Sunday, 12 March 2017

MY CURRENT PAMPER ROUTINE 2017

Hi everyone and Happy Sunday. Hope you're all well and having a great day. So in today's post (as you can tell from the title) is going to be all about my current pamper routine. As part of my new years resolutions this year I've promised myself that once a week I will spend a morning or evening giving myself a pamper. I've found this routine very therapeutic and I'm so happy I decided to start doing it more often as it helps clear my mind, relax and forget the world for a few hours. Come the end of it I feel like a brand new woman ready for anything which led me to think, why not share this and help my fellow ladies out there feel the same way. So here it is.
Let's face it, we all live a busy life weather you work, go to school, college or uni, go to work and school,college or uni, are a full time mom or a lady boss etc. In the mist of it all we all forget ourselves, we all forget that we need to reward ourselves for working so hard and more importantly we forget our health. Spending time relaxing is so important for your body and mind, the benefits are endless. This routine isn't just about relaxing, it's also about making you feel better about yourself, restoring your confidence and looking after your skin which is also important as it can help you take on the world like the bad ass you are! So follow my steps or create your own but please, take care of you! 







PREP

I know what your thinking, prep? This step is completely optional but I like to do the following to help create a more relaxing environment. Firstly, I strip my bed and replaced with a fresh set of bedding. Next, I clean my room top to bottom, making sure to hoover and dust. Lastly, I set up my diffuser adding a few drops of essential oils catering to what ever mood I'm in, set up some candles and pull out a fresh set of PJ's.
TEETH

To start off my routine I like to focus on my teeth, I've recently been try the "oil pulling" method to help whiten my teeth using organic coconut oil. This method is very easy and natural. For those who aren't aware of the pulling method, you just take a teaspoon of coconut oil, pop it in your mouth and swish it around like you would with mouthwash for approximately 15 minutes. While waiting I tend to pass the time by going over my eyebrows, plucking away any spares hairs, I do get them threaded but I like to keep on top of them in between as my brow hairs grow very fast. After 15 minutes I get rid of the oil externally and brush your teeth as normal. I haven't been doing this long enough to say weather it works or not however, it's not a very nice feeling swishing oil around my mouth, at first you have to break the oil down to liquefy it then you can feel it getting thicker as it's gathering all the crap in your mouth. But hey, if it's going to give me pearly whites I'm all for it. 
BATH

When it comes to the bath I like to spend about 30-45 minutes sometimes even an hour in the bath. In that time I'll watch a TV program or half of a movie on my iPad, listen to music or sometimes just relax in silence. While my bath is running I like to add a lush bath bomb because who doesn't? It's pretty to look at and smells heavenly. On a serious note, Lush bath bombs are the only bath bombs I'll use as they are freshly made and natural. If I don't have a bath bomb around I opt for bubble bath, normally a muscle soak one as I do workout which means I'm forever sore. Once I'm done relaxing for a bit I like to exfoliate my body using Soap & Glory Sugar Crush body scrub, this scrub is my fave because it smells just like lime flavored Starbursts!  Once I've exfoliated I like to go over any areas that need to be shaved then I get out of the bath and sit on the edge with my feet still in water. At this point I like to go over my feet with a buffer to get rid of any dead skin so my feet feel nice and soft, we've got to prevent horrible feet ladies.  When I've finished doing my feet I like to empty the bath and run a shower.. Yes a shower. Some people find this weird but I have good reason. I've just sat in the bath for a long period of time which come the end is full of dead skin, beads from the scrub, shaving product etc.  I need to shower, so I do. To continue I like to use the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush body wash as it's fruity, fresh and moisturizing. Lastly, I move onto my face, using Soap & Glory Face Soap and Clarity face wash. I like to use this 2-3 times a week to exfoliate the skin.
BODY

Before stepping out the shower and drying my skin I first like to take a few pumps from my Mio Skincare The Activist body oil and apply it to my wet skin to lock in moisture, it absorbs into the skin really well rather than it sitting on top of the skin turning you into a grease ball. Once I've dried my skin I like to moisturize even more using Soap & Glory Butter Yourself lotion to seal in the body oil and feel extra smooth, this moisturizer is also fruity and fresh and sinks into the skin like butter (living up to it's name ). Then to finish up on the body I like to use not one but two deodorants, always have always will. For those who are interested I use roll on first. These deodorants are current faves purely because they smell nice and do the trick of course.

