Hey guys! It has most certainly been way too long since I actually posted something substantial on here so right now here is my pledge to actually keep going!

I thought I would start off talking about a favourite moisturiser of mine Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré, or simply known as Embryolisse. A wonderful multipurpose product that can be used for a range of things, from removing your make-up to an overnight moisture mask.

I personally wouldn't use this to remove make-up as it is quite pricey and use other things like balms/oils to remove my make-up but in terms of moisture it is incredible.

It has been a cult favourite for many many years, a loved product at fashion shows and photoshoots because of its priming properties. It leaves you with glowing, plump skin that looks instantly hydrated and radient. 

Who wouldn't want that?

This product is mainly for those with dry-comination skin as combination-oily skin may find it too rich, whilst saying that my skin type is combination-oily and I love it! It leaves my skin in such a subtle condition and makes it GLOW!

Whilst it is something to be mindful of, this product is scented, I personally love the smell.
It seems like it's a product my mother would have used many many years ago - that nostalgic smell.

You can source this product from various different shops such as boots, asos and beautybay and other online websites!

The 30ml is around £13 and the 75ml is around £20. 

As you can already guess from previous posts on my blog, skincare is something I like to educate myself on. I am always searching for new methods to up my skincare routine in order to give me the best results. However, I feel as though I have been doing this since the age of 16, and I still do not have it down to a t, keeping the faith though.

Today I'm going to talk about Tea Tree Oil, as the title already explains. I have been aware of tea tree oil for over a decade now; after some brief research, at the age of 13, I discovered that in order to heal my acne I needed tea tree oil based products. I guess not much has changed, I still love tea tree oil and I still manage to get spots. Anyway, let me talk more about the oil itself.

I heard about this product many years ago, probably over 10 years ago now, but it was never available for purchase within the UK so I didn't get a chance to try it out. September 2015 I was flying with British Airways and in their shop I saw the product and just had to try it after all those years. I didn't  know what to expect from it but people had been raving about it for years so it must of been good. I've been using it every day since September and am already onto my second tub!

Egyptian magic cream is essentially a combination of different natural ingredients including, olive oil, honey, royal jelly and a few other ingredients. It is a multipurpose product with the reputation of healing skin irritations, easing acne and many other things and can be even used on men as after shave.

Within the beauty industry the product has been endorsed by many well known celebrities such as Victoria's Secret Angel Adriana Lima, Kate Hudson, Rachel Zoe, Cara Delevigne. Many many makeup artists have this product as must have in their makeup bags. 

My experience with Egyptian Magic Cream has also been a pleasant one; it certainly leaves my skin feeling nourished and moisturised in the morning as I tend to mainly slather this on my face of a night. What I love about this product is how I don't need to be cautious of it going around the eye area as it is gentle enough and if you want it could perhaps double up as an eye cream. However, I would recommend something richer as an eye cream (Kiehl's Creamy Avocado Eye Cream is my ultimate favourite). The consistency of the product is that of coconut oil, it's hard in the tub but starts to melt into an oil when is heated up between your hands. It doesn't smell too strong in the tub and there is basically no scent when its on your skin whatsoever so for those who dislike heavily scented products this would be right up your street. 

There isn't a specific skin type that would benefit from this product as everyone would; its gentle enough to be used on baby skin and effective enough to moisturise mature skin too. I have gotten my own family members to love the product; the men use it after shaving as it soothes and moisturises the skin, and with the cold weather it reduces the chances of the shaved area becoming irritated. My sister also loves the product and has stocked up on it, she uses it in similar ways to me. 

It's always good to be cautious of over hyped products however, this product is one that has had consistent positive feedback for many years and after trying the product it isn't hard to see why. I can see Egyptian Magic Cream being a staple product in my skincare routine for many years to come. Its affordable when compared to other moisturisers on the market but slightly pricier than a drugstore/high street product. It can be picked up from Boots in the UK and many online companies are also supplying it to, the average price I believe is around £30. 

