My All Time Favourite Skincare Products

Hey lovelies,

Today I thought I'd feature my all time favourite skincare products that as of yet I will continually repurchase as I so far find these are the best of the best. Especially, as I beauty blog I do try a wide range of skincare so it does take a lot for a product to stand out to me and get me to repurchase.

1. Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing Balm (My review | Link) | Link - I've adored this stuff ever since my very first purchase way, way back in 2009 and since then continuously go back to this every single time, no matter what balm I've previously tried this stuff always comes out on top. This is great for all skin types of all ages and I recommend it to anyone that wants clear, healthy skin.
2. Clarisonic Mia 2 | Link - This isn't photographed above but is a product I've now owned for about 2-3 years and can't really imagine my skin without it. It honestly made such a dramatic difference to my skin and I notice a difference straight away when I stop using it. I have a review upcoming for this in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out, as it will also feature my review on the decongested clarisonic set. 
3. Origins Drink Up Intensive and Origins Drink Up Face Masks | Link - These two are honestly great and I continuously use these interchangeably. I prefer the intensive more during the winter months and the general Drink Up during the summer when my skin isn't as dehydrated. I also think these are fab to use on long plane flights where your skin always gets a bit dry and yucky. 
4. Caudalie Beauty Elixr (My review | Link) | Link - This skin beautifying spray is perfect all year round, but especially during the summer when your skin needs a quick refresh. I adore using this in so many different ways from using it as my toner in the morning with my skincare routine, using it as a primer for my foundation, using it to set my makeup and to give it a more natural/glowy look or to even refresh my face throughout the day. Overall, this is just a great product that smells delightful and I get along with perfectly.
5. Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate | Link - This oil is beautiful and smells absolutely amazing, I've had this for about a year now and I've still got more than 3/4 of the bottle left! Which is amazing to say I use it nearly 3-4 times a week. I've got a post upcoming of a review of this oil that will be going up soon so check that out to find out more and how to use it.
6. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo + | Link - This has been a staple in my skincare for so long I can barely remember what it was like not to use this. The Effaclar Duo is another great product to use in many different ways, from as a light daytime moisturiser, a spot treatment or a primer. This works even for the most sensitive of skin types so if you're more on the dry side, don't hesitate!
7. Origins A Perfect World Moisturiser | Link - I love this stuff so much!! This is my first ever jar of this coca-cola smelling moisturiser and I can already confidently say that it won't be my last. I use it as a nighttime mosituriser and adore the effect it leaves on my skin for the next day. It's softer, smoother and hydrated. 
8. Pixi Glow Tonic | Link - This chemical exfoliator is perfect for absolutely any skin type. It's designed to resurface and revitalise the skin whilst also soothing this skin. Therefore, resulting in glowing, luminous, smooth skin. The likes of infamous Caroline Hiron's adores this product, which just shows how much this is a must have for anyones skincare stash.
9. Bioderma Sensibo H20 | Link - My must have product for taking off any and all eye make up, and the addition of the rest of my make up, It's perfect because it gets everything off without me having to tug my skin nor does it irritate it.

Thanks for reading!

If you want to find out more of my favourite products don't forget to subscribe or follow me on bloglovin,

Cutest Gift Set Ever

I'm a massive fan of cute, quirky gifts and especially anything to do with Bodycare. (As you've seen from my mass amount of Lush and shower gel loving posts). I was sent this adorable cute Toast and Jam Body Wash Set | Link from The Internet Gift Store. Furthermore, I'm a major believer in buying Christmas gifts early (yes, I did just mention the C word!), and I think cute, quirky gifts like this that aren't super pricey are great for friends or even stocking fillers that make Christmas Day a bit more exciting and unique.

The Basics

Brand: Mad Beauty
Name of Product: Toast and Jam Body Wash SetPurpose of product: Body wash to clean, awaken and revive the skin by leaving it smelling fruity and freshPrice: £6.99 | Link
Who it's aimed for: Anybody and everybody really! Especially someone that likes to try new and different things

Product Description

A strawberry scented body wash that comes with toast-shaped sponge, designed to be fruity and fresh. Great gift idea.

Where to buy: Internet Gift Store | Link 

How To UseObviously, everyone knows how to use a body wash but as this is more of a jelly and has a more thicker, liquid consistency (much alike real jelly) myself and Internet Gift Store recommend using it by lathering yourself and the product with warm water (or however you like your shower/bath to be!) and then gently massaging into the skin before washing away.

