Brightening up your complexion | The body shop vitamin C range

Vitamin C is commonly known for it's brightening properties within skincare and for making tired skin look more alive and refreshed. Many times I have looked in the mirror and thought to myself that my skin looked dull and a bit lack-lustre, so I have slowly been picking up bits from the body shop's vitamin C range to help brighten up my complexion. 

Vitamin C Microdermabrasion (£13)

is essentially a finely milled face scrub that buffs away dead skin cells and lets the brighter, newer skin underneath show through giving you a more glowing, healthy complexion. I have a full review of the vitamin C microdermabrasion that goes into more detail but I can tell you now that it's a good'un and my favourite product from the range. (review)

Vitamin C Energising face spritz (£9) 

this is a facial spritz which I use every day before my moisturiser, it gives my skin such a beautiful healthy glow that looks extremely natural. I love how refreshing it feels to spray onto my face on hot days and how it doesn't leave my face looking greasy.

Vitamin C Skin reviver (£14) 

when I first purchased this I had no idea what it was, it come as a duo alongside the microdermabrasion and thought it looked pretty good, and trust me when I say it is! I apply this after my moisturiser and it was a primer-like feel to it and really smoothes out the skin and makes it feel incredibly soft, and gives the skin an instant radiance boost - perfect for those days where you didn't get much sleep or are a tad hungover. 

Vitamin C Eye reviver duo (£12) 

this is probably the least exciting product for me personally from the vitamin C range, this was one of the casualties in my hunt for the perfect eye cream which I have now found! (link here) I like the concept of this product, it's an eye rollerball on one end and an eye cream on the other, the rollerball is there to reduce puffiness and make your eyes look more refreshed and the eye cream is to moisturise and give radiance to the under eye area but I personally felt it didn't do much for me, possibly because it wasn't moisturising enough for me. 

I have tried a lot of skincare products from the body shop and the vitamin C range is my personal favourite, I use the vitamin E day and night cream which are both lovely, and I found that the tea tree range was too harsh for my skin. The radiance boost I get from the vitamin C range is unbeatable and perfect for summer. 

Four products to help boost radiance

Summer is the time where everyone wants a lighter base and glowing skin, myself included. I like to use the body shop's vitamin C skin reviver as a base for my makeup as it's really smoothes out the skin and makes it soft to touch as well as giving the skin an instant radiance boost which is perfect for the summer months, this can be worn on it's own or under foundation and it still gives the same effect. In the cheek department I use Mac well dressed blush as it's a pale baby pink with a slight shimmer running through the really brightens up my complexion and makes me look more awake. well dressed was the first product I purchased for mac two years ago and I find that my skin always look really healthy when I use it. a light dusting of mac's soft and gentle highlighter is the main contributor when it comes to achieving that summer glow, the peachy-gold tone compliments a lot of skin tones and gives the skin a gorgeous sheen. finally, I like to set everything in place using the mac fix + as it makes everything look less matte and a lot more glowy. all of these products can be switched out for other products that do a similar job but for me these four standout among all of my other products.

The BodyShop vitamin C microdermabrasion

The bodyshop's vitamin C microdermabrasion caught my eye whilst taking advantage of my £5 off birthday treat for being a love your body card member as well as it being on offer I got this product along with the vitamin C skin reviver for £9 when the microdermabrasion is £13 on it's own - bargain!

The bodyshop claim that the exfoliating particles in this scrub help buff away dead skin cells leaving you with bright and radiant looking skin. I like to use this product about twice a week when I'm in the shower and the grains are really fine but so densely packed together it really makes a difference, although this isn't the gentlest scrub I have used it's not 'too grainy' and as rough as other scrubs I have used. after using this my skin is left looking smooth and radiant plus it's soft to touch which is lovely as I can get quite dry skin on my chin and jaw. A little bit goes a very long way with this product as I use about a pea sized amount for my whole face and neck and that's plenty to massage in on damp skin to get rid of any dry patches. what I love about this scrub is I generally have quite a dull complexion and this really unclogs my pores and makes my face look healthier and feel extra clean as well as brightening up my complexion.

Because this is microdermabrasion it's a bit harsh on my skin and will leave it slightly red afterwards but it will calm down after a couple of minutes, for people with sensitive skin this may not be for you as it also smells of citrus orange which may irritate the skin as well as how abrasive it is. Although saying that my boyfriend Aaron has dry sensitive skin and he used this once and although he was left red skinned it really exfoliated away all of his dry flakey skin and it's left looking smooth again. I like to use my origins drink up intensive overnight mask after using this as you're stripping the skin slightly so you need to moisturise well afterwards.

Lately I have become a lot more confident in going out of the house without wearing foundation which used to be a big no no for me, but now I'm completely content with just putting some concealer under my eyes and on my nose and that's it. I've noticed a lot of improvement in my skin since using this, the tiny under the skin bumps have reduced in size and the very few spots I had cleared up quickly, so it most certainly hasn't broken me out! I think that this product has given me more confidence in my skin as it just looks so much healthier and clearer, I'm hoping to see more changes to my skin the longer I use this as I have heard a lot of glowing reviews about this scrub fading acne scars and all that good stuff.

