The Skincare || Body Skincare Bits

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when it comes to the lack of care I give my body skin. I'm extremely lazy, and one of my New Year's resolutions was to take better care of it.

To kick start my body care routine, I dry brush all my limbs with the Body Shop Body Brush (say that three times fast) whilst the shower water warms up. Once I hop into the shower, I run some of the Jurlique Citrus Shower Gel all over. I switch it up from the Jasmine scent to the Citrus sent because I get a bit bored of the scents after a while. Once a week I exfoliate my skin with the Jurlique Body Exfoliating Gel, something that I probably wont repurchase. It's just a little pricey for what it is and I want to try a Body Shop offering. My favourite razors are the Venus Embraces (in pink duh). They make shaving less of a chore and quick thanks to the wide blades and comfortable handle.

Once I've stepped out of the shower, I slather my body in the Jurlique Citrus Body Care Lotion. A lovely lightweight moisturiser is just what my limbs are crying out for after a wash. If I need a little more hydration, coconut oil is a good option, as is any sort of sorbolene cream. My favourite fake tan is the Sukin Sunless Bronzing Gel because its so subtle. If you want a fake tan to turn your skin into a deep golden bronze, this isn't for you. It's perfect for me however, because it gives such a lovely colour that looks like I have just got back from a holiday.

This quick and simple body care routine leaves ample time for me to fluff around with my facial skincare in the evenings. I tend to neglect my body in the mornings, favouring a few more minuets of sleep.

How do you look after your body skin?

X Suzy  

The Skincare || Summer Skin Saviours

I am so sorry for neglecting this blog for so long. The last three weeks I had exams, and for the next week I'm on school Prac. So I won't be able to post as often as I like for the coming week!

Summer has arrived. We seemed to have missed spring altogether, which calls for a new wardrobe of lotions and potions (and clothes!) Here is my solution to all body and face skincare dramas from pale skin and dry patches.  

Firstly, the most essential lotion for summer, sunscreens. I won't go into too much detail because I've done a post on this before, and nothing's changed. HERE it is if you’re interested.

Fake tan. I have a love hate relationship with it. When done correctly, it looks amazing. But very easily, it can look like absolutely terrible. Streaky, orangey, patchy. You name it. I also hate the smell and the sticky feel of it. But never the less, I keep applying it every summer. I have found a good one though, from a favourite brand of mine, Sukin. The organic brand has a fantastic Sunless Bronzing Gel. It's not too pongy on the nose, and is not too sticky.   Also, it's not filled with chemicals like other fake tans can be. It's quite liquid-y, which makes it easy to apply and blend. Out of the tube, it looks horrifying but once massaged in, it gives the most beautiful natural looking tan.

Next up, hair removal. My preferred method is shaving. Boring right? I follow it up with a moisturiser, namely the Sukin Body Lotion. At the moment, I'm trialling a hair inhibitor serum called Inhibitif. It supposedly prevents hair regrowth in under 2 weeks. I've only been using this for about a week, so I'll keep you updated.

I've already touched on my preferred body lotion, the Sukin Body Lotion. I use this mostly on my legs, because they tend to be especially dry. On my arms and the rest of my body I like to use the Jurlique Jasmine Body Care Lotion. This is a really light yet hydrating moisturiser which is rapidly absorbed. I usually moisturise after I've given my body a good scrub with a body brush.

My face skincare is pretty much the same all year round, if I need any more moisturising, I'll slather on the Jurlique Calendula cream (I'm a bit obsessed with this product). Occasionally I might layer an oil over the top, either rose hip oil, or the one which I'm trialling at the moment: the Jurlique Balancing Oil.

By using all the lovely products above, I'm able to prep and protect my skin all summer long. What are your summer staples?

X Suzy

The Weekend Pamper || Weekend Facial

Following on from this morning’s skincare post, here is my last instalment in the skincare series, my weekend routine. Once a week, I'll take about an hour of my time and dedicate it to my skin. I apply a range of face masks and treatments to give my skin a much needed deep clean and detox. This is something I save for Sunday afternoons, so that I don't have to put makeup on afterwards.

