Christmas Presents

Peppermint Treats
Whilst chatting to my mum on the phone I briefly mentioned that I was planning on making some peppermint bark for Christmas. I was just gonna look for recipes on Pinterest but she got me this awesome cookbook filled with all sorts of recipes for making bark & ways to use it in other desserts. The peppermint bark brownies are currently top of my to-do list! She also got me some gourmet treats from Williams Sonoma. The hot chocolate is utterly divine and the pretzels are that perfect combination of salty & sweet, yum!



Tom Ford Black Orchid
I've been wanting a Tom Ford perfume for ages but they're just so expensive! I could never decide whether I preferred Black Orchid or Velvet Orchid either. Luckily my mum made that decision for me & I was delighted to receive this bottle of Black Orchid for Christmas. Black Orchid smells unlike anything else in my collection. I normally go for girly floral fragrances but this is more of a spicy oriental scent. It's luxurious, sophisticated, sensual & I love it! I think I'll probably save this one for special occasions as it's just too good for everyday wear.



Real Techniques Filtered Face Set
You can never have too many makeup brushes & this set from Real Techniques has it all. You get loads of brushes, three sponges & a cute pot to store them all in. When this set went down to £35 in Boots I decided to treat myself & wrapped it up as a present from Chloe haha. Real Techniques brushes are some of my favourites so I think it's always good to have a few backups. I've never tried the pink & purple sponges so I'm looking forward to giving those a go.



Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Masks
My sister got me these eye masks. I love sheet masks & the hydrogel ones are often the most effective. These ones are just for the eye area & sound really good. My eyes often look puffy & tired so I'm sure they'll be of use to me. I love Elemis products & have heard such great things about their Pro-Collagen range so hopefully they'll work well!



Makeup Geek In The Nude Eyeshadow Palette
She also got me this Makeup Geek eyeshadow palette that I've lusting after for quite a while. Makeup Geek do such brilliant eyeshadows but no one really talks about them anymore. I have a custom palette that I made using their single shadows that I absolutely love & use all the time. The In The Nude palette features a gorgeous array of neutral colours. MUG's matte formula blends like a dream & their foiled shadows are simply stunning. It took me longer than most people to get into the warm brown trend but now I'm fully on board & I can already tell that this is gonna become my new everyday go-to eyeshadow palette.



Kylo Ren Funko Pop
I've had a huge crush on Adam Driver ever since the very first episode of Girls so I was super excited when he joined the cast of the new Star Wars films. Kylo Ren's relationship with Rey was my favourite part of The Last Jedi & I'm a shameless Reylo shipper. The store that Andy manages sells Funko Pops so he got me a little Kylo Ren! I love it so much & he has already earned a permanent place on my desk.



Topshop Goodies
Andy also bought me loads of things from Topshop. I was really surprised because I wasn't expecting him to spoil me at all & I love everything he bought! The only thing I asked for was some gold jewellery & he got me three long layered necklaces. The one with the stars & moons is my fave. He also got me this lovely pink scarf & polka dot wrap dress. I hate to be one of those people but the boy did good!



Rifle Paper Co. Stationery
I always treat myself to a new diary & some stationery at the end of the year. For 2018 I decided not to go with my usual Frankie Diary & ordered some items from Rifle Paper Co. instead. I'm a huge fan of Anna Bond's design style & having pretty stationery to use always makes me feel more productive. I never normally spend so much on calendars but this one is beautiful, absolutely massive & features some great inspirational quotes.



Modalu Pippa Bag
My mum is one of those weird old people who are obsessed with the Royal Family. Even though Pippa Middleton isn't technically a Royal my mum still likes to follow her fashion trends. This bag from Modalu was designed & named in honour of Pippa so my mum went out & bought one for all of us. Personally I couldn't care less about Pippa but I do really like this bag. Anything black patent & gold is right up my street. I like that it has both a shoulder strap & a grab handle. There's tons of space inside but it isn't too big & heavy to carry about every day.



