Mascara, Cleanser & Lip Balm- As promised

I've tried ALOT of Mascaras.

To keep it simple, here are my two favourites. At the moment!

Chantecaille Faux Cils 

This is amazing. Retailing at £31 it isn't the cheapest but this tube will last 6 months as you get double the amount than normal, and that's without drying out. The thing that's different about this mascara is the blend of natural waxes and rosewater. It provides thickness, volume, length, curl... and it doesn't drop. Ever. The rosewater gives it a gorgeous rosey- surprising?!- smell, unlike most other (if not all) mascaras i've tried which tend to have a gluey smell about them. If you think about it it makes much more sense to natural rosewater and waxes near your eyes rather than something that absolutely stinks of chemicals. Don't you think?

Anyway. You get the jist. The only thing with this one, I do find it's slightly better layered over another mascara. So if you've got a crappy one on from the days wear, or even a bit left from the night before (heaven forbid) it's great over the top. Doesn't clump, and it really does give that false lash effect. Hence the... 'Faux Cils'. 

The Chanel Inimitable Mascara is around £21.50 

Really really love this. Rubber wand, which I did always think was the way forward and 'the only way to do mascara' until I tried the Faux Cils. This one though got it really right. All in one again, volume length and curl, it also separates amazingly well but still gives that really built up finish. Stays on well and I did actually go swimming with this on and it was fine. Granted I didn't go out of my way to dunk my face in and rub my eyes but for minor splashes etc it's got good staying power. Highly recommend this.

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Cleanser

It really does depend on your skin. Message me if you have any queries about yours and i'm sure i'll be able to point you in the right direction!

At the moment I really like-

Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm

£30. Good price point. 100ml of product. This is a Miracle balm, so you can use it for pretty much anything. It's another balmy formula- my favourite, so it balances out any skin type. Oil cleanses oil so you might think if you break out this wouldn't be the right cleanser for you. Try it, it will remove the impurities from blemishes, take the oil from your skin where you don't need it and put on in where you do. All-In-One goodness. This one's base is Moringa Balm which is full of vitamins A and C, Proteins, Potassium (3x more than a banana), Zinc- Basically everything that's good for your skin. It enhances the skins radiance and that's just the Moringa! Emma has packed in other essentials that the skin needs so it's pretty much perfect. Try this as a cleanser, a moisture mask, spot treatment, rescue balm, cuticle and nail balm... I even used it today on a lady who had had an awful reaction to something and had red blotchy raised skin (for a month!). Cleansed her with it (removing with just the micro-fibre side of the cloth) then massaged a thin layer all over. She came back an hour later and was amazed, as she'd tried everything. 

Basically you get a finger full, massage it between your fingers, add a bit of water to emulsify then massage onto a dry face. This removes all make-up so don't miss out your eyes. Once that's done you just dampen one of her muslin cloths to remove the balm, then flip the cloth over to the micro-fibre side to buff the skin. On this side each one of the micro-fibre hairs are a 16th of the size of one of your pores, so it feels like it's not doing much but then you take a look at your cloth! Her cloths in my opinion are better than the Eve Lom. They have the added buffing side and seem to take less effort to remove make-up with the muslin side. And a pack of 3 for £10 isn't bad! 

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Lip Balm

The only one I use often is- Eve Lom Kiss Mix £12.50

This is the official info- 

First aid for sore, chapped lips, this treatment can be used year-round to keep lips moisturised and protected from UV rays and biting winds. Zinc oxide comforts dry lips and acts as a natural sunscreen, while menthol cools and freshens. Kiss Mix can also be used under lipstick as a moisturising base and over it to add shine. Its natural, subtly glossy finish makes it perfect for both men and women.

And it really does all of that :)

My Current Beauty Routine

So I thought I'd start with what I use currently skincare wise.

To Clean:

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil From £27

The Shu Cleansing Oil. Quick, easy and removes absolutely ALL make-up. My skin type is pretty normal, maybe slightly more on the combination side, oily t-zone and some dryness. Cleansing with an oil/balm formula is definitely the way to go. Oily, Dry, Combination, sensitive... all of you, just try it. Oil is the best way to clean oil from the skin. Oil on oil= balance. With the added bonus of removing make-up too. 

E.g- with my skin, the oil balances any excess oil on my t-zone, gives any dryness the moisture it needs and gives my skin and all round healthy glow. No tightness, no stripping. Perfect. 

