April Favourites 2015

Hey! Here's my April favourites. If you'd like to watch them instead, just click on the photo above :)

First up, is the Aloe Moisturizing Lotion. I love this stuff! It's definitely a product that I reach for everyday. It applies well and a little bit certainly goes a long way. It makes a perfect base for my foundation and sinks into the skin straight away! (I can't stand those sticky moisturisers!) Also contains collagen and elastin...every girl's best friends! :P

The next one has been such a lifesaver over the past week! After teaching children for just 2 days, I sadly invited in some germs! Charming! Anyhow, keen to soothe a painful sore throat I reached for the Aloe Vera Gelly. Within minutes of swallowing a bit of the gel, I felt the aloe working it's magic and helping with the soreness. It doesn't really taste of much either in my opinion so it wasn't difficult to use. Winner!

Next up is my FAVOURITE blush palette. I'm a big lover of Benefit anyway but their blushers smell so good they make me want to eat them! This is part of the Sweetie range and I got this for Christmas. I love them all but my favourites are Rockateur and Bella Bamba!

My go to lipgloss in April has been Dior's Dior Addict in shade Princess. Perfect for adding a bit of sparkle to your lips! It applies nicely and it remains on the lips for a fairly long time in terms of gloss. Pretty :)

My next favourite is a book! Yes, I don't usually include reading material but I feel this is worth a mention. It's definitely for the deep thinkers! It's based around mindset and the law of attraction. What you put out into the world, you attract more of the same back. Positivity is key! Since last summer I'd already been thinking along these lines anyway and this book is confirming it for me. LOVE IT!

Last but not least, haircare! The Aloe Jojoba Shampoo and Conditioner are amazing! I've been using these for several months now and the results have been brilliant.

The condition of my hair is the best it's ever been and the length is longer than ever before too! I haven't had a haircut for ages (definitely overdue) yet the ends of my hair are fine! The shampoo lasts a really long time as you only need the tiniest bit to create some serious foaming! And the conditioner smells great and leaves hair silky smooth. Big thumbs up for these two! :)


Link in your favourites bloggers...I'd like to see!

x

Mid-week mini haul!

Hi everyone. If you follow my blog or Youtube channel you'll know I love a good haul (a haul being where you reveal what you've been buying) and here's another! All be it mini.

Like many, I love to shop and will often take myself on random retail therapy sessions! It still feels a bit naughty to be out and about on say a Monday afternoon or a Thursday morning enjoying myself whilst others are at work. My typical week has so drastically changed since I left teaching full-time.

Anyhow, sometimes, just sometimes, I get bored of my own company (sarcasm detected) so I was thrilled when one of my best friends said that she had this week off work. YES! Someone to shop with me! 

So on Wednesday me and Gina naturally decided to indulge in a bit of retail therapy in Nottingham. We of course started our shopping trip with a Nando's. You just have to! :) Standard. 

Here's me literally bursting with excitement over anticipated chicken!!! :D

After demolishing our Nando's and adjusting my waistbelt...we hit the shops!

I cannot remember a running order so I'll just talk about my purchases from left to right of the haul picture...

Katie Piper's Beautiful Ever after. I have so so much admiration for this girl! She is truly one of the bravest people I've ever witnessed and I find her very inspirational. I loved her first book, despite it being a true tear-jerker and I'm sure this one will be just as great. WHSmith's were doing a offer where if you bought any magazine you could get the book for £2.99. Gina was buying a magazine anyway and so I simply couldn't resist :) 

Cotton pads and wash cloths. I actually bought 3x cotton pads and 2 wash cloths (pink and cream) for the above reason. I'm giving friends/family/local people the chance to try some of our great skincare products for a few days in the form of this Pamper Box. <3

Elemis Tan Accelerator. I've talked about this product many times and it's been a favourite of mine for around 5 years now. It does as it says and accelerates a tan like nobodies business! Also helps prevent prickly heat and sunburn. And have I mentioned it's scent?! Wow does this smell good! I purchased mine from John Lewis and a offer in store meant it was £20.70. It's usually not far off that pricemark anyway.

Plasters. How exciting! I've been trying to get my feet used to dolly shoes and the likes again now that summer's approaching. They do the job. Boots £1.79. Bargain.

White pumps. I wasn't actually planning to buy any shoes but whilst at the till in Select I happened to see these on the side. My feet are pretty delicate so the first thing I do when looking at shoes is feel the back of the heel to see if they are soft. These particular pumps felt amazing and I could tell they'd be a comfy wear. As luck would have it they had my size out of the only two pairs left in the store...I took this as a sign. They were also only £10.99.

Black leggings. You can never have too many black leggings right? Well recently my collection had dwindled down to one pair! So I had this purchase in mind from the start. I find Select ones really good value for money at 2 pairs for £8. 

