Current skincare for hormonal acne

I've spoken a few times about my hormonal (menopausal, ugh!) acne & after a re-jig of my skincare, I seem to have found the perfect products that have really helped to clear up my skin in the last 7 weeks so I thought I'd share them with you.

Cleansing

After using my Simple eye makeup remover cream, I take the bulk of my makeup off with the Garnier Micellar water & then follow up with a deep cleanse using the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil.  I love this silky, lightweight oil as it never feels greasy or leaves a film on my skin.  I always use a clean flannel every day to remove this as the lightweight muslin cloths leave too much product behind for my liking - Primark luxury facecloths/flannels are excellent.

Exfoliate/toner

These Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Pads by Nip + Fab are a recent discovery, bought on a total whim one day when I spotted them on offer but I'm soooo glad I found them!  I noticed a huge difference in my skin after using these for just a few days - my blemishes starting clearing up immediately & redness was reduced.  Don't be put off by the 'glycolic acid'  or 'exfoliating' tags as these pads are so gentle on the skin but incredibly effective.  The acid is the exfoliating agent whilst they also contain witch hazel to tone, hyaluronic acid to hydrate & blue daisy to soothe.

If my skin is having a particularly bad breakout, I give it a light spritz with this Serozinc by La Roche-Posay.  I don't think it particularly treats blemishes but it helps to mattify the skin without drying it out.

Treatments

Another new purchase is La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I.  This is a targeted breakout corrector cream & I apply this on any new blemishes.  You only need a tiny amount & it really helps to immediately reduce imperfections & reduces the chance of scarring.

Another wonder product from LR-P here & one I've spoken about before on the blog - Effaclar Duo+.  This lightweight gel-crème helps to rapidly clear up any breakouts & refine the skin's appearance & I'm now on my third tube of this.  It's really helped to reduce the scarring on my chin & any redness is immediately soothed - I love this stuff!!

Hydrate & nourish

More new products, this time from Vichy.  After Vichy kindly sent me the Liftactiv Supreme to try (read my review here) & I loved it so much, I decided to buy their Aqualia Thermal serum.  It's so important for all skin types to keep really well hydrated so I always use a hydrating serum under my moisturiser.  I had been using Hydraluron & Clarins Hydraquench but I really like this from Vichy too.  One pump is enough to cover my whole face, neck & décolletage & teamed with the rest of my skincare routine, my skin still feels really well hydrated when I wake up in the morning.

My skin has cleared up enormously since using this regime & scarring is reducing all the time.  My breakouts are not so regular - or horrific! - now & overall, I'm much happier.  It's amazing how much having acne can zap your confidence!

Are there any other skincare recommendations out there?

NOTD Barry M Gelly ~ Sky Blue

It's no secret that the Barry M Gelly polishes are my go-to brand & this one is no different.  Sky Blue is from the Spring 2015 range & yet again, offers the perfect formula & application now expected of these, even for a pastel shade which are notorious for bad coverage.

This is with just 2 coats with my usual China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat & Seche Vite top coat & as I find with most of the Gelly polishes, it lasted a week with no wear or chips until I removed it to re-paint my nails.  It shows more green than it looked in real life, it is definitely blue though!  For just £3.99 a bottle, I really think you'd be hard pushed to find better quality at this price!

Are you a fan of the Gelly polishes?

MAC ~ Call the Hairdresser!

This is the one & only MAC item I picked up whilst I was in NYC, shocking I know, but it's a goodie!!

MAC Call the Hairdresser! is an lustre finish & is a beautiful pinky coral shade, perfect for summer.  Annoyingly though, I can't find it on the UK site so it must be unique to the States, sorry!!  I'll try & find a dupe & add it on if I find one.

What's your favourite shade of MAC lippy?

NOTD Barry M Speedy ~ Stop the clock

I recently bought two of the new Barry M Speedy Quick Dry polishes, the first of which I blogged about here so next up is this one, Stop the Clock, a gorgeous cross between lemon mousse & vanilla ice cream!

I was fully expecting to have to apply 3 coats of this one, as with In A Heart Beat, but funnily enough, this covered much better in only 2 coats.

I really, really love this colour for spring, it's just like I've dipped my nails into a bowl of melted vanilla ice cream.  Again, it would look slightly better without the pasty skin colour going on here but still! Please excuse the dry cuticles, I should've oiled up before the photo!

This has lasted much longer than the other colour surprisingly enough, so in my opinion, the formula of this particular shade seems a bit better.  I'm not sure why, it just is!

The one thing I forgot to talk about with the other review though was the brush which is flat & curved on the tip so fits the base of my nail perfectly.  It covers in just two swipes & as I only had to use two coats of this, it really did dry rapidly.  I did apply Seche Vite on top though for added shine & strength!

The Barry M Speedy Quick Dry nail paints are currently £3.99 each or 2 for £7.00 at Boots.

