Cheap and chic skincare tips!

Hey gals, sorry for the extreme gap between the last blog until this one – there have been some problems at home (ain’t there always?) but I’ve decided to finally get my sad gal face off and my happy, chirpy self back in the game! And where is a better place to start than cheap and chic skincare tricks and tips?

With the winter months now well and truly with us, and party season (read – spending MONEY MONEY MONEY!) just around the corner, now is the time for us to look our best, yet on a shoestring. ‘How?!’ I hear you cry! Well, fret not pets – enclosed within are some really easy ways to keep your skin sparkly and beautiful right through the Yuletide season!

Shout out – I really need to thank my mum in advance of this blog, as many (maybe all?) of my tips here have been picked up from her over the years!

Skin – a very good place to start!

1) Milk of Magnesia.

What…is…that?! OK, so, the picture below shows you what it looks like, it is actually designed to ease digestion problems, but I’m telling you…this under 5 quid product is excellent as a primer.

All you do is give the bottle a really good shake, take a few drops (for those of you who are clumsy, like myself, you may wish to use cotton buds or cotton wool to ease the process and avoid spillage) and, starting from your nose, spread out onto your freshly cleansed face. Work quickly as the product does dry quite quickly, and make sure you are spreading it thinly, as it can be easy to gloop a lot on. If you find that it is too drying for you, dilute it with a bit of water ( I would say 4 parts M-o-M, 1 part water).

You should notice that your skin is beautifully matte and foundation is both easy to blend in and stays put for longer, and minus that telltale 5’oclock slick. For a beautiful all-day face, start with your M-o-M, then your concealer, foundation if you need it, and set with some mattifying powder. Et voila! The belle of the office, party, bar, club, restaurant, theatre…

2) Oil

OIL?! On my face?! I know, right? Sounds, well, disgusting to be honest. However, I am a convert, and I would say I can have a pretty oily T-zone at times, so all skin types should give this a go.

Oil isn’t bad ladies; in fact, oil in very small doses is great for your skin. The trick is to have absolutely perfectly clean skin prior to application. Oil is proven to dissolve oil – so if you have blackheads, it really is what you should be using instead of harsh chemicals found in many products. You can use many different types of oil – I personally use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but I know others who prefer Castor Oil which I have yet to try, Grapeseed Oil which is actually used regularly in many cosmetics, and Sunflower Seed Oil which also garners great results. Feel free to combine the oils and experiment.

Some people may reel in horror at the idea of putting oil on their face, but think about it. With oil, you know exactly what you’re getting. Start to read the ingredient list of your current cleanser, moisturiser and toner. Scared? Yup, you should be. Plus, once you see the results, I’m sure you will agree that your skin glows a lot more than with what you’re using right now.

First of all - how the heck to use oil on your face and not on your salad?

As stated above, make sure you are working with perfectly clean, freshly cleansed skin. DO NOT use a moisturiser prior to this – it will block your pores and the oil will not have the chance to work. I recommend using this at night about once a week-to-ten days as an intensive part of your routine. During the winter months, you may want to up this once a week on the ball – for this I would recommend maybe a combination of oils as stated above, such as castor oil and sunflower seed oil.

Using a very small amount (maybe a 5p piece, or a dime for US readers) spread the oil on your hands and fingers and begin to slowly massage the oil into your skin. Start at the inside of your face, slowly moving outward and up in small, light circles. Really take your time with this – this should be a part of your routine. If you need a drop or two more, use it. Massage for a 5 minutes, and enjoy the sensation of relaxation and luxury.

Once you feel that the oil has been massaged in, and you feel lovely and relaxed, run a washcloth or towel under very hot water, rinse until it is damp, and place over your face, leaving it until it starts to cool, maybe 3 minutes. At this point, drag it off your face to remove some of the oil. Repeat another 2, 3 or even 4 times – enough so that all of the oil is removed. Do NOT rub your skin – this part of your routine is not about exfoliation, this is about pure luxury! This is a lovely thing to do in the bath, surrounded by candles, right before bedtime. You should be left with beautiful, glowing skin, free of flakes, and if done regularly, you will notice difference to your skin in terms of spots and blackheads. Next – exfoliation!

3) Sugar!

The amount of products that your average beauty shop has purely dedicated to exfoliating your skin is pretty terrifying. I have used many, many of these products in my time, and spent a lot more money than I would care to admit on them, and I have to say, none of them are as good as what was always there right in my own cupboard: sugar. The tiny granules are perfect for exfoliating your whole body, not just your face. For your body, do the same as below, but obviously use with shower gel and use as much sugar as you like!