If you buy just one product for this month I strongly recommend that you try this product as it works wonders on dry skin especially during this bitter english weather. The hype surrounding Egyptian Magic Cream is certainly worth it!

xo

I picked up the OGX Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil from Boots as a part of their 3 for 2 offer; after getting the shampoo and conditioner from this brand I hoped the oil wouldn't be too bad. 

I'm unsure if that heading is accurate in any way BUT it sounded good.
I have been away for months but have now found the motivation to get back into this.
I was walking around town; boots and debenhams with my best friend talking about beauty & skincare related things and in the back of my mind it made me realise how much I missed actually blogging and everything that comes along with it.
I love helping people discover new things, and teach them new techniques. 

I can't wait to share whatever I learn with you all. 

x 

Due to certain personal circumstances I haven't been able to produce efficient content for today's post hence why it is also late. I didn't want to not put in effort at all, so after watching a few youtube videos I thought I would include this one about how to be a morning person. I know I'm loving getting up early in the mornings and making the most of my days, so I wanted to share this with you all so everyone can be as productive as possible. 

Can you think of anything better than waking up in the morning and everything being perfect (looks wise). Let's not lose sight that what's inside matters more than appearance but let's also be realistic that our looks do affect how we are so trying to look your best isn't a sin. Here I'm going to suggest some things you can do before sleep to help you look your utmost best in the morning.

○ Remove Makeup
You have to ensure that your skin is thoroughly cleansed; a good consistent skin care regime will help you to do this. Pre-cleanse and then cleanse again to be sure that every bit of grime has been lifted from the skin. Clogged pores lead to acne, wrinkles and damage the skin as the makeup and grime won't allow it to breath. Do not just rely on makeup wipes as these do not remove makeup completely but just the layer on top, deep cleanse. So make sure to remove all of your makeup before bed, your skin will thank you.


○ Castor Oil
If you're looking to grow your lashes and brows then applying castor oil religiously of a night will aid in thicker hairs growing back (which is something everyone seems to strive for nowadays). Castor oil has great health benefits but is often underlooked due to its sticky thick consistency. It's great for hair loss so this theory could be applied in regards to your brows and lashes. As well as aiding in the growth, Castor Oil nourishes hair strands and follicles. If you're someone who uses makeup frequently then you know especially with lashes, they can get very weak and dry so by doing this you're adding back moisture and making the hairs healthy.

○ Exfoliate
This is a must, I do it every night before bed, then shower and moistures (next point). I find that exfoliating your skin, be it with a body scrub or dry body brushing, does not only improve the texture but the overall tone. Your skin will look better, as you know exfoliation removes dead skin cells, so you're taking off that layer of dead skin which would otherwise lead to flaky dry skin and a dull complexion. For daily exfoliation especially on the face don't use anything too abrasive try chemical exfoliators, but for the body I recommend using a body brush (that's a whole different post in itself).

○ Moisturise
It makes sense after exfoliating and cleansing your skin you need to add back all the goodness. Moisturising is essential as you do not want your skin to feel tight, dry and uncomfortable as this could damage it and even lead to wrinkles. When your skin isn't moisturised it's left weaker and less effective, so to keep it subtle slap it on all over your body and wake up with the softest healthiest skin ever. Using a serum as well as moisturising on your face will help add double the moisture. Don't forget to add foot cream too; as your feet tend to get pretty dry it doesn't hurt to keep them in good condition too. With the warmer days coming up, sandals will probably be your go-to footwear so ensure your feet are looking their best. Hands. Don't forget to moisturise hands. Just moisturise your whole body head to toe.

○ Spot Treatment
This is for those that suffer from acne or just the occasional spot either on your face or body. Applying a good quality spot treatment should help dry out and reduce inflammation. My go-to spot treatment is Grease Lightning from Lush. I hear good things about Sudocrem and how it combats spots but personally for me it never worked. Another great spot treatment is Asprin; dissolve aspirin with a tiny amount of water and apply onto the areas of concern.

○ Lip Balm
Like the skin on your face and body, your lips also need to be kept soft and subtle. When you have dehydrated dry lips it can be extremely uncomfortable as in most cases they crack and start to peel. Prevention is better than cure with dry chapped lips, as it takes a while to get them back into a healthy state so apply An intensive lip balm or multipurpose cream to help avoid all of this. If you already have chapped lips then looking for a medicated product should do the trick.


