Morning Skincare Routine

Last week I wrote about my daily nighttime skincare routine and thought I'd do my morning routine to finish it off. I do love a good skincare product and I'm always on the hunt for the next best thing to give you that perfect glowing skin. I don't think that will ever happen but there's always hope isn't there?! My morning routine is quite similar to my nighttime routine, with two holy grail products that I use both day and night because I just find them bloomin marvellous. I'm so glad I've gotten into a routine because my skin has benefited so much and as well as this I'm trying to drink more water which I've noticed has made a big difference to my skin.

Step 1: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Oh Liz Earle, you beauty. Every blogger and their grandmother's dog has this product and I totally understand why. Like I said in my nighttime skincare routine, I've started taking care of my skin more meaning that I've created a routine to use day and night and I've really noticed a difference. I have been wanting to try this product for so long now and I was going to go and buy it when my mam popped up and said she had one which she never uses. Not going to lie I got a little bit excited. Is it weird getting excited over a cleanser? I've been using it every morning for a few weeks now and my skin is so clear, bright and soft that I don't think I could go without. I apply it to dry skin and have only recently started using the facial cleansing pad from Primark which has tiny bristles to help cleanse and exfoliate the skin. Then with a muslin cloth, I was off the cleanser with warm water. Oh I bloody love this product (pardon my French).

Step 2: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

This product is a no brainer, I raved about this in my nighttime skincare routine because it is PERFECTION. I use this morning and night after my cleanser to make sure any excess make up or dirt is off my face and to generally cleanse and brighten my skin. I love this product because it isn't irritable to the skin, especially the eyes. I hate using make up remover that irritates my eyes because I prefer to not go out with with bloodshot eyes that make me look like a crazy person. BUY THIS PRODUCT!

Step 3: Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream For Normal To Combination Skin

I do love Nivea products and in the past few months I've been really enjoying using them. They're affordable and give amazing results. I wanted a light moisturiser that I could apply for the daytime and inn particular, I wanted a moisturiser that contained SPF as especially since it is coming up to summer, this would be a really important factor. So, to start with, for £3.99 this product didn't exactly break my bank balance (bonus) and plus, it contains SPF 15. What a beauty of a product you have made Nivea, ticks all the boxes for me. As well as this, it is quite a light moisturiser making it quick to dry and helps to apply and set my make up really well. I use the normal to combination skin type as I have pretty normal skin with the odd breakout (which I am extremely grateful about!!) The bottle is only small but you don't need a lot of product on your face making the moisturiser last a long time.

Step 4: Simple Kind To Eyes Revitalising Eye Roll-On

Again, I could not rave about this product enough. I use this in both my morning and nighttime skincare routines as I've just found that it has completely improved my under eye circles. As I mentioned in my nighttime skincare routine, I tend to suffer from dark circles under my eyes, especially when I first wake up, which is a bloomin nightmare. But, ever since using this roll-on gel they've suddenly (almost) disappeared! I don't tend to rub this in when I apply it, I just leave it to dry as I feel like this is the best way to use it. I would highly recommend this product to anyone who suffers with dark circles and puffiness as it cools the eye area as well as moisturising it and as it contains cucumber extract it soothes the under eye area.

What's in your morning skincare routine? Let me know any skincare recommendations.

Charlotte xxx

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Current Beauty Wishlist

Warning: There's a lot. A girl can dream...

Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection - 100 Arched Powder Brush

Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser

Real Techniques Collectors Edition Sculpting Set

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

Ghost Eclipse Perfume

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot - Soft Ochre

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

MAC Strobe Cream

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer - Fair Neutral

theBalm Mary Lou Manizer Luminizer

Charlotte xxx

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

My Nighttime Skincare Routine

Okay guys, I've been really proud of myself lately. I've actually made a skincare routine and stuck to it. Yes, pat on the back for Charlotte, thank you everyone. My skin has changed so much recently and I think it's purely because of the products I've been using and how regularly I use them. I've dumped the make up wipes (well I SOMETIMES use them, but only when I'm shattered and can't be bothered, this happens like once every two weeks) and I've bought new products to take my make up off and cleanse my face. My skin has never felt so soft and smooth, I'm buzzing. I've tried drinking more water too which I always find helps my skin a huge amount. I thought I'd show you my nighttime skincare routine, I love reading about which products people use as I'm always on the hunt for an even better skincare product so I thought I'd show you what I love to use. 

