Check In Tuesday #4

Aloha!!

Hope you guys are all happy and positive, it's that time again where I "Check In" with you and just ramble on to you about what I have been up to and stuff.

• So I have been feeling a bit meh this past week, I think its to do with the weather getting me a bit down. I'm fed up of being cold and it doesn't help that this flats heating hardly makes a difference. However I have been feeling happier and positive noticing that the light mornings are coming and the days are stretching. Our flat has lots of bunches of daffodils and it makes me happy knowing that spring is coming.
• I am still on The Vampire Diaries binge now on Season 4! Half way through and I have no idea what I'm going to do when I finish it. I will have to start watching The Originals as they are my favourites! I really want to watch Game of Thrones too, I got Gordee the box set for part of his Christmas and still haven't watched it yet.
• Still haven't got stuck in to my book :( its kinda frustrating as I really want to get into reading more but I'm being sucked in to Netflix haha 
• The reason I have been a tad on the lazy side is that I have been home hunting and I may have possibly found our new home. It's not 100% yet but its very possible and I am super super excited about it.
• Ooo my new make up bag from Paul&Joe came and it is super cute. I have just about organised it so I will do a post about that soon.
• I think my laptop has a bit of a virus which is why I haven't been blogging so much, so it might be going away from me for a bit :( but Gordee says I can use his which is a scary mac laptop.
• I have been having quite a few minimal make up days and I have to say my skin is really appreciating it.
• My love for Superdrugs Vitamin E's range is growing fast, I recently purchased the Day and the Night cream and wow my skin is loving me right now.
• My poor nails are having a horrendous time right now breaking and peeling but I will keep on treating them.

That's all from me today guys I hope you enjoyed this post feel free to comment and I will try to comment back however my laptop doesn't let me but I can try on Gordees laptop.

Lots of Lovies

SparklySJ

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My Winter Skin Care

Hellooooo!

When it comes to Winter I don't know about you but my skincare routine changes quite a bit. My poor skin gets all dry and sometimes from all the Christmas shopping stress I can suffer from the odd breakout. So with that in mind todays post I will be sharing with you lovely lot is which products I use to combat these problems.

Here we have my Cetaphil Cleanser, Aloe Vera Gel, Balance Me Facial Oil and Superdrug Vitamin E Moisturiser!! All my holy grail winter skincare.

 
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser £8.99, this stuff has to be one of my top favourite cleansers. Its a perfect daily cleanser for dry, sensitive skin. I love the fact its soap free and fragrance free which is fab for the rather sensitive skin types. You can use this on a cotton pad and just wipe away the excess or you can massage it into your skin then rinse off with water. I use mine to remove my make up with a cotton pad and then rinse away. It leaves my skin feeling lovely soft and clean.

Aloe Vera Gel £3.99, this product can help soothe, moisturise, soften dry skin, can be applied to stretch marks, dry or chapped skin and skin irritations. With all these aims of a product why wouldn't I use it! I find it especially helps with my skin being sensitive or after I have had any skin allergies this stuff seems to do the trick. After cleansing my skin I apply a thin layer all over my face to help soothe any irritations and moisturise. I have been using this for few months now and I can now not live without it. 

 

 

Balance Me extra care facial oil £15.00, this is a new edition to my winter skin care. This little miracle worker was in the Latest in Beauty Glamour Edit Box which was filled with lovely and amazing treats I got last month. Its packed with 100% natural oils and its aim is to bring back radiance to skin that's looking rather dull. Now I have oily to combination skin so the thought of putting oil on oily skin seems really odd but it can actually help the skin as oil is a fab way to combat those congested areas. It smells heavenly and leaves the skin feeling lovely and soft. I use this every night after applying my Aloe Vera Gel I roll it onto my face and neck let it soak in a bit then I apply my moisturiser.

 

Superdrug Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream £2.99, as a sufferer of rather dry skin I like my moisturiser to be quite thick in the winter times. Now this moisturiser aims to give 24hours moisturisation. Its rich in natural vitamin e, high in antioxidants and defends the skin against environmental damage and aging. Also included is a skin conditioning multivitamin complex of a variety of vitamins combined with horse chestnut extract which is created to help care for dry skin. The smell is amazing it reminds me of holidays (suntan cream) and my skin is always soft and smooth, I use this every morning and at night just before bed.

 

That's all my wonderful treats I have been using over the past month or 2 to help prevent my skin from going crazy with the winter weather. Saying that the temperature up here in Scotland the past few days has been weird and warm, how crazy is that?! Considering its December we usually have snow by now.

 

If any one is interested in the Latest in Beauty Glamour Edit Box which contained the Balance Me facial oil here is the link :)

 

What's your winter weather skin care routine? 

 

Hope you guys have enjoyed this post comment below, I would love to read them.

