side effects; which I'm thankful for. The annoying things is I didn't really learn how to best deal with acne until it had gone away.

Like most people I had teenage acne, but my skin isn't acne prone now. I barely get one - two spots a month.  So for those reading wondering if it ends the likelihood is it will. The big thing for me was reading about acne and reading other people's tips so here's my tips!

Washing your face

My main tip for skin, regardless of if you have acne is to wash your face twice a day. Of a morning and an evening I will at least make sure I wash my face over with water. But the use of a daily facial wash at least once a day will help your skin tremendously. Cleaning your skin in the morning removes the oil, dirt and sebum collected on your skin during the night. Cleaning your skin in the evening removes the same stuff after the day! So getting your skin in a good cleaning routine is a good first step. If you work out make sure you wash your face afterwards as well.

Clean clean clean!

By this I don't mean clean your face, I mean clean everything that gets in contact with your face. Make-up brushes, pillow cases, hair even your hands. Keeping things like this clean helps remove any build up of dirt contacting your face and clogging your pores. Wash your make-up brushes at least once a week. Even if you don't use them it removes any dust that may have collected on them. Use products to clean them that won't aggravate your skin and that have anti bacterial properties to them. As for your pillow cases I was these every other day. If you have a partner or a boyfriend/girlfriend/friend that stays over or shares your bed with you try and wash them after they leave or like I do every other day. As for your hair that us subjective. After a dye I leave my hair to last two days till I can then go back to everyday; basically just make sure your hair isn't greasy or unclean.

Try an up-du!

For those with long hair try tying your hair up. Keeping hair away from your face will allow your skin to breath. If you hate the idea of this tie it up when you're relaxing in your room, or before/during bed! If you have bangs like I do invest in a clip or a headband and keep your bangs back to avoid acne on the forehead. I myself before bed put my hair up in a bun and take a clip and clip my fringe back in a kind of quiff style so it still looks nice. Again even though my skin has cleared I like to do this in order to reduce the oil and hair products that get in contact with my face.

Watch what you put on your hair

Some hair styling products can contain oil which may get absorbed into your hair. Avoid products like gel if you can. One big tip I have for this is before you come in from a night out tie your hair back. Since we use a lot of products on nights out its a good idea to keep your hair back when you come in a little tired/worse for wear!

Don't try too many products at once!

I know when I had acne I used about 800 lotions and potions and I kept reapplying them throughout the day. This was not only aggravating my skin it was also clogging my pores itself. Stick to one of each product, an acne treatment, a toner, a cleanser e.t.c

It's also a common misconception that acne means you have oily skin - this is not necessarily the case. Many people with dry skin can also suffer from acne. So make sure you are not over-drying your skin out with products as this usually makes your skin produce more oil anyway!

Have make-up free days

Even though I don't really suffer from acne myself any-more I always make sure I have at least one day a week where I don't wear any make-up. Usually I have make-up free Sundays and Mondays as I am off then. Just make sure you wear as little make-up as possible in order to let your kin breathe! If needs be invest in a foundation that also fights acne; I recommend Seventeen On The Spot foundation which I have reviewed here.

Don't touch your skin

This one is a tough one, try not to lean on your hand or sit touching your face if you can. This just helps to not spread things such as oil or sebum around the face. It is a hard thing to stop yourself doing but if you could try or ask someone you spend time with to tell you when you are doing it you may be more concious of it.

Don't pop spots or acne!

Again another tough one! When you have had a spot for so long and it comes to head it is so tempting to pop it and just cover it up from then on. But you mustn't! In popping spots you actually rupture the membrane underneath your skin which causes the spreading of acne. So as tempting as it is just let them completely heal on their own.

Consult a dermatologist

Ultimately if your skin is causing you to be depressed or stopping you from enjoying social interaction it is best to speak to a professional who could help. Take a visit to your doctor!





And my biggest tip?

REMEMBER YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL...

