Current Morning Skincare Routine

This weekends video is a little bit late (I always try to post on Fridays), but better late than never! It's been quite a hectic weekend being home alone with Edward, and of course I always put him before the blog. But anyway, this is my current skincare routine in the morning. I've been enjoying so many of the products in my routine as of late, so I thought it was time to finally film this. It's a bit of a mish-mash brand wise, but that's just how I roll, I can't contain myself to one or two brands. It seems though, that whatever I'm using at the moment, there's always a little bit (or alot) of La Mer in there. I won't go on right now, and I'll let the video speak for itself. Literally.

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Eve Lom Rescue Mask

Eve Lom's Rescue Mask (£35/$50/50ml) is a deep cleansing clay mask for all skintypes. It comes in a white tube, but there is also a bigger 100ml size that comes in a pot. This is supposedly the star product of Eve Lom's skincare range. I've been using this mask for almost two months now, twice a week in the evenings. I also use this as a spot treatment, and I may use it as often as every other day if I have a particularly pesky spot. It has won InStyle's award for "best mask for congested skin" for seven consecutive years.

With this mask, Eve Lom promises deep cleansing without drying, and it's suppost to help smooth the skins surface, calm redness and irritation and soothe puffy skin and eyes. I mainly rely on this for deep cleansing, and I love it for that purpose. It is hands down the best cleansing mask I have ever tried. I have experienced a bit of oily skin this summer, and this is excellent for oil control. I especially notice that when I use it as a spot treatment, and it just dries pimples so beautifully. Sometimes once is enough for spots, and you can see the spot getting smaller throughout the day. On a regular basis though, I use it all over my face twice a week, but only post shower in the evenings when my pores are open. I always leave it on for 20 minutes, and Eve Lom recommends 15-20 minutes, but I notice that when I have oiliness or spots those extra five minutes make a difference. It dries down to a hard finish that's not uncomfortable. Eve Lom recommends you remove it with a dry cloth in upward movements (which exfoliates), but I prefer just removing it like I would any other dry mask, using a wet wash cloth.  I love that it comes in a tube. Allthough the bigger one gives better value money wize, it seems very unpractical for two reasons. The first being that you have to shake it before use, and you can actually hear that it goes a little bit thinner right away. The other being that the tube gives you great contron of how much product you want to use, it's quite thick, so you won't end up squeezing out too much. The bigger pot does come with a spatula, but it just seems that it would be so messy compared to the tube.

The product itself is a very light gray, almost white, clay with tiny black grains of what I believe may be sweet almond seed meal, but don't quote me on that. The main ingredient is kaolin, which is a white clay often found it clay masks. I know there are many people that react to this particular type of clay, but I have never experienced any problems, even though I have sensitive skin. If you think you may have had a reaction to kaolin before, you may want to get a sample first. It smells very strongly of camphor, which I find quite envigorating, allthough I know it's something that people may dislike.

All in all I have been extremly happy with this mask. It cleanses so well, yet I don't find it drying. I love using it on those days where I can relax in the evenings, and I always feel like I'm pampering myself when I use this. This has quickly turned into a holy grail product for me, and I would easily say it's worth much more than its price. I would recommend this for anyone with normal or dry skin that needs that extra cleanse once in a while. I wouldn't not recommend this to someone with oily skin, it's just that I don't have any experience as to how this would work when you need more oil control than I do. However, it does help with oil, and obviously with impurities and congested skin, so I would give this a go if you're looking for a cleansing mask, no matter what your skintype is.

Summer Beauty Haul

I'm glad to say that I am finally here with my collective summer beauty haul. I've picked up some lovely stuff over the past few months, and I also added a few bits that I got for my birthday in this video. This video contains make-up, nail polishes and skincare, and you can expect to see brands such as Chanel, Dior, Eve Lom, Aesop, La Mer, and oh, I finally got a Clarisonic! Sit back and enjoy, and let me know if you want to see any reviews, especially of the Aesop products, which is probably what I'm most excited about. If you want to check out my mentioned reviews, you'll find the Diptyque Eau Rose hand lotion HERE, and the Dior Addict IT-Lash HERE and Addict IT-Liner HERE.

Stay tuned these following weeks for reviews on my three facial masks, and more Clarisonic talk will come later this week.

My Skincare Routine

This summer, I feel like my skincare routine has been in a good place, so I thought I would share it. I take great pride in having beautiful skin, and I easily see skincare as an investment. You will never catch me falling asleep with make-up on because I was too tired to remove it! I have some old favorites in this post, as well as some new products that I am quickly falling inlove with.

The Removers

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (£4.99/400ml) I initially bought this cleansing water because I am a big fan of the Bioderma cleansing water, and had heard good reviews of this claiming that it was basically just as good. Since it was cheaper and easier to get  hold of, I though why not. At first, I felt that the two were very similar, but over the course of time I noticed that this didn't remove make-up nearly as well as Bioderma. At this point, I'm basically just using it becaue I hate throwing away products. Even if I'm not wearing very heave make-up, I feel that I have to go over my face twice when I'm using this.

