Thursday 17 April 2014

TRAVEL TREATS

The bank holiday is upon us! LONG WEEKEND GET AT ME. To celebrate this most glorious of occasions I'm pootling on down to London town to plague a few good friends with my presence. I'm very much a 'be prepared' and 'better safe than sorry' type, so packing light doesn't come easily. I like to have all bases and eventualities covered. So for that reason, god bless tiny travel sized things. Sure, they're actually a complete rip off when you can get the full sized thing for an extra 50p, but don't tell me they're not handy as hell.


Saying this, I've actually been quite restrained this time round. I only purchased 3 adorable tiny travel things this time round since they were on a 3 for 2 offer in Boots. To the left is the Charles Worthington 'Volume and Bounce' texturising spray MOUSSE. Lulz, turns out I bought the mousse thinking it was the texturising spray (my current one true love). No huge loss thanks to the 3for2 offer (I LOVE YOU BOOTS), so I gave it a try anyway. Definite boost in the volume front, but sadly the effects were short lived. Can't say I'll be rushing out to pick up the full size.  Next up is the Dove compressed deodorants which I LOVE - very travel friendly, but way more cost effective than the actual travel minis. And of course, tiny dry shampoo. Where would I be without you, dry shampoo? A greasy, disgusting place. The next few items are slightly less thrilling, but vital nonetheless. BABY WIPES! Not just for babies. Always there for a quick freshen up, a wipe of the hands, a quick clean of a dubious toilet seat.. the baby wipe never fails. Next, grips and elastics by the bucket loads. I think I have a perpetual fear of running out of these things, plus we all know that there exists some sort of bermuda triangle exclusively for hair grips, so no harm in keeping stocked up. These Goody grips are half the size of a regular grip, and are super duper useful for discretely keeping those stray chunks of hair tucked away. Finally, the Avene Hydrance Optimale - not a travel size, just a suitable small moisturiser from my skincare arsenal. I need to go on a moisturiser no-buy like nobody's business.


Ok, I'm sure everyone knows you can get travel bottles to dispense your shampoops and conditoner and all that good jazz in to, but did you know you can get SQUEEZY ONES?! I didn't until fairly recently. Far easier than trying to get those cheap pump mechanisms to bring up a pathetic splattering of your chosen gloop. These little 60mL wonders came from Superdrug for a grand £1.59, and they are SO WORTH IT.


Finally, an atomiser. I got this one as a gift many moons ago when I didn't actually wear a lot of perfume, so it sat neglected in the back of a drawer for some time. These days I feel naked if I forget a spritz of something before I leave the house, so this little has proven itself pretty useful. No pouring required, you simply spray in from your regular perfume bottle and be done with it. The origins of this particular one remain unknown to me, but similar products are readily available on Amazon. A nice alternative to this is rollerball perfumes. Rollerballs aren't always available for a given fragrance, but I personally love almost anything from Marc Jacobs, who currently have this adorable trio available. You'll sometimes find them in gift sets with a full size fragrance as well - nice little treat fo yoself, perhaps?

Anyway, gurl better get packing. Tiny travel things are cute and all, but no substitute for clean undies. BYE Y'ALL.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

SKINCARE SAVIOURS FOR SCABBY FACES

Combating dryness is the name of my game. For years I was slapping all manner of lotions and potions on my face without really understanding my skin type or what ingredients were appropriate for it, spending horrible amounts of money on all sorts of products, ranging from the high end to the high street offerings. I'm pretty chuffed with my current routine though - it's kept any visible flaking, uncomfortable tightness and eczema at bay (for now. Touch wood). So, here's some gunk and stuff that made my jowls happy.

1. COCONUT OIL




OH HOLY SAVIOUR. HOW I LOVE THEE SO. Coconut oil easily made the biggest change to my skin in a long, long time. I initially dismissed it, assuming it wouldn't be rich enough to really moisturise my pathetic skin. I WAS WRONG. And that's not something I admit too often. However, in addition to making my face super soft, it proved to be a superb make up remover. This little lovely melts away any traces of make up, and is a far more economical option compared than my old favourite, Clinique's 'Take the Day Off'. HOWEVER, coconut oil is known to be pretty comedogenic (i.e., can aggravate acne), so it's best to patch test first. If you're not familiar with the virtues of oil cleansing however, I suggest you swiftly march on over to the SkincareAddition reddit for all sorts of wonderful advice. It doesn't end at coconut oil - there's all manner of oils out there which not only do wonders for your skin, but offer a cheaper alternative to the vast selection of skincare products.

