I had a very hectic but fun summer and it really started to show on my skin in August. As you can see from the photos above I broke out with spots/blemishes all around my chin, mouth & neck. I also had very uneven skin tone with blotchy red areas. So I decided to completely overhaul my skincare regime and the products I was using. If you have read my blogs before then you will know that I am a major fan of skin guru Caroline Hirons. On her advice I had already added an acid toner in the form of Clarins Gentle Exfoliator to my routine but she recommends you use two or three different types for maximum effect. Caroline does an amazing job of explaining hydrating toners and acid toners so I'm not going to go into a load of detail explaining what they do. You can find all about them here http://www.carolinehirons.com/2010/08/beauty-mouth-basics-toner.html and here http://www.carolinehirons.com/2015/04/the-top-10-acid-toners.html. But basically acid toners are brilliant for resurfacing, exfoliating, stimulating collagen production, hydration, deeper penetration of products and obviously spots/acne. So on one of my many trips to Boots I discovered these Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Pads. I am a great lover of Nip+Fab range and have used the Glycolic Fix Scrub for a number of years. I loved the idea of these pads as they are so quick and easy to use and decided to add them to my morning skincare routine. There are 60 pads in the little pot and they are soaked in 2.8% Glycolic Acid which is great for retexurising and resurfacing the skin, Hyaluronic Acid which is great for improving moisture content and lastly Blue Daisy which soothes and calms. One side of the pad is textured whilst the other is smooth. After cleansing you simply wipe the textured side all over the face from top to bottom then flip over and repeat. It can cause the skin to tingle but this is normal so don't worry. I have been using the Clarins twice a week and then the Nip+Fab pads twice a day every other day. After a week I noticed my skin had start to improve greatly. And now at the end of my pot and about half way through the bottle of Clarins my skin is blemish free, super smooth and much brighter.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post and that it was in some way helpful to anyone suffering with problem skin. I know I don't suffer from acne or extremely bad blemishes/spots but even a few spots can knock a persons confidence. If you have any questions leave me a comment below or you can get me on any of my social media sites (links at the top right of this page). I'm also on snapchat @makeupbyrubysue so you can snap me your questions if you so wish. Until next time....Be Happy!!!!
Susie xxx
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If I could only pick one makeup item to have for the rest of my life then it would have to be a mascara. I LOVE it. Mascara can thicken, define & lengthen your lashes.....It opens up tired eyes in the morning and adds sexy smokiness at night. A must have in every makeup bag. I pretty much buy every new drugstore mascara that comes on the market...some I love some I hate..... I recently grabbed the Bourjois Volume 1 Second Mascara in Ultra Black on one of my many random spending sprees. However when I got home I realised I already had the original one...Booooo!!!! Waste of €12.99. As you can see from the above photo the brushes are exactly the same with the only difference being the Ultra Black has a lot darker pigment. Perfect for those who want the blackest of black lashes. It has a large rubber head with lots of different sized bristles which ensures that every lash is coated from root to tip. One coat is perfect for day-time wear and two coats gives you amazing fanned out thick dark lashes. Because the formula is quite thick any further coats may cause your lashes to clump so just be careful. As you can see from the above photo it does an amazing job of adding length and thickness to my lashes.
However I don't know what it is about this mascara but it won't be making it into my holy grail collection.....I think it's the brush that I just don't love. I mean it's grand but not one I reach for every day and one I won't be repurchasing. But if you love this type of brush then this is a great mascara. It doesn't budge once applied and adds instant volume and length making your eyes pop. Have you tried it? Let me know in the comments below what your favourite mascara is!!! Until next time...Be Happy!!!! Susie xxx To be honest I have never really rated Essence eyeshadows as I always found them to be very powdery with far too much fallout and poor colour payoff. But I had heard rave reviews about their new palettes so I went investigating. There are 4 palettes in total "All About Bronze", All About Greys" and the two I picked up "All About Roses" and "All About Nudes". First up is the All About Nudes...I thought this would be my favourite as it has mainly warm matte browny/gold shades. As you can see from the swatches the colour payoff is really nice and the shadows are really buttery and easy to apply. On the lid the colour payoff isn't as good when applied with a brush so I used a flat brush to pack on the colour and then just blended out the edges. I didn't try them with a primer but they lasted well all day without creasing. Next is All About Roses... This turned out to be my favourite even though there are more shimmery shades in the palette. I was exceptionally surprised at how well these lasted throughout the day, as I always have to wear a primer as a base for my shadows because they usually crease but no such problems with these. However I am going to start to use my MAC Painterly Paint pot so I get a better colour payoff. You can use any cream shadow to help makes these colours stand out a little bit better - I love the Maybelline Colour Tattoo ones!!!! I have been using both these palettes as my go to every day shadows for the past few weeks and love them both. I cannot believe how reasonable they are. You can pick them up in Penny's and a huge range of pharmacies nationwide for only €4.99. I can now say I am a convert to Essence eyeshadows. Only problem now is should I buy the other two palettes????? Until next time....Be Happy!!!!
Susie xxx On one of my many trips to Boots recently I picked up this No.7 Cleansing Gel just as a random purchase (I had a €6.50 off voucher and thought why not). I love oil cleansers/balms so was intrigued by this product. It is formulated as a gel but melts into an oil when applied to the face - perfect for normal to dry skin. If you follow me on Snapchat (@makeupbyrubysue if you fancy a look) then you might have seen me take my makeup off with this already. For those of you who didn't catch the snaps this is how is went. It comes out of the tube like a thick yellow paste/gel. I massaged it on to dry skin, all over my face even on my eyes & lashes.(No.7 recommended you apply it to dampened skin though). And like the name suggests it melts onto the skin into a lovely luxurious oil. It contains Rosehip Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Glycerin which makes it great for locking in moisture and makes the gel smell beautifully light and fresh. If you apply water it will turn milky and you can rinse away any remaining residue but I actually used a warm damp facecloth as this is my favourite way of removing cleanser. I was surprised at how well it dissolved off my makeup even the eyeshadow & mascara. I did need to use a little eye makeup remover to take off whatever what was left on my lashes though. After cleansing my skin felt clean & fresh with no absolutely no tightness. All in all a great cleanser. So if you like oil/balm/gel cleansers then this is one for you. The packaging is nice and simple, the product inside does a great job of dissolving off the days dirt & makeup and the price point isn't too bad either. Definitely a repurchase for me. I actually haven't' tried alot of the No7 products but if they are all as good as this I will be very happy. I will be trying more from the range so if you have any recommendations please let me know in the comments below.
You can pick it up in any Boots store for €12.50 (but I'm sure if you are a regular Boots shopper then you will have a skincare voucher somewhere). I hope you enjoyed reading this... Until next time....Be Happy Susie xxx |
AuthorLover of all things beauty, Makeup Artist, Blogger & Wife . I am always on the look out for the perfect makeup or the best beauty product so keep reading to follow my never ending quest! Categories
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