Updated Morning Skincare Routine

I'm always trying new skincare products, so my morning and evening routine's change a lot. As the weather is getting slightly warmer I needed products that suit my combination skin. 

I've been using the L'Oreal Pure Clay Detox Face Wash for about a month now, and I really like it. A lot of people find that this is too drying for them, but this doesn't dry my skin out at all. It lathers up on the skin really well and washes off easily. I love the fact this is a clay face wash, I love a clay mask, but rarely have the time to apply one, so this is a much more convenient way of getting some of the cleansing benefits of a clay mask. This product is also such a bargain product at around £6.

Next I have been using a toner that I've been using for about 9 months now. I love this Ren Clarimatte Toner. This is for combination to oily skin, so great for me for summer. This is great at reducing the size of my pores around my nose while clearing them and this helps to reduce break outs. I really like to use a toning product with AHA's in to really exfoliate the skin. 

Following this I use The Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid 2%. I won't bang on about this as I recently included this in a post here. This oil is bloody amazing though. I've always been skeptical about oils as my skin is fairly oily anyway. But this product sinks in so quick that it isn't noticeable after a minute or two. This is great at adding hydration into my skin.

   Next I've been applying my Cien Gold Cell Regenerating Day Cream. This cost me around £3.50 from Lidl and it is so so good. Cream's with gold in are becoming increasingly more popular, however, they have such a hefty price tag attached to them. This cream is nice and light for the day and sinks in really quickly on top of the hyaluronic acid. This feels lovely on the skin and has a very subtle clean scent.

Lastly, I use the Origins GinZing Eye Cream to brighten up my under eye circles. I've been using this cream for years and will always go back to it. It has a lovely subtle fresh orange scent which I like. It's so gentle on the eye area while de-puffing and adding brightness to the area. This is such a holy grail product for me!

April's Drugstore Haul

I love a good drugstore make up haul. Make up brings me so much joy!

Recently I purchased two items from MUA's new spring collection. The first thing I purchased was their 6 shade palette in 'rusted wonders'. The shades in the palette are BEAUTIFUL. These are the sort of shades I always wear so I know I will get loads of use out of this palette. The shades are really buttery and blend well. They are all extremely shimmery. The darker shades are extremely pigmented, but the lighter ones not so much. Anyhow, this palette was a bargain for £3.50!

The other item from MUA was the Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlight in 'ice sparkle'. This is such an unusual highlighter shade that I thought I would give it a go to add something different to my make up collection. This highlighter is so pretty, it adds a lovely shimmer, and doesn't look too blue on the skin at all. This was also a bargain at only £3. 

I also purchased two things from the NYX counter. The first was a pigment in the shade 'metallic velvet'. This is so so beautiful. The pigment is so rich with colour, A little goes a long way. This blends really well, and feels so light and soft. It's a brown toned purple with blue shimmer through. I definitely want more of these!

Along with this I purchased a NYX glitter in Bronze. This looks super pretty in the pot. However, I'm struggling to get it to actually stick to my eyelids or eyeshadow. I've tried different primers, a wet brush, on the bare lid, on top of eyeshadow, and I still can't get it to stick! If any one has any tips let me know!

I picked up the new Real Techniques Miracle Sculpting Sponge. This sponge is designed to create shadows and highlight features. I've actually only tried using this to apply foundation with, as I was in desperate need of a new sponge.I always purchase Real Techniques sponges as they last such a long time and are such a reasonable price. I'm looking forward to testing out all the other sides!

The last thing I got is an eyeliner. I actually purchased this from Amazon. The only place I could find a star eyeliner stamp! I wanted to add something new to my collection and thought this would be a fun idea! The eyeliner is surprisingly good considering this only cost me £2. It lasts all day, no smudging, and both the stamp and eyeliner come off really easily.

Swatches of the 6 shade MUA palette

L-R MUA highlight in Ice Sparkle, NYX pigment in Metallic Velvet.

Two new holy-grail skincare products

Two products recently became members of my holy grail products in my skincare routine. The first is The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid Serum. I first heard about this when Fleur De Force mentioned it in one of her monthly favourites videos. She compared it to some really high end serums for a tenth of the price. Hyaluronic Acid attracts water molecules. It's sole purpose is to provide hydration. It is an oil-free formula and so doesn't make my skin feel oily at all. I use a couple of drops of the acid after my evening cleanse and tone, and I then apply my night cream. The product sinks in SUPER quick and leaves my skin feeling so soft. I have really sensitive skin and this product hasn't irritated my skin at all. This product is an absolute bargain for £5.90. I will definitely be purchasing more products from The Ordinary in the near future. 

Another holy-grail product I have discovered recently is the Pixi + Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse. It really is as good as everyone is saying. After using my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish for three years straight I never thought I would discover another cleanser as good and as reasonably priced. I was so wrong. I love the concept of this product as I find it so much effort to double cleanse, and I often forget. With this product there is no forgetting. The solid cleansing oil is of the standard of the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, it works just as well. The cream removes all the final traces of make-up while providing some moisture. Again, this product didn't irritate my sensitive skin at all. The packaging is of a decent size, and because Caroline Hirons helped to create this you know that it's going to be all goodness for your skin.

New Benefit They're Real Releases

The new They're Real Double the Lip Lipsticks by Benefit really intrigued me, so when I went to London I decided to treat myself to one. Naturally I got talked into purchasing one of their new They're Real Duo Shadow Blenders as well.

I really like the concept of this range. Having duo products that do two things at once. I'm always looking for ways to save time on my makeup each morning, and I thought this was a good way to do so. The packaging of this new ranges is beautiful. I love the chic silver design, and how dramatic the packaging is for the eyeshadow duo's.

The Double the Lip Lipsticks are lip liners and lipsticks in one. This one comes in eight different shades. The majority of the shades are quite bright, which I wasn't a massive fan of, but I did find a beautiful pinky nude (naturally) called Lusty Rose to try. I've included a swatch below. This is a semi-matte lipstick which I love, it gives you the best of both worlds. While it's really long lasting, it's creamy and isn't drying at all. Considering the concept is kind of gimmicky, it works really well. The liner is slightly darker than the lipstick shade, giving the illusion of fuller lips. 

I also go talked into purchasing one of the Duo Shadow Blenders. These come in eight shades. When I asked the sales assistant how to use this product correctly she showed me on my eyes. She created such a lovely look with the sponge I was sold. This duo is in the shade Provocative Plum, not shades I have a lot of, but this duo is BEAUTIFUL. The idea is that the sponge is swiped across two times and then applied straight onto the lids with the darker shade in the crease. A little blending needs to be carried out after this, just to give a more natural look, but I love the way this shadow applies and looks.

Top- Benefit They're Real Double the Lip Lipstick in Lusty Rose
Bottom- Benefit They're Real Duo Shadow Blender in Provocative Plum (This picture doesn't do justice for the colours of the eyeshadow!)