Summer favourites.

SPF

I think that a good SPF is crucial during summer months. Two of my favourite SPF's are La Roche Posay Anthelios XL 50+ Tinted Fluid and Vichy Capital Solei 50+. La Roche Posay Anthelios XL 50+ Tinted Fluid is perfect for those with oily and acne prone skin, it has a very light milky consistency and it doesn't leave my skin looking shiny also it doesn't cause breakouts and it has a bit of a tint to it, which is perfect for me because I rarely tan my face, so thanks to this my face matches my body. Second favourite is Vichy Capital Soleil 50+. This one is more of a cream, its perfect if you have normal to dry skin. If you have oily skin you still can get away with using it just don't use a moisturiser under it. As you can see both of them are very high SPF's, thats because I think that the more protection you get when you young the less wrinkles and sunspots you have when you get older. Another great products are daily moisturizers with SPF. nspa Brightening Day Cream SPF 15 is really good for those that don't need a very high SPF on daily basis, its very lightweight and gives a skin nice glow.

Self tan.

I absolutely hate hate laying out in the sun for hours and tanning, thats why self tanners are just perfect for me in the summer months. They quick and easy and give you a lovely brown tan almost instantly, no burns and no need to fry your skin. Two of my favorite ones are St Moriz Instant Tanning Mist and Dove Summer Glow for darker skin. The St Moriz Instant Tanning Mist as the name suggest is a bronzing tanning mist that gives you a lovely brown colour as soon as you apply it and lasts for days. Out of the all St Moriz products this is my favourite one. The St Moriz Tanning Mist is a kind of product that you only use once or twice a week, however on daily basis I use the Dove Summer Glow gradual tanner. This makes my tan lasts longer and gives my skin lovely golden glow.

Refreshing Mists

Refreshing mists are a must for me during the hot weather. They are really great way to keep your make up looking fresh and also to cool down. Some of my favourites are The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist, Mac Fix+ and nspa Revivalist Vitamin Toning Mist. 

Make up

When its hot I always try to keep my make up to absolute minimum, bit of BB Cream, some bronzer finished off with setting powder and I'm good to go. For daytime make up my favourite is the No 7 BB Cream, its very lightweight, gives medium coverage and nice glow to the skin, also I find that its long lasting. Another favoutrite is the Kiko BB Cream, I usually go for it when my skin is more oily than usual because it doesn't add much moisture to the skin. Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser is my go to product when I want a bit more coverage. Its very lightweight, easy to apply and smells really nice and fresh. Bronzer is a must for me whenever I'm tanned, simply because I rarely tan my face. Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel is the best bronzer for me. I have done a review on it here.  If I want a bit more coverage for the evening or during the day I usually go for foundation that offer medium build able coverage, are oil free and light weight. My favourites are Bourjois Healthy Mix and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. Rimmel Wake Me Up offers bit more coverage than the Bourjois foundations, but its still lightweight and doesn't feel or look heavy when worn during hot weather.

Hair

I hate hate using wax or putty hair products when its hot, I find that they just melt on my hair in hot condtions leaving my hair looking like a greasy mess so thats why I switch to hair mousse in summer season, it keeps my hair in place and it dosen't make them greasy. My favourite is Wella Shockwaves Shine and Body. Also something that I try to use on regular basis is a sun protection for the hair. My absoulute favourite was Revlon Professional Sun Care Hydra Screen, however it looks like Revlon has stopped selling it because I can't find it anywhere, but if you can get your hands on it then definitely try it. At the moment I use Vo5 Ultimate Hold 5 Vital Benefits hairspray which also offers UV protection.

Fragrance.

I avoid wearing heavy fragrances when its hot for the obvious reasons, instead I go for light and fresh scents. My favourites are CK One, Prada Infusion D'Hommes and Marc Jacobs Bang.

Current skincare routine.

It has been a while since I have done a post on my skincare routine. My routine changes depending on the season and the state of my skin. Since its been fairly warm in London and my skin looks pretty good my skincare routine is quite simple and its all about cleanings and moisturising. Some of the products I have been using for a while and some are new and I'm just trying them out.

