October Favourites

Jordana Ticia Cosmetics Base & Sparkle in Stargazer
I have well & truly fallen down the rabbit hole of Instagram beauty brands. When you start following loads of Manchester-based makeup artists you'll notice that a lot of them use products from the same few brands & one that kept popping up in some of the most glam pics I came across was Jordana Ticia Cosmetics. They mainly sell lip products but Base & Sparkle is easily their best product. I've started favouring loose pigments over pressed eyeshadows for when I want something really pretty on the lid & I am completely obsessed with this easy to use eye duo. You simply apply the metallic cream eyeshadow base onto the lid with a flat eyeshadow brush like a MAC 242 & then pat the pigment over the top. Together they create the most beautiful, high shine effect on the eyes. Base & Sparkle comes in four different shades but Stargazer is definitely my favourite out of the bunch. It's a gorgeous soft sparkling gold that instantly adds a bit of glam to any eye look.

Doll Beauty Doll Light Highlighter in Like A Diamond
Another brand that I discovered via Instagram is Doll Beauty. They are probably best known for their incredible false lashes but their highlighters are absolutely stunning! They do a couple of different shades that I often combine for a blinding effect but if I could only buy one it'd be Like A Diamond. It's a bit lighter than Shine Bright so it's better suited to my skin tone & makes my cheekbones glow like nothing else. It looks super smooth on the skin & shimmers without being glittery or highlighting texture. I find that it works best if I apply it after spritzing some MAC Fix+ over my face as this amps up the pigmentation even more & allows the powder to really melt into my skin. I've been a fan of theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer for the longest time & this is the only powder highlighter I've found that has managed to surpass it's power whilst matching the pale yellow undertone. It's such a beautiful product & if you like your highlighters on the blinding side, then this is the one for you.

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%
We all know how much I love The Ordinary but when I tried one of their earliest Vitamin C formulations, I wasn't too impressed. It had a gritty texture which was cosmetically inelegant & made it generally unpleasant to use. They have since released various other forms of Vitamin C & I decided to take a chance on their Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%. I went through a whole bottle of their Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA & was really impressed with how quickly it faded my post-blemish scarring. By combining it with Ascorbic Acid they've created a super-charged serum that reduces the signs of aging & lightens hyperpigmentation as well as brightening & evening out the skin tone. The texture is lovely to use, there's no stickiness, greasiness or grittiness. The propanediol base makes it feel perfectly smooth on the skin but it still absorbs quickly. I starting seeing results after about a week & it's managed to lighten my scarring even faster than the Alpha Arbutin alone. My complexion looks much brighter & fresher now, I'm really happy with the way my skin looks since I started using this product every morning. This powerful combo of ingredients is pure genius & definitely worth adding to your skincare routine.

Bali Balm Lip Balm in Bergamot & Grapefruit*
Winter weather calls for a hardcore lip balm & this year my product of choice comes from Bali Balm. This luxury vegan lip balm is incredibly moisturising due to the fantastic blend of coconut oil, castor seed oil, kukui nut oil & candelilla wax. It instantly makes my lips feel soothed & hydrated which is exactly what you need at this time of year. This intensive lip treatment will shield your skin from the elements & will stay on your lips for hours. The rich formula contains active botanicals that are high in antioxidants & boast antibacterial properties. One of the best things about this lip balm is the bespoke flavour. Bergamot & Grapefruit is a wonderfully potent combination. The bergamot provides the soothing familiarity found in Earl Grey tea whilst you get bittersweet citrusy notes from the floral grapefruit. These ingredients give the lip balm a clean, crisp & fruity taste. Bali Balm are a really eco-friendly brand. Not only are their products vegan & cruelty-free, you can also send your packaging back to them for recycling once you've finished with the lip balm. Beauty products must generate a huge amount of plastic waste so it's great to find a brand that are so dedicated to minimising their environmental impact.

MAC Jamie Genevieve Lipstick
Jamie Genevieve is one of my favourite YouTubers of all time. She's such a beautiful person, inside & out. I love watching her full beat makeup tutorials as well as her weekly vlogs with Jack & Drogba. In terms of makeup Jamie is probably best known for her blinding glow, dark smokes & nude lips so it made perfect sense when she announced that her collaboration with MAC would be the ultimate nude lipstick. I went out to Selfridges in Manchester & bought it immediately. The lipstick is a medium beige with warm yellow undertones & it has a satin finish. Obviously as Jamie is really tanned it's a nude on her but it looks brown on me. I still really like the colour though as it's hard to find true beige lipsticks without any hint of pink. I love how Jamie always wears a darker lip liner & I think that her lipstick looks best with MAC Stripdown. I hope she comes out with more collabs soon as I'm pretty sure I'd buy anything she brings out. I recently picked up her Tired Girl Club t-shirt & it's one of the comfiest tops I own!

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Hydrate & Prime With The Ordinary

With their incredibly affordable prices & innovative formulas, I can't stop buying new stuff from The Ordinary! I'm still completely obsessed with their skincare products & joining the DECIEM Enthusiasts group on Facebook has only added fuel to the fire. Come join us if you love The Ordinary too! In my previous reviews of their products I've predominantly focused on actives & acids as those were the main things that drew me to the brand. But this time I wanted to check out some of their more basic offerings as these are the products that will appeal to the majority of people & will be suitable for most skin types. I decided to buy their moisturiser, a couple of oils & both of their foundation primers.