It does come in a few different formulas. The one I use is the classic, which I'd recommend if you're anything like me. However, they do have one for sensitive skin with ginger to soothe, one with green tea for anti-aging, the 'fresh' version for oily skin and the 'enriched' for dryness. They've recently reformulated some of them and have just brought out a brightening formula which smells AMAZING.

So, I use it with...

The Clarisonic Plus. £175.

Yes. It does retail at £175 but you only need one. Brush heads need replacing every 4-6 months and are £20 each. You save more than £20 in products anyway, which I'll explain. 

The Clarisonic is a face cleansing tool which you use with any cleanser you like. I use mine with the Shu Cleansing Oil which I find works nicely with it. The only cleanser people seem to have some problem using with it is Eve Lom, but she has now launched a Morning Time Cleanser which is a thinner formula and comes in a squeezy tube. It is designed for use in the morning (obviously) as a refresher cleanser. Eve Lom is a balm formula which some people find too heavy for morning use and want something quicker and lighter instead. The Morning Time Cleanser contains fruit enzymes which gently exfoliate off any dead skin cells which are on the skin from when it renews overnight. It is not grainy, it does all this by just leaving it on the skin for a few minutes. No muslin cloths required, you put it on, get in the shower, wash your hair or whatever, and in this case, Clarisonic it off. 

I'll explain how the actual machine works.

It's a completely sealed unit, so totally waterproof. Take it in the bath, shower, wherever..

The brush head oscillates about 300 times a second, therefore, removing 6x more make-up than manual cleansing, twice as much dirt and sebum and buffs away any dead skin cells. Pore size is reduced, skin tone and texture is improved, make-up seems to sit better on the skin and you have to use much less of your daily products. That's where the money saving part comes in. I find I have to use about a third less serum and moisturiser, less make-up even. The first time I used it I wore quite a sheer foundation instead of my usual Mineral Power. Brilliant.

It also buffs away and dehydration lines which you may think are fine lines you can't get rid of. Helps prevent further lines appearing, removes pigmentation (Mum's pregnancy mask has gone after 20 years), age spots, helps with a jowly neck, lack of tone and plumpness on the décolletage, pretty much everything you want/need it to do. 

I'd say it's worth the investment. 

To Moisturise: 

 Nuxe Creme Fraiche for normal skin- Retails at £28

I've used this for a while. It's hard for me to stick to moisturisers because I get so many to try, but I seem to get most compliments when I use this. I've also used the Creme Fraiche Light Balancing Emulsion which was lovely and had more shine control, but I do prefer this one. Morning and Night, 24 Hr moisture is provided. It's flawless! Does what it says and perfect if you just want a lasting hydration which sits well under make-up and doesn't make you shiny. This seems to give me a glow all day and people have commented on my skin so much since i've been using it. And my skin just doesn't get compliments! 

Eyes:

My make-up doesn't sit right without an Eye Cream. I swap and change this quite often but at the moment I'm using 3. Not all at once, but depending on what the skin around my eyes looks like I'll pick and choose.

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment £26

Just started using this in the morning. Really nice formula and mostly aimed at hydrating around the eyes  which is what I need. The formula has a slight green tinge to it and feels really creamy between the fingers then when applied has a watery slippery feel. Nice.

Wei Mulberry Leaf 3 in 1 Eye Cream £50

I keep this one in my make-up bag. Wei is a brand that uses Chinese medicinal aspects to get great results. This comes out as a white cream, almost balmy. It smooths, de-puffs and brightens the eye area. Can't fault this, perfect under make-up and really does help brighten.

Apot.Care Irido-Radiant Eye Contour Cream- £75

I use this one at night mostly. I did use it day and night for a while but I think I benefited more from sleeping with it on as it's amazing at lightening dark circles and it really does diminish any signs of fatigue. Apot.Care as a brand are all about bringing the radiance back to the skin. To do this it uses red seaweed which is sun dried, and this is something like 550 times more active than vitamin E. Because of this it's more expensive than the others, but it is a high tech range with amazing technology behind it (click here) so I would definitely pay this price.

It really does work, plus it does everything all in one. It targets fine lines, puffiness, dark circles and hydration. Because of the red seaweed, all of the products in the range are orange. The stronger the orange colour in the product, the more active it is. The eye cream has an orange tinge and has a lovely balmy texture, glides on well and the eye area is definitely brightened and hydrated instantly. I can't say what it did for me for fine lines, but I certainly don't have any yet so prevention is looking good, and apparently Cameron Diaz uses it... One to trust!

I'll leave it at that for now, might do body products next or maybe hair. Or both :)