Pro's
I adore this product for so many reasons! The packaging is easy and simple to use and get the product out and clearly highlights when you're running low - and need to repurchase! It has a lovely fresh strawberry scent and is so exciting and fun to use due to it's jelly shaped texture and appearance. The toast shaped sponge is also a really cool idea and completely unique. I personally, fell in love with the product before I even opened the packaging purely because of the toast sponge. It's also a great dupe for any of Lush's shower jellys or The Body Shops raspberry shower gel.

Cons
Sadly, I don't have any massive cons. My only main issue was that it smelt so nice it was difficult to not want to try and eat it! I also wished it had a few skincare benefits besides just making me smell nice. 

Should I Buy It?/Do I Recommend?I would say definitely! It's a super cute gift that any young girl or older woman or of any gender really would appreciate.

Rating
8/10
I also highly recommend checking out the online Internet Gift Store because they have a great variety of products to buy for just about everybody, from Christmas to Mothers Day to Graduation Day!

What do you get: A strawberry scented body wash and a toast-shaped sponge

Thank you for reading,

My Basic Skincare Must Haves

Hey lovelies,

Today I thought I'd do a feature today where I showcase all my basic must have skincare products and my recommendations for each one. As understandably skincare can get quite confusing and when there are so many products to choose from you can easily get overwhelmed and unsure as to what you need to buy and what you don't. Skincare, I personally feel, is the most important part of your regime - more so than makeup. As, if your skin looks good a) you'll need less makeup and b) your makeup will apply a hell of a lot easier. After a quick description of each product there will be a few of my recommendations at the end, with a high end and a drugstore choice.

1. Makeup Remover

A decent makeup remover that works well on both the eyes and skin is key. As you want something gentle around the eyes, so that you don't have to tug, but also something that can remove your foundation. I'd recommend either a micellar water as they're light and super gentle and work, or a cleansing oil as they're a bit heavier but take everything off with major skin benefits. Both work well for either skin types. I own both a micellar water and a cleansing oil, purely because I find the micellar water is easier to travel with. (As seen in my photo, I've decanted it into a smaller, travel-size bottle)

Recommendations: BioDerma Sensibo | Link, Garnier Cleansing Micellar Water | Link,  Superfacialist Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil (Review) | Link, The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil (Review) | Link

2. Cleanser

Cleansing your skin is super important and shouldn't get mixed up with removing your makeup. Makeup remover takes off your makeup, whereas a cleanser actually cleans your skin and gets inside all your dirty pores (lovely image!). You always go in with a cleanser after you've removed your makeup. Out of every skincare product, cleansers are very subjective to skincare types but personally I recommend ones that actually leave my skin feeling clean and soft, but not dry or tight. I also have quite sensitive skin so something suited to sensitive skin is perfect for me! My favourite types of cleansers are either gel or balm cleansers - gel are normally better suited to combination to oily skin types whereas balms are universal. 

Recommendations: Lancome Gel Eclat (Suitable for all types) | Link, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (All skin types - especially sensitive) | Link, Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm (All types) (Review) | Link, LUSH Ultraband (All types) | Link

3. Exfoliators

Exfoliation is really important for removing dead skin cells and maintaining a glow to your skin. I'd recommend doing once to twice depending on how dry your skin is. Personally, I find exfoliators can be quite difficult to buy as many I've tried have been super harsh and have made my skin worse! I recommend either using a gentle exfoliator/scrub or using a chemical toner as they can be used everyday and are a lot more gentle.

Recommendations: Pixi Glow Tonic | Link,  Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub | Link, St Ives Apricot Scrub | Link

4. Toners

Now, some people believe toners are a pointless task and don't really do anything, but I adore a good toner. They're super refreshing and really calm my skin down. I've already done a post on my all time current favourite two toners, but toners are an all round great product. I recommend buying ones without alcohol in as then they can become super harsh on the skin.

Recommendations: LUSH Eau Roma Water (Review) | Link, LUSH Tea Tree Toner | Link, Kiehls Oil Eliminator Toner (Review) | Link, Caudalie Beauty Elixr (Review) | Link

5. SPF

SPF is super important no matter if the weather is rainy or cloudy, you should still protect your skin with a minimum of 25 SPF. I normally apply my SPF over my moisturiser but under my makeup, so I prefer a SPF that isn't greasy or slimy.

Recommendations: Clarins UV+ SPF 50 | Link, Kiehls Ultra Light Daily Defense SPF 50 | Link, Olay Complete Daily Defense SPF 30 | Link

6. Eye Cream

Looking after your under eye is a necessity, especially because it's so delicate. I have pretty bad dark circles, so I sometimes like to have a brightening eye cream for daytime and a more heavier, moisturising one to go to bed with.

