Norwich Does Christmas

Hey Guys! 

I get so giddy when the fairy lights and Christmas tree go up in the city, and this is especially true for Norwich. I am completely in love with how beautiful the decorations make the already charming streets look so, because I love looking at this sort of thing myself, I thought I would show you! To be honest these photos could be much better and they certainly don't do the actual view justice but I hope you like it anyway.

Bare Minerals Correcting Concealer

I feel like there is a theme happening on my blog right now along the lines of 'massive breakout- must fix with everything', I feel like my life is starting to revolve around this. Slightly worrying. 

So I got recommended this by my hairdresser after talking about how using good stuff on your skin is good, obviously. I remember being super excited because she basically said that it was a concealer that reduced acne/breakouts while hiding them- doesn't that sound like an amazing idea!? I don't know why this isn't more of a thing. It also is supposed to reduce marks and under-eye circles. After hearing about this I basically went out and bought it the same week since my skin was still being a little bugger. 

The idea with the Bare Minerals Correcting Concealer is that it will let your skin breath in a way that normal concealing and foundation doesn't- meaning that your pores wont get as clogged and healing will happen much quicker! This sounds like an awesome idea but i'm not sure it worked well for me for a few reasons. Whether you put it on top or below your foundation, the foundation you wear will get in the way of letting your skin breath. Bearing this is mind, I think this product is much better for someone who is using the Bare Minerals Foundation, which I tried and didn't like, since both products will be doing the same thing (or of course no foundation). Also, the coverage is supposed to be quite light so I often found that it wasn't enough for my skin tantrum and I'd have to put on my Collection 2000 Concealer- again defeating the point. This has made me need to use quite a lot in the process and so I have already hit pan in about a month. As well as this, it wasn't particularly the best texture and has a powdery sort of finish which doesn't work too well for under your eyes, and since the other selling point was reducing under eye circles, thats not great.

Overall and maybe because of these reasons, I didn't see any notable differences in my skin after using this and for £21 (£18.50 on the link above), I would have liked to. The packaging and the product are really nice but I think it could be suited better on slightly better skin that doesn't need as much coverage. Personally I won't be repurchasing and since I don't know if it would work for someone else, I wouldn't particularly recommend it.

Let me know if you had a different experience with this, I'd love to know this great idea has worked for someone!

Battle of the Lush Cleansers!

Hello Guys!

So as I mentioned in my La Roche-Posay post, my skin has gone crazy for the past couple of months- a long time for skin to be having a tantrum! And it's really down to me changing up my routine. I was perviously taking my makeup off with cheap (Primark *sigh*) makeup wipes and a high-street/drugstore foaming face wash. My skin was never good since I made such little effort, and it wasn't just break outs, it was the texture and quality as well- it was just a bit crap. So I decided I wanted to start using better things that would change my skin, preferably with natural ingredients since i'd always been a fan of DIY type skincare but was too lazy to try. This lead me to Lush who I already loved and heard a lot of good things about.

Ultrabland
Oil Base- All skin types (advised for dry though!)

Ultrabland was my first attempt. Firstly the lovely Lush lady rated it highly because it's a top seller and transforms skin. Secondly, I didn't need water to take it off so I could just do it all in my room, bonus! It also acts as a makeup remover (use twice though) as well as a moisturiser so overall it was a massive shortcut of a skincare routine. I have to admit, at first it was a tad odd to rub oil on your face to clean it and I did worry about still being 'dirty'. This definitely wasn't the case though, my skin felt incredibly soft and smooth and clean. I've read a lot of people feeling like they had a greasy film over their skin after using this. I think this could be because of the beeswax in this product, taking it off with water will probably not work like removal with toner and may leave traces on your face. Just a thought! I really do think this would have been perfect if it didn't break me out to such an extreme amount. My skin got worse than I think i've ever seen it, I did leave it a couple of weeks to see if it was detoxing but nothing changed and I was about to start uni so I left it.

