My Skincare Routine

Hi Lovelies!

I'm going to share with you My Skincare Routine today! Along with some extra little pamper things I like to do from time to time...I hope you enjoy it :)

I'm going to start this Skincare post with a little bit of information about my skin. I have oily/combination skin, but it's also very sensitive. I get a facial once a month, the place I go to is very small and is very much a village salon. The women there are lovely and not only that, they also provide great beauty treatments (bonus, right?). I frequently get pedicures, manicures and massages.

So, the woman who does my facial and massage treatments uses a brand called OLOS. The brand is pricey, but in my opinion well worth the splurge. I'll go into more detail on this later in the blog. However I did just want to mention here at the start that I think it is important that we treat ourselves to facials as often as possible, they are great for a multitude of reasons as well as often revealing things about your skin that you may not have known before.

NOW LET'S GET INTO IT...

The first thing I do in the evening is remove any surface grease and makeup.

I use these type of products at night mainly to take off my eye makeup. The ones in this picture are the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (which is my favourite), the other one is a Nivea Extra Gentle Eye Make Up Remover, this came as part of a gift set that I received, so I use it on occasion to ensure it doesn't go to waste. It is nice though, it removes the makeup effectively and is great for sensitive skins, but I feel like it leaves a residue on the skin, which i'm not too fond of.

The next thing I use is a makeup removing wipe.

I use this at night to take the makeup off my face, simply because I prefer it...I know, i'm high maintenance. These are the Yes to Cucumber Soothing Facial Cloths. I like these because they smell nice and don't burn my skin like some face wipes can.

Thirdly I use a scrub.

I like to use a scrub because I feel like it is really getting into the skin and giving it a DEEP clean. I also like scrubs because I feel like they really open up the pores on my face, meaning that the next cleanser I use can really get into my skin. The scrub I have used for about 4 years now is the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pore & Shine Daily Scrub. I use this on both the morning and the evening and I love it, the smell isn't great but it's perfect to use everyday on my sensitive skin whilst still being effective.

The next product I use is a cleanser.

This is the OLOS cleansing milk in Frutti Di Bosco, I bought this on recommendation from my beautician. She said it's great for young and sensitive skins...which is what I have. I've been using this cleanser religiously now for nearly 4 months and I have to say I've seen a HUGE difference in my skin, I DEFINITELY have less breakouts, in fact, I rarely have breakouts anymore, and my skin looks so much happier and healthier. I'm not sure how available this brand is to everyone, which is a shame, but I get it from my beautician, who orders it in to her salon for me, so perhaps you'd be able to do the same.

Next is a toner.

Again this is an OLOS toner in the Frutti Di Bosco range that I get from my beautician...I like it a lot! I really believe that the combination of products i'm using from OLOS have really helped to rejuvenate my skin.

The third and final OLOS product that I use in the Frutti Di Bosco range is a moisturizer.

I like this moisturizer a lot because it is not thick at all, which is great for my oily skin. Because of the thin consistency of the moisturizer, I find it sits really well underneath my makeup too - Great!

I'm still very young, but nonetheless I want to prevent signs of ageing for as long as possible, so the next step in my skincare routine is an eye cream...or rather eye gel.

I like this Elderflower Unperfumed Eye Gel from The Body Shop. It's cooling under the eyes, which I think helps with any puffiness. Not only that but it sinks into the skin super quickly, making it perfect for wear underneath makeup.

Lastly for my main day and night skincare routine is a lip lam.

I'm currently using this shea lip butter from The Body Shop, but I regularly change my lip balm. This just happens to be the one i'm using at the moment.

NOW FOR THE PRODUCTS THAT I USE FROM TIME TO TIME...

Firstly is this spot treatment.

I use a spot cream for any annoying or inconvenient spots. I like this Clearasil Rapid Action Treatment Cream because it's fast acting. Within 4 hours the spot size is visibly reduced and it definitely reduces the redness.

On occasion my skin does start to feel quite dehydrated, and on occasion - normally around my time of the month if you know what I mean - I get a few dry patches on my face. To help counteract that I use this Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask from The Body Shop.

 I've only used it on a handful of occasions so I can't really say much about it, but from what I have used, I think it's a great for giving your skin the moisture it requires, and it does that without making your skin too oily!

That concludes my morning and evening skincare routine. I hope it is some what helpful for some of you, or maybe you found some of my thoughts on different products helpful.

Thank you for reading my blog. Please subscribe and don't forget to check out my Twitter @astutebeautycon and my Instagram @astutebeautyconnoisseur

Love,

        Astute Beauty Connoisseur x

REVIEW: Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation

Hi Lovelies!