Chanel Démaquillant Yeux Intense Gentle Bi-Phase Eye Make-Up Remover (£22/$/100ml) After I've removed my make-up using a gentle cleansing water, I have to go over my vast amounts of mascara and eyeliner using this remover. It's hard to describe exactly how much I love this product, but it has been in my holy grail selection for many years. Everything just glides off, and it doesn't leave an oily filter around my eyes like so many other similar products.

La Prairie Purifying Cream Cleanser (£52/$80/200ml) Not pictured. I'm a firm believer in the double cleanse, and for years now this has been one of my favorite cleansers. It's a rich, creamy texture that smells very luxurious. It's extremly gentle, and I even use it on my eyes. If you're in need of a deep cleanse, this is not for you, but if you have very sensitive skin this may be what you're looking for. It's not often that I come across cleansers that are this rich, and it's one of the reasons I love it so much. For me, cleansing is such an important step in my skincare routine, and it may be easy to think that a product that is washed off right away makes a big difference, but it really does. When I was younger I would just by a random, cheap cleanser and think it didn't matter, but once I started actually caring about my cleansers, I noticed a big difference in my skin at it got much clearer. If you're wondering, the reason this isn't pictured is because I didn't plan very well, and since my two tubes were almost empty I cut them open to remove the leftover product.

The Creams

La Mer The Eye Concentrate (£135/$190/15ml) When my skin is nice and clean, I start by applying eye cream. For about three years now this has been my only eyecream, and with this your really just need one. For about a year now I've only been using this in the evenings and only on occasions when I really need that extra moisture in the mornings. In my eyes this is a must for everyone that has dry skin or gets dry patches around their eyes, and you should start using it in your 20s. I started using this a few weeks into beauty school, when my skin was becoming unbarable because of the constant application and removing of eye make-up, and within days my eyes were moisturzed and comfortable once again, and stayed that way during the rest of the school year. I still use on extra dry patches, like around my nose after a cold.I always use the silver tipped applicator that comes with, and I just dip that into the pot and glide it around my eyes, avoiding the actual upper and lower eyelids. This may sound very silly, but the eyelids will absorb the amound of cream that they need. If you apply directly on your eyelids, it will get absorbed too close to your actual eye. Avoid the inner corners of your eyes as well

La Roche-Posay Remedic [R] Eyes (£24.50/15ml) This little 5ml sample has been my morning eye cream for the past few weeks, and it contains retinol. As I've been starting to get a few lines around my eyes these past few years, I was hoping to see results because of the retinol, but I've honestly haven't noticed anything yet. When applying this I squeeze a tiny bit onto the tip of my ring finger, and lightly dab it around my eyes, avoiding the actual upper and lower eyelids, for the same reason that I mentioned with The Eye Concentrate.

La Mer Creme de la Mer (£200/$295/60ml) Do I really need to say much about this? It truly is amazing, and as long as I can afford it, I see no reason to try anything else but this. It took me a while to get a hang of it, and how to warm it with your hands before application, but now it's no turning back. I use the little spatula that comes with to get a pea sized amount, which is enough for my whole face. It's hard to describe the warming procedure my text, but you basically rub it between your hands or fingers, and the consistency changes and it becomes lighter. Then you pat it onto your skin. If you don't get it right the cream is going to feel unnecessary heavy, and you're not going to see good results, so be sure to ask your SA to show you how it's done when purchasing. So far in life, this is the only cream that can keep my dry skin moisturized, and I can easily call it life changing. Even during the west coast winters it's enough.

The Extras

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask (£42/$54/100ml) For about a month now I've been enjoying this fun mask, and I use it about twice a week in the mornings. It smells a bit odd, but it's so fun to use and it leaves me looking better than I did before. The point of this is to mimic their famous Triple Oxygen Facial at the Bliss spas, by allowing tiny bubbles to burst on your skin. Sounds scary, but it feels very nice. Full review to come later.

Chanel Hydramax + Active Active Moisture Mask (£39/$/75ml) This mask is an old favorte that I recently repurchased. I don't really have a schedule as to when I use it, I basically just put it on in the evenings whenever my skin feels parched. The box says to leave it on for 15 minutes, but you can easily leave it on over night. The texture feels light and thick at the same time, and feels like it's somewhere between a cream and a gel. It also has that typical Chanel skincare scent, which I think is amazing. Full review to come later.

Eve Lom The Rescue Mask (£35/$50/50ml) I've been suffering from not-so-perfect skin this summer, and picked this up on a whim during my summer holiday. I had never tried Eve Lom before, but heard good things, and when the SA told me that she though this was their best product, I went for it. I use this twice a week in the evenings after a shower, once a week on my entire face, and once a week on the areas that need a little extra attention. I even like it as a spot treatment, and after 20 minutes I can actually see that my pimples have dried out. It really helps with oil control too, and have to say that this product is an absolute star. Full review to come later.

Ole Henriksen Walnut Complexion Scrub (£26/$24/50g) First of all, let me say that this smells absolutely amazing! I've been using this twice a week in the shower for about two months now, and allthough I like it, I'm not so sure that I love it. After my all time favorite scrub (MD Formulations Face & Body) got discontinued in Europe, I've been on the lookout for a new favorite scrub, and this doesn't really fit the bill. I can definetly call this 'nice', but it leaves me wanting more.