The Soap&Glory Yule Monty

Seeing as I haven't posted in a while, I thought I'd jump straight into something a bit festive!

I've been a bit slow in gathering my Christmas presents this year, not as on the ball as last year, Christmas seems to have just arrived without much warning. But I was there, like every other beauty obsessive and stalked the Boots website until this BIG beauty became discounted. 

What a bargain! £60 down to £27...who in their right mind could pass that one up?!

Filled with all of these full sized items, it's S&P heaven! *cue heart eyes* and stampede! 

All that I have to do now is decide which ones to keep or part with...it's so hard!

- Steph xx

Skincare 101: Cleansers

From oily to extremely dry complexions most skin types are in fact lacking hydration. Especially in this weather, going from central heating to icy winds, your skin goes through a lot and it's your job to put that moisture back into your skin. Remember to nourish and exfoliate! Rules to live by.

Skincare 101 is going to be a series of posts looking at the basic components for a simple skincare regime. These are going to cover the 3 stages: cleanse, tone, moisturise. 

For me when I was younger and suffering from those teenage spots, I wanted to blast my skin with drying products, the ultra strong Garnier, Clearsil and who remembers Oxy? Well the aim of the game was to dry the hell out of my spots so that they would disapper, but I never knew that they were the reason for my oily complexion and it's one vicious circle. 
Sebum is the oil produced from your skin and when that traps dead skin cells spots appear. An over production of oil is due to skin dehydration, it's trying to make up for the moisture that it has lost.

Starting with a cleanser, the recommendation is to opt for a cream or oil/balm and to double cleanse at night. That means, you MUST remove your make up (step 1) and then use a cleanser (step 2). My removers of choice are the Nivea Double Effect Eye Make-Up Remover which is a bi-phase formula (one that you shake up) for my waterproof mascara and Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing Cleansing Lotion, something lovely and gentle for sensitive skin to take the bulk of my make up off.
For a cleanser, I started off with the much hyped Emma Hardie Amazing Face Lift and Sculpt Cleansing Balm (what a mouthful!) amazing product, a bit pricey at £34 but the 100ml pot lasted me the good part of 7 months and that was everyday use. It's full of natural oils to help thoroughly cleanse the skin as well as keeping you hydrated and sometimes FeelUnique have offers on. For a more purse friendly option, L'Oreal Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil and Super Facialist By Una Brennan Rose Calming Creamy Cleanser are lovely, I'd have to say out of the two, my favourite is the latter as L'Oreal's offering is mineral oil based (a pore clogger) so you have to remove that one really well. 

All of these cleansers should be removed with a damp flannel. The flannel also exfoliates the skin shifting away dead skin cells. I'd still consider my skin to be in the normal to combination category as my T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) still gets a bit shiny but it's not as bad as it was. Having a two step cleansing routine is essential if you wear make up but it isn't necessary if you haven't been wearing any during the day. Your main aim to clean your skin so that is it prepared for the rest of your skincare products and a blank canvas means that you will get the optimum effects out of your regime.

I hope this has helped, and stay tuned for the next two posts!
Thanks for reading,
Steph   

     

Skincare S.O.S

It's started to get very chilly around here and my skin has decided to kick up a fuss. Oh hello spots! 

I've turned to the skincare guru Caroline Hirons for some advice (her post here). Just in the nick of time Caroline swoops in and delivers a post that I have been longing for for the past week. 

At first it was just an angry cheek spot, but then my forehead went bonkers with my chin in tow!

My skin hasn't been this bad since I was about 14, so I was a little surprised when it decided to go a bit mental. I always scan Caroline's blog for her great skincare advice, I believe that she is the reason why I'm always spending so much on skincare bits and bobs.

Long story short I followed her advice down to the letter and these are the products which have been nursing my skin back to its original state. 

The main steps to this are to:

Acid tone - Clarins Gentle Exfoliator

Spot treatment - Soap & Glory Dr Spot

Facial Oil - Clarins Lotus Oil

Moisturise - La Roche-Posay Toleraine Fluide

After cleansing your skin ensuring that all make up has been removed follow with an acid toner. My toner of choice is the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator £25.00 which is soaked onto a cotton pad and swiped over the face once and then again on blemishes for good measure. The trick is to leave this for about a minute before continuing on to the next step. 

