Favourite skin care products

Not a catchy title but there you go. 

I just wanted to post on my favourite skin care products.

A couple of months back my skin acting slightly crazy, I had small spots, blackheads and dry patches and no matter what I put on it would balance it out. Well that is until I started using Lierac cleansers.

I really wanted to try Bioderma Sensibio H2O but couldn't get my mitts on it, so while browsing Feelunique.com (my favourite past time) I came across Lierac products.

I have a slight fascination and love for all french beauty related things and Lierac was there and it drew me in.

First I started off with  Lierac Lait Demaquillant Fraicheur - Refreshing Cleansing Milk (the turquoise coloured bottle) which is a lovely gentle cleanser for combination/ normal skin. This cleanser seemed to stabilize my skin, while removing makeup and being gentle. Oh and it contains grapefruit and burdock which clarifies skin.

The other one I bought was the yellow bottled one Lierac Eau De Soin Demaquillante - Cleansing Water for Face & Eyes, which I bought because it was suitable for removing eye makeup, which the cleansing milk didn't. This is a very nice gentle water cleanser and is suitable for the most delicate areas containing floral waters lily and matricaria, which sounds nice :) and are moisturising and soothing.

And to the Pink bottle Lierac Lotion Tonique Douceur - Gentle Toning Lotion, it's similar to the cleansing water except it's not to be used on the eyes, but feels exactly the same on the skin though. It's refreshing yet gentle and removes every trace from your skin, without being harsh. It contains papaver and calendula extracts which have comforting properties, great for winter skin :)

All can be bought here feelunique.com

On to moisturising, again there is some more French added :) in the form of Caudalie.

Caudalie Vinosource Quenching Sorbet-Creme was a godsend over summer, it was moistursing yet light and didn't block my pores, it's just gorgeous and sinks straight into skin.

However over winter I think it will be too light, and that's why Trilogy certified organic rosehip oil has come onto the scene again :) It's slightly more oily and rich, that sinks straight into the skin. Rosehip oil is said to improve the appearance of scars, stretchmarks and wrinkles, I'm not sure if it does those things but it makes a nice  moisturiser.

Thanks so much for reading.

Lots of Love Christina XxX

Long time..No Blog. Saturday Shopping Haul :)

I finally got out to do a little shopping today, and it was all pretty random. I firstly went to Superdrug and bought more nail varnishes(I have too many) , and a carmex lip balm (I have too many lip balms too).
I bought Three Collection 2000 nail varnishes, the pink one is a sort of barbie pink and is called pink passion, I'm going to put this on my toes tomorrow.
I bought a clear one as a base and this 2 in 1 nail varnish is strengthening and hardening and contains calcium.
The third one is a Blue'ish purple called BMX Bandit, and I shall be wearing that for Monday :)

I also bought the Palmers Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze, I really love this stuff, it smells gorgeous like a chocolatey, caramel smell (I think it does anyway).
This stuff does give a nice natural looking tan, but it does get a little patchy, that the only thing I don't like.
Since winter is almost upon us I don't like using St.Tropez and well lately I haven't used fake tan at all, I'm trying to just be my pale self, but I feel that I need a little colour on my arms, so people don't mistake them for sticks of chalk in my drawing class.

So after superdrug I popped into Newlook to buy some t-shirts and long sleeved t-shirts to go underneath things, because I hate to be cold.

I then went to TKMaxx ( I love this shop) and I bought a lovely Shawl/Scarf thingy. I do love the scarves in accessories but I know if I buy one from there I'll either know, or see someone I know wearing the one I have, and I like to be different so I go to Tkmaxx for most things.

I also had to stock up on cleanser, and since Boots have a 3 for 2 offer on at the moment, I thought I'd take advantage of it :)
So I bought my favourite cleaning products which I swap between, every now and then.

And they are Avenes Extremely gentle cleanser, its a really good thermal spring water based cleanser that is great for sensitive or irritated skin. It also removes eyemake, and since I'm usually too lazy for a huge cleansing routine I love this.

I'm a proper french skincare lover, and a huge fan of Roc products and I have gone through so many of these Roc Hydra 3 in 1 cleansers and if I change I always come back. Like the Avene cleanser this one too removes eye makeup :)
Both cleansers remove dirt really well without drying the skin out.

