Marrakech packing ~ makeup & skincare

I've had the morning to myself today as Hubble has taken Alfie out to a rugby tournament so I thought I'd get a head start on my pre-holiday beauty prep!  So far I've tinted my eyelashes (not the easiest thing to do yourself!), waxed my 'tache(ahem!), applied lashings of gradual tan lotion, coloured my roots & given myself a pedicure.  My hair is getting cut & blow dried on Tuesday morning so I can get up & go on Wednesday - one less thing for me to do!  I'm doing my friends' nails for them on Tuesday so I won't do my own nails until Tuesday night after I've packed the last couple of bits & bobs so I don't ruin them.

I've also sorted out & packed my makeup & skincare to take with me as I won't need these before we go - another tick off my packing list!  Seeing as we booked cases on in the end, I'm taking more than is probably necessary but a couple of bits I'll finish off whilst I'm there so they won't be coming home with me.  So here's what I'm taking -

My makeup bag from Muji is fantastic.  It's double sided with plenty of pockets & spaces to keep things neat & tidy!  They don't have this exact model anymore but they have this one which is very similar.  There's tons of room left in it so I might just put all my skincare in there too, one bag less to take!

Makeup wise, I'm going to decant into the teeny tiny posts my Boujois Bronzing BB & Revlon Photoready BB & that's my face sorted - nothing heavy & definitely no powder.  I will, however, take this dinky tube of Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer to cover up my persistant scars on my face.  To add a healthy flush in the evenings I'm taking my Bourjois Cream Blush & a tiny pot of mineral powder bronzer by Bare Minerals that I picked up in TK Maxx.   

For my eyes, I just have 2 eyeshadow pencils in charcoal & bronze by Barry M & a mini Lancôme Hypnôse Star mascara that was part of a special offer gift set (reviewed here.)

And the last of the makeup are 3 of my favourite lip colours, Bourjois Peach Club  (review here), Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple (review here) & No 7 BB Lips in Blush Pink.

Now moving on to the skincare.  I bought this Rosehip trial size gift set by Trilogy a couple of weeks ago so this is the base of my skincare.  It contains a cream cleanser, hydrating mist toner, facial oil & day cream.  Next, I've got a miniature of Bi-facil eye makeup remover by Lancôme, a mini micellar water by B Pure, mini Hydraluron that came in a gift set & my Botanics All Bright eye roll-on to help tired eyes.

So although there looks like quite a lot, because they're all minis they take up no room at all!

I need to take a quick trip to town in the morning to get the last couple of bits that I need & then I'll get my case packed.  3 days to go....!!!

Skincare heroes 2014

I tried a fair few new products throughout 2014, some I downright disliked, some were ok & these above, I've loved & if I haven't already repurchased, I will do so very soon!!

Simple eyemakeup remover - I've talked many times about this & no matter how much I spend on other products, nothing works like this little beauty.  Great product for little money.

She Anti Aging Rosehip Oil - I found this little beauty in TK Maxx one day & as I'd been about to try the Trilogy Rosehip Oil, I though I'd try this one first for £5.  It's such a good, non-greasy oil & it has really helped (along with other products!) to help clear up my acne scarring.  It's an Australian brand though & I can't find it anywhere else in the UK :(

Indeed Labs Hydraluron - Again, another product I've spoken about before & it is a total saviour for dry, parched, dehydrated skin.  You only need the tiniest amount of this clear gel/serum & layer your normal day/night cream over it.  It helps your skin to retain any moisture & I really notice when I stop using it.  I'm now on my 3rd tube!

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel - this was part of the Elemis gift set I won on a Twitter giveaway & I'll admit, the word 'peel' put me off trying it for quite a while due to my rosacea & sensitive skin.  I needn't have worried as it's so, so gentle & my skin looks radiant when I've used it.  It does have a super fruity scent but it doesn't bother me & is a lovely thick cream.  Apply & leave for 10 minutes to work it's magic.

Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz - I bought this one day when I was looking for a soothing toner to alternate with my Clarins Exfoliating toner & it's a great product.  It feels really moisturising & doesn't leave your skin feeling stripped, as some toners can.