At the end of the day every person is beautiful. Remember you are beautiful.

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Seventeen On the Spot foundation review

So the other day I made an order with boots as I needed a few new things. As I went to checkout I noticed it said I would get a free sample of a product. Turns out that free product was Seventeen On the Spot foundation. I must admit I have heard of the brand Seventeen but I had never heard of the On the Spot foundation. This product claims to improve the condition of your skin in just four weeks of wearing it. So how does this product do this? Well it contains Salicylic Acid which is the active ingredient in acne treatment products. It also contains Kaolin which is found in a lot of face mask treatments. Now for my skin I wouldn't really found a product for acne treatment useful as I don't suffer from acne and my skin is pretty clear, but I thought this would be a good product for those that suffer from bad skin that still want to wear foundation and not feel it is hindering their acne or for those teenagers that are just starting with make-up that may want an acne treatment included in their foundation. It also includes SPF15 which is always a good thing!

Above: The sample packet I received of the Seventeen On the Spot foundation with SPF15

Firstly, this product as a foundation boasts that is is full coverage and let me tell you it is most definitely that! I prefer to wear foundations that are much lighter and subtle as I don't think I need full coverage but for those that suffer from acne and do what that full coverage to cover their acne this will definitely do the job. I didn't even apply concealer and on my skin it covered everything I usually have to use a concealer for. I also received a lot of complements the first day I wore this on how nice my skin looked, so in the opinion of others it must have looked nice!

Above: How the foundation appears in natural lighting

As you can tell the coverage is full and in natural light conceals beautifully. The skin colour I got given a sample of was Natural and I felt it was just a tad darker than what I would have liked. But since this was a sample I can't really complain. I can say that my skin after I took this off did appear clearer. I was fighting off the back end of one spot on my cheek and by the end of the day it had completely gone! One thing I was interested to find out when I opened this product is how it smelled, would it smell like acne creams usually do? The answer to that is faintly, but its not an overbearing or lingering smell.

Above: A swatch of the Seventeen On the Spot foundation in Neutral 

Above: The amount left from the product sample de-potted

After I had used the sample once I chose to squeeze out the product in to a contact lense case I've never used like I usually do when de-potting liquid products. Since I use minimal product and this is full coverage this will probably last me a good two weeks.

Now on to the positives and negatives;

Positives:

• Good price at 30ml for £6.99
• Offers full coverage
• Medicates acne
• Solution did appear to help skin after a few applications; would be interesting to see the effects of a four week application on acne prone skin types

Negatives:

• Faint smell of acne medication at first
• May be TOO much of a coverage for acne sufferers
• On hot days has a tendency to appear shiny 

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My daily skin care routine!

So I thought I would talk about my daily Skin care routine, I plan on doing a review of a few of these products in the future but for now I thought I would talk about what I use on a daily basis! So to start with lets have a look at how I clean my skin!

These first three products I usually do either of a morning during my shower or in the evening in the shower (Depending on when I choose to have my shower!) The first product I use to ex-foliate my skin is St Ives Apricot scrub with a blemish fighting formula. I am usually very concious of developing acne due to a past of acne during high school - so any product claiming to help combat that is a must in my skin care products. This step is to keep my skin feeling and looking smooth.

Above: St Ives Apricot Scrub; Blemish fighting

To use this product I dampen my face in the shower and take a pea sized amount of the product and lightly, in a circular motion, rub it across my whole face. I then wash this off with water from the shower making sure all the ex-foliation beads have been removed from my skin.

Above: Neutogena Visibly Clear Oil free facial wash

The next step of my skin care routine, still in the shower, is to use a facial wash. The one which I'm loving at the moment is Neutrogena's Visibly clear oil free facial wash. Since I find I have an oily T zone and my skin is often at risk of going oily through the day I like to use product which have no extra added oil in them; so being oil free this product is a bonus. After ex-foliating I make sure my face is still damp then with a pea sized amount of the product I lather this facial wash into my skin. What's so great about this facial wash is that it has the most amazing lather ever that really makes you feel as though your skin is being cleaned right down to the pores - and only a little amount of product is needed to create the lather from this product. Once I am done I rinse the product off once again with water.

