Skin Care: The products that work best in clearing up my skin.

I was luckily enough to skip teenage acne, only having the odd pimple now and again but as soon as I turned 22 my skin was no longer playing nice. After trying every product I could think of (that is probably where I went wrong) I decided enough was enough. My lovely mum could see how upset I was becoming so she decided to enter the world of Youtube. After browsing for hours on end, she came across Elle Fowler's channel - AllThatGlitters21. Elle opened my eyes as to what could actually be causing my breakouts, so here goes:

1. MAC foundation - there is something in their liquid foundation that causes me to breakout. As much as I adored their foundation, I will be sticking to their blushers and eye shadows from now on. 
2. John Frieda Sheer Blonde colour renew - I had recently had my hair highlighted so I wanted to keep my hair looking as bright as possible. I never thought a Shampoo and Conditioner could cause you to break out - but as Elle was having the same problems I decided to ditch the products - and I must say, my skin started to calm down within a few days.
3. Simple facial wipes - Now most of my friends use Simple facial wipes and as they claim to be for sensitive skin I thought these would be perfect for my skin. But was I wrong! My skin started to react quite badly to these wipes and my breakouts became more frequent, so along with the shampoo and conditioner, I also ditched this product. 

So after being able to relate to Elle's experience I decided to try two of the products that she recommended. 

Bioderma Sensibio H2O

Bioderma Sensibio H2O is a gentle make up removing solution which is designed to gently cleanse the skin without the need of rinsing. 

After using this product for a couple of days, I could see such a difference in the appearance of my skin. The redness and blotchyness had started to calm down and I hadn't broke out. When I normally change skin care products, I will break out instantly, but with this there was nothing! I have been using this product every single morning since the beginning of March and I can definitely see what all the fuss was about. It is such an amazing product and it has made such a difference to my skin, I have 2 bottles remaining but when I run out, I will definitely be repurchasing. 

We are now lucky enough to be able to purchase Bioderma in the UK - I purchased this from eBay but you can now buy it online at Escentual.com

                                       Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

After researching into Cetaphil and realising that it was an American brand, I did not think I would be able to purchase this over in the UK. But my lovely mum decided to browse the internet and she managed to purchase this product, a long with the Bioderma on eBay for me! This product is recommended by Dermatologists over in the states so I was quite excited yet nervous to be trying it out for the first time. 

I use this product once I have removed all of my make up and I believe the best result is to rub it into your skin and remove the excess with a cotton pad or a tissue. Although you can rinse it off with water afterwards if you would prefer. 

I was a bit sceptical about trying this product out as I had previously had a terrible reaction / breakout to Dermalogica's gentle skin cleanser. But I must say, cetaphil is amazing. You may feel a little residue on your face afterwards but this product is quite fast drying so the sticky feeling is gone within a good few seconds. 

After using this product for a good 2 months, I can truly see the difference in my skin. My breakouts have calmed down 99% - don't get me wrong, I have the odd pimple now and again but I can cope with that. 

I have recently purchased another 2 bottles of this gentle cleanser and I believe it's a product I'm going to be using for a very long time. I would definitely recommend cetaphil. 

Cetaphil is now available at Costco, ASDA and Boots.com.

There are also a couple of products which I have discovered myself which have definitely helped to clear up my skin!

1. Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream

I really like this Bobbi Brown face cream, it has a lovely texture and it feels so hydrating and soft on your face. When I run out of this product I will definitely stick to the Bobbi Brown brand - but I am quite tempted to try the oil free face cream.

                                    2. Apple Cyder Vinegar Toner

As I have a few scars on my face from previous breakouts I decided to research the best home remedies to help reduce the redness and I came across Apple Cyder Vinegar. So, I decided to head down to my local supermarket and purchase a bottle. As vinegar can be quite harsh to your skin, I diluted it with water (3 parts water to 1 part vinegar). I use this toner both morning and night and I really do like it, it's definitely helped with the process of calming down my scars / redness. One thing I will say is the smell, as you can imagine it smells quite bad, and vinegar isn't exactly the nicest smell in the world. But I thought to myself, if it's going to work, I'm willing to put up with it. 