Morning


I usually don't wash my face in the morning, unless I have to shave, if I do then I wash my face with the nspa Brightening Detox Scrub or nspa Melting Cleansing Gel and then shave. If I'm not shaving then I refresh my face with nspa Revitalizing Toning Mist. After that I use The Body Shop For Men Maca Root Eye Serum and follow with nspa Brightening Day Cream with SPF15. If its really sunny outside then I use La Roche Posay Anthelios XL 50+ to protect my skin from sun. I normally don't use foundation primers, however for past few days I have been testing out The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver which is a primer and vitamin c serum in one, I feel like it adds bit more radiance to my skin and hopefully it will help with my post acne hyper pigmentation.

Mid-day/Afternoon


Sometimes around mid day my skin can feel bit dry and my make up starts to look "heavy". If that happens then I spritz my face with the nspa Revitalizing Toning Mist to refresh my skin.

Evening


So when the time comes to take my make up off I have been loving the nspa Hot Cloth Polish and I use it with a muslin cloth. If my skin feels oily I follow with Witch Foaming Face Wash. Sometimes when I'm bit lazy or I'm not wearing much make up I use Kiko Cleansing Water, but most of the time I properly cleanse my face with the hot cloth cleanser. After that I follow with nspa Deep Hydrating Facial Oil and thats the reason why I don't like to wash my face in the morning because I like how my skin feels in the morning.

nspa Haul

Few days ago I popped into my local Asda because I wanted to see if they had any offers on fake tan, but I ended up picking up few skincare products from nspa which is a skin care brand created by people at Nirvana spa. The range includes skin care and body care products. Its available from Asda (instore and online) and also from the Nirvana spa website, links below. So heres what I bought.

Revitalising Vitamin Tonning Mist

Melting Cleansing Gel

Hot Cloth Polish

Brightening Detox Scrub

    Deep Hydrating Oil

Brightening Day Cream with SPF15

Jojoba and White Musk Hand & Nail Cream

Available from:

Asda In Store

Asda Online

Nirvana Spa

Review: Tara Smith Straight Away - WORST Hair Products Ever!!!

Image Source: splodzblogz.co.uk

I usually don't hate many makeup/skincare/body/hair care products, if they don't work me I usually just toss them away and get on with my life. But not with this one, oh no. Ok let's start from the beginning, about two months ago I was in my local 99p store and saw the Tara Smith Straight Away Shampoo and Conditioner, did a quick search on my iPhone just to make sure that its a legit(is that a right word?) brand. I admit, I wasn't looking for a new hair care products, but I couldn't resist a bargain, they normally retail about £6-9 each. So after a quick read of few positive reviews and discovering that Tara Smith is a international hairdresser and all that blah blah I decided to investigate this duo in more details...well I read the ingredients and notice that there isn't even a trace of SLS or Silicones in them. When I bought this duo my hair were extremely oily because for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to use Aussie 3 Minute Miracle everyday for two months, it wasn't. So anyway, after the first use I notice that my hair were really smooth. I was using this duo for about 3 weeks when I noticed that my hair started to be really dry and unmanageable so I thought its time for a trim, but that didn't help. Few days later I bleached my hair, which meant I had to change my haircare routine, I started using shampoo and conditioner for blonde hair with purple pigments. I continued using them for about two weeks, but I notice my hair were way too silvery/grey so I switched back to the Tara Smith Shampoo and Conditioner and it started all over again, my hair were dry, dull and unmanageable. I thought its time to give up on it and I switched to different hair care brand and with it just few days my hair were back to normal. So in the end I figured out that it was the Tara Smith Straight Away Shampoo and Conditioner that caused my hair to be dry and unnamable. I think it was due to the fact that the shampoo was too stripping and the conditioner wasn't conditioning enough. Also another thing I really dislike about the duo was the smell, it smelled like a cheap citrusy air fresher mixed with ginger. I’m not gonna talk about the packaging or the brand overall just because I think its pointless. So in summary...I suggest you stay away from the Tara Smith Straight Away as far as away as you can even if you find it at your local poundshop at great price. It's not worth even a penny, total waste of money.

10 Tips and tricks.

This are my 10 tips and tricks, just things that make my life easier.

1.Prevent skin from being stained by hair dye.
If you have ever died your hair dark colour then there is a high chance that you ended up with hair dye staining your skin. To prevent this in future apply some vaseline or thick cream around your hairline and on your ears. Once you washed your hair take some tissue and just wipe it off.

2.Dry, damaged hair? 
Olive oil is your friend. Wash and dry your hair and then apply some warm olive oil. Leave it on for about and hour, or as long as you want, then take some mild shampoo or baby shampoo and wash it off, finish of with some finishing serum or something that contains silicones, they will seal the moisture in your hair.