Above:  The Body Shop: Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash

This next and third step for my skin is optional depending on my skin. In all honesty I rarely use this unless (like this week) I have a blemish or spot in which case I add this in to combat any acne spots that may crop up. Since I only rarely get the occasional acne spot I keep this near by to combat it. Similarly if I feel a spot coming on I tend to whip this out to clean my face to get rid of the spot before it appears. Again, under the shower, I lather this into my skin with a pea sized amount of product and rinse of after it has been fully lathered into my skin. This is the last step I take in my shower for my skin and I find it effectively gets my skin smooth and clean!

Above: Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner

Once I'm out of the shower and my skin is fully cleansed it is time to do my toning portion of my skin care! The toner I am using and loving at the moment is the Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner. I apply this to a cotton pad or wool piece and wipe lightly around my face. I then usually give my skin around a minute to absorb this before moving on to the net step.

Above: Simple Kind to Skin Protecting Moisture Cream with SPF10

Now on to moisturising my skin! Again sticking with the Simple range I use Simple Kind to Skin protecting moisture cream which has an added SPF of 10. The next time I purchase this I will be purchasing one with a higher SPF but since this was purchased during winter it has been doing just the job! With this product I again take just over a pea sized amount on my pointing finger then lightly apply small dots of the product under my eyes, nose, cheeks, chin and forehead to indicate where I need to apply and rub the product in. Once I've indicated where I need to apply it I just rub it all in! Simple as that. The toning and moisturising I do all comes before my make-up so after this has been applied I give it at least 5 minutes to dry before I move on to make-up. (I usually give it much longer to dry before applying make-up as I do my hair first but five minutes I would say to anyone else is a good amount of time to wait for it to dry).

Above: Simple Kind To Eyes eye make-up remover

Now for once the day has finished! After I've applied my make-up after moisturising and gone about my day I use two products to remove my make-up from my skin before I have to begin my night routine and cleaning again!. I use Simple Kind to Eyes eye make-up remover as its fantastic for removing eye make-up and also amazing at removing any waterproof make-up. As I use a waterproof eye-liner gel to prime for my eye-liner this is perfect. On a cotton ball or pad I apply a bit of this product and place them over my eyes for about 5 or 10 seconds. After my eyes have been soaked I rub the eye make-up away. As simple as that!

Above: Neutrogena Oil free Make-up remover

Now on to my make-up remover for my face! I'm actually a bit upset as they don't seem to make this any-more or at least I can't find it so I will have to find a new make up remover for my face as I only have two containers of this left! However at the minute I am using Neutogena Oil Free Make-up Remover. Once again a product that is oil free and helps to fight blemishes. Since I am so concious of developing acne or even getting one spot I tend to love these products that help combat acne before its even begun. With this product again with a cotton pad I place a pea sized amount of the cream onto the pad and I rub this all over my face, it not only moistures as well it also removes the make-up completely.

Above: Simple Kind To Skin Night Cream

Now on to the final step of my skin care. After removing my make-up If I get a shower of the evening I will do steps one to three before my night cream. However if I choose to get a shower in the morning I will move on to my night cream by simple. I use this night cream in a similar way I use the day cream. I place a small pea sized amount on my pointing finger, indicate where it needs to go and rub away! And that is pretty much it for all of my skin care routine! This is pretty much every step I take each day to make sure my skin is clear and soft. There aren't really any more steps other than once a week I apply a face mask just as a little treat to my skin and to help keep it toned! 

Hopefully a review of a few of these products will be up soon! For now I hope you enjoyed reading about my skin care routine! In the future I may do a skin care routine for what I use on my actual body for skin care, so keep your eyes out for that!

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