My Evening Skincare Routine (Cruelty Free)
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I LOVE skincare. I’m crap at make up and often find it a bit of a hassle but I could lather lotions and potions all over my face (and neck, you don’t want a wrinkly spotty neck!!!) all day long. I shared my morning skincare and beauty routine a while back but I’ve been waiting to share my evening skincare routine on the blog until I got it down to a tee. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% there yet but I’ve definitely found some products I love and that work that I want to share with you. Sometimes I do all of this routine and sometimes I literally just take my make up off if that’s all I can be bothered with. But I think that’s why I love it so much, even if it’s just taking my make-up off, it ensures that there’s a little bit of me time every day!
I have oily-ish skin and used to suffer with acne throughout my teens but it’s not as bad nowadays. I still get spots during my time of the month and my skin is by no means clear. So I tend to focus on products that are aimed at people with oily skin and ‘detoxifying’ products, as that’s what I think my skin needs. But I’m not as strict nowadays and my skin can handle a little more oil than it used to be able to. Also, no I do not use a moisturiser in the evening. My morning routine is fairly focussed on hydrating so I like to allow my skincare one to deal with the oil and the spots and I just don’t feel as though using a moisturiser is helpful or necessary in dealing with that!
FYI: Everything in this skincare routine is cruelty free apart from the Garner Micellar Water, which I bought by accident thinking it was. I have still put a * next to all the products which are cruelty free just for confirmation.
I always start with a micellar water to take my make-up off, if I’m wearing it. At the moment I’m just using the Garnier Micellar Water as it’s cheap and the bottle is huge but my favourite micellar water is the Yes To Tomatoes Cleansing Water*, as it’s targeted towards breakout-prone skin. I’ll definitely be repurchasing this when the Garner runs out as not only is it effective in keeping my oily skin at bay but the applicator is just SO good.
Next, I move on to cleanser, to make sure all of my make up is off and to remove any dirt and oils that my skin has collected throughout the day. I’ve been using the Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel* for about a year, which I like but I don’t LOVE. In the last month I’ve switched to using the Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel*, which I think I prefer. They’re both super simple cleansers but the Dermalogica one just feels as though its doing a bit more, although the Mario Badescu smells better, so it depends what you’re after really! I’ll use one of these cleansers if I’m feeling a bit lazy or if I’m going to put a face mask on. If not, I’ve been using Lixirskin’s Electrogel Cleanser* which is a 2in1 cleanser/mask. After wetting your skin you apply it and leave it on for a couple of minutes- I leave it whilst brushing my teeth- then wash it off. It stings a little at first but I like that as it suggests it’s actually doing something and the appearance of my skin is slightly improved after taking it off. Plus, the packaging is v. cute.
This is the point in my skincare routine where I’ll use a face mask if I’m going to do so, although I only do this around once or twice a week as I’m usually too lazy. My current favourite is The Body Shop’s Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask*. Again, it stings a little but I notice an immediate difference in my skin every time after using it- it really does help to detoxify your skin and add a little bit of glow. It’s GREAT if you have an event coming up the next day.
If I’m not using a face mask, which is the case most nights, after cleansing I’ll use a toner. Again, I’ve been using Mario Badescu’s Special Cucumber Lotion* for about a year but I’m not besotted with it. I’ve recently been trying the cult classic, Pixi Glow Tonic*, which I’ve used before and wasn’t fussed on. But that was when my acne and oily-skin levels were much worse and my skincare priorities were very different so I’m open-minded. I think I feel least secure in this part of my skincare routine but I do like using a toner so if anyone can recommend a really good one that would be great!
Finally, I use my no.1, can’t-live-without-it product which is The Ordinary’s Salicylic Acid*. This has SAVED my skin. I apply it all over my face, just with my fingers, every night, without fail. Or, if I have a spot I’ll apply it straight on to that and it’s appearance has reduced by at least 70% by the next day. If you suffer with mild acne, I can’t recommend this enough! It’s my skin saviour and I always break out even if I forget to use it for only a few days. Plus, it’s cheap as chips!