Once you've waited a bit, apply your chosen spot treatment. The idea isn't to necessarily dry the spot up but to reduce the inflammation which is causing all of this red bumpiness. The treatment from S&P Dr Spot £8.00 is full of salicylic acid (any stronger and you'd have to buy it over the counter!) which helps combat redness and exfoliates the blemish eliminating dead skin cells. I used this last night - although quite frequently as I'm following Caroline's tips, and by this morning my spot is no longer painful, it's just there *sad face*. 

Next is a facial oil. Caroline will tell you that mineral oil is a no-go for skin as it clogs the pores and will give you more spots, but plant oils are a skin's best friend. Clarins Lotus Oil £30.00 is specially formulated for combination to oily complexions, the plant extracts in this act as an astringent on the skin, and the oils help re-balance the oil that your skin is producing. It's a wonderful night product that can be used alone or under moisturiser. I've had this for a while and you only need a couple of drops every night for this to reveal its magic.   

Lastly is my new moisturiser from La Roche-Posay - Toleraine Fluide £14.50 (thank you Amelia Liana!). This moisturiser's main component is spring water meaning that is can be completely absorbed into the skin. Caroline recommends using very little silicone in this routine as you want your skin to absorb absolutely everything you're putting on it. Silicone acts as a barrier, that is why it's so great in make up primers in mattifying the skin and keeping oil at bay. This moisturiser is also for extremely sensitive skin and it's soothing, calming properties are going to help your skin. This should be put on last in your routine.

Hopefully in a few days you should see some progress (I'm hoping to anyway!) The main thing is that your skin has to be kept nourished. For some people drying the odd spot will work perfectly, but sometimes being gentle is the better route. Look for products that are anti-inflammatory as well as exfoliating and moisturising. And if there's one thing to buy at this time of year is a creamy and thick moisturiser for the night time. Oily or dry, most skin is dehydrated and this weather does not help! 

Thanks for reading,

Steph   

New: YSL Rouge Volupté Shine

Just a brief one!

Look at this beauty... 

This is a gorgeous peachy nude shade when swatched, especially for my deep toned lips, lovely and glossy, it's not a long wearing one (but I don't care!!).

This is in the shade #9 'Nude in Private'. It is described as a 'spicy warm beige' online but because it's a sheer formula it means that the shade will suite a lot of skin tones. 

I love this and had to share!

Thanks for reading,

Steph

Autumn/Winter Nail Polish

Nail varnishes are a personal beauty favourite of mine. Working in retail under bright lights and having to handle jewellery, leave hands under scrutiny by customers. And it is sort of an 'unwritten rule' that hands have to be constantly moisturised and that nails must be pristine in order to not scare off the customers. 
Varnishes are also the perfect subtle way to express how you feel (i.e mood colours) or as a way to follow beauty and fashion trends.

Here are a few polishes I thought would look perfect for this season and also the colours that I have been wearing on my digits since it got a lot a little dreary outside.

Icy Whites

Although it might be a bit of a no-go to wear white skinny jeans in the winter, no-one said we couldn't paint our nails with it! White looks so crisp on the nail and it has been popular ever since the summer. But even if you wore it on holiday to accentuate that glowing tan, why not continue to wear it in the colder months as a great contrast to the greys, blacks and navys we're all wearing now. 

Pictured above is Barry M Matte White which doesn't actually have a matte finish contrary to the name and I prefer it without. Two coats is all you need for full coverage and voilá, you're all set!

Pastel Pinks

These colours are purely in here just because they are so darn pretty and really compliment a grey accent nail or even black for that matter. The Kate Moss collection for Rimmel offers a beautiful baby pink shade called New Romantic (pictured above) and being part of their Salon Pro range you'd expect an opaque colour but unfortunately it's quite a sheer one, so 3 coats is suggested for the pink you see in the bottle. Up close it has some shimmer but practically undetectable on the nail. 

The next is a glitter varnish by Barry M that can be used as a top coat, maybe on top of New Romantic to accentuate its own pale pink gloss or it can be worn alone as a barely there pink iridescent glitter.  