Canon 70D
I've been using my Canon 650D quite happily for the last five years but I'm finally upgrading to something more professional! My mum actually bought this camera for herself as she wanted to get into photography but she was completely overwhelmed by all the controls & couldn't figure out how to use it. She knows that I love photography so she asked me if I wanted to trade my 650D for her 70D & of course I said yes! There isn't a huge difference between the two cameras but it's still an upgrade & a chance to further improve my photographic skills. It's been sitting here for the past month all wrapped up for Christmas & now I'm beyond excited to start using it!

Despite not feeling too festive this year, I actually had a really lovely Christmas. Normally I end up feeling a bit deflated by the end of it but for the first time in a little while I just felt perfectly content all day. I'm sure that has absolutely nothing to do with all the Snowballs I drank! I got such a wonderful collection of presents & I'm so grateful for everything I received. I'm especially fond of my little Kylo Ren! We watched loads of films on Christmas Day & played with some of Chloe's new toys. We always get a couple of new board games and this year we chose Monopoly Gamer & Cluedo. I put together a cracking Christmas dinner as usual but I'm definitely ready to get back to eating healthily now. I hope you all had a brilliant Christmas & got everything you wished for!

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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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June Favourites

Essie Spin The Bottle*
This Summer is all about nude shades for me. My current favourite nail polish is Essie's Spin The Bottle. It's a milky creamy peach colour that blends in well with my skintone. I actually really like the mannequin hands look haha. Unlike many nude polishes this goes fully opaque in two coats. I can't stand sheer polishes so this is much more my style. It's such a flattering colour & would look perfect adorning your digits whilst relaxing on the beach. Check out my swatches here.

Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Motto
I'm becoming slightly obsessed with trying new brow products much like the way that I compulsively purchased nearly every highlighter going a couple of years ago. If I want to use a powder on my eyebrows I normally go for MAC Omega eyeshadow as it's a very natural looking soft taupe shade. I've had my eye on Illamasqua's Eye Brow Cakes for quite a while though as I really love those dramatic Illamasqua style brows. As I have ashy blonde hair & dark eyebrows I went for the shade Motto. It looks very grey in the pan but it actually works brilliantly on anyone with cool-toned hair. There's no red tones or warmth in it at all. The power is buttery soft & very easy to apply. It is highly pigmented & stays put all day long. You can use it wet or dry depending on how you want your brows to look. Mix it with a drop of Illamasqua Sealing Gel for extra drama. I think the texture is what makes it superior to my good old MAC Omega. Somehow it's easier to get really thick & full brows that still look natural. There's something special about these Eye Brow Cakes, I can't recommend them enough!

Claudia Louch Chamomile Face Wash*
To give my skin a break from all the acid treatments I like to balance out my skincare routine with some gentler products. This is a soothing gel cleanser from Claudia Louch's botanical skincare range. The combination of chamomile, red clover, elderflower extracts & white willow bark extract really calms everything down & naturally relieves any inflammation in the skin. People tend to think of gel cleansers as something that will strip the skin but as all the Claudia Louch products are 94% natural & free from harsh chemicals that isn't an issue here. It cleanses without leaving my face feeling dry or taut, simply nourished & refreshed. This would be a really brilliant cleanser for anyone with sensitive skin. Full review here.

Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner
When I recently repurchased my fave Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash I noticed that Gorgeous Shop had a special offer on where you could get both the cleanser & this toner for just £25. I've always wanted to try one of Elemis' toners so it was too good a deal to pass up. The Soothing Apricot Toner maintains the skin's pH level without alcohol or harsh chemicals so it doesn't strip the skin of it's natural oils. It is very gentle so it would be suitable for those with sensitive, delicate or hormonal skin. As the name suggests this toner has a delicious apricot scent & feels very calming on the skin. It helps to reduce redness & soothe any irritation. You can apply it with some cotton wool or by spraying it directly on your face. It makes my skin feel a bit sticky but that soon goes away after I apply my moisturiser. I sometimes take this out with me to cool down as the temperature rises. A quick spritz of this toner keeps my skin looking fresh & radiant, lovely!

