evening skincare routine!

this post is all about my current evening skincare regime. i have become a skincare obsessive over the past few months and feel myself wearing less and less makeup! this is very unlike me as i have spent most of my life caking on makeup to cover blemishes or scarring, however after using the following products, my skin has had a new lease of life! dont get me wrong i still get the occasional breakout, but in general my skin is in a much better condition these days!

to remove makeup and cleanse, i simply use my bioderma crealine h2o on 3 or 4 cotton pads and wipe them all over my face. i also use a face wash 2/3 times a week (murad blemish control clarifying cleanser) however i don't tend to use it every evening as it dries out my skin. to tone i use my caudalie beauty elixir which i ADORE. its a spray bottle, i tend to just spray a few pumps into my hands and gently pat it into my skin. the smell is gorgeous and it can also be used as a makeup refresher throughout the day. i then use my estee lauder advanced night repair serum. i spoke about this in my last post and cannot recommend it enough - its also great if youre suffering from breakouts and/or problem skin - it just tends to clear everything up and generally improve the quality of your skin! over the more dry areas of my face (around the edges and occasionally my nose) i use the h2o+ hydrating treatment which is an odd but beautiful product. it is essentially a deep moisturiser and hydration booster which works incredibly well over dry skins. i avoid my t-zone with this gel as i find it makes me more oily throughout the day. i then apply my olay beauty fluid, which is actually a day fluid, all over my face and neck. this is my go-to moisturiser and one i always reach for when i just want to take my skin back to basics. i have the normal/dry/combination version but they also sell a sensitive version. eye cream-wise i use skyn iceland's icelandic relief eye cream which i pay gently around my optical bone. i find that this really reduces puffiness around my eyes and gives a cooling sensation - great for after a sleepless night. and finally we move onto lip care - i use the leighton denny cuti-lips balm which is an amazing 2-in-1 gel for cuticle removal and lip nourishing. i find it has quite a greasy texture which i love for my evening routine but i don't tend to use it so much during the day!


so, where can you get your hands on these goodies? well, olay and estee lauder ANR are available in boots for around £6 and £54. i purchase my bioderma on ebay from an amazing seller who i will link here, for around £13. i purchase my caudalie beauty elixir from feel unique for £9.90. this product is pretty dear and i will admit, doesn't last as long as i'd like, but its definitely worth the money! finally we have the h20+, skyn iceland eye cream and leighton denny's cuti-lips which you can either pick up online or in the brand new marks and spencer beauty department ! they retail at £27.50, £38 and £7 (in the order i previously mentioned). the m&s beauty department is very hard to get hold of at the moment, with only high street kensington having launched. stratford city is next on the 14th of june though so be sure to check it out whether you live in london, go shopping in the area OR you're coming to the olympics this summer! stratford westfields is right next door to the olympic park so pop into m&s to check out the beautiful products they've brought in.


have a lovely jubilee weekend everyone,
emma xo

skincare products i cant put down!

to start with, i'd just like to apologise for my lack of blogging for the past few weeks! in this time i've turned 21, finished university and secured myself a beauty consultant job. pretty sweet, right? so, after these mad and stressful past few weeks, my skin has well and truly suffered! i've found myself reaching for two relatively new products in my skincare regime and i'm going to review the pair of them for you now.


after purchasing the bioderma crealine h2o solution for cleansing a couple of months ago, i have seen a dramatic difference in the quality of my skin. in general, i am getting less spots than before and my skin is much less red. not only do i use this at night to take off my makeup, (amazing for removing eye makeup, no stinging at all!) but i also use a small amount in the morning, before toning and moisturising, to clean any impurities off my skin, before applying a fresh face of makeup! i have been very set in my ways for the past few years - despite being a makeup artist, i have always used simple face wipes to remove my makeup and then whacked a bit of moisturiser on afterwards. i always found makeup removers and cleansers very oily and that they left a residue on top of my skin. after finding this, i can officially say i am hooked and will never go back to my face wipe ways (unless i've had a few too many vodka and lemonades... )! this product cannot be found in UK stores as it is a french brand. i however, purchased mine from eBay for £12.90 HERE! it is a 500ml bottle and lasts ages! i've used about 5 cotton pads worth a day, every day, for the past two months and am only half way through the bottle. 