Although I got this for a discounted price I would 100% pay the full price again for this as I love how it's benefiting my skin, I've heard a lot of controversy in the beauty world about using exfoliants with particles in but I feel that using a scrub once or twice a week really clears out my skin and makes it feel cleaner, on the other days I will use a chemical exfoliant but something you just need something to buff away all the dead skin.

May Favourites

Due to laziness I haven't really been wearing too much makeup throughout May, for my birthday I got the Mac pro long wear concealer and it has become a staple in my makeup bag, on days where I don't want to wear foundation I have just been dabbing this under my eyes and onto my nose and calling my base complete. it's high coverage and doesn't crease under my eyes which is a miracle because concealer just loves to crease on me.

Since going blonder I've wanted to keep my hair extra nourished to ensure that it stays healthy and soft, my hair dresser recommended to me the uniq one all in one coconut hair treatment and I have fallen in love with the scent more than anything, it lingers around after I apply it to damp hair and who doesn't want their hair to smell like coconut? this product leaves my hair looking extremely healthy and touchably soft.

The body shop vitamin C microdermabrasion has helped exfoliate away any dry patches on my skin and keep it looking smooth as well as giving it a radiance boost. I picked up the microdermabrasion and the vitamin c skin reviver in a set for £9 when the set retails for £27 which was too good an offer to pass up on, I had been eyeing up the microdermabrasion for a while so it seemed like the perfect time to pop them into my basket and it has certainly impressed me.

I think that the Lanolips lemonaid lip aid is the only product I have used on my lips all month, I've avoided all other lipsticks and lip balms and have stayed true to this little beauty. this product has been featured on my blog a lot over the past month and for good reason. this leaves my lips looking healthy, plump and keeps them nourished all day. it's exfoliating properties help to buff away any dead skin which leaves them looking extra smooth.

The perfect perfume and body spray combinations

My two favourite scents are vanilla and coconut on their own or mixed together they smell delicious. I have been wearing the natural collection vanilla body spray (£2) for years and I don't think I could be without it it's easy to just chuck in my bag and spritz whenever i need to, it smells sweet and not too over powering. as soon as I saw that the body shop sold a vanilla perfume (£8.50) I was sold, it's so tiny and sweet I couldn't resist although this perfume is on the more floral vanilla side it smells amazing and this little bottle has actually lasted me around a year. I don't feel like myself unless I'm wearing perfume and i'm always conscious about how I smell, so whenever I wear the body shops vanilla perfume I always pair it with my vanilla body spray, I just spritz it over my skin and clothes and the scent lasts all day, they make an amazing combination. the same rule applies with my favourite coconut combination, I spritz the body spray all over my body and apply the perfume to my wrists and neck. Estee lauder bronze goddess (£45-£50) is my all time favourite perfume and you can be sure that i'm going to stock up on it in may when it's released again, it's such a wonderful holiday smell which reminds me of pina coladas. the nspa creamy coconut body mist (£3) is so gorgeous I actually like it more than my vanilla body spray sorry vanilla... but it smells exactly as the name suggests it's so creamy and coconutty I just can't help but spraying it around my bedroom. Nspa products are always on offer in asda on a 3 for £5 offer or knocked down to £2, I always stock up on the 3 for £5 deal as it's such a bargain.

The body Shop deep sleep dreamy pillow and body mist

I've never been one of those people who can fall asleep once their head hits the pillow, like my boyfriend Aaron, give him two minutes and you'll hear him snoring away... me on the other hand? I'm not so lucky. When I was searching the body shop website during their 40% off I come across this product and read some brilliant reviews, I was a little bit skeptical about whether or not it would actually work, yet a lot of people said that it did and i've seen bloggers raving about the this works deep sleep range, so I thought I would try my luck considering it was on offer. I spray two spritzes of this on my pillow and a tiny bit on my wrists before I go to sleep, usually when I wake up whether it's from a nap, or i've slept through the whole night I feel groggy and grumpy and it's not a pretty sight but I find that when I wake up after using this I feel as if i've had a dare I say it a... deeper sleep! I feel more rested and less grumpy. Now, I was really expecting this to smell like lavender because lavender is known to be relaxing and calming, yet to me this smells exactly like the nuxe reve de miel lip balm, so a lot like honey? mixed in with a hint of lavender. Now you see, i'm not one for those kinda scents at all so I don't find it all that pleasant and I don't feel as if this product makes me fall asleep any quicker than normal, I do like waking up more refreshed on the other hand
Would I repurchase this product? I'm not sure... I want to compare it to the this works deep sleep range before to see if there's much difference.

Morning skincare routine

I like to keep my skincare basic and I always use the same products everyday, I find that If i try out too many products at once my skin doesn't like it and hell breaks loose!

The very first thing I do when I wake up is wash my face with the Clarins Pure melt cleansing gel, I also use this at night as I find it leaves my skin squeaky clean without making my skin feel tight, I wash this off with cold water because it helps wake me up in the morning and leaves my skin feeling refreshed.