 

Lovies

SparklySJ

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Highend Vs HighStreet TAG

So earlier on this evening I received a tweet from the lovely Heather at http://b3autyjournal.blogspot.co.uk/  asking if I would take part in a new TAG she created over on her blog . I was really happy she asked me to do one, my first TAG!!! So here it is

 

I have chosen to do my Highend Vs Highstreet on Skincare, Heather done hers on MakeUp however my skincare collection overtakes my make up these days :)

1. What is your favourite high end item?
Oooo this has to be my Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser, I got this stuff last year at Gatwick airport, I had about 4 hours to kill for my next flight so Duty Free was just heaven. I had a really bad break out at the time so I went to the Demalogica counter, the staff was so helpful and really analysed my skin. They came to the conclusion my skin is oily to combination with areas of congestion. I use this when my skin isn't at its best in the morning and at bedtime, the cucumber and sage really help soothe away the redness and my skin always feels refreshed and soft. It also doubles as a face mask which is a lovely extra treat. I had the 250ml bottle at £27 but I have to say its well worth the money, I have only just finished it and I will most defiantly be purchasing it again.

2. What is your favourite high street item?
This has to be my favourite everyday cleanser Cetaphil, this stuff is just amazing!! My skin has over the past few months been super sensitive, I have taken a few allergic reactions where the skin on my face has dried up, swelled, itchiness and red. So I needed a cleanser that was really gentle to the skin I also heard this was good for acne which was a bonus for any bad breakouts I had. It doesn't strip the skin, doesn't have much a smell, can be used on most skin types, removes make up and moisturises it is my holy grail product. Its only £8.99 for a 236ml bottle.

3. Name one high end item that was a disappointment/wasn't worth the hype
For me this has to be Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions 3 Step System £30, this set is aimed to give fast and effective treatment to blemished skin. You get a cleansing foam, a clarifying lotion and a clearer moisturiser. For a while I suffered with acne, I'm not going to lie I was so self conscious of it I tried so many different products to treat it when I seen this 3 step system I thought I found the cure to all my problems. The first few weeks it seemed to be working a treat, however after a month or 2 of using it my breakouts were getting worse and my skin just seemed pretty angry at me I had to stop using it. I read so many reviews on how good it was so I was rather disappointed that it didn't work for me :( but hopefully it really has worked for others.

4. Name one high street item that surprised you in terms of how much you love it.
This is a rather odd one, its Aloe Vera Gel 100ml for £3.99 from Holland and Barrett. From having a previous allergic reaction that left my skin so dry I was recommended to give Aloe vera gel a try and my god is this stuff amazing. So amazing that I use it every night after cleansing and before moisturising. It soothes and moisturises the skin, helps dry, chapped skin, stretch marks and skin irritations. It is another must have item I need in the bathroom cupboards at all times.

5. If you could only buy high end or high street for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
This is a tough one as I would normally say high end from the quality of the product however I am finding the high street is catching on and doing many alternatives to the high end products, for that I'm going to choose High street :D

6. What are your best dupes?
The No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make Up Remover at £8.50 I'm pretty sure this is a dupe of the Clarins Instant Eye Make Up Remover £17.00 in the sense that you shake it to mix both parts of the lotion. You just shake it then tab it on cotton wool pad hold it on the eye area for about 10 seconds then wipe away the days make up. I love this stuff, for my dry sensitive skin it works a treat and doesn't irritate my skin!

7. If all of your skincare disappeared, what would be the first 5 products you repurchased (high end or high street)?
Oh gosh well my Dermalogica Cleanser would be the one high end product, Cetaphil, Aloe Vera Gel, Sudocream and my Boots own Simple Sensitive Moisturiser would be my high street products so mostly high street.

8. What is your favourite brand overall (high end or high street)?
Its actually the Superdrug Vitamin E range, my skin always feels pampered using these products and they smell amazing, my mum loves this range and got me into it. Their moisturisers are so lovely to the skin I always have a pot in my bathroom cupboard for when I'm needing that extra boost.

So there you have it, you can tell I'm quite the beauty product junkie haha!
I hope you guys have enjoyed this, feel free to do your own and then comment with your link so I can read them :)

SparklySJ
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images used from weheartit.com

Wakey Wakey

Now that winter is well on its way my skin tends to look little dull and lifeless, needing a little bit of a pick me up. I bought 2 products from The Body Shop which well and truly do the trick!!

These 2 beauties are from the Vitamin C range, since the clocks have changed and the dark nights have come creeping in my skin has just be needing that bit of zing to brighten me up.

To start we are talking Microdermabrasion this is a light exfoliator that aims to remove dead skin cells and improve skins appearance leaving it soft and smooth, It smells lovely and citrusy (if that's even a word). I use this twice a week which is what's recommended on the bottle, usually at night when I have removed my make up and cleansed my face. You only need a pea sized amount, apply to a wet face and use circular motions round the face and neck then simply rinse off. I have noticed a good difference in my skins radiance since using this over the past few weeks.

                                                   Vitamin C Microdermabrasion £13.00

My next wake up skin product is the Skin Reviver, now I have been using this stuff for about 4 months and I just love it!! It aims to be an instant radiance booster to smooth the skin and enhance its natural glow. Its texture is light almost like a serum and again it smells lovely with citrusy zestiness. You apply it to the skin after your moisturiser it can be worn alone or under make up. Now I used to use Benefits Porefessional for my make up primer but when I ran out I couldn't exactly afford to rush off to my closest Benefit counter and get another one but then I remembered this stuff does the same job and if I'm perfectly honest I do prefer the Skin Reviver very much!

                                                    Vitamin C Skin Reviver £14.00

If you guys have any skin care items that you use to help revitalise you're skin in these dull dark times I would love to hear, or if you want to leave some feedback that would be lovely just leave a comment below.

Thank You
SparklySJ
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