So, you can do this exfoliation process both with make up on and without make up. All you need is just a regular old liquid face cleanser, and 2-3 teaspoons of sugar. Use more if you feel you need it. Any sugar is fine, if you prefer a ‘finer’ exfoliating product, caster sugar is the way to go. I tend to use white granulated as I always have it, and I find it doesn’t dissolve as quickly as caster. If you are well prepared, you can mix up your cleanser and sugar…for me, ease of use is key, so I just wet my face, slop on some cleanser, plop on some sugar, and massage in. You can even use with olive oil as stated above!

As with all exfoliators, don’t go too hard. The aim is to get rid of dead skin, which should come off without too much of a fight, not uncover a whole new layer of epidermis! Exfoliate for around 2-3 minutes, and start to wash off with warm water. The sugar should come away nice and easily, keep brushing lightly as you wash off, and you should notice, again, that your skin is lovely and glowing, and all achieved pretty much for free with an all-natural product!

4) The Towel

Ok, so this sounds…ominous? Not really, it’s just your good old friend, the humble washcloth or face towel, used in a new way. Exfoliating products are great, but the towel is so simple that I wonder why people don’t use it more. Sure it wipes our face clean, but it really can exfoliate your face daily as well.

All you need to do is wash your face as normal, really taking your time to get everything rinsed off. Soak a good part of your towel in hot hot water – (not BOILING, but hot hot!) and rinse so it is damp. Then, scrub your face all over in circular motions. Some of you may find that make up is STILL coming off – this just shows you how much you have to cleanse your face, and where those pesky spots may be coming from…

Depending on your skin type and sensitivity, go slower or faster. The aim is to get all that make up off, and when it is, open up those pores with the warm water and give your skin some invigoration with the cotton towel. Your skin should NOT be red once your have finished – if it is, your water was too hot or your towel-scrubbing too vigourous. Your skin should look polished, and feel absolutely squeaky clean! Feel free to add moisturiser after, but if you do, read below...

5) Using moisturiser effectively

This is so simple. The point of a moisturiser is to add moisture. However, it also acts as a sealant. I see so many people using moisturiser ineffectively, then getting spots and going ‘but I moisturise all the time!!’ This ain’t the point! The way to beautiful, almost translucent and plump skin full of life is to use your moisturiser as a sealant. So what are you trying to seal? Why, water of course! Simply tweak your skincare routine a bit to see noticeably effective results.

Instead of using moisturiser on dry skin (I don’t have to say freshly cleansed, do I?? NEVER use moisturiser on anything but freshly washed skin – it will continue to act as a sealant, but this time, it will be sealing oil, leading to breakout. Don’t go there), simply pat down your face until it is about 80-90% dry (just as with hair, you don’t try to style it until it is at this stage). Then, using probably 50% less moisturiser than you’re used to, as the water will obviously help it to glide now, pat the moisturiser on your face, massaging as usual. If you are going to use make up, give it 5-10 minutes to settle ( you should be doing this anyway ;) ) and for bedi-byes, use right before going to sleep.

Anyway, I hope at least some of this was helpful for you, please do try my tips out and let me know how you get on, and if you have any tips and tricks you would like to share, I’d love to hear them!

As ever, any requests just let me know!

Back soon xxx

Top 5 Worst Products

Ok, so last time you heard me raving about my must have beauty products, but this blog is dedicated to my top 5 must avoids. I cannot tell you how many products I have bought, used once, and chucked away because they don’t live up to the high and mighty expectations they set. I am so glad that there are so many beauty blogs out there now so that we stop chucking our hard earned money at products that simply do not work!

I have concentrated purely on make up at the moment, as over the next few months I will share the best and worst of skincare and haircare, as there are simply too many beauty bits and bobs out there not to do a separate list for each.

Please note that everyone’s skin and reactions to make up are different; no two people wear perfume the same, and the same goes for make up. Everything expressed here is simply my opinion and my findings.

1. Collection 2000 Perfecting Minerals Foundation

The hype:

• Light, luminous mineral powder provides a natural and even effect that lasts all day
• 4-in-1 formulation with the benefits of a foundation, powder, concealer and sunscreen
• Developed using 100% natural mineral pigments
• Contains a blush applicator for buildable coverage

Where do I bloody start with this. I really should have known better, as foundation and powder are the things that shouldn’t be skimped on, but I gave it a try. I should have read the ingredient list, but in my rush to pick up a cheap product, I went for this. At first, I was actually pretty impressed. It made my skin look radiant and sparkly, yet natural. Who needed Bare Minerals?

