I'm in love with anything that provides my skin with hydration and moisture- especially when its to do with lip products. I've tried and tested many over the years, some which have worked, others not so much. However, I have never tried or used a lip oil, which made me very excited when one of my favourite brands added to their lip oil collection with even more flavours, that I was already dying to try.

I present to you the Clarins Instant Light Lips Comfort Lip Oil. You won't be disappointed.




I finally managed to get my hands on one, in my favourite colour and flavour- mint (theres four shades in total). To me lip oils are still pretty new and an awesome concept which I love. I've always associated Clarins with lip products and they defiantly didn't disappointment with this.

 

"A lip care treatment infused

with all the power of plant

 oils to nourish and enhance

your lips' natural beauty."

- Innovative formula

Hello, hello!! Sorry for the lack of blog posts last week, I got very caught up with revision and celebrating birthdays and just life in general, but I'm back again now- writing quite a few blog posts in advance to avoid future delays within my posting schedule.

So, today's topic is 'How to combat dry skin', I feel like a little bit of a seasoned pro with this now after suffering from dry skin since I was a child and I've felt like I've tried every remedy possible; some of which have worked and others not so much. Personally, my skin gets very dry in winter like most with the cold weather and then in summer my skin takes a bit of a turn and becomes more oily which then leads me to wearing either very little or no makeup just to let my skin 'breath'.

I know first hand how annoying dry, itchy and flaky skin is and can be as well as how much you desire relief from it. Mine got considerably worse when I hit puberty due to my eczema, making me unable to use some of the same remedies as others due to having such sensitive skin.

Now, it's important to keep in mind that your skin is affected by a lot of other things too, including the environment, how you clean and care for your skin, and even your clothes.

Hot water-
Having hot showers are good every now and again but aren't advised for having on a regular basis by many dermatologists. By having hot showers you're actually stripping your body of its natural oil barrier which helps keep moisture and keep your skin smooth and moist.
Skin care experts recommend short, warm showers/baths lasting no longer than 10-15 minutes.

Cleansing-
When washing, use a soap less cleanser. By using gentle soaps that are fragrance free you are being more gentle on your skin. For example, products with deodorant or antibacterial additives are much harsher on the skin. A great alternative is a cleanser containing ceramides- fatty molecules which help to make up the outer barrier of your skin and hold in moisture. By stripping back on your use of toners, peels and other astringents you are helping your skin stay moisturised due to all of them being drying. Exfoliating is a similar issue with some scrubbing too hard and fast leading to irritated skin and thickening of the skin.

Shaving-
Did you know that shaving can irritate and cause dry skin?
When shaving you're also shaving off natural oils. Shaving after you've showered is the best possible time; with the hair being more pliable. Remember to shave in the direction of hair growth in order to protect your skin. In addition to this, make sure the razor is sharp. A dull razor blade can also cause irritation.

Sun damage-
Sun damage is one of the main causes for dry skin, wrinkles and skin roughness. You can prevent this through wearing a broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen year round.


Moisturising-
Moisturisers help to track the moisture into the skin that already exists. To achieve this you need to apply moisturiser within a few minutes of drying off after washing or washing your face and hands.

Like most, I have a little makeup wish-list that I just add little items I like too. Which defiantly doesn't help with my love for makeup in general. There seems to be new launches left, right and centre nowadays.






So this is my current beauty wish-list, It's quite small to past ones. Also, sorry for the really bad quality on the polyvore image-I have no clue why it's transferred that way.

Everyone knows who the Kardashians are right? I mean they're everywhere, always on the news for something. I personally love them and I watch their reality show religiously. So, when it was announced that Kylie, the youngest of the sisters, was releasing her own cosmetics line (over a year ago now!) I got very excited.

When it comes to new brands I like to wait until there's a good share of reviews before I purchase anything. However, as soon as you try one of her products it has a bit of a snowball effect (well for me anyway) and before you know it you have 5 and you're trying to find an excuse to wear them all, all the time.

She's just recently announced her Christmas collection for her company which has expanded a lot over the last year. A lot of my friends love picking up my little 'collection pot' of my Kylie lipsticks and glosses and admiring them before asking to try them on. So, I thought it would be a good idea to give you an insight into my Kylie Lip Kit Collection (this will only be the lipsticks, sorry) as part of Blogmas.

