Weekend Morning Routine | Autumn 2015

I love routine videos, so I thought I would convert one of my favourite types of videos into a blog post. I decided I would share my weekend morning routine with you as I don't really have a work morning routine, most of the time it's just a huge rush to get out of the door. However, on the weekend I like to take it easy- it's much more chilled out.

I usually wake up naturally around 8:30-9am, although I always set my alarm for 10am the night before. I hate waking up past 10/10:30, it makes me feel so gross and lazy! When I was in my mid-teens, most weekends I woke up past 12, which seems crazy now! After a good roll around and when i'm a little more alert, the first thing I do is go to the toilet, wash my hands, brush my teeth then carry out my morning skincare routine.

Cue apologies for poor lighting, therefore poor quality photos. I'm sorry!

My morning skincare routine usually consists of The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Wash. This is perfect for the morning as I find it's quite cooling on the skin, the scent wakes me up and it fights against spots as Tea Tree has anti-bacterial properties. 

While my pores are open, i'll move onto the Garnier Fresh Refining Toner. At first, I wasn't fussed on this as I was used to a Simple toner and this is very strong in comparison- it smells so strong of alcohol so I haven't even attempted putting it near my eyes. I focus this mainly on the pores around my nose and on the forehead as this is a mattifying toner.
To finish up I will use the Garnier Fresh Essential Day Cream, I bought this as it looked similar to my much loved Garnier Moisture Match and I wanted to try something different. I love this equally as it is very hydrating, it's like your skin has had a huge glass of water!

I allow this to sink in while I head downstairs for breakfast. On the weekends I usually opt for toast or cereal, i'm definitely not adventurous with my breakfast. However, on this day I decided to have a toasted bagel and a cup of lemon green tea in my new mug. How cute is this!? I got it this week from Sainsbury's.

Whilst having my breakfast I will laze around a little bit on the sofa, I will either be catching up on TV programmes missed throughout the week, usually Release The Hounds like i'm doing now, haha! Or I will be catching up on YouTube or some of my favourite blogs via Bloglovin.

Around 11am I will decide it's time to get up and get ready for the day. My makeup, hair and outfit totally depend on what i'm doing that day. If i'm just catching up with friends and shopping, i'll opt for my everyday makeup routine and just add a neutral eye look and a dark lip during the Autumn. However, if i'm staying in I won't put any on my face. If i'm going out my hair will usually be down and a bit wavy, I use my curling wand for this and if i'm stay in, up in a bobble it will go!

On this day, I opted for black high waisted jeans, a mustard jumper and my favourite camel and navy checkered scarf. Comfy and casual!

I'll usually head out the door around 12pm and get on with my day!

ARE YOU AN EARLY BIRD?

♥   ♥   ♥

Face, Body and Hair | Evening Pamper Routine!

Today me and the lovely Jess from the blog heyitisjess decided it was time to collab again so we've brought to you our pamper routine and essentials. Be sure to check out her post, here and give her a follow on bloglovin!

First of all my pamper routine starts with removing all my makeup from the day, usually I would use Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water but when I'm pampering myself a little I'll use this Vichy 3 in 1 Cleansing Milk as it's a little more moisturising. 

Depending how my skin is I'll take the Origins Modern Friction exfoliator and buff away the dead skin cells, nice..

Or if I'm having a breakout or feel my skin needs a little more TLC I'll use the Origins Clear Improvement charcoal face mask which is great for calming down spots. If my skins a little dry which I've been finding it has been lately with the change in seasons I'll use one of the Montagne Jeunesse packet face masks, these are so affordable and come in lots of different types!

I'm not a lover of baths so unfortunately the bath products in Lush are pretty useless for me, however tempting! Instead I'll shower using a couple of my favourite products, first is this Lush American Cream conditioner. I use this on a regular basis though when I'm pampering I tend to leave it on for longer, about 5 minutes. 

While that's working on my hair I'll take the Soap and Glory Scrub of Your Life body scrub and again buff away the dead skin cells on my body to prep ready to moisturise! At the moment I'm using the this Coconut and Cream body butter from I Love... which I believe is stocked at Superdrug. I usually wouldn't go for something like this as I'm hooked on Soap and Glory's The Righteous Butter but I had this to use up and I actually really like it, mainly for the scent- mmm!

Comfiest pyjamas? Check!

Next I'll switch on my fairy lights and light some candles before jumping into bed with a cup of tea in my favourite mug(which isn't actually mine, haha!), some chocolate and watch the videos in my YouTube subscription box, bliss!

Do you have pamper evenings often? If so, what products are essential for you? Let me know as I'd love to try some new ones out!

Remember to check out Jess' post, until next time...

♥   ♥   ♥

My Christmas Eve Routine! | CHRISTMAS 2014

Hello!

It's Christmas Eve and quite frankly I can't believe how quick it's come around.

I love seeing what others get up to over the festive period so I thought i'd share with you my Christmas Eve routine as of course it's different to any other usual day.

I'm not working this Christmas Eve, thank goodness! So I'm going to have a lie in this morning despite being super excited! Once i'm fully awake i'll laze around in bed watching Christmas YouTube videos and reading festive blog posts! I'll next somewhat find the courage to move out of bed and get ready for the day ahead, though i'll be staying in my pyjamas all day! I'll also have a quick shower to wash my hair as i'll usually have a Lush bath later in the day.

Also guys, what other way to celebrate Christmas Eve than having a snowman shaped crumpet for breakfast?