I typically don't wash my hair on the same day as pamper day unless my hair is curly because it takes half a day to wash, blow dry and straighten my hair (my afro Caribbean haired girls will understand ). If my hair is curly I'd add it into this routine when I have a shower. When it is straight I like to add a little leave in treatment to help restore moisture to my roots and ends by mixing a little bit of my Mizani H20 night time treatment, a couple of drops of almond oil and a little bit of coconut oil together and distributing it evenly through my hair and massaging into my scalp. 

FEET 

I like to give my feet as much TLC as I can because let's face it feet are weird and no one likes them and I'd rather have lovely pedicured feet than horrible crusty ones.  So by the time I get to feet I've already buffed them in the bath I just need to file, buff and paint my nails, once they are dry I cream them heavily with the Soap & Glory Heel Genius foot cream which contains menthol so your feet slightly tingle then seal with some fluffy bed socks to lock in the moisture.

Depending on what my skins doing at the time depends on what mask I use. If my skins really breaking out I use my Glam Glow face mask which is bomb. I typically go for a Montage Jeunesse mask or I make my own. The Montage Jeunesse mask used in this picture is very light mask ideal to give your skin a little boost and the peter one I use under my eyes to cool and hydrate. While I wait for my mask to set I tend to do little things like clean my ears pop another coat of varnish on my toes and pull out my skin care products. When my mask has set I wash or peel away and move straight on to skin care.


FACE

To start of my skin care routine I go in with a Nip & Fab Glycolic Fix night pad. I use these pads 2-3 times a week to keep on top of congestion which leads to acne, blackheads, texture ect. I will warn you, these pads are soaked in 5 different acids so they are not suitable to use everyday and they can cause serious dryness to the skin so make sure your moisturizing after, also only use on target areas and keep away from your eyes. Next, I apply a 3-4 drops of The Body Shop Vitamin E overnight serum in oil to my skin patting it in, then go over my cheeks and forehead with my derma roller. If your thinking of using a derma roller please do your research, I'm no pro and I'm still fairly new at using it. I use my derma roller on areas where I have scaring only, if I have any dryness or active acne in those areas I do not use it at all. While I let my skin settle I mix together Nip & Fab Viper Venom Eye Fix & Wrinkle Fix and apply to my eye area, no I don't have wrinkles but prevention is always better than cure.  To lock in the serum in oil I use my Nivea Night Cream, I only use the serum in oil when I've used the derma roller which I use once a week. Using the night cream on top of the serum in oil can seem a bit excessive but the serum in oil absorbs very fast leaving my skin feeling like it needs a little more and my night cream does the trick. If I have any spots or pimples I use a Q-tip soaked in some TCP and apply it directly to them as spot treatment, a friend recommend doing this a few years back and it works wonders, better than most spot treatments I've tried and I tried a lot.  To finish up the face I like to use the Carmex Tube Lip Balm I love the menthol in it and lasts ages.
HANDS

To finish up my pamper routine I like to give my hands some TLC. If I haven't had my nails done I put my nail technician qualification to use and give myself a manicure then finish off with my Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream.

BENEFITS OF RELAXING

Lowers blood pressure.
Reduces activity of the stress hormones (wonder why your breaking out?)
Reduces muscle tension.
Improves concentration and mood.
Lowers fatigue.
Reduces anger and frustration.
Boost confidence.

And there you have it, my current pamper routine. I hope you found it helpful and I hope it's inspired you make your own pamper routine or have them more often. Take for now.

Elle 

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Sunday, 30 October 2016

MY CURLY HAIR ROUTINE

Hello everyone and Happy Halloween, hope your well. So today's post comes highly requested, it's going to be all about my curly hair routine. I have previously blogged about a hair range that goes by the name of Mizani, if you haven't read it you can find it here. My love for the Mizani range has grown even more since using their 'True Textures' collection for my curly hair routine and it may be safe to say I will forever use there range weather my hair is curly or straight. I've used these products for two years now and in that time I've had a lot of people ask what I use and have complimented on the appearance of my hair. Before using these products I used to find it very hard to style and look after my curls and no matter what products I used I couldn't seem to get the frizz under control until I used these products. I hope this post helps any of my curly haired sisters on a missions to get those curls under control as I know first hand that curls can be so demanding! 


SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER


Description - This creamy and moisturizing anti-dandruff shampoo is designed to help reduce the appearance of visible flakes, scaling and itching containing 1% phrithione zinc content.


Description - This intense moisturizing conditioner helps retain moisture and maintain the natural curl pattern and is silicone and paraben free. It contains curl complex technology with coconut, marula and olive oils to promote smoother and more hydrated hair. It's rich in antioxidants and fatty acids for healthy, moisturized, defined curls.


