When the Day is Done! Evening Skin Routine

So my last post showed you how I wake my skin up in the morning, now its time to send it off to sleep in the evening.

I may be all about quick and easy products, but I do spend longer on my routine in the evening because I find it nice and relaxing to wind down at the end of a day. The products I use though are still all nice and quick and simple to use.

I start off by wiping away the majority of my makeup just using a plain old face wipe, usually the Pure age defiance ones simply because they're 2 packets for £1 in Poundland :P
Next, depending on how my skin is feeling I either slather Lush 9 to 5 cleansing lotion all over my face and wipe it off with a cotton pad or I mix a small amount of Lush Let the Good Times Roll cleanser with water to form a a paste which you massage into the face for a light scrub and cleanse before rinsing off with water. Most days I stick to the 9 to 5 because its easier but Let the Good Times Roll leaves skin feeling so smooth and smelling like caramel so its a nice treat :)
This is then followed with a spritz of Lush Tea Tree Water toner *review here* to close up the pores a bit.
After this, I use Lush Full of Grace solid face serum. To use this you warm the bar between your hands to warm the product and make it easy to smooth straight on to the skin. The function of a serum is to act as a catalyst and really accelerate the drawing of products in to the skin so you get more of an effect from them, and trust me, Full of Grace really does work to make a difference.
Then we're on to spot zapping with a little coating of Grease Lightening over any blemishes I want to see the back of. I always put this on before moisturising so that it acts as a protective layer between the spot and the cream so they aren't made any worse.
Nearly there! Now I use my much loved Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose moisturiser *review here* which really soothes my skin and leaves it feeling soft, plumped and refreshed before finishing off with Tri-pentox Age Defying Eye Serum *review here* in little arches around the outside of my eyes. I use this eye cream at night because its a little thicker and creamier than the Lush one I use in the morning so it feels nice to let it sink in and work its magic over night. It really does help with reducing dark circles and puffiness too.

Over all, this routine probably takes me around 10 minutes, or 15 if I decide to be really thorough. What I haven't shown is that I also use a face scrub around 3 times a week but recently I've been trialing a few different ones ready to give my opinion so I've left those out for now.

Annie x

Rise and Shine! Morning Skin Routine

I just wanted to start of by saying how relieved I am that people enjoyed yesterdays post and their little snoop around Annieland, and thank you for all the lovely comments :)
Todays post is going to be a lot shorter, less rambley and back to the beauty.

Now I'm not a morning person, not by a long shot and would much rather grab an extra 5 minutes in bed than scrub and cleanse my face so my morning routine is quick, simple and leaves me feeling nice and fresh before popping my makeup on.
I start off using one of my must have beauty products, Lush Tea Tree Toning Water *review here* and spritz it straight on to my dry face to wake me up a bit and refresh before wiping it off with a cotton pad. This helps to clear away any night time grime and wake up my skin.
Next I use Lush Enchanted Eye Cream which I think is a totally under-rated product that deserves more love  (needless to say, review to come haha). I apply a small amount in an arc shape around the outside of my eye. I find that it really helps to plump the skin, make me feel more awake and reduce any dark circles or eye bags.
After this I use a small amount of my Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture *review here* all over my face. Because its a lovely light moisturiser I find it sinks in really quickly and doesn't leave my face feeling clogged all day.
Finally, I apply a thin layer of Lush Grease Lightening which is a spot treatment over any blemishes. The reason I do this last and make sure to do it every morning is because rather than sinking in to the skin it dries and leaves a little protective barrier over the spot which is unnoticeable but really helps to speed up healing.

And thats all, after that, depending what I'm doing, I will either pop on my makeup or just go about my day feeling all fresh and clean. And the best part is that it only takes a couple of minutes every morning so I don't have to worry about the time.

What's your morning routine? Does this sound like something you'd be able to stick to daily?
Annie x

My Evening Routine

Hello,
Sorry I've been neglecting my blog a little over the last few days, I've had a lot going on so needed to focus on other things but all should be back to normal now :)
Until recently, skin care is something that I knew fairly little about. I would always remove my make-up each night with a face wipe and bung a little moisturiser on but after so much slap dash care my skin hit back at me rather and got too prone to breakouts for my liking. Definitely time to start treating it to some proper tlc!
Now I make sure that every night I remove make-up, cleanse, tone, moisturise and generally do everything I can to keep my skin happy and blemish free.
Here's how:

I always use eye make-up remover pads, Tesco deep cleansing lotion, Nivea 2 in 1 cleanser and toner, Neal's Yard daily moisture and Tri Pentox eye serum. My skin is normal to combination and I have never had a problem with any of them breaking me out, not even a purging period so if you have slightly oily skin, these might be worth a try.

