Tuesday 5 January 2016

Everyday Skincare Routine


Hello! I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday. Today I am talking about my everyday skincare routine. I'm sure you already know this but having a good skincare routine is essential. So let's get straight into it...

Morning



I don't apply many products in the morning. Mainly because I'm in a rush, but also because I don't feel that I need it. I will normally just apply this Superdrug Moisturising Day Cream from their Vitamin E range before applying any makeup. This product is cheap, cruelty free and does the job perfectly. 

Evening


The first thing I do when removing my makeup in the evening is use this Simple Eye Makeup Remover. I've used this stuff without fail for probably 2 years and it's perfect. I don't wear waterproof eye makeup regularly but I do know that it will remove Benefit They're Real without a lot of hassle. It has also never irritated my eyes. I would definitely recommend.


Sometimes I use miscellar water as well as this product, but recently I've been going straight in with The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser. This product removes my base makeup well and isn't at all harsh!



After I use the cleanser I like to go over my face with the Simple Soothing Facial Toner. I haven't tried a lot of toners as I find not a lot of drugstore brands sell them, however I enjoy using this one as I feel it helps to remove any makeup I missed as well as refreshing my skin. 


Once my face has been completely cleansed I like to replenish it with moisture, and of course you can never skip the eye area. This is why I use The Body Shop's Aloe Eye Defence. This gentle formula adds moisture to my under eyes to keep them in good condition.


My last. and absolutely essential step (especially in Winter) is to use The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum In Oil. This stuff is AMAZING at moisturising the skin. I apply a few drops last thing at night and wake up in the morning with soft, moisturised skin. This isn't the sort of thing you would use in the morning as it's very oily, but it's perfect to use overnight. I would recommend this product to anyone with dry skin!

Extras! 



In the summer months, when I'm feeling a bit 'meh' from all the heat, I like to refresh my face with a little of this Evian Facial Spray. To be honest I'm not sure how much it benefits my skin in the long run but it's lovely on hot days when I need a little spritz of coolness.


When I need to exfoliate my skin I use a bit of the No.7 Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator. I'm not too keen on physical exfoliators as I find it hard to remove all the beads from my face, but I like/use this one. I only own the small version as I got it in a set last Christmas. Ok, maybe that shows how often I exfoliate...


And lastly, I'm addicted to using lip balms whenever my lips feel the slightest bit dry. This is why I frequently use this The Body Shop Honeymania Lip Balm. I like using this product because it's very rich and creamy; it really does a good job at moisturising the lips!

And that's it! You will probably be able to tell that my main priority is keeping my skin moisturised.. it's kind of an obsession. 

I'd like to know if you have any of these products in your skincare routine. Are there any amazing products I should test out? Comment below!

-Jessica Jayne

Monday 4 January 2016

2015 Makeup Favourites


Hello again. Today I will be talking about the make-up that I enjoyed using throughout 2015. I have tried a selection of products and have chosen a few to feature today.


1. The first product I will talk about is my The Body Shop Instablur. I mentioned this primer in yesterday's post so I will be quick. This is a great primer which leaves your skin feeling very soft in preparation for foundation application (haha, that rhymes). I would recommend this to people who get slightly shiny throughout the day, but I'm not sure how well it would hold up on someone who is more oily.

2. If you are looking for a good high street BB cream I would recommend you try this one by Boots, from their Botanics range. It gives a light coverage and a nice, radiant finish. This is perfect for days when you don't feel like wearing vast quantities of heavy make-up. It contains an SPF of 30 which is really great!

3. This foundation from No.7, from the Stay Perfect range, is fantastic! It can give a light coverage or you can built it up to cover more on the days that you need it. For me it looks just like skin, and it doesn't go weird and cakey throughout the day. They offer quite a wide shade range as well.


1. This is my Essence Eyebrow Stylist Set. The kit comes with two different shades of powder, a lighter one and a darker, which is handy for if you want a gradient colour affect on your brows. The product is very cheap (£2.49) and does the job brilliantly. 

2. My second eyebrow product is the Etude House Drawing Eye Brow pencil. On one end you will find a fine tip that distributes the product just where you want it. The product blends in to look like your natural eye brows. On the other end is a spoolie that can be used to get rid off any harsh drawing lines. I love this product!