In my festive attire(aka Reindeer Pyjamas) I will make my way to the sofa with a line up of Christmas films, here are some favourites although there are many I don't have physical copies of so i'll watch them on the TV of what i've downloaded.

Today I plan on watching Home Alone 2, The Grinch, A Christmas Carol and Nativity, followed by many Christmas Specials.

Apologies for the changing quality of these photos, they were taken at different parts of the day and with my iPhone.

After endless amounts of chocolate and candy canes it's probably time to move and prepare for Christmas Day so i'll collate all the presents i've bought for others into neat piles ready to give to each person on Christmas morning. Probably one of the toughest decisions comes next, what to wear tomorrow!?
I'm thinking some black jeans, heeled black boots and a turtle neck- plain and simple but super comfy!
Next up is makeup! After a little while of experimenting I will probably opt for a shimmery nude eye look with a dark or even red lip.

I was planning on buying a burgundy or dark green turtle neck but I simply couldn't find one, hence the not very festive grey and white one(although I do love it)
Primark Turtleneck Top- £6
New Look Black Jeans(I can't remember how much as it was a long while ago)
Primark Silver Chain Link Necklace- £3

Late afternoon calls for a Lush bath and a face mask- both can vary but this year I've chosen Butterbear as it's supposed to be super moisturising and a Vitamin E Moisture Mask from The Body Shop(if you've not heard, I love the Vitamin E range)

You've probably guessed it, the rest of the day will be spent in my pyjamas and watching something festive but when other can you rock Christmas pyjamas and acceptably watch huge amounts of Christmas films!?

Just before bed is the time to put out a Mince Pie, an alcoholic beverage(naughty Santa) and a few carrots for the reindeer. Me and my siblings full well know that my mother will consume them minutes after we've gone to our rooms and will put the carrots back in the veg rack but it's a tradition not to be missed!

Lastly without fail i'll put on the Polar Express, it's my favourite Christmas film and is based on Christmas Eve so what else?

Just after brushing my teeth I will put my stocking which is rather large at the end of my bed and hope it's not filled will coal when I wake in the morning.

What do you do on Christmas Eve, do you have any traditions?

Let me know below!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas that is filled with happiness and have a great day if you're not celebrating!

Much Love,

♥   ♥   ♥

My thoughts: Garnier

Hello!
Recently I've noticed a brand creeping in to my skincare routine and that of course is Garnier, as you can tell from the title of this post. I didn't really have an opinion on Garnier skincare as I had never really tried any of their products but my sister had bought the Moisture Match moisturiser in Shine Be Gone and I took a fancy to it, and I've gathered more products from there.

At the time I was experiencing super oily skin and I wasn't handling it well, I washed my face as much as I could and skipped moisturising as I thought it would make my skin more oily. Wrong! I can't even begin with how much I suffered by doing this, I had increasingly oily skin from cleansing as often as I could- simply as my skin was overworking to restore the oils I was taking from it. Also from not moisturising as often as I should I had a combination of oil and dry patches, not the best look! Anyway moving swiftly on..

Garnier Moisture Match- Superdrug thought it would be great to security wrap the right one- why?!
That's why its taped and ugly.

Shine Be Gone(left, yes I cut the tube to get the very last out(you'll see this in an empties post)
Protect and Glow(right)

I purchased the Garnier Moisture Match moisturiser in Shine Be Gone as I had tested it while my sister was using it. Needless to say it gave my skin the moisture it needed which lasts for 24 hours but also eliminated the amount of shine. I love this moisturiser and actually cut the tube in half to use the reminants until I went to purchase a new one. As the weather is getting warmer and the sun is actually out, I opted for the Protect and Glow version which has SPF 20 in to protect me from the rays! The consistency is a little different but the mosituriser is oil-free so it's perfect for my skin type! I'm not loving it as much as the Shine Be Gone version but I like it, I am going to repurchase my original when i'm next in Boots.

Garnier PureActive foaming facial wash
I've actually now ran out of this, so have a picture this facial wash featured in.

Another Garnier product I've loved using is a product you may of seen on my blog previously, is the PureActive foaming facial wash. I'm not going to go into depth on this product but I love using this when I need a deep cleanse and usually to wake me up in the morning. You can see more of my thoughts on this product here.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water- (a trickle left in the bottom)

I just realised, this is the 4th product i'm going to talk about and the last. I suppose you could say this is not enough to say I love the brand but I do really like it and would like to try much more!
Last but not least is the Garnier(obviously) Micellar Cleansing Water, which I was so eager to try! I heard good things about the L'Oreal one although apparently it's harsh on the eyes, so I held back and Garnier brought out a very similar idea! I loved the thought of this being effectively like a makeup wipe but better for your skin, I was all up for that and I love it! After ditching the makeup wipes and using this I've noticed such an improvement in my skin, I've noticed less spots and healthier looking skin! I'm on the last dreads of the bottle and I can't wait to go and purchase another so i'm not without it! I'd definitely recommend as an alternative to makeup removing wipes!

Of course I'd recommend all these products if you feel like you're having similar problems to what I had, they're definitely worth a try as they're so affordable too(bonus!) I'm always having a look at Garnier products to see what new I can add to my 'collection'. I'd especially like to try the 5 Second Perfect Blur primer as I'm on the hunt for an affordable primer to conceal my pores that I like(or don't like more like) to call craters in my face. I'd love to know if any of you have tried it and what you thought. Also if you could recommend any Garnier products?

That's all for now, thank you for making it to the end of this post(if you did)..

Until next time,

Amy X