The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA (£4.90 / 30ml)
Natural Moisturising Factors is a very basic moisturiser. Normally you might think that would be bad thing but I actually really like this product. It's a no-frills lightweight cream comprised of compounds that are naturally found in the skin. It's the perfect finishing step for a skincare routine using The Ordinary's other products. It provides a protective barrier against surface hydration loss & helps to seal in all the goodness from any serums, acids or oils you've used beforehand. Used alone I don't find it to be very hydrating. It sinks in very quickly & doesn't make a huge difference to the condition of my skin. However when you combine it with one of their oils it transforms into something far more luxurious than you would expect. I love to use it mixed with the Squalane or Rose Hip Seed Oil to give my skin a boost of moisture all day & all night.

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil (£9 / 30ml)
The Rose Hip Seed Oil is definitely my favourite product out of these five. I used to be massively into Trilogy's Rosehip Oil but it's now double the price of this one & when two products are exactly the same, I will always go for the cheaper option. Although the Rose Hip Seed Oil is fairly lightweight, it feels a bit richer & heavier on the skin than Squalane so I only use it at night. The oil has a light golden colour & a natural earthy scent. Rose Hip Seed Oil is rich in linoleic acid, linolenic acid & provitamin A which enables it to target signs of photo-ageing. You could even call it a natural alternative to retinol. It can be used to treat many different skin ailments including scarring, stretch marks, wrinkles, fine lines & blemishes. It's especially good for those with acne-prone or oily skin types as it doesn't clog pores. In fact it can even help to unclog them! The main reason I like to use Rose Hip Seed Oil is to brighten & even out my complexion. I've found it to be one of the best things to use for post-blemish scarring. I'm a picker & always end up with red marks on my skin. Using this oil really helps to lighten this type of scarring & get my skin looking clearer again. It reduces any redness in my skin & instantly plumps it up. I always make sure to use it after applying The Ordinary's AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution to get some much needed hydration back into my skin. It's incredibly moisturising & makes my face feel baby soft. I absolutely love how my skin looks when I wake up the next morning. It's brighter, clearer & generally much healthier.

The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane (£5.50 / 30ml)
While I tend to use the Rose Hip Seed Oil at night, I've found that the Squalane works better as a day oil. It makes my skin feel really soft & well moisturised whilst giving it a fresh looking glow. It is colourless, odourless, very lightweight & sinks in quickly so it won't make your skin look greasy throughout the day. It sits nicely under makeup & helps my foundation to look smoother too. Squalane also works amazingly as a lip moisturiser. You might've seen some of those Instagram videos where people start dripping Farsali or some other overpriced oil all over their lips. You can do the same with just a drop of squalane to instantly smooth & hydrate your lips before applying your lipstick. If you're a fan of matte liquid lipsticks it can go a long way towards combating the inevitable dryness. Squalane really is a brilliant surface hydrator but it may not be the best choice if you're wanting something packed full of actives or antioxidants. In that case you'd probably be better off going for the Rose Hip Seed Oil or just get both like me!



The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer (£5.50 / 30ml)
I was really excited to try out The Ordinary's primers as I've heard loads of good things about them. They currently have two in their lineup & the first one I tried was the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer. This product greatly reminds me of the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. It feels lightweight & silky on the skin, smoothing over texture, fine lines & filling in pores. Your skin is left feeling super smooth & velvety. It does have that distinct silicone slip to it but it doesn't feel heavy or clog my skin unlike other silicone primers I've tried. It kinda dries down on the skin so it doesn't pill or ball up when you start applying your base. Makeup glides beautifully over it but I've found the best way to use it is to mix it in with your foundation. This gives any foundation a much more natural, skin-like appearance with a wonderfully smooth finish. As the name suggests, this primer helps your foundation to spread further so it won't cling to any dry patches. It also helps my makeup to last longer & still look fresh at the end of the day.

Unfortunately I've had a few issues with the packaging of this product. I don't know if I got a dodgy bottle or something but when it arrived it was only half full. The texture is also quite thick & gloopy so the pipette struggles to pick up the product from the bottle. The only way I can actually apply the primer is by smearing it onto my face using the dropper as a makeshift spatula. This means that I also tend to use more of the product than I need to & as a result I've gotten through my half bottle rather quickly. If you can get hold of a regular bottle of this stuff I'd definitely recommend giving it a go. I'd advise against ordering it from ASOS as they might well be the source of the problem.

The Ordinary High-Adherence Silicone Primer (£3.90 / 30ml)
I much prefer the tube packaging of the High-Adherence Silicone Primer but for me that's pretty much the only advantage over the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer. This product has a creamier texture like a gel moisturiser but both primers have that same soft silicone feel once applied to the face. It claims to have a blurring & smoothing effect on the skin which I somewhat agree with but actually I find that the other one makes my skin look far less textured. This primer doesn't stop foundation from sinking into my pores or fine lines. It provides a nice hydrating base for the application of makeup without any pilling & it does make my foundation last a bit longer throughout the day. However I don't think it does anything for oil control whereas the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer gives my skin a more velvety matte appearance. Some parts of my face look downright greasy when I wear this & my skin isn't very oily at all! If DECIEM could just pop the other primer into this packaging then I would be one happy bunny. Although I prefer the pore filling properties of the Fluid Primer, this one still does the job & at £3.90 it's well worth a try.

