Lancôme Tonique Confort – Review

Toning was always a step I overlooked.  Recently though, I’ve been taking better care of my skin and adding toning into my routine. Funny thing – my skin is better for it. The extra TLC I’ve been giving it works.

Until recently I was using quite a harsh toner.  It was very drying and although it did help improve my pores and reduce blackheads, it made my face red and patchy.  I hate wasting products but I didn’t want to have come a long way with my skin to just have it be red and damaged by my toner. So I went on the hunt for something better.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Lancôme skincare so searched the Feelunique website for toners in their range.  They have a lot to choose from but I settled with the hydration tonic.

It’s wonderful.  So refreshing, cooling and calming.  Great after a face mask or exfoliate as it’s super hydrating too.  It’s got a good consistency (think gravy?) and a little goes a long way.

I apply it with my fingers and take some time to really massage it into my skin and enjoy the cooling temperature and calming smell.  On the bottle it says ’tissue off’ honestly I don’t know if that means you need to wipe it off after but I find it soaks in so there’s no need?

I’d recommend not using a cotton pad to apply as you end up losing a lot of the product to the cotton wool.

Brunch – A Wild Thyme

Does anyone not like brunch?  I feel as though everyone must love brunch…  Have a lie in, stroll into the city and eat breakfasty or lunchy foods, depending on your preference! And going for brunch with a friend? Even better.

A few weeks ago a friend and I went to Wild Thyme in Norwich, a great veggie/vegan place.  She’s vegan and I really shouldn’t eat dairy so having pretty much a whole menu to choose from is always a big deal for us.

We stared off with Spice Turmeric, Oat Milk Lattes which were heavenly.  Ten times better than the classic Chai Latte and I’m a big fan of the Chai Latte.

Of course, even in a restaurant with a menu full of delicious vegan foods, we both still wanted things that contained dairy.  Our lovely waitress offered to pop to the shop downstairs and pick up some dairy free yogurt for us.

Banana Pancakes, Avocado on Toast and Yogurt with Fruit

I’ve eaten in Wild Thyme a lot and I can honestly say I’ve never been disappointed with the food or the service.  It’s a beautiful location and they have kept the ambiance inside in keeping with the courtyard outside.

In terms of price, it is a little more on the pricey side but it’s definitely worth it.  Nice for a date, a meal with the parents or just a fancy brunch date with a bestie.

When I Wear Makeup…

“Everyday Makeup” wouldn’t really be an accurate name for this post.  More often than not, I don’t wear make up.  I love putting it on and playing around with new looks, but most days I’m too lazy, preferring to spend an extra 10 minutes in bed than getting up and doing my face.

However I do have a quick ‘go to’ look for days I have a little more time.  It’s very minimal and one that’s easy to dress up when required.

The products I’m showing are ones I’m currently using, but things like foundation or mascara change regularly depending on what took my fancy when I was shopping.  If you have any product recommendations I’d love to hear them.  I’m particularly interested in picking up a tinted moisturiser, so leave your suggestions below or let me know on Twitter!

Sephora Teint Infusion – Very buildable, light and moisturising without leaving you too shiny.

NYX Above & Beyond Concealer – A new product to me but so far it’s great, full coverage, matte but not TOO matte.

Natural Collection SunTint Bronzing Powder (Sun shine) & Blushed Cheeks (Peach Melba) – Again, buildable, well pigmented, not cakey.

Rimmel Stay Matte – A staple in my makeup kit, does what is says on the pot. What more can you ask for!?

NYX Badunkadunk Mascara – Fantastic, lengthens, adds volume, not waterproof but that’s cool with me! Add to curled lashes and boom!

Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo (Pink gold) – I’ve been lusting after these pots of wonder for a long time and finally got myself one.  I was not disappointed. Creamy, long lasting and works well with other shadows cream and powder alike.