PSA: THIS IS ME APPLYING MICELLAR WATER TO MY EYES, NOT ACID. PLEASE DO NOT MISINTERPRET THIS AND TRY AND RECREATE WHAT I AM DOING. DO NOT PUT ACID IN YOUR EYES!!!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! I’d love to hear all about your skincare routine in the comments? Do you even have one? Some of the people with the best skin I know use nothing more than a face wipe so I’m always really interested! I put my skincare routine into place to improve my skin obviously, but what I have really loved about it is that it provides some sense of routine for me every night, at university, at home, wherever I am! In next week’s post, I’m going to be talking about the other ways I wind down in the evenings. So I’ll see you back here, same time, same place, next Sunday for that! Oh and there might be a cheeky extra birthday-themed blog post as I turn 20 mid-week too…
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June 2018 Favourites
June 2018 Favourites
I thought I'd share some things that I've been loving throughout June and maybe make this a monthly thing. Quite a few of these things I mention I actually started using in May but have grown to love throughout June. Also, just a quick disclaimer, this bag is not one of my favourites as I only bought it last week but I just thought it made a cool background. So, with that, here are my favourites from the month of June:
June 2018 Favourites
1. My Burberry Perfume
I recently rediscovered this perfume after getting home from UNI and having a big clear out. I knew I still had it's box but I thought the perfume was long gone so I was really excited to discover that I had half the bottle left. I’ve been using it a lot recently and, although it reminds me of the winter a bit because it was a Christmas present, it’s definitely a classic scent that can be worn at any time of the year. And I really like the packaging too, which is always important.
June 2018 Favourites
2. Francessca Woodman
When my friend Maisie came to visit for a day out in Liverpool, we went to an exhibition on the phtoography of Francessca Wooodman at the Tate Liverpool and it was incredible. I’d never heard of Woodman beforehand but I’ve become obsessed with her work ever since this exhibition. Her photography is all black and white and shot on film so it’s provided me with a lot of inspiration and I’m definitely hoping to shoot on black and white film soon! There are a lot of elements of fashion photography in her work which I really like as well. You should definitely take a look at her work if you haven’t already and, if you’re in the Liverpool area, go to the exhibition at the Tate!
June 2018 Favourites
3. This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray
I bought this on the plane on the way to Corfu and I’ve been loving it so much. Going to bed often makes me feel really anxious because nighttime is when many of my more panicky moments have come on. So a really relaxing bedtime routine is essential for me. I’ve been using essential oils all year to help me sleep and have wanted to invest in this sleep spray for a while now but the price tag put me off, so buying it duty-free felt like the best time to do so. It has really helped me sleep and the ritual in itself makes me feel relaxed so it was definitely worth spending the money on. I didn’t really like the smell at first but it’s definitely grown on me and I really like having a smell that I associate with sleep and relaxation.
June 2018 Favourites
4. Le Specs Sunglasses
These sunglasses have been another rediscovery of mine as I bought them over 3 years ago now and haven’t worn them for the past couple of summers. But they’re my only pair of black sunglasses and probably my biggest pair too so they’re really great for those days when I don’t want anyone to see my face. The lenses are also much more protective from the sun than some of my other pairs which means they’re perfect for sunbathing, so I’ve been wearing them 24/7 on holiday and during this heatwave.
June 2018 Favourites
5. Missha SPF
I bought this spf for my holiday as the SPF I use throughout the year is only SPF30 and it isn’t waterproof, so it wasn’t really going to work for a beach/pool holiday in a hot country. This one is SPF45 and totally waterproof, smells really nice and doesn’t do any damage to my oily, acne-prone skin. I am so impressed by it! When I was in Corfu, sunbathing and swimming in 30 degree heat all day, I only applied it twice a day and my face didn’t burn once, which is a bit of a miracle as I always seem to burn my face on holiday! This brand is actually a Korean one and has definitely got me thinking about buying more Korean skincare products as this one is seriously amazing.
June 2018 Favourites
6. Alex Monroe Necklace
This necklace has been a firm favourite throughout the month of June. I picked it up at a sample sale Alex Monroe held at Foundation Coffee in Manchester for an absolute steal of £25. I'm trying to invest in my necklaces more as I wear them every day which means necklaces that aren't real gold fade so easily. This is the start of this investing and a good one if I do say so myself!