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October Favourites

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%
My latest purchase from The Ordinary has fast become one of my all time favourites. Resveratrol & Ferulic Acid are two highly potent antioxidants with anti-aging properties. These particular ingredients help to boost the efficacy of Vitamin C & sun protection so they work really well with the rest of my skincare routine. They are suspended in propanediol which has quite an oily texture but it doesn't feel greasy on the skin. Since I started using this serum every morning my skin has looked so fresh & youthful. It gives me such a healthy looking glow & has helped to refine the texture of my skin. I have less congestion, my pores look much tighter & my fine lines are diminished. It sits really well underneath my makeup & gives my base a super smooth, radiant looking finish.

Glossier Birthday Balm Dotcom
When I heard that Glossier were coming to the UK, I actually wasn't that excited. To be honest I think a lot of their products are overhyped & overpriced but FOMO led to me ordering a few things just to see what all the fuss was about. One item I knew I had to try was their Balm Dotcom. It was a tough choice between all the different tints & flavours but in the end I went for the Birthday variety. I read that it had been made in collaboration with Christina Tosi who owns Momofuku Milk Bar. I love watching her on Masterchef USA & have always wanted to try one of her cakes. A trip to New York isn't on the cards anytime soon so I settled for this cake flavoured lip balm. The texture is nice & thick so it feels really moisturising on the lips. This one also has some shimmery particles in it which makes your lips look really pretty. I love the scent & taste of it and the holographic packaging is super cute too!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation in Light Porcelain*
I received this product in my latest VoxBox from Influenster. In the past I've struggled to find good drugstore foundations but recently both Maybelline & Rimmel have been knocking it out of the park. This is the new Breathable version of Rimmel's Lasting Finish Foundation. It provides long lasting medium coverage in a lightweight, hydrating formula. I was sent the shade Light Porcelain which is slightly too pink toned for my skin but used together with the more yellow toned concealer, I can make it work. I really love the huge applicator wand as it makes it so quick & easy to put on your foundation. The coverage is very nice & it evens out my skintone well. It gives my skin a smooth flawless finish without looking like a mask. It doesn't cling to dry patches & never looks cakey no matter how much you apply. I was really impressed with the wear time as one of the main reasons I tend to go for more expensive foundations is that they last longer on my skin. This stuff looked just as good at the end of the day as it did in the morning. I highly recommend checking it out if you can find a colour match.

Soap & Glory Spritz Me Quick Hydrating Moisture Mist
I'm quite happy to dedicate time to doing my facial skincare routine but the same cannot be said for my body. I hate moisturising after a shower & can never be bothered to wait around for a cream to absorb before getting dressed. That's why I love lightweight moisturising sprays like this one from Soap & Glory. Spritz Me Quick sprays your skin with a super fine mist of body lotion. It's easy to apply & quick to sink in so it's perfect if you're in a rush. You can spray it from every angle to reach all those areas you can't normally get to. It smells absolutely gorgeous as it has that classic Soap & Glory scent which lingers on your skin for hours. It's a beautiful blend of rose & bergamot and I can't get enough of it. This lovely product leaves my skin feeling really soft, smooth & hydrated all day long.



Charlotte Tilbury Instant Eye Palette
Charlotte Tilbury has some kind of strange power over me. I've spent hundreds of pounds on her makeup range & I told myself I wasn't going to buy this palette but I did it anyway. I just love her products so much! Anyway the eyeshadows in this palette are truly stunning. You get four different trios with a Prime, Enhance & Smoke shade to create four different eyeshadow looks. My favourites are the Desk Eye & Date Eye sections. I'd say that it's a great palette for beginners or for those who don't want to do complicated eye looks. You could easily just sweep one of these colours over your eyelids & you'd be good to go. However I do have a few issues with this palette. It's not quite as pigmented as her eyeshadow quads. The shimmers are incredibly pretty but some need a little help from MAC Fix+ to actually show up on the eye. I don't think it was worth the whopping £60 price tag, especially when the first shade in the palette has literally no pigment whatsoever, but for some reason I love it all the same!

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August Favourites

Dermasuri Rice Milk Brightening Face Exfoliator
My mum knows all about my addiction to trying out new exfoliating products & she kindly bought me a couple of Dermasuri products for my birthday. This gommage style gel gently creates rolls when massaged onto damp skin. These rolls lift away dead skin cells, polishing the skin & leaving it feeling baby soft. It's a very similar product to the Ginvera Green Tea Exfoliating Marvel Gel but it uses rice milk as the key ingredient instead of green tea. Rice milk has been used for centuries in Japan. The enzymes in rice milk have brightening properties & it's a beauty secret of the Geisha to keep their skin smooth underneath their heavy makeup. This exfoliator also features hyaluronic acid & vitamin E to keep the skin hydrated & nourished. The gel is so gentle on the skin but it still manages to remove all those dead skin cells. It's fascinating to see & rolling them off your face is incredibly satisfying! If you want to move away from using face scrubs but your skin is too sensitive for acids then this would be a brilliant alternative.

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil
After testing out a million different actives from The Ordinary I decided to buy a few more of their hydrating products. I really like Trilogy's Rosehip Oil but the cost has increased quite a bit over the past few years. The Ordinary's Rose Hip Seed Oil is about half the price & yet it manages to do exactly the same thing. Funny that! Rosehip oil is truly wonderful stuff. This lightweight facial oil is rich in linoleic acid, linolenic acid & provitamin A. Like most oils it helps to moisturise the skin but it is especially good for those with acne-prone or oily skin types. I use it underneath my moisturiser at night & it really helps to combat scarring, fine lines & blemishes. It brightens & evens out my complexion whilst keeping it well hydrated. It can also be used to treat stretch marks & wrinkles. I'd definitely recommend picking up a bottle of this oil, it's yet another triumph for The Ordinary.