I begin by washing may face with the Jurlique Purifying Foaming Cleanser. It's vital to wash your face beforehand, otherwise it's a bit like polishing a dirty floor.

Next up, I steam my face by putting some hot water in a bowl and putting tea towel around my face. If I am feeling fancy, I might put some water soluble tea tree oil or calendula lotion in the water, but most weekends I don't bother.

After steaming my face, I take the Jurlique Fruit EnzymeExfoliator and smother this all over my face. I use about four pumps, and I take this right up to my eyes. I wouldn't recommend taking it around the eyes if you have sensitive skin at all, or if you have just started using this. I leave it on for about 5 minutes as it's recommended, but sometimes I leave it on for longer. I wash it off using a warm flannel, which also helps with exfoliation.

After exfoliating, my face mask extravaganza begins. Firstly, I put a layer of rose hip oil - about three or four drops. This gives my skin a huge moisture boost. I use both the Jurlique Purifying Mask and the Intense Recovery Mask. I take a dollop of both masks, mix them together and apply it through my T-Zone. The Purifying mask is quite dry, and the Intense Recovery Mask makes it a little bit easier to spread over my face. On my cheeks, I apply the Intense Recovery Mask. Both masks are phenomenal, my skin is left so smooth and clean. I wash it off with a flannel and some warm water. Finally, I follow through with my evening skin care routine.

At the end of the week, I find myself looking forward to my at home facial so much. Nothing beats a deep clean and exfoliation, and the result the next morning is so satisfying. It’s worth pointing out that afterwards my skin does go a little on the pink side, but by the next morning it is all fine! 

The Skincare || Evening Skincare Routine #1

Naming this post proved to be a difficult one. I always do my skin for the evening as soon as I get home from whatever I've been doing that day. So it’s not necessarily in the evening. But a “Midday skincare routine” wouldn't be quite the same, right? It’s taken me a while to sit down and write this post, the reason being is that I wasn't quite happy with my routine. Actually, my routine is still missing one element: an exfoliating toner. Hello REN ClarifyingToning Lotion (its number one on my wish list). So without further delay, here is my (almost complete) evening skincare routine.

First point of call is to remove all my makeup. Starting off with on cotton wipe soaked in Bioderma, I sweep it all over my eyes. I take another Bioderma-soaked-cotton-wipe and wipe it all over my face. Next up is cleansing, where the Jurlique Purifying Foaming Cleanser comes into play. I take half a pump and slosh it all over my face. A wet flannel is then taken and rubbed all over my face for a bit of subtle exfoliation. I repeat this step again with a smaller amount of cleanser. Every third night or so I will give my skin some more thorough exfoliation. This comes in the form of the Aesop TeaTree Leaf Exfoliator. This one is quite an unusual exfoliator, it comes as a powder which you add to a gel or cream cleanser. This works fabulously to get rid of all the grime which is blocking my pores. You can also alter the amount of exfoliation you want but altering how much you use.

Post cleansing and exfoliating is my 'treatment' section. Here I apply a range of blemish creams to my various skin conditions. I'm planning to put a separate post up about my treatments, (there are so many) so look out for that!

Moving on to toning, I have two options here, including the Jurlique Calendula Lotion and the Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner. I'm going off then Calendula Lotion, as it has a lot of alcohol in it. I'm not using it as regularly as before, and I haven't noticed a big difference in my skin. Once I finish this bottle, I won't be repurchasing. The Trilogy however, is a nice alcohol free alternative - but nothing special.

The final step in my routine is to moisturise my skin. Firstly I use a pea sized amount of the Jurlique Herbal Recovery Eye Cream around my eye area. Next up is one pump of the Jurlique Herbal RecoveryAdvanced Serum (as raved about here)which is followed by a dollop of the Calendula Cream from Jurlique. When applying my Calendula cream I do a bit of a Caroline Hirons inspired facial massage, with a few moves of my own thrown in there. Finally, I use 2-3 drops of the Sukin Rose Hip Oil just before I go to bed.

All up this takes me about 10-15 mins to do. And I love it, my skin is looking so amazing at the moment. My routine is at a point where I'm really happy with it and I'm looking forward to adding an exfoliating toner to my routine. I hope you found this useful I'm some way!

X Suzy