DIY - Facial Oil

When I started looking for healthier, more natural skin care I was intrigued by all the DIY recipes that were popping up all over the internet. It was about that time I began using olive oil to cleanse at night (which works brilliantly by the way). However, I wasn't too sure about the facial oils people were using along with - or instead of - moisturiser. 

I have combination skin, with an oily t-zone and a tendency towards hormonal spots. It's not always a pretty site, and I sometimes struggle creating a smooth base for makeup. So I started using jojoba oil in the morning and found that my skin became a lot less oily during the day. 

For those who don't know how fabulous jojoba oil is, it's great for skin. It's the closest match to our skin's natural sebum, helps the over-production of oil and feels great on the skin. 

So after the good results, I decided to get creative and mix my own facial oil. At first I was taken back by all the possible combinations, but to put it simply it's just a mixture of carrier oils and essential oils. I decided to use a mixture of jojoba oil, lavender oil and geranium oil. Both the essential oils are great all rounders, so I couldn't really go wrong with using them. 

You have to be careful with essential oils. They are strong and can possibly damage skin if applied undiluted. I use a dilution of 4 drops per 10ml, so 20 drops were used above. 

I had still to order a bottle for my oil here, so I used a glass jar. It's not the most hygienic solution - I'd recommend using a pipette or a bottle with a dropper attachment for your oil. It prevents waste and, more importantly, the oil becoming dirty. 

I love facial oil and it's so easy to use. Just massage a few drops into your face in the morning and let it sink in. If applying make-up, make sure to wipe away any excess oil with a tissue. 

Although they say that it should take a few weeks before your skin adjusts to new products, I noticed a difference in my skin right away. I have much less spots, and I'm now at the point (months later) where I'm sporting a clear face more days than not. 

PS. Keep up with me on instagram here.

Dusting and Deodorant Powders, Lush - Review

I'd like to introduce my readers to a type of product I wish I'd discovered years ago - deodorant powders.

Dusting/Deodorant powders are one of those products in Lush that you would first study with a raised eyebrow. "Powder deodorant? That'll never work". I've been using both their deodorant and dusting powders and let me tell you, they are amazing products.

Pictured above is: (From left to right) Fairy  Dust Dusting Powder, The Guv'ner Deodorant Powder and Silky Underwear Dusting Powder. 

So what's the difference between dusting and deodorant powders? Firstly, deodorant powders seem to have been formulated for the single use of deodorant. Although I'm all for embracing creativity and finding alternative uses for products, something tells me that the strong, earthy scent and dark colour of "The Guv'ner" is best suited to a deodorant. 

Dusting powders are advertised to be used on the body; to soak up massage oil, soften skin, or give your skin a light scent and glow. I find these work just as well as a deodorant, and often have a much sweeter smell.

There are several ways to use dusting powders. They can be used on the body to soak up lotions/massage oils or sweat. They can be used as a dry shampoo, and add a lovely scent to the hair. They can be rubbed on the under arms as a "deodorant" to help soak up sweat. They don't actually prevent sweat - Lush is against this as it is a normal and healthy bodily function. Instead the powder absorbs what you do sweat, therefore keeping you dry. I'll admit that no deodorant - from store or on prescription - has ever fully worked for me. I'd wash and be sweating again by the time I walked back to my room. Cream, gel, roll on or spray deodorants never seemed to dry in and just made me worse. These powders instantly absorb my sweat, and as long as I reapply when needed during the day (depending on my activities) it works perfectly well. I have heard of people layering these on top of other deodorants, but the powder alone has been enough for myself. 

Firstly I'll look at my latest purchase, Fairy Dust. 

Fairy Dust has the sweet, candy floss scent of the limited edition Snow Fairy products, which I'm sure any Lush fans have guessed by now. It has a glitter to it that really makes the body/hair shimmer and is coloured a pale pink which disappears on skin. It was limited edition, so I was unable to link to the product. Sorry :(

                          

The Guv'ner has a strong, deep and earthy scent. I like it, but it's definitely a love-or-hate product. This is what I use if I'm doing any strenuous activities, as I believe it is the most effective. 

It is a dark, stone grey colour, but surprisingly can disappear on skin if only a pinch is used. I tend to need more than that, so I only use it when wearing long sleeves. 

                         

Silky Underwear was the first dusting powder I bought, and is my most used. Its light colour and lack of shimmer means that it disappears on skin, and it has the same jasmine scent as my "Lust" solid perfume. 