So, if you didn't already know Kylie's lip kits consist of a liner and liquid lipstick which come in a cute little box with her company logo on the front with the shade's colour as its theme. Her products have been ripped off many times but some trying to make a profit on it by selling fake lip kits. One thing to tell the difference between a real lip kit and a fake one is the grills on the teeth on the front of the packaging (pictured above). The real one is reflective and changes from silver to black under the light or a change of position. So if yours doesn't it's most likely fake. Personally, I wouldn't want to be wearing a fake makeup product due to the risks it brings when you don't know what you're actually putting on your face.

I've been very fortunate to get my hands on them enough times to be able to have a collection, the majority of which have been presents and some I have brought myself. I love them all to pieces and they're up there with some of my favourite lipsticks. So first up is my favourite of them all-Koko K.


This is hands down my favourite of them all. I've nearly finished this one so be expecting to see this in a empties post later on down the line. Her lip liners are SO creamy and easy to apply. They glide on and they're so easy to sharpen too. Koko's liner is also a very close shade to that of the lipstick itself.




This was one of the first lip kits I purchased alongside Dolce K very early on in the year. At the time of buying it was the lightest shade out, so I was immediately attracted to it. I would describe its colour as being a 'dusty rose hue'. It's also a very 90's shade in my opinion but with a twist.

The colour of the lip kit is darker than I expected as it comes out as a warm berry shade on myself due to its pigmentation which is superb I have to say. I have to stick with one layer when applying this one, the same with Dolce, in fear of it being too overwhelming if I don't. Candy K is also very heavily scented. Just thought I'd warn you.





This is the darkest shade in my collection that I've accumulated over the year. As well as being one of the most daring lipsticks I own. I normally play safe but with this I'm taking the plunge. Big time


On the right skin tone this would be the most perfect deep nude. I was scared when I first got it because of how brown it actually is as well as the fear I wouldn't be able to wear it. But it was actually OK on me which shocked me a lot. This shade does vary a lot depending on the skin tone.



Maliboo was released as one of her summer shades this year, being a cool nude tone with a little hint of mauve mixed in to the mix. I'm very pale so this is more of a dark brown on me, which I was expecting, so its not used as much as the others but I still love it and wear it a fair amount of times. It's pretty much a lighter version of Dolce K.

I wear this one in particular with a light brown and gold Smokey eye as it balances out the eyes and lips. I wouldn't wear mascara with it as that may be too overwhelming due to it being such a bold colour statement-especially for me.





I was SO excited for this one to come out after Kylie announced its debut. I held back at first because I had some worries over its undertones and my skin tone in general. Pale and orange undertones don't go well together. I was proved right but I was also pleasantly surprised at the same time.

So many people were calling it the 'perfect nude' for themselves. Me, on the other hand, not so much. My perfect nude is the nearest shade to my natural lip colour. If I have the right makeup on, the shade is perfect on me and looks really nice in my opinion. If I was to wear my 'Everyday Makeup Routine' with the lipstick then I'd be washed out completely to say the least. Other then the minor details, the shade is beautiful and I love it and I would defiantly recommend it to anyone who was less pale than myself.

I don't paint my nails very often anymore after getting into the habit of not being asked to wait for them to dry after I've painted them, in fear of smudging them. It always happens, if anyone knows any tips on not smudging them as soon as you've painted them, please let me know.

Nail polish colours in winter are darker and more 'moody' than those in summer. The pastel colours are long gone. They've been replaced by jewel toned and gold's as well as the berry's and metallic. I've listed below some of my favourite winter colours for this year.

Credit: naturallycurly.com

Credit: Pinterest

Credit: Pinterest

Credit: thenailtress.blogspot.com

 

Hello, long time no see (well writing-technically), I've been MIA on here for a little bit because of school and life in general. However, I'll shall be making it up to you by doing....BLOGMAS! I'm so very excited for this month and Christmas in general!! For the whole month, yes the entire month-you did read that correctly, I'll be posting a new blog post everyday. EVERYDAY! So, lets kick this off with a bang. The very first Blogmas post is...my Christmas Wishlist.

There's only now 24 days until Christmas Day (excluding today of course). I've already brought all of my presents for my family and my friends, except for the odd little one here and there which I can do over the weekend. I also get carried away when buying presents and before i know it i'm bankrupt and my friends and family have been spoiled. I was thinking of some things that I'd like for Christmas and this is what popped into my head:

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil Zoella Autumn Book Club 2016 8 book bundle Pro Longwear Concealer-MAC

Anastasia Beverly Hills: The Original Contour Kit- Light to Meduim

HP Sprocket Mobile Phone Printer

Dune Quenton Brogue Chelsea Boots