The Veronica's new album. Although not pictured, I also bought this CD. This purchase was actually for my Dad. He loves the song 'You ruin me', as do I actually, and I planned to get him the album for his birthday way back in January! It was only recently released so it's been quite a wait...but finally got it! :)

As I said, it was just a mini haul! Hope you've all been having a great week too!

x

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Trio: Limited Edition

Hi everyone. So I went shopping last weekend, for a dress actually, but ended up in the makeup and skincare department of John Lewis! Like you do! :)

I'm sure I don't need to go into how special Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish is and it's been a holy grail product for me for some time. However if you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing it then in a nutshell it literally melts off your makeup in such a sensitive fashion. It's the only thing I've ever found to remove my mascara and eye makeup successfully without any stinging whatsoever!

So, I knew I was running low on my Cleanse & Polish and planned on simply repurchasing my usual one. It's pretty decent and lasts me a fair few months. Yet when I got to the Liz Earle section the special edition ones immediately caught my eye. Unbeknowing to me, they are currently celebrating their 20th anniversary and have a special set as pictured above available for a limited time only.

Upon smelling the added flavours to the original Cleanse & Polish, I knew I had to have them! They're gorgeous! I'm yet to try them as I'm waiting until I run out of my normal one...but I'm in for a treat for sure!

The set retails at £50 which is a little more than I was looking to spend but I know they'll last me ages! Here's the link if you'd like to have a nosey :)

Does anyone else have these?

<3

Sonya Skincare: Aloe Refreshing Toner

Hey so I thought I'd share with you a really nice toner that I've been trying over the last month. Sonya's Aloe Refreshing Toner is really gentle on the skin (all the usual properties of using a Aloe product) but also very effective at removing that last bit of tough make-up and/or dirt that your cleanser or face wash missed!

As it says on the packaging, it is a alcohol-free product so is kind to skin and doesn't dry out your face like some toners tend to do. I love the benefits of the white tea ingredient giving your face some extra radiance and I love the smell! The scent is really pleasant and it reminds me of another of my favourite toner's: this Michael Todd one. 

I truly feel like this helps my skin to stay clean, fresh and moisturized. At £26.84 it is an high-end toner but a little bit goes a very long way. I haven't even used a 1/4 of the bottle so far and I've been using regularly for around 3-4 weeks now. I would highly recommend it.

You can purchase the product here.

* Please note: As with all the products there is an unconditional 60 day money back satisfaction guarantee. 

Give it a try and tell me what you think :)

Elemis Tan Accelerator

Hello. So I cannot believe I haven't blogged about this before! It's Elemis' Tan Accelerator lotion and it's amazing. It's without question one of my most used and loved products of all time. 

So what is it? ... Well, as it says in its name, it does indeed accelerate a tan. It's pretty good for that actually. However this is not the reason I first purchased the product. 

When I was younger I'd often go on a couple of abroad holidays each year and whilst I enjoyed going away, my skin didn't. More often than not I'd break out in awful pricky heat rashes. If you've ever experienced prickly heat yourself, you'll know how unpleasant and uncomfortable it is. 

May 2011, Greece. I developed the most severe prickly heat rash on my stomach that I had ever experienced and to be honest it ruined my holiday. I was miserable! However during that time my friend told me about this 'tan accelerator thing' that helps to prevent prickly heat and sunburn. I was certainly interested. 

So prior to my holiday in Septemeber 2011 to Gran Canaria, I bought myself a bottle of the Elemis Tan Accelerator. It recommends it's best to apply the lotion about one to two weeks prior to your holiday to help prep your skin. I used the lotion like I would a body moisturiser and applied it all over my body once a day for about 14 days. 

The result: A fantastic holiday in the sun, without any rashes or sunburn! Amazing. Obviously, as a then pale skinned person, I was also using high factor sun cream, but I didn't experience any sunburn. Usually I would still burn a bit, with or without sun cream as my skin was that sensitive! 

I enjoyed using the product so much that after my holiday I decided to continue using the lotion and bought another bottle. Why?
1) The smell. It's delicious. I can't quite describe the scent but I really love it. I suppose it reminds me of holidays.
2) Good skin moisturiser. It's very easy to rub in and instantly sinks into your skin. I don't find it sticky and it does lightly tint your skin.
3) Great for sunbed use. Yes, I know, sunbeds are BAD. However I do enjoy a quick sess every so often and find the lotion really helps to protect your skin whilst accelerating the tan as it were!
4) I figured if I ever go abroad again, my skin will already be prepped and ready for the heat.
I've been using this on a weekly basic ever since...So, wow, pretty much 3 years!
At £22 from the likes of John Lewis, it's not particularly cheap but the fact that I continually repurchase speaks volumes in my eyes! It depends on how often you use it and how much you apply, but on average I get through a bottle about every 5-6weeks. If however you want it prior to a holiday and you're applying all over your body everyday, then I'd say a bottle (125ml) would last you 10-14 days depending on how liberally you apply.
All in all I'd give this product 10/10 and would recommend it to anyone, especially the fairer-skinned population! 

