beauty | The Body Shop Vitamin E collection minis

I remember the first thing I ever got from The Body Shop. It was a little gift set of the Vitamin E collection, including the cleanser, toner and moisturiser. I was about 13 and had no idea what any of the products were actually meant to do - but I used them anyway and fell in love. They left my skin soft and smooth and I was very impressed! Can you believe it - a full skincare routine by accident at 13!

But of course things change and I started changing up what I use and getting lazier and eight years later I hadn't touched the Vitamin E collection. But a couple of weeks ago my skin started getting really dry - imagine cracked, flaky the entire ugly thing - and I decided I needed something pretty hardcore to combat it - but not something that's going to clog up my skin and make even more problems with spots.

The Body Shop is always really gentle on my skin so I decided to go back to the old school and check out the Vitamin E collection again. 

Walking in, I found this cute little set of minis - which had all the bits I wanted as well as a night cream. It all came in this cute bag for only £10 - which I think is an amazing bargain. With each product coming in at just £2.50 (60ml of cleanser and toner, and 15ml of both moisture creams), you really can't go wrong.

In terms of the product itself, each one does a lovely job on my skin. Each one's got a nice unobvious scent and used together they make my skin as soft as I remember. I use the cleanser, toner and moisturiser every morning and then put the night cream on before bed, The night cream is pretty thick though so I put it on a couple of hours before bed so it has time to sink in and not clog my pores.

Overall I think this kit is perfect for either travelling or if you want to give the Vitamin E range a try before buying the full-sized products, I highly recommend this range from the Body Shop because of how gentle it is on the skin, and because it personally works wonders for me.

Have you tried this range before?

TWITTER - BLOGLOVIN' - INSTAGRAM - LOOKBOOK

beauty | Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing 2-in-1 makeup remover

We all have those products that we would happily repurchase again and again and can't see ourselves  replacing. For me, that's the Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing 2-in-1 makeup remover. A ridiculously long title for such a simple product but we can overlook that because of how good this makeup remover is.

I don't wear a lot of makeup on a daily basis but I do wear waterproof mascara every day (sensitive eyes = my eyes cry at EVERYTHING) so I am always in need of a heavy duty remover to get rid of it all. However, with my dry/normal skin I also need my remover to be sensitive on my skin as well. Step in Garnier. I've loved Garnier for years and use their products daily (micellar water, moisturiser, BB cream) so can always trust them with my skin.

The Soothing makeup remover has two different liquids that need to be shaken together to activate the product. These are a makeup removing oil (blue) and cleansing water (clear). These two products work together on the skin to remove all traces of makeup, but in a really soothing and sensitive way. I simply hold a cotton pad soaked in the remover on each eye for 10 seconds or so and carefully wipe it away, and all of my mascara is removed. Then for the rest of my face I use circular movements and it is all swiped away easily. It also doesn't cause irritation to my eyes - I have sometimes accidentally gotten a little of the product into my eyes but it has never hurt or made them water which is a definite bonus for me. 

However, there is a residue left over from the product - obviously due to the oil - which means that I wash my face after using the remover just to make sure there is none left. On the few occasions where I haven't washed my face, my skin hasn't broken out though so it shows that the oil doesn't result in spotty skin!

I'm so impressed with this makeup remover and this is now my third bottle of the product. It lasts for months at a time and really does remove makeup quickly and easily. I'd highly recommend this if you're on the lookout for a cheap and cheerful - yet totally worth every penny - makeup remover as it really does wonders!

TWITTER - BLOGLOVIN' - INSTAGRAM - LOOKBOOK

The Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing 2-in-1 makeup remover can be bought for £3 for 200ml at ASDA. 

the beauty post | clearasil ultra rapid action pads

£4 - tesco (currently on offer)

i've always been pretty lucky with my skin and rarely suffer from breakouts and spots on my face. this is always a good thing until you actually get a spot or two and don't have a clue how to treat it! 

this happened to me last week - i woke up one day with a rather grisly friend on my chin and flew into a panic over how to get rid of it. on my weekly food shop in tesco i went to the skincare aisle and found this little pot of rapid action pads by clearasil. all of the products i use day-to-day are by clearasil and i am always really impressed by them so threw this into my trolley and hoped it would help me out.

the packaging states that using a pad on the area of the post will "reduce spot size and redness in just four hours" which i was pretty sceptical about - if it was this much of a wonder product surely it would be more than £4! 

