The Eye Care Edit

Eye products are a funny old thing. With other types of skincare products you can normally tell within a few weeks if something is making your skin better or worse. Eye creams are more of a guessing game. How do you know whether something will stop you from getting wrinkles in the future when time travel isn't an option? I think that's why so many people don't actually bother with them. It's an easy step to miss out when doing your skincare routine but it only takes two seconds & can make all the difference when you do get older. Genetics & your overall health will dictate the natural appearance of your eye area but using a separate eye product can help to reduce puffiness, dryness, irritation, dark circles & fine lines. This product roundup is aimed towards us young'uns. We might not have huge puffy bags & crows feet just yet but it's so important to start looking after your eyes in your twenties. The eyes are one of the first places to show signs of ageing & prevention is always better than cure.



THE GELS: Personally I greatly prefer eye gels over eye creams. If dark circles & puffiness concern you then I would recommend using a gel. My eyes get easily irritated especially during the Summer so a calming eye gel is exactly what I need. Organic Surge Eye Gel* is the one I always reach for when my eyes feel really sore. It contains aloe vera, green tea, witch hazel & menthol which can help to naturally reduce inflammation, puffiness, sagging & dehydration. I think gels work best with a pump otherwise you can end up with far too much product on your finger. If the Arran Aromatics Feel Good Formulas Green Tea Eye Gel* came with a pump it would be much better. This gel has a really thick texture so you only need a tiny bit. It has an amazing scent & feels so cooling, especially if you pop it in the fridge first. As it's so thick I like to layer it on as a refreshing eye mask, leave it for five minutes & then blot off the excess product with a tissue. It's a great pick me up after a day of hayfever hell. I also like the REN Active 7 Eye Gel. The texture is very lightweight, almost watery but I find it takes a while to absorb properly. When it does absorb it effectively smooths away any fine lines & really tightens the skin. It's not so great at hydrating the area though which is why gels containing hyaluronic acid, like the next two, are more worthy of an investment.

HealGel Eye* is my current product of choice. If you can afford it then you should definitely buy this one. It sinks in immediately & firms up the skin. The problem with most other eye products is that you can't tell if it's making a difference or not. HealGel Eye has had a visible impact upon my under eye area and has actually reduced the discolouration of my dark circles. The effects are cumulative rather than just being a temporary fix. Arnica is a wonderful thing. Like I mentioned previously, it also contains hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture to the area & plump up any fine lines. Alpha-H Absolute Eye Complex is very similar to HealGel Eye but it's dark shadow correcting properties don't quite match up. Otherwise, it's pretty damn good.



THE CREAMS: Creams are the better choice if you need something really hydrating. I don't find them as effective for dark circles unless you want something that works as a temporary solution. Origins GinZing Eye Cream is brilliant at perking up tired eyes. It contains caffeine to tighten & depuff the area. I love the shimmery light reflecting particles. They help to brighten up dark circles meaning that you don't need to use as much concealer. Some of the best eye creams I've come across are from Lierac. They're a French pharmacy brand so their products are tricky to get hold of but I found mine in TK Maxx. Lierac Diopticalm is an instantly refreshing eye balm. It is incredibly soothing & gets rid of any dryness. You can use this as an eye mask too. Lierac Diopticerne is one of the few creams that works well on dark circles whilst also adding plenty of moisture. The only good thing about Clinique All About Eyes is it's moisturising properties. It does nothing for fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness or dark circles. However it does keep the eye contours well hydrated & gives the area a smooth base for makeup.



THE TREATMENTS: There's loads of home remedies out there for eye problems such as teabags, cucumbers & backs of spoons so you don't have to spend a lot for an effective treatment. One of the cheapest but most helpful things to carry around with you is a bottle of eye drops. I'm using Optrex Refreshing Eyes Drops to wash out any dirt & calm irritation. I get really bad hayfever so eye drops & baths are a must have for me come Summertime. I want to give one of their eye sprays a go as they claim to not smudge your makeup but they are a lot pricier. Something I cannot live without is Liz Earle Eyebright. It is my favourite ever Liz Earle product & it is a miracle worker on tired eyes. If I'm struggling to get out of bed in the morning I pop some on a couple of cotton pads and leave them on my eyes for a few minutes. I instantly feel more awake & ready to face the day. I've also used this to clear a mild eye infection when I couldn't get to a pharmacy. It's so cooling & refreshing - perfect for hayfever season too.

I first discovered Talika when I tried their amazing Lipocils which is brilliant at growing back eyelashes & eyebrows. They have loads of amazing eye products including these unique Eye Decompress masks. You simply pop the white tablet into the blue fluid. The tablet absorbs the liquid so that you can then unfold it into a soothing eye mask. It really helps to reduce swelling & detox the eye area. It'd be great to take on a plane for some inflight pampering. I also like the Jamela 24k Gold Under Eye Masks*. They use pure gold leaf, hyaluronic acid and plant collagen to brighten & tighten the skin. They feel a bit weird & make you look a bit crazy. You have to leave them on for half an hour so I would suggest lying down in bed with them on so they don't slip off. Despite the weirdness, they do actually work quite well. Save these for a special occasion when you need to look your best.