3. Sudocrem

I'm pretty sure most of you have heard of Sudocrem and how affective it is. I used this product a couple of years ago and it didn't really do anything for me. But after recently repurchasing it again, it's worked wonders. Whenever I feel a spot coming or if it's started to appear, I will put a thin layer on the affected area and within a couple of hours it's pretty much disappeared. The one thing I will say with this product is that a little bit definitely goes a long way. If you use a lot, then this could have an adverse affect on your skin and you could end up causing your skin to breakout. This product also contains Benzyl so it can cause your skin to become quite dry, so I would definitely recommend to only use a little amount as little often as possible. 

Have you used any of these products before? 

What skin care products do you swear by to control your breakouts?

Lots of Love

Amy xox

A few useful Holiday tips

So as you know I am going on holiday in just over 3 weeks. As I am 'Little Miss Organised' I have already decided what I am taking both clothing and product wise, and I have placed everything in my suitcase out of the way.

With the weight limit that airlines now allow (and I definitely am not a light packer) I have come up with a few useful tips on how to try and stay within your weight allowance. 

Now as I am obsessed with hair and beauty products - and these products are definitely not lightweight, I have tried to think of ways in which I could ditch the heaviness and bulkiness but still take all of the products I want away with me. 

So here are my tips for you:

1. Head down to your favourite make up counter in your local department store and ask for some samples. As you know I adore my Clarins Skin Illusion foundation but as my face tans quite quickly in the sun, I would only be able to use my current colour for one day. So, the lovely lady at my local Debenhams gave me a few samples of my current foundation in one shade darker, and she also gave me 9 samples of the new Clarins BB cream in the colour medium. I have not tried their BB cream as of yet, so I'm hoping it's definitely going to be a winner. I thought this way, by sampling out the products you have not used before, it gives you time to see whether or not you actually like the product before rushing straight out and buying it. The Clarins BB cream costs £28 at Debenhams so I would much rather try out a couple of samples first, just incase I am not impressed. 
The perfume samples, Chanel mascara, Smashbox BB cream and YSL's touché eclat and eye serum were also samples that I requested from their counters. 

2. Now if you are a student, then you need to sign up to www.studentbeans.com. This website informs you of the exclusive student deals and allows you to apply for free samples of products. I requested Garnier's new Moisture Match and a pack of E45 samples from this website. 

As you are now limited to only carrying on liquids 100ml or less (and most moisturisers are more than 100ml) then these samples are definitely worth while, and you can never have enough moisturiser, especially when you are on holiday!

Garnier Moisture Match - 2 samples ordered from www.studentbeans.com

E45 body lotion - sample ordered from www.studentbeans.com

Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation and New BB Cream - I requested these samples from my local Clarins counter

YSL Touche Eclat - I would definitely recommend requesting this sample

Chanel Mascara - requested sample from my local Chanel counter

3. Another useful tip - if you have used all of the product out of a sample pot that you have been given previously, then wash it out, go green and recycle it! 

If I was to take all of the products pictured above in full size, then my make up / product bag would literally weigh a ton, meaning it would have to be placed in my suitcase. 
I always worry that my suitcase is going to go AWOL and the last thing I want is to lose all of my favourite products - so by only taking samples, I don't have to worry about that. 

Finally, if you are unable to obtain samples of the products that you currently use such as cleansers, toners and moisturisers (I have extremely sensitive skin and I can only use certain skin care products) then you can use your old sample pots and bottles and take the exact amount you need - rather than carrying unnecessary weight. 

I hope these tips have helped you.

Do you have any holiday tips? I would love to hear them! 

Love Amy Louise xox

Holiday Haul: 25 days until Egypt

So I have recently booked a getaway to the resort of Sharm El Sheikh and I am very much looking forward to a week of pure relaxation. One of my all time favourite things about planning a holiday, is buying lots of new clothes and products to take a long with me. However, as I was holidaying in Mexico over Christmas, I haven't been on a mad holiday shopping spree - but I've bought a couple of necessities and also a few bargain items that couldn't be missed. 

Patterned Coral Bikini top (£5) and bottoms (£5) - Matalan

Multicoloured Bikini Top and Bottoms (£35) - Topshop

Pink floral Bikini Top (£6) - New Look

White & Silver flowered T-Bar sandals (£6) Little orange flowered sandals (£10) and Light pink jelly sandals (£5) - Primark

'A' earrings (£6.50) - Topshop

As well as clothing items, I have also bought quite a few holiday essentials such as suncreams and after suns etc. 

