New! Daily Skincare Routine

How long has it been? Emma has been so busy with life, working and also getting engaged(!) that her blog had to take the back seat for a while. So, being Emma's younger sister I've decided to help her out a little and co-run Emma's blog with her and hopefully post more often. My name is Amy and you can find more about me on the About page.

I'm under the impression that in order to have a great base for any makeup you have to take care of what is underneath - your skin. You really can't love your skin enough!

Step One: In order to take care of my skin I always remove my makeup before I go to sleep. This is absolutely essential to stop your pores becoming blocked and letting your skin breathe. To remove my makeup I use Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water and a cotton pad. This literally attracts to your makeup making it super easy to remove.

Step Two: Following that, I use a new cotton pad and go in with a toner. I've just bought this Garnier SkinActive Soothing Botanical Toner today and can't wait to try it out. It's new on the market this month and contains rose water which is well known for it's skin loving properties. Again, I've chosen the dry and sensitive product type but they also do a product for normal/combination skin and dry/very dry skin. Before this, I used L'oreal's Skin Perfection Velvety-Soft Toner. Like the name says, it really does have a velvet like feel on the skin and is worth trying out.

A lot of people skip this stage in their skincare routine but it is important! Toning after you cleanse will help to remove impurities and excess oil, especially after wearing makeup.

Step Three: Then when my skin is clear I go in with L'oreal's Triple Active Moisturiser for dry and sensitive skin (noticing a pattern here?). This moisturiser is relatively thick in texture considering it is a day cream but you can tell it really works. I use this at night too because I find it lends enough moisture to my skin without being too heavy. 

And there you go. My daily night time skin care routine. For my daytime skincare routine I just take out the initial Micellar Water stage and go straight into toning. Do you have any favourite products for looking after your skin? Do you have any of Garnier's new SkinActive range? Let me know in the comments.

Summer to Autumn Lipsticks

As we have entered autumn and will be fast approaching winter, if like me, you like to whip out those darker toned lipsticks, here are a few of my favourite picks for A/W. T-B.

L'oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in 'Julianne's Pure Red'

My perfect Christmas Red. When I look at this one, I think Christmas parties and pub gatherings. It is an orange toned red so looks lovely on those with a bit of a tan, but pretty much anyone can pull it off. A pure matte red, so ex-foliation of your lips before application is essential. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss Lipstick in '31'

A real dark berry colour with a smell of sweeties. Wear it lightly for a lovely wash of berry colour or layer it to create a real deep plum colour ideal for those autumnal evenings.

MAC 'Rebel'

The autumn/winter must have lipstick. Looks amazing on everyone. Wear it lightly for a lovely pinky shade or built it up to create an amazing purple berry lip. Super long lasting so ideal for nights out and being a satin finish, it doesn't dry out your lips.

MAC 'Patisserie'

The nude that can take you from season to season with it's light hint of peachy pink colour and subtle glitter, ideal for wear any time of the year. Definitely a 'your lips but better shade'.

MAC 'See Sheer'

The 'I want to wear red but I'm not brave enough' lipstick. A red lipstick with a lustre finish, which gives you a lovely wash of red but not too intense if you're not brave enough to pull of a true matte red just yet. Another super long lasting lipstick, so great for nights out when no re-applying is needed.

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Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette

I came across Smashbox's Full Exposure Travel Size Palette accidentally when I was browsing the Boots website recently. I'd never seen the travel version of the full exposure palette before so I thought I'd try it out and add it to my basket. Surprisingly, I haven't ever really tried anything from Smashbox cosmetics before besides their Photofinish Primer, so when I spotted this gorgeous travel sized eyeshadow palette I was intrigued. Reviews online were few and far between so I was excited to get it home to try out. Knowing how amazingly pigmented other Smashbox eyeshadows are, I had high exceptions for the palette and I wasn't disappointed. At first glance the palette boasts eight square eyeshadows, four shimmer and four matte shades. They range from brown's and bronzes to a dark grey/purple. Swatching these shadows, they feel extremely velvety when applied to your skin and they have great lasting power. They have every colour you'd need in a travel palette including a crease and highlight colour. I love the design of this palette - black, glossy and sleek packaging. It is super thin making it exceptionally travel friendly without losing eyeshadow. I would definitely recommend this palette if you are a fan of your bronze colours and need a palette which is travel friendly. I just wish I had discovered it sooner!

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Summer Holiday Skincare Sorted

During summer your skin is subject to UV rays even when the sunshine shining and your skin faces a lot of harmful elements everyday so it is vital you take good care of it, especially when you are on holiday. I have picked a few of my favourite holiday skincare products which I swear by and will be using to ensure my skin is safe and moisturised whilst tanning in the sunshine.

Piz Buin is one of my favourite brands for sun cream. They have such a huge range of different products which are all aimed at doing different things but they are range from light sprays to oils and creamy sun creams. I have chosen to take away their Moisturising Sun Lotion with SPF 15 and their Ultra Light Hydrating sun spray with SPF 30.

I also love Hawaiian Tropic skincare products which is also a well known brand and cater for all skin types. I have chosen to take away with me, their Protective Dry Oil Spray SPF 10. This spray helps create a lovely tan whilst protecting your skin from harmful sun rays. Sometimes you can overdo it in the sunshine and when this happens I lather on the after sun. I swear by Hawaiian Tropic's After Sun Cool Aloe Gel which has a calming, cool affect on sunburn.

I also like to ensure my face is refreshed and moisturised so I will be taking The Body Shop's Vitamin C's Glow Boosting Moisturiser. I love the feel of this moisturiser on my skin and it soaks in quickly without leaving a greasy residue behind.

What skincare products are you taking away with you this year? Let me know!

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Review | Oral B Pro 600 Toothbrush - Floss Action

I would have never of thought to write a post reviewing a toothbrush on my blog but when I bought this Oral B toothbrush, I knew I had to write about it. I recently bought Oral B's Pro 600 Toothbrush with Floss Action by Braun. It claims to penetrate and clean deep between teeth removing up to 100% more plaque. The toothbrush is rechargeable and comes with a chargeable station which plugs into the wall and charges in-between brushing. It claims the battery lasts 7 days but I have kept mine on charge in-between uses just because it looks tidy standing up.

The toothbrush itself has a number of features which make brushing your teeth so easy. The round head (which is changeable and compatible with a number of heads), pulsates, rotates and oscillates cleaning every tooth exceptionally well. The toothbrush has a waterproof handle and a charge level display so you know when it is running low. You turn the toothbrush on with a small button on the front. 

One of the main things I noticed when using this toothbrush is how clean my mouth felt compared to using a manual toothbrush. The freshness lasted a lot longer than brushing with a standard toothbrush. I don't think I will ever revert back to a regular toothbrush now I have discovered how fresh my mouth can feel.

You can buy Oral B Pro 600 Floss Action toothbrush from Boots at a discounted price of £24.99 from £49.99.

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