Elemis Balancing Lime Blossom Cleanser

 

A while back, during the summer my friend and I decided to treat ourselves to a spa day. We were pampered with a massage, body wrap and facial. It complete and utter bliss!

After my treatment I got chatting to the lovely beautician and talk turned to skin care and the current spotty mare which is my face. My skin looked so dull and I’ve been getting huge outbreaks of spots along my jaw line and on my chin. According to the beautician getting spots there is linked to hormones... not sure what I can do about that?! However she did recommend that I try Elemis Balancing Lime Blossom Cleanser. It’s a product she’s been using for similar problems but not one the spa sells. So on her advice I went home and jumped online to order myself a bottle!

The packaging isn’t much to write home about but I do like that it has a pump applicator as I find products last longer when distributing with a pump.

The box states that it is ‘designed for combination skin types. Active extracts of lime blossom, lecithin and vitamin E help to balance excess surface oils and soothe the skin revealing a clean and radiant complexion’.

To apply you just massage the cleanser over your face, then remove any excess with a damp cotton wool pad. Easy! I have fallen in love with this cleanser! It smells gorgeous with a scent that reminds me of the parma violet sweets!

I have been using it twice a day for just over a month now and I can really see the difference in my skin. My t-zone isn’t as shiny, my breakouts have cleared up and the few spots I have are small and less angry/red looking. Plus my skin feels smooth a little glowy!

At £22 it’s not cheap but it lasts quite a while and really has turned the state of my skin around. This is definitely now my go to cleanser!

Motivational Monday #31

 

Who else out there is amazing at making excuses for not going after their dreams?!

I am terrible guilty of this one! I dream of being a successful novelist, of people actually buying the jewellery I make and of travelling the world. My top excuses for not doing any of this goes as follows...

1.    I have no money

 

2.    What if I’m terrible at it

 

3.    What if people take the piss

 

4.    Lack of time

 

5.    Fear of the unknown

All of these excuses, and yes I know they are lame excuses, can easily be eradicated. I just need a bit more self confidence, better time management skills and a big kick up the bum to just get on with it instead of constantly procrastinating about it!

I really do believe we are capable of achieving our dreams no matter how big or small they may be. We really can astound ourselves of how capable we all actually are!

What’s stopping you from achieving your dreams?

Alchemy Grapefruit Hair Remedy

Alchemy Grapefruit Hair Remedy*

Now let me explain the mess that is my hair... for the last couple of months I have been sporting blonde bits at the front of my hair, framing my face. I really like it but it means these bits are beyond parched, they are ridiculously dry. The rest of my hair which is just past shoulder length (hurrah, been trying to grow it forever!) and is my natural brown shade, I also suffer from greasy roots and dry ends.

This means finding suitable hair products that suit this combo is a bit of a nightmare. Therefore when I was recently Alchemy’s Grapefruit Hair Remedy to try out I was a bit apprehensive, but keen to see if I could rescue my hair. It’s made from just 5 oils which includes coconut oil, avocado oil, almond oil and of course grapefruit oil. So there are no extra chemicals, which allows your hair to absorb it better.

Firstly can we take a moment to coo over the cute vintage bottle! Secondly it smells divine! Hair oils don’t tend to smell bad but never particularly amazing either. However this smells sweetly of grapefruit, obvs, and is just lush!

They recommend for dry hair to massage the oil into your scalp and apply from the roots to the tips of your hair. Then leave it on for 20 minutes or overnight if your hair needs the TLC. Then wash and condition your hair as normal. Personally, as my roots can be greasy I applied the oil from the mid lengths downwards, twisted it up into a messy bun and left it on overnight. I washed and dried my hair like normal and I have to admit there was a noticeable difference. It was much softer, a lot smoother and much easier to style.

They also recommend applying a few drops to the ends of your hair whilst damp and then style as usual. I was a little hesitant about this as its quite heavy oil. I was also unsure how to get a couple of drops from the bottle without having a ton of it pour onto my hand! I have now worked a good technique of tipping the bottle whilst the cork lid is still in, removing the cork and using the residue that’s on there as you really don’t need much of it! It really sorted out my ends and stopped any fly aways.

