For the love of skincare

Somehow, I made it to the grand old age of 24, using only cheap face washes and calling it a skincare routine. I would wash my face once a day to take my makeup off and that would be the end of any kind of cleansing/toning or moisturising.

Surprisingly, I was never one to suffer with acne or blemished skin and never looked terrible without foundation on, but I can’t say my face felt overly clean.

While my bank account begged me to stick to this lazy routine, I stumbled across a YouTube video of DollyBowBow using Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish followed by the spritz tonic. There was something about the light and refreshing look of that tonic spray that made me go and buy it.

For anyone who uses Liz Earle, the range of products available makes it so difficult to leave with just a cleanser, and so, I bought the Cleanse and Polish, the Instant Boost spritzer and the Skin Repair Light moisturiser – all for about £45 which was the most I had ever spent on skincare.

Low and behold, a revelation was about to happen. I LOVE SKINCARE. I’m now a hoarder and can’t help but buy any brand that I see on offer.

As it was the guidance of a blogger that opened my eyes to Liz Earle, I thought I should write a short review on some of my favourite products that I’ve discovered over the last couple of years.

1.       Liz Earle, Cleanse & Polish - £15.50 (starter kit)

If you’re looking for something fresh, awakening and clean-feeling, you won’t be disappointed with this product. The smell reminds me of baby powder mixed with fresh air and clean laundry, it’s lovely and refreshing but not overpowering. For the first few months of using this product, I constantly had spots coming up on my t-zone, which slightly put me off but after a short break from the product, the spots have gone and never returned upon using it again. Used with muslin cloths, you control the level of exfoliation but make sure you regularly wash the cloths for the cleanest skin. I used this product every morning and night.

2.       Liz Earle, Skin Repair Light moisturiser - £20.25

I’ve always suffered from oily skin so out of all of the moisturisers that Liz Earle have to offer, the Light Repair was the most tempting. The smell, again, is just perfect and the product overall does a great job. It didn’t add to my oily complexion but it left my skin feeling soft and refreshed and I would definitely recommend it. I would use this product only at night after the cleanse and tone steps.

3.       Pixi, Glow Tonic - £18

I had never heard of Pixi until Marks and Spencer started stocking it and everyone began talking about it at work, especially the Pixi Glow Tonic. With mostly good reviews, I decided to give it a go – after all, I get 20% discount at Marks and Spencer so it was almost rude not to. I fell in love. Since using this product, I’ve stopped wearing foundation to work and no-one has really commented (result!). I use this product twice a day, after washing my face and before moisturising (at night), and I really do notice a glow. I’ll definitely be buying this again.

4.       Lush, Mask of Magnaminty - £6.25 for 125g or £10.95 for 315g

This product is the best thing I have ever bought, ever – in skincare terms at least. It’s a clay mask with bits in to cleanse, moisturise and exfoliate your face. You put it on, either all over or just in troubled areas of your face and leave for 6-10 minutes. It doesn’t completely dry so you can still move your face without it cracking which is a lot more comfortable. When the time is up, you wash it off. At this point, I usually wet my hands and scrub the mask into my face as an exfoliator before washing it off completely, but you don’t have to! It always leaves my skin leaving super soft and really clean – it’s great for spots too.

So not to make this post too long, I’m going to finish there for now but I’ll definitely continue to post about some of my favourite face products in the hope that you feel as inspired as I did to actually look after my skin. Yes, these products do add up, but I’m definitely open to trying any brand, not just higher price points so please let me know below if you have any recommendations :)

Wave goodbye to blisters

Ladies, rejoice. Compeed have created the perfect anti-blister stick and I cannot praise it enough. 

Admittedly, it's not just for women, but from experience, it's a must-have for heel wearers. 

This little dream is similar to a lip balm in texture, look and mechanism. You twist it up, rub it on the area you know is likely to run (I suggest putting your foot in the shoe before to identify potential blistering areas) then twist back down and go. It's a small little pot so fits perfectly in any handbag and is easy to reapply if needed. 

Prevention is better than cure and the main purpose of this product is to prevent rather than get rid of blisters that are already there. While it will ease the pain of blistered areas, it's definitely not a cure. 