Coconut oil is becoming widely available in supermarkets, though I picked mine up at a local wholefoods store at £8 for a 450g tub.

2. CLARINS CLEANSING MILK FOR NORMAL/DRY SKIN


Alright, so as much as I adore coconut oil, it's not the be all and end all. This Clarins cleansing milk is a favourite of mine, and has been for about 7 years now. It has a super soft, creamy and calming texture, with an amazing (but subtle) scent that reminds me of egg custard tarts. And god damn if I don't just LOVE egg custard tarts. Mmmm.. delish.

You can pick this little touch of tarty heaven up from Boots for £19, but watch out for the cleansing milk + toner gift sets - these usually retail around £22 and come with a neat little Clarins toiletry bag to boot.

3. NIP+FAB GLYCOLIC FIX EXFOLIATING PADS.


If you'd mentioned the idea of 'chemical exfoliators' a year ago, I probably would have thought you were trying to burn my face off. Turns out, they're pretty jazzy! Gycolic acid is a type of ingredient known as an AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid), which in low(ish) concentrations works to "reduce cell adhesion in the top layer of the skin" (thanks, wikipedia!). In short, they exfoliate the top layer of skin to leave your face all silky soft, in one simple sweep of a pad. They also contain a great ingredient called hyaluronic acid. HA occurs naturally in the body, and is used in skincare for it's ability to hold 1000 times its weight in water, making it a fantastic little moisture boost. 

NIP+FAB Gycolic fix pads are available from Superdrug for £12.95, but keep an eye out for offers.

4. AVENE TRIEXRA+ SELECTIOSE EMOLLIENT CREAM.


I initially purchased this when my eczema made quite a grand appearance and I was desperate for something soothing. Avene as a brand is dedicated to providing skincare for the more delicate amongst us, and this stuff is no exception. Even though my eczema's taken a back seat lately (PRAISE THE LORD), I still use this as my daily moisturiser because in addition to being very inoffensive but super moisturising, it's also great value at £11.50 for 200mL. I could write praises about Avene for days because I've yet to try a bad product, but this stands out as a go-to daily favourite.

Avene emollient cream is available from Escetual.

5. LA ROCHE-POSAY NUTRITIC INTENSE RICHE.



This little tub of creamy goodness is a fairly recent addition to my skincare arsenal, and continues the foray in French pharmacy brands started by Avene. LRP interested me as a brand because their extensive range of products appear very tailored to particular skincare concerns, making it easy to find the right product for you. I settled for the Nutritic intense riche cream as I wanted something to use at night, and the fact that this contains lipids (something eczematous skin lacks) seems to make my face pretty happy. Plus I have a bit of a thing for products in glass jars - it just feels that bit more luxurious. Another similar product is the Extremely Rich Compensating Cream from Avene, which also comes with a dandy little spatula!

La Roche-Posay Nutritic Intense Riche is available from Escentual for £16.50.

As much as I love a bargain, it's certainly worth spending that little bit more sometimes. I personally feel that brands such as Avene and La Roche-Posay offer good value for somewhat luxurious but very effective products - especially compared to the price of similar offerings from brands such as Clinique or Clarins (and lets not even think about Creme de la Mer). Besides, I can't remember the last time I paid full price for these products - keep those blinkers peeled for offers, people! There's always one to be had.

That's all for now, chaps. Maybe more blush and less gunk next time?

AN INTRODUCTION

First up, HEY Y'ALL! The time has finally come, and after years of scouring the blogosphere and acquiring all manner of ideas, inspiration, tips and tricks, it's my time to give back. So I'm making this sound far more charitable than it really is - but I do love to share my enthusiasm for any odds and sods currently capturing my attention. A quick intro, I'm Lucy, a 22 year old pharmaceutical sciences graduate in the UK. I'm perpetually skint and therefore love a bargain (with the odd exception. TREAT YO SELF). I'm engaged in a beauty battle against my very dry, sensitive and eczema prone skin, and I'm pretty keen about the science of skincare.

Obligatory.

 I have stupid eyebrows. Really, they're just pathetic. I have undeniable soft spots for skiing (badly), cider (lots of it), and World of Warcraft (in moderation.. honestly!). I could eat Nik Naks for days.

Well, I guess that's the important stuff anyway. On with the show?