Hawaiian Tropic Sun lotion (£6.49) - Boots 

Hawaiian Tropic Sensitive Face sun lotion (£6.29) - Boots 

Banana Boat Aloe Vera gel (£2.99) - Boots

I bought the majority of these next items separately as I had a few boots no7 vouchers to use - as every time you bought something over the value of £4 (this did not have to be a no7 product), you received a £5 off no7 skin care voucher and also a £3 off make up voucher. 

No7 Anti-ageing sun protection Spray (£9.95 - £5 voucher used = £4.95) - Boots

No7 Hair protecting spritz - (£6.50 - £5 voucher used = £1.50) - Boots

No7 Anti-ageing Shimmering lip & eye screen (£7.50 - £5 voucher used = £2.50) - Boots

No7 Body shimmer aftersun (£9.50 - £5 voucher used = £4.50) and No7 Facial recovery aftersun (£8.50 - £5 voucher used = £3.50) - Boots

I'll be sure to review all of these products once I am back from my holiday. As I have always been a fan of No7 make up products (I love their lipsticks!!), I'm hoping that their suncare products are not going to disappoint. 

Have you used No7 suncare products before? What are your thoughts?

I would love and appreciate any comments, feedback or followers - it would really make my weekend. 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening.

Love Amy Louise xox

Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation & Loose powder and also their Face & Blush powder review

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted my first ever recent purchases post so I thought I would review the Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation and loose powder and also their face and blush powder.
I have been using these products for the past month now and I absolutely love all three of them.

Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation

This has got to be one of my all time favourite foundations. As we are heading into Summer (well you wouldn't know that with the weather we have been having in Leeds lately) I wanted a foundation which was both lightweight and moisturising - and this foundation is definitely that. Even though it is a lightweight foundation, it evens out your skin tone really well and it also provides you with a good amount of coverage (and you only need a 5 pence piece amount). I believe that this foundation is a great base for Summer, the last thing you want is a heavy foundation, that clogs up your pores when the sun is shining. 
Another thing that drew me to this foundation was the smell, it smells just like Watermelons which is delicious, and a gorgeous Summer scent. 

Clarins Skin Illusion loose powder
I chose to purchase this powder as it was the exact same colour as my foundation - which matched my skin perfectly. I am a huge fan of loose powders and I have to say this powder is probably my favourite. You only need to use a little amount on the areas that are prone to oiliness - which for me is particularly my T-Zone, my chin and the apples of my cheeks. I have found with other loose powders previously, that they seem to separate away from my foundation leaving my skin looking patchy, but I have to say with this powder, I haven't found that - a brilliant product.

Clarins 'Palette Eclat' face & blush powder 
I had wanted to purchase this face & blush powder for a couple of weeks after reading positive reviews. I am also a huge fan of Clarins at the moment so I wanted to try another one of their products. So, when I went shopping with my little gran for a birthday present, I decided that this was the product I wanted her to treat me to. I am very much a blusher kind of girl, my make-up doesn't feel complete unless I am wearing a pretty pink colour on my cheeks, which adds a gorgeous healthy flush to my complexion - and these two colours are beautiful.
Not only is this pallet a blusher, but it is also a full face powder, so I thought to myself - how handy to have a 2-in-1 product? 

Love Amy Louise xox

Aldi's very own Miracle Oil

If you have coloured and heat damaged hair like mine then this product is the way to go. I used to spritz my hair after washing with Aussie's leave in conditioner until I discovered this product. I was browsing the internet during my lunch break at work when I discovered an article on this product - "Aldi selling Moroccan Oil? Surely not?". I was a bit sceptical at first but when I read all of the brilliant views I decided to head down to my local Aldi store and pick up a couple of bottles - and they were only £3.99 each, an absolute bargain that couldn't be missed!

So, the first night I used this product, after washing my hair I used around a 50p size amount onto the ends of my hair. With what was left on my hands, I smoothed over my roots and gradually worked back down to my ends. As my hair becomes greasy quite quickly, I tend to avoid using oils / leave in conditioners around my root area. After this process, I blow dried my hair, and I have to say I was so impressed. As my hair is quite long and has a natural curl to it, I find it quite difficult to keep those frizzy bits at bay. But this product kept my hair frizz free, shiny and soft - everything that I wanted! 

Now what this product claims: "Miracle Oil is a multi-use product suitable for all hair types. Enriched with argan oil, renowed for it's resorting properties. Your hair looks healthier after just one application, and the overall condition of the hair will improve, preventing split-ends and breakage - there is also no oily residue". 