Those shoes at the back of the wardrobe that you never wear because you know they hurt? It's their time to shine again - you can thank me later. 

Price: around £3.99

Found in: most Boots stores

Instagram or Insta-scam?

Warning, hypocritical post coming up..

Instagram. Where to start with Instagram. I'd be surprised to find someone who didn't have a love/hate relationship with the nations favourite social media site. Whether you use it as promotion for a blog, to show everyone what you're up to or to give everyone food envy at every given chance, almost everyone is fighting the battle for likes. 

If Facebook didn't already push us all to curate every aspect of our lives to make them look more exciting than they will ever be, Instagram definitely did. From one drink made to look like a whole night out, #drunk #wild #drinkingonaschoolnight #someonestopme, to a sunset view made possible only through heavy filter use, the desire to look perfectly interesting has taken over actually enjoying the moment.

By the time everyone has the shot of the meal that has just arrived, edited and filtered, tagged and added a location, and uploaded it to Instagram, the food is cold. But that's okay, because you've just hit 11 likes, Miss Popular. 

The hypocritical part of the whole post is that I am too, that person. I'll shuffle everyone's plates and glasses around the table until it looks good, I'll take the same photo seven times just to be sure and I'll use as many filters as are available to make me look taller, skinnier and prettier. But what a sad story that is.

Why don't we put down our phones and talk to the people that are in the moment with us, rather than tagging them and waiting for their like? I'm lucky to be part of the last generation that grew up playing with actual toys and reading actual books, before Apple decided to make everything downloadable. If I'm honest, I feel really sorry for children who grow up playing on an iPad and sit in front of the TV every evening. They don't know what they're missing. 

A London Show-down

One of the many perks to living in London is the vast array of shows in theatres all over. I thought I would call out a few that I've seen that are still on, for anyone looking for a weeknight treat, or for those visiting and don't know where to start.

Wicked, at the Apollo Victoria, just over the road from Victoria tube station, is one that I'd always wanted to see and knew all of the words to Defying Gravity years before going. Based on The Wizard of Oz, you follow what happened before the story in the films, and after Dorothy visits Oz. 

The cast are fantastic and will have you engrossed at every stage even if, like me, you aren't all too familiar with the films and books. The songs and theatrics are powerful and you even end up feeling sorry for the Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. 

I would, and will 100% go and see this show again and would strongly recommend it to anyone. I've never heard anyone say a bad word about it.

Next up is Bugsy Malone. It's only in the Hammersmith Lyric for a little while longer so if you're thinking about it, I wouldn't hesitate for too long. I am and always have been a massive Bugsy Malone fan, having had it on video as a child and being part of our school play when I was about 7. 

They perform every song from the film, and even do a medley at the end which you can't help but stand up and dance through. As expected, the cast is completely made up of children and all of which are professional and extremely talented. 

The tickets for this one are nice and cheap, starting at £15, so it's definitely one to tick off. 

Most recently, The Commitments at The Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. I was hesitant about going to see this one as I had no idea what it was about or what kind of songs would be featured, but my mum was in London for the weekend and really wanted to go. I quickly said yes when she offered to pay.

Luckily, I was more than pleasantly surprised. The story follows a young Irish guy who wants to start a band. I won't ruin the story as I do highly recommend it. Songs featured included River Deep, Mountain High, Try a Little Tenderness, Mustang Sally, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted and so many more soul and Motown songs. I knew (almost) every song and the last 20minutes is a medley of songs where everyone gets up on their feet, dancing and singing. 

The atmosphere is fantastic, you leave with a real buzz. 

I haven't got imagery for the others as my blog won't let me take from my Instagram without a lot of downloading and faffing, but I thought I'd give a little overview anyway.

