Skincare routine for dry combination skin!

I guess every girl attempts to achieve healthy looking skin which allows make up to glide on effortlessly! It's also a plus point if the make up stays put throughout the day, especially when working under bright lights and for long hours... this is a must! Well this weekend I've been trying a different skincare routine, having come to the end of my Clinique Cleanser and Toner, I've been trying random things that I have lying around my room..... and nothing has quite compared to this weekend's finds! (I tried the face wash courtesy of my Mum and Sister... hehe!)

I have tried this Garnier range in the past and hadn't been too impressed with it, but this time round, teamed with some other products it seems to be working well!

This cleanser is soap free, which means there won't be any soapy residue left on the skin, which can lead to clogged pores and spots! It's really refreshing, and can be used morning and night. It really makes my skin feel soft, I am SO impressed!! 

I follow with these wipes from Garnier. I opted for the 'soft essentials' as I felt like I shouldn't strip my skin of too much moisture, as that would be done with the gel cleanser! These wipes are great for removing any excess make up!

It's a little tough to get eye make up off with them though, they aren't wet enough! No problem though as I just use some Simple eye make up remover to get rid of any stubborn mascara!

To finish off the routine, this moisturiser is a great Oil Free one! It's a little pricey at around £25-£30 per tub, but it really is great for dry combination skin which can be prone to oily areas/spots! :) 


A good finger tip's worth should do the whole face, it glides on and goes really far I find! Just dab it on each cheek, the nose, forehead and chin and then blend. It's heavenly to apply! Moisturising enough to replenish during the night, and light enough to sit nicely on the skin as a primer before make up!


My true test of make up is when I go to work, and this weekend I've been at work with no problems. Usually my face is an oily mess by about half way through my shift, but I have felt comfortable with my skin all weekend! This regime seems to be helping my skin to calm down and just generally look and feel better!

It's only been a few days, but I'm hoping that this routine will keep giving me these results! :)

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment below! Lucy xxx



** update: I went in Sainsbury's today and their Garnier range was on special offer!! The face wash usually £3.50 was £1.70 :D and the same with the face wipes!

Nutritious snacks right to your door! Graze Box

In keeping with the healthy eating thing I'm trying at the moment, here's a good company where you can try a few different healthy snacks, and they deliver to your home or workplace (perfect to keep you going at work!) I heard about this company some time ago... and it really is a good deal if you can catch them when they have an offer on for first timers!

Example of what you might choose!

What happens is, you sign up and pick which 'box' you would like. There's loads of things to pick from to have in your box, whatever takes your fancy! Olives, nuts, fruit, various types of breads.... it really is a good opportunity to try out different things that you may not have even heard of before! Personally I love the olives and the sugared nuts... but there are some even healthier things to pick from! As far as I know they only ship to addresses in the UK.

Head to  www.graze.com
enter code: FJYV1NJ First box free!

Just in case you were wondering (I was a bit dubious the first time I ordered) there's no commitment, so it's not like a membership. Here's what they say on their FAQ's:

Can I cancel at anytime?

There's no commitment ever - you can cancel your weekly deliveries at any time. If you’re going on holiday, it’s really easy to push back your boxes or add a 'weekly delivery holiday' on 'your deliveries' page so you'll receive boxes when you're back.

Really is a good little thing to try out, especially as you're getting the first one free :D


Let me know if you have received a Graze box before or if you're planning on getting one, I'd love to hear from you! Just leave me a comment below :)

Thanks for reading! Lucy xxx

http://www.graze.com/help/howitworks 

Rimmel volume flash scandal eyes mascara review

Rimmel Volume Flash Scandal Eyes Mascara 001

'no lash can escape - Scandalous volume - no clumps!'

I was in need of a new mascara, and I had previously been using 17 Falsifeye mascara and found it to be really good! I originally bought it because it came with a free Gel Eyeliner (which is really good!) but the brush it comes with is pretty awful, so I had to use one out of my E.L.F Professional Brush Set (£5 - and well worth it!) which worked really well!

 Anyway I looked for the 17 mascara again but it had gone up in price, so I looked at the Rimmel stand and saw this beauty! It's very in your face, but I love the packaging! 




So I wanted something to thicken up my lashes, they're already naturally long, so I wanted a fuller 'black' look which I can build up especially for nights out (don't really like wearing fake lashes). 
Plenty of product comes out on the brush, so I don't have to 'pump' it which you're not supposed to do as it created are pockets in the mascara (therefore drying it out).




It doesn't separate the lashes much so it might be a good idea to comb the lashes through before hand with an eyelash brush (you get one in the E.L.F brush kit) however it does create a fuller look which I was after! (apologies its a crap picture, I can't get the hang of my front facing camera on the iPhone!) but it gives you some idea of the effect it gives :)

Thanks for reading!