L’Oreal Paris Gold Obsession (Nude gold)  – I love everyone of these lipsticks and choosing just one was so hard.  I’m really glad I went for nude, so much more versatile.  Does need to be topped up throughout the day/night but it doesn’t leave your lips looking patchy or dry.  A subtle shimmer and beautifully natural nude.  Definitely a ‘my lips, but better’ look.

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Favourites : June Edition

This month has been a real mix of a month for me.  It’s had some stresses and some excitements.  We just got our first car, we’re moving house and I’ve changed my working structure.  All very exciting but also very stressful. Here’s a few things I’ve been doing this month to keep stress to a minimum.

I’ve been trying to focus on some self care, keeping myself relaxed and chilled out.  If you read my last blog post you’ll see my new favourite deep cleanse skin routine. (These are the products I love)  It’s not an everyday routine but once a week I really like to give my face the TLC it deserves.

Painting my nails is not really something I’ve ever kept on top of, but this month I’ve tried to keep my nails freshly painted at all times. I enjoy taking the time to carefully apply the varnish and letting my hands rest for 30mins while they dry.  I particularly like Essie nail polish, there are so many great colours and with my Sally Hansen Double Duty base and top coat, I’m getting about a weeks wear out of them before they start chipping. Here I’m using the colour Cocktail Bling.

 

Me and Andrew have been re-watching How I Met Your Mother, it’s such a great show. When we both get in from work we don’t really feel like watching anything new, watching an old favourite is so relaxing and HIMYM is totally brain chewing gum.

Other than that I’ve been drinking a lot of tea, tea is my saviour for a stressful day.  A good mug of Yorkshire tea, perfect!

Read about my Tea and Mug collection.

What do you do to de-stress at the end of the week?

Bx

Skin Care Routine – Deep Clean

My skin has been in serious need of some care.  It’s been dry, oily and I’ve been breaking out really bad.  When my skin gets bad it really effects my confidence and makes me much less likely to take care of myself, it’s a vicious cycle!

This weekend after watching a bunch of skincare videos on YouTube and poking at my face a bit, I decided to give it some much needed TLC.  The products I used are not things I would use together everyday but for a really deep clean it’s worked really well and my skin feels fresh and clean.  It’s noticeably clearer.

Having clean skin is a much better base for your make-up too, you’ll use less products trying to cover dark patches, blackheads or blemishes.  I feel much more confident skipping the foundation if my skin is having a good day, and that helps it breath and ultimately I’ll have more good days!

I used my Simple Cleansing Oil to breakdown and make-up or dirt on my face, this product is fantastic: it’s the first cleansing oil I’ve used and see no need to try anything else at the moment.

Next is my Dr. Organic Dead Sea Mud Mask, this leaves my skin smooth and fresh.  On my nose I like to use something that really targets the black heads.  I get a lot of black heads on my nose but these Boots Tea Tree and Which Hazel with Activated Charcoal nose strips are amazing.  I see results right away.  Plus the satisfying ‘look what came out of my face’ thing after you take it off. I know its kinda gross but come on, we all love it.

It’s time to tone!  A step I used to ignore because I felt it really dried out my skin, but if you’ve got a good moisturiser then you should be good. Toning is really important for closing your pores, controlling oil and keeping your skin fresh.  I have two toners I like, first is another Dr. Organic and also one from the body shop.

The nose strips come with a moisturising strip which feels so good, I could leave it on forever.  I’ll use whatever moisturiser I’m most into and depending on whether it’s day or night will change that, I like to use an SPF for the daytime, but I don’t need it at night.  Right now I’m finishing up a little pot of the Body Shop Vitamin E cream. Around my eyes I use some of the Elderflower Gel, this is great for morning or night, it gives brightness and moisture.

I finished up at bed time with a Night Treatment Gel from Boots on top of that I use an Anti-Stress Sleeping Masque from & Other Stories.

Don’t forget your lips!  A quick scrub with a LUSH lip scrub and a really thick lip balm.

I was in face heaven, my skin looks and feels great, and it’s so relaxing to indulge in some self care.