I love this eye palette I bought this year. It is the Kat Von D Monarch eye shadow palette. The palette contains 12 beautiful shades that can be used everyday for a natural look. My favourite colours are the golden shade 'summerfly', the pinky shade 'killing jar' and the vibrant red shade 'wrath'. I LOVE the pigmentation of these shades, and I feel like the palette includes plenty of natural, everyday shades. I would definitely recommend this palette to anyone!


My favourite mascara of this year has been the Benefit Roller  Lash. I had heard mixed reviews about this product but I decided the purchase it after I enjoyed the They're Real mascara. First of all, the packaging is gorgeous! I love the shade of pink. I think this mascara does a nice job of curling and lengthening my lashes.

My next recommendation is this cream blush palette by the brand Makeup Revolution. First of all, it cost me £6. That's so cheap! The set displays a nice array of blushes, from natural pinks to more vibrant ones. There are also a couple of more red based shades. I like how many blushes I have to choose from when using this palette. The blushes blend very nicely on the skin and leaves a beautiful hint of colour.

My last favourite is this Sephora Cream Lip Stain in the shade 13, Marvellous Mauve. The colour of this particular lip product is a pretty pinky mauve(as the name suggests). I am impressed with this lip colour because it has a nice amount of longevity. I do have to touch it up during the day but it stays on mostly. I believe the product wasn't too expensive either. If you have access to these lip stains I would suggest you try them out!

And that's it! I hope you had a nice, or at least decent 2015. Remember if your year was bad you have the opportunity to try again in 2016. Good luck and happy new year! Please comment if you enjoyed this post. I would love some feedback in terms of how I can make my posts better.

-Jessica Jayne


MORE POSTS

Sunday 3 January 2016

My Everyday Makeup

Hi! Today I will be talking about my usual makeup look, and the products I tend to use daily. Makeup is something I enjoy doing; I hope you will find this post useful...  


Primer 






























To begin with I will prime my face with The Body Shop Instablur primer. This primer gives a matte finish and makes my face feel extra smooth before I apply foundation. I apply this on my t-zone; my forehead, nose and chin. These are the areas that become the oiliest for me so I use the primer to try and prevent that. 

Tip: apply your primer in so that it flattens down any fine hairs that are on your face, insuring an easier foundation application. 

Base


After applying the primer, I begin to use my No.7 Stay Perfect Foundation, I LOVE this foundation, It stays on extremely well throughout the day, without going weird and blotchy. You can have your skin matched to a colour in store which I think is quite useful. It also includes SPF 15, which is essential for protecting your skin. 

Once my foundation has been blended I go in with the Maybelline Instant Anti-Age concealer. I'm not sure if I agree with all the hype this concealer receives. I find that when I apply it under the eyes it can come off in flakes, which isn't what you want. Maybe this is only an issue for me though and you will enjoy this concealer, I don't know... 

I will go back to my complexion later on, however for now I finish up with a light dusting of the Collection Pressed Powder. This powder cost me £1.99, and I feel like it does it's job perfectly well for the low price. 

Eyebrows


I have heard many beauty gurus say that eyebrows are the frame of the face, and arguably the most important aspect of applying makeup. This is why I like to try and make my eyebrows look presentable. First I use the Etude House Drawing Eye pencil. I like this pencil, on one end is the makeup and the other a handy spoolie which help to distribute the colour more evenly. 

After using the pencil I then go in with a clear mascara from Collection, nothing special, just to set my brows in place. 

Eyes



Next is eyes. To prep the base I use the Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye primer. This acts as a base for the eye shadow and enhances the staying power and longevity. 

I wait a few seconds before cracking out my eye shadow palette of choice. Today I used the Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette. I selected the colours down the left side for my natural look. The eye shadows actually have instructions as to where to apply them which I think is a great idea for beginners especially. The eye shadows are of great quality - I very much like this palette!


When I've finished applying eye shadow I coat my lashes in a generous amount of Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara. Is this mascara good? Yes, of course. Is it worth all the hype? Um... I don't really think it is. I personally prefer the Benefit Rollerlash. However, this mascara does the job nicely.

Back to Base





        



I now return back to my complexion. First I apply the sculpting powder from my B. Sculpted Contour Kit (sorry about the disgusting state that it's in), followed by the highlighter from kit. After this I use my Innisfree Mineral Blusher to add some more colour to the look.

Lips




I don't use lip products everyday but today I decided to use my Astor lipstick (I don't know what type it is exactly). I purchased it while I was in Spain and I like it, however I'm not too sure about the longevity of the product. The colour is pretty though.


And that's it! My everyday makeup look from start to finish. I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope to write more soon...

Jessica Jayne