Life Lately #4

1. Enjoying having curly hair | 2. Finally completing my MAC palette - see post here | 3. My ever growing skin care stash | 4. Reaching my stone and a half award from Slimming World | 5. Merryteaser - probably the nicest tasting thing, ever! | 6. The first autumnal manicure | 7. My sample basket which needs to be used up | 8. One of my casts just being cute | 9. Getting my hands on the L'Oreal EverRiche range | 10. Making my own blog planner | 11. Doing bloggy things | 12. Loving the Maybelline Baby Lips | 13. Getting a Canon 600D for my birthday | 14. Cute fairy lights | 15. Hitting pan on NARS Laguna | 16. Spot which one is my doggy.

Current favourite product: my MAC eye shadow palette (see post/swatches here). I have been using this day-in, day-out for weeks now and I just can't get enough of it. I feel like I have got the perfect selection of shades, even if I do say so myself!

Most lusted after product: the Origins Mega-Bright Serum makes for the perfect serum in my eyes as it is brightening and makes your skin incredibly soft. I have tried a couple samples of this product but a full-sized bottle is definitely on the horizon.

Bad Skin Saviours

My skin has been up to no good lately. Yes, this is mostly my fault as I was slacking on the skincare routine for quite a few weeks and I ended up only doing the bare minimum to remove my makeup. As expected my skin was looking dull, I had a few breakouts (which is very rare for me) and my makeup wasn't apply as it should either. Anyway, I stepped up my skin care game, my skin is back to how it was before and I have a few products to credit for the transformation.

Firstly is the REN ClearCalm3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser. I noticed a huge difference in my skin when I stopped using this - my skin become a lot oilier and much less manageable. So when I finally got around to repurchasing this my skin lapped it up. I use this every morning and thankfully I can go the whole day with out powdering over my skin face. The Origins Out of Trouble Mask was another product I stopped using and after seeing such amazing results from it at the beginning I knew that it would work wonders for my again. I have been using this three times a week/every other evening and my break outs have been banished from my skin. I will definitely be keeping this up to keep any blemishes at bay, you can see my full review here.

On to the brightening... the REN Resurfacing AHA Concentrate is the product that the majority of the credit goes to. Again, I have been using this every other evening (the opposite ones to when I use the Out of Trouble mask) and most of the time when using this I have been leaving my routine at this step so it can work it's magic. This has helped to make my skin appear much brighter and has given it a much nicer feel making my makeup apply more evenly in the morning. Another brightening product I have been loving is the Indeed Labs Pepta-Bright serum, which I have been applying in the mornings only. Not only has this smoothed out my skin to give a better base for my makeup but I have also noticed a more even skin tone and the redness in my cheeks reduced.

I am very happy to have my some-what nice skin back in action and to be clear of any breakouts, all of which I owe to these for products. If you can relate to any of these skin woes, I would really recommend checking these out to help combat the problem. Next up for my skin? Some doses of hydration...

September 2013 Favourites

September has been a good month product wise, meaning that picking my monthly favourites was super easy. Most of these products are some of my more recent purchases that have stood out, wowed me and have had me reaching for them every day.

First up is Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation which I have been reaching for day in, day out, over September. I went almost a year with out using this but with work being more hetic with Christmas coming up I needed something to stay put all day - and this foundation is the one  that will stay in place for a sixteen hour day. Something that I have repurchased lately is the REN ClearCalm3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser, a mouthful - yes, but it also an oily/blemish prone girls best friend. This is my go to morning cleanser to reduce oiliness throughout the day. The product that has stood out to me most over September is the Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me. A perfect pink/plum shade that has a glossy finish and hydrating properties to see you through the day. You will need to top this up through the day but I find it to last through a four hour shift at work. This has been adorning my lips every single day and I absolutely love it!

Something else that has stood out to me is the CHANEL Creme Blush in Affinite. A super hot pink shade that I like to use with a more simpler makeup look to add a pop of colour. The finish of this is a gorgeous velvet texture which is bang on trend for the autumn/winter seasons. A cult favourite in the beauty community, which has now become a favourite of mine is the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm. A lovely nourishing cleansing balm that removes every last scrap of makeup. I picked up the Revlon Grow Luscious on a bit of a whim when I saw it on offer in Boots, however I have to say that I am loving it! If you want long, thick lashes then I definitely recommend that you pick this up!

I don't think I will be putting down these product any time soon but I am looking forward to seeing what October brings me beauty wise... It is my birthday month so I am hoping for some good'uns.

REDKEN Extreme SOS Pack

In my early teens I went through a stage (well, about three years) where I would continuously change my hair colour and wash, blow dry and straighten my hair every single day. Thankfully I am now way past this stage and I have grown to learn to look after my hair by mainly using high end hair products.

REDKEN are a professional salon brand that gives you glorious hair at home. Although they are not the cheapest option on the market they are definitely worth every penny, in particular the Extreme range. I picked up this REDKEN Extreme SOS Pack to try from FeelUnique.com and these products have become my best friend when my hair is in need of a treat.

I tend to use these once a week, usually during the Sunday night pamper. However, if my hair is feeling a bit lack-luster during the week I will give it another dose. I squeeze out some of the shampoo and apply it the roots of my hair, massaging as I go to stimulate my hair follicles which promotes growth. After rinsing I grab a dollop of the strength building mask and, again, massage it in but concentrating of the ends of hair instead. I like to leave this on for fifteen minuets, giving it plenty on time to do it's thing. Once rinsed out I follow up by using my post-wash hair care routine which you can see here. My hair is left feeling incredibly soft and smooth, but also healthy - it is hard one to explain, your hair just feels full and strong... try it for yourself you'll know what I mean (and maybe you can describe it for me too?). 

I haven't tried much from REDKEN but from what I have tried, and immediately fallen in love with, I can say they are now one of my favourite hair care brands. Their new Diamond Oil range has definitely caught my attention...