Except this wasn’t Bare Minerals. This was Bare Bloody Stuffed-With-Crap £5 powder passing itself off as ‘gentle enough to sleep in’! God knows whether it was the talc, mica, zinc oxide or the combination that Collection 2000 has used, but I broke out in tonnes of tiny little spots all over my face – my pores looked clogged and I just looked quite unhealthy. This product has some great reviews – and it does start out well, but this foundation can be likened to those guys that you meet that are all charm and attention for 2 weeks, then they turn into the biggest arse you ever met. Avoid!

2. Benefit Bad Gal Mascara in Black

The hype: "Sexy, sultry, pure unadulterated black mascara for full, voluminous lashes. It's as BAD as you want to be! Famously big, bodacious brush coats lashes with our super black formula."




OK, so fair enough, Collection 2000 has a bad product – but it only costs a £5. What about those brands that make you part with £15-£25 quid and fail to meet your expectations? These are the real ones to avoid ladies.

First up – Benefit Bad Gal Mascara. Um, the clue is in the name. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE Benefit as much as the next Benefit Babe, but some of their stuff is just plain crap, and no retro/kitsch/vintage branding is make me gonna buy it...again. I've done the legwork (or should that be lashwork? Eek, sorry!) and puhlease, do not buy this mascara. First off, it has a big wand. Not necessarily a bad thing, but this is just plain big, not clever. Big wand does not equal big volume, it equals difficult to use (warning - mascara on your eyelids. ALWAYS a pain, especially after you have done your eyeshadow work), tricky to get to those tiny lashes at the corners of your peepers, and also, I found that the wand was so big, it soaked up more mascara than you needed, making the wand actually dry out faster than a normal sized brush. Not scientific findings, just my own personal observation.

Anyway, onto the actual mascara. Well, it starts off alright...I do need a fair few coats to get the thickness I like, and I find that with Bad Gal, I need so many coats to get my lashes to 'oomph' the way I like, that I actually get a bit anxious because it takes so long! It seems like quite a thin mascara in my opinion, and this also comes to light when it has dried. I have never had a mascara flake so much. And I don't rub my eyes as I am a contact lens/glasses wearer. Disappointing. Not only that, but it seems to me that the mascara doesn't hold your lashes - my lashes always seem a bit depressed and droopy at the end of the day with Bad Gal. Having said all of the above, I do love Bad Gal in plum...I just find it has a much nicer consistency and makes my eyes zing a bit more - but I definitely do need to curl my lashes beforehand, otherwise my lashes are a bit down in the dumps at the end of the day.

3. Victoria Jackson Make Up The hype: "Radiant colours. Soft, satin formulas. Beautiful products"



OK so this is quite generalised, but I feel it is pretty justified. I was lured into buying Victoria Jackson makeup when there was a stall set up at work, and I got a pretty huge haul for £25, including a travel make up kit, four eyeshadow creams, a full eye, blush and lip colour palette (above) and 4 lip balms/glosses. plus a little make up tutorial book. The latter was easily the best thing, as it gave some excellent tips on contouring eye make up and blush, but honestly, the rest was pretty lame. I don't know if it is just me, but palettes really aren't my kind of thing, unless every colour is amazing, like Urban Decay or Mac palettes. I felt that I was shortchanged with VJ's make up...there were a lot of colours so similar they were effectively duplicates, the colour payoff was poor, plus the thing I hate most - lipcolours next to eyeshadows. WHAT IS THE POINT?? You wind up getting eyeshadow dust IN the lipcolours! I honestly ended up throwing most of it out, I kept hold of them all for 2 years, and after I stumbled upon it looking rather sad, I just knew I would never use it again. I think the colours are also pretty middle of the road, they aren't very vibrant or interesting. I think perhaps they are chasing women more than teenage girls, but come on, 30-70 year olds wear more than brown eyeshadow! If I were you, I would spend my money on a few nice pieces of make up as opposed to VJ's stuff; you will get more use out of it.