3.Powder on top of liquid=as good as cream.
Cream products have better staying power than powder products, but if you ever run out off your favourite cream blusher on bronzer then you can apply your powder blusher/bronzer on top your foundation, but make sure you will blend out any hard edges.

4.Milk of Magnesia as primer.
If you suffer from oily skin and you want your face to stay matte for a whole day then Milk of Magnesia is a great primer. It might sound absolutely ridiculous but Milk of Magnesia is a top kept beauty secret of some of the greatest make up artists, also it helps with acne.

5.Baby powder as finishing powder.
It might sound crazy, but baby powder makes an amazing setting powder, especially if you suffer with oily skin, it will absorb the oils and leave your skin matte all day long. Make sure that you use an unscented baby powder.

6.Face cream makes a really good hand cream.
If you have any face creams that you don't use anymore, you can use them as a hand cream.

7.Home made coffe scrub.
This is my favourite scrub ever, I use it on my body and face. All you have to do is get some coffe and add a bit of warm water and you have a all natural coffe scrub. No harsh chemical and you don't even need to go to the shop to get it plus it smell so good.

8.No brush cleanser?
If you ever run of brush cleanser you can use a hand sanitizer to clean your make up brushes.

9. Mineral foundation looking dry and cakey?
If you ever use a mineral foundation and you notice that it looks dry and cakey then use damp sponge like beauty blender or just a regular make up wedge to apply it instead of a brush. Just pick up some foundation with the sponge and stipple.

10.Too lazy to apply a body butter/lotion?
I have to admit that I can never be asked to use a body butter. Instead I use a baby oil after I get out af a bath, I just apply it on damp skin, let it absorb for about a minute and then patt dry my body. Your skin will be smooth as what the baby oil was made for.

Favourite drug store skincare/make up.

Below is a list of my favourite drug store skincare and make up products.

Oilatum Cream £5.99 from Boots/Superdrug/pharmacy
I raved about this is my Winter Skin care post. Its an amazing all purpose moisturiser thats doesn't cost an earth.

L'Oreal Studio Secrets anti-shine mattifying primer £10.29 from Boots/Superdrug

This is a really good primer for everyone who suffers with oily skin. It mattifies the skin and leaves it smooth and ready for foundation.

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation £9.99 from Boots/Superdrug

If you have a comob to normal skin they you will love it. It provides a long lasting medium coverage. Also they have really good shade selection for people with pale skin (NC15 and lighter).

17 BB Cream £6.99 from Boots

This is perfect if you want something that will give you a medium coverage and will not feel heavy on the skin or look cakey. Also it gives a bit moisture.

Rimmel Match Perfection concealer £5.99 from Boots/Superdrug

If you need something to cover dark circles and make the under eye area more radiant then this is perfect. It cover the dark circles and minor discolouration without looking and feeling heavy. Also it comes in a handy squeeze tube with a brush application.

Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge £4.99 from Superdrug/Amazon

Perfect for applying heavy liquid or cream foundations. You will get the most beautiful finish with this sponge. Also its a much cheaper dupe for the famous Beauty Blender.

EcoTool Powder Brush £9.99 from Boots

I have spent years looking for a perfect powder brush and this brush it just amazing. Its the right size, not to dense, soft and easy to clean. Also it doesn't shed.

Cold Weather Skin Care

It has been absolutely freezing in London for past few days. I always had a oily/combination skin, but since for about three months now my skin more normal/dry. However since its got freezing in London my skin is definitely dry. Below is a list of my skin care products that I use everyday.

Because its really cold outside, I try to avoid cleansing my face with water in the morning so I instead I use a micellar cleanser. I either use La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution or Kiko Cleansing Water. Both of them are equally good.

La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution £11.50 from Boots
Kiko Cleansing Water Micellar Lotion £6.90 from Kiko


After cleansing my face with the micellar cleanser I slather on a good thick layer of Oilatum Cream, which is just an amazing moisturiser. I discovered this products thanks to Pixiwoo sisters. I allow it to absorb for about 2-3mins and then I apply my foundation. Also when my eyes feel bit puffy I use the Tri-Pentox Age Defying Serum. And since I have a dry skin, I skip primer, so for me Oilatum Cream is a moisturiser and primer in one.

Oilatum Cream £4-6 from Boots, Superdrug and various pharmacies
Tri-Pentox Age Defying Eye Serum £42.95 Currently only available from eBay

 
I think that we all need sunscreen in winter as much as we need it in the summer. And since it has been really sunny in London for past few day I haven't left the house without SPF.