What do you think, does this shade float your boat?!

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet ~ Peach Club

*Warning, perfect spring/summer lip colour alert!!!*

I love these liquid lipsticks & this is the fourth shade I've bought but I've only reviewed one, how weird???  Here's my review on Frambourjoise for those who haven't seen it & I'll get on to the other two asap.  But for now, here's Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Peach Club.

As you can see, it's a classic sponge doe-foot wand & it just takes a couple of swipes for perfect, precise application.  This shade is a fabulous corally orange, bright enough yet not too in-your-face & really is a great addition to any spring/summer makeup bag!

Although it's a matte formula, this feels so silky & comfortable on the lips, it's hard to believe that it lasts as long as it does.  I can eat lunch, drink several coffees & maybe sneak in a wee biscwit (sorry, I can't say the word normally now after the Fox's advert!!) & the colour will still be pretty much intact.

This shows how opaque the colour is as this was just the lightest of swipes on my thumb.

Ooooh, I really love it & it'll look even better with a hint of a tan, it's time to hunt out the facial gradual tanner methinks!!  Apologies for the dragged through a hedge backwards look!! ;)

Are you a fan of these lip colours?

NOTD China Glaze ~ Out Like A Light

Following on from my new found love of all things grey, I've been wearing this gorgeous charcoal polish for much of the winter.  It's such a classy colour, dark & rich but not as black as the photo shows it.  I tried taking photos in so many different lights but it still showed it darker than the real shade, you'll have to trust me on this one!

The photo above was taken 5 days into the manicure so there is very slight wear on the tips but it's still a super long lasting polish when teamed with my manicure super duo, China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat & Seche Vite top coat.

This is Out Like A Light by China Glaze & it is available for just £3.95 (rrp £8.95) on Nail Polish Direct.

Rimmel ~ Brow This Way

I bought this just before Christmas but hadn't actually used it (I forgot about it, whoops!) so here's my first go with a wax/powder eyebrow duo.

This is the Rimmel Brow This Way in shade 003 Dark Brown.  It comes with a double ended soft angled brush, one end for the wax, the other for the powder & a mini spoolie for brushing through the brows & blending.

For a drugstore brow kit, I have to say that I really impressed with this.  Now as I said, this is my first try with a wax/powder duo so I may have been a wee bit heavy handed - you really do need only the tiniest amount as it's surprisingly well pigmented!  You apply the lightly tinted wax first & then follow with the powder to set the colour.  Can you see the huge amount of difference it's made to my brows, it's fantastic!

I don't ever bother filling my brows in the daytime but this would just be amazing for an evening makeup.  Hopefully after a few practice runs, I'll get the application spot on but suffice to say, this is definitely a keeper!!

Brow This Way is £3.99, such a great price for this gem of a product!

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?

Makeup essentials for Marrakech

Makeup for Marrakech by fortytherapy 


So, as promised, here's what I intend to take in my (small!) makeup bag to Marrakech.  I'm only going for 4 days, it'll (hopefully) be hot & we intend to do lots of walking about & sightseeing so plastering my face in makeup will not be high on my agenda!  I'll only need the bare minimum of products & these few tried, tested & loved beauties will do the trick quite nicely thank you.

1. Cath Kidston cosmetic bag 
Pretty self-explanatory, a decent sized makeup bag in a wipeable oil-cloth.  Large enough to pack everything into but small enough to not take up too much room.

2.  Ambre Solaire Lip protector spf 20
I won't bother wearing coloured lipstick in the daytime but I know from past experience that sunburnt lips are not nice so I'll slick some of this on to protect them.

3.  Ambre solaire BB cream spf 30
Now this is the only thing on this list that I haven't tried yet so I'll get some & try it before I go to make sure my skin doesn't react to it.  This offers a good spf & being a BB cream aswell, it'll offer some colour to my face so as not to frighten the locals too much!!

4.  Bourjois BB bronzing cream
I bought this for the first time last year as soon as it was released & got through 2 bottles during summer alone! It's great on it's own to give a lovely sunkissed (not tangoed!) look but I also mix it with my foundation when my skin gets tanned so I don't have to buy darker ones!  I'll pop a few pumps of this into a little travel-sized pot so I don't have to take the whole bottle - a little goes a looong way!

5.  Sleek blusher in Sahara
I bought this beauty the other day & so far, am loving it.  It's so pigmented that a little goes a long way but offers a beautiful warm glow to your cheeks.  Ideal for when your face has a hint of a tan.  The only downside to taking this is that I'll have to also take a blusher brush.....

6.  Real Techniques blusher brush
Another fabulous offering from RT, the only blusher brush I use now.  I'm looking forward though to seeing what the new travel sized brushes are like when they get released as a smaller brush would be handier for travelling.

