Skincare Sundays #1- Oily/Combination Skin

Hey everyone! 

So, I've decided to do a new segment on my blog which is "skincare sundays" where I focus on a specific skincare issue every week and offer my advice/recommendations etc.

Today, we're looking at battling oily/combination skin.

I'm kind of an expert (not really) when it comes to dealing with oily skin as I've had it for as long as I can remember.

Oily skin is a difficult thing to deal with as it can really knock your confidence when you look at your make-up at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and see it's slipped off your face, it can also feel really uncomfortable.

My advice
1. People say it all the time but it really does make a difference if you don't touch your face. Yes, I know it's tempting, but it really does help, it also prevents breakouts!

2. Do not think that using moisturiser will make it worse. Your skin is producing oil due to the lack of it on your face so, if anything, you should try and moisturise more. Make sure you use a light, oil-free, cream in the morning and before bed.

The night treatment gel

3. When it comes to skincare, I find that any cleansing/toning products that contain tea tree and/or witch hazel are really good for calming and mattifying your face. If your face is really oily then foam cleansers are the way to go, I was recommend this one from the Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Collection, as well as the night treament gel which prevents your skin feeling really oily and horrible when you wake up, as well combatting breakouts really well :D I also love their face wipes for travelling ^^



4. When it comes to make-up, primers and powder are your best friend. People often say that cream foundations are better for oily skin, but I never see a difference in using cream or liquid (I prefer liquid as it not as heavy). It's a good idea to carry powder with you during the day for touch-ups.

My recommmendations

1. Rimmel Stay Matte Face Powder in Translucent-  

This powder is amazing for keeping my face matte. It doesn't last amazingly long but a lot longer than anything else I've tried. Seriously, this is a cult favourite for oily lasses in the blogosphere.

2. Nivea Expression Hydration Primer for Combination/Oily skin- 

This primer is brilliant at creating a smooth base for a flawless foundation application. It's moisturising as well which is always an added bonus. Nivea also do a version for dry/normal skin. I love this primer so much, I really think this helps to make my foundation last longer and it really helps to control my oily complexion.

3. Lush Tea Tree Toner Water

This is another brilliant product, like the powder, which gives my skin a quick mattifying fix. This is lovely in the summer as well as it is so refreshing!

My Oily Skin Saviour

Every since I've used this Boots Skin Clear Oil Free Mattifying Lotion my complexion has been so much more managable, and noticably less oily. 

This is literally the liquid gold of oil control. If you have really oily skin like I did, you must buy this!! Within a week of using it before applying my makeup, I didn't need to use it anymore. What are you waiting for?? It's so cheap and so amazing! Buy it!

I hope you liked this post and that you found it useful. Be sure to come back next time ^^

Lots of love, Laura xx

My April Favourites! :D

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for my lack of blogging but exam season is upon me so I haven't had a lot of time, my exams finish on the 24th though so I'll be blogging a lot more after then! (look forward to that ;3) Anyway, here are my april favourites. I can't believe april is over already...

1. Paramore's new self-titled album- £9.99 from HMV

2. Lush Tea Tree Toner Water- £3.95 for 100g

3. Make Up Academy Powder Blush in Shade 3- £1

4. L'oreal Paris Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution- £4.99

5. Make Up Academy Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder- £3

6. Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream in Fairy Cake- £2.99

7. Avon Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick in Frozen Rose- £7 (currently on offer for £3.99)

8. Paul Smith "Floral" fragrance- £23 (half price in Superdrug at the moment ^^)

9. W7 Candy Floss Brightning Face Powder- around £2-4, £3.10 here on amazon

Skincare

Tea tree toner water- I have been loving my tea tree water from Lush which I have recently rediscovered. I love how refreshing it feels to spritz it on the face, it's perfect for the summer in hot weather (if we ever get any here in England xD). It's also brillian for my oily skin as it makes my skin feel more fresh and balanced. I use as a toner in the morning after cleansing and spritz on my face throughout the day- whenever I feel like treating my skin ^^

L'oreal Micellar Solution- This stuff is just brilliant! It removes my makeup brilliantly and is so gentle on the skin, it literally feels like water. You can check my full review of it here.

Makeup

W7 Candy Floss- Oh my this stuff is gorgeous! I love to dust it on my cheekbones to give my face a pop of colour, it makes my complexion look so much more bright and lively. I'll probably do a full review of this soon, stay tuned ^^

MUA blush- This is another rediscovery. A lovely deep peach powder blush which provides great pigmentation which lasts all day. I have been loving this colour for spring :)

MUA highlighting powder- I literally bought this yesterday and I already love it. Review coming soon, spoiler- it's amazing (as if you didn't know that already :3)

Swatches

L to R- W7 Candy Floss, MUA blush, MUA highlighting powder

Lipstick

Out of focus xD Sorry

Collection Cream Puff- This is such a lovely spring colour, a stunning pink-coral shade, which is another of my rediscoveries. The formulation is like nothing I've ever come across before, it's so soft and creamy, it glides on the lips with ease and feels so velvety with a nice matte finish. An absolute winner.

Avon Frozen Rose- And yet another rediscovery. This is a beautiful pink shade with gold shimmer running through it, a lot more gorgeous than it sounds.

Swatches

L to R- Collection Cream Puff, Avon Frozen Rose

General

Paramore- I am absolutely loving this new sound. Yes, the sound is different but I welcome their change, every band must progress right? Pararmoe- rock on.

Paul Smith "Floral"- This is the perfume my parents got me for prom and I just adore it. It smells so fresh and pretty, it's literally spring in a bottle (the best description EVER).

And that's it ^^

I hope you had an awesome april and an even better may.

Good luck to anyone who has exams coming up!

Lots of love, Laura xx

A little (rather large :L) wish list!

Hey everyone! This is my first "wish list" post on my blog. I was inspired by the posts that Sophie does on her blog, it's such a cute idea and it always looks really funky when she does it ^^.

The things on my list are-

1. Smashbox Halo Blush in shade "In Bloom"- The idea of these blushes/powders are so nifty (with the whole grinder function). The shade "In Bloom" is a gorgeous peachy pink that would be perfect for spring. They retail at around £23, which is WAY out of my price range...but I can dream right?

2. MAC Creme in your Coffee Lipstick- I have wanted this shade for SO LONGGGGGGG. It's the perfect pink/brown shade lippie which is a colour I adore! I want it so much D':

3. Benefit Watts Up Soft Focus Highlighter- I love me a nice cream highlighter. This seems so lovely, I love the packaging and the golden colour would look great on my yellow toned skin ^^ It's £24.50 so again, WAY out of my price range...but OH WELL (Anyone love me enough to buy me one? I'll pay you with love and cookies :3)

4. Real Techniques Core Collection- Another one of the products I've wanted for ages. The brushes look so perfect! I'll probably ask for these for my birthday xD Everyone and their mother's cat seems to love them

5. Paramore's new album, "Paramore"- I have been a fan of this band since their "All we know is falling" days and this album seems incredible (what I've heard so far). It's quite different to their usual stuff, which a lot of fans are annoyed about, but I always love to see bands evolve ^^ Plus, hopefully, this means a new tour! :D

6. Lush Big shampoo- I have really limp and flat hair and have heard a lot about how samazing this is at volumising hair. I keep looking at it when I go into Lush but I can never quite bring myself to get it. £11.25 seems like a lot, but apparently it lasts ages.

7. Sleek Blush in 3 in Lace- I saw this in Nikki Phillippi's beauty favourites on Fleur's latest video on youtube (here). The colours look absolutely stunning! Sleek is such good quality and for £10 it's a steal!

8. L'oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes Excess mascara- This is DEFINITELY going to be my next mascara purchase. It gives amazing length and definition which is what I always look for in a mascara ^^

That's it! I hope you enjoyed this post.

What are you lusting over?

Lots of love, Laura

P.S. I'm visiting my mum in Cardiff for a few days so I may not be able to post much in that time. See you soon ^^ x

March Favourites ^^

Hey everyone! So today I'm going to be posting my favourite beauty/skincare/general items of this past month. Enjoy :)

1. Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Daily Nail Treatment- £4.75

2. Lush "No Drought" Dry Shampoo- £6.50

3. Maybelline Expression Colour Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in "Permanent Taupe"- £4.99 

4. "She's so...Jetset!" Set by Benefit- I think around £23.50- It was a limited edition set by can probably be found on amazon or ebay.

5. Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub- £5.25

6. Natural Collection Lipstick in Raspberry- £1.99

7. The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Tint in Rose Pink- £10

8. NYC Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer- £3.49

9. Natural Collection Liquid Eyeliner- £1.99

10. Nivea Creme- £3.39- So great for moisturising my dry post-winter hands

11. Lush Jungle Conditioner- £2.95

The Make-Up ^^

From left to right-

• "She's so...Jetset!" Set by Benefit- I got this set for Christmas last year and I have been using it A LOT lately. The set contains a mix of products for eyes, cheeks, lips and face, which makes it a really nifty set to have. This is my first Benefit set and I hadn't used any of the products inside before- it includes a mini POREfessional, 4 eyeshadows, mini They're Real...Mascara, a pink lipgloss, and a pink/peach blush/highlight duo with a square fluffy applicator- therefore this is great for those who want to experience a variety of Benefit products. I LOVE the eyeshadows, the blush, the mascara, and the POREfessional primer- I've been using the eyeshadows everyday. They all feel so glamorous ^^.
• Maybelline Expression Colour Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in "Permanent Taupe"- Such a gorgeous taupe cream eyeshadow. This is my eyeshadow staple, a lovely nature base that I'll wear alone or as a base. If you don't know already...I LOVE TAUPES.
• Natural Collection Lipstick in "Raspberry"- This is such a lovely pink raspberry (funny that xD) lipstick. I got this last summer and wore it all the time. It's so cheap but so smooth and creamy, as well as a really flattering, bright collection. Perfect for spring/summer!
• The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Tint in "Rose Pink"- I use this mostly on my cheeks which gives a stunning pink flush of colour, so pretty! It is also lovely on the lips as a stain.
• Natural Collection Liquid Eyeliner- Another winner from the Boots Natural Collection make-up range! The colour is actually jet black (and actually stays put!) with an applicator that is really thin and easy to apply. I will definitely be re-purchasing this when it runs out. 
• NYC Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer- It's taken a while for me to fall in love with this, but I've finally got there. I've been using this as an all-over primer under foundation which gives a nice glowing (almost dewy) finish, but I also use it sometimes as a liquid highlighter. It's gorgeous used either way and so affordable! Plus it makes my make up last ages, even on my oily skin ^^

Swatches

1. Permanent Taupe cream eyeshadow 2. Raspberry Lipstick 3. Natural Collection eyeliner 4. Body Shop Lip and cheeck stain 5. NYC primer

"She's so...Jetset!" Set by Benefit

From left to right-

•  Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub- This has been a favourite of mine for ages! My lips love it and it tastes divine. Plus it lasts a very long time- definitely a great purchase :)
• Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Daily Nail Treatment- An absolute SAVIOUR for my terribly weak nails. They feel strong and healthy and I can really see that they are growing.
• Lush "No Drought" Dry Shampoo- You know those days when you wake up to have a shower before school/work and just feel like getting an extra 15 minutes in bed? Yeah, this is great for those days. The citrus scent leaves my hair smelling fresh, non-greasy, and doesn't leave that dreaded white tint to your hair.
•  Lush Jungle Conditioner- I got this for my birthday last year and I've only just rediscovered it. And THANK GOD. I'd forgotten how amazing it leaves my hair! They've redesigned the look of this and it's under £3! For how many washes you get out of it, it's an absolute bargain!!

I hope you liked my first EVER favourites post!

If you have done one this month please put a link for it in the comments- I love reading them ^^

Also please follow me if you want more :)

Lots of love, Laura xx

"Because it's only concrete and cars, it's only sirens and missing stars"- My trip to London

Hey everyone! Yesterday my friends (Katy x3- yes I am friends with 3 Katys- and Siobhan) took a day trip into Central London and I thought I'd share some pics with you. We went EVERWHERE, I took some many pictures but managed to narrow it down to 25 of my favourites ^^. Enjoy!

Waterloo Station :)

OMGIUSENVIGEWNSVIEOHWSNOA...

"Elementary. my dear Watson"

221B BAKER STREET!!! AHHHHHH!!!! :D

Some pictures from inside the house of Detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson ^^

My nan has those elephants xD

King's Cross Station ^^

Fan's of "Sherlock" should recognise this! D':

THE FEELS D': (These messages were written across the windows on the WHOLE SIDE of the building)

My message- written on a McDonald's napkin (classy ^^)

These message have come from places as far away as Germany and Sweden etc.!

IT'S SO HIGH D':

The Old Bailey :)

The embankment ^^

I had such a great day with my friends. We went practically everywhere in central London- I was exhausted xD. I didn't buy much as we were there to sightsee (not shop), however I did drag my friends to Covent Garden where I had cheeky look in the (HUGE) Lush store. I purchased some of their Hair Henna in Caca Marron. I've wanted to try this for SO LONG and saw it, got talking to the assistant about it, and was finally tempted into getting it. I'll be posting on here about the process and the result (before/after) and my thoughts on it during the holidays. I'm so excited! 

I hope you liked these pictures and that you had a great easter! (Someone got 4 easter eggs xD I've already eaten 2...I need to pace myself O.O)

Lots of love, Laura xx