Daily Skincare Routine

Following a bad experience from trying the new YSL foundation I've had a bit of a skincare shakeup to cure my heavily blemished skin. The result is that I'm currently really happy with my skin's texture and appearance. I thought I'd share the products that I've recently been using and loving. For reference my skin type is combination with an oily t-zone & dryer cheeks, prone to blemishes and slightly dehydrated.

Morning
REN Mayblossom T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel, Caudalie Beauty Elixir,
Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching Serum, Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+

In the mornings I try to keep the products down to a minimum. Partly because I don't have much time to get ready and partly because I'm gonna pile a ton of makeup on top of my face anyway. A good cleanser is probably the most important step and at the moment I adore this gel cleanser from REN. Its meant for combination to oily skin types and does a brilliant job of balancing out your skin without stripping it. It helps to unclog my pores and leaves my skin looking clearer and brighter. It foams up just the right amount. I sometimes use this with my Clarisonic but it works just as well without it. I then give my face a generous spritz of Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I'm sure everyone has heard about what a fab skin refresher this is and I love how it works on my skin. I've gone through three big bottles of this now and its something I couldn't live without. A recent addition is the Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching serum. I tried a sample of this in a Glossybox and really liked it. When I went for my facial last month I was told that my skin was a bit dehydrated so I decided to purchase the full size one and its definitely helped to replenish my skin. I finish off with two small pumps of my Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+. Its perfect for my skin type and gives me the high sun protection that my skin so desperately needed.

Makeup Removal
Bioderma Créaline H2O, Boots Botanics Face Soothing Cleansing Balm

What I use to remove my makeup depends on how lazy I'm feeling. If I want something quick and easy then Bioderma is the way to go. A few cotton pads full of this will remove every trace of makeup on my face with ease, even when I've piled on the mascara. Sometimes I feel like my face needs a more thorough clean so I remove a bit of my eye makeup with Bioderma and then I use this Botanics cleansing balm. I really like this balm as massaging this into my face feels wonderful. I use a Liz Earle muslin cloth to remove it from my face and it leaves my skin feeling really smooth and does a fab job of cleaning out my congested areas. Sadly Boots have just relaunched their Botanics range and the ingredient list of this product has now changed. I have no idea if the new cleansing balm is as good as this one but I sure hope so. I fell out of love with Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish as I felt it wasn't really doing anything for my skin anymore. This balm was better, cheaper and made my skin so much nicer. Perhaps because this is more akin to the Eve Lom cleansing balm that Liz Earle tried to emulate long ago.

Night
REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser, Caudalie Beauty Elixir, Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré,
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil, Alpha-H Liquid Gold

At night is when your skin your skin repairs itself so this is when its most important to provide it with some TLC. I begin with another REN cleanser in the form of the ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser. This range of REN products is meant for blemish prone skin so it helps to clean out any impurities in your skin, shrink pores and clear up blemishes. Its really creamy and relaxing to massage in. It definitely helps to soften and calm my skin. Its so refreshing to find a skincare range for blemished skin that doesn't strip your skin or leave your face feeling tight. I either remove it using my Clarisonic or a Liz Earle muslin cloth. I then treat my face to some more Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I rotate the next few products throughout the week. Most nights I use some of my Embryolisse moisturiser with a few drops of Advanced Night Repair mixed in. I tend to use the Clarins Lotus Oil once or twice a week to give my skin an extra boost of moisture. This oil is suitable for combination or oily skin so you don't have to worry about this product breaking you out at all. Twice a week I use my holy grail skin product - Alpha-H Liquid Gold. I've raved about this product enough but this is just so good at clearing up any spots you have (including those that lie deep under the skin such as closed comedones), brightening your complexion and reducing scarring.

Theres some other bits and bobs I use once a week such as masks & spot treatments but those will be coming up soon in separate posts. I hope this helps some of you with combination skin as it can be difficult to find the right products for this skintype.

Favourite Products Of 2011

I have probably spent more on makeup in the last 12 months than in any other year of my life. It sure is expensive work being a beauty blogger! Luckily it means that I've found some products that I really love and can see myself using for a long time to come. Here are some of my favourite things that I used last year. I liked a lot more stuff than what I've listed here but these are the products that really stood out to me.