4. Benefit Lip Plump The hype: "For full, sexy lips use lip plump before lipstick. This neutral-toned lip enhancer helps to smooth and fill in fine lines while building up the contour of the lips, making them appear fuller and younger."Back to Benefit. I first tried their Lip Plump when I got it as part of one of their sets. I was a bit surprised to see that it wasn't a gloss or a creme, but more like concealer really, or nude coloured primer. I kept an open mind and tried it a couple of times...and then realised that really, it was pretty much nude coloured primer. My lips did not look any plumper, I didn't even get a nice affirming tingle to tell me 'ooo something is happening to your lips!' Which doesn't really mean anything DOES happen to your lips; it's mostly just ingredients put in there to trick you into thinking that something is happening. Anyway, the Lip Plump also made it difficult to apply lipstick, as it mixed with the nude colour, and while it didn't make my lipstick feather, it did just feel a bit odd, like I was wearing one lipstick over another. A total 'meh' product.

5. ATM: Rochas Poudre Bellissima Evanescent Loose Powder The hype: "The Rochas cosmetics range is world-famous for providing make-up of the highest quality."
Right so this one is at 'ATM' (at the moment, mum ;)) as it changes constantly depending on what I have used recently that has disappointed me - which happens pretty frequently! So the last thing that has disappointed me was some Rochas powder which I bought off cheapsmells.co.uk, which I expected quite a lot from. Another total meh product. It just kind of goes on like talc powder, and while I did buy it in 'translucent', usually you can see that there is still a bit of coverage when powder is used. Not so with Rochas. It feels like, as I put it on, it just flies off again. Also, the powder is a total pain to get out the tub; you have to turn it upside down with the lid on, shake it up, down, left, right, and only a teeny bit is dispensed, and it puffs up everywhere when you open the pot. Also, my face is only matt for a couple of hours, and trust me, I'm not a gal who exerts myself too much! Not a huge loss as it didn't cost me too much, but definitely disappointing, and I have went back to using my emergency standby Rimmel powder.

So guys, thank you again so much for reading, please comment and let me know about your blogs as I'd love to read them, and I'll post another blog this week, but not decided what on yet - any suggestions, let me know!

Rave: My gotta have its

Ok, so, every self-respecting beauty junkie has her stash of products that she just can't be doing without. I don't mean 'damn, I must remember to pick that up when I go into town' products, I mean 'FUCK! I can't leave the house without that!' kind of products. I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm really not!

In the past few years I have started to use less make up day to day as I get lazier and feel that an extra 15 minutes in bed is just worth it, goddamn it, but there are still those little treasures that I use almost everyday that I would feel just a wee bit lost without. So, without further adieu, let me list the ways I love thee...



1) La Roche-Posay Toleraine Corrector Fluid Foundation


The hype: "Fine and anti-friction fluid texture enriched with La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water, known for its naturally soothing and anti-free radical properties."

An absolute dream product, and an absolute bloody nightmare to get anywhere in the UK (in terms of shops - but god bless the Internet!) I first found this product while on holiday in Paris, and in an unassuming little chemist (a very odd chemist - no toothpaste and only one type of sanitary towels? Gotta love the French) there was a huge range of make up and skincare from a brand I had never seen of or heard of before - La Roche-Posay. At the time, I was having mental bad times with my skin, it just looked bumpy and in proper need of a bit of TLC due to a horrible product I had been using (read the next blog on products to avoid!), and I stumbled upon this little dream of a foundation. What's this? Oil free? Water based? SPF of 20?? Fragrance and preservative free, as well as being a highly opaque foundation? Fabulous! I tried it out two years ago and have struggled to use any other foundation in its place. I used to use Vichy Dermablend which was wayyyy too heavy for my skin, and while it gave a flawless finish, I was very aware of the fact I was wearing make up - and I ain't like Jordan, I can actually feel my face. It is water based which is so much better for your skin than oil based products (read - no clogging of pores), but does mean you will need a mattifying powder on top to set and make sure your perspiration is dewy and not eeewy. Five star product, only £11.90 on echemist.co.uk.



2) Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

The hype: "Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat is the world’s finest top coat. It's patented formula allows it to penetrate through the nail lacquer to the base coat forming a single solid coating over the nail plate, giving it durability and shine on every application." I first found out about this product maybe 6 months ago and I am already absolutely addicted. I don't have particularly good nails - in fact they're short, stubby and incredibly weak - I can bend them for goodness sake. But I like making my nails pretty (another thing to spend money on? Sold.) but I HATE smudging them when wet and I HATE them chipping when dry. Love to peel, hate to chip. Same with potatoes. Not really. ANYWAY, this fast dry top coat makes your nails touch dry in 30 seconds. Honestly. OK, don't do the dishes at that stage, but you know, you can touch it without fear of a fingerprint mark or the dreaded pulled look. Not only that, it makes glitters more sparkly, it makes your brights brighter and your whites whiter. Daz my arse, this product has it all. It also makes your manicure last at least a full day longer; I am rough as buggery with my nails, but with Seche Vite I can guarantee two days full wear. It's like laminate for your nails! Pick it up at Sally's or online, usually around £9.65. Will make even £1 nail polish look like a professional performed manicure.

3) Vaseline

The hype: "Vaseline® Original 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly is made using a unique triple purification process which creates a petroleum jelly so pure that it works naturally with your skin, helping it to rebuild moisture and renew itself."

Really, should I write anything here? If you have never used Vaseline...first of all, congratulations, and secondly, how is that possible?? One of my boyfriends dubbed me the VaselineQueen as I really could not leave the house without some form of goop for my lips, and Vaseline is the little tub I keep coming back to. It is truly cost-efficient; 99p for a little tin that by my standards of everyday use, lasts 6 months. Not only this, but you can now also get different varieties including the yellow Vaseline with SPF built in, the green tin with aloe vera (which smells divine) and my favourite, the pink tin which has Rose and Almond Oil and smells ever so sweetly and subtly of roses, and leaves a very slight pink tint of your lips. Of course, much like Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream, it can be used for taming eyebrows (a little goes a long way here, unless you want your eyebrows to look wet) as well as on your cheekbones for a nice light sheen. Do bear in mind that some lovely ladies have noted that the petroleum is not good for your lips; I cannot say I have noticed a problem with this in my time, and I have been using it since I was 12, but as with all beauty products, monitor any issues and if it affects you - bin it!

4) Rimmel Glam'Eyes Professional Liquid Eyeliner

The hype: "Rimmel Glam'Eyes Liquid Eye Liner is the ultra precision liquid eye liner, its professional brush delivers the finest line to give you exceptional results."


I use this product everyday, and I have tested a lot of liquid eyeliners in my time, and in my experience, this is by far the best. Most importantly, it comes with a brush as opposed to a pen, which means that you have much more control, and the brush does not dry out as quickly as a pen. A perfect, inexpensive product that gives you sixties kitten eyes in the stroke of a brush. TOP TIP - start from the flick, when you have the most product on the brush. This will ensure you are depositing most of the product where it should be - on the outer corner of your eye, not the inner. Also, less is more here; you want to emphasise your eyes by making them appear bigger with a thin line, not smaller with a thick line. If you make a mistake, in my experience it is best to wipe it off and start again.

5) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original)

The hype: "This miracle eyeshadow primer is unmatched by any other in the beauty industry! The genie in this bottle fulfills three wishes: eyeshadow that lasts, more vibrant and lasting color, and absolutely NO creasing."

I first received this as a sample with my Deluxe Urban Decay Eyeshadow box a few years ago, and could not believe the difference it made in terms of staying power to my eyeshadow. I now use it automatically and find it makes every colour brighter and more vibrant, as well as ensuring my colours stay put for the whole day, or night! They have now brought out a range based on the success of 'UDPP' as it is known on beauty blogs, including primer for face and lips, as well as new offerings for the original eyeshadow primer, including a matt finish and shimmer finish.

So I hope you guys enjoyed my raves, join me for my next blog...the 5 worst products I have ever used. It ain't gonna be pretty...sorry for the awful pun.

The First Blog!

Hello, and welcome to my blog dedicated to the wonderful world of make up.

I have decided to write this having spent more money than I would care to admit on cosmetics and general potions and lotions over the last 10 years, and I have noticed that there are many many beauty blogs out there for our American sisters, but not so many for us Brits. This blog is intended for everyone as intensely obsessed with all things beautiful and intended to make you beautiful; those that enter what my boyfriend calls 'a trance' when they have the joy of stepping into a huge Boots, or Debenhams...or even the holy grail of all cosmetics...Se...pho...ra!

Over the next who knows how long, I intended to share my findings with you, as well as my hints and tips, tutorials, reviews, rants and raves on everything from nail polish to Anusol (this will become clear soon, I promise). So, please enjoy and post any comments or feedback, or even send ideas for new blogs, and come with me while we find our way in the merry old land of Make Up!