Skin Brightening

There are a few reasons why you may want to think about skin brightening, usually to lift dull looking skin, lightening areas of pigmentation and to create a healthy skin glow. Now is a really great time to work on getting healthy glowing skin as during the autumn/winter months we are less exposed to UV (the number one cause of signs of aging, pigmentation and damage to our skin). But it’s also a time of year where you may notice your skin getting duller and tighter and that’s mainly down to central heating drawing moisture from the skin and us going from the cold outside to warm inside and vice versa. Here are my tips on how to brighten your skin, what ingredients to look out for and some of my favourite products.

May 2017 Empties

The latest batch of empties. It's weird how you get through a ton of the same sort of products at the same time. This month it seems to be a lot of mascara's and conditioners. Links to products below and to my blog reviews.

If you haven't already then please subscribe to my channel

PRODUCTS:

Cowshed Grumpy Cow Shampoo
Waitrose Bath Foam
Mane & Tail Conditioner
Kukui Oil Conditioner by Ogx
Dove Soft Feel Anti-persperant
Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation
Yves Rocher Total Radiance Treatment
Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara
Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara
NARS Audacious mascara
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads

REVIEWS:
Cowshed Grumpy Cow Shampoo
Waitrose Bath Foam
Mane 'n Tail Conditioner
Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation
Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara  
Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads

Morning Skincare Routine - March 2017

As you can probably tell I am in the middle of a horrendous cold while filming this. It makes me a bit vague. This is my morning skincare routine - basic, gentle products that will soften the skin, prep it for the day and not irritate. Everything is listed below.

If you haven't already then please subscribe and I'd love to hear if any of you have an alternative to the sadly discontinued Body Shop cleanser. All my full reviews of the products are below and links to buy the products are below that.

My reviews:
The Body Shop Nutriganics cleanser -
This Works Gentle Skin Cleanser
Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser
Pixi Glow Tonic
Face Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads
Origins Gin Zing Eye Cream
Origins Spot Remover -
This Works In Transit Camera Close Up
Origins Make a Difference plus

The Products:
The Body Shop Nutriganics Cleanser
This Works Clean Skin Gentle Cleanser
Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser
Pixi Glow Tonic
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance pads
Medik8 C Tetra
Origins Gin Zing Eye Cream
Origins Spot remover
This Works In Transit Camera Close-up
Embryolisse Lait Cream concentre
Origins Make a Difference + 

The Sunday Spend - January 17th 2016

We may be midway through the hardest month of the year but in all this abstemiousness don't you think you deserve a little treat? I actually think that the sales is the perfect time to restock on your favourites and try those products that you're never going to pay full price for. It's worth mentioning that if you are a user of a Clarisonic or other such face machine then now's the time to see if you can get discounted heads.

• ASOS - great for a variety of brands. The LMB picks are... the Lulu Guinness make-up bag (because it reminds me of this Jenny Lewis video and I love Jenny Lewis), the Hipstar or Stained Glass mask from Face.Lace (sometimes I struggle to think of a better make-up artist than Phyllis Cohen the creator of Face.Lace. Kylie as Marlene anyone?) and the Velvet waterproof eyeliner from Daniel Sandler (I've yet to try a product of Daniel's that I don't like and who doesn't need more black liner?)

• Feel Unique - now this is the one I'd really go crazy on. There is something for everyone on here and it's great for fans of Origins, Estee Lauder, Nudestix, First Aid Beauty and Clinique but these are my picks.  There's a lot of them. First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (a constant in my skincare regime), Ole Henriksen Truth Serum (a great all-rounder serum for all skin types), Nudestix Magnetic Eye Colour (one of my favourite eye products), Estee Lauder Even Effect Skin Corrector (one of my favourite tinted moisturisers for giving glow), Amazing Concealer (which I've wanted to try for an age), Clinique Take the Day Off Balm, Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara, Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer 

•  Selfridges - have some great 'electricals' on sale hair straighteners, curling wands etc. There's not a huge amount of variety here but fans of Sisley should definitely check this out. If I were going for a splurge I'd either get the Black Rose Oil or Black Rose Cream Mask

• Space NK -  not as amazing this year as usual but still I'd go for... Dancing Queen from Lipstick Queen (want to try these out), Ren Instant Beauty Booster Kit (great for anyone wanting to try Ren out), and the Smokey-on-the-Go Kit from Laura Mercier because I love this brand. 

My Current Morning Skincare Routine - October 2014

This is something that changes quite a lot but I feel that I've found a combination of products that really work well for my skin and what it needs at the moment. I've done separate reviews on some of these products (there will be links below) and I might do a video on my YouTube channel to go with this post eventually but I thought it would be useful to have it all written down somewhere... so here it is!

