Skincare Diaries

Dear Readers,

Today I have decided to start a skincare diary to record how I care for my skin on a daily basis, I will talk about my routine and what products like I use, some new products and some old favorites that I feel are a good staple to have.

I have acne/blemish prone skin, everyday feels like a battle with a skin as I try better to understand what it likes and dislikes. My skin has been breaking out a fair bit recently, I get spots, blackheads, whiteheads and pimples, these aren't pleasant and they do really affect my confidence sometimes.I don't like to wear makeup often as it isn't great for my skin so covering up with excessive amounts of concealer on a daily basis isn't something I want to do.

I have tried many products and methods for calming the affects of acne and some are more effective than others but there is no miracle cure and expensive products aren't always the most effective. I am a poor student on a budget and try to make a saving when I can.

Now, blemishes are caused by a build up of bacteria on the skin, the bacteria will hide in your pores and often get trapped resulting in nasty blackheads. I have learnt that anything that is anti-bacterial is your friend, and at the moment tea tree oil and lemon juice are my best friends. Tea tree oil is great for fighting bacteria and can be purchased in a variety of different ways, pure tea tree oil is great to use but it has to be diluted, I keep a mixture of water and tea tree oil in a dispensing pump bottle and use it as a cleanser every morning/night to wash my face. As for lemon juice, I like to slice a fresh lemon and with my water bottle infuser place two slices inside and fill with water, refiling throughout the day, lemon is another good anti-bacterial, the acidic acid helps break down bacteria and is great for the skins complexion.


Going back to the title of this post 'Skincare Diaries' I am going to journal my skincare routine, talk about what I do, what products I use, new breakouts and how my skin is generally feeling

Today I am using four products to wash, cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise my skin

1. Garnier Pure Active Micellar Cleansing Water 
2. Boots Botanics Purifying Face Scrub All Bright
3. Simple Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash
4. Simple Spotless Skin Anti-Blemish Moisturiser

I feel like micellar water has been everywhere this year and has really grown in popularity encouraging many brands to start using it. This special water is targeted at removing makeup whilst cleansing and purifying the skin. For me it is a product I will use for just about everything, I fin it great for taking my makeup off, but I especially like to use it as a morning/night cleanser after washing my face I apply it using a cotton pad and tab around my face, I like it as you don't have to rinse it off so I feel like leaving it on my face I am constantly benefiting from it.

Once I've cleansed, I then exfoliate with the Boots Botanics Purifying Face Scrub All Bright, this smells and feels really nice on my face, it uses crushed apricot seeds to scrub away impurities, I make sure to massage into my skin, taking care around delicate areas and concentrating on areas I feel need more attention, which at the moment is my chin as that is where most of my breakouts occur.

I feel then wash this off using warm water, once all the product is gone off my face I will then wash my face with the Simple Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash, this is a new product I have introduce to my routine, after being a fan of the Simple Spotless Skin Anti-Blemish Moisturiser for so long I decided to try it in combination with the face wash to see if this would enhance the benefits. I am a massive fan of Simple products, they are a brand I have used for many years, as my skin changes from being dry, oily and sensitive some products have chemicals that can be irritable, I have always from Simple great if I know my skin needs cleaning and moisurising but I just don't know how other products my affect it, the Simple range has been a staple in my skincare collection.

I liked using the face wash, it was easy to use, it felt a little like a gentle scrub as it felt like it had little beeds in it, which were great for targeting my pores, but having already used the face scrub I feel in future I would not use both at the same time. 

The moisturiser is great for my skin, I love! it doesn't irritate my skin and it is very absorbent, I like to use it on days I go to the gym. I don't notice results from day one but I interested to try use the face wash with the moisturiser over time to see results.

Once my skincare routine is done I will try find the energy to leave my cosy bed and face the day. If I am going to the gym I will make sure to wash my face afterwards, usually with a splash of water and micellar cleansing water and then reapply my moisturiser.

Thank you for reading, 

Anndrea

Mask of the day: The Body Shop New: Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask

Recently I have been trying out alot of facemasks and reviewing them  on here 

I am been tabling with a few names for these face mask features 

Face Mask Friday

Monday Mask

Mask of The Day

I would love your opinion on which you prefer

Now on to the mask!

The Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask  is part The Body Shop's  New Expert Facial Range which is 100% vegetarian and vegan an full of natural ingredients such as... Bamboo Charcoal, Green Tea leaves and Tea Tree Oil, these ingredients have amazing benefits for the skin, helping towards a clearer and healthier complexion. I love a good charcoal mask and I absolutely love anything with tea tree oil and green tea as they do wonders for acne prone and problem skin which I unfortunately suffer from.

I am using a sample I received from the Body Shop from using a current promotional offer. The sample had a generous a mount giving even coverage across the face. 

I cleansed my thoroughly as always before applying the mask, The texture was very grainy and went on like an exfoliator as I messaged it onto my skin, it felt quite rough was it was important to be gentle especially around more sensitive areas of the face.

It smelt amazing! very clean and pure scent. The recommended time is 5-10 minutes and I left it on for 20 minutes, as I've said in previous posts I like to keep masks on for longer usually whilst I watch an episode of something. As this was the kind of mask which is fast drying and hardens I didn't leave it on as long as I would've probably liked but long enough to feel i got the most out of it. Whilst on my face I did experience a tingling sensation which felt alittle stinging at first but did calmed down and since the product is so natural and as no nasty chemicals I knew it was nothing to worry about.

This mask is easy to take off, I would advise using a hot cloth and pat gently when rinsing off as it's quite hard and grainy.  This mask is also good for sensitive skin, acne, blackhead and generally problem skin, the tea tree oil and green tea are great anti bacterial agents which help fight breakouts and excess oil.

The result was amazing,  this mask works and helped to revitalise my skin, it felt very fresh, smooth and clean, my skin felt tightened and healthy, it also helped to reduce redness caused by my recent breakouts.

Overall I love it and I love that I had the chance to try a sample as I will definitely be purchasing this mask. 

Thank you and Thank you to The Body Shop 

#DaretoMask

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Boots Skincare Haul!

So today I went into Boots with not intention other than to have a little browse, about an hour later I ended up purchasing some skincare products! 



What I got

Good Things Five Minute Facial Mask Anti-Blemish with Avocado and Gogi Berry £3.99 down from £5.99

Blistex Lip Brilliance Blushing SPF15 £1.29 down from £2.59

Boots Essentials Cucumber 3 Minute Clay Mask £1.50
Boots Essentials Cucumber Moisturising Cream £1.50

Link:  http://www.boots.com



The Boots Essentials Range is my favorite little discovery, it's so affordable and is also a good product!

I have been using the 3 Minute Clay Mask recently and I have been loving it! It contains calming cucumber and vitamins to help cleanse and clear out impurities and excess oils from our pores, working to leave skin clean and toned. When using this mask I have been leaving it on for around 6 minutes until I feel it drying and tightening, so I that get the most out of it, after which I wash it off with a hot cloth. It really works to smooth and even out my skin, I definitely feel refreshed after using it, if you are unsure I would say it's definitely worth a try for the price!

I have used the facial scrub and found it really easy to apply and use, I used an exfoliator glove from Primark along side it. I like to use this before I put on any makeup as it works to clean, soften and clear away any dry patches on my skin, so that when it comes to apply makeup I am working with a clean base.

I can't fault this range, it has worked wonders for me and for the price these are products I would definitely repurchase. I have not used the Cucumber Moisturising Cream yet, so we will see what that is like, but I did have a smell and if you like cucumber you will like it, all of the Boots Essential products feel very pure and natural which is good for your skin.

The Good Things Five Minute Face Mask is something I have been wanting to try for a while and I thought I might as well seen as it was on offer. The face mask claims to "Make skin clearer, brighter and smoother, all at the same time. There's green clay and Kaolin to draw out impurities, avocado oil to moisturise, goji berry to extract to soothe and willow bark extract for radiance" To be honest I was sold on goji berry and avocado as they are two products which I had not seen together before and felt they sounded interesting. 




The Blistex Lip Brilliance Blushing SPF15 was a little last minute spare of the moment buy. I have always been a fan of the Blistex range as they have worked well in the past when I have suffered from dry lips. This is a great little product to throw in your everyday bag. It feels moisturising and gives a lovely pink tint. 

So thats about it for whatI got from Boots

Thank you so much for reading!

Where can you find me?

Twitter : @Moobeautys
Instagram : Moo_beautys