If you've ever struggled with sweat, want to try something more natural or need something to layer with your normal deodorant I'd definitely reccomend the Lush deodorant and dusting powders. There are several more scents that I haven't tried, so if none above suit you have a nosey on their website!

Eyeshadow in Dark Pearly Gold, Kiko - Review

When visiting Italy I discovered a cruelty free brand called Kiko Cosmetics. They have a massive range of products and it was hard not to go crazy. In the end one of the few things I settled for was this gold shimmery pressed eyeshadow - shade 102 "Dark Pearly Gold".

                   

                   

It's pigmented, but not too pigmented if, like me, you prefer a subtler look. Above you can see it swatched both dry (bottom) and wet (above). Both were done in light layers, so as you can see it's completely build-able. 

I swept a little on to brighten up my eyes for work. It was "Christmas Jumper Day" and I wanted to look festive. 

I wasn't going for any particular look here, just a little sweep of colour. By the end of the day it had faded a little, but admittedly I never wore eye shadow primer, fixing spray or any sort of similar product. I'd say it lasted pretty well.

I'd definitely repurchase one of their eye shadows, and with their huge range there's probably something for everyone :)

PS. Keep up with me on instagram here.

Mineral Make Up, Lily Lolo - Review

Discovering Mineral Make-up is one of the best things that has happened to my skin. It's helped my acne and redness heal, never looks "cakey" like heavy powders and liquids and always blends brilliantly with my skin tone.

When people hear mineral make-up they usually think of Bare Minerals. I started off with Bare Minerals, but then moved on to higher quality and less expensive brands. Lily Lolo is one of my favourites, and a brand I think everyone interested in make-up should try.

I'd say their stuff is around half the price of Bare Minerals. I've loved every product of theirs I've tried already. 

Pictured above (from left to right) is the Blush Away Colour Corrector (£8.49), Mineral Foundation SPF 15 (13.99) and Peepo Colour Corrector (£8.49).

Lily Lolo are also completely cruelty free and their products are kind on skin. You can pick up cheap samples from their website, and they do great kits if you already know your shade. Speaking of the shade range, they cater for a lot of skin types - from the fair porcelain to the deep tan. Check out their shade guide.

Pictured above (from top to bottom) Eye Primer (£8.99), Eyebrow Duo (£7.99), Mineral Foundation Sample (£1.49).

They have a great range of products covering staples such as foundation, blusher and lipsticks. If you are more adventurous with your make-up, they do great eye shadow pallets, setting sprays and shimmers.

Mineral Make-up is much kinder on your skin, as long as you ensure you are using minimal ingredient formulas. I'd opt for makes like Lily Lolo, Barefaced Beauty, Honeypie Minerals, Everyday Minerals or Meow Cosmetics over brands such as Bare Minerals or Mac. They are cheaper, have minimal ingredients and tend to have a superior quality. 

Always make sure you are applying mineral make-up correctly, especially foundations, or they will not work. Build in light layers by "buffing" the product into the skin. I like to start from the outside of my face and work inwards. The reason for this is because my T-zone can become oily, and I find the less product I put there the better it looks. Product is usually applied with a kabuki brush. I use eco tools, but many mineral brands sell their own. The brush can make all the difference with mineral make-up, so I'd make sure it's a good one. 

If definitely recommend looking into some mineral make-up brands and trying out some testers if you haven't already. The brands praised above are cruelty free, have minimal ingredients and most can be purchased online in the UK. They have saved my skin!

Ocean Salt, Lush - Review

My skin wasn't at its best last month when the temperature was creeping closer to the negatives, so I hit Lush for some advice. I wanted a "heavy duty" exfoliater to use on my body, and asked the assistant in Lush what their most effective exfoliater would be. "Ocean Salt" was their answer.

This is a strong exfoliater as it contains lots of fine and course sea salt, along with ingredients like lime and grapefruit.  There are currently four version of this available - "original", "self-preserving", "alcohol free" and "alcohol free and self-preserving". I went for the original, but would probably opt fort the "alcohol free and self-preserving" in future. 

The look of this scrub remind me of breaking waves, which I have no doubt was intentional due to the name. The salty smell helped too, but the citrus is just as strong. I wouldn't recommend using this on your face as it is harsh, but it was great for scrubbing  up the rest of my body. I think a good exfoliater and lotion combo can work wonders for the skin. 

