Sephora Haul

Possibly the worst thing about living in England/the UK is the lack of a Sephora. So many of the American bloggers/youtubers go to Sephora and buy all kinds of beautiful things, and it just seems like a majestical palace of mystery and wonder, so you can imagine my excitement when (whilst I was travelling around mainland Europe) I realised that not only where we going to Paris, home of this amazing store, there was also a Sephora in nearly every country we visited. Possibly too happy about this fact, but I was very restrained in what I bought!

The first thing my friend and I picked up to try from the Sephora in Verona, and I don't have with me now to photograph, is one of the sheet masks that Sephora sells and the likes of Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter have bought and loved.The idea of a sheet mask makes the large lazy side of me so damn happy, because you just whack it on and Bob's your uncle, Fanny is your aunt. I picked up the green tea mask because my skin was getting disgusting and tired, and needed a serious pick-me-up. I really enjoyed using the mask, and could definitely see a difference after the required twenty minutes or so was up. 

From Verona I also picked up three cute handbag sized scents in long glass bottles. They were on special offer, and obviously this meant I just couldn't resist the damn things. I got the scents green tea, peony, and mango. Peony is in the pink bottle and possibly my favourite fragrance. It's floral and light, and just really lovely to pop in your handbag and spritz on when you are feeling not so fresh. Good job Sephora.

So far, so good. But, then Sephora in Paris happened, and my brain went to a place where money was no object apparently, and I bought the Urban Decay Naked On The Run palette, and a Sephora lipstick. I kind of really shouldn't have spent the 49 euros on the Urban Decay palette, but it spoke to me and I couldn't resist! And honestly, I do not regret this purchase.

The palette is amazing for weekends away or overnight stays with friends, as it has essentially everything you need, bar foundation/concealer/powder and brushes. In the (beautiful rose gold) palette you get six eyeshadow shades, a blusher, a bronzer, an eyeliner in a dark brown, mascara, and a full size lipgloss in a beautiful pinky-nude shade. The eyeshadows are a mix of shimmers and mattes, all fairly neutral with good pigmentation and a creamy formula that is so easy to blend and looks so beautiful on the eye. The 50/50 shade, which is slightly bigger than the others, also doubles as a good highlighter so you can still contour on the go! The mascara is really good quality and makes my lashes look long and thick and black (essentially a miracle), and the eyeliner glides on easily and stays in place all day. I've never owned/used Urban Decay products before, only lusted over them, but I have fallen head over heels in love with this palette, and know when I'm at uni it's going to be so useful when I come home just to pop this in my bag alongside my face products and head off. Good space saver, good investment.

The lipstick I got was around 10 euros, which I thought was a pretty decent price, and me oh my was it tricksy to choose a shade. There were hundreds, I swear. But in the end I plumped for a dark pinkish shimmery shade (Fever), which feels lovely and moisturising on the old lips, has decent staying power, and is actually more like a 'your lips but better' shade, which makes it ideal for everyday.

The crux of this post is that Sephora has become my everything, and I have no idea how I'm going to function without it! Thank goodness they ship here now.

Skincare Routine Essentials

For years I have dabbled in various different skincare products, not really having a clue what I was looking for, what my skin type is, or what I actually needed, just going for the cheapest option that my younger self thought would do the job, often widely missing the mark. Then I discovered beauty blogs, and the world of knowing what your skin type is and what products you need to sort it out. It's still taking me a while to establish a routine that truly, truly works, but the one I am using at the moment morning and night has done wonders to calm breakouts, clear my pores and reduce their size, and just generally look more healthy. I am still struggling with how oily my skin can get, so any suggestions would be just fab!

First up, cleansing, toning, and moisturising. For a while I only ever cleansed my skin, not understanding the importance of the toning and moisturising steps, but now I would never look back. I'm sure the whole world and it's wife has tried out the Liz Earle range, and there is a reason for that: it really bloody works. The Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (£15.50 for the 100ml pump starter kit) has swiftly become my all time favourite cleanser. The creamy texture feels amazing on my skin, the scent is beautiful, and it really does remove every trace of even the most stubborn makeup, leaving my skin feeling super clean and super lovely. 

The Instant Boost Skin Tonic (£14.50 for 200ml) is heavenly. It has such a beautiful scent and immediately brightens my skin, and also captures any last traces of makeup I may have missed. It's my favourite toner and has done wonders for my skin. The final step is moisturising, of course, and I use the combination/oily version of the Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser Light (£20.25 for 50ml, although I only have the 15ml tube which is £8.00). This moisturiser is so light that it is quickly absorbed into my skin without feeling too rich or too heavy, which is just perfect. The scent is amazing, and a little goes an incredibly long way, which makes the price completely worth it. I've had my 15ml tube for a while, and I still haven't finished it! I think that's my favourite thing about the Liz Earle products is not only do they work wonders, they also seem to last a long time which makes them good value for the money you spend.

The last product that I use in my skincare routine on a daily basis is the Botanics All Bright Refreshing Eye Roll On, currently £4.49 in Boots (usual price £8.99). I've only recently started using a designated eye product, having never deemed it necessary before, and so this is the first eye product I have tried, and I would love suggestions for others. I do really like this though, the metal ball is so soothing on tired eyes on both a morning and at night, and it actually does reduce the appearance of my horrific black bags, although I don't think any product will ever fully diminish them. Very impressed with this.

On a not daily basis, I have three favourite products that I always come back to. I love putting a face mask on once a week, I feel it really helps just bring my skin back under control a little. I am a big fan of the Lush masks, but tend to only get them when I bring back five black pots to get my free one (?!). Instead, the last time I decided to get a face mask I went for the Quick Fix Facials Anti-Blemish Mud Mask (£4.99 for 100ml from Boots). Quick Fix Facials is not a brand I've heard of before, but they had a wide range of face masks for varying problems which I thought was good. I went for the anti-blemish mud mask, which is for oily and spot prone skin as I was suffering from a break out at the time. For £4.99 they claim you get 10x uses out of it, which I also thought was very good value. I've used this every week for about a month now, and have already noticed a difference. This facial contains dead sea mud to control oil production, salicylic acid to draw out impurities/tighten pores, and tea tree oil to combat spots. The combination of ingredients work wonders, and within a couple weeks of using this all my spots have cleared up and my skin is no longer as oily, and I will continue using this on a weekly basis. I also want to try more from the range, and will review them all together.

Continuing along the lines of blemish fighting, I have long been a fan of Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel range, and when I broke out a few weeks ago panicked, returned to this range, and decided to try out the blemish stick instead of my usual spot wand. This stick of goodness is only £2.59, and can be applied to problem areas as often as needed. Overnight this seemed to help reduce the redness of spots, and also their size, which was definitely a pleasant thing to see.

Finally, sudocrem. Used by mothers everywhere, this is a must have product for me, spot prone, clumsy me. It's multi purpose, and I use it to help clear up spots, on any rashes, burns etc, on anything and everything it can be used for. Sudocrem is extremely underrated.

What's your favourite skin care products? I would love some recommendations!

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