Note: The two varnishes together are quite girly, but layer up if you'd like to be pretty in pink    

Seasonal Reds

A classic one for the autumn, this has done the rounds in the blogosphere and of course why not mention it again. This is (not like you have to be told again) Vixen by Revlon. A beautiful rich maroon/burgundy colour that has the right amount of red without being too dark. In some lights it can almost look black, more like a dark cherry colour, but if you're a bit too shy to embrace the 'gothic' trend fully for winter, start with this! 

One of my favourites (and one of my mum's who first bought this shade around 10 years ago in Watsons in Thailand) and 2 coats is all you need to get full coverage. Add another layer if 'black cherry' is what you are after.  

I love this colour sooooo much!!

   

Winter Greys

Another that's been in my nail varnish box for a while, is Rimmel's Grey Matter which is just a perfect mid tone pastel grey, practically full coverage in one swipe, it's a winner and the brush is so fat - one of the reasons I adore their 60Seconds range. It's just beautiful and lasts for ages.

The next grey is super glittery! Part of Rimmel's new-ish collection called Precious Stones, Diamond Dust is the polish that I plan on wearing this party season. It has the BEST coverage and it makes me want to stare at my nails all the time. Only con is that because it's quite a thick one, it can peel off and when it peels, the whole thing comes off. Which might be slightly better than the odd messy chip, but you decide. Regardless, I will reapply, I love it that much and to me, it's totally on par with Revlon's Vixen. 

Autumnal Purples

Lastly, beautiful inky purples. Following on with the 'gothic' trend, this is another gorgeous almost black colour that you girls can go to without committing to a completely black varnish. 

First up is Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine nail paint in Plum. It's a glossy dark purple, that only needs a couple of coats for the desired effect. The gel effect means that your talons will go without chips for just that little bit longer and it is also that bit thicker for a full coating of colour.

Next, is Rimmel's Pompous which is a shimmery dark purple varnish. It's a bit of a tough one to remove, but whilst it's on its fabulous! The silvery shimmer gives it an extra dimension and another member of the 60Second gang that means you can do it on the train, or in the taxi, and you're done in a lovely purple flash.

Lastly, is a chunky purple glitter dispensed in a clear varnish by Topshop called Pluto making it completely top coat material. I've actually teamed this on top of Rimmel's Diamond Dust - it's faaab! 

I paint my nails every week and I wouldn't change my little routine at all. Just as a mention, Barry M in Navy is a close dupe to the recently hyped about Essie's After School Boy Blazer which is another stunner, unfortunately I don't have either with me at the moment so click on the links for a browse.

Thanks for reading,

Steph     

Back to Basics

Sometimes I wish that I had someone to guide me into the beauty world whilst I was a young teen. So I'm taking us back to basics for girls who are interested in make up yet want to know how to kick start things properly without breaking the bank. 
Every beauty guru would tell you to evaluate what your skin is like, if it's oily, combination (some parts oily eg. Forehead, nose and chin and dry on your cheeks) or dry. Once you've decided what category you would place your skin in, choose your face products appropriately. 

Face
Young skin doesn't need to be clogged up with thick foundations and powders. Team a tinted moisturiser such as one from Garnier's range which caters to a variety of skin types and team with a concealer from Collection 2000 or Seventeen both great brands and cheap as chips. Decide whether you want to brighten or conceal and go from there.

Garnier BB Cream and PureActive Rollerball Concealer

Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch

Eyes
Go for a lengthening mascara to maintain a natural flutter using something like L'oreal Telescopic Mascara £10.99 which has a plastic comb brilliant for separating the lashes. For a natural look, neutral eyeshadows are the ones to go for and if you're in a rush to leave for school a cream shadow like the Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24 Hour £4.99 offerings can be applied with a finger tip and smudged over the lid to leave a wash of colour and it stays! 

L'oreal Telescopic Waterproof Mascara and Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze'

Lips
Again, lipsticks are a no-go for school. Teachers are always on the lookout for tell tale signs of make up and lipsticks will make you stand out like a beacon. Pick up a tinted lip balm from Vasaline in Rose or the Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose (which smells like raspberry yoghurt, yum) for a hint of colour and a glossy sheen without looking too made up. My vasaline had seen better days so I thought I'd picture this beauty alone.

Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose

Cheeks
Finally, cheeks. Highstreet brands such as Natural Collection offer beautiful blushes at low prices, pick a shade like Peach Melba for that healthy glow and at £1.99 you can't go wrong. Although be careful, don't go too heavy handed, less is definitely more! Unfortunately I didn't have a picture for the blusher, but follow the link for a butchers!

I hope this helped, just remember to be subtle, you still want to look like you, just a little enhanced.

Take Care!

Bourjois 8in1 BB Bronzing Cream Review

Arriving home from holiday a couple of weeks ago, I was faced with the common issue of finding that all of my foundations were now too light for me. So off to Boots I strolled on the search for a darker face base that wasn't going to break the bank. Having heard so many good things about Bourjois' latest releases I decided to check out their 8in1 BB Bronzing Cream £9.99 and at under £10 I knew I couldn't go wrong.

First Impressions

IT SMELLS AMAZING! (*breathe Steph*) I love this smell, some people have said that it's reminiscent to their chocolate bronzer, but to me it is light, and reminds me of sun cream in a tropical kind of way. It certainly takes me back to sunning myself in the Caribbean!

The colour, scary for some, but looked perfect for me and I could not wait to try it. I kept swatching it on the back of my hand and sniffing, it is so delicious.

Colour

As I said, it might seem quite scary for ladies with a paler complexion but if it's blended in well with a stippling brush, something like the Real Techniques Stippling Brush £11.99 then it's a no-fail.

Texture

An almost gel-like consistency that when blended into the skin, melts into a slightly dewy finish. 

To me, I'd say that this is somewhere in between a tinted moisturiser and a BB cream as the coverage is still quite light yet it blurs imperfections. All in all, this was definitely my saviour. It evened out my tanned face and made my complexion look healthier. With the added SPF 15, it makes it the perfect addition to your holiday make-up bag and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a darker face base.

Overall Score 10/10

Take care!!

Hello!

Well hello there!
Officially a newbie in the blogging world and I thought I'd try my hand it. 
On a daily basis I stumble upon page after page of beauty reviews, hauls and videos as well as healthy eating tips and fitness pointers. All of which I have drawn inspiration from and it has brought me here today and to what will probably a very lengthy post - apologies!

I thought I might start off with something fitness related purely because I am in no way a fitness freak (as my boyf would highly agree with) yet I still do some form of fitness every week. 
About a two years ago at uni, I decided to try my hand at a bit of pole dancing. They had a classes on and me and my flatmate decided it was the perfect non-gym like fun bit of exercise that we needed. For some reason we chose to turn up to the last class that was ever going to grace our university and although our meeting was brief, I absolutely loved it! Girls that had been there from the beginning were already climbing up the pole as though it was a piece of cake, and I was thoroughly jealous! In that hour, we had felt muscles we never knew existed and it was definitely the most gruelling workout I'd had since Year 11 sports day!! Which, baring in mind was at least 3 years prior to this little fitness session. Needless to say, the next day, getting out of bed had suddenly become such a struggle, (not that I was really complaining - typical uni student) even to the point that I was terrified to sneeze for the fear that my once dormant abs might twitch and yell, 'Hello, we exist now!' 
That ache was fabulous and as sadistic as it may sound, the ache after a workout just screams success!! 

A year went by, I'd joined the gym, but never really had the same effect. I was such a fitness nube I never knew how to push myself or get the most out of my workouts, until a friend suggested pole dancing again. I jumped at the chance and we've never looked back.

Currently, I'm now on Level 4 which is sort of an intermediate level of pole dancing/fitness, which means I can now do this...  

Which I am pretty darn proud of as it's one of the scariest moves I've learnt and I can actually do to date. It's called a Cross Ankle Release to some in the 'polling' world, (technical term right there) different schools have different names for moves, but this is a definite move where you have to tell yourself to have a little faith and trust those legs of yours.

If you're doing a bit of pole fit now and then, let me know how it's going and your favourite move!
Take care!!