Sunday Skin Detox

Hi Everyone!

This past Sunday I decided I was in major need of a super intense facial. I have been soo lazy the past two months and have basically abandoned any kind of 'extra' thing to do to my skin like using an exfoliator or face mask. Awful I know! My skin was feeling it as it felt extra congested and gross and I thought enough is enough it must happen tonight! I asked on twitter if anyone would like a post, seeing what I used and quite a few of you said you would so here it is!

♥ Step 1 - I always start off my cleansing. I whipped my Clarisonic Mia out as I haven't used this for ages. I'm going to start using it again as I don't want it going to waste, the only reason I stopped was because it ran out of battery and I was too lazy to charge it (oh the shame!) I used it with Philosophy Purity as it's the only creamy cleanser I have. If you have recommendations for cleansers for acne prone skin to use with the clarisonic please let me know!

♥ Step 2 - Next step I take is to exfoliate and get all the grime out of my pores and remove the dead skin cells. I am enjoying using the Amie New Leaf exfoliating polish. It smells of mango as it's creamy with the beads spread evenly it is very easy to work with. I may do a full review, so let me know if you would like to see it :)

♥ Step 3 - I then went on to use the first face mask of the evening, Origins Clear Improvement. I don't think it's as great as it's hyped up to be I really can't see that much of a difference however I do still like to use this and it basically just pulls all the dirt out from your skin leaving it a lot less congested.

♥ Step 4 - It was then time to use my favourite face mask ever. Yes ever. No other than Soap and Glory the fab pore facial peel. A little goes a long way with this, you massage it in then leave it on for 15 mins for a deep clean. When I remove this my skin looks radiant, clearer and MY PORES ARE REFINED. Pores are one of my skin hates and for this mask to make them look better is amazing. This is also hydrating and makes my skin so soft. I would repurchase this over and over and would recommend it to anyone!

Then I finished off with some moisturiser and I was done! My skin felt and looked so much better for it so I'm really glad I decided to do this 'detox' rather than just put a face mask on and be done with it. I think I will be doing this or something similar every Sunday as it's a great relaxing way to end the week and get your skin looking lovely for the upcoming week!

What do you think? Do you like to give your skin a bit of a detox now and then, what do you use?

Jessica
xox

Summer Stuff

Hey Everyone ♥

Today's post is a collaboration with Rachael A Is For Ayla and Alex from By Alex who are both lovely and make sure to go and check out their posts too! They have gorgeous blogs which I love reading and would definitely recommend you check them out! We decided to share some of our favourite things from this Summer!

♥ Favourite skin care product ♥

All throughout Summer I've been using Lush Angels on bare skin cleanser to wash my face. I've talked about my love for this before but seriously, if you are stuck with what cleanser you should go for get this! It's for every skin type and is the only cleanser I've ever used which after using it my skin doesn't feel tight or dry. It is hands down the best I've used and has kept my face looking radiant and feeling soft all Summer long and I'm planning on re purchasing on Thursday.

♥ Favourite body product ♥

I've been using Sweet Lemon shower gel from The Body Shop pretty much daily and it is such an awakening scent (perfect for waking me up since I've been having many late nights) and just reminds me of Summertime and being outdoors. You only need a small amount as a little goes a long way as you can see from the amount I have left.

♥ Favourite hair product ♥

My hair is really thick and I usually wear my hair in a ponytail so I like to use this as it instantly makes my hair much sleeker looking and tames all the frizz. You literally need half a pump - 1 pump and your good to go so this will last ages and it's something that's make life lots easier in the humidity.

♥ Favourite face product ♥

I don't wear base makeup really but when I do I love to use MAC MSF natural. This kind of magically blurs the blemishes and redness on my face and keeps me shine free all day. This isn't cakey on me or heavy which is why I love it but you can build this up for a heavier coverage too.

♥ Other makeup product ♥

This Summer Clinique chubby sticks have been something I've loved using. They are fuss free, lightweight and easy to work with. I have six but my favourite is Super Strawberry, a perfect everyday natural colour. It comes everywhere with me!

♥ Favourite nail polish ♥

The nail polish I've had on my nails the majority of Summer has been Barry M Gelly in Greenberry which is from their Summer collection. It's such a lovely vibrant green and I haven't seen any colours like it before. I've been loving glossy nails too and the high shine finish is amazing.

♥ Favourite outfit ♥

Okay so I only realised this was round the wrong way now and it's really annoying me but oh well. I've never photographed clothes before so I'm aware it looks really stupid! Anyway, this outfit I've had just worn and worn all Summer long. It consists of that Topshop skater skirt everyone seems to have and even though I never ever buy clothes from the 'hype' and because their 'in' (Geek/Dork t shirts etc I'm looking at you) I love the material of this skirt and the style. It's the only skater skirt I own and the lighter wash denim look is different for me as I usually only wear dark wash. I've worn it with this t shirt from Henry Holland, I love Henry Holland! It's so cute and has a bunny on it with daisies and the middle bit is glitter, so cute!

♥ Favourite moment/moments ♥

It feels like ages since I've been in School as the last two weeks of term was work experience so by the end of Summer I would have been off 8 weeks! During that time I've been on some great day outs such as going to Cadbury World last week and a couple of theme parks. I've also enjoyed just being out in the garden with the sun streaming down, it makes me happy :)

♥ Something I am looking forward to ♥

For the rest of the Summer I don't have much planned but I am going to the Harry Potter studio tour tomorrow and to Westfield on Thursday with my dad :) In general though I am so excited for Autumn! I am seriously getting excited about the thought of being snuggled up in a onesie with hot chocolate on a cold evening! Also I'm looking forward to blogging lots and lots more as I love it and have many exciting posts lined up!

I'd love to know some of your favourite Summer products or things you have enjoyed doing this Summer!

Jessica

xox

Soap and Glory Series: Body Scrubs

Hey Everyone ♥

If you've been following my blog for a while you may remember back in May I published part one of my Soap and Glory series which was about shower gels. Well, that series may have slipped my mind and therefore there were no follow up posts...until now that is! I finally have part 2 to share which is on body scrubs and I promise I won't keep you waiting for so long for the rest of the instalments! If you weren't following me back in May, I created this series to give mini reviews on each product I own from Soap & Glory as I have a lot and love them all so I thought this would be a good way to share my thoughts on some of the many products they do. You can read part 1 here

These are the current two I have but I will briefly mention two others I have previously tried too.

The Breakfast Scrub £9.00 - This smells amazing! It is a super sweet maple syrup scent which makes my teeth ache when I smell it! This is a coarse scrub and is definitely something to be used less often if your skin isn't that dry but if you do have exceptionally dry skin, or even when your skin is that bit more dry in Winter this is the scrub for you.

Pulp Friction £7.00 - This has the frutigo fragrance which I personally am not crazy for which is surprising as I love fruity scents but there is a note in this which is almost alcoholic? and it takes away from the sweeter notes in it. This is a cream scrub so the exfoliating beads are immersed in the cream so this is a lot easier to work with than the scrub mentioned above and this is my go to scrub for that reason. I think this is the perfect amount of exfoliation for me at least as it does what it's meant to but it doesn't leave your skin feeling dry or like you've over scrubbed.

I've also previously had Sugar Crush which is a citrus lime scent (again, I'm not fond of this as it has slight alcoholic or similar notes in it but it is a really popular scent as there's now a full line in the scent) and has a similar texture to the breakfast scrub so it's a little harder to work with. I would say you don't need this and the breakfast scrub as they are very similar so it comes down to personal preference on the scent. I've tried a mini Flake Away which is a cult Soap & Glory scrub. This is slightly more mild as it's got a sort of gel texture and is quite thin but saying that it does have a lot of exfoliation beads so doesn't lack in how scrubby it is!

So that's part two! I'm sorry it took so long to get up but as I said at the start the final instalment should be up by the end of August. Let me know how you are liking these posts and if you would like to see other posts like this featuring other brands!

Soap and Glory products can be found at Boots

Jessica

xox

MAC Let's Skate Paint Pot

Hi Everyone! ♥

I had pretty much written this whole post up and added the pictures when blogger decided to delete my draft?! I've no idea what happened so that's why this is even more overdue as I had to find time to sit down and type it all up again! So annoying. Anyway, today I have a Mac paint pot review for you all which I'm really excited for as it's something I've wanted for a really long time! 