NYX Total Control Drop Foundation in Pale
Despite being a huge fan of NYX Cosmetics, I'd never actually tried any of their foundations before. I started seeing so many people using this foundation on YouTube & the whole custom coverage thing really intrigued me. The consistency of this foundation is very thin & watery but the coverage can be built up as you continue to add more drops to your face. It's very buildable & blends like a dream, giving my skin a flawless finish. I ordered this online so I didn't get the chance to swatch it first & the shade Pale is actually a bit too light for me! The colour might not be quite right but it has a really nice pale yellow undertone much like NARS Siberia. I was previously using NYX's Pro Foundation Mixer in White to lighten up any foundations that were too dark for me but I now prefer to mix in a bit of the Total Control Drop Foundation. It lightens, adds more coverage & corrects the undertone so it's perfect for creating a custom foundation that I love.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk
I seldom buy traditional lipstick bullets anymore but I will always make an exception for Charlotte Tilbury. Her Lip Cheat lip liner in Pillow Talk is one of my favourite lip products of all time. It goes well with so many lipstick colours & also looks gorgeous worn on it's own. When I heard that she was turning the shade into one of her Matte Revolution lipsticks I knew I had to get my hands on it. This medium nude pink is the ultimate MLBB everyday lip colour. It matches the colour of my lips exactly making it easy to fake a fuller pout. I love the Matte Revolution formula which is matte but not flat; lightweight & hydrating. I don't find the lipstick to be as long lasting as the lip liner but the two products pair together beautifully. They're a must-have duo for anyone who likes nude pinks.

Bluebird Tea Co. Earl Grey Crème Solid Perfume
I am still obsessed with Bluebird Tea Co's delicious tea blends. In fact I have a whole kitchen cupboard filled with their tea bags & loose leaf teas! Earl Grey Crème is one of my absolute favourites & I repurchase it constantly. Their award-winning blend of classic Earl Grey tea with creamy vanilla is truly delightful & I love to indulge in a cup of this to get me through the mid-afternoon slump. When I placed my most recent order I noticed that they had started selling solid perfumes inspired by some of their most popular teas. I simply had to add the Earl Grey Crème one to my shopping cart! Although it doesn't actually smell like tea, the solid perfume is still beautifully fragranced. The scent has been influenced by the tea, rather than being a exact replica of it's aroma. The blend of vanilla & citrusy bergamot is wonderfully fresh & zingy. It's packed full of natural essential oils, balms & butters and was created in collaboration with Flowery Whiff. It feels quite moisturising & lasts a really long time on the skin. Basically if you like zesty citrus scents, you'll love this solid perfume!

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More Skincare From The Ordinary

The number one skincare brand that I love to talk about with other people has to be The Ordinary. I'm a huge fan of their products & the simplicity of their highly potent formulas. Their low prices have helped to make high end skincare ingredients accessible to the masses & thanks to them, my once bank-breaking skincare routine is now a lot more affordable. I previously reviewed five other serums from The Ordinary & was so impressed with what I had bought that I ordered five more. If you're not particularly well versed in the world of skincare I think that their products can be slightly confusing as they don't really give you an extensive breakdown of what each ingredient does & which skin issues they can be used to treat. That's why I love sharing my own experiences with their products as they have some truly wonderful formulations in their lineup & I would hate for people to miss out on something that could help them!



Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% (£5.50 / 30ml)
Azelaic Acid is a naturally occurring acid that comes from grains & is also produced by yeast living on healthy skin. It is primarily used to treat rosacea as it has anti-inflammatory & antibacterial properties. It also helps to stop pores from clogging & can be used as an acne treatment. Until I tried this product I had personally never heard of Azelaic Acid before but that might be because I don't suffer from rosacea. However I do experience a lot of surface redness in my skin so I wanted to see if it would help with that. The Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% comes in a lightweight cream-gel formula that absorbs quickly & gives your skin a velvet matte finish. I used it every other night before my moisturiser. This product is designed to brighten the skin and like most of the acids I'm used to, it helps with uneven skin tone, dullness & bumpy texture. I found that it helped to calm any irritation in my skin, shrank my pores, smoothed over textured areas & cleared blemishes so I can definitely vouch for it as an effective acne solution. The biggest difference that I noticed when using this product was the reduction in redness. It made my skin look so much clearer simply because it wasn't as red anymore. I feel like Azelaic Acid would be a much better choice as a chemical exfoliant than Glycolic or Lactic Acid for those with reactive or sensitive skin. It does all the things you want an AHA to do but without any of the redness or irritation that's involved.

Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA (£7 / 30ml)
In my first review of The Ordinary's products I wrote about my experience with their Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%. I bought it to help brighten up my skin & reduce hyperpigmentation but the unpleasant gritty texture stopped me from using it. Alpha Arbutin has a similar lightening effect so I decided to try this out instead. It's related to the controversial skin lightening ingredient hydroquinone but has been shown to safely brighten skin without irritation. It helps to inhibit melanin production which prevents further scarring & also works on existing dark spots to give the appearance of clearer skin. Even when my skin is completely blemish free it never looks fully clear because I have a ton of freckles, moles & acne scarring. I started using this serum twice a day in the hopes of tackling these issues & I'm very pleased with the results so far. It feels very light, silky & hydrating on the skin. Sometimes it makes my face look slightly flushed but I haven't experienced any other skin irritation from using this product. I think that your opinion of this serum will depend on what kind of hyperpigmentation you're experiencing. It seems to be most effective on melasma, sun spots, post-blemish scarring & uneven skin tones. It has helped to brighten up my complexion, even out my skin tone & clear up an annoying sun spot. My freckles are also less prominent which is fantastic in my opinion. Sadly it hasn't done much for my moles but I doubt anything other than a laser will fix them!

Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG (£5.80 / 30ml)
Eye skincare products can be such a tricky thing to review. They tend to be a preventative measure, aimed at reducing crows feet & wrinkles when we're older. By the time you've got these fine lines it's probably too late for anything topical to work on them! We're always told that we should be using an eye cream but without getting any visible results I find it hard to remember to use one regularly. The opposite is true about this Caffeine Solution. I love using this lightweight serum because it feels really nice under my eyes & the results are so worth it. Caffeine helps to brighten & tighten the undereye area. It reduces inflammation & temporarily constricts blood vessels which immediately reduces puffiness. EGCG stands for Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside. This is the name of a compound found in green tea leaves & like most things to do with green tea, it's packed full of antioxidants. Both of these ingredients have been scientifically proven to help reduce the appearance of dark circles & puffiness in the eye contour area. It really does work & is especially good for treating puffiness first thing in the morning. After using it for a few months I do think that my dark circles are less noticeable. The area looks brighter and feels tighter & smoother. However it won't work on puffiness due to fatty deposits or dark circles due to hollowness so that's something to bear in mind. One welcome side effect I've noticed from using this serum is that it also helps with milia & by tightening up the area, these tiny dots under the eyes look much smoother. My concealer also sits better under my eyes now & I don't need to use as much of it as a result.

Salicylic Acid 2% Solution (£3.80 / 15ml)
Salicylic Acid is one of the best spot fighting ingredients out there. It exfoliates inside your pores so it helps to eliminate blemishes from the very root of the problem. It also reduces excess sebum production which is often a cause of acne. In terms of results this serum works really well. It heals up my spots quickly & is especially good at stopping painful ones from hurting. This product has also been formulated with witch hazel which helps to soothe the skin & encourage healing. I wouldn't use it as an all over chemical exfoliant like the BHAs from Paula's Choice or CosRX, this is definitely more of an individual spot treatment. This is mainly down to the consistency of the product. It has a watery gel texture & foams up as you rub it in to your skin so it's not the most pleasant thing to use. Once applied it feels slightly tacky but it soon dries down & is undetectable on the skin after applying moisturiser. It's a decent spot treatment but I'm not totally in love with it. Probably because my heart belongs to the next product...



AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution (£6.30 / 30ml)
I've saved the best for last. This intense skin peel has fast become not just one of my favourite products from The Ordinary but one of my favourite skincare products of all time! It is quite simply amazing. Formulated with a blend of Glycolic, Lactic, Tartaric, Citric & Salicylic Acids, this chemical peel is extremely potent. Do not buy this unless you've been using other acids for a while! You should also avoid it if you have sensitive skin. 32% is pretty hardcore & even I was slightly worried about the effects it might have on my skin. I've been treating my skin with acids for five years now but 10% is the highest percentage I'd ever used. When you use acids at lower percentages you can use them every day or every other day with no ill effects. This peel should only be used once or twice a week maximum.

The AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is designed to deeply exfoliate the skin. It clears congested pores as well as active blemishes. The formula also helps to refine skin texture & improve skin radiance. You just apply this peel with a fan brush or your fingers to clean, dry skin. Then you simply leave it on for 10 minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water. It's really easy to use & there's no need for a post-peel neutraliser. Just finish off your skin routine like normal with a hydrating serum or oil & a good dose of moisturiser. When this bottle first arrived in the post I thought it looked like a vial of blood. The deep raspberry colour comes from the inclusion of Tasmanian pepperberry & black carrot extract. These ingredients are full of antioxidants & have an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin. Their healing properties help your skin to cope with the intensity of this peel. The colour is also important for a couple of other reasons. It allows you to clearly see where you have applied the peel to your skin so that you can wash it off thoroughly & it deters people from using it as a leave on treatment.

Since I started using this peel I no longer need to use any other chemical exfoliants on my skin. It literally does it all! My complexion looks so bright & even now. It works wonders on post-blemish scarring, minimises pores & makes my skin feel super smooth. I've had textural issues with closed comedones on my forehead for years & after a few months of using this peel every week, they've finally nearly gone! I will say one thing though - as with any chemical exfoliant, be prepared for purging. The first couple of times I used it my skin looked fab, then all of a sudden I started breaking out. For a while I wasn't sure if it was a purge or a breakout. The spots only appeared on my forehead & my chin which tend to be my most congested areas, they were small & turned into whiteheads which then cleared up pretty quickly. These are classic signs of a purge so I realised that it would be okay in the end & after getting through it, my skin looks better than ever. If you have dull skin, persistent blemishes or textural irregularities like me, I really can't recommend this product enough!

