My Current Skincare Wishlist

Over the past fortnight, my skin has become very troublesome and hard to work with. My usually combination skin has become very dehydrated and I have had multiple breakouts. Not only this but when I apply my make-up, it just doesn't sit well on my skin! I have started to evaluate my current skincare routine and there are some products that I want to add to my collection in the near future. I have heard such great things about many of the items I am featuring in the post, therefore, I thought that it would be good to whip up a quick wishlist for all of you in case you feel like updating your current skincare routine too! So, here are the eight products that I am eyeing up at the moment;

Origins GinZing Eye Cream / Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment / GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment / La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray / Lush Angels On Bare Skin Cleanser / The Body Shop Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask / Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask / Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water

The two items top of my wishlist that I think would really change the condition of my skin the most are the Serozinc Spray (£8.50) and the Glam Glow Supermud Mask (£44.00.) This is because I have heard that the toner is great for diminishing blemishes and under the skin bumps that I have gotten quite frequently lately. Plus, I can imagine the the Glam Glow mask would draw out all the impurities and 'gunk' out of my pores!

Which skincare items are you currently lusting over? Have you tried any of the products I've mentioned before? I would love to hear your opinion of them, so please do not hesitate to leave a comment down below and be sure to check back for my blog posts very soon. Until then, I hope that you have a wonderful and fun-filled weekend!

L'Oréal vs Garnier Micellar Cleansing Waters Review

Hi guys. Today I am going to be talking about two of the most talked about micellar waters on the high street at the moment; Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water and L'Oréal's Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution. Micellar waters have become a huge craze in the beauty world over the past few years with the French brand Bioderma leading the way. So, it's only natural that this trend has filtered through onto the high street and into drugstores such as Boots and Superdrug. Both Garnier and L'Oréal are two of the most well-known brands that have jumped on this bandwagon to create more inexpensive alternatives to Bioderma and other higher end brands like Caudalie, which are not as easy to track down.

Both brands ultimately promise the same things; a water that removes make-up, cleanses and soothes the skin. Both retail at a very affordable £4.99, although they always seem to be on offer for around the £3 something mark. The solutions can be used on all three of the areas that you would usually apply your make-up - face, eyes and lips. Both are also hypo-allergenic and, therefore, are suitable for those with sensitive skin as well. In addition this, after reading the back of the bottles, their ingredient lists are exactly the same. However, despite having countless similarities, the two products do have one noticeable difference which definitely favours Garnier's version as being the better product.

The main difference between the two brands is the amount of product you actually get. L'Oréal contains a measly 200ml of product compared to Garnier, which offers double that amount with 400ml in each bottle. So, seeing as both bottles at the same price (as mentioned above,) Garnier clearly gives you a lot more value for your money. Also, one thing that the brand have included on their label which L'Oréal haven't is how many uses you can get out of the product. Garnier claim that you can get 200 uses out of the 400ml bottle, which means that each time you should be using 2ml of product. However, I feel that is a pretty tiny amount and I'm positive that I will probably use a little more than that per use. 

As for the products themselves, both solutions dissolve my make-up really well even when I have lashings of mascara and eyeliner on. I really like using both products to initially cleanse my face but I then go in with either No7 Foaming Cleanser or Soap & Glory Peaches And Clean to a second cleanse. I like to do this to ensure that every scrap of make-up has been removed and that my skin has had a thorough, deep clean. Overall, although the products do the exact same job to the exact same standard, I would obviously repurchase the Garnier version over L'Oréal's purely due to the fact that there is twice the amount of product in the bottle. 

Have any of you tried these products out? Which one do you prefer? Please let me know in the comments below :)

My Holy Grail Product: L'Oréal's Skin Perfection Micellar Solution

Hi guys! First and foremost, I want to apologise for not blogging for well over a week now. The reason for this is that lately I have not been buying any new products to talk about or review. I am currently saving up as I am going to be doing a three day intensive nail course in mid October, so I need to pay for the course and buy all the kits required for the course very soon. In addition to this, I have been a little ill this week and so I haven't quite been in the right mindset for blogging. However, with this being said, I thought that today I would share with you my holy grail product (L'Oréal's Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution,) which I use day -in, day-out without fail. I did include this product in my 'Recent Beauty Buys' post all the way back in May when I first bought it and gave it a mini review, however, now I can give you all my true opinion of the product.

This purifying micellar solution claims to do three key things: dissolve make-up, unclog pores and remove impurities, as well as tone & soothe the skin. In my honest opinion, this product does all three of these things incredibly well. Whenever I have used cleansing and toning products of this nature in the past, my skin is always left feeling very tight and irritated afterwards. However, this solution is very gentle and is great for those with sensitive skin too. Although this product can be used on the face, lips and eyes, I tend to use a separate eye make-up remover and simply use this water on my face and lips if need be. To ensure that every scrap of my make-up is taken off properly, I normally have to use two cotton pads worth of this micellar solution. I have also found that using the products has made my skin far less oily, which is a great thing for those with oily/combination skin such as myself.

