November 14, 2012
November 11, 2012
The Sunday Pamper Part 2: The Facial
I had some really great feedback from my first Sunday Pamper post, so as promised here's the second in the series and tonight it's all about skincare. It's not all that often that I give myself a full on facial, but when the time comes I get down to some serious business. I really love to run a hot bath, pop in a Butterball (my all time favourite from Lush, but that's another Sunday post altogether!) and let the steam work some extra magic.
I make sure I've thoroughly removed all makeup with a good micellair lotion and then take a palm full of Philosophy's Purity Cleansing Oil evenly all over my face. I spend a few extra minutes working this into the skin gently with my fingertips, ensuring that every scrap of make up is gone and also boosting circulation to help flush out any nasty toxins lurking away. The great thing about using a cleansing oil for this is that unlike regular massage oils, once splashed off with some warm water it doesn't leave any residue on the skin.
After that it's on to exfoliation. I like to use a good deep scrub and No7's Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion is great for this. It's made up of tiny rough crystals which are quite abrasive. I'll only use this once every couple of weeks but that's really all it takes to see the benefits. Not only does this slough away every scrap of dead skin it also stimulates cell renewal to work against fine lines and uneven tone, just make sure you're wearing a good SPF the day after you use this!
I make sure I give my skin a quick rest after exfoliating so I take a trusty muslin cloth, soak it in warm water and lay it over my face for a few minutes. Not only is this super relaxing it also opens up the pores ready for a good deep cleansing mask. At the moment my favourite is the Super Facialist by Úna Brennan Tea Flower Clay Mask (isn't that a mouthful) which you can see a full review of here. This takes every drop of excess oil out of clogged up pores and leaves skin feeling zingy fresh.
The last part of the in-bathroom routine involves another of my all time favourite products, the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel which I paint on with an old foundation brush (an odd tool you may be thinking but believe me using one will change your life) and leave on for about fifteen minutes (this is when I usually hop out of the bath and get those cosy jammies on). I find this mask works best at getting rid of any really dry patches so I concentrate it on my forehead and nose. It uses fruit enzymes to exfoliate without the need for abrasive beads and I always notice how well my make up goes on after using this!
Once that's all wiped off, again using the muslin cloth, I pat my skin dry and move on to the final part of my mini facial: hydration. For that I use a recently discovered wonder combination of Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask and Bio Oil. The Overnight Mask is like an intensely rich night cream that keeps on working even into the morning. On top of that I pat a few drops of the Bio Oil and gently work them together on the skin. I have quite a few facial oil's rattling around in my draws but recently I've been choosing Bio Oil over them every time. This unlikely beauty product gives my skin the most amazing glow and once washed of in the morning leaves it plumped up and moisturised. I let that sink in for about half an hour before going to bed, just enough time to snuggle up with a good book (or in my case a good blog or two) and a few relaxing candles!
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November 08, 2012
Layers
Dress: Topshop
Cardigan & Gloves: Primark
Jacket: Influence @ New Look
Necklace: Urban Outfitters
Hat: River Island Mens
What's this, an outfit post? It's been a while I know, but now it's getting dark so early a) there's never any light to take a good picture and b) at the moment my go to outfit is a onesie. Sometimes though, I do put normal clothes though recently I seem to be going for a strict uniform of baggy layers under this faux leather sleeve parka. Not the most thrilling of outfits but a cosy one. I also love that it's now acceptable to wear Christmas themed prints on woollen accessories.
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November 07, 2012
Super Facialist by Úna Brennan
Super Facialist Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask £8.99 & Anti-Shine Pore Minimiser £12.99
I seem to have the isles of my local Boots memorised these days, so when something new pops up I'm usually straight on it. Úna Brennan, a well known facialist to the stars has launched her own range of products designed to give you a DIY salon experience at home. The line consists of three different ranges; Rose Hydrate, Neroli Firiming and Tea Flower Deep Clean. I went for Tea Flower as my skin has been quite oily and congested recently, deffinitly in need of a deep cleanse.
The first product that caught my eye was the Anti-Shine Pore Minimiser. This feels like a smooth, silky primer as it goes on and I've been using it under my make up on areas of larger pores and shine (nose and forehead especially!). This instantly reminded me of Benefit's Porefessional which I do really like but can't use as it dries my skin out terribly. This product however feels hydrating as well as mattifying and definitely makes my pores look smaller under foundation.
I've been looking for a new clay mask ever since they changed the formula of my beloved Botanics one so the Pore Purifying Detox Mask was another obvious choice and is actually fast becoming one of my favourite beauty extras. The formulation is quite thin compared to other similar masks which saves a lot of drying time and it tingles slightly as the Tea Flower works into the skin, clearing out impurities and unclogging pores. My favourite thing about this product is that after it dries you can see tiny dark spots where all the excess oils have been drawn out of the pores which really gives you an idea of how much it's working.
I've really enjoyed using these two and I think I'm definitely going to be looking into more products from Úna Brennan. The double cleansing regimes look quite intriguing too and as the whole of Super Facialist is a third off at Boots at the moment, I think I'll be trying a few more things very soon!
Have you tried anything from the range?
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November 04, 2012
This Week #33
01. Flags at the village carnival / 02. A rather large Topshop delivery / 03. All the American cereal you could ever need / 04. Yes deer, no deer / 05. Drunken pumpkin in the Arundel Deli / 06. Peanut butter covered in chocolate, what's that now!? / 07. A mini Lush, Space NK and Apple haul / 08. First photo on the iPhone 5 (Darren gives beautiful face) / 09. So many unused Lush products! / 10. Liz Earle Signature Foundation being tested out / 11. Last minute Halloween nails / 12. The epic Chinese that filled me up for a week / 13. First mince pies of the year! / 14. Salted Caramel Latte and yes, another mince pie / 15. This morning's teeny tiny toast (with peanut butter of corse) / 16. Packaging hoarder fo' lyf.
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November 02, 2012
Can't Stop Hauling
I know my last haul video was pretty much only two weeks ago, but I can't seem to help myself these days and I've got another splurge to share with you! This one's a little more fashion related so I hope it'll tide you over until I can get off my lazy bum and actually do an outfit post for the first time in months!
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