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June Favourites

Maybelline Master Contour V-Shape Duo Stick in Light*
Cream contouring is something that I've avoided for so long. I hate cream highlighters & blushers because they never sit right on top of my base so surely contour products would be the same? Well I finally tried a cream contour product & I absolutely love it! Maybelline came out with this V-Shape Contour Stick & not only is the colour perfect on me, the formula is lovely too. It works well whether I use it before or after powdering my skin & blends out really well without disappearing completely. The stick format is easy to use & stops you from applying too much. It looks like a natural shadow on the skin but is still precise enough to really cut those cheekbones. I'm not as keen on the highlight side as it's not any lighter than my skintone & I prefer a shimmery blinding highlight anyway. Unless you're a professional makeup artist, no one really needs a full cream contour palette in their collection. This stick does it all.

The Ordinary Serum Foundation in 1.0N
As soon as they went on sale I snapped up both of the new foundations from The Ordinary. Their skincare is revolutionary so I had high hopes for their base products. I normally prefer high coverage foundations, no matter how well my skin is behaving so I was surprised to find that I actually prefer the Serum Foundation which has a much lighter formula. The thin watery consistency is very similar to Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua but a little goes a long way & the coverage is much better than I was expecting. On the face it definitely reminds me of Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk as it gives the skin a beautifully smooth & radiant finish. Colourwise 1.0N is slightly peachier than my HG NARS Siberia but it's just as light so it does work well on my skintone. Unless you're significantly yellow or pink toned, this shade will suit a lot of pale people. If you can get your hands on it, this foundation is definitely worth trying.

Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Hyaluronic Acid Lotion
One thing that asian skincare brands do better than anyone else is hydration. I've learned to love sheet masks, snail secretions & essences as they bring a comfort to my skin unlike anything else. My latest skincare discovery is this Hyaluronic Acid Lotion from Japanese brand Hada Labo. The original Gokujyun Lotion is one of the best selling asian beauty products of all time. I put off buying it for ages because I was using the CosRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence but when that ran out I wanted to try something new. I decided to buy the Premium version of this lotion because it has five different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid instead of the three found in the original. That means it's incredibly hydrating & far more potent than most hyaluronic acid serums as it can penetrate deeper into the skin. This lotion makes my skin so unbelievably soft & plump. It fills out any fine lines & gives you a natural dewy glow. If you like using hyaluronic acid serums in your skincare routine, you need to buy this lotion. It's probably the best hyaluronic acid product I've ever used!

Shadow Shields
I've been working on my eyeshadow skills a lot lately. I'm normally fairly lazy & either sweep one colour over my entire eyelid or just blend a transition colour into my crease. I finally have an eyeshadow collection to be proud of & I want to put all those beautiful colours to good use instead of letting them rot on my dressing table. I've started spending quite a bit of time trying out detailed eye looks & I especially like to angle the shadows upwards at the outer corners. There's quite a few ways to clean up your eyeshadow so it fits that angle but my preferred method is to use these Shadow Shields. You just pop them on under your eyes & they really help you to achieve that cat eye shape. They're also great for catching fallout which is inevitable when working with darker colours. They won't disturb your foundation underneath & are gentle on the eye area too. They're such a simple product but have really helped to up my eyeshadow game.

Essence The Cushion Eyeliner
Another innovation that asian beauty brands have brought us is cushion cosmetics. I've tried cushion foundations & cushion blushers and I really enjoy the finish they give & the application process. I tend to mainly buy asian skincare products as I have enough makeup already but when I heard that Essence were coming out with a cushion eyeliner I couldn't resist picking one up. I think Banila Co & Tony Moly also do one but when you can buy something from Wilkos for a mere £3, sometimes it's better to stick with the UK high street! From the outside it looks very similar to a gel eyeliner pot. However inside there's a small round sponge saturated with black liquid liner. When you apply pressure with an eyeliner brush, the liquid starts to ooze out & you can use the product. The liquid is quite runny but I find it far less messy to use than gel eyeliner. It's extremely pigmented & dries down very quickly with a glossy finish. It lasts all day long on me without crumbling or transferring onto my upper eyelid. Liquid liners tend to come in a pen format but with this pot you can apply it however you want, even with something like the Vamp Stamp. If you like the ease of a gel formulation but prefer the finish of liquid liner, this product is for you. It's such a fantastic eyeliner & at this price you'd be silly not to buy one!

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May Favourites

Diamond Whites Black Edition 100% Natural Charcoal Tooth Polish
To distract attention away from the wonkiness of my teeth I try to keep them looking as white as possible. I normally use Crest White Strips but they can make your teeth feel quite sensitive. Loads of these charcoal tooth powders have been popping up all over Instagram lately & as I do like to use some natural products I decided to order a tub from Diamond Whites. It is made from 100% activated coconut shell charcoal and claims to remove stains from your teeth, strengthen your gums & absorb toxins from your mouth. You just dip your toothbrush head into the pot, brush your teeth with it & then rinse really well. It literally turns your teeth black & looks really weird when you're brushing them. I find that I have to follow it up with my regular mouthwash & toothpaste to get rid of all the black residue. It makes such a mess & will turn your sink black too but I do think it works. It makes my teeth look sparkly clean & they feel thoroughly polished afterwards. These charcoal tooth powders are mainly for removing stains rather than proper teeth whitening but if you drink a lot of tea or coffee, it'll probably work well for you too. Just don't expect it to work miracles on really yellow teeth.