when i first opened the tub i was knocked back by the scent that came out of it. it's such a strong pungent smell which i really don't like - it smell really alcoholic and not nice at all. i also noticed how saturated each pad is. they are completely covered with the liquid and i personally liked this as it made it a lot easier to cover the entire face with the product and i only have to use one pad at a time. 

at the end of the day, i washed my face to get rid of all traces of my make up and took one of the pads to my freshly-dried face. straight away my eyes started watering from the scent - i have quite sensitive eyes myself, but i can see this making even normal eyes water! i also realised that the pad is very coarse and could easily irritate skin if used too harshly or excessively. 

once i had rubbed the pad all over my face the residue sank into my skin and i could really feel the product doing it's work and i could feel a slight difference in my skin straight away. i also really liked the tingling effect i felt for a good 10 minutes or so after - but i think it's a personal thing and for some people it would really annoy them and put them off. i then let the product work over night as i slept.

in terms of clearing up my spot, i definitely noticed a difference when i woke up the next morning. my skin wasn't as raised or red, and it was a lot less noticeable. i really do think that these pads helped my problem areas and found that the rest of my skin also felt a lot smoother and under control so i was left pretty impressed.

the packaging says that these pads can be used twice a day in the morning and night but i really wouldn't recommend this myself. i have combination/normal skin and even mine could become easily irritated if i used it more than once a week or so. i will only be using this when my skin acts up and becomes problematic rather than a part of my daily routine. i'd also definitely say to tread carefully and maybe even stay away completely if you have sensitive skin. these are pretty hardcore in terms of how harsh they can be and i really think that sensitive skin could be really wrecked by this!

overall, i do think that this product is pretty good as a weekly part of a skincare routine and can help my skin to feel really lovely and smooth. i can see myself buying these again in the future, but this tub will last me a long time until then!

this tub currently costs £4 from tesco for 65 pads.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY HERE!!

TWITTER - BLOGLOVIN' - INSTAGRAM - LOOKBOOK

the beauty post | garnier moisture match mattifying day cream

superdrug - currently on offer for  £2.98 (usually £5.99)

now i am unlucky enough to get oily skin in my t-zone throughout the day and am always looking for ways to combat it - or at least keep the problem under control. when i heard that garnier brought out a day cream specified for oily skin i jumped at the chance to try it. it's basically a general day cream expect the mixture is whipped like a sorbet - making it lighter and a lot less dense so it doesn't feel to heavy on the skin. this makes oily skin able to breathe and not get too bogged down with product, keeping my oil problem under control. 

i just pop a pea-sized amount all over my face in an even layer before i go on to apply the rest of my make up. it feels so lovely and light and i really do think it's helping me keep on top of any excess oil, and i can definitely see and feel a huge difference.

i cannot see myself straying from this day cream for a long time now and it will be a staple in my make up bag. i might actually have to go and stock up on it now as it is currently on offer at superdrug now!

have you tried this product before?

do you think it actually works for you?

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY HERE!!

TWITTER - BLOGLOVIN' - INSTAGRAM - LOOKBOOK

the beauty post | skincare heroes

we all have those skincare products that we turn to again and again in times of need. i have creams for literally every type of skin problem i can have and none of them have failed me (as of yet!).

my skincare routine starts when i'm in the shower. i use the clearasil rapid action scrub every morning and night as it really clears all of the dirt out of my pores and makes my skin feel so smooth. i've been using this scrub for more than two years now and have never had any problems with it in terms of being too harsh or making my skin break out.

i then turn to my trusty clearasil skin perfecting wash which is a lovely creamy face wash which cleanses my skin and really gets into my pores, making them soak up all the goodness in the face wash. i generally just use a small pump all over my face and really massage it in, and if i have enough time i will leave it on for a little extra time to really soak in.

next up, after my shower, is the benefit triple performing facial emulsion. this is basically just a very light face cream which is great for oily skin, as it is oil-free. i used this to death over summer as it has an spf of 15 and offers a lot of moisturisation without being too oily and heavy. i've had this bottle now for almost 10 months and i am so happy to see it is still quite full.

though the colder months i replace the facial emulsion with the benefit total moisture facial cream. this is a much heavier version of the facial emulsion and offers so much hydration to the skin that i only use it sparingly so i don't break out. it is also hydra-concentrated so a little bit really does go a long way.