I usually feel like I need a bit of freshening after cleansing, so for that I use Rocs skin toner. There's nothing much to say about this, but it feels really fresh and doesn't dry your skin out because its made for Dry skin :)


Ok, this next purchase is something I wasn't sure whether I should buy.
I was shopping in Tesco, and well I've been wanting a cheap Boyfriend style shirt to paint in at college.
All the shirts I have seen in Topshop, Miss Selfridge and River Island are way too nice to ruin, so I went and bought a mens shirt from Tesco for £10,lol.
I'm going to put my own little twist on it, to make it more stylish, but I think it might be Ok.
I shall do an outfit of the day featuring this cheap man shirt soon,lol.

Last but not least is this hair colour by Daniel Field, it arrived in the post for me this morning :)
I now have to be careful with the hair dyes I use, and after looking all over the internet for natural hair dyes this one kept popping up, so I gave it a go.
I messaged a lovely lady at Daniel Field and told her about my hair loss, and asked if this dye would be ok for my scalp and she said yes :)
I also asked which red to go for and she suggested the Burgundy Red, and I must say it's a lovely colour I used it tonight and I'm very happy with the results.
These hair colours are peroxide and ammonia free, which is great. They're also long lasting, and can cover greys.

This hair colour is completely different to any other I have used because all you have to do is add Water. Yes, WATER!!!
Umm actually I think I'll write more about this tomorrow, as it deserves a post of its own, and I'll also show the colour off too.

So yes, thats what I bought today :)
I did buy a new electric toothbrush, but I don't think you want to see that,lol, but if you're interested its a Braun Oral B professional care 8500 hehe.

Anyway I must get to bed, I have a stinking cold and chest infection.
Take care all :) x

Going NUTS!!!!

So with the healthy diet thing going strong, and I am now eating a lot of nuts too (I'm turning into a squirrel), I've been reading up a lot on Almonds as they're the ones I prefer to eat.
I've found out that these lovely nuts are little miracle workers (kinda).

So what's in these Almonds?

• They're a great source of Vitamin E.
• They have a good amount of Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Iron, Fiber and are a good source of the healthy monounsaturated fat.
• They contain more Calcium than any other nut (so a good way for vegans to get their calcium).
• An once of Almonds contain 12percent of your daily recommended intake of protein (which is good for me as I'm a veggie).
• They're a great source of folic acid
  

• They also contain the controversial anti-cancer nutrient Amygdalin, also known as B17.

Benefits:

• Eating a handful of almonds a day can promote lower cholesterol.
• Can help weight loss
• Can reduce heart disease.

• Build strong bones and teeth with the phosphorus in almonds.
• Almonds help with controlling diabetes, as they have the power to lower blood sugar content.
• Provide necessary antioxidants to help clean up the free radicals in the body.
• They can increase brainpower, stabilize your mood and even relieve the aging process. They contain phenylalanine, which helps our cognitive processes and supports healthy neurological function. They also contain nutrientriboflavin and L-carnitine which are brain boosters and give good memory.

Then we come to the oil and the Indian traditional medicine Ayurveda who have been using Almond oil for the following benefits for hundreds of years.

• Strengthens brain and nerves.
• Relieves tension.
• Strengthens brain power.
• Good for heart.
• Keeps body warm in the winter.
• Nourishes skin.
• Prenatal and postnatal care.
• Helps build stronger bones.
• Good for infants.
• Improves body strength.
• Constipation
• Helps hair loss when massaged into the scalp, can also prevent hair graying.
  

So anyway after reading all this good stuff about almonds, I've been looking into Almond Face masks. I have a lot of blackheads on my nose, that just don't go away, they've even withstood the wrath of dermalogicas Microfoliant, so now I'm going to start this almond face mask twice a week, as I've heard that almonds will draw out impurities like blackheads.

So I mixed some ground almonds with honey and milk, into a nice paste and I applied it to my face for 20mins.
My nose does feel smoother, but time will only tell.
I shall keep you updated as to whether this mask works.

Anyway that was a much longer post than I expected to write. and it did take some time finding all the benefits for you and things.
I hope you've enjoyed reading this, and hasn't sent you off you to sleep :P

My skincare routine.