The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
The Ordinary's skincare products have fast become some of my all time favourites. The AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is truly the crème de la crème & as my skin loves chemical exfoliants this product is a dream come true. It can be difficult to find such high strength acids in the UK, the most you'll normally find is about 10% so this is a special product indeed. In the bottle this viscous red liquid looks like blood but on the face it turns into a raspberry pink which indicates where you have applied the product. It also stops you from being tempted to leave it on overnight which could cause a lot of damage. Used properly this peel does all the things that acids usually do but TO THE EXTREME. It brightens your complexion, unclogs pores & gives you the most baby soft skin of your life. It might even cleanse your soul! When I first started using it my face would experience some intense tingling but now I'm more accustomed to this acid strength I apply it twice a week without issue. I rarely use any other acid products now, this is literally all I need to maintain clear, smooth skin.

NYX Pro Foundation Mixer in White
I seem to have accumulated quite a few foundations that are too dark for my skin. A lot of the time I'll really like the formula but the brand don't offer a shade that's pale enough for me. Instead of chucking these products out I decided to pick up a white mixer from NYX. This product can lighten foundations without altering their consistency or coverage whatsoever. I really like the tube packaging as it makes it easy to dispense the exact amount of mixer you need. It's such a useful thing to have & allows me to alter the colour of a whole range of products. You can even use it on it's own as a super pale matte highlight. NYX also have five other Pro Foundation Mixers (Opal, Luminous, Olive, Warmth & Deep) so you can create a custom foundation that's especially tailored to your needs.

Too Faced x Kat Von D Better Together Bestselling Mascara & Liner Duo
Two products that you never stop hearing about in the beauty community are Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara & Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Trooper. These two powerhouse makeup brands recently teamed up to bring us the 'Better Together' collection & while most of it didn't appeal to me, I was very excited about this mascara & liner duo. For just £18 you get a mini version of each product so it's a great way to try something new without spending tons of money. I always think it's a good idea to pick up a miniature mascara whenever possible because then it won't expire before you've used it all. The Better Than Sex Mascara excels at giving your lashes both tons of length & volume. It holds a curl really well & gives you a beautiful wispy effect. I love how it spreads out my lashes & makes them look much fuller. It lasts all day without flaking or smudging & is easily one of the best mascaras I've ever tried. I've been using Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner for the past couple of years & in general it's very similar to the Kat Von D offering. They're both highly pigmented, last all day long & don't transfer to my upper eyelid. The main reason I now prefer the Tattoo Liner is the super fine nib. It allows the liner to glide on smoothly & creates a really sharp wing. It's absolutely perfect & I will definitely repurchase it in the future.



Makeup Revolution Ultra Eye Contour Light & Shade Palette
I've been wanting to buy Kat Von D's Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette for years now as it's pretty much the perfect collection of neutral matte eyeshadows. It's the kind of thing that everyone should have in their makeup stash as it's such a versatile product. However it had taken so long for Kat Von D's makeup range to be stocked in Debenhams that I kinda lost interest as I do already have several similar eyeshadows. A few months ago Kat made the mistake of blasting Makeup Revolution on Instagram for copying her palette, informing millions of beauty lovers that you could pick up a dupe of the Shade & Light Eye Palette for a mere £8. That price combined with Superdrug's 3 for 2 on all makeup offer meant that I couldn't resist buying it & I'm completely in love! Sure the shadows may be slightly chalkier & produce a lot of kickback compared to the Kat Von D palette but the colours are near identical & they blend out really nicely. I know some people take offence to makeup dupes but I'm all for it. This was the first Makeup Revolution product that I've tried & it certainly won't be the last.

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Out Of The Ordinary

DECIEM's The Ordinary is no ordinary skincare brand. They have produced an affordable line of skincare products featuring highly effective yet typically overpriced ingredients. Their products are sold at the price they should be sold at which is incredibly refreshing to see in the skincare industry. This is partly thanks to their business model where they've reduced costs to the consumer by having minimalistic packaging & hardly any advertising. I'm a firm believer that good skincare shouldn't cost the earth. It's more important to be informed about ingredients & The Ordinary have made them more accessible than ever. I really wish they could've brought out this product range years ago as it would've saved me hundreds of pounds! They have single-handedly revolutionised the skincare industry & other brands should be worried that their customers are starting to realise they're being ripped off. When The Ordinary first launched last year I picked up five of their serums to try out. I was very careful to test each serum individually so that I could identify any reactions or breakouts & then remove that product from my routine. If you plan on buying any of these serums from The Ordinary I would highly suggest that you do the same.

Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (£5.90 / 30ml)
I started off by testing out this serum as I have used many different formulas of Hyaluronic Acid & have never had a bad reaction to it. Hyaluronic Acid is something that I personally feel that everyone needs to include in their skincare routine. It can hold up to 1000 times it's weight in water which boosts the efficacy of any moisturiser that you put on afterwards. It's ideal for all skin types especially dry & dehydrated skin. The serum itself is a clear viscous liquid comprised of three weights of Hyaluronic Acid as well as a Hyaluronic Acid crosspolymer which provides intense hydration & visibly plumps up the skin. In terms of results I would liken this serum to the Sarah Chapman Intense Hydrating Booster. It feels slightly stickier when first applied but after smoothing on some moisturiser both products work in exactly the same way, making my skin soft, plump & well hydrated. The Ordinary's HA serum is literally 1/10th of the price of Sarah Chapman's offering so I know which one I'll be repurchasing!

Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (£5 / 30ml)
I was very excited about trying this serum in particular as Zinc has worked wonders on my cystic acne & I've heard so many good things about Niacinamide. It can apparently help to reduce blemishes & clear congested skin but it also deals with redness & hyperpigmentation. You do have to be careful about when you apply it as it can interact with Vitamin C. I used it for a few nights & it made my skin look amazing. It was visibly clearer & brighter. Even my boyfriend commented that my skin looked really good & that never happens! However within that first week of use my cheeks had become full of closed comedones. I hadn't added any other new products to my routine or tried a new foundation so I knew it had to be this serum. I extracted them, stopped using the Niacinamide & my skin went back to normal. This is the exact reason why it's so important to make sure you test each serum individually. It's such a shame because the brightening effect was real & immediate but anything that gives me closed comedones is a huge no-no as they are the bane of my life.

Now I'm not entirely sure that it was the ingredient Niacinamide that I had a reaction to. I've used several products that contain Niacinamide without any problems before including La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo & Pixi Glow Mist. When The Ordinary first brought out this serum it contained an ingredient called Carrageenan which can potentially cause breakouts. It's something that I actively avoid in my diet as it can also cause stomach problems. It's a thickening agent found in things like Blue Diamond Almond Milk and unfortunately Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream! The serum has now been reformulated so that it doesn't contain Carrageenan so I'm tempted to buy a new bottle but it might just be that the 10% Niacinamide is a little too much for me. Hey, I'm just speculating here! As with all skincare products your mileage may vary so I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that love this serum.

TL;DR: It visibly brightened my skin but gave me closed comedones so I no longer use it.

Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% (£4.90 / 30ml)
A good Vitamin C serum is something that was definitely missing from my skincare routine. Vitamin C can be such a tricky ingredient to get right as it is very unstable & serums formulated with it tend to be astronomically expensive. So when The Ordinary announced that their Vitamin C serum would be made from L-Ascorbic Acid powder & completely stable due to the absence of water, I was all over it. When I purchased this product it came in a dropper bottle like most of their other serums but it could be quite difficult to dispense the liquid from the pipette. It also made a huge mess & ran all over the top of my bottle. They have since changed it to a tube which is a much better format for this product.

The serum is thick, white & creamy but the biggest downside to this product is the texture. No matter how much you shake it up prior to use, it will still feel very grainy. It almost feels like I'm scrubbing my face with a physical exfoliant. It also stings my skin a tiny bit and if I use too much product, it makes my hands & face smell weird no matter how many times I wash them! After applying my moisturiser, this serum does help my skin to feel super soft & smooth although it does look a bit on the greasy side. I did notice a brightening effect & it has helped to reduce my hyperpigmentation but I don't think I would repurchase this serum as it's just not cosmetically elegant enough & it's not very nice to use. I've since moved on to using the OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum & even though I have to store it in the fridge to keep it away from heat & light, I'm much happier with it.

Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% (£5.80 / 30ml)
Chemical exfoliants are my jam so of course I couldn't resist buying their 10% Lactic Acid. They also do a milder 5% version but as I'm well versed in the world of acids I knew my skin would respond better to the stronger formulation. This is another product with a strange scent, it literally smells like a glass of Pimms & that fragrance really lingers on the skin. It's a good job you use AHAs at night or people would think I'd been drinking at 9am! Apart from that little niggle, this serum works extremely well. It has greatly improved the texture of my skin by refining my pores & smoothing out any bumps. It gives my skin a radiant glow when I wake up & helps to fade post-blemish scarring. I think what makes this acid so good is the inclusion of Tasmanian Pepperberry extract. It helps to reduce any irritation that you normally get when using acids so I find that I can use this peel more often without compromising my skin barrier. I would definitely recommend picking this up or the 5% version if you're not yet accustomed to using AHAs.

Advanced Retinoid 2% (£8 / 30ml)
As I'm in my late 20s now, retinol is an ingredient that has become increasingly more important in my skincare routine. It works to combat not only fine lines & wrinkles but acne & sun damage too, boosting collagen production at the same time. It basically addresses all of my skin concerns in one go. Retinol can be pretty pricey so to find such an effective retinoid at such a low price is absolutely brilliant. This serum is a thin milky liquid that gets absorbed into the skin right away without any stickiness. The formula is really lovely as I didn't experience any dryness, peeling or irritation which are normally things you have to look out for when using retinoids. I've been using it for several months now & I am a huge fan of this product. I tend to alternate between using this & the Lactic Acid serum at night. I hardly get any blemishes now, my skin looks smooth & refined and I'm generally much more confident when it comes to baring my face without makeup. I can't recommend it enough! Be careful not to confuse this product with their Retinol 1%. This 2% serum might sound like the stronger product but it's a retinoid as opposed to pure retinol so it's a lot gentler on the skin & less likely to cause irritation.

Much like the Hyaluronic Acid serum, you could say that this product dupes the effects of another luxury skincare product. I'm talking about Sunday Riley's Luna Oil. Luna is a truly wonderful product but you have to admit that the price is ridiculous & to be honest I kinda regret paying it now. If only The Ordinary had brought out their Advanced Retinoid 2% sooner! I mean if the results were the same would you rather pay £85 for 30ml of product or a mere £8? It just goes to show how overpriced the beauty industry can be & that's why I love The Ordinary.

Overall I was very impressed with the items I picked up from The Ordinary. Not everything worked well for me but I got to try out five serums formulated with highly potent skincare ingredients for less than £30. I don't think there's any other company that offers clinical formulations at such a low price. I have since ordered five more serums from The Ordinary which I will be reviewing shortly as well as their new foundations so stay tuned for that!

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