7.  L'Oréal False Lash Telescopic mascara
This, my friends, is my HG mascara & the one I go back time & time again.  L'Oréal have really nailed perfect mascaras & this is my favourite of the bunch.  I will tint my lashes before I go away though as I don't like wearing waterproof mascaras & don't want to resemble Alice Cooper when I use the pool!

8.  Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeshadow pencil in Tempting Turquoise
I've blogged about this Rimmel eyeshadow pencil before here & although I don't often wear it, it'll be perfect for a splash of colour.  It's the perfect formula too being waterproof as it won't disappear in the heat.

9.  Rimmel Scandaleyes kohl in Bronze
Bronze colours really make my green eyes stand out so this'll also be a good addition for nighttime looks.  Again, it's waterproof formula means it won't slide down my face if it's hot!

10.  Revlon lip butter in Candy Apple
Yet another product I've already blogged about & although it was nearly a year ago, I'm still as in love with this lip butter as ever!  It's the perfect bright colour that'll go with the tiny amount of clothes I intend taking & the moisturising formula is spot on!

11.  Boots No7 BB lip balm
First off, why is in not possible to clip items to Polyvore from the Boots website, it drives me mental?!  It took me 15 minutes of faffing around online to manage to get it on there......I digress.....
I bought one of these when Boots were handing out their £3 off vouchers.  It's a great nude colour, lasts well, isn't at all sticky, is hydrating & offers spf 15 - a makeup essential for me from now on!

12.  Elizabeth Arden Eight-Hour cream
Most people I know have a tube of this & I've been using it for around 12 years now.  I tend to buy the smaller sized tubes & always keep one in my bag.  It's a fabulous intensive lip balm & hydrates cuticles like nothing else.  I also sometimes add the merest slick to the tops of my cheekbones for that glowy/healthy-skinned effect!  Again, I'll pop some into a wee pot to save on space.

So there we have it, my minimal makeup essentials I'll be taking away with me.  I will of course do another post with my essential toiletries too!  If you want to click on the picture, it should take you to my Polyvore page where you'll find the links for the products.

Now, is there anything I've missed?!

Skin saviours

 

Ugh, I can't tell you how bad my skin has been over the last 8 weeks or so.  I've always been lucky in that I've had great skin all my life, even as a teen I was never really plagued with spots or acne.  Every now & again I'd get a hormonal spot or two but not very often so when my skin suddenly took a very bad turn for the worse, I didn't know how to treat it!

 

I have the Liz Earle Spot-On Treatment Oil that I roll onto any spots usually but even this, which normally works a treat, wasn't working.  My chin & upper lip were covered in big, angry lumps that were really bloody painful & no amount of clay masks or spot treatments were working.

 

I though for a while I was having a reaction to a product that I loved using it but I've come to realise now after a trip to the GP that it really was down to some serious hormonal issues I have going on at the minute.  I'll bore you with the details another day!

 

Anyway, as my normal skincare products seemed to be exacerbating my already problematic skin, I decided that now would be a good time to completely change my products & I want to tell you how I'm getting on with them. 

 

1.  Clarins Pure Melt Face Gel  £19.50 for 125ml

I apply a pea-sized amount of this thick gel cleanser which, when rubbed over my face, turns into a light oil so massages in comfortably.  When water is applied, it emulsifies into a milk but I usually gently rinse mine off with a muslin or flannel.  My skin feels scrupulously clean with no oily residue left behind. 

 

2.  Clarins Gentle Exfoliating toner  £25.00 for 125ml

I was really cautious about using this beauty blogger favourite as I also suffer with rosacea & anything with AHAs usually makes it flare up but after reading so many reviews saying it was suitable for the most sensitive of skin, I decided to give it a whirl.  I spoke to a sales assistant about my worries beforehand so she gave me a sample to try first & after only a few days, I noticed such a huge improvement in my skin, I went & purchased a full bottle.  I get no tingling sensation or irritation whatsoever from this slightly viscous toner but my scarring & lumps have lessened substantially in the 2 weeks I've been using it.  I use it probably 4 or 5 times a week, more than the recommended use, but my skin seems to thrive on it.  This is definitely my new skincare BFF!!

 

3.  Clarins Beauty Flash Balm  £29.00 for 50ml

This is another blogger favourite that admittedly I had been using for years but hadn't replaced when my last tube ran out about 6 months ago.  My skin feels so nourished when used as a mask & looks so much better when used as a base primer.  There are oodles of reviews online about this fabulous cream so I won't bore you with another one!

 

Indeed Labs Hydraluron  £24.99 for 30ml

After reading Caroline Hirons banging on about this product so much, I decided a few weeks ago to try it when it was on offer for a third off at Boots.  My first impression on opening the box was how teeny tiny the tube looked but this product really goes a long way.  I use the tiniest amount over a freshly cleansed & toned face, applying just where my skin feels really dehydrated (my chin & cheeks at the moment) & then apply my moisturiser over the top.  My skin has felt so much plumper since using this & my scarring is getting better too - I'm sure this in conjunction with the Exfoliating Toner is working its magic on my poor skin & I will definitely be repurchasing when it's ran out.