SkinChemists Rapid Facial*
This face mask is simply incredible and so it should be considering it's insane price tag. If you have blemishes, blackheads, blocked pores, congestion or dull skin then this stuff will work wonders for you. This mask uses glycolic acid to chemically exfoliate the skin & it also contains some grainy particles for a bit of manual exfoliation too. It feels very tingly on the skin but it doesn't make my face look red or irritated at all. It completely clears out the skin & resurfaces it leaving your face feeling super smooth. My skin is left looking glowy & bright too. The results are almost as good as going for a proper spa facial. If only it came with a fluffy white gown & some brownies! Make sure you check out the SkinChemists special offers page as they often lower the price of their products to just £19.99. Read my full review here.

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August Favourites

Elemental Herbology Cell Food
I've been trying to simplify down my skincare routine lately and I've managed to remain faithful to this serum for the past couple of months. This is a gorgeously scented thick white liquid that can really boost the appearance of your skin. It feels very light & fresh on the skin, providing the right level of hydration without any shine or greasiness. This is a serum that you can use both in the morning & evening and at night you don't even need to follow it up with a moisturiser. It's nice to let your skin breathe once in a while if you're accustomed to using heavy night creams. The radiance it brings to my face is just lovely & it has definitely helped to make my complexion look healthier and more even toned. Full review here.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light
These powders are pretty much the only makeup product I've been truly excited about in a long while. Every review I read & every YouTube video I watched made them seem amazing and that's exactly what they are. I put off buying one for ages because I wanted to swatch them for myself first but my nearest Space.NK carrying Hourglass products is way up in Harrogate. The lovely ladies at Space.NK in Leeds gave me a code to get free shipping on their website (enablers!) so after much deliberation I went for Luminous Light. I love nothing more than glowing skin so this was the perfect one for me. It makes me look really healthy and gives my skin a flawless airbrushed appearance without the normal cakeyness associated with powders. My skin isn't very oily so it does set my makeup really well & makes my CC cream last all day without any primer. Love love love this powder!!

Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Here's a weird one. I originally bought this to make the Meta-D/Bombshell Spell metabolism boosting drinks from the Tone It Up Diet. However they taste absolutely foul no matter how much apple/pineapple juice & honey you sweeten it with! I fell off the dieting wagon a while ago but I'm gonna try again soon now that I have time for the gym. Anyways this stuff has so many different uses. You can dilute it with water and make it into a toner. It contains a high level of Alpha Hydroxy Acid so it's great for spots & scarring. My daughter got stung by a wasp the other day and I used this on a cotton pad to neutralise the sting. What I used it for last week is totally freaky. I used it to get rid of a flesh coloured mole on the side of my nose. I did something stupid and tried to squeeze it because it was annoying me but that just made it red. So after my usual skincare routine I dipped a cotton bud in the vinegar and held it against the mole for a few minutes. It burned a little but otherwise was fine. After a few days of doing this, the mole turned into a manky brown scab. I looked like I had a huge zit on my nose for a couple of days but then the scab fell off. The mole was also gone. I had a small red dot left over but that soon healed up with the use of some Trilogy Rosehip Oil. Now my nose is smooth yay! So yeah that was really weird and I don't suggest you do this on your moles without getting them checked by a doctor first but it's so crazy to think you can actually burn off moles with vinegar! You can get apple cider vinegar from loads of different supermarkets but if you ask any health fanatic, they'll tell you that Bragg's is the best one you can buy.