Today I've come to talk about the new Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation. Recently I picked it up in Debenhams and thought where's the harm in bringing you guys a review so you can see what my opinion of it is. If you've tried it, please let me know what you think of it in the comments below...I'd love to hear your thoughts!

LET'S GET INTO THE NITTY GRITTY

When you first open the lid...

...You see a sponge, and a wonderful big mirror, immediately you know this foundation is going to be perfect for travelling with and carrying in your handbag. Am I right?

Getting to the actual foundation...

...The shelf that the sponge applicator sits in flips over to reveal another sponge, and this sponge is more like the type of sponge you'd use to wash your car with on the visible spectrum. However once touched the sponge is very soft, and cleverly dispenses the perfect amount of product.

SO...My thoughts on the packaging? - It's brilliant, the packaging really does make it perfect for slinging it in your handbag, you've got everything you need; the product, a mirror and something to apply the product with! On the other hand though, it is quite unhygienic as you are repeatedly placing a sponge that has been on your face back into the product. This can lead to the growth of bacteria which can potentially cause spots. I have to say though, I have not experienced any sort of break out due to this foundation. Also, if this sort of thing bothers you, you can easily use those disposable sponges that you can get anywhere for a cheap-ass price.

How I apply it...

...I take the sponge that the foundation comes with and firmly press it into the foundation. I apply this on my face by rolling the sponge from the centre of my face to the outside of my face. I find that to do my entire face, I have to re-saturate my sponge at least twice.

The results...

...The colour matches me perfectly, which is hard to find because i'm so pale (I got the colour 01 Pure Porcelaine). As for the finish, it really is beautiful, it looks like skin...it doesn't sit on top of my face making it obvious that I have foundation on. Coverage?...I'd say it's a light to medium coverage - but personally I feel that's perfect for everyday, it is buildable to give a good medium coverage. As the packaging says it's a "fresh dewy hydration" - i'd say this perfectly describes it! Since I have an oily skin I have to set this foundation with a bit of powder, otherwise it has no chance of lasting on me.

How'd it last?...

On my skin, I found that the dewiness turned into looking oily after about 3-4 hours, this meant that I had to blot or re-powder. To me, this was no issue as I have an oily skin, so I have no expectation to not have to blot at some point in the day. The foundation continued to look like skin for the entirety of the day and lasted quite a few hours on my skin.

The verdict...

...I think this foundation is perfect for those of you with a dry to normal skin. It looks like skin and gives you a healthy glow. I have quite a few scars on my face, and this foundation doesn't quite cover them, so for me, i'd say this is a 'good skin day' type of foundation. You know what I mean?...You wear it when your skin is good ha-ha. Overall though, I do like this foundation and i'd definitely go as far to say it's a good foundation to keep in your collection.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I had a lot of things that I wanted to make sure I got into it! I know there's not a lot of photos and sorry for that. I'd love to show you photos of how the foundation actually looks on my face, but i'm not quite confident enough to share my face with the internet yet. Bare with me though, i'm sure the confidence will come with time.

Thank you for reading and sticking around for this long. Please subscribe and don't forget to check out my Twitter @astutebeautycon and my Instagram @astutebeautyconnoisseur

Love,

        Astute Beauty Connoisseur x

How to/Ways to Wear Bright Eyeshadows and Eyeliners for Summer!

Hi Lovelies!

Today i'm going to show you how to wear colour on your eyes in a subtle but classy way. The looks i've created are great for everyday because there's no smokey eye type of thing. Of course if you want to wear a smokey eye everyday, I have no judgements, you do you! This post is more for beginners, those in need of advice and for people who are shy of wearing colour.
Summer is just round the corner, and all the summer time festivals are fast approaching, this means it's the perfect time to start playing with colour on your eyes. It's going to be a huge trend this summer!


Look #1
Just put a coloured eyeliner in your lower waterline...

Here i've put a purple colour in my waterline in the photo on the left. The eyeliner I used for this is Rimmel Scandaleyes liner in 013 Purple. In the photo on the right i've put a green colour, I used Rimmel Soft Kohl liner in 031 Jungle Green.

This is perfect for a soft and subtle bit of colour...it's a great way to brake yourself into wearing colour because it really is hardly noticeable.


Look #2
Pop a bit of colour around the tear duct...

In this look i've used coloured eyeshadows that have been dampened with a bit of mac fix+ to make them more vibrant. If you don't want the colour to be this 'stand out-y' then don't dampen the eyeshadow...use it dry.

I used colours from the Soap and Glory Lid Stuff palette called 'Off the Wall Flowers'. The photo on the left shows the colour 'Sugar Violet' and the photo on the right shows the colour 'Wild Blue'.
This look is definitely for the more confident, it's a great way of incorporating colour into your eye look without really having to put much thought or effort into it.