If you're looking for a strong exfoliater for the face, or have sensitive skin around your body, I'd opt for the "alcohol free and self-preserving" formula as it would be a lot kinder on the skin. Saying that, I would still recommend a softer facial exfoliater before this (and there's plenty in Lush's cleanser and face mask range). 

I wouldn't say this product is bad for the skin in any way, only that it is strong and shouldn't be overused. Aside from that, it feels like a treat straight from the sea. 

Lip Pencil, Young Blood - Review

So in Rome I picked up this Lip Liner Pencil in "Truly Red" by Youngblood. I'd been looking for a bright red lip liner for a while, and thought I'd give this a go.

It was quite pricey and above what I'd usually pay (€17.00). Truthfully, I made a mistake pricing it and only realised the correct price after it had been put through the till, and I ended up just going with it. It is £11.00 on the UK site.

It did go on soft and smooth, and seems very pigmented. Exactly what I was looking for. When I do go for a red lip I want it to stand out. 

Here it is on. To show the true colour I never applied any other shade of lipstick, just blended it with some Lush Ultrabalm. 

This photo was taken quickly in our apartment toilet, so apologies for the poor quality. 

Here is the uncropped version in case anyone would like to see it "full face" for any reason. Yes that is a toilet in the background and yes my hair is messy and scraped back. I'm not too glamorous. 

The liner did feel lovely and soft on, and has great pigment. I'd go as far to say that it also looks lovely, but I'll let you be the judge of that. Have a nice day everyone!

PS. Keep up with me on instagram here.

Finding Cruelty Free Make Up - In Italy

Rome, to be precise. I've been lucky enough to say goodbye to the Scottish December and hello to the Italian December for a week. All I can say is that it's passing by too quickly. It's averaging around 16/17 degrees here (a lot warmer than home). 

I've noticed a fair number of makeup and beauty shops near the apartment when staying here, and tonight me and my mum ditched the guys for a little shopping. It's needless to say that checking out some of these shops was top of my list. 

Here are the combined makeup purchases of me and my mum. 

On the far left is the Butter Pencil from NIYO & CO in "Beige". This make had a varied selection of products and colours, and at great prices. (this was only €4.90!) 

Next is the Lip Liner pencil from Young Blood in "Truly Red". It looks lovely on and I will be doing a post on it shortly. 

The rest of the products were all from a make called "Kiko", who had their own shop. I was overwhelmed at the amount of products and colours they had in store. The pricing was cheap, and so far the quality seems high. 

The store was beautiful inside, but when I pulled out my phone for a photo I was quickly told that photos weren't allowed. 

My mum picked up two lipsticks, a blusher, and a creamy glitter nail polish. All can be seen in the photo above. I picked up a pinky nailpolish and two eye shadows. I've decided to do a separate post on the eye shadows, so I'll only look at the other products here. 

This nail lacquer was the perfect match for the lovely shade already on my nails. I got a polish done before I left for Rome and decided it's a shade I'd like to have myself. There seems to be no name for the colour on the bottle, but it should be on their website if interested. 

My mum was looking for a dupe of Benefit's "Sugarbomb" as she's went cruelty free. I think we found it today with Kiko's Shade Fusion Trio Blush in "03". When swiped on her hand in store it was very pigmented, but also blendable. 

There were too many different lipstick and lipgloss formulas to count, but I really think they have something for everyone. It proved so for my mum who picked up these two - the Crystal Sheer Lipstick in "412" and the Luminous Chrome Lipstick in "702". Both colours do look lovely, and the casing is pretty too. 

To the best of my knowledge all these brands are cruelty free. Young Blood display a cruelty free logo on their box, and I researched the other two brands online whilst in store. 

Shopping cruelty free doesn't have to be hard, and it doesn't mean the quality of product will go down. Honestly, I've found it the opposite. 

So I hope you're enjoying your December, whatever country you're in! 

PS. Keep up with me on instagram here.

Feeling Younger Skin Tint, Lush - Review

I go a little bit crazy whenever I go to Lush, and end up picking up products I don't really need. One of these whims resulted in me buying the product pictured below - Feeling Younger. A gorgeous, pearly skin tint with a lovely glow.  

Due to its light colour it's completely wearable on pale, porcelain skin (like myself). Its blendable formula means it would suit darker tones just as well. 

                      

As you can see it has a pearly, almost metallic shine. Only a little is needed, and when wearing I usually just dot it onto my face. 

