Skincare routine

Ok so my skincare routine isn't one of those really complicated 20 step what you'd get at a spa routines. It's just my basic 4 step get the job done routine. My skin is by no means flawless and i'm not saying that if you do this you'll have immediately perfect skin. It just keeps breakouts under control and keeps my skin nice and healthy. I have tried many other products in the past but these are definitely the best and I have been using them for about 8 months.

I think my skin type is probably combination/oily so the products i use are more for controlling breakouts and shine than anything else. Anyway shall I just get on with it?! Ok.

Morning:

I start off with cleanser to get any dirt and oil off my face from overnight (I know what you're thinking, face wipes are good enough. No. Never. Bin them all now. Only ever use them for cleaning up little makeup mistakes, they do nothing to cleanse your skin). The cleanser I use in the morning is  Clinique anti-blemish solutions which is a foaming cleanser. I wet my face with warm water and then put 2-3 pumps of the cleanser in my hand and dot it around my face. Next i use my Clarisonic Mia 2 on the cleanser and wash it of with a wash cloth using cold water. Then I move on to toner and use the Clarins Toning Lotion with iris. Then I moisturise using the Body Shop Aloe Soothing Day Cream (not forgetting my lips using baby lips pink punch) and my skin is all prepped and ready for makeup.

Evening:

My evening routine is pretty much the same as in the morning so I won't be too long winded repeating everything. I use a different cleanser in the evening - Clarins Cleansing Milk with gentian but still use my clarisonic and do all that the same. I use the same toner but moisturise with the Body Shop Aloe Soothing Night Cream instead and use the Lush Grease Lightning on any breakouts I have. Also, don't forget to take your eye make up off. For this I use the Clinique take the day off makeup remover. I honestly have never come across a better makeup remover and it removes even the toughest waterproof mascaras, couldn't live without it!! Then i use the same baby lips and don't forget to moisturise your hands! This is something I am very lazy with and have extremely dry hands to pay for it but your hands go through a lot during the day, it doesn't take much to give them some love every evening. 

Hope this is useful to you, have a lovely evening x

Disclaimer: all products were bought with my own money

My favourite life sayings

Okay so this is probably going to be cheesy as hell but I thought that it would be nice to share with you some of my favourite little life sayings just to get you through the day ;) :

"Be who you are and say how to feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind"

"I always knew looking back on the tears would make me laugh, but I never knew that looking back on the laughs would make me cry"

"Live for the moment, because right now it's all you've got"

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, its about learning to dance in the rain"

"There are always people who hate, but sometimes we let them stand in front of those who love"

"If you want to find a silver lining, theres got to be a cloudy day"

"Never allow someone to become your priority, when you're just their option"

"You've got to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you've got, and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget. Life is too short to be living with regrets"

"If you want to find the stars, you can't be afraid of the dark"

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why its called the present"

Any requests for posts? x

Have a lovely day <3

Review: Lush Emotional Brilliance Powder

I know that I did a Lush review last week so sorry for the repetition but I thought that this product would be a good one to review because as far as i know, it is not very well known.

Anyway, so this powder is made to go with the Lush colour supplements (which i have never tried) but I find it works really well with any concealer/foundation. It is basically what it says on the lid - a translucent face powder. I have quite oily skin but this powder never causes any breakouts, nor is it drying on the skin. When you apply it, it makes the product literally disappear into the skin and look completely natural. I have been using this for a few months now but I have also used multiple other powders which are meant to do the same job but have always gone back to the emotional brilliance powder as I am yet to find a product which does a better job.
It does have its downsides though, it is hard to apply. I am a very clumsy person which makes the application of this powder even harder. As it is loose powder and in a very small and deep circular container rather than larger and less deep, it is quite hard to put the brush in to get the powder but then when it is on the brush, it is then very difficult to tap the excess off (there is usually a LOT of excess on the brush). Most days I end up with a huge cloud of powder all over my dressing table.
Another issue is the price. It is sold at £12 for an 8g container (2014) which i think is slightly overpriced for what it is but I suppose it is Lush so it must be all natural good quality etc. It does last ages though.

Hope you had a lovely holiday <3

Bye 2013, Hello 2014!

2013 was an amazing year for me, to be honest I'm sad to see it go. I can't say anything huge changed in my life but it's the little things that matter. All these things that make your day and put a smile on your face add up to make something so special, irreplaceable memories that, in my opinion, really make life so much better. 

It makes me feel quite old how quickly this year seems to have gone, it feels like only last week that we were saying goodbye to 2012.

A new year, however always brings the chance to have a fresh start. You can forget all the things that went wrong last year but hold on to all the good moments *cringe at the cheesyness*. This brings me on to resolutions...lets be honest who actually can last longer than a day or two without breaking their new years resolutions..not me. Even though I know that I won't keep them, every year I create 2 or 3 new years resolutions for myself which are usually broken by about 6pm on new years day. So for 2014 I've decided to do some slightly different resolutions other than the typical study more eat less chocolate ones.

Be a happier person: This one is quite important to me as there are things in life that get me down at the moment, some more serious than others, but if you let one thing get you down it becomes a vicious circle and then the next thing makes it even worse until you just want to curl up in a dark corner and cry. Obviously that isn't the best option so I've decided to forget about the bad little things in life (of course there are somethings you can't forget but maybe try to think of them less) and focus on all the better things which are around you all the time but are sometimes clouded over by pointless bad things.

Be more confident: This kind of links to the first one because I find that the more confident and happy you are in your own skin, the better you feel and the more people treat you with respect. After all, if you don't believe in yourself, people will start to agree with you.

Get more sleep: Yes, this one is slightly more down the traditional route of resolutions that I probably won't keep but it's worth a try...

I just thought I'd share a few of  motivational sayings I love which really help to keep me positive when I'm feeling a bit down: 

'Keep your chin up because if you keep looking at the ground, you'll loose sight of the sky'

'Sometimes good things fall apart because those parts are needed for something better'

'Making a hundred friends is not a miracle.  The miracle is to make a single friend who will stand by your side even when hundreds are against you.'

'No matter how many mistakes you make, or how slow your progress, you will always be ahead of the ones who aren't trying'

So, sorry for the general cheesyness of this post but it really is true, the amazing little things in life do matter because they add up to something bigger than any one thing could ever be.

Happy New Year everyone and I wish you all the luck in the world for an amazing 2014.

<3