my final choice of face cream is the garnier moisture match mattifying fresh cream. this cream is the newest cream in my collection and is purpose-made for oily and combination skin. it has a lovely whipped and light feel, and is described as a 'sorbet' finish which hydrates the skin but doesn't make it greasy. i'd say it is my highstreet version of the benefit facial emulsion and one that i use every morning.

my go-to eye cream of choice at the moment is the benefit it's potent! eye cream which promises to hide dark circles around the eyes with brightening particles. i actually can't see much of a difference in terms of my circles being any lighter and less noticeable, but i do appreciate keeping my skin hydrated to keep wrinkles at bay!

my usual day-to-day primer at the moment is the nivea daily essentials express hydration primer. it is a lovely gel-like formula which glides over the skin and offer hydration as well as a lovely base for make up. it evens out my skin and prepares it for whatever else i throw on my face. it's also cheap as chips!

whenever i need a little more coverage than usual with my make up i turn to my garnier miracle skin perfector bb cream. it's quite a thick and creamy cream with a texture of a cream rather  than a tinted moisturiser. it offers enough coverage to hide any blemishes whilst still looking natural, and i really want to try the newest one out which is specifically for oily skin!

when i need to take my make up off after a long day i use my simple eye make up remover with a few cotton pads. it's a really gentle and simple (obviously!) way of taking my stubborn waterproof mascara off as well as all the other gunk around my eyes, and also seems to moisturise the skin as well.

whenever i have a little bit of time to myself i treat my skin to a good old mask. at the moment i'm using the biore clay mask as it really gets into all of the pores and gets rid of all the nasties that are hiding in my skin. i just leave it on for a couple of minutes (sometimes up to 15 minutes) and wash it off with warm water. i would just say that it really takes all of the dirt out and can leave your skin feeling a little dry so i whack on one of my creams to lock in moisture.

and there we go! obviously i don't use all of these products every month, never mind every day, but it is just a general look into how i look after my skin. i do really love each and every one of the skincare products i've mentioned above so would definitely recommend any of them!

ps; i've decided to bite the bullet and get a separate twitter account for my blog! i only created it today so haven't been able to follow many (if any) people yet but will do so soon! 

if you fancy, you can check my blog's twitter out here. 

the beauty post | the skincare tag

hello loveys!

 i'm currently unbelievably busy in the middle of my first week back at uni so decided to do a quick tag post today. a big thankyou to chanelle for tagging me to do this post, if you haven't already go and check out her blog here - you won't regret it!

now i must admit before i start, i am the world's worst person when it comes to skincare - i really don't do as much as i should but i prefer an extra 10 minutes in bed over the whole cleanse/tone/moisturise thing. slap me on the hand for i have beauty-sinned.

describe your skin care routine in 5 words;

lazy, quick, easy, affordable, basic.

what's your skin type?

i have combination skin - normal everywhere except the t-zone which can get oily during the day.

top blemish zapper?

just having a healthy diet - i can notice a huge difference in my skin if i have a particularly heavy night drinking  alcohol and not drinking enough water. i also eat loads of fruit and veg and keep my sweet tooth under control (most of the time).

face wipes - yay or nay?

both! i can sometimes be really lazy and use wipes to take my makeup off - but only every so often. they are also really good to use when you make a mistake when you're doing your makeup - i keep one handy in case i get blobs of mascara everywhere.

toner - yay or nay?

i used a toner for a year or so and really didn't see any difference in my skin so stopped and haven't been back to it since. however, since starting this blog i have read so many people saying that having a skin care routine is important so i might have to go out and get back on the wagon!

high-end skin care or high-end makeup?

make up! i have found so many skin care gems on the high street that works a treat for me personally and have found a lovely little niche which keeps my skin nice and clear. i have had the same routine for a good few years now and wouldn't want to change it up until it stops working for me (which i hope it never does!)

what is the most unusual skin care product you've tried?

i did once make a face mask at home out of all of these weird ingredients - i actually ended up eating most of it which wasn't really what it was intended for! 

tell us your top skin care tip;

basically just drink as much water as you can - skin becomes clearer and plumper and much more radiant when you drink it, and water is so cheap so you might as well!

after the amount if times i have written the word 'skin' in this post, this word now seems completely weird and quite a horrible word to me! i can safely say i don't like the word skin anymore

*squirms*