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser - when I first tried this I wasn't that sure, it felt almost drying on my skin but now my skin is generally less dehydrated it's really doing a lovely job of cleansing my skin every morning. And I do prefer to use this in the morning, I want a rich balm cleanser in the evening. £35

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - to brighten, tone and exfoliate, these are gentle enough to use every day but really effective. You get sixty pads per pot and since using them I've had no more dry patches on my forehead and visibly brighter skin. You can read my full review of them here. £20.50

Pixi Glow Tonic

OR

Pixi Glow Tonic - this has become a cult product and is the one to go for if you want a cleanser with no alcohol in it. This is my absolute favourite desert island toner, I trust it completely. Gently exfoliating it removes dead skin cells for healthier looking skin - you can read my full review of it here. £18

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum - again the difference in my skin since using this has been incredible. A real morning boost, quickly absorbed. I've done a separate review of this here. Not cheap worth the money, and frankly a lot cheaper than a lot of serums out there. £18-£65

Yves Rocher Inositol Vegetal - I've been trying to write a full review on this for ages but I just never seem to get round to it and it's possible to find much info on it from Yves Rocher. I love this product.I use it most mornings and it's made my skin noticeably more radiant after consistent use. It contains citrus and AHA's to renew and resurface. Currently £6.50 instead of £19

Yves Rocher Inositol Vegetal

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads

There are so many reasons why you need to have these Facial Radiance Pads in you bathroom. They will make a visible difference to your skin, improve it's clarity, diminish the appearance of fine lines - a must for those who are just to lazy to tone because these badboys actually work. I've been using these most mornings for the past month and I can't imagine not having them in my skincare arsenal. They are so good that they are worth getting and using once or twice a week if you are on a budget and want them to last for longer.

I have to confess this is the first product I've used from First Aid Beauty (FAB) a US company developed by Lilli Gordon in 2009 as an antidote to all the products she had used that either worked but felt medicinal or didn't work at all! The packaging may be simple but it's stylish and appealing.  Having tried these I am desperate to get my hands on some of the other FAB products to see if they are all as good. I've only heard good things about this company.

The lactic and glycolic acid exfoliate, the Indian gooseberry tones, and the lemon peel and licorice root brighten. I haven't had to exfoliate since I started using them (I have not felt the need to exfoliate since I started using them) which makes me feel like they're even better for my skin because I'm doing less to it. They are free from alcohol and allergens but remember that if you do use these use sunscreen because AHA's can make your skin more sensitive to sun damage. I can't imagine my skincare regime with these not in it.

What You Need to Know - First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads

• Approximately £16-£20
• 60 pads per pot
• Contains lactic and glycolic acids, lemon peel, licorice root and Indian gooseberry
• Suitable for all skin types including acne prone and sensitive
• Available from Look Fantastic, feelunique.com and beautybay.com

Friday Video - July Favourites

Some genuinely life changing products this month. I know that nowadays we are bombarded with recommendations for skincare products but the three that I've been using in the last month have all made a visible difference to my skin and I'm finding it hard to find fault with any of them. That's any faults at all including packaging. The one thing I could think of that one squirt of the serum is too much per face but how fussy is that!

NARS Sheer Glow
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum
Kate Somerville Nourish

Toners

A while ago Darphin's Intral Toner was my Product of the Week and I confessed to not really know what a toner should be doing and why you should use one. Cue me doing lots of research into toners, their uses and ingredients.

The term 'toner' now seems to cover a lot of products that actually do different things. The skin has an acid mantle of sweat andoils that you produce naturally. A cleanser will strip these away and change the pH balance. A little oil is a good thing as the acids prevent bacteria build up but a good toner will keep very oily skin in check. The delicate balance of the oils in the skin means normal soap is usually too harsh for the softer skin on your face. So a routine of using the right cleansers, toners and moisturisers is better than scrubbing away with soap everyday.

Life is dehydrating - heating, air conditioners, smoke, traffic all dry the skin out. A good toner can re-balance the skin after cleansing, reduce the penetration of impurities and environmental contaminants to the skin, gently exfoliate without using any harsh grains, hydrate the skin by attracting moisture from the air and help your moisturiser absorb into the skin. Traditional toners soothe while the more astringent toners tighten the skin and remove oil. Refreshing toners tighten the skin and are usually alcohol free, balancing the pH of the skin after cleansing. Though it's worth mentioning the skin would normally do this naturally after half an hour or so.

Your toners should contain a humectant (for example glycerin) to attract and keep moisture. Astringent toners with a high proportion of alcohol (20-60%) are good for oily skin. Alcohol is alright in toners if they are concentrated by glycerin. It's the alcohol in a toner which makes your skin feel tight after use.

Anything using AHA's (alpha hydroxy acid) must have a warning on it as it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun but actually glycolic is the only one that has this effect. Of course really you should always use an SPF when going out in the sun.
Ingredients to look out for:

• Glycolic or alpha hydroxy acids loosen excess accumulation of dead skin and exfoliates.
• Witch-hazel tones and firms.
• Ginseng naturally supplies the skin with oxygen.
• Pineapple is an anti-inflamatory 
• Papaya extract hydrates
• Alpine herbs soften and plump the skin
• Salicylic acid causes the skin cells to shed more easily.
• Peony flower extract or royal jelly are good for moisture in toners.

Some of my favourite toners are the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, Pixi Glow Tonic and Environ AVST toner for when I need something really basic.