Description - This weekly treatment is especially designed for natural curls. It helps revitalize, nourish and define curls. Containing the Mizani curl care complex technology that smooths, conditions and hydrates hair along with antioxidants and essential fatty acids.

RATING

The shampoo is very ideal for me as I do suffer with a dry and itchy scalp due to my on going battles with psoriasis. It's also very nice to use as it give a tingly, minty feeling which leaves my scalp feeling cool and clean. The conditioner is so creamy and thick without feeling heavy on my hair, along with a wonderful scent it leaves my hair feeling so smooth and hydrated. The weekly treatment it the perfect pick me up for my hair when I've been styling my hair for a few days in a row and need that extra boost of moisture, I tend to leave it on for about 10 minutes wrapped in a towel to lock in moisture, the results leave my hair silky smooth and hydrated.


STYLING

Description - This curl refresher spray is a 24-hour, lightweight, nourishing spray containing the Mizani curl care complex technology.


Description - Designed for coiled to tight typed hair this curl defining pudding helps to define, smooth, loosen and elongate curls containing the Mizani curl care complex technology.


Description - A blend of 8 oils which leave hair feeling smooth, shiny and healthy looking. No mineral oil and over 98% naturally-derived. Suitable for all hair types and can also be used on skin.

RATING

The refresher spray is perfect for re boosting my curls especially the day after I've washed my hair and definitely comes in handy between co-washing. The curl defining pudding is the perfect styling cream as it's really light and non-greasy so it doesn't weigh down my hair or make it look full of product. The supreme oil is very hydrating and it the perfect product to lock in moister before diffusing hair dry (on a low heat). A small amount of each product goes a long way.

CO-WASH

Description - Cleanse and condition in one step, helps retain moisture and maintain natural curl, containing the Mizani curl care complex technology.

RATING 
The cleansing conditioner is amazing for co-washing, it saves excessive shampooing which can be very drying for your curls. I use it in place of my shampoo and the continue to use condition hair as normal.

TREATMENT

Description - This overnight treatment is enriched with shea butter and vitamins that help protect against split ends and frizz without weighing down hair.

RATING
This overnight treatment comes in handy between washes when I need a little hydrating boost, a little goes a long way and leave my hair feeling smooth and hydrated the next day.    


So there you have it, these are the products that I use in my curly hair routine. They truly are amazing and are true to description, I high recommend them.

Don't forget to leave comment below, thank you for reading.

Elle 




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Wednesday, 12 October 2016

MOTD | AUTUMN/FALL BURNT ORANGE MAKEUP LOOK

Hi my lovely's, welcome back. I'm very excited about today's post as it's something different; it's going to be all about this burnt orange autumn/fall inspired makeup look I have going on. Autumn/fall is my favorite season, it's not to hot or to cold, big jumpers come out, it gets darker earlier, scented candles fill the air, the cosy nights by the fire begin, the pumpkin spice lattes make a come back and lastly my most favorite thing.. The colors, I love warm earthy tones!  What inspired me to do this look most was the colors of the leaves on a tree outside my house, it was my first sign that autumn/fall had begun and I felt the urge to do a makeup look inspired by that colors I saw. This was the end result and I was very happy with it so I thought why not share it, after all sharing is caring and more importantly maybe I could inspire some of you to try something different. So, to find out more about how I achieved this look please keep on reading. 


PREP

Moisturizer
Benefit - Triple Performing Facial Emulsion
I apply a pea size amount to the tip of my fingers and work it into the skin using circular motions, starting in the center of my face.

 Primer
Benefit - POREfessional Face Primer
Again, applying a pea size amount to the tip of my fingers and using circular motions I focus on working this product into my larger pore areas around my nose and under the eyes I then work the product into my T-zone area and whatever is left I work into the rest of the face. 

BROWS

 AHB - Dipbrow Pomade in Ebony
ABH - Brow Wiz in Ebony
ABH - 7 Mini Duo Brush
ABH - Clear Brow Gel
To start the brows I first comb them through with the spooley end of the duo brush. I then shape out my brows and fill in the tail using the pomade and the angled brush end of the duo brush. Once I've done this I fill in the front of the brow with the brow wiz using a light hand and also fill in any sparse areas. To bring everything together I go through the brows with the spooley end of the duo brush to blend away any harshness then set them using the brow gel.

EYES

 Base
NYX - Conceal, Correct & Contour Palette
NYX - Stay Matte Powder in Warm
Sigma - F75 Concealer Brush
Sigma - E60 Large Shader Brush
To create a base and define the brows I use shade 3 from the palette and a F75 brush. I carve out the brows first then feather the product down onto the eyelid, I then used my ring finger to blend it all together and set with powder using a F60 brush.