Next up I tone my face with the L'oreal Micellar solution to remove any left over product or dirt, it's so gentle on the skin and doesn't leave my skin red or irritated like most toners make me, maybe I should branch out more in the world of micellar solutions? my skin clearly loves the L'oreal one!

Time for my serum of choice which is the Hydraluron... I have dehydrated skin and found that this product has really helped me retain moisture from using this every morning. At first when you apply it, it feels tacky and uncomfortable on the skin but that disappears as soon as you put a moisturiser on the top of it, this product just helps my skin look more plump and full of moisture!

Speaking of moisturising, I then go ahead and use an eye cream, and I'm currently using the Vitamin E Eye cream from the body shop and I love it, I've tried all of the body shops eye creams and this is the one I'd recommend the most as it actually leaves the under eye area feel smooth and not dry! I can't say that it massively reduces the appearance of under eye circles but that might just be because mine are massive 24/7 and can't find anything to help them a great deal.

Finally moisturiser, since it's started getting colder in the UK again i've gone back to using my Vitamin E moisture cream from the body shop as I feel like my skin needs that little bit of extra hydration during the colder months and it absorbs into my skin quickly which is perfect for me because i'm an impatient person who can't be dealing with waiting for my moisturiser to sink in!

whilst i'm on the subject of skincare, I will be posting an additional skincare products post soon which will include masks and treatments of all sorts!

Review | The body shop body butters and lotions

I've been using the body shop body butters for years, I remember my sister in law didn't like the scent of one and handed it to me and I fell in love! one thing I don't love is the price tag, at £13 for a 200ml tub, I personally wouldn't buy it, but luckily the body shop always have offers on their body butters and I can usually pick them up for around £5 a tub, which is a much better price which i'm happy to pay!
the scents I currently have are Chocomania, Shea butter, Almond and Raspberry (Which i'm saving for summer!) I've just finished the coconut scent and making my way through Chocomania, although it's starting to smell a bit heavy (It smells like double chocolate chip cookies) and i'm getting more into fruity scents and this is more of a winter scent. I apply these after a bath or shower before bed and when I wake up in the morning my skin is so smooth I can't stop stroking my legs! I haven't yet come across a scent which I don't like, and around Christmas time they bring out more spicy seasonal scents.

I also own two of the full size body lotions in Peach vineyard and Vanilla which smell absolutely gorgeous, I use these in the morning and i can still smell them on my body in the evening, they linger around all day and they sink in extremely fast and leave me all nice and soft at £8 a bottle i don't mind paying full price, because they last ages and I think are worth the money
Obviously the body lotions sink in faster than the body butters because they have a lot thinner consistency  the body butters are extremely thick and luxurious.

Have you tried any of the body shop body butter? whats your favorite scent?

Monthly Favorites | March

 Rimmel wake me up foundation - £8.99 (Boots)

 I've been reaching for this little beauty over my normal foundation mac studio fix fluid (NC20) in an attempt
 to make myself look more awake and dewy and I really love this foundation, it's medium coverage and
 feels light on your skin, I'm in the shade soft beige.

 The body Shop vanilla body lotion - £8 (No longer available)

 I'm surprised I haven't got a spoon and started eating this stuff yet, it smells soo good. the bottle says
 "luxurious skin softening with warm vanilla scent" and I 100% agree, it's a sweet smell that isn't too over
 powering which lingers on the skin all day and leaves you soft and moisturized without being too heavy

 Macadamia healing hair oil treatment - £13.99 (Amazon) 

 I stopped using this for a few days and noticed my hair was getting unruly and looking dull, so I decided
 To use it again one night and I've gotten back into the routine of running this through my hair after every
 wash and it's made such a difference, my hair looks softer and sleeker. I'm currently half way through
 this bottle and it has lasted me months, i'll be repurchasing when it's finished

 Maybeline eye studio lasting drama gel liner - £7.99 (Boots)

 For the last few months I've gotten more confident with my appearance and stopped wearing so much
 make up on a day-to-day basis, which included eyeliner... recently I've started to really get back into
 it as I've missed my winged eyeliner! I have had this eyeliner for nearly 1 year now and it's 3/4 finished
 so it lasts an extremely long time without drying out! Not only that, it lasts all day without budging!

 Benefit "that gal" brightening face primer sample - Full size £22.50 (Boots)

 Now that it's spring everyone's craving that healthy summer glow, so I thought that this month I would take 

 "that gal" out for a test run, and i'm pleasantly surprised! it gives your skin a subtle glow and brightens

 up your appearance, i'm a faithful benefit porefessional user but this may give it a run for it's money during

 the hotter months.

 L'occitane dry skin hand cream - £8.00 (L'occitane website) 

 My hand savior. This stuff goes everywhere with me, university, work... everywhere! I get extremely

 dry hands in the colder months and this helped get rid of my tight, dry skin within a day... hoorah! 

Do you have any favorites this month?