Recommendations: The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream (Review) | Link, Simple Kind To Eyes Roll On (Mornings only) | Link, Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado | Link, Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream | Link,  Origins GinZing Eye Cream (Mornings only) | Link

7. Moisturiser

Besides cleansing and SPF, this is one of the most important steps in a skincare routine. No matter whether you're super dry or extremely oily moisturising your face is extremely important. Especially in the morning before you apply your makeup as it essentially lays a base for your foundation and other products to stick to. Now I have oily skin so I mainly shop for moisturisers suited to my skin type, but I will recommend a few for others.

Recommendations: LUSH Enzymion (Oily/Combo) | Link, Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser (All types) (Review) | Link, Origins GinZing (All types) | Link, Origins A Perfect World (Normal/Dry) | Link

Thank you for reading,

My Must Follow Instagram Accounts

Today I thought I'd feature my current five favourite Instagram accounts that I follow at the moment, as I'm a massive fan of beauty and Instagram. The sheer amount of incredible beauty accounts on Instagram can sometimes be a bit overwhelming so if you're looking for any new people to follow, I would definitely recommend checking these out. If you'd like to check out my page, click here.

1. Vegas_Nay - I adore her account, her recent Too Faced collab and that she features other new artists on her page. Meaning it connects you to all sorts of different styles and ideas of beauty across the world.

2. iluvsarahii - This girl is seriously great with makeup, and the fact she also features stunning fashion and upcoming products on her instagram is so helpful in staying current with new releases and trends.

3. Makeupbyan - Now if you want serious eye makeup inspo/porn this is where to look. She is great with makeup in general but every close up eye makeup pic she posts I end up fangirling over for quite a while.

4. Makeupslaves - If you're dying for an account where all your makeup looks, cute product pictures and the occasional fashion pieces, are all in one place: look no further. This is the account for you.

5. Cali_Beaute - Whereas, if you're more of a fan of the makeup products themselves and professional but attractive looking pictures of great, new beauty and skincare products this is the account you need to be checking - often. (Apologies in advance for your bank account)! 

Thank you for reading,

My Must Follow Pinterest's

Hey lovelies,

today I thought I'd show you my favourite Pinterest accounts and boards I currently follow and love! I'm a massive fan of Pinterest and the app is constantly open on my phone - if you want to check my Pinterest account click here.

1. Lauren Conrad | Link

Conrad's Pinterest ranges from beautiful styles of fashion, quirky images and getting fit inspo.

  

2. Sheila Gerlach | Link

An account full of beautiful home designs and fashion and hair to die for.

                    
   

3. Tyler Knott Gregson | Link

My favourite go-to account for beautiful written poetry quotes, every piece he writes I want to plaster all over my walls.

                                 

4. Alexa Puitch - Style board | Link

A board I always seem to check out when browsing Pinterest to look for my next outfit inspiration.

5. Morgan Trait - Beauty board | Link

Make-up is obviously a big obsession of mine, and this board always seems to keep giving me more products I want to buy or new styles I want to try out.

Thank you for reading,

Please comment below with your favourite Pinterest accounts or boards,

My Top Two Favourite Refreshing Summer Sprays

Hey lovelies,

Today I thought I'd do a quick post featuring my two favourite - ever - face sprays!

I adore face sprays as I find they're quick, easy and super refreshing. I love using them during my skincare routine, morning and/or night, during the day and even over makeup to quickly hydrate my face. I have oily to combination skin and even though primarily these face sprays are for hydration and dry skin, I still find they work amazing with my skin! Especially, as the weather gets warm they're great for cooling the skin down, even more so if you're lucky enough to be going away somewhere hot this summer!

My first favourite is a drugstore offering and is by Lush! 'Eau Roma Water' {£7.95} is affordable and packed full of amazing ingredients, free of chemicals and perfectly suitable for sensitive skins. It mainly contains lavender and rose water which are amazing for calming and soothing the skin. I purchased this a few months ago and ever since I've completely adored it! It's great to use during the day to calm the skin down, but is also perfect morning or night as a toner in your skincare routine. Overall, I've been using it any time I can - especially because it's so affordable I won't mind when it finally runs out because I'll be straight out the door to purchase another one. I recommend this to all skin types as I feel any skin at any age would definitely benefit from this.

Second, is definitely a more higher-end product made by Caudalie. 'Beauty Elixr' {£11.50} is a well known within the blogger community for good reason. This spray is beautiful, smells delightful and the packaging is so gorgeous it would of sold me even if I hadn't known about the product itself. It features beautiful ingredients such as grape, orange blossom, rose, balm mint and rosemary. Another product to calm and soothe the skin. I prefer using this morning or during the day. It's great over or under makeup as it just seems to magically make my makeup sit so much better and removes any cakeyness that was going on. Honestly, if this works for Victoria Beckham then you know it's good!