Vichy Capital Soleil 50+ Hydra Cream It looks like it has been discontinued or its not available in UK
La Roche-Posay 50+ Anhelios XL £16.50 from Boots




Sometimes after I do my make up my skin still feels bit dry then I spray it with Lush Breath of Fresh Air toner. I absolutely love this toner.


Lush Breath of Fresh Air skin toner  £3.57/100gram or £7/250gram from Lush



Usually in the evening I want to take my make up off as quick as possible. Kiko Pure Cleaning Gel Foaming Cleanser its great for taking make up off and cleansing the skin. It doesn't dry out the skin and its very gentle. Also every few day after I take my make up off I pour some of the cleanser on face cloth and exfoliate the face.


Kiko Cleansing Pure Gel Foaming Cleanser £6.90 from Kiko


And this is it, I keep my skin care very simple and to the minimum. Also I think that you don't have to spend lots of money to have a lovely looking skin.

xoxo :-)

Products I reget buying.

Below is a list of product that I don't like regret buying.

-Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
I really liked this moisturiser for about first three hours when I wore it under my foundation, after about three hours my face was so oily and shiny, it was just disgusting. However I still use it as a night time moisturiser from time to time. Luckily I just had a free sample that I got with a magazine and I didn’t paid full price for it.

-Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion
I love love the gel version of this, but I hate the lotion. There are two reasons for it, first it leaves my skin really sticky even when I apply the smallest about. Second, every time I use it I break out like crazy.

-Vichy Normaderm Tri-Activ Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care
I really wanted to like this product since its Vichy and I’m totally obsessed with French pharmacy brands. When I bought this I was hoping this would a good base for a foundation, but when I applied foundation of top of it, it just looked dry an flakey, however it was ok when I used at night, but I haven’t notice any dramatic difference when using it. This would probably be good a good moisturiser for people with skin that is very oily and they don’t have a problem with acne, but they want to prevent things like blackheads.

-Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturizer
Applying this moisturiser is like applying water, it does nothing at all. It doesn't moisturiser the skin, it leaves it really sticky which makes applying foundation a nightmare.

-Simple Kind to Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturizer
I actually like this moisturiser because it does moisturises the skin really well, but it leaves a very sticky film on the face and also most of the foundation applied on top of it doesn't last more then 2-3 hours, after that my face just looks oily and shiny.

-Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner
I might be as well applying water to my face and there would be no difference, this toner does nothing at all. Total waste of money.

-Simple Kind To Eyes Soothing Eye Balm
Similar to Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser it does nothing at all.

-Nivea Radiance Boosting Moisturizer
This has to be one of the worst moisturiser I ever tired. There are several reasons why I hate this product:
-smell, it has a very strong artificial smell to it which I just can’t take
-the big chunks of glitter, its meant to be “radiance boosting” but its just full of glitter
-it irritates my skin like crazy, when I tried to apply it I could feel my face was burning
-last but not least, the fact that it doesn't moisturise at all

-Nivea Oil Free Moisturising Fluid
Nivea is probably one of my least favorite skin care brands. I bought this about two years ago when my skin was very oil in the t-zone but dry everywhere else, so I thought that since its oil free its not going to make the t-zone more oily, but it will moisturise the dry parts of my face.. This fluid did nothing, my skin was still dry and my t-zone was even more oily, also it irritated my skin every time I used it, probably because it had alcohol in it and very strong scent.

-Nivea Daily Essentials Tinted Moisturising Day Cream
The only reason I don’t like this tinted moisturiser is the fact its available only in one shade which is perfect for me when I’m tanned but if I’m not, its just to dark. I really like the way it moisturisers and evens out my skin tone.

-Johnson’s Oil Balancing Light Day Fluid
I used this moisturiser only few times and I just don't like it, its really sticky and doesn't “set” on the skin(you know what I mean). Also I haven't notice any “oil balancing” properties. To be honest, its crap.

-Mac Studio Fix Fluid foundation
I love and hate Mac Studio Fix Fluid foundation at the same time. If you ever used this foundation you know that its just like a perfect skin in a bottle(and the smell is to die for). It gives a very natural medium to full buildable coverage with a semi matte to matte finish(depends what moisturiser/primer you use under it), also it stays flawless for about 9-10 hours when set with powder. So by now you probably think why I don’t like this foundation, the main reason that I dislike this foundation is the fact that I get breakouts after 3 hours of wearing it, I think that the main reason for that is the fact that this foundation has a very strong smell, but also it contains mineral oil.

