Late to the Party

Consistency is key when establishing a skincare routine. It's always tempting to keep adding and trying new products, but by doing that, you're minimizing the chance of seeing results from consistent use of a product - particularly treatments. I do try and keep my morning routine pretty consistent - but during the warmer months, my skin has different needs and therefore I need to adjust my routine accordingly. Unfortunately, my skin tends to veer towards the oilier side during summer, so I'm not able to use as many oil-based products in my morning routine - which is a bit of a shame, as I do love my oil-based products! Cleanse   Most days I use a simple floral water as a morning cleanser. My current choice is Manuka Floral Water from Naturally Thinking. It's light and fresh with a delicate scent. A couple of times a week I'll opt for a gentle exfoliating cleanser. The Ishtar Skinlights Cleansing Clay is the perfect choice for summer. The cooling clay d...

  Evy Technology Daily UV Face Mousse 30 SPF £25.00 (inclusive of P+P) for 75ml BUY HERE What is it? A daily sunscreen /pollution defence with SPF 30 in mousse form. It contains hyaluronic acid, collagen, vitamins C and E, and allantoin, all of which counter damage caused by the sun. The EVY Daily UV Face Mousse provides a very long-lasting (up to 6 hours) and high level of protection against the deeply penetrating UVA rays, which is important for sensitive skin and those who wish to avoid premature ageing. The formula helps even out and prevent pigmentation spots.   Ingredients: AQUA. BUTANE. PROPYLENE GLYCOL. OCTOCRYLENE. ETHYLHEXYL ISONONANOATE. STEARIC ACID. DIETHYLAMINO HYDROXYBENZOYL HEXYL BENZOATE. PALMITIC ACID. ISOBUTANE. BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE. VP/ HEXADECENE COPOLYMER. DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL. PVP. POLYSORBATE 20. ETHYLHEXYL TRIAZONE. TRIETHANOLAMINE. BIS-ETHYLHEXYLOXYPHENOL METHOXYPHENYL TRIAZIN...

  I managed to be reasonably restrained this year with new purchases, focusing instead on what I already had in my stash and using items up before buying new ones. But 2018 still managed to be a year for new discoveries - in particular, I found myself veering into the 'Natural & Clean Beauty' lane.  I've been really enjoying, and seeing the benefit of clean, simple, natural and organic ingredients; reduced wasteful packaging; buying from British indie skincare brands and an altogether more sensory self-care experience.    Here are my favourites from 2018:   SKINCARE   First Cleanse   A.Florence Skincare - Balm to Milk Cleanser RRP £13.00 35ml This was very tricky to pick one favourite as I love all of my cleansing balms (I'd always choose a balm over an oil or a cream cleanser). But the A.Florence balm to milk cleanser was my favourite discovery of the year. With a beautiful sherbet scent, this balm cleanser...

It's been a while since I shared my morning skincare routine. I try and keep it similar every week, with the exception of alternating which serums and treatments I use daily.     First Step - Cleanse Most days I use a toner as a morning cleanse (or just plain water). Once a week I'll use an exfoliating wash. I'm currently using the Zenon Kition Rosewater. I've been doing this for over a year now and it really helps with sebum control - I now very rarely have to use a face powder or get oily during the day.   Toner and Serums   Depending on what serum or treatment I'm going to use, I may opt for an acid toner - currently Pixi Glow Tonic or a nice hydrating toner - currently The Body Shop Vitamin E Toner . If my skin feels like it needs some extra hydration I'll use a lotion - currently Dr Jart Ceramidin . Then on to a step I take every morning - a serum to address redness/broken capillaries. I've just run out of my all-time favou...

    A great month of managing to use up products in October - 5 of the 6 products chosen got finished, with the exception of the smallest item, which is taking forever to finish!   1. The Body Shop - Chinese Ginseng and Rice Toner Positive aspects of this toner was that it's incredibly hydrating. But this won't be a repurchase as there must have been something in the ingredients that didn't always agree with my skin - some days it would sting, so not particularly soothing for me personally.   2. Elemis - Skin Bliss Capsules I'm not entirely sure that these weren't 'off'. I'd get tiny little bits of the plastic capsule in with the oil every time I used these. Not a repurchase for me.   3. The Hero Project - Vit C-30 Serum This was my Vitamin C 'Product of the Year' for 2017 and I did really love this serum. However, I'm currently trying out a new Vitamin C product as I really wanted one that I could use in my morning r...

    These are the products that I've chosen to try and finish off this month. Luckily, I don't seem to have any products that are earing the end of their shelf life but I still have plenty of products to use up from my stash.   * The Body Shop - Chinese Ginseng and Rice Toner I want to finish off this (and the Body Shop Vitamin E toner) as I don't think that either are doing too much for my skin. Hydrating? Yes, but not as deeply hydrating as other toners and lotions currently in my stash. I think after I've finished both of these up that I'll go back to The Body Shop Seaweed Toner - which, although not as hydrating, does provide a less astringent tone than my glycolic acid toners. They are both taking a while to use up though, so I'm not confident that I'll finish it off this month as there's still about half a bottle to use.   * Decleor - Micellar Oil Have been using this pretty much consistently for the past two months and it's...