Another reason why I love this product is the price. It is usually priced at £4.99 but in my local Boots or Superdrug, it is usually on special for around the £3 something mark. I really think that this product is a great alternative to the Bioderma range, as it is a lot cheaper and more widely available too. I have never used the Bioderma range myself but from reading a couple of comparative reviews between these two products, many beauty gurus actually prefer L'Oréal's version which goes to show that expensive products are not always superior to high street brands.

I hope that you all enjoyed reading about my holy grail product. I would really like to know what your holy grail product is; whether it is a skincare, make-up or hair care item, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below. I love reading them and discovering fellow bloggers opinions on different products :)

My Recent Beauty Buys

Hi guys, I thought I would share with you all a few of the beauty products that I have bought lately and give you a brief review on what I think of them so far. So, let's get started...

1. Garnier Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub - £4.99

I haven’t been using the scrub for too long but I have already noticed that my skin is nowhere near as oily in the mornings if I use this product before I go to bed. On the other hand, I do find the little charcoal beads quite abrasive and rough on my skin, which does make it feel a bit sore afterwards. I also found that applying moisturiser straight after using the scrub can cause your skin to sting a little, which is worrying. Apart from that slight problem, I really like this product so far. As for a reduced number in blemishes and faded blemish marks, I do not think I have been using the scrub for long enough to notice a real difference yet, but I am hoping I will do soon.

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Pink Blossom - £5.99

After watching many of Tanya Burr’s YouTube videos, she always seems to use this powder to set her make-up and so I thought I would give it a go. I have to say compared to the awful, cheap powder that I was using before (17’s Pressed Powder in Nicely Natural - £3.99,) I am impressed. This powder banished all of the shine, especially from my T-zone which can get quite oily throughout the day. I highly recommend this product to all of my readers!

3. Bourjois Little Round Pot Blush in Love-Struck Rose - £7.99

After dealing with my cracked Rimmel blusher for quite a while, I decided it was about time that I got a new blusher and everybody I know speaks highly about Bourjois’ range. Consequently, I went into Superdrug this week to get some new make-up as there is currently 3 for 2 Mix & Match offer in there, which is amazing as you can mix and match with all of the different brands in store. I swatched this colour on my hand and thought it was gorgeous, but when I got home and applied it to my cheeks I found that the colour was too bright for me. I am definitely not going to keep on using this blusher as it is just too vibrant on my skin tone, but I will definitely be willing to go back and buy a subtler colour instead.

4. Benefit They’re Real! Mascara in Black – usually £19.50

I got the mini version of this mascara for free by purchasing Elle magazine this month, which features Miley Cyrus looking amazing on the front cover. Considering that this mini mascara costs around the £9 mark (£19.50 for the full-size product,) it was a complete bargain seeing as the magazine only costs a few pounds. I used the mascara for the first time this morning and I love it! It added a lot of length to my fine and sparse eyelashes, however, it gave me absolutely no volume. Hence, I then applied another mascara of mine over the top to make my lashes appear thicker. Overall, this mascara is definitely worth the money but the only problem that I found with it is that it takes quite a long while to dry, which can be slightly annoying.

5. Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire - £3.99

I also purchased this nail varnish whilst in Superdrug as part of the 3 for 2 Mix and Match offer. I have never, ever had a nail colour like this before and I love it. Although the varnish itself is quite runny and a few coats of it is required for the colour to live up to how great it looks in the bottle, it is definitely worth it. The iridescent, purple colour has little flecks of gold glitter within it – as well as a slight blue/green hue mixed in with the purple too. I was debating between whether buying this colour or ‘Intense Plum’ as I could only afford one at the time, but I am definitely going to purchase the other at some point in the near future because it is just as gorgeous.

6. Nails Inc Nail Varnish in It's Red, Babez - usually £11.00

My Mum came back from work the other week with In Style magazine, as they were giving away a free Nails Inc nail varnish in three colour variations. I think that the other two colours to choose from were either a nude or a pale pink, but I am glad that Mum picked this colour instead. The nail varnish itself goes by the name 'It's Red, Babez,' however, the colour is more of a pinky-red. It is so eye-catching and very appropriate now that we are getting into spring/summer. I think that a bright nail can really finish off an outfit and this colour is no exception! The varnish is rather thick, which is great as you will only need to apply one coat. Nails Inc varnishes dry extremely fast, which is also an added bonus. I have had a little look on their website and I cannot seem to find this shade, so it may have been an exclusive colour in In Style, however, there are similar colours available so I urge you to have a look on their website!

7. L’Oréal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution - £4.99

After hearing rave reviews about micellar solutions in various magazine and online articles, I definitely wanted to try it out for myself. I know that most people use the Bioderma product, but that is definitely out of my price range. However, after using L’Oréal’s more affordable version for a couple of nights now, I am impressed. My make-up is dissolved and removed so easily, just by splashing a bit of this solution on to a cotton wool pad. In addition, my skin feels lovely and clean afterwards without any sort of residue – which is a bonus! I would definitely recommend this product as it is effective and a complete bargain! 

I hope that you all enjoyed this brief beauty review and as always, if you have any opinions on the products that I have mentioned above, please do not hesitate to leave me a comment below. I love reading all of your comments and always respond to them, as I love getting feedback on my posts. Thank you :)