SKINCARE ROUTINE: Face Masks

First of all I'd like to apologise for the picture of the face scrub in this picture. There's an extra's post coming soon and I got the face mask and face scrub mixed up.

Dirty Works Belle of the Ball Face Mask* - £3.32
This face mask is a clay mask which draws impurities out of the skin and also helps to minimise my pores. It smells incredible and doesn't dry the skin out at all which I love. It's a really great quick fix for pores and I use this before going out on nights on so my make up applies flawlessly.

Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask* - £14.00
This is just like the Dirty Works face mask except it's a lot thinner and less drying. It's definitely a luxurious product which leaves skin feeling beautiful and looker brighter and clearer. This also reminds me of the sweet cola bottles which is cool because it takes me back to my childhood. 

Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask* - £14.25
Sometimes my skin gets dry so I use this whenever I need to add moisture back into my skin. Also, my spots sometimes hurt and this really nourishes and soothes them down. It's recommended for more normal/dry skin but it works wonderfully on my oily skin too and balances it great.

Boots Tea Tree & Witchhazel Peel Off Face Mask - £2.99
This is just a standard peel off face mask that combats shine, enlarged pores and blemishes without drying the skin out.

xxx

*PR Sample

Helping Blemished Skin: Part Five - My Skincare Routine & Favourites (Extras)

I'm sad to say that this will be my last post in my Blemished Skin Series! I've really enjoyed writing this series as blemished skin is a subject that is 'close to my heart.' I hope that you've found it useful in one way or another and do let me know if you have! This is the second part of my Skin Care Routine & Favourites and you can view the first part of it here which includes cleansing, toning and moisturising. This part of the series includes my favourite 'extras.'

Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask* To see my full review of this product click here.

Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Peel Off Face Mask. I love peel off masks as they're great for refining the pores and this certainly does the job. It sets pretty quickly, smells fresh and loves skin looking refined and clear. It also mops up any excess oil.

Dirty Works Face Mask* This is a clay mask which is great for drawing impurities from the skin. This sets well and is very easy to remove. After use, my skin feels really soft and my pores are less noticeable. 

Proactiv Refining Mask* To see my full review of this product click here.

Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask* To see my full review of this product click here.

St Ives Apricot Scrub Blemish Fighting St Ives scrubs are very famous and if you're confused as to why my packaging is different to that on the website it's because they've been repackaged. I love this scrub as it's great at removing dead skin and leaving skin looking brighter and clearer. But not only that, it also removes excess oil and fights blackheads and blemishes.

Dirty Works Face Scrub* This is quite possibly my all time favourite face scrub. It's very minty which refreshes the skin and really wakes it up. It's also wonderful at refining the pores and removing dead skin gently.

Dr Nick Lowe Spot Gel* I use this during the day time as it's strong but also pretty moisturising and doesn't dry the skin out. Whereas at night time I use the Pan Oxyl 10 Acnegel. As well as the Cor soap, this is my #1 must-have for blemished skin. You can only get Pan Oxyl from behind the counters but it's only around the £4.00 mark. I've mentioned it many times on my blog but it's truly a life saver. Once again, spot size will be reduced within a few hours and normally the spots have gone by the next day. The only problem with this spot treatment is that when you first start using it, it's very drying. My skin was an absolute mess but luckily, I continued using the product and discovered it's magical properties! There are different strengths and I recommend starting off on a low one and working your way up to the perfect strength for you.

xxx

*PR Sample

Helping Blemished Skin: Part Two - Getting Into Routine

Here is part one of my Helping Blemished Skin series. In case you've just stumbled across my blog, here is my introduction post so you can find out more about this series.

A skincare routine is essential for healthy looking skin and without one, it's very rare that your skin will be clear. There are three (sometimes two depending on your preferences) essential steps to a skin care routine with a few extra add ons depending on your skins needs. I'd just like to say now that I'm not a dermatologist and I've never been trained in skin care. What I know is from my own experiences and what I say may not necessarily work for your skin as every skin type is different. When I'm explaining some of these steps, it may seem like I'm talking to you like a child but I thought I might as well go right back to the basics! The products featured in the pictures are my favourite products and I'll be going into more detail about each one of them in the my skin care routine post.