Above all else you must sleep well; you need to have your sleeping routine down to a T (I know it's easier said than done).

x

It was everywhere; all over blogs, youtube, shops. EVERYWHERE. Of course, I didn't try it when everyone was hyped up about it, I ended up getting my hands on it much later. Whenever I'd go into boots it was sold out, so I took it as a sign from God to not even bother. However, when I did get my hands on the Age Rewind Concealer I was hooked. I can understand why people raved about this product so much. 

This concealer states that its active formula and micro-corrector applicator erases dark circles, puffiness and fine lines instantly. Now that's quite a high standard to set, but I feel that this does it all so perfectly. Of course, be rational it's not a miracle worker, but it works extremely well.
This product comes in a range of six shades, so there should be something which works with everyone's skin tone.

The plastic packaging looks sleek; it differs from your standard concealers as it contains a round sponge tip/puff. To get the product out, all you have to do is twist until the puff is saturated and then press it onto areas you want to apply concealer.

I really do love using this product; for myself I picked up the lightest shade as I knew this would only be used as a highlighter, not a concealer. This shade is too light to conceal any imperfections so for that I would need to get a shade which matches my skin tone. It highlights beautiful and if I set it right it won't crease under my eyes. It covers my dark circles beautiful, although I will state that my dark circles are too prominent. This is a medium coverage product, so if you need something more powerful then you should probably invest in another product to deal with those tough areas. However, or me it works perfectly so if you have the same situation going on under your eyes as I do you'd be just fine.

There's nothing I can think that's bad about this product, because for the price and what it promises to do it does live up pretty well to it. Sometimes the packaging does irritate me because I do prefer being able to get concealer out with a pump, but I only use the puff to apply it then switch to my concealer/blending brush to work with the actual product. I've read reviews online that say it affected their sensitive eyes, but I think this can be avoided if you don't apply the product too close to your eye/waterline. I myself have extremely sensitive eyes and have never experienced any issues.

You really can not go wrong with this budget-friendly concealer; if you have been wondering whether to try it or not the I highly suggest you do. 

Fun Fact it's the only beauty product I have fully finished within about one month (maybe two). 

I figured that it would be nice for me to have one day where I can talk about anything that's going on in my life; like update you anything fun.

○ Second Year of Uni

I have recently just finished my second year of university, although it means I have the whole summer now to enjoy myself I don't feel like I can. All the stress and anxiety of the fact that this time next year I will have hopefully graduated is hitting me. Career paths need to be chosen and for someone extremely indecisive it's a very hard thing that I have to sort out and get in control of. 

○ Blogging

I used to 'blog' on and off for the past 4 years, never stuck to it regularly the way that I am doing so now. I have decided to throw all my energy and time into blogging as it's something productive to invest time in, who knows where it could lead. I enjoy sharing tips and reviewing products all the good stuff that comes with blogging even if not a lot of people read them. Of course I want as many people to view the posts I put a lot of time and effort into planning, but it's not a huge deal for me I am content with the people that do choose to read my blog. 

○ Healthy Lifestyle Changes 

I used to be on this health kick a while back but as the workload started to build up my motivation to keep on track started to deteriorate. Now  I am ready and in the right frame of mind to start again and make sure that I don't lose sight of why I want to do this. A healthy diet and frequent exercise have been happening and what will continue to do so; hopefully I'll be able to inspire someone to do the same. 

Whether you want to declutter your wardrobe down to the basics or just start from scratch, I am certain that this post will come in handy. When looking to build the basics in your wardrobe, the main thing is to think of how everything can work together before incorporating statement pieces and how an item can be dressed up or down is crucial.

Delving in the world of fashion is pretty daunting; clothing shops tend to have everything everywhere, so it's pretty hard to keep your head straight whilst trying to figure out what you really need to have. I am going to go through a few wardrobe staples you will need, so get your pen and paper ready!