I went into the MAC Soho store a couple weeks ago not really planning on getting anything but I ended up walking away with Let's Skate paint pot which is a re promote from the Glitter and Ice 2011 Christmas collection but was bought out again earlier this year in the permanent pro long wear paint pot collection so I was so happy as I've wanted this for about a year.

 If your unsure of what a paint pot actually is, it's a creamy eyeshadow which you can use as a primer or base for other eyeshadows or you can use it alone for a wash of colour. They come in a screw top glass jar and you must make sure to keep the lid on tight so they don't dry out! I like to keep mine upside down to keep the moisture at the top if that makes sense! Personally, I like to use these as a sheer wash of colour to perk my eyes up and give a little bit of colour.

There are a variety of different finishes but Let's Skate is a pearl. Let's Skate is a light pink and even though it's hard to pick up in pictures (and doesn't show at all in mine) has lot's of gold shimmer in it. When swatched the shimmer is very noticeable and is borderline glitter which I know some people don't like but when an eyeshadow is layered on top it's a very subtle shimmer. My only complaint with this particular shade is that is does apply slightly patchy but to fix this I like to apply it with a small shader brush which helps.

Overall, I really like these however I do feel they are overpriced however I've heard they do last a long time. If you are after a similar cream eyeshadow product the Maybelline color tattoo's are the way to go. I haven't actually tried these but I really want to get some, I like the look of Pink Gold, Bad to the bronze and the plum one which I've forgotten the name of!

RRP: £15 MAC

Jessica

xox

My Summer Essentials ♥

Hello everyone and happy August! How quickly is the year flying by? I feel like Summer's only just started but in reality we're only a little while away from the colder months! I'm not complaining though, I love Autumn and Winter and can't wait to have lots of cosy nights in with hot chocolate and candles burning and feeling the crisp cold air when I walk outside, lovely! Let me know if you're a Winter girl because I definitely am but I know lot's of you will be hanging on to Summer for as long as possible! 

Winter rambles aside, today's post is going to be about my Summer essentials, products I've been using lots and lots throughout the weeks of burning hot weather we have had in the UK!

♥ Dove compressed deodorant: Applying liberal amounts of deodorant in Summer is essential, I'm surprised the amount of people who think it's okay to skip it/apply it once *cough*people on the underground*cough*. The new compressed deodorants are a brilliant size to keep in your bag to use throughout the day or for when travelling.
♥ Hollister Laguna Beach body mist: I love body mists, they are so light and the scents are usually a lot more appealing in summer time when anything too musky is a bit OTT for daytime. This just reminds me of long summer days on the beach. It's really sweet (smells like sweets in fact) and I've used it loads and the majority is still left.
♥ Vaseline Spray & Go: Brilliant lightweight yet hydrating body moisturiser which is perfect when you need some hydration but don't want to be feeling sticky or you are in a rush. You can read my full review *HERE*
♥ Hawaiian Tropic After Sun: I've got no tan nor have I burned but I just use this when it is boiling hot and I am basically melting as it instantly cools me down from the sun as it's Aloe Vera. If I was burned though this would work amazing as it has in the past.
♥ Avene Thermal Spring Water: So on the whole these type of products do take hydration out of your skin but just like the after sun, when I am feeling hot and sticky this is fab for using on my face to cool it right down, this has loads of uses for things from nappy rash to burns and facial redness. This little can is perfect for my bag too.
♥ Hand Sanitiser: I just use these all year round but I like how it's quite cooling and also as I have been out and about a lot and on the underground this is essential for keeping clean and killing germs! This is from Bath and Body Works, you can read my post *HERE* on ones I have and where I buy from.
♥ Nivea Sun Protect Balm: It's seriously important to protect your lips from the sun just as much you're face/body. It's surprising how people don't realise your lips can get sun burnt too. There's lots of balms out there with SPF but this one is the highest I've found at SPF 30 and being inexpensive. It has a slight scent and it doesn't feel particularly moisturising but I use it everyday to keep my lips protected :)

So those are my Summer essentials! Hope you enjoyed and let me know what products you've been loving throughout this hot weather! Also, I've been suuuper slack with blogging for um, forever so I am planning to post lots more as I've got soo much to talk/write about! P.S Thanks so so much as I recently hit 200 followers and am 1 away from 180 on bloglovin' that's so amazing and I'm so grateful to everyone who reads/comments on my blog! 

Jessica

xox