Focus Friday: My Skincare Regime

Bonjour!

Another late Focus Friday, but better late than never.

This weeks is all about my skincare regime.

Over the last 6 months I have migrated to an organic regime free from all nasty things such as parabens which are used to extend shelf life, but interfere with hormones, and petrochemicals.

Firstly I like to cleanse my face with warm water and the Yes to Blueberries fine lines and wrinkles cleanser, I'm 25 and now is the time to worry about them appearing... I also like how moisturised my face feels after using it.

Then I like to spritz my face with the Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner which contains rosewater. This feels really refreshing on my face and Sukin are an amazing brand free from all nasty chemicals and allergens. It also contains chamomile which helps soothe tired and inflamed skin.

After I have cleansed and spritzed, I like to use Dr Organic's Pomegranate Cream, I use this for both day and night because it has the right consistency for both and helps with my dry skin, again I'm helping fight ageing with the pomegranate in this product as it has brilliant antioxidant properties.

Then to top the whole regime off I use Beauty Kitchen's Seahorse Plankton High Definition Facial Oil, this helps to promote collagen stimulation and adds that bit more moisture for my dry skin. It smells gorgeous too!

Focus Friday: Boost Yourself

Today's Focus Friday is about ways to give yourself a boost of energy when you need it the most!

We've all had it, does the midday slump ring any bells?

Well I'm here to give you some handy tips on what do and eat to help counteract those stale hours throughout the day that make you want to sleep under the counter (or desk).

A quick disclaimer here to state that I would always recommend visiting a medical professional or your GP if you suffer from fatigue and tiredness on a regular basis, as there could be an underlying cause that I am not qualified to diagnose.

My personal top tip is to have a healthy and varied diet that consists of lots of fruit and vegetables, protein and fibre. Things like broccoli, bananas, mushrooms and blueberries.

Green leafy vegetables, eggs, lean meat and whole grains are full of fatigue fighting B-Complexes. Alongside that,green veggies are full of iron which helps with the transportation of oxygen round the body (be careful with toxicity levels of iron in children).

Another tip is to take a good multivitamin that contains Ginseng, Ginseng may help keep you alert as it has a slight stimulant effect, it is also an adaptogenic, helping the body cope with stress.

If you suffer from Migraines then I would advise speaking to your GP before taking Ginseng. So making sure you are getting your daily nutrients is very important, but what about sleep?

We need 8 hours sleep for optimal performance, now for some people that is easily said than done. Get into bed mode by switching off any white back lit electronics a few hours before you nod off, this is because the white light blocks the hormone Melatonin, and Melatonin helps you sleep. You can also help induce sleep by having a hot shower or bath before and add a little lavender to the bath for a soothing aroma.

My final tip for energy gains is keep hydrated, get that water bottle out of the cupboard from last years yoga classes and keep it filled up and ice cold throughout the day. No slacking.

NYX BUYS: Lip Cream

Delving into the world of NYX starting with my new matt lip creams, from left to right starting with Amsterdam, Ibiza and finally Abu Dhabi.

I like the fact each tube is named after a city, god knows why.

I must admit Abu Dhabi is the shade I wear the most as it goes with almost everything and then Ibiza would be my second favourite as it is not like any pink I already have. 

        They dry fairly quick and last a while but they do tend to feel like they're peeling a bit on the inner part of the lip which makes you re apply, even though the colour looks solid.

One thing that does bother me though is after a few uses they start to feel like they're empty, and you don't get much product on the applicator in the beginning, and they're around £6 each.

All in all I would buy other colours from the range because they do look pretty on and they fit easily into your day/evening bag.

Recent Treats

My Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter is pretty much on the blink and I was desperate for either a replacement or a brand new highlighter. I decided to give MAC Mineralise Skinfinish a ago as the tester in store was just dreamy. I haven't given it a proper go yet, but I hope that my money hasn't gone to waste. 

As for the candles, well... you can never have too many!

Summer Tag!

A quick tag video again, I quite enjoy filming these, however awkward I find them. Enjoy!

Birthday Wishlist

Yes that's right the ol' Birthday Wishlist! I am around a month away from turning 24 (oh dear) and if there was a magic birthday pixie who dropped off presents for you it would probably be one of these.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,

What's in My Makeup Bag

KIKO Buys

The last time I walked past a KIKO store was in Spain and I vowed to actually buy something the next time I went in. Two years later I walked into the Reading store and walked out with these two lovely eyeshadows. 

The left is no 130 and is a gold glittery bronze which I can see my self wearing all summer, the right is no 31 and just a base I needed as my Sleek palette base is nearly out.

I highly recommend taking a visit to your local store as most of the range is super cheap and very, very pretty! 

Currently listening to:

Mother's Day Gifts: Last Minute!

Jersey Stripe Robe NEXT , EVE LOM Flawless Primer SPF 30, Hourglass Lipgloss

Anthropologie Garden Floral Mug, Rose & Grey Master of the House Cushion, Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Candle

February Favourites

Valentine's Gift Ideas for Her

From left to right; A beautiful customised locket for your lady friend from Loquet London
A lovely bathing treat from the new blogger favourite FIG+YARROW.
An elegant peach dress from one of my favourite designers Alexander Wang.
The dreamiest perfume from Viktor & Rolf.
And to match the dress, a lovely pair of heels from ZARA.