Let me know if you enjoy these types of posts and if you'd like to see more! This will be my last blog post until next Friday now as this Friday I'm heading to Barcelona for 5 days and really want to make the most of my time there. Plus, I'm currently working pretty much full-time so there isn't as much time for me to write blog posts! But I'll be posting even more than normal over on Instagram because I love a good holiday photo, so see you over there!
My Morning Skincare and Beauty Routine (Cruelty Free)
Happy Friday! Today I'm going to be sharing with you my morning skincare and make-up routine. As I've mentioned before, I'm really crappy at make-up so I always go for something natural and simple but I thought I'd share it anyway as I feel like I'm using some products that I love at the moment. I love skincare and find it super interesting but my morning skincare routine is also pretty simple, both for time purposes and because that's what my skin seems to like. My evening skincare routine is much more complicated but I'm sure I'll do a blog post on that soon. In case you're wondering, I have oily, blemish-prone skin but it's in the best condition it's been in in a long time at the moment. Anyway here it is...
1. To start, I'll wet my face with a flannel before using the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser- my holy grail product. I've talked about this in detail in my blog post I wrote on the Glossier products that I own but it really is the perfect morning cleanser- so refreshing. If I'm going to be washing my hair that morning, I'll use this in the shower but if not I just wash it off with a flannel, which works fine.
2. Next, I spray my face with the Mario Badescu rosewater. I'm really not sure if this does anything but I love the smell and the feeling of it on my skin. It's so refreshing in the morning and, because my evening skincare routine is quite de-hydrating, it's a good way to really hydrate my skin at the beginning of the day.
3. The final step of my morning skincare routine (I told you it was basic) is this moisturiser from Lush called 'Enzymion'. I've used it for years and, despite trying various other moisturisers, I always come back to it. It's formulated for oily skin which makes it perfect for me and it smells of lemons which makes it really refreshing. It moisturises the skin without making you feel like you've got a heavy moisturiser on, which I like as I hate feeling like I have anything on my face.
4. Moving on to make-up, I've just started using The Ordinary Serum foundation in the shade 1.2N and I'm loving it. It's similar to the Glossier 'Perfecting Skin Tint' but it's a quarter of the price and has much better coverage. I like my coverage to be really light because, as mentioned, I don't like feeling as though I have anything on my face, so on some days when I'm not really doing anything I do prefer the Glossier one. But overall, this is far better priced and covers up any imperfections, unlike the Glossier product. I usually just blend it in with an ELF blending brush.
5. The next step is bronzer although if I have any breakouts I'll use the ELF concealer before this. I use the Urban Decay 'Beached Bronzer' which is buildable and so easy to apply. It's not too dark or too light which means applying it is effortless and it never leaves any brown splodges on the top of my cheekbones.
6. After this I'll either go in with a highlighter or with this Charlotte Tilbury blush stick- more often than not I use this as it's much easier to apply than highlighter and makes for a more natural look. This one is in the shade 'Moon Beach' and it's a kind of coral-y shade that definitely comes with a glow once applied. Super easy to use (can you see a theme here within my routine...) and something I actually get complimented on fairly often, which is always nice! Plus, it smells really good.
7. For someone who is lazy with their make-up, I wear eyeshadow disproportionately often, pretty much every day. I've never been able to do liquid eyeliner and so eyeshadow is the something interesting and varied that I like to add to my make-up routine. My favourite palette for every day is the 'Sweet Peach' palette by Too Faced. It has a variety of different shades but I usually stick to the lighter ones, although I am partial to some glitter. My favourite and most worn shade is 'Bellini', which I'm wearing in these photos, which is a shimmery dark pink shade that I think brings out the blue in my eyes.