Botanics Firming Day Cream - another random purchase that ended up being a great choice.  A lovely, soothing, non-greasy day cream with SPF 15.

Indeed Labs Retinol Reface - this was a product I'd wanted to try for ages after reading many rave blog reviews.  It's a really thick balm-like cream that I apply at night under my usual night cream or oil.  As it contains retinol, an ingredient known for it's ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines, I don't use it if I've used the Elemis peel or the Clarins exfoliating toner to make sure my skin doesn't become too sensitive.

Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Gentle toner - I'm now on my 3rd bottle of this too & I really think that this is the product that has most transformed & helped my skin over the last 18 months.  It's a very gentle acid toner but don't be afraid to try it even if you have sensitive skin.  I've never had any reaction or even slight redness from using it but it's helped significantly with reducing my scarring on my chin.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - I've been a huge fan of micellar waters since the minute they were introduced & although I like many of them, this one by far offers the best value for money.  I use as my first cleanse to remove my makeup before second cleansing with an oil or balm.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + - Clinically proven to correct marks & blemishes, this is another product that I swear by & can tell a huge difference in my skin if I stop using it.  It's really moisturising & a little goes a long way.  I use about two grains of rice worth for my chin & cheeks applying only where I have scarring & then apply my usual day or night cream on top.  I don't use if I've used any other products with acids or retinol though.

So what skincare are you swearing by lately, any recommendations I should be trying?

Beauty haul #2

It's not often I go out & buy lots of things in one go, I usually replace things as & when I need them but occasionally I  try the odd new product *ahem*!!

 

However, when I was away at my dad's a couple of weeks back, I decided to try quite a few new things.

 

 

 

 

From left to right we have.....

 

1.  ELF Contouring Kit - I've yet to try this but watch this space (part of an ELF haul I bought - post to follow!)

 

2.  Lacura Aqua-Complete Serum - I've been using this lightweight gel-serum from Aldi for months now & this is probably my fifth bottle now -  I just love it!  It contains hyaluronic acid & my skin feels so hydrated, plumped up & refreshed when I use it.  Such a bargain for under £4 a bottle!!

 

3.  No7 Make-up Brush Cleanser -  I bought this using the £3 off No7 makeup voucher so it was £5 & is brilliant at removing everyday makeup from your brushes without drenching them or having to dry overnight.  I put a couple of pumps onto some kitchen roll & lightly swirl my brushes over it to remove light makeup.  It's ideal to use a couple of times week until I do a 'proper' brush clean.

 

4.  Revlon Photoready BB cream - I was desperate to find a BB cream that worked for me & I kept reading about this on blogs so decided to give it a try when it was on offer in Superdrug.  I think I paid around £7 or £8.  I got it in the medium shade & although it offers quite good coverage, it's still a tad too light on my skin at the minute due to a tan but I just mix in some of my Bourjois Bronzing BB & it's great!  I've since found another BB though that is pure perfection....blog post to follow very soon!

 

5.  MUA Matte Perfect powder - generally I'm not a fan of powder so never really use them but in this recent hot weather, I felt my skin needed mattifying a wee bit so tried this one for £2.50.  It really is great, it's shocked me a bit!  It leaves a fabulous matte but not powdery finish, doesn't cake & is totally invisible.....a great buy!

 

6.  Smashbox It's Your Prime - Smashbox is a brand I've never tried, mainly because nowhere near me sells it but I've always wanted to try the ever-popular Photo Finish primer.  My daughter & I went to a large Boots & found a Smashbox counter so it was great to be able to test some of their products & when I spotted this kit with this, the Photo Finish Lid Primer & Hydrating Under Eye Primer in it for £14, well, I just had to!!  All 3 are amazing but I want to say too much about them so will do a follow-up post.  But can I just say that the sales assistant was brilliant!  She really took the time to explain about the products & didn't even baulk when I asked for a sample of their BB to try.  In fact, she even colour matched me & also gave me a sample of the green tinted anti-redness primer to try too.  I was so impressed with the BB, I've subsequently purchased one & it really is an amazing product!!