Skincare
Clarisonic Mia / Liz Earle Eyebright / Dermalogica Active Moist
The best thing that I invested in last year was my Clarisonic Mia. There is no other skincare product or treatment out there that compares to what this will do for your skin. I love how it makes my skin look, almost like I've had a spa facial every time I wash my face. I love all the Liz Earle products that I've tried so far. I use Cleanse & Polish with my Clarisonic & follow up with their Skin Tonic too. Eyebright is a bit of a wonder product as it instantly cools & refreshes your eyes. Its brilliant if you've had too many late nights or need to look & feel more awake. Active Moist has been my favourite moisturiser for a while now. Its perfect on my normal/combination skin type. I haven't really liked any of the moisturisers I tried last year so I'll be sticking with this one for the foreseeable future.


Haircare
Tangle Teezer / Kerastase Ciment Thermique / Batiste XXL Volume Dry Shampoo / Frédéric Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream
For anyone still wondering if Tangle Teezers work, yes they do & mine has saved me from some pretty horrific knots. I still really like the Kerastase Ciment Thermique & I don't think that any other heat protection product compares to this one. The grapefruit scent lingers on your hair & its absolutely beautiful. I only recently managed to purchase the XXL Volume Batiste as its been really hard to track it down. Its literally always sold out. I'm so glad I got this as although it does make your hair feel like utter crap, it does give you lots of volume. Just whack some serum on afterwards and you're good to go. The Brilliant Glossing Cream is kinda like a cream version of Moroccanoil so it helps to weigh down your hair more. Some people won't like that but I do as it means less flyaways & a more polished looking hairdo.


Base
Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation / Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer / Bobbi Brown Corrector / MAC Pearl Cream Colour Base / Illamasqua Hollow Cream Pigment / MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural / Dior Amber Diamond
Last year I became obsessed with finding the perfect base products. I bought a ton of different products but these are my favourites and I use all of these every day. Illamasqua's Skin Base Foundation has been a revelation. I finally have a foundation that matches my exact skintone and has no SPF in which stops the 'ghost face' that Estee Lauder Double Wear used to inflict upon me. Like everyone else I love that Collection 2000 concealer. Its practically opaque & covers pretty much everything. I couldn't live without my Bobbi Brown Corrector as although the Collection 2000 concealer is really good, this product colour corrects my dark circles making me look really awake & like I've slept for 12 hours each night. MAC MSF Natural has been my fave powder for ages, I just wear this with some concealer if I have no time at all to get ready. When I use the Illamasqua foundation I just use this to powder under my eyes because otherwise my mascara ends up all over my face. Pearl Cream Colour Base & Amber Diamond are the perfect highlighting duo. I've bought more highlighters than I can count in 2011 and these are the best of the best. I like a lot of glow so using a cream under the powder makes my cheeks look super shiny & it lasts all day. Hollow Cream Pigment is something I only bought recently but it is the best contour product ever.


Eyes
Lancome Doll Eyes Mascara / L'Oreal Carbon Gloss Superliner / HD Brows Palette / MAC Shroom & Patina Eyeshadows / MAC NC15/NW20 Pencil
The mascara that I've most recently fallen in love with is the Lancome Doll Eyes one. When I first got it the formula was a lot more fluid and didn't really give me the volume I wanted. But as it dried up a bit it got thicker and it is everything I could want in a mascara. It makes my lashes super long, thick & black. I use the L'Oreal eyeliner on a daily basis as I think I look weird without it. This one is really black, long lasting and pretty cheap too which makes it the best eyeliner I've bought this year. I love the eyebrow powders in the HD Brows Palette, they're so pigmented and just brilliant. I only use the one in the bottom right corner as the others don't suit me but I use the others as eyeshadows so its a fab product. The eyeshadows I've reached for most are Shroom & Patina by MAC. I don't really wear eyeshadow much but these are subtle enough for everyday wear. I love this MAC eyeliner pencil as it makes my eyes look bigger & brighter without being a really obvious white line.


Blusher
Illamasqua Katie / Illamasqua Thrust / NARS Deep Throat / Topshop Head Over Heels
I like to wear a lot of blush as it adds some pretty colour to my deathly pallor which saves me from bronzing my whole face to an unnatural colour. My fave blusher at the moment is NARS Deep Throat, I think its the perfect colour for me with just the right amount of sparkle. I adore Illamasqua's powder blushers. Katie is a lovely pastel pink & Thrust is a bright magenta. It looks so scary in the pan but its a gorgeous colour if you apply it with a light hand & blend it properly. I want to try some of Illamasqua's cream blushers next as they seem really good too. The only cream blushers I own are from Topshop but they are great quality for the price. I like the shade Head Over Heels best as its a very pretty peachy colour thats perfect for Summer.


