Hello there by lovelies, today I thought that it was about time I updated you all on my latest book purchases since it has been quite a while. After going a little crazy with the book buying earlier this year, I haven't felt the need to bulk buy any books since so there hasn't really been any need to make a blog post about it. However I feel as though I have collected together a decent enough amount of books to make a little post of all my recent purchases.
So at the beginning of the month I was given the title as Dux of my high school for the time that I've been there which is a pretty big deal apparently. Basically its the UK version of valedictorian. Along with this I was given a voucher for a UK book shop chain so lo and behold I decided against using the voucher sensibly and instead bought myself some books that I have been lusting over.
The first of these was Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. After reading Slammed and Hopeless earlier in the year (review can be found here) I have been desperate to try out this little beauty and finally got round to picking it up. I have heard nothing but praise for this book and I cannot wait to get around to reading it.
Next I got Court of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J Mass and to be perfectly honest I don't have much of an idea what this book is about other than the fact that it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I was basically sold as soon as I heard that, I mean its Sarah J Mass its going to be fabulous whatever it's about.
Following up from my absolute obsession with Wait For You by J Lynn as you can see in my review here, I picked up two other books in the companion series, Be With Me and Stay With Me. I can't work out how I feel about reading these books. On one hand I am excited at the prospect of finding another book I enjoyed as much as Wait For You, but I'm also scared that they just wont live up to my expectations.
I also finally got around to picking up Outlander by Diana Gabaldon on the recommendation by Tashopolis on youtube and a friend from work. Both seems to sing the praises of this series, along with the tv show which I refuse to start watching until I at least finish the first book.
And finally I also treated myself to One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon who is actually one of my favorite romance authors for the summer time. I am around 200 pages into this book and I have become slightly obsessed with the premise.
Hello my lovelies, as you can tell I have been noticeably absent as of late *slaps wrist*, but this working full time nonsense isn't exactly easy is it? I am tired ALL THE TIME, but I have a day off today so I decided it was about time I headed back to my favorite little home on the internet and made a new addition to my little blog. Today I'm going to be talking about skincare.
For the past 2 years or so I have had a pretty wishy-washy skincare routine, I didn't really know what I was meant to be doing other than the fact I needed to remove my makeup before bed (usually using makeup wipes...I know it makes me cringe too), to be perfectly honest I had no idea what the hell toner was other than the fact that my mum used it every night before bed, and I thought that due to my oily/combination skin that mousturiser was a no go area. Oh how I have learned.
My recent interest in skincare admittedly steams from discovering the blog of skincare queen Caroline Hirons, and boy I am not even kidding, if you haven't read her blog then what have you even been doing with your life? Seriously, her advise will change your life. So I changed my pretty bog standard and shamefully absent skincare routine of late and I have noticed a pretty huge difference in the appearance and feel of my skin.
As a general rule, if I have been wearing makeup during the day I will start my skincare routine by taking this off using the Soap & Glory Ultimelt hot cloth cleanser, but if it's a no makeup day I tend to skip this step. I bought this a few months ago after spotting it in Boots as an alternative to my well loved Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, as I was pinning after Cleanse and Polish but unwilling to splash the cash on it baring in mind I had never used something of the sort before. Boy am I impressed. I still cannot get over the amazing clean feeling that I get when I use this as it feels so nice and refreshing on the face. I always feel like I've removed every scrap of makeup after cleansing with this.
After the hot cloth cleanser (provided I've been wearing makeup) I always follow this up with a second cleanser as I am one of those people who prefer to double cleanse. If I've been wearing heavy makeup say for a night out or a special occasion I pick up my trusty Micellar water for this step but generally I like to use a more soothing cleanser and recently I've been reaching for my Clarins Cleansing Milk. I picked this up on recommendation from a friend and I am so pleased that I went with her advice as I absolutely love this step in my routine.This product just feels so hydrating and nourishing to my skin and I wouldn't be without it now.
I follow up my cleansing spree with two types of toner, first an exfoliating acid toner and then a hydrating toner. My current acid toner of choice is the Clearasil Superfruits Refreshing Pads. I have been using some variation of these pads since I was about 13 years old to tackle acne and even now at 17 where my skin is a lot clearer I still cannot let go of these little pots of magic. Each time I run out of these and go a few days without them I immediately notice a deterioration in the quality of my skin to the point that I genuinely have 4 tubs of this in my skincare drawer right now. This is the area of my skincare routine that I am most interested in experimenting with. I have just ordered the REN Clarimatte Toner and I really want to try out the cult Pixi Glow Tonic at some point soon.
As I hydrating toner I tend to keep it basic with either the Soothing Toner from Simple, an old favorite, or my recent go to product which is the Clarins Chamomile Toning Lotion. Either one do the job but I find the Clarins one, while obviously more expensive to be well worth the money. It's incredibly soothing and refreshing on the skin particularly in problem areas such as my cheeks. It really helps combat redness.
Following up from this I like to apply my eye cream which at the moment is the Soap & Glory Puffy Eye Attack Hydragel. The the thing I like the most about this product is the gel consistency and how cooling it is on the eyes. I am pretty new to eye creams but this is certainly a firm favorite so far.
Next I follow this up with some kind of face mist. My most recent addition to my little collection, and the one I have found myself reaching for most often, is the Monu Spa Rosewood Reviving Mist which I received in my June 2015 Glossybox. While this Glossybox was rather uninspiring, I really love the scent of this spray. This step, while not essential, is particularly nice and refreshing on hot, humid days during summer.
Next it's time to crack out the serum. This is the step which I feel has made the biggest difference in the clarity and condition of my skin. As part of an offer I received the Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase and let me tell you it has become my new holy grail product. I fricking love this stuff. Obscenely expensive for little 17 year old me but by gosh is this stuff worth it. If the name itself doesn't clue you in to how nourishing this is on your skin then I don't know what will. This stuff has done wonders for me.
The part of my skincare routine that I am struggling the most with is moisturiser. I cannot seem to find one that I like so if you have any advice please feel free to leave it below and tell me which moisturiser you love. Right now however I have been using the Teoxane Perfect Skin Refiner that I received in my beautiful French-themed July Glossybox this month. I have not been using this product for very long so I shall report back at a later date on how effective it is but as of now I am really enjoying it.
Finally I like to use a little lip scrub, Lush The Kiss anyone? Then I will slap on the first lipbalm that I can reach before curling up in bed to read for a few hours before going to sleep.
So that is my Summer 2015 Evening Skincare Routine and I hope you enjoyed it. If this is something that you would like to see more of then just let me know.
