Christmas Beauty Checklist

It's finally Christmas Eve and whilst today is mostly about cleaning the house from head to toe and some festive baking, I'll also be completing my beauty checklist, Christmas style.  Every year I seem to do exactly the same routine, in preparation for the big day. I usually leave washing my hair for Christmas morning, so I can enjoy a bath with some Lush goodies but before that I like to take care of my skin, brows and nails.  

When it comes to skin, I go all out.  Firstly, to get rid of any dirt, I cleanse with my favourite cleanser right now, REN's Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay cleanser. It says to use around one to two pumps and wash off with warm water, but for an extra exfoliation I use a muslin cloth.  Now that my pores are open, I find it best to tweeze my eyebrows.  Once my face is clean and my brows are groomed I then move on to a proper exfoliation, using Liz Earle's Gentle Face exfoliator. I like this product as it uses jojoba beads rather than a more abrasive exfoliant, which can sometimes leave my skin completely stripped. Next comes a face mask, I told you I go all out.  My skins playing up at the minute so I'll be using my trusty Origins Out of Trouble mask.  This product smells odd but really does the trick when it comes to pesky blemishes.  By now, my skin could do with a good douse of Embryolisse moisturiser for rehydration, after a quick spritz of my Liz Earle Skin Tonic.  

After working on my skin, I like to relax a little and paint my nails. I'm currently undecided whether to go for Chanel's Rouge Noir or Particuliere (let me know your choice in the comments!).  I file and shape my nails using a nail file before moving on to polish.  As I'm currently trying to grow my nails, I've been using OPI's Nail Envy as a base coat. I have mixed feelings on this product.  Some of my nails have really taken to it and have never been so long, but my thumbnails are quite different. They have been splitting at the sides, which they never did before I started using Nail Envy.  I'll persevere for a little while longer in the hope for long and strong talons. After the base coat, I apply two coats of the chosen colour and follow up with a top coat.  

Once my nails are dry, I usually just relax for the rest of the evening.  
Do you have a pre-Christmas beauty routine?

How To: Beat Bad Skin Days

There's nothing worse than a bad break out.  My skin has never been perfect, but I've managed to find a routine, along with some tips and tricks that helps my skin in its time of need.  I have normal to combination skin, so the majority of my break outs happen around my T-Zone. Although it sounds obvious, making sure your make up is taken off properly is essential to clearer skin. We're all guilty of turning to the face wipes after a night out but nine times out of ten, face wipes are just not enough.  I'm currently using Bioderma and loving it but another affordable and easily available option would be the No7 Cleansing Water.  

After I've removed all of my make up, I then go in for a second cleanse using the REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser.  This is a lovely product, which helps soothe skin and helps clear up any break outs.  Once a week after cleansing, I will turn to my favourite face mask. Origins Out of Trouble is great at drawing out all the impurities and sucking up any excess oil which may lead to further out breaks.  I would then follow up with a toner and a moisturiser. I've been enjoying Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate, which is a simple, non greasy moisturiser, recommended by make up artists and models.  

If my skin is particularly bad I will pop a bit of PanOxyl Aquagel 2.5% on angry areas.  This gel dries up the spot and helps reduce the redness in just a few hours.  After a couple of days with this routine, I find that my skin clears up pretty quickly. I also try to drink as much water as I can during the day, which also helps when it comes to break outs.  

How do you keep your skin clear?

REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser

I've been pretty ill over the past few days with Tonsillitis, but thankfully I'm now on the mend.  Whilst I've been ill, make up has been far from my mind but I still kept up my skincare regime.  A new product I've been using is from REN, a brand that currently has the beauty blogosphere in a spin.  I wanted a cleanser that specifically targeted blemish prone skin, to help keep my skin clear when it's trying to do anything but.  

After perusing the Space NK shelves I decided upon the Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser.  First off, you get a lot for your money.  I'm used to paying £12.75 for a 100ml bottle of Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, whereas for £18.00, REN give you 150ml of product which may be pricey but if it's  going to last 4-5 months, I think it's worth it.  It comes in a clear plastic bottle with a pump and inside the bottle is a bag filled with the product.  As you pump, the bag retracts a bit more.  I like being able to see how much product I've used and this idea means that all the product will eventually be squeezed out.  It's a lot more liquidy than what I'm used to, but it feels lovely on the skin.