8. Another holy grail product for me is the Anastasia Beverly Hills 'Brow Wizz' in soft brown. For some reason that is completely unknown to me, I have random holes in my eyebrows and this brow pencil allows me to fill them in quickly and seamlessly. I also have bushy eyebrows that grow back quicker than I care to pluck them so an eyebrow brush is necessary for me everyday, even when I'm not wearing make-up. The only annoying thing about the 'Brow Wiz' is that the packaging breaks so easily (as you can see here) which means the spoolie brush that comes with it always disappears within the first week of me owning it.
9. For mascara, I *usually* use the Urban Decay 'Perversion' which is cruelty free however I didn't have it with me when I was taking these photos so I'm just using a random tester- sorry about that! I really don't have much to say about it as a mascara anyway apart from that it works and it's cruelty free and vegan, which is enough for me! I honestly don't know what makes a good mascara and usually can't tell one from another.
10. Finally, I use what is perhaps my favourite beauty product, the Glossier 'Balm Dot Com' in the shade/flavour (?) Birthday. It adds a slight shimmer and tastes incredible and is so soothing for my perennially dry lips. I don't usually wear lipstick day-to-day so I just slap a bit of this on and I'm good to go.
I hope you've enjoyed this post despite the fact that I am very apparently not that knowledgable about make-up! I do enjoy doing it and I especially enjoy doing skincare, so expect an evening skincare routine very soon where I can go a bit more into depth about my skin and what works for it. Let me know if you use any of the products I've mentioned and what your holy grail products are in the comments! Also if you are interested in any of the Glossier products I mentioned, you can click here to get 10% off your order!
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My Glossier Products Ranked
I'm really not that into beauty. Re-stocking my make-up bag is often more of a chore than something I look forward to (mostly due to the price of beauty products) and I really don't know much about how to apply make-up well. Skincare, on the other hand, I find really interesting. Trying out new skincare products is something I enjoy because it's just so satisfying seeing improvements in my skin. If the choice was between a new cleanser or a new pair of jeans though, I'd be happy to stick with a crappy cleanser for a while. Fashion is my favourite thing to spend money on without a doubt. So I never thought I'd be as excited as I am about a beauty brand until I discovered Glossier.
I don't know what it is about Glossier that gets me so excited. I mean, I'm not going to lie, their incredible marketing definitely lures me in and, to be honest, I'm okay with that because I'm definitely more likely to be excited about a beauty product if I like the packaging (or if said product comes with stickers!!) even if that is a little vain. I'm also okay with being consciously allured by their branding because I don't dislike any of the products I've tried and some of them, I absolutely love. I'm really behind the brand's ethos 'Beauty Products Inspired By Real Life' and the effortlessness they ensure their products provide because, as I said, I'm not one to get particularly excited over make-up and I'm pretty crap at applying it so the simpler for me, the better. Plus, they're cruelty free!
Since Glossier started shipping to the UK in October 2017, I've accumulated and tried out a fair amount of their products. So, seeing as I love their brand so much and have tried out rather a lot of their products, I thought I would rank them and talk a little bit about the pros and cons of each of them, in case you're looking to make an order from Glossier and aren't sure what to buy.
Also, before I start I should point out that I have oily, acne-prone skin so I'll be talking about the effectiveness of the products for me with reference to this skin type
My number one Glossier product has to be this cleanser. It hasn't transformed my skin by any means but it is the cleanest, most refreshing cleanser I've ever used. I love using it in the shower in the morning as the texture and the smell really help to wake me up. It's also nice and light which makes it perfect to use in the morning as well, because I don't like to pile on too many heavy products before starting my day. I always look forward to using this cleanser and it is by far my favourite cleanser I've ever used- I'm already on my second bottle. I've never attempted to take my make-up off with it because I've read lots of reviews that say it isn't great for that and I did initially use it in the night, but then swapped it for the Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel, because I felt like it was a bit too light for my evening skincare routine. This is the only thing about the cleanser that I'd described as a 'con' but really the fact that I don't use it in the night is just personal preference and the because I own two cleansers and like to get my use out of both of them.
This lip balm (or universal balm, as Glossier describe it) is so so great! It smells amazing, it hydrates my (extremely dry and often chapped) lips and the packaging is perfect. The only reason it's not at the top of my list is because it's unfortunately not vegan and I only purchase vegan beauty/skincare products (this was gifted to me and I use up all my gifts rather than letting them go to waste). It's such a shame because this really is the perfect lip balm and I'm very very tempted to re-purchase it once it runs out even though it isn't vegan. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it (which will hopefully be never)!