Step 1: The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

Rather than using make up wipes to take my make up I've starting using this cleansing butter. I heard a lot of good things about this product so I thought it might be a good starter product for my skincare routine and when I went to buy it, the shop assistant raved about it so it would be rude not to get it I suppose! It is more like a cleansing balm than a butter, with it being a solid product in the tin. To remove my make up, I take a little bit of the product and rub it in my hands to warm up the product and sort of liquify it before rubbing it all over my face and eyes. Then with a warm cloth, I just wash it all off. Even if I do look like a drunk panda when I'm rubbing the product in, it bloody well does the job. I usually find that if I take my make up off any other way without using a wipe, most of my mascara is still left on but with this, everything completely comes off.

Step 2: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. Like seriously, I don't think I could live without it now. This has been raved about all over the blogging and YouTube community and I can totally understand what the hype is all about. It costs around £4 so it's pretty damn good especially for how big the bottle is. I usually apply this to a cotton pad and rub it all over my face just to get any excess dirt that the cleansing balm might have missed as well as soothing and toning my face. You can even use this to remove your make up and I've tried it before and works just as good!

Step 3: Daily Essentials Regenerating Night Cream

I got to a point in my life (how dramatic, I'm only 18) where I realised how much I needed to moisturise. My skin became so dry and dull and I moisturised once in a while. Even my mam was shocked when I told her I didn't moisturise as much as I should, she made it very clear I'd get wrinkles when I'm older. Anyway, I thought rather than using the same moisturiser for both my morning and nighttime routine I'd get a specific night cream. I've never really tried Nivea face products so I thought I'd try some and they're so inexpensive too. I bought this night cream and it's quite a thick formula but I always wake up with skin as smooth as a baby's bottom (I don't get why that saying is so positive, I've never wanted my face to feel like a bum?!) 

Step 4: Simple Kind to Eyes Revitalising Eye Roll-On
This product is definitely one of my favourite ever skincare products. I've always loved the Simple range and used to use a lot of their products when I was a bit younger. I suffer from dark circles under my eyes and I used to hate the way they looked when I woke up every morning. Ever since I started using this my circles have looked nearly non-existent and I couldn't be more happier. I just apply this last after my moisturiser but I don't rub it in. I use it morning and nighttime and could not miss it out of my routine!

I'm determined to keep up with this skincare routine because I've seen a huge difference ever since I started! Keep a look out for my morning skincare routine soon...

Charlotte xxx

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Current Skincare Routine || Beauty

I remember writing a skincare post in about November 2012 and I'm going to be honest with you, my skincare routine has changed quite a bit since that post. After all, it has been a year and a half. Getting into a constant skincare routine has always been a struggle for me, I'm too lazy. However, this year I've been trying to look after myself more, particularly my skin. I usually use 4 products in my routine, specifically on a morning but this changes at night time, if I'm ever motivated...

Pure Natural Beauty: Instant Radiance Skin Exfoliator
I received this as part of a beauty box that I was given for Christmas (which you can read about here) and I quite like it. I don't use this everyday like my other products but use it twice or three times a week, particularly when I'm going out. It's good for my skin as it gets rid of the little rough spots of my face. I usually use this at the beginning of my routine, particularly in mornings. It's quite a light exfoliator and foams out when massaged into the skin with water. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the smell, but I guess after a while you kind of get used to it!

Benefit: Foamingly Clean Facial Wash
Like the exfoliator, I received this as a Christmas gift. I've always wanted to try more of the Benefit skincare range ever since I was given a sample pot of their moisturiser last year. I got the foam cleanser and it is honestly a great product, particularly for younger skin. You only need to a little bit of product, splash your face with warm water and massage it into a foam lather then wash off. The smell is sooo nice, smells very fresh! I feel like ever since I started using this cleanser, my face has brightened up and my skin doesn't look dull and tired. I also love the packaging and as always, Benefit has ticked the boxes on that part!

Benefit: Total Moisture Facial Cream
Okay everyone, I just want to warn you, I may go a bit crazy about this moisturiser. This is by far my all time favourite moisturiser. As I said at the beginning, I received a sample size version for Christmas in 2012 and used that for a couple of months until it ran out (a part of me died inside). I was wanting to buy it for ages but never had the money. I used to walk past the Benefit counter and see it staring at me, enticing me to buy it...anyway. I was given this as a present of Santa for Christmas this year and I was so excited to see it in my little beauty box! My eyes lit up and I don't think my mam and dad have ever seen me so happy. It's from the same range as the cleanser meaning it has the same packaging, smell and consistency. It's very light and fresh and again, brightens up the skin as well as leaving it soft. It doesn't leave an oily residue to the skin which is great and sinks in perfectly. Definitely a highly recommended product from moi!