QUICK TIP: If you're going to dampen your brush for use with eyeshadow, only use half the pan of eyeshadow as sometimes a damp brush can cause the eyeshadow to seal over, making it hard to get any pigment out of it.


Look #3
Create a winged liner with either eyeliner or eyeshadow...

Here i've used an angled brush to take some product off an eyeliner pencil to make a sharp winged liner. On the left i've used the same purple eyeliner as before...Rimmel Scandaleyes liner in 013 Purple. In the photo on the right I used Rimmel Special Eyes liner in the colour 121 Azure Shimmer.

This look is for my winged liner lovers...I have to say, I think this is my favourite look as well (despite my boyfriend liking the colour around the tear duct...Look #2.)

You can use the same technique of using an angled brush or any type of liner brush, (whichever is your favourite) and some eyeshadow to create a colourful winged liner.


MORE INFO:
In case you're wondering what is on my lid and lashes throughout these looks i'll list it below;

In my crease is Mac Wedge eyeshadow
In the outer C of my eye is Mac Brown Down eyeshadow
On my lid is Mac Vanilla Pigment (dry)
I smudged a tiny bit of Mac Carbon eyeshadow on my lower lash line too
On my eyelashes is L'oreal False Lash Superstar Mascara

Thank you so much for reading! Please subscribe and don't forget to check out my Twitter @astutebeautycon and my Instagram @astutebeautyconnoisseur

QUESTION: Please let me know if your going on holiday this year and where you are going? I'm not doing anything big this year...just heading to York for a few days with my boyfriend in July.

Love,
        Astute Beauty Connoisseur x

Urban Decay Summer Collection : Review

Hi Lovelies!

This weeks post is about the Urban Decay summer collection. I'm going to share with you my thoughts on it so you can decide whether or not the products are worth your time and money. Sound good?

Lets get started straight away shall we?

EYESHADOW

The first product i'm going to talk about is the eyeshadow. I picked up the colour 'Fireball' it's such a unique duochrome colour which is what attracted it to me in the first place, in one light it seems to be a peach colour, and in another light it seems to be a lilac colour! How magnificent is that? 

There are only a few new eyeshadows that have come out in Urban Decay's summer collection and most of them are duochrome and have a sheen finish. There was only one colour that was a matte finish when I was checking out the summer collection, it was a muddy brown colour.

ANYWAYS...my thoughts? The colour is GORGEOUS, i've never seen anything like it before. As for texture it's super velvety and easy to apply as well as being highly pigmented. My only fault with it, is it seemed to apply almost patchy, i'm not sure if it's due to the type of eyeshadow it is, because it's duochrome, and this may be what caused it to look slightly uneven on the lid or what? On the other hand though, this is easy to look past and was only visible under deep inspection. The eyeshadow also creased on my slightly oily eyelids after about 4 hours, however once I used primer, this no longer occurred and the shadow remained intact for the whole day.  Overall, the eyeshadow isn't the best thing in the collection, but it certainly isn't bad by any means.

LIPGLOSS

The next product i'm going to talk about it the Revolution High-Color Lipgloss, I bought the colour 'Quiver' (there's a rather sexual theme running throughout the names of Urban Decay products) moving on...Quiver is a beautiful fuchsia pink. I have to say I love the packaging of this lipgloss, it's sleek and looks extravagant. The applicator wand is brilliant as it tapers to a point at the end making it super easy to get a smooth lip line without the use of lip liner. It also picks up the perfect amount of product, no need to go back for more or wipe off any excess, which is always a bonus, right? To conclude the overall packaging and applicator makes this lipgloss perfect for quick application and a great 'throw in the handbag' lipgloss.

As for the formula, it's alright, i've tried other glosses that are less sticky, but they are much more expensive. It's not too sticky where you get those horrible stringy lines between your lips, you know what I mean don't you? But, it is ever so slightly tacky (I think tacky is the best word to describe the texture). The pigment is spot on, highly pigmented and true to colour. Also, it wears away nicely, it stays on for quite a long period of time anyways and as it wears away it remains to be even, not blotchy. Overall, I do really like the lipgloss.

BLUSH

The last product i'm going to talk about is the Afterglow Blush, I got the colour 'Fetish' which is a mauve-y pink colour and is very velvety. On the back of the blush it says '8-hour powder blush' and I believe it stands by this. After having worn my makeup all day long I can still see my blush colour on my cheeks with no touch-ups nor the need for a touch-up. This blush is highly pigmented, you only need to dab your brush once into the blush for a perfect amount of colour, due to its velvety texture it blends onto the cheek really smoothly and evenly. I have to say, my favourite thing in Urban Decay's summer collection is the Afterglow Blush!!