A quick, extra honourable mention is Kiehl's 'Oil Eliminator' toner which is another great one, that's perfect at refreshing the skin - although doesn't have as many skin benefits as the two mentioned. Click here to view the review. 

Thank you for reading,

Please comment below if you know any face sprays that are great as I'd love to try out some more,

End Of May Update

Hey lovelies,

I thought I'd start a new post series that will feature at the end of every month. I'm hoping it will include 'random' favourites I have been loving this past month.

TV Shows

The two show's I've been loving this month have been:

1. Ru Paul's Drag Race

I've been loving this show mainly due to the major amounts of sass, glitz and makeup involved in this show. It reminds me of a mix between Project Runway and America's Next Top Model. 

2. Switched At Birth

I discovered this through Sky On Demand, as it features every single season available right now so I've been binge watching it. It basically features two girls who were switched at birth (smart title right?). One of the girls is deaf and it features a lot of sign language and other issues she faces throughout the show. It's super eye opening and interesting, but it still includes the cliche teenager issues as well so it's never too serious. 

Books

I'm a massive bookworm and I'm constantly reading, so I found it super difficult to narrow down two books to feature here. But, if you want to see everything I read and possibly (Please!) recommend me anything you can add me on Goodreads here. 

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I completely adored this book! Honestly, it's not something I would normally gravitate towards but, hell, I'm glad I did! It features a kick-ass female protagonist and is such an exciting read. 

I overall rated it 5 stars. 

Favourite quote : “You could rattle the stars," she whispered. "You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.” 

2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

This was a cute, quick, light read that is a brilliant contemporary to read any day of the year. It did deal with some serious issues, and actually had quite a twist about halfway through that I wasn't expecting!

I rated it 5 stars. 

Favourite quote: “Um. So ... Are we going to study?"

Jase slides his thumbs behind my ears, rubbing the hollow at their base. He's only inches from my face, still looking into my eyes. "You bet. I'm studying you.” 

Music

I listen to a super wide range of music and it always changes depending on my mood but here is my favourite album and single of this month:

1. Coming Up For Air - Kodaline

This album is so beautiful and I honestly love every single song featured on it. It contains fast paced and slow, sweet songs that means it's perfect for any mood or occasion. 

2. Honey I'm Good - Andy Grammer

I love a bit of country music, especially as the days get sunnier and warmer. This is a perfect mix of pop and country that will have you dancing and banging your head around by the end of the song. 

Movie

Pitch Perfect 2

Honestly, this film shocked me how funny, well written and enjoyable it was. As, I sadly was disappointed by the first one, but this one was hilarious and had me laughing from start to end. Ever since I've seen it I've been recommending it anyone and everyone who will listen!

Thank you for reading lovelies,

I hope you enjoy this feature as it progress through the year!

Random June Favourites

Hey lovelies,
I thought I'd do a quick side post just on my random favourites of June!

Music

My favourite album this month has been George Ezra's 'Wanted On A Voyage' album. It is honestly amazing! This guy can sing and has such an unusual, catchy take on music. My two favourites at the moment are 'Budapest' and 'Song 6'.

My favourite music single of the month has been 'Rescue Me' by You Me At Six featuring Chiddy. This is an old favourite of mine that has recently resurfaced for personal reasons, but honestly I just really love this tune. It's a great song to dance and rock out to when home alone.

 

Film

My favourite film of the month has undoubtedly been 'The Fault In Our Stars'. I adored this book and the film was no-where near a disappointment. I must admit, as cliche as it sounds, the book was better but the film was still amazing and had me sobbing uncontrollably by the end!

TV 

My favourite on the TV at the moment is the series 'Nashville'. I've only just recently discovered this and why did I honestly not start watching it earlier?! It's based in Nashville, obviously, and centers around two big, female country singers and the problems and difficulties they face. It has good music, drama, romance, tears and deals with everyday issues. Furthermore, I like the eye-opening view it gives on celebrities and how their everyday actions are dealt with surrounding the media.

Books

My two favourite books of the month are 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell. Now, I did read this a while back, hipster over here, but none-the-less I couldn't not mention this! I adore anything Rowell writes and this was no exception, even more so the changes in her life are also happening in my life so it was great to find something so current to my own struggles. Furthermore, this is the one book that has actually made me sob and laugh out loud all in one, sad I know. This is just such a relatable book and I recommend it to anyone and everyone - I BEG YOU TO READ IT.