Acne cure! My Roaccutane experience.

Hello. Ok so this wasn't an easy thing for me to post. Did I want to show everyone how horrid my skin was?...No. 

BUT I did want to show how the medication drug, Roacctune, got rid of my awful skin and transformed my life. So regardless of how embarrassed I feel about showing the most unflattering selfies ever, I am doing it in the hope that this post might help others currently suffering with spots or acne. 

I'm going to keep the write-up of this short and sweet as I have talked at length about my background and my findings of this drug over on my YouTube channel. If you wish to check that out then please do so here. 

If not, long story short, I was put on the prescription-only drug, Roaccutane (Isotretinoin). The drug is specifically for suffers of acne and other severe skin problems and does come with a warning of a fair few side effects. 

I failed to mention in my video about the dangers regarding depression. The drug has been linked to causing depression and in some cases suicide, however I don't believe any firm evidence of this has ever been recognised. 

I would say that I was possibly more depressed and feeling low when my skin was at its worse, rather than whilst taking this medication. But if you suffer with depression and anxiety etc then this may be something to consider and discuss with your doctor prior to taking the drug. 

Not surprisingly, I only ever took 2 photographs of my bare face whilst I was suffering with a form of cystic acne. These photographs show how sore and irritated my skin was and from this point on it only continued to develop and get worse. I didn't take a picture of my skin at its most extreme point but you can grasp the idea.

Everyday I would wake up to new yellow-headed monstrosities that would be sore and painful. They would explode, oozing out grossness, if I didn't pop them first! So my daily task was to squeeze out the liquid before going about soothing the essentially open wound. Then I would set on with job of concealing my face so the world wouldn't have to see the horrible sight I saw every day! 

It would take me roughly 20 minutes to conceal, foundation and powder my face. Luckily I got quite good at it and if I told people how bad my skin was they would say "no you're skin is fine, doesn't look bad at all". Little did they know. 

And ahhh the itching! Boy did it itch. It would drive me up the wall some days and I couldn't often scratch it anyway in fear of my makeup coming off!

And so along came... ROACCUTANE. 

Again, check out my video for more detail about my experience with the drug, but wow it worked well. 

I was taking Roaccutane for 6 months in total and having now been off the drug for 6 months, here is my skin today in the picture above. I must say I'm not a fan of these no-makeup-selfies but I wanted to show you what my skin was like today without any products. 

I'm so impressed with how the drug simply got rid of my itchy painful skin and I only encountered 3 side effects along the way. The latter 2 of which I loved!

1) Extremely dry lips. This is the most common side effect of Roacctune but very easy to manage with a good lip balm. I found the cherry Carmex worked a treat. 

2) Drier skin. I used a nice body moisturiser as normal and found no real issues. As for my face, I loved getting rid of my usually very oily skin. Again I just used a good moisturiser. 

3) Drier hair. Again not an issue. I could last up to 5 days without needing to wash my hair! It was brilliant. 

Main effect: GOODBYE ACNE. Winner. 

I hope you find this useful. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions you might have about the medication or general skin related issues. 

X

April Favourites

Hi guys. Sorry I'm late with the monthly favourites but if you decide to watch my video you'll realise why!

With a big bank holiday night out planned for tonight I'm going to take the lazy route and rather than do a full blog post on my April faves I'll direct you to my YouTube Video instead! (Click my picture!)

Hope you don't mind just this once :P

Have a good weekend everyone!

Micheal Todd's Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner

For a long time I neglected toners and didn't really get the reason for using them. When I started looking into the idea behind them...balancing your skin's PH levels and removing any leftover makeup etc I started to use Simple's Toner as I thought I probably should.

However more often than not I'd forget and whenever I'd remember I didn't get any satisfaction from using Simple's. To me it was like rubbing water over my face...no scent, no feeling, not a lot going on really.

But when my skin started to break out left right and center and I developed a bacterial infection around my chin I started to look into maybe buying a new toner.

I first came across Micheal Todd's Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner over on YouTube in one of Fleur De Force's Videos. I was interested in the tingling sensation of the product she described and after reading more about it I felt it could be really good for my recently acquired acne!

I headed over to the Micheal Todd site, here, and was surprised to find it was $18 (just under £12)- I had expected it to be more to be honest! It's said to smell of lavendar and birchwood and whilst I recognise those scents, to me it's slightly reminiscent of green tea?! Anyway it is a really pleasant smell which I was relieved about because I don't handle a lot of fragrances too well!