○ The Basic White Tee
Kind of an obvious, this piece can be dressed up or down. I love this because it's an item that will never go out of style. Wear it with a figure hugging skirt or boyfriend jeans it's the perfect upper base for any style. It's one of those items that you really do need to have in your wardrobe. You can get different variations of the white tee; different cuts materials graphics but I prefer mine to be a plain crisp white cotton t-shirt. Of course, I'm talking about the white tee, but you can also get grey or black and the same would apply for that. 

○ The Little Black Dress
LBD's are suitable for any occasion; they can be worn in the office for work giving a classy, sophisticated vibe but they can also be transitioned into an evening out attire. Depending on the cut and fit of your LBD you can find an LBD for any occasion, a midi sleeveless figure-hugging LBD can be worn on nights out or as a day dress. It solely depends on your preference; once you find what you like the most grab it because it's a timeless classic piece that will most definitely come in handy.

○ The Ballet Flats
Ballet flats scream chic and comfort; you can still have a dressy outfit and finish it off with a cute pair of flats such as the Charlotte Olympia flats. You can also keep this super casual with a pair of loafer/moccasin style flats. I prefer my flats to be basic and usually stick to black or nude as these are colours I know I'll be able to incorporate in my wardrobe. So when you pick your flats make sure to keep the same thing in mind.


○ The Slip On Trainer
It's only recently that this trend has made it into people's essentials category. I personally used to associate slip on shoes with young children (you know avoiding the whole shoe lace situation) but now I am hooked onto my van slip ons. They are comfortable enough to walk miles in but still give your outfit that cool vibe. Black would make any outfit sleeker, but if you're feeling daring then a bold print would be a perfect way to make a statement without going OTT.


○ The Striped Top
This, for me especially, is a must have. There's just something about a striped top which just says I tried but not too hard. Add an effortless vibe to any outfit by simply throwing on a striped top. Black bottoms are perfect combined with it. Material matters with striped clothing items. If you're wearing bottoms such as boyfriend or skinny jeans then going for a structured top is ideal and if going for a more structured bottom then you can afford to go loose and casual on top as this balances an outfit. A subtle 'statement' item which still has the ability to mix well with everything in your wardrobe.


○ The Classic Tailored Pants
Every girl needs a basic pair of tailored trousers; the cut is down to personal preference but I don't think anyone would go wrong with a pair of high waisted slim leg pair. Dressed up or down they can be worn to work on weekdays paired with a blouse and flats/pumps or throw on a t-shirt for a laid-back style for weekends or days off.

○ The Courts
Although I have spoken about flats are staples there is no escaping the necessity of a good pair of heels. A neutral hue can take you from the office to club with no problem. In different styles and cuts, your wardrobe is never fully complete without a pair of courts you can wear to dress an outfit up or dress it down.


○ Denim Jeans
No matter what cut you prefer or colour (although I suggest classic denim colours for your basics) jeans are a must have in everyone's wardrobe. The foundation to any outfit, dress up or down, heels or flats whatever suits you and your personal style. My preference would be skinny, high waisted, high rise or boyfriend fit. Once you discover what cut and fit suits your body shape be sure to pick them up in black and white and blue, you'll be set in the jean department for a long time.

It's worth investing in basic items in your wardrobe as you will ideally want them to last you for a very long time. I prefer investing in expensive basics rather than splashing out on a statement top or coat that I will only wear for a short amount of time. There is a lot more that could be added onto the basics; such as a basic shopper black bag, structured city bag, leather jacket, but once you start with what I have suggested above you'll be set to continue building onto it all.

x

I constantly find myself in the phase of growing my hair out; due to dying it or heat damage I'm always trying to grow it out to be healthier. Throughout this whole time I'm telling myself I won't dye my hair or use heat on it again, we all know how long that would last. My friend's always seem to come to me when they want tips on how to achieve this so here I'm going to share a few tips that I personally use to aid in growing my hair.

I remember first hearing about La Roche-Posay Serozinc a few years ago, (back when it had to be ordered online as it wasn't sold in England) but I never quite got a chance to try it then. So when I came across it in Boots a month ago, I couldn't have been happier and more excited to try a product. I picked this product up with the hope that it would have the power to fix my blemished skin as I had heard that's what it was predominantly good for.