Matilda, Cambridge Theatre, Covent Garden: When it first came out, me and a group of friends went to see it with really high hopes. It was between that and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but somehow Matilda won. For me, it wasn't one of the better shows I'd seen. The story was different to the film, which is such a classic that it felt disjointed, and because of that, I didn't know any of the songs, so you weren't able to sing along which gives the theatre such atmosphere. My friends enjoyed it, so I wouldn't rule it out completely - it just wasn't for me. 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Drury Lane: After the disappointment of Matilda, I finally got tickets for CATCF and absolutely loved it. A few people have said it's quite childish, with a lot of effects and loud noises, but I've actually been to see it twice now, I enjoyed it that much. 

You go through laughter, happiness and a little bit of sadness when Charlie and Willy Wonka fly off in the glass elevator singing Pure Imagination. The songs on this weren't all the same from the film which, as a huge CATCF film fan I was a little disappointed, but nethertheless, it's a great watch. 

Product Review: The Sleek Perfector Oil

What better time to get back into blogging? The cold weather is taking over meaning nights out are being quickly replaced with nights in and instead of watching TV, how about actually using my brain? Besides, I've bought loads of new hair and beauty products recently that I want to review.

First up on this series of reviews is the Garner Ultimate Blends 'Sleek Perfector Oil' (it kills me to have to spell it that way). I bought this after stealing some of my mum's last time I was home (sorry mum!). She has naturally really curly hair so is always trying out new products to control the frizz and with the humidity in London making us all look like Monica Geller in THAT episode of Friends, I decided to give it a go.

I didn't read the instructions and delved straight in and applied it to my wet, just washed hair. DON'T DO IT. I had greasy feeling hair straight away, it wouldn't style as it was stiff and just looked horrible. 

Second time lucky. I washed (and thoroughly dried) my hair, pumped a tiny amount onto my fingers and rubbed into my hands before stroking it through, starting about half way down. I straightened and styled my hair as normal, then applied a little bit more to finish it off. My hair already looked in 10x better condition and smelt like I had just bathed in a sea of tropical heaven. 

Not only does it smell amazing, I've noticed after a couple of weeks of use, that my hair doesn't react as badly to the humidity - winner!

Don't get me wrong, it doesn't eliminate frizz completely, but it definitely helps and is my must-have de-humidifier for coping with London weather.

Pantene Pro-V Dry Shampoo

I have always been a Batiste kind of girl when it comes to dry shampoo, keeping to the saying 'stick with what you know'. I once got sucked in by a two for £1 offer on Superdrug's own dry shampoo and it was the biggest mistake. 

While looking down the dry shampoo aisle in Boots, I came across Pantene's version and it was just £1.99 a bottle. Although a bit apprehensive, I decided to give it a go. 

All hail Pantene. This product is fantastic. 

Not only does it smell great, unlike the powdery smell you often end up with using Batiste, but you don't have the task of massaging out all of the white powder afterwards. 

You simply spray it on, rub it in a little and you're good to go. Although on the bottle it does mention white powder being left, I haven't yet had any. 

You get the same clean feeling, you smell good and it's half the effort. And they have a range of different bottles for different uses. As pictured, I decided to try the Instant Refresh and Volume Booster. I've yet to use the latter but the Instant Refresh is a definite winner. 

Pantene will be shooting to the top of my dry shampoo list from now on. 

Kendall Jenner's trick to surviving in heels

Kendall Jenner is without doubt the model of the moment. With every designer fighting to get her on their catwalk, she has to be on top of her game at all times. Along with her model friends, including Cara Delevingne and Gigi Hadid, Kendall is often seen sporting the highest of heels as part of her enviable wardrobe so it’s no surprise that women everywhere want to know the secret behind surviving a whole day, and often night, in the ultimate stilettos.

Kendall says: ‘You have to keep moving your feet. I switch off from one foot to another a lot, like this. (She crosses one foot behind the other.)’

Although a lot of people have taken to Twitter to joke about Jenner’s advice, it isn’t actually as simple as it sounds. She isn’t suggesting just walking, as pointed out a number of times, the trick is to evenly distribute your weight between each foot. Keeping the pressure on the ball of one foot for too long will cause rubbing and blistering, and all women know that once this starts to notice, it’s difficult to think of anything else.

This is great advice for anyone looking to get into runway modelling as, especially if you reach the heights that Kendall as reached, you could be on your feet for hours on end.