Thank you for reading my blog! Please subscribe and don't forget to check out my Twitter @astutebeautycon and Instagram @astutebeautyconnoisseur

Love,

        Astute Beauty Connoisseur x

Collective haul! - Boots and Debenhams

Hi Lovelies!

I'd just like to quickly start this post with a little reminder... I am in no way trying to 'brag' about the things I have bought. I simply want to show you some of the beauty things that I have been excited about!

I'd also like to say that I managed to get quite a few deals, and i'll explain them in this post, that way you can grab some deals too :) Additionally, I had a lot of points saved up on my rewards cards from Boots, House of Fraser and Debenhams, so I saved even more money! What a bonus, right?

NOW LETS GET INTO THE HAUL...

THE FIRST PLACE I WENT TO WAS BOOTS, this is my favourite drugstore which also has some high end counters like Dior, Chanel, Benefit etc.

I picked up the Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in the colour 19 Pirate. It's a beautiful bright red that I thought would be great to pair with a plain, neutral eye on one of those days when you don't really have enough time to get ready...We all have them, don't we?

Next I grabbed the Dior Rouge Dior Brilliant lipgloss in the colour 263 Swan. It's a gorgeous muted pink with the tiniest bit of shimmer (hardly noticeable). This is my type of colour! I wear this shade on an everyday occasion and I guess you could say I don't need any more lip products in this shade, but I loved it so much that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get it. Opps. Whilst at the Dior counter I thought i'd pick up the Lip Glow Colour Reviver Balm, on recommendation from a friend...This lip balm enhances the natural colour of your lips, it makes your lips look like your wearing lipgloss, but in reality, its just a lip balm.

I got this Smashbox Brow Tech To Go. It has a slanted pencil on one end and the other end is a clear gel. The shade I got was Brunette...Just warning you, there's a lot of brow products in this haul, i'm trying out different types of brow product so that I can give you guys my verdict!

The last high end things I bought were these Ciate nail varnishes...I've never tried them before but I've heard great things, so I thought i'd put them to the test. The top one is called 'Cupcake Queen' and the bottom one is called 'Talent Scout'.

IN BOOTS, ALL HIGH END/COUNTER MAKEUP WAS SPEND £30 AND GET 10% OFF...WHAT A GREAT DEAL!

Time for some brushes, I selected two real techniques brushes, the one of the left is a 'concealer brush' and the one on the right is a 'sculpting brush'.

I stopped by Maybelline and picked up the Brow Satin, which is pictured in the top two photos, it has a pencil on one end and a powder dispensed by a sponge applicator on the other end. The bottom photo shows the Brow Drama...like I said, i'm trying loads of new brow things.

Last brow thing I promise...It's the Soap and Glory Archery Brow Pencil in Hot Chocolate, one end is a pencil and the other is a brush...Much like the Anastasia Brow Wiz that I also have in my collection since so many bloggers and youtubers have raved about it. The top picture is a Soap and Glory Lid Stuff palette in Off The Wall Flowers. THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS PURCHASE IS SOAP AND GLORY WAS BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE!

I've seen these fibre lash mascara's EVERYWHERE, so why not try one? This one is from Loreal, it's the False Lash Superstar, the fibres are on one side with the actual mascara on the other side.

This was by far the best deal in Boots! MAX FACTOR HAD AN OFFER ON WHICH WAS SPEND £15 AND GET A FREE GIFT WORTH £27. The bottom four photos are the things I bought. The nail varnish is in the shade 165 Hot Coco, and the Lipfinity set is in the shade 020 Angelic. The top photo shows the free gift, it includes; the False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara in Black/Brown, the Colour Elixir Gloss in Captivating Ruby, and the Glossfinity nail varnish in Raspberry Blush.

NEXT, I WENT TO DEBENHAMS...

LANCOME HAD AN OFFER ON WHICH WAS BUY ANY TWO ITEMS AND RECEIVE A FREE GIFT WORTH £101...So, I picked up the Miracle Cushion in the colour 01, which is pretty new out...I'll be reviewing this soon so keep your eyes peeled. I also picked up the Hypnose Star mascara.

I forgot to take a photograph of the free gift so I've pinched this one from the Debenhams website...But this is what the free gift includes:

Last but certainly not least...Urban Decay...they released there Summer Collection just a couple of weeks ago, so I picked up one eyeshadow in the colour Fireball, it's a beautiful duocrome shadow which is peach/lilac. I also picked up one Revolution High-Colour lipgloss in the colour Quiver, and an Afterglow blush in the colour Fetish. (Is it just me, or are the names quite sexual?)

I know this was a lengthy post, so thanks for sticking around to make it this far. If you have any recommendations of products to try out or anything you like to see me post about then please leave them in the comments...Oh and please subsribe.

Love,

Astute Beauty Connoisseur x