The Body Shop: Vitamin E Face Mist
This is the final step of my skincare routine however I only tend to use this product when I'm wearing make up, however sometimes I do like to spray this on my face to brighten my skin up! It's basically a rose water face mist for setting make up and refreshing the skin and I've noticed a huge difference in my skin since using it. I feel like my make up applies a lot smoother and gives off that dewy finish which I am loving at the moment! I always apply this before and after I do my make up and I find that this works best for me. I would definitely repurchase this product, I love it so much!

So that is my current skincare routine which I know I'll be keeping for a long time. I don't tend to change my routine very often and like to stick to products that I know suit my skin and work best for me!

Charlotte xxx

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Christmas 2013: Beauty Gifts.

Merry Christmas!

I know it's a late Merry Christmas but I thought I'd say it anyway! I hope you all had a great Christmas, I had such an amazing Christmas this year: spending time with family, relaxing and of course, having Christmas dinner (the best part). I received some amazing gifts and I am honestly so grateful for everything!

I always love these type of posts because I always find a good product that I might be able to snap up in the sales or add to my current beauty wishlist, and I'm sure a lot of you are the same (unless you're just little nosey parkers ;-)). I'd just like to put a disclaimer out there that I'm not in any way shape or form bragging about any of the gifts I received I just thought it would be nice to share with you the beauty gifts that I was given, after all this is a beauty blog! I mainly received these presents off my parents but also from a few other family members like my grandma and aunty and uncle. Last year, my mam made me a beauty box full of hair, skin and make up products so I hinted to her this year how much I looooved that idea and she made me another one. So, here we go, I'll stop waffling.

Make Up

I've been wanting to make my own MAC eyeshadow palette for so long and so I added it to my Christmas list but honestly didn't think I'd get one. I opened my present of my grandma and immediately saw the black MAC packaging and was like omg. I was so shocked to see the palette! She also got me three eyeshadows: All That Glitters, Sable and Handwritten and then I bought Woodwinked a couple of days after. As well as buying Woodwinked, I also bought the MAC Studio Fix concealor in the shade NW15, so technically this isn't an actual gift but it was a gift to myself so I thought I'd include it anyway! In my little beauty box from Santa, I received the well-hyped Benefit Rockateur blush! I was so grateful to get this and can't wait to try it! I don't want to ruin it cause it looks too pretty. I was also given a dusky pink nail polish from Marks and Spencer, a Soap and Glory lip butter and a gorgeous brown eyeshadow duo from Topshop. Then, from my Aunty and Uncle I was given two gift sets from No7, which includes neutral eyeshadow shades with two eyeshadow brushes and in the other it has a mini mascara, lipstick and nail varnish.

Skincare

Next up is skincare. Of course, I was given a Lush bath bomb. My mam knows I love lush and when I got my favourite ever bath bomb I was buzzin! It is the Comforter, which is a blackcurrent smelling bubble bar that makes your bath go pink! PERFECT. I received a lovely Jimmy Choo shower gel to go with my perfume and a Pure Natural Beauty skin exfoliator. I also got my favourite ever moisturiser which is the Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream. Funnily enough, I got a sample of this in my last christmas box and loved it so I asked for the bigger size and got it! As well as this I received the Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash and the bareMinerals Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser and some bog standard facial wipes from good old Sainsbury's.

Haircare

Last but not least is haircare. I received a Mark Hill 'Gorgeous Brunette' box set off my Aunty. I remember getting some last year and loved the products so very excited to use these again! As well as the set, out of my box I was given the Aussie Dual Personality Anti-Frizz and Conditioning Milk which I have already tried and it is absolutely lovely! A Bed Head Conditioner and James Brown Intensive Moisture Mask was also added alongside my favourite sea salt spray by L'Oreal and also some L'Oreal Elnette hairspray which is funny because I always borrow my mam's and I think she gets slightly annoyed. I got the hint mam!

So there you have it, a little snippet into my beauty gifts I gratefully received for Christmas. I'm going to be honest I never put photos on or anything of what I got for Christmas because I don't want people to think I'm showing off, which I'm not, but I thought instead of showing you what I got altogether, I'd create a little collection of my beauty gifts to fit in with the trend! 

I am so thankful for all of the gifts I received this year and I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have the best New Year!

Charlotte xxx

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram