Do you ever get those days where you've hardly had any sleep, you're stressed and in a rush but your skin feels sore, dry and tight? This is how I felt yesterday and this face mask was the perfect solution.
This is so simple. If I can do it, there's no doubt that you can too. If you suffer from dry skin, this is a really simple and fast nourishing face mask.
I tried this yesterday morning and it made my skin feel considerably softer afterwards. Give it a try and see if it works for you!
You will need:
- Olive oil
- A clean face cloth
- Water, obviously...
Then:
- Rub a few drops of the olive oil into your palms,
- Massage over your face - Concentrating on the driest parts of skin,
- Leave for 5 to 10 minutes,
- Gently wash off with warm water,
- Moisturise as normal!
And you're done!
(Yes, it does temporarily involve smearing oil over your face, but it's totally worth it...)
(Yes, it does temporarily involve smearing oil over your face, but it's totally worth it...)
Thanks for reading!
Katie
x
Yesterday, I had the wonderful pleasure of attending The Ark open day in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. If you're not familiar with it, which I assume you're not because it's a hidden gem, The Ark or Ashbourne Animal Welfare is a cat and dog rehoming centre.
I've been to their open days on quite a few occasions, despite already having a dog, who'd probably not tolerate living with another dog or cat. (He does love cats, it's just that they really don't love him... He's as mad as a hatter, you see).
They've got an array of cats and dogs that are just waiting for a good home. Seriously. If you're relatively local and you want a pet, you've got room and you're responsible enough to look after them properly, pop along and see if there's anyone who you just fall head over heels in love with.
I would quite happily take all the dogs and cats home with me. I really would, but I can't...
...Because of this guy... (That's his cake-envy face, by the way...)
If you're not after a furry friend, they've got gorgeous jewellery on sale and cakes and pretty much else your heart could desire. Sometimes they even have kittens to ogle. Some of the animals come from bad backgrounds and have incredibly sad stories to tell, so that's why it's so important that they eventually end up in a loving home.
Yesterday, they even had a pair of camels. Although I seriously doubt that they'd let you take them home with you...?
Their next open day is on 7th September from 11-4. If you want to find out a little more, go to their website: http://www.ashbourneanimalwelfare.org/index.php
Why have I written this blog post? In all honesty, because they're a local charity who need supporting and if I can't take all the cuddly pets home with me, I might as well spread the word and help to find someone who can!
Thanks for reading!
(Yes, this was mainly just a big excuse to show you pictures of my dog...)
Katie
x
I've been to their open days on quite a few occasions, despite already having a dog, who'd probably not tolerate living with another dog or cat. (He does love cats, it's just that they really don't love him... He's as mad as a hatter, you see).
 |
| This is just a lame excuse to show you a picture of my dog. |
They've got an array of cats and dogs that are just waiting for a good home. Seriously. If you're relatively local and you want a pet, you've got room and you're responsible enough to look after them properly, pop along and see if there's anyone who you just fall head over heels in love with.
I would quite happily take all the dogs and cats home with me. I really would, but I can't...
...Because of this guy... (That's his cake-envy face, by the way...)
If you're not after a furry friend, they've got gorgeous jewellery on sale and cakes and pretty much else your heart could desire. Sometimes they even have kittens to ogle. Some of the animals come from bad backgrounds and have incredibly sad stories to tell, so that's why it's so important that they eventually end up in a loving home.
Yesterday, they even had a pair of camels. Although I seriously doubt that they'd let you take them home with you...?
Their next open day is on 7th September from 11-4. If you want to find out a little more, go to their website: http://www.ashbourneanimalwelfare.org/index.php
Why have I written this blog post? In all honesty, because they're a local charity who need supporting and if I can't take all the cuddly pets home with me, I might as well spread the word and help to find someone who can!
Thanks for reading!
(Yes, this was mainly just a big excuse to show you pictures of my dog...)
Katie
x
Okay, so I would normally be incredibly reluctant to spend nearly £20 on mascara. I'd heard great things about this one, however... and I happened to be shopping with my Grandma...
She and I are TERRIBLE influences on each other and if there's no-one else there to stop us encouraging each other to spend, we'll both end up with empty purses at the end of the day. Grandma spends her money on cagoules and other bits and bobs, whereas I spend all my money on makeup, clothes, books and a pile of other stuff I don't really need...
So I was in Debenhams with Grandma and she egged me on. Honest.
I spent £19.50 on this mascara. I might be in the minority here, but I tried Bad Gal lash about five years ago and wasn't that impressed. Bad Gal smudged under my eyes. It also seemed a bit too natural and subtle for my taste. I was a BIG fan of the spidery-lash-look... So it did make me more reluctant to try another Benefit mascara.
I have extremely picky criteria when it comes to mascara. Seriously:
It's relatively easy to build a couple of layers up without looking too spidery. Although it can look spidery if you apply several layers... Don't say I didn't warn you.
I understand the hype about it because it's Benefit and everybody knows that they're a good brand. They've a fantastic reputation and that's because of the high quality of their products. I much prefer this to Bad Gal but it's still not my favourite, mainly because of the difficulty in washing it off.
I would recommend this to people who can set aside a good few mins to remove their makeup and the end of day and also to those who want a dramatic effect on their lashes.
So, to round up...
Advantages:
She and I are TERRIBLE influences on each other and if there's no-one else there to stop us encouraging each other to spend, we'll both end up with empty purses at the end of the day. Grandma spends her money on cagoules and other bits and bobs, whereas I spend all my money on makeup, clothes, books and a pile of other stuff I don't really need...
 |
| It's really hard to get mascara to balance like this, you know? |
So I was in Debenhams with Grandma and she egged me on. Honest.
I spent £19.50 on this mascara. I might be in the minority here, but I tried Bad Gal lash about five years ago and wasn't that impressed. Bad Gal smudged under my eyes. It also seemed a bit too natural and subtle for my taste. I was a BIG fan of the spidery-lash-look... So it did make me more reluctant to try another Benefit mascara.
 |
| Benefit They're Real! |
I have extremely picky criteria when it comes to mascara. Seriously:
- They need to be easy to wash off; so they don't aggravate my eczema,
- They need to be relatively cheap; so I don't bankrupt myself,
- They need to not smudge under my eyes. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. I must have droopy eyelashes or something, because loads of mascaras do this to me, even if I use eyelash curlers...
- They need to make my eyelashes look extravagant; because I'm a diva...?
- They need to stay on all day without flaking off and leaving tiny black bits all over my cheeks.
So, as you can see, I don't ask for much.
I'll be honest. I do like this mascara. I like it, but I'm not sure if it's something I'd buy repeatedly. Why? Because it smudges. It's expensive. And it's an absolute NIGHTMARE to wash off.
I cannot stress how much of an ordeal it is to try and wash this mascara off at the end of the day. I've used face wipes, face wash, micellar water and eye makeup remover and none of them are particularly adept at removing this beast alone. I have heard that Benefit are releasing an eye makeup remover to compliment this mascara and the eyeliner that goes with it, because it's just utterly stubborn when you're trying to remove it. It takes several minutes of gently teasing the product off with myriad removal products to get it off completely, which is not great if you're in a rush.
That could be classed as a good thing, couldn't it? That it's got super staying power. However, I'm a bit weird and I have eczema on my eyelids, so scrubbing repeatedly with different products to get this mascara off is something I'd prefer to avoid totally.
One aspect of this mascara that I adore is the brush. It's made of plastic and it has what I can only describe as a ball of 'spikes' on the end, which makes it wonderfully easy to apply the product to your outer lashes. It really does make them look like false lashes, without making them look tacky.
 |
| The Brush: Which I'm tempted to wash and re-use in the future |
I understand the hype about it because it's Benefit and everybody knows that they're a good brand. They've a fantastic reputation and that's because of the high quality of their products. I much prefer this to Bad Gal but it's still not my favourite, mainly because of the difficulty in washing it off.
I would recommend this to people who can set aside a good few mins to remove their makeup and the end of day and also to those who want a dramatic effect on their lashes.
So, to round up...
Advantages:
- Dramatic effect,
- Long-lasting,
- Brilliant brush,
- Benefit's a brand with a great reputation.
Disadvantages:
- Expensive,
- Smudging under eyes (for me anyway...),
- Quite hard to remove,
- Results in spidery lashes if you apply too much.
Have you tried this mascara? Did you like it? Let me know below!
Thanks for reading!
Katie
Katie
x
I like alliteration, alright?
I've had such a problem with bad skin just recently. Stress and tiredness, amongst other things, are conspiring against me and making my skin incredibly blemish-prone. I've had to get the big guns out. (...Not a euphemism...)
What do I swear by? I'll tell you...
SAVE
On a budget? This is perfect for you then! This tea tree oil costs just £1. One. Pound. Everyone...
It's a rollerball applicator which makes it quick and easy to apply and the 'bottle' that it comes in is made of glass.
 |
| Rollerball applicator |
SPEND
Fancy splashing out just a little? Okay, so this is the product for you.
(*'Blasting's' probably not a very good word to use there. There's no blasting involved, per se. It's more just application and then the inflammation slowly dies down...)
The Fast Track product claims to help get rid of redness and inflammation within just four hours. It's good. I'm not sure whether four hours is accurate for me; but it certainly really speeds up that process. The normal product doesn't boast about the time scale of zapping zits, but they both seem to work really quickly for me.
 |
| Regular Freederm on the left, with Fast Track Freederm on the right. Oh, and my sunnies... |
It's worth noting that this doesn't make my spots sting either. With having relatively sensitive skin anyway, I'd honestly rather opt for a gel that doesn't make zits tingle and feel sore. It doesn't really dry my skin out either, which is a HUGE BONUS.
SPLURGE
(I'm not that keen on the word 'splurge'. It sounds rude to me... But I'll go with it anyway.) |
| It's got instructions and everything! |
It's La Roche Posay, a brand which I have briefly mentioned before, when I talked about the Thermal Spring Water spray. It's a French product that I bought from Boots a couple of weeks ago after my friend recently recommended it to me. The scent of this product is a bit... weird at first. It's incredibly hard to describe though, so I'm not going to...
*I've been using it for around three weeks now and I have actually had a really bad breakout since. There have been days where this appears to have really helped reduce those spots quickly and effectively, but other days where it doesn't seem to have made much of a difference. I'll have to get back to you on whether this is as AMAZING as everyone makes it out to be.
As you'll see in the caption in the first pic of this product, the Effaclar Duo comes complete with instructions. It's just that my instructions were only in French or German... Neither of which I speak too well, so I had to Google how to use it instead...
Have you tried any of these products? If so, what do you reckon?
*Shameless plug alert* If you liked this post, why not subscribe?
Thanks for reading!
Katie
x
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)