Angels on Bare Skin
Clay base- All skin types

My second try was a sample of Angels on Bare Skin- a crazy popular cleanser from Lush! Instead of a balm it is a clay based scrub with calming and moisturising ingredients aimed at dry skin, so a good start for me. This cleanser really did change my skin, makeup sat 100x better because the texture was just better. It also brightened up my skin tone more than anything I have ever used. But~ I think I was allergic to something in this because while cleansing my face sort of felt tender and stung a little bit and I got a lot of small red bumps (that haven't completely gone yet) as well as breaking out, it was also slightly awkward to use because of its crumbly nature. So I stopped using it. (Totally still recommend it though)

Herbalism 

Clay base- Oily/ blemish prone skin
A 3rd visit to lush gave me Herbalism and Dark Angels. These are both directed at more oily skin (not particularly me) and Herbalism is specifically aimed at acne prone skin. This is also a crumbly clay cleanser like AOBS. It has an odd smell but that doesn't really bother me, it's not that strong. After using this I immediately noticed that my skin wasn't as soft compared to Ultrabland and AOBS, and that it made my skin quite dry, giving me flakey patches BUT they've gone after about 5 days of use which is good. I did notice that my break outs calmed down pretty quickly but not entirely, my skin was still bad but I feel like if I stuck to this one it would eventually calm my skin down.

Dark Angels 
Exfoliating- Acne prone skin 

There isn't much to say here to be honest, Dark Angels is much more harsh of a scrub and didn't work for my dry skin at all so I stopped using it. Apparently it's awesome for greasy skin though so give it a try if thats you!

Fresh Farmacy 

Soap base- For sensitive blemished/irritated skin 

Another trip to lush and a realisation that i'm collecting a ridiculous amount of samples has given me Fresh Farmacy and Let The Good Times Roll. After having a good chat about all this, the most helpful lush girl ever suggested that I try FF with Vanishing Cream since it's a soap base and so slightly more drying than a clay/oil based cleanser. Using this left my skin feel more clean and sort of rubbery but not in a terrible way, it also seems quite a lot like AOBS but without the exfoliation and  allergic reaction! My skin has actually had a super positive reaction to this and it seems to be calming down quite a lot which I am so so happy about. Vanishing cream is also working well with this so I really think she got it right and (finally!) i'm planning to buy these two things. Yay!

Let The Good Times Roll
Dry skin
This is a christmas release cleanser super similar to AOBS. It's moisturising and 'stimulating' while gently exfoliating. This. literally. smells. amazing. It's the perfect mix of toffee and cinnamon and popcorn and I literally cant stop smelling it. I wish this was a candle or a perfume or something- or food. I wouldn't use this is an everyday cleanser because I think it would be too rich for me and break me out a bit, but for a mask I think its awesome. Another problem with using this as a cleanser is that it's limited addition which I think is a bit weird for skincare? I'm not going to repurchase but this is totally worth a try!

Although my skin went a bit mad after trying these things i'm really glad I did because my skin really has changed in a lot of ways for the better. Something to think about though (something I wish i'd known sooner!) is that skin can take from 2 weeks - 3 months to get used to a new cleanser and throughout this time can react in many ways. Some cleansers will also detox your skin, surfacing all the acne that would have come up later and eventually clearing your skin- an awkward process, but worth it! I would fully recommend Lush as I don't think most people break out from their products, I am a lot more sensitive than most which is just lovely. Congrats if you've managed to make it though this massive post and I hope I helped someone! And let me know of any cleanser recommendations and your experiences with these lovely products! 

La Roche-Posay; Miracles Do Happen

Okay, so recently my skin has not been so lovely, and ironically this is down to my new quest for good skin through good products with good, natural ingredients. I started at Lush because it just made sense since they are all natural, I heard good things and they are against animal cruelty and do things for charity- just all round goodies aren't they? They have not liked me though, and I look a tad horrible right now. I've broken out to the extreme (more than ever before) and it's been up and down since september so i've been getting super frustrated.

Cue La Roche-Posay! 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] Anti-Blemish Cream have been a total miracle for my skin. Since the first use I noticed a lot less redness and a complete calming down of my angry, angry skin which was close to a small miracle. After the 3rd use my skin completely changed and the break outs got a lot smaller and have started to disappear. It claims to tackle clogged pores, excess sebum and now red and brown marks as well and I really feel like its doing it's job well already. I am genuinely over-excited right now at how happy I am with this, and (like many many others) think it will become part of my skincare routine forever. It will at least act as an amazing hand while I try to find a good skincare routine.

The texture is gel instead of a cream which I don't particularly enjoy but this does make it an excellent base for makeup since it is mattifying and not at all oily. Apparently it does also moisturise which is a massive bonus but I've found it quite hard to tell how much since my latest cleanser has been quite drying. It also doesn't have an overpowering or chemical smell which I find some can have, instead its just quite fresh, and sort of reminds me of the Body Shop seaweed range. At £15.50 for 40ml (a tad expensive for some but completely worth it) I really think this is a massive catch in the skincare world and I'm super excited to continue seeing results from this.

Look out for next Sunday's post where i'm finally going to be comparing all of the Lush cleansers and giving my recommendations!

40 Reasons for Autumn/Winter Lovin'

Halloween, cute pumpkins, (fake) cobwebs, orange everything, pumpkin spice lattes, pretty leaves, tartan, fluffy jumpers, cold hands & warm cups, christmas, marshmallows, Greggs cute scary delicious food, red lips, dark afternoons, city christmas lights, slippers, tea, peach blush, christmas displays, christmas shopping, frosty windows, toffee-nut mocha's, promotions, shop decorations, roast dinners, bonfire night, gold & silver & bronze eye shadow, peppermint hot chocolate, festive pjs, fluffy socks, lush baths, gingerbread houses, books, shop heating, dogs in jumpers, those fuzzy things that conkers come out of, candles, salted caramel, good movies.

I felt super un-festive tonight because it is Halloween and I am sick, I am sick on Halloween. Why. Halloween's never really been my thing and i've never really got super excited about it but for whatever reason (totally the pumpkins) this year I got really into it. Sadly though, I didn't manage to carve pumpkins or go to the city zombie walk or any of the Halloween screenings so I was sort of blue. So, because I know how to cheer myself up, I made a mocha with ghost shaped marshmallows and cream and wrote 40 things that i'm really going to love about the next couple of months. I was just going to talk about Autumn specifically but I got carried away and started thinking about christmas- your welcome. 

If anyone else needs a festive boost please go ahead and do this too because I literally love reading other peoples favourites!

Primer Adventure: No7 Airbrush Away

No7 has never been a brand that i've ever made an effort to try since I feel like it's a brand directed at older skin types and the design never caught my eye. After trying the Airbrush Away Primer (for a whopping £19.50), I think I just might branch out! 

It has a silicone base, making a cream-like texture instead of gel which I prefer because it feels much lighter on skin. It's also super moisturising, something I feel like is missing from primers a good amount of the time. There's no smell and the packaging is very plain, I think maybe too plain. The look really doesn't appeal to me, it doesn't look expensive or modern, it just seems simple and like there hasn't been much effort in the design. And considering this product costs the same as higher end brands like MAC, I would have appreciated that!

 Although this product claims to cover wrinkles very well and thats something I cant really comment on, other parts worked really well! After giving it a couple of minutes to set, makeup glided on super well and has lasted throughout the day much better than usual. It did cover pores better than Maybelline Baby Skin but I wouldn't particularly say it airbrushed anything or made my skin look any better with or without makeup. I can imagine it wouldn't brake me out or anything though considering the friendly ingredients. 

Although I did like it and I would suggest trying it, I don't think I will be buying this because for the price I think I could find better! Tell me your thoughts on no7 Airbrush Away and give me some suggestions for some primers you love!

Skincare Experiments + Goodies!

Helloooooo 

I just bought a couple of things i'm super excited to test out so I thought i'd do a little update! After being super lazy with my skin for a very long time I am finally bucking my ideas up about skincare in general, so today I thought i'd start with cleansing since I feel like this is one of the most crucial steps in having angel skin.

I didn't actually have any idea where I was going with this when I left so I ended up browsing and finding Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water for only £3.32 on a Superdrug deal (still on!) and I had heard a lot about this after the Bioderma hype and thought I would give it go. The second is Lush's Ultrabland, although there have been a lot of mixed reviews about this, there have still been a lot that claim this is some amazing stuff so why not? If anything mixed reviews make it way more interesting amiright? Plus this is another way to take my makeup off without face wipes or water which is a great thing. Also, this little beauty claims to completely re-make your skin if you use it daily for a month which I will do if I like this enough to buy the full product! While I was there I also picked up a sample (apparently i'm not ready to commit to either of those prices) of Lush's Vanishing Cream because it would be nice to have a good moisturiser and the nice Lush lady said it was awesome.

I also splurged on yet another Real Techniques brush, the Retractable Lip Brush for £6.99 after reading a post about the best ways of putting lipstick on. I don't particularly wear my lipstick a lot of the time but I thought this might give me a kick in the bum to start again and apparently this brush will bring the all day maintenance down since it decreases bleeding and smudging since you aren't applying too much product!

The last is my favourite foundation at the moment, MAC's Studio Fix Fluid. I used to love it and recently I read some things that sparked it off again and now i'm in love again. I'm planning on making a separate post so I wont go into a long story but it's a fairly matt finish, medium to heavy coverage and my perfect colour match- NC20.