secondly, on the slightly more expensive side of skincare, is estee lauder advanced night repair. i know what you're all thinking - another blogger favourite that is so obviously overrated. i did too. but, what with my excessive spending in boots, i'd gained nearly £70 worth of advantage points, and decided this was the time to test it out. quite frankly, i wasn't willing (or rich enough) to justify spending £54 on some serum, so getting it for free was extremely satisfying! the first evening i used it, i was sceptical. i don't think much of the smell, and as much as i loved the feel of it on my face, the feeling left on my fingers after rubbing it in, was less than desirable. i wont lie, i did feel a little special using this delightfully packaged product, and it did give a lovely finish to the skin from the second i applied it. when i woke up the following morning i was pleasantly surprised. don't get me wrong, its no miracle - you don't wake up looking like an angel! my skin was more plump, much more moisturised and my blemishes had been reduced considerably. i began using this product about one month ago and every time i use it my skin just gets better. i think it'll take a few more bottles before i do wake up looking like an angel, however my skin is the best it's looked in a while. this product retails at £41 for the 30ml and £54 for the 50ml.

so, now i am officially a beauty consultant, i will be posting all sorts on here about different products and the effects they've had on my skin. i can't say where i am working yet as i think they're trying to keep it pretty hush hush, but i can say that the skincare offers are incredible and i'm so exited to start working!


have you guys used these products before? what are your skincare must-haves?
emma xo

agenda beauty!

a few months ago i was contacted by agenda beauty, a new makeup brand, to test and review some of their products. after looking through their catalogue, i chose 7 products that caught my eye and then agenda beauty sent me them in the post!

the first thing that stood out to me was the 'lipduet' shown below! half red and half gold, this product is so versatile. the colours can be used together to create a shimmery red, or used separately for more of a bold statement. this lipstick is wonderfully moisturising, doesn't dry out my lips and the colour stays pretty well all day!

above is a swatch chart of all the products i tested. from left to right; shimmer dust in gold dust, glittery glitz in ultra shock, eye colour in pink pint, eye colour in moon walk, cheek colour in trojan warrior, lip colour in seduction, lip duet in tropical (gold side, then red side).

my favourite product is the lip colour in seduction which is a beautiful, shimmery hot pink. hot pink sounds scary for most people but i assure you its very wearable and the colour stays on wonderfully. in addition, being the glitter obsessive that i am, the glittery glitz in ultra shock was also a contender for first place! used in moderation, this product is very wearable for nights out but is also fantastic for dramatic makeup shoots or fancy dress!

the eye colours i got in pink pint and moon walk are lovely pastel pressed powders that can be used for a more natural look. i personally dont like wearing heavy pinks on my eyes so the pink pint colour is perfect for a day look! moon walk would make a lovely base colour for a smokey eye or could be used alone as a shimmery grey shadow.

finally, the shimmer dust in gold dust and cheek colour in trojan warrior are beautiful and would suit almost all skin tones perfectly. the shimmer dust can be used as an eyeshadow but also as a highlighter on darker skin in very small amounts. it is highly pigmented, easy to blend and stays on well. make sure to apply a primer on your eyelids before using this as a shadow to avoid creasing. the trojan warrior cheek colour is a lovely warm brown, perfect for a subtle blush during the day or for heavier application at night. this product leaves a lovely finish to the skin and doesnt make your skin look too 'cakey'!

overall i was extremely impressed with the agenda beauty products and would highly recommend them, not only to makeup artists but to everyone. these products are very reasonably priced, ranging from about £7-£10 and come in multiple shades to accommodate everyone. this company do NOT test on animals and are designed for all skin types and not dependent on race or gender! couldnt ask for more really, could you?!

thanks for reading, i'm going to try to be a bit more active on my blog from now on and should be posting some photos of these products used on my skin within the next week so keep your eyes peeled :)

emma xo