 

Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream  £40.00 for 50ml

I had a generous sized tube of this cream in a Clarins GWP so have been using it for a few weeks & again, my skin seems to love it.  I've had no adverse reaction to it & I alternate between this day cream & another for my rosacea, which I'll review another time.

 

So slowly but surely, my skin is clearing up.  The large angry bumps have gone but I still have a couple of smaller lumps still hanging around.  The redness seems to be kept in check & the pigmentation & scarring is much less noticeable now.  I'll keep up with these products for another few weeks & report back on how my skin is again - watch this space!

 

 



You know you're getting older when........

....you buy your regular weekly/monthly magazines, read them & then get really depressed about the fact that the fashions advertised are about 2 decades too young for you!!

 

I had this realisation a couple of months back now & it was like another door in my life firmly....& loudly....closing!  Well, that sounds a tad dramatic but you get the idea right?

 

I've bought Look magazine every week since it was released but just recently, I've been looking at the clothes featured thinking "what the....?!"  And then it dawned on me that had I been 18 years old, they'd have been perfect!  In fact, my 14 year old daughter loves the magazine & regularly recreates outfits from it......that should've been all the clue I needed really....

 

So, the next time I went to the newsagent, I started to look for an alternative weekly mag & then I spotted Woman.  I'd always discounted this as being an 'older ladies' magazine....yet again, the penny dropped!!  So I bought it, read it & loved it!  The outfits were still funky but age-appropriate & more importantly, affordable.  The beauty pages have some great ideas & product reviews & there are always great recipes & book recommendations in there too.

 

 

 

 

So this is my new weekly magazine now although I still end up buying Look too...but to hand over to my daughter!  I also get Essentials magazine every month too now for the same reasons.  There are really great articles in it & actually, there are many readers younger than me, something I never realised before I bought it as again, I'd dismissed it as being for someone of my mum's age!!  In fact, this month's cover star is a blogger I follow.  I've even had one of my tweets in print too - which gave me more pleasure than I'm sure is normal.....

 

 

 

 

So apologies to both Woman & Essentials magazines for dismissing you for many years as being too frumpy, I have well & truly learnt my lesson, heh hehe!!

 

 



Skint mum does beauty blogging!

 

 

 

 

I've been following many beauty blogs for just over a year now & I really love reading their individual reviews of products, both high-end & drug store.  But sometimes I sit & ponder on how much money some bloggers must be spending on all these products to do such frequent reviews.

 

I'm fully aware that a lot of well established bloggers get a fair amount of products gifted or sent to them from PRs for consideration of review but still, their Boots Advantage Cards must get loaded on a monthly basis!!

 

Please don't read this & think I'm being narky towards beauty bloggers because I'm not at all - quite the opposite in fact, I think I have a touch of the green-eyed monster!!  You see, I'm a stay-at-home-mum (the new way of saying housewife!) to 3 on a very strict budget so as much as I love beauty products & I'd love to be purchasing several a week for reviewing purposes, my circumstances dictate that I just can't do that anymore *cue silent sobbing!*

 

Unless an item is sent to me specifically for reviewing, I will only ever buy a product that I would've bought for myself to try anyway & 9 times out of 10, it'll be a drug store buy.  Actually, I'm currently trialling 10 products for a well-known publication, 6 of which I wouldn't be able to buy usually because they are waaaay out of my price range.  Once the publication is available to the public, I'll be able to post my results on my blog but I will tell you that while most products I've loved, one I've been allergic to so had to stop using & one I've hated the smell so much, it actually made me nauseous!!

 

Long gone are those days when I worked as a Beauty Therapist & my bathroom cabinets were full to the brim of high-end products.......it's a crying shame beauty blogging wasn't around then, I really would've been in my element! But I'll tell you something, I'm astounded at the progress & improvement of drug-store & budget beauty brands compared to 15, even 10 years ago. There are some fantastic products available now to suit everyone's budget (& some really great dupes too!)  Don't get me wrong though, birthday & Christmas present requests usually include a couple of higher-end cult products that I've been dying to try, heh heh!!

 

 So just to clarify, I'll never class myself just a beauty blogger...more of a ooooh-look-at-this-I-love/hate-it sort of person! But to be honest, I never started this blog as a beauty blog anyway, it was always my intention for it to be more of a lifestyle/blethering/jabbering away type of blog. Which, quite frankly, is what this particular post has been about...me just jabbering on about things!!  But as you know, things evolve & who knows what I'll be doing with it this time next year!!

 

Image taken from Google Images from lookfantastic.com