I have to say I agree with the claim, I have seen such an improvement in the condition of my hair, it no longer feels brittle, but it looks shiny and feels ever so soft. I think for £3.99 its definitely worth a try. As I loved this product so much, I went and bought myself another 2 bottles as when it's gone it's gone I'm afraid. So get yours from your local Aldi store whilst stocks last.

Love Amy Louise xox

My recent purchases

It's been such a glorious day here in Leeds today, which definitely makes a change with the awful weather we've been having lately.  

So for my first proper blog post, I thought where better to start than the items I have purchased recently. I do tend to experiment with different brands quite often and as it is summer (well hopefully) I've decided that I want my make-up to look more natural - a nice radiant glow. I have been using the products above for the last couple of weeks now and I do believe they'll appear again in a favourite post. 

YSL Pure Chromatics 4 wet & dry eye shadows in the colour 08 - £39.00 
Recently, YSL had an eye tutorial event on at my local Debenhams. My eyes are a browny / green and I have always been unsure of what eye shadow colour really brings out the colour of my eyes. When the assistant Kat suggested that I tried Khaki, I was a little apprehensive. But the end result, I loved it. I would never have thought to try a khaki smokey eye myself. 





The Body Shop 'Moringa' body mist - £7.50
Now, I absolutely love perfume don't get me wrong, but I thought as we are heading into Summer, why not give body mist ago? It also smells really really good!



Vichy Dermablend ultra-corrective cream-stick - £19.00 
I hadn't heard of this product before until I read Binky's Beauty blog on the Daily Mail. Binky absolutely raved about this product, claiming it to be the best on the market, and as I was in desperate need of a concealer, I thought I would try it out myself.

Clarins 'Skin Illusion' natural radiance foundation - £26.00
I have recently been using the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation and I have nothing but positives for this foundation. But, as it's pretty much Summer, I wanted a foundation which feels a lot lighter on my skin. There's nothing worse than foundation feeling cakey on your skin!
So, after reading Binky's Beauty blog, I noticed that she highly recommended this product. I decided to take a trip down to my local Debenhams and head to the Clarins counter - and I must say that Rebecca was absolutely fantastic, she couldn't have been more helpful. I told her what I wanted from a foundation and she recommended this product. My first impression of this foundation was down to the texture and the smell, it smells just like watermelons - gorgeous!

Clarins 'Skin Illusion' natural radiance loose foundation powder - £28.00
As I took an instant like to the Clarins skin illusion foundation, I thought why not invest in the matching powder? Before I bought the product, I asked Rebecca to apply it to my skin to see what I thought. As I had only used translucent powder before, I wanted to see what a coloured powder looked like on my skin, and I didn't want it to take away the affect of the foundation. As you can tell, I was very impressed with this product. 


Diego Dalla Palma - £15.00 
I feel bare unless I am wearing lipstick and I am a sucker for bright colours! I've never heard of this brand before it swatched so lovely on my hand, the colour was very pink, and very me!

Clarins 'Palette Eclat' face & blush powder - £30.00
When it comes to blusher, I have always been loyal to MAC. But I thought I would mix it up a little and try out a completely new brand. The fact that it's a face & blush powder drew me to the product straight away. The colour is so nice when it's applied to your cheeks, it gives you that lovely summer radiant glow.


In a couple of weeks or so, I will review all of the products above, fingers crossed it will all be positive! 
I don't usually buy so much in one go, but I had not purchased for a little while. Also, I had just been accepted onto my teacher training course for this September, so I thought I would go and treat myself to a few bits and bobs. 

For now, Amy Louise xx

My first ever blog post

After debating for months whether I should start my own blog or not, I'm thoroughly excited to be writing this - although I'm kinda nervous.

So, hello, my names Amy and I'm a 23 soon to be student again from Leeds. I am a complete girly girl and I am obsessed with all things beauty! I've decided to start up this blog as a bit of a hobby really, and as I have a lovely long summer ahead, it's hopefully something I can spend a lot of time doing. 

There's also nothing I love more than reading everyones new monthly favourites, empties and hauls. I feel you get that more personal touch from other people just like you, who will give you their honest opinions on products - which I believe to be really important. 

I'm looking forward to spending most of my time from now on blogging away - and those of you who actually come across my blog, I hope you enjoy!

Feel free to follow me on twitter: @missamesylou

Love, Amy Louise xx