Keep it Simple...

When it comes to my facial skin care routine, despite often trying out cheaper home brand alternatives from many different places (Wilkinson, Boots…) there is always one brand I come back to and find best for my skin type, and that’sSimple. Although I’m not prone to spots (lucky!!) my skin does tend to be very dry and so I’ve tried various fragrance free products in order to avoid irritation.  I’ve found that so many facial washes leave, my forehead especially, extremely itchy and dry (including Simple products I might add). It’s taken a while to discover something that could work for me but I think I’ve finally cracked it…

Simple Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash has been my saviour. It isn’t something I would have usually picked up, being in the teenage skin care section and me not really being a sufferer of spots but when I was starting to give up hope of finding something that wouldn’t irritate me, I thought I would give it a try.  Thank God I did, because it works brilliantly and doesn’t cause any itching to my forehead at all!! It’s also really refreshing against the skin and leaves me feeling refreshed and as an added bonus keeps the spots (when i have them) away! (“,)

I usually follow the face wash in my daily routine with the Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Wipes just to remove any excess I may have missed on my skin and I would also swear by these. Although they are quite expensive at around £3 for 25 wipes, they are most definitely worth it. They are great for removing eye make-up and don’t sting my eyes at all thanks to the lack of fragrance and colours, and leave my face feeling fresh and smooth.

I also wouldn’t be without the Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser which I also use daily. Because it’s lightweight it doesn’t feel heavy and sticky on the skin and perfect as a base for your daily make up. It also moisturises effectively, which means no flakiness around my prone dry areas on my forehead and around my nose. Absolutely brilliant!!

I could go on for ages about how much I love all these products, and they also last ages which is always a bonus, especially when sometimes I feel guilty for spending more than I’d like to. The other great thing about the products though is that they are quite often on special offer, usually 2 for £4 on the cleansing wipes or 3 for 2 across the range in Boots.  ADDED BONUS!

I’ve also recently started using the Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Night Cream which they recently brought out. I thought at first maybe I was being a bit premature starting to use a night cream seeing as I’m only 23 but my Mum assured me it was a good time to start using it. I’ve got to be honest, it is amazing! It did feel a bit weird at first because it is quite heavy and leaves your face shining like a beacon but it’s great for restoring the vitamins to your skin overnight, and it’s a lovely feeling to wake in the morning with my face feeling smooth and soft.

Something tells me I won’t be switching from Simple any time soon. Unless the cheaper home brands improve their products in some way, but until then I’m more than happy to spend that little extra and get great results for my skin from Simple. (“,)

Any facial skin care products you would recommend from cheaper alternatives? Let me know!!

Hair Revival

Having recently become a victim of 'flat hair syndrom' thanks to lack of hair cut in a long while (trying to grow it) and stupidly thin hair I decided to invest and try out a few new products I've not used before to try and give my hair a new lease of life.
After seeing it mentioned on a few YouTube beauty community videos and then seeing it on offer in Boots I thought I'd give 'Charles Worthington Front Row - Rough and Tousled Salt Spray' a try.  Sometimes I do like to give my naturally curly hair a rest from those overused GHD's of mineand let it go a little wild (or when I just can't be bothered to straighten it), so I thought this might help tame the frizz and help define my often stubborn curls, without having to go to too much effort. I'm yet to try it out yet but will post another blog to report the results when I do!
I also picked up a 500ml bottle of Herbal Essences Uplifting Volume Shampoo (currently on £1.50 in Superdrug!) to try to get a bit more 'oompf' to my hair when I do straighten it.  Having used Aussie's Aussome Volume for months I thought I would try something different (I do get easily bored of shampoo smells I've used alot) and mix it up a little. The smell of Herbal Essences is always lush and refreshing on my hair (Passion Flower & Pearl extract, YUMMERS!) and I have seen a nice difference to the volume of my hair when I've used it so far.

I also picked up another Charles Worthington Front Row product, to give my hair a bit of protection from my straighteners, again I've not tried it out yet but reviews I've read suggest the  Stay Cool Heat Defence Spritz smells divine and supposedly leaves hair soft and shiny. I can't wait to start using it and see the results for myself!
This hot and humid weather recently has also cause my hair to get greasy alot quicker than usual, and meaning I've been having to wash my hair sometimes every day (I'm an every other day girl usually!) I'd heard a lot about the Bastiste Dry Shampoo -BOHO also on YouTube videos, so picked up a can on an impulse near the till. Perhaps this can help out with my latest hair issue and save my hair a little from having to wash it so often and essentially getting rid of all those vital natural oils.
Fingers crossed all these products can give my hair some life, just at least until I can bring myself to have my hair cut, just can't bare to lose my length!
Have you used any of these products? What did you think?

Everyday Make-Up Essentials

When it comes to make-up and what to do with it I'm a bit of a novice, in that I tend not to stray away from the unfamiliar. I tend not to wear a lot of make-up so in all honesty in comparison to most girls my collection is probably pretty pathetic! This is mainly because I tend to stick to using the same products all the time, but what I do use, does work effectively for me.

My daily make-up consists of pencil eyeliner (Barry M Kohl Pencil), Mascara (Max Factor False Lash Effect), Eyebrow Pencil (Rimmel - Hazel) and a small amount of blusher just to add a bit of colour to my pale complexion (Max Factor Creamy Blush - Soft Copper)

What I love about all these products, is that even though they aren't the cheapest of options, they always last me a long time so I never feel guilty about spending a little bit extra. The creamy blush especially last me forever because you don't need to use a lot for it to be effective and give you good coverage. PERFECT!! As for my mascara, I'll admit I have experimented with various brands but I always go back to the Max Factor False Lash Effect.  I just love how the brush just glides effortlessly through my lashes and effectively creates a longer lash look that's still looks natural but can also be made dramatic when you want it to. I do tend to alternate between the black and the brown/black, they are both awesome!!

When it comes to eyebrow pencil, I have only recently started using it, but again I don't use a alot. Being a red-head I have horribly light eyebrows, which are also patchy (thanks to me deciding to cut them with scissors when I was a child, and they never grew back properly - stupid child!) so I simply use pencil just to fill them a little and make them look a bit better. It's also great for creating illusion of a better shape to them, because I'm not great at shaping with tweezers.

For my eyeliner, I've always used pencil just because I don't get on well with liquid. Whenever I try liquid it always goes horribly wrong or looks too structured. With pencil I find it's better for a more subtle, natural look which is what I always go for. I also prefer the glide of the pencil against my eyelid as opposed to liner brushes which for some reason I find hard to control (probably me being a bit of a div though!). Highly recommend Barry M Kohl Pencil in Black and Brown :)

I do want to try out new looks and techniques for make-up,  so any suggestions feel free to comment :)
Any make-up essentials you can't live without in your daily routine? Let me know!