From left to right again; 5 Alarm from MAC Cosmetics.

Love Birds Wink Clutch from Kate Spade.

Love Heart Stanley mug from Cath Kidston.

Mischief Managed nail polish from Tanya Burr.

Red Raspberry pillar candle from Yankee Candle.

7 of My Favourite Apps

Tumblr: For those moments of pure boredom sat in a cafe or on a long journey, this app is a brilliant way to pass time wandering through your dashboard filled with photos or someone elses page (providing you can get 3G/4G or WiFi. Just be careful what you search for...

 Barclays Banking: Lifesaver app of the past year goes to this one! If you ever need to transfer money or pay someone asap this helps out so much and makes the whole thing fast and snappy. Of course there are apps like this for whatever bank you choose to join.

Snapguide: Again another " I'm bored and need some inspiration or something to do" app, depending on what topics you choose to like depends on what shows up on your dashboard. Typically mine shows up with recipes, craft ideas and DIY as I like to think that one day I'll get round to making something... one day. So if you're into crafts, baking and blog such as A Beautiful Mess then this is the app for you.

 Quizup: I like to sit in bed and search through the vast array of topics to battle it out on, from Naruto to Physics this app has pretty much everything you need in a quiz app. Aesthetically pleasing and easy to use I would highly recommend downloading this and challenging your friends, especially on something they haven't got a clue on!

 JustEat: This app comes in very handy if you're having a lazy night in with a takeaway, just enter your postcode and view the takeaways near you that deliver. Simples! Beware that some small towns and villages do not always benefit from this.

 Rage Comics: This one isn't for everyone but I find rage comics hilarious, and this app collects all the best and new ones together for your viewing. It's much nicer on the eye than some of the others. Probably for the nerdier person.

 My Hours: If you work shifts, or have a different rota every week like I used to, this app helps you log your hours/breaks and how much you make. I couldn't live without it at one point, hated the thought of writing my rota down on bits of paper and losing them. It's simple and easy to use so check this out.

My Bucket List Ten: 1-3

1. See M.I.A Live

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I can't remember how I got into her exactly, but buying her second album Kala years ago was one of the best musical desicions  I've made. A breath of fresh jungle air, this girl is cool and very unique. 

2. Visit the big JPN

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At some point in my life this will get this ticked off my list, anyone who knows me well will know how much I want to visit Japan. I love the food so much!

3. Own a Smart Car

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Yep that's right, and I don't care how much you all hate them!

I've wanted one so much ever since my cousin bought one and you can't stop me!

Dec/Nov Buys

Nails of the Week- Berry Cosmo

Moving on from Octobers black and glitter, I stumbled upon this lovely gem at Barry M called Berry Cosmo.

It's a lovely cool toned purple and looks great with autumnal knitwear, or even a LBD.  I'm getting rather attached to the colour so much that I'm not looking forward to those in your face spring colours next year, leave me in my gothic corner alone with this one.

Autumn Beauty Essentials

NAILS OF THE DAY: Witchy Sparkle

As you may have noticed summer has been and gone, we're (us girls anyway) putting away our worn to death shorts and swapping them for our favourite winter coat. Those autumnal colours are rising to the surface once again. Goodbye candy corals, garish green and hello pomegranates and plums!

This also applies to nail varnish, as all summer I've been coating my talons with the peachiest colours on the market with the odd hint of neon, so on my lunch break last week I stopped off at my local Boots and had a browse. Now when it comes to Barry M I'd like to think I'm well acquainted but when it comes to Maybelline varnish I am a bit of a newbie, I had previously bought a neon pink from the Colour Show collection and wanted to try more.
I was fixated on one of their bottles of black, gothic, about as emo as you can get black varnish. Why not relive your emo days eh?
As I love a bit of glitter who was I to turn to but Barry M? I found a lovely bottle of dark multi coloured glitter and would hope to team it with my black...

ROUGE EDITION

On Sunday I bought (a bit late) the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Ole Flamingo!

So I think you can guess that I love it considering I'm writing about it two days on...

It's liquid lipstick in simple, pretty packaging and it does not budge. As I've been taking photographs and composing this post I've eaten a sandwich, had a cup of tea and brushed my teeth, yeah there were the odd smudge onto the bread but not half as much as normal lipsticks (excluding the stay put ones). 

I chose this particular shade because to be quite honest I can't stop buying coral, pink and magenta things lately, it was a toss up between classic red or this... Oh I should mention that it's a matte finish so if you have dry/cracked lips you may want to give your lips a good moisturise before you go buying this. 

I will definitely be buying more of these, I've got my eye on another already!

I should also mention, my camera really hasn't done the colour justice, it's very very bright pink!

British TAG Video

Here are the questions if you're too lazy to check my Youtube Channel out.

1.How many cups of tea do you have a day and how many sugars?

2.Favourite part of a roast?

3.Favourite dunking biscuit?

4.Favourite quintessentially British pass time?

5.Favourite word?

6.Cockney rhyming slang?

7.Favourite sweet?

8.What would your pub be called?

9.No 1 British person?

10. Favourite shop/restaurant? 

11.What British song pops into your head?

12.Marmite?