Shadows
Morphe - 350 Palette
Morphe - 350 Matte Palette
Sigma - E40 Tapered Blending Brush
Sigma - E35 Tapered Blending Brush
Sigma - E25 Blending Brush
Sigma - E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush
Sigma - F70 Concealer Brush
Sigma - E55 Eye Shading
Sigma - E20 Short Shader Brush 
For my transition shade I mixed shade 1 & 2 and apply this above and in the crease with a E40 brush. I then go over all of it using shade 3 with the same E40 brush to deepen the color. Next I took shade 4 using a E35 brush and applied this into the crease slightly blending it upwards, then going back in with my E40 brush with what ever is left on there and further blend to blow it all out. I then took shade 5 with a E25 brush and concentrated on putting this color in the crease just below shade 4 and on the inner and outer corners of the lids avoiding the center, I really wanted to make this color pop so I kept repeating this step to build the intensity. Once I was happy with the intensity I went back to my E35 brush with no additional product and blended it all in so there was no harsh lines. For my last shade I took shade 6 with a F70 brush and placed it right on the center of the lid, then used a E45 brush to blend it in with shade 5 keeping the sparkle concentrated in the center of the lid. For the lower lash line which I did after concealer I used shade 3 & 4 with a E55 brush not blending it to far down and focusing on the outer corners then used shade 5 with a E20 brush and really focused on getting that as close to the lash line as possible again focusing on the outer corners. Lastly I went back to my E45 brush and blended the lower lash line.



Lashes
Huda Beauty - Giselle Lashes #1
DUO - Strip Lash Adhesive
Benefit - They're Real Mascara
Maybelline - Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
Sigma - E10 Small Eyeliner Brush
For lashes I first lined them with gel eyeliner and a E10 brush, I then applied my false lashes and used mascara to blend them with my own and to apply to my lower lashes.

 FACE

 Foundation
Make Up For Ever - Ultra HD in Amber
Real Techniques - Miracle Complexion Sponge
I applied 2-3 pumps of foundation to the back of my hand and use my fingers to dot it all over my face and neck, avoiding my under eye area I then blended using a beauty sponge.

 Concealer
MAC - Pro Longwear Concealer in NC42
Urban Decay - Naked Skin Concealer in Med-Light
NYX - Highlight & Contour Pro Palette
Real Techniques - Miracle Complexion Sponge
Mixing concealers, I applied it to my under eyes and sides of nose using my ring finger then blended it all out with a beauty sponge also cleaning up and sharpening the outer corners of my eye shadow. Next I go straight into setting the under eyes so the concealer doesn't settle and crease, to do this I used the color cream to set using a beauty sponge again, while doing this I also set the center of my forehead, center of my chin and the center of my nose to highlight.

Contour
NYX - Matte Bronzer in Deep/Tan
NYX - Conceal, Correct, Contour Palette
Too Faced - Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
Sigma - F60 Foundation Brush
Sigma - F05 Small Contour Brush
Morphe - 458 1in Flat Contour Brush
To start off my contour I use shade 2 & 4 from the palette with a F60 brush to carve out my cheek bones then blended it out with a beauty sponge. I then warmed up the face using a warm toned bronzer and a F05 brush going around the outer sections of my face then lastly deepened the contour and set my cheeks using a cooler toned bronzer and a F05 brush. Using the same cooler toned bronzer I contour my nose using a M458 brush.

Blush
MAC - Powder Blush in Springsheen
Sigma - F40 Large Angled Contour Brush
For blush I applied it mainly on the apples of my cheeks blending it back into the contour using my F40 brush.

 Highlight
Benefit - Watt's Up! Cream Highlighter
BECCA X Jaclyn Hill - Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector
Morphe - B8 Fan Brush
To hightlight I first used the cream highlighter on the cheek bones and blended it in using a beauty sponge, I then applied the skin perfector over the top using a B8 brush also applying it to cupids bow and inner corners of my eyes.

 LIPS

 MAC - Lip Liner in Spice
Gerard Cosmetics - Lipstick in Nude
For my lips, I first lined them to define the shape then applied my lipstick.

 FINISH

 Set
Makeup Revolution - Pro Fix Spray 
To lock in my makeup I sprayed my whole face with setting spray for longer wear.
And there we have it. 
I hope enjoyed today's post, don't forget to leave comments below. 
Have a great day.

