Five Faves

It’s summertime! Honestly, it’s not my favourite time of the year, I’m extremely pale and extremely English and I cannot deal with excessively hot weather. Recently I went to America (and yes it is a small miracle I survived the southern heat) and I discovered that I love it out there. Not only do I enjoy the chilled out lifestyle but I LOVE LOVE LOVE how cheap everything is...seriously! Three of my five favourites are from America and I’m desperately regretting not stocking up on the skincare products whilst I was out there. Gutted.

FAB (First Aid Beauty) Face Cleanser

Probably the best cleanser I have ever used, hands down. My skin is for sure 100 times better than it had been in the months prior to using this. It’s hard to explain but because the gel like texture requires massaging into the skin in order to foam up, you always ensure that you work it in really well, something I never really did with my cleansers before. An added bonus for me is that it’s suitable for sensitive skin, so I really recommend everyone to try this. It’s fab ;) And I’m dangerously close to finishing it. Cry.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder - Soap and Glory Make Up

Hello! Big apologies for the lack of blog posts recently. We are both in exam mode, which is bad bad times for us, but luckily I have finished today! Woohoo! And Yaz is not too far behind me, good luck lady. To make up for lack of posts I’m going to be posting every other day from now till the end of the Bank Holiday weekend. I hope you enjoy them.

I'M BACK with: What's On My Shelf?

Hi hi hi hi hi!

Firstly, let me apologize for not updating the blog with Yaz posts. The last month of uni had become way too stressful with deadlines and exams, so I had to priorities work over the blog. Anyway, I have just started my Easter holiday so I will try to post more regularly. LET'S MOVE ON! 

What's On My Shelf?

This post is part of our two-part series, ‘What’s on our Shelves?’ There are three of us girls who share one bathroom, but luckily there is quite a lot of storage space in there so we can each have a shelf for our bath/skin products. Mine is the bottom because... well, I’m the shortest. Today is my turn to share what I keep on my shelf. I’m really excited to share this as I have recently been trying out some new skincare products which I would love to rave about here. All these products are also from the drugstore or highstreet and therefore, affordable.

I have not included every single item that is on my shelf, because frankly you don’t really need to see my more intimate, generic products, if you know what I mean. I’d also like to highlight that I don’t keep all of my products on this shelf. I have other items which may be permanently  in my shower or on my dressing table, for example hair care products, my exfoliating face wash, my  moisturiser and deodorant etc...

My Everyday Makeup

I thought it would be cool to talk about my favourite pieces of make-up. For me, this goes hand in hand with my everyday look, because I tend to use the same pieces daily as I like them so much. Sometimes I change a few things up so I will mention those products too, as honourable runners up. I have pale skin which is combination, more on the dry side. 

I always begin the day by cleansing and moisturising. I use L’Oreal 3 in 1 Micellar Solution and Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser. If I am wearing my makeup for an extra long time, I also use a small amount over the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser on my T-Zone.

I have two drugstore foundations which I like to use on a daily basis when I’m just going into town or to Uni. Usually I grab my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. This foundation has a medium coverage, and because of its yellowy undertone, it cancels out any redness. I wear this foundation when I am having quite a good skin day. If I am looking for slightly more coverage I wear my Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation. The only downside is that it does have a slight shimmer. I hardly notice it when I first apply it, but sometimes when I catch my reflection in the sunlight in glass it looks a bit glittery, which is why I would wear it more in summer. I apply both foundations with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I prefer this to my hands as it feels less greasy and doesn’t clog up pores as much.

Beauty on a Budget – My High Street Hits(Make up)

High end make up is oh so tempting. I want the Urban Decay Naked 3 soooo bad, but I must restrain. A lot of the time we are lead to believe that just because our blusher isn’t from NARS or our foundation from MAC, that we are suffering. Here I’ll share with you some of my current favourite make up products which haven’t left me eating pot noodles all week.

The Curly Hair Struggle

I won’t lie. For years I didn’t embrace my curls as I probably should have. Don’t tell my mum that though. I hate the phrase “I told you so”. I’ve been growing my hair longer recently and I love how my curls look at this longer length. I have some product recommendations and tips which helped me to embrace dat curl! Hopefully they’ll be useful for you too.

When washing my hair (something I need to do every other day), Herbal Essences has been my knight in shining armour. I currently use their ‘Tousle Me Softly’ shampoo, conditioner and styling cream. The scent is Wild Violet which I personally think smells really nice and quite natural in the hair. The products don’t leave my hair greasy which some higher end products have done. A small amount of the styling cream applied evenly through wet hair helps to hold the curls as the hair dries, but avoid too much cream in one area, and not on the roots, as this can leave the hair sticky and tangled.

 

When drying my hair, if I have time to let it dry naturally, I find this gives the best curls and doesn’t add to much volume – not always the best thing when you have curly hair. If I do use a hairdryer, I have it on a medium heat and when I want to perfect the curl I like to use a diffuser. I currently use the BaByliss Dry and Curl 2100W hairdryer, which is fairly inexpensive. I always try to use a Heat Defence Spray and often a Curling spray. For this, I would recommend Phil Smith products – they don’t leave the hair feeling greasy or stiff, like some sprays can.

I won’t lie, I’m no Leona Lewis when I finish this routine, but I don’t think I look too bad. And I don’t want to sound like my mum, but seriously ladies, learn to love those curls - others would give their arm for hair naturally like ours!

- Alex