Step 1 - Cleansing

Cleansing the skin is so important for everything, not just people with blemished skin. In the morning it refreshes your skin and removes all the dirt that has crept into your pores overnight and at night, it removes your days make up to prevent your pores from clogging up and causing breakouts. The face washes above are my favourite and when it comes down to telling you about my skin care routine, I'll go into more detail about these items. But as you can see, 2 out of the 5 items are foaming cleansers and these are said to be the best for blemished skin. I don't understand why and I believe that any form of face wash can work. The Cor soap is actually a soap and soaps aren't exactly highly recommended for the skin but this soap is a miracle worker and like a normal soap, it doesn't dry the skin out.

Step 2 - Toning

It's arguable whether or not toning is an important step in your skin care routine. I personally do tone and that's mainly because I like the feel of it. It leaves a tingling sensation on your skin and you removes any excess make up or dirt that your cleanser may have missed. Be careful when choosing a toner though as some contain a lot of alcohol that strips the skin and makes your skin a dry mess.

Step 3 - Moisturising

Possibly the most important step in every skin care routine. Moisturising provides an excellent base for make up and balances the skin out. What I've come to notice with blemished skin is that using a moisturiser aimed at blemished skin isn't necessarily that good as they tend to strip the skin of its natural moisture and once again, leave it a dry mess. If you do have blemished skin, I'd say go for a moisturiser aimed at combination skin as this will prevent your skin from shining whilst retaining its moisture. It'll also not block up the pores and therefore won't allow breakouts. Unless of course you have very oily skin then go for a mattifying moisturiser. My favourite moisturisers also includes a No7 night cream; I believe it's important to have a separate night moisturiser as your skin is completely different whilst sleeping.

Step 4 - Exfoliating

I generally exfoliate two times a week and I do this to remove the dead skin cells from my skin. It's important for people with blemished skin to exfoliate in order to unblock the pores and prevent further breakouts. Another reason I exfoliate is because I do have skin scarring which my blemishes have left.. exfoliating regularly will eventually get rid of these. They do tend to go after a few years but there's no harm in speeding up the process is there?!

Step 5 - Face Masks

I absolutely love using face masks! I use them around 2-3 times a week and depending on how my skin feels depends on the type of face mask I'll use. I either use a peel off face mask, a clay mask or a nourishing mask. A peel off ones is one that applies clear, dries and then you peel it off (the clue is in the name). After this, all the impurities have been drawn out of your skin and you're left with refined pores and clear skin. A clay mask is similar except from it's basically clay that you apply to your face, leave to set and then wash off. It helps to close the pores up and it leaves your skin feeling super soft. And finally, I'll use a nourishing mask whenever I have an active breakout and this is because my breakouts are painful most of the time and these help to nurture the breakout.

Step 6 - Speciality Products

By speciality products I mean spot treatments. These are important in your skin care routine but finding one that works for you is definitely a challenge. Spot treatments are wonderful as they're concentrated and really help to clear up active breakouts. You apply them straight to the spot once or twice a day and the spot is generally reduced within 5 hours and gone within 3 days.

What does your skin care routine consist of?

xxx

Another Boots Haul!

I'm guessing every Sunday I'll be posting a haul from Boots. Working there and seeing the offers makes it almost irresistible to spend money in there but oh well, you make money to spend it! I didn't really buy a lot of interesting stuff, just a few essentials really.

Denman Shower Brush

I've been eyeing this up since the first day I worked at Boots and that was three months ago. Today, I finally decided to buy it because I'm fed up of my hair being a tangled mess whenever I get out of the shower - even after I've conditioned. It's really good for the hair and also gives your head a massage at the same time; a win, win situation.

Boots Tea Tree Peel Off Face Mask

I absolutely love face masks and will generally use them twice a week. I normally use clay masks but I've been craving for a peel off mask for a while now. I haven't used this one before but I have read some decent things about it and it was pretty cheap.

Boots Essentials Cucumber Eye Make Up Remover Gel

After reading this review I've been lusting after this eye make up remover for a while. It sounds absolutely lovely and although I haven't used it yet, I know it's going to be amazing. I normally just use my cleanser on my eyes but when I read that this gel hydrates the eyes and leaves them feeling refreshed, I couldn't help but pick one up.

Nivea Double Effect Deodorant

I needed a deodorant and a lady came up to the counter with this one and it came through at half price so I just couldn't resist. It's 250ml and these ones generally tend to last me a long time.

What have you been buying recently? Have you tried any of these items?

xxx