-Clinique Anti-Blemish Solution foundation
I think this would be a good foundation for people that have really oily skin and I mean like oil dropping from the face oily. Its very dry in the texture and really tricky to apply. I gives a nice and natural coverage, but after about 30mins it looks really dry. Also the shade selection its not very good, there are lots of shades to choose from but their either to orange or to pink.

-The Body Shop Primer
I have done a review of this product a while ago, click here for a review.

-Maybelline Superstay 24hr Foundation
The worst foundation ever! I bought this foundation in summer 2010 when it came first came out. I have to say I bought it only because of the TV advert. First thing that I hate about this foundation is the very limited shade range, the lightest color was tad to pink for me and looked bit ashy at the same time?! Second thing is the fact that it doesn’t last more than two hours, even when used with primer. I remember when I was going on my holiday and I thought that it would be a good idea to wear this foundation, so I would have a flawless looking skin after the long journey, and oh boy I was wrong. This foundation started to budge after two hours and after four hours foundation was just gone. Another thing that I didn’t like about this foundation if the thick dry powdery consistency which make it really hard to apply. Total waste of money, don’t buy this!

-L’Oreal True Match Foundation
What I really love about this foundation was the fact that I finally found a foundations that is actually lighter then my skin. The coverage was light to medium which was fine. I found this foundation really hard to apply, its very runny and the foundation didn’t set, I had to set this foundation with powder, because otherwise this foundation would just slide of my face. The staying power wasn’t good either, it lasted about four hours and after that the foundation just disappeared. I don’t recommend it, maybe it would be ok for people with dry skin.

-ELF Studio Blush in Gotta Glow
I bought it to use a highlighter since I read lots of reviews saying that its a dupe for NARS Albatross highlighter. Basically its nothing like the NARS highlighter, what it is, its just a white powder with chunks of silver glitter. Its actually looks nice when applied on a body, but it looks really tacky on the face.

-ELF All Over Color Stick in Spotlight
This meant to be a dupe for NARS Multiple in Albatross which is a cream highlighter. This doesn't give any highlight, its just ruins your foundation. Total waste of money. And also it has a very sweet sugary orangey scent which is just too much.

-ELF All Over Cover Stick in Apricot Beige
I was hoping this will be good dupe for the Mac Stick foundation which has been discontinued a while ago, but I was wrong. Its ok for spot concealing, but it looks really dry when I try to use it as a foundation. The shade is bit orangey, but I found that it neutralizes redness really well. Again this has a same scent as the ELF All Over Color Stick and thats why I don’t use it very often because I’m bit scared that I might get some kind of reaction to it.

-ELF Studio Contour Blush and Bronzer duo
I gave this product so many chances but I just hate it and not because of the pigmentation or the shade but because of the texture, its very hard to work with and blend, it just leaves you with streaks.

-Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
The reason why I don’t like this powder is simple, it makes every foundation look really cakey even when I used a really small amount.

-Collection 2000 Natural Matte and Minerals Foundation
As far as I know mineral foundation should’t give you breakouts, right? Well, this one definitely does. Also its really thick and hard to apply and it oxidizes after 5mins of wearing it and doesn’t cover anything.

-Collection 2000 Perfect Finish Foundation
This foundation gives a very nice natural, healthy looking skin effect, but it doesn't last more then two hours. Also the shade range is very limited.

-Collection 2000 Ultimate Fix 3in1
Three words to describe this product; dry, cakey and horrible.

-MUA Professional Brush-On Concealer Pen
I think this meant to be a cheap dupe for the YSL Touche Eclat. I bought it to conceal my dark circles under my eyes. The coverage and shade its ok, it has a yellow under tone, but is has really strong scent to it which makes my eyes water whenever I apply it.

-Guelain Meteorities Brush
This is a very pricey brush and when I got it I was hoping that it would be very soft and it would make a good travel brush that I could use for touch ups. However the bristles are very hard and scratchy, which makes it very unpleasant to use. Also I notice that I had to wash it every 2-3 uses because it would get clogged up with powder which made the hair even harder.

-Inglot Brush Cleanser
It has a really strong alcohol scent to it and doesn't clean the brushes at all. Again very crappy product.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post, please share, like, tweet and comeback for more. Thank You :-)