Sunday 15 December 2013

Favourite beauty product of the month: December

Not only has this month been the beginning of a new season but it's also the beginnings of a festive and warm atmosphere. This month I've been loving browns, warm purples and maroons in general for makeup. The product I'm about to introduce has quickly made its way to my heart as it is versatile and absolutely stunning! Meet the Sleek blush by three palette in 'Sugar' a gorgeous collection of three extremely pigmented, different textured colours. 




I'm especially in love with the dark pink and middle shade (which actually looks bronze) that once you apply on the skin gives the perfect deep flushed look with gorgeous shimmer. I especially love using the middle colour in my crease to add warmth and shimmer to any look. One thing that you must watch out for is the crazy pigmentation! only pat your brush in gently and tap it off before application... unless you like the tomato face look..


What's your favourite beauty product this month?

Habiba Da SIilva x

Sunday 1 December 2013

Updated skincare routine (winter)

Since coming back from holiday my skincare routine has changed completely. I have combination skin that leans on either oily or dry depending on the weather, so in the winter I tend to make sure my skin is well moisturized. Before going abroad my skin was breaking out every once or twice per month, I used to get a couple of spots here and there. Because of my really bad habit of picking spots I used to get bad scarring too which didn't help at all! I didn't realize that the products I was using at the time only made it worse. Since changing my skincare routine I haven't even had one spot! It's been over four months and my skin has been very well behaved, thank you God. One of the products I've completely eliminated from my skincare routine is a scrub, I don't use scrubs anymore as I believe they cause breakouts, especially if they're soapy, instead now I use a mask every two days to detox the skin and break down all the dirt. Here is a step by step of my daily routine.


My skincare routine (morning)

Some people think that cleansing is only necessarily for removing makeup, when in fact cleansing removes any dirt on the skin. At night our skin is rejuvenating, dead skin cells are sitting on the skin and invisible to the naked eye, waiting for you the next morning. Cleanse girls.

1.Cleanse. I usually use either one of my current favourite cleasers. Emma Harding cleansing balm (retails for £34 - price might look scary but this product is definitely worth every penny! Great for dry/combo skin & removes ALL dirt as well as helps massage your face.) or my all time favourite Sanctuary Spa fresh faced cleanser (retails for £10) I've been repurchasing this cleanser for years - it's honestly the best drugstore cleanser as it removes makeup very well and has beneficial natural ingredients.

 2. I tap my skin dry using a towel - this keeps the moisture in as opposed to rubbing your face dry. 

3. Tone. I've been using two Clarins toners lately which I quite like, the exfoliating toner (Retails for £25) and the toning lotion with Iris (combo/oily) this one smells amaazinggggg (retails for £18). I use a cotton pad and I wipe it all over my face. 

4. Moisturize. I start by using a French eye cream which I bought from TK Maxx for quite cheap and works amazingly at moisturizing my under-eye area. Then I've recently switched to using a thick moisturizer by the name of Eucerin dry skin replenishing face cream (night) which retails for £12.50 and completely smooths out and moisturizes any dry patches or areas on my skin.


Night

My night routine is almost identical to my morning routine, only difference is the cleansing step because I usually have makeup on at this point. I NEVER EVER SLEEP WITH MAKEUP ON. That's the biggest beauty sin, you'd be literally begging for imperfections.

I usually double cleanse when removing makeup, I'll start with the Emma Hardie cleanser which is the BEST I've ever used to get rid of eye makeup easily and painlessly; I massage the balm into my skin and eyes then before washing it all off I get a cotton pad which I use to rub my eye makeup off with and it all comes off with one swipe. Literally. Then I'll wash off the Emma Hardie cleanser and proceed to double cleanse using the Sanctuary Spa cleanser.

Masks

As I mentioned above, I use a mask every two days instead of exfoliating. My favourite is the Lush mask called 'Catastrophe Cosmetic' which is made using blueberries; a great anti-oxidant. This mask is amazing for preventing any imperfections from surfacing and also leaves the skin feeling very moisturized on the long term, I also love that it doesn't take forever to dry (retails for £5.95 from Lush). When I'm in a hurry I'll use the Soap and Glory 'no clogs allowed' which is good temporarily, it moisturizes and gets rid of any dead skin and it's not abrasive enough to damage the skin so you can use frequently (£11). My third favourite is the No.7 Beautiful skin moisturising mask which is great when my skin is feeling a little dry as it leaves my skin feeling so soft and moisturized (£14). 



What products do you use? 

Hope you liked my post ^.^

Love,
Habiba Da Silva x