I use this mostly in the evening, after removing make up.  One pump is more than enough to cover the face and neck. The instructions tell you to rub the cleanser in circular motions for 1-2 minutes.  It has a herbal scent to it which isn't too strong. I then remove the product with a muslin cloth, (mine are from Liz Earle but you can get some cheap ones here) which gently exfoliates the skin. Afterwards I'm left with baby soft skin and a reduced amount of redness thanks to the calming ingredients.  I've noticed that over the past month my break outs have been popping up less and any that do crop up go a lot more quickly when I use this and a couple other products (post coming soon).

I really like REN from what I've used so far and I'd definitely like to try another product (or two) from their range. If you're looking for a new cleanser that is targeted at blemish prone skin but doesn't strip your skin completely, then I really recommend this product. 

Do you have any REN recommendations?

New In: Skincare

What a day I have had! I needed to pop into town to get a few bits but also had a parcel being delivered so had to rush out before I missed it. Miraculously, I managed to get most things on my list and get in home about an hour before the delivery arrived! I haven't done a haul for a while and thought I'd show you some new (and old) skincare products I've picked up both online and in store.  

Earlier this week I finally caved and ordered myself a bottle of Bioderma (from this eBay seller). It's not  the easiest of things to get your hands on in the UK, but I ordered Monday afternoon and it was despatched straight away and arrived with the Postman this morning.  I find my eye make up is the trickiest to get off, so I'm excited to see if this is as good as the hype claims.  

Another online purchase was the Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate, which I picked up from love-makeup.co.uk.  This moisturiser has been hailed as most models favourite product and they always request is on shoots/catwalk events, so if it's good enough for a model, it's worth trying in my eyes! I ordered the 30ml which was the smallest size.  

I popped into Liz Earle whilst frantically running around town today, to pick up a back up of my favourite cleanser. It's the only cleanser I've found myself repurchasing time after time. It's a great everyday cleanser that removes make up with ease.  The lady who served me also gave me a complimentary Skin Tonic spritzer, which is so refreshing on the skin.  

Lately my skin has been all over the place, so I wanted a cleanser that targeted towards blemish prone skin. I picked up the REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser from Space NK after hearing good things from other bloggers.  I was pleasantly  surprised with how big the product is, as you get 150ml.  I'm looking forward to trying this out tonight and seeing if it helps my skin out.   

What have you been up to today?

Skincare Wish List

Skincare has been an important part of my daily routine for about two years now, since I started to take it seriously.  Lately, I've been bitten by the skincare bug, stepping away from my beloved Liz Earle products and trying something new.
  

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

1. Bioderma Crealine/Sensibio H20; £15.50 (500ml) - Recently this product has had a change in name but that has by no means changed it's popularity. First used by MUAs, the blogging world has now got hold of this make up removing secret and wont stop talking about it. I've had this on my wish list for a while as I like the fact it's supposed to remove all traces of make up and it's good for the skin.  

2. Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre; £17.50 (75ml) - Apparently models request this wonder product on shoots and at Fashion Weeks. This is a multipurpose product which can be used as a primer, make up remover or most commonly as a moisturiser.  I've been looking out for a 'simple' moisturiser to try for a while and this one happens to be suitable for all skin types. If it's good enough for Naomi...

3. REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser; £18 (150ml) - Although I absolutely adore my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, I find it doesn't really help my skin when I have an active breakout.  While I've been using an Origins mask (review here) to help fight the battle of the breakout, I'd also like a cleanser that would also help.  REN has been talked about quite a bit lately and is a brand I've previously used and loved. 

4. Origins GinZing Eye Cream; £21 (15ml) - I suffer with puffy eyes in the morning, especially on those days where I'm woken up with an alarm. My current eye cream doesn't really do anything to wake my eyes up and after dabbling into the Origins world, I'm ready to try something new. 

Have you tried any of the above products?