Happy Skin Care Times! x

Impress Emulsion & Lotion

My husband, Andrew, bought me a fantastic gift from his last trip with work.

He got me a gift set of make-up, which if you’d like to see my first impressions of, you can go here and see my YouTube video about that.

The gift set also came with some free samples of the Impress Emulsion and Lotion.  After doing a bit of research I found that the Lotion is basically a toner and the Emulsion is a moisturiser.  The Impress website by the way is fantastic, some really useful instructions for all the products.

The first thing I’d like to say about these products is that they are samples, so you don’t get a lot of product which is fine! Perfect for a quick review.  My only problem with the size and design of the sample bottle however is that the plastic is very hard, making it very difficult to get the product out as I can’t squeeze the bottle.

The toner is nice, it doesn’t have to strong a smell, I find some toners can have a slightly alcoholic odour.  This one is quite sweet and I can’t smell any unpleasant medicinal scents to it.

The moisturiser similarly has a very pleasant smell.  It’s quit a milky consistency  which goes a long way, my skin loved it!  It’s not greasy and didn’t leave my face shiny or sticky.  It’s quite light so good for the summer.  As far as I can tell from the bottle it doesn’t contain any sun protection which would be a draw back for me, but there’s always the option to wear a separate sun screen.  Like I said, it was difficult to get enough product out of the bottle, I would like to have been able to more easily apply more, but I was cautious of wasting it!

 

First Impressions: Masque B.A.R, Luminizing Charcoal Peel off mask

I’ve seen videos of people peeling these thick black masks off, crying because of how painful it is and I thought, “I need this mask”.

Sadly I can never remember which brands are the most painful looking, more pain more gain right?

When I was in Boots today I had a good old look around the skin care section and found these face masks by Masque Bar.  They seemed to tick the boxes, charcoal, peel, “deep cleansing”. My skin has been really bad lately, it never feels clean and I’ve been getting a lot of break outs, so I wanted something that I was really going to feel.  I also wanted to get a few products that I could make a regular part of not only my facial routine but my general skin routine, I also suffer from a lot of body acne. I picked up the Simple Cleansing Oil and  a Biore Pore penetrating charcoal bar.

So, enough chit chat. what about the mask!

For £9.99 you get 3x 10ml packets each of which is 1 mask.  The packets are a little annoying, the mask itself is very thick and sticky and when you’re trying to squeeze the goop out without getting it everywhere it can get a little tricky, I called for backup and even with a second pair of hand it was tough.

The mask starts to dry very fast and becomes difficult to evenly smooth over your face so you need to be quick getting it all slathered on.  However this does mean that once it’s on your face its not going anywhere until you rip that sucker off!  With some soap and hot water you can get it off your hands pretty easy.

For a deep cleansing, detoxifying mask it’s surprisingly soothing, I find some masks make my face tingle or can get a little warm, this one it quite pleasant to  wear, which is good because you’ll be wearing it for 30mins while it dries.

I started getting a little nervous ones it got towards the removal.  It was a little tough to find a good spot to start, you need to pull the mask downwards when removing but I’d applied a little thinly around my hair line. Side note:  It’s a bitch to pull out of your hair… Try to avoid…

The removal was actually pretty satisfying, not painful, a little uncomfortable on some of the more delicate areas near the eyes but there were no tears.  My face feels amazing, smooth, clean, fresh and it looks brighter.  See below for obligatory ‘look what came out of my face’ photo.

I will be adding this to my skin care routine, one of the best masks I’ve used recently.  Just need to find a quick way to remove it from the package…

So this was in my chin… Nice right?

What other masks should I try?

Bx

Christmas Jumpers

It’s that time of year!

With so many options for Christmas jumpers I thought I’d have a look at a few online and let you know how I feel about them.  Some wonderful and some not so wonderful…

H&M

H&M

Please use #elfieselfie to show me any pictures you have with the Elfie Selfie jumper!