Lip Products
Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight / Beaute Wanted Weightless Lip Creme / MAC Hue Lipstick / MAC Enchantée Kissable Lip Colour
I bought a lot of lipsticks this year. In order to keep my lips lovely & smooth I use Philosophy's Kiss Me Tonight lip treatment. Its a balm that you put on before you go to bed and you wake up with beautifully soft lips. I also put some on before I do my makeup then blot it off when I'm ready to apply my lipstick. I bought the Beaute Weightless Lip Creme in Wanted after I heard that Kristen Stewart loves it. Its a lovely nude thats halfway between a lipstick and gloss. The MAC Kissable Lip Colours from their Peacocky collection use a similar formula. I love the colour Enchantée which is a cool toned bright pink. My fave everyday lipstick is MAC Hue. Its the most perfect pinky nude that looks brilliant on everyone.


Nail Polishes
Illamasqua Jo'Mina / Models Own Utopia / Models Own Pink Punch / Barry M Peach Melba
This was such a hard decision as I adore all the nail polishes I bought last year and believe me, I bought a lot! These ones stood out to me as unique colours that I always get complimented on. They all apply really well and don't chip too badly with some Seche Vite on top.

Clarisonic Mia

As you might have seen in my latest monthly favourites post I bought myself a Clarisonic Mia. Incase you've never heard of a Clarisonic before its basically an electric facial brush. It uses the same sonic technology as electric toothbrushes to thoroughly cleanse your face. You might think that using a regular cleanse, tone and moisturise routine is good enough but this method often leaves you with impurities still on your skin. The Clarisonic is said to clean your skin six times better than using a cleanser alone. The vibrations it gives off gently massage away anything trapped within your pores and it actually prepares your skin for better absorption of toners, moisturisers and serums.

There are quite a few different types of Clarisonic available including one you can use on your body. It would be perfect for treating stretch marks and keratosis pilaris (those horrible red bumps you get on the tops of your arms). I opted to get the Mia because I figured I only really want to use it on my face and it was the cheapest. The Clarisonic Mia is the baby of the Clarisonic family. It only has one speed. There is now a Mia 2 which has two speeds but I just have the original Mia. For me, the one speed is fast enough and I think that anything stronger might be a bit too abrasive on my skin. When you first get it you have to charge it up for a full 24 hours. This will then last you for about 20 washes before you need to recharge it. The charger is really cool as well, its magnetic so you just have to place it on the bottom of the Clarisonic. Its very petite which makes it ideal for traveling with and its waterproof so you can use it in the shower.

I bought mine from Space.NK in Leeds where it retails at £120. Some of the profit from all the pink Clarisonic models goes towards a breast cancer charity so you can do some good as well as getting a cute product. The sales assistant gave me a full demo which I really appreciated. She put some of the Eve Lom cleanser on my hand and then used the Clarisonic on it for one minute. I could immediately tell the difference as my hand looked brighter and felt a lot softer than the other one. She very nicely gave me a sample of the Eve Lom cleanser and some shampoo & conditioner sachets. I always get the best customer service in Space.NK. She even told me that she'd recently lost over two stone and because she had been using the Clarisonic on her body her skin felt tighter and she didn't have a single stretch mark. Maybe that was just an attempt to sell me the body one but I believe her.

I love Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish so thats the cleanser I've decided to keep using with my Clarisonic. You do the same as if you were using Cleanse & Polish normally by massaging a couple of pumps over your face. Rather than using the muslin cloth to wipe away makeup or dirt, you then wet the Clarisonic brush and move it round your face in circular motions. You need to spend about 20 seconds on each area of your face and it then turns itself off to tell you its been one minute. Its gentle enough to use morning & night for one minute each time. You need to use a normal cleanser rather than one with any kind of exfoliant in it as the particles combined with the brush would be too harsh on the skin. Thats why Cleanse & Polish is the perfect partner for the Clarisonic. It leaves my face feeling ridiculously soft, my pores looking smaller & my skin tone looking brighter and more even. I have normal/combination type skin and don't really get too many spots anymore. I tend to just get bumps under the skin on my cheeks and forehead. I bought a Clarisonic to get rid of these bumps and its done exactly that. My makeup would often highlight these bumps but now my skin looks really great under foundation.