Thats everything for today but i'm hoping to continue trying to use better skin products and will most likely be buying a lot more, YAY. Please tell me if you have any suggestions for skincare as I am slightly out of the loop! Also I am fairly undecided on how I will be using the Ultrabland so if you have a suggestion for that tell me!

Primer Adventure: Maybelline Baby Skin

I've never been much of a primer person but i've noticed that this is super weird considering the helpfulness of a good primer on troubled skin. So, with this in mind i'm going to change this immediately and go on a little primer adventure

I thought i'd start off drugstore since I have a tiny budget and spotted the new Maybelline Baby Skin Primer and Instant Fatigue Blur on a 3 for 2, Gotta love boots promos!

The Instant Fatigue Blur doesn't seem to have done much to the look of my skin and I haven't continued using it over all of my face, instead i've been using it around my eyes for a pick-me-up and then had the primer on the rest of my face.

I've used these primers with a couple of different foundations including Mac Studio Fix and Rimmel Wake Me Up and it makes quite a good base. Its not overly thick so it doesn't completely cover pores which I would've liked from a primer. I've definitely noticed that it makes my makeup last longer through the day while keeping it looking fresh! Sadly though, I think this product has made me break out quite a bit and I think i'm going to stop using it. Obviously everyones skin is different so this may not happen to you but i've heard this happening to others so be careful and don't try it out before a night out! It hasn't affected my skin in any other way though like making it dry/greasy.

Overall I think there are other primers that will do a similar job ~maybe even better~ that are much cheaper, such as the MUA Primer Clear, but it might be worth a go while its on a 3 for 2.

Tell me your thoughts on the Baby Skin range!

Lee Stafford and Hair Growth Fun

So, since the process of growing your hair is apparently a never ending frustration filled battle, I thought I'd continue writing about it! I know this isn't anything new to anyone and I've wanted it for a long time so when Boots decided to do a 3 for £12 deal~ and one of these already cost £12.99, amazing~ I literally couldn't help myself. 

The Hair Growth Leave In Treatment (£11.99) is the first one I saw but one I hadn't heard of before somehow. It's part of the collection of hair growth remedies and one that I think will work best for me since I don't wash my hair enough to see a massive difference with the shampoo/conditioner, you just let it do it's thing. You use it on your hair after washing and towel drying and apparently something called Pro-Growth and some caffeine increase root productivity, yay!

Then the last two, Frizz OFF Treatment (£12.99) and Hair Growth Treatment (£7.99), I think I'll use together. The hair growth treatment works the same way as the leave in treatment to 'fertilise your follicles' and create a good base for healthy hair growth. This is meant to be massaged into the roots of your hair after shampooing so I'm going to use the Frizz OFF treatment on the ends at the same time and wash them both off together- time saver! I think the Frizz OFF is relatively new and is supposed to prolong the effects of a Brazilian blow dry, not that I have one, without sulfate/sodium. I don't know how much I'll like this in comparison to Tigi S-Factor Serious Conditioner  which i will never stop being in love with, but I thought I needed to mix it up a little, I'm getting boring.

Funnily enough, I actually don't particularly like the smell of any of these even though I've heard a lot of people saying otherwise. I don't hate it and after having the leave in treatment in my hair a while it's starting to grow on me, but its quite a strong, musky scent and I'm not into that. 

I also think it's worth noting that none of the product information really says that these treatments will actually make your hair grow faster because not many things can, it does create a good base for healthy, strong and thick hair though. A tip for making this work better would be to spend a few minutes massaging it into your hair in the shower and after putting the leave in treatment on to stimulate circulation!

I'm super excited to use these and I definitely think its worth a try, especially with the amazing offer that is still at Boots (go treat yourselves little hair lovers!) and I will do an update post when I've used them for a month. 

Let me know if you've found them to work!

Byeeeeeee!

Miracle Hair Maker

So this has just come to be a rule of thumb for beauty routines recently so this won't exactly come as a surprise to most of you, but because I absolutely love it I decided I would make a little post just in case anyone is missing out! What I'm talking about is the Moroccanoil Treatment! I finally bought this a couple of days ago from my hairdresser in Norwich after she told me how good it would be for my hair when it was made ombre and she was so right.

This brand is available to buy either in 25ml for around £12-£15 or 100ml (125ml in the link!) for £31 so they aren't particularly cheap! and it claims to immediately absorb into the hair to enhance manageability, shine and long term condition using rich antioxidant aragon oil.

