Evening Routine

As promised last week, this evening's post is a peek into my evening skincare routine. I did an extensive post on the Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream last week so I won't say much more than when I apply it in this routine. If you missed that post it is linked here.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water:
You might be able to see in the photos above that this is a well loved product. I've repurchased this a number of times as it's so easy to use and it's very effective. I use this on a cotton face pad to remove all of my make-up. If I had been wearing more make-up than usual this might be my 'second cleanse' to ensure that all traces of product have been removed. A 400ml bottle lasts me around 3 or 4 months, making it pretty cost effective at around £4 a bottle. Last year I rebooted my skincare regime after relying upon make-up wipes for so long. There are arguments to say that face wipes aren't all that great for skin in the long run as they don't remove every scrap of dirt. I follow the advice that face wipes are reserved for festivals and travelling. This product is available online, in most supermarkets and drugstores.

Pixi Glow Tonic:
A cleanser like the one above, opens up the pores to release dirt trapped within them. You don't want to leave pores open and slather on a thick moisturiser...because that will chuck more gunk into the exposed pores. To close them up again or to tighten them you should be using a toner. Although this toner is of a higher price point it's totally worth it. This product has an exfoliating aspect, so it tightens the skin AND removes dead skin cells sitting on the surface. You can feel the it exfoliating just but rubbing it over the skin on a cotton face pad, but it's not abrasive on the skin like some chunky exfoliators you can get. Pixi products are available online and in some Marks and Spencers stores.

Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil:
Being someone that has an oily complexion I did wonder why on earth I needed to apply more oil to my face. As I've said before, the skin often produces oil when it feels parched of moisture which often results in it over-compensating and leaving some of us with a sheen on our faces. Adding moisture could help to reduce oily skin problems. This overnight oil is lightweight, smells gorgeous and leaves the skin feeling super smooth.

Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream:
The final product in my routine is a face cream. As a general rule you'd apply products in the following order: cleanser, toner, eye cream, oil and finally a cream/moisturiser. I've already preached about the wonders of this particular cream. It has transformed my dull, tired looking complexion, leaving my skin feel bouncy, glowing and free of dark shadows that like to lurk under my eyes.

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Sleep Dreams

This product will be featuring in next week's post as part of my night-time routine. The Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream is probably the only night cream I've ever finished. I often end up skipping a cream in my night routine due to laziness or disappointment in the product itself. However, this one has survived the test of time, I love it! For once the results lived up to the claims. This cream has helped brighten my complexion that is often left looking dull due to many sleepless nights from insomnia. Although the directions say to avoid the eye area, I do apply it to the outer parts of any under-eye shadows that I have. I often have sensitive skin and I haven't had any reactions from applying it to the delicate eye area.

When I first got this product I was amazed by the jelly like texture, it reminds me of the Adipose in Doctor Who! Who am I kidding, I still enjoy shaking the pot around to see the cream wobble! A little really does go a long way with this which is fantastic, especially if you are slightly put off by the £12.99 price tag. Never be tempted to slap on cream in thick layers, you won't see results faster, you'll most likely just end up clogging up your pores and could cause breakouts. I have the day time version of this to try as well, I'll be switching it into my routine when the weather is less harsh on my skin and when I'll be able to retire my Body Shop Hemp face protector!

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Haircare Favourites

Lee Stafford Hair Growth:
I seriously love this product. I slather this on and massage it into my scalp in between shampooing and conditioning my hair. Leave this concoction on for the length of a good bath and it will do your hair the world of good. I was initially sceptical about it's claims to help hair growth, but it's really working for me. In the Summer my hair was cut just below my jawline, it's now down to my shoulders! My hair used to grow fairly quickly but I started losing a fair bit due to stress and was left with a stumpy cluster of hair near one of my ears. This has helped stimulate the growth! Look out for 3 for 2 or 3 for £10 deals in Boots.

Wassen We Beautify Hair, Skin and Nails:
These supplements combined with the Lee Stafford treatment have enormously contributed to the growth of my hair. Perhaps foolishly I didn't anticipate the growth of hair elsewhere...I'm having to shave my legs and underarms a lot more frequently and I've had a lot more eyebrow hairs coming through! These supplements have also improved the health of my nails. The Wassen range is stocked alongside vitamins in superstores but this type appears to only be available at Boots.

L'oreal Elvive Nutrigloss Luminser Spray:
I must admit that my girl crush on Karlie Kloss lured me towards this product as she headed the campaign for the Nutrigloss range. This actually turned out to be a fantastic product for my hair. I really struggle to bring shine to my hair, the blonde usually looks dull. A few spritzes of this on damp hair gives life to my blonde locks and softens it. This is stocked in supermarkets, drugstores, online and even Wilkos!

Lush 'Roots':
This fresh minty formula is gorgeous! It looks a bit like a cross between a thick toothpaste and face cream, but I assure you it's worth slathering on your hair. Apply this onto dry hair, massaging it into the scalp. The mint stimulates the scalp and supposedly is great for fine hair. Since I've been using this I've lost less hair when I wash my hair and when I brush through it. It also feels really nice on the head as it cools the scalp and gives a tingling feeling. If you don't have a Lush store close to you, you can purchase this online.

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Winter Skin Reviver

Imagine my surprise when my skin type seemingly changed on me! I've had combination/oily skin for years, I've always struggled to eliminate shine on my t-zone. After spending a couple of years at uni in Durham I suddenly started getting dry, flaky patches and my skin felt tight.

Oil is the body's natural moisturiser. When it emerges on the surface of the skin it's because too much oil is being produced. The body is over-compensating for a lack of moisture either from drinking too little water or from the lack of using a moisturiser in your daily skin routine. I was the latter, skimping on moisturising as I didn't want to add any more oil to my skin. I started to use one as it was what my skin was calling out for, but even the oil free moisturisers weren't helping the dry patches.

Enter the super moisturiser from The Body Shop. It was extremely hard to get hold of this year, I visited a few stores and was told that they were struggling to get stock in due to high demand, the secret was out! The Hemp Face Protector is aimed at very dry skin and is a perfect protecting balm against harsh weather, such as the turbulent winds we're currently facing in the UK. This moisturiser quickly removed the dry patches on my cheeks and forehead, and eliminated the tight feeling that comes with a lack of moisture. This product is only available from The Body Shop and is £8 for a 50ml pot. It might seem steep for a small pot but a little dab of this works miracles!

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Time Out

No beauty post this evening. Sometimes life gets overwhelming and snatches time away from us. I really hate doing this, I try to maintain a healthy backlog of posts so I always have content but I haven't been able to do so recently. I will be back next week, I hope you will come back to see what I have prepared for you! If you are curious as to what is going on with me, check out my personal blog here where I discuss all aspects of my mental health. See you next week!