The only bad thing I've found with the Clarisonic is that when you first start using it your skin goes through a 'purge'. Like I say I don't really get spots anymore but I broke out in places I don't normally do like on my chin and nose as well as my forehead. This continued for about two weeks but my skin never looked too bad because using the Clarisonic helped the spots to heal as quickly as they had appeared. All the blocked pores & blackheads I had on those areas feel smooth and are now barely visible. So even though it might mess up your skin to begin with if you persevere with using it, your skin will look amazing in the end. I've been using it for about two months now and I could never go back to any other form of skincare routine. There are only a few things I would be willing to spend such a large amount of money on but I'm so glad I decided to splurge on this product. It has completely transformed my skin and I wouldn't be without it.

October/November Favourites

Clarisonic Mia
Back in October I decided to get myself a very early Christmas present in the form of the pink Clarisonic Mia. I don't generally get many proper spots anymore but I do get some bumps under the skin on my cheeks and forehead which make me look spotty even though I'm not. After reading some reviews I wanted to give the Clarisonic a try in an attempt to get rid of these bumps. I've been using it for less than two months now and my skin already looks a thousand times better. All the cleansers, toners, exfoliants and face masks in the world haven't done as much for my skin as this one tool has. Theres so much to say about this so I'm gonna post a full review later.

Moroccanoil
I got this bottle of Moroccanoil free in my Cosmo Blog Awards goodie bag. I'd previously tried a mini sample bottle and really liked it then but felt I had to use it very sparingly because the bottle was so tiny. Plus it didn't have a pump so I pretty much ended up pouring out most of the bottle every time I used it. The full sized bottle does come with a pump so I can get the amount I want out. This stuff just makes your hair look so shiny, its a really incredible product. I'm willing to use anything on my hair in an attempt to avoid cutting it and this seems to be doing the trick nicely. I want to give the Moroccanoil shampoo and conditioner a go next.

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel
Everyone's favourite shower gel is finally back in the shops! I'm a bit Snow Fairy mad and buy any Lush product which smells even vaguely similar. I've bought two of the big bottles and think I'm gonna go back for a third because I can't bear to be without this product. Pink, sickly sweet & sparkly, what more could you want in a shower gel?

Frédéric Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream
Another really fabulous hair product is the Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Cream. I apply this to my hair just before I blow dry it to add extra shine & fight frizz. It does a similar job to Moroccanoil but in some ways I actually prefer this product. Because its a cream its a lot heavier so it does a better job at smoothing everything down. It really helps your hair keep its shape once blow dried. The secret ingredient in this is olive oil which forms part of the 'Encapsulated Shine-Release Complex'. I can really tell the difference when I use this because it makes my hair properly glossy and lustrous, not just shiny. The only things you have to be careful about is how much you use and where you apply it. If you use it anywhere near your roots it'll make your freshly washed hair greasy again. Same goes for if you use too much of it. Its an expensive product so I guess its a good thing that you only have to use a tiny amount to reap the benefits of it.

Nailene Ultra Adhesive Tabs
I normally use Nailene's Ultra Quick Dry nail glue to apply my falsies but when they would eventually fall off I hated the glue residue that remained on my nails. Charlotte posted about these nail tabs as a way of sticking on falsies without damaging your own nails. These are such a great way of applying nails. As well as not damaging your nails, they feel very strong and you don't have to deal with the inevitable mess of getting nail glue all over your fingers. Thats the worst feeling ever, makes me shudder thinking about it haha. They cost the same as the Ultra Quick Dry nail glue and will last about the same amount of time so I'm always gonna use these from now on.



The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
If you know me at all, you'll know that I absolutely love video games. I have been waiting for ages for this game to come out. I'm a big fan of the Zelda games even though the only one I've ever managed to complete is Phantom Hourglass. I've been spending almost every night playing this since it came out last week and its such a blast. I got the 25th anniversary limited edition pack which comes with an awesome gold Wii motion plus remote and a CD with some of the classic Zelda songs on it. The motion controls are a nice touch. Its so much fun being able to slash away with your remote and watch Link do the same on screen with his sword. If you have a Wii, you need this game in your life!