What's your favourite eye product?

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Skincare Haul

Sometimes everything seems to run out all at once. That's exactly what happened to me last week so I did a bit of a restock of some of my most essential skincare products. Me being me, I couldn't resist adding in a couple of new things as well. Here's what I purchased:

Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Moisturiser / Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins

I was using the Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Treatment but that product is more targeted towards people with combination/oily skin. My skin isn't really oily, more blemish-prone so I sometimes felt like my skin needed something more moisturising even after layering it up with some Hydraluron. But I did really enjoy using it & after applying it day and night for four months it finally ran out. I figured this was the perfect time to try out the proper moisturiser version of this product which is better for combination/dry skin. Its a bit thicker but sinks in just as nicely & really hydrates my skin. I'm using this as my day moisturiser when I don't want any SPF. To make it last longer than my old pot I decided to buy a separate dedicated night cream from Origins. I went for the High-Potency Night-A-Mins which is a really thick & luxurious feeling cream. This stuff is really amazing & leaves my skin feeling softer & looking brighter when I wake up in the morning.

REN Micro Polish Cleanser / Caudalie Beauty Elixir

I repurchased my regular REN cleanser last month and one of the samples I received with the product was their Micro Polish exfoliating cleanser. I loved it so much I decided to order a big tube of it. This makes my skin feel much smoother & helps to reduce the appearance of pores. It also brightens skin tone & makes my skin feel really clean. I'm not normally too fond of physical exfoliating products as they can be too harsh & I often find little grains left in my hair line, annoying! This stuff is just right & I like to use this a couple of times a week when my skins feeling a bit rough. Caudalie's Beauty Elixir is still a staple product for me and I'm addicted to how refreshed it makes my skin feel. This must be my fourth or fifth full size bottle.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold / Alpha-H Absolute Eye Complex / Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+

My favourite ever skincare product, Alpha-H's Liquid Gold, finally ran out after first purchasing my bottle back in May last year! I only use it once a week now so that's probably why it's lasted so long. This stuff is really potent and has worked wonders on my blemishes & scarring. I couldn't not repurchase it. Another Alpha-H product I've heard a lot about is their Absolute Eye Complex which is a really cooling eye gel. It has had brilliant results when it comes to reducing dark circles, puffiness & wrinkles as well as milia. I'd wanted to buy this for ages and got the best deal! Salon Skincare have an offer on where you can buy full size bottles of Liquid Gold & Absolute Eye Complex for just £30! Together you'd normally have to pay about £65 for both of those products so its basically a BOGOF offer. I think its because Alpha-H have recently updated their packaging so they want to get rid of older stock but the products are exactly the same. I'm not particularly fussed about having nice looking products on my dressing table so this deal was perfect for me. I also got another bottle of their Daily Essential Moisturiser. This is my day moisturiser for when I want some SPF as it has factor 50+. It's great for my pale skin & doesn't have any of the unpleasantness that normally comes with sun protection products. It's an ideal partner for Liquid Gold as the glycolic acid in it can make your skin more susceptible to the sun. This bottle has lasted me about six months so it's well worth the money.

A ton of gift with purchase samples from Gatineau, Origins, Bliss & Caudalie

I also got a few samples with my orders from Origins & Salon Skincare. I've never really heard of Gatineau before so I'm interested to see how good their products are. I got a cute wash bag & headband with them too. I love Bliss products so I really like this little tube of their Snow Wonder hand cream. It's very moisturising! Origins currently have free delivery & two sample products when you spend £30. I got little tubes of Checks & Balances face wash & Modern Friction exfoliator. I've never tried these before either so I'm excited to see if they're any good.

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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.

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.

July Favourites

Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+
Alpha-H's Liquid Gold is my ultimate skincare product. But when you use glycolic acid on your skin you need to wear SPF on a daily basis which is something I've always struggled to find good products for. I really wanted a moisturiser with a high SPF built in to save piling on SPF and moisturiser separately. The team at BuyaPowa very kindly used my suggestion of this moisturiser as one of their 'blue skies' co-buys and I immediately snapped it up. I'm so glad I did because its the best product with SPF I've ever used. It doesn't smell, it doesn't leave a white cast, it doesn't make my skin look greasy, it hydrates my skin perfectly and it sits well underneath my makeup. Its pretty much a dream product.

REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask
This has been a bit of a life saver this month! I was so eager to try out that new YSL Touché Éclat foundation and I was totally loving my little sample bottle because it looks so beautiful on the skin. But it gave me one of the worst breakouts I've had in my entire life! The entire bottom half of my face was just covered in spots and it looked horrible. This mask really helped to save my skin. Its a fab clay based mask and its so good at clearing up spots. When it dries you can see where all your pores are around your face which is kinda freaky and cool at the same time. It tightens large pores and leaves my face feeling so clean and smooth. My breakout from hell was gone within a couple of days and I really think that this was the reason why they went away so quickly.

REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser
I've become a bit of a REN convert this month. I got fed up of buying cheap crappy cleansers that were doing nothing for my skin and purchased two REN ones instead. This cleanser is different to any others I've tried in that it contains clay so its almost as if you're getting the effects of applying a clay mask but in a gentle daily dose. Its so calming on the skin and effective at getting rid of spots without drying out your skin whatsoever. Perfect for combination blemish prone skin like mine.

V05 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir
I go swimming with my daughter every week and my heavily bleached barnet is not a big fan of chlorine. It started to take it toll and was really drying out my hair. I saw this recommended on a few blogs and decided to purchase a tube. This really helps to restore the condition of my hair and apparently it helps to get rid of 75% more chlorine than shampooing alone. Its so much easier to use than the hot oil tubes that you have to warm up before applying but with just as good effects. It only lasts me three shampoos though. I've already repurchased this twice because I love it so much.

Illamasqua Naked Rose Blusher
I've not actually been buying much makeup lately, shock horror! My focus is definitely on skincare at the moment because I feel like yet another pink lipstick isn't really what I need or want to spend money on. The only new collection that I've actually been excited by was Illamasqua Naked Strangers. The colours in this collection are all gorgeous nudes and I was instantly drawn to this beautiful blusher. Its a lovely beigey pink colour that is super flattering and unlike any other blusher I own. Like all Illamasqua blushers it is soft, easily blendable, highly pigmented and long lasting. Its pretty much all I've worn on my cheeks this month.

Breaking Bad
This is a show that for some reason I ignored for years. I'd always heard good things about it but it was only a few weeks ago that I decided to watch it for the first time. I'm so glad I did because it is one of the best television shows I've ever seen. The show revolves around the life of Walter White, a middle aged chemistry teacher turned meth cook/general badass upon discovering that he has lung cancer. He wants to raise money for his family before he kicks the bucket but, of course, the world of drug dealing is pretty crazy so its a bit of a bumpy ride. We've been marathoning the whole show and have just started watching season 4 now. Walter becomes more badass as each season passes and its insane watching the lengths he'll go to provide for his kids. Definitely check this out if you haven't already, you won't regret it!

Christmas Presents

Kindle & Hairbows
Every year when I go shopping for everyone else's presents I can't resist buying myself a few items as well. This year I bought myself a Kindle & a couple of hairbows from Georgie's shop Beauxoxo. I love how small the kindle is and I can't wait to start filling it up with books. So far I've only downloaded the A Song Of Ice & Fire series, really enjoying those so far. I used to ruin all my books by dog-earing the corners to save my place so I love that it remembers exactly where you were in the story for you. Brilliant invention. The hairbows are so gorgeous & sparkly, I'm really tempted to buy some of the other colours too.


Thorntons Chocolate Hamper
My mum likes to fatten me up so she got me this HUGE hamper of chocolate from Thorntons. Shamefully I've already managed to polish off a few of the packs in here. Can't resist anything with a caramel centre, nom.




Estée Lauder Makeup Artist Professional Colour Collection
She also got me this beautiful makeup kit from Estee Lauder. It's worth over £300 but you can buy it for £50 when you buy one of their perfumes. My sister wanted the perfume so win win. The bag is really gorgeous, it comes with two smaller bags containing a mirror and some brushes. The palettes have some decent colours in so I should get a lot of use out of this kit. The lippies are especially lovely.


Space.NK Goodies
My sister bought me some things from Space.NK. She got me the By Terry Touche Veloutee concealer (which is basically Touche Eclat x 1000), the By Terry Blush Terrybly in Rose which is a super pretty pale pink colour, the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder & a little Ren body set.


Candles
These were all gifts from various inlaws. One of them asked me what I wanted so I chose a Cherry Yankee Candle. I've been burning it every day and theres hardly a dent in it. As with most Yankee Candles, it smells divine. The other day his partner decided to dump loads of recycled gifts on me in the form of a mug, a diary, a body scrub & a calendar of hunks which my boyfriend promptly chucked in the bin. The scrub looks okay I guess lol. My mother in law got me a little mirror with my name on it & this lily & magnolia candle set.



Lingerie
I asked Andy to get me some lingerie because hes always moaning about my M&S underwear. He got me these from La Senza. He paid like £60 for these sets and now they're down to a tenner in the sale, fail :( They are lovely though so he did well this year.


Angry Bird!
He also got me an Angry Bird! He knows I love Angry Birds and he probably thinks I am a bit of one so its a very appropriate gift haha.

I love seeing what other people got for Christmas so feel free to link me to your post :)