Birthday Weekend

Sorry I’ve been on the quiet side for the past week. I’ve been at my parents' house with my boyfriend. My birthday was on Sunday so I went back to celebrate with my family and friends. It was really nice to go back home to see everybody and breathe some fresh Midlands air. Saturday night was spent having a meal with my parents followed by a night out in my hometown. It was great to have a catch-up with everyone and my town is the kind that always feels like home, no matter how long I'm away, and I can’t argue with the cheap drink prices compared to London prices.

I did get some birthday shopping in too and wanted to show you a few things I bought courtesy of the bf, he gave me the money to choose my own pressies.
I actually spent most of my birthday money whilst I was still in London. I went to Bluewater for the first time a of couple weeks ago and LOVED it! It’s the most Americanised shopping centre I’ve been to in the UK which is a good thing because I love American malls, and I believe this is also the biggest one in the UK, I could be wrong, there’s probably an even bigger one by now, but it’s great all the same, definitely worth the travel out of London for the convenience of having everything under one roof. I love the fact it has a Hollister store too, this was the first time I realised we even stocked Hollister and it makes me very happy and nostalgic of my exchange year in Florida. Although the summery clothes have limited wear over here, there’s still some great pieces to layer. Unfortunately the price tags aren’t as I remember, I lived there during a time when I could just halve the price of everything to work out the price in £. Now things seem mega expensive! I only got this simple vest top in the end, I love the colour, and hopefully it should wear well, otherwise I can’t really justify spending £12 on such a top when I could have bought one for £4. Oh well, I love Hollister :p. Also in the picture, I bought another vest top from Topshop, love the lace detailing on the back, a couple of scarves from H&M, necklace from Accessorize, bangles from Muse, (a bargain jewellery shop which I’m pretty certain has the same distributors as Accessorize, Topshop and the like, very similar items), Too Faced Blush and No7 Extravagant Lash Mascara. I will probably do separate reviews on the makeup products because I am thrilled with one and disappointed with the other, can you guess which?!

My skin care regime, for oily / combination skin

I just wanted to show you the skincare regime that i’ve been following for the last year or so. The products that I use are for oily/combination skin so if you’re this skin type and having problems, i’d recommend trying these products.

If you live in the UK, and most of Europe these products are cheap and easily available, for the US im not sure if they stock Simple, but it's a good brand to hunt for if you can find it.
My first tip for maintaining healthy skin would be to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and drink plenty of water. I know that maintaining good health is more complicated than that, but I think this simple step is a good start.
I use the same routine in the morning as at night. At night I use a facial wash to begin, then I take my makeup off using Garnier sensitive eye make-up remover, and no matter how much I use, however carefully I think I’ve cleansed my eyes, there’s almost always a tiny amount there in the morning still, just under my eye, so if that’s the case I’ll just sweep a tiny amount around my eyes.

Once you've ensured all the make-up is off, begin with No.7 Beautifully Balanced purifying cleanser for oily/combination skin. It’s fragrance free, non-drying and pH balanced. You can also use it as a wash, but i prefer to just rub it on and wipe off, leaving my skin really mattified. This is a pretty unique cleanser in the way that it's versatile and is a cleanser that not only cleanses but mattifies as it does so.
Next on to the toner. I use Lush Tea Tree Water, and truly believe this is the best toner for my skin. The problem with a lot of toners that are designed for oily skin is that they are extremely harsh. Prior to this I would use Bioré triple action toner which seemed to be a great toner, it controlled excess oil and breakouts and left my skin feeling tingly clean. I thought this was a great product until a friend of mine used it. She had fair, sensitive skin, and said after using it, it felt like her skin was burning. I figured this must be the acid. The toner contains salicylic acid which is used in treating acne. I think the formulation is a little strong for every day use, and I want a toner that I can use every day. The ingredients in this toner are as follows: tea tree water, grapefruit water, juniperberry water, Limonene which occurs naturally in essential oils, perfume and methylparaben. And that’s it! Where I can buy a good product that is as close to nature as possible and actually works I always will. You really want to look after the skin on your face as it’s the most exposed, and remember your skin is delicate so avoid harsh chemicals and excessive rubbing of the skin where you can.
The final step is to moisturise. It may seem unnecessary to moisturise oily skin, just adding to the problem right? If you use a moisturiser targeted at oily/combination skin, your skin will benefit a lot more. Simple do a great range for this skin type, and I am a huge fan of the moisturiser. It contains Zinc PCA to gently absorb excess oil, it is Natural Antibacterial which helps reduce blemishes, and is 100% shine free, so mattifies all day long. Used over time you will see a difference in your complexion.