My second book is one I have read recently and it's 'Burn For Burn' by Jenny Han. Honestly, I was super surprised by this book as I didn't really know how much I would like this book, but hell I loved it. It's centering around revenge and girl power, but it also has some deep messages hidden within the plot and leaves you dying for more with the second book, that I sadly haven't been able to get my hands on yet *sobs*.

Quote

My favourite quote of the month is actually a poem called 'We Were Emergencies' by Buddy Wakefield and I honestly think this piece is just so beautiful:

We can stick anything into the fog

and make it look like a ghostbut tonightlet us not become tragedies.We are not funeral homeswith propane tanks in our windows,lookin’ like cemeteries.Cemeteries are just the Earth’s way of not letting go.Let go.
let’s turn our silly wrists so far backwards
the razor blades in our pencil tips
can’t get a good angle on all that beauty inside.
Step into this
with your airplane parts.
Move forward
and repeat after me with your heart:
like you know I am better
than the worst thing I ever did.
Go slow.
I’m new to this.
But I have seen nearly every city from a rooftop
without jumping.
I have realized
did not have to be full for us to love it,
that we are not tragedies
stranded here beneath it,
that if my heart
really broke
every time I fell from love
I’d be able to offer you confetti by now.
y’all,
they bruise and get better.
We were never tragedies.
We were emergencies.
You call 9 – 1 – 1.
Tell them I’m having a fantastic time.

Tonight

“I no longer need you to fuck me as hard as I hated myself.”

Make love to me

that the moon

But hearts don’t break,

Favourite YouTuber

And last but not least is my favourite YouTuber of the month, which is VelvetGh0st. So go check her out!

Thank you for reading!

Please don't hesitate to comment and follow me on BlogLovin!

Victoria Louise x

June Favourites

Hey lovelies,
It's finally time to showcase my monthly favourites! Now I realise the last time I did a favourites was way, way back in the bitter days of February, check out here, but I've managed to narrow down my much-loved products to my top five.

From L-R: Clean & Clear Wash, Kiehls Moisturiser, Jurlique Serum,
Botanics BB Cream & The Body Shop Shower Gel

Skincare

My first major favourites at the moment have been in the skincare category, purely because during the summer months I wear less make-up so I like my skin to look it's best as easy as possible.

1. Clean & Clear 'Morning Energy' Daily Facial Wash. Now, I adore this for multiple reasons; it's cheap, smells lovely - like oranges, definitely wakes me up in the morning and doesn't leave my face feeling tight like most face washes. It claims to contain bursting beads which I can honestly say aren't harsh or abrasive, if anything I barely notice them. Furthermore, the product is oil-free which is great for my combination skin, especially in summer. Even more so, I really like the packaging as it's easy to dispense just the right amount of product and you can easily see how much you have left, so I know when to go buy more. I've also enjoyed using another face wash previously which has also featured in a monthly favourites here.
2. Kiehl's 'Skin Rescuer'. Even though this is pretty pricey it is definitely worth it! It is purely amazing and removes nearly all the redness from my face and leaves my skin feeling so soft I have to restrain from sitting and stroking it, weird I know. I normally apply this to my face at night purely because I like to have a moisturiser during the day to be more light-weight and contain SPF. I would recommend this to anyone with dry, dehydrated, sensitive or combination skin!
3. Jurlique's 'Herbal Recovery' Advanced Serum. Now, yet again another pretty pricey skincare product but is most definitely worth it! I'm not going to go into much detail as a full review will be coming up shortly on my blog but this is amazing and everyone should definitely check it out.

Make-Up & Body Care

Now I don't have many make-up favourites mainly because I've not been wearing any apart from when I go out at night so I thought I'd merge my body care and makeup category together.

1. Boots Botanics 'BB Radiant Youth Cream'. Now, this stuff is amazing for how affordable it is! It's got an SPF of 30 which is perfect for summer and has quite a creamy texture but feels lightweight on the skin. It also leaves my skin looking healthy, glowy and dewy and I find it lasts a good 4/5 hours on the skin before I start having to touch up with powder. I have it in the shade 'Light' and my only slight letdown is that I wish they did a lighter shade as I find this is a bit too dark for me at the moment.
2. The Body Shop 'Raspberry Shower Gel'. This is just a really nice shower gel that smells amazing and leaves me feeling ready for the day. Definitely will be repurchasing!

Thank you for reading!

Please don't hesitate to comment with your monthly favourites and don't forget to follow me on BlogLovin!

Victoria Louise x