When I read "...customers love this toner for its antibacterial formula to help improve problem skin.." I was completely sold and quickly ordered myself a bottle. P&P was reasonable I remember and although I was quoted an approx. 3 weeks delivery time, it was here after just a week. Fab, quick and easy service!

I've been using the product near-on twice a day every day since I received it about a month ago and have about half a bottle left! I'm slightly addicted to the pleasant tingling feel to it when it's applied...I feel like I can actually FEEL it working its magic.

As for results, I definitely think that it is helping to tackle my skin problems. I cannot categorically say that this is the sole reason why my skins improving, as I'm using many things at once but I'm 100% sure it's having nothing but a positive effect.

Along with that, I find it amazing how after washing my face REALLY well my MT's toner-covered cotton pad still reveals a little left over makeup. It's crazy how stubborn it can be!

So, to conclude...This, for me, is a winner! It's worth all the hype it receives! I'd recommend it to anyone but especially to those of you that have troubled skin!

Let me know if anyone tries or has tried this? What do you think?!

Ellie x

#NottsBBMeet Daytime Shopping & Kiehls Visit

Wow. What a day!

This was my first blogger's meetup so I wasn't sure what to expect but I assumed it would be fun to meet people with similar interests. Safe to say it far exceeded any expectations and I had one of the best days in ages! :)

I thought the name badge idea was brill and super cute!

Everyone was so friendly and it was great to meet so many of you!! For once it wasn't weird to obsess over beauty items in shops...very refreshing from the usual blank looks or raised eyebrows!! :P

I enjoyed having a browse through New Look, H&M and grabbing a Greggs with these lovely girls:

(Left to right: Sammy @ Bellini Beauty, Gemma @ Gemma Means Jewel, Me, Sally @ Rainy Day Faces & Joanna @ Minty  Essence)

Thanks for the photo Joanna! Not going to lie, very envious of your fab camera!! :D

I enjoyed speaking to everyone I met! It's impossible to remember everyone, so sorry if I miss you, but it was lovely to meet Katy @ Sirens and Bells, Natalie @ Floral Republic, Megan @ Megan's Beauty Blog, Charlotte @ Lil Miss Chickas and of course the lovely Sophia @ Tattooed Tea Lady. A massive thank you to her and the other organizers for arranging this brill day!!! Some serious kudos to you!

The shopping continued with visits to Mac, L'Occitane and Space NK. I was seriously eye-ing up one of the Archie's girl's eye shadow quads but was able to self-restrain and save the approx £40. It was so pretty though...

Photo from makeupandbeautyblog.com :)

I was looking forward to checking out Space NK and despite not buying anything I was able to closely admire the Nars products! I've decided that I prefer the Orgasm blush to the Super Orgasm...I've corrected my wishlist! :)

Also popped into Ark...I found I really liked a lot of the clothing in here so may have to head back in soon!

Group 4! :)

And then for the Kiehls' Visit. Despite being a Notts girl, I hadn't actually been to the store before and so I was excited to hear more about their products and see what they would personally recommend for me.

Safe to say my oily skin was noted and I was interested in their products geared towards this! I really liked the Powerful Strength Serum. It was like velvet on the skin and the science behind the product made me sure it would help my troubled skin. However with a hefty £49 price tag I've added it to my wishlist!

Another product to catch my eye was Kielhs' BB Cream. I like the idea of swapping my heavy duty liquid foundation for something a little lighter every now and again and although I find bareMinerals works well for this I've always wanted to try a BB cream. Luckily I found the Kiehls' BB Cream tucked away in my huge goody bag when I got home, so stay tuned for my thoughts on the product in a little while! (I will do a separate post about the evening part of the meetup shortly!)

I thought this was such a lovely little piece of motivation!

I found the whole Kiehls' experience really lovely. The staff were friendly and having a glass of Bucks Fizz along with a cupcake made it even more welcoming, not to mention refreshing after a hectic morning of shopping! :) I enjoyed getting to know all of you Group 4 bloggers and it was great to meet Rhiannon @ The Barbelle who like me, shares her interest in fitness in her blog too!

One of the last stops had to be Boots. Gosh I love this shop and I love it even more when it has 3 for 2 deals on! As always it's a shame not to take advantage of their offers...

This is everything I bought during the meetup. I'm very happy to finally have the Origins Super Spot Remover...it seems to be well worth the £13 already!

As for the Lush stuff, I got a bit excited that I now have a bath (now I'm home and not at my Uni house) so I had to grab a few bubble bars! I'm giving The Comforter to my mum though.

As I said, it was great to be able to get excited about something in a shop and this to be totally acceptable because everyone shared your enthusiasm! A fab day...and evening...post soon to follow!

Ellie
x