I was kindly gifted this perfume for Christmas and it has become my staple scent ever since- I mean, it's the only perfume I own so I don't really have much of a choice but I do genuinely love it and I know I would reach for it pretty much every day anyway even if I did own any other scents. This perfume is designed to smell different on everyone who uses it and the scent does feel very natural to me. If I could describe how I want to smell then I would describe this. I'm really not even going to even try to describe the scent because I really know nothing about perfumes so that would be totally pointless. But if you order anything from Glossier you can add a sample of the perfume to your order for free so you can try it out yourself. I would definitely recommend it as I always feel great when I'm wearing it and consistently receive compliments on it when I do.
4. Mega Greens Galaxy Pack Face Mask
First of all, sorry for the very crappy quality of this photo. I somehow lost the photos of this mask (and photos of the lipstick a little bit further down the page) and had to re-take them without natural light so I could get this blog post up in time and my camera's focus is not great without natural light (or even in natural light to be honest). Anyway, I've been using this mask for a few months and I've definitely noticed that my skin has improved. I started using a variety of new skincare products all at the same time though, so I can't be sure that it was this mask that has significantly improved my skin, although I do genuinely feel like it's helped. It stings a little while it's on my face, which I like because then I know it's doing something, and my skin is visibly brighter after removing it. I also really like the packaging because, even if tubs aren't the most hygienic form of packaging, I feel like I can use every last drop of the mask and am able to easily apply the right amount of mask to my face too. I don't know if I'd re-purchase this mask because it's not dramatically transformed my skin and I do like to try different masks because I find it fun/interesting. So I can't say I am totally besotted with this product but it's definitely worth trying.
This, along with the milky jelly cleanser, was the first Glossier product I purchased back in October and I've been using it as my base for make-up ever since. I really loved it at first. It's super natural as in, it provides little to no coverage. But I really like this because I prefer a natural make-up look anyway and I don't like how heavy foundation feels on my skin. I apply it with my fingers (which definitely works best because using an applicator means losing a significant amount of the product) which makes it super easy to apply and it's pretty much impossible to get foundation lines- so it's great in terms of ease. However, as I've got further through the product, I've been becoming more and more frustrated with the packing because it's so difficult to get any of the product out of it. I also think it's really overpriced for what it is and, after recently purchasing The Ordinary Serum Foundation, I think I much prefer the latter that I bought for a fraction of the price. So I don't think I will be re-purchasing this foundation purely because of the price and the packaging but it did work well for me for a period of time.
Again, sorry for the crappy quality of this photo. This lipstick is the most recent of my Glossier purchases and I do really like it. It's a nice shade of red and it's definitely buildable. However, it's just not really what I expected. I was hoping for a more natural red and one that wouldn't budge as easy as other red lipsticks do. I don't really think it's lived up to these expectations and isn't much different other red lipsticks I've tried but it is great for a standard matte red lip and one that was definitely missing from my collection.
In last place is the priming moisturiser. This just wasn't for me. As mentioned, I have oily skin and this moisturiser, in my opinion, isn't great for my skin type at all. I'm sure it would be great for people with less oily skin as it's super convenient in that it's a primer and moisturiser in one. I have tried it a few times underneath the Perfecting Skin Tint and it definitely improved the appearance of my skin for the first hour of wearing it, and helped the foundation to go on much more smoothly. However, after this hour, it would really just highlight my oiliness. So, not great for me, but it might work for you!
So we've reached the end of this fairly *comprehensive* (AKA rambly) post about the Glossier products I own. Please do let me know if you have any questions about any of the products I've mentioned. Or, if you've tried out any of Glossier's products, I'd love for you to recommend me your faves in the comments. Next on my list to buy is the Solution, closely followed by at least one shade of Lidstar.
You can also click here to use my code to get 10% off your Glossier order (and if you use it, Glossier reward me with some store credit- which is nice for the both of us)!