Lucy xx

Something a bit different....healthy eating week!

Me and my flatmate Jess (click to go to her blog!) have decided to try 

healthy eating.... we're students living in Manchester and rarely eat fruit and veg. We drink way too many fizzy  drinks and generally eat ready meals and snack throughout the day. This isn't about losing weight as such, but just to see if we can feel better through eating healthier stuff! We have made a meal plan, covering breakfast, dinner & tea Monday to Friday (excluded weekends as we both work and it's difficult to keep up with it....)

Below are a few of the meals we've already had. We're now on day three and we're doing well! Snacks we allow ourselves are nuts and dried fruit, sunbite crisps (soooo tasty!!) and sugar free jelly/custard/rice pudding pots.





Day #2 lunch 
- Reduced fat humous (1 tablespoon)
- carrot sticks (handful)
- wholemeal pitta bread (1)
- mixed leaves, spinach, watercress, rocket (handful)
- light salad dressing (drizzle)

Washed down with some sugar free cordial!

Day #2 tea Homemade Quorn Bolognese

serves 3-4

- 200g Quorn Mince
- one white onion
- half clove of garlic
- drizzle of olive oil
- 1 red pepper
- handful of mushrooms sliced
- tin chopped tomatoes
- 5  tsp red wine vinegar (to taste)
- parmesan cheese (optional)
- linguini or spaghetti pasta


This was a  really tasty meal, and Quorn is a great substitute for mince meat as it's 75% less fat! (e.g 75g mince = 220kcal & Quorn Mince = 79kcal)





Day #3 breakfast 

- 2x small seeded bread
- honey
- peanut butter
- half ruby grapefruit (tasty!!)
- cup of tea

I guess we're trying to cut out coffee and tea as well, but there's nothing wrong with a cup of tea now and again, especially with breakfast! Nice healthy way to start the day today :)


Other breakfasts have included....
- scrambled eggs on seeded bread
- porridge with honey





Today's lunch day #3

- small soft tortilla wraps (x3)
- roast chicken slices (wafer thin)
- cous cous (tomato & garlic flavour)
- dash of salad cream (light)
- handful of mixed leaves (spinach, watercress, rocket)

after lunch snack 
- sugar free hartley's raspberry jelly pot

We seem to be doing quite well with the healthy eating and haven't had anything naughty (i.e chocolate, crisps, fizzy, red meat...) so I'll probably try and update this post with other meals we've had! It's good to find filling meals to enjoy. We've actually been looking forward to all the meals, turns out we really like healthy food, we've just not been bothered to make any of it before!

If you can think of any healthy meal ideas then please let me know! We've made a weeks worth of meal plans, but we're running out of ideas!

Thanks for reading and check back for any updates on the health kick!!

Lucy x

MAC dupe? And blusher collection

I think that the MUA blush £1 at Superdrug is a great dupe for MAC Pink Swoon, and a fraction of the price! I've only just started to take notice of this range in Superdrug but the stuff seems really good for the price! 


I know a lot of people find that you have to be careful with Pink Swoon when applying it, but I really do have to apply a lot to get a result! Also I think it's slightly too light for my pale skin, as I prefer a deeper pink (the MUA shade 2 is slightly deeper) I should also say that MUA does a lighter shade of the blush 'shade 1' which could be even more like Pink Swoon... worth trying for only £1! 

The only thing about MUA is that it's very powdery, so you have to be careful using your brush.One swipe of the brush should be enough to do one cheek, and the excess powder from the first swipe for the second cheek :) I was finding with the pink swoon that I had to run the brush around the pan for a while before getting a suitable colour.... the upside is that it's not powdery so I don't feel like I'm wasting the product!

On the right is a pic of my blush collection. Various makes and shades, and the MAC Mineralised blush and Clinique (came with two eyeshadows) are my favourite! here's a list of the blushes going clockwise from the MAC Mineralised....

- MAC mineralize blush 'conjour up'
- Accessorize baked blush '6 scandal'
- MAC Sheertone blush 'pink swoon'
- Clinique blushing blush 'iced lotus'
- Boots natural collection 'blushed cheeks'
- MUA blusher 'shade 2'
- 17 blusher 'plum puff' (love this one!!)
- No7 Natural blush '20 honey'


Really good collection of blushers I think, although I'd like to get a few more 'honey' toned ones, as I tend to go for the same sort of colours! I really want to try MAC mineralised skin finishes as an overall colour and bronzer so I'll do a review once I've tested a few of those out :) It's all about finding cheaper version too as MAC etc can be very expensive, the 17 blush is really good for every day, I've used it a lot and had it for ages!

If there's any blush you can recommend for me then please leave a message! 


Thanks for reading! Lucy xx