L'Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Mist For Fine Hair
I had just ran out of my bottle of Moroccanoil when I spotted this new spray oil in Boots. I have very damaged hair from excessive bleaching but it is also quite fine so if I overload it with oils or other hair products it can start to look rather greasy. I tend to only wash my hair once a week so this can be a bit of a problem. However this stuff is utterly perfect for those of us with fine hair. It's a lightweight dry oil enriched with lotus flower oil that absorbs really quickly and makes your hair look healthy & shiny without being heavy. I normally spray some in my hair before & after blowdrying and it doesn't weigh my hair down at all. I can even get away with a couple of spritzes in my hair every day. It has such a beautiful scent and it really lingers in your hair. It's great for getting rid of frizz & flyaways. I love that it comes with a spray too because it makes it easier to distribute the product evenly.

Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash
This stuff is simply amazing. It's a really gentle cleanser that feels very creamy on the skin and foams up just the right amount. The lactic acid found in fruit enzymes is used to slough away dead skin cells without irritation and it leaves my skin extremely clear & smooth. Since I started using this cleanser I've found that I don't need an exfoliating toner anymore because this does it all in one step. I really recommend trying this if you have blemish prone skin as it has worked wonders for me and it has fast become my favourite cleanser ever! Full review here.

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Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash

Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash* - £23.20

There's a new cleanser love in my life and it comes from a brand that I've actually never tried before. Elemis are extremely well known for their spa treatments & products but with such a vast range of stuff available, I never really knew where to start. I've heard so much about their Papaya Enzyme Peel & Lavender/Apricot toners but instead I decided to go for their Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash.

This milky and lightly foaming cleanser is a joy to use. It feels very gentle on the skin and has a nice light floral scent - the kind of thing you would expect at a spa. It is part of Elemis' Anti-Ageing range but the formula has benefits for anyone with acne, scarring, blocked pores, uneven texture or dry patches. Plus it is suitable for all skin types. This is slightly different to your average cleanser though. As the name suggests it contains enzymes that buff away dead skin cells and stimulate your skin's natural cell renewal cycle. This leaves your complexion looking clear & radiant. It is completely non-abrasive and utilises lactic acid found in fruit enzymes which is a lot gentler than glycolic or salicylic acid. As this is effectively a chemically exfoliating cleanser it is very important to follow it up with a facial SPF product. I've been using two pumps of this, twice a day after washing off my Superfacialist Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil and then clearing it off with a muslin cloth or flannel. It makes my skin feel really clean, smooth and soft. Some other chemically exfoliating cleansers I've tried really strip the skin and leave it feeling dry & tight. This just sloughs off those dead skin cells without any dryness. I really like that it comes with a pump as it makes it so much easier to get out the right amount of product every time. This 200ml bottle is gonna last a long time as I've barely made a dent in it yet.

I've managed to clear up most of my skin using various chemical exfoliants and facial oils but my chin has been a bit more stubborn lately. All of my closed comedones seem to have migrated to this area and I've had a bit of cystic acne there too. I've also had some random dry flaky patches due to testing out a retinol product. From everything I've read about this cleanser it seemed like it would do my skin a world of good and after using it for a few weeks my chin is looking so much better. Infact my whole face seems brighter, smoother and clearer. This is one of the few products that actually has an effect on those tiny bumps under your skin. It's done a real number on my pores and they're barely visible around my nose. The surface of my skin has been completely refined since I started using this. Isn't it nice when skincare just works?

Elemis are such a popular & well respected brand so I'm not entirely sure why I've never used them until now. This cleanser normally costs £29 so the price put me off a bit but if you look around online you can often find discounts or gifts with purchase along the Elemis line. I got mine from Beauty Time Therapies where it's currently only £23.20. If my skin can always look this clear then that's a price I'm now willing to pay! If you want to try a chemical exfoliant but are concerned about using things like Liquid Gold, P50 or the Clarins Brightening Toner then this is a super gentle yet effective way to start. Let me know some of your favourite Elemis products.

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