Skin Soothing Sprays

Caudalie Beauty Elixir / La Roche-Posay Serozinc / Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic
Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner / Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner

For some reason toners are oft-neglected as part of a skincare routine. Just because it doesn't feel like they're doing anything for your skin doesn't mean that they aren't beneficial to it. In fact many toners that feel like they're 'working' on the skin have a high alcohol content. Alcohol is something you really should try to avoid when choosing a toner. It may look & feel like it's shrinking your pores when in reality it's just drying out your skin. If you're a fan of chemical exfoliants like me then it's important to keep your skin balanced by following up with something gentle & hydrating. This helps to maintain the skin's pH level which is important for preventing everything from eczema & redness to acne & wrinkles. Toner helps to bridge the gap between cleansing & moisturising so that your skin feels prepped for the products to come. Personally I prefer using spray toners as they feel so much more refreshing upon application than swiping your toner on with a cotton pad. In the Summer I also like to pop one of these sprays in my handbag as a quick pick me up for the skin. Keeping your toner of choice in the fridge overnight will further enhance it's cooling powers, leaving it perfectly prepped for a day out in the sun.

I've used various different spray toners over the years but the first one that I truly fell head over heels for was the Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I will never get tired of it's wonderful scent. It imparts a minty tingle to your skin, perking it up & making it glow. I tend to keep this one exclusively for my handbag as not only does it freshen up your face but it helps to calm & clear your mind too. Ever since I tried La Roche-Posay Serozinc it has been a staple in my skincare routine. This is the one I reach for on a daily basis as it contains a zinc sulfate solution which can reduce redness & irritation. Zinc also has acne-busting properties so I use it to keep my blemishes in check. Combine this spray with a Zinc + Copper supplement to give cystic acne the boot. It's criminal that La Roche-Posay haven't brought this to the UK yet but it's well worth hunting down if you're holidaying in France. Alternatively you can get it on eBay.

I remember when I first started blogging that Liz Earle was the biggest thing in skincare. I subsequently went out & bought practically every product they made. Since then I've obviously moved on to other brands but there's still a few key products that I would recommend. I always pluck my eyebrows using the Instant Boost Skin Tonic. It makes it easier to wipe away the strays hairs & immediately calms down any redness in that area. The ingredient list is full of soothing ingredients including cucumber, chamomile & calendula. I enjoy it's soft botanical scent, it kinda reminds me of baby powder. I also used to really be into Dermalogica & have spent a small fortune on their products over the years. Their Multi-Active Toner remains a firm favourite due to it's skin balancing properties. It doesn't contain any alcohol yet it manages to keep excess oil production at bay. It also features arnica, cucumber and moisture-binding humectants to hydrate & smooth the skin. My latest toner love is the Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner. This toner is incredibly hydrating & smells amazing! It makes my skin feel really soft & look beautifully radiant. The formula is very gentle making it a great choice for those with sensitive or irritated skin. Use it sparingly as it can feel a bit sticky if you go overboard with it. Elemis make so many lovely skincare products, I want to try them all!

What's your favourite spray toner?

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Favourite Face Masks

Clearing
REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask, Bliss Steep Clean Pore Purifying Mask, Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask
These are the masks I rely on if I'm suffering from any breakouts. They all help to clear up my skin, shrink my pores & reduce any blackheads. My favourite one is the REN Invisible Pores mask. This is a fairly recent purchase but its worked wonders on my skin and clears up blemishes the fastest out of any other mask I've tried. Its a traditional clay mask that dries to a hard finish and weirdly you can see where all your pores are all over your face! If I could recommend any one mask, this would be it. I'm a big fan of Bliss skincare products and had two of their facials when I visited New York. Their facials are amazing as they're very technical and they give you very thorough extractions where they manually squeeze gunk out of every pore without leaving a single mark! The products they sell are the same ones they use in their spas and I had this mask applied during one of my treatments. The product comes with a dual pump where blue and green gel come out of either side. You mix this together to activate the exfoliating enzymes and rub it all over your face. It dissolves all the dead skin cells & deep cleans your pores leaving your face looking clearer & feeling softer. The Liz Earle mask is another clay mask but this one is a lot runnier than the REN one. Upon application it is instantly cooling and tingles slightly until it dries. It does a great job of clearing up spots and I like this one because it contains manuka honey which is great for calming and soothing the skin. The little facial sponges it comes with are pretty fab too.

Brightening
REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask, Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask
I'm sure we all get those times where your skin just looks dull and tired. I like to use these two masks to perk up my complexion and bring some life back to my skin. The REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal mask is pretty much an all-rounder. It contains 6.5% glycolic acid which is a brilliant ingredient also found in Alpha-H's Liquid Gold. It helps to clear up spots, fade scaring and shrink pores. It also contains fruit acids which help to brighten your complexion and make your skin look radiant. The orange jelly consistency helps to hydrate the skin and plumps out any fine lines leaving your skin feeling super soft. REN recommend using this mask one night and then using the Invisible Pores one the next to get the maximum clearing effects. The Bliss Triple Oxygen facial is world famous and this mask provides you with the effects of that facial at home. Its an orange gel that foams up as you apply it to your face. This, combined with the vitamin C it contains, delivers the oxygen your skin which instantly makes your whole face look brighter and feel tighter. Blemish-causing bacteria are anaerobic, which means they are unable to survive with oxygen present so its really good at getting rid of blemishes too. This was always my face mask of choice following a messy night out. I find that it can be quite drying if you use it too much so I try not to opt for this one too often but my skin loves it when I do.

Hydrating
Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque, Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask
My whole skincare routine used to be comprised of Dermalogica products. I've found better and cheaper products from other skincare ranges now but there are still a few hero products of theirs that I love. This mask is one of them. This tube is the old packaging which was horrible but they've now changed it to a normal plastic tube. Its basically a thick orange cream that becomes a gel on your face as it sets. It contains tons of vitamins and anti-oxidants which help to soothe irritated skin and restore moisture. This mask is ideal for mature or prematurely aging skin but I love this for when my skin is looking and feeling a bit dry. Apparently Victoria Beckham is a huge fan of this product too and always uses it after a long flight. If you're a regular blog reader I'm sure you've heard plenty of people rave about this Origins mask. This is unlike any other mask I've tried because you have to leave it on overnight. Its quite a thick gel-like mask but it soon sinks into your skin so you don't have to worry about getting it all over your pillow case. I don't think it gives you the immediate results that normal masks do but after using this for a couple of weeks I've noticed that my skin feels a lot more hydrated and plump the next morning. Its a brilliant product for anyone with dry or dehydrated skin and I'll definitely be taking it with me next time I go on holiday.

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.