 Elle 









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Monday, 10 October 2016

SOAP & GLORY'S PEACHES & CLEAN™ DEEP CLEANSING MILK

Hi everyone, hope this blog finds you all well. I know it's been a while but I'm back with today's post which is going to be about the Peaches and Clean Cleansing Milk by Soap and Glory. So I found this product unexpectedly when I received it as a gift at Christmas, for those who aren't very familiar with Soap and Glory they do the BEST Christmas gifts sets, I ask for them every year. When I first saw this product I didn't really have much interest in it as I was battling acne at the time so anything that wasn't salicylic acid based I feared using. However a few months ago I had run out of my normal face wash and remembered I had the Peaches and Clean one so for what was supposed to be a temporary measure I used it and to my surprise I feel in love and decided to keep on using it and even more surprisingly it helped clear my skin! So, to find out more about this bottle of goodness and see my overall review on this product please keep on reading. 




WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW


DESCRIPTION

Want healthier, clearer more radiant skin? Use Peaches and Clean amazing 4-in-1 wash off cleansing milk. It purifies and clarifies, dissolves make-up energizes and smooths. It’s gentle, effective, melts away make-up (even waterproof mascara), and re-energizes your complexion in two minutes. Key ingredients include Oxyginseng technology - an amazingly effective, organic complex that helps increase circulation and cell respiration (which then turns up blood supply and toxin removal), and also speeds oxygen and nutrient delivery to fight aging and re-energize skin. GoJuice peach and goji berry extracts - rich in antioxidants and vitamins A & C. Quillaja Bark a Chilean soap bark tree-derived natural cleansing agent. Suitable for all skin types.

MY SKIN

To help you get a better idea of what type of skin type I'm basing my judgement off I want to tell you a little about mine. My skin type is type #3, I found out this by taking a few skin type tests online and I have previously seen a dermatologist who has told my skin is type #3. Skin type #3 falls in category of oily, combination, sensitive skin prone to acne and clogged pores. I get enlarged pores and produce oil mainly in my t-zone, I'm prone to acne mainly around the outer areas of my face like my forehead, cheeks, chin and jawline; I also suffer with acne scarring in the same areas. Although I am oily in areas my skin is also dehydrated which can sometimes bring my eczema/psoriasis to surface so it can be hard to find the balance sometime as acne fighting products can be to harsh and damage the dryer areas and hydrating products can be to greasy and clog my pores. Who knew skin could be so challenging! 

HOW I USE

Before I use the cleansing milk I like to remove the majority of my make-up if I'm wearing any, I do this by using a gentle cleansing water like Garnier's SkinActive Micellar cleansing water which I'm loving at the moment. I then dampen my skin and apply one and a half pumps of the cleansing milk to my face and neck and proceed to massage into my skin starting in the center of my face working outwards, I then rinse away with very cool/cold water and pat my skin dry with a towel then go onto either my daytime or nighttime skin routine. I do this twice a day, morning and night, I also use it to exfoliate 2-3 times a week, my routine is the same only I use my Magnitone® barefaced cleansing brush on a gentle setting instead of my hands.



OVERALL REVIEW

I will not stop using this product anytime soon. It has definitely cleared up my skin and 100% makes my skin feel and look more radiant. It is very gentle and effective without feeling like its stripping the skin dry. It really gives the skin a hydrated, smooth, plump feeling ready for follow on products like moisturizers and I've noticed my make-up application is a lot smoother. I like to wear a lot of make-up and it really does feel like its melting it away as it has a minty tingly like feeling to it so you can feel it unclogging your pores leaving my skin feeling like it can breathe. As mentioned I do remove the majority of my make-up before using the product but there is always some still leftover before washing my face, once I've washed and dried my face I would normally go over the skin again with the cleansing water to make sure it's clean and to get any leftover traces of make-up until this product; I can safely skip this step and move straight onto moisturizers as there is never a trace of make-up left behind. Also as mentioned my skin is acne prone I do also get eczema/psoriasis so it's defiantly hard to find a balance with my skin care but because this product has Oxyginseng technology my skin is left feeling hydrated and radiant which helps aid my eczema and is rich in vitamins A & C which if you didn't know helps aid acne so it's a win-win. I do still get the odd break out which is unavoidable as they only appear around the time aunt flow comes to visit if you know what I mean  but even then they're not as bad as they once were. This product can be found in the U.K at Boots for £8.00 and if you shop at the right time you may be able to get you hands on it when there is a 3 for 2 offer on or you can treat yourself using your boots points if you have an advantage card. For world wide purchases I believe it can be found in stores/websites that I have listed below along with the boots site.


I hope today's post was helpful, please feel free to leave comments below.
Thank you 

Elle 



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