                              

I'm not convinced my camera picked up the product great here, but it has great shine. It's completely buildable if you're not a fan of the "natural" look. 

The only criticism I have is that it doesn't work brilliantly with my mineral foundation. I think this is due to me either using too much product, or not letting it set into my skin first. Saying that, it's no worse than any other highlighter/luminiferous I've used. It's just as effective as Nars "The Multiple" in chantilly or Benefit High Beam (which I tried before going cruelty free). 

Feeling younger is definitely a cheaper dupe for these brands, works just as well (if not better) and is probably a whole lot better for the skin. Next time your in a Lush store swipe some on your hand and watch it gleam! 

PS. Keep up with me on instagram here.

Concealer and Colour Corrector, Everyday Minerals - Review

Everyday Minerals is a natural, cruelty free make-up brand made in America. They specialise in mineral make-up and I have to say that they are good at it. They also have very affordable prices. 

I once made the mistake of ordering straight from America and being hut with import tax after a 2 week wait on delivery. I now order online from a UK stockist, ecco-verde.

So I am reviewing the products pictured above, which made up the "Creamy Concealer Face Kit" . These are: (from left to right) the Multi-tasking Concealer, Jojoba Colour Corrector in sunlight, Jojoba Colour Corrector in mint and the Concealer Brush. 

The multi tasking concealer is soft, blendable, and works well with my mineral foundation when covering up spots. You could use this over or under foundation. I usually use it over foundation just to make minor corrections, but if I have a large blemish I use it under foundation so it blends well and doesn't draw attention to the area.

It isn't pigmented enough for under my eyes alone (fair skin = big, purple bags), so I decided to mix it with the sunlight jojoba corrector. 

This corrector is a lovely, blend-able yellow, but go easy so you don't leave any noticeable yellow areas on your face. I use this under my eyes to counter the purple skin, and although it does help I've still to find a product that will banish them. Again go easy under the eyes, as too much can create lines you never knew you had. 

The mint colour corrector is great for countering redness, although again go easy or it will leave a greenish "tint" to your face - especially when using pale make-up like myself. I dot a little on any red, angry spots with the concealer brush, and brush some with a kabuki across any red areas on my face. Along with mineral foundation, it does help them disappear. 

The concealer brush is soft and hasn't gave me any irritation at all. It is small and I prefer using it when concentrating on covering just a spot or a small area. I'd definitely keep another slightly larger concealer brush. 

Overall I do love these products and they've worked their way into my everyday make-up routine. I'd repurchase them all unless I found a better alternative (I am on the hunt for some colour correctors that come in bigger tubs). The multi tasking concealer comes in a variety of shades, and there are also other colour correctors for tackling your skin complaints. If it's something your interested in, give them a go. 

PS. Keep up with me on instagram here.

Herbalism, Lush - Review

Firstly, I'm going to apologise in advanced for the appearance of some of my Lush products. I have a box and a bag that I keep them all in, and things tend to get a little worn.

Now that's out of the way, I'd like to talk about a wonderful cleanser/exfoliater I've been using from Lush. 

Herbalism, I'm led to believe, is best for combination and oily skin types. It does lightly exfoliate, which is ideal for us with combination skin that sometimes needs a bit of a scrub. Herbalism, along with some other Lush cleansers, has a unique type of "formula". It appears as a green paste and has a strong, earthy scent. 

To use I simply pinch a small amount from the tub, splash some hot water over it and rub it between my hands until it becomes a "milky" texture. Then I  lightly massage it onto my face. I use this after removing any make-up or dirt with olive oil (it's great!). 

So what do I think of herbalism? I've been using it for around 4 months now and I do enjoy it. It isn't a miracle product that gives me amazing skin overnight, but it has noticeably reduced my oiliness. The gentle exfoliation isn't harsh, and keeps skin soft (and slightly red, if you're as pale as I am). It doesn't leave your skin with that "squeaky clean" feeling either, which I'm personally not a fan of. I don't want to strip my skin of everything. 

Personally I would recommend this as a cleanser, as I did repurchase. What I would recommend first is reading up on their other similar formulas, such as "Angels on Bare Skin", "Let the Good Times Roll", "Dark Angels" or even the limited edition "Bûche de Nöel". The pasty/milky formulas seem to work great on skin, and each of the different cleansers offer their own benefits. Find yours!

PS. Keep up with me on instagram here.