 

7.  L'Oreal Micellar Water - I'm a bit late to the party where these wonder waters are concerned having only tried my first one last month (by B Pure) but when I saw this on offer & my other was running low, I decided to try it out.  It is equally as amazing at removing my surface makeup as the B Pure one but I don't feel it is quite as hydrating on my skin.  It can be left feeling a bit tight, but in no way unpleasant or uncomfortable but it'll be interesting to see how my skin feels by the end of the bottle.

 

8. Botanics All Bright Refreshing Eye Roll-On - I bought this on a total whim as I had a Boots voucher offering 200 worth of points if I spent over a certain amount.  This was half price at £4.49 & took me up to the amount I needed to spend so I popped it in the basket but I'm so glad I did!  In this weather, it's been so cooling around my eyes & it hasn't irritated them one bit.  It seems to reduce puffiness well although hasn't made any difference - as of yet - to my dark circles but I've only been using it for a couple of weeks. 

 

So that's my recent haul of goodies.  I can't wait to tell you all about my fabulous Smashbox BB & my little haul from ELF - whoops!!

 

 



Summer cleansing routine

I want to share with you my current Summer cleansing routine as I've recently bought new products to try & so far, so good!

 

 

 

 

My eyes are so sensitive & react to a lot of eye makeup removers, even ones stating they are specifically for sensitive eyes.  I don't like the residue left by oilier removers & I find they make my mascara smudge the following day after using them so that pretty much rules them out!  But I've been using the Simple Nourishing Eye Makeup Remover for over a year & I do actually think it's the best one I've ever used.  It removes every scrap of mascara & eye makeup & I never wake up with panda eyes the following morning (well, unless I've used Benefit They're Real but I'll save that post for another day!)  My eyes never feel irritated or greasy & I think for a product hovering around the £4 mark for 100ml, it really does a brilliant job.

 

I've been a loyal fan of the beauty blogger favourite Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish for years now & I love it so I don't really know what's nudged into trying something new.  I've been reading about the virtues of micellar waters (solutions that contain microscopic surfactant molecules that help to bring oil & water together.  Read here for a brilliant description!!) for some time now but I've been happy with my routine so hadn't bothered trying them.  Well eventually, just as I knew it would, curiosity got the better of me & after seeing the B Pure Micellar Water on offer in Superdrug (150ml, currently £3.32 instead of £4.99), I decided to try it.

 

I just look at these bottles of solution & think, "nope, that'll never remove all my makeup" but amazingly, it does!  I'm so impressed with this product, I really feel like my skin is getting cleansed & refreshed without any tautness afterwards.  I've been using this as my first cleanse before I move onto my next new product, Botanics  Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm from Boots, £8.99 for 75ml.  Again, I'd seen this product reviewed many times on the blogosphere but it was especially when Jen of Daisy Rose Beauty recommended it that I decided to try it! 

 

 

 

 

This beautifully scented 97% organic cleansing balm is almost solid in the pot, as you'd expect from a balm however, it melts fantastically onto the skin as you can see from the above photo.  The smallest amount goes a long way so I'll be expecting this pot to last a long time!  I massage it in all over my face & neck (always massage your face upwards ladies, gravity is pulling it down, it doesn't need any extra help!!) & remove with the enclosed cloth soaked in hand-hot water.  Rinse & repeat until all signs of makeup have gone.

 

My skin feels scrupulously clean after using this balm but so nourished & moisturised.  The smell is divine & I'm pleased to see that it's 97% organic, paraben free & not tested on animals.  I'm really tempted to try more products from the Botanics range now!

 

 

 

 

I realise I haven't included any moisturisers or serums on this post but that's coming soon.  If I'd added them to this one, it would've gone on forever!

 

So to conclude, although I've only been using the micellar water & balm for a week or so, I am really impressed with them.  I stupidly feel like I'm being disloyal to my Cleanse & Polish but it will be interesting to see how my skin is after a month or so.  This duo could become my new favourite!

 

Toodles!