So as I promised here's my skincare routine.
I will try and pop the links in so you can see where to buy these items (I haven't worked it out yet).
Cleansing:For cleansing I now use boots Expert sensitive gentle cleansing lotion. I did only buy this because it was on a clearance sale in my local boots for something like £1, and I though what the heck.
So anyway I used it not expecting much, mainly because of the price (and because its not Roc or Avene, my usual cleansers) but needless to say I really do like it. It gets rid of makeup, isn't harsh on my very sensitive skin and it also feels light and fresh, which I really like.
Boots
Eye Makeup Remover: I also use Boots Expert for this. I find it nice and oily, doesn't drag the skin and removed all eye makeup, plus its cheap. Oh and it doesn't irritate my eyes :) Plus I only paid a pound,hehe.
Boots

Toner: For toner I use Roc Demaquillage Actif which is for dry skin. My skin isn't exactly dry, but I hate toners that have mean alcohol in them, it stresses my skin out. This toner is light and lovely and fresh, smells nice and light too. Ive used this toner for years now, and always come back to it. It might be a little pricey at something like £7 but I do like it :)
I usually buy it at boots, but their site doesnt have it on there for some reason, hmm.

Exfoliator: This has to be one of my favourite products. Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant.
For me its really good as its a rice based powder, so its really soft. All you need to do is pour about half a teaspoon of this fine powder into your hand, and some water to make it into a nice paste, and massage it all over your face for about a minute (i concentrate on my nose, as I've always had blackheads in this spot).
I use to have dry flakey skin on my nose (yeah UGH) but not anymore with this amazing exfoliator. It is a tad pricey, but I think its worth it
I buy it from this from the Jersey beauty company as it saves me a few pounds, and postage is free, oh and they ppst very quickly, which is always good.
JerseyBeautyCompany

Fake Tan: I use Clarins Auto-Bronzante, I have really fair skin and this self tanner allows me to built up a more natural looking tan on my face, I use to use St.Tropez but it made me look a little muddy, but I do use St.Tropez on my body though :)
This tanner is also nice and light, and sinks into the skin very quickly, so you dont have to worry about smudging or anything like that.
I did actually buy this in Tk Maxx for £12.99 instead of £16, I was about to pay in superdrug that day.

Multi-purpose: I always carry this around with me Elizabeth Arden Eight hour cream, this stuff is amazing. I use it on my lips when they are chapped, my hands when they are dry, my cuticles and even on burns. i just love this stuff, end off :P

Day Cream: Avene Anti-redness Light moisturizing cream is my favourite day cream, it suits my sensitive skins perfectly and goes really nice under my foundation. Its contains an SPF 10 which i like too. Its rich in thermal spring water, which I really like the idea of, makes it feel more natural. I just love things that are slightly more natural :)
You can also buy this from Boots for £13.
Boots

Night Creams: Ok, for night creams I switch between two, they're not any brands you can find in a drug store, they're just creams I liked the look of.
The first one is a Honey one I bought from TK Maxx for £5.99. I bought this one mainly because it said honey (I'm a sucker for honey) this cream is quite nourishing, and the smell reminds me of the Ponds creams. Anyway the name of this cream is Perlier Honey Nourishing Cream and you can use it as a day and night time cream, but I use it at night because its very moisturizing.
The second cream I use is a health cream I bought in the health shop I shop in. It's by a company called Amphora Aromatics and I think its based in Bristol. I paid £3.80 for this cream and it's made from mainly natural ingredients (which I love), it sinks nicely into my skin and feels like a nice carrier oil based moisturizer.
Oh the cream is called Vitamin E. Wheatgerm and carotene cream. My mum use to swear by carotene creams, so that's what also grabbed my attention about this cream too :)

Eye Cream: Last but not least is the Boots Expect Eye Cream (yeah another cheap skincare product). I bought this with all the other Boots expert stuff, not expecting anything, but its nice and moisturizing and sinks in nicely. Not sure if it helps fine lines, but I just like that its nice and soft on my skin.

So there you have my skin care routine,lol. That was a fair bit to write, so now I'm off for a bloody good cuppa ;)