• First of all, I use eye make-up remover pads to clear around my eye area and also remover eyebrow pencil.
• Then I use the deep cleansing lotion from Tesco on a cotton pad to clear the makeup from the rest of my face and most of the daily grime. This is a pretty abrasive cleanser so if you have sensitive skin go easy!
• After this I use the Nivea 2 in 1 cleanser and toner to calm the skin and remove any stubborn dirt that might still be remaining. I apply this with my fingers and rub in little circle motions all over the face before removing excess with a cotton pad.
• Using my Neal's Yard rehydrating rose daily moisture I then dab a small amount onto cheeks, the tip of my nose and my forehead and rub in. This is one of the best moisturisers I've ever owned and I would recommend it to anyone. It leaves my skin feeling amazingly soft and refreshed.
• Finally, I use a little Tri Pentox eye serum under my eyes to keep puffiness and dark circles at bay :) This is another miracle product that I will always love.

So thats my evening routine. Do you have a set group of products you use religiously on your skin? Are there any products you'd recommend?

Annie x

Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture Review

Hello.
The other day I picked up a copy of this month's Marie Clare especially to get hold of this full sized daily moisture by Neals Yard (if you didn't already know, it is the free gift this month and is usually sold for £12). I was really excited to try this out because I love Neals Yard goodies and this product has received a lot of hype.

 This lovely cream is advertised as being perfect to use all over the body, including your face. I held back from trying it out on my face for a few days however, because I was nervous that it might make me break out because my skin is a little prone to breakouts with new products, even though my skin isn't oily or anything. But when I found out that my lovely beauty therapist friend Ami  uses this when she gives facials I pulled myself together and started using it on my face at night because I know Ami only uses the best products.
I'm really glad I started using this. My skin is noticeably softer after a few days of application and it sinks into the skin really well without being greasy or sticky. The scent is soft and natural, and although rose isn't a personal favourite of mine, this isn't over powering and doesn't linger for too long.

My only annoyance at this product is that it's very easy to squeeze too much out to use for just one go but other than that I can't fault it.
Have you tried this moisturiser? What did you think? Do you use any other Neals Yard products that you'd recommend?
Annie x

I've Been Shopping!...Again

Hello,
As I mentioned, yesterday mum and I went for a wander around town. The weather was lovely, Bath is so pretty in the sunshine :)
Of course, despite trying to save money, I couldn't resist picking up a few bargains.

Boots are currently running an offer on their Number 17 products where if you buy two, you get the third free. Who am I to reject this offer?! I grabbed one of the limited edition spring eye pallets, one of their new Blush and Glow blushers and one of the supreme shine lipsticks. Because I haven't really had the chance to test them properly yet, I'll do a proper review in a couple of days when I have some time off.
Whilst in Boots I also used my last £5 off No7 voucher to buy a little tube of their fabulous Nail and Cuticle Care Cream (reviewed below) because due to the nature of my job I have terrible trouble with the condition of my cuticles. I have been able to put this product through its paces sooo well today.
Finally, when I saw a copy of this month's Marie Claire in Sainsburys I grabbed it. I don't usually buy it but I NEEDED the Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture. This free gift usually retails at £12 so it is more than worth the £3.70 magazine price (and with my 10% discount it only cost me £3.33! Even better!) Seriously, go get this while it's still on the shelves!

Anyway, onto the review :)

No7 Nail and Cuticle Care Cream:

I work in a supermarket. It isn't glamourous, it isn't easy, and it is DAMN hard on the nails, but it pays well for now and I work with some great people. On mondays I work a nine hour shift stocking the shelves on the chilled food department and when I get home, my nails, cuticles, and tbh, hands in general, are completely wrecked.
Today I decided to do a little experiment with my new cuticle cream so before work, and then again in each break I applied a tiny amount (thats all you need) just to my right hand, the left hand I didn't apply any cream to so that I could see the difference between the two.

Please please please excuse the dirty nails, I snapped these as soon as I got home before washing and scrubbing my hands to show you the full effect. This is my left hand which I didn't apply any cream to and, as you can see, those cuticles are looking pretty rough and sore after a long day of playing with cardboard boxes.

This is my right hand which had a tiny amount of the No 7 nail and cuticle cream applied to each nail 3 times during the course of the day. As you can see, while there is still a little bit of damage, they look so much better than the nails on my left hand. They're no where near as dry, there has been minimal splitting and there was no bleeding (yay!)

This cream is a God send for those of us who have very active jobs. The tube is small (only 10ml) but you only need a very small amount; a small dot on each cuticle. It is a smooth, creamy consistency and sinks in nice and quickly with little effort needed. It also has a very faint, sweet smell that is fairly pleasant. Uusally, this tube retails for £7 but with my £5 off voucher I paid just £2 so it was a complete bargain. I would definitely re-purchase at the full price.

Have you ever tried this cuticle cream? Do you have any other tips for keeping your nails and cuticles in good shape? How about any of these other products, have you tried these?

Annie x