I’ve been really impressed with the results of this product and for £17.99, it’s a bit pricey but it will last you for a long time and the results are fantastic! Definitely worth the price tag, from now on I will be swapping my usual Moroccan oil for this grapefruit hair remedy.

The Autumn Tag

I came across this Autumn Tag on the lovely Georgina’s blog Makeup-Pixi3 which she has created to celebrate her favourite season. As I’m starting to feel Autumnal this week I thought I’d give it ago and here is what I’ve come up with...
 

1.  Ok we're talking coffee's - what's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero etc?
 

I haven’t drunk coffee in 6 months now! Go me! I used to mainline the stuff which looking back was insane! I feel so much better for giving it up and haven’t had a migraine since! I did however start to replace my coffee addiction for a tea one but have nipped that in the bid only have a cup of tea as a treat once in a while. I tend to stick to fruit teas, saying that though I have to admit my favourite seasonal drink is a Chai Latte, Starbucks do the best one! It’s yummy and so comforting!
 

2.  Accessories - what do you opt for, scarf, boots, gloves?
 

I hate gloves! They irritate my hands and I don’t seem to be able to do anything when I’m wearing them, they just get in my way! I do love scarves and recently bought a chunky green tartan one from Zara that I can’t wait to start wearing this autumn! I am a boots kind of girl, I LOVE uggs and leggings. Getting all slouchy for the winter seasons is my fave thing! I also usually have one pair of smart leather boots for work and am currently looking for a new pair at the moment.
 

3.  Music - what's your favourite music to listen to during Autumn?
 

I’m not sure the seasons change my taste in music, the current music I’ve been listening too includes Queen, McFly, Arcade Fire, Paloma Faith, The Who, Blink 182... I have an eclectic taste!
 

4.  Perfume - what's your favourite scent for this time of year?

Right now it has to be Jo Malone 'Amber & Lavender' Cologne, yes I know it’s a boys one but it is sexy, warm, spicy, subtle and isn’t too manly that a girl can’t wear it. I get lots of compliments about it!

5.  Candles - what scents will you be burning this season?
 

I am obsessed with candles! My favourite has to be Yankee Candles Snow in Love, it isn’t too pongy and just freshens up a room. I recently got a set of their autumn candles and really like the Fig one so I think that’s going to get a lot of love this autumn.

6.  What do you love most about Autumn?
 

I love the colours of autumn, the changing colour of the leaves on trees. I also love the crisp autumn air and the fact it also houses Halloween and firework night! Two of my favourite holidays!
 

7.  Favourite makeup look?
 

I’m pretty standard with my make up as I like a natural look, however I love playing with a smoky look at this time of year with a darker lip and dark, vampy nails.
 

8.  What are you looking forward to most in Autumn?
 

Halloween and bonfire night! I’ve also got a couple of bloggers events I’m looking forward to attending over the next month or so. Also as we are now in Autumn it also means Christmas is just around the corner, eeeek!!!
 

What are your favourite things about Autumn? I now tag you all to do this post! Don’t forget to let me know if you do it!

 

Bourjois Paris Cream Blush Collection

I recently got super lucky and won the whole Bourjois Paris Cream Blush Collection during a twitter competition Bourjois held. I don’t ever tend to win things so I was super excited about this!

Now I have to admit I have never used a cream blush before, I am more of a powder girl. I was once told that powders work better on younger skin and have kind of stuck to those guidelines. I also like a natural look so find powder easy to blend in where I kind of assumed a cream would stand out like a sore thumb. Oh how dumb am I?!

From left to right

01 Nude Velvet / 02 Healthy Glow / 03 Rose Tender / 04 Sweet Cherry / 05 Pink Sunwear / 06 Tropical Coral

I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much I adore these creams! I use a contouring brush to apply them which I find means I don’t end up with too much on my face and it’s much easier to blend in. If you want a bolder look you just layer on the cream. It is really soft on the skin too, I was worried they may be oily and I can sometimes suffer with dry cheeks, so I thought it maybe an awful mix! However they aren’t oily at all, wahooo! It has a lovely creamy consistency which turns into a powder when buffed in.