So far I completely agree! I used it through my damp hair after showering and it (after quite a while of it feeling a bit horrible and dry from the bleaching) feels so so so so so so so soft like it hasn't been bleached at all which it a very comforting thought. It also seems very sort of...bouncy? and defined   like its styled. It gives your hair a pretty vanilla smell while making it 10x shinier as well and I feel very confident that it will grow much healthier now- there isn't really much more to say here, I think it is completely worth the money and it is a complete saviour for dry/damaged hair.

As a plus I also really like that a pump comes with it that you can click right to close because I will have to carry it in bags a lot and I would probably cry if any of this wonderful stuff came out. Although the packaging sort of reminds me of a medicine bottle I do like that it is made of glass.

So go buy this wonderful stuff while I snuggle with a mocha and try to spend my reading week doing a mount fuji size of college work!

Let me know if you have any hair saviours and what you think of Moroccanoil below!

Byeeeeeeeee 

Liebster Award!

Hello there!

I know I haven't made many posts recently and I'm sorry for that BUT all the hard work I've been ignoring my blog for at college has paid off and I finally have an interview for my chosen University course! I'm literally so excited. So, sort of in a weird way of celebration, I'm going to do the Liebster award post that Milly Moos Noos (one of my favourites!) has nominated me for. Go look at her post for this here to see her lovely facts and questions. 

To explain it a little, because I just realised I probably shouldn't assume everyone knows:

1. I have to say 11 random facts about myself 2. I then answer the questions left by the person that nominated me 3. choose 11 questions to be answered by the lovely people I nominate.

11 Facts About Me!

1. Because it's just needed; I just got accepted to an interview for Japanese Language at UEA 

2. I have watched Disney's Tangled more times than any person should have- and will probably do the same for Frozen.

3. It is almost certain that I will be likened to Zooey Deschanel when I wear my fringe

4. The only thing that will make me feel better when I'm sick, or any time for that matter, is orange juice

5. At this moment, I am listening to Frozen's 'Let It Go' over and over and over again, and I'm pretty sure my house mates can hear me singing along with it

6. For the first time in...ever actually, I had to have something done to my teeth and I can now confirm I hate the dentist

7. You can always tell if I don't feel great because it is the only time I wont be wearing liquid eye-liner
8. I recently turned 20 and that feels very weird to me
9. My favourite chocolate bar Kinder Bueno- yet I rarely buy it and I really don't know why?
10. Cultural Studies, Psychology and English are subject I am now studying and I'm about to do my dissertation on Japanese New Wave film
11. Wearing red lipstick more is on my to do list



MillyMoosNoos Questions

1. If you could only have one lipstick for the rest of your life, what colour would it be?

It would be a deep plum red so I could make myself wear it more often!

2. What is your favourite animal? 

It's pretty boring but a cat, they are adorable and hilarious and I cant get over them

3. If you had to pick between jeans or something with tights, which would it be?  

Milla you sly devil you know this, but skirts and tights all the way!

4. What retail shop do you visit most? 

Most likely Topshop, even if it is completely out of my price range at the minute

5. If you could change anything about your body what would it be?

Probably my legs!

6. If you won the lottery what would your first purchase be and why?

Oh god probably a house in Japan! (...and a plane there)

7. Which would you rather live without, laptop/computer or phone? 

That's difficult! But I would have to say laptop

8. What would you name your child?

Maybe Amelia, I don't really know a boys? 

9. If you were able to meet someone famous who would it be?

Zooey Deschanel!

10. What city would you like to visit most? and why?

Kyoto because its so pretty but there are still lovely rural areas

11. If you were invisible for the day what would you do? 

Be a spooky ghost

My Questions to YOU!

1.What do you want most when your sick?
2. Who your favourite Disney character?
3. What would be your absolute perfect job?
4. (If it's possible!) What is your favourite piece of makeup?
5. What is your earliest memory?
6. If you could interview anyone- living or dead- who would that be?
7. What are your pet-peeves?
8. If you had to live somewhere for the rest of your life, where would it be?
9. Who are your favourite Blogs and Youtubers?
10. Is there a popular makeup or fashion piece that you just don't like?
11. What super-power would you choose if you had the choice?


I Nominate...

1. Circleofchaos
2. Parolerobina
3. Harrietjacksonx
4. Sweetsouthernpea
5. Simplydollyblogs
6. Glossfashion
7. Whatisinthehat
8. Oddsandsodz
9. Eltoriasecrets
10. Thenotsosecretdiary
11. Littlekaterose


If you have already done this post then feel free to leave this one out!
Thank you MillyMoosNoos for nominating me- I've linked her blog at the top so go check it out!