Friday 11 March 2016

Clarins Skincare Review

Since January I have been on a real skincare kick, I have upped my water intake and am eating as much green veg as I can handle. With the wedding coming up I wanted to give my skin as much help as possible so that on the day I can get away with as little make up as possible. I have never had perfect skin but it isn't awful, I tend to get a few break outs around that time of the month or if I am stressing out but other than that it tends to be ok. It had been pretty dry towards the end of last year though, a combination or the weather and the skincare I was using, so I wanted to change things up a little.

 
 
In January I popped in to my local Debenhams and spoke to a consultant on the Clarins counter who helped me pick our a few items to start off my new skincare regime. With Clarins being a pretty high end brand I didn't want to purchase an entire set of products to then get home and have an allergic reaction or my skin just not like the products, so I just picked up the exfoliator and moisturiser to start with.

 
The Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream is a great exfoliator, I use it twice a week (on a Sunday and a Wednesday if that makes a difference) and my skin stays fresh and smooth all week long. I tend to just get my hands damp and rub a pea sized amount all over my face. I tend to be quite light handed with it and was told any particular area of concern should be rubbed for longer not harder as you can really damage your skin by scrubbing at it.

 
The moisturiser I picked up is the HydraQuench Lotion SPF 15. I love a daily moisturiser that has SPF in it as it means I can skip that step in my daily routine. This moisturiser smells lovely and feels like it is doing something really good when you put it on your face. It absorbs quickly and doesn't leave your face feeling sticky or wet, which is an issue I have had with other moisturisers. Foundation also goes on really well over the top of this too.
 
When I brought these products I was given some samples of the cleanser and toner which I used for a couple of weeks before purchasing the full sized products.

 
I use the Cleansing Milk for combination/oily skin and I love it. It is very luxurious and smells amazing but it also takes off all of my make up. I do use an eye make up remover to get my mascara off but other than that I just use this cleanser for all of my face make up. I tend to do one cleanse in the morning and two at night just to make sure I have every last scrap of make up off.  

 
Finally I use the Toning Lotion for combination/oily skin morning and night. It is very gentle and doesn't sting my face like some other toners I have used in the past and it also leaves your skin feeling refreshed which I like. I just use two pumps on a cotton pad and wipe it all over my face.
 
Next on my shopping list is a night cream and the beauty flash balm which I have heard great things about!
 
Have any of you tried Clarins skincare? What were your thoughts?
 
Have a great weekend!
xx

Monday 7 March 2016

Wedding Chat: Guest List

 

 
 
 
 
Today is my 365th day of being engaged! A year ago tomorrow I became someone's fiancée...that is still a little cheesy for me to say. I have learnt so much over the last year and I am pretty sure the next 3 and a half months will be the biggest learning curve of all but it has been the best year of my life. If you have just got engaged then you are in for an amazing time and if you're not engaged yet then at least reading this series might prepare you a little bit for what might happen.
 
The first thing we did when once we were engaged was to both sit down and write a list of everybody we would like to attend the wedding. Include everybody on this list even if you are not 100% sure you actually want them there on the big day. Once you have a list of absolutely every person that could possibly be invited to your wedding ask your parents.

You may not invited the people that they suggest but I guarantee it will help with any initial arguments if you at least ask their opinions.

Once you have all of these names you can start going through them together and agreeing who really matters and who would you would be really disappointed about if they couldn't make it. These are the people that you really need at your wedding.

We did this before we even looked at venues because that gave us an idea of the size of the wedding we wanted and the type of wedding it was going to be.

The list that you are left with after whittling down the original list should be a group of people that you love dearly and who will make your wedding special. We only want people at our wedding that are going to be in our lives for a long time and who we can look back on in 50 years time with our children and remember the names of.

Obviously you may be having a big wedding with lots of extended family and acquaintances and that is absolutely fine. A wedding is so personal and individual so you have to do what works for you and your partner. The most important thing is that you have exactly who you want there on your big day!

Friday 4 March 2016

February Favourites

 
I know I am probably going to say this every month but I cannot believe February is over already. This year is flying by and I still feel like there is so much to do before the wedding in July. Oh well it will all come together in the end. February was a month of waiting! We are still waiting to complete on the house so we are feeling very anxious and stressed at the moment but I think March is going to be a great month. As with last month I have chosen a favourite for each category below.

Beauty Item
 

This months beauty favourite has been my MAC Mehr lipstick. This is the perfect your lips but better colour and I have worn it pretty much all month. It is a slightly matte shade and lasts for such a long time. This could possibly be my wedding day lipstick.
 
Clothing


My favourite item of clothing this month was a scarf, if you live in the UK then you will understand why! It has been freezing here all month and although we have had some beautiful sunny days it is still bitterly cold and you need a scarf if you are out and about. This scarf was a birthday present last year and it is so beautiful. It is from Accessorise and is absolutely huge. It is the kind of scarf that is really cosy and is sure to keep you nice and warm on these winter days. I also love the colours in this scarf as it goes with pretty much everything. 


 
TV Series/Film
 
 
 
This month me and my mum started watching Call the Midwife on Netflix. I have never seen this before but everyone told me it was really good and I needed something to fill the Downton Abbey shaped whole in my life. For anybody that doesn't know it is all about midwives in the 1950's and onwards and it is really interesting to see how medicine and life has changed since then.
 
Life

 
Picking my wedding dress up! This was a big deal for me as I hadn't tried it on since I brought it back in August. I was terrified it was going to be too small but it was actually a little big so that was a result. I have my next fitting in April so not too long until I get to put it on again. I loved it just as much as the first time I wore it and cannot wait to see what it looks like on the day with my hair and makeup done.
 
Have a great weekend!

xx