You know when you use a powdered blush, you pop it on first thing and by midday your cheeks look pretty bare again?? Well not with these folks! They stay put for most of the day which has really impressed me! For a beauty blogger, I am pretty lame in terms of reapplying my makeup through the day, who actually has time to do that?!

So here is my ugly mug, and I’m currently sporting 05 Pink Sunwear, which gives a fab natural sun kissed look. This has been a staple in my makeup bag this summer and I think its following into autumn as well!

 

These fab little pots are easy to find, Boots sells them for £7.99. I think this price is pretty reasonable, you don’t need a huge amount each use so I can imagine them lasting quite a while. I will definitely be re-buying in the future as I’ve been so impressed by the quality!

Do you use a powder or cream blush? Any tips for using a cream blush? I would love to hear them!

#TBT All That Glitters...

Welcome to my first #TBT / Throw Back Thursday! Where I am going to be delving into the depths of blog posts past and repost some of my favourites to share again with you all! As someone who has been blogging for over 2 years now, I have written over 400 blog posts, some that should probably remain hidden and some that I’m still pretty proud of and are still relevant to me. Which is why I thought it would be fun to run a #TBT series each week up until Christmas and share with you all my personal favourite old ‘Lipsticks & Lashes’ posts.

Originally Posted // 26th February 2013

At the age of 28, I’ve lately been wondering if I’m too old to be a fan of glitter? I have to admit that when it comes to anything that sparkles, chances are I probably love it! I am a total magpie! I am drawn to it and it instantly cheers my day up!

 

I think as a child my obsession began when watching The Wizard of Oz with Dorothy’s red glittery shoes. Luckily, when I was growing up, there were a huge range of options to add glitter to our existence. It was almost necessary to sparkle at all times and not because we were vampires. My friends and I stocked up on body glitter during weekly Saturday trips to Claire’s, where we also picked anything else that fitted with this trend. Anyway, I had glitter eye shadow and glitter eyeliner, so it was just never possible for me to be matte. I never wanted to be matte. What was the point of wearing makeup if you weren’t going to sparkle and shimmer?

 

And now a days? I love glittery Shoes, bags, nail polishes, eye shadows, tops......... You name it!

 

Yes on some occasions I will admit that glitter can be tacky and tasteless. I know many think glitter is only for little girls or Katy Perry. I have found that there are ways without going over the top with your glitz, still adding that boho glam you crave. Glitter or sequins (much like color) can brighten up any outfit.

 

My recent interest in all that sparkles, comes from a weekend away I had a couple of weeks ago to Cornwall. I stayed with an old friend who I grew up with, who is a complete free spirit. Her idea of getting ready for a night out is covering herself in glitter. I love this so much, and always join in when I stay. See pic below for the evidence! I was a little restrained but I used Barry M’s Glitter Dusts in Gold and Green to achieve this look.

 

 

Finally Glitter is the universal symbol for awesomeness and parties and fun. I love this video for Dog Days by Florence and The Machines, I love the glitter fight and I love the song in general. I think it sums up how visually the use of glitter and sparkles can really cheer you up. 

 

Nails // Soigne Botanique in Cerise

 

Who doesn’t love a red nail? It’s such a classic that suits everyone. This particular colour is a cherry red and I adore it, it’s such a perfect colour for this time of year and adds a bit of colour to the day. This polish is by Soigné Botanique and is called Cerise, I received it a good few months ago now in a birchbox. I’m a little surprised I haven’t blogged about this sooner as it’s a fab product!

Firstly how cute and sophisticated is the bottle?! It reminds me of channel. Secondly it applies so well, the brush is easy to use and I only needed two coats. Thirdly the colour is so dreamy! It lasts for quite a while and is hard to chip, which for someone like me who is constantly trashing their nails is a life saver. I am definitely going to be trying out more of this range in the future!