CURRENT SKINCARE ROUTINE

My skincare routine has had a little bit of a change around recently - mainly because I have been taken off my prescribed skin solution so its more or less a battle of keeping breakouts at bay, and as most bloggers would, I thought it was worth sharing. I seem to have streamlined things a lot more than I would usually which deserves some credibility.

The Garnier Micellar Water has become a favourite again for the first step of the routine, because it just gets makeup off really quickly, which is a key part of my criteria. The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil has been a firm element of my routine for a very long time now, and I'm yet to find anything to replace it. The only problem I have is that it's hard to travel with - I can't take the entire bottle but it also seems to leak if I empty it into a smaller bottle? Nonetheless, it's a staple in my routine.

In the mornings, I'd then follow up the cleansing with the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +, and although I'm not entirely sure how much it does for me, it's more so what it doesn't do when I stop using it. And it acts as a good base for makeup alongside my moisturiser. In the evenings I'd most likely follow up my cleansing with the Boots Botanics All Bright Radiance Concentrate Serum - a lightweight, glow giving serum that is a rather decent price too.

Then, whether morning or night I'll follow this with the Botanics All Bright Night Cream as I find it suitable for night for enough nourishment, and in the morning too for a light slick of hydration as it seems to create a lovely base for makeup. I don't like the day cream versions in this range as they contain SPF and I prefer to apply my own SPF and they seem to make my face look a little paler because of the SPF anyway.

I'm thinking I'll be sticking to this routine for quite some time now as these products all seem to go hand in hand rather well.

DAILY MAKEUP BRUSHES

It's all very well owning brushes upon brushes of all different shapes and sizes in your collection, but when it comes to the daily makeup routine hunting around for a suitable brush begins to waste time, which is why I've narrowed it down to 8 brushes I use on a daily basis that seem to get me through the mornings.

FACE: When it comes to the face, only 3 brushes are really well loved. The first is the Real Techniques Contour Brush, which comes in handy for multiple uses, and for me, contouring, highlighting, and powdering (as well as cream and powder blush when I wear them) are the steps where I tend to reach for this brush. The Real Techniques Buffing Brush comes in handy for applying foundation and concealer, when I really want to spend time buffing in to create that photoshop finish on my skin. The Nanshy Round Buffer Brush is used for the same purposes, but as it's more dense and less flexible I find it quicker to slap on products using this offering when I'm in a rush.

EYES: Here's where things get a little bit more complex, with each brush doing something different. The Tiger Spoolie is used daily to comb and shape my brows, with this Ebay Fraulein angles brush to fill them in with my Elf Pebble Eyeshadow. The next brush along is the Nanshy Tapered Crease, which comes in handy when I'm applying and smudging shadow along the lower lashline for a sultry look. Then comes the Nanshy Blending Eyeshadow, which I tend to use for applying colour to the lid, and also working a warm matte into the crease. Finally, the No7 Blend and Contour Brush is one I always just to finish off any blending and make my eye shadow look seamless.

Now all I need is a good gel liner brush, perhaps a powder brush, and something a little smaller for precise concealer application. What brushes do you use daily?

EYEBROWS 101 - MY ROUTINE

The one where I show you all things brows. Unfortunately, the day of filming this was not a 'strong eyebrow game' kind of a day, so look forward to watching me attempt to groom some brows that aren't exactly on point. Nevertheless, enjoy my compilation of clips to jazzy music where hopefully you can gain some tips.

 

THE PRIMER COLLECTION

Using a primer is often a step that I miss out in my makeup routine, because I have struggled for a while now trying to find the perfect one, and sometimes I'm just too lazy. I do however have quite the compilation of primers so I thought I would categorize them and ramble.

BRIGHTENING: So, we all have dull skin days at times and on those of mine I quite enjoy the Bourjois Luminous Serum Primer, which doesn't have any shimmer in, but just seems to make the face look radiant. It really is glowy skin in a bottle, and although it doesn't help with longevity it is worth it for the glow.

SMOOTHING: Smoothing primers tend to be quite heavily silicon based at times so I do often experience breakouts after using them. The first is a love hate relationship primer; the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, which is really smoothing, and keeps makeup on all day (I like to use it just on oily areas when I am using BB Cream or glowier bases), and I have just got back into using it so I will report back if I get any breakouts. I also have the Proactiv Smoothing Primer but I don't use it too often as it smooths but doesn't help with longevity all that much.

BRONZING: In the summer when you want to rack up the tan or in the winter when you are fed up of your pale skin, a bronzing primer is always a good'un to have in your stash. My personal favourite is the Bourjois Bronzing Primer which I also like to use over foundation around the outer areas of the face and on the cheekbones for an extra glow. I also like the Too Faced Primed and Poreless Tinted Primer as it is almost a mix of the Bourjois and Smashbox primers in one.

This post has actually inspired me to use my primers more often, we'll see how it goes tomorrow morning aye?

MY NAIL CARE ROUTINE

Nail care...something us beauty obsessed (procrastinating) bloggers sometimes forget about. After seeing Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup talk about her nail care mantra, I thought it was time to sort something out in my world. It isn't very hefty, and I am not sure quite how well it is doing with so little products involved, but it is serving me well for now.

Moisturisation. A key part of the process, as looking like there could be boulders falling out of your shriveled, dry fingers isn't a flattering look. Trust me, I've seen it before, and my friend made the comparison, I though it was funny. My little duo of hand creams are the OPI Avojuice Vanilla Snowflake Hand & Body Lotion, and then a mini pot of the Lush Charity Pot Hand & Body Lotion - both of which don't smell the greatest, but do a good job of keeping the hands nourished. 

All Round Maintenance. So, in my eyes, this is the rest of the process, filing, buffing, base coat, cuticle removing (which I don't actually have to do - lucky me), all that jazz. So, I have 2 nail files that I use, one from Escentual, and the other from a kit I discovered from years ago. Now these both do the job just fine if I want to shorten the length a bit, or round them, or make the square. They are looking a bit worse for wear, so I should really buy some new ones... Then onto a base coat. I don't get all that fancy with this step, as much as I would like the big ol' hefty bottle of OPI Nail Envy; its not something in my budget, so I do just fine with the Barry M Base Coat, Top Coat, and Nail Hardener, mine has seen it's time and is a bit gloopy now, so it looks like a repurchase is on it's way. 

I have been quite into caring for my nails and hands recently, and I think it just makes you digits look that bit better when you have polish on as well...